Chapter 30

"Pang Qi."

Wen Besang, holding the sleeve arrow, asked as soon as he entered the room, "Do you have a chisel and a hammer?"

Pang Qi was standing before the palace door, wiping the pillar repeatedly with a cloth. His expression was vacant, his eyes unfocused, looking as if he were facing imminent disaster.

Wen Besang walked over and reached out to nudge him.

Pang Qi regained his senses, and upon seeing him, said, "Your Highness the Crown Princess, you have returned."

"I am not the Crown Princess; I am Wen Besang."

"..." Pang Qi fully snapped out of it and said, "Young Master, you are back. What was it you just asked for?"

"A chisel and a hammer."

Pang Qi left, and Wen Besang returned to the hall, sat at the table, and began to take apart the sleeve arrow.

Cheng Yun soon entered the room and said, "I am going to the study to handle official business."

"Hmm," he replied without looking up.

Cheng Yun said, "You’ve broken it; you won't be able to put it back together later."

"If I break it, I'll compensate you."

"..." Cheng Yun drew back his foot, about to head to the study, when hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from behind.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, wait!"

It was Lou Zhaozi.

He headed straight forward, and Lou Zhaozi trotted to catch up: "Your Highness, which month is the river in your dream? Was the bank covered in snow or lined with weeping willows? Could you give us a straight answer? So we can take precautions... It’s such freezing weather, it’s really impossible to go into the water!"

Wen Besang continued working on his sleeve arrow, and soon two tools were placed before him. Pang Qi didn't have time to converse with him before he also chased after Cheng Yun: "Your Highness, Your Highness, did the servant in your dream ever make it out of the river? Please, have mercy and tell me."

Wen Besang looked at the tools before him, turned his head toward the outside, and listened for a while.

He couldn't understand it, but he had heard the word 'dream' once again.

Dreams... Why do Lou Zhaozi and Pang Qi care so much about the dreams Gong Wuchang has?

And Gong Wuchang himself, every time he mentions a dream, it seems like such a significant matter.

What mystery lies within these dreams?

Wen Besang looked down at the sleeve arrow split into two halves, reached out to pick up the chisel, and hammered it into a gap.

-

Prime Minister's Residence, Study.

"Cheng Yun brought the Dream Demon along and even claimed he was his beloved concubine?" The Prince of Chu was completely baffled: "What on earth does this mean?"

"Calling a deer a horse, turning black into white," Zhou Cangshu said. "This Crown Prince, he truly does not want to be the Crown Prince anymore."

Seeing the murderous intent on his face, the Prince of Chu felt a slight tightening in his chest. His eyes flickered as he said, "Cheng Yun, this time, has indeed gone a bit too far..."

This could be called a direct insult, almost riding roughshod over Zhou Cangshu.

But the Prince of Chu did not fan the flames at this moment; he made his point and stopped. Saying too much would likely be counterproductive.

He picked up his tea and said, "Didn't you say, Teacher, that the Dream Demon could never be tamed?"

"Wen Besang cannot be tamed," Zhou Cangshu said coldly, "but Gong Sheng, I fear, has already bowed his head!"

The Prince of Chu was stunned and immediately said, "Impossible! I would rather believe he came here today with another motive!"

"What else could he be plotting?!" Zhou Cangshu’s voice suddenly grew louder. The Prince of Chu looked startled; he had never seen his teacher so angry. "You two have been feuding for years. Even if he is arrogant, he has not reached the point of spouting such blatant lies. Everything he did today must be for the sake of that evil obstacle."

"Didn't he also bring up the matter of the Star-Moon Tower?"

"The Star-Moon Tower incident was over twenty years ago. Back then, it was I who personally uprooted the intelligence organization of the Qi State spread throughout the entire capital. It was because of that achievement that I was able to ascend to the position of Prime Minister. The premiership was granted by the late Emperor himself; what else could there be to investigate?"

-

Although that was true, the Prince of Chu always felt something was wrong: "Cheng Yun is not the type of person to lose his head over beauty. He has not had a single concubine in his residence to this day... Teacher, we cannot concentrate all our energy on the Dream Demon; there is a high probability of an oversight."

Zhou Cangshu suppressed his rage and said, "We must lead him to ruin his own future."

"How?"

"This matter requires the Noble Consort to step in," Zhou Cangshu said. "Request an imperial decree to grant a marriage."

"Grant a marriage?" The Prince of Chu chuckled: "How would granting a marriage cause him to ruin himself?"

"What if he refuses the imperial decree?"

"He has refused imperial decrees more than once or twice, but with the Empress protecting him, the Emperor cannot do anything to him!"

"What if he refuses the decree for the sake of a man?"

The Prince of Chu reacted for a moment, finally realizing, and said, "I, I don't think it's possible. Cheng Yun, he shouldn't... for the sake of a man..."

"If he truly likes men, would the Empress still protect him?"

"Given his temperament, if he truly sets his mind on something, I fear even the Empress could not..." The Prince of Chu finally understood: "You don't want him to defy the Emperor, but to create a rift between him and the Empress... The Empress has always been ruthless. If she could be made to personally eliminate the Dream Demon..."

He slowly smiled and sighed, bowing: "Student has been taught."

Zhou Cangshu remained silent, his eyes beneath his graying brows dark and unfathomable.

-

Changle Palace.

Inside the openwork twin-phoenix incense burner lid, the charcoal brazier emitted a faint crackling sound.

The Empress, draped in a phoenix-patterned crimson silk robe, was using a comb to brush a rabbit's fur. Her hair was coiled high, adorned only with a phoenix-tail gold hairpin. Her fingertips were stained with henna, her posture relaxed yet dignified, her expression leisurely yet unmistakably majestic.

On the small couch beside her, two smaller rabbits were nibbling on green leaves.

The jade comb continuously brushed away loose fur, and the rabbit in her hands appeared very docile.

"Cheng Yun went to the Prime Minister's residence and brought little Ah Sang?"

"More than that, he even called a deer a horse at the residence, saying that it was his newly taken beloved concubine."

"He really doesn't know how to speak," Chang Hezhu said. "Since he went, he should have said something more pleasant; what is a 'beloved concubine'?"

The female official coughed lightly and said, "For the Crown Prince, this is already not easy. At least he has finally accepted everything from his dreams."

"I don't think so," the Empress let go of the rabbit and picked up a new one to continue brushing. "Those things in his dreams are not so easy for him to accept. This child, his self-esteem is strong; he has a lot of grinding ahead of him."

"You knew everything would happen, why didn't you advise the Crown Prince?"

"If I had advised him, he would have been even angrier, thinking that I didn't believe him either, and in a fit of rage, he would have done who knows how many wrong things."

"At the beginning, it was quite a mess, but fortunately, he was saved from the city defense the other day; they should have put aside their previous grievances."

The Empress shook her head, "I hope so."

"The Crown Prince didn't just go to show off his power today; it seems he also discussed some old matters with Prime Minister Zhou."

"Good, beat the grass to scare the snake. If there really was something fishy about the events of that year, Zhou Cangshu will likely be unable to sit still."

"But the Star-Moon Tower matter has been over twenty years..."

"Isn't Shen Yuerong still locked in the dungeon?" Chang Hezhu said lightly. "Keep her locked up for a few more years, her mind will get increasingly muddled. The truth of what happened back then will come to light sooner or later."

At this moment, someone approached from outside. The female official went out and returned saying, "It is the Crown Prince handling the affairs of the Stability Bureau. I see that he is becoming more and more proficient."

The Empress smiled gently, her eyes shining: "I wonder when he will be willing to bring that person to see me."

"Then should we prepare a generous gift in advance?"

"Prepare for what?" The Empress's tone changed, and she raised her eyebrows: "I have always stood by him, firmly believing that he could not possibly fall for a man. If he truly brings that person to see me, it would be a slap in my face, and I would certainly break his dog legs."

The female official couldn't help but smile: "You... you don't sound like a mother at all."

"Who would have thought that the child I saved by chance would have such a destiny with my son... One really should do more good deeds, right?"

She gently scratched the rabbit's head with her fingers.

-

"Little Dream Demon? Little Dream Demon?!"

The voice seemed to come from very far away, but Wen Besang was already used to it. Hearing the commotion getting closer, he got up and walked out of the sleeping quarters.

Chang Xingzhu brought two people and was walking this way: "Little Dream Demon! You really are back!"

Song Qianfan said, "So you are the Dream Demon, Young Master. Why didn't you just say so that day? I said so many things I shouldn't have in front of His Highness..."

Qi Ping'an bowed properly: "First meeting, I brought some braised food. Shall we eat together?"

When Cheng Yun came out of the study, a square table had already been set up in his sleeping quarters. Four people sat around it, with Mahjong tiles placed in front of each person. Beside each hand was a small round table with braised meat, edamame, and fruit.

The floor was littered with fruit peels and bone scraps.

He looked at the floor, then at a certain someone inside, along with those three "wine-sacks and rice-bags" who caused trouble wherever they went, and listened to the clattering of the Mahjong tiles. He said in a low voice, "When did this start?"

"An hour ago."

"Why not go to the left hall?"

"Young Master said the floor heating is on in the sleeping quarters, and it's warm."

Cheng Yun retreated to calm down for a while.

This is the sleeping quarters, the sleeping quarters! What kind of place is the sleeping quarters? In the past, others would pass by holding their breath, and here he was, bringing a group of people to play Mahjong!

And making the floor dirty and messy!

Inside the sleeping quarters, the sound of shuffling tiles suddenly quieted down, only Wen Besang was still clattering, clattering.

The three of them moved their feet at the same time, gently kicking Wen Besang.

Wen Besang withdrew his hands, looked up, and at the three people's signal, tilted his face up.

Cheng Yun stood behind him expressionless. Their eyes met, and he said coldly, "Is it fun?"

"Fun."

He was kicked under the table again. Wen Besang, not understanding why, got up from the chair and said, "I'll let you play."

He was certainly obedient. Cheng Yun smiled and said, "I won't play; you play."

Wen Besang looked at him, and Cheng Yun said, "Truth, I won't play."

Wen Besang felt relieved, sat back down, and continued clattering, clattering.

Chang Xingzhu and the other two exchanged glances and slowly raised their hands to try clattering as well. The Crown Prince's expression was calm, showing no anger, so the noisy Mahjong sound suddenly grew louder.

Cheng Yun beckoned, and soon someone brought a stool over. He sat quietly beside Wen Besang, casually shelling the edamame on the round table and placing them in a dish to the side.

Several people began to stack the tiles. Qi Ping'an glanced over here: "Yo..."

Before he could finish, Cheng Yun said, "I like to shell them before eating. What are you 'yo-ing' about?"

Qi Ping'an: "..."

He retracted the 'yo'.

Wen Besang reached out to feel for the edamame, accurately found them, put them in his mouth, and crunched them. The beans were pressed into his mouth by his teeth, and the bean skins were spat out.

Cheng Yun, without changing his expression, swapped the position of the shelled beans with the unshelled ones.