Sickly Jade - Chapter 22

Seeing his look of certainty, Ye Shaoyun was actually somewhat moved. “What is it?”

Qi Kun pulled his head back, playing coy. “I can’t say it now; it wouldn’t be interesting if I told you.”

Ye Shaoyun immediately lost interest, but seeing a few more young women about to crowd around him, he had no choice but to agree to Qi Kun and head upstairs with him.

Chunlan Pavilion was the largest brothel in the capital, with powerful officials and nobles coming and going every day. The building was filled with the sounds of singing and dancing all day long. The group arrived on the third floor, where, from this height, the scene below could be overlooked in its entirety.

“This height has the best view; you can only enjoy this kind of treatment by following me.”

Ye Shaoyun let out a light snort. “Who doesn’t know that Chunlan Pavilion’s top-tier private rooms are reserved year-round for the Prince of Ning’an?”

Qi Kun looked proud. “See? That’s reputation!”

Ye Shaoyun glanced at him. “You even know that word?”

“I don’t know it. I’ve heard you say it; I probably know what it means.”

With that, he beckoned Ye Shaoyun into the private room. “Come on, let’s go in and take a look.”

Pushing the door open, a wave of powder-and-perfume fragrance rushed toward him; Ye Shaoyun had to cover his nose as he followed behind Qi Kun.

“What is that smell?”

“Perfume powder. Such a lovely scent you don’t like it? This is my favorite scent. I know you’re tired; sit down.”

Leading him to the table, Qi Kun clapped his hands, and servants immediately brought in wine and dishes.

Ye Shaoyun sat with a flick of his sleeves, his face still showing resistance to the place; he found the thick, heavy fragrance in the air very difficult to adapt to.

Then, he noticed a folding screen directly in front of them; behind the screen, shadows seemed to be flickering.

“Did you call someone?”

“I’ll let you see in a moment.” Qi Kun pushed the tea cup toward him. “Taste this tea. It’s one of the signature drinks of Chunlan Pavilion the aroma is pure and crisp.”

Ye Shaoyun: “…No need to look; you can tell them to go out directly.”

Qi Kun chuckled, the corners of his mouth curling into a meaningful arc. “What’s wrong? Is the National Preceptor in such a hurry to be alone with me?”

He would never have dared to provoke Ye Shaoyun like this before.

“…” Ye Shaoyun: “What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

Sensing that he was getting a bit scared, Qi Kun waved his hand. “Just a joke. The National Preceptor should taste this tea first.”

Ye Shaoyun half-believed him and raised the cup to his lips. Before he could take a sip, the fragrance of the tea leaves rushed to his nose. He lowered the cup and nodded. “The taste is indeed quite good.”

Having researched tea daily ever since his health had declined, he found his mood lifting significantly upon drinking a good tea.

“Of course! I knew you loved tea, so I chose it especially for you. How is it? Are you moved?”

Ye Shaoyun’s voice slowly turned cold: “What exactly is the matter? Speak.”

On the surface, Qi Kun appeared to be a playboy Prince, but none of the royal bloodline were truly useless. Today, he certainly hadn’t invited him here just to drink tea.

Qi Kun cleared his throat and sat up straight. “If I were to remonstrate with the Third Brother today, would the friendship between you and me end?”

Ye Shaoyun’s gaze drifted to the window, listening to the unreal clamor of the people outside. “Some things do not need to be made too clear.”

“We have known each other for so many years, and yet you still feel the need to probe me? It really hurts my feelings!” Qi Kun drank a cup of wine and sighed.

Ye Shaoyun raised a sharp gaze to meet Qi Kun’s dark eyes. “Are you not worth probing?”

Qi Kun only kept up his serious act for a few seconds before bursting into a laugh. “Indeed, nothing can be hidden from you.”

Ye Shaoyun picked up the tea cup again; the clear green ripples reflected the pale light in his eyes. “I not only know this, but I also know that out of all the princes, the person who most wants me dead is you.”

Once these words were spoken, even the wind outside the window fell silent. The smile that had just risen on Qi Kun’s face froze. After a long while, he shook his head. “As expected of the National Preceptor. When it comes to insight into the human heart, you are a step ahead of me.”

Ye Shaoyun’s expression remained as usual. He blew on the tea leaves in the cup, lifted it to his lips, and took a sip. “So now what?”

He had always known, but what did it matter? As long as this person dared not lay a hand on Qi Chu, he could look the other way and continue to treat him with feigned indifference.

A relaxed smile rose on Qi Kun’s face, but the arc of his lips was like a sharp blade. “From the moment you appeared by Qi Chu’s side, I wanted to kill you. Do you know why I didn’t make a move?”

“Because you didn’t have the guts.” Ye Shaoyun spat out the words lightly.

This sentence hit the mark, and Qi Kun nodded. “Indeed, but that is only one of the reasons.”

“The other reason is… I find you very interesting, and your appearance is particularly to my taste.”

Ye Shaoyun did not want to hear the details. “And so? Do you want to kill me now?”

Qi Kun shook his head. “Actually, for a long time at the beginning, I didn’t understand how someone could choose a discarded pawn in the cold palace. Later, seeing the people I arranged by Qi Chu’s side lose contact one by one, I think I understood.”

“What?”

“Because he is easy to control at least compared to others. Actually, your best choice back then should have been me, because my preparations were more thorough. If it weren’t for Qi Chu, the person in the position of Crown Prince right now would be me.”

Ye Shaoyun said indifferently, with killing intent gradually showing in his eyes. “Is that so? But it is not you now. How dare you tell me all this?”

“Because I’ve thought it through: no matter what I do, I can’t hide it from you. Do you know when I started to not want to kill you?”

Ye Shaoyun: “If you have something to say, say it. Don’t throw out so many questions.”

Qi Kun leaned back. “From the moment you resigned from your post and fled, only to be dragged back. You can believe me now I truly want to be friends with you. As long as Qi Chu isn’t standing in the middle, we would be excellent confidants, because we are very similar.”

Ye Shaoyun’s voice turned cold. “I don’t think so.”

Qi Kun smiled and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, that’s not important. You want to leave the capital, don’t you? I can help you.”

“How do you intend to help me? Help me escape so I won’t be dragged back? Do you intend to oppose the Crown Prince?”

Qi Kun’s expression grew increasingly excited, his eyes widening slightly. “Do you know how long I have been waiting for this day? I should thank the Crown Prince for clearing away other obstacles for me. Everything that needs to be prepared is ready; now there is only one step left just one step!”

Ye Shaoyun squinted slightly. “What are you going to do?”

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Qi Kun immediately stabilized his emotions. “Enter.”

A pageboy in palace attire pushed the door open and glanced at the two people in the room. “Your Highness.”

Qi Kun waved his hand. “Just say it directly.”

“In the afternoon, His Majesty went to Noble Consort Chun’s palace. When he returned, he vomited blood. Now, all the imperial physicians have rushed to the Qinzheng Hall. It has been half an hour, and there is still no word.”

Qi Kun: “Good! Go and wait; report back the moment there is news!”

After the pageboy left, Qi Kun looked at Ye Shaoyun, a look of wild, crazy laughter appearing on his face. “Did you hear? Our Emperor is not going to make it. What should we do now?”