Why is the Dog Emperor Like That? - Chapter 10

Yin Shu’s people? Pushing me into the water? What could they possibly gain from that?

I was a bit confused at first, but after reflecting on it, I realized there were clues. Originally, I was supposed to be a small pawn supporting Yin Shu. Now, I have followed Yin Xiao, working hard to lead him upward, and with significant results.

A year ago, Yin Shu becoming the Crown Prince was as easy as reaching into a bag for an object. A year later, I have brought his younger brother into the spotlight. Is that not just asking for trouble? Although Yin Shu is magnanimous and can tolerate us, the people under him might not feel the same.

Furthermore, because he is so kind-hearted, his followers are fiercely loyal. It is entirely possible that someone volunteered to act as a martyr to eliminate me. I shared my thoughts with Yin Xiao. Yin Xiao’s hand, which was holding my medicine, paused.

I took the steaming bowl and frowned as I drank the deathly bitter liquid. I heard Yin Xiao call out, “Teacher.”

“Hmm?” My mouth was full of bitterness. I looked up and was nearly startled into choking by his sinister gaze.

He asked, “Why are you so certain that my brother does not want to kill you?”

I explained, “He is not that kind of person.” Yin Xiao remained sullen.

Yin Xiao forcibly gave me a three-month vacation on the grounds of not letting the illness leave a lasting mark. I strongly suspected he just wanted to slack off. I, on the grounds that a three-month vacation is too long, assigned Yin Xiao four months’ worth of winter break homework. It is hilarious how the tables have turned. I used to be the one tortured by homework; now it is finally my turn to assign it. I was delighted.

But my joy did not last long. The deadline for the homework I assigned was three months. Yin Xiao finished it on the sixth day. No, brother, wait. Is this the speed a normal human should have when writing winter homework? Not only that, but over these few days, Yin Xiao did not slack on his riding or martial arts. He even found time to network with several high-ranking officials in the court. During the time I spent lying in my sickbed, I felt like Yin Xiao had grown up a bit more. I felt gratified, yet a little lost, though mostly gratified.

Taking advantage of the time Yin Xiao was practicing with the martial arts instructor, I got up and left Lanyue Palace, intending to head out. Thanks to the help of those imperial physicians, my body was basically recovered. Only Yin Xiao was still worried, insisting that I recuperate quietly in the palace. These days I had nothing to do, so I often went out for a stroll.

Jin Lan saw me and was not surprised. She asked casually, “Lord Ji, where are you going?”

I smiled. “I am going to see Prince Yin Shu.”

Jin Lan rushed over in a chaotic, stumbling panic, trying to stop me. I comforted her, “It is fine. If the Little Highness asks, just say you do not know where I went. I will take responsibility if anything happens.” Jin Lan was still worried. She watched me leave with a disapproving gaze.

Yin Shu’s palace corresponded to Yin Xiao’s. One was Lanyue Palace, and the other was Xuri Palace. Sun and moon corresponded; primary and secondary were clear. Yin Shu truly had the protagonist’s script: a meteoric rise and a smooth life.

I knocked on the vermillion gates of Xuri Palace. The attendants came to open the door lazily, but the moment they saw it was me, their soft expressions instantly tightened. They were flustered, asking me to wait while they went inside to report. Only after a while was I invited in.

I stepped over the threshold. In the courtyard of Xuri Palace stood a tall loquat tree that could bloom even in winter. The tree was full of pale yellow loquat flowers, a color like sunlight. Even the floor tiles in this palace felt warm to the step. It was exactly like the impression Yin Shu gave people.

I met Yin Shu. The good news was that Yin Shu was still very friendly to me. The bad news was that the people behind Yin Shu were not very friendly. The incident of me falling into the water a while ago caused Yin Xiao to search the entire palace, making it known to everyone. My father outside the palace, the elder Lord Ji, also made a huge fuss. Half of the capital knew I had fallen into the water while wandering the palace at night. Finally, when the culprit was found, they actually came from Yin Shu’s Xuri Palace.

Although I was the victim, this incident undoubtedly tarnished Yin Shu’s reputation. I heard that even the old Emperor had private talks with Yin Shu regarding the matter. They already disliked me; now they were even more annoyed by me.

Yin Shu and I strolled through Xuri Palace for a while, but that group of people followed us everywhere. I felt completely uncomfortable. Yin Shu was observant; he looked at me, then behind us, and found a reason to dismiss all his advisors and attendants.

Under the loquat tree, the golden sunlight passed quietly through the yellow flowers, illuminating our shadows that were neither too close nor too far apart. This was the second time Yin Shu and I were alone. The first time was when I begged him to let me teach Yin Xiao. The second time was now.

He suddenly called my name, “Zijin.” Then, with a look of apology that made it impossible to stay angry, he said, “Regarding your fall into the water, it was the people in my palace who acted wrongly. I am truly sorry.”

I said directly that it was fine. I had not taken it to heart anyway. With a Prince of the realm apologizing like this, there was nothing to hold a grudge over. I thanked him for the bone fan I had received, made some small talk, and then left.

The conversation was not easy. I was constantly worried he would bring up the matter of me joining his side again. But until I left, Yin Shu never mentioned it. I suspect he did not forget; he simply saw my awkwardness. Yin Shu kept me for dinner at Xuri Palace. Likely still fearing I would be embarrassed, it was just the two of us. As we talked, I occasionally overstepped my bounds, but he maintained a gentle and calm smile. I felt he was understanding on one hand, but on the other, I felt he must be very tired.

Before I left, Yin Shu sent two attendants to escort me back. Why two? I guessed it was because if one of them wanted to kill me, the other could stop them. But what if they both wanted to kill me? I could not help but laugh out loud.

As soon as I returned to Lanyue Palace, it felt as familiar as coming home. Oh, the cold threshold, the cold floor tiles. I went back to the sleeping quarters. Oh, the Little Highness’s expression was also cold. That was a bit scary.

Jin Lan said that after Yin Xiao found out I had left, he went into the sleeping quarters and had not come out. I figured he was waiting for me like a hunter waiting for a rabbit. I did not dare go back to the room immediately, so I bathed to stall for time, then kept the tooth-cleaning wood in my mouth and stood in the washroom playing dead. I felt the same aimless sense of a student who scored fifteen percent on a math test and wandered the streets, not wanting to go home.

After staying like that for an hour, I returned to the front of the sleeping quarters and found the lamps inside were still lit. I was so nervous my mouth felt dry. Seeing me like this, Jin Lan sighed and patted my shoulder. I felt as if I were heading to an execution ground.

I finally went back. There was no one else in the room, only Yin Xiao. He was still separated from his bed by a thin layer of moon-shadow gauze. I could see the blurred silhouette of him sitting upright. Two candles nearby fought against the heavy chill of the room, their flames flickering and trembling. Yin Xiao sat there, clearly having something to say to me, but because he was throwing a tantrum, he simply would not speak.

He was waiting for me to speak. I steeled myself and remained silent. I simply decided to lie back on the bed quickly and close my eyes to sleep. My thought was this: as long as I sleep fast enough, Yin Xiao cannot catch me.

Ancient people were mindful of feng shui and felt that if a bedroom was too large, the feng shui would be poor. Therefore, even a Prince’s quarters were built quite small. Consequently, the second after I closed my eyes, the boy had already walked to my bedside. So fast. Did you use a flash spell? I sighed.

Yin Xiao actually sat down behind me, picked up a lock of my black hair, and held it in his hand to play with. While playing, he asked nonchalantly, “Teacher, where did you go today?” The pressure he used was neither too light nor too heavy, like holding fine silk. It was not enough to pull it out, but enough to let me feel it. I was suddenly afraid. For some reason, I felt a threat that whispered, “If you play dead any longer, I will pluck you bald.” Terrifying, truly terrifying.

For the sake of the hair on my head, I finally compromised. A man has gold on his head; it is impossible for me to go bald. I gently brushed his hand away, propped myself up on the bed, and faced him. Yin Xiao looked into my eyes, paused slightly, and then turned his head away.

“I went to see Yin Shu.” Before Yin Xiao could speak, I quickly explained the reason.

First, I truly did not want the incident of me being pushed into the water to affect the relationship between the two brothers. It was a good thing that brotherly affection still existed between Yin Shu and Yin Xiao.

“I want to help the Little Highness rise to power. The Little Highness surely understands my meaning.” With no one around, I spoke plainly, “Regardless of whether I succeed in the end, the brotherly bond between you two is a sharp sword in your hand. You should make good use of it.”

Yin Xiao was stunned. He likely did not expect that I, who had always taught him about brotherly harmony, would use the word “utilize.” I thought that, in his eyes, I might seem somewhat contemptible now. I lowered my eyes slightly and stared into his eyes from my slightly taller vantage point. “Even without mentioning utilizing him, do you not also like your big brother? If I smooth things over for you, it should be beneficial for you, right?”

“Like?” Yin Xiao frowned and pursed his lips, looking as if he did not understand. I raised my eyebrows. Does he not know that he treats this brother, who is competing for the throne, with an extraordinary degree of inclusive closeness? At the very least, a pair of brothers who truly hated each other would not go as a pair to the Imperial Garden to boat on the lake. Because of my words, he fell into deep thought. I watched him silently.

I was getting a bit sleepy from waiting when I suddenly heard Yin Xiao ask, “His people nearly killed you. Do you truly not care?” His tone held a hint of jealousy.

“I do not care,” I said decisively. “As long as he stays alive and maintains a good relationship with you, if it helps your future path, I do not care if he wants to kill me or not.”

This was the truth. Even if Yin Shu truly wanted to kill me, what could I do? I still have to interact with him politely. Who told me to be a pitiful royal worker right now?

Just as I was mentally preparing to debate with Yin Xiao for another three hundred rounds, Yin Xiao looked at me and suddenly smiled. There was a hint of relief in that smile. The boy’s face was too beautiful. Usually, he only looked fierce, but when he smiled, it was actually quite radiant. Now it was my turn to be stunned.

For some reason, Yin Xiao suddenly stopped pursuing the matter. He seemed to be in high spirits as he lifted the moon-shadow gauze and went back to his own side to sleep, his footsteps light and free. What happened? Why did his mood suddenly improve? I did not understand, but with the matter resolved, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The night grew deep. Silence reigned, and while Yin Xiao slept, I was wide awake. My eyes stared straight ahead as I sat up abruptly. Holy crap, wait.

The original book was a BL novel. Even if the protagonist has not appeared yet, the second lead is still exuding charm.

I thought about how Yin Xiao’s mood inexplicably improved right after I said “you like your brother.” So, has the teacher-student pair turned into a forbidden brother’s pair?

I feel like the genre is quietly testing the limits of what is allowed. I am a little panicked.