The Villain Runs Wild

Ch 65 - Ruthless Crown Prince x Foolish Prince: Big Brother Is So Good


Fu Shu quickly came back holding the horse’s reigns. Though she often advised the Crown Prince to settle down and not be so impulsive, as someone worthy of being in the faction of the Empress Lin’s Crown Prince, she believed from the bottom of her heart that her Master ought to be arrogant.

The way she saw it, even if the Empress Mother was dead and the Empress’ spot was vacant, the Crown Prince was the most honourable person aside from His Majesty, and the Eight Prince was really disregarding the Crown Prince too much.

When Tayun was lead over, it was clearly a little impatient.

Although the Imperial Flower Garden was expansive, it was surrounded with flowers and plants, and the steed couldn’t do its best among them, let alone with all the people around.

This made the horse a little jittery, so it lightly swung its tail, stomped its hooves, and huffed out a puff of air where it stood.

“Didn’t Eighth Brother start learning horseback archery a few days ago already? It would be good for you to show us what you can do, but this One’s Tayun doesn’t have a particularly good temper. It’s proud, so if you can’t get it to obey, you won’t be able to hold on to the reigns. Being thrown off would cripple you, and you would be the worthless one then.”

The Crown Prince’s mocking words made the entire Imperial garden fall deathly silent on that beautifully sunny summer day.

This was no small matter, if he didn’t die from being thrown off the back of the violent horse, he’d still be half-disabled.

Since the Crown Prince was threatening the Eighth Prince, the palace people present had their heads pressed to the ground, not even daring to breathe in the atmosphere.

Some quick-witted servant wanted to go report the situation, but Lin Sui lightly flicked the horsewhip in his hands towards the ground and slowly asked: “Where do you think you’re going?”

That eunuch immediately froze and didn’t dare budge, calling out “Apologies, Crown Prince”.

Lin Sui didn’t want to make things difficult for him either, so he fixed his gaze on the Eighth Prince.

“If you don’t want to get on, this One wouldn’t mind throwing you on.”

Everyone hearing his voice couldn’t help but think that His Highness the Crown Prince was really too arrogant and too reckless!

The Eighth Prince’s face was deathly pale, he didn’t doubt the truthfulness of Lin Sui’s words at all.

After all, the Crown Prince had a domineering and arrogant temper. Perhaps he was not only sticking up for the Fifth Prince, but also targeting him to punish as an example to others. What about his Second Brother standing right there?!

“Human life is beyond value, Crown Prince, let’s not make a scene.”

King Qing’s face darkened slightly. He’d long been aware of the matter of the Fifth Prince being kicked into the lake for provoking the Crown Prince last time, and his thinking was the same as the Eighth Prince, believing this was definitely not a simple matter of protecting the other.

He seemed to be teaching their Eighth Brother a tough lesson, but he was actually provoking him.

“Elder Brother is so kind-hearted and tolerant it makes this One seem all the more vicious,” Lin Sui scoffed lightly, then turned towards the servant leading the Ninth Princess along and asked, “Does Ninth Sister still want to ride a horse?”

The Ninth Princess repeatedly shook her head. She hadn’t wanted to do so originally, she just wanted to play with her Fifth Brother, but it had been her Eighth Brother who had insisted on pushing her on. She hadn’t dared to, and now that she saw the Crown Prince’s scary appearance she dared even less.

Lin Sui withdrew his sights and turned towards the Eighth Prince: “You’ve humiliated your elder brother and your thoughts are impure. If your birthmother can’t teach her children, this One can present a petition to ask Father Emperor to let the Imperial Noble Consort teach you properly.”

“After all, King Qing here is a paragon of the Imperial Noble Consort’s great teachings, if you study more, perhaps you’ll have an opportunity to become the next King Qing.”

Lin Sui, who wasn’t planning on staying here for a long time, flicked away Yan Qin’s hand pulling on his sleeve with a meaningful smile on his face, turned around, and got on Tayun’s back.

Yan Qin’s palm was suddenly left empty, and he was stunned for a split second.

It had to be said that the Crown Prince was really too good at insulting people via insinuations. His words were not only mocking the Eighth Prince and King Qing, they even involved the Imperial Noble Consort backing them and incited a bit of disharmony among them.

The Eighth Prince’s birth mother was Concubine Xian, who was part of the Imperial Noble Consort’s faction, but King Qing’s mother was only a Noble Lady, and he was now fighting over the position of heir just from being adopted by the Imperial Noble Concubine.

Lin Sui’s words were no less than if he were saying: Your mother can’t teach you well, so hurry up and find an adoptive mother whose thigh you can hug, maybe then you’ll have the opportunity to raise your position and be on equal footing with King Qing. If King Qing was able to be cultivated like that, so can you, and perhaps you’ll even be able to compete over the tile of next Emperor.

His peculiar words directly scolded several people.

Yan Qin raised his head and looked at the proud young man atop the horse with a particularly refreshing feeling in his heart.

Perhaps those who were overly cautious and had many things to take into consideration looked forward to this kind of reckless and unbridled attitude.

He was so insolent it made one want to applaud.

“Let’s go back to the palace. Fu Shu, bring her along.”

Lin Sui pointed at Bao Su. He wasn’t planning on waiting here until the Emperor or the Imperial Noble Consort came over, they would just blabber on without end and maybe he would even be punished.

The most significant external reason why he wanted to become Emperor was so he wouldn’t have to kneel down to anyone.

He hadn’t knelt down since he got here, but if the Emperor insisted on making things difficult for him, he would not be able to openly contradict him. This was the Imperial power.

“Come up.”

Lin Sui looked down at the puppy standing beside him and gestured with his hand.

Yan Qin hadn’t ever experienced the feeling of the noble young man with beautiful clothes and a powerful steed, so he looked up at the high and mighty future Son of Heaven and was overwhelmed with emotion.

But there was still a pure, happy expression on his face, and he even spoke a little dazedly: “Big brother Crown Prince, how do I get up?”

Yan Qin actually knew how to get on, even if he had never learnt how to ride, his ability to learn from observation was especially strong, so he had already imitated and practiced Lin Sui’s movements in his mind, but he couldn’t act like he knew how to since he was currently still a “fool”.

Lin Sui stretched a hand out to him and Yan Qin was pulled onto the horse, but before he could sit down properly, Lin Sui raised his whip and headed off.

Yan Qin knocked his head against Lin Sui’s back and subconsciously grabbed onto the waist of the older brother in front of him.

The young man had an elegant figure, his waist was slender enough to hold in one hand.

But his posture was not weak, it felt supple and strong to the touch, and he could sense the faint hidden strength within.

Yan Qin was a little dazed and absent-minded, he was clearly in his right mind, but it was as though he had returned to his previous stupid state, his mind was muddled and it was hard for him to think, and the scene he had seen before came back to him.

A vague flash of soft white between black clothes, making Yan Qin’s brain feel more and more like mush.

“Get your paws off this One’s body.”

A chilly voice came from the front, and Yan Qin pulled his hands back subconsciously, but still grabbed onto the hem of Lin Sui’s clothes without letting go.

“Big brother Crown Prince is so good.”

Yan Qin acted loveably, but had a plan in mind.

Even though he was an unthreatening prince, he reckoned that others would automatically put him in the same camp as the Crown Prince after today’s stance.

Compared to his other brothers, Yan Qin really felt like his older brother the Crown Prince, whom he previously disliked, had now become the one he admired most.

Maybe he should change his plan and first use the Crown Prince’s power to find out what happened back then.

Lin Sui returned to the Eastern Palace, and Fu Xi hastily came to greet him.

“Get down.”

Lin Sui was sitting in front, so the person behind him had to dismount first.

Yan Qin continued acting as he should have, speaking fearfully: “It’s too high, I don’t dare to get down.”

Yan Qin turned his gaze towards Fu Xi, his suggestion extremely obvious.

He still remembered the disdainful gaze this senior eunuch used to look down on him, his behaviour was even more arrogant than his Master’s.

He had carefully observed things during his days in the Eastern Palace, the senior eunuch didn’t have any other abilities, but he was very good at flattery.

He had clearly made several mistakes, but the Crown Prince still put him in an important position. If he had been placed in another person’s palace, he’d long since have been discarded.

But Yan Qin had learnt a few things from him, namely that the Crown Prince liked listening to compliments, and liked hearing people flatter him.

Yan Qin had been foolish and muddle-headed for several years, and no one had ever educated him, so he actually didn’t have too strong a sense of morality. He also didn’t think that there was anything wrong with acting spoiled towards the Crown Prince, in any case, he was also his older brother.

“Fu Xi, help him down.”

Lin Sui urged him somewhat impatiently, feeling like Fu Xi wasn’t paying attention.

Fu Xi was a little unhappy, acting like a stool for the Crown Prince was fine, but what qualifications did this stupid Fifth Prince have?

But, faced with his Lord’s gaze, Fu Xi had no choice but to comply. He lowered his head, a twisted expression on his face, and knelt down, letting the Fifth Prince step on his back to get down.

After Yan Qin got down, Lin Sui also jumped down from the horse.

“Take Tayun back.”

Lin Sui stroked Tayun’s mane and gestured towards Fu Xi.

Fu Xi stood up dejectedly and lead Tayun away in the direction of the stables.

Lin Sui stepped into the main hall, and Yan Qin followed closely behind him.

“Why are you coming in? Go back to your Zhongyu Palace.”

Lin Sui flicked his wrist and struck the ground with the whip in his hand, letting out a sharp and crisp sound.

He sat down on the head seat, looking down at the youth standing in the room with disgust on his delicate face.

“A fool with no skills can only go round in circles when told to do so by others. You’re an idiot, what can they do to you? They’re a bunch of children born of lowly concubines, you don’t even have to compare your positions, it’s extremely ridiculous.”

“Don’t call this One Older Brother in the future, you’re unworthy of it, and you’ll dirty this One’s ears.”

Lin Sui sneered, not concealing his disdain and arrogance at all.

Lin Sui had really gotten angry in the very beginning, he didn’t care if the Eighth Prince was a kid, he had just wanted to grab him and throw him into the lake.

Undeniably, Lin Sui was still somewhat angry in his heart. Yan Qin could completely avoid being bullied, but he knew this was due to Yan Qin’s character, he had to think about the big picture and take many things into consideration.

Great plans could be ruined by just a touch of impatience, but Lin Sui had always been the kind of person who couldn’t restrain his temper after being in a high position.

The Seventh Prince had still not left his palace today, he’d played a little trick on him that left him covered in red rashes. Consort De even suspected it had been the Imperial Noble Consort’s handiwork, which was exactly what Lin Sui wanted.

Yan Qin found that his attitude seemed to have changed a little. When he heard the Crown Prince treat the consorts in the harem as lowly concubines before, he felt a little ridiculed in his heart, after all, his own birth mother was among the people in this group.

But now he seemed to have gotten used to it. In the end, the Crown Prince was just like that. He would even do things like have someone bring slop to the Imperial Noble Consort’s palace and threaten to throw the Eighth Prince on a horse. That was just his character.

“Big brother Crown Prince…” Yan Qin was glared at by Lin Sui, and he spoke carefully, “If I can’t call big brother Crown Prince Older Brother[1], what should I call you?”

He seemed to not feel any anger or humiliation as he looked at Lin Sui with pure and eager eyes.

“I heard them say that big brother Crown Prince’s childhood name is A-Sui, since I can’t call big brother Older Brother, then can I call you A-Sui?”

Yan Qin acted stupid and took an unfair advantage, knowing that saying this was bound to make Lin Sui even angrier.

This was because this was a name only the late Empress could call him, the Emperor didn’t call him that, and it was precisely in this way that he would further cement his identity as a fool.

Since he had decided to first borrow the Crown Prince’s power, he couldn’t let the Crown Prince become aware of the fact that he was pretending to be stupid.

Lin Sui’s face turned even more vicious, and the whip in his hand wrapped around Yan Qin’s neck, dragging him towards him.

Yan Qin staggered until he fell in front of Lin Sui and had his chin clutched.

“If you dare call me that again, you’ll be keeping your dead mother company.”

The young man’s tone was cold, and his stern eyes made one shiver.

 

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[1] Quick clarification for anyone who’s interested: In this arc I’ve been translating ‘哥哥 gege’ as ‘big brother’ since it’s a little childish and ‘兄長 xiongzhang’ as ‘elder/older brother’ since it’s a bit more proper. Yan Qin calls Lin Sui ‘太子哥哥 Taizi gege’ or ‘Crown Prince gege’, and Lin Sui just told him not to use ‘xiongzhang’ for him, which is how the prince brothers usually refer to and about one another. ⤴