As Shen Shaoheng’s words trailed off, Feng Luan’s complexion had already darkened.
How could Shen Shaoheng dare to call this exquisitely arranged flower room, meticulously designed to apologize to Ye Yang, a memorial?!
Feng Luan was angered.
As he was about to reprimand, he glanced sideways to see Ye Yang’s clearly suppressed look of fear. The words that were about to come out of his mouth all got stuck in his throat, and even he began to doubt himself.
Is this…… really resembling a memorial?
Upon hearing someone articulate his inner thoughts, Ye Yang couldn’t help but cast an approving glance at Shen Shaoheng, hoping that Shen Shaoheng would speak up for him, so that Feng Luan would understand just how excessive his actions had been.
Feng Luan fell silent.
At the age of twenty-three, for the first time in his life, he began to doubt his own aesthetic judgment.
Unaware of his impending demise, Shen Shaoheng paced around the bed adorned with chrysanthemum wreaths, his heart filled with even greater emotions. He remarked, “Doesn’t this resemble…… that thing…… a coffin for lying in state, just missing a lid—”
Thinking himself witty, he wore a smile on his face as he turned to look at Feng Luan and Ye Yang. Catching sight of the icy expression on Feng Luan’s face, he shivered involuntarily and asked, “Your Majesty, this couldn’t be……”
Feng Luan sneered coldly and asked him, “Missing a lid? What lid are we missing?”
Shen Shaoheng, “……”
Shen Shaoheng fell silent.
Only moments ago, he felt his future was boundless, but now…… he almost wished he could slap himself hard.
You’re so talkative, always the one with the most to say!
Ye Yang sat huddled with the blanket around him, and now with more people inside the tent, the atmosphere had become a bit warmer, which eased him slightly. He could now listen attentively to Feng Luan and Shen Shaoheng talk. However, the mood had plummeted to freezing point. Feng Luan looked coldly at Shen Shaoheng, who became visibly flustered, his legs trembling. He struggled to find a way to steer the conversation back on track, and after a moment’s hesitation, he spoke up, “Y, Your Majesty, about what happened just now……”
Let’s talk about official business! As long as we discuss official matters, His Majesty might forget what just happened!
Feng Luan raised an eyebrow slightly, indeed no longer pressing about the memorial matter. However, he seemed somewhat disdainful of the bed and pulled a chair to sit down, saying to Shen Shaoheng, “Continue.”
Seeing that Feng Luan genuinely didn’t mind Ye Yang hearing about this matter, Shen Shaoheng nervously continued, “Regarding the incident of Wei Shi privately forging ironware, the Commandery Prince Jinghuai should be aware of it. This servant investigated, and Wei Shi has always been skeptical of ghosts and gods. At the beginning of the year, he accompanied his wife to the Huguo Temple for worship. Upon returning, he suddenly became a devout believer, frequently visiting the temple every few days. This servant believes this matter might be related to someone within the temple.”
Already in a bad mood, Feng Luan’s expression darkened further upon hearing Shen Shaoheng mention the Huguo Temple, clearly showing extreme displeasure.
Shen Shaoheng suggested softly, “Your Majesty, this servant believes now is truly not the best time to leave the capital……”
“With Wei Shi in our hands, Jinghuai still doesn’t know how much we’ve already learned. He shouldn’t act recklessly,” Feng Luan said. “Besides, with Yun Lin in the capital, Jinghuai lacks usable forces. He wouldn’t dare to make a move.”
Upon hearing his older brother’s name mentioned suddenly, Ye Yang was somewhat surprised. He couldn’t help but listen more attentively, even becoming curious about what exactly Feng Luan and Shen Shaoheng were discussing.
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.
“Zhen will issue an edict to Yun Lin and Prime Minister Yun, instructing them to closely monitor Jinghuai. All incoming and outgoing correspondence from the Commandery prince’s residence must pass through Prime Minister Yun’s scrutiny,” Feng Luan said softly. “You should keep a close watch on the Huguo Temple as well. Wei Shi is just an ordinary worshiper. If even Wei Shi cannot be observed, it would seem Commander Shen has been negligent, isn’t it so?”
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He definitely should’ve kept his mouth shut about the ‘memorial.’
Feng Luan had already ordered him to leave. Shen Shaoheng stepped out of the tent, his mind in a daze.
“It’s over, it’s over,” Shen Shaoheng muttered to himself as he processed the events. The emperor’s tone in their final exchange clearly indicated lingering anger, especially towards the mention of the ‘memorial.’
He was still so young; he couldn’t allow his career to be destroyed here.
He had to find a solution!
……
Ye Yang listened attentively throughout, but his mind was in turmoil. He couldn’t make sense of what exactly Feng Luan and Shen Shaoheng were discussing.
Keep a close watch on the Huguo Temple? What’s so interesting about a bunch of monks? He wondered if he could muster the courage to ask, but instead, he just clutched the blanket tighter, racking his brain on how to convince Feng Luan to sleep elsewhere.
But he didn’t want Feng Luan to catch him. Unfortunately, Feng Luan had already turned to him, asking, “Are you afraid?”
Ye Yang, “……”
Feng Luan understood.
His expression fell, but he still stood up, instructing Ye Yang to put on his robe first and then accompany him to his tent to rest. He would have the flower arrangements in the tent taken care of.
Ye Yang breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he had finally escaped the threat of death. He quickly packed his belongings and followed Feng Luan’s pace. However, just before stepping out of the tent, he heard Feng Luan say one more thing.
“Zhen is aware of your curiosity,” Feng Luan remarked. “Should you desire enlightenment on these matters, zhen will grant you the knowledge.”
Ye Yang, “……”
He didn’t wish to know.
The conversation between Feng Luan and Shen Shaoheng just now was undoubtedly confidential. The more one knew, the quicker one met their demise. If possible, he wished he hadn’t heard a single word of their dialogue.
Yet, now he earnestly hoped for Feng Luan to depart soon. He dared not provoke Feng Luan’s anger, so he simply stood his ground, waiting for Feng Luan to continue speaking.
“Zhen believes Wei Shi must have encountered someone at the Huguo Temple,” Feng Luan said softly. “This person, Ah Yang, you may have heard of.”
As Ye Yang observed Feng Luan slightly lowering his eyelids and concealing his expression beneath a cold facade, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that Feng Luan was deliberately hiding something, burying it beneath that icy demeanor. Yet, he noticed Feng Luan’s slightly quickened breath, as if recalling some unspeakable past event. The expression on Feng Luan’s face was reminiscent of the haunting visage Ye Yang witnessed during his nightmares. He felt as though he was grasping at something, yet everything before him seemed illusory.
Commandery Prince Jinghuai, private iron forging, the mysterious figure at the Huguo Temple, nightmares, nightmares, nightmares—
In his mind, a myriad of words slowly coalesced, and it was as if Ye Yang had just now awakened to a sudden realization, comprehending the entirety of the conversation between Shen Shaoheng and Feng Luan.
Feng Luan began to speak softly, his tone carefully maintained, and asked, “Have you ever heard of Prince Shenyang?”
Ye Yang, “……”
If Ye Yang remembered correctly, in folklore, Feng Luan was referred to as a tyrant. It was said that Feng Luan, in his quest for the throne, disregarded familial bonds, and one of the gravest accusations against him was the murder of his own half-brother, Feng Yue.
While his other siblings were, in his eyes, at least not born of the same mother, Feng Yue was different. They shared the same parents and were raised together until their mother’s death, after which they were separated and raised by two different concubines.
Feng Luan showed no mercy even to his own blood siblings. In terms of moral principles, such a ruthless and cruel individual could never bear the responsibility of ruling a nation.
But now it seemed that Feng Yue hadn’t died, and the mysterious figure in the Huguo Temple must be him.
Not only that, but Wei Shi’s private iron forging with the Commandery Prince Jinghuai was most likely also related to him.
Ye Yang found it difficult to untangle his thoughts. This matter was evidently a closely guarded secret of the imperial family, perhaps unknown to many even within the palace. Yet, Feng Luan had chosen to confide it to him…… He was, after all, not a character native to this story, and in his upbringing, there had been no such intrigues, nor the spectacle of fratricide. He didn’t know whether he should comfort Feng Luan or reassure him that he would keep this secret, promising to act as if he had never heard of it.
He only knew that at this moment, as he lifted his gaze to look at Feng Luan’s expression, the emotions within those eyes were far from what one would expect of a tyrant. The remorse and guilt he saw there, reminiscent of Feng Luan’s anguish during several nightmares, spoke volumes.
If Feng Luan were the kind of person described in folklore, he wouldn’t be haunted by nightmares every night. For years, he hadn’t been able to sleep a single peaceful night.
Ye Yang had found his answer within his heart.
He wrapped his outer robe tightly around himself and took Feng Luan’s arm, then began walking outward.
“Whoever he is, I don’t know him,” Ye Yang muttered softly. “I don’t care who loves who, it’s none of my business.”
Feng Luan, “……”
As Feng Luan held Ye Yang’s hand and stepped out of the tent, they were greeted by the perfect night sky. At that moment, for some reason, Feng Luan recalled a sentence Ye Yang had once said.
It was on the fifteenth of July, during the Ghost Festival.
Ye Yang played along, pointing to the deserted road and claiming that tonight, his destined person would come walking down that path.
Ye Yang continued, describing the person as being around twenty years old, slender in stature, evoking sympathy, with a graceful posture and unparalleled beauty.
And it was precisely that very night.
And it was from that very road that Ye Yang, who had already planned to leave, began to approach him.
He tightened his grip on his fingers, his lips curved slightly, and he cast a glance at Ye Yang walking ahead of him.
He saw the firelight reflecting on Ye Yang’s handsome profile. Those deep black eyes seemed to sparkle and shine, as if in his heart, a warm glow had been cast.
Indeed.
His destined person, evoking sympathy, was of unparalleled beauty.
……
After feigning illness for two days, when the army withdrew and the hunting party turned back towards the capital, Ye Yang followed Feng Luan’s instructions and hid in place for half a day. Finally, when Feng Luan changed into civilian clothes and Shen Shaoheng brought the horses, the day for him to accompany the emperor incognito on a secret visit was about to arrive.
However……
Ye Yang furrowed his brow, looking at the only two horses in front of him, sensing that something was amiss.
“Um……” Ye Yang coughed and asked, “Commander Shen, where is my Land Rover?”
Shen Shaoheng, upon seeing him, deliberately furrowed his brows, his face exaggerated with a forced expression of surprise. Despite his poor acting skills, he managed to portray a look of astonishment.
“Yun shijun!” Shen Shaoheng exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here? You should have already returned with the army!”
Ye Yang, “……”
Feng Luan, “……”
Hold on, Feng Luan wouldn’t have failed to inform Shen Shaoheng that he was also going along, would he?
Shen Shaoheng coughed heavily again, his face showing a tinge of regret.
His plan to salvage his career had begun!
“Oh no! Whatever shall we do? This servant didn’t bring a horse for Yun shijun!” Shen Shaoheng exclaimed loudly. “Your Majesty! This servant had no idea that Yun shijun was also coming along!”
Ye Yang, “……”
Feng Luan, “……”
Shen Shaoheng wore a distressed expression on his face.
“In that case!” Shen Shaoheng sighed heavily, his eyes gleaming with the hope of a renewed path to success. “Your Majesty, perhaps you could share a mount with Yun shijun?”
Thank you for the chapter 😍
thanks for reading! ( ੭ ˘ ³˘)੭°｡⋆♡‧₊˚
Let’s light a candle for poor Shaoheng 😆
Oh my God 😂
Thank You for the new chapter ♡ƪ(ˆ◡ˆ)ʃ♡
Oh bad luck Ye Yang! Imagine having to share a mount with his majesty when one has a land rover already. But at least it will be warm and cozy 😏.
LOLOLOLOLOL