Quick Transmigration: Host, Please Be a Mute Beauty

The night was still.

Wu Huan huddled in the cellar. There was no light, and it was so quiet that he could hear his own heartbeat.

Wang's mother didn't bring him any food, and he was only wearing a thin undershirt.

Suddenly, the sounds of fighting erupted outside, growing louder and louder as they drew closer to the cellar.

Wu Huan simply assumed it was another lady looking for someone, and felt no unease whatsoever.

"Creak—"

The cellar was opened from the outside. A man in black, holding a torch, saw a sliver of white in the cellar, went down, and pulled the person up.

On the surface, Wu Huan maintained his composure, but in reality, he had some doubts. These people were not sent by the Cui family. If the Cui family wanted to kill him, they would have done so long ago. She only wanted to torture and humiliate him.

Could it be that young master?

"Who sent you?"

The leader of the men in black was named Zhang Jin. He only followed the orders of the eldest princess. He put a blindfold on Wu Huan and said, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!"

Wu Huan didn't speak again. He couldn't see anything, only that he was in a carriage, and it was very bumpy.

Zhang Jin only wanted to get him to a safe place. Not far from Manchunlou, another group of men in black surrounded the carriage.

"Leave the people inside, and you can leave. Otherwise, you'll be killed without mercy!"

Zhang Jin didn't know whether to leave or stay. He hadn't brought many people with him tonight. He had observed during the day that there weren't many people guarding the cellar, which was why he had only brought a small team. They couldn't defeat the people on the other side.

He remembered what the princess had said: as long as they got out of Manchunlou safely, they didn't need to worry about the rest. So they probably didn't need to worry about this group of people!

Having made his decision, Zhang Jin said, "Let's retreat!"

Wu Huan heard the commotion outside and had no idea what was going on. It seemed like another group of people had arrived.

Just then, the blindfold on Wu Huan's face was removed, revealing a group of men in black kneeling on the ground.

The person who removed his blindfold was named Ye Shi. They were secretly sent by the Emperor of Ningyuan Kingdom to find the Crown Prince. The affair of Empress Cui had been discovered, and now the Emperor of Ningyuan Kingdom was getting worse and worse. The struggle for the throne between the Second Prince and the Third Prince was becoming increasingly fierce. The Emperor did not want to hand over the throne to them. They had to find the Crown Prince and return him. Ningyuan Kingdom needed someone to take charge of the overall situation.

The second and third princes are too ruthless and warlike; the throne of Ningyuan Kingdom cannot be passed to them.

"Your subordinate is here by imperial decree to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince home!"

Wu Huan looked at the scene before him and should have been happy, but he couldn't feel happy at all.

He only asked, "Who was the person who led me away from Manchunlou just now?"

Ye Shi respectfully replied, "This subordinate does not know either, only that they do not intend to harm Your Highness."

Wu Huan's gaze was deep; could it be him?

He said he would help him get out of prison.

Ye Shi glanced at the sky. "Your Highness, let's set off quickly. The Emperor is still waiting for you."

"Ah."

Wu Huan was about to leave this place of sorrow, but little did he know that it would take him a full twenty years to escape this cage.

He wondered if he would ever see that young master who had run away to spend lavishly on him again. He probably wouldn't. Wu Huan never wanted to come back.

……

[Ding-dong~ System notification: The hidden quest has been completed.]

Jiang Qiao was asleep when the voice in her head startled her awake.

"Wangcai, are you trying to scare me to death?"

[Host, I'm sorry, I forgot to adjust the program control parameters. Please continue sleeping.]

Jiang Qiao's eyes were clear, how could she possibly fall asleep? "I'm not going to sleep, it's almost dawn anyway."

【Then I'll chat with the host for a bit.】

"By the way, what exactly is Wu Huan's identity? Where will he go after I complete my mission?"

Wangcai thought for a moment and only said, "I can't tell you his identity right now; he's gone back to his country."

Jiang Qiao's eyes widened. "So you're not from Anhuai Kingdom!"

Is her identity really that mysterious?

-

Early the next morning, news came from the palace that Consort Li had given birth to a prince the previous night. Jiang Ji was overjoyed and said that the whole country should celebrate.

Such a big matter naturally required Jiang Qiao to return to the palace to see. With this second prince around, Jiang Yanchuan's situation was probably not good. It was easy to guess who Jiang Ji would pass the throne to in the future.

On the way back to the palace, Jiang Qiao and Jiang Yanchuan rode in the same carriage.

The atmosphere was unusually quiet; Jiang Yanchuan hadn't said a word since getting into the car.

Jiang Qiao was also very anxious. For some reason, she had been feeling dizzy these past few days, which seemed to be because she hadn't fully recovered from catching a cold last time.

She looked at the boy sitting opposite her. He had sword-like eyebrows and phoenix eyes, and wore a blue brocade robe. He was elegant and composed. Jiang Qiao couldn't imagine how much attention he would attract if he hadn't had that accident when he was five years old.

"Why is Chang Le staring at me?" Jiang Yanchuan rested his chin on his hand, staring intently at Jiang Qiao, waiting for her answer.

Jiang Qiao was momentarily stunned. She paused, wondering why she felt her brother wasn't stupid anymore.

“It’s nothing. Your elder sister is just making plans for your future. Mother and Grandmother are not in good health and can’t always protect us, so Ayan,” Jiang Qiao paused, “when you see Father today, you must listen to your elder sister. Only I will not harm you, understand?”

Jiang Yanchuan stared blankly into those sincere eyes, then quickly pulled himself back to reality. Hypocritical, haven't you hurt me enough?

When I was six years old, the nanny bathed me with cold water in the dead of winter. I went to find you, but you ignored me.

Later, I got so hungry that my stomach hurt, and I wanted to go to your place to find something to eat, but you kicked me out.

When I was eleven, I was beaten and covered in bruises. You passed by Yonghe Palace and ignored me completely.

……

I've witnessed all your ruthlessness, and now you come to tell me you're the least likely person to harm me? How ridiculous!

Jiang Yanchuan felt excruciating heartache whenever he thought about it. During those years of mental illness, he had clung to her as his only lifeline! He longed for her to rescue him from his dire straits, but how had she treated him…?

"understood."

After receiving a reply, Jiang Qiao asked again, "Ayan, do you want to be the emperor?"

Jiang Yanchuan was stunned. So that's how it is. All the kindness she had shown him these past few days finally made sense. It turned out she had only ever seen him as a pawn.

Jiang Qiao wanted to control him. Once he ascended the throne, a foolish emperor who only listened to his elder sister would indeed be the easiest to control. He was just her puppet. It turned out that her ambition was so great.

So, was she scared when she heard that Consort Li's son had been born?

Jiang Qiao didn't expect Jiang Yanchuan to answer her question; how could he possibly understand? She just wanted him to be happy, and she would play the bad guy.

Once he becomes the emperor of Anhuai Kingdom, there will be no need for fear. There are too many uncertainties, and Jiang Qiao must make plans for them.

Once Jiang Ji appoints Consort Li's child as Crown Prince, the Empress's lineage will become the biggest obstacle.

……