The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

Prince Gong's Mansion.

Outside the study.

Xie Yi hung herself lightly on a nearby tree and waited quietly for the two people in the study to finish their conversation. Then Prince Gong sent Prince Jing out the door.

The Prince of Jing had the typical appearance of a member of the Lu clan. He was tall, with regular features and eyebrows. He had a certain kind of handsomeness that people of the time loved. One could tell at a glance that he was a relative of the Prince of Jing, or even the Emperor.

But Prince Gong is a little different.

Due to long-term illness, he was short and thin, and his facial features were mostly like those of Concubine Huaijing. The weather was not very cold, but he was wrapped in a fox fur blanket. The soft and fluffy fur made him look even thinner, as if he was stuck in a pile of snow with only his face exposed.

"Cough cough..." After seeing off Prince Jing, Prince Gong covered his chest as usual and coughed twice cautiously. He felt that even such a slight movement caused his fragile body to be shaken and caused slight pain everywhere, as if all the bones in his body were about to fall apart.

He looked up at the sky, then slowly retracted his gaze, turned and walked towards the study.

Just as he stepped into the study, he was shocked to see that the person who had been serving in the study had fallen to the ground silently.

Just as Prince Gong was filled with astonishment and was about to turn around and leave the study, he felt a force pulling him, and then the study door closed tightly.

Then, Prince Gong, who was a little out of breath and his eyes were dizzy, forced himself to calm down. After he calmed his breathing, he saw Marquis Yongjia, who was dressed in warm clothes, sitting on a chair in front of him, leisurely and comfortable, holding his folding fan with the word "leisure" written on it in his hand, and gently shaking it.

"You really haven't left Beijing." Prince Gong coughed and smiled, "Brother Tannu."

"Didn't I tell you, brother, that if you want to come to my house to play with me, you can... ahem, just come in through the main gate. No one will stop you. You are always welcome to come." After seeing that it was indeed a thank you, Prince Gong calmed down.

He walked over to Xie Yi and sat down at a table across from him. "Ah, you know my body well. I can't stand being scared."

"Climbing over the wall is a little hobby of mine." Xie Yi said with a smile, "Since my royal brother welcomes me anytime, why don't you also understand my little hobby."

After Prince Gong's eyes fell on his face, he did not turn away. He also smiled, leaned back, and slumped in the chair: "You speak like your father, but you are obviously not biological father and son...but he has a lot of time to accompany you."

"Brother Apeng, you're joking. I'm just the one who came by chance." Xie Yi said in a very humble tone.

Prince Gong's smile turned a little sarcastic, but the sarcasm was not directed at Xie Yi. He sighed heavily and said, "Yes, ever since the birth of the fifth sister, there is no room for anyone else in his eyes. Don't you think so, Tan Nu?"

"Yes, among those who have seen Yuanjun, how many people can take their eyes off her?" Xie Yi gently waved his folding fan, and even his voice became much gentler when he spoke of his sister.

Prince Gong stared at the bright red spot between his eyebrows and asked: "Don't you care at all?"

His voice sank: "You are the eldest son of the Queen Mother."

From his slightly resentful words, Xie Yi caught another message: "Brother Apeng, does Brother Lizi know what you did?"

Ah Peng was Prince Gong's childhood nickname, which was given to him by Concubine Huaijing in the hope that he would live as long as the ancient immortal Peng Zu. Prince Gong's biological elder brother, Prince Yiyang, was nicknamed Lizi, which came from a green carp that Concubine Huaijing dreamt of when she gave birth to him.

The smile on Prince Gong's face suddenly disappeared: "He doesn't need to know."

"But you can't get rid of your relationship with him." Xie Yi gradually figured out the context and decided to fight back against the words that Prince Gong had used to sow discord between him, his mother and his sister. "The Princess of Yiyang finally got pregnant, and Prince Yiyang asked for permission to stay in Beijing to look after his wife and children... Oh, I heard that it was really hard for my sister-in-law to be pregnant, and you know your eldest brother's body. These two people really can't stand being frightened. Brother Apeng, you are so naughty that you have to make some unusual noises. Aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid..." Prince Gong's face darkened. "Of course I am afraid, but what can I do if I am afraid? Will I be willing to accept it if I am afraid?!"

As soon as he spoke in an anxious tone, he started coughing violently again.

The people serving inside and outside the study had already been overwhelmed by Xie Yi. Seeing this, he stood up and poured a cup of warm tea for Prince Gong, then walked around and gently patted him on the back: "What can I do if I am unwilling?"

"Reluctance can make me fight hard." Prince Gong gradually eased his cough and took a sip of tea on the table to moisten his throat. "Tan Nu, you don't understand. That's my father. He promised mother that he would take good care of our father, but how did he do it?"

"He doesn't care about us at all. He banished me like trash... When I was in Chonghua Palace, I saw my mother more often than he did!"

"Take a breath, take a breath." Xie Yi stroked Prince Gong's trembling back slowly, "Brother Apeng, you know who my father is. You must have met him."

As he wished, he used his father to change the subject. To avoid further involving Prince Yiyang, Prince Gong stopped trembling with a little embarrassment: "Don't you want a father?"

"I have a mother, a sister, and -" He smiled at Prince Gong, his smile full of harmless kindness, "and a brother."

Prince Gong's heart skipped a beat, knowing that he had failed to shift his gratitude to his "father", so he stopped pretending to be pitiful and stood up straight: "My brother really knows nothing about what I did. I deliberately kept it from him. He...he didn't have so many thoughts, or rather, he accepted his fate earlier than me, but I was trapped in the reluctance and frivolity of youth and couldn't get out of it."

He exhaled a long breath of turbid air in his chest: "So, Tan Nu, since you have been left behind, does that mean that Father... or Mother knows everything about our movements in the capital? Then... what do you want to do with me this time you come here?"

Xie Yi nodded casually at first, then shook his head and said, "Brother Apeng, don't joke like that. How can I punish my own brother? Don't worry, brother. As long as you treat me as if I don't exist, I will also pretend that I didn't find anything."