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Yan Xiaowang For twenty-seven years, the Yan Kingdom was forced into war, and Crown Prince Yan Dan personally led the charge. On the battlefield, he swung his long sword and shouted, "You brat, I will take your head as a sacrifice."
The ministers were all shocked and said, "The Crown Prince's voice is as loud as a bell; it is indeed remarkable."
From then on, it boosted morale, and the Yan Kingdom gained fame in battle. However, later generations could not help but wonder who the brat referred to.
《Yan Family——Crown Prince Yan Dan Chapter Five》
He had been dreaming, returning to his past, back to when he was eleven years old.
That year was when he first arrived in the Chu Kingdom. He thought that leaving Wei Palace would allow him to escape from one person, Shang Dafu Lou Jie of Wei Kingdom, who was also the younger brother of the Lao Shi Lou family.
But fate did not favor him; this devilish person appeared before him like a ghost three months after he settled in Proton Manor in Chu.
The first three months at Proton Manor were the happiest of his eleven years. Because of Yan Dan, his life suddenly became fulfilling and beautiful. At his strong request, his courtyard was very close to that of Crown Prince Dan, separated by only a wall.
He desperately wanted to build a good relationship with her and found various excuses to visit her almost every day. Sometimes he would deliver a message or bring a gift—tasks that could easily be handled by servants—but he insisted on doing them himself. All just to make her remember that there was someone named Gongzi Zhongxue living next door.
His strategy worked well; Yan Dan remembered him. Soon after, she began inviting him to her courtyard for tea and snacks. She would share interesting stories from her childhood in Yan Palace, recounting how she and her brother Ji Shuqing spent their time together.
He loved listening to her; her voice was sweet, and her descriptions were captivating. Listening to her stories felt like being transported to Yan Palace, witnessing firsthand how two children played together. He deeply envied Ji Qi, even feeling a twinge of jealousy, which sparked a desire to possess her and experience that kind of happiness.
On sunny days, she invited him out for excursions and included him in gatherings of nobles. Gradually, he stepped into the circle of the Chu court and began interacting with those highborn young men.
At first, he did not like Crown Prince Yan; in fact, he felt some jealousy towards her. Why should she be so radiant and noble from birth, like pure white clouds? Meanwhile, he had to hide in darkness, constantly plotting against others.
He came from humble beginnings; his mother was a woman from Yue who had been captured after her kingdom fell and became a camp prostitute in Wei Kingdom. Later, during a war between Wei Kingdom and Zhao Kingdom, Wei Wang personally went to battle. After drinking too much one night, he summoned his mother and discovered she was pregnant. He then brought her back to Wei Palace as a maid. With such a lowly status, he was treated worse than the laundry maids in the palace. From birth, he had never been regarded as a person; from the moment he learned to eat, he learned to read people's expressions.
Wei Wang had long forgotten about having such a son; only when reminded that a son needed to be sent as a hostage did he recall his existence.
He came to the Chu Kingdom on a mission; Wei Wang had sent him as a spy, requiring him to report any intelligence gathered at regular intervals. He had to complete this task well; otherwise, no one would remember him or bring him back.
Every three months, someone from Wei Kingdom would come to collect information. When he discovered that this person was Luo Jie, all his good spirits and quiet life were stripped away. He became fearful, sensitive, and increasingly resentful towards others. This was merely the beginning of his nightmare.
Luo Jie had a preference for young boys, and the older they got, the more he favored them. During his time in the Wei Kingdom, there were several occasions when he nearly fell victim to his schemes. Now in the State of Chu, he felt like a lonely cat thrown onto a bed, stripped of its fur, as if someone were about to gut him. The heavy force and rough movements inflicted pain on every inch of his skin.
After Luo Jie left, he couldn't get out of bed for an entire day. Even when he managed to get up and walk, it was painful. He couldn't lie down forever; he needed to eat and go to the bathroom, but to avoid being discovered by others, he had to pretend everything was normal.
His pride was strong; he didn't want anyone to see him like this. When he had no choice but to go out, he took paths less traveled by others, leaning against the wall and moving slowly.
After taking a few steps, his cheeks twitched from the pain. He leaned against the wall, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He pounded on the wall desperately, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the heartache. Gritting his teeth, he vowed that one day he would cut open Luo Jie’s chest, rip out his liver and crush it, and peel off his skin layer by layer to hang it on the city gate.
At that moment, he suddenly saw a pair of feet on the ground. Looking up, he immediately locked eyes with a pair of bright eyes.
Her posture was peculiar; she wasn't looking down from above but squatting on the ground with her head tilted in confusion as she stared at him. "Zhong Xue, are you sick?"
At that moment, Ji Zhongxue did not want to see her at all; he feared being looked down upon by others, especially her.
He gritted his teeth. "I'm fine."
How could he be fine? Seeing his hand resting on his backside, Yan Dan stroked her chin thoughtfully and then suddenly had an epiphany.
"Wait a moment." She called out and quickly ran away. In just a moment, she returned with one hand extended toward him, holding a small bottle in her pale palm.
Zhong Xue's heart stirred. "What is this?"
"Wound Medicine."
He hesitated for a moment, surprised that she cared about him enough to bring him Wound Medicine. Although the situation was awkward, she was indeed the first person ever to show concern for him.
But... did she already know what had happened? His heart raced; the fear of losing him was greater than when Luo Jie had assaulted him.
Seeing him like this, Yan Dan thought he was shy and smiled brightly. "I saw you walking unsteadily; you must be injured. Could it be hemorrhoids?"
Zhong Xue felt slightly embarrassed; he had overthought it. With her status as such a proud individual, how could she possibly be involved in such sordid matters?
He thanked her and tried to walk away while leaning against the wall but was grabbed by her arm.
She supported him, putting all his weight onto herself, as if she intended to carry him back like this. After struggling a bit without much success, he could only let her do as she wished. He secretly wondered how this child, who was only a year younger than him, could be so strong.
The two of them staggered back, and once inside the room, she settled him onto the bed and asked, "Do you want me to apply medicine for you?"
His face flushed. "No need."
He tightly gripped the bottle in his hand, feeling a mix of emotions. How could someone else apply medicine to a wound that he himself had suffered?
Because of this incident, he no longer felt as much hatred towards her as before; in fact, he sometimes thought of her as a very kind child—not hypocritical, but genuinely good to him.
From that day on, he became increasingly attached to her, even visiting her room regularly for tea.
The tea made by Yan Dan was different from others; it wasn't boiled but roasted using a special technique. The flavor was refreshing without a hint of bitterness. This was tea he had never seen before and had never heard anyone in the Seven Kingdoms mention drinking. The intricate skill was something she had created herself, which left him both amazed and slightly admiring.
She knew many things; her mind was like a treasure chest filled with countless novel ideas. Even the pastries served with tea would change into new varieties that one could never tire of. Among them was a flower cake made with fresh petals that tasted very sweet—his favorite.
He loved sweets and would always sprinkle a thick layer of powdered sugar on the pastries, making his heart feel sweet with every bite.
One time, Yan Dan asked him why he had such a sweet tooth. He replied that life had been too bitter for him, and without sweets, he felt he couldn't go on. At that moment, he didn't truly believe it was the reason; he just wanted to gain her sympathy. Perhaps even then, he didn't know why he craved sweetness.
Sure enough, after hearing his words, Yan Dan became quite sentimental. Every time she made pastries afterward, she would instruct the cooks to add more powdered sugar. But this special treatment would come to an end whenever Ji Xun arrived.
Ji Xun did not like sweets; he preferred savory food and enjoyed brewing tea with a slight bitterness. Whenever he came over, Yan Dan would inevitably prepare what he liked—ordering the chefs to make his favorite crispy soft cakes and bitter tea. As for him, he could only watch helplessly from the side, gritting his teeth in frustration and swallowing the tea as if it were medicine.
As long as Ji Xun was present, he would always be the one ignored. He hated Ji Xun for stealing her attention away from him, for making her consider only him in everything, and for filling her heart and eyes solely with thoughts of Ji Xun.
Conversely, he liked staying close to Yan Dan; the more affection he felt for her, the more hatred he harbored for Ji Xun.
Perhaps at first, his intention was to curry favor with her—to live well in Chu State, to suffer less bullying, and to rely on her to eventually return to Wei Kingdom. But gradually, these intentions became natural; he grew accustomed to following her around. Even just watching her warmed his heart.
Yan Dan loved to laugh and smiled at everyone; her laughter had a great infectious quality. Every time she laughed, it melted away all his anger. Her smile seemed like a magical elixir that could heal all his ailments and mend his battered body and soul.
To see her radiant smile each time, he did everything possible to please her—whatever she liked, he would do.
Yan Dan liked swords; her teacher was one of the most famous Masters in the Six Kingdoms. He also learned swordsmanship, traveling far and wide to seek out renowned teachers, spending all his savings in the process.
Yan Dan loved music and played the xiao beautifully. He went to study music, learning to compose bells from the court musicians of the State of Chu. To master the craft, he even knelt down to help those musicians with their shoes.
Yan Dan enjoyed food, so he practiced his culinary skills diligently. Others laughed at him for not being manly enough, but he didn't care.
Yet even so, in her heart, he could never compare to Ji Xun. That person simply smiled; even without doing anything, he could effortlessly win her heart.
Later, he became the Chengyang Jun of Wei Kingdom and flayed Doctor Lou alive, hanging his skin on the gates of Anyi City for all to see. The world deemed him cruel and heartless, but even flaying Luo Jie could not heal the wounds he had suffered.
It was like being cursed by a poison, shadowing him relentlessly with no cure. At times, it would involuntarily resurface, making him violently retch until there was nothing left but bile, yet he could not escape it.
Yan Dan once thought of him as a wounded beast; sometimes he bared his teeth at others in defiance, while at other times he wore a false mask, pretending everything was fine. But whatever he did was merely to protect himself from harm and prevent further injury.
She was truly perceptive; she saw right through him, understood his essence and his heart. But why couldn't he see through her? Why was he so deeply infatuated with her?
She was indeed his poison, more potent than any curse—a "love" poison that he could never unravel in his lifetime.
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