Chapter 35 Hunger Strike Protest? No, it's about craving food before starving to death.
After having a big fight with Yan Linye, Yun Zhan felt as if all his strength had been drained away. He lay on the bed, motionless, too lazy to even lift a finger.
It's not that he's lazy; he's carrying out a grand and tragic plan—a hunger strike!
Yes, that's right, it's the kind of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide that you see in old TV dramas... oh no, it's the ultimate way to show unwavering will!
Yun Zhan stared at the tent ceiling, his stomach rumbling loudly. He swallowed hard, mentally encouraging himself: Hang in there! Yun Zhan! You are to become… uh, you are to keep your head intact! How can you be defeated by mere hunger! As long as you starve him until he softens, until he abandons his rebellion, your head will be safe!
Ideals are lofty, but reality is harsh. Especially when the aroma of braised pork wafted from the kitchen, Yun Zhan's willpower suffered a devastating blow.
"Mmm...it smells so good..." He sniffed, tears welling up in his eyes. "It's Chef Li's signature braised pork! Fatty but not greasy, it melts in your mouth...and sweet and sour pork! Sweet and sour, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside..."
He suddenly pulled the blanket over his head, trying to shut out the alluring scent of crime.
"I won't listen! It's like a turtle chanting scriptures! I won't deafen you! It's like a soul-snatching killer!"
However, the sense of smell cannot be physically blocked. The fragrance, like a living hook, relentlessly probed into his nose, teasing his fragile nerves.
"System... Xiao Qi... If only you were here, you could at least vent to me about this inhumane test..." Yun Zhan muttered weakly, only to be met with another rumble from his stomach.
On the first day of his hunger strike, Yun Zhan survived by recalling the various delicacies of modern society. Spicy hot pot, barbecue, milk tea... the more he thought about them, the hungrier he became, and the hungrier he became, the more he craved them.
On the second day of his hunger strike, he began to hallucinate. Looking at the carved decorations on the headboard, he thought they looked like a roast chicken; looking at the clouds outside the window, he thought they looked like cotton candy.
During that time, Chen Feng, that simpleton, came to visit him once, bringing a plate of glistening braised pork knuckle, trying to "influence" him with the food.
"Young Master Yun, look at this braised pork knuckle! It's so tender and smells amazing! Just have a bite! Don't hold a grudge against the Prince, or you'll suffer in silence!"
Yun Zhan stared at the trembling, deadly-tempting pork knuckle, torn between two conflicting emotions. On one hand, there was his rumbling stomach and ravenous appetite; on the other, the precarious state of his skull.
Ultimately, the fear of the skull (temporarily) triumphed over his appetite. He turned his head, using all his acting skills to put on a mournful expression that said, "My heart is dead, do not disturb me," and weakly waved his hand: "Take it away... my mind is made up..."
Chen Feng scratched his head, looked at Yun Zhan's weak appearance as if he was about to ascend to immortality at any moment, sighed, and walked away with his braised pork knuckle looking back every few steps.
As Yun Zhan watched the departing braised pork knuckle, he felt as if his soul had left with it.
On the third day of his hunger strike, Yun Zhan was truly at his breaking point. He felt dizzy, weak, and his vision was blurry. He thought that if he continued to starve, he would die before Yan Linye even came to behead him.
Just when he felt he was about to see the Bridge of Helplessness, Yan Linye finally arrived.
He walked to the bedside and looked at the poor little thing curled up in a ball, pale-faced and with cracked lips. His brows furrowed deeply. In his hands was a bowl of fragrant chicken porridge, radiating a steaming, redeeming aura.
"Yun Zhan." Yan Linye's voice was filled with suppressed anger and obvious exhaustion. "Stop fooling around and get up to eat something."
Yun Zhan struggled to open his eyelids, glanced at him, then weakly closed them again, his voice barely audible: "You... you've agreed not to send troops?"
Yan Linye was silent for a moment, then placed the bowl of porridge on the small table beside the bed, his tone resolute: "It's impossible not to raise troops. But I promise you, I will do my best to minimize casualties and end the war as soon as possible."
The faint flame of hope in Yun Zhan's heart was extinguished in an instant. He suddenly opened his eyes, and with a strength he didn't know he had, he propped himself up a little, stared at Yan Linye, and said in a desperate hoarse voice, "So... in your heart, that so-called world, those people you've never met, are more important than me, right?"
Yan Linye looked into his stubborn eyes, his chest heaving violently, and said in a deep voice, "There's no comparison! The world is a responsibility, something we have to do! But you..." He paused, his gaze piercing into Yun Zhan's eyes, "You are the one my heart belongs to, the one I, Yan Linye, have chosen to spend my life with! I want this world, and I want you too!"
Normally, these words would have made Yun Zhan so sweet that she would have spun around three times and then jumped into his arms. But now, he only felt a sense of irony.
"Want both? Ha..." Yun Zhan forced a smile that was more like a grimace, tears welling in his eyes. "Yan Linye, you can't even lie to me...can't you just say 'I don't want the world, I only want you'? Even if it's just a lie..."
Yan Linye watched as the tears rolled down his face, his heart clenching painfully. He stepped forward, wanting to wipe away his tears, but Yun Zhan turned his head away.
“Yun Zhan, it’s not that I don’t want to lie to you.” Yan Linye’s voice carried an almost cruel honesty, “but all the people in this world, just like you and me, are living, breathing human beings. They have parents, wives and children, they cry and laugh, and they long for peace. I cannot abandon them for my own selfish reasons.”
He looked at Yun Zhan with an unprecedented seriousness in his eyes: "If you only don't want me to sit on the throne, once the world is at peace and the seas are calm, I will hand over this country to a trustworthy person and take you to live a secluded life in the mountains and forests, to live the carefree life you desire, is that alright?"
Yun Zhan stared at him blankly.
Retreating to the mountains and forests? Living a carefree life like a hermit?
That sounds wonderful... if only he knew he wouldn't live to see that day!
What he cared about was never who became emperor! What he cared about was whether his head would be turned into a wine cup before the world was at peace! Brother!
This misunderstanding is wider than the Milky Way!
“No…not good at all…” Yun Zhan shook his head, tears blurring his vision. “You don’t understand…you don’t understand anything at all…”
Seeing that reasoning with him was ineffective and appealing to his emotions had failed, Yan Linye closed his eyes. When he opened them again, all that remained in his eyes was deep helplessness and a trace of anger at being driven to the brink.
"No matter what, you eat first." He picked up the bowl of porridge, scooped some out with a spoon, and held it to Yun Zhan's lips, his tone carrying an unquestionable command.
Yun Zhan stubbornly pursed his lips and even turned his head to the side.
"I won't eat! Unless you promise not to send troops! Otherwise... otherwise I'll starve myself to death!" He made his final, harsh statement, though it didn't sound very threatening.
Yan Linye stared at him for a long time, then suddenly slammed the bowl of porridge back onto the table with a loud "bang".
"Fine! Very well!" His voice turned cold. "Since you insist on this, don't blame me!"
After saying that, he turned around abruptly and strode out of the room, leaving Yun Zhan alone with the bowl of chicken porridge that was gradually getting cold, and a heart full of despair and grievance.
"Waaah... you bastard... you son of a bitch..." Yun Zhan buried his face in the pillow, sobbing uncontrollably, "He didn't even finish a bowl of porridge... bad review..."
The hunger strike marked the failure of the first phase—psychological warfare.
Over the next half day, several more groups of lobbyists arrived.
With her signature gentle smile, Liu Yingying held up a plate of crystal-clear osmanthus cakes: "Young Master Yun, why hold a grudge against the Prince? If you hurt yourself, wouldn't it be the Prince who feels the pain? We women... well, we outsiders may not understand the affairs of the world, but the Prince cares for the common people and is a true hero. Aren't you just putting him in a difficult position?"
As Yun Zhan smelled the sweet fragrance of osmanthus, tears welled up in his eyes: Sister, I didn't mean to make things difficult for him, I meant to make myself ascend to heaven!
The old strategist also arrived, stroking his beard, quoting classical texts, from "our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents" to "starving oneself is not something a great man should do," making Yun Zhan drowsy and even hungrier.
Yun Zhan pretended to be dead the whole time, refusing to open his mouth no matter how much they talked.
On the afternoon of the fourth day of his hunger strike, Yun Zhan felt he was truly nearing his limit. His vision blurred, his ears rang, and even breathing felt difficult. He collapsed onto the bed, his consciousness gradually fading.
"It seems... I've gone too far..." These were his last thoughts before he completely passed out.
...
When Yun Zhan regained consciousness, the first thing he tasted was the faint medicinal flavor of rice porridge filling his mouth. Then, he realized he couldn't move!
He opened his eyes in terror and found himself firmly bound to the bed by several soft silk ribbons! His wrists, ankles, and even his waist were immobilized!
Beside the bed, Yan Linye stood with a gloomy face, holding an empty bowl, clearly having just finished feeding him. Beside him stood a trembling old doctor and two meek maids.
"Awake?" Yan Linye's voice was as cold as ice, and his eyes were even more frightening, filled with lingering fear, anger, and an almost obsessive possessiveness.
Yun Zhan tried to struggle, but found he was powerless and could only weakly stare at him: "You...you tied me up?! Yan Linye! Let me go!"
"Let you go? So you can keep courting death?" Yan Linye leaned down, getting close to him until their noses almost touched, the pressure palpable. "Yun Zhan, let me tell you, don't even think about it!"
He grabbed Yun Zhan's chin with considerable force, forcing Yun Zhan to look at him: "I want this world! I want you too! And your life is not up to you! Since you refuse to eat properly, then I have no choice but to resort to extreme measures!"
He straightened up and coldly ordered the maid beside him, "Keep an eye on him! Feed him water and food on time! If anything goes wrong, you will all be held responsible!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" The maid was so frightened that she knelt down with a thud.
Yan Linye took one last deep look at Yun Zhan, who was bound like a dumpling on the bed, looking shocked, angry, and aggrieved. He hardened his heart, turned around, and left again. However, his clenched fists and tense back betrayed the turmoil in his heart.
Yun Zhan looked at the closed door, feeling the silk ribbons binding him and the lingering taste of porridge in his mouth, filled with grief and indignation!
The second phase of the hunger strike protest—taking it in person—has been a complete failure! And it has begun the humiliating "forced feeding" phase!
"Yan Linye! You dictator! Tyrant! Kidnapper!" he shouted angrily, but his voice was weak and lacked any power.
He looked at the top of the tent, wanting to cry but having no tears.
Now we're in trouble. We can't run away, we can't die, and we've even lost the freedom to eat!
How did this path of self-rescue end up heading in such a bizarre and erratic direction?!
Outside the door, Yan Linye, who hadn't gone far, rubbed his aching temples as he listened to the faint cursing coming from inside.
The little guy... he's truly his destined calamity.
But he was willing to accept this ordeal and would never let go!
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