Why is the Dog Emperor Like That? - Chapter 12

In the original book, there was a particularly crucial scene during the royal New Year’s Eve banquet. At the banquet, the old Emperor sighed repeatedly, appearing distracted and deeply troubled, which kept everyone on edge. The reason was that Concubine Wan, whom the old Emperor had forced into the palace, was critically ill and defying all medical treatment.

Just as the old Emperor was fretting, Yin Shu stepped forward. He introduced the divine doctor who had once saved his birth mother, who was the protagonist, Ye Fuchen.

At that time, Yin Xiao, hoping to please his father, had just sent people to the common folk to find a remedy. He presented the prescription, but Ye Fuchen pointed out several flaws in it. Swayed by Ye Fuchen, the old Emperor abandoned the banquet immediately and led Ye Fuchen to Concubine Wan’s palace to treat her.

Yin Xiao, meanwhile, returned to the palace alone. He had hoped to use this opportunity to win the old Emperor’s favor, only to be completely overshadowed by Yin Shu’s people at the banquet. In truth, considering Yin Xiao’s age and background, his initiative to find a remedy to please his father was already quite remarkable. But alas, his older brother was born with the protagonist’s halo.

The next day, on New Year’s Day, Concubine Wan recovered. Adding joy to joy, the old Emperor declared a nationwide celebration to pray for her health. From then on, the political situation began to settle. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the position of Crown Prince was already firmly in Yin Shu’s grasp. In short, this New Year’s Eve banquet was the moment Yin Xiao, the pathetic, affection-starved young villain, was humiliated, marking the beginning of his descent into darkness.

I waited anxiously at the palace gate, having thought of at least twenty different ways to comfort Yin Xiao. I was already imagining the terrifying scene of Yin Xiao storming back, howling and throwing a temper tantrum. I wondered if the window decorations that Jinlan and I had put up today would survive the night. I sighed. Just as my heart was pounding, the sound of hurried, aggressive footsteps approached. I looked over, trembling.

Huh? My brow furrowed in confusion. Why did Yin Xiao seem to be in a rather good mood? Yin Xiao returned to the palace, and all was well. The events I had feared from the original plot did not happen. Curious, I pressed him: “Was Concubine Wan not ill? Did something happen at the banquet?”

The smile on Yin Xiao’s lips faded. He scrutinized my expression and asked, “Teacher, you are not close to Concubine Wan, are you?”

I stumbled, realizing my question had been a bit abrupt. Feeling guilty, I covered my mouth slightly and looked away. “I am not, I just heard from others that she was suffering from illness. You know, she is the birth mother of that pair of children, Chuju and Cuiping.”

Yin Xiao stared at me intently, his tone cold and hard. “You have those two little girls write letters to Concubine Wan every month. I have seen all the correspondence; I have never heard of her being ill.”

Huh? So, in the original plot, Concubine Wan’s illness was caused by her worrying about her daughters’ safety? Now that she knew her daughters were well, the weight on her heart was lifted, and naturally, she was free from sickness. But I looked at Yin Xiao, confused. “Then why did you come back so early?” It was New Year’s Eve; why had he left the banquet so soon?

Yin Xiao gritted his teeth and stared at me. After hesitating for a long time, he sighed. “I wanted to come back to set off firecrackers.”

I was stunned. “Just for firecrackers?”

“Yes,” Yin Xiao sneered at me, sounding like he was sulking. “Just for firecrackers.”

I said, “Oh,” and since I was still taller than Yin Xiao, I reached out and ruffled his hair. As soon as I finished, I scurried off to the storeroom to get the firecrackers, hearing his embarrassed, angry scolding behind me. He really is just a child, after all.

In April, it was Yin Xiao’s birthday banquet once again. This time, I was in full charge of the arrangements, held at Jinyu Pavilion, the most popular restaurant in the capital.

On the day of his birthday, the entire pavilion was booked out, catering only to Yin Xiao and his invited scholars.

Li Shi watched the silver fly away like water and sighed painfully. “The guests today are not even enough to fill the whole pavilion. Is this not too much?”

I remained calm and told him, “The Second Prince’s reputation among the common people currently trails the First Prince’s. Young officials are afraid to pick a side, and the older generation cannot see the situation clearly yet. We have to spend the money to build momentum.”

Yin Xiao was now fourteen; no one called him the little prince anymore.

Li Shi sighed. “Fair enough.”

Li Shi had arrived just last month. Originally, like me, he was a tutor for the princes. Our experiences were strikingly similar; he was also a top talent handpicked by the Emperor, originally meant for Yin Shu. However, Yin Shu declined him, saying he did not need any more tutors. So, Li Shi was kicked over to Yin Xiao. Initially, hearing that I was treated well under Yin Xiao, Li Shi assumed he was an easygoing, cute little prince. As it turned out, that day, Yin Xiao gave Li Shi one look and nearly kicked him into the moat. It was only because I interceded for Li Shi that he managed to secure the position of a strategist.

At the birthday banquet, Yin Xiao was surrounded by sycophancy and flattery. The guests coming and going were more numerous than the previous year. Yin Xiao himself did not seem particularly excited, merely responding with indifference. I was worried at first that he might alienate people, but after observing for a while, I realized I had overthought it. There are princes like Yin Shu who use friendliness to win people over, and there are princes like Yin Xiao who can attract others simply by their aura of superiority.

Half a day later, Yin Xiao suddenly walked into the guest room where I was resting and slammed the door shut. He pulled out a chair next to me and sat down in silence.

I sighed softly. “Second Prince, today is your birthday banquet. You cannot just leave.”

Yin Xiao closed his eyes, turning his head away. “It is too noisy.”

I smiled helplessly and persuaded him. “The young officials present today are all scholars of the capital. When you contend for the position of Crown Prince, they will all be your assets.”

“I know.” Yin Xiao let out a long breath. He suddenly grabbed me, acting a bit childish. “If you go out, I will go out.”

I raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Alright.”

I find it very strange. The one who pulled me out was Yin Xiao, and the one who got angry because I went out was also Yin Xiao. Is it not normal to put your arms around each other’s shoulders while drinking? What is there to be angry about? Am I not allowed to drink with others?

The birthday banquet went very smoothly. Yin Xiao’s reputation spread throughout the capital, and the number of strategists under him grew exponentially.

Everything was easier than I had imagined. Some said that in terms of appearance and bearing, Yin Xiao looked more like an emperor than his brother, Yin Shu. I thought to myself, that is true.

That haughty, dismissive gaze is not something just anyone can have. Especially that stern expression, as even with Yin Xiao’s momentum surging so rapidly lately, it had not made the corners of his lips lift even an inch. However, something soon happened that made Yin Xiao beam with joy.

“Hey, yes, that is it… closer.” In the courtyard, Jinlan waved her hand, signaling for me and Yin Xiao to stand closer.

“Teacher, what is wrong? Are you afraid to compete with me now?” Yin Xiao’s lips curled into a deep smile; his face held a joy I had never seen before.

“No,” I sighed, reluctantly stepping back.

Jinlan stood next to us, using the ruler I normally used for discipline to measure us for a long time. A moment later, she pulled the ruler back. “Hmm… the Second Prince has indeed grown! He is a head taller than Master Ji!”

I curled my lip. The day had finally come. Since I started taking care of his diet and he began eating properly, Yin Xiao had been growing like a bamboo shoot after the rain. His father and brother were both tall, so it was only natural for Yin Xiao to grow tall as well. I kept comforting myself. So, what if I am shorter than Yin Xiao? He still has to call me Teacher.

I looked back and had to tilt my head slightly to look him in the eye. This small gesture of mine seemed to greatly please Yin Xiao. He crossed his arms, his expression positively radiant. For a teenager who would not even lift an eyebrow when receiving praise from the Emperor or flattery from strategists, to be this happy just because he had grown taller? I do not know if he is mature or childish.

The atmosphere was lively and relaxed when Li Shi suddenly rushed in from outside the Lanyue Palace. “Second Prince! Outside, there is…” He was breathless, bringing an unsettling atmosphere with him. Before he could finish, the palace door behind him was pushed open by an old eunuch. I recognized him; he was the eunuch by the old Emperor’s side.

He led two gorgeously dressed, beautiful women inside, wearing a hypocritical, flattering smile. Yin Xiao’s expression, which had been wildly happy a second ago, froze back into ice.

“Second Prince.” The old eunuch held a horsetail whisk and stepped forward with a chuckle. As he walked, he said to the two women behind him, “Come, step forward and let the Second Prince see you.”

The two women stepped forward lightly, bending their slender waists and saying in sweet, delicate voices, “Greetings, Second Prince.”

Yin Xiao closed his eyes, feeling not only uninterested but extremely annoyed. “Eunuch Cao, you have come to the wrong place. They are not people for my side.”

To the side, Li Shi asked me with a confused and uneasy expression, “What is going on? Is Eunuch Cao not the Emperor’s personal eunuch? Why would he suddenly bring women to Lanyue Palace?”

I smiled helplessly. “You will get used to it.”

Although the old Emperor was muddle-headed, he only had two sons, and he cherished them dearly. He heard that Yin Shu loved poetry and calligraphy, so from then on, whenever he saw a good poem, he would invite the poet to the palace and gift both the person and the poem to Yin Shu. Li Shi and I were examples of this.

As for Yin Xiao, he seemed interested in nothing. Although talented in many areas, no one could gauge his likes or dislikes. I did not understand him, and the Emperor understood him even less. So, the old Emperor simply projected his own preferences onto him and sent his favorites to Yin Xiao. I looked at the two blushing women and felt a sense of extreme helplessness.

This was not the first time the old Emperor had sent women, and it would not be the last. But this time was different. Yin Xiao told Eunuch Cao to take the people away, but Cao did not move.

He pitched his voice higher and said, “The Emperor remembers that the Second Prince has been separated from his birth mother, Noble Consort Rou, since childhood and has never experienced motherly love. These past few years, he has been thinking of you day and night.

The Emperor specifically selected two beauties to be the Second Prince’s concubines. If the Second Prince does not like them, they can even be chambermaids. Actually, none of that matters.

What matters is that the Emperor hopes for a livelier atmosphere here, so you can have children soon. Only then can the Da Liang dynasty have successors.”

I held back a laugh. What kind of nonsense logic is this? If a child did not receive motherly love when they were small, instead of spending more time with them, the father makes them have their own children? To compensate for the lack of family affection this way? If the old Emperor actually thinks that, he really is a genius.

Yin Xiao listened to his entire speech with a dark face.

Eunuch Cao bowed obsequiously, his smile not reaching his eyes. “The Emperor has a compassionate father’s heart; the Second Prince should be understanding.”

Having said that, without waiting for Yin Xiao’s consent, Eunuch Cao waved his whisk and strode away. He left everyone in the Lanyue Palace in dead silence. The two beautiful women also realized the atmosphere was wrong and looked around in confusion. This Second Prince of Lanyue Palace seemed different from what they had imagined. Which young man does not love beauty? If he was unmoved even after seeing them, could it be that he was not capable in that regard?

Jinlan saw their uneasy expressions and quickly led them to another room to get them settled.

For several days, the atmosphere in Lanyue Palace was near freezing. Jinlan and I, who had been following Yin Xiao, knew he loathed these things, so we did not dare provoke him. However, over the years, new people had been coming to Lanyue Palace, like Li Shi. Li Shi almost got executed by Yin Xiao for saying, “The Second Prince is of age and should marry.” I pleaded with him and managed to save him; the look he gave me was one of both worship and gratitude.

“The Second Prince is still young and there is no need to rush, but Master Ji…” Li Shi, having survived, still could not resist a snide remark. “Master Ji treats me so well; if you do not mind, I have a younger sister back home…”

That night, Yin Xiao announced that Li Shi would be fined a month’s salary for “stepping through the door with his left foot first.” I found it amusing.

For the first time in all these years, women other than palace maids were living in Lanyue Palace. In the middle of the night, I slept near Yin Xiao, feeling quite restless. Thanks to them, I remembered why I started sleeping here in the first place, to prevent people from climbing into his bed. These two women, since they were sent by the old Emperor, would definitely fulfill their mission dutifully. I could not sleep well night after night, fearing that if I fell into a deep sleep, Yin Xiao might be left with some bad memories. Considering the recent series of events, I decided to give Yin Xiao a heads-up in advance. Before sleeping, I pulled back the moon-shadow gauze curtains, made a shh gesture to the startled Yin Xiao, and carefully sat beside him.

“You…” Yin Xiao barely managed to say one word before I quickly cut him off.

I glanced out the window and whispered, “Second Prince, I have something to tell you.”

Late at night in the Lanyue Palace, the flickering candlelight made Yin Xiao’s expression look somewhat subtle. His gaze fell softly on my brows, his furrowed forehead revealing a struggle I did not understand. He let out a soft sigh from his lips and asked in a low voice, “What is it?”

Fearing others might overhear, I lowered my voice. “Those women the Emperor sent… you… do not touch them.”

He raised his eyebrows and looked at me in surprise, clearly not expecting me to say that. Naturally, he asked, “Why?”

I hung my head, failing to see the dark, unfathomable look Yin Xiao had hidden in the shadows.

The old Emperor sending scholars to Yin Shu and beauties to Yin Xiao was, of course, out of love. However, an emperor’s love is not as simple as that of common people. He loves these two sons, but he is also afraid of them. He fears Yin Shu and Yin Xiao might set their sights on his throne. Knowing he would eventually pass away and hand over the empire, he was terrified of that day arriving. That was the reason he had delayed naming a Crown Prince for so long as the two grew older. To test whether they had ambitions for the throne, the old Emperor sent beauties to both of them, hinting they should produce heirs as soon as possible to stabilize the nation. Whoever took the bait would be seen as impatient to take power, exposing their ambition. That is how the original book’s plot was written.

Considering the old Emperor’s intelligence, coming up with such a method was already quite impressive. Although I knew Yin Xiao was uninterested in women and loathed carnal matters, there was always a chance they might drug him… you never know. Once Yin Xiao touched them, the old Emperor would immediately become suspicious, and at that point, he could truly bid farewell to the throne. That was why I had been watching so closely these past few days.

Thinking of the fact that if Yin Xiao did not ascend the throne, I would die a miserable death, I was extremely nervous. Yin Xiao, however, seemed calm and carefree. In the middle of the night, unable to sleep, I got up and walked around, upgrading the anti-bed-climbing mechanism from 1.0 to 2.0. As long as someone dared to sneak into the bedroom in the middle of the night, it would trigger a mechanism and set off a long string of bells. I was hopeful, yet I prayed that no one would actually trigger it.

We spent over half a year in peace with those two women. By the end of the year, I had seen them no more than four or five times; it was pitifully few. I did not even know their names; we were as much strangers as could be. But I knew that the reason they rarely saw me was not because they were low-profile; it was because their target was not me. It was a pity, however, that the number of times they managed to see their actual target was even lower than the number of times they saw me. Yin Xiao was simply too busy.

Over the past six months, I had been more like his strategist and right-hand man than a teacher. He had already learned enough of the high-minded principles from the Confucian classics; what he lacked was practical experience. So, my task was now even heavier.

I had to assist Yin Xiao in becoming an outstanding prince, and after that, a reliable Crown Prince; and finally, the Emperor who ruled the world. If it were the version of me who had just transmigrated, I would have run away at light speed the moment Yin Xiao ascended the throne. But nowat least, I wanted to see him become a wise ruler.

At the end of the year, Eunuch Cao came to Lanyue Palace again. Good news: this time he was not dropping people off, but taking them back. The two beautiful women left sighing, thinking they had missed out on a heaven-sent opportunity.

Little did they know, they had just walked through a tiger’s den. I heard the little eunuchs beside Eunuch Cao whispering that the beautiful women sent to Yin Shu’s side had also been returned intact. I was not surprised at all. Hmph, worthy of being the protagonist shou, truly bent.

However, hearing this, Yin Xiao frowned, looking unhappy. I found it strange.

Did Yin Xiao not like his brother? Why was he unhappy to hear that his brother had not touched any women? Could he have some sort of cuckold fetish? The more I imagined it, the more I panicked.