Chapter 5: The Prince of Yong, consumed by lust, unleashed his power and directly used excessive force against Ying Xi…

After Prince Yong finished speaking, he played even more enthusiastically.

While everyone in the court could maintain a semblance of respect for Ying Xi, Prince Yong was different.

Prince Yong refused to give Ying Xi any face; he wasn't even afraid that Ying Xi would kill him.

He was not afraid of death, so even if you used torture to frighten him or threatened to kill him, it had no effect on Prince Yong.

Moreover, Ying Xi could not easily take Yong Wang's life, because he and Yong Wang were true family in the truest sense—ten years ago, the late emperor had exhausted his body through indulgence and failed to leave behind an heir, so he had to adopt a child from a distant branch of the royal family to inherit the throne.

The late emperor had his eye on Ying Xi, the heir of the Prince of Yongning in Yangzhou, who was known as a child prodigy in the area.

The late emperor sent people to take Ying Xi away, and at the same time took away the second son of the Prince of Yongning, Ying Dang, who is the person in front of us.

Logically, the two should be the closest.

But since arriving in Chang'an, Ying Xi has become increasingly unable to understand Prince Yong's temperament. He has become rebellious, eccentric, and unpredictable.

In his previous life, he had tried many times to advise Prince Yong, asking learned scholars to be Ying Dang's teachers, to give him serious criticism and lessons, but in the end, they drifted further and further apart.

Just recently, on the day the Xiongnu besieged the city, Ying Xi hid and protected Ying Dang, but Ying Dang opened the side gate from the inside, releasing the Xiongnu cavalry into the city, thus destroying Xie Qianli's defense plan and leading to the fall of the country.

"..." The past events are vivid in my mind.

Ying Xi felt a tightness in her chest and subtly tightened her grip on the hand that was pressed against her back.

Ying Dang willingly became the last straw that broke the camel's back for the Qin Dynasty.

He'd even betray his country on the spot, so what if he teases the emperor? What if he makes fun of the emperor?

There's nothing Ying Dang can't do.

So Yingxi suppressed the urge to immediately teach Prince Yong a lesson. A familiar feeling of exhaustion washed over her and spread. The other party was physically stronger than her and had a very low moral compass.

Ying Xi decided to prioritize herself in this life.

He should get away, not wanting to be hurt by Prince Yong. He pondered if he could find an opportunity to put a collar around Prince Yong's neck and whip him severely. Ying Xi pursed her lips tightly.

At this point, Prince Yong became even more audacious.

Although they both came from the Yongning Prince's Mansion, Ying Dang had a strong physique, which made Ying Xi look like a pearl just emerging from the water.

Ying Dang released Ying Xi's hand and instead lifted Ying Xi's chin: "Do you know, Your Majesty, what do you think those censors and officials would think if they saw His Majesty in a brothel? How would the history books record it, and what would the common people say?"

Prince Yong guided Ying Xi's imagination.

Ying Xi understood; Prince Yong wanted to humiliate him, to make him, the emperor, a subject of rumors about his patronage of prostitutes.

He was pulled closer by Prince Yong, and looking over Prince Yong's shoulder, he saw the wall of this ordinary side room, with a large window behind Prince Yong.

Judging from the direction the window opened, if Ying Xi could break free from Prince Yong and jump out of the window, he could regain access to the roads of Chang'an in the shortest possible time.

It's just that I'll be under curfew and might fall hard... but that's okay!

Encountering soldiers searching for the city can actually lead to a return to the palace; making appropriate choices is necessary.

Ying Xi's freed hands had already set their sights on the decorative vase on the table in the side room.

Fortunately, the vase had a narrow mouth, which was just the right size to be held in the palm of the hand and smashed on Prince Yong's head, so that he could enlighten his younger brother and bring him to his senses.

The exchange lasted only a short while, and it seemed the situation was about to reverse.

Just as Ying Xi's hand touched the vase, a clear notification sound rang in his mind.

The system interface popped up the task again, but this time there was no countdown; instead, there was a semi-transparent blank bar in the field of view.

Sweet Commander: "Ding ding, Newbie Quest 2 has been released, please check it, Your Majesty!"

Ying Xi's brows furrowed unconsciously.

His fingertips paused as he touched the porcelain, and he saw the entire mission details, which made him so angry he almost laughed.

—Accompany and protect Prince Yong (0/1)!!!

You're crazy.

Even the most composed emperor couldn't control Ying Xi's emotions this time.

He couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. He glanced at Ying Dang, who was taking off his clothes and trying his best to restrain himself from slapping the other man, which would completely enrage his bastard brother.

Ying Xi questioned, "I am the one who should be protected."

"New...newbie quest...cannot be changed," Sweetie repeated softly.

This elicited a muffled groan from Ying Xi, her breathing becoming heavy.

Sweet Tong noticed that Ying Xi's reaction was unusual. The host was usually calm and composed, but her attitude towards Prince Yong was completely different from that of a human trafficker.

In reality, it was unaware of how many entanglements and concerns Ying Xi harbored.

It heard Prince Yong strike first, his voice slightly higher-pitched, having just shed its boyish naiveté and carrying a hint of madness: "Does Your Majesty like this vase?"

"What a pity, my brother is a frequent visitor to this brothel, and is considered a distinguished guest."

"The madam who runs the brothel is ugly and stingy. She lures people into the brothel, and she doesn't even have the capital to do business."

“The ornaments here look valuable, but they are all fakes. Your Majesty has been fooled. These bottles deserve to die. Your Majesty, I will deal with them and make them shatter to pieces.”

Sobbing and splashing...

crackling sounds...

A series of faint noises came from the side room.

Prince Yong knocked over all the bottles in a row, and the noise he made was sure to attract a lot of attention!

He did it on purpose.

This room is not secluded, and the soundproofing is far worse than the previous one. Not long after, footsteps can be heard coming from all over the hallway.

Prince Yong watched the show with great interest: "The grandson of the Censor-in-Chief and the nephew of the Vice Minister of Rites, these playboys are all in the brothel. They have no sense of propriety and can speak with authority in various parts of Chang'an."

Ying Xi frowned.

Prince Yong continued, "I'm sure Your Majesty and my brother's heroic bearing will soon be made public—"

Ying Xi sighed softly: "I have just ascended the throne and have only met the court officials and attended a few court assemblies. The young men of various families do not know what I look like and cannot easily recognize me. You should leave quickly."

"...the crowd."

Upon hearing Ying Xi's words, the frivolous expression on Prince Yong's face froze.

Prince Yong raised his eyebrows.

***

The blank bar in front of her was slowly filling up over time. Ying Xi guessed that the absurd mission would only be completed when the entire progress bar was filled.

Accompany and protect Prince Yong (0/1): 5%

Prince Yong clearly did not expect Ying Xi's reaction.

Previously, his elder brother only had two attitudes towards him.

He could either find a rigid minister to reprimand and educate him, and out of consideration for the minister's impending death, he wouldn't easily pluck his beard or burn his clothes, but his attitude would always be very unenthusiastic, and he would often turn and leave, leaving the old minister to watch his retreating figure and beat his chest in frustration.

Or they would personally reprimand him.

Since arriving in Chang'an, my elder brother has developed an indescribable sense of majesty. He has many guards who would never give him a chance to get close, let alone tease him like this.

Ying Xi always looked down on people.

After being bothered so much, the situation had finally turned around. Prince Yong thought he would finally see Ying Xi in a sorry state, either terrified or begging him to let her go so as not to ruin his image in front of his subjects...

But what I didn't expect was that at this critical moment, Ying Xi would protect me instead.

This doesn't seem fake; he finds it hard to accept.

Prince Yong raised his eyebrows even higher, revealing a dangerous and chilling smile. He leaned down and touched nose to nose with Ying Xi, and then said something light and casual that almost made Ying Xi furious.

Prince Yong: "Your subject does not want to leave. Your subject enjoys wasting Your Majesty's good intentions. Besides, with my face and status, no matter where I go, people will fight to serve me. Your subject does not covet such empty fame."

Even so, the fingertips of the Prince Yong's hand, which was resting on Ying Xi's waist, trembled slightly.

His smile was frivolous, but his brows and eyes narrowed, as if he wanted to see through Ying Xi completely in a short time.

Accompany and protect Prince Yong (0/1): 15%

Accompany and protect Prince Yong (0/1): 25%

Accompany and protect Prince Yong (0/1): 35%

The damn progress bar is moving so slowly.

Ying Xi suppressed her anger and forced herself to keep her voice steady.

He couldn't change his mind. His lower back trembled slightly as Yongwang touched him. He had many sensitive spots on his body, and Yongwang knew him very well, as he was gently caressing him.

The younger brother must be insane to do something like this to his older brother.

But Yingxi knew that Prince Yong was a madman!

Ying Xi didn't think the action was out of malicious affection; the other party was simply doing it willingly. And since she had no guards around, she couldn't intimidate him.

"Your usual outrageous behavior only results in impeachments by the censors, reprimands from officials, or even a few words of scolding from me, but you never listen to a word!"

Ying Xi paused and then said, "You can lure me into a brothel and be intimate with me. If someone sees you doing this, it's all a capital offense! I've already turned a blind eye to your violations of the law. If another scandal breaks out, I won't be able to protect you."

Prince Yong frowned.

Then, the raised eyebrows gradually lowered, and Prince Yong's playful expression disappeared.

Prince Yong had long since regarded life and death as indifferent as water, but the genuine word "protect" in Ying Xi's words stirred his heart like a peach blossom dipped in water.

In recent years, he and his elder brother have been at odds, blaming and resenting each other, never showing any protection.

Prince Yong felt an overwhelming pang of sorrow, and he gritted his teeth fiercely!

Accompany and protect Prince Yong (0/1): 45%

Accompany and protect Prince Yong (0/1): 55%

Accompany and protect Prince Yong (0/1): 65%

Ying Xi lowered her head and waited for the mission to end.

Even if he were to jump out of the window and injure himself, he didn't want to linger in this godforsaken place for even a moment longer.

Ying Xi was unaware that her appearance, as seen by Prince Yong, was a sight to behold. Her slender eyebrows were half-closed, her cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes sparkled with concern. She looked as if she had stepped down from a high pedestal, just like she had ten years ago at the Yongning Prince's Mansion. It was a scene that Ying Dang would never forget in his life.

Ying Dang's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Accompany and protect Prince Yong (0/1): 75%

Accompany and protect Prince Yong (0/1): 85%

"In that room!"

Those people outside the side room heard the noise and came here!

The pimp's voice echoed clearly in the building, and the crowd came from the direction Ying Xi had fled, their footsteps thumping and disorderly.

One of the pimps said, "Damn it! The old man who sells buttocks at Chunlan Garden got his eyes pecked by a new duck, so he had someone drug him and mistook Qin Wu for a male prostitute. When I went in to deliver water, the two of them were kissing each other in the room!"

"The corridor reeks of aphrodisiacs, they really went all out! I was just passing by, and now I'm rock hard..."

"What's all this noise?"

"If it's still that little duck, the owner will find out and ruin our livelihood. I'll catch him and torture him for seven days and seven nights!"

"..."

The pimp who did odd jobs at the brothel was full of vulgar language.

The door was wide open, and all the pimps gathered outside.

The news that a stunningly beautiful and fiery new courtesan had infiltrated the brothel spread like wildfire. The spoiled young men who came to watch the spectacle swarmed the entrance like ants, because the pimp Qin Wu was known for his discerning eye, and no one was not excited.

Accompany and protect Prince Yong (0/1): 95%

A pimp stormed in, yelling, "Damn it, grab him for me!"

The servant boy stepped across the threshold, his expression suddenly changing.

The pimp's eyes reflected the dissolute and frivolous Ying Dang. The room was small, and Ying Dang was holding a tall and slender young man.

That young man was the courtesan Qin Wu had mentioned who had turned into the building.

The room, which should have been clean and elegant, was instead littered with broken porcelain and overlapping figures. The young master, whose face was completely obscured by Prince Yong's sleeve, was trembling. The frequency of his trembling left those present with endless fantasies, suggesting that Prince Yong had already taken advantage of him.

Prince Yong, being of noble birth, is so deigning to come to their secret brothel often, which is a great honor for the owner and makes him the owner's most distinguished guest.

Therefore, the pimp was so frightened that he trembled all over when he met Prince Yong's gaze.

The pimp collapsed to his knees, pleading, "I beg for forgiveness, Your Highness... I didn't know you were His Highness's man, and I've ruined Your Highness's enjoyment! I deserve to die a thousand deaths, I deserve to die a thousand deaths!"

After the pimp knelt down, the other spoiled brats followed suit. Most of these second and third-generation rich kids had no official rank and only knew how to cause trouble. They were not favored by their clans, so who would dare to risk offending Prince Yong?

Prince Yong gave a disdainful, nasal sound: "Get lost."

Before the word "get lost" was even finished, the words were already out.

The pimp and the other playboys wished they could kill themselves on the spot. They jostled and pushed their way out of the room, so much so that the door frame was about to burst from the pressure.

In fact, Ying Xi's trembling wasn't from being kissed, but from being angry.

The moment the outsider barged into the room, Prince Yong lashed out and forcefully forced Ying Xi into that ambiguous position.

Ying Xi was physically weaker than Prince Yong, and she could not accept being offended by Prince Yong's imperial authority.

The progress bar finally filled up slowly – accompanying and protecting Prince Yong (1/1).

A sense of relief washed over Yingxi, and she felt rewarded for completing the mission.

Sweet and lively girlish voice rang out again, smoothly reporting the reward settlement: "Congratulations on mission completion, charm value +500, system level increased, new function to return to base unlocked, would you like to try it?"

Ying Xi had no idea where returning to the base meant.

But wherever we go, it will be stronger than this place. Ying Xi nodded, and was immediately enveloped by several layers of dazzling golden light.

...