Chapter 59 Chapter 59 How did I see my brother pretending to be dead?! ...
The situation in the previous dynasty was ever-changing, and there were many undercurrents beneath the calm surface of the capital. As a woman in the inner court, Yun Wu was not affected too much.
The only thing that made her vaguely feel the seriousness of the situation was that she had been ill for many days and Xie Yi had not come to see her.
For several days, there was only the letter delivered by someone else, but Xie Yi himself did not show up.
Even though she had written to Xie Yi first, asking him not to come, lest his illness affect his health, but Xie Yi really didn't come and only sent a letter, Yun Wu felt a little aggrieved.
Of course, she wasn't unreasonable. Xie Yi was busy with important matters, and if he could spare some time, he would certainly find a way to come. The concern in the letter he sent through someone else didn't seem fake. Besides the letter, he also sent many compensatory gifts and nourishing herbs. But Yun Wu was ill, and every time she thought of him, he wasn't around, which inevitably made her feel depressed.
We are clearly in the same capital, so why is it harder to see each other than being separated by thousands of mountains and rivers?
Her husband wasn't really dead...
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. One day, after drinking the bitter medicine, Yun Wu burned incense at the tablet of her husband.
After burning incense, she stared at the white words on the black background on the tablet. Unable to help herself, she stretched out her finger and poked at Xie Yi's name.
She just poked it lightly, but heard a "bang" and the tablet fell straight back.
Yun Wu was immediately startled, her eyes looking around guiltily, and she quickly helped Xie Yi up again and wiped the dust off his body.
She stroked the edge of the tablet and muttered, "I don't really blame you. I can't say a word to you."
So he stabilized the tablet and lit another stick of incense. This time he was very quiet and didn't dare to say a bad word.
However, although she had not met Xie Yi, Yun Wu could still sense the edge of a storm from the daily interactions in the Duke's Mansion.
Recently, more and more letters have been sent to the Duke's Mansion. It seems that officials from all over the capital are communicating with each other privately and speculating about the future direction. Among them are also several invitations sent from various princes' mansions.
Lord Xie and the eldest son held important positions in the court. Now that the emperor had fallen ill, the princes were unsettled, and the court was in turmoil. They left early and returned late each day, declining all invitations to devote themselves to official duties. For many days, they were absent from dinner.
Yun Wu had been ill for several days, staying in the small courtyard. When she recovered, she went to the front yard for dinner. Several seats were empty at the table; even Erlangjun was nowhere to be seen.
"Come, Ah Wu, eat."
Chen Qiutang pulled her to sit next to him and put a large chicken drumstick in her bowl: "Look at you, you've been sick for so many days and you've lost a lot of weight. Eat more and replenish yourself."
"Thank you, second sister-in-law."
Yun Wu held the rice bowl and looked around. "Are we the only ones here today?" "Isn't it?" Chen Qiutang complained. "You said that the Duke and the eldest son have official business to attend to, so it's fine if they don't come back. But my Second Master is also out. At this time, he still has the mood to drink with those friends outside."
Yun Wu asked cautiously, "Is the situation outside...critical?"
Another piece of pork ribs fell from the sky and landed in her bowl. Yun Wu turned her head and saw Meng Qingtong smiling at her gently.
"It's not a crisis, really. The Duke's Mansion doesn't participate in factional disputes and only supports the current emperor. But since the emperor fell ill, people in the capital have been unsettled, each with their own thoughts, and it's very chaotic." Meng Qingtong put another piece of pork ribs into Zhao Ge'er's bowl, touched his son's head, and said, "There's only so much we can do to help. We can only wait and see what happens."
Yun Wu nodded as she heard this.
Mrs. Xie asked, "I heard you've been meeting a lot of stewards recently?"
Yun Wu replied in a low voice, "My husband left me some assets before he left. If I don't take care of them soon, I won't be able to let go."
Chen Qiutang was surprised: "Awu, you are still taking care of these things when you are sick? No wonder you have lost a lot of weight."
"Take your time, don't rush things." Madam Xie said, "Sanlang passed away suddenly, and it was hard for you to be alone. If you have any difficulties, remember not to take them to heart."
Chen Qiutang: "Yes, Ah Wu, my sister-in-law and I can help you. We are a family, and we should support each other."
Yun Wu felt warm in her heart and nodded repeatedly while holding the small bowl: "I know everything."
Chen Qiutang put more food into her bowl, making the pile of small bowls peak out. "Eat more, Ah Wu."
She also put a piece of scrambled egg into the bowl of Sister Nuan, who was looking at her with round eyes. "Sister Nuan, eat too."
Yun Wu nodded, lowered her eyes, and couldn't help but think of Xie Yi again.
I don’t know what Xie Yi is doing now, or whether he is eating well.
Now even Lord Xie and the eldest son had to use official business as an excuse to avoid the Duke's Mansion. Xie Yi's every move must be watched by others. If he secretly came to the Duke's Mansion, Xie San's identity might be exposed, which would bring trouble to the Duke's Mansion.
She had heard that several princes were now trying to win over officials at court, their actions becoming more open and aboveboard. The battle for the throne was like a battlefield; the more officials supported them, the better their chances of succession. However, Xie Yi was only the orphan of the former crown prince, not the current emperor's biological son, and had arrived so late. Compared to the other princes, it was unclear what his chances were.
It would be nice to be a happy person sheltered under the shade of such a grand mansion, but people have ambitions and want to compete. If she wins, it would be great, but she only prayed that if Xie Yi loses one day, at least he will keep his life safe and live a good life behind closed doors.
Carrying a secret unknown to others, Yun Wu sat among the ignorant ladies of the Duke's Mansion, feeling quite unable to eat.
After dinner, she returned to the courtyard of the third room.
A letter appeared under the pillow at the head of the bed. It was sent by Xie Yigang.
The two could not meet in person, so they could only communicate through letters, which had accumulated into a thick stack.
After reading the letter, Yun Wu spread out a piece of white paper, dipped it in ink, and began to write a letter to Xie Yi.
As she wrote, she thought: When can I see him again?
She missed him.
…
Erlangjun was also thinking about his younger brother.
A restaurant in Beijing.
His friend filled the cup in front of him with wine and advised him, "You haven't come out to play with us since your brother died. It's rare for you to come out, so please be happy."
Xie Fei was sad: "Alas, my Sanlang..."
"You've been sad for so long, it's time to move on." A friend consoled her, "The dead can't be brought back to life, you should move on."
Xie Fei covered her face and wiped away her tears, sobbing in her throat: "How can I get out of this? Before Sanlang left, he gave me a horse. When I saw the horse, I thought of him."
"That horse..."
"It's the one I rode today."
"That's a good horse."
Xie Fei was even more heartbroken. "He's already so sick, yet he still worries so much about me... I really regret it! Why didn't I treat him better when he was alive? I only have this one brother, and he...how could he be gone now?!"
Xie Fei cried out and lay on the table, crying loudly.
His friends patted him on the back and said, "Xie Er, take it easy."
"Everyone is gone, you have to live well."
"Well, why don't you just stop riding horses..."
Xie Fei: "That won't do. Wouldn't it be a shame not to ride such a good horse?"
The girl playing the piano in the private room couldn't help but look up.
One friend's eyes moistened slightly as he couldn't help but say, "I also had a little sister, who died of illness a few years ago...Alas, she was only that little, and I used to hold her in my arms."
Another friend's eyes moistened: "Actually, my beloved dog also passed away last month..."
For a moment, the mood of everyone in the private room became depressed. The female musician's gestures changed, and her silence made the melody become mournful and desolate.
Just then, there was a loud noise outside.
Xie Fei raised her head: "What's going on?"
The friend next to him wiped his eyes and said, "When I came here, I saw the carriage from Prince An's Mansion. It seems that His Royal Highness Prince An is hosting a banquet in this restaurant today."
This is the largest and most famous restaurant in the capital, where officials often gather to drink.
"Your Highness Prince An?"
Xie Fei shook her head and lay back down.
Although he was idle all day and away from the center of the court, he knew that the capital was not peaceful recently.
The emperor's illness seemed to be getting worse. He hadn't recovered for many days, and no good news had been reported. Several princes had their own ideas, but they didn't expect that the newly recovered Prince An also had such ambitions.
However, His Royal Highness Prince An was the orphan of the former Crown Prince. If the injustice hadn't happened and the former Crown Prince had ascended the throne smoothly, His Royal Highness Prince An might have been the current Crown Prince. Not everyone was as indulged in comfort as he was, so it wasn't surprising that His Royal Highness Prince An had such ambitions.
But Xie Fei has never met His Royal Highness Prince An.
He was just an inconspicuous minor official in the Taichang Temple without any real job. Although he was a son of the Duke's Mansion, he was a bastard who would not inherit the family business. As the princes fought for power, he was not in the eyes of His Royal Highness Prince An, nor was he someone who would be won over.
Most of his close friends were like this: either illegitimate sons or second-born sons, none of whom had any business to inherit, and spent their days as idlers.
So he listened to it but didn't take it seriously.
No matter who His Royal Highness Prince An is, it has nothing to do with him.
Come to think of it, His Royal Highness Prince An seems to be about the same age as his brother...
Thinking of his brother, Erlangjun's eyes turned red, he was overwhelmed with grief, and covered his face and cried again.
The group of people were crying and wailing, and the wine glasses on the table were poured one after another. Before they knew it, there were several empty wine jugs on the ground.
After drinking for an unknown amount of time, Xie Fei stood up shakily and went to the toilet.
He left the private room and stumbled out, holding onto the wall.
A guard stood guard outside a private room. Xie Fei recalled Prince An's carriage and assumed the occupants were of high rank. He didn't want to risk bad luck, so he deliberately avoided the area and walked past.
But when I came back, someone happened to be walking down from upstairs, and the two sides met in the middle of the stairs.
Xie Fei said vaguely: "Excuse me, excuse me."
As he spoke, he tried to squeeze to the side, but unexpectedly the person opposite him stopped first and stood there, blocking his way.
Xie Fei reached out and gently nudged the man: "Borrow..." He subconsciously raised his head and glanced over.
The man opposite was dressed in black with gold trimmings, looking very elegant. He was followed by two guards, whom he had met at the entrance to the private room.
Xie Fei suddenly stopped, her eyes widened, and the second half of the word got stuck in her throat.
What shocked him speechless was not just the identity of the person in front of him.
Their eyes met.
The person opposite was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyebrows, curled up the corners of his lips, narrowed his eyes slightly, and revealed a familiar, mischievous smile.
Erlangjun: “…”
Erlangjun: “…………”
Xie Fei suddenly closed her eyes.
Wow, how come I saw my brother pretending to be dead?!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
