WMSG Chapter 80
by VolareLiu Qingying approached the bed, which was heavily surrounded by gauze curtains. With the help of the candlelight, he could only make out a silhouette lying on the bed.
Ye Yueshen’s voice was cold, his tone bordering on command: “Open it.”
Liu Qingying’s nose felt sour. He lifted the bed curtains, and then he was so surprised that he couldn’t speak. Ye Yueshen had already been restrained on the bed, with wide silk ribbons binding both wrists, secured on either side at ear level.
“Why?” Ye Yueshen’s tone didn’t even sound like he was asking him; it was simply an expression of his incomprehension.
Liu Qingying was speechless. He stared blankly at the dark circles under Ye Yueshen’s eyes, wanting to escape but unable to face him, his feet rooted to the spot.
Ye Yueshen turned his head slightly to look at him, his eyes wet and pitiful, and asked again, “Why did you lie to me?”
“I had no choice.” Almost the instant he opened his mouth, Liu Qingying cried. “He forced me to lure you here. If he had threatened me with my life, I wouldn’t have deceived you, but he knelt down, he told me that as long as you… as long as I could trick you out, he would let me stay by his side forever, grant me a title, make me his male concubine…”
Ye Yueshen’s eyelashes trembled. Liu Qingying cried very sadly, but his entanglement with Gong Shengyin had nothing to do with Ye Yueshen.
“But is this my fault?” Ye Yueshen asked him, “Liu Qingying, have I done anything to wrong you?”
Ye Yueshen mocked himself with a slight curl of his lips: “I originally thought I could consider you a friend.”
His gaze fell on Liu Qingying’s wrist. Ye Yueshen sighed: “You’re even still wearing the bracelet I gave you.”
Liu Qingying took off the bracelet with great force. He took a step forward, kneeling on both knees on the footstool. He cried so hard that he lost his strength, placing the bracelet on the edge of the bed: “I’m sorry, I’m returning it to you, please forgive me, I regret it so much…”
Ye Yueshen shook his head very gently: “I don’t want to forgive you. I just want to make it clear to you that I will never fall for your tricks again. I reminded you of some things, alas… I don’t mean to blame you. Even I myself have suffered losses, but my conscience is clear towards you. Whether you get what you seek or fail to obtain it in the future, it won’t be my responsibility.”
Liu Qingying felt like he had been struck on the head with a club. The regret was real, and the willingness to make the same choice again if given another chance was also real. But that didn’t stop him from being grief-stricken. He couldn’t help but grab Ye Yueshen’s hand: “I really… sincerely wanted to be friends with you, but…”
“There’s no need to say anymore.” Ye Yueshen had already turned his head away from him. “What I wanted to say is clear. Leave, I don’t want to hate another person.”
“Please forgive me…” Liu Qingying grabbed him and wouldn’t let go, as if doing so could gain him forgiveness.
“I can’t leave now, I can’t forgive you.” Ye Yueshen closed his eyes and said cruelly, “If you don’t want me to do anything that would be detrimental to you, then leave now.”
Liu Qingying was stunned for a moment. He had now lost Ye Yueshen’s trust. If Ye Yueshen really got angry and whispered in Gong Shengyin’s ear, then everything he had done would be for nothing.
Watching Liu Qingying close the door and leave, Ye Yueshen felt deeply exhausted. In his previous life, at least the goal was clear, but in this life, he was messed up by various disturbances.
Ye Yueshen wanted to wipe away the tears accumulating between his nose and eye sockets, but with both hands tied, he couldn’t even touch his face. He tugged hard at the cloth, but other than making his wrists redder, it had no effect.
The next day, Gong Shengyin came again. He was wearing a dusty gray cloth robe, with a belt made of scrap fabric tied around his waist, and his face had a bit of moisture on it, as if he had just made a special effort to wash his face.
Ye Yueshen saw bruises and wounds on his face, but he smiled triumphantly at Ye Yueshen: “You disappeared, Junzhu and your elder brother went to the palace to demand an explanation, and almost beat the drum of grievance, making the entire court aware. Fortunately, the Emperor sent someone to stop them from beating the drum of grievance early, and appeased your family in time.”
Ye Yueshen asked him weakly: “I am very worried about my mother and brother, is there still a possibility that you will let me go?”
Gong Shengyin did not answer him, but continued: “The Ye family thinks that Qi Wang has hidden you. Qi Wang couldn’t defend himself, and almost turned the capital upside down, ignoring the Emperor’s summons. Most of my mansion was smashed by him, as well as the East Palace and the Consort’s palace. Even the Consort’s maternal family was raided by him with private soldiers. Qi Wang has gone mad.”
Ye Yueshen couldn’t express his complex feelings, but he instinctively felt worried about Gong Xunwu.
“He is a Prince who keeps private soldiers.” The light in Gong Shengyin’s eyes almost made him jump for joy: “I am a prince who has only just gained the Emperor’s attention and cannot compete with him at all. I didn’t expect him to be so deranged that he openly led troops into the capital to find you.”
Ye Yueshen couldn’t help but say: “Gong Shengyin, you are too despicable and shameless.”
“Are you moved?” Gong Shengyin pinched Ye Yueshen’s face.
In his excitement and triumph, Ye Yueshen saw the jealousy hidden beneath. In fact, Gong Shengyin was not as happy as he appeared. He was very wary of Gong Xunwu, whether in terms of power or emotional threat.
But Gong Shengyin was still bluffing: “I don’t care even if you have feelings for him. Because he is about to be finished. The Emperor is furious. If it weren’t for the Empress Dowager’s obstruction, the Emperor would have ordered the Imperial Guards to arrest him.”
Ye Yueshen thought, what a karmic entanglement. Because of him, he was in a state of confusion, and because of him, Gong Xunwu was moving further and further away from being beyond reproach.
Gong Xunwu being able to risk exposure of his private soldiers to this extent was something Ye Yueshen had not expected.
“He even broke into the palace and hit me and the Second Prince.” Gong Shengyin was not ashamed of being beaten; instead, he raised his chin as if showing off his medal: “Qi Wang is really finished this time. The crazier he goes, the faster he will die. When he dies, no one will save you. Your mother, your father, and your brothers are all just lowly people in front of the royal family.”
Ye Yueshen thought of Gong Xunwu, who never fought back or cursed back in front of his family. The most annoying thing he had ever done to the Ye family was to stubbornly refuse to leave Ye Yueshen’s side.
Compared to Gong Shengyin’s shamelessness, Ye Yueshen’s resentment towards Gong Xunwu was much lighter.
“Although the Emperor has not restored the Second Prince’s position, he is now in the East Palace reflecting on his mistakes.” Gong Shengyin’s expression finally turned a little ugly: “Even going to Mangzhou to attack the barbarians has many people from the Consort’s maternal family. Zherong, I lost a great backer for you.”
Ye Yueshen looked at Gong Shengyin, never having felt that anyone could be as shameless as him.
Every word Gong Shengyin said made Ye Yueshen’s stomach churn with anger, and he didn’t even have the strength to refute him.
Ye Yueshen felt a fishy sweetness in his throat, and finally couldn’t help but turn his head and spit out a mouthful of blood.
Gong Shengyin stood up with a start, hurriedly untied the restraints on Ye Yueshen’s wrists, helped him up, and pulled him into his arms, patting Ye Yueshen’s back gently.
“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry…” Gong Shengyin’s tone softened a lot: “Don’t be angry, I was just talking nonsense. You have such a temper, I’m really scared of you.”
Ye Yueshen didn’t even have the strength to push him away, and his head drooped uncontrollably onto Gong Shengyin’s shoulder. Ye Yueshen closed his eyes and rested for a while, the fishy sweetness in his mouth making him feel nauseous.
He opened his mouth and bit Gong Shengyin’s shoulder, but he couldn’t use much strength. Gong Shengyin, on the contrary, felt happy because of his touch, and said nonchalantly, “Bite, as long as it can relieve your anger.”
Gong Shengyin didn’t stay too long this time, and his attendants urged him to return to the palace quickly.
Before he left, he kissed Ye Yueshen’s cheek, his gaze fixed on Ye Yueshen’s lips for a long time. Probably afraid that Ye Yueshen was currently angry enough to bite off his tongue, he didn’t dare to kiss him, and told Ye Yueshen to eat well before leaving.
Less than half an hour after he left, the outer corridor became chaotic. Ye Yueshen heard someone shout in a daze: “Who are you?”