Chapter 40 The Great Wei
Ye Jianshan compromised: "I was wrong. I shouldn't have said you were fat. I am fat, okay?"
Jiang Song said softly, "You're not fat at all, you've lost weight."
Ye Yun was so annoyed by the two of them that he didn't want to talk anymore and couldn't get a word in edgewise, so he could only say, "Neither of you are fat, so it's a good day to nourish yourselves. Let's have stewed goose in an iron pot today."
Ye Yun had already arranged for someone to do it, and Old Man Ye, unable to stay idle, was watching people kill geese in the kitchen.
Old Madam Ye couldn't stay in the mansion any longer, so she went out with Ye Lei and Ye Yan.
Ye Lei and Ye Yan plan to rent a shop in Beijing to continue their embroidery business.
Grandma Ye was worried about the two of them going out, so she went along too. Besides, the old lady couldn't stay idle at home, and she was also feeling restless after being here for so long without going out.
It's not that I've never been out before, but I'm still a bit insecure, and I don't dare to touch this or that when I'm out.
Even after meeting the Emperor and the Crown Prince, this mentality cannot be changed.
But after Ye Yun took him out a few times to broaden his horizons, this situation improved a lot.
So she took the initiative to suggest going out with her two sons. With her two sons by her side, Grandma Ye felt more at ease.
Ye Yun didn't believe Jiang Song's claim that nothing was wrong: "Tell me, what exactly happened after we returned to the capital?"
Once inside, tea was served. After they finished serving the tea, Ye Yun ushered everyone out and addressed Jiang Song.
Ye Jianshan sat down opposite him, intending to hear what this "nothing happened" was all about.
If Ye Jianshan weren't there, Jiang Song could definitely continue speaking, but with Ye Jianshan present, Jiang Song couldn't bring himself to speak.
"Aunt Yun, I want to tell you this quietly, without letting Brother Jianshan hear it."
Jiang Song came to Ye Yun's side and tugged at her clothes, acting coquettishly.
Ye Yun then noticed that Jiang Song's clothes were not what a young lady from a prominent family would wear.
They were all ordinary clothes from Qingyang.
Ye Yun's eyes darkened, and he sent Ye Jianshan away, saying, "Go check on the Crown Prince next door."
Ye Jianshan: ...
His mother even brought up the Crown Prince in an effort to get rid of him.
Seeing Jiang Song's predicament, Ye Jianshan had no choice but to leave, even if he wanted to listen: "Then I'll go ask the Crown Prince if he's coming to eat goose?"
After saying that, he left, giving Ye Yun no time to react.
Ye Yun was speechless. This child was definitely doing it on purpose. She only told Da Shan to go next door and take a look, but she didn't say that the Crown Prince should come to eat.
After everyone left, Ye Yun patted Jiang Song's hand and sighed, "Tell me, how did they bully you at the Jiang residence?"
Jiang Song, with red eyes, recounted what had happened over the past month, which infuriated Ye Yun.
"Is this how your father treats you?"
Ye Yun had been through similar experiences, but he hadn't gone as far as Minister Jiang.
They simply imprisoned him.
"So you're letting you out now because of me?"
Ye Yun immediately understood. No wonder she didn't see Jiang Song yesterday; he was staying in the manor and she wasn't allowed to see him.
"It's like this, and there's also the matter of Brother Jianshan, Aunt Yun, what's the deal between Brother Jianshan and His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Although Jiang Song knew some of it, he still wanted to hear what Ye Yun had to say.
Ye Yun simply said, "It's true."
Jiang Song was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth: "Then what's wrong with Brother Jianshan now?"
Shouldn't Ye be living back in the palace?
Why does everyone still call her Ye Huiyuan?
"That depends on His Majesty's arrangements."
Ye Yun wasn't in a hurry, after all, this was a done deal.
Jiang Song was a little flustered: "Is Aunt Yun really the Crown Princess?"
Ye Yun paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's all in the past."
Jiang Song saw that she didn't want to say more, so he shut up and didn't ask any more questions, sensing that something was going on.
Ye Jianshan was moved to the next room. As soon as he arrived at the door, the tightly closed gate of the Crown Prince's residence immediately opened, eagerly waiting for him to enter: "Ye Huiyuan has arrived, come in quickly."
He looked so anxious, it was as if he was about to reach out and pull him up.
Ye Jianshan was somewhat speechless. He had come alone today. Eunuch Wang was currently staying at the Crown Prince's residence, ready to serve the Crown Prince and Ye Jianshan at any time.
Knowing he was coming, she immediately came over to greet him, smiling and congratulating him, "Congratulations, Ye Huiyuan! You'll definitely achieve great results in three days."
The good result that Eunuch Wang mentioned was naturally Ye Jianshan winning the top scholar title.
Ye Jianshan had received his care during this time and respected him greatly. He cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you for your kind words, sir. I am very grateful for your care during this time."
"It is what this servant should do. Ye Huiyuan, go and see the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is in the study."
As he spoke, Eunuch Wang led him over: "His Highness the Crown Prince has just come out of the palace."
On the way, Eunuch Wang deliberately talked to Ye Jianshan about His Highness the Crown Prince, and Ye Jianshan listened without expression.
When they arrived at the study, Eunuch Wang didn't go in; he let Ye Jianshan go in alone.
Ye Jianshan knocked on the door, and a muffled voice came from inside: "Come in."
The crown prince was busy tidying up his desk, which was covered with a pile of books and paintings, and he was overwhelmed.
Hearing someone knocking on the door, he assumed it was one of the palace servants, so he didn't even look up.
Seeing that he didn't look up, Ye Jianshan quietly moved closer. After he saw the painting on the table, he immediately moved closer to the prince. Oh wow, the person in the painting looks familiar.
If Ye Jianshan wasn't mistaken, it must be his mother.
Just as the Crown Prince was about to reprimand him for his audacity, he turned his head and saw Ye Jianshan looking at him with a teasing expression. His face turned red, and he wanted to reach out and rummage to hide the painting, but he was afraid of damaging it. So he could only listen to his son's teasing with a red face.
"Who is this? Could this be a painting of my mother?"
Ye Jianshan carefully picked up a portrait, glancing at the Crown Prince with amusement as he spoke.
I never expected that His Highness the Crown Prince would secretly draw a portrait of his mother.
Why isn't mine?
Ye Jianshan said deliberately.
The prince hesitated, then said, "If I had known about you earlier, would I have waited until today to meet you?"
If he knew Ye Yun was still alive, he would find her no matter where he was.
Ye Jianshan gave a seemingly plausible comment: "The painting is quite good."
The prince gets angry when the portrait is mentioned.
“You don’t know, I saw your portrait at the end of September or the beginning of October last year. The person who drew you didn’t look like you at all. If I had a drawing skill as good as yours, I would have recognized you long ago.”
The Crown Prince is so angry he doesn't even need me anymore.
Ye Jianshan was puzzled: "I feel that the drawing is quite similar. Everyone draws like that."
"What do you mean it looks like? It doesn't look like it at all. Sit down, and I'll paint one for you."
The prince rolled up his sleeves, tidied the table, picked up his paintbrush, and was about to demonstrate to Ye Jianshan how to draw something truly lifelike.
Seeing that he was really anxious, Ye Jianshan shook his head. Since he had nothing better to do, he chatted with the Crown Prince while having him paint a portrait.
Surprisingly, the father and son actually created a rather heartwarming scene for a while.
"You like spicy food?"
Ye Jianshan was somewhat incredulous.
“Your mother liked spicy food. I didn’t like it before. Every time I ate spicy food, I would cry. But in the more than ten years since your mother passed away, I have come to like spicy food. The spiciness can stimulate me and remind me of your mother.”
Every time he sheds tears, the image of his last separation from Ye Yun flashes through his mind.
We shouldn't have sent Guo Yu and the others to escort the Crown Princess in the first place; we never expected it to cause such a huge blunder.
The Crown Prince is already investigating what happened back then. Ye Yun won't say anything, but there's definitely something going on.
If the truth comes out, the Crown Prince will definitely not let those people off the hook.
I'm afraid that the Crown Princess's past affairs might involve remnants of the Great Wei.
Although the Great Wei Dynasty has perished, its remnants have not yet been completely eliminated.
He failed to protect the Crown Princess more than a decade ago. Now, if the remnants of the Great Wei dare to come again, he will definitely kill them one by one, or two by two.
Ye Jianshan didn't understand why the Crown Prince's expression had turned cold: "Is the painting finished?"
The prince snapped out of his reverie upon hearing the voice: "Immediately, but you can come and see how the painting is. Does it look too much like the real thing?"
Ye Jianshan wiped his mouth and got up from his seat. He had been drawing for a long time and was almost full from eating. He leaned over to take a look and it really did look quite like the painting.
But Ye Jianshan stubbornly insisted: "It does look like it, but it feels like your self-portrait."
Ye Jianshan complained that the two of them looked alike, and he really couldn't tell if the painting was of him or the Crown Prince.
The prince was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "It really is true, it's all because we look alike."
The crown prince echoed his words.
He liked it when Ye Jianshan said that.
They are father and son, and who knows when the crown prince will call him "father".
"It's almost time. Let's go eat next door. Oh, by the way, Minister Jiang's daughter is here too. Don't scare her."
After thinking for a moment, Ye Jianshan decided to give him some instructions first.
The Crown Prince was taken aback, feeling that the topic had changed a bit too quickly: "Minister Jiang? His daughter?"
The Crown Prince truly did not know who Minister Jiang's daughter was.
Ye Jianshan gave a brief introduction of Jiang Song: "His name is Jiang Song. He used to live in Qingyang, but he only returned to Beijing in the past month. He has a very good relationship with my mother, so don't scare her."
Ye Jianshan even brought up Ye Yun.
The Crown Prince turned and gave Ye Jianshan a deep look. Seeing that Ye Jianshan's eyes were somewhat unfocused and he didn't dare to look at him, the Crown Prince understood. He patted Ye Jianshan's shoulder, looking like a wise man, and said, "I understand."
Ye Jianshan: ? ? ?
What makes you think you understand?
The Crown Prince wiped his hands and said to Ye Jianshan, "Let's go and meet this daughter of Minister Jiang, who has a good relationship with your mother."
Seeing him leave, Ye Jianshan quickly followed, saying worriedly, "I'm telling you, my mother really likes him. She even went to the Minister's mansion to look for him yesterday, but she didn't see him..."
On the way, Ye Jianshan seemed to be making up for lost time by saying a lot of things.
"Okay, okay."
The crown prince walked faster and faster with his hands behind his back, eager to see the woman named Jiang Song that his son had been talking about.
Ye Jianshan was speechless. Watching the Crown Prince's retreating figure, he could only jog to catch up: "What's the rush?"
The Crown Prince was naturally anxious, eager to confirm his relationship with Jiang Song.
After Jiang Song learned about Ye Jianshan's situation, Ye Yun noticed that she had become much more reserved, so he clapped his hands and comforted her, "Just be the same as before. What's past is past. Anyway, I don't plan to take the title of Crown Princess anymore."
The crown prince heard these words as soon as he entered, and they stung him deeply.
"What are you saying? Whether you return to the Crown Prince's residence or not, you will always be the Crown Princess."
Now it's the crown prince's turn to get anxious.
After he ascended the throne, he still fantasized about winning Ye Yun over and making her his empress.
If all else fails, we can threaten Ye Jianshan. We can't be without anyone in the palace, can we? Ye Jianshan is the Crown Prince, and Ye Yun has already returned to the capital for him. It wouldn't be difficult for him to return to the palace on his own initiative.
Jiang Song was startled, her eyes widening in surprise. She tugged at Ye Yun's sleeve and looked at the father and son in front of her: "Aunt Yun, what's going on?"
Why are there two faces resembling Jian Shan's...?
So, this is the Crown Prince?
How come she looks so much like Brother Jianshan?
But it's really strange; apart from their age, these two faces look exactly the same at first glance...
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Author's Note: I've added over a thousand words.
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