All sleepiness vanished, and his complex, flustered emotions were impossible to calm. He stood up, lit a candle, and sat alone by the window, staring out at the moon in a daze. He even found himself thinking that it would be so good if there were some way to make Meng Xueran never grow up.
It was absurd and cruel. To preserve himself, he could forsake everything.
Tsk. Speaking of currying favor with the powerful, all these years he had wholeheartedly only ever favored Meng Changqi alone. As for kicking those who were down, he disdained doing such hateful things; he would just wait for the day he truly found himself in desperate straits, hoping Meng Changqi would prove useful then.
Compared to the conventional, intelligent, and gentle Crown Prince, Meng Xueran, this abandoned pawn, was truly difficult to control.
Twin princes born of the same womb, yet holding identities as far apart as heaven and earth, he could not gamble on whether Meng Xueran would one day lose his emotional balance and give rise to hatred. On second thought, just how many people could truly keep from hating.
Unless one were a saint, or harbored other ulterior motives.
As the sky grew slightly bright, Ye Ting pushed the door open, extinguished the candle that was about to burn out, and said, “My Lord, you did not sleep at all last night?”
Mei Jinshu said, “Indeed, I did not sleep well. Enough of that, let us head to court first.”
When the carriage rolled out of the estate, Meng Xueran was still fast asleep. When he finally woke up, Mei Jinshu’s trace was nowhere to be found. Usually, they would leave the estate together, so why had he not waited for him today?
Perhaps he was not yet used to newly moving into the Plum Cottage, so he hurriedly woke up Mei Shiyi, who was sleeping in the room directly across from him.
The Plum Cottage was very spacious and could easily accommodate three or four people. His room had two beds: a main platform bed and a smaller cot under the opposite window. Separated by bead curtains and gauze banners, only vague silhouettes could be seen.
“Wake up quickly!” Meng Xueran grabbed his garments and hurriedly put them on, terrified that being late for the academy would earn him a punishment.
Mei Shiyi rubbed his hair and apologized, “Young master, today is the academy’s rest day. I forgot to tell you last night.”
Meng Xueran let out a sigh of relief. “You scared me to death!”
He flopped back onto the bed, hugging the short sword in his arms and refusing to let go, even wanting to clutch it tightly to his chest while sleeping. The dark-colored scabbard grew warm to the touch, carved with plum blossom patterns, and the purple bead on the hilt was crystal clear with a cuttlefish-silk tassel. No matter how he looked at it, it was a very thoughtful gift.
Suddenly, he felt his gratitude from the night before had been far too perfunctory. He should have hugged him back, or perhaps learned Mei Jinshu’s mannerisms and poured a solitary cup of wine for himself.
Today was a great opportunity. He quickly tidied up, rushed out to the courtyard, and sought out General Mei to practice the sword.
“General Mei, there are no lessons today. Can we learn a few more moves?!”
“Alright.” General Mei very much enjoyed teaching him; he was hardworking, astute, and knew how to adapt. The two of them each drew their weapons and began sparring. Sword lights flickered everywhere, their moves intricate and targeted specifically at vital points.
Meng Xueran found the counterattacks grueling, mostly relying on defense since he still could not match an adult’s strength. General Mei also tried his best to hold back his force, but seeing him hold his sword unsteadily, he gave it a sudden strike and knocked it flying.
“No good, still far too weak.” General Mei said, “Even if you fight until you are completely exhausted, you must use all your strength to grip the weapon in your hand. If you lose your weapon in front of an enemy, imagine what a perilous situation that would be!”
“A sword may break, but it must never leave your hand.”
“General Mei, then how should I practice?”
“Just follow the methods of the military camp.”
“Alright.” Meng Xueran raised both arms, allowing a few heavy sandbags to be strapped to his arms and wrists. General Mei had people bring over a wooden stump and ordered him to keep a tight grip on his sword and hack at it continuously.
General Mei said, “At least one thousand sword swings every day.”
Meng Xueran said, “Understood!”
The sun gradually climbed higher, and two hours passed in the blink of an eye. Meng Xueran was dripping with sweat, his two arms aching to the point of being almost unbearable. He sat down on the stone steps to wipe away his sweat, his heart filled with hope.
One day, he would stand shoulder to shoulder with his adoptive father and General Mei, protecting everything he wished to protect.
When Mei Jinshu returned to the estate, he uncharacteristically failed to see that clingy tag-along who never left his side. Today, he still needed to visit the Eastern Palace to celebrate Meng Changqi’s birthday. His attire and appearance had to be exceptionally careful and grand to properly show his high regard.
After bathing, the servants brought out his regular attire, a dark red garment that exuded a rather noble aura. Mei Jinshu’s heart tightened; his fingertips picked up that dazzlingly glaring red sash, and as if he had seen a ghost, he knocked it down onto the floor.
“Take it away!”
“From now on, no red clothing of any kind is permitted to appear in the Prime Minister’s Estate!”
This sudden outburst of temper startled everyone present. Not knowing why he was suddenly throwing a fit over a piece of red clothing, the servants hurriedly swept the garment away and brought out a purple ceremonial robe from the wardrobe.
Mei Jinshu stood before the bronze mirror, inspecting himself closely: purple robes with white gauze, a jade ring on his index finger, a plain silver hairpin binding his hair ribbons that could drape down to his sleeves, and a light purple crystal hanging between his eyebrows. This outfit could truly be said to be worlds apart from his usual plain elegance.
When he stepped out the door, even Ye Ting was stunned into a stare.
“Whoa, My Lord, you look as though you have been possessed by something?”
“It is the Crown Prince’s birthday, so naturally, I must be a bit more grand to show sincerity.”
“You do not even put this much effort into the Emperor and Empress’s birthdays.”
“Ye Ting, you talk far too much today.” Mei Jinshu raised a hand and knocked him on the forehead, thinking to himself, How can those be the same? Meng Changqi is my undisputed savior and savior-figure, so naturally, he must be treated differently.
On the way out of the estate, he asked, “Is the birthday gift prepared?”
Ye Ting said, “This subordinate will go fetch it from the main hall right now.”
In a short while, Ye Ting returned carrying an exquisite wooden box. Inside lay a short sword quite similar to the one Meng Xueran had received; the only difference was that one scabbard was carved with plum blossoms while the other was carved with the dragon and phoenix motifs that signified supreme status.
Mei Jinshu had no wish for Meng Xueran to discover this differential treatment, though it was not really differential treatment, since these two swords were originally a pair, and both brothers had a share. What he feared was Meng Xueran letting his imagination run wild.
That brain of his was practically enlightened; whatever he feared most was precisely what would happen!
“Imperial Father-in-law!” Meng Xueran suddenly darted out, blocking their path. “Are you heading out of the palace?”
Mei Jinshu said, “Yes. Since you are not going to the academy today, you should stay properly in the estate.”
“Imperial Father-in-law today!” Meng Xueran’s eyes widened in rounds, as if he had never seen him before. The man who usually wore plain robes every day looked, when dressed up, like an immortal from the heavens. “You look so good, like a deity.”
Mei Jinshu said, “Fine, I will take that as a compliment.”
Seeing him dressed so uncharacteristically different from usual, Meng Xueran figured he must be going to see someone very important. Past midnight last night was his birthday; he had eaten longevity noodles and received a gift, but now it was daytime, and it was still his birthday! Could it be that he was going to the Eastern Palace to celebrate Meng Changqi’s birthday?
He should have guessed it long ago. Anyone would put Meng Changqi first; the only ones who could bring them benefits were the Crown Prince after all. Overcome with deep dejection, he asked, “Can Imperial Father-in-law come back early to accompany me?”
“As long as it is not dark yet, is that alright?”
“If worst comes to worst, before noon would work too.”
Seeing his pitiful appearance, Mei Jinshu almost felt himself being bewitched into softening his heart again. Fortunately, he was as unyielding as iron and would never show mercy: “Even if I came back early, so what? I will not accompany you all the time, nor do I care whether you have slept or not.”
“So you really are going to accompany him!” Heartbroken and unwilling to let anyone else steal away his adoptive father’s gaze, unwilling to have anything else taken away from him, Meng Xueran rushed in front of Ye Ting, snatched the brocade box without the slightest hesitation, and opened it to find an identical short sword inside.
That short sword was carved with the dragon and phoenix patterns representing supreme status and honor. He picked it up to inspect it closely, then tossed the brocade box back to Ye Ting.
Startled, Ye Ting repeatedly tried to dissuade him: “Young master, what are you doing! Hurry and give it back!”
Meng Xueran paid him no mind at all, stubbornly drawing the blade from its scabbard, only to discover the three striking characters engraved on it: Meng Changqi. Meanwhile, his own sword did not have any name at all.
“Why doesn’t my sword have a name engraved on it?”
“Imperial Father-in-law, you must have forgotten, right?”
Suppressing his rising anger, Mei Jinshu said, “I indeed forgot. But so what? The sword given to you is yours, why fuss over such a minor detail?”
“How can this be considered a minor detail!” Meng Xueran roared at him, his face flushed red with grievance, his eye sockets brimming with tears as he said unconsolably, “Clearly it was the very first birthday gift I ever received, so why doesn’t it have a name!”
“Why does Meng Changqi deserve to have a name, while I don’t!”
“Have you made enough of a scene!” Mei Jinshu rebuked angrily.
Meng Xueran angrily hurled the sword away; if Mei Jinshu had not been watching, he would have loved to stomp on it a couple of times. The next moment, he was grabbed by Mei Jinshu and thrown ruthlessly away just like that sword.
“Imperial Father-in-law.” Meng Xueran sprawled on the lawn, scrambled up in a disheveled state, and stubbornly shouted, “I do not want you to give him the same thing you gave me, I do not want it!”
Mei Jinshu said, “You do not get a choice.”
Meng Xueran said, “But I simply refuse!”
Mei Jinshu was on the verge of being driven completely mad with fury: “Refuse all you want, you will just have to take it!”
“Fine. Very well.” Meng Xueran picked up the sword he had thrown onto the grass, ran desperately toward the stone steps, and ignoring Ye Ting’s attempts to stop him, placed the sword right across the steps and stomped down without hesitation, snapping the sword cleanly into two halves.
A madman.
A madman paranoid to the absolute extreme!
If he had not witnessed it with his own eyes, Mei Jinshu could never have imagined that the little abandoned pawn who usually feared and respected him could harbor such terrifying jealousy. It had nothing to do with anything else; he only cared about the minute differences in how he treated Meng Changqi versus him.
It was as if treating Meng Changqi well meant he had to destroy everything, preferring to shatter as jade rather than remain intact as tile.
Knowing full well that doing so would invite merciless punishment from him, he still recklessly destroyed that sword simply because the sword given to him was also given to Meng Changqi, making him entirely unable to mask or endure his suppressed emotions.
Mei Jinshu had already forgotten how he was supposed to punish him, his mind instead flashing back to the scene from his dream.
“No. You!”
“Imperial Father-in-law, beat me! As long as it vents your anger, you can beat me to death and I won’t care.” Meng Xueran knelt before him, begging for forgiveness by kneeling to someone without a single drop of blood relation for the very first time. There was not a trace of repentance on his stubborn face, only a sense of triumph for having destroyed the sword.
Mei Jinshu reached out and clamped his hand around Meng Xueran’s neck, wanting to snap the life out of this scourge in a split second. A ferocious expression began to spread across his stunning face, and his fingers uncontrollably began to exert force.
System prompt: Host detected trying to prevent the growth of a key character. Please stop immediately.
Mei Jinshu showed not the slightest intention of pulling back his hand. He wanted to see just what would happen if he really choked Meng Xueran to death!
System prompt: Host detected trying to prevent the growth of a key character. Please stop immediately.
A warning? Interesting. If you have the ability, strike me dead with lightning then!