Everyone Wants To Harm Me - Chapter 77

Yu Chongrui said, “There was much drinking at the banquet. I came to this quiet spot to get some fresh air and sober up. Isn’t that why you’re here too, Duke?”

Grandfather replied, “Hmph, do you need to sneak off to some out-of-the-way corner just to sober up? Clearly you’re up to no good under the cover of darkness—either a thief or a scoundrel!”

Yu Chongrui said mildly, “You’ve had enough wine, Duke.”

I hid behind a tree, and the wind carried a faint scent of alcohol. Grandfather’s voice came louder than usual, suggesting he drank quite a bit at the banquet. Though he and Yu Chongrui often clashed, he usually didn’t go out of his way to cause trouble.

Grandfather asked again, “Which colleague or faction have you arranged to meet here to scheme in secret?”

His tone stayed provocative, but Yu Chongrui remained composed. “If I wanted to form a faction, I could invite them to my house or meet elsewhere. I wouldn’t need to use Prince Xin’s palace.”

Grandfather sneered, “That’s right. Prime Minister Yu is in power now, and there are flies and mosquitoes that come for the scent of blood. That means you’re meeting people who are usually too inconvenient to see.”

I cautiously peeked out. Yu Chongrui looked ready to leave, but the only bridge leading to the shore was blocked by my grandfather. He stood at the far end of the waterside pavilion and asked, “What advice does the Duke have?”

Grandfather said, “I’ll lay it out plainly today. My granddaughters are not the sort of ignorant girls who can be easily deceived or seduced. Even if one of them is momentarily confused, once I step in and set her straight, she’ll come around. One is now married to Prince Xin, the other is formally betrothed to the Third Prince. The He family is now forever tied to the imperial house—how can I allow others to disrupt and destroy that? If you want to come at the He family, then face me head-on. Don’t resort to such disgraceful, underhanded tricks.”

Grandfather thought Yu Chongrui was trying to sabotage my engagement with the Third Prince by luring me into some scandalous behavior. But actually… he got it backwards.

Yu Chongrui paused briefly and said, “That was never my intention.”

“Whether or not it was, I’ll say this now. The He family will never have anything to do with anyone named Yu.”

At last, Yu Chongrui’s tone cooled slightly. “Isn’t the Duke mistaken in that statement?”

“Hmph, so you finally show your fox’s tail after hiding it for so long!” Grandfather pressed aggressively. “I’ve long suspected it—you’re a descendant of Yu Xiangnan! You don’t even dare acknowledge your own ancestors. What right do you have to lecture me?”

Who was Yu Xiangnan? Was he related to Yu Chongrui?

Yu Chongrui answered with a serious expression, “My grandfather’s name was Yu Heng. He passed the imperial exam as a xiucai in the 16th year of the Daye reign and taught in our hometown, nurturing countless students. From my great-grandfather down to my father and uncles, all are properly recorded in official registers. I may be unworthy, but I never changed my name nor denied my lineage. I would never disown my ancestors.”

“Your family is from Piling, and your surname is Yu. Can you claim you have nothing to do with Yu Xiangnan?”

Yu Chongrui replied, “The Duke is from Suzhou Prefecture yourself. You should know that the Yu clan is a prominent and widespread family in that region. If you’re so paranoid, do you suspect every official or scholar from Suzhou and Jinling is here to seek revenge or sabotage you? Perhaps you should reflect on what shameful deeds you committed to still be living in fear after all these years.”

That made Grandfather furious. He pointed and yelled, “You… vermin! How dare you turn around and accuse me!”

Yu Chongrui said again, “The Duke must be drunk and confused to fail to see the obvious. If I truly feared exposure and wanted to disown my identity, why wouldn’t I change my name completely? Why would I boldly keep the surname Yu and parade it in front of you, giving you a chance to suppress me before I gained power?”

His words… reminded me of someone.

Grandfather, enraged, stepped forward to argue, but tripped and fell against the pavilion railing.

I stepped out from behind the tree and rushed over to help him.

Yu Chongrui hesitated for a moment, then stepped off the pavilion and walked onto the bridge. When he saw me appear, he stopped in his tracks.

As I approached, I could smell the strong scent of alcohol on my grandfather. He fell hard. I helped him sit upright against the railing. He closed his eyes, grimacing in pain as he pointed to his ribs, clearly hurt from the fall.

I massaged his ribs and chest for a while, and gradually, he recovered. When he opened his eyes and saw me, he was about to scold me again, “What are you doing here? Are you really here to—”

“I was walking with Princess Yongjia,” I quickly interrupted in a soft voice. “She’s still nearby, please don’t speak carelessly.”

Just then, Princess Yongjia stood up from where she had been sitting. Noticing we weren’t together and sensing something was off, she came over to check, “What happened? Duke Peng?”

I said to the princess, “My grandfather fell down drunk. Please forgive me for not being able to stay at your side.”

Grandfather, still strong despite his age, waved off the princess’s offer to help. “It’s nothing, nothing. I can manage with my granddaughter. I’d be too embarrassed to trouble the princess.”

He gripped the railing with one hand and helped me with the other as he tried to stand. Though he struggled, he managed to lean on my shoulder. It was difficult for me to help him alone, but I couldn’t ask the princess to serve the ministers, and Yu Chongrui was out of the question. Grandfather would rather collapse than seek his help.

I helped him back across the river, with the princess following behind, glancing back now and then. I wasn’t sure if Yu Chongrui followed us.

After crossing the bridge, we encountered some palace servants who helped Grandfather to rest.

I breathed a sigh of relief and looked back. Yu Chongrui stood at the bridge, watching us with a solemn expression. I quickly turned away, wiping sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief.

The princess glanced at him and whispered, “Why did Duke Peng suddenly show up? Did he catch you?”

I shook my head. “He must have just happened to arrive—he was ahead of me.”

“Then you didn’t say anything to him?”

I was about to answer when a burst of shouting and laughter came from the side: “Found her! She’s here!”

I turned around and saw the Third Prince, his face flushed and his steps unsteady, stumbling toward me.

He was still young—who gave him wine?

“My wife is here!” he stumbled forward and crashed into my arms, turning to yell at someone behind him, “See, here she is, with the Eldest Princess! Who said she ran off to—eh? Where’d they all go?”

I grabbed his elbow, but his legs gave way, and he leaned into my side. Though he was only eleven, it was still inappropriate to pull and tug in public. I pushed him and said, “Your Highness, you’re not yet an adult and shouldn’t be drinking. How much did you have?”

“You think I’m too young?” He clung to me stubbornly. “They say I’m a fool and can’t control my older wife. You’ll definitely go out and cheat on me.”

The princess laughed.

In just a few hours, who did the Third Prince befriend? Earlier, I said he needed time to play and express himself. But this behavior seemed too wild.

The little brat was surprisingly strong. The more I pushed him, the tighter he clung to me, like an octopus. He buried his face in my arms and murmured, “It’s so hot…”

It’s hot, and yet he’s clinging to me?

I just helped my grandfather along the way, feeling sweaty and hot, but the Third Prince was obviously even hotter. I touched his forehead—it burned like someone with a high fever.

There was also a strange smell in the alcohol he exhaled, different from the scent on my grandfather earlier.

What was this…

Just as I was about to wake him up and ask, a hand suddenly reached out from the side, grabbed the back of the Third Prince’s collar, and lifted him away from me like a chicken.

The Third Prince turned around and shouted incoherently: “Who are you? Are you a wild man from outside? Do you think my wife is beautiful and want to steal her from me? Come and duel!”

His legs and arms were short, and he waved them wildly in the air. Yu Chongrui stretched out his arms, so the Third Prince could only grab at the air, unable to reach anything.

I sensed something was wrong and asked Yu Chongrui, “Is it…”

“Yes,” he replied, then turned to the princess, “Princess, can you send the Third Prince back to the palace immediately? Or is there a nearby temporary shelter? It’s best not to let others know.”

“Return to the palace immediately? I’m afraid not,” the princess thought for a moment. “Prince Xin gave me the Lan Garden to rest in the afternoon. There are only my maids there, so we can take shelter temporarily.”

Yu Chongrui picked up the Third Prince, who wanted to raise his hand to strike him. Yu Chongrui pinched the back of his head hard, and the Third Prince immediately fell asleep.

We kept an eye on him as we made our way down a small path from the garden to the Lan Garden where the princess was resting.

Along the way, the princess asked, “What happened to Yu’er? Is he drunk and out of his mind?”

“More than drunk,” I replied as I walked. “It seems His Highness… accidentally ingested Wushisan.”

The princess’s face darkened at the mention of Wushisan.

Of course, Wushisan isn’t something to take lightly. The Third Prince’s condition was worse than mine, and there were far more dangers around him. I was too careless letting him play with unfamiliar children. While children may be innocent, their relatives and parents aren’t always so. In the past, Noble Consort Chu protected him like a fragile treasure—not just out of overprotectiveness, I now realized.

The Third Prince was sent to the Lan Garden, and the princess ordered the maids to stand guard outside, not letting anyone in.

His skin burned, flushed red, and he occasionally convulsed in his sleep. The princess ordered the maids to fetch cold water and began wiping the Third Prince’s body to cool him down.

Wushisan has a strong medicinal effect, and the Third Prince is still just a child. I didn’t know if this poison would leave any lasting effects.

“It’s all my fault,” I said, blaming myself. “I shouldn’t have let him play with unfamiliar people.”

The princess comforted me, “How can you blame yourself? You’re not responsible for him. I should have taken better care of him as his aunt.”

She said it without thinking, but I couldn’t help glancing at Yu Chongrui. He turned to look at me just as I did, so I quickly lowered my gaze and focused on the Third Prince.

The princess asked, “Does Wushisan make you drunk? Can he recover today?”

Yu Chongrui replied, “The person who drugged him was quite sensible. They only wanted to make the Third Prince lose his composure and embarrass himself, not harm him. The dose was light, and he should be sober in about an hour.”

“An hour…” The princess thought for a moment. “He can wait, but if the three of us stay away too long, people might start looking for us.”

I told her, “You and Minister Yu are honored guests and bound to draw attention, but no one is likely to notice me. You two should return to the banquet—I’ll stay and look after the prince.”

Yu Chongrui disagreed. “How can you manage alone?”

“Why not?” What, was he afraid the prince would go berserk and attack me again? “He’s just a child. I can handle him.”

The Third Prince woke up again, murmuring drowsily: “Wife… duel…”

Yu Chongrui sat on the couch, watching me. I turned away to look at the princess. She glanced between him and me, and then at the Third Prince.

The dynamic among the four of us in this room… started to feel strange. A prince, a future princess consort, a long princess, and a jilted imperial son-in-law.

“Forget it,” the princess finally said, breaking the silence. “I’ll go out, and you two stay here. If anyone asks, I’ll handle it. The two at the door are quite sharp; if anything happens, just act according to the situation.”