Taiqian Palace.
The palace maid was lying prostrate on the ground, and the palace was in a mess.
Li Zong had smashed everything he could, but his temper was not yet relieved. He ordered people to bring whips to vent his anger on two young eunuchs.
When Han Chan arrived, the two young eunuchs had turned into bloody figures. Cui Xi was ordering people to drag them away. He lowered his voice and said: “Go back to the Imperial Doctor’s Office to prescribe some medicine for their injuries. Whether they can survive or not depends on their fate.”
The chamberlain who carried the two men was pale, holding back his fear as he nodded.
Han Chan approached and said, “Cui-Changshi is actually considerate of people below him.”
“They are all miserable people who did nothing wrong. It’s a shame for them to die like this.” Cui Xi sighed a few words in a seemingly-genuine manner. Then he changed the topic and pointed directly at Han Chan. “I am not like Taifu Han. I’ve done so many bad things that my heart has hardened.” He lifted the corners of his mouth in a mocking smile.
Han Chan had no intention of getting entangled with him. He brushed past his shoulder and entered the palace. When he saw the mess al over the floor, he frowned and said in a deep voice, “His Majesty should curb his temper. If word spreads…”
“If this spreads, I should be afraid that it will harm my reputation?” Li Zong said without waiting for him to finish. “Taifu always talks to me about reputation, but I think that reputation is the most useless thing.” His brows were cloudy. “If I didn’t care about my reputation and killed Prince Yong’an directly, how could what happened today happen?!”
What he now regretted the most was that he did not end Li Fengqi when he was at his weakest out of concern for this reputation. And now, Li Fengqi had the opportunity to stand back up.
Han Chan lowered his eyes and said, “If Your Majesty kills Prince Yong’an, you may suffer infamy in the writings of historians in the future. There are thousands of ways to kill him, why would Your Majesty kill a thousand enemy soldiers but lose eight hundred of his own?”
Li Zong’s temper also rose, and he looked at him fiercely with a sharp flick of the sleeve. “I have never paid attention to the infamy in future generations, of being considered a wise or a foolish king. So what if I bear the infamy? As long what’s in front of me is free and clear, why should I care about all the curses behind me?” He gritted his teeth and expressed his true feelings word by word: “I have simply listened too much to the Taifu and had too many scruples.”
He was like a ferocious wolf that finally began to break free from the shackles imposed on him.
Han Chan was vaguely alarmed, but his face softened and he pacified him. “I know Your Majesty is angry, but this is just a temporary moment of victory or defeat. Heaven guides the land, and the monarch guides the ministers1. Your Majesty will always be Your Majesty, and Yong’an-Wang will always be Yong’an-Wang. Why should Your Majesty be angry for a moment?” His expression became softer and softer. He had been Li Zong’s teacher since he was five years old. It was he who guided Li Zong step by step to where he was today. Naturally, he also knew his weakness best. “Does Your Majesty still not trust his teacher?”
“Taifu is right.” Li Zong seemed to be pacified. He sat down on the couch, lowered his head and turned the jade ring on his thumb. His lowered eyelashes blocked the emotions in his eyes, and he repeated one sentence: “The monarch guides the ministers, the monarch guides the ministers……”
He closed his eyes, raised his head and said with a smile, “I understand. Teacher is also tired today. Let’s go back and rest first.”
Han Chan did not move and sized him up, feeling that something was wrong with him today. But Li Zong was looking at him calmly, and he couldn’t see the problem. He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then excused himself and left.
When Han Chan left, he heard Li Zong inside say, “Cui Xi, stay.”
Li Zong seemed to have figured something out and regained his lazy look. He reclined on the couch, called two chamberlains to pound his legs, and glanced at Cui Xi. “Last time, you said you found someone?”
Cui Xi’s eyes flashed. “Yes, they are a pair of twin brothers. Will Your Majesty go and take a look?”
Li Zong thought for a moment. Then he nodded. “Bring the people here.”
Cui Xi gave the order, and the people were quickly brought up.
The two brothers knelt in front of Li Zong, their foreheads touching the ground.
“Straighten up, let me see.” Li Zong said.
The two brothers straightened up nervously, revealing two very similar pretty faces. In truth, their appearances were not too feminine, even with their delicate eyebrows, but their expressions were too timid. Dressed in nondescript white clothes, they looked a little comical.
Li Zong frowned and said, “Stay.” He added, “From now on, you are only allowed to wear green clothes.”
The two brothers were overjoyed and thanked him profusely.
*
Meanwhile, when Li Fengqi left the hall of Taihe Temple and went to the square, many officials came over to talk to him. These officials were accustomed to reading the situation, and seeing that the west wind was now overwhelming the east wind, they came one after another to show their goodwill and find ways to talk to him.
Li Fengqi scowled at this and always responded with a cold face. The officials who came to show their goodwill encountered a wall and could only leave.
But there were also people who persevered in trying to strike up a conversation with him. However, all the topics that could be discussed have been brought up before, and they all returned in defeat. One person who spoke to him, Count Shou Chun2, was a very lively person. After much thought, he took a different approach and actually mentioned Yong’an-Wangfei. It also happened that the Duke of Qi was not far away. Count Shou Chun said with a smile: “Speaking of which, Wangye and the Duke of Qi are now in-laws. Previously, Wangye was recovering from illness and did not receive guests, so we did not have the opportunity to come and ask for a cup of wedding wine.”
“…”
As soon as he said these words, there was silence all around.
From the beginning of the court to the end, no one dared to mention this marriage, in fear of getting into trouble. No one expected Count Shou Chun to be so courageous.
Everyone slowed down and looked at him furtively. Even Ye Zhili, who was walking in front, turned his head and gave him a meaningful look.
But this Count Shou Chun was really not a good observer. Seeing that Li Fengqi didn’t show any sign of impatience, he felt that he had found the right topic, so he continued, “The Supervisor Si Tiantai is indeed quite capable. He said that he wanted to find a noble person to wed you for your well-being, and indeed it actually cured Wangye’s illness.”
Everyone: "…"
They looked fearfully at the expressionless Prince Yong’an, the grim-faced Duke of Qi, and then at Count Shou Chun who was still babbling non-stop. If not for lack of guts, they would have pounced on him and covered his mouth.
He really managed to say the wrong thing and offend two people to death. Most people did not have this deep power.
An official who had some friendship with Count Shou Chun, who could not bear to watch, secretly pulled his sleeve, trying to tell him to shut up.
But Count Shou Chun was quite unhappy about it. He pulled his sleeves back and said, dissatisfied, “Why are you pulling at me so hard?”
The man: “…”
No one tried to tell Count Shou Chun to shut up again. They all watched the show with bated breath and stretched ears.
After giving him a good compliment, Count Shou Chun concluded: “Someday, I also want to ask Si Tiantai to show me my horoscope, and maybe I can find a noble person, too.”
Ye Zhili’s face turned livid. “It’s just nonsense. Uncle Shou Chun-Bo2 should not take it too seriously.”
If these words somehow reached the emperor’s ears, Ye Zhili wouldn’t be able to explain himself even if he had ten mouths to do it with.
In the first place, he had asked Si Tiantai to choose Ye Yunting entirely because the position of heir must be inherited by Ye Wang. How could he have imagined that this would result in a mistake and that Prince Yong’an would not die? Although the emperor hadn’t said anything so far, if Count Shou Chun’s words reached the emperor’s ears, it was inevitable that there would be speculation about him.
“The Duke of Qi’s words are wrong.”
Li Fengqi, who had a cold face, suddenly raised his eyebrows and retorted, “Si Tiantai said that Yunting is the noble person of my destiny, and that he and I complemented each other. After the two of us got married, my body indeed became healthier day by day. How could this be nonsense?”
Ye Zhili choked. “This is all due to Wangye’s good fortune.”
Li Fengqi scoffed. “Don’t make excuses, Qi-Guogong3. I haven’t had time to thank you yet. Yunting took good care of me during the time I was bed-ridden.”
“……” Ye Zhili’s face became more and more indescribable when he heard this. He was afraid that Li Fengqi would say something more which would eventually reach the emperor’s ears. After a few perfunctory words, he gave an excuse of having something to do and left in a hurry.
Li Fengqi looked at his distressedly-fleeing figure and sneered, thinking that Ye Yunting must have taken after his mother to grow up the way he did.
*
However, once Ye Zhili returned home, he became more and more angry the more he thought about it.
With a grimace, he placed the tea cup heavily on the table. “That scoundrel. When I sent him to the palace, I didn’t ask him to work as a cow or horse for Yong’an-Wang. How will His Majesty think of me in the future?!”
“Why does my Lord4 need to get angry with him?” Madame Yin stood up and patted his back, her radiant face full of contempt. “If the eldest son doesn’t know what’s important, just send a message and call him back to give him a beating. He hasn’t even been educated, so how can he understand the situation in the court?”
Ye Zhili thought the same thing. This eldest son was soft-hearted, and his wet nurse took care of him even when she was sick. It was possible that after entering the palace and seeing Prince Yong’an’s pitiful state, his soft heart would be moved to take care of him.
He pondered for a moment, summoned the steward, and wrote a letter of invitation to send to the palace. “Go and ask the eldest son to come back to the residence, say that I have something to discuss with him.”
The steward collected the invitation and left as ordered.
…
When the invitation arrived, Ye Yunting was feeding rabbits to the falcon in the yard, while Li Fengqi sat lazily to the side, listening to Zhu Lie’s report on matters in the palace—— Although Zhu Lie believed that he was unfairly punished, there really was no trustworthy person in charge of the palace. As a person in charge, he still used his experience from rectifying the internal affairs of the Governor’s Mansion to reorganize the palace from top to bottom. Now, he was reporting matters to Li Fengqi one by one.
Upon hearing that someone came from the Duke of Qi’s residence, Ye Yunting thought it was Ye Wang who came to him to ask for the hunting falcon, but the maid who passed the message said it was Xue Ping, the steward of the Duke of Qi’s residence.
“Xue Ping? What is he doing here?” Ye Yunting was confused by what he heard.
After thinking for a while, Li Fengqi relayed what he said in the square of Tianhe Hall to Ye Yunting. “Maybe Ye Zhili got angry and came to trouble you.” He looked apologetic. “It’s because I didn’t think it through properly. My apologies to the Young Master.”
Ye Yunting shook his head and asked the maid to bring him to the main courtyard to talk.
Xue Ping was quickly led to the main courtyard. He was originally waiting in the main hall, but when his wait for Ye Yunting took a while, he became a little impatient. The maid subsequently said that Ye Yunting was in the main courtyard and wanted him to go there, so Xue Ping became a little disgruntled. He felt that Ye Yunting was banking on the power of Prince Yong’an to inflate his worth.
It was well-known that in the Duke’s mansion, despite Ye Yunting being the eldest son in name, his standing was not even as good as the steward’s.
Now, he had the gall to show off. No wonder the Master was angry.
Xue Ping entered the main courtyard with an arrogant look. Before he saw Ye Yunting, his eyes first fell on Li Fengqi’s stern face. His heart skipped a beat, and his arrogance turned into fear.
He lowered his eyebrows and stepped forward to salute. “Greetings to Wangye.”
“Did Qi-Guogong call you here?” Li Fengqi swept him a glance. “What’s the matter?”
Xue Ping raised his eyes, glanced at Ye Yunting who was sitting next to him, and regained some courage. “The Duke has not seen Yong’an-Wang and the Wangfei for a long time, and he missed them very much, so he ordered me to invite Wangfei to come to the house for a reunion.” Saying this, he handed out the invitation.
Li Fengqi didn’t answer, but intercepted Ye Yunting’s outstretched hand and held it in his palm to prevent him from moving.
Ye Yunting understood what he meant and obeyed without struggling.
“It is reasonable to say that Qi-Guogong misses Wangfei, so I shouldn’t stop father and son from seeing each other.” Li Fengqi raised his eyebrows and said in a drawn-out tone. “It’s just that my legs are impaired and I can’t be away from Wangfei for a moment. So if the Duke and Madame Qi really miss Wangfei, we can ask them to visit this palace as guests for a reunion.
“I happened to be ill before, so many protocols were not followed, but now I can make up for them.”
Xue Ping awkwardly retracted the invitation letter, a hesitant look on his face. “But this…”
“What?” Li Fengqi’s face darkened. “Are you saying that the Duke of Qi still wants me, a person with limited mobility, to accommodate him?”
“I don’t dare.” Xue Ping was startled and repeatedly apologized. “I will go and reply right now.”
Li Fengqi was satisfied and waved his hand casually. “Go, tell him to pick a good day and come again.”
Xue Ping wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and rushed away.
Ye Yunting looked at his hastily-retreating figure. His lips were pursed, but the corners still showed traces of a smile. “Why does Wangye have a grudge against Father? He still the Zhongshu Governor, and he holds the Zhongshu Province under his hand.”
“Are you still concerned about your father-son relationship?” Li Fengqi asked rhetorically.
Ye Yunting lowered his eyes and shook his head gently.
Since the day he was reborn and still sent to the royal residence, he no longer had any unrealistic hopes for Ye Zhili as his father. “I just don’t think it’s necessary.”
Li Fengqi clicked his tongue, placing the hand he was holding in front of his eyes. “Look, we are a family now. The glory of one is the glory of all, and the loss of one is the loss of all.” His palms were wide and his fingers were slender, firmly but gently wrapping Ye Yunting’s hand in his palm. “Since we are a family, there is no reason to ask me to watch you being bullied.”
He looked at Ye Yunting seriously and said to him word by word: “I am Yong’an-Wang, and you are Yong’an-Wangfei. You don’t have to settle for less. Do you understand?”
Ye Yunting met his gaze. His heart trembled, his wrapped hand moved uneasily, and he whispered, “I understand what Wangye means.”
“I’m glad you understand.” Li Fengqi casually let go of his hand, as if he was just doing something that was no more than normal. “You can use my power; there is no need to worry.”
You can use my power; there is no need to worry.
Ye Yunting savored these words carefully, and an indescribable ache surged in his heart.
This was the first time someone had said such a thing to him since he was a child.
When he was very young, he would still expect his father or mother to support him, but later, when he grew up and became more aware, he gradually realized how ridiculous his wishes had been.
No one was going to support him except himself.
So he learned early on to endure, hide his sharp edges, and accept hardship. He knew that he couldn’t be willful or cause trouble, because if something went wrong, no one would protect him.
He didn’t expect to be in this situation and hear Li Fengqi say these words to him.
It was almost like directly saying to him: I will support you.
Ye Yunting’s eyes were a little achy, but the corners of his mouth curled up. “I understand.”
Li Fengqi looked at him with a smile and patted his shoulder.
After eating the rabbit, the hunting falcon came over, perched on the back of the chair and stuck a bird’s head between the two of them, looking left and right. Li Fengqi secretly glared at him. It flapped his wings in dissatisfaction and flew away.
*
After being intimidated, Xue Ping returned to the Duke’s Mansion and told the story in detail.
Ye Zhili raised his voice in disbelief: “You want me to go to the palace to converse?”
Xue Ping mumbled yes.
“Sure enough, you have climbed a high branch and you’ve hardened your wings,” Madame Yin sneered. “You all know how to take advantage of your parents with your airs.”
Ye Zhili’s expression was terrible. After shooing away Xue Ping, he waved his sleeves and swept down the tea cup. He gritted his teeth and said angrily, “Good, very good. I, as a father, still have to go to the door and beg to see my son. How very good!”
Seeing this, Madame Yin grabbed his arm and pulled him to sit down. While squeezing his shoulders, she rolled her eyes and said: “My Lord, for your health, please don’t get so angry. In my opinion, it’s not impossible to make the trip. It’s just the right time to bring up the matter of the heir.”
If Prince Yong’an hadn’t turned things around, they would have directly asked for Ye Wang to be heir. But now that Prince Yong’an was clearly on his feet, if they wanted to appoint Ye Wang the title of heir again, they would still have to inform him and be concerned about Prince Yong’an’s face.
“Fine.” Ye Zhili got over his anger and his mind became clearer. He said with cold eyes, “I want to see what other tricks this shameful son has.”
Madame Yin gently rubbed his temples. “It doesn’t matter if Prince Yong’an supports him. The Lord is his father, after all, and the father is the guide for the son. He can’t turn over the sky.”
Ye Zhili rubbed his eyebrows and said, “It’s up to you. You choose a day to visit the palace.”
Madame Yin agreed and then took the maid to the courtyard.
When she arrived at her yard, her face darkened. “That motherless bastard, how dare he inflate his worth like this? If I had known this would happen, I would have strangled him to death.”
“Madame.” The maid who was serving heard this sniffed and looked around nervously, only she feeling relieved after making sure there was no one around. She carefully closed the doors and windows, but she didn’t notice Ye Wang covering his mouth in shock under the window.
She advised, “Madam, please don’t say this again.”
Yin Hongye stroked her chest, sat down, took a sip of tea, and said in exasperation, “So what if I say it? Isn’t he living a good life? Besides, if it hadn’t been for him, there’s no way that Prince Yong’an wouldn’t have died long ago. How could the Second Uncle have gotten into such a mess?!”
Ye Yunting had been less than one year old when she married the Duke of Qi.
She had been young and soft-hearted at that time, and Ye Zhili treated her gently and considerately, with his whole heart focused on her. In addition, she became pregnant with Ye Wang not long after, so she never thought of getting rid of Ye Yunting.
Ye Yunting was in the most remote courtyard, so he couldn’t get in the way.
It was not until later, when Ye Yunting grew up and it was time to ask for the title of heir, that she came to her senses and realized the roadblock he posed.
Yin Hongye, wanted the best of everything for her son. Naturally, the position of the State Duke should also belong to Ye Wang.
However, although Ye Yunting didn’t have much of a presence over years, he had never made a wrong step. According to Beizhao law, the title must be inherited by the eldest son. Only if the eldest son died or committed a serious offence could the title be inherited by the second son.
How could she let the title fall to Ye Yunting’s hands? So she kept mentioning the position of heir to Ye Zhili in a roundabout manner. Ye Zhili actually agreed that Ye Wang should succeed him. However, Yin Hongye had been married to him for many years and, after mentioning it many times, she could see that there was something strange in his answers.
She had always thought that Ye Zhili found this eldest son distasteful. But later on, she gradually discovered that Ye Zhili’s feelings for his eldest son were very complicated. He would occasionally visit Ye Yunting secretly without letting anyone know about it, not even Ye Yunting himself.
Before Yin Hongye got married, she only vaguely knew some things about the first wife, but Ye Zhili’s strange attitude made her suspicious of the past.
She sent people to investigate in secret, and found out that there had been a change in the staff of the Duke’s residence. After wandering around to find the old people who had been dismissed, she found out some old stories…
Remembering the old stories, Yin Hongye’s expression became a rather unpleasant, and she said bitterly, “I really didn’t expect that this bastard’s life would be so difficult. I originally thought that he would be wed to Prince Yong’an, and when Prince Yong’an dies, he will have to be buried with him. The position of the heir will naturally be Wang’s, and everyone will be happy without getting their hands dirty. But I didn’t expect that he would take the opportunity to climb the high branch.
“No.” Yin Hongye’s eyes were fierce. “I have to think of another way.”
The maid saw her sinister expression and did not dare to persuade her further. She could only carefully follow her words down.
Neither of them noticed that Ye Wang was hiding outside the window, hearing everything.
He crouched under the window, his mother’s grim voice swirling in his mind.
“Dies”, “position of the heir”, “be buried with him”… each of the horrifying words were like needles sticking in his head, making his eyes hurt.
He had never thought that the reason for Ye Yunting’s being sent to the Yong'an Prince’s mansion and being married off was actually him.
===Author’s Notes===
The author has something to say:
77: It’s okay to blow the pillow.
Tingting:?
===Translator’s Notes===
Ye Yunting and Li Fengqi being the sweetest. ❤ Meanwhile Ye Wang’s busy recalculating his life.
In the square:
Si Tiantai is en route to being the hottest matchmaker in town, if the Count has anything to say about it. Go for it, Count Shou Chun!
Ye Zhili: Stop talking stop talking–
Li Fengqi: Actually Ye Yunting was the best thing that ever happened to my health, miracle cure 100% effective, five stars.
- The Three Cardinal Guidelines and the Five Constant Rules (三纲五常): According to here, it is the ethical framework of Chinese Confucianism. It passed through the Han Dynasty and became popular in the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties. The Three Cardinal Guidelines are the three ethical principles: the king guides the ministers, the father guides the son, and the husband guides the wife. ↩︎
- “Bo” (伯), corresponds to the rank of “Count”, which is the third rank among the five titles in Chinese aristocracy of Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount and Baron ↩︎
- 国公 – Duke! Finally got around to making this footnote now that somebody used it as a direct address. “Duke of Qi” = Qi-Guogong = 齐国公 ↩︎
- 老爷 – Laoye, lit. master, also could be used as a respectful address by women to their husbands. ↩︎
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Ah, the falcon did get his rabbits in the end. Good bird!
ReplyDeleteThat poor kid recalculating his life is absolutely rash enough to go report it to his brother. Glad the falcon got the rabbits he earned them. Also dock him one rabbit for interrupting their moment.
ReplyDelete