His Majesty’s Hostage - Volume 1 Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Upon agreeing on Lian Pan’s invitation, Zi Li rode a palanquin [1] before and after he went out of the palace. While sitting inside the palanquin, Zi Li’s emotion can be even described as being secretly delighted the whole ride! To be able to go out of the palace can mean that his rate of success on escaping had increased multiple times. If only he was able to prepare all the things he needed before this chance, he would have used the excuse of being invited for a drink outside the palace and run away at that moment, changing into a disguise quickly after. He would then buy a high quality horse to travel for miles away.
Once I had ridden that, I would become like those knight characters in the novels that travels in a long adventure!
Uwahahahaha——
While Zi Li was emulating his plan to go perfectly well with a haughty outlook, two children in ragged clothes and dirty appearance was shuffling through the crowd in the sidewalk and ran in the middle of the street. They kept running while repeatedly looking at their back as if they were running away from a dog. They continued running without paying careful attention that they crashed right onto the carriers of the palanquin.
The steady moving palanquin then uncontrollably swayed from side to side all of a sudden.
*Crash* *Bang*
Zi Li lost his balance inside the palanquin, bumping his head strongly on the wooden frame.
“What the heck! That fucking hurts!” Zi Li was grimacing in pain as he patted his forehead with a handkerchief. He rushes towards the door and slides it open, asking: “What the hell are you guys doing?”
He saw those palanquin carriers were staggering around as they replied in reverence: “Bei-Bei Ling prince, thi-this slave did not do it intentionally! It was these two beggars who caused to commotion!”
They were really scared. Even though he is a prince sent to be a hostage in this country, he was still given the same treatment as of that belonging to an imperial prince in the palace much more than he deserve. If one angered him, they might lose their head! So they quickly pushes the blame on these two poor unfortunate children.
“You two kiddos still running? If I get my hands on you two, let’s see if I don’t hang you both on the city walls for days!” A very handsome young man with a bluish green robe and a jade head piece [2] was struggling to get past the crowd, so he jump high and landed in front of Zi Li’s palanquin.
As of this moment, the palanquin carriers were losing their balance while their temples were dripping with cold sweat! Those two children looks like they were looking for somewhere to hide as they ran in circles around the palanquin. Those kids would pull the staggering palanquin carriers from time to time to block off that guy trying to chase them. When he saw them about to make a turn from the palanquin to the left side, that guy turned heel and changes to the opposite direction at that moment, and agilely catches up to these two monkey like children. Even though he studied and practiced martial arts exceedingly well, but these two had their small physique as their advantage, and the current area works well for them when they fought back, so they managed to escape from his grasp.
Zi Li could not put up with the unstable rocking of the palanquin like a see saw any longer. He shouted in annoyance: “You assholes, won’t you all just put the palanquin down already, shit!”
His words rouses up those confused people, and they immediately put the palanquin down. Those two children who don’t have any excuse for their defense, looks at each other and quickly turned around simultaneously and was about to dash on the other side of the street.
As that guy saw Zi Li, he was distracted for a moment. Afterwards, he quickly kicked a small size rock on the ground, accurately hitting one of the children and stunning that kid. That guy then jumped in front of the other kid, and pulled the kid back with one of his big hands. That guy seemed like he was flaunting his spoils of war as he laugh triumphantly towards those kids when skillfully caught them.
Those two children silently continued to struggle, their black and clear eyes were glaring at this guy in front of them.
“Hey? Hey? How can you two kiddos steal uncle’s wallet and still believe that you can run away with it?”
“Brother Jin Yu(MC), what happened here?” Lian Pan steps down on his palanquin and asked. Just a moment ago while they were travelling, he was baffled to find Zi Li’s palanquin missing from behind so he asked his palanquin carriers to turn back. It turns out, Zi Li’s palanquin stopped in here at this moment.
“There was this two kids–“
Zi Li was trying to explain, when all of a sudden, Lian Pan cried out, cutting him off.
“Ai ya, it’s prince Hong Qing isn’t it? It’s a surprise to find the honorable prince Hong Qing in this place just now, this lowly official’s eyes must be blind. Please forgive this unworthy lowly official, prince.”
Lian Pan proceeded to bow down while saying his reverence.
“You are excused! ” Hong Qing did not bother to look down.
When Zi Li heard that this guy with a majestic appearance in front of him to be the ninth prince Hong Qing who fell down from the roof the last time with a stubbly beard, he was so surprised his dropped jaw was almost dislocated.
Is-isn’t the difference too big?
As soon as the two children heard that the guy holding them was a prince, they immediately stopped struggling. Both of their black eyes were shining as they look at Hong Qing. One of the kid opened their mouth and seemed like he wanted to say something, but the other one pulled on his sleeve and slightly shook his head. The kid who wanted to say something then obediently shuts his mouth. Hong Qing was observing the actions of this two kids in his grasp, but he didn’t say anything else.
“Are-are you that Hong Qing? That ninth prince Hong Qing?” Zi Li closed his slack jaw and pointed at him while asking again to confirm.
“Yeah, that’s right! Hey, are you really not my Huang Xiong’s male concubine?” Hong Qing stared back at Zi Li, then immediately releases his hold on his spoils of war, the two kids, and walked closer to Zi Li with a beaming smile. He said: “I always wanted to look for you after that, but Huang Xiong won’t tell me a thing. To be able to run into you here by chance, we must be brought together by fate!”
Upon hearing that ear piercing word “male concubine”, Zi Li was completely annoyed as he replied: “My humble self is the third prince of Bei Ling, An Jin Yu, and I’m not your Huang Xiong’s anything 囧囧.”
“Eh, so you’re that hostage prince from Bei Ling? So that was you?” Hong Qing was not aware he was offending the other person and continued to speak in a waning voice.
Zi Li blew his top in his mind, he coldly said after: “I still have prior engagement, if you will excuse me first!”
After he said that, he halfheartedly cupped his hand and was about to go back to sit inside his palanquin, when all of a sudden, he noticed Lian Pan foolishly kneeling on the ground, “That, brother Lian Pan, are you perhaps thinking of staying the night there?”
“Ah, oh! Then, prince, this lowly servant shall also excuse himself!” Lian Pan devoutly saluted him then stood up.
“Hey, where are you guys going?” Hong Qing ignored Lian Pan. It will be difficult for them to meet again, so how can he let Zi Li leave just like this?
“We are going to the Xiang Wan Pub [3] to listen to some music, is the prince interested in coming as well?” Zi Li hasn’t open his mouth yet, when Lian Pan hastily replied. Lian Pan’s face was clearly wearing a vulgar smile.
Zi Li creases his brow in disgust. Does all of An Jin Yu’s friends some kind of degenerates?
“Xiang Wan Pub? That places seems like its not bad, then I shall go with you. Brother Jin Yu, can you take me with you as well?”
Brother Jin Yu? Are you that close to me to call me in such manner? Zi Li secretly glances at Hong Qing who resembled a puppy expecting something from him (aka puppy eyes).
How old is he anyway?
“We are naturally delighted for the prince to want to come with us. Then may I invite the prince to sit with this lowly servant in my palanquin?”
“No! I don’t want to sit in your palanquin. I want to seat with Brother Jin Yu in his palanquin.” Once he said that, Hong Qing immediately bent down and went inside the palanquin, crowding beside the place Zi Li was sitting at, then ordering the palanquin carriers, “Raise the palanquin.”
Zi Li became gloomy! The palanquin was originally small, and now this crude guy forcefully cramming himself in was really unbearable. He was squashed like a meat patty between this guy and the wooden frames of the palanquin without being able to move a single step.
“Can’t you sit a little farther away?” Zi Li was gnashing his teeth as he complained.
Hong Qing was also uncomfortable with their sitting position. He looks at the fully occupied space but there’s no more room, he then turned his gaze at Zi Li who was beside him and said: “No can do, how about sitting in my lap then? This way everyone will be comfortable!”
Zi Li’s eyes flared as if he was gonna bore a hole on this guy’s head when he said that.
Seeing that Zi Li was not saying anything, Hong Qing thought he was agreeing. So he extended his big hands and wrapped it on Zi Li’s waist, then pulling him back on top of his knees.
By the time Zi Li felt his body being alighted, he already finds himself sitting down on that guys legs.
Relax! Relax!
Zi Li’s stomach was violently undulating. He poured all of his will power from the bottom of his heart to suppress himself from finally losing his shit 囧囧.
However, in the end, he failed.
“Thudding sounds——”
“Die——you pervert——”——
Bonbon translation notes:
[1] A small carriage that are carried by palanquin bearers in their shoulders on both front and back side. Something like this ⏎:
[2] Jade head piece/crown that are worn by royalties in Chinese culture. Looks something like this ⏎:
[3] I call it pub but Xiang Wan is actually an establishment in ancient times where costumers can dine and be entertained by beautiful entertainer girls through singing or dancing, and sometimes sexual favors if the costumer paid for it. I don’t know better term than pub so I’m open for suggestions 😀⏎
Bonbon wanted to say:
HMH Vol 1 is gonna end soon too!
I think the last chapter for this volume is chapter 28, but I will continue updating it till chapter 35(or what I will be able to finish by april 12) then will start working again in vol 4 of TMCRVP(for real this time hahah)!
Also, you notice that there’s a lot of cuss words in HMH. Believe me that I didn’t intentionally translate it that way! Zi Li just love to cuss when in pressure! Because of him I’m learning a lot of cuss chinese slangs hahaha!
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as well~
—Donation Section—
Special thanks to anon and TetsuJin for buying me coffee’s while I work for this chapter! You guys are amazing for keeping this bunny alive! This chapter is dedicated to you guys ;D
