From Shadow Guard to Empress

Shen Qingyu will soon reach the capital. Xiao Weixin has been closely observing all his actions but, when he did arrive, he wasn’t in any hurry to meet him. You Shu inwardly thought that he was truly at ease. Was he not at all afraid that he would be swayed over to Xiao Weishen’s side?

As it was, reality soon proved that Xiao Weixin understood not only Xiao Weishen very well but also understood Shen Qingyu. The day before he took office, Shen Qingyu was called into the palace. On the surface, it seemed to be to reminisce about the old days with someone he hadn’t seen for a long time but, in fact, the only thing Xiao Weishen wanted was to brainwash him into helping him suppress Prime Minister Xia’s influence.

But Xiao Weishen clearly doesn’t understand Shen Qingyu as well as Xiao Weixin does. If anyone else had been given the opportunity to eat at the same table as the emperor and have a close conversation with him, they would likely have been overwhelmed by the favor and would have definitely tried their best to ingratiate themselves with him but Shen Qingyu is different.

At the beginning, he was also very surprised and thrilled, thinking that his talent had finally been discovered and acknowledged by the emperor and he would be able to make great achievements after returning to the capital this time. However, as his conversation with the emperor went on, he gradually discovered that all of that was only an illusion.

The emperor seemed to have thought of him only by coincidence and had recalled him [to the capital] merely because there was no one else available. His only intention was to use him to fight against Prime Minister Xia’s cohort and whether he could perform his duties properly didn’t seem to matter at all.

At that moment, Shen Qingyu was completely swallowed by the deep abyss of despair.

He considers himself talented. In general, truly talented people have a different mindset than others. Ordinary people may seek an official position merely as a means of survival but some people embark on their career harboring lofty aspirations, perhaps for the sake of [bringing honor to] their family or [to serve] the country or to gain overwhelming power and influence. Regardless [of their intentions], they all desire to meet someone who can recognize and nurture their talent so that it can be utilized to its full potential, instead of being treated as fish eyes1 and discarded casually.

Xiao Weishen only regarded him as a pawn to be used to compete with Prime Minister Xia for power. Although he intimately held his hand in a show of favor, those actions were nothing but scheming.

This is not the Emperor that Shen Qingyu wants, nor was this his original reason to be an official.

Shen Qingyu’s mood was terribly depressed by the time he left the palace. The moon and stars were out and because it was only early spring, the nights were still very cold and windy. He refused the carriage he had been kindly offered and walked back by himself, his thoughts a mess.

He doesn’t want to live this kind of life. Who would want to live in such a murky environment filled with constant [power] struggles?

Perhaps because the capital is so prosperous, the emperor really forgot that, thousands of miles away, there are people who have no hope of survival and are starving to death every day.

Earlier, he had tried to bring up this topic several times but, each time, the emperor easily glossed over the topic, as if he wasn’t at all interested in talking or hearing about those people.

The palace was filled with extravagance and luxury. Even the palace maids’ clothes were embroidered with silver silk, every item of cutlery was made with white jade and the floor was paved with jade, resplendent and magnificent. How could the treasury withstand such misuse?

Overwhelming grief and indignation welled up in Shen Qingyu’s heart but he couldn’t vent his anger. He kept walking along the road, restless and distracted, and didn’t notice the black shadow that had flashed past him.

Till the middle of the night, You Shu followed Shen Qingyu throughout his long walk and waited until he reached an empty alley before daring to act.

After using a stick to knock him out with a single blow, You Shu threw the stick away. Meanwhile, Ying Si worriedly squatted down and patted the unconscious Shen Qingyu, whispering, “Did you hit too hard?”

“Don’t worry.” You Shu stepped forward to pick up Shen Qingyu with one hand and slung him over his shoulder, saying calmly: “The prince considers his brain the most important thing and I haven’t damaged it. Besides, it’s more convenient to take him away like this2.”

Ying Si followed hesitantly. He really wanted to say that the prince’s words to them when they were leaving were “Invite him here and bring him intact” which most likely meant that they needed to escort him there respectfully but Lao San had directly knocked him out with a stick, which didn’t seem to be what the prince had wanted.

But he is indeed perfectly intact.

You Shu ran quickly while carrying Shen Qingyu. Scholars like this usually don’t do any physical exercise and have arms and legs as thin as bamboo poles so it is completely effortless to carry them. He quickly arrived at the agreed place, without any difficulty.

Inside the secret house he had bought, Xiao Weixin was practicing calligraphy under the lamplight and, after hearing the knock on the door, he calmly put away his brush and let them in. But when he looked up, he saw You Shu walking in with someone on his back and his eyelids twitched.3

“My lord, this subordinate has brought him here as you ordered.” Despite running all the way here, You Shu wasn’t even out of breath.

Xiao Weixin looked at the unconscious Shen Qingyu then looked up at him coldly: “Is this how you ‘invited’ him here?”

“This subordinate was worried that talking too much would attract the attention of the watchman.” You Shu explained in a low voice.

Xiao Weixin snorted coldly, “Wake him up first. I will deal with you later.”

Hearing his criticism, You Shu sighed inwardly then lowered his head and lightly pricked Shen Qingyu’s shoulder and neck with a needle.

When Shen Qingyu woke up and saw him, he was confused at first before it changed to surprise: “It’s you!”

He had been thinking about him for the past few days so when Shen Qingyu saw him again, he subconsciously had a good impression of him. He quickly grabbed You Shu’s hand and seemed delighted to see him: “Young Master is really farsighted. I have indeed been promoted.”

Feeling Xiao Weixin’s murderous gaze on him, You Shu withdrew his hand and whispered back: “Lord Shen, this is my master.”

Shen Qingyu was taken aback for a moment and then remembered his current situation. When he turned his head, he saw Xiao Weixin sitting on a chair and looking at the two of them. His posture didn’t seem as if he was trying to win him over but more like he was watching the neighbor4 trying to steal his wife.

“Your Highness Ling Wang?” Shen Qingyu was surprised.

Xiao Weixin hummed lazily in response then raised his eyes to signal You Shu to go out. You Shu knew that he had something to talk about [in private] so he quickly flipped out the window, in a single neat movement.

Xiao Weixin: “…”

This bad habit of leaving through the window instead of the door! He needs to deal with it sooner or later!

In a couple of leaps, You Shu climbed onto the roof and sat beside Ying Si to gaze at the moon. Today happened to be the sixteenth day and the moon is rounder than the fifteenth day.

In fact, Shen Qingyu and Xiao Weixin are not strangers. The two of them had met a few years ago during the imperial examination. Later, when Shen Qingyu was assigned away from the capital, Xiao Weixin even secretly went to see him off. They were the type of friends who were close right from the start5. Even though Shen Qingyu had never taken the initiative to contact Xiao Weixin during these past years, it doesn’t mean he hadn’t thought of him at all.

After all, with some people ‘just one glance is enough to remember for a lifetime’6. This is especially true for confidants and close friends. Not to mention that they have similar goals and ambitions. Shen Qingyu is naturally more willing to get close to Xiao Weixin than to Xiao Weishen.

As for the matter of being loyal to the emperor, in the entire government and even the public, only the Yang family is the most stubborn about this. Shen Qingyu does not have such a rigid and inflexible mindset. He is eager to completely change the current situation, no matter what price he has to pay.

“Do you think…..Will Lord Shen join our prince?” Ying Si was very worried, “He seems to be very upright.”

“Yes.” You Shu replied firmly.

Ying Si was puzzled: “Why are you so certain?”

You Shu can’t just say that it’s because he knows the plot so he started to talk nonsense with a serious face: “Because they are good buddies.”

“What?” Ying Si was a little confused, “I have only heard of good friends. What is a good buddy7?”

You Shu turned his head and lovingly patted Ying Si’s head as if to comfort him: “You are still young so you don’t understand these things.”

Ying Si, who was patted on the head for no reason, was confused for a while before he cursed: “I am two years older than you! Who do you think you’re patting?!”

There was a slight smile in You Shu’s eyes. Although his face was still expressionless, he looked exceedingly gentle under the moonlight. After looking at him for a while, Ying Si became a little restless: “To be honest, Lao San, you are really good-looking. It’s really a pity for you to be stuck with the rest of us.”

“Why is it a pity?” You Shu was puzzled.

Ying Si scratched his head, “I don’t know how to say it. You also know that I haven’t studied too many books. If I describe it…..you should be that kind of wealthy young master of a prestigious family who is doted on and raised in luxury, just like our prince. There shouldn’t be any need to live such a bloody and uncertain life surrounded by constant danger.”

Listening to his rambling, You Shu stayed silent but slightly bent the corners of his lips.

In his previous life, he was indeed a half-rich young master. His father started his career in the clothing industry. After twenty years of hard work and perseverance, he finally managed to create his own family business. Although he was not an extremely rich man, he still owned villas, luxury cars, brand-name watches and luxury goods8.

Back then, he had had a serious and responsible elder sister and a cheerful and cute younger sister. He could be regarded as a pampered young master who had never experienced any hardships.

“It’s not that bad.” You Shu turned to look at him, his expression soft, “Just being able to know all of you who are friends in life and death makes this life worth it.”

Although all of them wanted to break free from this dark Shadow Guard Camp, You Shu felt quite fortunate to have these friends by his side, otherwise he really wouldn’t have been able to get through those days.

Ying Si blinked twice then suddenly leaned over and hugged him: “Good brother.”

The two chatted together under the moon for half an hour before the door of the room below them opened. Shen Qingyu walked out calmly and bowed deeply to Xiao Weixin who had also come out to stand by the door.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness, this humble official will seriously consider this after returning.”

“However, is Your Highness not afraid that this official will go to the emperor to inform him about this to gain his favor?”

Xiao Weixin glanced at him and said calmly: “I believe in Lord Shen’s character. I have faith that I will not be disappointed.”

Shen Qingyu smiled knowingly.

What Xiao Weixin said was not simply a compliment but Shen Qingyu is indeed a trustworthy person. Not to mention, even if he is that kind of vile person, as long as there is any movement, he would be eliminated by the shadow guards immediately and he would never have the chance to tattle to the emperor.

After standing at the door for some time, Shen Qingyu suddenly raised his head to look at the roof: “Young Master, could you come down and see me?”

You Shu’s face became confused. Was he calling him?

Before he could reply, Xiao Weixin spoke first: “That’s just a mere shadow guard. How can he speak with someone like Lord Shen?”

“It’s fine.” Shen Qingyu smiled gently, “Last time, I was quite busy and wasn’t able to thank him properly. Although it was Your Highness who had generously sent aid, that young master travelled day and night for thousands of miles. And without any rest or refreshments, he quickly left again.”

“Thinking about it later, this humble one really regretted it.”

Xiao Weixin’s expression darkened slightly but he couldn’t refuse the talent who had been recruited with great difficulty so he had no choice but to let You Shu come down from the roof.

After receiving the order, You Shu jumped off the roof and landed on the ground. Shen Qingyu looked at him with bright eyes, appearing to be very happy: “This humble one has never forgotten the Young Master’s words and now they have really comes true.”

“I would really like to thank the Young Master for his insight.”

You Shu hurriedly waved his hands and said: “Your Excellency is speaking too seriously. That was only the prince’s intention and this subordinate didn’t do anything.”

But Shen Qingyu didn’t think so. He really felt that this shadow guard was different from other people. The determined and assured way he had looked at him back then had revived his ambitions and prevented him from giving up. All of this made it very easy to have a favorable impression of him.

Xiao Weixin, who was standing to the side, looked coldly at the two of them reminiscing together.

He knew it. The little shadow guard’s face is too eye-catching.

The author has something to say:

You Shu: As a heartthrob9, I am under a lot of pressure.

Just kidding, this story is not a heartthrob.

T/N: Translating really gives you an appreciation for other languages. The way Chinese is filled with so many short phrases which are filled with deep meaning never fails to amaze me. English really can’t do justice to those phrases in an equal amount of words.

Also, this chapter was supposed to be posted yesterday but like halfway through, my brain conveniently forgot how to English. I am not even kidding. I deadass forgot how to spell smile. So I decided a break was very needed. Which eventually turned into a ‘brief’ nap but brief for me is 7 hours so here we are.

For those who read this in daytime, enjoy your day. For those who have night wherever you are, make sure to get some sleep <3<3

1

错把鱼目当宝珠 means to mistake pearls for fish eyes aka mistake a true talent or outstanding person for a worthless, untalented and ordinary person. It also works vice versa as in mistaking fish eyes for pearls. It is pretty commonly used in Chinese novels.

2

I… ahhaha. Nooo You Shu why would you. Poor Shen Qingyu. But, as an introvert, I agree completely. It is essential to minimize verbal interaction as much as possible.

3

If this was a manhua scene, I bet there would be a panel of XWX with seven dots above his head, as he tried to process this lmao.

4

隔壁老王 is a colloquialism for several things but generally, and in this case, it is used to refer to the person your wife cheats on you with who also lives next door. I just shortened it to neighbor.

5

familiarity at first sight, hit it off immediately, very compatible

6

Just one glance or one meeting is enough for you to never forget that person for the rest of your life. Usually used for lovers

7

You Shu used 好基友 (hǎo jī yǒu) which can mean best gay friend which doesn’t necessarily mean they are actually gay, just that have an extraordinarily good relationship. Ying Si, however, used 好朋友 (hǎo péngyǒu) which simply means good friend.

8

Because that’s not rich at 

9

万人迷 (wàn rén mí) means someone who bewitches thousands of people.