ว่าด้วยการเอาตัวรอดของรัชทายาท เล่ม 1

Jiu Qian Sui #1

by Xiu Sheng, ซิ่วเซิง, 绣生

　　เมื่ออินเฉิงอวี้ได้ย้อนเวลากลับมาในรัชศกหลงเฟิงปีที่สิบเจ็ด เขาตั้งใจจะเปลี่ยนเปลงชะตากรรมอันโหดร้ายของตนเอง แต่เพื่อให้ชนะในเดิมพันนี้ จำต้องมีหมากในมือที่แข็งแกร่ง และหมากตัวนั้นก็คือเซวียซู่ ผู้ที่ในภายภาคหน้าจะกลายเป็นพระเก้าพันปี อยู่ใต้คนผู้เดียวแต่อยู่เหนือคนมันหมื่น

　　อินเฉิงอวี้ให้คนออกตามหาเซวียซู่จนพบ แล้วให้อีกฝ่ายเข้าทำงานในสำนักประจิม ขณะเดียวกันก็เริ่มต้นวางแผนป้องกัน ไม่ให้ภัยร้ายแฝงย้อนกลับมาทำร้ายคนตระกูลอวี๋จนถูกค้นเรือนยึดทรัพย์ และสูญเสียชื่อเสียงที่สั่งสมมาเหมือนเช่นชาติก่อนอีก

360 pages, Paperback

Published November 6, 2024

Reviews

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title is Jiu Qiansui: Nine Thousand Years. A palace intrigue romance between the Crown Prince (MC) and a powerful Eunuch (ML)that is quite complicated following the rebirth of the MC. Filled with tangled emotions of toxic love/hate and power/submission but omg the sexual tension is 🔥. I absolutely adored this one with only a few minor complaints I listed at the end.

An Emperor’s life is a privilege and a prison. How could they dare to dream of growing old together? 😭

MC Yin Chengyu: Crown Prince, smart, strategist, devoted to the country and people, compassionate but unyielding in his beliefs, a tease!
ML Xue Shu: Eunuch (but there’s more to this so don’t let that deter you), cunning, absolutely devoted ,ruthless, smart, schemer, very fierce, gets angry and jealous pretty quickly, fearless, powerful fighter

👑 Historical/Ming Dynasty Era- around the end of the Mongol rule
👑 Rebirth
👑 Palace intrigue-simple and straightforward plot wise, nothing really new here-
👑 Relationship/romance > plot. Unraveling the layers of their relationship wayyyy better than plot (which is still good)
👑 Sexual tension is 🔥🔥🔥
👑 Second chance love

Things I loved about this:
-Secret alliance between the CP
-Complicated, tempestuous relationship of the CP
-Hua Cheng level of devotion from ML, absolute loyalty and devotion to YC and YC absolutely deserves it
-Reveals of why things were in the previous life made my heart hurt
-Teasing and taunting from the MC in the second life
-Who else do I have but you? 💔
-Confession melted my heart and had me in tears
-Connection between CP that doesn’t need words
-Feelings are so raw and passionate you don’t even realize the 🌶️ is fade to black
-XS fears make my heart ache- he feels unworthy and the worries about YC marrying a bride or realizing that he is “dirty”

A few minor gripes:
- A bit of a Mary Sue novel in regards to the plot. This is fine because I feel like this novel is more relationship focused
- After the climax of the story, it went on a little too long. Plus an epilogue and 11 extras (which are really good so don’t skip!)
- A few translation issues, mostly towards the end with pronouns and a few confusing explanations of things

“They’ve seen the best and the worst of each other. They’ve fought with blades in hand, and they’ve shared moments of tender affection. Their bond was too deep, their bodies intertwined in a way that left a lasting mark on his soul. The lies they told themselves, while convincing others, never fooled them. “

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chinese title: 九千岁[重生]
Pinyin: Jiuqian Sui

Didn't have any expectations going into this story but it was a winner! I loved it and couldn't get enough. Both main characters are smart and can handle all the schemes that come their way. Plus the sexual tension between them was off the charts. I love how their relationship started out as a love/hate relationship, with more hate than love, but slowly as the MC realizes everything that the ML went through for him in his previous life and also this life, his feelings can't help but change.

FYI the title refers to the ML's nickname in their previous life, where if the Emperor is blessed with 10,000 years of life, then he was second most powerful and blessed with 9,000 years of life

**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**

The story is actually a double rebirth, though initially only the main character retains his memories. Eventually the ML recovers his memories of their previous life after a series of nightmares, though he tries to keep it on the DL to avoid impacting their current relationship. However, the MC's smart and picks up on it quickly and eventually forces the ML to admit that his memories are back.

The MC is Yin Chengyu, the crown prince who is royally screwed over in his previous life. All he wants to do is do his best for the people and pick up the slack in place for his father, a weak and paranoid ruler prioritizes pleasure and his belief in the supernatural over governance and responsibilities. However, he's schemed against by his royal brothers and ends up guarding the imperial mausoleum for 5 years. If not for the ML Xue Shu's efforts, the crown prince would never have returned to the capital.

In order to help the MC, Xue Shu enters the palace as a eunuch and goes through unimaginable suffering to quickly rise to a place of power, so that he can bring the crown prince back and restore him to his rightful position. The price of his help is the MC himself, and thus starts many years of physical and emotional entanglement. Even though Xue Shu loves the crown prince, he only knows this cruel transactional way of interacting with him; he has trouble showing his true feelings of love for the MC.

And for the MC, he's grateful to the ML for giving him back his throne and power and for saving him on multiple occasions, but that's overshadowed by the strong shame of being involved with a eunuch. All of this leads to the two of them being deeply intertwined together with some complex feelings.

In this new life, the MC has trouble getting over the hate leftover from his previous life, but at the same time, he recognizes that the current Xue Shu hasn't done anything wrong and is completely loyal to him. He's able to save Xue Shu before castration (though the latter still figures out a way to pass as an eunuch), and this time around their relationship is much better than before. The hate is still there, but slowly the MC acknowledges that there's love mixed into his feelings for the ML as well.

This leads to an interesting power dynamic between them. In their last life, it felt like Xue Shu held all the power in their physical relationship. For example, by the end of every night, our crown prince would be completely naked but Xue Shu would never fully disrobe, as he was embarrassed by all the scars on his body. In this life, things are different, and Yin Chengyu revels in the power he holds over a much more innocent Xue Shu, at least until the latter regains his memories. But even after recovering his memories, Xue Shu is happy to listen to the MC for the most part and tries to restrain the wild surging desires within him. And the MC takes advantage of his obedience with fun bedroom toys like the mouth gag and chains.

I love how the MC and ML work together in secret. Everyone thinks they're on bad terms, and that's part of the reason why the emperor is happy to promote Xue Shu and depend on him as well. Only a small handful of people know or have a guess that their relationship is much better than what it appears. Other people see MC making the ML do menial tasks for him such as fetching tea and washing his feet as a sign that he dislikes the ML, but only the readers know that the ML is more than happy to pamper and take care of MC in every way. Because of the misunderstandings, they're able to tackle big corruption cases and take down prominent merchants and government officials, such as in the salt permit case when the involved officials try to buy off Xue Shu and turn him and the MC against each other.

It's good that at least Yin Chengyu has the competent Xue Shu by his side, as the nation faces disaster after disaster. After the salt corruption case, a serious epidemic breaks out. And of course the local officials try to hide the plague and the seriousness of it, so if our main characters didn't stumble upon it accidentally, they would've found out about it much later when it was much more widespread and hard to manage.

They barely manage to finish containing the plague when news of a rebellion in Shandong reaches them, a rebellion caused (again) by corrupt officials who hoarded famine relief supplies to themselves instead of passing them along to the common folk. The MC is super competent and probably would've been able to take care of all this by himself eventually, but collaborating with Xue Shu and his people definitely made dealing with each crisis easier.

I love Xue Shu's character. He's like a loyal wolfdog. Once he gets his teeth into something, he won't let go until he accomplishes his task. Plus for someone who's so smart and wily, it's hilarious to watch him get jealous of the smallest things. First it's the baby tiger the MC brings back from the imperial hunt, then it's an official that was close to the MC in their previous life. He's so petty and I love it!

One of my favorite things he did for revenge is to orchestrate the most embarrassing and awkward situation between the third prince and a foreign princess called Uju, who formed an alliance to kill the crown prince. He threw them in a deep hunting pit with minimal clothes, placed them closely together in a compromising position, and tied a wire around Uju's wrist to the 3rd prince's dick. When they wake up in the morning, she pushed the prince away so hard that she almost made him a eunuch, and he was never able to recover from that afterwards XP

I felt really bad for the first prince, Yin Ciguang. Not only is he forced to hide his gender and spend most of his life disguised as a female, but even after the MC and ML pave the way for him to reveal his true gender, he doesn't live a happy life. First his mother dies a poisoned death under the schemes of one of the other consorts, and then he goes crazy and decides to secretly stage a rebellion himself. I'm not sure why he did that and go against the MC, who treated him sincerely and helped him on multiple occasions. I can only say that his mother's death broke him and he really went crazy afterwards.

This novel was a sleeper hit for me. Would highly highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a pure romance with nonstop simmering sexual tension set in a historical setting full of political intrigue.

My only complaint about the story was the translation, which definitely was run through AI. The language felt too flowery imo. But still, if it allows the translator to publish multiple chapters a day, then I guess I can't complain too much.

Here are some of the memorable scenes from the story. Most of them show how dedicated Xue Shu is to his prince <3

Just look at how devoted Xue Shu is to the MC:

From the very first moment he laid eyes on Yin Chengyu, he couldn't stop himself from wanting to get closer, from wanting to lay everything in the world at his feet.

People say it's demons that enchant and corrupt, but he thinks they've got it wrong. The ones who truly captivate are the gods perched high in the heavens.

And Yin Chengyu is his god. Just one look, and he'd willingly kneel, surrendering completely.

-------

The sexual tension 😍

Now, as he looked at Yin Chengyu, his gaze burned with something raw and untamed-like a starved predator eying prey caught helplessly in a trap. That heat simmered beneath the surface, barely held in check by the last threads of restraint.

His hands flexed at his sides, clenching and releasing as he fought to suppress his rising instincts. Yet his eyes never left Yin Chengyu, roaming unapologetically, drinking in every detail, again and again.

Yin Chengyu noticed it all. Of course, he did. But he played coy, pretending ignorance as he sipped his tea with maddening leisure.

It wasn't until he set the cup down and met Xue Shu's smoldering gaze that he broke the silence, his lips curving into a playful smirk. "You've been staring at me for half the day. Found anything interesting?"

"You're beautiful, Your Highness," Xue Shu replied without a shred of hesitation, his voice steady, his eyes unwavering.

The blunt honesty brought a spark of amusement to Yin Chengyu's face.

For someone whose sharp tongue usually cut like a blade, Xue Shu had managed to say something unexpectedly sweet.

Leaning forward, Yin Chengyu deliberately closed the distance between them, his intoxicating eyes reflecting Xue Shu's dazed expression. His voice dropped, low and gravelly, carrying a dangerous edge that sent a shiver through the air.

"When you're looking at me," he murmured, his fingertips tracing the lines of Xue Shu's brow, sliding down to pause lightly over his chest, "what exactly is running through that mind of yours?"

Xue Shu's eyes followed the slow, deliberate movement of those fingers, his breath catching. His voice, when he finally spoke, was rough with tension. "If I told you, Your Highness, you'd be furious."

Every thought in his head was scandalous, treasonous-filled with desires he dared not voice. Yet they consumed him, relentless and impossible to banish.

The feral instincts long suppressed by reason were now clawing against their restraints, threatening to shatter every last trace of self-control.

"Speak, and I might let you off this once," Yin Chengyu murmured, retracting his hand and lifting a delicate porcelain cup to his lips. He sipped leisurely, his fox-like eyes narrowing in satisfaction, watching Xue Shu's every move from the corner of his gaze.

-------

The sexual tension between them is constantly simmering

Leaning forward, he reached out, his finger trailing along Xue Shu's jawline. Slowly, he pressed against the hollow of his throat, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. "And what if one of those who angered me... is you?"

His gaze sharpened, his lips curving into a sly smile. "Would you kill yourself too?"

Xue Shu froze. After a moment's thought, he said seriously, "Your Highness can punish me instead."

"You're a clever one," Yin Chengyu chuckled, his amusement growing. In one swift motion, he grabbed Xue Shu's collar, yanking him closer. Their faces were so close their cheeks brushed, breath mingling in the narrow space between them.

"I wouldn't kill you," Yin Chengyu murmured, his tone almost predatory. "But punishment? Oh, I'd gladly see to that."

-------

The poor handkerchief... it's been through too much XP

For a fleeting moment, their fingers brushed, Yin Chengyu's cool touch sending a ripple through Xue Shu's composure. He didn't pull away immediately; instead, he let his fingers linger, savoring the brief contact, his voice dropping to a heated murmur.

"Will there be a reward?"

Yin Chengyu scoffed, his gaze sharp and cutting. "Didn't I already reward you recently? Your appetite seems insatiable."

Xue Shu's eyes never wavered. "The handkerchief, though beautiful, is... too delicate. It doesn't hold up under... heavy use."

The insinuation hung thick in the air.

-------

Their first kiss was hot!

The world worshipped gods and Buddhas. Xue Shu worshipped him.

It was he who ended the suffering. It was he who planted the seed of hope in Xue Shu's barren soul.

"In the years after, I wandered without home, without faith. I trusted no gods, no men. Only you." Xue Shu lowered his gaze, his voice soft but fervent. "You, my prince... you are my god."

Realizing what he'd just revealed, Xue Shu held his breath. His dark eyes stayed locked on Yin Chengyu, betraying a flicker of tension.

Yin Chengyu stared back, his brows furrowed since the mention of Yutai, his expression unreadable. As Xue Shu's words faded into silence, the prince let out a soft sigh, propping himself up on one arm.

Without hesitation, he reached out with his other hand, sliding it around Xue Shu's neck. His palm pressed firmly against the back of Xue Shu's nape, pulling him down with deliberate force.

The space between them vanished. Nose to nose, breath mingling, their proximity was suffocatingly intimate.

"From this moment on," Yin Chengyu whispered, his voice low, predatory, "you will have no other god but me. Do you understand?"

Before the final word even left his lips, he closed the gap-crushing their mouths together in a searing, possessive kiss.

-------

Awwww the MC finally acknowledges his feelings for the ML after the earthquake, after the ML protects him for the falling debris and gets seriously injured in the process

Five years.

Five long years of tangled emotions, too twisted to untangle with mere words.

Love and hatred had long since blended into something else-something more primal, more consuming. They were both too proud, too stubborn. Every step forward was checked by hesitation, by fear of the unknown. Neither dared to drop the blade first, though neither truly wanted to draw blood.

Yin Chengyu's gaze dropped, his hand hovering above Xue Shu's face before lightly tracing the curve of his strong brow. His fingers lingered at his dry lips, the touch achingly soft.

"When you wake," he murmured, his voice low and raw, "I won't be angry anymore."

-------

When the ML finally regains his memories too

Only now did Xue Shu realize that their relationship could take a completely different path-one without the toxic entanglement of power and ambition. In this life, they could share something softer, purer-a bond built on trust and unrestrained intimacy.

It was a taste of heaven, one he had never achieved in their previous life, no matter how hard he had schemed. Now that he had it, he couldn't bear to let it go.

This time, Yin Chengyu had saved him before he ever entered the palace, keeping him close. Their fates had veered sharply from the tragic course of their past lives, and it was clear Yin Chengyu also remembered everything. Yet he never spoke of it. Instead, he would sometimes throw out casual, cutting remarks about how his anger still lingered, an unspoken reminder of his resentment-his hatred, even.

-------

Xue Shu is OBSESSED I tell ya

And in that moment, Xue Shu realized he was no different from the rest--twisted, selfish, broken.

His feelings for Yin Chengyu were a tangled mess of inferiority, obsession, despair, and a consuming need to possess. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank into the mire.

-------

Xue Shu hitting the third prince where he hurts the most XP

Two days later, the capital buzzed with a fresh scandal, dripping with salacious detail.

Word on the street was that the Third Prince, struck dumb by the sight of the Tatar princess during the winter hunt, fell head over heels for her. But the princess? She had her sights set higher-on the Crown Prince. Jealous and seething, the Third Prince allegedly seized his chance during the hunt and forced himself on her.

But the Tatar princess was no meek victim. A fiery spirit like hers wouldn't take such humiliation lying down. Enraged, she supposedly drugged the Third Prince, knocked him out cold, and-get this- castrated him.

When they carried the Third Prince out of the hunting grounds, bloodied and broken, the sight was said to be terrifying. The Tatar delegation, desperate to salvage some shred of dignity, reportedly handed over the princess as a concubine for the Third Prince.

And surprisingly, some details from the rumors lined up with the officials' accounts. It was true-the Third Prince was carried out of the hunting grounds, blood staining his lower body.

The official explanation? He'd injured his thigh while heroically rescuing the Tatar princess.

Injured his thigh? Please. The more they denied it, the more it sounded like a cover-up.

Even the Third Prince's future father-in-law, Left Commander Yao Zhao'an of the Five Armies, couldn't sit still. He marched straight to the prince's residence, demanding answers.

Rumor had it, the Third Prince was so furious afterward he smashed an entire room to pieces.

But now, the focus of every whispered conversation wasn't on the Crown Prince or the First Prince and their battle for legitimacy. No, all eyes were glued to one question: Could the Third Prince still, ahem, perform?

-------

The emperor is stupid if he thinks Xue Shu is a neutral party XP

"But I also care for the Crown Prince. The burden can't fall solely on him. I will have Prince An and Xue Shu assist in sharing the weight. Prince An will oversee the matters of court, while the Crown Prince will make the final decisions. Ultimately, the reports will be presented to me by Xue Shu."

He'd thought this through. He intended to pit the Crown Prince and Prince An against each other, letting the brothers clash while Xue Shu remained neutral, overseeing both sides. In this way, even though the Crown Prince would be the regent, the true power would still be firmly in his hands.

-------

Even the MC's mom, the Empress Dowager, gives up on trying to deal with Xue Shu

Unlike the delicate, servile eunuchs who relied on their looks to curry favor, Xue Shu stood apart.

From the moment he entered Lezhi Pavilion, his every move had been calm, measured, and assured. His composure revealed a resolute nature that even she, with her years of experience, couldn't easily unravel.

A person like this could never be the sort of short- sighted individual who seduces their master merely to climb the social ladder.

But this only left Empress Dowager Yu even more perplexed. If it wasn't Xue Shu's deliberate intention to entice, then the only plausible explanation was that the Emperor himself was smitten.

[Mint missusO3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

English name - Jiu Qiansui (Nine thousand years) Rebirth

The story is about MC, the crown prince’s rebirth.
Ml was the evil eunuch tyrant who was so obsessed with MC in his previous life. So he vowed to get a revenge on him in this life. The irony is ML lusted over MC in the past life and MC hated ML for it. But in this life, MC saved ML’s thing 😂