Chapter 33
Ji Qingzhou stole a few glances at Prince Heng and noticed that the young man looked no older than sixteen or seventeen. His handsome face still held traces of youthful innocence, which became even more obvious when standing next to Li Zhan—making him appear all the more boyish.
Ji Qingzhou thought to himself that sometimes a person’s aura really didn’t correspond to their age.
Although Li Zhan was four or five years older than Prince Heng, Ji Qingzhou believed that even at sixteen or seventeen, Li Zhan must have seemed quite mature—definitely not someone who wore all his emotions plainly on his face like Prince Heng did. In other words, no matter how much Prince Heng grew up, his presence probably wouldn’t match Li Zhan’s.
Ji Qingzhou couldn’t quite recall the original book’s description of Prince Heng. He guessed that the prince was probably a minor character with little significance—just a named background figure.
Li Zhan, carrying the young emperor and accompanied by Ji Qingzhou, paid no attention to Prince Heng and walked straight ahead.
But Prince Heng quickened his steps to catch up and once again blocked Li Zhan’s path. He said, “Third Brother, you cannot let him in to see Uncle.”
There was no doubt that “him” referred to Ji Qingzhou.
Li Zhan cast a cold glance at Prince Heng without saying a word, and the prince’s imposing demeanor immediately diminished. Ji Qingzhou saw the prince’s face flush slightly—he clearly didn’t want to give in but was also deeply intimidated by the Regent’s overwhelming authority.
Before Li Zhan could reply, Ji Qingzhou quietly said, “Your Highness, His Majesty is still asleep. It doesn’t seem appropriate to visit the Old Wang Ye right now. Perhaps… I could take His Majesty to rest first, and once he wakes up, we could visit later.”
As soon as Ji Qingzhou finished speaking, Prince Heng’s gaze involuntarily shifted to Li Zhan.
Li Zhan’s expression twitched slightly before he carefully placed the young emperor into Ji Qingzhou’s arms. Then, turning to Dong Dong behind him, he said, “You don’t need to follow me anymore.” This meant Dong Dong was to stay with Ji Qingzhou and the young emperor.
Ji Qingzhou took the young emperor and followed Dong Dong to a guest room in the garden to rest for a while.
Prince Heng watched Ji Qingzhou’s retreating figure, clearly surprised.
He hadn’t expected Li Zhan to listen to Ji Qingzhou.
Li Zhan ignored him and strode toward the Old Wang Ye’s residence.
Prince Heng snapped out of his daze and hurried after him, questioning, “Third Brother, why did you bring him here? You know full well that the Ji family’s entire household was sentenced because of complicated ties to Uncle. Now that Uncle is gravely ill, you still bring him here…”
“Why are you more nervous than Uncle?” Li Zhan said coolly. “Did you also fan the flames of the Ji family’s downfall back then?”
Prince Heng was momentarily stunned by this retort. His face reddened in a way that was quite telling.
Li Zhan paused, turned to him, and said, “Oh… I remember now. You almost got engaged to Young Lady Ji back then, but as soon as you heard the Ji family had been punished, you rushed to distance yourself from them with the late emperor… Am I right?”
“You…” Prince Heng looked annoyed. “You deliberately brought him here just to humiliate me?”
Li Zhan’s gaze settled on the prince’s face, then he gave a faint smile and said, “Fourth Brother, you always think too highly of yourself. You believe everyone is against you. Not to mention I didn’t even know you were here, but as for Ji Qingzhou… look at the way he looked at you just now. Do you think he remembers you at all?”
Li Zhan’s words seemed to prick the prince’s heart. The young man faltered for a moment, recalling Ji Qingzhou’s calm yet vacant expression as he looked at him earlier. It really did seem like Ji Qingzhou had forgotten him.
A trace of self-mockery crossed Prince Heng’s face, and the anger he’d felt moments before instantly faded.
That person didn’t even hate him anymore—he had simply forgotten him.
Ji Qingzhou was led by the attendants to the guest room in the garden. He had intended to put the young emperor down, but the boy was dozing and clung to him, unwilling to let go. So Ji Qingzhou had no choice but to lean against the low couch, holding the young emperor in his arms.
The young emperor was always a heavy sleeper, especially when riding in a carriage. Ji Qingzhou guessed he wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, so he adjusted to a more comfortable position, holding him while leaning against the couch, lost in thought.
Prince Heng’s attitude toward him was quite strange—there had to be something behind it.
Ji Qingzhou vaguely remembered Tu Dayou mentioning that Prince Heng had almost become his brother-in-law. That meant the prince had been engaged or nearly engaged to Ji Qingzhou’s sister in the original story. If so, the prince really would want to avoid Ji Qingzhou after the Ji family’s punishment, to avoid suspicion.
He also recalled Qin Zheng saying that although Prince Heng was young, he controlled the Ministry of Appointments. So regardless of his actual ability, he held some official rank. But why had Ji Qingzhou never seen him in the morning court or at the Imperial Study or Yinghui Pavilion for discussions?
Could it be because Prince Heng and the Regent did not get along?
If so, then the Regent deliberately bringing him here today was to provoke the prince? Ji Qingzhou quickly dismissed the idea. Knowing Li Zhan, he was not the petty type to do something so meaningless.
Could it be… that Li Zhan brought him here because it involved the Old Wang Ye?
Ji Qingzhou’s thoughts raced as he recalled vague details from the book—this Old Wang Ye seemed connected to the Ji family’s punishment. But he couldn’t remember the exact details, only had a rough impression and wasn’t sure if it was accurate.
If that was the case, then Li Zhan’s earlier reaction and Prince Heng’s response to seeing Ji Qingzhou would make sense!
Ji Qingzhou had many questions but, unfortunately, with Dong Dong nearby, he couldn’t ask directly without raising suspicion.
The Old Wang Ye Residence.
Li Zhan and Prince Heng stood side by side before the low couch and bowed together to the Old Wang Ye. The Old Wang Ye leaned against the couch, looking at the two with a somewhat pale and wan expression, clearly seriously ill.
The Old Wang Ye was Li Zhan’s uncle, over sixty years old with graying hair. His illness had left him even weaker, and there were faint signs that his days were numbered.
“Where is His Majesty?” the Old Wang Ye asked.
“His Majesty fell asleep on the way. He’s resting in the guest room now,” Li Zhan replied.
The Old Wang Ye nodded when he heard this and smiled softly. “Your father was also very fond of sleeping when he was young. Back when we studied together at the palaceschool, he would often doze off after only a few sentences. Sometimes, even after class ended and before he reached his chambers, he’d fall asleep leaning on my back…”
Recalling those childhood days, the Old Wang Ye’s eyes carried a touch of melancholy. Then he added, “Unfortunately, his health was poor, and he passed away at a young age… Seeing you two brothers standing together today reminded me of those times… If only people could stay young forever, how wonderful that would be.”
Li Zhan and Prince Heng stood silently, listening to the Old Wang Ye’s nostalgic words, neither speaking.
“I’m old now and didn’t intend to interfere in your affairs anymore. But the matters your father entrusted to me before he passed—those I must see through,” the Old Wang Ye said, signaling to a servant beside him. The servant retrieved a scroll wrapped in bright yellow silk from a nearby box and handed it to Li Zhan.
Li Zhan unfurled the scroll and barely furrowed his brows.
Prince Heng’s expression changed, showing surprise as he looked toward the Old Wang Ye.
“Your father was only sixteen when he passed, and your younger brother was even smaller, just eleven… Your marriage arrangements were something he never stopped thinking about, and he entrusted them to me on his deathbed,” the Old Wang Ye explained. “I thought your elder brother would live on to care for you both, but he passed so young, so the burden fell back to me… Now that I’ve accepted this will, I must handle it properly on your father’s behalf, or else I won’t be able to answer to him in the afterlife.”
Prince Heng spoke up, “But it hasn’t even been a year since our elder brother’s death, and our marriage…”
“Our Great Yu Dynasty has no such rules… A younger brother need not mourn on behalf of the elder,” the Old Wang Ye interrupted before Prince Heng could finish. “My days are limited, and today is not about negotiating with you… Matters of marriage have always been the decision of parents. Though you’re not my biological sons, since you call me Uncle, and now there’s this will, I shall take the liberty… and act as your guardian.”
Prince Heng wanted to say more, but the Old Wang Ye waved him off, signaling that further discussion was unnecessary.
Li Zhan remained calm the entire time, neither refusing nor objecting.
“You will stay in the estate tonight and each think it over… Tomorrow, Minister Zhang from the Ministry of Rites will come by. I specially invited him to witness this. You both… *cough cough*…” The Old Wang Ye coughed violently several times. When the two tried to approach, he waved them away. “Go on… I need to rest…”
They immediately said no more and left.
“Third Brother, are you truly willing to marry?” Prince Heng asked Li Zhan as they walked.
Li Zhan raised an eyebrow but did not reply.
“When Elder Brother was alive, he mentioned your marriage many times, but you always refused,” Prince Heng said. “Everyone at court wondered why you never wanted to wed. Honestly, I never understood either.”
Li Zhan remained silent, clearly not intending to answer.
“For people of our status, marriage is never about personal choice and often feels meaningless,” Prince Heng continued on his own. “When Elder Brother asked me to marry the Young Lady of the Ji family, I didn’t want to. I knew the Ji family looked down on me. To them, I was just a county prince*, probably worth less than a mere guest in the Grand Tutor’s mansion…”
Note: county prince is his status.
“What meaning does all that have now?” Li Zhan said coldly.
“I just don’t understand… What did I do wrong?” Prince Heng asked.
Li Zhan glanced at him and replied, “You didn’t do anything wrong, but what about the Ji family? What wrong did they do?”
Prince Heng was stunned, his expression turning confused and sad.
“You wallow in self-pity, thinking you’re the only one wronged in the world,” Li Zhan mocked. “Why don’t you ask about the eldest son of the Ji family who was exiled, the third daughter who was forced into servitude, or Ji Qingzhou who became an inner attendant… Were they innocent?”
Prince Heng stood there speechless for a long moment. Li Zhan, unwilling to waste more breath, turned and left.
When Li Zhan returned to the guest room, he found Ji Qingzhou leaning against the low couch, holding the young emperor in his arms. Both were fast asleep, one large and one small, peacefully snoring.
When awake, Ji Qingzhou was always proper and composed, as if guarding himself around everyone, never dropping his defenses easily. But when he was deeply asleep, his entire being relaxed; his face softened, the usual distance between him and others vanished entirely.
Li Zhan’s gaze settled on Ji Qingzhou’s handsome face. He noticed the sharp angles of the youth’s profile had softened slightly, with a small roundness that suggested he’d gained some weight compared to over a month ago. This subtle change only added to his beauty, making him look less gaunt than before.
However… Li Zhan’s eyes drifted down to his slender frame, which had barely changed and still looked rather thin.
Clearly, the months in prison had taken a severe toll, and it would take some time to recover….
When Li Zhan had asked Ji Qingzhou earlier if he wanted to come along, Ji Qingzhou agreed without hesitation. Li Zhan thought perhaps Ji Qingzhou wanted to see the Old Wang Ye and maybe even question him about the Ji family’s past disgrace….
Rationally, Li Zhan felt bringing Ji Qingzhou here was inappropriate.
Yet he also thought, if Ji Qingzhou wanted this opportunity to confront the Old Wang Ye face-to-face, why not give it to him?
Li Zhan had more than once suspected that Ji Qingzhou entered the palace, foregoing exile, either to clear the Ji family’s name or to seek revenge. That was why he kept Ji Qingzhou close—to see what the young master of the Ji family intended and how he planned to achieve it.
But unexpectedly, Ji Qingzhou had never once mentioned the Ji family’s affairs.
Even in his gaze toward Li Zhan and the young emperor, Li Zhan never saw so much as a flicker of resentment or hatred.
Li Zhan had expected Ji Qingzhou to show some sign today.
To his surprise, Ji Qingzhou had even given up the chance to meet the Old Wang Ye…
The Old Wang Ye’s days were numbered. The previous emperor who had dealt with the Ji family had also passed away. If Ji Qingzhou didn’t take this chance to confront the Old Wang Ye, it would likely mean he’d never have another opportunity to pursue justice for the Ji family’s affairs.
Did he truly hold no resentment in his heart?
Li Zhan looked at the youth’s delicate sleeping face, feeling both curious and puzzled.
He had clearly entered the palace with a purpose—so why was he able to hide it so perfectly without a single leak?
He should have been filled with bitterness, so why hadn’t a trace of anger ever appeared in his eyes…
Li Zhan really wished he could peer inside the youth’s heart to find out the truth!
“Gurgle…” Ji Qingzhou’s stomach suddenly made a sound.
Then, the youth’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly, revealing those beautiful, deep black eyes.
Li Zhan hadn’t expected him to wake up so suddenly. A flicker of unease crossed his face but was quickly masked.
Then, he calmly withdrew his gaze, casually grabbed a plate of snacks from a nearby low table, handed it over, and stood up to leave the guest room.
Ji Qingzhou: …
Before nightfall, the young emperor fully woke.
Li Zhan took him to visit the Old Wang Ye. Ji Qingzhou, being sensible, did not follow, and Li Zhan didn’t insist.
Ji Qingzhou had eaten quite a lot of snacks earlier and now felt a bit bloated, so he wandered around the small garden outside for a while. Unexpectedly, just as he was about to return, he ran into Prince Heng.
Since this place was close to the guest rooms and Ji Qingzhou hadn’t gone far to avoid trouble, running into him here probably wasn’t a coincidence.
“Greetings, Wang Ye,” Ji Qingzhou said politely to Prince Heng, not planning to stay long.
Prince Heng noticed the expression on his face and recalled Li Zhan’s words. He frowned slightly and spoke, “Third Brother is right… I know you’ve always looked down on me. I still remember what you said to me last time. It stayed with me for a long while.”
Ji Qingzhou: …
What last time? What did he say?
“When the Ji family got into trouble, I wasn’t indifferent. If I had the ability, I wouldn’t have stood by and done nothing,” Prince Heng explained. “But everyone in court knew I was close to our Second Brother. Since he got into that mess, if I had involved myself to plead for the Ji family, I’d probably have ended up the same as him!”
From what Ji Qingzhou gathered, the Ji family’s offense likely involved the Second Prince. After the incident, both the Second Prince and the Ji family were punished. Although he wasn’t sure if Prince Heng was involved, this prince had decisively distanced himself from both the Ji family and the Second Prince to protect himself. So, in the end, he managed to stay safe.
That was human nature, and Ji Qingzhou could understand that.
But Prince Heng obviously couldn’t get past this himself; he seemed somewhat burdened with guilt.
“You blame me, resent me—I can understand all of that…” Prince Heng said.
“Wang Ye, how could I possibly harbor resentment?” Ji Qingzhou quickly replied. “A servant dares not hold grudges.”
Prince Heng paused, then said, “You called yourself a servant in front of me. You truly are blaming me.”
Ji Qingzhou was speechless inside. The one betrothed to you is a Ji family young lady, not me. Why would I blame you???
“You’ve always been like this… never taking me seriously. Now even as an eunuch, you’re still the same,” Prince Heng smiled bitterly. He looked genuinely sad, his gaze burning fixedly on Ji Qingzhou. Then he said, “Perhaps in your heart, compared to Third Brother, I really am nothing at all…”
Ji Qingzhou: …
Why did Prince Heng speak so strangely? That tone of a melancholy, sentimental young man…
Anyone who didn’t know might even suspect they had some secret romance.
Ji Qingzhou was utterly speechless and just wanted to leave quickly.
“Uncle has arranged marriage plans for Third Brother and me…” Prince Heng spoke again with a sorrowful expression. “You may think I’m useless and never dare to go against anyone, but is Third Brother really any different? Would he dare defy the late emperor’s will?”
Ji Qingzhou: !
Wait a minute… The Regent has been arranged a marriage?
So the storyline really was changing…
Ji Qingzhou was shocked for a moment. The original story never had a romantic subplot involving the Regent. Was it really going to appear now?
“Wang Ye… these matters aren’t for a servant to worry about,” Ji Qingzhou said.
“You follow Third Brother around all day, obeying him unquestioningly. I’ve heard court officials are gossiping, saying that the eunuch who never served anyone before is now highly relied upon by Third Brother, and you’ve been put in charge of the entire Yinghui Pavilion…” Prince Heng said.
Ji Qingzhou: …
Prince Heng rarely attended court sessions, yet he seemed to know everything that was going on in the government.
Was he truly just a pure, immature youth? Or was he merely playing dumb to hide his true strength?
Whatever the case, Ji Qingzhou felt that wasting words with him at this moment wasn’t wise.
“Wang Ye, this servant will take his leave now,” Ji Qingzhou said, not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble and thinking it best to just leave.
However, just as he turned to go, Prince Heng suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him back close.
In that instant, Ji Qingzhou caught the scent of alcohol on him.
No wonder his words were so strange — turns out he had been drinking too much…
“Is Third Brother really so worthy of your loyalty?” Prince Heng held Ji Qingzhou’s shoulders firmly and asked in a deep voice.
Ji Qingzhou thought to himself, wasn’t it you who first distanced yourself from the Ji family? Why do you sound like the victim now?
But Prince Heng was a royal, and since he was drunk, Ji Qingzhou naturally didn’t argue.
With that in mind, Ji Qingzhou answered politely, “This servant… is merely trying to earn a living.”
“Stop calling yourself a servant!” Prince Heng snapped angrily. “Are you deliberately trying to hurt me?”
“All right, all right, all right…” Ji Qingzhou shrugged and said, “I won’t say it anymore!”
Ji Qingzhou truly had no way to deal with this Prince Heng. The prince was even younger than him, and seemed utterly foolish — and now he was drunk and not thinking straight. Ji Qingzhou hated himself for having eaten that extra plate of snacks, or else he wouldn’t have gone out for a walk and gotten stuck in this situation.
Seeing Ji Qingzhou’s distracted look, Prince Heng’s anger flared. He tightened his grip on Ji Qingzhou’s hand and spoke in a low voice, “Ji Qingzhou… I’ve always wondered, when will you finally look me in the eye? If I were to go to Third Brother and claim you, do you think Third Brother would hand you over to me?”
Ji Qingzhou frowned. This Prince Heng either had a serious case of adolescent delusions or something wrong with his mind.
When Ji Qingzhou’s beautiful eyes still refused to meet his, Prince Heng felt frustrated.
“Why won’t you look me in the eye?” he snapped. “Do I disgust you that much?”
Ji Qingzhou was standing too close to him, and the strong smell of alcohol actually made him feel a bit nauseous.
“Why won’t you speak?” Prince Heng shook Ji Qingzhou’s shoulders hard.
Ji Qingzhou: …
Damn, drunk teenagers with delusions really were scary!!
He struggled to keep the turmoil in his stomach down, but the shaking was too much—
He couldn’t hold it back any longer…
He vomited.
As he vomited, Ji Qingzhou cursed silently to himself that lately he had been vomiting way too often!
This wasn’t normal… maybe something was wrong with him…
“Ji Qingzhou…” Prince Heng looked stunned, reaching out to grab him again, but someone blocked his hand.
Prince Heng was taken aback and saw Li Zhan step forward, supporting Ji Qingzhou and patting his back.
“Third Brother… why are you here?” Prince Heng, now mostly sober, stood awkwardly.
Li Zhan gave him a cold glance, then turned to ask Ji Qingzhou, “What happened?”
“Probably ate too much…” Ji Qingzhou replied embarrassedly.
Seeing that he was done vomiting, Li Zhan helped him toward the guest room.
Prince Heng stood behind with reddened eyes, wanting to say something, but Li Zhan gave him no chance.
His gaze remained fixed on Ji Qingzhou’s back until he disappeared from sight, then he sighed softly.
“Go see a doctor. Qin Zheng said you’ve been vomiting a lot lately,” Li Zhan said calmly.
Ji Qingzhou felt embarrassed. He thought the Regent’s words were implying he had been overeating.
But it was true that he had been eating quite a lot lately. From now on, he’d have to control his portions better — otherwise, what if he puked in court in front of all the officials? That would be truly humiliating.
Dong Dong immediately ordered the staff in the garden to fetch a doctor.
Ji Qingzhou rinsed his mouth, and now with an empty stomach, he actually felt a bit hungry again…
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