I Became the Older Brother of the Heroine in an Abusive Novel

It was already late at night when Xue Yan returned to the west side hall. He sat alone under a lamp and fiddled with the coin in his hand. It was just an ordinary copper coin, average and unremarkable, with the words “Qingping Currency” reflecting dully under the lamplight. But he flipped it over and over again, eyes fixed on the coin. 

Jinbao didn’t dare disturb him, he just occasionally glanced at Xue Yan to read his expression.

Xue Yan’s lowered eyelashes cast long shadows under the light. His eyes were tranquil but deep, making it impossible for Jinbao to guess what he was thinking. So Jinbao sneaked out to fetch hot water for washing up.

But he came back not long after leaving. Hearing the door open, Xue Yan glanced up and saw Jinbao standing hesitantly at the door.

“If you have something to say, say it,” Xue Yan said indifferently. His eyes returned to the copper coin, unconcerned with whatever was making Jinbao hesitate.

“Master, outside of Mingluan Palace… Xiao Weizi is here,” Jinbao said. “He said there is a eunuch who wants to meet Your Highness.”

Xue Yan paused and looked up.

Jinbao said tremblingly, “He said that Your Highness should go out through the side gate and must not be noticed… Master, could it be…!” He trailed off.

Xue Yan raised his eyebrows and looked at him with bewilderment. “Why are you so scared?”

Jinbao couldn’t bear it any longer. His legs weakened. He knelt on the ground and cried, “He must’ve found out about this servant following him! Now he is asking you to go out to silence you! Master, don’t go, just pretend this servant didn’t pass on the message. If they want to kill or dismember me, just let them…”

Jinbao whimpered and was about to start weeping.

Xue Yan looked dumbfounded. He stood up from the table and pulled on his cloak as he walked out. When he passed by Jinbao who was still keeling at the door, he even kicked Jinbao’s butt, indicating for him to get out of the way.

“How long ago was that, how can it scare you like this?” Xue Yan looked down at Jinbao condescendingly while tying his belt. “Get up, why are you crying? This is a good thing.”

Jinbao wiped away his tears. His eyes, blurry with tears, met his master’s amber eyes. Those eyes were icy and calm, but inside burned a powerful fire and an opportunistic smile.

“… What good thing?” Jinbao was puzzled.

After Xue Yan fastened his cloak, he glanced out into the inky darkness outside. His lip curled and he looked at Jinbao. “Soon the head of the Eastern Depot will kowtow to you, isn’t that a good thing?”

Jinbao was so frightened that even his liver trembled. It’s over, we’re finished, has the master been frightened out of his mind? He hurried forward on his knees, trying to stop his raving master. But Xue Yan raised his leg and stepped over him.

Xue Yan walked out into the dark night.

Jinbao couldn’t see it, but at the moment he walked out the door, Xue Yan raised his hand and calmly placed the copper coin over his heart.

Just as Xue Yan expected, in the empty alley by Mingluan Palace stood two people wearing the clothes of ordinary eunuchs.

He had calculated that this person would look for him on this day. Now that it was in the middle of winter, the weather was cold. The servants in the palace feared the cold so they were more liable to shirk their duties. In addition, today was the winter solstice so half of the servants were off duty celebrating the holiday. It was a good time for the Eastern Depot to come.

Xue Yan didn’t have a light and the two of them didn’t see him until he got closer. The one serving at the side rushed up to greet him, and Xue Yan knew from a distance that it was Xiao Weizi.

Xiao Weizi bowed and saluted him. He said, smiling, “Fifth Highness, you[1] came? Eunuch Wu is already waiting for you there.”

Xue Yan looked over and saw an old eunuch standing not far away. It must be that person. His late mother’s personal eunuch, now the right hand man of the leader of the Eastern Depot, Wu Shunhai. 

Xue Yan paused and promptly adopted a nervous posture and homesick expression. His footsteps quickened and he walked up to that man. Before he could say anything, Wu Shunhai plopped down on the ground and kowtowed while crying. “Fifth Highness, this old servant meets you[2] at last!”  

His hoarse and shrill weeping echoed in the cold dark alley. It was incredibly sad and moving.

Xue Yan understood. In order to control a person, there must be someone playing the hero and someone playing the villain. Together the two of them could put on a play and make the person dance in the palm of their hands. 

The one in front of Xue Yan was in charge of binding him with old affection, to make him believe that the Eastern Depot had deep affection for him. In that case, the taciturn old Buddha behind the scenes should be the one responsible for controlling him, forcing him to walk the path that the Eastern Depot carved for him. 

After all, if they want to push him into the highest position, there would always be a risk that they couldn’t control him. Thus it was necessary to both intimidate him and move him with true emotion.

But to Xue Yan, this was just a simple performance.

Xue Yan bent down and held Wu Shunhai’s arm to help him up. He seemed to be at a loss and his voice shook slightly as he said, “Wu-gonggong![3] Please get up, what are you[4] doing!”

Wu Shunhai insisted on kneeling and continued bending over so his head hit the ground. The more he cried, the more heart-broken he became. His cries were stifled to not attract others’ attention, so it sounded particularly sad and pitiful. 

“This servant is useless, this servant is useless!” Wu Shunhai cried. “Young Master suffered for so many years. How can I face Consort Rong when I die!”

He started sobbing again. Standing beside him, Xiao Weizi also wiped away tears, moved by the display.

Xue Yan sneered inwardly but his voice gained suppressed tears. “I don’t deserve you… How can I blame you? That gonggong still remembers me, can still come see me, I already…” The remaining words were choked off by sobs.

Xue Yan was fed up.  He felt that this old guy was too good at acting but none of that showed on his face. After consoling Wu Shunhai with kind words for quite a while, he finally helped Wu Shunhai up.

“Seeing that Your Highness is alright, this servant is relieved,” Wu Shunhai said, wiping his tear-ridden face. “It’s just that I heard that Your Highness is always having a hard time, my heart cannot bear it!”

Xue Yan showed a helpless smile and comforted him, saying, “Don’t worry, gonggong. I… I can endure it.”

“If Consort Rong were here, Your Highness wouldn’t be living in such misery!” Wu Shunhai said. “This old servant’s status… is a bit unworthy now. Your Highness is almost sixteen years old, soon you will enter the court. Right now I can’t interfere in the affairs of the palace, but in the future when you enter court, I will do my utmost to help you!”

Predictable. Xue Yan laughed coldly inside. 

Helping an unfavored prince in the harem was a thankless task and Wu Shunhai would not be willing to take that risk in Ling Fu’s domain. But things were different in the imperial court. The Eastern Depot’s job was to investigate all officials. Even though their power was weak, their prestige still existed and it was still convenient to do things. As for him, a prince who had not yet entered the court, by expending just a little bit of effort to help him, the Eastern Depot could immediately reap huge profits.

Therefore Wu Shunhai just gave him a promise first. He let Xue Yan see a glimmer of hope, so that when he struggled in the dark he could remember their kindness.

Xue Yan understood and a look of panic appeared on his face. “This… gonggong, I have never thought about such distant things.”

A trace of disdain flashed in Wu Shunhai’s eyes but it quickly transformed into satisfaction. Sure enough, this kind of prince was the easiest to handle. He kindly consoled Xue Yan, “Your Highness, you are no longer a child. You should always plan for the future. You cannot let others bully you forever, this servant won’t be able to explain himself to Consort Rong either!”

“… What you say makes sense,” Xue Yan replied. “But I have only learned how to fight in wars since I was a child. I don’t know how to do anything else.” He looked at Wu Shunhai apprehensively. His amber eyes were full of helplessness and trust in higher authority.

Wu Shunhai had relaxed his vigilance already. Naturally, he did not realize there was a crouching wolf primed to spring within those seemingly harmless eyes. He became even more satisfied hearing what Xue Yan said. With a loving expression on his face, he said kindly, “Don’t worry, Your Highness, you have me.”

Xue Yan looked relieved and said, “Then I will rest assured. I’ll have to trouble gonggong.”

Wu Shunhai was delighted at how obediently Xue Yan responded. With a gratified smile on his face, he said, “Your Highness, what are you talking about? In the past, my life belonged to Consort Rong. Naturally, today I must do my utmost for you, to live up to her past kindness!”

Xue Yan was touched and showed deference, saying, “No matter what the future holds, Xue Yan will remember your kindness today!”

Wu Shunhuai hastily squeezed out two more cloudy tears, not daring to reply. 

Then he asked again, “How is Young Master faring, living here now?” He carefully concealed his probing beneath a veneer of concern.

These days, Xiao Weizi reported that Xue Yan walked with the Jun family scion and the Sixth Prince every day. They seemed to have become friends. But the Fifth Prince only silently followed them, and the two of them didn’t acknowledge him much. They must be treating him like a lowly follower, so it wasn’t a problem.

But it still worried him a little. Mingluan Palace was heavily guarded. It was difficult for the Eastern Depot to place people in all the concubines’ palaces, so they didn’t know the situation inside.

When Xue Yan heard the question, he looked natural. He lowered his eyelids, opened his mouth as if he didn’t want to talk about it, and said dully, “Usually no one in Mingluan Palace makes things difficult for me, please don’t worry.”

Seeing his reaction, Wu Shunhai was mostly reassured. He pretended to be troubled and reminded him, “This Consort Shu is not difficult to get along with. If you can win her favor, you will have an easier time in the palace.”

Xue Yan looked puzzled. “Gonggong…?”

Judging from his appearance, it was clear that his life in Mingluan Palace was not very good and Xue Yan was not convinced by his advice. Wu Shunhai was thoroughly reassured.

He became complacent and said without thinking, “Yes. Although she is favored, she is also silly. Why do you think she doesn’t have a child yet? It’s because she can’t manage the people around her well.”

Although the Eastern Depot was weak within the palaces, they still had spies outside each one. Consort Shu’s senior maid often snuck in and out of the imperial pharmacy and met with people from Yi Jieyu’s palace. What “happy occasion” could Consort Shu produce in this situation?

Because of an old affair, the Eastern Depot and Yi Jieyu had broken off relations long ago. She also held information that could be used against them, so the Eastern Depot was not willing to start any quarrels with Yi Jieyu for the sake of an irrelevant matter.

If a woman in the palace couldn’t even protect her own womb, how could she expect someone else to?

Wu Shunhai had mentioned it casually. He didn’t notice the questions and calculations hidden in Xue Yan’s eyes when he heard this.

Notes:

[1] 您 respectful form of you.[2] 您 respectful form of you.[3] 公公 term of address for eunuch or maternal grandfather.[4] 您 respectful form of you. They’re all polite bois