ISWTDB Ch68 [Arc 6]

Chapter 68: The Secret Guard Is Mentally Ill (1, 2)

Upon crossing into this new world once more, Ying Zhao only felt his head spinning, his whole body weak, and a dull pain emanating from his wrist.

Ying Zhao furrowed his brow and tried to open his slightly swollen eyes. The first thing he saw was the wooden carved ceiling above the bed. Turning his head, he saw the room was furnished in an antique style, and he could smell the scent of medicinal soup in the air.

Ying Zhao tried to move but found he didn’t even have the strength to sit up, so he could only sigh helplessly. At this moment, a servant who had been busy nearby finally noticed he was awake.

The servant immediately shouted joyfully, “Someone, come quickly! The heir has woken up!”

Ying Zhao blinked and realized that he must have arrived in an ancient setting, and it seemed that he was someone of considerable status. He was being called an heir, but he wasn’t sure what status his family held here.

However, the servant’s sharp voice made his head ache. Ying Zhao frowned, and before long, he saw a middle-aged man hurriedly enter the room and walk towards him.

Although the man had aged, with graying temples and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, he still retained some of the handsome looks of his youth.

When he saw Ying Zhao awake, his eyes filled with tears. He rushed to Ying Zhao’s bedside, grasped his hand tightly, and said emotionally:

“Zi Yang! Zi Yang, you’re finally awake! How could you think of doing such a thing? If you had truly left, how could I face your departed mother?”

Seeing the man’s heartfelt expression, Ying Zhao roughly guessed the relationship between this man and the original owner of this body. Before he could say anything, a commotion sounded outside the door.

Soon, the door opened again, and a plain-looking but sharp-eyed woman entered. As she came in, the man beside Ying Zhao stiffened slightly.

The woman walked to the bedside, wearing a gentle smile, but her eyes were clearly hostile. She lightly said to Ying Zhao, “Zi Yang, it’s good that you’re awake. Don’t ever do something so foolish again and make your father worry.”

Ying Zhao observed the luxurious clothing the woman wore and noticed the man beside him lowering his eyes, ignoring her words. He began to piece together her identity.

Now that he had just arrived in this world and felt the pain in his wrist, combined with what the two were saying, he guessed that the original owner had just been saved from a suicide attempt.

So he closed his eyes and ignored the pair. The woman, seeing Ying Zhao’s attitude, snorted coldly but then turned to the man beside the bed and softly said:

“Marquis, since Zi Yang is awake, you shouldn’t disturb his rest. I had some snacks prepared in the small kitchen; why don’t you come and have some with me?”

The man frowned upon hearing this but, seeing Ying Zhao’s pale face, also thought he needed rest.

He nodded, carefully tucked Ying Zhao in, then stood up without a word and left with the woman. Before leaving, he meticulously instructed the servants in the room to take good care of Ying Zhao.

Once the door was closed again, Ying Zhao exhaled slowly. Knowing no one would disturb him, he said to Xiao Bai in his consciousness, “Xiao Bai, you can transfer the plot of this small world to me now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, large sections of the plot flashed through his mind. After digesting these memories, Ying Zhao understood the original owner’s identity.

He was now in a country called Da Yu. As he had thought, the original owner, Ying Zi Yang, had a noble status as the heir to the Anping Marquisate and the future successor of the Anping Marquis.

The man just now was the original owner’s father, Anping Marquis Ying Shiwei. As for the woman, she was the current wife of the Anping Marquis and also the only sister of the Emperor of Da Yu, the princess of Da Yu.

The original owner, Ying Zi Yang, was a gentleman, well-behaved since childhood. He was knowledgeable and gentle, renowned as a scholar in the capital. The Anping Marquis had always doted on the original owner, considering him the pride of the Marquisate.

The Anping Marquisate had a history of loyalty, with the previous marquis being a significant figure in the court. However, in this generation, Marquis Ying Shiwei was somewhat weak in character. Fortunately, the old emperor cherished old ties and still valued the Anping Marquisate.

Despite Ying Shiwei’s weak nature, he was a devoted man deeply in love with the original owner’s mother. Although he was handsome and charming, he never took concubines or mistresses and had even promised the original owner’s mother a lifetime of monogamy. Unfortunately, Ying Shiwei ultimately broke his promise.

The Anping Marquis’s handsome looks and devotion attracted the long princess. As the only sister of Emperor Huangfu Yu, she was spoiled and overbearing.

When she took a liking to the Anping Marquis, she insisted on marrying him. Despite Ying Shiwei’s repeated refusals, the emperor still bestowed the marriage upon them.

Ying Shiwei had no choice but to marry the long princess and make her his primary wife. However, the long princess was not easy to deal with and constantly oppressed Ying Shiwei’s original wife.

The original owner’s mother was heartbroken and died in childbirth when giving birth to Ying Zi Yang. Ying Shiwei wept bitterly, feeling guilty, and thus loved Ying Zi Yang even more.

Because of this, even though he had a weak personality, he ignored the Long Princess’s oppression and insisted on making Ying Ziyang the heir to the Anping Marquisate.

However, the Long Princess bore some resentment towards Ying Ziyang, especially after she gave birth to her own son, Ying Ning, making her find Ying Ziyang even more disagreeable. If it weren’t for Ying Ziyang, her own son should be the heir to the Anping Marquisate.

Ying Ziyang inherited the good genes of Anping Marquis Ying Shiwei and his birth mother. As he grew up, he became increasingly outstanding in appearance, becoming the dream of many young women in the capital.

He was well-read and insightful, and if he could inherit the Marquisate, he would surely achieve great things in the future. Unfortunately, Ying Ziyang caught the eye of the Emperor’s favored concubine’s son, the Second Prince, Huangfu Zhaohong.

Huangfu Zhaohong was a frivolous person with many lovers. However, he was charming and eloquent, and many so-called confidants were deeply devoted to him.

With the Emperor’s favor and the support of his maternal family, many nobles were eager to curry favor with this Second Prince.

The so-called brother of the original owner, Ying Ning, was also one of Huangfu Zhaohong’s admirers. Ying Ning was relatively good-looking, but compared to Ying Ziyang, he was much plainer. However, he was good at being gentle and considerate, and Huangfu Zhaohong was not picky. Soon, the two had a clandestine relationship and privately pledged themselves to each other.

In this era, same-sex love was not uncommon, and even the Emperor’s harem had male concubines. So Ying Ning’s affection for the Second Prince was coupled with a dream of becoming the male empress.

Unfortunately, the Second Prince Huangfu Zhaohong was fickle. Compared to the easily attainable Ying Ning, the handsome and distinguished Ying Ziyang was more to his liking. So Huangfu Zhaohong openly pursued Ying Ziyang, ignoring that he was the Marquisate’s heir.

Ying Ning thus deeply resented Ying Ziyang, feeling he had seduced the Second Prince, and told the Long Princess about it. With the Emperor gravely ill, the Long Princess suggested having the Court Astrologer divine the cause.

The divination results indicated that the Emperor’s illness was due to contamination and that a fortunate person’s marriage could counteract it. This marriage did not need to be directly with the Emperor but needed to involve someone of royal blood and compatible fates.

The Court Astrologer had already been bribed by the Long Princess, so the compatible person was naturally Ying Ziyang. According to the Long Princess’s narrative, although Ying Ziyang was not her biological son, he was still considered part of the royal family. However, to cure the Emperor, the original owner had to marry out.

To humiliate Ying Ziyang, Ying Ning found a distant rural rogue, Huo Yi, as a husband. Huo Yi, despite his noble lineage, was a wastrel whose ancestors had been exiled to the countryside and became commoners.

Despite the family’s decline, the wealth accumulated by his ancestors should have prevented Huo Yi from becoming destitute. But he was an incorrigible scoundrel.

Generations of the Huo family did not engage in farming and only squandered their resources. Huo Yi himself indulged in drinking, gambling, and other vices. After his parents died, he quickly squandered the family wealth.

Despite this, he remained unambitious, frequenting brothels and gambling dens. When out of money, he resorted to petty theft, becoming a local scourge whom everyone avoided.

The Long Princess forced the original owner to marry him and sent him to the countryside, claiming that Ying Ziyang must follow his husband, intending to disgrace him. Besides, if Ying Ziyang married, he could not retain his heir status, and everything in the Anping Marquisate would naturally pass to Ying Ning.

Ying Ning and the Long Princess calculated everything but failed to realize that in plotting against Ying Ziyang, they also caused the Anping Marquisate to lose face.

Ying Ziyang knew this was all a conspiracy. Unwilling to be manipulated, he thought it better to end his life, preserving the Marquisate’s dignity.

Ying Zhao arrived at the moment when the original owner had attempted suicide but was saved. In the original storyline, upon learning that his son had chosen to end his life, the Anping Marquis was heartbroken.

After repeated persuasion, Ying Ziyang gave up the idea of suicide. The Marquis truly loved Ying Ziyang and couldn’t bear to see his beloved son humiliated. However, the imperial decree was unavoidable, and he had to marry.

Even so, the Anping Marquis did not want the original owner to marry a rogue. He conspired with Ying Ziyang to bribe Huo Yi and then found someone to impersonate him, making them a nominal couple.

Unfortunately, Huo Yi was also greedy. After squandering the Marquis’s money, he sought greater benefits from the Marquisate. Huo Yi’s demands eventually exposed their secret arrangement.

This deceit was a crime of treason, implicating the entire Marquisate. Coincidentally, the old Emperor died, and the Second Prince Huangfu Zhaohong ascended the throne.

Although the Marquisate was spared due to the Long Princess’s status and Huangfu Zhaohong’s pardon, all blame fell on Ying Ziyang, who was executed. The Anping Marquis, heartbroken by his son’s death, aged overnight and died within a year.

Ying Ning inherited the Anping Marquisate and married Huangfu Zhaohong. Controlling the Marquisate, he became a significant power, and Huangfu Zhaohong did not overlook him.

Thus, Ying Ning became the first male consort of Dayu, and they ruled for decades, expanding the territory and being praised by future generations.

Seeing this, Ying Zhao showed a look of extreme disdain. Such a scummy couple being praised only showed how blind fate could be.

Having seen the entire plot, Ying Zhao naturally knew that Huangfu Zhaohong was the protagonist chosen by the world. He was a typical stallion protagonist, falling in love with everyone he met, leaving a trail of broken hearts everywhere.

Huangfu Zhaohong lacked any outstanding abilities but would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, using all sorts of despicable means.

But perhaps because of the protagonist’s halo, once Huangfu Zhaohong pursued these people, they truly became deeply devoted to him, captivated by his sweet talk.

Of course, Huangfu Zhaohong didn’t always get his way. There were instances of failure, such as with the original owner, Ying Ziyang.

Ying Ziyang, though seemingly gentle on the surface, was very stubborn. He was not afraid of authority and refused to be humiliated. He firmly rejected Huangfu Zhaohong’s coercion and temptations, becoming a “white moonlight” in Huangfu Zhaohong’s heart.

At one point, Huangfu Zhaohong even considered him his true love. However, this so-called true love did not earn much tenderness from this chosen protagonist.

Huangfu Zhaohong was aware of the Long Princess’s persecution of the original owner. However, compared to the original owner, Ying Ning was easier to control and obedient to him.

Being with Ying Ning meant gaining the support of both the Long Princess and the Marquisate. So, faced with the original owner’s plight, Huangfu Zhaohong ultimately chose to turn a blind eye.

As for the original owner’s later execution, although he expressed some reluctance, he let it happen, revealing himself as a cold and selfish man.

Yet this kind of person relied on countless so-called lovers around him to offer advice and support, and with the backing of their powerful families, he maintained his throne. Even the so-called territorial expansions were achieved by his male confidants fighting on his behalf.

Ying Zhao couldn’t help but sneer in his heart. Such a promiscuous and incompetent person was truly repulsive. Since he had now replaced the original owner, he didn’t mind slapping these petty people in the face to avenge the original owner.

Currently, the Marquisate was managed by the Long Princess. Although Ying Zhao was indifferent to internal strife, he didn’t intend to hand over this large estate so easily.

Although the original owner’s father was genuinely affectionate towards his mother, his cowardice had allowed the Emperor to coerce him despite the residual prestige left by the old Marquis.

With a sigh in his heart, Ying Zhao found his entire body weak and limp. It seemed that the original owner had been mentally distressed and unable to eat, coupled with blood loss from wrist cutting, leaving him physically drained.

So, he instructed Xiao Bai in his mind, “Xiao Bai, help me adjust this body’s condition.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ying Zhao felt his body rapidly recovering. Having followed Ying Zhao through several worlds, Xiao Bai had grown more mindful and didn’t need further instructions, retaining some outward signs of weakness.

Thus, although Ying Zhao’s physical condition had completely recovered, his complexion remained pale, and the wounds on his wrists were still visible.

Feeling more comfortable, Ying Zhao called for a servant to prepare some food.

He naturally wouldn’t drink the bitter medicine, discreetly discarding it instead since his body no longer had any issues.

After some warm porridge, Ying Zhao felt a bit more energized. He then thought of asking Xiao Bai about the original owner’s wishes.

Xiao Bai responded to Ying Zhao’s question, “Ying Ziyang’s wish is to avoid such humiliation and to ensure the Anping Marquisate continues without falling into the hands of the Long Princess and her son.”

After hearing this, Ying Zhao nodded, finding it consistent with the original owner’s mindset. Although he had to deal with a lot of troubles right after crossing over, he was also curious about the whereabouts of his soulmate in this lifetime. 

Reviewing all the characters and the original owner’s memories, he found none fitting his lover’s profile.

When asked, Xiao Bai revealed that the soul fragment was within the Marquisate, which reassured Ying Zhao. Knowing his lover was close by, he believed that even if he didn’t search, the other would soon appear before him.

Given the current troubles, there was no rush. With this understanding, Ying Zhao called for a servant to invite the Marquis of Anping.

Before long, the Marquis arrived in Ying Zhao’s room, looking pleased that Ying Zhao had summoned him.

The Marquis sat by Ying Zhao’s bed, gazing at him with concern and a hint of caution. After a moment, he said, “Ziyang, it is your father’s fault that you have suffered!”

Ying Zhao shook his head at the Marquis’s words. “Father, you need not blame yourself excessively. This matter is not your fault. Regardless, I am the heir to the Anping Marquisate. Whether this marriage is genuinely for the Emperor’s health or a deliberate scheme, you know well. Such humiliation affects not just me but the entire Marquisate. I’d rather end my life than let you suffer.”

Hearing this, the Marquis was overwhelmed with grief, nearly in tears. Reflecting on the loyal legacy of the Marquisate, he felt his generation had been too mediocre.

He was well aware that this was a ploy by the Long Princess to eliminate Ying Ziyang and pave the way for her son.

If Ying Ziyang married someone else as a male spouse, he could no longer retain his heir status, and the Marquisate would naturally fall to Ying Ning.

Looking at Ying Zhao’s pale face, the Marquis clenched his fists and made up his mind. He said to Ying Zhao:

“Ziyang, with the Emperor’s safety as a reason, our Marquisate cannot avoid this marriage. For my sake, do not seek death again. But I have investigated Huo Yi and his background. I have decided to bribe him and find someone to impersonate him to marry you.”

Ying Zhao felt that this was expected. In the original storyline, the Marquis had found a substitute for Huo Yi and bribed Huo Yi with silver.

But now, Ying Zhao was unwilling to follow the original owner’s path. He openly said to the Marquis of Anping:

“Child has already figured it out. Death will only bring pain to the loved ones and pleasure to the enemies. Since this marriage cannot be avoided, I will not refuse it. However, I also have no intention of giving up the title of heir.”

“This…” The Marquis of Anping naturally hoped that Ying Zhao could inherit the title, but he didn’t have a good solution. Just as he was in a dilemma, Ying Zhao continued:

“Father, rather than having me marry as a male consort, why not invite a son-in-law to the Marquisate? This would also align with the requirements of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and I can retain my position as heir.”

Hearing Ying Zhao’s suggestion, the Marquis of Anping’s eyes lit up. This was indeed a good idea, and he immediately nodded in agreement.

Ying Zhao then asked, “Father, since you plan to find someone to replace that Huo Yi, you must have someone in mind. After all, this person will become my nominal husband. May I know who you have chosen?”

The Marquis of Anping walked to the door. As he had just entered the room, he had sent the servants away. Seeing that there were no others outside, he clapped his hands twice, and two black-clad figures instantly appeared.

Ying Zhao saw the two people in black kneeling on the ground, respectfully addressing the Marquis as “Master.”

These two were bowing their heads, making it difficult to see their faces. However, from their attire and behavior, Ying Zhao knew they were likely the Marquis’s secret guards.

He wasn’t surprised; it was customary for noble households to have such secret guards.

The Marquis of Anping’s secret guards had all been personally selected by the old Marquis. They were orphans raised in the Marquisate and trained secretly.

There were only six of them, but they could hold their own against many. Only the old Marquis and the heir knew about them.

As expected, the Marquis of Anping introduced them, “Lu Yi and Lu San. Look up and let the heir see your faces.”

Lu Yi and Lu San both raised their heads. They avoided looking directly at Ying Zhao, clearly well-trained.

Ying Zhao nodded and first looked at Lu Yi. Lu Yi was quite handsome, always seeming to frown habitually when he spoke. He appeared to be a rather principled and rigid person.