WMSG Chapter 14

Chapter 14: His Appearance Is Not Bad

The Imperial Study was utterly silent. Behind the desk, the Emperor exuded authority without anger. His hair was a mix of black and white, but he didn’t appear old. “Mature and composed” would be more fitting.

From the moment they stopped and began to bow, the Emperor didn’t raise his head.

Besides the Emperor, there was a eunuch attending to his brush and ink, and indistinct figures of Imperial Guards in the corners.

Ye Yueshen felt dizzy from their presence, and his nerves tightened.

Gong Xunwu passed them, heading to the bookshelf as if searching for a particular book. He was at ease here, as if the person sitting there wasn’t the current Emperor but merely his elder brother.

The Emperor didn’t acknowledge their arrival, but Ye Yueshen knew Gong Xunwu wouldn’t have brought them in without the Emperor’s consent.

Clearly, they were being deliberately left out to dry, meant to instill fear.

Ye Yueshen couldn’t help but wonder if one of the guards would raise a hand, and a flying dart would come whizzing by, silencing them.

Lost in his wild thoughts, the Emperor suddenly raised his hand. Ye Yueshen’s heart sank. He acted faster than he thought, and when everyone looked at him in surprise, he realized he was standing in front of Ye Yuanshen.

The Emperor was also looking at him, the confusion in his eyes instantly turning into understanding and surprise. He smiled and said, “Interesting.”

Gong Xunwu remained by the bookshelf, staring directly at Ye Yueshen before closing the book and casually placing it back on the shelf.

Ye Yuanshen gripped his younger brother’s trembling shoulders, feeling a pang of sorrow. He said gently, “Little Yueshen, you’re too tense.”

Ye Yueshen was unsure how to handle the situation and wanted to disappear into the ground. He lowered his head, appearing calm, but inwardly he was screaming: *I’ve only known him for a few days, how did I get to the point of throwing myself in front of a flying dart?!*

He barely believed he could have such a reaction and didn’t want to face his craving for blood relatives to this extent.

“Your Majesty,” Ye Yuanshen knelt. “Please forgive his impudence.”

“It’s nothing.” Shedding his earlier seriousness, the Emperor smiled kindly at Ye Yueshen. “To follow someone into the Imperial Study and block an assassination attempt, are you not afraid of death?”

It was hard to tell if the Emperor’s smile was genuine or a veiled threat.

“Your Majesty,” Ye Yuanshen said, trying to excuse him, “He’s just a child who doesn’t know better.”

The Emperor chuckled twice, then closed the memorial he had been reading. Resting his hands on the desk, he turned to Gong Xunwu and said, “You’re over twenty years younger than me. When I was a prince vying for position with my brothers, you were just learning to talk.”

Gong Xunwu only stared at Ye Yueshen, remaining silent.

The Emperor then looked at Ye Yuanshen. “Seeing your third son step in front of you just now stirred up many emotions within me.”

Ye Yuanshen smiled. “This humble servant also… has many emotions.”

“You don’t understand,” the Emperor shook his head. “You haven’t experienced the sight of brothers killing each other. Back then, in the great hall, if any of my brothers had been willing to stand before me, I wouldn’t have cared for the throne. Your brother cares for you, even putting himself before you. You mustn’t mistreat him in the future.”

Ye Yuanshen replied, “This humble servant promises, I will never mistreat him.”

“Is his name Yueshen?” This time, the Emperor looked at Ye Yueshen. “I heard from the Empress Dowager that your third son is remarkably handsome. I couldn’t see clearly from a distance. Come closer, let your Imperial Uncle take a look.” The Emperor straightened up and beckoned to him.

Ye Yueshen obediently walked over. The Emperor looked at him, and he looked at the Emperor.

Up close, it was clear that the Emperor’s features weren’t strongly reflected in his sons, but he greatly resembled Gong Xunwu.

Indeed, they were blood brothers from the same parents. The Emperor was like an older version of Gong Xunwu, still handsome and upright, with a piercing gaze when he didn’t smile.

However, the Emperor’s cheeks were a bit fuller than Gong Xunwu’s, and his jawline was lower, bearing the marks of more than twenty years.

Ye Yueshen vaguely felt like he was gazing at Gong Xunwu twenty years into the future.

“His appearance is not bad,” the Emperor nodded. “Go sit over there. There are apricots and peaches in the basket. I have a few words to say to your brother.”

Ye Yueshen was hesitant to sit, but he obediently walked to the place the Emperor indicated, standing by the small table. On a whim, he picked up an apricot and bit into it, only then realizing he didn’t have to be this obedient. Why was he eating an apricot in the Imperial Study, of all things?

With a mouthful of apricot, he even felt a bit trapped, finally chewing stiffly and swallowing it.

The Emperor wasn’t as cold as before, explaining to Ye Yuanshen, “Your mother is my adopted sister, but she knows the importance of propriety better than my own sisters. She never associates with any of my sons. Some of the old fellows are too clever. You have your strengths. I’ll order you to change posts, and you’ll go. I’ll tell you to do something, and you’ll do it. Your father and mother are better than me at raising children. I see your abilities.”

Ye Yuanshen still demurred, “This humble servant is apprehensive. This humble servant is not yet thirty…”

The Emperor looked at him. “My mind is made up. You needn’t be apprehensive.”

After a show of courtesy, Ye Yuanshen accepted. The Emperor reopened the memorial. “It’s getting late. Go home quickly.”

For some reason, Gong Xunwu also came out with them, talking to Ye Yuanshen as they walked. He didn’t say much, but he answered every question.

Even Ye Yueshen could tell that although they had been study companions in the past, they weren’t close. There weren’t many topics to discuss. Before they reached a bend in the road, they were already chatting about whether it would rain tomorrow.

Hearing the sound, Gong Xunwu turned back, and Ye Yuanshen also turned back to ask him, “What are you eating?”

Ye Yueshen chewed, swallowed, and opened his palm, showing him the half-eaten apricot. “An apricot.”

Ye Yuanshen was speechless for a moment, finally laughing helplessly. “You’re really honest.”

They didn’t leave the palace directly. Instead, they first went to Yanqing Palace. Ye Yuanshen stopped by to gather his belongings, then moved from one hall to another not far away. The geographical location was similar, but the difference in status was vast.

A large, irregularly shaped desk sat in the middle of the room, cluttered with stacks of rice paper. Ye Yuanshen picked up the sheets with writing, sorted through them, and categorized them.

During this, he found two jade-shafted brushes and several inkstones in the piles of paper. He casually gave them to the young eunuch helping nearby, who happily accepted them, looking at him with reluctance.

Ye Yueshen felt that his brother must be a very good person, a realization that made him feel proud.

Ye Yuanshen looked up, then instructed the young eunuch, “Take him to the side room to rest. Find him some refreshments and tea.”

Ye Yueshen followed the young eunuch to the side room. As he entered, an official in robes was leaving. Although he didn’t recognize him, Ye Yueshen imitated the other’s actions, bowing and greeting him.

This was where officials on duty would drink tea and rest. A large round table faced the door, and further inside were small tables separated by screens.

Afraid of accidentally overhearing something and causing misunderstandings, Ye Yueshen sat at the round table. The young eunuch changed the tea on the table, added some fresh snacks, then closed the door as he left.

Only Ye Yueshen remained inside. He walked between the screens, confirming that he was alone in the room before relaxing slightly. He used the tea to wash his hands, which had gotten sticky from the apricot juice.

As he was breaking off a piece of ghee roll, he heard the sound of the door opening above him. Following the etiquette he had just learned, Ye Yueshen stood up to greet the person, but he didn’t see the other party bow in return. The red official robes quickly approached him.

Ye Yueshen looked up and saw the person with disheveled hair, holding a gleaming, sharp hairpin. He thought, “This is bad,” and quickly dodged.

As an orphan, he had often been bullied as a child. Untamed, unrestrained children were like a group of uncivilized monkeys. Once they found a younger cub isolated and helpless, they couldn’t help but relapse into their animalistic instincts, wanting to practice their hunting skills.

Going from being defenselessly beaten to accumulating experience and resisting was a painful, humiliating process. Later, when the monkeys grew up, they learned that human society had higher-level legal rules than the jungle, so they all hid their animalistic instincts and pretended to be humans. Ye Yueshen hadn’t fought in years.

The other party aimed for his head, the movements neat and vicious. Several times, the hairpin nearly pierced Ye Yueshen’s eyes, but he didn’t try to punch or kick Ye Yueshen. Instead, he wanted to restrict Ye Yueshen’s ability to move.

Clearly, he didn’t want to leave any marks on Ye Yueshen’s body, as if he wanted to kill him with one strike.

Because of his hesitation, Ye Yueshen had room to resist. While dodging, he threw a small wooden stool at the other party, accurately hitting the side of his face. The skin around his eyelid broke, blood flowed out, and his eyeball instantly filled with blood vessels.

Ye Yueshen glanced at it and felt a little scared. He had fought before, but not to the point of life and death. He knew where to hit to make the other party lose their ability to attack, and he knew to avoid certain areas to prevent having to pay for medical bills.

In a desperate situation, people’s explosive power was very strong. Ye Yueshen punched the other party’s nose several times in a row, then smashed the water pot from the table over his head. The other party’s movements noticeably slowed down.

Ye Yueshen’s breathing had become heavy. Seeing the other party close his eyes to collect himself, then pick up the hairpin and stab at him again, Ye Yueshen whimpered and, with no other choice, grabbed a bench, knocked the other party down, then straddled his waist, bending his legs and kneeling on either side. He raised the bench and struck again and again…

He was consumed by the fear and tension of a life-or-death situation until a thick, wet liquid splattered on his face. He wiped his face, looked down at the blood on his fingers, and then felt a severe dizziness.

He rolled off, lying on his back on the ground, his chest heaving violently. An explosion of information rushed into his brain.

Did I kill someone? Is my life over? But this counts as self-defense, right? The forensic doctor can prove I was the victim based on the scene… But I transmigrated. Will the coroner be as professional as a forensic doctor?

Ye Yueshen covered his face, his whimpers turning into wails.

He didn’t cry for too long before forcing himself to calm down. No one had discovered him yet. Could he clean up the scene first?

He sat on the ground, hesitating for a moment. If someone came in during the cleanup, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself. He was a bit incapable of handling the current situation. Perhaps he should ask his brother for help. He was a native of this world and should be more experienced than him.

He got up from the ground, walking around the corpse with trepidation, afraid of accidentally seeing the bloody, gruesome sight.

If he hadn’t had the instinctive drive to survive just now, if the other party hadn’t had so many concerns, then whether in terms of physical strength or martial prowess, Ye Yueshen would have been no match.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound on the ground. He dared to only look at the person’s arm on the ground, discovering it was raised, doing something. He didn’t dare to look any further up.

The person wasn’t dead yet… Ye Yueshen wanted to cry again. Just the matter of transmigrating was enough for him to digest, and today, something so outrageous had happened. Mentally, it was too much to bear.

After only a moment’s hesitation, Ye Yueshen wiped his tears and walked over, meeting that disfigured face. He mustered his courage and questioned, “Who told you to kill me?”

The person’s eyes were filled with resentment, but he just stared at him.

“Was it the Fourth Prince?” Ye Yueshen paused, helpless but to threaten, “The Third Prince… the Fifth Prince? I shouldn’t expect you to answer questions for the person who killed you, but you’re wearing official robes. It won’t be hard to confirm your name. My mother is the Yongning Junzhu. Do you think your family will be well off? Why don’t you tell me who ordered you, so your family won’t be implicated?”

A mocking smile appeared in the person’s eyes, and after a moment, the light in his eyes quickly disappeared.

Ye Yueshen’s eyeballs were already bloodshot, and the scene before him seemed to stutter and overlap. He thought back to what had just happened. They hadn’t even exchanged a single word.

It was difficult for ordinary people to not fall into confusion and self-denial when faced with such an irreversible situation. He began to question himself, whether the other party had really come to kill him.

Ye Yueshen stood up blankly, meaninglessly picking up the teacup shards, and then picked up a cup that was still mostly intact. He poured air-tea into the cup with the half-broken teapot. He didn’t know what he was doing. He had simply lost his mental anchor.

A large hand grasped his wrist, then covered his clenched hand. He turned back, his breathing ragged.

Gong Xunwu took the sharp, broken teapot from his hand, his movements so gentle as if he was afraid of startling him, so gentle as to make him crumble in his arms.

“I’ll clean up.”