Chapter 16: CH 14

Song Xian leaned over and frowned, “What are you thinking about?”

Sui Yan replied, “Who is responsible for the wine at the banquet tonight?” 

Song Xian pointed at himself, “I am.”

Sui Yan looked at him suspiciously, “Why is a guest like you doing this? Are all of the servants in the Third Prince’s Manor useless?”

Song Xian said, “I came here early and was bored, so I found something to do. What? Did you need something?”

Sui Yan blinked at him and whispered, “Then can you secretly switch my wine with peach nectar?” 

Song Xian, “……”

Jiang Enhe heartlessly added, “Me too! Me too! Can you switch mine with ginseng soup?”

Song Xian, “……”

Song Xian stared at the two fools speechlessly. After a while, he asked, “Are you here to crash the banquet?”

Sui Yan laughed and didn’t tease him again.

Duan Zhisu soon returned. Perhaps it was because there were too many guests that he had to greet, but he didn’t stay in the side courtyard for very long before dragging Song Xian away. Jiang Enhe seemed to think it was fun, and he followed them out.

Before they left, Sui Yan held onto his small hand warmer and called, “Your Highness, do you need my help?”

Even though he had said this, it was clear that he didn’t have any intention to get up. Duan Zhisu was so angry that he laughed, “It’s so cold outside. Just stay here. I’ll be happy if you don’t cause any trouble.” 

Now that Sui Yan had an excuse to be lazy, he beamed.

Maybe it was because he was too bored, but Sui Xun had found a book from who knows where and was reading it.

Since the Sui Family was full of military ministers, they refused to curry favor with anyone, so they weren’t close with any of the ministers in court.

Because Sui Yan and Duan Zhisu were childhood playmates, the Sui Family had a close relationship with the Third Prince. Others secretly remarked that the unfavored Third Prince was blessed to have gained a backer as powerful as the Sui Family. With the Sui Family’s support, Duan Zhisu had a bargaining chip to fight for the throne. 

But Sui Yan was the only one who knew that the reason why his family and Duan Zhisu were so close wasn’t that his family wanted to help the prince gain power, but purely because he and Duan Zhisu were friends.

If Sui Xun had still been alive in his previous life, he definitely wouldn’t have allowed Sui Yan to get caught up in the fight for the throne.

Even right now, with Sui Xun’s identity, he definitely wouldn’t have come to a prince’s birthday banquet if it weren’t for how good Sui Yan and Duan Zhisu’s relationship was.

There seemed to be many guests in the prince’s manor, and the sound of their voices could distantly be heard. 

Sui Xun glanced outside and asked, “Aren’t you going to go out to join in on the fun?”

Sui Yan was at the age where he enjoyed the excitement.

However, Sui Yan shook his head. He took a sip of tea and calmly replied, “There’s no need. I’m getting older, and it’s better for me to hold a cup of tea and watch the young people make trouble.”

He grabbed onto a servant and instructed, “Do you have goji berries? Use goji berries to make a new pot of tea for me.” 

The servant hurriedly left to do so.

Sui Xun, “……”

Sui Xun put his book down, walked over to feel Sui Yan’s forehead, and frowned, “Did your sickness make you stupid?”

Sui Xun rarely acted this intimately. When he got close, Sui Yan froze. He held onto his tea and looked at Sui Xun blankly. 

Sui Xun asked, “What’s wrong?”

Sui Yan put down the tea and shook his head. Just as Sui Xun was about to go back, Sui Yan grabbed the corner of his clothes.

“Elder Brother,” Sui Yan whispered, “After the New Year, can you……not go back to the border?”

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As he spoke, he felt that he had been too harsh. He coughed drily and spoke more gently, “Don’t fool around.”

Sui Yan held onto the corner of Sui Xun’s clothing, shook it gently, and mournfully whined, “Elder Brother……”

Sui Xun was so used to seeing Sui Yan willfully make trouble that when Sui Yan suddenly started acting spoiled, he felt that it was unfamiliar. He looked at Sui Yan uncomfortably and didn’t know whether to shake his hand away or not.

When Sui Yan saw that he had gotten an inch, he wanted a mile. He immediately moved to hug Sui Xun’s waist, buried his face in his arms, and dully said, “Even if……even if you want to go, can you go back a little later? Just this once. Can you promise Wanggui? Elder Brother.” 

Sui Xun’s lips moved slightly, “You……”

Sui Yan raised his head and looked at him anxiously, “When I was young, I was willful and mischievous, but now that I’ve grown up, I want to spend more time with Elder Brother.”

The usually iron-blooded and indifferent general was at a loss. He could only say, “Don’t, don’t act spoiled.”

When Sui Yan saw that it was working, he became even more vigorous, “Second Brother, Gege, once you leave, you won’t come back for years. Nobody will stand up for me when I get bullied here in the capital……” 

When he heard this, Sui Xun raised a brow and coldly asked, “Who bullied you?”

Sui Yan was about to use this opportunity to complain when a chuckle sounded. He turned his head to take a look.

——Duan Mingchong, dressed in ink-colored robes, stood at the entrance, looking at him as he smiled.

Sui Yan froze for a moment before his face flushed, and he let go of his brother at a loss. 

Sui Xun quickly returned to his senses, turned around, and bowed, “This subject greets Your Highness.”

Sui Yan sat on the side with his head lowered. Sui Xun pulled him up and whispered, “Don’t be disrespectful.”

Sui Yan hurriedly bowed as well, “This subject pays respect to Your Highness.”

When nobody was around, he could shamelessly act spoiled in front of his brother. Even if it was embarrassing, he was just embarrassing himself in front of his family. However, he had not expected that Duan Mingchong would have seen it. 

Sui Yan wanted to dig a hole to hide in. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to die.

Duan Mingchong kept smiling as he replied, “You don’t need to be so polite. Little Young Master and General have such a good relationship.”

Sui Yan’s face was bright red as he quietly said, “I……I’ll go see if the Third Prince needs my help, so I won’t accompany you any longer.”

He didn’t even wait for Duan Mingchong’s reply before he wrapped himself in a large cloak and ran out. 

As Sui Yan ran into the heavy snow, he heard the sound of wind and snow whistling by, as well as a faint echo of Duan Mingchong’s chuckle.

Sui Yan despaired, Ah, I don’t know how to say it. Anyways, it’s just……I want to die.

Immediately after his rebirth, he felt like he had seen through everything. Filled with apathy, he had wanted to die. But now, it was because of his feelings of awkwardness and embarrassment. He had the urge to fall into the snow and smother himself to death.

Why was Duan Mingchong there every time he did something awkward or embarrassing? 

Sui Yan almost collapsed.

He was so panicked that he didn’t even think about where he was going. He walked down the veranda, his hair dusted with white snow. At the end of the corridor, he made a few turns before arriving at the main hall of the Third Prince’s manor.

It was snowing, and many people had come to give their gifts or well-wishes. Sui Yan glanced inside and found that most of them were civil officials, who were chatting in groups.

Duan Zhisu was conversing with a man dressed in black robes. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Sui Yan standing outside the entrance. He froze for a moment before he said something to that person and walked towards Sui Yan. 

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Duan Zhisu pulled him in, wiped off the snow that hadn’t yet melted from his hair, and frowned, “Weren’t you drinking tea in the side courtyard? What are you doing standing here? Are you cold?”

Sui Yan was so cold that his teeth chattered. He shivered, “The Crown Prince is talking with my, my brother. I didn’t want to disturb them……so, so I came out.”

Duan Zhisu frowned even more. He gave the nearby Song Xian some instructions before leading Sui Yan to a bedroom in the rear courtyard.

A charcoal basin was in the bedroom. Soon after Sui Yan entered, he felt the snow in his hair melt and drip down. Duan Zhisu helped him take off his large cloak and softly said, “I still have many things to do today. Your body isn’t that well, so don’t go outside and make trouble. Just stay here and sleep for a while. I’ll wake you up in the evening when the banquet begins.” 

Sui Yan nodded.

Duan Zhisu asked, “What happened? I saw that you were yawning a lot just now. Did you sleep well last night?”

Sui Yan took off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, and sat there, holding a blanket. He quietly replied, “Yesterday, my brother punished me and had me copy books, so I didn’t rest well.”

Duan Zhisu put soothing incense into the small incense burner, and white smoke soon curled up. 

“Copying books? What did you do this time?”

Sui Yan shook his head. Duan Zhisu was helping him remove his guan and he said, “Don’t move around. If I pull your hair out, you’ll be the one in pain.”

Sui Yan could only stop moving as he answered, “I didn’t do anything, I just visited Banhua Tower.”

Duan Zhisu paused as he frowned, “Didn’t I tell you that Banhua Tower isn’t a good place to be? You can’t go even if you’re craving their sweets. When you went, how did you get caught by your brother? Didn’t he beat you to death?” 

Sui Yan didn’t want to talk about it, so he ran his hand through his hair before lying down on the soft pillows.

When Sui Yan was young, the Sui Manor was always empty. Ever since Duan Zhisu had gotten his own manor, Sui Yan would visit for meals and for a bed to sleep on. Over time, they had gotten used to this arrangement.

Duan Zhisu didn’t ask any more questions. He sent for a bowl of hot ginger soup. After watching Sui Yan drink it, he turned and left.

Sui Yan lay on the bed on his side, sniffing the costus root scent spreading throughout the room. His mind wandered. For a while, he wondered who could secretly poison the wine, then he thought about whether Sui Xun could return after leaving for the southern borders. Soon after, the incense soothed his racing mind, and he fell asleep muddleheadedly. 

He faintly heard the sounds of wind and snow outside, and Sui Yan dreamed of a snowy winter night where it felt like cold, sharp blades were falling down upon him.

Wearing a cloak, he knelt outside Taihe Palace. The heavy snow whistled by his ears, and the cold dug into his bones.

The old eunuch who served the emperor held an umbrella and bent down beside him, whispering, “Little Young Master, the emperor is furious right now and won’t see you. It is so cold, you should go back.”

The young Sui Wanggui shook his head. His voice was blown away by the cold wind, “I must see the emperor today. Please help me pass the message again.” 

The old eunuch anxiously replied, “The emperor is about to retire for the evening. Little Young Master, if you keep kneeling here and something happens……”

Sui Wanggui smiled lightly, speaking nonsense as he shivered, “It’s alright. I’m not cold.”

The old eunuch had watched Sui Wanggui, who was always joyful and energetic, grow up. He had never seen him laugh this sullenly, and he was taken aback. He placed the umbrella by Sui Wanggui’s side to block the wind and snow and returned to Taihe Palace to try and persuade the emperor again.

Except as soon as he entered, he saw the emperor reach a hand out and gently knock on the table before instructing, “Go and pour a glass of wine to send to Duan Zhisu.” 

The old eunuch was extremely frightened. His face pale, he tentatively said, “Your Majesty, Little Young Master Sui is still kneeling outside. It is snowing heavily, and he has always been frail……”

The emperor frowned and replied, “Allow him to enter.”

The old eunuch was overjoyed, and he quickly took a few steps backward and walked outside.

Soon after, Sui Wanggui entered, covered in snow. When he saw the emperor, he immediately knelt down with a thud. His forehead touched the ground, and his voice trembled as he pleaded, “This subject begs Your Majesty to show mercy.” 

The old eunuch was standing to the side, holding a glass of wine. When he saw this, he held his breath and felt nervous for Sui Wanggui.

The emperor looked at him indifferently and asked, “Who do you want zhen to grant mercy to? How should zhen grant it?”

Sui Wanggui hoarsely answered, “Even if the Third Prince has committed an unforgivable sin, he is still Your Majesty’s flesh and blood. I hope you will spare him based on……”

Before he could finish, the emperor angrily swept down the pile of memorials on the table with a sleeve, “You still dare to beg for mercy on his behalf?! Look at these! These are records of all of the civil and military officials’ participation in this scheme. Someone who can even poison the Crown Prince and form secret alliances for underhanded dealings is really zhen’s good son!” 

Sui Wanggui continued to kowtow, “The Third Prince is not someone who would conspire to murder his younger brother. Someone must have framed him……”

The young Sui Yan had been naive. He did everything in his power to clear Duan Zhisu’s name, but he clearly hadn’t thought about his words before he spoke.

“There is ironclad evidence! How do you know that someone is framing him?” The emperor was so enraged that he picked up an inkstone and smashed it. It hit Sui Wanggui’s left shoulder, and ink stains bloomed all over his clothing.

The old eunuch immediately kneeled, “Your Majesty, calm down.” 

The emperor took a deep breath before he wondered out loud, “Sui Wanggui. Everybody else rushed to avoid him after seeing him fall into such a situation. Why are you thoughtlessly involving yourself with this matter?”

Sui Wanggui had nothing to say.

The emperor maliciously glared at the shivering Sui Wanggui who knelt on the ground before he finally proclaimed, “Duan Zhisu, convicted of conspiring to murder his brother, granted death. Send this glass of Stigma to the Third Prince’s Manor.”

The old eunuch was startled, “Your Majesty, this……” 

At the same time, Sui Wanggui suddenly raised his head. His eyes were bloodshot, “Your Majesty, I beg you to spare his life for the sake of the father-son relationship between the two of you!”

The emperor coldly gazed at Sui Yan, whose forehead was still pressed onto the ground. Perhaps it was because he had used too much force, but his skin had broken, and there was a trace of blood slowly trickling down.

“Your Majesty!”

The emperor slowly stood up, supporting himself with the desk in front of him. He looked down at Sui Yan condescendingly before he suddenly spoke, “Since you are pleading on his behalf, then this glass of poisoned wine will be granted to you.” 

Sui Wanggui was taken aback. He then slowly raised his head and looked at the emperor blankly.

The emperor ordered the old eunuch, “Go.”

The old eunuch was trembling, but he didn’t dare to defy the emperor’s orders. He slowly walked towards Sui Wanggui and bent down in front of him. The jade wine bottle on the wooden tray in his hands shimmered, reflecting broken fragments of light.

Sui Wanggui dazedly stared at the wine bottle in front of him. A moment later, he reached out and picked it up with a trembling hand, gazing down at the liquid inside. 

The emperor watched him trembling in fear before he sneered. As he was about to speak, he saw Sui Wanggui shakingly raise the wine bottle to his lips and down the poisoned wine.

The emperor was shocked, and he raged, “You!”

The old eunuch was so frightened that he knelt down as well, “Little Young Master!”

The jade bottle fell onto the ground and shattered. 

After he swallowed, the poisonous wine flowed down his throat, and he felt a bit of warmth in the bitter cold. He was clearly terrified and in despair, but he still pressed his forehead onto the ground. His voice trembled, “This subject begs Your Majesty to spare the Third Prince’s life.”

The emperor stared at him for a long time in a daze before he swept the candlesticks off the table. He raged, “Why are you standing there so stupidly!? Go summon the imperial physicians!”

The old eunuch ran out in a hurry.

Sui Wanggui kept kneeling on the ground. He shivered as softly repeated, “This subject begs Your Majesty……” 

This subject begs Your Majesty……

Suddenly, he felt a light touch on his forehead. The cold touch instantly woke Sui Yan up.

Sui Yan slowly opened his eyes. Duan Zhisu was sitting at his bedside and frowning at him. He asked, “Did you have a nightmare?”

Sui Yan couldn’t discern whether he was in a dream or reality, and he could only blankly stare at Duan Zhisu. 

Duan Zhisu felt his forehead and said, “You don’t have a fever. You must be confused from sleep.”

He patted Sui Yan’s small, pale face and coaxed, “Wanggui, do you still recognize me? The banquet is about to start. You can’t sleep anymore.”

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