Chapter 49
Banquets are nothing more than a series of toasts and social exchanges.
Murong Qiufeng was entirely unfamiliar with the various festivals and banquets held by the court. He had initially thought that the plum blossom viewing was just a leisurely flower appreciation event created out of boredom. Little did he know, it was actually the largest festival in Yan Kingdom, with the snow plum being the national flower and symbol of the nation.
The so-called plum blossom viewing was, in fact, a ritual to worship the Plum Blossom God and pray for the country’s fortune in the coming year.
No wonder even envoys from other countries would attend. Such a grand and solemn ceremony—it was only thanks to Shangguan Ye’s reminder that Murong Qiufeng even became aware of it. The royal mansion was truly more isolated than a mountain retreat.
“Is it really okay for the princess consort not to attend?” For the past two days, this question had been weighing heavily on Murong Qiufeng’s mind. It was such an important event, with representatives from other nations present. As a member of the royal family, could the princess consort really be absent?
“It’s not that strict, don’t worry,” was Shangguan Ye’s response. In reality, as a royal family member, it was mandatory to attend. However, if the princess consort were to attend, Murong Qiufeng would have to disguise himself.
But since that incident, Shangguan Ye had vowed never to make Murong Qiufeng take that damned Bone Tempering Pill again. Even if Murong Qiufeng could endure it, Shangguan Ye could not. He was determined to avoid it, even if it meant offending the entire royal family. After all, he never cared much about the royal family anyway; his continued service to the court was merely due to a ten-year agreement with the late emperor.
Although Shangguan Ye had said this, Murong Qiufeng still couldn’t feel at ease. He wasn’t naive. Although he didn’t understand much about Yan Kingdom, he knew how strict the rituals and etiquette were.
The saying goes that the truth will eventually come out. Shangguan Ye was determined not to let Murong Qiufeng disguise himself as Murong Qiuyun again, and while he could keep Murong Qiufeng in the dark and ensure the entire royal mansion remained tight-lipped, he couldn’t prevent others from speaking out.
For instance, the Prime Minister’s wife, who believed Shangguan Ye’s excuse that her daughter was too ill to get out of bed, insisted on visiting to check on her.
Or the Prime Minister himself, who, under the pretense of visiting his sick daughter, came to persuade the prince not to be so stubborn, along with other concerned parties.
Even the Empress, who was forced by the Emperor’s displeasure, wanted to visit under the guise of checking on the princess consort’s health. As a result, Shangguan Ye had been very irritable these past few days.
Eventually, even the civil and military officials, eager to curry favor, jumped at the chance to join in the excitement, and the Emperor also expressed a desire to visit the ailing princess consort.
Murong Qiufeng was oblivious to all this, still peacefully reading in the courtyard, while Shangguan Ye was driven mad, wanting to draw his sword and kill someone out of frustration.
The more he tried to prevent visits, the more suspicious it became. People outside were wondering what kind of illness the princess consort had that even her own parents couldn’t visit.
Rumors started spreading, with some saying that the princess consort had already been killed.
There were all sorts of bizarre speculations.
Shangguan Ye’s main concern was for Murong Qiufeng’s well-being, but there were also many who were concerned for Shangguan Ye himself. So, eventually, Murong Qiufeng found out the truth, and the one who told him was Steward Yang.
After learning that all this fuss was because Shangguan Ye didn’t want him to take the Bone Tempering Pill again, Murong Qiufeng didn’t know whether to feel touched or scold him for being so domineering and stubborn. Things had escalated to this point, not only affecting Shangguan Ye’s reputation but also making more people want to see him.
With no other choice, Murong Qiufeng had to coordinate with Yuxiang and Steward Yang to put on an act. He ended up taking the Bone Tempering Pill again, but only to meet the Prime Minister’s wife.
He made some cosmetic changes to his face to show the Prime Minister’s wife that he wasn’t gravely ill, just suffering from a severe skin allergy.
For a woman, her appearance is everything. The fact that the most beautiful woman in Yan Kingdom suddenly had a disfigurement made it understandable that she wouldn’t want to see anyone. The fact that Prince Ye took all the blame on himself to protect the princess consort’s dignity showed how much he valued her.
The rumors were thus dispelled, and Shangguan Ye ended up with a reputation as a deeply devoted prince. The imperial palace even sent over a large quantity of beauty treatments, and many officials and dignitaries scrambled to collect remedies to cure the princess consort’s illness. They now knew that winning the princess consort’s favor was the best way to curry favor with the prince.
However, Shangguan Ye wasn’t the least bit pleased by this; in fact, he was furious, leading to a cold war between him and Murong Qiufeng.
On one hand, he was angry at Murong Qiufeng for acting on his own; on the other hand, he was heartbroken over his health. The entire fiasco had started because he didn’t want Murong Qiufeng to take the Bone Tempering Pill, but now it had come to the point where Murong would have to take it not just once, but repeatedly, due to the Prime Minister’s wife’s frequent visits and the Empress’s involvement.
Even if Shangguan Ye issued orders, Murong Qiufeng’s stubborn nature meant that no one could change his mind once he had made it up. The two of them argued for half a day and nearly ended up in a full-blown fight, parting on bad terms and leaving the entire royal mansion tense.
Since he couldn’t bring himself to punish the person directly, Shangguan Ye took out his anger on others. While Steward Yang was spared due to Shangguan Ye’s respect for him, Yuxiang wasn’t so lucky and nearly lost her life, only saved by Murong Qiufeng’s intervention.
Amid this tense atmosphere, the plum blossom viewing event finally commenced.
Outside, the festivities were lively and joyful, with a harmonious atmosphere. But inside the royal mansion, the mood was bleak and somber. The two masters were still in the midst of their cold war, not speaking a word to each other, with neither willing to be the first to give in. This made things difficult for everyone below them.
Over the past few days, Murong Qiufeng had taken the Bone Tempering Pill three times in succession. Combined with the cold war with Shangguan Ye, his mood and health had deteriorated, leaving him looking pale and exhausted, with little appetite.
Every time Shangguan Ye heard that Murong Qiufeng had no appetite, he assumed it was out of spite, which only fueled his anger. But he couldn’t swallow his pride, so he took it out on the servants, replacing the cooks one after another, all as a show for Murong Qiufeng.
Murong Qiufeng, however, was the type who responded better to gentle persuasion than force. The more domineering Shangguan Ye became, the more stubborn Murong Qiufeng grew. Their once harmonious relationship had suddenly exploded like a lit fuse.
“Young master, please stop being angry with the prince.” Yuxiang, who had also grown weary from the constant pressure, pleaded as she applied makeup to Murong Qiufeng, who was resting his eyes.
Murong Qiufeng sighed helplessly. “It’s not about being angry with him. He’s the prince; how could I be angry with him? I just don’t want him to become an enemy to everyone because of me. Right now, he’s letting me do as I please, but once today is over, things will return to normal.”
Listening to Murong Qiufeng speak so lightly, Yuxiang rolled her eyes in exasperation. These two really are a match made in heaven. Sometimes, Murong Qiufeng can be just as domineering, or maybe he’s just been influenced by the company he keeps.
