How to Survive As a Villain

Chapter 6: You Can’t Just Screw the Male Lead

Edited by Tin

Bold and Foolish.

That was how Xiao Yu’an described the previous emperor of the Northern Kingdom in the comments.

In the original novel, that emperor’s success was mainly due to his luck. At the time, the Northern Kingdom had years of successful harvests, making the empire wealthy. All of this fed the northern emperor’s ambition to conquer the Southern Yan Kingdom.

Coincidently, Southern Yan Kingdom was suffering from a series of droughts, and on top of that their emperor had died suddenly as well. Tragic.

So the emperor took this chance and attacked the Southern Yan Kingdom, taking the prince hostage, plundering their riches and claiming their lands.

But.

This previous emperor was brave but was bad at management. After winning the war and claiming the riches, he wiped off his ass and went home!

He! Went! Home!

Bruh, even Armstrong went 380,000 kilometers to the moon and knew to stick a flag on it. You finally conquered a land, and you’re not going to stick a flag in it???

You are the greatest example of what a “meathead” is.

Later on, a piece of the Southern Yan Kingdom was forcibly taken by the Eastern Wu Kingdom. The rest of the land was barely stable enough for the male lead to lead.

After the Northern Emperor finished winning the war, he partied all day and night, and most likely died of alcohol poisoning.

The crowned prince was quickly throned, and hearing how the previous emperor lived, he wasn’t that much better either.

It seemed like the Northern Kingdom was quickly defeated, but it didn’t happen overnight. The source of this tragedy was already rooted deeply within.

–

Xiao Yu’an hurried to the royal prison, the dark iron gates emitting a rotten smell.

Of course, no one would think a place like the prison would be visited by the Emperor. The guards quickly knelt on the ground, scared out of their wits.

“Your Majesty, you are of royal bearing and great importance, how could you come to a dirty place like this? If you need anything you should just ask us servants to do it for you!” The guard that stood by Xiao Yu’an exclaimed.

“We all have 23 chromosomes and chunks of meat created by cell division so let’s stop arguing about our positions,” Xiao Yu’an said calmly to the guard.

Guard, “Huh?”

“Knowledge, it’s a good thing.”

“Huh??”

“We need to stop being superstitious and start advocate science.”

“Huh???”

“Nothing, I’m just joking with you,” Xiao Yu’an grinned sheepishly at the guards, and stepped through the iron gates.

Within 3 seconds, Xiao Yu’an covered his nose and jumped out.

It… smells so bad.

The smell tortured his nose, but following the laws of adaptation, he slowly got used to the smell. Xiao Yu’an walked in once again.

There weren’t a lot of prisoners in the jail cells, the two cells were empty on both sides. Xiao Yu’an followed the guard down a dark hallway, to the deepest parts of the prison, then stopped in front of a normal jail cell.

The guards got out the keys to open the cell, then quickly laid down a layer of hay on the ground, scared that it might dirty Xiao Yu’an’s boots.

Wow practical people are so nice, Xiao Yu’an couldn’t help glancing at the guard a few more times.

The musky scent of blood wafted his way, and the candle light flickered from the wind as Xiao Yu’an walked in.

There was one person in the corner of the cell.

His white robe was so stained by blood and dirt that it was no longer its original color. The thick chains dug into his injuries, and followed his movements. In the dark, through his robes, one could see the bloody, red flesh. His loose hair covered his face, hiding his features.

Hearing the sounds, the person in the corner flinched.

But an eye could be seen through his hair.

Xiao Yu’an looked at that eye, only to see the indifference and coldness within.
Some people had wealth and riches, but their eyes would still look dead. While others, despite being in a jail cell, the dirt still couldn’t cover the bright and sharp glare of their eyes.

It only took Xiao Yu’an one look to understand. Today, if he didn’t kill him, one day, he’d be killed by him.

Xiao Yu’an didn’t say a word and drew the sword from the guard’s hips, causing a sharp metal sound to ring. The people within the cell were shocked, and that person finally moved, but it was slight. The pain made him knit his brows together.

This looked so sad.

Xiao Yu’an thought to himself, the scenes were described in words within the novel, but now that he had personally seen the male lead like this, he only wanted to say one thing.

Author! You’re! A! Fucking! Evil! Stepmom!

This is your son! How could you do this!

Xiao Yu’an squeezed the shaft of the sword. Somehow he felt a numbing pain and conflict.

He felt bad.

The word ‘kill’ was written easier, especially when Xiao Yu’an didn’t have to do it personally. But the person in front of him was weak as an ant. He could just lift his finger, and there would be no more Yan Heqing in this world any longer.

But Xiao Yu’an couldn’t do it.

Nevermind, he knew the plot anyways, as long as he didn’t seek death, maybe he wouldn’t get attacked.

Even if that didn’t work, maybe at some point, while the male lead was still a hostage in the North Kingdom, if he was nice to him and cared for him to death, maybe then maybe he could increase his likeability, and then try to survive with a slightly presentable corpse?

The Xiao Yu’an that only wanted a lightly presentable corpse sighed silently, and gave the sword back to the guard.

But he didn’t plan to just leave like that.

The novel described the male lead as the most shockingly beautiful man of them all, so Xiao Yu’an was curious. He took a few steps forwards to his side, and reached out to part his hair away from his face.

Just as Xiao Yu’an reached over, Yan HeQing suddenly bit and held onto Xiao Yu’an’s hand.

Getting bitten for no reason at all, Xiao Yu’an was shocked.

Even though he looked like he had no energy left in him, his bite was still pretty painful, but no blood came out.

Due to his position, the guards and servants behind him could only see his back, and didn’t see the attack.

Xiao Yu’an waited for a moment, then realized that Yu HeQing didn’t plan to let go, then helplessly said, “Haven’t calmed down yet?”

Xiao Yu’an thought that he was probably provoked by the sword just now, that’s why he’s like this.

“Ow ow ow,” Xiao Yu’an muttered quietly, “Let go, it’s been a while now, the guards will be suspicious. “

Yu HeQing was shocked by the comforting voice of Xiao Yu’an, slowly letting his hand go.

Xiao Yu’an rubbed the teeth imprint of the back of his hand, and hid it in his sleeves, getting up and speaking to the servants and guards, “Let him go, then send him to the royal doctor, and treat his injuries.”

Finished, Xiao Yu’an turned to walk out of the prison.

After all that, it was already night time, and Xiao Yu’an returned to his chambers.

Seeing Xiao Yu’an carrying the bloody scent that was brought from the prison, his personal servant, Hong Xiu, hurriedly brought him to the bath.

Xiao Yu’an soaked in the hot spring bath, and the longer he soaked, the worse his headache got. After a while, Xiao Yu’an heard Hong Xiu ask something unclear.

Xiao Yu’an didn’t care much, and agreed with a simple “Un huh”, and continued soaking for another hour.

After Xiao Yu’an finished, Hong Xiu carefully helped him get changed.

Xiao Yu’an remembered that in the original novel, Hong Xiu was very smart, and knew exactly how to read the teen emperor’s face, becoming his favourite.

At the same time, she was also a ruthless girl. She was in charge of the imprisoned, and with these male concubines, Hong Xiu wasn’t light handed either. If anyone didn’t serve the emperor well, even being beaten by her till your skin ripped was considered a light punishment.

Looking at the girl that was helping him getting dressed, Xiao Yu’an just couldn’t apply that description from the novel onto her.

What was Hong Xiu’s ending in the novel again?

Xiao Yu’an thought deeply, and before he could remember, Hong Xiu spoke, “Your highness, it is time to retreat.”

“Hm, Ok,” Xiao Yu’an recovered from his thoughts, throwing the question to the back of his head.

After walking into his chambers, Hong Xiu didn’t follow, but quietly closed the door.

The chamber didn’t have any candles lit, so Xiao Yu’an waited till his eyes could get used to the dark, and used the carved wooden window frame to guide him to the bed.

The room was quiet, and the smoke from the incense danced in the air, no sound to be heard.
What Xiao Yu’an wouldn’t have expected was that there was someone else on that bed.