WMSG Chapter 60

Chapter 60: I Can’t Say Right Now

Gong Xunwu didn’t have the courage to question Ye Yueshen, so he turned his attention to others and repeated, “Someone really instigated you.”

Ye Yueshen had already made his point clear: whether he could leave Qi Wang Manor in one piece today depended on what Gong Xunwu thought. The only preparation he could make was to eliminate that ridiculous weakness.

“You…” Ye Yueshen looked at him with what he thought was indifference, helplessly retreating a few steps until his back pressed against the door.

He didn’t know that his eyes were full of pity for Gong Xunwu, and this expression precisely stung Gong Xunwu.

It was hard to say whether it was because the essence of pity stemmed from a position of superiority, destroying Gong Xunwu’s self-esteem, or because the inaction of pity was too cold, making Gong Xunwu feel the shame of being observed.

Gong Xunwu was almost enraged. He grabbed Ye Yueshen’s shoulders with great force, throwing him out. Ye Yueshen stumbled across most of the bedroom, spraining his ankle in the process, and fell heavily against the footstool, hitting his head and seeing stars.

In the throbbing pain of his heart, Gong Xunwu finally admitted that his rage was simply because Ye Yueshen didn’t love him. Not loving him was a sin, but he couldn’t think of any torturous means to punish Ye Yueshen.

He only wanted Ye Yueshen to love him.

Ye Yueshen was frightened by his strength and actions, not feeling much pain in his head, but rather feeling that his willpower couldn’t quite control his body.

Ye Yueshen hesitated, and the threats Gong Xunwu had prepared were also difficult to utter. Both fell silent for a moment.

Ye Yueshen’s entire being went blank. His original plans were shattered by Gong Xunwu’s rage, and now he only wanted a result.

But he was sure that Gong Xunwu was thinking seriously. Gong Xunwu’s goal was clear; he was trying to bring the development of events back to the path he desired.

Soon after, Gong Xunwu reached out and helped him up. He calmed his emotions in a short time, looking at him with clear eyes and a hint of sadness, asking in a calm tone, “Okay, are you hurt?”

Ye Yueshen softly said no. Shayou knocked on the door to deliver the clothes, lowering his eyes and not daring to look at them, quickly putting down the things and leaving.

Ye Yueshen felt the dampness of the soup on the clothes and changed them in front of Gong Xunwu without any coyness.

He paused for a moment, then knelt down, looking at Gong Xunwu and saying, “Since it ends today, let’s not discuss the rights and wrongs of the past. If I can survive, it would seem heartless if I said it wasn’t with your help. Let me kowtow to you.”

Ye Yueshen prostrated on the ground and kowtowed with a resounding thud. Gong Xunwu was stunned for a moment, then also knelt down, sweeping his sleeves aside and giving a solemn bow. He paused for a moment, as if he had many words to say, but in the end, he only opened his mouth softly, “Let me kowtow to you too.”

Ye Yueshen lay prostrate on the ground for a long time, not rising. Gong Xunwu’s forehead touched the ground opposite him.

After a long while, Ye Yueshen’s voice came from above, “I’m leaving.”

Gong Xunwu listened to him getting up with rustling sounds, followed by footsteps, and then the opening and closing of the door. Finally, Gong Xunwu raised his head.

Only a dirty set of clothes remained in the bedroom, as if Ye Yueshen had turned into a wisp of smoke.

He crawled to the bedside, pressing his face against the outer garment on the bed. The chaos gave him a strong violent impulse, but smashing things was his least harmful choice.

Ye Yueshen walked through the corridor, even taking the opposite direction from the servant leading the way at a certain intersection. The servant hesitated for a moment, then chose to follow him, so it seemed like Ye Yueshen was leading the way.

He was already familiar with every path to leave Qi Wang Manor. The servant was leading him as if he were a guest, and guests should naturally take the most scenic route, with no reason to take them through muddy paths or dog holes.

Ye Yueshen took a shorter route. He was familiar enough with the host’s home, understanding the more detailed secrets of this vast courtyard, such as the uneven width of the stone-paved road, which would pass by a pavilion that hadn’t been renovated for many years.

Ye Yueshen almost stepped on a soft little thing. He quickly dodged to avoid hurting the weak life. The kitten meowed and jumped to the side, then turned back to look at him.

This was the kitten that had scratched Ye Yueshen with its claws the first time they met. It sized up Ye Yueshen, perhaps thinking it already knew him, and came over to rub against Ye Yueshen’s shoe, as if to say hello.

Ye Yueshen walked around the kitten and continued outwards, looking as if nothing had happened.

He exchanged a few words with Yan Kui, who had just come out of the gatehouse, and saw Ye Lingshen, carrying a large broadsword and riding a horse, before getting into the sedan chair.

Ye Yueshen was a little surprised that his second brother was parading around with a broadsword as long as his arm. “Second Brother!”

He went to meet him, grabbing the handle of the broadsword, as if struggling for control of the broadsword with Ye Lingshen. He subconsciously looked back at Yan Kui. If Yan Kui judged Ye Lingshen to be an assassin coming to seek revenge, and a code word summoned dozens of guards, then they wouldn’t be able to leave today.

“Get in the sedan!” Ye Lingshen was also looking at Yan Kui, sternly rebuking Ye Yueshen.

Ye Yueshen was both touched and scared, and without a word, he quickly got into the sedan, but he held onto Ye Lingshen, refusing to let go. “You get in too, you come with me.”

Ye Lingshen urged him, “You get in, I came on horseback.”

“Forget the horse!” Ye Yueshen pulled Ye Lingshen into the sedan chair.

The two were silent all the way. Ye Lingshen couldn’t stand the look of suppressed tears and feigned strength on his younger brother’s face, sighing and turning his head away, simply not looking.

“Ye Yueshen” had been a very self-centered child since he was young. He rarely felt sad about his father and mother’s scolding, and most of the time he was very sensible in admitting his mistakes and acting cute, and then never changing his ways.

Ye Lingshen hated his sensible younger brother, especially since he was at the age of a teenager with the strongest self-esteem, so he developed a little disgust and hostility towards his younger brother, who could act cute so easily.

When did the hostility disappear? Ye Lingshen silently looked outside the sedan. Perhaps it was when his younger brother was no longer like an “invulnerable rogue,” not being swayed by anything, but cautiously trying to glean everyone’s expressions and clumsily learning to deal with everything.

The feeling of being an older brother gradually emerged in Ye Lingshen, and he thought it was time for him to be an older brother who protected his younger brother and gave him guidance.

He turned around and pulled Ye Yueshen into his arms, playfully pinching Ye Yueshen’s face, “You went to Qi Wang Manor behind our backs again?”

“It can’t be considered behind your backs, Father and Mother still think of Gong Xunwu as a responsible elder.” Ye Yueshen turned to look at Ye Lingshen, “Put the broadsword down first.”

There were only the two of them in the sedan, and they were still carrying a broadsword, which made Ye Yueshen feel panicked.

Ye Yueshen tried to please him with a smile, “I’ll listen to you from now on, and I won’t go to Qi Wang Manor anymore.”

Ye Lingshen didn’t believe it from the bottom of his heart, coldly sneering and taunting him, “Your smile is uglier than crying.”

Ye Yueshen stopped smiling, “Okay, okay, I won’t smile.”

He lay in Ye Lingshen’s arms, feeling exhausted because of the emotional ups and downs, and quickly fell asleep.

Regarding whether to end it and when to end it, Ye Yueshen hesitated for a long time. Ultimately, what led him to make the decision was the most fundamental reason: he didn’t want to accept that kind of beginning.

As for the life-and-death matters mixed in, he never felt they were that important.

Ye Yueshen woke up when the sedan stopped. He yawned, looking as if he had no sadness, and waved to Ye Lingshen, “Second Brother, I want to sleep for a while. I’ll come find you after I’ve rested.”

He returned to his room and fell fast asleep, waking up only late at night, staring with wide eyes until dawn. He didn’t touch a bite of breakfast and aimlessly strolled in the courtyard.

Xuedong brought back a letter, saying that a close attendant of the Crown Prince had been waiting nearby for a long time, asking Xuedong to pass it on to him.

Ye Yueshen was too lazy to look at it, telling him to take it to his room and put it away. He originally planned to read it after he went back from his walk, but unexpectedly, he put it off for three days. He stayed in his room, refusing to come out. Because he couldn’t sleep, he caught a cold while looking at the moon from the window. He began to cough and sneeze, looking listless.

Ye Yuanshen came to see him, walking around in his room in silence, looking around. He saw half of a tassel sticking out from under his quilt, pulling it out to reveal a jade pendant with excellent water content.

Ye Yueshen stood beside him, not daring to speak, like a child who had made a mistake, lowering his head.

Ye Yuanshen didn’t quite understand the progress between them, asking with some lag, “Are you moved by Qi Wang?”

Ye Yueshen opened his mouth, wanting to say that they had already reached the point of breaking up, but thinking about Ye Lingshen’s reaction, he was afraid of scaring his eldest brother, so he simply kept quiet.

Originally thinking he would be greeted with a lot of sage advice and preaching, Ye Yueshen had already prepared to let it go in one ear and out the other, admitting his mistakes and not angering his older brother.

Ye Yuanshen cupped his face, looking directly into his eyes, as if trying to see through his innermost thoughts.

“If you are moved, you don’t have to worry too much about Father and Mother’s thoughts.” Ye Yuanshen’s tone was calm, his eyes full of endless gentleness and tolerance.

Ye Yueshen was stunned, staring blankly at his older brother.

Gong Xunwu was not only the Qi Wang, but also their uncle according to kinship seniority. Ye Yuanshen actually said that he didn’t have to worry about Father and Mother’s thoughts.

In a world with such great emphasis on the rules of seniority and order, this was simply incredible.

Ye Yueshen blinked, two tears meeting at the tip of his chin, saying in a hoarse voice, “It’s already over.”

“What’s wrong? Little Yueshen?” The gentleness in Ye Yuanshen’s eyes turned to worry, asking him seriously, “Does Qi Wang have a new love? I’ll go talk to him…”

As Ye Yuanshen said this, he was about to go out. Whether it was the description in the original book or Ye Yueshen’s understanding of him after interacting with him, Ye Yuanshen was never an impulsive person.

Ye Yueshen grabbed him and closed the door. He hadn’t felt unbearable before, but after being cared for by Ye Yuanshen, he became unbearably fragile, tears streaming down his face.

“I can’t say.” Ye Yueshen weakly pressed his forehead against Ye Yuanshen’s shoulder, “I can’t say right now.”

Once Ye Yueshen started crying, he couldn’t stop. Ye Yuanshen didn’t know as much as Ye Lingshen, so he wasn’t as repulsed by Gong Xunwu. Several times he wanted to go to Gong Xunwu to ask clearly, but Ye Yueshen wouldn’t let him go.

Let him not believe that Gong Xunwu would have a new love, abandoning his younger brother who was so good.

Ye Yueshen put Gong Xunwu’s jade pendant in his quilt and hugged it, clearly moved by Gong Xunwu.

If there was any misunderstanding, it would be good for him to go and ask to clear it up. Ye Yuanshen really couldn’t bear to see Ye Yueshen cry like this.

The next day, Xuedong came to tell Ye Yueshen that the Crown Prince’s close attendant had come again, not knowing how long he had been waiting at the back door. As soon as he saw him, he chased after him, saying that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to invite Ye Yueshen to Yuguang Pavilion to meet him.

Ye Yueshen then took out the letter the Crown Prince had sent him, casually looked at it, and burned it.

He hadn’t left the house since he broke up with Gong Xunwu. He finally found a set of clothes that the family had just made for him, braving a little bit of snow to go out and meet the Crown Prince.

The winter breeze made Ye Yueshen cough. His eyes and the tip of his nose were red. Before he got into the sedan, someone called out to him.

“Cousin, where are you going?” Yuan Bianyin was dressed in moon white, wearing a dark blue cloak, dressed in a fresh and refined manner.

Ye Yueshen smelled a hint of calculation. He coughed a few more times, “Out.”

The obviously perfunctory answer didn’t satisfy Yuan Bianyin. He followed up, “I’ve been feeling bored these days. If it’s convenient for Cousin, why not take me with you?”

Ye Yueshen knew in his heart that he had bad intentions, but Ye Yueshen didn’t care. Going to see the Crown Prince wasn’t a good thing anyway. Since he wanted to follow, then let him follow.

“I’m going to Yuguang Pavilion to see a distinguished guest.” Ye Yueshen glanced at him, “Not an ordinary distinguished guest. Anyway, I’ve already told you, you’re on your own.”

Yuan Bianyin’s aloof airs were gone at this moment. He got into the sedan faster than Ye Yueshen, turning back to say to him, “Then I’ll have to trouble Cousin.”

There was no awkwardness in his expression from begging someone else, but rather full of determination.