People often say that mountains and rivers may change but one’s nature is hard to alter—could this be true? Prince Qi’s residence had become a song and dance hall. In order to make her son’s wedding lively and bustling, Consort Yin had deliberately spent a great deal of money decorating Prince Qi’s residence. Now it looked more like a brothel than a prince’s residence. When Yun Ye arrived, Li You was already drunk. The one who received him was Li You’s maternal uncle Yin Hongzhi, who was now the Chief Administrator of Prince Qi’s residence.
The frost on Yun Ye’s face seemed suffocating. He coldly glanced at Yin Hongzhi and stepped straight into Prince Qi’s residence. Yin Hongzhi followed behind awkwardly—his status as a national uncle couldn’t match up in front of Yun Ye.
“The Yin Family dug up His Majesty’s ancestral grave in earlier years. Have you already forgotten these old matters, Yin Hongzhi?” Walking into the great hall, Yun Ye kicked aside a drunk who was coming up to offer wine, sat down on a soft couch, and asked Yin Hongzhi bluntly.
Yin Hongzhi’s expression changed drastically. He wanted to respond but didn’t know where to begin. He could only mumble the words in his mouth, not understanding why Yun Ye would bring up these matters. These were great scars of the Yin Family that no one ever mentioned. What was Yun Ye’s purpose in bringing them up in public?
“You’re called Yan Hongxin, Yin Hongzhi’s wife’s brother? I heard you have the strength to pull out nails. One of my household generals doesn’t quite believe it. Why don’t you two try? If you lose, I’ll recruit you into the Lingnan Navy. There’s a shortage of island-guarding soldiers on the small islands of the South Seas. You can go there. For the rest of this life, don’t think about returning to the mainland.”
Yun Ye let Yin Hongzhi off but struck with a killing blow at Yan Hongxin. Everyone knew that once he entered the Lingnan Navy, half his life would no longer be his own.
The tall and thin Yan Hongxin stood up. Only then did Yun Ye realize how tall this fellow was. His whole body was covered in dark muscles—perhaps he really could pull out nails that had been driven into wood.
“Marquis Yun, may I ask what happens if this humble one wins?” Yan Hongxin was very confident in his own strength.
“Wins? If you win, you’ll immediately be hacked into minced meat by a flurry of blades.” Yun Ye picked a walnut from the plate and had Gou Zi crush it for him. He ate the walnut kernels inside while speaking.
“Marquis Yun is making sport of this official, but I wonder if His Highness Prince Qi agrees.” Yan Hongxin immediately became nervous. Yun Ye fundamentally had no intention of letting him live, so he had no choice but to invoke Prince Qi.
“Li You, are you still alive? If you’re alive, make a sound. You dared to send me an invitation, but as soon as I arrive you pretend to be drunk? After all these years, how do you still have such a cowardly heart? Back then I replaced your heart with a sheep’s heart—looks like I got it wrong. I should have given you a wolf’s heart instead. At least then you’d have the guts to face me.”
“I didn’t send the invitation. My mother consort sent you the invitation. I only just found out.” Li You couldn’t hide any longer and had to come out from behind the curtain. As soon as he appeared, he bowed to Yun Ye.
“Where did Quan Wanji go? I remember His Majesty asked him to be your teacher. Without a teacher present at such a lively scene, it seems somewhat lacking. I also heard someone gave you advice to get rid of Old Quan. How about I do it for you instead?”
Under Yun Ye’s awl-sharp gaze, Li You said quietly, “Those were all drunken words that can’t be taken seriously. Don’t look at all these women everywhere—I haven’t touched a single one. You know me—I just like liveliness.”
Yun Ye looked at Li You for a while and nodded, saying, “I believe that. You and Xiao Ya grew up together after all. You still have that much sentiment. If it weren’t for this bit of affection, I wouldn’t have come at all.”
Yun Ye had acted as a malicious guest, and quite a few people wanted to sneak away but were all stopped by the Yun residence’s household generals. The guards of Prince Qi’s residence all stood in neat formation, not daring to move. A woman in crimson robes stood there, coldly watching the great hall—she was Consort Yin’s personal attendant.
A withered, thin old man hurriedly walked into the great hall. After seeing Yun Ye, he bowed and asked, “Where did Marquis Yun hear that Prince Qi was preparing to kill this old man? Now this old man personally tells you—this is complete nonsense. You are Li You’s relative and absolutely must not slander him with malicious words. This old man says once more—there is absolutely no such matter.”
Hearing the old man’s solemn words, Yun Ye cupped his hands toward the elder and said, “This is still in the capital. If it were in Qizhou, who knows what he might do? As a teacher, you are qualified. How long do you plan to protect him?”
Quan Wanji stiffened his neck and said, “Guiding and assisting Prince Qi is this Quan Wanji’s duty. If Marquis Yun is dissatisfied, you may impeach me. But such accusations go too far, don’t they? Your Yun residence’s household generals have taken control of Prince Qi’s residence. This old man must ask Marquis Yun—what do you intend to do? Do you still want the hierarchy of superior and inferior, the laws and regulations of the state? This is Chang’an, not the open sea where Marquis Yun can do as he pleases.”
Another one who didn’t fear death. The Great Tang was full of such people. The county magistrate of Wannian County had stiffened his neck and dismantled Gao Yang’s carriage frame. After being beaten with thirty boards by Li Er, he still hobbled out of the palace gates one step at a time, never admitting fault from beginning to end—all because Gao Yang had torn down the ward gate so her carriage could pass through more easily.
Now Quan Wanji was the same. Yun Ye could already imagine that tomorrow his name would definitely appear in an impeachment memorial. These people didn’t understand flexibility. Their whole bodies were covered in thorns—you couldn’t touch them. Touch them once and they’d prick you.
Taking advantage of the confrontation between Quan Wanji and Yun Ye, the guests in the reception hall slipped out through the small door one after another. Yun Ye was just about to order Ren Xiong to stop them when Quan Wanji stepped forward and blocked his way, not letting Yun Ye pass.
The entire great hall immediately became much more spacious. Only Yun Ye, Li You, and Quan Wanji remained. Li You helped Quan Wanji sit down and said, “Teacher, someone did indeed say such things to me, but I’ve already dismissed them. Rest assured, since I bound my hair and began my studies, although my behavior has been absurd, I would absolutely never dare to commit great treason.”
Quan Wanji patted Li You’s hand and said, “This old man knows. You like feasting and revelry—actually it’s because you’re too lonely. Because of your maternal grandfather’s connections, the other princes all avoid you from afar, making you feel miserable. Only when the great hall is full of clamoring crowds can you feel a trace of warmth. This old man has been at Prince Qi’s residence for three months now. I’ve seen clearly what needs to be seen. None of these people you associate with are upright individuals, including your maternal uncle Yin Hongzhi. He has failed your mother consort’s expectations of him.”
“Do you remember when this old man first came to Prince Qi’s residence and instructed you with stern words and harsh language? This old man exhausted almost all his acerbic and caustic phrases. Although you were pained by the scolding, you always bowed and accepted the teaching. This old man has also been teaching for a lifetime—how could I not see whether your respect for teachers came from the heart?”
“His Majesty has invested very little effort in you, even treating you with indifference. In doing anything, he never considers your feelings. He enfeoffed you as Prince Qi, but it was still a title seized after Li Yuanchang fell ill and died. Your mother consort’s status in the palace is delicate. She has never dared to fight for more on your behalf. Except for your marriage, she never dares to say an extra word.”
“However, Li You, do you know how much effort your mother spent to enable you to marry Yun Ya? The legitimate daughter of the Yun Family is not so easy to marry. If you don’t believe me, ask Marquis Yun—I’m afraid he wasn’t very willing either.”
“Your mother empress spent three years embroidering a Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix skirt. On Her Majesty’s birthday, she personally presented it. Her Majesty was moved by your mother consort’s heart of pitying her son and agreed to personally ask the Yun Family for the marriage alliance. His Majesty acted as matchmaker, which is how you got your great joyous day one month from now. You absolutely must not fail your mother consort’s painstaking efforts.”
Li You looked at Yun Ye in despair. It would have been better if Quan Wanji hadn’t said these things. Having said them, he immediately shattered Li You’s self-confidence to pieces. Yun Ye himself also felt that Li You was quite pitiful. Living to the point where he had to rely on his future wife’s protection—what was the point of living? That old bastard Quan Wanji fundamentally didn’t know how to educate young people. A speech full of earnest words completely drove an originally not-bad young man onto a dead-end road. No wonder in history this fellow would be dismembered by Li You. If anyone pitied Yun Ye this way, Yun Ye might also dismember the fellow. “Pig teammate” absolutely referred to people like Quan Wanji.
“Marquis Yun, do you also look down on me? Then why do you insist on marrying your most beloved sister to me?” An abnormal flush actually appeared on Li You’s face.
“Hmph! You also know that among my several sisters, the one I love most is Xiao Ya. She practically grew up riding on my neck. Rather than calling her my sister, it’s more accurate to say I’ve been raising her as a daughter. If I wanted her to be a princess consort, wouldn’t Li Zhen or Li Yun be better than you? But that unambitious Xiao Ya insists on marrying you. What can I do?”
After hearing Yun Ye’s words, life actually appeared in Li You’s eyes. Quan Wanji, however, glared viciously at Yun Ye. He thought Yun Ye should be encouraging Li You at this time. Yun Ye felt this old fool must be gotten rid of quickly, or he would get Li You killed. Damn it, Li Er had betrothed Xiao Ya to Li You in public. Even if Li You turned into a pile of dry bones, Xiao Ya still had to marry over. There was no room for negotiation in this matter. To make Li You feel that living still had some flavor, he must find him an iron-clad supporter. Apart from Xiao Ya, no one else could fulfill this role.
“Hehehe.” Li You’s laugh was very eerie. He untied from his neck a colorful rope woven with silk thread and placed it in Yun Ye’s hand, saying, “I have nothing else. This rope was woven for me by my mother consort when I almost died at age three. It has never left my body. To me, it is my life. Since Xiao Ya wants to marry me, I’ll give her my life. In this lifetime, I will definitely not fail her. Even if she beats me to death, I’ll have no complaints.”
Yun Ye was very satisfied as he took the rope, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and tucked it into his bosom. Quan Wanji was already furiously angry. He pointed at Li You and said, “She’s merely a woman. Why entrust your life to her? The people of Qizhou are eagerly awaiting Prince Qi. You should raise your ambition, establish great aspirations, serve the Great Tang’s realm, and plan welfare for the people of Qizhou. How can you sink into romantic affairs between men and women? Have you already forgotten His Majesty’s earnest teachings?”
Li You scratched his head and said, “Teacher, this is all I’ll ever be in this life. Living well is already not easy. To have a noble woman wholeheartedly willing to follow me is already great fortune. Let those other matters be done by my three formidable elder brothers. It’s not bad for me to muddle through life waiting for death.”