Midnight. Yu She sat, hair undone, on the couch. On the ground beside him, a man knelt, incessantly trembling.

Yu She didn’t ask questions, didn’t interrogate him. He zoned out by himself.

Steward Feng walked in with some medicinal cream. He looked over and felt that this person appeared a bit familiar. He vaguely recalled seeing him at Princess Royal Anguo’s estate before.

Steward Feng put the cream on a small table. He didn’t really dare to speak.

The number of people in this world who were brave enough to hit Yu She could be counted on one hand. Yu She had returned from the Princess’ estate. Who had caused the wound on his face.. was obvious.

There was still blood trickling from the corner of Yu She’s mouth. Steward Feng couldn’t take it anymore. He softly asked, “Heir, does it hurt? You’re still bleeding. I’ll help you apply some medicine?”

Yu She didn’t speak.

Upon seeing that he hadn’t disagreed, Steward Feng grabbed the cream and attempted to apply it on him. Yu She turned his face away to avoid the other. He finally spoke, “You may leave. I have questions to ask.”

Steward Feng looked down at the person kneeling on the ground and left with a sigh.

Thus, Yu She continued daydreaming.

After an unknown amount of time, when the person kneeling on the ground almost passed out from fear, Yu She finally remembered him.

Yu She suddenly asked, “How is the Emperor’s health?”

This person was Princess Royal Anguo’s trusted subordinate. Normally, he kept himself well-hidden. He hadn’t expected for Yu She to somehow notice him. He had a clear understanding of Princess Royal Anguo’s stance, so gathered his wits and spoke in a quivering voice, “Honestly not too great.. Only, nobody dares to ask.”

Investigating into the emperor’s health counted as treason. Everyone knew to avoid implication.

Yu She narrowed his eyes. “So how does the princess know?”

“Princess Royal often visits the emperor to pay her respects. Perhaps she noticed something herself? Additionally..” The trusted subordinate lowered his voice, saying, “Princess Royal has her own people in the imperial academy of medicine. Princess Royal does everything for Heir. Even though she’s toeing the line for breaking taboo, she’s still determined to..”

Yu She calmly stated, “With each useless sentence you speak, I’ll cut off one of your fingers.”

The trusted subordinate was speechless. He switched the topic and said, “Princess Royal doesn’t mean anything else by looking into this situation. She’s only worried that the emperor will be like the previous emperor. T-too.. too unwilling to consider the fact that nothing is permanent.”

The trusted subordinate didn’t dare to say too much about Emperor Chongan. He could only use the previous emperor as an example. “Back then, didn’t the previous emperor firmly believe that he would live for a long time, so didn’t designate a crown prince early on? That’s why there were so many issues. Princess Royal doesn’t want another time of chaos such as that one, so wants us to resolve what needs to be resolved while our emperor is still alert and well.”

Yu She lost his patience. “She’s suddenly become so anxious only because the emperor is unwell?”

“And! And..” The trusted subordinate’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He hurriedly added, “The truth is, Princess Royal originally didn’t want to get involved. However, Imperial Consort Yu has become increasingly more aggressive. Heir knows that Princess Royal and Imperial Consort Yu haven’t gotten along for a long time. In the future, if Fifth Prince ascends the throne, it would still sound good because Fifth Prince is related to Princess in two ways. However, who can’t clearly tell how things are in private? Imperial Consort Yu is petty. If she became the empress dowager, how generous would she be to Princess Royal?”

“These days, our?Prince?has been in contact with Fifth Prince a bit too much. Princess Royal is anxious. Though Prince and Princess have been in love for several decades, between couples, it’s?either the east wind that prevails over the west wind or the west wind that prevails over the east wind. Besides, there are still two illegitimate sons stuck between them.. Currently, that doesn’t matter, but what about later on? Later on, if our Prince becomes the powerful?Royal Uncle, Princess Royal will fall out of favor. Would Prince Yu still.. treat Princess so respectfully?”

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The trusted subordinate was soaked in cold sweat.?Who said they weren’t worried?!

For many years, Yu She would occasionally attempt suicide. Princess Royal Anguo had originally already given up on this plan, not daring to rest too much hope on him. She had planned to leave things to fate. Either way, no matter who ascended the throne, she would still be the new emperor’s blood-related aunt. However, as chance would have it, Yu She had suddenly started seeming more alive recently! The position of empress dowager was right at her fingertips. How could Princess Royal Anguo not be tempted?

The trusted subordinate lowly said, “Princess thinks.. Heir has probably gained the intention to fight for the throne. If Heir intends to, Princess will naturally do her best to help.”

Yu She calmly asked, “How does she want to help?”

But the trusted subordinate became timid. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Princess w-w-wants..”

The trusted subordinate “wants”-ed for a long time, yet ultimately didn’t dare to say anything. Yu She spoke for him, “Wants the emperor to admit me as his son while he’s still in good health.”

The trusted subordinate instantly said, “That would be best!”

Yu She leaned forward slightly. He stared straight into the trusted subordinate’s eyes and softly said, “So has Princess thought about how disgusted I would be.. calling him Father?”

The trusted subordinate froze. He looked up and was met with Yu She’s dark eyes. In fear, he kowtowed incessantly.

Yu She’s heart had long since frozen over completely. All that had happened today was that it had been stabbed two more times. Yu She didn’t feel anything. He numbly said, “You may leave.”

The trusted subordinate fell into a daze. He had thought that even if he didn’t end up dead, he would at least have to lose a layer of skin. Yu She was.. was letting him go so easily?

“Tell the princess.” Yu She stood up. “Don’t try to prove how clever you are, don’t do things of your own accord.”

The trusted subordinate paused. Did this mean that Yu She had agreed or not?

The trusted subordinate probed, “Then about your marriage..”

Yu She lowered his gaze and said, “Each time you bring it up, I’ll go ask the emperor to marry Fourth Princess.”

The trusted subordinate immediately said, “I daren’t! Just now, it was I who overstepped my bounds!”

Yu She closed his eyes and did his best to seal away all the fond memories he had from childhood regarding Princess Royal Anguo’s accompaniment. This way, he wouldn’t go crazy again.

“I know exactly.. what your intentions are. Do you only want me to get married? Do you only want me to have offspring?” Yu She turned around to look at the trusted subordinate. He smiled. “Princess wants to find someone who can officially, constantly, watch over me. She wants to keep an eye on me and turn me into a puppet, right?”

The trusted subordinate was shocked. He hadn’t expected that Yu She would have already guessed so far ahead. But still, he lowered his head and refused to admit anything. “Princess only wants to find a partner for Heir! Heir isn’t young anymore. Normally, your estate is completely empty. Wouldn’t that make Heir’s mood even more agitated? If there was someone to accompany and understand you, that would be for the best. Even if they couldn’t become Heir’s confidant, there..”

“There still might be the possibility of a child. As such, Princess would rest at ease,” Yu She said to himself. “If I liked her, that would be even more exciting. Princess would be able to control me much more easily..”

Yu She looked down at the trusted subordinate. He softly muttered, “Better give up on this early on. We will first disregard whether or not I would ever marry a bride or take a concubine. Even if I did..”

Yu She used the tip of his boot to gently tap the trusted subordinate’s head. “Even if I did, even if I truly liked them, I wouldn’t allow them to lead me around by the nose. For me, there isn’t anyone I’m reluctant to part with or separate from, understand?”

The trusted subordinate trembled uncontrollably, then nodded.

An unknown thought struck Yu She’s mind. He lowly murmured, “No matter how much I liked them.. I wouldn’t mind these things. I’ll hit them if I want. If I’m unhappy, I would even wake them up in the middle of the night and tell someone to beat them to death. If they really died.. I wouldn’t care either.”

The trusted subordinate was shocked. He barely managed to agree.

Yu She regained his wits. He seemed to have just realized that there was still someone under his feet. He angrily said, “If you understand, then leave!”

The trusted subordinate felt that Yu She was already mostly convinced and that he would be able to report back to the princess royal. He hurriedly left.

Yu She was incredibly tired. At first, he planned to sleep, but ultimately couldn’t relax. A long time later, he summoned the family soldier waiting outside the warmroom.

The family soldier knelt and gave a detailed account of what had happened in Prince Qian An’s estate.

Yu She listened quietly, then nodded. “You’ve completed your assignment well. I have one more task for you to do.”

The family soldier didn’t actually want to, but only dared to be secretly angry. He didn’t dare to tell Yu She this. He lowered his head and said, “At Heir’s command.”

“Exaggerate.. what happened today. Then, let the information out.” Yu She testily said, “So I will finally be able to get some peace and quiet.”

The family soldier awkwardly stated, “Heir.. I am incapable. I don’t know how to do that.”

“If you don’t know, go ask someone else! There are so many people on this estate. Doesn’t a single one of them know how to make up rumors?” Yu She rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. “My heart hurts.. don’t annoy me.”

The family soldier reluctantly nodded. “Okay.”

The family soldier watched Yu She walk into his bedroom. He clenched his fist, ground his teeth, and left.

Two days later, Prince Qian An’s estate. Xuan Congxin chatted with Zhong Wan while reading a book.

“Young Prince Yu’s engagement has fallen through.” Xuan Congxin flipped a page of her book and lamented, “The people in the capital are truly..”

Zhong Wan did his best to appear unbothered. “How did it.. fall through?”

Xuan Congxin glanced at Xuan Yu who was practicing calligraphy close by. She set down the book in her hand and quietly said, “Follow me.”

Zhong Wan’s expression was serious. He inhaled deeply, then got up and put on his fox fur cloak. He walked out of the study with Xuan Congxin and gently closed the door behind him.

The two of them walked into the courtyard. Xuan Congxin softly said, “I heard at Third Prince’s estate. This story is a bit uncouth. I don’t want Xuan Yu to find out.”

Zhong Wan was speechless. “Uncouth.. how?”

It couldn’t be that something had happened to Yu She?

“Just that the Young Prince Yu,” Xuan Congxin lowered her voice, “Has a wicked fetish!”

Zhong Wan was shocked. “What wicked fetish?!”

Did Yu She have an illness that he had kept from him?

Xuan Congxin hesitated again. She carefully contemplated her word choice before quickly saying, “Young Prince Yu likes to beat his bed partners!”

Zhong Wan was completely stunned. “How.. how come I didn’t know?”

Xuan Congxin looked at Zhong Wan strangely. “Why would you know?”

Zhong Wan had no response.

Xuan Congxin stated, confused, “Why would I make up this kind of stuff? Others said it, I just happened to hear it. One really can’t marry Young Prince Yu. Not only does he have a bad temper, he even hits his bed partners! Not just the capital, even in our Qian An, such a man wouldn’t be able to get a wife. So.. there most likely won’t be anyone who dares to have marriage talks with him now. A fine young woman would be married off, but in a few days, might get beaten to death by him.”

Zhong Wan was speechless. He got out with difficulty, “No wait. Who said all that? How could they make up such rumors?!”

“I don’t recall clearly which madam or lady specifically said each line.” Xuan Congxin diligently tried to remember. “Oh, they said that Young Prince Yu beat his bed partner into a bloody mess after a disagreement. That person didn’t even look like a person anymore.”

Zhong Wan was horrified. “Didn’t even look like a person anymore?!”

“I suspect that someone exaggerated things too, because at first, they also said that Young Prince Yu didn’t like his bed partner, so picked up a dagger and stabbed them.”

Zhong Wan was so shocked that he couldn’t speak.

“Before that, they said Young Prince Yu had a bad temper and didn’t like his bed partner, so made a family soldier on his estate stab his bed partner.”

“And the time before that, they said that Young Prince Yu got angry easily. His bed partner made him angry. Even though it was already the middle of the night, he still felt furious upon thinking of that incident. Unable to bear it anymore, he instantly ordered ten armored family soldiers over to yank that person out of bed and hit their palms!”

Xuan Congxin shivered. She lowly said, “Even the least serious one is terribly frightening! Think about it.. at the slightest disagreement, he sends ten family soldiers over to hit you. Ten sturdily-built men! Wouldn’t your hands be bloody messes by the end of that?”

Zhong Wan lowered his head and looked at his left palm. For a long time, he was silent.