Chapter 16: Emperor Qin and Fu Su
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Sulo
This was the first time Wen Yu had been to Uncle Zhao’s workplace.
It was not in a bustling business district but in a quiet courtyard1, there was a simple black heavy wooden door and a hundred year old pomegranate tree in the courtyard. Even in winter, the tree was still thriving. Wen Yu even saw hanging fruit, and he was stunned.
It could also bear fruit even in this weather, was it fake?
Elder brother Meng Tian did not stop and led the way.
The zigzag ambulatory, carved beams and painted columns led directly to the rear. Wen Yu found that this was not only a quadrangle, but more like a palace he visited before.
Isn’t this too big? It wasn’t as if you could just buy this place when you’re wealthy. Plus, this place…
Wen Yu recalled the routes he took on his way over and he was confused. He had been in the university in Beijing for two years. At the beginning, he also went around with Gao Yang so he more or less knew the area, but he didn’t recall there being an ancient house here.
Out of the second arched gate, the cloister led to a two story building.
“Young master, His Maj— Master is waiting for you here.” With that, Meng Tian turned and closed the door to the arched gate.
The sound of the door slamming made Wen Yu shudder. Looking from left to right, there was water flowing under the corridor, and there were carp swimming back and forth. The distance between the cloister and the small building was only about ten meters. He advanced forward the stairs step-by-step. He had just stepped on the last section when two dark small doors slowly opened, revealing a tall figure.
When Wen Yu saw him, his face cleared up and he said happily, “Uncle.”
Zhao Zheng, behind the door, touched Wen Yu’s head. “Come on in.”
The lighting in the room was dim and the furnishings were simple and elegant. Wen Yu looked around and remembered the big pomegranate tree at the courtyard entrance. He wondered, “Uncle, the pomegranate tree at the entrance still bears fruit. Is it real or not?”
“It’s real.” Zhao Zheng, afraid of the glutton Wen Yu was, said, “Not edible.”
It was real but he couldn’t eat it? Wen Yu thought about it. So it borne fruit long ago, it must be rotten now. He couldn’t see them clearly just now. Of course, he wouldn’t want to eat it.
Wen Yu wanted to beat himself after he had finished thinking about it. He clearly came to see Uncle Zhao to — and now he was talking about pomegranates. He couldn’t help looking at Uncle Zhao, who was wearing a black turtleneck. When he looked at him, the man’s eyes also suddenly turned to him, and their eyes happened to meet.
“Something’s up today.” Zhao Zheng used an affirmative tone.
Wen Yu swallowed and nodded, “I have something to confirm.”
Zhao Zheng sat on the chair next to Wen Yu, nodded his head and signalled for Wen Yu to speak.
At this time, the door opened. A young man came in with a pot of hot tea and poured it for them. With a wave of Zhao Zheng’s hand, the man left respectfully and closed the door behind him. In the room, it was back to only two of them.
In the closed space, Wen Yu thought about Gao Yang and Meng Jiang, and the scene of meeting Zhao Zheng. He suddenly realized that he could clearly remember when he first met Uncle Zhao. Even though it was the first time, he could still remember the style of leather shoes he wore.
The more he thought about it, the faster his heart pounded. He grabbed Uncle Zhao’s arm and nearly knocked over the teacup in front of him.
“Uncle.” Wen Yu looked into Zhao Zheng’s eyes carefully.
Zhao Zheng hadn’t seen Wen Yu’s so full of emotions, he was a mixture of agitation, excitement, expectation and even fear. But in the end, they were beautiful and gentle, firm and bright.
Wen Yu firmly and seriously exclaimed, “Zhao Zheng, I like you.”
Once Wen Yu said this, he gave a big sigh of relief and was in a relaxed mood. The moment he said it, he knew his real feelings.
He liked Zhao Zheng.
Wen Yu looked at Zhao Zheng and waited for a reply. He thought that no matter how Uncle Zhao answered, even if he refused, he would not be discouraged. Uncle Zhao tolerated him and doted on him. Thinking of this, Wen Yu was shocked. Suddenly, he seemed to realize that no distant relative would be that good to a stranger, so did that mean Uncle Zhao like him, too?
He thought of both good and bad consequences, except one point.
Zhao Zheng was shocked when he heard it, and then he laughed happily. Wen Yu was embarrassed by the laugh, and looked at Uncle Zhao with his head askew, only to see Uncle Zhao reaching out and ruffling his hair.
“It must be fate. I like you, too.” Wen Yu’s eyebrows brightened and his face ached. Uncle Zhao pinched his cheek and said, “It’s really a father and son’s nature to like each other.”
Father and son?
Wen Yu’s smile froze on his face, remembering that his parents in Yuncheng said that he had been adopted, and thinking of that possibility, the stars in his eyes disappeared. His lips trembled, like he was about to cry, “You, what — ” He could not go on.
Uncle Zhao doted on him and approached him for no reason, maybe not because he liked him, but because he was his——
He couldn’t think about it.
Wen Yu grabbed Zhao Zheng’s arm, he felt like he was drowning.
“What’s that look for?” Zhao Zheng didn’t understand. He stood in front of Wen Yu and reached for Wen Yu’s head. “I finally — “
“I don’t want to listen.” Wen Yu yelled and stood up abruptly. He only reached Zhao Zheng’s chin. Without thinking, he reached up to hug Zhao Zheng’s neck. Standing on his tiptoes, he kissed the slightly thin and cold lips.
Zhao Zheng was unprepared. His lips were soft and affectionate. He put his hands in the air for a long time and finally pushed Wen Yu away.
“I love you, between two men.” Wen Yu said, he was crying, “I don’t want you to be my father, okay?”
Zhao Zheng looked at Wen Yu with complicated eyes, and there was still a taste of Wen Yu on his lips. He licked it, but his raised hand came down at last, and touched Wen Yu’s face. “Boys shouldn’t cry, don’t be a girl.”
Without waiting for Wen Yu to speak, Zhao Zheng led Wen Yu out of the door and said, “I’m not the father who abandoned you.”
Wen Yu’s tightly clenched heart loosened, and his eyes looked at Zhao Zheng’s tall back. Zhao Zheng looked back with a hard voice, said, “I should have let you know earlier.”
What does he mean?
As long as he’s not his Father. Wen Yu’s eyelids were cold. Zhao Zheng’s fingers brushed against his eyelids and Wen Yu felt the cold of Zhao Zheng’s fingertips. Zhao Zheng only looked cold and tough, but he was the most tolerant and indulgent person.
When the fingertips moved away, Wen Yu was disappointed. Why didn’t his fingers linger longer?
His eyes seemed to be separated by a layer of tulle, which was hazy. He could not help rubbing his eyes. The fog in his eyes disappeared. What had covered his eyes was like a layer of black fog, the same in which these pavilions and attics were engulfed in.
Through the fog, he could see an endless crowd. They were wearing down jackets and seemed to be in a hurry. Wen Yu could tell it was the supermarket at a glance. He often went there, since it was close to his job but there was no courtyard near the supermarket.
It was like the modern world had a small dimension in it, isolated from the rest of the world, and those who walked by didn’t seem to see them. Wen Yu saw the pomegranate tree at a glance, hidden in the black fog. The branches and leaves were releasing slivers of black fog, like it was supporting this small dimension.
Zhao Zheng reached out his hand and a marble appeared in his palm. The marble glowed in the black fog and the tall pomegranate tree disappeared in an instant. The fog in front of them also dispersed, and twenty people came forth slowly. Most of them were in armor and robes, all of them in ancient style.
Wen Yu was so shocked that he couldn’t speak.
“Your Majesty.” The soldiers were powerful, with unified movements and half-kneeling in the fog. Wen Yu recognized the leader at a glance, it was Meng Tian.
Zhao Zheng didn’t speak. His gaze moved towards Wen Yu, who was still in a daze. With a wave of his hand, the two have arrived at the villa.
Bright lights, glossy floor and the warm sofas.
Wen Yu stood in place, Zhao Zheng approached in two steps, and Wen Yu fell on the sofa, “Who exactly are you?”
Zhao Zheng was a little surprised when he heard the question. He saw that although Wen Yu was shocked, he was not afraid. He couldn’t help laughing, “You are truly my child, Fu Su.” 2
“Fu Su?” Wen Yu pointed to himself and said the name aloud. Wen Yu looked up at Zhao Zheng and said, “You are Ying Zheng, the First Emperor.” 3
Zhao Zheng touched Wen Yu’s curly hair and praised, “Smart.”
“You are Fu Su, my first child, who has been reincarnated to this day.” Zhao Zheng raised his eyebrows and said, “There is no blood relation, but in my opinion, only you deserve to be called my son.”
The amount of information was too large. Wen Yu’s head turned like a lump of paste. It’s clear what Zhao Zheng said, but he felt confused, didn’t want to hear anything, and couldn’t accept anything.
How could he be Fu Su?
How could Uncle Zhao be the First Emperor?
Nonsense.
But the illusory scene just now was still clear in his mind. What was wrong with the world?
Wen Yu stood up and did not dare to look at Zhao Zheng. He was confused and said, “I want to leave here. I need to think about this.”
“No way,” said Zhao Zheng coldly, “You can take your time to calm down, but you can’t leave here.”
“Why?!” Wen Yu was angry, but when looked carefully, his eyes were full of confusion and grievances.
Zhao Zheng stood up. “This is your home. You cannot run away.” With a turn of his body, he disappeared.
Wen Yu stood silent for a while, the word ‘home’ stuck on his lips. Then he went straight to the bedroom on the second floor, packed his backpack and left.
He thought it was home, but it was not the same as Zhao Zheng’s “father and son” house or a ghost house… Wen Yu’s head was a mess. He held the key in his hand and carried his bag to leave straight away.
“Young master, where are you going? I’ll arrange the car for you.” The butler asked respectfully in a bow. Wen Yu saw the smiling face, it was too pale, and he finally understood that all the people here were not human.
“No need.” He just wanted to run away, run far away, and think about everything.
It was dark when the muddle-headed Wen Yu arrived at the door of his small apartment. When he opened the door, it was pitch black inside. It was cold in the room and seemed that he could freeze someone to death. It was ridiculous. Obviously, this was more like a place where people should live. While the villa was managed by ghosts, it still made him feel warmer than his own apartment.
Wen Yu was sitting on the sofa, and not long after, his face had gone blue from the cold.
“Young master, His Majesty asks that you please go home.”
There was a sound outside the door. Wen Yu recognized it. It was Meng Jiang.
He didn’t make a sound, but, in the next second, Meng Jiang walked through the door and stood in front of him. Seeing this, Wen Yu wanted to laugh, but he didn’t feel afraid.
“Meng Jiang is not your name, is it?” Wen Yu thought of the First Emperor’s general in history with the surname Meng——
Meng Jiang nodded, as if he knew what Wen Yu was going to say, and said, “My name is Meng Yi, Meng Tian is my elder brother.”
Wen Yu chuckled twice and looked up at Meng Yi. “Gao Yang doesn’t know your identity, does he? Do you have any guilt about making Gao Yang fall in love with you by weaving all these lies? Are you not afraid that he will find out the truth?”
He didn’t know if he was asking this about Gao Yang and Meng Yi, or himself.
The author has something to say:
Originally I wanted to be cruel, but I found that I wanted to eat a cookie. (T/N: Author wanted something sweet instead)
Translator Notes:
- A siheyuan is a historical type of residence that was commonly found throughout China, most famously in Beijing and rural Shanxi. Siheyuan refers to a courtyard with houses on four sides; a compound with houses around a courtyard Si He Yuan
- Fu Su was the eldest son of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang. His mother came from Zheng State and liked to sing the local ballad “On the Mountains are Good Trees”. In the ballad, ancient people used “Fu Su” to mean “good trees”. The Emperor took it as his son’s name and expected much of him. Learn more here.
- Ying Zheng was the first emperor of a unified China, so he proclaimed himself Qin Shi Huang ; 始皇帝 (Shi Huang Di) means First Emperor and because it was during the Qin Dynasty, hence Qin Shi Huang. Ying Zheng realized his ambition and built the first feudal and centralized empire in Chinese history in 221 BC. This was what we called — the Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC).
So, Zhao Zheng loves Wen Yu as a son or a lover? Poor Wen Yu. And what will happen to Gao Yang and Meng Yi? I hope everyone has happy ending.
I’m losing my mind here
So that’s the truth!!
But thanks still💖
IM-
*angry sigh*
*put away the phone*
*scream onto my pillow*
This whole chapter caught me off guard
Thank you for the translation,
Aww, it’s finally out, well, very much looking forward for the next chapters….. 😁
Well, some things were obvious from the synopsis but still hit me like a ton of bricks. Wen Yu, good luck sorting your feelings out.
Thank you for the chapter!
i.am.so.speechless. 😐
hang in there Wen Yu…
Thank you for the chapter. 😊💕
O_O OK I expected that the confession won’t go well but I’ve never expected this… O_o There are still have 9 chapters to go, so I’ll keep my cool until all of this is explained.
Thank you for the chapter!!!
P.S. why can’t this be turned into a movie? TT_TT
“It must be fate. I like you, too.”
“It’s really a father and son’s nature to like each other.”
:'< my heart hurt a little (or so much) when I heard(read) it…
Can't wait for the next chapter, thk you for your hard work… Hwaiting ExR~
What what what?! What a trauma for Wen Yu. He finally likes someone and it resulted like this?! Is he really his reincarnated son?
Thanks for the chapter!
I’m confused what is a son with no blood relation in ancient times ?
Thanks for the chapter
Ohhhhh….. I know the first emperor. He was also a character in Ghost know what I experienced.
I feel like the first emperor is a very popular historical figure in China.