AYM Chapter 21

Yan Yihuan felt his head buzzing and swollen, as if he had just woken up from an extremely restless sleep. He tried to open his eyes, but felt that there was something tightly preventing him from opening them. His mouth was completely stuffed too, making his throat feel extremely uncomfortable.

 

What’s going on?

 

Instinctively, Yan Yihuan tried to reach up and remove whatever was in his mouth, yet he only felt a sharp pain in his wrist and couldn’t move at all.

 

He froze for a moment and a wave of terror washed over him, he was tied up!

 

Realizing this, he struggled to break free. But the ropes were so tight that all he achieved, other than a burning pain at his wrists, was complete immobility. He forced his eyes open as much as he could, but everything remained pitch black.

 

This wasn’t the first time he had been blindfolded and restrained, but compared to this, Yan Yihuan now realized that Zhao Chufeng’s bindings, though just as inescapable, had been far gentler.

 

The more he struggled, the more pain he felt. Panting, he gave up for the moment and tried to think. His last memory was being under the ancient tree, watching as the two men hanging up their embroidered pouches suddenly threw them away and rushed toward him in the chaos.

 

As far as he knew, he had no enemies in the capital. Could it be that someone saw him splurging during the festival and kidnapped him for ransom?

 

The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became. He had secretly read quite a few messy storybooks, and in those, kidnappers often cut off a hostage’s finger or ear to send to their family as a threat. But his family was in Linjing, what if the kidnappers thought it was too far and just killed him outright to avoid the trouble?

 

Maybe he should try name-dropping Cheng’en[mfn]Du Cheng’en(first mention: ch12) – His father is Du Yunsong(first mention: end of ch11), the Protector General/General of the Nation (basically a quite high ranking general, not sure if its the highest)[/mfn] Ge?

 

No, no, that won’t work. If they heard he was from the Protector General’s Manor, they wouldn’t dare ask for ransom and instead would just kill him outright. He couldn’t mention the private retreat either because it was royal territory, that would be even worse. 

 

Yan Yihuan knew he was deliberately avoiding the thought of Zhao Chufeng. After all, aside from his name, he knew nothing about the man.

 

But just this tiny thought made Yan Yihuan’s nose sting with the urge to cry. His feelings toward Zhao Chufeng were so complicated that he couldn’t even begin to describe them, in the end they turned into a lump of grievance stuck in his chest.

 

He must’ve made some noise unknowingly, as footsteps suddenly sounded nearby.

 

“You’re awake.”

 

An unfamiliar male voice suddenly rang out beside him, startling Yan Yihuan into muffled whimpers. Just as he tried to move again, the ropes around his arms tightened as if someone was pulling on them.

 

“Third Young Master Yan, if you behave and don’t scream, I’ll take the gag out.”

 

Hearing the man call him by name, Yan Yihuan immediately froze. They weren’t just random kidnappers. They were after him specifically!

 

Since that was the case, they probably wouldn’t cut off his limbs right away. Though still trembling with fear, Yan Yihuan forced himself to steady his mind and nodded cautiously.

 

The filthy rag in his mouth was finally removed. A wave of nausea surged up, and he coughed violently, the awful sensation making his eyes water. He instinctively tried to reach up and wipe away the damp threads still clinging to his lips, but failed. Tears from his coughing soaked into the blindfold, making it even harder to open his eyes.

 

“Water…”

 

His throat was unbearably dry and bitter. The man actually poured him a bowl of water, and Yan Yihuan eagerly took two sips, only to immediately spit it out. The water was icy cold and reeked of a faint, fishy stench. He might’ve started vomiting if his tummy wasn’t currently empty.

 

“Young Master Yan, this isn’t your royal residence. The only water available is from the ditch. If you don’t drink it, you’ll just have to stay thirsty.”

 

Yan Yihuan frowned deeply. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, but his head throbbed, he was unbearably hungry, and most of all, he was extremely thirsty.

 

Under normal circumstances, Yan Yihuan wouldn’t even take a sip of tea that was slightly cooled, let alone this foul water. But if he refused now, his kidnappers might never offer him anything again.

 

“I’ll drink it…”

 

Yan Yihuan held his breath and quickly gulped down a few mouthfuls from the bowl. The icy water slid into his stomach, making him shiver, and a sharp pain immediately shot through his stomach.

 

In truth, it wasn’t that he was being delicate. He had always been sickly as a child, especially prone to stomach pains after consuming cold food. Over the years, the Yan residence had paid special attention to this, and he had long since grown used to only consuming warm meals. It had been ages since his stomach last ached like this.

 

But the person beside him clearly had no intention of showing any consideration. Yan Yihuan curled up slightly, trying to ease the pain, and cautiously asked:

 

“Who are you guys? Why kidnap me?”

 

The man gave no answer. Just then, the sound of the door creaking open echoed through the room, and a gust of cold wind swept in. The man suddenly spoke,

 

“Master.”

 

“Mm.”

 

Yan Yihuan perked up his ears, carefully listening to their conversation. He was only able to discern that the person addressed as “Master” was a middle-aged man, his voice completely unfamiliar to him.

 

“You need not try to identify me, Third Young Master. You don’t know me.”

 

Perhaps noticing Yan Yihuan’s attempt to discern his identity, the middle-aged man spoke directly to him. His tone was steady and composed, carrying the natural authority of someone in power. He was definitely not an ordinary person.

 

“However, I do have some questions I would like to ask the Third Young Master.”

 

Yan Yihuan remained silent for a moment, thinking to himself that he had never concerned himself with anything, so what could he possibly know? Still, he agreed.

 

“Third Young Master, do you know the Emperor was also on the painted boat on the night of the Qiyuan Festival.”

 

“The Emperor?” Yan Yihuan shook his head and answered naturally, “Indeed, it was His Majesty who granted me the privilege of riding on the painted boat, but His Majesty was not on the boat.”

 

He thought for a moment and then added, “I haven’t even seen the Emperor since I entered the capital.”

 

“Then, who was accompanying you on the boat?”

 

Zhao Chufeng?

 

Yan Yihuan’s heart tightened, alarms ringing in his mind. He never had anything to hide from others, but what happened between him and Zhao Chufeng was the only exception.

 

Yet, it wasn’t just because it was hard to talk about, Zhao Chufeng was shrouded in secrets. Even if Yan Yihuan wanted to be honest, he wouldn’t know how to explain it clearly. Additionally, for some reason, he instinctively wanted to keep it a secret for him.

 

“There was a guard from the retreat, assigned to protect me.”

 

Thankfully, his eyes were still covered, so no one could see the guilt in them. Yan Yihuan forced himself to relax, keeping his tone as natural as before. But the man remained silent for a moment, as if contemplating whether he was telling the truth. 

 

“Do you have any token by which others would recognize you at a glance?”

 

The middle-aged man didn’t press further about Zhao Chufeng, which made Yan Yihuan secretly breathe a sigh of relief. They probably intended to use something of his to threaten his family, so he answered honestly,

 

“The red jade pendant I wear has the character ‘Yan’ engraved on it.”

 

There was a rustling sound at his waist, likely someone taking the jade pendant. But then, his collar was suddenly yanked. Even though his eyes were covered, Yan Yihuan still felt the tension in the air around him.

 

“Heh, everyone says that Third Young Master Yan may be young, but he’s quite the philanderer. Seems his reputation is well-earned.” The tone was dripped with disdain, laced with undisguised contempt and disgust, “Just like Li Xuanming and that Ming Zhang, birds of a feather.”

 

Yan Yihuan was stunned, and when he finally realized what that meant, his face flushed with heat. He knew there were many marks from his neck down to his collarbone, all of which were left behind by Zhao Chufeng during their passionate moments on the boat.

 

But who were Li Xuanming and Ming Zhang? Just as he was feeling puzzled, a sudden thought flashed through his mind, making his heart pound wildly.

 

Who on earth was this person, daring to directly call the emperor by his name so brazenly?

 

Lost in his thoughts, Yan Yihuan heard the middle-aged man likely preparing to leave. In a panic, he blurted out,

 

“You… how long are you going to keep me locked up?”

 

The sound of footsteps gradually faded into the distance. The only response he received was the silence that followed after the sound of a door closing.

 

There was silence all around him. It seemed he was the only one left in the room. As the intense tension from before slowly subsided, Yan Yihuan began to be aware of the pain from being tied up for so long. He twisted his body, trying to relieve some of the numbness, unaware that he was already at the edge of the bed he had woken up in.

 

Suddenly, the support beneath him vanished. With a loud thud, Yan Yihuan crashed to the ground, his forehead slamming against the bed frame. The sharp pain made his eyes sting, soaking the blindfold covering them again.

 

The damp cloth quickly turned icy cold in the chilling wind that blew through the room. Yan Yihuan had never felt so hopeless and afraid. He desperately wished for someone to appear and save him right away, but where was that person?

 

Zhao Chufeng, where did your extraordinary abilities go? Why haven’t you come to save me?!

 

Author’s note: 

Darlings, please pay attention to safety and take care of your health!