WMSG Chapter 12

Chapter 12: You Really Do Have Good Popularity

Ye Yueshen knelt down on one knee and said to Liu Qingying, “Your Highness is joking. You go ahead with your work. I’m sorry if I frightened you.”

Liu Qingying hesitantly raised his head to look at Gong Xunwu. Gong Xunwu nodded slightly, and as if granted amnesty, he quickly got up and left.

Ye Yueshen didn’t stand up, feeling somewhat resentful, but because Gong Xunwu was in front of him, he didn’t dare to explode. He was both cowardly and unwilling to suppress the resentment in his heart. Finally, he said, “I originally didn’t want him to mind, but Your Highness frightened him. Now that things have become like this, it’s hard for him not to mind.”

“You’re blaming me?” Gong Xunwu’s tone was as low and flat as ever.

Ye Yueshen bit the bullet and lied, “No, Your Highness misunderstood.”

He stood up. Because he had just seen Liu Qingying kneeling on the ground and humbly explaining himself, he was still a little dazed. His heart was filled with mixed feelings, but mostly, he felt sorry for the other person.

His soft-heartedness was obvious. Gong Xunwu didn’t hold him accountable for those minor details that could be considered offensive, even punishable.

“Farewell.” Just as Ye Yueshen was about to leave, Gong Xunwu grabbed his wrist.

“Why do you want to escape as soon as you see me?” Gong Xunwu asked him.

Ye Yueshen didn’t know what to say. He didn’t actually have an answer, so he simply remained silent, a gentle act of defiance.

In the end, the two walked back together. Ye Yueshen wore a worried expression, with a clear sense of defeat. Gong Xunwu was as indifferent and calm as usual, with a hint of barely noticeable impatience towards his surroundings.

They were all drinking tea and chatting in the small hall, and even without the help of alcohol, they were still in high spirits.

Ye Yueshen quickened his pace, almost rushing in, which to others seemed like he was fighting to be the first to enter. Gong Xunwu, who was beside him, had to stop to let him pass.

Amidst stunned gazes, Ye Yueshen walked cluelessly to Ye Lingshen’s side. Gong Xunwu walked in and raised his hand, signaling everyone to sit down.

Ye Yueshen sat down next to his brother. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he leaned back wearily in the soft chair, looking less like an adult attending a social gathering and more like a child who had been dragged out by an adult – which wasn’t far from the truth.

He blankly listened to their nonsensical chatter for a while. Gong Xunwu got up to leave, and everyone else stood up to see him off. At this time, Ye Yueshen was completely lost in thought, following behind like a soulless being, his eyes a little glazed over.

After seeing off Gong Xunwu, the princes and young masters also bid farewell one after another. Ye Yueshen couldn’t wait and urged Ye Lingshen in his ear. Ye Lingshen just whispered, “Wait a little longer.”

Taking advantage of the chaos of the farewells, Gong Shengyin pulled Ye Yueshen aside, with a look of reluctance in his eyes, “When will you be free? Can you come to the Imperial Palace to see me?”

Ye Yueshen was a little dazed. His first thought was: Why would I go? He said, not very tactfully, “Not very free.”

Liu Qingying, behind Gong Shengyin, lowered his head and said nothing. If it were according to the original plot, Liu Qingying was already secretly in love with Gong Shengyin at this point.

“If I were to visit you at the Marquis’s residence, would that be a problem for you?” Gong Shengyin’s eyes widened slightly, putting on a slightly aggrieved and careful expression.

Even though Ye Yueshen knew his true nature, he couldn’t help but be charmed by this expression. Moreover, his wording was too clever, not asking if it was okay, but asking if it would be a problem for you.

With so many people around, Ye Yueshen had to politely say, “Fifth Prince, you jest. Yueshen doesn’t know of any problem.”

“That’s good then…” Gong Shengyin’s eyes flickered. He clearly sensed Ye Yueshen’s alienation, like a little cat whose fur was standing on end and was backing away, whether it was from the tone of his words or the aura he was emitting.

Waiting for Gong Xuyin to send off each guest who needed to be seen off properly, one after another, Ye Lingshen then brought Ye Yueshen forward to say goodbye.

Both of them showed no signs of being drunk, calm and gentle, seemingly unintentionally mentioning Ye Yueshen’s unpleasant experience with the Fourth Prince’s attendants in the Imperial Palace a few days ago during their polite exchanges. Both of them showed a forgiving attitude, as if they were good brothers from now on.

Ye Yueshen was a little amazed by the art of language. In the end, he was pulled forward by Ye Lingshen to say goodbye.

He bid farewell as instructed, witnessing Gong Xuyin’s gentle and courteous demeanor, seeing off all the guests without neglecting anyone, and without being overly enthusiastic or obsequious. It was simply a discipline in itself, and Ye Yueshen was almost a little impressed.

Gong Xuyin patted Ye Yueshen’s shoulder very lightly, and Ye Yueshen finally caught a glimpse of some slight fatigue in his eyes.

“My Fifth Brother is eighteen this year. How old are you?” Gong Xuyin asked him.

Ye Yueshen replied, “I’m also eighteen.”

“What month is your birthday?” Gong Xuyin asked.

“July.” After Ye Yueshen answered, he was patted by his second brother next to him. Ye Lingshen said with a smile, “He’s still drunk. Your birthday is in February.”

Gong Xuyin also smiled, “You’re a little older than Fifth Brother, but you’re still a child at heart.”

Ye Yueshen muttered to himself, I’m not childish. I’m just not used to it, so I seem to be making mistakes everywhere. Otherwise, I could smoothly avoid all the accidents that would attract attention, avoid all sense of existence, and be a transparent person.

Gong Xuyin’s smile lasted for a long time, as if it had been painted on his face. But smiling for too long inevitably seemed unnatural. Ye Yueshen remembered his own death and didn’t rule out this person’s suspicion. Who knew how many twists and turns there were beneath the surface of their imperial family that hadn’t been described.

So, Ye Yueshen complimented him with a mocking tone, “Fourth Prince is approachable and benevolent.”

“The Asura Hell forces me to become a demon, and the deceitful power struggles force me to be hypocritical.” Gong Xuyin chuckled, “It’s all an act. In the future, when you see us power-hungry people, no matter how kind we seem on the surface, be wary of us.”

He said it as if it were both a joke and the truth. Ye Yueshen subconsciously looked at Ye Lingshen.

Ye Lingshen smiled, “Fourth Prince is teasing you.”

After another round of farewells, they boarded the carriage back.

Ye Yueshen adjusted the soft cushion and sat down. As he calmed down, his eyes gradually lost focus, and it was obvious that he was lost in thought.

Was Gong Xuyin teasing him with his words just now, or was he provoking him? It couldn’t really be that he was reminding him to be wary of people’s hearts, right?

“What are you thinking about?” Ye Lingshen sat down next to him, crossing his long legs and stretching them out in front of him, taking up most of the space in the carriage.

“Thinking about who’s trying to murder me.”

Ye Lingshen tasted the bitterness of alcohol in his mouth. He smacked his lips and casually dusted off his sleeves.

Ye Yueshen was a little helpless. He was telling the truth, but it was always dismissed as a joke.

“Second Brother,” he asked, “When I was sleeping in the side room just now, why weren’t you there to accompany me, but… Qi Wang? Didn’t Big Brother say I wasn’t allowed to meet with Qi Wang in private?”

Ye Lingshen glanced at him, “Qi Wang told everyone to leave. Was I supposed to stay in the room and tell Qi Wang that my eldest brother doesn’t allow you to be alone with my third brother?”

“…” Ye Yueshen was preoccupied with who wanted to murder him, and pressed for more clues, “What about the Fifth Prince? He just left?”

The more he heard, the more coquettish it sounded. Ye Lingshen laughed, “Interesting.”

“What’s interesting?”

Ye Lingshen pushed away the face full of questions that was approaching him, “Of course you’re interesting. You’re not happy that Qi Wang was guarding you by your bed, and you’re not happy that the Fifth Prince wasn’t guarding you by your bed.”

“I’ve never seen a brother like you.” Ye Yueshen moved to the side to distance himself from him, “You’re eager to slander your own brother with other men. Big Brother would never do that.”

The carriage moved forward. At an intersection, it was suddenly forced to stop by some food stall workers who rushed out. Those inside the carriage didn’t know what was happening outside, but were thrown forward by the sudden stop.

Ye Lingshen was fine, steadying himself by holding onto the carriage wall. Ye Yueshen wasn’t as experienced, and he fell off the carriage bench, landing on Ye Lingshen’s outstretched legs.

His first thought was that someone was hijacking the carriage. Ye Yueshen didn’t have time to worry about his aching waist. He quickly got up and plunged into his brother’s arms, trembling with urgency and fear as he lowered his voice, “They’ve come to kill me!”

“You…” Ye Lingshen was at a loss, but he held his younger brother tightly, “Third Yueshen! Calm down, no one wants to kill you.”

Ye Yueshen vigilantly scanned the carriage windows and doors. If he were a little rabbit, you would be able to see his two ears twitching nervously, not letting go of the slightest detail outside.

Ye Lingshen was still in a sluggish state from the alcohol, and he yelled out a little impatiently, “Who’s outside? How dare you stop the Marquis’s carriage?”

“The Marquis’s residence?” “Is it the carriage of the Ye family, the Marquis of Zhongshun?” “Should we say we know their Third Young Master?”

The voices of the people outside chattering and discussing reached them. Ye Lingshen looked down at Ye Yueshen, “It seems like those friends of yours from the pugilistic world. Aren’t you going out to take a look?”

Seeing Ye Yueshen’s puzzled expression, Ye Lingshen asked with a smile, “You’ve forgotten so cleanly that you don’t even remember them?”

The original Ye Yueshen had a kind heart of a chivalrous hero and little sun, so it was normal for him to have some friends in the pugilistic world. Ye Yueshen opened the carriage window and looked out. A young, round face noticed him and said in surprise, “Brother Yueshen!”

They were wearing dark-colored cloth clothes, and each of them was carrying a food box, delivering snacks to a family hosting a banquet.

The young man with the round face handed the food box to the carriage driver and said to Ye Yueshen, “This is a wedding cake from the host, filled with honey and water chestnuts. Take it and have a taste! We have to make another delivery, so we won’t hold each other up. Come find me when you’re free. I’m still keeping the cricket I caught the other day for you!”

The young man hadn’t finished speaking when he was pulled away by the adults next to him. Everyone smiled joyfully and waved goodbye to Ye Yueshen.

Ye Yueshen waved back at them blankly. The carriage driver handed in the food box, a bamboo and wooden food box with some damaged edges but still usable. Inside was a plate of cakes with the words “Double Happiness” written on them in red. The slightly gray cakes were fried with a little bit of char on both sides. They were definitely not as pretty as the pastries from the Marquis’s residence, but they still had the atmosphere of an ordinary family that was very appetizing.

“How touching,” Ye Lingshen said mockingly, “You’ve forgotten even the ‘close friends’ you talk about, but you still remember me, this cheap older brother. Should I thank you?”

What he said was clearly something that hadn’t been mentioned in the original story. Ye Yueshen could guess the general idea. He looked at the half cake that had been stuffed into his hand and realized that everything he had now, the kinship and even the wedding cake, was all thanks to “Ye Yueshen.”

If that dream was a real scene, he already felt a little apologetic. His original life really didn’t have much warmth or convenience. He didn’t know what “Ye Yueshen” was going to do.

A person who has never received love has a basic sense of worth that is close to zero. Ye Yueshen clearly hadn’t done anything, but he had a kind of uneasy feeling like he was a thief, pitiful and heartbreaking.

Ye Lingshen pulled him into his arms, “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.” Ye Yueshen rubbed his temples, “Qi Wang is really strange.”

Ye Lingshen just smiled, rubbing his face like he was kneading dough, and told him, “With such beauty, you’ll meet many strange men in the future.”