It's Actually Not Easy Wanting to be a Supporting Male Lead Chapter 13 part3

Translated by Eve
Edited by Wuxian
Zhao Xihe was made dejected by Sui Yuan's response without a doubt. If it weren't for the location being too inappropriate at the moment, he would seriously want to press his lover, who always ruined the mood, down onto the desk and execute him on the spot. Of course, this was just an excuse that Zhao Xihe made up for himself. The true reason was that Sui Yuan had resisted him desperately.
When he thought about how his Creator could be watching him through Zhao Xihe's eyes while they did the deed, Sui Yuan felt his whole body become unwell. Although 5237 made a strong suggestion that he might as well smash apart the broken pot, Sui Yuan was not brazen enough—he didn't want to show his Creator any kind of unbearable situation where he would appear to lose all self-control.
……Although it's like what 5237 said, that it's something it can bear to see. It has probably already seen everything. QAQ
Zhao Xihe's expression was gloomy as he sat down on his chair. He stared at Sui Yuan who had hid in a corner of the room, itching to be farther away from him —the farther, the better— and was re-arranging his clothes that had been pulled into a mess with red ears. The low atmosphere of an approaching storm emitting from his body even scared the guards standing at the entrance of the Imperial study into shivers.
Zhao Xihe finally realized a grave issue at this moment. Is it possible that he had to be vegetarian until his family's beloved truly accepted himself? This was simply unbearable!
Before, although Sui Yuan was not quite one who was addicted to his desires, he had never rejected it. If Zhao Xihe wanted it, he would typically yield after making a show of resistance. Even if he was bullied into tears and end up vowing that he would no longer 'play' with Zhao Xihe, he was still unrepenting during their next time. Zhao Xihe, who had gotten used to Sui Yuan's indulgence, was unable to imagine the ascetic life he would have to lead from now on.
At present, Sui Yuan's refusal came from his heart. If Zhao Xihe wanted to force him, he'd have to prepare to have a genuine falling out with him. Of course, Zhao Xihe was not one to force others—he had quite a moral character. If you asked him to endure for a period of time, there was room for discussion. But if you asked him to endure for a whole world…hehe.
Sui Yuan was so beautiful and swaying right before him. Zhao Xihe truly did not know how long he could endure….
The consequence of a man's desire being left unfulfilled was that other people would end up out of luck. Zhao Xihe was unwilling to do anything to Sui Yuan but towards other people, he was not as affable.
After Sui Yuan got a hold of himself and fled out of the Imperial Study without any delay, the next person to knock against the muzzle of the gun was Situ Gui, worried and thus claimed to have matters to report.
The pitiful Situ Gui did not dare to renege his words, saying he actually did not have any matters to discuss just as he approached the front lines. If his 'Emperor Father's' mood was good, he may be lenient and let him off. However, if his mood was bad, this would be the crime of deceiving one's lord. Even if he isn't punished, he'd leave a bad impression upon his 'Emperor Father'. This would be extremely terrible for a prince who was striving for the Emperor's position.
Situ Gui who had no choice but to meet with the Emperor: "………………"
——Save me! Emperor Father's complexion is really ugly. QAQ
"You…don't have anything to report?" After all, Situ Gui had accompanied him here. Although Sui Yuan wanted to immediately get far away from Zhao Xihe, that beast, he still couldn't help but wait for his good brother who had dug a hole for himself. When he saw Situ Gui look aggrieved as if he had lost his parents, wobbling as he walked out looking frightened out of his mind, he immediately approached him, face full of concern.
Situ Gui seized Sui Yuan's shoulders, "Brother! What offense did you commit?! Did you not see how dark Emperor Father's face was~ I've never seen him so angry before!"
Sui Yuan coughed dryly and tried his best to make a helpless expression, "I really don't know ah! Emperor Father ordered me to cultivate my moral character and forbade me from going to those messy places anymore. I am also baffled, ne!"
Situ Gui furrowed his brows, sighing in puzzlement while shaking his head, "Emperor Father's way of thinking is getting increasingly enigmatic and impossible to predict…."
Sui Yuan："………………"
——Hehe, actually, what you want to say is that he is moody and that his menopause came early, ba?
Fortunately, aside from being scolded and being drowned in a torrent of abuse for some baffling reason, Situ Gui was not hurt seriously nor punished. As a prince who had a very strict Emperor Father, his ability to resist pressure was quite good. In other words, he was shameless. As long as his little actions in private were not exposed, to be scolded by his Emperor Father behind closed doors was nothing. Basically, Situ Gui did not care about it at all. Thus, baffled, he directly threw this matter to the back of his head, too lazy to think about it any further.
In order to prevent the girls in his beloved's rear court from causing a scene, Zhao Xihe reacted in a swift and decisive manner. As soon as Sui Yuan left the palace, he immediately passed on a decree: Having been scolded, the undignified and unladylike women in Xu Tu's harem were to speak and act with caution, properly abiding by the texts 'Commandments for Women' and 'Principles for Women'.
The pitiful women, who were delicate like flowers and precious as jade from Prince Xu's harem, were all scolded stupid. Before they had recovered from the attack that caused them to lose favor, another bolt from the blue sky came for them, making them completely incapable of holding on anymore!
The Emperor's admonishment was no small matter. It was a stain that remained for the rest of their lives. Not only did it affect themselves, it also influenced the reputation of their families and the future marriages of their sisters. The only thing to rejoice about was that the Emperor's decree did not mention anyone by name. Thus, it would be difficult for any one of them to be held accountable. In this way, they were able to barely comfort themselves. Only, while they had passed the days trembling in fear in the past, now, they had to be even more cautious, as if walking on thin ice.
Prince Xu Tu's rear court was enshrouded in a gloomy and depressed atmosphere. No one knew where this unexpected calamity had come from. However, the way of Heaven was difficult to fathom. They could only force themselves to accept it. Meanwhile, the Emperor's baffling action brought forth a spirited discussion amongst the people of the Capital but also scared them witless. Some people believed that Xu Tu, being too domineering and loose, had offended the Emperor and was thus spurned by him. Others believed that there was more to the story and that the Emperor's actions held another deeper meaning—as for what that deeper meaning was, that depended on who you asked.
In short, because of this decree, the hedonistic sons of the Capital all exercised restraint, afraid that they would be the next one to be reprimanded. Even the rear courts of the ministers became more solemn. All sorts of little tricks in the dark ceased.
For this reason, a crowd of Officials wrote letters of praise for the Emperor, one after another. They commended the Emperor's ability to see the big picture, managing to understand everything despite only being privy to a small part of the situation, and being able to purify the atmosphere of the Capital as a result. Seeing these letters, Zhao Xihe, who had choked on his own depressed air after Sui Yuan left the palace and did not return of his own volition, immediately laughed and directly sent them back with a word of criticism—if you have time to flatter me, why don't you do something useful?
We were reprimanded by the Emperor, what to do?! Then, we ought to attend to matters with haste, ah! Quickly, prove to the Emperor that we are extremely useful!
The singled-out Officials became so scared to the point of wanting to pee their pants! Can't you see? These past few days, the Emperor's mood has been exceedingly terrible. During morning court, his complexion gets darker with each consecutive day, and his method of dealing with the offensive ministers get more ruthless as well. In order not to suffer from the pond's calamity as well—and get fired from their position as an official—the Officials could only drag other people into the water and shift the Emperor's attention onto them instead.
Thus, hastily, all kinds of Officials who had greedily circumvented the law in the past to boast their easily-gained achievements, were exposed and presented to the Emperor. Thus, Zhao Xihe, who hated that the gloominess within him had no outlet for release, naturally accepted these targets for venting with cheer and without any politeness.
Zhao Xihe didn't care about the complicated and complex dispute between factions. With haste and decisiveness, he brandished his large brush and fired a heap of objectionable fellows. Aside from fellows that truly had committed large crimes, the rest of them were practically all Officials that had become the henchmen of the princes, helping them in the battle for succession, gaining benefits in return. There was nothing he could do. Who let Zhao Xihe's hate for Lord Plot deepen like this? Once he saw this familiar name, he immediately felt deeply unhappy.
The Emperor had ascended the throne many years ago. He had lofty aspirations and made vigorous efforts to build a strong country. He had long since become the sole wielder of all the power and authority in the country. In addition, there was conclusive evidence against the Officials, so no one dared to write a letter and try to prevent this great purge from occurring. Furthermore, considering how indifferent the Emperor was towards the purge this time, people secretly feared and thought that he had his eyes on them for a while now, and was merely waiting calmly for an opportunity to act.
Officials that were honest and upstanding all clapped their hands and said 'good!'. Meanwhile, those with black histories tucked their tails between their legs and behaved with integrity. People were too busy looking after themselves, who would dare stick their own head out? After a period of tidying up, thousands of people praised the Emperor as being virtuous, upright, and outspoken. His reputation travelled far and wide, making people increasingly unwilling to scheme beneath his eyes.
Of course, the little factions that the princes had roped together were completely torn apart. What scared them even more was the thought of their Emperor Father having seen through their little tricks, causing them to lose his favour. Immediately, each of them withdrew into themselves and curbed their behaviour, not daring to rush indiscriminately into action.
Zhao Xihe who was originally just venting his sulky feelings："……………………"
Sui Yuan who was the main culprit for everything that occurred："……………………"
5237："…Hehe, Zhao Xihe dada, the people who are in the know understand that you were only angry, but those that weren't in the know must think that you want to turn into a Destroyer, ne! Is there really nothing wrong seeking death like this?
"I really don't know what Emperor Father is thinking…" Situ Gui, who was attacked and thus could not sleep easy for a few nights in a row, had a face full of exhaustion. He fretted, "There was not even the slightest rumour and then this suddenly occurred…ai, the people who I considered thoroughly before bribing have decreased in number. Damn it, Xu Tu, so you think Emperor Father really knows something?"
Sui Yuan, who held a guilty conscience, silently sipped his tea. He raised his head to glance at Situ Gui, "I also do not know."
Situ Gui stood up, pacing back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back, "If we were to trace this back to the source…it seems to be the Officials' letters which came about when Emperor Father had called you into the palace and then proceeded to scold your harem in that decree…."
Sui Yuan silently facepalmed.
"I don't understand. I really don't understand," Situ Gui heaved a long sigh, "Just what is Emperor Father planning, ah…."
Sui Yuan："……………………"
——Hehe, if you could understand, it'd be strange! Normal people fundamentally cannot keep up with Zhao Xihe's thoughts that are like that of a crazy person!
After he said a few comforting words to Situ Gui to relieve his anxiety and keep his head Sui Yuan hesitated for a long time after leaving the Second Prince's gardens. Finally, he had no choice but to head towards Zhao Xihe to compromise.
This scoundrel feared nothing in Heaven or on Earth. He basically did not care about what kind of mess the plot turned into. However, Sui Yuan was afraid, ah! If he continued to ignore his actions and allowed him to completely extinguish the hard work the princes made in secret, what would the princes use to fight over the inheritance? Would they draw straws or play rock paper scissors?!
After many days, Sui Yuan finally took the initiative to meet with His Majesty. After obtaining permission, he was taken into the Imperial garden.
The flora in the Imperial garden were all exquisite and peerless. The scenery was magnificent, making people want to linger. After learning that Sui Yuan wanted to come, Zhao Xihe immediately shooed everyone out of the Imperial garden, afraid that Sui Yuan would encounter some concubine who did not know how to be cautious and would offend him or flirt with him. Of course, the latter was the more important point.
As for Zhao Xihe himself, he sat down leisurely and comfortably within the pavillion. Before him, fragrant tea leaves and pastries were arranged. He sat there, looking around in anticipation.
The eunuchs and palace maids that served him were simply moved to tears. The uninterrupted gloomy rain that lasted for so many days finally cleared. Although they did not know what had happened, they however wanted to give the self-sacrificing Xu Tu 233 likes for making His Majesty put on a happy face, ah!
Whoever started the problem should end it. The Emperor's low mood started with Prince Xu Tu and subsequently affected a countless number of people in and out of the palace. It was likely that only Xu Tu could put an end to this.
Sui Yuan, who didn't know that he had already been considered the Saviour in the delusions of the palace people, walked all the way here, his heart especially conflicted. He knew that he couldn't continue avoiding Zhao Xihe and invariably refuse his intimacy. He felt that he should have a good talk with Zhao Xihe and ask him to give him some more time to adapt. Meanwhile, he also needed to act with practicality and settle this issue.
…However, once he thought about his Creator, he still felt guilty. What was that all about? QAQ
Because there were no outsiders, Sui Yuan was much more relaxed for his second meeting with the Emperor. He completely threw out all the etiquette he had 5237 shove in his brain. He didn't expect that although he was not following customs, Zhao Xihe was doing so even less. Before Sui Yuan had found his footing beside himself, he had been dragged into Zhao Xihe's impatient arms.
"You little scoundrel. You're finally willing to see me?" Zhao Xihe's tone was aggrieved. He was snubbed by his beloved and made to stay alone at home for so long that he had already reached his patience's limit. If it wasn't for his rationality telling him that he shouldn't force Sui Yuan, he would probably have snuck into the prince's residence and taken advantage of Sui Yuan being caught off guard to do the deed.
Sui Yuan felt a bit guilty and ashamed at Zhao Xihe's complaints. His attitude naturally softened. As long as it wasn't doing that 'thing', he was still able to accept a little intimacy. Thus, Sui Yuan tried his best to adapt to his lover's identity in this way.
Sui Yuan spoke his thoughts that previously percolated in his mind to Zhao Xihe. Naturally, Zhao Xihe felt endlessly gratified upon hearing this and readily agreed to give him time. He painstakingly limited his actions into the range of what Sui Yuan was willing to accept, taking things step by step. Although he wouldn't be able to be satisfied until a long while later, in any case, he was still able to console himself with thoughts of being able to fulfill his desires one day. It was much better than knowing he'd never get what he wanted.
"However, the important part is that you must stay far, far away from the women in your rear court!" After acting affectionate and intimate with Sui Yuan for a while, Zhao Xihe still constantly thought about the matter that worried about him the most.
"You know that I won't ever like them…" Sui Yuan felt quite helpless. His sweetheart's possessiveness was so strong and was easily jealous. It was simply too annoying.
"I know that you won't like them but I still can't bear the possibility of them touching you," Zhao Xihe's expression became gloomy.
"I won't let them touch me," Sui Yuan knew that he should not oppose Zhao Xihe right now and couldn't help but smooth out his fur, "Don't you trust me?"
"I trust you but I don't trust those women," Zhao Xihe lowered his head and lightly bit at Sui Yuan's lips in punishment, "Didn't you see and learn first hand from the plot the methods women will use in the battle within the household? You are their only path to nobility. For the sake of fighting for your love, what won't they do? They are unbridled in their ferocity when dealing with their enemies. They have a numerous variety of ways to make you 'favour' them and be attracted to them, making you addicted to them. There are a countless number of aphrodisiacs. You can't guard against them. I'm afraid that one day I will suddenly receive news that you had accidentally been eaten clean by some woman."
Zhao Xihe's worries were not unfounded. The fight within the residence and palace was a big part of this world. Although the plot was limited to the protagonist shou's life within the Grand Secretary's residence and the residence of the Fourth Prince, other residences were also affected and were evidently unclean. Otherwise, the matters within the plot would seem too abrupt and illogical. It couldn't be just these two homes that had a murky atmosphere and were a crazy mess, ba?
As for Zhao Xihe's decree before, it was a deliberate show of strength as a warning, preventing the women in Sui Yuan's harem from making any actions in the dark. Although this kind of method was effective for a while, he did not believe that it would keep the women in their place for the rest of their lives. He needed to be even more thorough and make sure future dangers would be prevented while resolving this issue.
Obviously, Sui Yuan had seen the savage methods used in harem politics. Once he recalled them, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Each world would always contain a highly dangerous element, and the protagonist would always be in the center of it.
The rear court, although it was a rather ordinary-sounding place, all sorts of traps, poisons, hired assassins and all sorts of schemes could be found everywhere. It was even more frightening than the worlds Sui Yuan had experienced before, including the Wuxia, cultivation, and vampire worlds. Perhaps the harems of the other worlds were not as exaggerated. However, it was obvious that this world does not make that list.
Sui Yuan liked to proceed in a clean, happy manner. He really could not bear with elaborate and refined schemes! Moreover, most important was that his inner court not be depicted within the plot. Only Heaven knew what he would encounter. Reportedly, women without favour or son would be ruthless in fighting for his lower half for all their lives.
Knowing that Zhao Xihe was thinking for his own good, Sui Yuan swallowed and quickly softened his voice, "…I will be careful. What's more, don't I also have 5237 here to help monitor things?"
Zhao Xihe shot a glance at him in disdain, "I don't trust your IQ or EQ. As for 5237, hehe, it is even more unreliable than you."
Sui Yuan & 5237："………………QAQ"
——Such a poisonous tongue, he is definitely my Creator/Boss!
Eve: ZXH has come such a long way~ He's willing to be patient and not force bb SY aw. …Still a pervert though.