Chapter 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?”
Sponsored Content
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 Royale 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 Royale 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 .
Sponsored Content
“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 one’s 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 .
Sponsored Content
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 well 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 . ”