Zhong Wan’s ears rang. He almost couldn’t keep standing. He was really in too much pain, which caused him to lose his self control. He let slip, “You’ve done so much these past few years. Is it because… you want to avoid the fight for the throne?”
Yu She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
Yu She set his tea cup on the table. As if he had heard an amazing joke, he started guffawing to himself. He laughed for a long time; Zhong Wan was shocked. The Yu She of before would never have acted in this way.
Yu She finally laughed enough. He softly coughed and fixed his messy robes, then shook his head. “No, I’m terrified that I won’t be dragged into it.”
At this time, Zhong Wan’s ears were still ringing and his head hurt. If not for the fact that he was familiar with Yu She’s voice, he probably wouldn’t even be able to understand what the other was saying. Anger bubbled in his heart. “You don’t even have a chance. Why bother…”
Yu She paused as he realized what was running through Zhong Wan’s mind. He started chuckling again. A moment later, he asked, “What are you thinking?”
Yu She erased the smile off his face. He calmly stated, “I just don’t want everyone to live so smoothly is all.”
Zhong Wan, who had spent several years doing his absolute best and more just to survive, became furious to the point that he almost fell over after hearing this.
He burst into laughter and reflected upon himself. Perhaps these years of struggling to survive had worn down his ambitions. Otherwise, why would he want to scold Yu She in his father’s place after hearing his words?
Wasn’t it nice to be alive?
Zhong Wan became extremely angry, so angry that the rims of his eyes turned red.
Yu She observed him, fascinated. He asked, “Zhong Wan… are you worrying about me?”
Zhong Wan couldn’t decipher what Yu She was saying. He lifted his gaze, bewildered. Yu She scoffed. “I understand… You only want to get out of here. You think by faking concern in a few phrases I’ll remember our old friendship and let you go, right?”
It was even hard for Zhong Wan to keep his eyes open. Right now, he was using his last breath to stay standing. If not for the fact that he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of Yu She, he would’ve found a chair to sit in long ago. He could barely tell that Yu She was saying something, but as for what he was saying specifically, Zhong Wan had no idea.
Zhong Wan’s forehead was wet with cold sweat. He lifted a hand to squeeze in between his eyebrows, subconsciously saying, “Ziyou, I’m uncomfortable…”
Yu She froze. A moment later, he said, “Boil a bowl of ginger soup and bring it over.”
The servant lifted his head, then hurriedly made a noise of acknowledgement and headed out.
Zhong Wan’s reasoning had completely left him because of his fever. He forgot his identity as a guest and ordered, voice hoarse, “Add extra sugar.”
Yu She: “…”
The servant was surprised too. He looked at Yu She; Yu She nodded.
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A bowl of ginger soup later, Zhong Wan finally regained some color in his face.
Yu She remained silent, simply watching Zhong Wan.
The servant brought another bowl over for Zhong Wan. Zhong Wan sipped at it, little by little. The servants at Prince Yu’s estate knew what to do. They had added some medicines used for expelling cold to the ginger soup, all of high quality. Thirty minutes later, he instantly felt better.
Now that his body was no longer in pain, his mind managed to clear up too. Thus, he started becoming even more anxious.
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Yu She had gone through the trouble of getting him here, for what?
Yu She didn’t say anything, so naturally Zhong Wan didn’t dare to speak either. The two of them sat across from each other, speechless. One sipped at his tea, the other at his medicine.
A long pause later, Yu She suddenly spoke. “Zhong Wan…”
Zhong Wan swallowed the last of his ginger soup and placed the small bowl on the table. He could tell that Yu She was finally about to get to the point.
There was another bout of insufferable silence.
Yu She gently knocked against the surface of the table. He slowly started, “These past years, I have asked myself many times.”
Zhong Wan lifted his gaze. What did he mean?
Was he about to start going through all their past events one by one?
Yu She seemed to be lost in his memories. He drawled out, “Always perplexed, always puzzled. Did I perhaps… suffer a serious illness and damage my brain with fever?”
Zhong Wan was bewildered. “Huh?”
“Or maybe I unfortunately fell off a horse and hurt my head in the process?”
Zhong Wan had no idea what was going on. What did this have to do with anything?
Yu She lightly said, “Every time I was about to believe all those stories you made up…”
Yu She glanced at Zhong Wan and continued, “Every time I was unable to trust myself, when I started wavering, I would ask those servants who had been with me since young: did I lose part of my memory? Otherwise, how would I not be able to remember even one instance of our love affair?”
Zhong Wan started coughing his lungs out.
He kept a firm grasp over his mouth. At a time like this, he absolutely could not start laughing.
If Yu She could kill Lin Si, he could definitely kill him too.
But as soon as he thought of a young Yu She suffering from self doubt and a mental breakdown, clinging onto an old servant to ask if he had lost his memories, Zhong Wan really couldn’t help himself.
Zhong Wan borrowed the cover of coughing to bury his head low into his own chest.
Yu Ziyou watched him calmly. “Laugh, don’t hold it in.”
Zhong Wan furiously shook his head.
Yu Ziyou raised the corner of his lips in a leer. “Be good, laugh out loud… for every time you laugh, I’ll make you cry the same amount of times.”
Zhong Wan lost the strength in his legs for some reason. He originally could’ve kept it in, but after hearing this, he couldn’t control himself anymore. A single laugh escaped him.
Yu Ziyou smiled. “Very good, once.”
Zhong Wan pinched himself, hard. He felt much better now, so didn’t dare to keep sitting. He stood up.
Yu She’s expression was conflicted as he stared at Zhong Wan for a while. Suddenly, he said, “You can leave.”
Zhong Wan was speechless. He was… letting him go just like that?
Yu She stood up. “I’m tired. You can leave.”
Zhong Wan heaved a huge sigh of relief. As soon as he turned to leave, he heard Yu She coldly add, “Keep a tight leash on that mute dog of yours. Don’t let him come bother me again.”
Zhong Wan paused. He knew he was speaking of Lin Si, so made a noise of acknowledgment and left.
His original plan involved bringing Lin Si back to Qian An after His Majesty’s birthday. Thus, he naturally wouldn’t bother Yu She again.
On the way back to Prince Qian An’s estate, Zhong Wan had a debate with himself.
Zhong Wan’s initial plan had already been made. After ensuring that Emperor Chongan had completely dispelled his doubts, he would bring everyone back to Qian An, never to return to the capital. But now, he was suddenly hesitant.
Zhong Wan thought about the circumstances Yu She was currently in. He couldn’t stop worrying.
Either way, Xuan Rui would have no use for him soon. Perhaps he could help plot for Yu She and convince him to remove himself from this mess sooner…
Zhong Wan suddenly got rid of this idea.
Disregarding the question of whether or not he would be able to safely get out of the upcoming situation, he had already tricked Yu She so many times before. How could the other trust him to be of help?
Zhong Wan pulled the fox fur coat closer and scoffed, mocking himself. Besides, he had already fallen so far from grace. He didn’t have any face left to go find Yu She.
Yu She probably had only arranged today’s events as a warning for Lin Si. From now on… Zhong Wan didn’t think that Yu She would be willing to see him again.
He was most likely more than disgusted.
Three months later, bridges would be bridges and roads would be roads. They would probably never meet again in their entire lifetimes.
At the same time, in Prince Yu’s estate, the old steward of the side courtyard was helping Yu She prepare for bed. He gently asked, “Heir saw Young Master Zhong today?”
Yu She nodded.
“This old slave took a few glances through the door curtain too. Young Master Zhong has gotten much taller and more handsome.”
Yu She didn’t speak.
“Heir and Young Master Zhong’s rumors are quite well known. Though the aristocrats and nobles only think of it as a joke and don’t actually believe it, though it doesn’t stop them from asking for matrimony with our estate, it still wouldn’t be quite right. Today you met in the middle of the night, away from everyone else’s eyes, which was fine. But if you continuously meet…”
The old steward looked like he had something to say. Yu She smiled faintly; he knew what the old steward wanted to tell him
“You don’t want me to see him again?”
The old steward didn’t dare to try and tell Yu She what to do. He lowly said, “I just don’t think it’s necessary.”
“No, it’s necessary.”
Yu She grinned sadistically. “Today I said, if he dared to laugh once, I would make him cry once. A few days later…I’m going to make him pay.”