After Framing the Male Lead, the Imperial Preceptor Faked His Death and Disappeared

Lin Xiwen was a sickly mute who transmigrated into a book as its Imperial Preceptor, only to find that he was still mute.

In the original story, the mute Imperial Preceptor, who had been unable to speak since childhood, was dark-hearted. He not only framed the highly favored Third Prince, who was about to be named crown prince, as an ill-omened star incarnate, but also declared that the neglected Fourth Prince, confined to the cold palace, was the one favored by fate. This caused the princes to swap destinies:

The Third Prince endured hardship and escaped death time and again, while the Fourth Prince rose to prominence overnight and received instruction from the Imperial Preceptor.

However, several years later, the Third Prince regrouped, made a comeback, and ascended the throne. Fearing his good days were over, the Fourth Prince hurriedly captured the Imperial Preceptor to curry favor with the new emperor. The emperor ordered the Imperial Preceptor to be executed by a thousand cuts, and the tutor of the empire met his end.

After listening to the System's explanation, Lin Xiwen asked, "...So what's my mission?"

System: "According to the original story, you must frame the Third Prince and assist the Fourth Prince. But you have to change the original ending and help the Fourth Prince successfully seize the throne."

Lin Xiwen: "..."

Maybe he should just find himself a nice plot of land and bury himself right now.

Burying himself was out of the question, so he could only do his best to try and complete the mission.

But Lin Xiwen felt guilty about slandering an innocent prince, so while he openly tutored the Fourth Prince, he also concealed his identity and secretly offered some help to the struggling Third Prince.

As expected, several years later, the original story's plot happened all over again: the Third Prince ascended the throne, and the Fourth Prince was so terrified that he sharpened his knives and turned them on the Imperial Preceptor.

Fortunately, Lin Xiwen escaped quickly. Before fleeing, he set up a ruse that made everyone believe he had feared the new emperor and taken his own life.

Although he hadn't completed the mission given by the System, as long as he wasn't caught, he could still stay alive. So Lin Xiwen concealed his identity and kept to himself, and managed to get by.

Until one day, he woke up to find a figure like the King of Hell sitting beside his bed: Zhao Xingjin, the late emperor's Third Prince and the new emperor.

Lin Xiwen: "..."

Zhao Xingjin shackled Lin Xiwen's hands and feet and brought him back to the capital as if he were a heinous criminal being transported to prison.

But, to Lin Xiwen's surprise, Zhao Xingjin didn't kill him. He merely locked him in the dungeon.

Even more surprising, the dungeon had a soft bed and pillows, and offered fine clothes and lavish food. Though Zhao Xingjin humiliated him every night, the treatment seemed more like that reserved for... a male favorite?

-

Zhao Xingjin couldn't understand Lin Xiwen.

It was Lin Xiwen who had solemnly declared him an ill-omened star, turning him from the favored son of heaven into a criminal prince in the cold palace, where he had to suffer hunger and cold.

But when he was burning with a fever that wouldn't break, Lin Xiwen had also concealed his identity, taken his pulse, brewed medicine, and brought him food, clothes, and charcoal.

It was Lin Xiwen who had made him a target of public hatred, but when others bullied him, Lin Xiwen had pretended to be annoyed as he helped him out of trouble.

It was also thanks to Lin Xiwen that he could barely get his hands on even a brush, ink, paper, or inkstone, yet Lin Xiwen had secretly delivered renowned classics to him.

When he was nearly poisoned by medicine someone else had given him, Lin Xiwen, silent behind a mask, had hurried over and stopped him from meeting a fate of either death or permanent injury...

Zhao Xingjin hated Lin Xiwen to the core and wanted to cut him to pieces.

But when the day came that he had the power to do so, Zhao Xingjin found he couldn't bring himself to act. When he heard that Lin Xiwen had supposedly killed himself, he even vomited blood in a daze.

"Lin Xiwen, you owe me so much. Your life and death are mine to decide.

...What gave you the right to decide for yourself?"

-

On the way back to the palace with Lin Xiwen, whom he had found alive after faking his death, Zhao Xingjin had made up his mind:

Lin Xiwen was despicable, so he deserved to be thrown into the imperial prison.

But Lin Xiwen had also helped him, so the prison could be made comfortable. That way, the sickly man wouldn't get off easy by dying too quickly.

Lin Xiwen was too malicious, so he deserved to be humiliated and left to eke out a miserable existence.

So... Zhao Xingjin made Lin Xiwen his male favorite.

Whenever Lin Xiwen was dazed and confused, he could always hear Zhao Xingjin asking through gritted teeth beside his ear, "If you had another chance, would you still help your fourth brother harm me?"

Lin Xiwen could only try his best to shake his head.

Zhao Xingjin twisted his meaning. "You refuse to answer?"

Lin Xiwen: "..."

Lin Xiwen suffered in silence, unable to speak up or explain his grievances.

Your Majesty, if you expect a mute to answer your questions, shouldn't you give him paper and a pen?

Or at least stop gripping his hands so tightly and let him sign?

[Pre-release blurb written on 2025-03-23]

Theme: Treasure life and live with optimism