Chapter 8: Chapter Eight Must I Really Be Honest with My Master?

Chapter 8: Must I Truly Be Open and Honest with My Master?

"What brings you to the palace today, Seventh Brother?"

The Crown Prince seemed somewhat surprised to see him. Then, as if recalling something, he smiled again and said, "Look at me, my memory fails me. I completely forgot His Majesty summoned you."

The Crown Prince feigned ignorance. Wei Zheng scoffed inwardly but outwardly offered a warm, "Second Brother."

This address pleased the Crown Prince. Yet, before he could stage a show of brotherly affection with Wei Zheng, he heard Wei Zheng add, "Second Brother, have you been working too hard lately? You look like you've aged considerably."

The Crown Prince, ten years Wei Zheng's senior and now past thirty, detested nothing more than being called old.

The smile on his face froze for a moment but was quickly masked. "Seventh Brother, you haven’t changed at all from before."

Just as infuriatingly foolish. He gritted his teeth, maintaining the gentle and refined demeanor of a benevolent elder brother.

Wei Zheng, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm, even tilted his head proudly and said, "I’m younger than Second Brother, of course I haven’t changed."

Leaning in to scrutinize the Crown Prince’s face, he added with feigned concern, "Look, you even have wrinkles. How can this be? Second Brother, why not ask Eldest Sister for some pearl powder to take better care of yourself, lest your wife starts disliking you later."

The Crown Prince clenched his fists, taking several deep breaths, silently reminding himself not to lose his temper with a fool.

Just as he managed to calm down, Wei Zheng continued his relentless chatter, now saying he looked haggard, now pointing out the white hairs on his head, until the Crown Prince’s head throbbed with anger.

He abruptly cut off Wei Zheng’s incessant babbling, tactfully saving face: "Second Brother’s maturity isn’t about looking old. Seventh Brother, worry less about me. Father is waiting inside. Don’t keep him waiting."

"Oh, right, I still have to see Father."

Wei Zheng seemed to remember his purpose for coming to the palace only then. He turned and reproachfully glanced at Eunuch Zhao, who was pretending to be invisible: "Eunuch Zhao, why didn’t you remind me? If Father gets upset later, I’ll hold you responsible."

"It is this servant’s fault." Eunuch Zhao hadn’t expected the blame to suddenly fall on him. Bowing obsequiously, he repeatedly begged for mercy.

Wei Zheng snorted, letting him off the hook.

He turned to the Crown Prince and said, "Second Brother, I’ll go see Father now. When you have time, remember to visit my estate."

The Crown Prince smiled and replied, "Alright, go quickly."

If he didn’t send this plague god away soon, he’d be fuming internally!

Wei Zheng, carefree and oblivious, followed Eunuch Zhao into the imperial study, unaware of the Crown Prince’s instantly icy gaze.

Inside the imperial study, the old emperor was reclining on a soft couch, feigning sleep, while two palace maids fanned him on either side.

"Father, your son has arrived." Wei Zheng stood before the old emperor and performed a proper bow.

The old emperor lifted his eyelids. "Kneel."

"Father?"

Wei Zheng pouted unhappily, seemingly unable to understand why his doting father would suddenly order him to kneel.

"You disgraceful child! Do you not know what you’ve done wrong?"

The old emperor grew even angrier seeing his clueless expression. Before he knew it, the teacup on the desk was hurled from his hand and struck Wei Zheng squarely on the forehead.

The teacup hit his forehead and then fell to the ground, shattering into several pieces.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Eunuch Zhao trembled as he knelt and prostrated himself. The other palace maids and eunuchs also knelt, not daring to breathe too loudly, afraid of becoming targets of the old emperor’s wrath.

A bump had formed on Wei Zheng’s forehead, the skin broken by the base of the teacup, oozing beads of bright red blood. He seemed terrified, covering the bleeding bump, his lips pursed in grievance and his eyes reddening.

The old emperor regretted his actions immediately but was too proud to apologize to his son, so he remained silent with a cold expression.

Wei Zheng pinched the back of his hand, forcing out a tear, and sniffled theatrically: "If Father doesn’t like me anymore, then I’ll dislike Father too!"

His words were clearly spoken in anger. The old emperor, looking at that face which bore some resemblance to Noble Consort Chen, suddenly softened.

He glanced at Eunuch Zhao, who, having served the old emperor for decades, immediately understood. He signaled the palace maids and eunuchs to withdraw from the imperial study and quietly closed the door, leaving the father and son alone.

"Seventh Brother, come here."

The old emperor beckoned to him. Wei Zheng, still sulking, ignored him. The old emperor called again, and only then did Wei Zheng reluctantly walk over, sitting on the soft chair next to the old emperor.

"Seventh Brother, Father heard you snatched a scholar off the street today and took him back. Is that true?"

Having likely already vented his anger, his tone was surprisingly mild.

Wei Zheng was taken aback, never expecting the old emperor to react so calmly to such an outrageous incident.

His mind raced, uncertain of the old emperor’s true intentions.

He admitted calmly, "Yes, I did snatch him."

"And you have the nerve to admit it!" The old emperor slammed his hand on the desk. "Go back and release him immediately. Consider this matter closed. Understood?"

This was clearly the old emperor’s way of shielding him. As long as he obediently released the scholar, no one would dare speak of the Virtuous Prince’s street-snatching incident tomorrow.

But Wei Zheng refused. Stubbornly shaking his head, he said, "I don’t want to. I like him. I want him to be my noble consort."

"You even want that scholar to be your noble consort?!"

The old emperor struggled to contain himself, nearly slapping this unfilial son, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do it, faced with that familiar face.

He stood up abruptly, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in anger, occasionally shooting him a disappointed glance.

Wei Zheng remained obstinate, refusing to yield.

The old emperor closed his eyes to calm himself. When he opened them again, his aged, cloudy eyes gleamed for a moment.

He looked at Wei Zheng with an unreadable expression. "You’re just taking advantage of my affection for you."

"You may keep the scholar in your estate, but making him your noble consort is absolutely out of the question."

Wei Zheng’s heart sank. He knew the old emperor would use this to his advantage, but he hadn’t yet figured out what the old emperor intended to do, so he could only continue acting while staying on guard.

He smiled joyfully. "Thank you, Father, for your understanding!"

***

In the side chamber of the Virtuous Prince’s residence, Wei San anxiously counted how long his master had been away. As the sky outside grew darker, there was still no sign of his master’s return.

He shifted his stiffened legs and began pondering the feasibility of infiltrating the palace to find his master.

The more he thought, the more conflicted he felt. Leaving aside the layers of imperial guards and forbidden army within the palace, the hidden assassins and shadow guards were also difficult to deal with. Wei San wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he could move freely through the palace under so many watchful eyes.

He sighed anxiously, growing more and more worried about his master who had entered the palace alone.

It wasn't until late at night, well past dinner time, that Wei San finally saw his master return.

Wei Zheng had likely dismissed all the maids around him and walked into the side chamber alone.

Wei San's eyes lit up at the sight of him, but then he noticed the large, shockingly bruised and discolored area on his forehead. Heart aching, he immediately stepped forward.

"Master, who hurt you?"

He would go right then and chop that scoundrel who dared harm his master to bits!

Wei San fumed inwardly, only to hear his master say, "For your sake, my father hit me."

Wei San instantly felt guilty and took back the curse he had just thought, greatly relieved he hadn't spoken it aloud.

He didn't dare touch the old emperor, nor even utter a word of insult. He obediently fell silent, not daring to inquire further.

Wei San fetched medicated oil, intending to help Wei Zheng knead the bruise to disperse the congealed blood, but to his surprise, Wei Zheng raised a hand to refuse.

"After rushing back, I'm covered in dust. Let me bathe first."

Wei San understandingly took a step back, thinking that once his master went to bathe, he would have nothing more to do. Unexpectedly, fifteen minutes later, his master tossed a new robe into his arms and said, "For your sake, I took a beating, and my face might even be scarred. You owe me. Tonight, you shall attend to my bath."

Wei San: "…………"

Wei San flushed bright red on the spot.

Ba—bathing his master? How could a rough military man like him handle such delicate work?

Wei San didn't dare refuse his master's order. With a worried frown, he followed Wei Zheng to the hot spring pool.

The pool had already been filled by attendants with heated water, prepared with soap pods and scattered petals. Wisps of steam fogged up the small bathhouse.

Wei Zheng spread his arms without hesitation. "Come, help me undress."

Wei San's mind went blank, his hands so nervous he didn't know where to put them.

Wei Zheng waited for a long moment without any movement from him, tilting his head in confusion. "Hmm? Can't you do it?"

Wei San hurriedly shook his head and explained, "No! It's just that I've never done this before. I'm afraid I won't serve you well."

Wei Zheng raised an eyebrow and laughed. "It's fine. I don't mind."

With things having reached this point, Wei San had no choice but to steel himself and go ahead.

He didn't dare get too close to Wei Zheng, keeping an arm's length away. His hands trembled as he undid the belt, not even daring to breathe heavily, afraid of making any mistake.

Wei Zheng found his cautious demeanor amusing and couldn't help teasing him. However, he didn't act immediately, patiently waiting until Wei San had finished undressing him.

He stepped into the bath and leaned against the edge, resting his chin in his hand. "Aren't you coming in?"

Wei San, who was smoothing out his master's discarded clothes to hang them on the rack, stiffened at these words. His eyes widened slightly in disbelief, as if asking why he needed to enter as well.

Wei Zheng said leisurely, "If you don't come in, how will you scrub my back and help me bathe?"

Wei San was stunned for a moment, his first thought being—had the maids in the past really gotten into the pool to scrub the prince's back?

"But I have rough hands. I'm afraid I won't be able to control my strength properly."

He tried to evade, but Wei Zheng gave him no chance. Wei Zheng reached out, grabbed the hem of his clothes, and drawled impatiently, "I said I don't mind. Hurry up and get in."

Wei San—Wei San froze completely.

Was he really going to be stripped bare before his master? His body was so ugly—would it shock his master?

He thought of his own scars and couldn't help but feel ashamed.