The Captivating Crown Prince
chapter-41

41 Two Honest Brothers

Tonight, they stayed at the mountain. Although the things at Feng Zhou City was solved. Shang Wu Xin was not in a hurry to return to the capital. However, if a group of people walked through the normal road, the things that they encountered would be innumerable. So Shang Wu Xin took the group and chose the most remote path. Although the speed of the journey was very slow, and they could still sight-seeing along the journey.

When Shang Wu Xin got off from the carriage, she heard everyone’s voice saluting at her, they’re full of respect and admiration. Shang Wu Xin nodded and asked everyone to disperse and to forgo the ceremonies. If she had at first went out of the capital by using a carriage, didn’t know how these people would arranged themselves at the back, so Shang Wu Xin did not even think about the idea of riding in a carriage before.

Now, after being with these soldiers for nearly a month, she had conquered these soldiers with her own means. So even if she was sitting all day in the carriage, no one complained, because in the eyes of everyone here, it was considered reasonable. If she rode the horse now, the soldiers would feel that they were not serving the Crown Prince well. This was what the conquest of humanity meant. (1)

Wu Ju stepped forward to take out her handkerchief before putting it on the ground, Shang Wu Xin then sat down on top of it. She could endure any suffering without any good conditions, but she would never gave herself any grieve if she could enjoy it. In this moment, Shang Wu Xin’s doctrine was right in the soldiers’ eyes. Look, Crown Prince was very elegant, it was really the royal Prince of the East Palace! When the time was hard, he suffered together with them, but now he could still be this elegant… If Shang Wu Xin knew what these soldiers thought, she would not know what to say.

Shang Wu Xin sat there, didn’t know what she was thinking of, while Wu Ju went to the carriage to get some pancakes that had been prepared before, but at this moment she saw Leng Yu Feng and Huan Mo Che came out of the forest. In Huan Mo Che’s hands, he held some cyan colored fruit, while Leng Yu Feng held a rabbit that had been shot.

Leng Yu Feng walked in front towards the Crown Prince while taking away the pancakes from Wu Ju’s hand. His voice sounded warm in this cold night, “I have caught a rabbit. After I roast it, I’ll give it to Crown Prince to taste.” Yesterday, he saw that the Crown Prince just ate a small amount for his breakfast and thought that maybe the food was not in line to the Crown Prince’s taste. If he let the Crown Prince ate these cold and chilled pancakes, the Crown Prince would eat even less than before. Therefore, Leng Yu Feng thought that roasted meat might increase the Crown Prince’s appetite, so he went to the forest to caught some prey to be roasted. Moreover, Leng Yu Feng thought that as the Crown Prince were in the capital for so many years, he might have never tasted these wild game meats before, so he went to hunt as the others rested.

Shang Wu Xin looked as she saw Leng Yu Feng took the pancakes and gave them to his subordinates. She did not say any refusal. He then watched as Huan Mo Che and Leng Yu Feng went to look for a water source. Shang Wu Xin just sat there as she watched the stars above, no one went to disturbed her, even the soldiers had toned down their voices, because at this moment, the Crown Prince’s quiet look made them couldn’t bear to bother him.

At this moment, not far from the lake, Huan Mo Che carefully washed the fruit in his hand with the lake’s water, and then watched his friend cleaned the caught rabbit’s internal organs and peeled off its fur. Leng Yu Feng was very skilled but it would still take quite a while to clean up the animal.

Huan Mo Che took out his handkerchief to dry the washed fruit and looked at his friend who was about to leave. With a voice full of provocations, “You like the Crown Prince?” *Bare affirmation (2) but it also contained an unknown anger.

Leng Yu Feng’s right hand that was cleaning the animal suddenly fell to the ground, he never thought about this problem and was blown away by his good friend’s open question. He’d always thought that he thought of the Crown Prince just like his little brother. Later on, he admired the Crown Prince’s temperament as the true Crown Prince, but was this really the truth? In the past he could continue to deceive himself that he just wanted to be the Crown Prince’s confidant.

But now, Leng Yu Feng knew that he could not lie to his friend and he could not lie to himself too. If he really wanted to be the Crown Prince’s confidant. Why had the Crown Prince’s shadow appeared in his dreams? Why did his own eyes involuntarily pay attention to the Crown Prince? Even now, why did he still worry whether the Crown Prince would have poor appetite and therefore went to hunt for him? What he did was not only beyond what a monarch and a minister relationship was supposed to be, it had even exceeded the boundaries between friends. But… Leng Yu Feng’s heart spreads with endless sorrow. He’s a man ah! Crown Prince’s a man too ah! (3)

Leng Yu Feng just stood there without any reply, but Huan Mo Che did not let him go. He came in front of Leng Yu Feng, his pair peach blossom shaped eyes (4) were on Leng Yu Feng’s own pair, “Yu Feng, you have fallen for the Crown Prince!”

“No, No!” Leng Yu Feng looked at his friend’s serious face that was without a smile, in front of Huan Mo Che’s eyes that was full of suspicion he bitterly said “I have fallen in love with the Crown Prince!”

Huan Mo Che felt as if his whole body was struck by lightning, why? Why must it be like this? His right hand was clenched so tightly that blood dripped down from it. Huan Mo Che repressed his anger that wanted to kill his good friend. He knew that he was not qualified to be angry, because the Crown Prince actually treated Yu Feng better than himself.

“What about you?” Leng Yu Feng had let out the secrets hidden for a long time in his heart, although it’s not easy, it became heavier than before. He had seen the blood dripping out from his friend’s hand. For many years they’ve never had any disputes between themselves, but now they were full of bitterness just because of a man.

“Me?” Huan Mo Che suddenly pulled Leng Yu Feng’s collar “You love him? What right do you have to love him? You are both men!”

Huan Mo Che who had never been angered this badly before was for the first time furious (5) and it was not the normal kind of anger, his usual smiling face was slightly distorted. His peach blossom eyes were full of cold murderous intent.

Leng Yu Feng suddenly punched Huan Mo Che. Although he did not use any internal force in it, it still knocked down Huan Mo Che “Man? Are you not a man? What qualifications do you have to ask me!”

Huan Mo Che reached out to wiped off the blood from his mouth, and instantly recovered his smile. He did not know whether these words were for Leng Yu Feng or himself, “Yes, what qualifications do I have to ask you! It’s not only you who love him, I love him too!”

Leng Yu Feng looked at his friend, he suddenly did not know whether to be angry or sad. They were originally an indifferent person, who never thought about love matters. However, their heart moved for the first time for the same person, but this person’s a man, which made them feel ashamed. If the Crown Prince knew, how will he treat them in the future?

After a moment, Huan Mo Che firmly looked at Leng Yu Feng, “Yu Feng, we are friends who have been together for many years. I’ve never thought that one day we will fight against each other because of a man. I admit, I’ve thought about killing you. But what will happen after I killed you? Will the Crown Prince accept me after I killed you? I have no chance, you also don’t, because we are all men!”

Leng Yu Feng did not speak, how could he not know? If Crown Prince was a woman, they could still fight hard for him, but now they did not even dare to let the Crown Prince knew what they were thinking of in their minds. This disgraceful love, how could they let the snow cold Crown Prince knew?

“But…” Huan Mo Che said with a soft smile, “I will not give up!”

“Are you crazy?” Leng Yu Feng asked incredulously.

Huan Mo Che covered the wound in his hand, then looked at his friend and asked, “Can you really bear to let go? I don’t mean anything else, but just think that this love, I will not give up, I will always protect the Crown Prince!”

Leng Yu Feng knew that although his good friend looked very gentle but he was in fact more stubborn than anyone else. What he had said now was what he planned to do.

“I will also protect the Crown Prince. As I can’t let go, then I hope that the Crown Prince will be happy!” Leng Yu Feng picked the dirtied rabbit on the ground to clean it again. Even if it’s not willing, even if it hurts, if he couldn’t get it then he could only choose to guard it.

Huan Mo Che open his mouth slightly but could not say anything. Can’t get it, can’t let go, can’t love it, can’t erase it. Meeting the Crown Prince had robbed the two of their brotherhood, and it’s hard for them to escape from it.

After waiting for a long time, Shang Wu Xin finally saw Leng Yu Feng and Huan Mo Che came back. Although the two did not seem to be different, Shang Wu Xin still saw the faint bruise on Huan Mo Che’s mouth, and felt the remnant of Leng Yu Feng’s murderous intent. However, Shang Wu Xin still took on an unconcerned attitude.

“The meat will take a while, eat some fruits first, to quench your thirst and pad your stomach.” Huan Mo Che came to the Crown Prince’s side and sat down, then he took out the green fruit wrapped in a handkerchief from his sleeve. Last time Huan Mo Che picked fruits for the Crown Prince, he found that the Crown Prince like to eat fruits that were a bit sour, so this time he picked fruits that were not mature yet. Although he did not understand how could Crown Prince liked this sour thing, but it’s not important, the important thing was that what the Crown Prince liked, he would like.

Shang Wu Xin looked at the man who happily sat beside her and was confused with what she saw. Although she did not understand, she still took the fruit and put it in her mouth. Sour taste filled her taste bud and Shang Wu Xin’s brows relaxed. People rarely liked this kind of sour thing but she liked it very much. It was because when she ate such sour fruit when she was in pain, only in this way could she transfer the pain in her heart.

Huan Mo Che looked at the Crown Prince’s face who sat beside him. The prince’s little face was as wide as a palm, his skin white, paler than the snow and delicate. It was like a piece of a good, fat and pure jade. Full rosy lips, straight and round nose, black eyebrows. All five features were as if it was carved by the god. The most eye-catching part was the clear watery eyes like the black pearl that glimmers through the light, clean and pure but yet deep and ghastly. Huan Mo Che knew that the first time he saw that pair of eyes, he had already sunk too deep and couldn’t help himself out of it.

—xxx—

T/N note 1:

1. This part means as she had won the soldiers’ heart, the soldiers have acknowledged her as their master. They would not try to make things difficult for her anymore. They will even go as far as trying to make things as comfortable as possible for her as she had earned their admiration and respect.

2. I don’t really know what to make out of this *. It was there in the raws (*裸的肯定). But I presume that the author meant that HMC literally blatantly asked LYF this question even though he knew the answer himself.

3. “Ah / 啊” an onomatopoeia that Chinese people usually used at the end of their words or sentences to emphasize something. (e.g. like Japanese “yo” in “desu yo” or just “ah~”) It doesn’t really have any meaning.

4. Peach blossom eyes -> Please google search for the shape of this eyes. I’ve mentioned about this before in previous chapters.

5. “Furious” is the level up version of “Angry”. So now you know that HMC’s very very very (must wrote 3x to make more emphasize) angry…

T/N trivia:

Apparently, the author sometimes forgot to write Chinese “he” instead of “she” in HMC & LYF’s confession fight dialogue. They still don’t know SWX is a girl yet. Author! Why! So confusing…

Σ(・Д・)!?

T/N note 2:

Boy you got it bad~ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

It was cruel of me to leave you guys and girls with the cliff-hanger here when the ships hath sailed~

( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

But… I can’t help it!!! I just wanna see you people squirmed in your seats! WAHAHAHAHA!!!! -Laughing wickedly!