The song ended, the crowd dispersed, the noise died down, and Song Wanji sat alone in the tent, staring at a solitary lamp in a daze.
Si Fangzheng knew that he was feeling upset, so he stood by with his whisk in his arms, not daring to disturb him.
After a long time, Song Wanji sighed and said with deep regret: "If I had known that things would turn out like this, I would not have organized this. Now it ends in a quarrel. Why did I bother?"
He was willing to talk, which proved that he was fine. Si Fangzheng tried to persuade him gently, "It's common for young people to quarrel and fight with each other. Maybe he will be fine after one night. Your Majesty, don't take it to heart."
Song Wanji said, "How could I not take it to heart? This incident tonight has brought disgrace to the Crown Prince. He has always been proud and arrogant, so how could he bear such humiliation? I am worried that he will hate Zhao Jingyu even more because of this. What if he impulsively does something irreversible? What should I do?"
"Your Majesty, you are worrying too much." Si Fangzheng consoled him, "The prince is kind-hearted and prudent, he will definitely not do such a thing."
Song Wanji smiled bitterly and shook his head. He knew his son. The boy was extremely steady when he was steady, but the prerequisite was that no one disobeyed him. His kindness was only towards his supporters. He would never be merciful to those who went against him.
He is the only prince and has the support of the Queen's family. He is used to being the only one in charge and will never allow others to challenge his authority. Especially in recent years, as he has become more powerful, there is no telling how many people he has dealt with behind the scenes whom he disliked, but he did it secretly so that others didn't know.
In this respect, he is the same as his mother.
The fact that there have been only princesses and no princes in the palace over the years is all thanks to the Queen.
As the king of a country, he was not unaware of the queen's little tricks, but he also had his own difficulties, so he could only turn a blind eye and endure it for the time being.
"Zhao Jingyu is the same. He knew that the prince had such a temper, but he still insisted on provoking him. He doesn't make me worry at all!"
"..." Si Fangzheng subconsciously looked around, then approached the emperor and whispered, "Didn't the emperor say that the second young master should live a more arrogant life? The more arrogant he is, the less likely people will suspect him."
"Yes, I did say that." Song Wanji pinched his brows in sorrow. "The facts prove that I was right to ask him to do this. No one has ever doubted him over the years. But he was too reckless and made me clean up his mess all day long."
"..." Si Fangzheng couldn't comment too much, so he could only smile and advise, "It's not just the emperor, ordinary parents are the same. In my opinion, this is also a rare pleasure. I would like to wipe the child's butt, but unfortunately I don't have the luck to do so."
“Pfft, hahahaha…” Song Wanji was amused by him and rolled his eyes at him. “You old killer, what nonsense are you talking about? Don’t look at me. I don’t know that half of the eunuchs in the palace call you daddy!”
Seeing him smile, Si Fangzheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and said awkwardly: "I am terrified, it's just those monkeys yelling nonsense, Your Majesty, please don't take it seriously."
Song Wanji waved his hand and said, "Alright, stop explaining, or it will only make things worse. As long as you don't interfere in the affairs of the court and the harem, I don't care how many godchildren you have. Let me be clear, if I ever find out that you and your godchildren have done anything inappropriate, I will kill you all!"
"I dare not!" Si Fangzheng knelt down and kowtowed to show his loyalty, "I swear to be loyal to the emperor until death. If I have any second thoughts, I will be a rootless person for the rest of my life!"
"Alright, alright, get up!" Song Wanji said with a smile, "If I can't even trust you, then there is no one I can trust in this world."
Si Fangzheng was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes and he climbed up from the ground tremblingly.
Song Wanji then changed the subject and frowned, "By the way, who is that little cook? The more I look at her, the more I feel she is not simple."
"I also think she is not simple." Si Fangzheng said, "That girl is too outstanding in appearance, and her demeanor is extraordinary. She speaks in a set way. Not only is she an excellent cook, but she is also very good at pitching pots. If the emperor hadn't stopped him just now, I'm afraid the prince would have lost to her again. I don't know where the second young master found such a capable girl."
"I don't care where she came from. I just want to know whether Zhao Jingyu has fallen in love with her. And she is dismissive of the prince and insists on following Zhao Jingyu. Does she have any ulterior motives?" Song Wanji said.
When he said this, Si Fangzheng immediately became alert: "Do you want me to send someone to protect the Second Young Master?"
"That's not necessary. With Wei Jun and Huangfu here, nothing will happen." Song Wanji said, "Call Cheng Zhiye to see me tomorrow. I have something to tell him."
"Yes, I've made note of it." Si Fangzheng replied.
"Go to sleep. I'm really tired this time." Song Wanji said.
Si Fangzheng called someone in to help him undress and wash. After he fell asleep, he blew out the lights and left the tent.
Song Wanji lay on the bed, stretched his tired body, and sighed: "I'm old, my heart has become soft, and the children are not afraid of me anymore. Oh, I have to think of a way to coax that brat tomorrow. I don't know who he resembles with this temper..."
He sighed, closed his eyes, and slowly fell asleep. At this time, the second young master Zhao, who had made him very worried, was sulking in his tent with a sulky face.
"Second Young Master, Second Young Master..." Xie Nanjia called out carefully several times, but Zhao Jingyu didn't even raise his eyelids.
Ever since Xie Nanjia chased him back to the tent, he sat motionless on the bed without moving.
In front of Wei Jun and Huangfu, Xie Nanjia didn't say much, so she took a copper basin and filled it with warm water to wash his face.
Zhao Jingyu didn't refuse. He sat there like a wooden man, allowing her to wipe his face with the handkerchief.
After washing his face, Xie Nanjia put his hands in the basin and rubbed them, rubbing all ten fingers one by one. He remained expressionless.
He looked just like Xie Nanfeng when he was angry, so Xie Nanjia patiently treated him like a younger brother, helping him wash his hands while calling him with a smile: "Second Master, you are still angry, isn't this your servant back?"
Zhao Jingyu looked at his nose with his eyes, and his heart with his nose, like an old monk in meditation, unmoved by the eight winds.
Xie Nanjia took his hand out, wiped it clean with a towel, picked up some balm and smeared it all over his hands and face, smelled it, and said in a coaxing tone: "Hmm, it smells so good!"
Zhao Jingyu still didn't react.
Xie Nanjia sighed, changed the basin and added hot water for him to wash his feet.
When the basin of water was brought to him, he acted as if he saw nothing and did not move.
"Hey, you won't ask me to help you wash, will you?" Xie Nanjia asked. Seeing that he didn't respond at all, she hesitated for a moment and turned back to look at Wei Jun, who was standing beside her like a wooden man. "Brother Wei, how about you help the second young master wash?"
Wei Jun said seriously: "No, I am a grown man with clumsy hands and feet. I can't do this job."
"..." Xie Nanjia looked at Huangfu again.
Huangfu waved his hands repeatedly without waiting for her to speak: "I can't do that either. Look at my hands full of calluses. They will hurt the Second Young Master's delicate skin."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
If you don’t want to wash, just say you don’t want to wash. It’s such a lame excuse. They’re just stinky feet, how delicate and tender can they be
"Then you two get out!" she said depressedly.
She had never washed anyone's feet in her entire life, and even if she wanted to, she didn't want anyone to watch.
Wei Jun and Huangfu left quickly without saying a word.
Xie Nanjia rolled up her sleeves, squatted in front of Zhao Jingyu, gently took off his shoes and socks, and helped him put his feet in the basin.
Zhao Jingyu remained the same, not even raising his eyebrows.
Xie Nanjia took his shoes and socks to a corner and put them away. When she came back and saw that he was still sitting there, she said, "Don't just soak there. Rub your feet together!"
Zhao Jingyu seemed to be asleep and did not respond at all.
"Okay!" Xie Nanjia sighed and had to do it herself. While washing, she explained to him, "Second Young Master, you really misunderstood me. I never thought about following the prince. I asked you to compete with the prince because I didn't want to see him defeat you. I winked at you because I wanted you to compete boldly. Even if you really lose, I have a way to help you win back. Who knew you would be so impatient and fainted in a moment..."
After explaining for a long time, he looked up at Zhao Jingyu, but there was still no reaction.
"Why don't you say something?" Xie Nanjia tried all the tricks to coax her brother, but to no avail. She was really pressed to the limit, so she hooked her fingers and scratched the soles of his feet a few times.
Who could bear this? Zhao Jingyu shuddered and pulled his foot out of her hand violently. The movement was so violent that water splashed all over the floor, also soaking Xie Nanjia's shoes.
Xie Nanjia seemed to see a flash of smile on his face, and suddenly became energetic and said happily: "You smiled, you smiled, right?"
Zhao Jingyu slumped on the bed with a wooden face and gave her a cold back.
Xie Nanjia was completely deflated. She helped him cover the quilt and said frustratedly, "How can you forgive me? Didn't you ask me to supervise you? Now you ignore me. The Marquis even told me to keep an eye on you... Oh, yes..."
Her eyes lit up, and she reached out and took out the tiger-patterned waistband of Marquis Dingyuan from her bosom. She forcibly turned Zhao Jingyu's body over and said seriously, "Before I came here, the Marquis told me to use this waistband to control you. If you don't obey, I can use force to suppress you. Now, I order you in the name of the Marquis not to get angry with me again, otherwise..."
Zhao Jingyu was silent for a moment, and finally gave her a sympathetic look: "What else?"
(End of this chapter)