Your Highness, Please Love Me Tender

75. The Guqin Master’s Temper

 

Translator: Flying Lines

 

But to Su Jie, having such an experience was enough. At least Su Jie knew that he wasn’t loving him one-sidedly. Prince Qin liked him too. But Prince Qin’s confession came too late. Su Jie had already drawn a clear line between the two of them. They were like two people facing each other on opposite banks of a river. During those years when Su Jie was a man of sacrifice, Prince Qin had given him kindness. But at the same time, Su Jie also risked his life to protect Prince Qin. If he were to talk about who was in more debt of the other, Su Jie did not feel as if he owed Prince Qin anything. On the contrary, the Guqin Master and Prince Qin owed a whole village their lives as well as Su Jin’s childhood and youth.

A debt of blood… must be repaid by blood.

The Guqin Master would probably have never thought that the best and strongest man of sacrifice he had spent many years to nurture would one day discover the truth and swear to end his life with his own hands.

The Guqin Master didn’t believe in reaping what he sowed. But if he didn’t sow this seed that year, then this result would have never been reaped in the first place.

At this moment, the Guqin Master was resting in Prince Qin’s residence. He lied down on his bed as he dozed. On the ground before him was a middle-aged man of sacrifice who hadn’t completed his mission. Because of this, the Guqin Master was unsatisfied with him and activated the poison in the man’s body. The middle-aged man of sacrifice was sweating all over his body. He looked ferocious and in agonizing pain. He rolled on the ground and howled as he begged for mercy until he fainted from the pain. Only then did the Guqin Master open his eyes and sit up from his bed.

“Wake him up.” A wisp of a smile appeared on the Guqin Master’s face, which usually carried a pained sadness. He squinted at the sight in front of him and sighed, “As expected, the remaining men of sacrifice just aren’t as good as the Sharp Sword… the Sharp Sword is young and strong. The Death Gu that is developing inside his body must also be the best insect… In just another year, the Death Gu will lay eggs inside his body.”

The Guqin Master calculated the time in silence and a strange smile lit up upon his face. “Haha, I wonder if Luoxuan would kill me, his uncle, in a fit of rage if he found out that I plan to kill off the Sharp Sword next year?”

Seemingly because of the good mood he was in, the Guqin Master waved his hand, deciding to let this unlucky middle-aged man of sacrifice off. He walked out of the room and called for a servant from the courtyard, asking, “Have you seen Luoxuan?”

“His Highness is at Young Mistress Xiu’s.” The servant showed a fearful respect for the Guqin Master.

Young Mistress Xiu’s name was Xiu Ning. She was a concubine of Prince Qin’s and also his only concubine. Xiao Luoxuan was now depending on Xiu Ning to bear him a child so that he could properly order the Sharp Sword to return to his side and not let him stay by the damned Prince Rui’s side.

“Looks like this nephew of mine still hasn’t thought about revolting against me yet.” After he heard this kind of reply, the Guqin Master’s tone carried a thread of… regret. He shook his head and headed back towards his room, sighing as he walked, “What a shame. My younger sister had always been so daring and full of rebellious impulses. Yet her son is so stiff and follows the rules. He gives in to others and learns to compromise so easily… He’s not as good as the Sharp Sword. The Sharp Sword was trained with harsh instructions yet he doesn’t fear me, tut-tut…”

Once again, the Guqin Master’s mood took a turn for the worse. Every time he was in a bad mood, he would generally do two things. One was to torture his men of sacrifice and the other was to play his guqin. Whenever he played his guqin, Xiao Luoxuan would always certainly come to find him.

Sure enough, when he was halfway through a song, Xiao Luoxuan came.

Because he understood the temper of the Guqin Master, Xiao Luoxuan had already ordered all the people in his residence to alert him immediately if and when the Guqin Master started to play.

“Luoxuan, did you go to see the Sharp Sword again?” the Guqin Master stopped his playing even though the song wasn’t finished.

“… I did.”

“Why do you look so dejected? Take a look at yourself!” the Guqin Master suddenly became agitated. He pointed at Xiao Luoxuan’s nose as he scolded, his usually glum face bearing an expression full of anger, causing Xiao Luoxuan’s heart to thump wildly.

“Uncle…”

“Don’t call me uncle!” Can’t you be just a little more impressive? You’ve been so anxious over a worthless man of sacrifice? How will you lead State Yanhui in the future if you’re like this? Don’t put so much import on ‘love’. If you are like this again, I might as well kill off the Sharp Sword just so you can get rid of your feelings for him.”

“Don’t!” Xiao Luoxuan said hurriedly.

“It’s fine if I don’t kill him. Tell him to come here tomorrow. I want to activate the poison within his body as a punishment.” The Guqin Master laughed coldly.

“The Sharp Sword didn’t do anything wrong!” Xiao Luoxuan was so upset that even his eyes became red.

“If I want to punish him, he will be punished. His life is worthless in my eyes. It’s decided. Tell him to come here tomorrow. You should watch too, watch how he will be tortured to death by the Death Gu.”

“You can’t do this to him!” Xiao Luoxuan’s attitude hardened up but he was still excessively scared of the Guqin Master. However, once he thought of the past, of how he couldn’t do anything but watch as Su Jie’s poison was activated, his heart ached painfully. Su Jie had done nothing wrong that time. He was punished only because he didn’t protect Xiao Luoxuan well enough and Xiao Luoxuan had received a cut to his shoulder.

At that time, Xiao Luoxuan was scared to death as Su Jie convulsed with pain and intermittently spat out phrases like ‘the mission was not completed well, the punishment is well deserved’. Xiao Luoxuan’s face turned white from fear and in his heart, he started to develop a deep uneasiness against the Guqin Master.

But this time, Xiao Luoxuan was no longer weak. He used a tone full of malice and said, “If you torture the Sharp Sword like that again, I will kill you and then myself!”

The defiance he had nurtured from so many years of being oppressed had finally reared its head. This incident was only the fuse and it only served to thoroughly intensify Xiao Luoxuan’s resentment against the Guqin Master.

Unexpectedly, the Guqin Master gave a nod full of praise, “At least you didn’t say anything submissive. Since you have gone against me like this, it seems that you really do love the Sharp Sword to the point you’re willing to rebel against me for him…”

Perhaps it was because it was rare for the Guqin Master to speak so kindly, Xiao Luoxuan’s anger seemed to be as weak as using cotton as a weapon. He frowned but did not speak.

“Since the Sharp Sword can inspire your motivation, I will keep him alive.” The Guqin Master smiled.

“Remove the Death Gu from the Sharp Sword.”

“Sure, but let’s wait until Xiu Ning gives birth.”