Yu Pin Yan looked at the large pancake fed to his lips with a slightly hesitant expression.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Xiang blinked her eyes in confusion.
Yu Pin Yan took a bite and gently said, “Xiang’er, it seems that we have been eating pancakes for more than two months in a row? Isn’t it time to switch to something else?”
“I did,” Yu Xiang said. She tapped her chopstick against her plate and continued, “The day before yesterday we had beef rolls. Yesterday, we had chicken rolls. Today, we have duck rolls. Every day, the rolls are different. How else isn’t it different?”
“I mean we can change it to rice with stir fry vegetables or something like that.” Yu Pin Yan suggested.
Yu Xiang fell silent. She glanced at him several times before she reluctantly spoke, “I want to change too, but I only know how to cook pancakes. I can’t cook anything else. I can’t cook meat and vegetables. I always burn them, and I can’t cook rice at all. I’m still learning. I used to be such a dainty woman, and I’ve even had calluses on my finger for you, so what are you unsatisfied with?”
As she said it, she felt aggrieved instead. She spread her white arms on the table. Yu Pin Yan looked at her hand and saw that some areas did indeed develop calluses. He was instantly distressed, lifting her upon his knee to kiss and coax her.
“Elder Brother’s little beloved, from now on, don’t do all these things. Let Tao Hong and Liu Lu serve you. You are a precious girl who deserves to be cuddled in my arms and spoiled every day.” As he said this, he kissed her ten fingers with indescribable tenderness.
“But I like to give up my superior living conditions to personally cook for you. Isn’t that what a wife is supposed to do?” Yu Xiang didn’t feel aggrieved anymore and snuggled in her elder brother’s arms.
“It’s up to you. I’ll eat whatever you make. It would be alright if I eat your pancakes for the rest of my life.” Yu Pin Yan laughed pleasurably. He never knew he could say such mushy words of love. However, with his younger sister, making her happy seemed to be a duty and an instinct.
Yu Xiang glanced at him and let out a snort. Deep down, she was very happy but, on the surface, she had to put up a front. Yu Pin Yan loved this little look on her face. His big hand went into the hem of her dress and caressed the soft flesh of her waist, massaging her as she turned into a pool of spring water and melted in his arms.
The two of them kicked the kang table away and entwined with one another. When they were done, Yu Xiang was as limp as mud. She could only breathe in small gasps as she laid on her jade-like arms. Yu Pin Yan wrung out a handkerchief to help her clean up, but her naughty little foot kicked him in the half-soft spot, and it immediately had a sensation.
“Little demon, do you want me to sort you out?” He whispered through clenched teeth.
“We’ll be on the road tomorrow. The journey is inconvenient, and I need to eat well.” Yu Xiang licked her crimson lips as it curved. Her charming eyes drifted towards her elder brother. She had always been spontaneous, living her life how she pleased and did not consider feudal rituals. She just discovered the pleasures of close intimacy in a couple. Naturally, she could not get enough of it.
What Yu Pin Yan loved most about her was her fervency and frankness. He smiled and leaned over.
The two of them were still on the way back to the capital when there was a new upheaval in the imperial court. Because the Prime Minister was the backbone of the Crown Prince’s support, the rest of the princes had to remove this obstacle if they wished to ascend to the throne. At the incitement of several of the princes, the memorial requests for the impeachment of the Prime Minister flew like snowflakes to Emperor Cheng Kang’s desk.
One of them caught Emperor Cheng Kang’s attention. It was to overturn the case of Yu Jun Wei, who was exiled to Shu.[1] Yu Jun Wei was the third uncle of Yu Pin Yan, the Old Madam’s shu son. He was once a high official minister in the Ministry of Appointments, but he was later impeached by the Prime Minister for selling his official position and accepting bribes. His family was sent to exile after the charges were proven true.
The witnesses from that time now retracted their confessions. They said that all the evidence was fabricated by Yu Pin Yan in collaboration with the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince in order to snatch the title. His family’s lives were in Yu Pin Yan’s hands, so he was forced to go against his conscience and frame this loyalist. Now that Yu Pin Yan was dead, the threat to his family had been lifted. Thus, he had come forward to atone for his evil deeds.
The spread of this incident caused an uproar within the imperial court. The impeachment of the Prime Minister and Marquis Yongle was so widespread that even the Marquis Yongle’s biological mother, Lin Shi, came forward to testify on behalf of Yu Jun Wei’s family. She described in detail how Yu Pin Yan had fabricated false charges to frame his paternal uncle.
The Old Madam was so infuriated that she vomited blood, and Yu Si Yu wished she could burn down the Lin’s residence, but was held back by Ma Momo.
[Crown Prince’s manor]– Emperor Cheng Kang and the Crown Prince were playing Go. Emperor Cheng Kang placed a chess piece down and let out a sigh, “As expected, Yi Feng’s predestined relationship with his parents is weak. He was even framed by his own mother to this extent. What exactly is Lin Shi thinking?”
“Erchen[2] doesn’t know. She probably has gone mad.” The Crown Prince rubbed his temples in distress.
Emperor Cheng Kang lowered his head and drank his tea, then said, “My fourth son has been increasingly diligent lately.”
The Crown Prince sneered coldly, “Yes, Erchen felt very touched by his encouraging and comforting words. Erchenhas advised him repeatedly to strive for that position, but he remained silent.”
Emperor Cheng Kang also laughed. He captured a chess piece, and his tone was full of hidden meaning, “He is waiting for you to surrender. What’s the point of just moving your lips? It’s time to give him something substantial. If you don’t use your connections and power now, they will become useless later. If my fifth and sixth son take the throne, you will definitely die.”
“That’s why Erchen can only rely on my fourth brother now. The only way for me to survive is for my fourth brother to sit on the throne. Father Emperor, don’t you think so?” The Crown Prince’s tone was light and quick.
Emperor Cheng Kang nodded his head, the murderous intent in his eyes revealing itself.
The case of Yu Jun Wei was quickly approved by Emperor Cheng Kang. Not only did he imprison the Prime Minister on the same day, but he also sent someone to Shu to bring Yu Jun Wei’s family back to the capital. If things went well, not only would Yu Jun Wei be reinstated, but he might also inherit the title of Marquis Yongle.
The Old Madam was so angry that she became ill and collapsed in bed, her health steadily deteriorated.