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Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 49 (Part 1)

The Ninth Prince absent-mindedly finished his dinner with Emperor Zhongkang before bringing up the matter of building the mansion.

Although Emperor Zhongkang was very reluctant, thinking that his son would be eighteen in a few months and he should have a mansion of his own, he agreed. He immediately sent the edict to the Imperial academy, asking them to find an auspicious day to start building the mansion, but no matter how fast they are, it would take at least half a year to complete.

When the Ninth Prince heard that he had to wait another half a year, his already gloomy face turned black, and he hurriedly said, “Father, this son is already so old, it’s not appropriate to live in the Eastern Palace anymore. If one day I bump into your concubines, it wouldn’t be any good. Erchen should just find a place and move out first?”

Emperor Zhongkang’s love for his son is no less than that of Zhao Zhizhou. He said coldly, “What do you mean you would bump into the concubines? Are they worthy of being compared with you? I really don’t feel at ease letting you live outside, so let’s wait and see.” After the words fell, he didn’t respond to his son’s various pleadings, as if he was too old and deaf.

The Ninth Prince spoke dryly but failed to convince his father, so he had to go back resentfully. As soon as he stepped into the Eastern Palace, his helpless and sad expression immediately turned into a chilly one and his dark eyes sometimes flashed sharply, which made people dare not look at him closely.

The attendants of the Eastern Palace had long been accustomed to the inconsistent and moody appearance of the Ninth Prince, and they all bowed their heads and kept silent. If His Highness the Ninth Prince did not order them, they would never dare to go forward to serve him without permission. Even washing and changing clothes, he did it all by himself. He seems to be very disgusted by the touch of others. When he is in a good mood, he may not have an attack, but when he is in a bad mood, they must be careful, otherwise they may not be able to see the sun tomorrow.

He walked slowly to the desk, opened the hidden compartment as before, took out a yellowed scroll, and slowly spread it out on the desk.

There is no need to order at this time, naturally there are attendants approaching with a few candlesticks, so that His Highness Ninth Prince can see more clearly.

This portrait is quite old, the edges and corners have been worn out, and the paper is slightly brittle, which can easily tear or make irreparable creases. The ink on the paper has long faded, and a slender figure can be vaguely seen standing under the blooming peach tree.

The Ninth Prince looked at it silently for a long time, and then ordered, “Bring the pen and ink.”

The attendants immediately brought the four treasures of the study and placed them neatly one by one, and another palace maid scooped up the water to grind the ink.

The Ninth Prince picked up the pen and drew out those blurred lines in detail. When he finally traced the face of the portrait, a gentle smile appeared on the corners of his lips. He is not an indecisive person like Emperor Zongsheng, who not only lost the one he loved, but also didn’t dare to draw the face of his beloved. Although one can vaguely understand that “love begets sorrow, love begets fear” to the point of worrying about gains and losses, but he doesn’t agree with it.

If he falls in love with someone, let alone a small commander of the Imperial Army, even the Emperor Lao Zi can’t stop him from being together with his beloved. Emperor Zongsheng couldn’t paint a picture of You Shu, but he could do it with just one stroke, because his heart is firmer than anyone else’s.

In the midst of his thoughts, the young man’s beautiful and unparalleled face appeared vividly on the paper. After thinking for a while, he mixed some coloured ink, added a pink camellia on his temple, drew a ruby on his forehead, and finally completed the painting of the unknown layman. The blue Confucian shirt was changed into a magnificent peony brocade robe.

“What a handsome young man!” The palace maid was attracted by the beautiful painting, and couldn’t help but marvel, but then realised that she had disturbed His Highness, and quickly knelt down to apologise.

“It’s okay, what you’ve just said is true.” The Ninth Prince was in such a good mood that he smiled at the palace maid for the first time.

The Eastern Palace, which always has a cold and oppressive atmosphere all year, now has the warmth of spring, it feels like flowers are blooming, and even the wind feels so clean, which makes everyone secretly surprised. Just at this time, a guard walked in quickly, knelt down and saluted.

“Have you found out about that case?” The Ninth Prince asked in a deep voice while affixing gold powder with a thin brush to outline the pattern on the young man’s clothes. At this time, the smile on his face had long since disappeared, and he became as strict and cold as before.

“My lord, this subordinate has inquired clearly that Young Master Zhao also suffered an unreasonable disaster…” The guards inquired clearly about the politics between the princes in the court, and then told the process of the prefect of Lin’an prefecture framing You Shu. If Emperor Zhongkang were here, he would be surprised because his knowledge of the inside politics wouldn’t be as good as his son’s subordinates.

The colder the Ninth Prince looked, the more careful he was when he drew, for fear of ruining his sweetheart’s clothes. This is the scene of their first meeting, which must be memorable.

The last stroke was drawn, and the guard’s report came to an end. The Ninth Prince blew on the wet ink, and said in a low voice, “Where are those criminals now?”

“Reporting to the master, they are on their way to Yunzhou.”

“Why are they going to Yunzhou? Change the route to Xianggan.” With a few words, he has decided the life and death of these people.

Xiangqian is the place where the Miao people live together, it is a place with a lot of saline and alkaline land, poisonous plants and insects, and a lot of miasma. Moreover, the Miao people there possess the secret technique of raising Gu, and are the most xenophobic. If these criminals are exiled to Xiangqian, it is equal to ten deaths without life for them. As soon as they entered the city, they had already stepped onto the coffin board with their front feet. The yamen guards in charge of escorting the criminals did not dare to approach at all. When they reached the gate of the city, they handed over the official documents, and then pushed the criminals away.

The guard had already thought of this, and couldn’t help but glance at him, and took his orders before leaving.

The Ninth Prince completed the painting, put his hands on the table and stared at it for half a night, until the oil in the candlestick burned out and the light began to flicker, then carefully put it back into the dark compartment, washed his hands and went to bed.

It was late at night, and the dream that had troubled him since he was a child finally changed, from repeatedly chasing a vague figure to embracing someone, until he woke up from the thrilling pleasure in the early morning. He suddenly opened his eyes, rolled over and sat up with flushed cheeks before reaching out to explore his warm and slippery crotch.

The person in his dream was actually You Shu… It really was You Shu! His tearful eyes, his swollen lips from being kissed, and his jade-coloured body which felt excellent to touch are still vivid in his memory. And the charming scene, the feeling of extreme ecstasy and supreme joy, all of it seems to have happened for real!

The Ninth Prince recalled repeatedly, feeling a tide of emotions, and the body that had just vented began to heat up again. He finally understood in what way he wanted to get You Shu. It’s not about tying him by his side, or keeping him under the eyes, but about occupying, blending, and having me inside of him.

Only with You Shu by his side, those nightmares that kept him from sleeping day and night will disappear, those undying regrets and pains will be reduced, and the heart that has always been cold will warm up. Only by having You Shu by his side can he avoid being maniac and angry, stop worrying about gains and losses, and not always lose himself in thoughts to the point of destroying himself.

It wasn’t until this moment that he reluctantly admitted that he is indeed the reincarnation of Emperor Zongsheng. Those dreams of despair, fear and heartbreak in the past showed that they are indeed the same person. Probably, because Emperor Zongsheng did not die in peace, and thus reincarnated to wait for his beloved.

He suddenly felt both anxious and agitated, and laid on the bed for a long time before getting dressed.

At the same time, in Zhao Fu house.

Half of Zhao Yusong’s cheek was swollen because of the Ninth Prince’s beating. In order to save his face, he didn’t dare to go see his father and grandfather immediately. He waited until the next day when the swelling subsided and covered it with powder before going to look for his father.

His father was in charge of the Hanlin Academy with a second rank, and low official title. However, it is very likely that he will enter the imperial court in the future making him one of the most noble figures in Xia Qi Dynasty. After hearing his son’s narration, the self-proclaimed scholar Zhao Dashi was quite unhappy. If there is really such a shameless flatterer in the family, there is no doubt that his path to promotion will be full of twists and turns, or even blocked completely.

He is not like Zhao Zhizhou, who only values about immediate interests and doesn’t care about reputation. Furthermore, even if You Shu is favoured, the second house won’t get any benefits, on the contrary, it will be greatly detrimental for the direct branch.

“Don’t tell your grandfather about this, he’s too old, and can’t think too much. At most, he will send You Shu away, which wouldn’t solve the root cause of the problem.” Master Zhao whispered in a low voice, “Do You still remember the dog raised by His Highness the Ninth Prince when he was young, you were frightened that year.”

Zhao Yusong’s face turned pale, and he said, “I remember, why wouldn’t I remember? That year he was eight years old, and the Ninth Prince was seven years old. A foreign country paid tribute and gifted a snow-white dog, and Emperor Zhongkang gave it to the Ninth Prince to play with. The Ninth Prince liked this dog very much and named it Xuetuan’er. He used to hug him in his arms all day long and refused to let go. He ate and slept together, and they were completely inseparable. Unexpectedly, the other princes were jealous, and when he was not paying attention, they used fresh meat to lure Xuetuan to their side, but before they had time to play with it, they were almost chopped off by the Ninth Prince after only touching it twice.

In the end, the dog was thrown away, and the other concubines did not dare to adopt it, so they could only let it fend for itself.

Back then, the ninth prince cut off half of the sixth prince’s arm with a sword, and blood was sprayed on Zhao Yusong’s face. He was only eight years old after all, he had never seen such a scene before, he had a high fever when he got home, and kept having nightmares for half a month before he got better. In the end, one can only say that the Ninth Prince has an extremely domineering personality, and he will never let outsiders touch what he likes. But if it is touched by someone else, no matter how much he likes it, he will give it up without hesitation.

Struggling to recall the bloody past, Zhao Yusong’s eyes brightened slightly, “Father, do you mean to dirty Youshu?”

Master Zhao nodded, “The Ninth Prince suffers from cleanliness issues and doesn’t allow others to touch his things. You can let him know that the thing he currently likes only looks clean on the surface but is actually full of dirt. Let’s see how he handles it .”

Zhao Yusong answered yes repeatedly, he hurriedly turned around to summon the servants to inquire about You Shu’s recent movements, so as to get a handle on him. Unexpectedly, You Shu was not as indulgent and lustful as the rumours said, but was very well-behaved, and he never went out unless necessary, either reading in the house, chatting with Mrs. Wang, or wandering around the yard to catch a few dragonflies, butterflies and cicadas to put it in a glass jar to play with for several hours, and then let it go.

“Catching dragonflies and cicadas, and then releasing them? Are you sure you’re not describing a little girl?” Zhao Yusong asked in disbelief.

“That’s true, I dare not lie to the young master!” The servant knelt down and cried out for injustice. He was also very suspicious of Young Master You Shu’s gender, if he changed into a woman’s clothes and went to see him, it really wouldn’t feel out of place. Even many noble ladies from aristocratic families are not as chaste and virtuous as him.

Zhao Yusong rubbed his temples and felt a headache. The Ninth Prince likes clean people or things the most. The previous murder case has proved that You Shu was framed. In the eyes of the Ninth Prince, he is not only clean but also weak, so he feels even more pity for him. If he wants the Ninth Prince to see You Shu’s reality, wouldn’t it have the opposite effect?

No matter how jealous Zhao Yusong is, he has to admit that You Shu’s looks are indeed very advantageous. With a tender face, big eyes, fair skin, pink lips, and exceptionally clear eyes, he looks so cute, coupled with that lazy and cat-like temperament, wouldn’t the Ninth Prince be dazed?

Translator: Zhao Yusong guessed right, The ninth prince is already a lost cause after meeting You Shu.

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