Li Fengqi, Prince Yong'an, was the only non-imperial surname prince in the Northern Zhao Dynasty. The old Prince Yong'an had been a man of immense military achievements who had also saved the emperor's life, for which he was granted the imperial surname "Li" and the title of Prince Yong'an by the then-reigning Emperor Chengzong. Li Fengqi was the old prince's only heir. According to convention, the hereditary title should have been downgraded when passed to him. However, Li Fengqi was exceptionally gifted. He went to the battlefield at thirteen, beheaded a general of the Western Huang at sixteen, and later achieved numerous military victories without a single defeat. Emperor Chengzong, valuing his talent, permitted him to inherit the title at the same rank, still as Prince Yong'an, after the old prince's passing.
Later, Emperor Chengzong passed away, and Emperor Xianzong ascended the throne. However, due to his indulgence in sensual pleasures and tyrannical ways, he ruined his health within a few years and died early. On his deathbed, he passed the throne to his second son, Li Zong, who was only seventeen. Worried that the young emperor would face an unstable court, Emperor Xianzong personally appointed three regent ministers to assist the new sovereign.
Li Fengqi was one of those three regent ministers, a man whose power truly blotted out the sky.
That year, he was only twenty-three.
Ye Yunting still remembered the New Year's Eve palace banquet following the new emperor's accession, where all officials attended with their families. He, for once, was also permitted by his father to go. During the feast, he had caught a distant glimpse of Li Fengqi.
At that time, Prince Yong'an had just returned from the northern frontier and entered the palace without even removing his armor. His suit of silver-white armor shone dazzlingly, making him stand out among the court officials like a pearl among rubble. Though the armor bore no fresh blood, it still carried the scent of it, making people afraid to look directly at him.
Upon first seeing him, Ye Yunting felt the rumors were indeed true. Though Prince Yong'an possessed strikingly beautiful features, his phoenix eyes were too cold, his aura of authority profound and heavy. With just a light glance, he could make one feel as if surrounded by mountains of corpses and seas of blood, daring none to act recklessly.
It was said he never took prisoners in battle, burying all captives alive on the spot, leaving no survivors. No wonder the public rumors painted him as cruel, cold-blooded, and unfeeling.
The people of Northern Zhao respected him, but they also feared him.
Ye Yunting was no exception.
In his previous life, after his failed escape attempt, Ye Zhili had used Ji Lian's life to threaten him, forcing him to marry into the prince's mansion. Filled with resentment and indignation at the time, and wary of Prince Yong'an's fearsome reputation, he had not dared to enter the main chamber as boldly as he did today after entering the mansion. Instead, he had chosen to wait in the courtyard for a summons.
He remembered waiting in the courtyard for over half an hour, only to receive a single, gritted-out word: "Get out."
Hearing it then, he felt as if granted a great pardon and had indeed eagerly "gotten out." Naturally, he hadn't paid attention to how hoarse and strained that voice sounded, nor had he pondered the various strange circumstances within the prince's mansion.
Later, after staying in the side courtyard for a long time, he truly witnessed what "hunting dogs are cooked once the hares are caught" meant. Those people probably assumed that once Prince Yong'an was gone, he wouldn't survive either. Whether it was people from the palace or the few remaining servants in the mansion, none of them bothered to hide their actions from him.
It was also during that time he learned that the outside world's claim that Emperor Li Zong and Prince Yong'an were as close as brothers was, in fact, merely a rumor.
It was all false.
The current emperor, Li Zong, was originally the second legitimate son of Emperor Xianzong. Ahead of him was an elder legitimate brother, Li Yan. Li Yan was deeply favored by Emperor Xianzong, who had immediately named him Crown Prince upon his own accession, thereafter grooming and instructing him as the heir apparent. In comparison, the second son, Li Zong, was largely neglected.
Though he was the full brother of Li Yan, their relationship was not close. Instead, he was much closer to Li Fengqi, who was then the heir to the prince's mansion, and often stayed at the Prince Yong'an residence. It was said Li Fengqi had a cold, aloof personality since childhood, rarely smiling even before the emperor, but he was exceptionally protective of Li Zong, almost treating him like a true younger brother.
Later, Crown Prince Li Yan was assassinated while out hunting. Emperor Xianzong, devastated, fell gravely ill and soon passed away, only issuing an edict on his deathbed to pass the throne to his second son, Li Zong.
Li Zong was only seventeen at the time and had never received any instruction on statecraft, completely ignorant of governance. Many veteran ministers took advantage of this, relying on their seniority to bully the young emperor, showing him no respect at all. It was Li Fengqi who, wielding the Xuehowl Blade bestowed by Emperor Chengzong, furiously executed three ministers right in the Golden Luan Hall, finally quelling the restless old officials.
And after that fury in the Golden Luan Hall, Li Fengqi's fearsome reputation soared even higher.
Of course, all of this was hearsay to Ye Yunting; he had no way to verify its truth. But after living two lifetimes, the one thing he could be certain of was that the current emperor must be wary of Prince Yong'an.
As for brotherly affection, perhaps it existed once. But after ascending the throne as emperor, it likely remained in little measure.
Otherwise, he would not go so far as to humiliate a dying man in such a manner.
Looking at the utterly disheveled man before him, Ye Yunting slowly let out a long breath and called out for Ji Lian, waiting in the outer room, to fetch a bucket of hot water.
He himself went to open all the windows in the room to air it out. The room had likely been sealed for too long. Besides the spoiled medicinal broth smell emanating from the bed curtains, it was mixed with dust and a damp, musty odor. Not just for someone gravely ill, even he felt a suffocating sense of being unable to breathe after staying inside for a while.
Ji Lian quickly returned with water, but it was only a basin of cold water.
Ye Yunting frowned. "Didn't I ask for hot water?"
"I couldn't find the kitchen. Those maids are like mutes; no matter what I ask, they don't respond." The more Ji Lian spoke, the more he felt something was wrong. When he caught sight of the figure lying on the bed, his jaw dropped. Covering his mouth, he exclaimed in shock, "How did Prince Yong'an end up like this?"
"Forget it, cold water should suffice for now," Ye Yunting relaxed his brow. Glancing at the man on the bed, he removed his heavy ceremonial wedding robe, rolled up his sleeves, soaked a cloth in the water, and wrung it out. "I'll tell you about the situation in the prince's mansion when I have time. First, go look for some clean bedding. And while you're at it, fetch more water. We need to clean this room properly today."
As he instructed, he carefully began wiping Li Fengqi's face with the damp cloth.
This man's face hadn't been washed for who knows how long. The corners of his mouth and chin still bore dark, dried bloodstains and clots. The front of his robe over his chest was a complete mess, stained with dark red blood and brown medicinal broth.
Ye Yunting sighed inwardly. A hero of his time, reduced to such a state.
Even if this were told, people might not believe it.
His thoughts wandered, and his hand unconsciously pressed a bit harder. A low groan pulled Ye Yunting back from his reverie. He focused his gaze and met a pair of icy phoenix eyes.
Though the man had fallen into dire straits, his eyes hadn't changed a bit—just as cold, as if concealing ice and snow.
Ye Yunting met his gaze for several breaths, his mind racing on how to introduce himself.
He didn't know if Li Fengqi at this point was already aware that the emperor had bestowed a male consort upon him. If he didn't know yet, Ye Yunting blurting it out might only add insult to injury.
However, before he could speak, he saw the lying man's lips tremble, hoarsely spitting out a single word: "Out."
After uttering it, he wearily closed his eyes. Only the throbbing vein at his temple and the violent rise and fall of his chest betrayed his turbulent emotions.
It seems he already knows, Ye Yunting thought.
Li Fengqi clearly had no desire to acknowledge him. Unwilling to provoke him further, Ye Yunting hesitated for a moment, then put down the cloth and retreated. He thought it best to wait for him to calm down somewhat before having an open and honest talk.
In this life, although he was also forced to marry into the prince's mansion, his state of mind had become much more peaceful.
He still remembered the kindness from his previous life, when Li Fengqi had taken care of Ji Lian for him, and he was willing to take good care of Li Fengqi during this period. Although he didn't know how the poison had been cured in his past life, right now, Li Fengqi was genuinely critically ill. Whether it was out of a desire to repay that kindness or an inability to bear seeing the God of War of Northern Zhao being humiliated like this, he was willing to do his utmost to make Li Fengqi's life a little better.
Moreover, in his previous life, after his death, for some reason, his soul had remained trapped in the tomb, not dissipating. A few years later, Ji Lian, having regained his freedom, came to pay his respects and chattered on about many things before his grave. Among them, it was mentioned that less than two years after his death, Prince Yong'an had raised an army in rebellion, led his troops into Shangjing, publicly executed Emperor Li Zong, then massacred Shangjing and ascended the throne, stepping over the piled bones of the capital's noble families.
And it was because of this that Ji Lian was rescued from the Duke's mansion. After recuperating from a long illness, he was finally able to come pay his respects in person.
Ye Yunting thought, if in this life Li Fengqi were still to rebel and proclaim himself emperor, then as his male consort, he would undoubtedly be a stain on the emperor's life. If he could seize the opportunity now to reach an agreement with Li Fengqi, or even lend him a hand, then later, when Li Fengqi ascended the throne, perhaps he would spare his life out of camaraderie forged through shared hardship. When the time came, he could find a place with beautiful scenery, live under an assumed name as a teacher, and enjoy a carefree and happy life.
His mind was rapidly calculating, and the more he thought about it, the more this seemed like a brilliant idea that killed multiple birds with one stone. His heavy mood grew increasingly brighter.
As he was about to leave the room, he turned back to look at Li Fengqi and said gently, "I'll be in the outer room organizing the luggage. Your Highness, if you need anything, just call for me."
After speaking, he took the washbasin and went to the outer room to tidy up.
The servants in this prince's mansion were clearly not to be ordered around, but fortunately, he was used to doing everything himself. After Ji Lian brought water, the two of them quickly cleaned up the outer room together.
As Ji Lian sorted and arranged the luggage, he muttered quietly, "Who knows what these servants in the prince's mansion are for? They don't even attend to their master, just stand guard at the door like door gods."
Ye Yunting smiled, "Haven't we long been used to that in the Duke's mansion?"
Ji Lian puffed out his cheeks, "How is that the same?"
They were used to it in the Duke's mansion, but he had originally thought the prince's mansion might be better. Who knew it would be even worse than the Duke's mansion? At least in the Duke's mansion, they had a clean courtyard to live in.
And there was no food either.
He couldn't help but touch his stomach as he grumbled inwardly.
Seeing this, Ye Yunting chuckled, "Hungry? Where are the wedding candies I told you to bring? Have some to stave off the hunger for now. We should probably wait a bit longer; someone should bring food."
In his previous life, when he was alone in the side courtyard, maids had delivered meals on time—a dish of pickles and a bowl of rice. It wasn't good or bad, just enough to fill the stomach.
But Ji Lian clearly still held some hope for the prince's mansion's meals. He hesitated and said, "Let's save the wedding candies for tonight. I'll wait a little longer."
Ye Yunting shook his head at this and was about to tease him a little when they heard a sharp, drawn-out announcement from outside: "Bestowals have arrived. The Consort of Prince Yong'an is to receive the rewards."
Ye Yunting and Ji Lian exchanged a glance, surprise flashing in their eyes.
Bestowals?
At this time in his previous life, there had been no such bestowals.
