WMSG Chapter 51
by VolareYe Yueshen had been in a state of excitement after escaping the Third Prince’s trap. Perhaps the poison was slow-acting, or perhaps the pain from the abdominal wound affected his perception of other ailments. It wasn’t until things were mostly under control that he realized it.
Ju Su was completely baffled. He urgently fed Ye Yueshen a pill that temporarily stopped the spread of the poison and urged the driver to hurry.
Looking at Ye Yueshen in his arms, whose expression was calm and showed no signs of regret, Gong Xunwu felt as if he were handling a piece of tofu that had fallen on the ground. He couldn’t hit it, couldn’t dust it off, and was left with a mixture of regret, heartache and stifled anger.
It would have been better to put the tofu in a safe place.
Gong Xunwu felt that he shouldn’t have been so soft-hearted towards Ye Yueshen, who was constantly being coveted and surrounded by danger. He should have found a house surrounded by guards and locked him up.
Seeing that Gong Xunwu hadn’t spoken for a long time, Ye Yueshen closed his eyes and focused all his energy on resisting the excruciating pain. Apart from his teeth chattering and his whole body shaking, he didn’t utter a single groan.
Ju Su admired him a little. As an imperial physician, besides taking care of the emperor’s health, he inevitably had to treat the imperial relatives and meritorious generals as a favor from the emperor.
He had seen people suffering from poison and stab wounds, and almost all of them moaned in pain, crying and shouting. Ye Yueshen had a pampered face, but he could endure to this extent, which was really surprising.
The poison Ye Yueshen had been poisoned with was a very potent and rare one. Fortunately, a lot of it had been spilled when he was forced to drink it, so the amount he ingested was at a level that could be cured, but he would suffer.
Not long after returning to the manor, Ye Yueshen developed a fever. Ju Su personally prepared the medicine. By the time the medicine was ready, Ye Yueshen was already in a coma from the pain. Ju Su breathed a sigh of relief only after laboriously forcing the medicine down his throat.
He tidied up his medicine kit and turned around to see Gong Xunwu leaning over the bedside, holding Ye Yueshen’s head. His own face was pressed against Ye Yueshen’s forehead, like a person at the end of his rope clinging to a treasure he was afraid of losing.
This association made Ju Su a little silent. Gong Xunwu was the Qi Wang, of noble status and in a safe situation, and had nothing to do with being at the end of his rope.
“Your Highness,” Ju Su said seriously, he reminded softly, as if afraid of disturbing Gong Xunwu’s fragile emotions, “Young Master Yue is running a fever, Your Highness shouldn’t hold him.”
Gong Xunwu let go, still not leaving the bedside, using a washed wet cloth to wipe Ye Yueshen’s face and hands.
In fact, Ye Yueshen had already taken medicine to reduce the fever, but Gong Xunwu now urgently needed something to do to prevent himself from overthinking. Anyway, there was no harm in it. Ju Su sighed and let him wipe, gently closing the door after going out.
Ye Yueshen’s cheeks were flushed red, like a warm piece of white jade with a red jade heart. His appearance, even when dirty and disheveled, couldn’t hide his beauty, but Gong Xunwu had no interest in thinking about these things. He only wanted Ye Yueshen to get better soon.
The door was pushed open a crack, Gong Xunwu turned around and saw Ruo Ya looking in through the crack, tears streaming down his face, worriedly asking, “Will Young Master Yue die?”
Without thinking, Gong Xunwu threw the wet cloth in his hand over, hitting the door crack accurately, but it was caught by the hollowed-out carvings on the door, so it didn’t hit Ruo Ya’s face.
“Get out!” Gong Xunwu turned into a wild beast that indiscriminately attacked and scolded everyone, glaring fiercely at anyone.
Ruo Ya gasped in fright, but he didn’t leave, but cried out sharply and covered his mouth again.
Gong Xunwu couldn’t bear it at all: “If you cry again, I’ll cut off your tongue, you unlucky thing!”
Gong Xunwu’s sleeve was tugged slightly, he turned around and found Ye Yueshen’s eyelids half-open, his lips moving, and he said in a very weak voice, “Don’t be fierce to him.”
“Okay.” Gong Xunwu agreed quickly, he gently cupped Ye Yueshen’s face and lowered his head to touch his dry, pale lips. When he pulled away, Ye Yueshen had already fainted again.
Gong Xunwu sighed and said in a deep voice, “Come in.”
Ruo Ya wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly, and stood at the door, not daring to move.
“Aren’t you worried?” Gong Xunwu turned to look at him: “If you want to come in, then come in.”
After receiving confirmation, Ruo Ya walked in gently, closing the door in slow motion, for fear of disturbing Ye Yueshen on the bed.
He walked to the bedside and knelt on the footstool, reaching out to touch Ye Yueshen’s finger, and then asked Gong Xunwu, “Why is Young Master Yue injured?”
He didn’t get any answer, Gong Xunwu was in a state of distraction.
Sha Ou pushed the door open several times outside, saying that there was an imperial edict, but Gong Xunwu seemed not to hear it.
Sha Ou suspected that he hadn’t heard it, but didn’t dare to wake Ye Yueshen loudly. Now, everyone in the Qi Wang Manor knew that the Qi Wang treasured Young Master Ye, and no one dared to approach such a dangerous situation as illness, for fear of angering Gong Xunwu.
If it hadn’t been for the imperial edict, Sha Ou wouldn’t have wanted to come and provoke Gong Xunwu at this time.
In urgent matters, he had no choice but to beckon Ruo Ya and tell him about the imperial edict outside, so that Ruo Ya could relay it to Gong Xunwu.
The person in charge of Zhaoyang Palace came in person. The emperor already knew that the Third Prince, Gong Yiyin, had been beaten with a paddle and sent someone to demand his release, without mentioning any judgment on the matter.
Gong Xunwu was the emperor’s own younger brother, born of the same mother. When he was a child, the emperor held him in his arms and coaxed him to grow up. In the last two years of the late emperor’s life, when brothers fought each other, the young Gong Xunwu also sat on his lap, pulled at his eyebrows, and told him not to frown.
This was a treatment that none of the other princes had. The emperor really doted on his younger brother, there was no doubt about that. But no matter how much he doted on his younger brother, he couldn’t tolerate him beating his own son to death.
Regardless of whether he valued Gong Yiyin or not, he was still his own flesh and blood, and anyone with humanity couldn’t tolerate such a thing happening.
Not sending the forbidden guards to surround the Qi Wang Manor was already giving Gong Xunwu a lot of face.
Ruo Ya was a little naive and fearless about everything, but now he was really scared. Although he didn’t know what had happened, he could see that Ye Yueshen was very important to Gong Xunwu.
It was enough to drive anyone crazy when an important person was seriously injured. Ruo Ya was patted on the shoulder by Sha Ou and encouraged. The imperial edict concerned disobedience to the emperor, so he braced himself and stepped forward: “Your Highness, the Emperor has issued an edict, wanting Your Highness to hand over the Third Prince.”
Gong Xunwu paused in his action of wiping Ye Yueshen’s face, and after a long while, he said in a hoarse voice, “Dream on.”
Ruo Ya took a deep breath and went out, relaying everything to Sha Ou. Sha Ou slapped his forehead and walked away with a headache.
After that, people from the palace kept coming to urge him, first with an oral edict, then with a written edict, addressing him from the intimate “Wu’er” to “My Brother,” and then to the majestic and cold “Qi Wang.” The Emperor was obviously becoming angry.
Apart from Gong Xunwu, everyone in the Qi Wang Manor was in a state of anxiety. Sha Ou took the liberty of inviting Gong Xunwu’s friends to persuade him, but they couldn’t even get through the door.
In the end, they had no choice but to send a message to the Empress Dowager in Heyun Palace. The Empress Dowager almost fainted from anger after hearing about it and, supporting herself, sent an imperial decree to the Junzhu.
Ye Yueshen’s feverish dreams were chaotic. When he was vaguely conscious, he felt Gong Xunwu hugging him and holding his fingers, and heard someone muttering to himself, “Having a nightmare, it’s really damned to encounter this kind of thing again.”
Ye Yueshen’s consciousness was almost completely clear. Gong Xunwu was whispering in his ear, “Don’t be afraid, nightmares are all fake. Those people will be punished for their evil deeds. You’re just protecting yourself, you’re not wrong, retribution won’t fall on you…”
Ye Yueshen’s heart felt like it was being tightened by an invisible web. His entire heart was sour and swollen, and he unconsciously reached out and placed his hand on Gong Xunwu’s face.
Gong Xunwu was stunned, the excitement in his eyes was obvious. He suppressed his strong emotions and said calmly, “You’re awake.”
Ye Yueshen nodded. He was in a state of extreme fragility from body to spirit. The feeling of being surrounded by Gong Xunwu was warm and safe. He couldn’t help but shrink into Gong Xunwu’s arms. He wasn’t sure if the feeling that arose in his heart was gratitude.
After the surprise, Gong Xunwu tightened his arms around Ye Yueshen. He knew that it wasn’t necessarily because he had gained much trust and reliance, but rather because Ye Yueshen was vulnerable at this time.
The two quietly savored the embrace for a moment, a sense of security spreading between them, seeming to briefly forget all the unhappiness and resentment.
The noise outside grew closer. When Gong Xunwu reluctantly let go of Ye Yueshen and got up, the door was pushed open with a bang. The Junzhu rushed in with tearful eyes and hugged Ye Yueshen on the bed, “My child…”
Ye Yuanshen entered the door after her. He appeared calmer than the Junzhu, but there was little awe left in his eyes. He stepped forward and gave a greeting, his movements stiff, his eyes almost detached, and he relied entirely on his upbringing to explain: “The Empress Dowager’s decree said that Xiao Yue was injured at the Fifth Prince’s establishment banquet. Your Highness stood up for Xiao Yue and punished the Third Prince, but he has not yet been released back to the palace.”
Gong Xunwu looked at him and gave a tired “hmm,” not knowing whether he was acknowledging it or just being perfunctory, because he looked like he hadn’t heard anything.
Ye Yuanshen’s breathing became heavier, and he was provoked into anger by his reaction. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, and his expression could no longer be said to be respectful in any way: “This humble official doesn’t know whether the decree is indeed true, or deliberately concocted by the royal family to show to the Ye family, I hope Your Highness will clarify.”
From what Ye Yuanshen meant, neither the Empress Dowager nor Ye Lingshen had told the Ye family about his affair with Ye Yueshen. Gong Xunwu knew that the Emperor must know everything at this moment, regardless of whether the Empress Dowager knew it or not.
The Junzhu was quite frightened and turned back to reprimand him in a low voice, “Yuanshen!”
Ye Yuanshen turned a deaf ear, staring straight at Gong Xunwu.
Gong Xunwu pushed open the door and went out, whispering something to Sha Ou, which Ye Yuanshen didn’t hear clearly when he followed out.
He didn’t give up questioning, but Gong Xunwu remained silent. Soon, he was defeated by the disregard and let go, wishing he could attack the Qi Wang.
Fortunately, Sha Ou came in, and two forbidden guards behind him carried a person who was not known to be dead or alive and placed him on the ground. The Third Prince was still conscious, but lacking in energy. He raised his head to look at Gong Xunwu and immediately cried out, “Royal Uncle! You for the sake of a…”
Sha Ou had a premonition that he wouldn’t say anything good, and reached out to cover his mouth.
Seeing the Third Prince covered in blood, Ye Yuanshen was satisfied enough to shut his mouth.
Gong Xunwu turned around and entered the bedroom. The Junzhu had stabilized her emotions and had carefully placed Ye Yueshen back on the pillow to lie down.
Ye Yueshen’s hand was in the Junzhu’s palm. The Junzhu told him to rest well, and then turned back to Gong Xunwu and said to speak in another room.
Watching them leave, Ye Yueshen moved nervously, fearing that the Ye family already knew about his affair with Gong Xunwu. The entanglement between a prince and the son of a marquis was sensational enough, and it would be like the sky falling for the Ye family.
Ye Yuanshen sat down by his bed: “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Ye Yueshen blinked his eyes. He had already recovered from the fever, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his body, making him look wet.
Ye Yueshen asked, “Did Second Brother come home?”
Ye Yuanshen shook his head, then sighed after a moment: “You two have had accidents one after another, your mother and father are very worried.”
“I’m sorry.” Ye Yueshen squeezed his finger, as if trying to appease him: “If anything happens, you should go to the emperor and say that I’m not the Ye family’s son, I’m an impostor.”
Ye Yuanshen was amused by him, and the haze on his face dissipated a little. He helped Ye Yueshen wipe away the sweat: “You still have the mind to joke.”
“I’m not.” He couldn’t say “I’m really not your Ye family’s Ye Yuanshen” no matter what.
The two brothers fell silent. Ye Yuanshen wiped the sweat from his body, and Ye Yueshen vaguely remembered this feeling, as if someone had wiped him down not long ago.
The Junzhu and Gong Xunwu came back after finishing their conversation. The Junzhu said to Ye Yueshen guiltily, “It’s Mother’s fault, you said you were being chased, but we didn’t take it seriously, which led to today’s result.”
Ye Yueshen couldn’t bear to hear such words and felt distressed as he wiped away the Junzhu’s tears: “Mother, don’t cry, it’s not Mother’s fault, it’s just that this matter is too unbelievable, I wouldn’t believe it if I were you.”
The Junzhu couldn’t stop her tears. Apart from Ye Lingshen, the Ye family didn’t know what Gong Xunwu had done to Ye Yueshen. Gong Xunwu didn’t step forward, now wasn’t a good time to confess, he couldn’t stimulate Ye Yueshen. What’s more, he had already made a mistake, and the missing Ye Lingshen was a lesson from the past.
Gong Xunwu stood at a polite distance, watching Ye Yueshen.
The Junzhu explained, “Rooting out the Third Prince is not enough to rest easy, it’s hard to guarantee that there are no other masterminds behind it. The Qi Wang said that making a big fuss would alert the enemy, we must feign belief that the Third Prince is the only culprit, and His Highness promises to secretly investigate this matter and bring justice to our family.”
Ye Yueshen didn’t have anything to say about this, he could only force a smile to reassure the Junzhu.
The sky was about to dawn. Now the Qi Wang Manor was the safest place for Ye Yueshen to stay. The Junzhu also stayed to take care of Ye Yueshen, and Ye Yuanshen had to go to the palace to report to duty, so he left first.
Ju Su brought Ye Yueshen medicinal cuisine to nourish the stomach and clear toxins. After the Junzhu fed him, she changed the medicine again.
Just after tossing and turning and lying down properly, Ye Lingshen, who had disappeared for many days, came. He looked no different from when he had left, and Ye Yueshen was relieved.
Ye Lingshen encountered a Taoist temple holding a ritual in the Duke’s mansion and overheard someone whispering that the Fifth Prince’s establishment banquet was stopped halfway and the guests were dismissed, but the Ye family’s Young Master Ye was not seen coming out.
Ye Lingshen sensed something was wrong and immediately rushed home, where he heard the story from Ye Yuanshen.
As clever as Ye Yuanshen was, he didn’t expect that his brother had already been touched by Gong Xunwu. On the contrary, the Ye family all felt very safe relying on the Qi Wang Manor, and the guarantee from the Qi Wang was like taking a reassurance pill. They also thought that their son was naturally likable and that it was normal for him to be loved by his elders.
Ye Lingshen, who was the only one who knew the inside story, almost wanted to smash the Ye mansion, but he also knew that he couldn’t blame his family who had been kept in the dark. Gong Xunwu did look like a decent person, but who would have guessed that he was a beast in disguise.
Ye Lingshen got on his horse again and rushed to the Qi Wang Manor. Ye Yueshen excitedly called out his Second Brother, while the Junzhu reprimanded him: “You haven’t had any news for so many days, I thought you had died outside!”
To Ye Yueshen and the Junzhu’s astonishment, Ye Lingshen pushed Gong Xunwu hard.
Gong Xunwu acted very maturely and with composure, neither getting angry nor fighting back.
The Junzhu completely treated her son as if he was crazy: “Ye Lingshen! Can you act like a human being! Are you crazy?”
Ye Lingshen turned back and glared at the Junzhu: “Who’s crazy? Have you forgotten who caused San Yue to be placed under house arrest in the palace, with no news at all.”
He suddenly turned his head and pointed his finger at Gong Xunwu, scolding: “Despicable thing, don’t pretend to be a big shot in front of me, using your hunting lodge for accommodation, the royal hunt, and this establishment banquet, which time was your Qi Wang not present? How do I know you’re not the mastermind behind it all?”
The Junzhu was both angry and frightened by him, and came over to pull him: “Shut up, in front of the Qi Wang, if you dare to talk nonsense again…”
Ye Lingshen interrupted her: “Am I talking nonsense? Be careful that your whole family will be played around by him!”
“Second Brother.” Ye Yueshen didn’t cover his wound and propped himself up to sit up.
Ye Lingshen brushed aside the Junzhu’s hand, walked to the bedside and bent down. Ye Yueshen said to him in a low voice, “Don’t worry, I’m not angry.”
As soon as Ye Lingshen saw his eyes, he remembered the scenes that had happened in the Qi Wang Manor that day, and he became unusually silent.
The room was eerily quiet for a while, and Gong Xunwu raised his hand and opened his mouth: “I swear, if I have any intention of harming him, may I die a horrible death.”