A meme for the title
Wen Chan looked at him in surprise.
It was unusual for him to take the initiative to come talk to him before, but now he specially blocked the road for that. So Wen Chan couldn’t guess his thoughts for a while.
Liang Yanbei looked at Wen Yue silently.
Xie Zhaoxue was the only one who remembered the etiquette and bowed slightly, “Well hello, Your Highness, the crown prince.”
Wen Yue nodded in response, but his eyes stayed on Wen Chan, waiting for his answer.
While Zhong Wenjin on the side was so anxious that he almost tweaked his ears and scratched his cheeks2
. He thought: Since you are brothers, why don’t you talk after returning to the palace? Why pick the mealtime to block the road?
Fortunately, Wen Chan was good at understanding others and turned his head to Liang Yanbei and the other two to say, “You guys go first. I will catch up in a moment.”
Zhong Wenjin looked happy but pretended to be serious, “Then Your Highness, you have to hurry up. I will not be in the mood to eat if you are not there.”
But as he spoke, he walked very smoothly, pulling Xie Zhaoxue to go. When he passed Liang Yanbei, he wanted to reach out to pull him too. But he didn’t know what he was thinking of, so he stopped halfway and took his hand back.
Liang Yanbei still didn’t speak. He just took a glance at Wen Yue before turning away and leaving.
Seeing that the three of them had left, Wen Chan got on Wen Yue’s carriage without any hurry and chose a nearby seat to sit down.
The decorations in the carriage were very simple, but they also highlighted the extravagance. With only Wen Yue in it, it seemed very spacious.
It was the first time Wen Yue had a conversation with Wen Chan alone like this. His expression was a little unnatural. So he coughed dryly a few times to drive away that feeling, wondering how to start talking.
“Imperial Brother, what do you want to talk to me about?” Wen Chan started the conversation.
At this time, the carriage slowly began to move forward.
Wen Yue leaned most of his body onto the cushion, and his posture was quite slack. He thought for a while before saying, “Did you find out the identity of the assassin who injured you the other day?”
When unexpectedly, he suddenly asked about this, Wen Chan was stunned for a moment before replying, “No, I haven’t started the investigation yet.”
Wen Yue frowned, “Someone almost killed you, but you still haven’t investigated them. Do you want to die?”
Wen Chan said helplessly, “Even if I want to investigate, I can’t do anything.”
He had been trying to play the role of a useless prince who had neither favour nor power. This was the only image that Wen Chan could maintain. Although there were colourful rumours all over the place, he couldn’t really harass other ladies on the street and act like a vulgar and dissolute person.
After listening to Wen Chan’s words, Wen Yue’s expression paused, and his brows frowned tighter as if he was hesitating about something.
Wen Chen was very smart. When he saw his face, he knew that Wen Yue wanted to tell him something. But after he showed that he had no power, Wen Yue hesitated.
Could it be that Wen Yue wants to use him for something? But now he seemed to have no value in use on the surface.
Just when he was thinking about it, Wen Yue spoke, “There are some things I don’t know whether I should tell you.”
He said it very bluntly, and it seemed that he didn’t intend to hide his thoughts just then.
This good-natured tone really made Wen Chan uncomfortable, and he didn’t respond.
“But you are close to Liang Yanbei and Xie Zhaoxue. It may be assumed that you ought to have some protection from the Liang family and Xie family.” Wen Yue said again, but it felt a little bit like he was talking to himself.
Wen Chan watched him speak out what he was thinking, and he felt puzzled.
“About what I’m going to say next, you promise me first that you absolutely won’t ever tell others.” Wen Yue said very seriously.
Regardless of the consequences, he must agree to it first. Wen Yue clearly looked like he had a big secret, and Wen Chan nodded.
Taking a deep breath, Wen Yue slowly said, “I suspect that your assassination the other day is related to that concubine of Xuexian Palace.”
His eyebrows moved. He didn’t expect Wen Yue to hit the nail on the head when he would say it. In these days, he had already determined that the assassin that day had a great connection with Concubine Mei of Xuexian Palace.
On the night the assassin visited Xiyang Palace, Concubine Mei ”happened” to borrow Qin Qi and Shu Hua. How could it be such a coincidence? Although Wen Chan couldn’t understand how Concubine Mei cleared the suspicion on the side of the emperor, on his side, Concubine Mei had already established the identity of an accomplice.
Wen Chan pretended to be shocked, “What? What does it have to do with Concubine Mei?”
“Don’t pretend; I can see that you are not surprised at all.” Wen Yue exposed it mercilessly, “Concubine Mei has made some moves in your palace. If you are not a fool, you would have definitely suspected it.”
Since his acting was seen through, Wen Chan no longer pretended, and his expression changed quite quickly, “Indeed, I suspect she did it on purpose.”
Wen Yue said, “She can only be regarded as an insider from the palace, and there is someone else who really wants to kill you.” As he said this, he suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously, “It might be the Zhong family.”
Wen Chan’s eyelids jumped, “Do you have any evidence?”
“Not for the time being. But I saw Concubine Mei and the eldest son of the Zhong family secretly meeting outside the palace.” He said.
This information was tantamount to a sudden clap of thunder. Wen Chan is really shocked now. He knew that Wen Yue might know some secrets, but he didn’t expect him to know so much. Before that, Wen Chan had only suspected that Concubine Mei had dealings with the Zhong family.
Wen Yue saw his surprised face and said, “When I went out of the palace the other day, I happened to see a person who looked like Concubine Mei. Although that person was masked, among the concubines in the harem, I see her the most, and it is unlikely for me to mistake her. To confirm it, after I went back, I sent someone to check the entry and exit records through the palace gate and found that Concubine Mei’s personal maid went out with a little maid that day. That’s when I confirmed it.”
Wen Chan’s words went through his mind very quickly, and he subconsciously looked for any flaws.
However, there were no flaws. Think about it: For a favoured concubine like Concubine Mei, her personal maid must have a very high status in the harem. What could make her go out of the palace to handle it personally? The little palace maid she brought with her was definitely Concubine Mei herself.
The guards of the outer palace had rarely seen the palace servants in the inner palace, let alone a concubine of the harem. Therefore, even if Concubine Mei did not disguise herself, she only needed to avoid the people of the inner palace, change her clothes, and then take a sign from someone else. Then she could swagger out of the palace.
What Wen Yue wanted to convey was that he saw that Concubine Mei had contact with Zhong Wenting, and he suspected that Concubine Mei was an accomplice to the murderer behind the assassin. So he immediately tagged Concubine Mei with two big tags.
One was conspiring to murder an imperial heir, and the second was being unfaithful to the emperor.
Either was enough for the execution of her nine relations3It was the most severe punishment for a capital offence in premodern China, Korea, and Vietnam.
The punishment involved the execution of close and extended family members.
These included:
The criminal’s living parents
The criminal’s living grandparents
Any children the criminal may have, over a certain age (varying over different eras, children below that age becoming slaves), and—if married—their spouses.
Any grandchildren the criminal may have, over a certain age (again with enslavement for the underaged), and—if married—their spouses.
Siblings and siblings-in-law (the siblings of the criminal and that of his or her spouse, in the case where he or she is married)
Uncles and aunts of the criminal, as well as their spouses
The criminal’s cousins (in the case of China, this included up to second and third cousins)
The criminal’s spouse
The criminal’s spouse’s parents
The criminal
.
In fact, Wen Chan also suspected that Concubine Mei was in contact with the Zhong family. But his hand still couldn’t reach into the harem. Therefore, he couldn’t find any direct evidence and basis. And he couldn’t be sure based on just his feelings. He had originally planned to take the risk of testing Concubine Fei’s attitude today when His Majesty was not in the palace.
But Wen Yue was luckier. He directly ran into Concubine Mei and Zhong Wenting having a deal and then ran to tell him, which directly saved him a lot of trouble.
Wen Yue saw that Wen Chan believed it without any doubt, and a sense of satisfaction rose in his heart, “Don’t rush to investigate Concubine Mei. It will only bring trouble to you if you act rashly4idiom. to stir up a fire just to burn oneself.”
Wen Chan came back to his senses and nodded in a daze.
When Wen Yue saw his expression, he really thought he was stupid. He sighed and said, “Old Nine, you don’t have to be afraid. They didn’t succeed in the assassination this time, so they surely won’t dare to act rashly again. As for Concubine Mei, I will find a way to let my mother restrain her and have her take care of her. You should take good care of your wounds and strengthen your guards for now.”
“I only have one question.” Wen Chan asked after pondering for a long time, “Why are you suddenly helping me?”
Although you should be wary of suspicious folk bearing gifts, as they are sure to be ill-intentioned — — To have any bad intentions towards him, Wen Chan believed that he was in a miserable situation from every perspective: He had no influence from his mother’s family, he was just injured and almost died, and his civil and military skills were useless materials that even the emperor had given up on. He was neither profitable nor menacing.
If Wen Yue really had any bad intentions, there was no need for him to go to such great lengths.
After listening to the question, his expression stiffened, and he said awkwardly, “Why do you ask…… We are also brothers. Although you are usually lazy and stupid, and you don’t look similar to me at all, in the end, you are also surnamed Wen. And as the crown prince……”
Speaking of this, he stopped for a while and continued, “If you can’t even protect your own brother, how can you protect the people of Xi Liang in the future?”
Wen Chen’s black eyes moved, and a faint light flashed through his eyes. He carefully read Wen Yue’s expression to confirm that — — He was not lying.
He was an old bone who had lived a lifetime. He had gone through great trials after becoming an emperor. Sometimes with the faint expression of an official in the court, he could guess what the official would submit next.
But looking at Wen Yue’s expression, it was natural and pure, and there was no falsehood at all.
After thanking Wen Yue, he got out of the carriage and found himself at the place where he had boarded the carriage before, and Qin Qi and Shu Hua were still waiting at the original place.
He habitually looked up at the sun, which was shining with golden light, and the clouds in the sky were dyed with light.
Maybe Wen Yue is more suitable to be the emperor, at least more suitable than him: Wen Chan thought silently.
Fearing that Liang Yanbei might be waiting anxiously and also because he was extremely hungry, Wen Chan rushed to the He Yue house without stopping. As usual, the carriage stopped in an open area, and he walked to the door of the building on foot.
Before he got close, he found a large group of people gathered at the door, pointing to the inside of the building, and it looked like they were watching a bustling scene. Wen Chan suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart, and he quickened his pace a little.
He squeezed away from the crowd in a hurry.
When the person who was standing was pushed away suddenly like this, he couldn’t help swearing. However, when it was barely out of his mouth, he saw that it was Wen Chan and immediately swallowed it back. He took a few steps back in a row, which alarmed many people.
When Zhong Wenjin previously made trouble, many people in the area of He Yue House had seen the august countenance of His Ninth Royal Highness himself. Now that they saw him again, they naturally avoided him as far as possible.
A lot of the people moved out of the way and allowed Wen Chan to easily reach the door of the He Yue house. When he looked inside, the first thing he saw was the mess on the ground, with soup and food spilt on the ground.
Liang Yanbei and Xie Zhaoxue stood by the side with indifferent expressions on their faces, but Zhong Wenjin was different. He was so angry that his face turned red, and his whole face was twisted, which was shockingly ugly.
Then he heard him scold, “You pig head of the Mountain, even if you are a pork bouillon powder 5 (neologism) (slang) a person who, like a pig, is fat and ugly and given to histrionics like pig immortal, Laozi will slaughter you today!”
Wen Chan turned his gaze again and saw an obese man standing opposite him with a fierce expression on his face.
He said in his heart: Although this person does look fat, your ugliness isn’t a bit worse. How can you curse him, saying that he is a pork bouillon powder?
Sure enough, the pork bouillon powder immediately cursed back, “Who do you think you are? You have eyes like sesame seeds, a nose like the bulb of garlic, and two eyebrows that are divorced and live separately. And you still dare to come out and walk around on the streets?”
This description…… Was a bit close-fitting. He seemed to be a cultured pork bouillon powder.
Zhong Wenjin exploded when he heard it, thinking to himself: How can this laozi say that I was also a flower in the capital back then. If it weren’t for the situation, how could you, a pighead, mock me?
As soon as he was about to curse again, Xie Zhaoxue suddenly grabbed his wrist and gently pinched it. This subtle hinting immediately made him shut up.
The pork bouillon powder thought he had gained the upper hand and smiled triumphantly. At this moment, Wen Chan planned not to continue watching passively, raised his foot to step on the stairs, and stepped into the building.
“What are you all arguing about?”
They turned their heads at the same time. And among them, Liang Yanbei’s eyes lit up, and he immediately set off and walked over. He said with some grievances, “Your Ninth Royal Highness, you are here. I don’t know where this pork bouillon powder came from in this building. It is very fierce and knocked over all our dishes.”
Wen Chan immediately realised that Liang Yanbei wanted to use his status as a prince to support him.
The capital was different from other places in Xi Liang. The surname Wen had absolute power and prestige in the capital. Even if you are a supreme immortal who travelled from north to south, you have to keep your head down when you meet the Wen royal family here.
Even Zhong Wenjin, who had his nose up to the sky at the beginning, was shocked for a while after threatening Wen Chan and knowing his identity.
What’s more, he was the same as the other imperial heirs. He was the “Ninth Royal Highness”.
Wen Chan grabbed Liang Yanbei’s hand and glanced at the fat man fiercely, with the attitude of a person in a high-ranking position, “I think you have grown a circle of fat on your courage. You dare to break the law and commit crimes in the imperial city. Never been on the scale? Don’t you know how much you weigh?”
Liang Yanbei happily hid behind Wen Chan, nodded frequently to what he said, and was very supportive.
Originally, he thought that the fat man was a troublesome person who was not afraid of death, but he didn’t think that he would panic after Wen Chan said just one fierce sentence. The ferocious expression on his face loosened, and he glanced uneasily to the corner of the building.
Wen Chan followed the look inconspicuously and found that there were still a few tables of people sitting in the building. And the direction the fat man was looking was where Zhong Wenting was sitting.
He didn’t have to think too much about it anymore. This fat man was most likely arranged by Zhong Wenting. As for the purpose……
Wen Chan glared at the fat man again, “Did you go mute? Weren’t you very loud just now?”
“I…… I am the head of Qi Yunzhu Mountain, and I have hundreds and thousands of brothers under me. All of them, all of them……” The more the fat man said, the less confidence he had.
“A pig is the head of a mountain?” Wen Chan said with a smile, “Since you have run into me, your luck has run out.”
He turned his head to Qin Qi and said, “Tie him up for me, take the short way, and send him directly to the yamen. Let them take a good look at his pigskin.”
The pig leader of the Mountain really wilted. Qin Qi dislocated his chin without giving him a chance to explain or beg for mercy, and then his arms were twisted twice. He was screaming as he was directly escorted out of the He Yue House.
When the shopkeeper saw that the person were taken away, he ran over to flatter Wen Chan and begged for mercy. He shouted to the waiter to clean up the mess and invited them to the second floor.
Only when they entered the private room did they tell Wen Chan the ins and outs.
To put it bluntly, the fat man took the initiative to make trouble, insisting that he came before Liang Yanbei and others and stopped them from getting their dishes served. But in the end, the waiter refused him, so he knocked over the dishes. There was a lot of noise, so Liang Yanbei and the other two who were waiting upstairs were led down.
Then there was the scene that Wen Chan had seen just then.
Wen Chan thought to himself that this matter that was created out of nowhere was clearly arranged by Zhong Wenting. But he obviously did not do this to target him, as Zhong Wenting might not have known that he would come to this building for dinner.
He was targeting Zhong Wenjin. He arranged for someone to deliberately provoke things, just to test whether the person who had been following Xie Zhaoxue all day long was Zhong Wenjin.
He didn’t expect that Zhong Wenjin could still be suspected by him even though he had disguised himself into such an ugly appearance. It must be said that this person, Zhong Wenting, was terribly suspicious.
Wen Chan glanced at Zhong Wenjin, thinking that this matter should be discussed after the meal, so as not to affect his mood during the meal.
Soon after, the meals were served quickly, and Liang Yanbei personally set the dishes. He placed Wen Chan’s favourite braised chicken in front of him.
The scent of the food immediately filled the air, and they stopped talking nonsense and started eating directly.
It was not an exaggeration when Zhong Wenjin said many times that he was almost going crazy with hunger. He ate almost half of the dishes on the table by himself. But Liang Yanbei was very dissatisfied with this. He tried to stop him with chopsticks several times but failed to stop him from poking into the braised chicken’s plate.
Wen Chan was amused when he saw him like this and called the waiter to add more dishes.
He ate and cleared away the dishes, and Zhong Wenjin didn’t end the lunch until he was holding his belly full of food.
Wen Chan said goodbye to the three people and took a carriage back to the palace.
Originally, he was humming a little song in a good mood, but as soon as he entered through the palace gate, he saw Ah Fu coming up to welcome him with an extremely ugly expression, and he said in horror, “Your Highness, something big has happened!”
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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