WMSG Chapter 40
by VolareEver since Ye Yueshen was “borrowed,” he had been quiet. Although Gong Xunwu had long known he wasn’t welcome, he still had to admit after being left out for a few days that if the other person had no demands, they really wouldn’t come.
Yan Kui left six people to secretly protect Ye Yueshen, while he himself kept an eye on Zhang San, bringing him to the kitchen for a walk before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, letting him burn some firewood casually, and then taking him back to the cellar to keep watch.
During the days of waiting, Ye Yueshen wasn’t as calm as he appeared. Occasionally seeing the people protecting him in the corners would suddenly remind him that he was being hunted, and he would break out in a cold sweat.
The next day, he moved into Ye Lingshen’s room to stay, but Ye Lingshen didn’t sleep very peacefully, often turning over in the middle of the night and hugging him. Sometimes he would wake up suffocating, only to find Ye Lingshen’s head pillowed on his abdomen, completely using him as a pillow.
Moreover, Ye Lingshen often went out to socialize, attending endless banquets and drinking until he was drunk, sometimes staying out all night and only returning during the day.
Living in Ye Lingshen’s bedroom alone was no different from living in his own bedroom, so he went to seek refuge with Ye Yuanshen.
Ye Yuanshen was much more reliable, but he was too upright, even his movements when turning over in his sleep were slow and steady. Ye Yueshen was always afraid of making mistakes when interacting with him, lying stiffly in bed all night, suffering from insomnia.
Ye Yuanshen thought he wasn’t used to sharing a bed with others, so he very politely took the initiative to sleep on the small couch in the main room, which only made Ye Yueshen feel more embarrassed.
When Ye Yueshen returned from the academy, the steward greeted him at the door, urging him to quickly change his clothes. Qi Wang from the palace had arrived, and the Junzhu wanted him to accompany the guest.
Yuan Bianyin, who was walking not too far behind, took the initiative to come forward and ask the steward, “Will we be dining in the front hall today? What did my uncle say?”
Originally, neither the Junzhu nor Marquis Ye had mentioned Yuan Bianyin, but he was, after all, the family’s cousin.
The steward was a little surprised. Yuan Bianyin was usually very aloof, living like a hermit in the Marquis’s residence in the capital, and would never actively inquire. He was always passive about entertaining guests. Over time, the Junzhu and Marquis Ye had instructed them not to disturb him.
The steward said, “His Highness Qi Wang just arrived not long ago, and hasn’t said whether he will stay for dinner. The Junzhu has asked for a feast to be prepared.”
“Understood.” Yuan Bianyin left after clarifying, not saying whether he would go or not.
Instead, Ye Yueshen asked, “Have my eldest and second brothers returned? Is it necessary for me to go?”
“Is there any inconvenience for the Third Master?” The steward walked him for a while. Ye Yueshen couldn’t think of any reasonable excuse. Moreover, as long as Gong Xunwu wanted to see him, any of his reasons could be made awkward by Gong Xunwu.
Ye Yueshen went back to change his clothes, picked up a Buddha’s hand citrus, and sniffed it vigorously. The fragrant scent filled his nasal cavity, and he felt a little better, even feeling that it had increased his confidence in dealing with Gong Xunwu.
He first encountered Ye Lingshen outside the front hall. Obviously, he had also been temporarily grabbed by the steward and was straightening his clothes under the corridor. Ye Yueshen went over to help him tidy up, casually gossiping with his brother in a harmless way, “We weren’t close to begin with, why are they sending him to our house this year? He’s more attentive than a real uncle. Don’t Father and Mother find it strange?”
“What’s so strange about that?” Ye Lingshen didn’t think so. “Relatives are of course closer the more they interact. Moreover, you’ve been having bad luck lately, arguing with a prince and being dragged into a conspiracy for no reason, and being imprisoned for several days. The palace has to appease us, right? According to Father and Mother’s style of protecting themselves, maintaining relations with the royal family, Qi Wang is the least likely to cause trouble. Since he’s offering himself, we can’t just chase him away.”
Ye Yueshen earnestly reminded him, “Qi Wang indeed doesn’t have disputes and won’t provoke storms, but that’s what we intend for him. But what about him? He’s the one taking the initiative. ‘No good deed goes unpunished,’ you know.”
“Yo…” Ye Lingshen pinched his cheek. “You’ve grown a lot of brains lately. But why should we worry about these things? Father and Mother can calculate, and if not, there’s still Eldest Ye. Now even you are worried about the family’s rise and fall, what am I in the middle?”
Ye Yueshen wanted to arouse their vigilance towards Gong Xunwu. Even if breaking off relations wasn’t realistic, they still had to maintain a normal distance. This situation where he comes whenever he wants and even instructs him to accompany him, if it happens every now and then, the whole family will be manipulated by him.
“I guess you’re just thoughtless.” Ye Yueshen no longer expected anything from Ye Lingshen and went into the house to meet the guest, not very happy.
Gong Xunwu was drinking tea. Seeing him come, he stood up and said, “I’m tired of sitting. Accompany me for a walk in the garden.”
He didn’t look at Ye Yueshen at all. Ye Yuanshen then said, “Alright, Your Highness, this way please.”
“Fuyi, you go and rest.” Gong Xunwu looked at Ye Yueshen. “Let Zherong accompany me for a walk.”
Ye Yueshen had no right to refuse and accompanied Gong Xunwu to leisurely look at the flowers and plants. His route in the Marquis’s residence was also very monotonous, and he almost turned into his own courtyard.
He stopped abruptly at the crossroads and then turned in the opposite direction.
Gong Xunwu asked him, “What’s wrong? Do you have something shameful in your room?”
Ye Yueshen made an excuse, “Weren’t you going to stroll around the garden?”
“Not strolling around the garden.” Gong Xunwu lifted a branch that was about to scratch Ye Yueshen’s cheek. “I heard you’re afraid to sleep alone. I’m here to accompany you to sleep.”
Ye Yueshen’s heart sank, but he couldn’t get angry. Yan Kui was keeping an eye on Zhang San at his request, and it was also legitimate to inquire about trivial matters in the Marquis’s residence. And Gong Xunwu was Yan Kui’s real master. Ye Yueshen had to ask for help from others and couldn’t be too fussy.
“That won’t do.” Ye Yueshen stopped. “I’ve already sent out the message to let Zhang San return to his hometown in a few days. I’m so ‘kind.’ It’s hard to guarantee that Zhang San won’t burst into tears and confess everything before he leaves. Don’t delay my work.”
Gong Xunwu nodded, his attitude so indifferent that it made people suspect he was being sarcastic. “Then you really are very kind.”
“Right?” Ye Yueshen reached out and tore off a rose petal covered with yellow pollen, put it to his lips, and chewed it slowly.
Gong Xunwu’s gaze was unconsciously drawn away by his movements, first to his water-red, moving lips, and then to his white-as-snow cheeks moving.
He preemptively locked his gaze on Ye Yueshen’s fair and delicate neck, waiting for the peristalsis of the muscles when he swallowed.
But the petal seemed to disappear into Ye Yueshen’s mouth. He spoke to Gong Xunwu normally, “Are you thinking how dare I shamelessly take your sarcasm as praise? When you say I’m kind, is the image that comes to your mind my exhausted appearance as a survivor?”
His swallowing action was interspersed between his words, as natural as swallowing saliva, but Gong Xunwu still keenly captured that subtle movement.
It was like a piano string moving a very small amount, but the aftersound lingered for a long time.
Gong Xunwu was firmly controlled by a feeling, as if he was covered by a fishing net, and the fishing net was constantly tightening.
He remembered the mountain forest he had encountered by chance, followed by Ye Yueshen asking him with almost the same tone as now after the fire, “Are you thinking about which of your brothers, nephews, or nieces wants to murder you?”
Gong Xunwu wasn’t sure what he was thinking at the time, but there were indeed several figures in his heart.
Ye Yueshen was like a herbivore with extremely low aggression, who had strayed into the arena of large predators, but what was interesting was that the eagerness he showed was far more than fear.
Gong Xunwu concealed his excitement with a steady voice, “Which time being exhausted are you talking about? Was it that time in bed, or…”
“You’re really bad at flirting.” Ye Yueshen interrupted him, his eyes also turning cold, and even that little bit of pretense was gone.
“So I was flirting.” Gong Xunwu smiled faintly. “I didn’t even know if you hadn’t told me.”
Ye Yueshen suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He paused and said coldly, “I was being presumptuous.”
A thug from the Qi Wang Manor ran over and saluted, “Your Highness, we’ve caught them!”
Ye Yueshen quickly said, “Don’t make a big fuss about this. It’s best not to alarm my father and mother. It would be best if it could be resolved in the cellar.”
His request was a bit demanding, but the people from the Qi Wang Manor were best at handling difficult things. Without him explaining, they had already taken the assassins to the bottom of the cellar discreetly without alarming anyone.
Ye Yueshen followed the thug quickly. The cellar was dark, damp, and cold, and several people were holding torches, the illuminated area was also very limited.
In the flickering torchlight, Yan Kui was frowning, resting his face on one hand and hugging his elbow with the other, worrying as he looked at the people lying scattered on the ground.
Hearing footsteps, Yan Kui turned his head, but unexpectedly saw Gong Xunwu. He felt pressured, “Your Highness, this subordinate has handled things poorly. I didn’t leave a single one alive…”
Ye Yueshen took a torch from someone’s hand. Before he approached the corpses, someone stopped him, worried that he would be frightened.
But Ye Yueshen was just solemn. He used the torch to illuminate the faces of those people one by one, and then handed the torch to someone casually, and personally began to check the clothes and belongings on these people.
He noticed that one person was holding a small gourd-shaped object in his hand. The person’s hands were very dirty, the skin was rough, and the nails were short and wide. Blood flowed out of the cuff, passing through the back of the hand and fingers, leaving a dark red thin line that split the little finger’s nail right in the middle.
Ye Yueshen trembled a little, and then held his breath to take the small gourd from his hand, but Gong Xunwu grabbed his wrist. “There’s poison in this, don’t touch it.”
“How do you know?” Ye Yueshen wanted to take a closer look. There seemed to be a mechanism on the narrow-mouthed part of the small gourd.
Gong Xunwu reminded him, not knowing what he was thinking, “Extremely poisonous, even more poisonous than the dumplings you gave me.”
Ye Yueshen suspected that Gong Xunwu would mention that bowl of dumplings for the rest of his life. He unbuttoned a person’s collar, wanting to see the fabric of his inner clothing.
It wasn’t that he could see anything, but since no one was left alive, they could only look for clues on the corpses.
Ye Yueshen’s soft and beautiful hands quickly untied a very tight belt, and Gong Xunwu couldn’t bear it anymore and pulled him up, even scolding him, “Aren’t you afraid of getting dirty?”
Yan Kui stepped forward with a knowing look, deftly turning over an outer garment. He was too rough, and accidentally tore a piece of intimate clothing.
He glanced at it with disgust, about to throw it away, but suddenly looked closely at the light of the torch, and then handed it to Gong Xunwu, “Your Highness, there are words on this, in a foreign language.”
Gong Xunwu didn’t take it, just glanced at it. The edges of the thread were fine and strong, and next to the thread was embroidered a line of text that Ye Yueshen didn’t recognize.
“It’s Miao language.” Gong Xunwu instructed Yan Kui, “Turn it over again, and let Shao Ou find someone who understands Miao language to take a look.”
Whether it was because the cellar was too cold or because Ye Yueshen felt fear, his back was so cold that he almost trembled. He left the cellar and stood on the ground, wrapped in sunlight.
Gong Xunwu stood behind him, without speaking.
After a moment of silence, Ye Yueshen asked, “If I remember correctly, the Fourth Prince’s birth mother has Miao blood.”
“I’m not too sure.” Gong Xunwu didn’t interact much with the harem, he only remembered that Gong Xuyin’s birth mother, like Gong Shengyin, was a dancer.
Judging from Ye Yueshen’s interaction with Gong Xuyin during the hunting, the two seemed to be very close.
Gong Xunwu grabbed Ye Yueshen’s shoulders from behind, suppressing the joy in his heart, and comforted him softly in his ear, “Don’t be too sad.”
Ye Yueshen was surprised in his heart. Gong Xunwu actually determined that the mastermind behind the scenes was Gong Xuyin based on the embroidery on the intimate clothing. This was too hasty.
Moreover, in an action with little chance of returning, how could the assassin wear his identity information on his body? Rather than a clue, it was more like a deliberate misleading.
Ye Yueshen wasn’t actually sad. He and Gong Xuyin were just superficial acquaintances. Trust was a very solemn thing, and life experience had taught him not to trust easily.
Gong Xunwu turned him around, hugged him in his arms, “Murder for money is just the tip of the iceberg of power struggles. Conspiracy and trickery are the norm in this muddy pool of the royal family. If you find it difficult to adapt, it means you are a pure person.”
Ye Yueshen was really comforted. Perhaps he needed a hug at this moment, and Gong Xunwu was willing to provide it.
He buried his face in Gong Xunwu’s neck, gradually feeling relaxed and peaceful. Suddenly, Gong Xunwu woke him up in his ear, “I’ll sleep with you tonight.”
Ye Yueshen pushed him away.