Chapter 17: There’s Always A Cannon Fodder Asking For Death.

In there, the fat and thin servants were debating whether they were done with the instructions given by Eunuch Zhao and if they should let Yan HeQing go.

In the end, as soon as they looked up, they saw Eunuch Zhao’s lackey, Steward Feng, walking over.

“Steward Feng!” The two servants hurriedly nodded and bowed to him, showing their respect.

“Hmm.” Steward Feng waved his hand arrogantly as he looked at Yan HeQing.

Yan HeQing lowered his head without saying a word.

Steward Feng wasn’t annoyed with this, he simply raised his foot and kicked Yan HeQing as hard as he could: “Kneel.”

Yan HeQing stumbled over, hitting his knees heavily against the ground.

“What? Weren’t you happy to talk back last time? Why aren’t you talking this time?” Steward Feng circled Yan HeQing, reached out, and fiercely pinched Yan HeQing’s cheeks, forcing him to look up.

Steward Feng originally intended to intimidate and insult Yan HeQing, but who would have thought that by looking at Yan HeQing’s eyes, he would feel so agitated. Yan HeQing’s eyes showed contempt and disgust, looking nothing like a humble man. This, of course, sent a shiver down Steward Feng’s back.

“You, you, how dare you stare at me?!” Steward Feng slapped Yan HeQing, and then pulled the fat servant. “You come here. Punch him on the mouth.”

“Alright.” The fat servant smiled heatedly, walked forward, swung his arm, and hit Yan HeQing twice.

Steward Feng looked at him coldly, but then he was greatly alarmed.

In cases like this, ordinary people would be afraid of making the bullies burst into anger. However, not only did Yan HeQing endure the humiliation, but he also never bent his back!

‘This man isn’t a coward at all. Eunuch Zhao, that old fox, he knows how to judge people.’

Steward Feng felt that Yan HeQing’s straight back was too unpleasant to see, so he walked forward to kick him in the waist.

After being kicked, Yan HeQing fell face-first to the ground. At that moment, an object rolled out his sleeve.

The eyes of the thin servant were sharp. As he picked up the fallen object, he noticed that it was a finely crafted jade hairpin: “Steward Feng, look at this.”

At that instant, Yan HeQing hurried to touch his sleeve, with an alarming expression of panic adorning his face.

Steward Feng took the hairpin and said with disdain: “Heh, what a piece of cheap garbage.”

“Give it back!” Yan HeQing suddenly got up intending to fight for the hairpin. However, he was blocked by the fat and thin servants.

After seeing Yan HeQing reacting like this, Steward Feng raised a sly smile: “Although it looks like garbage, it should still be worth a few coins. Since you don’t need it, you can honor me with this gift1.”

“What gift? I want to be honored too.” Xiao YuAn whispered close to Steward Feng’s ear.

Steward Feng shouted with fright and turned around to scold the man behind him: “Are you stupid or—….. Your Majesty!!!???”

The three servants were frightened to death by the sudden appearance of Xiao YuAn. Their faces turned ashen, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably as they kowtowed incessantly: “Y-yo-your M-ma-majesty, wh-why i-is H-his M-ma-majesty h-here?”

Naturally, Xiao YuAn came to see Yan HeQing. But who would’ve thought that he would run into Yan HeQing being humiliated?

‘How long has it been since he got punished to kneel on the snow? Why are these cannon fodder making trouble again? Are all these villains so dedicated to their work nowadays? Don’t they ever take a break? Is this task that important?’

Xiao YuAn stretched out his hand in front of Steward Feng: “What item were you talking about?”

Steward Feng hurriedly presented the jade hairpin with both hands. When Xiao YuAn saw it, he became so frightened that he almost dropped it by accident.

‘Oh, for my third aunt, sixth aunt, and seventh uncle’s sake2! Do you even know what this is?! Show honor to you?! You should honor your coffin plate, you dumb fuck!’

‘This jade hairpin is a relic of the Male Lead’s mother! Not only that, but it’s also a token of love that Yan HeQing will give to Princess Yongning in the near future!!!’

‘How dare you want this?!’

‘How are you even still alive?’

‘Did get tired of living?’

‘Do you want to die a horrible death?!!!’

Xiao YuAn was so scared of damaging the jade hairpin by accident that he turned around to shove it into Hong Xiu’s hands: “Hong Xiu, hold this carefully for me. Don’t break it!”

Hong Xiu nodded.

Then, Xiao YuAn patted his chest and looked at Yan HeQing. When Xiao YuAn saw Yan HeQing dressed in thin clothes, he couldn’t help but sigh helplessly.

‘In his early stage, the Male Lead was really miserable.’

Xiao YuAn walked over, took off his robe, and wrapped it around Yan HeQing.

Yan HeQing’s body stiffened and his brow furrowed. He showed resistance, but in the end, he said nothing.

‘You’re already so miserable, can you stop hating for the time being?!’

Xiao YuAn asked: “Can you get up?”

Yan HeQing nodded, but when he attempted to rise, he staggered with an unsteady posture.

Xiao YuAn turned his head and said: “LiuAn, take him inside.”

Yang LiuAn clasped his fist in a salute and followed the order, assisting Yan HeQing into the room.

Only then did Xiao YuAn look back at the three servants kneeling on the ground. When they felt Xiao YuAn’s gaze upon them, the three servants shook with fear.

‘What are you so afraid of? Why weren’t you all scared to die when you bullied the male lead not long ago?’

“Come on, get up.” Xiao YuAn raised his hand.

The three servants scrambled to their feet in a panic.

Xiao YuAn: “Stand in a row, stand at ease, and look to the left.”

The three servants: “Huh?”

“-Huh-what? Stand still.” Xiao YuAn squatted down, rolled three snowballs, and then stuffed them inside the three servant’s clothes.

The three servants immediately gritted their teeth, while their faces twisted due to the cold.

“Come on, repeat after me.” Xiao YuAn patted the snow on his hands and said: “If he doesn’t suffer, I won’t die. Villains must rely on their brains.”

The three servants: “Huh….?”

“Again with ‘huh’?” Xiao YuAn smashed their heads one by one. “Repeat!”

The three servants: “If he doesn’t suffer, I won’t die. Villains must rely on their brains….”

Xiao YuAn: “If I’m not smart enough, I’ll die. Only a fool would mess with the Male Lead.”

The three servants: “….If I’m not smart enough, I’ll die. Only a fool would mess with the Male Lead.”

“Alright! Go back and recite it out loud. Remember it well, this will be on the final exam.” Xiao YuAn nodded with satisfaction and said, “Well, what should I do now?”

It seems that the three servants didn’t expect that Xiao YuAn would let them go so easily, so after looking at each other, they shouted their thanks to the Emperor and hurried to run away.

Xiao YuAn was about to enter Yan HeQing’s room to see him, but he suddenly felt Hong Xiu staring at him, so he asked: “What’s wrong?”

“Uhm….” Hong Xiu fell back into a trance, hesitating for a long time until finally asking: “Since His Majesty is so concerned with the Prince of the Southern Yan Kingdom, why didn’t His Majesty vent his anger on his behalf just now?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?” Xiao YuAn was confused.

Hong Xiu said: “Naturally, His Majesty should have punished those three servants in front of the Prince of the Southern Yan Kingdom. Like digging out the servants’ eyes, cutting off their tongues and hands….”

Xiao YuAn: “….”

‘Hong Xiu! Why have you become so sinister all of a sudden?! Or is this your true essence, and I’m just finding out?!’

Xiao YuAn pondered for a moment and said: “The House of Internal Affairs has always been disciplined. When bullying takes place, do you think Eunuch Zhao won’t interfere?”

Hong Xiu suddenly realized: “Your Majesty, you mean-….?”

Xiao YuAn smiled faintly: “Yes, they were acting according to orders.”

Hong Xiu’s face showed doubt: “But why would Eunuch Zhao want to humiliate the Prince of the Southern Yan Kingdom?”

Xiao YuAn sighed: “Because of the Northern Kingdom. Because of me….”

This sentence, on the contrary, made Hong Xiu more puzzled: “Your Majesty?”

Xiao YuAn looked at Hong Xiu, who was twinkling her eyes confused, and said: “Hong Xiu, you have to promise me one thing. No matter what, you won’t do anything to Yan HeQing. Alright?”

Hong Xiu hurriedly saluted: “His Majesty can rest assured, this maidservant will keep it in mind.”

“Hmm.” Xiao YuAn nodded reassuringly and stepped into the room.