Одинокий город закрыт - Глава 87
"Is Mother from Longyao Kingdom?" I asked somewhat awkwardly, wondering if this question would give me away.
“Mother is, and so are we.” He looked at me, finally transforming back into that warm and loving older brother.
I felt a little more at ease. It seems that Yunfeng, like me, is disgusted by that Xiuruo Kingdom. It would be so much better to be a citizen of Longyao Kingdom, following our dear mother. We would feel a sense of belonging.
"Brother, can you tell me about the poisoning?" This question has been bothering me for a long time, and I think it's very important; it's the key to unlocking the secrets of Old Man Yun's mansion.
"Moon, leave the rest to your brother. Don't think about these things anymore. Moon should live happily and carefree as before. Starting tomorrow, I will attend court."
My jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and it took me a while to find my voice: "But...but..."
So fast? Although it was supposed to be Yunfeng attending court anyway, and now that he's recovered, it's only right. But this seems to be different from what the fox and I expected.
"Don't worry, Yue'er. Since they covered for you before, they're even less likely to pursue it now." He smiled reassuringly at me.
I nodded, then shook my head. Ah, that's not what I'm worried about. After all, Yunfeng is the real prime minister, and starting tomorrow he'll be attending court—that's perfectly legitimate. I wasn't arrested and imprisoned before, so of course I don't need to worry now. You can't just grab Yunfeng and say he's an imposter, can you?
He smiled at me, then got up and went back into the house. He came back immediately with a pen in his hand, sat down next to me, lightly dipped the pen in the cup of tea that Ruochen had drunk from, and began to write on the stone table.
“Brother, you…” I turned to look at Yunfeng in surprise. He was writing the poem “Shuidiao Getou” that I had plagiarized against my conscience, and the strokes were clearly my handwriting.
"Moon can rest assured now!"
The writing dried quickly. He placed the pen on the table, turned his head, and smiled at me. Was Yunfeng's handwriting always like this, or was he deliberately imitating mine? I shouldn't ask that question, 555. When I was looking for his handwriting when he was a fourth-rank proofreader at Chongwen Academy, I found that this brother didn't seem to have left anything behind. That idle job, the writing and tidying up, it seems that he had others do it for him.
"But brother, I... I think I'm going to marry the Emperor." I hesitated for a long time before finally saying it. The situation seems very chaotic. Didn't Fox and Yunfeng meet before? Why do their plans seem to be different? Fox didn't say that Yunfeng would officially replace me tomorrow.
"Moon!" He suddenly lowered his face, truly embodying the serious, rigid, and unsmiling demeanor Erlinzi had described. He gripped my hand tightly, quite sternly, "Have you forgotten what Mother instructed us before she passed away?"
I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine. Yunfeng was the first person I told this good news to, but judging from his expression, it was one thing if he didn't congratulate me, but why did he act as if I had made a huge mistake?
"Brother, I..." What could I say? I don't even know what Yunyue's mother said before she passed away. What else can I do besides pretend to stutter, act pitiful, and feel guilty?
"Yue'er." He seemed a little reluctant, his expression softened, and he reached out to touch my head again, sighing, "The men of the imperial family are not worthy of my Yue'er at all. Before I died, there was only one thing I couldn't let go of, and I kept telling you not to follow in her footsteps. Don't you remember? What kind of life have I lived all these years? Yue'er, have you forgotten?"
Love breeds hate, and love breeds resentment. Did Yunyue's mother fall in love with Old Man Yun, which led to repeated disappointments and unfulfilled hopes, a life of bitter waiting and despair? Is that why she told Yunyue on her deathbed not to follow the path she had walked?
"But Father said last time he wanted to take me back to Xiuruo to sever ties with the imperial family, but it doesn't seem that easy," I mumbled, looking down. Things seem even more complicated than before; I'm so dizzy.
"When did he say that?" Yun Feng's expression, which had just calmed down a bit, became serious again.
"It was when I went home last time." Seeing the expression on Yunfeng's face, I also became a little nervous, as if something was about to happen. "Brother, Father went to great lengths to make you an official and bring you into the palace. Is there something he wants you to do?"
Could it be because of that secret in the palace of the six kingdoms? But isn't Old Man Yun the second son, not the crown prince? According to Xi Lan, Old Man Yun shouldn't know the secret of the palace.
"Yue'er seems to have grown up a lot all of a sudden, and is even smarter than I imagined."
He paused for a moment, and although he didn't admit it, I knew I was right.
"Brother, can you tell me what it is?" I asked Yunfeng with some concern.
He looked at me and smiled reassuringly, "It's just looking for something. Yue'er shouldn't worry about these things. The most important thing now is that Yue'er can't go to Xiuruo Kingdom."
I nodded, looking for something. Could the secret of the Six Kingdoms' palaces be something within them? Oh my god, could it be the *Forty-Two Chapters Sutra*? Ugh! Old Man Yun definitely only told Yun Feng what he was looking for, but he wouldn't tell him its origin or purpose. And Yun Feng didn't seem willing to elaborate either; asking further wouldn't yield any results. Just as he said, the most important thing is getting to the Xiuruo Kingdom. If I really went to Xiuruo Kingdom with Old Man Yun, who knows what kind of miserable fate awaited me!
"Brother, you've met the Emperor before. Does he know about Father's situation?"
This is important. If the fox already knows, I'll immediately tell him that Old Man Yun wants to take me back to Xiuruo Kingdom. If the fox doesn't know, it seems it's hard to say what will happen in a short time.
"He entered the Yun residence at night without saying much, so he must have known about the Yun residence's situation. If he had no suspicions about the Yun residence, why would he have appointed me as prime minister without reason?"
He spoke so casually, as if it were only natural. But I was startled. How could I have been so naive as to think that the Fox appointed Yun Feng as Prime Minister because the Yun family lacked connections and because of Yun Feng's talent? Moreover, the Fox had mentioned the Yun family back in Tianqing; it seemed he had suspected their connection to Wangyue, which was why he agreed to my mission, hoping to use the opportunity to thoroughly investigate the Yun family. He just hadn't revealed what he found out.
"Brother, what do we do now? Is Father in the manor?" For some reason, I suddenly felt a pang of panic. Old Man Yun's promise to take me to see that damned Emperor Grandfather was definitely not a joke. I hope it wasn't now. And although Yun Feng wouldn't say how he was poisoned, I know his poisoning, Yun Yue's drowning, and what Old Man Yun wanted Yun Feng to do are definitely related. Yun Yue's drowning itself was strange. Maybe Yun Feng refused, Old Man Yun used Yun Yue to threaten Yun Feng, then Yun Feng got poisoned, and Old Man Yun turned around and used Yun Feng to threaten Yun Yue. Sigh, anyway, after all this, there's only one conclusion: Old Man Yun is a menace.
"exist."
"Then I'll go to Qianzui Residence now and stay there for the next few days." I immediately stood up, ready to change my clothes and leave. Going to court was a small matter, but going to Xiuruo was a big deal. I didn't want to be dragged to that godforsaken place by Old Man Yun.
"Moon, I'm afraid you can't get out now." He grabbed me and sighed.
"Huh? Why?" I asked warily, a bad feeling creeping over me.
"Since he said he would take you back to Xiuruo, and I will be attending court starting tomorrow, I'm afraid he won't let you run around freely anymore."
I almost fainted. Could it be? Was I going to be locked up? Ignoring Yunfeng, I broke free and ran outside, reaching the entrance of the Yun residence in one breath. Sure enough, the two guards blocked my way. I stopped, catching my breath, and grabbed Yefeng, who was about to step forward, whispering to him, "Little Ye, let's go back to Xifeng Garden."
Clouds Drunk, Moon Slightly Asleep (Revised Edition) Volume 3: If Life Were Only As Beautiful as Our First Meeting - The Imperial Palace Banquet (Part 2)
Chapter word count: 5175 Last updated: 08-12-23 14:41
Royal Palace Banquet (Part Two)
After changing into casual clothes and having lunch, I went to find Yunfeng again. Ruochen had already left. Since Old Man Yun had ordered me not to leave the manor, it would be better to have Yefeng deliver a message to the fox after dark than to force my way in. I discussed some court matters with Yunfeng, and then I returned to Xifeng Garden. Sigh, if Yunfeng also objects to the marriage, will it cause further complications?
For several days in a row, I stayed in the Yun residence, going back and forth between the South Bamboo Garden and the West Maple Garden. I was practically bored to death. That night, Ye Feng informed Fox that Fox had kept Yun Feng behind for a private talk after court the next day. I heard that the talk lasted a long time, but my twin brother wouldn't tell me a single word. He kept telling me not to worry, just like Fox, as if they would bear the burden for me even if the sky fell. But I always felt that Old Man Yun's matter wasn't so simple.
I wouldn't go out of my way to provoke Old Man Yun. Instead, I took advantage of these past few days to get closer to Zhang De and distributed some silver around the Yun residence, giving it to everyone I met and rewarding them. Anyway, it wasn't my money that was being spent.
I heard Qinglin and the others have arrived, and the victory celebration banquet is tomorrow night. Sigh, I'm still under "house arrest." Does that mean I don't have to attend the banquet tomorrow? What is that fox up to?!
While he was still grumbling, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from outside the door.
"What is it, Cui'er?" I was bored and lying on the table drawing Rukawa Kaede. Sigh, without a pencil, I can't draw well at all.
"Young master, hurry and receive the imperial decree," the maid said breathlessly from the doorway.