The door was pushed open with a creak. Madam Qi walked in carrying a box of food. With a complicated expression, she looked at Ye Ming, who was kneeling on the ground. After a pause, she finally stepped over to him lightly.
Ye Ming looked tense. His heart was beating very quickly. He did his best to keep himself from exposing any peculiarities and looked at Madam Qi guiltily. “Mother…”
Madam Qi’s eyes were red and swollen, as if she had cried for a long time. Now, looking at Ye Ming, she was unable to suppress the sadness and disappointment in her heart. She once again became choked with emotion. “You…why…”
Ye Ming lowered his head. He was so ashamed he was almost unable to speak. “Sorry…”
Madam Qi looked at her child. Ever since he was small, this child had been lovable and obedient, sensible and filial. He was different from his younger brothers and sisters; he never made her worry over him. He had always been her eldest son, whom she was most proud of, yet it turned out to be this child that made such a monumental mistake!
Even now, she still couldn’t believe it. She would rather believe her son had been forced than believe he and the emperor truly had an improper relationship. Madam Qi struggled with herself a bit. She asked shakily, in a tone laced with expectation, “Were—were you willing?”
How could her son voluntarily enter the palace to please the emperor? How shameful and lowly would that be! He must certainly have been forced!
Madam Qi believed that she might’ve discovered the truth. She stared at Ye Ming intently, grit her teeth, and asked, “Was the emperor forcing you? You weren’t willing, right?”
A pained look flitted through Ye Ming’s eyes. Of course he hadn’t been willing.
With red eyes, Madam Qi said, “If you received such humiliation, you should have told Mother and Father. Even if it means we have to leave the capital, we still wouldn’t let you continue to be humiliated by that dog emperor! Even if we die, we wouldn’t let you shoulder that disgrace while innocent! So what if he’s the emperor? Let him kill us all if he can!”
Ye Ming looked at Madam Qi fixedly. Although his body was cold, his chest flooded with warmth. This was his mother…she loved him so; even if he’d made a mistake so great it spanned the sky, she was still willing to believe in him, to be unhesitatingly, utterly considerate of him.
He should be content with that.
Ye Ming suddenly smiled a little. This was the first time he had smiled in these past few days.
He should be grateful that he had family members like this. It was just that there were some things that ought to be taken to the grave…If he really said he had been forced, then with his father’s candidness and his mother’s fierceness, they would surely oppose Li Zechen to the death over it.
No matter how much Li Zechen loved him or tolerated his father, the Qi family could not afford to bear the consequences. Even if they won, there would be no glory, only ridicule.
And Li Zechen’s reputation would also be damaged. Everyone would know him as an incapable ruler who forced his subjects. This matter would become an unremovable stain upon him.
And so it would be better for Ye Ming to bear it all alone.
This matter should be stopped here.
The Qi family would remain the honorable and upright Qi family, and the emperor would remain the brilliant and capable emperor.
Ye Ming lowered his eyes and said, word by word, “His Majesty did not force me. It was me that has shamed Mother and Father and dishonored our ancestors.”
The hope in Madam Qi’s eyes was extinguished little by little. Her grip loosened, and the container of food fell to the ground with a thump, food spilling everywhere…Her look of disappointment stabbed Ye Ming’s heart deeply.
After a long moment, Madam Qi slowly walked over, raised her hand, and slapped Ye Ming hard!
Ye Ming’s head was forced to the side by the blow. A trickle of blood trailed down from the corner of his mouth, and his body swayed slightly. Then he continued kneeling upright in place.
Madam Qi said sadly, “You…really like the emperor?”
Ye Ming only tightly pursed his lips and didn’t utter a word.
Li Zechen hid behind the door, listening to all of it.
His nails pierced his palms. It took all of his strength to overcome the urge to rush out and stop it.
Madam Qi’s slap didn’t just strike Ye Ming’s face. It was more like a barbed metal whip, striking his heart and tearing up pieces of his flesh.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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When the door slammed shut, Li Zechen’s line of sight was no longer obstructed, and his eyes met Ye Ming’s directly.
At this moment, neither of the two people made a single sound.
It seemed as if only seconds had passed, yet it also seemed as if it had been an entire century.
Li Zechen one again raised his foot and walked, step by step, to Ye Ming’s front. His hand shook a little, and gently cradled Ye Ming’s face. There was still a bright red handprint on it.
This was the person that he held in his palm and cherished, the person that he couldn’t bear to hurt even the tiniest bit. Yet he had been spurned by his own mother in despair.
Merely for him.
“You, why did you not tell her?” Li Zechen’s eyes burned slightly.
He didn’t dare ask if he liked him back a little. He didn’t have the right to ask that question, but he just felt…maybe Ye Ming did care for him. It wasn’t as he’d thought: that he didn’t care for him even a little bit.
Otherwise, why wouldn’t he say it? Tell everyone that it was him that was the wrongdoer, let him utterly lose face.
Ye Ming didn’t respond to his question. He just kowtowed deferentially to Li Zechen, slowly saying, “Your Majesty should leave now.”
The expression in Li Zechen’s eyes was dazed for a little bit.
Right, he should be leaving.
He knew now that in fact Ye Ming didn’t care about his own reputation. Instead, he cared more about Li Zechen’s reputation. His wish that he could become a good emperor hadn’t changed from beginning to end.
Although they couldn’t be together, he cared about him. For this reason, he didn’t hesitate to carry this burden of a ruined reputation.
Li Zechen slowly straightened his body. He gently took a step back. He looked at the person in front of him one last time, and slowly but steadily turned around.
I will set a good example for the whole kingdom and become a good emperor, just as you wish.
[Ding, Li Zechen’s blackening value -1, current blackening value 1]
Ye Ming watched as Li Zechen left, and the door closed again. Finally, he couldn’t take it any longer. His vision went black, and he fainted.
………………
When he woke up again, Ye Ming was already lying in his bed.
[Ye Ming: Ah, I really cherish the memory of my bed. The sort of haunted, eerie place like that ancestral hall really isn’t the sort of place for people to stay.]
[888: Is that so?]
[Ye Ming: Yes, it’s too scary. Be honest, does this world really not have any ghosts? Even something as bizarre as transmigration exists, so the existence of ghosts shouldn’t be too unrealistic…I think if my ancestors were still around, their resentment would definitely be really strong…My hair is standing on end.]
[888: This world doesn’t have any. This is just a low-level plane without supernatural forces; you don’t have to worry.]
[Ye Ming: So you mean other worlds might have them? Stunned.jpg]
[888: Are you done pretending? You’ve already been to cultivation worlds, and you’re still asking such childish questions?]
Ye Ming let out a hollow laugh.
Ye Ming opened his eyes and saw that Zi Zhu was serving him. Zi Zhu’s eyes were a bit red. It seemed that she had also been crying. She said worriedly, “Gongzi, you woke up.”
Ye Ming’s expression was taciturn. He struggled to get up from the bed, but a burst of pain stabbed at his knees, and his face couldn’t help but pale.
Zi Zhu quickly supported his arm and helped him lie down, anxiously saying, “Gongzi, don’t move. Your knees are injured; you must rest properly. If you fall, it won’t be good for your old illness.”
Ye Ming’s voice was hoarse. “Where are Mother and Father? I want to go see them…”
Zi Zhu’s expression grew sadder. She hesitated for a bit, then quietly said, “You’ve been confined. The Master forbade you from leaving your courtyard and prohibited other people from coming to see you. It was only after I persistently requested to stay and serve you that the Master finally allowed me to stay here.”
Ye Ming stared blankly. Then he feebly lay down and laughed bitterly, “It has been hard on you.”
Zi Zhu said, “Serving gongzi is nubi’s duty.”
Ye Ming paused for a moment and said, “Right now I can’t go outside…If you hear any news, you must tell it to me, alright?”
This time, Zi Zhu did not reply immediately. Her mission was to protect Ye Ming, while the upsetting matters beyond these walls were best not told to Ye Ming. What if they agitated Ye Ming and something happened to him?
Ye Ming reached out a thin hand and tightly gripped Zi Zhu’s. He looked into her eyes. “You have been at my side for seven years. Even though I later found out that you were working for the emperor, I still kept you by my side. Now, I hope that you won’t deceive me anymore. Can you do this one thing for me?”
Zi Zhu clenched her teeth. Finally, she knelt down and said, “Nubi definitely will not deceive you anymore.”
Ye Ming finally showed a smile and said earnestly, “Thank you.”
Zi Zhu sighed in her heart and respectfully said, “I will go prepare food for gongzi. May gongzi rest properly.”
After Ye Ming ate, he lay down on the bed again. He seemed not to have any strength in his body, and was unable to raise his spirits; he stayed in his room dazedly all day. He didn’t even step one foot outside his room door, much less the door of his courtyard.
He looked as if he didn’t care about anything going on outside, but he was constantly monitoring outside developments through 888.
Ever since Grand Tutor Qi had been accused by the Chief Cabinet Minister, this matter was finally aired out in the open. More and more people began talking about it. Even ordinary people heard whispers of it, not to mention the families of officials. The servants of the Qi residence began privately discussing it. The people were alarmed.
Not being allowed to go out was actually a good thing at the moment. Otherwise, no matter where Ye Ming went, he’d be stared at with curiosity, which was not a good thing.
Ye Ming was silent all day long, utterly taciturn. Even to Zi Zhu, he was unable to say two or three sentences all day.
His every action was reported to Li Zechen.
Li Zechen’s heart ached endlessly for him, but he couldn’t go see him. He couldn’t continue to put Ye Ming in an unjust position.
If you really loved someone, you should give him what he wants, instead of imposing your own desires upon him. Even if he believed that he could give him more, he wasn’t Ye Ming. How could he make decisions for him?
What he considered to be good might not be considered good by others.
Nowadays, he’d already experienced enough consequences.
Staying silent all day made Ye Ming feel unbearably stifled. Having him act quiet was really tough on him. Luckily there was still 888 to bicker and chat with, or else this performance would be way too difficult.
[Ye Ming: Ah…it’s another bright and beautiful morning. There are no clouds for ten thousand miles; the great sun is shining from up high…]
[888: Seriously…isn’t your vocabulary kind of lacking? Isn’t this the legendary level of a primary school student?]
[Ye Ming: …] What’s wrong with primary school students? Are you discriminating against us primary school students??
[888: How did you manage to muddle along as a brilliant, renowned scholar of the capital for so many years without exposing yourself? And why didn’t your character improve even a little bit? It’s probably easier for a human to get all wrong answers on a test, right?]
[Ye Ming: …]
He was wrong. Maybe he should reconsider whether chatting with 888 was the right decision.
Every day, Ye Ming stayed in his courtyard. The wounds on his knees had also recovered. All he did was read books or watch the sky all day, looking sorrowful and pained.
One day, Zi Zhu was waiting upon him as he ate his dinner. Instead of leaving like usual, she stood next to him, wanting to say something, but hesitated.
Ye Ming noticed and worriedly asked, “Did something happen outside?”
Zi Zhu thought for a moment and said, “The Master asked the emperor for permission to resign, saying he wishes to return to his hometown. His Majesty rejected his resignation, repeatedly urging him to stay, but the Master insisted that he wanted to leave…The Madam is also packing our belongings. It seems they have all set their hearts on leaving the capital.”
Ye Ming’s eyes dimmed. Dully, he said, “I see…”
The Qi family was a centuries-old noble family that had many branches and descendants throughout the capital. Yet because of his affairs, they were forced to abandon everything and relocate the entire family.
Zi Zhu saw that Ye Ming’s mood was bad, and she lowered her head, ready to leave. At that moment, Ye Ming called out to her and said, “Go tell His Majesty that I want to meet with him.”
Zi Zhu almost though she’d misheard. She clearly understood the tension Ye Ming and the emperor, and she also knew how stubborn her family’s gongzi was. She feared that for the rest of this lifetime, he’d rather die than see the emperor again. But this…what kind of situation was this now?
But nonetheless, she was well-trained. She quickly schooled her expression and didn’t question it. She simply agreed and retreated.
[888: You want to see Li Zechen???]
[Ye Ming: Yeah, the task is almost completed. There’s no point in dragging it on any longer. I should get ready to leave.]
[Ye Ming: I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity this whole time.]
Ye Ming didn’t climb into his bed to rest and didn’t change his clothes either. He just stood in his courtyard, waiting.
Li Zechen came very quickly. He arrived in less than an hour, visibly in a hurry. His looked a little bit excited and happy, but also a bit uneasy and sad. His voice was raspy and sounded even deeper in the darkness of the night. “You called for zhen?”
In contrast, Ye Ming’s expression was serene, as if he had already come to accept everything. He smiled. “Yes.”
Of course Li Zechen didn’t think that Ye Ming wanted to see him because he missed him. He’s received Zi Zhu’s report and knew what he wanted. Guiltily, he said, “You called because of Teacher’s situation.”
Ye Ming nodded his head. “I heard that Father already handed in his resignation to you, but you did not approve it.”
Li Zechen looked uneasy. Deep down, he did have the tiny, selfish desire to keep Ye Ming from leaving the capital, but at this point, what he was most concerned about was actually the Qi family’s reputation. If he really agreed to it, wouldn’t it be equivalent to tacit confirmation of the unspeakable relationship between Ye Ming and himself?
He had always been fond of Grand Tutor Qi. At this time, the only way he could protect the Qi family was to reject his resignation and urge him to stay, and pretend he didn’t know anything of those rumors.
After all, there were some things that couldn’t be acknowledged unless they were brought out into the open.
Ye Ming curled up the corners of his mouth into a small, helpless smile. “Father must feel that you’ve only been so gracious and respectful to him all this time out of consideration for me. He’s probably furious.”
Li Zechen rushed to say, “Teacher was always worthy of respect. Zhen really didn’t value him solely because of that.”
Ye Ming said, “I believe you.”
Li Zechen immediately sighed in relief. He had been afraid Ye Ming would also think that; wouldn’t it hurt his self-esteem and make him feel embarrassed? But Li Zechen quickly felt awkward again. Had Ye Ming sought him out today in order to persuade him to approve the Grand Tutor’s resignation?
But if he did…it would not be a good thing for the entire Qi family.
Thanks for the chapter! ^ ^
Thank you for the chapter 🤗
Thanks for the chapter! 😘
This chapter and chapter 45 are still not on NU, just to give you a heads up. Probably get some help? If you’re having difficulties?
oh noooo, ty for letting me know! i’ll see what i can do
Thank you!!!
Thanks for the update
I cried this was so sad lmao… thank you for the update!!
please….have a tissue….the next update is even more :-((((((
Thanks for the update!!
ahh thank you for the update ily!
awwwww ily2ヾ(〃^∇^)ﾉ ty for reading