His shout attracted the attention of several people around him. When Xie Zhaoxue saw the two people, he stopped what he was doing and walked towards them.
The handsome young man also followed excitedly and came to Wen Chan, “Your Royal Highness, I heard that you have been in a coma for two days. How are you now? Are you better?”
Wen Chan observed him closely and tentatively called out, “Zhong Wenjin?”
He grinned and shook his head from side to side, “How is it? Does my skin look better?”
Zhong Wenjin’s mood was obvious, as if he had encountered something happy, and he kept smiling.
Wen Chan felt it to be strange. It was clear that he was still sullen a few days ago. How long did it take for him to get over it?
He nodded and said, “It looks much better. Did Master Dan change it for you?”
“Yes, the ones he gave me before were too ugly. Two days ago, I learnt that he had come to the capital, so I asked him for a mask again.” Zhong Wenjin touched his face and said with satisfaction, “Although it’s not better than my own face, it’s better than the previous one.”
Wen Chan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “It will take some amount of money and effort to make this exquisite mask. Why is Master Dan so generous to you?”
“Maybe it is because Master Dan is so rich.” Zhong Wenjin said with a smile.
“Why are you so happy today? What good thing happened?” Wen Chan held back for a while but still couldn’t help asking.
“How can you tell that I’m happy?” Zhong Wenjin asked in surprise.
“You are smiling so hard that your eyes are not even opening.”
Zhong Wenjin smacked his lips and stopped arguing. Instead, he said, “There was indeed a little thing today that made me feel happy.”
Wen Chan didn’t intend to ask what it was but felt that Zhong Wenjin’s mood was a little off.
The Zhong family were gone overnight, some dead, some dispersed, and Zhong Guoyi’s whereabouts were unknown. What on earth happened to Zhong Wenjin that made him so happy?
He subconsciously glanced at Liang Yanbei but found that Liang Yanbei was also observing Zhong Wenjin, with inquiry and suspicion in his expression. When he met Wen Chan’s gaze, the end of his eyebrows moved, and he didn’t know what he was thinking about.
Then he said to Zhong Wenjin, “If you are changing the mask, you must use the potion made by Dan Ke to wash your face. Have you washed it?”
Zhong Wenjin was stunned and dumbfounded, “No, Dan Ke didn’t tell me this; he just gave me the mask.”
“The two masks are made of different materials. If you mix them without permission, be careful that your face can fester.” Liang Yanbei lowered his voice and deliberately put on a threatening appearance.
Zhong Wenjin was really scared. He touched his face, turned around, and left, “You guys talk first; I’ll go find him.”
Xie Zhaoxue caught a glimpse of him walking in a hurry, then smiled at Liang Yanbei and said, “Why are you scaring him?”
Liang Yanbei didn’t admit it and asked rhetorically, “How do you know if what I said is not true?”
“I specifically asked Master Dan, and he said that he could wear it directly.” Xie Zhaoxue said.
“You’re still so cautious.” Liang Yanbei sighed, “I sent him away because I want to ask you something.”
“I know what you want to ask.” Xie Zhaoxue said calmly. He glanced to the side and whispered, “There are too many people here. Let’s talk somewhere else.”
Wen Chan and Liang Yanbei also agreed with what he said. After Xie Zhaoxue finished his work, the three of them took a carriage and returned to the Xie Mansion.
It was the first time for Wen Chan to come to Xie Zhaoxue’s mansion. Although it was not big, it had pavilions, towers, rockeries, and flowing water. It was chic and clean.
After entering Xie Zhaoxue’s room, the three of them sat down at the table. Wen Chan took the lead and asked, “Has Zhong Wenjin had any problems recently?”
“Do you know something called gu?” Xie Zhaoxue asked back.
Wen Chan grew up in the capital and was completely unfamiliar with this kind of thing. When he heard him mention it, he looked confused, “What is it?”
Liang Yanbei frowned, “Gu, also known as gu worm[footnote]legendary venomous worm[/footnote], is a product of the southern Xinjiang generation, mostly used in pharmacology. This kind of worm has life and can harm or heal people when it is in the human body.”
“There is also a kind of gu, called wu gu, which is a gu worm refined by ancient witchcraft. But it destroys humanity and will bewitch the host. Some people’s temperament will also be changed after being infected with wu gu.”
Wen Chan was surprised, “If we breed a large number of them, wouldn’t we be unrivalled in the world?”
Liang Yanbei shook his head lightly, “It’s not easy to train a gu worm, let alone a wu gu. If you want to train a wu gu, I don’t know how many fresh lives have to be sacrificed, and it is extremely easy for it to fail. Perhaps there are no more people in this world who can make a real wu gu.”
“That’s right.” Xie Zhaoxue said, “The current wu gu was merely tinged with a bit of witchcraft and couldn’t truly be considered a genuine wu gu. But even such gus were incredibly rare and priceless.”
“Could it be that Zhong Wenjin was poisoned by a gu worm?” Wen Chan asked.
“This worm was given to him by Young Lady Situ.” He said.
“Situ Zhoulan?” Wen Chan was surprised and then looked at Liang Yanbei, “She can make gu?”
“Actually, the ancestors of the Situ family used to raise gu, but I don’t know what happened later. The Situ family began to prohibit the cultivation of gu internally, and all books and records about gu were destroyed. After many generations, the methods of raising gu were almost completely cut off, and even Uncle Situ had never touched a gu worm at all.” Liang Yanbei was also surprised, “I didn’t know she would raise gu.”
“Young Lady Situ said that this gu worm was raised by her for trial, and it is not poisonous. But it can make people forget their worries.” Xie Zhaoxue looked serious, “But I am still a little worried. It’s a pity that I was not there when Zhong Wenjin ate the gu that day, and I had no time to stop it.”
“How is Zhong Wenjin behaving after eating the gu?” Wen Chan said.
“Everything is the same as before, but he has completely forgotten about the Zhong family. No matter what was mentioned, there was no trace of sadness.”
“It is said that a good gu can stay in the human body and keep the body healthy and eliminate all diseases. However, if the host is attacked by it, it will have the opposite effect and cause great harm to the human body.” Liang Yanbei said.
“The gu has entered Zhong Wenjin’s body, and even Young Lady Situ can’t pull it out.” Xie Zhaoxue’s face appeared a little anxious, “Brother Yanbei, do you have any solution?”
Liang Yanbei sighed, “It’s not easy to remove a gu. Not everyone can do it. Besides, I don’t know where Zhong Wenjin’s gu is. I’m afraid it will endanger his life if we do it rashly.”
“If the gu eats away Zhong Wenjin’s body, I’m afraid I will do something crazy.” Xie Zhaoxue said in a low voice, his face covered with frost.
Wen Chan glanced at him, thinking that Xie Zhaoxue actually cared about Zhong Wenjin very much. He advised, “Don’t worry. Let’s wait and see Zhong Wenjin’s condition. If the gu really eats his body, it will definitely show up in his pulse. Once something goes wrong with Zhong Wenjin’s body, you should immediately detain Situ Zhoulan and bring her here……”
Realising that he was being too hostile, Wen Chan coughed and changed his words, “Call Situ Zhoulan’s father here and ask him to remove the poison from Zhong Wenjin. What do you think?”
“I think this idea is okay.” Liang Yanbei said, “If that gu is really harmless to the human body, it may not be a bad thing to keep it. Zhong Wenjin is sullen about the Zhong family’s matters. I believe you don’t want to see him unhappy all the time. What’s more, this is also what Zhong Wenjin himself asked for, indicating that he wants to let go of that sad thing, and on the other side, I will go back and immediately send a message to Jin Ling and invite Uncle Situ.”
Xie Zhaoxue didn’t have any good ideas at the moment, so he had no alternative but to agree, “Then I’ll trouble Brother Yanbei.”
“Don’t be polite. After all, it was Situ Zhoulan who caused the trouble. I’ll go back and talk to her.” Liang Yanbei said lightly.
Wen Chan felt upset when he mentioned her and quickly changed the subject, “Xie Zhaoxue, you must take good care of the people in the Northern District these days, and it’s best to send more bailiffs to guard them.”
Xie Zhaoxue nodded and said, “Even if Your Highness didn’t say it, I would have done it. What happened today was indeed my negligence. I didn’t expect those people to rebel together.”
“You did the right thing. You should confine them to prevent the disease from spreading. However, we still need to find out the cause of the disease as soon as possible. If we delay for too long, things may get out of control.” Wen Chan said.
As he said this, he remembered what the black-robed man said. He said that this was not a disease but a hex. But was it credible?
If it were true, then the best solution was undoubtedly to kill all the people who had been affected by the hex. However, thinking of the eyes full of hope and fear just then, Wen Chan could not imagine how to kill those living lives.
After all, they were all a group of innocent people.
The three of them said a few more words briefly. But then, seeing that Wen Chan looked uneasy, Liang Yanbei ended the conversation, thinking in his heart that he would deal with Zhong Wenjin’s affairs first.
So he and Wen Chan parted ways; one returned to the palace, and the other returned to the Liang Mansion.
After Wen Chan returned, he simply washed his hands and face and sat on a soft chair next to the space heater to think about things.
At present, Zhong Guoyi was missing, and his life or death was unknown. The identity of the black-robed man couldn’t be guessed, as did the body that disappeared strangely before, and whether there were any remnants of the Shengui Clan on Wuyue island.
He thought that wiping out the Zhong family was the end, but who would have known that this would just be the beginning?
Wen Chan began to doze off as he was thinking about it. He slept until the evening and was summoned by the emperor as soon as he woke up.
He changed his clothes and rushed to the meeting hall. After receiving the eunuch’s order, he entered the hall.
The inside of the main hall was much warmer than the outside. As soon as Wen Chan entered, small drops of water dripped from the tips of his hair. He took off his cloak and handed it to Ah Fu. He went to the inner hall alone and saw the emperor sitting at the desk reviewing memorials. He saluted him and said, “This son greets the Emperor Father.”
The emperor’s eyebrows and eyes looked very soft under the candlelight. He didn’t show the sharpness of an emperor during the day, which made Wen Chan relax unconsciously.
He put down the brush dipped in red ink[footnote]used in former times for writing official documents, grading papers, etc[/footnote][footnote]
[/footnote], looked up, and smiled at Wen Chan, “Old Nine is here. Please sit down first.”
Wen Chan responded and sat down in the chair next to him. Then a cup of hot tea was handed to him. Wen Chan thought that he would not be able to go back for a while.
“Are you feeling better? You’ve been in a coma for two days. Have you found out what caused your illness?” The emperor first showed concern for Wen Chan’s health.
“Answering Emperor Father, everything is fine. There is nothing serious.” He replied.
The emperor took a sip of the tea slowly, covered the lid, and then slowly said, “In the blink of an eye, you are already seventeen years old.”
Unable to figure out what he wanted to say, Wen Chan replied in a calm voice, “After the New Year, I became seventeen years old.”
“It’s been seventeen years. When you were born, Xi Liang also suffered a century-long natural disaster, with countless deaths and injuries. That year, I set up no less than a hundred big and small altars for offering sacrifices to the heavens, but it was useless.” The emperor seemed to be recalling the scene back then, his face full of emotion.
“Since the reign of the Wen clan, Xi Liang has resolutely not worshipped gods, and disasters of all sizes have never stopped.” He said, “The old monk who came to the palace back then said that you were a messenger sent by heaven to punish Xi Liang for our disrespect for the gods. The old monk changed your name and deceived the gods in heaven so Xi Liang could have peace.”
“In the more than ten years since you came, Xi Liang has never had a major natural disaster.” The emperor said slowly, “In fact, you are also Xi Liang’s lucky star, bringing us blessings.”
Wen Chan actually knew that the emperor had never regarded him as his own son. His praise and favour for other princes, and even his harsh criticism, all came from his father’s love, but it was very different for Wen Chan.
He never really punished Wen Chan; no matter what mistakes he made or how well he did, he would never get the emperor’s sincere praise. The emperor always had a fear of him and always looked at him as if he were looking at an outsider.
If we were talking about Wen Chan from the previous life, he would have been sad and concerned about this. But he was completely used to it now.
“Old Nine, no matter what you want to do or what you want, you must tell me, I will help you to the best of my ability.” The emperor said, “Just consider it as a thank you.”
Of course, the emperor would not really tell the truth.
When the old monk was about to leave, he spoke to the emperor alone and specifically told him: This child came with the will of heaven. If you let his life go smoothly, he can bless Xi Liang, but if you let his life go bumpy, then your country may suffer a catastrophe.
Since then, the emperor had always been extremely tolerant of Wen Chan, and this was the reason why.
Any prince who ate and drank all day long and was neither good at literature nor martial arts would have been taught a lesson by the emperor long ago, but Wen Chan was a special case.
The emperor had done all the groundwork and said to the bewildered Wen Chan, “I heard some rumours circulating in the capital a few days ago, and I wanted to ask you if they are true.”
“Emperor Father, just ask. If your son knows, he will answer truthfully.” Wen Chan didn’t know what the emperor’s goal was at this moment.
“It’s said in the city that you and the young master of the Liang family are usually very close and have a special relationship.” The emperor pretended to be indifferent.
When Wen Chan heard about this, he thought it was because the Winter Hundred Flowers Festival two days before had caused so much noise that it reached the emperor’s ears. If so, wouldn’t it have already spread all over the capital?
His ears felt hot, and he coughed dryly, “Emperor Father, this son does have a good relationship with Liang Yanbei, only because Liang Yanbei has an upright character and is rich in talent; he is a friend worth making. There is no other intention.”
The emperor chuckled a few times and said slowly, “Don’t worry. I am just asking. I also heard that the two of you are secretly in love. And that the eldest young master of the Liang family even picked a flower ball and gave it to you at the Winter Hundred Flowers Festival two days ago. Is this true?”
“It’s all just rumours.” Wen Chan denied it all, completely ignoring the slightly withered flower ball placed on the table in his bedroom.
“As long as Liang Yanbei sees you in the capital, he will immediately chase after you. This must be true, right?” The emperor was afraid that Wen Chan would act as if it never happened, too, and deny it, so he added, “Many people in the capital saw it.”
“It’s not as exaggerated as people say. It’s just that Liang Yanbei likes to play with this son. Isn’t that the case between friends?”
Of course, Wen Chan would never admit it. Doing so would not only damage his and Liang Yanbei’s reputation, but more importantly, with the Zhong family now gone, this was the perfect time for the Liang family to rise in official ranks. Discrediting them now would only cause trouble.
Besides, Liang Jun and Lady Liang might not be easy to deal with.
“There are many nobles and rich ladies in this city. Then why does Liang Yanbei like to play with you?” The emperor asked again.
Wen Chan gave a dry laugh, feeling hot and sweating, and said awkwardly, “This son can’t guess Liang Yanbei’s thoughts. How can this son know this? Emperor Father, please don’t make it difficult for this son.”
“That’s true.” The emperor nodded.
Wen Chan heaved a sigh of relief and inwardly thought that gossip was a fearful thing.
However, the emperor did not give him a chance to relax, and in the next moment, he asked, “Then I will decree that you and Liang Yanbei become relatives by marriage. What do you think?”
“Ah?” Wen Chan was really shocked. He did not expect the emperor to do this. He said in disbelief, “Emperor Father, please do not joke with me.”
“This king is not joking.” He said, “If you really like Liang Yanbei, I will decree that you two get married. In the end, whether you marry him or he marries you, you can discuss it yourself.”
“Emperor Father!” Wen Chan broke out in a cold sweat, “This son is terrified.”
The emperor smiled gently, “Don’t worry, I just want to follow your wishes. Seeing that you stick to Liang Yanbei every day, I want to push the boat with the current[footnote]to take advantage of the situation[/footnote] and become the matchmaker.”
“Besides, if you marry Liang Yanbei, the royal family and the Liang family will have a layer of direct relation, and it will be much easier to promote them.” The emperor said.
“But this son and Liang Yanbei are both men. Wouldn’t we be criticised by the world in this way? Wouldn’t it ruin the reputation of the royal family and the Liang family?” Wen Chan repeatedly said, “I can’t do it. I can’t do it.”
“Are you afraid of the world’s criticism?” The emperor raised his eyebrows slightly and asked with interest.
“A person with a mouth is something more terrifying than a sword in a war.” Wen Chan knew the horrors of rumours.
Besides, he couldn’t just take care of himself; there was still Liang Yanbei and the entire Liang family to consider, too.
If he took matters into his own hands to ask for an imperial marriage edict and took it to the Liang family, how would Liang Yanbei react? How would the Liang couple react?
While Wen Chan was still thinking about it, the emperor said, “Sometimes, if you want to get love, you have to give up something.”
Wen Chan couldn’t understand the meaning of his words, and just as he was about to ask, he heard the emperor say, “Liang Yanbei, did you hear it all?”
When he shouted this, Wen Chan was shocked. At a glance, he saw a man slowly walking out from behind the screen. His handsome face had a gloomy look, and his eyes were indifferent, looking straight at Wen Chan.
It turned out to be Liang Yanbei!
Wen Chan stood up from his chair all at once, “Why are you here?”
“Today, Master Liang came to the palace and spoke about you two. So I called him [LY] and asked him a few questions that I wanted to ask.” The emperor smiled and asked, “Old Nine, guess how he answered[footnote]Why do I feel like I am hearing Dumbledore speak? 🤔[/footnote]?”
Wen Chan felt his ears buzzing, and his breathing became rapid in shock. He recalled what he had just said, looked at Liang Yanbei’s expression at this time, and opened his mouth, “Liang Yanbei……”
Liang Yanbei never got furious with Wen Chan. But sometimes he too gets a little angry, and every time he gets a little angry, the corners of his mouth sink, and his black eyes lose all emotions, which makes him panic.
Liang Yanbei, in front of him, was obviously angry.
He was standing not far away, but the cold atmosphere he exuded made Wen Chan unable to take a step forward. He wanted to explain, but the emperor stood in the middle, and he couldn’t speak.
The emperor said, “Of course, I know what happened between you two in the capital. The reason I wanted to ask you this was just to let you two get to know each other better.”
“Old Nine, I have always granted whatever you asked for. If you really want to be with Liang Yanbei, I will naturally make that imperial decree without being stingy. You don’t have to worry so much. Go back and think about it carefully.”
Wen Chan stared at Liang Yanbei blankly, not knowing how to answer, “Your son……”
Originally, they were properly looking at each other, but Liang Yanbei suddenly looked away and glanced elsewhere, leaving Wen Chan looking at a side face.
Wen Chan’s heart jumped violently, swallowed the emotions that were about to be uncontrollable, and said to the emperor, “Thank you for your advice, Emperor Father. Your son will take his leave first, then.”
Before leaving, he looked at Liang Yanbei again, but the person who had been glued to him did not look at him this time.
Wen Chan felt a lump in his throat. He felt extremely uncomfortable and walked straight out of the inner hall, staring ahead blankly. When Ah Fu saw him, he hurriedly followed him and put the cloak on him. “Your Highness, stop first. This minion will put this on for you.”
Wen Chan seemed not to hear anything and stepped out of the palace door. The cold air hit him in the face in an instant, and his consciousness became sober in the cold, making him feel regret.
But he couldn’t rush back into the palace now, so he had to endure it and go back to Xiyang Palace first. Then look for a chance to explain to Liang Yanbei.
After returning to the palace, Wen Chan was restless and ordered Ah Fu to send someone to keep an eye on Liang Yanbei. As soon as he came out of the meeting hall, he immediately invited him to Xiyang Palace.
But after waiting anxiously for a long time, Ah Fu brought him very disappointing news. After Liang Yanbei came out of the palace, he refused the person who invited him to Xiyang Palace and directly left the palace.
Wen Chan felt cold in his heart and collapsed on the soft chair. It was over, and it really made him irritated.
Because he rarely made Liang Yanbei angry, every time Liang Yanbei got angry, he would feel extremely uneasy. Although he knew that Liang Yanbei would come to him to make peace soon, the process was extremely painful.
What’s more, there was a misunderstanding.
Liang Yanbei should give him a chance to explain! Wen Chan was angry and aggrieved. He said that completely for the sake of the Liang family!
Various emotions intertwined, and Wen Chan thought about it all night. He didn’t even eat much for dinner. He sat on the soft chair restlessly.
When it was late, Ah Fu came in to remind Wen Chan that he should take a bath and purify his body, and Wen Chan stopped sighing.
In the chilly weather of the twelfth lunar month, even if the floor heating in the hall was burning vigorously, Wen Chan was still shivering a bit after taking a bath. So he crawled into the quilt, stuffed with a hot water bottle.
Just as he picked up one and held it in his arms, he heard a knock on the door.
Wen Chan shouted, “Come in!”
However, the person outside did not listen and continued to knock on the door, three times in a row, quite rhythmically.
Wen Chan suddenly felt confused and immediately guessed that the person outside was not Ah Fu. After listening carefully, he found that they knocked three times and then paused, which was very familiar.
This was Liang Yanbei’s usual way of knocking on the door, and he always knocked three times at a time. Liang Yanbei said that this was a habit he deliberately developed so that when he knocked on Wen Chan’s door in the future, he could tell him apart.
Before Wen Chan could have time to think about why he appeared here in the middle of the night, his body and emotions were one step faster. He excitedly lifted the quilt and got off the bed. And he ran to open the door without even wearing shoes.
As soon as the door was opened, Liang Yanbei rushed over and clung to Wen Chan’s body. His hands went straight into his shirt and pressed against his hot skin.
The cold brought from the outside instantly made Wen Chan shiver. He held Liang Yanbei’s back with one hand and closed the door with the other, leading him inside. His nose moved, and he smelt a strong smell of alcohol.
Looking at the person who hung his head on his shoulder, he asked in a low voice, “Liang Yanbei, are you drunk?”
Translator’s corner
Thank you so much for reading the chapter. If you liked my translation and wanna support me, you can comment down your thoughts or send me a Kofi.
✨ Want access to extra chapters? Check them out here at my Kofi shop: 
KO-FI
Don’t feel shy to let me know in the comment section or in the discord of Knoxt if you find any mistakes~
Thank You for the new chapter (♡´❍`♡)*✧ ✰ ｡
Wen Chan you are in trouble!