Eternal Night - Chapter 27
"I don't like him, I like Brother Yongye! I want to sit here!" Rose beckoned to a eunuch and ordered, "Move my seat over here!"
The eunuch froze.
Yongye immediately felt a headache coming on. He glanced over and saw that the Second Prince's eyes seemed to be spitting fire, and his handsome face was as black as the night outside.
What should he do? Yongye sighed, stood up, picked up Qiangwei and made her sit in his chair, then walked gracefully to the Second Prince and bowed: "Yongye has overstepped his bounds."
No one expected Yongye to do this. Rose bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes, feeling wronged. She had been pampered since childhood, and even the Empress's second son, the Second Prince, treated her with great respect. Yongye actually showed her no respect.
Looking at Yongye's face and then at Qiangwei's expression, Li Tianrui felt a surge of jealousy and sneered, "You don't deserve it!"
Yongye was stunned. He was wondering whether he should pack up and leave, since he couldn't afford to embarrass the Duanwang Mansion.
Hearing this, Li Tianyou laughed and said, "Third brother, go sit next to second brother. Yongye, sit over here with me."
The third prince obediently got up and walked to the second prince, who had a stern face, and said with a grin, "Second brother, I'll sit next to you!"
It seemed this third prince, though straightforward, was also astute enough to understand the situation. Being the same age as himself, he was not to be underestimated. Yongye then smiled at the third prince again; having already inexplicably incurred the wrath of the second prince, he didn't want to create another enemy. Analyzing the three princes, Yongye walked over and sat down next to the eldest prince.
Li Tianrui sneered and added, "Pretty boy!"
Yongye touched her face and said with a smile, "Does 'pretty boy' mean having a very fair face? Today, all the ladies' faces are very fair!" As she spoke, she pointed to the eldest prince, "His Highness is also very fair!"
Li Tianyou had delicate features; children raised in the palace rarely saw the sun, so his skin was indeed fair. Not only was his skin fair, but the Second Prince, the Third Prince, and all the princesses and princes present also had flawless skin. Hearing Yongye's innocent words unintentionally distort the Second Prince's meaning, they all laughed.
The eldest prince touched his face and couldn't help but glance at Yongye. His eyes held a hint of a smile, yet also seemed to show great interest in him.
The Crown Prince's handsome face was surprisingly framed by such deep, expressive eyes, which surprised Yongye. It seemed somewhat out of place with the Crown Prince's scholarly image.
The table was full of children, whose minds were simple and carefree. They laughed freely, not caring that they were making fun of the Second Prince.
Rose and the princesses' silvery voices cut Li Tianrui like knives. He slammed his fist on the table in anger, and somehow, a plate of mixed stir-fried dishes in front of him jumped up and splashed soup all over him.
The third prince, standing to the side, burst out laughing, his laughter even louder than before, causing the eunuch to lower his head and suppress his laughter as well.
Yongye watched this scene in astonishment, feeling extremely smug. Could these little brats possibly have figured out his skill?
Li Tianyou glanced at him, frowned, and ordered the eunuch, "Why aren't you helping the Second Prince to change his clothes? The Empress Dowager and the Emperor will be here soon."
Their room was in a corner of the hall, so they didn't attract much attention. After hearing what the eldest prince said, Li Tianrui remembered that he couldn't be disrespectful to the emperor and empress dowager today. Taking advantage of the fact that no one else in the hall was watching, he suppressed his hatred, glared fiercely at Yongye, and quickly chose to change his robes first.
Yongye recalled Li Yannian's words about the Second Prince: a fourteen-year-old boy, yet he could swallow this insult—his cunning was truly remarkable. Seeing the Second Prince's venomous gaze as he left, Yongye had only one thought: strike first, and kill him if the opportunity arose.
When Li Tianrui returned to his seat, the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress arrived.
Everyone rose from their seats, knelt in welcome, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times.
Yongye quietly raised his head and used his amazing eyesight, honed in the darkness, to observe the emperor, empress, and empress dowager twenty feet away.
The emperor wore a crown with tassels hanging from it, and a robe with five-clawed dragon motifs on the knees. He was in his prime, his brows furrowed with composure and magnanimity. A gentle smile played on his lips. This smile was entirely different from that of Prince Duan. It lacked the sharp, veiled edge of Prince Duan's smile, instead giving off a warm and welcoming feeling.
The Empress was an extremely beautiful woman. For some reason, the dragon and phoenix pearl crown on her head always gave people the feeling that in addition to her high and mighty demeanor, she also had a kind of sharpness. Yongye finally understood that the Second Prince's well-defined features would be considered handsome on a man's face, but not gentle enough on the Empress's face.
In contrast, the Li family he had met earlier, the mother of the eldest prince, possessed the delicate features of a woman from Jiangnan. Yongye sighed softly, thinking that any man would surely favor the Li family. Strong women don't evoke a man's protective instincts. No wonder Li Yannian spoke of the Li family's favor.
Zhang's forthrightness was something men found very appealing; she could speak without being overly cautious. Emperors often had their share of anxieties, and they were afraid of frightening the gentle Li, but they couldn't bring themselves to speak to the strong-willed Empress. Therefore, Zhang was quite favored by the Emperor.
Yongye noticed the Empress looking this way, staring at Li Tianrui's robe as if surprised that he had changed his clothes, so he quickly lowered his head.
Li Tianrui remained silent, his face grim. He knew his own palm strike couldn't possibly have possessed such power. His gaze swept over Li Tianyou's handsome face, and hatred surged within him. He was certain Li Tianyou had secretly tampered with the attack. Only Li Tianyou among those present possessed such skill.
After everyone was seated, the Emperor asked, "Has Yongye arrived?"
Prince Duan looked over, and Yongye quickly stepped forward to pay his respects. "Greetings, Your Majesty! Greetings, Imperial Uncle! Greetings, Imperial Grandmother! Greetings, Empress Dowager! Greetings, Empress! Greetings, all the ladies!" He rattled off a long list, thinking that he hadn't missed anything.
Emperor Yujia smiled with satisfaction: "What a good child, get up." He did not blame Yongye for his rudeness, but instead liked his sincerity.
"Yongye can really talk now. Come here and let your grandmother take a look." The Empress Dowager's face lit up with surprise and she beckoned to Yongye.
The Empress Dowager was only in her fifties, adorned with jewels, dignified in demeanor, and smiling kindly.
Yongye was very fond of this kind of elegant woman. He stepped forward and bowed again, and the Empress Dowager pulled him up and embraced him. Holding Yongye's face, she praised him and said to Prince Duan with a smile, "This is the most gratifying thing this year. You only have one son, and now that he's doing so well, I can finally rest easy."
"Thanks to the Empress Dowager's great blessings." Prince Duan raised his cup in a toast, and when his eyes met Yongye's, he gave her an encouraging smile.
Yongye knew that his words and actions tonight had pleased Prince Duan, and he was very happy. He quickly looked at Princess Duan. Seeing the half-smile on her face and the sorrow in her eyes, his heart ached, and he lowered his head.
Inside the hall, wine cups clinked and toasts were exchanged, and the reunion dinner was enjoyed happily.
Yongye was constantly being held by the Empress Dowager, who touched and pinched her like a precious darling.
The Empress saw this and felt a little jealous. Her own son had never been so favored by the Empress Dowager. She smiled and said to Emperor Yujia, "Your Majesty, I think the Crown Prince and Princess Duan are like two peas in a pod. They are so clever. It is really unbelievable that they couldn't speak before."
"Yes, Yongye, why won't you speak?" the Empress Dowager asked curiously.
Trying to frame me? Yongye blinked and said, "I heard it's a sore in my throat that hurts when I talk, and the only way to get rid of it is with medicine. I drank bitter medicine for half a year."
"My poor Eternal Night! Do I still need to take the medicine?"
Yongye shook his head vigorously: "Yongye will never drink medicine again."
"Is everything much better now?"
"It's just... I'm not feeling well, and I'm always sleepy during the day. They say it needs to be gradually adjusted." Yongye carefully answered, foreshadowing his future drowsiness when he entered the palace to study.
Prince Duan, sitting below, overheard the entire conversation. Not only was Yongye better and more talkative, but he could also lie. He couldn't help but chuckle, raising his cup to toast his uncle, Prince Duan, who was sitting at the same table. They drank the wine in one gulp, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
At this moment, Li Tianrui suddenly stood up and said, "Father, Grandmother, this is Yongye's first time entering the palace. Tianrui would like to give Yongye a gift and take him sightseeing in the palace, would that be alright?"