When Cui Hao heard him say that Wei Chi and a group of palace servants had been sent to Huaicheng, he had a vague premonition. His eyes were fixed on Guo Sheng almost without blinking. When he saw Guo Sheng glance at him subconsciously when he said this, he knew that Guo Sheng must know about what happened back then. His heart skipped a beat and his face darkened.
He has always been a gentle person. Even when he was angry with Guo Sheng before, he was only a little stern and never showed such an expression.
Guo Sheng usually treated him like a brother, and outsiders might even think that Cui Hao was inferior to him, just someone who served him with pen and ink, but that was not the case.
If Cui Hao really got angry and his face darkened, Guo Sheng would often shrink back and not dare to say a complete sentence, just like now.
Wei Hong noticed the awkwardness between the two and looked puzzled.
"What's wrong?"
Guo Sheng quickly shook his head: "No...it's nothing."
He dared not say it, for Ziqian would probably hold a grudge against him for life! He would beat him every time he saw him.
Although Ziqian looks refined, he is skilled in both literature and martial arts. If it really came down to a fight, he might not be able to win...
"It's nothing more than... the filthy things the late emperor and the deposed emperor did."
Guo Sheng cautiously changed the subject amidst Cui Hao's dark, sullen face.
He picked out a few important things to tell Wei Hong. After he finished speaking, Wei Hong's face turned ashen, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
Guo Sheng looked at him and then at Cui Hao, feeling as if a dark cloud was hanging over his head, ready to strike him into a lump of charcoal at any moment.
The atmosphere here was too oppressive, so he quickly made an excuse to leave, afraid that Cui Hao would follow him and ask him what he knew. He turned around and ran away as fast as he could.
...
The group remained where they were resting. Wei Hong stood by the river for a long time, took a deep breath, and walked toward the carriage that Yao Yuzhi was riding in.
He wanted to tell Yao Yuzhi everything he had just learned, to tell her how blind he had been to fall for someone who had murdered his own son, and how he had almost married his own daughter to him.
But when he got closer and saw Yao Youqing standing beside him holding a child, with a happy smile on her face, he suddenly couldn't say anything.
If Yao Yuzhi finds out, Yao Youqing will inevitably find out too, and finding out will inevitably make him sad and upset, which is something he doesn't want to see.
Wei Hong paused, stood there for a moment in a daze, then turned and left.
Yao Youqing had two older brothers. Her second brother died of illness, while her eldest brother drowned in an accident.
Wei Hong had known about these things for a long time, and even once thought that perhaps it was Yao Yuzhi's stubbornness and rigidity that caused her to suffer retribution for losing her sons one after another.
But it was only just now that he learned from Guo Sheng that Yao Youqing's second brother had indeed died of illness, but his eldest brother's death was not an accident.
Back then, Wei Chi studied under Yao Yuzhi and accidentally met Yao Youqing once. From that moment on, he harbored wicked thoughts.
He wanted to get close to Yao Youqing in order to please her, and also to please Yao Yuzhi.
At that time, Wei Chi had not yet been made crown prince. If he could gain Yao Yuzhi's favor and have her praise him in front of the late emperor, it would be very beneficial for him.
So he deliberately had people bully Yao Youqing, and then stood up to protect her when she was being bullied.
Yao Yuzhi had offended many people in the court because of her personality. As his daughter, Yao Youqing was indeed often ostracized and bullied, so he did not suspect anything and was very grateful.
Everything was going smoothly, and Wei Chi was feeling smug. However, he was accidentally spotted by Yao Youqing's older brother, Yao Nan, when he went to meet with his accomplices in private.
When Yao Nan saw him acting suspiciously, she felt something was wrong. She secretly followed him, leaving the servants behind. She saw the people he was meeting, overheard their plot, and saw through his scheme.
Yao Nan was furious, but she knew she couldn't expose them on the spot, so she wanted to sneak back.
But when he left, he was seen by Wei Chi's servants, and so he was never able to leave again...
Wei Chi personally pushed him into the pool and watched him drown. He then found others to testify on his behalf, pretending that he had never stayed there.
Yao Nan's death was ultimately ruled an accident, and no one found anything amiss. Even now, Yao Yuzhi and Yao Youqing still don't know the truth.
While Wei Hong telling Yao Yuzhi about this might anger him, it also meant that Yao Youqing would suffer the same sadness and grief.
Wei Hong didn't care about Yao Yuzhi, but he didn't want to see Yao Youqing sad and in tears.
...
A cold winter wind blew by, and a withered leaf fell on his head. Wei Hong seemed oblivious, leaning motionless against the tree trunk, gazing absently at the distant mountains and forests.
Guo Sheng had just told him more than just this one thing; there were others, such as Ji Yunshu's death and Ji Yunwan's current whereabouts, which he knew all about.
His mind was in a mess, so he found a quiet place to sort out the past events one by one, but then he heard footsteps behind him.
He thought someone was looking for him and was about to go out when the footsteps stopped not far behind him, followed by Cui Hao's low, husky voice: "Besides what you just told the prince, what else do you know?"
Guo Sheng originally wanted to pretend that he knew nothing, but he couldn't help but glance at Wei Hong when he was talking to him, and was noticed. He was extremely annoyed.
"I...I've said everything I know, that's all, really!"
He said in a muffled voice.
Cui Hao was silent for a moment, then nodded and asked him, "Was anyone else present when you interrogated that eunuch?"
"No, no," Guo Sheng hurriedly said, "Don't worry, I was just afraid of uncovering something that wouldn't be easily known, so I did it myself, and there was no one else around! You and Cheng Lan..."
He realized he had said the wrong thing, his tongue tied in knots, and he swallowed back the words that were about to come out, but it was too late.
Cui Hao stared straight at him, his lips slightly pursed, and the coldness in his eyes gave Guo Sheng goosebumps.
He felt incredibly wronged, thinking to himself that he had only been interrogating a random prisoner and never expected to uncover something like this. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "I will absolutely not tell anyone about your affair with Princess Chenglan! Not even the Prince!"
Wei Hong: "..."
He slowly peeked out from behind the tree: "Are you talking about me?"
Chapter 135 Scandal
Guo Sheng had never been cowardly when leading his troops into battle, but this time he was so frightened that his knees buckled and he almost knelt down.
"Your Highness, what are you doing here?"
Wei Hong smiled slightly: "I've always been here."
Guo Sheng wanted to cry but had no tears. He looked at him and then at Cui Hao.
"I...I really didn't know Your Highness was here! You chose this place!"
Cui Hao's face flushed red, veins bulging on his forehead, filled with shame and indignation.
He remembered that the last time he had this feeling was seven or eight years ago when he woke up in Qingshuiyuan and found Princess Chenglan lying next to him.
At that time, he was panicked, disappointed, and resentful. He was so confused that he didn't even know how he got back to the prince's side.
This moment is very similar to that time; his mind feels like it's been filled with scalding magma, churning and surging on the verge of erupting, burning so much that he doesn't even know what he's thinking anymore.
Seeing his unusually pale face, Wei Hong coughed lightly and said, "It doesn't matter who you've slept with, as long as it was consensual and there was no coercion. I don't mind."
Logically speaking, it's none of his business which woman his subordinates are close to, so he doesn't need to say such things.
However, Princess Chenglan's identity is quite special. She is not only his niece, but also someone who supported the deposed Emperor Wei Chi. Even though he helped him when he rescued Yao Yuzhi and Yao Youqing, it cannot be denied that he once stood on Wei Chi's side.
Wei Hong thought that Cui Hao's expression was so unpleasant because he was worried that Cui Hao would mind this matter, so he emphasized that he didn't care.
But Cui Hao seemed not to hear him, keeping his head down and remaining silent, his shoulders seemingly trembling slightly.
Guo Sheng, fearing that Wei Hong might misunderstand, quickly spoke up to explain, "Your Highness, please don't wrong Ziqian. He didn't do it willingly. He was drugged and slept with!"
"Shut up!"
Cui Hao was finally brought back to reality by those words, and roared so loudly that Guo Sheng's neck seemed to shrink.
Wei Hong was also startled, not by Cui Hao's roar, but by Guo Sheng's words.
"quilt……"
He slept with you? He slept with Cheng Lan?
He instinctively wanted to ask to confirm, but thankfully he reacted in time and swallowed the rest of his words.
"When...when did this happen? How come I didn't know about it?"
He then asked a question.
Cui Hao had been by his side for a long time. Over the years, he had only returned to the capital a handful of times, and each time he did, he was with him. He was practically inseparable from him for every single hour of the day. He really couldn't have imagined that something like this would happen.
But upon closer reflection, if Cui Hao really was... the one who was slept with, then he certainly wouldn't want anyone to know.
Even if Cheng Lan acted promiscuously, she didn't go so far as to announce to the whole street that she had slept with which man, so it seems normal that this matter didn't go unnoticed...
Guo Sheng was too frightened to speak, and Cui Hao ignored Wei Hong's question.
The atmosphere was rather awkward, so Wei Hong could only try to make conversation by saying, "You... don't worry, once we get to Cangcheng, I'll strip Cheng Lan of her title and punish her properly, teach her a lesson!"
Guo Sheng, who had just pursed his lips into a thin line and made up his mind not to speak again, frowned: "Isn't this inappropriate, Your Highness? Although Princess Chenglan did... although she did sleep with Hmm, she didn't administer the drug. In fact, she did save Ziqian's life."
Guo Sheng was afraid that Cui Hao would be angry, so he spoke very softly when he said that he had taken a nap, and even omitted his name, just humming in response.
As he spoke, he glanced at Cui Hao's expression. Seeing that Cui Hao was indeed looking at him, he shrank back and hid further. But Cui Hao looked at him with disbelief and asked, "What did you say?"
Guo Sheng looked completely bewildered: "What? What?"
"You're saying...it wasn't her who drugged me?"
“No,” Guo Sheng said, “it was ordered by the late emperor.”
Seeing Cui Hao's still incredulous expression, she suddenly realized what she meant and said, "You didn't know?"
Cui Hao stood frozen in place, motionless. His blood, which had been boiling like magma, felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, and the chill seeped into his skin bit by bit.
"You didn't always think that Princess Chenglan drugged you, did you?"
This time, it was Guo Sheng's turn to be incredulous.
But Cui Hao's reaction told him that he really thought so!
Guo Sheng finally found an opportunity to turn the tables, looking at him with disdain.
"Oh my god, Cui Ziqian, do you really think you're some kind of peerless beauty, worthy of Princess Chenglan sleeping with you in this way?"
"There are so many good-looking men on the street, with her status, what kind of man couldn't she have?"
"Even if she really takes a liking to you, it's just like when the prince took that concubine. Why not just find someone who looks similar to you and make do? Why bother..."
Before he could finish speaking, he felt two gazes piercing his face like ice picks, and he quickly shut his mouth again.
They were too pleased with themselves and forgot that the prince now hates it when people bring up this past event.
He scratched his head sheepishly, skipping over what he had just said, and cautiously said, "Anyway...anyway, Princess Chenglan didn't give you the medicine."