Chapter 81 Jealous to Death
After wiping Jiang Yinyue's body, Wei Qin lay down fully clothed beside the bed.
Jiang Yinyue was listless, exhausted and unusually obedient, letting Wei Qin pinch her cheeks and chin without resisting.
The man's lust faded, a slight smile playing on his lips, as he gently pulled the woman, whose eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, into sleep.
Dreams are relaxing, but a good dream only lasts for an hour.
Wei Qin lifted the curtain and hung it on the jade hook, glanced at the dark sky that enveloped the window at dawn, released the person in his arms, and got up to wash and dress by himself.
The woman inside the tent did not react at all until he left.
Her eyes and brows were calm, and her sleeping face was serene.
Wei Qin gazed at the door for a while, then gently closed it and nodded to Hong Mei, who was holding a sword and keeping watch on the veranda.
Hong Mei meaningfully stepped aside to let them pass.
After the morning court session, Wei Qin went to the emperor's bedchamber as usual, and saw the emperor staring at the sleeping pills in Cao Angui's hand, stammering, "Eat...eat half of them."
His tone was like that of a naive young child.
Today's tyrant is confused.
Wei Qin entered the inner chamber, stood beside Cao Angui, took the medicine bottle and held it in his hand. His eyes were hidden in an indifferent expression as he watched the emperor crawl to the bedside and childishly ask for the pills.
"Give it to me."
"If you want it, come and get it yourself."
Cao Angui glanced at Wei Qin and vaguely remembered New Year's Eve nineteen years ago. He had brought the two-year-old eldest prince to the palace to pay his respects. Seeing the children of many royal relatives receiving rewards from the emperor, he nudged the eldest prince and asked him to come forward and ask for a red envelope.
The little one, who had just learned to speak, took a step forward, stared at the red envelope that the emperor was holding between his two fingers, and said in a clear voice, "I want it."
The emperor, however, refused the two-year-old child on the grounds that he lacked manners.
The little boy stood with his head down among a group of noble children, his hands empty, while the hands of his peers were full of gold, silver and jewels.
The old eunuch was unsure whether the two-year-old child retained any memory; it would be better if he had no memory at all, so that at least the depths of his memory wouldn't be filled with ashes.
Emperor Shunren jumped off the dragon bed and barefoot tried to snatch the medicine bottle that Wei Qin was holding up. Although he was tall, he was not as slender as Wei Qin and was also weak. After jumping a few times, he was covered in sweat but did not touch the medicine bottle at all.
He plopped down on the ground, grumbling and muttering, clearly wanting someone to coax him.
Wei Qin could have ignored him, but he still squatted down in front of the middle-aged man, poured out a pill and placed it in his palm, "Eat it."
Emperor Shunren grabbed the pill and swallowed it, then glared at the old eunuch. "You're a really good person, much better than him."
Wei Qin smiled. The pills specially made by the sorcerer could not only reverse the emperor's blood and qi, but also aggravate his hysteria, making them comparable to a miraculous elixir.
Seeing the emperor fast asleep, Wei Qin gave Cao Angui a few instructions and then returned to the Ministry of Personnel.
The Ministry of Personnel is very busy, and there are many times when they cannot spare the time.
After a good night's sleep and a hearty meal, Emperor Shunren became excited. With disheveled hair, he ran out of his bedchamber and frolicked with the servants who were cleaning, frightening them who were usually on edge.
Yan Zhuyi silently stepped back, unsure whether the emperor was truly insane or feigning madness. In her memory, the emperor was fickle, ruthless, and liked to test people's hearts.
"Are you the Dowager Consort Xu?"
Emperor Shunren suddenly leaned forward, smoothed his long hair on both sides, bent down to look at her, and grabbed Yan Zhuyi's arm in surprise, "Mother!"
Upon hearing this, all the palace servants were astonished, for the Empress Dowager had been dead for thirty years.
"Why has Mother come back to visit me? I've missed you so much!"
Cao Angui ran forward with a smile and pulled the confused emperor over.
Emperor Shunren shook off Cao Angui's hand, grabbed the panicked Yan Zhuyi and insisted on taking her into his bedchamber to treat her to good food and drink.
"Mother, it's windy outside the palace."
Just then, the Crown Prince came to pay his respects and witnessed this scene.
Between the father and son, who had not seen each other for a long time, stood an uneasy Yan Zhuyi.
In two days it will be Emperor Shunren's birthday. During the palace banquet for the Emperor's birthday, the princes from all over the country will send people back to the capital to offer their congratulations. Wei Xichen will definitely have to meet the Emperor today, so that he can accompany the Emperor to meet those people on the evening of the Emperor's birthday.
Even though he was suffering from hysteria, Emperor Shunren still recognized his son at a glance. "You unfilial son, why don't you come over and pay your respects to your grandmother?"
Wei Xichen dismissed the servants of the Eastern Palace, walked unhurriedly to the "mother and son," and smiled faintly, "Father has become confused again."
"You brat!"
Deep fear lurked in his subconscious. Emperor Shunren hid behind Yan Zhuyi and said, "Mother, please teach this unfilial son a lesson and whip him with a ruler."
The words "ruler" were particularly jarring, but Wei Xichen smiled without changing his expression and asked, "Does Father think she dares?"
Yan Zhuyi's numb heart stirred again, stimulated by the pain of being ignored. Anyone could ignore her, but Wei Xichen shouldn't! He was the one who lifted her up with one hand and destroyed her wealth and dignity with the other. The entanglement between them was too deep, and he couldn't simply erase the past grievances!
It's better to be hated than ignored.
Even Yan Zhuyi herself didn't know why she was so fixated on Wei Xichen's attitude; perhaps she simply wanted to prove that she wasn't dispensable.
"What wouldn't I dare to do?"
The palace servants stared at each other in disbelief, while Cao Angui stood there, watching the spectacle with amusement.
Wei Xichen's smile froze slightly; he hadn't expected Yan Zhuyi to provoke him when he had nothing.
What are you using to provoke us?
Is it fate?
He raised his sleeve, not even glancing at her again, and ordered his men to lift her up and take her away. No matter how much the emperor tried to obstruct or roared, it was all in vain.
"You brat, you dare to harm your imperial grandmother!"
Emperor Shunren was furious.
Wei Xichen said calmly, "Father can't even tell the difference between his grandmother and his father. It seems he's really confused."
Emperor Shunren strode closer, making a move to grab the neck of the rebellious son in his eyes, but Wei Xichen easily blocked it.
Wei Xichen grabbed his father, who was baring his teeth and brandishing his claws, and walked towards the palace gate. As Cao Angui approached, he raised his other hand and silently warned him with his index finger.
The old eunuch stood outside the palace gate, his sleeves tucked in, smiling without saying a word, guessing that the Crown Prince had come about the Emperor's birthday celebration.
The struggle for the throne would lead to turmoil in the court, and the feudal lords in various regions would take the opportunity to raise troops and establish their own independent regimes. On the Emperor's birthday that year, the confidants sent by the feudal lords would try to figure out the relationship between the royal father and son.
We must also extinguish the ambitions of these wolves who harbor treacherous intentions to establish their own independent regimes.
The Cui family was also willing to cooperate with the Crown Prince to successfully complete the palace banquet for the Emperor's birthday.
**
On the day of the Emperor's birthday, Jiang Yinyue, who was invited to the palace, finished her makeup and hair, looked at herself in front of a full-length bronze mirror, and then walked out of the room. Wearing a jade-green dress and a white fur cloak, she stepped into the carriage amidst the falling snow and entered the palace with her father.
News of the divorce from Wei Qin spread throughout the prestigious families, and the father and daughter became the subject of whispers among the guests as soon as they arrived.
Having developed immunity to all poisons, Jiang Yinyue casually took off her cloak and handed it to a palace maid, then leisurely walked to the front seats.
At the bustling palace banquet, Jiang Song inevitably exchanged pleasantries with others, while Jiang Yinyue sat alone at a long table, not engaging in conversation with the young ladies, knowing that few would be willing to befriend her.
Except for Cui Shihan.
The two women winked at each other from a distance and smiled.
As the musicians plucked the strings, the Crown Prince accompanied Emperor Shunren to the scene.
Officials and their families rose and bowed.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The unsteady emperor was personally supported by the crown prince, whose eyes, lacking their usual sharpness and shrewdness, revealed a childlike innocence, and who would occasionally pull his hand away.
Wei Xichen maintained a faint smile, supporting his father without revealing his expression. His thin lips moved slightly, and it was unclear what he said.
Emperor Shunren became obedient, sat on the dragon throne, gestured for everyone to take their seats, and accepted various congratulatory messages. He glanced at everyone present with little interest, his gaze finally settling on one person.
A jade-green dress, a stunningly beautiful hairstyle.
He remembered his mother wearing similar attire when he was three years old.
"mother......"
"Father, drink some wine."
Wei Xichen handed him a wine cup and used it to shut his mouth.
At a palace banquet, the emperor, who had been forced to drink countless cups of wine, was helped off the stage, while the officials left in twos and threes.
Jiang Song took his daughter to the emperor's bedchamber to offer his greetings, fulfilling his duty as a favored courtier.
But when Emperor Shunren saw Jiang Yinyue again, the once arrogant and domineering noblewoman in his eyes, the drunken emperor shouted "Empress Dowager," shocking all the powerful ministers who came to pay their respects.
The ministers, who were aware of the emperor's hysteria, either shook their heads, sighed, or watched the drama unfold, and were all dismissed from the palace by Cao Angui.
Emperor Shunren pushed aside the palace servants and rushed to the stunned Jiang Yinyue, reaching out to block her, fearing that his unfilial son would drag her away again.
"Your Majesty, I will protect you."
Before Jiang Yinyue could react, Emperor Shunren grabbed her sleeve, forcing her to raise her arm and point it directly at the Crown Prince, who was warming his hands in front of the huge bronze stove.
"Mother, please teach this unfilial son a lesson."
Jiang Yinyue and Wei Xichen met eyes.
Jiang Yinyue already knew from her father and Wei Qin that the emperor suffered from hysteria, sometimes lucid and sometimes confused, and in severe cases, he would regress to the mind of a child.
There were only five people in the imperial bedchamber; Cao Angui had dismissed all of the Crown Prince's trusted confidants and sent them to guard outside. Jiang Yinyue, her anger rising, pushed her father out of the palace gate, then returned to the Emperor's side, coughing lightly without denying anything.
The fact that they didn't deny it at this point is quite intriguing.
It subtly hints at a mischievous intent.
Emperor Shunren was secretly delighted, finally having his mother to back him up. He pulled Jiang Yinyue to Wei Xichen, pulled out a ruler from somewhere, and stuffed it into his "mother's" hand.
"Mother, beat this unfilial son."
Wei Xichen sensed that his childhood sweetheart was trying to get revenge, but he didn't bother to argue. However, he saw Jiang Yinyue actually raise the ruler.
A subtle change appeared on Wei Xichen's handsome face, which had not shown any joy for a long time.
Surprised and helpless.
However, she probably pushed her father out of the bedchamber to avoid the inconvenience of his status as a subject to the emperor.
Always protecting their own.
"Nonsense."
Emperor Shunren became anxious and ordered, "Hit him!"
Jiang Yinyue, taking advantage of Wei Xichen's power, actually lashed out, but ultimately didn't dare overstep the bounds, striking only Wei Xichen's wide sleeve.
The sound wasn't loud; it was the clinking of a ruler against a piece of brocade.
Wei Xichen's jade-like face frosted over as he unexpectedly snatched the ruler from her.
Emperor Shunren was so frightened that he hid behind Jiang Yinyue.
Jiang Yinyue stood tall and proud, showing no fear.
Wei Xichen gradually suppressed his anger by gripping the ruler tightly, but he was ultimately helpless against her!
The old eunuch was deeply shocked by what he saw. He had witnessed too many feuds and seen the Crown Prince's hidden side, but he had never seen the Crown Prince so helpless.
He still failed to cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness.
When Wei Xichen walked out of the palace gate first, besides the palace servants and attendants of the Eastern Palace, only Jiang Song, who was waiting for his daughter, and... Wei Qin, who had just rushed over from the Ministry of Personnel due to his recent busy schedule.
The young vice minister, dressed in scarlet robes and a black gauze hat, stood quietly in the wind and snow, his cool demeanor not concealing his charm.
Wei Xichen's steps slowed as he tried to leave. He glanced at Jiang Yinyue inside the hall, unsure if she still had any connection with her ex-husband outside the door.
Ultimately, I don't want to see them have any contact.
But on what grounds did he obstruct it?
"Did Vice Minister Wei enter the palace late at night to offer birthday wishes to the Emperor?"
Wei Qin countered, "Otherwise what?"
This rhetorical question, like a blunt knife, pierced Wei Xichen's heart.
It's a dull, aching pain.
Those who come to offer birthday wishes are the best.
Some embarrassing situations need to be resolved on their own; they shouldn't be made a spectacle of themselves. Wei Xichen led his men away, no longer paying attention to the few people in front of the bedchamber.
Including Jiang Yinyue.
But the tips of the ears twitch slightly in the wind and grass.
**
At midnight, Jiang Song and Wei Qin led Jiang Yinyue on their way out of the palace.
The snow continued to fall, and Jiang Yinyue, who was walking in the middle, brushed the snow off her hair and glanced at Wei Qin on her left.
"What time is it? You could have avoided going to the palace and making this trip."
Jiang Song, who was walking on the right, spoke up, his breath creating a misty haze, "Some people are just cunning and wicked, always looking for weaknesses in others."
Whose weakness? The Crown Prince's?
Jiang Yinyue knew the Crown Prince was suspicious, but what did this have to do with Wei Qin entering the palace?
"You wouldn't be doing this for...?"
Just for...
Wei Qinfeng glanced at him, a faint smile playing on his lips, "I'm so jealous of him."
Jiang Yinyue looked at Wei Qin's profile, which was flickering in and out of the lamplight. How could such a calm person say such defiant words?
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