Chapter 68: Heartache.

Inside a dark and gloomy room, the candle lights were flickering on and off, giving a weird effect that could bring people’s hearts into panic.

In the middle of the dark room, Yan HeQing’s hands were tied up with chains and they were hung high. His hair was loose, his upper body was naked, and his skin was covered with shockingly deep and bloody whiplash wounds. Steward Feng, while staring at Yan HeQing, was playing with the iron whip in his hands. This whip was barbed and could splatter someone’s skin at each stroke.

“Does it hurt?” Steward Feng laughed and stretched out his hand to press on Yan HeQing’s wound, brutally tearing it apart.

“Mnh……” Yan HeQing’s body began to uncontrollably tremble all over, and his throat was groaning with suppressed pain.

“Tell me, when did Wuning Wangye and you began to plot the rebellion? Where’s the evidence? Ohh, you better listen to me, hurry up and say the truth. If you speak now, you won’t have to suffer this kind of pain anymore. Suffering a short pain is better than a long one1.” Steward Feng spoke with particular kindness. He was good at persuading people with words2.

However, Yan HeQing didn’t appreciate his words and sneered instead, his tone was full of sarcasm.

Steward Feng helplessly shook his head and lashed out at Yan HeQing’s body once again. The barb drew up the flesh, leaving behind an extremely deep and bloody wound. Yan HeQing swallowed the screams and sobs so hard that he could barely breathe from the pain.

“At the present situation, it’s hard for you to escape alive, so why don’t you just admit it and avoid suffering this torture? Perhaps, you’re still waiting for His Majesty to come save you?” Steward Feng shook the iron whip on his hand throwing the dirty blood out of it. “Wake up. You conspired a rebellion with the enemy, and you almost got His Majesty killed.”

Yan HeQing’’s breathing was stagnant, then he gasped full of pain.

“If you’re not able to stand this much, then you can just tell me about your collusion with Wuning Wangye. You’ll die anyway, it’s better to die quickly than to die painfully, so hurry up!” Steward Feng thought that Yan HeQing was finally unable to carry on, so he was trying to persuade him again with some reasonable words. However, Yan HeQing still refused to open his mouth.

Steward Feng repeated his words for a second time, then he tossed the iron whip aside, took a shovel from the wall full of torture devices, and put it into the red charcoal fire standing at the center of the dark room.

Because of the pain, Yan HeQing’s breathing was very heavy and slow. His wheezing sounds blended together with the hissing sound of the burning hot shovel, creating an extremely horrific sound effect.

“I was kind enough to give you a chance.” Steward Feng turned over the shovel in the charcoal fire and carelessly said: “None of these tactics of mine can get into Eunuch Zhao’s eyes. Do you know that he has this rare kind of powder? When sprinkled onto a wound, it will make the victim feel itchy and painful, like thousands of ants gnawing at it. Ah, I’ve seen it in action once. The man had a horrible and miserable death, his whole body was scratched to feel some relief. So I suggest you, one more time, you better speak up sooner rather than regret it later!”

Seeing that Yan HeQing was still refusing to utter a single word, Steward Feng picked up the red-hot shovel, walked up to Yan HeQing, and blew the shovel to his face without touching it. The shovel was emitting a heat wave. “Will you explain? Oh, can you explain to me why are you being so stubbornly brainless?”

“Alright, I’ve tried to persuade you enough. Since you’re stubborn to death, don’t blame me.” Steward Feng shook his head and directed the shovel to Yan HeQing’s chest.

“Stop!!” A furious shout accompanied by the sound of the dark room’s door being kicked open interrupted him. Steward Feng’s hand suddenly released the shovel letting it fall to the ground.

The first thing that Xiao YuAn saw in the dark room was the miserable state that Yan HeQing was in. Suddenly, he felt like he couldn’t breathe at all.

“Your Majesty?!” Steward Feng fell to his knees in fright, like being between two wars3, his face turned pale.

Xiao YuAn didn’t bother to pay attention to him. He quickly walked to Yan HeQing and untied the iron chains on his wrists. Yan HeQing, who couldn’t stand up, fell straight into Xiao YuAn’s arms.

Xiao YuAn didn’t dare to doubt whether it was too late or not. He embraced Yan HeQing, and rushed to the Taiyi Palace in a hurry.

Yan HeQing, who stood unconscious for an entire day, still hadn’t woken up yet.

Xiao YuAn was pacing back and forth in the Taiyi Palace. The old Imperial Physician, feeling a bit scared, tried to comfort him: “Your Majesty, you don’t need to worry. His life is not in danger.”

Xiao YuAn nodded, and when he saw that the Imperial Physician was pounding the medicine, he took a few steps over and extended his hand: “I’ll do it.”

The Imperial Physician’s face turned pale with fright: “Your Majesty! How can this subject4 let His Majesty do such a thing?!”

Xiao YuAn took the medicine weight anyways: “I’ll help you release stress.”

He said, regardless of the Imperial Physician’s insistence to stop him, and pestered him twice. The old Imperial Physician’s heart was at the point of suffering a seizure.

In fact, Xiao YuAn was in a bad mood.

In an extremely bad mood. Because he gradually realized that no matter how much he had changed the original plot before, the overall direction seems to be being pulled back by some kind of invisible force.

However, because Hong Xiu died for him, Xiao YuAn didn’t want to just sit still and wait for death to arrive5. He wanted to change something.

For his life was no longer his own, but also the life of the young Monarch of the Northern Kingdom who had been saved by Hong Xiu.

Suddenly, the sound of a porcelain bowl crashing on the floor and Yan HeQing’s coughing came from the inner room, startling both Xiao YuAn and the old Imperial Physician. Xiao YuAn stood up immediately, but then he stopped himself.

The Imperial Physician rushed into the inner room. After a few minutes, he walked out in a hurry, reporting to Xiao YuAn: “Your Majesty, he’s awake.”

Xiao YuAn nodded and took a few steps to the door of the inner room, but he didn’t go in right away.

Xiao YuAn has been trying to see himself as an outsider for a very important reason: He doesn’t know how to balance the Northern Kingdom and Yan HeQing together.

He always thought that he could be able to ignore the rivalry between the two. While strengthening the Northern Kingdom, he could also protect Yan HeQing.

But in this world, there’s no way to satisfy both sides.

Hong Xiu’s death occurred so suddenly that it made Xiao YuAn abruptly wake up to reality, making him understand that he has never been an outsider at all. Never. And even if he hadn’t realized this issue before, Xiao YuAn would’ve still hesitated between both sides.

Now, he would not hesitate.

He can’t disrespect Hong Xiu’s death.

Definitely not.

Xiao YuAn took a deep breath and pushed open the door walking through the inner room.

Yan HeQing, who was sitting on the bed, was bending down trying to pick up the porcelain bowl he’d knocked over when he woke up. When Xiao YuAn walked in, he picked up the porcelain bowl and placed it next to the bed. Carefully looking at Yan HeQing, he asked: “Are you okay? How do you feel?”

Yan HeQing nodded his head. He was enduring the pain he felt on his body, slightly easing his breath rhythm.

“Then you must rest well. I’ll come back tomorrow night, there’s something I must discuss with you.” The hand Xiao YuAn was secretly hiding behind his back was clenched into a fist.

Looking at Xiao YuAn turning away, an uneasiness gradually surged up from the bottom of Yan HeQing’s heart. It was the vague feeling that he had experienced before, and now it was growing more and more intensively. “Xiao YuAn.” Yan HeQing suddenly opened his mouth to call out for him.

Xiao YuAn slowly turned his head, his warm black eyes fixed right to Yan HeQing’s.

Yan HeQing suddenly realized where that uneasiness feeling was coming from.

Ever since Wuning Wangye’s sudden attack, resulting in Hong Xiu’s death, Xiao YuAn had never smiled at him again.

“Yan HeQing.” Xiao YuAn began to speak slowly, as if he was making a final decision. Finally, he continued, his words were like the silver light on a sharp blade, extremely cruel. “You should call me ‘Your Majesty’ from now on.”

Yan HeQing breathed slowly and his back abruptly straightened. His mouth opened blankly, as if he wanted to answer something, but in the end, he couldn’t utter a single word.

Xiao YuAn no longer lingered and walked out of the inner room, leaving Yan HeQing completely alone.

For a long time, Yan HeQing’s head stayed low, his hand was tightly gripping his chest, and when he touched a wound the pain began to stimulate the nerves. However, Yan HeQing seemed like he was ignorant of this pain and just pressed his heart more intensively, because what was he feeling right now was even more painful than physical pain.

Aaaghhhhh my heart hurts!!o(；△；)o At least xya came save yhq… but now… I’m scared｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡

Footnotes

长痛不如短痛 cháng tòng bù rú duǎn tòng; it’s a Chinese idiom, and refers to do things decisively / Preferring a quick solution that avoids pain. From《胡雪岩全传·烟消云散》(hú xuě yán quán zhuàn·yān xiāo yún sàn), “The Complete Biography of Hu Xueyan: The Smoke Dissipates”. Written by (高阳 gāo yáng) Gao Yang [1926-1992] a Taiwanese historical novelist.

循循善诱 xún xún shàn yòu, It’s a Chinese idiom, it refers to someone that is good at guiding others / Someone that is good at giving methodical and patient guidance. From《论语·子罕》

(lún yǔ·zǐ hǎn), “The Analects of Confucius: Zihan”. It’s a compilation made by Confucius’ disciples and followers. It’s one of the classic works of the Confucian School and embodies Confucius’ political views, ethical ideas, moral concepts, and educational principles. (孔夫子 kǒng fū zǐ) Confucius [551-479 BC] was a Chinese thinker, social philosopher and politician from the Spring and Autumn Period [770 to 476 BC].

两股战战 liǎng gǔ zhàn zhàn; It’s a Chinese idiom, refers to a person that wants to run away from a situation after realizing the context / When someones is so scared that their legs tremble in fear and they almost want to run away. From《口技》(kǒu jì), “Ventriloquism”, written by (林嗣环 lín sì huán) Lin Sihuan [1607-1662] an Official and Writer from the late Ming Dynasty [1368-1644] and early Qing Dynasty [1644-1911].

臣 chén; State Official or subject in Dynastic China / “I, your servant”, used in addressing the Sovereign.

坐以待毙 zuò yǐ dài bì; It’s a Chinese idiom, describes when someone isn’t actively trying to find a way out in the midst of an extreme difficulty / Someone resigned to their fate / Sit still and await destruction. From 《后出师表》(hòu chū shī biǎo), “The Rise of the Later Generation”, written by (诸葛亮 zhū gě liàng) Zhuge Liang [181-234], Military leader, Prime Minister of Shu Han, writer and inventor from the Three Kingdoms period [220-280].