CH 31

The next day, someone really did admit to the Empress Dowager that they had seen Commandery Princess Changning lose her footing and fall into the water. In regard to this, Commandery Princess Changning also didn’t refute. As a result, the Empress Dowager stopped pursuing the matter and the matter was finally over. But only after a few days of peace, Commandery Princess Changning suddenly developed a high fever.

Her illness was so severe that it took until the third night for her temperature to drop.

When she woke up, she was already confused and delirious.

The Empress was so anxious that she called for the Imperial physicians again, but no matter what methods were used, Commandery Princess Changning remained dazed and confused. She would sometimes stand in the room and talk aloud and sometimes she would even shout madly, attacking everyone around her.

The Imperial physician said that because she had been stimulated, coupled with the serious fever, she had lost her mind and was suffering from hysteria. She must recuperate and not be stimulated anymore.

After this, the Empress Dowager had no desire to stay any longer and after a few days, she took everyone back to the capital so that Commandery Princess Changning could go home as soon as possible to recuperate.

Ye Zi lifted the carriage curtain to look out, the Empress Dowager’s carriage was in the front while the guards rode beside on horseback. Behind them was a long line of luxurious carriages, heading for Chang’an. Ye Zi stared at the luxurious carriages in the front for a while and then sighed softly.

Of all the children and grandchildren, the Empress Dowager favored Gu Yan the most. Even on the way back, she asked Gu Yan to accompany her to enjoy tea and play chess, causing Ye Zi to take the Prince Rui manor carriage alone.

Qiu Luo laid out refreshments for Ye Zi and served him a cup of tea: “Your Highness, please have some tea.” 

Ye Zi wasn’t in the mood and shook his head, “I’m not hungry yet, just put it down for now.”

Qiu Luo nodded and put down the tea. Qiu Tang laughed softly from the side: “You and the Prince have only been separated for a few hours and you are starting to miss him again?”

Ye Zi lowered the curtain, turned his head, and pretended to be serious: “Qiu Tang, have I been too nice to you lately? You’re getting more and more daring to the point where you constantly tease me.”

Qiu Tang blinked: “Haven’t you always been nice to this servant?”

Qiu Tang was younger than Qiu Luo and came to the manor later so she wasn’t as calm and dignified as the latter. Relying on Ye Zi’s indulgence, she became more and more daring.

“You brat.” Ye Zi made a gesture to hit her, but Qiu Tang shrank behind Qiu Luo as she begged for mercy.

Ye Zi withdrew his hand and lazily leaned against the window: “There is still some time before we arrive at Chang’an, do you guys have any fun things to pass the time with? If you do, let me take a look.” 

Ye Zi thought for a moment and then asked: “Qiu Tang, where is your story book?”

Qiu Tang sheepishly averted her gaze and played dumb: “W-What story book, this servant doesn’t have any story books…..” 

Ye Zi looked askance at her: “Then what was the book I confiscated last time?”

Qiu Tang lowered her head and didn’t speak.

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To think this little girl would go astray. He didn’t know where she got a story book about romance with hints of eroticism, but it was simply astonishing to see. Ye Zi was worried that she would follow suit, so he found an excuse and had it confiscated.

Ye Zi originally wanted to frighten her and planned on returning it in two days, but who knew that the writing was so wonderful that Ye Zi accidentally became addicted to it after flipping through it casually and felt unsatisfied after finishing.

Ye Zi asked: “Do you want your story book back?”

“Naturally, I do.” Qiu Tong was aggrieved, “I just bought that book and didn’t even get to read it yet…..”

Ye Zi’s eyes turned and he began formulating on how to get his hands on other story books: “Do you have any other ones, I’ll exchange with you.” 

When Qiu Tang heard this, she immediately brightened up: “Yes I do, what does Your Highness want to read? I have books about a handsome young man with a farmer girl, a female mountain bandit forcefully taking a passing scholar, and also childhood friends. There’s also this, which one…….”  

Qiu Tang immediately took out several books from her baggage and placed them in front of Ye Zi like a family treasure, introducing them one by one.

Ye Zi was dumbfounded and turned to Qiu Luo: “She’s been reading these things all day long, you don’t discipline her?”

Qiu Luo covered her mouth and laughed lightly. But before she could answer, Qiu Tang cut in: “Qiu Luo doesn’t care. She knows more than I do and when I don’t know some of the words, she will even explain them to me and read them out for me.”

Qiu Luo glared at her and explained: “Don’t listen to her nonsense. She’s the one that forced me, I don’t like to read these at all…….”

Ye Zi laughed and didn’t say anything. Qiu Luo cleaned up the tea set on the table so that Ye Zi could flip through the books more easily. Ye Zi randomly picked out a thinner and newer one, less than a third of the thickness of the one he confiscated earlier, and prepared to use it to pass the time

Seeing that he took this book, Qiu Tang screeched as if she wanted to stop him, but it was too late.

Ye Zi laughed: “What’s wrong, I can’t read this one?”

As he said that, he casually glanced at the title of the book.

——Diary of a Prince’s Manor: The Prince welcomes the Pretty Princess Consort.

“……”

Ye Zi took a deep breath: “Diary of a Prince’s Manor……”

There was a soft sound from the side, like Qiu Luo had spilled something, but Ye Zi could care less. He settled his thoughts and silently recited the title, it was probably just a coincidence. He turned to the first page and read carefully.

A few moments later, Ye Zi slammed the book on the table, his ears were red: “What’s this?!”

It was actually a BL romance story book. The story was about a young man surnamed Ye who was saved by chance by a Prince and began living in the Prince’s manor. He fell in love with him at first sight and began to pursue him in every possible way.

The story begins with the young man entering the Prince’s manor. Ye Zi scanned a few lines, only to find that the more he read, the more familiar it felt.

Was this really not written based on Gu Yan and him? ? ?

Qiu Tang didn’t even dare to raise her head as she said in a low voice: “This is the most popular book of the season in the book pavilion in Chang’an City.”

Ye Zi couldn’t believe it: “This is popular?”

Qiu Tang nodded and fussed: “You might not know, but the book pavilion will collect all kinds of books from the commoners every month. The audience members will vote and the most popular one gets printed for sale. Just as the first volume of this book was finished and released, it was parachuted to the top of the popularity list so it was very difficult for this servant to buy it.”

“Okay, no more.” Ye Zi interrupted her and put away the book in a fluster, “This book is now confiscated. I will pay you the amount of money you spent on this book and you are not allowed to read it again.”

Qiu Tang could only obey: “Understood.”

Ye Zi sent Qiu Tang and Qiu Luo away on the pretext that he wanted to rest. When the two got out of the carriage, Ye Zi took out the “Diary of a Prince’s Manor” and carefully opened it.

Ye Zi definitely wasn’t overthinking. From the characterization of the Prince and the young man of unknown origin in this story book to the personalities of the two and the layout of the manor, all the traces were there.

This was definitely in accordance with the real portrayal of the Prince Rui manor. 

Ye Zi looked down at the part he had just read and it was about the young man after he moved into the manor. The Prince became busy with affairs and had no time to pay attention to him so the young man ended up missing him day and night and couldn’t sleep at all. Finally, he couldn’t bear the loneliness and slipped into the Prince’s bedroom late at night and seduced him in every possible way…….

Ye Zi’s face gradually reddened.

With these kinds of story books, the plot and romance were both important. After turning only a few pages, the first erotic scene appeared. It was bold and unrestrained. It was quite normal for it to take place in the bedroom, but as Ye Zi roughly flipped through, he found that they also did it in the study, in the courtyard, and even…….in the carriage.

After a few intimate scenes and the Prince finally had a taste, he started developing feelings for the young man. When His Holiness arranged for a trip, the Prince took the young man with him in the carriage.

The journey was boring and the young man and the Prince ended up staying in the same room. However, they couldn’t resist and found an excuse to get close to each other again.

The Prince lay down on the couch for a nap and the young man sat beside him, moving him to his lap. He would massage his shoulders and occasionally feed him some dessert. The young man was quite handsy and his actions became more and more daring, which got the Prince riled up as he pushed him against the couch to teach him a “lesson.” 

The young man was bullied so much that he didn’t dare to make a sound and could only bear it passively.

Ye Zi’s face turned red but the words were very well written—they were florid and not vulgar, and it made it hard for him to stop.

So much so that he didn’t even notice that the carriage had suddenly stopped.

When Gu Yan entered the carriage, he saw Ye Zi with a red face. He didn’t know what he was looking at. 

He had a look……like he was turned on.

Gu Yan frowned and asked: “What are you doing?”

Ye Zi was so frightened that he almost jumped up. He hurriedly placed the book into his arms and shook his head sheepishly: “N-nothing.”

Gu Yan glanced at him but didn’t pry further.

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He walked in and sat down, and the carriage moved again.

Ye Zi was still immersed in the story and when he suddenly saw Gu Yan, he felt a little uncomfortable.

He asked in a low voice: “Why……did you come back?”

Gu Yan responded: “The Empress Dowager was tired and said she wanted to rest for a while.”

Ye Zi nodded and didn’t say anything else.

Seeing that his expression was a bit off, Gu Yan changed the subject: “When I came back just now, I saw the Duke of Protection’s carriage and could hear Changning making a scene in the carriage from a distance. She is being really cooperative.”

A few days ago, Gu Yan sent someone to tell Wen Zhi of the plan and then sent the secret medicine that would cause her to have a long-lasting high fever. The latter didn’t have any objection and took that medicine on the spot.

Thinking of that woman, Ye Zi sighed: “It hasn’t been easy for her these years, maybe it will be easier this way.”

“Anyway, I’ve done what I needed to do, it is up to her how she wants to go the rest of the way.” Gu Yan said as he smiled at Ye Zi, “Since this Prince has helped you, how does my beloved consort intend to reward me?”

Ye Zi paused and whispered: “It’s not like you did it for my sake……”

“If you weren’t moved by compassion, do you think I would have helped Changning come up with an idea?” Gu Yan paused and said softly, “A Zi, I did this for you.”

Ever since Ye Zi read the book, he found it difficult to be in the same room with Gu Yan.

He uncomfortably shifted his gaze: “What do you want?”

“After playing chess with the Empress Dowager all morning, I’m also a little tired.” Gu Yan pounded his neck and smiled at Ye Zi: “Can I borrow my beloved consort’s lap for a while?” 

Ye Zi immediately remembered the plot in the book and there was a buzzing in his head, making his face turn red.

Gu Yan didn’t think too much about it and thought he was just shy. He came closer and said in a warm voice: “My dear A Zi, can I?”

Ye Zi simply couldn’t refuse when he acted like this: “……Yes.”

Gu Yan lay down on Ye Zi’s lap.

Ye Zi tilted his head to look out the window, his whole body stiffened into a wooden stick and he didn’t dare to move. Gu Yan was really tired. Right after he closed his eyes, he soon fell asleep.

When he woke up, Ye Zi was also leaning against the window asleep.

Gu Yan found that he had a cloak on top of him, Ye Zi probably covered him when he had fallen asleep. He got up and gently covered Ye Zi with the cloak and as he stared at his profile, the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but curl into a smile.

Previously, Gu Yan was pretending to be drunk that night at the Summer palace.

He knew everything this little one did and said to him.

Since this person refused to face his thoughts directly and Gu Yan didn’t dare to expose them on the spot, he had to endure it. But now it seemed that he wouldn’t have to wait long before this person finally became honest with him.

Gu Yan stared at Ye Zi’s face for a long time and as his gaze moved down, he saw something in his arms.

It looked like a thin booklet with a brand new cover and delicate pictures could be vaguely seen on it. Gu Yan knew of this kind of picture book, most of the story books circulating amongst the commoners looked like this. 

So this was what Ye Zi was just reading?

What kind of book was this that could make him have that expression earlier?

Curious for a moment, Gu Yan grabbed the edge of the book, and gently took it out of Ye Zi’s arms.

He picked up the story book and casually flipped to a page.

“……”

After a while, Gu Yan closed the story book, stared complicatedly at Ye Zi who was still sleeping soundly, and the tip of his ears turned red quietly.