CH 10

What’s wrong with that

Editor: MinMin 

“Has anything happened in the palace during my absence?” Yan Weiliang did not stop. He walked into his bedroom, made a cup of tea, and took a sip.

He drank too much milk tea, juice, and other sweet drinks at the Marshal’s mansion; he was sick and tired of the sweets. He was in fact, a tea lover. 

Yan Weiliang has a complete tea set and manually brewed his tea. This was an unimaginable thing for people in the interstellar age who were used to speedy food service. 

Why would anyone bother to spend the time for a cup of plain boiled water with no taste? 

There were too many exotic and delicious beverages in the interstellar age. In their eyes, tea was equivalent to hot water, it does not even have nutritional benefits. 

Yan Weiliang enjoyed the feeling of making tea. He watched as the tea leaves sink and swirl in the tea caldron, emitting a spiral of steam and spreading a faint fragrance of tea. The slight bitterness at first sip and the sweet aftertaste always calm his mind. 

After drinking one cup, he restrained the urge to pick a fight with Chu Yuwen after regaining his strength. 

The young man lowered his eyes, and half of his face was hidden by the dense steam, separated by a wisp of smoke. The slender and pale fingers tapped on the white porcelain tea bowl, looking like an immortal in a painting with his pinkish lips. 

Like looking at flowers in the fog, like fetching the moon out of the sea. 

The beauty was so haunting that at just a glance, it captivated the beholder into selling their souls. 

No matter how many times he saw the young man, Lin Shen always praised his Highness’s outstanding appearance. There was no need to rely on the mental power of 3S to lure people. His Highness could entice countless talents into the scalding water and raging fire with nothing but his beauty. 

It was clear that this man could rely on his face alone yet, he insisted on using his talents.  

Lin Shen informed, “No.”

“Oh.” Yan Weiliang uttered with a slightly raised tone. It was cold like the snow covering the top of the mountain, and like the falling leaves on the cold autumn night. 

It was cold to a sense of desolation. 

– 

Lin Shen was a good friend of Yan Weiliang during their youth. He had witnessed the prince and the irreconcilable Marshal during the best of their times. 

Lin Shen had admired and followed Yan Weilaing since he was young. At that time, Yan Weiliang was very close to Chu Yuwen, and the three had a good relationship, despite Chu Yuwen always disliking Lin Shen being a light bulb.

Chu Yuwen only liked to interact with the strong. At that time, Lin Shen was very weak and received a few words of guidance from Chu Yuwen. 

“If it was not for Weiliang’s sake, I wouldn’t bother teaching someone like you.” Chu Yuwen was wild and ill-mannered, and his lips were often slightly raised into a smile, but it was hard to tell. The young man dreamed high and had outstanding ability. A true fiery son, a favorite of heaven.  

Later, on the battlefield, Chu Yuwen experienced the cruelty of choking smoke, the sea of blood, a mountain of corpses, backstabbing, and schemes. Step by step, he had become the always calm and hard to predict imperial Marshal, whose name alone could bring fear. The smile at the corner of his lips also gradually disappeared. 

While his Highness, also went from that gentle young man like the clear breeze and bright moon, into a very distant and indifferent prince. Like a real glowing moon high in the sky, isolating itself from everyone over a distance of thousands of miles. 

Having watched them walk step by step in opposite directions, gradually distancing themselves from each other, and standing on the opposite side of fate, Lin Shen sighed inside. 

Lin Shen was no longer the Third Prince’s useless follower. He gained the ability to take charge on his own and had become Yan Weilaing’s most trusted and powerful subordinate.  

During the period when a bridge formed between Yan Weiliang and Chu Yuwen, he followed the former without hesitation. 

Sometimes he still recalled the time when the three of them were young, happy, and unburdened, the time when he handed the military tally stolen by his Highness to Chu Yuwen when he was seventeen years old, Chu Yuwen asking him to tell his Highness to be rest assured. 

Lin Shen thought that he probably did not hate Chu Yuwen. 

But in the years that followed, as he watched his Highness grow colder and colder, and his methods turned more and more ruthless, and that was when he knew they could never go back to how they were.  

The two masters were tit for tat, trading killing blows in innumerable succession. As if their past friendship never happened. He was the only one who was often nostalgic and trapped in the memories of the past, leaving only a sad feeling. 

In the end, his only way was to harden his heart and assist his Highness in eradicating Chu Yuwen’s party. 

–

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The result was predictable. He could picture no one yielding to the Crown Prince as Yan Weixuan was mocked by the adjutant before returning in despair. 

“Idiot.” Yan Weiliang sneered.  

Yan Weixuan also knew that even if Yan Weiliang had not offended the Emperor, he would never have been able to sit next in line. He was very afraid of this outstanding younger brother, and always regarded him as a thorn in his side and his biggest enemy. He wished for the world to be rid of him. 

What about Yan Weiliang?

Yan Weiliang saw him as nothing more than a performing clown. 

Yan Weiliang had too many enemies. It was as far as the zerg’s home planet, which had the intention to annihilate the Federation and the Empire, and as close as the Marshal, the cabinets harboring conflicting interests, and the scheming elders.  

Which of these opponents was not superior?

Yan Weixuan outranked none of them and was not worth his worries. 

Differences in scope and style naturally led to different views. Yan Weixuan was keen on picking a quarrel and thought he was a terror to Yan Weiliang. However, in Yan Weiliang’s eyes, his older brother was nothing but child’s play. 

For example, Yan Weiliang had just disappeared for three days in a row. If Yan Weixuan would seize the opportunity to make a change and shown intentions to scheme against Yan Weiliang, he might have given the man some of his precious attention.  

Instead, Yan Weixuan went to snatch an omega off the street. 

Simply a helpless rotten mud. 

Yan Weixuan was not stupid beyond saving. At least he understood that the real power of the Empire now lay in the military and the cabinet, not in the royal family. 

He prayed for the weak and feared the strong, so he dared not to touch Chu Yuwen’s followers. However, he targeted Yan Weiliang whenever he had the chance. Maybe he was trying to curry favor with Chu Yuwen, an enemy of Yan Weiliang, and seek the Marshal’s protection.  

He was a disgrace to the royal family. 

But now that the royal family was the laughingstock of the Empire, there were probably not many faces for them to lose. 

It was ridiculously stupid. 

If Chu Yuwen paid attention to such an anxiously stomping villain, he would not be Chu Yuwen.  

Yan Weiliang was too lazy to mention his older brother more as he ordered, “Prepare another bottle of the transformation medicine, as well as the counteragent.” 

Lin Shen stumbled for a moment, wanting to speak but stopped. 

“What is the matter?” Yan Weiliang looked at him. “There is no holding back between us. If you have something to say, sit down and have a cup of tea.”

Lin Shen sat down hesitantly, picked up a cup of tea, and said, “You have been there for three days. With how long you were gone…did you succeed?” 

“If I had, would I be asking for you to prepare more of the drug?” Yan Weilaing’s tone was calm. 

“You are going to risk it again?!” Lin Shen frowned. “You are lucky enough to get out the first time in one piece, it is too dangerous for you to go again…”

How could that be called escape unscathed, he had already been tossed and turned all over. 

Yan Weiliang came out empty-handed.  

…No, at least he got the spousal status and all the authorization of the Marshal’s mansion. 

Yan Weiliang was noncommittal, “I have a sense of propriety.”

Lin Shen understood that his Highness’s decision was not to be questioned, so he could only lower his head and take a sip of tea to suppress his shock. 

Not to mention how delicious the tea his Highness brewed was.  

He was halfway through his tea when he suddenly thought of something. “Your Highness, speaking of, Chu Yuwen announced his marriage on the star network today without disclosing the identity of his spouse. This discussion is currently ranked first in the star net.”

“How could a walking weapon like Chu Yuwen get married? There was not even a hint of it before.” Lin Shen made it clear that he did not believe it. They had been fighting each other for many years and both sides had too many tricks up their sleeves. 

He started to form conspiracy theories, “This must be another of his tricks, and I do not know what his end goal is. This so-called wife should also be a puppet, since no one has seen this wife before, and keeping the information private? Perhaps this person doesn’t even exist…” As he said this, he took a sip of his tea, thinking that his analysis was very on point. 

“I am the wife.” Yan Weiliang said off-handedly.  

“Puff—” Lin Shen spurted out a mouthful of tea as the tea cup slipped out of his hand, hit the ground, and scattered into pieces. 

He gasped, “Your Highness, you—”

Yan Weiliang’s eyes locked on the broken teacup and demanded, “One hundred star coins, send it to my account.”

He used his mental power to turn those fragments into powder, and swept them all into the garbage can, not needing a maid to clean it up.  

Lin Shen hurriedly wiped the water stains on his lips. “That is not important. You—”

“It is important.” Yan Weiliang stressed, “Money, now.”

“…” Lin Shen turned on his optical computer and transferred one hundred star currency to the other party’s account to compensate for the price of breaking the cup. 

Then he exclaimed, “What the hell happened?!? 

Did his Highness not sneak into the Marshal’s mansion to gather evidence? How did he suddenly become the mysterious wife of the Marshal that everyone was speculating about?

Yan Weiliang glanced at him. “You should ask the people in the pharmacy department that question.”

Why, estrus period, on the freaking first day. 

Lin Shen’s face became fearful.  

He screeched, “Chu Yuwen marked you like an omega?!”

Yan Weiliang said gently, “Shut up.”

He already knew it very well and did not need to hear it again from someone else. 

Lin Shen was stupefied for two seconds before the color of rage appeared in his eyes. “I will go kill him!” 

And here he was being soft-hearted for Chu Yuwen just earlier, now he must smash Chu Yuwen into pieces!

His Highness…was an alpha!

It was mental humiliation for an alpha to be forcibly marked by another alpha as an alpha was born with strong control and possessiveness. 

There was such a situation hundreds of years ago, when two alpha fought, the strong would bite the gland of the weak to humiliate them. Alphas could not be marked. This tender gesture between AO was a humiliation worse than death for alphas.  

There were even alphas who rather committed suicide than be humiliated like this. 

This show of force was later banned because it insulted alpha’s integrity. Which brought them to now, his Highness…

Being an omega on top of that, having no power to resist. 

Lin Shen was fuming in rage just the thought of this, it raised his hackles.  

The person in question, Yan Weiliang, looked calmly at his indignant friend. “You go, and I will end up collecting your corpse.”

The fire burning Lin Shen was instantly doused. 

…He was just an alpha with SS combat power and S mental power. He was no match against Chu Yuwan. 

Lin Shen admitted defeat. “Then you are just going to let him bully you like that?” 

Yan Weiliang insisted, “Go get the medicine.”

Lin Shen was in disbelief. “You still want to head straight to the tiger’s den.”

After knowing what his Highness went through, how could he let his Highness go back!

“I have been fighting with him for so many years and I am well aware how difficult he could be.” Yan Weiliang’s eyes flashed. “I pried open a gap, I will not let go of this opportunity.” 

Lin Shen murmured, “But you found nothing during those three days…”

“I have plenty of time to mount a psychological attack.” Yan Weiliang had an almost cruel calmness. “Gain his trust, get access to the military, nibble his power from the inside, control his connections, and swallow up his army. Then…I will kill him.”

Just give him a chance. 

He would do it.  

What he lacked was a chance. 

“Psychological attack…?” Lin Shen could not understand. “What would you do if another accident arose again?”

If an alpha wanted his omega, the omega could not refuse. 

Yan Weiliang chuckled and a gentle expression appeared in his drooping eyes, but the words he used could send chills down anyone’s back, “What’s wrong with that?” 

As long as his goal could be achieved, what was the difference between being pressed down once and being pressed down a hundred times?

Lin Shen was shocked. 

…His Highness acted differently now. 

In the past, his Highest was upright and gentle. He preferred to fight fairly and honestly, hating despicable schemes and tricks.  

Now, his Highness schemes for hundreds of paragraphs, as well as treating himself cruelly. It became worse year by year. 

This kind of growth was too brutal. 

“You do not…have to belittle yourself like that.” Lin Shen wailed. 

His Highness was such a prideful man.  

His Highness once defended the whole imperial capital under the zerg’s siege by himself. 

He also vowed to defend the glory and dignity of the royal family to the death, becoming the only towering tree and breaking through the soil in a pool of mud, so as not to bring the royal family into total disrepute. 

He was surrounded by troubles, both internal and external. Trapped, enclosed by lurking wolves for a moment of weakness, no way to compromise. 

Now he wanted to…destroy his foundation, suffer in silence, and do whatever it would take to achieve his goal.  

“Lin Shen. Dignity is very important, but there are many things more important than dignity in this world.” Yan Weiliang gazed at him shallowly. “The Empire needs reform, and reform needs power. I must do it. I do not want it to be destroyed in this generation. Destroy my generation.”

Only when all the power was in the palm of his hand, could he do what he desired. 

Lin Shen closed his eyes, half knelt, and promised, “Lin Shen will follow your Highness to the death.”

The translator has something to add: 

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Think of this as part of a social experiment.

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