Winning the male lead

System: “When you ordered his assassination, he was only two years older than the current Zong Yan.”

Han Qi looked to be about eighteen, so it wasn’t surprising that his appearance had changed over the past five or six years.

Le Tian was silent for a long time, and after a moment of deep thought, he said with a pained expression, “Does this mean I have two sons now?!”

System: “… If you say so.”

In order to support Zong Yan’s rise to the throne, he had put in a lot of effort, with his hands stained with blood. He had wiped out all of Zong Yan’s brothers, and Han Qi, the seventh prince, must have encountered some mishap, becoming the one who slipped through the cracks.

The seventh prince’s mother had died early, and he had no influence in court. Lin Le Tian, in collaboration with the Imperial Astronomy Bureau, had deceived the late emperor, claiming the seventh prince had an ominous fate that would bring harm to both his mother and father. The late emperor, believing the claims, had sent him to a remote province, far from the capital.

But Lin Le Tian’s ruthless nature didn’t stop there. To eliminate any potential threats in the future, he specially sent people to ambush the seventh prince on his way out of the capital.

Unexpectedly, the seventh prince survived, changed his name and identity, and became Han Qi, hiding in Le Tian’s side.

Le Tian trembled, “Is he looking for revenge on me?”

System: “What do you think?”

“Oh my God!” Le Tian clutched his frail body tightly inside the warm palanquin. “This… this is exactly the classic trope in romance stories?!”

In his past life, he had once discussed with the system that for the main characters in ancient romance novels to fall in love, they must have a deep enmity first.

“Torment, love, and deep feelings!” He spoke with great emotion, mimicking a classical pose, “Han Qi, in order to get back at me, will definitely imprison me, whip me, torment me horribly, both physically and mentally, until my fragile body becomes like a piece of tattered cloth!”

System: “= = Please wake up, you’re a man, and he’s also a man. You two are not in a romance novel.”

Le Tian immediately changed his expression, grinning wickedly, “So you finally admit this is a BL story.”

System: “…”

“I should remind you,” the system emphasized, “that Lin Le Tian’s death was caused by Han Qi.”

Le Tian chuckled, “So what does it have to do with me that Lin Le Tian died at Han Qi’s hands?”

System: “Does your waist still hurt?”

The pain in his waist, which he had ignored earlier, suddenly flared up. It felt like a sharp spike repeatedly pounding at his lower back, causing him to wince in pain. The system couldn’t help but enjoy the chaos of its code malfunctioning.

The Eastern Depot wasn’t far from the palace. Han Qi walked step by step, getting closer to the palace he once lived in, his grip on the lantern tightening. His expression, full of cold and intensity, was eerie in the darkness.

When the palanquin carrying Lin Le Tian came into view, the palace maids, who had been waiting, quickly bowed from afar, their faces full of fear. The reaction from the maids reminded Han Qi of his purpose and steadied his resolve.

No matter how much he hated or resented, the person in that palanquin was not someone to be underestimated. He had worked hard to fabricate his identity and infiltrate his side. He could not make any rash moves at this moment. He had to remain calm and appear as if nothing was wrong, or all his efforts would be wasted.

Inside the palanquin, Le Tian was clutching his waist, grimacing and holding back the urge to cry out in pain, fearing that someone might hear him.

If Han Qi could have guessed, he never would have expected his greatest fear, the 9,000-year-old official, to be this kind of person.

“Your Grace, we have arrived at Zichen Hall,” a eunuch announced.

Le Tian quickly straightened up and smoothed the wrinkles on his robe, asking the system, “No abnormalities, right?”

System: “Looks fine. Damn, it’s very restrained.”

Han Qi took a step back, lifting the curtain of the palanquin for him. Perhaps it was the warmth from the palanquin that caused a faint flush to rise on Lin Le Tian’s pale cheeks, giving him a delicate, almost imperial beauty under the lantern light. Han Qi glanced at him, then quickly averted his eyes, cursing inwardly: A beautiful face that could ruin the nation.

When Zong Yan heard that Lin Le Tian had returned to the palace, he was so happy that he stopped eating, threw his jade chopsticks aside, and ran out, with Zhu ChuChu chasing after him.

“Little Lin!”

At the sound of the clear call, Han Qi turned around and saw his last remaining brother in the world—the current Emperor, Zong Yan.

Zong Yan’s face blossomed into a smile like a blooming flower, and he suddenly threw himself into Le Tian’s embrace.

Le Tian winced, feeling the pain in his waist, but suppressed it, still smiling warmly, “Your Majesty, the rules.”

“Little Lin, didn’t you say you were too tired to return to the palace?” Zong Yan held onto his hand and pulled him towards the hall, “Little Lin, you serve me at the meal, ChuChu is too clumsy.”

Zhu ChuChu stood aside, looking at Le Tian pitifully, as Zong Yan’s irritable temperament had made her the target of his criticism today.

Le Tian didn’t move, and Zong Yan couldn’t pull him. He turned back, looking at Le Tian with confusion.

Le Tian sighed deeply in his heart. This was a little beast that he had spoiled too much.

Han Qi watched the interaction between the two of them, his heart filled with hatred. Accepting a thief as a father is nothing compared to this. This eunuch, Lin Le Tian, would eventually be subjected to a thousand cuts!

“Your Majesty,” Lin Le Tian stood under the lantern, his slender figure wrapped in a large fox fur, making him appear even more delicate. He smiled slightly, his eyes full of affection, “You’ve grown up, you shouldn’t be so willful.”

Zong Yan bit his lip, seeming confused. He raised his head and said, “Little Lin, didn’t you tell me that once I became Emperor, I could do whatever I wanted and no one could stop me?”

Le Tian: What a foolish Emperor! Stop talking, kid!

His smile faded slightly, and he said, “A ruler who doesn’t think like Emperor Yao or Emperor Shun, is not a true ruler; and a minister who doesn’t think like Yi Yin or the Duke of Zhou is not a true minister. Your Majesty, do you want your servant’s name to be tarnished in the historical records?”

Upon hearing this, Zong Yan didn’t fully understand, but Han Qi trembled all over. He looked at Lin Le Tian again, seeing that his expression was composed, his gaze clear and open—nothing like the wicked schemer he had imagined. He lowered his head, thinking to himself that this eunuch was skilled at pretending. He was not to be underestimated.

Zong Yan still didn’t quite understand what Lin Le Tian meant, but he knew that he was upset. His little Lin was always gentle and rarely got angry, so he quickly buried his head in his chest again, rubbing against him, “Little Lin, don’t be mad, I know I was wrong.”

“Your Majesty, the Emperor is never wrong,” Le Tian gently petted his ear, his voice soft, “It was the two officials who displeased Your Majesty. I’ve found you a new teacher.” He glanced at Han Qi, his affectionate expression instantly disappearing, replaced by cold indifference, like a frozen pond. “Come here.”

The change in attitude was stark.

Han Qi stepped forward, trying to suppress his excitement, and said, “Captain of the Jinyiwei, Han Qi, pays respects to Your Majesty.”

Zong Yan didn’t even glance at him, still clinging to Le Tian, waiting for him to continue.

“Han Qi is highly skilled in martial arts. Starting tomorrow, he will stay in the palace to teach Your Majesty martial arts,” Le Tian coughed lightly, and Zong Yan’s expression became serious. He continued, “Don’t make your servant worry, alright?”

“Alright, I’ll agree, but Little Lin, you must promise me one thing,” Zong Yan smiled mischievously, “Tonight, you’ll sleep with me!”

Han Qi suddenly raised his head, and his eyes filled with murderous intent toward Lin Le Tian.