Chapter 33 The Storm Is Brewing
Ye Wanning quickly changed her clothes. By the time she sat with Su Wenzhen and Su Wenyan in the carriage heading to the palace, it was almost dusk. The early spring night was still a bit chilly. Ye Wanning pulled her clothes tighter around herself. Seeing that the two brothers beside her didn't look well, she couldn't help but feel melancholy. She looked out of the carriage; there were hardly any people on the streets, and the rumbling of the wheels only added to the desolation. She sighed softly and turned to glance at Su Wenzhen sitting beside her. "Wenzhen, are you cold?"
Su Wenzhen shook his head and didn't say anything, clearly not very interested.
Although he has the mindset of a child, he can still tell who is good to him and who is not! Ye Wanning sighed softly. He must be worried sick right now. Thinking of this, she reached out and squeezed Su Wenzhen's hand, at least that would put his mind at ease.
Feeling the warmth from his palm, Su Wenzhen was taken aback, then secretly glanced at Ye Wanning, his eyes full of tenderness.
Upon entering the palace, Ye Wanning and her entourage were stopped just outside the Emperor's bedroom. A chief eunuch bowed and said, "Princess, please stay here. The Emperor said that he will only see Prince Jin."
Ye Wanning was taken aback, her grip on Su Wenzhen's hand tightened, and she frowned, "This..."
"Please rest assured, Your Highness, nothing will happen to the Prince." The eunuch lowered his head, so his expression was not visible. "I reckon His Majesty wants to have a heart-to-heart talk with Prince Jin."
"Sister-in-law, please let my brother go," Su Wenyan chimed in from the side. "Nothing will happen."
Ye Wanning glanced at Su Wenzhen and saw his worried expression, so she had no choice but to let go. She looked at the eunuch and said, "Wenzhen is indeed a bit unruly. The Emperor is not feeling well right now, so I'll trouble you to look after these things and make sure you don't offend the Emperor."
"This servant will take care." Seeing that Ye Wanning had let go, the eunuch led Su Wenzhen into the hall.
Seeing Su Wenzhen's departing figure, Ye Wanning couldn't help but sigh, hoping that nothing else would go wrong.
"Is Your Majesty worried?" Su Wenyan smiled. "Worrying is unnecessary. Father Emperor's favorite is Second Brother. Given Second Brother's behavior, Father Emperor always feels that he owes him something and will not do anything to him."
Ye Wanning was taken aback. She knew this, but at this time, the Emperor summoned Su Wenzhen alone. If someone with ulterior motives were to use this as a pretext, it might cause trouble again. She smiled bitterly and said, "That's true."
Seeing that Ye Wanning seemed preoccupied but unwilling to say much, Su Wenyan had some doubts, but he also vaguely guessed what was going on. He smiled and looked at Ye Wanning, "Second brother will probably need some time to come out. It must be tiring for you to stand here and wait. Why don't we go and look around nearby?"
Ye Wanning nodded. That's fine too.
She hadn't gone far from her bedchamber when she saw a familiar face approaching. Upon recognizing the person, she was startled. Was it the Crown Prince? Why was he here?
"Rumors are circulating in the palace that my second brother and sister-in-law have arrived. At first, I didn't believe it, but it turns out it's true." Su Wenxuan gently waved his fan as he slowly approached Ye Wanning and the others. A shadow of gloom flashed across his eyes. "But my fourth brother and sister-in-law are here. Where is my second brother?"
The Crown Prince doesn't know about this? Ye Wanning frowned. Oh no! Something bad is about to happen! She composed herself and said, "Greetings, Your Highness. Wenzhen was a little hungry just now, so he asked the eunuch to take him to find something to eat."
"Oh?" Su Wenlan raised an eyebrow and said with interest, "It's so late, why is my sister-in-law rushing to the palace? I wonder what brings you here?"
“It’s all my fault,” Su Wenyan interjected. “I’ve been staying at my second brother’s house for the past few days because I was angry with Father, but I always felt uncomfortable. So I thought I’d go back to the palace to get some personal things so that I could stay more comfortably in the Prince’s residence.”
"Just take what you need. Why are you bothering your second brother and sister-in-law?" Su Wenyan closed his fan and gently tapped Su Wenyan's head. "You always have this worrying nature. Even though Father Emperor likes your second brother, you can't use him as a shield like this!"
Unexpectedly, Su Wenyan would help them cover up the lie. He was stunned for a moment, then calmed down and said with some grievance, "Who told you to be my imperial brother?"
"You know that too!" Su Wenlan smiled, then looked at Ye Wanning. "You must be laughing at me."
"Your Highness, what are you saying? We are family after all. This is a friendly way of showing affection. If we are too reserved, it will seem distant."
"Hehe." Su Wenxuan chuckled, then, as if remembering something unpleasant, he frowned and looked at Ye Wanning. "However, sister-in-law, you may not know..." Su Wenxuan lowered his voice and said, "Father's health has been deteriorating these past few days..."
Ye Wan's heart tightened. She couldn't guess what Su Wenyi would say next, but she knew it definitely wouldn't be anything good.
“As you know, from childhood to adulthood, Father Emperor’s most beloved person has been my second brother…” As he spoke, Su Wenzhen looked at Ye Wanning with some difficulty, “I don’t know what my second brother’s wife is thinking, but I think that during these days when Father Emperor is unwell, he must want Wenzhen by his side, so I think…”
Ye Wanning's face paled, and she almost lost her footing. "Does the Crown Prince mean... that he wants Wenzhen to stay?"
Su Wenzhen frowned slightly. "Second sister-in-law, I didn't want to either, but I was doing it for Father's sake. Wenzhen has been close to Father since he was a child, and I think Wenzhen also wants to spend more time with Father."
With the King of Chu bedridden and everyone eyeing the throne, Su Wenzhen's attempt to forcibly detain him was obvious. Was there no escape after all? Ye Wanning trembled slightly. "If this makes the Emperor more comfortable... then that's good..."
Seeing Ye Wanning nod, Su Wenxuan smiled with satisfaction, "It is my second brother's honor to have married such a righteous and understanding wife." He turned to look at Su Wenyan, "Wenyan, stay here too. Wenliang should be back from beyond the Great Wall in a few days. It has been a long time since the four of us brothers have been together."
"Are you trying to wipe them out completely?" Su Wenyan clenched his fist, and after a long while, nodded and said, "Yes."
"Since that's the case," Su Wenxuan's lips curled slightly, "it's getting late. I'll have the palace servants take you to rest. It's so late, Wenyan deserves a beating for making you rush over here." He chuckled, "It's one thing for a grown man, but my sister-in-law's delicate body shouldn't be overworked." He turned to look at Ye Wanning, "Sister-in-law, you must get a good rest tonight!"
Ye Wanning gritted her teeth and whispered in agreement, "Of course, Your Highness has gone to great lengths."
"We're family after all!" Su Wenxuan laughed heartily. "Sister-in-law is really interesting. Well then, I won't bother you any longer. I'll be going now!"
"Your Highness, please take care." Ye Wanning bowed and watched Su Wenyi's departing figure. She gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with resentment and anger. Su Wenyi, I won't offend others unless they offend me. We'll see about this!
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