WMSG Chapter 73
by VolareThe two pieces of Xuan paper presented by Yuan Bianyin bore Ye Yueshen’s handwriting. One was an essay he had written in the past. Although naive and foolish, it did not conceal his sincerity. The Emperor, preoccupied with the events of the day, inadvertently glanced at a few lines, which even stirred a slight smile in him.
Sensing Gong Xunwu’s gaze beside him, the Emperor coughed lightly and placed the first sheet underneath, revealing Ye Yueshen’s current handwriting.
It was a transcription of a famous essay. It was evident that the characters were square and neat, but the strokes lacked the refinement of careful instruction. In fact, one could hardly speak of any skill at all. The beginning of each stroke was a deep blot of ink, and halfway through, the lines would split. Moreover, his characters were almost twice the size compared to the previous piece.
Gong Xunwu walked over, and without a word, took the two pieces of Xuan paper from the Emperor and compared them.
Yuan Bianyin took the initiative to say, “One shouldn’t rely solely on my words. I implore His Majesty to ask Young Master Yue if these two sets of handwriting are indeed his.”
The Emperor looked at Gong Xunwu, who put down the Xuan paper and turned to Ye Yueshen. Ye Yueshen, in turn, was looking at Ye Yuanshen.
He feared that the affection he had stolen would once again be lost.
“As for the writing of the real Young Master Yue from the past, it can be compared to the samples brought by the tutor,” Yuan Bianyin said, looking at the tutor.
The tutor gripped his book bag tightly. He also looked at Ye Yuanshen, wanting to hear his opinion. He relied on the Marquis’s residence for his livelihood and naturally valued the master’s wishes.
“There’s no need to look.” Ye Yueshen withdrew his gaze from Ye Yuanshen’s face. He had not received any attention from his brother. He had not intended to continue deceiving people today.
He was a fake, and no amount of pretense could change that. Even if he could muddle through with this handwriting, there would always be a time when he couldn’t. He was not the Ye Yueshen of the original book, and there was no way he could completely replace him.
His mother and brothers treated him very well, but that was based on the condition that he was their blood relative. But he simply was not.
Everyone was looking at him. Ye Yuanshen finally turned his head. Ye Yueshen’s gaze was vacant, focused on the space in front of him, only sensing the turning of the figure in his peripheral vision, unable to clearly see, or perhaps afraid to see, the expression in Ye Yuanshen’s eyes.
“I am not Ye Yueshen of the Marquis’s residence.” Ye Yueshen felt that speaking had become difficult. He opened his mouth with difficulty, “I can’t explain it clearly, but I am indeed not.”
For quite some time, Gong Xunwu’s mind went blank. In fact, everyone present was a little unable to react.
“Since when?” Gong Xunwu was the first to speak. Afraid that Ye Yueshen hadn’t understood, he asked in more detail, “When I went to the Marquis’s residence to retrieve the jade, was it you who was sick in bed?” He only cared about this matter now.
Ye Yueshen had actually imagined many possible outcomes the moment he confessed. Perhaps the Emperor would react first, smashing a paperweight on his face and angrily denouncing him for disregarding laws and regulations.
Perhaps Ye Yuanshen would react first, grabbing his collar and demanding to know where he had taken his younger brother.
Perhaps it would even be Yuan Bianyin, who would shout, “I knew it!” and then request the Emperor to grant him death, seizing the opportunity to speak up for the Crown Prince.
He had not considered what Gong Xunwu’s reaction would be. Perhaps he hadn’t had time, or perhaps he subconsciously avoided thinking about it.
Ye Yueshen looked at Gong Xunwu in a daze. He had thought that he would be doomed for deceiving so many people, but Gong Xunwu didn’t seem to blame him.
Gong Xunwu walked towards him, disregarding the gazes of the crowd, and asked him face to face, “When Fuyi was promoted to the Secretariat, was it you who accompanied him into the palace to meet the Emperor? Was it you whom I sought out at the academy to dine with? At Qi Wang Manor, was it you who I got drunk…”
Ye Yueshen’s cheeks flushed instantly. Afraid that Gong Xunwu would say something even more scandalous, he quickly admitted, “It was me, it was all me. It’s been me ever since I was beaten with the paddle. After I woke up, I was in the Marquis’s residence’s bed. I didn’t know…”
“Beast!”
Before Ye Yueshen could finish speaking, he was interrupted by an angry shout. By the time he realized what was happening, Gong Xunwu had already taken a punch from Ye Yuanshen, who was grabbing Gong Xunwu’s collar, about to continue hitting him.
“Brother!” Ye Yueshen rushed forward and tugged at Ye Yuanshen’s sleeve. Guards appeared from nowhere, quickly standing in front of Gong Xunwu and separating them. Some guards even tried to restrain Ye Yuanshen.
Ye Yuanshen was a scholar, not one to curse, let alone hit someone. The Emperor simply glanced at Gong Xunwu, then at the chaotic scene of the guards and the Ye Yuanshen brothers.
Knowing Gong Xunwu well, the Emperor knew that Gong Xunwu wasn’t unable to dodge that punch. In fact, his body had subconsciously moved to dodge, but he had ultimately chosen not to.
Ye Yueshen looked deeply at Gong Xunwu, not bothering to say anything to him, and hurriedly went to pull Ye Yuanshen back from the guards’ grasp.
He felt a little like crying. Whether in the original book or in his memory, Ye Yuanshen was always a decent and dignified gentleman. How could he be dragged around by the arms by guards?
“Stop it.” Gong Xunwu, suppressing his jealousy, ordered the guards to release Ye Yuanshen.
Ye Yueshen rested his face on Ye Yuanshen’s shoulder, exhausted and unwilling to deal with anyone else.
“To dare to fabricate in front of Us, you truly don’t want your head anymore.” The Emperor chuckled.
Yuan Bianyin looked triumphantly at the two Ye brothers kneeling on the ground, only to hear the Emperor say, “Guards, take Yuan Bianyin down and confine him in the South Chamber to await punishment.”
“Ah?” Yuan Bianyin’s face turned pale with fear as he looked at the Emperor, unable to believe that he was the one being punished.
The Ye family’s tutor also sighed. At his age, he had long seen Yuan Bianyin’s ambition and lack of consideration for others. But in his eyes, Yuan Bianyin was just a young boy who hadn’t reached adulthood, and he thought that he would naturally become sensible in a couple of years.
He had obliquely told him many stories about gratitude and repaying kindness, afraid of hurting the young boy’s feelings by being too direct. He hadn’t expected something like this to happen today.
Someone impersonating the Marquis’s third son should have been a family matter that the Marquis’s residence resolved behind closed doors. There was no need, nor should it have been, brought before the Emperor.
If Yuan Bianyin was doing this for the Ye family, he should be in the Marquis’s study right now, not in the Zhaoyang Palace.
“Your Majesty! This subject did it for the sake of Your Majesty and Prince Qi, to prevent you from being deceived. This subject was only thinking of…” Before Yuan Bianyin could finish speaking, his mouth was covered by guards and he was dragged away.
Ye Yueshen raised his head and looked at the Emperor, his eyes filled with confusion and fear.
The Emperor said in a flat tone, “It’s not that We are letting you off, it’s your brother who is letting you off.”
Ye Yueshen looked at Ye Yuanshen. Ye Yuanshen’s lowered gaze finally wavered slightly as he looked up at him, but said nothing.
“This is the Ye family’s affair. Yuan’er, because of you, he punched Prince Qi. We saw his choice. We don’t want to interfere in your family matters.” The Emperor looked at them with a complex expression.
Being too upright and serious in officialdom would inevitably lead to being ostracized. Many gentlemen who were raised by famous teachers and became officials would deliberately leave some flaws, as a way to leave themselves some room for maneuver and avoid becoming the target of everyone’s criticism.
But Ye Yuanshen had always been an impeccable person. The Emperor had thought that he would demand a thorough investigation of the fake “Ye Yueshen” and find his real younger brother. He thought back to the scene in the study that day when Ye Yueshen had unhesitatingly stood in front of Ye Yuanshen.
He hadn’t expected that Ye Yuanshen, this reasonable and upright gentleman, would disregard blood ties. Counting from when Ye Yueshen was beaten because of the Fourth Prince until now, it had only been half a year. Ye Yuanshen had actually gone to such lengths for a “fake younger brother.”
Equally displeased was Gong Xunwu. He had been thinking that if Ye Yueshen was thrown into prison because of this matter, he would secretly take Ye Yueshen away and replace him with a death row inmate.
But Ye Yuanshen had actually hit him for Ye Yueshen’s sake. Because of the phrase “got drunk at Qi Wang Manor,” Gong Xunwu couldn’t help but become wary, suspecting that Ye Yuanshen had other intentions.
He knelt down beside Ye Yueshen and said to him, “Leave this to Fuyi. Let’s talk in private, okay?”
Ye Yueshen looked at the mark on his cheek where he had been hit. These days, Gong Xunwu had stubbornly refused to listen to advice, and as a result, had been scolded and beaten a lot. Ye Yueshen wanted to tell him to stop banging his head against a brick wall, but he was afraid that he wouldn’t get through to him and would just waste his breath.
“No.” It was Ye Yuanshen who refused. He shielded Ye Yueshen behind him with one hand, his eyes fierce and bloodshot, “In front of His Majesty, Prince Qi, please conduct yourself with propriety.”
“Matters of state are paramount.” The Emperor interrupted them, “Qi Wang, either get out or step back and listen.”
The Emperor had been suppressing his anger all along. The usually flawless Prince Qi became reckless and unconcerned as soon as Ye Yueshen was involved.
“Send the old tutor home.” The Emperor watched as the attendants escorted the tutor away. With only the four of them left in the study, the Emperor said sternly, “Whether he is your Ye family’s flesh and blood is something We cannot discern, nor do We care. Yuan’er, your mother is Our adopted sister, and We have been friends since childhood. We will not let your family lose face.”
Ye Yuanshen kowtowed and said, “This subject thanks Your Majesty.”
“But this concerns Our own son.” The Emperor’s tone changed, “The Crown Prince is the future heir that We have chosen, the Crown Prince of the nation. Matters concerning the Crown Prince concern Da Qi, he—”
The Emperor pointed at Ye Yueshen, then said, “He accused the Crown Prince of having an affair with Our concubine. We must keep him for interrogation. Yuan’er, you understand, right?”
As a subject of Da Qi, Ye Yuanshen understood the Emperor’s meaning from a public standpoint, but from a private standpoint, he was unwilling. Gong Xunwu was clearly eyeing Ye Yueshen covetously, and he was unwilling to leave his brother in the palace, especially since the precedent of the hunting trip had not been forgotten.
“You don’t need to feel troubled.” The Emperor sneered, “We are not discussing this with you.”
Ye Yueshen had already been surprised that he hadn’t been severely scolded by Ye Yuanshen. At this moment, he had no other desires, only hoping that Ye Yuanshen would not contradict the Emperor again.
“Brother, go home first.” Ye Yueshen squeezed his arm, “I don’t know if I’ll ever see Mother and Second Brother again. I hope… I can tell them about this myself.”
“You don’t need to tell them yourself.” Ye Yuanshen pressed down on his hand, “We don’t need to tell anyone about this.”
Ye Yuanshen, under Ye Yueshen’s astonished gaze, turned to look at the Emperor, then kowtowed heavily, “Your Majesty, please pretend that you don’t know about this. This subject doesn’t want Father and Mother to be troubled by this.”
This was not as simple as causing trouble. It was about a biological son being replaced by a fake, a matter concerning the Ye family’s descendants.
“This subject also thinks it doesn’t need to be said.” Gong Xunwu echoed.
“This is none of your business.” Ye Yuanshen gave him a cold look.
The Emperor finally showed some annoyance towards them, “Yuan’er, go back first.” He neither agreed nor disagreed.
Ye Yuanshen bowed and took his leave, turning back every few steps to look at Ye Yueshen kneeling on the ground. He was slightly relieved when he saw Gong Xunwu forcefully helping Ye Yueshen up from the ground, and then turned and walked out.
“What is your name?” the Emperor asked him.
Ye Yueshen said, “My name is Ye Yueshen. I’ve been called Ye Yueshen since I was born.”
“Royal Brother, he needs to rest.” Gong Xunwu was very protective of Ye Yueshen, always half-holding him in his arms. Without waiting for the Emperor to say anything, he continued, “This subject will take him to rest first.”
Ye Yueshen didn’t have the strength to decide whether to stay or leave. He was half-carried and half-embraced by Gong Xunwu, ignoring the Emperor’s command to stop behind him.
Ye Yueshen had been to Jiangyun Palace before. He was placed on a soft couch by Gong Xunwu, with a hand warmer placed in his hands. The incense burner was also removed, and Shā ōu brought in two fragrant Buddha’s hands.
Ye Yueshen looked very tired. He lowered his head, hugging the hand warmer, not saying a word or looking up at anyone.
Gong Xunwu felt an unbearable pain in his heart. Perhaps because of his appearance, he looked calm and indifferent, but only he knew that the complex emotions of this matter made him very uneasy.
“Yueshen.” Gong Xunwu called out to him, “Come with me. Since this matter could be seen through by the Crown Prince’s concubine, the Junzhu is a clever person and will see through it sooner or later. I’m afraid you won’t be able to withstand the Ye family’s anger by then.”
Ye Yueshen finally raised his head to look at him.
Gong Xunwu felt hopeful and continued, “Not only that, but anyone who accuses the Crown Prince is suspected of manipulating power. I’m afraid the Emperor will have people interrogate you. The Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice use torture during interrogations. It’s useless if only I know you’re innocent. You’ll have to fabricate a mastermind, or the Emperor won’t let you go easily.”
Ye Yueshen was silent for a while, then said very softly, “How can I be sure that these words aren’t just another trap?”
Gong Xunwu was speechless. The matter of Du Ruxiang had exhausted all of Ye Yueshen’s trust in him.
“You can always go back on your word.” Gong Xunwu placed a dagger in Ye Yueshen’s hand, “You can always go back on your word.”
Ye Yueshen’s fingers loosely held the hand warmer. The dagger only stayed in his palm for a short while before falling to the ground because he didn’t hold it tightly.
Gong Xunwu’s eyelashes trembled slightly. After a long while, he said in a deep voice, “Alright, I’ll clean up the mess. This time, I’m not tricking you. I’m really helping you clean up the mess.”