Uninvited Guest Ye Yang

Xue Beng was stunned by the scolding, subconsciously defending himself: "It... it was Xue Qinghe who started it..."

"He hit you first, so you should have endured it!" Prince Xue Xing's voice rose sharply, filled with the bitter frustration of someone watching a loved one fail to live up to their potential.

"Do you think complaining is seeking justice? Or a counterattack? I'm telling you, you've just washed your neck and laid it right on his blade! You played exactly into his hands!"

He leaned over abruptly, pointing at Xue Beng's nose: "Do you have any idea that he hit you yesterday just to provoke you, waiting for you to jump out like a brainless fool, just as you did today?!"

Xue Beng's face turned deathly pale, his lips trembling: "He... he was plotting against me?"

"Plotting?" Prince Xue Xing sneered, cold light flashing in his eyes. "It's far more than a plot! This was a grand, open conspiracy!"

"He hit you in front of everyone specifically to drag your reputation through the mud and strip you of all authority! He counted on you being unable to swallow your pride and inevitably running to complain! And him?"

Prince Xue Xing straightened up and paced twice, his tone dripping with sarcasm and helplessness: "He had already prepared that high-sounding, righteous load of nonsense!"

"All that talk about rectifying the palace, teaching his brother, and upholding the dignity of the royal family! Every sentence occupied the moral high ground, and every word jabbed at your weakness for bullying palace staff. How can you possibly fight him?"

"Your sordid affairs are known to the entire court! What evidence do you have to refute him? It's true he struck you, but it's also true that you were in the wrong!"

"By complaining, you only brought humiliation upon yourself and personally nailed the label of 'arrogant, domineering, and irresponsible' to your own head!"

"And you even left His Majesty feeling utterly disappointed in you!"

Listening to his uncle's dissection, Xue Beng felt a chill surge from the soles of his feet to the top of his skull, leaving his entire body cold and rigid.

He recalled Xue Qinghe's impassioned, righteous performance in the court, the admiring gazes of the ministers, his father's disappointed eyes, and his own final despair as he collapsed on the floor like a pathetic clown...

Everything had been within the other's calculations!

"He... he is so vicious!" Xue Beng's voice was hoarse, filled with terror and lingering fear; his previous sense of grievance was replaced by overwhelming dread.

"Vicious? Hah, it's your own foolish self to blame for provoking him for no reason. Bullying men and women in your daily life is one thing, but to bring that habit into the palace? I knew sooner or later something would happen."

At this, Xue Xing sighed: "But I never expected the one to speak up would be Xue Qinghe."

Xue Xing then looked at Xue Beng helplessly: "Fortunately, this matter ends here today. If a prince is too disgraceful, the empire's dignity will suffer. From now on, stay away from Xue Qinghe."

Xue Beng nodded hurriedly, but in his heart, he felt immense resentment. He had hoped his uncle would offer a strategy, but it turned out he was just being told to endure it.

Yet, thinking of Xue Qinghe, Xue Beng felt a sense of collapse; the man was a devil, and all that benevolence was merely an act.

"Uncle..." Xue Beng's voice was hoarse and dry, laced with a hint of sobbing, "Is it... is it that I can only let him bully me like this, with no hope of ever getting ahead?"

Seeing his nephew in such a dejected state, Prince Xue Xing felt a pang of pity, but it was mostly helplessness. Just as he was about to offer more advice, a clear and slightly nervous announcement came from the attendant outside the hall:

"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived--!"

The voice was like a thunderclap, exploding instantly in the deathly silent bedchamber!

Xue Beng's body stiffened violently. He was here! How could he be here?! Was he here to mock him? Or to...

Prince Xue Xing's expression also changed drastically, his eyes turning as sharp as a hawk's. He cast a swift glance at the trembling Xue Beng on the bed, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the suspicion and trace of wariness in his heart.

Ye Yang's arrival at this moment was timed so "coincidentally" that it could not possibly be well-intentioned!

The heavy palace doors were pushed open silently.

Ye Yang's figure appeared in the doorway. He wore simple, elegant moon-white casual robes, a habitual gentle smile on his face, his gait composed as if he were truly just visiting an injured brother.

Behind him followed two attendants with lowered heads, holding several gift boxes that looked expensive at a glance.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Prince Xue Xing offered the first salute, his posture impeccable, though his eyes were filled with scrutiny and vigilance.

"Uncle is here as well." Ye Yang's smile remained unchanged, his tone gentle, but his gaze had already passed over Prince Xue Xing to land on Xue Beng.

"I heard that Fourth Brother was not lightly injured and felt quite concerned. After the morning court, I specifically sought out some fine medicinal salves and tonics to come and see him."

His voice was clear and pleasant, filled with the concern of an elder brother, every word seeming to carry warmth.

Yet, to Xue Beng, it sounded like the hiss of a venomous snake—cold and slick—making his hair stand on end.

[Ding! Roleplaying a benevolent brother, Acting +1]

Ye Yang walked slowly to the bedside, looking down at the prone Xue Beng.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Xue Beng's back, which was wrapped in thick bandages and faintly stained with blood, his brows slightly furrowed as if he were truly worried about his brother's injuries.

"Fourth Brother," Ye Yang's voice softened further, carrying a perfectly measured sense of heartache, "you have suffered. Regarding yesterday's events, Big Brother had no choice; my hand was a bit heavy."

"But you must understand, Big Brother did it for your own good, for the reputation of our Heaven Dou royal family. Do you... still resent Big Brother?"

As he spoke, he reached out quite naturally, as if to comfortingly pat Xue Beng's shoulder, but his fingers landed precisely on the edge of the deepest whip wound on Xue Beng's back!

"Ugh--!" A piercing, agonizing pain exploded instantly from his back. Caught off guard, Xue Beng let out a short, stifled groan, his body recoiling violently as cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Fourth Brother? What's wrong? Is the wound hurting again?" Ye Yang's palm remained "concernedly" in place, his fingertips pressing down slightly, his face still wearing that same gentle, self-reproachful expression.

"Alas, it is all Big Brother's fault. Someone, quickly bring the 'Nine-Turn Jade Dew Ointment' I brought; it is said to have miraculous effects on such external wounds."

[Ding! Inflicting pain, Mental Power +1]

Xue Beng's vision went black from the pain, his teeth biting his lower lip so hard he prevented a scream from escaping his throat.

He could clearly feel the coldness of Ye Yang's fingertips and that seemingly unintentional yet incredibly precise force! This was no sickbed visit; this was torture!

The fear in his heart rose like a cold tide, drowning him instantly, and with it, the last shred of doubt regarding Prince Xue Xing's words vanished—this devil was capable of anything!

Prince Xue Xing stood to the side, seeing this scene clearly.

The fist in his sleeve clenched tightly, his nails digging into his flesh, yet he had to maintain a calm expression on his face.