"Yes, I'm waiting outside right now."
"Quickly, call him in."
This is such gossip! Missing out would be a sin!
Before long, Young Master Su was brought up.
He had a fair complexion, a gentle demeanor, and a tall, slender figure. Just from the few steps he took, he exuded a refined and cultured air.
The plain blue and white robes were clearly new ones she had changed into after being brought to the mansion.
He kept his eyes downcast, and without Su Wanyan's permission, he politely refrained from looking up.
"This humble commoner, Su, greets Your Highness, the Princess." Su He lifted his robe and knelt on both knees.
Upon closer inspection, his subtle scholarly air became even more pronounced; such was the essence of a refined gentleman.
"Get up and talk." Su Wanyan marveled at his demeanor as she gestured for him to rise.
Su He slowly stood up, his eyes always fixed on the ground. Even though he was right in front of her, and Su Wanyan could see his gentle face just by looking up, he never met her gaze.
The scholar before her made even the usually straightforward Su Wanyan unconsciously restrain her temper: "Young Master Su, please sit down and let's talk."
"I dare not," Su He bowed respectfully.
Su Wanyan didn't press the matter. She tried her best not to lose her composure in front of others and spoke gently, "Does Young Master Su know why I sent someone to find you?"
"This humble subject is unaware."
"Because of the Eldest Princess," Su Wanyan said bluntly.
Su He trembled, his eyes lowered even further, and suddenly he knelt down again, saying, "I beg Your Majesty and the Princess to spare this humble subject. I am but a musician, and I am truly unworthy of the Princess's kindness!"
Su Wanyan was stunned.
Seeing him kneel and kowtow, Su Wanyan smiled and said, "You must have some misunderstanding about me. Please get up."
"..." Su He hesitated for a moment, then stood up.
“I heard from Master Wang that he found you in a dilapidated temple outside the city, Young Master Su. I remember that the Princess held a banquet in her mansion and invited you to play music. How did you end up in such a sorry state? What did the Princess do to you during this time?”
Su He opened her mouth, then pursed her lips, her fist clenching and unclenching repeatedly inside her sleeve.
Seeing his reluctance to speak, Su Wanyan changed her question: "Young Master Su, how much do you know about the Princess?"
Su He pursed her lips, remaining silent.
"..." Su Wanyan lost her patience.
Forget about scholarly manners.
She narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "Young Master Su, I can tell you that the Prince Gong's Mansion and the Eldest Princess have long been at odds. I called you here to find a way to deal with the Eldest Princess. If you don't know, then just say you don't know. But if you continue to remain silent, then I don't mind using some tough methods."
The eldest princess forced him to eat and live with beggars, so he should be well aware of the tricks of imperial power.
If she's not ruthless, then the eldest princess should be ruthless towards her.
Su He trembled and hurriedly knelt down: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It's not that I don't want to speak, but I really don't know where to begin."
"Let's start with your performance of music at the Princess's residence!" Su Wanyan's tone was commanding.
This time, she didn't wake Su He up.
She doesn't have a deep concept of class, but if this identity brings her convenience, she will use it when necessary.
Su He clenched his fist in his sleeve: "Does Your Highness know why the Princess summoned this humble subject to play music at her residence?"
"I heard that the eldest princess has taken a liking to you."
“You like him?” A helpless hatred suddenly flashed in Su He’s eyes, completely out of place with his scholarly aura: “What the princess wants is nothing more than an obedient male concubine.”
Su Wanyan immediately became interested and perked up her ears.
Su Heyuan was not originally from Beijing; he only settled there a few years ago. Because of his expertise in qin music, he became a well-known musician in Beijing.
Besides being invited to play music at the homes of wealthy families, he was also hired to teach music in their mansions, and he lived a fairly comfortable life.
However, as his fame grew, coupled with his scholarly air, his gentle and refined demeanor, and his extraordinary bearing while playing the piano, he became even more renowned.
As the story spread, it eventually reached the ears of the eldest princess.
The eldest princess had always enjoyed keeping male lovers, especially scholars and literati, who were even more to her liking.
With such a handsome man in the capital, how could the Princess not go and find out more about him?
This investigation, ironically, suited the princess's taste perfectly.
To bring this handsome man into her household, the eldest princess extended a grand invitation, promising him gold, silver, jewels, wealth, and honor if he agreed to enter her residence.
But Su He refused. In Su He's words, what a disgrace it would be for a grown man to become a male concubine.
The eldest princess used both soft and hard tactics; when the soft approach failed, she resorted to the hard one.
On the surface, the banquet was an invitation for Su He to perform at the mansion, but in reality, it was to put pressure on him and force him to submit to her.
But Su He was a tough nut to crack; she refused repeatedly and stubbornly refused to comply.
At this point, the eldest princess must have felt she had lost face, or she could not tolerate anyone challenging her power. Not only did she send people to the Mo residence to put pressure on them and force them to dismiss Su He, but she also ordered someone to find a pretext to raid Su He's residence.
Su He had no place to stay and wandered around the capital. However, no matter where he went, whether it was an inn, a restaurant, or a tavern, no one was willing to take him in, and they wouldn't even accept money from him.
Su He knew he had offended the Eldest Princess, so he went to her residence, hoping she would be magnanimous and let him off the hook. However, the Eldest Princess sent someone to say that as long as he was willing to enter the residence according to her wishes, she would no longer let him suffer such hardship.
Su He remained steadfast in her resolve, gritted her teeth, flicked her sleeves, and left the Princess's residence.
After that, Su He's situation worsened. Even the street vendors dared not sell him anything anymore. He wanted to leave the capital, but he was put under surveillance.
He had no use for the silver he carried, and when it was stolen, he didn't bother to get it back.
Having nowhere else to go, they took refuge in a dilapidated temple outside the city.
For the past month, he drank river water when he was thirsty and picked wild vegetables when he was hungry, but even though he had fallen to such a state, the princess still did not let him go.
Whenever someone sees him by the river, they will chase him away, and the wild vegetables he picks in the mountains will also be snatched away.
When Wang Zhang found him, he was so hungry that he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand.
He was just a minor musician, why should he suffer like this?
This was the first time Su He had experienced the terror of imperial power up close. Being targeted by these people, he didn't even have the right to run away.
When Su Wanyan first asked him, he wasn't really unwilling to talk about it. It was just that he thought about the relationship between the Eldest Princess and the Princess Consort of Gong, and assumed they were in cahoots. Therefore, he was wary of Su Wanyan and didn't want to say much.
But after hearing Su Wanyan say that she and the Princess were not on good terms, Su He told her everything.
After listening to Su He's account, Su Wanyan felt as if she were watching a TV drama, and was still wanting more.
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