Ye Yunting straightened his robes and calmly opened the door to receive the reward.
The visitor was an inner-court attendant of nearly fifty, dry and thin, dressed in a deep-purple round-collared robe with narrow sleeves. He held both hands tucked before his stomach. Shrewd light gleamed in his eyes, and every crease on his face seemed carved with the word calculating.
When Ye Yunting emerged, the man lazily lifted his eyes. The gaze sweeping over him was openly appraising.
“His Majesty has been moved by the Prince Consort's understanding of the greater good and has specially ordered this servant to deliver a reward. His Highness the Prince is bedridden at present, and the wedding was rather rushed. His Majesty hopes the Prince Consort will not take offense. Once His Highness recovers, you certainly will not be treated unfairly.”
His mouth spoke of praise and rewards, but his attitude said something else entirely.
Ye Yunting pressed his lips together, his heart tightening with vigilance. Still showing nothing, he knelt to receive the reward. “The Prince of Eternal Peace has defended Northern Radiance against foreign enemies and rendered unparalleled service in war. Now that he has been plotted against and gravely ill, it is my honor to contribute what little strength I can. I harbor no resentment.”
“Good. Since the Prince Consort understands things so clearly, His Majesty can rest easy.” The attendant stretched his loose skin into a smile and placed the scroll he was carrying into Ye Yunting's hands, deliberately emphasizing his next words. “His Majesty personally selected this for you. Your Highness should study it carefully.”
“Thank you for His Majesty's reward.” Ye Yunting accepted it and lowered his eyes to the scroll.
It appeared to be a painting.
He was wondering why the emperor had sent him a painting when the attendant said, “Why doesn't Your Highness open it and take a look?”
Ye Yunting had no choice but to untie the silk ribbon and unroll the scroll.
It was a painting of houses in the snow.
There were only two or three houses pressed close together. Thick snow covered the roofs and the ground. In front of the middle house, a figure held a broom and bent over to sweep the snow.
Ye Yunting's gaze moved to the end. There was no seal, only a single vigorous character forming the personal name “Zong.”
The present emperor's given name consisted of that one word.
The painting was actually in his own hand.
Ye Yunting lowered his eyes in thought. When he looked up again, delight had filled his face, and even his cheeks had flushed faintly with excitement. Pointing incredulously at the inscription at the end of the scroll, he asked, “Is this truly His Majesty's original work?” He seemed so overwhelmed that he did not know what to do with himself. Stammering, he said, “His—His Majesty's skill with the brush is exquisite. It's so lifelike. What virtue do I possess to deserve this? How could I possibly deserve such an honor…”
He even carefully rolled the painting back up, hugged it to his chest, and reverently bowed three times toward the east.
Watching this performance, the attendant's face went green, then red, then green again. His hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves. For a moment he genuinely could not tell whether this Prince Consort was truly stupid or only pretending to be.
The meaning was so obvious. Could he really not see it?
Idiot!
Ye Yunting remained radiant with joy and even smiled as he invited the man inside for tea. “My lord has gone to such trouble making this trip. Would you like to come inside for a cup of tea and rest your feet before leaving?”
Then, as though suddenly remembering something, he looked vexed. “No, perhaps not. There is neither hot water nor good tea in the room. I can't very well entertain a guest with cold water.” As he spoke, he even gave the attendant an apologetic smile.
“Please don't take offense, my lord. There are very few servants in the residence, and as I've only just arrived, I find them rather difficult to command.”
Wonderful. Not only had he failed to understand the painting, he had actually started complaining.
Did it never occur to him to use his brain and think about where the current dilapidated state of the princely residence had come from?
This attendant was an old hand in the palace and knew something of the Duke of Qi's household. He had previously known only that, after remarrying, the Duke of Qi favored his younger son and ignored his elder. Now it seemed the duke had perfectly good reason not to like his eldest son. A pretty-faced blockhead like this was truly an embarrassment to send out into society.
The attendant took a deep breath and tried to make his expression look less cutting. Even so, he could not stop himself from saying with a false smile, “His Highness dislikes noise while ill, so many of the old servants were dismissed. Everyday matters may be somewhat inconvenient, and the Prince Consort will simply have to be patient.” He paused, then added, “Also, His Highness dislikes outsiders seeing him in his present condition. If Your Highness has no business there, it would be best not to disturb him too often, lest you anger him.”
That was clear enough this time, wasn't it?!
The only reason the attendant had made this trip was that His Majesty had heard that, almost immediately after entering the residence for this auspicious marriage, the new consort had begun diligently caring for the Prince of Eternal Peace. His Majesty had been most displeased and had therefore sent the attendant specifically to warn him off.
His Majesty had arranged this marriage, but not because he genuinely wanted to find someone to attend Li Fengqi and let him spend his final days in comfort.
Yet Ye Yunting still wore a blank expression as though he understood nothing. His innocent eyes widened in surprise. “I'm already the Prince of Eternal Peace's consort. How could I be an outsider?”
He continued to himself, “His Highness may dislike other people, but surely he won't dislike me. My lord needn't worry.”
“…”
The attendant nearly choked on a mouthful of blood. It stuck in his throat, impossible either to swallow or spit out, and his face turned livid.
His cheek twitched for a long while. Finally, he could no longer maintain even a surface show of politeness. With a cold laugh, he said, “Naturally, this servant has nothing to worry about. But Your Highness should be very careful about your words and actions while living in this residence. Do not bring disaster upon yourself.”
With that, he flung his sleeve and stormed away with his people, practically smoking from all seven orifices.
This one was truly beyond teaching!
Ye Yunting stood where he was, looking utterly at a loss. After remaining blankly still for a long while, he suddenly became happy again and skipped back inside hugging the painting.
Ji Lian followed him in and shut the door tightly. He let out a long breath of relief and asked in a low voice, “Young Master, what was that about just now?”
He could tell that his young master had been acting, but he had no idea why. All he could do was hold his breath and try not to make a sound.
By now Ye Yunting had put away every trace of innocence from his face. With lowered brows, he tapped the painting that had been casually tossed on the table, then pointed upward. “He was sent to warn me—to tell me not to meddle in the Prince of Eternal Peace's affairs.”
What reward? The message could not have been clearer: sweep the snow before your own door and don't concern yourself with frost on someone else's roof.
He had not expected such a minor matter to reach the ears of the person in the palace after only a single morning.
It seemed the princely residence only looked empty and deserted. In secret, there were plenty of eyes watching it. The slightest stir of wind or grass could be reported to the palace immediately.
Ye Yunting's expression grew grave. He warned Ji Lian, “From now on, you must be careful about everything you do and say in this residence. Don't give anyone a handle to use against you.”
Ji Lian did not understand all these twists and turns, but he knew he would never go wrong by listening to his young master, so he obediently nodded.
Then he checked the time. Noon had already passed. Puzzled, he asked, “Young Master, didn't you say someone would bring us food? It's already past noon. Why is there still nothing?”
Before Ji Lian mentioned it, Ye Yunting had been fine. Now that he did, Ye Yunting also felt hungry. They had been running around since before dawn, and he had not had so much as one hot mouthful all day.
Judging by his previous life, the princely residence should not have gone so far as to withhold meals.
The emperor might desperately want both the Prince of Eternal Peace and Ye Yunting to die as soon as possible, but he wanted a good reputation even more. Given the current situation, not only would he refrain from personally acting against them, he would make a great show of appearances—just like all those stories Ye Yunting had heard outside about his deep brotherly affection. If Ye Yunting died mysteriously just after entering the princely residence, the matter could certainly be covered up, but rumors would inevitably spread.
Thus, although the residence had plenty of filth hidden inside it, during the year Ye Yunting had lived in the side courtyard in his previous life, he had at least received enough food to keep himself alive.
If he had not accidentally drunk that poisoned soup later, he would not have died so early.
Ye Yunting frowned and sent Ji Lian out to ask.
Following his instruction, Ji Lian opened the door and questioned the two maids again. Ye Yunting, meanwhile, chose a conspicuous spot in the outer room and hung up the painting personally bestowed by the emperor.
If one was going to act, one had to commit to the entire performance.
By the time he finished hanging it, Ji Lian returned.
“Those two maids still refuse to speak. They won't answer anything I ask.” Ji Lian shut the door and said angrily, “In the end I had no choice but to slip them a little silver. Only then did they say they'd received orders from above not to send us any food today.”
“Orders from above…” Ye Yunting tasted the words, remembered the attendant's livid face when he left, and clicked his tongue. “Looks like I overdid the performance and made him very angry. This is meant to teach me a lesson.”
He shook his head. “Never mind. Don't we still have the wedding sweets? Eat some for now. We'll think of something this afternoon.”
If the maids would not deliver food, there was little they could do. Master and servant had only just arrived and knew nothing about the residence. Worse, covert watchers were hidden somewhere inside it, so they probably could not come and go freely. For the moment, they could only take things one step at a time.
“We really did just escape a tiger's den only to walk into a wolf's lair.”
Ji Lian pulled the oiled-paper packet from inside his clothes. He took one sweet for himself, then pushed the rest toward Ye Yunting. “I secretly ate quite a lot at the ducal estate this morning, so I'm not hungry now. Young Master, you eat more.”
Ye Yunting took one, slowly ate it with the cold tea, then wrapped the rest back up and stuffed the packet into Ji Lian's hands. Before he could refuse, Ye Yunting said, “I'm not hungry. Eat enough to fill yourself. I still have something for you to do later.”
Only then did Ji Lian accept it.
After master and servant roughly filled their stomachs, Ye Yunting considered the situation and told Ji Lian to walk around the princely residence, locate the covert sentries, and if possible find out how many there were.
Ji Lian had never formally learned martial arts, but he was strong, quick on his feet, and fairly nimble. Secretly investigating a few watchers should not be too difficult for him.
“Be careful. Don't let them notice anything.” Ye Yunting thought about it and still felt uneasy, so he added, “If you can't manage it, come back immediately.”
Ji Lian nodded. “I understand.”
He hurried out, clattering away, and soon returned carrying two buckets of water. Then he deliberately announced in a loud voice, “Your Highness, I'm still hungry. I'll go see if I can find anything else to eat in the kitchen.”
With that, he darted away.
The two maids in the courtyard had probably received orders. As always, they stood there like clay statues, neither listening nor looking nor interfering with anything.
Taking advantage of the moment when he shut the door, Ye Yunting quickly swept his gaze over the large trees in the courtyard but saw no hidden sentries.
Still, he did not feel at ease. He quickly returned to the inner room and closed all the open windows, leaving only two that faced empty ground where no one could hide, so the room would still have some ventilation.
Only after finishing all of this did he approach the bed, intending to have an open conversation with Li Fengqi.
When he drew near, however, he found that Li Fengqi had lost consciousness again. His long brows were drawn tight and his teeth were clenched hard.
The grime on his face had already been washed away. In the dim, warm candlelight at the bedside, he looked slightly more alive. Though he had wasted away almost beyond recognition, his refined features could still not be concealed.
The ancients once said: lofty as a solitary pine standing alone; when he collapses, like a jade mountain about to fall. Ye Yunting thought those two lines suited Li Fengqi perfectly.
Even after being abused to this state, there remained something extraordinary in his bearing.
Ye Yunting straightened his disordered long hair and said softly, “Ji Lian and I didn't even get food today because of you. If you aren't willing to endure this humiliation, then hurry and get better.”
That way, master and servant might rise along with him and enjoy a little reflected glory.
Unfortunately, the unconscious man could not hear him. After muttering to himself for a moment, Ye Yunting resignedly got up to continue cleaning.
The sour-smelling bed curtains had to be removed and replaced. The floor, tables, and chairs all needed wiping down as well… Fortunately, he had done this sort of rough work before in the ducal estate. He was somewhat clumsy now, but he could manage.
By the time he finished, it was already dusk.
Autumn days darkened early, and the difference between day and night temperatures was large. For convenience while working, Ye Yunting had worn only a thin inner robe. Now that he had stopped, he finally noticed the cold. He hurriedly put on his outer robe and rubbed his chilled hands together, but his thoughts were on Ji Lian, who still had not returned from scouting.
He opened the door and looked around. The courtyard was silent. Aside from the chirping of insects and birds, there was no movement at all.
The two maids had gone somewhere and were no longer in sight.
Ye Yunting hesitated, but ultimately did not go searching. He looked around the nearby side rooms for a while and found several candlesticks and two sets of clean bedding. Then he returned to continue tidying. The only thing left now was the bed where Li Fengqi was sleeping.
Since Ye Yunting had decided to board the great ship that was the Prince of Eternal Peace, he would not retreat easily.
He lit several candlesticks to brighten the dim inner room, then went to deal with the invalid on the bed.
Li Fengqi was still unconscious. From the moment Ye Yunting first saw him, he had neither eaten nor drunk a single mouthful, and no physician had come to examine him or administer medicine. Ye Yunting could not judge his condition. He could only carefully pull away the moldy bedding, then tentatively reach for the ties of Li Fengqi's robes, intending to first check whether there were any external injuries on his body.
If there were, moving him carelessly would not be wise.
Ye Yunting first opened the outer robe stained with blood and medicinal liquid. When he reached the inner garment, he glanced at Li Fengqi with somewhat less confidence. Only after seeing that the prince's eyes remained peacefully closed did he breathe out softly and murmur, “Forgive me.”
The inner robe parted, revealing a body crisscrossed with scars.
Ye Yunting's earlier embarrassment vanished the moment his gaze fell upon them. His breath caught.
He had long known that the Prince of Eternal Peace had joined the army young and survived a hundred battles. Naturally, his body would bear no shortage of old and new wounds. Even so, seeing those intersecting old scars with his own eyes stirred a bleak ache in Ye Yunting's heart.
Generals die in a hundred battles; warriors return after ten years.
For years, Northern Radiance had been ringed by wolves. The eastern tribes harbored rebellious ambitions, Southern Yue grew stronger by the day, and Western Brilliance repeatedly violated the borders with open designs of conquest. In earlier years, the frontier had been plagued by skirmishes and warfare, and the people there suffered bitterly. But ever since the Prince of Eternal Peace rode alone to slay one of Western Brilliance's fierce generals, Northern Radiance's army had surged with morale. Under his command, the two hundred thousand troops guarding the frontier became an iron wall protecting the border population. Even the fiercest army of Western Brilliance no longer dared set foot across the boundary.
Frontier soldiers considered it an honor to join the Black-Armored Army under his command. Once the Black-Armored Army's black banners appeared, no one could match them.
Yet the God of War of Northern Radiance who terrified enemy nations now lay in his own residence, tormented until he hardly looked human.
Ye Yunting drew a deep breath, retied Li Fengqi's robes, then stood and bowed deeply to him before carefully lifting him horizontally into his arms. Li Fengqi was a martial man, tall and broad-boned, his frame nearly a full size larger than Ye Yunting's. Ye Yunting had braced himself with all his strength, afraid he might not be able to lift him. But once the man was actually in his arms, he discovered that Li Fengqi was frighteningly light.
His shoulder blades protruded sharply beneath his back, hard enough to hurt where they pressed against Ye Yunting.
Ye Yunting had lost count of how many times he had sighed today. He gently carried Li Fengqi to the chaise by the window and laid him down, then went to clean the wreck of a bed.
…