Troublemaker Prince Chapter 18
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 18
Three days later, the Crown Prince remained weak and unable to rise from bed, drinking a large bowl of Consort Xian's premium golden silk snow swallow bird's nest soup daily to sustain his life. Meanwhile, Li Yuan, whose ribs were broken and buttocks torn open, had already crawled up from bed, insisting on going out to drink flower wine with his disreputable friends, truly demonstrating his physical strength and determination!
"Don't stop me, today I must go out!" Li Yuan staggered as he climbed from bed, speaking to the servants beside him.
He hadn't gone out to drink flower wine for three days and could no longer hold back. Moreover, he had a huge secret in his heart! He felt uncomfortable not sharing it with anyone! Even if he couldn't speak of it directly, he wanted to make arrangements with his disreputable friends to catch someone in adultery!
Watching the Crown Prince's misfortune together—how delightful that would be!
"Young Master, you cannot go out!" a young servant beside him called out anxiously.
However, a half-grown youth was no match for the two-hundred-plus-pound Li Yuan, who immediately pushed him and sent him stumbling. The servants had no choice and, fearing they might injure Li Yuan, could only prepare a carriage and carefully escort Li Yuan to the flower house he frequented.
Just as Li Yuan stepped out, several pairs of eyes fixed on him.
At the corner of a wall, several thugs from Chang'an City watched the Marquis of Nan'an's carriage. "I told you he couldn't hold back—within three days he'd definitely come out seeking pleasure."
"Once he enters the flower house, we'll find a time when there's no one around him and give him a beating. That way, we'll complete the task Brother Huo assigned us," the gang leader said with a smile.
A brother beside him couldn't help but poke the gang leader. "Didn't Brother Huo say that after entering the palace, he couldn't easily send us messages? Taking such a big risk to send a message out just to beat up Li Yuan?"
"It couldn't be to win the favor of the beautiful Crown Prince, could it?" the small thug said with a knowing look.
The next moment, the gang leader elbowed the small thug beside him. "Is Brother Huo's business something you can casually gossip about? Be careful that Brother Huo deals with you first when he comes out."
After speaking, the gang leader glanced at the departing carriage. "Follow them!"
As his words fell, several thugs blended into the crowd and inconspicuously followed Li Yuan's carriage.
Following his usual routine, Li Yuan arrived at the Zuixiang Tower, where his disreputable friends were already waiting for him in a private room.
In the private room, five playboys each held a beauty in their arms. Seeing Li Yuan enter, they couldn't help but tease. "Brother Li, we all thought you wouldn't be able to leave your room for ten days or half a month, yet here you are today. You know our Crown Prince is still lying in bed, too ill to rise. Hey, by the way, how did the Crown Prince manage to kick you?"
"Get lost, get lost!" Li Yuan felt a toothache upon hearing the four words "His Highness the Crown Prince." He was the one with broken ribs, he was the one beaten until his buttocks bloomed, and he hadn't even touched the Crown Prince's robe hem—so how did the Crown Prince become the victim?
"Don't mention the Crown Prince to me, it irritates me just thinking about it," Li Yuan said angrily.
The playboys exchanged glances, knowing that Li Yuan had suffered greatly because of the Crown Prince and even lost his position as heir, so naturally he wouldn't want to hear the Crown Prince's name.
"Let's not talk about such mood-killing things—drink!" Immediately, someone urged them to drink, beginning to liven up the atmosphere.
Halfway through drinking, Li Yuan seemed to remember his purpose for coming. He squinted his drunken eyes, then used his chubby hands to drive all the girls out, closed the door, and mysteriously said to his drinking buddies, "I have a secret!"
"Where did you hide your private money?" one playboy laughed.
"Get lost, I'm not like you—I'm not even married yet," Li Yuan cursed, then seriously said to his disreputable friends. "There's going to be a good show at the Spring Banquet. Will you go watch? I guarantee this show will still be discussed even ten years later."
The scandal of catching the Crown Prince in adultery—such imperial family gossip would be remembered for a lifetime by anyone who lived through it.
"A good show?" The playboys became interested.
Li Yuan snorted and pointed his finger toward the sky. "Will you watch or not?"
The playboys couldn't help but gasp—imperial family matters!
After Li Yuan sent out the signal that there would be ripe gossip to watch, the playboys who loved watching drama announced they would definitely attend the Spring Banquet, even if it meant enduring the cold stares of talented scholars from noble families and humble origins.
While Li Yuan and his friends waited to watch the show, they had no idea that their every word and action was being observed.
"Boss, what should we do?" a small thug asked the gang leader.
"Don't act rashly yet," the gang leader said. "Xiao Si, you send a message to Brother Huo—make sure it reaches his hands."
"Are we not teaching Li Yuan a lesson then?" another thug asked.
"There are other ways to teach him a lesson," the gang leader said.
Soon, Li Yuan was dizzy from drinking, and it was time for him to return to the mansion. So he had people help him downstairs to take a carriage home.
Just as he was going downstairs, he felt his foot slip and involuntarily fell backward. The young servant beside him couldn't hold him back and was dragged down as well.
"Which heartless person threw banana peels around!"
Li Yuan rolled down several steps of the staircase, his buttocks getting knocked several more times by the stairs. Just as he finally stopped, the servant who had rolled down after him landed directly on top of him.
With over a hundred pounds of weight crashing down, Li Yuan foamed at the mouth, his body stiffened, and he passed out directly.
"Young Master! Young Master!"
Soon, a physician arrived, shaking his head while examining Li Yuan's injuries.
Li Yuan's recently healed buttocks were bloody red all over, and most tragically, his tailbone was broken from the fall—truly a case of new injuries added before old ones healed. Even worse, when the servant had crashed onto Li Yuan earlier, it had reopened the rib that had just been set.
For a moment, the old physician didn't know what to say, only instructing that Li Yuan must not be injured again, fearing that with such bad luck, Li Yuan might die from misfortune someday.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Palace, lamps had already been lit. In the inner chamber, the mountain-shaped incense burner was burning osmanthus incense mixed with sandalwood, filling the entire room with a sweet fragrance tinged with nobility. The Crown Prince slept peacefully under layers of bed curtains.
Suddenly, the sound of a bird pecking wood came from the window. Huo Xiling, lying on the couch by the window, instantly opened his eyes, opened the window to let in a pure black crow, then removed the message from its leg ring.
The message contained everything Li Yuan had told his disreputable friends that day. Huo Xiling only needed to think for a moment to know that the "good show" Li Yuan mentioned was related to the Crown Prince.
The Third Prince's faction must have thought of some disgusting scheme to deal with His Highness. It seemed they needed to be extra careful at the Spring Banquet. Huo Xiling thought this as he stared at the message in his hand.
"What are you looking at?" a voice came from behind him, and the light in front of him became brighter.
Huo Xiling turned around to see You Yusui standing before him in snow-white undergarments, barefoot, holding a glass lamp in his hand.
You Yusui was a light sleeper; he had awakened when Huo Xiling turned over. Seeing that Huo Xiling had brought a bird inside, he couldn't help but come over to look.
"I..." Huo Xiling stammered. What was the punishment for secretly communicating with outsiders in the palace?
However, seeing You Yusui's bare feet on the ground, Huo Xiling first lifted You Yusui up and placed him on the bed, then covered him with bedding that still held his body warmth.
After doing all this, Huo Xiling knelt on the ground to confess his crime.
"I secretly communicated with people outside the palace. Please punish me, Your Highness."
"Then tell me, how should this prince punish you?" You Yusui bent down and gently cupped Huo Xiling's face with his hands.
Ice-cold fingers lightly touched his cheeks, causing ripples in Huo Xiling's heart and making his breathing involuntarily quicken. From his angle, he could see the Crown Prince's delicate collarbones and elegantly lined shoulders.
"Not good at being teased," You Yusui laughed. "Rest assured, everyone has their secrets. This prince has no intention of prying."
After speaking, You Yusui prepared to get up and leave, but Huo Xiling embraced You Yusui's legs and rested his head on You Yusui's thighs.
"Even if Crown Prince brother doesn't want to listen, I still want to tell Crown Prince brother," Huo Xiling said, breathing in You Yusui's faint osmanthus fragrance.
Then Huo Xiling told You Yusui without reservation about how, at fourteen, he had fought his way through all the thugs in Chang'an and become their underground leader.
You Yusui was surprised by Huo Xiling's complete openness, and also amazed that Huo Xiling could achieve such things at fourteen. The thugs of Chang'an were all troublemakers—being able to make such people obey showed that Huo Xiling had the ability to win people's hearts.
After Huo Xiling finished speaking, he looked up with bright, sparkling eyes at You Yusui. "I've told Crown Prince brother all my secrets. Can my merits offset my faults now?"
You Yusui smiled sideways. "This prince never planned to punish you anyway."
Saying this, You Yusui reached out to touch Huo Xiling's head, involuntarily closing his eyes. It had been so long since anyone was willing to be completely honest with him.
Love, care, honesty, trust—it seemed he could get everything from Huo Xiling, making him almost forget that their relationship was just a transaction. What if he became greedy and took him to his tomb as a burial companion?
You Yusui felt the vibrant life of the youth before him and felt somewhat reluctant.
The next moment, Huo Xiling grasped You Yusui's hand and spoke, "The contents of that letter might be related to the Third Prince's faction wanting to harm you. Your Highness, please let me handle it entirely. Sometimes I want to protect brother too."
You Yusui's heart melted at Huo Xiling calling him "brother," and he naturally nodded without hesitation.
"I'll carry brother back to sleep," Huo Xiling said, then lifted You Yusui up.
You Yusui was dizzy from being called "brother" by Huo Xiling, feeling as though he was intoxicated by beauty. He felt he could agree to any request Huo Xiling made.
"Today, whatever request you have, you can make it. This prince can agree to anything," You Yusui raised his chin, his crimson beauty mark also lifting, making him appear even more enchantingly beautiful.
Huo Xiling was overjoyed upon hearing this, then calmly and restrainedly said he wanted to serve in bed.
"Absolutely not!" You Yusui scolded upon hearing this.
With a splash, it was like cold water being poured down. Huo Xiling began to think about what had started this relationship.
But You Yusui was thinking that to live a long life, one must not carelessly waste vital essence.