Helian Qi gave an exasperated snort.
But then, he heard Taoist Li added: “But there is just this one thing — Helian Yi’s Crown Prince title, after all, was conferred upon by His Majesty. In the future, even if Your Highness rises to power, I am afraid that it will take quite an amount of effort for you to rightfully and legitimately ascend the throne.”
Helian Qi responded with a sneer: “A spineless coward who only nods and acts all chummy with the eunuchs whenever he runs to them in the palace like him can still be seen to have some scraps of a crown prince’s grace? Compared to him, the startling that Imperial Father keeps as a pet seems to be much more valuable.”
Taoist Li gave his sparsely grown beard a few tender stroke and shook his head: “Although there is nothing about him to be feared, we also should not underestimate the situation. Your Highness, it is best if you keep an eye on Jing Beiyuan. Despite living in seclusion and rarely revealing his face, this Nan Ning Wang has been extremely favoured by the emperor in the past few years…” He paused for a moment, a frown emerged between the brows that resembled a pair of brooms, “This lowly old man has always felt that there is something odd about him. He is just a child still in his teens, yet he has been able to endure loneliness throughout all these years despite having neither parents nor siblings. If it wasn’t for the fact that he would be at the age to attend court and contribute to state affairs next year, we can’t say for sure that he would ever be willing to step foot outside of Nan Ning Wang’s Residence... Anyway, there is always something unusual about him…”
Helian Qi’s words were full of disdain: “Even Helian Yi is well aware that the kid is just a lazy embroidered pillow(1) who is only fond of food and fun — Master(2), why should you spend many thoughts to worry about him?”
Taoist Li put his tea cup down and said: “That’s not necessarily true. I am afraid that this prince with surname Jing more or less has a special place in the crown prince’s heart.”
Helian Qi took a small pause, and as if he had just recalled something, a shade of indecency flashed over his countenance: “It’s true. Although this Jing Beiyuan is a good-for-nothing person, his appearance has become finer day after days — and Helian Yi keeps running over to his place every two or three days, what kind of intention can that possibly be… Hmph!”
Taoist Li said: “His Highness the Crown Prince has always acted with diligence, frugality, and self-restraint for all these years, gaining the reputation of always being strict to himself but lenient with others. I supposed that due to this being his first awakening of love, he might not be fully aware of his own feelings.”
Helian Qi slightly cocked his fine, thin brows and asked: “What do you mean by that?”
A profound, unfathomable smile flashed across the face of Taoist Li: “We still need to observe him a little bit more… Seeing Nan Ning Wang today reminded me of someone. She was a daughter of a household whose parents had offered a hand to me when I was in dire straits — her name is Cui Er, and she is only 17 years old this year. When the epidemic escalated back in the days, both the father and mother died of illness, and she ended up on the street all by herself begging for food. The owner of a performance troupe took a liking to her, thus decided to take her in for training. For these past few years, she has been able to earn some fame with her singing. She arrived to the capital city not too long ago. Upon heeding others’ advice, she came to me and besought my support. Remembering the kindness I had received from her family, I decided to accept her as my adopted daughter.”
Helian Qi stared at him blankly, unsure of the meaning behind those words.
Taoist Li continued: “Now that I think about it, the facial features of that Cui Er have some resemblance to Nan Ning Wang — this is quite a coincidence.”
Helian Qi gave an exasperated snort.
But then, he heard Taoist Li added: “But there is just this one thing — Helian Yi’s Crown Prince title, after all, was conferred upon by His Majesty. In the future, even if Your Highness rises to power, I am afraid that it will take quite an amount of effort for you to rightfully and legitimately ascend the throne.”
Helian Qi responded with a sneer: “A spineless coward who only nods and acts all chummy with the eunuchs whenever he runs to them in the palace like him can still be seen to have some scraps of a crown prince’s grace? Compared to him, the startling that Imperial Father keeps as a pet seems to be much more valuable.”
Taoist Li gave his sparsely grown beard a few tender stroke and shook his head: “Although there is nothing about him to be feared, we also should not underestimate the situation. Your Highness, it is best if you keep an eye on Jing Beiyuan. Despite living in seclusion and rarely revealing his face, this Nan Ning Wang has been extremely favoured by the emperor in the past few years…” He paused for a moment, a frown emerged between the brows that resembled a pair of brooms, “This lowly old man has always felt that there is something odd about him. He is just a child still in his teens, yet he has been able to endure loneliness throughout all these years despite having neither parents nor siblings. If it wasn’t for the fact that he would be at the age to attend court and contribute to state affairs next year, we can’t say for sure that he would ever be willing to step foot outside of Nan Ning Wang’s Residence... Anyway, there is always something unusual about him…”
Helian Qi’s words were full of disdain: “Even Helian Yi is well aware that the kid is just a lazy embroidered pillow(1) who is only fond of food and fun — Master(2), why should you spend many thoughts to worry about him?”
Taoist Li put his tea cup down and said: “That’s not necessarily true. I am afraid that this prince with surname Jing more or less has a special place in the crown prince’s heart.”
Helian Qi took a small pause, and as if he had just recalled something, a shade of indecency flashed over his countenance: “It’s true. Although this Jing Beiyuan is a good-for-nothing person, his appearance has become finer day after days — and Helian Yi keeps running over to his place every two or three days, what kind of intention can that possibly be… Hmph!”
Taoist Li said: “His Highness the Crown Prince has always acted with diligence, frugality, and self-restraint for all these years, gaining the reputation of always being strict to himself but lenient with others. I supposed that due to this being his first awakening of love, he might not be fully aware of his own feelings.”
Helian Qi slightly cocked his fine, thin brows and asked: “What do you mean by that?”
A profound, unfathomable smile flashed across the face of Taoist Li: “We still need to observe him a little bit more… Seeing Nan Ning Wang today reminded me of someone. She was a daughter of a household whose parents had offered a hand to me when I was in dire straits — her name is Cui Er, and she is only 17 years old this year. When the epidemic escalated back in the days, both the father and mother died of illness, and she ended up on the street all by herself begging for food. The owner of a performance troupe took a liking to her, thus decided to take her in for training. For these past few years, she has been able to earn some fame with her singing. She arrived to the capital city not too long ago. Upon heeding others’ advice, she came to me and besought my support. Remembering the kindness I had received from her family, I decided to accept her as my adopted daughter.”
Helian Qi stared at him blankly, unsure of the meaning behind those words.
Taoist Li continued: “Now that I think about it, the facial features of that Cui Er have some resemblance to Nan Ning Wang — this is quite a coincidence.”
