Xue Heng was no different from the one at the Spring Banquet. He treated Shen Youying and Xue Shen with the same warmth and gentleness, without putting on airs because of their changed status. He was dressed in ordinary blue clothes, with a relaxed expression. When he saw Xue Shen enter, he stood up, raised his wine cup, and said with a smile, "We were busy dealing with outsiders before, but now we brothers finally have a day to enjoy a few drinks together."
Xue Shen spun his wheelchair over, took the wine cup offered by him, and the two drank a cup together.
Xue Heng shared a cup of wine with Xue Shen, and without neglecting Shen Youying, introduced her, saying, "This is your sister-in-law, Jiang Yun. Although it's the first time we've met, we're all family, so there's no need to be reserved."
Princess Consort Jiang Yun is the eldest daughter of Jiang Duo, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. She is a beauty who looks like she stepped out of a painting.
She was in poor health, thin, and her face was pale and bluish from a long illness, but this did not detract from her appearance. Instead, it added to her fragility and made her seem pitiful.
"I had said I would visit you during the Spring Banquet, but something went wrong and I couldn't make it. Today I finally met you in person, and you are even more beautiful than I had heard."
Jiang Yun spoke to Shen Youying in a gentle, human voice that was soft and non-aggressive, making it easy for people to feel close to her.
Shen Youying pursed her lips shyly, two red clouds rising on her cheeks: "If you keep praising me like this, I'll feel too embarrassed to stay here any longer."
Jiang Yun laughed at her words, slowly got up, took her hand and led her to the other side, saying softly, "The two of them want to drink, and I can't stand the smell of alcohol. Let's go talk over there."
The private room was spacious, and the two went to a daybed on one side to talk quietly about topics that women usually discuss.
Xue Shen glanced at him and then looked away, pouring a full cup of wine to toast Xue Heng: "I haven't yet congratulated you, elder brother, on the fulfillment of your wish."
Xue Heng clinked glasses with him, then picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
The pungent, burning liquor slid down his esophagus, searing his throat, making Xue Heng's voice hoarse as he spoke again: "You..." He looked at Xue Shen, hesitating, and after several moments of deliberation, slowly said, "If you hadn't met with that accident... you would have been more suitable for this position than me..."
When he brought up these long-buried old stories, his expression became somewhat sad.
Over the past few years, he had painstakingly cultivated his power, engaging in open and covert struggles with Prince Chen. This was partly due to the fact that Prince Chen was at odds with him and Xue Shen; if Prince Chen were to ascend the throne, neither he nor Xue Shen would have a good life. The other part was due to his political disagreements with Emperor Cheng'an. He harbored ambitions and was constantly thinking about expelling the foreign enemies and recovering the still incomplete homeland. However, after Emperor Cheng'an's failed northern expedition, he settled for a corner of the country and preferred to maintain the existing stability.
He had this ideal since he was a teenager.
At that time, Xue Shen was still the crown prince. They were close brothers who grew up together. Occasionally, when Xue Shen was too bound by the rules and etiquette of the palace, he would sneak out to find him for a drink.
While sitting on the rooftop, sharing a jar of wine, the two also discussed their ambitions.
Xue Shen shared the same desire to reclaim lost territory as him.
At that time, the young crown prince was full of arrogance, holding up a wine jar with boundless pride: "When I ascend the throne, I will appoint you as the Grand General. Together as ruler and subject, we will launch a northern expedition, drive out the foreign enemies, recover our lost territories, and make all nations pay tribute!"
His words from the past still echoed in his ears, but a fall from his horse completely severed Xue Shen's future.
The late emperor had only one son, Xue Shen, and after his death, the throne could only be passed to his father.
And now he has become the crown prince.
Sometimes, when Xue Heng looked at his gloomy expression, he felt that fate was playing tricks on him.
Today, after drinking, I recalled the past, and this feeling is even stronger.
Xue Shen, however, did not like to hear him say these things. He frowned and said unhappily, "On such a fine day, if you bring up those unlucky things again, don't blame me for turning my back on you."
And so it always happens; whenever Xue Heng brings up those past events intentionally or unintentionally, he always shows an impatient expression.
Not wanting to anger him, Xue Heng composed himself and replaced the wine cup with a wine jar: "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. Tonight, we brothers will drink until we drop."
.
While the two were drinking, Shen Youying spoke softly to the Crown Princess.
When they first met, she thought it would be a little awkward, but Jiang Yun was an extremely gentle and considerate person. Not only did she not have the airs of a crown princess, but she also treated her like a younger sister.
How is your relationship with the King of Qin?
"It should be... pretty good?" Shen Youying didn't react for a moment and answered blankly.
Jiang Yun smiled and glanced at her, then at the two men not far away, and said in a low voice, "I married the Crown Prince early. When I married into the family, the Prince of Qin had not yet met with his death."
Seeing Shen Youying looking at her with a puzzled expression, as if she didn't know why she suddenly brought this up, Jiang Yun then held her hand and continued in a low voice: "At that time, the Prince of Qin was only fifteen or sixteen years old. He appeared very dignified in front of others, but few people knew that he was actually very unruly. If he got tired of being confined in the palace, he would disguise himself and sneak out of the palace to find his elder brother for a drink."
Recalling the past, Jiang Yun smiled nostalgically: "Back then, my health wasn't as bad as it is now. Every time, I had to clean up the mess left by those two drunk brothers and cover up the whereabouts of the King of Qin. After a while, the King of Qin probably felt embarrassed, so when he came back later, he would bring some novelties from overseas as a bribe."
Shen Youying listened attentively and tried to imagine what the young Xue Shen looked like, following her description, but she really couldn't picture him.
The Xue Shen she knew might not be as ferocious and terrifying as the rumors suggested, but he was still unpredictable and difficult to fathom.
“I know that the King of Qin has a bad reputation now because of his crippled legs and his changed temperament…” Jiang Yun noticed her expression and immediately realized her doubt. She couldn’t help but sigh softly: “But no matter how a person changes, his inner self is deeply rooted and will not be easily shaken. Perhaps you haven’t noticed it yet, but if you look more at what he does, you will find that he is not as bad as the rumors say.”
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