The Beautiful Top Being Pursued Relentlessly [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 30

Moonlight flickered across the shadows. Looking into the Hall of Xuanhua through the drifting melodies of lutes and harps, one could see the civil and military officials seated on either side under the glow of brilliant palace lanterns. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, a night for the entire court to rejoice.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing scream shattered the harmonious scene. The clinking of wine cups and the sounds of revelry came to a jarring halt. The smiles on the officials’ faces hadn’t even faded yet as they all turned their heads in unison.

A young gentleman dressed in green had leaped to his feet, staring in terror at a small, curled-up heap on the floor. At a palace banquet, with layers of imperial guards protecting the perimeter, how could an untamed beast possibly have broken in?

“A-Qing!”

Another man, dressed in brocade, rose brashly. Ignoring all etiquette, he grabbed the young gentleman’s scratched hand, his brow furrowed with distress. “Where did this beast come from? How dare it wound someone?”

The officials exchanged looks. The palace was filled with nobles; none of them would dare call a creature a “beast” out loud, even if they were thinking it. The eldest son of the Minister’s household was truly as arrogant as the rumors suggested.

Seated at the head of the hall, Crown Prince Xie Qi frowned and raised a hand slightly. “Lin Ji, go and have a look.”

Since the Crown Prince had spoken, it should have been the end of it. Yet, the Minister’s son seemed to have lost his head in a fit of rage. With a distorted expression, he grabbed a wine cup from the table and hurled it at the shivering creature on the floor.

Clang!

A longsword left its scabbard with a crisp, decisive sound. A flash of cold steel glinted under the lanterns, slashing toward the flying cup. The guard who drew the sword had clearly used his internal energy; the cup spun in mid-air and slammed hard back into the Minister’s son’s forehead, leaving a bright red bruise.

“Who dares to be so bold!” The pampered eldest son, attending a palace banquet for the first time, clearly didn’t know the heights of the heavens or the depth of the earth. He glared at the shimmering blade and made a move to vault over the table.

Suddenly, a light cough echoed through the hall.

“Cough, cough. Jiang Shui, sheathe your sword.”

The guard immediately complied and lowered his head. The cough wasn’t loud it sounded a bit weak but as it drifted slowly from a distance, the hall fell into an instant, heavy silence.

A figure in pristine white, wrapped in a silver-fox fur cloak, drifted onto the terrace outside the hall. Moonlight and lantern light intertwined, resting gently on the long silver hair tied loosely with a silk ribbon.

The newcomer walked with slow, light steps. The oversized cloak made his silhouette look slender and somewhat fragile. His pale face was partially hidden in the thick fur collar, revealing only a refined bridge of the nose, bloodless lips, and a pair of lifted eyes. The corners of those eyes were slightly upturned  a feature that should have been enchanting, yet because his gaze was so cold and deep, he appeared as still as a landscape buried in eternal snow and mist.

Now, those eyes swept indifferently over the scene the guard with the sword, the frightened beauty, the indignant nobleman and finally came to rest on the imperial throne.

Xie Cheng didn’t speak. He simply covered his lips with his sleeve and coughed again, his shoulders trembling slightly. After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice carrying the slight rasp of a long-term illness. “This Mid-Autumn banquet was meant to be a harmonious affair. Why has a conflict broken out?”

At the sound of his voice, the officials finally snapped out of their shock. No one expected the reclusive Prince Zhao to attend such a tedious and formal Mid-Autumn banquet.

The Emperor, seated above, rose with delight, completely forgetting about the drama. “Zijue has arrived! The wind is so strong; did those dogs in your palace actually let you walk here?”

The Emperor glanced at Eunuch Wang beside him and lowered his voice sternly. “What are you standing there for? Go and assist Prince Zhao to his seat! And fetch a hand warmer immediately.”

“Imperial Father, there is no need.” Xie Cheng took a few steps forward. As he moved, his warm cloak brushed over the “beast,” hiding it completely. He looked down into a pair of deep brown, round eyes. His fingers, hidden in his sleeve, suddenly curled. He said, “I merely came to find my newly raised kitten.”

The Emperor slowly sat back down and let out a doting laugh. “So it was Zijue’s kitten. No wonder it has such spirit.”

As soon as he said it, the “kitten” on the floor suddenly lifted its furry little head. It bared tiny, sharp teeth and let out a series of “yi-yi” sounds toward Xie Cheng, small puffs of white vapor emerging from its mouth and dispersing in the air.

One official’s voice trembled. “It’s a tiger.”

What?

The Emperor couldn’t sit still, and the Crown Prince moved even faster. He stepped down the stairs, pushed Xie Cheng aside, and shielded him. “Zijue, do not be afraid.”

“A tiger?” Xie Cheng’s tone was unreadable. He looked down at the little tiger trying its best to look fierce. Ah, I did indeed misidentify it.

“Your Highness, this beast is incredibly vicious. It’s best to deal with it early,” a voice cut in.

Xie Cheng didn’t look at him. “Who are you?”

The speaker clearly didn’t expect Prince Zhao not to recognize him after he’d tried to suck up. His face flushed a deep red. “This humble one is Ye Feizhou, from the Minister’s household.”

Xie Cheng ignored him, shifting his gaze from the cub back to his “cheap” older brother. “The night is late; it is time to return.”

He had arrived in a hurry and was now leaving just as quickly. He only said one thing to the heap on the floor: “Let’s go, little dummy.”

Little dummy? The tiger cub tried its best to bare its teeth. To any observer, its wild nature was plain to see.

The Crown Prince turned around, looking worried. “Zijue.”

“What tiger? You all saw wrong. This ‘little dummy’ is clearly the kitten I am raising,” Xie Cheng said.

“If you say so, then so be it.” The Crown Prince’s brow was knit in a knot, but seeing that Xie Cheng liked it, he didn’t argue further.

“Your Highness!” Ye Feizhou called out indignantly, still clutching A-Qing’s bleeding hand. “The tiger’s nature is hard to change. It will eat people!”

Xie Cheng paused and turned his body slightly, his tone icy. “I said it is a kitten, so it is a kitten. Does Young Master Ye have an objection?”

His words were soft, but a cold sweat broke out on Ye Feizhou’s back. He stammered, and after catching his father’s furious glare, he finally uttered a single word: “No.”

****

It had been exactly half a month since Xie Cheng arrived in this new world.

His identity was usually that of a peripheral character, and this time was no different. In this increasingly powerful Eastern Li Dynasty, he was Prince Zhao, the youngest son of the Emperor and Empress. In Eastern Li, everyone knew of the overwhelming favoritism the imperial couple and the Crown Prince showed him; he was undoubtedly the most pampered existence.

Regrettably, when the original host was born, the court was in the midst of a rebellion. The Empress, in her terror, suffered from complications, leading to the host being plagued by illness from birth. He had barely clung to life with precious herbs, but he hadn’t survived the autumn of his seventeenth year. Now that Xie Cheng had arrived, it was technically a “resurrection.”

Well, a half-resurrection.

The body was in terrible shape; a few steps were enough to leave him gasping for air. Xie Cheng had fallen seriously ill immediately upon entering this world and had spent half a month bedridden before showing any improvement. On top of the various illnesses, his body contained a toxin that sounded very “high-end” the kind only a protagonist would normally have: The Cold Poison.

With all these buffs stacked, it would be hard not to die. Thus, the original host wasn’t entirely insignificant in the plot; he had a very powerful setting: He was the “White Moonlight” of the Protagonist.

With one condition: the White Moonlight who dies early.

The plot was a classic “True vs. False Young Master” drama. The Protagonist Sh受, Ye Qing, was the pampered young son of the Minister’s household. On his sixteenth birthday, his status as a “False Young Master” was exposed. The family, unable to accept that the child they’d raised for a decade was someone else’s, looked at the scrawny “True Young Master” with regret and began to treat Ye Qing with cold violence and verbal abuse. Ye Qing was eventually driven to his death on a cold winter day.

Recalling the insults and betrayals of the past, Ye Qing swore that if there were a next life, he would make those who wronged him pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold!

When he opened his eyes again, Ye Qing looked coldly at the familiar Minister’s house. He swore to escape and live a life of his own, never to be shackled again.

Xie Cheng: 

From that point on, the black sheep became the heartthrob. The once-arrogant “Eldest Brother” wanted a forbidden romance; the cold, celibate childhood friend bowed his head; the sunny young general became clingy.

All these people once looked down on him. Ye Qing sneered, turned around, and took the Crown Prince’s hand. Looking at that face which shared a resemblance to Prince Zhao, his heart wavered, and he accepted the Prince’s pursuit.

Xie Cheng: Please stay away from me.

As for why the Protagonist was so obsessed with Prince Zhao, it was because in his previous life, during his moment of deepest despair, the Prince had gifted him a sprig of plum blossom. From then on, the Prince became the only thing he cared about.

The “only thing he cared about” Xie Cheng: Stop. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

The plot was clear: the “Protagonist Gong” was his “cheap” older brother, the elegant Crown Prince.

222 cleared its throat. Both leads are present. Recommended Romance Plot Unlocked: “Meeting, Knowing, and Staying Together—The Couple Rules the World Side by Side.” Current progress: 60%.

Xie Cheng: Why is the progress so high?

Probably because during the banquet, the Protagonist Sh受 had already been reborn and locked his sights on the Crown Prince.  222 paused and let out a little “ya.”

What is it?

Just now, the progress dropped to 0%.

Why?

Likely because the Protagonist Sh受 realized you aren’t dead yet,  222, the veteran romance system, said with certainty.

As the cool breeze of the palace corridor blew past, Xie Cheng pulled his cloak tighter. 

Is it too late for me to die now?

That won’t work. There are only a few identities available. Does the Prince New Lead want to take the role of the Emperor or the Crown Prince and do the job himself?

Xie Cheng thought of the Emperor’s rugged face and portly figure. He felt uncomfortable for a moment. Never mind.

Being the Prince didn’t sound so bad after all. The night air was truly unpleasant; Xie Cheng tried to wrap the fox-fur cloak even tighter against the drafts of the deep palace.

Behind him, he heard footsteps that were hurried yet orderly. Then, Eunuch Wang’s voice followed. “Your Highness! Prince Zhao!”

Eunuch Wang ran over, his face a mask of respect and concern. “Please, do not stay out in the cold wind. His Majesty and Her Majesty are worried; they’ve specifically ordered a sedan chair to take you back to your palace.”

Xie Cheng looked behind him. Several eunuchs carrying a sedan chair were rushing over. The chair was exquisitely made, with thick curtains hanging on all sides to block the wind. Xie Cheng didn’t refuse; he didn’t even wait for assistance, stepping straight inside.

His personal guard, Jiang Shui (now named Jiang Shui here too), stood by the chair. He noticed the little tiger sluggishly following behind and asked, “Your Highness, what should be done with the cub?”

Xie Cheng pulled the curtain aside and glanced back. A fluffy heap was cautiously moving along the ground. It walked with a waddle; its leg appeared to be injured, and every other step resulted in a piteous tumble. It would struggle back up, its wet nose twitching, letting out a tiny, whimpering sound while staring at Xie Cheng with those round eyes.

Weren’t you acting fierce in the hall? Why the act now?

Xie Cheng watched with interest for a moment. The cub tripped again, its padded paws scratching at the ground, unable to stand immediately. It just lay there, panting softly.

He let the curtain fall, his voice clear and emotionless. “Bring it in.”

Support