Chapter 61 Old Stories: Yandere Younger Brother + First Encounter with Childhood Sweethearts...

Chapter 61 Old Stories: Yandere Younger Brother + First Encounter with Childhood Sweethearts...

The kiss pressed down with force. Ying Dang was determined, and no matter how much Ying Xi struggled, the Prince of Yong simply lifted him up with one hand, making the two of them press closer and closer together.

Ying Xi tilted her head, revealing a section of her snow-white neck.

He wanted to kiss her lips but only managed to brush against the corner of her mouth. Ying Dang released his grip on Ying Xi's hand and reached out to pull her chin. He held Ying Xi's chin tightly.

The emperor, high above all others.

My brother, who was once within my reach.

As his two identities gradually overlapped before his eyes, Ying Dang's heart pounded like a drum!

There were no rabid dogs or vicious beasts around him. Given his brother's arrogance, he would never have called for guards to protect him at this time, to see the emperor in such a sorry state, being taken advantage of at will.

Their bodies pressed tightly together completely revealed Prince Yong's desire.

Ying Xi's brow twitched!

Something was pressing against him, poised to strike.

Ying Xi then realized that Ying Dang's claims about "climbing into the emperor's bed" were not lies at all; he had mistakenly thought Ying Dang was childish and foolish, deliberately teasing him. His younger brother had actually harbored feelings for him all along!?

Ying Xi felt all her blood rush to her head. Her mind went blank, her face burned, and her lips were traced by the other's fingertips.

He shuddered and bit down hard on Ying Dang's finger. A metallic taste filled his mouth.

The blood ignited Ying Dang's wildness, and he tore at Ying Xi's dragon robe.

But then a clear slap was heard from the next room; Ying Xi had slapped him hard across the face.

Snap—

"Are you crazy? I am your brother!" Ying Xi retorted.

However, because his voice was not loud, and his hair and clothes were disheveled, the emperor's aura of intimidation turned into a strong impulse to pull him down from his pedestal.

Ying Dang turned a deaf ear.

Ying Xi grabbed the back of his head by the hair and coldly warned, "If you dare to be disrespectful again, I will expel you from the imperial clan, reduce you to a commoner... and exile you to the frontier for life, never to return to Chang'an..."

“Your subject is not afraid, brother.” Ying Dang suddenly interrupted. His tongue, like a snake, darted into Ying Xi’s ear.

The intense itching overwhelmed him, and Ying Xi's scalp tingled. A clear sound escaped his throat, which he suppressed with all his might.

Ying Dang slowly smiled in front of him, his smile cold and indifferent.

"Does my brother think I covet the throne?"

“I’m different from my brother. How did he get the throne?”

Ying Dang gritted his teeth, his cheek muscles twitching.

At that moment, Ying Xi was slightly taken aback, and suddenly understood the root cause of Ying Dang's change.

He originally thought that Prince Yong was spoiled and that after arriving in Chang'an, he was overwhelmed by the allure of the city.

In fact, Prince Yong was using his decadence to get his own attention, to retaliate against his own helpless estrangement from him, to numb his depressed mind, and ultimately to develop a morbid longing for his brother.

Ying Dang's voice was mournful:

"Emperor Yuantai assassinated our father and mother. If you want the throne, you are willing to recognize a traitor as your father."

"Xie Qianli has coveted you since childhood. Like uncle, nephew, like uncle. He is lustful and trespassed into Fanglan Palace. You covet military power and try to please and flatter him endlessly."

“I live next to Fanglan Palace and often watch you from the eaves.”

"Look how filial you are to your powerful stepfather."

"Look at you, pretending to be a pretty girl to fool that idiot Xie Qianli!"

"Look at you, treating insignificant people in Chang'an like royalty, watching yourself being elevated to the highest echelons of society day by day!!!"

"But I am so close, right next to you, brother, have you ever turned around to look at me?"

Where was my brother when I was sick?

"I've always wanted to take you far away, so I practiced martial arts day and night. Where were you, brother, when I was injured?"

“I keep dreaming of my parents’ tragic deaths and I’m suffering from nightmares. Only when I remember the vow we made to each other before we came to Chang’an can I close my eyes and dream. Where is my brother?”

We share honor and disgrace, and stand together through life and death.

That was the promise the two brothers made to each other before leaving Guangling County in Yangzhou.

Ying Dang said bitterly:

"Your elder brother has long since disowned your father and mother, recognizing a traitor as his father, and has settled into Chang'an on his own, having long forgotten the Yongning Prince's Mansion that gave you birth and upbringing!"

"Who wants to go back to Chang'an? Who's afraid of exile! I wish this city of Chang'an would explode and rise into the sky right now!!!"

Once the words were out of his mouth, Prince Yong's physical attraction to Ying Xi intensified.

He hadn't been this close to Ying Xi in ten years.

He wished the two of them could merge into one immediately, so that Ying Dang could find his original brother forever.

Ying Xi's boots twitched on the couch.

He kicked the low table on the tatami mat down, making a loud noise.

Ying Xi dodged Yong Wang's second kiss, but Yong Wang took the opportunity to move to the side, from bottom to top, moving to the side of her smooth neck. But before he could make any further advances, the noise from the cubicle was too loud, attracting the attention of the guards standing outside.

Lang Xun was already extremely uneasy, and also harbored a subtle resentment, not wanting Prince Yong and the Duke of Ying to be with His Majesty.

Lang Xun pushed open the door and entered!

Ying Xi sensed something was wrong and reached out to grab the short sword tucked into Prince Yong's waist. The short sword was gleaming when it was drawn, and its blade could cut a hair in an instant.

When Prince Yong saw the flash of the sword, he thought Ying Xi was about to stab him.

Instead, Prince Yong laughed and buried his face in Ying Xi's neck.

But her brother didn't intend to kill her; the knife was aimed at Ying Xi's throat.

Prince Yong's pupils constricted suddenly, and he panicked. He stood up and brushed aside Ying Xi's dagger.

The short sword flew through the air!

The pigeon blood at the end of the blade traced a swirling red shadow before the blade fell to the ground.

The older brother refused to hurt the younger brother who was offending him, and the younger brother seemed afraid of losing his older brother forever. The two brothers' eyes met, and they both paused for a moment.

Prince Yong's lips trembled violently.

This sudden change happened in the blink of an eye, but it was enough for Ying Xi to quickly straighten her clothes and sit down calmly.

The guards burst in, first kicking aside Prince Yong's precious sword, and then Lang Xun slapped Prince Yong on the shoulder from behind. That preemptive strike was imbued with immense force!

Prince Yong countered with an attack.

The guards were prepared. Knowing that Prince Yong was a scoundrel, they had long since stopped talking to him about martial virtue and dared not listen to his nonsense.

The guards attacked Prince Yong's vital points together, completely sealing him off.

Prince Yong was held down by two guards and forced to kneel before the emperor. Unable to speak, he seemed furious at the incomplete nature of their love and hate. Ying Dang's gaze was fixed on the emperor! He hissed through clenched teeth, like a raging beast!

"Ugh... Phew..."

Lang Xun and the others had no choice but to step forward and hold Ying Dang down tightly, fearing that he might suddenly break out of the acupoint and harm the emperor.

Ying Xi forcibly controlled his heart, which was pounding in his throat. The combined effects of staying up all night and this intense confrontation were too much for him: "Lock him in the palace, give the Imperial Clan Court instructions, assign heavy guards to watch over him, forbid anyone to speak to him, let him—"

He wanted to tell Ying Dang to calm down.

But the words eventually turned into coughing and wheezing, and then into an inability to breathe.

He angrily gripped the cushion on the couch, as memories he wanted to forget, along with the deep-seated fear of being trapped in Fanglan Palace, surged back like a tidal wave.

Ying Xi's joints were completely white, and a layer of black mist covered her eyes.

"His Majesty!"

"His Majesty!!!"

***

Ying Xi finally fell asleep.

He was very uneasy during this break because he finally couldn't hold on any longer; he had exhausted himself and collapsed from the stress.

Ying Xi slept on the dragon bed in Weiyang Palace. The imperial physician came to examine her again and advised her to take good care of herself and not to be disturbed.

After Yu Jing fed him the medicine, she transformed into a door god outside, standing on the left and right of Lang Xun, so that no one could startle the emperor.

Ying Xi slept from the third watch of the night until the fifth watch.

After the fifth watch, dawn broke.

Su Xueyi came once to inquire about the emperor's final decision regarding the Jiangnan region.

Yu Jing concealed the emperor's illness, only saying that the emperor was considering it. Su Xueyi left.

This rest was the worst Ying Xi had ever had since her rebirth.

Yingxi mumbled in her sleep intermittently.

He was drawn into an exceptionally complete long dream by the past.

In his dream, he had just arrived in Chang'an and was thrown into the Fanglan Palace. Ying Dang, the second son of the Yongning Prince's Mansion, was imprisoned on the other side of the palace, separated by only one wall.

Fanglan Hall is planted with magnolia trees. It is a very beautiful and large house.

Ying Xi knew she might be chosen as the heir to the throne, but instead of being overjoyed, she remained calm and focused on her studies despite the uncertainty of her future.

He already had some talent for learning, and soon gained the recognition of Teacher Zhuzhao.

He cultivated a good relationship with his teacher, which allowed him to gather information from outside sources.

Ying Xi secretly tried to get information out of her teacher, asking about the current situation in Yangzhou and her biological parents.

At first, everything was as usual.

Hearing that Prince Yongning had received compensation for his fiefdom, and that his mother's treatment was several levels higher than that of an ordinary princess, Ying Xi felt a surge of joy and hope.

Ying Xi's outstanding performance was reported by Zhu Zhao and gained the approval of Emperor Yuan Tai.

His adoptive father gave him some things that encouraged Yingxi, and he believed he could become better.

He worked hard and carefully gathered information about his parents.

He went to great lengths, even asking Zhuzhao to buy and read the new poetry collections compiled by Jiangnan literati each season. There were works by his father there, and he meticulously traced each character, trying to connect them to the Yongning Prince's Mansion.

He longed for it so much that he could almost see through the sky outside Fanglan Palace, and watch every wild goose flying south, as he awaited the future reunion with his family.

But what he got was that one day, Teacher Zhuzhao's words were completely inconsistent with the actual situation of the Yongning Prince's Mansion!

He longed for a collection of poems that would no longer contain his father's name.

He overheard the palace maids talking outside the courtyard wall. The royal family members came to the capital to pay homage, and the women of each household were entertained by the Grand Princess Huining at Shanglin Garden. He had never heard his mother's name.

"Because of the one inside, His Majesty fears he may have ulterior motives and must completely seize control of this lineage. Alas, what a pity for Prince Yongning and his wife."

Shh! Are you out of your mind?!

"To criticize His Majesty's decisions is reckless. The one in question could be the future emperor. You just wait and see—"

The two palace maids stopped talking abruptly.

Then, Yingxi heard the sound of a sharp object piercing flesh.

The palace maid let out a barely audible groan before she died. On the other side of the palace wall, Ying Xi's eyes were already red with tears, but she suppressed her overwhelming grief.

He was precocious and at that moment he discovered that there were hidden guards lurking in Fanglan Palace.

He had to endure it and pretend he knew nothing about it!

At that time, Ying Xi was only ten years old. No one could have imagined how strong her will must have been to not burst into tears.

That kind of heart-wrenching pain is enough to drive someone insane instantly.

He was certain that his parents were dead and that he and his brother were being closely guarded.

If anything goes wrong, the secret guards will report to the emperor.

He will die, and his brother will die too.

Under the extreme pressure of imperial power, he was a fragile ant, and he also had to protect an even smaller ant.

Upon learning of his parents' deaths and hearing the news of a palace maid's demise due to leaking secrets, Ying Xi knew that he would have to fight against Emperor Yuan Tai and his henchmen for a very, very long time...

From then on, he stopped asking about his parents and played the role of Emperor Yuantai's well-behaved adopted son.

He brainwashed himself into believing that he was the most suitable heir to the Qin royal family.

From then on, he was also unable to visit his younger brother.

Because his younger brother was naive and straightforward, once he said something that touched his heart or uttered something outrageous, they were both doomed.

He intentionally distanced himself from his last remaining relatives.

I reduced the number of visits from twice a month to once, and forced myself to forget that there was someone next door who was the closest person in the world to me.

This kind of life lasted for an unknown period of time. He was outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, and his thoughts were deep and complicated. What he endured was far beyond what an ordinary child could bear.

Countless times, Ying Xi woke up from nightmares, but she didn't even dare to show her fear, processing the dreams alone.

The leader of the secret guards was nicknamed Shadow.

Their rivalry is evident in every aspect.

The shadow was watching him, and he was observing the shadow.

He knew that the man was exceptionally skilled in martial arts, wore a silver mask, and was employed by Emperor Yuan Tai, earning ten thousand taels of silver annually.

He also knew that this person was ruthless and vicious, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and loved to test him maliciously!

Yingxi spoke cautiously, careful with every word, afraid of giving him leverage against her or having him use her to curry favor with the emperor.

Over the years, this habit eventually shaped Ying Xi's cautious and suspicious personality.

Fanglan Palace may seem beautiful, but in reality, undercurrents are swirling.

Every time he felt he couldn't hold on any longer, he would tell himself—I want this throne!!!

When I have the ability to stand at the top of the ladder, my brother and I will no longer be at the mercy of others.

What if you can't resist?

Before being named Crown Prince, Ying Xi endured countless difficult times.

If you've reached your limit, then go see the flowers.

Look at the magnolias, the purest of the branches, blooming outside the hall, drawing strength from heaven and earth, and feeling the vigor of life.

In the instant he looked up, the dazzling sunlight, accompanied by the heavy shadows of the trees, concealed the fleeting glimpse of tears in his eyes.

Inside the dragon bed, Ying Xi gripped the blanket tightly.

He was soaked in sweat.

The nightmare took him back to the most desperate moment of his life.

He wanted to get out of bed, but he couldn't. He was still shrouded in the shadow of those guards, who were invisible ghosts.

Ying Xi longed for the light to illuminate his path.

The end of this long dream—

Suddenly, the magnolia tree branches swayed, and the boy leaped down, breaking through the shadows. Behind him was the bright sunlight, and thousands of rays of light fell upon him, making the magnolia blossoms fall like rain!

He whispered a panicked warning to the boy, "Run!"

The shadow guards attacked the man from all directions.

But at that moment, the boy protected her from behind.

"Thank you... Qianli, Koma."