Title In Progress

Ch 75 - Ruthless Crown Prince x Foolish Prince: Infatuating Blue Butterfly


The weather in February shouldn’t have been that sultry and clammy.

Lin Sui lay down on the bed, tightly holding onto the corner of the quilt. There was a cold edge on his flushed cheeks and his face looked sinister, like a murderous knife with a peach-coloured glow.

The effect of that wine on his blood circulation had been much greater than Lin Sui had anticipated, the Imperial Noble Consort had rushed to turn him into a lustful ghost, and perhaps even harboured thoughts of having him wear out and damage certain things.

It was already the third time, and he’d used up two handkerchiefs which had been crumpled and thrown to the ground.

The fine black hair that had scattered with his movements stuck to him due to the layer of sweat on his fair skin, moving up and down with his breaths.

Lin Sui’s hand tightened around the quilt, the blue veins on its back bulging, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

His forehead was dripping with sweat, the drops falling down and blurring his vision, so Lin Sui couldn’t help but close his eyes and let out an extremely stifled noise.

Outside the curtain, a person like a shadow stood watching silently.

Watching the beauty beyond the muslin fog, like watching peach blossoms through the mist.

Even if he couldn’t see clearly, he was filled with the scent of spring.

This was the fourth time, Yan Qin thought in distress, how could his older brother stand it?

The increasingly subdued and sometimes pained sounds coming from beyond the curtain made him aware of the veiled beauty’s torment, but he couldn’t step forward.

His big brother the Crown Prince was strong-minded, if he were to see this shameful side of him, he would probably be angry and ashamed enough to silence him for good.

Yan Qin lowered his head somewhat guilty, he was holding a handkerchief in his hands, thinking about how to deal with it.

He didn’t have any intentions either, but how could he endure when faced with his big brother the Crown Prince like this?

Even though he could only face this indistinct figure, he was still especially happy, and even though he knew that his big brother the Crown Prince was too occupied to discover him, he still thought about what he would do if his big brother the Crown Prince were to see him.

This dangerous indulgence was like walking on a single-log bridge over a precipice, there was the risk of falling off at any time, but the reward made one willing to take the gamble.

The System had been silent all this time. In fact, it had wanted to warn Lin Sui when Yan Qin came in, but it discovered that Lin Sui had sensed him, so it didn’t say anything. Then, when it was clear that Lin Sui’s movements weren’t stopping, it planned on admonishing him again, but it discovered that Yan Qin did not lift open the curtain and instead stood in place not too far but not too close, so its shriek died in its throat.

The System enabled the blocking shield. Forget it, forget it, one more look will hurt its eyes, and this world wasn’t hopeless either.

It only hated that it couldn’t be inside the Son of Fortune’s head. Why was breaking up these two so hard?

It wasn’t until after the fourth time that Lin Sui felt exhausted.

Although there was still a bit of a reaction, Lin Sui didn’t want to deal with it any more.

He’d originally wanted to go bathe after dealing with this, but now he only wanted to close his eyes.

The scent of photinia flowers^[1] mixed in the air, his body was sticky and unwell, and Lin Sui didn’t feel too comfortable, but he couldn’t resist his tiredness, so he sunk into a deep sleep.

After making sure the breathing of the person on the bed had evened out, Yan Qin carefully parted the curtain.

Perhaps because he was still bothered by the heat, Lin Sui hadn’t covered himself with the quilt as he was lying on the bed asleep.

Yan Qin hastily turned his head, stalling for a moment so he wouldn’t lose his composure too much.

His sight lingered on his older brother’s beautiful and clean back for a moment, then reluctantly moved away.

The nights were still a bit cold at the start of spring, and Yan Qin was worried Lin Sui would catch a cold from sleeping like this, so he reached towards the wall for the quilt, wanting to cover Lin Sui with it.

Yan Qin’s eyes swept over Lin Sui’s body, and his stare suddenly focused.

He saw a blue-green butterfly, resting next to that light pink flower branch.

Yan Qin stared at it in a daze, unable to stop himself from getting closer and closer until the tip of his nose touched that butterfly.

For some unknown reason, Yan Qin felt especially restless when he stared at that mark.

He wanted to tighten his grip, wanted to contain it, wanted to wilfully control it and toy with it. Those thoughts were unreasonably violent, scorching his heart even more than the blazing July sun.

Lin Sui’s leg moved slightly, and Yan Qin realised with a start that he was being inappropriate, so he covered Lin Sui with the quilt and hurriedly closed the curtain.

Outside the hall, Fu Shu, who’d gone to pass on the message, had already returned, but upon pushing the door of the inner chamber she discovered that she couldn’t open it, so she dropped the idea.

She couldn’t sense any movements from inside, so it should be fine.

After night fell, Yan Qin once again heard movement coming from the bed.

He lifted open the curtain, only to see that the quilt had been kicked aside by Lin Sui.

The magnificent-looking young man never opened his eyes, he just wrinkled his brows in a daze as he tried to appease himself, his appearance both lax and deadly, looking movingly pitiful.

The fragrance of the incense lit inside the Eastern Palace was particularly light, and Yan Qin threw something into it, taking the antidote himself.

The light blue smoke permeated the air, drifting and floating, casting a fantastical reflection of the world.

The person who smelled the fragrance sunk into a deeper and deeper sleep, even letting his hands fall to his side.

“Don’t worry, big brother Crown Prince, I’ll help you.”

Yan Qin’s attitude and movements were particularly intimate, his fingertips pressed that blue butterfly, and his voice, which was slightly hoarse after his growth, had lost its youthful childishness.

As far as Yan Qin was concerned, Lin Sui was sweet everywhere, just like a tasty candied fruit, so he sucked happily, not disliking even a single bit.

Lin Sui’s brows gradually smoothed out. Yan Qin was wearing a thin spring garment, so he had nowhere to hide his fervour.

The scene at this time of February was beautiful, with flower buds sending out their stamens as they bloomed, light pink as they welcomed spring.

Yan Qin wantonly touched his Imperial Brother’s face with his fingers, and in the end couldn’t help but misbehave when faced with the person his heart longed for.

He touched Lin Sui’s lips carefully, but those lips were tightly closed, unwilling to open up to outsiders.

Yan Qin wasn’t angry, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he rubbed Lin Sui’s lips.

“Big brother Crown Prince is so delicate, you still disdain even your very own plaything, but I am perfectly happy with anything as long as big brother Crown Prince gives it.”

After saying that, Yan Qin became a little listless, after all, he had helped himself to this without asking.

Affairs between people were truly complex, like climbing over countless towering mountains, one after the other.

He wanted to obtain his loved one’s favour, but he couldn’t find a way to advance.

He had no fear of worldly ethics, but this may not be so for the Crown Prince.

After all, the Crown Prince was the future ruler of the country, he was a distinguished person in the world.

With drooping eyes, Yan Qin took out a clean handkerchief and helped Lin Sui clean up, then drew the curtains closed once again.

This is a fan translation posted to title-in-progress.dreamwidth.org. Support the author if you can.

When Lin Sui woke up the next day, the side of the bed was empty.

Yesterday when he’d been disoriented he realised Yan Qin had come inside but he couldn’t say anything to chide him, that scene would have been even more unsuitable for children, so it was better for him to not say anything and try his best to suppress his voice.

Due to a master’s understanding of his beloved pup, he knew Yan Qin wouldn’t act recklessly.

After Lin Sui bathed and ate, Fu Shu came into the inner hall.

“Master, the Fifth Prince has already left the palace, he left this behind for me to give You, saying it was a new birthday gift especially for You.”

Fu Shu held a horsewhip in her hands. The whip’s workmanship was excellent, its leather smooth, with a foreign style in its method of craft and adornment, and precious stones embedded on the top. One could tell it was of the highest quality at a single glance.

Lin Sui nodded, and had Fu Shu put it aside.

“You’ll have to suffer some physical pain in a while, I’ll have someone use ingenious techniques, sorry to put you through this.”

Lin Sui felt that it was time to clean up the people of the Eastern Palace, he was no longer intending on allowing them to spread information they thought true.

A person had suddenly showed up in the Eastern Palace, and in accordance to the temper the Crown Prince should have, there was no way to avoid conflict.

“Rest assured, Master, this servant has been waiting for this day.”

Fu Shu had long since been annoyed by Fu Xi, she was fed up with him trying to flatter and curry favour with her, and she had just hated him more and more ever since she learnt that Fu Xi had been bribed by the Imperial Noble Consort’s people, if it weren’t for her Master leaving him be while saying he still had some use, Fu Shu would have stopped being polite long ago.

Not long after, the people of the palace learnt that the Crown Prince’s treasure had been stolen in the Eastern Palace, so the Crown Prince had lost his temper and punished a few people in the palace.

The Grand Eunuch Fu Xi had been beaten half to death, and even the Crown Prince’s assistant Fu Shu had received punishment.

Every single one of the people in the Eastern Palace trembled for fear that they would be next. In her palace, the Imperial Noble Consort gave a cold snort when she heard this, thinking that her mistake this time had been not keeping an eye on Mao Guqing, she must have woken up first and escaped the Eastern Palace and so the matter didn’t succeed, wasting her hard work and scheming of several months.

Outside the palace, Yan Qin shrank his head. He didn’t know about the inside story of Lin Sui trying to clean up the people in the palace, so he thought Fu Shu had been punished because he’d gone inside the room that day.

In his heart, Yan Qin hoped that if his big brother the Crown Prince got unbearably angry, he would leave the palace and bring the whip he’d gifted him to punish him with.

Unfortunately, he waited and waited, but heard no news from inside the palace, and it seemed like the matter had been uncovered as usual.

He was a little disappointed, but a few days later, he saw Bao Su coming in with a puzzled expression.

“Master, someone in the palace gave this servant the news, hoping this servant could bring you into the palace to meet the Crown Prince. Should we go or not?”

Yan Qin decided: “Go!”

This was the first time his big brother the Crown Prince wanted to see him, so he would definitely go.

If he was going to be punished, should he wear thicker clothes to cover up the wounds?

Bao Su was completely unaware of the things inside her Master’s mind, so she got up and prepared to go.

When Yan Qin arrived to the Eastern Palace, he looked at Lin Sui somewhat expectantly, but Lin Sui didn’t take out anything to punish him with, he just waved at him and brought him towards a place.

Yan Qin walked through the long hallway following Lin Sui, walking further and further away until finally reaching a remote place with no one in sight. Yan Qin’s heart pounded anxiously, but then he saw a woman dressed as a palace maid emerging from a corner.

But if Yan Qin remembered correctly, this wasn’t a palace maid, but rather the Emperor’s beloved Concubine Yu.

“Your Highness,” Concubine Yu saluted. She surveyed their surroundings, and spoke a little excitedly and nervously, “This concubine has kept Your Highness’ plans in mind, I have already taken that medicine, afterwards…”

“Don’t worry, it’s just a fake pregnancy, the thing sprouting inside is not a child, and it will not prevent you from having children in the future.”

“If Your Highness says so, this concubine naturally believes it. This concubine has already bribed a young eunuch from Concubine Yin’s palace, and will definitely run into her precisely.”

This simple exchange of words contained huge amounts of information, and as Lin Sui once again warned Concubine Yu of what she had to pay attention to, a perilous storm began inside Yan Qin’s heart, though he still maintained a look of ignorance and unawareness of the matter at hand.

After Concubine Yu spoke of the location, she departed carefully.

Lin Sui beckoned towards Yan Qin, and lightly stroked his cheek.

“A-Qin listens to me the most, right?”

Lin Sui’s face carried a gentle smile, but that smile concealed something cold, like churning water being mixed with black ink, brimming with blatantly unconcealed schemes.

Yan Qin already knew how Lin Sui was planning to use him, he looked deeply at Lin Sui and revealed a naïve smile.

“A-Qin will always listen to big brother Crown Prince, big brother is the best towards A-Qin, so A-Qin will do whatever big brother Crown Prince says.”

“Fool, I kicked you into the water so that you almost drowned, strangled you until you almost suffocated, and even pressed a knife against your neck, are you really not the least bit resentful towards me?”

On his gorgeous skin were completely revealed the mistrustfulness and hypocrisy of people in positions of power, as well as a fake superficial regret that was merely for show.

Yan Qin nodded like a chick pecking rice: “No, I like big brother Crown Prince, I always make a lot of people angry, but I only want big brother Crown Prince to not be angry at me.”

As far as Yan Qin was concerned, the people that had harmed him were far too many, so Lin Sui’s malice towards him was not worth bringing up, but Lin Sui’s benevolence towards him far exceeded his malice. It was just that his kindness wasn’t obvious, and was quietly concealed inside vile insults, but Yan Qin felt it, he truly felt it.

“I’m not the same as those people.”

Lin Sui looked into Yan Qin’s eyes, lost in thought for an instant.

He was not the same as those others, because what he had harmed was Yan Qin’s heart.