WMSG Chapter 62
by VolareYe Yueshen wanted to inquire about the Crown Prince’s relationships, something only possible by investigating within the Imperial family. He couldn’t help but think of Gong Xunwu.
Since their relationship ended that day, Gong Xunwu had surprisingly not bothered him again.
Gong Xuyin had also been out of sight for days. Due to the lingering awkwardness from Zhang Nuanxiang, Ye Yueshen, now without Gong Xunwu’s protection, didn’t want to risk seeing Gong Xuyin easily.
As for Gong Shengyin, just thinking about him gave Ye Yueshen a headache. At least his family had some connection to the Imperial family because his mother was a Junzhu.
However, after several visits to the palace, he realized that the Junzhu rarely moved around the harem, except to visit the Empress Dowager’s Heyun Palace.
Ye Yueshen went to Ye Yuanshen’s courtyard. A maid invited him in, “Eldest Master will be back soon. Third Master, please have some refreshments.”
It was past dinner time, yet Ye Yuanshen still hadn’t returned. Ye Yueshen waited, resting his chin on his hand, and started to doze off.
When Ye Yuanshen returned, he didn’t wake him. He gestured for the maid to be quiet, went to bathe and change first, and then sat down opposite Ye Yueshen. He instructed the maid to place the fragrant dishes on the table, hoping to tempt Ye Yueshen awake with the aroma.
Ye Yueshen dreamt he was in the Du family, in a deserted courtyard with a table of food. He opened his eyes, covered in sweat and draped in a cloak. He turned to see his eldest brother’s gentle face.
“Brother, you’re back.” Ye Yueshen was slightly breathless, still caught in the aftermath of the nightmare.
Ye Yuanshen sat down, “Had a nightmare? You managed to sweat so much just sitting here.”
Ye Yueshen casually picked up the chopsticks in front of him, tapping their tips against the edge of the plate, still somewhat dazed.
“Can’t bear to sleep alone again?” Ye Yuanshen’s tone was calm. Ye Yueshen looked up, seeing no mockery on his face, but genuine concern.
“It’s not that.” Ye Yueshen had already eaten dinner, but he ate a shrimp, treating it as company for his brother. “Brother, I want to ask about the Crown Prince.”
Ye Yuanshen nodded, “What about the Crown Prince?”
“His affairs with women.” Ye Yueshen lowered his voice, “Or does he have male favorites? If you know any rumors, even far-fetched ones, tell me.”
Ye Yuanshen dismissed the maid and said, “Within the Eastern Palace, as far as I know, there is the Crown Princess, a secondary consort, and other consorts. There might be concubines too, but outsiders wouldn’t know much.”
Ye Yuanshen thought for a moment, “As for male favorites, I heard that the Noble Consort’s family sent a few handsome men to the Crown Prince before.”
“Is there…” Ye Yueshen carefully chose his words, “A heartbreaking story of unrequited love?”
“Even if there is, I wouldn’t know.” Ye Yuanshen asked him, “Is there something wrong with the Crown Prince?”
Ye Yueshen didn’t want to bother others with uncertain matters. “It’s nothing, I’m just inquiring about each prince. Brother, you need to be careful when you go to court and return. Don’t ride alone, always stay with…”
Ye Yuanshen found his endless chatter amusing. He seized the opportunity to toss a piece of steamed bun into his mouth. Ye Yueshen mumbled through the bun, “Annoying…”
Ye Yuanshen could tell that he was distracted, at least his sleep wasn’t peaceful. He suggested that he stay the night, but Ye Yueshen refused. He touched the sweat on his forehead, wrapped the cloak tighter, and left.
As soon as he left Ye Yuanshen’s courtyard, Ye Yueshen felt the night breeze. Inside, he thought the sweat had almost dried, but stepping outside made him feel chilly again.
Ye Lingshen seemed to have just returned. Rarely, he was wearing his official robes, his official hat tucked in his arm. Seeing him, he acted like he was teasing a dog, wiggling his fingers at him and saying with a snide smile, “Third Yueshen, tsk, tsk…”
“You’re even more annoying.” Ye Yueshen slowed down to wait for him. Ye Lingshen quickened his pace, put his arm around his shoulder, and walked along like good brothers, finding fault with him, “You have time to visit Eldest Brother, but never come to see me? All my love wasted on you.”
“Are you jealous?” Ye Yueshen looked up at him.
“Do I care about you?” Ye Lingshen scoffed, reaching out to mess up Ye Yueshen’s hair.
Ye Yueshen brushed his hand away and explained, “I went to ask Eldest Brother about some things.”
“What things?” Ye Lingshen was curious about such trivial matters.
“About the Crown Prince, like wanting to know his pink secrets.” Ye Yueshen lowered his voice, “Want to know if he has any messy relationships.”
“Then ask me! What does that bookworm Eldest Brother know?” Ye Lingshen knocked him on the forehead.
Ye Yueshen covered his forehead and said, “Then tell me.”
“Alright.” Ye Lingshen took Ye Yueshen to his courtyard, mysteriously closed the door, and the two of them sat on the bed in the bedroom, surrounded by blankets, as if preparing for a long heart-to-heart talk.
Ye Yueshen thought that made sense. Ye Yuanshen was a proper gentleman, usually busy with serious matters, and even if he wasn’t busy, he wouldn’t care about other people’s privacy and emotions.
But Ye Lingshen was different. He spent his days drinking and carousing with young masters, so he might actually hear some half-true, half-false Imperial secrets after a few drinks.
Ye Yueshen seriously adjusted his posture, looking at Ye Lingshen with anticipation.
Ye Lingshen made a gesture before speaking, then opened his mouth, “I don’t know either.”
Ye Yueshen was stunned. After realizing what he’d heard, he looked at Ye Lingshen angrily. He almost forgot how unreliable his second brother was.
“I’m an idiot if I believe you again.” Ye Yueshen angrily got off the bed to find his shoes and leave.
Ye Lingshen stopped him with a teasing smile, “I’m kidding, I know, I know. Don’t you want to know who the Crown Prince is entangled with in a life-and-death situation? You’re not interested in the proper Eastern Palace gossip, only the scandalous secret affairs?”
Ye Yueshen sat back down, “If you know, hurry up and tell me.”
Ye Lingshen told him all about the Crown Prince’s entanglements before he married the Crown Princess. Most of them were with his personal maids and concubines. He even made the naive joke of wanting to make a maid a secondary consort, but before he could mention it to the Emperor, the Noble Consort shot him down.
Ye Yueshen listened carefully, noting down useful information. Ye Lingshen fell silent as he spoke, and hissed, “I remember something. A few years ago, I was drinking with someone, and when I went home at three in the morning, I saw the Crown Prince and a woman out on a night stroll. After that, I ran into the Crown Prince drinking in a wine shop outside the palace at night twice.”
Ye Yueshen asked, “What’s that woman’s name and where is she now? Can you remember her appearance?”
“Don’t even mention that I was drunk and couldn’t see clearly or remember. Even if I was sober, I wouldn’t dare to look at the Crown Prince’s mistress, right?” Ye Lingshen stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, “These are all old news. Nowadays, the Crown Prince wouldn’t do such foolish things that could easily be discovered.”
After listening, Ye Yueshen went back to rest. He tossed and turned in bed, either thinking about what Ye Lingshen said or inexplicably thinking about Gong Xunwu.
He covered his head and burrowed under the covers, but after lying there for a long time, he felt oxygen-deprived and had to stick his head out. He was suffering from insomnia again.
Late at night, he still couldn’t sleep and even began to think about Du Ruxiang. He found it strange that even though he had also been assassinated at Gong Shengyin’s coming-of-age banquet, he couldn’t let go of the Du Ruxiang incident.
Perhaps it was because it was the first time he had taken action, Ye Yueshen took a deep breath. Before he could scare himself, he simply took the initiative to maximize the fear factor.
When Ye Yueshen was a child, he slept alone in a dark, unlit storage room. He was always afraid of the cabinet with a missing door, the half-hanging door beckoning him like a Pandora’s Box.
Ye Yueshen was tormented by that cabinet for many days and nights. Later, he was so scared that he finally steeled himself, stood up, opened the cabinet door, and felt around inside, confirming that it was empty before he ever feared it again.
Ye Yueshen got out of bed and dressed, found a jar of wine, and left through the side door alone. Following his memory, he found a small hill on the outskirts of the capital. The withered leaves that hadn’t fallen yet rustled in the night wind.
Ye Yueshen poured some wine on the ground. He wrapped his cloak tighter but still felt cold, so he took a sip himself and said to the air, “You made the first move, so you can’t blame me.”
…
The only response was the sound of the wind.
Ye Yueshen added, “If you’re really unwilling, why not give me a dream and tell me who wanted you to do this? Then I wouldn’t have to suffer and work so hard to find the culprit, and you’d be able to settle a matter of your own.”
…
Ye Yueshen stood in the woods for a while. By this time, the sky was already beginning to lighten. Ye Yueshen slowly walked back. When he passed the market, he decided to sit down and have breakfast.
He lived in the Ye family, and the place where he had stayed the longest besides the Ye family was Qi Wang Manor. The farms he had visited were also luxurious. This time, it was a rare experience to immerse himself in the ordinary life of common people.
This market was a mixed bag, with young masters in fancy clothes drinking hangover soup after a night of drinking, and merchants and farmers who got up early to work buying the cheapest and most filling coarse grain.
Ye Yueshen ordered a bowl of vegetarian wontons. The landlady gave him a huge bowl. Halfway through, Ye Yueshen finally felt sleepy. Several children kept looking at him, not because they wanted his wontons, but because they thought he was good-looking.
“Do you want some?” Ye Yueshen beckoned to them. The children cautiously came over, and Ye Yueshen shared the wontons with them.
They were all children of the stall owners nearby. The adults saw them from afar and grabbed a handful of cheap dry rations from their stalls and gave them to Ye Yueshen. Ye Yueshen declined for a moment, but seeing that they were sincere, he thanked them earnestly and accepted.
At the same time, Ye Yueshen also sensed some malicious men staring at him. He didn’t know if they were looking at his face or his expensive clothes, wanting to ambush him and rob him.
He could tell that their intentions were malicious with just one look. Taking advantage of a group of people passing by, Ye Yueshen left a piece of broken silver on the stall and quickly left, blending in with the crowd.
He gave the dry rations to a skinny old man he met on the road, saving a small piece for himself to taste. It was rough and hard, making it difficult to chew.
Ye Yueshen thought of the steamed buns that had been heated and cooled several times before.
When he returned home, he found the main gate wide open. Ye Yueshen went inside, and a servant with a panicked expression hurriedly turned around and went back.
Realizing that his family must have been worried when they found him gone in the middle of the night, Ye Yueshen felt a little regretful. He quickly followed, wanting to explain the situation to the Junzhu.
Before he could take a few steps, he saw Marquis Ye walking towards him with a cane, looking fierce and aggressive, and unhesitatingly struck him.
Ye Yueshen cried out in pain, but he didn’t stand there and let Marquis Ye hit him. He quickly turned and ran. With a command from Marquis Ye, several servants caught Ye Yueshen, and the cane struck him mercilessly on the back several times.
Finally, Ye Lingshen rushed over, snatched the cane and threw it aside, and took Ye Yueshen from the servants, protecting him behind his back.
Marquis Ye pointed at his nose and cursed, “You wicked thing! It hasn’t been long since you offended a prince, and you still haven’t learned your lesson after being beaten so many times! You dared to sneak off in the middle of the night to climb into His Highness the Crown Prince’s bed! Are you really worried that the lives of the entire Ye family aren’t enough for you to waste?”
“What?” Ye Yueshen looked at Ye Lingshen in confusion.
“Father, you’re really too quick to believe rumors!” Ye Lingshen glared at Marquis Ye fiercely. “You should ask clearly. Third Yueshen climbed into the Crown Prince’s bed? Don’t you ask if someone approves of it!”
Marquis Ye was furious and didn’t understand the hidden meaning of his words, only becoming angrier that his son dared to defy him. He turned to grab the feather duster from the steward’s hand, but the steward quickly tried to appease him.
Ye Lingshen pulled Ye Yueshen away, closed the door, and bolted it shut, explaining the situation to Ye Yueshen.
This morning, Ye Yuanshen went to court and heard people talking about the lively events in the harem last night. He heard that the Crown Prince and the Third Master of the Ye family were engaging in illicit activities in a side room of the Central Palace, and Yu Guipin, who had come to pay her respects to the Empress, saw them and screamed, attracting many palace staff, making it known throughout the palace.
Coincidentally, Ye Yuanshen had gone to see Ye Yueshen before he left in the morning and didn’t find him. The servant at the side door said he saw someone going out at night, but didn’t see clearly, and thought it was Ye Lingshen sneaking out for a drink, so he didn’t come out to ask.
The gatekeepers of the Ye family turned a blind eye to Ye Lingshen, so Ye Yueshen didn’t attract their attention last night.
Ye Yuanshen panicked. He quickly sent a servant home to tell them. The Junzhu, upon hearing the news, didn’t have time to be surprised or distraught, but quickly dressed and went to the palace.
Marquis Ye was left in the Ye residence, scaring himself. Ye Lingshen had been waiting at the side door, thinking of sending a warning, but he didn’t expect Ye Yueshen to come in through the main gate.
After hearing the whole story, Ye Yueshen was completely puzzled. He rubbed his temples and asked Ye Lingshen, “I didn’t even enter the palace yesterday. Who was it that engaged in illicit activities with the Crown Prince in my place?”
The Crown Prince was confined to the Eastern Palace, wearing his pajamas and kneeling in the main hall, with “Virtue” written by his teacher placed on a high table in front of him.
The attendant knelt behind him, trembling, “Your Highness, do your knees hurt?”
The Crown Prince slowly shook his head, “What are you afraid of? It wasn’t her. Father won’t confine me for too long.”
“Your Highness…” The attendant was almost crying. He wanted to say that the Crown Prince was too careless, but the Crown Prince was not one to tolerate an attendant telling him what to do. In the end, he didn’t dare to say anything.
The door was kicked open with a bang. Gong Xunwu, without even wearing a cloak, walked in quickly with a cold and imposing aura, kicking the Crown Prince to the ground with a loud thud.
The attendants cried out in panic, calling for Qi Wang, and went to grab Gong Xunwu’s leg. Before they could touch him, Gong Xunwu kicked one of them over, and the others knelt on the ground, afraid to move.
Gong Xunwu stepped forward and stomped on the Crown Prince’s chest. The Crown Prince almost lost his breath and quickly explained, “It wasn’t him, it wasn’t him, misunderstanding… Spare me, Your Majesty, it wasn’t… it wasn’t Master Yue, I wouldn’t dare even if you gave me a hundred times more courage.”