《Those Years In Quest Of Honour Mine》 CH 1 Zhong Wan sneezed. ¡°It¡¯s already autumn. Young Master Zhong, have you caught a cold?¡± Within the central room, the local county magistrate courteously said, ¡°Every day, Young Master Zhong works so hard in and out of the estate. You must take good care of yourself. Don¡¯t neglect yourself. How can one not get sick when all one eats is the same five types of grain? I remember that when Young Master Zhong had first arrived, you were not used to living here and fell ill for a year. Now, it¡¯s the middle of autumn, and Hanlu is just around the corner¡­¡± Due to the county magistrate¡¯s trying monologue on taking care of his health, Zhong Wan could not help but have his thoughts drift away. However, his expression remained very amiable, and he nodded again and again. More than fifteen minutes later, the county magistrate finally got to the point. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com ¡°This humble official has worked in this position for a long time, yet has never entered the capital. However, this humble official has heard of Young Prince Yu¡¯s elegant demeanor, and possesses a strong admiration for him. I hope to one day have a chance to enter the capital and pay an official visit to His Highness. Only then would this humble official not be disappointed.¡± The county magistrate carefully smiled at Zhong Wan. ¡°Word has it that back then, the prefecture magistrate was able to pay an official visit to Young Prince Yu by using a token of Young Master Zhong¡­¡± Zhong Wan fell into a daze once more. When he had just arrived at Nanjiang, the days at the prince estate were hard to endure. Everyone could tell that the emperor tossed away Prince Ning¡¯s three children to such a barren and impoverished region so that they must fend for themselves. For the officials managing the fiefdom to not pay an official visit was already considered good. Those with evil schemes tried to please those in the capital who desired the death of the three children. At that time, Zhong Wan had only been in his teens. Trying to protect the prince estate that was on the verge of collapse had proved difficult to the extreme. In the past, Prince Ning had given Zhong Wang a great grace. As such, even if he had no idea, he still had to wrack his brains on how to save the estate. First, he helped the heir, Xuan Rui, return the title he was supposed to inherit from Prince Ning to the emperor, so as to slightly dispel the emperor¡¯s wary. But this would only grant them a temporary reprieve. Nanjiang was barren and impoverished in the first place. If they could not control the populace there, one would fear they would lose even their fief. Zhong Wan would rather be shameless than let the people of the estate starve. And so, Zhong Wan had to turn to drastic measures. In the past, he had been Xuan Rui¡¯s reading partner. Because the Imperial Preceptor had taught a crowd of princes and princesses, Zhong Wan reluctantly had a bit of a friendly acquaintanceship with Young Prince Yu. From there, he fabricated a story that he and Young Prince Yu had grown up together. He later added that Yu She considered him as a friend. As time went on, Zhong Wan grew more and more shameless. He simply said Yu She and he shared a deep and intimate friendship. Over the years, even if Zhong Wan had begged for something, he would not be able to obtain it. But now, whatever he had asked for, he would receive. Yu She had been young back then, and did not have true power. However, his father was the country¡¯s sole Prince of the First Rank of a different surname. His mother was the full-blooded sister of the emperor, the Princess Royal Anguo. Her identity was extremely noble. If others were to be in his presence, they would naturally know the amount of respect they needed to show him. Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Back then, Zhong Wan had been implicated because of Prince Ning and had been stripped of his status as a civilian. Turned into a slave. Then, Young Prince Yu purchased him. He lived in Prince Yu¡¯s estate for half a year in a side courtyard. Once he had fabricated those stories, when asked for witnesses, he gave witnesses. When asked for evidence, he gave evidence. For a while, he was able to scare the locals at Nanjiang. After standing firmly in Nanjiang, Zhong Wan had Xuan Rui personally ask to be demoted to a Prince of the Third Rank. Half a year later, the first and long-overdue annual reward from the capital arrived. It had been February 6th. Zhong Wan¡¯s seventeenth birthday. Zhong Wan¡¯s birthday passed in peace and he let out a slight breath of relief. Then he started to worry again. After these officials who sent the annual reward returned to the capital, would they casually mention the ¡°romance¡± between him and Yu She? At that time, when Prince Ning had suffered his downfall, Prince Yu¡¯s estate had been one of the main instigators behind it. Later on, they hit Prince Ning¡¯s estate when it was down. Until now, whenever Xuan Rui had so much as thought of them, he felt the urge to eat them alive. Zhong Wan was able to accept what had transpired. However, he was worried that after Yu She heard of the lies he had woven, he would burst in fury. Then request from his uncle the emperor an imperial edict, to flatten Prince Qian An¡¯s estate that instant. One year passed. Then two. The rumors in the capital spread. But Yu She¡¯s side did not make any movements. During that period, there had been a brave prefecture magistrate. Who, during the time he had arrived at the capital to report to the court, brought an old fan that Zhong Wan had said belonged to Young Prince Yu. And as he prepared to knock on the main gates of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, he carried it with him. The moment this prefecture magistrate had arrived at the capital, Zhong Wan planned for a funeral. However, unexpectedly, the prefecture magistrate returned with a radiant face a few months later. The prefecture magistrate brought back many gifts. He thanked Zhong Wan immensely. Yet Zhong Wan was frightened to the bone. He hesitated before asking, ¡°Ziyou¡­ Is he well?¡± Yu She¡¯s courtesy name was Ziyou. In a generous manner and with much excitement, the prefecture magistrate praised Yu She to the heavens. Zhong Wan cautiously asked, ¡°Then what Sir had wanted¡­?¡± Delighted beyond measure, the prefecture magistrate said, ¡°Of course he permitted it! Once he took the token, he¡­¡± The prefecture magistrate coughed. ¡°The former affection between the two of you will naturally be well.¡± Before he had even turned twenty years old, Zhong Wan had been forced to discipline himself, to the point where he became slick and sly to the extreme. Only then was he able to maintain his composure and propriety on that day. And tried his best, with impeccable etiquette, to send off the overjoyed prefecture magistrate. Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com ¡°This humble official dares not delude oneself, but the Prince said ¡®at least for half a year.¡¯ This humble official really cherished the memory. Only then was this humble official able to think, could it be¡­?¡± Itbcu Qjc ifoa tlr atbeutar. Lf rwlifv mbegafberis ja atf mbecas wjulragjaf ktb kjr ralii yijyyfglcu, ecvfgrajcvlcu atja atf ijaafg tjv mbwf obg rbwfatlcu. Lf ragbxfv atf pjvf wfvjiilbc tjculcu ogbw tlr kjlra. Ktlr kjr atf ijra atlcu tf tjv rabifc ogbw Te Vtf. Yglulcjiis, Itbcu Qjc tjv kjcafv ab xffq la. Dea atfc tf gfmjiifv tbk atlr mbecas wjulragjaf tjv agfjafv Wejc Eel klat wemt mbegafrs veglcu atf olgra ofk vjsr atfs tjv jgglnfv ja Rjcpljcu. Cr remt, Itbcu Qjc bkfv tlw j vfya bo ugjalaevf. In Zhong Wan¡¯s whole life, what he was unwilling to do the most was to owe someone. He removed the jade medallion hanging from his waist. Smiled. ¡°This was worn by Young Prince Yu back in his youth. He¡¯ll recognize it with just a glance¡­¡± The county magistrate was ecstatic. He reached out with his palms facing up to receive it. And then made his way out the door, still enveloped in utter joy. Zhong Wan rose to his feet. Followed the other man to send him off. ¡°Hurry on your way.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com They needed to leave for the capital today. Prince Qian An¡¯s estate should be in a state of disarray by now. The servants rushed to deliver the luggage, scurrying in and out of the doors. From afar, the old steward of the prince estate watched as the county magistrate left. Then the steward no longer paid attention to him. Standing in the courtyard, he lifted his head to check the position of the sun. He still resented the servants for moving too slowly, and continuously yelled, ¡°Faster! Tie the horse to Young Miss¡¯ carriage first! Prepare the inner courtyard first!¡± The steward managed everything at once. He looked back and saw Zhong Wan approaching. Then he went to receive him, unhappy. ¡°For what reason have you come?¡± ¡°Nothing much. I¡¯m here to send the county magistrate off. The prince was too impatient to receive him. So I dealt with him instead.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. Casually took the heavy crate of books from the hands of a nearby servant girl. As he placed the crate on the carriage, he said, ¡°No need to rush. They haven¡¯t finished cleaning up the interior yet.¡± The servant girl curtsied to Zhong Wan. Cheeks flushed, she lowered her head and rushed back to the central room. Zhong Wan was a sight for the eyes. Figure tall and slender. That he had a good personality and did not possess a haughty manner was hard to come by. He was kind to everyone, in his twenties, and not yet wed. The servant girls of the estate all liked him very much. The old steward, Yan Pingshan, drew his brows together tightly. ¡°This isn¡¯t your duty. Go wait inside.¡± Zhong Wan finished tying up the crate of books. Slapped it. ¡°Waiting is boring.¡± If you''re reading this, this translation is stolen. Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden.com Yan Pingshan did not comment on that. Then he said in a low voice, ¡°These past few years, His Majesty has never remembered our prince during His Majesty¡¯s birthday. So why did he do so this year¡­?¡± A light smile graced Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Voice thick with worry, Yan Pingshan said, ¡°His Highness¡¯ inner chamber was lit up through all of last night. He had just turned seventeen last month. At such a young age, he¡ª¡± ¡°Is it possible to not travel to the capital now that His Majesty has permitted His Highness entry?¡± After the little servant girl had left Zhong Wan¡¯s sight, he softly said, ¡°His Majesty just cannot be at ease. He wants to see these children. So let him see. Once he has and feels relieved, he would naturally let us return. At that time, we will live out our days in peace.¡± But Yan Pingshan still appeared to have something to say. Zhong Wan¡¯s voice grew even softer. ¡°Xuan Rui has the position of Prince of the Third Rank over his head. He will come of age very soon. Is it possible not to let His Majesty take a look at him?¡± Yan Pingshan furrowed his brows. ¡°Then why does he want to see Second Young Master Yu and the Young Miss for? They¡¯re still so young¡­¡± Young Master Yu was Xuan Yu. The Young Miss¡¯ name was Xuan Congxin. They were Prince Ning¡¯s dragon and phoenix twins. A smile blossomed on Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°You¡¯re also aware that the two of them are young. And as such, they are even less of a threat. Would His Majesty be able to cause problems for those two children? Plus, they still have me.¡± Yan Pingshan still had the urge to say something, but was unable to utter a word in the end. With Zhong Wan around, it seemed there really wasn¡¯t anything to be worried about. Come Si Shi, the people of the estate finally finished packing up and placing the luggage on the carriages. Prince Qian An, Xuan Rui, led his younger brother Xuan Yu outside. Xuan Yu was only ten years old and ignorant of the world. Once he had heard they would be leaving the estate, he was full of joy. He darted his eyes left and right, telling the servants to go faster. Xuan Rui smiled bitterly. He lifted his younger brother onto the carriage. ¡°Your Highness,¡± said Zhong Wan by the horse-drawn carriage. He helped support Xuan Rui onboard. In a low voice, he said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to think too much.¡± Xuan Rui¡¯s furrowed brows illustrated his worry. He glanced back, looking straight into the eyes of Zhong Wan. The worry in his heart dispelled a shade, and he nodded before entering the carriage. If you''re reading this, this translation is stolen. Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan climbed atop his horse. He pulled the reins, so that the horse¡¯s head turned back as it trotted, his gaze falling upon Xuan Congxin. After making sure nothing was wrong, he pulled the reins once more, and the horse let out a shrill neigh. The long fleet of carriages gradually moved forward. Prince Qian An¡¯s estate had never acted on pageantry. There weren¡¯t any people striking gongs or yelling for the crowd to make way. The servants were quiet in their march. Once they were on the street, the dust they kicked up was even less than the other passerbys¡¯. Two months later, they arrived at the suburbs. Another half day, and they would reach the capital. The people of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate took a short break. Zhong Wan had been tossed around on horseback for two months, his whole body sore. Now he lay down on the bench in the carriage and rested. All of a sudden, the carriage sank. His eyes burst open. Exhausted, he asked, ¡°Uncle Yan, what¡¯s going on?¡± He sat up. Before he could even pull the curtain aside, someone crawled into the carriage. Joy struck Zhong Wan. ¡°Lin Si!¡± Lin Si was skilled in martial arts; he had quietly entered the carriage unbeknownst to anyone. Inside, he knelt before Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan pulled him to his feet. ¡°Have you prepared the things I¡¯ve asked for?¡± Lin Si nodded, retrieving a paper travel permit from his sleeve. Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan received it, a smile tugging on his lips. ¡°My self-selling contract is¡­ still at Prince Yu¡¯s estate. In a little while, if I enter the capital and someone interrogates and examines me, perhaps they will make trouble for me due to my identity as a slave. Having this well be a great help.¡± Lin Si was mute. After hearing Zhong Wan¡¯s words, he broke into a faint smile. With sign language, he told Zhong Wan to be at ease. Lin Si had been Zhong Wan¡¯s reading partner when he had still been a child in the Zhong family¡¯s estate. Following the events of Prince Ning, they were both sold to Prince Yu¡¯s estate. After that, Zhong Wan accompanied Prince Ning¡¯s three children to Nanjiang. Lin Si stayed behind in the capital, and secretly helped Zhong Wan manage the matters there. Using sign language was too slow, so Lin Si took out some paper and a brush. He wrote a report of everything he needed to tell Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan lit his handheld brazier, burning each sheet of paper after he had read it. The carriage shook. Within thick with silence. Only the sounds of squeaking wheels and crackling of flames could be heard. Two hours later, Zhong Wan let out a light sigh. ¡°It¡¯s close to what I had predicted.¡± Lin Si used sign language to say, ¡°Everything has already been prepared appropriately. There is no need to worry.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. After a moment of silence, he hesitated before saying, ¡°Who¡­?¡± Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden. Lin Si¡¯s quiet gaze fell upon Zhong Wan, and he patiently waited. Zhong Wan laughed mockingly toward himself. He said in a low voice, ¡°Was it¡­ Young Prince Yu?¡± Lin Si¡¯s stare was still on Zhong Wan. He waited for him to continue speaking. In his thoughts, Zhong Wan cursed the fact that Lin Si could not talk and was unable to read others. Only after hitting him would he move a bit. He could only directly ask, ¡°How is¡­ Young Prince Yu?¡± Lin Si¡¯s next words had their worth weighed in gold: very good. The two fell into a bout of silence. Time passed peacefully for five minutes. In the face of fortune, Lin Si understood things he had yet to understand before. He signed, ¡°Master wants to know what happened to him?¡± Feeling uneasy, Zhong Wan said, ¡°In any case¡­ he¡¯s still my lover in name. Now that I¡¯m about to enter the capital, it should be fine to show some concern for him.¡± Lin Si thought for a moment. Once again he picked up paper and a brush, and wrote. Zhong Wan took his time reading the words. ¡°He¡¯s a year younger than me.¡± Zhong Wan fed sheet after sheet of paper into the handheld brazier. Softly said, ¡°He should be twenty-three this year. Why¡­ has he yet to marry? ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ he was held back by the rumors of our ¡®romance?¡¯¡± Lin Si shook his head. Then he wrote, ¡°Young Prince Yu came of age three years ago. His Majesty and Princess Royal Anguo had searched for many excellent young ladies from renowned families to match with Young Prince Yu. But Young Prince Yu rejected it with no exceptions.¡± Lin Si wrote down many names of daughters of good families. Zhong Wan frowned. ¡°Was he unsatisfied? Then who else did he want?¡± Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden. Lin Si wrote, ¡°Young Prince Yu said he wanted Princess Huiyang.¡± Princess Huiyang, the Fourth Princess of the reigning emperor. Zhong Wan choked on his spit. ¡°Huiyang has only just turned nine years old¡­ Has he gone mad?¡± Once again, Lin Si shook his head. He wrote that Yu She ¡°hadn¡¯t gone mad.¡± That he was still ¡°of very sound mind.¡± Zhong Wan could not help but laugh. ¡°His Majesty has spoiled him too much. It can¡¯t be he actually agreed?¡± Lin Si wrote, ¡°No, His Majesty had been furious. He almost beat up Young Prince Yu.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart trembled. Near whisper, he said, ¡°In my youth, I accompanied Xuan Rui to study in the imperial palace. And I came across a secret¡­¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Lin Si nodded. He wrote, ¡°It has been spread continuously that Young Prince Yu is actually¡ª¡± ¡°Shhh.¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. Lin Si paused. Then he wrote, ¡°In His Majesty¡¯s rage, he almost stripped from Young Prince Yu his position of heir. Nevertheless, when the princess entered the palace that same night, His Majesty was finally persuaded not to do so. After that¡­ Young Prince Yu was so favored. Naturally, the matter was left unsettled. His Majesty treated Young Prince Yu coldly for two months. Afterward, His Majesty showed him the usual imperial grace. And his marriage was delayed even further.¡± A smile spread across Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°His Majesty isn¡¯t even that patient with his own sons.¡± Once more did Zhong Wan furrow his brows. ¡°Although Young Prince Yu has a bad temper, he would not do something like this. He clearly knew this marriage would fall through, so why deliberately anger His Majesty?¡± Lin Si shook his head. Unable to understand the implications, Zhong Wan asked, ¡°What does you shaking your head mean?¡± Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Lin Si did not write any further. He lifted his head. Stared at Zhong Wan with serious eyes. And he signed, ¡°I don¡¯t know the complete details, but in recent years, the temperament of Young Prince Yu has changed. ¡°Don¡¯t see him unless it¡¯s necessary.¡± CH 2 ¡°His temperament changed¡­¡± Zhong Wan softly repeated, brows slightly furrowed. Requesting to marry a nine-year-old princess truly didn¡¯t seem like something he would do. Lin Si thought that he had agreed with what he had said, so started discussing other things. If you''re reading this, this translation is stolen. Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden.com They would be entering the city in two hours. Lin Si would have to leave soon, so Zhong Wan didn¡¯t dare to waste their time together. He buried the doubts in his heart and pulled himself together to listen to what Lin Si had to ¡°say.¡± Lin Si wrote, ¡°At the beginning of the year, Third Prince became ill again and almost didn¡¯t make it. Third Prince has been in poor health since young. He is already thirty-four this year, yet still has not fathered a child. The doctors at the imperial academy of medicine daren¡¯t say anything explicitly, but¡­he probably won¡¯t last many more years.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. Third Prince was about to die too. Speaking of this, the emperor was quite unfortunate. His two previous sons had died early too. First Prince died at age twelve and Second Prince died at age three. In between them, two princesses had passed as well. After much hardship, he finally managed to conceive Third Prince, but Third Prince was born with a weak constitution, frequently plagued with illness. They had spent so much effort making sure he lived until now, but he was still likely to die soon. His Majesty was approaching sixty this year, but only three of his sons remained. He had no grandsons either. Aside from Third Prince, the only sons in good health he had were the twenty-two year old Fourth Prince Xuan Jing and the twenty year old Fifth Prince Xuan Qiong. Lin Si hesitated and decided not to write the next part down. He slowly gestured, ¡°In the early years, a prophet once said that His Majesty¡¯s throne came from unclear origins, not from the Mandate of Heaven. He couldn¡¯t receive the blessings of the Heavens, so sought to change destiny himself. This would most certainly harm his ability to have descendants, which is why most of His Majesty¡¯s children haven¡¯t been able to survive.¡± Zhong Wan responded nonchalantly, ¡°Aren¡¯t a couple of them still alive now? There are already two mature and healthy princes. They¡¯re enough.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Lin Si furrowed his brows. ¡°I understand what you mean,¡± said Zhong Wan, smiling. ¡°The emperor¡¯s sons have a habit of dying young. You¡¯re worried that he¡¯s going to be unhappy seeing Xuan Rui and Xuan Yu and have other thoughts. The most plausible explanation as to why His Majesty has suddenly called us into the capital is this.¡± Lin Si nodded. Zhong Wan comforted him by saying, ¡°Which is why, before we came, I already told Xuan Rui an exaggerated version of all these things. He¡¯s been so scared that he hasn¡¯t been able to eat or sleep well for the past few days. The whole trip, he¡¯s been wrought with anxiety and has gotten a whole circle thinner. His eyes look dead and his appearance has become extremely frail. When His Majesty sees him like this, he will definitely be at ease.¡± Lin Si couldn¡¯t help smiling. ¡°So, this trip was necessary,¡± Zhong Wan calmly said. ¡°It¡¯s useless no matter how hard we try to stay out of the way. The only thing that will really convince him is if he can see them with his own eyes. That would be the sole way he would be willing to let them off the hook.¡± Lin Si slightly relaxed. Lin Si then started asking about Zhong Wan¡¯s health. When the two of them had gone their separate ways back in the day, Zhong Wan had been so ill he had been unable to leave the bed. Lin Si had been worried about him all this time. Lin Si took Zhong Wan¡¯s pulse and signed, ¡°I heard Uncle Yan say that even after recovering, you still feel the lingering effects of that sickness from time to time. When the weather turns cold, you most certainly will fall ill again. It¡¯s already winter now, you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a trifling matter. I¡¯m already mostly well.¡± Zhong Wan waved his hand dismissively. He wasn¡¯t worried about his own body at all. ¡°You just said¡­¡± Olc Vl kjlafv delfais. ¡®Tbe rjlv¡­¡± Itbcu Qjc qgfrrfv tlr ilqr abufatfg. ¡°Tbe rjlv tlr¡­afwqfgjwfca mtjcufv vgjralmjiis¡­¡± Coafg ublcu jgbecv lc j ktbif mlgmif, atfs kfgf yjmx ab ajixlcu jybea Te Vtf. Itbcu Qjc tjv xcbkc Te Vtf rlcmf atfs kfgf atlgaffc; atfs tjv yffc mijrrwjafr obg atgff sfjgr, atfc rqfca jiwbra fnfgs wbwfca abufatfg obg tjio j sfjg. Lf xcfk Te Vtf gfijalnfis kfii, rb mbeivc¡¯a lwjulcf atja atlr qfgrbc mbeiv¡¯nf mtjcufv rb wemt. Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Lin Si knew that Zhong Wan wouldn¡¯t want to believe this, so grabbed another piece of paper and started furiously writing: The first year after you guys left, the incident with Prince Ning came to a conclusion and the capital city returned to its original peaceful state. A year later, out of the blue, Young Prince Yu suddenly asked the emperor for an order to remove his title of heir. Zhong Wan was speechless. A long pause later, he asked, ¡°Why¡­ why would he do that?¡± After giving birth to Yu She, Princess Royal Anguo had no longer been able to conceive. His Majesty had pitied Prince Yu¡¯s scarce number of children and granted him several concubines. Prince Yu had two illegitimate sons. If Yu She lost his title of heir, one of the illegitimate sons would inherit it instead. Lin Si shook his head. Signed, ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Zhong Wan laughed dryly. ¡°Let¡¯s first not discuss whether or not His Majesty would beat him to death. What about the princess? She didn¡¯t die from anger because of him? How did she punish him?¡± Lin Si wrote, ¡°I don¡¯t know what Princess said. His Majesty was furious and placed Young Prince Yu under house arrest in the palace. They only let him leave after two months of discipline.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°He grew up in the palace. What kind of house arrest is that.¡± Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Lin Si continued to write, ¡°After this, Young Prince Yu then volunteered to go to Beijiang.¡± Zhong Wan: ¡°¡­¡± Zhong Wan sighed in awe. ¡°Amazing. Is he trying to stage a coup for his dad?¡± When the previous emperor had founded their state, he had made six people with different surnames from him Princes of the First Rank. These days, only Prince Yu¡¯s estate remained. Not only did the Yu family manage to survive, they even managed to maintain a strong influence in the court. But as a Prince of the First Rank with a different surname, many topics were sensitive. Prince Yu clearly understood the relationship between an emperor and his subordinate, so always tried to stay away from military affairs. Who knew that Yu She would break this interdiction. Lin Si wrote, ¡°That day, Prince Yu brought his seal with him into the palace and kneeled in front of the main hall for two hours. Nobody could persuade him to stand. In the end, it was His Majesty himself who personally helped him up.¡± Zhong Wan muttered, ¡°First offending the princess, then touching Prince Yu¡¯s forbidden lamella. Does he think he has too long to live¡­?¡± Li Si continued to write, ¡°He does think he has too long to live.¡± If you''re reading this, this translation is stolen. Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan smiled in exasperation. ¡°A year later, Princess Royal Anguo inadvertently discovered that Young Prince Yu was consuming cold-food powder¡­¡± wrote Lin Si. ¡°What?!¡± The smile disappeared from Zhong Wan¡¯s face. ¡°He ate what?¡± Lin Si drew a circle around the three words ¡°cold-food powder.¡± ¡°He¡­¡± Zhong Wan gritted his teeth. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he directly eat arsenic? What happened after?¡± Lin Si wrote, ¡°The princess was furious. She kept Young Prince Yu under house arrest for the entirety of half a year. Prince Yu asked for an order from the emperor to examine all the pharmacies in the capital and all the Daoist temples in the suburbs. They beat several treacherous merchants secretly selling this drug to death. He only stopped after Young Prince Yu fully recovered half a year later. Lin Si thought about it, then kept writing, ¡°Another year passed, and Young Prince Yu¡­¡± There wasn¡¯t enough time for him to finish writing everything. Zhong Wan silently observed, eyebrows furrowing more and more tightly together. Just a while ago, he had thought it strange how Yu She had come up with the idea of marrying the nine-year old Princess Huiyang. But now, this occurrence didn¡¯t seem so out of character anymore. ¡®He¡­¡± muttered Zhong Wan. ¡°What happened to him in these years? What unhappy event could have caused him to seek death so resolutely?¡± Yu She was the sole child of Princess Royal Anguo. He had been conceived in the year the previous emperor had passed. That year, Princess Royal Anguo had become overly stricken with grief during the period of national mourning and almost lost her child. Later on, she had gone to stay at the previous emperor¡¯s tomb to pay her respects, not even managing to return to the capital in time for her delivery date. She had given birth to Yu She at the side estate by the royal mausoleum. Afterwards, she had likely harmed her body and hadn¡¯t been able to conceive another child since. He was the princess¡¯s only son, so naturally was treated like a precious treasure. The empress dowager and emperor both adored this child greatly. Yu She¡¯s name had even been given by His Majesty. When he turned one, he had been bestowed the title of prince¡¯s heir. At age two, he was invited into the palace. From daily meals to accommodations, he was tended to exactly like a royal prince would have been. He was like a royal prince, but not quite. The royal princes still had to fight each other openly and secretly for the title of crown prince. As the only blood-born son, Yu She had been guaranteed the title of prince¡¯s heir since birth. He was destined for a life filled with both riches and power. He didn¡¯t need to worry about anything. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com What could cause him to be so unhappy that he would treat himself in this way? In Zhong Wan¡¯s memories, Yu Ziyou had an excellent character. Compared to others, Yu She was only slightly more antisocial. He didn¡¯t like interacting with others, and almost seemed to have a permanent worried furrow between his brows. Unlike the older, more experienced, and harsher Prince Yu, Yu She did things openly. He knew exactly what those of noble character should do and should avoid, otherwise¡­ Zhong Wan wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive until now. Lin Si saw that Zhong Wan became temporarily lost in his own thoughts, so picked up the brush and started writing, ¡°Young Prince Yu seems to have become someone else altogether in these past few years. His actions have become unpredictable, his temperament sinister. Last year, he entered the Dali Temple. His deeds have struck fear into many hearts. Once, I failed to successfully complete my mission and was caught by him. He almost directly killed me.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart dropped. Lin Si worried that Zhong Wan would stress, so hurriedly added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I told Fourth Prince ahead of time, so he transferred my case to the Ministry of Justice. They treated it as a minor misdemeanor and released me after a short investigation.¡± Fourth Prince Xuan Jing. Lin Si had been hiding on his estate all these years. If you''re reading this, this translation is stolen. Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden.com Lin Si wrote on the paper, strokes heavy, ¡°Young Prince Yu does not care for his old relationships.¡± Zhong Wan inhaled deeply, then nodded. Zhong Wan leaned against the carriage¡¯s window and became silent for a period of time. He still couldn¡¯t understand. He lowly said, ¡°Then five years ago, why did he¡­¡± Lin Si looked at Zhong Wan, confused. He didn¡¯t understand. Zhong Wan slowly relayed, ¡°Four years ago, the prefecture magistrate of Qian An, Shen Fu, reported to court in the capital. Under my name, he went to Prince Yu¡¯s estate in search for financial help. Ziyou¡­ he really helped take care of everything.¡± Lin Si recalled this even and wrote, ¡°It was very strange. Maybe at the time Young Prince Yu hadn¡¯t been so crazy yet?¡± They had finally used up all the paper. Lin Si signed, ¡°Speaking of this, it was this event that confirmed the stories about you and Young Prince Yu.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan¡¯s mind was filled with thoughts. He lifted his gaze and asked, ¡°Ah?¡± Lin Si signalled, ¡°Because of this, everyone in the capital believed that the rumors regarding you two were true. Everyone truly thinks that Young Prince Yu is infatuated with you, which is why he accommodates everything you do.¡± Zhong Wan was silent for a moment. He asked, ¡°Say that again?¡± Lin Si was mute, so couldn¡¯t say anything. He could only make the gestures again: ¡°Because of this, everyone in the capital believed that the rumors regarding you two were true. Everyone truly thinks that Young Prince Yu is infatuated with you, which is why he accommodates everything you do.¡± Lin Si thought that Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t understand his gestures, so was just about to find a blank space on the paper to write it down on, when he was stopped by a smiling Zhong Wan. ¡°I taught you all the sign language you know. How could I not understand?¡± The corners of Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes crinkled into slight crescents. He held back his laughter as he said, ¡°I just wanted to hear you ¡®say¡¯ it again.¡± Lin Si didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. But after thinking about it in more detail, he started feeling apprehensive in his heart again. On the other hand, Zhong Wan¡¯s expression was normal. Lin Si pondered a bit, and gestured, ¡°When the rumors first started in the capital, they truly caught the attention of many. At the time, everyone was discussing them. I heard that after Young Prince Yu first learned of the gossip, he became so angry that he got sick for a period of time.¡± Zhong Wan coughed. He picked up his teacup to take a sip. Lin Si signed again, ¡°According to Fourth Prince, one day, in the spur of the moment, His Majesty specifically asked Young Prince Yu whether or not the rumors were true.¡± Zhong Wan choked. Lin Si helpfully patted Zhong Wan¡¯s back before adding on, ¡°That day, Young Prince Yu walked out of the palace, expression extremely foul. After he had returned to his own estate, he didn¡¯t eat and didn¡¯t speak. Princess Royal thought that he had argued with the emperor again, so specially called him to the princess estate to ask him about it later that night. She probably also asked about the rumors, because after leaving the princess estate, Young Prince Yu¡¯s face was dark¡­ Really, really dark. Terrifyingly dark. It¡¯s a good thing that he¡¯s naturally good-looking, or it would¡¯ve been truly horrifying.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s stomach hurt from trying to hold in his laughter. Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Lin Si signed, ¡°Of course, only His Majesty and the princess could ask him in person. After everyone saw his attitude regarding the issue, they didn¡¯t dare to bring your name up in front of him at all. But later¡­¡± Lin Si swallowed and continued, ¡°There were simply too many people gossiping. It¡¯s uncertain if there were so many rumors that he became numb, or if he realized most already believed the rumors, but Young Prince Yu¡¯s gave up and stopped trying to explain anything¡­ He was practically forced to admit it was true.¡± Lin Si thought about it and signalled, ¡°Perhaps he heard the story too many times, so started believing it himself. Nobody is bold enough to speak of this publicly in the capital, but the customs of Jiangnan are much less strict. People have written songs and plays about it there. One year, Young Prince Yu took a trip to the area while undercover, and spent an entire evening listening to opera about you two on a pleasure barge in Suzhou. He even left a hefty tip upon leaving.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s expression was indescribable. After this, he really didn¡¯t dare to meet Yu She again. CH 3.1 ¡°After His Majesty¡¯s birthday, return to Qian An with me,¡± said Zhong Wan. They must spare no time in entering the capital. ¡°If there¡¯s something you have yet to attend to, hurry and get it done.¡± Lin Si stood there, shocked. He said with sign language, ¡°I cannot leave. I want to stay in the capital to help you.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°After His Majesty sees Xuan Rui and Xuan Yu, he should feel completely at ease. It¡¯s pointless for you to stay here. Why not follow me back to Nanjiang, where it¡¯s carefree, and pass your days with me in peace and stability?¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Without waiting for Lin Si to respond, Zhong Wan said, ¡°You said before that Yu She will not consider past friendships. Last time, he spared you because he didn¡¯t care about you. Furthermore, Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince are currently fighting for the position of Crown Prince. Fifth Prince has Prince Yu¡¯s estate backing him. Fourth Prince might not be able to win. You won¡¯t be safe in their estate. I can¡¯t bear to let you stay there.¡± Lin Si fell into his thoughts for a moment. Then he did not persist any further and nodded, his action speaking of hesitation. Zhong Wan patted his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed.¡± Lin Si dropped to his knees, kowtowing to Zhong Wan. He left like he had arrived: silently. Zhong Wan lifted the door flap, gazing at the capital gates that were not too far away. He adjusted his clothes and crown. The fear that he would be interrogated plagued Zhong Wan¡¯s mind. As such, he did not disembark from the carriage. Outside, Yan Pingshan made his way to the group of low-ranking officials of the Ministry of Rites and the other officials of the capital. And he handed them the official papers of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. Half a month ago, these officials had already received news that Prince Qian An¡¯s estate would arrive at the capital. These officials did not make it hard on Zhong Wan and his group. From afar, they paid respects to Xuan Rui¡¯s carriage. After lightly asking the servants marching alongside the carriages how many people were with them, they allowed the group to leave. The emperor had seized Prince Ning¡¯s manor that was in the capital. After the manor had been repaired, it became the prince estate of the Fifth Prince, Xuan Qiong. As they passed by the previous estate of Prince Ning, Zhong Wan lifted the door flap. When the current emperor had first ascended the throne, at the very least, he treated his younger brother generously, conferring him as a Prince of the First Rank and bestowing him his own estate. Furthermore, the emperor had personally chose daughters of aristocratic families for him, acting as a father-figure. Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden. Back then, the family of Prince Ning¡¯s in-laws, the Zhong family, had already committed a crime. The Zhong family had many daughters and few sons. They were able to produce two consorts of the imperial harem. Still, their amount of sons were lacking. The ones that could be counted had been implicated by their family¡¯s crime. The only son this family had left was one from a side branch, and he was very young. Because of this, he escaped being implicated by a hairsbreadth. Later on, Prince Ning took the child into his estate and recognized him as a son. That way, he muzzled the mouths of the Imperial Censors. Under Prince Ning¡¯s protection, Zhong Wan was able to grow up normally. After he had received such a plentiful grace from Prince Ning, Prince Ning¡¯s downfall transpired, and Zhong Wan nearly failed in protecting Xuan Rui. Therefore, he did not have the face to look at the place where he had grown up. After taking a deep breath, he dropped the door flap. They were led to a different estate. It wasn¡¯t spacious but could be considered refined. Yan Pingshan wasn¡¯t used to communicating with these low-ranking officials. Zhong Wan slipped a few purses into his sleeve. He hopped off the carriage. Approached the group of officials to greet them. He caused the officials from the Ministry of Rites to be full of smiles. ¡°May His Highness find comfort in resting here. It¡¯s best to quickly wash up,¡± advised a low-ranking official with a smile. ¡°After Shen Shi, the servants of the palace will come to invite you.¡± Itbcu Qjc qgfrfcafv j qegrf ab tlw. ¡°Ktjcx sbe.¡± Coafg mbegafberis rfcvlcu boo atf qfbqif ogbw atf Zlclrags bo Elafr, Itbcu Qjc vlvc¡¯a fnfc tjnf atf alwf ab gfra. Lf wjrrjufv tlr rbgf cfmx jcv rtbeivfgr, fcafgfv atf lccfg mbegasjgv, jcv lcragemafv atf rfgnjcar ab qgfqjgf atf Tbecu Zlrr¡¯ lccfg mtjwyfg olgra. Itbcu Qjc rabbv yftlcv atf megajlc tjculcu ogbw atf vbbgkjs jcv jrxfv, ¡°Gbfr Tbecu Zlrr ilxf atf ijsbea jcv vfmbgjalbcr bo atf gbbw?¡± He had watched Xuan Congxin grow up, so he wasn¡¯t as worried about his actions arousing suspicion. She left the room holding a cloak made of fox fur. ¡°I was making this on the road. Now it¡¯s finally done. See if it fits you.¡± Zhong Wan wasted no time in receiving it. A smile graced his lips. ¡°So you were making this for me these past few days? I thought it was for your elder brother¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re weaker to the cold.¡± Compared to her naive and naughty younger brother, Xuan Congxin matured earlier. She had a cold temperament. Even when she was worried about someone, her tone would be light. ¡°It¡¯s truly chilly in the capital. You should go back inside earlier, or else you¡¯d fall ill on our way home.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Zhong Wan smiled as he draped the cloak over his shoulders. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Xuan Congxin looked at the cloak from all angles, memorizing his measurements without a word. ¡°There¡¯s no time to adjust it. Just wear it for now. Have someone send it to me at night and I¡¯ll fix the collar.¡± Zhong Wan was unsure whether to laugh or cry. ¡°You might as well kill me.¡± Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden. In the period they had been together, Xuan Congxin had not spoken much, and now she turned around to return to her chambers. Zhong Wan could not spare a moment to relax. He spun on his heel and made for Xuan Rui¡¯s courtyard. Xuan Rui¡¯s expression was unsightly to the extreme. As he had been recalling the past events in the capital, Zhong Wan¡¯s appearance gave him a fright. Never had Zhong Wan thought that Xuan Rui, who was no longer a child, was this easily scared. Slightly ashamed, he leaned on the doorway, a smile tugging on his lips. ¡°How does Your Highness want to meet the emperor? His Majesty thinks that we from Prince Qian An¡¯s estate are impoverished to the point where even Your Highness cannot have a good meal.¡± Xuan Rui was aware that Zhong Wan was only teasing him. Yet, he could not muster a smile. He pursed his dry lips, eyes dull with worry. ¡°I¡¯ve been nervous ever since I entered the capital. In my mind were only the memories of seven years ago, when I alone had been kept under house arrest in our old estate. Father had left and you had been taken away. I¡­¡± Zhong Wan sighed. Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com In a low voice, he said, ¡°I¡¯m the one who was useless. At that time, I really wanted to find you, but it was hard for news to enter and leave Prince Yu¡¯s estate. I¡­ Enough. These things have already passed.¡± Worry still coursing through his veins, Xuan Rui said, ¡°He wants to ask me¡­ ask me¡­¡± ¡°He won¡¯t ask any questions that will trouble you. He doesn¡¯t want to mention the things of the past more than you don¡¯t.¡± Then Zhong Wan¡¯s countenance turned stern. ¡°He wants peace of mind. So just give him that. If he truly wanted to kill you, then he would send a pitcher of poisoned wine to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. Why would he specifically invite you to the capital? Do you think history books don¡¯t have enough to write about?¡± Once Xuan Rui had heard those words, his expression lightened. ¡°These things are already in the past,¡± said Zhong Wan in a soft voice. ¡°When you return¡­ Nevermind. I¡¯ll escort you all into the palace.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Xuan Rui¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°You¡¯ll accompany me there?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°I do want to, but can I actually? I¡¯ll just wait outside.¡± Xuan Rui broke into a helpless smile. But his worry had lessened. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Once Shen Shi arrived, the imperial palace indeed sent some people over. But they only invited Xuan Rui and Xuan Yu. Zhong Wan pretended to be a servant and followed them. But before he could even enter the gates, the guards blocked him. Xuan Rui and Xuan Yu disembarked from their horse-drawn carriage, the servants of the palace leading them inside. The two followed the eunuchs with care, and after turning many corners and walking for who knew how long, they finally saw the emperor. And as soon as they did, they kowtowed. Xuan Rui did not dare to lift his head. He answered whatever he was asked, voice just a sliver louder than a mosquito¡¯s. He even had to rely on an old eunuch to announce what he had said in a louder voice. In comparison, little Xuan Yu responded better. He had only been two to three years old during Prince Ning¡¯s downfall. As such, he did not remember it much, and grew up normally these past few years. He was braver than his elder brother by a large margin. When the emperor had asked him questions, he actually lifted his head to glance at the emperor, feeling slightly surprised as soon as he did. This ¡°Emperor-Uncle¡± looked older than he had expected. He seemed to be sixty years old, and could even be Xuan Yu¡¯s grandfather. These past few years, Emperor Chongan had slowly shown signs of aging in both his appearance and bearing. It didn¡¯t seem like he had enough air in his lungs as he spoke. He studied little Xuan Yu, smiled kindly and amiably, and asked him about his studies. Before Xuan Yu could speak, cold sweat sprang from Xuan Rui¡¯s entire body. Back then, Emperor Chongan had also asked Xuan Rui this. The next day, he and Zhong Wan were sent into the imperial palace. Would Emperor Chongan¡­ use this reason to keep Xuan Yu in the capital? As Xuan Rui was left perturbed, Emperor Chongan casually quizzed Xuan Yu a few things. Xuan Yu answered them all. Satisfied, Emperor Chongan nodded. In a gentle tone, he said, ¡°Very good. Is the teacher that your elder brother hired for you decent? How learned is he? Is he strict?¡± Xuan Yu lowered his head and said, ¡°We didn¡¯t hire a tutor. I learned¡­¡± Although Xuan Yu was young, he still instinctively knew not to name Zhong Wan. A pause, and he said, ¡°I learned from a literate steward in the estate.¡± Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden. A while passed without Emperor Chongan uttering a word. Then he asked, ¡°Was it Guiyan who had taught you?¡± Guiyan was Zhong Wan¡¯s courtesy name. Confused, Xuan Yu furrowed his brows. How did he know this? Emperor Chongan slowly said, ¡°If he¡¯s teaching you, then there will naturally be no mistakes.¡± Truly, Emperor Chongan¡¯s words were very slow, as if his thoughts had wandered elsewhere. A while later, he said, ¡°In the past, if he had participated in the Palace Exam¡­¡± Not a word left little Xuan Yu¡¯s lips as he listened, not daring to say anything. Emperor Chongan did not continue speaking even after a long while. He waved and no longer asked about the studies of the two brothers. And Xuan Rui secretly let out a sigh of relief. After a period of small talk, the sky started to grow dark, and Emperor Chongan grew tired. He bestowed the two a table full of fine food and had an old eunuch escort them to it. If you''re reading this, this translation is stolen. Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden.com The old eunuch led Xuan Rui and Xuan Yu to a small but warm pavilion, before stepping foot outside. There was no one else around. In a soft voice, Xuan Yu asked, ¡°How come the moment after His Majesty heard about Zhong Wan, he¡ª¡± CH 3.2 At that moment, the old eunuch who usually attended to the emperor led the servants with the meals inside the pavilion. The corners of his lips tilted up slightly. He acted as if he had not heard anything and placed food into each of the brothers¡¯ bowls. ¡°This old slave happened to hear what had been said before His Majesty.¡± The old eunuch smiled once more. ¡°Did Young Master Zhong personally tutor the Young Highnesses?¡± Surprise struck Xuan Yu. ¡°You know Zhong Wan?¡± Behind the old eunuch, a young eunuch covered his smile with a hand. Who didn¡¯t know about Zhong Wan¡¯s romance? Of course, Little Xuan Yu heard the rumors too. He understood that these people were mocking Zhong Wan, and was angered to the extreme. Yet Xuan Rui shot Xuan Yu a look. The old eunuch who served by Emperor Chongan¡¯s side was not someone they could offend. With that, Xuan Yu lowered his head and shoveled plain rice into his mouth. The old eunuch turned his head. Glared at the young eunuch. As he serviced the two brothers, he said neither too quickly nor too slowly, ¡°Naturally, this old slave has heard of him. He is the youngest Juren of this dynasty. Who wouldn¡¯t know of him?¡± Xuan Yu looked up. He did not know Zhong Wan was so incredible, and was put in a daze. ¡°Oh?¡± The old eunuch smiled. Slowly said, ¡°Although the Zhong family has declined, Prince Ning treated him as a son and raised him. Such a son from a renowned family, with such a background and such literary talent, in the future which of the Three Departments and Six Ministries could he not get into? Yet Young Master Zhong just had to be ambitious and proud, and insisted on taking the exam route. And reached the top ranks with one step¡­ In the spring exam season, he obtained the position of Jieyuan. In the autumn exam season, he obtained the position of Huiyan. If it weren¡¯t for¡­¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com The old eunuch held back the words that could not be said. ¡°This old slave has heard that the youngest Zhuangyuan was eighteen years old. Back then, if Young Master Zhong had been able to participate in the Palace Exam¡­ ¡°One would fear if it weren¡¯t for that, he would be the youngest Zhuangyuan in the history of the dynasty.¡± The old eunuch retrieved the fly whisk from his waist. He turned around and smacked the young eunuch. ¡°Cheap and ignorant slave. Scram!¡± Outside the palace, the gifted scholar Zhong, who had almost held the top rank of all three levels of exams, stood and waited in the cold. He sneezed. ¡°So cold¡­¡± Zhong Wan had waited for four hours. The coals in his handheld brazier had long since burned out. Fearing that his legs were freezing, he got off the carriage altogether. Walked around to move his hands and feet. When Wu Shi rolled along, the sky was pitch black. As Zhong Wan stared at the palace gates from afar, he actually did not feel anxious. In the worst-case scenario, the emperor would keep Xuan Yu as hostage. But this had a low probability of occuring. What made more sense was this: keeping and raising in the capital the heir of a prince who had his own fief and military. What¡¯s the point of keeping Xuan Yu? What were they guarding against? The tens of people Xuan Rui was gathering in Qian An to rebel? Qian An was spacious but impoverished. They would often require disaster relief from the capital. If Zhong Wan were the emperor, after being notified of the existence of rebels in Qian An, he would be the first one to approve. What he would hope for the most was that these poor people would secede from the country. That way, he would not need to supply disaster relief every year. Zhong Wan rubbed his hands together with a lot of force. They were so cold that they had grown numb. Presently, it was all because of his hot breath that they were still holding on. Mgbw jojg, atf rbecv bo j tbgrf-vgjkc mjggljuf mbeiv yf tfjgv. Itbcu Qjc rqgjcu jifga, ktlqqlcu tlr tfjv lc atja vlgfmalbc. Ktf mjggljuf ribkis jqqgbjmtfv. Par tjculcu ijcafgcr rkjsfv, atf mtjgjmafg bo ¡°Te¡± qglcafv eqbc atfw. Itbcu Qjc¡¯r tfjga atgjrtfv jujlcra tlr mtfra. Cr atf mjggljuf bo Uglcmf Te¡¯r frajaf ugjvejiis vgfk cfjg, wjcs atbeutar rklgifv klatlc tlr wlcv. Princess Anguo had her own carriage. So this shouldn¡¯t be her. The side branches of Prince Yu¡¯s estate would definitely not leave the imperial palace at this time. The person sitting in this carriage could only be Prince Yu. Or that person. Zhong Wan sucked in a deep breath. He chanted in his heart, Prince Yu, Prince Yu, Prince Yu¡­ Hanging from the carriage Zhong Wan was standing next to were lanterns with the words ¡°Prince Qian An¡¯s estate.¡± There was no way the other party would not be able to see that. If Prince Yu was the one sitting in that carriage, he would not pay any attention and pass right by them. But if it were Yu She¡­ No matter how favored Yu She was, he had yet to take on his father¡¯s position. Once he caught sight of Prince Qian An¡¯s horse-drawn carriage, he would have to stop his own carriage and yield the road. Prince Yu¡¯s carriage grew closer and closer. In the cold, hot sweat sprang from Zhong Wan¡¯s back. A moment later, the carriage stopped. Zhong Wan closed his eyes, cursing Yu She¡¯s mother. Yu She¡¯s carriage had cruised to a stop at the side of the road. A steward disembarked and paid respects from afar. Then he got to his feet and walked over to Zhong Wan. Joy sprang from his heart. In such cold weather, Yu She would not be willing to leave the shelter of his carriage, and would probably have a steward ask Zhong Wan why Prince Qian An¡¯s carriage was parked there. And once he knew there was no one onboard, he would of course leave. The steward arrived before Zhong Wan. As soon as he had lifted his head, he was shocked. He recognized Zhong Wan in an instant and yelled, ¡°Y-Young Master Zhong?!¡± Zhong Wan almost collapsed on the ground. Can¡¯t you talk softer?! He rubbed his cold and numb hands together, taking in another deep breath. A light smile spreading on his lips, he said, ¡°It¡¯s me. His Highness has entered the palace and has yet to come out. Sending His Highness, Young Prince Yu, off first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve guessed it was you.¡± The steward looked at Zhong Wan from head to toe, the former appearing excited. ¡°I will return first to inform my master. Your honored self can wait here!¡± ¡°Nonono¡ª¡± The cold gust choked Zhong Wan as he had tried to talk, and he coughed. ¡°Nono¡ª¡± But the steward had already run away. Zhong Wan pulled up his collar, coughing until he could hardly breathe. He really wanted to eat that steward alive. From far away, he watched as that steward briskly approached Prince Yu¡¯s carriage, bowed, and said something that escaped his ears. It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, it¡¯s over¡­ It¡¯s really the end this time. Zhong Wan¡¯s heart slammed against his chest at the speed of light. He pondered how he should handle Yu She. That steward stood before Yu She¡¯s carriage for a long time. Long enough that Zhong Wan thought Yu She had already arranged for the Yulin Guards to shoot him dead. ¡°What¡­ is he doing?¡± Zhong Wan was so cold he couldn¡¯t even speak properly. He squinted, gaze falling upon Yu She¡¯s carriage. After five minutes, that steward bid farewell from the distance. Then Prince Yu¡¯s carriage started to move, slowly going on its way. They¡¯re leaving just like that? Without a word, Zhong Wan watched the carriage go. All of a sudden, a cold gust entered his lungs, and he coughed relentlessly. A servant accompanying Prince Qian An¡¯s carriage rushed over to Zhong Wan, supporting him. He said, ¡°Does your honored self want to return first? T-that¡ª¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Zhong Wan felt better after the servant helped calm his coughing. He smiled self-deprecatingly. ¡°I¡¯m the one who scared myself. I-I was thinking too much.¡± Zhong Wan watched as the carriage gradually shrank into the distance, a smile dancing on his lips. Whether Yu She¡¯s temperament had changed or not, it had nothing to do with himself. Even if he knew Zhong Wan was here, what could he do? Disembark from his carriage and reminisce about the past together? Then tomorrow, almost everyone in the capital would know that they had met outside of the palace. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help but smile. If this actually happened, then he would truly be unable to wash off all the rumors. Inadvertently, Zhong Wan swallowed a few gulps of cold air. And his chest felt as if it were freezing. He was cold to the point that his body started to feel hot. At such an important juncture, Zhong Wan could not afford to fall ill. If he did, then those kids would truly have no one to support them and manage things for them. He did not dare to risk it. After hearing the servant¡¯s words, he called for a palanquin back to where they were staying. Zhong Wan did not have any of the servants accompany him. He boarded the small palanquin. Once he sat down, a light sigh escaped his lips. Seven years. Back then, the passionate young man with such literary talent had already become a cut-sleeve in prompt books. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com There was no reason for them to meet. Zhong Wan felt hot and cold. As though he had fallen asleep yet also conscious, dazzedly entering a dream. In his dream, that person was still in his teens. A person of few words, sitting by the window, quietly writing. Many peach trees stood outside, their pink blossoms landing on his shoulders. The palanquin shook for who knew how long. Finally, it landed on the ground. The sudden movement roused Zhong Wan. He rubbed his eyes. Stared blankly. Why would this taciturn and rule-abiding person do the things Lin Si had mentioned? Zhong Wan was so cold, his body felt frozen and numb. Just as he was about to use all his strength to stand, someone lifted the door curtain of the palanquin. Tall, with a black fox-pelt cloak draped over his body. Standing outside was Yu Ziyou, his face an expressionless mask. ¡°Zhong. Gui. Yuan.¡± CH 4.1 For a moment, Zhong Wan thought that he hadn¡¯t woken from his dream yet. Yu Ziyou had gotten a lot taller. The angle of his eyebrows and the look in his eyes had gotten harsher too. The worry that had plagued his expression in youth now transformed into anger, adding a gloomy aura to this handsome face. Zhong Wan thought to himself, am I awake or not? If I¡¯m awake, why would I see Yu Ziyou? If I¡¯m dreaming¡­how am I able to see him so clearly? Zhong Wan¡¯s fever made his ears ring. His brain was a pile of mush. He struggled to get up, but his frozen hands and feet felt like they were filled with lead. He took a slight breather, then rested his weight against the palanquin to stand. Still, he lost his balance because he couldn¡¯t use his legs. They gave out under him and he fell straight forward. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan kneeled in the snow, staring at Yu Ziyou¡¯s dark boots. He thought he was dreaming again. The dream was set ten years in the past, right after Zhong Wan had entered the palace to be a reading partner. At the time, there were only four people under the Imperial Preceptor¡¯s instruction and around the same age: Zhong Wan, Yu She, Fourth Prince, and Fifth Prince. Among the four of them, though Zhong Wan was only a reading partner, he always had the best essays and literary talents, outperforming all the royal children by a great margin. Not only did the Imperial Preceptor adore his essays, but even Emperor Chongan would lavish praise upon him when he occasionally tested them. Back then, Emperor Chongan had even asked Zhong Wan in jest if he was interested in entering the Secretariat. Entering the Secretariat to be the emperor¡¯s secretary would mean that he would take on the role of drafting the official royal edicts. Zhong Wan had been young and reckless then, not yet understanding the benefits of hiding his talents. He said he didn¡¯t dare to receive special treatment from the emperor, because it would cause others to look down on Prince Ning¡¯s estate. But he also asked the emperor to keep a seat for him in the Secretariat; as soon as they reached the year of the exams, he would naturally be able to enter Zichen Hall officially through his own abilities. Though Emperor Chongan wasn¡¯t sure if Zhongwan really could pass the exams at such a young age, he liked how vibrant this spirited youth was, so laughed and agreed to his request. He said he would tell Prince Ning to make a chair and send it to the Secretariat in wait for Zhong Wan tomorrow. This angered Fourth and Fifth Prince so much that their teeth itched. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Fifth Prince Xuan Qiong was jealous of Zhong Wan but only made things difficult for him in secret. In person, he still maintained a polite countenance with Zhong Wan. Fourth Prince Xuan Jing had a terrible temper and was quite straightforward. He made it very obvious when he was displeased. At their banquet later that day, he kept goading Zhong Wan, eventually getting the other drunk because he knew he could hold his alcohol better. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t lose his manners because he was drunk. He only became a bit confused. On the way out of the palace, he got lost. His head was dizzy, so he took a break and sat down in a gazebo. That day, Zhong Wan ran into Yu She. Perhaps because nephews resembled their uncles, Yu She bore a slight likeness to Prince Ning. Zhong Wan was drunk out of his mind, so thought that Prince Ning had come looking for him. Zhong Wan felt that he was being unmannerly. With a smile, he knelt properly to greet ¡°Prince Ning.¡± Young Yu She couldn¡¯t understand what Zhong Wan was muttering, so softly asked him what was wrong. Zhong Wan thought that Prince Ning was scolding him. Because he knew Prince Ning spoiled him, he gently latched onto the corner of ¡°Prince Ning¡¯s¡± robes from where he was kneeling on the ground and shamelessly acknowledged, ¡°I¡¯ll never drink again. Father forgive me¡­ just this once.¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Pc atf wlvvif bo atf vjs, j sbecu Te Vtf gjcvbwis yfmjwf rbwfbcf¡¯r ojatfg lc atf Pwqfglji Xjgvfcr. Coafg rjslcu atlr, Itbcu Qjc ofii jriffq jujlcra Te Vtf¡¯r ifur, mieamtlcu bcab atf mbgcfg bo tlr gbyfr. Te Vtf mbeivc¡¯a wbnf. Lf tfrlajafv, atfc tfiqfv atf batfg eq. Itbcu Qjc kjr vgecx, rb tjv cb ragfcuat lc tlr ilwyr. Lf mbeivc¡¯a rajcv ys tlwrfio ja jii, lcrafjv ifjclcu tlr ktbif kfluta bc Te Vtf. Pc atf fcv¡­ Zhong Wan shivered from where he knelt in the snow. He thought wildly in his head, what had happened in the end back then? Could it be that Yu Ziyou had picked him up and carried him home? Then what was the situation now? Was this a dream or not? ¡°Zhong Wan.¡± Yu She stared motionlessly at Zhong Wan. He lightly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my osmanthus cake?¡± Zhong Wan felt like someone had suddenly stabbed a knife into his chest, cutting into his heart and organs, causing immense pain. He instantly regained his wits. This wasn¡¯t a dream. Zhong Wan understood now that he had walked right into a trap. This palanquin and its bearer both belonged to Yu She. Yu She waited a while. Upon seeing that Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t going to respond, he asked, ¡°Can you get up?¡± This wasn¡¯t ten years ago anymore. Prince Ning wouldn¡¯t come looking for him again. Today, it didn¡¯t seem like Yu She planned on helping him up. Zhong Wan ground his teeth together and slowly stood. The fever made his entire body hurt. He barely managed to get out, ¡°Greetings to Young Prince Yu.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression alternated between being stormy and clear. A moment later, he said, ¡°Come in.¡± Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t brought anyone with him. Even if he had, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape from Yu She¡¯s grasp anyways, so could only follow him inside. Zhong Wan walked behind Yu She, scanning their surroundings with his peripheral vision. He could tell that this was the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Back then, he had fallen into slavery and was bought by Yu She. The other brought him back and kept him in here. Yu She led him into the warmroom. Zhong Wan was already frozen from head to toe. Suddenly entering such a warm area caused his entire body to tremble slightly. Yu She sat down. A servant brought him a hot cup of tea. He picked it up and slowly tasted it. Zhong Wan stood there, silently staring at Yu She. Yu She¡¯s appearance hadn¡¯t changed that much, but the air around him had changed drastically, almost as if he had become a different person altogether. Yu She ignored Zhong Wan for around five minutes, then said, ¡°You¡¯re wearing quite a bit. You even have a fur coat on. How come you¡¯re so cold after only being in the winter wind for such a short time?¡± Yu She slightly narrowed his eyes. ¡°I remember that you used to have great health.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan thought for a moment, then carefully picked a tone of voice. ¡°After going to Qian An, I wasn¡¯t able to immediately acclimate to the new environment and fell ill. Since then, I¡¯ve become somewhat frail¡­Sorry to have caused a spectacle before you, Prince.¡± Yu She put his tea cup on the table and lightly said, ¡°That¡¯s not the truth.¡± Zhong Wan brushed off the immense pain from his headache and struggled to say, ¡°My lowly body is not worth the Prince¡¯s concern.¡± Yu She became silent for a moment more, then asked, ¡°Is it related to me?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s head hurt and his vision was blurry. He shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Yu She scoffed, as if he knew Zhong Wan was lying. But ultimately, he didn¡¯t say anything, sipping his tea again instead. Zhong Wan thought to himself, if you want to ask something, then hurry and ask. Otherwise, I¡¯m going to pass out in a bit and you won¡¯t even be able to get a lie out of me. Yu She enjoyed his tea by himself, as if he had forgotten Zhong Wan was present. Zhong Wan slowly moved his fingers. He knew that he should focus all his energy on Yu She at this time, but he couldn¡¯t help but let his mind wander. As expected, Yu She had really changed a lot. All these years, what had happened to him? In his youth, Zhong Wan had spent time both inside and outside the palace. He had once heard a secret. According to rumors, Yu She wasn¡¯t Prince Yu¡¯s biological son at all, but actually Emperor Chongan¡¯s bastard child. Of course, to start a rumor like this, there had to be some basis. For example, the extraordinary adoration Emperor Chongan had for Yu She. In comparison, Fourth and Fifth Prince, who were around the same age, had to get in the back of the line. Another example was that Emperor Chongan couldn¡¯t keep his sons alive previously. His first and second sons had both died young, and his third son was sickly. If Yu She really was Emperor Chongan¡¯s biological son, in order of age, he would be fourth. Perhaps the emperor had also believed the prophet¡¯s words, acknowledging that his throne had come from suspicious origins and that this would hurt his luck with descendants. After witnessing his first three sons either dying or becoming ill, he was scared that his fourth son wouldn¡¯t survive either, so possibly sent him to his biological younger sister, Princess Royal Anguo, to raise? Similar proof was plentiful, but Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t believed these rumors when he had first heard them many years ago. First off, Zhong Wan had once worked through the timeline backwards from Yu She¡¯s day and time of birth. He had discovered that none of Emperor Chongan¡¯s concubines could have given birth to Yu She that year. Of course, it was possible that Yu She could¡¯ve been born secretly by someone with no name or surname in the palace. However, he had been given the title of heir at the age of one. If he really was Emperor Chongan¡¯s biological son and the emperor had sent his own son to Prince Yu¡¯s estate to be the heir, that was the equivalent of the emperor forcing Prince Yu to revolt. It wasn¡¯t like Prince Yu was incapable of having children. He had several illegitimate sons already. Why would he allow himself to be forced to give someone else¡¯s son the title of heir, to blindly give away the rank and power that his father and grandfather had worked so hard to attain? Zhong Wan didn¡¯t believe that Prince Yu could be loyal to the degree of raising someone else¡¯s son for them and also gifting them his own ancestral legacy. But¡­ Zhong Wan gently furrowed his brows. Emperor Chongan doted on Yu She so much, so why wasn¡¯t he willing to give him a princess? Getting married to a relative would ensure the security of kinship, and would also strengthen the relationship between the royal family and the Prince of the First Rank with a different surname. Where was the downside? Fourth Princess was honestly too young, but Third Princess was the right age for Yu She. Yet, Emperor Chongan hadn¡¯t ordered a marriage between them. And when Yu She had asked to marry Fourth Princess, he had become truly angry, which was rare. Zhong Wan¡¯s head felt like it was splitting open. He didn¡¯t have the energy to worry about the situation he was in right now, entirely occupied with concern over Yu She. The emperor¡¯s sons and grandsons kept dying young, which was why he had started becoming suspicious of Xuan Rui and Xuan Yu and felt the need to personally see them. Wouldn¡¯t others be able to notice his distrust? Wouldn¡¯t Fourth Prince Xuan Jing and Fifth Prince Xuan Qiong be able to tell? They were even wary of Prince Ning¡¯s two sons. How would they view Yu She? Emperor Chongan knew very clearly what Yu She¡¯s true background was, but Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong didn¡¯t. Zhong Wan suddenly felt like he couldn¡¯t breathe. Did these two princes already view and act against Yu She like he was the emperor¡¯s son too? Was Emperor Chongan actually spoiling Yu She or using him as a target¡­ CH 4.2 Zhong Wan¡¯s ears rang. He almost couldn¡¯t keep standing. He was really in too much pain, which caused him to lose his self control. He let slip, ¡°You¡¯ve done so much these past few years. Is it because¡­ you want to avoid the fight for the throne?¡± Yu She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed. Yu She set his tea cup on the table. As if he had heard an amazing joke, he started guffawing to himself. He laughed for a long time; Zhong Wan was shocked. The Yu She of before would never have acted in this way. Yu She finally laughed enough. He softly coughed and fixed his messy robes, then shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m terrified that I won¡¯t be dragged into it.¡± At this time, Zhong Wan¡¯s ears were still ringing and his head hurt. If not for the fact that he was familiar with Yu She¡¯s voice, he probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to understand what the other was saying. Anger bubbled in his heart. ¡°You don¡¯t even have a chance. Why bother¡­¡± Yu She paused as he realized what was running through Zhong Wan¡¯s mind. He started chuckling again. A moment later, he asked, ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Yu She erased the smile off his face. He calmly stated, ¡°I just don¡¯t want everyone to live so smoothly is all.¡± Zhong Wan, who had spent several years doing his absolute best and more just to survive, became furious to the point that he almost fell over after hearing this. He burst into laughter and reflected upon himself. Perhaps these years of struggling to survive had worn down his ambitions. Otherwise, why would he want to scold Yu She in his father¡¯s place after hearing his words? Wasn¡¯t it nice to be alive? Zhong Wan became extremely angry, so angry that the rims of his eyes turned red. Yu She observed him, fascinated. He asked, ¡°Zhong Wan¡­ are you worrying about me?¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t decipher what Yu She was saying. He lifted his gaze, bewildered. Yu She scoffed. ¡°I understand¡­ You only want to get out of here. You think by faking concern in a few phrases I¡¯ll remember our old friendship and let you go, right?¡± It was even hard for Zhong Wan to keep his eyes open. Right now, he was using his last breath to stay standing. If not for the fact that he didn¡¯t want to make a fool of himself in front of Yu She, he would¡¯ve found a chair to sit in long ago. He could barely tell that Yu She was saying something, but as for what he was saying specifically, Zhong Wan had no idea. Zhong Wan¡¯s forehead was wet with cold sweat. He lifted a hand to squeeze in between his eyebrows, subconsciously saying, ¡°Ziyou, I¡¯m uncomfortable¡­¡± Yu She froze. A moment later, he said, ¡°Boil a bowl of ginger soup and bring it over.¡± The servant lifted his head, then hurriedly made a noise of acknowledgement and headed out. Zhong Wan¡¯s reasoning had completely left him because of his fever. He forgot his identity as a guest and ordered, voice hoarse, ¡°Add extra sugar.¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± The servant was surprised too. He looked at Yu She; Yu She nodded. Itbcu Qjc kjr jigfjvs bea bo la. Qtfc tf cfza gfujlcfv mbcrmlbercfrr, tf kjr gfralcu lc atf rqba Te Vtf tjv bglulcjiis yffc rlaalcu ja. Ktf rfgnjca ygbeuta bnfg j ybki bo ulcufg rbeq klat fzagj reujg. Itbcu Qjc vlvc¡¯a tjnf atf fcfgus ab kbggs jybea jcsatlcu firf. Lf vlgfmais qlmxfv la eq jcv ueiqfv la jii vbkc. A bowl of ginger soup later, Zhong Wan finally regained some color in his face. Yu She remained silent, simply watching Zhong Wan. The servant brought another bowl over for Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan sipped at it, little by little. The servants at Prince Yu¡¯s estate knew what to do. They had added some medicines used for expelling cold to the ginger soup, all of high quality. Thirty minutes later, he instantly felt better. Now that his body was no longer in pain, his mind managed to clear up too. Thus, he started becoming even more anxious. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Yu She had gone through the trouble of getting him here, for what? Yu She didn¡¯t say anything, so naturally Zhong Wan didn¡¯t dare to speak either. The two of them sat across from each other, speechless. One sipped at his tea, the other at his medicine. A long pause later, Yu She suddenly spoke. ¡°Zhong Wan¡­¡± Zhong Wan swallowed the last of his ginger soup and placed the small bowl on the table. He could tell that Yu She was finally about to get to the point. There was another bout of insufferable silence. Yu She gently knocked against the surface of the table. He slowly started, ¡°These past years, I have asked myself many times.¡± Zhong Wan lifted his gaze. What did he mean? Was he about to start going through all their past events one by one? Yu She seemed to be lost in his memories. He drawled out, ¡°Always perplexed, always puzzled. Did I perhaps¡­ suffer a serious illness and damage my brain with fever?¡± Zhong Wan was bewildered. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Or maybe I unfortunately fell off a horse and hurt my head in the process?¡± Zhong Wan had no idea what was going on. What did this have to do with anything? Yu She lightly said, ¡°Every time I was about to believe all those stories you made up¡­¡± Zhong Wan suddenly choked. Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan and continued, ¡°Every time I was unable to trust myself, when I started wavering, I would ask those servants who had been with me since young: did I lose part of my memory? Otherwise, how would I not be able to remember even one instance of our love affair?¡± Zhong Wan started coughing his lungs out. He kept a firm grasp over his mouth. At a time like this, he absolutely could not start laughing. If Yu She could kill Lin Si, he could definitely kill him too. But as soon as he thought of a young Yu She suffering from self doubt and a mental breakdown, clinging onto an old servant to ask if he had lost his memories, Zhong Wan really couldn¡¯t help himself. Zhong Wan borrowed the cover of coughing to bury his head low into his own chest. Yu Ziyou watched him calmly. ¡°Laugh, don¡¯t hold it in.¡± Zhong Wan furiously shook his head. Yu Ziyou raised the corner of his lips in a leer. ¡°Be good, laugh out loud¡­ for every time you laugh, I¡¯ll make you cry the same amount of times.¡± Zhong Wan lost the strength in his legs for some reason. He originally could¡¯ve kept it in, but after hearing this, he couldn¡¯t control himself anymore. A single laugh escaped him. Yu Ziyou smiled. ¡°Very good, once.¡± Zhong Wan pinched himself, hard. He felt much better now, so didn¡¯t dare to keep sitting. He stood up. Yu She¡¯s expression was conflicted as he stared at Zhong Wan for a while. Suddenly, he said, ¡°You can leave.¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. He was¡­ letting him go just like that? Yu She stood up. ¡°I¡¯m tired. You can leave.¡± Zhong Wan heaved a huge sigh of relief. As soon as he turned to leave, he heard Yu She coldly add, ¡°Keep a tight leash on that mute dog of yours. Don¡¯t let him come bother me again.¡± Zhong Wan paused. He knew he was speaking of Lin Si, so made a noise of acknowledgment and left. His original plan involved bringing Lin Si back to Qian An after His Majesty¡¯s birthday. Thus, he naturally wouldn¡¯t bother Yu She again. On the way back to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, Zhong Wan had a debate with himself. Zhong Wan¡¯s initial plan had already been made. After ensuring that Emperor Chongan had completely dispelled his doubts, he would bring everyone back to Qian An, never to return to the capital. But now, he was suddenly hesitant. Zhong Wan thought about the circumstances Yu She was currently in. He couldn¡¯t stop worrying. Either way, Xuan Rui would have no use for him soon. Perhaps he could help plot for Yu She and convince him to remove himself from this mess sooner¡­ Zhong Wan suddenly got rid of this idea. Disregarding the question of whether or not he would be able to safely get out of the upcoming situation, he had already tricked Yu She so many times before. How could the other trust him to be of help? Zhong Wan pulled the fox fur coat closer and scoffed, mocking himself. Besides, he had already fallen so far from grace. He didn¡¯t have any face left to go find Yu She. Yu She probably had only arranged today¡¯s events as a warning for Lin Si. From now on¡­ Zhong Wan didn¡¯t think that Yu She would be willing to see him again. He was most likely more than disgusted. Three months later, bridges would be bridges and roads would be roads. They would probably never meet again in their entire lifetimes. At the same time, in Prince Yu¡¯s estate, the old steward of the side courtyard was helping Yu She prepare for bed. He gently asked, ¡°Heir saw Young Master Zhong today?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°This old slave took a few glances through the door curtain too. Young Master Zhong has gotten much taller and more handsome.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t speak. ¡°Heir and Young Master Zhong¡¯s rumors are quite well known. Though the aristocrats and nobles only think of it as a joke and don¡¯t actually believe it, though it doesn¡¯t stop them from asking for matrimony with our estate, it still wouldn¡¯t be quite right. Today you met in the middle of the night, away from everyone else¡¯s eyes, which was fine. But if you continuously meet¡­¡± The old steward looked like he had something to say. Yu She smiled faintly; he knew what the old steward wanted to tell him ¡°You don¡¯t want me to see him again?¡± The old steward didn¡¯t dare to try and tell Yu She what to do. He lowly said, ¡°I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s necessary.¡± Yu She grinned sadistically. ¡°Today I said, if he dared to laugh once, I would make him cry once. A few days later¡­I¡¯m going to make him pay.¡± CH 5 By the time Zhong Wan would return to Prince Qian An¡¯s temporary estate, dawn had broken through the skies. Because he had yet to come back, most of the people inside were still awake. The moment the carriage turned into the street, someone came out to greet it. As the servants of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate realized it was a carriage from Prince Yu¡¯s estate approaching, they shared a frightened look. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Zhong Wan disembarked from the horse-drawn carriage. He felt faint from head to toe. Supported by a servant, he made his way into the estate and whispered, ¡°Go tell His Highness and¡­the two little masters that I am fine.¡± A servant at the side quickly agreed and rushed in to spread the message. Meanwhile, Zhong Wan was starting to black out. He was afraid that once he closed his eyes, he wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up for a while. Trying his best to keep conscious, he said, ¡°Before I wake, close the estate doors and do not receive any guests. Tell Uncle Shu to find a way to call¡­ to call the mute for a visit. I have something to ask him.¡± Not quite understanding, the servant whispered, ¡°Who¡¯s the mute?¡± ¡°Uncle Yan will know¡­¡± He coughed twice. ¡°If he comes, be sure to rouse me.¡± The servant agreed in a helpless manner, and a wave of relief washed over Zhong Wan. Then he lost consciousness. There were many things hidden in his heart. Even asleep, he could not fully succumb to slumber, still somewhat aware of the surroundings. His heart was troubled. He fell through dream after dream, his sleep uneasy to say the least. A moment later, he dreamed that Emperor Chongan bestowed them a feast, and he was forced to compete with the stubborn Xuan Jing over who could drink the most. One toast gave birth to another, and another. At that time, Zhong Wan was easy to instigate. He was essentially inflexible and did not know how to hide his emotions. After he had drunk to the point of intoxication, Xuan Jing still forced him to drink. In the end¡­ Thankfully Yu She had a light word with Xuan Jing. That he should not lose proprietary in front of His Majesty. After that, Xuan Jing was afraid he would embarrass himself, and stopped with much unwillingness. Shortly after, Zhong Wan dreamed about the moment news of Prince Ning¡¯s defection had arrived. A thick mist of anxiety and fear had enveloped the whole household. He himself was framed for passing messages to Prince Ning and was thrown in jail. The spring exams were being held back then. He had obtained the position of Huiyuan last fall, and for the past three months he was kept in old Tutor Shi¡¯s residence to prepare for the spring exam season. Every day, he had to write an essay. He spent the lunar new year at his tutor¡¯s residence too. He did not leave the residence for three months, so how could he have passed messages to Prince Ning? Zhong Wan was clear about this: those people were only trying to get from him, this ¡°adopted son,¡± the evidence of Prince Ning¡¯s defection. Although he had been young, he possessed a scholarly honor. Those people did not dare to physically torture him. Instead, they fed him poor meals. They called him in day and night repeatedly for interrogation, for intimidation, and three months passed like that. They threatened him: ¡°Young Master Zhong, you¡¯ve kept quiet all this time. As such, we can only request His Majesty to have the Imperial Clan Court help us with this investigation. When that time comes, we can also interrogate the heir Xuan Rui.¡± They tried to lure him by promise of gain: ¡°If you¡¯ve been tricked by Prince Ning, just say it! His Majesty has ordered that in light of watching you grow up and his like for you, he would naturally look at your accomplishments and forgive your mistakes. He would not make things difficult for your honored self. Young Master Zhong¡­ You¡¯re only one step away from the Palace Exam. In ten days, the Palace Exam will begin. As long as you admit that you passed messages to Prince Ning, all of this would be forgotten¡­¡± Zhong Wan resisted for a month. He grew so thin his appearance changed. After hearing the words of the interrogators, he dropped his head, and with a voice hoarse and unlike that of a human, he said, ¡°Xuan Rui is His Highness¡¯ full-blooded son. Now that His Highness encountered this great disaster, he will be implicated without a doubt. I can¡¯t help him with the suffering that he will naturally experience. I can bear the punishment that is warranted. He can as well. ¡°You can request for the Imperial Clan Court all you want. I also want to know¡­ if they would dare to interrogate a ten-year-old child. ¡°The Palace Exam will be held after eleven days. I know that better than you. You¡¯ll send me to take the Palace Exam? Heh¡­ I have already lost all my titles, yet you can actually send me to the Palace Exam? You¡¯re truly capable¡­¡± After another month, Zhong Wan still did not relent, admitting to nothing. After enduring such hard times, he fell into a dazed state. His interrogators thought they were one step away from getting him to confess. They sent someone to stand outside his cell, chanting, ¡°Yesterday Prince Ning had already confessed. Yesterday Prince Ning had already confessed. Yesterday Prince Ning had already confessed.¡± They just needed to wait until Zhong Wan¡¯s mental breakdown, and he¡¯d confess to anything they said. Zhong Wan knew he could not fall insane. If he slipped up, everyone in Prince Ning¡¯s household would definitely lose their lives. Zhong Wan was clear on the fact that Prince Ning did not defect. In his heart lay a hint of hope. That Prince Ning was still alive. That he was certainly enduring much suffering right now. Prince Ning could hold on, so how could he not? At that time, Zhong Wan was tormented to the point he could not even eat a bite of rice. He was afraid he would lose his mind, and desperately tried to find something to occupy himself. Zhong Wan leaned against the wall, ripping the plain buns given them him into thin shreds. Expressionless, he threw the shreds through the gaps of the cell door. Onto the face of the person utilizing psychological warfare against him. It spooked the person who was chanting so much, he could not even react. A long time passed before he finally burst into anger and yelled at Zhong Wan. But Zhong Wan retaliated by hurling his meal and soup at him, and unable to dodge, that person was soaked from head to toe. Those interrogating him did not dare to let him starve. They delivered another meal shortly after. Zhong Wan rose to his feet and beat up anyone who came. Half a month later, the Minister of Justice finally came in person to question him. Zhong Wan reported to the minister the fraudulent practices of his interrogators, accusing them of exploiting their power for personal gains and manipulating the imperial examinations. The next day, those who had said they would bring him to the Palace Exam were detained. And they were jailed in a cell right next to Zhong Wan. Every day, he threw his meal and soup at those people. Another month rolled along. And Prince Ning passed away in Beijiang. In his cell, red mist sprayed from Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. The next day, he was stripped of his civilian status. Thrown into slavery. Ktja j qfgrbc ilxf Itbcu Qjc tjv yfmbwf j rijnf, rbwf kfgf lcvlucjca. Yatfgr gfugfaoei. Valii batfgr rlutfv klat fwbalbc. Dea jr wjcs qfbqif kfgf rswqjatfalm abkjgv Itbcu Qjc, fnfc wbgf kfgf fcpbslcu atf fzmlafwfca. Lf tjv bcis yffc lc tlr affcr, tlr tjcvrbwf jqqfjgjcmf ojwber atgbeutbea. Deslcu jcv rfiilcu boolmljir jcv rfgnjcar ktb tjv mbwwlaafv mglwfr kjr mbwwbcqijmf. Dea ktfc la mjwf ab tlw, la tfiv j yla wbgf bo jc jwylueber wfjclcu. Zhong Wan¡¯s scholarly talent was renowned in the capital. To purchase such a person for their estate and step on him was without a doubt something worth being proud of. Some influential and prominent families didn¡¯t care about this matter. But there were also many families with special inclinations. Once news of Zhong Wan¡¯s finished case spread, the crowds of people trying to enter the jail almost broke the front doors. Back then, Zhong Wan only had half a life left. He faintly heard that someone wanted to purchase him to expand their theatrical troupe. Weak and weary, Zhong Wan thought, Alright, I¡¯ll sing and play the part of a little widow visiting her dead husband¡¯s grave. He also heard that someone from a wealthy Jiangnan family wanted to purchase him. And Zhong Wan thought, No way. He didn¡¯t want to leave the capital. Moreover, he heard that the Fourth Prince, Xuan Jing, sent people over. But he accidentally let his mother find out, and she captured him and lectured him an earful. These past few months, Zhong Wan tasted the warm sweetness and cold tang of human nature. After hearing that Xuan Jing wanted to buy him, he couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile. Xuan Jing did not show any special interest in him. Even after being beaten by his mother, he still wanted to purchase him. It wasn¡¯t as simple as wanting to humiliate him. It wasn¡¯t worth it for Xuan Jing. It was evident Xuan Jing didn¡¯t dislike him that much. Zhong Wan felt faintly grateful. Felt that this wine buddy of his was a true friend. He had Xuan Jing¡¯s servant pass on a message: for the rest of your life, your scholarly talents will never compare to mine. These words made Xuan Jing almost burst an artery from anger. There was a constant stream of visitors wanting to do business with the jail. It put Zhong Wan in a state of awe. Turned out so many people wanted to screw him. ¡­He really wasn¡¯t sure if he should be happy or sad. Zhong Wan waited without a sound. Afraid that he would commit suicide, the prison bailiff watched over him day and night. He sneered. Why would he kill himself? He wasn¡¯t a woman. Even if he were, things were already at this point. Would he even still care about things like reputation and integrity? Those three children¡­ He still had no clue what had happened to them. Zhong Wan did not have the time to think about his own situation. He just wanted to quickly leave this place. After he waited a few more days, someone finally came to pick him up. The person who had purchased him appeared to be from a prominent, influential, and aristocratic family. He possessed great etiquette and was very tight-lipped. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t get a word out of him. The carriage rocked for a long time, before finally arriving at the destination. He disembarked from the carriage, and the moment he lifted his head, Zhong Wan almost spat out blood once more. Prince Yu¡¯s estate. He had calculated countless times, yet never had Zhong Wan expected Yu She also wanted to screw him! It¡¯s true that one could not judge a person by their appearance, and one could not measure how big the sea was with a bucket. Xuan Jing would be beaten if he wanted to purchase him. But Yu She could resist both Princess Anguo and Prince Yu, bringing Zhong Wan over without an issue. Indeed, heroes were born from young men. Among his dreams, Zhong Wan smiled. Then he frowned and turned over, feeling someone pull his hand. After exerting much effort, Zhong Wan opened his eyes. And it took him a while to realize Lin Si was here. Lin Si¡¯s expression was the picture of urgency. He once again felt for Zhong Wan¡¯s pulse, touching the latter¡¯s forehead. Zhong Wan forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ I just caught a cold. Help me up.¡± Falling to a half-kneel, Lin Si supported Zhong Wan to sit up. Zhong Wan did not know how long he had been sleeping. His fever had already dissipated. He was back to vitality. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com He pointed to his desk. ¡°Go¡­ grab some paper and a brush. I have something to ask you.¡± After Lin Si brought the items over, Zhong Wan took them for himself. It turned out he would be the one writing. Emperor Chongan had arranged this temporary estate for them. As such, Zhong Wan was wary of speaking these words aloud. Wasting no time, he wrote, ¡°That year, you were the last one who had seen His Highness. Write down His Highness¡¯ last words again. Don¡¯t make even one word of mistake.¡± A pause, and Lin Si took Zhong Wan¡¯s brush. He wrote, ¡°Tell Guiyan that the end is already here and to take care of himself. Don¡¯t do anything stupid for my sake. And ask him to take good care of my three to four blood relatives.¡± Drawing his brows together slightly, Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°Three to four blood relatives?¡± Lin Si nodded. Zhong Wan picked up the brush once more. ¡°Her Highness, the princess consort, passed away early. His Highness clearly only had three children. Why didn¡¯t he say three, but say three to four?¡± Before Prince Ning¡¯s death, there had been many irrelevant people surrounding him. Could it be that there was something he did not finish saying yet could not say clearly, and as such relied on these few sentences to relay Zhong Wan a message? Lin Si frowned. Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°Have you ever suspected this?¡± Lin Si nodded. ¡°A few years ago, why did you fall into the hands of Yu She?¡± wrote Zhong Wan. Using sign language, Lin Si said, ¡°An unfortunate life experience.¡± As expected, thought Zhong Wan. ¡°It wasn¡¯t because of His Highness¡¯ dying words,¡± signaled Lin Si. ¡°The Fourth Prince had many questions regarding Young Prince Yu¡¯s birth. He sent me to investigate. Naturally, I also wanted to know.¡± Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°What were the results?¡± Lin Si shook his head. He had yet to unearth anything. Leaning against the bed, Zhong Wan fell into his thoughts. With sign language, Lin Si asked, ¡°Master suspects that Young Prince Yu is His Highness¡¯ son?¡± Zhong Wan muttered to himself, ¡°I have my suspicions¡­ but it doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± It was too much of a stretch to link the two together just because of Prince Ning¡¯s phrase of ¡°three to four.¡± Not to mention, Yu She was born the year the previous emperor had left the world. That year, Prince Ning had only just turned fifteen. A pregnancy spanned ten months. Which meant Prince Ning would have only been fourteen at the time of conception¡­ Zhong Wan could not help but laugh. How could that be possible? Piecing out most of Zhong Wan¡¯s thoughts, Lin Si gestured honestly and frankly, ¡°It¡¯s not completely impossible at fourteen.¡± An awkward smile spread across Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. He didn¡¯t want to talk about such things regarding his uncle. A moment of thought, and he wrote, ¡°Back then, His Highness was the most favored Sixth Prince, brought up by the previous emperor himself and likely to inherit the throne. The previous emperor would not have allowed him to suddenly have a child before he was wed. Furthermore, if Princess Anguo and Prince Yu were raising a son for Prince Ning, would they expend so much effort?¡± Lin Si nodded and gestured, ¡°Impossible. His Majesty is even afraid of Xuan Rui. How could he leave the older Young Prince Yu alone?¡± Zhong Wan let out a sigh. Something wasn¡¯t right regarding Prince Qing¡¯s blood-related children. So what was really going on? Had he just casually said ¡°three to four blood relatives,¡± or was there a deeper meaning to it? ¡°Maybe that part about ¡®four¡¯ refers to you, master,¡± said Lin Si with sign language. Laughing in spite of himself, Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°I¡¯m one year older than Yu She! So did His Highness sleep with someone at thirteen then? What are you thinking?! Although our Zhong family estate is no more, I was definitely born from my parents.¡± Lowering his head, Lin Si smiled. ¡°Who really is that person¡­?¡± Lin Si signaled, ¡°If master wants to know, I can continue investigating. I¡¯m not in a hurry to return to the south.¡± ¡°No,¡± said Zhong Wan, shaking his head. ¡°Just a while ago, he mentioned you to me. If you fall into his hands again, he definitely won¡¯t spare you.¡± As Lin Si stood there helplessly, Zhong Wan thought for a moment, before saying, ¡°Or¡­ After His Majesty¡¯s birthday, we can switch places. You will accompany them back to Qian An and I will remain in the capital.¡± Furrowing his brows, Lin Si said with sign language, ¡°Didn¡¯t master say that after this time, we won¡¯t have to do anything anymore?¡± Zhong Wan fell silent. If the three children were safe, he would be worthy of Prince Ning¡¯s rearing and grace. Then in his later years, perhaps he could¡­ Not wanting Zhong Wan to fall into a pit of trouble, unable to climb out, Lin Si quickly gestured, ¡°The two little masters are only ten years old.¡± A bitter smile graced Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. It was true. Ever since Prince Ning had passed away, his life had not been his own. How could he have the freedom to think about other things? CH 6 Lin Si and Zhong Wan had grown up together. Thus, even if he couldn¡¯t say he knew everything that went on in the other¡¯s mind, he could always guess at least part of it. He looked up at Zhong Wan and gestured, ¡°Could it be that Master is worried for Young Prince Yu?¡± So you forcefully connected Yu She¡¯s true identity with Prince Ning, trying to convince yourself to stay? Zhong Wan didn¡¯t speak. Back when Prince Ning had been framed, Prince Yu had played a role. Zhong Wan shouldn¡¯t be worrying about Yu She. Lin Si pondered a bit and signed, ¡°At the time of the event, Young Prince Yu was only a few years over ten. He didn¡¯t have a part in the scheme. Master doesn¡¯t need to feel like he has betrayed the Prince.¡± Zhong Wan rubbed the spot between his brows and lowly said, ¡°I can still draw the line.¡± Though Lin Si had also been sold onto Prince Yu¡¯s estate at the time, he had only stayed outside the second door, feeding horses. He didn¡¯t know much about what had happened between Zhong Wan and Yu She inside. He thought about it and directly asked, ¡°Back then, did Master and Young Prince Yu really fall in love?¡± Zhong Wan choked. ¡°No¡­¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you believe those rumors too? Nothing of the sort happened.¡± Lin Si looked at Zhong Wan, confused. He was completely lost. They hadn¡¯t made promises to each other, so why was he worried about Yu She now? ¡°He¡­¡± Zhong Wan leaned back against his headboard, head pillowed on his arm. He drawled out, ¡°Previously¡­ though we had been classmates for a few years, in the entirety of those three years, we barely spoke to one another.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to cause trouble for the Prince, so never communicated with those people. Other than occasionally arguing with Fourth Prince Xuan Jing when I was bored, I didn¡¯t have connections with anyone else.¡± ¡°Fifth Prince Xuan Qiong had black hands and a poisonous heart. He always plotted and schemed against me from the shadows. I didn¡¯t think highly of him¡­ Yu She and Xuan Qiong are cousins, so were on the same side. Naturally, I avoided him too.¡± Fifth Prince Xuan Qiong¡¯s mother was Noble Consort Yu; she was also Prince Yu¡¯s blood-related younger sister. Zhong Wan rubbed his sore neck. ¡°Speaking of this, I was confused too when I first heard it. We weren¡¯t related at all, not like with Xuan Jing where we had somewhat of a semblance of a relationship after so much fighting. Why would he put so much effort into buying me?¡± Lin Si thought about it and very bluntly signed, ¡°So he admired you. Or had dirty thoughts.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t it. He really didn¡¯t.¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°After throwing me into a side courtyard in his home, he completely ignored me for three months. A long time later, probably after getting annoyed by the steward of the side courtyard, he finally moved in.¡± Lin Si was confused. ¡°Getting annoyed by the steward?¡± Zhong Wan had a smile that wasn¡¯t really a smile on his face. He started coughing again. ¡°I lay in the side courtyard for half a month. After I could finally get out of bed, of course I wanted to escape¡­ I hid in the food waste bin, wanting to be transported out. I also dressed as a servant and tried to sneak out the side door. Every midnight, I would go look for the best places to flip over the wall¡­ Nobody from the main estate lived in the side courtyard. All the servants in the courtyard were in charge of watching me. The steward was scared that I would escape, so kept me under twenty-four-hour surveillance, always half a step behind me. Every night, the steward would bring over a chair and set it by the head of my bed, then sit down and stare at me.¡± Itbcu Qjc mbeutfv j ofk alwfr jcv aglfv cba ab ijeut. ¡°Vb P jrxfv atf biv rafkjgv¡­¡± Tbecu Itbcu Qjc ijs lc yfv delfais. Lf ibbxfv tjgwifrr. Ycis atf biv rafkjgv xcfk ktja xlcv bo qfgrbc tf gfjiis kjr. Pa tjv jigfjvs yffc atgff wbcatr, jcv cba j wbwfca tjv qjrrfv ktfgf Itbcu Qjc kjrc¡¯a atlcxlcu bo tbk ab frmjqf. Ktf rafkjgv aglfv gfjiis tjgv ab fzqijlc, ¡°Tbecu Zjrafg, sbe¡¯gf jigfjvs j rijnf. Snfc lo sbe ifjnf, klatbea atf vbmewfcar obg ifjnlcu, sbe kbeivc¡¯a fnfc yf jyif ab ifjnf atf mlas kjiir. Mbg sbeg fcalgf ilof, sbe kbc¡¯a yf jyif ab yes qgbqfgas bg ijcv; sbe¡¯ii tjnf ab tlvf ktfgfnfg sbe ub.¡± Zhong Wan thought to himself, no shit, I know the laws of this dynasty better than you. The steward was so annoyed that he lost his patience and started trying to intimidate him. ¡°Young Master, our Heir still has your self-selling contract. If you run away, all he has to do is tell the yamen and you¡¯ll be caught before the day is over. By that time, the punishment for being a runaway slave is being sentenced to facial tattooing by the authorities. You know what facial tattooing is, right?¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t care at all. He coldly said, ¡°I¡¯m a man. Who cares if my face is ruined. At least that way, nobody will have thoughts about me!¡± The old steward became agitated. ¡°Facial tattooing is permanent. How could you not care about your own face¡­?¡± Young Zhong Wan was bewildered. ¡°I¡¯ve never cared about my own face. Steward!!! I¡¯ve already ended up in this situation?! What face do I have?¡± The old steward was so angry he almost stopped breathing. The two argued for a whole day. By nightfall, the old steward thought that Zhong Wan would finally calm down. He was just about to take a nap on the chair when Zhong Wan suddenly started talking. ¡°Uncle Feng.¡± Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t sleepy at all. He stared at the top of the bed curtains. ¡°Let¡¯s have a heart to heart chat.¡± Steward Feng: ¡°¡­¡± In his heart, steward Feng cursed Zhong Wan for being so troublesome, but he still forced himself to look alert as he stiffly asked, ¡°Chat about what?!¡± Young Zhong Wan calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about your mother.¡± Steward Feng froze for a moment before realizing that his old mother had gotten teased. He immediately became outraged, almost starting a fight with Zhong Wan. ¡°Calm down, calm down. Why are you so agitated?¡± Young Zhong Wan hurriedly begged for mercy. ¡°I was wrong I was wrong I was wrong¡­ Calm down! You¡¯re already this age, so can¡¯t get angry so easily. Sit down! Sit down¡­¡± Steward Feng was so angry his beard flew up. He turned around and sat down, planning to ignore him. He was just about to doze off again when Zhong Wan suddenly asked, ¡°Uncle Feng, do you have a wife?¡± Steward Feng with a pissed expression, ¡°My wife is still alive, yes.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°You and the missus, do you get along well?¡± Steward Feng was at a loss. It was the middle of the night¡­ Why did he have to tell someone who was barely out of adolescence about the relationship between him and his wife? Steward Feng turned around and glared at Zhong Wan. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be well or not well! Is this related to Young Master in any way?¡± Zhong Wan was very honest. ¡°Of course.¡± Steward Feng held back his anger. ¡°Then may I ask Young Master Zhong¡­ How is it related to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the night, quite late. You and me.¡± Zhong Wan pointed at himself, then at steward Feng. ¡°Are in a room together. I¡¯m worried that you are only guarding me so well because you want to do something bad. After I fall asleep, you¡¯ll fuck me.¡± Steward Feng completely went crazy. He stood up and roared, ¡°I¡¯m fifty-four this year! My grandson is around your age! You and I¡­ I- I- I¡­¡± ¡°D-d-don¡¯t be angry¡­¡± Zhong Wan was scared that he would harm himself in his anger, so hurriedly coaxed, ¡°I was only mentioning that as a possibility! Only a possibility¡­ I was scared that you¡¯d see my sleeping countenance and be unable to resist yourself, accidentally causing trouble. You have a family and I have to maintain my chastity for your master¡¯s Heir. If we get together, not only would that ruin your relationship with your wife, but would also cause you to lose your job. I couldn¡¯t bear that¡­¡± Steward Feng refused to listen to him. In his anger, he cussed out a string of colorful language and was so furious that his face turned purple. ¡°Calm down¡­ I was wrong, I¡¯m the one who has taken an interest in you because we¡¯ve spent so much time together. Not you, not you.¡± Zhong Wan rushed to apologize, ¡°I used a lesser person¡¯s thoughts to assume the reasoning behind a gentleman¡¯s demeanor. I sincerely express my regret.¡± Zhong Wan got out of bed to personally pour steward Feng a cup of tea. Steward Feng drank it. After a long time, he finally managed to start breathing normally again. Zhong Wan lay down. Steward Feng sat down too. An hour later, Steward Feng felt somewhat sleepy. Zhong Wan started once more, saying, ¡°I thought about it and realized that my words just now were too extreme. My apologies, Steward Feng. You¡¯re a good person.¡± Steward Feng: ¡°¡­¡± Young Zhong Wan stared at the window and drawled out, ¡°Look. The moon is beautiful tonight.¡± Steward Feng felt goosebumps forming all over his body. Zhong Wan spoke to himself, ¡°Right now, the mood here is quite nice too.¡± Steward Feng thought that perhaps he was so sleepy he had gone crazy¡­ How was the mood nice? Zhong Wan very seriously said, ¡°So how about I sing a song for you?¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Steward Feng stared at Zhong Wan numbly. Zhong Wan shyly said, ¡°I originally thought that I would get sold to become an actor, so in prison¡­ I prepared ahead of time.¡± Steward Feng¡¯s gaze was desolate. He didn¡¯t know whether or not he should praise Zhong Wan for planning ahead. ¡°Then I¡¯ll start now.¡± Zhong Wan cleared his throat and gently tapped the bed board rhythmically. ¡°After getting married¡­ had to wear white¡­ Who died¡­ The master of this house¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!!!¡± Steward Feng was furious. ¡°Singing this to your master, are you looking to die?!¡± ¡°Is that not okay?¡± Zhong Wan sighed with regret. ¡°But as someone who only started learning recently¡­ I only know how to sing The Young Widow Visits the Grave.¡± Steward Feng was so mad his hands shook. ¡°You¡­ stop singing.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t get angry. I just wanted to sing a song to coax you to sleep.¡± ¡°As long as you stop talking, I¡¯ll naturally be able to fall asleep!¡± Zhong Wan promised. He held up three fingers and swore to the Heavens, ¡°I¡¯ll shut up.¡± Steward Feng cautiously sat down once more. Zhong Wan did what he said he would. This time, he really didn¡¯t say a word. An hour later, Steward Feng, who had rushed around the whole day and stayed up half the night, fell into a deep slumber. With bright eyes, young Zhong Wan¡¯s lips curled up slightly. He had never fallen asleep. He sat up. ¡°My apologies to you¡­¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t dare to put on his shoes. He carefully walked outside, barefoot, and escaped the side courtyard that night. Of course, he got caught and brought back before sunrise. Zhong Wan was escorted into the central room, but continued acting rowdy. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a face tattoo? Do as you wish! Even if there¡¯s a tattoo on my face, there will still be plenty of women willing to marry me!¡± Steward Feng had looked for him the whole night, so now was so fatigued that he felt only a step away from death. He breathed out weakly as he said, ¡°You aren¡¯t scared, right? Fine, fine¡­ you wait. Just you wait.¡± Zhong Wan waited. An hour later, Yu She arrived. Zhong Wan kneeled on the ground. As soon as he saw Yu She, he knew things were over. The person who could really fuck him was here. CH 7 Not letting Zhong Wan, the guilty party in his opinion, speak before he could, Steward Feng jumped out first. As he jabbed a finger at Zhong Wan, his words left his mouth in an incoherent mess. ¡°He, he¡­ talked about my mother¡­ and sang¡­ that he¡¯d pay respects to my grave. It¡¯s been three months already!!! That¡­ That wall is so long and high! So high!!¡± The young Yu She stood there at a loss for words. What was he even saying? Steward Feng finally invited his young master to enter. He had the urge to complain about how he had run about the whole day, exhausted to the bone and exasperated. So much so that he couldn¡¯t even speak clearly anymore. And he just had to be anxious, his words having no central theme. He said whatever came to mind, giving Yu She a headache. At a loss, Yu She took in the honest steward who had taken care of him since young. And he grew silent. He turned around and instructed his servants, ¡°Summon Imperial Physician Wei.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not crazy!!¡± Steward Feng supported himself with the back of the chair and once again pointed at Zhong Wan. ¡°It¡¯s him¡­ him¡­ him¡­ him, him!¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°I know. You have to see the physician first.¡± Steward Feng fell helpless. He could only glare at Zhong Wan. Feeling frail, he let the other servants support him away. Now, the only two people left in the central room were Zhong Wan and Yu She. They shared a look. Not a word left their lips. Then Zhong Wan broke the silence. ¡°Your father did such a beautiful ¡®good deed.¡¯¡± He narrowed his eyes just a hint. ¡°You purchased me. Are you not afraid that I¡¯ll kill you as revenge for His Highness?¡± Yu She stayed quiet, before nodding. ¡°I¡¯ve considered it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re certainly brave to still bring me here.¡± Zhong Wan swept his gaze up and down Yu She¡¯s body. He muttered, ¡°Never had I thought¡­ at such a young age you¡¯d already be so debauched, to the point where you¡¯re willing to risk your life in order to experience something more stimulating¡­¡± It took Yu She a moment before he understood what Zhong Wan had meant. His expression stiffened. ¡°I didn¡¯t want¡­that. And¡­ and I know you won¡¯t kill me.¡± Zhong Wan took a deep breath. He was right. He could not take his life. ¡°You¡¯ve guessed it correctly.¡± Zhong Wan rose to his feet and rubbed his aching shoulders, which had been squeezed by others. ¡°Blame only the ones responsible, not the ones involved¡­ I¡­ F*ck your mother¡ª¡± All of a sudden, a bout of dizziness crashed into Zhong Wan again, and he collapsed to his knees. He hit the ground so hard that the pain could be defined with one word: excruciating. While Steward Feng had endured hardship for an entire day, he was still able to take a nap in the middle of it. But Zhong Wan had actually endured for the whole day without break. He didn¡¯t even have the chance to eat. And now, he was almost at the point where he couldn¡¯t endure any longer. The young Yu She wanted to support Zhong Wan, but after recalling the latter¡¯s previous words, found touching him impossible. He could only order his servants to help Zhong Wan to his feet, bringing him to the inner chamber. Shortly after, Imperial Physician Wei arrived. He checked the pulses of Zhong Wan and Steward Feng, prescribing the former medicinal ointment for external wounds and the latter calming medicine. Steward Feng would take a long time to recover. At this moment, he did not have the energy to supervise Zhong Wan. As such, Yu She was stuck with looking over the other person by himself. Within the inner chamber, Zhong Wan did not allow other people to attend to him. He rolled up the legs of his pants, revealing the scrapes on his legs. Applied the medicinal ointment to them. Yu She sat at a desk not too far away reading a book, his gaze never straying. Rba j ibcu ktlif ijafg, Te Vtf tfjgv j geraif. Rjaegjiis, tf gjlrfv tlr tfjv obg j ibbx¡­ Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan had already tended to the wounds on his knees. Now he stood at the foot of the bed, back facing Yu She as he removed his outer robes. He shrugged off the middle garment, revealing his slender, youthful body. Lf kjr nfgs qjif. Qtlmt wjvf atf ugffc jcv qegqif ygelrfr yibrrbwlcu bc tlr ybvs jii atf wbgf nlrlyif jcv afggloslcu. Cr Itbcu Qjc abbx mjgf ab tlr bkc kbecvr, tf ulcufgis yifk ja atfw, rffwlcuis weaafglcu ab tlwrfio. Yu She held his breath without knowing it. At first, he thought Zhong Wan was cursing him. But never had he expected that Zhong Wan was gasping and whispering, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt it doesn¡¯t hurt it doesn¡¯t hurt it doesn¡¯t hurt¡ª¡± At that moment, the heart of the young Yu She softened. Just as he had caught that sight, Zhong Wan flipped around, finished taking care of his injuries. Their gazes met. In an instant, Yu She whipped his head to look out the window. It prompted a bout of speechlessness from Zhong Wan. Then he fell nervous. Putting out a bluff, he said, ¡°You, what are you trying to do?!¡± Yu She¡¯s heart grew chaotic. He once again lowered his head to read, not a word escaping his lips. Meanwhile, Zhong Wan watched him with vigilant eyes. He put his clothes back on. Lay down on the bed. He was exhausted but did not dare to fall asleep. Just now, Yu She¡¯s gaze had seemed strange, and he was afraid of what the other person would do to him should he surrender to slumber. Two hours later, Yu She finished a book. He completed the annotations, and as he went to fetch another one, caught sight of Zhong Wan from the corner of his eye. Caught sight of him staring with bloodshot eyes, trying his best to hold on. Yu She grabbed another book. ¡°Sleep,¡± he softly said. Straightening his neck, Zhong Wan said, ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy!¡± Yu She flipped the book open. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything,¡± he said, keeping his voice low. ¡°Yeah.¡±Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll just ¡®look¡¯ and not do anything.¡± Yu She sat there, dumbstruck. Only a moment ago, Yu She had in fact glanced at him unconsciously. He wanted to explain this, but did not know what to say. As he hesitated, his ears flushed red. He rose to his feet and retrieved two sticks of calming incense, inserting them into the small incense burner on the table. The strong fragrance spread through the room. Since the start, Zhong Wan had been striving his best not to fall asleep. But the moment he smelled the calming incense, his eyes widened like saucers. What¡¯s inevitable was bound to occur in the end. A wave of helplessness washed over him. There was no way he¡¯d get out of this one. Yu She was usually reticent. So his thoughts actually lay this deep. He was this knowledgeable of those things, and knew to get him unconscious first. Whatever came to Zhong Wan¡¯s head at that moment left his lips. ¡°You¡¯ve got a filthy mind.¡± Once again, Yu She was rendered speechless. As Yu She¡¯s gaze strayed to the incense burner on the table, realization struck him. He rushed to say, ¡°I lit the incense because, I¡­¡± The hand that held the book trembled ever so slightly. Yu She desired to explain himself, but found that he would lose face if he said the words he had wanted to say. And his ears bloomed all the more red. Still lying down, Zhong Wan lost all interest in the conversation, waiting for fate¡¯s judgement. ¡°It is I that have underestimated you.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com The anger once again roared, and Yu She suppressed it until his breathing grew rough and jagged, trying his best to control himself. ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Want. To. Touch. You.¡± But Zhong Wan didn¡¯t believe a word of it. He glanced at Yu She, eyes drooping and about to give in to sleep. A trace of hope fluttered in his heart. ¡°Yu She¡­ May I ask you something private?¡± Yu She¡¯s heart pounded. ¡°W-what something private?¡± he muttered. Zhong Wan asked in a serious tone, ¡°Do you prefer being on the top or bottom in bed? Once those words had left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips, Yu She stilled. ¡°What do you mean¡­ top or bottom?¡± Zhong Wan pursed his lips. ¡°Like¡­ if you prefer being on the bottom, you actually didn¡¯t need to use this incense. I¡¯ll grant all your wishes. You spent such an exorbitant price to have me, so I won¡¯t let you waste your money.¡± He coughed. ¡°Although I¡¯m exhausted today, and still injured, it¡¯s not a big deal. I¡¯m in the prime of my life. I can still handle you¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want it!¡± shouted Yu She, finally understanding the implications of Zhong Wan¡¯s words. He couldn¡¯t help but hurl the book in his hands at the desk. ¡°I don¡¯t like any of that!!!¡± A chuckle spilled from his lips. Zhong Wan thought, only a fool would believe you. Since his negotiations had proven fruitless, he continued to wait as he lay there. Meanwhile, Yu She picked up a book. Continued to read. The two entered a stalemate for one hour. Eyes bloodshot, Zhong Wan did not surrender to slumber. At this point, Yu She was so aggravated that he felt suffocated in his chest. It wouldn¡¯t do well for Zhong Wan to continue fighting for consciousness. Pressing down on his chest that was about to explode, he stood. And he inserted a few more sticks of calming incense into the burner. The young Yu She was a very honest and frank person. In his opinion, once Zhong Wan woke up from a nap, and realized that nothing had occurred, Yu She would be proven innocent. Try as he might, the Zhong Wan on the bed could not even cry. He was about to die from exhaustion, yet Yu She still had to burn more incense! ¡°What kind of habits do you have¡­?¡± He was so drained he didn¡¯t even know what he was saying. ¡°Once I¡¯m asleep, I¡¯m like a dead dog. What¡¯s the point of that¡­?¡± Yu She staggered. Then the fury burning through his body grew all the more rampant, and he inserted another stack of incense. At this juncture, the remainder of Zhong Wan¡¯s anger melted away. Yu She was even more stubborn than him. Cracks were starting to form in his willpower. He was afraid that in a little while, he would lose all consciousness. Zhong Wan saw through the red dust. It seemed he could not pass this trial. Bleakly, he said, ¡°Yu She, once I wake up, I would have graduated into a true man, right?¡± At the sound of those words, Yu She¡¯s hands shook, the urge to beat the other person up flooding his body like a tidal wave. But still not resigned to his fate, Zhong Wan lifted an arm, biting down hard. ¡°You!¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was thick with aggravation. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s voice grew even softer in his fatigue. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you¡­ to act on your ill intentions¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to help you sleep!¡± Yet Zhong Wan only shook his head. ¡°And after I fall sleep, you¡¯d screw me¡­¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com ¡°Then what are you waiting for?!¡± shouted Yu She, so furious he wasn¡¯t even paying attention to what was leaving his lips. ¡°With how alert you are, if I really wanted to do something, could you shield against it whether you¡¯re awake or not?! Could it be that you really want me to do those things, that you won¡¯t sleep unless I act on them?!¡± Here they were. Zhong Wan finally heard the words he had been waiting for. He bounced into a sitting position and shouted, ¡°See?! You do want to f*ck me!¡± CH 8 Yan Pingshan saw the faint dark circles under Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes and wanted to say something, but didn¡¯t. Zhong Wan noticed. He lifted his gaze. ¡°What is it? Speak what you wish.¡± Yan Pingshan wasn¡¯t the type that could keep things hidden. He lowered his head to stare at the half-filled bowl of medicine in his hand and lowly said, ¡°If you had just stayed in Prince Yu¡¯s estate back then, you would¡¯ve had a life full of riches and with no worries. You wouldn¡¯t have ruined your own body and ended up in this state¡­¡± Zhong Wan laughed. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com ¡°And here I thought you were going to say something else.¡± Zhong Wan tugged the fox fur coat Xuan Congxin had tailored for him over and put it on. He was unbothered. ¡°I would¡¯ve been comfortable, but they¡­ ¡°I was born to live a lowly life; to never enjoy life.¡± Yan Pingshan couldn¡¯t stand hearing Zhong Wan speak about himself like this. He wanted to refute him, but Zhong Wan didn¡¯t want to dwell on this topic. He stood up and said, ¡°I want to ask you something.¡± Yan Pingshan said, ¡°What?¡± Zhong Wan got out of bed and sat in front of the coal brazier. He held a hand above the fire and waved it around, casually saying, ¡°Uncle Yan, how many of Prince¡¯s blood relatives still remain? I¡¯m talking about Prince Ning.¡± Yan Pingshan didn¡¯t really understand what he was asking. ¡°Prince¡¯s blood relatives? Then aren¡¯t there too many?¡± Prince Ning belonged to the imperial family. His blood relatives could be found everywhere in the capital. Disregarding the ones living in the palace but counting all the other dead and living, he was probably related to almost every large noble family. ¡°I mean¡­ immediate family.¡± Zhong Wan lowered his voice. ¡°It isn¡¯t easy entering the capital. Who knows when the next time will be. I was thinking, when I¡¯ve recovered from my illness, I can avoid everyone else and visit some of them. Choose those that aren¡¯t as economically well off and help them out. It would be inconvenient for Xuan Rui and them to do this, but fine for me.¡± Yan Pingshan thought about it and agreed, but after reconsidering, he also couldn¡¯t come up with anyone. ¡°Where are the relatives we could visit?¡± Yan Pingshan sighed. ¡°Prince¡¯s mother¡¯s family, the Zhong estate, became desolate so many years ago. Back then, we worked so hard and only barely managed to find you, who was already five times removed. Where would we find anyone else?¡± Zhong Wan slightly furrowed his brows. ¡°Three or four blood-related relatives.¡± If talking about relatives, Yan Pingshan wasn¡¯t wrong. Though Zhong Wan¡¯s surname was also Zhong, he was already many times removed from the true Zhong estate. He and Prince Ning couldn¡¯t actually be considered relatives. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape the ordeal back then and survive. Zhong Wan himself definitely wasn¡¯t on the list of three or four blood-related relatives. He wouldn¡¯t be able to get any answers from Yan Pingshan. With no other choice, Zhong Wan could only lie down again after his legs started hurting from sitting. Zhong Wan¡¯s health was much worse than it had been in his youth. That year, he had first been interrogated in the Ministry of Justice¡¯s prison for three months. After being let out, he had to persevere and engage Steward Feng in a battle of wits and courage. But no matter how hard things were or how tired he felt, as long as he got a good night¡¯s sleep, all his discomfort would disappear the next day. Now, though, things weren¡¯t the same. A small cold would require six to seven days to fully recover from. While Zhong Wan was sick, Prince Qian An¡¯s estate closed its doors to visitors. If outsiders asked, they only said that Prince Qian An, Xuan Rui, was sick. Now that he was better, Xuan Rui couldn¡¯t keep pretending. He had to attend the proper courtesy gatherings. It was a good thing that not a lot of people were in contact with Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. Xuan Rui could still handle things. Those situations that weren¡¯t easy to maneuver and those that could be avoided were avoided. ¡°But this can¡¯t be avoided,¡± Zhong Wan said after sending off the young eunuch who had brought them the royal decree. ¡°The empress wants to see Young Miss tomorrow.¡± Wejc Eel kjr bc tlut jifga. Lf cfgnberis jrxfv, ¡°Qts¡­ vbfr rtf kjca ab rff Jbcuzlc?¡± ¡°Because she hasn¡¯t before, so wants to take a look?¡± Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t sure either. ¡°But I already asked the young eunuch just now. She doesn¡¯t only want to see her, because several other princess consorts and princesses will be entering the palace too. There are also those like Young Miss, the daughters of aristocrats, who will be there as well. Probably¡­ since it¡¯s the end of the year, she wants to see all of them together.¡± Wejc Eel kjr ralii kbgglfv. ¡°Jjc kf rjs rtf¡¯r rlmx?¡± ¡°Pa¡¯v yf yfra cba ab.¡± Itbcu Qjc qjerfv obg j wbwfca. ¡°Ktf fwqgfrr vbfr atlcur lc j kfii-gbecvfv wjccfg. Po ja atlr alwf kf rjs rtf¡¯r rlmx, atf fwqgfrr klii wbra ilxfis ugjca er j vbmabg jcv wfvlmlcf. Qtfc rtf gfmbnfgr, kbeivc¡¯a rtf cffv ab atjcx atf fwqgfrr? Po atf fwqgfrr lr gfwlcvfv bo tfg, kbeivc¡¯a rtf rewwbc tfg jujlc?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°Then, it would be a one-on-one meeting. That¡¯s worse than being seen while mixed in with a whole crowd of people. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll bring her over myself tomorrow.¡± Xuan Rui thought about it and realized that Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t wrong. He nodded in exasperation. The next day, Zhong Wan personally brought Xuan Congxin to the palace. Like last time, Zhong Wan got out of the horse drawn carriage early. He walked over to Xuan Congxin¡¯s palanquin to give her a few reminders. Xuan Congxin was much calmer than her two brothers. She agreed to what he said from inside the palanquin, and even told Zhong Wan to hurry back to his carriage. She then ordered him to leave if he found it too cold; there was no need for him to keep waiting listlessly. Zhong Wan chuckled. He rubbed the purse in his sleeves and made to bribe the servant in charge of leading Xuan Congxin inside. But before he could say anything, the servant bowed and politely said, ¡°I¡¯d also like to invite Young Master Zhong to enter the palace as well. His Majesty wants to see you.¡± Zhong Wan slightly narrowed his eyes. Last time after Xuan Rui and Xuan Yu had entered the palace, Xuan Yu had given Zhong Wan a play-by-play of everything they had said and done. Zhong Wan had also realized that Emperor Chongan probably still hadn¡¯t completely let down his guard. He probably wanted to see him to warn and test him. Certain things couldn¡¯t be avoided. Zhong Wan helped up the servant who was bowing to him and stuffed the purse in his hand into the other¡¯s. He smiled lightly. ¡°This is our Young Miss¡¯ first time in the palace. If she does something wrong, I hope you¡¯ll help keep an eye out for her.¡± Ten years in the palace passed like only one day. Nothing had changed. Zhong Wan was led down the familiar route to see Emperor Chongan. In the warmroom, the kowloon incense burner quietly spat out furls of fragrant air. Behind the slightly swaying curtain, Emperor Chongan sat cross-legged on his seat. He was in the middle of reading reports. Zhong Wan knelt in greeting. Emperor Chongan ordered the servant to draw the curtain. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com For a moment, all was silent. With Xuan Rui and Xuan Yu, he could still act like nothing had happened and casually show some concern. But with Zhong Wan, even Emperor Chongan couldn¡¯t pretend anymore. ¡°These years, you¡¯ve been well?¡± Zhong Wan knelt on the ground, gaze lowered. He didn¡¯t lift his head. For a moment, he went over Emperor Chongan¡¯s words in his heart over and over. Since Emperor Chongan wasn¡¯t using any flowery language, Zhong Wan had to acclimate to him. He took some time to think, then softly said, ¡°I¡¯ve been alright. At first, we couldn¡¯t adjust to the weather in the south, but after enough time, we¡¯ve come to accept it. But I didn¡¯t expect that coming back to the capital this time would reveal that we¡¯re now unaccustomed to the severe cold of the north. We¡¯ve only been here for a short while, but half of the estate has already fallen sick.¡± Emperor Chongan paused for a moment. He said, ¡°Understandable for the others, but you were born and raised here. You¡¯re unaccustomed too?¡± Zhong Wan replied, ¡°I¡¯ve grown unaccustomed. Since moving to the south, I¡¯ve constantly been plagued by illness. My immune system is already quite frail. I can no longer stand the cold.¡± Another bout of endless silence. ¡°Back then¡­¡± Emperor Chongan couldn¡¯t quite remember. He asked, ¡°Right now, are you still a slave?¡± Zhong Wan lowered his head. ¡°Yes.¡± Thinking of how glorious Young Master Zhong had been back in the day, even Emperor Chongan felt that things had gone down a ridiculous path. He shook his head. ¡°Later I¡¯ll give an order. You, your self-selling contract¡­¡± Emperor Chongan thought about it and inquired, ¡°Is it with Ziyou?¡± Zhong Wan paused, then nodded. ¡°Most likely.¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to enter the palace today too. When he comes, I¡¯ll have him bring it to you.¡± Emperor Chong An sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone remove your slave classification. In the future you¡­ When you¡¯re in Qian An, things will be more convenient.¡± At this time, he couldn¡¯t act like he was surprised by this. That would truly imply that he was mocking Emperor Chongan. Zhong Wan lowered his gaze and calmly said, ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Emperor Chongan made a noise of acknowledgment, then stopped talking again. Since he wasn¡¯t speaking, Zhong Wan only knelt there quietly. ¡°Imperial Preceptor Shi¡­¡± Emperor Chongan suddenly said, ¡°Died the second year after you left. Did you hear?¡± After Old Imperial Preceptor Shi had passed, Zhong Wan had observed a year of mourning in Qian An. How could he not have heard? But he shook his head. ¡°Qian An is far away and does not receive the most timely news updates. I didn¡¯t hear about his passing until long after it had happened. I was quite sad¡­ for several days.¡± Emperor Chongan turned a judging stare onto Zhong Wan, as if trying to figure out whether or not he was telling the truth. Emperor Chongan said, ¡°Imperial Preceptor Shi¡­ adored you greatly.¡± Zhong Wan took a deep breath in, but didn¡¯t speak. Emperor Chongan leaned against the kang table and reminisced past events. He slowly stated, ¡°Before he left, Shi Jin told me¡­ ¡®Guiyuan is naturally intelligent and should have gotten first in the Imperial Exams, becoming famous throughout all the land. Back then, if he hadn¡¯t been dragged down by those events, his name most definitely would have been noted by the historical records of future generations.¡¯¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s expression was calm, as if they weren¡¯t discussing him. Emperor Chongan continued, ¡°¡®Guiyuan encountered difficulties in his youth. These years, he has suffered too much. In the future, if he does wrong in some way or other, I hope that Your Majesty may be more forgiving with him, since this child¡¯s life has been hard¡­¡¯¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s lips slightly trembled. He refused to let Emperor Chongan see this, so lowered his body and rested his forehead against the back of his hands. When he got up again, his expression was normal once more. It were as if he had only been thanking the emperor for his grace. Emperor Chongan sighed deeply. ¡°I have nothing else to say. You may leave.¡± Emperor Chongan waved his hand in fatigue. ¡°There are still some of Shi Jin¡¯s handwritten documents, calligraphy samples, and paintings left in the library. If you want them, go pick one or two out before you leave.¡± Zhong Wan kowtowed, then stood up and followed the servant out. Zhong Wan rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. He remembered the times in his youth when Shi Jin had locked him up in his estate to write essays and faintly smiled. The servant took Zhong Wan into a side hall of the library and guided him towards a group of bookshelves inside. ¡°Most of Old Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s previous handwritten documents are kept here. Only, us slaves can¡¯t read, so if we were to look for them in a rush, we wouldn¡¯t be able to tell which ones were by the Old Imperial Preceptor¡¯s hand. We¡¯ll have to trouble Young Master Zhong to find them yourself.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± It would be difficult to sort through a bunch of ancient texts placed together. After the servant passed on the message, he left. Zhong Wan walked along the shelf, picking out books to look over. He intended to take all of Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s handwritten documents with him. After looking through book after book, he had gone through the first two shelves and only found two or three books. He rubbed his sore eyes and advanced further into the library. He had just picked up another book when he suddenly noticed abnormal movement behind him. Before he could turn around, someone had already grabbed him by the waist. As soon as the arm around his waist tugged, Zhong Wan¡¯s entire form crashed into that person¡¯s arms. Zhong Wan smelled a familiar scent. His heart started pounding. Yu She¡­ Zhong Wan shifted. Yu She instantly added more pressure, trapping him completely. Yu She narrowed his eyes. ¡°You want your self-selling contract?¡± Zhong Wan froze, but didn¡¯t explain. Thus, Yu She simply pressed Zhong Wan against the bookshelf. He asked, ¡°Anxious? Don¡¯t want to have any connection to me anymore?¡± Yu She¡¯s breaths brushed against Zhong Wan¡¯s ear. Zhong Wan¡¯s ear turned red. He lowly said, ¡°Let go¡­ don¡¯t let anyone else see. I¡¯d be happy, but you¡¯d never be able to clear your name!¡± Yu She froze. He sneered, ¡°This again¡­ do you think I¡¯ll feel bad?¡± Yu She softly said, ¡°Do you want to know how I replied to the emperor?¡± Zhong Wan reflexively asked, ¡°How?¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was tinted with amusement. ¡°I said¡­ no.¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t handle Yu She being glued to him while speaking. He vigorously struggled and slammed into the bookshelf. The bookshelf shook, causing a few books to fall onto the ground in a flutter. ¡°Make a fuss.¡± Yu She maintained his firm grip on Zhong Wan. He faintly smiled. ¡°Continue making a fuss. I¡¯m not afraid of causing a scene.¡± CH 9 Just who was making such a fuss? The fully-grown Yu She stood two to three inches taller than Zhong Wan. He was also surprisingly strong. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t break free of his grasp at all. He had no choice but to attempt to nauseate Yu She. ¡°Of course I have to make a fuss¡­ I want everyone who entered the palace today to know what you¡¯re doing. Then that¡¯ll be great. Young Prince Yu, your honored self has probably forgotten how I survived these past few years.¡± Yu She dropped his gaze. From his eyes, it was hard to tell if he were happy or sad. ¡°Of course I remember.¡± Zhong Wan tried his best to speak softly. ¡°There are so many eunuchs outside. If we truly make a lot of noise, do you think they won¡¯t hear us?! If other people find out, you¡­ For the rest of your life, you may never be able to marry a Princess Consort Yu!¡± Yu She stood there, shocked. But then a smile actually graced his lips. ¡°That would be for the best.¡± It rendered Zhong Wan nearly speechless. ¡°You¡­¡± Yu She tightened his grip on Zhong Wan¡¯s wrist. Voice barely above a whisper, he asked, ¡°If you obtain your self-selling contract, would you truly be able to leave without a problem and never return to the capital?¡± Zhong Wan really wanted to bludgeon Emperor Chongan, this old thing, to death in one blow. He could not help Zhong Wan even a little, and even angered Yu She. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who wanted this¡­ Even if I did, would you give it to me?!¡± Yu She thought for a moment, loosening his grip just a hint. ¡°So you actually have some brains,¡± he softly said. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t imagine how Yu She declined Emperor Chongan¡¯s offer. He powerlessly said, ¡°You¡­ told him directly that you didn¡¯t agree?¡± Yu She grunted in acknowledgement. Zhong Wan broke into a smile. ¡°You think I¡¯m acting too unreasonably, right?¡± Yu She slightly turned his head towards him. Caught sight of Zhong Wan with his eyes half lid. ¡°I can actually be even more unreasonable¡­ Zhong Wan, you¡¯re worried I can¡¯t get married, aren¡¯t you?¡± Yu She leaned toward him a small degree, his voice near-whisper as he said into his ear, ¡°Speaking of which, you can help me with my marriage matters. Do you want to help me?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s fingers trembled just a hint. In his heart, he chanted the Clear Heart Mantra two times, before closing his eyes. He tried his best not to pay attention to the Yu She behind him. Told himself not to think nonsense. In a low voice, Yu She said, ¡°Will you help me?¡± Zhong Wan sucked in a deep breath and gritted his teeth. ¡°Just what are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Give me Xuan Congxin¡¯s hand in marriage,¡± said Yu She in a casual manner. ¡°She would most likely listen to you, right?¡± ¡°You dare!¡± The pleasant feelings in his heart vanished in an instant. Fury lacing his words, he said, ¡°Yu She, you¡­¡± Once again, Zhong Wan struggled to get away. But Yu She¡¯s grip was vice-like. A smile blossomed on his lips. ¡°Why are you angry? Although she can still technically be considered part of the imperial clan, the estate of Prince Qiang An has already declined. This marriage can be considered¡­marrying up for her.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Zhong Wan was so furious, his face paled. ¡°Congxin is still young. Her natural endowments have yet to be determined, and she did not have a mother teaching her in her youth. In the future¡­ I¡¯m afraid she cannot support the gate of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. May Your Highness¡­ have mercy on her.¡± Yu She narrowed his eyes. ¡°She grew up by your side¡­ Could it be that you want to marry her?¡± ¡°How old is she?¡± fumed Zhong Wan. ¡°What kind of person do you think I am?!¡± ¡°You truly have no intention of marrying her?¡± Zhong Wan was already drained of energy at this point. He leaned against the bookcase, panting as he said, ¡°Your Highness¡­What status do I currently hold? What status does she have? I¡¯ll marry her? Do you really think that¡¯s possible?¡± Not a word left Yu She¡¯s lips. If the incident from the past had not occurred, with how much Prince Ning doted on Zhong Wan, the former truly would have given him her hand in marriage. Rbalmlcu Te Vtf¡¯r rlifcmf, Itbcu Qjc uglaafv tlr affat bcmf wbgf. ¡°Tbecu Uglcmf Te¡­ P tjnf cfnfg lwjulcfv remt j atlcu. P bcis kjca ab gjlrf atfrf akb vgjubc jcv qtbfclz aklcr kfii. Mbg Wejc Te ab tjnf tlr bkc tberftbiv jcv obg Jbcuzlc ab wjggs j ubbv wjc bo j rlwlijg juf jr tfg. Vtf lr jirb j vfrmfcvjca bo atf lwqfglji mijc. Gbc¡¯a alf tfg¡­ klat rbwfbcf ilxf wf, jigluta?¡± Yu She fell silent for a while. Then he nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± A wave of relief washed over Zhong Wan¡¯s form. After calming down for a little while, he regretted losing proprietary. Yu She, this crazy person¡­ How could he wed Congxin? Let¡¯s not talk about how incompatible their statuses were if this marriage were to occur. Even if he wanted to wed Princess Huiyang, Emperor Chongan would be angry to the point of keeping Yu She under house arrest. Congxin¡­ was also surnamed Xuan. It was evident that Yu She had been teasing him. In a soft voice, Zhong Wan asked, ¡°Are you using this as an excuse to make a point?¡± Yu She¡¯s inner thoughts had been uncovered. Yet he only smiled. ¡°As long as you¡¯re clear on what I¡¯m trying to say, then my point has been made.¡± I¡¯ve never thought of asking you for my self-selling contract, thought Zhong Wan. Yue She turned his head to him. ¡°Just now, were you so stressed to the point of wanting to cry?¡± ¡°Cry about what?¡± Zhong Wan stilled. ¡°The last time I cried was because my parents died¡­ I don¡¯t cry easily.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Yu She fell into his thoughts, recalling the past¡­ He in fact had never caught Zhong Wan crying. Knowing that Xuan Congxin was safe, Zhong Wan relaxed. And he longer bickered with Yu She. He had just recovered from a long bout of illness, and did not have much energy. He didn¡¯t think over his words anymore as he said, ¡°My wrists really hurt.¡± Yu She froze. Zhong Wan attempted to lightly pull his arm away, and unconsciously said, ¡°Are there red marks already?¡± Yu She looked down. Pulled up Zhong Wan¡¯s sleeve just a bit. Indeed¡­ a few finger marks marred his wrist. After a moment of silence, Yu She commented, ¡°You said it wrong.¡± ¡°What?¡± said Zhong Wan, drawing his brows together. ¡°You said it wrong.¡± Zhong Wan suspected that he had caught another fever, burning his brain to mush. Just what did he say incorrectly? Yu She released his hold on Zhong Wan. ¡°What you should have said in the first place was, ¡®heir, my wrist really hurts. Help me massage it.¡¯¡± Zhong Wan was dumbstruck. Have I gone mad? ¡°After that, I stopped paying attention to you, and continued to hold you. Then you said, ¡®heir, it truly does hurt. Please lighten your grasp.¡¯¡± Zhong Wan still could not find his words. He finally let Zhong Wan go, and Zhong Wan felt even more frightened now. Restless and anxious, he stared at Yu She. This¡­ Was he the one who¡¯d gone mad, or was it Yu She? Yu She sat down. His face devoid of expression. ¡°I said, ¡®stop pretending to be coquettish. I¡¯m not using much force.¡¯¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s silence stretched even further. ¡°Then you said, ¡®you don¡¯t know your own strength. Hurry and check it for me. Blow on it for me.¡¯¡± The hairs on Zhong Wan¡¯s arm all stood erect. Yu She¡­ Had he been possessed by dirty things? Yu She glanced at him, taking out a book from his sleeve. He threw it toward Zhong Wan¡¯s chest. Confused, Zhong Wan flipped open the book¡ª ¡°Pretty Brother Zhong¡¯s Tryst With the Heir in the Study.¡± Zhong Wan really couldn¡¯t speak now. So he hadn¡¯t gone mad. Yu She was merely reading aloud the lines of a book. But he still found this matter quite shocking. There¡¯s actually such a novel circulating in the capital? Was the culture in the north this open? The emperor, Princess Anguo, Prince Yu¡­Any one of them¡­ They didn¡¯t rectify this matter? Why did Yu She read this book? And why was he even able to repeat it verbatim?!! Zhong Wan struggled to say, ¡°Young Prince Yu¡­ You bring this cut-sleeve book into the palace every day¡­ Don¡¯t you find something wrong about that? ¡°Or perhaps¡­ you brought it specifically for me to read?¡± he said probingly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t prepared for you.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was natural. ¡°I brought it for myself to read.¡± And Zhong Wan was back to being speechless. Noticing Zhong Wan¡¯s complexion, Yu She smiled. ¡°When it comes to books regarding our relationship, I¡¯ve read all the ones that are at least slightly famous.¡± Zhong Wan really wanted to bury and hide himself in a hole. Once again, he fought hard to say, ¡°You¡­ What are you actually after?¡± ¡°Just looking for something that makes me happy.¡± Yu She smiled. ¡°I really had a hard time these past few years. The only thing of joy was reading books about you and me. I found them very fascinating.¡± ¡°What made life unsatisfactory?¡± asked Zhong Wan in a sensitive manner. A moment of silence. Following that, Yu She broke into another smile. ¡°The things that made life unsatisfactory had nothing to do with you¡­ This is the truth.¡± Zhong Wan did not want to press him any further. Before he could say anything else, Yu She said, ¡°The prose of this book is decent. Beautiful but not tacky. I¡¯m quite fond of it.¡± Once he had laid eyes on the book¡¯s title, Zhong Wan was so ashamed that he wanted to die. He truly did not want to read what was inside. Yu She noticed his intention. He deliberately said, ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you. What do you say?¡± Embarrassed, Zhong Wan replied, ¡°Since this is Young Prince Yu¡¯s most cherished item, I don¡¯t dare to accept it.¡± Yu She narrowed his eyes dangerously. In an instant, Zhong Wan knew he had misspoken. He changed the theme of his words forcibly. ¡°But¡­ I also really want to read it. May Young Prince Yu¡­ part with such a cherished possession?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± He tone proved gracious. A sigh of relief left his lips. Zhong Wan slipped the book into his placket, preparing to burn it once he stepped foot outside the imperial palace. ¡°You¡¯re going to throw it away once you exit the palace gates, right?¡± One glance, and Yu She saw right through him. Cold enough to freeze, he said, ¡°Are you just playing along to handle me?¡± With a guilty conscience Zhong Wan lowered his head. ¡°I don¡¯t dare. What Your Highness has given me¡­ definitely needs to be read every day.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to read it every day.¡± Yu She poured a cup of tea for himself. Took a sip. ¡°Just read it once here, from start to finish.¡± Zhong Wan stilled. Then he asked, ¡°Are you serious?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°After you finish reading it, I might let you go.¡± His threat was very obvious. ¡°You know, I can keep you imprisoned in the palace.¡± Zhong Wan almost collapsed on the floor. He pulled out the book and flipped a few pages. Even his heart felt chilled¡­ This book was purely about romantic affairs¡­ Little by little, the corners of Yu She¡¯s lips tilted upward. Zhong Wan wanted to say something but stopped himself before he could. ¡°Young Prince¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to read it,¡± Yu She took his time saying. ¡°I¡¯ll just kill Lin Si today.¡± Zhong Wan took a deep breath. Seven years. Lin Si had stayed in the capital for seven years and lived a good life, eating to his full and having a good night¡¯s rest every day. But ever since Zhong Wan had arrived at the capital, the pitiful mute was thrust into dangerous situations daily¡­ He clenched his teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll read it.¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t speak too softly as you read. Put some emotion in it¡­ Now start.¡± The evil one brought on oneself was the hardest to bear. Zhong Wan sat down. Flipped to the first page. And his eyes started to darken. He cleared his throat. ¡°Today, let¡¯s talk about X Dynasty in X Era. There was a gentleman with a surname of Zhong. An extremely passionate fellow¡­¡± Muddling along without any aim, Zhong Wan started to wonder if he had just been thinking too much regarding Yu She¡¯s background. What insider information? What bastard children¡­? Even a good person¡¯s temperament would greatly change after many years of reading such things¡­ CH 10 Yu She calmly sat off to the side, countenance normal as he listened to Zhong Wan read the storybook. The storybooks among the common people all seemed somewhat rudimentary to the two of them, no matter how well they were written. There were always spots that didn¡¯t make sense or progress smoothly. Originally, Zhong Wan could¡¯ve changed them on the spot as he read, but who knew that Young Prince Yu a photographic memory. He had long since memorized all the words and sentences in the book, so that each time he heard Zhong Wan¡¯s correction, the corners of his lips would slightly curl upwards. In comparison, Zhong Wan felt like he was sitting on needles. The beginning was alright. But near the end, Zhong Wan relied on the fact that he was naturally gifted in literature and skipped several sentences. Then, he flushed out the discrepancies in an attempt to fool Yu She. What a pity that he couldn¡¯t. Yu She sipped at his tea and interrupted, ¡°You left out a phrase¡­ Go back and read it again.¡± Zhong Wan: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Only to see that the undergarment was as thin as the frost on a late-autumn leaf, simply a translucent layer. Official Zhong finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He¡­¡± Zhong Wan closed his eyes and calmed himself down. He opened his eyes to continue, ¡°Official Zhong he¡­ he¡­¡± Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan with great composure. There was a hint of jest in his eyes. Zhong Wan finally couldn¡¯t keep it in any longer. He threw the book onto the table. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to read this anymore!¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t hold himself back. He burst into muffled laughter Zhong Wan¡¯s ears were slightly red. He turned his head to look outside the window and ground his teeth together. ¡°In the past you¡­ clearly didn¡¯t understand anything¡­¡± ¡°Eventually, I understood everything.¡± Yu She finally stopped laughing after a long time. ¡°But what a pity, you had already left.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What¡­ was a pity?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Yu She picked up the book and smoothed out the bent marks that had appeared on the cover because Zhong Wan had thrown it. ¡°Was it good?¡± Zhong Wan clenched his teeth together. ¡°Very. Good.¡± Yu She smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you some more later.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°You¡­ have many more?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Naturally. In the study of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, there are a dozen or so shelves containing books regarding you and me. There are several much better than this one.¡± Zhong Wan: ¡°¡­¡± Something flashed in Yu She¡¯s eyes. ¡°There are also several¡­ much more rated than this one.¡± ¡°Prince Yu¡­¡± Zhong Wan looked at Yu She in disbelief. ¡°Does he know that the study in his own estate is filled with storybooks about his son and another random man?¡± Yu She nodded, expression pleased. ¡°Naturally.¡± Zhong Wan very difficulty responded, ¡°He didn¡¯t¡­ beat you to death?¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°He has never raised a hand to me.¡± Zhong Wan refused to give up. ¡°What about Princess? The emperor?¡± Yu She smiled. ¡°No one can control me.¡± Itbcu Qjc weaafgfv, ¡°P mjc afii¡­¡± Ktf rwlif bc Te Vtf¡¯r ojmf ribkis vlrrlqjafv. ¡°P¡¯w bcis mbiifmalcu rbwf ybbxr, cbatlcu firf. Ktfs¡¯gf jigfjvs nfgs rjalrolfv, rb kbc¡¯a ags ab mbcagbi ktja P¡¯w vblcu atja wemt¡­ Snfgsbcf xcbkr nfgs mifjgis. Po P tjnf abb wemt ogff alwf, lo P tjnf cbatlcu ab vb jcv yfmbwf ectjqqs¡­ atlcur wluta yfmbwf wbgf agbeyifrbwf.¡± Zhong Wan thought to himself, for example, asking Emperor Chongan to remove your position as heir. Or requesting to bring troops to Beijiang, making the relationship between Prince Yu¡¯s estate and Emperor Chongan both complicated and tense. Zhong Wan stared at Yu She, expression conflicted. He really wanted to know what had actually happened in these past few years. ¡°Can¡¯t you¡­¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Be good?¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Yu She lifted his gaze to look at Zhong Wan. He smiled, ¡°No.¡± Before Zhong Wan could ask anything else, he continued, ¡°I said before¡­ I just want everyone to be miserable. ¡°I¡¯m giving you this book.¡± Yu She suddenly ordered for him to leave. ¡°You can go.¡± But Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t in a rush anymore. He slowly organized Old Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s handwritten documents and wrapped them up carefully; then, he picked them up. After a moment of hesitation, he said, ¡°Imperial Preceptor Shi¡­¡± Yu She looked at Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan said, ¡°The Old Imperial Preceptor¡­ once spoke to me about you.¡± Yu She cocked an eyebrow. ¡°That old thing didn¡¯t actually like me¡­ He never encouraged me in any way. What did he say about me?¡± Zhong Wan lowered his gaze. ¡°Ziyou is not the same as Prince Yu. He is good and kind by nature.¡± Yu She seemed quite unimpressed. ¡°When did he say that?¡± It had been when Zhong Wan had stayed at the Shi estate for a brief period of time before the spring exams. He had unintentionally started talking about Yu She with Shi Jin and Shi Jin had brought this up. Zhong Wan hid the truth. He was extremely nervous as he took a chance and said, ¡°During the first year after I had left for Qian An. The Imperial Preceptor mentioned it in a letter.¡± Yu She was unbothered. He stated carelessly, ¡°Is that so¡­ If he were to still be alive now, he probably wouldn¡¯t think that anymore.¡± Zhong Wan could now confirm that it was in the first year after he had left the capital that something had happened to Yu She. When they left the library, Xuan Congxin had just been led out by the servant. The two of them returned to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate together. In the study, Zhong Wan squeezed the storybook, brows tightly furrowed. The first year that he had left, everything had clearly been normal in the capital. What situation could Yu She have encountered that could¡¯ve changed his personality so much? Or¡­ did he learn about something? Could it be that the rumors regarding his identity being fishy were true and he coincidentally managed to learn the truth at this time? But this didn¡¯t make sense either. Even if he really was the bastard son of Emperor Chongan, why would this force him into this state? The Yu She now didn¡¯t want anyone to have it easy when he went into a rampage. This ¡°anyone¡± included Prince Yu. Prince Yu treated him like his biological son. Raising someone else¡¯s son for them was unfortunate enough. Why did he also have to withstand Yu She¡¯s vengeance? Zhong Wan remembered very clearly. The Yu She of seven years ago very clearly respected his own father. He had also been very filial to Princess Anguo. Zhong Wan flipped through the book. He felt like his heart was in knots. A perfectly fine Ziyou¡­ What had actually happened? ¡°Back then I had tested his limits so much, but failed to make him lose control¡­¡± Zhong Wan muttered to himself. ¡°A person like that¡­ what kind of situation could¡¯ve caused him to completely break down back then, to not even want to live anymore, to eat cold-food powder¡­?¡± At the same time, in the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, Yu She leaned against the chaise lounge by the window and softly whistled, teasing the bird hanging in a cage along the hallway. ¡°Heir.¡± Steward Feng carried a fox skin blanket in and helped Yu She place it over his legs. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. Maybe close the windows in a bit?¡± ¡°No rush,¡± Yu She ordered. ¡°Bring two books over for me. From the shelf. Whichever ones.¡± Steward Feng¡¯s teeth hurt just thinking about those books on the shelf, but he still obediently went over to retrieve them. Shortly after, he brought them back. Yu She lifted a hand to grab them and said, ¡°I met Zhong Wan again in the palace.¡± Steward Feng¡¯s expression changed. To him, the two words ¡°Zhong Wan¡± were the equivalent of evil and insanity. Yu She lifted his head and glanced at him. He smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ he¡¯s much better behaved than before.¡± Yu She gently caressed the cover of the book in his hand. ¡°He is quite principled and recognizes the importance of the greater good. I harassed him for a long time¡­ To not insult me, he actually bore it.¡± Steward Feng pretended to be deaf and disregarded the word ¡°harassed¡±. He carefully said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that good? You¡¯re all grown now, so obviously can¡¯t behave in the same manner as you did in youth.¡± Steward Feng tried to read Yu She¡¯s mind. He added, ¡°But¡­ speaking of this, his flaunting and arrogant personality when young was much more likeable. If he really no longer has a temper, then¡­ he wouldn¡¯t be interesting anymore.¡± ¡°Not so.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t think this way at all. ¡°He¡¯s just as interesting.¡± Steward Feng murmured to himself, Young Master Zhong, I¡¯ve already tried to help you. Yu She whistled, causing the bird outside the window to imitate him. After a bit more teasing, he said, ¡°Around the time that Zhong Wan had arrived at our estate for half a year, I made a bet with him and lost¡­ You know, back then, I didn¡¯t know anything, didn¡¯t understand anything. Whatever we interacted, I would be incessantly tricked by him. I lost, so allowed him to go outside to get some fresh air.¡± Yu She stared at the deep snow outside the window. He drawled out, ¡°We went to the precious gems shop in the western side of the city and coincidentally ran into Old Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s youngest son. The one that¡¯s even more by-the-books than his father: Young Master Shi, Shi Hong.¡± ¡°Shi Hong looked at Zhong Wan. His nose didn¡¯t seem like a nose, his eyes didn¡¯t seem like eyes. He harshly interrogated him¡­ ¡°You clearly already had honor to your name after the exams and could speak to the emperor. Yet, you failed to provide the evidence to reverse the verdict on Prince Ning¡¯s case. This is considered incompetence. ¡°As Prince Ning¡¯s adopted son, you received the kindness of upbringing from Prince Ning, but are not wearing mourning attire after his death. There isn¡¯t even a hint of sadness on your face. This is considered disloyalty and a lack of filial piety. ¡°Now, Prince Ning¡¯s orphans are in a constant state of anxiety. But as their godbrother, you aren¡¯t helping them at all. This is considered forgetting others¡¯ good deeds and being ungrateful. ¡°To live ignobly, you are submitting to your enemy¡¯s son. This is considered being shameless.¡± Hong Shi¡¯s loud and seemingly righteous accusations still seemed to ring in his ear. ¡°A person like you¡­still has the face to live in this world!¡± Steward Feng hadn¡¯t known about these events. He was so angry he started shaking. ¡°How dare he speak like that?! Back then Young Master Zhong had only been barely out of childhood, so what could he have done?! Ram his head into a hard surface to kill himself in prison or carry a knife and try to storm the Meridian Gate?! Living ignobly? If he didn¡¯t live ignobly, how would Prince Ning¡¯s children survive until today? That Hong Shi¡­¡± ¡°At the time, I too was so angry that my whole body shook¡­¡± Yu She glanced outside the window. ¡°But Zhong Wan didn¡¯t refute him at all. Instead, he reminded Hong Shi that Imperial Preceptor Shi was old now. Older people had weaker bones and weren¡¯t as stable on their feet. He should be more careful in these snow-filled days.¡± Steward Feng stared at Yu She in disbelief. ¡°Only later did I learn that he had left that day to find out information on Prince Ning¡¯s children.¡± Yu She gazed outside the window. ¡°You see¡­ He¡¯s just like this.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com A person like this was one who was too ashamed to openly display his emotions to the world. ¡°Pretending to be obedient, pretending to not care¡­ that¡¯s only his old habit kicking in again. Or perhaps he¡¯s already gotten so used to faking that he can¡¯t return to normal.¡± Yu She opened the book and muttered to himself, ¡°How did he change? He clearly didn¡¯t. You see¡­ even though I let him go eventually, didn¡¯t he still leave me something to amuse myself with?¡± Steward Feng looked at the ¡°Those Things Between Me and the Heir¡± in Yu She¡¯s hand. He didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry; he couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of that incident from six years ago. Six years ago, also in this side courtyard, a young Yu She had locked himself in his room after learning the truth about the past. He had gone three days without eating or drinking. His hair was unkempt, his eyes bloodshot. He wanted to die. At the time, Steward Feng had truly thought that his young master would leave himself for dead in his room. But coincidentally, the servant that young Yu She had sent to Qian An to find information on Zhong Wan two months ago returned. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Steward Feng knocked on the door of Yu She¡¯s bedroom for a whole hour before a Yu She who barely looked alive finally undid the lock and opened the door a sliver. Young Yu She¡¯s face was as pale as paper. Blood specks dotted his lips. His voice was hoarse. ¡°How¡­ is he?¡± Steward Feng hurriedly yanked the disheveled servant over. The servant didn¡¯t know anything. Upon seeing Yu She¡¯s ghost-like appearance, he became so frightened that he couldn¡¯t even say a word. Young Yu She scoffed. He wasn¡¯t interested in hearing the report anymore and turned around, preparing to close the door. Steward Feng smacked the servant¡¯s head harshly in agitation. ¡°Hurry and say what you need to!¡± The servant shook like a leaf. He stumbled out, ¡°Didn¡¯t¡­ didn¡¯t manage to see Young Master Zhong, but¡­ but I heard- heard a rumor regarding Young Master Zhong. I heard- heard people say that in Qian An, Young Master Zhong will tell anyone he sees that- that- that¡­¡± Steward Feng hated how useless he was. He kicked the servant. ¡°What did Young Master Zhong say?!¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com The servant fell on the ground after being kicked. He decided to speak without regard. He kowtowed and cried loudly, ¡°Young Master Zhong said! A heartless Yu Ziyou abandoned me after starting a relationship! He couldn¡¯t get me completely so threw me out!¡± Young Yu She¡¯s eyes widened so much he almost tore the skin surrounding them. A few deep breaths later, he spat out the blood that had been stuck in his throat for several days. Steward Feng heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly helped pat his back. He placated, ¡°Heir, we can¡¯t have anything happening to you. If something happens to you, you-you-you¡­ Your relationship with Young Master Zhong will never be cleared! He might even wear mourning apparel for you! And sing The Young Widow Visits the Grave for himself! Use the title of not-yet-deceased to stick to you for life!¡± Young Yu She panted for a long time. His voice shook as he said, ¡°He¡­ he really¡­¡± The servant kowtowed. ¡°Really!¡± ¡°Pei!¡± Steward Feng belatedly slapped himself across the face. ¡°What was I saying?! Heir, you¡¯ll definitely be fine! Even if solely for the purpose of cleaning this crap up, you have to stay alive and well!¡± ¡°He¡­ he¡­¡± Young Yu She he¡¯d for a long time but didn¡¯t say anything meaningful. Suddenly, he started laughing loudly while still gasping for air. He seemed crazy. That day, young Yu She started eating food and taking his medicine. Half a month later, he completely recovered. But his personality slowly, gradually, started changing. CH 11 During the day, Zhong Wan competed in a battle of wits and bravery with Yu She in the library. After returning home, he was mentally drained and retired early for the night. Because he usually didn¡¯t sleep much, he roused in the middle of the night, tossing and turning in bed, unable to catch the coattails of slumber. When he had first arrived at the capital, Lin Si told him a few things regarding Yu She from the past few years. Zhong Wan still held a flutter of hope that Yu She had become like this due to the emperor and others spoiling him. After all, the year Zhong Wan had left the capital, Yu She had only been in his teens. The nature of young people was easily influenced. They could grow up to be a variety of things. In this half of a month, he had encountered Yu She twice, and Zhong Wan hid his fear each time. The Yu She at present possessed an eccentric temperament, within his eyes a thick, ferocious aura that couldn¡¯t be hidden even if he tried. As if ready to pull everyone to their deaths at any time. This deep, deep, grudge¡­ Just where did it come from? Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan used his arm as a pillow, perturbed. Just as he was about to get up to light the candles, his ears caught a rustle from the lattice window. He held his breath. Shortly after, someone knocked outside his window three times. Relief covered him like a blanket, and Zhong Wan rose to his feet to dress. He climbed down the bed. Opened the window. In leapt Lin Si, lithely and without a sound. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± After lighting the candles, Zhong Wan said in a soft voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to come if I don¡¯t call for you?¡± Lin Si saluted Zhong Wan. With not enough time to find paper and a brush, he gestured with his hands, ¡°Regarding Young Prince Yu, I was able to uncover a hint of something.¡± Rushing to the desk, Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°What did you find out?¡± Li Si gestured, ¡°First I want to ask if it¡¯s possible that Master knows Young Prince Yu¡¯s birthday?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. He wrote, ¡°He was born on the first year of the Tianhe Era, March 16, at Mao Shi.¡± In the past, he had lived and eaten with Yu She for half a year. Back then, Yu She was still young. And he had worn an evil-warding talisman made of mahogany. Zhong Wan remembered that the words ¡°born in march¡± had been etched onto its surface. One time, he had held that little wooden talisman to poke fun at Yu She. After Zhong Wan had asked for his birthday, the young Yu She had told him with his own mouth. Lin Si used sign language to ask, ¡°Master is certain?¡± A pause. Then a wrinkle formed between Zhong Wan¡¯s brows, and he wrote, ¡°What do you mean?¡± It was just a slab of an evil-warding wooden talisman. Available at any temple in the capital. Naturally, it could not be used as evidence. Rather, how could he be sure? Zhong hadn¡¯t been there to witness Yu She¡¯s birth. In fact, Princess Royal Anguo had given birth to Yu She while she was paying her filial respects to the previous emperor in the Royal Mausoleum villa. Word had it that Princess Anguo had gone into delivery half a month premature. Even the empress dowager in the capital could not send imperial physicians and midwives in time, and an old imperial physician who just happened to be near the villa had supervised the birth. No one apart from those who had been present knew how the situation had actually been. The people in the know had numbered few in the first place. The only thing certain was that the Princess Royal gave birth prematurely, and the labor had been difficult. She had spent a long time recovering, and after that, no longer had the ability to conceive. Lin Si signaled, ¡°This birthday for Young Prince Yu slightly differs from what I found recently.¡± All of a sudden, fear pierced Zhong Wan¡¯s heart. He had come to a faint conclusion, but wanted to confirm further. Sitting down, Zhong Wan whispered, ¡°Speak.¡± With sign language, Lin Si said, ¡°His Highness the Fourth Prince has been investigating Young Prince Yu¡¯s birth in secret for the past few years. I expended much effort, but uncovered not a shred of information. For almost a year, Fourth Prince originally did not have such a thought, but recently, he learned some insider information from the spies he had sent to Fifth Prince.¡± A cold light flashed in Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes. ¡°So even Xuan Qiong is investigating him¡­ Ah. Even though Yu She is his blood-related cousin brother¡­¡± Lin Si nodded. He continued to gesture, ¡°It¡¯s because they have ties of kinship that it makes it more convenient. Hence, he was able to unearth more than us. Fifth Prince discovered that during June of the forty-seventh year of the Taiyu Era, the Imperial Academy of Medicine¡¯s Imperial Physician Hu diagnosed Princess Royal Anguo with pregnancy through her pulse. The written diagnosis of that year is now in Fifth Prince¡¯s estate.¡± Ktf obgas-rfnfcat sfjg bo atf Kjlse Sgj, atf sfjg atf qgfnlber fwqfgbg ifoa atf kbgiv. Itbcu Qjc ogbkcfv. Ktja kjrc¡¯a j qgbyifw. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb¡¯r qgfucjcms kjr vlrmbnfgfv lc Aecf. Ktf qgfnlber fwqfgbg ygfjatfv tlr ijra ygfjat lc Ajcejgs. Ca atja alwf, Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb tjv ojiifc vffq lc uglfo veglcu tfg qgfucjcms jcv jiwbra reoofgfv jc jmmlvfca. Ojafg, rtf kfca ab atf Ebsji Zjerbifew, jcv lc Zjgmt, ujnf ylgat ab Te Vtf. Lin Si gestured, ¡°The key is, Fifth Prince discovered that in March of that year, there had been no births recorded in the villa near the Royal Mausoleum.¡± The speed of his heartbeat gradually quickened. All of a sudden, he felt dizzy. Zhong Wan composed himself and wrote, ¡°What¡¯s the evidence?¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t many servants who served in the Royal Mausoleum villa back then that are still alive today,¡± gestured Lin Si. ¡°After a strenuous search, they managed to find one to two, but they were all hard-labor servants. Even so, from the servants¡¯ own lips, there had not been a hint of a baby¡¯s cry during the month of March.¡± Enduring his bout of dizziness, Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°Maybe Yu She was born without crying? Wasn¡¯t he born premature? Premature babies are afflicted with debility, and may cry without much sound¡­¡± Yet Lin Si shook his head. He said with sign language, ¡°That doesn¡¯t add up. If he really couldn¡¯t cry because he was so frail, the imperial physicians should have been in a state of extreme haste and disorder. After all, this was the eldest legitimate son of Princess Royal and Prince Yu. But the people that the Empress Dowager had sent came in and out of the doors, and not once did they see them in a state of urgency. I¡¯ve even heard from the older female servants attending to Princess Royal that after childbirth, Princess Royal was afraid of seeing light and could not be blown by the wind. As such, no one was able to enter the delivery room.¡± Zhong Wan sucked in a deep breath. Wrote, ¡°When did they notice the crying?¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com He raised his head, his gaze falling upon Lin Si. With a bit of hope fluttering in his chest, he asked, ¡°April?¡± The delivery should have occurred in April. Either that, or there was an error in the records. Yet, Lin Si shook his head. ¡°May?¡± wrote Zhong Wan. Lin Si shook his head once more. His fingertips trembled ever so slightly. ¡°June?¡± he wrote. Lin Si gestured, ¡°Princess Royal nurtured her pregnancy in the villa by the Royal Mausoleum until July. Back then, the servants had been changed many times. Even half the guards whose families had been in service for many generations were switched out. The rough-labor servant that Fifth Prince found had been sent away during that period. The day he had left the villa, he finally heard the sound of an infant¡¯s cry.¡± Wiping off the beads of sweat clinging to his forehead, Lin Si used sign language to say, ¡°That day had been the fifteenth of July.¡± Zhong Wan set down the brush in his hand. The imperial physicians had diagnosed Princess Royal Anguo with pregnancy in June, and she gave birth to a child on July 15 of the following year¡­ No matter what, the child could not be hers. July 15th¡­ The day of the Ghost Festival, the most inauspicious date. Lin Si signed, ¡°After that servant had left, within a few days it seemed that the steward of the Royal Mausoleum villa searched for a nursemaid. Another two to three days later, Princess Royal Anguo brought the little heir back to the capital.¡± Expressionless, Zhong Wan moved his brush as if it were flying. ¡°Were there any people who couldn¡¯t be blown by the wind traveling with them back to the capital? Was there someone with a special identity by Princess Anguo¡¯s side? After returning to the capital, did Princess Royal arrange for someone to nurture their ailment in her hamlet?¡± Lin Si shook his head. He gestured, ¡°No, there wasn¡¯t. The people Princess Royal brought back all had established identities. Nothing peculiar about them.¡± Zhong Wan gritted his teeth. So that woman must have been dealt with on the day of Yu She¡¯s birth. ¡°There are two possibilities,¡± said Lin Si with sign language. ¡°The first is that the identity of Young Prince Yu¡¯s birth mother is exceedingly humble. As such, Princess Royal didn¡¯t have to worry about that woman¡¯s backing, and not wanting there to be trouble in the future, killed her. Or perhaps¡­¡± Zhong Wan thought there was another possibility: that woman¡¯s identity could not see the light of day. Once people learned of ¡°her,¡± they would gain more insider information. Who was this person? At this moment, Zhong Wan did not have the time to think about this. He looked at Lin Si and carefully wrote, ¡°Is it possible for you to steal the diagnosis report of her pulse from Xuan Qiong?¡± As long as he destroyed this pulse reading, this old piece of information would be deemed an inconclusive case. Birthdays could be remembered wrong; Princess Royal could forget. It was fine as long as one could not prove that she was pregnant in June. One pregnancy and one birth. As long as the ironclad proof was annihilated, they would never be able to discover the truth. Lin Si watched Zhong Wan awkwardly. Confused, Zhong Wan flashed a bitter smile. Xuan Qiong wouldn¡¯t so easily let anyone take such an important thing. In fact, even if Lin Si actually stole the record of the pulse reading, it would naturally fall into Xuan Jing¡¯s hands. It¡¯s actually didn¡¯t matter which of the two¡¯s grasp it fell into. It¡¯d be the same either way. Xuan Qiong coveted the position of Crown Prince, but didn¡¯t Xuan Jing as well? Emperor Chongan¡¯s utter bias toward Yu She had long since cultivated suspicions in the hearts of others. Aside from confronting each other tit-for-tat, would Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince secretly speculate whether their fighting benefitted a third party? What if Yu She¡¯s biological father was Emperor Chongan? What if, before Emperor Chongan left the world, he wrote an imperial edict that answered the mystery of Yu She¡¯s birth? Then wouldn¡¯t all those years of overt contention and covert struggle reveal themselves as a joke? If Yu She truly was the bastard son of Emperor Chongan, once Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong unearthed the truth, angered and shamed, wouldn¡¯t Yu She be the first person they got rid of? Once again, Zhong Wan gritted his teeth. ¡°This plight of his¡­¡± Aware that something was weighing down on Zhong Wan¡¯s mind, Lin Si advised with sign language, ¡°At present, we only know that Princess Royal Anguo did not give birth to Yu She, but the identity of his biological father is unknown. Without having determined anything, they wouldn¡¯t dare to act rashly. In fact¡­¡± Struck with another possibility, Lin Si signalled, ¡°Perhaps after the emperor leaves this realm, Young Prince Yu really would¡­¡± He pointed toward the sky, the meaning self-evident. Zhong Wan felt as if his head were about to split open. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting about Prince Yu.¡± For a while, Lin Si did not respond. Picking up the brush, Zhong Wan swiftly wrote, ¡°Prince Yu is Xuan Qiong¡¯s blood-related maternal uncle! One is someone else¡¯s son, the other is his blood-related nephew. If you were him, who would you support?!¡± Lin Si wasn¡¯t as smart as Zhong Wan. Only after a moment of thought did realization strike him. Lin Si hesitated, before gesturing with much uncertainty, ¡°So Master is saying that all these years, Prince Yu was actually¡­¡± Tired out of his mind, Zhong Wan said, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± He glanced at the flickering candlelight, his voice just a touch above a whisper as he said, ¡°All I know is that people won¡¯t wake early if there is no benefit to it.¡± Lin Si felt obliged to console him, doing so with difficulty. ¡°Everything is still speculation,¡± he gestured. ¡°If those people actually discover anything, it would already be too late.¡± Zhong Wan tossed all the paper on the desk into the coal brazier. An instant later, the flames leapt a foot high. ¡°After His Majesty¡¯s birthday, head back to Qian An with the children. I¡¯ll stay in the capital.¡± CH 12 Lin Si hurriedly shook his head. ¡°You spent so much time and energy these past few years to finally, after much difficulty, remove yourself from the controversies in the capital. Why would you suddenly jump in again?¡± Lin Si¡¯s gaze was conflicted as he looked at Zhong Wan. He appeared quite panicked. He hurriedly lifted an arm to point in the direction of the main room. With his palm down, he drew a circle, then lowered it before quickly pointing at Zhong Wan. He held his palm out and shook it before pointing at Zhong Wan again. Thereafter, he pointed at his own temple and rapidly drew two circles. ¡°They. Have already grown up. You. Should. Start making plans. For yourself.¡± Zhong Wan was dazed. A moment later, he laughed at himself. ¡°Making plans for myself? I¡¯ve long since forgotten how to make plans for myself¡­¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Lin Si agitatedly signed, ¡°No matter what happens to him in the future, that has nothing to do with us!¡± Zhong Wan had no response. It was true. He wasn¡¯t related to Yu She in any way. ¡°He¡­¡± Zhong Wan randomly said. ¡°We¡¯ve at least been together for so many years in name¡­¡± Lin Si looked at Zhong Wan, speechless. He signed, ¡°Does Young Prince Yu acknowledge the fact that you¡¯ve been together for so many years?¡± Of course not. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t want to argue about this with Lin Si. He said, ¡°Either way, we¡¯ll decide on this for now. Don¡¯t keep looking into it. His background is one of his forbidden lamellas. These days, Yu She¡¯s temperament frequently changes. Don¡¯t piss him off again.¡± Lin Si¡¯s expression was reluctant. Zhong Wan knew that Lin Si was acting on Xuan Jing¡¯s orders. He asked, ¡°But you can¡¯t give up your life for these things, right?¡± Lin Si had no other choice. He could only nod. After pondering a bit, he gestured again, ¡°But Master, are you sure Young Prince Yu wants you to stay? Forgive my honesty¡­ if he wanted to keep you around back then, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to leave.¡± Zhong Wan was unbothered. ¡°He can¡¯t control me.¡± Lin Si nodded. ¡°Young Prince Yu can¡¯t control you, but as long as he doesn¡¯t let you get close, you won¡¯t be able to get inside information. You still won¡¯t be able to help in any way.¡± Lin Si lifted his head to look at Zhong Wan. He almost couldn¡¯t bear to, but still signed, ¡°Since returning to the capital, Master has already seen Young Prince Yu twice. Has Young Prince Yu acted as close to you as he was back in the day?¡± Zhong Wan stared at the flickering flames in the brazier. He didn¡¯t speak. Close his ass. These days, Yu She had a strange temperament. One couldn¡¯t understand him at all. He was sometimes harsh to Zhong Wan, but sometimes kind. Zhong Wan even suspected that the few instances of ¡°kindness¡± were only figments of his imagination. Even without Zhong Wan saying anything, Lin Si could guess. He gestured, ¡°If you cannot join his closest ranks, how can you be of help? Perhaps Young Prince Yu might even think that you have other intentions. If he can¡¯t tell, you might end up in deep trouble.¡± Zhong Wan sighed. ¡°I haven¡¯t said what I plan to do yet. I just want to stay and observe.¡± Lin Si stubbornly persuaded, ¡°As long as Young Prince Yu doesn¡¯t want you to come close to him, you have no other choice.¡± Zhong Wan narrowed his eyes. ¡°You underestimate me¡­ if I want to bother him, he won¡¯t be able to avoid me.¡± Zhong Wan gave up on caring. ¡°I don¡¯t want face anyways! Haven¡¯t you seen someone hounding someone else without regard? I have plenty of experience trying to stick to him¡­¡± Lin Si thought about it and very smoothly signed, ¡°Master, the Young Prince Yu now¡­ do you still dare to hound him?¡± Zhong Wan remembered the incident when he had been pressed against the shelf by Yu She in the library. He stiffly replied, ¡°Why not! What have I ever been scared of?¡± Olc Vl¡¯r jaafwqar jgf qfgrejrlbc ojlifv. Lf mbeivc¡¯a rajs obg abb ibcu, flatfg, rb mbeiv bcis ifjnf. Itbcu Qjc mbcrlvfgfv fnfgsatlcu lc vfajli. Lf vlv xcbk atja atlr kbeiv yf fjrlfg rjlv atjc vbcf. Lbk clmf la kbeiv yf lo la kfgf ralii rfnfc sfjgr jub. Po atlr kfgf atf Te Vtf bo rfnfc sfjgr jub, atfc Itbcu Qjc vfolclafis vjgfv¡ª Seven years ago, Heir Yu arrived at the side courtyard. Because of this, the number of servants in the side courtyard doubled. A squadron of family soldiers was also transferred over from the Prince¡¯s estate. The lines of defense both inside and outside the courtyard were very strong. Though they were here to protect Yu She, they also ¡°protected¡± Zhong Wan, this poor fish that got caught in the crossfire. Before Yu She¡¯s appearance, Zhong Wan was still capable of dealing with Steward Feng while coming up with plans to escape. Now, he needed to give up on these ideas. ¡°The skies are blue. The sun is out. It¡¯s the middle of the day. Why would there be so many assassins?¡± Zhong Wan stood by the window and gazed out at the heavily guarded side courtyard with worry. ¡°What are you guys being so careful for? Your heir has so many enemies?¡± Ever since Yu She had arrived at the side courtyard, he was in charge of keeping an eye on Zhong Wan in the day. Steward Feng only needed to be on guard at night. Thus, he had much more energy. Seeing Zhong Wan so worked up, he felt quite pleased and hummed, ¡°These people were sent over by the princess royal. Better to be safe than sorry.¡± Zhong Wan sprawled onto his bed. He heaved a long sigh. Steward Feng felt a little bad as he observed Zhong Wan¡¯s pitiful state. He stopped mocking him and persuaded with difficulty, ¡°These days, the heir and I take turns during night and day to watch over you. You won¡¯t be able to make us sleepy enough to give you an opportunity for escape, so you can give up on your ideas. Get some rest! Look at you¡­ A normal youth, but you have dark circles under your eyes! What is this!¡± Zhong Wan glanced at steward Feng who didn¡¯t understand his difficulties and lowly said, ¡°I have to take care of both the master and the servant every day and night. How could I not be tired? Day after day¡­¡± Steward Feng felt like something was off about his words, but he couldn¡¯t exactly put his finger on what was wrong. ¡°Either way, I¡¯ve already gotten enough sleep today, so won¡¯t be napping again tonight. You won¡¯t find the opportunity.¡± Steward Feng confidently sat in his chair. ¡°Time to rest. Sleep!¡± Zhong Wan was filled with annoyance and worry. He flipped over and started thinking of other plans. Right now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to outlast this master and servant duo, and there were so many people on guard outside the estate. It would be practically impossible to escape, unless¡­ Yu She moved out. As long as that squadron of family soldiers left with him, he had a chance. Yu She was the owner of this side estate. If he didn¡¯t want to leave, Zhong Wan naturally couldn¡¯t force him to. But Zhong Wan could disgust him. The second day, as soon as day broke, Zhong Wan started seeking death. ¡°Yu She, since you¡¯re with me every day, can you really control yourself?¡± Recently, Young Yu She was working on annotating a set of old texts from the previous dynasty. Upon hearing this, he calmly multitasked and responded, ¡°That day you fell into such a deep slumber. Did I do anything to you?¡± Since that day he had knocked Zhong Wan out with incense and forced him to get a good night¡¯s sleep, young Yu She thought himself completely free from suspicion. He was still a noble, well-educated, and virtuous good person. Zhong Wan hummed coldly, ¡°Those days I looked unwell. It would be normal for you not to have any interest.¡± Yu She paused, but ignored him. Zhong Wan was silent for a moment before asking again, ¡°Yu She¡­ do you know? A man¡¯s best years are actually these years now.¡± Steward Feng, over half a century old, standing off to the side waiting to serve: ¡°¡­¡± Yu She lifted his head. He even thought that he had heard wrong. ¡°What¡­ did you say?¡± ¡°I was talking about myself,¡± Zhong Wan very generously revealed. ¡°Time is like a white horse crossing a rift. If you don¡¯t treasure me now, I won¡¯t be able to promise what I¡¯ll look like in two years.¡± Yu She forced the rage in his heart down and lowered his head, continuing to annotate. He ignored the other. Zhong Wan became quiet for a short bit, then whispered once more, ¡°Yu She, did you know? Nothing will wait for you in place.¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Very good. They were discussing deeper and deeper topics. Yu She took a deep breath and continued pretending like he hadn¡¯t heard anything. He dipped his brush in the ink. Zhong Wan started sowing discord. He pointed at Steward Feng. ¡°You don¡¯t like me, but others might not be the same.¡± Steward Feng was furious. ¡°What are you saying?! I- I¡­¡± Steward Feng felt like he couldn¡¯t give a satisfactory explanation. He hurriedly tried to prove his loyalty to Yu She. ¡°In the three months that I¡¯ve watched over Young Master Zhong, I haven¡¯t taken an extra glance at him! The Heavens and Earth are my witnesses! Besides, besides¡­ this slave is already fifty four years old! Even if I had those intentions, could I act upon them?!¡± ¡°Ey!¡± Zhong Wan persuaded steward Feng, ¡°I refuse to let you talk about yourself in this manner!¡± Steward Feng immediately became so angry he couldn¡¯t speak anymore. Yu She put down his brush in exasperation and called another servant over to help Steward Feng out of the room. After getting Steward Feng to leave, Yu She stared calmly at Zhong Wan. ¡°What do you actually want? Aren¡¯t you scared I¡¯ll do something to you? Then why do you always try to stay so close to me?¡± Zhong Wan thought to himself, I want to disgust you! After a few days of interaction, Zhong Wan could finally tell. Yu She was a true gentleman. He honestly didn¡¯t have any of those perverse thoughts regarding Zhong Wan and was even very mannerly. He didn¡¯t look at or say anything out of line; he had frighteningly good self control. Since this was the case, Zhong Wan decided to change his attitude. He purposefully stuck to Yu She, trying a different method to cause this self-righteous little gentleman to be unable to stand him anymore. This way, he could escape. The troublesome steward Feng had already left. Finally, only Yu She and Zhong Wan remained in the room. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan slowly made his way behind Yu She. He asked, ¡°What¡­ are you reading?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°Memoirs of Yuzhang.¡± ¡°What¡¯s it about?¡± Zhong Wan scooted closer. He placed a hand on the page. ¡°I¡¯ve never even heard of it.¡± Yu She lowly responded, ¡°A leftover book from the previous dynasty. It¡¯s about what a wandering old man witnessed upon passing through Yuzhang County.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Zhong Wan answered dryly. ¡°Can I see it?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t say anything. He stood up and grabbed the first few scrolls to hand to Zhong Wan. Then, he sat down once more. Zhong Wan put the books on the table and walked over to the side to carry a chair over. He set it beside Yu She and sat down too. Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Yu She wanted to ask why are you so close to me? but was scared that he was simply overthinking things. If he asked, Zhong Wan might take the opportunity to bite back. He wouldn¡¯t be able to explain, then, so could only pretend he didn¡¯t notice anything. Zhong Wan sat down and quietly read for half an hour before suddenly pointing at a line and asking, ¡°What does this mean? I can¡¯t understand.¡± Yu She thought to himself, there are things you can¡¯t understand? But he still turned his head over to scan the text and briefly explain. Zhong Wan nodded and praised, ¡°How come you understand everything?! Heir, you¡¯re amazing!¡± Yu She ignored him. He lowered his head to continue reading on his own. Zhong Wan flipped two pages. He had a question every other minute. Yu She forced himself to remain patient and replied to each. While asking a question, Zhong Wan would scoot closer to Yu She. After thirty minutes, his arm was almost touching Yu She¡¯s. But Yu She didn¡¯t even look over. He didn¡¯t move at all. Zhong Wan bit the bullet and purposefully brushed Yu She with his leg. Immediately after, he observed Yu She¡¯s expression on high alert. Yu She¡¯s expression only temporarily froze. Then, he stood up with the scroll he was reading and walked over to the window. Zhong Wan ground his teeth. The two of them had spent the entire morning reading books, completely separated. When it was time for lunch, Steward Feng led the servants in to set the table. Zhong Wan glanced at the food on the table, and to appear attentive, asked very knowledgeably, ¡°Heir¡­ do I need to serve you as you eat?¡± Yu She forced himself to remain calm. ¡°No¡­ no thanks. You can eat with me.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan nodded, satisfied, and sat down. One shouldn¡¯t speak while eating or sleeping. Yu She ate silently. The dozen servants in the room were also quiet. Zhong Wan swallowed a mouthful of food and scanned everyone in the room. He thought of the morning he had wasted and decided to be harder on himself. ¡°Yu She¡­ I want to eat the braised venison. Feed me.¡± The dozen or so people in the room instantly froze. Steward Feng¡¯s expression was filled with shock. He didn¡¯t dare to think about what had happened between the two of them this morning that would lead to them feeding each other now! Yu She stared at the braised venison in front of himself. ¡°¡­¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Yu She lifted his head to look at Zhong Wan in disbelief. The message in his eyes was clear: Have you gone crazy?! Zhong Wan forced himself to open his mouth. ¡°Ah¡­¡± A dozen servants stared at each other in terror. Yu She¡¯s hand holding the silver chopsticks slightly trembled. If he really fed him this bite, then the hundreds of years of good familial teaching of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, the years he had dedicated to reading the classics, the clean reputation he had worked so hard to keep these past few days¡­ would be completely ruined! CH 13 Steward Feng, who had taken care of him since young, stared at him¡­ The more than ten servants in the room stared at him¡­ From the heavens, the successive generations of Yu family ancestors stared at him¡­ The young Yu She gritted his teeth, setting down his chopsticks. Lifted the plate of braised venison before him and placed it in front of Zhong Wan. Yu She¡¯s ears bloomed a hint of red, and making a strong effort to compose himself, he said, ¡°If you want to eat it, then grab it yourself¡­¡± Looking at the dish in front of him, Zhong Wan let escape a sigh of disappointment. He had failed to disgust Yu She. Meat dishes were not to his tastes, and Zhong Wan definitely did not want to eat braised venison. Even if they were cooked well, they still carried a gamey scent. So he had said earlier that he didn¡¯t want to eat any, using the excuse that the dish was closest to Yu She. Steward Feng let out a sigh of relief. He was pleased that that little yao hadn¡¯t bewitched Yu She. Not once had Yu She¡¯s gaze left Zhong Wan¡¯s form. Noticing that Zhong Wan appeared somewhat depressed, he wondered if he had caused the other party to lose face. After a moment of thought, he ordered, ¡°Starting tomorrow¡­¡± Steward Feng raised his head, alert. Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. ¡°Prepare venison for meals three times a day.¡± A dry chuckle left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡­¡± Steward Feng glared at him, cursing in his heart that the latter was a calamitous beauty. With much reluctance, he said, ¡°Understood.¡± Yu She nodded. Then his gaze fell upon Zhong Wan once more. Zhong Wan could not utter a word about his suffering. He thought, what¡¯s the meaning of that expectant gaze? Are you waiting for me to kneel and say ¡®many thanks for the special grace?¡¯¡¯ Yet he smiled bitterly. ¡°Thank you¡­Heir.¡± Yu She weighed the advantages and disadvantages, balancing each side¡¯s power. And he came to the conclusion he had handled the situation quite nicely. He even ate half a bowl of rice more than usual for this meal. Zhong Wan had lifted a rock and dropped it on his own feet. In low spirits, he stared at the plate of venison that wasn¡¯t to his tastes. He only nibbled a few bites. After they had finished the noon meal, Yu She went to read again with Zhong Wan in tow. He had to disgust him. He had to keep on trying to disgust him. If he didn¡¯t disgust Yu She to the point of abandoning him, how could Zhong Wan leave and find Xuan Rui and the others? Yu She allowed Zhong Wan to use his desk, and he sat like he had previously on a low couch next to the window. As he read, he diligently annotated the margins. Zhong Wan searched for an excuse to get closer to him. ¡°It¡¯s too dim at the desk. How about I move by you¡­?¡± Yu She nodded. Lifted his folded book. And he graciously rose to his feet. After they had switched places, a distance of two zhang still separated the two. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan wanted to bite Yu She to death. Pa kjr fnlvfca Te Vtf vlvc¡¯a kjca tlw mibrf. Itbcu Qjc tjv cb batfg mtblmf yea ab atlcx bo jcbatfg qijc. ¡°Te Vtf¡­¡± rjlv Itbcu Qjc jii bo j revvfc. ¡°P gfwfwyfg atja rajgalcu ogbw ijra sfjg, Uglcmfrr Ebsji yfujc ab rfjgmt obg j qglcmlqji mbcrbga obg sbe. Ljnf sbe mbwf ab j vfmlrlbc sfa?¡± Yu She stilled. Then he said, ¡°They¡¯ve only just mentioned it¡­ Nothing concrete has been decided.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Then, could it be said that the discussions have started? Which family? Is it¡­ Third Princess?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t bother raising his head. ¡°It¡¯s not Third Princess. Stop talking nonsense.¡± ¡°Your Emperor-Uncle dotes on you so much that he almost considers you a son. Perhaps he wants you to be his son-in-law?¡± Zhong Wan just wouldn¡¯t quit it. ¡°Just tell me which family it is. Tell, tell¡­ Of the Three Letters and Six Rites, which have you completed so far?¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Yu She stopped writing. After a long period of silence, he said, ¡°None of it. It was just a bit of talking.¡± Complicated emotions rose in Zhong Wan¡¯s heart. ¡°Just which family is it? Say it already¡­ I promise to keep it a secret. I have no one to tell anyway.¡± Helplessly, Yu She lifted his head from his book. ¡°Why are you asking this?¡± ¡°In the future, she¡¯ll be the main consort and I¡¯ll be a concubine,¡± said Zhong Wan innocently. ¡°I just want to have a headstart in knowing her, lest I receive punishment later.¡± Shocked, Yu She wanted to explain, but in the end not a word left his lips. He once again looked down at his book, ignoring Zhong Wan. ¡°So what if you just tell me?¡± said Zhong Wan in a pitiable manner. ¡°Yu She¡­ Once you marry a principal consort, would you still come see me at the side courtyard?¡± Yu She sat there, speechless. Putting down his book, Zhong Wan leaned against the low couch. Started to plan for his future. ¡°Would she charge in here with a large crowd?¡± Yu She acted as if he didn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Would she like me? ¡°Would she burden me with many rules? ¡°Would she call me a vixen? ¡°Would she find an older female servant to pierce me with needles?¡± Yu She took a deep breath, still ignoring Zhong Wan. But Zhong Wan didn¡¯t find himself the slightest bit annoying. In fact, he continued to ask, ¡°At that time, could we still read together like this? ¡°In the future, would I be able to have my meals with you?¡± Eyes reflecting a deep sadness, Zhong Wan looked at Yu She. ¡°Would I still be able to eat braised venison?!¡± Yu She finally set down his book. And stared straight at Zhong Wan, gaze carrying a trace of anger. In an instant, Zhong Wan grew alarmed and no longer spoke. After the room was silent for fifteen minutes, Yu She suddenly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Apart from I, no one will be allowed to come here. Even if it were¡­ Princess Royal or Father, they still cannot enter.¡± For a moment, Zhong Wan sat there in a daze. After thinking for a bit, Yu She said, ¡°From today on, the number of guards here will be doubled. They will definitely be able to protect you.¡± ¡°Nononono¡­I¡¯m not afraid that others would come to cause trouble for me, really! Don¡¯t send any more people here!¡± Yu She stood resolute. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Zhong Wan really wanted to slap his previous self. ¡°That¡­ Generally speaking, no matter how much you try to protect me, there would still be people who would harass me.¡± In the face of death, Zhong Wan tried to claw a way out. ¡°If you really cared about me, then you should just leave me alone. Call away all the servants in this side courtyard, and don¡¯t allow me to eat until full and dress until warm. Only then, would I be saf¡ª¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll be able to escape.¡± Zhong Wan was rendered speechless. So Yu She¡­ wasn¡¯t stupid? Yu She countered, ¡°Where did you hear such bizarre words?¡± ¡°From a prompt book,¡± said Zhong Wan, appearing miserable. ¡°They¡¯re all written like this.¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°A prompt book? I¡¯ve never read one.¡± A spark of interest. ¡°How about I go outside and buy you a few copies?¡± But Yu She was not interested at all. ¡°I don¡¯t want to read them.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Zhong Wan withered, becoming well-behaved for a while. An hour later, Zhong Wan said out of the blue, ¡°You didn¡¯t answer before. Which family is it?¡± His marriage hadn¡¯t actually been set in stone. Yu She did not want to disgust the girl who had yet to marry over, but if he didn¡¯t open his mouth, Zhong Wan would keep guessing. Hesitating for a moment, Yu She said, ¡°I heard from Mother¡­ that she¡¯s from Duke Wenguo¡¯s estate.¡± After thinking it over, Zhong Wan remembered that Duke Wenguo had a granddaughter that was close in age with Yu She. ¡°The statuses match up. Not bad.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Is it Duke Wenguo¡¯s granddaughter?¡± Yu She looked down, not a word escaping his lips. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t it good to discuss marriage with you?¡± said Zhong Wan dryly. ¡°It¡¯s a good match though.¡± Yu She had the urge to say something, but in the end he held himself back. He went back to reading. Narrowing his eyes, Zhong Wan was suddenly hit with the impression that something was wrong. ¡°Yu She¡­Are you not happy about this marriage?¡± After a moment of silence, Yu She said, ¡°Mother helped me choose. Naturally, I would be happy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Zhong Wan swept his gaze through Yu She from top to bottom. ¡°If you truly were happy about this, you would have answered me the first time I had asked. Even if you didn¡¯t want to chat, you wouldn¡¯t be able to help but say a few words. If you truly adored her¡­ you wouldn¡¯t be able to hide it.¡± Yu She¡¯s brush stilled. A small drop of ink fell onto the page, a black lotus gradually blossoming. If one truly adored someone, one would not be able to hide it no matter what. A while later, Yu She said, ¡°Duchess Wenguo¡­ brought her granddaughter to Princess Royal¡¯s estate to appreciate flowers.¡± Then slowly, Yu She continued to say, ¡°That day, Mother also told me to attend. So that I could extend greetings to Duchess Wenguo. Actually¡­¡± Realization struck Zhong Wan. ¡°It was actually so that you could meet that girl in advance. You two were unable to meet in private without chaperone, and could only use the excuse of paying respects to the elders to share a look from afar.¡± Yu She nodded. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Blinking, Zhong Wan asked, ¡°How does she look like? Is she pretty?¡± ¡°Very pretty.¡± Yu She muttered to himself, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to marry her.¡± Following a period of thought, Zhong Wan guessed that Duke Wenguo¡¯s granddaughter must be beautiful. If not, she wouldn¡¯t have entered Princess Anguo¡¯s eyes. However, Yu She might not have liked her moral character. He was a gentleman. Gentleman did not speak poorly of others behind their backs. Once again, Yu She set the brush down. ¡°In fact¡­ Judging by Duchess Wenguo¡¯s appearance, she did not seem quite willing.¡± ¡°Hah! She agreed to her granddaughter marrying you, but still wasn¡¯t willing? When it comes down to it, they¡¯re marrying up by tying their household with yours in marriage. How could they not be willing?¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I noticed that Duchess Wenguo was speaking evasively. As she looked at me¡­ her gaze seemed strange. As if she were terrified of me. And as if she were worried about something.¡± Zhong Wan could not figure it out. ¡°What¡¯s she worried about? Princess Anguo only has you as her legitimate son. In the future, you would take over the position of Prince of the First rank without a problem. Let¡¯s not talk about this¡­ The emperor is so biased toward you. What¡¯s to worry about in the future?¡± Yu She also couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it. ¡°I¡¯m worried that this was all Mother¡¯s idea, and Duke Wenguo¡¯s estate dared not decline.¡± Voice near whisper, Yu She said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to marry at the start. To be forced to marry someone¡­ has no meaning.¡± Those words were the truth. Princess Royal Anguo was trying to find a daughter-in-law for herself. Whoever caught her eye could only yield and thank her for the grace. Who would dare to disagree? ¡°Then let¡¯s go talk to the princess,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°Tell her you don¡¯t like this marriage.¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°Command of parents¡ª¡± ¡°This is something that will last your whole life!¡± Laughing in spite of himself, Zhong Wan simply said, ¡°How about you¡­take me outside once. I promise I¡¯ll get Duke Wenguo¡¯s estate to have the full courage to refuse the marriage head on.¡± Hesitating, Yu She asked, ¡°How do you plan to do this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask for now. It definitely won¡¯t lose face for you.¡± Ready to risk it all, Zhong Wan massaged his shoulders and neck. ¡°By now¡­ I¡¯m an expert in causing trouble.¡± Actually, Yu She already had a plan. He had prepared to pay a visit to the Princess Royale¡¯s estate tomorrow, and tell her exactly how he felt. But as he took in Zhong Wan¡¯s current gleaming gaze, he unconsciously said, ¡°Okay.¡± CH 14 The next day, Zhong Wan left the side courtyard with Yu She. In the carriage, Yu She drew back the curtains to look outside. Then, he glanced back at Zhong Wan. Uncertainty filled his eyes. Zhong Wan stared at Yu She, suspicious. ¡°What? Are you feeling regretful? You¡­ don¡¯t want to break off the engagement anymore?¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t regret breaking off the engagement.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan. He looked like he didn¡¯t know how to phrase what he wanted to say. ¡°But I suddenly regret bringing you out with me.¡± This was clearly a situation that could be resolved by simply saying something to the Princess. Why was he going about in such a big circle and getting this person to act out a scene? Zhong Wan held back his laughter. ¡°I told you, I definitely won¡¯t make you lose face. It¡¯ll just cost you some money. But you don¡¯t care about that, so what are you scared of?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not scared of losing face. I just think¡­¡± Yu She hesitated. He bargained with Zhong Wan, ¡°Do I really have to say that?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t even remember one line? It¡¯s just one phrase. I¡¯ll give you a look, and you¡¯ll say it. Can you remember that?¡± Yu She ground his teeth together and nodded. The horse carriage stopped outside Qi Zhenxuan¡¯s store. The two of them got out. ¡°What a rare customer. If I had known you would be coming, I would¡¯ve opened our storage up in advance and readied a few precious items to send directly to Young Prince¡¯s estate. How dare I make Young Prince come to the store? This¡­ hahaha, this is too rushed. Simply outrageous, outrageous.¡± The shop owner hurriedly rushed downstairs to bow to Yu She. He personally greeted the two of them and said, ¡°Young Prince, is¡­ there something you want to look at?¡± Yu She turned to Zhong Wan. ¡°I don¡¯t want to look at anything. He does.¡± The owner immediately addressed Zhong Wan. But Zhong Wan didn¡¯t speak. He glanced left and right, slowly trying to drag the time out. After half an hour, the young master of Duke Wenguo¡¯s estate arrived. That¡¯s who they were waiting for. Young Duke Wenguo had ordered some decorations from here a few days ago and was picking them up today. He hadn¡¯t expected for Yu She to be here too. He didn¡¯t dare to pick up his order anymore, hurriedly rushing forward to greet the other. Zhong Wan pretended not to see anything. He didn¡¯t bow or speak, continuing to look around. Qi Zhenxuan was still ingratiatingly telling him, ¡°Look at this tea set. Though it¡¯s not from a famous kiln, take a detailed look at this glaze. Isn¡¯t it smooth? Now look at this coloration. What a pure plum green. This¡­¡± ¡°Destroy it.¡± Zhong Wan put the small tea cup in his hand back onto the shelf and wiped his hands with a silk handkerchief. He lightly said, ¡°I don¡¯t like green.¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Young Duke Wenguo: ¡°¡­¡± The shop owner thought that he had heard wrong. He laughed dryly, ¡°Young Master, you¡­ what did you just say?¡± Zhong Wan impatiently replied, ¡°I said, I don¡¯t like green. Can¡¯t stand the color.¡± The shop owner practically couldn¡¯t find his own tongue. He stuttered, ¡°Don¡¯t-don¡¯t like¡­ huh?¡± Itbcu Qjc ujhfv ja atf rtbq bkcfg jcv mjgfoeiis rjlv, ¡°Rbybvs. Jjc wjxf wf ibbx ja atlr mbibg. Fcvfgrajcv?¡± Tbecu Gexf Qfcueb ibbxfv ab Te Vtf lc afggbg. Te Vtf obgmfv tlwrfio ab gfwjlc rlifca. Itbcu Qjc rmjccfv atf qgfmlber jgalojmar rtfio yfobgf tlw. ¡°Cii atf ugffc bcfr, vfragbs jii bo atfw.¡± The shop owner was scared to death. He half-kneeled and looked to Yu She in a silent plea for help. Yu She nodded. ¡°As he wishes.¡± The servants they had brought with them from Prince Yu¡¯s estate stepped forward and very quickly picked out all the green articles from the shelf. They wrapped them inside a cloth and started smashing them. Young Duke Wenguo listened to the sounds of ceramic breaking and broke into a cold sweat. Zhong Wan turned his head and looked at a carved wooden tiger on a different shelf. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the shop owner in disbelief. He questioned, ¡°I don¡¯t like tigers. Didn¡¯t you know?¡± The shop owner¡¯s voice was shaking. ¡°This¡­ I really didn¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Well you do now.¡± Zhong Wan waved his hand. ¡°Burn it.¡± The shop owner stared with wide eyes as Yu She¡¯s servants removed the tiger from the shelf and took it away. Young Duke Wenguo couldn¡¯t help panicking in his heart as he stood beside Yu She. His little sister¡¯s zodiac animal was a tiger! It was fine that Young Prince Yu had a . But to indulge him to this extent¡­ that was a big problem. Young Duke Wenguo turned his head to look at Yu She, only to see the corner of Young Prince Yu¡¯s lips twitch as if he were about to break into a smile. Though his expression was a bit strange, it didn¡¯t look like he intended to stop the other at all. Then in the future¡­ after his little sister got married to Yu She, if this Young Master Zhong said he didn¡¯t like her, would his little sister also get burned?! Zhong Wan destroyed everything related to tigers in the shop and nodded. ¡°Now it¡¯s slightly easier on the eyes.¡± ¡°Remember this. I, the Young Master, was born in the year of the horse.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s tone was calm. ¡°In the future, everything in this shop that¡¯s related to horses must put on a red cape. Understand?¡± The shop owner trembled. He couldn¡¯t help twisting to look at Yu She. This was about it. Zhong Wan gave Yu She a look, signalling for him to say the last line. Zhong Wan was scared that Yu She would forget his lines, so arranged a very simple one for him. It was simply, ¡°Are you done or not yet?¡± Then, Zhong Wan would throw a tantrum and make a fuss. The two of them would act out a flirtatious couple in love and disgust Young Duke Wenguo until he went away. Everything would be considered complete after this. Yu She¡¯s lips moved. The shop owner felt slight anticipation. He hurriedly and eagerly stared at Yu She. Yu She put his tea cup down and said, ¡°Then¡­ put red capes over all of them.¡± Zhong Wan immediately started coughing vigorously. Young Duke Wenguo had completely lost it. He didn¡¯t even dare to pick up his ornaments before running away in fear. Half an hour later, all forty-something horse decorations of different sizes and materials in Qi Zhenxuan¡¯s shop had bright red capes tied around their necks. They looked quite impressive and very alert. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t bear to see this. He made the excuse of being tired and left the shop. After getting into the horse carriage, Zhong Wan felt a headache coming on. He cried out, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± Yu She rubbed his lips together. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even remember one sentence!¡± Zhong Wan had a breakdown. ¡°I don¡¯t care. In a few days, no matter what excuse you come up with, you need to make the shop remove all those red capes! They¡¯re already unlucky enough as is!¡± Yu She said, ¡°I will compensate for the items that have been destroyed. He¡¯ll be able to sell so many things all at once. This can¡¯t be considered unlucky.¡± ¡°Meeting a crazy person isn¡¯t considered unlucky?¡± Zhong Wan remembered the words he had just spoken and felt an itch coming on. He gasped and said, ¡°I really¡­ lost all my ancestors¡¯ faces.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com But thinking of Young Duke Wenguo¡¯s expression just now, Zhong Wan laughed and said, ¡°He¡¯s definitely going to want to break off the engagement after going home. When the time comes around, all you need to do is go with the flow and agree. At most, Princess will blame me. She won¡¯t say anything else.¡± Yu She nodded. The two of them then headed to Prince Ning¡¯s estate. This was what Yu She had promised Zhong Wan last night. Yu She didn¡¯t accompany Zhong Wan. He stayed in the horse carriage to wait. An hour later, Zhong Wan exited Prince Ning¡¯s estate. He was in a daze and looked like he didn¡¯t have much energy. ¡°You¡­¡± Yu She felt that he should comfort him a bit at this time, but didn¡¯t know what to say. Yu She pondered a bit and didn¡¯t bring up Prince Ning or those young children. Instead, he asked, ¡°I heard¡­ you were raised by Princess Consort Ning?¡± Zhong Wan paused for a second, then nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes. When I arrived at the Prince¡¯s estate, I was only three years old. Originally, I was being taken care of by a nanny who had come with me from the Zhong estate, but my nanny was old so had bad eyesight. She couldn¡¯t really tell colors apart anymore, so made me lots of pink, purple, and red clothes¡­¡± ¡°In the first few years Princess Consort joined the estate, she didn¡¯t have any children. At the time, Prince took me in as his adopted son. Nanny was scared that I would annoy Princess Consort, so kept me in my room all day.¡± ¡°But back then I was too playful and disobedient, so often snuck out to play. Poor Nanny was already half blind, but still had to make her way out every day to try and find me. And she didn¡¯t dare to yell loudly for fear of disturbing the princess consort. She could only lower her voice and call me by my childhood name¡­¡± ¡°One day, I think I ran into the inner courtyard. This caused Nanny great panic. She screwed up the courage and entered the inner courtyard, trembling. When she finally found me after much difficulty, we coincidentally ran into Princess Consort.¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°And then?¡± ¡°Princess Consort noticed that I had mud all over my face and was wearing garments for girls, so didn¡¯t even realize who I was. She thought I was a young female servant. After figuring everything out, she told Nanny to bring me back. A day passed¡­ then Princess Consort told us to move into the inner courtyard. ¡°Princess Consort said, if she didn¡¯t have any children and took in one to raise, she would eventually have one. We didn¡¯t know if it was true or not, but Nanny and I started living in Princess Consort¡¯s courtyard after that. Princess Consort was generous when interacting with people, so was very kind to me. She personally taught and raised me until I was ten, then sent me to stay in my own little courtyard. Nanny was too old and Princess Consort said she couldn¡¯t take care of me anymore. She kept Nanny in her courtyard and provided for her.¡± Yu She listened quietly. After, he said, ¡°I saw Princess Consort Ning a few times in the past. She was a kind person.¡± Yu She lifted his gaze to look at Zhong Wan. He thought to himself, if not for your elders¡¯ tender care and indulgence, it would be impossible to raise someone with your temperament. ¡°Yeah.¡± There was surprisingly no grief on Zhong Wan¡¯s face. ¡°She was such a good person, but unfortunately wasn¡¯t in good health. When she was giving birth to the two of them, she¡­¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t continue speaking. Yu She knew, even though he didn¡¯t say. Princess Consort Ning had passed away due to birthing complications when having the twins. ¡°You¡­¡± Yu She didn¡¯t want Zhong Wan to feel sad, so switched topics. ¡°You just said that your nanny called you by your childhood name while looking for you in the estate?¡± Zhong Wan lifted his head and made a noise of acknowledgment. He didn¡¯t know why Yu She suddenly was paying attention to these things. He dryly said, ¡°Ye¡­ yes.¡± Yu She paused for a moment, then asked, ¡°What¡¯s your childhood name?¡± Zhong Wan looked at Yu She, alert. ¡°Why are you asking me that?¡± Yu She also didn¡¯t know why he was suddenly curious. He awkwardly replied, ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ asking.¡± ¡°My childhood name¡­ only my dad, mom, nanny, and the princess consort have called me by it. Even Prince didn¡¯t use it.¡± Zhong Wan stared at Yu She, still somewhat suspicious. ¡°If you know it and call me by it, wouldn¡¯t that make you my elder? Why do you have such evil intentions?!¡± Young Yu She really wanted to tell Zhong Wan that elders weren¡¯t the only ones who could use childhood names. But if he said this, the situation would probably be even stranger. Yu She¡¯s expression became more and more unnatural. In the end, he simply decided not to speak. Zhong Wan very annoyingly asked to test the waters, ¡°Then you tell me what your childhood name is first!¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t believe this. ¡°How could it be possible that you don¡¯t have one? Then when you were very tiny, what did Princess and them call you?¡± Yu She replied, ¡°Just by my name.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t believe this at all. He thought that Yu She was purposefully avoiding telling him. ¡°Then I don¡¯t have a childhood name either. I was lying just now.¡± Young Yu She took things to heart too easily. He said, ¡°But earlier, you said you did¡­¡± ¡°Later on, I asked him several more times, but he didn¡¯t say¡­¡± Yu She gazed at the little ceramic horse with a red cape tied around its neck that was in his room. He muttered, ¡°Why didn¡¯t he tell me even though I asked?¡± Steward Feng burst into laughter. ¡°Back then, Young Master Zhong could¡¯ve been considered practically an adult. Of course he wouldn¡¯t want to listen to anyone calling him by his childhood name. How embarrassing.¡± ¡°But I just want to know.¡± Yu She gently tapped the porcelain horse¡¯s head. ¡°I want to see him cry, I want to call him by his childhood name¡­ I want to make him cry while calling his childhood name.¡± Steward Feng shook. He thought to himself, this year, Zhong Wan is already twenty-something, but you still want to call him by his childhood name. What kind of strange interest is that? ¡°Last time I couldn¡¯t get him to cry¡­ It seems a bit difficult.¡± Yu She placed the storybook in his hand over to the side and spoke to himself, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just ask for his childhood name first. That dog that can¡¯t bark. Recently, has he done anything significant?¡± Steward Feng shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything.¡± ¡°Find a way to make him cause a commotion.¡± Yu She cocked an eyebrow and smiled. He sinisterly said, ¡°Use the mute to force him. Force him to tell me what his childhood name is. From now on, I¡¯m going to call him using his childhood name¡­¡± Steward Feng could only agree, ¡°Yes.¡± CH 15 Once Zhong Wan had made his decision, he had a chat with Xuan Rui and the others. Not wanting to worry them for no reason, he didn¡¯t treat the matter as something serious. His tone proved relaxed as he said at the dining table, ¡°After His Majesty¡¯s birthday, I want to remain in the capital for a while.¡± Zhong Wan had spoken in such a light manner, yet panic had struck the children. His expression remained natural. ¡°I have one to two old friends in the capital. At present, it¡¯s inconvenient to meet with them. Once you have all left for Qian An, I want to be able to avoid others and take care of them.¡± The people apart from Zhong Wan shared a helpless look. What other ¡°old friend¡± did he have? The first to react was Xuan Congxin. She wiped the corners of her mouth with her handkerchief, slowly saying, ¡°After His Majesty sees us this time¡­he will probably not think of us again. There aren¡¯t any important matters going on at Qian An. If you have matters to attend to at the capital, then just stay.¡± Xuan Yu glanced at Xuan Congxin. Then his gaze fell upon Zhong Wan. In an instant, his eyes reddened. He blurted, ¡°Why do you have to stay here?! I don¡¯t want to be separated from you! It¡¯s so cold here. Will you be able to handle it? Why don¡¯t we just leave together? Just what do you have to take care of? How about¡­ elder brother and sister leave first? I¡¯ll stay with you. Once you¡¯ve finished what you need to do, we can go home together!¡± ¡°Zhong Wan naturally has his own affairs to attend to.¡± Xuan Congxin looked down on her younger brother¡¯s crying-at-the-drop-of-a-hat appearance. Furrowing her brows, she said, ¡°What¡¯s there to cry over? Stop crying! Stuff your tears back in!¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Since young, Xuan Yu had been afraid of his twin sister with a strong personality. After she had reprimanded him, he ceased his sobs, desperately holding back his tears. ¡°Then Zhong Wan, when will you return?¡± he asked in a pitiful manner. ¡°I¡­ Can I wait for you? I, I¡­¡± Trying to desperately grasp for straws, Xuan Yu said without thinking, ¡°You still need to tutor me!¡± ¡°Anyone can tutor you!¡± Xuan Congxin frowned. ¡°Are we unable to hire a teacher for you? You dare to keep crying?!¡± Xuan Yu immediately stopped his tears from flowing, frightened to the point that he didn¡¯t even dare to utter a word. A sigh escaping his lips, Zhong Wan found it such a pity. If Xuan Congxin were born male, after two years he could split from the main household and establish his own branch. And then Zhong Wan would truly be at ease. Zhong Wan shifted his gaze to Xuan Rui. Deeply concerned at heart, Xuan Rui immersed himself in his meal. A while later, he took his time saying said, ¡°Just leave with us. If you stay here¡­ Just as you¡¯re worried about us, we¡¯re also worried about you.¡± Once again, Xuan Congxin drew her brows together. ¡°Elder brother, why have you also¡­?¡± Xuan Rui raised his head from his bowl. Stared straight at Xuan Congxin. Voice low and thick with anger, he said, ¡°Could we just stay at the capital like that? You two have grown up in Qian An without any worries, so how could you know our household¡¯s past crime? Those days when fear always followed us like a shadow? I don¡¯t want to stay here for even one day¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Zhong Wan patted Xuan Rui¡¯s hand to soothe him. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything, just¡ª¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you think a bit for his sake?¡± Xuan Congxin just couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. ¡°Zhong Wan is already twenty-four years old this year. Among normal families, he should already be¡ª¡± As a girl, no matter how strong she was, there were things Xuan Congxin couldn¡¯t say aloud. Her face flushed red, and after a pause, she said, ¡°After His Majesty¡¯s birthday, our prince estate should be in the clear. After taking care of us for so many years, he¡¯s bound to think of his personal affairs, right?¡± Shocked, Xuan Yu asked, ¡°What¡­ personal affairs?¡± Xuan Congxin¡¯s cheeks remained scarlet. ¡°Currently, His Majesty has already revoked Zhong Wan¡¯s status as a slave.¡± Her voice was just above a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s about time for him to settle his marriage. What noble ladies are in Qian An? After he returns, he won¡¯t be able to find anyone suitable. He wants to settle his marriage in the capital, so why do you all¡­?¡± Xuan Congxin didn¡¯t finish speaking her thoughts. She lowered her head and took a sip of soup. Voice nearly inaudible, she said, ¡°After his marriage is settled¡­ he will naturally return with his wife. So why are you all in a rush?¡± Turning to look at Zhong Wan, Xuan Rui said cheerfully, ¡°So that¡¯s what it is? You¡¯re trying to find us a little sister-in-law?¡± Xuan Yu also looked at him, speechless. Then he collected his wits. ¡°So that¡¯s¡­ what you wanted to do?¡± Finding it hard to express what he wanted to convey, Zhong Wan looked at the three children and forced a smile. ¡°How do you want me to put this¡­?¡± Although curiosity enveloped Xuan Congxin, due to her status as a girl, she could not say much. She could only faintly mention in a round-about-manner, ¡°Anyway¡­ which family do you have your eye on?¡± ¡°Is the little sister-in-law pretty?¡± asked Xuan Yu, excited. Zhong Wan could only make the best out of a bad situation, awkwardly saying, ¡°They¡¯re pretty¡­¡± Wejc Jbcuzlc mbeiv cba tfiq yea jrx, ¡°Lbk biv lr rtf?¡± ¡°Kkfcas¡­atgff,¡± tf rageuuifv ab rjs. Ktf atgff mtlivgfc ibbxfv ja fjmt batfg lc vlrwjs. Mbg j wbwfca, atf gbbw kjr delfa fcbeut ab tfjg j qlc vgbq. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Ktf aklcr kfgf abb sbecu, rb atfs ofia abb fwyjggjrrfv ab ajix. Valii, Wejc Eel tfrlajafv yfobgf rjslcu, ¡°Prc¡¯a atja j yla abb biv? Tbe¡­ vbc¡¯a tjnf ab kgbcu sbegrfio.¡± Zhong Wan felt wronged but could not utter a word about it. He tried his best to smile. ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­ I don¡¯t think they¡¯re that old.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s also not young,¡± muttered Xuan Congxin. ¡°You¡­ Why did you choose someone so old?¡± A hollow laugh spilled from his lips. ¡°I¡¯m also not young anymore, and they¡­ have a youthful appearance.¡± Astonished, Xuan Rui blurted, ¡°You¡¯ve met her already?!¡± Zhong Wan regretted saying anything. He grunted in acknowledgment, the urge to bite himself to death strong. Why on earth did he weave such lies¡­? Whatever he said couldn¡¯t fool them! A light flashed in Xuan Yu¡¯s eyes. ¡°Then tell us how tall she is!¡± Gloomy and regretful, Zhong Wan said without thinking, ¡°A bit taller than me.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Xuan Yu cut an extremely startled figure. ¡°Taller than you?!!¡± The expressions of Xuan Rui and Xuan Congxin also abruptly changed. What kind of girl did Zhong Wan find?! ¡°Oh, no.¡± Zhong Wan clenched his fists, knuckles glowing white. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ about the same height as me. I¡­ I don¡¯t find these things important.¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy.¡± Xuan Congxin stared at Zhong Wan, a complicated look on her face. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Then¡­how is her temperament?¡± At such an old age and tall stature, this person must be outstanding if she could capture Zhong Wan¡¯s heart. Or perhaps she had a good temper, gentle and considerate? ¡°Temperament¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s emotions grew unstable and moody, bubbling with the urge to kill at any time, about to go crazy at any minute. If he actually answered them truthfully, he feared that Xuan Rui, Xuan Yu, and Xuan Congxin would rather die than let him remain in the capital. Just what kind of monster did Zhong Wan fall for¡­? Zhong Wan forced himself to hold on. ¡°They have a really good temperament.¡± The three children shared a look. They thought it was fine as long as Zhong Wan was happy. After finishing their meals, the four people each had their own thoughts. Then they made for their respective chambers. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan let escape a sigh of relief. He chuckled twice, stepping foot within his own courtyard. As soon as he had entered his room, Yan Pingshan, the steward, followed him in. ¡°What is it?¡± Zhong Wan sat by a fire pan. With a pair of metal tongs, he grabbed a lump of coal from his hand-held brazier and placed it in the fire pan by his feet. He pushed and poked at the coal within, blowing lightly at them. Shortly after, the fire pan heated up. Yan Pingshan shut the windows and door. Whispered, ¡°According to our people, one would fear Third Prince won¡¯t make it.¡± Zhong Wan drew his brows together. Ever since Third Prince had been born, he was sickly and frail. To drag on for thirty something years was already difficult. But why was it only now that he had encountered a problem¡­? Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Yan Pingshan was very anxious. ¡°At most, he could survive for a few more months. It could occur after His Majesty¡¯s birthday¡­ Otherwise, if the funeral arrangements occur before it, then we won¡¯t be able to leave.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± Then Zhong Wan asked, ¡°What did the imperial physician say?¡± ¡°The imperial physician said that if he is able to survive until the spring, then he would be able to recover.¡± Zhong Wan sighed. ¡°So this means he won¡¯t be able to live past the spring¡­ That¡¯s either right at the beginning or end of the emperor¡¯s birthday.¡± Yan Pingshan couldn¡¯t help but complain softly, ¡°He just can¡¯t choose a right time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s certain that the emperor knows. In this way, would the festivities and banquet of His Majesty¡¯s birthday still be held?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Yan Pingshan laughed in contempt. He spoke even softer. ¡°Right now, Third Prince can¡¯t even swallow a mouthful of congee without struggling. Yet the emperor doesn¡¯t seem broken-hearted at the slightest. What ought to be done would be done. Just in these past few days, he invited all the imperial clan members to entertain them for dinner, eating until full and sleeping until rested. No one is enjoying life as much as he is.¡± Worry enveloped Zhong Wan. If it¡¯s like this¡­ then that meant the people of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate would be stuck in the capital for another few months. Regarding Prince Yu¡¯s estate, these past few days, Yu She¡¯s mood had been terrible. Originally, he had wanted to pick out mistakes in Lin Si, and capture the latter again, imprisoning him in Dali Temple for two days. But a few days later, Lin Si seemed to have vanished out of thin air. Lin Si had hidden in Fourth Prince¡¯s estate for multiple days without ever showing himself. Yu She did not know Lin Si had been ordered by Zhong Wan to not make any movements. He only thought that that mute was his natural enemy. When he wasn¡¯t searching for him, he would appear before him. When he was searching for him, he¡¯d be nowhere in sight. Impatient, Yu She said, ¡°If I can¡¯t find his shortcomings, then I can¡¯t capture him? There¡¯s no need to find an excuse. I¡¯ll just seize him directly!¡± Steward Feng said in a mocking manner, ¡°If we capture him without a reason, one would fear it would offend Fourth Prince¡­¡± ¡°Am I afraid of offending him?¡± Steward Feng paused. That¡¯s right. Your honored self even dares to offend the emperor, so what could you be afraid of? Like this, Lin Si just wanted to leave the estate and take a breath of fresh air, when the people of Prince Yu¡¯s estate threw a sack on his head and took him away. Yu She sat in the seat of honor, looking down at Lin Si from above. Seven years ago, after Zhong Wan had left, Yu She did not have a relationship with Lin Si at the start. Yu She did not take care of Lin Si, nor did he make trouble for him. They coexisted in harmony. Until Lin Si recklessly investigated Yu She¡¯s background. At that time, Yu She truly wanted to kill him. Even after Xuan Jing caused havoc at Dali Temple, Yu She still did not change his mind. Since Xuan Jing dared to investigate his background, if he did not teach the former a lesson, then it¡¯d be the same as waiting for his own death. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for¡­¡± Yu She glanced at Lin Si. And he did not finish what he was saying. Instead, he ordered with an indifferent tone, ¡°Bring them over.¡± The servant lifted countless torture instruments, throwing them before Lin Si¡¯s eyes. ¡°You should be clear about my tactics¡­¡± said Yu She slowly. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I can¡¯t rush to indiscriminately punish you by myself. This rule does not exist here. I will ask you one thing. You can refuse to answer. But then I will use each of these torture instruments on you one after the other.¡± Yu She was well-versed in the way of interrogation by torture, not at all in a rush to act. Rather, he summoned an old bailiff of the yamen who was adept at employing punishment. And he let this person place each of the tens of torture instruments in front of Lin Si, preparing them in advance as an initial display of strength. Dali Temple¡¯s punishment equipment were of much better quality than those of the Ministry of Justice. One hour later, the old bailiff finished placing the equipment. Yu She leisurely sipped his tea. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a lot of time.¡± Lin Si looked at the torture instruments. Raised his head to look at Yu She. Yu She finally paid attention to Lin Si. ¡°What is Zhong Wan¡¯s childhood name?¡± Silence. Tone serene, Yu She said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know. You two grew up together, so I won¡¯t believe it.¡± He set the teacup down. Shifting his gaze to one of the torture instruments, he said, ¡°You don¡¯t want to talk? That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll speak first¡­Do you want to know how this is used? I¡¯m pretty free today, so I can take my time explaining it to you¡­¡± Lin Shi trembled faintly. Yu She narrowed his eyes. Using much effort, Lin Si raised a hand, pressing it to the ground. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Yu She stared at him, gaze full of distrust. Two servants pressed Lin Si down on the ground. It was quite inconvenient to move. Yet he lifted his hand, expending much effort to tap his fingers on a puddle of hot pepper water. And on the limestone slab before him, wrote out two characters: Zhong Wan¡¯s childhood name. Afterward, he kowtowed. Not a word escaped Yu She¡¯s lips. A while later, he said, ¡°Does your master Zhong Wan know you¡¯re this loyal?¡± Shame colored Lin Si¡¯s face. He lowered his head and did not respond. Yu She glanced at the torture instruments in the room, finding it complicated to express his thoughts¡­ What was the point of using up one hour to set out so many pieces of old punishment equipment? ¡°Very good. You¡¯re ready to give and take.¡± After a long time, Yu She said, ¡°You can leave.¡± Once again, Lin Si kowtowed. And he left. CH 16 Yu She stood up and walked over to where Lin Si had been kneeling. He looked down at the water stains that hadn¡¯t dried yet. He stared for a long time. Previously, to get this childhood name, Yu She had spent a lot of effort. Back then, he hadn¡¯t known how to threaten people; he only knew how to bribe them. But Zhong Wan was someone who yielded to force, not softer approaches. No matter how many times he asked, Zhong Wan would find a way out of answering. For a long time, Yu She had believed that he would never get to know the other¡¯s childhood name, at least not in this lifetime. He had never expected that the mute, Lin Si, would have so little backbone. ¡°Do you think he¡­¡± Yu She seemed to be muttering to himself, ¡°Knows that Zhong Wan once swore that he would rather die than tell me this?¡± Steward Feng laughed dryly. ¡°Probably not?¡± Lin Si obviously didn¡¯t know. After leaving Prince Yu¡¯s estate, Lin Si had originally been planning on visiting Zhong Wan. But after brief thought, he felt that there was actually no need. Though Yu She had caused such a large commotion, he had only asked about a childhood name. Besides, Zhong Wan himself had said, ¡°Don¡¯t come find me unless the situation is extremely important.¡± How could this be considered important? Yu She wasn¡¯t reasonable at all. He hadn¡¯t bothered making things clear at the start. Instead, he had directly pressed him into the ground. He couldn¡¯t even make any hand signs. Yu She had been taking advantage of the fact that he was mute. If he could have spoken, he could¡¯ve been let out two hours ago. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Lin Si didn¡¯t feel remorseful at all. Should he have gone through a round of torture over Zhong Wan¡¯s childhood name? Wouldn¡¯t that make him crazy? Lin Si rubbed his sore shoulders and continued on his stroll. In the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, Yu She continued muttering those two words under his breath. A long time later, he suddenly asked, ¡°Speaking of, Xuan Jin¡¯s going to die?¡± Xuan Jin, Emperor Chongan¡¯s third son. Steward Feng kept his head down. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s barely hanging on. In the next two or three months, who knows if he¡¯ll¡­¡± Steward Feng lowered his voice. ¡°The Ministry of Rites has already started preparing.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was cold. He didn¡¯t appear sorrowful at all. ¡°Princess Royal entered the palace a few days ago to visit. Apparently Consort Xian has cried so much that her eyes have almost become blind. Consort Xian has had a tough life. After raising a child for thirty-something years, the white-haired person is sending off the black-haired person. Third Highness hasn¡¯t even left behind any offspring¡­ Ey, Consort Xian said that if Third Highness passes away, she refuses to keep living too,¡± steward Feng sighed. ¡°Princess Royal spent a long time trying to talk her out of it. But it appears that¡­ it was a failure.¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was normal. ¡°Hasn¡¯t she kept him around for thirty-something years already? Among the Emperor¡¯s sons, he has been fated to have the longest life.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Steward Feng furrowed his brows. ¡°What are you saying, Heir!¡± ¡°Just the truth.¡± Yu She sat on his low couch again, leaning against the pillow and staring out the window. A long time later, he said, ¡°Of the others, the oldest is only twenty three¡­ isn¡¯t that less than him?¡± Vafkjgv Mfcu mbeivc¡¯a rajcv tfjglcu atfrf atlcur. Lf lcafggeqafv Te Vtf ab rjs, ¡°Ktlgv Uglcmf tjr yffc ogjli rlcmf tf kjr lc atf kbwy! Lf¡¯r yffc rlmxis rlcmf ylgat. Ktf batfgr¡­ atf batfgr jgfc¡¯a ilxf atja.¡± ¡°Szjmais. Ktf qgfnlber atgff vlfv ogbw rlmxcfrr. Ufgtjqr atf cfza bcf rtbeiv vlf j nlbifca vfjat?¡± Te Vtf jrxfv rafkjgv Mfcu mjrejiis, jr lo tf kfgf bcis wjxlcu rwjii ajix. ¡°Ss, rjs, klii atf cfza bcf yf Wejc Alcu bg¡­¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com ¡°Heir!¡± Steward Feng was truly agitated. ¡°How come you can¡¯t control yourself when talking about these things!¡± Yu She started laughing lowly. Steward Feng glared at Yu She harshly, then poured a hot cup of tea for the other. Yu She grabbed the teacup and slowly said, ¡°I heard¡­ that woman. Before she died, she kept cursing and shrieking. It lasted a whole day and night.¡± Steward Feng wished that he could shut Yu She up. ¡°Drink some tea first.¡± Yu She lowered his head to take a sip. He drawled out, ¡°On the day the gates to Hell were to open, she screamed like that for an entire day and night. It must have been quite terrifying? Say, do you think they were scared?¡± Steward Feng took two quick breaths. He didn¡¯t respond. Yu She purposefully asked him. ¡°Do you know what curse she cast?¡± Steward Feng looked at Yu She in plea. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t say anymore!¡± Yu She smiled and nodded. ¡°Alright. You don¡¯t want to hear anymore, so I won¡¯t say anymore.¡± Yu She slowly erased the amusement from his face. He stated, ¡°Go rest. I¡¯m tired and want to take a brief nap.¡± Steward Feng agreed somewhat disbelievingly. Before he left, he lit a calming incense for Yu She. Yu She closed his eyes. Soon after, he really did fall asleep. In his dreams, Yu She saw that woman again for the nth time. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com The woman was dressed in red. She sat on the bed, cradling an infant in her right arm; her left was latched onto the bed curtains. She cried and screamed with all her might. ¡°¡­Your words were sweet but hid knives. You¡¯ve committed all the sins in the world. You¡¯ve tricked me into becoming this way!¡± ¡°I curse you to be alone your whole life!¡± ¡°I curse you to lose all your relatives while still alive, to not have anyone to pay respects to you in death, to die without offspring! You will never be able to keep a single son!!!¡± The infant in the woman¡¯s embrace sobbed in fear. The woman lowered her head to glance at the child in her arms. Her hands trembled. She both laughed and cried, acting terrifyingly out of control. ¡°Haha¡­ and there¡¯s you¡­ and there¡¯s you, you young evil bastard¡­¡± The woman suddenly lifted the child above her head with blood-red eyes, then harshly threw it onto the ground¡­ Yu She seemed to be able to feel that heart-piercing pain in his dream. His eyebrows furrowed together tightly. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. The infant fell on the ground. In that moment, it stopped making any noise, as if it had stopped breathing. The woman became temporarily dazed before lunging at the ground wildly. She snatched the infant up and closely examined it. In her mouth, she kept repeating, ¡°To die without offspring, to die without offspring¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s long fingers dug into the soft cushion. His fingertips were white. A long time later, he finally managed to escape from his nightmare. Yu She was faint and covered in cold sweat. His breaths were rugged. He looked outside the window, dazed. Half an hour later, it seemed that he finally realized that everything that had just happened was only a dream. Yu She harshly pinched the spot in between his brows and closed his eyes once more. Perhaps due to the calming incense, he fell asleep again only moments later. The nightmare from before actually continued. In his dream, the woman clad in red gently cradled the infant in her arms, as if she were holding onto a precious treasure. She gently rocked it, tears streaming down her face. ¡°Child¡­ mother¡¯s good child¡­ don¡¯t die, don¡¯t die¡­¡± That infant was fortunate, as it was somehow still alive. It choked, then started bawling again. The woman was first overjoyed, but horror quickly replaced this as she stared at the infant in her arms. Her cracked nails and fingertips gently trembled and slowly sank into the infant¡¯s thin neck. Rushed footsteps sounded from outside the room. The woman went crazy, instantly digging her fingers in deeper¡­ ¡°Ke¡­¡± Yu She suddenly sat up. Like a person on the verge of drowning, he coughed for a long time. Yu She stood up and drank half a cup of cold tea before his expression slightly improved. ¡°Heh¡­¡± Yu She laughed coldly. He wasn¡¯t going to sleep anymore. With this spare time, he would much rather consider how to trick Zhong Wan into coming over so he could use his childhood name to¡­ tease him. Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. A completely clueless Zhong Wan pitifully had to deal with the trio of Xuan Rui, Xuan Yu, and Xuan Congxin while reading. These three siblings had most likely had a discussion about something. Now that they were all gathered here, it appeared that they wanted to set the record completely straight. Xuan Congxin believed that since she was the only female of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, it was her duty to be responsible for family matters. Thus, she didn¡¯t feel awkward asking about issues of marriage at all. She continuously asked many questions. ¡°Does¡­¡­her family have a clean reputation?¡± Zhong Wan nodded, blindly answering, ¡°It¡¯s clean, clean.¡± Xuan Congxin inquired in a roundabout manner, ¡°Is her family of high status?¡± Zhong Wan muttered, ¡°Well they¡¯re not of low status¡­¡± Xuan Congxin paused for a moment, then carefully stated, ¡°They won¡¯t make you marry into the family, right?¡± Zhong Wan choked and waved his hands. Xuang Congxin relaxed. Now, she only hoped that her new little sister-in-law would be able to marry into the family sooner so she could have a friend. Xuan Congxin questioned once more, ¡°Can she help take care of family matters?¡± Zhong Wan was uncertain. ¡°Most likely¡­ but he probably won¡¯t need to? When the prince marries Princess Consort Qian An, the princess consort will be the one taking care of things. They won¡¯t ever be his responsibility.¡± Xuan Yu was still the most concerned about when Zhong Wan could return to Qian An. ¡°Then when can you confirm a wedding date?¡± Zhong Wan hesitated. ¡°This¡­ probably won¡¯t be able to be done.¡± Xuan Congxin furrowed her brows. ¡°Why?¡± Zhong Wan laughed. ¡°He might not even be willing¡­¡± Xuan Rui was shocked. ¡°Someone of her age and stature¡­ with someone like you asking for her hand in marriage, she would be unwilling? What could she be displeased about?! Were you too stingy with the bride price? There¡¯s no need for that; though our estate has fallen from glory, we haven¡¯t reached the point of not being able to provide a good enough bride prince. Don¡¯t be so careful about your spendings. It¡¯ll make her family look down on you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unrelated to the bride price¡­¡± Zhong Wan laughed bitterly. He flipped a page and casually said, ¡°He probably thinks I¡¯m too short.¡± The three of them all took sharp inhales. ¡°How could she be like that?¡± Xuan Congxin couldn¡¯t help criticizing. ¡°She managed to grow so tall by herself. It¡¯s not like we force fed her! She thinks you¡¯re too short? Then what kind of person does she want to find? How many are out there that are taller than you? Not that I¡¯m being strict, but with her stature, if she finds someone even taller, their kids in the future are going to be giants. When their family walks out on the street, they¡¯ll be a whole head taller than everyone around them. That¡¯s too eye-catching.¡± Xuan Rui thought about it and said with worry, ¡°That won¡¯t do. According to her ideology, women can only find husbands taller than themselves. Then, your kids will pass these genes on generation after generation. They¡¯ll get taller and taller, to the point of being abnormal. In the future, anyone from the Zhong family will easily be able to reach ten Chi. How attention-grabbing¡­¡± Xuan Yu stated with horror, ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t you be creating a new species of human? Right! Like the kind in ¡®The Classics of Mountains and Seas¡¯! The really, really big ones! Kua- kua¡­¡± Xuan Congxin rolled her eyes at Xuan Yu who couldn¡¯t remember his lessons. ¡°Kuafu Chases the Sun.¡± Xuan Yu slapped his leg. ¡°That! Kuafu! Could it be that she wants her grandsons to chase the sun!¡± Xuan Congxin added, ¡°Try to talk some sense into her. What good came out of chasing the sun?¡± Xuan Rui furrowed his brows. ¡°We¡¯re discussing a joyous occasion. Don¡¯t say those unlucky things!¡± Zhong Wan: ¡°¡­¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan put down the ¡°Classic of the Great Wilderness: East¡± in his hands and exhaled deeply. What¡­ sins had caused such evil consequences! CH 17 As the emperor¡¯s birthday drew near, the health of Third Prince, Xuan Jin, grew worse and worse by the day. On Yushui, according to the customs of old, the members of the imperial clan must enter the imperial palace bringing red silk, and together with Emperor Chongan share a feast. However, just last night, something bad happened to Third Prince Xuan Jin. ¡°In His Majesty¡¯s words, he missed Third Prince, and left the palace early this morning to visit him. After sharing a meal together, His Majesty returned to the palace to dine with the other imperial clan members. Her Highness, Consort Xian, felt such an action had given Third Prince a lot of face. She also thought that for the emperor to personally visit him, Third Prince would definitely recover. The day before, she had people organize and decorate Third Prince¡¯s estate,¡± said Steward Feng as he helped adjust Yu She¡¯s clothes. ¡°Third Prince is so ill that he has grown wan. Her Highness, Consort Xian, found this appearance of his disrespectful. Alas¡­ the day before the emperor paid a visit to Third Prince, she had prepared Third Prince some medicinal soup. Had people help Third Prince bathe and comb his hair. Originally, it shouldn¡¯t have been a big deal¡­¡± Steward Feng fetched a jade medallion for Yu She to wear. ¡°Third Prince himself said he felt comfortable, and wanted to soak in the bath for a while. However, who would have imagined¡­ Once the servants left the room to bring the necessary items, Third Prince unexpectedly fainted because of the heat, and just immediately slid into the tub like that! He was lying down in a gold-banded bathtub that¡¯s half a human tall in height. Then did he just immediately sink to the bottom of the tub?¡± Steward Feng received the fox coat that a servant had handed to him. He helped Yu She into it. ¡°It¡¯s uncertain how long he was underwater choking. In any case, word has it that once the servants lifted Third Prince out of the water, his belly had even expanded. A few imperial physicians treated him for one hour. Just a sliver more and he would have died¡­¡± Yu She received a small hand-held brazier from a servant. ¡°They were able to resuscitate him? He doesn¡¯t have much longer to live, right?¡± ¡°He¡¯s only got one month left.¡± Steward Feng sighed. ¡°Tell me, what do you even call this? Before, they even said he could last until spring, but now¡­¡± Yu She sneered. ¡°His Majesty shouldn¡¯t have visited Xuan Jin.¡± Steward Feng didn¡¯t catch what he had just said. He adjusted Yu She¡¯s fox coat. ¡°In a little while, Heir will go to Third Prince¡¯s estate. Just show your face and then return. It¡¯s not a good place to be. His estate has a small pond. Just recently, Third Prince broke the taboo of the Yellow Springs Water configuration. How inauspicious. Princess Royal said this year, your honored self should not be near water.¡± ¡°He obviously fell into the tub because he lost all his energy¡­¡± Yu She fell into a daze, before asking, ¡°Someone said Xuan Jin violated the Yellow Springs Water taboo?¡± Steward Feng curled his lip. ¡°There are even more evil things said about this. Some people claimed Third Prince originally should have been fine, but a female ghost at the bottom of the tub yanked him by the legs¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Most likely the servants that had been taking care of him spat out this nonsense since they were scared of being associated with his near-death.¡± Yu She lightly stroked the little hand-held brazier. ¡°Even if the servants had said that, why would Princess Royal say such a thing?¡± Steward Feng smiled. ¡°What other reason could it be? She is worried about your honored self. Listen to Princess Royal this time. This year, don¡¯t go near water.¡± ¡°Yesterday,¡± said Yu She, looking outside, ¡°where did Princess Royal stay?¡± A servant entered the room with their head lowered. ¡°Reporting to Heir, last night, Princess Royal rested in the princess estate.¡± ¡°And what about His Highness?¡± asked Yu She. ¡°Also at the princess estate.¡± Understanding the matters clearly, Yu She waved, gesturing for the servants to leave. On an ordinary day, Prince Yu and his two illegitimate sons lived in Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Princess Royal Anguo lived in the princess estate, and Yu She stayed in a side courtyard of the estate of Prince Yu. These people usually didn¡¯t come across each other. However, Prince Yu would sometimes stay at the princess estate. Not knowing why Yu She had asked this, Steward Feng said probingly, ¡°So what if His Highness was at the princess estate? Does your honored self think he had Princess Royal warn you not to go near water?¡± Yu She did not confirm it. But he did not deny it either. ¡°Do you think he would believe in such nonsense?¡± Embarrassed, Steward Feng said, ¡°It¡¯s reasonable to think His Highness would not believe that. But with how deeply His Highness and the princess care about your honored self, even if he didn¡¯t believe it before, he would believe it. If one pilots a ship carefully, it would not sink even in 10,000 years. His Highness and the princess are worried something might happen to you. So just listen to them.¡± Yu She smiled. ¡°When the imperial princes encounter danger, why should I also be careful? What has that got to do with me?¡± Vafkjgv Mfcu yiertfv. Ckxkjgvis, tf rjlv, ¡°Lflg¡­¡± ¡°Mlcf. P kbc¡¯a rjs jcsatlcu.¡± Ktfc Te Vtf bgvfgfv, ¡°Ugfqjgf atf mjggljuf.¡± ¡°Aera kjla j ilaaif ktlif. Uglcmfrr Ebsji qgbyjyis tjrc¡¯a olclrtfv wjxlcu tfgrfio qgfrfcajyif. Tbeg tbcbgfv rfio kbc¡¯a yf ijaf fnfc lo kf ifjnf j ilaaif ijafg.¡± ¡°P¡¯w cba ifjnlcu abufatfg klat Uglcmfrr Ebsji,¡± rjlv Te Vtf. ¡°P¡¯ii ufa atfgf j yla fjgilfg jcv rmjgf Wejc Alcu.¡± Steward Feng blurted, ¡°How can this be?! Princess Royal deliberately said that the water in the pond of Third Prince¡¯s estate operates under the Yellow Springs taboo. Therefore, during midwinter, there¡¯s only a thin layer of ice on the surface. Just thinking about it brings people unease. Princess Royal is worried about you and wants to accompany you there and back¡­ Heir!¡± His words went in one ear and out the other, and Yu She left on his own. Third Prince¡¯s estate. The members of the imperial clan continuously visited the ill Third Prince, but most of them could not even step foot into his inner courtyard. Inside and out was chaotic. Yu She merely went through the motions of glancing at the inner courtyard, before making his leave. Before he could find Xuan Jing, the latter approached him, enraged. Prince Yu¡¯s estate were in-laws of Fifth Prince, Xuan Qiong. As such, since young, Yu She and Xuan Jing had guarded against each other and weren¡¯t close. As Xuan Jing matured, his temperament grew increasingly impulsive and irritable. No matter who it was, Yu She would not give them face. Therefore, since a couple years back, the two did not respect each other. They did not even bother to feign routine civility, quarreling at any place, at any time. ¡°Yu She! What was your intention a few days ago?!¡± Xuan Jing shoved aside the people obstructing his path. He flew into a rage. ¡°You¡¯re growing more and more courageous, arresting my people in broad daylight! Who allowed you to seize him?!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Lin Si.¡± It was only now that Yu She recalled this, and a smile spread across his lips. ¡°He returned and complained to you?¡± ¡°If he doesn¡¯t say anything, then I wouldn¡¯t know?!¡± Xuan Jing sneered. ¡°Yu Ziyou¡­ Other people may flatter you, but I won¡¯t. You have to explain this matter clearly to me. Or else, I¡¯ll report your Dali Temple! I¡¯d like to know when the people of the Dali Temple became your estate¡¯s bodyguards! To go as far as letting you order them like this!¡± ¡°What awe-inspiring authority¡­¡± Yu She swept his gaze up and down Xuan Jing¡¯s body. And he smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly changed.¡± This startled Xuan Jing. ¡°How have I changed?¡± ¡°The status of Fourth Prince is different from prior.¡± Yu She glanced at Third Prince¡¯s inner courtyard. ¡°Once the person within departs, you will become His Majesty¡¯s eldest son. Indeed, you can challenge me then.¡± A nod. ¡°It must have been difficult enduring for so many years. Congratulations.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Xuan Jing had been completely figured out. And he flew into a rage once more out of humiliation. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought like this! What¡¯s more, my Third Brother will definitely be fine!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hope this is the case,¡± said Yu She wholeheartedly. ¡°I¡¯m even more hopeful than you that he will have a long life. If not, who knows who will be next? It¡¯s really hard to say.¡± He turned to leave, his words spooking Xuan Jing. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Xuan Jing asked, ¡°You¡­ What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Nothing much.¡± Yu She glanced back. ¡°Considering¡­ our time as classmates, I¡¯ll give you a bit of advice. Don¡¯t dream too big and don¡¯t relax so easily.¡± ¡°Wait! You¡­ Stand right there!¡± Xuan Jing could tell that Yu She¡¯s words held a hidden meaning. And he made his way in front of Yu She, blocking him. ¡°What do you mean? Did you¡­ Did you hear something¡­?¡± Yu She arched a brow. ¡°Hear what?¡± Xuan Jing did not dare to say. Today, he had heard a rumor in the shadows. That a female ghost had dragged Third Prince, Xuan Jin, underwater. That the pond in Xuan Jin¡¯s estate was dirty. He also heard people mention matters of long ago. That Emperor Chongan¡¯s fortune for descendants proved very weak. His children never lived long¡­ Xuan Jin stood at death¡¯s door. Naturally, Xuan Jing harbored a secret joy in his heart. Among Emperor Chongan¡¯s remaining sons, if he were promoted to the position of eldest son, he would be one step closer to success. But as he thought of the rumor, Xuan Jing could not help but feel uneasy. In a low voice, Xuan Jing rushed to say, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®who knows who will be next?!¡¯¡± Noticing Xuan Jing¡¯s swaying gaze, Yu She was pleased. ¡°You don¡¯t even understand the literal meaning? Are you stupid?¡± Once he had finished speaking, he made to leave, but Xuan Jing still attempted to block his way. Yet, many people stood between them, so it wouldn¡¯t do well to keep grabbing for him. And in the end, he held himself back, albeit reluctantly. Looking at Yu She¡¯s back, Xuan Jing resolutely said, ¡°You¡¯re a few months older than me¡­ It¡¯ll be your turn first!¡± In the first place, Xuan Jing had come to cause trouble for Yu She. But now, he hadn¡¯t been able to. In fact, Yu She had caused him a great fright. Mood spoiled, he rushed off. Meanwhile, Zhong Wan led Xuan Rui and Xuan Yu to Third Prince¡¯s estate in a well-behaved manner. They followed the crowd to pay a visit as a mere formality. Zhong Wan had dragged Xuan Rui there against his will. The youth did not possess a shred of interest in Xuan Jin¡¯s condition. However, all the members of the imperial clan residing in the capital had come. He had no choice but to bring his younger brother along and show their faces. Xuan Rui kept tilting his head to the side to glance at Zhong Wan. He nervously said, ¡°Would they tell us to go inside and see him? They¡¯ll definitely call for me¡­ But Xuan Yu might not know how to speak or conduct himself. What if he breaks a rule?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Xuan Yu doesn¡¯t have to say anything,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°In this kind of event, no one will be paying attention to you two. Once you¡¯ve entered the residence, there will naturally be servants of the estate receiving you. You just need to follow them.¡± With Zhong Wan¡¯s identity, Xuan Rui knew the former could not step foot within. He nodded helplessly, leading Xuan Yu by the hand inside. Once Zhong Wan arrived had in front of the reverse-facing room, he stared at the plum blossoms in a daze. Originally, he had held a trace of hope that Third Prince would live longer. Endure for another two months. That he would breathe his last breath after Xuan Rui and the others had returned to Qian An. Never had Zhong Wan expected that this person would almost cause himself to drown. ¡°Is this Young Master Zhong?¡± Zhong Wan turned around. Before him, a servant bowed. ¡°This lowly one is a servant belonging to the estate of Princess Royal.¡± He recognized the medallion hanging from the servant¡¯s waist. Nodded. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°Young Master Zhong need not feel worried.¡± A gentle smile spread across the servant¡¯s lips. ¡°Princess Royal is currently accompanying Her Highness, Consort Xian. After they had seen Prince Qian An, they spoke of old matters, and mentioned that Young Master Zhang had once lived in Prince Yu¡¯s estate for a while. As soon as Princess Royal heard that Young Master Zhong was here, she had this lowly one find you and invite you over.¡± After a moment of hesitation, Zhong Wan smiled and took out a purse from his sleeve. He held the servant¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why Princess Royal suddenly had such an interest. Could it be because our prince¡­?¡± ¡°This lowly one doesn¡¯t dare.¡± The servant moved to the side to dodge the purse. He tactfully declined, ¡°In our princess estate, such a rule does not exist. In no way can this lowly one accept Young Master¡¯s things.¡± Zhong Wan also knew that there were many rules of proprietary when concerning Princess Royal Anguo. He nodded in a helpless manner. ¡°Then I¡¯ll bother you in leading the way.¡± The servant rose from a bowing position. And he led Zhong Wan within the inner courtyard. Back when he had stayed in a side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, Zhong Wan noticed that Yu She did not like Duke Wenguo¡¯s granddaughter. At Qizhen Pavilion, he had feigned madness, scaring off Young Master Wenguo. Sure enough, such an act broke down the talks of marriage. Duchess Wenguo had used ¡°my granddaughter¡¯s shuxiang is not suitable with the Heir¡¯s, so I fear it would subdue his¡± as a reason, and smoothly withdrew from the engagement. Princess Royal Anguo had been enraged. She had then sent people to escort Zhong Wan to the princess estate. So that she could see with her own eyes this kind of bad character. However, those servants could not even step foot within that side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. It was because of Yu She¡¯s previous order: ¡°Apart from myself, no one can enter the side courtyard.¡± Ever since that time until the moment Zhong Wan left the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, Princess Anguo had never seen him. Zhong Wan smiled bitterly. Today, she could finally meet him. The new and old hatred would be settled all at once. The servant led Zhong Wan for a long while, before finally arriving at the side room of the inner courtyard. The servant stopped in his tracks right before the courtyard¡¯s entrance. ¡°This lowly one cannot enter. May Young Master Zhong go on ahead.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Thank you for the trouble.¡± He adjusted his robes and crown. And stepped inside¡­ The moment Zhong Wan entered the room, someone muffled him and shoved against the wall. ¡°Mmph¡­¡± In an instant, his pupils enlarged. Just as he was about to retaliate, he froze. Exhaled. And he no longer struggled. Yu She grasped his wrists, vice-like. He smiled. ¡°Sorry, I lied to you¡­ If I didn¡¯t borrow Princess Royal¡¯s name, I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t have come here so obediently.¡± Anger flared in his heart like a roaring flame. The urge to bite down on Yu She¡¯s hand proved tempting. Tilting his head, Yu She studied Zhong Wan¡¯s expression. After a while, he softly said, ¡°¡­Baobao?¡± CH 18 Zhong Wan¡¯s pupils imperceptibly trembled. His face paled. He struggled forcefully and shouted with anger, ¡°What did you do to Lin Si?¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Zhong Wan fought to turn around. ¡°He¡¯s a mute, so why must you make things so difficult for him?! Where are you keeping him?! How is he now?¡± Yu She shook with Zhong Wan¡¯s motions. Consequently, he tightened his grasp on Zhong Wan¡¯s arm. Yu She looked at Zhong Wan speechlessly before slowly saying, ¡°In this moment, I actually somewhat pity you.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t understand. He furrowed his eyebrows and lowly interrogated, ¡°How did you torture him?!¡± Yu She took a deep breath. ¡°If I were to say I didn¡¯t even touch a hair on his head, would you believe me?¡± Zhong Wan directly stated, ¡°No!¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was conflicted. ¡°As such, I pity you even more now.¡± Zhong Wan was bewildered. ¡°Why do you say that? What¡­ actually happened?¡± ¡°Though you won¡¯t believe me, I still need to defend myself.¡± Yu She let go of Zhong Wan and turned around to sit down. ¡°I did capture him, but after less than two hours, he left in the same condition he had arrived in. I didn¡¯t hurt a hair on his head.¡± Zhong Wan looked at Yu She, alert. ¡°In those two hours, what did you do to him? You didn¡¯t torture him, so you threatened him? What did you threaten him with?! Did you use me to threaten him?!¡± ¡°Stop talking, stop talking¡­¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t take this anymore. He interrupted Zhong Wan and gazed sympathetically at him. ¡°The more agitated you are, the more pitiful I feel.¡± Zhong Wan was completely lost. Yu She lowered his head to take a sip of his tea. A long time later, he finally said, ¡°I didn¡¯t threaten him. I asked, he answered. That¡¯s all that happened.¡± Zhong Wan refused to believe this. Yu She chuckled. ¡°Well I have nothing else to offer. I said the truth but you won¡¯t believe me. When you get back, ask him yourself.¡± He naturally would. After leaving this place, Zhong Wan definitely needed to first confirm that Lin Si was completely safe before he could relax. Yu She raised an eyebrow and gazed at Zhong Wan. He stated with amusement, ¡°Honestly, he answered so easily. At first, I suspected that your mute dog had lied to me. But seeing your reaction¡­ it must be real.¡± Zhong Wan finally remembered to feel embarrassed. He tried his best to maintain a dark expression as he lowly answered, ¡°It has been a long time since that was my name.¡± ¡°Princess Consort Ning died. Naturally, no one called you by your childhood name anymore,¡± Yu She explained kindly. ¡°But if you feel nostalgic, I can call you by this name from now on¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s ears flushed red. ¡°There¡¯s no need for Young Prince Yu to be so concerned!¡± Yu She laughed to himself for a long time. Zhong Wan looked at Yu She, expression guarded. He asked, ¡°Young Prince Yu has tricked me here with such difficulty only to tease me about my childhood name?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t bother hiding anything. He confidently confessed, ¡°Yes.¡± Itbcu Qjc kjr rb jcugs tf ofia vlhhs. Coafg tf tjv ijeutfv fcbeut, Te Vtf kjnfv tlr tjcv jcv rjlv, ¡°Tbe wjs ifjnf.¡± Itbcu Qjc tfrlajafv. Ktfrf vjsr, rlcmf tf tjv gfmflnfv atf cfkr ogbw Wejc Alcu, Itbcu Qjc tjv yffc ecjyif ab mjiw vbkc. Lf tjv mbcalceberis yffc agslcu ab olcv j mtjcmf ab kjgc Te Vtf jybea yflcu wbgf mjgfoei; rfflcu Te Vtf bcmf kjrc¡¯a fjrs. Itbcu Qjc vlvc¡¯a kjca ab kjraf atlr bqqbgaeclas. But he couldn¡¯t expose Xuan Jing like this. Zhong Wan and Xuan Jing could be considered old friends. Besides, there was still a Lin Si trapped in between them. Zhong Wan decided to push the blame onto Xuan Qiong. ¡°Heir¡­¡± Zhong Wan started with a careful tone, ¡°A few days ago, I discovered a secret regarding the imperial family in Fifth Prince¡¯s estate.¡± Yu She lifted his gaze. ¡°Xuan Qiong?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°It was related to Heir.¡± The amusement on Yu She¡¯s face lessened. ¡°What secret?¡± Zhong Wan secretly wiped away his sweat and lowered his head to say, ¡°Something relating to Heir¡¯s background.¡± The amusement on Yu She¡¯s face completely disappeared. He set his teacup down and said, ¡°Get out.¡± He had already warned Yu She about what needed to be warned. Yu She was very smart. He didn¡¯t need to say anything else; as long as he brought up the topic of background, Yu She would naturally become cautious and act more guarded towards Xuan Qiong. Zhong Wan had achieved his goal. He turned around to leave. Yu She suddenly shouted, ¡°Stop right there!¡± Zhong Wan stopped. Yu She dug his fingers into the arms of his mahogany chair, as if he was struggling to hold something back. After a pause, he finally asked, ¡°What do you know already?¡± Zhong Wan thought to himself, Shouldn¡¯t you be asking what Xuan Qiong already knows? Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t sure what Yu She was actually afraid of. He avoided the important parts and picked the trivial points to speak about. ¡°According to the news I¡¯ve received from Fifth Prince¡¯s estate¡­ Heir might not be the son of Princess Royal Anguo.¡± Yu She smiled disdainfully. His eyes were stormy. Zhong Wan was scared that Yu She would view this issue too lightly. After pondering some more, he continued, ¡°I fear that Fifth Prince may suspect¡­ Heir to be the illegitimate son of the emperor.¡± ¡°Such groundless rumors have existed since I was a child.¡± Yu She was unbothered. ¡°Xuan Qiong and his mother have always been worried about this. I¡¯ve known for a while.¡± Zhong Wan truly couldn¡¯t understand Yu She anymore. ¡°So you aren¡¯t worried at all? After Third Prince dies, do you think Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong will fight between themselves first, or come to a temporary truce to get rid of you first?¡± ¡°That depends on what conclusion Xuan Jing comes to,¡± Yu She answered without even thinking about the question. ¡°Prince Yu¡¯s estate stands behind both me and Xuan Qiong. If Xuan Jing chooses to get rid of me first, the power of the entirety of Prince Yu¡¯s estate will become Xuan Qiong¡¯s. In the future, when they must fight each other one to one, Xuan Jing won¡¯t benefit at all. But if he gets rid of Xuan Qiong first¡­¡± Zhong Wan continued, ¡°You definitely won¡¯t work with him. The only advantage Xuan Jing has is the fact that he¡¯s the ¡®older¡¯ of the two. But there¡¯s only a very slight possibility he could win against Xuan Qiong.¡± ¡°Smart.¡± Yu She knocked against the table. ¡°So right now, the one stuck between a rock and a hard place is Xuan Jing. Why should I worry?¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°What if he really does work with Xuan Qiong?!¡± Yu She very directly replied, ¡°Then let them come for me. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Zhong Wan very agitatedly asked, ¡°You¡¯re this confident that the emperor can keep you alive?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Yu She laughed. ¡°What I mean by not minding is not that I don¡¯t mind what they do, but that I don¡¯t mind whether or not I die.¡± Zhong Wan was furious. This person¡­ ¡°I¡¯m just a madman.¡± Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan joyfully. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already know?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s ears were ringing. He very difficultly got out, ¡°Heir¡­ is your life¡­ truly your own?¡± The curve of Yu She¡¯s lips didn¡¯t extend to his eyes. He stared at Zhong Wan and asked in response, ¡°Who else would it belong to? You?¡± Since that terrible sickness, Zhong Wan would experience heart palpitations once he became too angry. He didn¡¯t look so great, but still stated, ¡°Our bodies, our hair, our skin, are all given to us by our parents¡­¡± Yu She burst into laughter. Zhong Wan calmed himself down. ¡°Since you¡¯re saying this, does that mean you already know about your own background? You¡­¡± ¡°I was only analyzing things according to your thoughts.¡± Yu She refused to fall into his trap. ¡°You already believe that I am the illegitimate son of the emperor, right?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, but I somehow feel that¡­ you already know the truth.¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Naturally.¡± Without waiting for Zhong Wan to respond, Yu She added on, ¡°But I won¡¯t tell you.¡± Zhong Wan had originally wanted to find a chance to convince Yu She into letting him stay in the capital. But now, it seemed that Yu She¡¯s guard was still up. Besides, the trust between the two of them had long since disappeared. Suddenly asking would only make Yu She believe that he had other intentions. He could only set this issue aside and think of another plan. Zhong Wan lowered his head. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Though I don¡¯t know for whom you did it, since you have been so kind as to warn me, I will tell you something too.¡± Yu She knocked against the surface of the table. ¡°If things go according to my expectations¡­ in the near future, there will be some rumors about ghosts and gods. Someone wants to borrow this to cause a commotion. You can tell that mute dog and have him persuade Xuan Jing to lie low and avoid causing trouble for a few days. Otherwise¡­ he won¡¯t have the chance to fight with anyone else and will become someone¡¯s sacrificial offering first.¡± Yu She seemed to not want to say anything more. He waved his hand. ¡°Our conversation ends here. Leave now.¡± Zhong Wan turned around and left. As Yu She predicted, not even two days had passed when multiple rumors engulfed the capital. Zhong Wan sat with Lin Si inside the study of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. One wrote while the other gesticulated. All was silent. Lin Si gestured, ¡°As expected, someone looked into those old events of the past. They brought up what the oracle said that year, that the current emperor¡¯s throne comes from dishonest methods so he won¡¯t be able to keep a single prince alive.¡± Lin Si very worriedly added in sign language, ¡°They also say that the next one to meet his fate will definitely be the fourth prince.¡± Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°What did Xuan Jing say?¡± A sigh, and Lin Si signalled, ¡°He throws tantrums every day, saying that he wants to find the source of the rumors at all costs, that he wants to kill that person to set an example. I tried to talk sense into him, but¡­ he won¡¯t listen.¡± Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°Two birds, one stone.¡± If Xuan Jing acted like this was nothing and didn¡¯t become more cautious, him being plotted against by someone else would be considered the condemnation of the gods. Nobody would be able to clearly identify anything. If he overly cared about it and was in a rush to find the culprit, he would be admitting through his actions that the rumor about ¡°the throne coming from dishonest methods¡± was true. This would be breaking Emperor Chongan¡¯s taboo. Zhong Wan brows were knit tightly together. Yu She had hit the nail on the head. Right now, the one stuck between a rock and a hard place truly was Xuan Jing. Lin Si was a bit anxious. He signed, ¡°What to do?¡± ¡°He definitely can¡¯t look into this matter,¡± Zhong Wan lowly said. ¡°Right now, the only one who can protect him is the emperor. If he offends the emperor, he won¡¯t have a chance at becoming the crown prince.¡± Zhong Wan lifted his gaze to look at Lin Si. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he listen to you? Keep him in line.¡± Lin Si laughed bitterly and gestured, ¡°He won¡¯t listen regarding these matters. Since returning from Third Prince¡¯s estate, Xuan Jing has been constantly outraged. He personally wrote Young Prince Yu and Fifth Prince¡¯s names onto a pile of paper, found over a hundred pieces of pottery, glued them all on, then found a stick this big!¡± Lin Si used his hands to make a shape about the size of a bowl. Zhong Wan was shocked. ¡°To do what?¡± Lin Si signed, ¡°He shouted once and swung that stick at the pottery. Then he shouted again and swung it at a different article of pottery. Rinse and repeat¡­¡± Zhong Wan remained silent for a long time. He asked, ¡°After destroying all of them, did he feel better?¡± Lin Si shook his head and gesticulated, ¡°No, because later on, he got too into the rhythm of things and accidentally broke a nine-ringed glass cup that the emperor had gifted him. That glass cup was extremely valuable. Previously, when the emperor visited his estate, he had specially checked on it. Fourth Prince was scared that the emperor would ask about it in the future and felt great remorse. While he continued cursing Fifth Prince and Young Prince Yu, he also picked up the pieces of the glass cup. In total there were¡­ several hundred fragments? They were mixed in with the other ceramic pieces. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. When I left to come here, he was still separating them out.¡± Zhong Wan had a headache. ¡°In the past, he was only lacking in talent. How come his brain has stopped working now too? He¡¯s like this but still has the face to fight for the position of crown prince?¡± Lin Si sighed and gestured, ¡°Does Master have anything else to say? If not, I¡¯ll head back now and help him pick out the glass fragments.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°You can go.¡± Lin Si suddenly recalled something else. He signed, ¡°Master, Young Prince Yu is so wary of others mentioning his background. Will he allow you to stay by his side? If not¡­ you should just return to Qian An.¡± ¡°No,¡± Zhong Wan replied without thought. ¡°He naturally doesn¡¯t trust me anymore, but I can¡¯t just not care about him¡­ Ey, whatever. At most I¡¯ll just get humiliated by him a few times. What else can he do?¡± Lin Si thought to himself, According to Yu She¡¯s current unstable temperament, things probably wouldn¡¯t be as simple as ¡°getting humiliated a few times.¡± But Lin Si had never been able to change Zhong Wan¡¯s mind on things the other had already decided on. He sighed and turned around to leave. ¡°Wait,¡± Zhong Wan suddenly said. ¡°There¡¯s another important matter I need to ask you about.¡± Lin Si stared at Zhong Wan seriously. Zhong Wan very solemnly asked, ¡°A few days ago, did Young Prince Yu capture you to ask about my childhood name?¡± Lin Si was furious. He signed, ¡°Young Prince Yu is so rude and unreasonable! When he asked about Master¡¯s childhood name, I was going to answer on the spot! But as soon as he caught me, he had someone hold me down. I¡¯m mute so obviously couldn¡¯t use my mouth to answer. I had to suffer so long for nothing.¡± Zhong Wan thought of the scene where he had harshly asked Yu She whether or not the other had tortured Lin Si. His gaze became desolate. Zhong Wan weakly waved his hand. ¡°You¡¯ve been extremely wronged¡­ you may leave.¡± Lin Si simply kowtowed and left. CH 19 ¡°Who in fact spread such rumors¡­?¡± Lying on a couch, Zhong Wan let escape a drawn-out sigh. In just a few days, the rumors moved from the female ghost taking a life to Emperor Chongan¡¯s imperial throne coming from fraudulent origins. Zhong Wan believed someone had been behind it. The direction that the rumors were taking brought him unease. When it came to the throne of Emperor Chongan, that people thought of Prince Ning was inevitable. And once they had, it was inevitable that they would think of the people of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. These past few years, Zhong Wan wracked his brains to keep Xuan Rui and the others away from all the conflict. He absolutely did not want to be a part of it. But the way things were going now, it was evident that Emperor Chongan did not seem to have any other thoughts regarding Xuan Rui and the others. Zhong Wan was fully aware that Xuan Rui did not want to make an appearance Yet recently, he forced the youth to pay Third Prince a visit every day with the other imperial clan members. Xuan Rui¡¯s fearful and worried appearance was their best life-saving charm. How the rumors would progress was anyone¡¯s guess. Zhong Wan did not want to take any risks. As he left, he summoned Yan Pingshan. Once that person had arrived, Zhong Wan said straightforwardly, ¡°I want Xuan Rui and the rest to return to Qian An earlier.¡± It were as if Yan Pingshan had heard a joke. ¡°His Majesty¡¯s birthday has yet to arrive. It¡¯s unknown when Third Prince will leave the world. How can we leave early?¡± After a moment of thought, Yan Pingshan said, ¡°Are you worried because of the rumors? Aren¡¯t you being too careful? Who would think about us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to be careful.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s tone proved restless. ¡°The circumstances at the capital change often. Who knows who¡¯ll try to attack us from the shadows?¡± If by any chance another prince found themselves in trouble, Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t certain if the aged Emperor Chongan would grow suspicious of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. Yan Pingshan hesitated before saying, ¡°Do you really think something would happen to the emperor¡¯s sons again?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Hopefully not.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°But I¡¯m certain there is a pair of hands pushing things into action secretly.¡± Confused, Yan Pingshan asked, ¡°Pushing for what?¡± Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t sure as well. However, ever since he uncovered a bit about Yu She¡¯s birth, his heart had been in unease. Otherwise, he would not risk his life wading in the muddy water to stay in the capital. Such words could not be said to Yan Pingshan. Instead, Zhong Wan said, ¡°I want to give Xuan Rui some medicine to make him sick for a while. What do you think?¡± Yan Pingshan stood there, shocked. ¡°What kind of medicine? You¡­ You want His Highness to eat poison?¡± ¡°Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be something that would harm the body too much,¡± said Zhong Wan helplessly. ¡°If I could use the excuse of me falling ill to bring us back to Qian An, then I naturally would not have him do this. But¡­ right now, even if I have to drink a bowl of poison, they also won¡¯t be able to escape unscathed.¡± ¡°What good words!¡± said Yan Pingshan, his words laced with resentment. A smile graced Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°The two younger ones are too young. We can¡¯t act recklessly with them. That¡¯s why¡­ Xuan Rui will have to suffer.¡± ¡°Could we feign an illness?¡± asked Yan Pingshan, after some hesitation. Itbcu Qjc rtbbx tlr tfjv. ¡°Ycmf Wejc Eel ojiir lii, atf fwqfgbg kbeiv vfolclafis rfcv rbwfbcf ab mtfmx bc tlw. Ktfgf¡¯r cb kjs ab obbi jcsbcf. Po kf ufa oluegfv bea, atfc atf rlaejalbc klii yfmbwf wbgf rfglber. ¡°Qf pera cffv ab qijs eq j wliv liicfrr ilxf tf¡¯r rfglberis rlmx. Ca atja alwf, kf¡¯ii rjs Wejc Eel mjccba yfjg atf mbiv milwjaf bo atf cbgat, jcv yfu atf fwqfgbg ab ifa er gfaegc ab Hljc Cc rb atja tf mjc gfmbnfg. Ktfgf¡¯ii yf jc 80% mtjcmf kf mjc ifjnf ilxf atlr.¡± Yan Pingshan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°80%?¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°In this world, how could there be anything that¡¯s guaranteed? Prepare the medicine first. I¡¯ll discuss this with Xuan Rui and see what he thinks.¡± ¡°Alright, but¡­¡± Yan Pingshan suddenly thought of something. ¡°Are you not going to return with His Highness to Qian An? I heard you wanted to stay here and discuss your marriage.¡± ¡°My marriage?¡± Realization struck Zhong Wan and he smiled mockingly toward himself. ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯ll be discussing my marriage.¡± ¡°What in the world are you planning this time? How long would discussing marriage even take, that you¡¯ll have to stay here especially?¡± Yan Pingshan was an old steward of Prince Ning¡¯s estate. As such, he was more knowledgeable of the matters concerning marriage, funerals, and birth than Zhong Wan. He wasn¡¯t like those young ones: easily tricked. ¡°Which family is it? It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll be the one talking to them. Have you hired a matchmaker? You don¡¯t have an elder, so who¡¯s handling this for you? What did the other family say?¡± Amidst Yan Pingshan¡¯s interrogation, Zhong Wan could not answer even one question. Halfheartedly, he said, ¡°We¡¯re not observing a lot of etiquette. There¡¯s no need for an elder and we did not hire a matchmaker¡­¡± ¡°How could this be?! No wonder you can¡¯t get this match-making thing settled,¡± Yan Pingshan resentfully said. ¡°Your etiquette is so unsatisfactory. It¡¯s disrespectful to that young miss! It¡¯s already good that that family did not throw you out! Who would do things like you for an official marriage? Tell me, which family is it? I¡¯ll help you arrange the matters¡­¡± ¡°No need.¡± Zhong Wan absolutely had no clue what the etiquette of a marriage consisted of. He could only thicken his face and continue to bullsh*t. ¡°Besides, we¡¯re not getting officially married¡­¡± Once again, Yan Pingshan¡¯s eyes popped. ¡°If you don¡¯t want an official marriage, then what do you want?! Are you telling me you¡¯re trying to swindle her over here?!¡± Vexed, Zhong Wan said, ¡°No! I¡­ I¡¯m taking her as a concubine. How could it be that troublesome?¡± ¡°Oh. So you just wanted to take a concubine¡­ You¡¯re no longer young. It¡¯s about time to find someone to take care of you. How¡¯s that girl? Where¡¯s she from? How old is she? Would she love you?¡± Zhong Wan had a splitting headache. He made an excuse that he needed to discuss something with Xuan Rui, and ran off. In the main chamber of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, Xuan Rui paced back and forth, heart heavy with unease and worry. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll eat the medicine, but what if someone finds out?¡± ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± Zhong Wan reassured him. ¡°The symptoms aren¡¯t much different from a normal cold¡¯s. The imperial physicians won¡¯t be able to tell the difference.¡± ¡°Would it be very harmful to the body?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Zhong Wan thought for a moment. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be that big of a deal. I¡¯ve eaten it a few times in the past. It looks scary, but once you stop taking the medicine, you¡¯ll be fine in half a month.¡± Xuan Rui looked at Zhong Wan. He was even more worried now. ¡°Your body¡­¡± Laughter spilled from Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°Right now, my body is in bad state. But it wasn¡¯t because of this medicine. Why would I lie to you¡­?¡± ¡°Why so much talking?¡± Xuan Congxin was in the inner chamber busy with needlework. After listening to them for a while, she couldn¡¯t help but impatiently say behind the divider screen, ¡°Bring the medicine over. I¡¯ll take it!¡± Xuan Rui was cowardly and feminine. After his own little sister had admonished him, he did not grow angry. He only furrowed his brows and said, ¡°When did you come? This is none of your business. Return to your room!¡± After hearing such words, Xuan Congxin grew more furious. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who told me to make you a fox-fur coat?!¡± Zhong Wan tried to hold back his smile. Attempted to smooth things over. ¡°I will escort Young Miss back.¡± Xuan Congxin threw aside the needle and thread in her hands. She rose to her feet and followed Zhong Wan out. Restraining the fire in her heart, Xuan Congxin said in a low voice as they walked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just tell me directly?¡± Zhong Wan approached Xuan Congxin¡¯s back. Raised his hand to measure how tall she was. And he suddenly realized that she had grown taller. She was even half a head taller than Xuan Yu. ¡°What kind of medicine is it? Bring it here in a little while. Just let me take it. ¡°Don¡¯t let Xuan Yu know. He can¡¯t keep secrets. Just let him think I am actually sick. ¡°Zhong Wan?¡± Finally, Zhong Wan jumped out of his thoughts. Smiled. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? With your two brothers around, when will it become your turn?¡± Pestered beyond endurance, Xuan Congxin said, ¡°Then can you convince him?¡± ¡°His Highness is only being careful. Since young, he had suffered too much hardship, and is now an easily frightened person,¡± said Zhong Wan near whisper. ¡°Congxin, don¡¯t talk about your brother like that.¡± Xuan Congxin cast a glance at Zhong Wan. Cold enough to freeze, she said, ¡°Yes. He has suffered way more than you, feeling apprehensive for so many years. How pitiful.¡± A sigh escaped Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. He regretted that he had been too young back then, ignorant of the world. After he had brought the children to Qian An, he didn¡¯t even know to employ some nannies to take care of Xuan Congxin. At that time, he had only been a teenager and careless. Often exhausted from worrying and managing everything. And he placed the two youngest ones together. Everywhere he went, he would bring them along, teaching and raising them. Until the time Xuan Congxin, at seven years old, shoved Xuan Yu to the ground to teach him a lesson. Only then did Zhong Wan realize he needed to find a female servant to teach this young girl. He specially had Lin Si hire a nanny from the capital for Qian An. But it was already too late. Xuan Congxin¡¯s appearance resembled that of Princess Consort Ning to an immense degree. But her temperament and that of her mother who had received an untimely death were as different as heaven and earth. After Xuan Congxin talked badly about her elder brother, she did not speak again. A moment later, she said, ¡°You said you ate this medicine when you were young. When was that?¡± ¡°When I was sixteen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a bit older than me.¡± A wave of relief washed over her. ¡°If you¡¯re too lazy to speak nonsense with my elder brother, then send the medicine to me. It¡¯s better than wasting time. Also¡­¡± Zhong Wan lowered his head to stare at her. Xuan Congxin fell silent. With her gaze cast down, she said, ¡°My elder brother is cowardly and slow-witted. I¡¯m afraid his words might hurt your feelings. Don¡¯t feel sad. I understand that back then, you¡­ suffered a lot of hardship because of us. ¡°People cannot only consider their own life as a life. Or else, would other people¡¯s lives not be considered lives as well?¡± Red lightly rimmed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not someone who¡¯s unable to tell good from bad. Nor am I ungrateful. Right now, I¡¯m just helping you a little. Compared to what you¡¯ve done for us in the past, it¡¯s nothing. If you need my help, just let me know. Don¡¯t treat me like a little child, alright?¡± Just now, Zhong Wan actually didn¡¯t mind those things at all. However, after he heard what Xuan Congxin said, his heart immediately softened. He nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Xuan Congxin turned around and continued on her way back to her courtyard. As she walked, she said, ¡°What were the symptoms of that medicine you ate in the past? How long did it take for you to recover? Who took care of you during it? Is it safe?¡± ¡°It¡¯s similar to a regular cold. It hits you like a tidal wave¡­¡± He recalled the past, the corners of his lips tilting upward. ¡°My paramour took care of me very well¡­¡± In the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, Yu She pinched the sore tip of his nose. He drank a sip of tea, expression gloomy. ¡°Continue speaking.¡± A person dressed as a personal guard knelt on one knee. He reported without leaving out any detail, ¡°They ate the evening meal together, with an old steward standing at the side as he serviced them. The old steward said, ¡®you shouldn¡¯t be so careless with taking a concubine either. I already prepared some gifts. Have a look once you return.¡¯ ¡°The young miss was shocked. She said, ¡®didn¡¯t you say you were marrying a wife? When did it become taking a concubine?¡¯ ¡°Prince Qian An nodded and said, ¡®at this age and at this height, it¡¯s more appropriate that she¡¯s a concubine.¡¯ ¡°Then the old steward asked, ¡®what age and what height? Why do you all know this already?¡¯ ¡°The young master said, ¡®the new sister-in-law is nine chi and very old with a serious temperament and indomitable spirit. Extremely strong. Perhaps the descendant of the prehistoric god, Kuafu.¡¯¡± Yu She was struck speechless. He narrowed his eyes, staring at his spy. ¡°Are. You. Trying. To. Make. Me. Laugh?¡± Bitterness filled the spy but could not complain about it. He had risked his for Yu She for many years, going through fire and water. He had relied on all the battle scars on his body to climb to this current position. Now, for some reason, he was sent to investigate such a small matter. And because of such a bizarre thing, he lost Yu She¡¯s trust of many years! How would he know why Zhong Wan would marry a descendant of Kuafu?! He also did not understand! After the spy kowtowed, he said, ¡°If there¡¯s a word of lie in there, may this lowly one be struck five times by lightning!¡± Then he took out the short dagger from his waist. Lifted it and was about to stab it into his leg. But before he could, Yu She waved. ¡°Enough.¡± The short dagger fell to the ground. Tears flowed from the determined man. ¡°Heir¡­¡± Yu She slowly said, ¡°Go investigate which immortal that descendant of Kuafu is.¡± CH 20 Yu She summoned steward Feng and shared the general gist of things. He ordered, ¡°Go investigate. What the heck is he going to marry.¡± Steward Feng was completely lost too. He carefully asked, ¡°Heir¡­ is there a misunderstanding in this situation?¡± Yu She coldly asked, ¡°What misunderstanding?¡± Steward Feng cautiously analyzed, ¡°Since historic times, there have been several small or unimportant families who have taken advantage of their surnames to forcefully connect themselves to the famous sages of the past. Either way, there¡¯s no way of proving anything, so they¡¯re only trying to make themselves look better. But¡­ this is the first time this old servant has heard of anyone bragging that they¡¯re the descendants of Kuafu. ¡°First of all, Kuafu is a character in ¡®The Classic of Mountains and Seas.¡¯ We don¡¯t even know if such a person truly existed, so unless this woman is actually extraordinarily tall, to the point of shocking everyone, nobody would believe her. ¡°Secondly, Kuafu is not a sage. Forcefully saying that you are his descendant¡­ doesn¡¯t really make you more impressive. If he were inviting this person home to be a family soldier that would naturally be fine, but to be a concubine¡­ it really can¡¯t be considered a good quality.¡± Yu She emotionlessly said, ¡°Perhaps other than being sturdily built, she has nothing else to seduce men with.¡± Steward Feng tried to read Yu She¡¯s mind and answered, ¡°Truly. Such a ploy for gaining recognition can¡¯t be allowed. Today this one says that she¡¯s Kuafu¡¯s descendant; tomorrow another one will say they¡¯re Pangu¡¯s descendant. Two days later, someone else will say they¡¯re Chang-e¡¯s descendant, Meng Po¡¯s descendant, Guan Shiyin¡¯s descendant¡­ What would that make things? In the future, if you don¡¯t somehow connect yourself to a prehistoric god or monster, you won¡¯t be able to marry anyone? Later on, the capital will be filled with all sorts of demons and monsters. How could that be allowed to happen?¡± Yu She felt a headache coming on. ¡°Stop talking.¡± Steward Feng hurriedly shut his mouth. Then, he changed the topic and said, ¡°Young Master Zhong must have been tricked by someone. After we get to the bottom of this, he will be the first person we reveal the truth to!¡± Yu She angrily rubbed the space between his eyebrows. What a mess this was¡­ ¡°Speaking of spirits and gods,¡± steward Feng started lowly, ¡°I was just about to tell Heir. Last night, news from the palace came out. They said that if anyone among the aristocrats links Third Prince¡¯s drowning incident to spirits or gods again, they will be tried for treason.¡± Yu She smiled. ¡°The emperor is finally anxious?¡± Steward Feng lowered his voice. ¡°He went into a rage several times, but he can¡¯t possibly publicly talk about this issue. Otherwise, more people will know about it. He can only secretly leak some news and try to intimidate the people.¡± Steward Feng wasn¡¯t Yu She¡¯s only confidant. Yu She directly ordered other people to do many of the things related to the outside. Steward Feng didn¡¯t know much about them. He slowly asked, ¡°Who¡­ started all those rumors to create such a mess?¡± Yu She could tell what Steward Feng was implying. There was a hint of mockery in his eyes. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡± Steward Feng hurriedly said, ¡°This old slave has been foolish.¡± ¡°If I had done this, I wouldn¡¯t have been so light-handed,¡± Yu She declared generously. ¡°What is the emperor most afraid of right now?¡± Vafkjgv Mfcu atbeuta jybea la jcv jcrkfgfv, ¡°Gfolclafis atja rbwfatlcu firf klii tjqqfc ab jcbatfg qglcmf. Po rbwfatlcu gfjiis vlv tjqqfc, atja kbeiv rffw ilxf¡­ rffw ilxf¡­ atf gewbgr bo tlr atgbcf mbwlcu ogbw vlrtbcfra wfatbvr lr agef.¡± Te Vtf jrxfv, ¡°Ktfc, ktlmt qglcmf lr tf wbra rmjgfv bo rbwfatlcu tjqqfclcu ab atfw?¡± Steward Feng hesitated. ¡°Fourth¡­ Fourth Prince?¡± Yu She scoffed. Steward Feng wiped at the beads of sweat on his forehead. His voice was practically inaudible. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Right now, he¡¯s most afraid that something will happen to me.¡± Yu She spoke normally. He didn¡¯t bother lowering his voice all. ¡°Even if something happened to Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong, the worst consequence would be more people being able to point fingers at him using what the oracle had said back then. But what of it? What kind of evidence is that? Besides, even if all the princes died, there still might not be anyone capable of usurping his throne.¡± Steward Feng¡¯s heart started beating faster upon hearing this. He nodded, ¡°True¡­¡± ¡°But I¡¯m different.¡± Yu She lowered his head and smiled. ¡°At such a crucial time, if something happened to me, it would cause several of his disgusting, previous deeds to come to light. If I were the one plotting everything, the first person I wouldn¡¯t spare would be myself.¡± Yu She looked outside the window and casually asked, ¡°The pond in our courtyard. Has the ice melted yet?¡± Steward Feng didn¡¯t know why Yu She was suddenly asking about this. He answered honestly, ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°This pond is connected to the moving water outside. The layer of ice on top of it can¡¯t be that thick,¡± Yu She drawled. ¡°Say, if I were to step on it¡­ would I break that layer of ice?¡± Steward Feng¡¯s expression immediately changed. He hurriedly said, ¡°This old servant was making things up just now! This obviously has nothing to do with Heir. You¡­ Don¡¯t overthink!¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was normal. ¡°I¡¯m not. I just think that at such a point in time, it would be very interesting if I were to drown in an ice hole in the middle of the night.¡± Steward Feng was so agitated that the vein in his forehead had become visible. If anyone else casually brought this up, he would believe that they were only joking around. But the person in front of him had once secretly eaten cold food powder for half a year without telling anybody. He had almost died from arsenic poisoning! Yu She said, ¡°Actually, the day that Princess Royal had ordered you to tell me to stay far away from the edge of the water, I already considered this.¡± Steward Feng anxiously said, ¡°You! You¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you.¡± Yu She laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to sleep in an ice hole anymore.¡± Yu She thought of what his spy had told him before. His gaze darkened. ¡°I need to figure out first¡­ what concubine he¡¯s planning on marrying.¡± Steward Feng heaved a sigh of relief. He didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°You really are¡­¡± Steward Feng wanted to laugh, but thinking back on what Yu She¡¯s life had been like these past few years, he suddenly felt a twinge in his heart. ¡°It¡¯s best that you don¡¯t have such silly ideas,¡± said Steward Feng in a comforting manner. ¡°It¡¯s quite late. Will Heir rest now?¡± Yu She nodded, then stood and headed to the bedroom. Steward Feng ultimately couldn¡¯t completely relax. He was preparing to leave for a bit, so couldn¡¯t keep an eye on Yu She overnight. He could only call a few family soldiers over and order them to strictly guard the door and window of Yu She¡¯s bedroom. They were not, under any circumstances, to allow him to leave in the middle of the night. Even if they couldn¡¯t stop him and let him get out, they still had to follow him, maintaining a distance of not even a foot away. The family soldiers acknowledged his orders. Steward Feng calmed himself down, then headed out. At the same time, the lights were still bright in Xinghe Palace. Emperor Chongan sat on the bed in the warmroom. His expression was dark and his voice low and raspy. ¡°Could it be that Ziyou is being unreasonable again?¡± Cabinet member Liang Qi sat on a small stool and gently shook his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it. Young Prince Yu acts decisively. If he were the mastermind behind this, Third Prince probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to live until now.¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s eyes were stormy. ¡°Is that so? That year when he ate those things, I already thought that perhaps he had such thoughts and was purposefully breaking my heart.¡± Emperor Chongan sighed, fatigued. ¡°I asked myself and believe that I haven¡¯t mistreated him in any way. Among all my children, he¡¯s the only one I¡¯ve spoiled since young. Back then¡­ I had even been tempted to recognize him as my own.¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Liang Qi rose to his feet. He bowed and said, ¡°Young Prince Yu is talented beyond others, but he has an antisocial personality and cruel nature. If he¡¯s uninterested in becoming crown prince, all is well, but if Young Prince Yu is actually interested and Your Majesty hastily admits him¡­ Your Majesty might place Fourth and Fifth Prince in grave danger. By then, the country will be in turmoil and there will be no peace in the world.¡± Speaking of Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong caused Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression to become even worse. ¡°If the two of them were impressive in any way, why would I even have these thoughts? My sons shame me¡­¡± ¡°The two princes have just reached adulthood; there is still time to teach them.¡± Liang Qi was worried that Emperor Chongan truly wanted to recognize Yu She because of his lack of offspring. He added, ¡°We can first disregard how difficult it will be to calm both the public and royal clan down if you were to admit him as a prince. If in the future, Young Prince Yu asks about his birth mother, how does Your Majesty plan on answering him?¡± Emperor Chongan lowered his gaze. ¡°She was just an old lover I had from my estate¡­¡± ¡°What if Young Prince Yu is determined about getting all the details?¡± Liang Qi was extremely worried. ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t ask, in the future¡­ if Your Majesty wants to declare Young Prince Yu to be the crown prince, Your Majesty must eventually give the royal clan members and all the officials a believable reason. Otherwise, this decision will be considered unjust and unmerited. There will always be people who try to use this to cause trouble. Of course, Your Majesty might not actually want to make him the crown prince, which leads us back to the question at hand¡­ Can Young Prince Yu allow the other two princes to live?¡± Emperor Chongan leaned against his pillow and sighed. ¡°You think that he¡¯ll allow the two of them to live if I don¡¯t admit he¡¯s my own?¡± ¡°Young Prince Yu currently isn¡¯t interested in the fight for crown prince. Besides, he has a different surname, which makes this unjust and unmerited. As long as Your Majesty doesn¡¯t recognize him, he won¡¯t be able to become a threat.¡± Liang Qi lifted his gaze to glance at Emperor Chongan, then softened his voice. ¡°In order to ensure the safety of the princes, if anything happens in the future, as long as Your Majesty can be harsh enough, it will be possible¡­¡± Emperor Chongan instantly opened his eyes. He coldly asked, ¡°Are you telling me to personally get rid of him?!¡± Liang Qi knelt. The inside of the warmroom was quiet for a long time. Emperor Chongan leaned against his pillow and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have many sons left¡­ he¡¯s the last hope I have that I¡¯ve left with Princess Royal. If anything happens in the future, regardless of if he¡¯s willing or not, he¡¯ll have to¡­ nevermind. You may rise.¡± Liang Qi knew that Emperor Chongan couldn¡¯t bear to, so didn¡¯t continue trying to persuade him. ¡°Keep looking into it,¡± Emperor Chongan said after a long pause. ¡°I don¡¯t think this looks like Ziyou¡¯s work either.¡± Liang Qi stood up. He pondered for a moment, then asked, ¡°Your Majesty, regarding Young Prince Yu¡¯s background¡­ does he already know?¡± Emperor Chongan responded, tone tinted with fatigue, ¡°He¡¯s known since six years ago. I still remember, remember how he broke through so many of the palace¡¯s lines of defense and charged in in the middle of the night, covered in snow. It was right here where he asked me¡­¡± Liang Qi asked, ¡°What¡­ did he ask?¡¯ Emperor Chongan pressed on the corners of his eyes. He didn¡¯t want to reminisce about that event, so merely waved his hand to signal for Liang Qi to leave. The eunuch outside the warmroom drew back the thick curtains for Liang Qi. A gust of cold wind snuck through. Emperor Chongan was coming along in his years, so shivered slightly and started coughing. CH 21 Zhong Wan invited Steward Feng into the small study. As they waited for the servants to bring tea, the two stared at each other in silence, before looking away. Then they accidentally looked each other in the eye again, and quickly averted their gazes. It was incomparably awkward. Zhong Wan felt ashamed. When he was still young, he truly hadn¡¯t been human. He had lived in the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate for half a year, yet always brought Steward Feng trouble. Steward Yan personally steeped a pot of good tea for them to drink and sent it over. Zhong Wan glanced at Steward Yan, catching his attention. Steward Yan brought the other servants out. Zhong Wan reflected on his words and actions of the past few days. He didn¡¯t know how he had offended Yu She that he had to send someone to their estate in the middle of the night. And deliberately sent the person he was afraid of the most: Steward Feng. Did he want Steward Feng to scold him? Zhong Wan poured tea. Probingly said, ¡°However¡­ What does Young Prince Yu want me to do? Steward Feng hurriedly shook his head. ¡°Nothing. I intentionally snuck out after Heir retired for the night.¡± Zhong Wan thought, you¡¯re trying too hard to avoid suspicion. Yet with a guileless expression, he said, ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°After His Majesty¡¯s birthday, will Young Master Zhong accompany the people of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate back to your feudal fiefdom?¡± asked Steward Feng. Zhong Wan did not intend to return. However, he said, ¡°Of course.¡± A sigh escaped Steward Feng¡¯s lips. Zhong Wan drank a sip of tea. Gently and cautiously, he said, ¡°Does Steward Feng think I¡¯m leaving too late?¡± Steward Feng quickly shook his head. ¡°No, no. Young Master Zhong is thinking too much.¡± Then he slowly said, ¡°Once Young Master Zhong leaves¡­ you most likely will not return to the capital, right?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± Steward Feng¡¯s gaze proved complicated. A moment later, he said, ¡°If this old slave may be so bold to ask a favor, in light of this old slave taking care of your honored self before, would Young Master Zhong manage a few things for me?¡± ¡°Speak.¡± Steward Feng thought for a long time. His face flushed so red it seemed purple. ¡°If Young Master Zhong is free, is it possible¡­ to reside in the capital for a while?¡± Zhong Wan almost said this was exactly what he had been waiting for him to say. But because he wanted to hear Steward Feng say more, he swallowed the words. Feigned reluctance. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be good. ¡°I¡¯ve long since had no family members in the capital. Moreover, my identity is awkward. Whenever I encounter old friends and acquaintances, it¡¯s embarrassing. Also¡­¡± Zhong Wan looked at Steward Feng. ¡°You should be clear that in the past, Young Prince Yu swindled me into going to his estate. Truth to tell, I¡¯m quite scared of him now.¡± ¡°Right now, we are only talking about Heir.¡± Steward Feng bitterly laughed. ¡°A straightforward person does not resort to insinuations. The circumstances of Heir these past few years¡­ Young Master Zhong naturally should be somewhat aware.¡± Countless thoughts zipped through Zhong Wan¡¯s mind. However, his mouth remained watertight. ¡°I¡¯ve only heard that Heir¡¯s temperament changed a little. He¡¯s not as gentle as he had been in his youth.¡± ¡°More than that.¡± Steward Feng was so worried. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest with Young Master. That Heir could live until now was¡­ was not easy.¡± Cczlfas oliifv Itbcu Qjc¡¯r tfjga. Tfa, tlr fzqgfrrlbc gfwjlcfv cfeagji. Ktfc, tf oflucfv regqglrf. ¡°Yc atf abq, Llr Zjpfras qgbafmar Tbecu Uglcmf Te. Yc atf ybaabw, Uglcmfrr Ebsji jcv Uglcmf Te mtfglrt tlw. Vb tbk mbeiv atlr yf qbrrlyif?¡± Vafkjgv Mfcu rffwfv ab tjnf wjcs kbgvr raemx lc tlr yfiis. Lf rtbbx tlr tfjv. ¡°P¡¯w ecmifjg jybea atf wjaafgr gfujgvlcu atf lwqfglji mijc. Pc yglfo¡­ Rbkjvjsr, Lflg mjccba rajs lvif.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°He can¡¯t stay idle?¡± ¡°If Heir is idle, he would definitely cause some trouble.¡± Whenever Steward Feng recalled past events, fear would fill his heart. ¡°In addition, he would do something big each time¡­ A few years ago, His Majesty brought the imperial clan members hunting in the fall. Princess Royal worried that a stray arrow would hit someone, and did not want Heir to participate. Can your honored self guess what happened?¡± Unconsciously, Zhong Wan thought something bad had transpired. Steward Feng still had lingering fear. ¡°Heir shook off the people guarding him. He did not carry a bow and arrow or a long saber. He only brought along a dagger, riding his horse like the wind into the hunting ground. When he came out¡­ his body was covered in blood. Thank goodness he had only suffered light injuries. However, no one knew what had happened to him after he had entered the hunting ground by himself. Nor did they know if it was fortunate that he had come out alive. ¡°That year, the princess estate had been renovating their garden and constructed a three-story greenhouse. The day it was finished being built, even the emperor came to take a look. Princess Royal took care of the matters inside and outside the estate and did not pay attention to Heir. She also didn¡¯t know what Heir saw or heard. He went to the top of the greenhouse. Drank until half drunk. And he sat outside of the handrails! If he were just a bit careless and fell down, he definitely would have died! Princess Royal almost fainted from fear. On the contrary, it was our Prince who was calm. He had some of the guards that were behind him slowly ascend the stairs to the top floor, and bring Heir back down. ¡°There was also another occasion when Heir had time on his hands for a string of consecutive days. He heard that a new snake tamer had arrived in Fifth Prince¡¯s estate. He went to Fifth Prince¡¯s estate to watch the snake tamer play a song and had the snake dance. For some reason, Heir found and grabbed a poisonous snake by himself, shaking it around. And the snake bit his upper arm! Fortunately, the snake¡¯s venom wasn¡¯t fatal. Not to mention, the imperial physician provided critical care immediately. However¡­ because of this, His Majesty lectured Fifth Prince an earful. ¡°There are countless similar examples. These past few years, Heir¡­ has taken every step toward a dangerous situation. If it weren¡¯t for His Majesty and Princess Royal watching him so intently, who knows how many more incidents would have occurred? And this is often the case¡­ As long as he¡¯s idle for a few days, it¡®s inevitable that Heir would find something dangerous to do. This old slave¡­ is scared witless every day.¡± Zhong Wan firmly held on to the handrests of his chair. He sucked in a breath. Tried his best to speak in a natural tone. ¡°Young Prince Yu¡­ why is he treating himself like this? As if he doesn¡¯t cherish himself?¡± Steward Feng lifted the teacup, the contents that had already gone cold, and took a sip. His lips moved. Yet not a word escaped. ¡°That you looked for me today seems to imply that you somewhat trust me.¡± Zhong Wan said in a low voice, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to decline your request for help. However, I still need to know how I can help you.¡± ¡°Just keeping him busy is enough,¡± Steward Feng blurted. ¡°Divert his attention elsewhere. Don¡¯t give him time to torment himself!¡± Zhong Wan hesitated as he said, ¡°Are you sure¡­ that I can distract him?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± exclaimed Steward Feng, confident. ¡°Definitely yes! Young Master Zhong doesn¡¯t know, but Heir is very serious when it comes to your matters.¡± A dry smile spread across Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. He did not believe it. ¡°You¡¯re overestimating me.¡± Steward Feng quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s the truth! Does Your Master remember the last time, when that prefecture magistrate surnamed Xing had entered the capital for official duty? He came to the estate, using the excuse of an official visit to build connections. And Heir seriously agreed to his request on the spot! Although after that prefecture magistrate had left, Heir fell into a tantrum and found an excuse to make trouble for Fourth Prince and argued with him, I could tell that Heir was in a good mood in the days following!¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. Back then, Yu She had helped hide Zhong Wan in the capital. He had agreed tacitly to their love affair, which existed as a knot in Zhong Wan¡¯s heart. Every time he thought about it, he would feel very guilty. He wanted to ask Yu She clearly about how he felt, but was too embarrassed. Why shower affection on an unintereted party like this? Zhong Wan raised his gaze. Stared at Steward Feng. Hardening his heart, he said, ¡°Then I have something to ask¡­¡± Steward Feng blurted, ¡°May Young Master go on.¡± No longer caring about how he¡¯d look, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Ziyou¡­ holds affection for me?¡± Steward Feng sat there, ill at ease. ¡°In the past, your honored self and Heir had interacted day and night¡­ How could you not know? Heir had treated you so well back then. Why is it¡­ that you weren¡¯t aware?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. Actually, he had asked Yu She before. Back then, Yu She had just broken off his engagement. Zhong Wan insinuated that this time he successfully broke the engagement, but what about next time? The young Yushe automatically said, ¡°This time, we were both unwilling. Naturally, the engagement should have ended. Next time, if we are compatible, then the wedding will proceed.¡± The young Zhong Wan dryly said, ¡°Yes.¡± Zhong Wan had seared those words into memory. From then on, he no longer dared to think of other things. He knew clearly in his heart, but for some reason, he still wanted to ask one more time. ¡°I want to know if he has that intention. Only then¡­ Only then can I find something to occupy him.¡± After a moment of careful thought, Steward Feng smacked the table. ¡°I think it¡¯s true.¡± Zhong Wan looked up. Steward Feng didn¡¯t care about keeping up proprietary anymore. He shamelessly said, ¡°The first year that you had left, Heir had a difficult time. He nearly didn¡¯t make it. One day, Heir indulged in alcohol, and I overhead some words he had meant to only say to himself.¡± Immediately, Zhong Wan asked, ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He said¡­¡± The young Yu She drunkenly sat on the ground, holding a small jar of wine, head tossed back as he chugged it down. ¡°No one wants me alive¡­ Father isn¡¯t mine. Mother isn¡¯t mine¡­ My real father isn¡¯t mine. My birth mother isn¡¯t mine. My brothers aren¡¯t mine. My sisters aren¡¯t mine¡­¡± Young Yu She swallowed the strong wine. Choked. Then hoarsely said, ¡°Yuangui¡­ also isn¡¯t mine.¡± Steward Feng hid the beginning of those words from Zhong Wan, only telling him the end. Then in a soft voice, Steward Feng said, ¡°This old slave remembers that Young Master¡¯s courtesy name is Guiyuan.¡± Zhong Wan closed his eyes, turning his head, not letting Steward Feng look at his face. Back then, you clearly said you wanted to marry someone. Zhong Wan spent a long time calming himself. He nodded. Within Steward Feng existed a trace of hope. ¡°That¡¯s why I wished back then, Heir had said your name, Young Master. ¡°In fact, in fact!¡± blurted Steward Feng, after thinking of something else. ¡°The next day, I used an indirect approach to figure something out! I asked Heir if he regretted letting Young Master go. If he couldn¡¯t bear to part with Young Master after being together for so long. And Heir said¡­¡± Steward Feng carefully thought over his words. ¡°At that time, Heir had been completely disheartened. He said, ¡®if I attain it, such is luck; if I do not, such is fate.¡¯ ¡°He also said, ¡®there are some things that must be buried in the heart, never to be told to others for the rest of the life.¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s like this. So are you.¡± Steward Feng paused and stuttered, before saying, ¡°Then, a few days later, news arrived¡­ As it turned out, you told someone in Qian An the matters regarding you and Heir.¡± Zhong Wan concealed the anguish in his heart. Coughed. He raised his teacup and took a sip. Fearing that Zhong Wan thought he was mocking him, Steward Feng once again rushed to say, ¡°Young Master is mistaken. Ever since these kinds of rumors popped up, Heir became more energetic!¡± After hearing his words, Zhong Wan contemplated in what period this had occurred. And he realized it was during the most unbearable times of both of their lives. Due to a freak combination of factors, two people, one in the capital and one in Nanjiang, unexpectedly relied on each other. In a low voice, Zhong Wan said, ¡°What do you want me to do? Just tell me. I can do anything.¡± Steward Feng was overjoyed. ¡°Then does this mean you agree? You won¡¯t head back to Qian An yet?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Before I can guarantee he will be fine, I won¡¯t leave. ¡°However¡­ even if Young Prince Yu had felt a bit of affection toward me, it¡¯s not certain right now.¡± Zhong Wan took a deep breath. ¡°If in the future, he¡¯s grown tired of me, please for the sake of our friendship, have Young Prince Yu allow me to keep a full corpse.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Steward Feng swiftly said. The next day, right after Yu She had taken his morning meal, he stared at Steward Feng, astonished. ¡°You went to find Zhong Wan late last night?¡± On the edge, Steward Feng said, ¡°Yes.¡± A stretch of silence. Then Yu She said, ¡°I told you to investigate, and you go directly to ask him?¡± Steward Feng staked it all. ¡°I thought Heir was feeling anxious to know, so I went to ask him directly!¡± For a moment, Yu She stood at a loss for words. He suspected that he had infected Steward Feng with a bad habit. ¡°Then¡­¡± Yu She stared at Steward Feng in a complicated manner, unable to express himself succinctly. ¡°Then what did he say? Did he think you had gone mad like me?¡± Steward Feng wiped at his sweat. ¡°No. Young Master Zhong said¡­ said¡­ said¡­¡± Yu She found him simply baffling. He impatiently said, ¡°What did he say?!¡± Steward Feng hardened his heart and yelled, ¡°Young Master Zhong said that ever since he returned to the capital, Heir has treated him too coldly, completely not valuing the affection of the past! His heart has died, and as such, he decided to abandon himself in despair. He wants to take in more than ten concubines, so that everyone in the world will know that at the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, the clouds above are green!¡± The pupils of Yu She faintly trembled, carrying a tinge of red. Although Yu She was extremely angry, he burst into laughter. ¡°He actually thinks I¡¯m treating him too coldly? Good¡­ Very good. Then I¡¯ll let him know what it really means to be affectionate.¡± CH 22.1 Steward Feng accomplished his goal and was just about to leave when Yu She suddenly said, ¡°Stop right there.¡± Steward Feng felt his heart drop, but didn¡¯t let this show on his face. He bowed and said, ¡°Please give your instructions, Heir.¡± Yu She stared judgingly at Steward Feng. ¡°These days, Zhong Wan wishes he could stay ten li away from Prince Yu¡¯s estate. He would say something like that? He dares to?¡± Obviously not. Steward Feng had spent a long time talking with Zhong Wan last night. Their topic of conversation had only been Yu She. He had completely forgotten about the concubine issue and had only recalled that he hadn¡¯t remembered the most important issue after returning to the side courtyard. Steward Feng knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hide his visit to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate from Yu She. With no other choice, he could only make something random up on the spot. Steward Feng originally thought that the words he had made up were fairly close to Zhong Wan¡¯s tone of voice. Who would¡¯ve thought that Yu She was able to tell anyways. He calmed himself down and asked in response, ¡°Hasn¡¯t Young Master Zhong always been like this? Is there anything he doesn¡¯t dare to do?¡± Upon hearing this, Yu She felt his anger grow. ¡°Okay. He¡¯s truly capable now.¡± Steward Feng sighed too. ¡°With age, he¡¯s grown bolder.¡± Yu She was so angry he almost tossed his tea cup onto the floor. ¡°You may leave.¡± Steward Feng made to leave, but felt worried for Zhong Wan after seeing Yu She¡¯s current state. He tried to read Yu She¡¯s mind and pleaded for Zhong Wan, ¡°But this isn¡¯t Young Master Zhong¡¯s fault. He¡¯s already twenty-something and has been alone all this time. The sages all say that ¡®desire for food and sex is human nature¡¯ and ¡®lust is a basic human need¡¯. He¡¯s a normal adult man who has never had anyone in his room. That¡¯s abnormal.¡± Upon hearing this, the angry atmosphere surrounding Yu She became heavier. He lifted his gaze and asked coldly, ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m abnormal?¡± Steward Feng wanted to slap himself across the face. He had mentioned the exact thing Heir didn¡¯t want to hear! Steward Feng hurriedly tried to rescue the situation. He said, ¡°No no¡­ Heir is younger than him! There¡¯s no rush!¡± Steward Feng¡¯s adding of oil to the fire completely enraged Yu She. Yu She scoffed, ¡°Fine¡­ His room is empty, isn¡¯t it? I understand.¡± The more he spoke, the more mistakes Steward Feng made. He didn¡¯t dare to try and coax Yu She anymore, only leaving in embarassment. After exiting the main hall, Steward Feng wiped the cold sweat from his face and felt fortunate that Yu She¡¯s temperament was so unpredictable these days. The angrier he felt, the less clear his mind was. This way the only reason Steward Feng had managed to fool the other. A loud bang rang out. It was unclear what object Yu She had thrown on the ground in the main hall. Steward Feng relaxed. Now that he was this angry, Yu She probably wouldn¡¯t have the energy to think about jumping into the ice hole, right? Steward Feng felt pleased and satisfied. He headed out to busy himself with his own business. After so many rounds of shock, he forgot to get someone to notify Zhong Wan of what he had said. Inside Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, Xuan Rui and Xuan Congxin sat in the warmroom, both staring at a bowl of medicine. Xuan Rui had been staring at this bowl of medicine for the entirety of half an hour. He finally picked it up. Xuan Congxin glanced at him, then lowered her head to continue embroidering her purse. Xuan Congxin actually wasn¡¯t that great at embroidery. This was hard to tell from large items, such as clothing, but her faults were easy to be exposed on these intricate little items. Under Xuan Congxin¡¯s hand, two peony flowers lost their form. The fox fur robe she had been working on for Xuan Rui was only half completed and was still tossed over the couch in her room. Xuan Rui held the medicine and took a careful sniff before setting it down again. Xuan Congxin stated coldly, ¡°Eldest brother, has the medicine cooled? Should I get someone to heat it up for you?¡± ¡°Qtja jgf sbe vblcu tfgf jujlc?¡± Wejc Eel oeggbkfv tlr ygbkr. ¡°Jjc¡¯a sbe fwygblvfg jcsktfgf firf?¡± ¡°Qjlalcu.¡± Wejc Jbcuzlc olvufafv klat atf cffvif jcv atgfjv lc tfg tjcvr. Vtf tjiotfjgafvis rklamtfv ogbw fwygblvfglcu qfbclfr ab fwygblvfglcu j alufg. ¡°Po sbe tjnfc¡¯a vgecx atlr ys fnfclcu, P¡¯ii vglcx la obg sbe.¡± Under his little sister¡¯s goading, Xuan Rui picked up the bowl of medicine once more. Then, like he was tasting tea, he took a small sip. Xuan Congxin tried to hold herself back from exploding. Xuan Congxin lowered her head and prodded the tiger. For the first time, she could understand why those emperors of the past could fight and kill their siblings over an imperial jade seal, conflicts escalating even to the point of war. Forget the imperial throne. Xuan Congxin looked up to gaze at her own brother and thought, if I were a man, I would probably also fight you for this position of prince. She truly couldn¡¯t¡­ bear this anymore. Xuan Congxin lamented that daughters had difficult lives, then continued embroidering her tiger. A long time later, Xuan Rui picked up the bowl of medicine for the third time. And set it down again. Xuan Congxin stared at Xuan Rui, numb. She thought, if we were both imperial princes, even if we shared the same birth mother, I definitely wouldn¡¯t go easy on you. I would toss you to eat grass in your lands as early as possible. Another hour passed. Xuan Rui seemed to have finally made up his mind. He stood up and picked up the bowl. His hands shook. He set it down once more. Xuan Congxin threw down her embroidery, of which the design she had already turned into a phoenix, and picked up the bowl of medicine. She leaned back and made to chug it. Xuan Rui was shocked. He lunged forward and grabbed it from her. Half of the medicine spilled out of the bowl. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Xuan Rui panicked, ¡°How old are you! Can you drink this?!¡± Xuan Congxin picked up a handkerchief and dabbed the corners of her mouth. ¡°What else? I want to go back to Qian An. If you refuse to drink it, the only option left is for me to drink it.¡± Xuan Congxin lifted her head to look at Xuan Rui. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been putting it off for so long because you want me to drink it for you?¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± Xuan Rui was furious. ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t have the guts! But would I try to harm you?!¡± Xuan Congxin¡¯s eyes were filled with suspicion. Xuan Rui was panting because he was so angry. He scolded Xuan Congxin from head to toe, then ordered her nanny to take her back to her room. Xuan Rui looked at the bowl that was now only half filled. He sighed and instructed, ¡°Go¡­ make another bowl for me. Make it¡­ stronger.¡± A while later, a servant brought the new bowl of medicine over to him. This time, Xuan Rui didn¡¯t hesitate. While it was still warm, he drank the entire bowl. Outside the courtyard, Yan Pingshan patted the snow off himself and entered Zhong Wan¡¯s room. ¡°He drank it?¡± Zhong Wan asked from behind the screen. Yan Pingshan nodded. ¡°He drank it. Right now, he already has a fever. I¡¯m thinking of letting Prince¡¯s temperature get a little higher before asking for an imperial doctor. This way it¡¯ll seem more serious.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Zhong Wan tried to hold in his laughter. ¡°Did he get in an argument with Young Miss again?¡± Yan Pingshan looked at Zhongwan in blame. ¡°Why did you tell Young Miss to go over there?¡± ¡°To goad him,¡± Zhong Wan replied calmly. ¡°If I¡¯m not returning to Qian An, Xuan Rui must handle all the business of the estate on his own. He must learn to become stronger by himself, step by step.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really not going back?¡± Yan Pingshan seemed like he had a lot he wanted to say. ¡°You¡¯re not doing this because you want to take a concubine, right? The person who came looking for you yesterday¡­ wasn¡¯t that Young Prince Yu¡¯s trusted steward?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°This time, if we are able to safely return to Qian An, there will be nothing else we need to worry about. We¡¯ll finally be able to live peacefully,¡± Yan Pingshan couldn¡¯t help blurting out. ¡°How much blood and sweat did you put into making this possible? You¡¯re giving up a life of peace. Why?¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°Just consider it as my life being lowly. I¡¯m not destined for peaceful days.¡± Yan Pingshan stated in agitation, ¡°What strange things are you saying?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying strange things,¡± Zhong Wan suddenly said. ¡°Do you know¡­ what the library of Shi Jin, the Old Imperial Preceptor Shi, was called?¡± Yan Pingshan was momentarily dazed. He didn¡¯t understand why Zhong Wan was bringing this up out of the blue. ¡°What?¡± Zhong Wan answered, ¡°Four Fors Room. ¡°Back in the day, when I first visited the Imperial Preceptor¡¯s estate and saw the placard over the library, I felt excitement surge in my chest. I thought that those three words were fantastic.¡± There was delight in Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Four fors: for the heavens and earth, my heart; for the citizens, my life; for the sages, my vow to keep learning; for the world, my attempts to bring peace. ¡°In my youth, I didn¡¯t understand many things. I was proud and arrogant, always believing that the trivialities beside me weren¡¯t worth mentioning. Only these four things were worth my time and effort. I felt that in the future, I needed to become a marquis and a minister so as not to disappoint my need for revenge. Later on¡­¡± ¡°Fuck that,¡± Zhong Wan said expresionlessly. ¡°It¡¯s already difficult enough taking care of the living in one¡¯s family. I didn¡¯t have those abilities at all. The Imperial Preceptor thought too highly of me.¡± Yan Pingshan replied in agitation, ¡°Since you value your life so much, you should return with us¡­¡± ¡°Uncle Yan,¡± Zhong Wan interrupted Yan Pingshan. With an exasperated smile, he said, ¡°But the ones I can¡¯t let go of aren¡¯t limited to the people in this estate.¡± Yan Pingshan¡¯s breath caught in his throat. He softly said, ¡°You feel¡­ for Young Prince Yu¡­¡± ¡°Let bygones be bygones.¡± Zhong Wan poured a cup of tea for himself. He sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t want to cry.¡± Yan Pingshan: ¡°¡­¡± Yan Pingshan felt both pain and amusement in his heart. He thought about it and said, ¡°But¡­ if anything happens in the future.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Life and death are up to fate. I was asking for it.¡± When he had first arrived in the capital, Zhong Wan truly hadn¡¯t planned on staying. But after thinking of what Steward Feng had said, Zhong Wan felt that he was probably more needed here. He clearly knew that Yu She¡¯s life was on a line. How could Zhong Wan leave? ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll look after the estate. You don¡¯t need to worry about anything,¡± Yan Pingshan assured Zhong Wan. ¡°Prince is timid, which isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. His redeeming factor is that he¡¯s reliable. Things will be fine as long as he can marry a good princess consort who can handle family affairs. But Young Miss¡­¡± Zhong Wan stated, ¡°Don¡¯t force her to marry anyone. Listen to what she has to say. If all else fails, find a husband who can marry into the estate instead. With her temper, keeping him in the estate will ensure that she won¡¯t feel grievances in someone else¡¯s home.¡± Yan Pingshan nodded with a bitter smile. ¡°Yes.¡± As they spoke, Xuan Rui¡¯s servant appeared. He said that for some reason, Xuan Rui¡¯s temperature had suddenly started rising and he was already starting to spout nonsense. Zhong Wan ordered someone to invite an imperial physician over, then told that servant to act a bit more panicked. He needed to ensure that the entire capital knew Xuan Rui was close to not making it. After the servant left, Yan Pingshan stood up and pulled the door curtains a bit tighter to prevent the cold wind from entering. ¡°So what plan do you have?¡± Yan Pingshan continued inquiring. ¡°Are you going to mend your relationship with Young Prince Yu first? How? Is there anything I can help with?¡± ¡°No, I have to handle this on my own.¡± Zhong Wan actually had a headache thinking about this too. ¡°Things have escalated into the current situation, which is already awkward enough. His temperament has also changed a lot¡­ I need to take a step back first, I think, then slowly show him I mean well.¡± Yan Pingshan didn¡¯t understand. ¡°How will you slowly show him you mean well?¡± Zhong Wan had no idea either. He suddenly remembered something and said, ¡°Many local goods arrived from Qian An a few days ago. Did we already give all of them away?¡± ¡°No,¡± Yan Pingshan answered. ¡°We gave most of them to the palace and also gave some to the estates of older clan relatives. There are still some left.¡± ¡°Grab some tea leaves and such,¡± Zhong Wan ordered. ¡°Send them to Prince Yu¡¯s estate under my name.¡± Yan Pingshan nodded. Zhong Wan added, ¡°Don¡¯t send them to the wrong place. The address is the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate.¡± Yan Pingshan acknowledged, ¡°I understand. It¡¯s cold today, so you shouldn¡¯t leave the room. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± After saying this, Yan Pingshan left. Zhong Wan was quite anxious and hoped that his gifts wouldn¡¯t be thrown out by Yu She. Upon leaving Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard, Yan Pingshan headed straight to the storehouse. He looked around in a circle before calling a young steward over. With furrowed brows, he asked, ¡°Where are the remaining packets of Maojian?¡± The young steward was confused. ¡°Remaining? Didn¡¯t you say that we didn¡¯t need anymore gifts so should divide them and bring them to the masters¡¯ rooms? Young Master Zhong loves Maojian. He¡¯s probably already finished half of the supply by himself.¡± Yan Pingshan finally remembered. ¡°That¡¯s right. But what about the jars of alcohol? The ones we brought over from Qian An. Where are they?¡± ¡°The cook asked for them¡­¡± The young steward replied honestly. ¡°The day before yesterday he said he was going to make steamed chicken with rice wine, so took all of them. He used half, but Young Miss told someone to use the other half to make drunken braised goose.¡± Yan Pingshan was very exasperated. ¡°So is there anything else left?!¡± The young steward shook his head. ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡± Yan Pingshan appeared very frantic. The young steward hurriedly said, ¡°There is is is¡­ there are still a dozen or so live chickens from back home. They¡¯re being kept in the kitchen right now!¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± Yan Pingshan furrowed his brows. ¡°Gifting live chickens that squawk and flap their wings. How would that appear?¡± The young steward didn¡¯t dare to speak anymore. ¡°Nevermind,¡± Yan Pingshan stated in exasperation. ¡°Take me to see them.¡± The two of them went to look at the chickens. Yan Pingshan bent over to observe the dozen or so female chickens shivering in the coop from the cold. He wasn¡¯t satisfied at all. ¡°How timid. They¡¯ve also already lost a great portion of their feathers. They don¡¯t even look nice!¡± ¡°They are a bit ugly¡­¡± The young steward hit his own forehead. ¡°Then let¡¯s gift eggs! These chickens of ours aren¡¯t pretty after the journey, but their eggs are fine! And fresh! We can wipe them clean and place them in a small bamboo basket, then wrap the basket in red silk. Aiya¡­ how dignified!¡± Yan Pingshan thought about it and realized that this was truly a better alternative to gifting a few barely-feathered chickens. He nodded hesitantly. ¡°Alright. This can somewhat count as a local good from Qian An. Hurry and prepare the eggs and have someone deliver them safely to Prince Yu¡¯s estate.¡± The young steward eagerly rushed off. CH 22.2 Four hours later, Yu She who had already calmed down stared at the merry eggs covered in red silk laying on his table. His expression changed. Steward Feng stood off to the side, anxious and fearful. ¡°I heard¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was calm, ¡°That when people gift red eggs, it means that something joyous has occurred. That they¡¯ve had a child. Is that right?¡± Steward Feng carefully answered, ¡°I believe so.¡± ¡°So what does he mean by this?¡± Anger slowly built up between Yu She¡¯s eyebrows. ¡°Is he provoking me, making sure I know he¡¯s about to take a concubine and have a son?¡± ¡°No no no¡­¡± Steward Feng hurriedly stated. ¡°Young Master Zhong definitely doesn¡¯t mean that! He daren¡¯t!¡± ¡°It seems to me that there¡¯s nothing he doesn¡¯t dare to do anymore!¡± The angry fire in Yu She¡¯s heart was enough to burn this entire estate to the ground. ¡°He¡¯s going to marry Kuafu and has even sent me his and Kuafu¡¯s red eggs¡­ Is there anything else Zhong Guiyuan doesn¡¯t dare to do?!¡± Steward Feng shook his head furiously. He really wanted to beat Zhong Wan up too. Hadn¡¯t they come to an agreement before? They needed to take things slow. What was he playing at?! Steward Feng tried his best to coax, ¡°No no no, this must be a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°It¡¯s over for him¡­¡± Yu She was so angry his eyes were red. ¡°It¡¯s over for Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. It¡¯s over for the entire territory of Qian An¡­¡± Steward Feng had a pained expression on. ¡°Heir!¡± ¡°What time is it?¡± Yu She looked outside. ¡°Prepare my carriage!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t don¡¯t don¡¯t¡­¡± Steward Feng tried to stop him. ¡°It¡¯s almost Hai Shi. The curfew drums have already been beating for a long time! If you leave now, you¡¯ll be breaking curfew. But beyond this, it¡¯s below freezing and currently snowing. It¡¯s impossible to travel in this weather. Tomorrow¡­ let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow.¡± But how could Yu She listen? In the end, Steward Feng had to physically restrain Yu She from leaving. The anger took over Yu She. He had to drink two cups of three flower tea before restlessly falling asleep. At the same time, in Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, Zhong Wan finally returned to his own courtyard after checking on Xuan Rui. He took a sip of his hot tea, then stared at his teacup in a daze. Suddenly, he smiled. Perhaps Yu She was currently drinking the same type of tea as him? Zhong Wan was a bit restless, but also a bit excited. It had been many years since he had felt this way. Zhong Wan remembered that Yu She enjoyed drinking tea. He wondered what the other had thought after receiving those tea leaves today. Regardless, the relationship between the two of them might be somewhat restored now, right? Pa kbeiv yf lwqbrrlyif ab fgjrf jii atja tjv tjqqfcfv lc atf qjra. Dea veglcu atflg cfza wffalcu, rfflcu jr tf tjv ajxfc atf lclaljalnf ab fzqgfrr tlr ubbv klii, Te Vtf qgbyjyis kbeivc¡¯a yf rb tjgrt jcswbgf, gluta? Itbcu Qjc¡¯r tfjga ralii agfwyifv ktfc tf ibbxfv yjmx bc atflg qjra ofk wffalcur. Ljvc¡¯a atf bcmf ufcaif jcv wjccfgis Te Ilsbe mtjcufv j yla abb wemt? Zhong Wan put down his teacup and laid down. The next morning, Zhong Wan hardened his heart and told a servant to bring another bowl of medicine to Xuan Rui. This time, Xuan Rui didn¡¯t have the energy to hesitate. The fever caused his mouth to feel dry. Though he knew it was poison, he still drank it in one mouthful. Not even an hour later, his fever worsened. He threw up everything he had eaten that morning; his face looked a waxy yellow and his breaths were irregular. Xuan Yu didn¡¯t know anything. Upon seeing Xuan Rui like this, he became scared into shock. Xuan Congxin pressed a handkerchief to the corners of his eyes and lowly comforted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You still have jiejie.¡± It would have been fine if Xuan Congxin hadn¡¯t said this. After she did, though, Xuan Yu laid in front of Xuan Rui¡¯s bed and started howling. Xuan Congxin watched him cry from off to the side and remembered their parents who had passed long ago. She teared up too. Immediately, Prince Qian An¡¯s estate seemed to be the center of a great storm, filled with harsh rains and relentless winds. The situation was extremely dismal. Zhong Wan ordered someone to ask for an imperial doctor again. This time, the palace finally caught wind of the situation. Afterwards, Emperor Chongan sent two imperial doctors over and gifted the estate several nutritional supplements too. Emperor Chongan had personally expressed his worry. The other clansmen naturally started visiting too. Starting at noon, an endless stream of visitors appeared at the estate. It was truly too cold. Yan Pingshan was scared that Zhong Wan would get sick again, so didn¡¯t let him out to greet the visitors. Instead, he himself stayed out in front. Until the horse carriage of Prince Yu¡¯s estate arrived. Yan Pingshan was shocked. ¡°Someone¡¯s here from Prince Yu¡¯s estate too? Who? Prince Yu sent someone?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it.¡± The person at the door was completely lost too. ¡°If they had sent a steward to bring gifts, they shouldn¡¯t have cleared the path beforehand? And a family soldier has come over to announce their arrival¡­ Even the stewards of Prince Yu¡¯s estate make such an impressive appearance when they leave the estate?¡± Yan Pingshan replied in anger, ¡°What are you thinking! That means Young Prince Yu is coming! Where is he?¡± The person at the door almost became scared to death. ¡°At at at at¡­ right now, it seems that he¡¯s already at the door!¡± Yan Pingshan didn¡¯t have time to send someone to notify Zhong Wan. There couldn¡¯t be no one present to greet Yu She. He forced himself to rush over. Yan Pingshan had given Zhong Wan an intense scolding because Zhong Wan had gone to check up on Xuan Rui in the morning. Thus, he didn¡¯t dare to step out the door again. He stayed in his room, watching over his brazier while reading a book to pass time. Rushed footsteps sounded from outside. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t even look up. There were many people at the estate today. He figured that Yan Pingshan was too busy, so had told people to leave their presents in his courtyard first. Someone knocked twice on his door. Zhong Wan lifted his head. ¡°Uncle Yan? Come in¡­ the door isn¡¯t bolted.¡± Someone pushed the door open. Zhong Wan looked over. Yu She brought with him a frigid atmosphere. His eyes were filled with subtle fury. He stared directly at Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t yet know that he had been sold by Steward Feng and duped by Yan Pingshan. He didn¡¯t understand why Yu She was here. Temporarily, he froze, completely dazed. Yu She didn¡¯t say anything. He only gazed at Zhong Wan coldly, trying to control the anger in his heart. Outside, Yan Pingshan rushed over. He stood outside the door and panted, ¡°Young, Young Prince¡­ this isn¡¯t our Prince¡¯s courtyard! You¡­¡± Yu She slightly turned his head, but his eyes were still on Zhong Wan. He lowly said, ¡°This is my first time here. I don¡¯t know the way.¡± ¡°N-no worries.¡± After getting out of the carriage, Yu She had directly headed in this direction. Yan Pingshan was sweaty from chasing him the entire way. He bowed outside the door, ¡°You, you can follow me.¡± Yu She gave Zhong Wan a hard look, then turned around. Before Yan Pingshan could heave a sigh of relief, Yu She closed the door from inside and slid the bolt into place. A swarm of servants got locked outside the door. They stared at each other. Zhong Wan inside the room: ¡°¡­¡± Zhong Wan observed Yu She¡¯s expression. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn¡¯t say that the other appeared very friendly. Zhong Wan self-reflected. Had he done something else recently? Not at all! After their meeting last time, Yu She had told him to get out. Zhong Wan had obediently gotten out. Yesterday he had even sent tea leaves over. Could sending gifts also make people this angry? The air surrounding Yu She seemed to be on fire. But his lips were quirked in a smile. Zhong Wan instinctively felt nervous. Some things¡­ seemed to be different from what he had been expecting. Zhong Wan furiously searched through his mind to see if he had done anything terrible recently that could cause Yu She to become this angry. At the same time, he reflexively took a step back. ¡°Wishing Young Prince Yu¡­ well.¡± Yu She scanned the room. ¡°Where are Kuafu and your son?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s mind went blank. What the heck? What son? Yu She saw that Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t refuting him, so smiled. ¡°You¡¯re planning on making the clouds above my estate green?¡± Zhong Wan was even more lost. What clouds? Zhong Wan remembered what Steward Feng had said about Yu She being unreasonable during his mad spells. He guessed that the other was in a spell currently, so didn¡¯t dare to enrage him. He ambiguously stated, ¡°Un¡­ yes.¡± Yu She became furious. His expression turned even colder as he undid the strings holding his cape together and tossed the heavy article off to the side. ¡°It¡¯s good that you aren¡¯t denying it.¡± Zhong Wan thought to himself, it¡¯s over, it¡¯s over. Yu She has truly gone crazy this time. Zhong Wan turned to the side and tried to leave, but Yu She tugged him over by the wrist, so that he was in front of Yu She. ¡°You¡­¡± Zhong Wan tried his best to calm himself down. Holding onto the last bit of hope, he stuttered, ¡°Did you read another strange storybook? About child¡­ childbirth?¡± Upon hearing this, a light flashed in Yu She¡¯s eyes. His voice deepened. ¡°I heard that you feel your bedroom is empty?¡± For an instant, Zhong Wan was stunned. Shortly after, his embarrassment became anger. ¡°Have some self respect!¡± Yu She scoffed. ¡°Which one of us is lacking in self respect? Don¡¯t you feel empty¡­ I¡¯ve come to spend time with you.¡± Yu She was very close to Zhong Wan. As he spoke, his breaths brushed over Zhong Wan¡¯s ear. Zhong Wan ground his teeth together and said, ¡°Young Prince Yu has just barged into an adult man¡¯s room, taken off his clothes, and jumped on the other¡­ Heh, it¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re not a girl. If you were a girl, I would have to marry you.¡± ¡°Take a good look.¡± Yu She tugged Zhong Wan¡¯s arms up higher, forcing Zhong Wan to become pressed against his chest. ¡°Who is jumping on who? If you were a girl, forget marriage. I probably would¡¯ve already gotten you pregnant, right?¡± Zhong Wan was furious. He couldn¡¯t push the other away; instead, Yu She managed to tie his hands together. Yu She stared closely at Zhong Wan. With a smile, he lowered his voice to ask, ¡°Can you¡­ get pregnant?¡± Zhong Wan used all his might to struggle against Yu She¡¯s hold. Suddenly, Yu She paused. He and Zhong Wan were glued together. He could clearly feel whatever reaction the other was having. Zhong Wan¡¯s ears instantly flushed red. Yu She realized something. His expression changed. Zhong Wan really wanted to find a crevice to burrow into. What the hell was this?! ¡°¡­¡± Yu She still hadn¡¯t let go of Zhong Wan. On instinct, he turned his face away so he was no longer looking at the other. This was a way of preventing Zhong Wan from feeling more embarrassed. However, he still said, ¡°Guiyuan, I¡¯ve come to humiliate you. Your reaction¡­ makes things a little difficult for me.¡± CH 23 Zhong Wan had unexpectedly made a fool of himself in front of Yu She. He tried his best to cool himself, closing his eyes, pretending that Yu She wasn¡¯t the one before him. He ground his teeth. ¡°Whose fault is it?¡± He could sense Yu She drawing back a hint, not waiting for Zhong Wan to relax. He could hear Yu She¡¯s breathing by his ear. With his sight concealed, his hearing became more sensitive. He heard Yu She whisper in his ear, ¡°Blame yourself¡­¡± Every word Yu She said, he hid another. There were some things Young Prince Yu couldn¡¯t say because they were too crude. However, Zhong Wan didn¡¯t need to be taught to know what words Yu She was unable to say. Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden. Blame. Yourself. For. Being. Unrestrained. Zhong Wan¡¯s face flushed. He opened his eyes. A glance, and he could see the Yu She who was very close to him. And he quickly closed his eyes again. As crazy as Yu She was, his appearance compared to that of his youth was even more dazzling. Handsome in a heroic and righteous way. Even when he was crazy, he didn¡¯t seem deranged. On the contrary, it added to his allure. To be stared at by him at such close range, even if there was nothing wrong originally, in the eyes of others, it would still appear like so. He gritted his teeth, spitting out one word at a time, ¡°Can. You. Release. Me. First?¡± A while later, Yu She finally loosened his grip. Zhong Wan turned around. Poured a cup of cold tea. Drank it. Never had Yu She expected Zhong Wan to be that weak at handling bullying. After breaking from his surprise, he grew calmer than he had been previous. He retreated a few steps, until he was standing in front of the window. Not once did his gaze stray to Zhong Wan. A moment later, he suddenly realized something was strange. Yu She turned his head and stared at Zhong Wan with narrowed eyes. ¡°Zhong Wan, does your concubine know you¡¯re interested in men?¡± If you''re reading this, this translation is stolen. Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan was dumbstruck. Then he blurted, ¡°What concubine?!¡± Coldly, Yu She said, ¡°Kuafu.¡± Zhong Wan was rendered speechless. All of a sudden, realization struck him. He took a deep breath. After he had calmed down, he asked, ¡°You¡¯ve inserted spies near me?¡± Extremely calm, Yu She said, ¡°Yes.¡± Even if he had to die, Zhong Wan still wanted to understand. To clarify why Yu She had captured him and interrogated him. He had lost all face, both inside and out. ¡°Your spies informed you that I want to marry Kuafu?¡± Yu She nodded. Zhong Wan was furious to the point of nearly being unable to breathe. ¡°And then you believed it?!¡± ¡°He has served me for more than ten years,¡± Yu She said with indifference. ¡°And he was even willing to make an oath of blood.¡± Zhong Wan could not utter a word. He recalled when Steward Feng had met with him yesterday. And he asked, ¡°Did Steward Feng say something to you?¡± These things didn¡¯t need to be hidden. Yu She sat down. He relayed what Steward Feng had said in full detail, from the concubine to the two baskets of eggs. Once he had heard everything, Zhong Wan leaned against the wall, as if he had lost all vitality. If you''re reading this, this translation is stolen. Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden.com Mbg j wbwfca, tf vlvc¡¯a xcbk tbk ab fzqijlc. ¡°Mbg qfbqif ab ilnf lc atlr kbgiv¡­¡± Itbcu Qjc kjr rb oeglber atja tlr tfjv gjcu. ¡°Ktfs wera bcis gfis bc atfwrfinfr. Ktfs mjccba agera¡­ atbrf ys atflg rlvf. Tbe klii cfnfg xcbk ktb kbeiv rajy sbe lc atf yjmx.¡± Yu She frowned. He hadn¡¯t a clue what Zhong Wan was saying, the first half of his words not connecting with the latter half. Dispirited, Zhong Wan said, ¡°I don¡¯t even have one concubine. If you don¡¯t believe me, then look for her yourself.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t one right now,¡± Yu She said apathetically. ¡°Is it because she has yet to marry in?¡± Zhong Wan was left with no other choice but to honestly say, ¡°I don¡¯t have any concubine that has yet to marry in either.¡± But Yu She still did not believe him. Even so, his expression seemed a bit better than it had previously. If you''re reading this, this translation is stolen. Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan kept recalling how Yu She had embraced him in his arms before and how he had a slight physical reaction. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to jump into a lake. At present, his mind was chaotic. He only wanted Yu She to forget what had happened before. He quickly changed the topic of conversation, carelessly asking, ¡°What right do you have to control me?¡± That startled Yu She. And he burst in laughter. Zhong Wan¡¯s heartbeat grew chaotic again. The smile vanished from Yu She¡¯s lips. He indifferently said, ¡°Because everyone knows you belong to me.¡± This rendered Zhong Wan speechless once more. Yu She swept his gaze up and down Zhong Wan¡¯s body. Softly, he said, ¡°Speaking of which¡­ what¡¯s with that appearance of yours before?¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan grumbled in his heart, can¡¯t you refrain from mentioning that?! ¡°Zhong Wan.¡± When Yu She recalled what had occurred earlier, the two days¡¯ worth of anger that he had suppressed was extinguished. Calm in the midst of chaos, he stared at Zhong Wan. ¡°Back then¡­ what was the cause of that reaction?¡± Tilting his head, Zhong Wan stiffly said, ¡°I haven¡¯t been close to anyone in a long time, so I treated you as a woman.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not that tall. Which family¡¯s daughter can hold you like I do?¡± Yu She sneered. ¡°Hm? Is there anyone who can hold you like this?¡± Zhong Wan did not want to remember at all how he had been trapped in Yu She¡¯s arms. He thought, if anyone dared to do this to me, I would have long since sent them to the King of Hell! Yu She¡¯s expression changed: he had suddenly thought of something. ¡°Could it be there¡¯s really a Kuafu?¡± ¡°No!¡± Zhong Wan almost collapsed. ¡°Stop mentioning Kuafu.¡± Yu She stared at Zhong Wan, ruminating. After they had reunited, whenever they met, Zhong Wan had always been tense. Yu She often felt he was a little unfamiliar. Yet also familiar. The present Zhong Wan had changed immensely, but occasionally reminded Yu She of his own younger self. Today, Zhong Wan had gone through extreme highs and lows, and his temperament seemed like a child¡¯s at the moment. ¡°Then speak honestly.¡± Yu She knocked on the table, still continuing with the previous line of conversation. ¡°Just now, why were you like that?¡± Zhong Wan absolutely did not want to remember what had happened earlier. He only wanted to find a hole to hide in. In a good mood, Yu She suggested, ¡°If you can¡¯t remember, we can try again.¡± Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden. ¡°No!¡± Zhong Wan could not handle such provocation. After some hesitation, he abandoned himself to despair. ¡°Because¡­ Because¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s gaze proved deep. ¡°Is it because of me or what I said?¡± Zhong Wan tried to find the lesser of two evils. And at rapid speed, he said, ¡°Because of what you said.¡± Low laughter escaped Yu She¡¯s lips. ¡°What?¡± He stared at Zhong Wan, asking in a low voice, ¡°You really want to birth a child for me?¡± And Zhong Wan¡¯s face turned scarlet. He strived his best to keep calm. Whispered, ¡°Young Prince Yu¡­ Please conduct yourself with dignity.¡± ¡°You were the one who wasn¡¯t conducting yourself properly first.¡± Yu She rose to his feet. He said in a careless manner, ¡°Young Princess Consort Yu.¡± Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan sat there, dumbstruck. He knew full well that Yu She was merely speaking without thought. He calmed his heart and pretended not to have heard it. ¡°It¡¯d be best if it were a misunderstanding.¡± Yu She picked up his cloak. Approached Zhong Wan. He stopped two chi away from him, and staring into Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes, he impassively said, ¡°If you use the excuse of ¡®taking a concubine¡¯ to lure me here, then I will truly test and see if you can actually give birth.¡± Zhong Wan closed his eyes, chanting the Clear Heart mantra in his thoughts. Yu She turned around. Opened the door. The guards of Yu She filled Zhong Wan¡¯s little courtyard. All the servants of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate made sure their gazes didn¡¯t stray. Yu She stood at the doorway and stared at the outside expressionlessly. He took his time putting on his cloak. Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan covered his face with his hands, not looking. Even if he were using his legs instead of brain to think, he would know what the servants thought when they saw Yu She straightening his clothes. Yu She lifted his hand and rubbed his shoulder. And he led his men out. A long while later, Yan Pingshan carefully pushed open the door. Tilting his head, he stared at Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan sat on top of his bed. He lifted his head and looked at Yan Pingshan. Frustrated to the extreme, he said, ¡°Why did you send him red eggs?!¡± Yan Pingshan froze. Then he innocently said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it yourself? To use your name to send the most famous product of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate? You already drank more than half of the tea leaves we brought, and the alcohol had already been used to cook with. We only had more than ten egg-laying hens. I was afraid it would lose face for you, so I did not directly send the chickens. Then¡ª¡± ¡°Enough, enough,¡± said Zhong Wan, Yan Pingshan¡¯s words giving him a headache. He did his utmost to suppress the blush on his cheeks, did his utmost to appear like he had previously. ¡°Suppress the news. Don¡¯t let anyone know he came here earlier.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that cannot be done,¡± said Yan Pingshan, unable to bear it. ¡°Never had I expected that Young Prince Yu would bring so many people, and even sealed off the road to our estate. The roads ahead, behind, to our left and right have all been blocked off. The guards of Prince Yu¡¯s estate took strict precautions and guarded the streets to their best ability. It scared the noble personages that paid a visit to His Highness¡¯ sick bed so much, they were too afraid to leave. Only after Young Prince Yu had left did they come out of the inner courtyard¡­¡± Zhong Wan felt like dying¡­ Wasn¡¯t that great now? Whether the news of Xuan Rui being sick to the point of near death could spread was anyone¡¯s guess. However, that Young Prince Yu forcibly charged into his courtyard and locked the door, leaving the two alone in the room, definitely would spread like wildfire all through the capital. A few days later, most of Jiangnan and Jiangbei learned of this news. Once those authors of storybooks heard of this, they were rolling in excitement. After they had finished writing their novels, and the stories entered the capital, Yu She would probably have a great time again. In any case, he was the only one out of luck. In others¡¯ eyes, he had defended his virginity for many years with great difficulty. Just like that, it was gone. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Yan Pingshan turned his head, glancing at Zhong Wan. He wanted to ask what Yu She had done to him in the room just now, but also felt like these matters should not be pried on. Without looking, Zhong Wan knew what was going through his head. And his headache grew. Yan Pingshan feared that Zhong Wan ate a loss but was unable to say it. Furthermore, he feared Zhong Wan received a hidden injury that could not be mentioned. He hesitated for a long time, before choking out one phrase: ¡°Do you want hot water?¡± Again, Zhong Wan felt like dying. What do I need hot water for? To wash my wrists that have been dirtied by Yu She¡¯s grasp? Yan Pingshan¡¯s gaze was evasive. He felt he had said something he should not have said, tactfully shutting up. A stretch of silence. The fire in Zhong Wan¡¯s heart had been extinguished completely. He wholeheartedly said, ¡°Just ask. Only after you ask me can I explain clearly. I don¡¯t know how many spies there are in our estate. I¡¯ll borrow their mouths to prove my innocence.¡± Afraid that he would hurt Zhong Wan, Yan Pingshan quickly shook his head, his face reflecting his intention to keep everything secret. Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Enraged, Zhong Wan shouted, ¡°Ask!¡± Yan Pingshan pushed himself way beyond his ability and forced himself to say, ¡°Are you¡­?¡± Zhong Wan took a deep breath. Voice powerful and resonating, he said, ¡°Listen carefully. I am still a virgin.¡± CH 24.1 Things would have been fine if Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t said anything. As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Pingshan¡¯s gaze became filled with reluctance and pity as he looked over. Zhong Wan placed a hand over his liver that hurt because of how angry he was. He was so angry that his tone changed. ¡°The two of us only chatted a bit. We didn¡¯t do anything. I won¡¯t blame you for the red chicken eggs¡­ Consider this my plea to you. Don¡¯t bring any hot water in. I don¡¯t want to cry while bathing. Go do what you need to do.¡± Yan Pingshan looked at Zhong Wan, still concerned. As he left, he kept looking back every few steps. Zhong Wan rubbed the spot between his eyebrows and closed the door. He walked over to the washbasin. In a daze, he slowly washed his wrists. Zhong Wan had pale skin. There were marks on his wrist from Yu She¡¯s grip. Zhong Wan exhaled deeply. The virgin kungfu he had so diligently practiced for twenty four years was now for naught¡­ And because of an unclear reason. Zhong Wan thought of how he had become aroused earlier and wished he could stuff his head into the washbasin and drown himself. How could he see Yu She again after this? And he was going to stay in the capital. Every meeting after would be another bout of embarrassment. With enough meetings¡­ the little bit of dignity he had left with Yu She would be completely lost! Zhong Wan wiped his hands and forced himself to stop thinking about Yu She. He walked out and headed towards the back yard. Xuan Rui¡¯s cheeks were a burning red. His lips were white and his breaths ragged. His chest heaved up and down as his legs occasionally spasmed. He couldn¡¯t have appeared more tragic. Itbcu Qjc aegcfv tlr tfjv bnfg ab ibbx ja atf lwqfglji vbmabg rajslcu ys atf qjalfca¡¯r yfv. Lf jrxfv, ¡°Qtja¡¯r kgbcu klat beg Uglcmf? Lf¡¯r tjv wfvlmlcf qgfrmglyfv ys sbe obg j vjs cbk, yea vbfrc¡¯a rffw ab yf ufaalcu yfaafg ja jii. Gb kf cffv ab rklamt wfvlmjalbcr?¡± The imperial doctor was also very confused. ¡°When I checked yesterday, I thought that Prince had only caught a cold that resulted in a sudden fever. But today¡­ that doesn¡¯t seem quite right.¡± With an outside male present, Xuan Congxin sat behind the screen. Upon hearing this, she said, ¡°It originally was only a cold. Eldest brother didn¡¯t think anything of it either. But for some reason, his temperature suddenly started rising and we couldn¡¯t wake him up anymore. He drank a few bowls of medicine, but appears to be getting worse and worse. Right now, he throws up everything he consumes. If this continues¡­¡± Zhong Wan subtly pressured the imperial physician, ¡°He used to be able to at least have a few bites of congee, but we can¡¯t feed him anything now¡­ If this continues, I fear that his small illness may become something much more serious.¡± The imperial doctor was agitated too. He hurriedly said, ¡°Of course, of course. Allow me to discuss with the two other imperial physicians to come up with a new prescription.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Sorry to be a bother.¡± The imperial doctor left, quite worried. Yan Pingshan lowered his voice and said nervously, ¡°Are they going to continue finding a cure? Then when can we request permission to leave from the emperor?¡± ¡°The emperor sent them here. They don¡¯t dare to not try their best,¡± Zhong Wan responded softly. ¡°No worries. Xuan Rui¡¯s sickness is getting worse and worse. The imperial doctors don¡¯t want to get blamed in the future. When they get back, they¡¯ll definitely make the situation seem worse than it really is when they report to the emperor. The emperor may not believe us, but he¡¯ll believe the imperial doctors. ¡°The imperial physicians are fearful that they won¡¯t be able to cure Xuan Rui. The emperor is also scared that something will happen to us while we¡¯re in the capital. If so, he won¡¯t be able to explain himself clearly,¡± Zhong Wan stated lightly. ¡°By then, when we request permission to leave, the emperor will be willing to get rid of us, the troublesome lot.¡± Yan Pingshan thought about it and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. It would be impossible for the emperor to allow us to leave without expressing concern. Regardless of whether it¡¯s out of genuine compassion or just for appearance¡¯s sake, he¡¯ll definitely try to cure Prince first. Only¡­ this way, His Highness will have to suffer.¡± Yan Pingshan removed the wet cloth from Xuan Rui¡¯s forehead and replaced it with a new one. He hesitantly said, ¡°Continuously eating that medicine¡­ is okay, right? He¡¯s already consumed it two days in a row!¡± Zhong Wan answered without much care, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Yan Pingshan furrowed his brows and looked at Xuan Rui. He still couldn¡¯t stop worrying. He turned his gaze to Zhong Wan and lowered his voice to ask again, ¡°How many days did you continuously take it for back then?¡± Zhong Wan calmly stated, ¡°Seventeen.¡± Yan Pingshan¡¯s breath caught. A hint of embarrassment flashed through his eyes. He turned around and stopped speaking. Zhong Wan smiled. He didn¡¯t think too much of it. As they spoke, Xuan Rui¡¯s shoulders shook a few times. He suddenly flipped over and vomited into the spittoon on the ground by the bed. Xuan Congxin covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief. From behind it, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll return to my own room first. Have someone call me if you need anything.¡± After, she left. Zhong Wan gazed at Xuan Rui¡¯s form and suddenly wondered, did I also look like this when I had eaten this medicine in my youth? At the time¡­ it had been Yu She taking care of him. Zhong Wan struggled to remember. Had he also thrown up back then? Had it also appeared so¡­ filthy? Yu She actually hadn¡¯t tossed him out of the estate? As expected, his temperament had been too kind in youth. Zhong Wan really couldn¡¯t recall if he had thrown up back then or not. He could only confirm that at the time, he hadn¡¯t appeared any better than Xuan Rui now. Zhong Wan had been in a rush to send a message to Old Imperial Preceptor Shi. He naturally couldn¡¯t use the people in Prince Yu¡¯s estate. As soon as the message he needed to send was intercepted by anyone else, Old Imperial Preceptor Shi would become implicated in the mess. Aside from the servants in the estate, the only person Zhong Wan could see was Yu She. But Zhong Wan didn¡¯t trust Yu She. He could only come up with another plan. There was an old imperial doctor in the imperial academy of medicine who had been responsible for taking care of Zhong Wan¡¯s health since young. Zhong Wan wanted to use him to get in contact with Old Imperial Preceptor Shi. Thus, he spent a few days pretending to be ill first. Zhong Wan fell ill. Yu She naturally invited an imperial doctor. But not the one Zhong Wan wanted. Zhong Wan was on his guard against Yu She; Yu She was also on his guard against Zhong Wan. Yu She couldn¡¯t cause trouble for his father and also didn¡¯t want Zhong Wan to get caught up in the mess. Zhong Wan faked being sick for two days. Yu She¡¯s trusted imperial physician fed him useless medicine used to chase away fire for the same amount of time. He was so angry his stomach hurt. With no other options, he could only come up with another solution. Using the fact that he had been sick, Zhong Wan snuck into the medicine room of the side courtyard and stole several different medicines. He couldn¡¯t boil them without garnering others¡¯ attention, so could only grind all the herbs into powder and separate them into little pouches. He hid these pouches under his bed and swallowed one every day. CH 24.2 As such, Zhong Wan truly fell ill. Zhong Wan was scared that he would garner Yu She¡¯s attention, so at first, he obediently allowed Yu She¡¯s trusted imperial doctor to treat him. He ate whatever medicine the imperial doctor prescribed. When no one was around in the middle of the night, he secretly ate his medicine powder. As this continued on, he became sicker and sicker. Half a month later, Zhong Wan was a whole circle thinner. He couldn¡¯t even get out of bed. Because he had something he was determined about, his mind was still clear. He could still chat with Yu She. ¡°Yu She¡­ you¡¯ve lost money this time. You spent so much money getting me here, but haven¡¯t even been able to do anything. In a few days, you¡¯ll have to lose even more money buying a coffin.¡± Yu She sat in the chair next to him, silent. Zhong Wan had a lot of needs. He started listing them. ¡°For the coffin material¡­ I want golden-thread Nanmu wood. I don¡¯t want to hold pearls in my mouth. Instead, I want a jade cicada. This way, when I reincarnate, there¡¯s an 80% chance I¡¯ll still be a literary talent¡­¡± Slight anger appeared in young Yu She¡¯s eyes. Zhong Wan¡¯s brain was muddled and his vision was blurry because of his sickness. He didn¡¯t notice this at all and was still seeking death. ¡°Say¡­ with my identity, where would the appropriate burial grounds be for me? My coffin is so nice, so don¡¯t bury me in the unmarked common graves outside of the city¡­ My coffin will¡­ will be stolen by others. But I probably can¡¯t get buried in the Zhong family¡¯s ancestral tombs anymore since I¡¯ve fallen to slave status. I have no face to see my ancestors. Then¡­¡± Zhong Wan stated in exasperation, ¡°Then I can only be buried in your family¡¯s tombs. Can you bury me beside your grave?¡± Young Yu She asked lowly, ¡°Why would you want to be buried by my side?¡± Zhong Wan openly revealed, ¡°Otherwise I have nowhere to go. In the future, can you bury me with your Princess Consort Yu?¡± Yu She was rendered speechless. Then he asked, ¡°You want to be buried with my princess consort? Then where would I go?!¡± Zhong Wan had teased the future Princess Consort Yu. He wanted to laugh but didn¡¯t dare to. ¡°I don¡¯t need a lot of space. Worse comes to worst, you can just order a smaller coffin for me. How about this¡­¡± He coughed. ¡°Order a tiny coffin for me and bury me in between you and your princess consort. This way, a hundred years later, the three of us can live together happily ever after in the underground palace¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was filled with shards of ice. ¡°Zhong. Gui. Yuan.¡± Zhong Wan was extremely terrified. He looked at Yu She with great difficulty and coughed a few times. ¡°What?¡± Yu She¡¯s eyes were blood red. He took two steps forward and stopped in front of the bed Zhong Wan was lying on. He squeezed Zhong Wan¡¯s arm tightly and said viciously, ¡°What do you actually want? It¡¯d be best if you told me immediately! All your little plans will be for naught if you truly die.¡± Zhong Wan felt his heart drop. He had originally been planning on acting pitiful today and begging Yu She to invite the old imperial doctor in charge of taking care of him over. But he had never expected for Yu She to have already guessed his intentions. ¡°Put your clever ploys away. I don¡¯t know how you made yourself sick, nor do I know what you ultimately want.¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was ice cold. ¡°But if you keep playing yourself like this, I can guarantee that I will definitely find a grave that has the best fengshui in my family¡¯s tomb for you!¡± Ktlr kjr atf olgra alwf Te Vtf tjv ibra tlr mbwqbregf. Itbcu Qjc uba rmjgfv lcab j vjhf. C ibcu alwf ijafg, tf olcjiis rjlv rboais, ¡°P¡­ P kjca Yiv Pwqfglji Gbmabg Ole ab mbwf rff wf¡­¡± Te Vtf qertfv Itbcu Qjc jkjs jcv lwwfvljafis bgvfgfv j rfgnjca ab lcnlaf Pwqfglji Gbmabg Ole. Ktfc, tf mbwwjcvfv jii atf batfg jaafcvjcar ab ifjnf atf gbbw, jiibklcu obg Itbcu Qjc jcv Pwqfglji Gbmabg Ole ab wbgf mbcnfclfcais rqfjx lc rfmgfa. ¡°It¡¯d be best that you become instantly better after seeing the one you want to see.¡± Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan coldly before leaving. Afterwards, he never visited Zhong Wan again. Meanwhile, because of Yu She¡¯s deliberate tolerance, Zhong Wan successfully managed to pass along his message to Old Imperial Preceptor Shi. Thus, Zhong Wan relaxed. As soon as he did so, the effect of the poison that had been building up in his body for several days erupted like a raging tempest. That day, he passed out because of his fever. By that time, Yu She had already found Lin Si and brought him over. Little Lin Si was so agitated that he became ill too. He spent day and night caring for Zhong Wan, but Zhong Wan simply could not be awakened. His condition didn¡¯t seem to be getting better either. Lin Si didn¡¯t actually know how to take care of others. He was clumsy and slow. Simply switching wet handkerchiefs for Zhong Wan could result in spilling a bunch of water over Zhong Wan¡¯s face. When he fed Zhong Wan medicine, the medicine could end up on the other¡¯s neck. Yu She had been holding back his anger while in the middle of a cold war with Zhong Wan, but upon seeing the situation these two were in, he couldn¡¯t tolerate things anymore and sent Lin Si back to the stables. He rolled up his own sleeves and personally started taking care of Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan could remember that the next time he opened his eyes, he was lying in young Yu She¡¯s arms. Yu She had taken care of Zhong Wan for several consecutive days. He was extremely tired too. With a handkerchief in his hand, he had fallen asleep while leaning against the head of the bed. Consequently, Zhong Wan, who wasn¡¯t shy in his dreams, had used the other as a pillow. At this time, Zhong Wan had just recovered from a great illness. He didn¡¯t have the energy to think about anything else. But now, he couldn¡¯t help the blush that crept up his ears. Zhong Wan very clearly remembered that when he had woken up, his body had been clean. The clothes that Lin Si had spilled medicine on had disappeared. Instead, he was wearing new undergarments; the blankets he was lying on were dry and soft too. It was easy to tell that they had been freshly changed. So¡­ who changed these things for him? Zhong Wan stared at Xuan Rui who didn¡¯t even look human anymore because of how ill he was. His scalp felt numb as he thought, had I also looked like this back then? Yu She had taken care of him while he had looked like this for seven to eight days¡­ How had he done it? Zhong Wan¡¯s expression was too tragic to look at. He didn¡¯t dare to dwell on this too much. After learning that Zhong Wan had once taken this medicine for over ten days, Yan Pingshan finally relaxed. He didn¡¯t hesitate to feed Xuan Rui the medicine at all. Three days later, Xuan Rui¡¯s condition still wasn¡¯t getting better. The imperial physicians immediately pleaded guilty in front of Emperor Chongan. Under Xuan Yu¡¯s name, Zhong Wan chose an opportune time to hand a request in to Emperor Chongan. He used the excuse of winter being too cold in the capital and thus unsuitable for recovering from illness to ask the Emperor for permission to allow them to return to Qian An. This way, they could slowly nurse Xuan Rui back to health. Emperor Chongan didn¡¯t agree, but neither did he refuse. He only said that he couldn¡¯t bear for Xuan Rui to travel such long distances while sick. That day, he sent a few more imperial doctors over and granted the estate more nutritional supplements. Zhong Wan understood Emperor Chongan¡¯s thoughts. If he directly let them leave, it would make him seem like a cold uncle who didn¡¯t care about his nephew¡¯s health at all. It was necessary that he make a show of how much he cared before sending this troublesome lot away. Zhong Wan relaxed and started preparing Yan Pingshan for the return to Qian An. Side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Yu She played with the string of beads in his hand. He lowly asked, ¡°They¡¯re already preparing to leave?¡± The spy knelt on the ground and nodded. ¡°Prince Qian An has been sick in bed for several days. As soon as he inhales any cold air, he begins coughing non stop. The imperial doctors have not been able to find anything wrong with him, only saying that he¡¯s unused to the new environment. In addition to the fact that he can¡¯t handle the climate of the north, they¡¯re¡­ persuading Prince Qian An to return to the south so he can slowly recover.¡± The emotion in Yu She¡¯s eyes wasn¡¯t joy or sadness. He calmly stated, ¡°I know now. You may leave.¡± After his spy left, Yu She silently sat there. Two hours later, when Steward Feng returned to seek Yu She, he was still in the same position. He hadn¡¯t moved at all. Steward Feng was most scared of seeing Yu She in this type of daze, when his eyes appeared dead. He thought to himself, oh no, before hurriedly scooting close with a smile on his face. He switched out Yu She¡¯s tea for a new pot of hot tea before softly saying, ¡°I heard just now that Prince Qian An is returning to his territory?¡± ¡°Strange, unpredictable things are brewing in the capital.¡± Yu She seemed to be muttering to himself. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want Prince Ning¡¯s children to be caught up in the mess, so plans to leave again.¡± Steward Feng knew who this ¡°he¡± was even without needing Yu She to elaborate. Steward Feng was very agitated. He had had a long chat with Zhong Wan last time, but Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t promised anything regarding whether or not he was going to stay. He put himself in the other¡¯s shoes and thought about it. Naturally, not staying was the better option. How carefree would it be to go to Qian An and be the local emperor! Steward Feng looked up at Yu She and complained quietly in his heart, but what about this one? Steward Feng¡¯s heart trembled as he remembered how Yu She had looked a few days ago while smiling and joking about jumping into the ice hole. He toughened up and swore that he would be a cow or horse for Zhong Wan in his next life before lowly saying, ¡°Prince Qian An is leaving¡­ but Young Master Zhong might not.¡± Yu She looked toward Steward Feng. Steward Feng pushed the new pot of tea closer to Yu She¡¯s hands. ¡°After Prince Qian An leaves this time, it¡¯s likely that he may never return to the capital again. Young Master Zhong has already done enough for Prince Ning. So¡­ doesn¡¯t that mean that he might not necessarily leave with them?¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was dark but blank. He didn¡¯t speak. Steward Feng added, ¡°I seem to remember¡­ that Young Master Zhong¡¯s self-selling contract is still in your hands?¡± Yu She lightly said, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s it.¡± Steward Feng smiled. ¡°Of course, bringing up the self-selling contract will negatively affect your relationship. We can simply not bring it up. Besides, Young Master Zhong has stayed at our estate before. Back then¡­ we also treated him quite well.¡± Yu She¡¯s tone was calm. ¡°Quite well? He stayed here for only half a year, but fell ill several times.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s true,¡± Steward Feng said in embarrassment. He switched topics, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that. Doesn¡¯t Heir want Young Master Zhong to stay?¡± Yu She listened silently. He didn¡¯t speak. Steward Feng lowly coaxed, ¡°Heir, think about it. How nice is Young Master Zhong. He looks good and also has a good temper. If you could keep him in the estate¡­¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t help but reminisce how Zhong Wan had looked resting in his arms a few days ago. His throat suddenly felt itchy. He picked up his tea cup and took a sip. Steward Feng felt that this was an opportunity, so continued, ¡°If you were to keep Young Master Zhong, you would be in the right. Prince Qian An¡¯s estate definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to fight you for him.¡± Yu She¡¯s pupils slightly trembled. Steward Feng muttered by himself, ¡°If you have such a desire, this old slave will give the orders ahead of time. Un¡­ should we also prepare some sleeping drugs?¡± Sleeping drugs¡­ Yu She couldn¡¯t help remembering something that had happened during Zhong Wan¡¯s illness many years ago. At the time, young Zhong Wan had a fever. He spent his days drifting in and out of sleep. Yu She spent a great amount of effort feeding him his medicine every day. He couldn¡¯t relax after feeding him either. Zhong Wan¡¯s temperature would fluctuate between being cold and hot during his fever, so he would occasionally kick his blankets off. Yu She would spend his entire day sitting beside Zhong Wan and reading. When he saw the other kick his blankets off, he would put his book down and place the blanket over Zhong Wan again. This was all okay. The most terrible instances occurred when Zhong Wang felt cold. Young Zhong Wan was very needy when asleep. If he felt cold, he would scoot closer to Yu She who was sitting beside him and tug on Yu She¡¯s clothes. Then, he would burrow his way into the other¡¯s arms. Yu She¡¯s face would turn red. He couldn¡¯t push the other away and was also scared that he would fall off the bed, so could only hold him up. This person also wasn¡¯t a peaceful sleeper. In his fever-induced daze, he would randomly feel around. One time, he actually stuck his hand inside Yu She¡¯s underclothes, completely tugging open the collar of Yu She¡¯s shirt. This pissed Yu She off so much that he felt the desire to leave him to survive on his own. Naturally, he didn¡¯t truly do so in the end. If he were to give Zhong Wan a bowl of sleeping drugs now, would he also act like he did in his youth and¡­ Yu She closed his eyes and aggressively drank his cup of tea. CH 25.1 From time to time, Yu She grew lost in thought. Not once did he declare his decision. Anxious, Steward Feng asked, ¡°Heir doesn¡¯t want to grow old together with Young Master Zhong?¡± Yu She muttered, ¡°Grow old together, grow old together¡­¡± For some reason, these three words struck Yu She¡¯s heart. His face lost the trace of warmth it originally held, gaze freezing over completely. Then, the corners of his lips faintly tilted up into a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I can live. How could I grow old with anyone?¡± What Steward Feng feared most was hearing Yu She utter such things. He said with urgency, ¡°Why does your honored self keep thinking this? Heir is healthy. As long as you don¡¯t do anything that can frighten people, how could you not live until a hundred?¡± Indifference lacing his words, Yu She said, ¡°But I like to do things that frighten people. I also don¡¯t want to suffer a hundred years¡¯ worth of torture.¡± Steward Feng stood there, frustrated to the extreme. ¡°Don¡¯t make decisions on your own and do unnecessary things behind my back.¡± Yu She cast down his gaze. ¡°And don¡¯t try to scheme against him. You can¡¯t win against him.¡± Steward Feng felt exhausted to the bone. Yu She, this person, could not be persuaded through soft measures or by force. Moreover, he was different from normal people. If one said even a word wrong, he would fly into a craze. It made others unsure how to persuade him. In Steward Feng¡¯s opinion, Zhong Wan was the best person to deal with this matter. After a moment of thought, he struggled to say, ¡°Then¡­ can Heir be a bit nicer to Young Master Zhong?¡± If Yu She could treat Zhong Wan well, Steward Feng felt that this situation could still work out. Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°Treat him a bit nicer? How do you mean?¡± Helpless, Steward Feng replied, ¡°If you could take out a little of the gentleness you had shown him in the past, that would be enough.¡± ¡°You want to persuade him to stay?¡± Yu She hit the nail on the head regarding his intention. He said in a cold voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t I treat him well enough back then? And didn¡¯t he still leave without saying anything?¡± Steward Feng practically could not speak reason anymore. ¡°Prince Ning had raised Young Master Zhong since he was a little child. His kindness toward Young Master Zhong was immense. In the situation back then, he had to leave! Also¡­¡± He wanted to say something else but didn¡¯t dare to. His voice grew many levels softer. ¡°In those couple of days, it was Heir that removed all the guards from the side courtyard and had people place many paper bills in plain sight. It was clearly to let him escape.¡± When Yu She recalled the past, his expression grew more unsightly. He leaned against the back of his chair, countenance gloomy. ¡°Withdraw.¡± Fear struck Steward Feng¡¯s heart. But he still held on to his courage. ¡°What if Young Master Zhong himself wanted to stay?¡± Yu She did not even waste a second to think. ¡°Impossible.¡± But Steward Feng just wouldn¡¯t give up. ¡°If Young Master Zhong doesn¡¯t leave with the people of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate and wants to stay at our estate, then what should we do? This old slave cannot possibly drive him away, right?¡± Yu She stared at Steward Feng, stunned. Steward Feng steeled his heart. ¡°At that time, when Young Master Zhong Wan brings his luggage with him, and is firmly set on moving into Heir¡¯s inner chamber, what should we do? May Heir give this old slave an answer. If we don¡¯t let him stay even like that, this slave will have the estate soldiers burn his luggage and beat him soundly before driving him away!¡± Yu She stared in a daze for a while. Then he frowned and asked, ¡°Have you been with me for too long that you¡¯ve grown mad like me?¡± Steward Feng stood his ground. ¡°This old slave is only hoping for an answer from Heir.¡± Yu She¡¯s gaze proved overcast and unstable. He stared at Steward Feng, rose to his feet, and left. Ktlr alwf, Te Vtf vlv cba ulnf j gfpfmalbc. Vafkjgv Mfcu gfifjrfv j ygfjat bo gfilfo. Ktfgf kjr ralii j rilnfg bo tbqf. Coafg atlcxlcu j yla wbgf, tf gertfv ab kglaf j cbaf. Lf lcragemafv rbwfbcf ab jnblv Te Vtf abwbggbk jcv vfilnfg atlr cbaf ab Uglcmf Hljc Cc¡¯r frajaf. Pcab Itbcu Qjc¡¯r tjcvr. The next day, in Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, Zhong Wan read the note. For a long while, he did not speak. Steward Feng had said that if he had any plans on remaining in the capital, there was no need to tell Yu She ahead of time. Once he had sent off the people of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, he should directly move into the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate with his luggage. It¡¯d be great if he could move into Yu She¡¯s inner chamber and live together. Zhong Wan was honestly startled. Did Steward Feng know how embarrassed he had been yesterday? After Yu She had merely hugged him, he almost¡­ Not only that, but to ¡°live together¡± with Yu She. Wouldn¡¯t Yu She think he had gone crazy in benefiting from his expense? It wasn¡¯t just this. Steward Feng had specially added one statement: that Zhong Wan mustn¡¯t be apprehensive. That as long as he kept sticking to Yu She, that would be enough. Kept sticking to Yu She? How? Did he have to pull aside Yu She¡¯s blankets and undress him in the middle of the night? Wouldn¡¯t Yu She stab him? Zhong Wan crushed the note in his hand. For a while, his heart was incapable of calming. This was too irritating! He burned the note. Muttered to himself, ¡°Is it really that hard to stay in the capital¡­?¡± As he spoke, a servant knocked on the door outside. They asked if he had packed up already. Zhong Wan broke free from his thoughts. Nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Today, he must enter the palace. Xuan Rui¡¯s illness grew progressively worse. As such, Emperor Chongan wanted to ask someone why that was so. Among Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, only Zhong Wan could go. Xuan Congxin waited in the main hall. As soon as she saw Zhong Wan arrive, she stood. Extremely uneasy, she grumbled in a soft voice, ¡°Why is it so troublesome? What can he not just ask the imperial physicians?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that he wants to ask me about this,¡± said Zhong Wan with a smile. ¡°If the emperor doesn¡¯t ask, then how could I mention your request to return to Qian An?¡± Xuan Congxin recalled the last time they had entered the palace, and she brooded. ¡°Back then, he suddenly asked to see you. Once he had summoned you, a long time passed before you came out. I waited by the palace doors anxiously and almost went inside to search for you.¡± Staring blankly, Zhong Wan recalled the past. He thought about the time he had escorted Xuan Congxin into the palace. After Yu She had seized him by force in the library pavilion¡­ He couldn¡¯t help but remember the words in Steward Feng¡¯s note. Just what did Steward Feng mean by them? After he had sent off Xuan Rui and the others, he had to directly move into the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate? Just directly¡­ go over like that? Zhong Wan didn¡¯t have much luggage on him. There was no need to rent a carriage. So did Steward Feng already prepare everything for him over there? Oh right, he also had to stick to Yu She everywhere. And even had to wrap around him at night. How was that possible? In order to prevent Yu She from stabbing him, shouldn¡¯t he tie him up in advance? But Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t win against him in a fight. Should he drug him ahead of time? Zhong Wan was guilty of drugging Yu She in the past. He merely dripped a few drops of sleeping drugs in his tea, and the young Yu She slept like a pig, allowing anyone to fiddle with him. The Yu She of the past was already very handsome. Compared to his present self, his eyes used to be a shade more gentle. But when he slept, his expression seemed cold. At that time, when Zhong Wan had looked at the sleeping Yu She, he had held his hand, cheeks red from embarrassment. The current Yu She¡­ Zhong Wan swallowed. He found himself even less daring. Even if the current Yu She were drugged, he would probably still appear quite terrifying. ¡°Zhong Wan? Zhong Wan?¡± Zhong Wan snapped out of his reverie. ¡°Yes? What is it?¡± Xuan Congxin felt helpless. She gave him her handheld brazier. ¡°Get there early and return early. It¡¯ll be best if His Majesty allows us to leave. If not¡­ we can figure out another plan. Don¡¯t provoke his anger.¡± A smile graced his lips. ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll take at most four hours before I return.¡± After Zhong Wan had received the handheld brazier, he turned and left. His hopes weren¡¯t that high. Emperor Chongan was unlikely to care whether Xuan Rui died or lived. For Emperor Chongan to urge them to stay a few days was only for his own reputation. And Zhong Wan was to accompany him in this show. If he¡¯s not successful this time, then they would have to remain in the capital for a few days. But the emperor would definitely allow them to leave in the end. They just needed to leave the capital before the death of Third Prince, Xuan Jin. There were many of Yu She¡¯s spies among the people of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. The moment Zhong Wan left the estate, Yu She received news of it. In a low voice, Yu She said, ¡°Help me change clothes. I want to enter the palace.¡± In an instant, the servant attending to Yu She left to fetch his clothes. Yu She¡¯s identity was different from those of other people. Since young, he never had to inform anyone whenever he entered or left the imperial palace. Even the imperial princes could not compare to him. But once he had entered the palace, Yu She did not deliberately look for Zhong Wan. Yu She himself wasn¡¯t sure why he had come here in the first place. Steward Feng¡¯s words had caused him to be distraught. It made his mind even more unclear than it had been in the past. He did not want Zhong Wan to remain in the capital. But once he thought Zhong Wan could live together with him like he had done in his youth, Yu She started to waver. However, didn¡¯t Zhong Wan leave back then? Why was Steward Feng so hung up on this? Yu She was clear on the reason why. Lowering his head, he smiled. No matter the reason, it was very strange that everyone didn¡¯t want him to die. Without realizing it, Yu She had walked to Guanjing Pavilion, which was near the edge of Bibo Pond. He stared at the withered lotuses in a daze. It was warm in the imperial palace. The few ponds in the palace did not freeze over. Yu She stared at the dark pond water. Turned around and left Guanjing Pavilion. He walked directly to the edge of the pond, gazing blankly at the unfathomable depths. If he jumped over like this and died, how nice would that be? Then everyone would be washed clean. From the pavilion rang many footsteps. A frown slid its way across Yu She¡¯s lips. Someone would always appear at a time like this. CH 25.2 ¡°Why did he enter the palace?¡± At the pavilion, Fifth Prince, Xuan Qiong, grasped the banister. Impatience lacing his voice, he said, ¡°And he even wants me to wait for him? What kind of rules are these?¡± ¡°Yes. It truly isn¡¯t proper,¡± said his attendant. ¡°However, it¡¯s not that His Majesty is giving Zhong Wan face. At this moment, he is asking about Prince Qian An¡¯s condition.¡± ¡°How baffling.¡± Once Xuan Qiong mentioned Zhong Wan, immense unhappiness settled in his heart. ¡°It¡¯s fine if Imperial Father is biased toward Elder Cousin. But he just has to attach so much importance to Zhong Wan. In the past, when we had studied together¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Gifted Scholar Zhong was very arrogant. Other than Xuan Rui, he did not speak to anyone. He even accompanied the Crown Prince to study. Only he had that honor.¡± The attendant smiled. ¡°No matter how arrogant he was, isn¡¯t he just a slave now? Back then, Master had been benevolent. Otherwise, Master could have purchased him and beat and killed him at will. What a pity¡­ Young Prince Yu had purchased him.¡± ¡°What Young Prince Yu?! He still hasn¡¯t inherited the position.¡± Xuang Qiong was vexed. ¡°It would be great if he had inherited the position early on¡­ Right now, he is neither high nor low in status. It agitates me.¡± Yu She¡¯s background and birth was a mystery. Since early on, Xuan Qiong had held suspicions. Not a day went by when he didn¡¯t worry Yu She truly was Emperor Chongan¡¯s bastard son. And in the future, block his own path. His attendant also understood this fact. Lowering his voice, he said, ¡°The walls have ears.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there no one around right now?¡± Although Xuan Qiong had said this, he did not continue on this topic of conversation anymore. He switched to a smile. ¡°Did you hear that yesterday, Elder Cousin went to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate? Ha¡­ He probably went to see Zhong Wan.¡± The attendant also laughed softly. ¡°Zhong Wan indeed is a sight for the eyes. I caught a glimpse of him from afar. And he is even more handsome than in the past. However¡­¡± A smile blossomed on Xuan Qiong¡¯s lips. ¡°Contemptible.¡± Near whisper, the attendant said, ¡°Didn¡¯t he belong to Young Prince Yu in the past? Now, he has met his old master. Who knows how he curried favor with him behind our backs?¡± ¡°Speaking of which, I had also wanted to purchase him that year. But Mother did not allow it. Uncle was also unwilling.¡± Xuan Qiong sneered. ¡°It truly is interesting. At that time, Uncle kept watch on me tightly, and said not to touch the matters concerning Prince Ning. Yet he couldn¡¯t control his own son, letting Yu Ziyou purchase Zhong Wan.¡± ¡°Oh alas, who can control Young Prince Yu?¡± The attendant smiled. ¡°On the other hand¡­ The more one loves someone, the stricter one would supervise them. Prince Yu loves your honored self deeply. That¡¯s why he supervises you to such a high degree. As for Young Prince Yu¡­ He¡¯s just there as a pretty decoration.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± It was uncertain what Xuan Qiong had just thought of, but he suddenly smiled. He turned his head to his attendant and whispered a few words. Laughter broke out between them. Xuan Qiong ordered, ¡°Block his path. You must definitely block his path! Once he leaves the palace, he will be a slave!¡± The attendant hesitated for a long time, before advising, ¡°Let it be. Zhong Wan isn¡¯t a good thing. ¡°Qtja lrc¡¯a j ubbv atlcu? Tbe¡­¡± Wejcu Hlbcu ijeutfv ibkis. ¡°Po Sivfg Jberlc gfmflnfv tlw, tf kbeiv vfolclafis obiibk Sivfg Jberlc bea.¡± Ktf jaafcvjca ralii kjcafv ab jvnlrf tlw. Dea Wejc Hlbcu bcis rwlifv bcmf wbgf. ¡°Vb ktja? P¡¯ii bcis yf gfwlclrmlcu klat Itbcu Qjc. Ljtj¡­ Snfc lo kf jguef ijafg, vb sbe atlcx Fcmif kbeiv qgbafma wf bg Sivfg Jberlc? Ct¡­ Fcmif kbeiv qgbyjyis kjca wf ab wjxf Sivfg Jberlc ibrf wbgf ojmf!¡± Dry laughter escaped from the attendant¡¯s lips. ¡°That naturally would be the case. Who doesn¡¯t just give Young Prince Yu face on the surface, but dislikes him behind his back?¡± The more Xuan Qiong thought of this, the more he found reason in those words. ¡°Haha¡­ In a little while, when Zhong Wan sees me, his face hahahaha¡­¡± Below Guanjing Pavilion, Yu She listened expressionlessly. He stared at the pond¡¯s water with his head lowered, still wanting to walk into it, still wanting to submerge to the depths and end it once and for all. If he died, then he didn¡¯t have to see those people anymore. To hear those words anymore. Once Yu She took two steps into the water, above in Guanjing Pavilion, Xuan Qiong and his attendant left on the other side. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me. Go and prepare first,¡± said Xuan Qiong, trying to hold back his laughter. ¡°You must act convincingly. Right! Did Elder Cousin enter the palace today? Ha¡­ How convenient! Go dress up as his attendant. Zhong Wan definitely won¡¯t be able to tell the difference. Then at that time¡­¡± All of a sudden, Xuan Qiong stopped in his tracks. Startled, he stuttered, ¡°E-elder Cousin¡­¡± Yu She stood in the corridor, expression gloomy. Xuan Qiong did not know how much Yu She had heard. Mind chaotic, he dryly laughed. ¡°Why is Elder Cousin here?¡± Yu She¡¯s gaze grew red, his lips pale. In the first place, Xuan Qiong was afraid of him. Right now, his heart was in even more unease. Anxiously, he said, ¡°W-why¡­¡± Yu She stared him straight in the face. Out of the blue, he said, ¡°You¡¯re hoping I die, right?¡± Xuan Qiong forced a smile. ¡°Why¡­ Why do you say this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re scared that if I die too early, no one would help you balance out Xuan Jing,¡± Yu She thought aloud. ¡°But in your heart, you also hope that I will meet with an accident, right?¡± Xuan Qiong was frightened to the point where he couldn¡¯t listen to Yu She¡¯s words clearly. He only found Yu She¡¯s current appearance terrifying. He opened and closed his mouth, wanting to explain, but in the end he could not utter a word. Yu She turned his head to the side, looking at the pond. ¡°If I jump in right now, would you be happy?¡± Xuan Qiong¡¯s entire body trembled. ¡°J-jump in?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve attempted su*cide many times¡­¡± Yu She looked down at Xuan Qiong, voice hoarse. ¡°How is this any strange?¡± Coming to the conclusion that Yu She had overheard them earlier, Xuan Qiong¡¯s attendant forced himself to calm. ¡°Y-young Prince¡­ our Prince was only joking before. We didn¡¯t actually want to do anything to Zhong Wan.¡± ¡°Zhong Wan¡­¡± Yu She had a splitting headache. He lowered his head and furrowed his brows. ¡°Zhong Wan is at Qian An¡­¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time Xuan Qiong had seen Yu She¡¯s crazed appearance. He tried his best to compose his heart. Stammered, ¡°Yes. We were only¡­ joking around. I didn¡¯t say that I wanted to do anything to Zhong Wan. Just¡­ Just that I wanted to tell him to come over and jest with him.¡± ¡°Zhong Wan¡­¡± Soft laughter spilled from Yu She¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯d be best if I died¡­ Then Zhong Wan would belong to you, right? ¡°It¡¯d be best for everyone¡­ if I died. Then everyone would be clean¡­¡± Once more, Yu She turned to look at the pond. He muttered, ¡°Everyone hopes for my death¡­¡± Yu She nearly frightened Xuan Qiong to death. He worried that Yu She would spread the words he and his attendant had spoken previously. He was so worried, his heart felt as if it were on fire. He hardened his heart and said, ¡°Indeed¡­ Dying would make everyone else clean.¡± Yu She¡¯s gaze remained on the pond. The deep depths seemed to be luring him in, wanting to free him. ¡°It¡¯d be clean, but¡­¡± Evil tendencies filled Yu She¡¯s eyes. Suddenly, he turned to Xuan Qiong. ¡°Why should I become clean for you people?¡± Xuan Qiong almost fell to his knees from fear. In one step, Yu She grabbed his collar. Laughed lowly. ¡°You also want him, don¡¯t you? Your Uncle as well, right? You all hope that I die early, right¡­?¡± Countless images zipped through Yu She¡¯s mind, increasing his headache where his head almost felt like exploding. Yu She¡¯s voice trembled as he said, ¡°You¡¯re hoping that I jump into the pond. You¡¯re hoping that I go down there¡­¡± After Yu She had gripped Xuan Qiong¡¯s collar, he suddenly recalled that yesterday, he had also gripped Zhong Wan like this. Zhong Wan had leaned against his chest, as if he had been aroused. Once more did low laughter escape Yu She¡¯s lips. ¡°But right now, I suddenly don¡¯t feel like dying.¡± Due to how afraid Xuan Qiong was, he hiccuped. Yu She lowered his head and gazed at Xuan Qiong¡¯s face, a face still pale from fear. And at that moment, he felt repulsed. ¡°You want to copy him?!¡± Disgusted, Yu She shoved Xuan Qiong all the way into the pond. Cold and filled with rage, he said, ¡°If you want someone to die, go die first!¡± The moment Xuan Qiong hit the water, he squealed like a pig sent to slaughter. In the first place, he did not know how to swim. So to abruptly fall into an ice-cold pond, he submerged to the bottom. Xuan Qiong¡¯s attendant was scared frozen. Never had he expected that, out of nowhere, his master would fall into the pond. As if he had gone mad, the attendant shouted. Immediately, guards rushed over. Standing at the side, Yu She adjusted his sleeves, not caring about the deafening noise around. At that moment, he felt a lot more comfortable. His mind was no longer unclear as well. He sucked in a deep breath. And he left with a neutral expression. What had Xuan Qiong said before? If he left the palace right now¡­ he could catch up to Zhong Wan? CH 26 Zhong Wan felt that he truly had a lot of bad luck this year. After he finally received an opportunity to meet with the emperor through much difficulty, before he could even request permission to leave for Xuan Rui, someone suddenly interrupted from outside: Fifth Prince Xuan Qiong had fallen into water. Zhong Wan¡¯s heart dropped. He instantly remembered the current rumors: the imperial princes were fated to have misfortune relating to water. Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression immediately changed. He couldn¡¯t be bothered with Zhong Wan anymore as he shouted, ¡°What about the people around Xuan Qiong?! How did they let him fall in? How is Xuan Qiong now?!¡± The guard who had come to relay the message couldn¡¯t handle such a responsibility. He kowtowed and said, ¡°Fifth Highness¡¯ servants and the guards around the pond have all been arrested already. We still need careful interrogation to find out what actually happened. Right now, Fifth Highness has been taken to Thousand Autumn Palace. Imperial Consort Yu and the imperial doctors are already there.¡± Emperor Chongan was agitated as could be. He ordered people to check on Xuan Qiong, then told others to bring Xuan Qiong¡¯s attendant over. Zhong Wan originally should¡¯ve left already, but he really wanted to know if the annoying thing known as Xuan Qiong had died or not. After a moment of hesitation, he stood silently off to the side, pretending he wasn¡¯t there. Not long after, Xuan Qiong¡¯s attendant was brought over. That attendant was entirely soaked with pond water below the waist; he hadn¡¯t had time to change yet. Now, he was shaking uncontrollably because of the cold. He even stuttered as he spoke because of this. Before Emperor Chongan could start questioning, the attendant stammered out the previous occurrences while avoiding the important details and dwelling on the trivialities. He didn¡¯t mention what Xuan Qiong had said, only saying that Xuan Qiong had been waiting outside the hall for a long time. His legs were numb from the cold, so he decided to take a walk around Bibo Pond. When he left the viewing terrace, he coincidentally encountered Yu She. The two barely exchanged any conversation before an obviously abnormal Yu She pushed the other into the water. As soon as Emperor Chongan heard the name Yu She, his expression became even worse. ¡°Yu She was fine by himself. Why would he push Xuan Qiong?¡± Xuan Qiong¡¯s attendant kept kowtowing incessantly. He cried and shook his head while saying that he didn¡¯t know. Emperor Chongan was about to start angrily scolding the attendant for being foolish when the attendant said while crying and kowtowing, ¡°Young Prince Yu often acts differently from normal people. I don¡¯t know why he was in a bad mood today, but¡­ even if something really wasn¡¯t going the way he wanted it to, he could¡¯ve just taken his anger out on me. How could he push His Highness? This is all my fault for being incapable of protecting His Highness¡­¡± Emperor Chongan remembered Yu She¡¯s usual preposterous behavior and paused for a moment. He stopped blaming the attendant and ordered more people to go check on Xuan Qiong. Xuan Qiong¡¯s attendant wiped away his cold sweat and slightly relaxed. How fortunate that Yu She had acted so preposterously in the past. Each time, Emperor Chongan would only act strictly for appearance¡¯s sake before barely punishing the other. After, to give Prince Yu¡¯s estate enough face and to save Yu She¡¯s reputation, he would refuse to allow anyone else to look into the matter in detail, much less try to figure out what had truly happened. As such¡­ he could probably avoid mentioning what Xuan Qiong had said before falling into the water. Zhong Wan stood off to the side. He turned his head to look at that attendant. He emboldened himself and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Did Young Prince Yu start acting crazy out of the blue or did you fail to do your job and lured Fifth Highness to the water¡¯s edge? Or¡­ were you the one who actually pushed Fifth Highness into the water?¡± Emperor Chongan paused. He finally remembered that Zhong Wan was still here. Zhong Wan knelt. ¡°Fifth Highness is currently unconscious. We don¡¯t know what will happen in the future either. This is related to a prince¡¯s life, perhaps even to the previous incident where Third Highness almost drowned too. I must trouble the Emperor and ask for a complete investigation.¡± Emperor Chong was silent for a moment before asking the old eunuch, ¡°How is Qiong¡¯er?¡± The old eunuch shook his head. His expression was filled with worry. ¡°They did manage to save his life, but he¡¯s still unconscious at this moment. Imperial Consort Yu almost passed out from crying. Right now, she¡¯s throwing a tantrum¡­ saying she wants Young Prince Yu to pay with his own life.¡± Emperor Chongan rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. A pause, and he said, ¡°Ziyou probably hasn¡¯t left the palace yet¡­ Bring him here.¡± Zhong Wan thought to himself, Yu She, you¡¯d best not have pushed Xuan Qiong into the water because you suddenly felt like it. Otherwise, with how much I would be helping the wrong cause, you¡¯d probably truly fuck me in a fit of anger after returning. Zhong Wan scanned Xuan Qiong¡¯s attendant who was still kneeling on the ground with his peripheral vision. He felt that the other seemed to be trembling even more than before. As expected, this slave hadn¡¯t told the truth¡­ Itbcu Qjc ofia j yla wbgf mbcolvfca lc tlr tfjga. Dea tf jirb mbeivc¡¯a tfiq offilcu rbggbk obg Te Vtf. Te Vtf¡¯r yjmxugbecv kjr mbwqilmjafv. Ktbrf ktb xcfk atf ageat gfoerfv ab ifa atf rfmgfa bea. Yatfgr vlvc¡¯a xcbk jcsatlcu; atfs bcis xcfk atja tf vlvc¡¯a tjnf j cbgwji lvfcalas. Efujgvifrr bo ktja tf vlv, Swqfgbg Jtbcujc kbeiv ajxf atf yijwf obg tlw lc bgvfg ab qgfnfca biv rfmgfar ogbw yflcu gfnfjifv. Yu She himself might not even try to explain anything. Thus, they could push any and all blame onto him. But regardless of how his background was, had he chosen it for himself? Zhong Wan thought back on what Steward Feng had previously said about how often Yu She had almost died these past few years. He suddenly started to suspect if those occurrences had truly been Yu She seeking death or if they were due to others noticing his determination for suicide. Had they added fuel to the flames and killed with a borrowed sword? The Yu She of seven years ago hadn¡¯t even heard of sleeping drugs. How would he know what cold food powder was? Had he actually found those drugs himself, or had someone else learned of his suicidal intentions and tempted him into consuming them? The way Yu She was¡­ Murdering him was an overly easy task. Zhong Wan¡¯s chest filled with angry flames as he observed the attendant ceaselessly shaking on the ground. Even a slave dared to boldly place the blame on Yu She. Not long after, Yu She who had just reached the palace gates was stopped and brought back. Yu She¡¯s expression appeared natural, as if he hadn¡¯t been the one who had pushed Xuan Qiong into the water. He only slightly paused upon seeing Zhong Wan. After, his gaze returned to normal. Emperor Chongan asked, ¡°You pushed Xuan Qiong into the water?¡± Yu She nodded, ¡°Yes.¡± He obviously didn¡¯t want to explain anything. Xuan Qiong¡¯s attendant latched onto this last lifeline. He continuously kowtowed, saying there was no one else to blame but himself. Emperor Chongan felt a headache coming on. ¡°What are you playing at now? Everything was fine¡­¡± Yu She glanced at the attendant on the ground and scoffed. He was curious what unwanted label he had been given this time. Yu She calmly said, ¡°I felt disgusted looking at him, so pushed him in.¡± Emperor Chongan furiously shouted, ¡°You!¡± Zhong Wan ground his teeth. This imbecile! Yu She didn¡¯t want to bother disputing. He didn¡¯t want to repeat even a single phrase of what Xuan Qiong had said. Either way, Emperor Chongan wouldn¡¯t do anything to him. No matter what they said, all he had to do was admit it. Yu She lifted his gaze to look at Emperor Chongan. A hint of impatience flitted through his heart. He didn¡¯t believe that Emperor Chongan couldn¡¯t guess why he had acted out of line. It was because of the same old, trivial reasons every time. What else was there to explain? Emperor Chongan feared hearing about these things. He himself also wasn¡¯t patient enough to say them. If it could be ambiguously resolved, everyone would be happy. Either way, Xuan Qiong hadn¡¯t died. At most, he would be placed under house arrest again. What else could happen? Yu She was about to confess when he saw Zhong Wan in his peripheral vision. He froze. Zhong Wan was gazing at him anxiously. By now, Yu She had completely calmed down. After brief thought, he knew that there was a great possibility Zhong Wan had said something for Emperor Chongan to summon him here for more questioning. Zhong Wan waited for a bit but still couldn¡¯t hear Yu She say a word. He was beside himself with anxiety, wishing that he could refute things for the other. He lifted his head to glance at Yu She and saw that Yu She was actually looking at him too. Their eyes met. Zhong Wan froze, then heard Yu She say lowly with furrowed brows, ¡°Busybody.¡± Yu She stayed quiet for a long time, like he had just made a grave decision. In agitation, he said, ¡°Emperor, please order irrelevant people to leave.¡± Emperor Chongan nodded. Zhong Wan, the ¡°irrelevant person,¡± was thus politely asked to leave. Zhong Wan guessed that Xuan Qiong had probably said something he couldn¡¯t be allowed to hear. Since Yu She was willing to argue for himself, things would probably be fine. Zhong Wan waited outside the hall. He watched as a livid Imperial Consort Yu walked into the Great Hall with an imperial doctor, then watched as she walked out again, tears streaming down her face and a glint in her eyes. A while later, Xuan Qiong¡¯s attendant got towed out. The old eunuch lowered his gaze and quietly instructed, ¡°His Majesty is kind and has only ordered a hundred hits for punishment. Take him to get his punishment.¡± The guards outside the hall acknowledged this. The old eunuch then slowly drawled out, ¡°This is a person who has angered Young Prince Yu. Be a bit more conscientious. Don¡¯t make Young Prince Yu unhappy.¡± That attendant who was scared half to death could tell that this meant he was going to be killed. He made to scream in fright, but his nose and mouth got covered by the guards. They dragged him away. The old eunuch turned to look at Zhong Wan and kindly said, ¡°How unexpected that so much has happened today. It¡¯s quite unfortunate. The emperor most likely doesn¡¯t have the energy to speak with you anymore. Young Master Zhong needn¡¯t wait here for nothing. This old slave will walk you out of the palace.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. He followed the old eunuch out. On the way, he heard the old eunuch chatting quietly with the young eunuch following them. ¡°Imperial Consort Yu is truly foolish. The emperor was still in the middle of being angry, but she was adamant about charging in. In front of Young Prince Yu and all those servants, no less. She was scolded fairly harshly by the Emperor, losing her face¡­¡± ¡°Her Highness is foolish. The emperor originally made it taboo for her to share those rumors with Fifth Highness, but she refused to listen. Now she¡¯s run straight into the blade of the sword. See how it is, even though she didn¡¯t teach him to say those things, everyone considers her as the one who taught him to say them now.¡± ¡°Young Prince Yu was also alert today. He unexpectedly spoke so much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because that slave was too bold. It¡¯s okay if others say it, but how dare he say that Young Prince Yu¡¯s emotions are uncontrolled? If that isn¡¯t looking for death, I don¡¯t know what is.¡± Zhong Wan sighed gently. At the palace gates, he thanked the old eunuch. The old eunuch¡¯s eyes were filled with amusement. He softly stated, ¡°It¡¯s cold out these days. Young Master Zhong, be careful not to catch a cold.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. He thought to himself, they probably said all that this entire way for me to hear. The eunuchs by the emperor¡¯s side had no personal favorites. Those they respected were people that Emperor Chongan cared about. The old eunuchs were so protective of Yu She, which meant they probably also knew the truth. Zhong Wan¡¯s thoughts were extremely muddled. Just as he was about to leave, the old eunuch who walked him out smiled again and said, ¡°Young Master Zhong, please wait.¡± He took two steps forward, still smiling. ¡°Let me share a joke I just heard with Young Master Zhong. Something trivial. This old servant says it, Young Master Zhong listens to it. Whatever you do, don¡¯t become angry and don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°Gonggong, please speak.¡± The old eunuch bent his body and slowly stated, ¡°That treacherous slave just now said that previously, before Fifth Highness fell into the water, he was in the middle of discussing how he planned to have the other pretend to be a slave from Prince Yu¡¯s estate, stop Young Master Zhong outside the palace gates, and lure Young Master away.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s pupils trembled. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true or not. The words out of a silly slave are only meant for inattentive listening. But see, Young Prince Yu accidentally gave a push¡­¡± The old eunuch looked outside the palace. With a smile on his face, he continued, ¡°Isn¡¯t the area outside the gates so calm and peaceful now?¡± Zhong Wan felt like his heart had been stabbed by someone. It hurt like crazy. ¡°Thus, Young Master Zhong can leave without worrying. It¡¯s already quite late. When you get off the carriage, you¡¯ll have reached home.¡± The old eunuch bowed and led the young eunuch away. Zhong Wan tried his best to maintain his image as he climbed into the horse carriage. The old eunuch¡¯s words echoed in his ears, causing all his organs to twist in pain. His Ziyou¡­ Cold sweat appeared on Zhong Wan¡¯s forehead. He bent over in discomfort and spent a long time taking several deep breaths before recovering. Zhong Wan rubbed his face and calmed his breathing. He had made up his mind. No matter how Yu She tried to shoo him away, he needed to stay. He couldn¡¯t rest assured. It was already pitch-black outside. After a considerable amount of time, his horse carriage finally came to a halt. Zhong Wan got off. He looked up at the placard outside the side estate of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. For a long time, he had nothing to say. What happened to ¡°you¡¯ll reach home after getting out of the carriage?!¡± CH 27 Zhong Wan glanced at the driver of the carriage, and the latter lowered his head in shame. Helplessness settled in the pit of his stomach. That person probably belonged to Yu She. What was inevitable could not be escaped from. Zhong Wan disembarked from the carriage and headed for the side courtyard. Yu She had yet to return. The moment Steward Feng caught sight of Zhong Wan, he almost jumped from shock. After he had heard the news from the people leaving the palace, only then did he know what had occurred. Steward Feng¡¯s hands shook from rage. ¡°Fifth Prince is Heir¡¯s blood-related younger cousin. Her Highness, Consort Yu is Heir¡¯s blood-related aunt. They, they¡­¡± As he was speaking, someone arrived. The servant said that someone from the palace came to invite Prince Yu. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°Was Prince Yu summoned to reprimand Yu She?¡± ¡°How could that be?¡± Steward Feng exhaled. ¡°It¡¯s certainly to have Prince Yu lecture Her Highness Consort Yu and Fifth Prince.¡± But Zhong Wan was still unable to be at ease. ¡°No matter how you put it, it was Yu She who shoved Fifth Prince into the water. Is he really not going to get in trouble?¡± Steward Feng did not seem to care at the slightest. ¡°As long as Fifth Prince is fine, then Heir will be fine. This wasn¡¯t the first time either. At the very most¡­ he¡¯d be punished half a year of salary and ten days to half a month of house arrest. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Steward Feng heaved a sigh. ¡°Her Highness Consort Yu probably knows that will be the result. As such, she would insist on making this a bigger deal¡­¡± Steward Feng appeared used to such things. But for some reason, no matter how Zhong Wan thought of it, he found the situation beyond belief. ¡°Why did your honored self come?¡± It was at that moment that Steward Feng had noticed Zhong Wan¡¯s presence. Surprise flashing in his eyes, he asked, ¡°Why¡­ did your honored self move in so soon? I haven¡¯t tidied up anything yet.¡± Helplessly, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Your family¡¯s Heir tricked me to come here. If there¡¯s nothing¡­ may I return home?¡± Steward Feng didn¡¯t even have to think about it. ¡°Of course not! Since this is Heir¡¯s intention, how could we dare to let you go?¡± The memory of a young Zhong Wan tormenting him for three months was carved deep into Steward Feng¡¯s mind. He feared Zhong Wan would escape again, and threatened in a flash, ¡°If your honored self actually sneaks out¡­ what do you think would happen if Heir returns and doesn¡¯t see you? Zhong Wan¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed. ¡°What¡­ would happen?¡± ¡°The best case scenario is that he flies into a tantrum and then plans for his compensation. The one out of luck would be you,¡± Steward Feng exaggerated, trying to scare him. ¡°In the worst case scenario, he would explode in rage! Then in the middle of the night, he would send people to take down Prince Qian An¡¯s estate and capture you¡­ Prince Qian An is still ill and cannot bear suffering such a fright. Also, if Heir sent people to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate in the middle of the night to capture you¡­ Do you still want your reputation?¡± Mentally drained, Zhong Wan stared at Steward Feng. ¡°Last time, after you tried to persuade me, it incited Yu She to run to our residence and ask me for an explanation. At that time, I¡¯ve already lost all of my reputation.¡± Proven wrong, Steward Feng smiled in an embarrassed manner. ¡°Last time, I was muddle headed and didn¡¯t explain things clearly, involving Young Master Zhong. But this time, it¡¯s different. Think about it. Just now in the palace, Heir had already pulled a tantrum. If we brought you back when he¡¯s at the height of his temper, what¡­ what do you think would happen to you?¡± With a blank expression, Zhong Wan thought, What¡­ what would he do to me? Once he¡¯s furious, would he tie me to the bed and then do this or that? The tips of his ears bloomed crimson. For a moment, he truly wanted to try running away. ¡°I won¡¯t attempt to leave. I still have questions for him.¡± He coughed, scanning his surroundings. ¡°Where should I wait for him? The study?¡± ¡°Other people cannot enter Heir¡¯s study,¡± said Steward Feng, making things up. ¡°Just wait in Heir¡¯s inner chamber.¡± Still exhausted mentally, Zhong Wan stared at Steward Feng. ¡°Did you also leave a bathtub in the room with flower petals?¡± Steward Feng¡¯s old face flushed. ¡°Of course not! Then¡­ Young Master Zhong, will you be using the side room from the past?¡± Distracted, Zhong Wan said, ¡°It¡¯s still there?¡± ¡°Naturally. I will escort you.¡± After Steward Feng led Zhong Wan to the room he had used in the past, he left. A light sigh escaped Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. The side room seemed exactly the same as it had in the past. For a moment, Zhong Wan thought he had returned to seven years ago. The only thing different was the addition of a little servant girl who lit the lamp. She appeared around twelve to thirteen years old. Itbcu Qjc rwlifv. ¡°Gb sbe kjla eqbc Tbecu Uglcmf Te?¡± Ktf ilaaif rfgnjca ulgi rtbbx tfg tfjv. Vtf rffwfv ilxf rtf vlvc¡¯a vjgf ab rqfjx. ¡°Tbe¡¯gf vlrwlrrfv. P vbc¡¯a cffv jcsbcf jaafcvlcu ab wf.¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Dea atf ilaaif rfgnjca ulgi vlvc¡¯a vjgf ab ifjnf, rajcvlcu ys atf rlvf bo atf vfrx. Zhong Wan was at a loss. With this girl around, he couldn¡¯t lie down, forced to sit up straight and try to find a topic to talk about. ¡°How long have you worked in this estate?¡± After a long time, the little servant girl softly said, ¡°Five years.¡± ¡°Oh. Then I¡¯ve never seen you back then.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°I¡­ lived in this estate for a while in the past. Back then, you were probably just four or five years old.¡± The little servant girl looked at Zhong Wan with a timid gaze. He couldn¡¯t kick her out or hold a conversation with her. In passing, Zhong Wan grabbed a book to read. Right after reading two pages, he caught sight of the little servant girl slowly approaching the desk. Zhong Wan continued to read, taking note of her from his peripheral vision. Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Thinking Zhong Wan would not notice, the little servant girl opened a small incense burner as her hands trembled Zhong Wan flipped another page. The sound of the page suddenly turning frightened the little servant girl to the point of pulling back her hands. She didn¡¯t dare to move from place. Zhong Wan suspected that Steward Feng instructed this girl to do something. The child didn¡¯t have much courage and wasn¡¯t clever. She had not finished what she was supposed to do before he entered the room. He still didn¡¯t speak, reading and flipping through the pages of the book. A while later, the little servant girl once again approached the desk, lightly opening the box of incense. Trembling with fear, she grabbed a large handfull of sleeping incense. Zhong Wan was speechless. At such a young age, she was so merciless. It was unknown what kind of instructions the little servant girl had received. After she thought for a moment, she grabbed another handful of incense sticks and inserted them into the incense burner. Since there were so many, it almost seemed to have put out the coal. As her hand shook, she closed the lid of the incense burner and then moved to stand at the side. The sleeping incense burned strongly, releasing a thick smoke. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help but sneeze. It scared the little servant girl so much that she trembled like a chick. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed.¡± Zhong Wan was so angry that he no longer felt angry. ¡°I¡¯m tired. A little girl like you shouldn¡¯t be watching me sleep, right?¡± She had already completed her task. In the first place, she did not dare to stay here any longer. She bowed and retreated as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan rose to his feet, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry as he stared at the little incense burner. Back in those years, when the young Yu She had forced him to fall asleep, he had only used three to five pieces of sleeping incense. Steward Feng, this old thing, was too ruthless. This incense burner was filled to the brim with sleeping incense¡­ Wasn¡¯t it to knock him out? Zhong Wan covered his mouth and nose, coughing twice. He lifted the tea cup and poured it onto the incense burner. Then he turned around and lay down on the bed. He did not know if Yu She would return tonight. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Thank goodness this was only sleeping incense. If it were an aphrodisiac, and he was alone in the room all night, he would have been ruined by that old thing¡­. He was most afraid of this kind of sleeping incense. After breathing in the fumes, he felt sleepy in mere moments. He rubbed at the center of his brows, mind growing hazy. Zhong Wan still did not understand what was up with Yu She¡¯s background. First, let¡¯s ignore Xuan Qiong¡¯s hurtful words. Yu She had truly harmed an imperial prince. Yet he still didn¡¯t get in trouble? Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Just what was Emperor Chongan thinking? Could it be¡­ the aging Emperor Chongan had too many things to take into account, so didn¡¯t dare to touch Yu She? Zhong Wan drew his brows together a shade. Thought about Xuan Jing. Then he sighed, thinking that Emperor Chongan¡¯s life truly wasn¡¯t good. He only had two sons remaining, with one more incompetent than the next. Xuan Jing, this kind of stupid thing, was still in his own estate piecing back together the colored-glass lamp. Xuan Qiong¡­ Zhong Wan had never interacted with him much before. But looking at the terrible mess he had caused today, he knew that in these past few years, Xuan Qiong did not improve at all. Stepping into Emperor Chongan¡¯s shoes, Zhong Wan felt his heart chill the more he thought of it. If Yu She were truly the son of Emperor Chongan, then out of Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong, who would the emperor pick? One would fear that in the future, both of them would not be able to fend off Yu She¡¯s revolt. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com However, there had to be someone to succeed the throne. Emperor Chongan was approaching sixty years old. Even if the previous emperors blessed him to have another son, Emperor Chongan could not hold on until the new prince came of age. Yet to reiterate, there had to be someone to succeed the throne. Zhong Wan turned over in bed sporting a headache¡­ Did Emperor Chongan truly desire for Yu She to ascend the throne? If that was true, then neither Xuan Jing nor Xuan Qiong could be left alive. If Yu She wanted this position, he definitely would not keep around these ¡°perfectly legitimate¡± imperial princes. The more Zhong Wan thought of it, the more anxious he grew. He started to feel concerned for Xuan Rui, who had taken the medicine. Xuan Rui had been ill for a few days. Today, with great difficulty they had obtained a chance to ask Emperor Chongan for them to return home. Yet, it just had to be ruined by Xuan Qiong¡¯s annoying actions. Zhong Wan was furious to the point of grinding his teeth. The sleeping incense made his mind hazy and hard to use. After a while of worrying, he fell asleep. Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong had already foreseen what would happen, so they had long since prepared to eliminate Yu She. Zhong Wan slept poorly. In a daze, he felt as if he had returned to his youth, when he had fallen ill and Lin Si had taken care of him. At that time, Zhong Wan had already spread the news. Then his worries vanished and his past self fell asleep. Every day, he had only been conscious for half an hour intermittently, but was unable to open his eyes. He recalled Lin Si, this careless person, pouring the medicine down his throat. It reminded him of when they used to have water fights in Prince Ning¡¯s estate, with Lin Si splashing the water directly at his face. The Zhong Wan of the past used all his strength to hold back the bowl of medicine, and said to Lin Si through gritted teeth, ¡°Go away¡­¡± But by chance, this was heard by Yu She, who had been supressing his anger. The young Yu She thought those words had been meant for him, face one moment green then one moment white, before he turned around and left. Young Zhong Wan saw that he had been misunderstood, and was so angry he almost threw up blood. He rushed so much that he fell down the bed, knocking himself out. Even in this moment of slumber, Zhong Wan thought of how to coax Yu She. He was incomparably anxious. He wanted to fight with Lin Si but didn¡¯t have the energy. Fortunately, Yu She seemed to have returned on his own later. In the first place, Zhong Wan did not remember how Yu She had taken care of him back then. But in his dream, he seemed to have seen it. He watched as the young Yu She hugged his youth self helplessly. Used a small spoon to feed him medicine bit by bit. Every time he successfully fed him, he would take out a candy pouch from his placket, and place a candy in his mouth. Then Zhong Wan saw his young self coughing and vomiting. Yu She pulled him close in an embrace and patted his pack. Then he rolled up his sleeves and had someone send a basin of water over, personally washing Zhong Wang¡¯s body. Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan also saw the young Yu She blush, fidgety. After hesitating for one hour, he approached the bed and lightly undressed Zhong Wan¡­ In his dream, Zhong Wan laughed softly. He almost laughed himself awake. Still not sober, he felt as if there were someone sitting at the head of the bed. Zhong Wan had slept on this bed in the past for more than half a year, and was very familiar with it. As such, he did not wake up with a start. The sleeping incense made him delirious. He wondered if he were starting an erotic dream in the middle of remembering moments in his youth. The Yu She of that time hadn¡¯t been that tall. Zhong Wan faintly felt the person sitting at the bedside lean down a little, leaning very close to him. He heard the sound of friction between fabric. Felt the other party stroke his hair. Cold fingers ran through those locks, making Zhong Wan so comfortable that he narrowed his eyes. Out of reflex, he leaned closer to the touch, rubbing his cheek on that person¡¯s hand. The other party immediately pulled their hand back. Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Zhong Wan frowned. A while later, he felt his clothes being undone little by little. He acted on instinct to clutch at his clothes to keep them on, but someone lightly pressed his wrist onto the side of the pillow. The person didn¡¯t use much strength, merely restricting Zhong Wan¡¯s movement, not making him uncomfortable. Zhong Wan was unable to rouse. He felt the person in his dream gradually undress him, then supported his lower back, removing his outer robe. They placed it to the side. The other party then placed their hands on the collar of his inner garment. Those slender and long fingers hesitated as they touched the highest button. A while later, the hands left, leaving the button still buttoned. In his dream, Zhong Wan was unsure whether he was rejoiceful or regretful. He faintly moved, thinking the dream was coming to an end. But in the next second¡­ The other party leaned down again, suddenly leaning very close to Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan felt the other party¡¯s hair brushing his neck, cold to the touch. The other person¡¯s breath was close to his ears. All of a sudden, Zhong Wan felt aroused. Under his breath and still asleep, he said, ¡°Ziyou¡­¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com At that moment, the other party¡¯s breathing grew rough and ragged. The sleeping incense¡¯s potency finally hit him entirely. And Zhong Wan completely knocked out¡­ Early the next morning, Zhong Wan sat in bed, staring blankly at his outer robe on the foot of the bed. He remembered in vivid detail that last night, he did not remove that article of clothing. ¡­How did it come off? The clothes had even been folded. It was clear that he hadn¡¯t removed them while still dreaming from discomfort. He took a deep breath. Zhong Wan had a faint impression that he had lost something last night. Outside, Steward Feng knocked on the door. Pushed the door open and entered. And he stole a glance at Zhong Wan, his gaze evasive. A sliver of hope sprang from Zhong Wan¡¯s heart. He strived his best to keep his tone natural as he asked, ¡°Last night¡­ did Young Prince Yu return to the estate?¡± Steward Feng cautiously nodded. ¡°Once he had returned, he came to where you were.¡± Despair enveloped Zhong Wan. He frantically tried to recall whether he had lost control of his mouth. If he called out a name he shouldn¡¯t have called out, said something he shouldn¡¯t have said. Steward Feng carefully asked, ¡°Young Master Zhong, does your honored self want¡­ want¡­¡± Voice trembling, Zhong Wan said, ¡°I don¡¯t want hot water!¡± Steward Feng swallowed. ¡°Alright, alright, you don¡¯t want it. But¡­ I¡¯m worried about how quiet you are.¡± Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com ¡°Why?¡± Zhong Wan was completely disheartened. ¡°Should I be biting the covers and sobbing, ¡®I¡¯m so dirty, I¡¯m so dirty,¡¯ then?¡± CH 28 Zhong Wan still retained a last bit of hope. He forced himself to ask, ¡°How long¡­ did Young Prince Yu spend in this room yesterday?¡± Steward Feng cleared his throat. ¡°F-four hours.¡± Four hours¡­ So many things could¡¯ve happened. Zhong Wan furiously thought back, but couldn¡¯t remember anything. The only faint impression he had was a slight feeling that someone had been sitting on the edge of the bed looking at him when he had been half asleep. It seemed like that someone had been Yu She. What had he actually done?! Zhong Wan felt around with flushed ears. No part of his body felt uncomfortable, but¡­ Did Yu She truly sit still for four hours? He didn¡¯t find it too tiring? Not sleeping in the middle of the night and staring at him for four hours instead? It was pretty terrifying thinking about that. Zhong Wan picked up his outer garment. His heart rate slightly increased once more. If he had only sat there for four hours, then how did this get taken off? So worrisome!!! Zhong Wan did his best to ignore Steward Feng¡¯s curious gaze. While he dressed, he forced himself to say, ¡°Where is Young Prince Yu? I have questions to ask him.¡± Steward Feng glanced at Zhong Wan awkwardly. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°Heir ordered us to send you back to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate after you wake up.¡± ¡°What?¡± Zhong Wan almost thought that he had heard wrong. ¡°He wants me to leave just like that? He¡­ doesn¡¯t even have anything to say to me?¡± Steward Feng shook his head. He also felt that Yu She had been dishonorable regarding this matter. Embarrassedly, he said, ¡°Heir said he doesn¡¯t want to see you. He wants you to leave as soon as you wake.¡± Doesn¡¯t want to see him? Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t speak for a long time because of shock. ¡°Your honorable estate¡­¡± Zhong Wan got out with difficulty, ¡°Even if your honorable estate invited an opera singer to stay the night, you would at least pay them some hard-work fees and reward them with money to take a horse carriage back, right? Young Prince Yu won¡¯t even give me a bite of breakfast before kicking me out?¡± Steward Feng hurriedly placated, ¡°How can Young Master Zhong be compared with such actors?¡± ¡°I¡¯m even lowlier than actors!¡± Zhong Wan stated furiously. ¡°How much does Yu Ziyou spend on actors normally?! Give that amount to me!¡± Steward Feng became troubled. ¡°Our Heir has never summoned an actor. How would I know how much that would cost?¡± Zhong Wan paused, then tried very hard to force down the corner of his mouth that was threatening to lift up. ¡°Is that so¡­¡± ¡°Naturally. Our Heir never touches those unclean people.¡± Steward Feng pondered a bit before saying, ¡°Is Young Master Zhong hungry? If you¡¯re hungry, I¡¯ll order people to prepare food now. But¡­ after you¡¯ve eaten breakfast, you¡¯ll really have to leave.¡± Zhong Wan weakly replied, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry¡­ wait. I wasn¡¯t even the one who wanted to visit. I got kidnapped here yesterday. How come it seems like I was the one eager to come find him and is now being kicked out?¡± Steward Feng followed Yu She¡¯s previous orders and lowered his head to explain, ¡°Heir said that yesterday, Fifth Prince was originally planning on kidnapping you¡­ It¡¯s unknown what he planned to do to you.¡± Itbcu Qjc vlvc¡¯a ecvfgrajcv kts Vafkjgv Mfcu kjr yglculcu atlr eq. Lf cbvvfv tlr tfjv lc j vjhf. Vafkjgv Mfcu bqfcis rjlv, ¡°Gbfrc¡¯a atja mtfmx bea? Tbe kfgf jybea ab yf xlvcjqqfv jcskjsr sfrafgvjs. Po la kjrc¡¯a Lflg, la kbeiv¡¯nf yffc rbwfbcf firf. Vlcmf Lflg tfiqfv sbe jnblv Mloat Llutcfrr¡¯ jaafwqa, cjaegjiis¡­ tf mbeiv xlvcjq sbe lcrafjv.¡± Zhong Wan: ¡°¡­¡± This excuse actually made some fucking sense after thinking about it carefully! Zhong Wan took a couple deep breaths. He refused to be led down the crazy Yu She¡¯s trail of thought; he forced his anger down and asked in response, ¡°If someone were to try and stab me with a knife tomorrow and Young Prince Yu blocked the attack for me, does that mean he could stab me any time he wanted? Either way, I would¡¯ve been stabbed by someone!¡± Steward Feng thought about this. Carefully, he replied, ¡°According to Heir¡¯s reasoning, that is correct.¡± Zhong Wan swallowed the ¡°what if someone suddenly wanted to fuck me the day after tomorrow¡± that was already on the tip of his tongue and nodded. ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll take it. Go find someone to ready the carriage. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Steward Feng hurriedly went to give the order. The servants at Prince Yu¡¯s estate were good at their jobs. Not long after, they politely sent Zhong Wan away. Zhong Wan got kidnapped under unclear and deceptive circumstances, then got sent back in a cloud of confusion too. After safely sending Zhong Wan home, Steward Feng returned to speak with Yu She. Yu She lay on the chaise lounge, eyes half shut. He hadn¡¯t slept at all last night. Now, there were faint shadows under his eyes. Yu She heard Steward Feng¡¯s footsteps. Without opening his eyes, he asked, ¡°Sent him away?¡± Steward Feng bowed. ¡°Sent him away.¡± Yu She¡¯s mouth twitched. He seemed to want to ask something, but didn¡¯t. Steward Feng tried to figure out what Yu She was thinking. He took the initiative to say, ¡°Young Master Zhong was very shocked when he woke up this morning. He inquired for a long time, asking if Heir had gone to see him yesterday and how long Heir had stayed in his room. This old servant answered honestly. Young Master Zhong¡­ was quite alarmed.¡± Yu She acted like he hadn¡¯t heard anything. Steward Feng spoke half the truth, ¡°This is all because Young Master Zhong has a good temper. He doesn¡¯t think too much about anything. If this were someone intolerant and you kidnapped them then sent them away¡­ they probably would become truly furious.¡± Yu She uncaringly replied, ¡°Let them become as furious as they want.¡± Steward Feng was genuinely confused. ¡°Heir clearly cares for Young Master Zhong. Why must you always act neither friendly nor aloof? Who knows when Young Master Zhong is going to return with Prince Qian An to his fief. If you continue acting this way¡­¡± ¡°You may leave.¡± Yu She turned his head to the side impatiently. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy.¡± Steward Feng sighed. He placed a blanket over Yu She before leaving. A long time later, Yu She slowly opened his eyes. He massaged his temples in extreme discomfort. He had first gotten into a fight with Xuan Qiong in the palace. After returning, he had then sat on the edge of Zhong Wan¡¯s bed for a whole night. He was truly sleepy. Yu She originally hadn¡¯t planned on doing anything. He only wanted to see Zhong Wan. But that reckless thing had just so happened to blindly call out to him in his sleep. Yu She hadn¡¯t been able to resist, thus¡­ Yu She closed his eyes and calmed himself down. When Yu She had been observing Zhong Wan last night, he had suddenly thought of seven years ago, the night before Zhong Wan had left. At that time, Xuan Rui had inherited Prince Ning¡¯s position and had already taken his younger brother and sister to his Qian An territory. After receiving this news, Zhong Wan acted like he was sitting on needles day and night. He lived in a daze. Young Yu She understood in his heart that he would be unable to keep the other around. Back then, Yu She felt pain in his heart when he looked at Zhong Wan. He understood that his own father had harmed him. He shouldn¡¯t forcefully keep the other by his side, but he also couldn¡¯t bear not to. Young Yu She couldn¡¯t even explain this to himself. In the end, could he not bear to allow Zhong Wan to suffer in his fief or could he not bear to leave this person? Some things were obvious in his heart, but he also didn¡¯t know how to say them. For several days, the two of them acted as if they were on the same page, but were actually thinking very different things. Like this, they kept testing each other¡¯s boundaries. Yu She remembered that one day, Zhong Wan told him out of the blue, ¡°Ziyou, I feel very guilty for ruining your marriage plans last time.¡± Young Zhong Wan avoided his gaze and stuttered, ¡°But now that I think about it, Duke Wenguo¡¯s granddaughter is very nice too. In the future¡­ you need to find an even better Young Princess Consort Yu. Otherwise, I¡¯ll feel too apologetic. If I learned that your marriage was unhappy, I wouldn¡¯t have peace of mind.¡± Yu She also stuttered, ¡°Okay. I¡­ I will definitely find someone better. So you won¡¯t need to worry.¡± Upon hearing this, young Zhong Wan became silent for quite a long time. He lowered his head and laughed before softly saying, ¡°As such, I can have a clear conscience.¡± Yu She could faintly tell that there was something wrong with Zhong Wan¡¯s expression. He wanted to ask further but didn¡¯t know how to. The two of them had been this awkward for several days. When they spoke, conversation was always this illogical. Yu She couldn¡¯t guess when Zhong Wan was going to leave. He worried that the other wouldn¡¯t be safe heading to Qian An by himself, so wanted to ask if he needed him to send some people along to protect him. But he also didn¡¯t want to bring the topic up first. What if Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t actually planning on leaving? What if Zhong Wan was only worried about Xuan Rui and would return to normal after a few days? Yu She maintained this last bit of hope, yet still placed several silver tickets inside Zhong Wan¡¯s room. He feared that Zhong Wan wouldn¡¯t be able to see them, so directly placed them very obviously on the kang table. Nanjiang was very far away. It would take many months just to make the trip. He would need money along the way, right? If he needed to leave the city, he naturally needed documents as a slave. Yu She forced himself to also find Zhong Wan¡¯s self-selling contract. He then wrote a travel approval explaining the situation. He folded the travel approval document and self-selling contract together before putting them under the paperweight on Zhong Wan¡¯s desk, making sure that a corner was peeking out. Yu She placed these things in very obvious locations, sure that Zhong Wan would be able to notice them. A day later, Yu She checked Zhong Wan¡¯s room. The silver tickets and self-selling contract had been hidden away, as expected. Yu She couldn¡¯t figure out what the feeling in his heart was. He only knew that this meant Zhong Wan was truly planning on leaving. Two more days passed. One night, Zhong Wan suddenly wanted to drink. He also insisted on chatting with Yu She. In his mind, Yu She knew that today was the today. Yu She didn¡¯t have good tolerance, but still forced himself to drink a lot with Zhong Wan. He remembered how young Zhong Wan had looked at him with a conflicted gaze. Quietly, the other said, ¡°Ziyou, it would be nice if you were my family member.¡± Yu She lifted his head and downed a cup of alcohol. With a deep voice, he answered, ¡°My surname is Yu. How could I be your family member?¡± Zhong Wan smiled carefreely. ¡°Exactly.¡± Zhong Wan simply poured himself half a bowl of alcohol and drank it in one gulp. Halfway through, Zhong Wan said he felt dizzy. He made Yu She put out the incense burning in the incense burner. Yu She did. When he got back, Yu She could tell that his alcohol had been touched. Young Yu She felt an influx of emotions. He pretended he didn¡¯t notice and drank the alcohol. At the time, Yu She had even thought angrily to himself, even if Zhong Wan were poisoning me, I would let him. But that wasn¡¯t poison. It was only a small serving of sleeping drugs. Zhong Wan had honestly put in too little sleeping drugs. After half an hour, Yu She finally started feeling sleepy. He couldn¡¯t bear to look at Zhong Wan; he thought, traveling by night is difficult. I should just sleep now so you can rest assured and leave earlier. Using his intoxication as an excuse, young Yu She stood up and wobbled a few times. Then, he fell over and was helped by Zhong Wan to the bed. Yu She could very clearly remember that Zhong Wan¡¯s hands had been shaking when they held onto him. Yu She leaned against the head of the bed, pretending to be asleep. He could sense that Zhong Wan was half-kneeling in front of him. The other stared at him for a long time. Long enough that the effect of the sleeping drugs finally kicked in. Zhong Wan finally moved. He stood up and gently started feeling around Yu She¡¯s waist. Half asleep and half awake, Yu She¡¯s heart started pounding in his chest. He thought¡­ was Zhong Wan planning on doing something before leaving? Young Yu She also didn¡¯t know what he was anticipating. He squeezed his eyes shut, terrified that Zhong Wan would discover he wasn¡¯t actually asleep yet. Another moment passed. Yu She felt Zhong Wan starting to feel around his sleeves. Yu She forced himself to stay awake. He thought, wasn¡¯t he planning on undoing my waistband earlier? How come he still hasn¡¯t succeeded? Why is he feeling around my sleeves now? Yu She heard a light clink. He finally couldn¡¯t hold himself back, extremely curious as to what Zhong Wan was doing. Thus, he opened his eyes a slit¡­ Young Zhong Wan was using the tablecloth as a bag. It was spread open on the bed. He neatly and quickly removed all the valuable accessories Yu She was wearing, carefully storing them away. Young Yu She almost couldn¡¯t keep up the act due to how angry he was. Weren¡¯t those silver tickets enough?! This person¡­ truly wouldn¡¯t take any disadvantages. Yu She allowed Zhong Wan¡¯s plundering. Not long after, the coin bags, jade pendants, fans, rings, etc. on his body had all been removed. Yu She felt slightly regretful¡­ The jade pendants he had worn today weren¡¯t very valuable. They weren¡¯t as valuable as a whole set. After Zhong Wan¡¯s rustling search, the effects of the sleeping drugs completely kicked in. Yu She couldn¡¯t keep himself awake any longer. Before falling asleep, he felt Zhong Wan coming closer. As to what happened after, though, he had no recollection. As expected, when he woke up the next morning, Zhong Wan had already left. Steward Feng was beside himself with agitation. He conducted several searches of the entirety of the large estate, looking time and time again in Zhong Wan¡¯s previous hiding places. But he couldn¡¯t find anything anymore. Zhong Wan had really left. Yu She allowed Steward Feng to look around everywhere. He wasn¡¯t anxious at all, and also didn¡¯t allow anyone to search outside the estate. Yu She closed the door and looked around in his own room a bit. But he didn¡¯t find anything. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t even leave him a letter. Young Yu She felt slightly angry after feeling his empty waist area. He could¡¯ve even¡­ casually left a few words! He could¡¯ve even etched an ¡°I was here¡± onto the table?! Yu She refused to give up and went to search Zhong Wan¡¯s room instead. He turned the little cabinet by the head of the bed upside down, but still didn¡¯t find anything. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t leave anything for him. He had come cleanly and left the same way. Yu She sat for a long time in front of Zhong Wan¡¯s desk. When he stood, his large sleeves brushed over a book. The book fell onto the ground. Yu She looked down. For an extended period of time, he couldn¡¯t speak. That was a copy of The Classic of Poetry. The book was open to the page of ¡°The Odes of Zheng.¡± A few silver tickets, a self-selling contract, and a travel approval were carefully folded together. Young Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t brought any of them with him. CH 29 Yu She could not imagine how difficult Zhong Wan¡¯s rushed trip to Qian An had been. Without money or travel documents, how much suffering did he experience in those few months? The young Yu She had originally been able to comfort himself. Zhong Wan at least had some of Yu She¡¯s things on him to sell for money. But as the years passed, those things returned to Yu She¡¯s hands one by one. And those items had been untouched. As if things had been pure between them all along. No connection at all between them. Once again, Yu She¡¯s started to grow a headache. In discomfort, he turned over in bed, a drawn-out sigh escaping his lips. Steward Feng kept watch outside. He could hear Yu She tossing and turning, and entered the room without a sound. Whispered, ¡°Heir, Heir, did you have a nightmare again?¡± ¡°No,¡± Yu She said in an indifferent manner. ¡°I have yet to fall asleep.¡± Steward Feng worried that Yu She was unhappy and would do something again. He asked, ¡°Then should I light the sleeping incense?¡± Yu She impatiently said, ¡°You think I¡¯m him?¡± Steward Feng smiled. ¡°Yes. Young Master Zhong is truly weak against medicine. Each time, a bit of incense would knock him out.¡± Yu She stared out the window, gaze far away. As if he were recalling something else. Yu She hesitated over whether he should use the sleeping incense. He truly did not want the Zhong Wan in his mind to disturb him. Irritated, he said, ¡°Stop staring at me. I have no energy to do anything right now.¡± Those words rang true. Following each time Yu She had caused some trouble, he would be calm for a period. Just a while ago, he had caused trouble with Xuan Qiong. For at least half a month, he would not have the urge to commit su*cide. Steward Feng secretly worried. He could sense that Yu She didn¡¯t want to do such a thing either. Who would torment themselves if their life was going well? However, he had suffered too much. After a while, it would seem as if he could not bear it anymore, and would find something to vent out his feelings. Steward Feng approached the bed to help Yu She pull the covers up. He saw that Yu She still had his eyes open and softly said, ¡°The people escorting Young Master Zhong have already returned. They have given respects to Prince Qian An in place of Heir. According to the steward of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, Prince Qian An¡¯s illness grew worse.¡± Yu She closed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s highly likely he¡¯s faking it.¡± Steward Feng laughed dryly. ¡°It¡¯s not guaranteed.¡± ¡°He¡¯s in a rush to return to Qian An.¡± Yu She frowned. ¡°Yesterday when Zhong Wan entered the palace, he wanted to request the emperor for permission to leave for Xuan Rui and the others.¡± Yu She smiled mockingly. ¡°Speaking of which, Xuan Rui¡¯s life is good. Such a useless person unexpectedly survived until now.¡± With a keen sense of smell, Steward Feng was able to smell a hint of something not completely sour but not bitter as well. There must be something up. He softly said, ¡°Actually, back then Heir did not have to let Young Master Zhong leave.¡± Yu She hated hearing these words the most. As soon as he had, he frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve said it many times before that I couldn¡¯t.¡± Steward Feng saw an opening and immediately seized it. ¡°But right now, this isn¡¯t certain! Right now, could we really not keep him here?¡± Once again, Yu She fell silent. A while later, he said in a soft voice, ¡°Even if I could keep him, I cannot not protect him.¡± For a moment, Steward Feng found it difficult to bear. Full of anxiety, he asked, ¡°Heir, you are certain that you won¡¯t live long?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± replied Yu She, tranquil. Steward Feng really wished he could hit him. Yc atf mbcagjgs, joafg Te Vtf tjv rjlv remt kbgvr, tf ofia mbwobgajyif. Lf erfv tlr jgwr jr j qliibk. Kbbx tlr alwf rjslcu, ¡°Zbgfbnfg¡­ P tjaf tlw. Po P xffq tlw ys ws rlvf, ktb xcbkr ktfc ws rlmxcfrr kbeiv jqqfjg jujlc jcv P ragjcuif tlw ab vfjat.¡± Vafkjgv Mfcu kjr ja j ibrr. ¡°Qts vbfr sbeg tbcbgfv rfio tjaf tlw? Mbg jii atf rabglfr jcv ilfr tf abiv jybea sbe akb atfrf qjra ofk sfjgr?¡± ¡°No.¡± Yu She narrowed his eyes. ¡°I hate that he clearly could ruthlessly and coldly live a smooth life yet insists on being sincere with just anyone.¡± Steward Feng laughed in spite of himself. ¡°Aren¡¯t those Young Master Zhong¡¯s good points?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s even more of a reason to not keep him here.¡± Yu She took a deep breath. ¡°If he did not have this kind of personality, then last night, I would have¡­¡± Steward Feng felt as if he had heard something important. He rushed to ask, ¡°What about last night?!¡± A trace of hatred flashed through Yu She¡¯s eyes. ¡°Last night, I would have done him.¡± Rage filled Steward Feng. Then you should have done him!!! Steward Feng felt resentful towards Yu She for not meeting his expectations. ¡°Then in those four hours last night, just what did¡­ just what did Heir¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t touch him, but¡­¡± Yu She furrowed his brows and wavered before saying, ¡°But I also did.¡± Steward Feng was anxious to the extreme and feared annoying Yu She by asking. He could only take his time to shamelessly say, ¡°Touch what?¡± For a long while, Yu She kept silent. Then he said, ¡°A kiss.¡± Shocked, Steward Feng blurted, ¡°Ki¡­ss?¡± Looking elsewhere, Yu She said, ¡°He did it himself.¡± Steward Feng was struck silly to the extreme. ¡°Did it himself?¡± Zhong Wan had been sleeping like the dead. How did he do it himself? ¡°I was only changing his outer clothes!¡± said Yu She, gloomy. ¡°And he had such an indecent appearance. Then¡­ he said my courtesy name.¡± Steward Feng was struck speechless. He really wanted to help Zhong Wan understand what happened to him. In an extremely careful manner, he asked for Zhong Wan, ¡°How was it¡­ indecent?¡± Yu She drew his brows together as he looked at Steward Feng. ¡°Why are you asking about this?¡± Steward Feng jumped from fear. Forcing a smile, he said, ¡°This old slave simply can¡¯t understand why a person like Young Master Zhong could fail to conduct himself with dignity.¡± Yu She wanted to say something, but then held himself back. Instead, he said, ¡°In short¡­ he had a very indecent appearance.¡± He recalled that the last time Zhong Wan had criticized him harshly, Zhong Wan had seemed aroused. And Yu She¡¯s throat grew dry. He moved around in discomfort. ¡°In the first place, I only wanted to take a look at him. But he insisted on provoking me¡­ He deserved it.¡± ¡°Serves him right. He truly deserved it. No regard for his decency! No regard for his self-respect!¡± Steward Feng bitterly agreed. He truly deserved it, but your honored self only kissed him! Steward Feng hesitated over and over again. He feared Yu She did not know some things. Mindful of Yu She¡¯s expression, he softly said, ¡°Speaking of which, Heir isn¡¯t young anymore. A few years ago, Princess Royal asked this old slave if it¡¯s time to arrange a few servant girls to teach Heir about matters of the flesh. This old slave guessed that Heir would not want the people from Princess, so rejected the offer for Heir. Now that this old slave recalls it, should we arrange for some suitable and older female servants over¡­?¡± All of a sudden, Yu She was looking at Steward Feng. ¡°No need to bring people to teach me. I am knowledgeable of such matters.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± Steward Feng was scared nearly half dead. ¡°Heir naturally knows.¡± Baffled, Yu She stared at Steward Feng. ¡°Do you all think about this every day? I am not like regular people, but I¡¯m not as bad as not even understanding this. I already understood it completely by the time I was a teenager.¡± Steward Feng blurted loudly, ¡°Understood, understood, understood.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bring those strange people into my inner chamber.¡± Yu She stared at Steward Feng, taking precautions. ¡°I don¡¯t want women nor would I father descendants. If I see people that I should not see in my residence¡­ I will strangle her in an instant.¡± Steward Feng¡¯s heart trembled. ¡°Then Heir¡­¡± Yu She didn¡¯t even need to think about it. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t need this even more.¡± Steward Feng wanted to say something, before hesitating. ¡°Toward Young Master Zhong, Heir is clearly¡­¡± Yu She knit his brows. ¡°I kissed him because he didn¡¯t conduct himself with dignity!¡± He almost convinced Steward Feng. Steward Feng mumbled to himself, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Young Master Zhong himself who flirted in his dreams so well. He actually called out Heir¡¯s courtesy name in his dream? If this isn¡¯t being frivolous, then what is it? Heir is young. When would he meet this kind of person? It¡¯s inevitable he would be confused by Young Master Zhong! That he dared to say this in his dream makes it clear he¡¯s allowing Heir to do things to him!¡± Yu She found it reasonable, his mood improving a bit. Downcast, Steward Feng said, ¡°That¡¯s why Heir taking liberties from his was deserved!¡± These matters had distrubed Yu She, making him feel ill at ease. Yet at this moment, he had fully recovered. He closed his eyes. ¡°Exactly.¡± Steward Feng itched to beat up Yu She. Fuming with rage between gritted teeth, he said, ¡°Since he was unable to bear it, then why didn¡¯t Heir just¡­ just¡­¡± Irritated, Yu She said, ¡°If he couldn¡¯t bear it, does that automatically mean I couldn¡¯t as well? Also¡­ After that, he became very content with his lot, lying in my embrace asleep in a very honest manner.¡± Young Prince Yu was clear on rewards and punishments. Steward Feng had nothing to say. Yu She used this meticulous analysis to ease his own anxiety, growing a lot more at ease. He pulled up the covers on himself. ¡°I¡¯m tired. You can leave.¡± Steward Feng retreated. He felt things couldn¡¯t go on like this. He wrote another letter to Zhong Wan. In Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, Zhong Wan had dismissed the servants and was just starting to speak with Xuan Congxin. Zhong Wan had not returned all night. Worried to the extreme, Xuan Congzin repeatedly asked him what had happened. ¡°Yesterday¡­ Ugh, I don¡¯t want to talk about it. A mess.¡± He laughed in spite of himself. ¡°I have some proper business to talk to you about.¡± Xuan Congxin practically had not slept all night, and glanced at Zhong Wan in a rebuking manner. Then, with a mountain of patience, she said, ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°Yesterday, I had originally wanted to request from the emperor to allow your brother to return to Qian An. Unfortunately, other matters had sprung up and messed this up. At present, Fifth Prince, Xuan Qiong, had swallowed a stomach full of water, and it¡¯s uncertain what else had occurred. His Majesty certainly doesn¡¯t have the energy to take care of our matters.¡± Zhong Wan had a splitting headache. ¡°Another imperial prince had an accident. If we keep asking to return to Qian An, it might actually reproduce the opposite of our desired effect, inspiring the emperor¡¯s suspicion. What I mean is¡­¡± Zhong Wan paused. Then he said, ¡°I used Xuan Yu¡¯s name to send a memorial, which read that Xuan Rui was very ill, and as such asked to allow soley him¡­ to return to Qian An first.¡± Xuan Congxin frowned. ¡°Only allow my eldest brother to return?¡± ¡°His Majesty¡¯s birthday has yet to arrive, yet accidents occured in the capital one after another. If we all leave together, it would attract too much attention. The emperor is mistrustful. I¡¯m afraid that he would think our Prince Qian An estate is scheming.¡± Zhong Wan helplessly said, ¡°When that time comes, none of us would be able to leave.¡± Xuan Congxin was unable to understand the deeper matters like Zhong Wan. However, she nodded in a hesitant manner. ¡°The emperor would not kill children,¡± Zhong Wan lightly reassured her. ¡°You are a girl, so it¡¯s even more safe.¡± Xuan Congxin did not seem any happier after hearing these words. Lowering her head, she said, ¡°This I know.¡± Zhong Wan said,¡± With me around, you all will definitely be safe. So let¡¯s have you eldest brother leave first, alright?¡± A smile appeared on Xuan Congxin¡¯s lips. ¡°For you to swear such an oath with me and for you to plan all this, it will obviously be the safest method. The best method for us. I will agree to your plan, but¡­¡± Zhong Wan and Xuan Congxin said at the same time, ¡°No need to tell Xuan Yu.¡± The two laughed. A sigh left Xuan Congxin¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯m also useless.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already good enough that you aren¡¯t a bit suspicious of me.¡± He smiled. ¡°Your eldest brother will be leaving soon, so don¡¯t argue with him in these next two days. Give him the fox fur coat you were making for him.¡± Xuan Congxin nodded. All of a sudden, she said, ¡°How about you return to Qian An with him? You said before that the emperor wouldn¡¯t do anything to us. After His Majesty¡¯s birthday, I can return with Xuan Yu.¡± ¡°How could we do that?¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t even think about it. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°When the Prince sees from heaven that I left you two children here, he will strike me with lightning in the middle of the night.¡± For a moment, a wave of sadness washed over Xuan Congxin. She knew she could not support their estate and no longer was talkative. She forced a smile. ¡°Well you still haven¡¯t married that young lady. Now that it¡¯s mentioned¡­ where is she? It¡¯s been so many days but I¡¯ve yet to see any action from her.¡± Now that the topic of conversation came to this, Zhong Wan suffered another headache. ¡°Perhaps¡­ it¡¯s not going smoothly. Very difficult to handle.¡± Discontent, Xuan Congxin said, ¡°Just what does she not like?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame them.¡± Zhong Wan smiled bitterly. ¡°They¡­ When they were young, they suffered a lot. Now their personality isn¡¯t very good. I need to try harder.¡± Xuan Congxin thought for a moment, then nodded in understanding. ¡°She¡¯s getting old and her body is tall and sturdy. That¡¯s why she¡¯s more sensitive than others. Since you like her this much, then try hard.¡± As Zhong Wan smiled once more, someone knocked outside. Zhong Wan allowed that person to enter. It was a messenger with a letter from Steward Feng. He received the letter and opened it in front of Xuan Congxin. After he finished reading it, his expression changed several times. He almost said a slur in front of Xuan Congxin. She scrutinized Zhong Wan¡¯s expression. Probingly asked, ¡°Is¡­ that letter from that young lady?¡± Zhong Wan nodded with much difficulty. Xuang Congxin thought, this girl truly is courageous. ¡°What did she say?¡± Immensely discouraged, Zhong Wan replied, ¡°They said they dislike how indecent I am.¡± Xuan Congxin paled from fear. Zhong Wan waved, asking her to return to her residence. Xuan Congxin was astonished by how open-minded the culture was at the capital. She left while still holding on to her astonishment. Once she had left his residence, Zhong Wan picked up the letter again. He wasn¡¯t sure if his eyes had made a mistake. As his hands shook, he carefully read the letter once more¡­ ¡°Heir said that Young Master does not have any self-respect. ¡°Heir said that Young Master did not remove your outer robe during sleep, and was clearly trying to seduce men, making Heir help you remove it. ¡°Heir is young and vigorous, and suddenly saw someone sleeping without taking off their outer clothes. How could he have resisted?!¡± Zhong Wan was so angry that he went dizzy and his ears rang. He drank a sip of tea, and continued to read¡ª ¡°So Heir unconsciously¡­ kissed you.¡± CH 30 ¡°I¡¯m indecent¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m frivolous¡­¡± Zhong Wan did his best to ignore that last phrase. He ground his teeth together and thought, I truly am just as dangerously seductive as in the past. Without even removing an article of clothing, I was capable of causing the Yu She of today to lose control. If I had half-taken off or completely taken off something, wouldn¡¯t that have made Young Prince Yu lock me up in his home, never to let me leave? Also, Yu She must truly be crazy. What illogical reasons were these? Zhong Wan refused to accept the current situation. He reread the letter a couple more times, trying to figure out what Yu She was actually thinking. But after spending some time looking over it again, only one thing remained in his mind¡­ Kissed? Zhong Wan thought in a daze, kissed. How did the kiss happen? Kissed where? H-How did they kiss? Zhong Wan still felt thirsty. He downed the half cup of tea remaining and sat down, trying his best to remember. But he couldn¡¯t remember anything. ¡°He must have done this on purpose.¡± Zhong Wan crushed the letter into a ball. ¡°If he¡¯s so capable, he should¡¯ve been more outright¡­¡± But if he really had been more outright¡­ Zhong Wan¡¯s ears flushed red as he thought of how Yu She had looked barging in that day. He truly¡­ wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle it. The Yu She now was too terrifying. Zhong Wan forced himself to first stop dwelling on the issue of whether or not they had kissed. He still didn¡¯t understand. Even if they actually had kissed, why was Yu She angry? Angry to the point that he didn¡¯t want to see him and had kicked him out early in the morning. The Yu She now truly had a temper that was unpredictable. Zhong Wan threw the letter into the brazier and collected himself. Using Xuan Yu¡¯s tone of voice, he wrote a booklet for Emperor Chongan. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t make Xuan Yu copy it in his own handwriting. Emperor Chongan wasn¡¯t dumb; he would be able to tell these were Zhong Wan¡¯s ideas in an instant. Thus, Zhong Wan didn¡¯t even bother hiding his handwriting. He generously finished writing it and ordered someone to take the booklet into the palace. Zhong Wan had already made Prince Qian An¡¯s estate¡¯s stance very clear: We don¡¯t want to get mixed up with the issues in the capital. We only want to return to Qian An earlier to live peacefully, but also don¡¯t dare to betray the emperor¡¯s blessings. Thus, even though Prince Qian An is gravely ill, he is still leaving his younger brother and sister born of the same parents to celebrate the emperor¡¯s birthday. Prince Qian An¡¯s estate had already given their greatest sincerity. They only hoped that Emperor Chongan would allow their Prince to return to Qian An earlier to heal. With such a humble attitude, Emperor Chongan naturally gave his permission. The same day, people arrived from the palace. As usual, they granted several health supplements. The stone in Zhong Wan¡¯s chest landed on the ground. All was well as long as they could send Xuan Rui away. Xuan Rui finally stopped taking the medicine. Yan Pingshan intended for Xuan Rui to rest for a few more days to recover. Without even thinking, though, Zhong Wan said, ¡°No. Leave tomorrow.¡± Xuan Congxin set down the needle and thread in her hands. In surprise, she asked, ¡°So rushed?¡± ¡°Things may change with time,¡± Zhong Wan replied. ¡°Who knows when Third Prince will pass? Third Prince is Xuan Rui¡¯s elder cousin. If anything really happened, they¡¯d be mourning while we¡¯d be happily returning to Qian An. Would that be suitable?¡± Tjc Ulcurtjc atbeuta jybea la jcv gfjilhfv atf batfg kjr gluta. Lf ibbxfv ja Itbcu Qjc. ¡°Tbe¡­¡± ¡°P¡¯w vfolclafis cba ifjnlcu.¡± Itbcu Qjc bgvfgfv, ¡°Vewwbc Olc Vl jcv afii tlw ab rfcv Wejc Eel yjmx ab Hljc Cc. Ktfgf¡¯r cb cffv obg tlw ab mbwf yjmx joafg.¡± Tjc Ulcurtjc jugffv jcv ifoa. Wejc Jbcuzlc tjvc¡¯a olclrtfv tfg obz-oeg mbja sfa. Vtf kjr lc j gert ab olclrt la bnfgcluta, rb tjv cb alwf ab mtja. Vtf bgvfgfv rbwfbcf ab mjggs tfg cffvif jcv atgfjv jr rtf tfjvfv yjmx ab tfg bkc mbegasjgv ab kbgx. Zhong Wan picked out the servants heading back to Qian An with Xuan Rui, then personally helped the other pack his luggage. The entire estate was in a mess. Zhong Wan made several trips in and out, causing him to become exposed to the cold wind. In only a moment, he started feeling a bit feverish. ¡°How disappointing¡­¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t want to bother seeing the imperial doctors in the estate. He returned to his own room and found two medicine pills for curing the regular cold and swallowed them with water. After, he wrapped himself in thick clothes and walked out the door again. After half a day of chaos, the luggage was finally all packed and counted. Yan Pingshan returned alone. ¡°Where is he?¡± Zhong Wan lifted his head. ¡°Where¡¯s the mute?¡± In front of the other servants, Yan Pingshan only ambiguously stated, ¡°Didn¡¯t find him.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows, then led Yan Pingshan back into his own room. ¡°Lin Si doesn¡¯t want to leave.¡± Yan Pingshan stated in agitation, ¡°I told the spies we have on Fourth Prince¡¯s estate to tell him. He said that he can¡¯t leave. I then found a way to call him out and personally ask. He¡­ said he doesn¡¯t want to leave.¡± Zhong Wan burst into laughter. ¡°Why?¡± Yan Pingshan shook his head. ¡°He didn¡¯t say why. He¡¯s a mute, so I wasn¡¯t able to get any answers out of him. I told him to write them out, but he wouldn¡¯t. When he got impatient with my questions, he even stopped gesturing.¡± Zhong Wan carefully thought back and suddenly discovered that since he had returned to the capital, the few times that he had mentioned wanting Lin Si to return to Qian An, Lin Si had always been hesitant. ¡°He¡­¡± Zhong Wan lowered his voice, ¡°Has he been trapped by something?¡± Zhong Wan said in amusement, ¡°Lin Si isn¡¯t young anymore. Perhaps he has a lover in the capital?¡± Yan Pingshan was lost. ¡°How would I know¡­ but shouldn¡¯t he at least tell us?! We finally have a chance to return to Qian An. Isn¡¯t returning earlier more important than anything else? I¡¯m unable to persuade him; he doesn¡¯t like listening to me either. While it¡¯s still early in the day, how about you go seek him out¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± After being lost in thought for a few moments, Zhong Wan suddenly smiled. ¡°Let him be.¡± Yan Pingshan urgently said, ¡°How can we allow him to do as he wills? Fourth Prince¡¯s estate isn¡¯t a good place to stay! If anything happens in the future and he gets implicated, he would be alone. We wouldn¡¯t be able to help even if we wanted to. By then¡­¡± ¡°Uncle Yan,¡± Zhong Wan softly said. ¡°Stop planning things out for him.¡± Yan Pingshan looked at Zhong Wan, stunned. ¡°You¡¯re not going to control him?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t control him. Lin Si isn¡¯t my slave,¡± Zhong Wan answered, unbothered. ¡°Though he always calls me ¡®master,¡¯ in actuality, he¡¯s my wet nurse¡¯s son. Technically, he¡¯s almost my blood-related brother. My wet nurse passed early on. He¡¯s wandered from place to place with me these past few years, suffering quite a bit.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°Even if the Zhong family had given him some small graces and favors back then, he has long since returned all of them after all these years. Now¡­ let him be.¡± Yan Pingshan didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What do you mean let him be? Isn¡¯t this for his own good? He¡¯d be alone¡­¡± ¡°If I were to act for my own good,¡± said Zhong Wan, holding back a smile, ¡°I would be returning with you guys as well. But I can¡¯t leave right now too, right?¡± He had gotten stopped in his tracks by someone with a strange temperament. Zhong Wan gently said, ¡°People all have their own destinies. Since Xuan Rui is safe now, I want to do some other things. Lin Si probably thinks this way too.¡± Yan Pingshan didn¡¯t understand, but looking at Zhong Wan currently, he suddenly felt that at this moment, something had already changed in this estate. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely ask him about it,¡± Zhong Wan comforted. ¡°When I seek him out again, I¡¯ll ask him. Forget about everything else¡­ Since he¡¯s unwilling to return, you can just accompany Xuan Rui back.¡± Yan Pingshan was shocked. ¡°I leave? What about you guys?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing important in the estate. It¡¯ll be enough to keep a young steward around,¡± Zhong Wan answered casually. ¡°The two kids and I aren¡¯t troublesome, so won¡¯t need this many people taking care of us.¡± Yan Pingshan wasn¡¯t reassured, but after thinking of the sickly Xuan Rui and weighing his options, he said in exasperation, ¡°Alright. After Prince has safely reached Qian An, I¡¯ll return.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t. By then, the two little ones would possibly already be on the way back.¡± Zhong Wan had a headache thinking about this. ¡°The trip there and back is already several months. You might even miss each other in the middle. All you need to do is take good care of Xuan Rui.¡± Yan Pingshan thought about it and realized this was true. He could only nod and say, ¡°Then you¡­ pay more attention to your health.¡± Zhong Wan smiled uncaringly. In a change of plans, Yan Pingshan suddenly needed to leave. He had a bunch of business to take care of once more, so had no spare time to continue speaking with Zhong Wan. He lifted his foot to leave. Before stepping outside the door, Yan Pingshan turned back to look at Zhong Wan. Out of the blue, he said, ¡°Zhong Wan¡­ Who knows what year it will be the next time we meet.¡± Zhong Wan was most terrified of these woeful goodbyes. He smiled and said, ¡°What? Rushing me to pay you in advance for this year?¡± Yan Pingshan didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. With a complicated gaze, he looked at Zhong Wan. ¡°Either way¡­ take care.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°I know.¡± The next day, everyone in Prince Qian An¡¯s estate woke up early. As the sky started to lighten, Yan Pingshan and Xuan Rui left the city. Zhong Wan accompanied Xuan Congxin and Xuan Yu in standing atop the second door for a while. Xuan Yu wept silently. ¡°Eldest brother¡­ eldest brother¡¯s body is so weak. The trip is so long. Halfway through the trip, will he¡­¡± ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± Xuan Congxin answered. ¡°Shut up.¡± Xuan Yu forced himself to remain silent. He didn¡¯t dare to make another sound, instead scooting closer to Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan held back a smile. He rubbed Xuan Yu¡¯s head and was just about to urge the two little ones into the room when a servant stumbled in from outside. Xuan Congxin furrowed her brows. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?! Do you still remember how to behave?¡± Zhong Wan felt slight worry in his heart. He stopped Xuan Congxin and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± The servant knelt on the ground and spoke with a quivering voice, ¡°Third Prince¡­died.¡± Zhong Wan thought to himself, so close. Zhong Wan glanced at Xuan Congxin. Xuan Congxin carefully said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we listened to you. I¡­ should I have someone prepare the white cloth now? We should cover up these red lanterns first, right?¡± Zhong Wan actually didn¡¯t really understand the customs regarding important events such as weddings or funerals. Now that Yan Pingshan had already left, he could only force himself to take care of them. ¡°I believe so. Have people prepare the mourning attire. I predict that in less than half a day, someone will be here from the imperial clan. At that time, we can ask them.¡± Xuan Congxin looked at her younger brother who was in the middle of crying. With furrowed brows, she said, ¡°Xuan Yu and I definitely won¡¯t be in the same location if we go to keep vigil. He most likely won¡¯t be able to go by himself. Can you accompany him?¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°Naturally.¡± Xuan Congxin relaxed. She went ahead to take care of the inner courtyard. Zhong Wan suddenly thought of something. His heart dropped. Yu She¡­ needed to go keep vigil too, right? Zhong Wan¡¯s ears flushed red. In his heart, he quietly prayed, regardless if he does it for Third Prince who has died young or for whomever, please, please don¡¯t let Yu She go crazy in the funeral hall and start asking me why I¡¯m so indecent¡­ ¡°Dead?¡± The side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Yu She played with his bird and cheerily said, ¡°He dragged it out for so many days. Finally left?¡± Steward Feng passed him the mourning attire. ¡°Yes, he died this morning. I heard that Imperial Consort Xian almost passed out from crying. Princess Royal has already headed over. Before she left, Princess Royal sent people over and said, said¡­¡± Yu She impatiently asked, ¡°Are you going to say it or not?¡± ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Steward Feng smiled. ¡°Princess Royal said this year, Heir has had misfortune with water and fire, and has also recently been frightened¡­¡± Yu She scoffed. Steward Feng smiled apologetically. ¡°She naturally has to say these things to the public. Princess Royal means that funerals are originally Heir¡¯s taboo. And, Heir has just been placed under house arrest by the emperor. How about¡­ not going?¡± Steward Feng lowered his voice, saying, ¡°Princess Royal is considering things from Heir¡¯s perspective. When Heir encounters Imperial Consort Yu later, what should you say? It¡¯ll be awkward for both parties. Better to just avoid the situation.¡± Yu She hadn¡¯t been interested in attending in the first place. ¡°Then I won¡¯t go.¡± Steward Feng smiled. ¡°That¡¯s the idea. Keeping vigil is so much suffering, why bother¡­ But you¡¯ll still have to wear the mourning attire. Heir, go change into it first. After forty nine days, Heir can make an appearance when the coffin gets carried out and that¡¯ll be enough.¡± Yu She changed into the plain-colored clothing before suddenly asking, ¡°Has Prince Qian An¡­ left?¡± Steward Feng was startled. ¡°Yes? Probably yes. Speaking of, Young Master Zhong is very decisive. He didn¡¯t even waste a moment. If this had been half a day later, they most likely wouldn¡¯t have been able to leave the city.¡± ¡°He¡­¡± Yu She paused. ¡°Did he leave with them?¡± Steward Feng naturally knew who Yu She was asking about. He hurriedly responded, ¡°No, no. The spies are keeping an eye out every day. Young Master Zhong is still at the estate. He hasn¡¯t left.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression became slightly better. He pondered a bit and said, ¡°Prince Qian An has left, but Xuan Yu hasn¡¯t, right?¡± Steward Feng was confused, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yu She said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go keep vigil.¡± CH 31.1 Prince Yu, Yu Mucheng, entered the warmroom. He flicked his gaze at Xuan Qiong, who was lying on the bed, let down the net-curtains, and walked out. In the room outside, Imperial Consort Yu had not applied any rouge or powder, eyes red as she watched Yu Mucheng enter. They glistened with tears, but the tears had yet to spill over. ¡°Eldest brother¡­¡± ¡°Speak softer. Fifth Prince is asleep.¡± Yu Mucheng took a seat. ¡°I¡¯ve just asked the imperial physician about his condition. He said it¡¯d be alright. Since this is the case, once he awakes, go with him to see Third Prince¡­¡± ¡°We won¡¯t go!¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s voice was thick with fury. ¡°Why should we go? If we encounter Yu She, am I supposed to act as if I didn¡¯t see him? As if he didn¡¯t shove Qiong¡¯er into the pond?!¡± Yu Mucheng frowned. ¡°Hasn¡¯t this matter already been explained clearly? The two of them were at the shore looking at the pond and Fifth Prince fell in by himself¡­¡± In a rage, Imperial Consort Yu said, ¡°So now you¡¯re using His Majesty¡¯s lies to deceive me? You heard it yourself. Yu She also admitted it. He¡¯s the one who shoved Qiong¡¯er into the water!¡± ¡°So what?¡± Yu Mucheng¡¯s voice was still as light and easy as before. ¡°If Your Highness refuses to accept this, are you going to throw a fuss in front of His Majesty again? Have Ziyou once again repeat Fifth Prince¡¯s absolutely disgraceful words?¡± Imperial Consort Yu bit her lip in silence. ¡°If you don¡¯t remember it clearly, then I¡¯ll say it once more.¡± Yu Mucheng looked at his own younger sister. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Fifth Prince those rumors floating outside again,¡± he said, voice low. ¡°Don¡¯t think yourself clever and decide on your own. Don¡¯t be delusional and do things that you shouldn¡¯t do¡­ The emperor hates people mentioning baseless rumors the most. So why do you keep doing it? Just talking about the rumors yourself is enough. Why must you inform Fifth Prince about them? Fifth Prince has already come of age, yet you resemble a busybody, saying such things behind others¡¯ back! What does that look like?¡± Imperial Consort Yu was so angry, her face paled. ¡°You¡¯re calling me a busybody? Good. I¡¯m ignorant, so explain it properly to me today. Is Yu She your son or not? That year, Princess Royal had been with child during the month of June. Then a year later, during July, she showed the infant in public, forcibly saying it was already a few months old. Have I never given birth before? That infant was clearly a newborn! You people¡­¡± ¡°The Princess gave birth to Ziyou prematurely. Naturally, he would look less developed than other children his age.¡± Yu Mucheng had no choice but to add, ¡°I¡¯ve said this to you many times before. What do you want me to say?¡± ¡°I want to hear the truth!¡± said Imperial Consort Yu, sullen. ¡°I want to know if Qiong¡¯er and I have been making bridal attire for someone else!¡± ¡°Then let me repeat: no.¡± ¡°Alright! If he is truly your son, summon him now. Tell him to kowtow to me in apology!¡± Imperial Consort Yu sneered. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he listen to the words of his father? Summon him here!¡± Te Zemtfcu ijeutfv lc rqlaf bo tlwrfio. ¡°Cgf sbe agslcu ab wjxf agbeyif bea bo cbatlcu? Llr Zjpfras tjr jigfjvs rjlv la kjr Mloat Uglcmf ktb ofii lcab atf qbcv ys jmmlvfca¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use the emperor to give me the runaround!¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s face was still pale from fury. ¡°Originally, I wouldn¡¯t have butted into your business, since you said you recognized him and would even let him inherit the position of Prince our grandfather had painstakingly tried to maintain. I¡¯m a daughter who married into another family, so I won¡¯t say anything else about the matters concerning my paternal family! But what about His Majesty? I¡¯ve endured his utter bias toward Yu She. Endured when everything Yu She received was better than what Qiong¡¯er had. Now, when you give Yu She an inch, he¡¯d want a mile. He already intends to kill Qiong¡¯er. But you all still protect him! In the future, when the emperor leaves the world and Yu She wants Qiong¡¯er and I to accompany the emperor in death, would you hurriedly send us white silk to use in his stead?!¡± Te Zemtfcu oeggbkfv tlr ygbkr. ¡°Qtja jgf sbe agslcu ab rjs? Po jcsbcf tfjgv atlr¡­ kbeivc¡¯a la yf glvlmeiber?¡± ¡°Is it as ridiculous as Yu She?¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s voice proved cold. ¡°Eldest Brother¡­ This time, I am very disappointed. If you want to raise someone else¡¯s son for them, don¡¯t drag me into it. I only have Qiong¡¯er. If he can¡¯t become the crown prince, I will hang myself to avoid Yu She¡¯s humuliation in the future!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Fury coursed through Yu Mucheng¡¯s veins. ¡°Do you think you haven¡¯t harmed Qiong¡¯er enough yet?¡± Angered to tears, Imperial Consort Yu said, ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± Yu Mucheng took in a deep breath. Suppressed the anger in his heart. ¡°Our dynasty does not have the precedent of burying imperial concubines with the dead. Don¡¯t spout baseless hypotheticals and cause Fifth Prince unease.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t?¡± Imperial Consort Yu sneered. ¡°Then what about the last era¡¯s elder and younger Consort Zhongs? How did they die?¡± All of a sudden, Yu Mucheng¡¯s pupils trembled. After a moment, he said, ¡°After the previous emperor left the world, the elder and younger Consort Zhongs were extremely grief-stricken and could not be healed, leading to death.¡± ¡°Really?¡± said Imperial Consort Yu mockingly. ¡°What a good coincidence.¡± Yu Mucheng lowered his head for a sip of tea. A while later, he said, ¡°Good. Since you want to hear about this, I¡¯ll tell you a little¡­ The previous era¡¯s Noble Consort Zhong had a son, Prince Ning. You should know this already, right?¡± Imperial Consort Yu did not understand why Yu Mucheng suddenly mentioned this.A frown slid across her lips. ¡°Naturally.¡± ¡°Prince Ning was intelligent since young, his innate talent surpassing that of others. He also resembled the previous emperor in appearance. The previous emperor was highly fond of him. Unfortunately¡­¡± Yu Mucheng set down the tea cup. Said in a light voice, ¡°He was the previous emperor¡¯s youngest son. The son he had once he was over fifty.¡± Imperial Consort Yu nodded. ¡°I-I know this.¡± Yu Mucheng took his time saying, ¡°In the previous emperor¡¯s later years, he had the intention of conferring him the title of crown prince. Many of the older subjects were also aware of this. He did not hide his intention. Let¡¯s not talk about that topic anymore. Did you know who the previous emperor wanted to kill first after coming to this decision?¡± Startled, Imperial Consort Yu asked out of reflex, ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Noble Consort Zhong.¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s expression drastically changed. Staring at her, Yu Mucheng softly asked, ¡°You thought the previous emperor wanted to kill the current emperor?¡± Beads of cold sweat sprang from Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s forehead. She did not dare to nod or shake her head. ¡°How could the emperor only be biased and not have a heart to kill? Because those were all his blood-related sons¡­ but this wasn¡¯t the case with imperial concubines. At that time, Noble Consort Zhong had just turned thirty and was in good health. At the very least, she still had decades more to live. Compared to the current emperor who had been a probable threat to Prince Ning¡¯s ascension, the previous emperor was even more worried about this young imperial concubine. Feared that she would support her paternal family. Feared that she would turn the next emperor into a puppet emperor. And he feared that she would interfere with the court! ¡°The emperor is callous. But back then, Noble Consort Zhong survived a trial, since the previous emperor had an abrupt death. She was lucky. If not for that¡­ before the previous emperor left the world, she would be waiting for him down under.¡± Yu Mucheng turned to Imperial Consort Yu. ¡°The emperor would be soft hearted toward his sons. Would be biased. But not toward his imperial concubines. If one day, His Majesty feels that you¡¯re interfering too much with Fifth Prince¡­¡± Imperial Consort Yu fell against the soft cushion of her seat. The sweat on her forehead flowed down her body like a stream. Yu Mucheng smiled. ¡°Of course, if His Majesty does not have any intention of conferring Fifth Prince the position of crown prince, he would not fear your small actions. However, you don¡¯t wish for this possibility¡­ That¡¯s why, younger sister, you should understand now, right?¡± Imperial Consort Yu lost all of her arrogance from prior. Wiped at her sweat. In a hoarse voice, she said, ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Naturally, you¡¯re different from Noble Consort Zhong.¡± Yu Mucheng rose to his feet, his voice near whisper. ¡°You are a daughter of our Prince Yu estate. As long as you don¡¯t do any muddle-headed things, His Majesty would not act against you. And he would forever treat Fifth Prince especially well.¡± Frightened, Imperial Consort Yu said, ¡°You really won¡¯t lie to me anymore? His Majesty¡­ really would treat Qiong¡¯er especially well?¡± ¡°He will,¡± said Yu Mucheng reassuringly. ¡°His in-laws are our prince estate. If I don¡¯t fall, he would always have a higher chance than anyone else at becoming the crown prince. As long as he doesn¡¯t violate one of the emperor¡¯s taboos again. Your Highness, if nothing¡¯s the matter, then advise Fifth Prince to calm his heart. It¡¯d be enough if he just properly completes the tasks His Majesty gives him.¡± However, Imperial Consort Yu was still not resigned to her fate. ¡°But¡­ but¡­ what if His Majesty becomes muddle headed in the future and insists on conferring Yu¡ª¡± ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ll say it again. Ziyou¡¯s last name is Yu and he is my son. For this reason, he cannot succeed the throne. Do you understand?¡± Following a moment of thought, Imperial Consort Yu understood thoroughly. Blurted, ¡°Should I-I not mention this anymore? I¡­¡± ¡°You truly can¡¯t mention it ever again.¡± Yu Mucheng strived his best to calm down. ¡°I¡¯ve never understood why you people keep mentioning these matters. Why are you in such a hurry to find proof against him?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m afraid His Majesty would have other intentions!¡± Her tears finally fell. ¡°In fact¡­ I think Yu She knows even more about these matters than me. Can you guarantee he won¡¯t have such thoughts?¡± Yu Mucheng lowered his head. ¡°I promise he won¡¯t.¡± CH 31.2 Third Prince¡¯s estate. Zhong Wan had changed into mourning garments, leading a confused Xuan Yu inside the residence. In an instant, the two separated. Someone escorted Xuan Yu to burn incense for Xuan Jin. Xuan Yu followed the others in kneeling in front of the coffin. At most, Zhong Wan had chanced upon Xuan Jin twice. Little Xuan Yu had not even seen him once. Although they were considered blood-related cousins, he was unable to shed even a tear for him. Xuan Yu could only think of his elder brother and shed a couple tears like that. A while later, Xuan Jin¡¯s princess consort, who stayed in the inner courtyard, sent people to console the relatives. A few strangers helped support Xuan Yu to his feet. They brought him forward to where the coffin lay. He once again burned incense and kowtowed. All along, Zhong Wan had gazed at him from afar. After Xuan Yu finished kowtowing, he glanced back at Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan gave a light wave, a gesture for him to stay with the others. Covering his mouth with his hands, Xuan Yu whispered, ¡°Find a place to sit!¡± Zhong Wan had an urge to smile, but dared not to. He lowered his gaze, as if he had not seen Xuan Yu. The moment he lifted his head again, Xuan Yu had already been led into the mourning shelter, following the other imperial clan members in kneeling once more. Among them, Xuan Yu was the youngest. He knelt in the center of the crowd in mourning clothes, a pitiful appearance. Outside the mourning shelter, there were many people like Zhong Wan waiting. They did not need to kneel. But they could not wait in the outer courtyard like servants. With no place to go, they could only wait at the side well-behavedly. Zhong Wan was bored to the extreme. He tried to find something to occupy himself, wondering whether Yu She would appear today. Regarding the matter of Fifth Prince falling into the pond, Emperor Chongan did not perform an in-depth investigation. He merely put Yu She on house arrest. If it were someone else, they would be nervous, reflecting night and day. But with Yu She, this was not guaranteed. Emperor Chongan had kept Yu She behind for a questioning. When it had still been uncertain whether Xuan Qiong was alive, Yu She was still able to multitask by talking to the emperor and ordering his guards to find Zhong Wan. A person like this¡­ House arrest was unable to restrain him. Sure enough, not even an hour later, someone announced outside that Young Prince Yu had arrived. Yu She¡¯s entourage wasn¡¯t any less impressive than Prince Yu¡¯s. The moment he had arrived, many people stood. Consort Xian, who had been staying in the inner courtyard, sent people to receive him. However, Yu She did not enter the inner courtyard, going directly to where the coffin sat. Yu She burned some incense. As soon as his knees touched the ground, he rose back to his feet. And the people of the Ministry of Rites pretended that they had not seen this, not even blinking. Zhong Wan gazed at him from afar, amazed at his actions. Young Prince Yu wasn¡¯t here to attend a funeral; he was merely here to make an appearance. Once a person died, everything was washed clean. There was no reason for Yu She to not even display this level of basic etiquette. If he really didn¡¯t want to come, then he simply didn¡¯t have to come. What was good about having everyone see him like this? Although everyone was already accustomed to his actions. Zhong Wan tried his best to back away, not wanting Yu She to notice him. Lf ijeutfv ja tlwrfio. Kkb vjsr jub, Te Vtf tjv xlmxfv tlw bea bo Uglcmf Te¡¯r frajaf. Ca atf rajga, tf qgbyjyis vlv cba kjca ab rff Itbcu Qjc. Dfobgf Itbcu Qjc mbeiv tlvf, j fecemt jqqfjgfv jcv ugffafv atf mgbkv lc j rboa nblmf. ¡°Jbwf tfgf, mbwf tfgf.¡± More and more imperial clan members arrived. Those accompanying them also increased by number, crowding together. Gradually, it became disorderly. The servants who managed Third Prince¡¯s estate finally tidied up another mourning shelter in the outer courtyard for the other guests. Zhong Wan glanced at Xuan Yu¡¯s direction. And he saw him kneeling in a well behaved manner. He reckoned there was nothing wrong, and followed the other guests away. He lifted the hem of his clothes before kneeling, thoughts zipping through his mind. One moment, he estimated how far Yan Pingshan and Xuan Rui had traveled so far. In another moment, he wondered how many mouthfuls of pond water Xuan Qiong had swallowed. It was uncertain how much time had passed when someone suddenly lifted the door curtain of the mourning shelter. Cold air rushed in. Zhong Wan raised his head¡­ Yu She stared at the interior, cold enough to freeze. He entered and sat on the only chair within the mourning shelter. Right in front of Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes. Zhong Wan was speechless. Everyone shared a look. Slowly rose to their feet. One by one, they exited. Zhong Wan wanted to leave with them, also standing. But all of a sudden, Yu She¡¯s eyes flashed with a ruthless and tyrannical glint. Zhong Wan fell back on his knees. Shortly after, there were only the two of them. He felt as if he were kneeling on pins and needles. Spellbound, Yu She stared at the joss stick and candle on the table. Not a word left his lips. An hour later, Zhong Wan knelt until his legs felt numb. He moved his feet a little and couldn¡¯t help but gasp, accidentally starling Yu She. Yu She looked at Zhong Wan, furrowing his brows a hint. Zhong Wan feared that Yu She misunderstood him for purposely getting his attention, and rushed to kneel well-behavedly. He knelt for a while, when suddenly, Yu She said, ¡°That day¡­ were you awake?¡± Zhong Wan coughed. ¡°No.¡± He sneaked a peek at Yu She. After Yu She had heard those words, his expression seemed to have grown even worse. Zhong Wan complained in his heart, just what does this lunatic think all day? Yu She examined him for a moment. As if determining whether Zhong Wan had spoken the truth. Then after a while, he said in a soft voice, ¡°Licentious.¡± Once again, Zhong Wan was struck speechless. Licentious your mom. Yu She no longer paid attention to Zhong Wan as he sat there. The people outside dared not slight him, sending in a charcoal basin and handheld brazier. They even delivered him a fresh cup of good tea. In an instant, the interior of the mourning shelter warmed. Yu She sat more comfortably. Zhong Wan complained inwardly, is this person leaving or not? Every now and then, he would glance at Yu She. Watched as he took two sips of tea. Watched as he added charcoal to his handheld brazier. Watched as he took out a small story book from his sleeve¡­ Was this person planning to use this place as his own house, doing what he¡¯d usually do there?! Yu She lowered his head to read his book, neither fast nor slow in his pace. As Zhong Wan silently cursed at Yu She, he suddenly heard the latter say, ¡°Don¡¯t keep staring at me¡­ Once I finish, I¡¯ll give you this book.¡± Zhong Wan staggered in indignation. Legs numb to the point they could not stand. His back curved as he fell forward. Yu She frowned. ¡°If I give it to you, I give it to you. No need to kowtow in thanks.¡± Gritting his teeth, Zhong Wan fixed his posture as he knelt. He dared to be angry but not show it. Yu She read his book for another while. He took his time saying, ¡°It¡¯s not very interesting¡­ Only the s*x scene was a bit interesting.¡± Zhong Wan pretended not to hear. But Yu She deliberately asked him, ¡°Do you want to read it?¡± Zhong Wan suffered in silence. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wait until I finish.¡± Yu She lowered his head. ¡°However, I can read a few lines for you¡­¡± Zhong Wan forced a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± As if he did not hear him, Yu She carelessly started reading aloud. ¡°I sit by the side of your bed. You reach out to me, clinging to the end of my sleeve¡­¡± Alarm collided into Zhong Wan¡¯s form. There were many gods looking from above¡­ Was this person not afraid that Xuan Jin was looking from the heavens and would knock on his door in the middle of the night?! ¡°I¡¯m suddenly aroused, and bend down to kiss between your brows. In a soft voice, I wish you goodnight. You lift your head to kiss my lips¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t avoid it in time and am kissed by you. Immediately, we separate. I only hesitate for a moment, but you already part your lips, demanding more¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s blush spread to his ears. He expended a lot of effort to say, ¡°Yu. Zi. You.¡± ¡°I merely hug you by the shoulder, but you have already wrapped your hand around my waist. You won¡¯t let me leave, and even say my courtesy name under your breath.¡± Yu She shut the book. ¡°You thought I was reading from the book? No¡­ They rarely write you so unrestrained like this. What I just said were the events of that night.¡± At this moment, Zhong Wan¡¯s whole body went numb. CH 32 Zhong Wan got out with difficulty, ¡°What you¡¯re saying is¡­¡± Yu She said, ¡°The truth. You acted frivolous with me in this manner that night.¡± Zhong Wan lifted his head to look into Yu She¡¯s eyes. Yu She¡¯s expression didn¡¯t seem like he was teasing. Instead, there was slight rage in his gaze. Yu She wasn¡¯t joking with him. This was probably the truth. Zhong Wan had a breakdown¡­ Was he so audacious in his dreams?! Did his room really feel empty? He actually did that to Yu She¡­ That wasn¡¯t right. Zhong Wan tried his best to make his tone of voice more natural. He forced himself to get out, ¡°If you hadn¡¯t forcibly kidnapped me and brought me to your estate, if you hadn¡¯t sat at the head of my bed like a ghost in the middle of the night, would I have been able to be frivolous with you?!¡± Yu she glanced at Zhong Wan coldly. ¡°Continue making your excuses. I¡¯m listening.¡± Zhong Wan ground his teeth together. ¡°I was asleep. You weren¡¯t. Couldn¡¯t you have pushed me away?!¡± Yu She¡¯s pupils gently quaked, like he was trying to hold back his anger. ¡°You were holding onto my waist the whole time! How was I supposed to push you? Throw you over my shoulder and onto the ground?! Have you fall to your death? Or toss you into the lake so you could regain consciousness? With your terrible health, would you have been able to handle it?¡± Zhong Wan stubbornly stated, ¡°You also know I¡¯m sickly. How alert could I have been while asleep?¡± ¡°You were pretty alert.¡± Yu She had a death grip on the storybook in his hands. ¡°You even loosened my outer robe.¡± Zhong Wan immediately denied this. ¡°Impossible! I¡¯ve never liked being next to people when asleep. I used to sleep in the same bed as Lin Si. A bowl of water would¡¯ve been fine left between us!¡± ¡°But this truly also wasn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve tugged at my clothes. Do you need me to help you reminisce bit by bit?¡± Yu She started laughing from how angry he was. ¡°Previously, you only tugged at my clothes. Now, you¡¯ve directly¡­ You won¡¯t admit it? Fine. Did you drink jasmine tea before you slept that night or not?¡± Zhong Wan: ¡°¡­¡± He did. Steward Feng, that old thing, had probably been worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep after drinking tea. Thus, he didn¡¯t let the servant prepare normal tea leaves; instead, he placed a few jasmine blossoms in the teapot. Zhong Wan lost his arrogance and stuttered out, ¡°I really k-kissed¡­¡± ¡°Not only did you kiss me, you also¡­¡± Yu She stopped looking at Zhong Wan. He paused, then ground his teeth together. ¡°You really want to hear me go into such detail?¡± A red blush crept up Zhong Wan¡¯s face, all the way to his ears. ¡°There¡¯s no need!¡± Yu She took a few deep breaths. After calming down a bit, he furrowed his brows and said, ¡°This is the last time. If there¡¯s a next time, I won¡¯t let you off so easy.¡± Zhong Wan was bewildered. How would he not let me off? Zhong Wan stated in embarrassment, ¡°If there¡¯s a next time¡­ just push me away.¡± They returned to the original topic. Yu She¡¯s expression became even worse. Zhong Wan¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. He didn¡¯t know which phrase he had just said had touched Yu She¡¯s forbidden lamella. Yu She closed his eyes. A moment later, he said, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Zhong Wan thought to himself, bullshit. Yu She seemed to be painfully resisting something. A long time passed before he coldly stated, ¡°Zhong Wan¡­ I don¡¯t want to get too close to you. I trust that you are unwilling as well.¡± Zhong Wan was stunned. When had he been unwilling? Young Prince Yu was¡­ starting to talk to himself again? Zhong Wan carefully glanced at Yu She. Unexpectedly, Yu She didn¡¯t appear crazy at all. Instead, he seemed much more normal than usual. Yu She lowered his gaze. ¡°Currently, I¡¯m very clearheaded. Remember carefully what I¡¯m telling you right now.¡± Zhong Wan stuttered out, ¡°O-Okay.¡± ¡°Qtja sbe tjnf rjlv jcv vbcf lc Hljc Cc atfrf qjra ofk sfjgr¡­ P kbc¡¯a ibbx lcab. ¡°Po sbe rjs jcsatlcu bg vb jcsatlcu jujlc lc atf oeaegf, P jirb kbc¡¯a wlcv. Jbwqjgfv ab atf gewbgr sbe¡¯nf wjvf eq, P¡¯nf vbcf wemt wbgf bea bo ilcf atlcur lc atf mjqlaji¡­ P gelcfv ws bkc cjwf. P¡¯nf cfnfg mjgfv jybea atfrf atlcur.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart suddenly jolted in pain. ¡°There¡¯s only one thing.¡± Yu She lifted his gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t act too boldly. Have some more self-regard. Don¡¯t think that this is a storybook, that you and I truly have something.¡± Zhong Wan choked. Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°And stop keeping those dirty thoughts in your mind! Keep them in Qian An¡­¡± Zhong Wan made a decision. ¡°There is nothing left for me to do in Qian An. After entering the capital this time¡­ I wasn¡¯t planning on returning anytime soon.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression immediately changed. ¡°After the funerary commitments, return to your fief with Xuan Yu immediately.¡± Zhong Wan finally couldn¡¯t hold himself back anymore. ¡°The day that you pushed Xuan Qiong into the water, was it because you had heard him say that he was going to do something to me?¡± Zhong Wan really couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Heir, you¡­ you don¡¯t feel that you¡¯re being a bit capricious?¡± ¡°I am capricious.¡± Yu She suddenly laughed. ¡°I understand¡­ When I speak to you normally, you don¡¯t like listening. You like it when I taunt and mock you, is that right? Zhong Wan, after so many years without meeting, what strange habits have you picked up?¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t want to embarrass himself. He immediately swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and said instead, ¡°You can¡¯t possibly have not even an ounce of sentiment towards me¡­ right? We at least have some amity from studying together?¡± Yu She stopped speaking. A long time passed before Yu She answered in a deep voice, ¡°Think whatever you want¡­ If I had those intentions towards you, with your repeated attempts at seduction, aren¡¯t you scared that I would truly do something to you?¡± Who was fucking seducing you?!!! Zhong Wan was quite angry. What came out of his mouth was, ¡°No.¡± ¡°You!¡± Yu She¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°Zhong Wan¡­¡± Zhong Wan jumped in fright. He complained in his heart, what was wrong with Yu She again?! Was this person actually crazy or not?! A moment later, Yu She asked lowly, ¡°If something really happened between us, would you still be able to leave?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s stomach hurt from how angry Yu She was making him. ¡°I already said. I never wanted to leave!¡± ¡°You must,¡± Yu She said softly. ¡°If you want your self-selling contract, I can return it to you, then write you an approval that will completely remove you from slave status.¡± Before Zhong Wan could respond, Yu She had already stood up. Zhong Wan wanted to get up too, but unfortunately, his legs were numb. Yu She put on his cloak and quickly responded, ¡°These days, just stay in this mourning shelter and repent. Think carefully on¡­ whether or not you should act so frivolously.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s lungs hurt from anger. He looked around, trying to find something to smack Yu She with. The table was too heavy, the brazier too dangerous, the mourning band too light¡­ Without waiting for him to locate something, Yu She had already left. Zhong Wan sat on the cushion, grinding his teeth as he massaged his long legs. He kept cussing under his breath. After exiting Third Prince¡¯s estate, Yu She¡¯s hands were still slightly trembling. He climbed into the horse carriage and spoke with difficulty, ¡°Don¡¯t leave yet.¡± The coachman naturally didn¡¯t dare to move. The servants who had come with the carriage didn¡¯t act like anything was wrong. They stood there silently in the snow, like a steel terracotta army. Yu She sat in the carriage; every part of him was in discomfort. His head felt like it was about to split open. The images of Zhong Wan holding onto him and embracing him that night refused to leave his mind. The other had clung to Yu She, making him still feel impulsive even now. He wanted to charge into the mourning shelter and steal Zhong Wan back to his estate. Yu She was tempted to grind his teeth in anger upon reminiscing what Zhong Wan had just said. Zhong Wan¡­ If he only wanted to use him to help Prince Qian An, things would be so much easier. If that were truly the case, why would he still need to hold back? But he just had to have a deep understanding of the other¡¯s character. He knew that Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t so driven by material gains. Yu She clenched his teeth. A long time passed before he was able to recover. He drew back the carriage¡¯s curtains and ordered hoarsely, ¡°That mourning shelter¡­ just say that it¡¯s the one I¡¯m going to go to every day. No one else is allowed to enter.¡± The person with Yu She acknowledged this. He hesitantly asked, ¡°So Young Master Zhong¡­¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. The young page hurriedly said, ¡°Yes yes, Young Master Zhong is naturally allowed inside. But should we still have people fire up the braziers everyday? The shelters for servants don¡¯t have braziers¡­¡± Yu She impatiently said, ¡°Yes!¡± The young servant immediately complied. Yu She felt even more annoyed. His breaths started getting shorter. He couldn¡¯t help thinking about that night. Zhong Wan with closed eyes, a faint smile on his lips, kissing him. At the time, Yu She had truly been shocked. But that reckless thing actually dared to¡­ lick the crease between his lips. Had he read a bunch of storybooks too? Otherwise, where would he have learned such impetuous actions?! Or¡­ He had really taken a concubine? Or, he had a lover in Qian An? Using the techniques he had learned from other people to seduce him¡­ The whites of Yu She¡¯s eyes turned red. He scoffed. Suddenly, he really wanted to know who Zhong Wan¡¯s lover was. That day, Zhong Wan himself had said that he had never taken a concubine. Naturally, Zhong Wan¡¯s words couldn¡¯t be trusted¡­ Who else could it be? Xuan Rui was completely useless, so definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to. Who else was there? Yu She was completely clueless regarding Qian An. He had only seen a few magistrates and prefects from there before. He felt that Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t dumb enough to give up on him and flirt with those people of poor appearances instead. Or had he found someone in the capital? Yu She looked outside the carriage. Coincidentally, his gaze landed on Xuan Qiong¡¯s horse carriage. That day, Xuan Qiong had said he wanted to kidnap Zhong Wan. Kidnap for what? What else could he do? Be intimate with Zhong Wan? ¡°After they enter, remove all the wheels of Xuan Qiong¡¯s horse carriage for me.¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°Don¡¯t leave even one. Take all of them off¡­ and bring them back to the estate.¡± The family soldiers suspected that they hadn¡¯t heard clearly. What in the heck? ¡°Didn¡¯t he want to kidnap Zhong Wan?¡± Yu She muttered to himself. ¡°I¡¯m going to make sure that even Xuan Qiong himself has to walk home. I want to see how he¡¯s going to kidnap anyone in that situation¡­ What could they do, hold hands and walk back together? ¡°Holding hands¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s expression became even worse. ¡°Whatever. Even if they held hands and walked back¡­ I¡¯m going to make sure he freezes to death.¡± Yu She was in a bad mood. He suddenly shouted, ¡°You didn¡¯t hear me?!¡± Even though the people with Yu She had witnessed many things before, they still hesitated for a moment after hearing this command. But upon thinking of Yu She¡¯s temper, they reluctantly answered, ¡°Got it!¡± Yu She let down the curtains. Inside the carriage, he sighed deeply. The family soldiers finally exhaled in relief. Thirty minutes later, Yu She¡¯s servants carried the newly-removed carriage wheels back to the estate in a majestic procession. Zhong Wan occupied an entire mourning shelter by himself. Yu She had just been here, so no one else dared to enter. He enjoyed the time alone and sat on the cushion, stressing out while staying warm next to the fire. Though Yu She¡¯s mental state was a bit off, he wasn¡¯t truly crazy. Zhong Wan was sure of this. Without bringing up anything else, the imperial family was ruthless. If Yu Zhe was truly crazy, would Emperor Chongan still be so indulgent towards him? It would even be extremely kind if he didn¡¯t lock him up until death. Such indulgence was definitely tied to a motive. Thus, Emperor Chongan would surely know the reason for Yu She¡¯s rebellious behavior. ¡°Things are fine as long as he hasn¡¯t truly become crazy.¡± Zhong Wan was pretty optimistic. Everything else could be solved as long as Yu She was okay. As for the suddenly cold and suddenly warm attitude he had towards Zhong Wan¡­ Though that bit of ¡°warmth¡± had probably been made up by himself, Zhong Wan still felt that it existed. These illogical actions could be explained by one reason, but Zhong Wan didn¡¯t dare to think of it. Zhong Wan placed his hands close to the brazier. He smiled. He was no longer a child, so he could no longer fantasize so shamelessly. As the sky darkened, the members of the imperial clan all made to return to their estates. Zhong Wan took a short nap in the mourning shelter, alone. He was very alert. After exiting, he searched for Xuan Yu and the two of them left together. They coincidentally ran into Xuan Qiong¡¯s servants angrily causing a scene. Zhong Wan eavesdropped in¡­ ¡°Our perfectly fine carriage wheels disappeared just like that!¡± ¡°You all say you didn¡¯t see anything! How is that possible?!¡± ¡°Did the wheels roll away by themselves?¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± Xuan Yu asked in great confusion, ¡°What¡¯s missing?¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t really know either. He dryly said, ¡°Who knows. Ugly people cause more trouble. It¡¯s the usual nonsense.¡± Zhong Wan wanted to watch the drama unfold, but it was already quite late. They still had to return tomorrow. Zhong Wan waited a moment; after Xuan Congxin¡¯s palanquin arrived, he gathered all their servants to return to the estate. That night, Yu She stood in front of the window, looking out at the horse carriage wheels messily spread across the courtyard. He softly asked, ¡°Sent it back?¡± The person behind him wanted to speak, but ultimately didn¡¯t. Yu She asked in agitation, ¡°Forgot how to speak?¡± ¡°I did send it back, but¡­¡± Steward Feng who had just returned from Prince Qian An¡¯s estate took a step forward and placed the self-selling contract on the table with both hands. ¡°But Young Master Zhong¡­ didn¡¯t want it.¡± Yu She suddenly turned around. Steward Feng also carefully took out a small paper bundle from his inner breast pocket. He laughed dryly. ¡°Young Master Zhong said that these are the tea leaves he was originally planning on gifting to Heir. Unfortunately, he already drank a lot, so there isn¡¯t much left. This is all that¡¯s remaining. Young Master Zhong said, if Heir isn¡¯t disdainful of them, this old servant should make a pot for Heir.¡± For a long time, Yu She had nothing to say. Yu She said in a low voice, ¡°Give it to me.¡± Steward Feng handed that small bag of tea leaves to Yu She. Yu She used two fingers to pinch the tiny paper bag like it was a bag of poison. In exasperation, he said, ¡°This is a bit too¡­¡± Steward Feng smiled apologetically. ¡°It is too few. Young Master Zhong emptied out everything in the tea leaf box, but this was all that was left. It¡¯s enough for a pot of tea, though. Let me help Heir¡­¡± Yu She placed the teabag into his inner breast pocket and interrupted, ¡°You may leave.¡± Steward Feng paused. He nodded, then left. CH 33 From that day onward, Yu She never visited Third Prince¡¯s estate again. Nor did he step foot outside the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t sure if he were thinking too much, but in a short while, it seemed many of the spies at Prince Qian An¡¯s estate had left. He felt as though something he could not see had suddenly disappeared. Although it was less troublesome, a sense of emptiness filled him. Young Prince Yu¡¯s character seemed to have suddenly changed. For many days in a row, he did not leave his estate or cause trouble. Quiet like he had been in his youth. However, Zhong Wan grew more and more uneased. He had passed on many messages to Lin Si, but such messages seemed to enter a void. Anxious, he had people inform Lin Si that he would no longer mention having him return to Qian An. And Lin Si appeared the next day, ashamedly. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to return, then forget it.¡± Looking at Lin Si¡¯s anxious and frightened expression, Zhong Was was between laughter and tears. ¡°Could I even force you to go?¡± Lin Si stared at Zhong Wan and earnestly gestured, ¡°If you truly forced me, then I would return.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to do that.¡± Zhong Wan allowed Lin Si to sit. Out of the blue he said, ¡°Are you unwilling to return to Qian An because of Xuan Jing?¡± Lin Si almost missed the chair. Zhong Wan thought, as expected. That year, Zhong Wan and Lin Si escaped the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate together. The moment they had stepped foot outside, they separated. The young Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t be certain whether Yu She would search for him. The two of them leaving together would make them too large of a target. That they would be easily noticed didn¡¯t have to be mentioned. Furthermore, there was no way the two could both leave the capital together. Zhong Wan and Lin Si agreed to regroup in three days in the suburbs. If they still could not meet in three days, then they must leave on their own. Zhong Wan left the capital without a hitch and waited three days. But in the end, he did not see Lin Si. His heart burned from anxiety. He feared that Yu She had captured Lin Si. Or even worse, someone else did. Zhong Wan said in a soft voice, ¡°Back then, I¡­¡± But Lin Si rushed to say with sign language, ¡°It¡¯s not Master¡¯s fault. We only agreed to wait for three days. I was incompetent and couldn¡¯t leave the capital.¡± Light laughter spilled from his lips. But Zhong Wan did not continue on that topic. At that time, he had worried for Lin Si, waiting in the suburbs for one month. Yet if he said this now, there would be no meaning to it. In the end, Zhong Wan had left by himself. After staying in Qian An for half a year, he finally received news from Lin Si. And he learned that Lin Si had accidentally been caught and passed through many people until ultimately landing in the estate of Fourth Prince, Xuan Jing. All along, Lin Si never spoke about how much he had suffered. He only told Zhong Wan that Fourth Prince was actually a good person and did not abuse him. In fact, he treated Lin Si very well. Originally, Zhong Wan had thought Lin Si treated Xuan Jing¡¯s place as a temporary place to stay. But currently, it seemed Lin Si owed Xuan Jing immensely. Ill at ease, Lin Si stared at Zhong Wan. He gestured, ¡°I am worried about him.¡± Lin Si seemed as if he really let down Zhong Wan. He kept trying to explain, sign language as quick as lightning. It made Zhong Wan a little dizzy. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, so why are you in such a rush? Since we¡¯ve talked to this point, if you¡¯re really sorry, then do me a favor.¡± In a flash, Lin Si nodded. Itbcu Qjc rjlv, ¡°Pc atf oeaegf, lo Wejc Alcu mjc jrmfcv atf atgbcf, qea rbwf ubbv kbgvr lc obg wf jcv tfiq wf qgbafma rbwfbcf.¡± Olc Vl rlucfv, ¡°Qtb?¡± ¡°Tbecu Uglcmf Te.¡± Coafg wbwfcar bo rfglber atbeuta, Olc Vl ufraegfv, ¡°Ciatbeut Mbegat Uglcmf kjcar ab yf atf mgbkc qglcmf, P vbc¡¯a atlcx tf tjr la lc tlw.¡± It was hard to explain in a few words, but Zhong Wan said, ¡°Do you dare to say such blunt truths to Xuan Jing?¡± Lin Si smiled and shook his head. ¡°Who knows what the future may bring?¡± A smile graced Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°Just promise me for now. Treat it as coaxing me.¡± Lin Si thought for a moment, then nodded in a solemn manner. He schemed for Zhong Wan, gesturing, ¡°Should we directly strip Young Prince Yu¡¯s rank, so that Prince Yu¡¯s estate falls? Fourth Prince will definitely be fine with that! Then strip him of his status as a civilian, turning him into a slave. Force him to eat soft-bone medicine, then send him and his self-selling contract to Master.¡± ¡°Stop, stop.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s head ached. ¡°How much do you and Xuan Jing hate him?¡± Lin Si signalled, ¡°I¡¯m still okay. Fourth Prince curses Young Prince Yu to death every day. If he truly ascended the throne one day, we¡¯d have to expend much effort to have him agree to spare Young Prince Yu. Master knows that Young Prince Yu might be the emperor¡¯s bastard son. If this truly were the case¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying you have to help me protect him. Since you¡¯ve already promised me, if that day truly arrives, you must not let Xuan Jing kill him.¡± A moment of thought, and unable to bear it, he said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to make him a slave. Don¡¯t use the soft-bone medicine. Just send him to me.¡± Lin Si wanted to smile, but dared not to. ¡°I sought you today because I have proper business to speak with you. I had placed a spy near Xuan Qiong, and that person said¡ª¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart raced, and he flew into a tangent, saying, ¡°After Xuan Jing ascends the throne, Yu She wouldn¡¯t commit su*cide, would he?! That year, he had so many estate soldiers guarding me. Now, I don¡¯t have anyone lending me a hand to keep watch on him, so why don¡¯t you help me feed him some sleeping drugs¡­?¡± Lin Si tried his best not to smile. Zhong Wan did not realize at all that he had mentioned Yu She again. ¡°His life truly is terrible, don¡¯t you think? His only way out is to come to me. Life is so unpredictable.¡± Lin Si used sign language to say, ¡°Maybe Young Prince Yu would jump at the opportunity.¡± A smile graced Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°Jump at what opportunity? To be kept in a golden house by me?¡± Lin Si recalled when Yu She had captured him, the latter almost using torture instruments on him. His back chilled. To store this catastrophe-inducing person in a golden house would be difficult. ¡°Stop mentioning him all the time to me.¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°Now let¡¯s get to the proper business.¡± Lin Si cupped an ear, as if trying to hear attentively. Zhong Wan suppressed these fantasies. ¡°The spy I had placed by Xuan Qiong¡¯s side said that a few days ago, Prince Yu and Imperial Consort Yu had a private discussion. Ever since then, Imperial Consort Yu had calmed down a bit. She no longer made a fuss about wanting an explanation. A few days ago, for some reason Yu She removed the wheels from Xuan Qiong¡¯s carriage. Xuan Qiong was so angry, he wanted to hit him, but was stopped by Imperial Consort Yu. She even lectured him angrily.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°I remember that Her Highness Imperial Consort Yu has always liked to cause trouble in the past. Why did she calm down so much after having a ¡®private discussion¡¯ with Prince Yu?¡± Lin Si thought for a while. Signed, ¡°That I¡¯m not sure. However, I had asked around recently, and heard a few other things. And they all had something to do with Young Prince Yu.¡± Zhong Wan also did not speak further. He approached the desk. Picked up paper and a brush. Lin Si gestured, ¡°It¡¯s not because I was hiding from Master that I did not come here recently. I was actually investigating something for Fourth Prince. Master, do you remember that Fifth Prince had found two hard-labor servants that used to work in the Royal Mausoleum¡¯s villa?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. It wasn¡¯t just this. Xuan Qiong had even found Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s pregancy pulse report. Lin Si continued to gesture, ¡°Fifth Prince followed this clue in his investigation and found another clue. The secret woman who gave birth and disappeared had perhaps long since been delivered to the Royal Mausoleum. At the very least¡­ earlier than Princess Royal Anguo.¡± Zhong Wan frowned. Then this woman must have been sent there before the previous emperor¡¯s funeral? Li Si signed, ¡°What¡¯s strange was that at the start, this woman protected her baby carefully, and hid in the Royal Mausoleum without any issue. However, after Princess Royal Anguo had arrived, and the two met, she went mad out of nowhere. Even at risk of death, she wanted to abort the baby.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart tightened. That ¡°baby¡± should be Yu She. He wrote, ¡°Why?¡± Lin Si shook his head, gesturing, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I only know that for the sake of aborting the baby, that woman once ate a bowl of ashes from the incense burner¡­ There¡¯s a rumor among the civilians that eating the ashes of an incense burner would abort a baby. But this was only a rumor. After someone realized she did this, they forced her to eat medicine that would get her to vomit the ashes. She suffered a lot but the baby was saved.¡± Aghast, Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°How did Princess Royal treat her after she had abused herself like this?¡± For a while, Lin Si did not respond. Then he said with sign language, ¡°At first, Princess Royal had someone watch over her all day and night. But if one wanted to commit su*cide, one would find a way to do it even under watch. Taking advantage of the time when people weren¡¯t paying attention to her, the woman grabbed anything and struck her lower abdomen with it. Once, she almost killed the baby. Princess Royal lost her patience, and summoned an imperial physician¡­¡± Lin Si took a deep breath. Signed, ¡°To cripple her legs.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s entire body chilled. He strived his best to endure and wrote, ¡°Then what happened?¡± Lin Si gestured, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how they crippled her legs. Since she was pregnant, they could not just break her legs. Perhaps they used acupuncture. In short, she could not stand anymore or walk. After that, that woman lost her mind completely. She didn¡¯t eat or drink. Those attending to her had tied her up. Her arms and fingers had all been restrained tightly, like she was a decoration.¡± Zhong Wan said with a trembling voice, ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°They kept her restrained like that, until she gave birth,¡± gestured Lin Si. ¡°As she was in labor, they naturally had to remove her restraints. Word has it that after she gave birth, when everyone present did not notice, she almost killed the baby by throwing it to the ground.¡± Zhong Wan closed his eyes. A long while later, he wrote, ¡°Does Yu She know about these matters?¡± Lin Si could not bear to look at Zhong Wan, but he did so anyway. He gestured, ¡°I think Young Prince Yu knows all of this.¡± A sharp pain pierced Zhong Wan¡¯s heart. Yu She knew everything. The moment Young Yu She learned that the mother who raised him had abused his birth mother, how did he get past it? Lin Si could not stay for long. Could not wait for Zhong Wan to slowly digest what he had learned. He signed, ¡°There¡¯s something else that¡¯s very strange.¡± Zhong Wan gasped. ¡°Speak.¡± Lin Si gestured, ¡°At first, before that woman¡¯s legs were crippled, Princess Royal Anguo had spoken to her. I don¡¯t understand. Princess Royal Anguo said, ¡®Previously, no one forced you at all, and you were the one who wanted to keep the baby. So why are you regretting it after seeing me?¡¯¡± Zhong Wan tried his best not to think about Yu She. The words stayed in his mouth for a while, before he finally wrote, ¡°She had been very happy to get this child, and even took the initiative to hide in the Royal Mausoleum to wait for labor without worry. Never had she imagined that Princess Royal Anguo would appear. Would take away her child.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart trembled. At that time, Princess Royal Anguo had already lost her own child. If not, then at that time her lower abdomen should already be very conspicuous¡­ That woman had seen Princess Royal Anguo with a flat abdomen and foresaw that her baby would be taken away by her after birth, understanding that she would be killed. Only then did she realize she had entered a trap. For this reason, she went mad, wanting to kill her child even at risk of her own life. Perhaps it was self-defense; perhaps it was retaliation. Zhong Wan said in a low voice, ¡°For the sake of making this child hers, Princess Royal Anguo avoided everyone and lived in the Royal Mausoleum for a long time. She¡­ Was she able to deceive Prince Yu?¡± Lin Si said with sign language, ¡°This is the second point I wanted to inform Master. When Fifth Prince was investigating this clue, he accidentally discovered that it was the exact clue Young Prince Yu had followed years ago.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s pupils dilated. Lin Si signalled, ¡°I also discovered it. I followed the trail left behind by Young Prince Yu and continued to investigate. And many things became much simpler. I also discovered something else. But I have yet to report it to Fourth Prince.¡± After Young Prince Yu learned that he wasn¡¯t Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s son, he grew depressed for a long time. He worried that Prince Yu had been completely in the dark since the start. Worried that throughout all these years, Prince Yu loved the wrong person. And he worried that those people swindled Prince Yu of his princeship. So¡­ he schemed to place this information into the hands of Prince Yu¡¯s trusted aide. Zhong Wan gritted his teeth. ¡°Is he stupid?! If Prince Yu didn¡¯t know, then wouldn¡¯t telling him mean giving up his own life?!¡± Lin Si gripped his own fingers, before signing, ¡°After the trusted aide found out, it were as if he had been struck by lightning. He asked Prince Yu for an audience that very night. Zhong Wan said with a trembling voice, ¡°Then what did¡­ Prince Yu say?¡± Lin Si signed, ¡°The trusted aide had been immensely anxious, analyzing the pros and cons for Prince Yu. But His Highness indifferently said¡ª¡± A gloom settled in Lin Si¡¯s gaze as he signed, ¡°Prince Yu said, ¡®Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s impossible for Heir to inherit my position. And it¡¯s even more impossible for him to become the crown prince.¡¯¡± Zhong Wan tasted blood in his mouth. Prince Yu had been well aware of the truth, and in fact already arranged a ¡°good place¡± to keep him. Those people absolutely would not allow Yu She to survive until he could inherit Prince Yu¡¯s position. And the young Yu She at that time actually worried that his father was being deceived by others. Had Yu She been eavesdropping at the door when Prince Yu and his trusted aide had that conversation? The fifteen-years-old Yu Ziyou was modest, gentle, pure, and graceful. After Yu She heard his expressionless father, whom he was worried about, reassuring his trusted aide and determining Yu She¡¯s death with a light word, what did he think? Father wasn¡¯t father; mother wasn¡¯t mother. Zhong Wan closed his eyes. His heart hurt so much, he could not utter a word. Lin Si approached him half a step. Standing by Zhong Wan¡¯s side, he wrote, ¡°Master, Young Prince Yu¡¯s parents are unreliable. Do you still want to stay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Zhong Wan staggered a bit as he rose to his feet. ¡°You can leave. I¡­ I have to visit the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate.¡± CH 34 Zhong Wan didn¡¯t have Lin Si¡¯s abilities to travel across rooftops or walk along walls. He could only have someone ready the carriage. It was already very late. Leaving the estate now would be breaking curfew. They would definitely get stopped and searched, but Zhong Wan didn¡¯t have the energy to care about this. He grabbed Xuan Yu¡¯s authorization, put on a cloak, and got in the carriage. On the way to the side courtyard or Prince Yu¡¯s estate, Zhong Wan leaned against the carriage window. His heart felt like it was getting stabbed repeatedly. Zhong Wan still remembered the half a year he had stayed in Yu She¡¯s estate back then. Every few days, there would be rewards bestowed from the palace. There were larger ones, like a precious horse presented as an offering from the western regions, and smaller ones, like the accessories Yu She used daily. Emperor Chongan was always thinking of him. The emperor treated him so well that even the servants in the side courtyard couldn¡¯t help gossiping, secretly making guesses about Yu She¡¯s identity. When Young Zhong Wan heard them, he only pretended he hadn¡¯t heard anything. Unexpectedly, he looked up and saw Yu She who had walked out to look for him. The two of them were separated by a screen. They smiled at each other in exasperation while listening to these basic servants quietly gossiping. Young Yu She was extremely gentle; he rarely punished the servants. Young Zhong Wan felt awkward. After the servants left, he purposefully acted unbothered and asked, ¡°You must often hear people talk about that, right?¡± Yu She softly nodded. Young Zhong Wan¡¯s attempt at comforting sounded forced. ¡°The emperor only has one younger sister, and that¡¯s Princess Royal. He also only has you as his nephew. Obviously, he would be kind to you. Besides, you¡¯re going to be a Prince with great influence in the future. The emperor will need to rely on you¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to console me,¡± Yu She calmly interrupted Zhong Wan. ¡°They¡¯re all baseless rumors. I understand.¡± Young Zhong Wan asked in a daze, ¡°How did you come to understand?¡± Yu She burst into laughter. ¡°My father and mother adore me so much, how could I not be their biological child? I¡¯m able to tell the difference between true love and faked affection. If I suspected my identity, would I still be worthy of being their son?¡± Zhong Wan remembered very clearly: the Yu She back then had been unwaiveringly confident in his own identity. Regardless of others¡¯ guesses, regardless of how strange Emperor Chongan¡¯s adoration for him was, Yu She never suspected his own parents. So why was it that shortly after his departure, Yu She suddenly decided to investigate his own background? According to Yu She¡¯s morals back then, forget investigating¡ªeven being suspicious in the slightest would be considered extremely unfilial. So what had actually happened? Who had lured him into checking? Besides, at the time, Yu She had been 16 at most. How capable could he have been? Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong had been fearful of Yu She for many years. After so much inquiry, it had still taken several years following their departure from the palace and establishment of their own estates, whereafter they could start fostering their own manpower, to get a few results. And this had only happened recently. Back then, how capable could a young Yu She have been to smoothly find the answers he wanted to find? Who was helping him? Or rather, who was ruining him? A Young Yu She had been lured in by someone with ill intentions. Step by step, from Yu She¡¯s biological mother, to Princess Royal Anguo, to Prince Yu, and perhaps even to Emperor Chongan. This person was secretly guiding Yu She, pushing him to slowly acknowledge that those family members he valued so greatly had never actually treated him sincerely. Such a kind Yu She had been gradually ruined into this state¡­ Later on, had Yu She¡¯s repeated attempts at seeking death been because of this overwhelming knowledge? Or had they been because he wanted to satisfy these people¡¯s desires? Zhong Wan suddenly thought of how he had asked Yu She like a heartless idiot after first entering the capital: What hasn¡¯t been going smoothly in your life?! What hadn¡¯t been going smoothly¡­ Zhong Wan lifted a hand and slapped himself across the face. Had anything gone smoothly? What had Yu She thought when he had heard this question? He hadn¡¯t been depressed, nor had he been outraged. He had only chuckled, unbothered. He had probably long since gotten used to hearing similar things in these past few years. Zhong Wan knocked his head into the window of the carriage. He clenched his teeth and thought back on what he had been doing while Yu She had been suffering. He had been slowly but surely travelling day and night to Nanjiang, terrified that those kids would suffer even the slightest. Yu She hadn¡¯t even crossed his mind. Ktf tbgrf mjggljuf gbmxfv yjmx jcv obgat. Cc tbeg ijafg, atfs olcjiis gfjmtfv atf rlvf mbegasjgv bo Uglcmf Te¡¯r frajaf. Itbcu Qjc vgfk yjmx atf megajlcr jcv ujhfv ja atf ogbca vbbg bo atf rlvf mbegasjgv, ibra lc atbeuta. Ktf mbiv fnfclcu ygffhf mtliifv Itbcu Qjc ab atf ybcfr. Pa rilutais mjiwfv vbkc tlr wlcv atja kjr lc bnfgvglnf. If he were to tell Yu She now that he already knew about the events of the past, he would probably completely enrage Yu She. Putting himself in the other¡¯s shoes, Zhong Wan hoped that Yu She would stay as far away from him as possible. It would be best if the other never found out about his background at all. Yu She¡¯s pride was etched into his bones. He didn¡¯t want others¡¯ pity, no matter if it was out of kindness. If he were to make things clear now, disregarding how he should explain to the other how he had found out, Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t even sure if Yu She would stab him with a sword out of resentment or not. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t fear death, but now wasn¡¯t the time. Zhong Wan shivered because of the cold wind. He completely calmed down. He should pretend that he didn¡¯t know anything, that nothing had happened. Before Yu She noticed, he should return to his estate. If they met again in the future, he also needed to keep the secret hidden. First, he needed to come up with a plan to stay in the capital. Everything else could be taken care of slowly. Currently, Yu She was definitely sensitive and suspicious. Everything needed to be gradually approached. Their relationship now was on thin ice. With the slightest mishap, it would be difficult to even see the other in the future. One mishap and the entire board of chess would be lost. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t make this gamble. Zhong Wan¡¯s coachman noticed that he hadn¡¯t moved in a long time. In confusion, he asked, ¡°Young Master Zhong, should I go knock on the door for you? Or¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s¡­¡± Zhong Wan found his own tongue again with difficulty. ¡°Let¡¯s return to our estate.¡± The coachman was speechless. It was the middle of the night. They had finally managed, with great difficulty, to reach their destination. Now they were to return? Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°B-back to the estate.¡± The coachman could only nod. As soon as he lifted his whip, he felt the weight in the carriage suddenly get heavier, then immediately become lighter. Zhong Wan had already jumped out. In a daze, Zhong Wan muttered, ¡°Fuck taking things slowly.¡± He couldn¡¯t wait anymore. In the main bedroom of the side estate, Yu She had yet to sleep. Yu She was in the middle of playing chess with himself. Steward Feng stood guard off to the side, head lowered and dozing off. A few days ago, Yu She had suddenly seemed to lose interest in Zhong Wan. He had ordered the removal of all his spies in Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, then had told Steward Feng to give Zhong Wan his self-selling contract. He had acted like he wanted to make a clean cut; neither of them would owe each other anything after. Though the self-selling contract had been sent over, it had also been returned. But this didn¡¯t really interest Yu She either. He only said that he knew, then never brought up Zhong Wan again. When things become out of the ordinary, there must be something wrong. Yu She was behaving himself so much it was frightening. This made Steward Feng even more worried. When he had been ordered by Yu She to give Zhong Wan the self-selling contract, Steward Feng had even been concerned about whether or not Yu She was planning on comitting suicide. Was he making arrangements for after his death? Consequently, these days, Steward Feng had transferred double the amount of staff to the estate. They watched over Yu She day and night. But Yu She hadn¡¯t done anything too out of line. In the past few days, he had eaten his meals on time, slept on time, and even stopped wandering around the estate without a lantern when he couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Most of the time, he did what he was doing now¡ªplaying chess with himself. Only one little thing was strange. The tiny bag of tea leaves Steward Feng had brought back for Yu She had disappeared. Steward Feng clearly remembered that Yu She had placed the bag into his inner breast pocket. But the next day, when he was helping Yu She change, he didn¡¯t see it. Steward Feng assumed that Yu She had accidentally dropped it onto the floor when changing, so took extra care to look around for it. However, he hadn¡¯t found it there either. Steward Feng thought to himself, Yu She couldn¡¯t have thrown it into the brazier, right? That would be a great pity. That small quantity of tea leaves had been slowly picked out by Zhong Wan personally. He had washed his hands, pulled up a light, and dug around in the tea leaf box. Though few, they were all the freshest and best leaf tips. Steward Feng got sleepier the more his mind ran free. He rubbed his eyes and scooted forward to gently suggest to Yu She, ¡°It¡¯s san geng already. Shouldn¡¯t Heir rest?¡± Yu She pinched a white chess piece. After a moment of hesitation, he set it down and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep.¡± Yu She separated out his black and white chess pieces from each other. Steward Feng stepped forward to help him remove his clothes. Suddenly, someone announced from outside that a guest had arrived. ¡°Nonsense,¡± Steward Feng was immensely confused. ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the night, who would come? Did Princess Royal send someone over to say something? Or did someone come from the palace?¡± The servant outside the warmroom responded, ¡°Young Master Zhong from Prince Qian An¡¯s estate is here.¡± Yu She¡¯s hand trembled. A white chess piece fell onto the ground. Zhong Wan sat in the main hall. He thought to himself, I must be crazy. Since he was scared of triggering Yu She, he temporarily couldn¡¯t explain things clearly. Then what should he say upon seeing Yu She later? Zhong Wan felt growing apprehension. He silently prayed to himself that Yu She was already asleep. This way, he could sit here all night. Tomorrow¡­ He would think about tomorrow when tomorrow came. Zhong Wan gently rubbed his cold and dry hands together. His mind drifted off, hoping that Yu She was asleep and that Steward Feng would be the one receiving him in a bit. Footsteps sounded from behind the screen. Zhong Wan lifted his head¡­ Yu She walked out. Yu She obviously was already preparing for bed. His complicated outer garment had been removed. Inside, he only had on a common, moon-white shirt. A large, black robe was draped over this. Yu She slightly furrowed his brows. ¡°Something happened at your estate?¡± Zhong Wan froze. He shook his head. ¡°No! Nothing.¡± Yu She looked at Zhong Wan, disbelieving. As if he thought the other found it difficult to speak directly, he turned around and ordered his servants, ¡°Leave, all of you.¡± The servants filed out. Only Steward Feng remained. Yu She sat down and impatiently asked, ¡°Then what¡¯s worth you coming to my place in the middle of the night?¡± Zhong Wan lifted his gaze to look at Yu She. He couldn¡¯t help falling into a daze. If all these chaotic incidents hadn¡¯t occurred, the Yu She now would still be as he had been in youth, right? As warm as jade. As warm as home. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t think that there was anything wrong with the current Yu She. The Yu Ziyou as polished as jade was fine. The rebellious and disagreeable Yu She of today was fine as well. Only, every time he thought of how the Young Yu She had been slowly tortured into this state, Zhong Wan¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but hurt. Yu She was terribly upset. ¡°What is actually the matter?! Are you going to tell me or not?¡± Zhong Wan took a deep breath. He forced down the extreme hatred in his heart and said, ¡°I- I had a nightmare.¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Yu She reflexively rubbed his ears. He glanced at Steward Feng and asked, bewildered, ¡°What, what did you just say?¡± Zhong Wan coughed and repeated, ¡°I had a nightmare and woke up in fright.¡± Steward Feng finally realized that he was out of place. With an almost uncontrollable smile, he carefully said, ¡°This old servant will leave first.¡± Steward Feng quickly disappeared. Only two people remained in the room. Yu She was frozen in place. As if facing a great enemy, he thought: Had Zhong Wan been acting cute with him just now? Had he accidentally eaten cold food powder? Had he gone crazy too? Yu She¡¯s throat felt dry. ¡°You¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. He said, ¡°When I had nightmares in the past, didn¡¯t y-you comfort me?¡± For a long time, Yu She was silent. Yu She pointed at his fierce-looking self and expressionlessly spoke, ¡°First of all, we won¡¯t speak of whether or not I would comfort you. If I comforted you now¡­ would you be able to fall asleep?¡± Naturally not. Zhong Wan furrowed his brows and inhaled sharply. He also knew that this was a horrible excuse, but what else could he say now? He forced himself to get out, ¡°Two days ago, I spent a bit too much time in the wind. I might be a bit muddleheaded. I¡­ can I stay here with you?¡± Yu She looked Zhong Wan up and down in disbelief. ¡°Did you catch a cold or develop some type of psychosis? If you¡¯re ill, you need to see the imperial doctor. What use is there in seeking me out?¡± Zhong Wan had no answer. He kept his head lowered and remained silent. Only half of Zhong Wan¡¯s face was in the light. This made him look incredibly gaunt. Yu She stared at him for a while. As if unable to bear it anymore, he stood up and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to waste on you. If you have nothing to say, leave immediately.¡± Zhong Wan lifted his gaze. In a low voice, he said, ¡°Ziyou.¡± Yu She stopped in his tracks. A pause later, Yu She quickly stood up. He took a few steps until he was in front of Zhong Wan, then pressed both hands onto the arms of Zhong Wan¡¯s chair. He clenched his teeth together and forced out, pauses after each word, ¡°What. Do. You. Actually. Want. To. Do?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart shook with fear because of Yu She. He calmed himself down and did his best to ignore the enormous pressure emanating from the other. Honestly, he answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t have a nightmare. I just wanted to see you.¡± Yu She scoffed. ¡°You think I¡¯ll believe that?¡± Zhong Wan wanted to tug Yu She¡¯s hand, but was scared that being so frivolous would result in Yu She¡¯s disgust. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± Yu She looked down at Zhong Wan. A moment later, he said, ¡°Zhong Wan, it¡¯s the middle of the night. We¡¯re alone in this room, just you and me. You know what¡¯s going to happen, right?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s ears turned a faint red. He cleared his throat. ¡°I believe so¡­ yes.¡± Yu She scoffed. ¡°I understand.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart dropped. What did Yu She understand? Yu She gazed coldly at Zhong Wan. ¡°Speak. What happened in your estate? To be worth you selling yourself to me, is it Xuan Rui? Something happened to him along the way?¡± Zhong Wan clenched his teeth. This wasn¡¯t Yu She¡¯s fault. It was he who had no more credit and could no longer be trusted. Yu She sneered. ¡°Or is it Xuan Yu? You want me to ensure his safety in the capital?¡± Yu She noticed that Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t answering. He said, ¡°Or is it Xuan Congxin? What? Here to beg me to help her find a good family to marry into?¡± Zhong Wan took a deep breath. He was determined. Yu She lost his patience. ¡°Zhong Wan, hasn¡¯t anyone ever taught you to make your requests clear before the deed? Whatever you want, word by word, phrase by phrase. Make them clearly right now.¡± Zhong Wan lifted his gaze to look at Yu She. His voice was very soft. ¡°I do¡­ have one thing to request of you.¡± Yu She lowered his head. A few strands of hair fell in front of his forehead, blocking his expression from being seen. Yu She laughed at himself. ¡°As expected.¡± Yu She coldly said, ¡°Only one?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. Yu She suddenly raised his head. ¡°Speak!¡± Zhong Wan swallowed. Very quietly, he said, ¡°You¡­ be gentle.¡± CH 35.1 The moment Zhong Wan had stopped talking, Yu She¡¯s eyes grew bloodshot. Coupled with his long hair that lay in disarray, at first glance he truly seemed under the influence of evil spirits. Zhong Wan¡¯s words ripped off the Buddhist decree containing the malicious spirit in Yu She¡¯s heart that could destroy the heavens and earth. A roar, and it could pounce out. With firm restraint, Yu She said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I can¡­ do anything?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s earlobes flushed, heart pounding like crazy. ¡°Yes,¡± he said near whisper. And Yu She clenched his jaws so tightly that creaks could be heard. Zhong Wan thought, it¡¯s over, it¡¯s over. I probably said something wrong again. That look of his¡­ I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be ¡°gentle.¡± This appearance of Yu She was indeed frightening. Scared witless, Zhong Wan thought, if I wait a while, Yu She might f*ck me to death. Once my soul reaches hell, reunites with my parents who died young, and meets with Prince Ning and Princess Consort Ning, how should I explain this? If I see Imperial Preceptor Shi, then what path ought I take? Scared, yet not wanting to leave, Zhong Wan stuttered softly, ¡°This is m-my first time¡­¡± At his last straw, Yu She roared, ¡°Shut up!¡± Not a word escaped Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. Without him realizing it, Yu She¡¯s arms shook. The wide robe draped over his upper body slipped down his shoulders. Zhong Wan hesitated, before reaching out in a probing manner, fixing the robe. If he weren¡¯t afraid of overeaching, of provoking Yu She, Zhong Wan definitely would have thrown his arms around him in an embrace. Yu She raised his head. Stared at Zhong Wan. In a daze, he lifted his hand to pinch Zhong Wan¡¯s arm once. Zhong Wan gasped in pain. And Yu She calmed. Alive. Coafg mbcolgwlcu atlr, tf ifjcfv abkjgv Itbcu Qjc, jr lo tf kfgf jc fztjerafv kliv yfjra, jvperalcu tlr ygfjatlcu yla ys yla. C ktlif ijafg, tlr fzqgfrrlbc gfmbnfgfv. Lf gbrf ab tlr offa. Mlzfv tlr mbiijg, jcv lc qjrrlcu, mbwyfv tlr wfrrs ibcu tjlg. Te Vtf gfagfjafv akb rafqr, mbecafcjcmf qjif. Ears blooming red, Zhong Wan said, ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe me, but I really don¡¯t have anything to request of you. Today I seriously¡ª¡± ¡°I know.¡± The previous ridicule in Yu She¡¯s eyes vanished, a complicated gaze replacing it as he looked at Zhong Wan. Near whisper, he said, ¡°For this reason, even more so I cannot¡­¡± Zhong Wan was at a loss. Even more so could not what? Not waiting for him to speak again, Yu She turned around. ¡°Follow me.¡± Yu She picked up a candlestick, leading Zhong Wan all the way to the inner courtyard. Entered Yu She¡¯s bedroom. Zhong Wan looked at Yu She from behind the latter, throat tightening a hint. This was the first time after their reunion that he saw Yu She wearing this few clothes. Compared to his youth self, Yu She had grown much taller, shoulders stretching wide, lower back all the more long and straight. At present, he only had a thin outer garment on. It couldn¡¯t have made Zhong Wan¡¯s mind wander more than it had. Yu She set the candlestick down. As if extremely determined, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to guess why you suddenly came over today, nor would I question you closely about it. Since you, you¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s back faced Zhong Wan. After a moment, he said, ¡°Since you want to stay here, I will allow you to stay in my room for one night. However, any more than this¡­ Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Zhong Wan remained silent. At this moment, was he supposed to thank him for the generous grace? He felt he had been splashed with an invisible bucket of water all over his body, the mood prior completely washed away. Cautious, Zhong Wan asked, ¡°Then if during the night¡­ something happened, whose fault would it be?¡± Fire burst from Yu She¡¯s eyes. He painstakingly endured his anger as he said, ¡°If I don¡¯t want it, then nothing will happen.¡± Zhong Wan was at a loss for words, the bit of attraction in his chest thoroughly dispersing. Not wanting to provoke Yu She¡¯s unhappiness, he forced a smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll sleep in the outer chamber.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan, wanting to say something but hesitating. In the end, he said, ¡°Since you came over so late¡­ I¡¯ll fulfill your wishes halfway.¡± Zhong Wan, who had his wishes fulfilled halfway, lay down on the bed in a complicated mood. Thought that his trip here today had been utterly stupid. It¡¯d be great if Yu She truly had a bit of affection for him. But if everything had just been Zhong Wan showering affection on an uninterested party, then in the future¡­ one would fear Yu She would get around him and leave. Zhong Wan imagined pulling Yu She out of the muddy pond. Imagined giving advice to him. Imagined becoming Yu She¡¯s trusted aide. However, in all of China¡¯s history, who would want to sleep with their own trusted aide? As Zhong Wan told himself not to imagine his feelings were reciprocated, he could not help but ask in a straightforward manner, ¡°Heir¡­ Do you prefer women?¡± Lying on the outer side of the bed with his body stretched taut, Yu She froze. He furrowed his brows. ¡°No.¡± Zhong Wan grunted his acknowledgement. Hesitated before saying, ¡°Then do you want children?¡± This question drove Yu She annoyed the most. ¡°No.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s throat tightened. He took his time saying, ¡°So what¡ªdo you know what¡­ happens there?¡± In the darkness, Yu She did not respond. Zhong Wan was not afraid of being shameless. He said in a soft voice, ¡°Even if we did something, I can¡¯t get pregnant. So don¡¯t worry¡­¡± He was very familiar with the side courtyard. Lying here, he could not help but for a moment think they had returned to seven years prior. As such, he relaxed immensely, daring to speak more. ¡°Yu She, you don¡¯t have any concubines yet. Are you¡ª¡± ¡°Zhong Wan,¡± said Yu She in a cold manner all of a sudden. ¡°Men who are over fifteen and say they don¡¯t know those things are only pretending. You should understand this more than I do, right?¡± These words embarrassed Zhong Wan. Yu She closed his eyes. Drowsy. A moment later, he opened them again. Agitated, he said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t know how to do it that I didn¡¯t do you today! I just¡­ don¡¯t want to.¡± Zhong Wan courted a rebuff, whispering, ¡°Mm.¡± Incredulous, Yu She said, ¡°Just what are you people thinking every day? I merely go mad every now and then. Even if I¡¯m a super lunatic, who would say a lunatic can¡¯t do these things?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s face flushed. Stammered, ¡°I-I was just afraid you didn¡¯t know.¡± He could not help but say to Yu She, ¡°I¡¯m telling you that men truly can¡¯t get pregnant.¡± At the end of his patience, Yu She sat up. Zhong Wan¡¯s heart tensed up. Under the moonlight, Yu She looked at Zhong Wan. In a low voice, he said, ¡°Zhong Wan¡­ I don¡¯t want to leave behind descendants. But if you can get pregnant, then I would actually want to keep it.¡± Yu She bent his body down a shade, thinking aloud, ¡°But how could I get you pregnant¡­?¡± CH 35.2 Zhong Wan¡¯s lower body melted on its own. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s possible¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s voice proved light to the extreme. ¡°If I gather all the Buddhist monks and Daoist priests from inside and outside the capital at the Imperial Ancestral Shrine.¡± Zhong Wan fell into a daze. Call that many Buddhist monks and Daoist priests to do what? ¡°To have them kneel and recite sutras on the clock for forty-nine days will be a great service for them,¡± said Yu She, tone tranquil. ¡°To pray the Heavens would appear, and let you have a child for me.¡± The more Yu She spoke, the more emotional he grew. He muttered, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say whether such an unprecedented prayer in history could truly move the Heavens.¡± Zhong Wan imagined the great spectacle and choked from fear. ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t joke around like this.¡± ¡°I have never joked with people before.¡± Yu She frowned. ¡°If I say it, then I definitely will do it.¡± Complaining in his heart, Zhong Wan finally gave in. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have said those things. Don¡¯t be impulsive.¡± Yu She shot a glance at Zhong Wan and said with indifference, ¡°Then don¡¯t ask me such stupid things again. If I say I don¡¯t want to leave behind descendants, then I don¡¯t want to leave behind descendants.¡± Since Zhong Wan¡¯s provoking of Yu She had been fruitless, he grunted his acknowledgment in a well-behaved manner. Yu She lay back down. ¡°Go to sleep! Stop thinking about those perverted things all the time. Also¡­¡± Frightened, Zhong Wan froze, before saying even more well-behavedly, ¡°Also what?¡± ¡°Tonight¡­ don¡¯t touch me,¡± said Yu She with a muffled voice, back facing him. With no other alternative, Zhong Wan sounded his agreement. The next day, after Zhong Wan had left, Steward Feng sensed that Yu She¡¯s current expression was somewhat different from the past. Just how different, Steward Feng was unable to clearly pinpoint. However, he found Yu She not as spiritless as in a few days prior. Ever since Zhong Wan had left, he seemed even more distracted, standing before the desk for two hours. ¡°Heir¡­¡± As Steward Feng changed the refreshments on the table, he hinted with joy, ¡°This time, we won¡¯t let Young Master Zhong leave, right?¡± Yu She lifted his head, hesitation in his eyes. Vafkjgv Mfcu¡¯r fzqgfrrlbc mtjcufv. ¡°Lflg! Vlcmf la¡¯r ilxf atlr, sbe mjc¡¯a ifa atja qfgrbc ub. Ciatbeut sbe¡¯gf ybat wfc, sbe ralii tjnf ab ajxf gfrqbcrlylilas, gluta? Tbe¡­¡± Obkfglcu tlr tfjv, Te Vtf qlmxfv eq j kglalcu ygert. ¡°P tjnfc¡¯a abemtfv tlw.¡± Vafkjgv Mfcu ofia gfrfcaoei abkjgv Te Vtf obg ojlilcu ab wffa fzqfmajalbcr, lwqjalfca ab rff lwqgbnfwfca. ¡°How many years has it been,¡± asked Yu She all of a sudden, head still lowered, ¡°since Prince Ning met a mishap?¡± After a moment of thought, Steward Feng counted his fingers. ¡°Seven to eight years? Next year, it¡¯ll be eight years.¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll be eight years, yet he still feels gratitude toward Prince Ning¡¯s rearing and grace.¡± He raised his head. Looked at Steward Feng. ¡°If I die tomorrow, how many years will he endure?¡± Distressed, Steward Feng asked, ¡°Why is your honored self talking about this again? Can¡¯t you not say you will die?!¡± This time, Yu She did not sneer like he would have in the past. With his head lowered again, he stared at the brush in his hand, hesitating for a while before thinking aloud, ¡°Yes, if I don¡¯t die, then I could¡­¡± Yu She recalled the events last night. Unable to stand the disturbance, he set down the brush, sat down on the chair, and frowned, relaxing with his eyes closed. Steward Feng could discern that his heart was in a mess. But he didn¡¯t dare to speak too much again. Still, he felt that Yu She¡¯s concentrated su*cidal aura had weakened by many degrees. As Steward Feng retreated, before he could take two steps, he heard Yu She smashing things inside the room. He stopped in his tracks. It seemed Yu She was cursing something. The corners of Steward Feng¡¯s lips tilted upward. He attempted to stifle the smile. ¡°Steward Yan¡¯s letter read that once Eldest Brother left the city walls, his spirit improved by a lot. Afterward, he ate no more than two servings of medicine before recovering immensely.¡± Xuan Congxin placed the letter on the desk. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Absentminded, Zhong Wan had agreed without thinking. Xuan Congxin said, ¡°Tomorrow will be the third seven-day set. Everyone must attend. I don¡¯t understand the customs of the capital so I asked other people about it. They said that for the third seven-day set, the wake must last for one day and one night. If you¡¯re unwell, don¡¯t go.¡± Snapping out of his thoughts, Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°How is that possible? If I don¡¯t attend, who would accompany Xuan Yu?¡± Xuan Congxin furrowed her brows. ¡°How many days has it been? I¡¯ve already recognized all the womenfolk in the capital. Can¡¯t he kneel on his own?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve recognized that many women?¡± asked Zhong Wan, astounded. ¡°That¡¯s not the end of it. I even recognize all the imperial concubines,¡± she said, not caring the slightest. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else to do every day besides remembering this.¡± Zhong Wan swept his gaze up and down Xuan Congxin. Said with regret, ¡°It¡¯s such a waste of talent to have you stay in Qian An.¡± A smile graced her lips. ¡°If you want to follow, then follow. Pay attention to yourself. If something happens, don¡¯t force yourself to do anything in spite of adversity.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°Understood, Young Miss.¡± Like Xuan Congxin had said, on the third seven-day set, there were more than double the amount of people in Xuan Jin¡¯s estate than in the past. Inside and outside were the imperial clan members. Contrary to what one might expect, Lin Si and Xuan Jing arrived. Lin Si had a young male servant pass along a paper ball to Zhong Wan. He opened it. Glanced at the contents¡­ Lin Si had asked him to avoid Xuan Jing. Zhong Wan frowned. Why did he want him to avoid Xuan Jing so badly? Ever since Zhong Wan had arrived at the capital, he did not encounter Xuan Jing. But he did see him. Zhong Wan himself did not feel ashamed meeting his old friend with his current status. So why should he avoid him? Although he thought this, Zhong Wan nevertheless hid the paper ball in his chest pocket. He looked at Xuan Jing from afar, turned his body sideways to evade him. He moved around another servant, hiding behind him. Heart in unease, Zhong Wan would glance at Xuan Jing from time to time. He thought, Xuan Jing shouldn¡¯t know anything, right? That day, when Lin Si had arrived at Prince Qian An¡¯s estate in search of Zhong Wan, Zhong Wan had already instructed Lin Si not to inform Xuang Jing about Yu She¡¯s matters. Zhong Wan still hadn¡¯t figured out an escape plan for Yu She. Before that point, the fewer people knew about Yu She¡¯s background, the better. Zhong Wan tried his best to mix with the crowd. However, Xuan Jing seemed to be deliberately searching for him. Every now and then, he would glance at the crowd of servants. Zhong Wan had no other choice. He mixed in with the crowd of people taking care of the event, slipping into the inner courtyard. He deliberately fell behind a few steps, increasing the distance between him and the other people. Fortunately, everyone was in a hurry and did not have the time or energy to care about him. After Zhong Wan had been able to get away, he headed for the outside, only for someone to pull him behind an artificial mountain as he was passing by. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t know whether to sigh in relief or feel more nervous¡­ It was Yu She. Yu She leaned against the side of the artificial mountain. After pulling Zhong Wan over, he released his hold. He stared at Zhong Wan with a complicated gaze. As he recalled the baffling act of sharing a bed last night, Zhong Wan still felt a bit embarrassed. Yu She narrowed his eyes, seemingly at a loss. A short while later, he asked, ¡°Why are you hiding?¡± He naturally could not tell Yu She about Lin Si¡¯s matters. Zhong Wan hesitated, trying to find an excuse and muddle through. Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°Just now, you¡­ kept stealing glances at me. Why?¡± Zhong Wan was rendered speechless. He had been looking at Xuan Jing. Unfortunately, Xuan Jing stood next to Yu She. Bracing himself, Zhong Wan said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing? The look in your eyes as you stared at me was¡­¡± Yu She paused, before continuing on in a vexed manner, ¡°There are so many people around. Control yourself!¡± Again, Zhong Wan was struck speechless. In this moment, if he said he had been glancing at Xuan Jing, one would fear Yu She would grow even more enraged. After hesitating for a moment, Yu She said, ¡°I¡¯m not saying that you can¡¯t look at me. But when there¡¯s a lot of people around, you have to control it. Your expression is too obvious. Who wouldn¡¯t be able to see the hints?¡± For the third time, Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t utter a word. Yu She continued, ¡°Where you¡­ searching for me for a long time?¡± Zhong Wan was at a loss for words. Never had he expected Yu She to come to such an insignificant thing as a third seven-day set. ¡°What needs to be said has already been said. You ought to restrain yourself.¡± Yu She turned around and left. The corners of Zhong Wan¡¯s lips raised on their own accord, difficult to suppress. He could not help but lift his head and watch his back figure, only to see Yu She flip around all of a sudden and return. This time, his expression was even more different. For no reason, Zhong Wan felt slightly nervous. ¡°I won¡¯t come every day. So don¡¯t look for me every day like this.¡± A frown slid its way across Yu She¡¯s mouth, as if he had strengthened his resolve. ¡°Enough. From now on¡­ every ten days, you can stay overnight at my estate for one night. However, that¡¯s the limit. Don¡¯t hope for any more.¡± CH 36 Yu She left in a rush. Zhong Wan watched him leave, spending a long time holding in his laughter. Fine. Once every ten days¡­ was slightly better than the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Zhong Wan slowly made his way back. When he finally reached his destination, Xuan Jing and them had already been asked to go elsewhere. Afterwards, Zhong Wan was careful to avoid them. He didn¡¯t encounter these people again. What did Xuan Jing want with him? Zhong Wan felt restless as he held onto the paper ball Lin Si had given him. The third week after Third Prince¡¯s passing, he asked someone to summon Lin Si. But two days had passed and Lin Si still hadn¡¯t come. Zhong Wan dispatched the people he had in the capital to investigate in secret. Before he could get any results, Lin Si came. As usual, Lin Si entered the estate after nightfall. Zhong Wan saw that his expression looked normal, so slightly relaxed. The two of them entered the inner room. Zhong Wan poured a cup of tea for Lin Si. Lin Si hurriedly accepted it with both hands. He set the cup down and signed, ¡°The last time I came here, I didn¡¯t hide my tracks well enough. Fourth Prince found out.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s expression changed. Before he could speak, Lin Si hurriedly added: ¡°Master ordered me to hide the information about Young Prince Yu. I had no other option and could only go along with this and tell Fourth Highness that the information from Fifth Highness had been blocked by Master. I came to you, seeking the information, but to no avail. Which was why I made that trip and why all my attempts at finding out information about Young Prince Yu have been fruitless.¡± Zhong Wan burst into laughter. ¡°I was wondering why Xuan Jing wanted to meet with me out of the blue.¡± Lin Si looked extremely apologetic. He gestured, ¡°It was because of my carelessness that caused Master to get dragged in.¡± ¡°No matter. It¡¯s not like Xuan Jing doesn¡¯t know the relationship between us. Besides, I¡¯m not scared of him.¡± Though Xuan Jing and Yu She were sworn enemies, he had a bit of a frenemy relationship with Zhong Wan. The two of them hadn¡¯t met in many years, but wouldn¡¯t actually fight so easily. Zhong Wan was largely unbothered. ¡°Last time, I was eager to find Yu She, so forgot to tell you some official business. I¡¯ll just tell you everything now.¡± Zhong Wan paused. ¡°Ever since I¡¯ve arrived in the capital, you¡¯ve mentioned Yu She¡¯s identity to me several times. This information was discovered by Xuan Qiong and subsequently found out by you guys, right?¡± Lin Si was perplexed, but nodded. ¡°So are you actually taking the easy path by following behind Xuan Qiong, or¡­¡± Zhong Wan became silent for a few moments. He asked, ¡°Or are you only finding out what Xuan Qiong wants you to find out?¡± Lin Si¡¯s expression slightly changed. Lin Si pondered a bit before responding with sign language, ¡°Fifth Highness might not be capable of creating such a ploy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about him specifically.¡± Zhong Wan smiled, ¡°It¡¯s true that Xuan Qiong is useless, but there are most likely a few intelligent people surrounding the useless ones, right? Previously, I didn¡¯t think anything was wrong and was also preoccupied by Yu She, so didn¡¯t have time for extra consideration. But now that the frequency has increased, I keep feeling like there¡¯s a hand behind me pushing me forward. I feel a bit annoyed.¡± Lin Si furrowed his brows. He signed, ¡°Master suspects that someone is using Fourth Highness as a sword?¡± Zhong Wan was uncertain. ¡°It¡¯s too early to tell now who the sword is. It might be Xuan Jing, it might be you, it might also be¡­ Yu She. ¡°Third Prince is dead. Right now, Xuan Qiong and Xuan Jing are both waiting for the other to start feuding with Yu She so they can benefit. You guys have stayed behind Xuan Qiong the whole time. This situation seems a bit off.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed together. ¡°Yu She¡¯s identity is a key to the fight for the throne. Everyone wants to know it, so as soon as any bit of information is leaked out, Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong will both obediently start following that lead¡­ That¡¯s too passive.¡± Lin Si¡¯s expression became conflicted. He gestured, ¡°After all, this is related to the title of Crown Prince. As soon as Fourth Prince heard that it was related to Young Prince Yu, he became absurdly vigilant. There¡¯s no persuading him out of it.¡± Zhong Wan pressed his lips together. ¡°Not only him. Even I am¡­¡± Lin Si paused. He signed, ¡°What does Master want to do? You want to investigate too?¡± An idea struck. Lin Si furrowed his brows and gestured, ¡°Or, you want to kill all witnesses?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s intentions became exposed. He smiled. Xuan Jing and Xuang Qiong were investigating Yu She to get a clear understanding of the events of the past. But Zhong Wan wanted to erase all these old traces completely. Kb Itbcu Qjc, la vlvc¡¯a wjaafg ktb Te Vtf¡¯r ojatfg kjr. Itbcu Qjc rjlv, ¡°Gbc¡¯a kbggs. Bcbk atja P kbc¡¯a tjgw Wejc Alcu¡­ Eluta cbk, P pera kjca ab xcbk ktb tjr yffc qertlcu wf obgkjgv jibcu atlr qjat.¡± Itbcu Qjc ibbxfv abkjgv Te Vtf. Coafg rtjglcu tlr qgfnlber mbcmfgcr, tf jvvfv, ¡°Tbe uesr cfnfg obecv la atf rilutafra yla ragjcuf? Qts kbeiv Te Vtf tjnf ecmbnfgfv remt jc lwqbgajca rfmgfa jr remt j sbecu juf?¡± Lin Si had no clue. Zhong Wan was troubled. With a brain like Xuan Jing¡¯s¡­ how could he fight for the throne against Xuan Qiong or Yu She? Zhong Wan softly said, ¡°But the issue of Yu She discovering the truth and becoming temporarily unable to accept it is one thing. Could it be possible that all his behavior after that was intentionally guided by someone? ¡°I asked Steward Feng of the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate to help me investigate what had actually happened the first time Yu She had encountered cold food powder.¡± Zhong Wan paused and pushed down the intense emotion threatening to swell up. ¡°Steward Feng said that the first time Yu She learned of that thing was at Xuan Jing¡¯s estate.¡± Lin Si froze. He hurriedly shook his head and signed, ¡°Fourth Highness definitely hasn¡¯t eaten that thing before!¡± ¡°Of course he hasn¡¯t.¡± Something dark flashed through Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes. ¡°It was a servant on his estate. One day, he bumped into Yu She in a daze. That person didn¡¯t seem in the right state of mind; his gaze was unsteady. Upon seeing this, Yu She became confused. He asked the person next to him and that person explained. And then¡­ Yu She started consuming cold food powder.¡± Lin Si hesitated for a moment. He signed, ¡°Master, allow me to be straightforward. If Young Prince Yu hadn¡¯t wanted to eat something of his own accord, no one would¡¯ve been able to force him.¡± Zhong Wan knew that this blame couldn¡¯t be pushed onto Xuan Jing, but he still said, ¡°However, what if someone had known that he was in a terrible mood and purposefully told him that eating cold food powder could temporarily alleviate such sorrows? Yu She couldn¡¯t have not known that it was poisonous. But, him wanting to commit suicide is one thing. Outsiders handing him a knife to do so is another thing.¡± Lin Si had nothing to refute. He gestured, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to confirm anything, but Fourth Highness is straightforward in his actions. I¡¯m afraid he most likely isn¡¯t capable of doing such a thing.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say Xuan Jing did it.¡± Zhong Wan lowered his voice and continued, ¡°That time, to keep me in the capital, Steward Feng told me that Yu She had once visited Xuan Qiong¡¯s estate to watch a snake charming performance. He clearly knew that the snakes were poisonous, but still held one in his hand to play with. He got bitten on the arm by that snake¡­¡± Zhong Wan looked at Lin Si. ¡°At the time, I didn¡¯t think too much of it, but carefully thinking back now, the situation seems extremely strange. How bold must that snake charmer have been to perform with poisonous snakes in front of the sons and relatives of the emperor.¡± Lin Si paused, ¡°So Fifth Highness¡­ permitted him?¡± ¡°I remember at the time, Steward Feng said that Xuan Qiong got scolded by the emperor afterwards.¡± Zhong Wan lowered his gaze. ¡°This happened so long ago in the past that it would be impossible to conduct a complete investigation. The truth has long since been buried¡­¡± Lin Si thought about it and signed, ¡°If Young Prince Yu desired to commit suicide, an indefinite amount of people would definitely aid him. After all¡­¡± After all, he was in the way for a lot of people. ¡°I understand, but I still feel angry¡­¡± Zhong Wan added, ¡°Forget about that. Right now, I only want to find out who is adding fuel to the flames. Lin Si, I want to start with Xuan Qiong.¡± Zhong Wan slowly stated, ¡°I don¡¯t want to keep following Xuan Qiong¡¯s trail and eating his leftovers.¡± Lin Si felt pained. He gestured, ¡°You are determined to get tangled into this mess, right?¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to get tangled in, it¡¯s that¡­ Nevermind. I can¡¯t explain clearly.¡± ¡°I have a few people in Xuan Qiong¡¯s estate too. Let¡¯s try,¡± Zhong Wan said. ¡°Either way, enmity already exists between them. There¡¯s nothing else to fear¡­ I want to first get the few servants who once served at the Royal Mausoleum out.¡± Lin Si¡¯s heart squeezed in shock. He signed, ¡°How?¡± ¡°Borrowing a sword to kill. I have a plan.¡± Zhong Wan lowered his gaze. In a subdued voice, he asked, ¡°¡­Say, would Old Imperial Preceptor Shi have known about these things?¡± Lin Si didn¡¯t understand why Zhong Wan was suddenly bringing up Shi Jin. After a short pause, he signed, ¡°According to his age, he might have. But the Old Imperial Preceptor has passed for many years already. Why is Master asking?¡± ¡°Before he passed, the Old Imperial Preceptor once sent me several letters. He left me some people.¡± Zhong Wan scoffed at himself. ¡°I¡¯m a disappointment. The Old Imperial Preceptor feared that I would get accused again in the future, so left some people to help me stay alive. But since they¡¯re the Preceptor¡¯s people¡­they might know some old information.¡± Zhong Wan took a deep breath. ¡°There¡¯s too little information from Xuan Qiong¡¯s side. And, the information can¡¯t be entirely trusted. I might be able to find out some additional things from the Old Imperial Preceptor¡¯s side.¡± ¡°It would probably be impossible to stop Xuan Jing from stealing information from Xuan Qiong. However, remind him that he should take things with a grain of salt.¡± Zhong Wan spoke incredibly quickly. ¡°Someone wants to use Xuan Jing as a sword, but who¡¯s to say that no one wants to use Xuan Qiong as a sword as well?¡± Lin Si signed, ¡°Master, if you manage to gain Young Prince Yu¡¯s trust in the future¡­¡± Zhong Wan burst into laughter. ¡°Then certain things would become much easier.¡± Lin Si continued to sign, ¡°If anything happens in the future, I¡¯d like to ask Master to ensure Fourth Highness stays alive.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± The next day, Xuan Congxin, who had given the excuse of being sick to stay home, was in a great mood. She ordered the servants to make some local Qian An pastries. They were of all shapes and sizes, varying greatly. Zhong Wan had just made contact with Old Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s people. As soon as he got back to the estate, he saw the table full of intricate pastries. He smiled. ¡°How come you suddenly thought to make these?¡± ¡°Xuan Yu misses Eldest Brother and home. Yesterday, he started crying when no one else was watching.¡± Xuan Congxin couldn¡¯t take watching her brother cry, but she was firm in speech and soft in the heart. ¡°I wanted to make some Qian An food¡­ and cheer him up.¡± A smile appeared on Zhong Wan¡¯s. ¡°Did you succeed?¡± Xuan Congxin nodded while laughing. She added, ¡°I was scared that you would be homesick too, so made extra. These are for you.¡± Zhong Wan smiled and bit back the Qian An actually isn¡¯t my home. He sat down and very supportively tried each pastry. He praised, ¡°Normally I don¡¯t feel this way, but after so many months without eating these, I actually find that they truly taste good.¡± While eating, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Can I pick some out to give away?¡± The corners of Xuan Congxin¡¯s lips curled up slightly. ¡°To give to little sister-in-law?¡± Zhong Wan smiled, but didn¡¯t answer. Xuan Congxin was too shy to ask further about such a love affair. She left and personally picked out an intricate box, then ordered a servant to bring it to Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard. Zhong Wan had someone bring it to the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Before four hours had passed, it got returned, unopened. Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. Was Yu She saying¡­ that he refused to eat Zhong Wan¡¯s gift? Is Yu She overly wary or does he not trust me? The family soldier returning the box of food was very tall and largely built. Zhong Wan kept feeling like he had seen the other before. He hesitated, then asked, ¡°Does Young Prince Yu not want it?¡± ¡°Young Master Zhong, don¡¯t be worried.¡± The family soldier placed the box on the table with both hands and took two steps back. He bowed and said, ¡°Our Heir said, the time limit of ten days hasn¡¯t been met yet. Young Master Zhong mustn¡¯t contact Heir of your own accord.¡± Zhong Wan: ¡°¡­¡± He had already forgotten about the ¡°once every ten days¡± agreement. Yu She hadn¡¯t only been joking? Zhong Wan was speechless. ¡°This is only a box of pastries¡­¡± The family soldier had no clue what was going on. He could only loudly parrot what Yu She had told him. ¡°That won¡¯t do! The rules are the rules!¡± Zhong Wan was dizzy with anger. His hand shook as he picked up a teacup and took a few sips. The family soldier added, ¡°But after seeing this box of food, our Heir most likely did feel quite pleased. So he also said, if Young Master Zhong behaves well in the future, he might reduce the time from once every ten days to once every nine days.¡± Zhong Wan: ¡°¡­¡± Young Prince Yu really knew when to reward and punish people. The family soldier strictly stated, ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Young Master to take back this item. But, there is no need for Young Master to be glum. I specially asked Heir and Heir said that after only five days, Young Master can send over this box of food.¡± Zhong Wan powerlessly said, ¡°It can¡¯t wait five days. In another day, these pastries will go bad.¡± The family soldier froze. ¡°But the rules¡­ were set this way! Is there anything else Young Master wants to explain?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°I. Have nothing to say.¡± The family soldier knelt on one knee, then stood up and left. Zhong Wan stared at the box that had been returned. For a long time, he was speechless. He was exhausted and stressed, spending every day worrying about Yu She. But what was Yu She doing daily?! First disregarding this. If in the future, Yu She married a Young Princess Consort Yu, would he create so many regulations for his own princess consort too? The night of the wedding, Yu She would set rules for his princess consort with a stormy expression: Every ten days, you may lay in my bed with me. Anything else is closed for discussion! After ten years of marriage, if Princess Consort Yu behaved well, Yu She might give her an additional benefit: From now on, every seven days, you may come see me once. After twenty years of marriage, Princess Consort Yu might be blessed enough to hold hands with Yu She once. Thirty years after marriage, Yu She would finally accept exchanging a kiss. Previously, Zhong Wan had heard that some people liked to take things slow in certain regards. But he had never expected that anyone could be as slow as Yu She! According to this speed, if they could only kiss after thirty years, then¡­ then¡­ What about that?! What was Yu She¡¯s plan? Near the end of their days, Princess Consort Yu broke through the barrier, successfully passing Yu She¡¯s decades of tests. After overcoming all difficulties, she finally earned Yu She¡¯s trust and was permitted to¡­ with him. This was truly using one¡¯s entire life to test a single person. Zhong Wan thought in despair, in Yu She¡¯s mind, perhaps that most intimate act could only be performed once in a lifetime? In an entire lifetime, only having sex once. Zhong Wan trembled as he opened the box. He took a bite out of one of the pastries and muttered, ¡°Young Prince Yu has truly placed too much importance on his first time¡­¡± CH 37.1 After he had someone send away the pastries, not even thirty minutes later, Yu She threw aside the book, distraught. He furrowed his brows. ¡°Did they send it away yet? If not, then forget about it!¡± Thinking Yu She was annoyed that the servants were too slow, Steward Feng rushed into the room to say, ¡°We¡¯ve sent it away, we¡¯ve sent it away. No one dares to delay.¡± Who would have known that after Yu She had heard these words, his expression would grow more unsightly? Frightened and on edge, Steward Feng said, ¡°Heir¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com What¡¯s wrong? What else would it be? He was regretting it. Steward Feng had guessed this, but dared not express his thoughts aloud. After a moment of consideration, he tried to console Yu She by saying, ¡°Heir is too serious. Young Master merely sent over a few things, yet you also forbid it.¡± Yu She felt restless. In a soft voice, he said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid if I indulge him too much, he would soon¡­¡± Steward Feng said, ¡°Would soon what?¡± Yu She said with indifference, ¡°He would soon take it to the next level.¡± Steward Feng cursed in his heart, if you¡¯re unwilling, who would dare to take it to the next level? Yu She picked up another book. Sat down and flipped a couple pages. Annoyed, he asked, ¡°Did you open up the meal box to see what¡¯s inside?¡± If you''re reading this, this translation is stolen. Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden.com Steward Feng nodded in a daze. ¡°I did.¡± Indifferently, Yu She asked, ¡°How¡¯d it look?¡± Shocked, he stammered, ¡°It¡­ it¡¯s different from what we usually eat. The pastries weren¡¯t as fine as the ones our cooks make, but smelled fragrant.¡± Yu She drew his brows together. ¡°Since it smelled so good, why didn¡¯t you tell me?!¡± Steward Feng was struck speechless. Then he expended a lot of energy to say, ¡°Heir often avoided evil influences in such a way, so this old slave thought you would not allow yourself to smell those pastries.¡± Five viscera and six bowels uncomfortable, Yu She turned around and did not speak again. Since Yu She did not explain anything, Steward Feng retreated. A few days later, the servants of the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate stood frightened to silence. Feared that if they were not careful, they would anger Young Prince Yu. Yc atf atlgv cluta, j agerafv jlvf bo Te Vtf tjv jc egufca wfrrjuf obg tlw. Ugfnlberis, Vafkjgv Mfcu tjv lcobgwfv atlr agerafv jlvf ab gfwfwyfg atja cb wjaafg ktja, tf wera cba yglcu eq atf kbgv ¡°qjraglfr.¡± Djooifv, atf agerafv jlvf tjv jugffv. Te Vtf tjv jigfjvs ojiifc jriffq. Vb bcmf tf kjr kbxfc eq, tlr fzqgfrrlbc kjr rb ecrlutais atja la afgglolfv batfgr. Llr tjlg kjr lc vlrjggjs, ujhf jr mbiv jr lmf jr tf rajgfv vbkc tlr agerafv jlvf. ¡°Qtja?¡± This was someone Yu She had inserted by Xuan Qiong¡¯s side. If it wasn¡¯t something important, he wouldn¡¯t have come. The trusted aide saluted and rose to his feet. ¡°Last month I informed Heir that Fifth Prince went through numerous twists and turns before finding those few servants who had kept watch in the Royal Mausoleum.¡± Yu She impatiently said, ¡°So what? Did you finally find those people?¡± Please visit chrysanthemumgarden.com The trusted aide nodded. ¡°This subordinate is incompetent. Fifth Prince hid those people in a place that was very hard to find. Many times, I was at a loss. For one month, I was unable to unearth any clues. But today, for some reason¡­¡± The trusted aide hesitated, before saying, ¡°A clue suddenly appeared. The three servants who used to watch over the Royal Mausoleum were all brought away.¡± Anger flaring in his chest, Yu She said, ¡°What?!¡± The trusted aide also could not wrap his mind around it. ¡°This time, Fifth Prince was especially careful. Even Prince Yu did not know he had hidden these people. Because Fourth Prince was still investigating, at most Fourth Prince would pick up a few things, but there would not be any more people who were aware of this. However, during Yin Shi, before the sky could brighten, guests arrived at the estate. Once these strangers closed the door, they spoke with Fifth Prince for a little while. Then, after they had exited, Fifth Prince paled and did not speak for a moment. Those people brought Fifth Prince¡¯s trusted aide to the edge of the city to a pawn shop. The three servants from the Royal Mausoleum were actually hidden in the basement there. After that¡­ those people who met with Fifth Prince and the trusted aide left.¡± Yu She frowned. The trusted aide said, ¡°This matter is very strange. Our people and Fourth Prince¡¯s people are both investigating in the dark, to bring those servants to our side. And Fifth Prince treats these servants as if they¡¯re his lifeblood. Three sides have competed for so long. Never would anyone have imagined such an unforeseen event to occur.¡± Yu She sneered. ¡°Who brought the servants to the pawn shop? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know?¡± Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden. ¡°It¡¯s unclear what happened in the early morning.¡± The trusted aide lowered his head in shame. ¡°Everyone in the estate was still asleep, and I did not dare to get up and investigate. Once the sky brightened, those people had already been moved. After one day of investigation, this subordinate discovered that those people who came to speak with Fifth Prince were the emperor¡¯s close imperial guards.¡± Shock collided with Yu She¡¯s form. He had long since ordered to capture those three servants alive. The trusted aide feared carrying the responsibility of failure and said, ¡°Heir, this matter doesn¡¯t make sense. Three sides aimed to capture the same people. No one dared to allow any bit of information to spread, in fear of this matter blowing up. Perhaps those at the top found out, or Fifth Prince was anxious to silence people, or¡­ So who¡¯s the one behind this? This subordinate is always in Fifth Prince¡¯s estate and doesn¡¯t have much communication with Heir. Could there have been someone by Heir¡¯s side who accidentally did something they should not have done?¡± Yu She¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I never ordered anyone to do anything.¡± In low spirits, the trusted aide said, ¡°Then this subordinate is unsure. At this moment, three sides are fighting in the dark, and all of a sudden, someone swept everything clean.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me or Xuan Qiong,¡± muttered Yu She. ¡°Who else could it be?¡± The trusted aide could not figure it out. ¡°This subordinate is incompetent. At present, His Majesty has already acted. Gales and showers can wash everything clean. In this way, this will become an unresolved case. Yet¡­ Although this subordinate is not exonerating myself, Heir, this is the most advantageous case for us.¡± Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden. Cold as ice, Yu She said, ¡°Naturally.¡± In the beginning, Yu She absolutely wanted them alive. But that was because he wanted to inquire carefully about past events. However, if those servants fell into the hands of Xuan Jing or Xuan Qiong, they would be the sharp weapons in which to deal with Yu She in the future. Nevertheless, the trusted aide still did not give up. He summoned all his courage and asked, ¡°Even if this subordinate dies ten thousand times, this subordinate would still ask Heir once more: does Heir have other people in Fifth Prince¡¯s estate? Because this matter¡­ seems like something done by our people.¡± Yu She did not grow angry. He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have any other spies there.¡± A wave of relief washed over the trusted aide. But then he grew worried again. ¡°This subordinate is unsure if these are merely groundless fears, but after this incident, this subordinate feels that a new force has risen in the capital. Yet it¡¯s unclear who they are.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression turned gloomy. A long while later, he sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t know. However, these people are really not upright and honest, flipping the chessboard when defeat was inevitable¡­ Such an approach is a bit wild.¡± Worried, the trusted aide said, ¡°Originally, this subordinate thought that after Third Prince¡¯s passing, the situation at the capital would clear up. Unexpectedly, a new force would appear.¡± ¡°How interesting¡­ Carefully investigate.¡± From the start, Yu She wanted to muddy up the water even more. He didn¡¯t care just how many people wanted the throne. ¡°Take note of a few things. I want to know who¡¯s interfering.¡± The trusted aide kowtowed, stealthily retreating. In Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, Zhong Wan lay in bed weak and sickly, listening to Xuan Congxin nag at him. These past few days, Zhong Wan kept leaving the estate. Although after Xuan Rui had left, no one paid attention to them anymore, he still was careful. Every time he left the estate, it would either be early in the morning or late at night. Whenever it was the coldest, he would go out, and after repeating this for a few days, he fell ill. At night, he suddenly grew a fever. After drinking two servings of medicine, he recovered a little. All along, Xuan Yu had taken care of Zhong Wan by his bedside. He listened to Xuan Congxin admonish Zhong Wan. Once he grew bold enough to help explain for Zhong Wan, he received Xuan Congxin¡¯s admonishment as well. A wet towel lay on Zhong Wan¡¯s forehead. He pursed his chapped lips and smiled. ¡°Young Miss has been admonishing me for so long. Are you thirsty?¡± Xuan Congxin frowned. ¡°No.¡± Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden. ¡°But I am.¡± Zhong Wan used a lot of energy to smile. A sigh escaped his lips. ¡°May I trouble Young Miss to give me a cup of tea¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re eating medicine. How could you drink tea?¡± Xuan Congxin ordered people to give Zhong Wan a bowl of white fungus soup. ¡°Once you¡¯ve drank your medicine, drink this soup.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. After drinking that bowl of soup, he felt a lot more comfortable. ¡°You went out a lot these past few days,¡± whispered Xuan Yu. ¡°Were you meeting with Kuafu?¡± Although Zhong Wan was sick, as soon as he had heard those words, he became more lively. He smiled and whispered, ¡°Yes, otherwise why would I go out when it¡¯s so cold?¡± Admiration flashing in his eyes, Xuan Yu asked, ¡°Did you coax her?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Zhong Wan sighed. Carelessly said, ¡°It¡¯ll probably be hard to do so even after three to five years¡ª¡± Read more BL at chrysanthemumgarden.com Startled, Xuan Congxin said, ¡°Just what kind of person did you fall for?!¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°I¡¯m just talking nonsense. It won¡¯t be that hard to coax them.¡± Yet Xuang Congxin found it hard to believe. ¡°I still hope you marry a wife soon, and then we return to Qian An together. You¡­ What kind of luck do you have to bump into such a person?¡± ¡°What did I bump into? A southern wall?¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°Enough. Young Miss has lectured me for a while. There are germs in the room, so you people should not be here. Return to your own courtyards.¡± Deflecting and coaxing the brother and sister pair to leave, he said, ¡°Haven¡¯t I already woken up? After I lie down for a few more days, I¡¯ll be better. After the third set of seven days, there¡¯ll be no need to kneel daily anymore. Xuan Yu, you ought to study. I¡¯ll quiz you later. Now go.¡± Expending a lot of effort, he removed his wet inner garments and changed into a new set. He lay down on the bed, a deep sigh escaping him. CH 37.2 To consolidate the manpower Imperial Preceptor Shi had left behind for Zhong Wan was harder than he had expected. The will of people changed easily. Imperial Preceptor Shi had been gone for many years. The great kindness of the past was unable to withstand the ravage of time. The people remaining who would sincerely rush about to help Zhong Wan numbered few. Moreover, some people were either led away by the riches and honor before them or were obstructed by their houses full of their children. Zhong Wan did not blame them. Even if one used a previous grace to coerce them to help, in the end, it was Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s grace. Zhong Wan was only his student. He did not have that kind of reputation. Thank goodness that although there weren¡¯t that many people he could use, the ones he could were loyal and capable to the extreme. This time, they had resolved that matter of those Royal Mausoleum servants very straightforwardly. At present, Xuan Qiong had no choice but to suffer in silence. He absolutely would not dare to make the matter public. Zhong Wan rubbed his sore shoulder. A low laugh escaped his lips. Bit by bit, one step at a time. He knew his body was frail. As such, he didn¡¯t dare to fight too hard. For now, he had to pause probing into Yu She¡¯s background. After he recovered from his illness, that would be a different story. He recuperated in bed for a few days. And Yu She¡¯s side grew all the more anxious. A little servant girl who attended to Yu She timidly glanced at him. Trembling, she held a bowl of lotus seed soup for him. ¡°Steward said that Heir is suffering from a bit of excessive internal heat and needed¡ª¡± Without even lifting his head, Yu She said, ¡°Take it away.¡± Steward Feng had rushed the little servant girl over here. So she dared not leave. Voice quivering, she said, ¡°In these past couple days, the corners of Heir¡¯s eyes have grown red. It really is from excessive internal heat, and must be¡ª¡± ¡°Scram,¡± said Yu She, cold as ice. The young servant girl quivered even more. ¡°The internal heat in Heir¡¯s heart is too strong. Relieving it is a must. If Heir does not drink the lotus seed soup, Steward Feng will summon an imperial physician, or perhaps¡­ Heir wishes to eat something else that does the job? Sweat pear soup? Powdered-root-of-lotus soup? All of a sudden, Yu She said in a low voice, ¡°Ten days.¡± The little servant girl jumped from shock. Blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ten days.¡± Yu She seemed to be talking to himself. ¡°He hasn¡¯t come or sent any pastries over.¡± She saw that Yu She was starting to speak nonsense again. And she grew even more afraid. Timidly, she asked, ¡°What pastries?¡± Te Vtf rjlv lc j vjhf, ¡°P vbc¡¯a xcbk. P tjnfc¡¯a fnfc tjv j mtjcmf ab rwfii atfw.¡± ¡°Lflg tjr fzmfrrlnf lcafgcji tfja. Pa¡¯r yfaafg ab fja qjraglfr ifrr.¡± Ktf ilaaif rfgnjca ulgi ijeutfv vgsis. ¡°Lbkfnfg¡­ lo Lflg kjcar ab fja la, atfc fja la. Qtja xlcv vbfr sbeg tbcbgfv rfio kjca? P-P klii tjnf rbwfbcf wjxf la lwwfvljafis.¡± What went through his thoughts was anyone¡¯s guess. At that moment, his pupils constricted. Hoarsely, he said, ¡°Osmanthus cake.¡± The little servant girl quickly sounded her acknowledgement, turned around, and left. It was uncertain whether Yu She heard her or not. Once again, he said near whisper, ¡°We¡¯ve agreed on it. We¡¯ve already agreed on it¡­ Osmanthus cake.¡± Yu She practically was fuming with rage through gritted teeth. ¡°We¡¯ve clearly agreed on it already. Once every ten days, he would come visit¡­ It¡¯s been ten days, but he hasn¡¯t come, hasn¡¯t come¡­¡± He closed his eyes, adjusting his breathing. He didn¡¯t want to be like this. Previously, Yu she had already decided that he would not do anything drastic for the next few months. ¡°He¡¯s been held back. So many issues to deal with¡­ Xuan Rui, this useless person. He¡¯s been held back by Xuan Rui. He¡¯s been held back by Xuan Rui¡­¡± mumbled Yu She, without realizing it. After a while, he actually calmed down. Yu She took a deep breath. And he slumped into his chair, devoid of energy. He wanted to lie down for a moment. After standing, he caught sight of a servant girl just as she cheerfully and diligently brought a plate of osmanthus cake inside the room. Yu She¡¯s gaze changed in a flash. He clenched his teeth so hard that creaks could be heard. ¡°The tenth day has already arrived. He didn¡¯t come. He had never taken this matter seriously.¡± With large strides, Yu She left the room, startling the little servant girl immensely. Flustered, she set down the plate of osmanthus cake and rushed to find Steward Feng. But there was no way she could outrun Yu She. Once Steward Feng had heard the news, Yu She had left the prince estate long ago. In Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, Zhong Wan covered his mouth and nose, placing the pastries that Xuan Congxin gave him back into the meal box one at a time. It was as if he were afraid of burning himself, covering his hand with a handkerchief as he arranged the pastries neatly in the meal box. From start to finish, he did not allow his own fingers to touch the pastries. It wasn¡¯t until he closed the lid of the meal box that Zhong Wan removed the handkerchief from his hand. He took a couple breaths in comfort. Just as he was about to call a servant over, he heard someone pound at the door. Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. What could have happened at this time? A servant in Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard opened the door. In no time at all, someone pushed open the doors to Zhong Wan¡¯s room. Yu She seemed to have come here by horse, hair in disarray and the collar of his top creased. Zhong Wan stared blankly. ¡°W-why are you here?¡± Yu She stared straight at Zhong Wan, attempting his best to suppress the flames of anger in his heart. Meanwhile, Zhong Wan realized that Yu She¡¯s expression seemed strange. He thought, Were my secret actions discovered? But it didn¡¯t seem that way. He studied Yu She¡¯s appearance. In disbelief, he thought that for some reason¡­ Yu She looked as if he had suffered from an enormous amount of unjust treatment? What happened? After Zhong Wan had asked this in a soft voice, his only response from Yu She was rough breathing. As if he were trying his best to suppress something. Zhong Wan had been shut indoors in this house for many days. Because he couldn¡¯t be blown by the wind, the windows could not be opened, and he feared he would infect Yu She with his illness. ¡°Why don¡¯t you head for the antechamber first? I¡¯ll immediately follow¡ª¡± Before he could finish speaking, Yu She¡¯s eyes reddened in an instant. Such a sight shocked Zhong Wan. This person¡­ The corners of Yu She¡¯s lips tilted up slightly into a smile of ridicule. ¡°What? Are you scared of me? Or do you dislike me? Zhong Wan¡­ Have you forgotten? Right¡­ Only I remember. Only I was waiting¡­¡± ¡°Forget what?¡± The chill from Yu She made Zhong Wan cough. He used a lot of strength to say, ¡°I¡¯ve been sick for many days. If you stand there, in a little while you¡¯ll be¡­ infected by me¡­¡± Yu She stared blankly. In a flash, his anger weakened by leaps and bounds. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ sick?¡± Zhong Wan coughed for a while. Afterward, he retreated two steps. ¡°Just listen to me first. Go to the antechamber first, okay? I¡ª¡± And the coughs spilled out again. As he coughed, he used the table as support. But he did not forget to point his head away from the meal box. Yu She stared at him, his lips twitching. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m begging you. Please don¡¯t stand too close to me¡­¡± Zhong Wan coughed until he sweated all over. ¡°Xuan Yu didn¡¯t listen to me, staying by my side all day, so yesterday he got a fever. If you also do this¡ª¡± Before Zhong Wan could finish speaking, his body felt light. After a bout of dizziness, he was placed on the bed by Yu She. Lying on the bed, Zhong Wan thought with fear clawing at his chest, Did, did¡­ Yu She just carry me?!! Yu She raised the hem of his clothes and sat by Zhong Wan¡¯s bedside. He closed his eyes. His expression in this instance recovered immensely. He lifted his gaze. All of a sudden, Yu She said, ¡°Zhong Wan, don¡¯t you find this scene familiar?¡± Zhong Wan swallowed his saliva. Stammered, ¡°That year, it truly was you¡ª¡± ¡°It was me. I took care of you for half a month.¡± There was anger in Yu She¡¯s eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t remember? Fine¡­ I¡¯ll help jog your memory. Zhong Wan, once you coughed, you started to sweat. Right now, your inner garment should be drenched too, right?¡± Without thinking, Zhong Wan replied, ¡°Yes¡­¡± Yu She looked up. ¡°Where are the clean inner garments?¡± CH 38.1 Zhong Wan was so scared he started stuttering. ¡°No no no, I-I¡¯ll do it myself¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was as cold as ice. He stubbornly asked, ¡°Where are your clean undergarments?!¡± Zhong Wan noticed that something about Yu She felt off. The other seemed like he was crazy with anger, or perhaps intoxicated. But there wasn¡¯t even a hint of alcohol emanating from his body. Could it be that he was having a fit again? But nothing had pushed him to this state recently? Looking at his countenance¡­ It seems like I¡¯m the one to blame. Zhong Wan wanted Yu She to stop acting improperly, but when faced with Yu She¡¯s gaze, he couldn¡¯t get a single word out. Zhong Wan pressed his dry lips together slightly and pointed at the drawer off to the side. ¡°In the¡­ first drawer.¡± Yu She stood up, opened the drawer, and paused for a moment. Then, he took out the clean undergarments. Zhong Wan leaned back against his pillow. He gazed at Yu She who was standing at the foot of the bed. His heart started beating a little faster. Was Yu She going to¡­ undress him? No matter how carefully Yu She had personally taken care of him in the past, that had all happened while he was unconscious. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t have any memories regarding it. Now, both of them were wide awake. If he were to allow Yu She to do so¡­ What if the same thing that had happened last time happened again? On the other side, Yu She held the thin undergarments in his hands tightly. The angry air surrounding him lessened. Right now, Yu She¡¯s thoughts became organized. He understood that Zhong Wan didn¡¯t not want to visit him, but that he was sick and physically couldn¡¯t. His gaze became slightly gentler. He looked down at the clothes in his hands, and, as if just awakening from a dream, paused. It didn¡¯t seem right to continue, or to stop. Zhong Wan knew that he had regained his wits upon seeing his gaze. He actually felt a bit regretful regarding this. He coughed. ¡°Alright. Give them to me¡­¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. Ignoring Zhong Wan, he scanned the drawer and took something else out. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t get a good look at what it was. Zhong Wan stared at Yu She, nervous. He watched him approach. After a moment of eye contact, Yu She threw the undergarments onto the bed; he was holding something else in his hands. Zhong Wan turned to look at it¡ªit was one of his hair ribbons. Zhong Wan was lost. Was Yu She going to brush his hair too? Qlatbea kjlalcu obg Itbcu Qjc ab rqfjx, Te Vtf iloafv tlr tjcvr jcv erfv Itbcu Qjc¡¯r tjlg alf ab mbnfg tlr bkc fsfr. Itbcu Qjc: ¡°¡­¡± Tbecu Uglcmf Te kjr ageis vfafgwlcfv cba ab rff jcsatlcu lwqgbqfg. Coafg mbnfglcu tlr fsfr, Te Vtf abbx akb rafqr obgkjgv jcv rja bc atf yfv. Now blind, Yu She¡¯s movements became much slower. He slightly leaned forward, carefully feeling along the blankets. When his fingertips brushed against the corner of the blanket, he tugged it lower. There was a different kind of handsomeness associated with a blindfolded Yu She. Zhong Wan¡¯s face became faintly flushed. He cleared his throat and asked in a low voice, ¡°Heir¡­ You can¡¯t see. Aren¡¯t you scared of touching something you shouldn¡¯t?¡± Upon hearing this, Yu She halted temporarily. He furrowed his brows and warned, ¡°I won¡¯t if you don¡¯t move around.¡± Zhong Wan leaned back against his pillow. He nodded with difficulty. ¡°Okay.¡± Yu She lifted a hand and tentatively felt Zhong Wan¡¯s shoulder. His fingertips travelled down Zhong Wan¡¯s collar, removing Zhong Wan¡¯s outer garment. Yu She set the outer garment off to the side and slightly tilted his head, almost as if trying to remember where Zhong Wan¡¯s collar had been. Zhong Wan stared at Yu She who was barely two chi away from him. His Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t dare to move at all. He watched as Yu She lifted his hand with covered eyes and undid the first button on the collar. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t take it anymore, so closed his eyes too. But after he did this, his thoughts ran even more wild. Yu She¡¯s movements were very gentle. Zhong Wan could only hear faint rustling sounds and Yu She¡¯s light breathing¡­ He could also feel Yu She¡¯s slightly cold fingertips. Zhong Wan furrowed his brows in discomfort. He tried his best to make himself think of a different topic; with clenched teeth, he suddenly thought of something. What came out of his mouth was, ¡°Did you change my clothes like this back then too?¡± Zhong Wan felt Yu She freeze. Zhong Wan was in disbelief. ¡°That was for half a month continuously. You¡­ you have so much self restraint?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t answer. He threw Zhong Wan¡¯s sweat-soaked clothes off to the side and covered him up with the blankets. Then, he reached for the clean garments and reached both hands into the blankets. His actions actually seemed somewhat well-practiced. Zhong Wan pressed his lips together. He closed his eyes and whispered, ¡°At the time¡­ did I stay still?¡± Yu She remained silent once more. Zhong Wan did his best to ignore Yu She, trying his best to start a conversation. He stuttered out again, ¡°Then when you wiped me off¡­¡± Zhong Wan heard Yu She impatiently saying by his ear, ¡°Shut up!¡± Zhong Wan shut up. For a moment, he felt a bit impulsive. Should he purposefully move around? That way, he could make Yu She touch something he shouldn¡¯t¡­ Nevermind. Yu She might chop him into bits. A short period later, Yu She finished changing Zhong Wan¡¯s inner garments. He stood up and sat in a chair off to the side. After, he took off the hair ribbon covering his eyes. He exhaled deeply. Zhong Wan did his best to act unaffected. ¡°T-Thanks.¡± With a dark expression, Yu She said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Zhong Wan was bewildered. Leaving already? He was still in a daze, but didn¡¯t forget to say, ¡°Take the pastries on the table with you.¡± Yu She paused. Zhong Wan thought that he had misunderstood, so hurriedly added, ¡°These aren¡¯t the ones you returned last time. I had Congxin make new ones. They¡¯re still¡­ they should still be warm.¡± Yu She¡¯s pupils trembled. He picked up the pastries and left. By the time everything was over, Zhong Wan still hadn¡¯t figured out why Yu She had made this trip. Yu She¡¯s heart was like a needle at the bottom of the ocean¡ªtoo difficult to understand. Zhong Wan¡¯s illness had originally been half cured. The day Yu She came, he broke out in sweat twice, which completely broke his fever. The next day, he recovered entirely. After returning to health, Zhong Wan started worrying about the pulse record still with Xuan Qiong again. The pulse record that detailed Princess Royal Anguo had become pregnant in the six month of the forty seventh year of Emperor Taiyu¡¯s rule. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult leaking out the news that Xuan Qiong was hiding mausoleum servants. After all, those were three living, breathing humans. Xuan Qiong wouldn¡¯t be able to deny anything. The pulse record was different, though. It could be placed anywhere. As long as Xuan Qiong refused to admit anything, nobody would be able to condemn him. The same plan wouldn¡¯t work twice. After several days, Zhong Wan found one of the people Old Imperial Preceptor Shi had left for him: the Imperial Court Scribe of the previous ruling emperor, Tang Ming. Tang Ming had once been Old Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s student too. Technically, he was Zhong Wan¡¯s shixiong from the same teacher. Only, Tang Ming had already retired for many years. Thus, Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t had a clue that he had such a shixiong. After doing his research, Zhong Wan finally learned that Tang Ming had been the previous emperor¡¯s Imperial Court Scribe for twelve years. After His Majesty had ascended to the throne, Tang Ming had very conscientiously quit and disappeared from sight. Tang Ming had no wife or children. He wasn¡¯t in contact with anyone. Finding him took Zhong Wan quite a bit of work. In the end, he still asked Lin Si for help. Finally, he discovered that Tang Ming was currently living out the rest of his years in a manor on the outskirts of the capital. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t dare to waste any more time. That same day, he left the city. It took half a day of travel for him to reach his destination. For several consecutive days, Zhong Wan had been greeted with shut doors. He had already prepared himself to be left outside again. Unexpectedly, this time, he was politely invited into Tang Ming¡¯s manor as soon as he announced his name. Tang Ming himself wasn¡¯t as unsociable or eccentric as Zhong Wan had thought he would be. Instead, he seemed like a content and adjusted recluse. He had already passed sixty this year, but remained very alert. Upon seeing Zhong Wan, he said with a smile, ¡°You must be Guiyuan?¡± Zhong Wan hurriedly acknowledged this. He didn¡¯t dare to think of himself as this person¡¯s shidi, so knelt and greeted him as a junior would. Tang Ming helped Zhong Wan up with a smile, then led him inside. ¡°Teacher mentioned you a few times. I¡¯ve long since wanted to get to know you, but it¡¯s inconvenient for me to appear too often.¡± Tang Ming personally prepared tea for Zhong Wan. ¡°Please.¡± Zhong Wan sat with his knees tucked under himself. They exchanged pleasantries. Tang Ming gently said, ¡°There must be something you want to ask since you¡¯re here to see me?¡± Though this was his actual shixiong and also someone Old Imperial Preceptor Shi had left for him, this was only their first meeting. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t dare to completely trust the other. After brief thought, he chose a comparatively unimportant question. ¡°I wanted to ask Shixiong: is Princess Royal Anguo easy to get along with?¡± Tang Ming didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± ¡°To be honest,¡± Zhong Wan started, ¡°I¡¯ve encountered a difficult situation that I can¡¯t resolve by myself. I want to borrow Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s hand.¡± Tang Ming was quiet for a moment. He smiled. ¡°Whether or not she¡¯s easy to get along with depends on the situation.¡± CH 38.2 Tang Ming seemed to notice Zhong Wan¡¯s hesitation. He slowly stated, ¡°Princess Royal Anguo is His Majesty¡¯s younger sister and also His Majesty¡¯s only sibling. She has Prince Yu as a husband as well. Even considering those that lived during the previous emperor¡¯s rule, there isn¡¯t another princess as honorable or powerful as her. Such a person naturally can¡¯t be fooled so easily, not to mention¡­¡± Tang Ming¡¯s voice became a few decibels softer. He smiled. ¡°Not to mention, she¡¯s currently helping His Majesty raise an imperial prince.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s expression instantly changed. Tang Ming gave Zhong Wan a placating look. He kindly said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to become panicked, Shidi. Since Teacher told me to care for you before his passing, I naturally won¡¯t hide anything from you. Some things¡­ I had already known during my time as an Imperial Court Scribe. Others were things that Teacher told me prior to his death. If you want to know anything now, as long as I have an answer, I will share my knowledge with you.¡± Zhong Wan had spent several days visiting old acquaintances. This was his first time seeing someone so open. He temporarily didn¡¯t know how to react. Zhong Wan still didn¡¯t dare to say too much. He responded with a question, ¡°Sh-shixiong said just now that Princess Royal Anguo is currently raising an imperial prince for His Majesty. Regarding this¡­ please be more detailed.¡± Tang Ming took a good, long look at Zhong Wan. The words didn¡¯t need to be spoken: You don¡¯t trust me. Zhong Wan pretended he didn¡¯t notice. This was related to Yu She. He couldn¡¯t not be careful. Tang Ming was unbothered. While brewing tea, he said, ¡°This story begins during the previous emperor¡¯s rule¡­ ¡°Back when His Majesty was still a prince, his eldest son and second son both died, one after the other. The third son that he managed to keep alive, with much difficulty, was extremely weak as well. He would fall over as soon as the wind blew. The imperial doctors all said that he didn¡¯t have long to live. During that time, the previous emperor was extremely worried about His Majesty, worried that he would be fated to not have sons or grandsons. The reason the previous emperor hesitated and didn¡¯t declare a crown prince for a long time was also because of this.¡± Zhong Wan froze. This was his first time hearing this. ¡°At the time, His Majesty was already thirty four. He only had one sickly son under his name. The previous emperor was anxious for him; His Majesty was also anxious for himself. That child¡­¡± Tang Ming paused, then continued, ¡°Was conceived during that time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t actually know who that child¡¯s biological mother is. I can only guess¡­ that her identity must be somewhat special.¡± Tang Ming looked up at Zhong Wan. ¡°Do you know who she is?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°No. I really don¡¯t! It¡¯s not that I refuse to say.¡± Tang Ming smiled. ¡°No matter. Shidi, first listen to me say this¡­ Think about it, Shidi. Disregarding everything else, if you were His Majesty, already thirty-something, and had finally managed to conceive a child that might be a son, would you keep it?¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his eyebrows and nodded. ¡°Dea tbk?¡± Ktf kjafg rajgafv yblilcu. Kjcu Zlcu qea bea atf olgf. ¡°Vlcmf atf mtliv¡¯r ylgat wbatfg mbeivc¡¯a yf rffc ys batfgr, atfs cffvfv ab olcv tlw rbwfbcf klat jc lvfcalas atja mbeiv ab yf tlr wbatfg. Llr Zjpfras vlvc¡¯a agera jcsbcf firf, rb¡­ tf atbeuta bo tlr sbecufg, ylbibulmji rlrafg.¡± Zhong Wan said in a low voice, ¡°This is exactly the part that I don¡¯t understand. If His Majesty really viewed that child as important, even if he couldn¡¯t allow the birth mother to be seen, he could always give the child to any other consort to raise. Why¡­¡± ¡°This answer comes in two parts,¡± Tang Ming slowly started. ¡°First, at the time, there were already rumors that Second Prince¡­ who is the current emperor, couldn¡¯t keep his kids alive. His Majesty probably somewhat believed it too, so didn¡¯t dare to have the child remain under his name. Naturally, this supernatural reason is a bit unbelievable. The most important thing was¡­¡± Tang Ming poured a cup of tea for Zhong Wan. He continued, ¡°His Majesty had already had intentions to fight for the throne. His Majesty is someone who looks three steps ahead for every step he takes. With this move, he was planning for his future.¡± Zhong Wan accepted the teacup. He furrowed his brows. ¡°Princess Royal Anguo had already married Prince Yu at the time. Prince Yu¡¯s estate supported him. What else did he need to plan for?¡± ¡°No. Back then, though His Majesty wasn¡¯t crown prince yet, he already had complete confidence that he would be. His plans weren¡¯t to gain the support of Prince Yu¡¯s estate anymore. Instead¡­¡± Tang Ming lowered his voice, ¡°How to take back this prince of a different surname¡¯s title.¡± Tang Ming held his hands out. ¡°Shidi is knowledgeable about all the past and present texts, so naturally would know that princes of different surnames are only named when the nation is unstable and the imperial family doesn¡¯t have enough power. As soon as the emperor can stand on his own two feet, isn¡¯t his first order of business to kill those who have made great achievements? To have kept the title for so long, Old Prince Yu and the current Prince Yu are both smart people. This has already been quite difficult.¡± Something dark flashed through Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes. He ground his teeth. ¡°Prince Yu isn¡¯t an idiot. He¡­¡± ¡°Prince Yu obviously isn¡¯t an idiot, but he had already married Princess Royal Anguo many years ago. All his power and wealth had long since been placed on the bet that was Second Prince¡­ no, the current emperor, I mean. By this time, he could no longer back out.¡± Tang Ming smiled. ¡°This is an emperor.¡± Tang Ming added, ¡°Naturally, His Majesty is mellow in his actions. Just that same year, he gifted Prince Yu two noble consorts.¡± Zhong Wan thought back on all the times he had interacted with Emperor Chongan in these past years. He broke out in cold sweat. Zhong Wan lowered his voice to say, ¡°After being tricked like this by His Majesty, there¡¯s no guarantee that Prince Yu doesn¡¯t feel hateful. These years¡­ Perhaps he has long since created his own plan.¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± Tang Ming nodded. ¡°But they will continue acting like they get along. As long as¡­¡± Zhong Wan clenched his teeth. ¡°As long as Yu She, the chess piece that keeps them both in check, is still alive.¡± Tang Ming observed Zhong Wan¡¯s expression. After a brief silence, he chuckled. ¡°Shidi¡¯s current state¡­ I daren¡¯t say anymore.¡± Zhong Wan controlled his expression. He lowered his head and said, ¡°Shixiong, please continue.¡± ¡°Shidi asked about Princess Royal Anguo, so I¡¯ll stick to talking about the princess,¡± Tang Ming drawled out. ¡°You already know about the events of the past, so definitely must understand that Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s situation was very tricky. However, Princess Royal Anguo was born in the imperial clan, so learned quite early on that ¡®father¡¯ and ¡®brother¡¯ were the most important. Her entire life needed to be dedicated to the throne first and foremost. So, when His Majesty told her to adopt this child, Princess Royal Anguo was extremely unwilling, but still did so. After all¡­ at that time, she had just lost her own child. And, the imperial doctor had said that she would no longer be able to become pregnant.¡± Zhong Wan softly said, ¡°In my youth, I once spent time with Yu She for half a year. I could tell¡­ Princess Royal Anguo truly doted on him.¡± ¡°Doted?¡± Tang Ming shook his head and smiled. He stated, ¡°By then, I had already quit being an official for many years. I don¡¯t dare to speak of the specifics. But later on, Teacher told me one thing. Does Shidi want to hear?¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°Naturally. Shixiong, please continue.¡± Tang Ming said, ¡°According to rumors, Young Prince Yu¡¯s temperament suddenly changed six years ago. Does Shidi know why?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m unsure. At that time, I had already headed to Qian An. I can only guess that he found out the truth about his own identity then.¡± Tang Ming asked, ¡°Why did he find out?¡± Zhong Wan froze. ¡°This¡­ I believe he looked into it.¡± Tang Ming asked again, ¡°So why did Young Prince Yu suddenly decide to look into it?¡± Zhong Wan had no answer. Tang Ming sighed. ¡°This is what Teacher told me. Teacher said that one day, for some unknown reason, Princess Royal Anguo suddenly refused to see Young Prince Yu for several days. Later on, she unwillingly saw him¡­. and, during a disagreement, slapped Young Prince Yu across the face. She even punished him to kneel in the hall for many consecutive days.¡± Zhong Wan was speechless and in disbelief. ¡°Princess Royal punished Yu She? Why?¡± Tang Ming sighed again. ¡°Because someone told Princess Royal that the child she had been pregnant with that year hadn¡¯t been lost because of her poor health. Instead, there had been a ploy created by His Majesty to cause her to miscarry.¡± With a snap, Zhong Wan shattered the tea cup in his grasp with his bare hands. The porcelain stabbed his palm. Zhong Wan closed his eyes. The blood streamed down the lines along his palm. Ziyou¡­ Tang Ming suffered a great fright. He rushed to help bandage Zhong Wan up, but Zhong Wan only clenched his teeth tightly together. A pause later, he said, ¡°No worries. I¡¯d like to ask Shixiong to go into detail.¡± Tang Ming lamented, ¡°Princess Royal had doted on Young Prince Yu so much before that. With such a sudden change in attitude, Young Prince Yu would definitely feel panicked and confused. Since his birth, the rumors about his identity had never ceased. Young Prince Yu thought of this too. He¡­ decided to find out the truth.¡± Zhong Wan inhaled deeply. His face was ashen pale. ¡°Princess Royal¡¯s child truly¡­¡± Tang Ming gasped sharply. He shook his head and said, ¡®No. The worst thing is, all of this had only been someone¡¯s trap. Princess Royal¡¯s child had truly been lost because of an accident on her own part, but after Princess Royal Anguo finally got to the bottom of this case and realized everything¡­ Paper could no longer contain the fire. Young Prince Yu¡­ had already learned the whole truth.¡± Zhong Wan squeezed the pieces of porcelain in his hand tightly. He felt like all his organs had switched places. Zhong Wan suffered silently. After a long time, he finally slightly recovered. When leaving the manor, a sudden thought struck Zhong Wan. He abruptly asked Tang Ming, ¡°All the past events that Shixiong shared with me were focused on Ziyou, as if you knew I came here for him. Shixiong¡­ How could you have such a clear grasp on my thoughts?¡± Tang Ming looked exasperated. ¡°Shidi still doesn¡¯t trust me. But today, I did all the talking. You didn¡¯t reveal even half a secret. What are you scared of?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes were dark. ¡°On matters relating to Ziyou, I cannot afford to not be cautious.¡± ¡°This is our first time meeting. It¡¯s reasonable that you would still be suspicious about me.¡± Tang Ming was completely uncaring of how guarded Zhong Wan was. He said, ¡°As for why I knew you came for Young Prince Yu, it¡¯s because Teacher once told me¡­¡± Zhong Wan was on high alert. ¡°What did he say?¡± Tang Ming smiled faintly. ¡°Because Teacher once told me, back in the day, when you still attended lessons in the palace with the princes of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, you cared nothing for matters outside of academia. You were proud and arrogant, disdainful of getting caught up with anyone else. Except¡­ you would occasionally blank out. Blank out and only stare at Ziyou.¡± CH 39 After many years of suffering, Zhong Wan originally thought he had become immune to such things since long ago. But today, after not paying attention, he cut his hand with porcelain shards. And the shixiong he met earlier had, in one word, pierced his heart. Zhong Wan stood in the cold winds of the start of spring, pressing the sore area in his chest where his lungs sat. Smiling in a mocking manner to himself, he said, ¡°Shixiong, don¡¯t say a thing if you can see through it.¡± Tang Ming also smiled. A sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say anything at the start, and accompanied you in acting out this show. But all along, you¡¯ve been avoiding me. There¡¯s no harm in Shidi guarding against me. However, it¡¯s best not to delay your own matters.¡± Zhong Wan used the carriage for support as he adjusted his breathing. In a low voice, he said, ¡°So Imperial Preceptor had long since¡ª¡± ¡°At his old age, what could Teacher not have seen before? After instructing you for many years, what could he not see through? He merely kept quiet.¡± Tang Ming sighed. ¡°Since we¡¯re already talking about this, I won¡¯t stand on ceremony and say a little more, alright?¡± Having been exposed, Zhong Wan did not have anything to hide anymore. ¡°May Shixiong speak.¡± ¡°These words were actually those that Teacher entrusted me to say, as I watch over you to the best of my ability.¡± A long while passed before Tang Ming continued, ¡°These words require me to start from the beginning¡­ You should know that the day you were put in prison, Teacher wanted to redeem you.¡± Zhong Wan said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Imperial Preceptor didn¡¯t care about his reputation?¡± ¡°Why would Teacher care about that? Moreover, you were Teacher¡¯s last disciple. Who in this world didn¡¯t know? Teacher planned out a great strategy. Unfortunately¡­¡± Tang Ming was left speechless for a moment. ¡°For the past many years, he had been poor and his family as well. He couldn¡¯t compete with the extremely wealthy Young Prince Yu.¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help but lower his head and smile. Tang Ming sighed once more. ¡°To have his other disciple slap his face with gold angered him to the extreme that day. ¡°Teacher knew your intention. He watched as Young Prince Yu redeemed you and feared that it was the mysterious and inexorable Will of the Heavens. And he stopped interfering. Later on, Prince Ning¡¯s matters had been settled. Prince Ning¡¯s children were sent to Qian An. Originally, Teacher thought that nothing else would happen. Every side had received their outcome. Afterward, everyone¡¯s fate would come from one¡¯s hands. Never had he imagined¡­¡± Tang Ming¡¯s gaze fell upon Zhong Wan. A sigh escaped his lips. ¡°Never had he imagined that you already ran away. ¡°Because he knew your intention, after he heard that you ran away, Teacher felt even more¡­ pity for you.¡± Tang Ming¡¯s gaze was complicated. ¡°Shidi is loyal and righteous. Shixiong admires this. Teacher was also clear on that fact. Shidi, why didn¡¯t you think that when you left for Qian An that day, it was evident you would not return? On his deathbed, why did Teacher not only miss you this much but also arrange these things for you?¡± Tang Ming said in a soft voice, ¡°Teacher had long since realized that there was someone you could not let go of, and would return sooner or later.¡± Zhong Wan turned his head to the side. All of a sudden, the wind blew his eyes red. Voice dry and rough, Zhong Wan said, ¡°It¡¯s me that was useless. Imperial Preceptor had worked out a strategy for me up until now, yet I never returned to send him off. I¡­¡± ¡°How could you have returned?¡± consoled Tang Ming. ¡°His body had been unhealthy all along. He passed in his sleep without pain. To live one year longer than the Sage Confucius should be considered dying in old age.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. Bowed to pay respects. He reluctantly boarded the carriage. After he let go of the curtain, he sat with his back straight for two hours before relaxing his posture. Zhong Wan reclined into his seat. Used a lot of energy to reach out and pull his cloak over to him. He covered his face with it. After the carriage drove for another hour, Zhong Wan gradually relaxed. He wiped his face. Expended a lot of energy to sit up. He rubbed at his sore shoulders and fell into a daze, not a word leaving his lips. If what Tang Ming had said was true, then many things made sense. Why no matter what Yu She did, Emperor Chongan and Prince Yu tried their best to protect him. Why young Yu She suddenly grew suspcious of his own background. Why Princess Royal indulged him so much back then. She had felt guilty. At the start, Zhong Wan thought to borrow Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s power. But now, it seemed like it couldn¡¯t be done. Back then, just who arranged for all of this? After Princess Royal Anguo realized she would not have a child, she agreed to recognize Yu She as her own son. For the Princess Royal Anguo of that time, that transaction was not disadvantageous. Po lc atf oeaegf, Te Vtf rffwfv ilxf tf mbeiv remmffv atf atgbcf, atfc tf kbeiv gfwfwyfg tfg jr tlr jeca jcv atf wbatfg ktb gjlrfv tlw ab jveiatbbv. Te Vtf kbeiv vfolclafis gfrqfma tfg, uejgjcafflcu tfg reqgfwf tbcbg jcv uibgs. Snfc lo Te Vtf mbeiv cba jrmfcv atf atgbcf, tf kbeiv ralii lctfgla atf qbrlalbc bo qglcmf lc Uglcmf Te¡¯r frajaf. Pc rtbga, Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb kbeiv cfnfg tjnf tfg bkc rbc jcv kbeiv tjnf ab ulnf atf qglcmfrtlq ab tfg liifulalwjaf rbcr batfgklrf. Vb kts cba ulnf atf qbrlalbc ab tfg yibbv-gfijafv cfqtfk? For this reason, when she had pampered Yu She back in those years, it was probably sincere. She wholeheartedly considered Yu She as her own son. It wasn¡¯t until someone harboring ill intentions told her that when she became pregnant in June during the forty-seventh year of the Taiyu Era, it was her blood-related elder brother, Emperor Chongan, who schemed to have her miscarry. One would fear that on that day, Princess Royal Anguo had even wanted to commit regicide. However, she could not do anything to Emperor Chongan. Therefore, she placed the full extent of her hatred on the then-sixteen-years-old Yu She. What¡¯s most hopeless about it was that the whole thing was fake. There was only a tiny bit of leeway. After Princess Royal Anguo calmed down, she was able to discover this bit of truth. Ever since Princess Royal Anguo and Yu She became at odds with each other, there was no one in the world who was somewhat sincere toward him. The person who first poisoned her with those thoughts had started their plan like this, intentions so evil, even others could not imagine them. On that day, when Princess Royal Anguo, a person Yu she always depended on, suddenly treated him coldly and punished him to kneel at the ancestral hall of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, what went through his mind? Wasn¡¯t that akin to the sky falling? As Zhong Wan thought this, his chest hurt. He drew his brows tightly together, forcing himself not to think of this. How did Imperial Preceptor Shi see through all of this?! Pressing a hand to his chest, Zhong Wan said to himself, for so many years I have stopped myself from acting from emotion due to keeping up propriety. If on that day, I couldn¡¯t continue living in Qian An, I would absolutely not say those things aloud. Zhong Wan believed he was able to hide it well. Especially before Prince Ning encountered mishap, he was in a daze toward those things. How could Imperial Preceptor not know? There were many things he could not recall. All of a sudden, he remembered something important. Back then, when he studied with others, there was a time when Zhong Wan was muddle headed, and forgot that Imperial Preceptor Shi wanted him to practice his handwriting. And he did not tell the people in the study to prepare a large brush in advance for Xuan Rui and himself. Zhong Wan had been careless, and said he would be Xuan Rui¡¯s reading partner. Usually, it was Xuan Rui who reminded him of what they had to do. But on that day, they both forgot. Left with no options, Zhong Wan went to ask for forgiveness from Imperial preceptor Shi, wanting to borrow his brushes. Imperial Preceptor Shi had always cared about Zhong Wan, and had lent him paper and brushes in the past. Originally, Zhong Wan found no harm in asking. Who would have known that on that day, Imperial Preceptor Shi would be furious? He reprimanded Zhong Wan as careless with his work. He not only refused to lend him brushes and paper, but also¡­ Zhong Wan could not bear to remember. After Imperial Preceptor scolded him for a long time, he told him to borrow from Yu She. Dizzy from being scolded, he actually shamelessly went to borrow the items from Yu She. This was the first time Zhong Wan took the initiative to talk to Yu She. Contrary to expectation, Yu She had a good temperament. After being slightly startled, he lent his brushes to Zhong Wan. Looking back now¡­ Imperial Preceptor Shi was too naughty. Just before the night curfew, as the curfew warning drums sounded, he returned to the estate. After that, he called for a servant, ordering them to investigate Tang Ming first. Tang Ming indeed was his senior fellow student from the same master. The words he spoke were all reasonable. However, Zhong Wan still could not completely trust him. He felt that someone who was the Imperial Court Scribe of the previous emperor for more than ten years could not be simple. Investigating Tang Ming was easier than investigating Yu She. Zhong Wan¡¯s people sent him a letter the next day. From start to finish, Zhong Wan read the records of Tang Ming¡¯s life. Everything was clean. There was nothing odd about them. He did not have a reason to serve Prince Yu¡¯s estate or Xuan Jing. Once again, Zhong Wan picked up Tang Ming¡¯s complicated and very tricky genealogical record. And after reading over it, he suddenly found something fishy. Tang Ming¡¯s birth mother had a surname of Zhong. Zhong Wan was speechless. Could Tang Ming be related to him? There were many people with the surname of Zhong in the royal capital. Zhong Wan was unsure. Moreover, Zhong Wan was from the side branch of the Zhong clan. Even if Tang Ming¡¯s mother was from the Zhong clan, he could not be certain he was related to that elderly lady. Just because of this familial connection that was separated by five degrees, would Tang Ming take more care of Zhong Wan? Or was it because Imperial Preceptor Shi had entrusted that task to Tang Ming? Zhong Wan burned the few sheets of papers in his hand in a candle¡¯s flame, falling into a daze. Although he did not dare to completely trust Tang Ming, Zhong Wan believed about seventy to eighty percent of his words. Once again, Zhong Wan felt like seeing Yu She. Unfortunately¡­ As he tended to the injury on his right hand, he was angry to the point of grinding his teeth. ¡°There¡¯s still six days left.¡± However, tomorrow would be the start of Xuan Jin¡¯s fifth seven-day set. He might encounter him. On the first day of the fifth seven-day set, Zhong Wan and the others arrived at Third Prince¡¯s estate early in the morning. The moment they entered the estate, they came across Princess Royal Anguo. And Yu She was following behind her. In the past, Xuan Yu had met Princess Royal Anguo a few times. He had always been quick-witted. Now, he didn¡¯t need anyone to tell him to perform a ceremony of paying respects in a composed manner. Princess Royal Anguo took good care of her health. As a result, she only looked in her forties. Her identity was noble. Someone with the status of Xuan Rui would never enter her attention. However, she would not slight him. The corners of her lips curved. She allowed Xuan Yu to stand. Her words and intonation were unhurried, distinctive of those of high-ranking and distinguished people. She slowly asked him if he was cold, if he had been tired the past few days. Xuan Yu replied appropriately. Princess Royal Anguo nodded. Took her time saying, ¡°Her Highness Imperial Consort Xian misses Third Prince dearly. At present, she is still in tears. Don¡¯t go inside yet to kowtow, otherwise both parties will not appear decent¡­ It¡¯s already the fifth seven-day set. The day the unfortunate person returns. So let her cry to her heart¡¯s content.¡± Princess Royal Anguo seemed exhausted. She had taken care of Imperial Consort Xian for many days. In the beginning, she could still cry a little. But after a while, she had long since grown annoyed of it. Just now, Imperial Consort Xian went mad, crying to the point where her hair went into disarray and her clothes grew disorderly. Princess Royal Anguo did not bother consoling her, impatiently leading Yu She outside. As Xuan Yu replied to her questions, Zhong Wan stood behind him. Naturally, Princess Royal Anguo did not so much as glance at him. She only treated him as a regular servant. Zhong Wan also did not pay attention to Princess Royal Anguo. His focus was on Yu She. Just now, the two met gazes. In a flash, they looked away. But Zhong Wan was still able to guess what Yu She was thinking: five more days. Don¡¯t look too much. Still standing behind Xuan Yu, Zhong Wan lowered his head. The corners of his lips tilted up a hint. Inside, Imperial Consort Xian¡¯s sobs grew more and more miserable. Everyone waited outside in the mourning hall. Princess Royal Anguo said in a soft voice, ¡°Word has it that you slept early for the past few days?¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s voice had become more amiable. It was evident she was talking to Yu She. Zhong Wan kept his head down. He only heard Yu She grunt in acknowledgement in a careless manner. ¡°That¡¯s very good. You also have to pay attention to what you eat and eat healthily.¡± She smiled. ¡°I heard that the other day, you suddenly wanted to eat pastries? I had people come up with some new designs. They have already been sent to you a while ago. Once we return, remember to eat them.¡± Annoyance flashed through Yu She¡¯s eyes. Quick as lightning, he glanced at Zhong Wan. He furrowed his brows. ¡°Who said that? I don¡¯t want to eat them.¡± The smile on Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s lips stiffened. She glanced at Xuan Yu out of reflex. Then her smile vanished. ¡°Nevermind then¡­¡± It seemed Princess Royal Anguo was discontent with Yu She being disrespectful toward her in front of outsiders. After a moment, she said with indifference, ¡°I don¡¯t know how long Imperial Consort Xian would be crying. Let¡¯s not stand and wait here. Go kneel in the shelter.¡± Not caring, Yu She grunted his acknowledgment, turned around, and left. Although she had said it unconsciously, Zhong Wan felt unhappy at the words ¡°go kneel.¡± Zhong Wan lightly touched Xuan Yu¡¯s hand. Xuan Yu quickly said that he had to go outside. Princess Royal Anguo nodded. Then Xuan Yu and Zhong Wan went outside. Xuan Yu had to look for the other imperial clan members. As usual, he let Zhong Wan find a place to take a break. Zhong Wan watched as he followed the people from the Ministry of Rites, before turning around. He followed the other servants away. After coming here for so many days, he was already familiar with this place. He was dressed in the usual mourning attire, extremely inconspicuous. Wherever he went, he could mix in with the other people. Shortly after, he found Yu She. Yu She was in the mourning shelter that Zhong Wan had been in the other day. And he was actually kneeling. Zhong Wan looked at Yu She¡¯s back. Felt like he was looking at a Yu She that was a lot younger. The sixteen-years-old youngster Ziyou had a pale face, a few red scratches on his face, as he knelt in the ancestral hall of the Yu clan. For consecutive days, he was unable to eat or drink. That person¡­ How could they treat him like this? Yu She sensed someone behind him, and turned around all of a sudden. After catching sight of Zhong Wan, he stared blankly for a moment. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Yu She rose to his feet. Looked at Zhong Wan¡¯s right hand and frowned. ¡°What happened to your hand?¡± ¡°I cut it by accident.¡± Zhong Wan approached. Pursed his lips. Distracted, he asked, ¡°Does your face hurt?¡± Baffled, Yu She stared at Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan took a deep breath. Striving his hardest to suppress his pounding heart, he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡­ Can I kiss you?¡± Yu She was speechless. Incredulous, he looked at Zhong Wan, lip twitching. Zhong Wan snapped back to his senses. He wished he could slap himself on the face. When would his bad habit of saying whatever that came to mind once he¡¯s upset and indignant disappear?! Zhong Wan feared that Yu She would call for his guards to beat him up, rushing to clear his throat. ¡°If it won¡¯t do, then it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Zhong Wan retreated two steps, before forcing himself to explain, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would be here. There¡¯s still five days left, right? I¡¯ll leave first¡­¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s expression worsened after he had heard Zhong Wan¡¯s words. He stared at Zhong Wan with disbelief flashing in his eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t you read the atmosphere?!¡± Zhong Wan also didn¡¯t know what was up with him earlier. He felt very awkward, bowing before leaving. Before he could even stand, Yu She yanked him over. Fidgeting, Yu She stared at Zhong Wan. His breathing grew rushed and brief, as if he was furious due to Zhong Wan offending him. Zhong Wan really wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. But before he could think of what to say, he suddenly heard Yu She fuming with rage through gritted teeth as he warned with a chilling voice, ¡°This time, you¡¯re not allowed to use your tongue.¡± All of a sudden, Zhong Wan widened his eyes. Before he could respond, Yu She kissed him CH 40 They separated as soon as they made contact. For a moment, Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t think straight. He had lost his balance because of Yu She¡¯s tugging, so instinctively wrapped his arms around the other¡¯s waist. Yu She furrowed his brows and grabbed Zhong Wan¡¯s wrists. Then, he twisted them behind Zhong Wan¡¯s back and pressed him against the desk. There was slight anger flashing in Yu She¡¯s eyes. He furiously said, ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t respond because of how panicked he was. He did exactly as Yu She said and closed his eyes. Zhong Wan anxiously thought, does Yu She actually know how to kiss or not? This posture and aura¡­ is more similar to that of an evil ghost trying to swallow a human, right? Zhong Wan closed his eyes and prepared himself for the fact that Yu She would probably bite him hard enough to bleed. The next moment¡ª The next moment, Zhong Wan felt Yu She kiss him again. Unexpectedly, Yu She was being extremely gentle. Yu She gently brushed against Zhong Wan¡¯s lips, even more gently than before. Zhong Wan relaxed. His lips unconsciously parted. Instantly, he felt Yu She¡¯s breathing become more rapid. With eyes still shut, Zhong Wan thought, it¡¯s over. Yu She was probably going to think he was being frivolous again. He was just about to press his lips together once more when suddenly, something slid in¡­ Zhong Wan¡¯s face instantly flushed red. This person¡­ Had clearly just warned him earlier, but now he was the one who was¡­ who was¡­ Zhong Wan lost the ability to think. Young Prince Yu was young, but maybe because he had read all sorts of storybooks, he knew much more than Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan¡¯s waist went soft. He became lost in Yu She¡¯s kiss. The tip of his tongue instinctively twitched. Yu She furrowed his brows and pulled back. With anger in his eyes, Yu She glared at Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan ground his teeth together. So Yu She could do whatever he wanted, but he couldn¡¯t even move in the slightest? Whose family rules were these?! ¡°My family rules.¡± Yu She could tell what Zhong Wan was thinking. He stared at Zhong Wan in rage. After slight hesitation, he repeated himself lowly, ¡°You¡­ can¡¯t move.¡± Zhong Wan was still a bit dazed. He reflexively nodded. Whatever. Anything this lunatic said was law. Yu She furrowed his brows. Without letting Zhong Wan go, he held up Zhong Wan¡¯s right wrist. ¡°How did you actually get this?¡± Itbcu Qjc mjrejiis gfrqbcvfv, ¡°P jmmlvfcajiis wjvf j rwjii rmgjamt¡­¡± Te Vtf mbwqifafis lucbgfv tlw. Lf rlwqis ecvlv atf ktlaf mibat kgjqqfv jgbecv Itbcu Qjc¡¯r tjcv. Itbcu Qjc ujrqfv rtjgqis ogbw atf qjlc. Te Vtf¡¯r olcufgr qjerfv afwqbgjglis yfobgf mbcalcelcu ab gfwbnf atf ktlaf mibat, ecjoofmafv. Te Vtf mbivis rajgfv ja atf ugefrbwf kbecvr bc Itbcu Qjc¡¯r qjiw. ¡°Cmmlvfcaji rmgjamtfr?¡± Zhong Wan laughed dryly. ¡°At a time like this¡­ why are you so caught up on this matter?¡± Yu She halted for a moment. His expression became a bit icier. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me, then whatever¡­¡± Zhong Wan froze. His instinct told him that if he didn¡¯t explain things clearly, Yu She would probably overthink them. He quickly said, ¡°I went to see an old acquaintance. Hearing him¡­ speak of the past events on our estate, I became briefly aggrieved¡­¡± Yu She hadn¡¯t expected for Zhong Wan to give him an explanation. His pupils trembled. He spent some time calming down, then lowered his head and silently rewrapped Zhong Wan¡¯s wound. ¡°Old memories of times long gone. Boring even when spoken about,¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°They weren¡¯t good memories either. Don¡¯t ask about them, Young Prince Yu.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t respond. After bandaging Zhong Wan up, he let the other go and said, ¡°You may leave.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s face was still a bit red as he reminisced about the events that had just occurred. He wanted to leave quickly too. He turned around, but before he could depart from the shelter, he heard Yu She softly say, ¡°Five days later¡­ you¡¯re still allowed to visit my estate.¡± The corners of Zhong Wan¡¯s lips slightly quirked up. He exited the shelter. On this thirty-fifth day after Third Prince¡¯s passing, Zhong Wan¡¯s thoughts were adrift. Only Yu She was on his mind. After completing everything with everyone else, dizzy all the while, he finally returned to their estate. Zhong Wan only wanted to go back to his room and rethink everything that had happened in the shelter again. Unexpectedly, after the horse carriage stopped and he got out, he instantly saw Lin Si. Xuan Congxin had never seen Lin Si before. Upon seeing him through the curtain, she was surprised. ¡°Who is that?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Lin Si had always been careful in everything he did. Why would he be boldly standing here? Zhong Wan told someone to help the two young masters into their courtyards, then walked over alone. Once he was a bit closer, he noticed that Lin Si seemed strange. It appeared that he had been hit by someone; the skin by the corner of his lips was abraded. Lin Si¡¯s gaze was empty. Upon seeing Zhong Wan, he froze for a moment. Then, as if extremely tired, he knelt. ¡°Let¡¯s speak inside.¡± Zhong Wan immediately helped Lin Si up. ¡°Get up.¡± In Zhong Wan¡¯s room, Lin Si cradled the hot tea Zhong Wan had handed him. He remained completely silent. ¡°What happened?¡± Zhong Wan turned his head to observe the corner of Lin Si¡¯s lips carefully. He furrowed his brows. ¡°Who hit you?!¡± Lin Si kept his head down. He didn¡¯t reply. Zhong Wan had a headache because of how worried he was. ¡°What actually happened? If you don¡¯t want to sign, write it down! Who dared to hit you?!¡± Lin Si set the tea cup down off to the side. He signed, ¡°Fourth Prince.¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. ¡°He¡­ Doesn¡¯t he trust you completely? Why did he hit you?¡± A thought flashed through Zhong Wan¡¯s mind. He anxiously exclaimed, ¡°Does he think that you¡¯re still working for me? That you¡¯ll try to harm him?!¡± Lin Si shook his head and let out an exhausted sigh. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t sit still because of how angry he was at Lin Si. ¡°So what is actually the problem?!¡± For a long time, Lin Si remained quiet. Then, he stood up and knelt in front of Zhong Wan. An idea struck Zhong Wan. ¡°Or¡­ have you decided to become completely loyal to Xuan Jing?¡± In actuality, since their last secret conversation, Zhong Wan had already started contemplating. Xuan Jing and Yu She were on opposing sides. Since he had already decided to stay in the capital and help Yu She, Lin Si would be stuck between a rock and a hard place between the two of them. Zhong Wan quickly said, ¡°There have been too many things happening in these past few days. I didn¡¯t have the time to tell you, but listen to me now, Lin Si¡­¡± Zhong Wan half-knelt and held onto Lin Si¡¯s shoulders. He smiled. ¡°I was just about to tell you. Lin Si¡­ you no longer need to do anything for me in the future.¡± Lin Si instantly widened his eyes. ¡°Hear me out first.¡± Zhong Wan pressed down on Lin Si¡¯s shoulders and started in a low voice, ¡°Though you used to be a servant of the Zhong family, you know too that not long after you and Nanny came to our house, trouble found our estate. You and Nanny didn¡¯t manage to gain anything either. Technically speaking, it¡¯s the Zhong family who owes you¡­¡± Lin Si hurriedly shook his head. He lifted his hands in an attempt to sign, but Zhong Wan held them down. Zhong Wan continued, ¡°Listen to me. Both of us grew up in Prince Ning¡¯s estate. If there¡¯s kindness you must repay¡­ that would only be the kindness from the Prince for raising you. You¡¯ve spent several years running about. At this time, Xuan Rui and them are already safe. Thus far, you¡¯ve paid back all the kindness you need to.¡± Zhong Wan stared at Lin Si. He gently said, ¡°You don¡¯t owe me anything. I¡¯m also not your Master. I¡¯m your didi¡­ In the past, I didn¡¯t have a good enough plan for you. From now on, you only need to do things for yourself.¡± The rims of Lin Si¡¯s eyes turned red. He bent down and kowtowed facing Zhong Wan. ¡°You¡¯re a man. Don¡¯t be so wishy-washy.¡± Zhong Wan stood up. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve kowtowed already. How about this: in the future, you can visit as normal. But if you need to stop visiting to avoid Xuan Jing becoming suspicious¡­ you can do that as well.¡± Lin Si remained kneeling, shoulders gently trembling. Zhong Wan looked down at Lin Si. Memories of twenty years of mutual support flashed through his mind. He took a deep breath before displaying a reassuring smile. ¡°Are you done yet? Get up!¡± It took Lin Si a long time to get to his feet. His eyes were red. He signed, ¡°I didn¡¯t come here because of that.¡± Zhong Wan was surprised. ¡°What else could you be here for? Did¡­ Xuan Jing already misinterpret your actions? That truly is quite troublesome.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. Could it be that they would need to put on an act? He would need to punch Lin Si a few times before letting him return, crying, to Xuan Jing? Or¡­ should he have Lin Si beat himself up as a sign that he had switched sides? Lin Si gestured, ¡°Fourth Prince doesn¡¯t know about the situation between Master and I. He beat me because I did something wrong.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t understand. ¡°You are detailed and careful in your actions. What could you have done wrong?¡± Lin Si lowered his head and hesitated before signing, ¡°Yesterday, Fourth Prince dragged me to drink with him because he was in a bad mood. Fourth Prince doesn¡¯t have a high alcohol tolerance, so became drunk. At night¡­ I intended to do something improper. He caught me.¡± Zhong Wan froze in place. A long time passed before Zhong Wan carefully asked, ¡°You¡­ What did you do to him?¡± Lin Si¡¯s ears flushed red. He twiddled his fingers and gestured, ¡°Improper things.¡± Zhong Wan suddenly felt like his brain had stopped working. He got out with difficulty, ¡°Improper in¡­ what way?¡± Lin Si shook his head. It was obvious that he didn¡¯t want to speak more on the topic. Zhong Wan was speechless. After brief thought, he still felt angry. ¡°How improper could you have been? For him to hit you?!¡± Lin Si barely managed to lift his hands and sign, ¡°He was drunk and couldn¡¯t move. I¡­ took advantage of that. I would have deserved it even if he had beaten me to death.¡± In his heart, Zhong Wan understood that Lin Si wasn¡¯t that kind of person. He couldn¡¯t actually have done anything to Xuan Jing. It was reasonable that Xuan Jing would become angry enough to beat someone after being suddenly exploited. But¡­ Zhong Wan muttered to himself, ¡°What good fengshui does the Zhong family have for its members to all have no descendants? How come you¡¯re also¡­¡± Lin Si hung his head in shame. ¡°I¡¯m not blaming you. I don¡¯t care as long as you¡¯re happy,¡± said Zhong Wan, struggling to comfort him. ¡°Besides, with Xuan Jing¡¯s temper, if he really felt nothing towards you, he probably wouldn¡¯t have left you alive and well enough to leave the estate. He would¡¯ve cut you in half already. You¡­ how did you get out?¡± Lin Si lowered his gaze. He signed, ¡°Fourth Prince told me to get as far away as I could.¡± Zhong Wan sighed again. ¡°Just stay here for now, then.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s mind was a mess. ¡°Or¡­ do you need to avoid any possible implications? Otherwise, when you want to return later on, Xuan Jing might worry that you¡¯re on my side.¡± Lin Si thought for a moment. He signed, ¡°I fear I won¡¯t be able to return. I¡¯ll stay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so confident about the future,¡± Zhong Wan said. ¡°The left wing in my courtyard is still empty. You can stay there. From today onward, you don¡¯t need to do anything else for me. Take a few days to rest first.¡± Lin Si nodded, got up, and left. Zhong Wan sighed and started stressing out for Lin Si. Though Xuan Jing didn¡¯t have much of a brain, he was an okay person. At least, he was a much better person than Xuan Qiong. He had saved Lin Si¡¯s life. After all these years of interaction, it was reasonable that¡­ Lin Si would feel that way about him. But if Xuan Jing didn¡¯t feel the same way, Lin Si would probably have much to suffer. What was this mess?! CH 41 Originally, Zhong Wan wanted to take advantage of the fact that it was still early to pay Tang Ming another visit. But after Lin Si had disturbed him, it was too late to leave the city walls. He could only give up on that. As he thought of Lin Si, Zhong Wan wondered if he should burn incense at the ancestral tomb of the Zhong family. And once he thought of the ancestral tomb, the possibility that Tang Ming¡¯s mother was from the Zhong family once again crossed his mind. Once his thoughts came to this point¡ª In an instant, he was certain. Tang Ming was definitely his relative! Tang Ming had no wife or sons. He would also not leave behind any descendants! Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help but smile. Without him knowing it, his thoughts wandered to the spectacle at the mourning shelter. He lightly pursed his lips. He recalled for a short while, and found it fine even if he didn¡¯t leave behind any descendants this life. As he was caught in his reverie, Xuan Congxin entered the room. A guest had suddenly arrived at the residence. Xuan Congxin couldn¡¯t be at ease, so she came over to ask for his opinion. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡­ he¡¯s a friend I met in my youth,¡± said Zhong Wan in an ambiguous manner. ¡°Back then, he had been implicated because of me and met hardship. A few days ago, he offended his master and came out to hide. I¡¯ll let him stay here for a while.¡± Not minding, Xuan Congxin said, ¡°Alright. Then let¡¯s allow him to stay here. Oh right, someone said today that His Majesty¡¯s birthday, which is coming in a few days, won¡¯t be celebrated as grandly anymore. Everything will be simplified. After the imperial clan members enter the palace and kowtow, they can leave. There will be no banquet and we don¡¯t have to prepare any gifts. ¡°During the mourning period, things will be like this.¡± Xuan Congxin noticed that Zhong Wan seemed somewhat restless and added, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Could it be¡­¡± Inattentively, he asked, ¡°What?¡± Xuan Congxin said in a soft voice, ¡°Once the fifth seven-day set is over, we will return to Qian An. What about your Kuafu? Could we still go home together?¡± Zhong Wan broke free from his thoughts. He lowered his head, a smile gracing his lips. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll see if Lin¡ªif my old friend can escort you back to Qian An. If it¡¯s not convenient for him, then I would. And once you¡¯ve reached Qian An, I will return here. ¡° Xuan Congxin looked at Zhong Wan, unwilling to be apart from him. She wanted to say something, but then hesitated. In the end, she said in a helpless manner, ¡°Alright. But¡­ we¡¯re not in a hurry. It¡¯s fine to wait until you¡¯ve married little sister-in-law and return together.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be that quick,¡± said Zhong Wan carelessly. ¡°Anyway¡­ right now we still have to observe filial piety in the mourning period. How could I take a concubine now?¡± Xuan Congxin furrowed her brows. ¡°Xuan Yu and I are the ones who have to observe filial piety, not you. So what are you afraid of? Additionally¡­¡± She said with indifference, ¡°I don¡¯t think this capital has as many rules as Qian An. These past few days, there were people wanting to be in-laws with Princess Royal Anguo.¡± Zhong Wan felt like he was trying to climb a flight of stairs, only for his foot to slip on the first step. He fell silent for a moment. Sat down. Carelessly said, ¡°Which family?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Although I recognize those people, I don¡¯t know the messy state of their in-laws. Whichever brother¡¯s daughter or sister¡¯s daughter, I can¡¯t determine who.¡± Xuang Congxin frowned. ¡°Perhaps¡­ Forget it. I¡¯m not very sure of the details, but in short, they had a conversation about this. Princess Royal Anguo seemed very interested.¡± She sighed. ¡°¡­They actually discussed these matters during a funeral arrangement. Such good manners.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Young Prince Yu is twenty-three. He truly ought to settle down now.¡± Curious, Xuang Congxin asked, ¡°Is that the Young Prince Yu who came to see Eldest Brother at the estate before?¡± She had yet to marry and Zhong Wan had guarded her well. As such, she didn¡¯t know about the romance between Yu She and Zhong Wan that had spread in the public. Ill at ease, Zhong Wan grunted his acknowledgement. ¡°I¡¯ve never met him. Word has it that he¡¯s the apple of Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s eye, pampered to the point of out of control,¡± she said. ¡°Although we¡¯re not considered in the same clan, in any case he is a relative of the imperial clan. Surprisingly, they¡¯re actually discussing his marriage at this time¡­¡± Out of instinct, Zhong Wan stuck up for Yu She by saying, ¡°Command of parents and good offices of a matchmaker. He has no say in it.¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Xuan Congxin didn¡¯t have a good impression on any of the people in the royal capital. Somewhat harshly, she said, ¡°Didn¡¯t people say no one could control him? So he¡¯s definitely the one who wanted to discuss his marriage.¡± Zhong Wan weakly smiled. ¡°Maybe.¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s estate. Yu She fiddled with a decorative piece. Not bothering to raise his head, he said, ¡°No need to waste your energy for me.¡± Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb rjlv lc jc ectegglfv qjmf, ¡°Rlf Qfc tjr yffc j rfclbg boolmlji obg akb fgjr. Llr vlrmlqifr jgf jii bnfg atf kbgiv, sfa tf bcis tjr atlr bcf ugjcvvjeutafg. Lf agfjar tfg ilxf j qfjgi. P tjnf wfa atlr sbecu ijvs yfobgf. Vtf¡¯r yfjealoei klat j ugfja afwqfgjwfca jcv lr jirb wjucjclwber. Pc atf oeaegf¡­ rtf mbeiv yf atf qglcmfrr mbcrbga.¡± Indifferently, Yu She said, ¡°I don¡¯t want her.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Princess Royal Anguo calmed her temper, saying in a coaxing manner, ¡°I know that you don¡¯t like strangers. As a matter of fact, I¡¯m not forcing you to do anything. Just marry her first and slowly get to know her. After living together for a while, you would know that that young lady has a great temperament. At that time, you two will share a mutual love, and¡­¡± Yu She set aside the decorative piece. Raised his head. ¡°Don¡¯t I have to participate in the mourning period?¡± ¡°You¡¯re actually caring about this?¡± Princess Royal Anguo smiled. ¡°Aren¡¯t only three months necessary? Even if the marriage is decided now, we still have to wait half a year before she could marry in. It won¡¯t interfere with the mourning period.¡± The corners of Yu She¡¯s lips raised a hint. He smiled. ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± Somehow, Princess Royal Anguo sensed that Yu She¡¯s next words would not be kind. Indeed they weren¡¯t¡ª Calm in the midst of chaos, Yu She asked in a serious manner, ¡°Princess, tell me the truth first. Now that Xuan Jin is dead, should I be in mourning for three months or one year?¡± The smile on Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s face weakened. As a member of the imperial clan, mourning for three months was enough. But if one were Xuan Jin¡¯s blood-related younger brother, one must mourn for a year. The few servant girls who waited on Princess Royal Anguo all retreated. She tried her best to suppress her anger, forcing herself to say, ¡°Are you drunk? What nonsense are you spouting¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking about protocol,¡± said Yu She apathetically. ¡°So as to avoid not knowing things and committing an insurrection like last time¡­¡± Yu She lowered his head, a smile spreading across his face. ¡°Like wholeheartedly requesting to take Fourth Princess as a bride, causing the emperor to hurl his paperweight at my forehead¡­¡± ¡°You!¡± Relaxed, Yu She said, ¡°What? I¡¯ve been beaten until I¡¯m afraid and want to be more cautious. Is that not allowed?¡± Princess Royal Anguo was angered to the point where her breathing grew rough and jagged. She rushed to say, ¡°Back then, you were obviously unhappy that His Highness tried to matchmake for you! And that¡¯s why you deliberately told Emperor-Brother that you wanted Fourth Princess! You almost made Emperor-Brother ill from anger! Are you just twisting the words right now?¡± Yu She smiled. ¡°But until now, no one has told me the reason. Why can¡¯t I marry Fourth Princess?¡± His gaze fell upon Princess Royal Anguo, tone frivolous. ¡°To speak the truth¡­ Up until now, I still miss that girl.¡± ¡°How many times have you seen her?! Do you even know what she looks like?¡± Princess Royal Anguo fell into a rage. ¡°You absolutely want me unhappy, want Emperor-Brother unhappy, is that it?!¡± Expression natural, Yu She looked at her. She was so furious that her chest hurt. She rubbed at that area to soothe it and no longer spoke. These past few days, Princess Royal Anguo had heard the servants in the side courtyard say that Yu She seemed to have restrained his temperament. For several days, he did not cause trouble, doing what he should daily. He acted according to convention, as if he had returned to his youth self. Thinking that he had come to a realization, Princess Royal Anguo had felt delighted. She wanted to settle his marriage when he was still normal. Never had she expected it was like this instead. Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s tone was unsteady as she urgently said, ¡°You¡­ Can¡¯t you be good?¡± Yu She lightly knocked at the armrest. Slowly said, ¡°These past few years, the palace has had consecutive funeral arrangements. Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong¡¯s marriage matters have all been delayed up until now. There also hasn¡¯t been any movements from their estates.¡± Princess Royal Anguo lifted her head. Yu She seemed as if he were talking to himself. ¡°I¡¯m older than Xuan Jing by a few months. If I get married before him, and have a son early¡­¡± Yu She looked at her. ¡°If His Majesty sees that I am healthy and have a son, he would inevitably place more importance on me, right?¡± Princess Royal Anguo had her thoughts figured out. Her pupils trembled. Still facing Princess Royal Anguo, Yu She said in a soft voice, ¡°Mother, who do you think is scheming who? ¡°Just give up.¡± Yu She rose to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll still say this no matter what. If you want me to marry, I will only marry members of the imperial clan. The best case scenario would be a princess. The daughters of other princes are also acceptable. But if she isn¡¯t a member of the imperial clan, then forget about it.¡± ¡°Ziyou.¡± Princess Royal Anguo gritted her teeth. ¡°You just absolutely want to stab my heart, to stab Emperor-Brother¡¯s heart, don¡¯t you?¡± Yu She¡¯s feet stilled. He turned around to look at her. ¡°You¡¯ve got it backwards.¡± After saying this, Yu She was about to leave, when Princess Royal Anguo rushed to stand and blurted, ¡°Emperor-Brother¡­ His health is not good!¡± Once again, Yu She stopped in his tracks. ¡°Ziyou.¡± She rushed to his side and helplessly said, ¡°I was worried and urgent for you! Ever since Xuan Jin had died, Emperor-Brother fell ill. He¡¯s not doing as well as he had in the past. If something happened¡­ how would you prepare?¡± Yu She turned to look at her. They stood face to face for a moment. Then Yu She said softly, ¡°Princess, you are Xuan Qiong¡¯s aunt, Prince Yu¡¯s main consort. You only need to not commit any large crimes, and you¡¯ll have a lifetime of wealth and rank no matter what.¡± Soft laughter from Yu She¡¯s lips. ¡°Be content with your lot. Or do you insist on being the empress dow¡ª¡± Princess Anguo slapped Yu She. Afterward, fear rushed into her heart. She hurried to say, ¡°Ziyou¡­¡± Princess Royal Anguo wanted to pull Yu She closer to see his face, but he turned away from her. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had slapped him. This time¡¯s Yu She wasn¡¯t startled or afraid. Expressionlessly, he raised a hand to wipe away the blood on the corner of his lips with a thumb. A glance, and he wiped his thumb with a handkerchief in passing. Yu She licked the corner of his lip. Smiled as he finished what he was saying before. ¡° Or do you insist on being the empress dowager?¡± Ashamed and regretful, Princess Royal Anguo said, ¡°Just now, you had angered me too much. Let me see¡­¡± ¡°No need.¡± Yu She retreated half a step. ¡°Princess has already hit me. I will return to my residence to reflect on my errors.¡± ¡°Ziyou¡­ I¡¯m not doing this for myself! No matter what, you are currently my closest blood relative. How would I not help you? You¡­ Are you not afraid that in the future, when Xuan Qiong ascends the throne, he won¡¯t let you live? At that time, it won¡¯t only be you. How could the people around you not be implicated?! When that time comes, even if I can preserve the princess estate, I could only live by the whims of others! I¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s pupils trembled. The people around him¡­ He gritted his teeth. Why couldn¡¯t he just stay in Qian An properly?!! Princess Royal Anguo noticed that cracks had seemed to appear on his firm exterior. She rushed to say, ¡°Ziyou¡­ Are you truly heartless now? Do you not care about anything anymore?¡± Originally, the answer was yes. Yu She¡¯s ears rang, a headache appearing. He drew his brows tightly together. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later¡­¡± Staggering two steps, he left the warmroom. On the road back to the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, his headache grew splitting. Xuan Jin¡¯s death broke the balance in the capital. The fight for the throne had already started. At the start, Yu She could relax as he muddied the water and watched as others fought. And then in the end, die in the hands of those blockheads without a care in the world. Death ended all of one¡¯s troubles. However, however¡­ An illusion started to appear before Yu She¡¯s eyes. The corner of his mouth still hurt. It were as if he had suddenly returned to six years prior. When he was in the princess estate. When he was slapped back then¡­ In an instant, that slap woke him up from his youthful ignorance and muddle-headedness. Originally, Yu She would have committed su*cide at that time. However, once he thought that Zhong Wan was far away, he actually forced himself to keep living out of anger. At present, Yu She could just sit back and not care about or manage anything. But Zhong Wan just had to stay at that whatever Prince Qian An estate currently! In a towering rage, he could not help but direct all his hatred at Zhong Wan. It was him. It was all that person¡¯s fault¡­ ¡°He¡¯s also making use of me. He really is also making use of me¡­¡± Yu She mumbled to himself, killing intent flashing in his eyes. The ears of the family soldiers escorting his carriage were very sensitive. They heard the movements in the carriage, and one rode his horse to the side of the carriage. Bowing, he asked, ¡°Does Heir have any orders?¡± Inside, Yu She sat with his eyes bleeding red. In a raspy voice, he said, ¡°Help me¡­ deal with a person.¡± After the family soldier had heard the name, his heart chilled. He couldn¡¯t refrain from asking again, ¡°Is Heir certain?¡± Silence fell upon the interior of the carriage for a moment. ¡°Yes.¡± The family soldier bowed. He listened carefully to Yu She¡¯s orders. He asked, ¡°¡­Tonight?¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was ice cold. ¡°Right now!¡± The gaze of the family soldier proved complicated. But he did not dare to disobey. A whip of his horse, and he left. In Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, Zhong Wan had not eaten much in a day. Lying in bed was also not comfortable. He kept tossing and turning. Zhong Wan said to himself, ¡°He doesn¡¯t owe me¡­¡± He turned in bed again. Zhong Wan did not think of much. He and Yu She weren¡¯t anything. If Yu She truly took a bride, then¡­ Then Zhong Wan would still remain here. However, he would no longer cross that line anymore. Zhong Wan said in near whisper, ¡°If I had known this earlier, I would have kissed him more¡­¡± A rustle by his window. Zhong Wan laughed in spite of himself. ¡°You¡¯re sharing this courtyard with me, yet you still hop through the window to enter my room?¡± Zhong Wan raised his hand and lifted the net-curtains. In a daze, he asked, ¡°What is it?¡± It was dark in the room with no candles lit. Zhong Wan sat up. Borrowed an ember from his handheld brazier to light a candle. The moment he turned around, his heart thumped. A man with his face covered stood in the middle of the room with a blade. Lightly, Zhong Wan set down the candlestick. Tried his best to calm down. ¡°Gallant swordsman¡­¡± The family soldier pulled down his cloth mask. Said in a cold voice, ¡°I¡¯ve come under Young Prince Yu¡¯s orders and have offended you.¡± Then he took one step forward. He yanked Zhong Wan¡¯s left arm. He lowered his head and glanced at Zhong Wan, making sure he had grabbed the unbandaged arm. He pulled out the dagger by his waist, but did not unsheathe it. Held the scabbard by the blade¡¯s side, smacking it lightly onto Zhong Wan¡¯s palm. Zhong Wan was speechless. The family soldier pulled back the dagger with its scabbard. He cupped one hand in another as a sign of respect. ¡°I also do not know what Young Master Zhong did wrong. However, our Heir is furious. He had me come¡­ to discipline Young Master Zhong!¡± Zhong Wan lowered his head and gazed at the white of his palm. At a loss, he said, ¡°Mm.¡± The family soldier bowed. ¡°Asking Young Master Zhong to also reflect for a few days and not to repeat it again! I will take my leave.¡± CH 42 Midnight. Yu She sat, hair undone, on the couch. On the ground beside him, a man knelt, incessantly trembling. Yu She didn¡¯t ask questions, didn¡¯t interrogate him. He zoned out by himself. Steward Feng walked in with some medicinal cream. He looked over and felt that this person appeared a bit familiar. He vaguely recalled seeing him at Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s estate before. Steward Feng put the cream on a small table. He didn¡¯t really dare to speak. The number of people in this world who were brave enough to hit Yu She could be counted on one hand. Yu She had returned from the Princess¡¯ estate. Who had caused the wound on his face¡­ was obvious. There was still blood trickling from the corner of Yu She¡¯s mouth. Steward Feng couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He softly asked, ¡°Heir, does it hurt? You¡¯re still bleeding. I¡¯ll help you apply some medicine?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t speak. Upon seeing that he hadn¡¯t disagreed, Steward Feng grabbed the cream and attempted to apply it on him. Yu She turned his face away to avoid the other. He finally spoke, ¡°You may leave. I have questions to ask.¡± Steward Feng looked down at the person kneeling on the ground and left with a sigh. Thus, Yu She continued daydreaming. After an unknown amount of time, when the person kneeling on the ground almost passed out from fear, Yu She finally remembered him. Yu She suddenly asked, ¡°How is the Emperor¡¯s health?¡± This person was Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s trusted subordinate. Normally, he kept himself well-hidden. He hadn¡¯t expected for Yu She to somehow notice him. He had a clear understanding of Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s stance, so gathered his wits and spoke in a quivering voice, ¡°Honestly not too great¡­ Only, nobody dares to ask.¡± Investigating into the emperor¡¯s health counted as treason. Everyone knew to avoid implication. Yu She narrowed his eyes. ¡°So how does the princess know?¡± ¡°Princess Royal often visits the emperor to pay her respects. Perhaps she noticed something herself? Additionally¡­¡± The trusted subordinate lowered his voice, saying, ¡°Princess Royal has her own people in the imperial academy of medicine. Princess Royal does everything for Heir. Even though she¡¯s toeing the line for breaking taboo, she¡¯s still determined to¡­¡± Yu She calmly stated, ¡°With each useless sentence you speak, I¡¯ll cut off one of your fingers.¡± The trusted subordinate was speechless. He switched the topic and said, ¡°Princess Royal doesn¡¯t mean anything else by looking into this situation. She¡¯s only worried that the emperor will be like the previous emperor. T-too¡­ too unwilling to consider the fact that nothing is permanent.¡± The trusted subordinate didn¡¯t dare to say too much about Emperor Chongan. He could only use the previous emperor as an example. ¡°Back then, didn¡¯t the previous emperor firmly believe that he would live for a long time, so didn¡¯t designate a crown prince early on? That¡¯s why there were so many issues. Princess Royal doesn¡¯t want another time of chaos such as that one, so wants us to resolve what needs to be resolved while our emperor is still alert and well.¡± Yu She lost his patience. ¡°She¡¯s suddenly become so anxious only because the emperor is unwell?¡± ¡°And! And¡­¡± The trusted subordinate¡¯s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He hurriedly added, ¡°The truth is, Princess Royal originally didn¡¯t want to get involved. However, Imperial Consort Yu has become increasingly more aggressive. Heir knows that Princess Royal and Imperial Consort Yu haven¡¯t gotten along for a long time. In the future, if Fifth Prince ascends the throne, it would still sound good because Fifth Prince is related to Princess in two ways. However, who can¡¯t clearly tell how things are in private? Imperial Consort Yu is petty. If she became the empress dowager, how generous would she be to Princess Royal?¡± ¡°These days, our Prince has been in contact with Fifth Prince a bit too much. Princess Royal is anxious. Though Prince and Princess have been in love for several decades, between couples, it¡¯s either the east wind that prevails over the west wind or the west wind that prevails over the east wind. Besides, there are still two illegitimate sons stuck between them¡­ Currently, that doesn¡¯t matter, but what about later on? Later on, if our Prince becomes the powerful Royal Uncle, Princess Royal will fall out of favor. Would Prince Yu still¡­ treat Princess so respectfully?¡± Ktf agerafv reybgvlcjaf uijcmfv ja Te Vtf. Lf obgmfv tlwrfio ab rjs, ¡°Ds atfc, Uglcmfrr wbra ilxfis kbc¡¯a fnfc yf jyif ab tfiq sbe xffq sbeg qbrlalbc bo Lflg¡­¡± Te Vtf rmboofv. ¡°Qbcvfgoei¡­ Ktf mtfrr qlfmf atja lr wf lr rb erfoei, jr fzqfmafv.¡± Te Vtf iloafv tlr ujhf jcv jrxfv meglberis, ¡°Qts jgfc¡¯a sbe uesr jgfc¡¯a kbgglfv atja P kbeivc¡¯a mjgf jybea atfrf atlcur ja jii? Vb ktja lo atf qbrlalbc bo Lflg vlrjqqfjgr? Ccsbcf mjc ajxf ws ilof jr atfs klrt.¡± The trusted subordinate was soaked in cold sweat. Who said they weren¡¯t worried?! For many years, Yu She would occasionally attempt suicide. Princess Royal Anguo had originally already given up on this plan, not daring to rest too much hope on him. She had planned to leave things to fate. Either way, no matter who ascended the throne, she would still be the new emperor¡¯s blood-related aunt. However, as chance would have it, Yu She had suddenly started seeming more alive recently! The position of empress dowager was right at her fingertips. How could Princess Royal Anguo not be tempted? The trusted subordinate lowly said, ¡°Princess thinks¡­ Heir has probably gained the intention to fight for the throne. If Heir intends to, Princess will naturally do her best to help.¡± Yu She calmly asked, ¡°How does she want to help?¡± But the trusted subordinate became timid. After a moment of hesitation, he said, ¡°Princess w-w-wants¡­¡± The trusted subordinate ¡°wants¡±-ed for a long time, yet ultimately didn¡¯t dare to say anything. Yu She spoke for him, ¡°Wants the emperor to admit me as his son while he¡¯s still in good health.¡± The trusted subordinate instantly said, ¡°That would be best!¡± Yu She leaned forward slightly. He stared straight into the trusted subordinate¡¯s eyes and softly said, ¡°So has Princess thought about how disgusted I would be¡­ calling him Father?¡± The trusted subordinate froze. He looked up and was met with Yu She¡¯s dark eyes. In fear, he kowtowed incessantly. Yu She¡¯s heart had long since frozen over completely. All that had happened today was that it had been stabbed two more times. Yu She didn¡¯t feel anything. He numbly said, ¡°You may leave.¡± The trusted subordinate fell into a daze. He had thought that even if he didn¡¯t end up dead, he would at least have to lose a layer of skin. Yu She was¡­ was letting him go so easily? ¡°Tell the princess.¡± Yu She stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t try to prove how clever you are, don¡¯t do things of your own accord.¡± The trusted subordinate paused. Did this mean that Yu She had agreed or not? The trusted subordinate probed, ¡°Then about your marriage¡­¡± Yu She lowered his gaze and said, ¡°Each time you bring it up, I¡¯ll go ask the emperor to marry Fourth Princess.¡± The trusted subordinate immediately said, ¡°I daren¡¯t! Just now, it was I who overstepped my bounds!¡± Yu She closed his eyes and did his best to seal away all the fond memories he had from childhood regarding Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s accompaniment. This way, he wouldn¡¯t go crazy again. ¡°I know exactly¡­ what your intentions are. Do you only want me to get married? Do you only want me to have offspring?¡± Yu She turned around to look at the trusted subordinate. He smiled. ¡°Princess wants to find someone who can officially, constantly, watch over me. She wants to keep an eye on me and turn me into a puppet, right?¡± The trusted subordinate was shocked. He hadn¡¯t expected that Yu She would have already guessed so far ahead. But still, he lowered his head and refused to admit anything. ¡°Princess only wants to find a partner for Heir! Heir isn¡¯t young anymore. Normally, your estate is completely empty. Wouldn¡¯t that make Heir¡¯s mood even more agitated? If there was someone to accompany and understand you, that would be for the best. Even if they couldn¡¯t become Heir¡¯s confidant, there¡­¡± ¡°There still might be the possibility of a child. As such, Princess would rest at ease,¡± Yu She said to himself. ¡°If I liked her, that would be even more exciting. Princess would be able to control me much more easily¡­¡± Yu She looked down at the trusted subordinate. He softly muttered, ¡°Better give up on this early on. We will first disregard whether or not I would ever marry a bride or take a concubine. Even if I did¡­¡± Yu She used the tip of his boot to gently tap the trusted subordinate¡¯s head. ¡°Even if I did, even if I truly liked them, I wouldn¡¯t allow them to lead me around by the nose. For me, there isn¡¯t anyone I¡¯m reluctant to part with or separate from, understand?¡± The trusted subordinate trembled uncontrollably, then nodded. An unknown thought struck Yu She¡¯s mind. He lowly murmured, ¡°No matter how much I liked them¡­ I wouldn¡¯t mind these things. I¡¯ll hit them if I want. If I¡¯m unhappy, I would even wake them up in the middle of the night and tell someone to beat them to death. If they really died¡­ I wouldn¡¯t care either.¡± The trusted subordinate was shocked. He barely managed to agree. Yu She regained his wits. He seemed to have just realized that there was still someone under his feet. He angrily said, ¡°If you understand, then leave!¡± The trusted subordinate felt that Yu She was already mostly convinced and that he would be able to report back to the princess royal. He hurriedly left. Yu She was incredibly tired. At first, he planned to sleep, but ultimately couldn¡¯t relax. A long time later, he summoned the family soldier waiting outside the warmroom. The family soldier knelt and gave a detailed account of what had happened in Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. Yu She listened quietly, then nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve completed your assignment well. I have one more task for you to do.¡± The family soldier didn¡¯t actually want to, but only dared to be secretly angry. He didn¡¯t dare to tell Yu She this. He lowered his head and said, ¡°At Heir¡¯s command.¡± ¡°Exaggerate¡­ what happened today. Then, let the information out.¡± Yu She testily said, ¡°So I will finally be able to get some peace and quiet.¡± The family soldier awkwardly stated, ¡°Heir¡­ I am incapable. I don¡¯t know how to do that.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t know, go ask someone else! There are so many people on this estate. Doesn¡¯t a single one of them know how to make up rumors?¡± Yu She rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. ¡°My heart hurts¡­ don¡¯t annoy me.¡± The family soldier reluctantly nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± The family soldier watched Yu She walk into his bedroom. He clenched his fist, ground his teeth, and left. Two days later, Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. Xuan Congxin chatted with Zhong Wan while reading a book. ¡°Young Prince Yu¡¯s engagement has fallen through.¡± Xuan Congxin flipped a page of her book and lamented, ¡°The people in the capital are truly¡­¡± Zhong Wan did his best to appear unbothered. ¡°How did it¡­ fall through?¡± Xuan Congxin glanced at Xuan Yu who was practicing calligraphy close by. She set down the book in her hand and quietly said, ¡°Follow me.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s expression was serious. He inhaled deeply, then got up and put on his fox fur cloak. He walked out of the study with Xuan Congxin and gently closed the door behind him. The two of them walked into the courtyard. Xuan Congxin softly said, ¡°I heard at Third Prince¡¯s estate. This story is a bit uncouth. I don¡¯t want Xuan Yu to find out.¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. ¡°Uncouth¡­ how?¡± It couldn¡¯t be that something had happened to Yu She? ¡°Just that the Young Prince Yu,¡± Xuan Congxin lowered her voice, ¡°Has a wicked fetish!¡± Zhong Wan was shocked. ¡°What wicked fetish?!¡± Did Yu She have an illness that he had kept from him? Xuan Congxin hesitated again. She carefully contemplated her word choice before quickly saying, ¡°Young Prince Yu likes to beat his bed partners!¡± Zhong Wan was completely stunned. ¡°How¡­ how come I didn¡¯t know?¡± Xuan Congxin looked at Zhong Wan strangely. ¡°Why would you know?¡± Zhong Wan had no response. Xuan Congxin stated, confused, ¡°Why would I make up this kind of stuff? Others said it, I just happened to hear it. One really can¡¯t marry Young Prince Yu. Not only does he have a bad temper, he even hits his bed partners! Not just the capital, even in our Qian An, such a man wouldn¡¯t be able to get a wife. So¡­ there most likely won¡¯t be anyone who dares to have marriage talks with him now. A fine young woman would be married off, but in a few days, might get beaten to death by him.¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. He got out with difficulty, ¡°No wait. Who said all that? How could they make up such rumors?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recall clearly which madam or lady specifically said each line.¡± Xuan Congxin diligently tried to remember. ¡°Oh, they said that Young Prince Yu beat his bed partner into a bloody mess after a disagreement. That person didn¡¯t even look like a person anymore.¡± Zhong Wan was horrified. ¡°Didn¡¯t even look like a person anymore?!¡± ¡°I suspect that someone exaggerated things too, because at first, they also said that Young Prince Yu didn¡¯t like his bed partner, so picked up a dagger and stabbed them.¡± Zhong Wan was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°Before that, they said Young Prince Yu had a bad temper and didn¡¯t like his bed partner, so made a family soldier on his estate stab his bed partner.¡± ¡°And the time before that, they said that Young Prince Yu got angry easily. His bed partner made him angry. Even though it was already the middle of the night, he still felt furious upon thinking of that incident. Unable to bear it anymore, he instantly ordered ten armored family soldiers over to yank that person out of bed and hit their palms!¡± Xuan Congxin shivered. She lowly said, ¡°Even the least serious one is terribly frightening! Think about it¡­ at the slightest disagreement, he sends ten family soldiers over to hit you. Ten sturdily-built men! Wouldn¡¯t your hands be bloody messes by the end of that?¡± Zhong Wan lowered his head and looked at his left palm. For a long time, he was silent. CH 43 Xuan Congxin thought to herself, the influential people in the capital all appear sanctimonious, but their hearts are the opposite. In private, they do all sorts of filthy things. She didn¡¯t forget to make use of every second and every inch, saying, ¡°Although the capital is flourishing, what kind of people are they? After you marry Kuafu, return to Qian An. So that you won¡¯t learn their bad habits and fight with others.¡± Realization struck her. ¡°Don¡¯t copy what they do after seeing it. How could you beat Kuafu in a fight?¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°First, let¡¯s not talk about me. This matter is definitely a rumor. He¡¯s not that kind of person¡­¡± Xuan Congxin turned to him, bewildered. ¡°Just now, you kept giving excuses for Young Prince Yu. Do you know him?¡± A smile graced his lips. ¡°I know him.¡± Xuan Congxin thought for a moment. And then she understood. ¡°You knew him when you were young, right? Have you guys spoken before? Do you know him well?¡± Zhong Wan lowered his head, looking at his left hand. For a short while, he felt regretful. If he weren¡¯t in Xuan Congxin¡¯s presence, he feared he would have accidentally revealed the truth. He and Yu She didn¡¯t just know each other. ¡°We¡¯re not very close. He¡¯s the apple of the emperor and Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s eyes. People like us dare not be close to him.¡± A smile appeared on his lips. ¡°Enough. Go take a rest. I still have some matters to attend to.¡± After Xuan Congxin returned to her courtyard, Zhong Wan looked at his left hand. He didn¡¯t dare to think of things he shouldn¡¯t be thinking. Forced himself to calm. The rumor about someone climbing over the wall to a residence in the middle of the night, and picking up and hitting another person, was probably referring to himself. However, these things happened merely two days ago. How could they have spread so much and so quickly? There was definitely someone at the back adding fuel to fire. Yu She¡¯s subordinates were willing to die for him. No matter what it was, as long as Yu She ordered them, they would fulfill it to the best of their ability. Would these kinds of people gossip about Yu She? And it was even such outlandish gossip. Since that was the case, besides the families that didn¡¯t care about reputation and pushed out their daughters, which good family would give their daughter to Yu She? A few days ago, Yu She had been discussing his marriage. And now, such a thing occurred. The person who did this had a bad heart, unwilling to let Yu She¡¯s marriage run smoothly. Who could it be? Not many people would know that someone jumped over the wall in the middle of the night to teach him a lesson. Yet this news was spread so quickly. It was evident that many spies had been inserted into Yu She¡¯s residence. Zhong Wan sucked in a breath, from his eyes a flash of light. It didn¡¯t matter if that was true. First, he had to take care of those things. Zhong Wan called for someone and gave them some instructions. Then he said, ¡°After you¡¯ve finished this task, tell him to return to Qian An and stay there.¡± After he killed the rumor, Zhong Wan noticed that it was still early. Not wanting to waste time, he prepared to meet with Tang Ming again. Last time, Zhong Wan had been both upset and indignant. There were many things he didn¡¯t get cleared up. Although he didn¡¯t trust Tang Ming completely, this shixiong of his was aware of a lot of things. Zhong Wan wanted to understand clearly the events of the past. Now, the best method was to meet with Tang Ming. Zhong Wan had someone prepare a carriage. Unexpectedly, Lin Si was in the stable feeding the horses. Hearing that Zhong Wan needed a carriage, Lin Si personally led a horse to the carriage to hook it up. He made his way to the outer courtyard and gestured to Zhong Wan, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Out of the city.¡± Zhong Wan looked at Lin Si¡¯s servant get-up and couldn¡¯t refrain from laughing. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to hide and rest here, so why are you working as a stable boy? Change your clothes. I¡¯ll leave myself.¡± Lin Si drew his brows together. Pointed to the sky. Then he spread his hand wide, his fingers pointing to the ground. After that, he pointed to Zhong Wan. He brought his hands in front of him facing up, then flipped them to face down. Then he raised one hand and pointed outside. All that meant, ¡°the weather is poor outside. It would probably rain later. Why are you leaving the city?¡± Itbcu Qjc qjerfv. Glv cba wfcalbc Kjcu Zlcu. Lf kjrc¡¯a agslcu ab tlvf atlcur ogbw Olc Vl. Dea tf ofia Olc Vl jcv Wejc Alcu kbeiv rbbc wjxf eq. Lf ofjgfv atja lo yfobgf atfs wjvf eq, Olc Vl tfiqfv Itbcu Qjc vb atlcur obg Te Vtf, atfc atlcur kbeiv cba ojgf kfii rtbeiv atfs fnfg tjnf j vlrjugffwfca lc atf oeaegf. Lin Si gestured, ¡°You can¡¯t even stand being tossed around right now. What would happen if you get sick again? Just leave it to me.¡± He¡¯d be able to see Yu She tomorrow. Zhong Wan indeed did not want to fall ill again. After a moment of thought, he said, ¡°Enough. I¡¯ll write a letter. Deliver it to someone for me and bring me their response. Don¡¯t let the letters fall in another¡¯s hands in between.¡± Zhong Wan returned to his residence, wrote the letter, and handed it to Lin Si. Lin Si did not hook up his horse to the carriage, slipping the letter into his breast pocket. Then he left, pulling the horse along. The next day, a few old eunuchs arrived at the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate from the palace. A divider screen separated them from Yu She as they ¡°rebuked¡± Yu She in a soft voice. On the other side of the divider screen, Yu She sat on his desk reading his books, not the slightest bit affected. Fourth Prince Xuan Jing, Fifth Prince Xuan Qiong, and the recently-passed-away Third Prince Xuan Jin had all received Emperor Chongan¡¯s rebuke before. When the princes made mistakes or were punished to house arrest, it would be these same old eunuchs that came to them every day, representing Emperor Chongan to lecture them. And the princes would tremble in fear. Only Yu She was different. In the past, Yu She had even fallen asleep during one of these lectures. In these past few years, these old eunuchs had done such things often. They were so used to it, they wouldn¡¯t even blink if they saw it. After the old eunuch spoke for so long that he ran out of saliva, he said, ¡°May Heir control you subordinates, so that such a baseless rumor would not spread and make His Majesty unhappy.¡± Yu She flipped a page in his book. Tone neutral, he said, ¡°How do you people know it¡¯s a baseless rumor? What if I have this kind of kink?¡± The old eunuch said, ¡°W-what kink?¡± ¡°It already spread through like wildfire outside. You really haven¡¯t heard it?¡± Yu She raised his head from his book, expressionless. ¡°I like to torment the people in my inner chamber. Like to see them cry. Like to hear them scream in pain. A few have died from my actions¡­ You people really didn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Aiyah, aiyah, what nonsense is your honored self going on about?!¡± Then the old eunuch persuaded with patience, ¡°It¡¯s other people that are framing you. How could His Majesty not be able to tell?¡± Yu She sneered. ¡°No one framed me. I¡¯m this kind of person¡­ You people don¡¯t need to blame my subordinates. Just blaming me is enough.¡± The old eunuch stared at Yu She, pain in his heart. ¡°His Majesty also knows you¡¯ve been wronged. As a matter of fact, he only had us come here to say a few light words. But Fifth Prince directly received an oral decree from His Majesty, ordering Fifth Prince to reflect on his action in house arrest!¡± Not a word left Yu She¡¯s lips. He placed the book on the desk. Frowned. ¡°What does this have to do with Xuan Qiong?¡± The old eunuch sighed. His helpless gaze fell upon Yu She. ¡°Your grievance is greater. Does your honored self know where these unbearable rumors came from?¡± In a daze, Yu She replied, ¡°Yes.¡± It came from my estate. I was the one who ordered for it to spread. The old eunuchs shared a look. And then sighed again. One of them said, ¡°Then why is your honored self still trying to absolve Fifth Prince?! No wonder His Majesty dotes on you the most. Heir suffers losses because you are too honest and considerate. Too sincere!¡± The honest and considerate Yu She looked at the old eunuch with a gaze full of malice. ¡°Just what happened?¡± ¡°Those rumors had come from Fifth Prince¡¯s estate!¡± Another sigh came from the old eunuch. ¡°A few days ago, wasn¡¯t Princess Royal Anguo trying to discuss Heir¡¯s marriage? Fifth Prince still held a grudge for the time you two argued, still unhappy about it. So he had someone spread such unbearable rumors every day. We even have material evidence. However¡­ that person is no longer alive.¡± The old eunuch glanced at Yu She profoundly. ¡°Fifth Prince was so anxious that he grew furious. He said that someone had bought out the servants in his estate to frame him and he must find out who they are. But that person who spread the rumors was already dead. Think about it, how could a living person just die like that?¡± For a moment, Yu She did not know what to say. This matter¡­ truly had nothing to do with Xuan Qiong. ¡°Recently, Fifth Prince has been muddle-headed, acting out repeatedly. Originally, His Majesty was unhappy these past two days. As such, he punished Fifth Prince. But it¡¯s unclear why. In passing, His Majesty instructed us to say a couple words to Heir, to just make a show of it.¡± The old eunuch lightly chuckled. ¡°Heir has been wronged.¡± But Yu She did not feel wronged at the slightest. He had nothing much to say anymore, waving. ¡°Yes, yes I know.¡± After the old eunuchs left the room, Steward Feng stuffed pouches of money into their hands. He was so thoughtful that he escorted them all the way outside. Following that, he turned around and returned to Yu She¡¯s side. Baffled, he asked, ¡°This¡­¡± Yu She looked up. ¡°Did you do this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m innocent. Other than the matters concerning Young Master Zhong, this old slave had never acted on my own!¡± refuted Steward Feng in an instant. ¡°How could this old slave decide on my own to scheme against Fifth Prince for Heir? This old slave doesn¡¯t have the ability to do such a huge thing.¡± Steward Feng added, ¡°It¡¯s not just this old slave. Even the family soldiers wouldn¡¯t dare to do such a thing. In order to spread these rumors, we thought of ways for two days until our heads hurt. And we also used all sorts of careful methods, which cannot see the light of day, to spread those rumors. We¡¯re already hard-pressed. Under these circumstances, how could we spread other rumors placing the blame on Fifth Prince? Even if we could, without Heir¡¯s consent, no one would dare to.¡± Incredulous, Yu She said, ¡°Then who was it? Who¡¯s doing all this from the shadows?! I had the rumors spread myself, so why is this person doing this?¡± ¡°This old slave finds this person very clever.¡± After a moment of thought, Steward Feng said, ¡°To achieve much with little effort, and not wasting any energy, this person was able to dump all the dirty water onto Fifth Prince. Their methods are also clean, and they cannot even be found, making Fifth Prince unable to explain anything and only shoulder the blame. Moreover¡­ they even slightly washed Heir clean of the matter of your fetishes. There are no disadvantages for us here.¡± Yu She frowned. ¡°Do I need him to wash me clean? This¡­ Could this be the same person who accused Xuan Qiong of hiding the people of the Royal Mausoleum?¡± Steward Feng did not quite understand his words. ¡°Who are the people of the Royal Mausoleum?¡± Impatience filled Yu She¡¯s face. ¡°Nothing.¡± Steward Feng changed out Yu She¡¯s tea. Smiled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who he is. It¡¯s good as long as he can help Heir. Indeed¡­ If one carefully thinks about this matter, we should have placed all traces of what we have done on someone else, killing two birds with one stone. This person took one step more than us. They are thorough with their actions.¡± Yu She received the tea cup from Steward Feng. Said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s not one step. It¡¯s two.¡± Steward Feng stared blankly. ¡°What else did they do?¡± With indifference, Yu She said, ¡°If you were the emperor and learned of this news, would you think I went mad or would you think Xuan Qiong was trying to harm me?¡± Embarrassed, Steward Feng laughed dryly, unable to respond. ¡°You¡¯d doubt, right? It¡¯s true that Xuan Qiong bears a grudge against me, and it¡¯s true that I don¡¯t care about any repercussions once I go mad. It¡¯s also true that there are people who would like using me to do their dirty work.¡± Then, dropping an octave, he said, ¡°However, when it¡¯s all said and done, this matter isn¡¯t anything important. It¡¯s unnecessary to look into it. The best case scenario is if Xuan Qiong admits to this. First¡­ the emperor thinks it¡¯s very possible that Xuan Qiong did this. Second, if Xuan Qiong is known as the person who spread these rumors, then in the future¡­ ¡°Then in the future, when my marriage is being discussed, and it seems like other people would throw a fuss about my bad habit, then I can use Xuan Qiong to shut them up¡­¡± Yu She turned to face Steward Feng. ¡°From the start, the emperor doesn¡¯t care if I actually have this bad habit. He also doesn¡¯t care if Xuang Qiong actually harmed me.¡± Shock crashed into Steward Feng like a tidal wave. ¡°At least¡­ At least it seems His Majesty is even more biased toward Heir, striving his best to protect Heir¡¯s reputation.¡± Yu She said impassively, ¡°Perhaps.¡± He drank a sip of tea. He was still angry. ¡°Just who keeps interfering with my affairs?!¡± Steward Feng smiled bitterly. ¡°How could we know right now? Heir, don¡¯t be impatient¡­ As long as they don¡¯t harm you, it¡¯s fine.¡± Uncomfortable, Yu She said, ¡°His methods are too careful. It really makes people agitated.¡± ¡°Heir has always been swift and decisive in handling things, though a little¡­ too rough.¡± Steward Feng smiled. ¡°It¡¯s hard to avoid having people say your honored self is too unrestrained. It¡¯s great to have someone so thorough by your side, since they complement you. Like what happened today. They placed the blame on Fifth Prince in passing. How great.¡± Yu She sneered. ¡°I just want it to be quiet. I don¡¯t want anyone trying to discuss marriage with me again. This time¡­ he could be considered unlucky.¡± He blinked. All of a sudden, rage roared in his heart. ¡°Just what kind of person have I been dealing with today? Just what day is it now? He hasn¡¯t come?! Is he not coming again? Or did he get sick again? Or did he¡­¡± At that moment, a headache. ¡°Pastries¡­¡± ¡°Shen Shi has just arrived! Shen Shi has just arrived!¡± said Steward Feng, hurrying to coax him. ¡°It¡¯s still early, Heir. What else do we need to prepare?¡± Yu She rubbed at the center of his brows. Thought for a moment, before ordering in a soft voice, ¡°Go¡­ Prepare a bit of medicine for injuries.¡± Steward Feng¡¯s hand trembled, almost dropping the teacup. Steward Feng collected the teacup, not batting an eyelid as he advised, ¡°Heir, Young Master Zhong¡¯s body is not healthy.¡± Yu She averted his gaze. ¡°These past few years¡­ who knows how he destroyed himself.¡± ¡°Rumors are rumors. Heir, you¡¯ve always been¡­¡± Steward Feng had nothing else to say. There also wasn¡¯t anything he could say about Yu She ¡°always being¡± a certain way. He had attended to Yu She for many years, yet didn¡¯t know if he was gentle or not. However, he felt¡­ that Yu She truly might be a person who used violence. Switching topics, Steward Feng said, ¡°In short, take your time. What you two have is eternal. Don¡¯t be in such a hurry.¡± For the first time, Yu She did not refute the ¡°eternal¡± of Steward Feng. Furrowing his brows, he said, ¡°What such a hurry?" With not very good intentions, Steward Feng flashed Yu She a smile full of tacit and mutual understanding. All of a sudden, realization struck Yu She. Sullen, he said, ¡°I haven¡¯t touched him!¡± Not understanding why Yu She was angry again, Steward Feng rushed to say, ¡°Yes, yes, this old slave has one more thing to say. Young Master Zhong¡¯s body is not in good health, and would be unable to bear those things¡ª¡± ¡°He won¡¯t be able to bear it?¡± Yu She laughed in spite of himself, angered to the point of choking in anger. ¡°He¡¯s the one who keeps provoking me! As I stood next to the princess, he sized me up from head to toe again and again! If I were a young lady, I would have scolded him! Who looks at men like that? Shameless! When I left, he went searching for me, asking if he could¡­ if he could¡­¡± Yu She turned his head and said resentfully, ¡°I can¡¯t say his words aloud.¡± Steward Feng had no clue what had happened during the fifth seven-day set. Yu She had scared him so much that his heart thrashed against his chest. ¡°Calm your anger, calm your anger. Young Master Zhong will arrive in a little while, so Heir can admonish him then¡­¡± CH 44 It wasn¡¯t that Zhong Wan didn¡¯t want to go see Yu She earlier. He had truly gotten caught up in some business. Xuan Jing had come knocking, ready to fight. Yesterday, Lin Si had made a trip outside of the city for him. Lin Si was worried that Zhong Wan would feel anxious, so didn¡¯t take a carriage. He personally rode a horse to make the trip. Though he was in great health, he still became fatigued. The next day, he woke up a bit later. He had just gotten out of bed, but outside, Xuan Jing had already entered the estate. Lin Si slapped on some clothes and fled to Zhong Wan¡¯s room. ¡°You¡­¡± Zhong Wan had a headache too. ¡°Why are you hiding? Aren¡¯t you going to go explain things to him?¡± Lin Si¡¯s eyes were red. He shook his head and signed, ¡°His Highness might not be here to search for me. Even if he is, I¡¯m too embarrassed to see him again.¡± ¡°You took advantage of him. Of course you¡¯d be embarrassed!¡± Though he said this, Zhong Wan had always been protective. He wouldn¡¯t force Lin Si to do anything. He lowly ordered, ¡°Go to Xuan Yu¡¯s courtyard.¡± At most, Xuan Jing would only charge into Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard. He wouldn¡¯t forcefully enter Xuan Yu¡¯s, and especially Xuan Congxin¡¯s, side of the estate. Zhong Wan straightened his clothes and fixed his hair. Then, he walked out to greet Xuan Jing. Zhong Wan thought about Lin Si¡¯s situation a few times to himself, preparing to answer Xuan Jing¡¯s questions. Unexpectedly, Xuan Jing opened his mouth and shouted furiously, ¡°Are you the one who made up all those rumors about Yu She?!¡± Zhong Wan was completely lost after hearing this question. It had been many years since their last meeting. Zhong Wan could never have expected that his reunion with Xuan Jing would first entail a debate about this topic. Zhong Wan made to bow to Xuan Jing as per protocol. Xuan Jing angrily said, ¡°Don¡¯t give me this act!¡± Zhong Wan sighed. He didn¡¯t want to bother bowing either. He waved a hand to signal the servants to bring Xuan Jing some tea, doing his best to be as modest as a subordinate. ¡°I can¡¯t fathom what Fourth Highness is talking about? These days, I¡¯ve had my doors closed and haven¡¯t left. I don¡¯t actually know what¡¯s going on outside¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool me! Xuan Qiong has been blamed by others and can¡¯t rid himself of suspicion. Now, he¡¯s causing trouble for me. He reported me to Imperial Father, saying that I arranged for spies in his estate. He said that I¡¯m watching the fire from the other side and that I caused him and Yu She to fight it out like a snipe and a clam.¡± Xuan Jing was extremely angry. ¡°I thought and thought about it and realized that there was a great possibility that you had done this!¡± Zhong Wan: ¡°¡­¡± Zhong Wan really had done it, but he had only done a ¡°fifteen.¡± He honestly didn¡¯t know who had done the initial ¡°first.¡± Zhong Wan sincerely stated, ¡°I truly don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You think I¡¯ll believe that?¡± Xuan Jing felt that Zhong Wan¡¯s nose wasn¡¯t a nose and that his eyes weren¡¯t eyes. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who would know what Yu She¡¯s like in bed. If you weren¡¯t the one who spilled the beans, who else could it have been?¡± Zhong Wan was disturbed. So many years had already passed. How could Xuan Jing still be so stupid? While thinking of a plan to shoo Xuan Jing away in the fastest, most polite manner, he respectfully said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know about Young Prince Yu¡¯s intimate secrets.¡± Xuan Jing laughed coldly. ¡°Back then, he bought you and stayed in the same place with you for half a year. The boundaries between you two were unclear. Who would believe you if you were to say now that you¡¯re still innocent?¡± Xuan Jing glanced at Zhong Wan disdainfully. ¡°Your situation is contagious, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s whatever if only you have it, but it can also spread to others, making them¡­ making them the same as you!¡± Zhong Wan inhaled deeply. He looked outside¡­ Xuan Jing hadn¡¯t brought a lot of people with him. It wouldn¡¯t be hard keeping him here and beating him, but it would be troublesome to take care of things afterwards. Zhong Wan decided not to argue with someone missing a part of their brain. He smiled. ¡°It might truly be contagious. So if Your Highness stays here with me, things might also end badly.¡± Xuan Jing looked at Zhong Wan, alert. He furrowed his brows. ¡°Stop looking at me! I¡¯m not like you guys! I don¡¯t have that problem.¡± Itbcu Qjc cbvvfv. ¡°Lbqfoeiis rb. Gbfr Tbeg Llutcfrr tjnf jcsatlcu firf ab jrx?¡± ¡°Qtb jrxfv sbe jcsatlcu?! P jigfjvs uefrrfv atja sbe kfgf atf bcf ktb vlv la. P¡¯w tfgf ab gfqglwjcv sbe! Kjxf atf yijwf obg atlcur atja sbe tjnf vbcf. Hela qertlcu la bcab wf!¡± Wejc Alcu kjr lcmgfvlyis jccbsfv. ¡°P¡¯w cba atf rjwf jr Wejc Hlbcu. Lf¡¯r jogjlv bo tlr wbatfg¡¯r ojwlis, Uglcmf Te¡¯r frajaf, yea P¡¯w cba!¡± Zhong Wan looked at Xuan Jing. He felt tired having to act in front of the other. Zhong Wan was still preoccupied with going to see Yu She. He could only see the other once every ten days, so couldn¡¯t let his time get wasted like this. He sighed. ¡°Your Highness¡­ What have you actually travelled all the way here to say?¡± Xuan Jing¡¯s intentions were exposed by Zhong Wan. For a moment, he had nothing to say. He barely got a drink of tea in before furrowing his brows and saying, ¡°Where¡¯s Lin Si? Hurry and hand him over!¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s pupils shifted slightly. He said, ¡°A few days ago, he truly did come.¡± Xuan Jing¡¯s eyes lit up. Zhong Wan continued, ¡°But he didn¡¯t stay here. He told me that his inappropriate actions had insulted Your Highness and that he had gotten kicked out by Your Highness. Then, he left.¡± Xuan Jing froze. ¡°To where?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Zhong Wan asked in response, ¡°Didn¡¯t Your Highness say that you never wanted to see him again?¡± Xuan Jing had no response. He vaguely muttered, ¡°He knows so many of my secrets. How could I let him run around freely?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing else to do. At the time, he was extremely down and distracted. His sentences weren¡¯t even making sense. After telling me what had happened, he left. He didn¡¯t tell me where he was going to go.¡± Xuan Jing observed Zhong Wan in suspicion. ¡°Really?¡± Zhong Wan openly said, ¡°I won¡¯t keep this from Highness ¨C I¡¯m searching for him too. If Your Highness happens to find him, please tell me. That way, I¡¯ll be able to relax too.¡± Xuan Jing was silent for a moment. He agitatedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it if I can find him.¡± Zhong Wan stared at Xuan Jing for a moment. He said, ¡°Your Highness, back in the day, you once wanted to buy me out of prison¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overthink things!¡± Xuan Jing hurriedly shouted. ¡°I was young at the time! My brain had temporarily short circuited, which was why I had such a thought! I didn¡¯t want to touch you at all! Even if I had purchased you, I probably would¡¯ve only beaten you up, then arranged for a location for you to stay at.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°I know. I still appreciate your good intentions the same.¡± Xuan Jing, embarrassed, said, ¡°At the time, it really was only a moment of impulse. Before I had even prepared the money, I first got scolded by my Concubine Mother. That would¡¯ve been fine, but I also got interrogated by Yu She. Who did I piss off¡­¡± Zhong Wan abruptly looked at Xuan Jing. ¡°Young Prince Yu interrogated Highness before?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Xuan Jing said with disdain. ¡°The lunatic has been a lunatic since young¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart started beating faster. He said, ¡°I¡¯d like to ask Your Highness to go into detail.¡± Xuan Jing glanced at Zhong Wan, disgusted. ¡°Why would I talk about him?¡± Zhong Wan held his anger back. ¡°If I receive news about Lin Si, I¡¯ll immediately send someone to notify Your Highness.¡± Xuan Jing¡¯s expression froze. Xuan Jing pinched his nose and reminisced for a moment. He relayed everything to Zhong Wan, then added, ¡°Tell me, hasn¡¯t he been mentally ill since young? Are normal people capable of doing such things? I told my Concubine Mother a long time ago! He¡¯s been weird since young! I also wanted to tell Imperial Father, but he was biased and refused to listen¡­¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t have the energy to deal with Xuan Jing. He stood up and spoke in a daze, ¡°Rest assured, Your Highness. As soon as I have news regarding Lin Si, I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll immediately dispatch someone to inform you.¡± Xuan Jing was displeased with how suddenly Zhong Wan wanted to send him away. However, as soon as he thought of the fact that he still had official business to attend to, he didn¡¯t bother hounding Zhong Wan again. With a disdainful hum, he left. Zhong Wan looked around the courtyard twice, but couldn¡¯t find Lin Si. He figured that Lin Si was in hiding, so didn¡¯t bother searching further. He told the servants to give Xuan Congxin a heads up. Then, he left alone. The side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. As soon as Zhong Wan got out of the horse carriage, someone walked out and greeted him. Then, they hurriedly herded him into the inner courtyard. ¡°Young Master Zhong, you¡¯re finally here.¡± Steward Feng was so panicked that his forehead was covered in sweat. He quietly said, ¡°Heir started frequently asking for the time since this morning. For some reason, just now, after asking for the time again, he suddenly became outraged. His gaze didn¡¯t even seem normal anymore. For an instant¡­ Heir suddenly asked if there was still any cold food powder remaining.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart clenched. ¡°You didn¡¯t give any to him, right?¡± ¡°Of course not! We¡¯ve long since gotten rid of that kind of medicine in this estate. Our Prince checked several times back in the day. There also haven¡¯t been any vendors for it in the capital for a long time. However, quite a lot of doctors know how to prepare it. If Heir wanted it, he could definitely acquire it,¡± Steward Feng said bitterly. ¡°Young Master Zhong, Heir hasn¡¯t consumed that thing in two years. Please don¡¯t mess with him anymore¡­ We can¡¯t have him being even crazier than before.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°Someone suddenly arrived at the estate¡­ I know now.¡± Steward Feng left. Zhong Wan walked into the study by himself. Yu She was reading. Yu She held the book in his right hand. His left hand rested on the desk. His left index finger was rapidly tapping against the surface of the desk. He seemed to be anxious about something Zhong Wan gently heaved a sigh. He said quietly, ¡°Heir.¡± Yu She pressed his left palm flat against the desk and stopped moving. Yu She didn¡¯t look up. His expression was normal as he asked in a deep voice, ¡°Here so early?¡± The corners of Zhong Wan¡¯s lips quirked up slightly, but his heart twinged with pain. Zhong Wan thought about it. He said, ¡°I originally wanted to come earlier, but Fourth Highness suddenly arrived at our estate. I had no other choice¡­ so wasted some time.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t know if this was an illusion, but he felt that the furrow between Yu She¡¯s eyebrows had slightly relaxed. Yu She continued reading. He asked, ¡°What did Xuan Jing want with you?¡± Zhong Wan sat down by himself. He said, ¡°Fourth Highness thought that I was the one who spread those rumors about Heir a few days ago.¡± Yu She calmly said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t you.¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. ¡°Heir knows who did it?¡± Yu She closed his book. ¡°Does your hand hurt?¡± There was still white cloth covering Zhong Wan¡¯s right hand. Yu She furrowed his brows and pushed a little bottle on the table forward. ¡°This medicine¡­ is probably better than the one at your estate.¡± Next to the medicine was also a white cloth that had already been folded. Zhong Wan grabbed that too. Zhong Wan sat down. He undid the cloth on his right hand and set it off to the side. Using only one hand, he unscrewed the lid of the bottle. His left hand wasn¡¯t as agile as his right. Thus, quite a bit of powder spilled. Yu She watched from afar. Zhong Wan was largely unbothered. He sprinkled some medicine onto the palm of his right hand. Much of it landed on his clothes. The powder emanated a bitter scent. Zhong Wan sneezed a few times. Displeased, Yu She looked over. Zhong Wan shook open the clean white cloth. Using his teeth to hold onto one side, he used his left hand to hold onto the other. Slowly, he circled the cloth around his right hand. In a moment of carelessness, he disturbed the wound on his right hand. Zhong Wan was in pain; he furrowed his brows and hissed. As if unable to bear it anymore, Yu She stood up and walked over. Zhong Wan wanted to laugh, but didn¡¯t dare to. Yu She slapped Zhong Wan¡¯s left hand away. He started bandaging the wound personally. Zhong Wan stared at Yu She and remembered what Xuan Jing had just said. Seven years ago, when Zhong Wan had taken medicine to feign illness, he and Yu She had given each other the silent treatment for several days. Those days, Yu She was in a bad mood too. Each day, a cold expression was painted on his face. When he encountered Xuan Jing in the palace, the insensitive idiot Xuan Jing purposefully scooted close to Yu She and asked, enigmatically, about how he and Zhong Wan were doing. At first, Yu She disregarded him. But Xuan Jing was determined to be annoying. He told Yu She, ¡°If you¡¯ve become sick of him, give him to me. I¡¯ll pay you half of what you paid for him. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± Young Yu She¡¯s expression suddenly changed. It had been Xuan Jing¡¯s first time seeing Yu She so angry. He was extremely surprised and thought that Yu She would start fighting with him. But Yu She didn¡¯t. That day, during Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s lesson, when asked about his opinion regarding ¡°depraved human relationships,¡± fifteen year old Yu Ziyou stood up and walked in front of Xuan Jing. As everyone watched, he furiously scolded Xuan Jing for being an immoral brother and friend. Yu Ziyou was just and stern in his word usage, and also very loud. His scolding rendered Xuan Jing completely speechless. Even Old Imperial Preceptor Shi was so shocked that he forgot what his lesson for today was supposed to cover. Zhong Wan looked up at Yu She. Little Ziyou, yet you still dared to say that on that day, you didn¡¯t feel anything. Yu She told Zhong Wan to place his wrist in Yu She¡¯s palm. He lowered his head and helped Zhong Wan bandage it. His expression was displeased. ¡°Done.¡± Zhong Wan gently moved the fingers of his right hand. Yu She hadn¡¯t bandaged the wound too loosely or too tightly; it was just right. Zhong Wan thought of that serious youth. His heart palpitated with pain. ¡°Heir¡­¡± Zhong Wan pressed his lips together briefly. He softly asked, ¡°Today, are we not kissing?¡± Yu She hadn¡¯t expected for Zhong Wan to suddenly say this. He froze. Zhong Wan cleared his throat, then looked down and fidgeted with the white cloth covering his right hand. Zhong Wan¡¯s head was lowered as he heard Yu She squeeze out each word individually through clenched teeth, tone disbelieving. ¡°The. Sun. Is. Still. Out¡­¡± Zhong Wan closed his eyes and squeezed his mouth shut. Oh no. He had said the wrong thing again. Zhong Wan did his best to act natural. Without waiting for him to say anything, Yu She seemingly exasperatedly but also seemingly furiously said, ¡°Zhong Wan¡­ You can never get enough, huh?¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help himself. His ears instantly flushed red. CH 45 Zhong Wan didn¡¯t want to lose face like this, but he really was unable to control his blush. He craved to ask Yu She, to sort out whether he understood or not. Didn¡¯t he read those storybooks before? Shouldn¡¯t he know what¡­ ¡°never get enough¡± meant¡­? Zhong Wan was so angry that he could feel a headache coming on. Voice low, he said, ¡°Daring to ask Heir¡­ what is it that I never get enough of?¡± Startled, Yu She glanced at the doorway. Then, his gaze filled with disbelief. ¡°You actually have the guts to ask that?!¡± Zhong Wan stilled. He realized something at that moment, and said, aghast, ¡°You had your family soldier come teach me a lesson in the middle of the night. Did you have a dream where I licked you, and you got so mad that you wanted to hit me back?¡± Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. Not bothering to explain, he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you understand.¡± As Zhong Wan was angered to the point of speechlessness, Yu She said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to settle things with you before, but now¡­¡± Once Zhong Wan raised his head, Yu She kissed him on the lips. Just a peck, and he separated from Zhong Wan. Cold enough to freeze, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t let him move, yet licked Zhong Wan¡¯s lips, parting them. The moment Yu She had approached him, Zhong Wan¡¯s mind went blank. Yu She placed a hand on top of his shoulder. Unable to hold himself up, Zhong Wan grasped the cuff of Yu She¡¯s sleeve out of reflex. Yu She grew stiff, as if he were very fond of Zhong Wan pulling him like that. His actions grew many degrees softer. Gentler. Mind in a complete mess, Zhong Wan could not refrain from having his thoughts run foolishly. This person was so strange. What about when he did this with his sweetheart in the future? Would they also be forbidden from moving? Wouldn¡¯t they resemble a dead person? So why did he look like that? In a daze, Zhong Wan recalled when a young Yu She had burnt sleeping incense for him. And alarm filled his heart. Back then, did Yu She do this kind of thing to him? He seemed as though he liked having the other party motionless¡­ Probably not. Back then, Yu She was still very much a gentleman. Yu She brushed his tongue against Zhong Wan. Finding it hard to control himself, Zhong Wan turned his head to avoid it. His breathing quick and brief, he said, ¡°Heir, if you¡¯re like this, I won¡¯t be able to hold back anymore¡­¡± As soon as Zhong Wan looked up, he caught sight of Yu She staring at him, gaze profound. His heartstrings trembled. Brain not functioning, he said, ¡°If I can¡¯t hold back anymore¡­ you¡¯ll scold me again.¡± Yu She also appeared aroused. Frowning, he didn¡¯t want to hear Zhong Wan speak, leaning down to kiss him again. Helpless, Zhong Wan had no choice but to say near whisper, ¡°Let¡¯s come to an agreement first. You can scold me¡­ but don¡¯t scold me too harshly. O-okay?¡± Yu She stiffened. It seemed as if Yu She were repressing something, hand trembling a shade. As he gently rested his forehead against Zhong Wan¡¯s, he muttered absent-mindedly, ¡°You¡¯re only staying still because I¡¯m forcing you¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m forcing you,¡± muttered Yu She with a despondent air. ¡°You¡¯re not doing this voluntarily. That¡¯s why you¡¯re not moving¡­ I¡¯m the one forcing you. I¡¯m the one compelling you to do this¡­ In the future when I die, you¡¯d be pleased. You wouldn¡¯t be sad.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s pupils trembled, pain flaring in the pit of his stomach in a flash. Slightly dazed from what they had been doing before, Yu She accidentally allowed Zhong Wan to catch a glimpse of his true feelings during his youth, through the many layers of disguise Vbggbkoei, Itbcu Qjc mbeiv cb ibcufg tbiv yjmx, alialcu tlr tfjv eq, ajxlcu atf lcaljalnf ab xlrr Te Vtf. Zfjcktlif, Vafkjgv Mfcu gertfv abkjgv atf raevs ogbw atf bearlvf. Ktf vbbg kjr klvf bqfc, lcrlvf delfa. Vafkjgv Mfcu gfmxbcfv atfs kfgf raevslcu jcv vlvc¡¯a atlcx abb wemt jr tf vlgfmais fcafgfv atf gbbw. Dea bcmf tf tjv kjixfv jgbecv atf vlnlvfg rmgffc, j rbecv bo regqglrf frmjqfv tlr ilqr, rmjgfv ab atf qblca bo rkloais mibrlcu tlr fsfr jcv ibkfglcu tlr tfjv. ¡°L-tflg¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s breathing proved rough and heavy. He glowered at Zhong Wan, gripping the latter¡¯s wrist, yanking out Zhong Wan¡¯s hand that was sliding down the collar of his robe in exploration. Toward Steward Feng, he said with rage, ¡°What is it?!¡± Suffering an extreme amount of grievances, Steward Feng had never imagined those two would not even shut the door. In broad daylight, they a-a-actually¡­ Steward Feng forced himself to say, ¡°Fourth Prince is here. He made a huge fuss demanding Heir to return Lin Si.¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. After a moment of staring blankly, Yu She shouted, ¡°What does he want from me?! Lin Si?!¡± Baffled, Steward Feng replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Fourth Prince said that Heir must have definitely captured Lin Si again. This old slave said to His Highness that recently, Heir did not go outside, and absolutely did not bother with anyone. But His Highness didn¡¯t listen. He kept saying he wanted that person returned¡­¡± Yu She closed his eyes to calm himself. Then he turned to Zhong Wan first, anger thick in his voice as he said, ¡°What were you touching just now?¡± Steward Feng was overwhelmed with shock! Red spread through Zhong Wan¡¯s face and down his neck. He glanced at Steward Feng, uneasy. Mind unclear, Yu She had forgotten that Steward Feng was present. In a towering rage, he shouted, ¡°Do you want me to tie your hands up from now on?!¡± Zhong Wan almost collapsed. ¡°Can¡¯t you see Xuan Jing first?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic, you¡­¡± Yu She turned to look at Steward Feng, angry to the point that his voice trembled. ¡°Go¡­ Prepare the roughest rope. Make sure you have a lot and place some in the study and inner chamber. And send some to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. So that he can see it every day. Kill¡­.Kill one to warn a hundred. As a warning to others¡­¡± Unable to refrain from urging, Steward Feng responded in haste, ¡°Heir should quickly meet with Fourth Prince. Fourth Prince brought a rod with him! What if he smashes all of your honored self¡¯s porcelain treasures? The servants cannot stop him¡­¡± Yu She rubbed the center of his brows. Glared at Zhong Wan. Then he turned and left. Steward Feng swallowed his saliva and fell quiet for a moment. Then, in a soft voice, he said, ¡°Young Master, you¡­¡± Zhong Wan had lost a lot of face, so he didn¡¯t care anymore. ¡°Even if I touched him a little, so what?!¡± Steward Feng coughed and sighed. ¡°Why did your honored self¡­ Nevermind. I¡¯ll go find some rope first.¡± Steward Feng rushed off. Zhong Wan leaned against his seat in a daze, pursing his redder-than-usual lips. He closed his eyes, the words Yu She had muttered into his ears still echoing in his mind. ¡°If I die in the future, you wouldn¡¯t be sad.¡± Pain filled his heart. Soft laughter escaped his lips. ¡°To believe one¡¯s own lies¡­¡± Just before, when he had touched Yu She, he obviously liked it. Zhong Wan felt slightly regretful. A moment ago, he had seemed too impulsively indecent. He just hoped that in the future, he wouldn¡¯t actually be tied up. Zhong Wan¡¯s thoughts grew chaotic again. He kept his eyes shut, waiting for Yu She to return so he could explain to him. And as he sat there waiting, he ended up waiting for two hours. Xuan Jing believed without a doubt that if Lin Si was not present at Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, then he must be in Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Yu She had a past record of capturing Lin Si, so the more Xuan Jing had thought of it, the more Yu She seemed like the culprit in his eyes. He had even thought that Yu She had tortured Lin Si to his last breath, where death was a better option than living. As such, he had come to the decision to search the estate and even the Dali Temple. Yu She was simply baffled. He neither captured Lin Si nor could he allow Xuan Jing to search his estate. He was already angry at the start, and did not have the patience to talk to Xuan Jing. The two argued nonstop. Yu She¡¯s mind had already gone messy from Zhong Wan, and his words were somewhat incoherent. ¡°Once every ten days¡­ Once every ten days. Yet you actually still want to delay me? Do you think of him constantly?!¡± A sound of surprise left Xuan Jing¡¯s lips as realization struck him. Furious, he said, ¡°Just who¡¯s the one thinking of him? Sure enough, he¡¯s here! Let me search! I don¡¯t dare to search Prince Yu¡¯s estate, but is that the case for your side courtyard? If your conscience is clear, then let me search!¡± Yu She was caught in a dizzy spell. In the study within his inner courtyard was a Zhong Wan who had been kissed soft by him. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was here quarreling with Xuan Jing instead. Once his mind cleared up a little, he ordered his servants to shoo away Xuan Jing through the main door. Naturally, Xuan Jing would not give in. As he was driven out, he shouted that he would have Emperor Chongan find justice. When Yu She returned to the inner courtyard, it was already pitch-black outside. Steward Feng prepared a table of delicious food, and did not forget to place a plate of braised venison in front of Zhong Wan. They did not talk when they partook in their meals. After dinner, the two sat in the study. They seemed as they had been back in their youth: one person sitting in front of a desk and the other sitting on a low couch with a small kang table before him. Most of the texts in Yu She¡¯s study were storybooks on him and Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan pulled one out in passing, and with one glance his face flushed. However, Yu She was reading them very seriously, so much so that he would even annotate at the side. Zhong Wan gasped in amazement. He really wanted to go over there for a look. Just what kind of assessment could Yu She even come up with for these types of books? However, he didn¡¯t dare say anything. He closed the book. Gazed at Yu She for a moment. He said in a low voice, ¡°Heir.¡± Yu She paid him no mind. Zhong Wan thought for a moment, before softly saying, ¡°The moment I arrived here today, Steward Feng informed me that you¡­ you wanted him to give you cold-food power.¡± Yu She furrowed his brows a hint. He looked up. ¡°What else did he say?¡± ¡°Nothing much. I was just curious¡­¡± said Zhong Wan cautiously. ¡°How does it feel after eating those things? I¡¯ve never tried them before.¡± Yu She raised his head again to glance at Zhong Wan. In a cold voice, he said, ¡°You want to try some?¡± After a bit of consideration, Zhong Wan said, ¡°I¡¯m just curious. That¡¯s it. Word has it that you¡¯ve taken cold-food powder for less than half a year. Looks like it doesn¡¯t do much. Is it true that¡­ it¡¯s actually not harmful?¡± Yu She looked down. ¡°There were some harmful side effects.¡± Striving his hardest to be tactful, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Like what? Does one¡¯s temperament¡­ become irritable? I remember that in the past, an emperor liked taking those drugs and ate so much that he went crazy, easily angered and suspicious. In the end¡­¡± ¡°His sons killed him,¡± said Yu She with an air of indifference. A light sigh left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. Yu She also knew about this. As Zhong Wan thought about how he could advise Yu She to become a better person, Yu She softly said, ¡°It¡¯s not because of cold-food powder that my temperament changed.¡± Zhong Wan was struck speechless. Lifting his head again, Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. In a gloomy tone, he said, ¡°But after I took it for half a year, my mind indeed grew more chaotic. Cold-food powder isn¡¯t something good. You should stop thinking about it.¡± Just as Zhong Wan was about to speak, Yu She once again said impassively, ¡°Even if I¡¯m crazy, no one can touch me¡­ At the very least, no one can touch me now. But you¡¯re different.¡± Zhong Wan was angered to the point of laughing. ¡°I don¡¯t want to try it. I just wanted to advise you,¡± said Zhong Wan in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll truly turn mad. And then one day when you¡¯re unhappy, you¡¯ll kill me.¡± Shocked, Yu She stared at him in bewilderment. ¡°What do you think about all day?¡± He lowered his head and returned to reading. ¡°I haven¡¯t turned that crazy yet.¡± ¡°Then what about in the future? If you keep taking cold-food powder, a few years later¡­ When Emperor Daowu was thirty years old, after a short period of taking it, he became completely mad. When you get into one of your moods, and I accidentally sneeze, you¡¯ll have me slaughtered. ¡°Or maybe because I ate too much, you¡¯d find me an eyesore¡­ ¡°Or because my walking posture wasn¡¯t proper enough¡­ ¡°Or maybe even¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s voice dropped lower and lower. ¡°Because I touched you a little by accident¡­¡± ¡°You still dare to talk?!¡± Yu She stared at Zhong Wan incredulously. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you like this before¡­¡± Recalling what happened during the day, Zhong Wan felt awkward. He rushed to lower his head and turn the page of his book. After a good while, Yu She said impatiently, ¡°Fine! I won¡¯t eat it anymore!¡± CH 46 In the palace. An old eunuch entered Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s palace. Imperial Consort Yu had a horrible headache. During the day, Xuan Jing had been exceptionally full of energy. After being unable to recover Lin Si from Yu She, he thought that it would be better to accidentally kill a wrong person rather than let the true villain escape. Thus, he went to cause a scene at Xuan Qiong¡¯s estate too. Naturally, he once again failed to find Lin Si. Recently, Xuan Qiong had suffered consecutive misfortunes. He was incredibly angry. Before dinner, he made a trip to the palace and complained to Imperial Consort Yu for a long time. He had just left. Imperial Consort Yu had finally coaxed her son away with great difficulty. She was both mentally and physically tired. Overtaxed, she said, ¡°If the emperor still refuses to designate a crown prince, I fear that I¡¯ll be tormented to death by these people first¡­ Yet Qiong¡¯er still urged me to plead with the emperor. Does this kid really think blowing a pillow wind is so easy? It¡¯s been almost two months since I¡¯ve seen the emperor. Even if I did want to help him, how could I?¡± The servant in charge of waiting upon Imperial Consort Yu softly placated, ¡°Fifth Highness has recently been wronged quite a bit. He can only tell you about it. If you happen to see the emperor one day, just remember to offer an explanation for Fifth Highness¡¯s behavior.¡± ¡°Hurry and stop mentioning these things.¡± Imperial Consort Yu was very worried. Speaking of this topic caused her expression to darken. ¡°Last time, Elder Brother told me that in the previous era, the previous emperor had wanted to declare Prince Ning as crown prince. His first thought after this was to kill Noble Consort Zhong. I¡¯m not that much older than Noble Consort Zhong, and also have such an influential maternal home. I worry that the emperor is going to fear me more than the previous emperor feared Noble Consort Zhong. If I got involved too¡­Qiong¡¯er might be able to become crown prince in the future, but I likely won¡¯t be alive to see my son ascend the throne.¡± Imperial Consort Yu grabbed the servant¡¯s hand. She anxiously said, ¡°After Elder Brother said this to me, I became constantly distressed. Tell me¡­ Might the emperor already have such thoughts? I¡¯ve recently been pondering and pondering. The more I do so, the more I feel like the words I¡¯ve spoken in the past have all broken taboo!¡± ¡°Relax, Your Highness,¡± the servant lowered her voice. ¡°I¡¯ve already found the person Your Highness tasked me to find. This old eunuch has been working for Prince Yu¡¯s estate since the previous era. Only, we never knew. The old thing¡¯s lips are mostly sealed. I was worried about alerting him beforehand, so told the people on our estate to tell him that Your Highness has been very anxious recently. Thus, you¡¯ve often said and done the wrong things. Prince Yu could no longer take it, so ordered him to tell Your Highness about the events of the previous era as a warning. Your Highness, be sure not to make a slip of the tongue later.¡± Imperial Consort Yu thought about it, then nodded. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re the more thoughtful one. No matter how merciful or threatening I am, Elder Brother¡¯s people¡­ have always only listened to him and him alone. Unless I¡¯m on the brink of death, they won¡¯t help me.¡± The servant sighed. ¡°Exactly. Then should I call him in?¡± Imperial Consort Yu nodded. Imperial Consort Yu lowered the curtains. A moment later, she watched an old and clumsy eunuch stumble in. He knelt outside the curtains. Imperial Consort Yu gathered her wits and purposefully acted incredibly annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s already so late. What does Elder Brother want you to tell me?¡± The old eunuch lowly said, ¡°Prince said that recently, Your Highness¡¯s mood has been inconstant. You¡¯ve acted¡­rashly. He¡¯s ordered this old servant to tell Your Highness about some ancient history.¡± Imperial Consort Yu said, ¡°So tell me.¡± The old eunuch slowly shared the information about how the previous emperor wanted to kill the mother but leave the son. Only, his retelling was more detailed than what Yu Mucheng had previously shared. Imperial Consort Yu felt anxious. After listening to his story, she remained momentarily silent before saying, ¡°Nobody knows for sure whether or not Noble Consort Zhong was actually involved in the naming of the crown prince. I only know that in the end, she still died. Why does Elder Brother want you to tell me this? I¡¯ll die whether or not I get involved?¡± The old eunuch shook his head. ¡°Noble Consort Zhong passed away from illness.¡± Imperial Consort Yu coldly said, ¡°Who are you fooling? She passed away from illness; her younger sister also passed away from illness. The two of them died one after the other? Who would believe such a story?¡± The old eunuch seemed like a tree root that had already died many years ago. A long time passed before he stated, ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± Imperial Consort Yu thought about it, which was rare. She threatened, ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like that to me. How Noble Consort Zhong actually died, when she actually died, has been carefully kept secret by the palace. After the previous emperor died, basically nobody ever saw her again. Who knows if she was granted death prior to the previous emperor¡¯s passing or not?¡± The old eunuch slowly shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Imperial Consort Yu was so angry that she slapped her kang table. All the pearl and jade ornaments on her head jingled. ¡°My Elder Brother told you to tell me about the past. Did he intend for you to fool me in this manner?¡± The old eunuch seemed exasperated. A long while later, he sighed, ¡°Noble Consort Zhong truly wasn¡¯t granted death by the previous emperor. Speaking of which, Noble Consort Zhong was dragged under by Little Imperial Consort Zhong.¡± Pwqfglji Jbcrbga Te tjv cfnfg qjlv jaafcalbc ab atlr qfgrbc. Vtf kjr rilutais regqglrfv. Ufgqifzfv, rtf jrxfv, ¡°Olaaif Pwqfglji Jbcrbga Itbcu?¡± Ktf biv fecemt cbvvfv. ¡°Olaaif Pwqfglji Jbcrbga Itbcu wjvf j wlrajxf atja mbeivc¡¯a yf xcbkc ys batfgr. Vb ecvfg ecvfg atf mbnfg bo atf qgfnlber fwqfgbg¡¯r oecfgji, atf fwqgfrr vbkjufg¡ªbt, cb atf fwqgfrr ja atf alwf, abbx mjgf bo atbrf akb rlrafgr.¡± Imperial Consort Yu was speechless. Then she said, ¡°I¡¯ve never even heard much about this Little Imperial Consort Zhong? I remember¡­ the previous emperor was technically quite adoring of Noble Consort Zhong. But he was always apathetic toward that Little Imperial Consort Zhong. What could she have done wrong?¡± The old eunuch said, ¡°Back then, Little Imperial Consort Zhong entered the palace along with Noble Consort Zhong. She was young, and also wasn¡¯t as beautiful and didn¡¯t have such a good temperament as Noble Consort Zhong. Thus, the previous emperor never paid much attention to her.¡± Imperial Consort Yu asked, ¡°So? What did she do wrong?¡± The old eunuch lowered his gaze. His voice was raspy as he said, ¡°In the winter of the forty-seventh year of Taiyu, Little Imperial Consort Zhong¡­became pregnant.¡± Imperial Consort Yu didn¡¯t pay attention to the date. She was shocked. ¡°Became pregnant? I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing. What¡¯s wrong with being pregnant? Could it be that she accidentally miscarried the child? That isn¡¯t right either. That isn¡¯t a mistake that would result in death.¡± The old eunuch shook his head. He lowered his voice even more. ¡°Naturally, there¡¯s nothing wrong with becoming pregnant. What was wrong was, at the time¡­ the previous emperor hadn¡¯t shared the same bed with her in five years.¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s expression abruptly changed. The old eunuch coughed twice before continuing, ¡°Because she had Noble Consort Zhong as an older sister, Little Imperial Consort Zhong could also always appear before the previous emperor. But it had truly been many years since the previous emperor had touched her. Little Imperial Consort Zhong hadn¡¯t followed the rules¡­resulting in such a shameful incident. After the empress dowager found out, she naturally couldn¡¯t be kept around anymore. Such things were detrimental to the royal family¡¯s reputation, so couldn¡¯t be spread. The empress dowager was kind as well. She didn¡¯t want Prince Ning to get involved too, so hid things for Little Imperial Consort Zhong. Then, under the cover of the previous emperor¡¯s funeral, allowed them a dignified death.¡± Imperial Consort Yu paled in fright. She barely managed to get out, ¡°She¡­ Was she crazy? To do such a thing? No, no, that¡¯s not right. Little Imperial Consort Zhong was improper, but why did Noble Consort Zhong also have to be?¡ª¡± ¡°Your Highness,¡± the old eunuch interrupted. He slowly stated, ¡°If Noble Consort Zhong and Little Imperial Consort Zhong didn¡¯t die, Your Highness likely wouldn¡¯t have the wealth you do today. Does Your Highness want to ask anymore questions?¡± ¡°The empress dowager used this opportunity well¡­ So the one who truly killed the mother and left the son was the empress dowager¡­¡± Imperial Consort Yu was extremely stunned. ¡°Then¡­ then who was the child¡¯s biological father? Did the empress dowager kill that person too?¡± The old eunuch slightly lifted his gaze. He didn¡¯t say anything else. Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s heart pounded in her chest. ¡°Such a thing actually exists. No wonder those two sisters died so unclearly¡­¡± The old eunuch lowly said, ¡°Back then, the previous emperor wanted to declare his youngest son as crown prince. He truly did consider killing the two of them, and also tested Noble Consort Zhong a few times. But in the end, he didn¡¯t actually do anything.¡± Imperial Consort Yu was in a stupor. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened¡­ Nevermind, nevermind. I don¡¯t want to hear anymore. Just act like you never said anything. Hurry and go.¡± The old eunuch got up with great difficulty. Imperial Consort Yu added in a rush, ¡°Wait. You¡­ In the future, I might summon you here again. What¡¯s your name?¡± The old eunuch bowed. ¡°This old servant is Tang Qin.¡± ¡°Oh, Tang Qin. I¡¯ll remember that,¡± Imperial Consort stated in a daze. ¡°You may leave. Be careful when you do. Don¡¯t let others see you.¡± The old eunuch left while hunched over. Imperial Consort Yu gathered her wits. She sat there alone for a long time, regretting that she had asked about these forbidden affairs. She called a servant over, then told her to instruct Tang Qin not to tell Prince Yu about today¡¯s events. Heart full of regret, Imperial Consort Yu leaned against her kang table. She carefully went over Tang Qin¡¯s words again. Her pupils suddenly constricted. ¡°The winter of the forty-seventh year of the Taiyu era, Little Imperial Consort Zhong became pregnant.¡± Imperial Consort Zhong¡¯s expression became ghastly pale. She felt like poisonous snakes were crawling all over her body. Her scalp tingled. In a barely audible voice, she said, ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that mean, isn¡¯t that child¡­¡± The side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Yu She suddenly got a headache. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhong Wan looked over. Yu She was largely unbothered. He set the storybook in his hands down. ¡°Time to sleep.¡± That night, the two of them slept in the same bed. Zhong Wan slept on the inside, while Yu She slept on the outside. He also kept all his clothes on. A few bundles of hemp rope the thickness of someone¡¯s wrist had been placed between them. Zhong Wan was only wearing a thin layer of inner garments. The wrist resting outside the blankets felt itchy because of the hemp rope. He scratched at it. ¡°This rope¡­ Can we move it off of the bed first?¡± They had just lain down. Yu She couldn¡¯t have fallen asleep already. Yet, he appeared to not have heard anything. His eyes remained closed and he didn¡¯t move at all. Zhong Wan thought about it and added, ¡°Heir, have you heard about the recent rumors related to you?¡± No shit. Yu She fidgeted slightly. He once again ignored Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan kindly persuaded, ¡°The rumors are very ghastly. At first, they said that you¡¯re prone to hitting people, that you often beat your bed partners. Now, they¡¯ve already¡­become very indecent. If you still keep a rope on your bed now, when the news gets out tomorrow, it¡¯ll prove that you have such a fetish!¡± Yu She would have it no other way. ¡°That¡¯s easy to say, but doesn¡¯t sound good.¡± Zhong Wan scratched his arm again. He picked up the hemp rope and softly bargained, ¡°Can I first put this¡­¡± Yu She finally spoke. ¡°If you dare to throw this off the bed, I¡¯ll dare to tie you up. Truly.¡± Zhong Wan paused. For a moment, he actually hesitated. He didn¡¯t know if he should try or not. Zhong Wan¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. ¡°How?¡± Yu She closed his eyes. His voice was very calm. ¡°I¡¯ll tie both your hands together, then tie them to the headboard. I¡¯ll separate your legs and tie them each to a foot of the bed. I¡¯ll remove your clothes and use a bit of aphrodisiac. When you¡¯re unable to keep from crying out loud anymore, I¡¯ll then release your bonds and¡­¡± ¡°S-stop talking¡­¡± Zhong Wan hurriedly interrupted Yu She. He softly, arduously got out, ¡°If you say anymore, I¡¯ll really throw it.¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Yu She took a few deep breaths. As if holding himself back, he asked, ¡°You like that?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart pounded in his chest. ¡°I-it seems pretty exciting.¡± In the dark, Yu She stared at Zhong Wan in disbelief. Zhong Wan waited for a long time, but Yu She didn¡¯t respond. He was sleepy, so fell asleep. Yu She¡¯s eyes were open. His heart beat rapidly. For an extended period of time, he remained unable to fall asleep. Two hours later, Yu She stated in a conflicted tone, ¡°In the past¡­ I hadn¡¯t thought that you would like these things.¡± Zhong Wan was in the middle of a sweet dream. He was woken up by Yu She. Zhong Wan opened his eyes and blearily asked, ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong? Is it dawn already?¡± With the aid of the dim moonlight, Yu She sat up and observed Yu She, expression complex. He suddenly interrogated, ¡°You grew up reading sagacious books as well. Why do you like such things?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes were misty. He sat up too. Voice still slightly nasally, he said, ¡°What do I like? It¡¯s not even daybreak yet¡­¡± Yu She seemed to be very confused. He gazed at Zhong Wan, perplexed; he lifted a hand, then put it down again. Yu She closed his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re in poor health. We can¡¯t be this way.¡± It was unclear if he were saying this for Zhong Wan or himself to hear. Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes were unfocused. ¡°Can¡¯t be what way?¡± Yu She looked at Zhong Wan. He seemed to be experiencing a hallucination: he felt that he really had tied Zhong Wan to the bed, then forced Zhong Wan to beg him with difficulty¡­ ¡°Nevermind.¡± Yu She lay down, back facing Zhong Wan. He sighed. ¡°Sleep.¡± Zhong Wan was completely lost. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep again. The next morning, Yu She handed Zhong Wan a few pages of paper. Zhong Wan looked down at them¡­ The Heart Sutra. ¡°Copy it ten times to rid the impurities in your mind.¡± Yu She looked at Zhong Wan with a conflicted expression. ¡°Bring the copies with you when you come back next time.¡± CH 47 All of a sudden, Imperial Consort Yu had come across such a huge secret, hit with extreme shock and fear. As such, she broke into a high fever that night. From the start, she had been a foolish person, and ever since Xuan Qiong moved out and established his own palace, there wasn¡¯t anyone in the imperial palace she could talk to. She feared she had guessed wrong, feared that that old eunuch would turn around and inform Yu Mucheng. Once the sky was bright, she had people summon Tang Qin to her. ¡°I¡¯ll ask a question, and you¡¯ll answer it.¡± Imperial Consort Yu originally wanted to warn Tang Qin. However, she couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity, though she strived her best to suppress it. ¡°Is¡­ Is Little Imperial Consort Zhong¡¯s child¡­¡± Tang Qin had rushed here and looked even worse than he had last night. His body was hunched, and once he had heard her words, a light flashed in his cloudy eyes. Imperial Consort Yu said with urgency, ¡°Is it Yu¡­ Yu¡­¡± Almost imperceivable to the eye, Tang Qin bowed. ¡°Sure enough.¡± Hatred filled Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯ve long since guessed he was the emperor¡¯s son. But never had I imagined he would be this filthy! Still, I don¡¯t understand. Why did Little Imperial Consort Zhong¡­ Why did she do this? And why did His Ma¡ªhe dare to do this?¡± Tang Qin listened like a block of wood without a word. In disbelief, Imperial Consort Yu said, ¡°As an imperial concubine, even if she wasn¡¯t favored¡­ No, the more unfavored one is, the less likely one would have contact with the imperial princes in the outer court. How did they meet? How did they meet?¡± Tang Qin let his arms hang by his sides and said in an unhurried pace, ¡°The Zhong family originally had no connection with then-Second Prince¡¯s estate. However, before Little Imperial Consort Zhong married, she had been bosom buddies with Second Princess Consort. After Second Princess Consort married Second Prince, Little Imperial Consort Zhong naturally did not see Second Princess Consort as much anymore. However, they still had connections. And since they still had connections, one would fear that before she had even entered the imperial palace, she had already met Second Prince.¡± And this Second Prince they were speaking of was Emperor Chongan. Shocked, Imperial Consort Yu said, ¡°So it was actually before she had entered the palace that¡­ If they had feelings for each other a long time ago, then why didn¡¯t she just straightforwardly marry His Ma¡ªmarry Second Prince?¡± Tang Qin seemed to be struck speechless from Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s stupidity. He kept silent for a good while before saying in a raspy voice, ¡°Your Highness, the Zhong family already intended to send Noble Consort Zhong into the palace. So how could they dare to send one sister into the palace and one into Second Prince¡¯s estate?¡± At this moment, realization struck Imperial Consort Zhong. Rage thick in her voice, she said, ¡°I¡¯ve been angered to the point of confusion. So they¡¯ve actually met since long ago¡­¡± Then, near whisper, she said, ¡°Noble Consort Yu was truly ruined by her own younger sister. They had actually hidden Little Imperial Consort Zhong. And I was thinking, why did Princess Royal Anguo live in the Royal Mausoleum for so long? Could she have been carrying Nezha?! It wasn¡¯t until more than ten months later that she finally came out with a child. Then¡­ Then is Little Imperial Consort Zhong still alive now?¡± Tone growing ruthless, she said, ¡°It¡¯d be great if she were still alive! If I can expose this scandal, let¡¯s see how Yu She can win!¡± Tang Qin froze for a moment. ¡°¡­Perhaps.¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s heart trembled. Her gaze fell upon him. ¡°If you know so many things, does that mean you¡¯re my eldest brother¡¯s trusted aide? You¡­ Do you know if Little Imperial Consort Zhong is dead or alive?¡± Tang Qin shook his head. ¡°I really don¡¯t know. However¡­¡± ¡°However what?!¡± Once again, Tang Qin fell silent. She sneered. ¡°Old thing, think carefully. If Qiong¡¯er can succeed the throne in the future, would he listen to his own mother more or his uncle? No matter how powerful Eldest Brother is, he cannot manage the affairs of the palace. You¡¯ll have to spend the rest of your days according to my whims. Don¡¯t be muddleheaded. Do you have any family members?¡± Appearing reluctant, Tang Qin sighed. ¡°I have a younger brother.¡± Imperial Consort Yu arched a brow. ¡°Is he also a eunuch?¡± He shook his head again. ¡°He¡¯s a low-rank official from the past era who committed a crime, and returned to our hometown to farm.¡± ¡°If you fulfill your tasks properly for me, your younger brother and his family will be fine,¡± she said, frigid as ice. ¡°But if you dare to inform Prince Yu about these matters, your younger brother will die!¡± Tang Qin¡¯s legs trembled beneath him. He collapsed to the ground. With that, Imperial Consort Yu grew a bit relieved. ¡°In the future, complete every task I give you. Don¡¯t let His Highness, Prince Yu, know¡­ So what you meant earlier was, Little Imperial Consort Zhong might still be alive?¡± Trembling, Tang Qin replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know. But there are some clues that point to it.¡± The corners of Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s lips raised into a smile. Clenching her teeth, she ruthlessly said, ¡°If we¡¯re able to find her, then that¡¯ll be interesting¡­¡± Vtf mbeutfv aklmf. Vjlv lc j ibk nblmf, ¡°Ofjnf olgra. Efwfwyfg ktja P rjlv ab sbe. Po sbe ub olcv Uglcmf Te joafg ifjnlcu atlr qijmf¡­ Ktfc atja wfjcr sbe vbc¡¯a mjgf obg sbeg sbecufg ygbatfg¡¯r ilof.¡± ¡°P vbc¡¯a vjgf,¡± rjlv Kjcu Hlc, rtjxlcu tlr tfjv. ¡°Pc atf oeaegf, mbwqifaf fnfgs ajrx P ulnf sbe. Ktfc ijafg bc, sbe jcv sbeg sbecufg ygbatfg klii tjnf wjcs yfcfolar,¡± rjlv Pwqfglji Jbcrbga Te, yfilfnlcu rtf tjv yffc ybat wfgmloei jcv lcalwlvjalcu. Vtf kjnfv. ¡°Xb.¡± The side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. After he had sent off Zhong Wan, Steward Feng went to find Yu She. ¡°Heir, what did you discuss with Young Master Zhong? As Young Master Zhong had left, his expression seemed strange.¡± Yu She said, ¡°He feels guilty because he¡¯s hiding something. His expression indeed seemed abnormal.¡± ¡°What¡¯s abnormal about it?¡± asked Steward Feng in a hoarse voice. ¡°He¡­¡± Yu She found it hard to say. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Steward Feng didn¡¯t dare to ask too much. Noticing Yu She grab a brush and some ink, he approached to serve him. He said softly, ¡°Just now, some news came from the palace. Her Highness Imperial Consort Yu has fallen ill.¡± Yu She¡¯s eyes trembled a hint. ¡°She fell ill all of a sudden last night,¡± said Steward feng. ¡°After they had summoned an imperial physician, the imperial physician didn¡¯t say much. It shouldn¡¯t be a big deal. However, Her Highness Imperial Consort Yu said Prince Yu and Fifth Prince need not enter the palace to pay respects to her. How strange. Usually, whenever she had a headache or a mild sickness, she would definitely throw a huge fuss, making her condition known to everyone. So that Fifth Prince and Prince Yu would come pay respects to her. However, this time she didn¡¯t do this. She even informed their estates that it was only a small illness and they needn¡¯t come.¡± ¡°When abnormal things occur, there¡¯s something fishy going on,¡± said Yu She. ¡°Were you able to find anything out?¡± Steward Feng nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve had people investigate but haven¡¯t received any news yet.¡± Yu She narrowed his eyes. He held his brush with his thumb, index finger, and middle finger, and did not write anything for a good while. Then he said in a soft voice, ¡°Since my youth, Imperial Consort Yu and myself have not been close. We seldom met and did not speak much with one another. I was stupid in my youth and did not understand why Aunt did not like me. I did not understand why Aunt and Mother did not get along. Later on, I finally understood¡­¡± Fearing Yu She had grown upset after thinking of something, Steward Feng coughed. ¡°What do the women of the imperial harem know? Heir should not care about her.¡± ¡°No.¡± Yu She moved his wrist lightly. Wrote the character ¡°Éâ.¡± He said, ¡°She¡¯s afraid of me. Since young, I haven¡¯t met her much, so I don¡¯t know her well. I only have the impression that she isn¡¯t very smart¡­ What do you think?¡± Steward Feng said straightforwardly, ¡°She¡¯s not very smart. Otherwise, for so many years, she wouldn¡¯t have fought with Princess Royal until their relationship was so strained. Heir doesn¡¯t know, but in the beginning, Her Highness Imperial Consort Yu and Princess were very amiable toward one another. Later on, after Heir was born¡­ Her Highness Imperial Consort Yu thought that Princess Royal was using your honored self to scheme. She could not hide her true feelings, aiming sarcastic remarks at Princess and refusing to give her any face. How could a proud and arrogant person like Princess Royal indulge her rudeness? She lost her patience and their relationship gradually soured.¡± ¡°I like stupid people.¡± Yu She then wrote the character ¡°å¶.¡± ¡°What do you think¡­ How about acting on her first?¡± Steward Feng took Yu She in from head to toe. He looked as he had on their first meeting, eyes sparkling with surprise and joy. ¡°Heir, what do you mean?¡± Yu She set down his brush neither too slowly nor quickly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± Steward Feng was almost in tears. ¡°This is the first time Heir is fighting for something, so this old slave is a little¡­ Ah, it¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Recently, Yu She¡¯s reputation was growing. For a moment, Steward Feng wanted to burn some incense in prayer. However, he wasn¡¯t sure who to burn the incense for. He casually thought that in the future, he would make a longevity memorial tablet for Zhong Wan. Yu She gazed at the words on the paper. Lifted his head to smile at Steward Feng. ¡°You¡¯re happy that I¡¯m finally competing for the throne, right?¡± Steward Feng blurted, ¡°Heir, how could you say that aloud?! Don¡¯t speak nonsense. Heir j-just wants to forge a way out for yourself.¡± There were still some things Yu She didn¡¯t finish saying, but he no longer wanted to continue on this topic. ¡°I don¡¯t want to settle things with her, but then I thought of something. I never offended her.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That year, when Xuan Qiong had the imperial snake charmer injure me with a viper¡­ it was all her plan.¡± Such words overwhelmed Steward Feng with shock. Yu She said, ¡°It was Prince Yu who found out. He made a special trip to the palace to warn her. ¡°She¡¯s stupid. Moreover, she wanted to kill me since early on. That¡¯s why, it¡¯s so easy to find the traces.¡± Yu She already came to a decision. ¡°We¡¯ll continue our discussion once your investigation bears fruit.¡± After a moment of thought, Steward Feng replied, ¡°Heir, should we also tell Young Master Zhong? The more people we have¡­¡± In a flash, Yu She¡¯s expression changed. He glanced at Steward Feng, cold enough to freeze. ¡°Don¡¯t tell him.¡± Steward Feng rushed to say, ¡°Yes, yes.¡± He feared if he continued talking about this, Yu She would go crazy again. So instead, Steward Feng said, ¡°What did Young Master Zhong do wrong yesterday? As he left, he said Heir seemed to have punished him to copy something on paper. I didn¡¯t quite catch it.¡± ¡°I punished him to copy the Heart Sutra.¡± After he had mentioned Zhong Wan in this way, Yu She¡¯s expresion lightened a little. ¡°Originally, I wanted to give him a harsher punishment, but¡­¡± Steward Feng blinked. ¡°But what?¡± Yu She stared at the words on the paper in silence. Then he said, ¡°Yesterday, when he was being intimate with me, he said¡­ he said that if I wanted to scold him, to not scold him too harshly.¡± Steward Feng didn¡¯t understand. Yu She said to himself, ¡°I¡¯ve treated him terribly.¡± Steward Feng thought, you¡¯re only figuring this out now? Yu She closed his eyes, but couldn¡¯t suppress his anger. ¡°But I never thought he had such a bad habit! I must punish him.¡± Dying from curiosity, Steward Feng asked, ¡°What bad habit?¡± For a short while, Yu She kept quiet. He wanted to talk to someone. Unable to endure it, he waved. ¡°First, shut the windows and door.¡± Steward Feng went on guard for all possible dangers. Just a while ago, Yu She had even spoken about competing for the throne with the windows and door open, but now, he wanted them all shut. Were his next words very important, like regarding matters of life and death?! After Steward Feng had shut all the windows and doors and returned, he listened with his breath held. Yu She¡¯s lip twitched. ¡°He had a kink while we were in bed together.¡± Steward Feng¡¯s old face flushed. He said even softer than Yu She, ¡°What kink?¡± ¡°He likes¡­¡± Yu She tried his best to word it elegantly. ¡°He likes rough s*x.¡± Steward Feng¡¯s eyes filled with alarm. However, there were some things he couldn¡¯t understand. Steward Feng thickened his face and asked, ¡°Heir, you haven¡¯t done anything with Young Master Zhong yet. So how could you know this?¡± Yu She rubbed the center of his brows, annoyed to the extreme. ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t touch him. He¡¯s the one who said it!¡± Shock crashed into Steward Feng like a tidal wave. ¡°Really?¡± Yu She softly said, ¡°Yesterday in the middle of the night, he found some rope from who knows where and placed it on the bed. After that, he held the rope and groaned as he stuck to me saying¡­ he wanted me to tie him up. T-to do those things to him.¡± Steward Feng Was struck speechless. Following that, he carefully advised, ¡°Heir, let¡¯s not talk about those other things first. Didn¡¯t you tell me to find that rope?¡± Yu She¡¯s perplexed gaze fell upon him, the picture of bafflement. ¡°When did I tell you to do this?!¡± Steward Feng sucked in a cold breath. He felt unfair for Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan¡¯s life truly wasn¡¯t good. Every time he had something important to do, he would chance upon Yu She going crazy. He had been wronged this time, blamed for something he didn¡¯t do. ¡°He¡­¡± Yu She endured his headache, going through much difficulty to mutter, ¡°He spoke with much detail on how to tie up his hands, how to tie up his feet¡­ And even grinded against me, begging me to feed him an aphrodisiac. He said many things that cannot be heard in public.¡± The moment Yu She shut his eyes, he could see that scene. And he could no longer hold back from saying curses. ¡°That motherf*cker forced me to go crazy!¡± Steward Feng looked at him with a gaze full of pity. He could not bear to tell Yu She that he actually had gone mad for a whole day. Until now, he still hadn¡¯t returned to normal. Absentmindedly, Yu She said, ¡°Was he always like this? Had he been like this in his youth, but I was too stupid back then to realize it?¡± Steward Feng summoned a lot of courage to say, ¡°Perhaps he had always been like this.¡± ¡°Last night, after he fell asleep, I finally had some peace and quiet,¡± muttered Yu She. ¡°But he only slept two hours before he woke up. Then he stuck to me again, wanting¡­ I suppressed my anger and told him his body was unwell. That we can¡¯t be like that. Then, after much difficulty, I made him fall asleep.¡± A chill filled his gaze. Expression cold. ¡°I. Didn¡¯t. Sleep. The. Whole. Night.¡± Cautious to the extreme, Steward Feng tried his best to persuade, ¡°Heir, do you want to take a nap?¡± Whether Yu She had heard him or not was anyone¡¯s guess. He ground his teeth. ¡°Do you know how I passed last night? He truly¡­ has no concept of death and danger.¡± Steward Feng nodded as quickly as one would chop garlic. ¡°Yes, yes, Young Master Zhong has no concept of death or danger.¡± ¡°At first, I thought¡­¡± Yu She took a deep breath. His tone was tranquil. ¡°After I die, it wouldn¡¯t matter if Zhong Wan finds someone else. After all, the road ahead is long. He still has many years to live a good life.¡± Anxious, Steward Feng asked, ¡°Why are you mentioning this again?!¡± ¡°However!¡± Unwillingness flared in his chest. ¡°I didn¡¯t know he liked these kinds of things! In the future, when I¡¯m six feet under and if my departed soul is able to sense things, if I learn that his new lover ties him up every night and plays around with him, I¡¯m afraid my corpse would be so angry it would open the coffin¡¯s lid!¡± Steward Feng stared at Yu She, stunned. He could no longer follow Yu She¡¯s train of thought. Why did he also have to mention¡­ supernatural things? Steward Feng gripped his own hands and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s why Heir must not die!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yu She massaged his forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a nap¡­¡± Steward Feng personally escorted Yu She to his bedroom. Once he finished attending to Yu She, he rushed to his own quarters. And he wrote a letter to Zhong Wan. CH 48 On this side, Zhong Wan had already returned to his estate. When he got back to his courtyard, Lin Si was in his room. Lin Si was covered in dust, as if he had just returned from outside. Zhong Wan closed the door and questioned, curious, ¡°Where did you go?¡± Lin Si¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He seemed to have not slept at all. He signed, ¡°I went outside of the city, looking for Tang Ming in Master¡¯s stead. I gave him the letter.¡± Zhong Wan burst into laughter. ¡°You still shouldn¡¯t have gone overnight. Things aren¡¯t that time sensitive. Give me the letter, then go rest¡­ Oh, right.¡± Zhong Wan grabbed the letter Lin Si handed him. His gaze was filled with slight amusement. ¡°Yesterday, after Xuan Jing failed to find you in our estate, he headed to Young Prince Yu¡¯s estate, ready to fight. He got in an argument with Yu She too, adamant that Yu She had kidnapped you.¡± Lin Si¡¯s eyes lit up. Shortly after, though, they dimmed again. He waved his hands and gestured, ¡°I traveled outside of the city overnight and delivered Master¡¯s letter to avoid him.¡± Zhong Wan desired to help Lin Si, but he hadn¡¯t even solved his own problems yet. He didn¡¯t know how to comfort Lin Si, so only said, ¡°I¡¯ll just give you one piece of advice.¡± Lin Si stared at Zhong Wan. ¡°Don¡¯t blindly waste time just because of a moment of despair.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°How many seven years can a person have in their lifetime?¡± Lin Si remained silent. He took two steps closer, then signed, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this. Master, read the letter first. I have other things to say as well.¡± Zhong Wan opened the letter. In the letter, Tang Ming said that he had a connection in the palace who could be used. This person was an old eunuch; in the early years, he had completed a few trivial tasks for Yu Mucheng, Prince Yu. Now that he was old, Prince Yu no longer relied heavily on him. The only reason that he was still alive was because he had never played a role in any significant events. As he was old now, he didn¡¯t have any true power anymore. The only advantage was that he had lived for a long time, so still had a few connections in the palace. This person could be used by Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan scanned over the letter before burning it. He gazed at the flickering flames, lost in thought. For some reason, the feeling that Tang Ming gave him always felt a bit off. Speaking of which, this was quite strange. Tang Ming was clearly someone Old Imperial Preceptor Shi had left for him. He was also Old Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s student. However, Zhong Wan could never bring himself to completely trust the other. Zhong Wan looked at Lin Si. ¡°What are you still standing there for? Sit¡­ What did you want to tell me?¡± Lin Si sat down. Brows tightly furrowed, he started signing to Zhong Wan. Lin Si had made two trips to see Tang Ming in Zhong Wan¡¯s stead. At first, he had even been scared that Tang Ming wouldn¡¯t trust him. Thus, he had prepared a bunch of introductions for their first meeting. Unexpectedly, Tang Ming also acted very friendly when he saw Lin Si. He had tea with Lin Si as they chatted. He even knew a bit of sign language. That time, Lin Si had been in a rush to return to the city. He didn¡¯t gesture much, only making clear his purpose for this trip. After exchanging letters with Tang Ming, he returned. Yesterday, because he had feared encountering Xuan Jing¡¯s people, Lin Si purposefully delayed his trip back. Tang Ming took this opportunity to hold a long conversation with Lin Si. Tang Ming slowly but surely opened the letter. However, he wasn¡¯t in a rush to read it. With a smile, he first asked, ¡°Little brother, you were a servant of the Zhong estate in the past too, right?¡± Lin Si nodded and signed, ¡°I¡¯m the child of Master¡¯s wet nurse.¡± Tang Ming smiled and nodded. ¡°I remember. Back then, Prince Ning spent a lot of time and energy finding and bringing you and Guiyuan back.¡± Lin Si gestured, ¡°Back then, Prince only found Master. It was Master who repeatedly told Prince that I was still outside too. Thus, Prince brought me back as well.¡± Lamenting, Tang Ming said, ¡°So Guiyuan has been like this since young. As long as you¡¯re a friend of his, he¡¯ll take care of you.¡± Olc Vl cbvvfv. Kjcu Zlcu olclrtfv gfjvlcu Itbcu Qjc¡¯r ifaafg, atfc yegcfv la. Coafg j wbwfca bo atbeuta, tf ugjyyfv j ygert jcv qjqfg. Olc Vl rqfmljiis aegcfv jgbecv jcv rabbv uejgv bearlvf atf vbbg. Lf vlvc¡¯a ags ab gfjv jcsatlcu fzagj. Cybea tjio jc tbeg ijafg, Kjcu Zlcu tjv olclrtfv vgslcu atf ofk qjufr bo ifaafg qjqfg. Lf obivfv atfw eq jcv qijmfv atfw lcab jc fcnfibqf, yea vlvc¡¯a rfji atf fcnfibqf klat kjz. Lf mjrejiis gbiifv eq atf fcnfibqf jcv tjcvfv la bnfg ab Olc Vl. Lin Si received the letter and tucked it into his breast pocket, then made to leave. Tang Ming hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be in a rush. Little brother, listen to me speak.¡± Lin Si nodded and listened. Tang Ming sighed. ¡°There were some things¡­ I wanted to say to Guiyuan last time, but was scared of increasing his burden. These days, I thought over them again, yet still haven¡¯t reached a conclusion.¡± Lin Si furrowed his brows. He signed, ¡°Then please, My Lord, keep considering.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to act so unfamiliar with me,¡± said Tang Ming, lamenting. ¡°Guiyuan doesn¡¯t trust me. In these past few days, he¡¯s surely completely unearthed my background. Then you should also know now that the Zhong estate was my mother¡¯s paternal home.¡± Lin Si was speechless. He gestured, ¡°I did not know.¡± Tang Ming closely observed Lin Si¡¯s expression. For a moment, he actually couldn¡¯t tell if Lin Si was acting dumb or not. He shook his head and smiled. ¡°If nothing had happened to the Zhong estate¡­ you and Guiyuan ought to have gotten to know me much earlier. No matter. Let¡¯s not speak about that anymore.¡± Tang Ming invited Lin Si back into the room and brought out a new pot of tea. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about this case for a long time, deliberating between talking about it or not. It¡¯s practically become an illness. Now that I¡¯ve seen you, just consider me as an elderly person who¡¯s intent on being shameless. I¡¯ll tell you and you can make a decision.¡± Lin Si furrowed his brows and signed, ¡°I¡¯m only Master¡¯s servant. I¡¯m not in charge of anything.¡± Tang Ming glanced at Lin Si knowingly. He laughed and asked, ¡°You¡¯re only a servant? Nevermind. I¡¯ll only say what I need to. I want to ask Guiyuan what his goal is in joining this huge mess, expending enormous amounts of mental and physical energy to help Young Prince Yu.¡± Lin Si signed, ¡°Naturally to save Young Prince Yu.¡± Tang Ming asked again, ¡°How? Guiyuan is extremely clever. After hearing me share the events of the past last time, he should¡¯ve already understood. Young Prince Yu¡¯s background is merely a chess piece that others seek to use. He has only lived until now because he¡¯s still useful to everyone else. But if he desires to live a long life, his only option is to¡­¡± Tang Ming looked at Lin Si. ¡°Lin Si¡­ You¡¯ve been under Fourth Prince¡¯s protection all these years, right?¡± Lin Si hadn¡¯t expected for Tang Ming to suddenly start asking about him. He gazed at Tang Ming guardedly and refused to answer. Tang Ming sighed. ¡°If Young Prince Yu ascends the throne in the future, what will happen to Fourth Prince? The two of them seem to have had an irreconcilable relationship since long ago, right? These years, almost everybody has tried to harm Young Prince Yu. You can¡¯t tell me that Fourth Prince hasn¡¯t been a part of this.¡± Lin Si¡¯s pupils trembled. Tang Ming sighed again. ¡°Yes, I know Guiyuan and Fourth Prince are somewhat old friends. In the future, he¡¯d definitely try to keep Fourth Prince safe because of this old friendship. But could he really succeed? Young Prince Yu is the emperor¡¯s illegitimate son. If he ascends the throne, would he really not get rid of all the official princes? After much consideration, I feel that this is still a hopeless case. If another person could¡­¡± Lin Si was shocked. He gestured, ¡°You know that Young Prince Yu is the emperor¡¯s son?¡± Tang Ming was even more surprised than Lin Si. ¡°I told Guiyuan. He didn¡¯t tell you?¡± Tang Ming started coughing in panic. For a moment, he shook like a leaf. Lin Si hurriedly stepped forward and patted him. Tang Ming panted for a long time before sighing. ¡°I¡¯ve made a grave mistake! You¡­¡± Lin Si¡¯s eyes slightly shifted. He raised a hand and wrote on the table, ¡°I¡¯ll just pretend I don¡¯t know anything.¡± Tang Ming felt immensely regretful. He temporarily didn¡¯t know what to say, thus nodded and allowed Lin Si to leave. Lin Si signed, ¡°That¡¯s all that happened. Perhaps I¡¯m overthinking things and misunderstanding his good intentions. Or¡­¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°Or Tang Ming did everything on purpose. He intended to bury a needle between us.¡± Zhong Wan looked at Lin Si. He didn¡¯t make any melodramatic, useless arguments. The two of them had grown up together. Though they each had their own goals now, they still wouldn¡¯t treat each other in such a calculating manner. ¡°Tang Ming was truly thorough with his words. Logically, you wouldn¡¯t have told me these things. You¡¯d feel suspicious, so he would be able to take advantage of this suspicion and spread his reach to Xuan Jing. Then, he would have a spy in Fourth Prince¡¯s estate too,¡± Zhong Wan softly said. ¡°Even if you told me¡­ he could also explain it as him worrying that the two of us wouldn¡¯t be able to get the best of both worlds in the future.¡± Lin Si gazed at Zhong Wan. Murderous intent flashed through his eyes. ¡°Should we end him?¡± he signed. Zhong Wan glanced at Lin Si, annoyed. ¡°Did you learn these poor habits from Xuan Jing? Do you know how Xuan Jing walked into the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate yesterday? ¡°He carried a big stick. That was the first time I saw a prince carrying a stick to fight for the throne. Truly, if one day, he happened to use the stick to murder Yu¡­ pei!¡± Zhong Wan slapped himself. ¡°If one day, he happened to use the stick to murder Xuan Qiong and become crown prince, I wouldn¡¯t say anything else and would be the first to express my loyalty.¡± Lin Si felt embarrassed. Zhong Wan closed his eyes and went over the things Lin Si had just ¡°said¡± in his mind once more. He whispered, ¡°What does Tang Ming ultimately want to do¡­¡± Lin Si blinked. He looked at Zhong Wan unsurely. ¡°The Zhong estate was his mother¡¯s paternal home. Though I don¡¯t know who that Lady Zhong was, I assume that she probably wasn¡¯t from a side branch five times removed, unlike me. It¡¯s very likely that he could be related to Prince Ning.¡± Zhong Wan lowered his voice as he said, ¡°He might truly desire to help me, but definitely wouldn¡¯t desire to help Yu She. Right now, it seems like he wants Yu She and Xuan Jing to fight each other¡­ So who does he want to ascend the throne?¡± Lin Si was shocked. He signed, ¡°Has he become foolish with old age? Why would he work for Xuan Qiong?¡± Zhong Wan burst into laughter. ¡°He obviously wouldn¡¯t. Xuan Qiong carries the Yu family¡¯s blood in his veins. He ought to be one of the people that Tang Ming hates the most.¡± Lin Si was bewildered. ¡°Who else is there?¡± he signed. Zhong Wan moved his lips. He only mouthed the words without making any noise. Lin Si knew how to read lips. He jumped in fright. Xuan Rui. Lin Si stood up. He walked around the room and anxiously gestured to Zhong Wan, ¡°We don¡¯t care about our own lives. If we don¡¯t succeed in the future, we would¡¯ve at least died for a righteous cause. My life is worthless. It matters not if I die. However, Xuan Rui is Prince Ning¡¯s only adult son. These years, he¡¯s finally managed to completely avoid all this conflict. We can¡¯t let him get dragged in again! If Xuan Jing and them knew of Xuan Rui¡¯s intentions, they would definitely eat him alive!¡± Zhong Wan stopped speaking too. He felt the same way as Lin Si; he was willing to walk down this dangerous path himself, but that didn¡¯t mean that he wanted to drag Prince Ning¡¯s children with him down this path as well. Zhong Wan grabbed a brush and paper to write, ¡°Tang Ming probably is confident enough that he can go all out in Xuan Rui¡¯s stead¡­ What is my shixiong¡¯s true background?¡± Lin Si signed, ¡°I don¡¯t know. But are you sure that he wants to help Xuan Rui?¡± Zhong Wan gazed at Lin Si. He wrote, ¡°Want to bet? I¡¯m guessing that his people have already found Xuan Rui.¡± Lin Si was horrified. Zhong Wan heaved out a long sigh. ¡°We lost by just one move¡­ I spent so much energy figuring out how to send Xuan Rui back. Regardless of all the planning and calculations I did, I hadn¡¯t expected for someone to be waiting here.¡± Lin Si agitatedly signed, ¡°How could this be your fault? Sending him back to Qian An early on was to help him avoid these catastrophes. Besides, we aren¡¯t sure yet. These are still only Master¡¯s guesses, right?¡± Lin Si lowered his hands in hesitation. Zhong Wan was extremely intelligent. His guesses were oftentimes correct. Zhong Wan lowly said, ¡°Good guesses might not come true, but bad guesses will. I just hope that Xuan Rui trusts me, that he¡¯s a coward and scared of trouble. That no matter what Tang Ming promises him, he won¡¯t be tempted.¡± Lin Si didn¡¯t understand what Zhong Wan meant. He gestured, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Xuan Rui completely trust you?¡± Zhong Wan remained silent for a moment. ¡°¡­Hopefully so.¡± Hopefully? Lin Si gazed at Zhong Wan. For a moment, he felt a surge of emotions: his heart actually felt cold in Zhong Wan¡¯s stead. ¡°Let¡¯s first not talk about this.¡± A hint of sorrow flashed through Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes before his expression returned to normal. ¡°Tang Ming is purposefully instigating conflict between us. Just pretend that you believe him. I, I¡­¡± Zhong Wan instinctively stood up. ¡°I¡­¡± Lin Si sighed, ¡°What?¡± ¡°I first need to make sure that Xuan Rui is fine.¡± Zhong Wan lowered his voice even more as he said, ¡°We can¡¯t destroy our relationship with Tang Ming yet. We need to fool him completely¡­ ¡°Tang Ming can¡¯t be trusted. He also truly is setting me up. But I still feel like¡­ he ultimately isn¡¯t being too harsh with me. Someone the old imperial preceptor left for me shouldn¡¯t be someone who would cause a maelstrom for his own selfish desires.¡± Lin Si didn¡¯t believe this, but still signed. ¡°Right. We still need to use him.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone back to Qian An to take a look. You rest first.¡± LIn Si agreed. As soon as he left, a servant walked in from outside and brought him a letter, saying that it had been delivered by the steward from the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Zhong Wan¡¯s heart skipped a beat in worry. He had just gotten back. What could Steward Feng need to say? Had something happened to Yu She? The shixiong that Old Imperial Preceptor Shi had left for him had other goals. He didn¡¯t know if Xuan Rui, who was far away in Qian An, had been swayed¡­ At this time, if something bad had also happened to Yu She, Zhong Wan feared that he would no longer be able to bear all these burdens. Zhong Wan inhaled deeply. With the thought that an earlier death meant earlier absolution, he opened the letter¡ª Half an hour later. ¡°Ziyou truly¡­¡± Zhong Wan was seeing stars. ¡°Never lets me down¡­¡± When all the other princes had been young and lacking in a desire to fight, young Yu Ziyou had showcased his innumerous talents and capabilities, causing everyone to believe that he wanted to fight for the position of crown prince. Now, the other princes had slowly grown up and were starting to use ploys to gain power. However, Yu She had become uninterested and turned his attention back onto storybooks and plays. With great difficulty, he had finally gained a desire to fight for his own life. But the reason was¡­ was¡­ Zhong Wan instantly crumpled the letter. He was so angry his voice started trembling. ¡°Who the fuck needs him to join the fight for crown prince just so I won¡¯t be violated by anyone?!¡± CH 49 Zhong Wan read the letter again. He sighed. Xuan Jing, Xuan Qiong, Yu She¡­ And now, it was very likely Xuan Rui was added into the mix. Right now, the most important thing they had to do was send people to find out what¡¯s happening at Xuan Rui¡¯s side. Zhong Wan grasped the letter. Recalled every detail that had occurred ever since he had entered the capital¡­ Since when had Tang Ming first started interfering? He knew that he loved Yu She. Knew that when Prince Qian An¡¯s estate was stable, he would leave Prince Qian An¡¯s estate to help Yu She. Tang Ming also knew that after he had entered the capital, he really wanted to send Prince Ning¡¯s children back to Qian An safely. The death of Third Prince, Xuan Jin, had been a variable. As such, he sent away Xuan Rui first. However, in Tang Ming¡¯s eyes, this variable didn¡¯t matter. What he wanted was for Zhong Wan to separate from Xuan Rui. Tang Ming and Lin Si had just gotten acquainted, and had only seen one another twice. Yet Zhong Wan and Lin Si had nearly fallen out. How would Tang Ming drive a wedge between Zhong Wan and Xuan Rui? Xuan Rui was timid. How would Tang Ming arouse the intention in him to fight for the throne? Zhong Wan felt secretly scared. If it was truly a coincidence, then fine. But if Tang Ming had started scheming the moment Zhong Wan had entered the capital, then he controlled everything in the palm of his hands. And such a person would be extremely difficult to deal with. It wasn¡¯t just that. They would also be ambitious to the extreme. Xuan Rui was Emperor Chongan¡¯s nephew. If Tang Ming wanted him to ascend the throne, they would have to at least kill Xuan Jing and Xuang Qiong. Where did he get this confidence from? For such a complicated matter, if something were to happen in between, Xuan Rui would lose his life¡­ Zhong Wan burned the letter. Rose to his feet to summon a family soldier. He gave him some orders, then told him he must go to Qian An today. Zhong Wan acted out this play well. The next day, he took the initiative to visit Tang Ming. When Tang Ming asked him why he didn¡¯t send Lin Si here anymore, Zhong Wan¡¯s expression froze. Then he said it was safer if he came here himself. If Lin Si and himself truly quarreled, then this reaction would be perfect. However, once Tang Ming had heard his response, his expression remained the same. It naturally caused Zhong Wan to wonder whether he himself had been overthinking. No matter what, if Tang Ming wanted to incite disharmony, he should feel certain that he had already succeeded. This time, Zhong Wan had not come in vain. After an entire day of running about, Zhong Wan returned to the estate sore all over. He took a sip of tea. Closed his eyes and carefully recalled every detail of his meeting with Tang Ming today. Tang Ming was very intelligent. His speech and way of doing things were practically watertight. However, Zhong Wan was already certain that his suspicion of Tang Ming had not been unwarranted. This shixiong of his was helping Xuan Rui in the shadows. But there was something Zhong Wan could not understand: how was he going to persuade Xuan Rui?! Wasn¡¯t this forcing a rabbit to eat people? As Zhong Wan wracked his brains, someone pushed the door open. It was Xuan Congxin. ¡°You¡¯ve returned?¡± Xuan Congxin was already used to Zhong Wan always running about outside. She guessed that he went to see his sweetheart, and was too embarrassed to ask for more detail, pretending she didn¡¯t know. ¡°After you left the estate so early this morning, someone came to look for you. Xuan Yu received them for you and sent them off. He feared hindering you, so asked that person to leave his name.¡± A smile graced his lips. ¡°Did Fourth Prince come again?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Xuan Congxin. ¡°He said he was an old friend of yours. Called¡­ Oh, Shi Hong.¡± Shi Hong, Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s son. Itbcu Qjc kjr rtbmxfv. Eluta joafg Uglcmf Rlcu tjv ifoa atf kbgiv, Te Vtf qegmtjrfv Itbcu Qjc. Ycmf, tf yewqfv lcab Vtl Lbcu bc tlr jcv Te Vtf¡¯r kjs bea bo atf frajaf. Ccv Vtl Lbcu tjv sfiifv ja tlw, fnfgs kbgv oeii bo jyerf. Ca qgfrfca, Itbcu Qjc ralii gfwfwyfgfv la lc nlnlv vfajli. Xuan Congxin said, ¡°Xuan Yu was so dim-witted. That person said he was leaving and Xuan Yu just let them leave. He did not even ask if they wanted to stay for dinner. Was he one of your old friends? We neglected him¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s the son of my teacher. Two years ago, he became an imperial censor. It truly suits him¡­ Indeed he is an old acquaintance. However, we¡¯re not close.¡± Zhong Wan laughed in spite of himself. ¡°I¡¯ve been back for so long and I fear he¡¯d kick me out. I don¡¯t even dare to visit him. How strange¡­ He hates me so much, so why did he come to our estate?¡± Xuang Congxin shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But don¡¯t worry. We didn¡¯t actually neglect him. After Steward Yan left, all the lower-ranked stewards treat anyone with the uniform of an official like they¡¯re the prime minister. Xuan Yu also rushed out to speak with him. It¡¯s just that once he had heard you weren¡¯t here, he left¡­ Will you visit him tomorrow?¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t have the mood to see that bookworm. ¡°Enough. I don¡¯t have much to say to him. Just send him some gifts and that should be enough. Don¡¯t go too crazy. It¡¯s the thought that counts. I don¡¯t have a good reputation. Don¡¯t make it so that others would gossip about the household of my teacher.¡± Displeased, Xuan Congxin asked, ¡°How is your reputation not good?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°Nothing. Did anything else happen yesterday?¡± ¡°No. I will arrange for people to send gifts to the Shi estate.¡± After Xuan Congxin had left Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard, she had people prepare a gift to send to the Shi estate. She thought that since Zhong Wan wanted to stay in the capital, the more friends the better. As she was preparing the gift list, she purposely did not put the gifts under Xuan Yu¡¯s name. Rather, she only wrote down Zhong Wan¡¯s, wanting the recipient to know his goodwill. If something happened in the future, they would help him out more. The road to hell was paved with good intentions. The next day. Xuan Qiong shook his head as he burst into laughter. ¡°Zhong Wan truly doesn¡¯t fear death. Just as Shi Hong received a complaint that the officials working in Qian An were bribing Prince Qian An, that Prince Qian An and those officials frequently met, Prince Qian An¡¯s estate then sent a gift to Shi Hong. Hahaha¡­ Hasn¡¯t he gone mad?¡± Imperial Consort Yu smiled. Lowered her head to sip some tea. Ever since Xuan Qiong had offended Yu She because of the matter with Zhong Wan, ever since Yu She had shoved him into the water, he experienced bad luck. Day after day, he either got schemed against or rebuked, angering him to the point of almost falling ill. After so many days, he finally had a breath of relief. Once he had gotten the news, he entered the imperial palace full of joy and expectations to inform Imperial Consort Yu. ¡°I¡¯ve told you a while ago not to be rash. Your mother would arrange everything for you.¡± Imperial Consort Yu set down the teacup. A cold light flashed in her eyes. ¡°That Zhong Wan¡­ I heard that he and Yu She fool around with each other ambiguously. Oh, last time when Yu She shoved you into the pond, it must have been mostly Zhong Wan¡¯s idea. I¡¯ve long since wanted to deal with him, but your uncle just kept blocking me.¡± Xuan Qiong both respected and feared Yu Mucheng. As soon as he had heard those words, he hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, ¡°Uncle doesn¡¯t allow us to compete with Yu She. Once he finds out, would he, would he¡­¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t find out,¡± said Imperial Consort Yu consolingly. ¡°The person who has many dealings with the officials of Qian An is Prince Qian An, that unfortunate fellow. Zhong Wan was the one who received the bribes of the officials holding office in Qian An. And the person who spread this news was Shi Hong. Then from start to finish, what does this have to do with us?¡± Xuan Qiong thought for a moment. Smile. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Hey¡­ Could it be that Mother is still investigating this matter and already has proof?¡± Imperial Consort Yu smiled yet did not answer that question. But she was no match for Xuan Qiong¡¯s persistent questioning. She could only say softly, ¡°Actually it¡¯s all because of your Uncle¡¯s help.¡± Xuan Qiong didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Didn¡¯t Mother just say Uncle doesn¡¯t know about this?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t know.¡± Imperial Consort Yu snorted. ¡°At present, although he doesn¡¯t know, I have already bought his subordinates.¡± She relayed the matters regarding Tang Qin to Xuan Qiong. Near whisper, she said, ¡°That old eunuch knows a lot and is very timid. I just threatened him a little, and now he does whatever I say. After I said I wanted Zhong Wan¡¯s life¡­ he told me this: to borrow your uncle¡¯s subordinates to find human testimonies and material evidence. As a matter of fact, after two days, we already reported this to the Imperial Censorate.¡± Pleased, Imperial Consort Yu leaned against the soft cushion on her seat. She sneered. ¡°Your uncle is truly impressive. At the start, I thought Princess Royal Anguo had turned your uncle into a pushover. Never had I imagined that he was raising this many people in the shadows. And they¡¯re all very useful¡­ What a pity that no matter how impressive he is, he can¡¯t keep an eye on his people at all times. Especially the people in the imperial palace.¡± Overjoyed, Xuan Qiong quickly urged Imperial Consort Yu to let him meet Tang Qin. Imperial Consort Yu wasn¡¯t a smart person, but she still knew her own weak points. Knew that Xuan Qiong was even less able to remain calm than herself. She feared that if he learned too much of the previous era¡¯s dirty secrets, he would step off the path to victory. Frowning, she said, ¡°If you meet him and inadvertently alert your uncle, causing your uncle to find out what happened, what¡¯s to be done? At that time, if he¡¯s bent on taking that old eunuch¡¯s life, we¡¯ll lose our source of information, stumbling blindly in the dark.¡± Helpless, Xuan Qiong could only listen. ¡°I¡¯ll help you blow off some steam.¡± She smiled at her son. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about anything else. Just this matter of receiving bribes from local officials will cause Zhong Wan harm.¡± Xuan Qiong also smiled. ¡°Then what about Prince Qian An?¡± Not caring, Imperial Consort Yu said, ¡°Who knows how he¡¯d be punished, this insignificant person.¡± As soon as Xuan Qiong thought of this, a smile spread across his lips once more. ¡°This time, Zhong Wan will be thrown in prison. How could I not go visit him?¡± ¡°Rein in your bad habit.¡± Imperial Consort Yu frowned. ¡°Why do you have to see him?! I¡¯ve also heard the rumor. His reputation is terrible. You have yet to marry a principal consort, so don¡¯t have any contact with such a person. Truly infuriating¡­ Once he is thrown in prison, just tell the prison staff to torture him.¡± She fixed her sitting position, sitting upright. Furrowing her brows, she warned, ¡°But only give that order after his first interrogation! Don¡¯t beat him up ruthlessly to the point where even the blind can tell.¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± Xuan Qiong laughed. ¡°As long as it¡¯s after the first interrogation, we can put the blame of any additional injuries on the prison staff.¡± ¡°I never thought that he would go as far as to send Shi Hong a gift.¡± Imperial Consort Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Even an immortal can¡¯t save him now. Tomorrow, the morning court will be interesting.¡± Carefree, Xuan Qiong slapped the table. ¡°Tomorrow at this time, I¡¯ll have people hang him and beat him up!¡± The next day. Zhong Wan sneezed all morning. Xuan Congxin forced him to drink a bowl of ginger soup. ¡°I really didn¡¯t catch a cold. There¡¯s an eighty percent chance someone¡¯s talking behind my back¡­¡± said Zhong Wan bitterly. ¡°Who made this ginger soup? There¡¯s not even a bit of sugar.¡± ¡°I made it,¡± said Xuan Congxin, drawing her brows together. ¡°You¡¯ve obviously caught a cold again. You¡¯re not allowed to leave the estate today! Drink a whole pot of ginger soup and cover yourself in blankets in bed all day. Then you¡¯ll get better.¡± Truly unable to drink any more, Zhong Wan said, ¡°If I actually caught a cold, then what are you doing here? What if you catch it? Go, go¡­¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten sick in many years. So why would I be afraid?¡± she said. The way she was, Zhong Wan would not be able to win against her. Then she said, ¡°Drink! You¡¯re not honest even though you¡¯re sick.¡± As the two contended with one another, a racket broke out outside. Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard was the one closest to the front doors. He rose to his feet. ¡°Return to the inner courtyard. I¡¯ll take a look.¡± Xuan Congxin was unwilling to leave, but she could not show her face in public. As such, she could only hide in her courtyard. Outside, a servant staggered along to rush into Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard. After tumbling to the ground, he crawled back to a stand. ¡°B-b-b-big¡ª¡± Zhong Wan approached him. ¡°Big what?¡± ¡°Big trouble. Officials are outside¡­ They said they¡¯re here to seize Young Master.¡± The family servant was so scared he kept stuttering. ¡°They said¡­ Young Master committed a crime!¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows a hint. ¡°What crime did I commit?¡± Fearful, the servant said, ¡°For inciting His Highness to form personal relationships with the feudal officials with an ambiguous intention, for accepting bribes, and¡­ and¡­¡± Zhong Wan paled. He couldn¡¯t understand what this servant was saying. At that moment, he finally solved the riddle he had been pondering for many days running, a white light flashing in his mind. The lingering mess of a dense fog cleared in an instant. Why Tang Ming had such confidence in himself. Why Tang Ming seemed certain that he¡¯d persuade Xuan Rui since long ago¡­ It was because of having ¡°personal relationships with the feudal officials.¡± Just this crime was enough to make Emperor Chongan punish Xuan Rui. This matter could be either large or small. Emperor Chongan wouldn¡¯t want Xuan Rui¡¯s life because of this, but he would discipline him. The heavy punishment would be stripping him of his noble rank. The light punishment would be a rebuke. Zhong Wan had neither an official position nor noble rank. If he took the blame for Xuan Rui, the best case scenario would be serving time in prison. At that time, if Xuan Rui could not find him, and was suspected by Emperor Chongan, then Xuan Rui would definitely be lost. With this personality of Xuan Rui, if Tang Ming offered assistance when he did not know what to do, then he would definitely listen to everything Tang Ming said. Would definitely believe everything Tang Ming said. Tang Ming only needed to accompany Xuan Rui through this crisis, and he would obtain Xuan Rui¡¯s trust and reliance. When the time comes, Tang Ming merely needed to use a bit of tricks, and he¡¯d convince Xuan Rui that Emperor Chongan would kill him sooner or later. Afterward, he¡¯d have no choice but to rebel¡­ Tang Ming knew inside and out everything regarding Zhong Wan. Knew that back then in Qian An, he could not even have a full meal. So it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if Zhong Wan accepted bribes from those local officials. Tang Ming had once mentioned he had people in the imperial palace. To spread this news to people who disliked Zhong Wan was but a simple matter. He wanted to create a big reaction. He would absolutely place this information, which could be used against Zhong Wan, into the hands of those who hated him the most¡­ It was highly likely it would be Xuan Qiong. In the blink of an eye, Zhong Wan had figured everything out. But it was useless. It was already too late. Tang Ming was careful to the point of arranging Shi Hong, who would not make any allowances for even his own relatives, to arrive at the estate after Zhong Wan had left the city. Because of Old Imperial Preceptor Shi, he and Shi Hong had had a brief encounter, and it was very likely that he would pay a return visit. If not, then he would send a gift over. In this way, his guilty conscience would be confirmed. Once other people heard this news, they would think Zhong Wan truly went to bribe Shi Hong as a plea for leniency. There was no way he could absolve himself. ¡°Young Master Zhong? Young Master?¡± The servant saw him in a daze and asked, flustered, ¡°What should we do? What should we do?¡± Zhong Wan closed his eyes. He grabbed the servant¡¯s hand. Calmed himself. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Tell Young Miss and Young Master to claim ignorance no matter what. They must not ask for leniency from anyone. Lin Si¡­ I don¡¯t know where he is. Once he returns, inform him of what happened. Tell him to protect himself first. Don¡¯t let emotions affect his decisions. Take care of the two young masters in my stead. If there¡¯s a chance, kill Tang Ming for me.¡± These words were very hard to listen to. The servant was so rushed that he started crying. ¡°Then what should we do? Young Master, you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll grab a thick set of clothes¡­ They will interrogate me for a long time. I won¡¯t let myself die from the cold first.¡± Zhong Wan was very clear on the fact that once he died, those people would interrogate Xuan Rui. ¡°Make them wait for a bit¡­¡± Sobbing, the servant nodded. ¡°Young Master, hurry. The officials of Dali Temple are rushing us!¡± Zhong Wan stopped in his tracks. All of a sudden, he looked back. ¡°Who?¡± The servant wiped his tears. ¡°The officials of Dail Temple! They did not shout or urge us to hurry, but so many arrived. It really scares people¡­¡± Zhong Wan muttered, ¡°It should be the Ministry of Justice that deals with catching and punishing people involved in bribes¡­¡± Scared witless, the servant said, ¡°Young Master, what does your honored self mean?! It truly is the people from Dali Temple! But so what?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart that had been full of fear calmed in a flash. Some people were accustomed to being idle and ignoring their proper duties, so much so that everyone forgot who was in charge of this section. The present head of Dali Temple was surnamed Yu with a given name She. CH 50 Two hours earlier. Since Third Prince Xuan Jin¡¯s passing, because of overbearing sorrow, Emperor Chongan had changed the frequency of morning assemblies from once every three days to once every five days. Then, he changed this again from once every five days to once every ten days. According to Yu She¡¯s official grade and ranking, he was originally only supposed to attend morning court once every five days. Now, he technically needed to attend every assembly. However, he had always attended only occasionally. These years, the number of pamphlets handed to the emperor by the Imperial Censorate criticizing Yu She for unreasonably skipping assembly were enough to bury all of Dali Temple. Each time, Emperor Chongan used the excuse of ¡°Ziyou is in poor health¡± to refute all of them. Either way, ever since Yu She had been assigned the position of head of Dali Temple, the number of cases at Dali Temple became fewer and fewer. Any work that needed to be done was completed by the other two vice-heads. With time, everyone started turning a blind eye. They weren¡¯t shocked when Yu She didn¡¯t attend; when he did, they only treated it as a surprise. Prior to morning court, Xuan Qiong noticed Yu She. His heart skipped a beat before he decided that it didn¡¯t matter. How real were Yu She¡¯s feelings for Zhong Wan? It wasn¡¯t even certain if he would speak up for the other. It had been so many years already. Aside from yelling back at the monitor censors when they yelled at him during assemblies, Yu She never made his opinion known regarding anything. Besides, even if he did speak up, real and material evidence remained in Shi Hong¡¯s hands. What could Yu She do? On the way to Dali Temple, Zhong Wan was immensely confused too. How did Yu She manage to get this case transferred from the Ministry of Justice to Dali Temple? The Dali prison aide in charge of arresting Zhong Wan didn¡¯t know either. ¡°We really aren¡¯t clear about this. We only heard that during today¡¯s morning assembly, our Young Prince Yu opened his honorable mouth, which is rare, and debated several rounds with Lord Shi from the Imperial Censorate. In the end¡­¡± It was hard for Zhong Wan to imagine Yu She, who had been in a dazed mental state merely two days ago, logically and reasonably debating with someone during morning court. He asked, shocked, ¡°What happened in the end?¡± The Dali prison aide swallowed. ¡°In the end¡­ it didn¡¯t matter. The people in the Imperial Censorate were within reason and had evidence. They even brought out your letters in communication with those lowly officials. Everything was written with black ink on white paper. Young Prince Yu honestly had no way of completely exonerating you.¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°So what?¡± said the Dali prison aide said. ¡°If exoneration isn¡¯t possible, we can choose another path. On the spot, Young Prince Yu asked the emperor to move your case to our Dali Temple. Naturally, the Imperial Censorate exploded again. However, our Young Prince stopped reasoning with them. Refusing to reason things out makes things much easier. See? Now we¡¯re in charge of picking you up.¡± For a moment, a mess of emotions rose in Zhong Wan¡¯s heart. ¡°He¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart felt both pained and sore. ¡°Why did he get involved in this?!¡± The Dali prison aide chuckled. ¡°If he didn¡¯t, you would¡¯ve been thrown into the Ministry of Justice¡¯s jail.¡± Another prison aide added, ¡°The Ministry of Justice is Fifth Prince¡¯s territory.¡± Zhong Wan understood. If he went to the Ministry of Justice, he would probably end up getting practically skinned during the trial. Yu She¡­ recognized this threat too. ¡°After the morning assembly, Young Prince Yu stayed behind, probably because he had something to say to the emperor,¡± another prison aide said. ¡°So, the vice-head told us to first bring you over. In less than two hours, Young Prince Yu should be able to return.¡± Zhong Wan was brought into the Dali Temple. Upon noticing that Zhong Wan had been so difficultly attained by Yu She, the vice-head of Dali Temple didn¡¯t dare to mistreat him. He ordered a brief body search of the other before locking him up in a clean room. Only a table and chair were in the clean room. Zhong Wan sat down and offhandedly tied up his hair that had just gotten let down. He silently pondered how to get out of this situation without involving Yu She. The focal points for this case weren¡¯t actually the acts of bribing or accepting bribes. Tang Ming and Xuan Qiong would definitely try to push for the main offense being ¡°Prince Qian An privately colluding with local officials.¡± He needed to spin the story so that he was the focal point instead. How to spin it? Zhong Wan understood that as long as Yu She presided over this case, he most likely would simply force all the blame onto Xuan Rui. This way, Zhong Wan would be able to be released earlier. Ktja kbeivc¡¯a vb. Rba bcis kbeiv atja tjgw Wejc Eel, la kbeiv jirb yf j rafq gluta lcab atf biv yjrajgv Kjcu Zlcu¡¯r agjq. Po Wejc Hlbcu, atf lvlba, revvfcis ugfk j ygjlc, tf mbeiv jirb erf atlr jr jc bqqbgaeclas ab tega Te Vtf joafg, abb. Ktja mbeivc¡¯a tjqqfc¡­ In a bit, he would try to convince Yu She by using pathos while trying to make him understand by using logos. He would do his best to persuade the other to judge the case as fairly as possible. Zhong Wan thoroughly turned the two words ¡°Tang Ming¡± over and over in his mouth. He wanted to bite that old thing to death, but also couldn¡¯t help feeling admiration. Even if the unexpected happened today and Yu She saved him, this wouldn¡¯t affect the other¡¯s plan at all. That old thing could even lie to himself and feel that he had lived up to Old Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s expectations. He truly hadn¡¯t attempted to take Zhong Wan¡¯s life, after all. Zhong Wan muttered to himself, ¡°Has Lin Si received the news yet¡­ Might as well kill that old thing earlier and be done with it.¡± Though he thought this, Zhong Wan believed that Tang Ming had probably already run away. Zhong Wan stood up and walked around in a circle in the empty room. An idea slowly formed in his mind. He waited for the entirety of two hours before hearing people outside say that the head of Dali Temple had arrived. Another hour later, someone came to summon him. Zhong Wan straightened out his clothes, stood up, and followed. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t get taken to the official courtroom. Instead, after circling twice, he got directly taken to the room where Yu She read through his case files. Yu She had yet to change out of his court attire. He sat at his desk, expression cold as ice. There were a few letters set on Yu She¡¯s desk, in addition to a gift list. Yu She didn¡¯t look at Zhong Wan. He lifted his head and calmly gave the vice-head a few orders. Ever since he had returned to the capital, each time Zhong Wan met with Yu She, Yu She had never managed to calmly speak more than a few sentences. In his heart, Zhong Wan felt extremely remorseful and pained for Yu She. He also knew that the other had first been emotionally wounded by his background, then physically wounded by the cold food powder. He felt that it was normal no matter how insane Yu She acted. This was his first time witnessing Yu She taking care of official business in such an organized manner. For a moment, Zhong Wan blanked out. Yu She sent the vice-head away. ¡°Go. Write a case file out first.¡± The vice-head retreated. Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan, expression dark. Nobody else was in the room. If he bowed and kowtowed now, he would seem too inconsiderate. Zhong Wan¡¯s lips moved. ¡°It must have taken a lot of effort¡­ to bring me here.¡± Yu She coldly glanced at Zhong Wan. ¡°How well you¡¯ve completed your tasks these past few years.¡± Zhong Wan lowered his gaze. He didn¡¯t know either how much evidence Tang Ming had compiled. Simply looking at the thick envelopes on Yu She¡¯s table, he could tell that there was a lot. Zhong Wan admitted his guilt very obediently. ¡°Yes.¡± Zhong Wan was too lazy to argue with Yu She about how difficult things had been for him when he had first arrived in Qian An. So much time had passed. If he said anything else now, that would be overdramatic. ¡°But¡­¡± Zhong Wan said with a lowered voice. ¡°At the time, Prince Qian An was only just past the age of ten. He really didn¡¯t know anything. Everything was my idea.¡± Yu She looked at Zhong Wan, gaze conflicted. Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t actually planning on dying because of this case. There were some crimes he couldn¡¯t rid himself of guilt for, but there were others he could explain clearly. Just as he was about to speak, Yu She interrupted, saying, ¡°Back then, did you only survive because of all this begging you did?¡± Zhong Wan pressed his lips together. He suddenly felt a bit regretful. He was more willing to go to the Ministry of Justice and look at Xuan Qiong¡¯s pleased expression than let Yu She know how difficult things had been for him back then. Zhong Wan flattered himself by being concerned that Yu She might feel bad for him. Zhong Wan said, ¡°And¡­ It was so-so.¡± Yu She calmly stared at Zhong Wan. ¡°Just now, before you arrived, I first interrogated two officials who had originally worked in Qian An but are currently staying in the capital.¡± Zhong Wan thought to himself, it¡¯s over. ¡°Before I could even torture them, they had already gone into great detail.¡± Yu She gently knocked on the desk. ¡°You truly would rather bend than break.¡± Zhong Wan lowly said, ¡°Let¡¯s first not talk about this. The case¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about regarding the case.¡± Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan. ¡°I vouched for you.¡± Zhong Wan was shocked. ¡°What?¡± Yu She said, ¡°After morning court, I admitted this case to the emperor. Technically, I didn¡¯t even vouch for you. It¡¯s true that the original prefecture magistrate of Qian An found me, and it¡¯s true that I met with him and agreed to complete a favor for him. Didn¡¯t you know that?¡± ¡°No,¡± Zhong Wan hurriedly said. ¡°That can¡¯t be considered in the same case! I was the one who accepted the bribe! Besides, you only participated once. You¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t repeat Shi Hong¡¯s words!¡± Yu She¡¯s eyebrows were tightly furrowed together. Slight fury appeared in his eyes. ¡°If not for the fact the Shi Jin taught me lessons for a few days, I would¡¯ve killed him today¡­¡± Zhong Wan said in agitation, ¡°What did you actually admit to?! Don¡¯t be worried. I already have an idea. I¡­¡± ¡°What idea could you have?¡± asked Yu She in response, calmly leaning against the back of his chair. ¡°They¡¯re investigating you outright, but in secret, have already sent people to ask around in Qian An. In order to keep Xuan Rui out of things, what were you planning to do? Admit everything? Be his scapegoat?¡± Yu She¡¯s tone was cold. ¡°How much silver is this in total? Are they worth causing a commotion during morning court? It¡¯d be impossible for the emperor not to be able to tell that someone with an ulterior motive wants to use this as an excuse. But if the emperor himself could use this as an excuse to take away Xuan Rui¡¯s noble title, he would be more than willing to. Don¡¯t you understand? If you don¡¯t stop things now, are you waiting for your entire estate to be searched too? So that things will be never ending?¡± Zhong Wan got out with difficulty, ¡°You¡­ what did you say?¡± Yu She calmly stated, ¡°I admitted all the crimes I could for you.¡± Zhong Wan looked at Yu She. His thoughts drifted to a time several years ago. Back then, many people in Qian An believed the stories about Zhong Wan and Yu She¡¯s relationship. The estate¡¯s steward, Yan Pingshan, was incredibly anxious. He felt that this ploy would eventually become exposed. He once asked Zhong Wan, if the rumors happen to spread to the capital and Young Prince Yu finds out, what are you preparing to do? At the time, Zhong Wan had been so ill he hadn¡¯t been able to get out of bed. Like a hooligan, he answered, ¡°I¡¯ll live every day I can and think about that when he actually finds out. It¡¯s up to him whether I live or die.¡± No matter what, Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t expected that several years later, the Yu She of today, the one who had been tricked by him, would silently shoulder all the burdens for him. Yu She¡¯s expression was natural. He scoffed, saying, ¡°What were you planning to do? The same thing you did when we were young? Get your hand slapped in Xuan Rui¡¯s stead when he couldn¡¯t memorize his books as a kid?¡± Yu She picked up the gift list on the desk. He muttered, ¡°But this time, it¡¯s no longer an incident that can be resolved simply by getting hit in the palm¡­¡± Zhong Wan blankly stared at Yu She. His heart hurt so much that even his hands slightly trembled. After reading all of the ¡°evidence¡± on his desk, Yu She lifted his head. Once he noticed that Zhong Wan¡¯s expression was off, the smile on Yu She¡¯s face slowly dissipated. Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan judgingly. His eyes slightly narrowed. ¡°I understand. From start to finish, you never expected that I would help you.¡± Zhong Wan was worried that Yu She would misunderstand. His voice trembled as he said, ¡°That¡¯s not it. It was my own fault originally anyways. I can¡¯t let you?¡ª¡± ¡°Zhong Wan.¡± Yu She stared calmly at Zhong Wan. Out of the blue, he asked, ¡°It¡¯s been many years since anyone has treated you well, right?¡± For a moment, Zhong Wan didn¡¯t understand what Yu She was trying to say with his disconnected phrases. He instinctively wanted to refute the other, but when he opened his mouth, he surprisingly didn¡¯t manage to get anything out. Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan. He calmly said, ¡°Otherwise, how come when I simply helped you a bit¡­ you became so panicked?¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. Since he had gone to Qian An, everything had fallen onto Zhong Wan¡¯s shoulders. He had no one to discuss with and no one to rely on. Zhong Wan had long since gotten used to taking the blame for anything first, regardless of what had happened. ¡°These years.¡± Yu She threw the letters and gift list in his hand into the brazier. The flames engulfed them. He softly scoffed. ¡°I haven¡¯t lived smoothly, but neither have you, right?¡± Yu She poked at the charcoal. ¡°If you¡¯re unused to this, don¡¯t understand it, can¡¯t comprehend it, can¡¯t sense it, or sense it but feel like there¡¯s something else involved¡­ then I¡¯ll be a bit more clear.¡± Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan. ¡°I¡¯m caring for you.¡± CH 51 All of a sudden, the pupils of Zhong Wan, who hadn¡¯t been ¡°cared for¡± for many years, dilated. In the past, he had experienced being pampered and indulged. When Prince Ning and Princess Consort Ning had still been alive, Zhong Wan was treated like a young master in a Prince of the First Rank¡¯s estate, as precious and respected as the heir. Prince Ning was a gentle person and showered him with affection. He was never a strict father with him. No matter how naughty Zhong Wan and Lin Si had been, he did not grow mad. Princess Consort Ning treated Zhong Wan like he was her first-born son, pampering him immensely, giving him whatever he wanted. But these memories were starting to grow fuzzy. Whenever he recalled them, he could no longer remember the details vividly. As if these memories were from a previous life. Ever since Prince Ning had left the world, whenever he was mentioned by chance, Zhong Wan never referred to him as ¡°father¡± again. He chose this path himself. Ever since the prince estate had suffered a mishap, Zhong Wan no longer wanted to love himself. There was always a sense of unfamiliarity with everything. After experiencing much suffering for many years, he had long since forgotten how it felt to be cared for dearly. Now that this had occurred out of the blue, a trace of helplessness flashed in his heart. In Yu She¡¯s perspective, it were as if a sword had stabbed into his heart. Somewhat helplessly, Zhong Wan shifted his gaze to Yu She. He said out of reflex, ¡°The emperor isn¡¯t foolish. If you forcibly try to take my case, you¡­ Wouldn¡¯t you be punished? Or did you promise the emperor something?¡± Yu She thought, look, this person is starting to worry about me again. How could this person turn over a new leaf and become such a lonely figure? Zhong Wan had guessed correctly. There was always a give and take for everything. Since Yu She had stubbornly insisted to protect Zhong Wan, he naturally must show Emperor Chongan some sincerity. After morning court, Yu She had stayed behind to haggle with Emperor Chongan. Regarding today¡¯s matter, it was obvious that someone borrowed Xuan Qiong to add chaos. What Emperor Chongan disliked the most was when others manipulated the imperial princes. For this reason, when Yu She was stubbornly insisting to help Zhong Wan, Emperor Chongan relented. It wasn¡¯t only because he was spoiling Yu She; he also wanted this deep pool of muddy water to clear, so that he could discern who was stirring up trouble. But since Emperor Chongan let go of this opportunity to demote Prince Qian An, he would definitely find compensation. For example, henceforth Yu She must attend every morning court. Furthermore, he must not push his responsibilities and duties onto his two subordinates. What government affairs he ought to participate in, he must participate in. Another example was that after this case was settled, he must enter house arrest, reflecting on his wrongdoing for five days. So as to shut the mouths of the imperial censors. Yu She looked down, avoiding the important and dwelling on the trivial. ¡°He wants me to stay home and reflect a few days¡­ No problem. I¡¯m already used to it.¡± Zhong Wan did not believe at all it was this simple. However, Yu She did not elaborate any further. ¡°If something like this happens again¡­ it¡¯s better if you tell me in advance.¡± Yu She stared at the ¡°evidence¡± that was burning before his eyes. ¡°Today I was in a good mood so I went to morning court. What if I hadn¡¯t gone?¡± Te Vtf ecvfgrabbv atja lo Itbcu Qjc tjv ojiifc lcab Wejc Hlbcu¡¯r tjcvr, lc atf fcv tf¡¯v yf jyif ab frmjqf. Lbkfnfg, tf¡¯v vfolclafis reoofg j iba. C ilcufglcu jcv ojlca ofjg fzlrafv lc Te Vtf¡¯r tfjga. Rba ab wfcalbc, tf mbeivc¡¯a mbcagbi tlwrfio ogbw gfrfcalcu Itbcu Qjc. From start to finish, Zhong Wan never thought to ask him for help. Images of Xuan Qiong torturing Zhong Wan flashed over and over in his mind. His eyes grew slightly bloodshot. He didn¡¯t want to take his anger out on Zhong Wan, so he closed his eyes and changed the topic. ¡°Do you have money?¡± Zhong Wan was startled. Still in a daze, he said, ¡°What¡­ money?¡± Yu She frowned. Said coldly, ¡°Do you think the Dali Temple is a place where you can just walk in and out of?! You should be happy that I¡¯m not pressing you for the other stuff. Aren¡¯t you going to return all the bribes?¡± ¡°H-how much?¡± Yu She picked up the documents his assistants had handed him recently. Glanced at it. ¡°3,400 silver ingots. The faster you can hand it over¡­ the faster you can leave.¡± As Yu She lowered his head to read the document again, he kneaded the region between his brows. Earlier, he and Shi Hong, that fool who did not know he had been manipulated, argued for a good while during morning court. Then he negotiated with Emperor Chongan for a long time. Yu She¡¯s mind was a chaotic mess. If he weren¡¯t afraid of problems arising, he would do something to calm down first. Right now, all he could see was the image of all those people tormenting Zhong Wan, giving him a splitting headache. At present, he wanted to settle this matter as soon as possible so that Zhong Wan can quickly leave. So as to avoid his own craziness from flaring up, causing him to strangle Zhong Wan to death in a fit of rage. It was so difficult to protect this person. If he died because of Yu She¡¯s madness, then wouldn¡¯t it be such a waste? Restless, Yu She flipped to another page, no longer looking at Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan¡¯s gaze fell upon Yu She, many different emotions mixing in his heart. More than 3,000 silver ingots wasn¡¯t a small sum. But Prince Qian An¡¯s estate could still gather it. Xuan Congxin was managing the ledger currently. If he had someone inform her of this, even if they didn¡¯t have all the money right now, she could pawn off some jewelry. And that should be enough. Once the money was here, he could leave. Would the plot Tang Ming had planned for many days be settled in a blink of an eye? In at most four hours, he would return home. Continue to wrack his brains for Xuan Rui. Continue to help Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. Zhong Wan looked at Yu She¡¯s profile. Exhaustion filled his heart. For so many years, this was the first time Zhong Wan wanted to ¡°love¡± himself. ¡°I¡­¡± said Zhong Wan softly. ¡°Don¡¯t have money.¡± Yu She raised his head to glance at Zhong Wan. His eyes were completely bloodshot. He had been right in the middle of trying his best to suppress his wild fantasies, and seemed to not have heard him clearly. At a loss, he asked, ¡°What did you say?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed. ¡°I don¡¯t have money. I can¡¯t pay this off.¡± In a daze, Yu She looked at Zhong Wan. It was evident he had not foreseen this. The plan he had so thoroughly prepared was blocked at this step. All of a sudden, he fell into a rage. ¡°I didn¡¯t even give you a big punishment! It¡¯s just over 3,000 silver ingots. How are you unable to pay this back?¡± Zhong Wan shamelessly shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t return it.¡± The head of the Dali Temple froze in place. He had had this position for three years, and this was the first time he ever saw an official who committed a crime refuse to pay back what he had taken. Was money more important to him than his life? Suddenly hit with such an unforeseen event, Yu She found his brain buzzing. He summoned a lot of effort not to hit Zhong Wan. During his childhood, the older female servants who had attended to Yu She had warned him many times that men who hit their lovers were the worst kind of people. No matter what those lovers did wrong, men must never hit them. And Yu She had kept these words to heart. No matter how angry he was, he must not hit him¡­ Yu She¡¯s hands trembled a hint. He forced himself to say, ¡°I don¡¯t care. No matter what your estate has to do, you must return the money¡­¡± Zhong Wan coughed. ¡°When Xuan Rui left, he brought all the things he had been bestowed, and¡­ almost all the things worth money, and almost all the money away with him. We really don¡¯t have much money left here.¡± For a moment, Yu She did not respond. Unexpectedly, Zhong Wan got him so angry that he became a little worried. ¡°Then what¡¯s to be done?!¡± Zhong Wan closed his eyes. ¡°Then¡­ do I need to stay here for now?¡± Yu She was speechless. ¡°Guiyuan,¡± said Yu She with much difficulty. ¡°I¡¯m not angry but I¡¯ll be honest with you. Because of you, I quarreled with Shi Hong during morning court, quarreled with the Imperial Censorate, quarreled with Xuan Qiong¡­ And now, I¡¯m pretty sure Princess Royal and the whole imperial harem knows about this. That for you, I threw a huge fuss during morning court for the first time. Now, you can¡¯t settle this case since you don¡¯t have money. Can you guess what those people would think about me?¡± Fuming with rage through gritted teeth, Yu She said, ¡°After court was dismissed, I made a solemn vow to this idiot Xuan Qiong! That if I¡¯m unable to bring you out of Dali Temple safe and sound, I¡¯d give him my position as head of the Dali Temple! You¡­ I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll give you six hours to get someone here. I don¡¯t care who you look for, an old acquaintance or a relative. You must have the money by then¡­¡± Zhong Wan gasped. Why would Yu She promise something he couldn¡¯t do?! Zhong Wan hesitated before approaching two steps. Furious, Yu She shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t come over! There¡¯s no room for negotiations here! Don¡¯t be too excessive! Everyone in the capital is watching this case closely. Or are you saying I should not care about my reputation?!¡± ¡°You should, you should, you should¡­¡± Then Zhong Wan said in an extremely dry manner, ¡°But it¡¯s true that I don¡¯t have any money. As for old acquaintances and so forth¡­ Human relationships are fickle and superficial¡­¡± The fire of Yu She¡¯s rage burned even brighter. ¡°Then what should we do?! W-what about your jade medallions? Fans? Go pawn them off! And the calligraphy and paintings Shi Jin set aside for you. Exchange them for money¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re not worth much, less than a few silver ingots. It won¡¯t be enough.¡± Zhong Wan had implied for a good while. He could only straightforwardly say, ¡°Heir, how about¡­ you lend money to me?¡± For the first time, the head of the Dali Temple was relied on unreasonably by an official who had committed a crime. For a moment, he could not react. In a soft voice, Zhong Wan said, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything. I¡¯ll just make do and¡­ hand myself over to you as a deposit? Not a word left Yu She¡¯s lips for a moment. Then, Yu She was so mad, his voice trembled as he said, ¡°Stop. Thinking. Absurd. Things.¡± The side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. The abacus clattered in Steward Feng¡¯s hands as he bookkept the accounts and taught the lower-ranked stewards. ¡°What¡¯s the most important thing here? It¡¯s Heir!¡± Just a moment ago, Steward Feng had achieved much with little effort, sending away the steward who came from Fifth Prince estate to cause trouble. Taking advantage of the fact that that matter was still fresh, he lectured the other stewards. ¡°Today, there¡¯s an eighty percent chance that Heir and Fifth Prince quarreled again. Just now, a steward from Fifth Prince¡¯s estate came here to say that Her Highness Imperial Consort Yu fell ill from anger for some reason. Her heart is in pain and needs old ginseng. Our main courtyard doesn¡¯t have any that are of good quality, so they came to our side courtyard to request some. They even said to take out a ginseng from our storage that is in the shape of a human. If this happens what should you do?¡± The low-ranked steward said foolishly, ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°You must say no!¡± said Steward Feng impatiently. ¡°Her Highness Imperial Consort Yu has an important body, but does that mean our Heir¡¯s body isn¡¯t important?! If there comes a day when Heir is seriously ill, and he needs to use an old ginseng, then what?¡± The low-ranked steward asked, ¡°How did Her Highness Imperial Consort Yu fall ill?¡± Steward Feng waved. ¡°Who knows? They say it was due to anger¡­ It has nothing to do with us. Anyway, let¡¯s continue. What¡¯s the second most important thing in our estate?¡± Steward Feng smacked the ledger. ¡°The ledger!¡± The moment he had finished speaking, a family soldier who always stayed by Yu She¡¯s side rushed in. He said, ¡°Heir needs money.¡± Steward Feng was shocked. ¡°Didn¡¯t he go to morning court today? Why does he need more money? How much does he need?¡± The family soldier cupped his hands. ¡°Not much. 3,400 silver ingots.¡± CH 52 Yu She had already learned how shameless and stubborn Zhong Wan could be when he had interrogated those officials originally from Qian An earlier. Yu She was stubborn too. He clearly knew that Zhong Wan had had a difficult time during those years, but still wanted to ask exactly how difficult things had been. Those two officials were from poor families. They didn¡¯t have any important connections and were also timid. After being summoned by Yu She, they freaked out. At first, they answered whatever questions they were asked, not daring to keep any secrets at all. In order to cover things up for Zhong Wan, Yu She needed an excuse. He purposefully guided the conversation, implying instead of interrogating, ¡°Was that money actually from bribes, or was it money that Prince Qian An originally should have received from taxes?¡± Yu She had originally planned to give these officials a way out. This way, they wouldn¡¯t get dragged into the mess and try to put all the blame on Zhong Wan. He came up with an excuse for the two of them, but unexpectedly, these two little officials exchanged glances after hearing his question and trembled while answering, ¡°How perceptive, my Lord! Qian An is located near the borders. The land is barren, so couldn¡¯t afford to keep a princely estate in the first place. A few years ago, there was a great calamity followed by a terrible drought. For many years, the citizens of Qian An have relied on the Court¡¯s relief funds to live. Where would we collect tax money from? When this lowly official was in office, I spent all my days in fear, living on thin ice. I didn¡¯t dare to forcefully collect taxes from the commoners, but also didn¡¯t dare to mistreat Prince. I honestly had no other option!¡± The other little official continuously kowtowed too. ¡°Qian An was fortunate to be blessed by the Heavens; we were graced with a prince. Originally, we ought to have treated him as well as we could, but the deficit over so many years was honestly too great. It¡¯s true that the financial resources of the people were lacking. This lowly official had no other choice but to sell my ancestral properties in order to make up for the taxes! Unexpectedly, I¡¯ve now been blamed for such things. My Lord, please investigate carefully!¡± Yu She scoffed. These people really knew how to please. It was true that Qian An was poor, but not to the point that they couldn¡¯t afford to pay for Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. It just so happened to be that these people had been permitted by the capital to act in this manner. Secondly, they wanted to maintain their distance and keep Prince Qian An¡¯s estate at an arm¡¯s length. Yu She was too lazy to treat them seriously. ¡°So that means the situation of Prince Qian An privately colluding with local officials is even more implausible¡­¡± ¡°Exactly so!¡± The little official hurriedly nodded. ¡°At the time, Prince Qian An was only ten or so. He had just gotten to Qian An, so was slightly unused to the new environment. He never left the estate. We lowly officials waited to see the prince but weren¡¯t allowed to! Thus, we lowly officials could only give the silver¡­give the tax money to Zhong Wan from the prince¡¯s estate in private.¡± Yu She narrowed his eyes. He coldly said, ¡°Did he find you guys first or did you guys take the initiative to find him?¡± The two little officials paused before saying, ¡°It was Young Master Zhong¡­who asked us about the taxes first.¡± Yu She calmly stated, ¡°A long time had passed, yet you guys still hadn¡¯t given them their tax money, causing them to not have enough food. In exasperation, he could only lower his head to you people.¡± The little official hurriedly kowtowed incessantly. Yu She inhaled deeply. Since he planned to mislead this case, he couldn¡¯t continue asking questions. However, when he looked at these people, he thought of the difficulties Zhong Wan had encountered in the past. Yu She honestly couldn¡¯t keep his rage in check. He couldn¡¯t keep interrogating them for Zhong Wan¡¯s case, but he could start another case and investigate them under someone else¡¯s name. Yu She asked, seemingly casually, ¡°If even the Prince¡¯s estate couldn¡¯t collect any taxes, what about the other officials in Qian An? The salary of local officials have traditionally been collected from their own lands. How did you guys take care of this?¡± The little official was speechless. They naturally couldn¡¯t cut off the officials¡¯ salaries. Only, if they now said that the local officials were wealthy, but Prince Qian An¡¯s estate didn¡¯t have enough money for food, that would be like slapping their own faces. A little official stuttered out, ¡°The Court gives spring and winter bonuses every year¡­¡± Yu She scoffed. The other little official hurriedly said, ¡°This lowly official has remembered! W-we once asked Zhong Wan this question too. During the good years, when there were surplus crops, we would ask if we should take some silver from this surplus and subsidize the other officials. But Zhong Wan said, said¡­¡± Yu She had long since gotten tired of listening to them say these useless things. He shouted, ¡°What did he say?!¡± The little official¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°Zhong Wan s-said¡­ He said that with the status of the other officials¡¯ estates, they didn¡¯t need those few silver ingots. If we sent them over, that would mean we looked down upon them!¡± The other little official suddenly remembered too. He continued, ¡°Yes yes yes. It was Zhong Wan himself who said it! Since those lords had come to take up official positions in Qian An, that meant that they definitely didn¡¯t care about the minimal pay. They had come here purely for fun and didn¡¯t care about silver or money. If we were determined to bring them silver, we might accidentally anger them into quitting.¡± The little official added, still shivering, ¡°Yes. Zhong Wan also said that if we gave anyone silver, that would mean we looked down upon them. After he said such a thing, we lowly officials¡­ didn¡¯t dare to act even if we wanted to. We could only give all the silver to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate.¡± Te Vtf kjr rqffmtifrr. Cigluta. Te Vtf beuta ab tjnf gfjilhfv lc jvnjcmf atja fnfc atbeut Itbcu Qjc tjv yffc gfvemfv ab yfuulcu lc Hljc Cc, tf kjrc¡¯a atf asqf ab ifa tlwrfio yf ja j vlrjvnjcajuf. Te Vtf tjv cb afwqfg jcswbgf yfmjerf bo tbk mbwqifz atlr rabgs kjr. Lf mbeivc¡¯a fnfc mbwf eq klat j qijc ab qeclrt atfw lc jcbatfg kjs. Kter, tf kjnfv tlr tjcv jcv abiv atf akb ilaaif boolmljir ab rmgjw. At the time, Yu She hadn¡¯t expected that one hour later, Zhong Wan would be shamelessly sticking to him again. Since morning court, Yu She had been dealing with these problems for Zhong Wan. He was both physically and emotionally fatigued. Yet in the end, he still needed to send someone to his own estate to retrieve money. It was only three thousand silver ingots. The privileged and affluent Young Prince Yu didn¡¯t care about the amount at all, but he was unable to stomach this anger! Why did he have to?! Meanwhile, Steward Feng and the family soldier in charge of being the messenger seemed to be deliberately acting dense. Their questions wouldn¡¯t stop! After the family soldier brought the silver tickets over, he innocently and stubbornly asked, ¡°Steward Feng asked this subordinate what Heir is spending all this money on. This way, he can more easily write a memo. This subordinate told the steward that it¡¯s ransom for an accused official. Thus, the steward asked again, Why does Heir, as the head of Dali Temple, need to pay back the bribes on behalf of the accused official after judging the case?¡¯ Consequently, this subordinate answered again¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was ice cold. ¡°Shut up.¡± The family soldier innocently snapped his mouth shut. Off to the side, Zhong Wan¡¯s shoulders slightly trembled. He did his absolute best to hold himself back. Yu She was so angry that his tone had changed. He muttered, ¡°IOU¡­ Write me an IOU! You must.¡± Zhong Wan was surprisingly obedient. He didn¡¯t dare to deny anything again and took two steps forward to carefully write out an IOU using Yu She¡¯s brush and ink. He even left a handprint. Yu She folded the IOU up and put it away, slightly more comforted in his heart. Yu She rubbed his sore neck. He felt that today¡¯s occurrences were completely illogical. He furrowed his brows and said in a low voice, ¡°Return to the estate.¡± Yu She stood up and walked outside. Zhong Wan followed behind him, step for step. He exited Dali Temple. Zhong Wan, who had paid back all the bribery funds and wrapped up his case, exited too. Yu She got into his own horse carriage. Zhong Wan hurriedly crawled in after him. ¡°What are you coming up here for?¡± Yu She finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He angrily said, ¡°Do I still have to make an extra trip to take you back to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate? Don¡¯t push me too far!¡± Zhong Wan froze for a moment. He softly said, ¡°I¡¯m returning to your estate with you.¡± Yu She blanked. ¡°Why are you coming to my estate?¡± Zhong Wan pressed his lips together. ¡°I¡­ Just now, I became indebted to you.¡± Yu She was bewildered. ¡°What does that mean? Do all debtors these days need to live in their creditors¡¯ homes to eat their food and drink their water?¡± While Yu She¡¯s mind was still muddled from anger, Zhong Wan wildly made up an excuse. ¡°But don¡¯t those who sell themselves to bury their fathers leave with their new owners after receiving the money?¡± Yu She had never met someone who sold themself to bury their father. He pondered for a bit. Zhong Wan took this opportunity to scurry inside the horse carriage. Thus, Zhong Wan managed to fool his way into the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. After entering the side courtyard, Yu She went off to take a nap alone. He forbade Zhong Wan from following him. Zhong Wan was greeted by Steward Feng, who was overjoyed, and led to the little courtyard he had stayed in as a youth. Zhong Wan even very familiarly asked Steward Feng for a favor. He wanted Steward Feng to send a message to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate for him. Naturally, Steward Feng was willing. Zhong Wan gathered his wits and wrote a letter to Xuan Congxin. He didn¡¯t go into great detail, only telling her that he was already out of trouble and was temporarily staying at an old friend¡¯s home. When he had time, he would return to visit. He stuffed another piece of paper into the envelope too. This contained the words he wanted to say to Lin Si. Though he knew that there was an 80% chance that Tang Ming had already run off, he still needed to investigate. Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t incessantly kind to everyone. This time, Tang Ming had laid a death trap. If anything hadn¡¯t gone according to plan, he would¡¯ve ended up dead; Xuan Rui wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape either. Now, things were resolved, but all because Yu She had vouched for him. Tang Ming, the old thing, still deserved to die. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t write out his name explicitly, but Lin Si would definitely know who he was talking about. He told Lin Si that there was no need to have mercy. The cleaner the cut, the better. After sending the letter, Zhong Wan leaned against his bed and scoffed at himself. This was supposed to be his shixiong. After so many years, this wasn¡¯t the first time his heart had felt so cold. Zhong Wan had a big heart. He only remembered the good about Prince and Princess Consort Ning. Because of this, he could suffer through any hardships. However, everytime he remembered that this was someone Old Imperial Preceptor Shi had left for him, slight disappointment would rise from the bottom of his heart. The one who had harmed him had been the trusted aide Shi Jin had left him. The one who had saved him had been¡­ Full of cheer, Steward Feng brought Zhong Wan¡¯s change of clothes over. Zhong Wan thanked him and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Heir?¡± ¡°Resting.¡± There was a big smile on Steward Feng¡¯s face. ¡°Young Master Zhong is truly a good luck charm. As soon as you¡¯ve arrived, Heir¡¯s temperament changed. Just now, he ordered me to wake him up each time morning court is scheduled to be held. He¡¯s planning to attend punctually from now on.¡± The smile on Zhong Wan¡¯s face froze. As expected, Emperor Chongan never showed mercy without a reason. He had been easily let off the hook not because of those three thousand silver ingots, but because Yu She had reached a compromise with Emperor Chongan. Steward Feng noticed that Zhong Wan¡¯s expression seemed off. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t this a good thing?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°It is¡­ it is a good thing.¡± In a soft voice, he asked, ¡°Can I go see Heir?¡± Steward Feng laughed dryly. ¡°Maybe wait until nighttime? Truth be told¡­ Heir¡¯s expression didn¡¯t seem that great just now.¡± Then Steward Feng whispered, ¡°Heir¡¯s headache has already started. No matter what you tell him now, he won¡¯t remember.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°Headache?¡± ¡°An old health problem.¡± Steward Feng sighed. ¡°He had this problem from the start. After great joy or sorrow, his mood fluctuates greatly. The imperial doctors looked over him, but the symptoms didn¡¯t get better. After he had eaten that harmful poison, it became even worse¡­ When it starts, he gets a headache. Sometimes, it seems like he can¡¯t hear what other people are saying too clearly. Usually during these times, he¡¯s bound to throw a temper tantrum. Heir also knows that when his brain¡¯s a mess, he¡¯ll take out his anger on others. Everytime this happens, he¡¯ll usually go lay down alone and wait for himself to calm down before coming out again.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°The imperial doctors don¡¯t have any other solutions?¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t any good solutions. Medicine is useless. Previously, the imperial doctors said that this problem requires maintaining a calm mood for years to heal properly.¡± Steward Feng chuckled bitterly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that useless? Given Heir¡¯s circumstance, how could it be possible for him to remain calm for so long?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m supposed to leave him alone?¡± Zhong Wan sucked in a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll go check on him." ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± shouted Steward Feng, instantly stopping him. ¡°You¡¯re finally visiting. Young Master, are you planning on getting into an argument with Heir? Wait a bit, seriously. It doesn¡¯t look to be that bad today. Let Heir rest awhile by himself. He should be better in the evening.¡± Zhong Wan stood up. ¡°I won¡¯t argue with him.¡± ¡°Who dares to argue with Heir? But when he¡¯s like this, he¡¯s capable of saying anything! He says whatever is most hurtful. A few days ago, he got into an argument with Princess Royal. Doesn¡¯t Princess Royal let Heir have his way enough? Even she couldn¡¯t keep herself from slapping Heir across the face.¡± Steward Feng was worried that Zhong Wan would become angry and run off because of something Yu She, who wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind, would say. He hurriedly persuaded, ¡°Listen to me. Wait four hours¡­¡± Zhong Wan gently pushed Steward Feng. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t leave no matter what he says.¡± When Zhong Wan entered Yu She¡¯s room, Yu She was lying on the bed, eyes closed. One of his hands was holding onto a storybook and resting off to the side, while the other covered his face. Zhong Wan softly walked closer. All of a sudden, Yu She opened his eyes; upon realizing that it was Zhong Wan, he closed them again, then turned around so his back was facing the other. Zhong Wan approached even closer. He sat beside the other and suddenly said, ¡°Heir, about the silver¡­¡± Yu She ignored Zhong Wan. Quite a while later, Yu She seemed to want Zhong Wan to leave. He perfunctorily stated, ¡°Do you not even get a monthly wage at Prince Qian An¡¯s estate? Save it. When you save enough, pay me back.¡± Zhong Wan paused, before saying, ¡°I actually don¡¯t. There¡¯s not much I need to spend on anyways. If I really need to use money, I can simply take some from the estate¡¯s account.¡± Yu She scoffed. ¡°Then isn¡¯t your life truly great. Any random servant has it better than you.¡± Zhong Wan got refuted, but didn¡¯t really feel anything. After a brief silence, he stubbornly started again, ¡°The silver¡­¡± As soon as Yu She thought of how horrible Zhong Wan¡¯s life had been these past few years, he wanted to throw a tantrum. Extremely agitated, he furrowed his brows and lowly said, ¡°Get out.¡± Zhong Wan seemed to have not heard. He pleasantly said, ¡°How about, we come to an agreement?¡± Yu She paused for a moment. ¡°What agreement?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s ears flushed red. ¡°You know, using something else to make up for the money. For example¡­ each kiss can be used to pay back some silver, okay?¡± It was uncertain if the thickness of Zhong Wan¡¯s skin had shocked Yu She. For a lengthy interval, he didn¡¯t speak. A long time later, Yu She opened his completely bloodshot eyes. ¡°How much silver is one kiss worth?¡± Zhong Wan put up two fingers. Yu She scoffed. ¡°Two hundred ingots?¡± Zhong Wan spoke very softly, ¡°Two qian.¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Was he planning to give kisses until the next lifetime? Zhong Wan sat on the bed, extremely close to Yu She. ¡°I¡¯m scared that I won¡¯t ever be able to finish repaying you. How about¡­ we hurry it up?¡± Zhong Wan made to kiss Yu She. Yu She slightly turned his face to the side to avoid him. Zhong Wan felt a bit awkward. Yu She hesitated for a moment. ¡°If you open your mouth, I¡¯ll consider it worth three qian.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What three qian? Isn¡¯t it¡­ wu¡­" Yu She yanked Zhong Wan over, the latter landing on the former¡¯s body. He lay in Yu She¡¯s embrace. This posture was quite indecent. He tried to prop himself up with his arm, so placed a hand on Yu She¡¯s leg. Yu She gently pushed his arm away. Yu She furrowed his brows, displeased at how much Zhong Wan was struggling. In one move, he twisted Zhong Wan¡¯s arm behind his back and completely trapped the other in his arms. After this, he finally felt a bit more pleased. He lowered his head and kissed the other, separating Zhong Wan¡¯s lips and teeth, spending a long time taking back that three qian of debt. CH 53 Once the two had separated, Yu She stared at Zhong Wan in silence. Then his lips moved. ¡°Just now¡­ didn¡¯t count.¡± His breathing hurried and brief, Zhong Wan was somewhat absentminded, and did not hear Yu She clearly. ¡°What doesn¡¯t count?¡± Yu She bent his knees. Fixed the collar of his clothes. He cast a glance at Zhong Wan. Wanted to say something, but held back the urge. Then, in a low voice, he said in a hurry, ¡°You should know.¡± For a moment, Zhong Wan remained silent. Then the Zhong Wan who could not repay a debt in kind asked hopelessly, ¡°A-are you talking about when I licked your tongue just now?!¡± Yu She went stiff. Stared at Zhong Wan as if he found him inconceivable. How could someone say such things so often? In a flash, Zhong Wan wanted to throw up blood. The last time Yu She had gone crazy, he didn¡¯t guard against Zhong Wan and allowed the latter to see a trace of his true emotions. This madman stubbornly thought that as long as Zhong Wan did not take the initiative, Zhong Wan would not fall in love. In the future, if it was possible, Zhong Wan would lightly focus on his moral uplift without the thought of others. Then he wouldn¡¯t feel depressed. Zhong Wan recalled with fondness when Yu She had treated him well. However, there were some words that must be said, and they must be said clearly. The thinking that ought to be straightened ought to be straightened. Now, they merely kissed. Yet this madman would not allow him to move. As long as he wasn¡¯t too aroused, Zhong Wan could still endure it. But¡­ what about when they went further? Only Yu She could touch him, but he couldn¡¯t touch Yu She? Even the rules concerning the period imperial concubines attended to the emperor weren¡¯t this overbearing! W-what about when they went even further? Zhong Wan was convinced that with Yu She¡¯s baffling, confident-in-his-reasoning, and odd train of thought, he would without a doubt stubbornly think that he could¡­ cough, come, but not Zhong Wan! This was eighty percent possible! Hopeless, Zhong Wan thought, in the future, Yu She would probably tie him up with something in bed¡­Then say to Zhong Wan in despair, ¡°If you don¡¯t come, you won¡¯t fall in love.¡± When I die in the future, you wouldn¡¯t be sad. Disappointed and disheartened, Zhong Wan muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t want that to happen to you at all¡­¡± Confused, Yu She looked at Zhong Wan. ¡°What did you want?¡± Once Zhong Wan snapped back to reality, his cheeks flushed. He wiped at his lips that were redder than usual, striving his hardest to compose himself. ¡°Heir, may I ask you something?¡± After he had been intimate with Zhong Wan for a moment, Yu She¡¯s expression grew many degrees better; his eyes also grew less bloodshot. He looked at Zhong Wan. Frowned. He faintly nodded. Pursing his lips, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Those story books¡­ You¡¯ve read a lot of them, right?¡± Yu She stared at him guardedly. Te Vtf¡¯r fzqgfrrlbc kjr abb rfglber. Vb cbk Itbcu Qjc ofia j agjmf bo fwyjggjrrwfca. Lf rtjwfifrris rjlv, ¡°Ktfrf xlcvr bo atlcur¡­ Ktfgf¡¯r ulnf jcv ajxf. Efjiis, sbe rtbeiv cba ibbx ja wf jr lo P¡¯w j qfgnfga. P¡¯w gfjiis cba atf bcf yflcu oglnbiber tfgf¡­¡± Pa kjr bynlber Te Vtf tjv cfnfg lwjulcfv Itbcu Qjc kbeiv nffg lcab atlr abqlm. Pcmgfveiber, tf ibbxfv ja Itbcu Qjc. Coafg j ubbv ktlif bo rlifcmf, tf aegcfv tlr tfjv. ¡°Lbk mbeiv jcsbcf agfja atf kbgvr lc atbrf rabgs ybbxr jr gfji?¡± ¡°But there are some that could be the truth!¡± blurted Zhong Wan. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t only think about these things on your own¡­ You¡­ How about you don¡¯t force people to do things? ¡°Nevertheless¡­¡± His heart trembled, headache coming in. ¡°What kind of strange story books did you read that say I ought to be ashamed and can¡¯t accept it? And that I can¡¯t even move?¡± Yu She did not catch what he said. However, he still nodded. ¡°There indeed were story books like this¡­¡± Zhong Wan thought, it¡¯s over. What I¡¯m scared of is that Yu She read these books in his youth. And that this way of thinking can never be corrected. He blurted, ¡°Didn¡¯t those books say that good boys shouldn¡¯t take the initiative to just kiss anyone? And that they shouldn¡¯t move their tongues when kissing?¡± Yu She was speechless. His mind, which had just cleared up a little, grew chaotic once more. He basically could not hear Zhong Wan¡¯s too-embarrassing-to-be-said words. Furious, he said, ¡°What exactly are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Zhong Wan wanted to say something, but held it in. ¡°J-just that I feel sorry for myself. I¡¯m worried about the future¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s pupils trembled. Agitated, he said, ¡°You¡¯re regretting it? You don¡¯t want to pay back your debts again?! How about I just consider your debt to be three qian?!¡± Completely unable to clear things up anymore, Zhong Wan gave up. Mentally drained, he took a seat on the side and said, ¡°Nothing! In short, can you promise me one thing?¡± Mind in an utter mess yet not wanting to quarrel with Zhong Wan, Yu She said, ¡°Speak.¡± Zhong Wan said in a pitiful manner, ¡°From now on, when we¡¯re in bed¡­ you can¡¯t tie me up.¡± Thoroughly baffled, Yu She said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who liked this?! You even specially found some hemp rope.¡± Not a word left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. Hesitating, Yu She asked, ¡°Are you pretending to refuse but actually accepting?¡± Zhong Wan broke down. He rose to his feet to walk out. ¡°Just pretend I never said anything¡­ Go rest.¡± After the two had spoken in two different conversations together, Yu She felt he finally cleared up this matter. Once again, he lay down. After he and Zhong Wan had argued this time, his head no longer ached. Once he had lain for a short period, he fell asleep. Zhong Wan stepped foot outside of Yu She¡¯s courtyard. It was uncertain what kind of order Steward Feng had given the servants of the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, but they were deferential to the extreme toward Zhong Wan. They treated him as an important guest, allowing him to leave and go anywhere as he pleased. Zhong Wan suppressed a stomach of anger as he made his way back to the courtyard he had used in the past. Once he had entered the inner chamber, he stood in a daze. Lin Si pointed outside. Expressionless, Zhong Wan turned around and shut the windows and doors. Lin Si looked Zhong Wan up and down. And he felt slightly relieved. He gestured, ¡°There are many family soldiers in this estate. I walked around the outside for one hour before I could sneak in.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°What about Tang Ming?¡± Lin Si shook his head. He said in sign language, ¡°After you were brought away by the people of the Dali Temple, I sprinted out of the capital to find Tang Ming. But that village was already empty. There were only a few tenant farmers that didn¡¯t know anything.¡± Having expected this, Zhong Wan sighed. ¡°There¡¯s a seventy percent chance that he¡¯s hiding and a thirty pencent that he went to Qian An to see Xuan Rui.¡± Lin Si signed, ¡°That¡¯s good. Young Prince Yu had suppressed this matter early on. Tang Ming went to see Xuan Rui but he won¡¯t be able to say anything. Does His Majesty have any intention to chase after this matter?¡± Shaking his head, Zhong Wan said, ¡°No. His Majesty cares about Ziyou more than Xuan Rui.¡± Then in a softer voice, he asked, ¡°How about that person in the palace? I¡¯m guessing Tang Ming arranged to have that person by Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s side. Have you figured out who that person is?¡± Lin Si nodded. He gestured, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s an old eunuch named Tang Qin.¡± Zhong Wan sneered. ¡°Qin¡­ So it¡¯s his own brother.¡± Lin Si said with sign language, ¡°Right now, Imperial Consort Yu trusts him immensely.¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. Then he said, ¡°Is Imperial Consort Yu that stupid? An old eunuch just happens to come along. Even if he had some measures, she¡¯d actually consider this person as a trusted aide?¡± Lin Si signed, ¡°Of course not. Imperial Consort Yu thought Tang Qin was one of Prince Yu¡¯s capable subordinates. She would naturally trust people from her paternal family. At this moment, she believes she got Tang Qin over to her side. Even if they weren¡¯t able to harm you this time, they believe it¡¯s only a coincidence. Imperial Consort Yu might not take out her anger on him. Instead, she would probably still rely on him.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something suspicious about this,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°If this Tang Qin is someone Tang Ming inserted into Prince Yu¡¯s estate as a spy¡­ how could Prince Yu not have discovered his roots in so many years?¡± Not waiting for Lin Si to explain, he already understood after saying those words. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Imperial Consort Yu¡­¡± Lin Si gestured, ¡°Yes, Tang Qin had never been a trusted aide of Prince Yu in the first place. Prince Yu had long since forgotten there was a person like Tang Qin.¡± Zhong Wan sat down. Smiled. ¡°Tang Ming truly has a wonderful scheme. He had his own elder brother pretend to be Prince Yu¡¯s trusted aide then approach Imperial Consort Yu. And because Imperial Consort Yu wanted to rope in Prince Yu¡¯s trusted aides without his notice, she naturally would not dare to make too much noise. On the contrary, she even helped cover Tang Qin. In this way¡­ that old eunuch is even more safe. Furthermore, he could even use Imperial Consort Yu as a weapon. And not only that¡­ ¡°The enemy of one¡¯s enemy is one¡¯s friend. He deliberately let me know about Tang Qin, and guessed that I would find out that Tang Qin manipulated Imperial Consort Yu. As such, there would be an even lesser chance that I would act against Tang Ming.¡± Lin Si nodded. Said with sign language, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that we knew this, if Master actually fell into the trap and entered the Ministry of Justice¡¯s hands, by the time I discovered that Tang Ming had this brother Tang Qin, I would definitely be enveloped in rage. I would return to Fourth Prince¡¯s side and borrow his hand to kill Tang Qin. In the end, Tang Ming would not forget to give Tang Qin a protective talisman.¡± Lin Si was so angry, he couldn¡¯t calm. He signed, ¡°Tang Ming, this old thing, is too smart. In the future, as soon as we find him, we have to kill him.¡± A smile graced Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°It seems it¡¯d be hard to find him.¡± Lin Si ground his teeth. Said with sign language, ¡°I¡¯ll find him no matter where he hides!¡± ¡°No need.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s pupils slightly trembled. In a soft voice, he said, ¡°If you want to vent out your anger, it¡¯s easy¡­ Just inform Yu She about Tang Qin.¡± Lin Si blinked, unable to understand. Near whisper, Zhong Wan asked, ¡°Tang Ming calculated things perfectly. However, who was the one who ruined his plans?¡± For a moment, Lin Si fell into a daze. Then he gestured, ¡°Young Prince Yu.¡± Zhong Wan said in a low voice, ¡°This time, the reason why I suffered a loss to Tang Ming was because he knew my weakness. He knew that if I encountered trouble, I would become overcautious. But Yu She is a different story. ¡°Yu She doesn¡¯t have a weakness. Furthermore, no one can hold him back. Take a guess. What do you think would happen if Tang Ming discovers Yu She captured his brother?¡± Startled, Lin Si met Zhong Wan¡¯s gaze. The corners of his lips tilted upward a hint. Mouthed the words, ¡°He¡¯d be burning with anxiety.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°The only person in the capital that doesn¡¯t follow conventional reasoning and morals is Yu She.¡± Lin Si nodded. He couldn¡¯t help but smile as he signed, ¡°Young Prince Yu doesn¡¯t need any reason. As long as he feels unhappy, he would expose his background. Then Tang Ming would worry for his brother¡¯s safety every day. One would fear he wouldn¡¯t pass his days well.¡± ¡°There are advantages to acting contrarily.¡± A light sigh escaped Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°I made a huge mistake this time¡­ I was too bent on investigating Yu She¡¯s background, and Tang Ming tossed out bait for me. It¡¯s my fault.¡± Lin Si hurried to gesture, ¡°How could this be your fault? It¡¯s obviously¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not regretting it. If it happened again, I¡¯d still do what I did.¡± He sat down. Said dully, ¡°Because of Tang Ming, I learned a lot about Ziyou¡¯s past¡­ Even if I were brought to the Ministry of Justice, I¡¯d still have profited.¡± Lin Si was unable to respond. Zhong Wan ordered, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing, then don¡¯t come anymore. The people in his estate are skilled in martial arts. To avoid them injuring you by accident, after you leave¡ª¡± He lowered his volume even more. ¡°First, find a way to send insider information about Tang Qin to Ziyou. Presently, he¡¯s in the mood to fight with Xuan Qiong. This nail will be of great use to him.¡± Lin Si looked at Zhong Wan with embarrassment. Signed, ¡°Master isn¡¯t afraid that I¡¯ll inform Xuan Jing?¡± Undisturbed, Zhong Wan smiled. Lin Si¡¯s heart warmed. Zhong Wan had just been betrayed, yet could still trust him at this time. It was evident he never had ill feelings because of the matter of Lin Si and Fourth Prince. Lin Si knew that Zhong Wan didn¡¯t like putting up pretenses, and would not say anything sappy with sign language. He gestured, ¡°Doing this won¡¯t be a problem for me. But shouldn¡¯t Master leave this place?¡± ¡°Why should I leave?¡± Zhong Wan was startled. ¡°It was very difficult to get here, so why should I leave?¡± Lin Si did not know how to respond. He knelt to kowtow, turned around, and left. CH 54 Zhong Wan gazed at Lin Si¡¯s figure and sighed. After Lin Si had hidden his tracks, Xuan Jing had practically flipped the entire capital upside down, searching boldly for him through every estate. He swore that he was going to catch Lin Si and bring him back. Zhong Wan refused to believe that there weren¡¯t any ambiguous intentions behind this. He sighed; Lin Si definitely wouldn¡¯t understand his pain of having to stick to someone. This was truly¡­ a full man not understanding a hungry man¡¯s hunger. In only a day, Zhong Wan had felt great joy and great sorrow. Now, he was tired. After sending Lin Si away, he drew his clothes together and lay on the bed. At first, he only intended to rest for a bit, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he fell asleep. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t sleep very peacefully. On and off, he actually started dreaming. At one point, he dreamed about when he had still been Xuan Rui¡¯s reading partner in the palace. At that time, there hadn¡¯t been any misunderstandings between him and Xuan Rui. They went everywhere together, everyday. Xuan Rui always followed him around. When there were others present, he called him by name; when there weren¡¯t, he called Zhong Wan ¡°big brother.¡± At another point, he dreamed of Prince Ning¡¯s betrayal case. He had been locked up in the prisons and interrogated daily. At yet another point, he dreamed of when he had been saved and brought out of prison by Yu She and placed in the side courtyard. He had faked illness, finally managing to invite the imperial doctor who had taken care of him since childhood. The old imperial doctor had taken care of Prince Ning since he had been a child, then had taken care of Zhong Wan, Xuan Rui, and the twins thereafter. He was considered one of the trusted subordinates of Prince Ning¡¯s estate. After Prince Ning¡¯s death, because of groundless accusations, the old imperial doctor was dismissed from the imperial academy of medicine. At the time, Emperor Chongan had been in the midst of clearing out all the people who supported Prince Ning. It was already extremely fortunate that the old imperial doctor had survived. Back then, Zhong Wan had faked illness so many times just to see him. Through him, he got in contact with Xuan Rui and Old Imperial Preceptor Shi. Though Emperor Chongan had left Xuan Rui alive, he was still Prince Ning¡¯s eldest son. He was growing older day by day. It was unavoidable that he would become a thorn in Emperor Chongan¡¯s side. Of the Princes of the First Rank in this dynasty, some had stayed in the capital to be wealthy princes after their brother had ascended the throne. Others had received titles after reaching legal age, and based on the quality of their relationship with the emperor, ended up as either rich or unfortunate local princes. Technically, Xuan Rui didn¡¯t qualify for any of these options. He wasn¡¯t favored or of legal age. However, Zhong Wan hoped that he could receive a piece of territory far away. The land didn¡¯t need to be that great, as long as it was far enough away. Zhong Wan asked the imperial doctor to ask Old Imperial Preceptor Shi. The old imperial preceptor felt that this was the best plan of action as well. He was also willing to beg the emperor for mercy on Zhong Wan¡¯s behalf, asking the emperor to send Xuan Rui away early on. After the imperial decree naming Xuan Rui a local prince was issued, young Zhong Wan relaxed completely. He felt like things had finally settled. He counted the days, hoping that the children would be able to leave the capital as soon as possible. And after that¡­ Zhong Wan¡¯s heart felt stuffy. He heaved out a long sigh in his sleep. In his dreams, he heard the old imperial doctor hatefully whispering into his ear. ¡°How could His Highness be a traitor?! ¡°All these years, Prince Yu has been doing immoral things for the emperor. This person has a venomous heart. This situation is definitely related to him. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong. Everything was too coincidental, but who knows if this was because the emperor suddenly remembered the fact that he had almost failed to ascend to the throne back then? He¡¯s been hung up over this ever since, so has abruptly acted¡­ ¡°His Highness has encountered such great trouble because of these people¡¯s hidden plans¡­ ¡°The children will be able to leave the capital soon. As soon as they do, they can¡¯t be held accountable anymore no matter what happens in the capital. ¡°You and I are both greatly indebted to Prince Ning. Are you unwilling to seek revenge for him? ¡°For His Highness, I¡¯m willing to walk head-on into death. What about you? His Highness was your adopted father! If not for him, would you have had such a nice life these past few years? Would you have been able to stay alive until now? ¡°I know that you can¡¯t see Prince Yu, but aren¡¯t you able to see Prince Yu¡¯s heir every day? Towards you¡­ he doesn¡¯t seem guarded at all. ¡°Te Vtf lr Uglcmf Te¡¯r rbif ifulalwjaf rbc. Ktfgf jgf jirb gewbgr atja tf¡¯r atf fwqfgbg¡¯r yjrajgv rbc. Efujgvifrr bo lo atlr lr agef bg cba, Te Vtf lr ralii lcmgfvlyis lwqbgajca ab atf akb bo atfw¡­ ¡°Vb ktja lo tf vlvc¡¯a tjgw Uglcmf Rlcu?! Lf¡¯r qlaloei, yea jgf Uglcmf Rlcu¡¯r mtlivgfc cba qlaloei? Ktf sbecu jgf lccbmfca, yea tjnfc¡¯a atfs yffc joofmafv pera atf rjwf? ¡°You¡¯re making excuses for this too? As long as you act carefully, you¡¯ll be able to keep your own life as well! ¡°This is the poison¡­ ¡°This is the poison¡­ ¡°This is the poison¡­¡± Beads of sweat appeared on Zhong Wan¡¯s forehead. He wanted to wake up, but the nightmare had him trapped. A ghost-like voice kept hoarsely whispering into his ear: this is the poison. ¡°In the first place, weren¡¯t you intending on leaving this place anyways? Didn¡¯t you tell me to prepare documents for you and draw a map to Qian An for you so you could escape this place and head to Qian An? ¡°You¡¯re leaving either way. There¡¯s no need to be scared of anything. Before you leave, use the poison. Watch Yu She take it, then leave¡­ ¡°This poison takes a long time to show its effects. There¡¯ll be enough time for you to escape. After you leave the city, the poison will start affecting Yu She. Not only will you have gotten revenge, you also won¡¯t be implicated. ¡°Even if they wanted to catch you, the sky is high and the oceans are vast. You would¡¯ve been gone long ago. Who could they catch? ¡°At worst, just don¡¯t return to Qian An first. These people wronged His Highness so much. Don¡¯t you feel hatred? ¡°If not for the fact that Princess Royal Anguo has set up strict protections, making it extremely difficult to poison or kill Yu She, I would be the one acting! Why would I come to implore you? ¡°Yu She isn¡¯t guarded against you at all. He deserves this. ¡°Don¡¯t forget how well Prince Ning treated you¡­ ¡°Before you leave, mix the poison into his food. Lure him into consuming it. Remember well, remember well¡­ ¡°After you leave the city, in no time at all, you¡¯ll be able to hear the news that he passed away because of poison¡­¡± Yu She passing away because of poison. Zhong Wan abruptly sat up. His undergarments had already been soaked through with sweat. The sun was setting, but the lanterns hadn¡¯t been lit in the room yet. Zhong Wan temporarily couldn¡¯t remember where he was. He pinched the spot between his eyebrows and inhaled deeply. He lowly comforted himself, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine¡­¡± That day, Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t used the poison. That wasn¡¯t right either. He had, but not the ones the old imperial doctor had given him. He had used a tiny portion of sleeping drugs. The night he left, Zhong Wan added some sleeping drugs into Yu She¡¯s wine cup while the other was preoccupied. Yu She had been completely unguarded as he drank the drugged wine. Every time Zhong Wan recalled that night, he shuddered. What if he had added poison at the time? Young Ziyou hadn¡¯t suspected him in the slightest. He definitely would¡¯ve swallowed that too. How fortunate that he hadn¡¯t added the poison. Thinking back now, the old imperial doctor¡¯s plan for Zhong Wan to poison Yu She had been quite well thought out. But if he had actually poisoned Yu She, how could the following events possibly have been so simple? Even if he turned himself in and claimed all the punishments alone, wouldn¡¯t Emperor Chongan still blame Prince Ning¡¯s descendants? In a fit of anger, Emperor Chongan probably would¡¯ve buried the entirety of Qian An with Yu She. But in the face of such great resentment and desire for revenge back then, everyone had gone crazy. Not long after Zhong Wan exited the city, the old imperial doctor left the capital as well. Additionally, he reached Qian An earlier than Zhong Wan. To this day, Zhong Wan still didn¡¯t know what that old imperial doctor had told a young Xuan Rui. However, after he had reached Qian An, having braved the weather conditions along the way, Xuan Rui never called him ¡°big brother¡± again. Xuan Yu and Xuan Congxin had still been infants at the time. After they grew up, they never learned that Zhong Wan had once been Prince Ning¡¯s adopted son. Naturally, Zhong Wan himself had never mentioned it again either. He was repaying the great grace of Prince and Princess Consort Ning. He didn¡¯t really care whether a child treated him as an older brother, an adviser, or anything else. In less than two years, the old imperial doctor had died in Qian An. Aside from changing how he referred to Zhong Wan, Xuan Rui was the same as before. Slowly, this old incident became buried in everyone¡¯s minds. If not for the fact that Tang Ming had caused today¡¯s mess, even Zhong Wan himself would¡¯ve forgotten. Zhong Wan offhandedly wiped the sweat from his forehead. Though he didn¡¯t want to admit it, he felt slightly regretful. Back then, he shouldn¡¯t have been so conceited. If he had explained everything to Xuan Rui as soon as he returned to Qian An, sharing all the pros and cons of the situation, Xuan Rui might have understood. It wasn¡¯t that Zhong Wan strongly desired to be called ¡°big brother.¡± However, if there were no grudges between the two of them, many things would¡¯ve been a lot easier. For example, upon seeing Xuan Rui¡¯s gloomy and irresolute attitude, or noticing when he was timid and had no desire to make progress, Zhong Wan would¡¯ve been able to act like the eldest brother and slap him across the face to clear his mind. For example, it might not have been so difficult previously to coax Xuan Rui to drink the medicine and fake being sick. Or, for example¡­ Zhong Wan wouldn¡¯t need to worry now that Xuan Rui, who was far away in Qian An, would easily believe Tang Ming¡¯s words. But Zhong Wan had been too young at the time. Though he had spent three months in the Ministry of Justice¡¯s jail, his arrogance and pride had not yet been smoothed out. The day Zhong Wan reached Qian An was the day of his seventeenth birthday. When seventeen-year-old Zhong Wan saw Xuan Rui call him ¡°Zhong Wan¡± with his eyes sparkling, when he saw the old imperial doctor gazing at him guardedly, expression screaming ¡°scared of death and unfaithful¡±, he had pressed his thin lips into a line and swallowed his anger. He hadn¡¯t explained a thing. What was there to explain? A loyal heart would naturally be known by the Heavens and earth. In the Heavens, his father and mother could see; Prince and Princess Consort Ning could see too. He wasn¡¯t young anymore. After that birthday, he would be an adult. What was there to explain to a child and an old imbecile? Zhong Wan scoffed at himself. Who hadn¡¯t once been a bold and arrogant youth? He couldn¡¯t take any regret medicine. If he really could, the day he returned to Qian An, he would¡¯ve killed that insufferable old imperial doctor first, even if it meant dealing with Xuan Rui¡¯s suspicions. At least then, the later events wouldn¡¯t have occurred¡­ There was a tickle in Zhong Wan¡¯s throat. He started coughing. He touched his forehead. It seemed to be a bit warm. After running about the whole day, it was likely that he was going to fall sick again. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t dare to take any chances. He walked out of the bedroom and pushed open the door. Then, he told the servant waiting in the courtyard to tell Steward Feng that he was probably sick. Zhong Wan returned to the bedroom and lit a small lamp. He lay down in bed, miserably stressing out. It would be best if he could hurry and take some medicine to force the illness away. He had finally managed to smuggle himself into Prince Yu¡¯s estate. He didn¡¯t know how many more days he could stay. If he happened to waste time simply because of his sickness, that would be bad. He didn¡¯t know if Steward Feng would allow Yu She to come see him if he got sick¡­ Young Prince Yu was precious and valuable. It wouldn¡¯t be good if he got infected. Zhong Wan suddenly thought of something. Great hatred rose in his heart. If he got sick, he wouldn¡¯t get any more kisses!!! Zhong Wan¡¯s head grew hotter and hotter. In a daze, he thought to himself, two qian for one, three qian for an open-mouthed one¡­ If he happened to live a long life and was able to stay by Yu She¡¯s side for a long time, if he worked slightly harder, he would be able to repay this debt in only a few years. But what about after repaying the debt? Would he still be able to earn money through kissing? Two qian was still money¡­ Zhong Wan started calculating like a miser, when he felt that someone had walked into the room. His entire body had heated up. He did his best to open his eyes; while squinting, he looked¡­ The sky was already completely dark. The lights in the room were dim. Zhong Wan was dazed because of his fever. He couldn¡¯t tell who this was. Zhong Wan closed his eyes. He could hear the rage in Yu She¡¯s voice as the latter said, ¡°When did you fall ill?¡± Zhong Wan started coughing. Yu She ground his teeth together. ¡°If you were uncomfortable, why didn¡¯t you say anything earlier?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s mind cleared up a bit more. He smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice either. Stay further away from me. Don¡¯t let me¡­¡± Yu She turned around and walked out. A moment later, an imperial doctor entered the room. He helped check Zhong Wan¡¯s pulse before leaving again. Another small while later, Yu She returned holding a bowl of medicine. Without waiting for Zhong Wan to speak again, Yu She impatiently said, ¡°Shut up.¡± Zhong Wan could only obediently receive the bowl of medicine and drink it with furrowed brows. Yu She coldly gazed at Zhong Wan. He took a small cloth bag out of his inner breast pocket. Zhong Wan was bewildered. Yu She plucked out a piece of something from his small cloth bag. Before Zhong Wan could clearly discern what it was, Yu She had already stuffed that object into his mouth. It was a piece of malt sugar candy. He didn¡¯t know if it was because of the dream he had just had, but the memories from seven years ago flooded into his brain like a tsunami. Zhong Wan¡¯s heart hurt terribly, causing the rims of his eyes to turn red. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t want Yu She to notice. He flipped over and buried his face into his pillow. His voice slightly trembled as he said, ¡°What candy is this? Why is it so sweet¡­?¡± CH 55 Tang Ming had uncovered the secret concerns buried deep within Zhong Wan¡¯s heart for many years. These worries and the remaining poison in his body started to take their toll on him. One bowl of medicine was merely able to dissipate his fever temporarily; Zhong Wan¡¯s condition did not take a turn for the better at all. One hour later, his fever grew so high that he lost consciousness. After arriving at the capital, he had been very careful about his health, afraid that if he grew ill, it would interfere with everything. Every time Zhong Wan felt he was about to fall ill, he would take medicine in a flash to suppress the sickness. After he had suppressed it for so many times, the illness accumulated. Festered. And now, it finally found a way out, flaring up with a vengeance. After Yu She had fed Zhong Wan a piece of candy, he took a seat at the side. He did not eat the evening meal. One hour later, he felt something was strange. Taking a few steps outside of his inner chamber, he called for an imperial physician. He was very suspicious of there being something wrong with the bowl of medicine prior, and had someone check the leftover contents in the bowl. Furthermore, he sent someone to the Imperial Academy of Medicine to summon more imperial physicians. After they had rushed to do their duties for one hour, each of them checking Zhong Wan¡¯s pulse and discussing with each other for a while, they found a representative among them to explain things to Yu She. Cold enough to freeze, Yu She said, ¡°What do you mean? Since there¡¯s no way to heal him, just let his fever burn out by itself?¡± The imperial physician had spoken in complicated medical jargon for a good while, and now said with much patience, ¡°The fact that his illness has flared up isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. Young Master Zhong is not in good health, and every medicine has a trace of poison. Every time he felt a little sick, he would take potent medicine to suppress the sickness, suppressing all the pathological influences in his body. Although he was able to forcibly contain his illness this time, after half a month or a full month, if he¡¯s not careful again, he will relapse. Why not just use a mild medicine and let his illness flare up until there¡¯s nothing left?¡± Eyes bright with distrust, Yu She looked at the imperial physician. Steward Feng, who was at the side, advised, ¡°Heir, we¡¯re not knowledgeable of these things, so why not just listen to the imperial physicians?¡± Fearing that Yu She was suspicious, the imperial physician said, ¡°Naturally, there is a quicker method.¡± Gaze dark and gloomy, Yu She said, ¡°How long is the quicker method? How long is the slower method?¡± The imperial physician lowered his head. ¡°The quicker method would take three to five days for him to recover. The slower method would take at least more than ten days, at most one month.¡± Yu She hesitated. Xuan Jin¡¯s coffin had already been delivered to the Royal Mausoleum. The funeral arrangements had already concluded. In a few days, the people of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate would leave the capital. Did Zhong Wan want to leave? If they procrastinated without end, would he stil be able to return to Qian An? Previously, Zhong Wan had said he would not immediately return to Qian An after the funeral. But he had only mentioned it once. Just recently, Xuan Qiong had laid a trap for him. So would he have changed his mind? If he wanted to leave, Yu She would not keep him. Yu She hardened his heart. Said in a low voice, ¡°The quick¡ª¡± ¡°Heir,¡± said Steward Feng. He glanced at the imperial physician, and the latter retreated. ¡°Let¡¯s hear what Young Master Zhong wants.¡± Yu She frowned. ¡°How could he understand anything when he¡¯s this sick?¡± ¡°Taking one¡¯s time to heal isn¡¯t the same as not healing at all. Just before, the imperial physician said that it¡¯s similar to how people help children break their fevers. First, we must apply acupuncture to reduce his fever. It¡¯s estimated that Young Master Zhong would wake up the next day,¡± said Steward Feng patiently. ¡°I know that Heir doesn¡¯t want to delay Young Master Zhong from returning to Qian An, but we don¡¯t know if he wants to leave, right? If he stubbornly insists on staying, then wouldn¡¯t this be putting him through suffering in vain? Heir should not suspect the imperial physicians. They have taken care of your honored self since young. Their lives and their families¡¯ lives are all in your honored self¡¯s hands. Who would dare to not expend all their effort? Furthermore, it is purely because of the benevolence of doctors that we want to use the slower method. Isn¡¯t it better to report back once it¡¯s completed? Isn¡¯t it because Young Master Zhong¡¯s body is weak that we don¡¯t want to prescribe a medicine that¡¯s too strong, and want to help him recover slowly? Also¡­¡± Each word of Steward Feng poked at the softest parts of his heart. ¡°These imperial physicians are all the most highly-skilled practitioners in the country. Young Master Zhong won¡¯t find better treatment than he would here. Once he returns to Qian An, where could he find such good imperial physicians? Let¡¯s not talk about acupuncture. There probably won¡¯t even be any doctors who can diagnose him properly. Otherwise, how would Young Master Zhong¡¯s body have gotten to this state these past few years? For certain it¡¯s because there aren¡¯t any good doctors in Qian An!¡± Yu She was startled. Wavered. Steward Feng attacked while he was winning. ¡°The best imperial physicians and the best medicine are all in our estate. Does Heir really not want to help Young Master Zhong heal from his illness completely?¡± Agitated, Yu She said, ¡°Have them apply acupuncture! Wait until he¡­ until he wakes up. Then we¡¯ll listen to what he wants.¡± Overjoyed, Steward Feng left. After Yu She had given the order, the imperial physicians no longer wasted time. They quickly prepared, their medicine children carrying a few charcoal basins into Zhong Wan¡¯s room. Once the room heated up, they removed his clothes. All along, Yu She had stayed in Zhong Wan¡¯s room. Steward Feng also did not dare to advise him to leave. Before they started the acupuncture, Yu She had people shut the curtains. The imperial physician in charge of the acupuncture was rather perplexed. There wasn¡¯t even a servant girl in the room. So why were they being so secretive? But the imperial physician dared not ask too much. After they shut the curtains, he wiped his hands. Started the acupuncture. Yu She turned around completely. Mgbw rajga ab olclrt, Te Vtf cfnfg aegcfv jgbecv obg j uijcmf. Lf rabbv atfgf obg akb tbegr. Pa kjrc¡¯a ecali atf lwqfglji qtsrlmljc tjv olclrtfv, jcv qeiifv eq atf mbnfgr bnfg Itbcu Qjc, atja Te Vtf aegcfv jgbecv. Lf jqqgbjmtfv atf yfv jcv ofia tlr obgftfjv. Pcvffv, atf ofnfg rbwfktja reyrlvfv. Zhong Wan was still asleep. The imperial physician said near whisper, ¡°If he rouses during midnight, it¡¯s fine to feed him some plain rice congee. However, he cannot have too much. After we check his pulse again, we can prescribe him medicine.¡± Yu She nodded and had someone escort the imperial physician out. The charcoal basins in the room had been carried out. Only a small portable stove remained, an exquisite pot resting above it. And inside was simmering congee. Yu She had the servants leave as well. He sat by the side of Zhong Wan¡¯s bed alone. He did not sleep the whole night. Early the next morning, at the first glimmer of light, Zhong Wan finally opened his eyes. His body ached from the fever. The moment he had awoken, he felt as though his whole body had fallen apart. It hurt so much, to the point where he was wheezing. Once Yu She had roused, he left the room to call the imperial physician over and check Zhong Wan¡¯s pulse. Then he returned to his own room to freshen up. After he had freshened up and changed clothes, Steward Feng rushed over. Yu She¡¯s heart leaped. He tried his best to remain calm and collected. ¡°What did he say?¡± Steward Feng strived his best to appear natural, but his eyes betrayed his joy. ¡°Young Master Zhong said he¡¯d have to bother the imperial physicians in slowly healing him.¡± Yu She threw the silk cloth in his hand into the basin of water. From his lips came a drawn-out sigh. ¡°Then let them slowly treat him.¡± Zhong Wan had awoken, yet Yu She did not return to the former¡¯s courtyard. Yu She had been punished to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors, and seriously worked on the official business that had accumulated immensely. He did both at the same time. The old eunuchs that came to see him were all secretly amazed. They didn¡¯t know why Young Prince Yu¡¯s personality had changed out of the blue. Two days later, Zhong Wan¡¯s condition improved a little. He was able to leave the bed and eat. However, Yu She was only a bit less worried. He once again summoned the imperial physician who had applied acupuncture to Zhong Wan before. The imperial physician requested Yu She to dismiss the servants from the room. Yu She¡¯s heart sank. In his chest was a faint sense of unease. ¡°Did his fever return? Or did his illness grow more severe?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of these,¡± the imperial physician rushed to say. ¡°Young Master Zhong¡¯s condition has already started to take a turn for the better. Heir need not worry. However¡­ Because Young Master has recovered a little, there seemed to be something amiss during the pulse reading.¡± ¡°What¡¯s amiss?¡± Baffled, the imperial physician said, ¡°Two days ago, Young Master Zhong¡¯s fever was very high. We could only see that he had the common cold; as such, we treated him as though he had a common cold in our healing. But after this fever had dissipated, and we checked his pulse again, we actually discovered Young Master Zhong had remnants of a former illness. This doctor dares not pry, but if Heir wants us to heal Young Master Zhong completely, then there¡¯s no choice but to ask one question: what kind of¡­ poison was Young Master Zhong affected with?¡± Yu She¡¯s gaze darkened. He tried his best to say normally, ¡°What poison?¡± ¡°This doctor doesn¡¯t know. Just a while ago, we asked Young Master Zhong directly about this. He replied that he was unhealthy and took medicine without control these past years, accumulating poison in his body. However¡­¡± The imperial physician raised his head and shot a careful glance at Yu She¡¯s expression. ¡°However, from the pulse reading, this is clearly a poison ingested many years prior. Moreover¡­ we don¡¯t know if Young Master Zhong is aware of this. Not to mention, we don¡¯t dare to inquire too much, and could only come to ask Heir.¡± ¡°He himself said it¡¯s from eating medicine,¡± said Yu She with a gloomy expression. ¡°So he definitely doesn¡¯t know.¡± Yu She had long since found it extremely amiss. Zhong Wan had been very healthy in his youth. How could he have become a sickly person after a few years? Even if it was because he wasn¡¯t acclimated to the new region, then why were Prince Ning¡¯s children fine? He had been poisoned. Who did it? Such a person could make Zhong Wan willing to accept harming himself. Up until now, was Zhong Wan still protecting this person? Yu She closed his eyes, concealing the killing intent in them. ¡°Can it be healed?¡± The imperial physician wavered for a good while. ¡°Yes.¡± Before Yu She could ease his worries, the imperial physician said, ¡°However, it will take a long time. We¡¯ll have to treat him for a considerable amount of time until the remaining poison is discharged. This will take a lot of effort. Furthermore, the medicine needs to be considered. The medicinal ingredients¡­ will be hard to find and expensive.¡± Yu She¡¯s worries lessened a shade. He lightly said, ¡°Heal him. If you¡¯re lacking any medicinal ingredients, just talk to the steward. I can definitely manage it.¡± The imperial physician rushed to nod. ¡°Then that¡¯s good.¡± After the imperial physician had retreated, Yu She grasped a brush. Following a long period of sitting in the study, he smashed the writing-brush washer into smithereens. ¡°Young Master, you really¡­¡± Because pleasant surprise had hit him too quickly, Steward Feng kept asking Zhong Wan, ¡°You really won¡¯t leave?¡± Zhong Wan had grown thinner one size after his illness. He drank the bowl of medicine Steward Feng had just given him to the last drop. Licked his lips. ¡°Why is the medicine the imperial physician prescribed this bland? It¡¯s not very bitter¡­ If I¡¯m taking this kind kind of medicine, how long would it take for me to get better? I¡¯m really not leaving. Didn¡¯t I say this before?¡± ¡°Who would dare to believe that?¡± Steward Feng sighed. ¡°But¡­ one would fear that at Heir¡¯s side, it¡¯s hard to say.¡± A dry laugh left Steward Feng¡¯s lips. ¡°For two days, Heir only stayed in his own courtyard and did not speak. Who knows why he¡¯s depressed again? I fear he has once more become dead set on you leaving.¡± Zhong Wan looked down. Laughed bitterly. ¡°He¡­¡± Anxious, Steward Feng took a seat at the side. ¡°Once Heir decides on something, he would not listen to anyone. I don¡¯t dare to advise him.¡± After Zhong Wan had taken his medicine, he felt a bit more energetic. He thought for a moment, and his eyes brightened in a flash. He beckoned. ¡°I¡¯ll help you think of a solution. Just do this first: find someone who can mimic voices and some candles. Then¡­¡± Zhong Wan and Steward Feng spoke for a long time, the latter looking at the former with a strange expression. Then Steward Feng clenched his teeth and stomped, before leaving. On that night, Yu She lay on his own bed, eyes completely bloodshot. In the beginning, he thought the best outcome would be to send Zhong Wan back to Qian An. If in the future, Yu She could ascend the throne by a stroke of luck, and Zhong Wan wanted to return, he would naturally return. If Yu She lost his life during the fight for the throne, then that was that. But now, it seemed Qian An wasn¡¯t safe. Just who poisoned him? And why did they do this? Why did Zhong Wan keep all of this from him? When it¡¯s all said and done, was he staying because of Yu She or was it because he wanted to repay his debt of gratitude to Prince Ning? Was he staying to repay Yu She for his kindness? The more hesitation sprung in his heart, the more he hated Zhong Wan. Hated that he didn¡¯t tell anything to himself. Hated himself for coveting the period of affection between them. After one step in the wrong direction, all subsequent steps led to mistakes. Now, he reached a point where he had to face a difficult choice. Agitated, he ground his teeth, doing his utmost to restrain himself. Just when Yu She was about to fall into a bout of madness, he suddenly heard a noise outside his window. An assassin? Yu She sneered. There were so many family soldiers in the estate. For this person to avoid them all and enter his courtyard was a testament to his skill. He¡¯s courting death. Yu She rose to his feet. Picked up the sword by his bedside. The moment he arrived by his window, he suddenly heard a whimper outside. It seemed like¡­ a sound from some sort of wild beast. Yu She hesitated. Outside, that wild beast abruptly screamed in a voice that seemed half beast and half man, ¡°Zhong Wan must not leave! Zhong Wan must not leave! Zhong! Wan! Must! Not! Leave!!!¡± Not a word left Yu She¡¯s lips. The hand holding the sword trembled a shade. Out of instinct, he suspected himself. Did he¡­ completely go mad? In utter disbelief, Yu She stared at his hands. Hesitating, he returned to his bed. The next day, the Yu She who had been howled at by some wild beast all night sat by his desk with dark circles around his eyes. And he was still suspecting himself. Still not clear-headed. Steward Feng approached the front of the desk without a sound. In a soft voice, he asked, ¡°Did Heir not sleep well?¡± A moment of daze, and Yu She said out of reflex, ¡°Tea¡­¡± It was precisely this word that Steward Feng had been awaiting. He rushed to bring a cup of tea. Hands trembling, he didn¡¯t hold it steadily, and some of the tea spilled on the desk¡­ Overwhelmed by shock, Steward Feng pointed to the desk. ¡°Heir! Look!!!¡± Yu She turned to look at the desk. All he could see was tea spilled all over it. However, the tea seemed sentient and avoided the strokes of characters on the paper, faint characters appearing on the desk: Zhong Wan must not leave. Yu She¡¯s expression stiffened. For a long time, he did not speak. He closed his eyes. Tried his best not to wonder whether he had gone mad or if the world had gone mad. In a blink of an eye, he entered his study. Come noon, the Yu She that had calmed after much difficulty let out a sigh. As soon as he was about to stand, Steward Feng rushed into the study, face full of shock and grasping a dead fish dripping with blood. ¡°¡­Now what happened?¡± asked Yu She. Terrified, Steward Feng held the dead fish as he said, ¡°Heir! Just now, the kitchen staff was slaughtering fish. This slave thought about making fish soup for Young Master Zhong for the noon meal. Never did this slave think, did this slave think, that after slicing open its belly, this would be found!¡± Steward Feng pulled out from the fish¡¯s stomach a roll of paper that had yet to be soaked through. Reverence painting his face, he handed over the paper to Yu She. Numbly, Yu She received it. Opened it¡­ There were five words on the paper: Zhong Wan must not leave. Yu She was speechless. Steward Feng was the picture of piety. ¡°This is the Will of the Heavens¡­¡± Yu She crushed the fishy-smelling paper into a ball. Through his teeth, he said each word one by one. ¡°Go¡­ Tell Zhong Wan¡­ I won¡¯t kick him out¡­ And¡­¡± Steward Feng was overjoyed. Before he could turn around, though, Yu She picked up the ¡°Records of the Grand Historian¡± and tossed it to him. Having a breakdown, he said, ¡°Make him copy ¡®Annals of the House of Chen Se¡¯ ten times! Then have him give me that and the copies of the Heart Sutra! CH 56 Yu She walked up to the table. He used his fingers to wipe over the words that the tea had avoided, then rubbed them together¡­ slippery. This was a thin layer of wax. Water wouldn¡¯t stick to wax. When spilt over the table, it would naturally avoid these areas. A bonfire with fox howls. A book hidden inside a fish¡¯s stomach. As classmates, they were both people who had studied under Old Imperial Preceptor Shi for several years. Yu She had even spent a few more years learning than Zhong Wan had. Who was the dumber one? Even though Yu She¡¯s homework was often slightly subpar when compared to Zhong Wan¡¯s, it wasn¡¯t like he had never memorized the ¡°Records of the Grand Historian.¡± Also! Yu She unfolded the wrinkly piece of paper in his palm. Using seal script to be deliberately mystifying was forgivable. This had obviously been written by Zhong Wan before being given to Steward Feng to copy. The latter had imitated the original, but drawn two strokes wrong! If this were truly the will of the Heavens, could there possibly be wrongly written characters?! Yu She¡¯s ears started ringing because of how angry he was at Zhong Wan. Last night, he hadn¡¯t slept a wink. He had spent the entire night worrying that his condition had gotten worse again, imagining several different scenarios, even considering who he could entrust an orphan to. Completely unexpectedly¡­ Yu She went to catch up on sleep, still dizzy. On the other end, Steward Feng rushed over to notify Zhong Wan. He first expressed his joy that they had succeeded, but couldn¡¯t help but scold Zhong Wan after, saying, ¡°I told you that putting some wax on the table was enough. Yet you were determined to get that dead fish, all bloody and gross¡­ You scared Heir so much that he instantly understood. Previously, you said that there wouldn¡¯t be a glitch in your plan at all. You also said that if you were a woman and had entered the palace to be a concubine, you definitely would¡¯ve caused the other consorts to not have enough money to wear pants. But your¡­ your plan this time wasn¡¯t that impressive at all.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s expression was pained as he held onto the ¡°Records of the Grand Historian.¡± He asked, ¡°What strange rules does your estate have? How old am I? When I make mistakes, I¡¯m either slapped on the palm or ordered to copy famed texts. Does he think I¡¯m three? Can¡¯t he use some age and status-appropriate punishments to punish me?¡± Steward Feng didn¡¯t understand. He froze for a bit before asking, ¡°What do you mean? What are age appropriate punishments?¡± Zhong Wan glanced at the old steward resentfully. He didn¡¯t answer. Not even understanding what age appropriate punishments were? If Yu She was truly angry, he ought to charge over and strip him, then tie him onto the bed to do this and that. After, he should punish him by not permitting him to wear clothes for three days, forced to stay in this room and allow Yu She to have his way. Later, he would then not be allowed to wear underwear, rendering him at Yu She¡¯s mercy any and everywhere on the estate, at any time. Zhong Wan sighed, troubled. Yu She had most likely read all those storybooks for nothing¡­ ¡°Young Master? Young Master Zhong?¡± Steward Feng waved his hand in front of Zhong Wan¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing. I shouldn¡¯t have wished so early for something that can only happen once in a lifetime.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s ears flushed slightly red. He stopped thinking his rated-R thoughts and set ¡°Records of the Grand Historian¡± off to the side, then picked up his bowl of medicine and drank it. ¡°Alright. The end result was good. As long as he won¡¯t shoo me away.¡± Steward Feng nodded. ¡°Yes¡­ Ey, Young Master. There¡¯s still some left at the bottom of the bowl. Drink it all.¡± Steward Feng watched Zhong Wan as he finished the bowl of medicine. Then, he stood up. ¡°Though you don¡¯t need to be in a rush to copy these texts, if Young Master has the energy, why not start writing them sooner? Otherwise, Heir might find your attitude not apologetic enough¡­ I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Steward Feng headed off to finish his own tasks. Zhong Wan painfully started copying the texts. Time flew by. Unknowingly, half a month had passed. During this period, Lin Si secretly visited once. He told Zhong Wan that Yu She had already learned about Tang Qin. Zhong Wan relaxed. Itbcu Qjc mbqlfv ¡°Efmbgvr bo atf Xgjcv Llrabgljc¡± afc alwfr. Lf jirb mbqlfv atf ¡°Lfjga Veagj¡± afc alwfr, yea tf ralii tjvc¡¯a mbwqifafis gfmbnfgfv ogbw tlr liicfrr. Zhong Wan¡¯s cold was already almost healed, but the imperial doctor said he needed to be cured slowly. He wanted Zhong Wan himself to gain an immunity against the cold and wind, so wasn¡¯t in a rush to prescribe him medicine. Ever since his fever had gone down, the amount of medicine he was required to consume had lessened greatly too. Each day, the imperial doctor also made Zhong Wan eat a medicine pill that was a color that couldn¡¯t be discerned. Zhong Wan swallowed the medicine, bewildered, and asked, ¡°What is this? It doesn¡¯t seem like medicine¡­ It¡¯s a bit sweet and also slightly fragrant.¡± Ktf lwqfglji vbmabg rwlifv yea vlvc¡¯a fzqijlc. Lf bcis rjlv, ¡°Kjxf atlr qlii bcmf fnfgs batfg vjs obg atgff ab olnf sfjgr¡­¡± Zhong Wan choked. ¡°I only caught a cold. That¡¯s going to take three to five years to heal?!¡± The imperial doctor hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it, Young Master. This is a supplement. Heir has looked over the prescription already. Heir has also had someone examine the pill. There is absolutely no problem with it. It¡¯s to cure¡­frail physical health. Young Master just needs to eat it.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t really believe this. He said, ¡°Then can I trouble you to show me the prescription?¡± The imperial doctor smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a prescription that has been passed down through the generations. Forgive me for not being able to show it to Young Master.¡± Zhong Wan thought to himself, bullshit. You guys diagnose the nobility all the time. When have you dared to hide the prescription? Are you scared that no one will suspect you? A thought struck him. Zhong Wan suddenly remembered that several months ago, Yu She had once strangely said that he wanted to gather a thousand Daoist priests to perform a ceremony: a ceremony that begged the Heavens to allow Zhong Wan to get pregnant. Zhong Wan hesitated. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this is¡­¡± Zhong Wan was a bit too embarrassed to say. He whispered the remainder of the question into the imperial doctor¡¯s ear. The imperial doctor froze. With difficulty, he answered, ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re overthinking things.¡± Zhong Wan chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. I¡¯ll eat it.¡± The imperial doctor then left ten pills before bowing and leaving. He headed over to report his progress to Yu She. ¡°He ate it?¡± Yu She¡¯s table was covered with two huge stacks of official documents. Without looking up, he asked, ¡°Did it work?¡± The imperial doctor said in a soft voice, ¡°These days, Young Master Zhong has taken his medicine on time every day. Only, if you want to see the effects¡­that probably won¡¯t be possible right now. The pills are mostly created from health supplements. Additionally, they work slow. He¡¯ll need to take them for a long, long time before you¡¯ll be able to notice any effects.¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°He didn¡¯t get suspicious, right?¡± The imperial doctor paused. In a low voice, he said, ¡°Just now, Young Master Zhong asked me if this was an antiabortifacient.¡± The brush in Yu She¡¯s hand slipped, creating a random stroke on the document. The imperial doctor gazed at Yu She, perplexed. He thought of the rumors outside that spoke of how Young Prince Yu had a strange temperament, so carefully stated, ¡°Heir, forgive me for being honest. Men cannot¡­¡± ¡°Say no more.¡± Yu She threw the document off to the side and picked up a brand new one. He waved his hands, ¡°Leave.¡± The imperial doctor cautiously escaped. As soon as the imperial doctor left, Steward Feng entered. ¡°Heir¡­¡± Yu She looked up. ¡°What now?¡± Steward Feng said, ¡°Someone has arrived from the palace.¡± Yu She dipped his brush in ink. ¡°Just send them away. What? They want me to enter the palace?¡± ¡°No,¡± Steward Feng lowly responded. ¡°The emperor has summoned Young Master Zhong.¡± Steward Feng said, ¡°A few days ago, Prince Qian An¡¯s younger siblings entered the palace. Originally, the emperor intended for Young Master Zhong to go with them. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that Young Master Zhong would be here. Upon noticing that he hadn¡¯t gone, he asked a few questions. Today, there¡¯s a family banquet in the palace. Fourth and Fifth Prince are both attending. After the emperor heard that Young Master Zhong is at our estate, he sent someone here¡­ I¡¯ll go notify Young Master Zhong right now and tell him to get changed and prepare to enter the palace?¡± Yu She adjusted the tip of the brush and calmly stated, ¡°He¡¯s not going.¡± Steward Feng froze. ¡°What?¡± Yu She was occupied with his writing. ¡°I said, he¡¯s not going.¡± Steward Feng laughed dryly. ¡°The emperor has summoned him. How could he not go?¡± Yu She seemed not to have heard. After neatly finishing the document in his hands, he set it off to the side. Upon noticing that Steward Feng was still standing next to him, he furrowed his brows. ¡°Did you not hear what I just said?¡± Steward Feng was incredibly conflicted. ¡°Heir, what are you doing? It¡¯s not like Young Master Zhong has never seen the emperor before. He¡¯s already entered the palace many times since he¡¯s returned to the capital. That one time he went, didn¡¯t the emperor even gift him Old Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s writings and paintings? It¡¯s easy to tell that he¡¯s still somewhat kind towards Young Master Zhong¡­¡± Yu She scoffed. As if he hadn¡¯t heard anything, he picked up another document and continued working. Steward Feng was stuck in a dilemma. He laughed dryly. ¡°Heir, what¡¯s actually wrong?¡± Yu She¡¯s head was lowered as he looked over the document. He muttered to himself, ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to see Zhong Wan¡­ He¡¯s using this as an opportunity to test me.¡± Steward Feng didn¡¯t understand. ¡°That day, I made a trade-off with him for Zhong Wan. He noticed that I was motivated, so naturally felt happy. However, he couldn¡¯t help coming up with other ideas. He felt¡­¡± Yu She picked up the brush again. While writing, he said, ¡°He felt that I was admitting defeat, that he could use Zhong Wan to threaten me¡­ Xuan Qiong and Zhong Wan are already sworn enemies. He purposefully wants the two of them to meet so that Xuan Qiong can humiliate Zhong Wan. As such, this would cause me to be cautious.¡± Yu She mocked, ¡°The game of kings¡­¡± Steward Feng blanked out for a moment. ¡°So¡­ so what should we do?¡± ¡°So we need to let him know that I can¡¯t be controlled so easily.¡± Yu She¡¯s eyes slowly turned red. However, his tone was still normal. ¡°He¡¯s finally found my weakness. He must be so happy right?¡± Yu She scoffed. Steward Feng laughed dryly. ¡°But if you¡¯re so protective over him, wouldn¡¯t that just make it easier for the emperor to tell that you care for Young Master Zhong?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted to hide that. Why should I be scared that he¡¯ll find out? Don¡¯t mention any bullshit about how I should treat Zhong Wan coldly just because I care about him. I refuse to continue living in such a suffocating manner.¡± Yu She lifted his gaze and suddenly laughed. ¡°Do you know what the best response would be? To let him clearly know that I do cherish Zhong Wan, that I am going to protect him. If he¡¯s harmed in any way, I¡¯m capable of doing anything.¡± Yu She scoffed at himself. ¡°He wants to see which one of us is crazier? When have I ever feared anyone when it came to this topic? Hasn¡¯t he always been scared that I¡¯ll die? Then from now on¡­ he ought to start worrying about Zhong Wan¡¯s safety as well.¡± Steward Feng swallowed. He understood now. Yu She was showing his weakness to Emperor Chongan. This way, Emperor Chongan would understand that as long as Zhong Wan was fine, Yu She would be fine too. If anything happened to Zhong Wan, Yu She would riot. ¡°Tell the person from the palace,¡± said Yu She as he threw the document off to the side, ¡°that Zhong Wan won¡¯t be going. In the future, there¡¯s no need to come summon him. The emperor will naturally be able to understand what I mean. He¡¯ll no longer purposefully set up such a hongmen banquet to try and disgust me.¡± Steward Feng wanted to try coaxing him a bit more. Though Yu She had long since lost his affection for Emperor Chongan, there was no need to make things so deliberate. After all, that was the emperor. Before he could say anything else, Yu She added, ¡°A few days ago¡­I pondered a lot.¡± Steward Feng lifted his head. ¡°Un?¡± Yu She lowly said, ¡°That day, I suspected I had gone completely crazy. After repeated consideration, I wondered who I could entrust Zhong Wan to if something happened to me.¡± ¡°I thought the whole night, but couldn¡¯t come up with a single name. ¡°These years, I¡­ I don¡¯t know what life I¡¯ve been living either. I¡¯ve survived until now, but can¡¯t even find someone I can leave an orphan to.¡± Yu She lightly said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to persuade me to act more tactfully. Those who have no one to rely on can only rely on themselves. Since I don¡¯t trust them, there¡¯s no need for me to compromise in the hopes that in the future, they¡¯ll care for Zhong Wan out of some semblance of friendship¡­ I wouldn¡¯t count on them.¡± Steward Feng sighed, then turned around and left. Steward Feng exited the study. As soon as he lifted his head, he saw Zhong Wan who was standing outside the study. Steward Feng laughed dryly. ¡°Young Master Zhong, how long have y-you been here?¡± Zhong Wan chuckled a few times with difficulty. ¡°A long time¡­ I heard that someone came from the palace to summon me, so wanted to notify Yu She that I was going to make a trip into the palace.¡± Steward Feng burst into laughter. ¡°There¡¯s no need. This¡­ Well, you already heard.¡± Zhong Wan nodded gently. He had heard everything. Yu She had said that there was no one he could count on. He could only rely on himself for everything. CH 57 Zhong Wan stood outside the study for one hour. Whenever the servants walked by, they would glance at him in a flabbergasted manner. He rubbed his face. Turned around to make for his own room. Just now, he kept wondering how Yu She would react if he had just rushed into the study and explained things to him. If he had revealed all the information on Yu She¡¯s background he had dug out. Zhong Wan grew impulsive many times, yet also forced himself to suppress the urges. He definitely needed to get on Yu She¡¯s good graces even more before he could do this. Enough so that even if Zhong Wan knew his past, he wouldn¡¯t grow so furious that he¡¯d kick Zhong Wan out. On the contrary, he would explain those pieces of secret information. He would be willing to let him stay and become his advisor. Zhong Wan truly wasn¡¯t the slightest bit confident about this. After all, he came from Prince Ning¡¯s estate. At present, it was possible that Xuan Rui would fight for the throne. Would Yu She think Xuan Rui sent Zhong Wan to his side as a spy? It seemed that now, the best method was¡­ Zhong Wan muttered, ¡°Let him f*ck me once.¡± Just once. Then Zhong Wan would be confident that he could fool Yu She for a lifetime. His words frightened the little servant girl, who had come to deliver his medicine, to the point of stumbling. Zhong Wan helped her steady the bowl of medicine. ¡°Why are you so scared? I don¡¯t bite.¡± On guard, the little servant girl looked at Zhong Wan. From start to finish, she found him a bad person. She did not speak. After she had watched Zhong Wan finish drinking the medicine, she rushed out with the empty bowl. Before the evening meal, Yu She had been summoned away. This time, it wasn¡¯t Emperor Chongan making trouble out of nothing. He informed Yu She about the unrest at the northern border. Nowadays, a sign of disturbance had appeared in the court. Whether or not it had anything to do with Yu She, Emperor Chongan still wanted him present. Yu She was completely unwilling to do this. Previously, for the sake of protecting Zhong Wan, he had already promised the emperor he would not shirk his responsibilities anymore. And now, he was unable to reject the emperor¡¯s request, on call at any time. Zhong Wan looked at the hourglass. Sighed. Originally, he had planned to stick to Yu She after the evening meal. But now, it looked like there wouldn¡¯t be a chance. Yu She probably wouldn¡¯t return for now. He felt a bit tired. Ever since he had taken the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician, his health took a turn for the better. He also slept deeper than he had in the past. Every day, his sleep was two hours longer than the previous day¡¯s. As such, once the sky darkened, drowsiness would overtake him. He rubbed his eyes. Mulled over whether he should directly enter Yu She¡¯s inner chamber, when all of a sudden, a faint sound came from the window lattice. His heart trembled. He took in the room. The little servant girl had already left. First, Zhong Wan shut the door. Then he made to open the window. Lin Si flipped as he leapt inside. He gestured, ¡°I wanted to come during the morning, but the estate¡¯s security is too tight. When Young Prince Yu left, half the family soldiers went with him. Only then could I sneak in.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Are Xuan Yu and Xuan Congxin well?¡± Lin Si nodded as well. Said with sign language, ¡°Very well. Young Miss kept asking about you.¡± ¡°Pa¡¯r ubbv atja cbatlcu tjqqfcfv.¡± Itbcu Qjc rlutfv klat fwbalbc. ¡°Yglulcjiis, P kjcafv atfw bea bo atf mjqlaji jr rbbc jr qbrrlyif. Dea cbk, la rffwr eccfmfrrjgs. Pa¡¯r ecmfgajlc ktfatfg Kjcu Zlcu tjr jgglnfv ja Hljc Cc. Po tf tjr¡­ atfc Hljc Cc gfjiis lrc¡¯a j rjof qijmf.¡± If Tang Ming truly led Xuan Rui astray to do something stupid, then these two children could claim ignorance and would not be implicated. As soon as Lin Si had heard his words, his expression stiffened. He paused, then signed, ¡°Tang Ming did not go to Qian An.¡± Startled, Zhong Wan asked, ¡°He didn¡¯t go? Did I guess wrong? Didn¡¯t he craft such a large plan¡­ to meet with Xuan Rui?¡± Lin Si gestured, ¡°You did guess correctly. It¡¯s¡­¡± Lin Si seemed to be suppressing his emotions as he signed, ¡°Xuan Rui simply did not return to Qian An. Not even ten days after he had left the capital, he encountered Tang Ming¡¯s people. They told him that he could not return to Qian An. That people who wanted his life were waiting at Qian An, prepared to attack.¡± At that moment, his head spun. Tang Ming¡­ Lin Si signed, ¡°Xuan Rui was skeptical. Because Tang Ming¡¯s men said, said¡­¡± ¡°Just say it,¡± said Zhong Wan in a low voice. Lin Si gritted his teeth and gestured, ¡°Tang Ming¡¯s men said to Xuan Rui that if Qian An was safe, why didn¡¯t Zhong Wan return himself?¡± Zhong Wan fell into a daze. Out of the blue, he laughed. ¡°Tang Ming¡¯s men also said that if His Highness did not believe them, then use the reason that he¡¯s still sick to slowly return to the south. Listen to the movements of the capital to see if His Majesty wants to act against Qian An. Indeed, half a month ago¡­ Master met with that bribe allegation and the things that came after it,¡± gestured Lin Si. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t refrain from smiling. Lin Si glanced at him. Felt bitterly disappointed for him. He proceeded to gesture, ¡°Even though you and Young Prince Yu had suppressed that matter, Xuan Rui still heard some rumors. Hardly recovered from a recent shock, he indeed dared not return to Qian An. He followed Tang Ming¡¯s men. Made a turn to the south. Steward Yan felt something was amiss but was unable to persuade Xuan Rui from going. He could only anxiously dispatch someone to the capital to request help from you. But you weren¡¯t at the estate. I intercepted the messenger. Feared that it was a trap. The next day, I personally nosed around. Indeed¡­ Last night Xuan Rui arrived at another manor of Tang Ming¡¯s, in the suburbs of the capital.¡± ¡°If a feudal prince¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s lip twitched. ¡°¡­Secretly returned to the capital, this is the crime of rebellion.¡± Anxious, Lin Si signed, ¡°Exactly. Xuan Rui was frightened to the point that he didn¡¯t dare return to Qian An. But what if others find out where he went? Furthermore, how long could he hide this? Three months? Half a year? The garrison troops and officials of Qian An aren¡¯t blind. If no matter how long they waited, His Highness didn¡¯t return to his fief, how could they not report this to the capital? At that time, when His Majesty finds out, then¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes grew bloodshot. ¡°What about Tang Ming?¡± Expression grave, Lin Si gestured, ¡°I came here today because of this¡­ It¡¯s unknown where that old bastard is hiding these days. Most likely, he¡¯s waiting for Xuan Rui to return to the capital. Steward Yan sent a letter to me that read, at 12:10 tonight, Tang Ming would go to that rural manor and meet with Xuan Rui. Steward Yan already lost Xuan Rui¡¯s trust. No matter how much or how long he tried to persuade him, it was to no avail. He tried his best but could only send us this news, unable to do anything else. He merely hoped that Master could borrow some people from Young Prince Yu and destroy that rural manor. Steward Yan said Master can do anything you want to Tang Ming. However, Master must not let Young Prince Yu know that Xuan Rui has returned to the capital. So as to avoid this matter being spread, since once it does, Xuan Rui¡¯s life would be in danger.¡± Not a word escaped Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. Lin Si hurried to sign, ¡°Master, can you control Young Prince Yu¡¯s men? I thought about asking Fourth Prince for help, but feared he would not protect Xuan Rui.¡± Unable to sit or stand still, Lin Si gestured, ¡°Fortunately, Young Prince Yu is not at the estate today. Is Master able to dispatch some people over there first? To settle this matter tonight? After that, whether he¡¯s knocked unconscious or tied up, we can have Steward Yan send Xuan Rui back to Qian An as soon as possible. This way, even if Young Prince Yu finds out, he can¡¯t catch up. As long as Xuan Rui returns to Qian An, this matter will pass! Master¡­¡± Tone light to the extreme, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Conceal this from Ziyou? Use his men?¡± Lin Si hesitated before nodding. Zhong Wan said dully, ¡°If in the future, someone says that Ziyou abducted Prince Qian An, stopped him from returning to his fief, and after conspiring together, sent him back to Qian An, what¡¯s to be done?¡± Lin Si was startled. In a moment of desperation, he had not considered this. ¡°Xuan Rui¡¯s life is a life. Then is Ziyou¡¯s life not a f*cking life?¡± Zhong Wan closed his eyes and did not speak anymore. Lin Si knelt straight away. Signed, ¡°I didn¡¯t think this through. I¡­ I will ask Xuan Jing for help!¡± ¡°No need.¡± Zhong Wan sucked in a deep breath. ¡°I have a plan¡­ Wait here. In at most one hour, you and I will leave the capital.¡± Zhong Wan turned around. Rushed out of the room. Once he found Steward Feng, he said, ¡°I¡­ I feel a bit unwell. May you please find a way to get Yu She to return.¡± Steward Feng was frightened to the point of jumping. He examined Zhong Wan¡¯s complexion. His face was pale, eyes lifeless. He truly seemed unwell. Shuddering with fear, Steward Feng said, ¡°H-how could this happen? Your medicine is tested by others before you take it. Your meals are the same as Heir¡¯s every day. How could this¡­ Where do you feel unwell? I¡¯ll summon an imperial physician.¡± ¡°Call for Ziyou first,¡± said Zhong in a soft voice. ¡°If I don¡¯t see him, I won¡¯t see an imperial physician.¡± Steward Feng was so worried that he almost went crazy. He rushed to have someone summon Yu She. Zhong Wan sat in the central room waiting. Exhausted, he rested his body on the desk, consoling himself in spite of adversity as he thought, it¡¯s fine like this. Before I could tell Yu She I know about his past, perhaps it¡¯s now Yu She uncovering my past. Before an hour rolled by, Yu She returned with a frigid aura enveloping him, a few imperial physicians in tow. Just a glance, and Yu She knew Zhong Was fine. Expression cold, he removed his cloak. Told the imperial physicians to take a break first. Yu She dismissed everyone, anger in his eyes. ¡°Why did you make such a big fuss deep into the evening?! The senior officials of the emperor¡¯s cabinet were all present when people from the estate suddenly came, saying you fell ill and would only take your medicine after seeing me. You¡­ Do you know how those cabinet members looked at me?! Why don¡¯t you sleep properly? What are you acting coquettish for?!¡± Zhong Wan wanted to laugh. But he could only force the corners of his lips to tilt upward a hint. In the end, he couldn¡¯t laugh. Zhong Wan had sat here for a long time, and had already figured out what he was capable of doing. In simple and brief terms, he explained what was going on with Tang Ming and Xuan Rui to Yu She. Then he said, ¡°Tonight, we must destroy that rural manor. Once dawn breaks through the skies, I¡¯m afraid that old bastard would flee.¡± Yu She narrowed his eyes slightly. ¡°You want to secretly borrow the men of the Dali Temple?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°There¡¯s no need to keep it secret. Just lend me some men. Take advantage of the fact that people can still enter the palace right now, and tell the emperor you received a secret letter. That it says people heard evildoers captured Prince Qian An. To act first, report later. To dispatch men to surround them and annihilate them. That way¡­ no matter what, this has nothing to do with you.¡± Shocked, Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. He said, ¡°You think the emperor would believe this? He would definitely suspect Xuan Rui. Moreover, after just a bit of investigation, he¡¯d find out Xuan Rui had returned to the capital. Although he wouldn¡¯t go as far as killing Xuan Rui¡­ Xuan Rui most likely won¡¯t be able to keep his position as a Prince of the Second Rank.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Exhaustion seeping into his bones, Zhong Wan rubbed at the center of his brows. ¡°I¡¯ve already tried my best¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s pupils trembled a bit. They were in the middle of an extreme emergency, but a tinge of ecstasy that was hard to control suddenly sprung in his heart. Shouldn¡¯t Zhong Wan be exploiting him to protect Xuan Rui as much as he could? If he himself died, what did it have to do with Zhong Wan? If Yu She secretly handled this matter, then Xuan Rui could escape unscathed. For him to act this way, did it mean Zhong Wan was afraid he¡¯d be implicated? Yu She couldn¡¯t help but want to ask Zhong Wan, am I more important to you than Xuan Rui?! Don¡¯t you like Xuan Rui more? Noticing that Yu She was silent, Zhong Wan hesitated before saying, ¡°Heir¡­ is that okay?¡± Yu She closed his eyes, dismissing all the distracting thoughts. ¡°This plan isn¡¯t thorough enough. You don¡¯t know how many people are in that rural manor, and neither do I. Wouldn¡¯t this be falling into their trap? You don¡¯t know, but I know even less. In addition, how many people do I need to give you for you to capture them all?¡± Zhong Wan fell into a daze. ¡°If I give you too many people, even if you¡¯re holding a letter from me personally, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to leave the capital come night.¡± Yu She scoffed. ¡°What¡¯s more, since you want me to borrow the imperial sword from the emperor first, then capture the person who led Xuan Rui astray, shouldn¡¯t such a grand contribution be attributed to me? I want this first-class merit. ¡°In fact, as long as I mention this to the emperor, I don¡¯t even have to personally go.¡± Yu She threw his cloak at Zhong Wan. ¡°Put it on. Tell your dog I¡¯ll accompany you out of the capital.¡± Before Zhong Wan could respond, Yu She glanced at him, gaze profound. Killing intent rose in it. ¡°What¡¯s most important are¡­ those matters regarding you. I have many things to personally ask Xuan Rui.¡± CH 58 Before he left, Yu She¡¯s gaze darkened. Using the excuse of getting another cape, he avoided Zhong Wan and offhandedly grabbed someone. He lowly gave that person a few orders. Time waited for no one. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t make anyone ready a horse carriage. He wanted to ride along on horseback with everyone else. Yu She didn¡¯t dissuade him, instead instructing someone to prepare a fast horse. Meanwhile, he commanded someone to gather his Dali Temple subordinates and some-hundred private family soldiers that were in the capital. Zhong Wan asked how many people there were. After receiving a response, he felt that the amount was probably enough. ¡°Not enough,¡± said Yu She. He tied his cape while ordering a family soldier, ¡°Take my handwritten letter with you to tell the Jingzhao Prefecture to send troops. Have¡­¡± Yu She glanced at Lin Si. With furrowed brows, he asked, ¡°Location of the manor?¡± Lin Si hurriedly pulled out a map from his inner breast pocket. He pointed at the circled location on the map. Yu She scanned it and said, ¡°Have these official roads closed and the surrounding hostels completely locked down. As soon as they receive the news, have them detain anybody entering or exiting. They¡¯re not allowed to let a single person leave.¡± Lin Si inhaled sharply. Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan. Tone cold, he asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that this is a trap within a trap as well?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Yes¡­¡± But no matter how cunning the ploy, everything was useless in the face of absolute military power. They didn¡¯t say anything else, only leaving the estate and getting onto the horses. Yu She ordered about a dozen family soldiers to follow them. Everyone else was to stay in the back. After exiting the city, they got off their horses. The family soldiers used cotton covered in cloth to wrap up the horses¡¯ hooves. Lin Si looked at Zhong Wan in confusion. Zhong Wan calmly stated, ¡°Yu She wants to hear¡­ what they¡¯re actually going to discuss.¡± Lin Si glanced at Yu She in disbelief. Over a dozen people charged forth on their horses. In less than four hours, they reached the manor Xuan Rui was hiding at. Tang Ming still hadn¡¯t arrived. Everyone else waited outside the manor. Lin Si quietly snuck in alone. He made contact with Yan Pingshan, and working together, the two of them secretly opened a side door. Zhong Wan and Yu She entered through it. On the other hand, the family soldiers silently split up, like ghosts, and covertly hid around the manor. Everyone acted very carefully, cautious not to alert the other people in the manor. Yan Pingshan didn¡¯t dare to cause Xuan Rui suspicion, so didn¡¯t seek Zhong Wan out. Instead, he only notified Lin Si of a location suitable for hiding. He remained standing guard by Xuan Rui¡¯s side, constantly zoning out. Yu She and Zhong Wan silently walked into the compartment in the study. Making use of the moonlight, Lin Si signed to Zhong Wan, ¡°I¡¯ll be on top of the building. If anything happens, Master only needs to call for me. I¡¯ll send out a signal to those outside.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. The bamboo leaves outside the window slightly shifted. Lin Si had already flipped out of the window and leapt onto the roof. In the darkness, Zhong Wan and Yu She leaned against the wall. Neither spoke. After waiting a whole two hours, a swaying light appeared outside. Yan Pingshan coughed twice and someone walked in. Zhong Wan suddenly opened his eyes. On the other side of the wall, Yan Pingshan said in agitation, ¡°If you¡¯re going to say anything, make it quick. Prince¡­ it¡¯s not safe to stay here for too long. You should still¡­¡± Xuan Rui stuttered out, ¡°G-got it.¡± The soft clink of tea cups sounded from outside the wall. Someone walked out, closing the door behind them. It was probably Yan Pingshan. Someone heaved out a long sigh. Zhong Wan¡¯s pupils dilated¡­ As expected, it was Tang Ming. Yea bo gfoifz, Itbcu Qjc ibbxfv ja Te Vtf. Te Vtf ufcais rtbbx tlr tfjv. Itbcu Qjc kjr tfgf ab mjamt Kjcu Zlcu, yea Te Vtf kjrc¡¯a. Te Vtf tjv ubcf ab remt ugfja fzafcar pera ab tfjg ktja atlr qfgrbc, ktb Itbcu Qjc tjv rtlfivfv obg rb wjcs sfjgr, kjr ublcu ab rjs gluta cbk. On the other side of the wall¡­ Tang Ming lamented, ¡°Prince has been made to suffer.¡± Xuan Rui hesitated. ¡°Has the¡­ Qian An case been resolved?¡± ¡°Technically yes, but also, technically no.¡± Tang Ming sighed. ¡°Young Prince Yu admitted to all the crimes in Guiyuan¡¯s stead, but didn¡¯t say a word in your defense, Your Highness, when facing the emperor. The emperor is suspicious. He no longer trusts Your Highness.¡± In a panic, Xuan Rui asked, ¡°Then what should I do now? I can¡¯t keep hiding for the rest of my life! There are people who want to kill me in Qian An, so I can¡¯t return, but my younger brother and sister are still in the capital. I¡­¡± ¡°Has Prince never considered that the two young masters might be used as someone¡¯s leverage over you?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Tang Ming sighed. ¡°Has Prince also never wondered how you managed to slowly, step by step, find yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place?¡± Xuan Rui replied, ¡°How could I not? Everything is because of the emperor¡¯s birthday. If not for the fact that the emperor suddenly wanted us to come to the capital to celebrate his birthday, we originally could¡¯ve safely stayed in Qian An. I¡­¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t so,¡± Tang Ming lamented. ¡°You¡¯ve been wrong from the beginning. Your Highness was still a child back then, but ought to remember that after Prince Ning¡¯s death, the emperor broke tradition and allowed you to inherit your father¡¯s title without any lowering of rank, right?¡± Xuan Rui was shocked. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Tang Ming asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t make any grave mistakes. How come you¡¯ve become a prince of the second rank now?¡± Xuan Rui explained, ¡°It was Zhong Wan who did it for me¡­¡± ¡°He hid it from you, submitted the request for you, saying that you had poor morals and no talent. He said that you couldn¡¯t live up to the title of prince of the first rank, so blindly gave away the title your father had passed down to you!¡± Tang Ming clutched his wrists in despair. ¡°If not, your situation wouldn¡¯t be so difficult right now! Have you never considered why Zhong Wan would act in such a manner?¡± Xuan Rui¡¯s tone was hesitant. ¡°Maybe because¡­ he wanted to ingratiate us to the emperor, so that the emperor would know that I had no intentions of acting out of line.¡± Tang Ming sighed again. He lowered his voice to ask, ¡°Prior to heading to Qian An, who did Zhong Wan rely on to survive?¡± Xuan Rui was silent for a moment. ¡°Yu She¡­¡± Tang Ming coldly stated, ¡°That Yu Ziyou is the emperor¡¯s son!¡± In the darkness, Yu She clenched his teeth together. He used all of his self control to stop himself from charging in and breaking Tang Ming¡¯s neck. On the other side of the wall, Tang Ming sighed. ¡°Does Prince still not understand now that everything was connected? For whom did Zhong Wan force you to give up your prince of the first rank position back then? Can you still not tell?¡± Xuan Rui inhaled sharply. Tang Ming sighed. ¡°Speaking of¡­ Zhong Wan could be considered truly affectionate towards Young Prince Yu. In order to return the favor of Young Prince Yu saving his life, he actually helped him clear all obstructions several years earlier. He took away your qualifications to seek revenge for your father. If you were still a prince of the first rank, today¡­ There¡¯s no reason that you wouldn¡¯t be able to put up a fight against all the other imperial princes.¡± Xuan Rui seemed to have been frightened. He hurriedly stated, ¡°Don¡¯t trick me. How could I fight against the imperial princes?¡± ¡°Back in the day, Prince Ning almost managed to ascend to the throne. You¡¯re his eldest legitimate son. Why couldn¡¯t you fight? Besides, how could this current situation be considered you wanting to join the fight? They¡¯re the ones who have forced you to fight,¡± Tang Ming replied. ¡°Even if Your Highness wanted to live life on the chopping board, that isn¡¯t even possible anymore! The emperor already has intentions to kill. Your Highness has no other options!¡± Xuan Rui said softly, ¡°I¡­ I still want to see Zhong Wan again first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve helped Prince lay plans until now. I don¡¯t feel vengeful in the slightest that Prince isn¡¯t thankful. However, if Prince still wants to see Zhong Wan¡­ Forgive me for being unable to stop myself from saying something ugly.¡± Then Tang Ming asked, ¡°Prince, you and Zhong Wan have accompanied each other for several years. You definitely know better than me if Zhong Wan has other intentions. In all these years¡­ have you honestly never suspected him?¡± In a quiet voice, Tang Ming said, ¡°Back then, when Zhong Wan returned to Qian An¡­ didn¡¯t Your Highness notice that something was wrong?¡± Another bout of silence. ¡°Prior to leaving the capital¡­¡± Xuan Rui¡¯s voice was hoarse. ¡°The imperial doctor who had always taken care of us once gave Zhong Wan a bag of poison.¡± Tang Ming paused. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Xuan Rui was quiet for a few moments. ¡°A bag of poison. After being used, it would take three days to take effect¡­ The imperial doctor told Zhong Wan to use that poison in Prince Yu¡¯s estate, to kill Prince Yu and Yu She. The imperial doctor said that Zhong Wan spent every day with them, making it very convenient to use the poison. As such¡­ he would¡¯ve gotten revenge for my father¡¯s death.¡± Yu She¡¯s breathing suddenly got heavier. Zhong Wan closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t want to hear any more of this story. Tang Ming slowly said, ¡°Zhong Wan obviously didn¡¯t use the poison.¡± ¡°No,¡± Xuan Rui answered softly. ¡°Thus, when he first returned to Qian An, I was slightly uneasy¡­ I also didn¡¯t dare to ask whether he had refused to use the poison because the timing was wrong, or whether he couldn¡¯t use the poison because he was worried about getting me dragged into the mess. Or, or¡­¡± Tang Ming continued in Xuan Rui¡¯s stead, ¡°Or if he had long since had a falling out with Prince Ning¡¯s estate, never having the intention of seeking revenge for Prince Ning at all.¡± Xuan Rui lowered his head and lowly said, ¡°Everyone says that my father was implicated by Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Back then, I hated them to death¡­ Zhong Wan lived in our enemy¡¯s home for three months. I thought that he had done it for revenge, but later on¡­ He didn¡¯t use the poison. There was no way I couldn¡¯t suspect something. ¡°B-but¡­¡± Xuan Rui became panicked. ¡°But later, it¡¯s true that Zhong Wan actively worked for the benefit of our estate. Thus, I slowly forgot this incident. Only, every time I remember it, I feel like¡­ there¡¯s a knot in my heart.¡± Tang Ming sighed. ¡°Prince is kind. You get that from Prince Ning.¡± Xuan Rui said, ¡°Only, after we returned to the capital this time, in only a few days, Zhong Wan had already privately met with Yu She once. So I felt doubtful again¡­¡± Tang Ming was surprised. ¡°He met with Young Prince Yu as soon as he got back to the capital?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Xuan Rui nodded. Quietly, he stated, ¡°The day we entered the palace. Zhong Wan ought to have been waiting for me and Xuan Yu outside of the palace. But after we exited, we couldn¡¯t find him. I had someone go look. A short while later, he returned; I asked him where he had gone and he said that the hired carriage driver hadn¡¯t known the way so had gotten lost. But I asked the person who went to look for him. That person clearly answered¡­ that Zhong Wan had gone to the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate.¡± Tang Ming paused for a moment. Then he said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to say anything else about this matter. Seeking out Young Prince Yu upon returning to the capital and deliberately hiding it from you. This¡­¡± Xuan Rui said in a low voice, ¡°During the period spent in the capital, Zhong Wan often visited Prince Yu¡¯s estate. I¡­ I didn¡¯t dare to ask at all. I could only pretend that I hadn¡¯t noticed, that I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You must know his purpose for visiting, right?¡± asked Tang Ming. ¡°Who knows if it was Young Prince Yu¡¯s handiwork getting you framed for privately colluding with local officials.¡± Xuan Rui¡¯s voice was very soft. ¡°As long as he didn¡¯t try to harm me, I could pretend that I didn¡¯t know anything¡­¡± Tang Ming replied, ¡°But now you already know. You ought to understand, too, who you can truly rely on and who you can¡¯t, right? All these years, it¡¯s possible that Zhong Wan¡­ might have suspected you before.¡± ¡°He¡¯s suspected me before, I know.¡± Xuan Rui hesitated. ¡°That year¡­ that year¡­¡± Tang Ming hurriedly asked, ¡°What?¡± Xuan Rui was incredibly terrified. He seemed to truly have started treating Tang Ming as someone he could depend on. He couldn¡¯t help quickly saying, ¡°That year, prior to the old imperial doctor¡¯s death, he interrogated him¡­ asking¡­ ¡°Asking if the true reason he hadn¡¯t poisoned Yu She back then was because he was worried that Qian An would get drawn into the mess, or because he was unwilling to kill his enemy. Zhong Wan said¡ª¡± Tang Ming was shocked. ¡°What did Guiyuan say?¡± Xuan Rui¡¯s voice trembled as he responded, ¡°Zhong Wan didn¡¯t say anything. He turned around and left. At that time¡­ there were rumors everywhere that said Zhong Wan and Young Prince Yu from the capital were in a relationship. They said that he had lived in a certain manner two years ago in the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. There are no rumors that start groundlessly.¡± A wall away, Zhong Wan leaned against the wall, chest rising up and down. ¡°The old imperial doctor felt that Zhong Wan had disappointed my father. Prior to his death, he¡­ he¡­¡± Xuan Rui lowered his voice to say, ¡°He added the poison he had previously given to Zhong Wan into Zhong Wan¡¯s food¡­ but fortunately! He didn¡¯t eat too much of it! We managed to save him! Only then did the imperial doctor tell me. It wasn¡¯t my fault! I only found out after! Besides, the old imperial doctor had done it because he was loyal to my father¡­ so¡­¡± Xuan Rui¡¯s voice trembled as he said, ¡°I really didn¡¯t order the old imperial doctor to act in that way. However, I always felt like Zhong Wan seemed to suspect me. But after so many years, he survived and nobody mentioned it again. I thought that it had passed, I thought¡­¡± Xuan Rui said in agitation, ¡°I had no other options! How was I supposed to know that the old imperial doctor hated Zhong Wan even though he was so close to death himself? That he was going to poison him? At that time, the rumors were everywhere. If Zhong Wan really didn¡¯t have a special relationship with Yu She, why, why, why¡­ did he spread those rumors? If everything was a lie, why would Yu She, who was in the capital, allow all that uncouth gossip to go unobstructed? Zhong Wan himself didn¡¯t explain anything to us either!¡± In the compartment, Zhong Wan¡¯s fingers trembled. He attempted to hold himself back multiple times, but ultimately couldn¡¯t. With a loud gasp, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Yu She¡¯s expression abruptly changed. He cried out, ¡°Guiyuan!!!¡± In only an instant, Tang Ming and Xuan Rui, who were outside the compartment, became shocked. Before they could react, Lin Si had already broken down the door from the outside. The family soldiers charged in as well. Behind them were Xuan Yu and Xuan Congxin. Yu She had secretly ordered them to be brought along. Xuan Yu¡¯s small face was ghastly pale. Someone pushed him to the front. He stared at Xuan Rui, stunned. Xuan Rui became terrified by this. For a long time, he couldn¡¯t react. He blanked out momentarily before raspily asking, ¡°How come¡­ you two are here?¡± Xuan Yu¡¯s voice shook. ¡°Elder Brother¡­ What did you say just now?¡± Xuan Rui saw that only Lin Si was present, so wasn¡¯t too scared. He couldn¡¯t figure out if these people were the ones from his own estate here to save him or not. He only said in a daze, face pale, ¡°You don¡¯t understand. I¡¯ll tell you later. Why are you all here? Did you bring all these people?¡± Xuan Yu gazed at Xuan Rui in disbelief. He continued to ask, ¡°Just now, did you say¡­ that Zhong Wan is here to harm us?¡± Xuan Rui furiously stated, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that! I only¡­ Every human has their own selfish desires. You¡¯re still young, so don¡¯t understand. I¡¯ll explain to you later!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Xuan Yu¡¯s voice was hoarse. ¡°To this day, I don¡¯t know how our father died. But¡­ Zhong Wan only went to Qian An because of us. Isn¡¯t that the truth?¡± Xuan Rui glanced at Lin Si guiltily. He knew that Lin Si was Zhong Wan¡¯s trusted subordinate, so feared that he would tell Zhong Wan something. In a moment of panic, he pushed Xuan Yu and lowered his voice to say, ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this later!¡± Xuan Yu fell on the ground because of this push. His entire body was shaking. He stumbled to his feet, lowly muttering, ¡°I don¡¯t understand anything. I don¡¯t know anything. But¡­ but all these years, the one who raised me was Zhong Wan¡­ The one who taught me how to read was him; the one who taught me morals was him; the one who taught me hand in hand¡­¡± Xuan Yu couldn¡¯t keep the tears from falling. ¡°¡­Who taught me hand in hand how to write the five Confucian virtues was him¡­¡± Xuan Congxin¡¯s eyes were watery. She couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. She took a step forward and grabbed Xuan Rui¡¯s collar. Outraged, she shouted, ¡°Xuan Rui!!! At that time, he had only been sixteen! A year younger than you are now! In these seven years, how many times has he almost died in Nanjiang?! For what? Did he suffer all these years, on the brink of death, just for you to suspect him like this?!¡± CH 59 Yu She placed Zhong Wan lightly on the ground, leaving the compartment at an unhurried pace. Face pale and eyes bloodshot, Yu She looked straight at Xuan Rui as if he himself were a malicious spirit. In a hoarse voice, he said, ¡°The poison in his body¡­¡± The moment Xuan Rui had caught sight of Yu She, he was frightened to the point of kneeling. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t react. ¡°Y-Yu She?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Incredulous, Yu She stared at Xuan Rui. He muttered as he fumed with rage, ¡°Had I been mad back then? I had actually let him go on purpose, let him go to you. I¡­ I obviously couldn¡¯t bear to let him go, yet I actually indulged his desire to find you. I¡­¡± Blood appeared in Yu She¡¯s mouth. He really wished he could return to seven years ago and wake himself up with a slap. He had been so stupid, submissively giving such a good Guiyuan to that thing. Yu She did his utmost to restrain the evil thoughts in his heart. Before he came to this place, he had already crafted a great plan. One, he and Zhong Wan would enter this rural manor in secret. Two, he¡¯d have people capture the two younger children of Prince Ning and bring them here. So as to let those two children see clearly just who was letting down whom. In this way, when he removed Xuan Rui¡¯s position as a Prince of the Second Rank in the future, those children wouldn¡¯t misunderstand Zhong Wan. And Zhong Wan¡¯s painstaking efforts for so many years would not be in vain. Yu She had obviously tried his best not to have Zhong Wan heartbroken. Out of instinct, he touched the dagger hanging by his waist. In any case, since he had already made a mistake, making another didn¡¯t matter. What if he just killed him directly now¡­? Meanwhile, Tang Ming noticed that although people had arrived, they weren¡¯t large in number. At first, he had been happy, but no matter where he looked, he couldn¡¯t find Zhong Wan. The moment he had caught sight of Yu She, he paled. Absentminded, he said, ¡°Why is it you?!¡± Yu She closed his eyes. Turned to look at Tang Ming. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, ¡°Leave the people of Qian An and this old thing alive. Everyone else in this rural manor¡­ Kill¡­ Don¡¯t let even one person live. Burn down the rural manor.¡± Frightened to the extreme, Tang Ming said, ¡°Outside my manor, there¡¯s still¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s already been settled.¡± Yu She¡¯s trusted aides and family soldiers all cupped their hands in obeisance. ¡°Just a while ago, when we brought Young Miss and Young Master here, we subordinates leaked our location by accident. We feared alarming other people and messing up Heir¡¯s plan, so simply killed those people first. There are seventeen people in the rural manor, and twenty-three outside it. On the road, providing support, were fourteen people. Right?¡± ¡°Yu She!¡± shouted Tang Ming, furious. ¡°Shut up.¡± Yu She¡¯s voice proved hoarse. ¡°You better pray that Zhong Wan is alright. Otherwise¡­ I won¡¯t let anyone in this house escape alive.¡± Yu She turned around and returned to the inner chamber. He picked up Zhong Wan, thoughts frantic. ¡°Let¡¯s r-return home.¡± Yu She wrapped Zhong Wan in his own cloak. Supported him up a horse. A few family soldiers escorted them back to the capital, not once glancing back. Zhong Wan had a dream. In it, he was an ignorant child, very naughty and mischievous. Every day, he and Lin Si stirred up trouble in Prince Ning¡¯s estate. They¡¯d climb trees and steal the eggs from bird nests. Went into the stream to catch carps. After they had worn a good set of new clothes for two days, those clothes would have to be repaired. Every day, the older female servant taking care of him always had this task: to help them repair their clothes. But because she couldn¡¯t keep up, she retrieved some durable and rough cloth from the storeroom. To use to make clothes for them instead. Princess Consort Ning couldn¡¯t bear to see this, so she said¡­ Said that even if Zhong Wan was an adopted son, he was still the prince¡¯s son. He must not wear clothes that had been patched up. Princess Consort Ning chose the most densely woven silk to make his clothes. Then she specially ordered people to stitch pieces of tanned, thin, and soft animal hide at the cuffs. And for the knee regions of his clothes, both the interior and exterior. This way, his clothes were sturdy and would protect against falls. Even if he fell from those towering artificial mountains, and his elbows hit the ground, it still wouldn¡¯t hurt. Princess Consort Ning did not have any children of her own. Zhong Wan and Lin Si wanted a younger brother as a follower. He asked her a few times when he would have a younger brother, but she only smiled faintly. Then she would resume what she was doing, not a word escaping her lips. Afterward, Zhong Wan by chance overheard the older servants discussing in private. They said that the emperor had bestowed Prince Ning a marriage to Princess Consort Ning, and at the start, the two were unwilling. However, one could not disobey an imperial decree. So they made do of a bad situation, passing their days together. At present, their relationship had eased up a little, but they had spent the past few years in indifference. And now, they both could not set aside their pride. In any case, they usually weren¡¯t together. Cr Itbcu Qjc tjv ilrafcfv ab atbrf kbgvr, tf bcis tjio-ecvfgrabbv atfw. Vb ktja lo atfs mbeivc¡¯a rfa jrlvf atflg qglvf? Vb ktja lo atfs kfgf bg kfgfc¡¯a lc atf rjwf qijmf? Ycmf j kbwjc ugfk bivfg, kbeivc¡¯a rtf pera ulnf ylgat? Dea tf ralii kjcafv j sbecufg ygbatfg. C sfjg ijafg, tlr sbecufg ygbatfg ralii vlvc¡¯a mbwf. Itbcu Qjc tjv ugbkc j sfjg bivfg, jcv jr remt, ecvfgrabbv j ilaaif atja atfrf akb qfbqif wera ogfdefcais wffa lc bgvfg obg tlw ab tjnf j ilaaif ygbatfg. That day was the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It was rare for the whole family to eat a meal together. Prince Ning and Princess Consort Ning felt somewhat awkward. They wanted to say something, but once they opened their mouths, they would feel embarrassed for some reason. Zhong Wan was still very short. It was inconvenient for him to pick up his food. As such, Princess Consort Ning let him sit by her side and personally placed food into his bowl. Zhong Wan looked at Princess Consort Ning, then shifted his gaze to Prince Ning. In a thoughtless manner, he said, ¡°Mother, help me change my name.¡± Princess Consort Ning frowned. ¡°Change it to what?¡± Zhong Wan swallowed the food in his mouth. Said vaguely, ¡°Zhaodi. Zhong Zhaodi. I don¡¯t mind if it sounds bad.¡± After over twenty years of being a daughter of a noble house, she experienced laughing at the dining table until her stomach hurt for the first time. Prince Ning tried his utmost to suppress a smile. Rose to his feet and patted her back. And Princess Consort Ning blushed somewhat. Ever since that day, Prince Ning and Princess Consort Ning were always together. Less than a year later, Princess Consort Ning sure enough gave birth to a younger brother for Zhong Wan. Then a few more years later, that younger brother sure enough became Zhong Wan and Lin Si¡¯s follower, chasing after them every day. They teased him. Zhong Wan and Lin Si loved to bully Xuan Rui, yet also pampered him. When they climbed trees, and Xuan Rui was unable to do so, Zhong Wan would carry him on his back as he climbed. When they caught fish, and Xuan Rui couldn¡¯t catch even one, Zhong Wan would give him the biggest one. It had been difficult for Princess Consort Ning to give birth to the twins. Before she died, she said a few words to Prince Ning. Then turned to Zhong Wan, in her eyes many unspoken words. With red eyes, Zhong Wan had knelt before Princess Consort Ning¡¯s bed, holding her hand. In a low voice, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. If Father remarries in the future, I will protect my younger brothers and sister. I won¡¯t let our stepmother bully us. I won¡¯t let them suffer.¡± Princess Consort Ning¡¯s face was pale, and after hearing these words, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. She stroked his head. Sighed. Then, after telling Zhong Wan to take care of himself, she breathed her last breath. Half dreaming and half awake, Zhong Wan muttered in a hoarse and soft voice, ¡°Princess Consort, I¡¯m scared of¡­ I¡¯m scared of¡­¡± By the bedside, Yu She held Zhong Wan¡¯s hand. And after he had heard his words, his heart broke. Yu She stroked his head. Said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already handled the matters regarding Xuan Rui. ¡°Xuan Rui¡¯s noble rank is gone. I will personally send people to escort him back to Qian An, and leave some people there to monitor him. He won¡¯t be able to take one step out of his fief. ¡°When we were still in school, I remember that Princess Consort Ning had personally made all your clothes. I am well aware that she treated you well. I also know how you feel¡­ ¡°For now, I have yet to handle the matter of Prince Ning¡¯s noble rank. Once I have settled it, I will give this noble rank to Xuan Yu. ¡°After Xuan Yu inherits it without a hitch, he can bring Xuan Congxin back to Qian An. In the future, as long as he¡¯s willing to pass his days well-behavedly, then his life will be smooth and steady. ¡°Guiyuan¡­ If you live well, then I¡¯ll let them live.¡± Whether Zhong Wan could hear him in his dreams was anyone¡¯s guess. Zhong Wan furrowed his brows, before falling back asleep. Once he roused again, three days had passed. Steward Feng was the only person by his side. Zhong Wan¡¯s lips were pale. He opened his mouth and said, ¡°Qian¡­¡± Steward Feng rushed to explain everything to him. Then he said, ¡°Heir did not relay all the details to His Majesty, leaving out half of the truth. Heir said that evildoers captured Xuan Rui, but never said who. Now, everyone from the rural manor is dead. Even if His Majesty wanted to chase after this matter, he won¡¯t be able to find out anything. What a coincidence.¡± Steward Feng handed Zhong Wan a cup of hot tea. Said softly, ¡°Recently, His Majesty has not been well, and basically doesn¡¯t have the energy to take care of that matter. As such, he just let it go like that. Heir has already imprisoned that person named Tang whatever in secret. Heir said he still had some questions for him.¡± Zhong Wan closed his eyes. Nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°These past few years, you¡­¡± A sigh escaped Steward Feng¡¯s lips. ¡°Nevermind. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. The two young masters of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate have been wanting to see you, but Heir blocked them. The young miss of that estate sent some clothes over. I have placed them to the side.¡± Zhong Wan said in a raspy voice, ¡°Heir¡­¡± ¡°Heir is fine. Speaking of which, it¡¯s strange. The more he has to do, the clearer his head is. Recently, he¡¯s been very focused and diligent with his duties. Due to annihilating the traitors, he achieved a meritorious deed. His Majesty has even praised him.¡± Worried, Steward Feng glanced at Zhong Wan. ¡°But he still worries about you.¡± Zhong Wan forced himself to sit up. Said in a soft voice, ¡°Very good. I¡­ I want to be alone for a while.¡± Steward Feng sounded his agreement and retreated. Zhong Wan fell into a daze for a while, a robe draped over his shoulders. He slowly climbed down the bed, making his way to the desk. He picked up a brush. Somewhat cold, he curled up for a moment. Chest in pain due to all the anxiety. Many years ago, after learning in the prison that Prince Ning had died, Zhong Wan had spat out a mouthful of blood. But back then, he had still been young. Without eating any medicine or resting, he recovered. Now, when he recalled that moment, he didn¡¯t find it too unbearable. But this time, it was a different story. Zhong Wan felt as though someone had stabbed him in the stomach more than ten times. Just a twitch, and it were as if someone had stabbed his five viscera and six bowels. Zhong Wan rested against the desk for a moment. Then he unfurled a roll of paper. He picked up a brush and wrote the word ¡°son.¡± Laughed in spite of himself. Then crushed the paper into a ball, throwing it aside. Then he started on a new sheet of paper, writing, ¡°Wan kneels and reports. ¡°Father should know what happened to Xuan Rui¡­¡± Zhong Wan clutched his hands into fists, knuckles glowing white. He lowered his head and sucked in a breath. And he crushed this sheet of paper into a ball as well, tossing it to the side. For a moment, Zhong Wan took his time. Then he picked up the brush once more. ¡°Wan kneels and reports. ¡°Prince and Princess Consort should already know what happened to Xuan Rui from the heavens.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes reddened. He gritted his teeth. Endured. ¡°Wan traveled from the capital to Qian An and squandered many years. For the sake of self-preservation, I did not stop at anything, doing all kinds of contemptible things. Prince and Princess Consort should know already. ¡°Many years ago, the estate fell into ruin¡­ ¡°In those seven years, I¡¯ve completely failed to repay Ziyou¡¯s kindness¡­¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Startled, Zhong Wan lifted his head. Yu She had returned who knew when, and stood right behind him. Yu She stared blankly at the letter Zhong Wan was writing to Prince Ning and Princess Consort Ning. Quietly, he read aloud, ¡°In those seven years, I¡¯ve completely failed to repay Ziyou¡¯s kindness¡­ ¡°Completely failed to repay Ziyou¡¯s kindness. Completely failed to repay Ziyou¡¯s kindness¡­¡± murmured Yu She. In his heart was a sorrow that could not be put into words. He closed his eyes. Holding Zhong Wan¡¯s hand, he crossed out that sentence. And he said in a raspy voice, ¡°You haven¡¯t let me down.¡± All of a sudden, Zhong Wan dared not look at Yu She. There was pain in his heart. He lowered his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear it from Xuan Rui?¡± he asked in a low voice. ¡°Back then¡­ I almost poisoned you.¡± Yu She kept silent. Zhong Wan said, voice still low, ¡°Just a bit more, and I would have taken your life. You don¡¯t blame me? ¡°Xuan Rui thinks that because of you, I did not take revenge for Prince Ning. What do you think? You should understand more than he does, right? Should be more clear on the matter. The reason why I didn¡¯t act against you was for the sake of Prince Qian An¡¯s people. Just a momentary slip, and I could have poisoned you¡­¡± Zhong Wan shifted his gaze to his own hands. Said near whisper, ¡°If another Tang Ming appears in the future, to be honest, I actually¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± said Yu She with indifference. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you did it for. No matter what you say, no matter what other people say, in my heart¡­ you did not poison me because of me.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart trembled. He forced himself to say, ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not Xuan Rui. No one can lead me astray. And neither can you,¡± said Yu She apathetically. ¡°As long as I¡¯m in your heart¡­ I will not believe what anyone else says.¡± The Zhong Wan who already agreed not to cry anymore did his utmost to force the tears back in. Even his voice had changed. ¡°How do you know how I feel¡­¡± ¡°That day¡­¡± Yu She choked with emotion. ¡°When you left, you slipped the self-selling contract I had returned to you, silver tickets, and travel permits into a book. Do you remember the title of that book?¡± Zhong Wan clenched his teeth. Yu She said, ¡°It¡¯s the ¡®Book of Songs.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s the ¡®Odes of Zheng.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s¡­ ¡®Zi Jin.¡¯¡± Yu She looked at Zhong Wan, gaze bordering on resentment. ¡°On that day, you knew you couldn¡¯t stay, so you didn¡¯t want to tell me. Didn¡¯t want to let me know¡­ ¡°But you just had to leave behind an unfinished message for me. ¡®O¡­¡¯¡± Yu She stared at Zhong Wan, gaze unwavering. Eyes reddening. ¡°¡®O you with the blue collar, prolonged is the anxiety in my heart. A-although¡­¡¯¡± Finally, Zhong Wan broke down, tears flowing down his cheeks, choking with emotion. ¡°¡¯¡­Although I do not go to you, why do you not come to me?¡¯¡± CH 60 Seven years ago, before Zhong Wan left, there had been a period of time when he had suddenly started hanging around Yu She all the time, always getting in his way. When there was nothing better to do, he liked teasing Yu She. During those days, Yu She was in emotional turmoil, but couldn¡¯t avoid him. While Yu She read a book by the window, Zhong Wan sat on the veranda railing outside the window and plucked newly bloomed plum blossoms off to throw onto the book Yu She was reading. Young Yu She had a really good temper. He didn¡¯t even get angry after Zhong Wan had disturbed him. When Zhong Wan threw plum blossoms onto his book, he merely picked them up and held them in the palm of his hand. When Zhong Wan did this again, he picked them up again. Before getting through many pages of his book, he already had a handful of fragrant flowers. Zhong Wan threw a plum blossom onto Yu She¡¯s chest, asking him, ¡°Ziyou, do you¡­ have anyone you like?¡± Yu She placed the plum blossom between the pages of his book and inquired, ¡°What does ¡®like¡¯ mean?¡± Zhong Wan snapped a plum blossom off its branch and muttered, ¡°You know¡­ When you get to a location, you check if they¡¯re there first. When you hear other people talking about them, you can¡¯t resist stopping to listen. Whether or not you have business with them, you always want to see them. If they¡¯re not there, the entire room feels empty.¡± Once he heard this, Yu She¡¯s thoughts became even more tangled. He shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Zhong Wan stuck the plum blossom into the snow on the ground. After some thought, he said, ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± A few days later, Zhong Wan asked Yu She another question. He asked if Yu She blamed him for ruining his engagement, if Princess Royal Anguo had found another noblewoman for him. Young Yu She deeply believed in not saying things that didn¡¯t conform to propriety. He normally wouldn¡¯t respond to these questions, but Zhong Wan kept repeatedly asking him. With no other choice, Yu She asked Zhong Wan instead why he was worried about this matter. Zhong Wan said that he felt responsible for ruining Yu She¡¯s engagement. Young Yu She was young and innocent. He really believed that Zhong Wan was feeling guilty. In exasperation, he promised Zhong Wan that in the future, he would definitely marry an even better heir consort. He would also get along with her well and have many children and grandchildren, definitely not giving Zhong Wan cause to feel at fault. Upon hearing this, Zhong Wan fell silent for a long time. Long enough for Yu She to feel like he had said something wrong. Before Yu She could inquire further, Zhong Wan laughed carefreely and said that that was excellent. And then. ¡°And then, you left¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. ¡°The entire side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate became empty.¡± Yu She had flipped this entire courtyard upside down. He felt that Zhong Wan had definitely left something for him, but he couldn¡¯t find anything. He only discovered the silver tickets Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t wanted and the copy of ¡°The Book of Songs.¡± Young Yu She stared at that page of poetry and thought back on those three months of blurred and mindless accompaniment. He felt like he had just woken up from a long dream. Only then did Yu She realize what Zhong Wan had been saying those past few days. Zhong Wan, who could barely breathe from carrying the burden of Prince Ning¡¯s estate, couldn¡¯t say anything to him. However, this person happened to be the type who couldn¡¯t hide his romantic nature. Using a page from ¡°The Book of Songs,¡± he smiled at Yu She from far away. With a dash of longing and a mostly joking tone, he sincerely asked one only question: although I do not go to you, why do you not come to me? Those words I could not speak. You must know what they are now, right? Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t hold himself back anymore. He broke down and started crying. No matter how difficult and burdensome life had gotten in the past, Zhong Wan had felt that he could shoulder through by himself. Even though he had spent all these years in vain, Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t even cried a single tear, despite the fact that he had almost hurt himself trying to hold the tears in. But when he heard Yu She say, ¡°No matter what others say, I won¡¯t believe them,¡± he could no longer hold back the various anxious and unbearable emotions from the past few days. The guilt he felt towards Prince and Princess Consort Ning. The disappointment he felt towards Xuan Rui. The unwillingness he felt about giving up his first love¡­ Numerous sins awashed him, finally breaking down the last bit of pride in his heart. Sucking in a deep breath, Yu She wrapped his arms around Zhong Wan¡¯s shoulders. Zhong Wan lowered his head and rested it against Yu She¡¯s waist. He wailed loudly, shouting himself hoarse. A long time later, Zhong Wan ran out of energy and passed out once more. Yu She carried him onto the bed, and whilst holding back his fury, sent for an imperial doctor to examine him. For several days, Zhong Wan¡¯s fever didn¡¯t recede. This terrible illness was fierce, even worse than last time. The symptoms that had been buried in his body for several years seemed to realize that this body¡¯s owner couldn¡¯t keep it together anymore. They aggressively appeared to force him to pay up his debts. ¡°Lbkfnfg, Lflg vbfrc¡¯a cffv ab kbggs. Qf¡¯nf jigfjvs fzjwlcfv atf qblrbc atja Lflg uba joafg lcafggbujalcu atf qfbqif ogbw Uglcmf Hljc Cc¡¯r frajaf, jcv ujlcfv jc ecvfgrajcvlcu bo la. Ktlr lr atf rb-mjiifv ¡®qgfrmglylcu wfvlmlcf yjrfv bc liicfrr.¡¯ Rbk atja kf xcbk atf bglulc bo atf qblrbc, la klii yf wemt wbgf mbcnfclfca obg er ab tfji tlw,¡± atf lwqfglji vbmabg qijmjafv Te Vtf lc j ibk nblmf. ¡°Ugfnlberis, P rjlv atja Tbecu Zjrafg Itbcu¡¯r rlmxcfrr tjr yffc jgbecv obg wjcs sfjgr. Ktf tfjilcu qgbmfrr mjc¡¯a yf gertfv jcv mjc bcis tjqqfc ribkis. Cr bo cbk, tlr rswqabwr ibbx yjv, yea la¡¯r jmaejiis yfmjerf tf yfmjwf julajafv, mjerlcu tjgw ab tlr tfjga jcv iecur. Jeggfcais, kf¡¯nf qgfrmglyfv wbgf wfvlmlcfr atja klii tfiq mifjg eq tlr mtfra jcv fnfc bea tlr ygfjatlcu. Coafg Tbecu Zjrafg Itbcu vlufrar atfrf fwbalbcr, tf¡¯ii gfmbnfg.¡± Yu She¡¯s face was pale with anger. He coldly said, ¡°How can he digest them? If I cut off the heads of those who have caused him anger and sorrow and place them at the head of his bed, will he get better?¡± The imperial doctor suffered a fright. Off to the side, Steward Feng couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He waved his hands, signalling for the imperial doctor to leave, then said, pained, ¡°Heir, don¡¯t be impulsive. You¡­ Just think that you¡¯re giving Prince and Princess Ning face.¡± ¡°Neither of them ever took care of me, so why do I have to give them face?¡± Though he said this, Yu She took a few deep breaths. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do my best. To make sure Xuan Rui gets out of here earlier.¡± Steward Feng quietly reminded too, ¡°There¡¯s still Xuan Yu. If he can inherit the title, perhaps Young Master Zhong will feel less guilty.¡± Agitated, Yu She said, ¡°Got it! Where¡¯s the medicine? It¡¯s still not done yet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s done, it¡¯s done.¡± Then Steward Feng rushed to call out. Following that, a young maid walked in carrying the medicine. She was the one in charge of boiling the medicine for Zhong Wan. As per the rules, she took a sip of it herself first. Only then did she finally hand it over. Steward Feng didn¡¯t dare to let a clumsy young maid feed Zhong Wan medicine either. He personally sat beside the head of Zhong Wan¡¯s bed, slightly trembling, and added a soft pillow behind the back of Zhong Wan¡¯s neck. He blew on the medicine and spooned some out, carefully feeding Zhong Wan. He fed half and spilled the other half. For many consecutive days, Yu She had made trips to the palace and Dali Temple. He hadn¡¯t spent too much time at the estate. Most of Zhong Wan¡¯s medicine had been fed like this by Steward Feng. Yu She watched the scene for a moment before he couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. ¡°You people¡­ Why are you people all like this? Have you never taken care of a patient before? The medicine has already¡­ spilled down the neck of his shirt.¡± Steward Feng grimaced. ¡°Young Master Zhong won¡¯t open his mouth! This old servant had no other options either. This is why I always make them boil extra medicine each time and do my best to feed him more.¡± Upon hearing this, Yu She fell into even greater disbelief. ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that mean you have no idea how much you¡¯ve fed him each time? The exact amount of this medicine has been carefully calculated by the imperial doctors. How could you feed him varying amounts blindly?¡± Steward Feng thought to himself, since when have you been so detail oriented? He laughed dryly. ¡°But I don¡¯t dare to force his mouth open to pour the medicine down. I can only¡­¡± ¡°Nevermind.¡± Yu She honestly couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Give it to me.¡± Steward Feng was more than willing to. Yu She picked up the bowl of medicine himself and tasted it. He slowly fed Zhong Wan a spoonful. Zhong Wan¡¯s teeth were clamped tight together. Half of the medicine spilled, just like before. Not annoyed at all, Yu She repeatedly used a handkerchief to wipe the corners of Zhong Wan¡¯s mouth for him. Steward Feng made a face. Wasn¡¯t this the same? The young maid next to him lowered her head to innocently stare at her own embroidered shoes. Yu She fed Zhong Wan two more spoonfuls. Zhong Wan seemed to be deep asleep. More and more medicine spilled. Yu She placed the bowl off to the side, sighed, stood up, and lowered the bed curtains. Steward Feng gazed at Yu She, bewildered. What was he doing? Did he feel embarrassed because he couldn¡¯t successfully feed the medicine either? However, the bed curtains of Yu She¡¯s bedroom were sheer. Amidst the silhouettes, nothing got covered. Steward Feng and the young maid couldn¡¯t help lifting their heads to sneak a peek. On the other side of the bed curtains, Yu She held up the bowl of medicine and took a sip. He bent over so that he was above Zhong Wan and kissed Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. Mouth to mouth, he forced the medicine down Zhong Wan¡¯s throat. Steward Feng and the young maid were speechless. Steward Feng¡¯s old face flushed red. He uncomfortably removed his gaze. The young maid hurriedly lowered her head. Temporarily, the room was so silent that one could hear a needle drop. Only the faint sounds of swallowing could be heard. A whole thirty minutes later, he finally finished feeding Zhong Wan the entire bowl of medicine. Yu She straightened up and drew back the bed curtains. He grabbed the cup of tea next to him and took a gulp to force back the bitter taste in his mouth. Sensible to the extreme, Steward Feng and the young maid acted like they hadn¡¯t seen anything. After Yu She had walked out holding the empty bowl, Steward Feng hesitated a bit before asking, ¡°What was it, Heir¡­? The next time he needs to be fed medicine¡­¡± Yu She glanced at Steward Feng in warning. ¡°You guys naturally can¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°Naturally!¡± Steward Feng was terrified. He hurried to explain, ¡°How could we dare to? But when feeding medicine again in the future, should we still¡­¡± Yu She grabbed a handkerchief and patted the corners of his mouth. He briefly pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°Nevermind. I¡¯ll feed him his morning medicine. As for the evening¡­ From now on, I¡¯ll do my best to return earlier.¡± Steward Feng nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good, then. Ey¡­ haha, at least it won¡¯t spill anymore.¡± The elderly man had never seen anything like this before. The more he thought about it, the redder his face grew. He retreated in embarrassment. From this day on, as promised, Yu She came to this room first to feed Zhong Wan before heading out. In the evenings, he returned as early as possible. The two vice heads of Dali Temple had recently realized that any other time was fine, but as soon as it reached thirty minutes into Shen Shi, they would definitely receive cold glares from Yu She if they sent him additional official documents. The two vice heads figured out this time frame and learned their lesson. They didn¡¯t dare to be annoying, so if there were things that needed to be done that day, they would tell Yu She very early on. ¡°Heir, we honestly can¡¯t take care of the matter of sending the previous Prince Qian An back to his territory. Either the emperor has to send people or the Imperial Clan Court has to send people. If we get involved¡­ it would seem slightly improper.¡± Yu She coldly asked, ¡°Has someone criticized the Dali Temple for overstepping our bounds?¡± The vice head chuckled dryly. ¡°Let others say what they want. Nobody else is allowed to get involved in this matter,¡± Yu She ordered. ¡°I¡¯ll explain to the emperor. You guys don¡¯t need to worry. Also¡­¡± Yu She said, ¡°How is the person I have imprisoned?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve arranged an old prison guard to keep an eye on him,¡± the vice head hurriedly said. ¡°Originally, he refused to speak at all. These past few days, he¡¯s either come to a realization or something, because he¡¯s been eating well and can fall asleep fine.¡± A few days ago, Yu She had brought back a person and imprisoned him in a private prison at one of his secret manors in the city. He hadn¡¯t given any orders; the two vice heads didn¡¯t dare to ask either. They told their trusted subordinates to keep a close eye on this person. Until now, they still didn¡¯t even know the prisoner¡¯s name. Yu She smiled devilishly. ¡°He¡¯s eating well and can fall asleep fine?¡± He scoffed. ¡°¡­Then doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯s having a better time than me?¡± The vice head didn¡¯t dare to speak. Yu She suddenly asked, ¡°The prisoners on death row at the Ministry of Justice a few days ago¡­ Have they been executed yet?¡± The vice head nodded. ¡°They were all executed yesterday. Why? There were Heir¡¯s people among them?¡± ¡°No.¡± Yu She smiled calmly. ¡°I just thought of something interesting¡­ There must be elderly men among the executed prisoners, right?¡± The vice head answered, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Choose the oldest one,¡± Yu She slowly and deliberately ordered. ¡°Cut all the fingers off of the body. Dead bodies don¡¯t bleed; make it seem more realistic. Don¡¯t let anyone notice any flaws. And then¡­¡± The vice head felt cold sweat run down his back. What did he want to do with the fingers of a dead man? Yu She said, ¡°And then, give that old thing a finger everyday. Tell him that they¡¯re from his elder brother. ¡°Don¡¯t throw it in front of him. Just show it to him,¡± Yu She said. ¡°He can choose to believe it if he wants. Don¡¯t say anything extra to him. It doesn¡¯t matter if he doesn¡¯t believe it or doesn¡¯t care. Ignore him if he¡¯s desperate to see me, too. One finger a day. I¡¯ll see him ten days later.¡± Yu She scoffed. ¡°So he can still fall asleep¡­¡± After dealing with official business, Yu She returned to the estate very early. ¡°He¡­¡± Yu She stared at Zhong Wan who was still lying in the bed. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°It¡¯s been so many days already. Why hasn¡¯t he woken yet? Didn¡¯t the imperial doctor say that he¡¯s already spit out the congested blood in his lungs?¡± ¡°Ah, now that you mention it, that¡¯s true.¡± Steward Feng was stressed too. ¡°The imperial doctors all took his pulse and said that he¡¯s mostly fine now, but Master Zhong simply won¡¯t wake up. Could it be¡­ that he¡¯s been over exhausted these past few years? He needs more rest?¡± ¡°He¡¯s always lying down like this, so how could he be tired?¡± Yu She was annoyed. ¡°Send for two different imperial doctors tomorrow. Tell them to examine if there¡¯s something wrong with his heart and lungs or his head. Why is he always unconscious, never waking up?¡± ¡°A few days ago, Young Master Zhong had a fever for several days¡­¡± Steward Feng had a faint feeling that something was wrong. He whispered, ¡°Old Prince An¡¯s grandson, who is twenty-something now, can¡¯t even read a single word because he had a fever for a month when he was a child. Could it be that Young Master Zhong is also¡­¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± Yu She coldly stated. ¡°He¡¯s already so old. How could he randomly become stupid?¡± Steward Feng gently slapped himself. He spat twice too. ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re right. Normally, it¡¯s the kids who become stupid because of a fever. As for adults¡­ I¡¯ve never really heard of any.¡± As they spoke, the young maid walked in with the freshly boiled medicine. Yu She took it from her. Yu She¡¯s brows were furrowed together tightly. He waved his hand and told everyone else to leave. Yu She looked down at Zhong Wan. He lifted a hand and brushed the other¡¯s hair. Abruptly, he laughed at himself. ¡°If you really have become stupid, and if I go crazy in the future¡­ how will we survive?¡± he said in a soft voice. ¡°You¡­ by then, would you still remember me?¡± On the bed, Zhong Wan didn¡¯t move at all. He was fast asleep. Yu She quietly waited for the medicine to cool down. Then, he picked it up and lowly muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll find the best imperial doctors. They¡¯ll definitely be able to cure you. Even if they can¡¯t¡­ I¡¯ll still want you. So be it if you become stupid. Stupid people can be more carefree¡­¡± Yu She blew on the medicine before furrowing his brows and swallowing the bitter liquid. He lowered his head and planted his lips on Zhong Wan¡¯s, slowly feeding him. Suddenly, Yu She¡¯s eyes lit up. Yu She straightened himself and narrowed his eyes to observe Zhong Wan. Voice deep, Yu She asked, ¡°When did you wake up?¡± Yu She grabbed a handkerchief to wipe his mouth. He ground his teeth¡­ Nothing was wrong with this person¡¯s heart and lungs, or his brain. There was something wrong with this person¡¯s lust! He had clearly already woken up, but still wanted to trick Yu She into feeding him in this manner! Zhong Wan¡¯s eyelids fluttered slightly. He forced himself to remain motionless. Yu She took a deep breath in anger. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Your tongue is so poorly behaved, but you still want to keep acting?¡± CH 61 Zhong Wan¡¯s eyelashes shook. Not yet admitting defeat, he summoned up the courage to keep pretending to be asleep. If one were to act out a play, one must act until the end. He gave off the appearance of having been disturbed, frowning as if he felt unwell, shoulders twitching a hint. For a moment, Yu She did not speak, suppressing his anger. Then he said, ¡°Still not waking?¡± Of course, Zhong Wan would not respond. Yu She was really about to go crazy from anger because of Zhong Wan! He had worried that his former illnesses would return and his body would not be able to handle it anymore. Worried that in these many years, he had consumed too much of his energy and blood, sweat, and tears. Worried that after he had gone through such a big change, his heart had been broken. And he worried that Zhong Wan truly had nothing left to live for, and no longer possessed the will to live. Just a while ago, Yu She had bemoaned the state of the universe and pitied the fate of mankind as he thought, such a clean person was harmed by others into this state, and probably hates the filthy ways of the world now. He probably doesn¡¯t want to touch a speck of dust again. At the start, he was Wen Quxing descending to earth from the immortal realm. And now, he experienced enough suffering. So shouldn¡¯t he be leaving soon? If this really was the case, then what was Yu She fighting for? He¡¯d throw the capital into complete disorder, drag whomever he could under the water so that everyone could not live well. Once he died, he would reincarnate with Zhong Wan. And in the next life, they could be born into any family, as long as they remained a couple. But he feared that he did not accumulate enough good karma during these past years, and did not have the good fortune to be with Zhong Wan again. That¡­ Before Yu She could grieve again, the pure and noble Wen Quxing gently sucked his tongue. Not a word left Yu She¡¯s lips. Afterward, Zhong Wan still pretended to be asleep, attempting to get away with it. Yu She had expended all his sorrow and misery for naught. He raised a hand to massage the area between his brows. Clenched his teeth. ¡°Open your eyes¡­¡± But Zhong Wan still had his eyes closed. Nodding, Yu She couldn¡¯t help but smile. Fine¡­ ¡°Guiyuan.¡± Yu She rose to his feet. He pulled the net-curtain aside as he said, ¡°Do you know how I interrogate the criminals who obviously know something but feign ignorance?¡± The eyeballs of Zhong Wan, who was lying on the bed, moved a little. Then they didn¡¯t move again. But Yu She wasn¡¯t in a rush either. Standing, he ordered for the servants standing guard outside the room to deliver two basins of burning charcoal over. Zhong Wan¡¯s heart thumped. What the hell is he doing? Charcoal basins?! In less than ten minutes, the servants carried two basins of lit charcoal into the room, placing them by Zhong Wan¡¯s bedside. Yu She nodded. Dismissed the servants. Then he picked up a pair of metal tongs, slowly cultivating the fire, silently waiting. On the bed, Zhong Wan started to feel uncomfortable. He could feel the faint warmth drifting toward him from the side of the bed. Could hear the crackle of the charcoal and the sound of Yu She picking up and stirring the charcoal with his metal tongs. A trace of panic entered his heart. Yu She¡­ wouldn¡¯t go that far, right? He knew Zhong Wan was feigning sleep. So shouldn¡¯t Yu She have smiled, pleased, and then kissed Zhong Wan many more times as Yu She held in tears, slowly waking him up? Then what about him? Why must Yu She use the interrogation torture techniques for criminals on him? Did he want to utilize a red-hot metal rod and brand Zhong Wan with it? Qtja xlcv bo rlwqif, mgefi, jcv ragjlutaobgkjgv wfatbv kjr atlr? Ofa¡¯r cba ajix jybea atf ojma atja tf kjr qgfafcvlcu ab yf jriffq. Po tf gfjiis kjr ecmbcrmlber, atlr xlcv bo tfja kbeiv ralii kjxf tlw eq, gluta? Glv Te Vtf gfjiis tjnf ab wjxf remt j ylu vfji bea bo atlr? Why was it so difficult to flirt with this madman? The interior of the room grew hotter and hotter because of the lit charcoal. It were as if Zhong Wan was lying on a bed of nails upon a plank. Due to face, he was too embarrassed to quickly wake up. So he kept his eyes closed, and also dreaded the moment that red-hot branding iron would burn his body with a sizzle. Zhong Wan felt helpless to the max. Was the head of the Dali Temple that serious? In order to prove his lover was asleep, he¡¯d test out the hot pillar? Hesitating between waking and not waking, Zhong Wan heard the sound of friction between clothes. He held his breath, sensing Yu She approach him. Zhong Wan cried out in his heart, I¡¯m about to be burned! And after that, I¡¯ll have a scar! He wanted to open his eyes for a look, but he wasn¡¯t brave enough to. He wanted to jump up, but found it too embarrassing. As Zhong Wan was breaking down, he heard Yu She ask near whisper, ¡°Still not waking?¡± Zhong Wan stubbornly kept his eyes closed. Heard Yu She say to Yu She himself, ¡°Looks like he really hasn¡¯t woken up yet.¡± Before Zhong Wan could let loose a breath of relief, he said in a careless manner, ¡°Then whatever I do¡­ you¡¯ll be none the wiser.¡± In a daze, Zhong Wan thought, what does Yu She want to do? I-Is he really going to burn me? Meanwhile, Yu She narrowed his eyes. He sat next to Zhong Wan. Lifted open the quilt and undid the first button of Zhong Wan¡¯s inner garment. The Zhong Wan who was lying on the bed said not a word. Yu She watched as Zhong Wan¡¯s ears flushed a hint, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. He paid him no mind and undid the next button. One, two, three, four¡­ Since the charcoal already made the room so warm, Yu She was not afraid of making Zhong Wan cold. And he undid all the buttons. Paused. Then he placed the two pieces of clothing to the side. In a flash, Zhong Wan¡¯s ears reddened even more. Yu She rose to his feet and carried a basin of hot water over. He wringed dry a handkerchief, took hold of and pulled Zhong Wan¡¯s hand, and carefully wiped clean one finger at a time. After wiping his hand, he wiped his arm. After wiping his arm, Yu She washed the handkerchief and drew a bit closer to Zhong Wan. Wiped Zhong Wan¡¯s neck for him, then went lower¡­ Yu She did not do any naughty things yet, and did not focus on any particular place on his body. But Zhong Wan couldnt help but blush. After Yu She had wiped his upper body, he threw the handkerchief into the basin. He closed his eyes and placed his hand on Zhong Wan¡¯s belt. During Zhong Wan¡¯s sickness, he only wore a loose and thin silk belt with dark patterns around his thin waist. Let¡¯s not talk about untying it; even if one so much as touched it, it would unravel. Ears red and with his hand on Zhong Wan¡¯s belt, Yu She said in near whisper, ¡°Should I undo it?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s whole body went rigid. He could no longer endure it and turned to the side in the blink of an eye. Clenching his teeth, he held on to his belt. Opening his eyes, Yu She lightly mocked, ¡°Still not waking?¡± Face flushed from anger, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Head of the Dali Temple, is this how you examine convicts on a regular basis?¡± ¡°Convicts.¡± Yu She pushed the quilt toward Zhong Wan. ¡°It¡¯s more suitable to interrogate you like this. How long have you been awake?¡± Embarrassed, Zhong Wan said, ¡°The¡­ the day before yesterday.¡± ¡°¡­The day before yesterday¡­¡± Yu She was so angry he could say no more to that. Then he said, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you wake up earlier? Was it fun to scare me? Just now, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that I noticed something off, then how long would you continue pretending? ¡°Fortunately, you¡­¡± Yu She could not finish his sentence. Following that, he said in a low voice, ¡°Just now, you were frivolous¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m frivolous?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s face was red from anger. As he tied his belt back, he scolded, ¡°Heir, how did you feed me medicine these past few days? Shouldn¡¯t you be clear on this? Two nights ago, after you fed me medicine, you gave me a piece of candy to eat. Young Prince Yu, excuse my ignorance, but why did you feed me the candy mouth-to-mouth?¡± Not a word escaped Yu She¡¯s lips. ¡°Then, early yesterday morning, after you fed me medicine, gave me candy, and helped pull the covers over me, you left. A moment later, you returned to kiss me. Why¡¯d you kiss me that time? ¡°And what happened last night doesn¡¯t need to be said even more, Heir. Do you need to use your tongue to feed someone medicine? ¡°This morning, you used the quilt to hide your actions from Steward Feng. Under the quilt, you tapped the palm of my hand¡­ Oh, right, in order for you to kiss me for a moment, you deliberately got the robe wet. Afterward, you prompted Steward Feng to give you a clean set. And after you dismissed everyone from the room, you planted a kiss between my brows! ¡°And then, just now, you¡ª¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I won¡¯t chase after these matters with you anymore!¡± Yu She turned his head, unable to listen any longer. Although Yu She was a gentleman down to his bones, he wasn¡¯t a saint. To see his lover lying in front of him every day like this, unable to fight back, how could he resist not doing anything? After feeding Zhong Wan medicine like this every day, Yu She at first could endure it a few times. Apart from the time he had fed him medicine, he did not touch him much. But after a few more instances¡­ A glint to Yu She¡¯s gaze. He indeed had done a few things¡­ he should not have done. Zhong Wan had roused the day before yesterday and did not wake up until now. First, it was because he had been thinking about Xuan Rui¡¯s matters, full of sorrow and not wanting to face anything. Second, it was because Zhong Wan had been shocked when Yu She would secretly take liberties with him while he was asleep. And he wanted to wait and see what Yu She would do next. The Yu She who would not observe any impropriety already took advantage of one¡¯s difficulties, deliberately sending away the other people in the room so that he could kiss and touch Zhong Wan. Then after two more days, wouldn¡¯t he go even further? Come evening, would he follow Zhong Wan into the same bed? And once they were in the same bed¡­ would he be unable to refrain from touching Zhong Wan¡¯s palm? After touching his palm, would he continue on and slip his hand under his lapel? Unfortunately, before Yu She could take liberties with him, Zhong Wan had let the cat out of the bag. Yu She didn¡¯t want Zhong Wan to know about his dirty tricks. For a short while, he felt uneasy. His ears reddened a shade, so he moved a bit farther away from Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan had caused Yu She to worry immensely for a few days. He felt as though he were in the wrong. Feared Yu She would criticize him harshly. The guilty party filed the suit, and they¡¯d bluff. ¡°Heir¡­ Are you angry? These past two days, you already took a lot of liberties with me. So¡­ let¡¯s just call it even. Also, also, just now, you said it yourself. If I really became a fool, you¡¯d still want me¡­¡± All of a sudden, curiosity struck Zhong Wan. ¡°Heir, if I really became a fool, what would you say to me when I wake up? Would you tell me I¡¯m your big brother? Your little brother? Your schoolmate?¡± Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. Sucked in a breath. He was certain now: Zhong Wan had truly woken up. Yu She leaned against the back of his chair, gazing out the window. After a moment of hesitation, he said, ¡°I¡¯d tell you that you¡¯re my¡­¡± Extremely curious, Zhong Wan asked, ¡°What?¡± Again, Yu She glanced at him, not saying a word. Zhong Wan found it very difficult to bear. Just as he was about to get to the heart of the matter, Steward Feng walked in. Noticing Zhong Wan awake, he grew overjoyed. He approached Zhong Wan to ask him about his wellbeing. A good while later, he finally remembered what he had come here to do. Steward Feng said to Yu She, ¡°Someone from the Dali Temple came to request an audience with Heir. Does Heir want to meet with him?¡± Yu She said, ¡°Tell him to enter.¡± A short while later, someone wearing the uniform of a bailiff stepped foot within the room. He saluted to Yu She. ¡°That side sent this humble one to relay a message for Heir.¡± The bit of uneasiness in Yu She¡¯s expression disappeared in a flash. He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Speak.¡± Yu She turned his head and shot Zhong Wan a glance. He explained to him, ¡°This is someone who is keeping a watch on Tang Ming.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows slightly. The bailiff said, ¡°As soon as we sent the fingertip to him, the old thing grew terrified. However, like Heir had expected, he did not believe it completely. He thought it was someone else¡¯s finger, that we were trying to scare him. That we were using his elder brother¡¯s life to threaten him. ¡°But for a few consecutive days, we did not ask him a thing. And that old thing grew somewhat uneasy. ¡°Two days ago, he spoke to us. Asked us what we wanted to know.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He turned to Yu She. ¡°You¡­ What did you ask him?¡± Yu She said with indifference, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask him anything. ¡°I hate that look of his. As if he knows everyone¡¯s secrets. For this reason¡­¡± Yu She sneered. ¡°I deliberately won¡¯t do as he wants.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said the bailiff. ¡°That old bastard originally thought our Heir had a use for him, and wanted to turn around and negotiate with us. To his surprise, Heir did not see him for a string of consecutive days. And every day, we¡¯d send him a bloody finger without asking him a single question. Now, this old bastard has truly panicked. Today, we gave him a finger with its nail ripped off on purpose. After the old bastard had caught sight of it, he was unable to sit or stand still, and requested to see Heir. This humble subordinate¡¯s side sent me to ask for Heir¡¯s intention.¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t see him. ¡°Keep giving him fingers. Once there are no more fingers, there are still toes. Once there are no more toes, there are still broken ears¡­ So that he doesn¡¯t know which part of the ear those are¡­ ¡°Take your time¡­ Tell him if he doesn¡¯t want to see these things, then die. He can knock his head against the wall, shatter a porcelain bowl to cut his wrists, or hang himself with his belt. It¡¯s up to him. ¡°Don¡¯t let him think I care at all about his life. When he can finally talk to me without conditions, knows he must do his best to curry favor with me, and knows that I¡¯m not the one begging him, then I might see him.¡± On the side, Zhong Wan sighed in guilt. Compared to the current method, the way the head of the Dali Temple had interrogated him just before was¡­ really too lenient. CH 62 After making things clear, Yu She told his subordinate to leave. Zhong Wan fell deep into thought. He blanked out while staring at the foot of the bed. Yu She knew the other had many things to ask. He didn¡¯t rush him and merely waited quietly. Yu She had taken care of Xuan Rui¡¯s situation by himself. He actually wasn¡¯t sure if Zhong Wan was in agreement or not with what he had done. Zhong Wan had been sick for over a month straight. He had lost a lot of weight, becoming practically skin and bones. One could see the bones of his shoulders sticking out through his middle garments. His thin shoulders were holding up the entirety of Prince Ning¡¯s estate. Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan. The resentment in his heart dissipated. It was enough that he had woken up, healthy. Even if Zhong Wan begged him to fight for Xuan Rui¡¯s princely title to be returned, Yu She wouldn¡¯t be the slightest bit dissatisfied. Yu She waited a moment more. Zhong Wan still didn¡¯t speak a word. Yu She started feeling a bit uneasy. This person¡­What was he actually thinking about? What request couldn¡¯t he directly express? After such an incident, what things were there that he couldn¡¯t directly ask? ¡°You¡­¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t keep it in anymore. ¡°What do you want to ask me?¡± Zhong Wan paused for a moment. ¡°Huh?¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°What have you been thinking about all this time?¡± Zhong Wan guiltily looked in a different direction. He pursed his lips. ¡°I was guessing¡­ how you would lie to me if I really became stupid.¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± He had been overthinking again. ¡°I would lie and say that we were childhood sweethearts, that after your family encountered trouble, I was the one who brought you here. That we grew up together.¡± Yu She¡¯s own teeth felt sour as he spoke. However, this was exactly what Zhong Wan wanted to hear. He could only speak faster, ¡°I would deceive you, telling you that you were deeply in love with me and that you always gave in to my demands. Good enough?¡± Zhong Wan lowered his head and laughed quietly. Then he laughed so hard he started coughing. But Yu She couldn¡¯t help the twinge in his heart. How wonderful it would be if this were the truth. In a low voice, Yu She said, ¡°A few days ago, while you were sick, I told you about Xuan Rui¡¯s situation. I don¡¯t know if you actually heard me or not. Do you think this punishment is¡­¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°Very good.¡± Yu She relaxed. ¡°Xuan Yu¡¯s inheritance of the title can¡¯t be rushed. I¡¯m still coming up with a plan. You¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk about that later.¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°It isn¡¯t an easy task. Don¡¯t force it. The reason the emperor allowed you to arrange everything this time is because you happened to have the same idea as him regarding the removal of Xuan Rui¡¯s title. If you were to give it back to Xuan Yu¡­ The emperor wouldn¡¯t be willing. Drag it out a bit first. If it¡¯s not possible, then nevermind.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t take the credit for this. ¡°Recently, Beijiang has been unstable. The emperor is fatigued. He originally didn¡¯t have the energy to take care of Xuan Rui¡¯s matter and was more than willing for me to take care of matters on his behalf.¡± Zhong Wan paused. ¡°I heard someone mention the situation with the Beidi tribes a few days ago. Don¡¯t they just plunder the border occasionally? Have they caused more trouble?¡± ¡°No. Three months ago, the chief of the Beidi tribes passed away. His youngest son inherited the role of chief, but isn¡¯t capable of fighting his older brothers. He can¡¯t afford to keep his own people alive, which is why he harrasses the border,¡± Yu She said in a low voice. ¡°There aren¡¯t that many people in the Beidi tribes anyways. We just have to push them back¡­ These are all trivial matters. After the civil unrest within the Beidi tribes passes, when those who need to die have died and the survivors are capable of being responsible rulers, things will get better.¡± Back then, Prince Ning had died in Beijiang. After that battle, the Beidi tribes had suffered great losses. Seven years of rest later, their population and army still weren¡¯t even at half of their original numbers. If they were having an internal feud now, it was true that it would be impossible for them to cause any significant trouble. Upon hearing this, Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Hopefully so¡­¡± As they spoke, the imperial doctor outside heard that Zhong Wan had woken up so wanted to come in and check his pulse. Yu She ordered him inside. The imperial doctor took Zhong Wan¡¯s pulse and asked him a few questions. Upon noticing that Zhong Wan was still slightly feverish, he didn¡¯t wish to prescribe medicine; he still wanted to use acupuncture. He asked for Yu She¡¯s opinion. Yu She saw that Zhong Wan had woken up healthy, so was slightly more trusting of the imperial doctor. He nodded. The imperial doctor grabbed the medicinal kit from the medicine child¡¯s hands. Per Yu She¡¯s rules, he told the medicine child to wait outside. The imperial doctor arranged the silver needles himself and stood next to the bed, waiting. Kfc wlceafr ijafg, atf lwqfglji vbmabg tjvc¡¯a yevufv. Lf kjr ralii kjlalcu. Itbcu Qjc, ktb tjv jigfjvs qbrlalbcfv tlwrfio qgbqfgis, rajgfv ja atf lwqfglji vbmabg. Ktf lwqfglji vbmabg rajgfv yjmx ja tlw. Ktfc, tf uijcmfv ja Te Vtf, mbcoerfv. Te Vtf oeggbkfv tlr ygbkr. ¡°Qts jgf sbe ibbxlcu ja wf lcrafjv bo lcrfgalcu atf cffvifr?¡± The imperial doctor said, ¡°I-I¡¯m waiting for Heir. Doesn¡¯t Heir usually¡­ avoid watching? Or turn around¡­¡± The imperial doctor was quite innocent. ¡°Aren¡¯t these the rules that you yourself set, Heir?¡± Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan, then offhandedly picked up a book to read. He did his best to make his words sound less deliberate. ¡°A few days ago¡­ the patient confessed his feelings to me. Thus, from now on, I no longer need to avoid watching.¡± Zhong Wan who was sprawled out on the bed was speechless. The imperial doctor froze in place. Yu She thought that the imperial doctor didn¡¯t believe him, so furrowed his brows. ¡°Would I lie to you? He really did tell me. It was¡­ ¡®Zi Jin¡¯ from ¡®The Book of Songs.¡¯ You should¡¯ve read it before, right? ¡®O You with the blue¡­¡¯¡± ¡°Enough, enough.¡± Zhong Wan had a breakdown. ¡°Don¡¯t recite the poem!¡± Yu She did as he said and shut up. The imperial doctor once again grew shocked by the strictness of rules in the estates of high class families. He gulped. ¡°Okay, then¡­ Young Master Zhong can undress.¡± Face aflame, Zhong Wan took off his middle garments and threw them off to the side before lying down. Only now did Zhong Wan understand why Yu She hadn¡¯t closed his eyes before taking off Zhong Wan¡¯s clothes previously: so he had automatically assumed that their relationship was one step closer than before. He felt that he could see Zhong Wan¡¯s upper body now. Since Zhong Wan had woken up, Yu She had first dealt with Tang Ming. Shortly after, the imperial doctor had arrived. The two of them didn¡¯t even get any time to exchange private conversation. Thinking back now, Zhong Wan felt a bit embarrassed about what had happened before he had passed out. Bringing up the overdramatic things he had done and cringey words he had said in his youth now¡­ made him feel quite ashamed. They weren¡¯t young anymore. Things were fine as long as they understood everything in their hearts. They should merely kiss as they wished, do¡­ those things as they wished. There was no need to bring up those overdramatic things anymore. Naturally, this was solely wishful thinking on Zhong Wan¡¯s part. Obviously, Yu She really wanted to bring them up. ¡°Previously, I said that it was necessary to listen to his opinion about which treatment plan to start, the fast or the slow. That won¡¯t be necessary anymore,¡± said Yu She suddenly, staring at the imperial doctor. ¡°From now on, I¡¯m capable of making the decisions regarding his illness.¡± The imperial doctor hurriedly said, ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Yu She added, ¡°As for why, I already explained earlier.¡± Zhong Wan buried his face into his pillow. Yu She wanted to say something more, but stopped himself. Instead, he said, ¡°If Imperial Doctor hasn¡¯t read ¡®The Book of Songs¡¯ before, that¡¯s okay too. I¡¯ll just give you a copy later.¡± Nervously, the imperial doctor said, ¡°That would be¡­ great. Many thanks. Thank you, Heir, for the gift.¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°When you have nothing to do, read more books.¡± Zhong Wan was close to death. He wished he could simply tell the imperial doctor to stab him to death with the needles. Fortunately, another person from the palace suddenly arrived to summon Yu She away again. The court was unstable. There was also trouble in Beijiang. Actually, none of these matters had anything to do with Yu She, but Emperor Chongan had previously received Yu She¡¯s promise and now desired for him to start learning politics. He summoned Yu She regardless of how trivial the matter. On the other side, Yu She tortured Tang Ming daily with bits and pieces of the old corpse. However, he hadn¡¯t forgotten Tang Qin either. Tang Qin was in the palace. He naturally knew that Tang Ming had deluded Xuan Rui and consequently had his lair annihilated. But from start to finish, he hadn¡¯t heard any news about Tang Ming. Tang Qin believed that Tang Ming had definitely managed to escape capture. Yu She similarly didn¡¯t waste his words on Tang Qin. The day he had imprisoned Tang Ming, Yu She had removed all of Tang Ming¡¯s belongings. He then told his subordinates to pour blood over the clothing and send a different article of clothing into the palace to Tang Qin each day. Just like Tang Ming, Tang Qin had initially been unaffected. He seemed apathetic. Additionally, he was constantly on guard, prepared to respond to a variety of threats. However, nobody bothered him. The bloodstained clothes got sent in one after the other. Tang Qin finally couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He started taking the initiative to contact those outside the palace, but all his messages disappeared like stones in the ocean. This time, Yu She had acted harshly and killed all of Tang Ming¡¯s people. Tang Qin couldn¡¯t find anyone. Tang Qin understood that this was Yu She leaving him hanging. He bore it for a few more days before ultimately realizing that he had no other options. He took the initiative to ask someone to bring a message to Yu She. That day, Zhong Wan had still been unconscious. Yu She didn¡¯t have the energy to worry about anything else. He told Tang Qin to get away and mind his own business. The old eunuch had never encountered such a person before. As such, he momentarily didn¡¯t know how to respond. After being ignored for several more days, Tang Qin finally couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He once again asked someone to bring Yu She a message. After morning court, Yu She got held back by Emperor Chongan again to discuss business. The spy bringing news for Yu She couldn¡¯t find him and was also in a rush. Steward Feng thought about it and decided to simply bring him into the inner courtyard. He brought him to Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan was bewildered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Heir¡¯s subordinate. He says he has urgent news to share with Heir that can¡¯t be delayed in the slightest.¡± Steward Feng told the spy, ¡°Telling Young Master Zhong is the same as telling Heir.¡± After saying this, Steward Feng retreated. The spy bowed to Zhong Wan before whispering, ¡°The old eunuch in the palace wants to know news about Tang Ming. He says he¡¯s willing to offer Heir a favor.¡± Zhong Wan asked, ¡°What favor?¡± The spy said, ¡°The old eunuch stated that yesterday, someone from Beijiang contacted Fifth Highness.¡± Zhong Wan was stunned. ¡°The Beidi tribes?¡± ¡°Yes, a subordinate of the Beidi chief,¡± the spy responded. ¡°I don¡¯t understand the details. I only heard that this Beidi chief is extremely useless. After inheriting the title of chief, he¡¯s been having a very rough time. His elder brothers have taken turns bullying him. In the past few months, he¡¯s been wandering from place to place, bringing all his subordinates with him on his repeated migrations. He¡¯s already been pushed to the border.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Heir mentioned this to me once. Why was he contacting Xuan Qiong?¡± The spy said, ¡°He spoke very ambiguously. I didn¡¯t understand, so can only quote him. The chief of the Beidi tribes asked Fifth Highness if he wanted the story set in Beijiang seven years ago to be repeated.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s gaze darkened. Zhong Wan did his best to appear unbothered. ¡°Did he say anything else?¡± The spy shook his head. ¡°No. I suspect that this old thing knows other things. Right now, he¡¯s already become Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s trusted subordinate. Fifth Highness makes several visits to Imperial Consort Yu each day. He definitely knows about¡­ their plans. The old thing is ingratiating himself to Heir. I want to ask if we should leave him hanging or come up with a plan to subdue him and get all the details regarding this matter?¡± ¡°Leave him hanging first. Ignore him,¡± Zhong Wan said. ¡°Wait until Heir returns. Ask Heir¡­ You may leave first.¡± The spy couldn¡¯t stay any longer. Upon hearing this, he left. Zhong Wan was in poor health. He sat down and took a few sips of ginseng tea. Yu She was keeping Tang Ming and Tang Qin hanging by a thread. Now, Tang Qin obviously wanted to turn the tables and become the more proactive one. How trustworthy could his words be? ¡°Having the story set in Beijiang seven years ago repeated.¡± This was naturally referring to Prince Ning. The founding emperor of this dynasty had set an iron rule. During every battle, there needed to be an imperial prince sent to fight with the army so as to hearten the soldiers. Zhong Wan thought of the worst possible scenario. The chief of the Beidi tribes¡­ Perhaps he hadn¡¯t been pushed into the Beijiang area by his stronger and better-armed brothers at all. Perhaps he had done this on purpose. Zhong Wan thought of the spy¡¯s words once more. He had an inkling that trouble was brewing. Zhong Wan hoped that he was overthinking things, but still stood up and called Steward Feng inside. ¡°I¡­¡± Zhong Wan laughed dryly. Even he himself felt like he was acting in a meaningless manner. But he still shamelessly said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit unwell. I¡¯ll have to trouble you¡­ to go to the palace and ask Heir to come back.¡± Steward Feng glanced at Zhong Wan, expression conflicted. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need to say, can¡¯t you wait until Heir returns this evening? Asking Heir to return early once again, using the same excuse¡­ Heir isn¡¯t an idiot. How could he believe you?¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t dare to waste any time. With no other option, he relayed a message to Steward Feng. ¡°Go¡­ go. He will definitely return after he hears this.¡± Steward Feng left, speechless. Two hours later. In the assembly hall, the centermost position was empty. Emperor Chongan had long since returned to the rear palace. The assembly hall was split in half. Outside, the young Hanlins separated and organized literary texts. Inside, the senior cabinet members sat in the warmroom, taking care of government business. Yu She, who had been forced to stay, sat in the warmroom as well. He accepted the documents that had already been reviewed by the senior cabinet officials and looked them over one by one. Imperial princes or trusted young princes of the first rank all learned this way when initially starting to listen in on political discussions. Now, Yu She had been sent here too. The senior cabinet officials reached an unspoken agreement and accepted this outsider, Yu She. A little eunuch peeked his head in from outside the warmroom to look around. After waiting for half an hour, he still didn¡¯t notice Yu She exiting. With no other choice, he could only bow and walk into the warmroom. As soon as he did so, he got swept out by the horsetail whisk of the eunuch waiting on the officials inside the room. The little eunuch clenched his teeth and scurried in again, saying, ¡°I have important news from Prince Yu¡¯s estate to share.¡± Nobody else dared to stop him again. They allowed the little eunuch to enter. The warmroom was silent. Only the footsteps of the young Hanlins and the sounds of pages flipping could be heard. Yu She set down the document in his hand and lowered his voice. ¡°What now?¡± The little eunuch softly stated with a conflicted expression, ¡°Young¡­ Young Master Zhong doesn¡¯t feel well.¡± The senior cabinet officials in the warmroom worked on their own tasks, but all of their ears were perked up. They almost wished they could scoot closer to hear more clearly. That Young Master Zhong again! Yu She scanned everyone else. Forcing down the inexplicable and indescribable happiness in his heart, he expressionlessly asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell him I was busy?¡± The little eunuch said with a pained expression, ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Since you did, leave.¡± Yu She picked up another document. ¡°Tell him that I¡¯ll naturally return to the estate to accompany him when I¡¯m done with my business here.¡± The little eunuch didn¡¯t dare to leave. Yu She did his best to keep the corners of his mouth from quirking up. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t feel well, tell him to find the imperial doctor. To have to see me every time he feels unwell, what kind of bad habit is that? Who spoiled him?¡± The little eunuch stuttered, ¡°We did¡­ did send for the imperial doctor already.¡± Yu She practically couldn¡¯t hide the amusement in his eyes anymore. He tried to keep his expression cold. ¡°He¡¯s refusing to eat his medicine again? Wants me to feed him?¡± The senior cabinet officials cringed, but their ears were still perked up. The little eunuch¡¯s face was twisted in a grimace. ¡°Heir¡­ Stop asking.¡± Yu She simply wanted to hear Zhong Wan being shameless to him. How could he not ask? He picked up a cup of tea and calmly said, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing important, nevermind.¡± ¡°There is! There is¡­¡± With no other option, the little eunuch plopped onto his knees on the ground. While having a breakdown, he said, ¡°Young Master Zhong said the imperial doctor found a happy pulse when examining him! He told Heir to return and check on him no matter what!¡± Yu She choked on a mouthful of tea. At the same time, half of the people in the warmroom started coughing in sync. CH 63 The little eunuch felt wronged. Told him not to ask, but he just had to ask! And Yu She even had to ask in front of so many high-ranking officials. Steward Feng had said to secretly inform Yu She. Great. Now everyone knew¡­ ¡°A happy pulse¡­¡± ¡°Your ears aren¡¯t playing tricks on you. It really is a happy pulse.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Young Master Zhong that Zhong Guiyuan? Isn¡¯t he a man? ¡­How could he be pregnant?¡± ¡°Zhong Guiyuan. I know him! That year, he was the Wen Quxing who almost had first-rank in all three exams!¡± ¡°Even if he is Wen Quxing descending to the mortal realm, he still shouldn¡¯t be able to give birth to a child¡­¡± ¡°No matter if it¡¯s real or fake, one would fear that the imperial physician who diagnosed him cannot return to the Imperial Academy of Medicine.¡± ¡°He cannot return¡­¡± ¡°Once the happy pulse appears, things cannot return to as they were in the past.¡± Yu She¡¯s mind went blank. He suspected that he had gone mad again. Was he going hysterical right now? All of a sudden, Yu She¡¯s hearing ability grew ten times more acute than normal. In the warm room, he could hear all the whispers of the low-ranking eunuchs and the low-ranking academics of Hanlin Academy, making his head ring. The little eunuch who had delivered the message still knelt beside Yu She¡¯s feet. Sobbing, he said, ¡°Heir, this matter is sudden. No one in the estate could have foreseen this. Your honored self¡­ should hurry back!¡± Everyone in the warm room looked at them. Even Senior Official Sun, a member of the emperor¡¯s cabinet who was over seventy years old this year, set down his brush. And he stared at Yu She nervously. Everyone waited for Yu She¡¯s reponse. His eyes grew bloodshot. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He did not want children at all. But what if Zhong Wan wanted children? Then they¡¯d have some. Yu She tried his best to look normal. Tone calm, he said, ¡°That¡¯s very good¡­¡± He listened to the gasps of everyone around, and instinctually wanted to defend Zhong Wan. And he acted as if he were attending a state banquet or other type of state event, explaining as though he were talking to himself, ¡°T-this is very normal¡­ People would get pregnant¡­ What¡¯s new about that?¡± The little eunuch¡¯s face turned purple from holding himself back. He used a lot of effort to nod. ¡°Then I¡­¡± Yu She accidentally knocked over his tea cup. He rose to his feet. ¡°Then I should return for a look¡­¡± Yu She shifted his gaze to Senior Official Sun¡¯s direction. The senior officials dared not block him. Together, they stood with reverence, respectfully sending off Yu She from Yizheng Hall. After a long while had passed since he had left the imperial palace, the cold wind snapped him back to reality. He stopped in his tracks. Zhong Wan angered him so much that his lungs hurt. He struggled and hesitated a few times over whether he should return and explain to those people. ¡°Heir? Heir?¡± Yu She had clutched his right hand with immense force, joints crackling. He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. One who is clean does not have to show it to others. I-It¡¯s fine¡­¡± Pc atf rlvf mbegasjgv bo Uglcmf Te¡¯r frajaf, Itbcu Qjc jczlberis kjlafv obg wbgf atjc bcf tbeg yfobgf Te Vtf olcjiis jgglnfv. Itbcu Qjc cbalmfv rbwfatlcu kgbcu klat Te Vtf¡¯r fzqgfrrlbc. Ccv tf obecv atf wfrrjuf tf tjv rbwfbcf rfcv yfobgf fwyjggjrrlcu. Dea bcmf tf atbeuta atlr kjr wfgfis atf rfmgfa xlcx yfakffc akb qfbqif, tf obecv la cba j ylu vfji. Cr ibcu jr atfs vlvc¡¯a fwyjggjrr atfwrfinfr lc ogbca bo bearlvfgr, ktja¡¯r ab yf jogjlv bo? Filled with grievances, Yu She stared at Zhong Wan. Furthermore, he was too embarrassed to inform Zhong Wan that all the senior officials of the emperor¡¯s cabinet knew about his pregnancy. The two met gazes. And they skipped over what had occurred. Yu She took a seat at the side and said in a low voice, ¡°Just what happened?!¡± Zhong Wan relayed everything the spy had told him earlier. After falling silent for a while, Yu She muttered, ¡°What had happened seven years ago¡­ What does that mean?¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°Previously, you briefly told me about some matters regarding the Beidi tribes. I¡¯d like to ask you this: has the current chief of the Beidi tribes ever fought against his elder brothers?¡± Shaking his head, Yu She replied, ¡°No. After the previous chief had died, a few of the older sons led their own troops and separated from the royal tent. They are afraid of each other, and are eager to occupy the grasslands they¡¯re most familiar with. No one would make bridal attire for someone else, and be the first one to rebel.¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°In other words, as long as his brothers don¡¯t work together, they aren¡¯t guaranteed to defeat the new chief?¡± ¡°Yes. No matter how useless this new chief is, the previous chief set aside troops for him.¡± ¡°The new chief hasn¡¯t fought in a war yet¡­¡± muttered Zhong Wan to himself. ¡°Why would the new chief of the Beidi tribes take the initiative to rush to our northern border, where there are enemies at the front and back?¡± For a while, Yu She did not speak. Then he said, ¡°The news from the border stated that the chief ran away due to fear of his brothers. Therefore, he was forced to move southward.¡± ¡°But those circumstances aren¡¯t so desperate to warrant such an action. To move south is the worst plan,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°The south is ours. To the north are his brothers who harbor malicious intentions. Before a war even started, he retreated all the way to the south here. It seems somewhat¡­ far-fetched.¡± After hesitating for a while, Yu She said, ¡°I also thought this. However, the news from Beijiang might not be accurate. Perhaps they had fought in a war. Perhaps the chief of the Beidi tribes has less troops in possession than we thought. Perhaps¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps he took the initiative to move southward and wanted to find a way out of an impasse,¡± said Zhong Wan in a soft voice. ¡°Heir, I have a foreboding thought. Do you want to hear it?¡± Yu She hinted with his eyes for him to continue. ¡°Whether or not you have frightened Tang Qin, currently he has taken the initiative to show you goodwill, and sent this message to you at the start. There¡¯s a ninety percent chance it¡¯s trustworthy. ¡°And this isn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s shown you goodwill. If this news is fake, then from now on, there¡¯s no point in talking to him. ¡°If this news is true, that ¡®what happened seven years ago is happening again in Beijiang,¡¯ then that means war would break out. ¡°Which parties would war spark between? Us and the Beidi tribes? ¡°For the chief of the Beidi tribes to court disaster like this, that means he¡¯s trying to catch our attention, so that we would make the first move. ¡°But the brothers of the new chief are still in the north. Moreover, the people who are disturbing our border are the troops under the chief¡¯s command. If we fight them, we¡¯d only be fighting him. In what way is he trying to bring calamity to us? ¡°Even if they¡¯re able to retreat immediately once our troops are on them, splitting open a path so that we can attack farther north, how could he control the entire situation? At present, the military might of the Beidi tribes cannot compare to ours. In our eyes, there¡¯s no difference between that chief¡¯s people and the other people of the Beidi tribes. No one would care whom these people actually belong to. Once war breaks out, is he not afraid that we would exterminate them all?¡± ¡°He is afraid. That¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t dare to disturb our border too much. He only has the guts to loot and plunder but not slaughter. He¡¯s afraid of drawing our complete rage.¡± Yu She drank a sip of tea. Said in a low voice, ¡°For this reason, he wants to¡­¡± ¡°He wants to cooperate with someone who has the same intention as him,¡± said Zhong Wan near whisper. ¡°Someone like Xuan Qiong.¡± ¡°The new chief of the Beidi tribes certainly knows our situation. He knows our emperor is aging, knows that we have yet to have a crown prince. And he knows the vague situation of our imperial princes. He¡¯s willing to be the sword that one of these princes will borrow to use against others. Of course, when that prince achieves success, the chief of the Beidi tribes would also receive what he wants. Perhaps Xuan Qiong would use his people from the court, and together, they would push the idea of sending our troops to help the chief of the Beidi tribes eliminate his elder brothers. Or even more straightforwardly, once our new emperor ascends the throne, he would lend our troops directly to help that chief unite the grasslands.¡± Yu She knocked lightly on the desk. ¡°What kind of ability does this chief possess, to have the confidence in being the weapon a prince uses as he competes for the crown prince position?¡± ¡°He has the confidence,¡± said Zhong Wan lowly. ¡°Our founding emperor has a fixed law. That if war breaks out, there must be a prince accompanying the troops to raise the army¡¯s morale.¡± Yu She narrowed his eyes. ¡°I estimate that the chief doesn¡¯t even have 50,000 people in his army. Even if Xuan Qiong comes up with a plan to have Xuan Jing go out to battle, even if the chief gives his all, I¡¯m afraid he can¡¯t shake up our military forces. So¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°The chief would not attempt the impossible. Expending all of his army¡¯s effort just to kill a prince that¡¯s accompanying an army? No way. Plus, the loss would be too great. ¡°The chief of the Beidi tribes doesn¡¯t need to personally go into battle and suffer. On the contrary, he can curry favor with the commanding general that comes. ¡°He just needs to sacrifice a few thousand people, and let our army slaughter those people, allowing the prince accompanying the troops to accumulate military contributions. ¡°Then he¡¯d give off the appearance of suffering defeat after defeat, giving the prince a beautiful military success. ¡°Afterward, he¡¯d pass a few letters that seem true at first but are actually fake. Then¡­¡± As Zhong Wan recalled the matters of the past, he felt more grief and indignation. Once he had calmed down, he said, ¡°Then, according to their plan, those letters would be sent to the court.¡± Zhong Wan turned to face Yu She. ¡°Heir, at that time¡­ who would be the traitor to this nation?¡± Yu She fell silent for a good while. Then, he said in a low voice, ¡°Back then, Prince Ning died from the same method.¡± Zhong Wan did not speak any further. He gazed out the window, and after a long period of silence, he said, ¡°Naturally, this is only my guess. I don¡¯t know what happened to Prince Ning back then. However, I think I¡¯m at least eighty percent right about the chief of the Beidi tribes. Heir, do you believe me?¡± Setting the teacup down, Yu She said, ¡°I believe you. However, there¡¯s one thing¡­ I don¡¯t think your guess is guaranteed to be true.¡± Startled, Zhong Wan thought he had been thorough with the formulation of his theory. What did he miss? Yu She¡¯s gaze fell upon Zhong Wan. ¡°As long as a prince is accompanying the army, then it¡¯s fine. Why do you think Xuan Qiong will try to push Xuan Jing into battle?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Shocked, he said, ¡°Then could it be¡­¡± Yu She smiled in ridicule. ¡°If you confuse the enemy, then you have a way to win,¡± said Yu She. ¡°He¡¯d strive his best so that the emperor would recognize me as his son. Then have me sent to Beijiang. In any case, once I accompany the troops to war, it¡¯ll be equal to having one leg in the coffin. How many days I¡¯d have left would depend on their moods. Like this¡­ everything would become clean.¡± The day they had encircled and captured Tang Ming, Tang Ming had already told Xuan Qiong that Yu She was the emperor¡¯s bastard son. After that, Zhong Wan had fallen ill until now. And Zhong Wan and Yu She did not mention this matter again. He knew this was Yu She¡¯s taboo. Never had he expected Yu She to mention this on his own initiative. Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. Said cold enough to freeze, ¡°At that time, you¡¯ll have to carry my posthumous child and remarry.¡± For a moment, Zhong Wan fell into a daze. Then he said with embarrassment, ¡°We¡¯re talking about serious things right now!¡± ¡°What I¡¯m saying are serious things. Your way of thinking is good. Because you informed me of this early in advance, you have given a great contribution.¡± Yu She rose to his feet. ¡°We can¡¯t just listen to the words of Tang Qin, that old eunuch. I have spies by Xuan Qiong¡¯s side. I have to investigate clearly so I¡¯ll leave first. You¡­¡± Yu She wanted to say something, but hesitated. Earnestly, Zhong Wan waited for him to speak. ¡°Do you have any other instructions?¡± ¡°In the future¡­ if you need to call for me, then just call for me.¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°Don¡¯t say such strange things anymore!¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s ears reddened. Uneasy, he said, ¡°I was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t know what happened and be too anxious, so I purposely joked with you. Anyway¡­ anyway no one else would hear it, so I¡¯d only lose face in front of you.¡± Not a word left Yu She¡¯s lips. He couldn¡¯t bear to tell Zhong Wan about what had happened in Yizheng Hall, leaving with a complicated expression. Zhong Wan went over the matter regarding Beijiang in his mind. He tried his best to come up with a plan against it for Yu She. He couldn¡¯t help himself from thinking about Prince Ning, sorrow inevitably filling his heart. He let out a sigh. Rose to his feet and approached the window for a breath of fresh air. After standing for a while, Zhong Wan overheard two servants outside the window chatting in a whisper. He couldn¡¯t help but smile. Yu She might seem scary, but he treated his servants well. For so many years, the people in the estate were still the same, daring to say anything. Zhong Wan wanted to hear gossip about Yu She, so he leaned against the window. The corners of his lips tilted up slightly. He leaned his ear closer to the window. After he had listened for a while, his smile gradually disappeared. ¡°No way¡­ I don¡¯t believe Young Master Zhong is actually pregnant!¡± ¡°But if he is, then he is. It doesn¡¯t matter if you believe it or not. Right now, everyone inside and outside the palace knows. Now, we¡¯re just waiting to see if Heir would recognize this child.¡± ¡°Just a while ago, Heir was in a haste and seemed absentminded. He doesn¡¯t seem to be happy¡­ If he doesn¡¯t recognize it, then what¡¯s to be done?¡± ¡°Then the child won¡¯t be Heir¡¯s!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! This child is definitely Heir¡¯s¡­ Do you not want to live? If it¡¯s not Heir¡¯s, then whose child is it?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Aih, Young Master Zhong sure has a tragic life¡­ He suffered for so many years in Qian An, and it wasn¡¯t easy for him to return to the capital. Yet now, he is actually pregnant¡­¡± ¡°Life has significant ups and downs. Such is life.¡± ¡°One¡¯s life is predetermined by the heavens.¡± ¡°Those who ought to be pregnant will become pregnant¡­¡± ¡°Who would have foreseen this? Young Master Zhong ran away for seven years, but ultimately could not escape from Heir.¡± ¡°He could not escape¡­ having a child. He was destined to be pregnant, and is destined to give birth. Then he¡¯ll have a steady position in our estate!¡± ¡°And no one could ever shake Young Master Zhong¡¯s position in this estate again!¡± ¡°In the end, our Heir is impressive. He can actually make Young Master Zhong pregnant.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s because Heir is young and vigorous¡­¡± ¡°Heir has grown strong after countless struggles¡­¡± Zhong Wan pressed his head against the window, hands trembling. He didn¡¯t want to live anymore¡­ CH 64 First disregarding why this news had travelled so fast¡ªeverybody had found out in less than two hours¡ªbut were all the people on this estate¡­ crazy? Could it be that they truly believed it? Had these family soldiers and servants performed too many tasks for Yu She, like taking off the wheels of other people¡¯s carriages, that they had gone insane as well? Could it be that Yu She had already secretly hired Daoist priests to perform the ceremony? Which was to say¡­ Yu She had believed it just now too? ¡°Does Ziyou actually know or not¡­ that men can¡¯t become pregnant?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°And does he also know or not¡­ that even if they could, we would need to have sex first¡­¡± Here, Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help but be a bit unable to accept the situation. How dare Yu She try to force him to have a child without even contributing anything?! ¡°I want a child now. Do what you need to and give birth to one.¡± Yu She was probably capable of saying such things. But what abilities did Zhong Wan have, as a male, to help him prolong the incense? And alone at that? He had only been flirting. Why did he suddenly have such a responsibility? Outside the window, the family soldier and servant started spouting more and more nonsense. Zhong Wan shuddered in fear after hearing their conversation. He was so scared that he avoided the window and sat somewhere else. Meanwhile, inside Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s palace. Xuan Qiong panicked. He stood up and walked around in several circles, then anxiously asked, ¡°Mother, have you made up your mind yet or not?¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s ten red fingernails dug holes into her handkerchief. Her gaze flickered. ¡°I-I still want to ask your uncle¡­¡± ¡°I already told you that Uncle doesn¡¯t have the guts!¡± Xuan Qiong turned around and said in agitation, ¡°If he finds out, this entire plan will go out the window. Mother, you also notice how much Imperial Father relies on Yu She now. He locks him up with the senior cabinet officials every day to listen to their political discussions. Ever since Third Brother¡¯s death, Imperial Father¡¯s health has gotten worse and worse. Imperial Father doesn¡¯t have the energy to worry about everything, but hasn¡¯t given me even the slightest bit of official business to take care of. Isn¡¯t it already clear what he means by this?¡± Xuan Qiong¡¯s expression was dark. ¡°Jiangnan¡¯s corruption case was originally supposed to fall under the Ministry of Justice¡¯s jurisdiction. Who knows what Imperial Father was thinking when he suddenly transferred this case to the Dali Temple. He even sent the Inspection Division to help, clearly indicating that he¡¯s training Yu She! After the corruption case is wrapped up, Jiangnan will basically have been personally filtered through by him. The remaining ones will definitely all be on his side and the ones added in later on will become subordinates he promoted! How crucial is this?! ¡°What about Uncle, though? All he knows to do is fearfully and respectfully thank the emperor for his grace on Yu She¡¯s behalf. He doesn¡¯t even dare to say half a sentence in rebuttal. But when he turns around to placate me, he has lots of excuses. He says stuff like ¡®don¡¯t care too much about this temporary loss.¡¯ Don¡¯t care about it? If I still don¡¯t care about it, Yu She¡¯s going to be named crown prince!¡± With unease, Imperial Consort Yu said, ¡°But hasn¡¯t the emperor not taken him back yet? If you force him to head into battle, he¡¯s really going to be admitted back into the family!¡± ¡°There can never be triumph without sacrifices! Even if I don¡¯t give him that last push, Imperial Father will admit him back into the family sooner or later. By then, wouldn¡¯t things just be the same?¡± Xuan Qiong asked in agitation. ¡°Mother, how come you can¡¯t understand? Imperial Father has already started thinking about taking him back in. He¡¯s only missing a reason to do so! I¡¯m using his strength against him! ¡°Admit Yu She into the family, then send him to Beijiang. How smooth would that be? Imperial Father will definitely be tempted. As long as Yu She steps foot into the northern borderlands, I can decide his time of death with a mere command,¡± Xuan Qiong said. ¡°The Beidi chief has already promised me that as long as Yu She reaches Beijiang, he¡¯ll definitely be able to frame Yu She as a traitor who is working with the enemy. If I can also send him updates about our army¡¯s movements, he¡¯s also rather confident that he¡¯ll be able to kill Yu She on the battlefield. As such, what else would I need to worry about? Who else would I need to worry about? Xuan Jing? He¡¯d be the only one left, but how could he be a match for me?¡± Imperial Consort Yu stood up and circled around the room. Her voice trembled as she said, ¡°But I¡¯m still anxious. It¡¯s not that easy to touch Yu She. Princess Royal Anguo stands behind him! Your uncle once said that as long as the emperor doesn¡¯t take Yu She back, he¡¯ll forever be an illegitimate bastard with no true power to fight against you. I¡¯m scared that you¡¯re returning the tiger to the mountain. How about¡­ how about you think about Xuan Jing instead! Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to get rid of him using this Beidi matter?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to kill a chicken using an ox cleaver!¡± Xuan Qiong was so agitated that he had grown a ring of blisters around his mouth. ¡°Besides, Xuan Jing can¡¯t die yet! If he dies, I¡¯ll be the only target in Yu She¡¯s eyes. My circumstances will definitely become more difficult!¡± Pwqfglji Jbcrbga Te kjr ofjgoei. ¡°Dea¡­ yea mjc atf kbgvr bo atf Dflvl mtlfo yf agerafv?¡± ¡°Rjaegjiis!¡± Wejc Hlbcu¡¯r ujhf kjr olfgmf. ¡°Ktf ifaafg atf rqs rfca kjr tjcvkglaafc lc yibbv ys atf Dflvl mtlfo. Jeggfcais, tlr ilof lr tjculcu ys j atgfjv jcv tf mjc bcis gfis bc wf ab tfiq tlw!¡± That night, in the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, Yu She observed the stranger kneeling on the ground, amused. He smiled. ¡°It¡¯s surprising that I¡¯m important enough to cause the Beidi chief, who I¡¯ve never seen before, to trust me so much. What a true honor.¡± Zhong Wan stood in the inner compartment of the room, arms crossed against his chest as he leaned against the wall, quietly listening. Neither he nor Yu She had expected that this Beidi chief would want to marry his daughter to multiple men. Surprisingly, he had come looking for Yu She. The stranger took off his thick scarf and pulled out a letter written in blood from his breast pocket. He walked forward a few steps on his knees and, with tears in his eyes, he respectfully held the letter out to Yu She, expression solemn. Yu She used a handkerchief to cover his nose and mouth. He slightly leaned back in his chair and said, ¡°I get dizzy at the sight of blood. Move this thing further away.¡± The stranger was rendered speechless. In the compartment, Zhong Wan forcefully pinched himself in order to prevent himself from laughing out loud. The stranger could only place the letter written in blood back into his breast pocket. He said, ¡°Our chief has admired Young Prince Yu for a long time. Many years ago, he already wanted to make friends with Young Prince, but unfortunately, the distance between the north and south is great. Thus, his wish couldn¡¯t be granted. These days, Chief spends each day in great pain and suffering. During his most difficult times, the first person he thought of was his friend here.¡± Yu She lowered his gaze to hide the ridicule in his eyes. He didn¡¯t answer. The stranger continued, ¡°Young Prince Yu must have a clear understanding of our chief¡¯s situation. Our chief has also more or less heard about Young Prince Yu¡¯s difficult situation. Our chief is willing to do his best to help you, Young Prince Yu, accomplish your noble aspirations. He only hopes that after you reach your goal, you¡¯ll still remember that friend far away in the grasslands and lend a slight helping hand.¡± Yu She laughed lightly. ¡°What difficult situation am I in?¡± The stranger hesitated for a moment. He said, ¡°This¡­¡± Yu She didn¡¯t give him a hard time. He asked again, ¡°How does your chief want to help me?¡± The stranger immediately relayed the promises given to Xuan Qiong to Yu She too. Yu She couldn¡¯t help sighing to himself upon hearing these. Zhong Wan had actually been mostly accurate in his guesses. The stranger gave Yu She the blueprint of a map of their country. Completely confident, he stated, ¡°As long as Young Prince sends Fifth Highness onto the battlefield, our chief will ensure that he never returns! As such¡­¡± The stranger kowtowed solemnly. ¡°Young Prince will get what you want. Our chief doesn¡¯t dare to ask for anything else. He only asks that after Young Prince comes into power, Young Prince can lend him a bit of military power to aid our chief in regaining that which belongs to him.¡± Yu She gently fiddled with the jade pendant hanging at his waist. He asked, ¡°I¡¯ll get what I want¡­ What do I want?¡± The stranger had no other options. He did his best to avoid insulting Yu She. ¡°Our chief has also heard a few rumors regarding Young Prince¡¯s background before¡­ If those are true, Young Prince must have experienced the pains of fighting for the throne too. Thus, you¡¯ll be more capable of understanding our chief¡¯s current panic and helplessness.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression remained calm. ¡°You guys certainly know a lot.¡± ¡°Our chief admires the Central Plains greatly. In the past, he loved listening to the passing merchants tell stories about the Central Plains. Consequently, he¡­¡± The stranger lifted his gaze to glance at Yu She, cautiously continuing, ¡°Learned about a few things. He learned that Young Prince¡¯s name originally should have been written into the jade documents. Young Prince should have had an imperial surname and should have¡­¡± Yu She turned his head to the side. ¡°Enough.¡± The stranger was scared of infuriating Yu She. He hurriedly changed the topic, saying, ¡°I won¡¯t speak of that anymore. It¡¯s just that our chief feels wronged on Young Prince¡¯s behalf and is willing to help Young Prince clear all the barriers in his way. Young Prince¡­¡± The stranger lifted his head. He stared straight at Yu She, lowly asking, ¡°Have you never hated them before? ¡°This nation originally should have been yours. They took away what belonged to you, and instead have now forced you into these circumstances. What logic is this?¡± said the stranger. ¡°Those of us in the plains have also heard the beautiful yet sorrowful songs about you and the god of literature. Young Prince, if not for the fact that those people had cruel hearts and took ruthless measures, if not for the fact that you didn¡¯t have enough power in your hands¡­ why would you have separated from your beloved for so many years?¡± Yu She¡¯s expression slightly changed. The stranger took this opportunity to say, ¡°Young Prince, as long as you can inherit the throne in the future, there will be no one who can stand between you and your lover again.¡± In the compartment, Zhong Wan thought to himself oh no. It couldn¡¯t be that Yu She was about to be deluded by this Beidi tribesman too, right? Yu She narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked, ¡°The emperor currently isn¡¯t inclined to dispatch the army. How do you guys plan to overcome this?¡± The other noticed that Yu She seemed slightly convinced, so instantly replied, tone earnest, ¡°We were scared that we wouldn¡¯t have the time to get in contact with Young Prince, so didn¡¯t dare to intrude too far in! All we need is Young Prince¡¯s nod of agreement. Then, we¡¯ll immediately gather our ranks to invade the borderlands and travel another hundred li south! Many of the young and healthy members of the Central Plains peoples living in Beijiang have already moved south, but there will definitely be elderly, weak, sickly, and disabled individuals left behind. We¡¯ll take care of all of them. If your emperor still refuses to dispatch troops, we can travel another three hundred li south! Everything depends on Young Prince¡¯s orders!¡± Yu She said, ¡°What happens after Xuan Qiong heads to Beijiang? If he¡¯s greedy for glory and blindly advances¡­¡± The stranger answered, ¡°Then we¡¯ll dress up the people we¡¯ve captured from the Central Plains as our own people and order them to fight the enemy! After Fifth Highness sends a battle report to your court, Young Prince can simply notify your emperor that Fifth Highness wrongfully claimed credit for a victory! In your country, that is a serious crime. Additionally, Fifth Highness wouldn¡¯t have known in advance that those people were from the Central Plains. He¡¯d never be able to prove his innocence.¡± Yu She asked again, ¡°And if he¡¯s cowardly and refuses to advance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s even simpler. All we¡¯d need to do is continue our southern advances. After hundreds and hundreds of li filled with slaughter, Fifth Highness will be completely blamed for this cowardly mistake of not fighting the enemy! We could also provide Young Prince with some ¡®evidence¡¯ that proves Fifth Highness had received bribes from us with the goal of refusing to face the enemy head-on.¡± The stranger smiled confidently at Yu She. ¡°Young Prince must have an ever greater understanding than us about how serious the crime of colluding with the enemy is.¡± Yu She¡¯s pupils shifted. ¡°The path to death and path to life have been both blocked¡­¡± In the compartment, Zhong Wan could tell that Yu She was slightly convinced. He started sweating with agitation. The stranger lowered his voice. ¡°Young Prince doesn¡¯t even need to do anything. You only need to wait for the news that Fifth Highness has died after being stranded in Beijiang.¡± Yu She muttered to himself, ¡°As long as I make him head to Beijiang with the army, I¡¯ll be able to get rid of him forever.¡± The stranger said, ¡°Exactly so!¡± Yu She fell silent for a long time. He lifted his gaze. ¡°After everything, the Beidi chief only wants a few soldiers?¡± The stranger was ecstatic. He hurriedly said, tone humble, ¡°Exactly so! We only need a little bit of repayment after you¡¯ve achieved your goal! If you give our chief a small amount of military power, we¡¯ll be your most loyal friends forever.¡± Yu She stood up. He slowly walked over to the window and softly asked, ¡°There¡¯s something I still can¡¯t stop worrying about. Why is the Beidi chief¡­ so certain that I¡¯ll collaborate with him?¡± A glint of bloodthirst flashed through the stranger¡¯s eyes. He viciously said, ¡°Because our chief said that only those who carry great hatred in their hearts are the ones who can truly achieve great things. These past few years, Young Prince has experienced all the sufferings of the world. No one knows better than you what it feels like to be betrayed by those closest to you, one after the other. You also know most clearly the helplessness felt after being forced to separate from your lover, to watch your lover suffer daily but not be able to aid him. ¡°For many years, Young Prince has been stabbed in the heart time after time by family. It¡¯s hard for a normal person to imagine what kind of life you¡¯ve been living.¡± The stranger decided to simply state things outright. ¡°It¡¯s true that Young Prince¡¯s blood isn¡¯t as pure as Fifth Highness,¡¯ but our chief is right: those with the dirtiest blood running through their veins are more likely to be able to accomplish great¡­¡± He trailed off, coughing. Yu She retrieved the sword hanging from the wall in one movement, then turned around and stabbed the stranger through the heart. The sword completely passed through the stranger¡¯s back. The stranger lowered his head to look at the blade sticking out from his chest in disbelief. He spat out a mouthful of bright red blood. ¡°Young¡­ Young Prince¡­¡± Expressionlessly, Yu She pushed the sword further forward, inch by inch. He lowered his voice and repeated, ¡°Leaving the elderly, frail, women, and children of the border for you to slaughter? ¡°Allowing you to invade the southern border? ¡°Allowing you to force my Beijiang citizens into battle with the northern expedition army?¡± Yu She twisted his wrist, allowing the sword to make a complete spin inside the stranger¡¯s chest. The stranger released a bloodcurdling scream. Yu She let go and turned around to tear open the stranger¡¯s robes. He took out the letter written in blood and calmly said, ¡°My blood is dirty, but no matter how dirty or disgusting I am, I¡¯m not the type to ignobly side with foreigners¡­¡± Yu She glanced at the completely dead Beidi tribesman in disgust. ¡°Who do you people think you are?¡± In the compartment, Zhong Wan sat on the couch, spent. And he completely relaxed. CH 65 Zhong Wan had yet to fully recover from his serious illness, and as such, he wasn¡¯t in good shape mentally and physically. After his moods had gone up and down like rolling waves, he really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He closed his eyes to rest for a short while. Once he opened his eyes again, Yu She had already entered the compartment. Yu She placed the letter written in blood aside. Noticing Zhong Wan¡¯s poor complexion, he frowned. ¡°Do you feel unwell?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Zhong Wan guessed that his complexion did not look good. He laughed at himself. ¡°I scared and surprised myself¡­ Don¡¯t laugh at me.¡± ¡°In any case, you¡¯ve studied under Imperial Preceptor Shi for a few years.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was calm. ¡°Even if they can¡¯t compare to you, they won¡¯t go as far as to betray their country.¡± Zhong Wan looked down. Said in a soft voice, ¡°How are you going to handle¡­ the matters regarding Beijiang?¡± Yu She did not give him an answer to that. Instead, he asked, ¡°Can you guess what the chief of the Beidi tribes wants to do?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s chest hurt a little. Afraid that Yu She would notice, he didn¡¯t dare to massage that area. He pretended to ponder, then secretly adjusted his breathing. After a good while, he said, ¡°I think he sent people to find you not only because he wanted an extra layer of protection.¡± Yu She furrowed his brows a shade. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°The two of you know his plans. Later on, no matter which one of you goes to Beijiang, that person would be on higher guard against the other. As such, it¡¯d be hard for this plan to be carried out any further. In this case¡­¡± Zhong looked at Yu She. ¡°There are two possibilities. First, you and Xuan Qiong would want to use the fighting in Beijiang as a weapon to kill the other. Both of you would want to make the other party accompany the troops to battle. This way, the two powers in the court would balance the other. On the contrary, both sides would not go out to battle. Thus, the chief of the Beidi tribes would have time to stabilize his position in Beijiang. At that time, after they had stayed in our border and seized enough army provisions and took enough prisoners, he would have the strength to fight his brothers. When that moment comes, the chief would just leave without taking any responsibility, relying on that fact that the court didn¡¯t want to go to war¡­ There¡¯s an eighty percent chance the court wouldn¡¯t care about the things he had plundered, and let him go.¡± Yu She had listened quietly. He said, ¡°What¡¯s the second possibility?¡± ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s to send out the troops,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°However, it probably wouldn¡¯t be any of you two. There¡¯s a great chance that after you and Xuan Qiong fought openly and maneuvered covertly for a long time, both parties would be in a deadlock. Afterward, the two of you would settle for the next best thing and push Xuan Jing to accompany the troops. ¡°Then that¡¯s even more simple. Since the chief of the Beidi tribes would have raised enough military forces, he could cooperate with either you or Xuang Qiong, or both of you, to eliminate Xuan Jing. This way, the chief would receive a promise from the future emperor. Then he could take back the grasslands by force any time he wanted. The new chief is very clear about the trends in our court. He has grasped onto tightly what the court finds crucial to survival. And he sure knows well that among the three of you, Xuan Jing¡¯s power is the weakest. Therefore¡­¡± In Zhong Wan¡¯s gaze existed a bit of jest. ¡°He did not send this letter written in blood to Xuan Jing. Do you think this is likely?¡± After Yu She had heard his words, the corners of his lips rose slightly. He said in a low voice, ¡°If Xuan Jing knew he was being looked down on, he¡¯d grow furious¡­¡± A light chuckle escaped Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°Of course, this is only my guess¡­ The only thing the chief of the Beidi tribes probably did not foresee was that you would absolutely not care about him. Heir, you have already beheaded the envoy. Now that the second path has already cut off, what are you going to?¡± Yu She did not respond. Zhong Wan did not rush him, and waited for him in silence. A good while later, Yu She held back his nausea as he frowned and said, ¡°I will request to go on the campaign.¡± Shock collided into Zhong Wan. Before he could respond, Yu She said, ¡°Otherwise, how could I make the emperor recognize me in a legitimate way?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Zhong Wan deliberated on what kind of tone to use. ¡°Really? You¡¯re willing to have the emperor recognize you?¡± Yu She said, ¡°No. ¡°But there¡¯s already no other option. ¡°Whether it¡¯s Xuan Jing or Xuan Qiong who ascends the throne, they won¡¯t let me live.¡± Yu She seemed as if he were talking about someone else¡¯s matters, tone relaxed. ¡°If I want to survive, then I must seize power. But how? Use this position as an heir to a First-Ranked Prince?¡± Zhong Wan expended a lot of energy to say, ¡°I simply feel¡­ that you hate the emperor, and don¡¯t want things to be smooth for him.¡± ¡°Ktja¡¯r agef, yea cbk P tjnf cb mtblmf,¡± rjlv Te Vtf. ¡°Coafg P¡¯nf yffc rb kliioei obg rb wjcs sfjgr, la¡¯r cba fjrs ab mtjcuf bnfgcluta. Rfnfgatfifrr, P tjnf ab vb atlcur atja ub jujlcra ws tfjga. Yatfgklrf¡­¡± Te Vtf ibbxfv ja Itbcu Qjc jcv rkjiibkfv tlr cfza kbgvr. Otherwise, how could we keep on living? Yu She only wanted to hear such sappy and cringy words and not say them himself. As such, he said, ¡°The emperor is clear on Xuan Jing¡¯s aptitude. From the very start, he had never thought to let him inherit the throne. He also doesn¡¯t like that Xuan Qiong relies on Prince Yu too much. These past years, the emperor relied heavily on him yet also guarded heavily against him. He does not want for the imperial authority to fall into Prince Yu¡¯s hands after his death. For this reason¡­ he¡¯s a bit biased toward me. Naturally, this has nothing to do with my aptitude. However, by chance I am the most suitable person now.¡± Zhong Wan fell silent for a while. ¡°What about after he recognizes you as his son? You¡­ truly want to accompany the troops and fight in the north?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°The emperor is not in good health¡­ So I can¡¯t leave the capital.¡± ¡°Then you¡­¡± Zhong Wan was startled. He shifted his gaze to the letter written in blood on the desk. In flash, realization hit him. ¡°Before you accompany the troops out of the capital, you will present that letter to the emperor¡­ Naturally, the emperor would not allow you to leave.¡± A faint smile appeared on Yu She¡¯s lips. Zhong Wan thought of all angles. Nodded. ¡°It¡¯s possible that Xuan Qiong doesn¡¯t know the chief of the Beidi tribes contacted you. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯d actually assist the emperor in recognizing you.¡± Yu She took a deep breath. ¡°If so, then everything will be alright.¡± Yu She rose to his feet. ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste. I have to enter the palace to pay respects¡­ and make the emperor feel that I am sincere in wanting to recognize my ancestors.¡± Zhong Wan knew that he was unwilling, and felt pain for him. Hesitating, he said, ¡°How about¡­ I accompany you?¡± All of a sudden, Zhong Wan thought this was possible. He got up and said, ¡°Let me accompany you. That way, you don¡¯t have to say anything. I¡¯ll speak for you. I will tell the emperor that for the past many years, you have always thought of him as your father. But many vile characters came between you two, creating misunderstandings between you two. I¡¯ll come and I¡¯ll beg him. I¡¯ll kneel for him. I¡¯ll beg him while kneeling. I can even cry as I kneel! In any case, he should already be aware of what I would say. Should know that one of you two must give in. I¡¯ll come. I¡¯ll come¡­¡± The more Zhong Wan thought of this, the more fitting he found it. ¡°I¡¯ll change clothes¡­¡± ¡°Stop playing.¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t stop himself from laughing. ¡°You¡¯ll go speak to him?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Yep. I don¡¯t care about face!¡± ¡°But I do.¡± Then Yu She frowned. ¡°I had really hoped that you wouldn¡¯t know any of this. So how could I let you see this with your own eyes? I definitely will not¡­ lower my head to him in your presence.¡± Before Zhong Wan could argue, Yu She said, ¡°Furthermore, what kind of identity can you use to talk to the emperor? A slave¡¯s? As a former successful candidate of the highest imperial service exam? Or¡­ as the principal consort of an heir?¡± For a moment, Zhong Wan fell into a daze. Then his outer ears grew slightly red. He couldn¡¯t stop the corners of his lips from tilting up. He tried his best to hide his face, and focused on the proper business first. ¡°Trust me. If I¡¯m the one who speaks, it¡¯ll be much more effective. Also, I¡¯m used to doing such things. It¡¯s true. I can even ingratiate myself properly with a ninth-rank minor official in that frontier. I¡­¡± ¡°Just because you¡¯re used to doing these kinds of things,¡± said Yu She indifferently, ¡°isn¡¯t a reason I¡¯ll accept for you to insult yourself grievously.¡± Zhong Wan stared blankly. ¡°Since you¡¯ve already cut ties with your past now, and have entered my family, then you must abide by the rules of my family,¡± said Yu She. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t waste any more time. I won¡¯t stay to chat with you. You ought to think about it clearly whether or not you should use the same methods for handling Xuan Rui to handle me.¡± Then Yu She left. Zhong Wan stood in place. For a good while, he did not react. Wasn¡¯t he an advisor? The situations that were humiliating, the situations that were unbearable, the situations that others despised¡­ Shouldn¡¯t he be the one to handle those? ¡°Moreover¡­¡± said Zhong Wan absentmindedly. ¡°Why did his words sound like I¡¯m a remarried¡­¡± This was the first time that Zhong Wan¡¯s act of monopolizing all the bad things had been refused. He found it very hard to get used to. In a daze, he returned to Yu She¡¯s bedroom, uneasy for a good while. It had been a long time since someone had cared for him. On the contrary, Zhong Wan found it hard to grow accustomed to. He paced about in the room. After he had finished his evening meal, Yu She still had not returned. He lay on Yu She¡¯s bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. After waiting for one hour, he heard footsteps outside. Zhong Wan draped his upper outer garment over his shoulders. Indeed, Yu She had returned. Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. Unhappy, he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t the imperial physician say you have to sleep early?¡± ¡°I woke up after a nap,¡± said Zhong Wan, lying with his eyes open. Uneasy, he said, ¡°How did it go?¡± Yu She¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t very good. He drank a sip of tea. ¡°Not much happened. I didn¡¯t speak clearly, but he knew my intention. It was very unexpected. Unavoidably¡­ he lectured me as I knelt and listened.¡± Zhong Wan looked Yu She from head to toe, still somewhat in a daze. Then¡­ Then not long from now, Yu She would become an imperial prince? Yu She turned to look at Zhong Wan. ¡°What are you thinking about now?¡± ¡°I¡­ think¡­ in the future, you won¡¯t be accompanying the troops to battle in the north. How will we deal with the matters of Beijiang?¡± ¡°Any method is fine, as long as it stops the chief of the Beidi tribes from getting what he wants.¡± Hatred flashed in Yu She¡¯s gaze. ¡°In order for power, he lured our army to run a punitive expedition against his own people. There¡¯s an eighty percent chance he¡¯s a lunatic.¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help but smile. He looked at Yu She with a profound gaze. After thinking about the words he had said, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from falling into a daze again. When he had first returned to the capital, Lin Si had told him that Young Prince Yu¡¯s temperament had changed immensely. Afterward, Zhong Wan and Yu She met a few times in an embarrassing manner. Several times, Yu She had shocked him. Merely seven years had passed, yet Yu She had actually changed completely, becoming a different person. But during this moment, Zhong Wan looked at the person he loved who stood before his very eyes. And he couldn¡¯t look away. No matter how many sarcastic comments Yu She directed at him, he would not take it to heart, merely feeling a bit sorrowful. They truly had been separated for too long. But no matter how much he changed, Yu She was still the person he yearned for during his youth. Later on, after he had discovered Yu She had been tormented step by step until his current state, Zhong Wan felt that even if Yu She changed to the point of becoming inhumane, it wouldn¡¯t be his fault. He had been pushed until ths point. However, after some more time had passed, the closer Zhong Wan was with him, the more he could sense the Ziyou that was hidden in his adult body. He was still someone who subdued himself and observed proprieties. Still someone who had a lot of benevolent integrity. Despite the hardships of one¡¯s life that would bring about destruction to oneself, the crossing of many dangers, even if the course of his life was full of frustrations and dashed hopes that changed him beyond recognition, his youth self had high morals. Whether it was outside temptations or the virgin Zhong Wan who always accompanied him, Yu She had his own rules, and would not do anything that was slightly out of proper conduct. Even if Zhong Wan himself really wanted it, to the point where he became ¡°pregnant.¡± Speaking of which, when it all came down to it, why hadn¡¯t Yu She agreed to deflower him yet? He had gone through much suffering these many years and it hadn¡¯t been easy. In the end, how much should he suffer, and how much punishment should he receive before he could be intimate with Yu She? Before he could have the qualifications and fortune to move his tongue, and slip his hand in passing into the collar of Yu She¡¯s top? Back then, Zhong Wan had just touched him a little, and Yu She had tore his hand away resentfully. And Yu She had even called him frivolous. Zhong Wan laughed, half pained and bitter. Once the news of his pregnancy had come out in public, who knew how erotic or romantic those new story books in Jiangnan and Jiangbei would be like? Outsiders would just think his life was dazzling and beautiful. However, only those who had experienced it themselves would understand the suffering that existed deep within the harems of the nobility. Yu She noticed that Zhong Wan did not speak for a long time, the latter¡¯s expression sorrowful and full of distress at first. Afterward, it grew more loose in values. Yu She couldn¡¯t help but grow aghast. ¡°What are you thinking of now?!¡± Zhong Wan muttered to himself, ¡°I¡¯m thinking about when you¡¯d finally f*ck me¡­¡± Shock painted Yu She¡¯s face. During a life and death crisis, in the face of justice for their home country, this person¡­ ¡°Just a while ago¡­¡± said Yu She with a lot of effort. ¡°The emperor actually asked about you.¡± Zhong Wan snapped back to his senses, shocked. ¡°What did he ask about?¡± Yu She ground his teeth. ¡°There¡¯s a rumor in the palace that our love moved the Heavens. As such, the Heavens responded, bestowing me a son. And it¡¯s in¡­ your belly.¡± CH 66 Speaking of this, Yu She¡¯s teeth itched with anger. Just now, he had held his nose to pay respects to Emperor Chongan. As if he had been expecting this, Emperor Chongan had called two senior cabinet officials and a few imperial clan relatives over early on. Yu She no longer superficially went through the actions with a cold countenance like he usually did. Expression solemn, he obediently kowtowed and paid his respects to Emperor Chongan. Emperor Chongan intended to test Yu She, thus didn¡¯t allow him to get up. In front of everyone else, he made Yu She kneel on the cold stone floor for a whole thirty minutes. He first asked about how things were now that Yu She was listening in on political discussions with the senior cabinet officials. Then, he gave Yu She a proper scolding. After showing off a father¡¯s power, he softened his tone and asked Yu She if he felt tired or if he was having a rough time recently. If this were in the past, Yu She would¡¯ve stood up and left, but this time, he didn¡¯t. Though Yu She¡¯s expression couldn¡¯t be considered respectful, he was still kneeling properly. He also answered all of Emperor Chongan¡¯s useless questions one by one without a hint of perfunctoriness. This caused those watching to become bewildered. They didn¡¯t know why Yu She¡¯s personality had suddenly changed. From start to finish, Emperor Chongan refused to let Yu She get up. In the end, it was an old imperial clan relative who couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and jokingly started talking about family gossip. He brought up Zhong Wan. The old imperial clan relative glanced at Yu She in amusement. He asked, ¡°I heard there¡¯s a joyous occasion at Prince Yu¡¯s estate? Quickly get up, Ziyou, and tell the emperor about it.¡± Emperor Chongan was perplexed. The old eunuch beside him hurriedly scooted close and quietly shared the news that had originated from the Cabinet with Emperor Chongan. For a long time, Emperor Chongan was speechless. He couldn¡¯t tell what Zhong Wan was playing at, so couldn¡¯t help looking at Yu She. ¡°Guiyuan¡­What is he trying to do?¡± Yu She¡¯s liver hurt from anger as he knelt on the ground. How much time had passed? Rumors were already so detailed. They had even determined the sex of the child already. Yu She cussed Zhong Wan out in his heart and coldly replied, ¡°The servants at the estate were confused. They sent the wrong message.¡± A thought struck Emperor Chongan. He smiled and said, ¡°So someone else is pregnant? The bedwarmer in your room is pregnant?¡± Disgust flashed through Yu She¡¯s eyes. A few years ago, because he refused to get married, there had been a period of time when Emperor Chongan and Princess Royal Anguo had taken turns trying to stuff people into the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Yu She hadn¡¯t wanted a single one of these people and had sold them all. Upon realizing that they couldn¡¯t stuff anyone in, this pair of siblings then started persuading Yu She to take a few concubines. At worst, he could even take a few bedwarmers. Things had been fine before they had mentioned this; after they brought this topic up, Yu She dismissed all the of-age female servants on his estate. He only kept a few old women over the age of fifty and a little girl under the age of ten who didn¡¯t have a home to return to. Even now, when the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate occasionally needed to receive guests, they could only rely on a ten year old little servant to maintain appearances. Emperor Chongan knew about this too. He asked, stumped, ¡°Aren¡¯t the servants in your estate all quite young?¡± Yu She felt annoyed in his heart. ¡°Nobody¡¯s pregnant.¡± Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongan shook his head. He said, ¡°Then wasn¡¯t all this happiness for nothing? How about I pick out a few nice girls for you. You don¡¯t like the ones from rich and powerful families, I know. What about some girls from poor families? This way, you¡¯ll have someone to serve you every morning and night¡­¡± Yu She thought to himself, as expected. These people were all like this. If you conceded one step, they would take one step forward. Recently, Emperor Chongan had given Yu She quite a few benefits. Those benefits had all been marked with price tags. Yu She needed to repay Emperor Chongan with something of equal value. For example, these days, he needed to do his best to hold himself back from throwing a fit, to pretend to be a ¡°normal person.¡± For example, the way he needed to obediently kneel here right now so Emperor Chongan could show off to everyone else. Yu She understood this game of checks and balances quite well, but he wasn¡¯t prepared to concede too much. ¡°Thank you for your concern, Emperor, but there¡¯s no need.¡± Hatred flashed through Yu She¡¯s eyes. ¡°These days, I¡¯ve just started listening in on political discussions. I don¡¯t have the energy to deal with someone in my room.¡± Emperor Chongan coughed a few times while smiling. ¡°How much energy could this take you? It¡¯s nothing more than having a few more people serving you. Don¡¯t worry, I know that your rules are strict. I won¡¯t force anyone upon you. Go choose a few yourself. Pick ones you like, ones that attract you. No matter who they are, I¡¯ll give them to you.¡± Yu She¡¯s tone was calm. ¡°I don¡¯t like anyone.¡± The smile on Emperor Chongan¡¯s face dimmed a bit. This half a day, Yu She had been quite well behaved. He hadn¡¯t expected for Yu She to start being stubborn again after bringing up the matter of taking a concubine. Emperor Chongan wasn¡¯t actually in too much of a rush about this, but since he was testing Yu She and wanted to completely tame him, he couldn¡¯t let the other do everything of his own accord anymore. Emperor Chongan leaned against his cushions. His tone became colder. ¡°We¡¯re only talking about taking a concubine now. What about your eventual marriage? If you don¡¯t like anyone, you¡¯re not going to get married? Ziyou¡­you¡¯re not young anymore. Don¡¯t say such childish things again. It doesn¡¯t matter that you don¡¯t like women, but don¡¯t you want a child in the future? Quit fooling around. Go pick some out yourself¡­¡± Te Vtf gfoerfv ab ibbrfc eq. ¡°Rb cffv.¡± Swqfgbg Jtbcujc ofii rlifca. Llr abcf yfmjwf fnfc mbivfg jr tf rjlv, ¡°Ilsbe¡­ Gbc¡¯a obgufa ktja sbe kjca.¡± Fqbc tfjglcu atlr, atf mbgcfgr bo Te Vtf¡¯r wbeat delgxfv eq. Lf mbeivc¡¯a tfiq mtemxilcu. Swqfgbg Jtbcujc kjr yfklivfgfv. Qtja kjr rb oeccs jybea atlr? Yu She lowered his gaze and didn¡¯t say anything else. What did he want? Right now, he only wanted to live on. To live on with Zhong Wan. But if he had somebody else, then had a child with that somebody else, could that still be considered living on with Zhong Wan? No. That would be him and his wife living on, in addition to a strange advisor who didn¡¯t have an official title. What kind of bullshit life would that be? If this were truly the case, it would be better if he simply died with Zhong Wan. They¡¯d be able to reincarnate earlier into a pair of untamed lovers. Emperor Chongan gazed at Yu She in confusion. He didn¡¯t know why the other was suddenly throwing a fit. Hadn¡¯t he spoiled Yu She enough in the past few days? Right now, he only wanted him to take a concubine. Was this a big deal? Emperor Chongan held his anger in. He coughed several times before asking, ¡°Why are you blanking out again?!¡± Yu She didn¡¯t explain. They simply weren¡¯t the same type of people. Explanations were useless. Emperor Chongan felt slightly embarrassed, so wanted to redeem himself. However, he was also worried that he would get an opposite reaction from Yu She if he pushed the other too hard. In his hesitation, an imperial clan relative made a timely interruption. ¡°Ziyou is worried about delaying official business. Nevermind, then. In my opinion, Emperor simply adores Ziyou too much. If you tell him to choose several at once, he won¡¯t be able to handle them all. How about meeting in the middle and only choosing one?¡± Emperor Chongan reluctantly acquiesced to the imperial clan relative¡¯s suggestion. He looked at Yu She. Yu She furrowed his brows. His heart was filled with annoyance that he couldn¡¯t resist blaming on Zhong Wan. Things had been fine, but the other had been adamant about mentioning a happy pulse. Now, all these random issues were being dragged into the mess. Yu She knelt on the ground and closed his eyes. He thought to himself, Zhong Wan, you were unjust to me first, forcing me into this predicament. Thus, don¡¯t blame me for being unrighteous to you. ¡°What are you thinking about? You keep blanking out.¡± Zhong Wan, who didn¡¯t know the truth, looked at Yu She in confusion. ¡°Did the emperor say something unpleasant? Or did you kneel for too long and feel tired now?¡± Yu She more or less felt a bit guilty. He turned his face away so he wasn¡¯t looking at Zhong Wan. ¡°It¡¯s late. Sleep.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy though,¡± Zhong Wan said. ¡°Is there something troubling you? Tell me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Yu She got up. ¡°You sleep. I¡¯ll go sleep in the study.¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. What was wrong? A few days ago, Yu She had still stood guard by his bed, not even bothering to undress. Now, Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t even completely healed from his illness yet, so why was Yu She suddenly ignoring him? ¡°This is¡­¡± Then Zhong Wan dryly stated, ¡°You¡¯re about to become an imperial prince, so I¡¯m not qualified to sleep next to you anymore?¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± With no other option, Yu She said, ¡°Sleep¡­ I¡¯ll stay with you.¡± Zhong Wan laid back in bed. For a long time, he couldn¡¯t fall asleep. There was guilt in Yu She¡¯s heart. He couldn¡¯t fall asleep either. Zhong Wan felt like Yu She¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t looked right. He was worried in his heart, so thought over everything again for Yu She. As he thought, he started remembering the plot of the storybooks. Consequently, he became even more sure that he had a hard life. As of now, not even had he not received any actual benefits, but it appeared that Yu She¡¯s affections for him were slightly declining because he wasn¡¯t as handsome as before. If Yu She ascended the throne and became emperor in the future, he might only allow Zhong Wan to sleep in the imperial kitchens. Well, the imperial kitchens weren¡¯t bad: he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about food and water, at least. Additionally, if he didn¡¯t like someone, he could pee in their food. If Yu She married an empress or imperial consorts in the future, he would stand by the stove everyday to pee, ensuring this family of white-eyed wolves would consume his urine with each meal. But¡­ Zhong Wan bitterly said, ¡°I think the urine of a virgin is also a type of medicine. What a win-win situation for you guys.¡± Yu She¡¯s back had been facing Zhong Wan. Once he heard this, his eyes shot open. ¡°What are you sleeptalking about?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Zhong Wan pitifully said. ¡°Heir, do you know Xue Pinggui?¡± Yu She was stupefied. Yu She flipped over. ¡°What strange things are you thinking about again?¡± ¡°Thinking about how you¡¯re ungrateful¡­¡± Zhong Wan quietly said. ¡°Heir, if I pee in the imperial kitchens in the future, does that mean I won¡¯t even get to stay in the imperial kitchens anymore? And then I won¡¯t be able to get enough food? You and your harem of wives and concubines will eat in your room, while I¡¯ll only be allowed to squat outside the window and eat grass due to extreme hunger. After I eat all the leaves of the bonsai trees, I¡¯ll even get scolded. Then, I¡¯ll only be able to drink lake water. When the lake freezes over in winter, I won¡¯t even have any lake water to drink anymore¡­¡± Yu She was struck speechless. Then he did his best to calmly ask, ¡°Did you not have your fill at dinner?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°I had my fill, but you know how it is with meals. Might not get the next meal after a previous one.¡± Yu She closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t want to respond to Zhong Wan, but also couldn¡¯t help sitting up. ¡°What do you actually want to do?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Zhong Wan bitterly said. ¡°I just feel like I don¡¯t have a good life.¡± Yu She was speechless. You don¡¯t have a good life, but I do?! Yu She was originally going to scold Zhong Wan a bit to get him to quickly go to sleep, but Yu She had wronged Zhong Wan in the palace today. Thus, he didn¡¯t feel confident enough to throw a fit. He could only hold his anger back and say, ¡°There¡¯s much to be done tomorrow. I need to go to the cabinet and you need to go see Xuan Jing. Hurry and sleep.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes were bright. ¡°I suddenly have a lot of thoughts in my head, so I can¡¯t fall asleep¡­¡± Yu She squeezed out from between his teeth, ¡°Can you truly not fall asleep or do you just want me to touch you?¡± Zhong Wan closed his eyes and laughed. ¡°The imperial doctor said that you¡¯ve fallen ill consecutively and that you¡¯ve practically spent all your energy. I can¡¯t be intimate with you.¡± Yu She¡¯s body was pulled taut. He lowly said, ¡°If you can¡¯t fall asleep, simply recite the ¡®Heart Cleansing Mantra¡¯ or ¡®The Annals of the House of Chen She¡¯¡­ anything. Recite it many times and you¡¯ll be able to fall asleep.¡± Pitifully, Zhong Wan truly started reciting the ¡°Heart Sutra.¡± He was very confident. And his voice was very loud. Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Yu She didn¡¯t even have a temper anymore because of this torment. ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the night¡­ Are you trying to keep the entire estate awake?¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He flung open the blanket and flipped over, then covered Zhong Wan¡¯s mouth with his own. ¡°The soldier bought a fish back to cook. In the belly of the fish¡­wu¡­¡± ¡°We can kiss a bit. Then, let¡¯s go to sleep.¡± Yu She slightly lifted his head. He looked down at Zhong Wan. His voice was very soft. ¡°Okay?¡± Yu She¡¯s breath brushed against Zhong Wan¡¯s face. Zhong Wan felt like his bones had gone soft. He instantly started behaving. After a moment of hesitation, he quietly asked first, ¡°Then can I¡­ move around?¡± Yu She paused. ¡°Yes.¡± Zhong Wan lifted his chin and planted a kiss on Yu She¡¯s lips. The next day, when Zhong Wan got out of bed, Yu She had already left. While eating breakfast, Zhong Wan saw Steward Feng return from outside. The other¡¯s expression looked extremely relieved. Zhong Wan asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Steward Feng walked forward to pour Zhong Wan a cup of tea. ¡°I just heard about how the emperor was planning on giving Heir a concubine yesterday. Gave me a scare.¡± Zhong Wan froze for a moment. He swallowed the porridge in his mouth. ¡°He¡¯s g-going to take a concubine?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Steward Feng said. ¡°He was originally going to. But¡­¡± Steward Feng scanned Zhong Wan up and down. He said, ¡°But Heir told the emperor that you, Young Master, get¡­ e-easily jealous and that you¡¯re very clingy. If Heir even takes an extra glance at anyone else, you¡¯re capable of crying all night. Additionally, y-you¡­ have a dark heart and are prone to evil methods. ¡°The emperor worried that you would go blind from crying and was also scared that you would kill someone, so didn¡¯t bring up this matter anymore.¡± CH 67 Zhong Wan was shocked. ¡°Is he joking with me? He could actually say such things?¡± ¡°Heir had truly said these words to His Majesty. And many people had heard them,¡± said Steward Feng shamelessly. ¡°Heir probably didn¡¯t make it sound that bad, but the rumors are unpleasant to hear. They said you were very finicky; once you grew jealous, you¡¯d cry and yell incessantly, and it would be difficult to coax you. In the past, Princess Royal Anguo tried to settle a marriage for Heir. And your honored self made a huge fuss. Afterward, your honored self cried as you ran away, all the way until seven years had passed, following along two rivers as you sobbed. Wherever you passed by, moving and sorrowful storybooks would be written about you¡­¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. Then he said, ¡°So I just cried and ran for seven years? Even if I were an animal, I would have died running like that! ¡°Also, back then this father went through the rigors of living in the wilderness as I struggled on my journey to Qian An for Prince Ning!¡± Zhong Wan was angered to the point that his head rang. ¡°Why is Yu Ziyou placing so much importance on himself?! What¡¯s me going to Qian An got to do with him?! When did this become his business?! And he even said that I cried as I ran! Running and crying on a three month journey! I¡¯d like to see him run the whole three month journey while crying!!¡± Steward Feng rushed to placate him by saying, ¡°Heir wasn¡¯t the one who said these things. These were rumors. Who would have expected that after being spread for a while, they would¡­¡± Zhong Wan was so furious, his five viscera and six bowels hurt. ¡°He¡­ What else did he say?¡± Steward Feng hurried to say, ¡°Heir didn¡¯t say anything else that was unpleasant to hear. He said you didn¡¯t want him to take on concubines. If he did, then at that time you would keep clinging to him, not letting Heir attend morning court and inconveniencing him greatly¡­¡± ¡°Alright, alright, stop talking.¡± Zhong Wan felt a headache coming, breaking down. ¡°I suddenly don¡¯t feel like seeing Xuan Jing for him.¡± Steward Feng feared that if Yu She returned, he and Zhong Wan would quarrel. So he quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t be angry. Isn¡¯t Heir just doing this so he doesn¡¯t have to take a concubine? Right now, you are Heir¡¯s advisor. You must be very tolerant. Wasn¡¯t this what you said before? Your honored self is an advisor and is willing to do all the humiliating things for Heir. So your honored self should just go along with this matter. It¡¯s righteous to the extreme! It¡¯s the loyalty you have for Heir!¡± ¡°Motherf*cker, I¡¯ve never heard of this before¡­¡± Zhong Wan was angered near death. ¡°Which family¡¯s advisor would take on such a bad reputation for their master?¡± Steward Feng could only smile in a dry manner. ¡°It¡¯s the most capable people who have to do the most work¡­¡± To which Zhong Wan cried inwardly. He buried all of his suffering at the bottom of his heart. He forced himself to eat breakfast, then had someone prepare a carriage. He would meet with Xuan Jing himself. Once Zhong Wan had arrived at Xuan Jing¡¯s estate, he encountered Xuan Jing just as the other party had returned from morning court. Xuan Jing was very unhappy when he saw the carriage with the symbol of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. However, he was polite as he invited Zhong Wan inside. After the tea was served, Xuan Jing dismissed all the servants in the room. He smacked the table. ¡°Where is Lin Si?¡± Before Zhong Wan could respond, Xuan Jing said, enraged, ¡°Don¡¯t try to lie to me anymore! After Prince Qian An had returned to the capital in secret and Yu She came to capture them, many people saw Lin Si! He definitely ran to your side after leaving my place! I can¡¯t believe I actually believed your lies!¡± Zhong Wan was shocked. It¡¯s been so long, but Lin Si¡¯s actually still avoiding Xuan Jing? He didn¡¯t know what Lin Si had planned. Although he didn¡¯t really approve of Lin Si¡¯s continuous avoidance of Xuan Jing, he did not want to make decisions for him. Zhong Wan paused, before saying, ¡°Yes, Lin Si indeed had come to me. But you should also know that after that, I fell ill until now. I never once stepped foot outside the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. I really don¡¯t know where he is right now.¡± Xuan Jing¡¯s gaze was gloomy. Hesitating, he said, ¡°He¡­ Does he still blame me?¡± Zhong Wan absolutely did not know what had happened between those two. He could only say, ¡°He doesn¡¯t. I¡¯ve asked him about this before, and he said that he felt ashamed. That he didn¡¯t dare to see you.¡± Xuan Jing spat out a curse. Then he said with impatience, ¡°If you came to find me, that means Yu She has something to tell me, right?¡± ¡°Yes. But it¡¯s also my own desire to do this,¡± said Zhong Wan, serious. ¡°You should know already that the chief of the Beidi tribes has been disturbing our borders over and over again, right?¡± Suspicious, Xuan Jing looked at Zhong Wan. ¡°Yes, I do. So what? It¡¯s just that they¡¯re temporarily unable to make ends meet from a lack of food. That¡¯s why they¡¯re plundering the frontier like usual.¡± Zhong Wan sighed in his heart. Indeed, no one had loved or cared about Fourth Prince. Neither the court nor those foreigners paid him any attention. Frowning, Xuan Jing asked, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just here in Heir¡¯s stead to give you some advice,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°In the future, if it seems like the court wants to wage war on the Beidi tribes, you must not be tricked by others and accompany the troops to battle.¡± Yc atf jifga, Wejc Alcu rjlv, ¡°Qtja jgf sbe qfbqif atlcxlcu? Lbk wjcs qfbqif jgf fnfc lc atf Dflvl aglyfr? Lbk lr atja kbgat kjulcu j kjg?¡± ¡°Pa¡¯r kbgat la.¡± Itbcu Qjc tlv atf ojma atja atbrf rqlfr ogbw atf Dflvl aglyfr tjv ibbxfv obg Te Vtf. Pcrafjv, tf lcobgwfv Wejc Alcu bo atf mbcrqlgjms yfakffc Wejc Hlbcu jcv atf mtlfo. Ktfc tf rjlv, ¡°Pc atf mbega atfgf jgf akb lwqfglji qglcmfr. Vlcmf atf mtlfo bo atf Dflvl aglyfr vlv cba mbcajma sbe, atfc atlr agjq kjr wjvf obg sbe. Po lc atf oeaegf, kjg rffwr lwwlcfca¡­ atlcx bo j qijc. Mfluc jc liicfrr bg ulnf sbegrfio jc lcpegs. Pc rtbga, vbc¡¯a jmmbwqjcs atf agbbqr ab yjaaif.¡± After he had heard those words, Xuan Jing grew dumbstruck. A long while later, he understood. And he was furious. ¡°That motherf*cking chief is a piece of sh*t! Why didn¡¯t he partner up with me to trap Xuan Qiong?!¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. Then, although he was very unwilling, Zhong Wan consoled Xuang Jing by saying, ¡°He probably knows that Your Highness Fourth Prince is magnanimous to all things. And he foresaw that your honored self would not cooperate with him.¡± Once Xuan Jing had heard that, he grew stumped for words. Zhong Wan had scratched his itch. In an uneasy manner, he coughed twice. ¡°Naturally that is the case.¡± Xuan Jing picked up his teacup. Then set it back down. Suspicious, he said, ¡°Why would Yu She be this kindhearted to advise me?¡± ¡°Your Highness Fourth Prince,¡± said Zhong Wan calmly. ¡°If your honored self wouldn¡¯t cooperate with the chief of the Beidi tribes, does that mean Heir would? ¡°If it¡¯s just our own people competing in the court, then fine. But is colluding with foreigners to turn what was supposed to be a small disturbance at the border into a large war something that should be done?¡± Xuan Jing frowned, deep creases where his brows were. After thinking for a good while, he sneered. ¡°You don¡¯t have to ingratiate yourself with me¡­ The chief of the Beidi tribes did not contact me. But if he did, I would find a way to have Xuan Qiong go to Beijiang¡­ Whoever wants to die can die. Xuan Qiong has the large tree that is Prince Yu¡¯s estate behind him. If he doesn¡¯t fall, then I can never pass my days in peace.¡± Xuang Jing turned to look at Zhong Wan. ¡°Yu She isn¡¯t afraid of Xuan Qiong? I¡¯ll tell you the truth. I heard of some news on my side¡­ Xuan Qiong is more afraid of Yu She than he is of me. Since Yu She unexpectedly has the conscience to warn me out of kindness, then I¡¯ll also inform you of something. Recently, Prince Yu has been very displeased about Yu She¡¯s actions. You people¡­¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°What do you mean? What does Prince Yu want to do?¡± ¡°How should I know? Prince Yu¡¯s estate is known for being hard to spy into. It was difficult for me to even find this out. In any case, you people should fend for yourselves,¡± said Xuan Jing. ¡°Yu She should not delude himself anymore or have any groundless hopes. Prince Yu is the most clear about what Yu She is. He wholeheartedly wants to help Xuan Qiong ascend the throne. At present, Yu She is obstructing his goal. You people¡­ need to consider carefully. This news came from Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s side. If you people want to know more, you should start there.¡± Zhong Wan fell silent for a while. Then he nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Xuan Jing wanted to say something, but hesitated. ¡°Since you want to thank me, then¡­ when you see Lin Si, tell him to come back soon. And tell him, tell him¡­¡± Agitated, Xuan Jing said, ¡°Tell him I don¡¯t blame him. If a mute is blocked by someone, they can¡¯t make a sound. So what is he hiding for?!¡± A smile spread across Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. He rose to his feet. ¡°Alright.¡± Preoccupied with his thoughts, Xuan Jing sent Zhong Wan off. Then he returned inside full of worry. Zhong Wan knew well that Xuan Jing would not believe everything he had just said. But that wasn¡¯t important. As long as Xuan Jing knew Xuan Qiong¡¯s plan, he wouldn¡¯t impulsively follow the army to Beijiang in the future. Furthermore, if in such circumstances, Yu She requested to accompany the army, Xuan Jing would know Yu She had the intention to compete for the throne. And Xuan Jing would definitely obstruct his path. And he¡¯d try his best to do so. What would Emperor Chongan think? Two imperial princes. One that kept silent and one that tried his utmost to obstruct Yu She. In the future, when Yu She presented the letter written in blood that the spy from the Beidi tribes had given him, what would Emperor Chongan think then? Once this situation occurred, Emperor Chongan would be thoroughly disappointed in Xuan Qiong. A light sigh escaped Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. He hoped that in the future, Xuan Jing wouldn¡¯t blame him too much. If worst comes to worst¡­ when Lin Si comes looking for himself, he¡¯d give him some sleeping drugs and have Steward Feng send Lin Si to Xuan Jing. It was still early when Zhong Wan had exited Xuan Jing¡¯s estate. The family soldiers escorting the carriage asked him whether he wanted to return to the estate or go somewhere else. After hesitating for a moment, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Nevermind. Let¡¯s not go.¡± The family soldier stared blankly. ¡°Where does Young Master Zhong wish to go? Heir said that as long as your honored self does not leave the city, your honored self may go anywhere.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Zhong broke into a smile of disappointment and frustration. ¡°He and I¡­ don¡¯t have anything else to say to one another.¡± Probingly, the family soldier said, ¡°Young Master is talking about the former Prince Qian An? He is still in the capital. It¡¯s convenient to see him.¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. Dropped the curtain. Come evening, the Yu She who had listened to politics all day finally returned to his estate. Yu She did not make a stop at the forecourt. Instead, he directly made for Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard, a bag of something in hand. Zhong Wan was in the middle of reading. They met gazes. In a flash, Yu She looked somewhere else. Zhong Wan definitely knew that he started a rumor in front of Emperor Chongan, one that branded him a jealous person. And Yu She felt somewhat apologetic about it. On his way back after morning court had ended, he passed by a store selling light refreshments. And he deliberately disembarked from his carriage to buy a bag of candy for Zhong Wan. ¡°This is for you.¡± Yu She placed the neatly-wrapped bag of candy on top of the desk. ¡°Eat one when you¡¯re taking your medicine in the morning and night.¡± A sigh left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. Was Yu She coaxing him like a child? He was already in his twenties. He¡¯s not lacking a dick, so he had sexual urges. Was candy what he really needed right now? Lowering his head, Zhong Wan played with his jade medallion. All of a sudden, he said in a soft voice, ¡°Today, Xuan Jing laughed at me.¡± At that moment, Yu She felt somewhat guilty. In a pitiable manner, Zhong Wan said, ¡°As I was returning to the estate today, I felt like everyone was pointing at me¡­ calling me a jealous person.¡± Yu She¡¯s gaze grew evasive. He hesitated, before pushing the bag of candy on the desk forward. Zhong Wan was angered to the point of smiling. After he ate the candy, then things would be considered settled? It would be time for dinner very soon. According to the rules, the little servant girl would come to light the lamps and wait on them. Zhong Wan said softly, ¡°Heir¡­ Shouldn¡¯t I repay a debt?¡± Outside, the sole servant girl of the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate was in the middle of putting away the cups. Behind the divider screen of the inner chamber, Yu She pressed Zhong Wan against the bedhead, hiding from the servant girl, secretly kissing him. Zhong wan was not at all fond of halfhearted light kisses. Yu She was also clear on this fact. He seemed to be compensating and also seemed to be apologizing, kissing him fiercely. Considering Zhong Wan¡¯s preference for ¡°that aspect,¡± he carefully and forcefully twisted Zhong Wan¡¯s hands behind him. Zhong wan was kissed slightly breathless by Yu She, so scooted back a bit. Yu She wrapped an arm around Zhong Wan¡¯s waist and tugged him forward again. Then Yu She gave Zhong Wan a break, saying in a soft voice, ¡°You don¡¯t like sweets, but do you like this one?¡± Yu She had kissed him to the point where Zhong Wan¡¯s breathing was hurried and brief. He grunted softly, agreeing. And Yu She once again kissed him. The lamps had yet to be lit in the inner chamber. The little servant girl thought the room was empty, entering with a candle. The moment she had caught sight of the two people, she was so scared that her braids stood up on end. She rushed outside. Yu She released Zhong Wan, sitting at the side. Although Zhong Wan wished to keep going, he was too embarrassed to cling to Yu She. He picked up the bag of candy Yu She had brought. Ripped open the bag. One glance, and he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Heir¡­ How did you feed me the candy in those story books?¡± Zhong Wan pursed his lips, his intention self evident. They¡¯ve already kissed. So the most Yu She could do was feed him the candy by mouth. Yu She looked down, gaze dark and gloomy. ¡°You really want to know?¡± Zhong Wan cleared his throat. Pushed down the bit of embarrassment in his heart. ¡°You read so many of those books¡­ You ought to know what they say about this.¡± Yu She tilted his head. Suddenly, as if sighing, he laughed. He truly had no concept of death or danger. If he didn¡¯t teach him a lesson, Zhong Wan would truly become uncontrollable. Yu She rose to his feet. Walked in front of Zhong Wan. He pinched and picked up a piece of candy, muttering, ¡°Do you want to know how I fed you this candy in those story books? ¡°In those books, I¡¯d take this candy,¡± said Yu She in a tranquil manner as he looked at Zhong Wan, ¡°and put it in your other mouth¡­ Then ask you if the candy is sweet or not.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s face flushed. ¡°You!¡± Yu She simply did not pay him any mind, shifting his gaze a hint at his lower body. He said into Zhong Wan¡¯s ears near whisper, ¡°If you dare to say it¡¯s not sweet, I¡¯d slip in another two. Until you can¡¯t take it anymore and say that they¡¯re sweet, say that you like to eat them like this¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s legs went soft. Tilting his head, he said, ¡°B-be quiet¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s ears glowed red. However, he could still endure it. He took advantage of the fact it was nighttime so that Zhong Wan wouldn¡¯t notice. Grabbed and tilted up Zhong Wan¡¯s chin in warning as he said in a cold voice, ¡°Understand? It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to or am incapable of doing such a thing¡­ If you can¡¯t stand it now, then don¡¯t tease me again regardless of the severity. ¡°What can a virgin like you endure?¡± Yu She looked Zhong Wan up and down. Incredulous, he said, ¡°You still like being tied up, but if I actually tie you up all night, would you still have a life?¡± Just when Zhong Wan wanted to retort, outside, Steward Feng saw the little servant girl run off. Thinking that those two had scared off her due to quarreling, he rushed over. And the two immediately shut up. Once Steward Feng saw that Yu She and Zhong Wan weren¡¯t quarreling, he felt very grateful. He approached to clean up the teacups, smiling as he said, ¡°Ah! Why did Heir buy candy from the outside? What kind of candies offered as tribute does our estate not have?¡± Without thinking much of it, Steward Feng asked, ¡°Is it sweet?¡± Zhong Wan choked. Yu She looked in a different direction, the corners of his lips tilting upward a shade. With indifference, he said, ¡°He¡¯s asking you.¡± Zhong Wan held back his emotions so hard that his face went red from the effort. A good while later, he said, ¡°It¡¯s sweet.¡± CH 68 After eating dinner, Zhong Wan relayed in detail the events that had transpired when he had seen Xuan Jing today. He asked, ¡°What will Prince Yu do?¡± Yu She was silent for a moment. Then Yu She shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t guess. ¡°Since young, I¡¯ve never been able to guess what he was thinking,¡± Yu She said. ¡°Thus, I¡¯ve taken the initiative to become the chess piece that keeps him in check for the emperor, continuously aggravating the relationship between him and the emperor¡­ At the end of the day, if the emperor makes Xuan Qiong the crown prince, that¡¯s the same as making Prince Yu the crown prince. One of the major reasons the emperor indulges me so much is because he knows I won¡¯t become a puppet for Prince Yu.¡± Zhong Wan asked, ¡°Say¡­ Do you think he knows about how Xuan Qiong is colluding with the Beidi tribes?¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°Most likely not.¡± Zhong Wan paused for a moment. He couldn¡¯t help laughing. A hint of amusement flashed through Yu She¡¯s eyes. ¡°The news was leaked from Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s estate. It¡¯s hard to tell if it was actually purposeful or not,¡± Zhong Wan said. ¡°Heir, are you going to go see the princess royal?¡± ¡°Naturally,¡± Yu She said. ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Zhong Wan asked, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. The issue of taking a concubine¡­¡± It was rare for Yu She to be in the wrong. ¡°She¡¯ll likely blame you. Don¡¯t go searching for torment.¡± Zhong Wan purposefully asked, ¡°Would you watch the princess hit me and not do anything?¡± ¡°No,¡± Yu She answered. ¡°But I can¡¯t cover her mouth to stop her from yelling at you. There¡¯s no room for discussion about this matter, okay? Stay home by yourself tomorrow.¡± With no other option, Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Oh right. I¡¯ll have to trouble Heir to tell your family soldiers to be more accommodating if Lin Si comes looking for me in the next few days. Don¡¯t stop him again. I have official business to discuss with him.¡± Yu She reflexively furrowed his brows. He was slightly unwilling. Zhong Wan was curious. ¡°Heir¡­ There¡¯s something I find very strange. Why do you hate Lin Si?¡± Yu She lowered his gaze and sipped his tea. He didn¡¯t respond. ¡°He¡¯s just a mute. He can¡¯t annoy you. Objectively speaking¡­¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°He¡¯s a good and honest person. I honestly can¡¯t understand why anyone would dislike him.¡± Yu She scoffed. He asked Zhong Wan in return, ¡°Aside from wanting to see him to give him a few tasks, do you also want to see him so you can help speak up for Xuan Jing?¡± Zhong Wan froze. How did Yu She know about that?! Yu She continued, ¡°If I haven¡¯t guessed wrong again¡­ did he and Xuan Jing have an argument? The two of them are on bad terms now?¡± Itbcu Qjc atbeuta jybea la jcv gfqilfv, ¡°Rba afmtclmjiis bc yjv afgwr, P uefrr¡­ Aera abvjs, Wejc Alcu abiv wf ab afii Olc Vl atja tf vbfrc¡¯a yijwf Olc Vl jcswbgf. Lf kjcar Olc Vl ab gfaegc.¡± Te Vtf¡¯r fzqgfrrlbc yfmjwf fnfc vjgxfg joafg tfjglcu atlr. Pc vlruera, tf rajafv, ¡°Ueyilmis, atfs¡¯nf rfqjgjafv. Dea lc jmaejilas, atlr lr pera j ibnfg¡¯r rqja. Ccv atfs¡¯gf fnfc wjxlcu sbe qijs wfrrfcufg yfakffc atfw¡­ Ynfgvgjwjalm jcv vlrueralcu!¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°I never asked you: how do you know about the two of them?¡± Yu She answered indifferently, ¡°I guessed long ago.¡± ¡°How long ago?¡± Zhong Wan was shocked. ¡°Even I only found out a few months ago.¡± Yu She said, ¡°Several years ago.¡± Still astonished, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Lin Si already¡­ So long ago? What a conscience he must have. At the time, in his letters to Qian An, he often said that he couldn¡¯t stop worrying about me, to the point that he had no appetite at all. He said that he spent days without eating, and I really believed him. I feared that he wouldn¡¯t rest at ease, so fooled him by saying that I was in great health. Turns out he had already fucked Xuan Jing early on? Then why did he keep acting in front of me a few months ago?!¡± ¡°Fucked¡­¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t really get the words out of his mouth. He glanced at Zhong Wan and said instead, ¡°I¡¯m unsure if they¡¯ve reached that step yet, but there¡¯s definitely been something up between the two of them since long ago. Otherwise, previously¡­¡± Yu She wasn¡¯t very interested in speaking about this topic. He handed Zhong Wan¡¯s medicine to him. Zhong Wan was itching with curiosity. ¡°What happened previously?¡± Yu She was exasperated. ¡°You want to hear?¡¯ Zhong Wan furiously nodded. Yu She said, ¡°Eat your medicine first.¡± With no other choice, Zhong Wan ate the medicine pill. He incessantly urged, ¡°Tell me¡­¡± Yu She narrowed his eyes in thought. ¡°Four years ago? Xuan Jing¡¯s mother, Imperial Consort Shu, visited his estate¡­ and taught Lin Si a lesson.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s expression changed. Yu She, quite unbothered, said, ¡°She wasn¡¯t ruthless. Besides, everything was only a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°That period of time¡­ It had been nearing Imperial Consort Shu¡¯s birthday. It was a whole birthday. Xuan Jing prepared a banquet at his own estate, determined to hold a grand celebration. Imperial Consort Shu arrived at his estate a day early and instantly spotted Lin Si.¡± ¡°Lin Si was wearing the clothes of a servant, but was freely walking in and out of the inner courtyard. He also had an ancient jade pendant on, which seemed out of place. Imperial Consort Shu noticed him and found him strange, so asked about him. Upon finding out that he was a criminal who had been lowered to the slave rank, she felt even more surprised. ¡°Imperial Consort Shu thought that he had fooled his way into the inner courtyard to steal, thus ordered people to search his room. As expected, she found much silver and gold. He was a slave who didn¡¯t even earn a monthly wage. How could he have money? Imperial Consort Shu assumed that he was definitely a thief. Additionally, Lin Si was a mute who only knew how to sign. Who could understand him? ¡°He couldn¡¯t explain, so got tied up. Originally, this wasn¡¯t a big deal at all. Which family didn¡¯t have a petty thief or two among their staff? Imperial Consort Shu was still celebrating her birthday, which meant she didn¡¯t want to punish him too harshly. Thus, she ordered someone to beat him¡­ twenty-something times?¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°And then?¡± ¡°And then Xuan Jing returned and saw this. At the time, they were actually almost done beating Lin Si.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was apathetic. ¡°But upon seeing Lin Si sprawled out on the ground, getting hit, Xuan Jing roared into the sky and asked the Heavens who dared to hit Lin Si. After finding out that Imperial Consort Shu was the one who had ordered the punishment, he howled and said, ¡®Consort Mother, if you want to beat him to death, you¡¯ll need to beat me to death first.¡¯¡± Zhong Wan: ¡°¡­¡± Zhong Wan facepalmed. Xuan Jing, the idiot¡­ Yu She¡¯s face was blank. ¡°Even I was shocked, not to mention Imperial Consort Shu.¡± Zhong Wan got out with difficulty, ¡°And then?¡± ¡°And then nothing,¡± Yu She said. ¡°Imperial Consort Shu was greatly frightened, temporarily unable to react. Xuan Jing believed that Imperial Consort Shu intended to beat Lin Si to death and became extremely agitated. He charged forward to block the the other from the paddle. Lin Si flipped over and covered Xuan Jing with his own body; because of this interlude, Lin Si got beaten several extra times.¡± Zhong Wan tried to hold his laughter back. He didn¡¯t feel sorry for the other at all. ¡°Imperial Consort Shu was quite confused. She had wanted to celebrate her birthday happily, but almost beat her own son. Originally, she didn¡¯t feel suspicious at all. However, she felt that something was off after witnessing this incident. She interrogated the two of them for a long time¡­ Yet, there probably hadn¡¯t been anything going on between the two of them at that time. They only had a relationship that was slightly more intimate than usual. After asking them and the servants at the estate, Imperial Consort Shu didn¡¯t manage to get any results. Thus, this matter came to an end.¡± Yu She added, ¡°Later on, Xuan Jing worried that something else would happen to Lin Si, so never gave him anything valuable again.¡± Yu She stared at the candle flame while blanked out. A light sigh left his lips. ¡°There¡¯s an old walnut tree in Xuan Jing¡¯s courtyard¡­ The walnuts it bears are of pretty good quality. Xuan Jing never dared to give Lin Si silver or gold again; instead, he gifted the other walnuts from his yard as a replacement. If Lin Si wants something or wants to buy something, he can exchange the little walnuts with Xuan Jing to get what he wants. ¡°Later on, I visited Xuan Jing¡¯s estate for a banquet again,¡± Yu She said. ¡°I once personally witnessed him secretly picking the walnuts off the tree and stuffing them into Lin Si¡¯s sleeves. That expression¡­ I¡¯m unsure if they understood clearly, but I certainly did.¡± Zhong Wan thought about that scene. Disregarding the fact that Xuan Jing was an idiot, that scene was practically one out of a painting. Faint amusement appeared in Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not right either. Even if Xuan Jing¡¯s stupid, why are you only mad at Lin Si?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not only mad at him. I¡¯m jealous of the both of them.¡± The smile disappeared from Yu She¡¯s face. Coldly, he stated, ¡°How come, under similar circumstances, the two of them never separated? And they even managed to live such a fruitful life. Instead, I¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart twinged with pain. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t left, I would definitely have treated you better than how Xuan Jing treats Lin Si¡­¡± Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. He didn¡¯t continue his sentence. Seven years had passed. Thinking back now, those years were definitely scars that would never heal. Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t completely recovered yet. His body was frail and he got tired easily. After dinner, he yawned incessantly. He had forced himself to stay alert to listen to Yu She talk for so long. Now, he was already fighting to keep his eyes open. Upon noticing that Yu She was a bit displeased, he wanted to continue talking with Yu She. However, Yu She stood up and said, ¡°Sleep. I shouldn¡¯t have allowed you to leave today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a little tired.¡± Zhong Wan rubbed his eyes. ¡°Because of me, you always have to sleep early these days too.¡± Yu She asked in response, ¡°Who told you that I¡¯m going to accompany you to sleep?¡± Zhong Wan froze, awkward. ¡°You¡­ Are you not sleeping with me?¡± Yu She replied, ¡°I still have something to do. You sleep by yourself first.¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t really relax. He forced the sleepiness away as he asked, ¡°Are you going to the study again?¡± Yu She burst into laughter. Without waiting for Yu She to explain, Zhong Wan tried to scare him, ¡°Do you know what it means at other estates when the master of the estate doesn¡¯t sleep in his own bedroom?¡± Yu She honestly didn¡¯t know about these things. He furrowed his brows and gazed at Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan said, bluffing, ¡°It means that we¡¯ve gotten into an argument! A couple got into an argument and the husband feared getting killed in the middle of the night by his own wife! Thus, he slept in the study!¡± Yu She was dumbstruck. Zhong Wan¡¯s expression was serious. ¡°That¡¯s the truth. Besides, if there were elderly people on your estate who noticed that a young couple weren¡¯t sleeping together, they¡¯d even come over and ask about it, then coax us to reconcile. We have unfortunate lives. There aren¡¯t any seniors who are capable of keeping us in line, but you can¡¯t overindulge yourself by casually sleeping in the study because of this, right?¡± Yu She was bewildered. What did this have to do with anything? Zhong Wan¡¯s argument was very logical. ¡°Another situation where the master of the estate sleeps in the study is when he¡¯s secretly meeting a mistress. However, based on the situation on your estate, who do you think would be suitable for you to be secretly meeting? Those nannies? That little maid who¡¯s just barely reached the height of my waist? Or your family soldiers who are all the size of small mountains? Perhaps Steward Feng? If these rumors got out, do you think they would be very flattering?¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Zhong Wan pitied himself greatly. ¡°Besides, if you act in this manner, you¡¯re making things very difficult for me. If you sleep in the study, all the people on your estate will think that you don¡¯t like me anymore. After enough time, they¡¯ll no longer be so dedicated to taking care of me. Consequently, they¡¯ll give me old clothes to wear and leftovers to eat. Finally, they¡¯ll kick me out to sleep in the woodshed. Thus, I¡¯ll only be able to pound rice while singing¡­¡± Yu She calmly stated, ¡°Keep making things up.¡± Zhong Wan shut up, embarrassed. Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°You sleep first. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Yu She headed to the study. He ordered someone to summon the family soldier who had left the estate with Zhong Wan today. The family soldier carefully relayed what Zhong Wan had done and said today in detail to Yu She. He didn¡¯t leave anything out. After hearing that Zhong Wan had hesitated about whether or not he should see Xuan Rui, Yu She froze. The family soldier said, ¡°The former Prince Qian An¡¯s younger sister sent someone to bring gifts to our estate several times already. Each time, she also sent a messenger, saying that she wants to see Young Master Zhong. Young Master Zhong does reply to her letters, but has never gone out to see her. Additionally, there wasn¡¯t much business to attend to after heading out today. This subordinate specially asked Young Master Zhong if he wanted to visit his own estate for a bit. Young Master Zhong said that there was no need.¡± The family soldier continued, ¡°But Young Master Zhong¡¯s expression had clearly been hesitant.¡± Yu She lowered his gaze. ¡°He still feels like he¡¯s disappointed Prince Ning.¡± The family soldier didn¡¯t understand these things. ¡°Then how come he hasn¡¯t discussed these matters with Heir?¡± ¡°He¡¯s worried that I¡¯ll be troubled, so refuses to mention these things to me,¡± Yu She said in a deep voice, eyes closed. ¡°Instead, he fears that I¡¯ll be unhappy and always jokes around with me, disregarding his own emotions¡­¡± The family soldier could faintly sense that his master currently intended on joining the fight for crown prince. He lowly persuaded, tone awkward, ¡°How is this difficult? If Heir fulfills your goals in the future, then you can give that little young master a prince of the first rank title and name him Prince Ning again. Then, you can give the young miss a princess of the third rank title. As such, Young Master Zhong will have absolutely repaid Prince Ning!¡± Yu She felt tempted. ¡°¡­That¡¯s one way to do it.¡± CH 69 Two days later, Yu She did not attend morning court. Instead, he went to see Princess Royal Anguo. Zhong Wan had wanted to accompany him. Currently, he considered himself to be Yu She¡¯s advisor. No matter how he thought of it, he found this to be his duty. Furthermore, he worried that Yu She would argue with Princess Royal Anguo after a sentence, and she would slap him again. He thought if that happened, he himself could act as the mediator. Thus, he woke up very early just like Yu She. He had even dressed fully, stubbornly insisting to follow. Yu She ordered him to stay, but Zhong Wan didn¡¯t listen. Yu She took one step outside, and Zhong Wan would as well. Just a bit more, and he would be glued to Yu She¡¯s side. He clung to Yu She so much that Yu She felt helpless. But he also couldn¡¯t chain Zhong Wan up. WIth no other alternative, Yu She had his entourage leave for now. Then he closed the door to his room and pulled Zhong Wan to his inner chamber. And he had Zhong Wan pay back three qian of his debt. Presently, Yu She knew how to handle Zhong Wan well. He didn¡¯t have to use much effort to kiss him until he couldn¡¯t stand straight. Yu She released him. Stared into those eyes that held amorous feelings as he said with indifference, ¡°Look in the mirror. See how¡­¡± How unrestrained you look. Without a doubt, Zhong Wan could guess what he meant. Indeed, after Zhong Wan had heard those words, he grew somewhat bashful, a rare occurrence. Yu She wiped his bright red lips with a thumb. ¡°Who are you trying to show such an appearance to outside?¡± Then Yu She turned around and stepped through the door. When the family soldiers saw Yu She come out, they rushed to follow him. He recalled how, just now, Zhong Wan had softly told him to kiss him a bit harder, the corners of his lips lifting a hint. A family soldier turned his head to look at the tightly closed door. Absentmindedly, he asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t Young Master Zhong say he wanted to come along?¡± ¡°He still had a fever last night. What¡¯s he coming along for?¡± As Yu She walked, he straightened up his lapel, which Zhong Wan had messed up by pulling. ¡°He¡¯s just finding an excuse to act coquettish. You don¡¯t need to worry about him.¡± The family guard swallowed. Thought, I was only asking in passing. However, Yu She really had the urge to speak. He tried to understand the common people¡¯s lives, and said, ¡°When you people leave your houses, do your wives act like this? Clinging to you incessantly, not letting you leave?¡± A family soldier was struck speechless. After a moment of thought, he said, ¡°My wife¡­ definitely doesn¡¯t dare to do so.¡± ¡°But he really has the guts to do it.¡± Following that, Yu She asked another family soldier, ¡°How about you?¡± The other family soldier was caught in a daze for a moment. Then he hurried to shake his head, shouting, ¡°Definitely not!¡± ¡°Another timid one.¡± Yu She nodded. Struck them where it hurt by saying, ¡°Naturally, it could also be because they don¡¯t care about you people.¡± The family soldiers secretly swallowed tears of blood, angry but not daring to show it. Yu She fixed his lapel. Entered the carriage. He said to himself in a worried manner, ¡°He just absolutely had to cling to me, so now I¡¯m so late. If I had to attend court today, then I¡¯d have to forfeit my salary this month again.¡± The driver of the horse-drawn carriage stayed silent. In the past years, every time Young Prince Yu attended morning court, he would be late. But now, he actually put on such a diligent appearance. So pretentious. Ktf frajaf bo Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb. Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb tjv qfbqif mjgfoeiis qgfqjgf atf gfogfrtwfcar. Vtf tjv kjlafv lc atf kjgw gbbw rlcmf fjgis bc. Dfmjerf bo ktja tjv tjqqfcfv lc atf wbgclcu yfobgf tf ifoa tlr rlvf mbegasjgv, Te Vtf kjr lc tlut rqlglar. Ca ifjra, wbatfg jcv rbc mbeiv wjlcajlc qfjmfoei gfijalbcr bc atf regojmf. In a perfunctory manner, Princess Royal Anguo asked Yu She about his diet and daily life pattern. After that, she dismissed everyone. Sighed. ¡°What did I tell you last time? If Xuan Qiong ascends the throne, you¡¯d definitely lose your life. Just recently, Emperor-Brother came to the intention to recognize you as his son. And the people of that side can¡¯t sit still anymore.¡± Yu She lowered his head for a sip of tea. ¡°How did Prince Yu decide to handle me?¡± Princess Royal Anguo fell silent for a while. She did not answer his question. Then she said, ¡°Ziyou, explain things to me clearly first. If I assist you in ascending the throne in the future, you¡­ Would you be able to protect me? Would you be able to protect Prince Yu¡¯s estate?¡± Yu She smiled. ¡°Princess, if Xuan Qiong becomes the emperor in the future, would Prince Yu protect me?¡± Princess Royal Anguo felt sorrowful. Yu She looked at her. He didn¡¯t know if it was because of Zhong Wan¡¯s influence these past few days, but his heart had softened. And he would always recall the sweet and intimate times of his youth. He and Princess Royal Anguo had once had a mother-and-son relationship. Yu She paused, before saying, ¡°If you want to stand by Xuan Qiong¡¯s side now, I won¡¯t blame you. In the future, no matter what happens, I won¡¯t touch the princess estate. But Prince Yu¡­ I am now someone with a wife. I cannot leave these seeds of trouble for myself.¡± Princess Royal Anguo hatefully said, ¡°What wife?¡± She picked up her teacup. A good while later, she set it down, helpless. ¡°Nevermind¡­ Pretend I never asked.¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s status was awkward. She was both Xuan Qiong¡¯s aunt and Yu She¡¯s foster mother. When the two competed against each other for the throne, she could not avoid them. She had to choose a side. Princess Anguo had been proud and arrogant all her life. She did not want to be stepped on by Imperial Consort Yu in the future. Now, she could only give up something. ¡°Although Prince Yu and I had long since separated, in the past, I truly did let him down¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore.¡± Then she said in a low voice, ¡°Recently, Emperor-Brother truly has been impatient. First, he had you enter his cabinet. Then, he repeatedly spoke to his old relatives explicitly and implicitly. And a few days ago, he was trying to act as a matchmaker for you. Now, we¡¯re just missing one step. How could Prince Yu just watch helplessly as Emperor-Brother recognizes you as his son? He¡ª¡± ¡°He wants to bring up the matter of my mother, right?¡± Princess Royal Anguo was shocked. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I guessed,¡± said Yu She in a tranquil manner. ¡°What else could it be? Although I¡¯ve been a scoundrel these many years, I¡¯ve only been a scoundrel to myself. I¡¯ve never harmed the people around me. If he wants everyone to know I¡¯m not suitable to compete for the throne, then he could only find trouble from my background. Moreover¡­¡± Yu She laughed mockingly to himself. ¡°This matter is a secret of the emperor. Right now, he only needs to start a small rumor. Once others learn of this matter from the emperor¡¯s youth that brings the emperor worry, it¡¯s very likely that they¡¯d bury me and that person who had been buried long ago. In this way, everyone would become clean.¡± ¡°Emperor-Brother wouldn¡¯t be this heartless.¡± Princess Royal Anguo frowned. ¡°What¡¯s more¡­ he hasn¡¯t brought up the matter yet, right?¡± Yu She glanced at her. Smiled faintly. ¡°Weren¡¯t you just hesitating? Everyone knows I¡¯m the thing that keeps the balance between both sides. When an emergency comes, they only need to abandon me and their troubles would decrease by leaps and bounds.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the time to speak such demoralizing words,¡± said Princess Royal Anguo in a low voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know the fine details, but I heard that a few days ago, Prince Yu sent people to a distant place. Apparently, it¡¯s to find some people.¡± Yu She said, ¡°Are those some of the people who waited on¡­ who waited on that woman in the palace?¡± Princess Royal Anguo nodded. Yu She narrowed his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s only one thing I don¡¯t understand. Is Prince Yu not afraid that the emperor would clench his teeth and acknowledge my mother¡¯s matter. and recognize me even at the cost of all his reputation?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± She wanted to say her next words, but also didn¡¯t. ¡°If the matter of your birth mother was brought into public, then¡­ Actually, it¡¯s not good proof that you are Emperor-Brother¡¯s son.¡± Yu She did not understand. Princess Royal Anguo hardened her heart. Tried her best to put it mildly by saying, ¡°Before the previous emperor had left the world, many of the palace residences were going through renovation. The previous emperor disliked the disorderliness, and so moved to the temporary imperial residence in the north. His stay spanned a few months. Your birth mother did not follow. And it was at that time that she conceived you. However, at that time it hadn¡¯t only been Emperor-Brother moving in and out of the palace. ¡°SInce your birthmother was actually able to be with Emperor-Brother,¡± said Princess Royal Anguo near whisper, ¡°then it¡¯s possible that another person could have¡­¡± She beat around the bush, saying, ¡°If the former palace maid Prince Yu finds carelessly says your birth mother had relations with other people¡­ then how could the emperor prove you are his son?¡± Yu She looked at the ground. All of a sudden, he laughed. Fearing Yu She was falling into another bout of madness, Princess Royal Anguo blurted, ¡°Of course, I can stand as a witness that you are definitely Emperor-Brother¡¯s child. However, it was difficult for him to see your birth mother back then. We could only have the laborers repair your birth mother¡¯s palace more. Otherwise, how could he have sneaked in? I¡¯m very clear on what happened before and after that. But¡­ but that day, they had acted with a bit too much impropriety. The Imperial Censorate had brought it up a few times. The imperial clan members said your birth mother should move out of the palace. But the empress dowager blocked this from happening. I fear that this matter would be recorded in history. Recently, Prince Yu had been searching for those records of long ago. I¡¯m afraid he will use them to weave a story.¡± She rushed to explain, ¡°Ziyou¡­ Do you understand? Don¡¯t let your mind wander in strange places. You are definitely the son of Emperor-Brother.¡± Yu She looked directly at her and asked, ¡°Since these matters are so important, why did you people let those people live? Why not just kill them?¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s lips twitched. Realization struck her and she covered her mouth out of reflex. She had misspoken. But Yu She understood the implications. ¡°Back then, you and Prince Yu were worried the emperor wouldn¡¯t smoothly ascend the throne. Feared that changes would occur. So you hid these people in secret. You thought that if it were Prince Ning who ascended, then you would use these human testimonies and material evidence to defect to Prince Ning¡¯s side, right?¡± Yu She¡¯s train of thought was smooth. ¡°But if after the current emperor ascended the throne, he wanted to dispose of the people who had already served their purpose, then those people would become your protective talismans. And now¡­ they have become the good pawns to control me with. Not bad.¡± He looked at her. Pushed down the hatred in his heart. He expended a lot of effort to smile at her. You¡¯ve known it since long ago. And Yu She smiled mockingly toward himself. It turned out the harmonious relationship between mother and son in the past were merely his own delusions. Just a while ago, Yu She had told Princess Royal Anguo that in the future, even if she turned around and defected to Xuan Qion¡¯s side, Yu She would protect her if he ascended the throne. Because of the times in his youth, Yu She had truly considered her as his mother. Prince Yu had concubines who gave birth to illegitimate sons one after the other. He rarely came to the princess estate. Even though the young Yu She had abided by protocol and observed propriety to the max, he had talked back to Prince Yu a few times for her. At that time, did those people who saw him treat it as watching a joke? Gradually, Yu She¡¯s eyes grew bloodshot. He closed his eyes and said to himself, ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ I¡¯ve long since gotten used to it. This is nothing. It was like this from the start¡­¡± Princess Royal Anguo was very regretful. In a moment of carelessness, she had failed to remove herself completely from the situation, and rushed to say, ¡°I¡­ I knew of this long ago, but I hid those people all along not because I¡¯m guarding against you. Instead, I¡¯m guarding against Prince Yu. Moreover, if I don¡¯t leave behind this backup plan, and don¡¯t have my own people in it, how could I have informed you of this important information?¡± Yu She said in a soft voice, ¡°Stop talking¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to find those people as soon as possible.¡± Yu She rose to his feet. ¡°I will find a way¡­ to borrow the mouths of others to bring this matter up to the emperor. And try to make the emperor and Prince Yu fight against each other¡­¡± Princess Royal Anguo rushed to say, ¡°Ziyou, do you blame me? You¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep my promises to you.¡± Yu She had a splitting headache. ¡°I will¡­ return to my estate.¡± CH 70 After Yu She left the estate, Zhong Wan took his medicine and looked over the official documents the Dali Temple had sent to Yu She. Two hours later, Zhong Wan ran out of energy and sprawled out on the desk to take a short nap. Zhong Wan got woken up by Yu She. Zhong Wan was barely conscious after waking up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Yu She. Before he could react, he had already been pressed against the back of the chair by the other. Bleary-eyed, he was unable to clearly discern Yu She¡¯s expression. He only felt like there was a dark air around the other, as if a fierce rage was hidden in his chest. Zhong Wan absentmindedly thought, what¡¯s wrong? Zhong Wan was just about to start speaking when Yu She squeezed his chin and kissed him. Yu She was in a fit. He couldn¡¯t control his own strength. His other hand kept a death grip around Zhong Wan¡¯s wrist, creating obvious red marks. Zhong Wan winced and inhaled softly in pain, only to hear Yu She mutter from the back of his throat, ¡°Open¡­ open your mouth.¡± With no other choice, Zhong Wan did as he said and separated his lips. Yu She took advantage of every inch of his mouth. Zhong Wan was dazed. What was wrong with Yu She? It was the middle of the day. Yu She had suddenly developed evil intentions towards him upon returning to the estate. Truly¡­ young and energetic. A moment later, Yu She let go of Zhong Wan. As if he had lost all his energy, he leaned down and wrapped Zhong Wan in his embrace. Zhong Wan was out of breath from being kissed by Yu She. His lips were slightly numb. He chuckled softly. Just as he was about to tease Yu She a bit, he heard Yu She lowly say, ¡°Guiyuan¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s voice didn¡¯t sound right. Zhong Wan suffered a fright. The smile on his face disappeared. ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong? Did you get into another argument with the princess royal?¡± Zhong Wan wanted to turn his head and look at Yu She, but Yu She held him even closer. Yu She was very strong; Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t move at all. He felt uneasy. ¡°What¡¯s actually the matter?¡± Yu She buried his face against Zhong Wan¡¯s neck. A long time later, he raspily said, ¡°Guiyuan, sometimes¡­ I really don¡¯t know who I should hate.¡± Yu She¡¯s words were very random. For some reason, Zhong Wan suddenly felt a grueling pain in his heart. In hesitation, Zhong Wan wrapped his arms around Yu She too. Softly, he asked, ¡°Did Princess Royal Anguo say something?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t answer. A moment later, he suddenly said, ¡°Zhong Wan, no matter what happens in the future¡­ don¡¯t be disgusted by me¡­¡± ¡°Sometimes¡­¡± muttered Yu She to himself. ¡°Sometimes, I feel like I¡¯ve wronged everyone. But then, I think a little harder and also feel unwilling to be resigned to this¡­ I wasn¡¯t the one who chose my identity. ¡°I did all I could to prevent you from seeing Tang Ming and the princess. I feared that after you found out the whole truth, you would blame me and hate me¡­ I can¡¯t plead innocence, but it¡¯s not like I can cut off my flesh and return it to those people either, right?¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Okay, okay. I won¡¯t blame you. I definitely won¡¯t find you disgusting either. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Yu She stopped talking again. After a long pause, Yu She whispered, ¡°I want to sleep for a bit.¡± With no other options, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll accompany you.¡± The two of them lay in bed, fully dressed. Yu She held onto Zhong Wan¡¯s hand. In only a moment, he fell asleep. Itbcu Qjc gfrafv bc tlr rlvf jcv rajgfv ja Te Vtf. Llr fsfygbkr kfgf rboais oeggbkfv abufatfg. Ktf akb bo atfw tjv cfnfg fzqilmlais ajixfv jybea Te Vtf¡¯r yjmxugbecv. Te Vtf tjv rlifcais jvwlaafv ab atf ojma atja tf kjr Swqfgbg Jtbcujc¡¯r liifulalwjaf rbc. Cr obg atf lvfcalas bo tlr batfg qjgfca, tf tjvc¡¯a fnfg wfcalbcfv jcsatlcu ab Itbcu Qjc. Itbcu Qjc tjv aglfv ab jrx jybea la lc gbecvjybea kjsr, yea tjv jikjsr yffc ulnfc j qfgoecmabgs gfrqbcrf. Lf xcfk atja atlr kjr j tlvvfc rmjg lc atf batfg¡¯r tfjga, rb cfnfg jrxfv abb wjcs defralbcr. Recently, however, Zhong Wan felt like an answer was faintly appearing in his mind. He heaved out a long sigh. Who could be disdainful of whom? They were all in involuntary situations. Zhong Wan used his own arm as a pillow, but didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all. About an hour later, Yu She¡¯s hand twitched. He opened his eyes. His countenance had already returned to normal. Yu She sat up. After a brief pause, his memories returned. He recalled how he had appeared a bit agitated while previously out of control. Zhong Wan softly asked, ¡°What¡¯s actually wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Yu She calmly stated while straightening out his clothes. ¡°These days, I¡¯ve become overdramatic. Can¡¯t even handle hearing a few unpleasant things¡­¡± Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. He didn¡¯t forget to blame the other, saying, ¡°All because of you. ¡°Things are fine now.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was normal. He didn¡¯t forget to closely examine Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. He grabbed Zhong Wan¡¯s wrist that was red from being squeezed and massaged it, softly reminding, ¡°Next time I go crazy¡­ ignore me. Keep as far away as you can.¡± ¡°How could I do that?¡± Zhong Wan asked. ¡°If I left, who would reap the benefits?¡± Yu She burst into laughter. Zhong Wan allowed Yu She to massage his wrist and stopped using his teasing tone. He asked again, ¡°What did Princess Royal say?¡± Yu She acted like he hadn¡¯t heard. He stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s a bit bruised. I¡¯ll go get some medicated oil to help you disperse the congested blood.¡± ¡°Ziyou.¡± Zhong Wan sat on the bed. He softly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it better if you tell me¡­ rather than someone else telling me?¡± Yu She froze. He once again remained silent as he headed off to retrieve the medicated oil. Zhong Wan felt exasperated. A short while later, Yu She returned, carrying a bucket of hot water. Yu She rolled up his sleeves and heated the handkerchief up by rubbing it. He helped Zhong Wan place this warm compress on his wrist. ¡°The current emperor¡­¡± Yu She waited for a moment. After the handkerchief became slightly cooler, he took it off and submerged it in the hot water once again. He wrapped it around Zhong Wan¡¯s wrist once more after wringing it dry. ¡°¡­spent a long time as a prince. A very, very long time. ¡°The previous emperor lived a long life. He outlived several princes. The oldest prince at the time was our current emperor. Back then, he was the second imperial prince. ¡°The previous emperor didn¡¯t actually like Second Prince too much. He liked Sixth Prince more¡­ Prince Ning.¡± Yu She re-soaked the handkerchief again. He worried that the water was no longer as warm as before, so used his own hands to cover Zhong Wan¡¯s wrist. He calmly continued, saying, ¡°Age-old matters. You know about all these things too. I won¡¯t go into too much detail¡­ Back then, the previous emperor started thinking about crowning his youngest son. No¡­ he didn¡¯t only think about it; he practically truly did it. The only thing missing was an imperial decree. ¡°In those years, many flooding catastrophes occurred after the great drought. The previous emperor thought that that year was bad and unlucky. He also believed that he was in good health, so wanted to name the crown prince the next year, which was supposed to be a fertile year. He could also take this chance to grant amnesty throughout the nation, making things smoother. ¡°Back then, the previous emperor doted on Prince Ning greatly. Anybody with eyes could tell. Second Prince¡­ was very anxious. ¡°Though the previous emperor was old, he still maintained his grasp over the court. Second Prince couldn¡¯t do anything publicly, even with Prince Yu as an ally. ¡°What to do? Prince Yu came up with a good plan for him. ¡°Through Princess Royal Anguo, Prince Yu secretly spread rumors in the palace that said that the previous emperor was going to kill the mother to keep the son. After naming the crown prince, he was going to kill both Imperial Consort Zhongs.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°You¡¯ve heard about those rumors too. You believed that this was the previous emperor¡¯s plan, right?¡± Yu She calmly asked. ¡°No. The previous emperor himself had never held such a thought. ¡°The Zhong estate didn¡¯t have any promising males. Additionally, Noble Consort Zhong was a virtuous woman. She wasn¡¯t the type to cause the previous emperor any fear. ¡°But no one else thought this way. The two imperial consorts of your family heard this rumor and started spending each day and night in panic. However, they didn¡¯t dare to ask. Noble Consort Zhong cried everyday. She treated each time she saw Prince Ning as if it were her last. After enough time, even lies were close to becoming truth. ¡°Noble Consort Zhong was willing to die for her son¡¯s future. Little Imperial Consort Zhong though¡­ wasn¡¯t so willing. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like Prince Ning was her son.¡± Yu She threw the handkerchief off to the side, picked up the medicated oil, and poured some into his palm. He slightly rubbed his palms together; after the medicated oil heated up, he gently pressed his palms against the wounded area of Zhong Wan¡¯s wrist. ¡°Little Imperial Consort Zhong and Second Princess Consort were close friends. She had already seen Second Prince once before entering the palace. The two of them¡­ had a little something? I¡¯m not sure. ¡°Second Prince waited for Little Imperial Consort Zhong to believe the rumors. Then, he tasked a palace servant to send her a message. He told her that after all these years, he still couldn¡¯t forget her. Only because she had become his concubine mother did he force himself to remain silent despite his overwhelming affection. Now that he had heard about her impending demise, he could no longer sit around and wait. ¡°At the time, Little Imperial Consort Zhong had worried daily that she would have to lose her life for her elder sister¡¯s son. In the midst of her panic, she had received such a message. How could she not feel touched? ¡°Second Prince promised her that if the emperor intended to kill her in the future, he would naturally devise a plan to ensure her safety. Perhaps this would involve using a death replacement or finding some sort of fake death medicine for her to take, but ultimately, he wouldn¡¯t let her truly die in the palace. ¡°Little Imperial Consort Zhong had finally found a way out. She was endlessly grateful. The two of them used a palace servant to send messages between each other: all sorts of vows and promises¡­ These messages were incredibly touching.¡± Zhong Wan said with difficulty, ¡°The emperor had never planned on killing the two Imperial Consort Zhongs. This lie was going to be exposed sooner or later¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yu She let go and poured some more medicated oil into his palm. He rubbed his palms together and placed them on Zhong Wan¡¯s wrist once again. ¡°Don¡¯t get impatient. This was only the first step in their plan. ¡°At first, Second Prince and Little Imperial Consort Zhong only communicated through the palace servant. Eventually, they started meeting up a few times in the palace. And then¡­ ¡°Little Imperial Consort Zhong became pregnant. ¡°She was deathly terrified. Her first thought was to abort this demon child¡­ She truly acted out on this thought too. ¡°But unfortunately, she was in too great of health.¡± Yu She gently rubbed Zhong Wan¡¯s bruise with his fingertips. ¡°After a bowl of abortion medicine¡­ she was in great pain, but surprisingly didn¡¯t manage to lose the child.¡± Yu She scoffed. ¡°How fortunate¡­ ¡°Second Prince was waiting for this exact day. Upon hearing this news, he hurriedly told someone to tell Little Imperial Consort Zhong not to harm this child under any circumstances. ¡°Second Prince said that his own sons had either all died or were ill. He really wanted to keep this child that he had conceived with his lover. He also pretended to be resentful, saying Little Imperial Consort Zhong had a cruel heart and wasn¡¯t truly in love with him. ¡°Little Imperial Consort Zhong still needed to rely on Second Prince to live. How could she dare to anger him? But she couldn¡¯t really give birth to this child¡­ The previous emperor hadn¡¯t touched her in several years. She couldn¡¯t use him as an excuse. ¡°What to do about this? ¡°Second Prince gave Little Consort Zhong a good idea. ¡°He gave Little Imperial Consort Zhong a packet of poison. ¡°That day, the previous emperor had caught a cold. It was Noble Consort Zhong who took care of him day after day, not even having time to undress when turning in to sleep at night¡­ It was very easy for Little Imperial Consort Zhong to sneak in. ¡°Second Prince told Little Imperial Consort Zhong that he who strikes first gains the advantage. Rather than waiting for the emperor to kill them all, why not kill this cruel-hearted old thing instead? As such, neither she nor her sister would need to die. ¡°Then, Second Prince once again asked Little Imperial Consort Zhong¡­¡± Yu She scoffed at himself. ¡°He asked her whether or not she wanted to be the empress. Whether or not she wanted the son in her belly to become the future crown prince.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s fingers slightly trembled. ¡°Second Prince said that after the emperor passed away, he would treat Noble Consort Zhong well and treat Prince Ning as his biological younger brother. He would hide Little Imperial Consort Zhong in the estate by the imperial mausoleum. After one or two years, he would help her change her name and marry her so that she could return to the palace. ¡°But what actually happened? You already know. ¡°The medicine had passed through Noble Consort Zhong¡¯s hands. She couldn¡¯t escape punishment. After the previous emperor¡¯s death, Noble Consort Zhong had no way of defending herself. Without even waiting for the news to spread outside of the palace, the empress had already forced poison down her throat and tied her up with a white scarf. She never got to see Prince Ning one last time. ¡°The Zhong estate naturally couldn¡¯t avoid being dragged in as well.¡± Yu She grabbed Zhong Wan¡¯s other hand and continued the massage. ¡°The empress was ¡®merciful.¡¯ She said that these were all disgraceful matters of the imperial family, so didn¡¯t publicize them. She only announced that Noble Consort Zhong had feared the rumors about killing the mother and leaving the son, so had committed such a crime in a moment of foolishness. But she still had Prince Ning as a son, after all. It was impossible for the empress not to care about a prince¡¯s future. Thus, the Zhong estate fell from grace overnight. The remaining members didn¡¯t dare to say anything out of line at all¡­ After all, this was already a heavenly blessing. If this matter had truly been judged as a regicide, nobody in the Zhong family would have been allowed to live.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s shoulders gently quaked. ¡°All that needed to be resolved had already been resolved. Second Prince was originally going to kill Little Imperial Consort Zhong as well, but in the end, the empress¡ªoh, already the empress dowager now¡ªthe empress dowager suddenly became unwilling. ¡°Second Prince didn¡¯t have a healthy son. The empress dowager feared that the child in Little Imperial Consort Zhong¡¯s stomach would be a son. Thus, she couldn¡¯t bear to risk it. ¡°Coincidentally, Princess Royal Anguo had just lost her child. ¡°Even more coincidentally, Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s husband was Prince Yu, who Second Prince both feared and relied heavily upon. ¡°This unformed fetus, gender yet unknown¡­ had come at such an opportune time. ¡°Thus, after living at the estate in the imperial mausoleum for a month, Little Imperial Consort Zhong, who kept thinking about and waiting for the time that she would be brought back into the palace to be empress, didn¡¯t receive the news of Second Prince¡¯s arrival. Instead, she received the news of Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s arrival.¡± Yu She let go of Zhong Wan¡¯s hand and calmly said, ¡°You naturally know now who that male infant is. ¡°If not for this male infant, who ought to have been aborted after a bowl of abortion medicine¡­¡± Yu She stood up and washed his hands. ¡°A lot of people wouldn¡¯t have had to die. Your family¡­ ¡°Your family wouldn¡¯t have been dispersed and killed either.¡± CH 71 Since Zhong Wan wanted to stay, then he should be aware of some things. Sooner or later, he would know. For several months, Yu She felt as though he were standing upon the edge of a cliff, as though he were treading on thin ice. He stood in a constant state of worry that Zhong Wan would learn of the inside information. However, nowadays Prince Yu wanted to make an issue of Yu She¡¯s background. He truly could not keep Zhong Wan in the dark any longer. Zhong Wan was right. It would hold more weight if he said it himself. After Yu She had strived his hardest to explain the past events in a calm and clear way, Zhong Wan fell into a daze. He did not speak throughout it. Yu She wanted to explain himself, yet did not know what to say. As if he still did not know whom he should hate until now, Yu She did not know how to explain things to Zhong Wan. His birth parents and foster parents had plotted a murder. How clean could he, their son, be? If Prince Ning had smoothly ascended the throne back then, then as a member of the Zhong clan, Zhong Wan would without a doubt have grown up safe and sound. He would have passed the imperial examinations in his youth, grown up to be either a general or prime minister. How could he have fallen to this state? Was Yu She himself truly that innocent? Did Zhong Wan truly have nothing to do with the good days Yu She had these past years? Yu She had practically run away from Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard. Absentminded, he entered the study. Shut the door. Yu She leaned against the door. Fingers trembling, he touched his chest. He wanted to take out those things that were hidden there. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn¡¯t bear to. Not yet. It hadn¡¯t reached the point where that was necessary yet. Yu She was unsure how Zhong Wan would react after hearing those words. If Zhong Wan left, then afterward, perhaps Yu She would use those things many times. He could not waste them. Once again, Yu She touched his chest. Sat down. Not wasting any more time, he called for a family soldier. Ordered him to spare no effort and search for the former palace maids who had waited on Little Imperial Consort Zhong. After he had given this order, Yu She changed into a set of court robes, ordered people to prepare a sedan, and prepared to enter the palace. On the way to the palace, he tried his best to compose himself. At the critical moment, he must not screw up. Emperor Chongan seldom discussed with his cabinet members. He would just read the documents sent to his palace before resting. The old eunuchs who served Emperor Chongan kept watch at the main doorway. Once noon arrived, they had already blocked many groups of people who wished to see the emperor. When they saw Yu She arrive, they hesitated. Then they went inside to report to the emperor. Shortly after, they returned and invited Yu She in. Emperor Chongan was half lying on the bed. As soon as he caught sight of Yu She, he beamed. ¡°Why have you come so often to pay respects recently? Come¡­¡± Looking down, Yu She paid respects. Then he rose to his feet. ¡°This official has a secret to report to Your Majesty.¡± Worry painting his face, Emperor Chongan waved. The eunuchs retreated. Yu She sucked in a deep breath. And he narrated in full detail the plan he had heard from Princess Royal Anguo to Emperor Chongan. With indifference, Yu She said, ¡°After this official had heard such words, this official felt somewhat moved. May Your Majesty inform this minister who my biological father¡ª¡± ¡°Utter nonsense!¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression experienced a tremendous change, and he was angered to the point of trembling. ¡°This is utter nonsense! You.. You are Ours, Ours¡­¡± Emperor Chongan felt dizzy for a good while. He used the small table for support, saying with determination, ¡°We only have one son that grew up capable. But those people still want to harm Us. With much difficulty, the Heavens left a good child for Us. They, they¡­¡± Yu She knelt on the ground. He neither asked for forgiveness nor consoled him. Ktfgf kfgf cb fecemtr ab kjla eqbc atfw lc atf gbbw. Swqfgbg Jtbcujc mbeiv bcis agfwyif jr tf gbrf ab tlr offa, qlmxlcu eq tlr afjmeq. Lf obgmfv tlwrfio ab ajxf j rlq bo ulcrfcu afj. Mjmf qjif, tf rjlv, ¡°Qtbrf rlclrafg qijc kjr atlr?¡± C ragjcuf iluta oijrtfv atgbeut Te Vtf¡¯r fsfr. Mjlcais, tf rjlv, ¡°Llr Llutcfrr Mloat Uglcmf, Wejc Hlbcu.¡± In an absentminded manner, Emperor Chongan said, ¡°Qiong¡¯er? He¡­ We clearly warned him last time. Why did he¡­¡± ¡°Last time, after he secretly detained the people from the Royal Mausoleum, Fifth Highness placed spies at this official¡¯s side time after time again. This official could not put up with it any longer, and had endured in silence throughout. Never had this official imagined he would investigate this deeply¡­¡± said Yu She in a low voice. ¡°This time, my investigation uncovered that he wants to make me change my name. This official¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think strange things. We are the most clear on your background! Don¡¯t speak anymore¡­¡± Emperor Chongan was saddened and angered. ¡°Unfilial son! He¡¯s a good-for-nothing and only knows how to rely on his maternal family to curry favor for his crooked means! Now, he dares to dirty Our reputation. Unfilial son¡­¡± He hurled the teacup to the ground. Yu She tilted his head a hint, dodging a flying shard of porcelain. This was actually Zhong Wan¡¯s plan. Yu She had all the material evidence and human testimonies regarding the chief of the Beidi tribes contacting Xuan Qiong in secret. At the start, Zhong Wan had wanted to inform Xuan Jing about the situation, waiting for the time of the incident to tell Emperor Chongan that everything was Prince Yu¡¯s plan. From start to finish, Prince Yu was heartless. In this way, they could catch him unaware. When the time came, Xuan Jing definitely would hit them when they¡¯re down. Then both sides would accuse each other. Emperor Chongan was a very suspicious person, and he would for certain believe that that nephew-and-uncle pair were conspiring. Since he was able to place Xuan Qiong¡¯s guilt onto Prince Yu, then how could it be impossible to place Prince Yu¡¯s actions onto Xuan Qiong? Prince Yu¡¯s thoughts were profound. At this time, he must have constructed a way to absolve himself from any involvement. A direct accusation would probably give rise to a false countercharge. Since that¡¯s the case, why not have Xuan Qiong take the fall for everything? It took a long time for Emperor Chongan to calm down. In a low voice, he said, ¡°You¡­ return to your estate. You don¡¯t have to bother yourself with this matter anymore. We will take care of it.¡± Yu She stood. Turned around. Just as he was about to leave, Emperor Chongan suddenly said, ¡°Ziyou.¡± Yu She stopped in his tracks. A long sigh left Emperor Chongan¡¯s lips. ¡°Good child¡­ Whatever your reason is, now that you wholeheartedly became good, We are seriously satisfied. ¡°For Our whole life, We did not have the fortune of having sons and grandsons. After growing sad a few times, We now have just two sons remaining. The incapable is incapable. The disobedient is disobedient.¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s gaze proved cloudy. He looked at Yu She with pity. ¡°Fortunately, We still have you. We know that you have suffered many grievances these past years. But who hasn¡¯t suffered grievances in this world? We have also been wronged. During Our time as a prince, We also had been wronged¡­¡± Emperor Chongan sighed. ¡°Return to your estate¡­ Don¡¯t come out anymore. Tonight¡­ We will send out an imperial decree.¡± Yu She felt tranquil. Back facing the emperor, he touched his chest. He turned around. Knelt. Satisfied, Emperor Chongan smiled. ¡°Good child¡­ If it weren¡¯t for you, We truly would not know who to place Our hopes on. You should already know We are barely holding on, right? We don¡¯t believe you are afraid of dying. That you are competing for the throne because you are afraid Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong would get rid of you in the future. You are doing this because of Us, right? You just can¡¯t bear to see Us like this, right? When it¡¯s all said and done¡­ blood is thicker than water. You have forgiven Us, haven¡¯t you?¡± Yu She clenched his teeth, enduring the nausea as he bowed and kowtowed. After this, Emperor Chongan would no longer hesitate. This was enough. Emperor Chongan wiped his tears. Waved. ¡°Good child, you can go.¡± Yu She rose to his feet and left the inner hall. The smile on Emperor Chongan¡¯s face dissipated. He said in a low voice, ¡°Summon¡­ Xuan Qiong.¡± Yu She stood at the gates of the palace for a good while. Only after the attendant, who had followed him, asked him a few times did Yu She respond. Absentmindedly, Yu She said, ¡°Return to the estate?¡± The attendant said, ¡°Yes. Are we not returning?¡± Yu She felt a bit afraid. Afraid that if he returned, Zhong Wan would not be there. In the end, Yu She boarded the sedan. On the way back, Yu She called out for the sedan to stop a few times. When they passed by a store selling light refreshments, Yu She disembarked from the sedan to buy some candy for Zhong Wan. When they passed by a store selling pastries, Yu She disembarked from the sedan to buy Zhong Wan some pastries. When they passed by a stand selling clay figurines by the side of the bridge, Yu She also climbed off his sedan to purchase a few for Zhong Wan. Seven years ago, Zhong Wan had stirred up trouble and was unable to leave Prince Yu¡¯s estate. So he always had Yu She buy these kinds of things for him. Some bridge-side booth¡¯s clay figurines, some lane¡¯s sugar-coated hawthorn, some small street¡¯s blown-sugar people, some alley¡¯s paintings. Zhong Wan had described them very clearly, instructing Yu She to purchase them. The young Yu She told him in a good-natured way that the princess would not allow him to purchase things from the streets. Non-food items from the streets also couldn¡¯t be bought. They were not safe. Even if he did purchase them, he wouldn¡¯t be able to bring them inside the estate. Who knew what would happen if one ate or touched those things from the outside? The young Yu She had still revered his mother to an immense degree. He would listen to all of Princess Royale Anguo¡¯s words. Zhong Wan had spoken to him a few times about it. But Yu She never listened. After being asked so many times, Yu She had the cooks in the estate make those things for Zhong Wan. But the chefs couldn¡¯t get them right. Zhong Wan disliked them. And then this case was left unsettled. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to be more detailed during shaping,¡± said Yu She in a low voice. ¡°He said¡­ he wanted Sun Wukong.¡± The old man who made the clay figurines had never seen a member of the nobility before. Scared witless, he made the clay figurine then knelt as he presented it. He didn¡¯t dare to take payment for it. Yu She placed a golden ingot onto the vendor¡¯s booth. Carefully carried the clay figurine as he returned to his sedan. ¡°Back then, I¡­¡± said Yu She to himself as he looked at the clay figurine in his hands. ¡°I actually didn¡¯t buy one for you because of what she said¡­ ¡°You just wanted a clay figurine, but I actually couldn¡¯t give one to you¡­¡± Yu She closed his eyes, entire body trembling in regret. Just how can I make up for harming you to this extent? He did not know if he was stalling for time or if he truly wanted to compensate Zhong Wan. He circled the city center for a long time, buying a pile of random things. Yu She didn¡¯t let anyone touch them, carrying those items by himself as he returned to the estate. ¡°Young Master Zhong¡­¡± Yu She protected the tail feathers above ¡°Sun Wukong¡¯s¡± head. He strived his best to ask in a natural manner, ¡°Is he asleep?¡± Steward Feng carefully sized Yu She up with a glance. In a soft voice, he said, ¡°Heir¡­ a short moment after your honored self left¡­ Young Master Zhong left for Prince Qian An¡¯s estate.¡± Steward Feng was scared witless that Yu She would go crazy. Unexpectedly, Yu She just nodded his head lightly. ¡°I see.¡± There were slight tremors in his hands, and he crushed ¡°Sun Wukong¡¯s¡± arm by accident. He rushed to catch the pieces with his sleeve. With his prior words not connecting with his later ones, he said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll keep it for him¡­ Hurry and bring me some glue. I¡¯ll fix it for him.¡± Steward Feng¡¯s eyes reddened in an instant. He sounded his agreement and left. Yu She shut himself up in his study, carefully repairing the clay figurine. But his hands shook too much. After repairing a part, he¡¯d break something else. But he didn¡¯t dare to get angry, in fear he¡¯d break more pieces of it. He could only control his temper, repairing the clay figurine a bit at a time. Yu She repaired the clay figurine for no less than four hours. During that period, people from the palace came to pass on an imperial decree. Emperor Chongan finally recognized him as his son. From behind the divider screen, Yu She busied himself with fixing the clay figurine, not even kneeling. He merely had someone place the decree down. A short while later, the members of the imperial clan arrived. A few elders even came. Yet they still were unable to see Yu She. Deep into the night, the clay figurine in Yu She¡¯s hands had been shattered beyond recognition. But he didn¡¯t dare to get angry. He stood up a few times and sat down a few times. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± With care, Yu She took a bit of glue and slowly applied it to the clay figurine. Voice hoarse, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve already tried my best, but still hurt you into this state¡­ ¡°I really don¡¯t know¡­¡± Yu She finally broke down. He set down the clay figurine on the table. Clenched his fists tight. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s the best path to take¡­¡± When Zhong Wan finally rushed back to the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, it was already midnight. Once Steward Feng had caught sight of Zhong Wan, he almost jumped from fear. He pointed to his blood-soaked forehead and cried out, ¡°What happened to your honored self?! You¡¯re all bloody¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Zhong Wan broke into a calm smile. He wiped the blood off in passing. ¡°I got it from kowtowing. I¡­ heard some news in the afternoon. It¡¯s being announced through the whole city. The whole city¡¯s bustling with excitement. Where¡¯s Heir?¡± Steward Feng swallowed. ¡°In the study¡­¡± Zhong Wan nodded, wanting to return to his own courtyard. But Steward Feng blurted, ¡°Your honored self should see Heir first!¡± And so, Zhong Wan pushed open the door to the study. Inside was a mess. The imperial edict was torn into a few pieces and thrown aside. On the desk were a few indiscernible small items. Under the window was Yu She, sitting with his clothes in disarray. In his hands was something wrapped in paper. Zhong Wan¡¯s heart pounded. Cold-food powder¡­ He hated himself bitterly. Zhong Wan just had to unreasonably go to the whatever mausoleum! He forced Yu She to eat those things again! Zhong Wan took a few steps forward. Before he could remove the things in Yu She¡¯s hand, he fell into a daze all of a sudden. ¡°You¡­¡± In disbelief, Zhong Wan stared at what lay in Yu She¡¯s hand. In a flash, his eyes reddened. ¡°Why did you keep this¡­?¡± Under the moonlight, his madness broke out. Yu She simply did not notice Zhong Wan, and dazedly opened the paper wrapping in his hands. Inside was a pinch of green tea leaves. Yu She picked up a crumb. Placed it into his mouth as if it were a big treasure. These were tea leaves from Qian An. Zhong Wan had drunk most of it until this pinch of tea leaves remained. But Steward Feng had said this before: while it wasn¡¯t a large amount, it was made from the sprouts of the tea plants. Young Master Zhong had picked them out by himself one by one. There was only this much, so Yu She didn¡¯t bear to drink it. CH 72 Zhong Wan half-knelt by Yu She¡¯s side. His forehead bled incessantly; the blood flowed down from the spot between his eyebrows, but he couldn¡¯t be bothered to care about it. Voice hoarse, he continued to inquire, ¡°You only ate this. You didn¡¯t eat any cold food powder, right?¡± Yu She lifted his head slightly and glanced at Zhong Wan. Right now, he wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind. He couldn¡¯t tell who the person in front of him was at all. Zhong Wan¡¯s heart hurt so much that he was having trouble breathing. He carefully felt around Yu She¡¯s chest, but couldn¡¯t find anything. He asked again, ¡°You didn¡¯t eat cold food powder, right?¡± Yu She carefully chewed on the tea leaves in his mouth. He gently shook his head. Before Zhong Wan could relax, Yu She muttered to himself, ¡°Guiyuan won¡¯t let me eat that.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s hand froze from where it was holding onto the collar of Yu She¡¯s shirt. Zhong Wan forced the tears back. Voice slightly choked up, he asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the letter I left for you? Did you think that I left? That I wasn¡¯t coming back?¡± Yu She furrowed his brows and looked at Zhong Wan. He couldn¡¯t understand what the person before him was saying. ¡°I¡­¡± Blood flowed down Zhong Wan¡¯s face. He feared this would frighten Yu She, so stood up and casually grabbed a cup of tea. He leaned back and poured the tea on his own face. Though the wound on his forehead stung because of the tea, Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t be bothered with this pain. He wiped his face and turned around to lowly tell Yu She, ¡°Get¡­ get up first. I¡¯m not leaving.¡± Zhong Wan yanked Yu She to his feet. Yu She didn¡¯t forget to keep a hold on the tea bag in his hand. He carefully wrapped the tea bag up and placed it back in his breast pocket. Zhong Wan pulled Yu She onto the bed and tugged a random blanket over to cover him. Yu She quietly let Zhong Wan do as he wished. Gaze blank, he softly ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t touch the stuff on my desk.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Zhong Wan looked outside. He hurriedly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t touch them. What are they? The imperial decree? I¡¯ll put it away for you?¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t touch them. They¡¯re the mud figurines I bought for Guiyuan.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s lips quivered imperceptibly. His heart hurt so much it felt like it was going to crack. Zhong Wan embraced Yu She through the blankets. His shoulders were violently shaking. He lowered his head and buried his face deeply into the blankets. ¡°I¡­¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t care whether or not Yu She could hear anymore. He held Yu She extremely close and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s fine if the mud figurines break. I don¡¯t like them that much anyways¡­ I forced you to buy them for me seven years ago because I was missing home at the time. ¡°Princess Consort always spoiled me. She didn¡¯t have kids before me, so when she raised me¡­ she doted a lot. All the merchants knew it was easy to earn money from the little young master of Prince Ning¡¯s estate. At that time¡­¡± Zhong Wan paused. He softly said, ¡°They would be right on time, waiting for me and Lin Si to get out of school. Then, they¡¯d all huddle together in the alley by the corner of Prince Ning¡¯s estate. As long as the things they sold were suitable for children, Princess Consort would always buy them for me. ¡°Also¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes were bright red. His voice shook. ¡°I was purposefully teasing you¡­ Princess Royal was too strict with you. I felt like your childhood must¡¯ve been very boring. I wanted you to go out and walk around on the streets too¡­ ¡°At the time, I was very pretentious as well. I was never willing to say anything in a straightforward manner¡­¡± Zhong Wan held onto Yu She and said with difficulty, ¡°I knew very clearly what my own feelings were back then, but¡­ Everyone was saying that your father killed my fath¡ª killed Prince Ning. Thus, there were a lot of things I couldn¡¯t tell you.¡± Zhong Wan muttered, ¡°Later on, I came to terms with several matters. In this lifetime¡­ I¡¯m destined to fail to repay Prince and Princess Consort Ning for raising me. I have no face to see them again. I don¡¯t fear retribution for myself, but¡­¡± Zhong Wan held back his tears and looked at Yu She. He softly asked, ¡°But what about you?¡± Would Zhong Wan¡¯s ancestors, who were in the heavens, take their anger out on Yu She after finding out that Zhong Wan liked the son of Emperor Chongan? In the day, after Yu She had left and Zhong Wan had slightly recovered, Zhong Wan had forced his sickly body out of bed, left behind a handwritten letter, departed the estate, rented a horse, and headed to the Zhong family¡¯s ancestral graves. Pa tjv jigfjvs yffc rfnfc ab fluta sfjgr rlcmf tf tjv nlrlafv. Itbcu Qjc yfilfnfv atja tf tjv rtjwfv tlr jcmfrabgr. Lf tjv fgjrfv tlwrfio ogbw atf ojwlis agff jcv gfoerfv ab rfa obba lc atf jcmfragji ugjnfr jujlc. Rbk atja tf tjv obecv bea jybea atf qgfnlber ofev, atbeut, tf mbeivc¡¯a cba mbwf. Zhong Wan had spent the entirety of several hours kowtowing in front of his parents¡¯ graves. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t dare to defend himself in the slightest against the various embarrassing deeds that he had done in these past few years. He had kowtowed innumerous times, until his blood had covered the stone steps, begging his parents down under to blame only him. He had begged them not to, under any circumstances, vent their anger out on his Ziyou again. ¡°I was the one who fell in love first. I was also the one who seduced you¡­¡± Zhong Wan offhandedly wiped his face. ¡°If anyone has sinned, it was me¡­¡± Yu She closed his eyes and fell asleep. Zhong Wan turned to the side, allowing Yu She to lie down. Then, he laid down next to Yu She, still fully dressed. ¡°Ziyou¡­¡± Zhong Wan rested his head against Yu She¡¯s body. He muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t know either if all the suffering you¡¯ve experienced in these past few years were because those down under are collecting their debts. I worried that they wouldn¡¯t have a clear understanding of the situation, so wanted to tell them¡­ You weren¡¯t the one who did anything wrong. You also aren¡¯t the one who¡¯s sinned.¡± The blood on Zhong Wan¡¯s face soaked into the cotton blankets silently. After an unknown period of time, he fell asleep like this, still holding onto Yu She. When the sun first started appearing on the horizon, Zhong Wan woke up. Yu She was still fast asleep. Zhong Wan sat up and checked Yu She¡¯s forehead. Nothing felt wrong. He leaned down and bumped his own forehead against Yu She¡¯s. Zhong Wan was shocked: his own temperature was much higher than Yu She¡¯s. Zhong Wan¡¯s entire body ached. His forehead hurt even more. Only now did he realize that he had a fever. Zhong Wan sighed softly before carefully getting out of bed. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t know if he had caught a cold or something else. He regretted sleeping in the same bed as Yu She last night. He didn¡¯t know if he had infected Yu She or not. Zhong Wan grabbed Yu She¡¯s outer robe and put it on, then left the bedroom. He bent over and picked up the imperial decree on the ground that had been ripped apart, almost indiscernible. Zhong Wan felt astonished in his heart. There were surprisingly a few¡­ bite marks on this imperial decree. Zhong Wan pieced the imperial decree together and read it over. Emperor Chongan had done relatively well in easing along the topic. The decree wasn¡¯t too astonishing. It only said that Yu She was the child he had sired back in the day with a woman from a respectable family at Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s estate. At that time, the eldest imperial prince and the second imperial prince had died one after the other. The third imperial prince was in poor health as well. Those were discordant years. Emperor Chongan worried that Yu She, still merely an infant, would fall victim to misfortune as well. Thus, he temporarily took away the other¡¯s imperial surname and had him raised by Prince Yu and Princess Royal Anguo. In this decree, Emperor Chongan hadn¡¯t officially changed Yu She¡¯s name. He only said that he would be naming Yu She a prince of the first rank and granting everyone amnesty on another day. No change of surname. No mention of naming him as crown prince. Zhong Wan narrowed his eyes¡­ There was no wrong way of announcing this matter. Though the fact that Yu She was Emperor Chongan¡¯s son had long since become a well-known secret among the court officials, if the emperor truly wanted to take Yu She back, he definitely needed to take things one step at a time. It wasn¡¯t very appropriate to name him the crown prince immediately. Currently, Emperor Chongan was making Yu She stay in the Cabinet in order to give him opportunities at political achievement. Slowly rewarding him more and more following his eventual accomplishments was more convincing. Thinking in this manner, Emperor Chongan¡¯s plans were very suitable. But on the other hand, this was Emperor Chongan keeping Yu She in check. Who was Emperor Chongan? How could he possibly believe that Yu She had truly started accepting him as a father out of the blue? How many human lives were between them? All these years, their father-son relationship had become more and more distant. How could they possibly return to the past overnight? If Yu She was truly named crown prince, given Yu She¡¯s current temperament, would he do something extreme, like commit patricide? Emperor Chongan had watched Yu She endure humiliation and bear burdens these past few days. Would he not think of this possibility? Even if Yu She didn¡¯t do anything, as soon as Yu She officially became crown prince, would Prince Yu and Xuan Qiong feel threatened and resort to extremes? Emperor Chongan was wary of both sides. Zhong Wan squeezed the imperial decree and felt that the next decree, the one naming Yu She crown prince, probably wouldn¡¯t be given anytime soon. He needed to come up with a plan. Zhong Wan felt a bit dizzy. His entire body was warm, which was uncomfortable. He didn¡¯t dare to drag things out anymore. He put the imperial decree away nicely and went looking for the imperial doctor alone. After reaching the door, Zhong Wan hesitated for a moment. He worried that Yu She, who was in bed now, would wake up later and go crazy again after not being able to find him. Like he had done yesterday. Zhong Wan honestly didn¡¯t want to see Yu She in a fit again. Zhong Wan thought about it and sighed. He doubled back and stood in front of Yu She¡¯s bed before lowering his head and chuckling bitterly. He took off the outer robe and his own undershirt. He placed the undershirt next to Yu She¡¯s hand. After seeing such an intimate clothing item, this person wouldn¡¯t start thinking strange things again, right? Zhong Wan believed that he had sorted things out very thoughtfully. He put on the outer robe and dragged himself out to find the imperial doctor. An hour later, the sky started brightening. Yu She woke up, somewhat dazed. After each episode of madness, Yu She¡¯s memory would be very murky. He sat in bed and reflected for a long time. He had a faint inkling of what had happened yesterday. Yu She looked at the bed curtains, disappointed. He scoffed at himself. Everything was over. Zhong Wan had left. Things were all over. Yu She had originally thought that this was already the worst case scenario. But he only realized after sitting up that there was no permanence in this world and life was a series of misfortunes. Each time he felt like things were completely hopeless, there was always something more terrifying ahead, waiting for him. Yu She¡¯s pupils slightly trembled. He stared at the messy bed, the bloodstains on the blankets, and the undershirt next to his hand that had appeared out of nowhere. The color drained from his face. Yu She got up in despair. He looked down and examined his arms and chest¡­ Perfectly fine. He didn¡¯t even have a single cut. These bloodstains hadn¡¯t come from him. That meant that they came from someone else. Yu She was someone who had read quite a few storybooks. He knew perfectly well under what circumstances bloodstains would appear on blankets. Yu She glared at the undershirt on the bed in disgust. He roared, ¡°Someone come in!!!¡± Steward Feng, who had originally been in the outer room, scurried in. ¡°Who¡­ who was it?¡± Yu She¡¯s lips were completely pale. He pointed at the undershirt on the bed and forced his rage under control. ¡°To which slut does this belong?¡± Steward Feng blanked for a moment. He thought to himself, did these two get into an argument? Steward Feng cautiously prepared to give an unclear explanation. He asked, ¡°Wh¡­ what?¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t remember at all what had happened last night. He knew that he was prone to having fits, so didn¡¯t dare to keep maids in the estate at all. This was because he feared that someone would take advantage of him while he was in an episode. However, despite all his efforts, it seemed that he had still failed. If Zhong Wan found out, would he still return? How was he supposed to explain this? Yu She thought in despair, would Zhong Wan be disdainful of the fact that he was dirty now? Steward Feng felt that Yu She¡¯s mental state wasn¡¯t quite right. He fearfully inquired, ¡°Heir¡­ What¡¯s actually the matter?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see?¡± Yu She¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°The blood on the blankets! And the slut¡¯s clothes! Can¡¯t you see them? Who was it?!¡± Steward Feng gulped. He softly said, ¡°This old servant is unsure about how these came to be, but there is one thing this old servant needs to clear up for you¡­¡± Steward Feng softly said, ¡°From last night until now, only Young Master Zhong came into this room.¡± As if he had been struck by lightning, Yu She froze in place. Instantly, the suggestive bloodstains on the bed were no longer disgusting. The undergarment had become enchanting too. But¡­ Yu She was in a daze. ¡°I hurt him so deeply. He didn¡¯t leave. He came back. He came looking for me. I¡­¡± Yu She broke down. ¡°And then I did that to him?¡± Yu She clung onto his last bit of hope. He asked, ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in a really bad state. When he got up this morning, he said that he had another fever, and that every part of his body ached.¡± Steward Feng told the truth. ¡°He went looking for the imperial doctor.¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s face faintly flushed red. He turned around and sorted out the blankets himself. Steward Feng hurriedly rushed forward, wanting to help, but Yu She blocked the blankets from view. He hesitated and said, ¡°Th-this isn¡¯t something that you should see¡­ This is leftover from Zhong Wan¡¯s, you know¡­ Nevermind. Anyways, I¡¯ll clean up by myself.¡± CH 73 How could Steward Feng dare to let Yu She personally do those things? He rushed to serve him. But Yu She was stubborn. ¡°Go away.¡± Steward Feng truly could not understand. Why he wasn¡¯t qualified to look at Zhong Wan¡¯s blood?! Then had he not been supposed to see the blood flowing from Zhong Wan¡¯s head last night too? However, he couldn¡¯t win against Yu She in stubbornness, only able to retreat full of worry. Yu She rationalized his thoughts. He somewhat rejoiced that at least it was Zhong Wan and not someone else. After Steward Feng had stepped through the door, Yu She turned around and carelessly pulled the quilt. But because he used too much strength, he tore a hole in it by accident. With great difficulty, he had pulled open the covers, and in an absentminded manner, Yu She squished it into a bundle and tossed it under the bed. Then he picked up that piece of inner garment again There was a bloodstain on it. Originally, Yu She had not wanted to throw it there, but he thought it would be inappropriate for the servants to wash such an intimate thing. After a moment of thought, Yu She prepared to gradually dip the inner garment into the basin of water meant for washing his face. It was inappropriate for outsiders to see that, and he also could not let Zhong Wan clean it. So, the task could only fall into his own hands. Yu She didn¡¯t have enough time to make himself presentable. He just walked in front of the water basin barefoot. Hair loose. He rolled his sleeves up and slowly scrubbed the inner garment. For a son of an influential family to do something like this for the first time, he would inevitably be clumsy in his actions. Fortunately, Yu She was patient and serious. Fearing that the inner garment wouldn¡¯t be clean enough, Yu She also grabbed a bar of face-washing soup. He applied it to the bloodstain, lightly scrubbing it. Yu She had just recovered from his shock, but he couldn¡¯t help but keep thinking, were ordinary married couples like this, the husband helping the wife wash the clothes that were worn next to the skin? Yu She gripped the inner garment, closing his eyes as he thought carefully¡­ He truly couldn¡¯t remember anything. He only remembered that he kept trying to mend that clay figurine last night, but it was in vain no matter how long he tried to fix it. He simply had no impression of Zhong Wan returning. Zhong Wan and his first time passed in such a dubious manner. Quick and bloody. Yu Shu simply didn¡¯t dare to think about how the shocking and dreadful bloodstains, which he had seen after tearing open the quilt just now, had arisen. Although Yu She had never been intimate with other people, he had read a lot of books, and understood a bit about male-male relationships. In some of the storybooks, the first time was painless. But in others, Zhong Wan bled profusely In worse cases, the bridal chamber looked like the scene of gruesome murder. Yu She had always thought the storybooks had been exaggerating, that it varied from person to person. As long as he himself was gentle enough, it was unlikely to really make Zhong Wan suffer. But never had he expected the thing he was most worried about to actually occur. Nevertheless, such a thing had happened while he was not there mentally. And it was in this room last night that Zhong Wan bled so much, unable to escape from Yu She¡¯s beastly desires. Lf rlwqis vlv cba mjgf jybea Itbcu Qjc. Ktfgf kfgf yibbvrajlcr jii bnfg atf delia. Te Vtf obecv la vloolmeia ab lwjulcf¡­ Lbk ibcu vlv Itbcu Qjc rageuuif lc atf qbbi bo yibbv joafg Te Vtf tjv ojiifc jriffq? Po cba obg atf ojma atja la kjr tbcfrais abb tjgv obg tlw ab ujatfg tlr ragfcuat, kts vlv la ajxf Itbcu Ijc ecali atf wbgclcu ab rjnf eq atf fcfgus ab ibbx obg jc lwqfglji qtsrlmljc? Yu She unfolded that inner garment covered in suds and hung it. With great difficulty, Yu She scrubbed clean the inner garment. After carelessly combing his hair, he left the room. Yesterday, the servants of the estate had heard that imperial decree. Their gazes held reverence and fear as they looked at him. They only dared to salute him. They were afraid to talk too much. Yu She was absentminded and did not pay them much mind. He made his way to the doorway of Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard, then stopped in his tracks. One would feel anxious when approaching one¡¯s hometown after many years. The only little servant girl in Yu She¡¯s side courtyard came out of Zhong Wan¡¯s room. Brows furrowed deeply, Yu She called out to her and said, ¡°Is¡­ Young Master Zhong present?¡± Cowering, the little servant girl said in a soft voice, ¡°He¡¯s been feverish the entire time and doesn¡¯t have an appetite. The imperial physician is afraid that medicine would harm Young Master¡¯s digestive system, so is applying acupuncture at the moment.¡± Yu She hesitated. Asked, ¡°Did he¡­ say anything?¡± The little servant girl shook her head. ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything. Oh, no, he did. He told us to be more attentive. That when Heir wakes up, we must tell Heir he returned last night.¡± A wave of relief softly washed over Yu She. From Zhong Wan¡¯s words, he shouldn¡¯t be too angry. But now that Yu She had thought of this, he felt even more sad. He waved to dismiss the little servant girl. Just as Yu She was about to enter Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard, a family soldier rushed over to him. Impatient, Yu She asked, ¡°What is it now?¡± The family soldier noticed that Yu She wanted to visit Zhong Wan, and knew he himself was being an annoying presence. Embarrassed, he said, ¡°The palace has sent some people to summon Heir to the palace.¡± ¡°Tell them I¡¯m sick and won¡¯t go.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more. There¡¯s more,¡± blurted the family soldier. ¡°People from the princess estate also arrived. Naturally, we followed the usual practice of having Steward Feng block them, but¡­ our people also have something to tell Heir.¡± Yu She looked at Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard, before helplessly turning around and following the family soldier. ¡°Just as Heir has expected, after His Majesty summoned Fifth Prince into the palace, he flew into a terrible rage.¡± With his thoughts wandering, Yu She said with agitation, ¡°Get to the point!¡± The spy bowed. ¡°Yes, after His Majesty summoned Fifth Prince, at first, he did not mention¡­ did not mention the servants who attended to Little Imperial Consort Zhong. He only asked Fifth Prince why he kept making trouble with Heir. Was it because he was listening to what someone else had said? ¡°Fifth Prince could be considered smart. He never mentioned Prince Yu, denying that he had tried to frame Heir in the past. But the emperor did not believe him¡­ This subordinate thinks that the emperor doesn¡¯t believe Fifth Prince has the capability to find the old servants of Little Imperial Concubine Zhong. He explicitly and implicitly questioned him for a good while. Interrogated Fifth Prince on whether Prince Yu had deceived him to do something. But no matter how His Majesty tried to push the blame onto Prince Yu, Fifth Prince said nothing. ¡°His Majesty lied to him, saying that he had already captured those previous servants.¡± With admiration, the spy glanced at Yu She. ¡°This move of Heir is wonderful. Fifth Prince truly was fooled. Therefore, he answered the emperor¡¯s questions very poorly. This way, the emperor grew certain that Fifth Prince had arranged the matters within the palace. And the matters outside the palace had passed through Prince Yu¡¯s hands.¡± Yu She looked down. Said in a low voice, ¡°It wasn¡¯t my idea. It¡¯s actually Zhong¡ª Nevermind. What else?¡± ¡°The emperor was furious to the extreme. However, he did not hold Prince Yu accountable just yet. On the contrary, this is even more frightening¡­ The emperor already made a decision, and as such, he did not even bother asking Prince Yu. ¡°We subordinates remember Heir¡¯s words. Yesterday, after Heir had left the palace, we went to the princess estate two hours later to pass on a message. That Heir angered His Majesty, and so us subordinates were requesting Princess to plead His Majesty for leniency for Heir. Once Princess Royal Anguo had heard those words, she rushed to the palace without waiting. And her timing was great: right when the emperor was questioning Fifth Prince intensely.¡± Yu She said softly, ¡°The emperor didn¡¯t see her?¡± The spy nodded, eyes shining. ¡°He didn¡¯t. But once he had heard that Princess was looking for an audience, he shoved the things on the desk to the floor in a fit of anger.¡± Yu She sneered. ¡°The emperor thought that once Princess had heard the news, she came to plead for leniency for Prince Yu.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said the spy. ¡°An old eunuch said the emperor was so angry that he gasped for breath. He even said¡­ even said ¡®a woman¡¯s heart is with her husband.¡¯¡± The corners of Yu She¡¯s lips rose a shade. ¡°There¡¯s one thing this subordinate is concerned about. Although Princess Royal didn¡¯t meet with His Majesty, once she returns to her estate and hears the news, she would definitely know Heir schemed against her. Then¡­ From now on, we can¡¯t ask Princess Royal for help?¡± ¡°From start to finish,¡± said Yu She quietly, ¡°I¡¯ve never hoped for her help. So what are we afraid of?¡± The spy could not understand. Indifferently, Yu She said, ¡°Furthermore, she¡¯s clear in her heart that I would not mislead her. I will keep my promises to her. However, how I¡¯d keep those promises and how I¡¯d require her help would be up to me.¡± Yu She believed that Princess Royal Anguo sincerely wanted to help him. But the affection between mother and son of those manys had already withered away. Yu She truly did not dare trusting her without reservation. ¡°My life is on the line. Only during the period when they are suspicious of each other can I have a chance,¡± said Yu She. ¡°After this, the emperor would definitely grow suspicious of Princess. Prince Yu would also be suspicious of Princess putting on an act. Princess would blame me, hate me, but only in this way¡­ would she rely on me. She wouldn¡¯t be able to count on anyone else.¡± The spy finally understood, nodding. ¡°That¡¯s right. Although Princess has promised Heir many times, who knows if she¡¯d break those promises? It¡¯s better to ruin Princess¡¯ plan of having a foot in each camp early on.¡± Yu She said, ¡°What about Xuan Qiong?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been put on house arrest,¡± the spy rushed to say. ¡°According to Heir¡¯s orders, the eunuchs continued to plead for leniency. They asked the emperor to consider the emotions between father and son, and not to truly imprison Fifth Prince in the Imperial Clan Court. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to proceed to our next step.¡± The spy seized the opportunity to curry favor with Yu She. ¡°Heir was truly thorough with the formulation of this plan.¡± Yu She smiled grimly, not a word escaping his lips. Just because of a few words from some old eunuchs, Emperor Chongan wouldn¡¯t grow softhearted toward Xuan Qiong. Rather, he didn¡¯t reprimand Xuan Qiong harshly because he wanted him to serve as a balance for Yu She. ¡°For the time being, there¡¯s no need to do anything else,¡± said Yu She. ¡°What ought to be done, we¡¯ve already done. Too much is as bad as too little. For now, let¡¯s first watch them fight each other. Spread this message: I¡¯m ill and cannot leave the bed. They can quarrel all they want.¡± Once the spy sounded his agreement, he left. It had been difficult to kick out his spy. Yu She did not have enough time to drink some tea. He stood and made his way toward Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard. Inside Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard, a small pot of medicine hung over a fire outside his room. The medicine was being simmered. There was not one person in the room; the imperial physician who had applied acupuncture had already left. Yu She walked around a divider screen to the inner chamber. There, Zhong Wan lay on the bed with his upper body bare. And there were still more than ten silver needles upon his back. Yu She lowered his head slightly for a glance¡­ Zhong Wan was asleep. Yu She¡¯s footsteps were light. He made his way before Zhong Wan¡¯s bed and sat down. Zhong Wan¡¯s head was wrapped in white silk. After a moment of thought, Yu She understood¡­ Yesterday, after Zhong Wan had learned the inside story, he probably went into mourning for his family. Yu She looked at him from head to toe. Zhong Wan¡¯s strong, slender, and pale back did not have any scars. His visible cheek and side of his neck were clean. No need for wishful thinking. There were definitely injuries at the bottom. Yu She was worried from groundless fears. Although Zhong Wan usually seemed pretty uncaring, did he actually tell the imperial physician he was hurt there? Did the imperial physician see it? Did he apply medicine there? Yu She noticed a bottle of medicine by the side of the bed. He picked it up for a look. The label said ¡°medicine for knife wounds.¡± Yu She frowned. Could this kind of medicine for wounds¡­ truly be used for something like that? Did this imperial physician know how to heal people or not? Had Zhong Wan felt embarrassed, so just casually fooled the imperial physician? When he recalled all those bloodstains, Yu She could not help but worry. Yu She looked at Zhong Wan¡¯s bare and thin lower back. He hesitated over and over, before setting down the medicine bottle. He slowly lifted open the quilt covering Zhong Wan¡¯s waist. Gently placed his slender fingers on Zhong Wan¡¯s loose belt. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled the belt softly, undoing it. Yu She grasped Zhong Wan¡¯s indecent underwear, pulling it down a few cun¡­ ¡°Ziyou¡­¡± Zhong Wan, who had woken up who knew when, grasped the waistband of his underwear with a blush. With much difficulty, he said, ¡°I¡¯m still sick¡­ What are you trying to do?¡± Yu She¡¯s ears were red. However, he had yet to release his hold. He endured for a moment, his tone carrying much regret and shame as he softly said, ¡°I wanted to¡­ have a look.¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. Suspicious, Zhong Wan thought, did I go completely muddleheaded from the fever? CH 74 All of Zhong Wan¡¯s tendons and bones hurt because of his fever. He didn¡¯t sleep too peacefully. When someone walked into the room, he noticed it. He assumed that it was the imperial doctor, so thought that he ought to get up, but he was also so tired that he couldn¡¯t open his eyes. A while later, everything grew quiet. Thus, Zhong Wan fell asleep again. Until he felt someone touching his waist. Unlike Yu She, Zhong Wan was actually the one who had grown up with maids and nannies surrounding him. He was completely unbothered by others dressing him, tucking him in, or other similar actions. The only thing was, since young, Zhong Wan had done all things relating to touching his body by himself. This wasn¡¯t because he knew to maintain proper distance at a young age, but was actually because he was ticklish in too many places. Zhong Wan instantly woke up when Yu She tried to take off his belt. He had originally had his head turned to the side anyway. As soon as he looked over, he saw that it was Yu She. Because of this, he didn¡¯t fidget. Upon making certain that Yu She was fine, Zhong Wan relaxed slightly. At first, Zhong Wan had thought that Yu She was worried about him feeling uncomfortable while sleeping with a belt on. Thus, he continued pretending to be asleep so as to allow Yu She to get handsy with him. Yu She had too many stupid rules. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t help Zhong Wan anymore if he noticed that the other was awake. Thinking of the pains of yesterday, Zhong Wan even secretly planned to suddenly open his eyes to tease Yu She when the other finished taking off his belt. So many years had passed. Now, the two of them knew of each other¡¯s feelings. What tragedies couldn¡¯t be overcome? But the following events slightly deviated from Zhong Wan¡¯s predictions. He really couldn¡¯t keep faking it. There was still a row of silver needles sticking out of Zhong Wan¡¯s back. He couldn¡¯t sit up; this helplessness made him feel a bit awkward. He lowly said, ¡°Don¡¯t play around.¡± If this were normally, Yu She would¡¯ve definitely let go. But right now, he believed that the two of them had already consummated their relationship. Yu She felt that there wasn¡¯t anything he couldn¡¯t lay eyes on anymore. Yu She thought that Zhong Wan was probably feeling embarrassed. Or, he was possibly angry. Thus, Yu She could only soften his tone and say, ¡°You and I have already¡­ Are you still scared of me looking?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Zhong Wan was confused. He didn¡¯t know either if Yu She was of clear mind or still in a fit. He lowered his voice and hurriedly said, ¡°If you suddenly want to do something, that¡¯s fine, but who knows when the imperial doctor is going to come in again. What if he sees us? You¡­ you¡­¡± Slightly displeased, Yu She glanced at the golden sore medicine on the bed. ¡°Even better if he comes in. I have questions to ask him. Also, he can take this chance to take a look at your area too.¡± ¡°Say that again?¡± Zhong Wan suspected that he had gone deaf. He was so scared his tone changed. ¡°You want him to also¡­ take a look at my area?!¡± Zhong Wan furiously stated, face red, ¡°I refuse!!!¡± Yu She didn¡¯t dare to forcefully tug the clothes off. He feared that in the struggle, Zhong Wan would touch the needles on his back. He sighed and let go. Before waiting for Zhong Wan to relax, Yu She stood up and locked the door to the bedroom from the inside. Then, he lowered the bed curtains. This time, Yu She didn¡¯t use force. He sat down next to Zhong Wan and used up all the tenderness he had saved up this lifetime to softly say, ¡°I was wrong. I hadn¡¯t expected for you to mind so much¡­ But you really need to let the imperial doctor check. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to rest at ease either.¡± Scalp numb, Zhong Wan thought, rest at ease about what?! Why do you want the imperial doctor to take a look? Yu She is about to be named a prince of the first rank. Could it be that he told the emperor he¡¯s going to marry me? Which is why he needs the imperial doctor to prove that I¡¯m still a virgin? Lf tjv cfnfg tfjgv jybea atlr vscjras tjnlcu remt geifr¡­ Cirb, tf kjr j wjc. Lbk kjr tf reqqbrfv ab qgbnf jcsatlcu? Ds rfflcu lo tlr ralmx kjr nlubgber bg cba? Yg lo tlr yjmxrlvf rffwfv ogfrt jcv vfks fcbeut? Itbcu Qjc ygbxf vbkc. ¡°Memx boo!¡± Szqgfrrlbcifrris, Te Vtf ilrafcfv ab tlr megrlcu. ¡°Bffq sfiilcu. Qtfc sbe mjc rajcv jujlc, sbe mjc rajy wf klat j rkbgv. P vfolclafis kbc¡¯a wbnf bea bo atf kjs.¡± All the hairs on Zhong Wan¡¯s back stood on end. ¡°Wait no. You¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t dare to force anything. ¡°We won¡¯t call the imperial doctor in. I¡¯ll check on it myself, okay?¡± Yu She felt great worry as he observed Zhong Wan¡¯s pale face. He lowered his head to kiss Zhong Wan¡¯s cheek, then softly said by the other¡¯s ear, ¡°Guiyuan, I promise that this will be the last time. From now on, I¡¯ll never hurt you again.¡± Upon hearing this, Zhong Wan¡¯s heart hurt even more. He stuttered out, ¡°A-as expected, it¡¯s only once?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Yes.¡± Yu She held onto Zhong Wan¡¯s hand and leaned in close to his face . While Zhong Wan was distracted, he tied the other¡¯s wrists together using the belt he had just removed. Before Zhong Wan could say anything else, Yu She lowered his head and pressed a kiss to Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. Voice hoarse, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t move. It won¡¯t do to drag out the time before the check-up¡­¡± Both of Zhong Wan¡¯s hands had been tied to the head of the bed. He was so angry he didn¡¯t even have a temper anymore. Instead, he simply decided to bury his flaming red face into the pillow. ¡°Okay¡­ okay! Whatever you want!¡± Yu She stood up and observed how Zhong Wan was now at his mercy because he had been tied to the bed. A strange feeling rose in his heart. He scolded himself for being a savage beast and took a deep breath before taking off Zhong Wan¡¯s undergarments. Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s blush had extended from his face to his neck. Voice muffled, he asked, ¡°What do you see? Do you see that I¡¯m still a virgin?¡± Yu She finally noticed that something seemed a bit off. Yu She carefully pulled up the blankets to cover Zhong Wan and did his best to calm himself down. ¡°I¡­ I still have other business to attend to. Someone in the palace is looking for me¡­ I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± In a daze, Yu She left. Half an hour later, the imperial doctor returned to remove the needles. He suffered a fright after seeing the way Zhong Wan¡¯s hands had been tied up. Zhong Wan was already too embarrassed to see anyone. Completely giving up on saving his reputation, he laughed dryly. ¡°What do they say? Life in a noble family¡­ isn¡¯t easy.¡± Heart beating rapidly, the imperial doctor released Zhong Wan. After taking the needles out, he carefully said, ¡°Young Master, you absolutely cannot engage in those activities given the state of your body.¡± Zhong Wan bitterly muttered to himself, ¡°Yes¡­ But I¡¯m¡­ too greatly adored. There¡¯s nothing to do about it.¡± The imperial doctor glanced at Zhong Wan in disagreement. After, he nodded in understanding. ¡°Then should I go tell Heir?¡± Zhong Wan waved his hands. He swallowed his complaints into his stomach. ¡°Okay¡­ if you think you¡¯d be able to persuade him.¡± The imperial doctor left with a sigh. In a daze, Zhong Wan laid back down. The sorrow in his heart had completely dissipated after Yu She¡¯s interruption. Only disappointment remained. ¡°He looked at it¡­ then left without even doing anything. Left¡­¡± Zhong Wan muttered, ¡°How disappointing¡­ is my area¡­¡± The side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. In great anger, Princess Royal Anguo shouted, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who¡¯s blocking the path up front?¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s coachman rushed forward and replied, ¡°In response to your question, Princess, the horse carriage of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate is up front. However, I don¡¯t know who¡¯s in the carriage.¡± ¡°Prince Qian An¡¯s estate?¡± Princess Royal Anguo burst into laughter. ¡°Hasn¡¯t Prince Qian An been stripped of his title? Prince Qian An¡¯s estate doesn¡¯t exist anymore. Go¡­ Tell the horse carriage up front to get out of the way.¡± The coachman departed. Shortly after, he returned and said, ¡°Princess, the original Prince Qian An¡¯s younger sister is in the carriage. She seems to have come to visit Heir too. Their servant is talking to the family soldier at the door right now. They¡¯re waiting to be announced.¡± Princess Royal Anguo scoffed. ¡°Ziyou won¡¯t even see me. Would he see her? Go, tell their horse carriage to wait in the outside streets. Don¡¯t stay here and block the road.¡± The coachman felt that this wasn¡¯t very appropriate. These days, everyone knew that Zhong Wan was a valued guest at the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate: he was someone Yu She truly cared about. Additionally, Zhong Wan had been brought up in Prince Ning¡¯s estate. It seemed a bit too extreme to be shaming Prince Ning¡¯s daughter outside Yu She¡¯s estate. He lowly said, ¡°Her carriage isn¡¯t on the actual road. It won¡¯t get in Princess¡¯ way. This lowly servant can avoid them by simply going around them.¡± Princess Royal Anguo had already been holding back her fury. She screamed, ¡°What? These days, I even have to fear a trivial little clan relative who doesn¡¯t even have an estate? I was sympathetic about the fact that she hasn¡¯t debuted yet. I¡¯ve already been lenient by not forcing her to get out of the carriage and kneel to greet me in the middle of the street. Tell her to wait off to the side!¡± The coachman didn¡¯t dare to infuriate Princess Royal Anguo anymore. He quickly scurried off. A short while later, Xuan Congxin¡¯s horse carriage departed from the main path, as expected. Princess Royal Anguo had come to take punitive action. Without even asking, she told the servants to open the side courtyard¡¯s main doors. While remaining in her horse carriage, she entered the side courtyard. Off to the side of the main road, Xuan Congxin drew back the curtains of the horse carriage. She furrowed her brows and asked, ¡°Whose carriage was that?¡± Lin Si signed a few times. Xuan Congxin barely managed to decipher his gestures. ¡°Princess Royal Anguo¡­ Then yes, a trivial little clan relative such as myself should get out of the way for her.¡± Lin Si could tell that Xuan Congxin was in a bad mood. He gestured, ¡°Princess Royal Anguo is Heir¡¯s adoptive mother. Additionally, she¡¯s of high and noble status. She should naturally be first.¡± Xuan Congxin laughed bitterly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to placate me. It¡¯s been so long. No matter how many gifts and greetings we¡¯ve sent here, Zhong Wan still refuses to see me. What else dare I say? If not for the fact that the master of their estate has now changed his surname to Xuan, I wouldn¡¯t even dare to come.¡± Xuan Congxin and Yu She were technically related, but were ultimately relatives with different surnames. The side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate didn¡¯t have any female servants in charge. Xuan Congxin was an unmarried young woman. She couldn¡¯t visit this estate herself. Xuan Yu had originally wanted to come in her stead, but Xuan Congxin couldn¡¯t trust him. Their eldest brother had been personally sentenced by Yu She. Xuan Congxin feared that in a lapse of judgement, Xuan Yu would say something wrong and cause more trouble for Zhong Wan. Yesterday, Xuan Congxin heard the imperial decree and learned that the emperor had admitted Yu She as his son. The two of them were now relatives of the same surname. She finally didn¡¯t need to keep her distance anymore. The next day, she had rushed over. Xuan Congxin furrowed her brows and asked, ¡°Princess Royal Anguo wants to see Yu She. I want to see Zhong Wan. This shouldn¡¯t¡­ clash, right? Could it be that I¡¯ll need to wait for her to come out before entering?¡± Lin Si didn¡¯t know either. He signed, ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see first.¡± Xuan Congxin glanced at the objects in the carriage. ¡°Nevermind¡­ If we can¡¯t see him today, we¡¯ll come next time. If they don¡¯t let us in later, just take the clothes and box of food inside for me. Also, tell Zhong Wan that if¡­ if he has the time, tell someone to tell me. He doesn¡¯t need to return to our estate. I¡¯ll come see him.¡± Xuan Congxin sighed. She held back her anger. ¡°Rumor has it that Yu She isn¡¯t easy to get along with. After so much time, I don¡¯t even know if Zhong Wan¡¯s getting bullied here or not. Is he missing anything? How is he actually doing?¡± Lin Si signed, ¡°Let¡¯s wait a bit longer.¡± Xuan Congxin let go of the curtain. She waited, fully expecting to be rejected. Surprisingly, merely ten minutes later, a family soldier from the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate quickly walked over. After bowing, he said, ¡°We¡¯ve neglected you. We¡¯re here to invite Young Miss into the estate.¡± Lin Si tugged on the ropes. He originally thought that they would be entering through the side doors. Unexpectedly, the family soldiers opened the main doors and politely escorted Xuan Congxin inside. Xuan Congxin entered the estate and got out of the carriage. Then, she was led into the main hall by the servants of the inner courtyard. At the head of the main hall, Princess Royal Anguo was in the midst of drinking tea with a dark expression. Xuan Congxin stepped forward and bowed. Princess Royal Anguo slightly lifted her gaze and made a low sound of acknowledgement. Xuan Congxin stood up. Before she could sit down, Steward Feng jogged out from inside the inner courtyard. Steward Feng smiled at Princess Royal Anguo in embarrassment while bowing, then turned around to tell Xuan Congxin, ¡°Young Miss, this way please.¡± Princess Royal Anguo was in complete disbelief. ¡°What?¡± Steward Feng groaned to himself. He thought, you wounded Heir¡¯s heart only a few days ago. Just now, Heir offended Young Master completely and utterly. He was originally already feeling guilty when he heard that someone had come from the maternal family. How could he have the energy to bother with you? Steward Feng made himself smile and say, ¡°Heir probably thinks that it¡¯s quite difficult for Princess to make such a trip. Thus, he wants Princess to stay and rest a bit longer.¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s expression had changed due to anger. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Xuan Congxin glanced up at Princess Royal Anguo. She forced down the corners of her lips that were threatening to quirk up and curtsied at the other before following Steward Feng into the inner courtyard. CH 75 When Yu She returned to his own courtyard, he first looked for Steward Feng to ask him some questions, such as whether Zhong Wan had bumped his head. Steward Feng nodded vigorously and said, ¡°Yes. When he came back last night, blood was still flowing out of the wound.¡± Yu She suppressed the urge to beat up Steward Feng. Dispirited, he said, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± In a helpless manner, Steward Feng looked at Yu She. He didn¡¯t understand why Yu She wanted him to talk about this with only the two of them in the room. With how conspicuous that injury was, Yu She only needed not to be blind in order to see it. Steward Feng cautiously asked, ¡°Did Heir just see Young Master Zhong? Is he any better?¡± Yu She was speechless. ¡°Three Letters and Six Rites¡­¡± Yu She grew dejected. ¡°Nevermind that we slept in the same bed every night without completing them¡­ When he was sick, I actually, actually¡­¡± Steward Feng probingly said, ¡°Heir? Heir?¡± He wanted to carefully continue asking questions, when a message came from outside: Princess Royal Anguo and the young miss of Prince Qian An¡¯s estate had arrived. Steward Feng was shocked. ¡°Why would those two come together?¡± The servant who had passed the message explained things clearly, and Steward Feng looked at Yu She. ¡°Should we see Princess first? Heir? Heir?¡± Yu She seemed to have just woken up from a dream. Without thinking, he said, ¡°Let Xuan Congxin in.¡± Steward Feng hesitated for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s probably not a good idea. This old slave thinks Young Miss came to see Young Master Zhong. Heir doesn¡¯t have to see her.¡± ¡°There¡¯s an eighty percent chance that she came here to plead leniency for her eldest brother. There¡¯s no need to have Zhong Wan see her.¡± Yu She adjusted his clothing a little. ¡°Invite her in.¡± Helpless, Steward Feng made to invite her inside. Yu She settled his emotions. In the central room, he met with Xuan Congxin. Once they saw each other, each had a load on their minds. They didn¡¯t speak. Yu She knew he was related to Prince Ning¡¯s descendants. But because he hated his birth mother, Yu She did not have the least bit of tenderness for them. For him to give her so much face today was all because Zhong Wan. He was a bit pedantic at his deepest level. In his heart, Prince Ning¡¯s estate was Zhong Wan¡¯s paternal family. No matter how much he didn¡¯t want to meet with the descendants of Prince Ning, the face he should give them must be given. Otherwise, if outsiders caught sight of this, wouldn¡¯t they think he didn¡¯t attach importance to Zhong Wan? According to what Zhong Wan had said, didn¡¯t that mean Zhong Wan did not have a stable position in the estate? Elsewhere, Xuan Congxin felt somewhat awkward. When she was younger, Xuan Congxin did not receive any of the restrictions a young miss should have. In Qian An, her eldest brother had the highest authority. However, her eldest brother also could not manage her matters. She grew up without being subject to the rules and propriety as should a young miss of her status. It wasn¡¯t until she had arrived at the capital that she realized how big the world was. After she had lived in the capital for half a year and experienced what happened with Xuan Rui, the last of her sharp edges were ground flat. Zhong Wan had protected them well. She did not know the slightest bit about the matters between Yu She and Zhong Wan. After Xuan Rui¡¯s situation had happened, Xuan Congxin returned to the estate and asked Steward Yan and Lin Si. Only then did she realize that Yu She was that ¡°Kuafu.¡± Now that she was clear about the past events, Xuan Congxin¡¯s heart was full of complex feelings. She found it possible Zhong Wan would not return to their estate for the rest of his life. Yu She only thought about how to apologize to Zhong Wan, and did not have the mood or the time to waste on Xuan Congxin. He said, ¡°For Young Miss to come here, what request do you have of me?¡± He had long since had a plan on how to handle Xuan Rui. He also had plans on what to do with Xuan Yu and Xuan Congxin in the future. After he had prepared what to say, he waited for her to ask a request. Xuan Congxin hesitated for a moment, before saying, ¡°Zhong Wan¡­¡± Yu She looked up. Xuan Congxin tried her best to act humbly. ¡°Zhong Wan truly did not know anything about my eldest brother¡¯s plans. May Heir not take your anger out on Zhong Wan because of what my brother did.¡± Surprised, Yu She looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ worried about Zhong Wan?¡± Xuan Congxin prepared to make a quick decision. In any case, her eldest brother had courted disaster himself and could no longer be saved, so she might as well not be concerned with him anymore. Instead, she¡¯d try her best to wash Zhong Wan clean. That way, he could live in Yu She¡¯s side courtyard in peace. Softly, she said, ¡°He¡¯s not in good health. Occasionally, his illness would relapse. Also, May Heir¡­ not treat him harshly because of what my eldest brother did.¡± Yu She squinted. Cii bo j revvfc, tf gfmjiifv ktja Itbcu Qjc tjv rjlv lc atf qjra ktfc Itbcu Qjc tjv wlrifv tlw. Frejiis, lo wjgglfv mbeqifr dejggfifv, atflg fivfgr kbeiv wfvljaf. Ciatbeut Itbcu Qjc kjr jikjsr wjxlcu agbeyif, ktja tf tjv rjlv kjr rqba bc. Te Vtf ibbxfv ja Wejc Jbcuzlc, jc lvfj atja mbeiv yf mbcrlvfgfv vlrueralcu yeyyilcu obgat lc tlr tfjga. He knew well that Zhong Wan worried immensely about these twins. He and Zhong Wan both had tragic lives and did not have reliable elders. He could use this girl for now. Silent, Yu She shifted his gaze to the decorations on his desk. Then he said in a low voice, ¡°Truth be told, there are some misunderstandings between Zhong Wan and I.¡± Xuan Congxin thought, I know. Inwardly, Xuan Congxin scolded the Xuan Rui who accomplished little yet failed continuously 800 times. She strived her hardest to be deferential and said, ¡°Heir mustn¡¯t listen to the words of others. I can testify that Zhong Wan truly¡­¡± ¡°You misunderstand.¡± Yu She sighed deeply. ¡°I¡¯m not at all suspicious of him regarding Xuan Rui¡¯s matters.¡± Xuan Congxin frowned. ¡°If it¡¯s not because of my eldest brother, then what could it be? Yu She peered outside the window. Said in an ambiguous manner, ¡°The day before yesterday, I spoke with Zhong Wan about past matters. Naturally, it had a bit to do with your eldest brother. After our discussion¡­ Zhong Wan ran away.¡± Xuan Congxin was frightened. ¡°Ran away? Where did he go?¡± Yu She kept her in the dark. Then he said, ¡°I was very worried. He returned with an injury. And after that, he fell ill. When I went to see him again, he¡­ he seemed to have changed into a different person.¡± Yu She found it somewhat hard to say. He paused, before saying, ¡°He¡¯s unwilling to let me be intimate with him.¡± Xuan Congxin swallowed. She knew she shouldn¡¯t be hearing this, but couldn¡¯t help from asking, ¡°Why?¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He scolded me, saying words that were very unpleasant to hear. And he even said he wanted to stab me with a sword, and wouldn¡¯t let me see his injury.¡± Xuan Congxin paled from fright. ¡°Zhong Wan¡­ isn¡¯t that kind of person.¡± At that moment, she thought of something. ¡°Could it be that he¡¯s blaming you? That he blames you for not saving my eldest brother?¡± Beating around the bush, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Angrily, Xuan Congxin said, ¡°Xuan Rui was courting death by himself! It¡¯s already good that we can save his life. How could Zhong Wan be so devoid of sense to defend him?¡± Again, Yu She did not speak. He rose to his feet. A short while later, he returned to his seat. In his hands was a clay figurine that was glued back together. He gave it to Xuan Congxin. Said in a soft voice, ¡°This is something I spent the whole night fixing. Give it to him¡­ and help me say a few words. Ask him not to blame me anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only natural,¡± said Xuan Congxin. ¡°If Zhong Wan dares to get angry at you, I will scold him.¡± Xunn Congxin looked at the tiny clay figurine on her palm. Feeling sad, she said, ¡°Could it be that he threw this to the ground, and you had to painstakingly fix it?¡± Yu She shifted his gaze to a different direction. Shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t ask about this anymore.¡± For a moment, Xuan Congxin grew angry, at her last straw. She wrapped up the clay figurine well with her handkerchief. And she followed Steward Feng to find Zhong Wan. Because of the farce just a while ago, Yu She truly was too embarrassed to see Zhong Wan now. He prayed in silence that Xuan Congxin would be useful and help him pass this trial. Then he stood, making his way to visit Princess Royal Anguo. In the main chamber, the tea had already gone cold. Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s expression was very poor. Once she saw Yu She enter, it were as if she didn¡¯t see him. She did not even look up. Yu She sat down. Ordered for his tea to be changed. Before she was unable to hold back from questioning him, Yu She asked, ¡°Has Princess also received the imperial decree?¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s face turned green. A good while later, she grunted in acknowledgement. Neither quickly nor slowly, Yu She asked, ¡°His Majesty has yet to change my surname. What does Princess think?¡± Princess Royal Anguo suppressed her anger. With a harsh tone, she said, ¡°How could your surname be changed so quickly?¡± With indifference, Yu She said, ¡°But didn¡¯t Princess tell me last time that the emperor¡¯s health is in decline?¡± She was startled. ¡°His Majesty is somewhat conceited.¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was very soft. ¡°He wants to use me and Xuan Qiong to balance each other out to preserve the peace of his last moments. I can wait, but what about Xuan Qiong? Could he allow me to live?¡± Princess Royal Anguo frowned. ¡°Emperor-Brother has already recognized you. And it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s more biased toward you than toward Xuan Qiong. So what are you worried about?¡± ¡°Every day that I have not ascended the throne is another day I cannot be at ease.¡± His gaze grew ambiguous. ¡°I need to light a fire again.¡± She didn¡¯t have the time to criticize him harshly, and said with worry, ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°May Princess do one thing for me,¡± said Yu She in a relaxed manner. ¡°Help me spread the news of my background.¡± ¡°Have you gone mad?!¡± Princess Royal Anguo rose to her feet. She frenetically looked outside the room. Said in a softer voice, ¡°Have you gone mad? How could outsiders¡­ be allowed to learn about your birth mother¡¯s matters?!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± said Yu She, serene. ¡°The emperor has already recognized me as his son. No matter who my birth mother is, the emperor is my real father. This will not pose a challenge to my identity. If I ought to ascend the throne, then I ought to ascend the throne.¡± The ones having their reputations damaged were merely the emperor, Little Imperial Consort Zhong, and himself. Yu She simply did not care. Princess Royal Anguo was incredulous. ¡°Just what do you want to do?¡± ¡°I want to pressure the emperor in Prince Yu¡¯s stead. Once news of yesterday¡¯s matters come out in public, Prince Yu would be caught unprepared. He wouldn¡¯t understand how the blame fell onto Xuan Qiong¡¯s shoulders, and definitely would be scared and confused. At that time, he would not employ any tricks. But after one day, he would know how to respond, waiting for an opportunity to strike.¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t wait. If he doesn¡¯t act, I¡¯ll act for him.¡± Princess Royal Anguo was angered to the point of laughing grimly. ¡°Are you acting for him? Aren¡¯t you drawing a line between him and I?¡± Laughing in spite of himself, Yu She said, ¡°Princess, I¡¯ve discussed this with you before. You can jump ship to Xuan Qiong and help him at any time. I will never stop you from doing this. Wasn¡¯t it you who said you wanted to help me wholeheartedly?¡± Princess Royal Anguo was at a loss for words. She sat back down on her seat. A long time passed before she said, ¡°You¡­ What should I do?¡± ¡°I trust that Princess has spies in Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Use the mouths of those spies,¡± said Yu She. ¡°Send out the news that Little Imperial Consort Zhong gave birth to me.¡± Princess Royal Anguo hesitated for a long while. In the end, she hurled her teacup to the ground. At that moment, she stood. Without saying anything, she left. Scared witless, Steward Feng entered the room. He bowed and cleaned up the broken shards. In a soft voice, he said, ¡°Did Princess agree or not?¡± Yu She sneered. ¡°Of course she agreed.¡± But Steward Feng was still worried. ¡°Heir¡­ Can we be at ease if Princess Royal¡¯s the one doing such an important task?¡± Relaxed, Yu She said, ¡°It won¡¯t hurt.¡± In any case, this time Princess Royal Anguo was merely acting as the front. His background would come from Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s palace. From the mouth of Tan Qin, that old eunuch that had become her trusted aide. After suspending those two old fools in the air for so long, they were finally put to good use. Yu She pinched the area between his brows. Thought over his plan again. Just recently, he had gone crazy again. He didn¡¯t trust himself too much. As such, he prepared to discuss this plan with Zhong Wan and have him check if it was thorough enough. However¡­ Yu She asked, ¡°Is Xuan Congxin still in his courtyard?¡± Steward Feng nodded nervously. Yu She felt somewhat guilty. He sat down again, waiting for the good news from Xuan Congxin. Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard. Zhong Wan sat on the bed, looking at the Xuan Congxin who was arguing with the courage of her convictions. He was stunned. ¡°Although you two are men¡­ Let¡¯s not talk about that. I¡¯ve never quite understood things like emotions and love. However, since you two want to be together, then be good to each other,¡± Xuan Congxin persuaded patiently. ¡°Once you people quarrel, you throw things. After throwing things, you run off. And you even run the whole night?¡± Zhong Wan was at a loss. ¡°What did I throw?¡± Xuan Congxin handed over the little clay figurine to Zhong Wan. Puzzled, she said, ¡°Usually, you treat us so well and you never lose your temper. Why can¡¯t you use a bit of that good temper when dealing with him? Aren¡¯t you two childhood sweethearts?¡± Very upset and feeling the need to express his displeasure, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Motherf*cker¡­ What did he say to you?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re still scolding him? He wasn¡¯t the one who told me this. Stop wrongly accusing him.¡± Xuan Congxin glanced at Zhong Wan in discontent. ¡°At the estate¡¯s door, I heard people talking about this. That you usually throw a fit at him for trivial matters, weeping endlessly. You even called him back from the cabinet for trivial things. Don¡¯t tell me those were lies?¡± Zhong Wan endured it so much that his heart hurt. He nodded. ¡°Yes, I admit it.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t wronging you, right? Do you know how pitiful Heir is? He¡¯s gentle and cautious with you.¡± With much difficulty, Zhong Wan said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be saying this to me. Say it to Heir.¡± Xuan Congxin sighed. ¡°Previously, I heard that Young Prince Yu had a bad temper. And I was scared witless every day thinking he would torment you. Never would I have imagined¡­¡± Xuan Congxin shook her head. ¡°I heard that because he wanted to check your injury today, you got upset at him? How could this kind of behavior be good? Isn¡¯t he checking on your injury for your own good?¡± Zhong Wan was angered to the point of biting his pillow. Yu Ziyou¡­ was truly a madman! Did he think that if he got Congxin to come here and persuade him not to be angry, then he wouldn¡¯t be angry? Could he coax him or not? Wasn¡¯t this just sending Congxin here to provoke him?! Since Xuan Congxin had agreed to help someone, she would fix everything for them. ¡°Answer me this. Will you let him look at it?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s ears reddened. He bit his pillow so hard that creaks could be heard. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± CH 76 Yu She sat on the little stone stool in the pavilion outside Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard. As if obsessed, he kept his eyes locked on the doors of the courtyard. He was waiting for Xuan Congxin to exit, waiting for Xuan Congxin to tell him that Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t angry at him anymore. This way, he would be able to go see Zhong Wan again. Yu She firmly believed that after being coaxed by his family to reconcile, Zhong Wan wouldn¡¯t be able to rake up old grievances once more. Although he had never tested this method before. Steward Feng placed a cloak over Yu She. Worried, he said, ¡°Heir¡­ No matter how I think about it, I feel like Young Master Zhong will probably become even angrier.¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± Yu She kept his gaze locked on the courtyard¡¯s doorway. He unconsciously asked, ¡°Why would you think that?¡± Steward Feng had no response. Did this question even need to be asked? Steward Feng did his best to make his words sound less offensive. ¡°Heir, though you didn¡¯t tell any lies just now, anyone could tell that your words were implying that Young Master Zhong was throwing an unreasonable temper tantrum at you. Could it be possible for Young Master Zhong¡­ to not get angry?¡± ¡°What else could I say?¡± Yu She¡¯s tone was calm. His lips barely parted, almost as if he was speaking to himself. ¡°Should I have told that girl that I was the one who went crazy and mistakenly assumed that I had tortured Zhong Wan until his blood puddled? And that while Zhong Wan had been getting acupuncture, unable to move, I had been adamant about putting medicine on a wound I had made up?¡± Steward Feng choked on air. Yu She¡¯s voice became softer and softer as he said, ¡°If I had said that, don¡¯t you think that girl would believe that Zhong Wan was experiencing an extremely difficult time here? And then try to persuade Zhong Wan to move back to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate?¡± Steward Feng considered this and realized with shock that it was very possible. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be like this either, but I¡¯ve already offended Guiyuan. If I allowed them to meet up without getting this one onto my side, the two of them would reach an agreement. The longer their discussion, the angrier they would get¡ªso angry that they would run off together. Then what?¡± Yu She stared at the fresh new green shoots sprouting from the tree. He shook his head. ¡°Zhong Wan values her greatly. From my brief conversation with her just now, I could tell that she also truly cares for Zhong Wan. Thus, I couldn¡¯t take such a risk¡­ ¡°She might be here to see what I¡¯m like¡­ Yes, she¡¯s here to test me. She wants to see if Zhong Wan and I are sincerely in love and whether or not we get along well.¡± Yu She gazed into the distance, guarded. ¡°They¡¯re a true family. I must definitely leave a good impression¡­ This way, she won¡¯t try to convince Zhong Wan to leave me. After she leaves, Zhong Wan won¡¯t blame me anymore.¡± Yu She turned to look at Steward Feng. ¡°I lie and give perfunctory responses to all sorts of people every day. Why can¡¯t I lie to her?¡± Faced with Yu She¡¯s flawless arguments, nobody could last more than three minutes. In a moment of carelessness, Steward Feng almost became convinced due to Yu She¡¯s words. However, he faintly felt that there was something a bit off about the way Yu She kept muttering on and on. Steward Feng closely observed Yu She¡¯s face in suspicion, then sighed. The other was having another episode. This meant that there was nothing to refute. Steward Feng said, ¡°Heir is completely right.¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Right now, all we have to do is wait for that girl to come back out¡­ I¡¯m guessing that Zhong Wan will forgive my identity and the fact that I was rude to him. In the future, even if he gets in another argument with me, I¡¯ll be able to ask Xuan Congxin to come help again.¡± Steward Feng thought to himself, I¡¯m guessing that Young Master Zhong might drag his sickly body out and chase you around, trying to beat you. He didn¡¯t dare to speak this out loud, so could only wait alongside Yu She. The two of them waited a long time. Almost an hour later, Xuan Congxin finally came out. Yu She¡¯s eyes lit up. He lowly urged, ¡°Go¡­ Send her out the door nicely.¡± Steward Feng left. Yu She straightened out his robes himself and entered Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard. In the bedroom, Zhong Wan leaned against the headboard. A mud figurine rested in his hands. Lf kjr rfflcu rajgr ogbw tbk jcugs tf kjr ja Te Vtf, yea Itbcu Qjc kjr ralii nfgs mjgfoei klat atf wev olueglcf. Lf kjr afgglolfv atja tf kbeiv ygfjx la jujlc jcv tega Te Vtf¡¯r offilcur. Itbcu Qjc tfjgv wbnfwfca bearlvf. Lf vgfk yjmx atf yfv megajlcr jcv rjk Te Vtf rajcvlcu ys atf vbbgkjs bo atf yfvgbbw. Zhong Wan¡¯s teeth itched with anger. He didn¡¯t know if there was anyone behind Yu She; he didn¡¯t want to cause Yu She shame in front of outsiders. He ground his teeth together and said, ¡°You¡­ Come here first.¡± Yu She refused to. Yu She hesitated for a moment. He said, ¡°Speak. I can hear.¡± Zhong Wan was outraged. Was Yu Ziyou scared that he was going to jump up and bite him?! Zhong Wan forced his voice lower and interrogated, ¡°What did you say to act pitiful to Congxin?!¡± Yu She slightly furrowed his brows. He closely observed Zhong Wan¡¯s expression. ¡°Why are you still angry?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s voice cracked. ¡°Heir! Should I be happy right now?¡± Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan in confusion. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who said that when couples get into arguments¡­ if they have elders come coax them to reconcile, things will be fine?¡± Zhong Wan blanked. When had he said that? Zhong Wan was speechless. Then he said, ¡°Also, when did Congxin become my elder? Just now, she even asked me if she could call me older brother from now on¡­ According to this, I¡¯m her elder.¡± Yu She once again caught onto the focus of the argument. In hesitation, he asked, ¡°Must it be an elder to work?¡± Since young, Zhong Wan had gotten into the habit of spouting bullshit while placating Yu She. He couldn¡¯t remember saying anything about elders coaxing couples into reconciliation at all. Completely confused, he asked, ¡°What elder?¡± Yu She had stopped talking. Yu She stared straight at Zhong Wan. He seemed to be debating with himself about something. Yu She clutched onto the doorframe. After some struggle, he got out with difficulty, ¡°I need to¡­ ask the emperor, Princess Royal, or Prince Yu to coax you to reconcile?¡± Yu She was entirely against this, but he still said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to any of them, but if you want them to come¡­I can come up with a plan.¡± It was hard for Zhong Wan to imagine Emperor Chongan or Princess Royal Anguo coaxing him like Congxin had just done. He broke out in cold sweat. ¡°Heir, spare me.¡± Yu She heaved out a sigh of relief too. He softly said, ¡°So you don¡¯t blame me anymore?¡± Zhong Wan decided to just swallow his embarrassment. He shook his head. He didn¡¯t dare to blame the other. Yu She slightly relaxed. He walked into the bedroom and sat down at the head of Zhong Wan¡¯s bed. He took the mud figurine out of Zhong Wan¡¯s hands and stuck it into the bonsai pot nearby. Yu She glanced at the white gauze wrapped around Zhong Wan¡¯s head. Voice low, he asked, ¡°This is where you injured yourself?¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°I was clumsy and bumped into something.¡± Yu She seemed to not have heard what Zhong Wan had just said. He asked again, ¡°Who did you go kowtow to?¡± Zhong Wan paused. A sudden realization struck. ¡°I understand what you misunderstood now. You thought that you had¡­¡± Yu She scooted a bit closer. He lifted his hand and carefully attempted to unwrap the white gauze on Zhong Wan¡¯s head. ¡°Ey, don¡¯t.¡± Zhong Wan backed away slightly. ¡°It¡¯s really no big deal¡­¡± Yu She ignored him. In the same cautious manner that he had used to piece the mud figurine back together, he slowly unwrapped the gauze around Zhong Wan¡¯s head. Zhong Wan¡¯s forehead, originally pale and white, was now a mess of blood and flesh. Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t been careful while previously sprawled out. The wound had started bleeding again because he had rubbed it against the pillow. This had caused some of the previous medicine to dissipate. Yu She threw the white gauze off to the side and stood up to retrieve the medicine. He reapplied the medicine on Zhong Wan¡¯s wound. Zhong Wan leaned against the pillow and watched Yu She. He softly said, ¡°I went to kowtow to my biological parents. I didn¡¯t know what to say either, so I kowtowed a few extra times in the hopes that¡­¡± Yu She finished reapplying the medicine for Zhong Wan. He grabbed a clean piece of white gauze and wrapped it around Zhong Wan¡¯s head for him. His voice was hoarse. ¡°In the hopes that they wouldn¡¯t blame me.¡± Low laughter left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. Yu She said, ¡°Guiyuan¡­ I¡¯ll do my best to atone for my sins.¡± Zhong Wan thought about it. He gently said, ¡°If you ascend to the throne in the future, fix up my ancestral graveyard for me. It hasn¡¯t been looked after for many years. When I went to visit yesterday, I saw that many graves had already collapsed. There were weeds everywhere.¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t need to wait for me to ascend to the throne. I¡¯ll have someone go fix it up tomorrow.¡± Zhong Wan hesitated. ¡°That¡¯s not appropriate, right? Wouldn¡¯t you suddenly fixing up the ancestral graveyard of the Zhong family cause others to be suspicious?¡± Yu She said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it under your name.¡± Zhong Wan thought about it and found this plan acceptable. He drawled out, ¡°In the future, give Xuan Yu the title of prince of the second rank. Don¡¯t send him to Qian An again. In all honesty¡­ I don¡¯t want to go back to that horrible place at all. Maybe it¡¯s because I grew up here, but I¡¯d rather suffer through the cold. I still find this place better. As for Congxin¡­¡± Zhong Wan continued, ¡°Give her a third-rank princess title. Build a private estate for her and let her choose her own groom later.¡± Yu She listened silently. He didn¡¯t say anything. Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t think of anything else. Yu She filled in the missing spots for him, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll gather all possible members of the Zhong family and give them as many noble titles as possible. If there are some that I truly can¡¯t give a title to, I¡¯ll give them money.¡± Zhong Wan laughed. ¡°So generous? Even giving them noble titles? What noble title?¡± Yu She said, ¡°Duke Chengen.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°Are you worried that others won¡¯t find out who your biological mother is?¡± This title was often given to the emperor¡¯s in-laws. If Yu She gave this title to members of the Zhong family, this would definitely cause people to start guessing¡­ ¡°Start guessing how much I love and cherish you.¡± Yu She sighed softly. ¡°Heir Consort, what are you thinking? The in-laws are those related to you.¡± Zhong Wan paused for a moment. Slightly uncomfortable, he whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t joke around.¡± Yu She was unbothered. ¡°Speaking of my biological mother¡­¡± Yu She shared his plan with Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan pondered for a moment. ¡°There can be no victory without danger. It¡¯s feasible, but Ziyou, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been worried about since early on¡­¡± Yu She said, ¡°Speak.¡± Confused, Zhong Wan stared at Yu She. ¡°Why do I always feel like your actions are a bit overly aggressive? There¡¯s always room for error. If Prince Yu doesn¡¯t care about anything else anymore and is determined to fight to the death with you¡ªmeaning that he wants to publicize your biological mother¡¯s story to the world or that he has a backup plan that can throw suspicion onto your identity and make others believe that you might be the child of Little Imperial Consort Zhong and someone else¡­ what would you do?¡± Yu She lowered his head and chuckled. Zhong Wan was exasperated. ¡°I¡¯m asking a question. Have you never thought about these things?¡± ¡°I have,¡± Yu She replied easily. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that just be everyone throwing away their dignity and shame? Prior to your arrival in the capital¡­ I had originally been planning to cause a huge commotion like that before my death.¡± Yu She added, ¡°Relax. Those were merely some thoughts from the past. ¡°Right now, I only need to ensure that Xuan Qiong will completely lose the right to inherit the throne. Everything else is irrelevant.¡± Yu She answered an unasked question. ¡°As long as I take care of Xuan Qiong, everything else will be settled.¡± Zhong Wan had a slight inkling that something was off, but before he could think further on this topic, Yu She said something else that was extremely touching. ¡°All in all, I can do all the things that I was once unwilling to do and that I once found disgusting. As long as I¡¯ll be able to protect you.¡± Zhong Wan fell into a daze. Yu She had always hated his own identity. Previously, he hadn¡¯t even wanted the title of heir. Now, though, in order to live, he had made so many compromises. This truly wasn¡¯t easy to do. Yu She said, ¡°If you think it¡¯s feasible too, I¡¯ll have someone give Tang Qin the order.¡± ¡°Tang Qin¡­¡± Zhong Wan had just been about to remind Yu She about being careful in case that old eunuch went back on his word and caused trouble when he suddenly reached a realization. He smiled. ¡°Well you certainly know how to use things to their full potential.¡± Yu She lightly said, ¡°Didn¡¯t Tang Ming and them want to bring up those stupid old matters again anyways? They want to revolt against the emperor, right? How could what I¡¯m doing be considered forcing him? I¡¯m helping him.¡± Yu She had kept those two brothers alive until today simply for this step in the plan. Yu She stated, ¡°If something¡¯s wrong with his brain and he¡¯s determined to be my opponent, that¡¯s fine too. I¡¯ll cut off Tang Ming¡¯s head tonight and give it to him. I don¡¯t care. Either way, to me, this is the only use they have. If I can¡¯t use them, might as well kill them. I trust that the old eunuch has a good understanding of this too.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± After discussing official business, Zhong Wan glanced at Yu She. ¡°Did you get a good look today?¡± Yu She froze. Yu She lowered his gaze and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you weren¡¯t angry anymore?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t even angry in the first place¡­¡± As he spoke, Zhong Wan¡¯s ears turned red too. He slightly bent one of his long legs and used his knee to rub Yu She¡¯s arm. ¡°Ziyou, when you did that to me this morning¡­ Your gaze made me horny.¡± CH 77 Yu She¡¯s back went ramrod straight. He raised his hand. Placed it on top of Zhong Wan¡¯s leg, not allowing him to continue moving around. In a frivolous manner, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Why are you touching my leg?¡± In a flash, Yu She removed his hand. He grasped the edge of the bed with his slender fingers, knuckles glowing white. It wasn¡¯t that Yu She didn¡¯t want to be intimate with Zhong Wan. Previously, they remained within bounds. He wanted to give Zhong Wan some space. So that in the future, whether he grew insane or died, Zhong Wan could choose his own path. Afterward, he still refused to be wantonly intimate with him. First, it was because the noble character of his youth, which was ingrained into his nature, still haunted him. He always felt like skipping all the rules and protocols regarding this was the wrong thing to do. Furthermore, Zhong Wan¡¯s injured body couldn¡¯t endure it. The two of them went through much difficulty to get to today. If their relationship soured because of some trivial matter, that would be too much of an injustice. But Zhong Wan just refused to take the big picture into consideration! Zhong Wan turned to look at Yu She. Low laughter escaped his lips. He didn¡¯t actually want to do that; he just wanted to tease Yu She, and didn¡¯t think it through before talking. Although the pain of Zhong Wan¡¯s life experience had passed due to Yu She¡¯s unexpected bout of madness, when he carefully recalled it, his heart still hurt. His heart hurt for Yu She He must not recall his past anymore. Each memory stabbed the heart. The image of Yu She during his bout of madness, dazed as he sat on the ground, carefully eating tea leaves, remained in Zhong Wan¡¯s mind until now. That person actually thought he had run away. That he would not return. If he truly did not return, what would happen to Ziyou? How long could he eat that pinch of tea leaves? Yu She struggled a lot in his heart. He glanced at Zhong Wan and frowned. ¡°What are you thinking about now?!¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°Past events.¡± For a moment, Yu She was startled. As if he was also thinking of the past. After a while of silence, he said, ¡°Guiyuan, there¡¯s been something I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you, but was too afraid to¡­¡± Zhong Wan laughed in spite of himself. ¡°You actually have something you¡¯re afraid of asking? What is it?¡± Yu She shifted his gaze to Zhong Wan, practically flinching. ¡°When did you fall in love with me?¡± Zhong Wan thought, why was this question something he should be afraid of asking? Actually, Zhong Wan didn¡¯t want to mention these matters. Before, when Tang Ming had exposed his true feelings, he almost flew into a rage out of humiliation. But today, he wanted to coax Yu She. ¡°At first¡­ I was clueless. I was too young back then, and didn¡¯t understand,¡± said Zhong Wan, enduring the embarrassment. ¡°If I¡¯m to be honest, it was probably¡­ when we first met.¡± He bumped Yu She with his knee, embarrassed. Said, ¡°Compared to you, my heart was stirred much earlier. Are you happy?¡± But Yu She did not appear happy. ¡°So when you first arrived at my estate seven years ago,¡± said Yu She as he looked at Zhong Wan, his gaze speaking of his difficulty bearing it, ¡°you had already fallen in love with me?¡± For a moment, Zhong Wan was caught in a daze. ¡°Yes.¡± The events of seven years ago in this courtyard, in this estate, flashed through Yu She¡¯s mind like a revolving scenic lantern. He clutched the edge of the bed, fingers almost penetrating it. Pc atf qjra, atfs kfgf abufatfg vjs jcv cluta, jcv kfgf wbgf bg ifrr gfijzfv jcv tjqqs. Dea lo atfs jvvfv ¡°Itbcu Qjc tjv ibcu rlcmf ojiifc lc ibnf klat tlw bc atja vjs,¡± atfc cb wjaafg tbk rkffa atf mjcvs kjr, la kbeiv lcfnlajyis mjggs ylaafgcfrr. Cii jibcu, Te Vtf vlv cba vjgf ab mbcolgw ktfc Itbcu Qjc tjv ojiifc lc ibnf klat tlw yfmjerf bo atlr. He was afraid of recalling the past. He didn¡¯t dare to think of a Zhong Wan who had long been in love with him since young. Zhong Wan joked as he said to himself, ¡°Did you know? A man only has a few years in his prime.¡± Yu She ignored him, but Zhong Wan followed up by saying, ¡°How time flies. If you don¡¯t treasure the present, in two years, my value definitely won¡¯t be as high as it is now.¡± Yu She still paid him no mind. However, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Did you know? Nothing in the world will always be waiting for you.¡± Originally, Yu She thought he was deliberately trying to anger himself. Who would have thought there was a pun hidden in those words. And he purposely said it in the most improper manner. Every aspect of it seemed like a knife piercing one¡¯s heart. Yu She pushed Zhong Wan¡¯s leg and said in a soft voice, ¡°At that time, you asked me if I wanted the you back then¡­ Were you hoping I did?¡± Zhong Wan fell into a daze. And he understood. He regretted mentioning this and smiled. ¡°The same boring old gossip¡­¡± Despite everything, Yu She just had to torment himself by recalling past events. A sigh left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. Everything about Yu She was good, except the fact that his heart wasn¡¯t big enough. He had to treat things that happened many years ago so seriously. ¡°Fine, this is what you absolutely wanted to hear,¡± said Zhong Wan, bumping his leg against Yu She in a way that was not well-behaved. ¡°At that time, I had long since fallen in love with you. When I found out that you purchased me, I was unyielding on the surface but felt slightly and secretly happy. I felt the Heavens didn¡¯t treat me the worst he could have. At my most unfortunate time¡­ I was surprisingly sent to your hands.¡± From Yu She¡¯s eyes, it was clear that Yu She was finding it even more difficult to calm down. Zhong Wan continued by saying, ¡°At first, to avoid arousing suspicion, you didn¡¯t come to my side of the side courtyard. I found it regretful that you didn¡¯t come to see me, so I always tried to escape from the estate. It¡¯s a bit pitiful that everytime I tried escaping, I never got to see you. ¡°After that, when Steward Feng couldn¡¯t stand being yelled by me anymore and called you over, I actually felt a bit happy. ¡°After that, whenever I asked you if you wanted to f*ck me, I actually secretly and slightly hoped you would,¡± said Zhong Wan, face reddening a hint. ¡°Hope that you¡¯d get so angry that you¡¯d go mad, and truly do something to me.¡± Yu She felt a little uneasy. Zhong Wan held hands with Yu She. And he scratched Yu She¡¯s palm not wellbehavedly. ¡°Do you know that when you were in your teens, you were very handsome? You got me so infatuated that I was going crazy.¡± Zhong Wan supported his chin on his knee, letting his imagination roam as he said, ¡°I especially wanted your madness to flare up, and then you¡¯d tear off my clothes. Tie me up in this bed every day, not letting me leave the bed. Turn me into someone that can only cry and beg you, who would tremble at the sight of you.¡± As he imagined this, he grew completely aroused. He could not help but mutter, ¡°You¡¯ve suffered a great deal. The sixteen-year-old me was very tender.¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t listen to Zhong Wan anymore. He was sad right now, but Zhong Wan came to disrupt his sadness! Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. After enduring it for a moment, he couldn¡¯t endure it anymore, He said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t feel sorry for that. You¡¯re still young and tender right now.¡± Zhong Wan was startled. Yu She thought of something, and said resentfully, ¡°Also, what¡¯s with saying how handsome I was in my teens? What about now?!¡± Zhong Wan pursed his lips. Shamelessly whispered into Yu She¡¯s ears, ¡°When I first arrived at the capital and you kidnapped me to your residence, I was astonished by your current appearance. After I returned to my estate, I had wet dreams several times¡­ Then after that, every time you gave me harsh words and stern looks, I get aroused. And I wanted you to take me somewhere with no one around, and play with me like that as punishment¡­¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t bear to listen to this anymore, raising a hand to cover Zhong Wan¡¯s mouth. But Zhong Wan was already aroused, and could not help but lick Yu She¡¯s palm. Yu She¡¯s fingertips trembled. He wanted to draw back his hand, but was also reluctant to. Zhong Wan¡¯s face grew even redder. Fawningly, he licked the slits between Yu She¡¯s fingers In a hoarse voice, Yu She said, ¡°Has your fever subsided?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± said Zhong Wan, gasping out the sentence. ¡°Ziyou, don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t see what¡¯s going on with me. You¡¯re¡­ not going to leave me hanging, right?¡± Zhong Wan slightly lifted his chin as he looked at Yu She, a dense fog in his gaze, tone soft. Yu She closed his eyes, and relying on the only bit of soberness and calmness in his heart, he said, ¡°I must, must ask first¡­¡± Zhong Wan frowned. ¡°Ask what? Ask who? My birth father and mother? ¡°My parents give consent! Really, when I was kowtowing to them before, they spoke to me. They said, okay, you can do whatever you like. They even said that if you don¡¯t do anything to me, they¡¯d come with my great grandparents to look for you together at night¡­¡± Yu She was rendered speechless. Yu She spent a lot of effort to say, ¡°I need to ask the imperial physician first.¡± Zhong Wan broke down. ¡°The imperial physician would definitely say no!¡± Yu She said, ¡°Then we can¡¯t!¡± Zhong Wan was so angry that his head hurt. He had shamelessly flirted with him for so long, but this person was too stubborn! Zhong Wan fell back into the bed. He found it funny yet also embarrassing. ¡°Then¡­ Let¡¯s forget about it for now. We¡¯ll talk about this again later.¡± Zhong Wan pulled the quilt over his head. But he still felt a bit unresigned. He said in a soft voice, ¡°But you have to promise me then once I¡¯ve recovered from my sickness and freshened up, you must?¡ªmmph!¡± Under the quilts, Zhong Wan widened his eyes in a flash. Yu She placed his hands on¡­ Separated by the quilt, Zhong Wan could hear Yu She say by his ear as he endured patiently, ¡°First¡­ this.¡± Zhong Wan tongue twisted as he said, ¡°T-then I¡¯ll help you¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± said Yu She. ¡°I just want to play with you.¡± Out of reflex, Zhong Wan¡¯s legs curled up. Yu She whispered into his ear, ¡°I don¡¯t want to tie you up¡­ Don¡¯t move¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s legs trembled. He closed his eyes, no longer speaking. Gaze dark, Yu She said in a low voice, ¡°Guiyuan¡­¡± Zhong Wan blushed from his face to his neck. Yu She pulled Zhong Wan close with one hand, lifting open the quilt with the other hand. He leaned over. Kissed Zhong Wan. After thirty minutes, Yu She helped Zhong Wan fix up his quilt. ¡°You¡¯re sweating. Don¡¯t get up yet.¡± Yu She had fooled around with Zhong Wan until the latter was flushed with excitement. Originally, he had yet to snap back to his senses, but when he recalled what had happened just a while ago, embarrassment filled his heart. He simply closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, mind a complete mess. One moment, it was proper business. Another moment, it was Yu She. As the thoughts kept rolling, eventually only thoughts of Yu She remained. Zhong Wan sighed lightly in his heart. He already used up all his courage for this¡­ His mind was full of only Yu She. As Zhong Wan thought of him, his awareness slowly drifted away. When he was half asleep, he felt like he heard the sound of water in the room. Originally, he thought Yu She was washing his hands, but the sound of water being wrung from a towel kept playing in the background. It practically pushed him asleep. He raised his head for a glance¡­ Yu She stood before the water basin, scrubbing Zhong Wan¡¯s underwear for him. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Zhong Wan blushed. ¡°Don¡¯t move! You¡­¡± Yu She ignored him. He washed the underwear clean like it was a walk in the park. Afterward, he placed it to the side. In a serene manner, he said, ¡°If I don¡¯t wash it, then who are you leaving it for to look at?¡± Zhong Wan was at a loss. Yu She glanced at him. When it was all said and done, he did not feel reassured. He wanted to go ask an imperial physician to check on Zhong Wan, but feared he¡¯d refuse out of embarrassment. As such, he lied to Zhong Wan by saying, ¡°I still have some proper matters to attend to. Sleep first. In the evening¡­ once you¡¯ve finished sweating, go take a bath again.¡± Presently, Zhong Wan really cherished his life. He answered in a wellbehaved way. He watched as Yu She left. Then Zhong Wan lay back down on the bed. He couldn¡¯t help but close his eyes and review what just happened earlier. Before he could think about it carefully, there was a sound by the window in the bedroom. In an instant, Zhong Wan opened his eyes, sat up and draped his middle garments over him. Once he had quickly buttoned up the buttons, Lin Si had already entered the room without a sound. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t wear anything on his lower body. Afraid that Lin Si would notice, he coughed. ¡°I¡¯m sick¡­ and can¡¯t get up. Sit.¡± Lin Si sat at the foot of Zhong Wan¡¯s bed and gestured, ¡°Today, I came here with Young Miss. Originally, I was going to find Master for Young Miss and tell you some important news. I never expected Young Prince Yu to allow Young Miss into the estate. That¡¯s why I was delayed until now.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. Just when he was about to tell Lin Si to talk about the serious business, he suddenly was startled. Zhong Wan had thought of a possibility. Stiffly, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were waiting here until now?¡± Lin Si nodded in a proper manner. He gestured, ¡°The family soldiers here are too impressive. It¡¯s very difficult to sneak in. I didn¡¯t want extra trouble, so I just stayed here the whole time. Only this way would I not delay even more.¡± ¡°Just now, you¡­¡± Zhong Wan smiled dryly. ¡°You were nearby?¡± Once again, Lin Si nodded in a proper manner. Zhong Wan still had a bit of hope. His voice dropped lower and lower as he said, ¡°You¡­ didn¡¯t hear anything, right?¡± Zhong Wan thought he hadn¡¯t spoken too loudly before. He lowered his head and consoled himself by saying, ¡°He didn¡¯t hear it. He didn¡¯t hear it.¡± However, Lin Si was unwilling to have his hearing ability called into question for no reason. He was skilled in martial arts, so he was sensitive of being told this. After he had heard Zhong Wan¡¯s words, he earnestly said with sign language, ¡°I heard everything. Every detail.¡± Not a word left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. Lin Si said frankly with sign language, ¡°Master, I remember your birthday very clearly. You¡¯re obviously a whole year older than Young Prince Yu. So why did you call him ¡°gege¡± just a while ago? And you even called him that many times? There was also one time where you called him ¡°nice gege.¡± Still, Zhong Wan kept quet. Lin Si gestured, ¡°Was it to beg him to let you go? Or am I wrong somewhere? Or¡­ could it be¡­¡± ¡°Lin Mute.¡± Zhong Wan tried his best to keep calm. ¡°Shut up.¡± CH 78 Lin Si held his laughter in. He had made his point. Now that he had proven his hearing was fine, he stopped gesturing. Zhong Wan forced himself to act nonchalant. He asked, ¡°What do you have to tell me?¡± Lin Si wiped the amusement off his face and solemnly gestured, ¡°Master, a few days ago, the members of the imperial clan wanted to choose a day to send Xuan Rui back to Qian An.¡± Xuan Rui¡¯s case had been mostly resolved. Emperor Chongan had only stripped him of his royal title. He hadn¡¯t taken back the estate and lands in Qian An. Now that things had settled, it truly was time to send him back to Qian An. Zhong Wan asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Si signed, ¡°Before the request had been brought to the Cabinet, Prince Yu had already ordered someone to intercept it.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°Since when has Prince Yu started caring about Xuan Rui?¡± Lin Si gestured, ¡°That¡¯s the strange part. These past few days, I¡¯ve stayed by Young Miss and Little Young Master¡¯s sides. Young Miss listened to you, Master, and now discusses with me when anything comes up. When an imperial clan relative visits the estate or when messages are exchanged, Young Miss never orders me away. Based on what they said a few days ago about what they wanted to do, they clearly intended to send Xuan Rui away as soon as possible. However, just two days ago, they suddenly changed their minds. They said that Nanjiang is far away and that proper preparations hadn¡¯t been completed yet.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t even need to think to know that this was an excuse. Lin Si signed, ¡°I felt that something was off. After further investigation, I finally learned that Prince Yu had told someone else about this matter and had borrowed the hand of that person to stop Xuan Rui¡¯s return. I¡¯m uncertain about the meaning behind this, so have come to tell Master in a rush.¡± Zhong Wan leaned against the headboard. He furrowed his brows once more. ¡°What does Prince Yu want to achieve by keeping Xuan Rui here¡­¡± Lin Si gestured, ¡°There¡¯s no way Prince Yu doesn¡¯t know about the relationship between you and Young Prince Yu. Perhaps he just wants Xuan Rui to stay in the capital to piss Young Prince Yu off?¡± ¡°No.¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯d be too stupid for him to go through such trouble just for this sole purpose. Could it be that he wants to use Xuan Rui to threaten Yu She in a life and death struggle? No¡­ that¡¯s not right either.¡± Zhong Wan burst into laughter. ¡°There¡¯s no need for threatening. Yu She himself wants to take Xuan Rui¡¯s life. ¡°How long is Prince Yu¡¯s reach? In an emergency, is he capable of stealing someone from the Imperial Clan Court?¡± Lin Si wasn¡¯t too sure. He signed, ¡°I¡¯ll go investigate.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell Yu She to investigate too,¡± Zhong Wan lowly said. ¡°But if I were to make a guess, I¡¯d say Prince Yu probably isn¡¯t capable.¡± Olc Vl ujhfv ja Itbcu Qjc. Itbcu Qjc mbcalcefv, ¡°Po tf mbeiv gfjiis bgvfg atf Pwqfglji Jijc Jbega jgbecv, mbeivc¡¯a tf pera tjnf qgfnfcafv atf Pwqfglji Jijc Jbega ogbw yglculcu eq atf wjaafg bo rfcvlcu Wejc Eel yjmx ab Hljc Cc lc atf olgra qijmf? Slatfg kjs, ogbw rajga ab olclrt, atf fwqfgbg tjr cfnfg mjgfv jybea atlr mjrf.¡± Then, Zhong Wan whispered, ¡°It seems more like a spur of the moment decision.¡± Lin Si nodded and gestured, ¡°Exactly so. Based on the timeline, it was probably around the time that the emperor decided to admit Young Prince Yu as his son.¡± Zhong Wan muttered, ¡°If the Imperial Clan Court were to send Xuan Rui away, Yu She would definitely order his own soldiers to escort him. Even after Xuan Rui reached Qian An, he probably still wouldn¡¯t completely relax. He¡¯d leave people there to stand guard in case Xuan Rui pulled another secret return journey to the capital. Which also means¡­ as soon as Xuan Rui exits the Imperial Clan Court, he¡¯ll fall into Yu She¡¯s grasp. ¡°Is Prince Yu trying to avoid this? Why? ¡°Why has Xuan Rui suddenly become important?¡± Lin Si couldn¡¯t understand this part either. Zhong Wan fell silent for a moment. Following that, he said, ¡°You can go. Leave this to me. All you have to do is keep Congxin and Xuan Yu safe.¡± Lin Si nodded and stood up. Zhong Wan added, ¡°Also.¡± Lin Si hurriedly listened, diligent. Zhong Wan sighed. ¡°When you have the time, go see Xuan Jing.¡± Lin Si lowered his gaze. A while later, he gestured, ¡°When he was asleep, I visited him a few times.¡± ¡°What use is it if he¡¯s asleep?¡± Zhong Wan asked. ¡°Last time, he told me that he no longer blames you. Stop wasting time. Hurry and go clear things up with him.¡± Lin Si¡¯s pupils shifted. He nodded and left. As soon as Lin Si left, Zhong Wan grabbed some clean clothes and put them on. He tasked someone to invite Yu She over. Before Yu She could find the imperial doctor, he got urged back by Zhong Wan. Yu She ordered the messenger to leave first. Expression one of exasperation, he lowly asked, ¡°How come you can¡¯t be separated from me for more than a moment?¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. His ears turned red and he almost forgot the official business he needed to share. ¡°I have, I have important things to tell you.¡± Zhong Wan repeated everything Lin Si had just told him to Yu She. He added, ¡°Look into it. I have a guess in my heart, but I¡¯m not too sure. Therefore, I don¡¯t dare to tell you.¡± Yu She fell silent for a moment. He smiled. ¡°What¡¯s there not to dare to speak about? I, too, already have my suspicions.¡± Yu She sat down and narrowed his eyes. ¡°The past few days, Prince Yu¡¯s life hasn¡¯t been too great. The Court is unstable and the emperor is constantly promoting me. He¡¯s anxious. A wily hare has three burrows. He¡¯s started finding a backup plan for himself.¡± Zhong Wan softly said, ¡°He wants to use Xuan Rui as his last resort.¡± ¡°Xuan Jing and Prince Yu¡¯s estate have been enemies for many years. Xuan Jing can¡¯t be trusted,¡± Yu She softly said. ¡°If I happen to swallow all of Xuan Qiong¡¯s power in one bite in the future, he could still make a risky move at the very end and kill both me and Xuan Jing. And then¡­¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°Place Xuan Rui on the throne as a puppet king.¡± Yu She scoffed. ¡°How strange. What a good life Xuan Rui has, right? So many people want to help him ascend to the throne.¡± Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. His expression was dark. ¡°And someone also spent many years risking possible death to protect him.¡± Zhong Wan smelled a hint of vinegar. He burst into laughter. ¡°We¡¯re talking about official business right now.¡± ¡°Regardless of how useless Xuan Rui is, he¡¯s still Prince Ning¡¯s eldest biological son of the legitimate line. By blood, he¡¯s the most important person aside from the imperial princes. He¡¯s also the type who¡¯s easy to trick.¡± Even Zhong Wan himself had to admit this. ¡°He truly is a God-given puppet.¡± Yu She quieted temporarily before saying, ¡°I have a plan.¡± Zhong Wan lifted his gaze. Yu She stood. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about this anymore. I have my reasons for entering the palace tomorrow.¡± Zhong Wan was shocked. ¡°What¡¯s the rush? What plan do you have? A-aren¡¯t you going to discuss with me?¡± Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. ¡°Xuan Rui has already become Prince Yu¡¯s target. You¡¯re really not in a panic?¡± Zhong Wan secretly thought to himself, the smell of vinegar is getting stronger. Zhong Wan reached out and held onto Yu She¡¯s wrist. He quietly said, ¡°I am in a bit of a panic, but I¡¯m more worried about you.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression instantly became a lot more pleasant. Yu She shared his plans with Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan clicked his tongue. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°The simplest plan is sometimes the most effective. Since the enemy is in the shadows whereas I¡¯m out in the light, I¡¯ll simply use this to my advantage.¡± Yu She lifted his hand to stroke Zhong Wan¡¯s forehead. ¡°You still have a fever. Lie back down. I¡¯ll attend the morning assembly tomorrow and be sure to give you a response when I return.¡± With no other option, Zhong Wan could only obediently lie back down. The next day, Emperor Chongan excused morning court, as expected. However, Yu She still appeared at the Cabinet on time. This was the first time that Yu She was appearing in public following Emperor Chongan¡¯s imperial decree that had taken him back. The senior cabinet officials didn¡¯t know what to call Yu She either. They stared at each other, a bit bewildered. However, Yu She¡¯s expression was the same as it normally was. He calmly said, ¡°Everyone simply carry on as usual.¡± Everyone felt like a huge burden had been lifted off their shoulders. They messily bowed before continuing to work on their own tasks. Yu She looked over documents for a bit, then walked over to Senior Cabinet Official Sun¡¯s desk. Senior Cabinet Official Sun hurriedly made to stand up. Yu She politely pressed down gently on his arm, quietly saying, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be like this, Senior Cabinet Official Sun. It is I who have something to trouble you with.¡± These years, Yu She had always acted rebelliously. He had a horrible reputation. Upon first finding out that this person was going to join the Cabinet to learn politics, all the cabinet members had simultaneously confirmed to themselves the rumor that he was Emperor Chongan¡¯s illegitimate son while also complaining in their hearts. They feared that Yu She would eat cold food powder here and go crazy. They feared that Yu She would suddenly start repeatedly attempting suicide. They feared that with one misstep, everyone would get blamed for Yu She¡¯s actions. Unexpectedly, aside from occasionally arriving late and leaving early, Yu She hadn¡¯t actually done anything out of line. Yu She was very quiet. If one didn¡¯t pay special attention, they wouldn¡¯t even realize that there was such an important god in the Cabinet too. The documents that passed through his hands, no matter what type, would often be covered with his unique and straightforward comments. It couldn¡¯t actually be said that he was impressive because of this. However, in comparison to Xuan Jing, who couldn¡¯t understand anything he looked at, or Xuan Qiong, who didn¡¯t have a brain yet still liked giving random orders, he was simply too amazing. After these past few days of interaction, the senior cabinet officials had all slightly changed their impressions of Yu She. For example, if this were the other two imperial princes, they absolutely wouldn¡¯t be speaking to a senior cabinet official with such an attitude or tone of voice. Unknowingly, Senior Cabinet Official Sun had already become biased. Upon seeing that Yu She was modestly asking for his help, he quickly lowered his voice and asked, ¡°I¡¯m unsure¡­ I¡¯m unsure what orders Heir has?¡± Yu She hesitated for a moment. It seemed like it was slightly inconvenient for him to speak up. Senior Cabinet Official Sun hurriedly said, ¡°Heir, speak without regard.¡± Yu She shook his head and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a matter regarding the indoors-one. I don¡¯t want to bother My Lord.¡± For a moment, Senior Cabinet Official Sun did not realize who ¡°the indoors-one¡± was. But he had already spoken. ¡°All Heir needs to do is give the order.¡± Yu She squeezed his thin lips together and whispered, ¡°The indoors-one was raised on Prince Ning¡¯s estate. My Lord probably knows this.¡± Senior Cabinet Official Sun almost choked. His expression changed several times. He laughed dryly, ¡°Ah, Guiyuan¡­ I¡¯ve seen him before, in his youth.¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°So My Lord has definitely heard of the former Prince Qian An¡¯s case?¡± Senior Cabinet Official Sun nodded. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Heir the one in charge of that case?¡± ¡°Yes, but the former Prince Qian An is a member of the imperial clan. He can¡¯t be taken to the Dali Temple. Since the beginning of the case, he¡¯s been kept under house arrest at the Imperial Clan Court,¡± Yu She shared with concern. ¡°The case has already been closed. After so much time, though, he¡¯s still being kept in the Imperial Clan Court.¡± Displeased, Senior Cabinet Official Sun said, ¡°The Imperial Clan Court has been neglectful.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that bad. They technically haven¡¯t been slow, but¡­¡± Yu She lowered his voice even more. ¡°Guiyuan is worried about him. He refuses to eat or drink. I see this daily, so have become anxious too.¡± Senior Cabinet Official Sun ignored the strongly suggestive tone that Yu She was using. He lamented reluctantly, ¡°Prince Ning truly didn¡¯t raise this adopted son for nothing.¡± Yu She said, ¡°Right now, my identity is awkward. I don¡¯t have any power over the Imperial Clan Court either. I want to ask Senior Cabinet Official Sun to help me write a document asking the Imperial Clan Court to start discussing this matter sooner. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s convenient or not?¡± Vfclbg Jjylcfa Yoolmlji Vec rwlifv jcv rjlv, ¡°Lbk lr atja vloolmeia?¡± Vfclbg Jjylcfa Yoolmlji Vec tjv bglulcjiis yffc j yla uejgvfv. Lf ofjgfv atja Te Vtf kjr agslcu ab klc tlw bnfg, atja Te Vtf kjr jrxlcu obg j ylu ojnbg ktlmt kbeiv gfcvfg tlw raemx yfakffc j gbmx jcv j tjgv qijmf. Lf tjv cfnfg fzqfmafv atja atf olgra alwf Te Vtf jrxfv tlw obg rbwfatlcu kbeiv jmaejiis yf obg Itbcu Qjc. Ccv atja la kbeiv jmaejiis yf j ajrx atja kjr yfsbcv aglnlji. A favor that required almost no effort. Why not? Senior Cabinet Official Sun whispered, ¡°If Heir is in a rush, there¡¯s actually a much simpler and faster solution. You can avoid the Imperial Clan Court and directly finish this task.¡± Yu She said, ¡°Please enlighten me, Lord Sun.¡± ¡°I daren¡¯t,¡± Senior Cabinet Official Sun softly replied. ¡°This isn¡¯t a big deal. You needn¡¯t bother with the yamens or continue the back and forth argument with the Imperial Clan Court. Right now, you only need to write a booklet explaining the situation. Then¡­¡± Senior Cabinet Official Sun gestured for Yu She to look at the pile of booklets nearby that was two feet tall. ¡°Put it with today¡¯s booklets. In only a short while, it¡¯ll get sent to the emperor. If the emperor reads it, he¡¯ll definitely permit your request and directly send it to the Imperial Clan Court¡­ It¡¯s not too important. If the emperor doesn¡¯t read it, it¡¯ll get returned to us in the evening. We¡¯ll stamp it and still send it to the Imperial Clan Court. The Imperial Clan Court will then have to immediately send the former Prince Qian An away too. There won¡¯t be any delay.¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°So this could be accomplished so effortlessly. Much gratitude for the lesson, My Lord.¡± ¡°I daren¡¯t, I daren¡¯t. This was just a trivial matter. I¡¯ll write the booklet for Heir right now.¡± Senior Cabinet Official Sun was more than willing to complete this favor for Yu She. ¡°If Heir doesn¡¯t find anything to change after looking at it, it can be sent to the emperor in an hour.¡± The corners of Yu She¡¯s lips slightly curled up. ¡°I¡¯ve troubled My Lord.¡± Yu She returned to his desk and quietly waited. At night, the booklets not seen by Emperor Chongan all got sent back. As expected, Senior Cabinet Official Sun¡¯s booklet was untouched. Emperor Chongan didn¡¯t have too much energy today. The booklets sent to him by the Cabinet had all been separated into different categories. He normally only looked over the most important ones, not even flipping through the remaining insignificant ones. He directly sent them back for the Cabinet to take care of. Senior Cabinet Official Sun intended to help Yu She. Thus, he had placed his booklet in the unimportant category. After plucking the booklet out of the bunch, Senior Cabinet Official Sun added his comments and tasked the Imperial Clan Court to immediately escort Xuan Rui back to Qian An. There could be no delay. Yu She personally stamped the booklet. The enemy was in the shadows. He was in the light. Might as well use this to his advantage. The imperial decree had been given. Prince Yu could no longer stop anything. When he returned to his estate in the evening, Yu She wasn¡¯t in a rush to seek Zhong Wan out. He first summoned his trusted family soldier over, then ordered someone to invite the imperial doctor. This was the person Yu She had originally intended to task with protecting Xuan Rui on his journey back to Qian An. Before the family soldier could say anything, Yu She calmly said, ¡°I¡¯m exempting you from your assignment. You don¡¯t need to follow him anymore.¡± The trusted subordinate blanked for a moment. ¡°Heir, didn¡¯t you say that you wanted us to keep a close eye on the former Prince Qian An the entire way in order to avoid him being deluded by ill-intending people and subsequently causing trouble again?¡± The trusted subordinate had been shocked by Yu She¡¯s sudden change of mind. He honestly couldn¡¯t understand. Yu She had spent so much effort stealing Xuan Rui out of the Imperial Clan Court. But now, he wasn¡¯t planning on keeping an eye on him anymore? Wasn¡¯t that a waste of time and energy?! ¡°No need. I have other plans.¡± Yu She¡¯s gaze was dark. ¡°You guys will only mess things up if you go.¡± The trusted subordinate wanted to speak again. Yu She added, ¡°Naturally, you¡¯ll still have to follow him. Stay with him until he leaves the city. After he leaves the city, come back. There¡¯s no need to worry about anything else that happens.¡± The trusted subordinate was shocked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same as us having not gone?¡± Steward Feng brought the imperial doctor over. Yu She waved his hands. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. I still have business to attend to. You may leave.¡± The trusted subordinate left, extremely concerned. The imperial doctor didn¡¯t dare to look at or listen to anything he shouldn¡¯t be witnessing. After the family soldier had already walked off into the distance, he finally approached and said, ¡°Heir.¡± ¡°Previously, I was very busy, so didn¡¯t have the time to ask you.¡± Yu She gently knocked on the surface of the desk and relayed what had happened in Zhong Wan¡¯s room yesterday. He glossed over the details and process, ambiguously explaining the situation to the imperial doctor. Yu She was very vague in his recalling. However, the imperial doctor was very knowledgeable. Was there anything he hadn¡¯t heard of? He didn¡¯t need Yu She to say anything else before he had already started nodding in understanding. Yu She lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Will that get in the way?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± The imperial doctor pondered for a bit before seriously stating, ¡°Young Master Zhong is truly in poor health. However, he¡¯s in the prime of his youth. It¡¯s impossible to get rid of his lusts and desires. They¡¯re part of human nature. If things really occurred as Heir said, happening only once, then it won¡¯t get in the way.¡± The worry on Yu She¡¯s face didn¡¯t dissipate in the slightest. A while later, he lowly said, ¡°My biggest fear is that he won¡¯t be willing to accept it happening only once.¡± The imperial doctor froze for a moment. He lifted his head and glanced at Steward Feng who was nearby. ¡°Heir means¡­¡± As they spoke, the young maid in charge of serving Zhong Wan carefully walked into the room. She said that Zhong Wan was inviting Yu She over. Yu She waved his hands, signalling for the young maid to leave. As if he was being troubled by some great worry, he looked over at the imperial doctor and said, ¡°See the way he can¡¯t even bear to be separated from me for an instant? Do you think he¡¯ll know to control himself?¡± Zhong Wan had clearly still had a fever at the time. The more Yu She thought about it, the more regretful he became. He regretted being wicked and bullying him. He shouldn¡¯t have tormented him so much. He was angry, but had nowhere to let out his anger. He could only make things difficult for the imperial doctor. Eyebrows furrowed, he inquired, ¡°Do you know or not how much he clings to me?¡± The imperial doctor¡¯s expression was blank. He screeched in his heart, why would I know?! Steward Feng was standing right next to Yu She. Upon noticing this, he hurriedly smoothed out the situation. ¡°Heir, there¡¯s no need to worry! There¡¯s a solution! The imperial doctor has a solution.¡± The imperial doctor thought to himself, what solution could I have in regards to your bedroom activities?! Bearing the humiliation, the imperial doctor finally spoke up after racking his brains, ¡°Heir, how about this¡­ I can prescribe Young Master Zhong some medicine that¡¯ll calm him down.¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°More medicine?¡± Yu She remembered very clearly that this imperial doctor was the one who had said that Zhong Wan was in poor health and ought to eat less medicine while slowly recovering. ¡°No, no. He can just drink it as tea.¡± The imperial doctor relayed to Steward Feng, ¡°Get some mulberry leaves, white chrysanthemums, and dried orange peels. After adding them to boiled water, you can add a bit of honey and serve it to the patient as tea.¡± These were all mild ingredients that cleared the fire in one¡¯s body. Steward Feng found this reliable. He told Yu She, ¡°It¡¯ll probably be effective.¡± But Yu She didn¡¯t feel that this was a good solution. ¡°It¡¯s just your usual, boring fire clearing tea.¡± The imperial doctor could only say, ¡°Or you could also add some honeysuckle flowers¡­¡± ¡°Nevermind. As much medicine as you prescribe, you can only heal his physical body.¡± As if simultaneously worried and delighted, Yu She easily rejected the imperial doctor¡¯s work. ¡°You cannot heal his heart that wants to stay close to me at every moment of the day.¡± Imperial doctor: ¡°¡­¡± CH 79 Yu She grew up in the imperial palace. When he fell ill occasionally, the top imperial physicians, who usually looked after the princes and princesses, would of course examine him. Later on, when he grew up, it was inconvenient for him to stay in the palace. So he moved out. There was a place for him in both Prince Yu¡¯s estate and Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s estate. Whenever he grew ill, it was Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s trusted imperial physician who examined him. And after that, Prince Yu and the princess severed ties, and Yu She stayed in the side courtyard all year round. He didn¡¯t trust anyone, and switched out all his imperial physicians, choosing a few that he had personally promoted and had clean backgrounds.This imperial physician was one of them. Before he switched to exclusively being on call for Yu She, this imperial physician had serviced many members of the nobility and royalty. He had treated similar cases of bedroom problems. Getting it all out of his chest, the imperial physician said, ¡°Actually, this is normal. This mostly happens to middle-aged men who don¡¯t have enough energy. So they cannot keep up with their bed partners. They can only ask doctors for medicine that can help them last. This is indeed the first time this physician has encountered someone like Heir who needs this kind of medicine¡­¡± Steward Feng did not want to hear such words. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting? How could Heir not be able to keep up?! Heir has never even done it before!¡± Yu She glared at Steward Feng. How could he say those things aloud? Didn¡¯t he realize it¡¯s embarrassing for him?! The imperial physicians was overwhelmed with shock. He¡¯s never done it before? In a flash, Yu She no longer had any interest in this topic. He rose to his feet and said angrily, ¡°I¡¯ll go check on Zhong Wan. You people¡­ prepare that whatever tea. It¡¯s better than nothing.¡± The two watched as Yu She made for the inner courtyard. The imperial physician cautiously asked in a soft voice, ¡°He really didn¡¯t?¡± Like he was closely guarding a secret, Steward Feng shook his head. In Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard, Yu She and Zhong Wan ate dinner together. Zhong Wan¡¯s fever had already subsided. The dishes that were prepared for dinner were all the ones he liked. Due to Yu She¡¯s urging, he ate a lot. After finishing his meal, Zhong Wan rubbed his belly. He didn¡¯t want to sleep so early. Just when he was about to talk to Yu She about Xuan Rui, Steward Feng came in delivering a pot of tea. He told them that it was made specially for Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I ate too much just now, and I¡¯ve got no room to drink anything.¡± Embarrassed, Steward looked at Yu She. Yu She met his gaze. Once Steward Feng had set down the items, he left. Yu She personally poured a cup of tea for Zhong Wan and handed it over. In a low voice, he said, ¡°Drink a little.¡± Zhong Wan lowered his head and sniffed it. ¡°It¡¯s sweet and greasy smelling¡­ What is this? And he even said it¡¯s made specially for me? What does it treat?¡± It treats the frightful lewd demon in your heart. But Yu She kept his thoughts to himself, and said in a vague manner, ¡°It¡¯s good for you.¡± So, Zhong Wan could only drink it in a well-behaved manner. ¡°Did things go smoothly today?¡± At first, Yu She wanted to hide this: that he had wanted to use an excuse to have Zhong Wan under Cabinet Minister Sun¡¯s care. However, he told Zhong Wan in the end. ¡°Then that¡¯s settled.¡± A wave of relief washed over Zhong Wan. ¡°If no problems occur, would the Imperial Clan Court send Xuan Rui away tomorrow?¡± Yu She nodded. Zhong Wan hesitated, before saying, ¡°Previously, Lin Si said he wanted to personally escort Xuan Rui back to Qian An, but¡­ ¡°But then he¡¯d be gone for a few months. I want him to remain in the capital. It¡¯s better to have him and Xuan Jing make up earlier.¡± Zhong Wan flashed Yu She a smile. ¡°May I trouble Heir to dispatch some people to do this task instead of him?¡± Ktfrf kbgvr jilucfv klat Te Vtf¡¯r atbeutar. Rba yjaalcu jc fsfilv, tf cbvvfv. ¡°Cigluta.¡± Yc atja cluta, atf raevs bo Uglcmf Te¡¯r frajaf kjr yglutais ila. ¡°Ilsbe¡¯r ragfamtlcu tlr tjcv abb ojg¡­¡± Uglcmf Te, Te Zemtfcu, tjv tlr tfjv ibkfgfv jr tf gfjv atf wfwbglji tlr reybgvlcjafr tjv mbqlfv. Lf oeggbkfv tlr ygbkr alutais. ¡°P wfgfis yibmxfv tlw j ilaaif, jcv tf lwwfvljafis tjv atf mjylcfa qgfrfca j wfwbglji.¡± One of Yu Mucheng¡¯s advisors said softly, ¡°Should we have the Imperial Clan Court do something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡± Yu Mucheng shook his head. ¡°Although the emperor did not give an official decision yet, that memorial has already appeared before the emperor. And that memorial had been approved by the cabinet. It¡¯s basically the same as an imperial edict¡­ It¡¯s too late. Yu Mucheng threw the copy of the memorial on the desk. Sighed. ¡°The emperor relies on the cabinet. And that¡¯s because every member of the cabinet is a trusted aide of the emperor. At first, Fourth Highness and Fifth Highness learned politics from them. Fourth Highness stayed there for half a year. Fifth Highness forced himself to stay there for less than two years. For two years, he couldn¡¯t even make friends with those cabinet ministers. Ziyou has only been there for more than a month, yet Cabinet Minister Sun is actually eagerly attentive in helping him.¡± Yu Mucheng sighed deeply. Said in a low voice, ¡°Could there really be a thing like destiny?¡± Another advisor rushed to say, ¡°How could there be something like destiny? It¡¯s merely a string of coincidences! Back then, when Fifth Highness entered the cabinet to listen to them, His Majesty was in good health. He controlled the court politics firmly. Which of the cabinet ministers would dare to make friends with the princes? But now¡­ who wouldn¡¯t make a backup plan for themselves?¡± Yu Mucheng laughed. ¡°Yes, as a matter of fact, I¡¯m looking for a backup plan to my backup plan, right?¡± Another trusted aide still had something to say, when someone came into the room. He knelt and said softly, ¡°Your Highness, there are movements in the side courtyard.¡± Yu Mucheng said, ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°Our Heir secretly ordered the family soldiers,¡± said the spy in a low voice. ¡°He said it¡¯s not necessary to escort the former Prince Qi An back to his fief. Merely sending him out of the capital is enough.¡± Everyone looked at each other. Even if they expended all their efforts, they would not be able to succeed. When they had no hopes left, they actually found light at the end of the tunnel. What kind of logic was this? Yu Mucheng dismissed his subordinates. But the advisors could not understand his reason for doing this. An advisor said softly, ¡°Your Highness, this lowly one has an idea. Would Heir¡¯s personal handling of this matter¡­ be merely all talk and no action?¡± Another person asked, ¡°Who¡¯s he doing this for?¡± ¡°For Prince Ning¡¯s adopted son, Zhong Wan,¡± said the advisor near whisper. ¡°From what this subordinate knows, during the time our Heir surrounded the traitors in the suburbs of the capital, he almost killed the former Prince Qian An. Would he sincerely want to help the former Prince Qian An?¡± Another person shook his head. ¡°This has nothing to do with whether or not he¡¯s sincere or whether or not he¡¯s willing to help them. Heir already guessed that our prince might use Xuan Rui as a pawn. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s unwilling to let Xuan Rui ascend the throne before him.¡± ¡°All of them are the grandsons of the former emperor. One is the eldest legitimate son of Prince Ning. One is the son born out of incest from the current emperor and the emperor¡¯s stepmother. Whom the imperial clan members and court ministers would choose is hard to guess. How could Heir allow him to stay here?¡± The first advisor who had spoken clapped. ¡°The trap is right here. Since Heir does not want to have Xuan Rui stay in the capital, would he be at ease if he sent Xuan Rui to Qian An?¡± A strange light flashed in Yu Mucheng¡¯s eyes. But there was still someone who didn¡¯t understand. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t escort Xuan Rui back to Qian An, then isn¡¯t he just giving Xuan Rui to us?¡± The person around him saw that he still did not understand, and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Stop dreaming. Heir intends to kill Xuan Rui. He¡¯ll have the former Prince Qian An killed on the way back to his fief. Then he¡¯ll just blame us or the Imperial Clan Court as he pleases.¡± Frightened, the advisors looked at Prince You one after another. Yu Mucheng sat down. A good while later, he said in an unhurried pace, ¡°This time, Ziyou was too greedy.¡± ¡°Heir truly has a great scheme. One one hand, he doesn¡¯t want to be at odds with Zhong Wan, and wants to pretend to love him. On the other hand, he purposely delivers Xuan Rui to our doorstep, taking drastic measures to deal with a situation.¡± The advisor was astonished. ¡°We underestimated Heir in the past. He acted unscrupulously these past years. We thought he only seemed ruthless on the surface, and never once thought he was more frightening than anyone in stabbing people in the back.¡± The advisors looked at Yu Mucheng. ¡°Your Highness, this¡­ Should we just pull back? So as to avoid failing to rope Xuan Rui to our side, and give Heir something to use against us, throwing the crime of killing Xuan Rui over our heads.¡± Yu Mucheng stayed silent. Quite a while later, he said, ¡°No. ¡°Whatever Ziyou wants, I¡¯ll give to him,¡± said Yu Mucheng in an unhurried pace. ¡°If he wants Xuan Rui to die, fine¡­ I¡¯ll grant his wish.¡± An advisor quickly tried to advise Yu Mucheng against that, but someone next to him whispered, ¡°A fake death.¡± After a moment of thought, realization struck that advisor. He bowed. ¡°Your Highness is wise.¡± ¡°If Ziyou absolutely wants Xuan Rui¡¯s death, then merely after he hears that Xuan Rui is dead, he would be at ease. I¡¯ll put on this show for him,¡± said Yu Mucheng in a low voice. ¡°Add more people to those who would be escorting Xuan Rui. His fake death must seem real. After you save Xuan Rui, we must hide him well. If there¡¯s a day that¡­¡± The advisor smiled in a secretive manner. ¡°If there¡¯s a day that we truly get to that point, would Xuan Rui trust Your Highness, his benefactor, or Ziyou and Zhong Wan, who personally stripped him of his noble title?¡± Yu Mucheng said in a low voice, ¡°We don¡¯t have to wait until then. Once the Zhong Wan who was duped discovers this, he would want Ziyou¡¯s life.¡± But an advisor still couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Your Highness, what if we guessed incorrectly? What if Heir truly doesn¡¯t care about Xuan Rui?¡± Yu Mucheng smiled. There actually seemed to be some kindness to his gaze. ¡°Then as his foster father, I¡¯ll have to guess my child¡¯s thoughts, and ¡®kill¡¯ Xuan Rui for him.¡± Finally, the advisor completely relaxed. He kept laughing. ¡°Your Highness is truly thorough with your schemes. At that time, Heir and Zhong Wan would break ties. Maybe we won¡¯t even need to do anything, and Heir would completely go crazy. How could a lunatic ascend the throne?¡± Another person said, ¡°Heir is pretty lucky. He obviously was sick with madness since early on, yet pretended that he merely had a bad temperament. Up until now, the emperor actually still does not believe he is truly insane. Truly lucky.¡± ¡°His illness is indeed not that serious. He also restrains it. So His Majesty was truly deceived by him.¡± ¡°No. His illness won¡¯t be the death of him. Ziyou, this child¡­¡± said Yu Mucheng, disappointed and frustrated. ¡°Rather, it¡¯s his greed that would kill him. He wants the throne but also wants Zhong Wan. Why has it not crossed his mind that since ancient times, no one would be that lucky and always get what they want? ¡°He wants everything, so inevitably, he would get nothing.¡± Early the next day, after Yu She had learned that the Imperial Clan Court wanted to escort Xuan Rui back to Qian An as soon as possible, his trusted aides and family soldiers once again came to confirm with him whether they truly just needed to send Xuan Rui out of the capital. Nodding, Yu She said, ¡°Yes.¡± The family soldiers were very hesitant. Yu She smiled. ¡°Do you know what interested me the most recently?¡± A family soldier asked out of reflex, ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± said Yu She in a relaxed manner. ¡°After I¡¯ve been crazy for so many years, now these people don¡¯t know what I truly want. So many people use their own disgusting way of thinking to guess my thoughts.¡± After hearing those words, the family soldier was even more confused. Yu She thought for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°No, except for Zhong Wan. Guiyuan still understands my thoughts¡­¡± The family soldier didn¡¯t quite catch that. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± said Yu She without batting an eyelid. ¡°Go now. It¡¯s nothing.¡± However, the family soldier still did not leave. Steward Feng rushed over in a ball of energy. Yu She frowned. ¡°What happened?¡± Steward forced himself to smile. ¡°Heir, bad news. I don¡¯t know who was the blabbermouth who let Young Master Zhong find out¡­¡± Yu She paid it no mind. ¡°There¡¯s no need to hide any of my matters from him. If he finds out, then he finds out. So what?¡± Steward Feng swallowed. ¡°It¡¯s that tea. For some reason, Young Master Zhong found out what it¡¯s supposed to treat. He said he wouldn¡¯t drink any of it and also said, and also said¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s expression turned stiff. ¡°What did he say?¡± Steward Feng said in a low voice, ¡°Young Master Zhong said, Heir wants to make him impotent!¡± At the sound of those words, Yu She had a headache. ¡°When did I¡­¡± He rose to his feet, wanting to find Zhong Wan, when the family soldier, who was supposed to escort him to the palace, came inside the room. ¡°Heir, it¡¯s getting late. We should head for the palace for court now.¡± Yu She removed his black gauze hat and rushed outside the room. ¡°I¡¯m not going today.¡± ¡°Not going?¡± said the family soldier, incredulous. ¡°Then what excuse should we give them?¡± Yu She found him not smart enough. He also feared that other people wouldn¡¯t know the wasn¡¯t going to court because of Zhong Wan. Vexed, he said, ¡°Why should we lie? Or could I not say the truth in front of the court? Just tell it as it is!¡± Then Yu She made for the inner courtyard to look for Zhong Wan. Innocently, the family soldier looked at Steward Feng. ¡°Then just what¡­ should I say?¡± Steward Feng analyzed Yu She¡¯s words. Sighed. ¡°Just say our estate¡¯s Young Master Zhong had a nightmare last night, and is still afraid after waking up today. He¡¯s clinging to Heir and not letting him leave.¡± CH 80 Xuan Qiong had already been placed under house arrest in the palace for a whole five days. Imperial Consort Yu was impossibly in a panic. Five days ago, Yu She had made a trip into the palace. He had said something unknown to Emperor Chongan; as soon as he left, Emperor Chongan immediately summoned Xuan Qiong. He ordered everyone else away and kept the doors to the courtroom tightly closed. In less than an hour, Emperor Chongan had ordered for Xuan Qiong to be kept under house arrest in the palace. Nobody was allowed to visit him. Imperial Consort Yu had been so scared that she had lost half of her wits. Before she could manage to send a message to Prince Yu, Emperor Chongan issued another decree, admitting Yu She back into the imperial family with great fanfare. Imperial Consort Yu had passed out on the spot. These past few days, time passed excruciatingly slowly for Imperial Consort Yu. Though the emperor hadn¡¯t placed her under house arrest, he had ordered a palace servant to send her a message. The message had been worded nicely, saying that Xuan Qiong had been rude and disrespectful. Getting placed under house arrest was just a small punishment for him. There wouldn¡¯t be any further punishment. Before Imperial Consort Yu could sigh in relief, the messenger gently added, ¡°The emperor is telling Fifth Highness to repent. After Fifth Highness himself realizes why he was wrong and fixes his mistakes, everything will naturally blow over. Right now, the worst thing would be for something else to happen. The emperor has yet to scold Your Highness. Your Highness, please have some patience. Don¡¯t visit Fifth Highness and don¡¯t admit Fifth Highness¡¯ wrongdoings for him. It¡¯d be best¡­ not to have anyone else ask for mercy on Fifth Highness¡¯ behalf either.¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She knew very well that this ¡°anyone else¡± was most likely referring to Prince Yu. Imperial Consort Yu had no idea what to do. She didn¡¯t know if this was the meaning Emperor Chongan had wanted to impart, so hurriedly ordered someone to give the palace servant some silver tickets. The palace servant silently accepted them. He lowered his voice greatly and said, ¡°Your Highness, His Majesty has only placed Fifth Highness under house arrest as of now. Some people don¡¯t think this is enough and are in the middle of coming up with other solutions.¡± Imperial Consort Yu shouted, ¡°Isn¡¯t house arrest enough? What else will happen?¡± The palace servant shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. However, since the emperor is forbidding Your Highness from visiting and asking for mercy, that means Your Highness can¡¯t do anything, right? I¡¯ll have to ask Your Highness to be patient for the time being. Perhaps the other party has now gotten what they wanted so are willing to let everyone else go?¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s expression changed with anger. ¡°Yu. She.¡± The palace servant departed. Imperial Consort Yu felt very agitated. As of now, Yu She had already been taken back by Emperor Chongan. Soon, he would be named a prince. Things had already progressed to this step. Would he let Xuan Qiong go? Impossible. Imperial Consort Yu wanted to act sick and summon Yu Mucheng into the palace. But after thinking of what the palace servant had said just now, she also worried about drawing attention onto herself. She didn¡¯t dare to infuriate Emperor Chongan. She could never come up with any plans herself. After great thought, she still couldn¡¯t come up with a good solution. A moment later, she suddenly said, ¡°Oh right. Go¡­¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°Go summon Tang Qin here!¡± In only a few months, it seemed like Tang Qin had once again aged many years. In agitation, Imperial Consort Yu said, ¡°Has Eldest Brother told anyone to tell you anything? Is he currently trying to avoid suspicion too? He no longer dares to enter the palace?¡± Tang Qin had just received Yu She¡¯s orders. Right now, his expression made it look like he had just eaten a fly. Tang Qin didn¡¯t want to do anything for Yu She. However, Yu She was purposefully placing the opportunity to reverse an old verdict into his hands. He had wanted this opportunity for a long time. But as soon as he thought of the fact that this was Yu She¡¯s intention, he couldn¡¯t help feeling displeased. Tang Qin¡¯s gaze was murky. He thought of his younger biological brother who was currently in Yu She¡¯s clutches; it was unknown whether or not the other was still alive. He sighed. His voice was hoarse as he said, ¡°In reply to Your Highness¡¯ question, Prince has not sent any messages to this slave.¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s eyes were filled with resentment. ¡°He wants to cut things off with us too, right?!¡± Pc j nfgs ribk wjccfg, Kjcu Hlc rjlv, ¡°Tbeg Llutcfrr, atf fwqfgbg tjr jigfjvs jvwlaafv Tbecu Uglcmf Te yjmx. Ktf vera tjr rfaaifv. Eluta cbk, fnfgsbcf lr bcis atlcxlcu bo tbk ab rjnf atfwrfinfr. Cirb¡­ yfuulcu obg wfgms qgbyjyis kbc¡¯a yf erfoei jcswbgf flatfg. Glvc¡¯a Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb fcafg atf qjijmf j rtbga ktlif jub ab yfu obg wfgms? Ktf fwqfgbg tjr jikjsr gfrqfmafv Uglcmfrr Ebsji, yea vlvc¡¯a fnfc rff tfg atlr alwf. Ktlr ugfjais tewliljafv Uglcmfrr Ebsji. Ktf rjwf atlcu klii qgbyjyis tjqqfc lo Uglcmf mbwfr.¡± ¡°That couple¡­¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s eyes were filled with anger as she grinded her teeth together. ¡°Seems like they want to switch boats now, right? Exactly. At the end of the day, the two of them truly did raise Yu She. Even though the affection has disappeared, he wouldn¡¯t necessarily risk being called unfilial just to punish them. But what about me and Xuan Qiong?¡± Tang Qin had listened in silence. He lowly said, ¡°As of now, Your Highness can only work to save yourself.¡± Uneasy, Imperial Consort Yu asked, ¡°What plan could I have?!¡± Tang Qin slowly said, ¡°In the imperial decree, the emperor said that Young Prince Yu is his son with a respectable woman from the princess¡¯ estate.¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s brows knitted together. ¡°You mean¡­¡± Tang Qin said, ¡°This is a worry of the emperor. As long as the incidents of the past are revealed, His Majesty will definitely try to come up with a plan to cover them up. Mother and child are linked together. To keep Little Imperial Consort Zhong¡¯s story a secret, he¡¯ll need to temporarily delay promoting Young Prince Yu¡­ This all depends on what His Majesty finds more important. If His Majesty wants to save his own reputation, he¡¯ll have to aggrieve Young Prince Yu.¡± Imperial Consort Yu fell into a panic. ¡°But what if the emperor disregards his own reputation just to name Little Imperial Consort Zhong¡¯s son as crown prince?¡± Tang Qin paused for a moment, then replied, ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to come up with a plan of action when the time comes. At that time, Your Highness can once again use Young Prince Yu¡¯s identity to cause a fuss. Little Imperial Consort Zhong was the previous emperor¡¯s consort. Who can say¡­ who the biological father of the son born from her womb was?¡± ¡°Right. If the emperor is adamant about crowning him, I can still use his identity as leverage. But¡­¡± Imperial Consort Yu felt lost. ¡°I can¡¯t be the one to make this move. Who can expose this information?¡± Tang Qin lowered his voice and said, ¡°This old slave is still in contact with a few of Prince Yu¡¯s trusted subordinates from the early years. I can ask them to help.¡± Imperial Consort Yu hurriedly shook her head. ¡°No. If the emperor finds out about them, wouldn¡¯t Eldest Brother get dragged into this mess?¡± Tang Qin sighed. ¡°Your Highness, can¡¯t you tell that Prince is either going to play it safe to save himself or stand on Young Prince¡¯s side? If you don¡¯t drag him in now, what are you waiting for?¡± Imperial Consort Yu was in a daze. A while later, she hardened her heart. ¡°Yes. He doesn¡¯t want to help me. I need to force him to help me¡­ Only this isn¡¯t enough. Help me spread this news throughout the palace too. Don¡¯t they want to hide this information¡­? Well I¡¯m determined for everyone to find out.¡± Like this, an extremely embarrassing piece of secret news regarding the imperial family exploded simultaneously inside and outside of the palace. Emperor Chongan, who hadn¡¯t attended morning court for many days, had originally been planning to attend court this morning. However, after hearing the news, he quickly cancelled morning court. Due to a fateful series of events, Yu She just so happened to skip today¡¯s morning assembly. Because of his absence, while believing by default that Yu She was doing this to avoid arousing suspicion, the court officials also believed the rumors that said his biological mother was Little Imperial Consort Zhong. After morning assembly, the imperial clan relatives and Imperial Censorate launched an attack together. Among this group included people Shi Jin had left for Zhong Wan, individuals Yu She had arranged, and several officials who had ties to Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong. It seemed like everyone had all planned this together. Innumerous booklets were sent to the Cabinet: their contents were largely the same. All of them were questioning Yu She¡¯s identity. Many people spoke up. Except for the trusted allies belonging to the same side as Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Emperor Chongan gazed at this huge pile of documents. His gaze was dark. ¡°Well Prince Yu¡¯s people haven¡¯t joined in the mess this time.¡± The booklet-keeping eunuch who was performing the brush and ink duties for Emperor Chongan softly said, ¡°Prince is loyal and knowledgeable. He naturally wouldn¡¯t believe rumors so easily.¡± ¡°But how come¡­ no matter how I investigate, everything seems to point to the fact that the rumors started from Prince Yu¡¯s estate?¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression was foul. ¡°A few days ago, Qiong¡¯er was disobedient and actually started looking into old matters. I asked him if this was because he had heard his uncle say something. Qiong¡¯er stubbornly said it wasn¡¯t.¡± Emperor Chongan scoffed. Emperor Chongan lowered his voice and said, ¡°Qiong¡¯er is more willing to be placed under house arrest by me than betray his uncle. So he values his uncle more than his imperial father¡­¡± Murderous intent flashed through Emperor Chongan¡¯s eyes. The eunuch remained deathly silent. He didn¡¯t dare to respond. Emperor Chongan asked, ¡°Has anything else happened with Prince Yu?¡± The booklet-keeping eunuch shook his head. ¡°After morning court, Prince Yu didn¡¯t personally enter the palace, but tasked a palace servant to pay respects to Imperial Consort Yu in his stead. Everything was quite rushed. He told Her Highness to ensure that Fifth Highness was obediently repenting, urged Her Highness to reflect on herself behind closed doors, and also told Her Highness to not listen to or believe the rumors.¡± The eunuch softly said, ¡°Prince Yu¡¯s estate is in a bit of a mess. Almost as if¡­ they really didn¡¯t know in advance.¡± ¡°As such, I¡¯m even more disbelieving.¡± Emperor Chongan scoffed upon hearing this. ¡°It matters not if the imperial clan court asks about matters pertaining to the Heavenly family. What are these court officials joining in for? If you¡¯re saying nobody is pushing for them to, who would believe that?¡± Emperor Chongan threw the booklet in his hand onto the ground. ¡°Baseless rumors. I have nothing to say about them.¡± The booklet-keeping eunuch picked the booklet up and softly asked, ¡°Is Your Majesty not adding comments?¡± ¡°No,¡± Emperor Chongan answered, quite fatigued. ¡°Tell the senior cabinet officials to not leave comments on these. Additionally, have someone investigate who is causing trouble and making up rumors.¡± The eunuch acknowledged this. Emperor Chongan looked up. ¡°Where¡¯s Ziyou? He didn¡¯t enter the palace today?¡± The eunuch shook his head. ¡°He took a sick day. After closer questioning, they said, they said¡­¡± Emperor Chongan furrowed his brows. ¡°Could it be that he had known beforehand that someone was going to cause trouble?¡± ¡°No no,¡± the eunuch hurriedly replied. ¡°They said that Young Master Zhong at the estate has been feeling somewhat unwell. Thus, Young Prince Yu¡­ got stuck at home.¡± Emperor Chongan didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°Ziyou ah.¡± The eunuch pondered what Emperor Chongan was thinking. He lowly said, ¡°These past few days, it seems as if Young Prince Yu has spent a lot of energy on this Young Master Zhong. Should Your Majesty¡­¡± Emperor Chongan fell silent for a moment. He shook his head. ¡°Nevermind. Let him do as he wishes. Zhong Wan¡¯s a man¡ªwhat trouble could he possibly cause? I won¡¯t be the villain.¡± The eunuch lowered his voice and replied, ¡°But Young Master Zhong¡­ No matter what, he¡¯s still a member of the Zhong family.¡± The amusement faded from Emperor Chongan¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ve only left him alone because he¡¯s a member of the Zhong family.¡± The eunuch furrowed his brows. Shortly after, he reached a sudden realization. ¡°Yes. The more Young Prince Yu cares for Young Master Zhong, the more he¡¯ll help Your Majesty hide the events of the past! Otherwise, if Young Master Zhong finds out the reason for the slaughter of the entire Zhong family, he¡¯ll definitely alienate Young Prince Yu¡­¡± Emperor Chongan furrowed his brows. The eunuch instantly quieted. A long time later, the eunuch softly said, ¡°Your Majesty is wise. In the past, this servant had been curious about why Your Majesty was so indulgent regarding this matter. Now, I see that controlling Young Prince Yu in this manner is a good plan.¡± ¡°Ziyou is a child who¡¯s hard to control when he¡¯s angry.¡± Emperor Chongan sighed. ¡°Ours is an ill-fated relationship. ¡°The recent events have wronged Ziyou.¡± Emperor Chongan rubbed his forehead. ¡°Go¡­ gift him some things. Also, tell him to come into the palace and pay his respects to me if he has no business to attend to. The more rumors there are outside, the less affected he should act. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t this just prove how guilty he is? Also. ¡°Ask. If Zhong Wan has returned to health, tell him to come too. The last time I summoned him into the palace, Ziyou stopped him from coming. As of now, I¡¯m telling the both of them to come together. He shouldn¡¯t be against this anymore, right? I¡¯m just worried he isn¡¯t interested in these things¡­¡± Emperor Chongan furrowed his brows. ¡°Now that such rumors have gotten out, who knows how distressed Ziyou is?¡± The side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Yu She was truly very distressed. Since morning, Zhong Wan had been acting miserable. ¡°If I were a woman, do you know what this situation would be considered?¡± Zhong Wan had many complaints. ¡°This would be the equivalent of you forcing me to drink a pot of safflower! You¡¯d be preventing me from ever falling pregnant again. How could you have such an evil heart?¡± Yu She patiently coaxed, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good¡­¡± Zhong Wan broke down. ¡°You¡¯re making me impotent for my own good?¡± Yu She was exasperated. ¡°Who said I¡¯m making you impotent? This is just some medicine to calm your urges.¡± ¡°Then why do I have to take this calming medicine?¡± The more Zhong Wan thought about it, the more horrified he felt. ¡°Ziyou, sometimes I really don¡¯t understand. Why are you so good at causing trouble? We are clearly the only two people in this estate, but you¡¯ve somehow managed to make our life together more complex than life in the imperial harem. Is this medicine really not something that a concubine from some other family is giving to another concubine to fight for adoration?¡± Yu She was confused. ¡°What are you talking about? What concubines?¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Or do you think that I have too much time on my hands? Are you scared that I¡¯ll feel bored while healing? There are no concubines in this estate, so you yourself are fighting with me?¡± Yu She was completely lost. He hurriedly explained, ¡°I only wanted you to calm down a bit¡­¡± ¡°Why do I need to calm down?¡± Zhong Wan glanced at Yu She, highly alert. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m even worried that one night, you¡¯ll shave my head bald while I¡¯m asleep and force me to become a monk.¡± ¡°Why would I randomly shave your head?¡± Yu She forced himself to remain patient. ¡°Today, there have been great changes in the court. We¡¯ve been planning for several days and the conflict begins today. I still want to make a trip to the palace. Be good and drink this medicine. Then, I¡¯ll leave.¡± Zhong Wan shrunk into a corner. ¡°I refuse.¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°You¡­¡± Zhong Wan cautiously asked, ¡°Will you summon someone to hold my mouth open and force-feed me?¡± Zhong Wan still maintained a last bit of hope. ¡°Or will you feed me mouth to mouth?¡± While Yu She wanted to, he worried that he would get turned on by Zhong Wan again if he did so. He could only say, ¡°Nevermind. If you don¡¯t want to drink it, then don¡¯t. I¡¯m leaving first. Rest well.¡± Zhong Wan lay back in bed, bewildered. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like Yu She had been acting weird. A short moment later, Steward Feng walked in while carrying a painting scroll. Zhong Wan sat up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Steward Feng hurriedly said, ¡°This is the scroll that Heir specially wrote for Young Master in the study prior to leaving. He wants Young Master to hang it over the head of the bed so Young Master can see it every day.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. That lunatic finally understands that he wronged me. He even knows to write me a love poem to make me happy? However¡­ Zhong Wan slightly furrowed his brows while staring at the painting scroll in Steward Feng¡¯s arms. One piece of letter paper was enough. Why did Yu She use such a big scroll? Without waiting for Zhong Wan to accept it, Steward Feng unfurled the enormous scroll. On the painting scroll, Yu She¡¯s strokes were powerful. Very elaborately, six large words were written. ¡°Uphold heavenly justice. Annihilate human lust.¡± Zhong Wan: ¡°¡­¡± CH 81 Emperor Chongan was suspicious of Yu Mucheng. On one side, he suppressed the rumors. On the other, he had people investigate them. After a few inquiries later, everything pointed to Prince Yu¡¯s estate. The more suspicious Emperor Chongan grew, the less likely he would ask Prince Yu why he did what he did. Yu Mucheng wanted to explain, but had no openings to. Of course, he would not resign himself to death. At first, he suspected that Yu She wanted mutual destruction. After two days of investigation, he discovered something fishy from Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s estate. Before he could question her, his subordinates found out something else. The first round of news came from Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s palace. The moment he had found this out, Yu Mucheng truly wanted to kill her. ¡°The emperor simply did not trust Yu She! He left Fifth Highness around because he still held hesitation in his heart!¡± In Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s palace, Yu Mucheng tried his best to suppress his anger. Voice trembling, he said, ¡°Victory and defeat is still undecided. There¡¯s still a chance to win. Just what are you trying to do? Why are you so impatient?!¡± In the imperial palace, rumors were everywhere. Emperor Chongan used this as an excuse, delaying the selection of an auspicious date to confer Yu She the title of First-Ranked prince. Imperial Consort Yu thought this was all due to her own contributions, and as such, grew more confident. But she still blamed Yu Mucheng. Still felt that her own eldest brother¡¯s position was swaying. Frigid, she said, ¡°Why am I so impatient? Now, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m the only one anxious for Qiong¡¯er, right? If I still don¡¯t make a move, I¡¯m afraid no one would care even if Qiong¡¯er dies¡± Yu Mucheng laughed in spite of himself. ¡°Are you truly helping Fifth Highness?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I?¡± Imperial Consort Yu sneered. ¡°If the emperor has the ability, then he can continue supporting that bastard! If the emperor dares to confer him the title of First-Ranked prince, then I dare to make a huge fuss. The rumors would only grow more and more unpleasant to the ears. I actually want to know if the emperor would still be willing to spare that bastard a glance after hearing that many rumors.¡± ¡°Do you really think you can make the emperor and Yu She at odds like this?¡± Yu Mucheng was in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re just pushing him to Yu She¡¯s side! Why are you still unable to understand? Even if you want to bring those past matters to light, that¡¯s not the way you should go around it! Why are you so stuck on exposing the identity of Yu She¡¯s birth mother? Even if other people believed it, that his birth mother was indeed the previous era¡¯s Little Imperial Consort Zhong, so what? Isn¡¯t he still the emperor¡¯s son? Are you throwing dirty water on Yu She, or are you throwing it on the emperor?!¡± Imperial Consort Yu fell into a daze. Stubbornly said, ¡°What¡¯s the difference?! If his background is dirty, don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s not a taint on him?¡± Yu Mucheng was so angry that he collapsed onto his seat. He had already arranged for the old servants of Little Imperial Consort Zhong to enter the palace. Now, he was just watching from the sidelines. He and Emperor Chongan had shared a monarch and subject relationship for decades. As such, he understood the emperor¡¯s way of thinking the most. Understood that the emperor had yet to make a decision. He merely wanted to keep around a trump card. If Emperor Chongan truly conferred Yu She the title of crown prince, and then Prince Yu exposed his background before diverting the focus on Yu She¡¯s birth father¡­ And if he then made the imperial clan members and court officials suspect Yu She was born from Little Imperial Consort Zhong and another man, using her old servants as a weapon, using the terrible rumors as a weapon¡­ one pierce and Yu She wouldn¡¯t be able to escape death. But right now¡­ Yu Mucheng looked at Imperial Consort Yu, discouraged. All those years of effort, which existed as the blade to stab Yu She with, had been taken by Imperial Consort Yu ahead of schedule. And to merely cut Yu She¡¯s hand at that; it didn¡¯t even tickle him. Yu Mucheng self-restraint was decent. He was so angry that even his internal organs had shifted, yet did not scold her. He supported his chest and slowly said, ¡°That I¡¯m not impatient to act doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t worry about Fifth Highness. And it also doesn¡¯t mean I want to turn around and defect to Yu She¡¯s side. It¡¯s because it¡¯s not the right time¡­ Do you really think Yu She¡¯s position is that stable? ¡°He does not respect the emperor in his heart. How long can the emperor support such a filial son? Alright, first, let¡¯s not talk about whether or not he can coax the emperor. Doesn¡¯t Yu She himself already have a lot of problems? ¡°In previous years, he ate cold-food powder and harmed his organs, and would occasionally go crazy. But he¡¯s very good at hiding it. We need to make it so he cannot hide it anymore! How hard is that? ¡°And then there¡¯s also the matter of him being a homosexual. The emperor is turning a blind eye to it. Fine. Let¡¯s drop this topic first. ¡°But he¡¯s already this old. And he¡¯s still unwilling to marry a wife? Last time, the emperor wanted to bestow him a concubine. And he used an ill-founded excuse against it, causing the emperor unhappiness. Isn¡¯t just this enough to censure him?¡± Yu Mucheng was incomparably exhausted. ¡°There¡¯s so much information that can be used against him. It¡¯s good enough if you just randomly chose one. Why must you push this specific one ahead of time?¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s stupidity and arrogance angered others. ¡°Since Eldest Brother knows this so well, you should also know that his background is the most heavy-hitting out of the other points. I want to destroy him. Naturally, I¡¯d have to choose the sharpest sword.¡± Yu Mucheng itched to roar, you¡¯re just using my sword ahead of schedule! All of a sudden, Yu Mucheng lost all his energy. He didn¡¯t want to utter a word to Imperial Consort Yu. He looked at his stubbborn and stupid younger sister. At that moment, he thought, discouraged, I used all my energy, and now greatly offended the emperor, risking my life even more for Xuan Qiong. In the future, if Xuan Qiong truly ascends the throne, then what happens? His younger sister suspected him right now, and was unwilling to follow his arrangements. What would happen once she became the empress dowager? Imperial Consort Yu was young. In the future, she would definitely intervene with politics. Ubkfg kjrc¡¯a ktja kjr oglutafclcu. Ejatfg, atf rmjglfra atlcu kjr ktfc raeqlv qfbqif tjv qbkfg. Yu Mucheng anxiously thought, and even more frightening is that Xuan Qiong and Imperial Consort Yu are similar. Te Zemtfcu mbeiv cba tfiq yea atlcx bo atf Wejc Eel ktbw Te Vtf tjv rfca bea bo atf mjqlaji. Yglulcjiis, Te Zemtfcu tjv mbcrlvfgfv Wejc Eel jr tlr ijra kjs bea. Aera j ktlif jub, tf vlv cba atlcx tf kbeiv fnfg cffv ab erf tlw. His own blood-related nephew was still around. So he would never need to use this blockhead. But now, as he looked at Imperial Consort Yu, Yu Mucheng suddenly held hesitation. Although Xuan Rui did not have any relationship with him, at the very least he did not have a stupid mother who like to give out orders. Yu Mucheng¡¯s heart floated in deep confusion. However, his expression remained normal. He sighed. ¡°Fine. Since you¡¯ve already acted, I won¡¯t say any more. There¡¯s just one thing. Consider it as me begging you. Stop focusing on Yu She¡¯s birth mother! The emperor is already on guard and will find clues that point to you very quickly. Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s pupils trembled. Looked elsewhere in unease. ¡°Even though the emperor is suspicious of me, I still came to visit you today. It wasn¡¯t to argue with you,¡± said Yu Mucheng, sincere. ¡°If you can¡¯t sit still and just have to do something, fine. Just use another of Yu She¡¯s bad habits, okay?¡± Imperial Consort Yu pondered deeply for a moment. Unresigned, she nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± Revealing a bit of his exhaustion, Yu Mucheng used the chair as support to get up. Laughed bitterly a couple times and left. Imperial Consort Yu sat down for a long time, thinking over what Yu Mucheng had said again and again. A while later, she summoned her trusted aides. ¡°Just a while ago, Eldest Brother said that the last time His Majesty wanted to bestow Yu She a concubine, he rejected it,¡± she said in a soft voice. ¡°And it made the emperor unhappy. Do you know how he rejected him?¡± The trusted aide whispered their response. Imperial Consort Yu said loathingly, ¡°A bastard is a bastard. It¡¯s whatever that he fools around with a man. But he actually dared to say it to the emperor.¡± After she thought for a long while, the corners of her lips rose a hint. ¡°Eldest Brother was right about one thing.¡± The trusted aide asked, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Everything must go according to what the emperor likes and wants. This would only push the emperor farther away,¡± said Imperial Consort Yu softly. ¡°His Majesty wants Yu She to take a concubine, right?¡± The trusted aide muttered, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s good. What do you think is the best way to act according to what the emperor wants, and also cause trouble for Yu She?¡± A hollow laugh left the trusted aide¡¯s lips. ¡°Your Highness, even if we want to have Young Prince Yu take a concubine, that responsibility does not fall under Your Highness¡¯ hands.¡± She laughed. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t want to manage that. Go¡­ We will go pay respects to the empress.¡± But the trusted aide still felt this wasn¡¯t a good idea. ¡°Your Highness, isn¡¯t this a bit too deliberate?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t send someone to him directly. I¡¯m not stupid,¡± she said in a low voice. ¡°First, I¡¯ll ask Her Majesty to bestow a concubine to Qiong¡¯er. I¡¯ll say that this child has no one taking care of him. As for Yu She¡­ I¡¯ll have the empress send those people to the emperor, and have her say she chose two good maidens. That she would give one to Qiong¡¯er and the other to Yu She in passing. ¡°From the start, the emperor wanted to have Yu She take on a concubine. He would definitely agree.¡± Imperial Consort Yu sneered. ¡°Isn¡¯t Yu She unwilling? I will insist on him taking one.¡± The side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. The Zhong Wan who was almost all recovered, and whose fever had completely subsided, suddenly felt a bit anxious. Between laughter and tears, Zhong Wan looked at the picture scroll that was hung in front of the bed. Ever since the day the picture scroll had been hung, Yu She had not been intimate with Zhong Wan. Steward Feng feared that Zhong Wan would quarrel with Yu She, so he came to chat with him when he had spare time. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t blame Heir. The imperial physician said your health is not good.¡± Zhong Wan brushed up his bangs. He looked into the copper mirror, at his forehead wound that had yet to heal. Sighed. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t blame him. You don¡¯t have to tell me several times a day that I can¡¯t get it up. Any man would not want to hear that¡­¡± Steward Feng smiled dryly. ¡°Isn¡¯t this just me being scared that Young Master would misunderstand Heir? Young Master, you don¡¯t know, but Heir has been very busy these past few days. Every day, when he returns to the estate, he never forgets to ask the imperial physician about your condition. First, he asks what medicine you ate that day. Then, if you recovered a bit¡­ He really cares about you.¡± Zhong Wan licked his lip. Smiled softly. ¡°Yes, I also care about him.¡± Meanwhile, in the cabinet, Yu She received some news and laughed coldly. Not a word escaped his lips. The little eunuch, who had followed Yu She into the palace, looked around. He didn¡¯t dare to speak too loudly, and lowered his head. ¡°Heir, His Majesty saw the people the empress chose. When Heir returns to the estate with this woman, what¡¯s to be done?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± said Yu She, head lowered as he read the memorial. ¡°I just need to reject her.¡± The little eunuch felt awkward. ¡°That¡­ How can we do this? The emperor has already approved it. He said she would follow our carriage back to the estate.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t even raise his head. ¡°Then throw her away.¡± ¡°Throw?¡± Such words frighted the little eunuch to the extreme. ¡°How could us slaves dare?¡± Yu She no longer paid him attention. The little eunuch suffered from unspeakable misery. Caught in a bind, he retreated. Yu She was very clear on the fact that Emperor Chongan wouldn¡¯t fall out with him just because of such a trivial matter. At most, he would just grow furious again. He wouldn¡¯t force Yu She to do anything. At most at most, even if Emperor Chongan was unhappy, and used this matter to force him to do something else, it wasn¡¯t a big deal. As long as he didn¡¯t have to take a concubine, he was fine with doing anything else. Yu She was very confident about this. Until he left the cabinet in the evening, and caught sight of an extra servant next to his carriage. In a flash, Yu She¡¯s complexion changed. This time, Emperor Chongan would not make any concessions. Yu She¡¯s gaze proved ice cold. He looked at the lanterns hanging from his carriage from afar, beside himself in panic. He had kept persisting against this, so why wouldn¡¯t those people let him go? Yu She stood in front of his carriage, his expression so poor that it frightened others. ¡°Return,¡± said Yu She coldly. ¡°Wherever she came from, I will have her sent back.¡± Yu She pulled the reins on the carriage. Lifted the curtain in one swift move¡­ Inside, Zhong Wan was wrapped in a quilt, leaning against the window dead asleep. Yu She was startled. Zhong Wan¡­ How could he be here? Where¡¯s the concubine? Did Zhong Wan drive her away? And then he just waited for Yu She here? Yu She couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter. He climbed onto the carriage. Looked down at the sleeping Zhong Wan. All of a sudden, he understood why others were fond of taking concubines. If it was a concubine like this, then they were still acceptable. He looked at Zhong Wan. His heart, which had been discouraged, warmed in an instant. CH 82 Yu She turned his head to the side to quietly ask the person outside, ¡°Why is he here?¡± The family soldier following outside the horse carriage lowered his voice to say, ¡°Young Master Zhong doesn¡¯t have a fever today. After taking care of some official business for Heir at the estate, he felt bored, so said he was going to come pick Heir up.¡± Yu She lightly stated, ¡°Nonsense.¡± Yu She was worried about waking Zhong Wan up. His voice was very soft. ¡°None of you stopped him from leaving?¡± The family soldier could only admit his mistake. He then asked if they should leave or not. Yu She sat in the horse carriage and carefully shook his head. ¡°Not yet¡­ Let him sleep a while longer.¡± The family soldier stood guard outside the horse carriage. Yu She fell into a daze in the carriage as he stared at Zhong Wan. Almost half an hour later, Zhong Wan coughed twice and woke up. Upon catching sight of Yu She, Zhong Wan instantly became alert. ¡°You¡¯ve come out?¡± Yu She calmly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the girl?¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°I sent her back for you.¡± Yu She froze. ¡°You sent her back?¡± ¡°What? So Heir didn¡¯t actually want to send her back?¡± Zhong Wan chuckled. ¡°Well, too late. I¡¯ve already apologized to the emperor for you.¡± Zhong Wan rubbed his shoulders. ¡°That person didn¡¯t even get brought out. I got lucky today too. I wanted to come pick you up, so got here a bit early. When I got here, I coincidentally saw some people coming out of the palace, saying that they wanted to move your horse carriage inside to load someone on. I figured out what was going on and asked about it. Just as well, those two eunuchs both recognized me and were willing to send a message for me. So as you can see¡­ I made a trip into the palace and sorted everything out for you.¡± Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan with slight disapproval. Zhong Wan comforted him by saying, ¡°It wasn¡¯t such a big deal. The empress just suddenly had an idea and wanted to give you someone. She was probably trying to ingratiate herself to the emperor.¡± For a moment, Yu She paused. Then he said, ¡°It might¡¯ve been Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s idea, just to upset me.¡± Zhong Wan thought about it and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s possible too.¡± Yu She still couldn¡¯t rest at ease. ¡°What did you say? Did the emperor make things difficult for you? What about the others? Did they say anything to you?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t make things difficult for me,¡± Zhong Wan replied easily. ¡°The emperor¡¯s not an idiot. He probably also realized that someone was purposefully setting you up. He¡¯s only willing to do easy business. Upon seeing that you were truly against this, he didn¡¯t say anything else.¡± Yu She scanned Zhong Wan up and down. ¡°He really didn¡¯t make things difficult for you?¡± Zhong Wan slightly leaned in Yu She¡¯s direction. He lowered his voice as he said, ¡°If you¡¯re worried, how about double checking for yourself? See if there are any injuries on my body.¡± Yu She twisted his body to avoid Zhong Wan. ¡°Quit playing around.¡± Zhong Wan chuckled. He obediently returned to his seat and said, ¡°Relax. I know that you only know how to go head-to-head with the emperor. This was just a trivial matter. I blocked it for you and didn¡¯t offend the emperor while doing so. If you were the one taking care of this, you probably would¡¯ve caused another big fuss, right?¡± Yu She fell silent. Zhong Wan cocked an eyebrow. ¡°I told you a long time ago: leave these things to me. I¡¯ll deal with them nicely and neatly.¡± Yu She had to admit that this was true. Zhong Wan was much more thorough than he was when it came to these matters. He was also less aggressive. Zhong Wan looked outside. ¡°Are we still not leaving?¡± Yu She ordered the family soldiers to start heading back. He grabbed Zhong Wan¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Could it be that you¡¯ve dealt with similar instances in the past for Xuan Rui too? You act so experienced.¡± Yu She had only offhandedly asked this question in order to take a prod at Xuan Rui in passing. He didn¡¯t believe that anyone in Qian An would forcefully stuff anybody into Xuan Rui¡¯s bedroom. Unexpectedly, Zhong Wan¡¯s smile froze on his face after hearing this. Yu She was in disbelief. ¡°It really happened before?¡± Itbcu Qjc ijeutfv cfgnberis. Te Vtf rmboofv. ¡°Qtlmt ojwlis kjr rb yilcv? Kb ulnf atflg qfgofmais olcf vjeutafg ab tlw.¡± ¡°Rb wjaafg tbk erfifrr tf lr, tf kjr ralii ja ifjra j qglcmf bo atf rfmbcv gjcx ja atf alwf. Ktfgf kbeiv jikjsr yf qfbqif agslcu ab oijaafg tlw.¡± Itbcu Qjc ifjcfv jujlcra atf klcvbk bo atf mjggljuf. Coafg yglfo atbeuta, tf rjlv, ¡°Lbkfnfg, la gfjiis kjrc¡¯a obg tlw. Pa kjr¡­¡± Yu She waited for Zhong Wan to continue speaking. Zhong Wan pondered a bit and said with slight embarrassment, ¡°It was for me.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression instantly changed. Yu She honestly didn¡¯t know if Zhong Wan had ever had anyone in his bedroom these past few years. He narrowed his eyes. ¡°When did this happen?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°It was a long time ago. Let¡¯s not mention it anymore.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was normal, but he was already very displeased in his heart. How could he not mention it?! ¡°It¡¯s not like I touched her,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°Does Heir still want to fuss over this matter?¡± Then Zhong Wan whispered, ¡°Or are you jealous? Heir, whether or not I¡¯m a virgin¡­ don¡¯t you know better than anyone?¡± A flame ignited in Yu She¡¯s heart. He wasn¡¯t fooled by Zhong Wan at all; he refused to allow Zhong Wan to stick so close to him. He squeezed Zhong Wan¡¯s chin and simply stated, ¡°Speak.¡± Zhong Wan felt regretful. Everything had been going well. Why had he brought up this topic? Zhong Wan thought about it and answered, ¡°How many years ago was this¡­ I forgot. Anyways, it happened many years ago. ¡°I had just recovered from my great illness,¡± Zhong Wan slowly started. ¡°Our estate was holding a rare banquet. They said it was to help me get rid of my bad luck.¡± ¡°That day, I got over a lot of things, so was in a pretty good mood too. Though I still hadn¡¯t fully recovered, I drank quite a lot.¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was low. ¡°Were you drunk?¡± Yu She remembered very clearly that Zhong Wan could hold his alcohol fairly well. It was hard to get him completely drunk. ¡°Half drunk, I guess,¡± Zhong Wan answered after thinking about it. ¡°I wobbled while walking and needed someone to hold me up, but I was still of relatively clear mind.¡± Yu She asked, ¡°And then?¡± ¡°And then¡­ I originally wanted to say a few things to Xuan Rui. But every time I opened my mouth, he coaxed me into drinking more alcohol. I thought, ¡®Just as well. We¡¯re all men. What¡¯s there to say? It¡¯s all in the alcohol.¡¯ ¡°In the end, we drank until the latter half of the night. I honestly couldn¡¯t drink any more alcohol. Thus, I told someone to help me over to my own courtyard.¡± Zhong Wan had stumbled into his own courtyard, taken a gulp of water, and prepared to pass out on his bed. Unexpectedly, when he drew back the door curtain of the bedroom, he saw a rather good-looking girl sitting on his bed. Zhong Wan had practically sobered up on the spot. The girl was extremely shy. She hadn¡¯t known if she was supposed to be standing or sitting. She nervously looked at Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan felt dizzy. He held himself up with the doorframe and asked lowly, ¡°The prince told you to come?¡± The girl nodded in a timid manner. At the time, Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t even been twenty. He had still looked like a youth. The girl didn¡¯t know whether to call him ¡°young master¡± or ¡°master.¡± She softly said, ¡°Prince said¡­ that I¡¯m here to apologize for him.¡± Upon hearing this, Zhong Wan had suddenly bent over and guffawed. He had laughed for a very long time; the girl had thought that he had gone crazy. After laughing for long enough, Zhong Wan wiped his face and placed his hands together as he politely saluted at the girl. ¡°Sleep well, my lady. I¡¯ll send you back to where you came from tomorrow.¡± The girl nervously asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Zhong Wan drunkenly waved his hands around. ¡°I¡¯m going to¡­ I¡¯m going to admire the moon.¡± After saying this, Zhong Wan had exited the room. He shut the door tightly behind him and stumbled out of his own courtyard. He made his way into the garden and sat on the handrail of the hallway while leaning against the hallway pillars. All night, he sat there, humming a tune that others couldn¡¯t decipher. Yu She¡¯s brows were furrowed tightly together. ¡°You spent the night outside?¡± ¡°Even if I hadn¡¯t touched her, if I had slept in the same courtyard as her overnight, her reputation would¡¯ve been ruined.¡± Zhong Wan sighed. ¡°Was there a need for that? It wasn¡¯t like I liked her. Why would I ruin her reputation? The next day, I sent her home. She was from a village-dwelling family who didn¡¯t mind about these things. Later on, she married a good person.¡± Yu She fell silent for a moment. He asked, ¡°This was the apology Xuan Rui gave you after that imperial doctor poisoned you?¡± Zhong Wan sighed. He obviously didn¡¯t want to talk about this anymore. Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan, but couldn¡¯t keep the hatred in his heart down no matter what. Yu She asked, ¡°You never told me in the past about how Xuan Rui apologized to you after your run-in with death. That was all he did? He thought that giving you a woman would be enough to pretend like nothing had happened?¡± Zhong Wan fell silent for a moment before saying, ¡°I originally wanted to clear things up with him. At the time, I thought that he had matured too, that there were many things I could now share with him. Otherwise, we would have knots in our hearts later on. But Xuan Rui avoided this topic a lot. He didn¡¯t want to talk about it at all. ¡°He did all of that for naught too.¡± Zhong Wan glanced at Yu She. In the blink of an eye, the disappointment in his gaze had already disappeared. Zhong Wan told Yu She quietly, tone slightly teasing, ¡°I don¡¯t like girls anyways.¡± Yu She looked at Zhong Wan in silence. He knew very well in his heart that Zhong Wan was only lightening the mood. The Zhong Wan back then had slept in the garden of the estate, taking the sky as his canopy and the earth as his mattress. Who knew how disappointed and depressed he had felt in his heart. His younger brother, who he had treated in an honest and sincere manner, had stuffed a woman into his room after he had almost died, hoping this would keep his mouth shut and allow him to forget the mishaps of the past. He wanted him to continue risking his life for Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. A heart full of passion had ultimately been fed to a dog. Yu She had long since planned out Xuan Rui¡¯s future in his heart. Upon thinking of this, he instantly changed his plan. He absolutely couldn¡¯t treat that thing too well. ¡°I said I didn¡¯t want to mention it.¡± Zhong Wan pulled out a wax paper package from his breast pocket and excitedly presented this treasure to Yu She. ¡°Look at what this is.¡± Yu She lowered his head and looked down. ¡°¡­Jujube cake?¡± The cake was intricately made¡ªit didn¡¯t seem like something that could be made by a street vendor. Yu She asked, ¡°Where did you buy this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what the emperor treated me to just now.¡± Yu She carefully broke off a piece. ¡°I worried that it would get cold, so kept it in my chest all this time. Try it.¡± Yu She was in disbelief. ¡°How did you bring out¡­ the refreshments the emperor gave you to eat?¡± Zhong Wan replied innocently, ¡°I asked him for some. It tasted good to me, so I wanted you to try some too.¡± Zhong Wan had probably eaten a lot of cake himself. His words were so sweet it was like they had been dipped in honey. He was scared that the family soldiers would start laughing at him upon hearing this, so very quietly said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with me either. When I see or taste good things, you¡¯re the first person I think of.¡± Yu She lowered his gaze. The corners of his lips quirked up uncontrollably. He honestly couldn¡¯t imagine how Zhong Wan had nonchalantly asked Emperor Chongan for cake after rejecting a concubine in his stead. Zhong Wan was probably the only person who could both eat food in the palace and bring food out of the palace. ¡°Try it.¡± Zhong Wan fed Yu She. ¡°It¡¯s still warm.¡± Yu She lowered his head and ate the cake. As expected, it was very sweet. Yu She mumbled around a mouthful of cake, ¡°It¡¯s so hot. Did you get burned?¡± Zhong Wan uncaringly shook his head. Yu She didn¡¯t believe him. He personally shifted part of Zhong Wan¡¯s collar away. When he saw the slight red mark on the other¡¯s chest, he furrowed his brows. ¡°This was just to make you happy, you know?¡± Zhong Wan fixed his collar. ¡°Oh right. Let¡¯s make a deal. Over the next few days, Xuan Jing might come looking for me, wanting to cause trouble. Can Heir help me block him?¡± ¡°You¡¯re scared of him?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t take this to heart. ¡°How did you offend him?¡± Zhong Wan explained bitterly, ¡°It was originally out of good intentions. I left the estate early, so decided to go see him first. I could also ask about Lin Si. Unexpectedly¡­¡± Yu She lifted his gaze. ¡°Unexpectedly what?¡± Zhong Wan sighed. ¡°Unexpectedly¡­ when I left his estate, I accidentally broke one of his possessions.¡± Yu She apathetically said, ¡°Tell him to get an appraisal for it. I¡¯ll compensate him with ten times the object¡¯s worth.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s expression was strange. A pause later, he carefully stated, ¡°It was a liuli cup.¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. He suddenly felt like that sounded a bit familiar. Zhong Wan confessed, ¡°The one that took him over a month to piece back together¡­ It really wasn¡¯t my fault! His servant is still just a child. He¡¯s very clumsy and seems really timid too. While entering the inner room to bring tea, he tripped over the doorstep. All I did was help him keep his balance. I hadn¡¯t expected that my sleeve would just so happen to brush against the damned object¡­¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± Zhong Wan said with a bitter expression, ¡°He said he¡¯s going to kill me.¡± Yu She actually felt a bit sympathetic towards Xuan Jing. However, the fact that Zhong Wan had snuck out some refreshments from the palace for him was honestly too endearing. As of now, Yu She¡¯s entire heart had already gone soft. He was no longer principled. He nodded with difficulty. ¡°Yes, it wasn¡¯t your fault. It was that liuli cup¡¯s own fault.¡± Yu She even placated Zhong Wan by saying, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you found something to busy him with. Otherwise, he might get uncomfortably bored and come looking for me to cause trouble.¡± After he had mentioned this, Zhong Wan¡¯s heart hurt even more. Pained, he asked, ¡°Do you know what he told me during my visit this time?¡± Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan. ¡°Can you believe it?¡± Zhong Wan was in utter disbelief. ¡°These days, Xuan Jing is very diligently investigating whether Xuan Qiong¡¯s near-drowning incident at the palace last time was because he had jumped in himself or because you had pushed him in.¡± Yu She: ¡°¡­¡± The more he thought about it, the more pained Zhong Wan felt. ¡°He secretly told me that figuring this out would mean he might be able to understand a lot more things.¡± Yu She got out with difficulty, ¡°Can¡¯t Lin Si remind him that we¡¯ve already started fighting for the position of crown prince now?¡± ¡°Lin Si hasn¡¯t even seen him yet!¡± Zhong Wan felt incredibly worried. ¡°Say, why do you think Xuan Jing is so unlucky? When we all attended classes together in the early years, he couldn¡¯t keep up. Now, we¡¯re fighting for the position of crown prince, but he still can¡¯t keep up. But that¡¯s fine too. Everyone else can fight each other and he can fight himself. And his fight with himself is very exciting¡­ Even to this day, he¡¯s still worried that you or Xuan Qiong will use that liuli cup to ruin him. He thinks you two might go tattle on him to the emperor, saying that he ruined a gift from the emperor!¡± Yu She expressionlessly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not bored enough to do that.¡± Zhong Wan wrung his wrists in despair. ¡°It¡¯s been half a year: a whole six months. Nobody has reminded him, nobody has disrupted him. He¡¯s still hung up over his liuli cup¡­¡± Yu She was speechless. He reluctantly promised, ¡°Fine. You owe him one. I promise¡­ as long as he doesn¡¯t try to harm me in the future, I won¡¯t try to harm him either.¡± CH 83 Once Yu She had reached the door to his estate after rushing there, he finally realized what happened. Before he disembarked from the carriage, Yu She grasped Zhong Wan¡¯s wrist and said in a low voice, ¡°What are you playing at? Are you pretending to be pitiful for Xuan Jing¡¯s sake?¡± Figured out by Yu She, Zhong Wan did not try to hide it. Laughed. ¡°Are you angry?¡± Yu She did not comment. Zhong Wan honestly said, ¡°It¡¯s true that I pretended to be pitiful for his sake. It¡¯s also true that he¡¯s too stupid.¡± A smile spread across Yu She¡¯s mouth. He threw his own cloak to Zhong Wan. ¡°Wrap it around you before you hop down.¡± The evening meal had yet to be fully prepared. Yu She first ordered people to summon the imperial physician. He wanted him to examine Zhong Wan¡¯s chest and see if it was truly scalded. Zhong Wan complained with no end, saying, ¡°I merely fell asleep by accident and forgot about this, so burned this red mark. It¡¯s really not a big deal. Don¡¯t make people call me delicate again! I didn¡¯t go outside for these past two months, and didn¡¯t know there are all types of rumors about me. My reputation has been completely destroyed.¡± Innocently, Yu She said, ¡°Nonsense. When have I ever tarnished your reputation?¡± Zhong Wan dared to be angry but not show it. Many years ago, he had caused a lot of rumors to spread about Yu She, and now this was karma. It was his turn now. Actually, he didn¡¯t have a position to question Yu She. Today, when he had left the estate, he heard from the old eunuch of Xuan Jing¡¯s palace many rumors about himself. They startled Zhong Wan. If he had not known that those rumors were about him, he would have also believed them. Zhong Wan truly did not want any other strange rumor to spread about him. In a miserable manner, he said, ¡°If you can¡¯t be at ease, then look at it yourself.¡± Yu She frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have any medical experience.¡± Although he had said this, Yu She took a look outside. It seemed the imperial physician would not arrive so soon. He rose to his feet. Let down the curtains to the inner chamber. Then he made his way in front of Zhong Wan. After a moment of slight hesitation, he unbuttoned the button to Zhong Wan¡¯s collar. Zhong Wan slightly raised his head to make it convenient for Yu She¡¯s actions. Yu She undid his clothes and once again took a look. He felt like the red mark on Zhong Wan¡¯s chest grew an even deeper red. ¡°Did you get this from a burn?¡± Zhong Wan raised his head to look at Yu She, Adam¡¯s apple bobbing a hint. ¡°There¡¯s only this spot? What about below?¡± Just now, Yu She had not checked lower. After hearing his words, he frowned.¡±Your belly got scalded too?¡± Yu She undid Zhong Wan¡¯s clothes a bit more, examining his flat belly. ¡°¡­There¡¯s nothing red below. Where does it still hurt?¡± Pursing his lips, Zhong Wan whispered, ¡°Go lower¡­ Help me take a look.¡± Yu She¡¯s fingers paused. Then he realized something. Yu She stared into Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes. Calmly, he asked, ¡°Guiyuan, so you actually heated up the jujube cake just now by sandwiching it between your legs? How could you be this frivolous?¡± Zhong Wan failed at flirting with Yu She. Embarrassed, he coughed. ¡°Of course not.¡± But Yu She was ruthless. ¡°If not, then why does it hurt so much down there?!¡± The imperial physician carried the medicine case as he approached the room. Yu She let go of Zhong Wan, lifted open the curtains, and ordered the imperial physician to examine Zhong Wan¡¯s wound. Yu She would hardly hide things out of embarrassment. In fact, he cooperated with the imperial physician to a great degree, carefully explaining this matter to him. The red mark on Zhong Wan¡¯s chest was left by a burn from the jujube cake. And Zhong Wan had carried this pastry to Yu She for Yu She to eat. The imperial physician criticized in his heart, it doesn¡¯t matter who this jujube cake is for. If it causes an injury, then it causes an injury. ¡°Cigluta, atfgf jgf cb yilrafgr. Qf mjc jqqis j yla bo blcawfca obg rmjivr,¡± rjlv atf lwqfglji qtsrlmljc rfglberis joafg fzjwlclcu atf lcpegs. ¡°Gbc¡¯a ifa la abemt kjafg. Coafg j ofk vjsr, ktfc atf beafg ijsfg bo rxlc qffir boo, la¡¯ii yf yfaafg.¡± Te Vtf cbvvfv jcv lcragemafv atf lwqfglji qtsrlmljc ab ifjnf yftlcv atf wfvlmlcf. As they ate their dinner, Zhong Wan said, ¡°If Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s plan fails this time, would she come find trouble with you again?¡± Yu She helped pick up food for Zhong Wan, placing it in the latter¡¯s bowl. ¡°Probably. However, she just comes up with these small plans again and again. At most, they just disgust me. These tricks can¡¯t do much.¡± Zhong Wan muttered to himself, ¡°She has no true power in her hands, and also has Tang Qin watching her every move. She¡¯s unable to make any large waves. Right now, we¡¯re afraid of Prince Yu¡¯s side. Prince Yu¡­ What did he do these past few days? Do you know?¡± ¡°He¡¯s bearing patiently and doing nothing unusual,¡± said Yu She. ¡°After falling into a trap due to the two of us, he suffered the crimes of someone else twice. So he won¡¯t be so easily fooled by us anymore. At present, the emperor does not allow anyone to see Xuang Qiong. Now Prince Yu is out of plans. In these two days¡­ if I guessed correctly, he¡¯s quietly hiding all the human testimonies and material evidence. He wants to reverse the verdict given to your estate.¡± Zhong Wan was shocked. ¡°Our estate? Are you talking about the Zhong state or Prince Ning¡¯s estate?¡± ¡°Prince Ning¡¯s,¡± said Yu She. ¡°Since he has the intention to turn Xuan Rui into a puppet emperor, then he would need to reverse the verdict given to Prince Ning¡¯s case. To make the imperial clan members and high-ranking court officials believe that back then, the previous emperor truly wanted to confer Prince Ning the position of crown prince. ¡°There are many people with the surname of Xuan in this generation. This is the simplest and most reasonable way of proving Xuan Rui is the destined one.¡± Yu She laughed at himself. ¡°However, there¡¯s nothing wrong with this. Back then, if it weren¡¯t for these people stealing the throne, Prince Ning would have smoothly ascended the throne. And the person who should be the emperor now would be Xuan Rui.¡± Yu She looked at Zhong Wan. ¡°Guiyuan, what are you trying to fight for in Xuan Rui¡¯s sake? I¡¯m not talking about currently. I¡¯m talking about the past. You were friends with him back then, right?¡± Zhong Wan swallowed the food in his mouth. Laughed in a relaxed manner. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to fight for anything. ¡°From the start, Xuan Rui had the chance to ascend the throne. However, that¡¯s not because he¡¯s more skilled than others,¡± said Zhong Wan dully. ¡°It¡¯s because Prince Ning was very intelligent, which made the previous emperor favor him immensely. ¡°He merely received benefits from his affiliation with Prince Ning.¡± Zhong Wan sighed. ¡°Even Prince Ning did not become the emperor. So how could Xuan Rui have this fortune? Moreover, I just hoped they would survive, and did not think of something like this. ¡°No,¡± said Zhong Wan after thinking a bit and furrowing his brows. ¡°At present, Xuan Rui is considered in your hands. Why would Prince Yu change his plans so quickly? Xuan Qiong still has the chance to become the emperor. Why did he spend this much time and energy on Xuan Rui?¡± Yu She took a sip of soup. A good while later he said, ¡°Who knows? Maybe¡­ he felt that as long as Xuan Rui lives, he can become a puppet. It¡¯s merely spending a bit of time to transport him back to Prince Yu¡¯s estate. He¡¯s certain that I won¡¯t kill Xuan Rui at least. As such, he¡¯s able to be this at ease.¡± After thinking about it, Zhong Wan also found it reasonable. Other people misunderstood Yu She. However, Prince Yu should be very clear that no matter how ruthless Yu She showed himself, he wasn¡¯t actually a cruel person who killed whenever he pleased. Yu She said softly, ¡°Let him torment himself. Isn¡¯t this great?¡± Zhong Wan laughed in spite of himself. ¡°You¡¯re borrowing Prince Yu¡¯s hand to help our family reverse the verdict, right?¡± Yu She smiled carelessly. Again, Zhong Wan thought for a moment. Then he felt assured. ¡°Then in the future, your days would be a lot more pleasant.¡± Yu She raised his brows. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If Prince Yu has this intention, then he certainly would draw in his claws and act in the shadows,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°He¡¯ll pretend to be content with his lot, and naturally would not oppose you tit for tat. Nevertheless, he would act like he lost.¡± Zhong Wan had guessed correctly. The following half a month, Prince Yu drew in his claws on the surface. After Emperor Chongan had openly and covetly scolded Prince Yu, he took it wellbehavedly. He did not try to explain for himself. Whether it was Xuan Qiong¡¯s matter or other trivial things, as long as Prince Yu was held accountable, he would admit to it. And he even admitted to it very sincerely. One after the other, the booklets that spoke of his humble apology were sent to the emperor, lowering his position more and more. As if he truly accepted his wrongs and tolerated Emperor Chongan recognizing Yu She as his son, no longer daring to complain even a little. Meanwhile, Prince Yu acted in secret. What had happened in that year had originally been the combined efforts of him and Emperor Chongan. On that day, he hid something. Other than the servants who had waited on Little Imperial Consort Zhong, there were many more human testimonies and material evidence like them. It was more convenient for Prince Yu to do something like this than other people. Whether Emperor Chongan was enchanted was anyone¡¯s guess. Yu She and Zhong Wan definitely would not trust Prince Yu. Zhong Wan was up to mischief, and told Yu She to ask the Cabinet for help. To make a lot of trouble for Prince Yu. Since he wanted to pretend like he was obedient, if they didn¡¯t bully him now, then when could they bully him? Yu She was certain about this. Ever since that day, apart from earnestly making trouble for Prince Yu, Zhong Wan had one other task: picking up Yu She and escorting him back to his estate every day. No matter if it was raining or snowing, he always enjoyed doing it. Yu She said to him a few times that he didn¡¯t need to work so hard. But Zhong Wan did not listen. Once, when they talked about the time they had gone to school with each other, Yu She inadvertently mentioned that he hated how lucky Xuan Rui was. Since he had been inseparable from Zhong Wan every day. Zhong Wan understood that Yu She wasn¡¯t jealous of Xuan Rui; he was merely unresigned. Unresigned to the fact that he didn¡¯t become close with Zhong Wan earlier in his youth, and didn¡¯t get to grow up as childhood sweethearts. Zhong Wan was also very unresigned about this. If in his teens, they were together, and passed love letters to each out in secret with Imperial Preceptor Shi around, and be intimate in a place with no around, that would be very exciting. The past had already passed. Now, Zhong Wan tried his best to make up for each other. That day, he went to pick up Yu She as usual. The moment the carriage stopped moving, a little eunuch rushed toward it. This was the eunuch who followed Yu She into the palace every day. Noticing that Zhong Wan had arrived, he rushed to pay respects to him. ¡°Young Master, Heir said that the Cabinet is busy today, and perhaps they would be busy until evening. He says for your honored self to return first.¡± The documents passed on to the Cabinet each day must be worked through before the members could leave. When there were a lot of documents, Yu She indeed could not leave. Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°Alright, you can go.¡± The little eunuch left after relaying Yu She¡¯s message. But Zhong Wan did not leave. There was nothing to do at home anyway, so he¡¯d just wait by the door. The days were getting warmer and warmer. It wasn¡¯t cold even during twilight. Zhong Wan disembarked from the carriage. Leaned against it as he closed his eyes. A short while later, an old eunuch who had escorted people out of the palace approached him to pay respects. Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t dare accept your salute. Gonggong, why are you doing this?¡± ¡°This old slave was doing my duty and by happy coincidence saw Young Master Zhong.¡± After he had asked what Zhong Wan was doing here and received an answer, the old eunuch said with a smile, ¡°Young Master Zhong isn¡¯t like other people. Your honored self can wait inside the Cabinet chamber. It just so happens that this old slave is delivering the refreshments His Majesty bestowed on Young Prince Yu. Does Young Master Zhong want to come along?¡± Zhong Wan hesitated. The old eunuch wholeheartedly wanted to curry favor with Yu She, and said softly, ¡°Young Master just needs to say that you are sending something from the estate to Young Prince Yu.¡± Indeed Zhong Wan wanted to see Yu She¡¯s everyday appearance while handling official business. He smiled. ¡°Thank you, Gongong.¡± The old eunuch politely led the way. It wasn¡¯t easy to enter the Cabinet¡¯s restricted area. Once the old eunuch had led him there, he said deferentially, ¡°The sirs inside are probably having their evening meal. Young Master should wait here for a moment. This old slave will inform Young Prince Yu of your arrival.¡± Zhong Wan nodded, wellbehavedly standing in the entrance hall. He looked up at his surroundings, shallowly smiling. When he was very young, Emperor Chongan had asked him if he wanted to be the secretary of the emperor. And Zhong Wan had arrogantly told him to wait until he passed the Imperial Exam. In the end, it was an empty dream. Because Zhong Wan could not become a cabinet member, he was very curious how it was inside. Standing at the entrance hall, Zhong Wan was able to hear clearly what was happening within. The clink of cups, and the rustle of little eunuchs arranging the booklets. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t know when Yu She would come out, so he held his breath¡­ Inside the room, everyone rushed to eat their meal so that they could finish quicker and leave earlier. The old Cabinet members didn¡¯t have as big of an appetite as that of a young man. They would quickly and carelessly eat a few mouthfuls and left it as that. As they waited for the others, they watched as the dishes continued to come and chatted. A cabinet member sighed. ¡°These past two years, my chest always felt uncomfortable. An imperial physician told me to eat less meat. My indoors-one controlled my meals very strictly and won¡¯t let me touch meat. I can only look at these dishes, but not eat them.¡± Another cabinet member empathized with the first one. ¡°Yes, these past two years an imperial physician told me to quit drinking alcohol. At first, I was unable to quit. But my wife controlled me.¡± Cabinet Minister Sun laughed. ¡°Recently, I don¡¯t know who my indoors-one heard this from, but she did not allow ginger to be put in our dishes, saying that my old body couldn¡¯t bear it. And after that, I never had ginger again.¡± Yu She, who was sitting quietly at the side as he ate, looked up. Glanced at two ministers chatting. And he felt a bit jealous. However, he was in good health and there wasn¡¯t anything he should avoid eating. Zhong Wan also had never controlled what he ate. Therefore, Yu She did not join in their conversation out of embarrassment. However, he really wanted to talk a bit about his ¡°indoors-one.¡± A cabinet minister said, ¡°My indoors-one won¡¯t let me eat chicken breast. She said it will harm my liver and spleen.¡± Another cabinet minister thought of something, and added, ¡°She doesn¡¯t let me eat pickled dishes. She said it will harm my kidneys.¡± Yu She wanted to say something, but hesitated. He wanted to butt in a few times, but was unsuccessful. After everyone had finished speaking, the room grew quiet. Yu She set down his chopsticks. Strove his hardest to lightly say the first sentence he would say today in the Cabinet. ¡°My indoors-one said I should eat less cold-food powder. He said I would die.¡± Such words rendered the cabinet members and the Zhong Wan who was waiting outside speechless. CH 84 One statement from Yu She had shut everyone else up. He had truly caused the conversation to become a bit too heavy. The senior officials had nothing to say in response. Yet, Yu She scanned everyone in the room. His gaze was filled with slight anticipation. He liked talking about this. He wanted to say some more. An awkward period of silence later, it was still Senior Cabinet Official Sun who ultimately got out with difficulty, ¡°Yes, that could cause death.¡± Yu She nodded. In a tone that he believed was calm and not awkward at all, he said, ¡°Originally, I wasn¡¯t willing to listen to him, but I couldn¡¯t withstand his frequent onslaught of reminders. I could only listen to him. What he said wasn¡¯t wrong in the first place, anyway. One really should limit their poison intake.¡± Senior Cabinet Official Sun forced himself to say, ¡°Exactly so.¡± Yu She nodded. He picked up his handkerchief and daintily wiped off his fingertips. Then, he ordered someone to take away the bowl and chopsticks so he could continue looking over the documents. The senior cabinet officials made eye contact and rapidly finished their meals before going back to commenting on the booklets. Outside, Zhong Wan slammed his head against a pillar. He didn¡¯t want to go inside to see Yu She at all. The little eunuch in charge of serving Yu She walked over. Just as he was about to speak, Zhong Wan shushed him. ¡°Don¡¯t announce me. I¡¯ll just wait here for him.¡± Thanks to Yu She, Zhong Wan was no longer curious in the slightest about what the Cabinet looked like inside. He even felt a bit fortunate that he didn¡¯t have such a crazy colleague. The little eunuch nodded before silently retreating. Zhong Wan sat down. He drank tea while waiting. Almost two hours later, the little Hanlins started carrying booklets out of the room. Zhong Wan knew that it was almost time. He stood and walked out of the palace alone. Zhong Wan told everyone to help keep the fact that he had gone looking for Yu She a secret; they were only to say that he had made a trip back to the estate before returning. In less than five minutes, Yu She walked out. Yu She¡¯s brows were furrowed. On one hand, he scolded the family soldiers for not following his orders. On the other, he honestly couldn¡¯t handle Zhong Wan continuously tugging at his sleeve. Reluctantly, he held onto Zhong Wan¡¯s hand. The horse carriage driver put the stool away, lit the lanterns, turned the horse carriage around, and started on their way back to the estate. There was a brazier inside. Zhong Wan¡¯s hands were even colder than Yu She¡¯s though, and Yu She had been walking outside in the wind for a while. Yu She¡¯s expression was a bit dark. Zhong Wan took this opportunity to be mushy. ¡°My body is cold too¡­The weather today is honestly terrible.¡± Yu She hesitated for a moment. He undid his cloak and wrapped Zhong Wan up with it. Zhong Wan sighed, pleased. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Why did you have so much business to attend to today?¡±¡°Prince Yu has temporarily hidden himself away. Those on his side have all either retired or quit¡­¡± Yu She said in his deep voice. ¡°Though he doesn¡¯t have any allies in the Cabinet, because there are less people working in the lower levels, trivial matters have naturally gotten pushed up.¡± Itbcu Qjc rboais rjlv, ¡°Uglcmf Te vbfrc¡¯a cfmfrrjglis kjca ab lcoegljaf atf fwqfgbg. Lf cffvr ab jma ilxf tf¡¯r jigfjvs jvwlaafv vfofja. Ktja wfjcr atf qfbqif ecvfg tlw klii vfolclafis cffv ab tlvf jkjs abb. Qtja¡¯r atf fwqfgbg¡¯r bqlclbc?¡± Te Vtf rtbbx tlr tfjv. ¡°Rba mifjg. Lf vlv gfjv jii atf ybbxifar atja kfgf rfca ab tlw abvjs, yea vlvc¡¯a wjxf jcs mbwwfcar. Ktf Jjylcfa tjnf ulnfc atflg reuufralbcr gfujgvlcu atf gfqijmfwfca bo j ofk lwqbgajca boolmljir, yea atf fwqfgbg vlvc¡¯a wjxf jcs vfolclalnf rajafwfcar. Lf abiv atf Jjylcfa ab vlrmerr la rbwf wbgf.¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°He¡¯s testing you.¡± Yu She made a sound of acknowledgement. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything¡­ Those senior officials whom the emperor will listen to are the trusted subordinates that he has personally promoted over all these years. They wouldn¡¯t listen to me. Even now, they haven¡¯t expressed any inclinations to join my side either. Saying too much is useless. Besides¡­¡± Yu She calmly said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any possible replacements.¡± These past few years, Yu She had never thought about fighting for the position of crown prince. He had also never trained any people. Speaking of this, he was probably even less powerful in the Court than Xuan Jing. Zhong Wan thought about it. ¡°Old Imperial Preceptor Shi left a few people for me. One of them is an assistant astronomer in the Imperial Astronomy Department.¡± Yu She held down Zhong Wan¡¯s disobedient hands. Lowly, he asked, ¡°What? You want to have that assistant astronomer tell the emperor that he discovered in the stars that I must be the crown prince?¡± Zhong Wan laughed. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll get in contact with him tomorrow.¡± Before waiting for Yu She to respond, Zhong Wan rushed to add, ¡°I naturally won¡¯t let anyone discover that I ever went. If I return late tomorrow, I won¡¯t come pick you up.¡± Yu She fell silent for a moment. Then, he nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± It was late at night. Soft murmurs could be heard from Yu She¡¯s carriage as it traveled along the official path. Nice and peaceful, like the upcoming maelstrom had nothing to do with these two people. A few days later, Emperor Chongan had the rare energy to attend morning court. After morning court, he told Yu She to stay behind. The weather was slowly getting warmer. Emperor Chongan strolled around the imperial gardens with the aid of his cane. Yu She followed behind him. Emperor Chongan didn¡¯t speak. Not a word left Yu She¡¯s lips either. ¡°These past few days, you¡¯ve been quite stressed out about Cabinet business. I¡¯ve heard about this.¡± Emperor Chongan turned his head to look at Yu She. ¡°Ziyou, if you didn¡¯t understand in the past, you should understand now after this period of hard work, right? This throne isn¡¯t easy to sit on.¡± Emperor Chongan stopped in his tracks. He gazed off into the distance at the spring blossoms, dazed. ¡°At your age, I too wanted to help the previous emperor carry some burdens. After actually inheriting the throne, though¡­ I felt that things were truly very tiring.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t respond. Emperor Chongan continued to walk forward. He said in a low voice, ¡°These past few years, I¡¯ve eaten late and woken up early to placate the inside while stabilizing the outside. I¡¯ve exhausted all my energy. I personally believe that even if I had made a mistake in the early years, I¡¯ve already compensated for it by now. Who¡­ could be up next?¡± Emperor Chongan stared at Yu She as he had said this. Yu She¡¯s gaze was cold. He didn¡¯t answer. Emperor Chongan kept walking. Bibo Pond was close by. He hesitated for a moment before turning around and walking in the opposite direction. Ridicule flashed through Yu She¡¯s eyes. Emperor Chongan was scared that he would suddenly fly into a fit and push him into the water too. He relied on Yu She heavily now, but was still guarded against him. The fact that a biological father and son had gotten to this step was quite ironic. Emperor Chongan continued to say, ¡°I heard the senior cabinet officials say that you¡¯re very diligent while reading the booklets everyday. You don¡¯t speak much, but do a lot. Additionally, even after entering the cabinet for so long, you still only watch and learn. You¡¯ve never intervened in a single matter.¡± Emperor Chongan lamented, ¡°I remember when Qiong¡¯er was there¡­ he practically wished that the entire cabinet would listen to him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talented nor well-learned,¡± said Yu She in a nonchalant manner. ¡°There¡¯s not much I can help with anyways.¡± Emperor Chongan continued to walk. He asked, ¡°Then after you have learned for so long, have you experienced the difficulty of being someone in power?¡± Yu She did his best to hide the scorn in his eyes. He fell silent for a moment before saying, ¡°It¡¯s very difficult, but sometimes, having this sense of difficulty is a blessing. If I have too peaceful of a life¡­ I fear that I won¡¯t be able to live for too long.¡± Emperor Chongan gave Yu She a long, hard look. He sighed. ¡°Just say a few nice things. As a way of being filial to me. Okay?¡± Yu She lowered his gaze. Yu She didn¡¯t look like Little Imperial Consort Zhong. Only his eyes and eyebrows slightly resembled Emperor Chongan¡¯s eyes from when the other had been younger. Emperor Chongan stared into Yu She¡¯s eyes and softly said, ¡°You grew up in the palace, Ziyou. Did you know? You started walking really late. All the other kids learned how to walk before they turned one. Only you¡ªyou were almost two, but still wobbled and walked very slowly. However, every time you saw me, you wouldn¡¯t care about those things. You would run very fast. One day in the imperial gardens, you saw me from afar and started running toward me at once. None of the palace servants could catch up to you. You were running too quickly, so tripped on a stone step. Both of your little hands were covered in blood. At that time, my heart honestly hurt so much that I felt like it was going to break¡­¡± Both of Emperor Chongan¡¯s hands rested on his wooden cane. He coughed twice and said while panting, ¡°Thinking back now, I¡¯m immensely regretful. At the time, why did I care about etiquette so much? I ought to have run forward a few steps too and picked you up well before you could¡¯ve fallen¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was normal. ¡°I learned to walk late. Since young, I¡¯ve been in the habit of falling over. After falling enough times, I¡¯ve long since gotten used to it. There¡¯s no need to mind, Emperor.¡± As he coughed, Emperor Chongan laughed bitterly. ¡°You still blame me.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was calm. ¡°It¡¯s the truth. I¡¯ve truly gotten used to it.¡± Emperor Chongan knew that it was too late to try and start warming up Yu She¡¯s heart now. He didn¡¯t say anything else regarding that topic. He waved his hands. ¡°Nevermind. Accompany me a bit longer. ¡°These past few days, Prince Yu has been locked up at home and very well behaved,¡± Emperor Chongan said. ¡°Say¡­ Does he really not want to fight anymore, or is he crafting another plan?¡± Upon hearing this, Yu She, who was walking behind him, said, ¡°I¡¯ve never had a clear understanding of Prince Yu¡¯s thoughts. I daren¡¯t guess.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been his son for many years. If even you can¡¯t guess, I¡¯m even less capable.¡± Emperor Chongan walked up the stone stairs step by step. ¡°The Imperial Astronomy Department came to report the astronomical phenomena today¡­¡± Emperor Chongan was truly in poor health. He had started panting after merely climbing a few steps. He stopped and slowly said, ¡°Originally, everything was only normal. They talked about how the spring rains would be this year and whether or not there would be floods this summer. However, this time, they also mentioned¡­ They said that this year, Mars might be approaching Antares.¡± Mars stayed at Antares. Great calamity befell the Son of Heaven. Emperor Chongan took his time saying, ¡°Ziyou, who is it that wishes harm against me?¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was unchanged. He answered, ¡°The matters of astronomical phenomena can be both believed or disregarded.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been in poor health this year, but I feel that I should be able to last two more years. It probably isn¡¯t the Heavens that wants me to go.¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s voice grew colder. In a low voice, he said, ¡°The Imperial Astronomy Department also said that the two stars next to Antares are flashing. One is fortunate, while the other is unfortunate.¡± Emperor Chongan gazed at Yu She. His eyes were dark. ¡°These two stars have always represented the imperial princes. One is going to be fortunate and the other is going to be unfortunate. Tell me. Which is which?¡± Yu She¡¯s expression slightly changed. Emperor Chongan pressed down on Yu She¡¯s shoulder briefly. ¡°The fortunate one has been trapped by the unfortunate one. If that¡¯s the message¡­ isn¡¯t it a bit obvious?¡± Yu She inhaled deeply. ¡°I was born in the middle of July: truly the unfortunate one. Right now, Xuan Qiong is under house arrest. He also truly is¡­¡± Yu She scoffed. He didn¡¯t continue speaking. ¡°I do believe these superstitious messages. In the early years, someone said that I have no luck in regards to offspring. I really did lose many princes and felt depressed for a long time.¡± Emperor Chongan narrowed his eyes. All of a sudden, he changed the topic, saying, ¡°But as of now, I have three nice and healthy sons alive. What does that mean? ¡°First, they said that Mars will stay at Antares. Then, they said that a prince will be trapped. Now, they¡¯re saying that the fortunate prince might be able to divert this astronomical phenomenon.¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s voice was completely cold. ¡°Prince Yu has been waiting for many days. So he¡¯s been using all his energy in this regard! He wants to use the words of the Imperial Astronomy Department to make me name Xuan Qiong as crown prince. He¡¯s also using your birthdate against you. How terribly evil¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s heart finally fell back into place. He couldn¡¯t help lamenting to himself that Zhong Wan really understood Emperor Chongan quite well. Emperor Chongan¡¯s glabella was a bit dark. His expression was foul too. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I wasted too much time before naming you as prince of the first rank. So long that these people think that they can change my mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Emperor Chongan, placating Yu She. ¡°I¡¯ve just given the imperial decree to officially name you prince of the first rank.¡± Yu She knelt and thanked the emperor for his grace. This entire process was extremely proper. He didn¡¯t say any excessive words of gratitude. Emperor Chongan ordered him to stand up. He laughed bitterly. ¡°Why have I heard that you¡¯re very talkative around Guiyuan? You spend everyday together and nobody can separate you two. But you have nothing to say to me?¡± Emperor Chongan furrowed his brows and thought about it. He said, ¡°Oh right¡­ Who did I hear this from again¡­ ¡°They said that since I¡¯ve admitted you to be my son, the Imperial Clan Court and Ministry of Internal Affairs have both sent a lot of stuff to your estate. And people are already starting to write down where you stay each night now.¡± Emperor Chongan burst into laughter. ¡°How come I heard that the entire booklet is filled with¡­¡± Yu She calmly said, ¡°All Zhong Wan.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression changed a bit. He found Zhong Wan slightly embarrassing. However, he also couldn¡¯t resist saying, ¡°H-he didn¡¯t even know what the booklet was for. He thought that I was required to go find the person whose name was written under the date on that day. Thus, he asked for dozens of those journaling booklets. When he had nothing to do, he would simply write his name onto them, filling every page out to the brim. As of now¡­¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t help adding, ¡°He¡¯s probably already scheduled the next few decades of my life.¡± CH 85 Although there wasn¡¯t an official in charge of recording the princes¡¯ everyday actions, to ensure that the bloodline of the imperial household remained pure, in the current dynasty, whom an adult prince slept with every night must be recorded in simple terms by the people of his estate. Emperor Chongan had recently recognized Yu She as his son. As such, Yu She was now considered a proper imperial prince. The Ministry of Internal Affairs sent journaling booklets to the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, and also gave the responsibility of recording to Steward Feng. Yu She never got close to women. Therefore, those booklets would have no use, and Steward Feng placed them to the side. By coincidence, Zhong Wan caught sight of them. Zhong Wan flipped through the empty pages. Not understanding, he thought for a bit and came to the conclusion these were the booklets meant to keep track of Yu She¡¯s nightly activities. And so, he placed high importance to them. When Steward Feng wasn¡¯t paying attention, Zhong Wan took the chance to steal both booklets. Furthermore, he hid away a writing brush. He found a place with no one around to carefully and earnestly fill in his given name and surname; then when no one was paying attention, he slipped the booklets back into their original spots. Zhong Wan stayed in the estate to recover. Apart from giving Yu She advice, he did not have much to do. Therefore, once he discovered the booklets, whenever he had nothing to do, he would steal them and write his name in them, full of joy. He never grew tired of it, and was as happy as if winning the lottery when doing so. In secret, Zhong Wan used up an entire case of Yu She¡¯s gold-outlined ink stick. It would be difficult for Yu She not to notice. Without a word, Yu She stared at his writing brush that was missing its hairs. Sighed in his heart. If someone like Zhong Wan entered the imperial harem, one would fear that he would ingeniously cheat during the name tag selection. Silently, he would steal those name tags and change them, have them all say his own name. So that when it was time for the emperor to flip a name tag, he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid choosing Zhong Wan¡­ Zhong Wan was defintely capable of doing this. Yu She closed his eyes and feigned ignorance, allowing Zhong Wan to do as he liked. But poor Steward Feng. The old steward was kept in the dark about all this. After ten days, an official from the Ministry of Internal Affairs came to pick up the booklets and copy what¡¯s in them into their own records. Steward Feng passed on the booklets. As an official in the Ministry of Internal Affairs was copying the records in the booklets, he saw two characters repeated and densely packed together: Zhong Wan. And he was truly startled. This matter, of how the new imperial prince was inseparable from Young Master Zhong, entered Emperor Chongan¡¯s ears in this way. Yu She did not want to talk about Zhong Wan with Emperor Chongan. Half covering it up, he merely said a couple words. Once he returned to his estate and saw Zhong Wan, he couldn¡¯t help but scold him a little. Zhong Wan pretended like he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What happened? When did I ever touch your things? What booklets?¡± ¡°The booklet about my everyday life!¡± Yu She could not endure it any longer. ¡°Just how long into the future does that booklet have to record? Wouldn¡¯t the palace find it strange when they saw it? Is there really a ghost pulling the strings? Can I really not yell at you?¡± Zhong Wan held it all in until his face turned red. ¡°I thought this was¡­¡± Yu She looked at him. And he couldn¡¯t hold back from asking, ¡°What did you think it was?¡± At this moment, Steward Feng came inside the room with light refreshments. Upon seeing this, he smiled apologetically. ¡°What happened? If you have something to say, say it nicely.¡± Zhong Wan pretended to be pitiful. ¡°Heir said I touched his things.¡± Steward Feng rushed to protect Zhong Wan by saying, ¡°It¡¯s fine if he just accidentally touched something. Your Highness loves Young Master Zhong so much, so don¡¯t be angry at him for such a trivial matter.¡± ¡°How could this be just touching? He¡­¡± Yu She looked up. ¡°Have you received the imperial edict yet?¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°The messenger just left. Congratulations to Your Highness.¡± ¡°Zs alaif tjr sfa ab yf vfafgwlcfv.¡± Te Vtf aegcfv ab Itbcu Qjc jcv rjlv lc j ibk nblmf, ¡°Mbgaecjafis, sbeg qfbqif jgf rwjga. Ca qgfrfca, atf fwqfgbg atlcxr atja Uglcmf Te mbiievfv klat atf qfbqif bo atf Pwqfglji Cragbcbws Gfqjgawfca.¡± Vfflcu atf akb bo atfw yglcu eq qgbqfg yerlcfrr, Vafkjgv Mfcu ybkfv jcv ifoa. Yu She said in a low voice, ¡°Guess. How long until the emperor chooses a crown prince?¡± ¡°When his health declines a bit more¡­¡± muttered Zhong Wan irresolutely to himself. ¡°Or maybe after he discovers Prince Yu or Xuan Qiong making trouble again.¡± Zhong Wan thought for a bit. Softly said, ¡°It¡¯ll probably be difficult to rely on Xuan Qiong making trouble. Should we mention what¡¯s happening in the Beidi tribes a bit earlier?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry,¡± said Yu She, shaking his head. ¡°Give Prince Yu some time¡­ Regarding the matters of your family, he has yet to reverse the verdict for you.¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Your Highness, why do you have such a vicious heart?¡± With indifference, Yu She said, ¡°He asked for it. That¡¯s the kind of person he is. Other people had a few back up plans, but he would definitely have more than a hundred. He¡¯s greedy and never satisfied. So he ought to die from exhaustion.¡± ¡°Then are you not greedy?¡± said Zhong Wan quietly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if we are late, many things would change. If Prince Yu truly throws caution in the wind and must prove that Little Imperial Consort Zhong had committed regicide, you¡­ After all, you are Little Imperial Consort Zhong¡¯s son. If someone uses this point to call you into question, feels you are unsuitable for the throne, then what¡¯s to be done?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not guaranteed it would come to this point. What¡¯s more, I wasn¡¯t even born yet at that time. So what does this have to do with me?¡± said Yu She, not paying it any mind. ¡°Has there been any news from Princess¡¯ side?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°Ever since I helped you take care of things, making the emperor believe that Prince Yu had exposed and spread the matter of Little Imperial Consort Zhong, Princess has not come to our side courtyard. I had Lin Si spy on them. For many days, Prince Yu did not go to the princess estate.¡± Zhong Wan looked at Yu She. ¡°Ziyou, you forced Princess Royal Anguo a few times to choose a side. Is it to make her dead set on helping you, or to have her set a clear dividing line between her and Prince Yu? So that in the future, she would not be implicated?¡± Yu She fell silent. A short while later, he stared deeply at Zhong Wan. Laughing at himself, he said, ¡°Both.¡± Zhong Wan felt somewhat heartbroken for Yu She. However, as he looked at Yu She¡¯s malicious gaze, and thought of his gentle and soft heart beneath that tyrannical and haughty exterior, Zhong Wan could not control himself from being fascinated. ¡°Has the booklet expressing thanks for favor been written yet?¡± Zhong Wan picked up a blank booklet and set it in front of Yu She. ¡°You¡¯ve finally been conferred the title of imperial prince. You¡¯ve already gotten what you wanted, so you should give the emperor some face.¡± Yu She was not too willing. In a half-hearted manner, he said, ¡°Just have someone casually write this thanks. In any case, he¡¯s not guaranteed to look at it.¡± ¡°But what if he has someone read it during morning court in front of everyone?¡± asked Zhong Wan. ¡°Hurry and write it.¡± Yu She really did not want to write it. During the day, he had already dealt with Emperor Chongan for so long. Now, when he thought of the emperor, he felt sick. Yu She massaged his forehead. ¡°My head hurts. You¡­ Write a few words for me. I¡¯ll copy it later.¡± Zhong Wan answered at once, ¡°Okay.¡± Zhong Wan did not sit. Rather, he stood before Yu She, picked up the brush and dipped it into the ink. He opened the booklet, and did not even have to think about what to write, casually writing something. Silent, Yu She looked at him. Then he said, ¡°It¡¯s truly a waste of your talent that you didn¡¯t enter the Secretariat.¡± ¡°Are you satisfied?¡± Zhong Wan had not set down his brush until he finished writing. As he wrote beautiful yet empty words of thanks, he did not forget to brag about himself. ¡°You have the huiyuan of seven years ago acting as your book attendant. Are you happy?¡± In less than ten minutes, Zhong Wan had already finished filling in a whole booklet. Glowing with health and vigor, he said, ¡°Look, look. Does it need any edits?¡± Yu She seriously read through it. Shook his head. ¡°Not one character needs to be changed.¡± Zhong Wan knew Yu She was truly stressed. He sighed. ¡°I think it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t copy it. I¡¯ll carefully write this again and then send that copy out.¡± Yu She nodded. Zhong Wan switched to a thinner writing brush and brought over an empty booklet. Yu She wanted to get up and give him his seat, but Zhong Wan shook his head. He smiled. ¡°Do I need to be overcautious just for writing such a trivial thing?¡± Zhong Wan changed his handwriting into one that was proper and gentle. An old minister who had written memorials and proposals for decades probably could not compare to him in handwritting. Yu She took in that kind of Zhong Wan, Adam¡¯s apple bobbing slightly. This hand, which could make the country peaceful with what it wrote, had scribbled the name ¡°Zhong Wan¡± countless times in the booklets recording Yu She¡¯s everyday life. Zhong Wan¡¯s wide sleeves hung next to Yu She¡¯s side. The sleeves moved along with his arm as he bent his back a hint, and out of reflex, Yu She looked at Zhong Wan¡¯s slender waist. He forced himself to look away. Voice unnatural, he said, ¡°Sit.¡± After Yu She had spoken, he was about to stand. But Zhong Wan pushed him down with his left hand. Concentrating, Zhong Wan continued writing. Mumbled to himself, ¡°No need¡­ I¡¯ll be done very soon.¡± Yu She clenched his right hand into a fist, then reached out and opened his hand. Soon after, he slowly placed it on Zhong Wan¡¯s waist. Yu She seized Zhong Wan¡¯s hand and suddenly yanked him down to sit on his leg. Zhong Wan¡¯s wrist shook, almost causing a drop of ink to fall upon the booklet. Yu She said, ¡°Be a bit more careful.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s earlobes reddened. As he wrote, he whispered, ¡°Your Highness, is this how you treat your book attendants?¡± Not batting an eyelid, Yu She asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be some punishment for writing nonsense in my everyday records booklet, and for making mistakes?¡± Zhong Wan said in earnest, ¡°Cabinet Minister Sun also occasionally makes mistakes. Would you punish him to sit on your leg?¡± At the start, Yu She hesitated, his actions somewhat stiff. But after hearing Zhong Wan¡¯s words, he almost laughed out loud, and relaxed a lot. Zhong wan dipped his brush in the ink, cleared his throat, and said with flushed cheeks, ¡°See, aren¡¯t you q-quite good at being wicked too?¡± Yu She averted his gaze. Allowed Zhong Wan to lean on him. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, ¡°I learned this from the storybooks¡­ I already told you early on that it¡¯s not that I wouldn¡¯t do something like this.¡± His tone made it seem like he might do it and also did not dislike it. Yu She wanted to make Zhong Wan happy, and considered how far he could go. The hand on Zhong Wan¡¯s waist slowly moved lower. Zhong Wan¡¯s ears grew red again. He feared he would make a mistake in writing and harm Yu She. As such, he was very careful. But he could not help himself from softly complaining, ¡°Then normally, you¡­¡± ¡°Even when you¡¯re not doing anything normally, I¡¯m still barely holding myself back.¡± Yu She closed his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to be too intimate with you¡­ I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll make things worse for your worn out body.¡± Yu She said to himself, ¡°Right now, I¡¯ve grown more cowardly. I cherish my life and I¡¯m unreasonable.¡± He cherished his own life and Zhong Wan¡¯s even more. Yu She opened his eyes. Frowned. ¡°Still not finished?¡± Zhong Wan wanted to fool around with Yu She a bit longer, so his writing pace grew slower and slower. One glance, and Yu She could tell what Zhong Wan was thinking, a smile in his eyes. In a very gentle manner, Yu She asked, ¡°Do you like me like this?¡± Zhong Wan could not utter a word. But Yu She did not force him. He hugged Zhong Wan from behind, fingers brushing against Zhong Wan¡¯s waist¡­ All of sudden, Zhong Wan¡¯s back went straight. Yu She said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ I didn¡¯t actually want to do something¡­:¡± Zhong Wan shivered. ¡°I¡¯m not finished writing yet! The front¡­¡± He wasn¡¯t careful and wrote a long line on the top of the booklet. In this way, a booklet that was just about to be finished was ruined. ¡°It¡¯s very disrespectful to have ink marks on booklets for the emperor.¡± Yu She loosened Zhong Wan¡¯s belt. His tone was gentle and soft, but his words were very harsh as he said, ¡°Guiyuan, write it again.¡± Sweat accumulated on Zhong Wan¡¯s palms. He used a lot of effort to get another empty booklet. Urgently said, ¡°Just wait a bit¡­¡± ¡°What did you say just a moment ago?¡± said Yu She, serene. ¡°¡®Do I need to be overcautious just for writing such a trivial thing?¡¯¡± Zhong Wan had dropped a stone on his own feet, face scarlet. Not a word escaped his lips. Yu She¡¯s actions were very gentle. It was unknown whether he truly pampered Zhong Wan or if he was up to mischief again. As his hands moved, he whispered to Zhong Wan¡­ Under this meticulous torment, Zhong Wan shivered all over. One hour later, Zhong Wan messed up seven to eight booklets without finishing a proper copy. Finally, Yu She had to hold his hand. Zhong Wan had resembled a young child learning his characters; Yu She had guided him in writing every character in that booklet, which expressed thanks and was to be sent to the palace tomorrow. Even at the end, Zhong Wan worried that it had not been written well and wanted to properly write the booklet once more, so as to avoid inciting trouble for Yu She. Unfortunately, Young Prince Yu did not care at the slightest. He pushed aside the finished booklet, before dragging Zhong Wan out of the room by the hand. Leaving aside the fact that he wasn¡¯t worried about things going wrong, even if something did¡­ he did whatever he liked. Young Prince Yu did not care. CH 86 In the evening, Yu She felt Zhong Wan¡¯s forehead. He didn¡¯t notice anything wrong, and lowly said, ¡°If you feel uncomfortable, tell me. Sit up first. I¡¯ll have them bring the food into the bedroom later.¡± Yu She ordered Zhong Wan to sit on the bed. He personally threw the dirty silk handkerchiefs and Zhong Wan¡¯s undergarments into the hand basin. Zhong Wan¡¯s breathing was still a bit irregular. He burst into laughter while watching Yu She. ¡°Young Prince, can¡¯t you just leave those things alone and wait for someone else to take care of them? You won¡¯t let me help you either. I was originally already feeling quite guilty, and now you¡¯re determined to do the servants¡¯ work too. You¡¯re purposefully trying to make me anxious, right?¡± Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. He walked over to the desk and tidied up the messy booklets while calmly saying, ¡°Who would I order to come take care of the mess?¡± Zhong Wan leaned against the blankets. His voice was very soft. ¡°Anybody. Steward Feng, the maid¡­ maybe not the maid. She¡¯s too young. Someone else¡­¡± ¡°Anybody?¡± Yu She picked up the brushes scattered on the floor. His expression was calm. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be able to guess what had happened just now after seeing this mess?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes were still a bit wet. He softly said, ¡°So what if they can guess?¡± ¡°What would it be considered if the story got out?¡± Yu She offhandedly grabbed a clean handkerchief and wiped down the desk. He looked at Zhong Wan, confused. His gaze seemed to carry a hint of blame. ¡°Which family¡¯s official couple would do such things at a desk?¡± Zhong Wan was completely lost because of this sudden reprimand. He almost couldn¡¯t react. He stared at Yu She, who looked proper and completely unruffled. He practically believed the fact that this wasn¡¯t the person who had kept a death grip on him earlier and forced him to say a string of things he normally wouldn¡¯t be able to say. After blanking out for a bit, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Ziyou, weren¡¯t you the one who did those things just now?¡± Yu She¡¯s expression appeared normal. ¡°So what? Just because I did, I should let others know that you acted like an ordinary concubine and fooled around with me at the desk?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s expression froze. A moment later, he suddenly understood Yu She¡¯s intentions. He couldn¡¯t help laughing. Zhong Wan rested his head against his arm and pondered for a bit. It was true. Yu She only showed off how much Zhong Wan admired him, couldn¡¯t be without him, and clung to him. However, as for the specific details of how ¡°excessively sweet¡± they were, he refused to share even one extra word with outsiders. Yu She had also personally washed the blood stains¡ªthat made one want to both laugh and cry¡ªfrom last time in secret. He hadn¡¯t let anyone seen them. Deep inside, Yu She was still very proper. He felt that these things needed to be hidden away. In other words¡­ Zhong Wan softly said, ¡°You think that I¡¯m the young princess consort that you¡¯ve officially married. You¡¯re scared that others will find me lacking in self respect if they learn that I like to play around in private, right?¡± Yu She¡¯s fingertips slightly trembled. He rushed to tidy up his desk before saying, ¡°I¡¯m scared that others will say¡­¡± Zhong Wan was curious. ¡°Say what?¡± In a lower voice, Yu She said, ¡°Say that I don¡¯t respect you.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. Suddenly, his heart felt very warm. Zhong Wan thought back on everything that had just happened. His body still felt a bit weak. He whispered, ¡°You really don¡¯t respect me. Think back on what you just forced me to say¡­¡± The corners of Yu She¡¯s mouth slightly quirked up. A servant came in to change the tea. Yu She wiped the amusement from his face and quickly threw the handkerchief in his hand onto the ground, managing to just barely cover up all the evidence of their impropriety at last. Szqgfrrlbc mjiw, Te Vtf bgvfgfv, ¡°Tbecu Zjrafg Itbcu offir eckfii. Dglcu vlccfg lcab atf yfvgbbw. Qf kbc¡¯a yf ublcu bearlvf.¡± Ktf rfgnjcar jii xcfk atja Itbcu Qjc kjr lc qbbg tfjiat jcv ofii rlmx fjrlis. Fqbc tfjglcu atlr, atf rfgnjca tegglfv ab jrx ¡°Vtbeiv kf rfcv obg atf lwqfglji vbmabg?¡± In a meaningful way, Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan, then nonchalantly told the servant, ¡°No need. It¡¯s a trivial matter. I can heal him.¡± That night, the lights in the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate were extinguished very early. In Prince Yu¡¯s estate, which was quite close to the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, though, the lights were still bright. In the study, a few advisors argued lowly. They couldn¡¯t come to an agreement. Yu Mucheng felt dizzy because of the advisors¡¯ argument. However, not only did he keep from throwing a tantrum, his expression still remained kind. An advisor said, confused, ¡°It¡¯s quite strange. The emperor used to believe these things in the past! Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have sent Heir to our prince¡¯s estate back then to avoid calamity. Things are fantastic now. Prince helped the emperor raise Heir, but the emperor has now cut off all ties and refuses to acknowledge Prince. Even worse, his personality has also changed.¡± ¡°Who cares about beliefs? It¡¯s all about benefits. If something is beneficial, it can be believed. If not, that means someone is pulling the strings from behind the scenes.¡± ¡°That Imperial Astronomy Department is full of bullshit! Every sentence they said checked off one of the emperor¡¯s taboos. Yet, it appears as if they¡¯re being mediators for us. What trash!¡± ¡°Everything happened suddenly. The emperor woke up this morning and met with someone from the Imperial Astronomy Department. He didn¡¯t say a single word about this during morning assembly, though. After morning assembly, he directly kept Heir behind and then immediately issued an imperial decree. From start to finish, he didn¡¯t mention anything to anyone else. Even if Prince had wanted to defend himself, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to.¡± ¡°How could he defend himself? The Imperial Astronomy Department didn¡¯t mention Prince at all. Everything they said was in Fifth Highness¡¯s favor. Currently, our Prince wants to remove himself from this mess, but can¡¯t. How could he help speak up for Fifth Highness? This is a ploy! Fifth Highness is still under house arrest and doesn¡¯t know anything. Prince wants to help him, but is also feared! This person has guessed that we can only worry without doing anything.¡± Someone was still confused, saying, ¡°You and I both know that we didn¡¯t do this. It¡¯s most likely Heir¡¯s plan, but¡­ but I haven¡¯t heard that Heir has anyone in the Imperial Astronomy Department. Have you?¡± Everyone turned to look at Yu Mucheng. Yu Mucheng shook his head. ¡°Though Ziyou has been misbehaved these past few years, he has still placed his subordinates into different positions. Yet, he has never tried to collude with powerful officials. He also never interacts with the people of the different yamens, only secretly¡­ According to my investigations, he doesn¡¯t have too many allies.¡± Somewhat uncertain, Yu Mucheng asked, ¡°Could it truly just be a coincidence? There really is some astronomical phenomenon?¡± Someone angrily said, ¡°No! As soon as I received the news, I found a famous divinator in the capital and asked him. The divinator told me that it¡¯s extremely common for the constellations to change after winter! He also said that he didn¡¯t see anything about the stars next to Antares flashing or anything. They¡¯ve only slightly shifted. It¡¯s clearly the Imperial Astronomy Department making a big deal out of nothing!¡± ¡°Who else could it be?¡± An advisor who had remained silent this entire time now looked at Yu Mucheng. He tentatively asked, ¡°I still have to ask Prince, during this time that Fifth Highness has been under house arrest¡­ has he gotten a bit impatient?¡± Yu Mucheng fell silent. If Yu She hadn¡¯t done this, it was very likely that Xuan Qiong or Imperial Consort Yu had. Yu Mucheng sighed with fatigue. Upon seeing this, his advisers believed this reason a bit more. They didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. A moment later, someone bravely said, ¡°Given the state of things now, Prince must make a decision!¡± Yu Mucheng asked, voice low, ¡°What decision?¡± ¡°In the wind and rain, the bolts and screws of the big boat have become rusty. Right now, should we do our best to repair it, or¡­ or¡­¡± This person hardened his heart and said, ¡°There is already too much water inside the boat. Should we abandon this boat and find another small boat?¡± The other small boat naturally referred to Xuan Rui. Someone instantly refuted, ¡°That¡¯s Prince¡¯s biological nephew! So many years of effort¡­¡± ¡°So many years of effort, but what of it? Currently, Fifth Highness often acts of his own accord. He¡¯s ruined his own foundations. How should we fix that?¡± ¡°What are you saying? So we¡¯re not going to protect Fifth Highness anymore?!¡± The advisors started arguing once more. With a bit of force, Yu Mucheng placed his teacup on the table. Everyone fell silent. Yu Mucheng slowly said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to protect Fifth Highness, but can¡¯t you guys tell? The emperor has already grown completely suspicious of me. I can no longer do anything to help Fifth Highness. ¡°They¡¯re my biological sister and biological nephew. I feel more sorrow than anyone else.¡± A sigh left Yu Mucheng¡¯s lips. ¡°But as of now, perhaps I¡¯ll be able to protect them even better if I find another method.¡± Yu Mucheng closed his eyes. ¡°Order the people who followed the procession to Qian An¡­ to act.¡± Since Yu She had been officially named a prince of the first rank, the capital surprisingly calmed down. At least, it had on the surface. Emperor Chongan really knew how to cherish himself. After a successful recovery, he even started attending morning assemblies more frequently. Nobody dared to mention the naming of a crown prince anymore. Emperor Chongan himself was patient too. In a completely fair manner, after naming Yu She a prince, he turned around and gave Xuan Qiong, who was still under house arrest, many gifts. Regarding this, Yu She was unbothered. Each day, he finished his own tasks as usual. On the other hand, Xuan Jing threw a tantrum in his own estate after finding out about this. He complained that Emperor Chongan had given the other two gifts but forgotten about him. However, everybody ignored this. The senior cabinet officials had either received an unknown cue from Emperor Chongan or had completely given up on Xuan Qiong and Xuan Jing, believing that there wasn¡¯t much suspense about who was going to be crown prince anymore. They started acting a bit friendlier to Yu She and also became more sincere while teaching him how to take care of official matters. Each day, Yu She diligently learned about politics in the day while attentively taking care of Zhong Wan at night. In a rare occurrence, life passed by in a peaceful and meaningful way. This day, Xuan Congxin brought Xuan Yu along to see Zhong Wan. The last time Xuan Congxin had visited the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate, Yu She had treated her quite well. She was no longer so worried and felt that Yu She wasn¡¯t actually as terrifying as the rumors made him out to be. She boldly brought Xuan Yu along to visit. It had been a long time since Xuan Yu had seen Zhong Wan. He now knew about what had happened back then. When he saw Zhong Wan, his eyes turned red with guilt. While still at the estate, he had already written a draft of what he was going to say, but before he could get in the right mood to give his speech to Zhong Wan, Zhong Wan had beat him to it, exasperated as he said, ¡°Wipe away your tears. It¡¯s already been a year. You¡¯re not young anymore. Learn from Congxin. Don¡¯t cry so often.¡± Xuan Yu still wanted to say something. However, Zhong Wan sat down and simply started testing him on his homework. In a flash, Xuan Yu grew nervous. This past period of time, nobody at the estate had been keeping an eye on him. He had neglected a lot of his homework. Fearful that Zhong Wan would feel disappointed, he diligently replied to Zhong Wan¡¯s questions. In only an instant, he had already forgotten what he had been planning to say previously. Half an hour later, Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°So-so. You ought to count yourself fortunate that I¡¯m your teacher. If you were the previous Old Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s student, your reading partner would likely get hit everyday.¡± Upon hearing this, Xuan Congxin glared at her useless brother. Xuan Yu shamefully promised, ¡°I¡¯ll study i-immediately after going back.¡± Zhong Wan rubbed his head and told someone to bring refreshments over. Xuan Yu opened his mouth several times to speak, but was also fearful that he would forget his lines. Thus, he lowered his head and silently recited something to himself each time after opening his mouth. Agitated, Xuan Congxin urged, ¡°There¡¯s not much to say. You were perfectly fine while reciting the lines to me at home. Have you already forgotten?¡± Zhong Wan laughed. ¡°What do you actually want to say?¡± Xuan Yu swallowed. He nervously stated, ¡°A few days ago, a few days ago¡­ Father and Mother appeared in my dreams.¡± Zhong Wan froze for a moment. ¡°Huh?¡± In a moment of panic, Xuan Yu completely forgot all the lines he had memorized. Incoherently, he said, ¡°They¡¯re doing great these days! They still look very young too!¡± Zhong Wan dryly said, ¡°Is that so.¡± Xuan Yu subconsciously straightened his back. He sincerely added, ¡°Father told me to tell you something.¡± The smile on Zhong Wan¡¯s face faded away. He asked, ¡°¡­What?¡± Xuan Yu¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°Father said that you¡¯ve suffered too much these past few years. He¡¯s seen everything. Regarding Eldest Brother, he went looking for death himself. No one else can be blamed. Father said that he¡¯s never blamed you in the slightest and that you haven¡¯t disappointed the estate at all. Right now, he only worries for you. He wants me to ask you this: you were clearly so healthy originally, so why have you become so sickly and frail now?¡± Zhong Wan burst into laughter. In order to help him relax, these two kids had honestly put a lot of effort in. Xuan Yu softly said, ¡°Mother has something to say to you too.¡± For a moment, Zhong Wan paused. Though he clearly knew this was all fake, he still couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°What did Princess Consort say?¡± Xuan Yu started crying again as soon as he had opened his mouth. He was so choked up that he couldn¡¯t say anything. Xuan Congxin threw her handkerchief onto Xuan Yu¡¯s face. She couldn¡¯t help getting angry. ¡°You can¡¯t even clearly say anything. What use are you?! ¡°I¡¯ll say it.¡± Xuan Congxin cleared her throat and awkwardly said, ¡°You know, Father and Mother appeared in my dreams too. ¡°Mother said, ¡®Guiyuan, my son. Ten years¡­¡¯¡± Xuan Congxin became choked up. She had scolded Xuan Yu for being useless, but now that it was her turn, she had started crying after the first sentence too. Xuan Congxin inhaled deeply and tried to remain calm to say, ¡°Mother said that back then, before she left, she hid thousands of thoughts in her heart, unable to share all of them with you. Moreover, she couldn¡¯t share many of them with Father either. For some unknown reason, she hadn¡¯t been able to resist turning to you. ¡°You were thoughtful and filial. You told her to rest at ease and that even if Father married another wife later, you would still protect us. You wouldn¡¯t let us get bullied by a stepmother. But back then, that wasn¡¯t what Mother meant.¡± Xuan Congxin wiped her tears away and continued, ¡°Mother originally wanted to say that if Father married another wife, our stepmother wouldn¡¯t have dared to mistreat us in any way, because we would be Father¡¯s biological children. However, you were different. You were someone of a different surname. In the future, it was possible that the stepmother would fear you.¡± Here, Zhong Wan honestly couldn¡¯t remain calm anymore. He stood up and walked over to the window. While choked up, Xuan Congxin sincerely stated, ¡°Mother told me to tell you to be very careful. You must protect yourself well. You¡¯re her first child and someone very precious to her. Don¡¯t mistreat yourself anymore or make her feel sad on the other side.¡± With his back facing Xuan Congxin and Xuan Yu, Zhong Wan fell silent for a long time. After, he replied in a hoarse voice, ¡°Un.¡± CH 87 When Tang Ming had deceived Xuan Rui into returning to the capital, Yan Pingshan had secretly passed on the news to Zhong Wan. And that could be considered thoroughly offending Xuan Rui. From then on, Steward Yan stayed in the estate belonging to Prince Qian An in the capital, waiting on the twins. He should have told them many past events. Zhong Wan was very clear that the things Xuan Congxin had dreamed of were merely things she made up to console him. But because she looked seventy percent similar to Princess Consort Ning, and because she used the same tone that Princess Consort Ning had used when consoling him, Zhong Wan almost lost his manner in front of the two children. He stared out the window in a daze. All of a sudden, he recalled something Yu She had said in the past. He said, Guiyan, sometimes I truly don¡¯t know who to hate. Previously in Tang Ming¡¯s rural manor, Zhong Wan had thrown up blood due to what Xuan Rui had said. And Zhong Wan had almost felt the same way he was feeling now. In these many years, he had in fact committed many mistakes. This, Zhong Wan admitted to. The proud and arrogant way of thinking of his youth had long since been grinded into dust. The current Zhong Wan could endure any type of humiliation. However, occasionally he would become unreasonable. When the younger brother Zhong Wan had raised since young suspected him, he would want to explain himself; yet, he wouldn¡¯t know what to say. Because of the grand grace Prince Ning and Princess Consort Ning had given Zhong Wan in the past, even if Xuan Xui killed him, what could he say? Zhong Wan clung to and thought over repeatedly the words Xuan Congxin had said just a while ago. However, he didn¡¯t dare to keep them in his heart. If Prince Ning and Princess Consort Ning were watching in heaven, and they saw how he tripped and fell, saw all the shameful things he had done these past years, would they really not be disappointed? If they also discovered that he placed the enemy¡¯s son in his heart, going from the north to the south, and the south to the north, and now even living together and being intimate, would they truly not reprimand him severely as a thankless wretch? ¡°And also¡­¡± Xuan Congxin wiped her tears, composing her expression. ¡°Mother also said¡­¡± Xuan Yu¡¯s shoulders trembled as he sobbed without end, interrupting Xuan Congxin twice. She grew impatient and agitated. ¡°Are you done yet? Do you want to hear Mother¡¯s words or not?!¡± This frightened Xuan Yu into lowering his head, too scared to make a sound again. Xuan Congxin coughed. And she switched back to Princess Consort Ning¡¯s manner of speaking, precocious as she continued, ¡°Mother also said not to always get angry at Yu She, not to be deliberately provocative, not to be willful, not to just leave without explaining anything.¡± Zhong Wan was rendered speechless. The act Yu She had played in front of Xuan Congxin was very successful. Now, the more she thought of Yu She, the more pitiful she found him. The more she looked at Zhong Wan, the more fincky she found him. Xuan Congxin followed her own heart, speaking lengthily with Princess Consort Ning¡¯s manner of speaking, giving Zhong Wan a good lecture. Zhong Wan was between laughter and tears, the melancholy in his heart completely disturbed. He had Xuan Congxin and Xuan Yu stay for the noon meal. A long time had passed since the three had been like this, like they were in Prince Qian An¡¯s estate, eating together as they chatted about their daily lives. As Zhong Wan discussed with Xuan Congxin about what kind of teacher to hire for Xuan Yu, Steward Feng entered the room with an expression of panic. He quickly shot Zhong Wan a look, wanting to say something, yet hesitating. Zhong Wan¡¯s heart grew a bit gloomy. Not batting an eyelid, he said he had some matters to attend to, and had Xuan Yu and Xuan Congxin continue eating by themselves. Then he rose to his feet and left the room. Zhong Wan followed Steward Feng, who had been waiting outside the room, to the courtyard. He frowned. ¡°What is it? Did something happen in court? Or did Ziyou¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing to do with the prince.¡± Steward Feng shot a few looks at Zhong Wan¡¯s room, expression one of urgency. ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t dare to inform Young Master of this. I wanted to wait until His Highness returned and ask for his intention. However, these two little masters are still in our estate. After they leave, I¡¯m afraid once they¡¯re outside, they¡¯ll hear some news and something will happen to them. Right now, we need someone who has authority in this estate.¡± Itbcu Qjc ijeutfv lc rqlaf bo tlwrfio. ¡°Aera ktja tjqqfcfv?¡± Vafkjgv Mfcu rkjiibkfv. ¡°Rfkr mjwf ogbw Hljc Cc. Ktf obgwfg Uglcmf Hljc Cc, Wejc Eel¡­ Vbwfatlcu tjr tjqqfcfv ab tlw.¡± Kbvjs, atf mbega kjr yers. Ktfs wjvf j gjmxfa obg cb ifrr atjc obeg tbegr. Swqfgbg Jtbcujc ralii tjv rbwf fcfgus ja olgra. Dea ijafg bc, tf mbeiv cba fcvegf la jcs ibcufg. Ca atf fcv, tf tjv jii atf tlut-gjcxlcu wlclrafgr tjcv atf ybbxifar bo wjaafgr atja tjv sfa ab yf vlrmerrfv ab atf Jjylcfa. Lf tlwrfio gfaegcfv ab atf Pccfg Ujijmf ab gfra. When he said to hand it to the Cabinet, what it really meant was to hand it to Yu She. Recently, Emperor Chongan no longer just had Yu She ¡°learn politics.¡± Under Emperor Chongan¡¯s instruction, the members of the Cabinet now did things oppositely: they would hand both the important and unimportant booklets to Yu She, and have him go over them first, before the old ministers would carefully look through them. If there were no issues, then they would directly approve them. If there were any objections, then they must discuss with Yu She. Although Emperor Chongan did not outwardly express that he wanted Yu She to help him govern the country, the members of Xuan Qiong¡¯s faction remained silent, resentfully throwing their sleeves as they left. Yu She remained unmoved by both gain or loss. He did not seem proud of himself at all. Like usual, he had people prepare the booklets to bring back to the cabinet and for him go over. On that day, Yu Mucheng had also attended court. After court dispersed, he left very slowly. He was two steps behind everyone, and stopped on the only path to Yu She. From the start, Yu She pretended not to see him. As he brushed past Yu Mucheng, the latter gently said, ¡°Ziyou.¡± Yu She stopped in his tracks. His apathetic gaze fell upon Yu Mucheng, hinting for him to spit it out. Yu Mucheng said kindly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I saw that you¡¯ve worked hard recently and wanted to advise you to take care of yourself.¡± If it were in the past, Yu She would certainly say a few unpleasant words to put Yu Mucheng on the spot. But now, he had even recognized Emperor Chongan as his father, so there was nothing that could nauseate him anymore. Expressionless, Yu She nodded, and without any more delay, he left. Yu Mucheng watched as Yu She walked farther into the distance. Mumbled to himself, ¡°¡®There¡¯s so much information that can be used against Ziyou. It¡¯s good enough if you just randomly chose one¡­¡¯¡± The same words he had said to Imperial Consort Yu. In the beginning, Yu She had thought that Yu Mucheng had been acting out a play of a benevolent father and filial son in front of other people. It wasn¡¯t until around six hours later that realization struck him. ¡°You¡­¡± Yu She brought the little eunuch, who had come to pass on a message, to a desolate place. ¡°What did you say?¡± The little eunuch said with a bitter expression, ¡°This slave doesn¡¯t know the inside story, and only knows that our spies worked ceaselessly. One hour ago, the spies just entered the capital. They heard Your Highness did not return to the estate yet, and originally thought it wasn¡¯t urgent. So they were waiting until Your Highness returned to inform you about the matters regarding Qian An.¡± There was no problem with that. Yu She frowned and asked, ¡°So why did they suddenly rush you here to find me?!¡± The little eunuch hurried to say, ¡°The problem is the people who came from who knew where. They arrived at the Prince Qian An estate in the capital and our estate about six hours ahead of our own spies! Where did they come from?! Instead of waiting to talk to Your Highness, they report to just anyone! They even scared our spies!¡± Anger rose in Yu She¡¯s heart. ¡°What did they say?!¡± The little eunuch was very startled. He cried out, ¡°They made a racket in both estates saying the former Prince Qian was ambushed and was already¡­ dead.¡± All of a sudden, Yu She¡¯s head pounded from a splitting headache. Yu She had dispatched numerous spies to follow Xuan Rui back to Qian An. According to Yu She¡¯s plan, those spies had to protect Xuan Rui and watch him attentively. If Yu Mucheng truly acted against Xuan Rui, the spies would protect Xuan Rui. If Yu Mucheng faked an act against Xuan Rui, then he¡¯d take advantage of the situation and send people back to the capital and inform Yu She. Yu She had his selfish motives. He wasn¡¯t sure that Yu Mucheng would act. If he didn¡¯t, Yu She wanted to use Xuan Rui as bait to lure Yu Mucheng to something. And pretend as if nothing happened. First, it was to avoid having Zhong Wan worry. Second¡­ Yu She was afraid Zhong Wan would not agree with his plan. Originally, Yu She had a good plan. It would take time for the news of Xuan Rui suffering an ambush to reach the capital. And it would not be faster than his own spies. If he truly were ambushed, Yu She would still have time to explain things to Zhong Wan. Yu Mucheng would have merely captured Xuan Rui temporarily. But now¡­ Yu She¡¯s expression was unsightly to the max. ¡°¡­They even deliberately went to inform those twins.¡± The little eunuch blurted, ¡°Yes! We¡¯re afraid that those two little masters would not understand anything and ask Young Master Zhong for an explanation! Previously, Young Master Zhong had guaranteed them His Highness would take care of escorting the former Prince Qian An back to his fief. Nothing would go wrong. Now that something happened, one would fear those two little masters would be unable to tell right from wrong and suspect Your Highness again¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s tone was ice-cold as he said, ¡°Not a whiff of news has come from the capital, yet my people were well aware of what happened. Would anyone believe I¡¯m not the culprit?¡± He gritted his teeth. Recently, he had been too complacent. Yu Mucheng had been waiting for him. Recently, things had been smooth for Yu She. How could Yu Mucheng take up such a laissez-fair attitude? Yu She felt his heart beat irregularly. Following that, an immense wave of depression filled his heart at once. He clearly was trying to help overturn a past verdict for Prince Ning. Clearly did not want Zhong Wan to worry. So why did Zhong Wan and those twins have to suspect him for acting on Xuan Rui? Why?! What did he do this all for? Wild fantasies sprang up all around within his mind. It was difficult to control himself from hating everyone. Yu She knew he was falling into a bout of madness. He strived his hardest to compose himself. ¡°L-let¡¯s return first¡­¡± Dusk was arriving. Once Yu She had returned to his estate, he did his utmost to keep himself from going crazy. All of a sudden, fear struck his heart. Fear that, like in the past, Zhong Wan was no longer around. Zhong Wan¡¯s small courtyard was as silent as in the past. Scared witless, Yu She rushed all the way there. As he pushed open the doors to Zhong Wan¡¯s bedroom, even his hands were shaking. Inside, Zhong Wan used his arm as a pillow, his upper body draped over the desk. He was asleep. Yu She swayed a hint, the fire in his heart scattering in an instant, following along the bones of his four limbs until fully extinguished. He hesitated, before taking a few steps forward, lightly touching Zhong Wan¡¯s shoulder. Slightly, Zhong Wan moved. Zhong Wan opened his eyes. As soon as he saw the bloodshot eyes of Yu She, his heart fell. At once, he remained calm and collected as he asked, ¡°You¡¯ve returned?¡± Yu She¡¯s whole body was stretched taut. After hearing his words, he nodded in a stiff manner. Seeing Yu She¡¯s expression, one which spoke of being on guard for all possible dangers, Zhong Wan felt helpless and heartbroken. ¡°Ziyou¡­¡± But then he swallowed the words he had wanted to say. He stared intently at Yu She. ¡°After suddenly receiving that kind of news, I didn¡¯t suspect you at all. Why can¡¯t you learn from me¡­ and trust me more?¡± Yu She fell into a daze. All of a sudden, he couldn¡¯t react. A sigh left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you this careless? Fortunately, Congxin and Xuan Yu came to visit me today, and I blocked the people who tried to pass the news to them. Otherwise, if they made a huge uproar, how would you deal with it? When those two children feel anxious and don¡¯t know what to do, and if by chance are tricked by others to bring this to the court, what¡¯s to be done?¡± Yu She was still a bit out of it. He thought, if others wanted to make a huge fuss, then let them. What¡¯s that got to do with me? I¡¯ve done so many terrible things these past years, so what am I afraid of? The only thing I¡¯m afraid of is you misunderstanding me. Zhong Wan did not want to upset Yu She. Slowly, he lifted his hand to hold Yu She¡¯s. Said in a low voice, ¡°You want to use Xuan Rui as bait, and take advantage of the situation to give him to Prince Yu. To make Prince Yu confident in himself that he can control this perfect puppet. This way, Prince Yu would strive his best to help Prince Ning reverse the verdict of his case, and then, in a perfectly legitimate way, push his puppet onto the throne, right?¡± The pupils of Yu She trembled. He nodded, faint in his action. ¡°Even if Xuan Rui gets a bit hurt, you¡¯ll be helping Prince Ning and Princess Consort Ning reverse the verdicts of their cases.¡± Then, as Zhong Wan was unaware of it, his tone grew heavier as he said, ¡°But isn¡¯t it only natural that as a son, Xuan Rui would get a bit hurt for his parents?!¡± Yu She was startled to the bone. Zhong Wan was not one bit prepared. When he had first received news about Xuan Rui¡¯s death, after a moment of shock, he sensed something was off and tried his best to keep calm. He captured those spies and hid the news from the twins, having them sit for longer. At the same time, he ordered people to quickly call Lin Si over. Then he told Lin Si if those twins learned of this news, it would be tremendously bad. He had Lin Si look after those twins and not let any of those evildoers babble nonsense to them. With much difficulty, Zhong Wan swept clean Yu She¡¯s mess. Then, mentally and physically drained, he laid his upper body on top of the desk and fell asleep. Yu She had done so many things behind Zhong Wan¡¯s back, so it¡¯s impossible for Zhong Wan not to be angry. At this moment, after Zhong Wan had seen Yu She¡¯s distrust in him, his fury was at its peak. Zhong Wan was exhausted. ¡°Until now, you still think I care about Xuan Rui more than you, right?¡± Yu She was shocked by this sudden question and was unable to react. His eyes were bloodshot; he couldn¡¯t even see Zhong Wan clearly. There were numerous things he wanted to say, yet were stuck in his throat. And he couldn¡¯t even utter a word. He clutched his hands into fists in self restraint, telling himself over and over again not to go crazy, not to go insane, not to hurt Guiyuan. Originally, Zhong Wan had wanted to speak frankly about everything to Yu She, but now, looking at Yu She¡¯s current appearance, it wouldn¡¯t matter what he said. ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡£ Zhong Wan rose to his feet. ¡°Enough. I don¡¯t want to talk anymore.¡± Yu She¡¯s entire body stiffened like an iron cast. He subconsciously took one step forward, one hand grasping a corner of the desk. He wanted to stop Zhong Wan from leaving, but also feared that if he tried to touch Zhong Wan, he would snap off Zhong Wan¡¯s wrist. But Zhong Wan did not leave. He stood before Yu She and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s no use saying anything to people like you. It¡¯s better to act instead¡­¡± Zhong Wan pulled off the jade medallion hanging from Yu She¡¯s waist and threw it aside in passing. Then he lightly undid Yu She¡¯s belt. Yu She was shocked silly, retreating half a step out of reflex. But Zhong Wan clung to him. Zhong wan picked up a candlestick, and holding it upside down, he pressed the top with the flame onto the desk¡¯s surface, putting it out, the whole room falling into darkness. ¡¡¡£ In the cover of darkness, Zhong Wan raised his head and kissed Yu She on the lips. Then, in a soft voice, he said, ¡°Previously, you were the one who helped me. Today¡­ I¡¯ll give you a lot of care.¡± CH 88 Yu She lifted an arm and blocked Zhong Wan. He stiffly said, ¡°D-don¡¯t be like this¡­¡± Yu She had rushed back, disconcerted. Even his hair had been a little messy. Now, a strand of hair had fallen out and was slightly covering his eye, rendering his originally handsome face even colder than usual. Voice pained, Yu She said, ¡°Today won¡¯t do¡­¡± Zhong Wan was about to go crazy with anger because of how awkward this person was. ¡°Then what do you actually want to do? You can¡¯t speak your mind clearly, but also won¡¯t allow me to be intimate with you.¡± ¡°Today won¡¯t do. Wait¡­¡± Yu She closed his eyes. His eyebrows were tightly furrowed together, as if he were forcing himself to resist something. ¡°Wait until tomorrow¡­¡± Zhong Wan was lost. ¡°Why? Is tomorrow¡­ a lucky day or something?¡± Dazed, Yu She answered, ¡°I¡¯m having a fit¡­¡± After the lights had been extinguished, the dim moonlight fell into the room. Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan. Using the last remaining bit of his clarity, he got out with difficulty, ¡°I¡¯m having a fit. When I wake up tomorrow, I won¡¯t be able to remember anything. Guiyuan, I also won¡¯t be able to remember how good you¡¯re being to me now. Don¡¯t¡­¡± Yu She lowered his head and panted a bit. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your energy.¡± Zhong Wan opened his mouth. Before he could say anything, the rims of his eyes had already turned red. Yu She lowered his head. Suddenly, he felt a great hatred for those people who had tempted him into eating cold food powder back then. Yu She took two steps back. He inhaled deeply a few times. ¡°If you¡¯re willing, you can make it up to me¡­ tomorrow.¡± Since in the palace, Yu She had been painfully holding himself back. By now, he was close to having a breakdown. He forced himself to break into a dismal smile. ¡°Naturally, if you don¡¯t make it up, I won¡¯t know either.¡± Yu She seemed to be placating both Zhong Wan and himself. ¡°In comparison to the past, I¡¯ve already gotten a lot better. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had a fit. When I¡¯m in one, my head also doesn¡¯t hurt as much as before. There¡¯s only one thing I still can¡¯t handle¡­¡± Then he muttered to himself, ¡°I can¡¯t handle you treating me so well when I¡¯m having a fit.¡± One of Zhong Wan¡¯s hands rested on the desk. His lips slightly trembled. All of his organs were twisting in pain because of Yu She¡¯s words. Yu She retreated a few steps. ¡°Rest well. I¡¯ll sleep in the study tonight.¡± He turned around and made to head out, when Zhong Wan stopped him again by tugging on his sleeve. In the dark night, Zhong Wan¡¯s tone was relaxed as he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. So what if you forget?¡± Without waiting for Yu She to say anything else, Zhong Wan said, ¡°If you forget, then we¡¯ll do it again tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. And the day after the day after tomorrow¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s voice was hoarse. ¡°I¡¯m willing to treat you well for the rest of our lives.¡± Upon hearing this, Yu She, who had previously been resolute about getting away from Zhong Wan and finding a place to be alone and calm down, felt like his legs had been filled with lead. He suddenly couldn¡¯t walk out of this door anymore. For many years, Yu She had headed down the thorny path leading to hell, never wavering or pausing in the slightest. Already, he could no longer remember how many times Zhong Wan had gotten in his way, forcing him to take a different path¡ªa path leading to life¡ªinstead. Right now, not only was Yu She unable to leave anymore. Zhong Wan used just the slightest bit of strength and easily guided him toward the bed. Stiffly, Yu She leaned against the headboard. His hair was already a mess. Thus, Zhong Wan simply undid Yu She¡¯s hair. His ink-black strands loosely hung around his face. His gaze was crazed and guarded. This expression was actually a bit terrifying. But Zhong Wan didn¡¯t feel scared at all. Not only was he not scared, he also dared to glue himself to Yu She, touching and groping the other. Te Vtf obgmfv tlwrfio ab rajs mjiw. ¡°P abiv sbe. P kbc¡¯a yf jyif ab gfwfwyfg¡­¡± Itbcu Qjc¡¯r qeqlir rtloafv. Lf ktlrqfgfv, ¡°Ktja¡¯r qfgofma.¡± Te Vtf vlvc¡¯a ecvfgrajcv. Po tf mbeiv rff gluta cbk, tf kbeiv vlrmbnfg atja Itbcu Qjc¡¯r fjgr kfgf jigfjvs gfv. ¡°Pa¡¯v yf yfra lo sbe vbc¡¯a gfwfwyfg,¡± weaafgfv Itbcu Qjc. ¡°Mbg sbe, P¡¯w¡­ gfjiis jyif ab vb jcsatlcu.¡± Failing to discern his words, Yu She asked In a daze, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Zhong Wan was glued to Yu She¡¯s front. He blindly kissed Yu She¡¯s chin a few times. At the same time, he placed a hand on Yu She¡¯s waist and tentatively moved it a bit lower. Out of instinct, Yu She lifted a hand to stop him. Yet, Zhong Wan patted Yu She¡¯s hand. His expression was somewhat awkward. ¡°Ziyou, you have to promise me. Later¡­ no matter what, you can¡¯t move. Do you hear me?¡± Yu She hesitated for a moment before releasing his grip. He made a barely perceptible noise of acknowledgement. Following that, Zhong Wan tore open Yu She¡¯s shirt and kissed him on the neck. Then, he kissed the other¡¯s sturdy chest and made his way lower¡ª Finally, realization struck Yu She. But before he could move out of the way, Zhong Wan had already started ¡°cherishing¡± him. Yu She¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down forcefully. The veins in Yu She¡¯s long and well-shaped arms bulged. He tightly squeezed his eyes shut. Half an hour later, Zhong Wan held onto Yu She¡¯s waist and buried his face against Yu She¡¯s abdomen. After recovering for a bit, he used his extremely raspy voice to say, ¡°Ziyou, my throat hurts so much¡­¡± In an instant, Yu She regained his wits. He pulled Zhong Wan up and into his arms. Panting, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhong Wan was honestly too embarrassed to look at Yu She. The two of them had already been intimate with one another, but Yu She had never done this for him. Zhong Wan had only seen it in storybooks before. He had originally assumed it to be easy; unexpectedly, though, it was very tiring. He rested his forehead against Yu She¡¯s shoulder and mumbled, ¡°Don¡¯t ask any more questions. Let me rest a bit.¡± Yu She stopped talking. He thought back on what he had done in the throes of pleasure and felt a bit regretful. He lowered his head and kissed Zhong Wan on the cheek. This seemed to please Zhong Wan greatly. ¡°K-kiss me once more¡­ I¡¯m already on the brink of death because of you.¡± Yu She placed his hand on the bed and sat up a bit. In a gentle manner, he wrapped his arms around Zhong Wan, switching the other¡¯s position so that he could be more comfortable. Then, he lowered his head and kissed him some more. As if incredibly satisfied, Zhong Wan murmured a few times. Like this, Yu She held onto Zhong Wan. A long time later, he asked in a low voice, ¡°Your throat hurts?¡± Zhong Wan faintly nodded. Yu She¡¯s mouth felt dry. He inhaled deeply a few times. ¡°I¡­ Rest by yourself for a bit first. I¡¯ll pour you a cup of tea.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t want to move at all. He rubbed his face against Yu She¡¯s chest and softly chuckled. Lowly, he said, ¡°My stomach is already full. I can¡¯t drink anything else.¡± Upon hearing this, Yu She almost pressed Zhong Wan against the bed again. Greatly pained, Yu She closed his eyes. ¡°Then don¡¯t say anything else.¡± But now, Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t that uncomfortable anymore. He really wanted to speak. A sigh left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°To tell the truth, I regret it.¡± Yu She froze. Zhong Wan continued, ¡°¡­If you forget even this tomorrow, I¡¯m at such a terrible disadvantage.¡± Uncontrollably, Yu She¡¯s lips quirked up. He lowly said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say just now that you¡¯re willing to treat me well for the rest of our lives? If I forget tomorrow, simply do the same thing again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Zhong Wan looked very pitiful. His voice was hoarse. ¡°How can the words a man says in bed be taken seriously? I only said that offhandedly. Forget everything. How embarrassing¡­ I would be truly delighted if you forgot everything.¡± Yu She laughed. How could he be willing to? Yu She held onto Zhong Wan and suddenly said, ¡°Guiyuan, I have a plan.¡± Zhong Wan was actually still very uncomfortable. However, he didn¡¯t want Yu She to find out. He cleared his throat and asked, ¡°What plan?¡± Yu She said, ¡°Record everything. I¡¯ll read it tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Not okay!¡± said Zhong Wan at once. But Yu She felt that this was very okay. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you a brush and some paper. You¡¯re gifted in writing. After you finish writing it, I¡¯ll read it tomorrow, okay?¡± Then, following a moment of thought, Yu She added, ¡°Be as detailed as possible¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s face flushed. ¡°Prince, don¡¯t be such a bully. Can you care about your reputation at least a little bit?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want it anymore.¡± Yu She lowered his head and pecked Zhong Wan. His gaze was dark. ¡°Right now, I only want you. If not for the fact that the imperial doctor said your body can¡¯t take it, I¡¯d be¡­¡± Even if he had to die, Zhong Wan refused to do such a thing. He was scared that Yu She would be unstoppable if he went into a fit. Thus, he hurriedly changed the topic, saying, ¡°Oh right. Regarding Xuan Rui¡ªwhat was your actual original plan?¡± How could Yu She want to talk about anyone else after just being ¡°taken care of¡± by his beloved in such a manner? Especially because this person was the person he hated the most. Yu She didn¡¯t answer. He lifted a hand and rubbed Zhong Wan¡¯s neck. Zhong Wan¡¯s face turned even redder. ¡°What are you touching?¡± Yu She still didn¡¯t say anything. He held Zhong Wan down and refused to allow him to move. Slightly apologetic, he gently massaged the other¡¯s neck. Zhong Wan felt like his bones were turning soft because of this. He knew very clearly what horrid state his body was in and that he couldn¡¯t handle doing anything else tonight. He recited the Qingxin Mantra a few times to himself before saying, ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question. Respond to me.¡± Yu She was very reluctant, but still said, ¡°In my original plan, I would confess the whole truth to you after my people returned to the capital. ¡°And then, I would send the twins away before the news of Xuan Rui¡¯s death could reach the capital. I would use my subordinates to protect them and keep an eye on them. ¡°When the news of his death arrived, I would put on a great show with you. It would be best if we could fool Yu Mucheng; if not, that wouldn¡¯t be a big deal either. I originally wanted to kill Xuan Rui. He definitely knew that. ¡°You know about everything else. He¡¯s already treating Xuan Rui as his last resort. I¡¯m in the light, but he¡¯s in the shadows. We must compete with each other as necessary. Even so, I¡¯m still going to completely ruin Xuan Qiong. And then, I¡¯m going to quietly wait for Yu Mucheng to act and reverse the verdict on Prince Ning¡¯s case.¡± Yu She narrowed his eyes. ¡°I almost made a mistake this time. He¡¯s the better chess player. I willingly admit defeat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that he¡¯s very impressive,¡± Zhong Wan lowly said. ¡°It¡¯s that you have worries. Speaking of this, I should actually be blamed. You have a weakness now, so must worry about more things. He took advantage of this. ¡°I¡¯m not placating you.¡± Before Yu She could say anything, Zhong Wan added, ¡°You and Prince Yu aren¡¯t the same type of people. To win, he can sacrifice anything. He can immediately give up on his biological nephew, Xuan Qiong, and his biological sister, Imperial Consort Yu. What about you? Can you?¡± Yu She crisply replied, ¡°We simply have different goals. His goal is to become the prince regent. My goal is you.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart softened. He said, ¡°What was it¡­ Xuan Rui.¡± ¡°Relax. Prince Yu is more scared than anyone else that something will happen to him. He definitely won¡¯t harm him in the slightest. Besides, my people are still keeping an eye on him,¡± Yu She said, displeased. ¡°At most, he¡¯s going to get a little scared. Nothing will happen to him.¡± Zhong Wan burst into laughter. ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a rush to explain. I¡¯m not that insensible. So what if he gets knocked around a little bit?¡± Once he had heard this, Yu She¡¯s expression no longer looked so dark. Zhong Wan gave it some thought. ¡°It¡¯s probably going to take several days before the news of his death reaches the capital. The biggest fear now is that Prince Yu will pull another trick. I think¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Zhong Wan shifted. He said, ¡°I recall that you have a manor in the suburbs outside the capital too?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s send Congxin and Xuan Yu there,¡± Zhong Wan said. ¡°You won¡¯t need to do anything. I¡¯ll go tell them. These days, the capital has been experiencing an unusually cold spell in an otherwise warm and early spring. I¡¯ll just tell them that I¡¯m sending them to have fun at the manor for a few days to avoid this strange weather.¡± Zhong Wan added, ¡°Nobody will pay attention if you send extra people to your own manor. Keep a close eye on them.¡± This would be best. Yu She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Zhong Wan rubbed his face against Yu She. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now. Sleep.¡± A night filled with pleasant dreams. After waking up in the morning, Zhong Wan opened his eyes and looked around. The sun was already high in the sky. Yu She had probably already headed off to morning court. Zhong Wan¡¯s throat still felt a bit uncomfortable. He coughed a few times and sighed. Last night, he had been so well behaved and had worked so hard. What a pity. Today, Yu She wouldn¡¯t be able to remember anything. Zhong Wan placated himself by trying to find the silver lining: it¡¯s good if he forgets. Yesterday, I was quite embarrassing. Zhong Wan got up and got ready. After he had changed clothes, Steward Feng walked in with some tea. Zhong Wan accepted the tea cup and took a sip. In surprise, he said, ¡°Snow pear tea? What a coincidence that you¡¯ve actually prepared this type of tea.¡± Steward Feng smiled. ¡°How could it be a coincidence? It was Prince who gave the order this morning. He said that Young Master¡¯s throat would definitely be uncomfortable today and that you would need to drink something that¡¯ll protect your throat.¡± Zhong Wan choked on a mouthful of tea. How come he hadn¡¯t forgotten this time?! CH 89 Zhong Wan broke down. Don¡¯t tell me what could be forgotten and what might not be forgotten is according to his mood? Carefully, he looked at Steward Feng. ¡°What else did Ziyou say to you?¡± Doubtfully, Steward Feng looked at Zhong Wan. ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything else. His Highness woke up very early today. After leaving the estate and climbing onto the carriage, he suddenly thought of this matter. Then he had people return and tell me that Young Master suffered from a bit of excessive internal heat, and that your throat has been sore since last night. I purposely asked if we should summon an imperial physician, but His Highness said it wasn¡¯t necessary. To just have you drink something to get rid of the pain. After thinking it over, I had someone make a pot of snow pear tea.¡± A wave of relief washed over him. That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good. Yu She should be clear-headed now. And he should know to not let me get too embarrassed. However¡­ Zhong Wan was apprehensive. When did his head clear? Could it have been yesterday?! Blushing, Zhong Wan drank his tea. Last night, he thought that since Yu She would forget everything once he woke up, Zhong Wan didn¡¯t need to be embarrassed. Thus, he had acted in the most unrestrained manner possible. Never had he thought¡­ Yu Ziyou would grow more and more splendid. Seeing Zhong Wan¡¯s complexion change from red to white, Steward Feng asked with doubt, ¡°Young Master, What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhong Wan poured another cup of tea for himself. Vaguely said, ¡°Nothing¡­ Please prepare a carriage for me. I¡¯ll leave in a moment.¡± ¡°Where is Young Master going?¡± Zhong Wan finished drinking his tea. ¡°Prince Qian An¡¯s estate.¡± Two hours later at Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. After Xuan Yu heard they were going to Yu She¡¯s rural manner to play, and that it had mountains, lakes, and hot springs, he became overjoyed. All of sudden, he thought of something. But he was too afraid to tell Xuan Congxin. Like when he was younger, he went to Zhong Wan¡¯s side and kept pausing as he tried to whisper to Zhong Wan. Since the beginning, Xuan Yu had been like this, closer to Zhong Wan than to his siblings. Helpless, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re no longer young. Why are you still whispering? What do you want to say?¡± In a fearful manner, Xuan Yu glanced at Xuan Congxin. Softly said, ¡°Are we¡­ Are we all going together?¡± ¡°You and Congxin will be going.¡± Zhong Wan coughed twice. Picked up a teacup. ¡°I won¡¯t be going since I¡¯m busy. When I was young, I heard Ziyou talk about that rural manor. Although I wasn¡¯t able to go, I hear it¡¯s pretty good. And it used to belong to an old prince from the past era, so it¡¯s very unique.¡± Zhong Wan patiently asked, ¡°Who do you want to bring with you?¡± ¡°No one.¡± Hesitating, Xuan Yu asked, ¡°Is it¡­ possible to not bring other people?¡± At the side, Xuan Congxin said with a cold expression, ¡°You don¡¯t want to bring me?¡± Zhong Wan smiled. Xuan Yu hurried to shake his head. ¡°How could I dare? I-I just want¡­¡± In a pitiful manner, Xuan Yu looked at Zhong Wan. Said in a quiet voice, ¡°Can we not bring the teacher?¡± Xuan Yu continued in a sullen manner, ¡°Teacher is very scary, I don¡¯t want to bring him along! Let him stay alone in the capital to endure the cold!¡± A sigh left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. He stroked Xuan Yu¡¯s head, a bit worried. ¡°Prince Ning was of great erudition and scholarship. Princess Consort was renowned for outstanding literary talent back in those days. Nowadays, I¡¯m not asking you to surpass them, but you can¡¯t be too bad, right?¡± Head lowered, Xuan Yu took in Zhong Wan¡¯s lecturing, feeling aggrieved. ¡°Alright. Then we won¡¯t bring him. We¡¯ll delay your schoolwork until you return.¡± Ca atja wbwfca, Wejc Te¡¯r fsfr yglutafcfv. Lf delmxis kfca ab qjmx eq tlr atlcur. Wejc Jbcuzlc rfca tlw j rlvfibcu uijcmf. Ktfc rtf rtloafv tfg ujhf ab Itbcu Qjc. Meggbkfv tfg ygbkr. ¡°Qts rb revvfc? Qts tjnf er ifjnf lc atf joafgcbbc?¡± ¡°Prc¡¯a la yfmjerf la pera rb tjqqfcr atja ja atlr alwf, atf oibkfgr jgf lc yfjealoei yibbw atfgf?¡± Itbcu Qjc tjv ibcu rlcmf qgfqjgfv jc fzmerf. Lf rwlifv. ¡°P tfjg atja atf oibkfglcu rfjrbc lr jiwbra bnfg. Po kf vbc¡¯a ub cbk, la¡¯ii yf abb ijaf ab klacfrr la.¡± But Xuan Congxin still found it strange. ¡°It¡¯s too rushed. My servant girls probably don¡¯t have enough time to pack my things.¡± At present, she wasn¡¯t easy to fool. After a moment of thought, Zhong Wan sighed. ¡°Nevermind. I¡¯ll just tell you the truth.¡± In a flash, Xuan Congxin sat up straight. Zhong Wan thickened his face and seriously said, ¡°Yesterday, Ziyou did something to offend me, and so wants to curry favor with you people. Mm¡­ You know that¡¯s the way he is. Inarticulate yet thinks himself clever.¡± Zhong Wan had spoken ambiguously, so Xuan Congxin nodded in embarrassment. ¡°Offended you¡­¡± Xuan Congxin hesitated before asking, ¡°How did he offend you? Is it¡­¡± A bit nervous, Xuan Congxin continued, ¡°Is it that Young Prince Yu wants to discuss marriage?¡± Zhong Wan laughed in spite of himself. ¡°Where are your thoughts going?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s not it, then that¡¯s good. But¡­¡± Xuan Congxin was deeply worried. ¡°I wanted to ask about it yesterday but felt too embarrassed. Is Young Prince Yu not marrying?¡± ¡°N-no,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°I¡¯m not too clear about the situation of the court, but I did hear, did hear that His Majesty recognized Young Prince Yu as his son. And he relies heavily on him. The people outside think the emperor intends to make him crown prince,¡± said Xuan Congxin. ¡°If he truly becomes the emperor in the future, how could he not have an imperial harem? At that time¡­ what will happen to you?¡± Zhong Wan thought for a moment, then laughed. ¡°I really never thought about this.¡± Zhong Wan wasn¡¯t just consoling her. This thought had truly never crossed his mind. After he had returned to the capital, especially when he started to live with Yu She, things happened one after the other. As if people were rushing, urging, and chasing him forward. It was already good enough to keep his life. How could he have the time to think of the future? Moreover, although Yu She had never brought this up, for some reason Zhong Wan thought there would be no troubles arising in their relationship. Xuan Congxin frowned. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you thought about it? I¡¯ve never heard of an emperor who didn¡¯t have an imperial harem. Would the imperial clan members agree to that? Would the court ministers not push for a harem?¡± Zhong Wan could not help but laugh. ¡°I¡¯m not even worrying about it, but you¡¯ve already thought of it so thoroughly.¡± Xuan Congxin¡¯s expression was poor. ¡°Then treat me as having groundless fears¡­ I believe that Young Prince Yu is sincere toward you. However, the future days are long. Who knows what will happen? You need to plan.¡± Zhong Wan only wanted the twins to quickly leave the capital. In a perfunctual manner, he said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll plan, I¡¯ll plan. Hurry and check what you need to bring, so that you don¡¯t forget the things you need.¡± Discontent, Xuan Congxin took her leave. Zhong Wan kept urging them to hurry. After midday, he finally escorted them up the carriage. Finally let out a sigh of relief. He gazed at the carriage in the distance. As he felt completely at ease, he looked at the black clouds in the horizon. All of a sudden, he had an ominous premonition. When the twins returned to the capital, the capital should already be sorted out. Only after Zhong Wan had left the estate and heard the family soldiers talk did he learn this: Yu She had told the family soldiers early on that if things go without a hitch in the future, they must immediately bring the twins back to the capital to receive their fief and title. If something occurred, then no matter what happened to Yu She or himself, the family soldiers did not have to return. Instead, they must escape with the twins from the rural manor. Go as far as they could go and conceal their identities. They could settle anywhere, but they must never return to the capital. The family soldier who was accompanying Zhong Wan carefully glanced at him, analyzing Zhong Wan¡¯s thoughts. In a low voice, he said, ¡°Young Master shouldn¡¯t think too much. The future is uncertain. It¡¯s not guaranteed that we would get to this point! Heir is just afraid of implicating the children, so is preparing ahead.¡± Zhong Wan gazed into the distance as he thought aloud, ¡°If something happened, then just a while ago¡­ was my last meeting with those children.¡± Xuan Congxin was too intelligent. Zhong Wan had been too afraid to say anything too intimate or full of emotion to her. There had been numerous worries in his heart, yet he didn¡¯t dare to tell them, too afraid to provoke her suspicion. Now, as he thought about it, he felt somewhat disappointed and frustrated. Zhong Wan laughed at himself. ¡°I¡¯m suddenly regretting it.¡± This brought sadness into the family soldier¡¯s heart. In a clumsy manner, he tried to console him by saying, ¡°Young Master mustn¡¯t think like this! Regret¡­. Regret what? If there¡¯s anything Young Master wants to tell them or bring them, just let me know. I will bring it to them!¡± ¡°I¡¯m regretting that I¡¯m too soft,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°I should have sent the teacher with them! If they really can¡¯t return, wouldn¡¯t Xuan Yu die from happiness with no teacher to guide him? If it comes to the point where he doesn¡¯t even know the most simple characters, I truly will be too ashamed to meet Prince and Princess Consort!¡± The family soldier was speechless. Then he tried his best to console him by saying, ¡°The teacher is already old. It¡¯ll be hard for him to accompany them as they run about to the ends of the earth.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. Alright then.¡± The family soldier looked at Zhong Wan¡¯s unconcerned appearance; he truly failed to put Zhong Wan at ease. After he helped Zhong Wan onto the carriage, he stubbornly said, ¡°Also, Young Master doesn¡¯t have to worry about money for them. Apart from the money they brought, Heir also had the accompanying trusted aides carry a lot of silver. In short¡­ In short they¡¯re not lacking anything.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s heart softened. After smiling, he felt grateful to Yu She. It¡¯s enough that Yu She had to wrack his brains to fight openly and covertly with those extremely wicked and vicious people. But he also had to divert his attention and manage this type of trivial matter. This person had to be very cautious all day long in the Cabinet. Who knew how hard it was for him? At this moment, the very cautious Ziyou actually wasn¡¯t having a hard time at all in the Cabinet. After rousing early this morning, Yu She was in a clear state of mind. And he was in incredible spirits. Once the court dispersed, Yu She and Yu Mucheng walked toward each other. He even flashed Yu Mucheng a smile. It really startled Yu Mucheng. For the whole morning, Yu She did not go through even one booklet. His mind was stuck on what had occured last night. While it was true he did not remember trivial things, he remembered everything to do with Zhong Wan. Each and every detail. A few months ago, when he requested the imperial physicians to completely heal Zhong Wan, Yu She had asked the leader of the imperial physicians whether Zhong Wan¡¯s illness could in fact be healed. Steward Feng had also asked this question in the past before. At that time, the imperial physician said there was no guarantee in fixing all the mental problems. One could only try to self-cultivate in peace over many years. Back then, the imperial physician also said that when a person was in their prime, there were some illnesses that their own body could slowly heal for them. Zhong Wan also did not take medicine for a long time, so the poison in his body was decreasing by the day. So there was a possibility that he could gradually recover. Back then, Yu She did not take the imperial physician¡¯s words to heart. But now, he did. Last night, he clearly fell into a bout of madness. But he remembered everything that had to do with Zhong Wan. And this included Zhong Wan saying, ¡°If you forget, then I¡¯ll do it again tomorrow, again the day after tomorrow, and again two days after tomorrow.¡± In the cabinet¡¯s work area, Yu She sat up straight and proper in the chief seat, seriously pondering whether he should pretend to have forgotten everything once he returned to the estate, hoping that Zhong Wan would fulfill his promise. ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness?¡± Yu She snapped back to his senses. Closed the booklet in his hands. In a gentle manner, he said to Cabinet Minister Sun, ¡°May Sir speak.¡± Cabinet Minister Sun smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. Just that there is a booklet this official would like Your Highness to see.¡± Yu She received it. Cabinet Minister Sun said, ¡°The Imperial Censorate said today that Fifth Highness has been in house arrest long enough and feels regret. They are asking Your Highness if it is fine to end his house arrest.¡± Cabinet Minister Sun intended to get a favor out of Yu She. He softly said, ¡°Today, His Majesty is not feeling well. He merely showed his face during court before returning to the inner palace. It¡¯s possible that he won¡¯t be in the mood to look at this booklet. There are many urgent memorials and proposals today. This booklet¡­ could be sent to the emperor or could be held from him.¡± Yu She carefully flipped open the booklet and looked through it. With a calm expression, he said, ¡°Send it.¡± Cabinet Minister Sun was astonished. Before he could say a thing, Yu She said, ¡°However, we won¡¯t be sending it just like this. Tell the Imperial Censorate that it¡¯s not thorough and detailed enough. It¡¯s not clear enough. Have them write another booklet.¡± It was a usual occurrence for the Cabinet to block a booklet, and have it be rewritten due to the text being poorly expressed. Cabinet Minister Sun nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Yu She added, ¡°After they send the new copy, I¡¯d like to ask Sir Sun for a favor.¡± ¡°May Your Highness speak.¡± With indifference, Yu She said, ¡°Once that booklet arrives, place it with this booklet. Then gather the previous¡­ booklets that have anything to do with ending Fifth Highness¡¯ house arrest. No matter when they were sent, put them all together. Then place these booklets in the case meant for the most urgent booklets. After that, send this case to the emperor.¡± Cabinet Minister Sun was speechless. Young Prince Yu was young, and had only been working in the Cabinet for a few months. Yet he already learned the vicious tricks of the senior ministers. To send these booklets to the emperor in such a grandiose manner would make Emperor Chongan think this: even though Xuan Qiong was on house arrest, he still had the ability to collude with many ministers. As such, he definitely would not end his house arrest. CH 90 This operation technically didn¡¯t count as directly harming Xuan Qiong. Either way, Yu She was currently in charge of the Cabinet. Even if others wanted to investigate after everything, Yu She would be there to take the blame. Senior Cabinet Official Sun wasn¡¯t worried about avoiding responsibility. He nodded and agreed. Yu She thought about it, then summoned his own subordinate. He secretly ordered a palace servant to find a way to send Tang Qin, the old thing, a message. The Court was working hard on Xuan Qiong¡¯s behalf. The imperial harem couldn¡¯t remain idle either. Xuan Qiong had been under house arrest for quite long. Yu She didn¡¯t believe that his cheap aunt wasn¡¯t agitated. Three days later, as if by plan, Imperial Consort Yu of the imperial harem, Xuan Qiong¡¯s allies in the Imperial Censorate, and Yu She and Zhong Wan¡¯s people in the Court all acted together. A large number of pamphlets got sent to the Cabinet. The senior cabinet officials sighed in relief. This couldn¡¯t be considered them siding with a certain prince anymore. So many people were also begging for mercy on Xuan Qiong¡¯s behalf. The uproar was endless; it couldn¡¯t be ignored. The senior cabinet officials organized the old and new pamphlets and sent them to the emperor together. ¡°Can what he¡¯s doing be considered reflecting on his mistakes?!!¡± Emperor Chongan looked furious. He swept the small mountain of booklets off of his desk. ¡°I was just worried that he didn¡¯t have a brain and would thus get tempted by his foolish mother and used by his uncle. Previously, I didn¡¯t believe that he did all those things, which is why I only put him under house arrest in the palace. And I also told my trusted palace subordinates of many years to keep an eye on him! My biggest fear was that he would try to right his wrong with another mistake, stepping deeper into the mud. In the future, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to protect him if I wanted to. This kid¡­¡± He coughed. Emperor Chongan started a coughing fit. He rested one hand on his desk. His chest was like a broken box bellow. It wheezed incessantly. His deathly pale face quickly became purple. Yu She expressionlessly stood off to the side, as if he hadn¡¯t seen anything. The old eunuchs swarmed over. Some patted the emperor on the back while others fed him tea. After a long time, Emperor Chongan finally caught his breath. Yu She emotionlessly stated, ¡°Emperor, take care of your dragon body.¡± Emperor Chongan stared at the numerous pamphlets, dazed. He softly said, ¡°You blame me for always protecting Xuan Qiong, right?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t say anything. All of a sudden, Emperor Chongan realized something. He looked up at Yu She. Slowly he asked, ¡°You told the senior cabinet officials to bring these pamphlets to me, right?¡± Emperor Chongan hadn¡¯t gone completely senile. In only an instant, he had seen through the little tricks involved. Yu She hadn¡¯t expected to ruin Xuan Qiong so easily either. He generously admitted, ¡°Yes.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was calm. ¡°The court officials have started passionate discussions and criticisms regarding this matter. The Cabinet naturally can¡¯t ignore it. Publically, this is my official responsibility. Privately¡­ I naturally don¡¯t want him to live an easy life.¡± Yu She¡¯s words were straightforward. Because of this, Emperor Chongan didn¡¯t get angry. ¡°What predestined sins¡­¡± Emperor Chongan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve truly become old. I, too, have started becoming hesitant and overly cautious. ¡°Imperial Consort Yu¡¯s only goal is for me to release Xuan Qiong. For what?¡± Emperor Chongan asked tiredly. ¡°Release him so that you brothers can start killing each other? ¡°After all, Xuan Qiong has actually never made a mistake that¡¯s unforgivable. I¡¯m keeping him in the palace so that he won¡¯t be used by anyone else. In the future¡­¡± Emperor Chongan looked at Yu She. His voice was hoarse as he said, ¡°I can also make the decision to have you spare him, right? ¡°I¡¯m the son of Heaven, but I¡¯m also a father.¡± Emperor Chongan sighed heavily. ¡°I want to keep a few more children alive too. That¡¯s my only wish. Why can¡¯t these people understand it?¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s speech was emotional, but Yu She didn¡¯t feel touched at all. Yu She believed that Emperor Chongan had just told the truth. He also believed that the other was leaving Xuan Qiong alive to keep him in check. The fact that the other was keeping a backup crown prince around was the truth too. Ktfrf qjra ofk sfjgr, Te Vtf tjv tfjgv abb wjcs ojxf atlcur mbwf bea bo Swqfgbg Jtbcujc¡¯r wbeat. Lf tjv ibcu rlcmf ubaafc erfv ab la. Lf cb ibcufg wbmxfv atf batfg ilxf tf tjv vbcf lc tlr sbeat. ¡°P ecvfgrajcv Pwqfglji Jbcrbga Te¡¯r lcafcalbcr. Lbkfnfg, rtf¡¯r j kbwjc. Vtf tjr cb gfjmt lc atf Jbega,¡± Swqfgbg Jtbcujc rboais rjlv. ¡°Ktlr alwf¡­ mbeiv la yf sbeg ubbv Uglcmfis Mjatfg¡¯r kbgx jujlc?¡± Emperor Chongan gazed at Yu She. ¡°Ziyou, what do you say?¡± Emperor Chongan was already suspicious. Yu She didn¡¯t drop a stone on a man who had fallen into a well. In accordance with what he and Zhong Wan had agreed on in advance, he calmly answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Emperor Chongan furrowed his brows. Yu She coldly stated, ¡°I¡¯m a major suspect in this matter too. I don¡¯t dare to implicate others.¡± ¡°You!¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s eyebrows were knit together. ¡°Why are you throwing a tantrum? Just now, I was only casually asking a question. If I really felt suspicious about you, would I still leave you to take care of political matters in the Cabinet?¡± Yu She stopped responding again. Emperor Chongan burst into laughter. ¡°Nevermind¡­ This is your personality.¡± Emperor Chongan muttered to himself, ¡°I actually like your personality too. You wear your heart on your sleeve and won¡¯t try to fool me with fake emotions.¡± Emperor Chongan offhandedly picked up a booklet. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°A few days ago, Prince Yu feigned inactivity, but in actuality, he made a lot of moves in secret. His plan to collude with the Imperial Astronomy Department failed, so now he¡¯s causing such a mess. As of now, I can still take care of him. What about in the future, though?¡± Emperor Chongan observed Yu She in contemplation. He asked, ¡°Ziyou, if you were tasked with taking care of this mess, how would you punish Prince Yu?¡± A thought struck him. Yu She forced the ¡°remove the problem at its roots¡± he had originally been intending to say down and remained silent. Yu She was usually like this too. He only gave one answer every three questions, but Emperor Chongan wasn¡¯t planning on letting him off so easily today. He continued to ask, ¡°Ziyou, what would you do?¡± Yu She¡¯s heart skipped a few beats. Suddenly, he reached a realization. Emperor Chongan was hesitating about whether he should immediately take care of this problem or leave it to Yu She. A thin sheen of cold sweat formed on Yu She¡¯s back. Yu She¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down slightly. He still refused to say anything. Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression was dark. With furrowed brows, he asked, ¡°What bad habit is this?! I¡¯m asking you a question!¡± Yu She kept his teeth clenched together. A while later, he directly knelt. Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression became completely foul. The inside of the palace grew dead silent at once. The old eunuchs made eye contact with one another and rushed to leave. Emperor Chongan was too old. These past few years, he had grown several age spots on his face. Juxtaposed with his deathly pale facial complexion, this looked a bit terrifying. He lowered his gaze and asked, ice cold, ¡°What? These days, you¡¯re taking care of political matters in my stead. All the senior cabinet officials are willing to follow your orders and help you step on Xuan Qiong. With such great skill, you still don¡¯t know how to deal with Prince Yu?¡± Yu She held his breath. A moment later, he said, ¡°When I was ten, Princess Royal took me out of the palace.¡± Emperor Chongan froze. ¡°Princess Royal originally intended to raise me at the Princess Estate. It was Prince Yu who said that unpolished jade is useless. He feared that the princess would spoil me, so took me back to his own estate. ¡°Since then, until I became an adult, I spent the majority of my time at Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Prince Yu was the one who taught me my morals and checked on my homework. Once, I fell ill. The person who took care of me the entire time without getting any rest of his own was also Prince Yu.¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression stiffened. His tone didn¡¯t sound so natural anymore. ¡°That was because¡­¡± ¡°I know. He treated me well with other intentions,¡± Yu She calmly stated. ¡°There¡¯s no need to say anything else about the interests involved in this matter, right?¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s gaze sheepishly flitted back and forth. ¡°Stop speaking.¡± Yu She ignored this. He stared at Emperor Chongan. ¡°But didn¡¯t you also have other intentions, which is why you¡¯ve treated me well all these years?¡± Rage coursing through his veins, Emperor Chongan yelled, ¡°How dare you!¡± Yu She calmly said, ¡°I¡¯m only telling the truth.¡± The thing Emperor Chongan wanted to avoid the most was Yu She bringing up the matters of the past. Instantly, he lost some confidence. Displeased, he said, ¡°Why are you bringing these matters up?¡± ¡°Emperor, you asked me how I would deal with Prince Yu,¡± said Yu She in a composed manner. ¡°These are my intentions. These days, I¡¯m already willing to let go of the past. I won¡¯t think of what Princess Royal has done to me or what you¡¯ve done to me. As for Prince Yu¡­ as long as he doesn¡¯t try to harm me again, I won¡¯t bind myself to old history.¡± Emperor Chongan was furious. ¡°Given the way I¡¯m treating you now, if you¡¯re still hung up over the past and intend to hold me responsible for my previous behavior, isn¡¯t that a waste of all my energy?!¡± Yu She scoffed in his heart. He lowered his head and stopped speaking. Emperor Chongan was exactly like this. He arrogantly believed in Yu She¡¯s current ¡°submission.¡± He felt that between him and Yu She, blood was thicker than water. Since he had recognized Yu She as his son, Yu She ought to be thankful and grateful. Everything that had happened in the past no longer needed to be brought up. On one hand, he wanted Yu She to treat him wholeheartedly. On the other hand, he also wanted Yu She to continue being sworn enemies with Yu Mucheng. Almost as if this could prove that those dirty deals from back then weren¡¯t related to him at all. For a long time, Emperor Chongan didn¡¯t say anything. Yu She suddenly recalled something that he had heard from a spy, a phrase Yu Mucheng had used to describe him. ¡°Greedy and never satisfied.¡± As of today, who was the one who was actually greedy and never satisfied? Inside the palace, neither of them spoke again. They remained silent for a whole ten minutes. Emperor Chongan leaned against the back of his chair, dejected. ¡°Nevermind. Stand up.¡± Bitter laughter escaped Emperor Chongan¡¯s lips. ¡°Who do you actually take after in regards to your temper?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t answer. Emperor Chongan said to himself, ¡°Nevermind. My original reason for relying heavily on you was because I liked the way you place importance on relationships¡­ I understand. You aren¡¯t capable of doing certain things.¡± Emperor Chongan looked at Yu She. His gaze was kind, but also strangely frightening. He softly said, ¡°The things that you can¡¯t do, your imperial father will do for you. ¡°For you and for Qiong¡¯er.¡± Yu She secretly sighed in relief. He slowly stood up straight. Yu She knew himself well. He clearly understood that he didn¡¯t have the power to usurp the throne or ruin Yu Mucheng by himself. Thus, he and Zhong Wan could only borrow someone else¡¯s power. The mantis was stalking the cicada. If he wanted to be the oriole, right now, he needed to be cautious with every step and do a few things he usually would never do. For example, acting out a scene of having a good father-son relationship with Yu Mucheng, like he had done just now. ¡°The spring light is just right¡­¡± Emperor Chongan lowly said. ¡°I suddenly want to take a trip outside of the city.¡± A few thoughts flew through Yu She¡¯s mind. Out of caution, he didn¡¯t say anything. Emperor Chongan continued, ¡°It has been a very, very long time since I¡¯ve stayed at the temporary imperial palace.¡± Emperor Chongan chuckled with nostalgia. ¡°Speaking of, the temporary imperial palace to the south of the capital was actually built for me by Prince Yu back then, when he was still young. ¡°I¡¯m going to go live there for a few days¡­¡± The murderous glint faded away from Emperor Chongan¡¯s eyes. He muttered, ¡°I¡¯m going to bring Xuan Qiong, Xuang Jing, the princesses, and¡­ and Princess Royal Anguo. I¡¯m going to bring my sparse relatives there with me and stay there for a while.¡± Yu She tensed. Emperor Chongan wanted to leave Prince Yu in the capital¡ªhe would act in the capital, completely ending the other. After months of planning, Emperor Chongan and Yu Mucheng were finally going to start officially acting out against each other. Emperor Chongan looked at Yu She. There was additional kindness in his eyes. ¡°Good child. Rest assured, I won¡¯t leave you to be troubled in the capital. Come with me, okay?¡± Yu She fell silent for a moment before nodding. ¡°Okay.¡± Emperor Chongan nodded, pleased. He smiled dismally, ¡°Even now, you still refuse to call me Imperial Father. And how have I treated you? I worry that you¡¯ll be too softhearted and be at someone else¡¯s mercy in the future. I¡¯m towing my injured body to clear the path for you. To you, it can be said that I¡¯ve been wholehearted and done my best, right?¡± Yu She¡¯s lips twitched. He wanted to say something, but stopped himself. Emperor Chongan gazed at the son that he currently relied on the most. Suddenly, a flicker of hope ignited in his heart. He moved. ¡°What do you want to say?¡± Yu She lowered his gaze. He was still hesitating. There was something really important that he needed to say, but no matter how bad he was at reading situations, even he felt that this father-son moment was a bad time. Emperor Chongan couldn¡¯t help rushing him, ¡°Say it!¡± Yu She was hesitant for a moment. He knelt down once more. Emperor Chongan¡¯s bony fingers trembled. He gazed at Yu She with anticipation. Yu She seriously said, ¡°Emperor, if we¡¯re going to a temporary imperial palace, I need to bring Zhong Wan.¡± Emperor Chongan was rendered speechless. Yu She also realized that he was very disappointing, but he had to say what needed to be said. ¡°Emperor, you know too that he can¡¯t be without me. Who knows how long this trip will last? I fear that Guiyuan will fall ill because of longing. He¡¯s already in poor health. If something else happens to him because he misses me, I¡¯ll really¡­¡± Very impatiently, Emperor Chongan said, ¡°Okay, okay, I know. Bring him!¡± Yu She kowtowed. ¡°Thank you for your grace, Master.¡± CH 91 Yu She felt relieved. After saluting Emperor Chongan, he left the palace. He had angered Emperor Chongan immensely, the latter¡¯s chest hurting for a good while. The eunuch who usually stayed by Emperor Chongan¡¯s side entered the palace hall. As he knelt down to pick up the booklets on the ground, he smiled. ¡°When Young Prince left, he seemed to be in a good mood. It¡¯s unlike in the past, when he would have a gloomy expression each time. This is so rare.¡± ¡°Whatever he said, We agreed to. So what else could he be unhappy about?¡± said Emperor Chongan, massaging his temples. ¡°Tell me, just who does this child take after? We¡¯ve tried to tell him explicitly and implicitly many times, yet he seems to not understand at all.¡± The old eunuch sighed. ¡°For so many years, Young Prince was never close with other people. It¡¯s normal for his¡­ worldly wisdom to be more stunted than others¡¯.¡± ¡°How is he stunted in worldly wisdom? Just now, Ziyou did not understand what We meant. In such a critical moment, he neither asked Us how We would deal with this matter nor did he ask Us how We would handle Prince Yu. Rather, the first thing he asked was how We would handle Zhong Wan.¡± Emperor Chongan shook his head. ¡°Could it be that the imperial clan truly gave birth to a romantic?¡± The old eunuch laughed. ¡°Speaking of this, this slave will tell Your Majesty a joke. A few days ago, it rained all of a sudden. Spring rain is as valuable as oil. It did not rain too heavily, but our Young Prince had been worried in the Cabinet. Every day, Young Master Zhong would come to pick him up. Young Prince feared that he would arrive early and not have an umbrella, so he specially told the servants to prepare one and deliver it to Young Master Zhong. ¡°At that time, Young Master Zhong had indeed already arrived at the palace, and was waiting. However, the rain outside grew lighter and lighter. Perhaps Young Master was afraid he wouldn¡¯t be able to use the umbrella. So he disembarked from the carriage, opened the umbrella, and stood in the rain.¡± Emperor Chongan laughed in spite of himself. Similarly, the old eunuch couldn¡¯t hold back from laughing. ¡°If he was just waiting, then fine. But Young Master Zhong misbehaved a lot. Whenever people who didn¡¯t get along with Young Prince passed by, he would spin his umbrella and splash them with the rain that had accumulated on it. On that day, our Fourth Prince had been in a bad mood as he was leaving the palace. He approached Young Master Zhong, and out of nowhere, was splashed by Young Master Zhong. He even asked Fourth Highness, ¡®why don¡¯t you have an umbrella? Are you not afraid of getting wet? Is your face waterproof?¡¯ It angered Fourth Highness so much that he almost fought with Young Master Zhong.¡± Again, Emperor Chongan couldn¡¯t hold back from laughing. The old eunuch smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t blame Young Prince for liking such an interesting person. Wasn¡¯t Your Majesty very fond of Young Master Zhong in the past?¡± ¡°Yes, since young, that child easily makes people like them. Back then¡­¡± said Emperor Chongan slowly. ¡°By Prince Ning and Princess Consort Ning¡¯s knees, he was able to make them love him dearly. At the start, We had also liked him a lot.¡± The old eunuch paused, mulling over the words ¡°at the start.¡± In a careful manner, he changed the topic by saying, ¡°However, Young Master Zhong is a man after all. It¡¯s not that good¡­ for Young Prince to be so fond of him.¡± Lost in thought, Emperor Chongan said, ¡°It¡¯s not that good. But the father-and-son relationship between Us and Ziyou has just recently improved. It wouldn¡¯t do to hurt our relationship because of this.¡± The old eunuch cautiously consoled, ¡°Maybe this will only last for three to five years. Once they are older, they probably wouldn¡¯t be as inseparable as they are now.¡± Emperor Chongan did not comment on this. Instead, he said, ¡°This is hard to say. Ziyou, this child, has always been the type that wouldn¡¯t give up until he really couldn¡¯t do something anymore. What if he wants to die on this hill?¡± The old eunuch felt something was off. He did not dare to continue on this topic. Emperor Chongan sighed as he shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s hard being a father. We need to get the cabinet ministers on his side, need to handle Prince Yu, and need to handle these trivial matters.¡± The old eunuch could make out the hidden meaning in his words. He braced himself as he said, ¡°Your Majesty, your honored self is knowledgeable of Young Prince¡¯s temper. Once he goes crazy, he won¡¯t make allowances even for his own family members. If your honored self wants to kill Young Master Zhong, this slave fears that in his rage, Young Prince would do something drastic.¡± Emperor Chongan smiled. ¡°Just where are your thoughts going? Why would We kill Zhong Wan? We just want to pave the road for our son. Since he wants my position, he will need to be obedient.¡± Five days later, Emperor Chongan left the imperial palace, taking along his imperial clan members in a grandiose manner to the temporary imperial residence. Emperor Chongan also brought his sons and daughters. Apart from the empress, he did not bring along any of the other imperial concubines. Zhong Wan sat in a carriage, leaning against the soft cushions. He lifted the curtain for a glance outside. Shaking his head, he said in a soft voice, ¡°The emperor is truly ruthless. There are so many people in the imperial harem, yet he did not bring even one person. In any case, they are the mothers of the imperial princes. Is he not afraid that Prince Yu would take one of them as hostage?¡± Te Vtf kjr gfjvlcu j ybbxifa klat tlr tfjv ibkfgfv. Qlatbea gjlrlcu tlr tfjv, tf rjlv, ¡°Gb sbe atlcx fnfgsbcf lr ilxf wf? Dglculcu sbe jibcu ktfgfnfg P ub?¡± C rwlif ugjmfv Itbcu Qjc¡¯r ilqr. Lf vgbqqfv atf megajlc. ¡°Lbk jybea P tfiq sbe ajxf j ibbx?¡± Ktf fwqfgbg kjr cba lc atf mjqlaji, rb fnfgs vjs, qfbqif kbeiv rfcv wfwbgljir jcv qgbqbrjir ab atf afwqbgjgs lwqfglji gfrlvfcmf. Ccv bcmf atfrf tjv yffc ibbxfv bnfg, atfrf ybbxifar kbeiv yf qjrrfv bc ab atf Jjylcfa. Swqfgbg Jtbcujc vlv cba tjnf atf fcfgus ab tjcvif ubnfgcwfca joojlgr, jcv qgjmalmjiis qertfv jii atf kbgx ab Te Vtf. Te Vtf vlv cba kjca ab vfijs atfrf wjaafgr, rb rajgafv ublcu bnfg atf ybbxifar bcmf tf milwyfv lcab atf mjggljuf. Yu She split the pile of booklets in half, giving one half to Zhong Wan. ¡°What did the emperor ask you just a while ago?¡± Zhong Wan did not speak. Rather, he picked up a writing brush and wrote in a blank booklet, ¡°He asked me if I wanted to bring Congxin and Xuan Yu.¡± Yu She frowned. The two shared a look. Yu She wrote, ¡°Is he suspicious?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head and wrote, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s unaware that the twins are no longer in the capital. For him to purposely ask me this makes it more likely that he¡¯s probing for answers.¡± After some thought, Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°The news of Xuan Rui being robbed and killed hasn¡¯t spread to the capital yet. He should not know of this. Otherwise, he would not empty the capital of imperial clan members and royalty.¡± Silent for a moment, Yu She wrote, ¡°Too smart for his own good.¡± Zhong Wan smiled. He picked up the booklet that was full of writing. Shredded it to pieces and put them into the carriage¡¯s small incense burner one by one. The two continued to go through the booklets. Zhong Wan was quicker than Yu She. After he gave an official response to them all, he looked all around. Said softly, ¡°Approximately when would the emperor make a move?¡± Yu She fell silent for a while, before shaking his head. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me. But¡­ it should be soon.¡± A sigh escaped Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯ve never been to the temporary imperial palace before. I want to have a lot of fun for a few days.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t take his words too seriously. ¡°In the future, you¡¯d live here as long as you¡¯d like.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Young Prince?¡± asked Zhong Wan, smiling. ¡°Are you that confident that I¡¯d be able to stay in the temporary palace whenever I want in the future?¡± Yu She did not respond. Zhong Wan wholeheartedly wanted to be lovey-dovey to Yu She. He shuffled close to Yu She¡¯s side, leaning against his shoulder comfortably. With his imagination unfettered, he said, ¡°Forget about this temporary imperial palace. It¡¯s too big. I can¡¯t live here. If things truly go without a hitch in the future, make a smaller one for me. When we¡¯re still young, we can treat it as a vacation area. When we¡¯re older, we can treat it as a place for retirement, alright?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Zhong Wan bent his legs, placing his hands on his knees. He smiled as he asked, ¡°At that time, will you accompany me?¡± Yu She still nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Narrowing his eyes, Zhong Wan looked at Yu She. All of a sudden, he felt that some things didn¡¯t need to be asked. For some reason, Zhong Wan felt confident that what Congxin worried about would never happen. He and Yu She had staggered along up until now. For this reason, they would not gradually grow estranged in the future. The group of people traveled for no less than a whole day. They finally reached the temporary imperial residence during the evening. Yu She did not try to avoid suspicion at all; he did not allow Zhong Wan to stray even half a step away from him. Zhong Wan¡¯s expression was very natural, as if the two were originally together. Since Emperor Chongan turned a blind eye, no one dared to say a thing. After a lively banquet, everyone returned to their own courtyard. The courtyard Emperor Chongan had given Yu She was in a great location. It wasn¡¯t far from the emperor¡¯s wing, yet was also peaceful enough. After Yu She and Zhong Wan took a tour around their courtyard and appreciated the place, they returned to the bedroom. Once they sent away all the servants, Zhong Wan lightly sighed. Yu She smiled. ¡°This day has finally come. What? Are you scared now?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid¡­ Ziyou, you¡¯ve been inseparable from me today. Just now, you purposely ordered servants to get me this and that in front of other people. What was your motive?¡± Yu She paused. ¡°How could there be any motive?¡± Zhong Wan clenched his teeth. ¡°If you didn¡¯t have a motive, then why did you tell the servants so loudly that I must take a bath before I sleep, that petals must be placed in the tub, that the petals must be fresh? And that they must only use big and red petals? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?! Do you want everyone to know that I am fussy? When did I ever need to use flower petals when I bathed?!¡± Embarrassed, Yu She turned away. Did not speak. ¡°You¡­¡± Zhong Wan pursed his lips. ¡°Are you worried the emperor would kill me in passing?¡± Yu She kept quiet for a while. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Zhong Wan sat on the bed and arched a brow. ¡°That¡¯s why you purposely let everyone know that I¡¯m sleeping with you. You want the emperor to refrain from shooting at the rat in fear of breaking the vases. To fear hurting you by killing me, right?¡± ¡°Preparedness averts peril.¡± Yu She sat down. Dully said, ¡°The emperor has always treated you gently, so don¡¯t let that fool you.¡± ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m just suddenly a bit worried about other things.¡± Zhong Wan placed his hand on Yu She¡¯s leg, writing characters on it. ¡°Xuan Qiong is involved with Prince Yu. The emperor doesn¡¯t want Prince Yu to rule from the shadows. He also doesn¡¯t want to be confused by you. He thinks that you¡¯ll be softhearted and lenient toward Prince Yu in the future. As such, he simply abandoned this chess piece that is Xuan Qiong. So who does the emperor have left? ¡°Other than me, who else can influence you?¡± Zhong Wan glanced at Yu She. Then he wrote, ¡°The empress dowager would act as a regent¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s heart sank. Zhong Wan softly said, ¡°Ziyou, we packed a lot of tea and refreshments coming here, right? How about you have your servants send some to Princess Royal Anguo?¡± Yu She and Zhong Wan shared a gaze. He already understood what Zhong Wan meant. Shortly after, he nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± During the period of Chou, Yu She and Zhong Wan lay in bed still awake. Zhong Wan grabbed Yu She¡¯s hand and played with his fingers, the latter letting him have his way with them. Softly, he said, ¡°Sleep. If anything happens, I¡¯ll wake you up¡­¡± Before Yu She could finish speaking, a mess of shouts sounded from outside. The lights outside the window swayed. It seemed many people had rushed into the courtyard. Zhong Wan¡¯s breathing grew hurried and brief. Sure enough, Emperor Chongan acted quickly. A moment later, a servant rushed over to the doors and slapped them, yelling, ¡°Young Prince? Young Prince, are you alright? Young Prince? Something bad happened! Something really bad happened!!!¡± After getting up, Yu She draped his outer robe over his shoulders. He unsheathed the sword by his bedside. Opened the doors. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Something bad!!!¡± The servant dropped to a kneel with a bang. Cried as he said, ¡°For some reason, many assassins infiltrated the temporary imperial residence! I don¡¯t know how long they hid here. Just now, they took advantage of the night to act and attacked His Majesty and Princess Royal!¡± Under the cover of darkness, Yu She¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°How is Princess?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still fine! She¡¯s still fine!¡± blurted the servant. ¡°Someone outside encountered the assassins by accident, discovering them early. The imperial guards also rushed there in time, so only Princess¡¯ arm was injured. It wasn¡¯t too serious!¡± Zhong Wan, who was inside the room, let out a breath of relief. Expression ice-cold, Yu She asked, ¡°What about the emperor?¡± The servant rushed to say, ¡°His Majesty is extremely lucky. Nothing happened to him. However, we don¡¯t know how many assassins are left or where they are hiding. His Majesty cannot be at ease, and had the princesses and princes head for the main palace hall immediately! There are many imperial guards there, so nothing could go wrong!¡± Yu She put away his sword. ¡°Alright.¡± Ten minutes later, Yu She brought along Zhong Wan to the main palace hall. Xuan Jing and Xuan Qiong had just suffered a fright. Expressions poor, they stood at a side. Once the old eunuch from the palace hall caught sight of Yu She, he hurried to welcome him. Within the inner chamber, Emperor Chongan had a robe draped over his shoulders. His expression was frigid as he sat on the bed. After he had heard the report of the imperial guards, he said, ¡°Did you finish investigating? Where did the assassins come from?¡± Uncertain, an imperial guard said, ¡°In the courtyard¡­ there is a bamboo forest. It¡¯s lush and thick, so we were negligent in guarding that area. After we searched it, we found a secret path.¡± At that moment, the chamber grew incomparably silent. Emperor Chongan took his time to say, ¡°This is Our temporary imperial residence. Even We don¡¯t know this secret path exists.¡± Cold sweat trickled down the imperial guard¡¯s forehead. ¡°It¡¯s unknown how long ago this secret path was made. It¡¯s hidden underground and a tall slope hides it from sight. It¡¯s also difficult to be eroded by the rain, and difficult to collapse. It truly¡­ is hard to find.¡± The old eunuch by Emperor Chongan¡¯s side took half a step forward. He said in a soft voice, ¡°Your Majesty, if this old slave remembers correctly, wasn¡¯t Prince Yu the one who supervised the construction of this temporary imperial residence?¡± CH 92 Before the eunuch could finish speaking, Xuan Qiong¡¯s face had turned deathly pale. His knees wobbled and he knelt on the ground with a plop. Zhong Wan was exasperated. This useless person. Xuan Jing was always half a step behind everyone else. He froze for a moment before finally realizing what was going on. His eyes lit up and he couldn¡¯t stop himself from eagerly kicking a down man. ¡°Fifth Younger Brother, we¡¯re only saying that Prince Yu built this temporary imperial palace. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re saying that Prince Yu sent the assassins over. What are you so agitated about? Could it be that you know something?¡± Xuan Qiong didn¡¯t know why he felt so guilty right now either. After being placed under house arrest by Emperor Chongan for several days, he had started becoming easily startled. Even the slightest disruption was enough to send his heart racing. He barely managed to calm himself down before softly saying, ¡°Imperial Father, Uncle def-definitely doesn¡¯t know anything¡­¡± Conflicted, Emperor Chongan observed Xuan Qiong. His gaze was full of fatigue. Emperor Chongan looked down. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it either¡­ Stand up.¡± Xuan Qiong rushed to stand. Shaking, he stood off to the side. The palace temporarily fell silent. A long time later, the head of the guard for the temporary imperial palace entered to report, ¡°In reply to the emperor, all the courtyards have already been completely searched. This subordinate and the others have failed at protecting the emperor. Please punish us.¡± ¡°You definitely won¡¯t be let off so easily!¡± Xuan Jing had been peacefully sleeping. He was in a terrible mood because he had been abruptly awakened. This was his first time encountering an assassination and he found everything baffling. ¡°Half of the royal guards here came to this temporary palace days ago to prepare. How did you guys do your job?!¡± ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to be worrying about that.¡± Emperor Chongan furrowed his brows. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the assassins first. Have they all been caught?¡± The head of the guard nodded. ¡°Yes. All the palaces, courtyards, and hidden locations have been thoroughly checked. Skilled people have also inspected the roofs. For fear of there being people hiding in the water, we dragged a net through the pond too. As of now, we¡¯ve finished our inspection.¡± Emperor Chongan sighed in relief. ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯s late. I¡¯m going to see Princess Royal. Head back to your own courtyards first. Oh right¡­¡± Emperor Chongan furrowed his brows and yelled, ¡°Has the imperial doctor arrived yet? Princess Royal has been in the side room for so long. Why hasn¡¯t an imperial doctor come to see me yet?¡± An old eunuch hurriedly stepped forward and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Majesty. The imperial doctor is bandaging Princess Royal¡¯s wounds right now. He hasn¡¯t had the time to come see you yet. This old servant went to check just now, and the imperial doctor said that no vital areas were injured, which is good.¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression became even darker. ¡°Useless! There were so many of you, but you couldn¡¯t even protect a princess!¡± The head of the guard, who had just stood up, knelt down again upon hearing this. He lowered his head and said, ¡°We have been incapable. Princess Royal¡¯s courtyard was the closest to that bamboo forest. The assassins¡¯ first destination was Princess Royal¡¯s residence. It was extremely fortunate that the royal guard on watch happened to be patrolling outside of Princess Royal¡¯s courtyard. Otherwise¡­ not even my death ten thousand times over would be enough to correct my mistake.¡± Emperor Chongan fell silent for a moment. He muttered to himself, ¡°How incredibly fortunate, how incredibly fortunate¡­¡± Though the head of the guard had said that he deserved to die ten thousand times over, he still needed to beg for mercy on the royal guard¡¯s behalf. ¡°There were many assassins, and they appeared out of the blue. We honestly hadn¡¯t expected it. Over half of the royal guards on watch were killed or injured. They¡¯ve already done their best.¡± Emperor Chongan had originally already been about to head into the side room. Upon hearing this, he paused and slowly turned around. His eyebrows knit together, bit by bit. ¡°The assassins didn¡¯t all head to Princess Royal¡¯s courtyard, but over half of the royal guards on watch were killed or injured¡­ How many assassins were there?¡± The head of the guard said, ¡°In total, there were thirty seven assassins. Thirty died, two were seriously injured, and five were lightly injured.¡± Swqfgbg Jtbcujc¡¯r fzqgfrrlbc lcrajcais mtjcufv. Wejc Alcu kjr rqffmtifrr. ¡°Ktfgf jgf ralii rbwf atja jgf jilnf? Ktfc lcafggbujaf atfw!¡± The head of the guard really wanted to make up for his mistake with a good deed. He hurriedly said, ¡°Yes! Don¡¯t worry, Emperor! We¡¯ve already locked up the five people who were lightly injured. Their mouths have been stuffed too, making it impossible for them to commit suicide! As of now, we only have to interrogate that group of bandits!¡± Ktf mbibg mbwqifafis vgjlcfv bea bo Swqfgbg Jtbcujc¡¯r ojmf. Lf rilutais kbyyifv. Coafg yjgfis wjcjulcu ab rajylilhf tlwrfio, tf tfiv bcab atf ibk ajyif jcv rja vbkc bcmf wbgf. Emperor Chongan suddenly broke into a coughing fit. The old eunuchs swarmed over to help him catch his breath. Zhong Wan furrowed his brows from where he was standing off to the side. He turned around and made eye contact with Yu She. Their gazes met. Zhong Wan inhaled sharply after thinking of something. A terrifying thought formed. Emperor Chongan was coughing so hard it sounded like he was about to cough his lungs up. A moment later, he said, voice hoarse, ¡°Right now, you guys needn¡¯t¡­ head back to your own courtyards anymore¡­¡± ¡°All the princesses will stay in the empress¡¯ palace. As for the princes, the princes¡­¡± Emperor Chongan lifted his head. His gaze scanned over his three sons. A moment later, he commanded, ¡°Xuan Qiong and Xuan Jing, stay in the western side room. Ziyou¡­ stay in the eastern side room. Without my official orders, no one is allowed to wander around or leave.¡± Upon hearing this, Xuan Jing almost exploded again. He was extremely unwilling to stay with Xuan Qiong. However, Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression was honestly dark to the point of frightening. Thus, he pitifully lowered his head and agreed. Emperor Chongan glanced at the head of the guard again. ¡°All the people have been gathered within the boundaries of these two courtyards. If anything else happens, don¡¯t blame me for not being merciful enough.¡± It was now much easier to provide security. At once, the head of the guard kowtowed to express his gratitude. Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression was defeated. He said, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t feel great, so I won¡¯t go see the princess. Come, someone¡­ Go check on Princess Royal in my stead. Placate her well for me. When she can move, escort the princess to the empress¡¯ courtyard as well. Order the imperial doctor to take good care of her. Nothing else is allowed to happen.¡± The palace servant made a noise of acknowledgment and left. ¡°You all can leave too¡­¡± Emperor Chongan seemed a bit distracted. ¡°Go, go.¡± Each individual had palace servants to take care of their possessions. The princes and princesses dispersed as per Emperor Chongan¡¯s orders. Zhong Wan naturally followed Yu She to the eastern side room. This room was surrounded both inside and outside by Emperor Chongan¡¯s subordinates. It wasn¡¯t convenient to say anything. Yu She ordered someone to transfer his own servants over before heading into the bedroom with Zhong Wan. After commanding the palace servants to leave, the two of them got into bed. Yu She held onto Zhong Wan and whispered into his ear, ¡°You feel that something is off too, right?¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t say anything. Yu She quietly said, ¡°How fortunate that you warned me in time. When my people went to give the princess some refreshments, they warned Princess Royal¡¯s servants that this temporary imperial palace has been unoccupied for many years and that it was very likely for there to be lapses in security. The bamboo forest in Princess¡¯ courtyard was connected to the bamboo forest outside the palace. It was possible that there would be rodents or snakes¡­¡± Yu She kissed Zhong Wan on the cheek and muttered, ¡°After first hearing this, the princess probably didn¡¯t take it to heart. But now¡­ she definitely understands that someone wants to kill her.¡± Zhong Wan burrowed himself into Yu She¡¯s embrace, finding a comfortable position for himself. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°Something feels a bit strange to me.¡± The walls had ears. No matter how softly they spoke, there would still be danger. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t say anything anymore. Instead, he started to write in Yu She¡¯s palm, ¡°The emperor and Prince Yu have gotten along as ruler and subject for many years. On the surface, at least, Prince Yu has been quite loyal to the emperor. First, Prince Yu helped him ascend to the throne. Then, he helped raise an imperial prince. He¡¯s also Princess Royal¡¯s husband and Xuan Qiong¡¯s biological uncle. He¡¯s one of the emperor¡¯s close relatives. Prince Yu¡¯s estate is related to many powerful noble families in the capital by marriage too. The emperor can¡¯t touch¡­ someone like him at all. ¡°No matter what horrible things Prince Yu has done, to the emperor, he¡¯s still an official with great achievements. Since historic times, an unforgivable crime must be committed for someone to kill an official with achievements. For example¡­ regicide.¡± Yu She¡¯s palm itched because of Zhong Wan¡¯s scratching. He grabbed onto the other¡¯s hand. Zhong Wan gently threw him off and continued to write, ¡°Though the emperor¡¯s tactic is a bit obvious, it¡¯s the most effective. If not for this accident, he could¡¯ve also successfully taken care of Princess Royal Anguo. ¡°He¡¯s both worried that Princess Royal Anguo will order you around in the future as empress dowager and that after this attempted assassination, Prince Yu will have no other option but to bring up the old matters regarding Imperial Consort Zhong. He needs to kill the princess early on, because she¡¯s a witness whose alliances can¡¯t be confirmed. It¡¯s actually not hard to guess why he would act now. ¡°Everything about the setup made complete sense. What¡¯s strange is that the people tasked to do these things must be killers who are willing to die. So why are there still survivors?¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was so soft it was almost indiscernible. ¡°That guard said, ¡®In total, there were thirty seven people. Thirty died, two were seriously injured, and five were lightly injured.¡¯ After this, the emperor¡¯s expression changed.¡± Zhong Wan fell silent for a moment. He wrote, ¡°Which phrase do you think caused his expression to change so drastically?¡± Yu She narrowed his eyes. Zhong Wan continued to write, ¡°Even if a man suddenly felt regret and no longer wanted to die, they¡¯ve currently all been apprehended by the emperor. It shouldn¡¯t be so difficult to secretly poison them, right? If he wasn¡¯t worried because of this phrase, then it was¡­¡± Yu She lowered his voice and said, ¡°¡®In total, there were thirty seven assassins.¡¯¡± Zhong Wan carefully wrote, ¡°Is it possible¡­ that the emperor didn¡¯t actually arrange for so many assassins?¡± Yu She had already had a faint inkling of this in his heart earlier. Still, he couldn¡¯t help the chill climbing up his spine after Zhong Wan completely said things outright. It was possible that other assassins were hidden in this temporary imperial palace right now. And they were assassins of unknown background. Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°Which is why he immediately changed his mind and told the princes and princesses to stay together. Because this temporary imperial palace is no longer completely under his control, unlike what he previously thought.¡± Yu She instinctively held Zhong Wan tighter. Zhong Wan wrote, ¡°Will he suspect you?¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe.¡± Zhong Wan thought about it and added, ¡°However, he should understand too that it¡¯s more likely that this is Prince Yu¡¯s work. His plan was never very clever; it¡¯s entirely possible that Prince Yu managed to guess ahead of time. However, those assassins that are still alive are too dangerous. I can¡¯t guess who they¡¯ll try to blame.¡± Yu She wrote on Zhong Wan¡¯s palm too, saying, ¡°You¡¯re scared that they¡¯ll try to place the blame on me?¡± Zhong Wan was a bit uneasy. Yu She shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t.¡± Zhong Wan blinked. He whispered, ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Given my understanding of the emperor, he won¡¯t let those people live until tomorrow,¡± wrote Yu She. ¡°He¡¯s unable to confirm if there are any of his people among those who are still alive. You said it too¡ªperhaps someone didn¡¯t want to die anymore at the last minute? For his whole life, he¡¯s cared about his reputation the most. Right now, he definitely wants to kill any survivors. Otherwise, if news of such an incident gets spread¡­ How serious is a planned assasination? The emperor bought assassins to kill himself while also injuring the princess royal¡­ What a big joke.¡± Worried, Zhong Wan asked, ¡°Really?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Trust me.¡± Zhong Wan gazed at Yu She. After a moment of eye contact, Zhong Wan sighed. He softly asked, ¡°Ziyou, do you know when the last time you told me to ¡®trust you¡¯ was?¡± Yu She froze for a moment. He couldn¡¯t remember. ¡°Seven days ago, in the study of the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate.¡± Zhong Wan was expressionless. He stopped writing too. Instead, he directly said, ¡°That day, there probably hadn¡¯t been too many things for you to take care of at the Cabinet. You got too bored and honestly had nothing else to do. Or, perhaps you read some storybook outside and felt provoked. When you got back to the estate, you started being frisky, completely out of the blue! You suddenly told me that you didn¡¯t feel right, that your head hurt, and that you seemed to be on the brink of having a fit.¡± Yu She held onto Zhong Wan and said in a vague manner, ¡°Let¡¯s n-not talk about this.¡± ¡°What are you feeling guilty about?!¡± Even now, Zhong Wan¡¯s teeth still itched with anger upon him thinking of this incident. ¡°What a good act. You looked so uncomfortable! You even specially pretended to be a good lover and asked me if you needed to avoid me because you were having a fit and not of sound mind! ¡°I was too worried about your illness, so didn¡¯t think too much of anything. I only realized something felt off after being pressed against the bookshelf and taken advantage of by you for a whole hour. At the end, I dragged my wounded body over to ask you if you had been faking it, if you had been purposefully messing with me. Young Prince Yu! Do you remember what you said at the time?¡± Zhong Wan was so angry that he bit Yu She on the shoulder. ¡°You held onto my hand and affectionately said those two words to me! ¡®Trust me!¡¯¡± CH 93 At the first glimmer of light in the morning, Emperor Chongan sat on his bed with his legs crossed in a pretzel, wrapped in a wolf fur blanket. Eyes half lid, he asked, ¡°Any dead?¡± His trusted aide of a eunuch stepped forward. ¡°Those two that were originally heavily injured could not be saved. In less than a moment, they died. The remaining five who had survived died in succession just a while ago.¡± Emperor Chongan opened his eyes. ¡°How did they die?¡± In a soft voice, the eunuch said, ¡°By taking poison. We took care not to leave behind any traces. Don¡¯t worry, Your Majesty. The guards are tight-lipped. They don¡¯t dare to run their mouths. When Your Majesty asks them what happened tomorrow, they will only say the assassins had hidden poison in their mouths, and after seeing no opportunity to assassinate, they committed su*cide to escape punishment. All of this seems like something that could happen.¡± Emperor Chongan felt slightly more at ease. The eunuch couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why didn¡¯t Your Majesty interrogate them? Clearly, we slaves only prepared twenty-five men of sacrifice. Now, twelve more people were suddenly added! Just what is going on?¡± ¡°Regicide is a crime that warrants the execution of one¡¯s clan and eight others related. When they were caught last night, they did not attempt su*cide. Were they waiting for death by a thousand cuts? It¡¯s not like they didn¡¯t have the opportunity to kill themselves, but they still kept their lives for the time being,¡± said Emperor Chongan, voice ice-cold. ¡°Did those people really not know that if they survived, they would suffer immensely? They weren¡¯t even afraid of this, so it¡¯s evident they have very strong minds. Do you really think we can get such people to tell the truth?! If we didn¡¯t kill them now, are we going to wait for them to say things they should not say in the morning?¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression was poor to the max. Originally, he had formed a great plan, the spearhead pointing at Prince Yu. Without Emperor Chongan saying much, there naturally would people who would follow what he wanted and investigate this big case. For a crime like regicide, even ten Prince Yus would not be able to shoulder it. This would have been the quickest way to dispose of Yu Mucheng. Moreover, Xuan Qiong was still on house arrest these past days, and ignorant of these matters. In this way, he would not be too implicated by his maternal family. At worst, Emperor Chongan could sacrifice Imperial Consort Yu. But this wouldn¡¯t hurt the imperial clan members at all. Never had he expected his fake assassins would bring rise to real assassins. When Emperor Chongan discovered there were more than thirty assassins in total, cold sweat sprang from his body. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was careful, and hid many imperial guards inside and outside his palace in case of something happening, he could have actually been assassinated. Once he recalled the events approximately six hours ago, that over ten real assassins had already infiltrated into the temporary imperial residence, Emperor Chongan felt as if he were on pins and needles. ¡°However¡­¡± The eunuch furrowed his brows, feeling awkward. Then he said in a low voice, ¡°One really doesn¡¯t know what to do now. Just a while ago, this slave had already interrogated the people in charge of recruiting those men of sacrifice and punished them severely. But they only said they didn¡¯t know what happened, repeating that they were innocent. They truly seemed ignorant of what had occurred. Then¡­ Then should we continue to investigate?¡± The eunuch carefully asked, ¡°Is there anyone Your Majesty suspects? That way, we slaves will have a lead to investigate.¡± Emperor Chongan sneered. ¡°Do you people truly not know who to start with? It¡¯s just that you are too afraid to investigate them.¡± The eunuch smiled in embarrassment. He did not dare to utter a word. A good while later, someone dressed as an imperial guard entered the main palace hall without announcing his arrival. He dropped to a kneel and saluted. ¡°Your Majesty, the spies have returned.¡± Emperor Chongan had not slept the whole night. Once he had heard those words, he said, dispirited, ¡°Speak.¡± The person dressed as an imperial guard said, ¡°There are no movements at the empress¡¯ side. Princess Royal suffered a fright. After taking soothing medicine, she fell asleep. Once the empress visited Princess Royal, she checked on the younger princesses. Then she too went to bed. There were no other actions over there. ¡°It was a bit more lively at Fourth Highness¡¯ and Fifth Highness¡¯ side. After the two princes returned to the western palace hall, they began to quarrel. Fourth Highness clung to his view that Prince Yu was behind everything. He questioned Fifth Highness over whether he knew what had happened. Otherwise, why did he hide in his room after arriving at the temporary imperial residence? Perhaps it was because he had long since knew what would occur, and hid because he was afraid of dying. Fifth Highness was furious. He kept maintaining that he knew nothing. The two princes argued for a long time. In the end, they parted on bad terms and returned to their own rooms to rest.¡± ¡°Xuan Jing said that the first thing Xuan Qiong had done after arriving at the temporary imperial palace was lock himself in his room?¡± Emperor Chongan frowned. ¡°Did you investigate this? Is it true?¡± Ktf xcffilcu lwqfglji uejgv cbvvfv. ¡°Tfr. Ca olgra, atlr boolmlji atbeuta Mloat Llutcfrr tjv yffc ecvfg tberf jggfra obg rb ibcu, rb la kjrc¡¯a ragjcuf tf vjgfv cba pera ub ktfgfnfg qifjrfv. Lbkfnfg, joafg kf tjv rewwbcfv bnfg atf qfgrbc xffqlcu kjamt bo Mloat Llutcfrr jcv lcafggbujafv tlw, kf vlrmbnfgfv atlr: yfobgf kf ifoa atf mjqlaji, ktfc Uglcmf Te¡¯r qfbqif tjv ubcf bnfg ab Mloat Llutcfrr¡¯ frajaf ab qjs gfrqfmar, atfs tjv lc ojma abiv tlw atja bcmf tf jgglnfv ja atf afwqbgjgs lwqfglji qjijmf, tf wera rqfjx jcv jma mjealberis. Ktja tf werac¡¯a mjerf Tbeg Zjpfras ectjqqlcfrr. Ycf mbeiv rjs Uglcmf Te tjv ulnfc atfrf kbgvr jr jvnlmf bea bo ubbv klii, bg atja Uglcmf Te kjr tlcalcu ja rbwfatlcu. Pa¡¯r tjgv ab afii. Qf reypfmar vjgf cba jma bc tfjgrjs fnlvfcmf. Tbeg Zjpfras, qifjrf rajaf fzqilmlais ktfatfg kf rtbeiv mbcalcef lcnfralujalcu.¡± Emperor Chongan fell silent. After thinking it over for a good while, he said, ¡°What about Ziyou¡¯s side?¡± The imperial guard paused, before saying, ¡°Young Prince Yu and Young Master Zhong returned to the eastern side palace hall. He ordered the guards to be changed, and after that, brought Young Master Zhong with him to retire. Before they slept¡­ they only whispered a little in bed about things that had nothing to do with what had happened.¡± Emperor Chongan was impatient. ¡°What did they talk about? Such a large thing happened, yet they did not discuss it at all?¡± The imperial guard was helpless. He could only brace himself and say, ¡°Young Prince Yu and Young Master Zhong seemed to argue. At first, they truly spoke too softly. Nothing could be discerned. Later on, probably because they couldn¡¯t come to an agreement, Young Master Zhong¡¯s voice grew louder and the spy couldn finally catch some of what he said. ¡°Young Master Zhong said if Young Prince Yu was going to lie, then just lie. Why did he have to bully him? Just tie his¡­ tie his¡­ thing and leave it at that. Why did Young Prince Yu still have to muffle him, making it so that even if he wanted to beg, he wouldn¡¯t be able to and could only be played with? ¡°Young Prince Yu¡¯s voice was very low. He said Young Master Zhong was too¡­ too¡­ unrestrained. Muffling him was so that he could play with him longer. Once Young Master Zhong had heard this, he asked in a very soft voice, ¡®didn¡¯t you like me being unrestrained?¡¯ Afterward, Young Prince Yu said¡ª¡± ¡°Enough!¡± said Emperor Chongan with a splitting headache. ¡°We don¡¯t want to hear this anymore.¡± A weight had been lifted from the imperial guard¡¯s shoulders. Emperor Chongan was angered to the point where his breathing became unstable. ¡°Assassins had just appeared in the temporary imperial palace! Yet these two actually have the mood to talk about these things! This¡­¡± The eunuch blurted in a soft voice, ¡°Your Majesty mustn¡¯t worry. Young Prince Yu and Young Master Zhong are both intelligent. They probably guessed there would be someone eavesdropping on them. Even if they did discuss anything important, they would not allow the spies to hear it.¡± ¡°Naturally We know this!¡± Emperor Chongan was so angry, he didn¡¯t know how to get rid of this emotion. ¡°We are angry at them for being so simple-minded! At such a critical juncture, they still have these kinds of thoughts! Useless things! Did they not see men for several generations?!¡± The imperial guard dared not say too much. ¡°Enough. All of them cannot be relied on.¡± Emperor Chongan massaged the area between his brows. ¡°Give this order¡­ Princess Royal Anguo has been injured and it¡¯s inconvenient for her to move. As such, everyone present will not return to the imperial palace for the time being.¡± The eunuch rushed to say, ¡°How could this be? Your Majesty¡¯s body is very noble and precious. How could your honored self remain here?¡± ¡°If we return now, then how could we investigate Prince Yu¡¯s case?¡± said Emperor Chongan, cold enough to freeze. ¡°Are we going to give him time to calm down, then clean up all the traces?¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression proved dark. ¡°Ziyou must avoid arousing suspicion. Xuan Qiong has many men in the Ministry of Justice, and so he must avoid arousing suspicion as well. Go¡­ Order the officials who came along on this trip to immediately draft a procedure getting rid of those people in the way. And for the officials back in the capital to form a capable group, investigating this matter for Us at once.¡± The eunuch understood his intention and quickly went to pass on the order. Once the sky was bright, Emperor Chongan summoned Yu She over. Zhong Wan woke up by himself and ate breakfast alone. He waited for the news. Shortly after, the eunuch that had accompanied Yu She to the temporary imperial residence arrived. He said, softly, ¡°Those assassins are all dead.¡± Zhong Wan laughed in spite of himself. Yu She had indeed guessed correctly. He asked, ¡°Since the Dali Temple must avoid suspicion, who is investigating this case now?¡± ¡°The emperor¡¯s trusted aides,¡± said the eunuch, still quietly. ¡°Before dawn had even broken through the skies, someone had already made for the capital in order to summon Prince Yu.¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. Emperor Chongan wanted to perform a decisive action in a complex situation. Yu Mucheng should make a move now. Zhong Wan nodded. Allowed the eunuch to leave. He recalled the ¡°whispered conversation¡± between him and Yu She last night. And he guessed the emperor would lecture him a lot today, and that Yu She wouldn¡¯t return for a good while. Zhong Wan was practically too afraid to imagine Yu She and Emperor Chongan¡¯s conversation, one of a chicken speaking to a duck. Bored, he paid Xuan Jing a visit. Xuan Jing was still angry at him; just looking at Zhong Wan put him in a bad mood. ¡°Why did you come?! I¡¯m very busy and don¡¯t have the time to chit chat with you!¡± Zhong Wan appeared as if he were good brothers with Xuan Jing and took a seat, not at all thinking himself an outsider. ¡°Your Highness, what¡¯s keeping you busy? Why don¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Xuan Jing wanted to say something, yet hesitated. He truly disliked Yu She, and was now beginning to dislike Zhong Wan as well. ¡°Get lost! Originally, I wanted to talk to you a few times in order to ask where Lin Si went. I never thought you would be cruel and useless. Things you don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t get them out of you. But when you do know something, you refuse to let me know. Who would be willing to bother with you?¡± Zhong Wan was shocked. ¡°That¡¯s not true. The last time I saw Lin Si, I specially told him to go see you. He didn¡¯t?¡± Xuan Jing hesitated for a moment. Then said in a vague manner, ¡°I guess he could be considered to have visited me.¡± Zhong Wan broke into laughter. ¡°Could be considered?¡± Xuan Jing¡¯s expression grew very dark. Not a word left his lips. But Zhong Wan kept pestering him, and Xuan Jing couldn¡¯t stand the noise. So he hesitated before saying, ¡°This month, I would place a walnut by the bedhead every night before I slept. And whenever I woke up the next day¡­¡± Xuan Jing looked down. ¡°The walnut would be gone.¡± Zhong Wan was startled. Then he recalled Yu She¡¯s story about the ¡°walnut.¡± And his heart felt sore. ¡°On that day, what I had said was a bit unpleasant to hear. But did he really have to go this far?¡± Xuan Jing practically hated Lin Si to death. ¡°Without any notice, he¡¯d leave for a few months. He clearly returned, yet relying on his martial arts skills, he only comes over when I¡¯m asleep! What is he afraid of? Is he afraid I¡¯d f*ck him out of anger?¡± Zhong Wan thought for a moment. ¡°I discussed this with him once. Although Lin Si did not explain what had happened, I was able to guess a few things. He seemed scared that something might happen in the future and he¡¯d lose his life. He doesn¡¯t want to hold you back.¡± ¡°What could happen?¡± The moment Xuan Jing opened his mouth to speak, other people would die of anger. ¡°If something happened, it would be Yu She and you dying! What does that have to do with him?!¡± Zhong Wan was used to having people yell at him to his face. But after hearing someone curse that Yu She would die, he felt unhappy. Zhong Wan glanced at Xuan Jing in a profound manner. ¡±If Your Highness wants to capture Lin Si, I have a plan. Do you want to hear it?¡± Xuan Jing rushed to say, ¡°Speak!¡± ¡°Use a mouse trap,¡± said Zhong Wan seriously. ¡°Has Your Highness ever seen one?¡± Xuan Jing thought for a bit and gestured as he said, ¡°The thing with a plank and a metal clamp above it¡­¡± ¡°Correct!¡± Zhong Wan acted as if he were taking things very seriously. ¡°Make a bigger one. Treat the bed plank as the plank for the mousetrap. Put it under the blankets. Place a lot of walnuts on top of it. When Lin Si comes in the middle of the night, if he¡¯s a bit careless, then¡ª¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡± Xuan Jing was terrified. ¡°Have you gone mad? Would he really not see such a huge mousetrap?¡± Zhong Wan said in a serious manner, ¡°During the middle of the night, what can he see clearly?¡± After some thought, Xuan Jing said, ¡°This might be possible¡­¡± ¡°If Your Highness is still worried and wants another layer of protection, you can buy some animal traps and place them under the window and by the foot of the bed. Place many of them.¡± Xuan Jing thought carefully about it, and was actually tempted. CH 94 Zhong Wan and Xuan Jing had known each other since young. Speaking of this, prior to Prince Ning¡¯s case, Zhong Wan had interacted the most with Xuan Jing out of all the imperial princes he had been classmates with, Yu She included. One¡¯s adulthood could be foreseen at the age of three. At that time, Zhong Wan already felt that Xuan Jing was very stupid. However, he had never expected that the other could be so stupid. Zhong Wan gazed at Xuan Jing and sighed to himself. It was fortunate that Yu She had figured himself out and become willing to fight for crown prince. Otherwise, if the throne got passed down to this idiot, what would become of their nation in the future? Xuan Jing glared at Zhong Wan, guarded. ¡°Why are you staring at me? What do you want to do now?!¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Zhong Wan truly felt a bit bad for Xuan Jing. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you some more tricks?¡± Xuan Jing looked at Zhong Wan cautiously. ¡°You¡¯re on Yu Ziyou¡¯s side. What good ideas could you provide for me?¡± ¡°Ideas unrelated to politics.¡± Zhong Wan was a bit disdainful of how narrow minded Xuan Jing was. ¡°Fighting for crown prince is only something for show. We¡¯ve been friends since young. In private, we can still be friends.¡± Xuan Jing was speechless. ¡°We can still be friends in private?¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± Zhong Wan was very friendly. ¡°Lin Si often comes to see you at night. So may I ask Your Highness what you wear every night?¡± Xuan Jing slowly replied, ¡°What else? Undergarments of course.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. Wear more,¡± Zhong Wan sincerely suggested. ¡°Back then, when Ziyou saw me sleeping in my clothes, he suddenly¡­ The events that followed can¡¯t be shared. Just picture them yourself, Your Highness.¡± Xuan Jing was shocked. Zhong Wan thought about it and added, ¡°Oh right. No matter what, you¡¯re still an imperial prince¡­¡± Xuan Jing was agitated. ¡°What do you mean ¡®no matter what?!¡¯¡± ¡°I said the wrong thing, I said the wrong thing,¡± Zhong Wan rushed to say. ¡°Your Highness is an imperial prince too. You should also have a booklet on your estate for you to record who you rest with every night, right?¡± Xuan Jing nodded with suspicion. Zhong Wan said, ¡°Fill all the pages up with Lin Si¡¯s name.¡± Xuan Jing became shocked once more. ¡°It¡¯s not like the person whose name I write in the booklet is the one who¡¯s going to come! You¡­¡± Xuan Jing scanned Zhong Wan up and down fearfully. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a magical book one can use to summon spirits and ghosts?! Whoever¡¯s name you write in it is going to appear at night?! You¡¯re crazy!¡± ¡°Let me finish, Your Highness.¡± Zhong Wan shifted closer in his seat to Xuan Jing and plotted for him, saying, ¡°Write it a few extra times¡­¡± Xuan Jing broke down. ¡°I can get the real person if I write their name ten thousand times? Faith is enough to move mountains? You¡¯ve gotten infected by Yu She?!¡± Zhong Wan became impatient too. ¡°Can you let me finish first?!¡± Because of this shout, Xuan Jing surprisingly became much better behaved. After sitting properly, he obediently said, ¡°Keep speaking.¡± ¡°Write it a few extra times,¡± Zhong Wan continued. ¡°After you finish writing, rip the pages out and paste them all over the city¡ªthe more the better. Make sure that everyone in the capital knows that you, the emperor¡¯s fourth son, are going to bed that stupid, insensible mute tonight.¡± Xuan Jing muttered, ¡°And then he¡¯ll come?¡± ¡°Yo mbegrf cba,¡± Itbcu Qjc fjrlis gfqilfv. ¡°Dea vbfr Olc Vl cba tjnf jcs tbcbg? Lf¡¯ii vfolclafis olcv la fwyjggjrrlcu ktfc tf rffr atf qjufr jcv klii ags ab olcv j kjs ab glq boo atbrf jccbecmfwfcar. Tbe pera cffv ab tjnf rbwfbcf rajcvlcu uejgv atfgf lc jvnjcmf. Kfii atfw ab rlwqis mjamt tlw ktfc atfs rff tlw.¡± Xuan Jing was completely astonished by Zhong Wan. After pondering for a moment, he felt a bit tempted. Zhong Wan thought back on what he usually did to seduce Yu She and shared all these methods with Xuan Jing, not keeping any secrets at all. He went on and on for a long time, causing Xuan Jing to often freeze in shock. After getting scolded terribly by Emperor Chongan, Yu She came looking for Zhong Wan. Before entering the palace, he could already hear Zhong Wan sincerely teaching Xuan Jing how to steal a man¡¯s heart. The palace servant was about to announce him. Yu She shushed him; the palace servant immediately quieted. Yu She stood by the doorway for a while, listening. He felt like Zhong Wan was honestly in a position that was wasting away his talents. Aside from Zhong Wan, Yu She didn¡¯t like anybody else. The tiny side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate wasn¡¯t big enough for Zhong Wan to show off his skills. ¡°Also!¡± Zhong Wan was disappointed and exasperated. ¡°When can you change your bad habit of having a stinky mouth? I felt angry listening to what you said just now. What do you mean by ¡®when I remember that you touched me, I feel disgusted?¡¯ ¡°What does ¡®when I remember, I only feel goosebumps raising over my skin¡¯ mean?¡± A sigh left Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°If Ziyou said something like that to me, I would probably die from sorrow.¡± Xuan Jing was speechless. At that moment, a trace of curiosity sprang in Zhong Wan¡¯s heart. He quietly asked, ¡°Do you really have no feelings or were you purposefully angering him in a moment of fury?¡± After a long period of huffing and puffing, Xuan Jing ultimately couldn¡¯t reply. ¡°No matter what the answer is,¡± said Zhong Wan, revealing an expression that all men understood before lowering his voice to continue, ¡°if there¡¯s a next time, it¡¯s okay if you fake it a bit. Since there¡¯s affection, what other problems exist? If you pretend that it¡¯s very comfortable, he¡¯ll be really¡­¡± Xuan Jing pondered a bit. A thought struck his mind all of a sudden and he looked up at Zhong Wan. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you often fake it with Yu She? It doesn¡¯t really feel that great, but you still act like it¡¯s very comfortable?¡± The Yu She outside the door was speechless. Zhong Wan choked. No matter how shameless he was, he wasn¡¯t shameless enough to openly discuss his bedroom activities. Additionally, he was unwilling to let Xuan Jing know that he actually hadn¡¯t done that yet with Yu She. He ambiguously answered, ¡°We¡¯re talking about you. Why are you bringing up me? The master starves when the disciple learns everything. Why don¡¯t you know to be grateful that I¡¯m sincerely teaching you?¡± Xuan Jing nodded very reluctantly. ¡°Okay!¡± Zhong Wan feared that he would make a fool of himself if the conversation continued and Xuan Jing would discover that he was still a virgin. After giving a few more suggestions, he ran off. When Zhong Wan returned to the eastern side palace hall, Yu She was sitting inside and drinking tea. Zhong Wan chuckled. ¡°Got scolded?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°In front of everyone, he ripped me apart with his words.¡± ¡°Purposefully showing off his authority once again¡­¡± said Zhong Wan, walking around in a circle outside. After ensuring that nobody else was present both inside and outside the room, he sat down next to Yu She and lowly inquired, ¡°Will he directly imprison Prince Yu?¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°No, he¡¯s a prince of the first rank. As of now, there isn¡¯t any evidence yet. He¡¯ll only be placed under house arrest.¡± Zhong Wan paused for a moment before lowly saying, ¡°There will eventually be evidence.¡± Emperor Chongan was determined to kill Prince Yu. The interrogation, collection of evidence, and everything else were only perfunctory steps. ¡°The emperor is currently very conflicted,¡± Yu She softly said. ¡°He originally wanted to take care of Prince Yu prior to returning to the capital. Whether or not there¡¯s enough evidence, there¡¯s no problem if everything gets cleanly resolved early on. Even if anyone questions anything in the future, he can do what the emperor of the previous dynasty did: kill the crown prince and push all the blame onto the messenger and interrogator. He can say that he didn¡¯t know anything either and got fooled by miscreants. Now¡­¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°It¡¯s no longer safe to stay in this temporary imperial palace.¡± Then Zhong Wan lowered his voice and said, ¡°They should¡¯ve investigated a few more times. No more assassins will appear in the temporary imperial palace, right?¡± ¡°Most likely not,¡± Yu She whispered. ¡°From last night until now, they¡¯ve done everything except dig three feet underground. This morning, the emperor even ordered someone to dismiss all the servants who¡¯ve been cleaning and working at this temporary palace these past few years. We can already rest at ease.¡± ¡°I guess I still feel a bit worried.¡± Zhong Wan quickly pondered something before saying, ¡°You¡­ Have you gone to see Princess Royal Anguo yet?¡± Yu She fell silent for a moment. ¡°I originally wanted to go earlier¡­¡± Princess Royal Anguo was someone who could be of assistance. She couldn¡¯t be given up on so easily. As of now, Yu She had technically saved her life once. It was too much of a waste not to use this favor. Zhong Wan also understood that Yu She didn¡¯t like Princess Royal Anguo. He offered by saying, ¡°How about I go?¡± Yu She burst into laughter. ¡°Nevermind. She¡¯ll only be even ruder to you. Sit here by yourself for a while. I¡¯ll go.¡± In the side palace hall of the empress¡¯ palace, Princess Royal Anguo was in the middle of blankly staring out the window. Her arm was wrapped in a thick layer of white cloth. Yu She didn¡¯t want to get stopped outside. Thus, he didn¡¯t tell anyone to announce his presence and directly walked inside the room instead. Princess Royal Anguo lifted her eyes and glanced at Yu She. Her gaze was conflicted. ¡°Last night¡­ You guessed, right?¡± Yu She looked outside. Princess Royal Anguo understood. She rose to her feet and ordered a palace servant to help her put on her cloak. She lowly said, ¡°Come with me.¡± The two of them exited the hall and slowly walked outside. They stopped by the pond. Their surroundings were empty; nobody could hide nearby. Princess Royal Anguo fell silent for a moment before asking, ¡°Imperial Brother wants my life?¡± Yu She fell silent. ¡°I¡¯ve guessed long ago,¡± Princess Royal Anguo faintly said. ¡°I¡¯m guarded against him, but he¡¯s also guarded against me. These past few years, it¡¯s true that we¡¯ve had a close sibling relationship. However, it¡¯s true as well that we¡¯re unable to tolerate each other during a matter of life and death¡­ Is Imperial Brother worried that I¡¯ll expose the events of the past, or is he scared that I¡¯ll be an empress dowager who meddles in politics after you ascend to the throne?¡± Yu She answered, ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Princess Royal Anguo scoffed. ¡°Or perhaps all of the above, right? Tell me. What do you want me to do for you now that you¡¯ve saved me once?¡± Yu She stared at the pond. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything for me. I want to ask Princess to help Prince Yu.¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s voice cracked as she said, ¡°What did you say?¡± Yu She turned to observe Princess Royal Anguo. ¡°A night has passed. Has Prince Yu not tried to contact Princess yet?¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s gaze flitted away. She looked off into the distance. ¡°The enemy of an enemy is a friend. He should¡¯ve contacted you,¡± Yu She calmly said. ¡°Just do as he says.¡± ¡°Ziyou¡­¡± Suddenly, Princess Royal Anguo felt like she didn¡¯t really understand Yu She anymore. ¡°You were the one who drew a clear line between Prince Yu and me. Now, you¡¯re also the one telling me to help Prince Yu. What do you actually want? Do you know that Prince Yu has secretly¡­¡± Yu She said, ¡°Hidden away the former Prince Qian An, Xuan Rui.¡± Princess Royal Anguo inhaled sharply. ¡°It¡¯s already too late for you to side with him,¡± Princess Royal Anguo urgently said. ¡°Now that he has Xuan Rui, he can even give up on Xuan Qiong, not to mention you.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Yu She easily said. ¡°Princess just needs to do what he says.¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s gaze was conflicted as she looked at Yu She. She really didn¡¯t understand anymore. ¡°Ziyou, no one knows a son like his mother,¡± Princess Royal Anguo slowly stated. ¡°I understand. For Zhong Wan, you want to borrow Prince Yu¡¯s hand and flip Prince Ning¡¯s old case. However, have you thought about the fact that after everything, neither Prince Yu nor Xuan Rui will care about you or Zhong Wan in the slightest anymore? Imperial Brother¡¯s health gets worse and worse each day. He also suffered a fright yesterday, causing him to be unable to stomach any food today. If he¡¯s unable to endure until the day he places you onto the throne, what will you do? You¡¯re already at the edge of a cliff right now.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Yu She still looked so nonchalant. ¡°Princess, I¡¯ve been walking along the edge of this cliff for several years already. As of now, even dragging one more person down is a gain. What is there for me to be scared of?¡± Instantly, Princess Royal Anguo had no response. Yu She softly said, ¡°Princess, you aren¡¯t in a better place than me. This assassination wasn¡¯t a spontaneous decision on the emperor¡¯s part. With one attempt, there will be further attempts. Before I ascend to the throne, the emperor will still act out against you. If you don¡¯t side with Prince Yu, who else can you rely on?¡± Princess Royal Anguo froze for a moment. She bitterly chuckled. ¡°I understand. You¡¯re doing this on purpose¡­ You just want to watch as the three of us become each other¡¯s enemies and become locked in strife, right? You¡¯ve hated us completely since long ago, correct?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t intend on hiding anything. Right now, he truly did feel a faint sense of pleasure. If not for the fact that he wholeheartedly desired to grow old with Zhong Wan, he didn¡¯t even know what terrifying things he would be capable of doing. As long as it would result in these evil people fighting each other to the death, he was willing to do anything. Yu She stared long and hard at Princess Royal Anguo. ¡°Princess, you have no other choice.¡± Princess Royal Anguo smiled dismally. ¡°Karma¡­ Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t want to waste even a second more of his time on Princess Royal Anguo. He turned around and prepared to leave. Princess Royal Anguo suddenly called him to a halt. ¡°Ziyou.¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°Princess still has something to say?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too pleased.¡± Princess Royal Anguo stared at the pond and slowly said, ¡°The emperor has already chosen a future empress for you. I was the one who went and observed her for him. That girl is from a great family and is gentle and refined. The emperor is very satisfied. As of now, only an imperial decree is missing.¡± Yu She wasn¡¯t surprised at all. He nodded. Princess Royal Anguo furrowed her brows. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Very worried.¡± The temporary alliance that he and Zhong Wan had been planning for several days had finally been formed. Now, they only needed to patiently wait for chaos. He urgently needed to notify Zhong Wan. There was also something else that was urgent. Yu She felt very displeased when he remembered what Zhong Wan had told Xuan Jing today. What did ¡°you often fake it with Yu She¡± and ¡°it doesn¡¯t really feel that great, but you still act like it¡¯s very comfortable¡± mean? Since then, Yu She had felt like his palms were itching. He was in a rush to avoid everyone and strip Zhong Wan naked so he could do ¡°something.¡± He needed to clearly see if Zhong Wan¡¯s pleasure was actually faked or not. These embarrassing thoughts filled Yu She¡¯s mind. He couldn¡¯t stand waiting even a moment longer. He abandoned Princess Royal Anguo, who was completely lost, and quickly walked away. CH 95 On the way back to his side palace hall, Yu She came across Xuan Jing. By chance, he had something to ask Xuan Jing. As such, he approached him. To Yu She¡¯s surprise, however, Xuan Jing shot him a glare. He didn¡¯t even greet him, turning his head with a cold expression. Discontent, the servant accompanying Yu She said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Fourth Prince? He obviously saw Your Highness, yet acted like he didn¡¯t.¡± Yu She laughed at himself. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t treat others kindly out of nowhere.¡± The palace servant was doubtful. ¡°What does Your Highness want to say to Fourth Highness?¡± Yu She thought, I wanted to tell him not to believe one word from Zhong Wan¡¯s mouth. Yu She looked at Xuan Jing¡¯s back figure. He recalled the appearance of Xuan Jing just a while ago, listening to Zhong Wan in reverence and trusting everything he had said. And Yu She pitied him. Probably due to Prince Ning and Princess Consort Ning¡¯s good upbringing, Zhong Wan had a cheerful personality since young. He was also loyal to his friends and warmhearted. Whenever others came into problems, he would always be willing to help them. However, his bad point was that he was too confident in himself. Whether or not he knew something, he would still stick his nose into other people¡¯s business. Yu She recalled how, just a while ago, Zhong Wan had animatedly spoken to Xuan Jing about those ¡°details¡± as they walked toward the side palace hall. And Yu She wanted to carefully ask Zhong Wan how he had so much experience for things he had never done before. He rushed back to the side palace hall he and Zhong Wan were staying at, all the way to the bedroom. The whole place was empty. Yu She raised the bed curtains for a look. Then he turned his head and asked a servant, ¡°Where is Young Master Zhong?¡± The servants in charge of delivering tea bowed. ¡°Shortly before, His Majesty¡¯s personal court eunuch came to pass on a message to Your Highness. Since he did not see Your Highness, he invited Young Master Zhong instead.¡± Yu She frowned. Turned around to search for Zhong Wan. In Emperor Chongan¡¯s main palace hall, there was a little reception pavilion. During the spring, the heating system under the ground was on. It was so hot that it felt uncomfortable. However, Emperor Chongan wore a thick robe in the room, a wolf pelt covering his legs. Recently, Zhong Wan had an imperial physician take care of him every day. As such, his health had improved a lot. Sitting in this room that was akin to a steamer basket, he was so hot that his ears appeared rosy. It made him seem a bit more youthful and adorable. Emperor Chongan looked at the Zhong Wan who sat across from him. He made a move with his chess piece. Said in a low voice, ¡°Do you feel hot?¡± Zhong Wan multitasked, shaking his head after hearing the emperor¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯m afraid of the cold. At home, I also like the rooms to be warm.¡± Emperor Chongan narrowed his eyes. ¡°Ziyou hates being hot the most. You and him are inseparable. Can he endure it?¡± Zhong Wan cleared his throat. Hid the smile at the corners of his lips. ¡°Young Prince has mostly gotten used to it.¡± ¡°Why haven¡¯t I noticed it?¡± Emperor Chongan lowered his head, looking at the chess pieces. ¡°Every time he¡¯s here and We want him to stay longer, Ziyou would always say it¡¯s too hot for him.¡± Zhong Wan thought, it¡¯s your fault that your son isn¡¯t close with you. What are you complaining in front of me for? He captured one of Emperor Chongan¡¯s corners, picking up each fallen white piece one by one. Emperor Chongan was startled. Sighed. ¡°We were too careless¡­ Just now, We were thinking that in his youth, Ziyou often played chess with Us. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed.¡± Zhong Wan waited for Emperor Chongan to get to the point. Suppressed his temper and continued listening to him reminisce in melancholy. ¡°We are old and always recall the past. However, the family members by Our side grow fewer and fewer in number. And what about sons?¡± Emperor Chongan sneered. ¡°They¡¯ve long since become estranged from Us. For Our whole life¡­¡± A sigh escaped Emperor Chongan¡¯s lips. ¡°What a pity. Now that We are this age, We are unable to become ruthless enough to teach him. We can only allow him to do as he pleases.¡± Zhong Wan thought about Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s injured arm from the assassination attempt. And he laughed lightly in his heart. ¡°Our son is disobedient, unwilling to chat with Us with an open heart. We can only chat with others about him.¡± Emperor Chongan sighed again. ¡°Isn¡¯t this how being a father is like?¡± Itbcu Qjc obgmfv j rwlif. ¡°Tbe¡¯gf vloofgfca ogbw Ilsbe,¡± rjlv Swqfgbg Jtbcujc jr tf wbnfv tlr qlfmfr. ¡°Tbe jgf wbgf ufcaif atjc tlw lc sbeg jmalbcr. Qf ilxf sbeg qfgrbcjilas wbgf atjc Qf ilxf tlr. Xelsejc¡­ atfgf¡¯r rbwfatlcu Qf kjca ab jrx sbe jybea.¡± Itbcu Qjc xcfk atja atfs kfgf olcjiis ja rfglber yerlcfrr. Lf rfa vbkc atf mtfrr qlfmf lc tlr tjcv jcv rjlv lc j gfrqfmaoei wjccfg, ¡°Zjs Tbeg Zjpfras rqfjx.¡± Emperor Chongan smiled in satisfaction. ¡°This temper of yours is very good. You¡¯re able to discuss anything. Don¡¯t feel uncomfortable. We will speak slowly¡­¡± Emperor Chongan felt a bit unwell. He expended a great deal of effort to move his body and to stroke his chest. Then he turned and glanced at the eunuch standing by his side. Said eunuch had his own hands by his side, remaining calm and collected. Zhong Wan had the slight impression that something was off. But what exactly was off, he could not say. Outside the palace hall, a servant blocked Yu She from entering. He smiled to appease him. ¡°Young Prince need not worry. His Majesty is playing chess with Young Master Zhong inside. It¡¯ll be fine. Once the game is finished, Young Master Zhong would naturally leave.¡± Yu She pretended like he didn¡¯t hear the servant, continuing in his previous direction. However, the palace servant rushed to block his way, saying in a helpless manner, ¡°They truly are playing chess. If Young Prince doesn¡¯t believe this, how about heading for the reception pavilion to see so yourself?¡± Yu She furrowed his brows tightly. ¡°Bring me there.¡± Within the reception pavilion, Emperor Chongan said in an unhurried pace, ¡°Regarding the relationship between you and Ziyou, most of the court ministers and imperial clan members have objections¡­. Don¡¯t worry, We have already kept them under control.¡± Zhong Wan picked up a chess piece, waiting for Emperor Chongan to continue. ¡°We are also fond of you. To Us, it is not a big deal to have you accompany Ziyou. It¡¯s unnecessary to grow flustered because of this,¡± said Emperor Chongan slowly, leaning against the soft cushions. ¡°But Ziyou¡¯s marriage cannot be postponed any longer. We know you are a good child and wanted to ask you this first: if We bestow a betrothal to Ziyou as soon as we return to the capital, what would you do?¡± Zhong Wan gripped his chess piece, not a word leaving his lips. Emperor Chongan gazed outside the reception pavilion. The corners of his lips rose a hint. Then he shifted his gaze to Zhong Wan in expectation. ¡°Guiyuan, think about this clearly. You aren¡¯t an impulsive child, and you¡¯re able to see further ahead into the future than Ziyou. We want to hear what you think.¡± Emperor Chongan was fed up with sounding out and dealing with Yu She each time. Furthermore, he was fed up with fearing that Yu She would grow crazy regardless of everything. Emperor Chongan did not dare to touch Zhong Wan. As such, he might as well toss this headache to Zhong Wan. This would be Zhong Wan¡¯s decision. So Yu She wouldn¡¯t lash out at Emperor Chongan in craziness, right? Emperor Chongan¡¯s dried up and thin palm lay on top of the chessboard. He looked at Zhong Wan and urged, ¡°Guiyuan, what would you do?!¡± At a critical moment, there would inevitably be people who attached the most importance to the big picture and accepted a compromise. Emperor Chongan stared at Zhong Wan in a fervent manner, only waiting for a nod from Zhong Wan. However, Zhong Wan placed the chess piece that was in his hand into the chess piece container. With a resolution expression, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll die.¡± In a flash, Emperor Chongan choked. He could not even drink some tea, furiously slamming his hand onto the chessboard. ¡°Presumptuous! What are you even saying?!¡± Zhong Wan took out the energy he had used seven years ago, in those days he had dealt with Steward Feng. He resembled an idiot muddleheaded and blinded by love. ¡°It¡¯s true. If Ziyou¡¯s heart changes, then I¡¯ll die.¡± Emperor Chongan was baffled. ¡°What do you mean, change hearts? So what if he gets married? That woman would not hinder you and you two would not even see each other. Wouldn¡¯t you and Ziyou still be living the same way as now?¡± ¡°How could it be the same?¡± asked Zhong Wan. ¡°Your Majesty wants Ziyou to marry a wife so that he can have children, right? If one wants children, then doesn¡¯t that mean Yu She must touch the woman?¡± Such a question caused Emperor Chongan to stare blankly. ¡°Yes.¡± Disgusted, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Then he will be dirtied.¡± Emperor Chongan fell into a daze. Once more, Zhong Wan picked up a black chess piece. Said with indifference, ¡°I will not want a man who has been dirtied.¡± Emperor Chongan was so angry, he was at a loss for words. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you babbling?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Your Majesty asked me what I thought, and I said the truth,¡± said Zhong Wan seriously. ¡°This is what I think. Your Majesty can be at ease. I won¡¯t cling to His Highness. Once the imperial decree is sent out, I will directly kill myself. I will stand on top of the city gate¡¯s tower, from afar wishing His Highness and the new princess consort to grow old together in happiness. Afterward, I will shout and jump from the city gate. I won¡¯t interfere with His Highness¡¯ marriage.¡± Frightened, Emperor Chongan glanced outside the reception pavilion. Then said anxiously, ¡°Stop talking nonsense! The way you¡¯re putting this, aren¡¯t you just saying We¡¯re forcing you to die?¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°When the monarch wants the subject to die, the subject must obey such orders. This I understand.¡± ¡°Presumptuous!¡± Out of nowhere, Emperor Chongan became the one who was getting pressured instead. Now that Zhong Wan had said these words, if he still bestowed a betrothal to Yu She, wouldn¡¯t that make him a death-quickening talisman? The worst part was that Yu She had heard this from outside! Then in the future, if Zhong Wan actually jumped off a building because he was unable to endure the marriage, wouldn¡¯t Yu She blame him even more? Preposterous! In his heart, Emperor Chongan knew that Zhong Wan was merely acting the fool. Therefore, he was angered to the point of choking. Irritably, he said, ¡°Kneel!¡± Out of reflex, Zhong Wan kneeled on the couch. However, afraid that he¡¯d actually anger Emperor Chongan to death, he got off the couch and onto the ground to kneel instead. ¡°Zhong Wan has been insolent before the emperor¡­¡± Emperor Chongan was so furious, his chest hurt. But after recalling the Yu She who was outside the reception pavilion, he was unable to punish Zhong Wan severely. In a vague manner, he said, ¡°He will be punished to kneel for four hours and must reflect on his mistakes properly!¡± Then Emperor Chongan rose to his feet, and some court eunuchs supported him away. Zhong Wan sighed deeply. He got up and picked up the thickest and most comfortable cushion from Emperor Chongan¡¯s seat, placing it on the ground. Then he kneeled on it in a well-behaved manner. Zhong Wan wiped at the sweat on his forehead. A faint sense of fear emerged in his heart. Fortunately, he had a lot of experience with being shameless these past many years. And he caught Emperor Chongan off guard as well as frightening him. Zhong Wan cursed him in his heart. You¡¯re unable to control your own son, so used me to threaten him?! If you have the ability, then act mighty in front of your son! He had to kneel for four hours. A sigh left his lips. However, he found joy in sorrows in this fact: thankfully, his punishment was in the reception hall. It was warm enough here, and there were still some leftover pastries on the table. Four hours of kneeling would probably not cause him to fall ill. Zhong Wan pounded his legs to massage them. His thoughts wandered, and then he felt someone approach him from behind. Before he could turn his head for a look, the person behind him touched his face, dully saying, ¡°You sure have the guts.¡± At the sound of those words, Zhong Wan relaxed. He turned his head to glance at the door Yu She had shut. Then he said softly, ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°To accompany you.¡± Yu She knelt on one knee. Grabbed Zhong Wan¡¯s chin to get a good look at different angles. He frowned. ¡°The emperor summoned you so you come? You¡¯re that well-behaved?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t beaten,¡± Zhong Wan said bitterly. ¡°How would I know that he¡¯d talk about this annoying thing? I thought¡­¡± That it would have something to do with Prince Yu. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t want even a speck of news about that matter to escape his hands. So he had come here without much thought. Yu She understood fully. Without asking in detail, he turned around and said apathetically, ¡°Just now, who did you say was dirty?¡± Zhong Wan laughed. Looked outside. Then he said in a soft voice, ¡°Stop being noisy and leave first. Once I¡¯m done kneeling, I¡¯ll return home.¡± Yu She paid Zhong Wan no mind. ¡°Just kneel. Why are you trying to manage what I do?¡± Helpless, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Stop giving other people chances to bring you trouble and just leave.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I want to ask you. I¡¯ve held back for a long time about this, so I¡¯ll leave after I ask.¡± Zhong Wan could only say, ¡°Speak.¡± Yu She rubbed his thumb against Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°Were you pretending for me?¡± Zhong Wan had no idea what he was talking about. ¡°Pretend what?¡± Yu She¡¯s fingers slid down, caressing Zhong Wan¡¯s throat back and forth. Zhong Wan¡¯s face grew a bit red. Other people couldn¡¯t tell, but Zhong Wan knew what this action meant. He had given Yu She a bl*wjob a few times before. Each time, Yu She would softly massage his neck, softly ask Zhong Wan if it hurt, if he could move up or not. On top of their bed, Zhong Wan could say the most obscene of things. But once he got off of it, such words would be impossible for him to say. But Yu She just had to be fond of playing dirty tricks, and always purposely touched Zhong Wan¡¯s neck in public. Feeling uneasy, Zhong Wan dodged. ¡°What did I pretend?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve also given you some.¡± Yu She did not allow Zhong Wan to dodge, slender fingers stroking and fooling around with Zhong Wan¡¯s neck unceasingly. ¡°At that time, you said you felt so comfortable you could die. Were you just lying?¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t really understand. After a moment of thought, he suddenly saw the light, face flushing. ¡°You heard it?¡± ¡°I did,¡± said Yu She coldly. ¡°I heard you tell Xuan Jing that it actually didn¡¯t feel like anything, but you pretended it felt good to make me happy, right?¡± Zhong Wan did not know how to explain at all. ¡°No, I was just playing around by lying to that fool¡­¡± ¡°Really? I couldn¡¯t tell.¡± Calm, Yu She looked at Zhong Wan. ¡±When you were letting me bl*w you, you said you really liked it. So was that a lie?¡± Zhong Wan really could not bear Yu She¡¯s handsome face using such a cold and cheerless tone to say such filthy things. Clenching his teeth, he said in a low voice, ¡°So what do you want to do?¡± Yu She said apathetically, ¡°I want you to let me bl*w you and tell me you really like it.¡± Zhong Wan blushed harder. He expended a lot of effort to say, ¡°Shut up first. Wait¡­Wait until we return to your room.¡± ¡°Alright, when we return to our room.¡± Yu She rose to his feet and pulled Zhong Wan up too. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhong Wan broke down. ¡°I¡¯m still being punished to kneel!¡± Yu She shot him a glance. ¡°A while ago, I already pleaded for leniency for you. So it¡¯s been fine for a long time already.¡± CH 96 Zhong Wan had Yu She¡¯s outer robe draped loosely over his body. With a lot of effort, he sat up and leaned against the head of the bed with half of his chest uncovered. Zhong Wan¡¯s mouth was a slightly unnatural red. He licked his lips and closed his eyes to try and get a bit of rest. Then, Yu She got on top of him again. He was already obedient after being taught a lesson by Yu She. Just now, he had already said everything he could and couldn¡¯t bear to say. He had exhausted all the pleas and compliments. At this time, he only knew to beg. ¡°Y-Young Prince Yu, my throat really hurts. If you don¡¯t trust me, if you don¡¯t trust me¡­¡± Even in bed, Yu She was not excessively expressive, as cold and indifferent as normal. In a deep voice, he asked, ¡°What if I don¡¯t trust you?¡± Zhong Wan was honestly traumatized by how Yu She had treated him. He whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll open my mouth. Take a look for yourself.¡± Upon hearing this, Yu She¡¯s throat tightened. In a flash, Zhong Wan realized that he had said the wrong thing again. Pitifully, he asked, ¡°What do you actually want to do¡­¡± Yu She replied in his deep voice, ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who was going to open your mouth so I could take a look? So open your mouth.¡± Zhong Wan instantly flushed red again. ¡°Quit¡­ quit playing around.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was solemn as he pinched Zhong Wan¡¯s chin; he had actually taken Zhong Wan¡¯s words seriously. Zhong Wan was embarrassed to the extreme. Yet, Yu She remained unmoved. He calmly said, ¡°Open it. Let me see¡­ if you ate it all.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s face was practically on fire. He had originally thought that it was already mortifying enough that Yu She had blocked his front and forced him to say he really enjoyed it. Completely unexpectedly, though Young Prince Yu didn¡¯t say much during these activities, each phrase he did say was enough to cause death. Right now, Zhong Wan only wanted to find a crack in the ground and burrow into it. He escaped from Yu She¡¯s grasp and buried his head against Yu She¡¯s chest. Voice muffled, he said, ¡°I ate it all. It already got¡­ swallowed into my stomach.¡± Yu She¡¯s hand slid down and pressed against Zhong Wan¡¯s stomach. In a meaningful manner, he rubbed that area. Zhong Wan curled up, pained. ¡°Young Prince Yu, have mercy. Even if you had bought me, you would need to let me take a short break, right?¡± Upon hearing this, Yu She chuckled. ¡°But I did buy you, remember?¡± Yu She lowered his head and was about to kiss Zhong Wan when a palace servant entered the room. Yu She snatched up the blanket nearby and covered Zhong Wan with it. He grabbed his own outer robe and draped it over himself before getting out of bed. ¡°What?¡± The palace servant lowered his head and responded, ¡°In reply to Young Prince, news just arrived from the capital saying that clues have been revealed about the assassination. It truly was an attempt by Prince Yu. As of now, there are both witnesses and physical evidence. His Majesty has said that we will return to the capital tomorrow.¡± Yu She turned around to look at Zhong Wan. Finally. Ufgtjqr Swqfgbg Jtbcujc tjv bglulcjiis kjcafv ab kjla obg cfkr ja atf afwqbgjgs lwqfglji qjijmf, yea atf fzagj akfinf jrrjrrlcr kfgf mbcrajcais bc tlr wlcv, wjxlcu tlw delaf jczlber. Ktf mtjgufr jujlcra Uglcmf Te obg jrrjrrlcjalbc tjv jigfjvs yffc mbcolgwfv. Lf cb ibcufg kjcafv ab kjraf alwf lc atlr vjcufgber qijmf. The next day, everyone returned to the capital. When leaving the temporary imperial palace, Yu She was unable to ride in the horse carriage with Zhong Wan. In accordance with the Ministry of Rites¡¯ arrangements, he needed to ride on horseback alongside Emperor Chongan¡¯s royal carriage and pretend to be the filial son for outsiders to see. Zhong Wan sat in the horse carriage by himself and took a nap. About two hours after departing the temporary imperial palace, a servant following outside the horse carriage gently tapped the window and asked, ¡°Young Master Zhong, do you want tea?¡± Zhong Wan just so happened to be feeling slightly thirsty. Thus, he opened his eyes and massaged his neck. Then, he said to the curtain, ¡°Okay.¡± The horse carriage stopped. A little eunuch crawled in while holding a box of food. He knelt and poured Zhong Wan a cup of tea. The royal carriage up front hadn¡¯t stopped. This meant that Zhong Wan¡¯s carriage couldn¡¯t stop for too long. The horse carriage slowly caught up. Zhong Wan narrowed his eyes and observed the little eunuch. He sat up straight and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve been impolite. Just now, I didn¡¯t realize that Gonggong is someone who directly serves the emperor. Gonggong needn¡¯t wait on me anymore. I can take care of myself.¡± When he had been summoned by Emperor Chongan that day to play chess, Zhong Wan had seen this little eunuch. He had a good memory and could still recognize the other. The little eunuch smiled. ¡°Young Master Zhong still remembers this slave?¡± The little eunuch nimbly poured the tea out, then pulled out two plates of delicate refreshments from the food box. With a smile, he said, ¡°Please help yourself, Young Master Zhong.¡± Zhong Wan leaned against the window and gently said, ¡°I¡¯ve troubled Gonggong, but I¡¯m not thirsty yet. Just leave it there for now.¡± The little eunuch smiled at Zhong Wan with unspoken understanding. He softly asked, ¡°Could it be that Young Master Zhong fears this slave has poisoned the tea?¡± Zhong Wan was even more polite. ¡°What a funny joke, Gonggong.¡± But he still refused to touch it. Exasperated, the little eunuch said, ¡°Young Master Zhong is too careful. How could the emperor bear for anything to happen to you? Even after punishing Young Master yesterday, didn¡¯t he immediately let you leave after Young Prince went to beg for mercy on your behalf? His Majesty truly values you greatly.¡± Zhong Wan lowered his head and chuckled. He knew. Emperor Chongan could be fooled by him once, but definitely not a second time. This time, he had directly foregone meeting in person, sending a eunuch to be the messenger instead. ¡°Young Master, take a look. What¡¯s this?¡± The little eunuch pulled a booklet out from his breast pocket and used both hands to hand it to Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t accept it. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s this? The imperial decree gifting Young Prince a marriage arrangement?¡± The little eunuch smiled and gestured for Zhong Wan to read it himself. Zhong Wan grabbed the booklet and opened it to look. The smile on his face slowly disappeared. ¡°As of now, Young Master is still a slave. This matter has always been one of the emperor¡¯s sore spots. Back when you, Young Master Zhong, first entered the capital, His Majesty had already ordered Young Prince Yu to bring your self-selling contract and take you to the yamen for a formality that would return you to freedom. Unfortunately, Young Prince Yu had been unwilling to. Thus, things got delayed. ¡°Later on, His Majesty considered it once more and felt that only freeing you from slave status isn¡¯t enough. Who are you? Wouldn¡¯t it be too pitiful if you really lived out an ordinary life?¡± Carefully, Zhong Wan read the words personally written by the emperor, taking them in one by one. He fell into a daze. ¡°Speaking of this, there¡¯s an old story that perhaps even Young Master Zhong doesn¡¯t know about. This slave only heard it from the old gonggongs that serve His Majesty by chance too.¡± The little eunuch smiled. ¡°This slave will relay it to you?¡± Zhong Wan knew this was a trap, but because it was related to past events, he still reluctantly nodded. ¡°This story is from long ago. Seven¡­ oh no, eight years ago. When the Prince Ning case had just happened,¡± said the little eunuch. ¡°At that time, Young Master had yet to be imprisoned. You would¡¯ve been guarding the little masters of Prince Ning¡¯s estate and waiting for news in agitation. Which is why you don¡¯t know. ¡°You don¡¯t know that Old Imperial Preceptor Shi once knelt for a whole fourteen hours outside His Majesty¡¯s resting palace!¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s mouth became filled with the taste of blood. He no longer wanted to listen. But the little eunuch continued speaking. ¡°The old imperial preceptor was the teacher of two emperors. How proud of a person was he? Back then, our current emperor had also partaken in the ceremony that acknowledged the old imperial preceptor as his teacher. The emperor respected his teacher. After ascending to the throne, he exempted Old Imperial Preceptor Shi from having to kneel or kowtow to him. But that day, Old Imperial Preceptor Shi knelt outside the palace hall for a long time, incessantly kowtowing. ¡°Old Imperial Preceptor Shi said that Guiyuan was still a child. No matter what Prince Ning did, Guiyuan definitely didn¡¯t know. Old Imperial Preceptor Shi begged the emperor to not let you get implicated in this case. The palace examinations were coming up. You had studied hard for many years. If you happened to become imprisoned, your entire life would be ruined. ¡°At that time, your sixteenth birthday had just passed. ¡°Normally, Old Imperial Preceptor Shi rarely praised you, right? But that day, Old Imperial Preceptor Shi told the emperor that Zhong Guiyuan was the god of literature reincarnated in mortal form. He couldn¡¯t be ruined because of this incident. ¡°The emperor was conflicted too. With no other option, he told Old Imperial Preceptor Shi to return to his own estate first. The old imperial preceptor refused to listen and simply knelt there. Think about it. All those people entering and exiting, passing by¡­ aiya.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s lips quivered a hint. ¡°You people¡­¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s voice was hoarse. He pressed his lips into a thin line and refused to make another sound. Zhong Wan wanted to ask, he was the teacher of two emperors, the head of the Hanlins. Did nobody go help him up? The little eunuch lamented, saying, ¡°In the end, the emperor suppressed his pain and approved the booklet asking to arrest you. When the booklet was brought out, Old Imperial Preceptor Shi fainted. Only then did the eunuchs dare to send him out of the palace¡­¡± He sighed. The little eunuch gazed at Zhong Wan, choosing to rub salt into the wounds that hurt the other the most. ¡°Young Master Zhong, Old Imperial Preceptor Shi could see through the entire situation the most clearly. No matter what, he refused to let you go to prison. His fear was that you would end up the way you are now, in a life of hustle and bustle but without any true accomplishments. Completely wasting yourself away for naught. ¡°Even though Young Prince Yu eventually bailed you out, even if you could be freed from slave status in the future¡­ it was already too late.¡± Then the little eunuch said with sympathy, ¡°You understand all the concepts in this story, right?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple slightly shifted. He lowly replied, ¡°I understand¡­ According to the rules of this dynasty, those who have been convicted as criminals are not allowed to attend the imperial examinations for the rest of their lives.¡± ¡°Right now, the opportunity has come!¡± A bright smile lit up the little eunuch¡¯s face. ¡°Take a close look at this booklet. The emperor has already made himself clear. Our emperor is willing to break the ancestors¡¯ laws for you. He has fulfilled Old Imperial Preceptor Shi¡¯s wish and personally issued an imperial decree that will allow you to take the imperial examinations one more time. Young Master Zhong has only turned twenty five this year. You¡¯re still very young. Even though you¡¯ve wasted a few years in between everything, this slave believes¡­ you still might place, right?¡± ¡°Place?¡± Zhong Wan snorted. He set the imperial decree down on the desk. ¡°As long as I attend, first is mine.¡± The little eunuch froze. He was quite young. Everything he knew about the past had been told to him by others. In his heart, he was actually a bit disdainful of this male lover with a bad reputation that Yu She kept in his room. He only thought of the other as a disgraceful cut sleeve. But at this moment, he could actually notice the hint of a scholar¡¯s arrogance in this useless cut sleeve¡¯s eyes. In this moment of hesitation, he surprisingly found himself somewhat believing that if this cut sleeve partook in the imperial examinations once more, he might actually make a name for himself. The little eunuch didn¡¯t dare to continue down this path of thought. He smiled in an ingratiating way. ¡°True, true. Look, Young Master Zhong.¡± The little eunuch flipped open the booklet and softly said, ¡°This was personally written by His Majesty. Only a seal is missing. As long as Young Master can successfully convince Young Prince to get married, that seal can be stamped on!¡± The little eunuch refused to believe that Zhong Wan could withstand such a temptation. Once more, he smiled. ¡°You¡¯d repay the old imperial preceptor¡¯s affections for you from back in the day and could console the spirits of your relatives buried underground. What a great opportunity.¡± Zhong Wan stared straight at the booklet. His pupils shifted faintly. Without waiting for him to respond, the little eunuch continued, ¡°Naturally, Young Master might also be thinking that Young Prince would be able to write an identical decree for you when he ascends to the throne. However¡­¡± The little eunuch lowered his voice and said, ¡°His Majesty has said that Prince is too young. For fear that he¡¯ll make foolish decisions, in the future, when that day truly comes, His Majesty will issue a decree and ask all loyal officials and imperial clan relatives to bear witness; when Prince worships the Heavens, he must announce to the country that for the next thirty years, he won¡¯t break any of the previous emperor¡¯s laws.¡± Zhong Wan clenched his hands into fists. The little eunuch softly added, ¡°So, only His Majesty can change the law for you. Young Master Zhong, this is a big deal. You only need to coax the prince a bit. Do you really not feel tempted?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s gaze was glued on that imperial decree. The little eunuch could see the hesitation in Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes. Pleased, he lowered his head. ¡°Then this slave will leave first. Think carefully, Young Master. Old Imperial Preceptor Shi is watching you from the Heavens.¡± The little eunuch scurried out of the carriage. Zhong Wan stared at the booklet on the little table. He was in a daze for a long time. If he said he wasn¡¯t tempted, he would be lying. Back then, he had also wanted to dress in new clothes and view all the flowers of Chang An in a single day from atop a well-groomed horse. Two hours later, Xuan Jing replaced Yu She. Yu She had been feeling impatient since long ago. He urged his horse towards Zhong Wan¡¯s horse carriage, got off the horse, and flipped into the horse carriage. As soon as he entered the horse carriage, he started coughing. ¡°What were you doing? It¡¯s so smokey!¡± ¡°Nothing important. I accidentally burned something.¡± Without waiting for Yu She to keep asking questions, Zhong Wan immediately embraced Yu She and buried his head against the other¡¯s collarbone. This proactive hug caused Yu She¡¯s entire being to freeze in shock. A long time later, Zhong Wan sighed. ¡°Ziyou¡­ I really like you too much.¡± CH 97 Yu She frowned. Then he lightly patted Zhong Wan¡¯s back. ¡°Get up. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I just wanted to hug you.¡± Eyes closed, Zhong Wan smiled. He thought aloud, ¡°What, oh what, could it be?¡± This truly could not be considered anything serious. Even when that little eunuch was trying to confuse Zhong Wan earlier, Zhong Wan had already thought up how to deceive Emperor Chongan with Yu She. It wasn¡¯t that difficult. Zhong Wan had long since stopped having the strength of character of a gentleman. No longer took promises seriously. What¡¯s more, the person he had to fool now was Emperor Chongan. Trapping such an old fool was something Zhong Wan¡¯s heart could take. After all, Zhong Wan truly, truly, truly wanted to participate in the imperial examinations again. On the top, he could report this to his parents and teacher. On the bottom, he would be worthy of his many years of strenuous study in his youth. Moreover, in these many years, he had accumulated the bad reputation of being a homosexual; such a reputation had spread far and wide. Also, Zhong Wan wanted to shock the scholars of Jiangan and Jiangbei. I wasted eight years before taking the imperial exams again. Yet I¡¯m still able to suppress you all until you can¡¯t even lift your heads. Now this was truly being outstanding. But after thinking about it carefully, Zhong Wan felt he shouldn¡¯t do this. To reach this point, Zhong Wan had lost his civilian identity and reputation. The Xuan Rui that he had vowed loyalty and devotion to for many years had broken ties with him. The things he protected in his heart grew dirty or lost one by one. Now, he only had one Yu Ziyou left. So Zhong Wan ought to keep this clean, right? In a person¡¯s lifetime, there should be a place in his heart that stayed pure, right? There had to be something one would disregard gains and losses for, would overcome much suffering for, yet not regret, right? Zhong Wan had loved Yu She from his teens until now. And he believed such emotions could still be considered pure. After he said the words that would persuade Yu She to take a wife, some things would be different. Zhong Wan was unwilling to do this. He placed an arm around Yu She¡¯s back. Then he recalled when he had been formally accepted as a pupil of Imperial Preceptor Shi, performing a ceremony of paying respects to him. And Imperial Preceptor Shi had said, ¡°Once you learn the civil and martial arts, you must sell these skills to the emperor.¡± Zhong Wan mocked himself as he thought, f*ck off. I won¡¯t sell my intelligence. ¡°Just what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Yu She. Zhong Wan¡¯s expression seemed the same as usual, but Yu She found something amiss. He felt uneasy. ¡°Are you feeling unwell somewhere?¡± ¡°No.¡± Zhong Wan let go of Yu She. Following that, he laughed, free and at ease. ¡°When they say calamitous beauty, they¡¯re talking about you.¡± Yu She was thoroughly baffled. Before he could ask a question, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I¡¯ll just tell you. Just a while ago, I heard something from the little eunuch who attends to the emperor.¡± Zhong Wan knew he couldn¡¯t keep Yu She in the dark. And he was afraid Yu She would make inquiries about it in secret. Thus, Zhong Wan concealed half of the truth. ¡°He told me that Old Imperial Preceptor Shu had knelt for a long time outside of the emperor¡¯s resting palace, in order to plead for leniency for me. Is this true?¡± Yu She paused. It was clear that he didn¡¯t want to talk about this topic again. ¡°Why are you asking this?¡± ¡°So it looks like it¡¯s true.¡± Zhong Wan nodded. Smiled bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s been so long ago, yet no one had ever told me. Then Shi Hong¡¯s hatred of me is warranted. His father kneeled for my sake for so long. It¡¯s also unknown whether the old man grew ill after returning home. Or how long he stayed sick. On the other hand, after I left the prison, I ate well and lived comfortably at your estate, giving off a thoughtless appearance to others. It¡¯s normal for him to hate it.¡± Te Vtf vlv cba kjca Itbcu Qjc ab atlcx bo remt atlcur. Coafg j wbwfca bo atbeuta, tf rjlv, ¡°Glv a-atja ilaaif fecemt afii sbe atja yjmx atfc, P kjr jirb atfgf?¡± Vemt kbgvr rajgaifv Itbcu Qjc. Te Vtf uijcmfv ja tlw, kjcalcu ab rjs rbwfatlcu, sfa tfrlajalcu. Pc j oijrt, Itbcu Qjc yfmjwf fcfgufalm. Lf gertfv ab eguf Te Vtf ab rajga ogbw atf nfgs yfulcclcu. Yu She hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°That day, I also entered the palace. Back then, I did not know about those past matters. I had to enter the palace to pay respects to the emperor every day.¡± At that time, Yu She had been the apple of Emperor Chongan¡¯s eyes. After Yu She left the imperial palace to live outside, apart from when the weather was too terrible, he would be escorted to the palace, courtesy of Emperor Chongan. So that he could pay respects to him like before. That day, Yu She did things like usual. The emperor¡¯s personal attendant eunuchs escorted him to the palace. The moment he was about to enter, he saw Old Imperial Preceptor Shi outside the palace. Old Imperial Preceptor Shi kneeled for a long time. His expression was less serene and more sorry-looking. However, his back was as straight as a sword. The dressed-to-the-nines Young Yu She felt very uneasy at the sight. The old eunuchs softly coaxed him not to dally, that the wind was coming. If he stayed standing outside, he might catch a cold. But Yu She stubbornly kept looking at the imperial preceptor. Until an old eunuch muttered to him, saying that Imperial Preceptor Shi angered the emperor, and that it was only natural for him to kneel there in reflection. Then he said Shi Jin had pleaded for leniency for Zhong Wan today. Prince Ning had committed a huge crime and was being investigated by Prince Yu. As such, Yu She should avoid arousing suspicion. The Young Yu She hesitated for a good while. He did not pay those old eunuchs any care and went forward to salute Shi Jin. Then he took off his cloak, crouched down, and draped it over Shi Jin¡¯s shoulders. The old eunuchs that were following Yu She were so anxious that they were stomping about. However, they dared not go forward. On that day, Shi Jin was already very old. He had kneeled on the ice-cold stone steps for a long time. Once the thick and warm cloak of Yu She was wrapped around him, he couldn¡¯t help but shiver. Although he was also a pupil of Shi Jin, he wasn¡¯t that close to him. The mutual affection shared between master and pupil wasn¡¯t as strong as Zhong Wan¡¯s. Back then, Yu She¡¯s position was very awkward. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, ¡°Is there anything you need me to help with?¡± Shi Jin used a lot of energy to take off the cloak, handing it back into Yu She¡¯s arms. He squeezed Yu She¡¯s upper arm once, silent. He only glanced profoundly at Yu She. Not really understanding, Yu She was pushed away by Shi Jin. He hugged his own cloak, and after the old eunuchs called out for him, he finally entered the palace. Zhong Wan listened in a daze. Said softly, ¡°That day¡­ did you plead for leniency from the emperor?¡± Yu She did not respond. But Zhong Wan could guess it. The Young Yu She definitely did so. However, Emperor Chongan paid him no mind. Therefore, Yu She didn¡¯t want to talk much about it right now. Zhong Wan thought of the scene back then, and the queston he had held in his heart for many years was suddenly answered. Zhong Wan said, ¡°That¡¯s why when I was thrown into jail later, you did whatever you could to redeem me. And I was saying, back when we were classmates, we weren¡¯t very close. So why was it that when something bad happened to me, you¡¯d be the most anxious out of everyone? When I was in jail, I heard there was someone who kept bidding higher than the other bidders. I was so scared. Whose favor did I attract that they¡¯d use so much money to buy me? ¡°Imperial Preceptor Shi didn¡¯t tell you anything, but you could sense it. That day he was entrusting this task to you. He was telling you to save me, right?¡± Yu She faintly nodded. Actually, after Zhong Wan had left for Qian An, Yu She met with Shi Jin a few times. However, Shi Jin died. Yu She would often recall him. And he would recall the deep hope in the old man¡¯s cloudy eyes as said old man stood in the cold. There were many things Shi Jin couldn¡¯t say. And they were all present in that gaze. Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes reddened. He lifted the curtain and looked outside the carriage. A good while later, his expression became normal again. He laughed at himself. ¡°You harmed me a lot.¡± Yu She did not understand what he meant. Zhong Wan took his time saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t know any of this. On the day you purchased me, I had many shameful and improper thoughts.¡± Yu She¡¯s pupils trembled. He rushed to ask, ¡°What were you thinking about?¡± ¡°I was wondering whether you were also interested in me.¡± When Zhong Wan thought about it now, he felt shame. ¡°Otherwise, why would you spend so much money and make Prince Yu unhappy? Hey, how would you have that much money back then? Did you know? I know how much money you people spent!¡± Yu She was speechless. All of a sudden, Yu She didn¡¯t want to continue on this topic of conversation. But Zhong Wan really wanted to keep talking about this. Fearful, he said, ¡°My goodness. I¡¯ve never been to a brothel, but isn¡¯t this the same as when people fight over the queen of the flowers? I¡¯m the flower in the prison. As you people fight over me, I was frightened. The other slaves were worth at most ten plus liang of silver. I remember very clearly that the first bid for me was one hundred liang. It was already that expensive, yet many bids came after it.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t want to mention the humiliation Zhong Wan had suffered back in those years. He wanted to change the topic. But Zhong Wan still jabbered on. ¡°A short while later, the bid went to 500 liang. My goodness. I heard from the jailor that even the famous beauties from Jiangnan didn¡¯t cost that much.¡± Yu She said helplessly, ¡°Why are you comparing yourself to a courtesan?¡± ¡°After comparing did I realize I was this valuable.¡± Zhong Wan had terrible self restraint. He even remembered when Xuan Jing had cursed Yu She, and stepped on Xuan Jing in passing, saying, ¡°Xuan Jing is also an imperial prince. After the bid went to 500 liang, he had to drop out. So he asked his Consort-mother for money. Once she found out why he wanted the money, she gave him a good beating.¡± Yu She was also very annoyed that Xuan Jing had wanted to buy Zhong Wan in the past. And he also stepped on Xuan Jing. ¡°There are different kinds of imperial princes. Since young, he liked to buy things. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t have much money on him back then.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Zhong Wan, sighing. ¡°The auction just started and he already ran out of money to place any more bids. After that, different people continued bidding. If I remember correctly, when the bid went to 2,500 liang of silver, Imperial Preceptor Shi still wanted to stay in the auction. Later on, he couldn¡¯t continue bidding anymore¡­ Teacher had been an honest person his whole life. That money was probably all the money from his household. ¡°After 3,000 liang, there were only two bidders left.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes hid a smile. He glanced at Yu She. ¡°Yu Ziyou, I really couldn¡¯t tell. At such a young age, you were already that wealthy.¡± Yu She lowered his head and smiled. He truly had spent a lot of money. Back then, once word went out that one could purchase Zhong Guiyuan, that one could buy the Wen Quxing that had reincarnated into the mortal realm, the nobles of the capital and the wealthy who had special proclivities all became interested. Perhaps it was because they really liked Zhong Wan¡¯s appearance. Or perhaps it was because they wanted to brag about his reputation as if he were an object. Powers from everywhere came to bid for him in order to show off their might and wealth. At the end, the bid went to the astronomical amount of 3,000 liang of silver. Most of those who had come for the excitement had already pulled out. There was only one rich and powerful person from Jiangnan that still bid. That person bid 3,100 liang. Yu She bid 5,000 liang. That person bid 5,500 liang. Yu She bid 10,000 liang. That person bid 11,000 liang. Yu She bid 20,000 liang. The person from Jiangnan was truly wealthy, yet was angered by this. He felt that if he gave up now, it would be shameful. So he gritted his teeth and bid 25,000 liang of silver. Once the young Yu She heard the news in his estate, he had someone inform the prison that he would bid 50,000 liang. When Zhong Wan thought about it now, it still frightened him. ¡°Those people had been angered crazy by you, and still wanted to go against you. But they could not muster any more money¡­¡± Zhong Wan pictured the fifteen-year-old Yu She dumping money. And he couldn¡¯t help but smile. That was probably Yu Ziyou¡¯s first time taking things too far. Zhong Wan glanced at him. Said softly, ¡°In my whole life, I had never seen so much money. I was almost terrified to death in the prison.¡± Yu She said lowly, ¡°What were you afraid of? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s your money being spent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s even more scary,¡± said Zhong Wan in a soft voice as he looked at Yu She. ¡°Who knew what a person who had spent that much money for me would do to me after he brought me home?¡± A smile spread across Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°Never had it crossed my mind that that person would throw me to the side and not see me for three months. Wasn¡¯t that a loss?¡± Yu She sucked in a deep breath. ¡°Yes.¡± It really was strange. That day, Zhong Wan had been in a sorry state. But now that they were talking about it, he didn¡¯t find it hard and unbearable to. All of Zhong Wan¡¯s unwillingness and unresignedness vanished like smoke in thin air along with the imperial edict he had burned in silence. As they spoke, they reached the city gates. Zhong Wan looked at Yu She, heart wide and open. This person was willing to spend 50,000 liang of silver on himself, and did not step into Zhong Wan¡¯s courtyard for three months in order to avoid suspicion. Zhong Wan had benefited. CH 98 Outside the city gates, the officials from the Ministry of Rites and the imperial guards stood, welcoming the emperor. Zhong Wan drew back the curtain and took a look. He narrowed his eyes. ¡°What could be so important that they couldn¡¯t wait for us to enter the city first?¡± Yu She lifted his gaze. ¡°What?¡± Zhong Wan lowered the curtain. ¡°There¡¯s an imperial guard who carried a letter and brought it over to the royal carriage.¡± A moment later, an old eunuch who served the emperor rushed over to Yu She and Zhong Wan¡¯s horse carriage. With a pained expression on, he said, ¡°Prince, Young Master Zhong, an extremely urgent message from Qian An. Something¡¯s gone wrong! The former Prince Qian An, Xuan Rui¡­ has died.¡± Momentarily, the interior of the horse carriage fell silent. Yu She asked, ¡°How did a healthy living person suddenly die?¡± ¡°Apparently he encountered a group of runaway bandits! Those fugitives often rob passing merchants. Perhaps they assumed their entourage to be that of a wealthy merchant¡¯s, so¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°What about the body?¡± asked Yu She. ¡°Has it been transported back?¡± ¡°No. That desolate area is often plagued by wild beasts. When they discovered the scene, not many whole bodies were left.¡± The old eunuch coughed and sighed. Voice shaking, he said, ¡°Young Master Zhong, my condolences.¡± In the horse carriage, Zhong Wan didn¡¯t say a word. A brief pause later, Yu She said, ¡°Zhong Wan is deeply grieving. He can¡¯t speak anymore. You can leave first.¡± The old eunuch turned around and left. In the horse carriage, Zhong Wan dipped his finger in tea and wrote on the table, ¡°Is he testing me?¡± Yu She wasn¡¯t sure. He wrote, ¡°We don¡¯t have a reason to kill Xuan Rui. The fear now is that he suspects us of hiding Xuan Rui away. Act more believably later. Everything will be okay as long as the emperor doesn¡¯t notice anything wrong.¡± After Yu She wrote this, he felt a bit worried. This pamphlet had arrived at such an inopportune time. It had coincidentally appeared when they were with Emperor Chongan. Emperor Chongan was extremely suspicious. As soon as they entered the city, he was probably going to want to personally see Zhong Wan and pretend to comfort him. He and Zhong Wan both knew that Xuan Rui was currently unharmed. If Zhong Wan happened to make a wrong expression later, it was possible that the emperor could notice something. Without waiting for Yu She to come up with a plan, Zhong Wan had already thought of a solution by himself. He remembered what Emperor Chongan had told him when he had seen the other for the first time after returning to the capital. Emperor Chongan had said that prior to Shi Jin¡¯s death, he hadn¡¯t written a word about any members of his own family on the pamphlet that originally should¡¯ve been a way of asking for blessings for his children and grandchildren. He had only mentioned someone of a different surname, Zhong Guiyuan. Written on the last pamphlet that Shi Jin had turned in to Emperor Chongan was, ¡°Guiyuan encountered many difficulties in his youth. These past few years, he has suffered too much. If he acts somewhat out of line in the future, may Your Majesty be more forgiving on behalf of the fact that this child has had a hard life. Don¡¯t let him suffer anymore.¡± Mere days after the booklet got sent to the emperor, the old imperial preceptor had passed away. And Zhong Wan, who had been far away in Qian An, had only heard the news two months later. He hadn¡¯t even been able to make it to the old man¡¯s last seven. Zhong Wan had never dared to think about this matter in too much detail. Now that he was allowing himself to carefreely think about it, the tears instantly flowed down his face. Such a sight shocked Yu She. ¡°Guiyuan¡­¡± Zhong Wan smiled bitterly and waved his hands around. He had originally wanted to put on an act, but upon thinking of the old imperial preceptor kneeling for a long time outside the palace and the pamphlet he had written prior to his passing, the tears became impossible to hold back. Zhong Wan feared that Yu She would worry, so dipped his finger in tea and wrote on the table, ¡°These past few years, I¡¯ve disappointed many people. In the past, I disappointed you a lot, but now I have the chance to slightly make up for it. For Teacher, though¡­¡± Zhong Wan paused and added, ¡°We are separated by death. I can¡¯t repay him at all. Thinking back now, the person I¡¯ve disappointed the most in this lifetime is probably Old Imperial Preceptor Shi.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s tears kept flowing, landing on the table. He honestly couldn¡¯t keep writing anymore. After entry into the city, all the carriages needed to follow behind Emperor Chongan to enter the palace. Many twists and turns later, they finally reached the inner palace. Emperor Chongan disembarked from his royal carriage and, as expected, truly asked about Zhong Wan. Yu She had to help Zhong Wan out of the horse carriage. Itbcu Qjc kjr ajii, yea tf kjr jirb tbcfrais abb rxlccs. Dfmjerf Te Vtf kjr ulnlcu tlw j tjcv, tf rffwfv fnfc wbgf ilxf tf kjr pera rxlc jcv ybcfr. Lf kjixfv eq ab Swqfgbg Jtbcujc jcv yjgfis wjcjufv ab xcffi. Swqfgbg Jtbcujc ujhfv ja Itbcu Qjc¡¯r yibbvrtba fsfr jcv rlutfv. ¡°Rfnfgwlcv, cfnfgwlcv. P kjr pera rmjgfv atja sbe kbeiv yfmbwf bnfgis rbggbkoei, ktlmt lr kts P jrxfv. Tbe¡­ Ss, rabq xcffilcu. Xb yjmx ab sbeg frajaf olgra. P¡¯ii yf regf ab afii atf Zlclrags bo Elafr ab tbiv j qgbqfg oecfgji obg Wejc Eel rb atja tf mjc ifjnf klat tbcbg.¡± Zhong Wan bowed deeply and got helped away by Yu She. ¡°Have the imperial doctor take a good look at you after you return to your estate.¡± Emperor Chongan showed concern in a manner that could be genuine or fake. He gazed at Yu She. ¡°Ziyou, stay here first. I have things to tell you.¡± Yu She kept a grip on Zhong Wan. Under the cover of his huge sleeves, he quickly wrote a ¡°Bei¡± in Zhong Wan¡¯s palm before letting go. Yu She followed Emperor Chongan into the resting palace. Emperor Chongan wiped off the regretful expression that he had shown to everyone else just now and slowly sat down. ¡°Ziyou, tell me¡­ Does something seem wrong about this situation?¡± Yu She calmly said, ¡°Naturally.¡± Emperor Chongan looked at Yu She. Yu She¡¯s voice was flat as he said, ¡°Bandits wouldn¡¯t necessarily kill even when they¡¯re robbing common merchants. Now that they¡¯re robbing a member of the royal family, though, they haven¡¯t left any survivors? Truly courageous. ¡°Of course, it could also be that they didn¡¯t know the truth at first. After acting out, it became difficult to turn back. They could only eradicate all witnesses and do their best to destroy all physical evidence. But before Xuan Rui left, Zhong Wan specially told me to send a message to the Imperial Clan Court, telling them to take good care of Xuan Rui. My people checked too. They only rested at ease upon learning that the Imperial Clan Court had truly sent enough guards for the trip,¡± Yu She said. ¡°There were members of the imperial guard and servants as well. Dozens and dozens of people. Would they have been so easily killed by bandits? Then how many bandits must there have been?¡± Yu She scoffed. ¡°A big group of bandits consisting of over a hundred people is definitely one that has achieved some fame. How many of these groups could there be along the path? All we need to do is investigate them one by one.¡± Emperor Chongan observed Yu She. Upon noticing that his face carried no hint of grief, he said, ¡°Yes, we do need to provide an explanation to Prince Qian An¡¯s estate. Zhong Wan was from Prince Ning¡¯s estate. Even if you don¡¯t investigate, he¡¯ll definitely want an explanation anyways. However¡­¡± Emperor Chongan calmly stated, ¡°Since Zhong Wan didn¡¯t feel confident in having Xuan Rui travel alone, why didn¡¯t he ask you to send people? If your people were following him, did they get killed too, or¡­¡± Yu She laughed coldly in his heart. How terribly unfortunate. He had actually prepared for this possibility well in advance. ¡°Zhong Wan did tell me to, but only to ensure that my people would send Xuan Rui out of the city. After leaving the city, my people came back.¡± Then Yu Zhe generously shared, ¡°If Your Majesty doesn¡¯t trust me, you can conduct a thorough investigation. Ask the relevant officials from the Imperial Clan Court. Ask the soldiers on guard at the city gate that day. See if I¡¯m lying and if I was the one who killed Xuan Rui.¡± Emperor Chongan burst into laughter. ¡°Oh, child. I wasn¡¯t suspecting you! I was only hoping that your servants were skillful enough to escape so that they could tell us what actually happened. Xuan Rui is cowardly and useless. He hasn¡¯t made any enemies either. This situation is too strange.¡± Yu She stopped speaking. Emperor Chongan muttered to himself, ¡°But perhaps you had a few trusted subordinates who wanted to help you out. Or, they listened to private orders from Zhong Wan and secretly went? So¡­ it¡¯s still better to investigate.¡± A hint of ridicule flashed through Yu She¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t answer. In an instant, Emperor Chongan ordered a palace servant to send a message ordering an investigation. He turned around and placated Yu She, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I¡¯m doing this for your own good too. In case they really find out that someone on your side acted of their own accord, I would know in advance and be able to cover up for you. Don¡¯t just stand there. Sit. Wait with me and see what they can find.¡± Two hours later, the palace servant returned. He knelt to say, ¡°In reply to the emperor, the day the former Prince Qian An left the capital, Young Prince Yu truly did send people to follow him. However, they returned after travelling ten li away from the capital. They were all family soldiers from the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. There are records of their entrance and exit from the city gates. Us servants looked into it just now and those dozen or so family soldiers have all been seen around the capital these past few days. There are witnesses too.¡± Only now did Emperor Chongan finally rest at ease. He shook his head and chuckled before saying to Yu She, ¡°See? Isn¡¯t everything nice and clear now? In case anyone later happens to say that you did it, I can help you out.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was as cold as ice. The palace servant feared that Emperor Chongan would be left high and dry, so hurriedly said, ¡°Exactly! With His Majesty as a witness, nobody will dare to suspect Young Prince anymore.¡± Yu She honestly didn¡¯t want to hear these things again. He forced the disgust down and said, ¡°Many thanks, Emperor.¡± Emperor Chongan gave the palace servant a meaningful look to order him to leave. Right now, he wasn¡¯t worried about Yu She at all, which was why he dared to discuss with him. ¡°Say¡­ Is Xuan Rui really dead?¡± Yu She coldly answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Emperor Chongan was most annoyed by Yu She when he acted so nonchalant towards him. Vexed, he asked, ¡°So what if I investigated you? Why are you acting like this? If not for the fact that you always keep me at an arm¡¯s length, would I suspect you?¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s expression had darkened too. ¡°Ziyou, a thunderstorm and a raindrop are both blessings from Heaven. Don¡¯t you understand?¡± Yu She¡¯s expression remained the same. He knelt. ¡°Thank you for your mercy, Master.¡± ¡°You!¡± Emperor Chongan was so angry that he kept pounding on his chest. He wanted to tell Yu She to get out, but these past few days, he had often been unable to focus. He didn¡¯t have enough energy and was more careless. He wanted to discuss with someone else, but the people around him either couldn¡¯t be trusted or were useless. Among all his sons, he could only rely on Yu She. ¡°Nevermind! Stand up and speak.¡± Yu She rose to his feet. After straightening out his robes, he said, ¡°If he¡¯s alive, we need to see him. If he¡¯s dead, we need to see his corpse. Right now, we can¡¯t find even a piece of his corpse. We can¡¯t confirm if Xuan Rui is truly dead or not. To come to a conclusion, we can only investigate.¡± Emperor Chongan thought to himself, you¡¯re only stating the obvious. Though Yu She was the head of the Dali Temple, he had only fooled around for all these years. It was possible that he didn¡¯t actually understand anything. Without any expectations, Emperor Chongan asked, ¡°How?¡± ¡°Immediately send out the order to have all officials in government offices two hundred li within the scene of the incident to report by themselves how many bandit strongholds there are in the area they¡¯re in charge of, how many people are in each bandit stronghold, and if these bandits have fled within the past month. ¡°Tell them very clearly that no one will be blamed for past allowances of bandits to perform robberies. However, if anyone dares to know information but not report it, withhold critical information in their report, or lie in their report, they will be killed with no exception. ¡°Additionally, order all officials in government offices within three hundred li of the incident to investigate the pawn shops in their areas. Look over all the objects the pawn shop has accepted in the past month. Check if those objects contain things that nobles or officials would use. If anything is found, cross reference with the results of the bandit reports. Something will surely be revealed. ¡°A child of the imperial clan died halfway through his trip and everything about his death is shrouded in confusion. The officials along the way must all be held accountable. However, those officials who have aided in the investigation can have their efforts recorded into their list of achievements for this year. After the case is closed, they¡¯ll also be promoted.¡± Emperor Chongan temporarily felt lost listening to this. He stared at Yu She while blanking out. Yu She furrowed his brows and continued to ask, ¡°Does Your Majesty think it¡¯s plausible?¡± Emperor Chongan came back to his wits and nodded. ¡°Very well thought out. But what if¡­ what if we can¡¯t find anything even after doing all this?¡± ¡°Then that means it¡¯s possible that Xuan Rui isn¡¯t dead, but has been abducted by ill-intended people instead. As for why¡­ I¡¯m unclear.¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s heart was racing. Recent events kept causing him to panic. He could faintly tell that things shouldn¡¯t be so coincidental. Xuan Rui shouldn¡¯t have suddenly been attacked by bandits at this critical time. Emperor Chongan looked up and glanced at Yu She. As of now, his only comfort was that he was starting to believe, more and more, that Yu She wasn¡¯t actually as absurd as he had thought. Emperor Chongan couldn¡¯t help thinking, as expected, dragons birth dragons and phoenixes birth phoenixes? This son of his, who had the hardest life, had been born to be emperor? Emperor Chongan gazed at Yu She and thought, I have a successor. He felt slightly better in his heart, so said, ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll do what you just said. Go arrange for it. I¡¯m honestly feeling a bit uncomfortable and want to get some rest first¡­¡± Yu She still hadn¡¯t stood up yet when a palace servant charged in. Expression strange, he glanced at Yu She. Emperor Chongan had originally wanted Yu She to retreat, but he wasn¡¯t feeling great. He knew that he didn¡¯t have the energy to take care of anything else. Tiredly, he said, ¡°Nevermind, just say it.¡± The palace servant took two steps forward and seriously stated, ¡°Emperor, regarding Prince Yu¡­ Something¡¯s wrong.¡± Emperor Chongan furrowed his brows. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The palace servant hesitated for a moment before lowly saying, ¡°Prince Yu still refuses to admit that he organized the assassination¡­¡± ¡°There are both witnesses and physical evidence. Just what have you people even been doing?¡± Emperor Chongan asked in outrage. ¡°Of course he won¡¯t admit to it! Don¡¯t you guys have other solutions?¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± The palace servant said in agitation, ¡°Prince Yu is admitting to crimes, but not this one. He said that in these past few years, he really has done something that has wronged the royal family, among many other things. Now that he¡¯s already been taken to the Imperial Clan Court, he¡¯s willing to confess about all of them, Emperor! Panicked, the palace servant asked, ¡°Prince Yu, h-he, what is he about to say?¡± The color immediately disappeared from Emperor Chongan¡¯s face. The palace servant said in agitation, ¡°Prince Yu hasn¡¯t said anything yet, but the older clan relatives have already become alarmed. As of now, the Imperial Clan Court plans on inviting all the clan relatives. Prince Yu says that he has lots of witnesses and physical evidence in his possession. If anything happens to him, the truth will become known to the whole world. Emperor¡­¡± Emperor Chongan¡¯s hands suddenly started trembling. He fell back onto his throne. Abruptly, Emperor Chongan thought of something. He whipped around to look at Yu She. In a whisper, he inquired, ¡°Xuan Rui, Xuan Rui¡­ Could it be, could it be that¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was calm. He gently nodded. Emperor Chongan¡¯s voice was hoarse as he forced out through clenched teeth, ¡°Yu Mucheng¡­¡± ¡°Emperor! Emperor!¡± An old eunuch ran in from outside while holding a few booklets. Expression panicked, he yelled, ¡°Emperor! Something has happened!¡± Emperor Chongan couldn¡¯t be bothered with anything else at this time. In a loss of composure, he yelled, ¡°Get out!¡± The old eunuch jumped in fright. He knelt on the ground with a plop and turned to look at Yu She while shaking. Yu She calmly said, ¡°The emperor is feeling unwell. Normal matters are all to be set to the side.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a normal matter.¡± The old eunuch¡¯s voice was trembling. ¡°This is a pamphlet from the Cabinet. Emperor, something has truly happened¡­¡± Emperor Chongan had a terrible headache. ¡°What?! What now?!¡± In agitation, the old eunuch said, ¡°Emperor, something has happened in the north! There¡¯s chaos with the Beidi tribes. And, and¡­¡± ¡°There are only so many Beidi soldiers in total!¡± Emperor Chongan completely lost his composure. He roared, ¡°Either fight or retreat! Does the Ministry of War not have any plans? The Cabinet doesn¡¯t have brains? Why are you telling me?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it, Emperor.¡± The old eunuch sounded like he was about to cry. ¡°Two hours ago, someone came to report that Fifth Highness has colluded with the Beidi tribes in private and desires to help the Beidi chief cross our borders! Using this as a reason, he wants to force Young Prince Yu to lead soldiers into battle and then frame Young Prince Yu for committing treason with the enemy!¡± The four words ¡°treason with the enemy¡± slammed into Emperor Chongan¡¯s heart. His head instantly felt like it had been blown up. No one was more familiar than him about this method of framing. Emperor Chongan listened to what the old eunuch was saying. He thought of the crimes Yu Mucheng was about to confess to. For a moment, he only felt like the world was spinning. He couldn¡¯t even discern if the old eunuch was talking about Xuan Qiong or himself. Agitated, the old eunuch said, ¡°A letter written in blood that the Beidi chief sent to Fifth Highness in private has been brought over too! Though that letter is already extremely damaged, everything is written very clearly on it. Emperor, Emperor? Emperor! Someone come¡­¡± Emperor Chongan spat out a mouthful of dark blood and fell directly off of the throne. The palace instantly exploded in a frenzy. Palace maids, servants, imperial doctors¡­ Innumerous people rushed past Yu She¡¯s side, brushing shoulders with him. Yu She lowered his gaze in order to hide the pleasure in his eyes better. If not for the fact that he still had the clarity known as Zhong Wan saved in his heart, Yu She wouldn¡¯t be stopping himself at all from carefreely laughing in this palace. It wasn¡¯t time yet. He still needed to hide the madness in his heart. Yu She closed his eyes to enjoy the sounds of everyone¡¯s panicked footsteps and Emperor Chongan¡¯s terrified groans. He knew very clearly that he himself wasn¡¯t clean. Thus, these past seven years, he had suffered daily. Now, it was finally time for everyone else to get a taste of their own medicine. CH 99 Emperor Chongan¡¯s face grew purple for some reason. His throat clogged with blood; he could exhale but not inhale. And his eyes didn¡¯t look good. In a flash, the imperial physicians flew into panic. The imperial physician who had followed them along to the temporary imperial residence was summoned over. He was aware that Emperor Chongan had not been in good health recently. However, never had he expected that it would grow so poor all of a sudden. As he helped Emperor Chongan dispel the blood from his nose and mouth, he blurted, ¡°What happened? What did he eat recently? Did he choke on something? Or was he angered to this point?¡± The old court eunuchs quickly explained the circumstances. Then the imperial physicians worked hard to feed Emperor Chongan a heart recovery pill. They also applied acupuncture to him and discussed what to prescribe to him. Not only that, they rushed people to find Emperor Chongan¡¯s previous pulse records. The resting palace fell into chaos. ¡°Young Prince! Prince!¡± shouted the court eunuch who always accompanied the emperor as he stumbled and rushed outside. He kneeled in front of Yu She and cried out, ¡°Young Prince! What should we do? We old slaves wanted to give His Majesty ginseng soup, but the imperial physicians said His Majesty has been angered to the point of having excessive internal heat. Ginseng soup can¡¯t save him. It will only make him die quicker. But if something happens¡­ Your Highness! Tell us what to do!¡± Yu She looked directly at the Emperor Chongan who lay in bed far away. Not a word left his lips. His eyes were bloodshot. The surroundings noisy until now. However, Yu She could hear the pounding of his heart, pounding in tune with the pulsing of the veins by his temples. He tried his best to control himself. Before he could speak, Princess Royal Anguo rushed in with large strides, shouting, ¡°Why are you all standing around here doing nothing?!¡± She glanced at Yu She. Once she caught sight of his expression, shock filled her heart. Then she turned to the old eunuch. After she asked him what happened, she hesitated for a long time. Said cold as ice, ¡°Why are you all still listening to the imperial physician? If the imperial physicians were any use, then why has Imperial Brother¡¯s illness grown worse and worse? When the qi and blood of an individual are blocked, they normally cannot have ginseng soup, but does it really matter right now?! ¡°The northern border is in unrest. The crown prince position is empty. If at this time, something happens to Imperial Brother, can you all shoulder the responsibility?!¡± Princess Royal Anguo looked toward the interior of the resting palace, her gaze complicated. A good while later, she turned around and said, ¡°Just feed it to him. We¡¯ll preserve his life first.¡± The old eunuch feared that if he were uncareful, he¡¯d be buried along with the emperor. What was needed was a person daring to make decisions at this time. Once he had the order, he rushed to spread it. Yu She looked up at Princess Royal Anguo, the corners of his lips rising a hint. Ridicule flashed through his gaze. Internal strife had immediately begun. The two shared a look. Princess Royal Anguo averted her gaze, forcing herself to maintain the dignity of a princess royal. Softly, she said, ¡°Was he really angered to this point all of a sudden?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Explain to me,¡± said Princess Royal Anguo in an even softer voice. ¡°Did Imperial Brother write any imperial edict previously? Yu She asked, ¡°What imperial edict?¡± ¡°What do you think?!¡± Princess Royal Anguo was truly anxious. ¡°The edict conferring you the position of crown prince! Since Yu Mucheng has already hidden Xuan Rui somewhere, are you still unclear of what he wants to do?! Imperial Brother forced him too much, and now Yu Mucheng has decided that this is a life and death struggle. Before Imperial Brother dies, you must quickly get this crown prince thing settled! We don¡¯t know how many backup plans Yu Mucheng has. If he gets his way, you and I will die!¡± Vkfja mbnfgfv Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb¡¯r obgftfjv. Vtf ralii kjcafv ab ajix ab Te Vtf, yea jc fecemt gertfv bea bo atf gbbw ab atfw. ¡°Efqbgalcu ab Tbecu Uglcmf jcv Uglcmfrr Ebsji, Llr Zjpfras mjc ygfjatf cbk! Lf mjc ygfjatf cbk!¡± Vemt cfkr mjerfv Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb ab yf bnfgpbsfv. Vtf cb ibcufg qjlv Te Vtf jcs wlcv jcv rkloais obiibkfv atf fecemt lcrlvf. Chaos had run rampant for no less than four hours, when Emperor Chongan finally roused. Before the imperial physicians could breathe out a sigh of relief, Princess Royal Anguo frowned. ¡°What happened? Why can¡¯t the emperor¡­ open one of his eyes?!¡± Emperor Chongan had opened his eyes, but one of his eyelids looked like someone was pulling it closed, drooping. No matter what he did, he could not open that eye completely; it was kept half mast. An imperial physician rushed forward to examine it. Before he could find out the reason for this, Emperor Chongan opened his mouth with much difficulty. And he said a few words. But no one could catch them; the words proved incoherent and hard to make out. The imperial physcian¡¯s expression changed. He kneeled before the emperor¡¯s bed. After he had examined Emperor Chongan¡¯s pulse, he lifted his forearm and pressed a few of his acupuncture points. Then the imperial physician switched to the next forearm and did the same. Afterward, he inspected Emperor Chongan¡¯s legs again. Princess Royal Anguo was full of impatience. ¡°I asked you why the emperor¡¯s eyes are like this, right? Who asked you about his legs?¡± The imperial physician kneeled and faced her. Hesitating, he said, ¡°Reporting to Princess, the emperor seems to¡­ seems to¡­¡± ¡°Speak!¡± The imperial physician kowtowed. ¡°He seems to have suffered a paralyzing stroke.¡± In a flash, everyone kneeled with a bang from fear. ¡°A paralyzing stroke¡­¡± said Princess Royal Anguo, the picture of shock. ¡°T-then can he get up in the future?¡± The imperial physician remained kneeling. Shook his head. It was unsure whether or not Emperor Chongan, who was lying on the bed, had heard these words. From his throat came a hoarse sound. Princess Royal Anguo glanced at him. Hesitation in her gaze, she said, ¡°Then can he¡­ still speak?¡± The imperial physician paused, before saying, ¡°When someone first gets a paralyzing stroke, we can¡¯t say for sure yet. We have to wait a few days before we can see. Right now, the best case scenario is that His Majesty can make a clear sound after a few days. After that, if we take care of him properly, he might be able to speak with much difficulty. But it¡¯s also possible that¡­¡± It¡¯s also possible that he would only be able to make hoarse and soft sounds for the rest of his life, stuck in bed with half his body paralyzed, becoming a cripple. After hearing this, Emperor Chongan twitched then threw up a mouthful of blood. Then the room fell into chaos once more. Yu She stood the farthest away from the emperor¡¯s bed compared to everyone else. With indifference, he looked at the Emperor Chongan who lay in bed; Yu She did not even move an inch. Emperor Chongan had fainted again. Because Princess Royal Anguo wholeheartedly wanted to give herself a life-saving talisman, she sincerely took care of Emperor Chongan this time. She herself was still injured, but she did not care for it at present. Instead, she personally fed him medicine and wiped clean his lips. Even when her own wounds started to bleed, she could not spare time to care for them. The empress was in poor health. After hearing what had occurred, she also fainted. All the imperial concubines wept as they paid the emperor a visit. Yet, Princess Royal Anguo shooed them all away. ¡°Imperial Brother.¡± Princess Royal Anguo slipped her finger with red painted nails into Emperor Chongan¡¯s mouth. She pried open his lips and fed him medicine. ¡°Don¡¯t die. Don¡¯t let everything fall into chaos. Don¡¯t die¡­¡± A few types of medicine and six hours later, Emperor Chongan finally fell asleep. Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s hair was in disarray, and she was physically and mentally drained. She didn¡¯t care about anything else anymore and collapsed onto a chair by the side. Then she lifted her head. Looked at the Yu She who seemed like an outsider. In a hoarse voice, she said, ¡°You¡­ can¡¯t leave¡­¡± Expressionless, Yu She glanced at her. ¡°Xuan Jing came a few times, but he¡¯s left now. Imperial Consort Yu, Xuang Qiong, and their people made a huge fuss for no less than six hours. They left just now, probably to find the other imperial clan members. If I still don¡¯t leave, they might rush into the palace.¡± ¡°Who dares? Do they want to revolt?!¡± Princess Royal Anguo fixed the messy hair on her temples. ¡°In a few hours, court will resume. You need to pacify the court ministers. In any case¡­ you can¡¯t leave. Who knows when the emperor will awake? Once he wakes up, he will definitely¡­ definitely¡­¡± Definitely hand down an imperial edict. At that time, those who were by his side would have the highest chance of success. Princess Royal Anguo had long since sent away the palace servants. Yu She no longer avoided the topic, and said, ¡°You¡¯ve already done what Yu Mucheng instructed you to do. Are you not going to think about joining hands with him?¡± Princess Royal Anguo laughed in ridicule. ¡°Can I really trust him? He makes it sound very good to me because he knows that only I can do this task.¡± Then, she said in a low voice, ¡°I am a princess of the first rank. As long as he has me to connect him with the other imperial clan members, to promise my paternal relatives benefits, they would be willing to take a risk. And when the emperor¡¯s health declines, they would turn around and support Yu Mucheng. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the reason he married that day? ¡°I¡¯ve already done what I ought to do for him. I¡¯m the same as those imperial clan members; when the emperor¡¯s health is truly in decline, I would think about helping Yu Mucheng.¡± A light flashed in her eyes. ¡°But right now, nothing is certain. As long as the emperor still has the energy to hand down an imperial edict to have you as crown prince, I will not go down that path.¡± Low laughter left Yu She¡¯s lips. ¡°Mother, you won¡¯t even pretend in front of me anymore?¡± His usage of the word ¡°mother¡± angered her to the point where her face grew pale. She looked away. Said in a cold voice, ¡°Wasn¡¯t this what you said? That you were tired of me pretending, and that you would rather I interact with you honestly?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Yes. I prefer this.¡± When Yu She looked at Princess Royal Anguo now, he felt this was a lot better. Four hours later, at the first glimmer of light, Emperor Chongan once again woke up. The old eunuchs carefully fed him tea. Dazed, Emperor Chongan opened his eyes. Looked outside. He couldn¡¯t speak. An old eunuch supported him and said, ¡°It was all Princess Royal Anguo. Thankfully, she took care of you for the whole day and night. While injured, she tended to your honored self without even changing clothes. That¡¯s right! Young Prince also never left, and has been guarding your bedside since the start!¡± Emperor Chongan could not feel his right arm at all. He used a lot of energy to lift his left hand. Gestured a little and whimpered. He thought, what about the others? What about Our other two sons? The empress? The imperial concubines? The old eunuch listened carefully, yet was still unable to understand what he meant. In a timid manner, he asked, ¡°Your Majesty, what did you say?¡± Emperor Chongan whimpered again, face purple and swollen. He shoved away the old eunuch and struggled a bit, almost falling back onto the bed. Princess Royal Anguo rushed forward to support him. Blurted, ¡°Imperial Brother mustn¡¯t be impatient. The dragon body is important. Lie down¡­¡± Fearfully, Emperor Chongan looked at her. He lay back down. And with much difficulty, moved about the eyes that could still be considered nimble. He took in his surroundings. Recalled everything that happened before he fainted. Then, he remembered hearing the words ¡°paralyzing stroke¡± while he had still been out of it. And he tasted blood. Did he become a cripple now? Then what about Prince Yu? What about Xuan Qiong? Why was there only this aunt-and-nephew pair in this resting palace? What did these two do to the others? Just now, Emperor Chongan had heard the palace servant say they were here all day and night. Such a long time had passed. Just how was it outside now? Everything should be turned on its head, right? Terrified to the extreme, Emperor Chongan thought, did Yu Mucheng, that old viper, already expose what had happened all those years ago? Beside himself, Emperor Chongan leaned against a pillow, heart completely chilled. Originally, he thought he could hold on for another two to three years. Originally, he thought he could securely take care of Yu Mucheng, Princess Royal Anguo, and Zhong Wan¡­ Afterward, he would use the position of emperor as a bargaining chip, grasping Yu She in the palm of his hand until he died of old age. But in just one day, how could things have fallen to this state? Emperor Chongan¡¯s gaze moved back and forth from Princess Royal Anguo and Yu She for a good while. Neither too far away nor too close, Yu She looked at Emperor Chongan. Silent, he appreciated the near-death scent drifting from Emperor Chongan¡¯s body. A long time later, Yu She saw Emperor Chongan howl in an unresigned manner. Then he struggled to point at Princess Royal Anguo. Yu She sneered. He understood. Currently, Emperor Chongan was already out of options. If not the princess royal, then he could only choose Yu She. He chose Princess Royal Anguo. Yu She didn¡¯t really care. From the start, he and them would not be on the same path. A wave of relief washed over Princess Royal Anguo. She rushed forward even closer. Grabbed Emperor Chongan¡¯s hand anxiously. ¡°Imperial Brother, do you have any orders? If so, just let me know.¡± Ciatbeut Swqfgbg Jtbcujc kjcafv ab rqfjx, joafg ojlilcu j ofk alwfr, tf ujnf eq. Ktfc Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb gertfv ab rmbiv atf qjijmf rfgnjcar, bgvfglcu atfw ab yglcu bnfg qjqfg jcv j kglalcu ygert. Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb reqqbgafv tlw eq. Swqfgbg Jtbcujc tfiv atf kglalcu ygert klat tlr ifoa tjcv. Lf kgbaf bc j yijcx ybbxifa, tlr tjcvkglalcu cfjgis liifulyif. Zfjcktlif, Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb rajgfv ja la klatbea yilcxlcu, ilxf j rajgnlcu kbio rajixlcu lar qgfs. Emperor Chongan took no less than thirty minutes to finish writing in that booklet. Hesitating, Princess Royal Anguo asked, ¡°Imperial Brother?¡± Emperor Chongan shook his head. He pushed the booklet toward her chest, then picked up the writing brush again. And spent a lot of energy writing directly on the blanket, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t follow this posthumous edict, someone naturally would¡­¡± ¡°Imperial Brother doesn¡¯t want to think it over again?¡± Uneasy, Princess Royal Anguo glanced at Yu She. ¡°Ziyou¡­¡± Emperor Chongan waved. Then he picked up another blank booklet. Wrote on it for a long time. This time, he did not give it to Princess Royal Anguo. Rather, he looked at Yu She. The old eunuch rushed to take the imperial edict and presented it to Yu She with both hands. Yu She kneeled, expressionless. He received the edict and read through it. This wasn¡¯t an imperial edict that established a crown prince. Actually, it wasn¡¯t even for Yu She. The edict wrote that the new emperor was young, and that Emperor Chongan feared that he would covet political achievements and be rash, among other things. After a slew of nonsense, the imperial edict ordered the new emperor that before ascending the throne, he must tell everyone in the world that before thirty years from now passed, he must not disobey the late emperor¡¯s orders. Yu She¡¯s thoughts were in a mess. What did the imperial edict Emperor Chongan had given to Princess Royal Anguo say? Yu She had a guess. Why did he give it to her but not Yu She? This, Yu She also understood. However¡­ Momentarily, Yu She did not understand why Emperor Chongan gave out this specific imperial edict. He raised his head and looked at Emperor Chongan. Emperor Chongan glanced at him in a cold and disappointed manner, before waving. The old eunuch took back the imperial edict that had been in Yu She¡¯s hands. Then Emperor Chongan used all his energy to pick up the imperial seal, stamping both of the imperial edicts. Following that, he pushed everything together toward Princess Royal Anguo. And afterward, he picked up the writing brush and wrote onto the covers, ¡°Once it¡¯s daybreak, order the high-ranking ministers to enter the palace. We want to personally show these two imperial edicts to those ministers. After that¡­ these imperial edicts will be looked after by you.¡± Emperor Chongan gripped Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s hand, frightening her. He wrote on her hand, ¡°If he ascends the throne smoothly, the rest of your life will be lived in glory. Anguo, watch him carefully for Us¡­¡± Never had Princess Royal Anguo anticipated that Emperor Chongan could still control the situation at this point, controlling Yu She and herself in such a rapid manner. Scared witless, she nodded, gripping the two imperial edicts. At last, Emperor Chongan felt relieved. He beckoned for Yu She to approach. Emperor Chongan seemed to both pity and fear Yu She as he looked at him. A good while later, he took Yu She¡¯s hand. Wrote in his palm, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s your name on that imperial edict.¡± Emperor Chongan was on the brink of total exhaustion. He rested for a moment, then continued to write on Yu She¡¯s hand, ¡°Help Us take care of Prince Yu, so that Our reputation can remain clean. Only in this way can you maintain the power of this imperial edict. Otherwise, this country will belong to Xuan Rui. Do you understand, my child?¡± Yu She kneeled. At that moment, he understood what that other imperial edict was for, a chill penetrating his bones. For a moment, the room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Yu She¡¯s eyes widened so much that they almost split open. In a hoarse voice, he said, ¡°Your Majesty, even now¡­ you can¡¯t let go of Guiyuan?¡± Emperor Chongan glanced at him, cold and detached. He wrote, ¡°We already gave him a chance.¡± Outside the palace hall, Old Imperial Preceptor Shi had kneeled for a long time¡­ The scent of something that had burned in the carriage¡­ The disappointment, frustration, and relief in Zhong Wan¡¯s eyes¡­ In a flash, Yu She had understood everything. He pressed his head against the side of the bed and could not help but laugh. Originally, he thought he had been stabbed so many times in the heart these many years already, so he shouldn¡¯t be able to feel bitterly disappointed anymore. Shouldn¡¯t he have long since been used to this? Wasn¡¯t it the most usual thing for people to scheme against him and frame him? So why did he suddenly find it unbearable? Once Princess Royal Anguo had heard his frightening laughter, she anxiously said, ¡°Ziyou! Don¡¯t go crazy!¡± Yu She choked, then coughed a couple times. He smiled. ¡°Stop putting on an act¡­¡± With a lot of difficulty, Yu She supported himself to a stand using the side of the bed. Softly, he said, ¡°Enough. I understand what these two imperial edits mean¡­¡± Suddenly, Emperor Chongan felt uneasy. He stared at Yu She, his lips twitching. Yu She looked disdainfully at Emperor Chongan and Princess Royal Anguo. He said in a low voice, ¡°What do you people think I want?¡± Fear struck Emperor Chongan¡¯s heart. Before he could write anything else, Yu She dully said, ¡°I won¡¯t play this game anymore.¡± And he turned around and left without ever looking back. Emperor Chongan¡¯s heart pounded. Xuan Qiong had colluded with another country, so he could no longer ascend the throne. Xuan Jing would not be able to win against Yu Mucheng. And Yu She didn¡¯t want to take part in this anymore¡­ He only had three sons. Who could he give his throne to? That Xuan Rui whose life-or-death condition was not even known?!!! Moreover, let¡¯s not talk about the heir apparent to the throne right now. If he didn¡¯t have Yu She, who could deal with Yu Mucheng, who¡¯s eyeing the throne covetously, for him? Did he have to rely on the indecisive Anguo? Wasn¡¯t she willing to help him now so that she could be the future empress dowager? If Yu She would not become the next emperor, how would she continue to help him?! He had been too greedy. In the end, he could not have anything. In a flash, Emperor Chongan felt regret. Everything had happened too quickly. After sitting on the Dragon Throne for decades, he did not have many bargaining chips anymore. Never had he imagined that Yu She would actually fall out with him because of this matter. Anxious and perplexed, Emperor Chongan looked in Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s way. Then he used all his energy to shove her away. And Princess Royal Anguo understood. She cursed Emperor Chongan in her heart for being too greedy and for not understanding he was already useless. At this time, he actually still had the desire to control Zhong Wan. He had fallen within sight of success, infuriating Yu She due to this trivial matter at the end. Princess Royal Anguo forced herself to say, ¡°Imperial Brother mustn¡¯t be anxious! I¡¯ll look for Ziyou. He just became angry for the moment. Imperial Brother knows that once Ziyou is angry, he¡¯s capable of saying anything. It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright¡­ What can¡¯t be discussed between blood-related father and son?¡± Princess Royal Anguo was both consoling Emperor Chongan and herself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Imperial Brother. Ziyou just has a bad temper. If he doesn¡¯t ascend the throne, does he not want his life?! I will persuade him. He¡¯ll come to his senses quickly.¡± Emperor Chongan strove hard to nod. Princess Royal Anguo couldn¡¯t care about him anymore, and ordered the palace servants not to allow others to enter this resting palace. And quick as lightning, she went to find Yu She. CH 100 ¡°Ziyou! ¡°Ziyou!¡± As Princess Royal Anguo rushed down the coiled dragon stone stairs, she accidentally twisted her ankle. The lady-in-waiting following her hurriedly came close to help hold her up. At this moment, Princess Royal Anguo didn¡¯t have the time to bother with being proper anymore. She pushed the lady-in-waiting away and took huge steps toward the palace exit. Meanwhile, Yu She took long strides as he walked out. Right now, he only wanted to see Zhong Wan. If the events of today were due to ten points of effort, Zhong Wan alone had contributed nine of those ten points. The way he had exposed the Beidi situation had been too perfect. Yu She had always been responsible for this incident. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t have any physical evidence or witnesses at his disposal. In all honesty, Yu She hadn¡¯t been very hopeful for success. This hadn¡¯t been the original plan. But at the time, Yu She had felt that this was probably the best opportunity. If not for the fact that Emperor Chongan¡¯s body truly couldn¡¯t hold out any longer, he absolutely wouldn¡¯t have placed trust in Yu She. He must¡¯ve sensed, somehow, that he was near his limit. Upon realizing that Yu Mucheng¡¯s situation was connected to Xuan Rui¡¯s, he had no other option but to add Yu She to his list of trusted subordinates and entrust him with a task. After all, in Emperor Chongan¡¯s eyes, they were on the same side regarding this issue. But it was extremely difficult to get ahold of that letter written in blood, perfectly destroy the parts related to Yu She, and find the right person to send the evidence to the emperor in such a short amount of time. Yet, Zhong Wan had succeeded. This was the first unforeseen incident. The hatred of the past had retaliated too quickly, wholly breaking Emperor Chongan¡¯s decaying skeleton into several pieces, as if he had been struck by falling boulders. He had actually gotten a stroke. This was the second unforeseen incident. With the first unforeseen incident, Emperor Chongan had completely lost a son that could inherit the throne. With the second unforeseen incident, Emperor Chongan had lost his leverage against Yu She. Thus, Yu She now had the confidence to toss Emperor Chongan off to the side. These past few months, Yu She had had enough of pretending to be the filial son too. When he thought of the fact that Emperor Chongan had once kept him in the dark to try and bribe and threaten Zhong Wan, an indescribable feeling of disgust filled Yu She¡¯s chest. There were always people who didn¡¯t treat others like human beings. They would carelessly fiddle with and throw around something someone else cared deeply about and find pleasure in doing so. It was no matter that he was unwilling to grant Shi Jin and Zhong Wan¡¯s only wish. Why did he need to purposefully dangle this in front of Zhong Wan as if he were toying with a dog?! Mbg oec? Snfc abvjs, atfs ralii vlvc¡¯a nlfk tlw bg Itbcu Qjc jr tewjc yflcur. Ktfc atfgf kjr cb cffv obg tlw ab kjla eqbc atf batfg flatfg. Ktlr kbeiv jirb jiibk Swqfgbg Jtbcujc ab offi atf mbiv klcv jcv ecvfgrajcv atja alwfr tjv mtjcufv. Glv tf gfjiis ralii tjnf rb wemt mbcolvfcmf? Yu She exited the palace. Outside the palace doors, the coachman of the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate had already brought the horse carriage over. Yu She was just about to get into the carriage when Princess Royal Anguo, who had been chasing him this entire way, finally caught up. Princess Royal Anguo instantly grabbed onto Yu She¡¯s sleeve. Agitated, she yelled, ¡°Listen to me!¡± Yu She turned around and slowly tugged his sleeve back. He coldly gazed at Princess Royal Anguo and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to place your hopes in me anymore. Go find Yu Mucheng now. There¡¯s still time.¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t gotten to that point yet! Hear me out first!¡± Princess Royal Anguo looked around and impatiently gave her lady-in-waiting a meaningful look. The lady-in-waiting immediately told the surrounding servants and coachman to retreat. As the first rays of sun illuminated the sky, this aunt-and-nephew pair stared at each other. ¡°Listen to me. I¡¯ve already figured everything out.¡± Princess Royal Anguo was terrified that Yu She would leave again. She stood in front of Yu She¡¯s horse carriage and rapidly said, ¡°The purpose of the emperor¡¯s imperial decree was to prevent you from doing anything about Zhong Wan¡¯s background in the future, right? He already used this to threaten Zhong Wan before, but Zhong Wan didn¡¯t agree, so he became impatient and refused to discuss with you guys further. He wants to completely make you give up on this plan, correct?¡± Princess Royal Anguo nodded in panic. ¡°Yes, the emperor knows too. Only this last decree that has to be announced to all the officials can control you¡­ Yes, that must be the case.¡± Yu She¡¯s expression was cold. He distantly gazed at Princess Royal Anguo. ¡°Hear me out first. This situation is still up for negotiation. The emperor is already feeling regretful,¡± Princess Royal Anguo said. ¡°The second imperial decree is in my breast pocket right now. As long as you desire it, this imperial decree will never be seen by a fourth person. I swear!¡± Princess Royal Anguo was fearful that Yu She wouldn¡¯t trust her. In agitation, she pulled out the imperial decree and handed it to Yu She so he could look over it. She added, ¡°It¡¯s real. I left the other imperial decree to the emperor. When day breaks, the officials will all enter the palace. They¡¯ll only see that imperial decree. I swear that that imperial decree has no mention of Zhong Wan at all. That¡¯s the decree that names you as crown prince! ¡°Child.¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. She cried out, ¡°As soon as the sun rises, you¡¯ll be crown prince!!!¡± Yu She wasn¡¯t affected at all. He apathetically looked at Princess Royal Anguo and held a hand out to her. Princess Royal Anguo hurriedly made to hand the imperial decree in her hands over to Yu She. But right before doing so, she paused. In a daze, she asked, ¡°Ziyou, you¡¯re really going to tear it up?¡± Yu She didn¡¯t want to waste any more time speaking with Princess Royal Anguo. ¡°If Emperor and Princess haven¡¯t made up your minds yet, you can go find someone else.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Princess Royal Anguo hurriedly said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to threaten me anymore. I believe you now. You¡¯re really going all out. The emperor believes that too. But you¡¯ve already waited so long for today. You won¡¯t mind hearing me say a few extra words, right? Let me finish. Whether you want me to send this imperial decree back or tear it up on the spot, that¡¯s all up to you!¡± Yu She coldly gazed at Princess Royal Anguo. He couldn¡¯t understand what else she could have to say. He also couldn¡¯t understand why he would be crazy enough to send the imperial decree back. ¡°Ziyou, I¡¯m not trying to argue on the emperor¡¯s behalf. As of now, I can only rely on you. I¡¯m trying to help you come up with a plan. Trust me¡­ This decree from Imperial Brother definitely isn¡¯t only designed to exact revenge on Zhong Wan¡¯s arrogance. This is a matter of life and death. He hasn¡¯t gotten so foolish yet.¡± Princess Royal Anguo clutched onto Yu She¡¯s wrist once more and lowered her voice to say, ¡°The emperor previously went to the temporary imperial palace and put on an assassination act just to get rid of Prince Yu and also me. But at the end of the day, he was trying to clear the road for the new emperor! Including this imperial decree. ¡°Ziyou.¡± Princess Royal Anguo gazed deep into Yu She¡¯s eyes. ¡°Do you believe that if the other princes weren¡¯t either dead or useless and if the emperor didn¡¯t feel like he didn¡¯t have the energy to do so, he would definitely kill Zhong Wan? He would never do something as simple as ending Zhong Wan¡¯s political career.¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°I should thank him? For not being completely ruthless?¡± Princess Royal Anguo was speechless. Then, she said, ¡°I won¡¯t talk about these things with you. I¡¯m also not here to be the emperor¡¯s sympathizer. I only want you to wake up a bit. Figure out if this imperial decree is trying to help you or not. ¡°You¡¯re currently only one step away from that throne. After this one step, the entire world will be yours! By then, we won¡¯t be able to control how you want to adore him. Gold, silver, estates, whatever you want to gift him. Even if you placed him in the imperial harem, no one would be able to say anything! Isn¡¯t that enough for you? Why are you so adamant about him beginning a political career? ¡°Someone like him, as long as you allow him to take the imperial examination once more, given his talent and your affection, he will definitely become an extremely influential official in the future.¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s voice was low as she said, ¡°Ziyou, tell me. Ten years down the line, multiple decades down the line, how are you going to balance out the relationship between him and the future emperor? ¡°On the day you two run out of fate, how are you going to guarantee that the person who helped you onto the throne, the one who knows all of your weaknesses, isn¡¯t going to become the next Yu Mucheng? ¡°Can¡¯t the emperor think of the things even I can think of?¡± Princess Royal Anguo lowered her voice even more. ¡°Ziyou¡­ As of now, someone has already become the villain for you. Just go with the flow and agree, okay? ¡°You want Zhong Wan. From now on, Zhong Wan will be yours. And you can have him completely under your control. In the future, no matter if you want an empress, numerous consorts, or even if you want other men¡­ he won¡¯t be able to do anything to you! And he absolutely won¡¯t be a threat to your offspring. What¡¯s so harmful about this imperial decree? ¡°Just now, you were overtaken by a moment of passion¡­¡± Princess Royal Anguo looked at Yu She in anticipation. She ingratiatingly inquired, ¡°Child, have you thought it through now?¡± Yu She completely understood. He scoffed. ¡°The game of kings¡­¡± ¡°The emperor is being a bit vengeful, I can tell,¡± said Princess Royal Anguo. ¡°But I can also tell that he¡¯s trying to lay out a longer path for you! Besides, for the emperor to be so fearful of Zhong Wan¡­¡± Princess Royal Anguo asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you also at fault?! ¡°From when you were in your teens, how many foolish things have you done for Zhong Wan?¡± Even now, Princess Royal Anguo still resented the fact that Zhong Wan had ruined Yu She¡¯s marriage plans back then. Otherwise, if Yu She had gotten married and had children early on, these subsequent problems probably wouldn¡¯t exist. There was no use in bringing up the past too much. She took a deep breath and continued, ¡°This past half a year, how often have you also acted boldly and recklessly? You even dare to call him your ¡®indoors-one¡¯ to outsiders. What are you trying to do?! There are quite a few sons of aristocratic families who are like you, but who else have you seen cherishing a man like this?!¡± Yu She¡¯s eyes shifted. Suddenly, his heart twinged with pain. He chuckled and repeated, ¡°The son of an aristocratic family¡­¡± Princess Royal Anguo furrowed her brows. ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± ¡°I¡¯m laughing at Princess Royal¡¯s poor memory.¡± The corners of Yu She¡¯s lips slightly curled up. He softly said, ¡°Zhong Wan. He was originally the son of an aristocratic family too.¡± Princess Royal Anguo stopped breathing. ¡°Speaking of which, aside from the imperial blood of unknown origins in my veins,¡± said Yu She, before lowering his head and scanning himself, then continuing to ask Princess Royal Anguo, ¡°is there anything about me that¡¯s better than him? ¡°He was born to a noble family with a noble bloodline. In his youth, he was raised by a prince of the first rank. After beginning his academic career, he was taught by the emperor¡¯s teacher. Talent, reputation, a gentleman¡¯s virtue¡­ I can¡¯t be compared to him at all.¡± Yu She gazed at Princess Royal Anguo and inquired, ¡°Did you forget? Who ruined him, hm?¡± Yu She honestly couldn¡¯t repress the hatred in his chest any longer. He gazed at Princess Royal Anguo. ¡°Mother¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s lips slightly quivered. He choked out, ¡°Guiyuan and I used to be a perfect match. ¡°We were originally a match made in heaven.¡± Yu She tugged the lantern hanging from the horse carriage off in one motion. The horse whinnied. Yu She snatched the imperial decree out of Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s hands and used the fire in the lantern to light it. The dancing flames in Yu She¡¯s hands made his originally handsome face seem ghost-like. He stared straight at Princess Royal Anguo. ¡°You tell me. Who ruined us? Huh?¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She couldn¡¯t help taking a step back. ¡°Shortly after Guiyuan left, I became crazy. But I occasionally was in the right state of mind too. Thinking back on the unspoken words he left for me, I also wanted to go find him¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s voice was slightly hoarse. ¡°But was I worthy to? You guys harmed him so much. Was I still worthy to go looking for him?!¡± Yu She¡¯s mental state was a bit off. He could faintly hear a voice saying to him in his head, ¡°You are.¡± ¡°Just like this. I often hear these auditory hallucinations. I hallucinate that I never hurt him¡­¡± Yu She shook his head and muttered to himself, ¡°But no. You guys caused me to become an unworthy match for him long ago¡­¡± The voice in his head sounded out again, ¡°No, you¡¯re worthy.¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not worthy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re worthy.¡± Yu She threw the almost extinguished flame in his hand onto the ground. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yu She had completely lost his wits. He smiled bitterly. ¡°See? I heard it again.¡± Rendered speechless, Princess Royal Anguo nervously checked their surroundings. Following that, she said, ¡°I think I heard it too.¡± Yu She froze. In the horse carriage, Zhong Wan awkwardly drew back the curtain. ¡°Ziyou, were you singing mountain songs with me just now?¡± This time, it was Yu She who was rendered speechless. CH 101 Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s face was green one moment and white the other. She couldn¡¯t be more embarrassed than now. Helpless, Zhong Wan hadn¡¯t wanted to eavesdrop. Yu She had stayed in the palace for one whole day and night. After Zhong Wan had arranged the matters regarding Beidi, he returned home to wait for the news. Hearing that Emperor Chongan wasn¡¯t faring well, Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t sit still anymore, and he went outside to try his luck and see if he could pick up Yu She. And he was actually kind of lucky; after he waited for four hours, Yu She left the palace. When Yu She had just stepped foot outside, Zhong Wan originally wanted to disembark from the horse-drawn carriage. However, he caught sight of Princess Royal Anguo approaching, and she even had an urgent expression. Thus, Zhong Wan thought that the less complications the better, and hid. Never had he imagined Princess Royal Anguo to mention himself. And it became even more inconvenient for Zhong Wan to say anything. But the words Yu She had said just a while go stabbed his heart, and Zhong Wan could not help but softly respond in the carriage. Zhong Wan thought he had been very quiet, yet they heard him. Afterward¡­ By being just a bit uncareful, he had embarrassed himself. Yu She thought about how Zhong Wan had heard his words, and felt even more awkward than Princess Royal Anguo felt. He pretended to choke from the ashes of the imperial edict. He wiped his face. Impatient and in a rush, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s return to the estate.¡± Princess Royal Anguo looked at Zhong Wan. In a flash, she lost confidence in lecturing Yu She. In this critical moment, although she hated Zhong Wan, she could not outwardly offend him. Otherwise, it would bring her inconvenience. Secretly, she felt regret. Then all of a sudden, she felt somewhat disappointed and frustrated. Just a while ago, she had mocked Emperor Chongan in secret for not seeing the situation clearly. But wasn¡¯t she doing the same now? She had long since been unable to control the situation. Had long since been unable to control Yu She. Wanting to say something but unable to, Princess Royal Anguo looked at Yu She. Watched on as his carriage shrank into the distance. On the way back to the side courtyard or Prince Yu¡¯s estate, Yu She still felt a little unhappy. It didn¡¯t matter saying those words to Princess Royal Anguo. But to let Zhong Wan hear them seemed too fake. However, Zhong Wan really liked hearing them. So much so that he wanted to hear more. Zhong Wan pretended not to have heard anything and said in a soft voice, ¡°Just now, you said we are an appropriate match?¡± Yu She paused. Leaned away from him. But Zhong Wan moved closer. ¡°You also said you and me and are a match made in heaven?¡± Yu She started to grow a headache. He massaged the center of his brows. Changed the topic by saying, ¡°The imperial edict I just burnt said that the new emperor must follow the laws of the previous emperor for thirty years. Did you know in advance that there would be such an edict?¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t hide it anymore and could only admit to knowing. ¡°When circumstances are urgent, there really is no reason to deliberately complicate an issue due to trivial matters. It¡¯s not guaranteed that we can¡¯t crash our way through this obstacle. My number one priority is protecting my life. Regarding these insignificant things¡­ just let other people do as they like. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°Is this an insignificant thing?¡± Yu She did not like settling old accounts. He did not question in detail about Emperor Chongan trying to coerce Zhong Wan, and stayed silent for a while. Then he said in a cold voice, ¡°Right now, he can¡¯t even get up. Why does he still think he can order me around?¡± Zhong Wan said softly, ¡°I heard he went through a paralyzing stroke?¡± ¡°Yes, he can¡¯t speak clearly anymore. Half of his body is paralyzed too. From what the imperial physician said¡­¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°We can only be more sure of his condition two days later. The imperial physician didn¡¯t dare to speak, but I still understood that this illness can only grow worse and not better.¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°This actually saved us a lot of trouble. Prince Yu is probably thanking the gods profusely right now in his jail cell.¡± Emperor Chongan had become a cripple. And finally, Yu Mucheng no longer had to worry. ¡°However, we¡¯ll have a bit of trouble,¡± Zhong said in a soft voice. ¡°I just heard Princess Royal say that the emperor wants to make you the heir apparent to the throne immediately. I¡¯m afraid that Prince Yu would turn around and see you as his opponent. You¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s no bother,¡± said Yu She, not caring the slightest. ¡°We¡¯ve already done what we should do. It¡¯s fine if we can just watch them from below. I can pretend to be crazy, pretend to be sick, and just let them yell among themselves.¡± Zhong Wan said, ¡°After learning that the emperor went through a stroke, I told my people this news and to not worry about me anymore. They just needed to do things according to what Prince Yu wants.¡± ¡°Is he afraid he can¡¯t pull the emperor off the throne?¡± Yu She sneered. After a moment of thought, he said, ¡°These past years, Yu Mucheng colluded with many people in secret. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s hard to tell normally. He has long since found a way out for himself. However, what you did was right as well. After we return to the estate, I will also instruct my people like you did, and in passing, have someone talk to Tang Qin¡­¡± A sigh left his lips. ¡°That old bastard probably already knows without us telling him.¡± Zhong Wan thought for a moment and smiled, speechless. Then he said, ¡°Could the heavens really be protecting him? It¡¯s such a coincidence that I heard what Princess Royal had said just now. Once she had seen me, she knew I also knew about what you two were talking about. She feared I would manipulate you through pillow talk. If so, things would be miserable for her in the future. Right now, she has already turned around for Prince Yu¡¯s camp in all likelihood.¡± Yu She thought about it, then smiled as well. Sluta sfjgr jub, ktb kbeiv tjnf atbeuta Te Vtf jcv Itbcu Qjc kbeiv yf lc atf rjwf ojmalbc abvjs? Rb wjaafg ktja, atfs kfgf agslcu atflg yfra ab gfnfgrf atf nfgvlma bo Uglcmf Rlcu¡¯r mjrf. Snfgsbcf lc atf kbgiv tbqfv obg atf nfgvlma ab yf gfnfgrfv, rb la tjv ab yf vbcf. Now that they were at this point, there was nothing Yu She and Zhong Wan needed to do anymore. After some more thought, Zhong Wan said, ¡°There¡¯s still something important. Are there enough people? The ones you sent to protect Xuan Rui in the shadows?¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Practically all the family soldiers I¡¯ve been raising in secret these past many years are guarding him. Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried that Prince Yu would truly send him back to the capital.¡± Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. ¡°Watch him attentively. Prince Yu¡¯s people will definitely act. Your men must snatch Xuan Rui away at once. Then, as according to our plan, hide Xuan Rui well. We must make everyone think he truly died until you smoothly ascend the throne.¡± Following that, Zhong Wan warned in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t lose him. If he really returns to the capital¡­ you and Xuan Jing will lose your lives.¡± Yu Mucheng wanted to make Xuan Rui a puppet emperor. As such, he would not allow Emperor Chongan¡¯s sons to live. Perhaps Xuan Qiong would be spared, but Yu She and Xuan Jing absolutely would not be. The royal capital was currently akin to a life-or-death game of chess. No matter what step one took, there would still be chess pieces lost. But as long as Yu She became the emperor, the least amount of people would die. Zhong Wan and Yu She did not like killing people. Yu She nodded lightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Yu She was very clear on what Zhong Wan feared the most: to squander all their hard work while trying to reverse Prince Ning¡¯s case. So he tried to set Zhong Wan¡¯s mind at ease, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve already planned where Xuan Rui will be taken. First, we¡¯ll put him under house arrest at a place with good weather. Then, after three years, when everything is settled, I will send him to Qian An. If he¡¯s content with his lot, I¡¯ll appoint him Prince Ning An of the Third Rank. Qian An would still be his, but¡­¡± Curious, Zhong Wan asked, ¡°But what?¡± Impatient, Yu She said, ¡°But he¡¯s not allowed to come to the capital and see you.¡± Laughter spilled from Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. He nodded. ¡°I promise you not to see him again.¡± They reached the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Morning already. Zhong Wan disembarked from the carriage and looked at the sun that just started to rise, a deep sigh escaping his lips. They finally returned home. The two had rushed about for a whole day and night. Now that they were back, they separated to take a bath and changed clothes. Indeed, today¡¯s court would be extremely chaotic. Zhong Wan did not want those imperial clans members and high-ranking officials, who were unable to make any sense of what¡¯s happening, to scold Yu She. After he had washed up and changed clothes, he summoned Steward Feng. Zhong Wan told him to tell the palace that Yu She had taken care of Emperor Chongan for a whole day and night without break. Not only that, Yu She was very brokenhearted and worried about Emperor Chongan so kept throwing up blood. He fell sick very quickly, and now, he couldn¡¯t get out of bed. Steward Feng rushed to agree. Before Steward Feng could enter the palace and spread this piece of news, the palace servants delivering the imperial edict had already arrived. All of a sudden, the stroke-stricken Emperor Chongan finally summoned the court ministers atop his dragon bed during such a hopeless situation. Using his non-agile tongue and inflexible left hand, he explained to them that he would appoint his bastard son the position of crown prince. Because his stroke had come so abruptly, Emperor Chongan could no longer bring Yu She to offer sacrifices to the gods, telling them Yu She would be the next emperor. Everything became more simple. There were now three handwritten copies of the same imperial edict by Emperor Chongan. One hid under his pillow. One was with Princess Royal Anguo. And one was under the watchful eyes of the five cabinet members. After suddenly receiving the imperial edict, Zhong Wan asked Yu She, ¡°What did the imperial edict say?¡± Yu She shook his head. ¡°The emperor didn¡¯t let me see it. Princess Royal promised me that it did not mention you at all.¡± After some thought, Zhong Wan said, ¡°The emperor actually doesn¡¯t trust Princess Royal. He¡¯s afraid that Princess would turn around and help Prince Yu, and as such, he left behind three handwritten copies of the same imperial edict. In this way, if Princess Royal destroys her copy, there would still be the other two, and it¡¯s impossible for them to be tampered with.¡± Yu She carelessly put aside the imperial edict. ¡°He also doesn¡¯t trust me, so he wouldn¡¯t give me a copy. Let them fight as they please¡­ Let¡¯s eat and then sleep.¡± The two were exhausted to the extreme. After eating some rice congee carelessly, they lay down in bed. Without speaking too much, they fell asleep. When Zhong Wan woke up, it was already nighttime. Yu She was still asleep. Without a sound, Zhong Wan climbed down the bed and left the bedroom. He asked the family soldier keeping guard outside something. The family soldier shook his head and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Young Master. Everything is normal and there is nothing urgent. The spies sent a few letters. Does Young Master want to see them?¡± Zhong Wan nodded. Received them and read them one after the other. Indeed, there was nothing urgent. Or perhaps he should say there was nothing urgent to do with him and Yu She. At last, a wave of relief washed over Zhong Wan. He burned those letters and returned to the bedroom. At the start, he wanted to continue sleeping, but under the hazy candlelight, he noticed that Yu She¡¯s expression seemed strange. Yu She, who was lying in bed, furrowed his brows tightly. His expression wasn¡¯t very good. It seemed he was having a nightmare. Yu She had not slept well for a long time. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t know whether it was better to wake him up or let him continue sleeping. After hesitating for a while, he softly said, ¡°Ziyou, Ziyou¡­¡± Yu She remained asleep. Zhong Wan frowned. All of a sudden, he had a thought: Yu She¡¯s craziness had probably flared up when he was questioning Princess Royal Anguo at the palace gates. Currently, Yu She¡¯s craziness improved. When he truly went crazy, it wasn¡¯t as bad as it had been in the past. He could control himself now, and could even remember what happened during his bouts of insanity. However, as long as he did go crazy, he for certain wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep well that night. It went without saying that he would toss and turn in bed. But it was even difficult to wake him up. And if one actually did manage to wake him up, Yu She wouldn¡¯t be able to tell if he were still dreaming or not, his expression poor to the point of frightening. Like right now. Zhong Wan didn¡¯t dare to shove Yu She awake like he had done so in the past. Like coaxing a young child, he lightly patted his chest. As he did so, he noticed something. He opened up Yu She¡¯s top. And took out a paper bag hidden in a breast pocket. He shook it. The tea leaves inside rustled. Never had Zhong Wan expected Yu She to be hiding this. Zhong Wan had personally selected each tea leaf in this bag. He was the most clear on how many tea leaves had been inside. Zhong Wan weighed the bag in his hand for a moment. Guessed that Yu She had only eaten one leaf during that night he had gone mad. Yu She couldn¡¯t bear to eat any more. Zhong Wan gripped the tiny bag of tea leaves. Sighed. It truly was incomprehensible. He must have accumulated a lot of good deeds in his previous life. Luckily, the person he adored also liked him so much. Still gripping the bag, he wondered whether he should take some tea leaves out and feed them to Yu She. But he and Yu She were different. He didn¡¯t have any hope that these tea leaves could cure Yu She¡¯s illness. In fact, he thought the imperial physician¡¯s heart-nourishing soup had a better effect. Of course, that slow-acting soup wasn¡¯t that effective either. Yu She¡¯s complexion grew worse and worse. Zhong Wan¡¯s pupils trembled. For some reason, he raised his hand and dropped the curtain. A short while later, past layer after layer of curtains came some ambiguous sounds from the bedroom. In such a way, Yu She fell from a nightmare to a charming and gentle dreamland. In ten minutes, Yu She roused. Again, his dreamland merged with reality. After feeling what Zhong Wan did, Yu She really went crazy. Unable to endure it any longer, Yu She dragged the person under the covers up. In a loud and rude voice, he said, ¡°You¡¯re still awake in the middle of the night¡­ What are you doing?¡± Yu She¡¯s handsome looks seemed to have been carved by a knife, skin moist with sweat. In his eyes were a sense of bearing patiently and desire. Under his stare, Zhong Wan¡¯s ears reddened. Yu She¡¯s eyes were clear. He did not seem crazy at all. To be questioned by Yu She like this again, Zhong Wan had his confidence suddenly plummet. Could it be that he had never gone crazy in the first place? And Zhong Wan had just thought too much? Had Yu She only been having a normal nightmare? Then¡­ Then didn¡¯t I really stay up until the middle of the night, taking advantage of the fact he was asleep to give him a bl*wjob? Although Zhong Wan was a shameless person, at this moment he still felt like ending himself. Yu She frowned a hint. ¡°I¡¯m asking you why you didn¡¯t sleep. Why did you suddenly¡­¡± Incomparably embarrassed, Zhong Wan said, ¡°N-nothing. Enough. Go back to bed.¡± Yu She was speechless. Go back to bed? Zhong Wan had truly angered Yu She to the point where wasn¡¯t angry anymore. He sucked in a deep breath. And he did an action he normally wouldn¡¯t do. Yu She vulgarly bumped his lower body against Zhong Wan. Faintly said, ¡°This kind of bed?¡± Zhong Wan really wanted to hide himself in a hole. Yu She cocked a brow. ¡°Just what¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhong Wan could only say the truth. ¡°I thought you were going crazy again and wanted¡­ wanted to wake you up¡­¡± Yu She fell silent for a moment. Then he said, ¡°With this method?¡± Zhong Wan was in despair. He said in a muffled voice, ¡°Yeah.¡± There were complicated emotions in Yu She¡¯s heart. He drew Zhong Wan into an embrace and kissed him deeply. ¡°I¡¯m not ill. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Zhong Wan hesitated before saying, ¡°Should I continue to help you?¡± Yu Sh shook his head and kissed Zhong Wan on the lips again. ¡°Don¡¯t move. I want to kiss you¡­¡± Zhong Wan let Yu She kiss him all over until he was soft and pliant. He quietly said, ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll use my hands?¡± But Yu She did not let him move his hands at will, restraining both of Zhong Wan¡¯s wrists against the pillow with a hand. A good while later, Zhong Wan said in a quiet voice, ¡°There¡¯s still another way. Do you want it?¡± Yu She paused. Their gazes met. And Zhong Wan¡¯s face grew completely red. With much difficulty, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Ziyou, I kind of want to do it.¡± Yu She glanced at him profoundly. ¡°Your body really is okay?¡± Zhong Wan softly said, ¡°Yeah¡­ You can do whatever you like.¡± Once more, Yu She kissed Zhong Wan. Murmured, ¡°You¡¯re the one who said it.¡± Before dawn arrived, Steward Feng quietly opened the bedroom door. Head lowered, he carried a basin of hot water inside. When the people on the bed heard his footsteps, they became quiet in a flash. A while later, the sound of ugly snoring. Steward Feng left the room. At the first glimmer of light, Steward Feng entered the room carrying clean clothes. The bed shook. Within many layers of bed curtains, Zhong Wan said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Don¡¯t. People will come soon¡­¡± But the other person on the bed seemed to not have heard him, forcing Zhong Wan to say a few words in a sobbing tone that Steward Feng dared not listen to. Steward Feng rushed to put down the clothes and retreated. Once the sky was bright, Yu She let down the bead curtains in the bedroom. Bare-chested, he draped an outer robe over his shoulders, pushed open the door, and instructed the servants to prepare the morning meal. CH 102 Steward Feng walked into the room alone while carrying a box of food. Yu She tied his hair up and softly ordered, ¡°Take the water basin out and bring in a new basin filled with hot water. In a little bit, prepare some hot water for a bath.¡± There was hidden delight on Steward Feng¡¯s face. He lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Should I bring the bathtub in?¡± Yu She said, ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t add those messy flower petals anymore. He¡¯s annoyed by them.¡± ¡°Yes yes.¡± Steward Feng peeked inside the room and lowered his voice to inquire, ¡°Is a servant required?¡± The corners of Yu She¡¯s lips curled up slightly. He shook his head. Steward Feng continued to whisper, ¡°Then you don¡¯t need to call someone to clean up the room inside either?¡± Yu She shook his head again. ¡°No.¡± Steward Feng didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. He set the box of food down before immediately retreating. Yu She opened the box of food by himself and scooped out a bowl of porridge. He drew back the curtain of beads and walked into the bedroom, then set the bowl on the small table next to the head of the bed. Upon lifting up the bed curtains, he noticed that Zhong Wan had already opened his eyes. He asked, ¡°Still not getting up even though you¡¯re awake?¡± Yu She placed his hand against Zhong Wan¡¯s forehead to test the temperature. It wasn¡¯t hot. Zhong Wan fidgeted awkwardly. His voice was a bit hoarse as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any energy left¡­ If you don¡¯t let any servants in, who¡¯s going to clean this stuff up?¡± Yu She kicked the two sets of undergarments and bundle of blankets that had been thrown onto the ground away slightly. After drawing the bed curtains all the way back, he said, ¡°I will.¡± Yu She sat next to the bed and pulled Zhong Wan up from the blankets. He stuffed a soft pillow behind the other¡¯s back and picked up the bowl of porridge. ¡°Eat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad¡­¡± Zhong Wan burst into laughter. ¡°Give it to me. I can eat by myself.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Yu She moved the hand holding the bowl away and lowly said, ¡°Stay still.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°It¡¯s not like my hands are broken. I¡¯ll go eat with you at the table¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m not in a rush.¡± Yu She furrowed his brows. ¡°Don¡¯t move around for no reason.¡± With no other option, Zhong Wan could only obediently let Yu She feed him. When serving Zhong Wan, Yu She was always very careful. This had been true when he had fed Zhong Wan medicine in the past and was also true now. He blew on every spoonful of porridge twice and would also touch the porcelain spoon to his own lips; only upon ensuring that it was no longer hot did he feed it to Zhong Wan. If he accidentally got a bit of porridge stuck to the corners of Zhong Wan¡¯s mouth, he would set the bowl down and use a handkerchief to wipe Zhong Wan clean before continuing to feed him. Gentle and thoughtful. Compared to last night, Yu She seemed like a completely different person. As Zhong Wan thought back on everything that had happened last night, his back still felt numb. He swallowed a mouthful of porridge, then quietly asked, ¡°Why are you suddenly being so good to me?¡± Yu She paused. He inquired, ¡°Aside from when you first returned to the capital, when have I not been good to you?¡± ¡°Last night.¡± Zhong Wan was a bit uncomfortable. He inhaled sharply. ¡°I even thought that I was going to die.¡± Te Vtf ralggfv atf qbgglvuf klat j qbgmfijlc rqbbc. Lf uijcmfv ja Itbcu Qjc jcv rjlv lc j ibk nblmf, ¡°Qfgfc¡¯a sbe atf bcf ktb rjlv atja P mbeiv vb ktjafnfg P kjcafv?¡± Kb atja, Itbcu Qjc tjv cb gfrqbcrf. ¡°Dfrlvfr¡­¡± Te Vtf ofv Itbcu Qjc jcbatfg wbeatoei. ¡°Tbe ilxf la ktfc P agfja sbe ilxf atja. P xcbk.¡± With the porridge in his mouth, Zhong Wan¡¯s ears flushed red. Yu She wasn¡¯t wrong. Zhong Wan was too embarrassed to keep acting. He obediently ate his porridge. The whole night, he hadn¡¯t slept for too long; Zhong Wan was already very hungry. If he were eating by himself, he would definitely end up with an upset stomach from eating too fast. Now that Yu She was slowly feeding him each bite, Zhong Wan felt like the inside of his stomach was nice and warm. A lot more comfortable. ¡°I¡¯m full. You hurry and eat. Don¡¯t wait until it goes cold.¡± Zhong Wan knew that Yu She was for certain hungry too. He urged, ¡°Don¡¯t bother with me anymore.¡± But Yu She ignored Zhong Wan. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± He really liked taking care of Zhong Wan in this diligent manner. He disregarded what Zhong Wan had said and patiently fed Zhong Wan two whole bowls of porridge bite by bite before letting him stop. Yu She drank the remaining porridge himself, then wrung out a towel so he could wipe Zhong Wan¡¯s face. Again, Zhong Wan didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°There¡¯s really no need. I can do it myself.¡± But Yu She still refused to listen. After wiping Zhong Wan¡¯s face, he wrung out the towel again and started wiping Zhong Wan¡¯s hands. Zhong Wan had an unknown thought; his expression froze. All of a sudden, he panicked because of how Yu She was treating him. Zhong Wan observed Yu She¡¯s expression in a careful manner. He pressed his lips together and tentatively called out, ¡°Ziyou?¡± Diligently wiping Zhong Wan¡¯s hands, Yu She didn¡¯t look up. ¡°Un?¡± Zhong Wan hesitated for a moment. Though he knew in his heart that he was probably overthinking, he still couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious. Zhong Wan had never encountered any good situations in this lifetime. He didn¡¯t dare to be greedy and was always fearful that he would one day take a great fall and be in even more pain. He was a bit paranoid. After pondering for a long time, he lowered his voice and said, ¡°I suddenly thought of something. You¡­ Tell me the truth.¡± Yu She lifted his gaze and glanced at Zhong Wan. He realized that Zhong Wan was uneasy. He furrowed his brows. ¡°What do you want to ask?¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. He hesitantly said, ¡°You must tell me the truth. Don¡¯t make me constantly worry.¡± Yu She held his breath, signalling for Zhong Wan to ask. Very apprehensive, Zhong Wan asked, ¡°Regarding what we did last night, you aren¡¯t only willing to do it with me once, right?¡± Yu She was speechless. From last night until now, Yu She had been in a great mood. Though he was a bit wicked toward Zhong Wan in bed, he personally felt that he was being quite gentle after everything. Yu She honestly couldn¡¯t understand why Zhong Wan always asked these random questions to ruin the mood during these peaceful and affectionate times. Yu She sucked in a deep breath. He was truly lost. ¡°Guiyuan, what goes on in your head every day?¡± ¡°Just, you know. You kept going on and on last night, and you¡¯re being so good to me today. You¡¯ve made it so formal. I was worried¡­¡± Zhong Wan swallowed. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad. I just had a sudden thought and wanted to figure you out.¡± Once again, Yu She was speechless. A sudden thought. Figure you out. Yu She didn¡¯t want to darken his expression toward Zhong Wan. He did his best to hold himself back. He pushed the rage down and praised against his will, ¡°Then aren¡¯t you such a clever little thing.¡± Yu She grabbed a set of clean undergarments and helped Zhong Wan change into them. His movements were very gentle. He wanted the previous atmosphere back. But he hadn¡¯t given a direct answer. Zhong Wan was still uneasy. He couldn¡¯t help confirming once more, ¡°It really isn¡¯t only happening once?¡± ¡°Naturally not!¡± Yu She was close to dying from anger because of Zhong Wan. ¡°Why would you have such a thought?¡± Zhong Wan inhaled sharply. ¡°I¡­¡± Yu She couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°For our first time, I originally wanted to wait until the dust had all settled before preparing a valuable present for you as compensation and as a dowry. Then, after you completely recovered, I would carefully make preparations and choose a lucky date to¡­ to do what we did last night. ¡°Everything was so rushed last night. Right now, I¡¯m trying to do my best to compensate. You¡­¡± Yu She¡¯s good intentions had all been for naught. He didn¡¯t even want to help Zhong Wan change anymore. ¡°It¡¯s no matter that you¡¯re unhappy, but you¡¯re cursing me to only be able to do it once?¡± ¡°No no no,¡± said Zhong Wan, rushing to save the situation. ¡°It has nothing to do with you. This is one of my own mental blocks. I¡¯ve always thought that you would only be willing to do it once in your lifetime.¡± ¡°When have I¡­¡± Yu She was so angry that he couldn¡¯t form clear sentences. ¡°Is my thing going to break in half after one use?!¡± At the sound of those words, Zhong Wan grew shy. ¡°It¡¯s so impressive. It naturally wouldn¡¯t.¡± Yu She was speechless again. All of a sudden, Yu She¡¯s lover had praised his skills in bed in such a direct manner. The fury in his heart faded away at once. Completely helpless, Yu She could only continue helping Zhong Wan dress. Zhong Wan had just experienced the exhilaration of a lifetime. He was at ease now, so started being intimate with Yu She in a completely unburdened manner; he took the initiative to kiss Yu She on the lips. Following that, he softly asked, ¡°Why are you so wonderful? It¡¯s not like we can get married. What¡¯s there to prepare?¡± Yu She¡¯s temper disappeared entirely. He buttoned the last button for Zhong Wan and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll make it up later.¡± Zhong Wan didn¡¯t ask what the ¡°valuable present¡± was. He slightly lifted his head and licked the crease between Yu She¡¯s lips. He wanted a deeper kiss from the other. Yu She pressed Zhong Wan against the head of the bed and taught him a lesson. Finally, he was no longer angry. Outside, Steward Feng knocked on the door. Yu She let go of Zhong Wan. After Zhong Wan had finished cleaning up, Steward Feng entered. In embarrassment, Steward Feng said, ¡°Something¡¯s come up. They fear that there will be a delay, so told me to come tell Crown Prince first.¡± Yu She said, ¡°Speak.¡± Steward Feng walked a bit closer and whispered, ¡°Yesterday morning, after Crown Prince and Young Master returned to the estate, Princess Royal Anguo went back to the palace. She took care of the emperor for four hours, then left the palace. ¡°Technically speaking, Princess Royal had worked hard enough. At the time, the emperor had already issued his imperial edict. The imperial decree naming the crown prince had been announced too. After leaving the palace, Princess ought to have returned to the Princess Estate to rest, but she didn¡¯t¡­Princess then went to visit the imperial clansmen.¡± Yu She and Zhong Wan made eye contact. Yu She calmly said, ¡°As expected.¡± Steward Feng said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the princess said to those elderly clansmen, but we have a spy in one of the families. After the princess left, he discovered some information. Apparently, they made a secret plan once the princess was gone, saying that if they make the former Prince Qian An, Xuan Rui, emperor, each estate and family will have played a role in helping the emperor ascend to the throne. In the future, they¡¯ll definitely be awarded greatly. They also said¡­ said¡­¡± Yu She ordered, ¡°Just say it.¡± Voice full of hatred, Steward Feng relayed, ¡°They said that the crown prince¡¯s temperament is wild and arrogant. He was also raised by someone with a different surname. In the future, he definitely won¡¯t be generous towards the members of the imperial clan. It isn¡¯t hard to imagine all the harsh treatments that are to come. Why not just set up a puppet so everyone can continue to live in glory and wealth?¡± Laughter spilled from Yu She¡¯s lips. ¡°They actually got that right.¡± Steward Feng continued, ¡°Right now, the higher-ups are telling everyone that the emperor has an acute illness. After a few days, he¡¯ll get better. However, our spies have learned that the emperor is already completely incapable of speaking now. He can make sounds, but not words. No one can understand him. The half of his body that was affected by the stroke has been completely paralyzed too. The imperial doctors still daren¡¯t be too absolute in their diagnoses, but basically, it seems that he won¡¯t get better. Right now, they¡¯re just waiting it out.¡± Zhong Wan asked, ¡°How much longer can he hold on?¡± Steward Feng lowered his voice and said, ¡°At most, three months. At minimum¡­ it¡¯s possible that he could die at any time. ¡°Additionally, regarding Prince Yu¡¯s situation, Prince Yu first said that the death of the former Prince Qian An, Xuan Rui, was odd. He fears that someone is trying to cut the grass and remove the roots. He also said that he knows how much he has sinned. As of now, karma has already hit him. He doesn¡¯t want to aid the villain any longer. He wants to seek justice for Prince Ning.¡± Yu She narrowed his eyes. ¡°Did he mention Xuan Qiong?¡± Steward Feng wiped away his sweat. ¡°Yes¡­ ¡°Prince Yu said that Fifth Highness¡¯s actions now are entirely in imitation of what happened back then. He wants to work with the enemy to harm his brethren.¡± Zhong Wan bit his tongue in shock. ¡°He¡¯s really going all out this time.¡± ¡°From the start, he couldn¡¯t protect Xuan Qiong anymore anyways,¡± Yu She said in a low voice. ¡°We were quite good at keeping the Beidi situation a secret. He hadn¡¯t expected that it would be exposed at this time. Prince Yu is resolute, though. He knows that he can¡¯t keep Xuan Qiong safe any longer, so has simply turned Xuan Qiong into a stepping stone. How is Xuan Qiong now?¡± Steward Feng said, ¡°When he first got locked up in the Imperial Clan Court, he could still somewhat protest that he had been wronged. But after learning that Prince Yu was the one who had implicated him, he completely lost his mind. Our scouts have looked into it; apparently, he¡¯s lost all of his wits. It¡¯ll probably be difficult getting any answers out of him now. Naturally¡­ any kind of blame can be placed on him at this time.¡± Zhong Wan sighed. As of now, Xuan Qiong had already become completely useless. Yu She asked, ¡°What about the empress?¡± Steward Feng shook his head. ¡°The empress was originally someone who didn¡¯t have strong intentions. She¡¯s currently fallen ill too. Currently, Princess Royal has actually become the one in charge of the emperor. At the beginning, the senior cabinet officials didn¡¯t dare to tell these things to the emperor, but this morning, Princess Royal Anguo told him everything when she entered the palace. Just moments ago, the emperor fainted once again. Those who have suffered strokes can¡¯t handle being provoked. When he wakes up after this¡­ who knows if the other half of his body will be paralyzed or not too.¡± Upon hearing this, Yu She didn¡¯t seem sad or happy. ¡°Karma.¡± Steward Feng said, ¡°Our people are asking if we should continue to watch the fire burn from across the bank.¡± And Yu She answered, ¡°Naturally.¡± CH 103 ¡°Ah, right. There¡¯s one more thing,¡± said Steward Feng, before saying even softer, ¡°The people in the villa said that Crown Prince needn¡¯t worry. They have watched over the two little masters well. We didn¡¯t let them know about the former Prince Qian An¡¯s death. The hideous mess of the capital would also not enter their ears.¡± Yu She nodded. ¡°Make sure people watch their mouths.Watch the twins carefully. If they somehow catch wind of this matter, no matter how much noise they make, absolutely do not allow them to return to the capital without my order.¡± Steward Feng hurried to nod. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Also.¡± Yu She glanced at the Zhong Wan at the side. He tried his best to seem natural as he said, ¡°Reward everyone in the estate ten liang of silver.¡± ¡°Ten liang?!¡± Such words startled Steward Feng. A pause, and he smiled. ¡°Crown Prince is probably unaware of this, but everyone was already rewarded after yesterday¡¯s imperial decree had been sent out. All the stewards received eight liang of silver. The servants and slaves received two liang of silver. And they were all very grateful. The family soldiers really wanted to castrate themselves so that they could serve Crown Prince and Young Master in the imperial palace!¡± Yu She wanted to say something, but hesitated. In the end, he shook his head. ¡°That is unrelated to this. Don¡¯t ask too many questions. Just reward everyone with ten liang of silver.¡± Feeling a bit embarrassed, Zhong Wan lowered his head and drank tea. In an innocent manner, Steward Feng looked at Yu She. Then he shifted his gaze to Zhong Wan. After thinking about what had happened last night, he blushed. ¡°Oh! Yes, it¡¯s a happy occasion. Then this old slave will represent everyone in thanking Crown Prince.¡± Satisfied, Yu She added, ¡°Reward those at the villa as well.¡± Steward Feng sounded his agreement, then suggested, ¡°Then that means we should reward those at Prince Qian An¡¯s estate too.¡± Since Yu She was in such a good mood, he continued, ¡°Should we also reward those at Xuan Jing¡¯s side a little?¡± Zhong Wan was speechless. He truly could not hold back any longer, butting in to say, ¡°What does this have to do with the innocent Xuan Jing? Why must we reward him?¡± Flatly, Steward Feng said, ¡°Fifth Prince might not be happy¡­¡± At the sound of those words, Yu She furrowed his brows, annoyed. ¡°He dares to fail to appreciate our kindness? He doesn¡¯t want Guiyuan and I to be happy?¡± In no way did Steward Feng dare to go against Yu She¡¯s kindly feelings. So he rushed to shout, ¡°He doesn¡¯t dare!!!¡± Then Steward Feng seriously said, ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t want us to be happy, Fourth Prince definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to say anything!¡± Yu She¡¯s expression gradually grew less tense. With resentment, he said, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that it¡¯s not the right time, it¡¯s worth rewarding everyone in this world. Xuan Jing should be deeply grateful if I reward him a little.¡± Steward Feng kissed Yu She¡¯s ass without batting an eyelid. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Fourth Prince should be happy about this kind of matter that¡¯s worth universal celebration. This time, Fourth Prince can¡¯t say that others leave him out of their affairs. Now, Crown Prince is bringing him along to everything!¡± Zhong Wan face-palmed in suffering, not wanting to care about this anymore. Although Yu She felt it wasn¡¯t formal or lively enough, they were at a critical junction right now. So they could only do so much. After Steward Feng had taken the order, he left. As the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate opened their storehouse to reward everyone, the court was unstable. The undercurrent surging for many years converged, transforming into a tsunami stretching to the heavens. And it finally washed up the filthy things that had been hidden in the earth for many years, all the way to the shore, under the bright and blinding sunlight. Coafg Swqfgbg Jtbcujc tjv tfjgv atf cfkr ogbw Uglcmfrr Ebsji Ccueb, tf ojlcafv. Ktf cfza alwf tf bqfcfv fsfr, akb vjsr jcv clutar tjv jigfjvs qjrrfv. Lf mbwqifafis mbeivc¡¯a rqfjx jcswbgf. Dbat tlr ifur kfgf qjgjishfv. Lf mbeiv bcis, klat wemt vloolmeias, wbnf tlr ifoa tjcv jcv ufraegf j ilaaif. Two days and two nights was neither a long period of time nor a short period of time. But it was enough time for Yu Mucheng. Everyone with eyes knew how the previous emperor had doted on Prince Ning back in those days. Furthermore, the previous emperor had said on more than one occasion to the imperial clan members and senior officials that he intended to appoint Prince Ning the position of crown prince. Afraid of these people, Emperor Chongan dismissed from office or sent away the previous era¡¯s senior officials after ascending the throne. The imperial clan members couldn¡¯t do anything to him. Emperor Chongan could only reduce their power in secret. Later on, when he sent away Xuan Rui, he conveniently sent away many imperial clan members that he found irksome to the eye. For many years, the imperial clan members had been treated harshly. On the surface, they didn¡¯t dare to say anything. But many had long since held a grudge against Emperor Chongan. Emperor Chongan had become a cripple. Yu She had announced that he was ill and would not step foot outside his estate. From the grapevine, his health wasn¡¯t good either. Once this news came out, it strengthened the other side¡¯s power. Now that that emperor¡¯s authority had declined, there naturally would be people who took advantage of this. Many of whom Yu Mucheng had promised benefits to should they jump ship to his side wanted a piece of the pie, flocking over to Yu Mu Cheng¡¯s side in droves, forming a huge faction at once. Ever since the first person spoke out, everyone started to grow courageous. Started to cry out grievances for Prince Ning¡¯s sake in open and without fear. They used the excuse of investigating Xuan Qiong¡¯s matters to revisit the old case from long ago, to definitely acquit Prince Ning of his crimes. When Zhong Wan heard all those kinds of news in the estate, his heart remained calm. Back in those years, when Emperor Chongan had monopolized all the power, when Zhong Wan had struggled in his stay in prison, those people did not say even one good word for Prince Ning. Eight years later, those people seemed to have woken up from a dream, all of a sudden remembering that they were close kin with Prince Ning. They took on a new lease on life, becoming upright and honest people. Since there were people who wanted to reverse the verdict to Prince Ning¡¯s case, there naturally would be people who wanted to protect the current emperor¡¯s power. For many years, Emperor Chongan had grasped onto power with a vice-like grip. He decided everything in the court, and he truly kept the cabinet in the palm of his hands. Every member of it had been promoted by the emperor himself. Now that they also had the edict regarding Yu She ascend to the throne, they of course would not allow the imperial clan members to cause a commotion. Ever since Emperor Chongan had experienced his stroke, the two factions grew further and further away from each other. The subsequent conflicting views intensified step by step. Less than half a month later, they were already in a state of mutual hostility, plunged into dire suffering. Each side hated that they couldn¡¯t swallow the other. In this foul atmosphere, Princess Royal Anguo visited Yu She once. That day by the gates of the imperial palace, Princess Royal Anguo had been extremely embarrassed. So much so that she didn¡¯t know how to face Yu She. After hearing that Yu She was sick to the point where he couldn¡¯t get out of bed, she first had people send him some medicinal ingredients. A few days later, she personally took a visit to the side courtyard of Prince Yu¡¯s estate. Originally, Princess Royal Anguo had no expectations. However, Yu She actually agreed to meet with her. In an uneasy manner, she looked at Zhong Wan. ¡°Ziyou, there¡¯s something I need to tell you privately¡­¡± ¡°No need,¡± said Yu She flatly after sitting down. ¡°If Zhong Wan had not heard what we had been talking about last time, and someone exaggerated as they told him our conversation, then I wouldn¡¯t be able to explain myself even if I had a hundred things to say. Princess, just tell it to me here.¡± Zhong Wan sat as well. He thought for a bit, but in the end, he did not say anything. During this year, every time Yu She saw Princess Royale, his heart would hurt. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he feared urgent information would be leaked, or that Princess Royal Anguo would be too proud and arrogant to talk to him, Zhong Wan would prefer to deal with her himself. Princess Royal Anguo looked at the two. ¡°Fine. In any case, you¡¯d turn around and tell him whatever I told you.¡± She thought for a long time before saying, ¡°Today, borrowing the fact that they¡¯re tearing each other apart right now, I discovered something by accident. This matter involves both you and me. I came here to tell you about it, to avoid both of us still being confused. ¡°Seven years ago, someone started rumors to cause trouble. They told me that the emperor had schemed in secret to make me lose my child.¡± Princess Royal Anguo smiled bitterly. ¡°At that time, I was angered to the point of crazy. I hit you and had you kneel in the Yu estate¡¯s ancestral hall. Ever since then¡­ our relationship as mother and son was thoroughly destroyed. ¡°Afterward, I investigated clearly. And I found out that I had lost that child due to my own carelessness. But I never knew who had spread this kind of rumor that hurt me and you. Until today.¡± She shifted her gaze to Yu She. Smiled in a dismal manner. ¡°Do you believe it? It was the emperor, my good Imperial Brother. Your birth father.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s expression changed at once. Yu She was startled. Then in a flash, he snickered. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± she said. ¡°On that day, Prince Ning had already died. The children he had left behind were thrown by the emperor to a barren land to fend for themselves. And the emperor no longer had any apprehensions. ¡°The Zhong clan had declined entirely. Those in Prince Ning¡¯s estate either died or left. No one could bring to public the dirty things between the emperor and Little Imperial Consort Zhong. He no longer worried that this son of his with an unclear background could harm him. It was only because he lacked sons that he wanted to recognize you as his son. ¡°On that day, the emperor already had thoughts of making you the crown prince. Among his few sons, you are the most capable. Actually, he had long since made his decision. However¡­¡± Princess Royal Anguo laughed in spite of herself. ¡°However, you and I were too close as mother and son. You were a good child and were very filial toward me. And you respected Prince Yu deeply. ¡°His son could not belong to others. If his son could ascend the throne, he could not honor outsiders as his parents. The emperor feared that Prince Yu and I would interfere with court politics in the future, and wanted to completely sever the relationship between us so that you would only rely on him. But how to do this? ¡°The best outcome would be for me to personally push you to him. The best method was to use my unlucky and unborn child to drive me crazy. ¡°Indeed, my fury skyrocketed. I stayed cold toward you. According to his original plan, he would once again accept you into the imperial palace. Hiding the filthy matters between him and Little Imperial Consort Yu, he weaved a story, slowly telling you that you were his blood-related son. So that you would smoothly recognize him as your imperial father. ¡°This is why I could find out later that I had lost my child due to my own carelessness. Because in the original conclusion, I would find out the truth too late. And I would be unable to restore our relationship. You would lose your mother and become closer to the emperor. ¡°But a diversion occured in the middle of it.¡± Princess Royal Anguo gripped her handkerchief. ¡°Yu Mucheng figured it out. ¡°Xuan Qiong was still around. So how could Yu Mucheng agree to let the emperor appoint you as the crown prince? He interfered with the emperor¡¯s plans, throwing out countless clues to lure you, to attract you. To make you investigate thoroughly those matters of the past. ¡°If not so, how could you have found out so much at such a young age?¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s heart thrashed against her chest. ¡°The emperor counted his chickens before they hatched. Just a bit uncareful, and he lost everything¡­¡± After that had happened, Yu She changed completely, becoming a different person. Although Zhong Wan had guessed this faintly earlier on, hearing Princess Royal Anguo say this aloud made him so angry that he couldn¡¯t stop his hands from shaking. A good Ziyou was hurt to this point, one stab after the next, by these people. ¡°These past years, the matter of my child caused me to brood. Breaking off our close relationship as mother and son due to these unexpected events is the thing that I hate the most,¡± said Princess Royal Anguo, rising to her feet. ¡°When I learned of this in the present, I didn¡¯t know who to blame at first. No matter if it¡¯s to help Imperial Brother or Prince Yu, right now I¡¯m unwilling. Ziyou¡­ I am truly exhausted.¡± Princess Royal Anguo laughed at herself. ¡°Since I¡¯ve helped both sides in this fight until now, no matter which of you becomes the emperor, you won¡¯t kill me for the sake of my face. Enough. I don¡¯t care anymore.¡± Before she left, she turned around in an exhausted manner and glanced at Yu She. ¡°Back then¡­ when Prince Yu took on two concubines and had two sons from the illegitimate line in succession, you contradicted him for my sake. I told you not to say too much about it. And you said¡­ ¡°You said as a son, how could you not protect your mother? ¡°But later on¡­¡± Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s tears fell. ¡°At the time you learned everything and became a dead man walking, I obviously knew it wasn¡¯t your fault, but allowed you to be hurt for so many years. Ziyou¡­ It was Mother¡¯s fault. I actually didn¡¯t think to turn around and protect you.¡± Zhong Wan choked with sobs. What¡¯s the point of saying this now?! Then, Princess Royal Anguo finally left. Zhong Wan took in a deep breath. He went over to Yu She and carefully held his hand. Before Zhong Wan could say anything, Yu She smiled in a calm manner. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± With his gaze upon Zhong Wan, he laughed in spite of himself. ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you. For some reason, I don¡¯t feel sad at all this time.¡± Zhong Wan paused. After enduring it for a while, his tears zigzagged down his cheeks. He lowered his head, choking with sobs in silence. ¡°I know that you¡¯re feeling sad for me.¡± Yu She fished out a handkerchief and wiped Zhong Wan¡¯s tears. In a low voice, he said, ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve wanted to tell you since a long time ago, but it was never the right time. There¡¯s no point in giving empty promises. Today¡­ I feel the time has finally come.¡± Zhong Wan lifted his head to look at Yu She, lips trembling a hint. The two met gazes. Surprised, Yu She stared blankly. Then in a low voice, he said, ¡°You actually guessed it early on, right?¡± Zhong Wan clutched Yu She¡¯s wrist. Said hoarsely, ¡°You, you have to think about it more properly.¡± Yet, Yu She smiled, free and at ease. ¡°I¡¯ve already decided it long ago.¡± Princess Royal Anguo informed the public she had fallen ill. She retreated from this chaotic situation, closing her doors to the outside. Three days later, due to Yu Mucheng¡¯s human testimonies and material evidence, the truth came to light: Emperor Chongan had colluded with Little Imperial Consort Zhong back in those years to poison the previous emperor to death. That he had an affair with his father¡¯s concubine was already enough. But the shocking ironclad evidence for patricide and regicide was now placed in front of everyone. The cabinet ministers could not dispute these facts. The imperial clan members were elated, and righteous indignation filled their hearts; no matter what, they wanted to find justice for the previous emperor. Yu Mucheng was careful and thorough with his actions. Regarding every matter of those days, he only used the words ¡°heard¡± and ¡°think,¡± before tossing out the evidence again. Everything had been investigated and discovered by others. When they questioned him, Yu Mucheng would only say he didn¡¯t personally hold the investigation. He merely said that he had suspected this for many years, but since this was a very serious matter, he did not dare to investigate thoroughly. So for the past many years, he didn¡¯t know any of the facts. However, out of curious coincidence, the evidence fell into his hands. Everyone knew Yu Mucheng was lying. But Emperor Chongan¡¯s faction couldn¡¯t do anything to him. And the imperial clan members were even more eager to participate in deliberate misrepresentation. All of a sudden, Yu Mucheng actually became a loyal senior official. Everything went according to Yu Mucheng¡¯s plan. Emperor Chongan was angered to the point of fainting many times. Although he kept dragging it on and wouldn¡¯t actually die, he had lost all of his power. He could only watch on as the subject he had relied most heavily on in the past did as he pleased. The evidence that could completely destroy Emperor Chongan was a remnant of the previous emperor. The Imperial Household Department had opened the doors to an old storeroom. And they found an old piece of clothing. After the previous emperor had died, these kinds of things should either be burned or buried with him. By coincidence, this article of clothing was left behind. Because a palace servant had mistakenly placed it in a chest of books, it was stored away. A trace of medicine had stained the clothes. It was due to the previous emperor throwing it up while he had been seriously ill. After the article of clothing had passed through the hands of the imperial physicians and old coroners, it was discovered that there indeed had been poison in the medicine. From start to finish, Emperor Chongan¡¯s faction adamantly persisted that the previous emperor had died from illness. But once this old piece of clothing came out, they were rendered speechless. The martial officials with authority in the capital were all loyalists. Previously, they had helped suppress the imperial clan members. As such, no matter how ferocious the imperial clan members were, they were unable to force the emperor to abdicate. But now, there was definite proof that Emperor Chongan had participated in regicide, and in a flash, those loyalists didn¡¯t know what to do. Emperor Chongan held the imperial authority. Thus, everyone ought to pledge their life to him, to vow loyalty and devotion to him. However, wasn¡¯t the previous emperor an emperor too? Should they still vow loyalty and devotion to someone who had murdered the previous emperor? During the deadlock, the official from Qian An came to report. He said they had finally found the tracks of the former Prince Qian An. Indeed, Emperor Chongan had sent assassins after the former Prince Qian An. But because of Heaven¡¯s blessing, Xuan Rui avoided death. First, Emperor Chongan murdered the previous emperor. Then, he framed Prince Ning. And now, he didn¡¯t even want to spare Prince Ning¡¯s legitimate son. Layer upon layer of evil conduct at last drove the imperial clan members to the end of their patience. They were of the mind that they must bring Xuan Rui back to the capital. And the matter of deciding the crown prince must be revisited. Now that they were at this point, Emperor Chongan¡¯s faction was powerless. Although Yu Mucheng could not leave the Imperial Clan Court, he wasn¡¯t the slightest bit worried. So what if he had to stay under house arrest for some time? If Xuan Rui wanted to ascend the throne, he had to let him out. Yu Mucheng had exhausted all his energy during these several months. Finally, the dust settled. And he completely relaxed. In the Imperial Clan Court, he ate well and slept well every day. He had a calm state of mind and nurtured his energy, quietly awaiting for Xuan Rui¡¯s return to the capital so that he could reverse his situation. But this time, the Heavens no longer blessed him. For Xuan Rui had disappeared. ¡°Impossible.¡± Yu Mucheng had ups and downs in the court for many years, and had trained his composure well. When he had heard Zhong Wan¡¯s words, his expression was normal. He shook his head lightly. ¡°Don¡¯t try to lie to me.¡± Zhong Wan stared at him, calm. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t believe me. I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Yu Mucheng¡¯s fingers twitched involuntarily. ¡°Just now you said¡­ said that Xuan Rui disappeared? What do you mean disappear? How could he be missing?¡± Flatly, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Disappear is disappear. From start to finish, it was only you, Prince Yu, who felt happy. Who was confidently saying Xuan Rui was still around. What proof do you have?¡± Yu Mucheng said impatiently, ¡°Xuan Rui is the proof!¡± ¡°But right now, we can¡¯t even find him at all,¡± said Zhong Wan. ¡°The imperial clan members are in a panic and uneasy. Everyone has been harmed by your empty talk.¡± Te Zemtfcu ofii lcab j vjhf. Ktfc, klat jc ecrafjvs abcf, tf rjlv, ¡°Lf bynlberis lrc¡¯a vfjv! Zs qfbqif gfrmefv tlw! P ofjgfv atf fwqfgbg kbeiv ags ab jrrjrrlcjaf tlw jujlc, rb tjv qfbqif frmbga tlw ab atf mjqlaji lc rfmgfa! Ccv ws qfbqif tjnf mifjgis rjlv Wejc Eel lr olcf!¡± Calm, Zhong Wan stared at Yu Mucheng. Not a word left his lips. All of a sudden, Yu Mucheng turned to Zhong Wan. A good while later, realization struck him. Seeing his complexion pale at once, Zhong Wan said with pity, ¡°Prince Yu, you¡¯ve been too greedy, haven¡¯t you? ¡°Originally, you had the opportunity to grasp Xuan Rui in the palm of your hand. But in order to make me and Ziyou at odds, you purposely allowed Ziyou¡¯s men to follow. So that once something happened to Xuan Rui, I would be furious with Ziyou,¡± said Zhong Wan, his words hitting the nail on the head. ¡°If something truly happened to Xuan Rui, and people investigated it in the future, you could blame it on Yu She. In this way, you can kill three birds with one stone, right?¡± Yu Mucheng¡¯s face grew bone pale. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve gotten to this step,¡± said Zhong Wan, ¡°you still haven¡¯t forgotten to harm him.¡± Yu Mucheng tried his best to compose himself. He asked, ¡°So you people killed Xuan Rui on the road? Zhong Wan, you have let down how dearly Prince Ning had loved you in the past. For the sake of helping Yu She ascend the throne, you actually treat Prince Ning¡¯s son like this?!¡± Zhong Wan was too lazy to explain. Yu Mucheng thought quickly for a moment. Suddenly, he remembered someone, and at once, he shouted, ¡°Men! Men!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late,¡± said Zhong Wan coldly. ¡°I¡¯ve come here just to let you know that the emperor is about to leave the world and Yu She is in the palace as we speak.¡± At this moment, Yu Mucheng still didn¡¯t understand what Zhong Wan meant by ¡°it¡¯s too late.¡± Not caring that Zhong Wan was around, he completely lost his bearing, rising to his feet to call for his men. Meanwhile, in the palace. Among Emperor Chongan¡¯s pale face, there were traces of green. He did his utmost to open his mouth. Quite a while after breathing out, he panted. Only then was he able to breathe in again. Outside the resting palace kneeled a crowd people, each and every one of them sobbing. Inside, Yu She sat by the side of the bed, his indifferent gaze upon Emperor Chongan. An old eunuch rushed into the room and collapsed on the floor, face full of joy. ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Xuan Rui, that rebel, is truly dead! He basically cannot be found. The imperial clan members are in a panic!¡± In an instant, Emperor Chongan widened his eyes. He looked at Yu She. He expended all his energy to move the left hand that still obeyed him, sliding it under his pillow. He pulled out the imperial edict. With a trembling hand, he threw it over the bed. Then he used a lot of effort to receive the writing brush handed over by the old eunuch. On the blanket, he wrote with an indecipherable handwriting, ¡°Ascend the throne now. There¡¯s not much time left. Don¡¯t wait for them to snap back their senses and search for Xuan¡ª¡± Emperor Chongan had exhausted all his energy, the writing brush falling from his hand, unable to continue writing. Yu She picked up the imperial edict on the ground. He opened it. Read through it carefully once. A moment later, he said in a low voice, ¡°I knew it. ¡°Why you¡¯ve kept it in your hands until now. Why you didn¡¯t give it to me.¡± Yu She opened up the imperial edict and said with indifference, ¡°You¡¯ve even picked who the next empress will be?¡± Then, in an even lower voice, Yu She said, ¡°If I wanted to become the emperor, then I must marry someone you chose as my empress, right?¡± Emperor Chongan stared at Yu She, unwavering. A trace of elation appeared in his eyes. Even if the imperial clan members took advantage of a crisis for personal gain, and made threatening gestures for so many days, so what? The country must have an emperor. Once Emperor Chongan was gone, there would be a new emperor immediately. Since Xuan Rui could not be found, who would dare to say anything bad about Yu She? Even if Yu Mucheng lived in seclusion for many years, so what? In the end, wasn¡¯t this just a wasted effort? Even if Yu She was unyielding, so what? If he wanted this throne, then he must accept the empress along with it. Although he was unable to stop Zhong Wan from becoming a court official, Emperor Chongan was unwilling to let Yu She do as he pleased for his own marriage. Scared witless, the old eunuch who attended to Emperor Chongan said, ¡°Crown Prince, His Majesty has said in the past that he feared you being muddleheaded. That for Young Master Zhong, you would be unwilling to take on an empress. Therefore¡­ he arranged it for your honored self. The empress¡¯ paternal family is influential and can match you. It may be assumed that you won¡¯t neglect her. So¡­ this is good for everyone.¡± But Yu She laughed. ¡°You still want to control me in your last imperial edict.¡± Relieved, Emperor Chongan gasped twice. Once again, he picked up the writing brush and wrote on the blanket, ¡°It¡¯s good that you have this child in your hands. But don¡¯t waste any more time. Very soon, the imperial clan members will think of him. Don¡¯t let them¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Yu She folded the imperial edict neatly. ¡°Even if the imperial clan members snap back to their senses and remember that Prince Ning still has another son, they can¡¯t find him or snatch him away.¡± Yu She said without a care, ¡°Xuan Yu has been in my hands from the start.¡± Thinking Yu She had finally compromised, Emperor Chongan was just about to nod when he realized something was off. A smile graced Yu She¡¯s lips. ¡°You haven¡¯t thought about this, right?¡± Emperor Chongan whimpered hoarsely a few times, left hand trembling. ¡°The imperial clan members did what I originally wanted to do, saving me a lot of trouble.¡± Following that, Yu She said softly, ¡°But everyone would only focus on Xuan Rui, forgetting that Prince Ning still has another son. ¡°If Prince Ning has already been acquitted of his crimes, then that also applies to his sons.¡± Realizing what Yu She wanted to do, Emperor Chongan wheezed. After that, Yu She opened up the imperial edict again, reading it carefully. Then he said to himself, ¡°For so many years, everyone has been pushing me toward the abyss¡­ ¡°I am the chess piece of you all¡­ You obviously know that if I marry an empress, I would lose Zhong Wan, would rather die, yet in order to pass on the throne to your own son, you still try to force me. You still try to control me even after your death. ¡°I¡¯ve originally given up as I stood in the abyss, but Zhong Wan suddenly hopped in with me. Not only that, he even wanted to pull me out and leave together.¡± Yu She turned to face Emperor Chongan. ¡°You should thank him. If not for him, this ending would be even more horrific.¡± Emperor Chongan widened his eyes to the point of nearly splitting them open, whimpering in agony. ¡°Yu Mucheng and the others thought that Xuan Rui would see him as his savior. And since he would also help him ascend the the throne later, he felt like he truly had Xuan Rui in the palm of his hand. ¡°There are disagreements between Xuan Rui and Zhong Wan that cannot be overcome, and he hates me even more. If he becomes emperor, he naturally won¡¯t let us off. ¡°So I cannot allow Xuan Rui to return to the capital. However¡­ What about Xuan Yu? ¡°Originally, it¡¯s a bit difficult to help him up the throne. But because the imperial clan members have kept causing a commotion these days, it¡¯s pushing the boat with the current. ¡°Isn¡¯t Xuan Yu closer to Zhong Wan, who personally raised him, than those imperial clan members he doesn¡¯t know? And isn¡¯t he closer to me too, this older cousin of his who presented the emperor¡¯s seat to him? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t treat him as a puppet. I will properly cultivate him, guide him. Once he comes of age, and can truly take on all the imperial power, I will give back everything to him. Then Guiyuan and I would truly have paid back all our debts. ¡°I won¡¯t be stuck in the past. Guiyuan won¡¯t have to feel like he let Prince Ning down anymore. ¡°We will be clean, and no longer owe anyone.¡± Yu She rose to his feet. And for the first time, he said calmly and without stress, ¡°Imperial Father, from start to finish, I have never thought of wanting the throne. I only wanted¡­¡± Meanwhile, in the Imperial Clan Court, Zhong Wan looked at the dazed Yu Mucheng. In a hoarse voice, he said, ¡°Ziyou only wanted to try his best¡­¡± ¡°To move the misplaced broad and powerful gear from twenty years ago back to its correct position.¡± ¡ª¡ªFin¡ª¡ª CH 104.1 Extra The mountain flowers were in full bloom at Yu She¡¯s vacation manor. In the pavilion, the nanny in charge of teaching Xuan Congxin patiently asked, ¡°What is Young Miss embroidering?¡± Xuan Congxin smoothed down the silk handkerchief in her hands and answered, distracted, ¡°A phoenix.¡± The nanny fell silent for a moment. She forced herself to nod. ¡°Yes, at first I couldn¡¯t tell, but upon looking at the tail feathers, I understand. This is a phoenix.¡± ¡°These aren¡¯t the tail feathers.¡± Xuan Congxin tried to keep her temper in check. ¡°This is its head.¡± Awkwardly, the nanny replied, ¡°Is that so. But Young Miss, you embroidered this area wrong. You should have¡­¡± ¡°You should have started sewing from here.¡± Xuan Yu was holding one of his books upside down. Upon hearing this, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from poking his head out and gesturing. ¡°Elder Sister, Nanny has been teaching you for so long. Even I¡¯ve learned already. Your stitches are wrong. You¡¯ve been wrong from the start. Look here¡­¡± ¡°Am I learning or are you learning?¡± Xuan Congxin glanced at Xuan Yu. She didn¡¯t appear angry, but still seemed scary. ¡°Why are you watching me embroider instead of reading your books? Is embroidery on the test?¡± Xuan Yu shrank back and muttered, ¡°No.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not on the test, what are you looking at?!¡± Xuan Congxin had been restless since morning. She had just been looking for someplace to vent her anger. ¡°You¡¯re not young anymore, but you¡¯re neither good at academics nor martial arts. Father¡¯s title is already gone too. Our estate has turned into this state because of Eldest Brother¡¯s foolish actions. If not for Zhong Wan¡¯s protection, the two of us would be eating bran back in Qian An. For all these years, everyone has been treating our estate as a joke. Can¡¯t you be a little useful?¡± In a hurry, Xuan Yu flipped open his book. ¡°I-I only have a dumb brain. I still know to help share some of Big Brother¡¯s burdens, though.¡± Xuan Yu had long since switched titles. The ¡°Big Brother¡± he was referring to was Zhong Wan. Sulkily, Xuan Congxin responded, ¡°At least you have a bit of a conscience left.¡± Xuan Congxin felt a bit irritated too when lowering her head and looking at what she had embroidered. She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not sewing anymore. Where¡¯s the essay you wrote yesterday? I¡¯ll look over it for you first so you don¡¯t piss off the teacher again.¡± Xuan Yu trembled briefly. In fear, he responded, ¡°Yesterday, Guard Brother took me out to catch wild chickens. S-so I didn¡¯t write it.¡± Wejc Jbcuzlc kjr rb jcugs atja rtf mbeivc¡¯a tbiv tfg fwygblvfgs cffvif rafjvs. ¡°Tbe, sbe¡­¡± Wejc Te lwwfvljafis pewqfv eq jcv qbegfv Wejc Jbcuzlc rbwf afj lc jqbibus. ¡°G-vbc¡¯a ufa jcugs. Gglcx rbwf afj olgra.¡± ¡°I refuse!¡± Xuan Congxin shouted with rage. ¡°It¡¯s been a whole day, yet you can¡¯t even finish writing an essay! What do you want to do in the future? What can you do? Wait for a meat pie to fall from the sky?¡± Wejc Te¡¯r ojmf oiertfv gfv yfmjerf bo atlr rmbivlcu. Aera jr tf kjr agslcu ab mbwf eq klat j qijc ab frmjqf, j ojwlis rbivlfg gertfv bnfg ogbw ojg boo lc atf vlrajcmf klat j ifaafg. The family soldier approached and scanned the two of them. Very perceptively, he handed the letter to Xuan Congxin. Xuan Congxin was unwilling to scold Xuan Yu in front of outsiders. She forced her rage down and accepted the letter from the family soldier. She opened it and froze upon reading it. Xuan Yu stood cautiously off to the side. After noticing that Xuan Congxin was acting like a stone sculpture and remaining silent for a long time, he tentatively asked, ¡°Elder Sister, what¡¯s wrong? Has something happened in the capital?¡± In a daze, Xuan Congxin said, ¡°Little Brother, I think a meat pie has really fallen from the sky.¡± Less than a month after naming the crown prince, Emperor Chongan passed away. Emperor Chongan hadn¡¯t actually passed away peacefully. Like a snake that had been broken in half, he had spasmed and struggled on his bed for a long time. He had used his tongue, which was no longer nimble after the stroke, to loudly wail. The screams had resounded throughout the entire palace, almost as if he had many unfinished words to say. But at this time, he was no longer capable of changing the testamentary edict. Additionally, no one could understand what he was saying anymore. Full of fury and unwillingness, Emperor Chongan died on the dragon bed. Everyone turned their gazes to Yu She. Thanks to Yu Mucheng and the imperial clansmen¡¯s hard work, after Emperor Chongan¡¯s death, Yu She managed to very easily figure out the details of Prince Ning¡¯s old case. Yu She didn¡¯t care for any of his blood kin. During the investigation, he laid bare a lot of shameful things that had happened during the previous era. Yu She no longer avoided his own identity either. He directly announced that he was the offspring of a wrongful affair between Emperor Chongan and Little Imperial Consort Zhong. His blood was dirty and he wasn¡¯t fit to serve in such an important role. Nobody had expected that the crown prince, who had finally managed to climb up to that highest spot after great difficulty, would suddenly change his mind after Emperor Chongan¡¯s death and refuse to ascend to the throne. No matter how much the officials on Emperor Chongan¡¯s side begged, pleaded, and threatened, he refused to accept the decree. Regardless of how hard everyone else thought about it, they couldn¡¯t figure it out: what was Yu Ziyou actually trying to do?! The imperial clansmen had ultimately placed their bets on the wrong person. On this side, Yu She was adamant about not ascending to the throne. On the other side, nobody could find Xuan Rui¡¯s living person or dead body. And just as Yu Mucheng¡¯s allies tried to seize this opportunity to turn everything around and place a new emperor on the throne, Zhong Wan Zhong Guiyuan, who had disappeared for several days, returned to the capital. And he had also brought back with him Prince Ning¡¯s younger son, Xuan Yu. Prince Ning¡¯s case had just been reversed. It was obvious what Yu She was trying to do by personally bringing Xuan Yu into the palace. Aside from Yu She and Zhong Wan, outsiders couldn¡¯t get to see Xuan Yu so easily. Yu Mucheng had been plotting for his whole life. In the end, though, all his work had aided someone else. The day Yu She brought Xuan Yu into the palace, Yu Mucheng committed suicide in the Imperial Clan Court. Xuan Qiong was a muddled mess for several days. After learning of Yu Mucheng¡¯s death, he became scared out of his wits and turned into a true lunatic. After learning about everything that had occurred during the previous emperor¡¯s rule, Emperor Chongan¡¯s fourth son, Xuan Jing, spent a day in his own estate to calm down. Then, he locked his doors and turned away all visitors. Everything was unexpected; everything was reasonable. Three months later, the new emperor, Xuan Yu, officially ascended to the throne. The name of his reign was Yuanyan. The former crown prince, Yu She, who had played an important role in helping the new emperor ascend to the throne, naturally became named prince regent. Or it could be said that Yu She named himself prince regent. Everyone all thought that they could see through the facade. Yu She had placed a younger and more easily controlled puppet on the throne. Going with this idea, things seemed very logical. When Emperor Chongan had just passed away, the Court had been full of external and internal strife. Everyone had been investigating Emperor Chongan¡¯s crimes of patricide and regicide. Even Emperor Chongan himself had gotten onto the throne wrongfully, not to mention Yu She. If Yu She disregarded the criticisms and forcefully ascended to the throne, it was doubtless that there would be innumerous troubles in the future. Just his background alone was enough of an excuse to stage a revolt against him. But now, he had found Xuan Yu, who had grown up in Qian An and who no one had really paid attention to before. Not only had he quieted the controversies, he had also managed to keep the real power in his own grasp while at it. He had honestly calculated this all out quite well. In hindsight, the imperial clansmen realized that they had underestimated this madman. Of course, they only dared to think these thoughts in their hearts. Following the crowning of the new emperor, the prince regent boldly got rid of Yu Mucheng¡¯s allies while also taking care of those officials completely loyal to Emperor Chongan. By using the excuse of settling the conflict with the Beidi Tribes, he managed to seize military power too. By the end of the first year of Yuanyan, the prince regent¡¯s allies had used this momentum to start a completely new generation of officials. Yu She finally had everything in the palm of his hands. After the dust had settled, no one dared to say another word. Including the new emperor. Inside the small warmroom of the assembly hall, Xuan Yu uneasily sat in the dragon chair and watched Yu She, who was sitting off to the side, take care of political matters. He had something to say, but didn¡¯t dare to say it. ¡°These are the important pamphlets that the Cabinet has sent over today,¡± Yu She said after adding his comments to all of the pamphlets. ¡°If Emperor feels that anything is wrong after looking over them, you can tell me.¡± Xuan Yu dryly said, ¡°Since Prince Regent has already looked over them, there mustn¡¯t be anything wrong with them. I¡­I¡¯ll skip out on looking over them.¡± Yu She looked up at Xuan Yu. After a moment of silent consideration, he asked, ¡°Does the emperor have something to say?¡± Though Xuan Yu and Yu She were biological cousins, they weren¡¯t close at all. After finding out about the old events of the past, Xuan Yu¡¯s feelings towards this person who was both his cousin and uncle were a bit conflicted. Xuan Yu and Xuan Rui were different. Though he wasn¡¯t very smart, he was quite reasonable. After returning to the capital, he and Xuan Congxin had engaged in a long discussion. No matter how they thought about it, the twins didn¡¯t think that Yu She could be blamed for what had happened back in the day. Now that he was accepting the throne from Yu She, he didn¡¯t feel very confident. Xuan Yu didn¡¯t feel secure while sitting on the dragon chair. Many times, he had wanted to tell Yu She, how about I give this throne back to you? But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he didn¡¯t know how to open his mouth. Xuan Yu was a bit scared of Yu She. Yu She observed Xuan Yu momentarily. He tried to figure out this little emperor¡¯s thoughts. He said, ¡°If Emperor is still worried about Xuan Rui, I can order someone to tell him to handwrite a letter and bring it over. As of now, Emperor has just ascended to the throne. It isn¡¯t suitable for him to show his face. Regarding the details of why, you should already have an understanding in your heart, Emperor.¡± Xuan Yu hurriedly shook his head. ¡°No, no. I¡¯m not worried about Elder Brother.¡± CH 104.2 When they had just returned to the capital, Zhong Wan had told Xuan Yu that Xuan Rui was currently fine. Yu She had now placed him in a manor in the south. He didn¡¯t have to worry about food or clothes. Xuan Yu and Xuan Congxin always believed what Zhong Wan said. The two of them also understood that if their elder brother ¡°resurrected¡± at this time, that would definitely cause a huge commotion. In order to place Xuan Yu on the throne, this past half a year, Yu She and Zhong Wan had exhausted all their energy doing their best to turn the tides. This was a favor of kindness that was so big that Xuan Yu definitely didn¡¯t dare to drag them down. Xuan Yu struggled for a long time. He softly said, ¡°I want to see Big Brother¡­ I¡¯m talking about Zhong Wan.¡± Yu She paused for a moment. He lowered his gaze and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to ask the emperor to wait a bit longer.¡± Worried, Xuan Yu asked, ¡°Has he still not recovered?¡± Everyone could only see that Yu She was controlling everything. Very few people knew that there had always been a Zhong Guiyuan standing behind Yu She. This past half a year, Zhong Wan usually couldn¡¯t even manage to get a full six hours of sleep each night. After completely settling the Beidi Rebellion and watching as the Court finally started down the right track, Zhong Wan had expended all the energy he had saved up in those months when Yu She had carefully taken care of him. An aggressive cold at the start of winter directly sent Zhong Wan back to the sick bed. Some people seemed to have been fated to have laborious lives. He had survived through all these years and was finally about to be able to take a break, but could no longer handle such a trivial cold. After Zhong Wan fell sick, there were several times when Yu She almost went into a fit. If not for fear of something unexpected happening in the Court, Yu She would¡¯ve dropped everything to go accompany Zhong Wan long ago. Though Yu She didn¡¯t go into a fit, he kept having stubborn thoughts in his heart. Since Zhong Wan had fallen ill, Yu She refused to let anyone see him. He said that he was fearful of someone else bringing another evil wind to Zhong Wan. After he dismissed morning assembly and finished with all of his official business each day, Yu She wouldn¡¯t waste a single moment. He would return to his estate to personally care for Zhong Wan. As long as he was there, he refused to allow anyone else to intervene. Yu She said, ¡°Thank you for your worry, Emperor. He is already much better. Once he completely recovers, he will enter the palace to greet the emperor, of course.¡± Xuan Yu nodded anxiously. He hesitated a bit longer before saying, ¡°Imperial Brother, I want, I¡¯ve always wanted¡­¡± Yu She lifted his gaze and stared at Xuan Yu. His brows were slightly furrowed together. He waited a long time, but still couldn¡¯t hear a clear sentence come out of Xuan Yu¡¯s mouth. However, Yu She already had a general idea in his heart. ¡°Emperor.¡± Yu She gazed at Xuan Yu and asked, ¡°Emperor is worried for Guiyuan?¡± Xuan Yu hurriedly answered, ¡°Naturally.¡± Yu She fell silent for a moment. He said, ¡°Everything that Guiyuan and I have done this past half a year have been attempts at making up for the wrongs of the past. Once Emperor can handle things alone, we will return all the real power to Emperor. Only then will Zhong Wan actually be able to remove this burden of a thousand jun. If Emperor really cares about all the difficulties he¡¯s been through these past years, please diligently listen to our political discussions. When Emperor can personally attend to these political matters, he and I will be able to truly retire with honor.¡± Wejc Te ecvfgrabbv atf wfjclcu yftlcv Te Vtf¡¯r kbgvr. Llr fsfr aegcfv rilutais gfv. Llr fivfg mberlc tjv ageis cfnfg kjcafv atlr atgbcf. Te Vtf rfglberis rajgfv ja Wejc Te. ¡°Jjc Swqfgbg ecvfgrajcv ws lcafcalbcr cbk?¡± Wejc Te cbvvfv obgmfoeiis. Qlat ugfja uelia, tf rjlv, ¡°P¡­ klii raevs kfii.¡± Yu She didn¡¯t say anything else. He believed that he had succinctly passed on the message Zhong Wan, while ill, had told him to tell Xuan Yu. Xuan Yu did as he promised. From that day onward, he woke up at the rooster¡¯s crow, slept less, and forewent several meals. He almost wished that he could immediately personally attend to political matters. Yu She didn¡¯t have any experience dealing with kids. He did whatever Zhong Wan told him to do. He heard from Zhong Wan that he needed to encourage Xuan Yu often; he couldn¡¯t get these encouragements out of his own mouth, so passed the message word for word to the scholars teaching Xuan Yu. The scholars originally hadn¡¯t had high hopes for the current state of the Court. However, upon seeing that the prince regent wasn¡¯t actually greedy and ambitious, even seemingly willing to step down in the future, they felt quite comforted. Morale slowly picked up. They did their absolute best to invigorate Xuan Yu. But people all had their strengths and weaknesses. Though Xuan Yu was kind and innocent, he was honestly quite bad with politics. Each morning, Xuan Yu listened to the scholars as they lectured him. After noon, he would ambitiously and boldly make unrealistic promises to Yu She. His tone would be resolute. Today, he wanted to conquer the north. Tomorrow, he was determined to conduct a southern expedition. His spirit was often so high that it shocked Yu She into speechlessness. Only then did Yu She finally realize this was all because Zhong Wan had been bored while ill and had decided to purposefully tease him for fun. Yu She had originally only needed to sort out political matters before heading back to his estate. Now, he had another important task: listening to the little emperor dream about the future with him. Each time he blearily finished listening to Xuan Yu¡¯s vehement statements, Yu She would always think, as expected, children turn out similar to the ones that raise them? While eloquently spouting bullshit, Xuan Yu honestly looked quite similar to a certain somebody who was in the midst of recovery. Xuan Yu¡¯s mouth was dry from how much he had said. He took a drink of tea and waved his pudgy hand. ¡°Imperial Brother, this vast territory! From now on, it¡¯ll all belong to us two brothers!¡± Yu She calmly responded with an, ¡°Oh.¡± Just a few days ago, Zhong Wan had finished drinking his medicine, lay down in bed, and said the exact same thing. He had said that after he recovered, they would do everything that was in the storybooks and try everything that seemed exhilarating. There was absolutely no need to take pity on him! Zhong Wan had spoken very loudly. Merely saying these things wasn¡¯t enough. He still needed to be more detailed and get into specificities. Zhong Wan had stayed in bed the whole day, so had gotten enough sleep. He didn¡¯t feel sleepy at night. Thus, he had softly discussed with Yu She, speaking right into the other¡¯s ear and planning how Yu She should confiscate his undergarments after returning, how Yu She should force him to say things¡ªthrough tears¡ª that he normally wouldn¡¯t be able to say, and how Yu She should stuff a handkerchief into his mouth and render him unable to beg for mercy even if he wanted to¡­ While speaking, Zhong Wan had frightened himself. He had then pleaded with Yu She ahead of time, quietly asking, can you not be so aggressive all the time? From start to finish, Yu She hadn¡¯t said a word. Yu She was a bit angry. Unable to bear it anymore, he had ordered Zhong Wan to shut up and sleep. Zhong Wan had acted quite innocently. Not feeling guilty at all, Zhong Wan had asked, ¡°I was just¡­ letting you quench your thirst by looking at the plums. You¡¯re unhappy?¡± Yu She reflected on himself. No matter what, though, he couldn¡¯t figure out why he liked this person? Yu She gazed at Xuan Yu and sighed. It was easy to deal with Zhong Wan¡¯s side of things. His sickness was already largely cured and his health was getting better each day. Yu She would naturally ensure that he followed through with all of his promises. But what about Xuan Yu¡¯s side of things? He truly wasn¡¯t cut out for this job. Yu She didn¡¯t have enough energy to deal with Xuan Yu¡¯s sudden and strange ambitions. He told Zhong Wan about them when he returned to his estate that day. Zhong Wan pondered for a moment, then shared an idea he had come up with long ago with Yu She. Yu She slightly hesitated before deeming this idea plausible. An extremely stressful situation had now been resolved. After dinner, Yu She needed to take care of something else. Though winters in the capital were cold, the underground heating system of the warmroom in the main courtyard of Prince Regent¡¯s estate was burning briskly. Yu She didn¡¯t need to worry about Zhong Wan getting cold. When Zhong Wan finished taking off his outer robe and was preparing to lie down, Yu She sat on the edge of the bed and undid the buttons of Zhong Wan¡¯s undershirt one by one. Zhong Wan¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down as he gazed into Yu She¡¯s deep, dark eyes. He softly asked, ¡°Prince Regent¡­ what are you doing?¡± Yu She slightly narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m checking¡­ to see if you¡¯ve recovered or not.¡± Since Zhong Wan had fallen ill, it had been almost a month since the two of them had been intimate with one another. Without needing Yu She to do anything, Zhong Wan was already aroused. ¡°I recovered long ago. You were just being overly careful. Y-you have to extinguish the lamps first¡­¡± Yu She let go of the belt loosely wrapped around Zhong Wan¡¯s underpants. ¡°We aren¡¯t extinguishing the lamps today.¡± Zhong Wan paused for a moment before hesitantly suggesting, ¡°Then let down the bed curtains¡­¡± Yu She set Zhong Wan¡¯s belt off to the side. ¡°We¡¯re not letting the bed curtains down today either.¡± Embarrassed, Zhong Wan said, ¡°You¡­¡± Yu She pressed a kiss to Zhong Wan¡¯s forehead. ¡°Behave. I want to get a good look at you today.¡± Only now did Zhong Wan realize that Yu She had specially ordered the servants to light a few extra lamps in the warmroom today. He couldn¡¯t help lowering his voice to ask, ¡°You have a grudge against me and are doing this on purpose?¡± Yu She generously admitted, ¡°Yes.¡± Zhong Wan¡¯s entire being felt uncomfortable. He wanted to tug the blanket over to cover himself. The corners of Yu She¡¯s lips slowly curled up. Surprisingly, he didn¡¯t stop the other. He only said, ¡°If you cover up, we won¡¯t be finishing anytime soon. You don¡¯t want to enter the palace tomorrow?¡± Zhong Wan inhaled sharply and stopped tugging at the blanket. He closed his eyes. A long time later, he unbearably pleaded, ¡°Ziyou, stop¡­ bullying me.¡± Yu She lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. The next morning, Yu She did as Zhong Wan had said, disregarding everyone else¡¯s opinions as he invited Princess Royal Xuan Congxin, who had a headache from learning embroidery, into the legislative cabinet. Since then, Yu She, Xuan Yu, and Xuan Congxin all felt much more relaxed. CH 105.1 The fifteen-year-old Yu Ziyou had still been a little gentleman. If it was impolite, he wouldn¡¯t look. If it was impolite, he wouldn¡¯t touch. As such, even though he knew that the person he hid in his side courtyard was someone whom he had ¡°purchased,¡± and someone he could look at and touch, he would not approach him one step. Several months later, Yu She either lived in Prince Yu¡¯s estate or stayed at Princess Royal Anguo¡¯s estate. Among that, he once returned to his side courtyard to take something very important before leaving. Yu She merely had the carriage driver stop the carriage by front doors for a moment, and instructed his family soldiers to bring out that item for him. As if once he stepped one foot into the side courtyard, it would ruin Zhong Wan¡¯s reputation. Although Yu She and him, this classmate, did not have much of a relationship, Yu Se revered Imperial Preceptor Shi and pitied Zhong Wan extremely. Yu She had planned it out very well. After Prince Ning¡¯s case was finalized, he would wait two more years, so that those other people would forget about Zhong Wan. And when that happened, he could banish his slave status and make him a civilian again. Then Yu She would give him some money and send him far away, so that Zhong Wan could spend the rest of his days in peace. In Yu She¡¯s heart, the Zhong Wan of the time was frail, sensitive, and should not be disturbed. He even specially ordered Steward Feng, who had taken care of him since his youth, to take care of Zhong Wan well. To not let him suffer. Never had he imagined that the one to suffer would be Steward Feng. Three months later, Steward Feng could not endure it any longer. Although Emperor Chongan had yet to announce a decision for Prince Ning¡¯s case, he gave off the slight impression that he wanted to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots. Many people analyzed the emperor¡¯s intention, wanting to use this opportunity to curry favor. If Zhong Wan happened to escape and people with aspirations captured him, then Yu She was uncertain that he could protect him. Yu She had no choice but to move to the side courtyard and carefully watch over Zhong Wan himself. Yu She was very courteous. What he shouldn¡¯t see, he never did. What he shouldn¡¯t say, he never did. No matter how Zhong Wan provoked him or teased him, Yu She stayed magnanimous. More than once, he said to Zhong Wan, I don¡¯t have any intentions toward you. Up until Yu She had lived in the side courtyard with him for one month. At that time, Zhong Wan and Yu She had already become familiar with one another. And Zhong Wan probably could tell that he truly held no intentions toward him; he grew more relaxed with Yu She. One day, the two of them sat at a low couch reading. Zhong Wan rose to his feet to pour some tea. Yu She had already read for four hours, legs numb and hands sore. He stretched a bit and placed his hand on the couch for support. When Zhong Wan returned, he didn¡¯t realize this and sat on Yu She¡¯s hand. The cushions on the couch were thick and fluffy. As such, Zhong Wan didn¡¯t feel his hand at all, continuing to drink tea and read. On one side, Yu She stiffened in place, arm growing numb in a flash. Gods and demons at work, Yu Ziyou did not retract his hand at once. There was no reason for this; he just felt reluctant to. He didn¡¯t know what was up with himself. The young Yu She blushed, ears blooming red and thoughts in a mess. One moment, he thought of what the sages had said. The other moment, he couldn¡¯t understand those words. Zhong Wan was obviously so skinny, so why¡­ was it still that soft? The thick cushion and the dim candle light helped Yu Se hide his reaction. This was the first time Yu She had eaten meat after having maintained a vegetarian diet. After that, he blamed himself for many days, punishing himself to copy the Heart Sutra one hundred times. ¡­¡­ ¡°Why are you reading so slowly?¡± said Xuan Congxin, frowning. Pc atf kjgwgbbw bo Tlhtfcu Ljii, atfgf kfgf akb vfrxr qgfrrfv jujlcra bcf jcbatfg. Ktf cfk fwqfgbg, Wejc Te, ojmfv atf fjra jr tf rja, ktfgfjr atf qglcmfrr gbsji, Wejc Jbcuzlc, rja cfza ab tlw. Pc bgvfg ab jiibk atf qglcmfrr gbsji ktb kjr ja atf qglwf bo tfg sbeat ab ifjgc qbilalmr klat atf cfk fwqfgbg, Te Vtf jcv Itbcu Qjc fzqfcvfv wemt foobga. Dea fnfgsatlcu kjr kbgat la. Rbk, Te Vtf tjv gfijzfv j iba. Ktfs olcjiis vlvc¡¯a tjnf ab kbggs jybea erlcu atf gfra bo atflg ilnfr ab qjs yjmx atflg vfyar ab Wejc Te. Ccv atfs ofia gfjrregfv atja atfgf kbeiv yf j dejilolfv remmfrrbg obg atf mbecags lc atf oeaegf. In any case, the twins were Prince Ning¡¯s children. Even if the princess royal beame the regent in the future, the goods would still be kept in the family. Not to mention, Zhong Wan was still around. So the twins shouldn¡¯t fight among themselves. Yu She and Zhong Wan sat at the other side. Booklets of memorials and proposals piled up on their desk. After Yu She or Zhong Wan had annotated those booklets, they handed them over to Xuan Yu. After he had read through them, he would hand them over to Xuan Congxin. But Xuan Yu read at a slow pace, and the booklets before him grew into a little mountain. Xuan Congxin waited at the side, growing bored. And she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Is it that you don¡¯t understand it or that you don¡¯t know some of the characters?¡± ¡°I recognize all the characters,¡± Xuan Yu rushed to explain in a soft voice. ¡°Regent said don¡¯t bite off more than you can chew. It¡¯s better to read slowly than to read quickly and not understand what¡¯s been read.¡± Xuan Congxin pushed down her anger. Expression dark, she said, ¡°Then can you understand it like this?¡± Lacking confidence, Xuan Yu said, ¡°Not completely.¡± Before Xuan Congxin could explode, Zhong Wan said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s change it up. Princess can read it first, then it¡¯s Emperor¡¯ turn.¡± And Xuan Yu and Xuan Congxin got exactly what they wanted. Zhong Wan was between laughter and tears. He rose to his feet and picked up the pile of booklets in front of him. After handing them to Xuan Congxin, he returned to his seat. All of a sudden, his expression changed a shade. Perceptive, Xuan Congxin asked, ¡°Big Brother, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°N-nothing.¡± Zhong Wan forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve sat for too long and my legs fell asleep.¡± Xuan Congxin understood it clearly and nodded, no longer paying him any mind. The twins lowered their heads and got to work. Meanwhile, Zhong Wan ground his teeth in secret. Turned his head toward Yu She for a glance. The regent who was above all except one sat there perfectly composed. He held a vermillion writing brush in his left hand, writing in a steady manner. As if he sensed Zhong Wan¡¯s glance, Yu She turned to face him. His young and handsome face was open as he said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± In a flash, Zhong Wan glanced at the twins, then angrily mouthed, What. do. you. Think? A ray of dim light flashed through the young regent¡¯s eyes. He slightly moved his left hand that Zhong Wan was sitting on, the corners of his lips rising a hint. In passing, the regent wrote the character for ¡°soft¡± in an unimportant booklet. And Zhong Wan¡¯s outer ears reddened in an instant. Zhong Wan was very annoyed. How could the graceful and beautiful young noble of the past grow up to be a scoundrel who¡¯d secretly take liberties with someone in the emperor¡¯s presence? But Yu She just had to be so good at pretending, and the scoundrel would only act scoundrelly to Zhong Wan. In the presence of other people, he was still an imposing and untouchable person. The members of the court all felt Yu She was cold and reclusive, remaining a respectful distance from him. If it weren¡¯t for Yu She nurturing the twins, they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that he was a person of noble character inside, and respect and fear him. Who would believe it? The regent who treated everyone coldly and was alienated from everyone would take advantage of Zhong Wan getting up, secretly placing his hand underneath other people. And this wasn¡¯t just it. He also slowly and faintly bent and extended his long, fine fingers. Bad to the bone. Yu She¡¯s teasing caused flames of anger to spark in Zhong Wan¡¯s heart. While the twins weren¡¯t paying attention, he pulled out Yu She¡¯s hand. Yu She pinched Zhong Wan¡¯s leg neither lightly nor heavily before withdrawing his hand, taking advantage of his wide sleeves to cover this action. Before Zhong Wan could flare up, Yu She asked him in a natural manner, ¡°Has the head examiner been determined for this year¡¯s imperial exam yet?¡± As soon as Xuan Yu had ascended the throne, the first imperial decree that Yu She wrote for him was one that allowed Zhong Wan to participate in the imperial examinations. Yu She first forced Hanlin Academy¡¯s academicians to ¡°petition¡± to the emperor. No longer caring about the court ministers¡¯ obstruction, he directly drafted out an imperial decree for the new emperor. Without even asking the new emperor, Yu She took the imperial stamp and stamped the decree in a proper manner. The moment Xuan Yu had ascended, Yu She had offended many academicians and scholars, and made the faithful and true senior officials deeply worried. And a large reason for this was this imperial decree. But Yu She had only decided and acted alone this one time. After acting recklessly once, Yu She reverted to being Duke Zhou. He no longer treated Xu Yu disrespectfully. As if the person who had wanted to seize the throne at once wasn¡¯t him. Once the decree was sent out, the members of Hanlin Academy all acknowledged it, and many scholars waited for the God of Literature to return to his proper position. Now, they just had to see Zhong Wan¡¯s results. When a new emperor ascended the throne, a new cycle of imperial examinations must be given as a rule. Almost everything had been prepared¡ªexcept for who the head examiner would be. Originally, the regent wanted to personally take on that role. But Zhong Wan stopped him from doing so. Helpless, Yu She could only ask Zhong Wan why. ¡°The imperial examination is right around the corner. The two assistant test examiners have mostly been decided. What about the head examiner? Do you have someone in mind?¡± Zhong Wan thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Curious, Yu She asked, ¡°Who?¡± And Zhong Wan said in a straightforward manner, ¡°Shi Hong.¡± In a flash, Yu She¡¯s expression darkened. A smile graced Zhong Wan¡¯s lips. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Shi Hong is the son of someone who had been the teacher to two eras of emperors. He is an honorable jinshi and renowned in Hanlin Academy. Isn¡¯t it suitable for him to be the head examiner now?¡± Previously, Shi Hong had reprimanded Zhong Wan severely a few times for being disloyal and unjust. And when Zhong had first returned to the capital, this stubborn person had reported him for taking bribes. Whenever Yu She laid eyes on him, he¡¯d be extremely unhappy. If it wasn¡¯t for Yu She recalling fondly Shi Jin¡¯s affection toward Zhong Wan, Yu She would have long since sent him back to his ancestral home. Yu She said, ¡°You¡¯re not afraid of him making trouble for you?¡± Zhong Wan shook his head. ¡°Make trouble for me? With his character, he most likely won¡¯t go that far. However¡­¡± ¡°However what?¡± asked Yu She, frowning. ¡°Even if he does what he wants and makes trouble for me¡­ the zhuangyuan would still be me,¡± said Zhong Wan calmly. Startled, Yu She had no choice but to smile. This was fine too. Everyone knew that Shi Hong and Zhong Wan did not get along. If Zhong Wan received the top score on the exam in the future, no one would dare to have any say in the matter. Yu She stared at Zhong Wan. Even if they had been together for a long time, he couldn¡¯t help but be fascinated by his confidence and air of arrogance. And he could not help but ask, ¡°After you become the zhuangyuan, what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Zhong Wan thought a bit. Then he slowly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go kowtow to Old Imperial Preceptor Shi, then offer incense at the graves of my birth parents. And I¡¯ll offer sacrifices at the tomb of Father and Consort-Mother.¡± The Zhong clan¡¯s ancestral tomb had long since been repaired. Recently, Yu She had accompanied Zhong Wan in offering sacrifices. Zhong Wan did not feel much, but it was a different story with Yu She. As the regent, he actually kneeled and paid respects before the tombs of Zhong Wan¡¯s birth parents. Previously, when he had accompanied Xuan Yu in offering sacrifices to the gods, he hadn¡¯t been this serious. Following that, Yu She asked, ¡°Then what about after that?¡± Zhong Wan smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no after that. ¡°Before the previous emperor had left the world, I wanted to win the top mark in the imperial examinations, riding a horse through the streets and basking in glory. But now¡­¡± Zhong Wan said calmly, ¡°I just want to report it to Teacher Shi, then burn the roll of honor before his grave. Something like this.¡± Yu She fell silent for a short while. Afterward, he said, ¡°Then your official position in the future¡­¡± ¡°You can give me any position in passing. I¡¯m fine with anything.¡± After a bit of thought, Zhong Wan rushed to say, ¡°But don¡¯t make me become an academician at Hanlin Academy. Give me a more practical position. I¡¯m not looking for achievements and I don¡¯t care about promotions. As long as I can help, then it¡¯s good.¡± Yu She gazed at Zhong Wan profoundly. ¡°You don¡¯t want to be conferred the position of marquis or higher?¡± Again, Zhong Wan smiled. And he only mouthed, you don¡¯t want to be the emperor? The two shared a smile. Before the age of thirty, one rushed to make accomplishments; on the long journey back, one could rest. Those things he had once longed for were now easily within his reach. In reality, he had long since not cared about such matters. At the side, the twins had already become distracted from listening to them. Confused, Xuan Yu asked, ¡°Big Brother¡­ what are you talking about?¡± Zhong Wan turned to look at Xuan Yu¡¯s adorable face with baby fat. Helpless, he said, ¡°Nevermind. Although this isn¡¯t what I want to continue doing, it¡¯s still what I have to do. May Your Majesty work hard. Once Your Majesty can take care of matters personally, Regent and I won¡¯t need to manage anything anymore.¡± Although Xuan Yu didn¡¯t understand, he felt incredibly moved for some reason. He was so emotional that he gestured while talking about his future major undertakings to Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan grew more and more dazed from Xuan Yu¡¯s words as he spoke, until Zhong Wan almost believed them. On the other hand, Yu She had already gotten used to Xuan Yu¡¯s antics. Preoccupied, he read the booklets, paying attention to only Zhong Wan from the corners of his eyes. Her Highness the princess royal lifted her head from the mountain of booklets. She shifted her gaze to the trio, a sigh escaping her lips. She had the heavy impression that ten plus years later, the role of regent would be thrown over her shoulders. CH 105.2 As Zhong Wan prepared for the exam in the regent estate, he had the impression that he had forgotten something, had left behind something. Zhong Wan thought through from different angles, and no matter how he wracked his brain, inside and outside the court seemed peaceful nowadays, with nothing that still needed to be done.. Zhong Wan felt that he had worried for many years, so now that there was nothing to worry about, he wasn¡¯t used to it. Up until the day he accidentally heard Yu She saying one thing: Xuan Jing had taken a leave of absence for many days, staying shut up in his estate. Zhong Wan smacked his own head. He had forgotten his most important brother. Startled, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Where¡¯s Lin Si? Where¡¯s Lin Si? Xuan Yu has already ascended the throne and I¡¯ve already gotten sick and recovered from it. Many days have passed, so where is my brother Lin Si? How has he been these days? Is he happy? Is he still hiding?¡± With difficulty, Yu She shot a glance at Zhong Wan. Ages later, he said, ¡°Guiyuan, in the end, I don¡¯t really understand the brotherhood between you two.¡± In order to get away from Yu She, Lin Si had actually outright said the childhood name Zhong Wan had kept secret for nearly eight years. In order to placate Xuan Jing, Zhong Wan decisively taught Xuan Jing how to capture him, sending Lin Si off neatly on a silver platter. Could brothers who had grown up together be so callous toward one another? A bit embarrassed, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Men and like brothers, brothers are like clothes¡­ Ai, you won¡¯t understand. I¡¯m asking you. Where is Lin Si?¡± Qlat j mbwqilmjafv fzqgfrrlbc, Te Vtf ibbxfv ja Itbcu Qjc. ¡°Dfobgf atf qgfnlber fwqfgbg ifoa atf kbgiv, tf kfca ab olcv Wejc Alcu. Ktf akb tjnfc¡¯a ifoa atf frajaf obg wjcs vjsr. P¡¯w jrrewlcu atfs¡¯gf yflcu ibnf-vbnfs.¡± Itbcu Qjc jrxfv, meglber, ¡°Qts vlv tf ub atfgf rb fjgis? Qts vlv tf ufa bnfg la rb delmxis? ¡± Uncertain, Yu She said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to have gotten over it, right? He had to go there. Speaking of which, it¡¯s your method that was great, yielding instant results.¡± Such words startled Zhong Wan. ¡°Xuan Jing¡­ actually believed what I said?¡± ¡°Not only did he believe it, he even acted on it,¡± said Yu She. ¡°After we returned to the capital, you and I struggled through life and death with the previous emperor. Meanwhile, Xuan Jing found some blacksmiths and had them make¡­¡± Yu She gestured as he said, ¡°A mousetrap this big.¡± Shock collided into Zhong Wan. ¡°Bigger than a desk¡­¡± To which Yu She nodded. Scared witless, Zhong Wan said, ¡°My brother hasn¡¯t gone outside for so many days¡­ Could he have been squashed to death?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± said Yu She consolingly. ¡°Quickly explain,¡± said Zhong Wan, impatient. Yu She leaned against his seat. The young regent looked at Zhong Wan. Helpless, Zhong Wan obediently sat on Yu She¡¯s leg. Then, as Yu She threw a hand over Zhong Wan in an embrace, he said with a gentle smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Lin Si isn¡¯t hurt at all. ¡°Xuan Jing was actually pretty ruthless. He placed two gargantuan mousetraps in his bedroom. And he also set more than ten animal traps at the doorway and in front of the window, waiting for the day Lin Si would secretly come see him. However¡­. ¡°Lin Si was too skilled in martial arts. ¡°He evaded all the traps in Xuan Jing¡¯s room. ¡°But he wasn¡¯t careful¡­ As he was avoiding a trap, he bumped into something.¡± Zhong Wan choked. ¡°The liuli cup!¡± Yu She nodded. Zhong Wan was shocked. ¡°This liuli cup is fated to be misfortunate. As long as it¡¯s a person, they would knock it down¡­¡± A pause. And Yu She recalled that in the past, he had also knocked over that cup. Whatever Zhong Wan had done, Yu She would feel like trying out. Future events would be discussed in the future. Yu She continued, ¡°If he had knocked over something else, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. But how could Xuan Jing tolerate this? Lin Si had also been afraid, turning around to leave. Xuan Jing leaped out of bed, and by accident¡­ stepped on a mousetrap.¡± Zhong Wan couldn¡¯t listen to this anymore. In a consoling manner, Yu She said, ¡°He didn¡¯t get seriously hurt. It¡¯s just that he couldn¡¯t walk well at that time. But this could be considered receiving something good from a setback. When Lin Si saw him like this, how could he still leave? And so¡­ that¡¯s how he stayed. ¡°The two were together for so long. Even if there was such a huge misunderstanding between them, they ought to resolve it.¡± Scared and on the edge, Zhong Wan said, ¡°Once Lin Si learns that this was my idea, how could we still be brothers?¡± Yu She drew Zhong Wan closer and thought, from the start, you two brothers weren¡¯t that close. He seized an opportunity to grope Zhong Wan a bit. Neither quickly nor slowly, Yu She said, ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll have the emperor bestow Xuan Jing a splendid estate and confer him a great fiefdom. Also, to promise him the emperor and imperial clan members would never force him into a marriage.¡± The sky was high and the oceans vast. They¡¯d let those two live their lives as they pleased.