Scum Gong Walks the Career Line in the Crematorium

TL: Moonlit

I made a mistake with the arc title in the previous chapter and have already changed it from Regent Prince to Regent King. Sorry for the mistake.

In this story called «The Young Emperor and the Regent King’s Love-Hate Relationship», the original host is the regent king.

This is originally a turbulent era, with the previous emperor being incompetent and the court dominated by powerful ministers who abused their authority, causing chaos throughout the country. The surrounding areas are also filled with aggressive foreign tribes that frequently harass the borders. Even a small nomadic tribe can defeat the previous dynasty, forcing them to seek peace through negotiations and territorial concessions.

In the end, a group of mountain bandits rose in rebellion and, with just a few hundred followers, conquered the entire country and renamed it Sui Kingdom.

The founding emperor of Sui Kingdom is the protagonist’s father.

The former emperor spent his entire life on horseback, finally quelling external invasions. However, he passed away due to old age and illness in his forties, leaving behind a young crown prince, Zhao Yuan.

With the death of the former emperor, the previously suppressed external forces began to stir again, and various factions sought to take advantage of the vulnerable Sui Kingdom.

Under internal and external threats, Zhao Yuan had to rely on Regent King Qi Changfeng. As a young emperor who ascended the throne at the age of fifteen, he understood that he could only depend on Qi Changfeng and acted spoiled, treating the regent king as his own uncle.

After discovering Qi Changfeng’s concealed feelings, Zhao Yuan was not disgusted. Instead, he was ecstatic because he found a weakness in the otherwise invincible regent king, and that weakness was himself.

Zhao Yuan always knew how to act spoiled. Since then, his relationship with Qi Changfeng became closer. He occasionally spoke ambiguous words, coaxing Qi Changfeng into doing everything for him and easing his guard.

Over the course of ten years, Qi Changfeng stabilized Sui Kingdom’s external affairs and suppressed internal dissent, finally putting the kingdom on the right track.

However, Zhao Yuan couldn’t bear to continue being dependent on another man, even though Qi Changfeng had never done anything to him. He was tired of currying favor and acting like a lowly courtier just to please him.

He was the emperor, the ruler of Sui Kingdom!

Even if Qi Changfeng was indispensable, Zhao Yuan couldn’t take it anymore.

But Zhao Yuan was still too young, and Qi Changfeng was soon rescued by his subordinates. He launched an attack on the imperial palace, seized control of the government, and imprisoned Zhao Yuan.

This time, the betrayed Qi Changfeng showed no mercy. He devoured the young emperor and began a cycle of a love-hate relationship between them.

Filled with resentment, Zhao Yuan was forced and imprisoned, becoming a puppet emperor. He had no power to resist and could only curse… After several attempts to assassinate Qi Changfeng, he finally succeeded in killing him on the battlefield.

With power back in his hands, Zhao Yuan found himself dealing with a mess. The previously suppressed external enemies were on the move again, and internal factions were pressuring him. Zhao Yuan was constrained in everything he did, and he could only focus on maintaining stability among the border troops to prevent greedy courtiers from devouring the country.

In a critical moment when Zhao Yuan’s own grandfather even poisoned him, attempting to replace the imperial bloodline and change the dynasty, Qi Changfeng appeared in time. He sought revenge for Zhao Yuan and saved him, suppressing the courtiers with decisive actions.

After this turmoil, Zhao Yuan finally realized Qi Changfeng’s indispensability. They entered a delicate period, where the usually antagonistic duo surprisingly coexisted peacefully, both giving in to each other… Until one of Zhao Yuan’s consorts became pregnant.

At this point, Lin Hanchuan didn’t continue reading further as it seemed that the story would continue with the two protagonists loving and killing each other, with one wanting to preserve the imperial bloodline by having consorts and the other forcing his love.

Lin Hanchuan noted that he arrived at the time when the little emperor, Zhao Yuan, first tore his face apart with Qi Changfeng and had him thrown into prison.

Lin Hanchuan closed his eyes slowly and said, “[The book only mentioned him being thrown into prison, not that he was subjected to severe torture].”

“[This is probably the plot’s way of self-repairing],” replied 001 tearfully, hurriedly providing Lin Hanchuan with the available medicines that he could exchange.

Upon looking at the options, Lin Hanchuan noticed pills that could numb pain, heal bones, and replenish blood… He smiled palely and said, “[Didn’t you say we couldn’t exchange things that don’t exist in the small world?]”

“[Giving them to others cannot be exchanged, but using them for yourself without revealing it is allowed],” explained 001 tearfully. Its translucent blue body emitted a soft light as it circled around Lin Hanchuan repeatedly.

After Lin Hanchuan exchanged for and consumed the medicine, he finally felt much better.

He sighed lightly, but before he could sort out the original host’s memories, a swift gust of wind hit him with a sharp crack.

The officer in charge of the interrogation had a smile on his face, but his actions showed no mercy. The specially made whip tore off a piece of flesh with just one strike, staining the already unclean robe with fresh blood.

“My Lord,” the man weighed the whip in his hand, “your entry into the capital with an army is a capital offense, a crime that warrants the execution of nine generations. Even if you deny it, it won’t change anything.”

With the help of 001, Lin Hanchuan had taken the medicine and blocked his pain perception. He looked at the man coldly, observing him for a while until he found the information from the original host’s memories. This man was one of the subordinates promoted by the young emperor, Zhao Yuan.

Lin Hanchuan coughed lightly, and as he opened his mouth, he tasted the blood in his mouth. He slowly asked, “Did Zhao Yuan order you to torture me?”

The officer, upon seeing the sudden anger in Lin Hanchuan’s eyes, was just a small official with no grievances against the regent king. However, he hated the regent king deeply. If it weren’t for the regent king controlling the court, he, who had gained the favor of the emperor, would have been promoted to a high-ranking minister instead of being stuck in this prison as an interrogator.

He had used all kinds of methods to humiliate the regent king, but it seemed that nothing affected him. The only person who could make him react was the young emperor.

After a few more vicious lashes at Lin Hanchuan, the officer finally stopped, gasping for breath. He smiled, saying, “If it weren’t for His Majesty’s order, how could I dare to lay a hand on you, My Lord?”

Even at this moment, he maintained a false show of respect, but it only made him seem more hypocritical and disgusting.

“[This little emperor is too ruthless],” 001 cried sorrowfully and flew onto the officer, kicking him hard a few times. “[The regent king has served him diligently, without rest, without doing anything wrong, yet he turns around and uses such cruel methods, wanting the regent king dead].”

The officer remained unaffected by 001’s kicks, not even a single hair out of place. However, Lin Hanchuan smiled and said, “[The victor becomes the king, the loser the captive. Zhao Yuan never trusted the regent king. It’s just normal behavior to shoot the last arrow when all the birds have flown].”

“You still dare to laugh?” The officer saw the faint smile on Lin Hanchuan’s lips and struck him with a few more lashes.

After such a beating, he was also getting tired. He said harshly, “My Lord, consider carefully. There are different ways to die. Do you want a comfortable death, or a fate worse than death?”

After the officer left the prison gates, Lin Hanchuan watched him depart, his eyes inscrutable.

The reason the young emperor didn’t kill him immediately was that he wanted to obtain the tiger token from him and regain control of the military. If he killed the regent king without reason, the generals on the borders wouldn’t agree, and the tens of thousands of troops under the regent king wouldn’t agree either.

Once he signed the confession, the young emperor would immediately exterminate all opposition, justifiably eliminating any threats. By publicizing the confession, he would silence any doubts and remove any reasons for the soldiers to seek revenge.

The original host, Qi Changfeng, understood this logic, and so did Lin Hanchuan.

Therefore, no matter what, he couldn’t sign the confession. As for the officer… a cold glint flashed in Lin Hanchuan’s eyes. The king of hell was easy to see, but the pesky little ghosts were just small fry.

“[Chuanchuan, what should you do now?]” 001 asked cautiously.

“[Wait].”

He would wait for the original host’s subordinates to rescue him. Lin Hanchuan glanced at the bed covered in blood and urine, then chose to sit on the ground, resting against the wall. He also checked the original host’s memories.

Qi Changfeng, the original host, was now in his prime, but he had been fighting for nearly twenty years.

Originally an inconspicuous orphan in troubled times, Qi Changfeng was lucky to be picked up by the former Sui Kingdom emperor. At that time, there was no Sui Kingdom, and the former emperor, Zhao Jun, was just a bandit who claimed to be a king.

Out of kindness, Zhao Jun took the five or six-year-old Qi Changfeng under his wing. Being a rough man, Zhao Jun only taught him about leading troops and warfare. The ability to read and write was taught by the former adviser.

By the age of seven or eight, Qi Changfeng could already lead soldiers and fight, becoming a brave young front-line soldier. By the time he was fifteen or sixteen, he had become a young general personally praised by Zhao Jun.

Nobody would have thought that Zhao Jun’s moment of kindness would give Sui Kingdom a great military talent.

When Zhao Jun passed away, Qi Changfeng couldn’t believe it. Among all the people, he, who had been raised by Zhao Jun, was appointed as the regent king, given the weak Sui Kingdom, and entrusted with Zhao Jun’s son.

For Qi Changfeng, Zhao Jun was like a teacher and a father. He would never fail to fulfill his orders and trust.

When Qi Changfeng took over the entire country, he was barely in his twenties, and in just a few years, he transformed from an immature prince into an all-powerful regent king.

He firmly protected the young emperor behind him, but he never thought that the greatest harm would come from behind.