Chapter 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?”
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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 .
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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…”
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“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 .
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