Song Lingyun’s face was almost contorted with rage; he was truly furious.
Song Pu knew his son was rebellious by nature. If he knew that Tantai Yi was monitoring his every move… it would likely only fuel the growing rebellious thoughts in his heart.
If he revealed that he had acted voluntarily, Song Lingyun would at most feel disappointed and resentful, at least he would not think the emperor had forced him.
His reluctance to leave was naturally due to fear of the emperor’s wrath. If last night’s words had truly been a warning… he dared not imagine the consequences.
In truth, Tantai Yi’s forgiveness for calling him a “dog emperor” already felt incredibly unreal. Perhaps he had indeed gained a place in Tantai Yi’s heart through flattery, but he did not feel that Tantai Yi particularly valued him. Their relationship and affection were fragile, maintained solely by the loyalty and sincerity he feigned.
Of course, he had indeed gained the emperor’s favour. From receiving medicine, summoning imperial physicians, and even having the emperor vent on his behalf; the emperor treated him with utmost consideration.
But Tantai Yi’s arrogant, narcissistic, rebellious, and self-centred personality meant that their relationship would always be one of him fawning over him, cautiously watching his words and actions for fear of incurring the emperor’s dislike.
In this relationship, Song Pu did indeed take his act seriously, genuinely admiring and revering the emperor, finding a self-deceptive pleasure in it. But how could he not feel exhausted? Wearing a naive, foolish mask was tiring; racking his brains to praise and flatter the emperor in elaborate ways was tiring; from controlling his expression down to the smallest detail, to conveying surprise and delight was tiring.
He even had to decipher the emperor’s psychology and tailor his responses accordingly.
These were all incredibly taxing tasks, as evidenced by the fact that his appetite had increased since arriving in this world, yet he had not gained weight.
He was too tired. All he did was survive. He feared pain, and he feared death.
He did not find fear of death shameful; all living beings have a survival instinct, and his was stronger than most due to his heightened sensitivity.
Besides pleasing the emperor, what else could he do? Run away? He dared not take that risk.
Although it was shameless, he felt that Tantai Yi still cared about him to some extent. If he truly cared nothing, he would probably have been killed the moment Tantai Yi heard him call him a “dog emperor.” It was precisely because he cared that he could not bear to act, and could only pretend nothing had happened.
Thinking this way, he felt the emperor was not so hopeless, and his heart softened considerably, harbouring an inappropriate hope. What if he could be reformed and become a decent person?
In short, various factors combined to tip the scales in Song Pu’s heart towards not taking that path.
However, this was undeniably cruel to Song Lingyun.
Seeing his expression, Song Pu felt genuinely guilty and softened his tone, saying quietly, “Ge, I know you have been good to me, but His Majesty is not as bad as you think. I was beaten because Father misunderstood, so… Wasn’t Father punished in the palace yesterday? His Majesty told me last night he was avenging me…”
Song Pu felt the emperor was being rather childish at this point, “…He also pities me, so ge, let’s not talk about this anymore, okay?”
Song Lingyun laughed angrily, “You’ve been bewitched by him, so naturally you think he is perfect. Have you ever considered that his selection of people for the palace was predetermined from the start? He has had his eye on you all for a long time. You are petite and adorable, Shen Yong is handsome and gentle, Chang Jiangming lively and innocent—then Li Zongyi, all are handsome young men, innocent and naive, easily fooled, and pure. If he just wanted someone to play with, why not me? I have status and position, and I am more sensible than you. I am better than you in every way. Why choose you and not me?”
Song Pu was stunned by his torrent of words. Recovering, he saw that his eyes were slightly red and panicked. “Ge, His Majesty did not do anything to us. Why do you think this?”
Song Lingyun said resentfully, “Since you have made up your mind, I will not say anything more. I will not try to persuade you anymore. Anyway, you never listen to me! But with your stubbornness, don’t come crying to me if you suffer any injustice in the future!”
With that, he kicked over the stool, turned, and left.
Song Pu: “…”
Song Lingyun’s actions only made him feel more guilty.
However, Song Lingyun must have been brainwashed by some unknown source to believe that His Majesty had ulterior motives towards them.
Unbeknownst to Song Pu, the more calculating a person is, the less likely they are to overthink things. Song Lingyun, precisely because of his deep thoughts, felt that the emperor’s favour towards Song Pu was not as simple as it appeared. After all, the rumours surrounding the emperor himself left him no choice but to speculate.
After the incident with his brother, Song Pu gradually sensed his brother’s deliberate distancing. Normally, no matter how busy he was, he would always come to see him and talk, but now he had not come for three days.
Song Pu had the cook prepare some soup and broth, which he sent to Song Lingyun’s courtyard, only to have it returned shortly afterward, showing no intention of accepting his gestures.
Song Pu could only teach the cook to make some unique pastries and dishes, and even though they were returned, he would continue to send them.
After persisting like this for over half a month, the wound on Song Pu’s back had completely healed. Perhaps the ointment given by Song Lingyun was indeed effective; his back was unmarked, as if he had never been injured.
The one in the palace received the news firsthand and immediately summoned him.
On the way to the palace with him, Duke Song wore a worried expression. Song Pu thought he looked several years older. “Father, is something troubling you?”
Duke Song glanced at him, sighed, and said, “Nothing. Just serve His Majesty well and don’t drink too much.”
He now understood that Tantai Yi was annoyed by his meddling, which was why he had been treated harshly. But one thing puzzled him greatly: why did Tantai Yi, who had been furious and even wanted to strangle his youngest son, ultimately let it go?
What were the emperor and his youngest son doing in the room while he and Cao Xi were out?
Perhaps it was another round of flattery from his youngest son that pleased the emperor, leading him to let it go. He had indeed vaguely heard some voices, and while he shouldn’t speculate, for some reason he felt he had missed something.
However, that was not his concern right now. His worry was that his youngest son, when drunk, would blurt out anything, and if others found out, they might use it against him. All he could do was repeatedly remind him to stop drinking.
Song Pu, of course, was unaware of Duke Song’s worries. After parting ways with the Duke, he headed towards the martial arts arena where Tantai Yi often trained.
Tantai Yi was skilled in martial arts and loved to exercise; he always exercised in the mornings, so going there was always a good choice.
The palace was bustling with activity. A few days ago, the palace gates were opened to select concubines, and 108 young women entered. However, Song Pu heard from Chang Jiangming that Tantai Yi had not officially appointed any of them as concubines. Therefore, all 108 women were assigned as palace maids, working in various places. Especially the Empress Dowager’s Changqing Palace, where Tantai Yi had assigned 40 women.
Perhaps it was this infusion of new vitality that gave the vast palace a more vibrant feel.
As Song Pu walked along, he saw several palace maids hurrying by. Girls who could enter the palace were naturally beautiful and very young; even in their maid’s attire, they were extremely eye-catching.
Song Pu could not help but steal a few more glances.
The Liang Dynasty strictly enforced gender segregation, and the social atmosphere was rather conservative. It was rare to see young girls on the streets, and men had few opportunities to see girls their own age.
Song Pu was, after all, a man, and naturally could not resist looking at attractive women. His frequent distractions meant he arrived at Tantai Yi’s side later than usual.
Of course, there were no watches or other timekeeping devices, so Song Pu did not know he was late. But upon meeting Tantai Yi, he heard him say with a forced smile, “Why is Minister Song a little later than usual?”
Song Pu paused slightly, about to answer, when Tantai Yi continued, “Minister Song, did you mistake my palace maid for someone else and forget the time?”
Song Pu was taken aback, finding it absurd. Surely the emperor would not be monitoring him in the palace?
Was that necessary?
He had misunderstood Tantai Yi this time. Tantai Yi could easily figure it out with a little thought. Minister Song was usually the first to arrive; the fact that he was late because it was his first time in the palace after recovering from his injury meant he must have been distracted by the palace maids.
Thinking of this, Tantai Yi said coolly, “Speaking of which, I haven’t asked you yet whether you enjoyed your visit to the brothel that day, Lord Song. Were the girls there pretty? Compared to them, are my palace maids even slightly better?”
