novelraw Chapter 677 - 666: The Cuckolded Prince
Chapter 677 - 666: The Cuckolded Prince
Ye Ke looked at Ye Qiu with a heavy gaze and asked, "Why? Why do you hate Ye Zheng so much?"
"Why?" Ye Qiu sneered at himself, his forehead throbbing with veins, "Big brother, you probably don’t know, but Lin Jingxian was already involved with the Second Brother before marrying me, and even Ming’er and Lingling are not my children."
Ye Ke was clearly not expecting the truth to be like this; if that was true, then Fifth Brother is really too pitiful.
He asked in surprise, "How did you find out?"
"How could I not know?" Ye Qiu scoffed coldly, "On the night of our wedding, that bitch Lin Jingxian drugged me. I thought I had consummated the marriage with her, but it turned out to be all a sham, and after she gave birth, she never let me touch her again."
Ye Qiu grew angrier as he spoke: "Big brother, do you remember the last time we went to celebrate Tenth Brother’s birthday at Tenth Brother Mansion?"
"Could it be that they...?" Ye Ke recalled and realized that the Crown Prince indeed left his seat for quite a while that day.
"This happened at Tenth Brother Mansion, and they dared to be so bold. They thought I wouldn’t find out, but can one fake the scent on a person’s body? Although I was drunk at the time, I knew the scent on her was ambergris. Big brother, don’t tell me Father Emperor was also there that day."
At this, Ye Ke fell silent. Ambergris was a fragrance exclusively used by their Father Emperor, and since it was extremely rare, no one but his beloved Crown Prince was deemed worthy of it. He vaguely remembered that day when Fifth Brother drunkenly fell upon Fifth Sister-in-law, he remarked "how fragrant", so could this be the reason Fifth Brother helped him? It was possible. But if it was true, then the Crown Prince was utterly inhumane. Fifth Brother was their own blood brother, and he dared so blatantly make a cuckold out of him, even letting his children take the place of Fifth Brother’s Princely Heir.
Right, it seems that Fifth Brother has yet to appoint a Princely Heir, the reason being his legitimate son is too frail. So, it wasn’t frailty, but because he found out they weren’t his own children that he found such an excuse, right?
As Ye Ke pondered over these matters, the more he thought, the more he felt that Fifth Brother wasn’t deceiving him—after all, who would use such matters as a trick? And if Fifth Sister-in-law truly cared about Fifth Brother, how could she disregard Fifth Brother’s infidelity and even personally arrange concubines for him?
"Then why do you continue to tolerate Fifth Sister-in-law?" Knowing the likely answer, Ye Ke still couldn’t help but ask.
Ye Qiu scoffed at himself, "What else could it be for? If I recklessly exposed this matter, who would believe me? Even if someone did, do you think Father Emperor would protect me, or would he protect his most beloved son’s dragon and phoenix twins?"
Indeed, that was the case!
Ye Ke sighed, after all, in their Father Emperor’s eyes, all of his brothers together probably wouldn’t equal the Crown Prince.
"Isn’t Father Emperor’s fondness for our noble Crown Prince just because he is the son of Empress Wen Hui? Since he loves Empress Wen Hui so much, shouldn’t we, as his sons, fulfill his wishes?" A sinister expression crept across the normally indifferent face of Ye Qiu.
"Anyone can ascend to the throne, just not the Crown Prince. Big brother, your mother is also the Empress, and you are the legitimate eldest son. Are you really content with that? And are you sure that after the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he will tolerate you, his militarily accomplished legitimate eldest brother? What about the Empress Mother then? That’s the harem, if something happens, we are utterly powerless."
Ye Ke squinted his eyes, convinced by Ye Qiu’s words. Even if Ye Qiu had said nothing today, Ye Ke never intended to give up the fight for the throne. However, after hearing Fifth Brother’s words, his resolve to seize the throne was firmer than ever.
"If that is the case, big brother will certainly seek justice for you in the future," Ye Ke promised.
"Thank you, big brother," Ye Qiu said, moved, then added very sincerely, "Fifth brother has nothing much to offer you, just a little money, but I hope you can make use of it."
Upon hearing this, Ye Ke’s gaze sharpened: "It’s harsh and cold at the border, many soldiers can’t get enough to eat or wear. Today, big brother will thank you on their behalf here and now."
"As long as they get punished, I’m willing to do anything," Ye Qiu said, thumping his chest.
Seeing his resolute manner, Ye Ke was even more satisfied.
October is the month of the Imperial Family’s annual autumn hunt, and the safety measures around have long been arranged. However, there are inevitably some uninformed villagers or hunters who venture into the mountains to hunt. But the Emperor is merciful, and generally, when they are discovered, they are not dealt with harshly, and if he is in a good mood, he might even give them some of the game.
Ye Qiu, riding on his horse, was reflecting on the events that might unfold soon, unsure whether his actions were right or wrong, especially since the woman named Liu Hui was innocent.
However, that girl was not simple either; it was rare for a girl of fifteen or sixteen to remain unmarried, and she had had a fiancé before. It’s just that her family became wealthy and then found a way to dissolve the engagement. So, she too must be longing for wealth, right?
The palace was full of intrigue. Even with the Empress secretly protecting her, one could still succumb to foul play. She had to have her own plans, and once she won over the Father Emperor’s heart, the blow to the Crown Prince would be even greater.
Ye Qiu glanced in Ye Ke’s direction and indeed saw a slight nod of his head, and the smile on his face oozed confidence and composure.
With this, Ye Qiu also stopped worrying and focused completely on entertaining Little Ye Heng. As for his playmate, the Seventh Prince, he couldn’t join them today, mainly because his long-awaited Princess Consort, Xia Yixiao, was finally pregnant. He was anxious and wanted to be with her at all times.
With the child, Ye Qiu couldn’t venture too far, so he shot a couple of hares and wild chickens nearby and took some deer meat from Ye Ke to have a barbecue with Little Ye Heng. The father and son were having a great time when Crown Prince Ye Zheng came looking for them.
"Fifth brother, why haven’t I seen Fifth Sister-in-law?" There were many people today, and Ye Zheng had no intention of having a private rendezvous. However, he thought it would be nice to see his beloved, only to find out after searching around that she hadn’t come at all.
"Oh, her? She’s unwell, so she went to the hot spring manor to recuperate," Ye Qiu said casually, then hand-fed Little Ye Heng a piece of deer meat, smiling, "How is it, does Father make good barbecue?"
"It’s delicious," Little Ye Heng was extremely happy.
Ye Zheng found this scene somewhat irksome, so he added: "Fifth brother, although Ye Heng is well-behaved, favoring the concubine-born over the legitimate is not right. There should be a sense of proportion in all things."
Ye Qiu sneered inwardly but casually said, "I know, I know. They’re just kids, what do they know about favoritism? Second brother, why haven’t you gone to accompany Father Emperor? I see Second Sister-in-law and your nephew waiting for the game you’ll personally hunt down for them!"
Seeing his dismissive attitude, Ye Zheng knew his words had fallen on deaf ears, but it didn’t matter. When Ming’er and Lingling could openly become his children, he would cherish them properly.