WMSG Chapter 24
by VolareYe Yueshen had already guessed Gong Shengyin’s intentions on the way. By using the matter of helping Liu Qingying pay, Gong Shengyin had the opportunity to visit.
In the original story, there was also a scene of Liu Qingying buying Tangyuan for Gong Shengyin, which played a role in reflecting the changes in their relationship.
Generally speaking, Gong Shengyin was not favored before, specifically because of his early-deceased dancer mother, his monarch father who didn’t care about him, and his brothers who bullied him behind adults’ backs.
The servants dared not skimp on his clothes and food, but the teenage imperial princes dared to do anything, and had done bad things such as mixing salt into his rice and pouring his dishes into the slop bucket.
Liu Qingying, as someone who could enter and leave the palace with his mother, offered honey Tangyuan when Gong Shengyin was hungry. Maybe they were already cold, maybe he couldn’t eat too much, but for the starving Gong Shengyin, it was like sending charcoal in the snow.
They also experienced holding hands tightly when they were young, and one made a serious promise to the other: If I ever rise to power, I will repay you with a thousand gold.
The wet nurse’s son timidly said, “I don’t want your thousand gold, I just want you to be well.”
Gong Shengyin said that he was more important than his own blood brothers, which was both gratitude and Liu Qingying’s shackle. He began to seize every opportunity to enter the palace to send Tangyuan to Gong Shengyin.
During Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival, Gong Shengyin ate Tangyuan, only he didn’t eat it on the fifteenth day of the first month, because Liu Qingying couldn’t enter the palace casually from New Year’s Eve onwards.
When Gong Shengyin regarded Liu Qingying as a substitute, he always symbolically ate a bite of Tangyuan, considering it not betraying their friendship when he was down. Later, one substitute after another sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and after experiencing the death of his father and his brother’s broken leg, Liu Qingying, whose heart had died, stopped sending them.
In a cliché twist, Gong Shengyin began to miss the bowl of Tangyuan and remembered how good the person who sent the Tangyuan was.
Ye Yueshen handed the umbrella to the servant next to him after approaching the cloister. Occasionally, because the courtyard had a slope, there would be a transition of two steps. This time, he was walking on a small path.
Ye Yueshen glanced at the steps, took two steps, and then tripped over the third step, falling onto the railing beside him. The pain in his waist and abdomen was so intense that he couldn’t recover for a long time and couldn’t utter a single syllable.
The servant next to him was frightened and hurriedly helped him up. He waved his hand and reluctantlysaid it was nothing.
He leaned on the railing for a while, thinking of a node about Tangyuan in the original story. Liu Qingying entered the palace to send Tangyuan to Gong Shengyin, but when he opened the food box, it was a sesame cake. He said embarrassedly, “Today, this lowly one lost his purse, and the sesame cake was obtained from a vendor on credit.”
And Gong Shengyin ignored his Tangyuan or sesame cake, but said, “Have you heard outside the palace that the Ye Marquis’s son, Yue Gongzi, was attacked and kicked in the waist by bandits?”
Ye Yueshen slightly opened his lips, his surprised eyes were a little dazed, so would this world automatically correct the plot according to the original story’s trajectory?
At that time, Liu Qingying was a little puzzled and a little disappointed, and slowly shook his head.
So I will definitely die in the spring of next year? Ye Yueshen was a little sad.
Gong Shengyin sat in the small hall, his words and deeds were not as restrained and embarrassed as he pretended to be in front of Ye Yueshen, and he generously and appropriately chatted with Marquis Ye and the Junzhu about family matters.
Liu Qingying stood behind him with his head lowered. The Junzhu looked at him twice, feeling that this little palace servant’s face was kind.
Taking advantage of Liu Qingying’s moment of raising his head, she discovered that this little palace servant’s features were five-tenths similar to her youngest son’s, but not as delicate and pampered as Ye Yueshen’s skin.
Liu Qingying naturally did not have the radiance and vigor of being the center of attention, his temperament was meek and obedient, and there was a inexplicable sadness in his eyes. On closer inspection, the tail of his eyes drooped slightly, and the upper eyelid had a tendency to cover the lower eyelid.
In the original story, the Junzhu didn’t see Liu Qingying until halfway through the plot, and she immediately shed tears, projecting her thoughts of her son onto Liu Qingying, recognizing him as an adopted son, and ordering Gong Shengyin not to let him down.
But now Ye Yueshen has not died yet.
The Junzhu looked at her son at the door, who was dripping wet. Without paying attention to the prince beside her, she stood up abruptly and walked over, using a handkerchief to wipe the rain from Ye Yueshen’s cheeks: “You came out in the rain?”
Ye Yueshen shook his head: “I was playing and didn’t notice that my clothes were wet.”
The Junzhu turned her head and found that Gong Shengyin was standing nearby at some point, also looking at Ye Yueshen with concern.
“Why did you come so quickly?” Gong Shengyin said to him very considerately: “If you catch a cold, it will be my fault.”
Ye Yueshen couldn’t help but look at Liu Qingying. He was lowering his eyes, and although he was here, his soul seemed to have drifted away.
Ye Yueshen felt a burst of dizziness. If everyone’s ending cannot be changed, then will he die in an imperceptible twist of fate?
“Your Highness is too serious.” Ye Yueshen saluted properly: “How dare I trouble the Fifth Prince to visit in person for the money for a bowl of Tangyuan? In the future, Yueshen will not dare to borrow money easily.”
Gong Shengyin was stunned, and smiled a little awkwardly: “It was my thoughtlessness, I was too presumptuous.”
Marquis Ye could only smile along: “This dog is clumsy and doesn’t know how to speak. Your Highness, please bear with him.”
“Little Yue is a sincere child.” The Junzhu said to Gong Shengyin: “I didn’t tell him to walk around more when he entered the palace before. Even the Empress Dowager blamed me for spoiling the child too much.”
“Brother Yue has a chivalrous heart, and Uncle and Aunt have raised Brother Yue very well.” Gong Shengyin complimented.
Marquis Ye’s expression stiffened for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. The Junzhu pointed to one side with her hand: “That child looks good, let me take a look.”
Liu Qingying stepped forward to salute, and the Junzhu smiled at him amiably: “You don’t look like an inner palace eunuch. Is this your wet nurse’s child?”
“Indeed.” Gong Shengyin didn’t show the slightest bit of the ruthlessness in the original story, and introduced to the Junzhu gently: “He has often entered the palace since he was a child, and he is closer than ordinary people, so when I heard that Brother Yue helped him, I thought about visiting him. Relatives should visit each other more often. When I was a child, Aunt gave me candy at the palace banquet and told me to wear more clothes, just like… my mother.”
The Junzhu smiled, her tone seemed as usual: “The friendship of childhood is the most genuine. Little Yue, come and meet Young Master Liu. You borrowed Young Master Liu’s brilliance. You look a bit similar.”
As soon as the words fell, Gong Shengyin’s face immediately couldn’t hold on and turned gloomy, although he quickly smiled and said: “Brother Yue is good at writing poems, I have long wanted to get close to Brother Yue.”
Ye Yueshen sneered in his heart. Although he is the protagonist, he is only eighteen years old after all. No matter how powerful his mind is, in front of the knowledgeable and experienced Junzhu, he can only reveal flaws.
After another round of pleasantries, the Junzhu feigned an invitation for them to have dinner, but everyone knew that it was already past dinner time. This was just a disguised way of seeing them off.
Not only was Gong Shengyin not angry, but he also said some warm words before leaving with the dazed Liu Qingying.
Not long after they left, the Junzhu sneered: “He’s about the same age as my youngest son, but he has the guts to win me over.”
They didn’t know what Gong Shengyin was harboring for their youngest son. After those two calls of “Uncle and Aunt,” Marquis Ye was glad that he wasn’t drinking tea, otherwise he would have choked.
Isn’t this a blatant show of goodwill and wooing? The Junzhu thought so too.
Their family not only had a noble title, but also proper imperial relatives. The Empress Dowager’s adopted daughter, was closer to the power of the harem than those elder princesses who were half-siblings of the emperor.
Therefore, they didn’t notice Ye Yueshen’s role in it, only regarding him as a reason to get involved. Naturally, they didn’t notice when he left.
Ye Yueshen took a bath after returning, and found that his waist and abdomen were turning red. Bruises were definitely unavoidable.
He didn’t dare to touch it when he was drying himself after the bath. He slept messily, and the next day he ran to Yousu Fang. “Yousu Fang” was a well-known restaurant in the capital. It originally belonged to Jiaofang Division, but later, when Jiaofang Division moved west, the old site was bought and renovated into a restaurant.
Generally, people don’t know that “Yousu Fang” is the territory of the Fourth Prince Gong Xuyin. It was initially arranged by Concubine Xian for distant relatives to buy it when it was changed from official to civilian, relying on the reputation and location to retain the former customers.
The Fourth Prince Gong Xuyin was sophisticated and worldly. The managers he trained were amiable and good at talking. Many courtiers were regulars here, so Yousu Fang was a place for him to collect gossip.
There was not just one or two such restaurants in the capital, but they were all unknown.
The Fourth Prince had one, the Crown Prince also had one, and even the seemingly helpless protagonist Gong Shengyin also had one. The first two might be aware of each other’s means, but the latter was unexpected. Apart from the readers who knew this author-enhanced protagonist halo, everyone in the game was kept in the dark.
The most unlucky one was the Third Prince’s hot spring manor in the suburbs. Previously, due to some accidents, his role as the behind-the-scenes boss was exposed. Now, although it has basically lost its role in collecting information, it can still attract many wealthy customers seeking the prince’s protection to spend money, thanks to the prince’s name.
Just by being born in the royal family, as long as you don’t have a bad heart and don’t cause trouble, even if you are stupid, you don’t have to worry about wealth and prosperity. Fate always has some unreasonable preferences, and mortals have no way to resist.
Ye Yueshen’s abdominal contusion from yesterday had turned into a terrifying bruise. As long as he didn’t touch it, he couldn’t feel the pain anymore, but did he really want to pretend the bruise didn’t exist?
Ye Yueshen struggled all night. Now it was summer, and there were still more than half a year before next spring. How could it be smart to accept his fate and wait for death?
Instead of preparing for the arrival of the assassin, it would be better to find the mastermind behind the scenes and eliminate the hidden danger forever.
Entering Yousu Fang from the main entrance, one does not go upstairs. Entering the courtyard from the back door, passing through the path and corridor, the small building on the west side is the private room for distinguished guests.
The hall on the west building does not entertain guests. It is a Garnishsilk, hanging down and moving in layers with the wind. When the sky is dark, it has a unique mystery.
Ye Yueshen was stopped by the people at the door before he and Xuédōng even walked in. A waiter-like person greeted him: “Guest, please take a seat in our south building.”
Xuedong stood in the middle: “Presumptuous, how dare you touch our Third Master.”
“Xuedong, it’s okay.” Ye Yueshen asked the waiter: “Does the West Building not welcome guests, or is Ye Yueshen not qualified enough?”
The waiter didn’t recognize Ye Yueshen. He only saw that he was young, although he was dressed in luxurious clothes, his expression was cold and calm, which did not match his impression of wealthy young masters who were generous with money. Most of the A playboysons who dared to spend money were arrogant.
Ye Yueshen didn’t look like a “Third Master”, but rather like a caged bird with glittering feathers, the wing of the “Third Master”.
But when he heard Ye Yueshen say such bold words in a flat tone, the waiter smiled a little suspiciously: “Oh, Third Master, I was blind, but this West Building really doesn’t welcome guests, please move…”
“Forget it.” Ye Yueshen interrupted him: “What a rare place, since it doesn’t welcome me, I’ll leave.”
The waiter followed behind and apologized, but Ye Yueshen was determined to leave, and took Xuedong out the door and got into the sedan.
Once in the sedan, Ye Yueshen’s expression softened, and he said to Xuedong: “Trouble you to make a trip. Find a Danqing master to paint a ‘Riding on the Tiger’s Coattails’ picture and send it to Yousu Fang, asking someone to pass it on to their owner.”
Originally, he didn’t expect to be able to contact the people in the West Building on his first visit. In the original book, there was a scene where Yuan Bianyin was stopped at the entrance of the West Building because of his lofty and aloof demeanor and words, which was reported to the Fourth Prince Gong Xuyin by the waiter.
Therefore, the only thing Ye Yueshen was sure of was that his visit today would be known to Gong Xuyin.
The “Riding on the Tiger’s Coattails” picture looked like it was for the owner of Yousu Fang, but it was actually for the Fourth Prince Gong Xuyin. Although they were the same person, in principle, this matter was especially private and should not be known to outsiders.
What Ye Yueshen wanted was the effect of Gong Xuyin’s heart trembling, making Gong Xuyin suspect whether Ye Yueshen was saying that the waiter was riding on the tiger’s coattails, or that Gong Xuyin, who relied on the Crown Prince, was riding on the tiger’s coattails.