Chapter 6: Chapter Six In Broad Daylight, Snatching a Man in the Streets…

Chapter Six: In broad daylight, under the clear sky, a man is being forcibly seized on the street...

"Are you certain you want me to be a Male Favorite?"

Wei San thought he must have misheard and asked for confirmation once more.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling; he just couldn’t quite understand. For no apparent reason, why would the Master want someone to pose as his Male Favorite?

But he wouldn’t ask too many questions. The Master’s decisions always had their reasons. As subordinates, their duty was simply to follow orders.

Unaware of his thoughts, Duan Lin gradually nodded and said, "It’s true."

Early in the morning, the Prince had sent a secret letter, explicitly demanding that an Assassin pretend to be a Male Favorite for a period of time. The Prince’s requirements weren’t particularly high: the person had to have fair skin, beautiful features, a slender waist, long legs, stand over six feet tall, possess rosy lips and white teeth, and ideally have a pair of alluring peach-blossom eyes.

As Duan Lin mulled it over, it seemed as if the letter practically called out Wei San by name.

He couldn’t help but ask Wei San, "Has the Prince seen your face?"

Wei San replied with certainty, "Never."

Assassins guarded the Master from the shadows, and task handovers were only done with the Chief. Even when in the Master’s presence, they would always be masked or wearing a human-skin mask.

Even if all the Assassins were to remove their disguises and stand before the Master, he wouldn’t be able to match them to their roles.

"It must be a coincidence, then," Duan Lin concluded.

Worried that Wei San might be uncomfortable with this assignment, he offered a few words of comfort before emphasizing the things to watch out for, particularly the Prince’s preferences and taboos. After all, even though this Male Favorite mission was merely acting in public, it still involved serving the Prince in close proximity. Certain matters required extra attention to avoid offending him or causing displeasure.

To ensure he wouldn’t forget, Wei San carefully noted everything down in a notebook.

Seeing his diligence, Duan Lin felt reassured and urged him to complete the task flawlessly, making sure not to hold the Prince back.

Wei San suddenly felt the weight of pressure. Having fought his way up from the Assassin camp, he had only ever been an Assassin. Playing the role of a Male Favorite was like a bride getting into the bridal sedan for the first time—utterly unfamiliar.

Fearing he wouldn’t perform well or act convincingly enough, he even went undercover in a male brothel to carefully observe the manners and behaviors of the young men there.

In the end, however, he couldn’t pick up even a shred of their ways, as he simply couldn’t bring himself to imitate their affectations and bashful, coquettish demeanor.

Being a Male Favorite was far more challenging than being an Assassin. It seemed his Assassin career was about to record its first failure.

Wei San stood sighing by the willow tree at the bridgehead.

The imperial examinations were approaching, and the capital was filled with candidates from all over who had come to participate. Blending in among them, Wei San wore a scholar’s robe, carried a book hamper, and had a hairpin with floral decoration tucked into his hair. With his fair and delicate face, he looked every bit the gentle, bookish scholar—a fair-skinned young man devoted to studying the classics. Passing girls stole glances at him, and occasionally one or two bolder ones would toss her handkerchief in his direction before quickly walking away.

Wei San had already been hit by four or five handkerchiefs. He felt quite vexed but dared not leave.

The day before, the Chief had brought him a set of scholar’s clothes and instructed him to disguise himself and wait here. Without any further guidance on what to do, Wei San could only stand there idly, not daring to venture elsewhere for fear of jeopardizing the Master’s important business.

He waited all morning, long enough to wonder if he had mistaken the date. Just as he lowered his head to recollect, he suddenly heard the voices of several young ladies chatting not far away. Their voices sounded familiar, like those of the maids who attended closely to the Master.

Following the sound, he looked up and immediately spotted His Highness the Virtuous Prince surrounded by a group of elaborately dressed court ladies.

His eyes lit up, thinking, "So the Master has indeed arrived."

Forgetting his current role, he instinctively shifted to hide under the shade of the tree, intending to protect the Master from the shadows. But the moment he shifted, the Master, who had been speaking with a court lady beside him, suddenly looked up and met his gaze.

Wei San came to his senses. Right, his current identity was that of a scholar who had just arrived in the capital with no acquaintances—not the Virtuous Prince’s Assassin.

Wei San forcibly suppressed his ingrained habits and simultaneously forced himself to look away from the Master, continuing to pretend he was waiting for someone.

On the opposite side of the arched bridge, Wei Zheng's gaze never left the assassin. He had always known the assassin was good-looking, but he never imagined that he, dressed in scholar's robes, would be so captivating.

Under the willow tree, the scholar appeared refined and handsome, his head bowed demurely. Willow tendrils gently brushed past the red flower by his ear, making the scene as beautiful as a painting.

He suddenly felt an itch in his heart, his mind already picturing pulling him into his embrace, taking the flower by his ear with his lips, sucking and toying with it.

"Your Highness, what are you looking at?"

The court lady beside him had spoken a few words but received no response. Following his gaze, she also noticed the scholar under the willow tree.

He was a rare beauty. With a sidelong glance at the prince, who was clearly mesmerized, she smiled and asked, "Your Highness, do you know that scholar?"

Though her lips curved into a smile, her eyes were cold, as if she were calculating something.

"I don't," Wei Zheng replied without turning his head. "But soon, I will get to know this beauty."

He seemed spellbound by the sight, staring foolishly with a dazed smile.

Seeing his expression, the court lady dismissed her suspicions but soon had a bad feeling. She had always known the prince was a lover of beauty, which was why all the maids around him were elegant and beautiful.

Just as she was about to remind the prince it was time to leave, she saw him suddenly turn and call over the guard captain following at a distance. Pointing at the scholar, he said, "See that beauty?"

Though puzzled, the guard obediently nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."

"Go and bring him to my manor. I want that scholar."

Wasn't this blatantly snatching a civilian man right on the street?

The Virtuous Prince held his head high with pride, utterly unaware of how shocking his words were.

The guard, a simple man who followed orders, did as he was told. Immediately, he and two colleagues strode over with a menacing air.

"Wh-what are you trying to do?"

The scholar, clearly caught off guard by this confrontation, tried to maintain composure but couldn't hide his panic.

The guard shook the sword at his waist, speaking menacingly, "Our prince demands you come. Will you come with us willingly, or shall we escort you?"

"What if I refuse?" The scholar clutched his sleeves, his slender frame trembling slightly from fear and tension.

The guard snorted dismissively. "Consider it an honor our prince noticed you. With your tender skin, it'd be wise to come quietly and spare yourself the pain."

The scholar grew even more terrified, his face pale and eyes reddening, a truly pitiful sight indeed.

The court lady hadn't expected things to take such a turn. Before she could intervene, the guards had already surrounded the scholar, and her prince was shouting, "Be gentle! Don't harm my beauty."

The commotion on the bustling street drew the attention of passersby. Some recognized Wei Zheng's identity and, though too afraid to speak out, their eyes conveyed much.

Rumors said the Virtuous Prince was dim-witted and simple-minded, but now it seemed he was also high-handed and despotic, seizing a civilian man in broad daylight!

The court lady felt her vision darken, as if she could already see herself having her head on the line.

She took a deep breath, pressed her fingers to her temples, and tried to stay calm.

"Your Highness, most scholars who come to the capital for the exams are exam-qualified provincial graduates. This is out of line!"

But Wei Zheng wouldn't listen. "So what if he's a graduate? If I want him, I'll have him."

The court lady tried to make an emotional appeal, appealing to his reason, but Wei Zheng was already losing patience with how slow the guards were and took matters into his own hands.

Wei San, having grown up, found that deeds like murder and arson came naturally to him, but he was utterly incapable of acting.

He exchanged a glance with Wei Jiu, who was disguised as a guard: "Why not just knock me out and take me away?"

Wei Jiu kept a stern face, his gaze shifting aside: "The master forbids it."

Wei San: "…………"

He probably couldn’t keep up this frail scholar act any longer!

Just as Wei San was considering whether to maintain the scholar’s dignity by resisting to the death or simply jump into the river to prove his integrity, Wei Zheng finally arrived late.

He scolded the guards, "If you can’t even manage to 'invite' someone properly, what use are you?"

The guards kept their eyes downcast, none daring to argue.

Without another word, Wei Zheng seized the scholar’s wrist and ordered, "Hurry up and bring the carriage! This prince intends to have a long, intimate conversation with this beauty today."

So terrified he was on the verge of fainting, the scholar pleaded with his eyes, desperately scanning the faces in the crowd. But those present were all commoners, and even if there were any from noble families, none would risk offending the emperor's highly favored Virtuous Prince for the sake of a poor scholar.

Cornered by villains with no hope of rescue, the light in the scholar’s eyes dimmed. Perhaps the shock was too much—he fainted on the spot.

This little assassin sure knew how to act, Wei Zheng thought gleefully. He swept the scholar up into his arms and, followed by his guards and maids, strutted off triumphantly.

News of the Virtuous Prince forcibly abducting a scholar spread like wildfire to the palace. The old emperor, upon hearing the report from the chief eunuch, was so enraged he slammed down the memorial he was holding.

"Outrageous! He’s disgraced the entire royal family!"

The old emperor pressed his throbbing temples, feeling dizzy and speechless for a long moment.

The crown prince, Wei Heng, who was attending to him, pressed his lips together, secretly gloating but keeping a meek expression to avoid drawing the old emperor’s wrath.

The chief eunuch hardly dared to breathe.

After a while, when the old emperor had calmed down somewhat, he waved to the chief eunuch: "Zhao Fu, have the Virtuous Prince summoned to the palace. I want to see what kind of spectacle he’s trying to create!"

The old emperor was clearly furious, directly using the Virtuous Prince’s title.

The chief eunuch broke into a cold sweat for the Virtuous Prince and hurriedly acknowledged the order to deliver the decree.

Only the old emperor and the crown prince remained in the study. The crown prince, who had been keeping a low profile, stepped forward and began gently massaging the old emperor’s temples.

After nearly half an hour, seeing the old emperor gradually calming down, he casually spoke up in Wei Zheng’s defense.

"Seventh has always been direct and naive, doing as he pleases. But Seventh is not unreasonable. If Your Majesty speaks with him properly, why resort to such anger?"

Ostensibly defending Wei Zheng, he was actually implying that Wei Zheng acted recklessly and showed no regard for the old emperor.

Sure enough, the old emperor’s anger flared up again at his words.

"Direct? If he dares to forcibly seize an innocent commoner today, will he dare to overthrow the heavens tomorrow?"

"This Seventh needs to be taught a proper lesson!"