The Eldest Princess's Thoughts
Binghu looked at the scholar before her. His blue robe was terribly plain, without a single embroidery, and he wore the most ordinary dark cloth shoes. He held a folding fan in his hand. It was impossible to discern his wealth or status, except for the jade pendant at his waist. After a careful examination, Binghu's eyes settled on Wen Yunsheng's face. Although she didn't know his age, his face appeared youthful, his skin fair with a hint of rosiness, and his lips slightly upturned, a smile tinged with a touch of frivolity. His eyebrows were like willow leaves; while not exactly fair-skinned, he was certainly a handsome young man. But those eyes… "Who do you think you are, looking down on me with your eyes closed? This is the Crown Prince's residence, not a marketplace!" Binghu, who had followed Li Yunrui since childhood, had never seen such an arrogant person. "You mean here?" Wen Yunsheng dodged the sword Binghu had pressed against his neck, stepped forward, and pointed to his eyes, saying, "I can't help it, my eyesight isn't very good, it's congenital." He then opened his eyes for Binghu to see. His eyes were devoid of any spirit, and had an unhealthy gray tint. Binghu felt a moment of embarrassment and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry... I... I didn't know." He sheathed his sword and hurried down the steps to help Wen Yunsheng, only to hear Wen Yunsheng laugh, "Hahahaha, I just can't see clearly, it's not like I can't see at all. You don't need to be like this. I'm here to see the Crown Prince."
"The Crown Prince hasn't lived in the Crown Prince's residence for a long time. The Eastern Palace was completed a while ago, and the Crown Prince moved in. What do you want with the Crown Prince?" Binghu was a little confused. Logically speaking, those who usually seek out the Crown Prince are mostly sons of officials of high status. How could anyone not know that the Crown Prince moved into the Eastern Palace?
"The Eastern Palace..." Wen Yunsheng stared at Binghu for a long time, chin in hand. "Can I go into the Eastern Palace?" His question nearly stunned Binghu. "Brother... do you know where the Eastern Palace is? It's the imperial palace. Do you think you can go in?" Wen Yunsheng wasn't annoyed. He smiled and tapped Binghu's chest with his folding fan. "You look like you could see the Crown Prince. Here's what you'll do! Pass on a message for me: say that Changnan Wen Yunsheng has come to Xiling to see the Crown Prince. If there's an opportunity, we can discuss official matters." Before Binghu could even react, Wen Yunsheng was already gone. For Wen Yunsheng, agreeing to Li Yunye's request for the throne was just a pretext. Because of his poor eyesight, his family usually didn't allow him to go out. But Wen Yunsheng was naturally mischievous and restless, and couldn't stand being alone. Now that he was old enough, he had long planned to run away from home. He happened to stumble upon Li Yunye's plea for help, which allowed him to escape. Wen Yunsheng was the eldest son in his family, which was a family of doctors. He began learning medicine at a young age, and it could be said that the whole family's expectations were placed on Wen Yunsheng. However, Wen Yunsheng preferred the thrill and excitement of officialdom to the mundane medical clinic.
Li Yunrui knew a little about Wen Yunsheng; he was the eldest son of the Changnan Wen family and the future head of the family. He had only heard that Wen Yunsheng had poor eyesight and limited mobility since childhood, and the Wen family had never allowed him to leave the house. Therefore, Li Yunrui was quite surprised that Li Yunye had invited Wen Yunsheng to Xiling. "The Wen family has always treated Wen Yunsheng like a precious jewel, why would they let him out?" Shen Qinghang said with a wry smile. "Wen Yunsheng has been intelligent since childhood, and the Wen family has always cherished him. But how could he possibly resist the Third Prince's orders? Besides, imperial decrees cannot be disobeyed. That old fellow Wen Mao isn't stupid; he can weigh the pros and cons." Li Yunrui put down his teacup, then looked at the pond full of koi and scattered some fish food. "Forget it, the throne is like this fish food; everyone wants to grab it, but..." "Yes, even if we scatter the fish food, how many fish will actually get to eat it? Let him be. A merchant's child can't cause any trouble." Li Yunrui thought this way, but Shen Qinghang thought differently. Shen Qinghang knew Wen Yunsheng was no pushover. The head of the Wen family, Wen Simiao, had many wives and concubines. Leaving aside his illegitimate children outside the family, he had seven or eight children raised in the household. Why then did he favor Wen Yunsheng so much? Wen Yunsheng had been blind since childhood; logically, he should have been abandoned due to survival of the fittest. The fact that he was so favored meant that this person was definitely not simple.
The two men, each lost in their own thoughts, found the meal rather unappetizing. Before they could finish, a servant arrived to report that Binghu, whom Li Yunrui had left to guard the Crown Prince's residence, had come to see him. "Binghu greets the Crown Prince." "Rise! Has something happened at the residence?" Binghu rarely visited the Eastern Palace, and his unexpected visit led Li Yunrui to assume something was amiss. After rising, Binghu first glanced at Shen Qinghang beside Li Yunrui, then lowered his head. Li Yunrui immediately understood Binghu's meaning and waved his hand. “It’s alright, we’re all family, so speak freely.” Having received permission, Binghu began, “Today, someone came to the manor, saying he wanted to see the Crown Prince. Of course, the Crown Prince is not someone he can see, so I sent him away.” Binghu puffed out his chest, as if waiting for Li Yunrui’s praise. However, seeing that neither of them spoke and were looking at him seriously, Binghu became somewhat embarrassed and stammered, “He said… Chang Nan Wen Yunsheng came to Xiling to see the Crown Prince, and if there was an opportunity, they would like to exchange ideas in officialdom.”
"Insolence!" Shen Qinghang slammed his hand on the stone table, making the food on it shake. "How could the Crown Prince possibly engage in official discussions with him? Doesn't he even know his own status!" The slap startled Binghu, who was kneeling on the ground. He had only repeated his words; who was this man? So loud and boisterous. Then Li Yunrui stood up and patted Shen Qinghang on the shoulder. "Forget it. Wen Yunsheng is new to the court; his sharp words are normal. He's never left his home, raised so well by the Wen family; his arrogance is understandable. What he says is his business; what I do is mine. Binghu, you can leave! This is none of your business." Binghu got up to leave, but stopped after a few steps. Li Yunrui, seeing Binghu hadn't left, looked up at his hesitant expression and wondered what was wrong. "What? Is there something else?"
"Um... I don't know if I should speak, but the Princess has been waiting at the door for quite some time. I originally wanted to let her go in first, but she refused... Would you like to go and see her?" Li Yunrui, seeing Li Wuyou outside the door, quickly got up and went out. Li Wuyou stood outside, fidgeting with her skirt, unsure how to begin. When Li Yunrui appeared before her, she was startled, then took two steps back, her voice trembling slightly, "Yunrui? You... Oh dear, what a coincidence, I..." "Elder sister, is something wrong? I heard you've been standing here for quite a while. The wind is biting; be careful not to catch a cold," Li Yunrui interrupted before Li Wuyou could finish. Li Yunrui had already guessed most of Li Wuyou's purpose in coming, but since the Eastern Palace was heavily guarded, and she didn't want to embarrass Li Wuyou, she took off her cloak and draped it over Li Wuyou's shoulders. "If Elder Sister has nothing else, let's go inside and talk." Li Wuyou glanced at Li Yunrui, roughly understanding her intentions, nodded, and followed her inside. Once inside the East Palace, Li Yunrui glanced at Shen Qinghang. "You can go back now. I have a few words to say to Elder Sister." Shen Qinghang glanced at Li Wuyou and quickly bowed. "Shen Qinghang greets the Princess. Your Highness, I take my leave." Seeing Shen Qinghang leave, Li Yunrui said, "Elder Sister, there's no need for further explanation. I know you came to plead for Huaitang." Upon hearing this, Li Wuyou knelt down with a thud, startling Li Yunrui, who quickly helped her up. "Elder Sister, what are you doing? Are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for your brother?"
"I know Huaitang has wronged you, broken the rules, and his crime is unforgivable, but... could you please turn a blind eye and let him go? I don't expect him to remain an official in the court, I just beg that you spare his life and let him retire to the mountains." Li Wuyou's voice was already trembling with sobs. This was no longer the Li Wuyou she knew. Although her mother had died early after her birth, she had received all of Emperor Yun's favor. The concubines in the harem would all try to curry favor with her in order to win his favor. The once proud and aloof princess was now like a wounded wild crane, crying out in anguish. Seeing that he couldn't help Li Wuyou, Li Yunrui knelt down himself, saying with some difficulty, "Sister, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, but this matter has reached a critical point, and I really can't help! I... I wrote a detailed account of the whole affair to Father Emperor a few days ago." Upon hearing this, Li Wuyou collapsed to the ground like a kite with a broken string, her eyes glazed over as she stared at Li Yunrui. "You... you told Father? Do you know how important he is to me? Li Yunrui, how could you, as Crown Prince, be so heartless?" Li Wuyou knew that given Emperor Yun's temperament, he would surely exterminate the entire Huaitang family upon his return. Seeing Li Wuyou like this, Li Yunrui felt a pang of pity. The previous incident involving Xiao Wan'er and Li Yunye had already made Li Yunrui uneasy, and now she couldn't bear to see Li Wuyou like this. But had the integrity she had always upheld truly been wrong? Li Yunrui slowly rose, his back to Li Wuyou, eyes closed, remaining silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Elder sister is right. Huaitang was at fault first, so I should report to Father. But... I know I've wronged Consort Xiao, I've wronged Yunye, and I can't wrong you now. As for Huaitang... I will try to resolve it, but elder sister, I hope you can put yourself in my shoes. I am the Crown Prince, not the Emperor. Although this empire belongs to the Li family, it doesn't belong to me, Li Yunrui. You know better than anyone how Father treats me. Sitting in this position is like walking on thin ice, my life hanging by a thread." Whether he can survive or not depends on fate. Li Wuyou watched Li Yunrui's retreating figure and quickly stood up. "Yunrui, is that really true?" Li Yunrui nodded. "I hope that in the future, elder sister won't make things difficult for Yunrui anymore." Li Wuyou nodded fiercely, tears welling in her eyes. "I know that getting Huaitang out is difficult for you, but I hope you can help me plead for him. If the result isn't good, elder sister won't make things difficult for you anymore." Not receiving a response from Li Yunrui, Li Wuyou didn't say anything more. After a long silence, she finally managed to say, "I'm sorry to have troubled you today. I will never forget this kindness."
After Li Wuyou left, Li Yunrui slumped onto the stone steps, momentarily lost in thought. He didn't know when it had started, but he had gradually become powerless, even feeling like he was being led by the nose. Every step he took was no longer in his own plan, and what he didn't realize was that he was being pushed step by step into an abyss. Looking at the graying sky, Li Yunrui murmured, "It seems the world is about to change... Perhaps Tang Feng is right, the deceit and treachery are indeed annoying. But... after fighting for so many years, how can I let it all go?"
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