Chapter 7
Translator: マイ
Proofread/edit: adlt1226
(T/N: this chapter is half shorter than the usual ones. However, it’s still a baby monster for us hahahah.)
After sending Yong Sheng away, Yong Shan stayed alone in the inner room for a while, then suddenly summoned someone over. “Take my orders and bring Yong Lin here immediately. If Shu Fei asks, tell her that I have an urgent matter and need to discuss it with Yong Lin.”
He then summoned another person and said, “After Yong Qi finishes eating, take him inside the room. He is not allowed to come out without my order. Tell Chang Defu to attend to him himself. Don’t send clumsy people to serve him.”
After waiting for a while, Yong Lin came in a hurry. The weather was still cold, but because he walked too quickly, a thin layer of sweat was visible on his forehead.
As soon as Yong Lin came in, he asked, “Gege, what’s the matter? Why did you ask me to come here so suddenly? It can’t be that your wound has worsened again?” He walked toward Yong Shan in an attempt to check his wound.
Yong Shan did not say a word as he waved his hand, dismissing the servants in waiting left and right. As soon as the door to the inner room closed tightly, he stood up from the chair and waved his hand across Yong Lin’s face.
Yong Lin, who was checking his wound with concern, was caught off guard. Yong Shan seemed to be extremely angry; he used too much strength that the sound of this one slap rang throughout the big room, and caused Yong Lin, who hadn’t put up any defense, to stagger a few steps back, almost falling to the ground.
Yong Lin was stunned after being slapped in the face all of a sudden. He widened his eyes and covered the side of his face where five red finger marks appeared, at a loss for a long time. Only after a while did he seem to understand what was going on; he suddenly jumped up and shouted angrily, “Are you crazy?”
Yong Shan stood in the same place and looked straight at him without hesitation. He said coldly, “I am not crazy, you are.”
Yong Lin trembled with anger, unable to make heads or tails of Yong Shan’s words and actions. “You… you… you… ” If it hadn’t been for Yong Shan’s leg injury that had not yet healed, according to his impulsive temper, he would have rushed up and given him a few punches in return, regardless of their blood relationship. However, he squeezed his hands into fists to suppress himself, and asked angrily, “Why did you hit me without reason?”
“Why? Only a fool like you would do something like that. Not only did you send letters from the Internal Punishment Court to the outside without authorization, you even delivered it into the other person’s hand yourself!” Yong Shan roared angrily – even the roof trembled in fear.
Even though he knew that it was his fault, he still couldn’t help but feel unsettled at Yong Shan’s mention of the incident. He lowered his head and slowly loosened his tight grip. After being stunned for a while, he couldn’t help but mutter, “Didn’t you already beat me up because of this matter?”
There were only two of them in the room, so how could Yong Shan not hear him? His muttering made Yong Shan so furious that he received another slap. “Would I beat you up if you weren’t in the wrong?”
“When you heard about the incident, you got angry and gave me a good beating. It was enough for me to learn my lesson once and for all. Now you’ve asked someone to drag me over just to beat me. After hitting me, you’re going to drive me away, and then you’ll get angry again, just like before. It makes me angry just thinking about how this cycle keeps repeating. Am I a dog just waiting to be summoned to get a beating?”
“Yes! I am like this, so what? You resent me?” A fierce smile appeared on his lips. “I am, I am the Crown Prince, you are just a mere prince, a Minister. There is a clear line between a Monarch and a Minister. If I’m angry, I can summon you and beat you anytime I want, you have to bear it in mind even if you do not agree!”
Yong Lin was very angry, and shouted, “If you want to beat me, why don’t you beat me up in front of mother? Why did you not raise your hand in front of our mother?” He stopped suddenly, seeming to understand something. He stared at Yong Shan in disbelief. “I see. You pretend to be a good brother in front of our mother. Actually… Actually you hate me in your heart…”
Yong Shan was so angry it made his head dizzy. He nodded without hesitation, and harshly said, “Right! You’re smart after all. You finally know that I hate you. The person I hate the most in the world is you, who is a good-for-nothing! Always arousing trouble! Heaven was blind; how can a fool like you have the same mother as I do!”
“Well! It turns out you have always hated me.” Yong Lin took a breath and said angrily, “You look down on me, and despise me. Among so many brothers, you despise me the most. Although you are my own brother, you are not as good to me as Yong Qi gege!” The more he spoke, the higher the pitch of his voice became.
When Yong Shan heard the name “Yong Qi”, it only added fuel to the fire. The blue veins in his neck protruded as he yelled at Yong Lin, “Who wants to be your brother? You and Yong Qi are a pair of good brothers, and are equally good-for-nothing. It’s not enough to ruin just yourselves, you have to drag other people under the water with you! A pair of nuisance indeed!”
“Do you think I am a nuisance? Good! Good! Today, you finally said it in front of me.”
“Right, I have long wanted to say it.”
“You never treated me as your own brother. You beat me just to vent your anger! You made me into your sandbag just to vent your anger!”
“Yes! I just use you to vent my anger. I use you to release my anger! Now that I’m done with venting my anger, you can get lost!”
Yong Lin was angry and felt he was wronged. His eyes were red from earlier, and he did not know whether he should reject his command or cry desperately. He squeezed his fists and stared at Yong Shan, breathing heavily.
Seeing that he was not moving, Yong Shan pointed his hand to the door and shouted, “Get out of here!”
Yong Lin couldn’t stand it anymore, and rushed out like a wounded beast with a roar.
The attendants who were waiting outside heard the terrible roar coming from inside the Prince’s quarters. Seeing Yong Lin rushing out like this, lest something might happen inside, they rushed in at the same time Yong Lin came out. As soon as they arrived at the door, they heard Yong Shan’s extremely cold voice. “Whoever dares to step into this room without authorization, go and chop off their feet.”
The attendants were so frightened that everyone hurriedly stopped and looked at each other. They all knew that whoever went in at this moment would be finished. The atmosphere was so tense that they had to close the door gently and carefully backed away.
Yong Shan stared straight at the closed door, his stiff body suddenly softened to the point that he could not hold himself up, his knees gave way and his whole body collapsed to the ground. When he fell, he happened to hit the bandaged wound, it was so painful that he almost fainted.
He breathed in a little cold air, and after getting through the feeling of faintness, he slowly calmed down. His eyes were blank; he reluctantly leaned his back to a chair as he sat on the ground.
His mind was messed up, and what flashed in his thoughts was not even clear to him.
They, they all hated him…
Mother, Yong Qi, they all didn’t like him, they liked Yong Lin.
Why?
Yong Lin and I came out of the same mold, I have done more, and everything I did was better than Yong Lin.
It was unknown how much time had passed since he sat on the ground like that. When suddenly, a cold and crisp sound awakened him; he was surprised upon hearing the sound of clappers from the palace.
Could it be that it was already past midnight?
Have I been sitting here for this long?
Because the ground was cold, his body trembled when he moved. His hands and feet were sore and numb, and Yong Shan knew that being out in the cold while he was injured was extremely bad for his health. Although the palace was warm, it was cold on the ground after all. He secretly swore in his heart. He already had no one to feel sorry for him, and now he was even ruining himself.
If he froze to death like this, he was afraid that everyone in the world would rejoice and applaud.
If Yong Lin and Yong Qi happened to be together, they would be very happy. Shu Fei would cry a few times, but Yong Lin was still her most beloved son after all, and she would probably be over this matter in a year and a half.
He had always been firm and persistent, with unswerving determination. Today, he couldn’t help but be emotional for a while. It was hard to control. The more he thought about it, the more he suffered. He didn’t know. For whom was he suffering so much?
If it was for himself, why couldn’t he be happy? After this much suffering, countless troubles had been added instead.
Yong Shan slowly moved himself to the bedside. Feeling the unbearable pain in his leg, he looked down and saw that the white gauze was again soaked through with blood. He was afraid that the wound reopened when he fell, and blood began to ooze again.
He coldly stared at his bloody leg, and after a long time, he remembered that he had to change the bandages, and said, “Someone.”
The attendants outside dared not go far, all pricked their ears to listen to the movements inside. Upon hearing the sound, the door was pushed open immediately.
Chang Defu walked in. Knowing that the prince was not feeling well, his actions were more cautious than usual. When he came to Yong Shan, he honestly bowed with his hands and said, “Yes, Your Highness. What’s your order?”
Yong Shan’s delicate handsome face held no expression, but he pointed to his leg and said casually, “The wound reopened accidentally and the bandages needed to be changed.”
“Yes, this servant will go to inform the Imperial Physician now.”
“Why do you have to alert an Imperial Physician? It’s already late at night.” Yong Shan was a little impatient and said, “Your skills alone are enough.”
Chang Defu didn’t dare say anything against his order. He went to get clean gauze and began to help bandage Yong Shan’s wound.
While Chang Defu changed the gauze, Yong Shan leaned on his bed, closed his eyes to rest, and asked absentmindedly, “Is Yong Qi asleep?”
“Not yet……”
Yong Shan opened his eyes. “It’s already so late, why is he still up? Is he not used to sleeping here?”
“This……”
“What’s with this and that? Don’t hesitate. If you have something to say, say it straightforwardly.”
“His Royal Highness Yong Qi can’t sleep because… Because His Highness Yong Lin…” Chang Defu glanced at Yong Shan timidly, “After His Royal Highness Yong Lin rushed out from here, he sat in the snow in the front courtyard and started crying. The window of the room where His Highness Yong Qi currently resides was facing the front courtyard. He wanted to go out and persuade His Highness Yong Lin, but this servant didn’t dare to let him out, so he ordered someone to stop His Royal Highness Yong Lin instead. His Highness Yong Lin… cried even harder…”
“What a fart!” Yong Shan yelled irritably.
Chang Defu did not dare say anything else.
Yong Shan stared at the space in front of him, as if Yong Lin stood there. After a while, he recovered his expression and asked quietly, “How long has he been sitting in the snow?”
“After rushing out from here, just… he’s still sitting…”
That long? Yong Shan’s heart jumped.
“Is he still crying?”
“He is no longer crying.” Chang Defu sighed. “He’s just sitting in a daze.”
“Are you all dead? Why don’t you get him up?”
Chang Defu heard the scolding and quickly defended in a low voice, “We servants persuaded him, but he didn’t listen. This servant was bold enough to pull him up, but as soon as we got him up, he threw himself to the ground and sat at the same position again. This… this is His Royal Highness Yong Lin after all, we dare not be rude to him…”
“Enough, stop talking.”
After being silent for a long time, Yong Shan’s eyes shifted to Chang Defu, who was peeking secretly at him. When Chang Defu met his gaze, he hurriedly lowered his head, his heart beating with fright.
Amidst the uneasiness, he heard Yong Shan’s sigh.
“Go and ask Yong Lin to come in for me.”
“Eh……?”
“Hurry up and go!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After a while, Yong Lin was brought in.
Yong Shan’s wound had been bandaged. He sat on his bed and looked at Yong Lin.
It was cold outside, and since Yong Lin stayed in the snow for a long time, even the best marten coat on his body became useless. After being exposed to the extreme cold and suddenly entering the warmer inner room, Yong Lin shivered like a quail, shaking desperately.
Growing up together, Yong Shan knew that Yong Lin had always been healthy and strong; so, it was a rare sight to see him like this, his body shivering uncontrollably. Yong Shan also felt regretful, knowing that it was really freezing outside. He raised his eyebrows and yelled at Chang Defu, “Did you break your hands? Still not hurrying up to get him a bowl of hot soup?” Chang Defu hurriedly responded and ran to serve the soup.
“You, come here.” Yong Shan said to Yong Lin with a black face.
Even though Yong Lin was beaten, after crying for a while, he considered to have already vented his anger. He still listened to Yong Shan and walked over obediently. But when Yong Shan moved his right hand slightly, Yong Lin reflexively and immediately became alert. He stared at Yong Shan’s hand with black eyes, as if he felt that Yong Shan would slap him again.
Yong Shan could not help but be amused. He lowered his voice, “I won’t hit you.” He lifted a corner of the quilt covering his body. “Come in. If you freeze to death, won’t our mother really kill me?”
Yong Lin really couldn’t stand the cold. He had long been eyeing Yong Shan’s warm bed, and after hearing him say that, he quickly kicked off his shoes, and snuggled in like a cat afraid of cold, leaning side by side with Yong Shan. His hands and feet were as cold as ice, and he trembled when he touched Yong Shan’s warm body.
“You are so brave, getting so close to me, aren’t you afraid I will hit you again?”
Yong Lin asked in confusion, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t hit me?”
This made Yong Shan laugh. Although he was angry with his younger brother, he still worried about him.
The two brothers leaned against the head of the bed, side by side, covered by the same quilt, feeling warm for a while.
“What if I still beat you?”
“Is there any other way?” Yong Lin curled his lips. “Who told you to be my brother? Being beaten to death is also my fate.”
Yong Shan was slightly surprised. He turned his head to observe Yong Lin’s expression, he really didn’t seem to be talking in distress or talking as if it was a joke. He couldn’t help but ask, “I vented my anger on you, are you really not complaining at all?”
Yong Lin bit his lower lip. He opened his round black eyes so that they resembled those of a tiger cub and thought for a long time before whispering, “What I did in this matter was wrong, and Yong Qi Gege was also wrong. He should not have written the letter, and I should not have delivered it either. It’s better that you vented your anger on me than to Yong Qi Gege.”
Yong Shan’s heart trembled.
Yong Shan couldn’t help getting angry every time Yong Lin mentioned Yong Qi, but this time, he was very calm. Yong Shan knew in his heart that the person who deserved punishment the most was Yong Qi. He just couldn’t bear to lay his hands on him, which was why he vented his anger towards his brother instead.
Yong Shan was silent for a while, “Since you don’t feel resentment, why did you sit in the snow and cry again?”
Yong Lin was silent.
Yong Shan said impatiently, “You are a man, and a prince at that, aren’t you afraid of people making jokes of you sitting in the snow, wailing like that? Do not forget your identity.”
Yong Lin remained silent. He lowered his head, unable to identify whether what Yong Shan said was comforting or embarrassing. But later, he suddenly laughed. He showed his neat row of white teeth, which was the same as Yong Shan’s, and with a childlike expression on his face, he said, “Ge, I know what you said before was a lie, and I know you love me. Hehe. You love me, don’t you?” Like a kid who succeeded with his prank, he was completely overjoyed.
Yong Shan also felt so helpless because of him. He didn’t know whether to scold him or laugh with him.
Chang Defu brought over the hot soup. Yong Lin held the bowl of soup with one hand while chatting with Yong Shan.
At this moment, the sound of rapid footsteps could be heard faintly, accompanied by the respectful voice of the attendant who suddenly came over, “Please allow this servant to report in advance…”
Before he could finish talking, the door was pushed open, and a gust of cold wind blew from outside, all the way to the bed. The two brothers’ eyes flashed, and it was clear that Shu Fei had come, followed by attendants who wanted to stop her but did not dare to.
~End of Vol1~
CrazedPlanet 