Wen Chan and Liang Yanbei looked over at the same time and saw that the person coming was Xie Zhaoxue.
He was wearing dark clothes and had a calm smile on his face. He walked over slowly, “Your Ninth Royal Highness, I haven’t seen you for a long time. How are you doing lately?”
Wen Chan smiled and nodded, “Everything is fine. The injuries I suffered a few days ago have all healed. Thank you for your concern.”
He said, “It’s a pity that we haven’t been able to find out who sent the assassin……”
Hearing this, Wen Chan glanced at Liang Yanbei in surprise. He clearly told Liang Yanbei the murderer behind the scenes, but Liang Yanbei did not tell Xie Zhaoxue.
Could it be Liang Yanbei did not trust him?
Receiving his gaze, Liang Yanbei was afraid that he would ponder too much. So he hurriedly said, “It’s not suitable to chat here. Let’s go into the temple quickly.”
Wen Chan glanced at him from the side.
But Xie Zhaoxue didn’t notice anything wrong. So he nodded and said, “What you said has a point.”
The three walked side by side and entered Yanxiang Temple together.
Yanxiang Temple already has a history of several decades. It had gradually become a large temple in the capital from a small temple that was within a radius of a hundred miles, and its famous reputation spread far and wide.
To enter through the main entrance, you have to pass through three doors. One was the main gate, with a threshold that was two feet high. After you step in, there is a long, arched corridor. Then, after you walk forward and pass through two more arches, your vision will suddenly open up to a wide panorama.
The emperor had allocated funds before to renovate this temple. Its interior was simple but grand-looking. There was a small stream in the courtyard, and in the water, there was an enormous stone sculpture of the character, “Chan”.
The three of them placed their sights on the character “Chan” at the same time, and Xie Zhaoxue spoke first, “This character is carved really beautifully.”
Liang Yanbei narrowed his eyes slightly and said nonchalantly, “Well…… It is indeed beautiful.”
“It’s just a stone sculpture.” Wen Chan said, not caring about it.
The three of them had stopped for a while and then continued to walk in. Halfway through, a young man came rushing out and shouted to Xie Zhaoxue, “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for a long time. I’m dead tired!”
Wen Chan stretched out his head to take a look and found that the young man in front of him had an eye that was not an eye and a nose that was not a nose. He was quite ugly. So he silently retracted his head.
He didn’t want to pay attention to him. But unexpectedly, when the young man saw Wen Chan, his expression, which was still a little angry, suddenly calmed down. He then walked around Xie Zhaoxue and came to Wen Chan, “It’s His Ninth Royal Highness. Why are you here? Are you healed?”
Wen Chan took another close look at him. But he didn’t find him familiar at all, so he asked tentatively, “Little despot?”
The young man frowned and asked in confusion, “What little despot?”
When Liang Yanbei saw that Wen Chan was confused, he came over and whispered in his ear, “It’s Zhong Wenjin.”
“It really is you?” Wen Chan was slightly surprised, “I haven’t seen you for half a month, and you’ve become uglier.”
These words seemed to touch a raw nerve of Zhong Wenjin, “How can this be called ugly! This is masculine!”
He frowned his two thick eyebrows and said with deadly earnestness, “Since I put on this appearance, I have realised the truth of the world. All appearances are fake. Only things that radiate out from the inside can have great attractiveness……”
Wen Chan was really shocked this time, and his eyes widened like saucers, “Have you gone crazy?”
“Your Ninth Royal Highness, it is not gentlemanly behaviour to offend somebody with rude remarks.” Zhong Wenjin said solemnly.
Gentlemanly? Wen Chan felt like he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. He actually got to hear these words from Zhong Wenjin in his lifetime.
However, both Xie Zhaoxue and Liang Yanbei looked normal, as if they were not even a bit surprised by Zhong Wenjin’s transformation. It had only been just more than half a month. What had happened?
Wen Chan started to really doubt his life.
He looked at Liang Yanbei for help, his eyes full of questions.
Liang Yanbei chuckled and said to Zhong Wenjin, “Okay, stop pretending. Can’t you see that you are scaring His Highness?”
As soon as his voice fell, Zhong Wenjin burst out laughing, and his voice that was deliberately altered by drugs was a little hoarse, “Your Highness, your expression is too funny……”
“Were you pretending?” Wen Chan was puzzled. He was angry about it, but he also found it laughable, “You dared to trick me?”
Zhong Wenjin wiped away some tears with a smile, “I didn’t expect you to be so easy to trick. I just said a few words, and you looked incredible, haha.”
“There is no alternative but to do this.” Xie Zhaoxue explained from the side, “In order to prevent others from making out any clues, I had to let him pretend for a while.”
Wen Chan said in his heart: That’s right, Zhong Wenjin’s personality is too exceptional, and he is very recognizable. In fact, except for him, no one else ruled as a despot in the capital. After all, the big families, especially those of the court officials, paid great attention to education to avoid unintentionally making themselves a laughing stock.
“But then again, am I actually a little despot in Your Highness’s heart? That makes me quite sad.” Zhong Wenjin pretended to sigh sadly.
This expression on those ugly facial features made it even more unbearable to look at. Wen Chan waved his hand, “Turn your face away and talk to me.”
Liang Yanbei laughed and answered for him, “Calling you a little despot is him being lenient. I remember you wanted to chop off His Highness’s hands in the street before?”
Zhong Wenjin choked and said in his heart: You really picked the kettle that is not boiling1It’s used to indicate that someone is saying or doing something that shouldn’t be mentioned in front of others or that someone is bringing up a sensitive subject. There is even a story behind this idiom. You can find it by searching for 哪壶不开提哪壶 and going to the eChineseLearning’s website..
The three of them looked at him at the same time, as if waiting for him to say something, especially Wen Chan, who looked like he found it funny.
Thinking of Zhong Wenjin at that time, he was still a prickly little scoundrel. He never thought that after half a year and a trip to Wuyue Island, he would slowly become a good man.
However, Zhong Wenjin only felt that his life was getting sadder and sadder after he had become good. If he was not careful, someone would dig up the old accounts. He laughed and said, “At that time, I was just saying words out of anger and bluffing. How dare I really chop someone on the streets? Besides, there was also Xie Zhaoxue at that time.”
Xie Zhaoxue curled his lips to a smile when he heard this.
Wen Chan had laughed enough and said, “Okay, it’s important for us to get down to the proper business now.”
After briefly ending the jokes between the few people, Wen Chan entered the inner temple and separated from the three of them, walking in alone with his own Qin Qi and Shu Hua.
The royal heirs and officials were to be separated. The emperor led the royal heirs. The members of the imperial clan were in the front, and the court officials were behind, standing according to their ranks.
None of the brothers of the current emperor survived the battle for the throne. But there still left a few of nominal kinship who were bestowed with titles, in addition to a dozen princesses and princes, old and young. So, it could be considered a big procession.
After passing through the four major areas of Yanxiang Temple, which were the front hall, middle courtyard, inner temple, and back hall, there was the place where the altar was built. The venue was very spacious, with three steps in the middle, and on top the stairs was the huge altar.
“Ninth Royal Brother!” Wen Zhang was usually the closest to Wen Chan. When he saw him coming, he hurried over, “Are you feeling better? I heard that you were injured a few days ago, and I thought……”
Wen Chan touched his head, “It’s okay.”
Wen Zhang’s eyes were still glistening a little with tears, and he said, trying to hold back his tears, “It’s good that everything is fine. Imperial Brother, you must guard the palace more firmly.”
“Don’t worry. I will.” Wen Chan said with a smile.
To be honest, before ascending the throne, Wen Chan’s feelings for Wen Zhang were much deeper than his feelings for his younger brother, who was born to the same mother. After all, his brother had left the palace when he was young and had been away from the palace for decades, unlike Wen Zhang.
Wen Zhang almost grew up under his watch, and he was the only brother in the palace who truly cared about him.
Unfortunately, this younger brother died tragically at the hands of the enemies in his previous life.
While thinking about it, a person suddenly walked up from the side and stood in front of Wen Chan, but did not speak.
Wen Chan looked at him in confusion and found out that the person who came was actually the Crown Prince, Wen Yue.
“Is there anything wrong, Imperial Brother?” Wen Chan asked first.
After hearing this, Wen Yue’s eyes got shifty, and he asked, “You…… Have your injuries healed?”
Wen Chan once again had the illusion of seeing a ghost in broad daylight, and after a moment of being stunned, he replied, “It’s all healed. Thank you for your concern, Imperial Brother.”
“It’s okay……” Wen Yue replied stiffly and then seemed to want to say something again, but paused, turned, and left.
His behaviour made Wen Chan feel a little puzzled. He looked at Wen Yue’s leaving back for a while and then pulled Wen Zhang to the side.
On the other side, Wen Yue took a few steps and returned to his original position. His younger brother Wen Xiang looked at him and asked, “Imperial Brother, what did you just go to Old Nine and say?”
Wen Yue lowered his head and murmured, “He just called me Imperial Brother…… He has never called me Imperial Brother. He only calls me the Crown Prince.”
Wen Xiang was also surprised, “Really? Could it be that Old Nine was seriously injured and felt that we brothers are extremely precious after walking through the gates of hell?”
“It’s hard to say……” Wen Yue was a little absent-minded, as he was thinking about something.
Within a short period of time, the emperor came in the imperial carriage, and Wen Chan paid his respects along with the many people.
Anyway, after feeling the tail of the first rays of morning sun, the emperor was dressed in a black formal uniform, led hundreds of civil and military officials, and completed the sacrificial ceremony with a clear sacrificial speech.
It was almost noon when the sacrifices were over.
In Yanxiang Temple, everyone was still chatting and laughing and greeting each other, but after getting off the stone steps, they all rushed back to their homes in carriages with empty stomachs.
But the emperor stayed behind in Yanxiang Temple for a day and a night.
Wen Chan followed the crowd and, midway, met Liang Yanbei and the other two, who were waiting especially for him.
“Your Ninth Royal Highness, are you going back to the palace?” Zhong Wenjin asked impatiently.
He had been starving for a long time. He was dizzy and could hardly stand.
Liang Yanbei raised his hand and pushed him back. He then stood in front of Wen Chan, “Your Highness, how about we have lunch outside the palace today?”
Wen Chan thought to himself that this was actually a good suggestion, and he asked, “Where are we going to eat? If it’s not delicious, I’m going back to the palace.”
“Well, of course, I’ll choose what Your Highness likes to eat.” Liang Yanbei smiled with a little dotingness, “Heyue Tower?”
“That one is OK.” Wen Chan immediately agreed.
When Zhong Wenjin, who was so hungry that he was about to die, heard this name, he subconsciously rejected it. But his stomach was so sour that he couldn’t refuse it. So he urged, “Hurry up, what are we still standing here for? If I don’t eat, you guys would really have to carry me away.”
Xie Zhaoxue said, “I remember you ate a lot in the morning. How come you got hungry so fast?”
“I just now thought about a lot of things.” Zhong Wenjin said solemnly, “Using my head makes me hungry faster than usual.”
“Then let’s go quickly. So that he won’t faint from hunger.” Wen Chan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
After finalising the destination, they planned to leave.
After walking down a few of the stone steps, they were stopped by a carriage. The carriage was grand and exquisite, with bright yellow colour, and a palm-sized character, “Emperor”, was engraved on its body.
They stopped at the same time. They then saw the chariot’s curtain being lifted, and Wen Yue’s face stuck out from the inside. He first glanced at the few people, and then his eyes stopped on Wen Chen’s face.
“Old Nine, I have something to tell you.”
Translator’s corner
Thank you so much for reading the chapter. If you liked my translation and wanna support me, you can comment down your thoughts or send me a Kofi.
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