15 The Real White Lotus

"Boy, come here. Raise your head and let this prince have a good look at you."

The first thing Yan Zheyun realised was that this crown prince wasn't referring to himself as 'Crown Prince', but a mere 'Prince of the First Rank'. The second thing Yan Zheyun realised was that this prince, whoever he was, didn't sound like the man he'd bumped into on that corridor in Meiyue Tower.

But he could file that away for further consideration later. Right now, he suspected that he was in hot soup.

To raise his head or not, that was the question. If he didn't, there was a chance that Wu Bin might be able to step in and mitigate the situation, thus effectively bailing him out. Wu Bin had already spoken up earlier, and Yan Zheyun could tell that this 'childhood friend' of his didn't want his distinguished guest laying eyes on his face.

But this guest was a prince. What could Wu Bin do if a prince really insisted?

In the end, Yan Zheyun decided that it was in his best interests to comply. To disobey the orders of a member of an imperial family was the same as committing suicide in this day and age.

[Thanks but no thanks.]

Still, his heart raced with trepidation as he slowly tilted his head upwards.

The stranger seated at the front of the banquet hall had a noble air about him. He wasn't as handsome as the man in Meiyue Tower, but his features were fair and just, giving everyone an honest impression that was hard to dislike. His deep blue robes were of the finest make. His eyes widened upon seeing Yan Zheyun's face, an appreciation growing in them, and Yan Zheyun knew that the fragile peace he'd enjoyed these past couple of months was over.

It didn't matter whether this was actually Scumbag 2 or Scumbag 3 or even just random cannon fodder. In the words of clichéd tyrannical CEO novels, Yan Zheyun could tell that he had 'successfully captured this prince's interest'.

"What a beautiful child," the prince said lightly. "No wonder you've decided to put him on display, Minister of Rites Wu. This prince has seen many attractive men and women, but nothing quite like this."

The Minister of Rites beamed like he thought owning a good-looking slave was something to be proud about. "If the boy is to Prince Xi's tastes, would Prince Xi like him to serve you personally for this meal?"

The prince's smile grew. "This prince would be very satisfied with that."

Without further ado, the Minister of Rites caught the attention of the steward and signalled with a sharp nod. Yan Zheyun felt a pair of hands forcibly guiding him forward.

"Didn't you hear the master?" Steward Yang chided. "Go, don't keep Prince Xi waiting, lest you wish to face the consequences."

Yan Zheyun had no choice but to obey.

To his surprise, though, nothing untoward occurred. He'd been expecting a lot of uncomfortable attention from the prince for the duration of the meal, but that didn't happen. The prince glanced at him once or twice whenever Yan Zheyun leaned forward to help him select dishes with a chopstick or refill his cup of wine. But apart from that, he treated Yan Zheyun like any other servant, as in, like he was thin air.

Yan Zheyun didn't let his guard down. Conversely, he grew more and more anxious as time went by.

Wu Bin, too, didn't seem to think that the danger was over. His gaze kept darting over to Yan Zheyun, and more than once, he was distracted during the conversation with the prince and unable to keep up with the flow. This was uncharacteristic of him. It reached the point where his father's panic got the better of him and he chastised Wu Bin in front of everybody.

Needless to say, this was a humiliation that Wu Bin had never experienced before. His gentlemanly façade lapsed for a split second, viciousness flashing in his eyes before he quickly concealed it once more.

Yan Zheyun looked down at his fingers in his lap. He was kneeling behind the prince, legs numb with pins and needles. But even the slightest fidgeting would bring him under harsh scrutiny and he wanted to avoid that at all costs.

He could already tell that afterwards, when all the outsiders had departed, the Minister of Rites was going to take Wu Bin to task and Yan Zheyun was unavoidably going to be collateral damage.

Sure enough, after the prince's left with a last thoughtful look at Yan Zheyun, Wu Shengqi rounded on them.

"Both of you! Kneel!" The incensed Minister of Rites threw himself into his official seat in the household and slammed his palm down on the side table in an expression of his anger.

Yan Zheyun complied without question but Wu Bin, who up till now had only ever behaved like the most filial son, remained standing in front of his father.

[Xiongdi, for fuck's sake, I know you're probably annoyed that your PUAing of me hasn't been as successful as you'd imagined. But can you just...not make matters worse for me?]

But Wu Bin wasn't privy to Yan Zheyun's inner thoughts, of course, so he continued face-off with his father.

...whoever this prince was, he had managed in one smooth go to make Yan Zheyun uncomfortable, blindside Wu Bin into revealing a weakness, and sow disharmony amongst the Wu Household. His tactics were terrifyingly effective. Yan Zheyun was at least 80% certain now that this was none other than the supposed crown prince, Scumbag 2. According to his little sister, Scumbag 2 was the only character in the novel that had ever managed to get an upper hand on Wu Bin.

Oh, discounting the emperor, of course, bless his old soul. Lixin hadn't mentioned the emperor much, but Yan Zheyun had heard some talk by the servants about how the Wu Family had been dismayed to learn that the emperor hadn't chosen to promote Wu Bin, despite his outstanding brilliance. And that Wu Bin had raged about this to his father in his study, complaining that the emperor's wariness of the political might of the 6 noble clans had caused him to become blind to talent.

In a big estate such as this one, no one's study, not even the master's, could be considered as private. So Wu Bin's and Wu Shengqi's dissatisfaction with the person sitting on the throne became common knowledge amongst the Wu Clan.

Right now, though, Wu Shengqi's dissatisfaction was a lot closer to home.

"Unfilial son!" he shouted, nearly apoplectic with rage as he waved a trembling finger in Wu Bin's face. "Don't think I don't know what you were looking at earlier on!"

"Master!" The conversation at the feast earlier on had been heavily centred on politics, so Liang Hui hadn't been invited to stay and entertain the prince along with her husband. As a result, the news of Wu Shengqi's anger had reached her belatedly. This was why she was late, rushing in with a couple of Wu Shengqi's concubines hot on her heels. "What's going on?! Bin Er, what did you do to upset your father so? Apologise!"

She went over to try and take Wu Shengqi's arm, but he brushed her off with an impatient noise.

Yan Zheyun remained in a kowtowing position, but he was sure that he hadn't gone unnoticed to her eagle eyes.

"Ask your obedient son what he did during the banquet! Hmph, you reassured me that after the marriage confirmation, he had set aside his frivolous ways for good. But today, I realise that he's still enamoured with that dirty vixen! Is this how you raise your children?!"

In his anger, Wu Shengqi wasn't even bothering with the pretence anymore. If the real Yan Yun were still alive, he would probably have been very shocked and hurt by this revelation. The magnanimous uncle who had chosen to save him after he'd lost his family was actually a petty, two-faced bastard.

But Yan Zheyun had known this all along, so he wasn't sad, just disgusted.

Upon receiving her husband's unfair scolding, Liang Hui's face darkened too. "Yan Zheyun!" she snapped. "What did you promise me? How dare you continue to pester Bin Er!"

Wu Bin's lips curled downwards with displeasure, but he didn't speak up for Yan Zheyun.

Yan Zheyun remained silent. What was he expected to say? There was no way he could defend himself despite not doing anything wrong. Liang Hui and Wu Bin were both either openly or subtly redirecting the blame on him, and as a slave, no one cared whether he truly was at fault or not.

He decided to keep quiet and wait for them to deal out punishment, hoping that it would be lesser than if he'd attempted to protest. Because protesting would further offend Liang Hui and he wasn't sure whether she would seize this chance to get rid of him for good.

But unfortunately, there were some other people present, who were here solely to watch a good show. They weren't going to miss the opportunity to stir up some chaos.

"What a disobedient servant," a richly-attired woman with a simpering smile chipped in. Yan Zheyun recognised the saccharine voice of Wu Shengqi's newest concubine, Meng Die. This new favourite was of lowly birth, a singer in a brothel. But because of her childhood circumstances, despite only being a year older than the original Yan Yun, she had already developed the wiles of a snake. "Big Sister, if this little sister isn't wrong, this slave is the ex-Young Master Yan? The manservant that you assigned to Bin Er?"

In just a couple of sentences, she'd managed to hint that Liang Hui's oversight was the reason why Wu Bin was so infatuated with Yan Zheyun.

Liang Hui directed a cool glare at her. This concubine was new, so Liang Hui hadn't managed to break her will yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"Is it a mere concubine's place to be commenting on the decisions of the mistress of the house?" she retorted with evident disdain. "You speak out of turn, Little Sister."

Meng Die flushed. "Masterrr~" she whimpered, with a pout on her scarlet lips that would bring most men to their knees. "This concubine didn't mean to upset Big Sister, I was just aggrieved on Master's behalf…"

Wu Shengqi rubbed at his temples. "Enough, both of you," he said with a tired frown. "Can't you see I have enough troubles without your fighting? Die Er, be quiet." He didn't reprimand her for her behaviour though and Yan Zheyun made a note of that. If he managed to survive today, he would have to consider how to make use of Meng Die's rising influence on Wu Shengqi.

"Bin Er," Wu Shengqi said, after a moment's consideration. In a change of tack, he'd softened his voice as he tried reasoning with his eldest and most accomplished son. "Your wedding is coming up soon. If news about your obsession with a lowly slave cropped up once again, how do you think General Guo would react? He loves his daughter like she's a pearl sitting in his palm, if he cancels the engagement, you're going to be the laughing stock of the entire kingdom!"

Liang Hui nodded. "Don't you remember?" she added imploringly. "It took the Guo Family so long to agree to the match because they were worried about those…unsavoury rumours." She spat out her last couple of words like they'd left a foul taste in her mouth. "Some people have fallen from their great heights so you shouldn't mingle with them anymore, Bin Er. You are destined for much better."

[…all these personal attacks, just for me,] Yan Zheyun thought wryly, even as his heart pounded anxiously in anticipation of his impending punishment. [Should I be flattered?]

Wu Bin finally relented and knelt as he spoke up. "Bin Er knows his responsibilities," he said at last, with audible contriteness. "I've been trying to…let go. But today was the first time we'd met in a long while, and I couldn't stop myself from being tempted. Apologies, Father and Mother. Bin Er will be careful not to disappoint you from now on."

[Wow, pinning the blame on me and sucking up to your parents in one go? I'd expected nothing less of Scumbag Gong 1's dazzling 'White Lotus' act. Inner Palace drama antagonists should really be taking lessons from you.]

Wu Shengqi didn't seem to notice how false Wu Bin's act was. He let out a pleased hum of approval, demonstrating that his anger towards his son, at least, had somewhat dissipated. "This father also has to bear some fault," he declared generously, giving his son an out so he wouldn't be so embarrassed in front of this many members of the family. "I took in an old friend's son in a time of hardship, but I didn't expect this ingrate to turn around and bite us."

He gestured carelessly in Yan Zheyun's direction like he was nothing more than a worthless object to be disposed of.

"Drag him out and give him 50 lashes with the whip," he commanded. "Let this be a lesson to all of you, that this is the Wu Household's punishment for audacious servants who seduce their masters." He said this while completely glossing over the fact that half his concubines were previous maids who had caught his fancy.

Standing up from his seat, Wu Shengqi walked towards the kowtowing figure, stopping right as the tip of his shoe brushed against the crown of Yan Zheyun's head.

"Don't blame me for being harsh, boy," he said. "You have repaid my kindness poorly. As a final tribute to my friendship with your father, I won't directly order your death. If you survive this ordeal, then the heavens have taken pity on you, and you may work in the stables after." He nudged Yan Zheyun's head with his foot. "But you will henceforth be banned from entering the main compound. And if I so much as hear that you've been seen in the vicinity of any of my sons, I will not be this forgiving a second time around. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes," Yan Zheyun said.