The investigation was completed quickly. There were no problems with Ning Huan whatsoever. In fact, there were no issues with the entire Dingyuan Marquis Manor. The Dingyuan Marquis was not a trusted confidant of the Emperor, nor was he an ambitious minister with great strategic vision. He was a decadent and stubborn man, and many of his colleagues disliked him.
The only thing that made the Dingyuan Marquis Manor famous was likely Ning Huan, the “Number One Beauty of the Capital.” He possessed a face that could topple cities and, to the outside world, he maintained the heart of a bodhisattva, leaving the young masters of the capital completely entranced. He was the goddess in their hearts; aside from that, there was nothing special about him.
Mu Jinyu’s fingers toyed with his jade thumb ring, his expression obscure.
So he isn’t the Emperor’s spy… Then he really could not find a reason to torture Ning Huan. However, this Ning Huan was definitely not the original one; something must have happened to him.
For the past two days, he had slept by Ning Huan’s side, and the other party had consistently maintained a cold and indifferent attitude, without the slightest hint of intimacy. Looking at Ning Huan’s face, which was like ice and snow, Mu Jinyu inevitably felt a few violent impulses stir within him.
His coughing had largely subsided, his festering wounds showed signs of healing, and his body was gradually recovering.
At the moment, the Fengdan tribe was invading the border. Mu Jinyu had vaguely heard some news that the Emperor intended to send him out on the expedition. Initially, several of the Emperor’s trusted ministers had opposed it, but in the end, they were all overruled.
Mu Jinyu made no move. However, the Empress Dowager returned today, and there was a banquet in the palace that he had to attend.
Empress Dowager Qiu was the biological mother of the current Emperor, as well as the mother of the late Emperor. When the Emperor killed his elder brother to usurp the throne, the Empress Dowager was heartbroken and wished to become a nun. After she had lived as a nun for several years, the Emperor, in order to gain a reputation for filial piety, invited her back to the palace.
Empress Dowager Qiu still had her maternal clan to look after. In the last two years, the Qiu family had sent girls into the palace and even hoped to marry their daughters to Prince Rui or Prince Yue.
Mu Jinyu rarely met with Empress Dowager Qiu because, most of the time, she stayed at the traveling palace eating vegetarian meals and chanting sutras. Even when they did meet, the Empress Dowager was unwilling to acknowledge Mu Jinyu.
Empress Dowager Qiu detested Mu Jinyu’s mother; she had always believed that it was Empress Wang, that “femme fatale,” who caused the Mu brothers to turn on each other. Every time she returned to the palace, the Empress Dowager would deliberately make things difficult for the Empress.
In previous years it was better, as the Emperor would protect the Empress. Now, the Emperor was blinded by the new concubines in the palace, and the Empress remained lukewarm toward him, so his feelings for her had faded. Yesterday, just as Empress Dowager Qiu returned from the traveling palace, she made the Empress kneel in her palace for an hour. The Empress was already weak; after kneeling in the freezing snow for an hour, she fell ill in the middle of the night.
Mu Jinyu’s relationship with the Empress was not exactly seamless, but she was his biological mother. Now that she was bedridden, he went into the palace early to see her.
When he arrived, the Empress was taking medicine. She seemed in decent spirits, swallowing a pill that carried a faint tartness and a strange fragrance.
Mu Jinyu couldn’t help but ask, “What is this Mother is taking?”
“Furong Pills,” said the senior maid beside the Empress. “This was bestowed by His Majesty. He said it nourishes the body, and Her Majesty’s mood improves significantly after taking them.”
Mu Jinyu was not very familiar with various drugs. He took one to inspect it. “So that’s how it is. How long has Mother been taking these?”
“It has been over half a year.”
Seeing that the Empress’s state was acceptable—at least healthier than the last time he saw her—Mu Jinyu assumed she was deliberately feigning illness to avoid tonight’s banquet.
In the evening, the Emperor was present. Sitting beside him was a dignified, graceful, and tall woman; this was Imperial Noble Consort Shen, the biological mother of Prince Yue and Prince Rui.
Lady Shen had a cheerful temperament and was very bold in front of the Emperor. The Emperor loved her personality. As the Empress’s health declined over the last two years, the Emperor had Lady Shen help manage the affairs of the harem.
Noble Consort Shen said with a smile, “The Crown Prince’s complexion is much better; he looks quite vigorous. With the Fengdan causing trouble, this concubine believes the Crown Prince is brave and skilled in battle, and will surely be able to settle them.”
The Emperor had always disliked harem concubines discussing state affairs, and others knew his taboo. Seeing that the Emperor showed no displeasure, Mu Jinyu understood that he was condoning it from behind the scenes.
The Emperor said, “Why did the Crown Princess not accompany you into the palace?”
Mu Jinyu had originally wanted Ning Huan to come with him. When he went to ask, Ning Huan was taking a nap and sleeping soundly. Mu Jinyu knew Ning Huan was fierce and hated being disturbed while sleeping; he was unwilling to provoke that bad luck and be scolded by Ning Huan, so he came alone.
Prince Rui said bluntly, “Imperial Brother is not good to Imperial Sister-in-law. I heard he looks down on her, so he didn’t bring her along.”
The Emperor said coldly, “Nonsense. The Ning daughter is from a prestigious family, virtuous and kind. What dissatisfaction do you have?”
Mu Jinyu spoke coldly, “This son has no dissatisfaction. The Crown Princess is physically unwell, which is why I did not bring her.”
In reality, everyone could see his dissatisfaction. Mu Jinyu had already made a scene once before the marriage. The Emperor also guessed that Mu Jinyu would neglect Ning Huan. He didn’t care if Ning Huan came or not; he just wanted to find a reason to give Mu Jinyu a hard time.
The Emperor added, “A while ago, I bestowed upon you a maid named Wanqing. Did you send her away?”
A-Xi, standing to the side, explained carefully, “That day, Miss Wanqing was reckless, carrying a basin of clothes and colliding with the Crown Prince, nearly causing him injury. Injuring the Prince’s jade-like body is a capital offense. The Prince, considering she was a gift from You, only sent her to a country estate.”
Empress Dowager Qiu was late in arriving. The Emperor sent people to invite her twice more. Half an hour later, the nanny by the Empress Dowager’s side came to deliver a message: “Today the Empress Dowager is unwell. His Majesty orders everyone to disperse.”
The princesses and princes were still whispering among themselves, and the banquet was lively. Hearing the nanny say this, everyone looked toward the Emperor.
Noble Consort Shen sighed, “If the Empress Dowager is unwilling to come, Your Majesty should also go back and rest. Alas, this concubine heard the Empress went to see the Empress Dowager yesterday; the Empress Dowager must have been angered by the Empress.”
The veins on the back of Mu Jinyu’s hand bulged.
The conflict between him and the Emperor involved bloodlines and the throne; this was not a small matter that could be resolved. Therefore, he could not act rashly. Whether it was his own marriage or his mother’s affairs, he had to endure.
By the time he returned, it was very late. A-Xi didn’t dare provoke Mu Jinyu, who smelled of alcohol, and followed behind him without a word. Mu Jinyu went straight to Ning Huan’s quarters.
Ning Huan was lying on his side on the beauty’s couch, propping his chin up with his palm. Because his palm would sweat, a silk handkerchief was placed on his hand. The soft silk made his face look exceptionally small—small and exquisite.
The room was too warm, and Ning Huan had indeed broken into a sweat. He was woken by the smell of alcohol and looked up to see Mu Jinyu’s bloodshot eyes.
Mu Jinyu looked very somber when he wasn’t smiling, and his reddened phoenix eyes gave off a murderous aura.
Ning Huan squinted lazily and reached a hand out to him. “Pull me up.”
Mu Jinyu was silent for a moment, then gripped his wrist and pulled him up.
Ning Huan leaned in and sniffed at his collar, his indifferent eyes lifting. “How much did the Crown Prince drink? You stink. Sleep outside today.”
Mu Jinyu pinched his chin. “I’m not sleeping outside.”
Ning Huan patted his hand. “Let go.”
He had just woken up; if he didn’t wake up naturally, Ning Huan’s mood would not be very good.
Mu Jinyu said without rhyme or reason, “I think being the Emperor is very good. The Emperor can command everyone, kill whoever he wants, and humiliate whoever he wants.”
Ning Huan: “?”
Everyone knew being the Emperor was good. Hearing this sentence come from the mouth of a madman like Mu Jinyu, who loved to pursue power, was practically nonsense.
Mu Jinyu knew he was drunk, but he didn’t know how drunk he was. Currently, he was only thinking: if he became the Emperor, he would force Ning Huan to sleep with him. Ning Huan had such a bad temper and was so cold to him; he would give Ning Huan a harsh humiliation.
Ning Huan suddenly let out a laugh. “Fine, I’ll wait for you to become the Emperor. First, let go of me. I’ll have them boil some sobering soup for you.”
Mu Jinyu’s gaze fell on Ning Huan’s lips. Ning Huan’s lips were very thin, looking very beautiful and soft. His Adam’s apple bobbed once.
Seeing he wasn’t moving, Ning Huan had no choice but to grip his wrist back, forcibly making him release his chin. Mu Jinyu’s grip was very strong, leaving a few red finger marks on his chin; the red prints on the snowy skin were exceptionally obvious.
He guessed Mu Jinyu had encountered something unpleasant after entering the palace. He must have suffered some grievance before the Emperor and was now venting his madness here.
Ning Huan stepped out in his soft shoes. Mu Jinyu lay down on Ning Huan’s beauty couch. He knew Ning Huan was a person who knew how to enjoy himself; he ate exquisitely and slept exquisitely. Ning Huan’s pillow smelled very fragrant, and the soft pillow was embroidered with twin lotuses. A handkerchief had fallen onto the couch.
Ning Huan had used it just now to cushion his hand; because he had sweat a bit, the handkerchief was slightly damp. Mu Jinyu leaned in to sniff it, and after sniffing, he covered his face with it.
Ning Huan ordered Die Qing to boil a bowl of sobering soup and went to take a bath. It was late, and he wanted to go back to bed to continue sleeping.
When Mu Jinyu finished the sobering soup and also wanted to get into bed, Ning Huan raised a hand to block him. “Only after you’ve bathed. I don’t sleep with drunkards.”
He didn’t have an obvious obsession with cleanliness, but he couldn’t stand bad smells.
By the time Mu Jinyu returned from bathing, he had sobered up. He handed a pill to Ning Huan. “I took this from Mother’s palace. Do you know what kind of medicine this is? What is its use?”
Ning Huan took a sniff, and his face changed slightly. “Afurong (Opium).”
Mu Jinyu repeated, “Afurong?”
Ning Huan said, “Once made into hibiscus flowers (furong), now it is heart-breaking grass. It is also called the honey-sac flower, also known as the poppy. It regulates the lungs and nourishes the stomach, and can also treat dysentery. But eating too much will make a person lose their mind and gradually become addicted.”
Mu Jinyu closed his eyes, his mind becoming even more chaotic.
Ning Huan said, “Crown Prince?”
Mu Jinyu put an arm around his shoulders, resting his chin on the top of Ning Huan’s head. “I’m going to be sent to the northern border to fight.”
He suddenly realized that he might not be able to return alive. Although his status as Crown Prince was noble, he had not felt a single day of beauty in this position.
Ning Huan didn’t push him away either. He said in a low voice, “Rest assured, you will turn bad luck into good and get everything you want. Crown Prince, listen to me: once you reach the northern border, do not trust subordinates who use sweet words and sycophancy. Whether you win or lose, do not lose your head. I will keep an eye on everything in the capital for you.”
Mu Jinyu’s eyes darkened, and he instinctively held Ning Huan tighter and tighter.
Ning Huan soon felt the abnormality in the other’s body. He could only say that as the “exceptionally gifted” protagonist, he was extraordinary in all aspects. Since it was night, and the other had drunk a bit of alcohol and was young—not to mention a high-energy character destined for a harem—this was likely normal.
Ning Huan’s body stiffened, and he pulled Mu Jinyu’s hand out from his collar. “Don’t grope. Your Highness should go to sleep early.”