The Villain Runs Wild

Chapter 70

Ch 70 - Ruthless Crown Prince x Foolish Prince: Choosing A Study Companion

Early in the morning, Lin Sui opened his eyes at the same time as usual.

There seemed to be something warm by his feet, making him wake with a start and bend his legs away extremely quickly as he sat up. He saw an aggrieved puppy shrank by the foot of the bed, sleeping.

Yan Qin was already much more sturdy than when they first met, the youth’s growth rate was very quick, so it must have been tough for him to bend himself into that position.

Lin Sui didn’t make a sound to wake him, and his feet hung in the air uncertainly for a moment, then he kicked the still-sleeping youth.

Yan Qin had originally been hanging off the side of the bed, and he fell directly off of it under the force of that kick.

Yan Qin suddenly opened his eyes, he hadn’t yet cried out in pain when he caught sight of Lin Sui looking down on him from above.

His fine black hair was scattered over his shoulders, his inner clothes were a little messy, and his tender, fair feet placed over the quilt of the bed were faintly pink.

He stared stupidly, as if he’d bumped his head with that fall just now and it looked as if his originally not very clever brains were even less bright.

“Who allowed you to climb up this One’s bed?”

Yan Qin spoke honestly: “I was woken by the cold yesterday, and I don’t know how, but I just lay down in a daze.”

Lin Sui also didn’t doubt him, he swept his gaze coldly past him and said: “Go back to your Zhongyu Palace.”

Yan Qin didn’t reply, he just stared obediently up at Lin Sui with a fawning smile on his face.

He was going to play out this stupid act to the extreme, as long as his big brother the Crown Prince didn’t question him too closely or strictly ban him, he could still come as usual.

Lin Sui saw the thoughts in his eyes, but just pretended as though he hadn’t.

In any case, the puppy in front of him could only be looked at but not eaten, so Lin Sui quickly turned his thoughts to matters he currently cared more about.

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

As expected, Xue Dingchun was promoted to Records Supervisor and the Zhang Province had a major reshuffle, and since those corrupt officials left, new people were needed to fill the vacancies.

The Zhang Province was located in Jiangnan, the South, it was a populous and affluent place and it had lucrative posts, so many people wanted to take a look.

The Emperor deliberately suppressed the Crown Prince’s faction, and therefore those positions were filled with people the Emperor thought were more reliable, but of course several positions were still assigned to the Governor of State Affairs’ people for the sake of maintaining balance.

The waters were stable, and the onlookers had no complaints. Of course, even if those old foxes had complaints, they would not let anyone know.

Lin Sui kept a cool head, simply because, when the Emperor chose people this time, Zhong Zhuo had put forward suggestions.

Zhong Zhuo belonged to the Emperor’s faction, so the people he brought together were naturally utterly loyal to the Emperor, but the Emperor didn’t know that he had another master backing him.

Lin Sui fiddled with the bodhi bracelet[1] in his hands, the thing had been a new gift from one of those appointed, and the gifter had been the newly-appointed Governor of the Zhang Province.

“Jiangnan is good, huh.”

Lin Sui laughed a few times and lightly tapped his fingers on his knees, pleased as he thought about how this was truly interesting.

The feeling of vying for power and profit was too wonderful for words.

There seemed to be a slight sound coming from the door, Lin Sui subconsciously looked over and met Yan Qin’s eyes.

Yan Qin was leaning on the side of the door, looking at Lin Sui with a hidden infatuation.

Yan Qin was not infatuated by his charm, but rather by the desire hidden under his skin and in his eyes.

It was high-spirited and vigorous, and it was also ambitious and exuberant.

He had a tendency to talk idly about important matters and berate others enthusiastically, which made people boil with rage.

Yan Qin was a little fed up with his own pretence, he was actually itching to get into the Court, and to get into the heart of the whirlpool of power.

But this was not an easy task at all, and his current state of laying low was all for the sake of the future.

Yan Qin could sense that this change was not unfolding they way it seemed to on the surface, otherwise Lin Sui would not be acting like this.

Yan Qin also secretly operated through his grandfather, he planted his own people in seemingly unremarkable positions and kept an eye on the overall layout this time.

The Crown Prince’s faction had clearly not taken the advantage this time, but judging from the expression of his big brother the Crown Prince, just who was the hidden piece then?

Yan Qin guessed inwardly, also thinking that this was especially interesting.

“Didn’t this One tell you to go back to your Zhongyu Palace a few days ago? Why are you back?”

Lin Sui waved at Yan Qin by the door, his good mood had not yet disappeared, so his words also carried a bit of a pleasant smile.

Yan Qin impatiently moved closer and spoke intimately: “A-Qin wanted to see big brother Crown Prince.”

Lin Sui’s eyes darkened slightly, he looked like he wanted to scold him, but didn’t know how to.

He suspected Yan Qin was currently immersed in cheer and wouldn’t tire, so a verbal blow from him would have no effect, and he didn’t feel like arguing needlessly.

The impostor Crown Prince propped his cheek up and looked down at the genuine member of the royal family, staring at his “little brother” as if he were staring at any cat or dog.

Lin Sui looked away, he put aside those bodhi beads he’d been fiddling with and looked down at the picture scrolls on his desk.

There were a total of three picture scrolls on his desk, they were all of young men about his age or a little younger, it was the short-list for his study companion candidates.

To be exact, it was the list of candidates he showed to the outside world, he already had a candidate in mind, but he could also pick another one out of these three people.

“Who are these people?”

Yan Qin looked at those three picture scrolls, seeming curious, but his heart sank.

These were clearly just being used to select people, but if he was choosing talents, why did he need to use portraits? Retainers and advisors had always been determined by their talent and resourcefulness, so what did that have to do with their appearance?

Lin Sui looked at the small characters next to the pictures and spoke: “This One was not too pleased with the previous study companions, so this One must pick new ones.”

The three people had all been given to him to look at by the Governor of State Affairs, they were all children from their faction, some were good at literature, some were good at writing current policy essays, and they all had their strong points.

Yan Qin wasn’t too happy as he spoke: “I can also be big brother Crown Prince’s study companion, why pick new people to come into the palace?”

The puppy was not aware of the jealousy in his tone, like that of a jealous concubine when the Emperor took new people into the palace.

“Little fool, do you know what it means to be a study companion?”

Lin Sui smiled as he watched him play dumb, then turned his eyes back to the three people’s profiles, already having come to a conclusion on the inside.

He needed a stable and prudent subordinate, and it just so happened that he would be bringing in new talents not long after.

“Isn’t it just accompanying big brother Crown Prince to study? I can also do that, I accompany big brother Crown Prince every day.”

Yan Qin had already cultivated his face to an extent, he clearly went to sit in and listen to absorb knowledge everyday, but his words were still so pleasant.

“I need a study companion that’s more than that, they’ll become my sharp spear, my pike, my loyal and devoted subordinates.” Lin Sui’s eyes were filled with smiles, and he lifted a finger in the air and pointed, “They’ll go wherever I point them to.”

If one longed for power, then they must fight for it.

To be a man above men, to be the most respected in the land under heaven.

He was greedy when others were cowardly, as long as he lived for one day, he would not be willing to be inferior to others.

“You’re not suited for being my study companion, understand?”

The young Crown Prince raised his eyes and spoke, filled with interest.

His haughty demeanour did not need a grand demonstration, he just needed a single glance to bring it out into display.

His brassy arrogance was undisguised, his contempt and scorn clear to see.

It made people want to bow their head and kneel, and willingly call themselves a subject.

Yan Qin’s heart beat like a drum, and he clenched his palms under his sleeves, bowing his head to hide the loss of control on his face.

A person’s opinion could really be changed by their senses. He only had memories of being foolish, and thought that the Crown Prince was ruthless and brainless, not outstanding at all, and extremely mediocre. If he didn’t have such a strong family, he would have been dragged own from his position long ago.

But he had long since stopped thinking like that. The person in front of him was far deeper and more unpredictable than he seemed, he was not a muddleheaded idiot at all.

His desires and ambitions could arouse one’s hot blood. Yan Qin understood his desire, because they yearned for the same road, they thirsted to become stronger.

Yan Qin again remembered how frail Lin Sui had looked that day, and took a few slow breaths.

It was as if he’d picked a beautiful flower growing in a high up place and wrapped it up in the palm of his hand, repeatedly kneading its petals with his fingers until its juice came out.

At that moment, that fragrance was decadent and rich, enough to make people shiver from the bottom of their hearts.

Yan Qin couldn’t help but think that he had a bit of a chance of winning against Lin Sui, he wanted to be above Lin Sui and control him, but he also had a few thoughts of not wanting to oppose him harshly, he wanted it to be the same as it was now, to sleep under his bed and be his loyal dog.

But everything was just a fantasy now. Yan Qin put on a look, pretending to be sad for having been wronged by his elder brother’s disdain, and continued playing dumb.

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

At the end of Autumn, the wife of the Capital’s Magistrate, who was a socialite in the city, organised a polo competition, which attracted many people.

The person Lin Sui had been waiting for finally returned to the capital from his grandfather’s place.

“Which family does that young man belong to? His skills with the ball are quite outstanding.”

King Qing was seated next to Lin Sui, and spoke with a smile as he had tea and refreshments.

Yan Qin had been playing with some hanging threads, and looked up curiously when he heard this.

The one who had come out on top at that time was a young man riding a large bay horse, his figure was tall, straight and charming, and the way he hit the ball from the horse was somewhat full of life.

“He seems to be the nephew of the side Concubine from Prince Lan’s mansion, his name is Zhou Yunfang.”

Off to the side, a close official stepped up to speak. King Qing nodded, and didn’t say anything else.

Lin Sui could clearly see the twists and turns of his mind, he looked down on the identity of his family, and eliminated any thoughts of bringing him back to be of some use.

Prince Lan was the current Emperor’s older brother, and he was over sixty years old. He held a leisurely position in court and, although he was a prince, he had no real power.

After all, Prince Lan had also participated in the struggle for the throne back then, but he quickly withdrew discretely, which was why he survived and was not sent someplace else.

How could the nephew of the side Concubine of a Prince with no real power catch anyone’s eyes?

But this person was the one Lin Sui was waiting for. In the original book, before the Crown Prince was deposed, the Emperor was instigated and believed Prince Lan intended on rebelling, so he beheaded Prince Lan’s whole family, and treated his concubine’s family as guilty by association.

Zhou Yunfang lost his mother when he was young, and he treated his aunt, the Prince’s side Concubine, as his own mother. His uncle was wronged, his aunt killed, disaster was brought upon his grandfather’s family, and even he was banished to a bitterly cold place, so his heart was brimming with irreconciled anger.

The place he was exiled to just so happened to be Prince Huai’s territory, and this Prince genuinely had a rebellious heart.

Zhou Yunfang was naturally an expert at marching an army and waging war, he went all the way from being Prince Huai’s bodyguard to being the leader of Prince Huai’s personal soldiers, until finally plotting a rebellion with him.

When Yan Qin lead troops to redress the vassal king’s rebellion, they were almost defeated by Zhou Yunfang. Since he appreciated Zhou Yunfang’s talent, he spared his life and vindicated him, then reaped the benefits of having Zhou Yunfang as General.

Zhou Yunfang, who would go through such complicated experiences in the future until finally becoming a grand General with a brilliant reputation, was currently just a young man whose polo skills were pretty good in the eyes of others.

Yan Qin simply lifted his head for a few glances and looked away disinterestedly. It wasn’t until he discovered that his big brother the Crown Prince had been sizing the person up that he became vigilant.

Didn’t this person just know how to ride a horse and play ball? Was there anything worth looking at for his big brother the Crown Prince?

Since it looked like that, Yan Qin silently compared himself to that person, and unwillingly thought that person seemed to be a little taller.

But he was only fifteen! He could still grow taller!

He heard his big brother the Crown Prince ask: “How old is that kid?”

The other person answered: “He should be fourteen or fifteen.”