The gambler was secretly taken away by Lan Sinian's confidant, and in order to make money from Mr. Jin Si's batch of weapons, the Sharp Knife Casino readily agreed to cooperate with him to hold Shaman hostage.
Qin Changqing was a little curious about Lan Sinian's support for the Blood Wolf Tribe. As they left the casino, he asked curiously, "Why don't you just come out and help? Couldn't you use this opportunity to support a new king who would be more beneficial to you?"
"No, although this is a change of throne for the Blood Wolf Clan's Wolf King, it's also a game within the Blood Clan. If the Royal Family intervenes directly, the situation will become even more complicated. Besides," Lan Sinian smiled at him, "the Wolf Blood Clan members are naturally arrogant and cold-blooded. Even if I help someone directly, they won't appreciate my kindness."
Qin Changqing didn't know much about what was going on inside the Blood Party, but he was concerned that the Snake Clan, which had a deep blood feud with the humans on Earth, belonged to the Blood Party.
"The situation with the Blood Gang is very complicated. They have their own set of rules. If the royal family intervenes forcefully, conflicts will inevitably arise, and even war will break out. The peaceful lives of the civilians will also be doomed to be disrupted. This is not the situation I want to see. I hope you can understand." Lan Sinian held his hand and explained to him in a rare gentle voice.
Qin Changqing glanced at him, knowing he'd read his thoughts. He smiled and shook his head slightly, indicating he wasn't concerned. He understood Lan Sinian's predicament. Besides, the people who held a deep blood feud with the Snake Clan were Earthlings. There was no point in forcing him to avenge them. Furthermore, for Earth today, development was the top priority; revenge was something to be done only after one had the necessary strength.
Because of that gambler, Shaman probably had no time to do business with others recently. Qin Changqing was too lazy to go to his manor to act anymore, so he followed Lan Sinian back to the palace.
The gambler fell into Lan Sinian's hands. Initially, he stubbornly refused to say anything, planning to wait for Shaman to redeem him so he could extort money from Shaman and live a carefree life. Unfortunately, the tactics of Lan Sinian's henchmen were too much for a lazy gambler to handle. He soon gave in and confessed everything he knew. Combined with the information Lan Sinian's men had gathered, he was telling the truth.
About a month ago, a man arrived at Shaman Manor. This man had a rude appearance, an arrogant attitude, vulgar language, and was arrogant. However, to everyone's confusion, the owner of the manor, Baron Shaman, treated him like a guest of honor. However, only Baron Shaman knew that a past that he had painstakingly concealed, believing no one knew, had been so easily and maliciously uncovered, catching him off guard.
"More than twenty years ago, Shaman was the Fourth Prince, now the Emperor's personal guard. But this despicable and greedy villain not only betrayed his master, but also sent him to hell with his own hands."
Lan Sinian sat leaning in his chair, his chin supported by his slender and powerful fingers, his handsome face half hidden in the shadows, listening expressionlessly as he recounted everything he had endured many years ago.
The gambler was beaten badly, but he begged for mercy quickly and was in good spirits. When he talked about these past events, a sarcastic smile appeared on his ordinary face again.
"Shaman had been involved in a dirty business for a long time. That day, he claimed to have a family matter and switched shifts with his colleague and friend, who was also the Fourth Prince's guard. But in reality, he was still working normally! He used this time to take the young Fourth Prince away and hand him over to other spies hidden in the palace. He then found an opportunity to kill his colleague and then put the blame on him!"
"He thought no one knew what he was doing, but there are so many people in the palace! And it just so happened that there was a gardener like me who was temporarily conscripted to the palace. I was able to see through his plan, which he thought was perfect. Hahahaha..."
…
Qin Changqing did not go to the trial. When Lan Sinian came back, his face looked very calm, but for some reason, Qin Changqing always felt that he was in a bad mood.
"Did he confess?"
"Yes, I confessed." Lan Sinian nodded.
Qin Changqing looked at him for a while. If the emperor had been looked at so intently in the past, he would have been so excited that he would have wanted to turn into a wolf and pounce on him to bite him. But at this moment, he was obviously absent-minded and did not notice anything.
Qin Changqing didn't know what the gambler confessed, but it was definitely related to Lan Sinian's childhood experiences. He was silent for a while, then walked over to Lan Sinian and sat down.
The sinking sofa finally startled Lan Sinian, who was still immersed in his own world. He turned his head and glanced at Qin Changqing, as if he was too lazy to even speak, and asked him silently with his eyes.
"Do you need me to accompany you?" Qin Changqing looked at him and asked seriously.
Lan Sinian wanted to say that he needed to be alone for a while, but it felt so good to have the Queen focusing all her attention on him, and he couldn't bear to push her away, so he nodded.
Qin Changqing smiled at him and began to rack his brains to think of some happy things that happened to him to share with him. Unfortunately, the most carefree time in his life was before his parents passed away, and the most immature and impulsive time was before Ahua left. Obviously, these two experiences were not appropriate at this time.
He thought for a long time, and finally said dryly: "Qin Xu took the exam after returning. The teacher said that his grades improved. He didn't fall behind in classes during his leave. It's all thanks to you."
Lan Sinian nodded. Qin Changqing suddenly thought of something and laughed. "The captains are all working hard to learn the Imperial language. Qin Xu has agreed to listen to them memorize words and help them correct any mistakes. He's become a little teacher."
"The kid is very smart." Lan Sinian finally showed a smile on his face, and he was obviously very satisfied with the little guy.
Seeing that he had finally responded, Qin Changqing couldn't stop talking about his son. Like most Chinese parents, they would spend hours pondering their son's every little thing, treating even the smallest request related to his studies like an imperial decree, never daring to neglect it... And yet, they enjoyed it, recounting every detail with gusto.
The two chatted for a while and their mood improved.
Lan Sinian still had to continue investigating Shaman's affairs, so he sat with him for a while, exchanged a kiss with him, and quickly left.
Qin Changqing was silent for a long time, until Qi Feng came to tell him that the princess had come in person, probably wanting to ask him about the medicine he had prepared for Hu Zhan. Qin Changqing had been busy helping Lan Sinian investigate the Shaman Manor, and this matter had delayed him. Upon hearing this, he went to the pharmacy that Lan Sinian had ordered to be prepared for him.
Although he had been at Shaman Manor for the past two days, Qin Changqing already had an idea in mind, so he didn't have to grope around at the last minute.
The princess was stunned for a moment when she received the big bag of Chinese medicine. Qin Changqing also wanted to laugh, but he really didn't understand the empire's technology, and he had no way to extract the prepared Chinese medicine. He could only use the old method, using charcoal fire and ceramic pots to boil the medicine into juice, and then find a way to make the unconscious person swallow it.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will send it to Hu Zhan right away." The princess was very grateful to him and did not question his ability because this way of taking medicine seemed too old-fashioned.
"You're welcome." Qin Changqing shook his head. Seeing that the princess was in a hurry to leave, he hesitated and asked, "Princess, can you ask the servants to deliver the medicine to the Hu family? I... I have something to ask you."
The princess was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded and said, "Of course."
Shi Cong took the medicine and left quickly. Qin Changqing invited the princess to the garden and asked Qi Feng to prepare tea and snacks.
"Does the Queen have anything to ask me?" The princess asked him when she saw that he looked worried.
Qin Changqing was stunned for a while, holding the teacup. After a while, he asked, "Princess, how much do you know about what happened when His Majesty was ten years old?"
The princess was stunned by his question...
…
Lan Sinian returned very late and stayed in his study for a long time, until the early hours of the morning, before finally sorting out some of the events that had occurred that year. He pinched his swollen forehead, and a trace of fatigue slowly crept onto his handsome face.
Suddenly, he looked up at the door of the study, then strode over and opened the door. He originally thought that someone was standing outside the door and wanted to do something, but he didn't expect to see Qin Changqing when he opened the door. He was slightly stunned.
"Did I disturb you?" Qin Changqing felt a little embarrassed. He had heard from the princess about Lance's childhood experiences and felt cold all over. He instinctively wanted to do something for him, but unfortunately, he waited and waited, and the person who used to hang around him all day came back so late, and immediately locked himself in the study after coming back. He couldn't see anyone at all, so he had to walk around outside the study, but he didn't expect to be caught red-handed.
"Of course not." Lan Sinian suddenly smiled, raised his hand to tidy up his slightly messed up hair, and asked affectionately, "Are you still asleep?"
Qin Changqing was only 1.78 meters tall, much shorter than Lan Sinian, who was 1.9 meters tall. He looked up slightly at this man who seemed to be so powerful that he could hold up the whole world for others. In his heart, he felt a lot of pity that seemed inappropriate for this man.
"When he was little, he had three older brothers. The other three were much older than him and seemed more accomplished. The eldest was calm, steady, and kind. The second, while not particularly gifted, had carved out a niche for himself in academia. The third..."
In her recollection, the princess paused for a long time here, until she remembered something and her eyes became red, then she continued.
"The third son is incredibly gifted and talented. Having only recently reached adulthood, he's already reached a position that many can only look up to. Yet, he's kind and unassuming, without the slightest hint of royal airs. His commoner friends love him immensely. He's even been in love with a prostitute, believing that even prostitutes have the right to love... He's the late emperor's pride. Many nobles secretly speculated that the late emperor would pass the throne to him, and the late emperor even acquiesced to these rumors. If that incident hadn't happened..."
"Are you sleepy?" Lan Sinian fixed his hair and lowered his head to find that his beautiful dark brown eyes were staring at him blankly. He patted his face with a hint of amusement and said, "Why are you daydreaming?"
Qin Changqing was still immersed in the shock of the princess telling him about the past. He came to his senses and shook his head. He pulled him to the living room and asked him, "Would you like some midnight snack?"
"Are you hungry? Is there anything to eat in the kitchen right now?" Lan Sinian felt that the queen was exceptionally gentle today, so much so that he didn't dare act like a hooligan... Well, no, he wanted to do something to enhance his relationship with the queen.
"I'll make it for you. Do you want to eat rice dumplings with fermented glutinous rice?"
"What is that?"
"You'll know when you eat it."
"Well, I'll obey the Queen's orders. I'm a loving and caring husband, and I won't argue with you over such trivial matters..."
"His Majesty was only six years old that year... His exceptionally gifted third brother suddenly rebelled, slaughtering people in the Huateng clan far away from the Imperial Star Domain, committing heinous crimes that shocked the entire country. He rebelled with his followers, and for nearly ten years thereafter, the third brother had been causing all sorts of disasters and becoming a hated demon. Later, he killed the eldest brother who went to persuade him to surrender, claiming that he would use his corpse for human experiments. The late emperor was in great pain, and he personally led his troops to the battle to suppress him. In the end, he personally killed the son he had once been most satisfied with and proud of." The princess could no longer hold back the tears in her eyes when she said this. She had personally experienced that great change in the royal family, and whenever she recalled it, she was always terrified. The entire Lan clan was almost wiped out. She could not imagine what the situation would be like without the emperor's family, leaving her gentle but weak husband alone in the eight clans surrounded by powerful enemies. Yes, she knew her husband very well. Without the emperor's family, their fate would definitely be very miserable.
"Your Majesty was only six years old when the third brother rebelled. Two years after the rebellion, he killed the eldest brother. Two years later, when Your Majesty was ten years old, he was suddenly abducted. Everyone blamed the third brother... The young Your Majesty was never heard from again until six years later, when he was found by the late Emperor in an underground laboratory..."
Qin Changqing put on an apron, filled a bowl with the sweet wine that his senior sister Chen Yushuang had prepared for him, put water in it and boiled it on the fire, then put some glutinous rice dumplings in it and cooked them slowly.
He held the long-handled spoon and slowly stirred the rice dumplings in the pot, while the princess's chattering voice kept playing in his mind.
"Your Majesty's mother died shortly after he was born. At the late emperor's request, I accompanied him to the basement to fetch him..." The princess couldn't hold back her tears as she spoke this. "That was the first time I personally experienced what it was like to be in hell. I'm afraid even the most arduous imaginations cannot conceive of the bone-chilling despair. That place was pale white everywhere, so pale that it seemed devoid of any shadows, devoid of any life. Although the young Majesty had grown taller and taller, he was so emaciated that only skin remained covering his bones... When we entered, he was bound to a cold iron bed with numerous restraints, staring at us with his large, hollow eyes. Just like that endlessly vast underground laboratory, there was no life at all, as if all that was alive was a tortured, deformed body..."
Recalling the past events that she thought were long gone, the princess still burst into tears and was unable to continue speaking several times.
"Later, from some scattered documents found in that underground laboratory, we learned that His Majesty had been tied to that iron bed in a small room for six years. Every day, he was pushed out for experiments until his body could no longer bear it and he was pushed back. The next day, the same thing happened again... This cycle continued without a trace of hope, until the late emperor, at great cost, finally found his whereabouts..."
"Your Majesty's body had long been tortured and broken during those six years of imprisonment. Even after two years of recuperation, there was no improvement. The late emperor had lost his two most outstanding sons, one of whom he had killed with his own hands. The remaining second son also disappeared in the war. The youngest son was tortured like this. After experiencing the tragedy of fratricide, the late emperor was depressed and his health gradually deteriorated. In order to restore the young Majesty to health, I do not know what method the late emperor used, but he made His Majesty recuperate in a coma. This wait lasted for eight years. When His Majesty finally woke up after eight years, the late emperor's health was already at the end of his rope. He arranged for him to ascend the throne and soon passed away. The once bustling palace was now left with only His Majesty..."
The princess choked up and whispered with a melancholy and sad tone, "I remember when I first married His Royal Highness, His Majesty was just born. The late emperor was in good health. He always told us that his four children were his greatest achievements. No one could have imagined that fate would be so cruel. In just ten years, everything changed. The late emperor couldn't close his eyes until his death. He didn't know what had happened. Why did his sons end up like this? I think he was the only one who couldn't figure it out. I'm afraid no one can understand why everything turned out like this..."
…
"Honey, what's wrong with you today?"
Qin Changqing came to his senses and found that the sweet rice wine in the pot was boiling so hot that it was about to overflow. Lan Sinian hugged him from behind, reached over him and turned off the fire, preventing the rice wine from overflowing. Then, with his iron-like arms, he easily lifted his queen and placed her on the stove with a smile.
Qin Changqing held onto his arm, unable to help but imagine what Lan Sinian must have been like back then. As a doctor, he'd seen all sorts of patients ravaged by illness and pain, and could easily picture what that scene must have been like. But he couldn't quite pin those images down on Lan Sinian. How could such a scoundrel, so energetic, so... powerful, have he endured such a cruel fate? Wasn't Heaven supposed to have been kind to him?
"...If you don't come back to your senses, I'll kiss you." Lan Sinian held his chin and lifted it up, smiling as he moved closer to his face.
Qin Changqing blinked, and finally focused on the handsome face that was getting bigger and bigger in front of him. He slapped his face and glared at him fiercely, "What are you doing?"
His Majesty the Emperor, whose half of his face was covered by him, looked at him deeply with smiles in his beautiful sapphire eyes. Qin Changqing felt his palm suddenly licked by a wet and warm tongue, and his whole body couldn't help but tremble.
He was so shocked that he quickly withdrew his hand, "What are you doing?"
"Lick my queen, the queen is sweet and delicious." Lan Sinian said with a smile on his face, licking his lips with his big tongue. The overflowing sexual aura made people blush and their hearts beat uncontrollably.
Qin Changqing: "..."
He simply couldn't reconcile the man the princess was talking about with the one before him. Or rather, he simply couldn't imagine what this man had been through. Someone who had experienced such a cruel and dark past shouldn't have been more stable or gloomy? Or perhaps he'd become a dangerous, dark individual, a complete psychopath. So why had this man skipped that step and gone straight to being a scoundrel?
Her Majesty the Queen is puzzled. This is definitely a big mystery of the empire, right?
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