How To Survive as a Villain

Xiao YuAn was dazed by the light gauze drapery and dazzling smoke that surrounded him. He slightly nodded his head and found himself covered with a slightly fragrant bedding quilt. On this bedding quilt was embroidered a majestic Golden Dragon, this Dragon was breathing flames, his sharp teeth and dancing claws1 made him look very much lifelike.

Xiao YuAn braced himself and sat up on the bed. Suddenly, long silk-like black hair fell down his shoulders like a waterfall.

‘Huh?’

Xiao YuAn grabbed a few strands of hair and pulled hard.

‘Ouch, it hurts.’

Xiao YuAn’s mind began to think at a rapid speed, and then he felt extremely confused.

‘Could this be a rebirth?’

Is Marx’s coffin plate still sealed?

“Your Majesty, are you awake? This maidservant will help you change clothes.” The door of the bedchamber was gently pushed open and a beautiful, young woman walked in. In her hands, she was holding a basin with water to help him wash his face. She was dressed in a plain cyan robe and her hair was tied up in a bun, decorated with a bronze ancient hairpin.

‘Your Majesty?’

Xiao YuAn felt a little bit sad, it wasn’t easy to be reborn to begin with and this setting turned out to be a realistic one. He wouldn’t be able to experience the pleasure of a Cultivation World.

Although Marx will cry on his grave, Newton can rest at ease.

“Are there any Monsters or Immortals, or anything of the sort in this world?” Xiao YuAn asked.

The young woman was stunned: “Your Majesty? Are you planning to go to the Temple to worship?

‘Oh, so it’s not a Fantasy setting either.’

Xiao YuAn showed an expression of disappointment.

“Your Majesty, the late Emperor has entered the Western Paradise2 for so many days now, don’t be sad; you should be careful to not damage your body health.” The maidservant, who was closely observing Xiao YuAn’s movements, tried to comfort him with a gentle voice.

‘Oh? So his soul is inside a new Emperor’s body, that just recently inherited the throne?’

“Is there a mirror?” Xiao YuAn asked the maidservant.

The maidservant immediately brought a bronze mirror, bowed and knelt in front of the bed, handing it over to Xiao YuAn.

Xiao YuAn took the bronze mirror and studied his face features.

Ah, he’s really good looking, clear and handsome. His eyebrows and eyes were well defined, his skin was very pale and beautiful, his lips were naturally red and his eyes were bright. This was the face of a young and beautiful teenager.

Xiao YuAn quietly sighed, and silently defined himself inside his heart.

‘A young Emperor.’

‘This kind of Monarch, either the Military power is not in his hand, and he ended up as his mother or uncle’s puppet. Or he’s a hot-minded youth, who doesn’t know how to rule a Country, and is determined to spend his days in luxury and corruption.’

‘Either way, I already know that this kind of road, at the beginning, is not an easy path to walk on.’

‘However, rebirth is a strange opportunity, one that I got among a thousand people; even if I’m not the Protagonist, I won’t be a simple cannon fodder that appears on one page!’

Xiao YuAn was suddenly in high spirits.

“What’s your name?” Xiao YuAn asked the maidservant.

The maidservant was clearly confused for a brief moment, but she still replied in a respectful way regardless: “This maidservant’s name is Hong Xiu.”

“Hong……”

‘Huh?’

‘Wait a minute, this name, why does it sound so familiar?’

‘Young Emperor? The late Emperor died?’

Xiao YuAn hesitated several times, but in the end, he managed to ask: “What has Princess Yongning been busy with lately?”

“Answering to His Majesty.” Hong Xiu knelt on the ground and bowed her head. “This maidservant heard that the Princess has been learning to play the guqin recently.”

Xiao YuAn, who just a moment ago was very satisfied with his current situation, after listening to what the maidservant said, flopped on the bed stiff as a corpse.

“Your Majesty? What happened, Your Majesty? Are you feeling sick? Your Majesty?” Hong Xiu was extremely shocked at his reaction, asking him in a flustered voice.

“Life grabbed me by the throat and then gave me a loud slap in the face.”

“Ah?”

“I know that only true warriors would dare to face the painful reality of life, even if blood is dropped.”

“Your…Your Majesty?”

“Now my fate is sealed. In this world where the human hearts are not the same as they used to be in ancient times3, and where everything they care about is materialistic desires, only this quilt has a little warmth left.”

“Your Majesty! What’s wrong? I’ll summon the Imperial Physician right away!” Hong Xiu stumbled a few frightened steps and hurried to call someone for help, but Xiao YuAn quickly stopped her.

“Everything is fine, I was just running away from reality.” Xiao YuAn waved his hand weakly.

Xiao YuAn has fully understood that he wasn’t reborn at all.

He had transmigrated4 into a book.

He got transmigrated into the stallion novel5 “The History of the Four Kingdoms” that he read before dying.

In the original book, Hong Xiu was the personal maidservant of the Young Emperor of the Northern Kingdom. Now, he’s also that same Young Emperor that gets tortured alive at the hands of the Male Lead.

Xiao YuAn, in the midst of Hong Xiu’s panicked questioning expression, rolled over on the bed facing the wall with a miserable look adorning his face.

‘Ah, it would’ve been better to have the role of a cannon fodder after all. As a President at my prime of youth6, I wasn’t even able to meet my soulmate when I suddenly got diagnosed with a terminal illness. This alone is enough to complain for a lifetime, but now I also had to transmigrate into such a complicated supporting role… Ah, my life is really miserable, and sorrowful.’

After finishing organizing his thoughts and feeling dispirited, Xiao YuAn got up and asked Hong Xiu, who was already feeling very disoriented: “Where’s Yan HeQing?”

“Your Majesty, this maidservant…. is ignorant and doesn’t know what His Majesty is asking about?” Hong Xiu was at a loss for words and fell to her knees to kowtow7.

Xiao YuAn quickly pulled her up: “It’s the Male Lead, wait no, it’s the captured Prince of the Southern Yan Kingdom, mmh? You still don’t understand? I’m talking about the Prince that was captured alive by my father, oh right, by the late Emperor of the Northern Kingdom who conquered his Country.”

Hong Xiu’s face was still showing a very confused expression.

Xiao YuAn bowed his head and thought for a few seconds after finally saying: “The Prince that I want to take as a male concubine.”

Hong Xiu suddenly realized: “Oh, this maidservant knows!”

Xiao Yuan: “…”

‘So I just had to say that for you to finally understand?!’

‘Why do I feel like I’m getting closer and closer to being tortured to death?!’

Footnotes

张牙舞爪 zhāng yá wǔ zhǎo; It’s a Chinese idiom, used to describe a fierce and terrifying beast, with its mouth open and claws waving. It’s also a metaphor for rampant fierceness.西天 xī tiān; A Buddhist term that refers to the World of Paradise, the place where the soul goes after death, that is, the Underworld.人心不古 rén xīn bù gǔ; It’s a Chinese idiom, it refers to the social moral of the ancient times. Nowadays, people’s hearts are treacherous and mean, not as generous as the ancients.Transmigration is the movement of a soul into another body after death, and is related to reincarnation. Trans means “across,” as in transport or transcontinental, and migration is the act of moving, like birds flying south. Transmigration used to just mean what it sounds like, as in: “Moving from one place to another”. But later it took a deeper meaning: “A soul moving into another body after death”. Various religions are associated with different types of transmigration.种马小说 zhǒng mǎxiǎo shuō; A term used to describe novels with protagonists that have a special charm effect that attracts almost every women they met. Most of these kind of novels tend to be harem.风华正茂 fēng huá zhèng mào; It’s a Chinese idiom, describes the time in life when someone is young, charming and talented / Describes the vigorous and energetic spirit of youth.磕头 kē tóu; Is a traditional ritual of respect towards a superior, involves kneeling on the ground and pressing your hands and forehead on the ground as well.