Chapter 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 .
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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?
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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 . ”
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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 . ”
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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?”