WMSG Chapter 64
by VolareYe Yuanshen saw Gong Shengyin to the door. He stood inside the threshold, holding the door with one hand. Once Gong Shengyin stepped over the threshold, he unhesitatingly closed the door.
When he turned around, Ye Yueshen was heading straight towards the screen. Gong Xunwu stood motionless facing the screen. After a long while, he turned to look at Ye Yueshen.
Ye Yueshen looked at him, “What are you doing here?”
Gong Shengyin didn’t seem to have any expression, but if you looked closely, the muscles on his face were very tight, and even his back was completely stiff. He seemed to have learned something unbearable and questioned with unbearable anger, “How could you get entangled with a junior?”
Ye Yuanshen didn’t follow, so even without seeing Gong Xunwu’s face, he could feel his exasperation. He never expected that Qi Wang, with whom he had little friendship even when he was a study companion, would treat his younger brother with such helplessness.
Gong Shengyin had just left, the door was tightly closed, and a screen concealed Gong Xunwu.
The whole room was filled with awkward disharmony. With such an arrangement, it was easy to think of catching someone in the act of infidelity.
Ye Yueshen felt even stranger than him, even feeling a bit insecure because of Gong Xunwu’s matter-of-course tone. He seriously pondered for a moment to confirm that his thoughts were correct before retorting, “The Fifth Prince and I are the same age. On the contrary, it’s you…” who are of a higher generation than us.
But Ye Yueshen used the term “same age” instead of “same generation,” so Gong Xunwu instinctively completed the rest of the sentence as “On the contrary, you are older than us.”
The situation was getting out of hand. Gong Xunwu choked for a moment, then leaned forward slightly and unconsciously amplified his voice, almost threateningly, “I am an old man. Don’t think you can escape from this old man’s palm.”
“Your Highness,” Ye Yuanshen reminded him.
Before, Gong Xunwu had always been considerate of the fact that Ye Yuanshen was Ye Yueshen’s older brother. Gong Xunwu believed that he and Ye Yueshen would eventually get married. Yongning Junzhu doted on Ye Yueshen so much that she almost wanted to carry him around in her sleeve. He and Ye Yuanshen had at least some friendship as study companions, so he could let him mediate.
Gong Xunwu was silent for a moment, waiting for reason to return. Ye Yuanshen had already stood between him and Ye Yueshen like a hen protecting her chicks, saying to him, “Your Highness, Xiao Yue is right. You and Xiao Yue are of different generations. With all due respect, you are, after all, relatives. I hope Your Highness will be merciful.”
The support he had finally gained was lost again. Gong Xunwu suppressed the urge to imprison everyone who didn’t approve of him and Ye Yueshen together, and said to Ye Yueshen, “A word in private.”
Afraid that Ye Yueshen would disagree, he gave Ye Yueshen a look. He was already skilled at threatening Ye Yueshen, so he subconsciously chose the familiar method.
Ye Yueshen took a step back and refused, “I won’t.”
Gong Xunwu was stunned for a moment. Ye Yueshen repeated, “We have nothing to talk about. Everything I have to say to you has already been said.”
Ye Yuanshen turned back to look at Ye Yueshen in a bit of surprise. He had seen Ye Yueshen crying, so he thought Ye Yueshen loved Gong Xunwu but couldn’t have him, which was why he brought Gong Xunwu back.
But why didn’t Ye Yueshen want to talk to Gong Xunwu? Ye Yuanshen pulled Ye Yueshen aside and blatantly whispered, “Why don’t you want to talk to His Highness Qi Wang?”
Ye Yueshen was also very puzzled. He had finally broken up with Gong Xunwu, so why were they getting entangled again now?
“Since you have him in your heart…” Ye Yuanshen said halfway before stopping abruptly, glancing towards the screen. Gong Xunwu was sensible enough not to follow, but he wasn’t sure if his voice had been heard just now.
Ye Yueshen turned around to persuade his brother, “No one can have everything go their way. I’m already very lucky and don’t want to take any more risks.”
“But…” Ye Yuanshen didn’t continue. He felt like he didn’t recognize the younger brother in front of him. In fact, since a long time ago, his younger brother had become increasingly unexpected.
Ye Yueshen had become peaceful and distant. The fluctuations in his emotions were also completely different from before. The reasons for his anger and happiness were both unexpected.
A person’s words and actions and habits don’t reveal much when taken individually, but when linked together, they are very characteristic of a person. When one person is replaced by another, the strangeness and oddity are very obvious.
But a completely identical face will make people subconsciously rationalize things, like, perhaps his temperament has changed after being beaten? Ye Yuanshen looked deeply at Ye Yueshen. The accumulated sense of unfamiliarity seemed to erupt at this moment.
“Brother?” Ye Yueshen sensed the change in his gaze and couldn’t help but take his hand when he called out to him.
Ye Yuanshen almost felt dizzy. In fact, his younger brother had always called him Big Brother and Ye Lingshen Second Brother.
“Xiao Yue?” Ye Yuanshen’s tone was a bit uncertain.
Ye Yueshen felt a chill from his reaction. He supported Ye Yuanshen and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong?”
Gong Xunwu walked over. He had many things waiting to say to Ye Yueshen. In his opinion, Ye Yuanshen was simply making trouble now.
Ye Yueshen helped Ye Yuanshen sit down and looked back at Gong Xunwu very impolitely, “As you can see, the family has been busy recently. Your Highness Qi Wang, please go back.”
Gong Xunwu refused, but he didn’t want to make things difficult for Ye Yueshen in front of Ye Yuanshen, so he went to see Marquis Ye and the Junzhu.
Yuan Bianyin had already been sent back to the Ye family. This matter was a shocking scandal for both the royal family and the Ye family, so they were trying their best to make the matter less difficult.
The Emperor punished the Crown Prince, and Marquis Ye also made Yuan Bianyin kneel in the ancestral hall. Yuan Bianyin abandoned his usual gentle and polite manner, standing in the ancestral hall with his neck stuck out, pointing at the spirit tablets and saying, “This is the Ye family’s ancestral hall, not my family’s ancestral hall. I won’t kneel.”
Marquis Ye was so angry that he almost fainted. His nephew, who had always been obedient and sensible, and who had always done better than his younger son in everything, actually pointed at the ancestral spirit tablets with such disrespectful words.
“Your mother can kneel, so why can’t you kneel?” Marquis Ye gave the housekeeper a look. The housekeeper called the servants forward and held Yuan Bianyin down to make him kneel.
Gong Xunwu stood outside the ancestral hall watching the show calmly, without any self-awareness about avoiding other people’s family scandals.
When Ye Yueshen and Ye Yuanshen heard the news and rushed over, Yuan Bianyin had already been hit with the spanking paddle. He suddenly burst into tears of grievance and was arguing loudly with Marquis Ye.
“Today you want me to kneel in the ancestral hall?” Yuan Bianyin glared at Marquis Ye with red eyes and sneered, “Weren’t you very clear about distinguishing between outsiders and family members in the past? Ye Yueshen is your own son, so even if he’s a good-for-nothing, so many people surround him, praising and coaxing him. I do everything to the best of my ability, but no one cares.”
Ye Yueshen remembered the embarrassing scene when he was blocked by Marquis Ye and those retainers. Yuan Bianyin was like a perfect, flawless comparison, with no faults in his attitude or etiquette.
In contrast, he was like a pitiful wretch who had been neglected. Ye Yueshen sighed in his heart, thinking that everyone really does have their own perspective.
Ye Yueshen and Ye Yuanshen stood outside arm in arm, while Gong Xunwu stood on the other side of the ancestral hall door. Gong Xunwu took the initiative to walk over and asked him, “What have you been praised to be like that he’s so jealous of you?”
Ye Yueshen thought for a moment, “I don’t know.” He felt like he hadn’t experienced it much.
Marquis Ye’s hand was trembling with anger. He opened his mouth several times before thinking of an excuse, “You do everything to the best of your ability? You have neither tried your best nor have the talent. You are just okay, and I just didn’t want to discourage you.”
Yuan Bianyin sneered, “Nonsense, I’m about to soar to the sky. Since Uncle says so, then don’t borrow my influence in the future.”
Ye Yuanshen also sneered, but he didn’t step forward to say anything.
Gong Xunwu finally focused his gaze on Yuan Bianyin. Even when Yuan Bianyin used his little tricks on him that time they met, he hadn’t given him a second glance.
How could climbing onto the Crown Prince be considered soaring to the sky? Gong Xunwu looked back at Ye Yueshen. Ye Yueshen was the one who had the opportunity to soar to the sky, but Ye Yueshen didn’t care.
Marquis Ye raised the paddle again to hit someone. Ye Yueshen had a psychological shadow from this kind of violent corporal punishment. He subconsciously raised his hand, opened his mouth, and wanted to say something to stop him.
A servant ran over from outside and called out “Marquis,” Marquis Ye stopped his actions and looked over. The tense atmosphere was interrupted by the servant who ran over.
Following behind the servant who was jogging was a palace servant. He stepped forward, first gave Marquis Ye a salute, and after calming his breath, he said, “His Highness the Crown Prince is unable to leave the palace. Please, Marquis Ye, do not be angry. For the sake of His Highness, spare Young Master. His Highness invites Young Master to the East Palace Secretariat, and appoints him as Junior Tutor. The imperial decree will be delivered to the Marquis’s residence when the Emperor’s anger subsides.”
Yuan Bianyin was completely stunned. He seemed to have been hit by great luck. He lowered his head and laughed for a while, then sat on the ground with a plop, looking up at Marquis Ye and laughing, like a silent demonstration.
And Marquis Ye’s face looked like he had suffered some disaster. Even though his nephew had contradicted him, this was indeed the best result at the moment. The Crown Prince had responsibly protected everyone’s face.
According to reason, Marquis Ye should have breathed a sigh of relief, but he shouldn’t have looked so bitter and resentful.
Gong Xunwu’s gaze also turned towards Marquis Ye. Marquis Ye dropped the paddle and left without saying a word.
This matter was temporarily put aside. Ye Yueshen avoided Gong Xunwu like the plague and hid at the Junzhu’s place. Gong Xunwu wasn’t without his own methods, but he didn’t want to pressure Ye Yueshen too much.
It wasn’t until the Little New Year’s palace banquet that he had the opportunity to see Ye Yueshen again.
Originally, the Junzhu didn’t go to the Little New Year’s palace banquet very often. Rather than toasting and exchanging pleasantries with various royal relatives in the palace, the Junzhu preferred to be at home with her family, happy and carefree.
But so many things had happened this year. When the palace servant came to invite her, she didn’t refuse.
Before the Little New Year, Ye Yueshen had been investigating Consort Yu. Consort Yu had caught the Crown Prince and Yuan Bianyin “together,” which made Ye Yueshen notice this imperial concubine whose status and favor were not outstanding.
He asked Ye Lingshen for help. After some effort, he found out that Consort Yu was the adopted daughter of the imperial merchant Yu family. Originally, she was the daughter of a branch of the clan. Her family sold fried lotus root cakes and lotus root soup in the capital’s market. They couldn’t be considered too destitute, but they could be considered poor relatives of the Yu family.
Later, for some reason, she entered the Yu family and entered the palace in less than a year. Ye Lingshen said it wasn’t difficult to guess that the Yu family’s main branch probably didn’t have any daughters of suitable age for the imperial selection, so Consort Yu, as a daughter of a branch family, entered the palace.
Ye Yueshen remembered the lotus in the Yuguang Pavilion and felt like he had glimpsed a little of the Crown Prince’s secret.
Originally, the Junzhu was going to go alone to the palace banquet, but the Emperor and Empress Dowager sent imperial decrees one after another, wanting their family of five to enter the palace to join in the lively atmosphere. Before entering the palace, the Emperor sent someone to say it again. This time, he was almost making it clear: “It’s been many days since I’ve seen Young Master Yue. The Emperor said he feels indebted to Young Master Yue and requests that the Junzhu be sure to bring Young Master Yue with her.”
The Junzhu simply wanted the whole family to go together, as it wouldn’t be good to separate on the Little New Year. But Marquis Ye had been very depressed recently because of Yuan Bianyin’s affair and didn’t want to enter the palace. When Ye Lingshen heard about going to the palace banquet, he also shook his head directly. The remaining Ye Yuanshen was worried about his father and his second brother, who would get drunk every holiday, so he didn’t go either.
Ye Yueshen also said he wasn’t going, but the Junzhu immediately retorted, “No, you must go.”
Only he had no room to refuse, so he could only humbly follow the Junzhu into the palace to attend the banquet.