After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 8

Upon returning to the manor, An Yu threw himself into carving, sequestered in his room. He asked the butler for various carving tools and even blocked Lu Shiyan when the latter tried to come in for a look. After three full days, An Yu’s great work was finally complete.

Early that morning, An Yu took the three finished pieces to find Lu Shiyan, only to see Mo Ying walking in from the courtyard. Mo Ying bowed to An Yu and said, “Young Master, word has just come from the Palace. The Emperor wishes for His Highness and yourself to enter the Palace together.”

It had been about ten days since the wedding; the Palace was finally making a move. This matched An Yu’s expectations; the original novel mentioned that less than a month after the wedding, all the princes were summoned to discuss official matters. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was likely preparations for the Emperor’s upcoming birthday banquet.

“I’ll head over with you now.”

With that, An Yu turned back into the room to place the largest piece on the table, then followed Mo Ying to the main hall, clutching two small jade pendants in his hand.

When they arrived, Lu Shiyan was sitting and drinking tea, looking quite leisurely. An old eunuch stood nearby with a lowered head, yet he frequently cast impatient, sidelong glances at Lu Shiyan. Upon seeing An Yu, the old eunuch’s face wrinkled into a smile so wide his small eyes vanished into slits. His thin, shrill voice was grating to the ear.

“This servant greets the Crown Princess. Since everyone is here, let us depart.”

An Yu walked silently toward Lu Shiyan. With his back to the old eunuch, he rolled his eyes dramatically—a gesture caught squarely by Lu Shiyan as he turned his head, prompting another low chuckle from the man. The old eunuch walked toward the gate without bothering to see if they were following, so he naturally missed the flirtatious little exchange between the two.

The pair hadn’t met since their last outing, and now they found themselves sharing a carriage once again.

“Your Highness, is there a specific reason for our summons to the Palace?”

Their carriage was separated from the eunuch’s by a fair distance. With the various noises of the road, their normal conversation would not be overheard.

“My Imperial Father’s birthday banquet is approaching. If I’m not mistaken, he likely wants someone to organize it.”

“Your Highness, can you refuse this task?” An Yu spoke up after some hesitation.

Lu Shiyan looked into An Yu’s eyes, his brows knit in slight confusion. “Why do you say that? And what makes Little Yu think Imperial Father would choose me?”

An Yu didn’t know how to explain. In the book, the Emperor originally intended to give the task to the Second Prince, but under the male lead’s repeated “recommendations,” it was handed to the Crown Prince instead. Lu Shiyan, of course, organized the banquet magnificently, earning high praise from the officials and foreign envoys. However, the Emperor was assassinated during the banquet. The investigation traced the assassin back to the Xiliang Kingdom.

The banquet was organized by the Crown Prince; Xiliang was the nation the Crown Prince had defeated; and in front of everyone, the assassin looked toward the Crown Prince as if searching for his master. The Crown Prince was framed as the mastermind behind the assassination attempt. Influenced by the male lead’s manipulation, the masses came to believe that Xiliang’s retreat was only possible because the Crown Prince had offered them lavish secret terms.

In an instant, the Crown Prince was branded with the crimes of treason and attempted regicide. With no way to defend himself against the public outcry, Lu Shiyan was thrown into the Great Cell. It wasn’t until the Emperor woke and appointed the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies to investigate that the Prince’s innocence was restored. However, the Prince was already too ill for such labor and couldn’t endure the bitter cold of prison; his vitality was severely damaged by the ordeal.

“It is merely a hunch. Your Highness’s body is weak; you shouldn’t overwork yourself, especially with something as tedious as the Emperor’s banquet.” After giving a vague explanation, An Yu paused and then added firmly: “Trust me, Your Highness. If you accept this errand, the Second Prince will surely frame you.”

Lu Shiyan rested his forehead on one hand, his elbow on the wheelchair’s armrest, and let out a muffled laugh. “Little Yu is right. This errand, naturally, cannot be accepted.”

Having said that, he didn’t give An Yu a chance to respond. His eyes swept over An Yu’s hand, which had been clutching something all along. “Did Little Yu bring something along with him?”

An Yu realized he was still holding the two jade pendants. He hadn’t planned on making these two, but after finishing the main piece yesterday, there were two small scraps of material left, so he made them on a whim.

“These are two jade pendants I made from a small piece of Imperial Green. I wanted to give one to Your Highness. Will you accept it?”

Lu Shiyan reached out to take the pendant An Yu offered. Inside a circular frame were two lifelike little fish playing in water, with one fish tail playfully swimming outside the frame.

“How could I not accept something Little Yu made with his own hands?”

With that, he fastened the pendant to his belt in front of An Yu. The man was dressed in light green; the emerald jade pendant, paired with a tassel of gold and dark green silk, added a touch of noble elegance to his aura.

“It looks very good.”

“Why isn’t Little Yu wearing his?”

“I’m putting it on now,” An Yu replied hurriedly, fumbling to hang the pendant from his own belt.

The carriage moved slowly and finally came to a halt after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

“Imperial Brother, it has truly been a long time.”

Just as An Yu stepped down, he saw two strangers standing opposite Lu Shiyan. They were dressed in noble robes and possessed extraordinary auras.

“Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother.”

“Greetings to Imperial Sister-in-law.”

Seeing An Yu descend from the carriage, the two hurriedly offered their greetings. The Fourth and Fifth Princes were both adults who had long been titled as Kings and given their own manors outside the Palace. The only ones remaining in the Palace were the underage Sixth Prince and two younger Princesses.

The four entered the Palace together. Chatting along the way made the distance feel short; by the time they reached the Imperial Study, An Yu had already become acquainted with the two Princes. The original novel didn’t mention them much, which was why An Yu didn’t feel the need to be overly guarded against them.

“Your Highnesses, the Second Prince has already arrived. Please enter; do not keep His Majesty waiting.”

Lu Shiyan patted An Yu’s hand to reassure him, telling him to wait, then the three brothers went inside. After Lu Shiyan left, the old eunuch spoke again in his sharp, grating voice:

“Crown Princess, Her Majesty the Empress requests your presence.”

The Empress wants to see me? This was something An Yu hadn’t expected. “Lead the way, then.”

The Phoenix Palace lived up to its name as the residence of the Empress; the environment, nestled between mountains and water, was very pleasing to the eye.

“The Crown Princess may enter.”

The old eunuch left after bringing An Yu there. The palace maids of the Phoenix Palace immediately invited An Yu inside.

“This child greets Her Majesty the Empress.”

“The Crown Princess is indeed handsome; you and the Crown Prince are truly a match made in heaven.”

The moment the woman on the high seat spoke, her biting, sarcastic tone gave An Yu goosebumps. Tsk, why are there so many unpleasant speakers today?

The old matron beside her was a true reflection of her mistress, her voice even thinner and shriller: “What? You don’t even answer Her Majesty’s words?”

Did she even ask a question?

“This son dares not.”

“Forget it. I shall not lower myself to argue with one of merchant stock. Since you two did not enter the Palace to offer tea after the wedding, let us make up for it today.”

With that, the matron who had just spoken brought a cup of tea to An Yu’s side. Steam rose from the cup; it was obvious what was planned. Having read so many novels, An Yu saw through this little trick instantly.

The old matron looked at An Yu with contempt. “Crown Princess, please.”

From the moment he entered the Phoenix Palace until now, An Yu had remained kneeling. To offer the tea, he naturally had to stand up. An Yu glanced at the matron, then slowly rose. Just as he reached for the tea, his legs seemed to give way, and his entire body toppled toward the old matron.

“AH—!” A shrill scream erupted.

A cup of scalding tea was splashed entirely onto the old matron. She writhed on the floor in pain.

“Quickly! Take her away!” the Empress shouted. After all, this was her primary maid who had accompanied her as part of her dowry over ten years ago—her most trusted confidante.

As the matron was led away, the Empress’s eyes, which were naturally charming, were filled with fury. Her voice rose significantly: “An Yu!”

An Yu’s face immediately filled with grievance, tears welling in his eyes. He spoke with a trembling voice: “Is Her Majesty going to blame this son? I knelt for so long that my legs went numb when I stood up; I couldn’t hold my balance and accidentally knocked into the matron.”

“However, Your Majesty… the tea that matron prepared was intended for you. To have it brewed so scalding and filled so high—what could her intentions possibly have been!”

An Yu spoke before the Empress could, placing all ill-intentions squarely on the old matron.

“You!” The Empress was speechless, unable to utter a single word.

After several seconds, the Empress gritted her teeth and ordered another cup of tea to be brought. This time, the ritual went without a hitch. The only difference was that the Empress’s eyes, looking as though they could spit fire, remained fixed on An Yu. Unexpectedly, after drinking the tea, she allowed An Yu to leave.

After leaving the Phoenix Palace and walking slowly back toward the Imperial Study, An Yu finally felt the burning sensation on the back of his hand. It must have happened when the tea splashed earlier; there was a burn about a finger’s width long.

His attention had been entirely on his opponent, so he had ignored it. Now that he had relaxed and the wound hadn’t been treated, the pain was growing stronger. Why is it so easy to get injured lately?

“Sss—” An Yu sucked in a breath of cold air and strode toward the Imperial Study.

Inside, the deliberation had ended. Several princes emerged from the study. Looking tired, Lu Shiyan couldn’t help but cough several times.

“Imperial Brother, are you alright? You should return to your manor quickly.” The Fifth Prince, who was walking at the back, hurried forward with concern.

The Fourth Prince chimed in: “Imperial Brother has coughed several times. Fortunately, this task fell to our Second Imperial Brother; otherwise, how would your body have endured it?”

“It is no matter. I will be fine after resting at home. Cough, cough.” Lu Shiyan tried to reassure them but couldn’t stop coughing.

Lu Youqi also stood by, his voice full of worry: “Imperial Brother, with a body like yours, it is best to return home immediately to avoid any mishaps on the road. Do not worry about the banquet; your Imperial Brother has everything in hand.”

“Thank you, Imperial Brother.”

This half-true, half-false display of brotherly affection was suddenly interrupted by footsteps in the distance. They all turned around. An Yu was walking toward them urgently, his left hand clutching his right wrist.

Before he even reached them, An Yu saw Lu Shiyan among the crowd. It was like a flashback to the wedding night; the man leaned weakly against his wheelchair, devoid of strength.

“Your Highness!”

“How is Your Highness?”

“I am fine. Little Yu, why are your eyes so red?”

Upon being asked, An Yu’s eyes turned even redder. A young master who had never suffered physical pain in his life couldn’t endure a burn; he hurriedly held up his hand for Lu Shiyan to see.

“Your Highness, I’ve been burned.”

Lu Shiyan immediately ordered: “Quickly, fetch some ice!”

He gently took An Yu’s wrist, looking at the discolored wound with a frown. “What happened?”

“Her Majesty the Empress noted that I hadn’t offered tea after the wedding. Since I was in the Palace today, I thought I’d stop by to fulfill the duty and avoid gossip. Who knew Her Majesty would be so happy she’d forget to tell me to rise? When I stood up to offer the tea, my legs were numb and I lost my balance. I knocked into the matron holding the tea and got burned.”

Everyone’s expression turned serious to varying degrees. Before anyone could speak, An Yu continued with a pouting face:

“I don’t blame the matron. Perhaps because the weather is hot, she thought Her Majesty should drink hot tea to break a sweat. A full cup of steaming tea like that… drinking it would surely be good for the health.”