Chapter 55 Misunderstanding

There is a white plum tree planted in the front yard of the mansion. Just after the last month of May and before the first snow, the branches are already blooming with bright yellow petals, exuding a rich and subtle fragrance.

Duan Mingchong was wearing a dark green brocade robe and standing tall and slender under the tree.

During these three years, Duan Mingchong was not like Sui Yan, who was idle and spent his days eating, drinking and having fun. Duan Ruwang, who had always had different political views from him in the court, was convicted, and all the affairs of the inner cabinet fell on him. As the emperor's health became increasingly weak, he gradually handed over important affairs of the court to him.

Duan Ruwang was released from confinement and returned to the Second Prince's residence more than a year ago. He was not the type to stay hidden, and before he had had a year of peace, rumors began to spread that the Second Prince was secretly forming a clique. Duan Mingchong was busy in the Hall of Supreme Harmony all day long and had not left the palace for two or three months.

Sui Yan had always wanted to stay in the Eastern Palace for a while, but he always gave up because of too many political affairs in the Duan Ming Chong court, and more importantly...

Sui Yan walked out of the backyard wrapped in a cloak. It hadn't snowed yet, but he was already covered in three layers of clothes.

He carefully leaned against the archway in the front yard and looked at Duan Mingchong not far away, and whispered: "To be honest, I'm a little afraid of him now."

Although Duan Mingchong still has a gentle personality after growing up, his every move and gesture carries a hint of the majesty of a superior. Having also been in the court for many years, Sui Yan is completely free of such temperament - no matter how turbulent and gloomy he is inside, he still appears to be heartless and dissolute on the surface, which makes people not afraid of him.

Jun Jingxing held up his sleeves behind him and sneered, "Ha."

It was someone who just said with deep affection that he was in love with the prince, but Jun Jingxing is now too lazy to expose him.

Sui Yan glanced at him a few more times, but still refused to leave.

Jun Jingxing was getting impatient waiting: "Do you still want to see him? When he wasn't here, you kept clamoring for the prince. Now that he's here, you're hiding here and not going out?"

Sui Yan said, "I'm afraid. What do you think he came here for? I've been very well behaved recently, but I haven't done anything stupid."

Jun Jingxing also used the word "ha" to express his ridicule.

Sui Yan looked at it for a while and said, "You know what, my little prince is getting more and more handsome. He looks like a painting standing there."

Jun Jingxing said: "If you don't leave, I will kick you out."

Sui Yan then straightened up, straightened his clothes, coughed dryly, and walked out of the archway.

Jun Jingxing glanced at his sanctimonious back, sneered, and went to the kitchen to check the medicine.

Hearing footsteps, Duan Mingchong turned slightly, saw Sui Yan coming over, and gave him a gentle smile.

Sui Yan's pace suddenly slowed down by half a step, and his legs were almost weakened by the Crown Prince's smile.

He walked quickly to Duan Mingchong's side, but before he could say "Your Highness" a voice suddenly came from the side.

"Sui Wanggui! How dare you come out?!"

Sui Yan turned his head and saw Jiang Enhe standing next to the rockery. He seemed to have just run in from the backyard door and was glaring at him angrily.

Sui Yan tried hard to straighten his face, coughed dryly, and said, "Master Jiang, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here, please be aware of your identity."

Over the years, Sui Yan has always used His Royal Highness the Crown Prince as a shield to make trouble for Jiang Enhe, Song Xian and other young men in the capital. I heard that several noblemen have secretly wanted to unite and hire thugs to beat Sui Yan up.

Jiang En was so angry that he almost smoked. However, when he saw the prince looking at him with a smile, he still shuddered and bowed timidly. Then he suppressed his anger and said to Sui Yan: "My Lord, please come out with me. I have something to ask you!"

He spoke every word with gnashing teeth.

Sui Yan leaned towards Duan Mingchong without leaving a trace and said cautiously: "No, I have something important to discuss with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so I can't stay with you any longer - Haitang, show me out."

Haitang is still heartless after all these years. He hits wherever Sui Yan points at him. Hearing this, he happily sends Jiang Enhe out.

Even if Jiang Enhe was angry, he didn't dare to act wildly in the Marquis' Mansion in front of the prince. He glared at Sui Yan angrily for several times before he snorted and left.

Sui Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Duan Mingchong laughed and said, "Why? How did you offend Jiang Enhe again?"

Sui Yan said hurriedly: "I didn't. I have been staying at home all this time and have not even left the house. How could I have provoked him?"

Ever since Sui Xun's letter arrived, Sui Yan changed his previous troubled nature and stayed indoors every day, hoping that the outside world's criticism of his ignorance would disappear without a fight, so that Sui Xun would not whip him when he returned.

Duan Mingchong knew his character well and did not expose him.

Sui Yan hurriedly changed the subject: "Your Highness has been busy these past few months, how come you have time to come to my place today?"

There was a hint of resentment in these words, and even Duan Mingchong could hear it. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's only been two or three months since I last had my period, and you're blaming me?"

Sui Yan snorted at him: "I dare not, I am not that brave."

Duan Mingchong laughed helplessly, realizing that Sui Yan was becoming less and less polite to him, and would even throw tantrums at him regardless of their status.

Duan Mingchong originally loved his unrestrained and uninhibited look, and he indulged him even more.

"General Sui Xun will arrive in Beijing this afternoon. My father asked me to go and greet him." Duan Mingchong said, "Your brother has made great contributions in suppressing the bandits this time. His Majesty is very pleased and has been praising General Sui Xun in the court these days. The imperial edict and reward will be delivered tomorrow."

Sui Yan was surprised: "Didn't you say you would come back in a few days? Why did you suddenly come back today?"

Duan Mingchong said: "The first snow is coming soon. General Sui is probably afraid that the heavy snow will block the official roads and make it difficult to march, so he has been marching overnight these days and hurried back."

Sui Yan was surprised and happy. He fiddled with his sleeves in confusion and said hesitantly, "Brother is coming back...Ah! Your Highness, please wait for me in the front hall for a while. I will change my clothes and go to the city gate with you."

Having said this, he ran back in a hurry.

Seeing how happy he was, Duan Mingchong didn't care about his rudeness. He just shook his head and smiled, then went to the front hall with Haitang to drink tea.

After a while, Sui Yan changed into new clothes and walked to the front hall in a cloak with white fur edges. Before he even stood still, he said, "Your Highness, let's go."

Duan Mingchong hadn't even finished his half cup of tea yet. Seeing how excited he was, he said with a smile, "What time is it now? We should at least wait until we have lunch before going."

Sui Yan said, "I think we can eat in the carriage."

Duan Mingchong: “…”

Duan Mingchong didn't say anything, but just tapped the teacup lightly with the lid.

A crisp knocking sound rang out softly.

Sui Yan caught a glimpse of Duan Mingchong's indifferent expression and was immediately startled. He walked to the side and sat down, saying hesitantly, "Okay, let's have lunch first."

Duan Mingchong then took a sip of tea.

In the past, when Shun Yan acted like a spoiled brat, Duan Mingchong would have to persuade him softly for a long time before he would listen. Now, they are both a few years older, and the Crown Prince's prestige is growing. Sometimes, a casual glance from him would frighten Shun Yan so much that he would immediately stop jumping around.

Sui Yan lowered his head and drank half a cup of tea obediently, then cautiously asked, "Your Highness, may I ask you a question?"

Duan Mingchong raised his eyes slightly: "Hmm?"

Sui Yan coughed dryly: "Your Majesty has been selecting a famous lady for someone these days? I heard rumors spreading outside."

Duan Mingchong paused for a moment, his hand holding the rim of the cup, looking a little embarrassed: "This..."

Sui Yan said it so tactfully that Duan Mingchong didn't know how to explain it, so he could only nod gently: "That's true."

Sui Yan secretly thought that this was terrible, but he quickly comforted himself that Duan Mingchong had not said that he agreed to make her a concubine, so he still had hope.

Sui Yan took another tentative step forward and asked softly, "Then what does Your Highness think about this matter?"

Duan Mingchong was stunned for a moment and looked at him puzzledly: "This matter?"

At the morning court today, the emperor left Duan Mingchong alone and asked him whether the second daughter of his chief secret envoy Jiang Zhiyuan would be a good match if she married Suixun. Duan Mingchong had been busy with government affairs in the inner cabinet recently and had no idea that there were rumors outside that he was going to take a concubine, so he didn't think too much about it.

He thought for a moment before saying, "I think it's a good idea."

Sui Yan’s smile froze, and he almost broke his voice: “Very good?!”

Duan Mingchong was confused: "When you reach a certain age, you naturally want to get married and have children. It's human nature. What's so surprising about this?"

Sui Yan was struck by lightning, looking at Duan Mingchong in astonishment, his lips trembling constantly, the three words "unfaithful man" were almost written on his forehead.

Duan Mingchong didn't expect him to react so strongly, and asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Duan Mingchong suddenly recalled that Sui Yan often acted coquettishly towards Sui Xun. He had never seen a younger brother that old who depended on his elder brother as much as Sui Yan, and he was secretly surprised.

Sui Yan is so dependent on Sui Xun that he even doesn't want his brother to get married.

Sui Yan was so angry that his eyes turned red, his pale lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a word.

Duan Mingchong thought about it and advised: "Ayan, I see that you are not young anymore. Even if the relationship is very close, it is better not to interfere too much in other people's life affairs, otherwise..."

How about coming back and asking Sui Xun what he really thinks?

Before Duan Mingchong finished the last half of his sentence, Sui Yan couldn't bear it any longer and stood up, stretched out his hand and threw the cup next to Duan Mingchong to the ground.

The cups and bowls broke into pieces.

Duan Mingchong was confused by his sudden attack and looked at him in astonishment.

Sui Yan: "Chengcheng! Go and be your mother!"

Sui Yan was still furious, and he walked away with his hand covering one eye, leaving Duan Mingchong standing there alone with a dazed look on his face.

Sui Yan was so angry that his eyes went dark. He ran back to the side yard quickly, his heart beating like a drum.

He stroked the cherry tree in the courtyard, panting slightly, and murmured to his chest, "Don't get angry, don't let your imagination run wild, don't, don't."

Over the past three years, Sui Yan has been eating and drinking, having fun every day, and has lived a very comfortable life. Moreover, with Jun Jingxing by his side, his symptoms of depression have improved a lot.

This disease cannot be cured directly with medicine, and it does not cause any harm to the body on a daily basis. Jun Jingxing had no choice but to prescribe him a bunch of tranquilizers, and always reminded him not to have wild thoughts or worry too much.

The sins that Sui Yan had encountered in his previous life came one after another, almost forcing him to collapse. The situation was extremely serious when he first started to be reborn, and he was thinking about how to commit suicide every day.

It was not until I met Duan Mingchong that I got much better and have not had a relapse in the past three years.

But now, Duan Mingchong's few short sentences drove him to the point of going crazy.

Sui Yan soothed his breathing and consoled himself with nonsense: "Look at it more positively, look at it more positively. Since he really wants to get married, it either means that he has no feelings for me at all, or he is just an idiot."

Thinking of this, Sui Yan seemed to be somewhat relieved.

"Yes, he is a fool. He looks like a decent person but I am such a good person, why would he dislike me?" Sui Yan started to talk nonsense. He probably didn't even know what he was saying. He just chose some seemingly reasonable but actually nonsense words to comfort himself and prevent himself from getting sick.

"Only idiots dislike me. I can't afford to be on the same level as them."

"I am so good-looking, and my waist...my waist is soft and thin..."

"If someone looks down on me, it's their loss. Yes, it's a loss. They will definitely cry and admit their mistakes later, but I will ignore them. Even if they kneel down and beg for mercy, it won't work."

He was just mumbling some nonsense to himself when Jun Jingxing came out from the room next to him with a hand warmer in his hand, seemingly going to give it to Sui Yan.

As soon as he walked out, he saw Sui Yan leaning against a tree and breathing weakly. He was stunned for a moment and asked, "Why are you here?"

Sui Yan's eyes were dizzy. He looked up and recognized Jun Jingxing for a long time. He took a deep breath and said with difficulty: "I'm going to ask you a question. Answer it seriously."

Jun Jing walked over: "Well, ask."

Sui Yan: "Do you like me?"

“I don’t like it.”

Jun Jingxing didn't even pause, he spoke every word without any hesitation.

Sui Yan: “…”

Sui Yan murmured, pressing his chest: "Right, that's right, only idiots don't like me, there's nothing wrong with me."

Jun Jingxing: “…”

Jun Jingxing: "Lord Marquis? Lord Marquis?"

The author has something to say: Jun Jingxing: I never thought that you could heal yourself in this way.

Sui Yan: I can wake up happily even when I am daydreaming, so why would I want to die?

ps: I’d like to share the secret of my recovery, which is to look for the reasons in others. You’re welcome. [x]

Prince: Hmm? Hmm? What happened?

Cross-channel dialogue.