Chapter 8
Yan Pingshan saw the faint dark circles under Zhong Wan’s eyes and wanted to say something, but didn’t .
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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 .
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“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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 . ”
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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 . ”
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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 . ”