VGAB Chapter 26

After a banquet, with Jìn State’s determination and Wei State’s intention, the establishment of peaceful diplomatic relations between the two nations was sealed. Once the two treaties were signed and stamped, one for Jìn State and one for Wei State, the exchange of agreements was complete.

With these formalities, most of the banquet had already passed.

However, apart from that initial sentence, Wei Chao couldn’t bring himself to exchange more than a few words with Qi Heng. It wasn’t due to a lack of opportunities; it was his own reluctance.

Wei Chao still remembered his earlier speculations. In his previous imaginings, Prince Chen, who had become the ruler of Jìn, should have been a middle-aged man, perhaps even elderly, with a son as old as Qi Shao. He had imagined Prince Chen to be deeply superstitious, raising his son while disguising him as a girl to evade the predictions of fate.

However, upon learning that Prince Chen was actually the former Young Master Wang, Wei Chao suddenly felt his ears getting warm. Thankfully, these speculations were known only to him. Otherwise, it would have been deeply embarrassing.

As the banquet neared its end, Wei State’s mission had achieved its objectives. Following the normal procedure, they would depart from the palace and return to their lodgings. Then, led by Jin State officials, the Wei State envoys would gain insight into the customs and culture of Jìn State before bidding farewell and returning to their homeland.

But once outside the palace, he was certain he’d have very little chance of encountering Young Master Wang again… No, it’s the Emperor of Jin. Wei Chao was torn about how to reasonably and appropriately stay within the palace.

“Crown Prince Wei, you and Shao have a close relationship. Shao is currently residing in the palace. How about you stay as well…?” Qi Heng’s words were interrupted by Wei Chao, who broke into a smile, eagerly nodding. “Alright.”

The Wei State envoys were simply speechless. Crown Prince, couldn’t you at least feign some modesty, pretend to decline politely?

“Your Majesty, speaking of which, why wasn’t the Crown Prince present at today’s banquet?”

“I’ve tasked him with his studies at the Imperial Academy,” Qi Heng explained. “If the Crown Prince wishes to see him, Lin Dahai can guide you.”

Wei Chao nodded enthusiastically. He had to find Qi Shao. If it weren’t for Qi Shao’s misleading words under the influence of alcohol, he would have discovered the true identity of Young Master Wang much earlier.

Moreover, he had previously speculated in various ways about the ambitions of Jìn State’s new ruler in front of Qi Shao. He had even advised him to be cautious, suggesting that perhaps the new ruler was planning something sinister by bringing him back.

But now, Wei Chao felt he had been overly paranoid. Since the Emperor of Jìn was Young Master Wang, Qi Shao was certainly safe. After all, the Emperor of Jìn, such a refined and benevolent person, couldn’t possibly act against the ties of blood.

Wei Chao, with his imagination, perfectly embodied the mentality of a double-standard fan.

With their Crown Prince’s voluntary decision to stay in the palace, the Wei State envoys had no choice but to exit the palace and return to their lodgings.

On the afternoon of the following day, Wei Chao was led by Lin Dahai to the Imperial Academy to find Qi Shao.

Upon locating him, Qi Shao was intensely practicing his calligraphy. Two martial arts instructors with long whips stood on either side of him.

Wei Chao signaled for everyone to remain silent as he quietly approached Qi Shao from behind, his voice calm and sly. “You’ve deceived me quite miserably.”

Qi Shao was so startled that he jolted, causing a large blob of ink to drop onto the paper.

“Such audacity! How dare you scare…!” Qi Shao began, his anger flaring as he turned around. However, his expression shifted to one of astonishment. “Wei Chao, weren’t you supposed to leave the palace? Why are you here?”

Wei Chao had initially intended to ask why he had deceived him, but upon hearing Qi Shao’s question, he couldn’t help but boast a little. “His Majesty allowed me to stay in the palace temporarily.”

“The two martial instructors can take a break,” Lin Dahai chimed in. “His Majesty has permitted the Crown Prince to rest for the afternoon.”

“I’ll return to report this. I won’t disturb Their Highnesses any longer.”

Upon hearing that he could rest for the afternoon, Qi Shao’s face immediately lit up. Once Lin Dahai and the two instructors left, he crumpled the ruined piece of paper and tossed it aside.

“Calligraphy should go to hell! Don’t you know, my uncle is absolutely inhuman,” Qi Shao complained, pulling Wei Chao along. “In the morning, I have to study and write essays. In the afternoon and evening, I have to write ten pages of calligraphy for him. I also have to practice swordsmanship with horse stance, and he has someone supervise me. I don’t even have a chance to slack off. Look at this, is this how an adult prince should spend his days?”

Wei Chao frowned. In the past, he would have wholeheartedly agreed with Qi Shao. But now that he knew that Qi Shao’s “uncle” was the Emperor, he couldn’t support the complaints. “I believe His Majesty is doing this for your own good!”

As Qi Shao’s complaining ceased, he reached up to touch Wei Chao’s forehead and then his own, puzzled. “You’re not running a fever either.”

Clearly, Wei Chao should know the true identity of his “uncle” now, and he should be angry on his behalf. Their shared grievances should have drawn them closer, shouldn’t they?

Wei Chao pushed his hand away. “I’m here to ask you why you misled me into thinking that Young Master Wang was your uncle’s son.”

It had caused him to unknowingly help Qi Shao say bad things about Prince Chen.

“When did I mislead you?” Qi Shao said confidently. At most, he hadn’t actively revealed Young Master Wang’s true identity. But Wei Chao hadn’t asked, had he?

“It was when you first arrived in Wei, the time I invited you for drinks. You said it yourself that Young Master Wang is your uncle’s…” Wei Chao tried to recall the exact words, but he couldn’t remember what he had said.

“But you know it now, don’t you?” Qi Shao put his arm around Wei Chao’s shoulder and teased, “Come on, let me show you around the palace. Our Jin Palace is much more spacious than your Wei Palace.”

The two of them walked out of the Imperial Academy. Despite the winter season, there was a certain charm to the snow-covered roofs, layered one above the other, contrasting with the crimson palace walls. It was like a painting itself.

“There’s a plum tree over there,” Wei Chao pointed across a pond, wanting to go there. However, Qi Shao held him back. “We can’t go over there. My father’s former concubines live in that area now. It wouldn’t be good if we bumped into them.”

Qi Heng initially had only one Consort, but since she had passed away, the palace’s harem was empty. His father’s concubines didn’t need to rush to move to other places, so they were staying in their old quarters. However, the previous palace couldn’t be used anymore, and they had to move to the Western Palace for the imperial concubines.

Hearing this, Wei Chao withdrew his steps, and Qi Shao added, “If you want to see plum blossoms, I’ll take you to a different place.”

Qi Heng mentioned a place called “Yi Mei Yuan,” which was a garden specially built by the previous, previous, previous monarch of Jin for a beloved concubine named Mei. This concubine had a fondness for plum blossoms, hence the creation of this garden filled with plum trees.

However, Qi Shao hadn’t expected that even a casual stroll would lead to an encounter with his uncle. The moment he saw the person, his expression changed. He promptly grabbed Wei Chao, wanting to slip away. “Let’s not go there; there are people there now. We’ll find another place.”

“What’s wrong? Why can’t we go there?” Wei Chao was initially looking elsewhere but turned to look at Yi Mei Yuan upon hearing Qi Shao’s words. He suddenly saw a familiar figure sitting beside a stone table inside.

“Isn’t that Emperor Jin, wait… he’s with someone else…” Wei Chao stopped in mid-sentence. The person inside had long, flowing black hair, wore a black crane cloak, and stood out in this snowy landscape.

No wonder Qi Shao said they couldn’t enter Yi Mei Yuan; it turns out Emperor Jin is accompanying a beauty for a garden stroll.

Wei Chao contemplated this.

“Don’t speak; let’s quietly leave,” Qi Shao pulled Wei Chao, “before my uncle notices us.”

What if his uncle sees how much fun he’s having and suddenly changes his mind, making him go back to the calligraphy practice room?

Practicing calligraphy isn’t so bad, but it’s already the afternoon, and those two martial arts instructors had mentioned that the afternoon’s schedule included horse stance training. Qi Shao definitely didn’t want to endure that hardship.

Qi Shao thought he was speaking quietly, but in fact, Qi Heng heard him loud and clear. Originally, he was considering turning a blind eye to let them go, but upon hearing Qi Shao’s words, he suddenly changed his mind.

“Yuyao,” Qi Heng looked at Qi Yuyao, who was currently building a snowman with Zhao Yan’er, “Qi Shao has brought guests. Do you want to take a break?”

“Cousin’s guests?” Qi Yuyao tilted her head, “Is it the Crown Prince of the State of Wei who lives in the palace?”

Qi Heng nodded, and when Zhao Yan’er heard this, she raised an eyebrow and discreetly poked Qi Yuyao with her finger.

Qi Yuyao had initially thought about leaving, but when she felt Zhao Yan’er’s gesture, she instantly understood her intention and decided to stay.

Could it be that Yan’er wanted to see what the Crown Prince of Wei looked like?

Qi Heng waved to signal the eunuch waiting nearby to bring Qi Shao and his guest inside.

…

“Your Highness, please wait a moment.”

Qi Shao pretended not to hear, quickening his pace.

“Qi Shao, it seems the young eunuch is calling for you,” Wei Chao reminded him, and as there was no avoiding it, Qi Shao reluctantly halted. The young eunuch, panting, reached them.

“His Majesty knows that the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince of Wei are here, so he sent me to invite both of you to join him in enjoying the plum blossoms.”

“Since His Majesty has invited us, then I will go with the Crown Prince.”

Qi Shao was a bit reluctant, but before he could think of a polite way to decline, Wei Chao had already accepted on his behalf.

The two of them entered the Yi Mei Yuan, and it was only then that Wei Chao noticed a small snowman in the garden, most likely made by the two elegantly dressed women standing nearby.

Wei Chao thought that it was surprising to see such a childlike creation in the presence of Emperor Jin.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

Qi Shao and Wei Chao bowed in respect. Qi Heng raised his hand to acknowledge their greetings. He gestured towards the chairs on the other side of the stone table, saying, “Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Qi Shao didn’t hesitate to pull Wei Chao with him as they each took a seat.

“How does the Crown Prince of Wei look? Handsome, isn’t he?” Zhao Yan’er gently teased Qi Yuyao as she leaned in.

Wei Chao felt the gaze on him and followed it to the two women.

Qi Yuyao blushed as she realized she had been caught glancing, and she replied somewhat embarrassed, “Yan’er, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Wei Chao noticed her turning away, so he also averted his gaze. It would be impolite to continue staring, but deep inside, he couldn’t help but ponder – was he attracted to women with such delicate and charming features?

The woman holding the plum blossom branch was indeed beautiful and elegant, sharing some similarities in temperament with the Jin Emperor. However, the other woman could only be described as a lovely beauty. Wei Chao imagined the two women together with the Jin Emperor and felt that they didn’t match at all; it seemed out of place.

Wei Chao remembered the words he had overheard from the palace maids the previous day. It was said that when the Jin Emperor was still a prince, he had a deep affection for his consort, but unfortunately, she was assassinated.

Could it be that the woman resembled the late consort, and that’s why the Jin Emperor kept her by his side, reminiscing about the past?

“Tomorrow, I plan to visit the Ministry of Works to see something unusual. Would the Crown Prince be interested in joining me?” Qi Heng suddenly spoke.

Wei Chao snapped back to attention, nodding in agreement without a second thought, almost as if he was worried Qi Heng would take back his invitation at any moment.

They exchanged a few more words, and Wei Chao awkwardly brought up the matter of swordsmanship guidance, “Will Your Majesty still honor the promise you made regarding the swordsmanship instruction?”

Qi Heng nodded, “Of course, if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can approach me at any time.”

Qi Shao had waited for a while and hadn’t heard his name mentioned. He couldn’t allow the matter of leaving the palace to proceed without his involvement. He interjected, “Uncle, you’re going to the Ministry of Works, what about me? I’d like to go too.”

“You can go if you want,” Qi Heng’s expression remained unchanged, but his tone carried a discernible hint of annoyance. However, Qi Shao didn’t mind at all. Regardless of the tone, the fact that he could go out was all that mattered.

Qi Shao considered saying something to please his uncle, but when he saw Qi Yuyao and her companion approaching, he became curious and asked, “Sister Yuyao, why are you picking these flowers?”

“Father,” Qi Yuyao called to Qi Heng and then turned to Qi Shao with a smile, “I plan to take them back and arrange them in a vase.”

“Father, father…?” Wei Chao’s eyes widened, an expression of disbelief on his face. ‘The Emperor’s children… they’ve grown this big already?’

He was utterly shocked, and his manner of address had reverted in his astonishment.

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