Ch. 32 - Zhong Yansheng: His Royal Highness Prince Ding?

Zhan Rong walked quickly into the bedroom with the medicine in his hand, as fast as the wind.

The entire room was sealed tightly, with the windows covered with black cloth. It was dim, and only a candle was lit. The dim light barely illuminated a small circle around the bed, reflecting several blurry figures a few feet away from the head of the bed.

The incense burner that was lit to calm the mind and help with sleep was kicked to the corner of the wall, and the embers spread all over the floor. The porcelain that could be easily broken was put away early.

No, there was still a piece of porcelain there - it was a jade vase with twined branches in blue and white, with the pomegranate flower inserted in it. The prince would take a look at it when he had nothing to do, but Zhan Rong was afraid that it would break, and he would be in trouble for no reason, so he moved it to the window in advance to avoid being held accountable.

He skillfully avoided the objects that had rolled and fallen on the ground, walked quickly to the side of the people, and lowered his voice: "Doctor Lou, the medicine is ready... How is His Highness? Is he asleep?"

Lou Qingtang held a handkerchief and pressed it against his forehead. The corner of his mouth was blue, and his face looked bad. "He barely closed his eyes and took a nap. I guess it was because he got caught in the rain a few days ago. His headache was on the verge of breaking out. It was even worse than last time. Your prince is really patient. He must have been feeling uncomfortable when he came back that day."

Zhan Rong held the medicine in his hand, looking worried: "What should we do? Can we use acupuncture to relieve the symptoms like before?"

Lou Qingtang put down his handkerchief, revealing the bruise on his forehead. He pointed to two bruises on his face, one from Xiao Nong, the other from something thrown at him: "See? This is what happens if you dare to get within three feet of him now. If you get any closer, he can twist my head off."

Zhan Rong: "…"

Zhan Rong gritted his teeth, handed the medicine to the person beside him, and rolled up his sleeves: "I will hold the prince down, you give him the acupuncture!"

"Hey, don't." Lou Qingtang and several nearby guards quickly held down Zhan Rong. Lou Qingtang's expression was unusually serious, not joking, "Don't think that he looks like he has fallen asleep now. If you dare to approach him at this time, you will die without knowing how."

Zhan Rong was silent.

He was forcibly conscripted to the border at the age of fourteen. He was badly injured on the battlefield and was discovered by Xiao Nong who was cleaning up the battlefield. He was brought back to the barracks and saved his life. Since then, he has been following Xiao Nong. After so many years, he naturally knows his master's temper.

Prince Ding had a terrible reputation outside, especially in terms of how he treated his enemies and how he controlled his subordinates. He was said to be like an Asura from hell. But only they knew that the prince was actually very lenient towards his personal guards and secret guards. When he had free time, he would joke with them, drink and eat meat with them, and was quite indulgent.

It is said that when Mobei City was broken, more than a dozen personal guards around the old Prince Ding risked their lives to send Xiao Nong back to the capital. All the twelve personal guards who had watched Xiao Nong grow up were wiped out, and they all died in front of him to escort him.

But when his headache struck, Xiao Nong ignored everyone.

Zhan Rong knew very well that if he approached at this time, he would most likely be seriously injured or killed.

Zhan Rong squeezed the edge of the medicine bowl tightly and said, "Doctor Lou, can you think of another solution?"

"I'm sorry." Lou Qingtang sighed, "I'm not very skilled. I've tried so many methods over the years, including extraction and pain relief, but nothing works. I'm really at my wit's end."

Including Zhan Rong, the faces of several guards turned pale, and they looked at the person at the head of the bed.

His Royal Highness Prince Ding, who used to be so relaxed and at ease, able to handle any situation with ease, now lay silently on the bed, even the rise and fall of his chest was extremely subtle, a thin layer of sweat floated on his handsome pale face, his long hair was disheveled, his breathing was very shallow, but a blue vein was faintly visible on his forehead, showing the excruciating pain in his head that he was enduring at this moment.

Since Lou Qingtang could be used by Xiao Nong, his medical skills must be good. As a half-doctor, he felt bad seeing the patient suffering from the pain but being unable to do anything about it. Although he usually joked with Xiao Nong and laughed at him for dying from pain sooner or later, he didn't really want him to die from pain.

He scratched his head irritably, and suddenly an idea came to his mind.

Lou Qingtang took a tentative step forward, and Xiao Nong, who seemed unaware of the outside world, immediately moved his eyelids.

After confirming that he should be able to hear the sound at this time, Lou Qingtang stopped, swallowed his saliva, and lowered his voice and said: "Your Highness Prince Ding, do you remember where you put your 'good medicine'?"

Earlier in the carriage, he wanted to give Xiao Nong the newly written pain-relieving prescription, but Xiao Nong replied, "I have good medicine."

Lou Qingtang naturally didn't take it to heart. If there really was medicine, why wouldn't Xiao Nong be unable to get up and be in such severe pain after having a sudden headache this morning?

But he still asked with a glimmer of hope.

After the words fell, Xiao Nong, who had been almost silent and seemed to be fast asleep, moved his eyelids and opened his eyes silently.

Those deep blue eyes had turned into a dark blue that was almost black. The faint candlelight seemed to have been sucked into those eyes. There was no light at all, only a little blood-red. In the dim candlelight, it was like some kind of evil demon that had suddenly descended, revealing a beast-like coldness.

When they saw him, their scalps tightened immediately, thinking that Xiao Nong had completely lost his mind and was going crazy.

There was an experience of him going crazy once before, and everyone is still frightened when they think about it. They just can't understand how a person with a terrible headache could injure dozens of people and even three or four highly skilled guards couldn't hold him down.

But after those manic and cold eyes glanced at them, Xiao Nong did not draw his sword directly. Instead, he pressed his forehead, sat up, and said in a low and hoarse voice: "Zhan Rong, where is Zhong Yansheng?"

Zhan Rong was stunned for a moment, not understanding why his master could still muster the energy to ask about the whereabouts of the young master at this time. "My lord, the spies guarding outside the Huai'an Marquis' Mansion reported that Young Master Zhong just left with Zhong Sidu to attend a private banquet at Prince Jing's Mansion."

Xiao Nong had no expression on his face: "Prepare the carriage and go to Prince Jing's Mansion."

Zhan Rong said "Ah" in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face: **"Yes!"**As soon as he turned around, he was called again.

"Zhan Rong."

Xiao Nong closed his eyes tiredly and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He guessed that he must look miserable and scary now, like an evil ghost, which would scare some timid little bird so much that its eyes turned red, and it dared not shed tears.

I promised not to scare him again.

His Highness Prince Ding's words are as good as gold.

He slowly stood up by holding onto the bedpost. His tall figure swayed for a moment, and then he stood firmly under the worried gazes of others. His waist became straight again: "Hot water."

Zhong Yansheng didn't sleep well last night. He tossed and turned and had nightmares all night long. Thus, he couldn't help but yawn slightly in the swaying carriage.

Zhong Sidu sat opposite him. Seeing him sleepy with his eyes closed and unable to open, a smile flashed across his eyes. He poured a cup of warm tea and handed it to him, saying in a gentle voice, "Drink some tea to wake you up."

Zhong Yansheng rubbed his eyes and took it, saying obediently, "Thank you."

The tea was the strong tea that Yun Cheng had prepared in advance. After trying to get Zhong Yansheng to wake up but to no avail, he took a sip, and it was so bitter that it went to the root of his tongue. Zhong Yansheng's sleepiness disappeared immediately.

He stayed at home these days and asked Yun Cheng to keep an eye on the news outside. He found that His Royal Highness Prince Ding seemed to no longer look for "Yuan Yuan" in a high-profile manner.

One possibility is that he has already found it, and the other possibility is that he is no longer interested and does not want to look for it anymore.

Thinking about Xiao Nong's strange behavior, Zhong Yansheng didn't know whether he should be relieved. Anyway, after attending this private banquet with His Royal Highness Prince Jing, he would not go out for half a month.

After finishing a cup of tea, Zhong Yansheng slowly put the teacup back, glanced at Zhong Sidu who was also reading in the car, and tentatively said, "Zhong Sidu."

Zhong Sidu paused and looked up at him: "Hmm?"

Zhong Yansheng moved closer to him and inquired, "Dad talked to you yesterday, but he didn't talk about when I would continue my studies, right?"

"Um."

Hearing the answer, Zhong Yansheng looked at him expectantly: "Then let's discuss it. Don't mention these things in front of Dad, and don't come to my study room in the future."

Zhong Sidu stared at him for a moment, and his voice became gentler: "I mentioned this to my father yesterday. He thinks you've been too lazy lately, so he asked me to come to you tomorrow morning to study."

Zhong Yansheng: "…"

He thought Zhong Sidu's attitude had improved! But it turned out to be even worse!

Seeing Zhong Yansheng sulking and moving away, Zhong Sidu lowered his head to read again, but his mind was not on the book. His fingertips stroked the pages for a moment, and he heard Zhong Yansheng call out again: "Zhong Sidu."

He finally couldn't help it and looked up at Zhong Yansheng: "Why don't you call me brother?"

Zhong Yansheng was stunned: "Ah?"

"You can call me that in front of your parents, so why don't you want to call me that in private?"

After blurting out what was in his heart, the rest of the words suddenly became easy to spit out. Zhong Sidu pursed his lips and asked: "Is it because of my previous attitude?"

Zhong Yansheng looked at him blankly.

He still remembered that half a month ago, Zhong Sidu told him with a sour face that he would not like him.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhong Yansheng looked at Zhong Sidu who was looking at him with burning eyes and shook his head: "No."

He didn't know why, but it was difficult for him to call Zhong Sidu brother.

Maybe it's because… I already had a fake brother with a bad temper.

Realizing that his words were a bit impulsive, Zhong Sidu quickly regained his composure, looked at him, sighed, and turned away: "...Just pretend I didn't say anything."

Zhong Yansheng blinked slowly and uttered a low "oh".

The carriage fell silent again, and the two of them didn't say a word for the rest of the journey.

When His Royal Highness Prince Jing has nothing to do, he likes to find people to drink with and make friends everywhere. Many people came to the private banquet today. When the carriage from the Marquis of Huai'an's Mansion arrived, many people had already arrived outside Prince Jing's Mansion, making it quite lively.

Similar to the previous flower-fighting banquet in Jinghua Garden, there was silence all around when the carriage from the Huai'an Marquis' Mansion arrived.

The only difference was that last time it was because of the rumors about the real and fake prince in the Huai'an Marquis Mansion, and this time it was because of Zhong Yansheng.

Although the events in Yannan Mountain were deliberately suppressed by those with ulterior motives, there is no wall that is impenetrable. Some people still couldn't keep their mouths shut and leaked some news about Zhong Yansheng and Prince Ding.

In the capital, once a rumor is leaked, it will spread among all the noble families in the capital within a few days.

For example, it is said that the fake young master of Huai'an Marquis's family has an extremely handsome face.

For example, this fake young master seemed to have some entanglement with His Royal Highness Prince Ding. On that day in Yannan Mountain, His Royal Highness Prince Ding took him away alone.

The rumors about Xiao Nong have never been romantic, but always have a bloody flavor.

After all, there were too many people who tried to get close to His Royal Highness Prince Ding and suffered misfortunes, so no one spread the word about it anymore.

The previous rumor said that everyone in Xiao Nong's harem had wives and children because he had a habit of sharing peaches and homosexuality, and the one who liked men was said to be a corrupt official who wanted to please Prince Ding and do something convenient. When he didn't get a response, he became angry and made up some messy rumors. A while ago, when he was walking on the road, his head suddenly fell off.

There is also Meng Qiping, who broke a finger because of an offense with a single word and is still lying weakly in the hospital bed.

So even if Xiao Nong had carried Zhong Yansheng away from Yannan Mountain, everyone had seen the precedent and remained silent, and no one dared to guess in an ambiguous direction. So the public's guess was - could the enemy that His Royal Highness Prince Ding was looking for a while ago be related to Zhong Yansheng?

This fake young master is probably going to be in big trouble.

Whether it was the rumor that Zhong Yansheng had an overly handsome face, or the rumor that he had a grudge against His Royal Highness Prince Ding, it aroused everyone's extreme curiosity.

So when the carriage from the Marquis of Huai'an arrived, the place outside Prince Jing's mansion fell silent.

Some of them who had seen Zhong Yansheng at the foot of Yannan Mountain that day lowered their voices and nudged the people around them with their elbows: "He is really beautiful! Like a little fairy."

The people around were full of suspicion and distrust: "If he is so beautiful, why does he wear a veil all the time? Only people with ugly appearance would cover up and deceive us..."

The rest of the words could not be uttered.

Zhong Sidu got off the carriage first, and decisively pushed aside Yun Cheng who was trying to help Zhong Yansheng. He raised his hand and helped the young man who was bending over to get out of the carriage.

Because he heard that Xiao Nong was facing the wall to reflect on his mistakes, and it would be quite troublesome to wear a veil hat, as it would get in the way and block his sight, so Zhong Yansheng did not wear a veil hat today.

"How about it?"

The person who had just spoken was poked, and stared over there for a while, and uttered: "Your Highness Prince Ding really has a grudge against him, not love?"

There was a burst of laughter around them: "How is that possible? What are you thinking? That's His Royal Highness Prince Ding."

"Your Highness Prince Ding kills without blinking an eye, how could he possibly show mercy to a woman?"

"That's right."

"Tsk tsk, I heard from my father that Marquis Huai'an has begged His Majesty a few days ago to appoint Young Master Zhong as the heir of Marquis of Huai'an. In a few days, this fake young master will be nothing... hehe."

"Now that I think about it, maybe I have a chance..."

Zhong Yansheng didn't hear the messy whispers. He had just got off the carriage and hadn't walked into the gate of Prince Jing's mansion when Pei Hong came to greet him. He glanced at Zhong Sidu, raised his hand to pull Zhong Yansheng over to his side, and smiled at the others beside him: "What are you all standing here for? Come on, I'm going to open all the best private brews I brought from Jingzhou today."

Zhong Sidu frowned, not caring about being ignored by Pei Hong, and followed him calmly.

Zhong Yansheng was sandwiched between the two people. He moved slowly and felt the space was a bit narrow. He wanted to step back and let the two of them squeeze by themselves. He took a step back, but was grabbed by the arm and pushed back again.

Zhong Yansheng: "…"

The others immediately gathered around him, laughing and saying, "Your Highness's private brew tastes better than many fine wines. I've been dreaming about it for a long time."

"Are they all open? Your Highness is really generous. I won't go home until I'm drunk today!"

These people were all descendants of royal nobles, either rich or noble. Some were the neglected younger sons, and some were the spoiled youngest sons. Pei Hong treated them all equally, and joked with them calmly with a smile. Only then did he turn around and talk to Zhong Yansheng. When the words came to his lips, he sighed first.

Zhong Yansheng was puzzled. Why did people always look at him and sigh recently? Did he look so apologetic that it made people want to sigh?

Pei Hong sighed and said, "Xiao Sheng, why do you get sick every time you go out with me?"

The first time was when they went to the garden, Zhong Yansheng fell into the water and had a high fever and was unconscious for several days. The second time they went hunting, Zhong Yansheng was caught in a heavy rain and fainted again with a fever. He slept in a daze for two days.

Zhong Yansheng thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness Prince Jing, next time you ask me out, I will go to the temple to pray first."

Pei Hong raised his eyebrows and smiled: "Are you complaining that I'm unlucky?"

"No." Zhong Yansheng was honest. "I just found out that we will be unlucky if we go out together."

Pei Hong laughed: "Next time I will definitely check the almanac."

Zhong Yansheng whispered in his heart that it was useless to look at the almanac.

Every time he sees it before going out, he will bump into Xiao Nong... Come to think of it, it seems that it showed no problem in going out today as well.

But right now, His Royal Highness Prince Ding is in the mansion reflecting on his mistakes and will not appear here.

Zhong Yansheng thought with relief, not knowing how Xiao Nong was doing. If he came to see him, should he first thank Yan Nanshan for saving him, or apologize for sleeping with him on the houseboat that night?

Maybe he won't be able to tell, and will be eaten by His Royal Highness Prince Ding.

As Zhong Yansheng thought about it, he couldn't help but sigh.

Prince Jing's Palace was not as grand and luxurious as Prince Ding's Palace, but it was also exquisite. Pei Hong entertained everyone in the lotus garden of the palace. The banquet was already prepared. The lotus flowers in June were in full bloom, and the fragrance was refreshing.

Zhong Yansheng was led by Pei Hong to sit in the seat closest to the main seat. Zhong Sidu followed him and sat down silently. He showed Pei Hong an impeccable smile and said in a gentle and elegant manner: "Thank you, Your Highness. My brother is shy. I will take care of him by his side. There is no need to arrange a separate seat for him."

He reacted too quickly and blocked all the words. Pei Hong was stunned for a moment and laughed angrily: "You... Master Zhong is really quick-witted."

Zhong Sidu smiled and said, "You're too kind."

Zhong Yansheng saw that the atmosphere between the two of them was a little off, as if they were about to quarrel for no apparent reason, so he poked each of them with two fingers and said, "Your Highness Prince Jing, you have guests."

Pei Hong had no choice but to keep his words to himself and go to entertain his guests.

King Jing had too many friends, and many people came to the private banquet. It was very noisy, and many people knew each other and had already started to toast together.

Zhong Yansheng liked to stay alone quietly, so he didn't move from his seat. He sat next to Zhong Sidu and concentrated on looking at the lotus and koi in the pond in the distance, thinking that today's almanac must be real, and it didn't lie to him.

Otherwise, he would burn the old almanac when he goes back today.

His eyebrows and features were extremely beautiful, and the lines of his profile were graceful and elegant. Even when he was in a trance, he seemed to have a brilliant and dazzling charm, which was dazzling and eye-catching.

Noticing the glaring glances from all around, Zhong Sidu and Yun Cheng both frowned in unison for the first time. One of them slightly turned his body to block Zhong Yansheng, while the other poured water from the table for Zhong Yansheng: "Master, are you thirsty? Drink some water to moisten your throat."

Zhong Yansheng came back to his senses, took the small cup and took a sip. He found that the water tasted sweet and had a fragrance of fruit. He didn't know what it was made of. After drinking a cup, he liked it very much: "Another cup."

He lowered his head, and his features could not be seen clearly. The eyes of those around him were filled with a faint sigh, and they looked away with regret.

Almost all the guests had arrived. Pei Hong returned to the main seat and clapped his hands. The musicians began to play beautiful music.

Everyone toasted Pei Hong, "Your Highness Prince Jing, have a drink!"

"In the entire capital, there is no other friend as loyal as His Royal Highness Prince Jing."

"I haven't had time to congratulate Your Highness yet. The daughter of the Minister of Rites is also a rare beauty."

The smile on Pei Hong's lips remained unchanged. When he heard the word "beauty", he couldn't help but glance at Zhong Yansheng who was sitting below him.

Upon closer look, he discovered that Zhong Yansheng was drinking the homemade brew he had made.

Plums were added to the homemade wine, and after a special brewing process, it tasted refreshing and slightly sweet with a fruity flavor. The alcohol taste was very light, but it had a strong aftertaste.

Just as he was surprised, Zhong Yansheng came with another drink.

Pei Hong couldn't sit still any longer, but the banquet had already started and everyone else was toasting him, so he couldn't leave. He could only whisper to the people around him, "Go watch Xiao Sheng, and ask the people around him to hold him down and stop him from drinking."

Zhong Yansheng felt nothing at all.

After he drank three cups, he felt his throat was still dry, and his stomach was hot. The water in the cup was sweet and refreshing. He felt very comfortable drinking it and couldn't help wanting to drink more.

The noisy sounds around him faded away, his body became light, and the breeze brushed his face, it was so comfortable.

Zhong Sidu also realized something was wrong, and promptly stopped him from bringing the cup to his mouth. He took it and sniffed it, smelling a hint of alcohol.

Yun Cheng realized later that he had poured wine, his face changed instantly, and he whispered hurriedly: "I'll go find some hangover soup... Please, Master, take care of the young master."

Zhong Sidu didn't look at him, just nodded.

Zhong Yansheng didn't notice that his cup had been taken away. When he put it to his mouth, he realized that there was nothing in his hand. He was stunned for a while, turned to look at Zhong Sidu with a frown, and reached out to take the wine cup back.

Zhong Sidu held his hand: "This is wine, you are drunk."

Zhong Yansheng's cheeks flushed red like a drunken cloud. He could no longer understand what people were saying, and said in a sullen voice, "Thirsty."

The gentle smile on Zhong Sidu's face disappeared: "No, you can't drink anymore."

Zhong Yansheng didn't listen to him and reached out to grab the wine glass, but Zhong Sidu held him down and didn't let him drink.

The two were competing here, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet, and then a sound was heard.

The voice in Zhong Yansheng's ears was very far away, as if it came from the sky. He didn't pay much attention to it. He lowered his head and focused on snatching the cup back.

I tried to grab it for a while but failed and my arms were sore.

Zhong Yansheng felt a little aggrieved, his body was not quite under his control, he scratched around a few times, staggering here and there. Out of the corner of his eye, he vaguely saw a familiar face and a pair of deep blue eyes like the night sky.

His Royal Highness Prince Ding.

No, how could His Royal Highness Prince Ding be here?

Today is a good day for everything, including traveling.

His Royal Highness Prince Ding is a fake brother.

There was a real brother next to him, and His Royal Highness King Jing also jokingly asked him to call him brother...

So many brothers.

Zhong Yansheng felt dizzy and staggered around like a drunk cat. Finally, he lost his strength and leaned against Zhong Sidu, with those blue eyes flashing through his mind.

Zhong Sidu's body stiffened slightly, and then he heard a low voice in his ear, the tone was sticky and soft: "Brother."

Zhong Sidu was completely frozen, staring at him in astonishment.

The thin eyelids of the person beside him were as red as spring peaches, slightly closed, and he murmured again: "Brother..."

Are you still angry with him?

Just as he finished muttering the rest of the words in his mind, he suddenly felt a cold gaze falling directly on his head.

Zhong Yansheng's eyelashes trembled, and he suddenly became a little more awake. When he opened his eyes, his eyes were as bright as the light of a lake, his lips were moist and red. He stared blankly in that direction and subconsciously touched his uncovered face.

...His Royal Highness Prince Ding?

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