The Moon Falls into the Galaxy - Chapter 6

Xie Qingshu’s expression turned even more severe. “Resent me?” She sneered, “It’s your own stupidity.”

Xue Yun had just been reprimanded by Shishi, and being provoked like this by Xie Qingshu made him feel even more displeased. He couldn’t save face, and he was on the verge of flicking his sleeves and leaving, but the thought of his deal with the Grandson of the Emperor made him feel deeply unwilling. He humbled himself, speaking in a gentle tone to soothe Xie Qingshu, and within a few words, he had coaxed her into laughter again.

Xue Yun understood Xie Qingshu’s vain and overbearing nature perfectly. Her love for him might not have been very genuine; she only took an interest in him because he was Shishi’s fiancé. He had to plan carefully: he needed to capture Shishi’s heart while simultaneously hooking Xie Qingshu’s soul. In the eyes of the public, he was the noble eldest son of a Marquis’s manor, but only he knew that compared to his two older brothers, he was nothing. He refused to be their backdrop, so he had to do everything in his power to climb higher.

Currently, the Crown Prince’s faction had lost favor, and the position of the heir was precarious. Princes like the Prince of Chu and the Prince of Qi, who were older, had no shortage of people currying favor with them even the Prince of Yong, who suffered from an eye ailment, had people trying to win him over. But how could changing the succession in the Eastern Palace be so easy? The Crown Prince himself had spent a lifetime of schemes just to barely ascend to his position; only those who had walked this path knew how difficult it was.

Xue Yun didn’t believe the Crown Prince would collapse easily. Although the Emperor disliked him, he had not deposed him. Still, he found it strange: why would Shishi suddenly be like this? She hadn’t been this way when they last met. The young girl had looked at him with bashfulness and smiles; her appearance had truly been beautiful to the extreme. Could someone have revealed something to her?

While lost in thought, he made his way toward Shishi’s Yue Zhao Courtyard, never expecting that before he could even reach the wooden bridge in front of her home, he would be driven away by the maids of her courtyard.

“The young lady does not see outside guests.”

The maid dressed in green glared at him, looking at him with immense disdain, as if she regarded him as a lecher who was visiting the Duke of Weiguo’s manor and attempting to trespass into the young lady’s private quarters. Shishi was gentle and easygoing, but the maids around her were more arrogant than the last. Their master had grown up in wealth and thus viewed power as nothing, but these servants who had crawled out of the mud knew all too well how wonderful power was.

The maid’s words were spoken with a familiarity that sounded as if she had repeated them a thousand times. In truth, one couldn’t blame them; who didn’t know that the eldest daughter of the Duke of Weiguo was blessed with a stunning and alluring beauty? There were even those who coveted her, saying that just one distant glimpse of her peerless beauty was worth a lifetime of fine wine.

Xue Yun had never been shut out like this before, but he knew clearly that even if he explicitly stated he was Shishi’s fiancé, she would not look at him with any more respect. Shishi marrying him was a marriage down; it was entirely because of the Duke of Weiguo that he had the good fortune to be her fiancé. Even when the Xie family was at their lowest, she was still more than qualified to marry him. He detested being looked down upon more than anything in his life; for now, he had to swallow his burning anger and leave in a rather pathetic state.

When Xue Yun returned to his manor, his younger brother was playing cuju (ancient football) with the attendants in the courtyard. Suddenly, he saw his brother take a flying kick, and the ball, wrapped tightly in leather, flew toward him like a stray arrow.

“Third Brother, watch out!”

Xue Wulang’s face was even paler than his brother’s as he rushed over to cover Xue Yun’s nose and mouth with a handkerchief. As the youngest in the family, most doted on by their mother, he feared nothing and knew he had caused a major disaster. Listening to his young brother chattering apologetically, Xue Yun’s anger flared even more. His clothes were splattered with blood, and his nasal cavity and throat were filled with the metallic tang of it. Xue Wulang’s kick had been too precise, hitting him straight in the face; now, he didn’t even have the strength to stand.

He slowly raised his arm, but eventually let it drop. Xue Wulang’s expression was in complete chaos: “Third Brother, what’s wrong?”

“Third Brother, say something!”

“Third Brother, you aren’t going to die, are you!”

Xue Wulang’s trembling hand moved the handkerchief to check his breathing. His attendants weren’t clever either, actually suggesting they pinch Xue Yun’s philtrum. Xue Yun’s vision was going black, but after a moment of reprieve, he finally found the strength to push his little brother away and stand up.

Before he could find clean water, he saw his second brother storming over: “Have you lost your mind?!”

“Don’t you know there are distinguished guests in the house today?” He grabbed his little brother’s ear, lowering his voice to berate him. “Playing cuju is one thing, but howling so loudly just now are you mourning the dead?”

The words were extremely harsh. Ostensibly he was speaking to Xue Wulang, but implicitly, he was scolding Xue Yun as well. The two had been at odds since childhood; though they were biological brothers, their open hostilities and secret schemes were never-ending. After reaching adulthood, Xue Yun had become more restrained, but today Xue Erlang had truly hit a sore spot. The two argued bitterly and were almost on the verge of a brawl. Xue Wulang, weeping with a mournful face, tried to mediate and unfortunately ended up getting bruised.

Xue Yun pursed his lips as he looked at the bruise on his little brother’s face. A fire was burning in his lungs. He had heard the household physician say that drinking poison felt just like this all his limbs were burning, his heart felt ready to burst. Xue Yun suppressed his anger to examine the red mark on his brother’s face. Xue Wulang’s cheekbone was already swollen high, looking rather pathetic. But Xue Yun didn’t think he looked any better than his little brother.

Just as Xue Yun was struggling to stand against the wall, the gate of the inner courtyard suddenly opened, and a tall, slender figure slowly emerged. His heart skipped a beat, and he slowly lifted his head to look at the man. His appearance was exquisite, handsome, and elegant. Even the sunlight falling upon him could not match the brilliance of his bearing. The golden jade crown and the dark dragon-patterned robes all signified his identity, and those glazed, jewel-like pupils clearly told everyone exactly who he was.

“Greetings, Prince of Yong.” Several people in the courtyard knelt and shouted in unison. He was born too beautifully; like the clear moonlight, he made them look even more vulgar and base than dust in the mud. A pity that this man has an eye ailment… he thought secretly. A dull ache of envy filled him; although they were all nobles from affluent families, in front of this man, they were as insignificant as blades of grass. Fortunately, he has an eye ailment, he thought again.

Li Yan’s expression was indifferent, and he merely nodded slightly. When he heard that one of them was Shishi’s fiancé, Xue Yun, he finally showed a trace of interest. The Marquis of Suian, who had been inwardly cursing his own unfilial sons, saw the Prince of Yong display some emotion and seized the opportunity. Li Yan remained silent, but when the Marquis urged him to stay for a cup of tea, he did not refuse.

Xue Yun followed his father into the inner courtyard, perplexed. The blood in his nasal cavity had just stopped, and he looked quite disheveled. It was his first time being so close to the Prince of Yong; even when meeting the Emperor, he hadn’t felt this flustered or disordered it seemed as if placing his hands anywhere was wrong. Li Yan’s expression remained calm, yet it didn’t make people feel detached. He spoke very little, leaving the Marquis to do all the talking.

Xue Yun weighed his words and, under his father’s gaze, spoke slowly. He felt lucky; it was fortunate that the Prince of Yong could not see. If he had known how frantic and disheveled he looked right now, it would have been too embarrassing. He secretly observed Li Yan from the shadows; whether it was his imagination or not, Xue Yun always felt that the Prince of Yong’s expression was sometimes strikingly similar to Shishi’s. Only, Shishi was too fragile and gentle, lacking that coldness. But then, he remembered that the Prince’s maternal family was the Xie clan, so some resemblance was only natural.

Just as he was lost in thought, Li Yan suddenly mentioned him: “Does Third Young Master have a fiancée?”

He certainly did have a fiancée, and one from the Xie family at that. Did the Prince of Yong not know this? Their relationship must have deteriorated to such a point that even this was unknown. Xue Yun was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to respond. He didn’t want to offend the Prince, so he looked at his father before answering through gritted teeth: “Replying to Your Highness, I do; she is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Weiguo.”

His emotions were far too obvious, as if Shishi were some disreputable secret mistress. Does he really dislike her that much?

Li Yan’s fingers gently brushed the rim of his teacup; the scalding tea transferred its heat through the porcelain into his fingertips, making even his jade thumb ring grow warm.

“Is that so?” He laughed lightly. The smile did not reach his eyes, appearing cold and indifferent. Xue Yun could not tell if he was pleased or displeased; his fingers tightened in his sleeves. In any case, this engagement won’t result in anything, he thought. Once Shishi enters the Eastern Palace, she will have nothing to do with me. With the Grandson of the Emperor to protect him, even if he kicked Xie Qingshu away later to choose someone else, it would be no problem.

He was only puzzled: when had his father come into contact with the Prince of Yong? Over these years, among the princes enfeoffed by the court, none had been more low-profile than Li Yan. Once, everyone believed he would be the next Crown Prince, but ever since his eye injury, he had gone completely silent. Yet, Xue Yun still felt nervous; the Prince of Yong’s aura was too overwhelming—even if he said nothing, he could still make people feel a sense of trembling.

After Li Yan left the Marquis’s manor, Xue Yun almost collapsed into his chair.

After Li Yan left, he returned directly to the Prince’s manor. He had been recuperating at Jueshan Temple for many days, and the flowering trees in the manor were already in full bloom. He leaned back in his soft chair and said softly, “Go and investigate again.”

The attendant, who had been reading documents aloud, froze and asked hesitantly, “Are you referring to Miss Xie, or the Third Young Master of the Xue family?”

“Look into both.” He picked up his cup and took a sip.

A gentle breeze blew across his face. Beneath his mask, those glazed, light-colored pupils revealed a profound coldness, accompanied by a hint of killing intent.

“And the Duke of Weiguo,” Li Yan added. He stroked the jade thumb ring on his hand; his slender, pale joints were strong, with the blue veins clearly visible. “I always feel something is strange,” he sighed softly. “What kind of father would send such a fine daughter into the embrace of wolves?”

Li Yan rarely spoke at length, and even more rarely revealed his thoughts or emotions. For him to be like this was already highly abnormal. The servant’s back was soaked in cold sweat, and he hurriedly acknowledged the order and retreated.

By the afternoon, the new documents were presented. Li Yan had been awake all night, but he still seemed in good spirits. The attendants had already changed shifts twice, but he had not closed his eyes for even a moment. The newly transferred attendant did not understand the rules and was unaware of the Prince of Yong’s temperament. He had barely started reading two sentences of the urgent business before him when he became so terrified he was on the verge of collapsing.

The Third Young Master of the Marquis of Suian’s manor is indeed having an illicit affair with the Second Miss of the Duke of Weiguo’s manor.”