ISWTDB Ch39 [Arc 3]

Chapter 39: The Mute Prince VS The Rakshasa General (1,2)

This time, Ying Zhao quickly adjusted his mental state and only stayed in the system space for a short time before having Xiao Bai teleport him to the next world, because he knew his lover was waiting for him in another world.

Xiao Bai also confessed to Ying Zhao that it seemed like his premature transmission of the plot had affected the teleportation, which caused Ying Zhao to be sent to the wrong time, arriving at the year when Ying Zhao was six years old.

So this time, it was necessary to send Ying Zhao to the new world before transmitting the plot to him. Ying Zhao understood and did not blame Xiao Bai, knowing that Xiao Bai was just a novice system.

But none of that mattered; the most important thing was that he knew Xiao Bai was wholeheartedly thinking of him, and that was enough.

The system and the host would accompany each other through many worlds, not just a master-servant relationship. To Ying Zhao, Xiao Bai was also a companion. Naturally, he was willing to give Xiao Bai more understanding and tolerance.

After the system once again completed the transmission to the new world, Ying Zhao woke up and found himself in a room with ancient decor. He guessed that this might be an ancient world or a cultivation world.

At this moment, he was lying on a table, with an empty wine pot in front of him, and his clothes reeking of strong alcohol. It seemed the original host had been very drunk.

Ying Zhao frowned. Although he did not reject the taste of alcohol, he hated the sticky feeling on his body.

He touched the mask on his face, which was only lifted a bit to reveal his mouth, and twitched his lips. He didn’t expect the original host to drink without even taking off the mask.

After moving his stiff neck, Ying Zhao took a deep breath and said to Xiao Bai in his sea of consciousness, “Xiao Bai, transmit the plot of this world to me.”

Xiao Bai, already very grateful for Ying Zhao’s understanding, quickly sent the plot of the new world to him.

As Ying Zhao saw, this world was indeed in an ancient setting, and the plot revolved mainly around the protagonist, Bai Wenxuan.

Bai Wenxuan was a person from the Chiyue Kingdom and had been raised as a spy since childhood. When he grew up, he was sent to the Canglan Kingdom to collect intelligence for his country. With his intelligence and charm, he successfully helped Chiyue annex Canglan, becoming a great hero for Chiyue.

Because of this, his status soared when he returned to Chiyue. He continued to strive and eventually achieved great success, even being bestowed the title of King by the ruler of Chiyue.

If one only saw the system’s introduction, they might mistake this for a simple tale of Bai Wenxuan’s rise. But upon reading through it, one would find that it mainly described various scandalous events during Bai Wenxuan’s missions and his melodramatic relationships with numerous handsome men, including even the ruler of Chiyue.

Seeing this, Ying Zhao twitched his lips. So, this was essentially a smut novel disguised as an inspirational ancient story!

At the time Ying Zhao transmigrated, Bai Wenxuan had already been in Canglan for many years. He had completely changed his identity and become the foremost scholar in the capital of Canglan, admired by many.

In this world, Ying Zhao’s name was Ying Jingning. The original host was a general of Canglan, and also one of Bai Wenxuan’s blind admirers.

The Ying family had been loyal and brave for generations, all military officers. Unfortunately, by Ying Jingning’s generation, the family was dwindling. After his father, Ying Zhentian, died on the battlefield, the only men left were Ying Jingning and his young brother, Ying Wuji.

Although Ying Jingning was young when his father died, he was also brave and skilled in battle. He had made many military achievements on the battlefield and was appointed as a general at the age of twenty-four, just like his father.

However, he had a small stature and always wore a Rakshasa mask, so no one knew his true appearance. Because of this, he was also nicknamed the “Little Rakshasa General.”

Ying Jingning had always admired Bai Wenxuan, the foremost scholar in the capital, and this was well known. But Bai Wenxuan kept Ying Jingning at arm’s length, treating him as just another among his many admirers.

Due to Ying Jingning’s special status, Bai Wenxuan was happy to maintain a superficial relationship with him to gain more military information.

In name, they were friends, but Bai Wenxuan never rejected Ying Jingning’s gifts or advances and often stayed at the general’s mansion. Bai Wenxuan even had his own permanent residence in the Ying family mansion, acting almost like a half-owner.

Though Canglan appeared peaceful on the surface, it was not truly stable. The borders were frequently harassed by Chiyue’s troops, who eyed Canglan’s territory covetously.

One time, Chiyue organized another attack. Ying Jingning had to go to the front lines. Before leaving, he drank and talked with Bai Wenxuan, hoping to confess his feelings. Bai Wenxuan evaded the topic and kept offering him drinks, getting him drunk.

When Ying Jingning was unconscious, Bai Wenxuan stole the battle plans that Ying Jingning had meticulously prepared and sent the information to Chiyue.

The next day, a regretful and hungover Ying Jingning went to the battlefield, only to find that the enemy seemed to know their strategy. Canglan was initially overwhelmed by Chiyue’s forces.

However, Ying Jingning managed to change tactics and save Canglan. He led his troops, killed the enemy general, and defeated Chiyue.

This battle severely damaged Chiyue, forcing them to surrender to Canglan, bringing peace to the kingdom.

But because of this battle, Ying Jingning was severely injured. Although he survived, he was left physically weakened and could no longer fight on the front lines.

When he returned to the capital, Emperor Duanmu Yanlang rewarded him generously and, seeing his injuries, gave him a position to stay in the capital.

But in reality, although Ying Jingning’s injuries were severe at the time, they weren’t enough to completely ruin his health. The reason for this was that the emperor had long been wary of the Ying family.

He had always resented Ying Jingning’s father, Ying Zhentian, feeling that he overshadowed the emperor and didn’t give him any face, always saying that military orders couldn’t be obeyed in the field. But in reality, Ying Zhentian was just straightforward.

The reason Ying Jingning’s injuries were so severe was because the military doctor accompanying the army was the emperor’s man.

When Canglan won a great victory and defeated Chiyue, forcing Chiyue to submit, Duanmu Yanlang felt he no longer needed to consider the Ying family. He then ordered this military doctor to tamper with Ying Jingning’s treatment, causing him to lose his strength and be unable to fight on the battlefield again.

At this time, Ying Jingning was the only capable man left in the Ying family. After his return to the capital and the retraction of his military power, the Ying family completely lost its influence.

The emperor, having regained military control as he wished, still felt the need to humiliate the now harmless Ying family. He devised a plan to shame them.

He arranged a marriage for Ying Jingning, ordering his half-brother Duanmu Yi to marry him as a male wife. Officially, this was to honor Ying Jingning for his bravery in defending Canglan, even having his royal brother marry him.

But in reality, everyone in Canglan knew that Duanmu Yi was the mute prince despised by the former emperor, who had publicly declared Duanmu Yi to be unlucky.

Marrying Duanmu Yi to Ying Jingning was more a humiliation than a reward. Ying Jingning, who had long had feelings for Bai Wenxuan, naturally didn’t want to marry Duanmu Yi.

However, he couldn’t defy the emperor’s order. Even though his grandmother repeatedly urged him on the wedding day, he did not enter the bridal chamber, nor did he even set foot in the courtyard where Duanmu Yi resided.

In the mansion, he ignored Duanmu Yi, often going to drink with Bai Wenxuan at night.

Duanmu Yi, having no power or influence and being mute, didn’t fare well in the Ying household despite the grandmother’s protection.

He didn’t fight for anything and seldom left his small, remote courtyard. His food, clothing, and daily necessities were often withheld by malicious servants. Despite this, Bai Wenxuan still despised him.

Bai Wenxuan often spoke ill of Duanmu Yi to Ying Jingning and even framed him for various misdeeds, leading Ying Jingning to believe Duanmu Yi had a bad character.

Later, the Ying family’s ancestral military strategy map went missing. Bai Wenxuan told Ying Jingning he had seen Duanmu Yi sneaking around his study, suggesting he was the thief.

Without investigating, Ying Jingning assumed Duanmu Yi had stolen the map and handed him over to the Ministry of Justice. Despite the grandmother’s disbelief, she couldn’t save Duanmu Yi.

Thus, Ying Jingning used this as a reason to divorce Duanmu Yi, leaving him in the Ministry of Justice’s prison without further concern. It was rumored that Duanmu Yi died from torture in prison.

But in reality, Duanmu Yi hadn’t stolen the map; Bai Wenxuan, who had been gathering intelligence in the Ying household, was the thief.

Bai Wenxuan suspected Duanmu Yi had noticed his activities, so he framed Duanmu Yi to kill two birds with one stone.

Bai Wenxuan achieved his goal and, after causing chaos in the Ying family, left once he found no other secrets.

After leaving the Ying mansion, Bai Wenxuan secretly returned to Chiyue and handed over all the information and the strategy map to Chiyue’s king.

Months later, Chiyue assembled a large army and attacked again. With the intelligence and strategies Bai Wenxuan provided, Chiyue was unstoppable.

Without the Ying family, Canglan had no one to counter Chiyue’s forces. The loyal Ying family took to the battlefield but were ultimately defeated and killed.

Chiyue’s army broke through the gates, Canglan fell, and Emperor Duanmu Yanlang was captured, leading to the fall of Canglan.

Reading this, Ying Zhao raised an eyebrow. As a general, the original host had a strong sense of loyalty, but he was terrible at judging people, mistaking a snake for a rabbit and treasuring it.

As a husband, he was utterly heartless to his male wife, Duanmu Yi. Even if he didn’t like Duanmu Yi, he shouldn’t have handed him over to the Ministry of Justice without investigating and repeatedly helped frame him.

In the entire plot, the tragic prince forced into marriage, Duanmu Yi, was the most innocent. What gave Ying Zhao a headache was that this mute prince was likely his lover in this world.

However, Duanmu Yi had been living in the Ying mansion for a month before Ying Zhao transmigrated. During this time, Ying Jingning had never visited him and treated him coldly whenever they met.

If Duanmu Yi was indeed his lover, Ying Zhao dreaded that this small world would require a “husband-chasing crematorium” scenario! The thought of it made Ying Zhao feel like crying.

“Xiao Bai, what’s Ying Jingning’s wish?” Ying Zhao asked dejectedly.

Xiao Bai, not understanding his host’s sudden drop in mood, obediently answered:

“Ying Jingning wished to protect the people of Canglan from the suffering of war and to maintain peace in Canglan.”

Ying Zhao pursed his lips. As expected, a family of loyal and brave soldiers had such a wish.

Shaking off his muddled thoughts, he couldn’t help but think that the system’s replication of the original host’s drunken state was too realistic.

As he pondered whether to have Xiao Bai sober him up, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Ying Zhao called out, “Come in,” and saw a maid rush in, looking anxious, and said:

“Young master, why are you still drinking here? The old madam has fallen ill from anger! Doctor Wang has just seen her; you must go see her!”

Ying Zhao searched the original host’s memories and recognized this maid as Cui Zhu, a loyal servant of the old madam. She was quick-witted and devoted to the Ying family, often acting as an informant for him.

Nodding dully at Cui Zhu, Ying Zhao sighed and said, “You go back first, I’ll be there soon.”

Cui Zhu, worried, glanced at him a couple of times before reluctantly leaving.

Once she left, Ying Zhao called out to Xiao Bai in his sea of consciousness, asking him to sober him up. Then he walked to the washbasin, took off his mask, and washed his face.

Ying Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. He could now confirm that he had transmigrated to the day of his wedding to the so-called unlucky mute prince, Duanmu Yi.

Duanmu Yi’s mother, being a woman from the martial world, had a low status in the palace and died in childbirth. Thus, Duanmu Yi grew up alone in the vast harem, making his background quite tragic.

Few people knew that Duanmu Yi’s mother knew Madam Ying before entering the palace. As a woman from a military family, Madam Ying was always unrestrained and had roamed the martial world in her youth, becoming close friends with Duanmu Yi’s mother.

Although Duanmu Yi’s mother never had a chance to meet Madam Ying after entering the palace, Madam Ying still cared about her only child.

Today, Madam Ying had specifically called Ying Jingning to her room to remind him to treat Duanmu Yi well. However, Ying Jingning had contradicted her, saying he didn’t want to marry Duanmu Yi as his true love was Bai Wenxuan.

Madam Ying, having lived so many years, could see through Bai Wenxuan’s façade. She tried to persuade Ying Jingning, but he was already infatuated with Bai Wenxuan and ignored her advice, storming off and making Madam Ying ill from anger.

If the story followed its original path, Ying Jingning wouldn’t enter the bridal chamber that night. Instead, he would find Bai Wenxuan and get drunk. Madam Ying, upon learning this, would fall seriously ill.

Ying Zhao frowned at this thought. He felt it was necessary to confirm Duanmu Yi’s identity.

He asked Xiao Bai in his sea of consciousness, “Xiao Bai, can you confirm Duanmu Yi’s identity?”

Xiao Bai nodded and quickly replied:

“Host, when the system arrived in this world, it scanned the Ying residence and located the target fragment in Duanmu Yi’s room. And now, only Duanmu Yi is in that room. So, the target of this world’s strategy should indeed be Duanmu Yi!”

Hearing Xiao Bai’s words, Ying Zhao felt relieved. He smiled, happy that there were no obstacles to his relationship with his lover in this world.

However, he suddenly thought of how the original host had neglected Duanmu Yi for the past month, ignoring him even when passing by and constantly ridiculing him.

If he suddenly showed kindness, it would only confuse Duanmu Yi. Moreover, with Bai Wenxuan around, he couldn’t act rashly. He still had to protect Canglan and could use some enemies as his allies.

Considering the original host’s character, Ying Zhao felt there was still hope. He was confident in his lover’s affection for him.

Taking a deep breath, he hung the towel back on the rack and looked down casually, only to be captivated by the reflection in the washbasin.

In his haste to sober up, he hadn’t noticed his appearance. Looking at the reflection, he saw an adorably heart-stirring face.

Despite Ying Jingning spending most of his time on the battlefield, his skin was a healthy wheat color rather than fair.

His eyes were large and expressive, his nose small and delicate, and his lips were red with a slight upward curve, giving the impression of a constant smile. His cheeks were charmingly plump with baby fat.

Ying Zhao’s mouth dropped open in surprise, revealing two cute little canine teeth. His eyes twitched as he realized the renowned General Ying looked like this.

Reviewing the original host’s memories, Ying Zhao understood that Ying Jingning had followed his father, Ying Zhentian, to the battlefield since childhood.

At fourteen, Ying Zhentian died in battle. Ying Jingning, as his son, donned a mask and fought in his place, bravely cutting a bloody path through the enemy.

From that day on, Ying Jingning never removed the mask.

There were rumors that Ying Jingning wore the mask because his face was disfigured in battle and he feared his appearance would frighten others.

Even within the Ying residence, no one had seen his true face since. But seeing his reflection and recalling the original host’s memories, Ying Zhao understood Ying Jingning’s true intentions.

After Ying Zhentian’s death, the entire Ying family relied on the fourteen-year-old boy. His youthful and adorable appearance couldn’t command respect.

So, he wore the demonic mask and used his ruthless tactics on the battlefield to carve out his reputation.

Strangely, despite being twenty-four, the original host still looked incredibly cute, explaining why he never removed the mask.

Ying Zhao sighed, stood up, and left the room, heading towards Madam Ying’s quarters. As he passed by servants, he noticed the original host’s short stature.

Most male servants were taller than him. Compared to an average girl, Ying Jingning’s height was about the same.

Wearing the mask and hiding his face, it was no wonder enemies often slandered him, claiming Canglan’s great general was a woman in disguise.

This realization made Ying Zhao even more frustrated. Adjusting his mask, he could only comfort himself. Short stature and a cute appearance were what he had to accept.

In his previous life, he couldn’t overcome his situation with his partner in a wheelchair. This time, with such an appearance, it was even less likely.

Ying Zhao silently walked to Madam Ying’s room. Seeing her holding a bowl of medicine and about to drink it, he bowed respectfully and said, “Grandmother, I’m here.”

When Madam Ying saw Ying Zhao, she angrily threw the bowl to the ground and scolded him loudly:

“You scoundrel, why have you come? Are you not satisfied with my illness, or do you want to anger me to death?”

Ying Zhao knew that Madam Ying had the best eye for people in the entire Ying household. He immediately shook his head and said helplessly, “Grandmother, it’s not like that!”