The Prince Consort's Beloved

Li Yanchen returned to Prince Yun's Mansion on New Year's Eve.

The wind blows coldly, and the frost chills the tiles.

Prince Yun sat in the yard drinking by himself, and Li Yanchen wrapped his cloak tighter.

"Father, why are you drinking in the courtyard on such a cold day?"

Prince Yun said calmly, "Awake."

Li Yanchen sniffed: "It's too cold, the snow hasn't melted yet."

Prince Yun glanced at him and said, "Drink some wine and it won't be cold anymore."

Ye Si next to him quickly poured a glass for Li Yanchen.

Li Yanchen stretched out his hand, closed his eyes, took a big sip, and then started coughing violently.

Prince Yun frowned, seeming displeased.

He stood up and took the sword from the table: "Ye Si, show me a few moves."

Ye Si had a face full of bitterness and hatred: "Ah? Why is it me again? Didn't I just accompany His Majesty in the competition yesterday? My body still hurts. Please spare my subordinate, Your Majesty."

Prince Yun lowered his eyes to look at Li Yanchen who was sitting there gloating over his misfortune, and suddenly pointed his sword at him: "Come here, practice with your father."

Upon hearing this, Li Yanchen immediately stopped smiling and said in surprise, "Me? I don't want to. Father, aren't you tired of fighting with others all day long?"

Prince Yun frowned. Are you comparing them to be more shameless?

Li Yanchen continued, "I got a new myna today. It can speak human language. It's very interesting. Father, please wait a minute. I'll go get it right away. You will be happy to see it."

After Li Yanchen finished speaking, he trotted away and came back with a cage a short while later.

The mynah bird said, "Master, come here often... Big fool, big fool..."

Ye Si's mouth twitched and he silently took two steps back.

Li Yanchen laughed out loud: "Hahaha, father, isn't this interesting? This is what its previous owner taught it. I haven't had the chance to teach it yet. Wait for me..."

Before he could finish, King Yun swung his sword, breaking the birdcage in two and the starling flew away.

Li Yanchen's smile froze on his face, and then turned into an angry look: "Father, what are you doing? I got this with great difficulty."

Prince Yun said in a cold voice: "How many times have I told you not to play with birds and dogs all the time?"

His eyes were stern: "Take the sword."

Ye Si drew out the sword from his waist and forced it into Li Yanchen's hand, saying with a hint of smile: "Please, Prince."

Li Yanchen held the sword, feeling that he had a lot of anger but had no place to vent it. He shouted and swung the sword at King Yun.

With just one move, Li Yanchen was knocked to the ground.

King Yun shouted coldly: "Come again!"

Li Yanchen gripped the hilt of the sword tightly and got up from the ground angrily.

He fell to the ground again, and Prince Yun frowned: "How come you still haven't made any progress? You are so vulnerable. Don't say you are my son, Li Yan, when you go out. You are a piece of useless mud, which is shameful."

Li Yanchen's eyes turned red and he shouted, "Ah, I can't stand it anymore!"

It looked like he was going to fight to the death with Prince Yun. Butler Zhao, who was sorting out the wine jars in the distance, felt his blood boiling. The prince was finally going to show up.

Li Yanchen got up from the ground swiftly and threw away the sword in his hand. "Father, you've gone too far. I felt sorry for your old age and loneliness, so I came back with you to celebrate New Year's Eve. But you treated me like this, beating and scolding me. Don't I have any dignity?"

King Yun frowned and caught a key word: old?

Li Yanchen continued angrily: "Since you are so ungrateful, I'm leaving! I'm running away from home and never coming back!"

He walked out of the courtyard after he finished speaking, and Butler Zhao hurriedly chased after him: "Sir, it's New Year's Day, stop making trouble..."

King Yun ordered in a low voice: "Night three and night six, follow him."

Ye San sighed and followed with Ye Liu.

Prince Yun looked at Ye Si and said, "Didn't she say she went to ask for a talisman for me? Why hasn't she come over yet?"

Ye Si said helplessly: "Since you have spread the news that you are awake, she will naturally not go."

Prince Yun sighed. It had been too long. He couldn't keep staying indoors using his unconsciousness as an excuse. Li Yuanqi would have recovered from that minor poison long ago. If he, the war king known to the great Yue people, didn't wake up, the common people would laugh their heads off.

Seeing him sigh, Ye Si asked tentatively, "Do you want me to go to the princess's mansion and tell her that the prince's condition has worsened?"

Prince Yun said indifferently: "No need, she is pregnant now, don't scare her, just let her take good care of herself in the mansion."

Li Yanchen returned to his yard and began to pack up his gold and silver jewelry. Ye Sanye Sanye held the sword in front of his chest with both hands and leaned against the door frame leisurely.

Butler Zhao was still trying to persuade him: "My Lord, today is New Year's Eve. If you want to leave, you should wait until after the New Year. Once you leave, the mansion will become even more deserted. Besides, things are not peaceful outside right now. I heard that many refugees have entered Shangjing City..."

As Li Yanchen cleaned up the mess, he angrily said, "This prince can't stay here any longer. You scold me everyday for being ignorant and useless..."

He put the bag on his shoulder and said, "Uncle Zhao, I'm going to leave. If I die outside, it's great. You can burn my body into ashes and smear it on the wall of Prince Yun's Mansion. Remember to paint it high, so that he won't always say that I am a pile of mud that can't climb the wall. I want him to know that I, a pile of mud, can also climb the wall!"