"General Zhou!" Wei Mingxiu's pupils trembled.
A host of emotions welled up in him, foremost among them guilt and disbelief.
"Why did you..."
Before he could finish the question, he saw the man turn his head slightly toward him and touch his lips with his uninjured hand, as if by accident, making a shushing gesture.
Wei Mingxiu pressed his lips together and fell silent without thinking.
Wei Zhao frowned. "Minister Zhou, what are you doing?"
"Because this humble servant has realized that all this trouble began with my false accusation against His Highness the Third Prince."
Zhou Ye lowered his bearing and said, "His Highness the Third Prince and His Highness the Sixth Prince were clearly only playing around as brothers do, yet I called it attempted murder. That misled Your Majesty and made you angry with them."
"So I boldly beg Your Majesty for mercy. For the sake of my triumphant return to the capital today and the news of victory I brought Your Majesty, please pardon the young attendant and His Highness the Sixth Prince for offending you as a result of my careless words."
"Please do not let this harm the harmony between father and sons, or between brothers."
From what had just happened, Zhou Ye had gained a rough understanding of Wei Mingxiu's temperament.
He could cut ties decisively with relatives who bullied him, and he was deeply loyal to those who defended him.
A person like that was clear about whom he loved and hated, and quite easy to win over.
He was confident he could become the other man's white moonlight in a short time.
But the immediate priority was to save him first. Everything else could wait.
So Zhou Ye decided to go along with Wei Zhao's wishes, rather than cling to the truth he had witnessed and plead Wei Mingxiu's case at every turn.
Instead, he took the blame upon himself.
By saying all this, he not only gave Wei Zhao ample face, but also gave him a way to back down.
After all, Wei Zhao had intended to cover up the truth and shield Wei Chengye. By stepping forward and admitting fault, Zhou Ye had helped him shield Wei Chengye.
And although Wei Zhao had drawn his sword and appeared ready to kill Wei Mingxiu, he had not truly intended to strike a fatal blow.
After all, if word got out that Emperor Chaoyang had murdered his own son, it would affect his reputation.
That was something he did not want to see either.
Now Zhou Ye had smoothed over the farce and given him time to calm down, so he naturally chose to take the way out Zhou Ye had offered.
Wei Zhao's expression softened, and his sword tip dropped. Zhou Ye took the opportunity to release his grip.
"Since you have said as much, Minister Zhou, I shall heed your words and spare this unfilial son."
Zhou Ye cupped his hands again. "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty."
He looked at Wei Mingxiu and signaled for the boy to speak.
Wei Mingxiu was still full of hatred for Wei Zhao and resisted thanking him for his mercy.
But when he met Zhou Ye's eyes and saw the man's hand stained red with blood from saving him,
he could not bring himself to defy him in the slightest.
So he lowered his head too and, without arguing further, said to Wei Zhao, "Thank you for your mercy, Father Emperor."
Xiao Wu had been scared out of his wits by the ordeal. Feeling that he had escaped with his life, he naturally kowtowed desperately to thank Wei Zhao. In the end, Wei Mingxiu had to struggle to help him up before he finally stopped.
The farce came to an end.
After they left the Imperial Academy, Wei Zhao's emotions settled, and he said to Zhou Ye, "You spent eight years at the Northern Border, and now you have finally returned. I had intended to show you around the palace, but instead you had to witness this embarrassment."
"You were even hurt like this. I feel terrible about it. I will have Li Dehai take you to the Imperial Medical Institute for treatment shortly..."
Zhou Ye shook his head. "This little injury is nothing, Your Majesty."
"Besides, Your Majesty has many children. It is only natural for them to quarrel now and then. When I was in the capital, my sister and I used to argue all the time, giving our parents no end of headaches. Now that I have not seen her for eight years, I miss her terribly."
His words softened Wei Zhao's expression further. "It has been three years since your sister, Consort Xian, entered the palace. In consideration of the close bond between you, I shall permit you to visit her today."
Zhou Ye's mother had given birth to a son and a daughter.
Zhou Ye's elder sister was named Zhou Ya. She had entered the palace three years ago and been made Consort Xian.
Naturally, it was not because she liked Wei Zhao.
It was to put Wei Zhao at ease regarding the Marquis of Zhenbei's Household.
After all, the Grand General of Zhenbei doted on Zhou Ya. As long as she remained in the palace, Wei Zhao could keep the general's household in check.
Zhou Ye had mentioned Zhou Ya just now to secure a chance to stay in the palace. Hearing Wei Zhao's words, he cupped his hands to him.
"Then thank you, Your Majesty."
Following Wei Zhao's orders, Li Dehai first took Zhou Ye to the Imperial Medical Institute to have his wound treated.
The sword wound was not deep, but it still hurt.
Fortunately, during his more than a year at the Northern Border, Zhou Ye had grown used to being injured every few days.
So he could bear it.
As he let the imperial physician bandage his wound, he said to Li Dehai, "Eunuch Li, do you know where His Highness the Sixth Prince lives?"
"In answer to the general, His Highness the Sixth Prince lives in the Southern Spring Courtyard." Li Dehai looked puzzled and ventured, "May I ask why the general wishes to know?"
As a longtime confidant at Wei Zhao's side, Li Dehai was naturally a shrewd man.
Wei Zhao had left him with Zhou Ye ostensibly to guide him, but in truth, it was to keep an eye on him.
After all, Zhou Ye's achievements now overshadowed his sovereign, and he held military power. Any move he made would draw the attention of the suspicious Wei Zhao.
"I just realized that, in the confusion earlier, I accidentally put away His Highness the Sixth Prince's hairpin." Zhou Ye had already thought of an explanation that would not arouse suspicion.
He took out the silver hairpin with two flowers and said, "So I thought I would return it to him on the way."
"I see." Li Dehai put aside his suspicions.
After Zhou Ye's hand had been bandaged, Li Dehai took him to the Southern Spring Courtyard.
Because Wei Mingxiu's mother had received little favor in her lifetime, the Southern Spring Courtyard looked rather bleak and shabby.
It was little better than the cold palace.
Only a few eunuchs and palace maids were in the courtyard, listlessly sweeping and cleaning.
Every now and then, they voiced complaints about being assigned to the Southern Spring Courtyard.
Only when they saw Li Dehai arrive with the distinguished-looking Zhou Ye did they hurriedly fall silent and bow to them.
"Is His Highness the Sixth Prince inside?"
Li Dehai asked.
"In answer to Eunuch Li, His Highness the Sixth Prince went into the room with Xiao Wu and has not come out yet."
Hearing this, Zhou Ye said to Li Dehai, "Eunuch Li, wait here. I'll return as soon as I've given back the hairpin."
Li Dehai nodded.
Zhou Ye strode into the courtyard.
He saw a peach tree in full bloom. Its pink petals drifted down, lending a welcome touch of life to the desolate courtyard.
He did not push the door open and enter.
Instead, he knocked politely.
Inside, Wei Mingxiu was applying medicine to Xiao Wu's forehead.
But the ointment was so poor in quality that it brought tears to Xiao Wu's eyes.
Even so, he did not cry out in pain. He only said, "Your Highness, this ointment was hard to come by. You're hurt too, so please don't waste it on me."
The Imperial Household Bureau was always withholding portions of the Southern Spring Courtyard's food, clothing, and other necessities, and medicine was in even shorter supply.
Wei Mingxiu was persecuted both openly and in secret, so injuries were unavoidable.
Xiao Wu did not want him to use the medicine on a servant like himself.
"I only have some bruises, no open wounds," Wei Mingxiu said. "Wei Chengye's attendants only use underhanded tricks. I'll be fine after a few days' rest. I don't need the ointment."
"As for you, you don't have to risk your life defending me like that anymore."
"Serving a prince without favor like me, a loyal servant will only die sooner."
His words filled Xiao Wu with sorrow.
Though Xiao Wu was young, he knew Wei Mingxiu was a master who treated people sincerely.
And among the princes and princesses, Wei Mingxiu was the most diligent in his studies and the most talented.
He was also upright and deeply favored by the grand tutor.
Yet someone like him was a pearl covered in dust, and was treated that way by his own father and brother.
How could anyone not feel for him?
Xiao Wu was just about to say something to comfort Wei Mingxiu when he suddenly heard a knock.
And Zhou Ye's low, clear voice asking,
"Your Highness the Sixth Prince, this humble servant would like to return your hairpin. Might you permit me to see you?"