Princess Royal Anguo’s face was green one moment and white the other. She couldn’t be more embarrassed than now.

Helpless, Zhong Wan hadn’t wanted to eavesdrop.

Yu She had stayed in the palace for one whole day and night. After Zhong Wan had arranged the matters regarding Beidi, he returned home to wait for the news. Hearing that Emperor Chongan wasn’t faring well, Zhong Wan couldn’t sit still anymore, and he went outside to try his luck and see if he could pick up Yu She. And he was actually kind of lucky; after he waited for four hours, Yu She left the palace.

When Yu She had just stepped foot outside, Zhong Wan originally wanted to disembark from the horse-drawn carriage. However, he caught sight of Princess Royal Anguo approaching, and she even had an urgent expression. Thus, Zhong Wan thought that the less complications the better, and hid. Never had he imagined Princess Royal Anguo to mention himself. And it became even more inconvenient for Zhong Wan to say anything.

But the words Yu She had said just a while go stabbed his heart, and Zhong Wan could not help but softly respond in the carriage.

Zhong Wan thought he had been very quiet, yet they heard him.

Afterward..

By being just a bit uncareful, he had embarrassed himself.

Yu She thought about how Zhong Wan had heard his words, and felt even more awkward than Princess Royal Anguo felt.

He pretended to choke from the ashes of the imperial edict. He wiped his face. Impatient and in a rush, he said, “Let’s return to the estate.”

Princess Royal Anguo looked at Zhong Wan. In a flash, she lost confidence in lecturing Yu She. In this critical moment, although she hated Zhong Wan, she could not outwardly offend him. Otherwise, it would bring her inconvenience. Secretly, she felt regret. Then all of a sudden, she felt somewhat disappointed and frustrated.

Just a while ago, she had mocked Emperor Chongan in secret for not seeing the situation clearly. But wasn’t she doing the same now?

She had long since been unable to control the situation. Had long since been unable to control Yu She.

Wanting to say something but unable to, Princess Royal Anguo looked at Yu She. Watched on as his carriage shrank into the distance.

On the way back to the side courtyard or Prince Yu’s estate, Yu She still felt a little unhappy. It didn’t matter saying those words to Princess Royal Anguo. But to let Zhong Wan hear them seemed too fake.

However, Zhong Wan really liked hearing them. So much so that he wanted to hear more.

Zhong Wan pretended not to have heard anything and said in a soft voice, “Just now, you said we are an appropriate match?”

Yu She paused. Leaned away from him.

But Zhong Wan moved closer. “You also said you and me and are a match made in heaven?”

Yu She started to grow a headache. He massaged the center of his brows. Changed the topic by saying, “The imperial edict I just burnt said that the new emperor must follow the laws of the previous emperor for thirty years. Did you know in advance that there would be such an edict?”

Zhong Wan couldn’t hide it anymore and could only admit to knowing. “When circumstances are urgent, there really is no reason to deliberately complicate an issue due to trivial matters. It’s not guaranteed that we can’t crash our way through this obstacle. My number one priority is protecting my life. Regarding these insignificant things.. just let other people do as they like. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“Is this an insignificant thing?” Yu She did not like settling old accounts. He did not question in detail about Emperor Chongan trying to coerce Zhong Wan, and stayed silent for a while. Then he said in a cold voice, “Right now, he can’t even get up. Why does he still think he can order me around?”

Zhong Wan said softly, “I heard he went through a paralyzing stroke?”

“Yes, he can’t speak clearly anymore. Half of his body is paralyzed too. From what the imperial physician said..” Yu She shook his head. “We can only be more sure of his condition two days later. The imperial physician didn’t dare to speak, but I still understood that this illness can only grow worse and not better.”

Zhong Wan said, “This actually saved us a lot of trouble. Prince Yu is probably thanking the gods profusely right now in his jail cell.”

Emperor Chongan had become a cripple. And finally, Yu Mucheng no longer had to worry.

“However, we’ll have a bit of trouble,” Zhong said in a soft voice. “I just heard Princess Royal say that the emperor wants to make you the heir apparent to the throne immediately. I’m afraid that Prince Yu would turn around and see you as his opponent. You..”

“It’s no bother,” said Yu She, not caring the slightest. “We’ve already done what we should do. It’s fine if we can just watch them from below. I can pretend to be crazy, pretend to be sick, and just let them yell among themselves.”

Zhong Wan said, “After learning that the emperor went through a stroke, I told my people this news and to not worry about me anymore. They just needed to do things according to what Prince Yu wants.”

“Is he afraid he can’t pull the emperor off the throne?” Yu She sneered. After a moment of thought, he said, “These past years, Yu Mucheng colluded with many people in secret. It’s just that it’s hard to tell normally. He has long since found a way out for himself. However, what you did was right as well. After we return to the estate, I will also instruct my people like you did, and in passing, have someone talk to Tang Qin..” A sigh left his lips. “That old bastard probably already knows without us telling him.”

Zhong Wan thought for a moment and smiled, speechless. Then he said, “Could the heavens really be protecting him? It’s such a coincidence that I heard what Princess Royal had said just now. Once she had seen me, she knew I also knew about what you two were talking about. She feared I would manipulate you through?pillow talk.?If so, things would be miserable for her in the future. Right now, she has already turned around for Prince Yu’s camp in all likelihood.”

Yu She thought about it, then smiled as well.

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Now that they were at this point, there was nothing Yu She and Zhong Wan needed to do anymore.

After some more thought, Zhong Wan said, “There’s still something important. Are there enough people? The ones you sent to protect Xuan Rui in the shadows?”

Yu She nodded. “Practically all the family soldiers I’ve been raising in secret these past many years are guarding him. Don’t worry. He won’t die.”

“I’m worried that Prince Yu would truly send him back to the capital.” Zhong Wan furrowed his brows. “Watch him attentively. Prince Yu’s people will definitely act. Your men must snatch Xuan Rui away at once. Then, as according to our plan, hide Xuan Rui well. We must make everyone think he truly died until you smoothly ascend the throne.”

Following that, Zhong Wan warned in a low voice, “Don’t lose him. If he really returns to the capital.. you and Xuan Jing will lose your lives.”

Yu Mucheng wanted to make Xuan Rui a puppet emperor. As such, he would not allow Emperor Chongan’s sons to live. Perhaps Xuan Qiong would be spared, but Yu She and Xuan Jing absolutely would not be.

The royal capital was currently akin to a life-or-death game of chess. No matter what step one took, there would still be chess pieces lost. But as long as Yu She became the emperor, the least amount of people would die.

Zhong Wan and Yu She did not like killing people.

Yu She nodded lightly. “Don’t worry.”

Yu She was very clear on what Zhong Wan feared the most: to squander all their hard work while trying to reverse Prince Ning’s case.?So he tried to set Zhong Wan’s mind at ease, saying, “I’ve already planned where Xuan Rui will be taken. First, we’ll put him under house arrest at a place with good weather. Then, after three years, when everything is settled, I will send him to Qian An. If he’s content with his lot, I’ll appoint him Prince Ning An of the Third Rank. Qian An would still be his, but..”

Curious, Zhong Wan asked, “But what?”

Impatient, Yu She said, “But he’s not allowed to come to the capital and see you.”

Laughter spilled from Zhong Wan’s lips. He nodded. “I promise you not to see him again.”

They reached the side courtyard of Prince Yu’s estate. Morning already. Zhong Wan disembarked from the carriage and looked at the sun that just started to rise, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

They finally returned home.

The two had rushed about for a whole day and night. Now that they were back, they separated to take a bath and changed clothes. Indeed, today’s court would be extremely chaotic. Zhong Wan did not want those imperial clans members and high-ranking officials, who were unable to make any sense of what’s happening, to scold Yu She. After he had washed up and changed clothes, he summoned Steward Feng. Zhong Wan told him to tell the palace that Yu She had taken care of Emperor Chongan for a whole day and night without break. Not only that, Yu She was very brokenhearted and worried about Emperor Chongan so kept throwing up blood. He fell sick very quickly, and now, he couldn’t get out of bed.

Steward Feng rushed to agree. Before Steward Feng could enter the palace and spread this piece of news, the palace servants delivering the imperial edict had already arrived.

All of a sudden, the stroke-stricken Emperor Chongan finally summoned the court ministers atop his dragon bed during such a hopeless situation. Using his non-agile tongue and inflexible left hand, he explained to them that he would appoint his bastard son the position of crown prince.

Because his stroke had come so abruptly, Emperor Chongan could no longer bring Yu She to?offer sacrifices?to the gods, telling them Yu She would be the next emperor. Everything became more simple. There were now three handwritten copies of the same imperial edict by Emperor Chongan. One hid under his pillow. One was with Princess Royal Anguo. And one was under the watchful eyes of the five cabinet members.

After suddenly receiving the imperial edict, Zhong Wan asked Yu She, “What did the imperial edict say?”

Yu She shook his head. “The emperor didn’t let me see it. Princess Royal promised me that it did not mention you at all.”

After some thought, Zhong Wan said, “The emperor actually doesn’t trust Princess Royal. He’s afraid that Princess would turn around and help Prince Yu, and as such, he left behind three handwritten copies of the same imperial edict. In this way, if Princess Royal destroys her copy, there would still be the other two, and it’s impossible for them to be tampered with.”

Yu She carelessly put aside the imperial edict. “He also doesn’t trust me, so he wouldn’t give me a copy. Let them fight as they please.. Let’s eat and then sleep.”

The two were exhausted to the extreme. After eating some rice congee carelessly, they lay down in bed. Without speaking too much, they fell asleep.

When Zhong Wan woke up, it was already nighttime.

Yu She was still asleep. Without a sound, Zhong Wan climbed down the bed and left the bedroom. He asked the family soldier keeping guard outside something. The family soldier shook his head and said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, Young Master. Everything is normal and there is nothing urgent. The spies sent a few letters. Does Young Master want to see them?”

Zhong Wan nodded. Received them and read them one after the other. Indeed, there was nothing urgent.

Or perhaps he should say there was nothing urgent to do with him and Yu She.

At last, a wave of relief washed over Zhong Wan. He burned those letters and returned to the bedroom.

At the start, he wanted to continue sleeping, but under the hazy candlelight, he noticed that Yu She’s expression seemed strange.

Yu She, who was lying in bed, furrowed his brows tightly. His expression wasn’t very good. It seemed he was having a nightmare.

Yu She had not slept well for a long time. Zhong Wan didn’t know whether it was better to wake him up or let him continue sleeping. After hesitating for a while, he softly said, “Ziyou, Ziyou..”

Yu She remained asleep.

Zhong Wan frowned. All of a sudden, he had a thought: Yu She’s craziness had probably flared up when he was questioning Princess Royal Anguo at the palace gates.

Currently, Yu She’s craziness improved. When he truly went crazy, it wasn’t as bad as it had been in the past. He could control himself now, and could even remember what happened during his bouts of insanity. However, as long as he did go crazy, he for certain wouldn’t be able to sleep well that night. It went without saying that he would toss and turn in bed. But it was even difficult to wake him up. And if one actually did manage to wake him up, Yu She wouldn’t be able to tell if he were still dreaming or not, his expression poor to the point of frightening.

Like right now.

Zhong Wan didn’t dare to shove Yu She awake like he had done so in the past. Like coaxing a young child, he lightly patted his chest.

As he did so, he noticed something. He opened up Yu She’s top. And took out a paper bag hidden in a breast pocket.

He shook it. The tea leaves inside rustled.

Never had Zhong Wan expected Yu She to be hiding this.

Zhong Wan had personally selected each tea leaf in this bag. He was the most clear on how many tea leaves had been inside. Zhong Wan weighed the bag in his hand for a moment. Guessed that Yu She had only eaten one leaf during that night he had gone mad.

Yu She couldn’t bear to eat any more.

Zhong Wan gripped the tiny bag of tea leaves. Sighed. It truly was incomprehensible. He must have accumulated a lot of good deeds in his previous life.

Luckily, the person he adored also liked him so much.

Still gripping the bag, he wondered whether he should take some tea leaves out and feed them to Yu She.

But he and Yu She were different. He didn’t have any hope that these tea leaves could cure Yu She’s illness. In fact, he thought the imperial physician’s heart-nourishing soup had a better effect.

Of course, that slow-acting soup wasn’t that effective either.

Yu She’s complexion grew worse and worse. Zhong Wan’s pupils trembled. For some reason, he raised his hand and dropped the curtain.

A short while later, past layer after layer of curtains came some ambiguous sounds from the bedroom.

In such a way, Yu She fell from a nightmare to a charming and gentle dreamland.

In ten minutes, Yu She roused. Again, his dreamland merged with reality. After feeling what Zhong Wan did, Yu She really went crazy.

Unable to endure it any longer, Yu She dragged the person under the covers up. In a loud and rude voice, he said, “You’re still awake in the middle of the night.. What are you doing?”

Yu She’s handsome looks seemed to have been carved by a knife, skin moist with sweat. In his eyes were a sense of bearing patiently and desire. Under his stare, Zhong Wan’s ears reddened.

Yu She’s eyes were clear. He did not seem crazy at all.

To be questioned by Yu She like this again, Zhong Wan had his confidence suddenly plummet.

Could it be that he had never gone crazy in the first place? And Zhong Wan had just thought too much? Had Yu She only been having a normal nightmare? Then..

Then didn’t I really stay up until the middle of the night, taking advantage of the fact he was asleep to give him a bl*wjob?

Although Zhong Wan was a shameless person, at this moment he still felt like ending himself.

Yu She frowned a hint. “I’m asking you why you didn’t sleep. Why did you suddenly..”

Incomparably embarrassed, Zhong Wan said, “N-nothing. Enough. Go back to bed.”

Yu She was speechless.

Go back to bed?

Zhong Wan had truly angered Yu She to the point where wasn’t angry anymore. He sucked in a deep breath. And he did an action he normally wouldn’t do.

Yu She vulgarly bumped his lower body against Zhong Wan. Faintly said, “This kind of bed?”

Zhong Wan really wanted to hide himself in a hole.

Yu She cocked a brow. “Just what’s wrong?”

Zhong Wan could only say the truth. “I thought you were going crazy again and wanted.. wanted to wake you up..”

Yu She fell silent for a moment. Then he said, “With this method?”

Zhong Wan was in despair. He said in a muffled voice, “Yeah.”

There were complicated emotions in Yu She’s heart. He drew Zhong Wan into an embrace and kissed him deeply. “I’m not ill. Don’t worry.”

“Then..” Zhong Wan hesitated before saying, “Should I continue to help you?”

Yu Sh shook his head and kissed Zhong Wan on the lips again. “Don’t move. I want to kiss you..”

Zhong Wan let Yu She kiss him all over until he was soft and pliant. He quietly said, “Then.. I’ll use my hands?”

But Yu She did not let him move his hands at will, restraining both of Zhong Wan’s wrists against the pillow with a hand.

A good while later, Zhong Wan said in a quiet voice, “There’s still another way. Do you want it?”

Yu She paused.

Their gazes met. And Zhong Wan’s face grew completely red.

With much difficulty, Zhong Wan said, “Ziyou, I kind of want to do it.”

Yu She glanced at him profoundly. “Your body really is okay?”

Zhong Wan softly said, “Yeah.. You can do whatever you like.”

Once more, Yu She kissed Zhong Wan. Murmured, “You’re the one who said it.”

Before dawn arrived, Steward Feng quietly opened the bedroom door. Head lowered, he carried a basin of hot water inside. When the people on the bed heard his footsteps, they became quiet in a flash. A while later, the sound of ugly snoring.

Steward Feng left the room.

At the first glimmer of light, Steward Feng entered the room carrying clean clothes. The bed shook. Within many layers of bed curtains, Zhong Wan said in a hoarse voice, “Don’t. People will come soon..”

But the other person on the bed seemed to not have heard him, forcing Zhong Wan to say a few words in a sobbing tone that Steward Feng dared not listen to. Steward Feng rushed to put down the clothes and retreated.

Once the sky was bright, Yu She let down the bead curtains in the bedroom. Bare-chested, he draped an outer robe over his shoulders, pushed open the door, and instructed the servants to prepare the morning meal.