Rainy Night
After dealing with matters in the palace, Li Yunrui, hearing Xiao Wan'er's cries behind him, shook his head and said to the palace servant beside him, "Take good care of Consort Xiao. Reflection is not imprisonment. Inform all the eunuchs in charge to be clear-headed in their work. Consort Xiao's salary and food must not be reduced." Seeing the servant's agreement, Li Yunrui turned and left.
Upon returning to the Crown Prince's residence, Lin Xiaomei was already waiting for him at the gate. Li Yunrui quickly dismounted, stepped forward to help Lin Xiaomei, and gently scolded her, "It's chilly at night, and you're not feeling well, what are you doing out here!"
Lin Xiaomei chuckled, "I haven't been standing here long, Your Highness, there's no need to be anxious. If Your Highness truly cares about me, why don't you hurry back to your room?" She led Li Yunrui into the mansion, closing the door behind them. Ignoring the chill emanating from Li Yunrui, she untied and hung up his cloak, then poured him a cup of hot tea. Seeing Lin Xiaomei hesitate, Li Yunrui placed the teacup back on the table. "I know you're worried, but don't worry, I've already handled it. Although Consort Xiao made a mistake, she is still Father's concubine. It wouldn't be proper for me to punish her, so don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Lin Xiaomei shook her head after hearing this. "I know Your Highness knows what you're doing, but... don't you think that palace maid's arrival was suspicious? It was as if she was giving you directions. The round trip from leaving the palace to you entering would take several hours. She said it was curfew, and that's suspicious. Why would two people discuss matters of imperial power so readily? It's as if the palace maid knew beforehand. Besides, why would a lowly palace maid risk her life to report such a thing? She said she was Consort Xiao's maid and should side with her. And what makes her so confident that telling you this would make you go to the palace to expose it? What if you, for the sake of the royal family's reputation, kill her? Wouldn't that be killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own?"
"Alright, alright," Li Yunrui patted Lin Xiaomei's shoulder reassuringly. "You're feeling unwell, so don't overthink things. I have my own plans for this. The most important thing for you right now is to rest well." Li Yunrui helped Lin Xiaomei to the bedside and patted her hand. "You should rest early. I need to go to the study to handle some more matters." He then ignored Lin Xiaomei's pleas and returned to the study. Recalling Lin Xiaomei's words, Li Yunrui also began to have some doubts about the matter. In the affairs of the royal family, why would a palace maid report on her master for something like this? Even if she did, it would be either for money or to find a better way out for herself. But this palace maid wasn't after money or a better future. What... what was her purpose?
"Your Highness!" Li Yunrui heard someone calling him from outside the door and quickly got up to open it. He saw Shen Qinghang folding his oil-paper umbrella and bowing to him. "Your Highness, I heard you wanted to see me."
"Is it raining outside?"
“Yes,” Shen Qinghang patted the rain off his clothes and followed Li Yunrui into the house. “Xiling has entered the plum rain season. I’m afraid this rain will last for a month.” Upon hearing this, Li Yunrui looked up at the window, staring at the raindrops sliding down the roof tiles. After a long while, he finally spoke, “This rain is not just going to last for a month! I reckon it will last for a year.”
Shen Qinghang frowned and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, has something happened in the palace?"
"Consort Xiao colluded with former court officials, plotting a rebellion," Li Yunrui continued, seeing Shen Qinghang's surprised expression. "Don't be surprised. When I arrived, they were almost discussing the Third Prince's ascension to the throne. That's not important. What's important is what I need to do now." Li Yunrui stood up, pulled a chair over, and pressed Shen Qinghang down to sit. "I know this is a royal family matter, and I can't be too ruthless. So I simply confined Consort Xiao to the palace, intending to wait for Father Emperor's return before making a decision." Shen Qinghang frowned upon hearing this, shaking his head repeatedly. "Your Highness, Your Highness, this might be a trap! You really shouldn't have gone! Even if you did go, you shouldn't have imprisoned the Consort!"
"Lady Xiao is Yun Ye's birth mother. Yun Ye and I grew up together. He will understand me."
Shen Qinghang sighed. "If what Your Highness says is true, and His Highness the Jade Prince forgives this matter, then the idiom 'deep mother-son affection' would never exist. Your Highness, if I may be so bold as to say this, brotherly love ultimately cannot surpass the bond between mother and son. Moreover, you and His Highness the Jade Prince are half-brothers. I fear you might become enemies in the future."
"Then what do you expect me to do!" Li Yunrui grabbed the inkstone beside him and threw it to the ground. Ink splattered onto his white clothes, making it extremely conspicuous. "I am the Crown Prince! So many eyes are watching me. I know it's a trap! But can I not go? If I don't go, it will become another handle against me. I'd rather Li Yunye hate me than let Li Yunheng succeed. If he complains to Father Emperor, how am I supposed to respond? Speak! Think about it for me, I'm all ears!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghang slowly knelt down and bowed, saying, "It was my oversight; please forgive me, Your Highness!" Looking at Shen Qinghang kneeling on the ground, Li Yunrui sighed and waved his hand, "Forget it. There have been too many things happening these past two days, and my emotions are a bit unstable. You should go back first! Let me think of a solution these next two days. I'll consider it further until Yun Ye returns."
By the time Shen Qinghang emerged, dawn was breaking. Looking at the Crown Prince's residence behind him, Shen Qinghang shook his head. Many things could be overlooked, but the Crown Prince's stubbornness meant he was likely to suffer a great loss one day.
Li Yunrui was right; it had been raining in Xiling for over ten days. The rain itself wasn't heavy, just a light drizzle, but the sky remained overcast, with no sunshine in sight. Lin Xiaomei, holding an umbrella, came out and saw Li Yunrui standing in the rain. She quickly went over to shield him from the rain, saying, "Your Highness, you were just criticizing me! You came out without an umbrella!"
Li Yunrui turned to look at Lin Xiaomei and smiled, "I was watching the rain. How can I watch it with an umbrella?"
After hearing this, Lin Xiaomei looked up at the sky and said, "This rain has been drizzling for more than ten days, without a single good downpour. The sky is also gloomy, and you can't even see the sun. We've changed the bedding at home several times, but it still feels damp."
Li Yunrui smiled after hearing this, took the umbrella from Lin Xiaomei's hand, and, supporting her waist, led her into the house. "Alright, alright, go back and rest! If God wants to rain, you can't stop it! It's getting dark now, but at least you can still go out. If it starts raining, you won't be able to get out."
No sooner had Li Yunrui finished speaking than a steward from the manor came to report that the Third Prince requested an audience. Upon hearing Li Yunye's name, Li Yunrui trembled. Since imprisoning Xiao Wan'er, he had been so busy that he had almost forgotten about Li Yunye. Lin Xiaomei noticed Li Yunrui's unusual behavior and nudged him towards the door, saying, "Your Highness, you are brothers. There's nothing you can't talk about. If it really comes to it, break the rules and release Consort Xiao. Let the Third Prince do you a favor. Even if Father Emperor reprimands you later, he won't make a big deal out of it; at most, he'll just say a few mild words."
Li Yunrui glanced at the steward standing outside. Then he patted Lin Xiaomei on the shoulder, "Don't interfere in politics in front of outsiders, you should go back now." He then said to the steward, "What are you standing there for? Quickly let the Third Prince in!"
"This servant did tell him! But... but the Third Prince said he wouldn't come in. No matter how we tried to persuade him, he wouldn't listen. It's a little better now that the rain has stopped, but what if it gets heavier later?"
Li Yunrui waved his hand, signaling the steward to leave, and went back to his room to change his clothes. When he came out again, the torrential rain that had been pent up in Xiling for more than ten days suddenly poured out. Li Yunrui hurriedly grabbed an umbrella and walked to the door. Seeing Li Yunye, who was already soaked to the bone in the rain, Li Yunrui frowned. "Why didn't you go in to talk, Third Brother?"
"Brother!" Li Yunye knelt upright on the blue bricks of the Crown Prince's residence. Rain streamed down his face, making it difficult to distinguish between rain and tears. "My mother is simple-minded and did not intend to offend you. Hearing that she was imprisoned in the palace, I rushed back overnight to... to beg you to spare her life. If we wait for Father to return and deal with her, her life will surely be in danger."
Looking at Li Yunye kneeling on the ground, Li Yunrui was also at a loss, shaking his head repeatedly, "Third brother, aren't you deliberately making things difficult for me? I am the Crown Prince, and I am only acting as regent now. There are some things that I cannot hide. When Father Emperor returns, he will definitely check the daily records. Even if I don't imprison Consort Xiao or report this matter, given Father Emperor's personality, he will still punish Consort Xiao."
"Brother, could you let me go to the palace to see my mother now?" Li Yunye's voice choked with emotion. Although his mother's constant urging for him to seize the throne annoyed him greatly, what grudge could a mother and son hold against each other overnight? Xiao Wan'er was currently imprisoned in the palace, and he didn't know how she was doing. Everyone in the palace was mindful of others' feelings, and he feared his mother would be bullied if she fell into such a predicament. That's why he came to beg Li Yunrui for leniency.
"Foolish! Consort Xiao is currently waiting for Father Emperor to return and punish her. No one is allowed to enter before Father Emperor returns. If I let you in, what rules will there be? What will the people think of me? Will they think I'm abusing my power? Will they think I'm forming cliques? Or will they think I'm living a life of luxury while the rich freeze to death on the streets? Your brother hasn't even ascended the throne yet! If I do this, what will Father Emperor think of me!"
After listening, Li Yunye slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief. His lips trembled as he opened and closed them for a long while before finally uttering a hoarse voice, "Brother... you've changed. You've become someone who only cares about power and profit. In that case, how are you any different from that fourth brother? Now I finally understand why Tang Feng resigned from his post. He probably saw through you. He also thinks that you will become a petty person who disregards brotherly affection and abuses his power in the future!"
"How dare you! Third brother, wake up!"
"Insolence? Who do you think you are? You are a prince, and so am I. I've humbled myself to beg you, yet you remain so unyielding. Fine... fine!" Li Yunye slowly stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Yunrui, and bowed, saying, "You and I, brothers, have always been the closest of friends, but now you've pushed my mother to the brink of disaster. Li Yunrui, I'll call you brother one last time. Eldest brother! Third brother, I wish you continued success and that you never experience a low point in your life."
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