Yan Empire is one of the main power in the world where Li Ming has transmigrated to. This world can be considered minor as it only consists of one large island floating in space. However, this island is ten times bigger than all the land in Earth combined. So each empire may be equivalent to one earth or Pangaea.
Since each empire has vast territory and large populace, the wise rulers aim for their borders to be secured and safe from invasion. They also aim to provide the masses with good resources and livelihood to prevent coup. On contrary, the dictators abuse their neighbors as well as their own subjects. Hence, skirmish and sometimes war are inevitable.
A month after welcoming a new year, the imperial palace is surrounded with gloomy aura. The Grand Marshal respectfully stands before His Majesty Yan Long as he narrates what he finds out from his spies stationed in the western border.
"The old king has gone senile," the emperor comments after hearing the report. The old king refers to the neighboring kingdom's ruler, Deng Yin - a ruthless and greedy old man. The year Yan Long ascended the throne, the old coot thought it was a good idea to invade the Yan empire. Really a case of a snake masquerading as a dragon. The then General Hou Ru personally quelled the foreign invasion and even left a souvenir mark on Deng Yin's face.
(Emperor Yan Long)
"How about sending Unit Commander Hou Ru to deal with this? Zhen thinks it is beneath him but," the emperor smirks as he continues. "Just imagining Deng Yin's old wounds throbbing from seeing Ru-ru is making me giddy."
This mischievous brat. The Grand Marshal, Hou Xuefeng, coughs to remind the son of heaven to behave. This is an important matter, ah! "Your Majesty, the unit commander is busy with other more troubling matters. This servant suggests that His Majesty send General Su to the western border."
One shapely brow twitche. "Alright, Zhen agrees to that."
The Grand Marshal leaves and goes straight to the Military Headquarter and summons General Su as well as his son. He briefs them about King Deng Yin's plan of breaching the western territory.
An upright and no nonsense man, Hou Ru believes that the invasion this time seems devious. He makes an eye contact with his father for three seconds before calming down.
General Su salutes the two men who look alike and exits the room. He has to prepare his battalion and must head out of the capital as soon as possible.
"Father, what do you think?" Hou Ru asks once there are only the two of them in the room.
The older man rubs his graying beard as he stares unseeingly at the scroll withholding the report. "The emperor thinks that this is a diversion. I believe that might be the case."
Hou Ru clucks his tongue. He walks to the map laid out on the table and studies the different places surrounding the Yan empire. "Just what is their target then?" His pair of amber eyes zeroes in on a certain place. His heart rate suddenly picks up. "Father, I have an idea of their real objective now." Saying so, he points to a small southern country under the jurisdiction of Yan Empire. Hou Xuefeng stiffens and slams his fist on the table.
"How did that blasted Deng Yin find out?" he growls, his old face looking ferocious. A traitor! However, this is a top secret that only a couple of people know. Those people are, of course, occupying seats just below the emperor!
"Should we inform Yan Long of our speculation?" asks Hou Ru.
The Grand Marshal takes a seat while nodding. He seems to have aged a decade. "We can't move a large number of soldiers to the south. This will only alert all those hiding factions."
Hou Ru thinks for a moment before proposing. "Let's send Fang-er and his men." As the father of the popularly known military genius, he knows his son's ability. He believes that Hou Fang has the capability to fight in a bigger field. Restricting him in the capital will only dull this sharp blade. This is something that the Grand Marshal, grandfather to the seventeen-year-old captain, knows as well so he nods in assent.
"Speaking of that brat, I heard he's been getting close to those brats of Yu family," the Grand Marshal opens, old and wise eyes not betraying any of his thoughts.
"Tao-er has always been close with the first young master Yu," replies the son. The father and son duo look at each other and choose to move to a different topic.
-----
The following days, the capital is engulfed in a tense atmosphere. General Su, also known as the White Tiger General, raises up his banner and, along with his three hundred thousand cavalrymen, heads to western border. Soon news of foreign invasion travel along the streets.
Li Ming is studious by nature. He seriously listens to the tutor, Bai Jie, especially about the customs and traditions in this world. He finds out that men can legally marry as long as they have their family's blessing or the emperor's edict. They can even adopt and have the child as their legal heir. This world may be backwards in terms of technology but it is more progressive in their social norms.
That night, while lazily leaning on a padded couch, Li Ming is so immersed in his daydreams that he is caught off guard when a pair of arms snakes around him and pulls him to a warm embrace. He soon calms down and even leans back further, closing his eyes and laying a soft kiss on the exposed bronze skin. Li Ming wishes to grow up faster! Only five years old, can't do anything R-18 with his beloved.
Hou Fang chuckles at the kitten-like attitude of Ah Huan. He nuzzles a delicate ear and gently bites it. The child whimpers and the captain has to stop himself from going further. Not yet. Now is not the time. He settles for a peck on the cheeks.
"Ah Huan, your big brother Fang is going somewhere for a mission. I don't know how long it will take me to complete it but I promise you, when I return, I will formally propose to you." Hou Fang faces the surprised and slightly panicky child. "Hey, it's ok. Believe in me, please?" He pecks that cute nose. "Ah Huan will wait for me, right?" The response he gets is a tight hug and a nodding head.
While the iron is still hot, Hou Fang decides to strike. "So how about this big brother sleeps with Ah Huan before my departure?" The small child stiffens and gives him a suspicious looks. "I promise that all we're going to do is sleep."
Li Ming's right eye can't help but twitch. His beloved is developing a new kink. He can't be a pedo, right? But since Hou Fang has already given his word, Li Ming is assured. He reluctantly nods then thinks of something. He takes out an improvised pencil and notepad, writes his worry, and shows it to the other man.
<What if the servants find out? Won't they tell my family?>
"No worries, I will leave before the sun rises." He absently answers while looking curiously at the slightly long and pointy object.
Seeing those golden orbs full of silent questions, Li Ming writes.
<This is a pencil. I made it to make writing easier and faster.>
"You made this yourself?" asks a surprised Hou Fang. The kid nods his head proudly so the captain has to award him with a kiss on the cheek.
Xiao Hong goes offline. Too much dog food.
The robust teen carries the younger child and deposits him to the bed. He disrobes until he is left half-naked and he lays beside Ah Huan. He hugs the child and they both fall to a blissful sleep.
-----
A week after General Su's battalion leave for the western border, Captain Hou Fang and his three hundred elite soldiers travel to the south in an unobtrusive manner.
Before everything can settle down, another huge event unfolds in the capital. The emperor is going to personally appoint a study partner for the crown prince. As for the reason, well, who dares question the son of heaven? So every noble lineage preens and croons, trying to upsell their outstanding children to the person who stands above all.
Li Ming turns a deaf ear to this commotion, believing that this has nothing to do with him. In the original timeline, he knows that the person who will be chosen comes from a humble background. So Li Ming orders Xiao Hong to monitor his beloved instead.
One afternoon, a kata-kata can be heard right before the sliding door is excitedly opened by a flushing Yu Shuren. "Huan-er, Huan-er, I have good news!" He glomps his brother while rubbing their cheeks together. Ah so soft~
Li Ming inwardly groans. This bro-con brother of his!
"I am going to be the crown prince's study partner!" announces a giddy-looking Yu Shuren. The younger brother visibly stiffens. Mistaking it for sadness and reluctance to part, the older one comforts him. "Don't worry, I am not going to live in the palace. I will attend the morning class with the crown prince and also join him for archery lessons and martial arts in the afternoon. Afterwards, Huan-er can have all of me!"
Who wants you! Before Li Ming can react, his older brother is called away by a servant. "Xiao Hong, this isn't in line with the plot! What is going on?"
Master, since you were born in this world, the plot has long been deviating - is the system's thought but doesn't dare to say it. [The emperor Yan Long has high evaluation of Yu Shuren. This is mostly due to Yu Shuren's forthright attitude, kind and caring personality, and unyielding resolve to give you, his unfavored and mute younger brother, a better life. He believes this will translate to the hard-headed and trouble-making crown prince.]
Li Ming feels that his life has gotten more complicated now. "Say, little system, you never mentioned the protagonist of this world."
Xiao Hong trembles in fright. That tone sounds calm but it has underlying killing intent. [The protagonist is the crown prince, Yan Jianhong.]
Li Ming facepalms.
-----
Ever since that day, Li Ming vows to take important notes about the world he's hopping in. He has to make adjustments with his plans now that he is aware that one of his enemies and the protagonist are related.
His brother starts going to the palace so Li Ming is left alone with Bai Jie to be tutored. His father then decides it's a good idea, under the instigation of concubine Lin, to let Li Ming and his half-brother, Yu Wen, to study together.
This is the first time Li Ming sees his half-sibling. They are only months apart but the other kid is bigger and healthier than him. Li Ming's pitch black eyes flash in hatred. Of course that is the case. Do people honestly believe his mutism is not caused by an external factor?
Yu Wen shivers, his arms full of goosebumps. The delicate-looking child is staring at him as if he wants to butcher Yu Wen. He throws a pitiful look at their tutor, trying to earn his sympathy.
Bai Jie is rather vexed at the moment. Caught between the two children's drama, he has to make sure not to offend either one of them. He coughs and turns away, telling them to open a book.
He reads the words aloud while observing the two kids. Yu Huan is staring blankly on air while Yu Wen is darting his eyes everywhere on the page. Bai Jie frowns and is about to open his mouth when his new student tearfully looks at him. "Teacher Jie, can you read slower? I only learned reading from mother's teaching."
Heart softening a bit, Bai Jie assents. His head turns towards Yu Huan who is now writing on a small canvass. His posture is elegant; the brush barely touches the blank paper before pure black ink blooms and forms the cursive characters. Fleeting and ephemeral, that is Yu Huan's style.
Bai Jie curiously reads the child's prose.
Be like a lotus.
Let the beauty of your heart speak.
Be grateful to the mud,
water, air, and the light. (1)
He applauds and can't help but exclaim. "Yu Huan is excellent!" But I am pretty sure my lesson is about the empire's history... Those large doe eyes blink at him and his student gives him an adorable smile. Ah, forget it. "You're cursive style has improved. You are only five this year. However, your level of mastery in calligraphy has far surpassed your contemporary."
Given with such high praise, Li Ming forces himself to blush and shyly smile at his tutor. Let's see who can better act as white lotus.
Yu Wen silently seethes but outwardly says some praises towards his talented half-brother. Hmph. So what if you can write beautifully? You are defective and don't deserve the surname Yu.
Henceforth, the two children, on the eyes of others, treat one another in a friendly manner. Yu Shuren is actually puzzled. He knows that Huan-er is only sincere to those who are truly nice to him. So during dinner, he asks the child to enlighten him. Huan-er gives him a dull look before writing.
<I am not nice to him.>
Oh. Yu Shuren thinks he gets it and, at the same time, he doesn't. Tsk. Kids. He forcibly removes the other child from his mind and talks to Huan-er about the naughty crown prince instead. Yan Jianhong is the most overbearing, most arrogant, most haughty, and most uncute child he has ever met! Ok, maybe the last thing isn't true. But! The crown prince is really an unruly prince. The guy is spoiled rotten by everyone in the palace!
Ah, dearest brother, I advise you not to say those things aloud. Lest you want the protag to personally end you.
Yu Shuren ends his speech with: "Huan-er is the cutest. Huan-er is the best. No one can beat my Huan-er." This bro-con...
-----
[Master, Yu Shuren has brought in the severely wounded Du Ah.]
The hand holding the lean brush stiffens, smudging the canvass with a broad stroke. Li Ming breathes in deeply and exhales before calmly putting away his painting equipment. He walks out of his studio and signals for one of his maidservants.
"Young master Huan, do you need anything?" Shao Lei asks smilingly.
<I want to see my brother.>
Smile freezing a little, the maidservant considers before telling the truth. "I heard from the other servants that young master Shuren encountered an assassin. His clothes are covered in blood so he is now taking-"
Before she can finish, the five-year-old child is gone in a flash. So fast! Eyes contracting in surprised, she follows after her charge. She can't let him out of her sight. She is under strict orders from Captain Hou Fang to protect Yu Huan from any form of danger.
Yu Shuren just puts on the last piece of his robe when the door to his bed chamber is roughly opened. A figure flies to his side and hugs him tightly. "Huan-er? What's wrong?"
Li Ming retreats a step and tries to disrobe a bewildered Yu Shuren.
Ah? The first young master of Yu family helplessly looks at the panting maid outside of the room. He asks with his hazel eyes about this weird situation.
"It's a misunderstanding," Shao Lei apologetically explains. "I told young master Huan that you were covered in blood and he took off before I could continue."
Heart warming with love, Yu Shuren takes hold of those listless hands and directly looks at those dark bottomless eyes. "Huan-er, big brother is alright. The blood wasn't mine in the first place," he gently explains.
Today, on the way home, some drunkard dare to block their way. As dusk settles down, the personal guards know how much their young master wants to be home so they take action, telling the man off. However, the stinking middle-aged man covered in mud wobbly stands on the spot and doesn't listen.
Yu Shuren then steps out of the carriage to pacify the situation as the commotion is gathering a crowd. As if injected with chicken blood, the drunkard hollers some nonsensical words before pouncing towards the ten-year-old Yu Shuren. Some people cries in shock and the guards belatedly realizes the drunkard's intention. They draw their blades but too late! The assassin has closed in on their young master and has swung a small dagger.
A black shadow leaps from somewhere and blocks the incoming blade. There's a brief sickening sound before an unknown person falls on top of him, bringing them both down. He vaguely hears his guards apprehending the assailant. He looks down and sees the dagger still sticking to the stranger's back.
"Young master Shuren, are you alright?" asks one of the guards as he helps him get up.
"Be careful with him. He saved my life," he mumbles almost robotically. What just happened? He blinks his dark brown eyes and tries to calm down his wildly thudding heart. He is ushered back inside the carriage and he belatedly orders his personal guards to quickly send a physician towards their residence.
Thus, his savior is put in one of the rooms in the opposite house where the servants live. The physician tries to examine Yu Shuren first but the young master insists that the unconscious youth be tended to immediately.
He mindlessly walks to his room where a bath is already prepared for him. He scrubs his skin until they almost bleed. This is the closest contact he has with death. Someone out there wants him dead and Yu Shuren shivers in fear. He is only ten this year. Why would anyone want to kill him?
His mood is down and it only returns to normal when Huan-er hugs him. He feels like everything is going to be alright as long as this adorable bun is by his side. "Huan-er, your brother isn't feeling well. Comfort me?" Yu Shuren begs shamelessly.
Li Ming wants to smack a certain big brother. However, he knows that this child before him is only playing tough to hide his fear. He drags his brother to the bed and gestures for him to lie down. He then gives him a head massage.
Yu Shuren giggles, slowly coming back to his optimistic self. He can't imagine that being comforted this way can tickle his heart. "When Huan-er grows up, this big brother will marry Huan-er!" This proclamation earns him a pinch in the nose. "Ouch. I'm just kidding. Kidding. Hu-hu."
The next morning the youth, who has jumped and received the blow for Yu Shuren, wakes up and is personally thanked by the head of the Yu family. Yu Xieren, of course, conducts a thorough investigation before confirming that this fella isn't anyone suspicious or in cahoots with the dead assassin. When he asks if the youth has anything he wants as a reward, the only responses he gets is a lifeless smile and a sobbing story.
Yu Shuren, who is standing on the side, can't help but sympathize for his savior. Feeling a tug on his sleeves, he turns to his side and sees a note.
Li Ming flashes him the notepad.
<Let him enter as a servant in the house.>
Nodding, the first young master relays this to his father who only needs three seconds to think before agreeing. Yu Xieren excuses himself before right after giving strict orders to the new batch of guards to protect Yu Shuren no matter the cost.
"What's your name?" Yu Shuren asks the youth who should be older than him but is all skin and bones.
"First young master, this servant has no name and beseech benefactor to give this lowly one a name," the youth unashamedly speaks. Li Ming inwardly scoffs at this.
Benefactor... Just who saved who here? Nonetheless, Yu Shuren answers, "Du Ah. From now on, you are called Du Ah."
"Thanking the young master," he nods solemnly in place of a bow which he can't do at the moment. "And this small young master is?" Du Ah turns his attention to the small child beside Yu Shuren. He has a head full of black hair and big eyes as dark as the moonless night, clearly different from the first young master. However, the two children have the same facial structure as well as thin and slightly red lips.
Yu Shuren puffs his chest and proudly introduces his adorable brother. "This is Yu Huan, my little brother. If you see anyone who bullies him, you should give them a beating. Understand?"
Du Ah nods his head seriously and gives a greeting to the stone face Li Ming.
When Du Ah's wound finally heals, he starts serving in the Yu residence as a low ranking servant who isn't even allowed to step on the main courtyard. This is of course upon Li Ming's arrangement behind the scene. In the original timeline, you are a guard-cum-confidante of my brother. You think I will gift you such important position with your villainous heart, you scum dog? Hmph.
[Master, why did you let Du Ah enter the residence when you could have easily avoided that?]
"Xiao Hong, you are too naive. Who do you think is the bastard behind this dog? It's none other than the First Prince, Yan Guanyu, who is three years older than the crown prince. His ambition reaches beyond the sky. Only this young but is already eyeing the throne. If we cut off this dog, another dog will come knocking on our door. So better let this one dog in and treat him with special care."
The red ball of light shivers upon seeing those sadistic eyes.
-----
The little bun grows to a bigger bun. Now fifteen years of age, Yu Huan can be said to be a rare beauty. With long flowing black hair, sunflower-seed shape face, black doe eyes, and a cute nose, he is easily mistaken as young lady of the house when visitors and important guests enter the Yu residence.
In the morning for the past decade, in order to strengthen his weak by default body, Li Ming starts his day with Five Animal Exercises which he learns from the martial arts addict family, the Hou. Speaking of, the Hou family's treatment of him can be said like rearing a granddaughter or maybe daughter-in-law. Li Ming no longer bats an eyelid when Hou Tao addresses him as sister-in-law. Of course, this is all restricted inside the Hou compound.
His relationship with the military family can be said to be good. Very good, actually. Since he has mastered calligraphy and painting, he turns his attention to drawing blueprints of different weapons and war mechanisms. He deconstructs and reconstructs those existing weapons in this world and adds some hidden mechanism. He then gives them to Hou Tao who is a weaponry genius. He may not have a martial prowess like his his brother Hou Fang; however, no one can beat him when it comes to mastering different kinds of weapon.
The first blueprint he has given the always quiet Hou member is a modified lancer for Hou Fang who is valiantly guarding an important mineral resources in the south. Li Ming has added a sickle-like function to the lancer by adding chains on the middle that can be activated with a small button. He has urged Hou Tao to ask their own family's blacksmith to forge it and deliver it to the then recently promoted Lieutenant Colonel Hou Fang.
Since then Li Ming and the Hou have collaborated, producing one of a kind weapons used by trusted elite soldiers who are only loyal to the emperor. The Grand Marshal and Unit Commander used to have doubts regarding this future son-in-law but it turns out, they can not find any fault in this incredibly talented but down-to-earth young man.
People might say he's mute, but look at his calligraphy! How many poems has he published? How many essays has he written? You say he can't make a sound, but have you really listened to him? The Hou family are very proud of him!
These are, of course, all happening in secrecy as per Li Ming's wish. Hence, the Yu family are kept in the dark about the genius lurking in their own home. Even the Grand Tutor has no idea that the person he is frustratingly looking for happens to be his own grandson.
After doing his morning exercise, Li Ming grabs breakfast before telling his maidservants that he wants to visit Hou residence. The four beautiful girls are already used to this so they ask a male servant to prepare the carriage.
When he gets to the green courtyard, the already twenty-year-old but still single Hou Tao is practicing his swordsmanship. Sweat is dripping down from his face to his naked chest. Shao Lei blushes deeply before urging the other maids to leave the two young masters.
(Yu Huan / Li Ming)
Li Ming sits down on a padded couch, sipping green tea while watching with keen interest.
[Master, please don't cheat on your fiance.]
Lips tilting slightly upwards, Li Ming replies, "I don't remember getting proposed to."
[!!!]
Chuckling, Li Ming closes his eyes. He misses Hou Fang. The only reason he is staring at brother Tao is because of his small semblance with his older brother. When are you coming back to me?
Finished swinging his last set, Hou Tao turns his head to see his sister-in-law relaxing. He gets inside his room to change to a clean set of clothes and takes out the things their blacksmith delivered last night.
"Sister-in-law," he calls softly.
Blinking, Li Ming quirks a small smile to the other man. He eyes the small box on those large hands and he quickly sits up, eyes brightly shining in anticipation.
Rarely seeing such childish reaction from the fifteen-year-old youth, he hands over the box with a slight warning. "This is a bit heavy. Please be careful, sister-in-law."
Nodding, Li Ming carefully opens the box. Steel pipe, quarter-inch pipe plug, nail, rubber bands, wood screws, steel pipe coupling, and a bunch of 9 mm bullet. Everything is here. All he needs to do is assemble this and he can finally have a means of protection. Yes, he is going to build a simple pistol gun. When he looked for a weapon in the system's store, he realized how poor he really is. A re-loadable gun for 500,000 points and a magazine loaded with bullets for 50,000 points. Highway robbery!
<Thank you, brother Tao! I owe you a favor.>
Helplessly smiling, Hou Tao says, "What are you saying? You have contributed so much to our family and to the army. If anything, we should be the one owing you a favor."
Giving his thanks once again, Li Ming leaves for Yu residence. He needs to equip as soon as possible. The hidden factions can no longer wait in the dark.
Author's Note:
(1)a quote by Amit Ray in Nonviolence: The Transforming Power
(=ↀωↀ=) I should probably stop saying when I am going to publish the next chapter. haha Just expect a weekly update.
Spoiler for next chapter: The crown prince is going to appear! And ML/Hou Fang is returning to the capital! Ah I wanna write smut so bad.
Random thought: My absolute fave character in this arc is the emperor. You're going to see him more at the end of the arc hehe