WMSG Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Is This How He Treats Me…?

Those who could attend the palace banquet were not only the concubines and imperial sons and daughters of the inner palace, but also some imperial relatives who had close ties with the royal family. There were very few princes of the same generation as the emperor, but there were many princesses, at least twice the number of princes, probably as a result of power struggles.

Ye Yueshen lightly tapped his fingers on the table, counting the princes with his left hand and the princesses with his right.

Someone stopped behind him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said close to his ear, “The battle for the throne doesn’t even involve us.”

Ye Yueshen turned his head, and the little princess had a face full of innocence, but her eyes were like those of a little adult.

At the palace banquet, men and women were seated separately. On the right were the concubines and princesses, and on the left were the princes and other men.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the little princess put her hand on Ye Yueshen’s shoulder. At first, Ye Yueshen didn’t realize there was anything wrong, but under the gaze of so many eyes, the gazes felt like needles pricking him.

Ye Yueshen came back to his senses and quickly got up to salute, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Why is Your Highness trying to harm me?”

“Why don’t you get yourself cleaned up and become my little eunuch?” The little princess smiled brightly, “Have you heard? The crown prince has placed your cousins in the Eastern Palace’s Directorate of Instruction.”

Ye Yueshen forced a smile, “How could I not know? I was the source of the rumor.”

“When I first heard the news, they all said it was you, but I didn’t think so.” The little princess pointed to the side hall, and the two walked along while talking, “There’s no reason for you not to be my male favorite and go be my second brother’s. Aren’t I a hundred times better than anyone else?”

Ye Yueshen felt like he was losing his ability to smile, “Your Highness, please don’t say these things to me. I’m a little scared.”

“I won’t say it then.” The little princess stopped.

The two stood at the entrance of the side hall, a little distance from the nearest palace servants, but not out of sight of everyone. This was convenient for talking and didn’t make them seem impolite.

“You haven’t been getting along with my ninth imperial uncle lately,” the little princess said, not as a question, but as a statement of fact.

Ye Yueshen felt a slight sweat break out on his back, and he even wanted to find an excuse to run away, “Your Highness, you look like you’re only ten years old. How about we talk about parrots and crickets?”

“You’re too timid.” The little princess gave Ye Yueshen a look of disdain, “Do you think you didn’t know when you were ten years old that aunts and uncles, and maternal uncles and aunts, slept in the same bedroom? I’m just a child, not an idiot. Besides, I didn’t say anything else.”

Ye Yueshen subconsciously looked around, searching for an unlucky person who could take his place and suffer here.

The little princess leaned in and asked him, “Did you not want Ninth Imperial Uncle anymore, or did Ninth Imperial Uncle not want you anymore?”

“This…” Ye Yueshen choked for a moment, then changed his words, “How about we talk about the crown prince and my cousins?”

“It seems you didn’t want my Ninth Imperial Uncle anymore.” The little princess thought she had guessed correctly and nodded with certainty, “Actually, my Ninth Imperial Uncle is quite good. I know he’s doing something very dangerous. I’ve seen him interrogate people. I said, ‘Ninth Imperial Uncle, you can ask me. If you ask me, I’ll tell you.’ But Ninth Imperial Uncle said some things are too dirty and can’t involve children, and told me not to inquire everywhere.”

Ye Yueshen didn’t think so and asked very sincerely, “That means he’s a good person? Isn’t that what he should do? If he really let you inquire, that would be hopeless. Your Highness, that only means he still has a conscience. He’s not bad, but that doesn’t mean he’s a good person. There’s a blank space between bad people and good people.”

The little princess lowered her eyes and pondered for a while, “What you said makes sense, but…”

“There’s no ‘but’. You can’t easily treat him as a good person.” Ye Yueshen felt that the little princess was still too naive at times, after all, she was just a child, “Before you can accurately judge whether he’s a good person, you should assume he’s a bad person.”

“I understand, Brother Yue, I’ll listen to you. What I wanted to say was…” The little princess’s gaze went past him, and she pointed behind him.

Ye Yueshen turned around. Gong Xunwu had appeared behind him at some point and nodded lightly to him, “You think I’m not a good person, so you go around proclaiming that I’m not a good person.”

Ye Yueshen was a little embarrassed. He explained, “I didn’t. I just said ‘assume’. ‘Assume’ means…” Ye Yueshen stopped. Why did he need to explain?

“Excuse me.” Ye Yueshen was slightly worried when he passed Gong Xunwu, afraid that Gong Xunwu would grab him under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Ye Yueshen was younger and of a lower rank, so his position was near the end. He looked to the right, towards the women’s seats, and found that the Junzhu’s position was very forward, even ahead of the princesses, in the middle of the princesses.

When the palace banquet began, the little princess would sit on one princess’s lap for a while, and then run to the Empress’s side, leaning her back against the Empress’s back. She was the most free person at the entire banquet.

Ye Yueshen was a little envious of her in his heart. She seemed to be able to go anywhere.

The palace banquet was much more free than Ye Yueshen had imagined. There were no ministers trembling with fear, being openly praised and secretly criticized, and no concubines openly fighting with words.

Some people would even get up and walk around, talking to each other. Occasionally, someone would walk up to the emperor and say a few words to him across the table.

Ye Yueshen originally wanted to find the Junzhu because he noticed that some princes would go to the women’s seats to greet the princesses and talk to them. He guessed that the younger generation was allowed to go over.

But he didn’t have the chance to get up. People kept taking the initiative to talk to him, and some elders even took the initiative to ask him if he had been betrothed yet.

Ye Yueshen was a little surprised. He subtly reminded the other party that he was the person who had just had a scandal with the crown prince, “I haven’t been betrothed yet. Yueshen’s mother said I’m still young. Yueshen’s mother is Yongning Junzhu.”

A prince patted him on the shoulder, “This prince knows you are Yongning Junzhu’s child. Your cousin used to say you were a talented person. Today, your uncle sees you, and you’re more than just talented, you’re simply a rare find in the world.”

Someone immediately echoed him. Ye Yueshen didn’t know if the other party was speaking sincerely, and thought they were just being polite for his mother’s sake, so he didn’t care much and returned the greeting, “Your Highness flatters me.”

The person next to him then praised him for being calm in the face of praise and criticism. In short, someone praised him for his elegant demeanor even when he breathed.

“Qi Wang.” A peaceful but dignified voice came from the head seat. Everyone looked towards the voice, and Ye Yueshen finally found a chance to sit down.

Gong Xunwu responded and looked at the emperor. The emperor had a smile on his face and asked him, “After the new year, you’ll be twenty-eight years old, and you don’t even have a concubine by your side. How can I be at ease?”

Gong Xuyin, holding a wine glass, stood up and looked back at Ye Yueshen, then turned back to the emperor and said, “Father, Ninth Imperial Uncle is two years younger than Second Brother. He’s still young.”

The emperor brought up the Empress Dowager’s concerns, “What your imperial brother said is right. The younger generation is all getting married, and you’re simply too outrageous. This old woman tells you every year, every day, and you’re more annoyed with this old woman than I am. The daughter of the Duke of Li is gentle and dignified, which matches your personality perfectly. And there’s the third daughter of your second sister-in-law’s family, with a captivating beauty. Although there’s a difference in generations, if you like her when you see her, we won’t mind since she’s not a blood relative.”

The princesses were also clearly hearing this idea for the first time and looked at the Empress Dowager with slight surprise. When she met the Empress Dowager’s gaze, she gave a gentle smile.

Ye Yueshen finished the wine in his cup, and the servant refilled it for him. Ye Yueshen took another sip. The wine wasn’t bad, and it didn’t have the harsh taste of baijiu, but he only belatedly felt the heat in his throat after swallowing it.

Gong Xuyin still hadn’t sat down. He seemed determined to help Gong Xunwu out of the predicament tonight and spoke again, “Imperial Grandmother, you don’t know that the daughter of the Duke of Li is already engaged to the second cousin of the fifth aunt’s family. The third daughter of the second aunt’s sister-in-law’s family you mentioned is actually plain-looking.”

The Empress Dowager glared at him, “That girl is beautiful, and you’re spreading rumors and ruining her reputation.”

Gong Xuyin smiled apologetically, “Imperial Grandmother is right, this grandson misspoke. It’s just that Ninth Imperial Uncle is the most handsome man this grandson has ever seen. Ninth Imperial Uncle must be matched with a famous beauty in the capital, we can’t be hasty…”

Gong Xunwu never got up. He raised his glass towards the emperor, “This subject understands. This subject will certainly live up to my imperial brother’s expectations and get married as soon as possible.”

The emperor laughed heartily and also raised his glass to him, drinking the wine in his cup. Gong Xunwu also drank the wine in his cup, put down the empty cup, and looked back at Ye Yueshen.

Gong Xuyin had already walked to Ye Yueshen’s side. He clinked glasses with Ye Yueshen, “Are you drunk?”

Ye Yueshen glanced at him, “Are you the one who’s drunk? The Empress Dowager was clearly unhappy just now. Why would you say those things and offend her?”

“Of course, it’s for you.” Gong Xuyin patted him on the shoulder, “How many princes can the emperor genuinely care about their marriage? If we’re talking about the emperor genuinely hoping that his brothers enjoy wealth and glory, then it can only be Qi Wang, who has the same mother as him. Zherong, whether for the princes or for the men and women of marriageable age, Qi Wang is undoubtedly a piece of fertile land, so of course I have to side with my own people.”

Gong Xuyin put his arm around Ye Yueshen’s shoulder very intimately.

Ye Yueshen felt uncomfortable from the bottom of his heart. In order to find out who was trying to kill him, Ye Yueshen had pretended to be good brothers with Gong Xuyin for a few days, but at times Ye Yueshen really believed that he was sincere towards him.

Gong Xuyin’s cheeks were a little red at this time, revealing a bit of a drunken state. The shrewdness and cunning that were engraved in his bones, after losing their disguise, seemed very selfish.

Ye Yueshen thought in his heart, as expected, one’s character is revealed by their drinking habits. Ye Yueshen drank the wine that the servant had poured for him. A pot of wine was emptied, and the second pot was fruit wine. Ye Yueshen tasted the flavors of grapes and plums.

Gong Xuyin hadn’t left yet and also had the servant pour him a cup, “Zherong, of course I’m siding with you. I hope you’re well, just as you hope I’m well. Ninth Imperial Uncle is genuinely protecting you. That day, the fifth prince’s Li Mansion banquet wasn’t even finished, and Third Brother is a prince, yet he’s now under house arrest in another courtyard. Ninth Imperial Uncle didn’t hesitate to offend the emperor for your sake.”

Ye Yueshen turned his head away to avoid the wine fumes blowing on his face and said softly, “You’ve had too much to drink. You can’t even read the room anymore.”

Gong Xuyin rubbed his forehead and didn’t hear his words.

Gong Shengyin, who was not far away, had been paying attention to the movements here. Gong Xuyin was drunk and didn’t notice Ye Yueshen’s rejection, but Gong Shengyin, who hadn’t touched a drop of wine, saw it.

Gong Shengyin walked over, reached out to block Gong Xuyin, and lowered his head to Ye Yueshen, thinking he was helping him out of a difficult situation, “Let’s go for a walk.”

But for Ye Yueshen, both of them were nothing but trouble. Ye Yueshen forced a smile and refused, “I’m drunk and too lazy to walk around.”

Gong Shengyin didn’t doubt it. Ye Yueshen’s cheeks were indeed a little red. His originally fair face now looked like a ripe peach, exuding an alluring aura.

Gong Shengyin’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He pushed Gong Xuyin away somewhat impolitely. Gong Xuyin staggered and was supported by the people behind him. He was now a little confused.

Gong Shengyin humbled himself and whispered in Ye Yueshen’s ear, “Come out for a walk. Give me some face.”

“I won’t.” Ye Yueshen turned to face the table. He took a sip of the wine in his cup and found that it had turned into a slightly sour rice wine.

He raised his head and asked the servant, “Where’s that red wine from just now?”

“What red wine is Master Yue talking about?” The servant looked at him with some confusion.

“It’s…” Ye Yueshen thought for a moment, “Wine, grape-flavored.”

“Please wait a moment, Master Yue.” The servant left to get the wine.

Ye Yueshen reached out to stop Gong Shengyin, “Don’t pull and tug. My mother is watching over there.”

Gong Shengyin was like a piece of dog-skin plaster. His heart was itching unbearably now, and what he was thinking about was Ye Yueshen’s underwear hanging on his bedside, and the way Ye Yueshen’s fingers traced his collarbone when he took off his clothes.

“Zherong…” Gong Shengyin had only taken one sip of wine today. In order to prevent doing something wrong after drinking, he had only touched his lips to the edge of the glass, but his throat was already a little hoarse, “Zherong, come out with me.”

In the distance, Gong Xunwu’s fingers loosely gripped the wine glass on the table, his index finger tapping the rim of the glass one after another, his gaze seemingly inadvertently looking at the commotion surrounding Ye Yueshen.

Ye Yueshen was like a child holding gold in the marketplace. Everyone who was clinging to him had ill intentions.

Ye Yueshen waved away Gong Shengyin’s hand. His movements were a little too big, but he didn’t realize it himself. His gaze dully swept around, and he met Gong Xunwu’s gaze from afar.

He couldn’t see Gong Xunwu’s expression clearly, but he intuitively felt that Gong Xunwu was watching the show.

“Is this how he treats me?” Ye Yueshen murmured softly, anger and unwillingness surged in his heart. Perhaps deep down he had an expectation that he didn’t want to admit, he expected Gong Xunwu to be reluctant to let him leave, to show excitement for his sake. But he might not return to Gong Xunwu’s side.

Ye Yueshen felt that he was so cliche, but he didn’t think he was vain. He just really needed Gong Xunwu to show some irrationality, to prove that Gong Xunwu had paid some sincerity.

Not just that he himself had fallen into a pitiful and pathetic state.

Ye Yueshen’s eyes were red. He felt like he had been tricked. Gong Xunwu was just deceiving him, using clumsy performances to perfunctorily deceive him: I love you, I can’t bear to leave you.

But then he turned his head and watched from the sidelines, watching him being surrounded by wolves, eagerly waiting for him to be torn apart.

Ye Yueshen picked up the cup that the servant was pouring wine into. The servant accidentally poured the wine on his hand.

Ye Yueshen stood up indifferently, pushed away Gong Shengyin’s hand, and walked towards the head seat in Gong Shengyin’s surprised gaze. His steps were firm, his gaze fixed on Gong Xunwu, passing through those nobles, facing a series of gazes.

In fact, he was walking a little unsteadily, his face was tense, and his eyes were clear and watery, looking very cute and easy to bully. He walked to Gong Xunwu, stumbled, and was about to fall.

Gong Xunwu accurately caught him in his arms. Ye Yueshen blinked, and his vision was occupied by a large area of dark blue fabric. He realized that he was too close to Gong Xunwu. After a while, he realized that he was being held in his arms.

He raised his face and looked at Gong Xunwu with a scrutinizing gaze for a while, his watery red lips slightly parted, “Who told you to watch my show? You can be embarrassed too.”