"Why are you defending me in front of Empress Dowager?"
"Did I defend you in front of Empress Dowager, Your Highness?"
"..." Wu Jingguo seemed so done with Yu Ming's careless reply.
When they were still in Empress Dowager's quarter, Wu Jingguo was quite surprised by how the older man had said something so wise and mature in front of the woman, but it seemed like everything was just an illusion when the older man once again returned to his playful and childish character after they left the woman's residence.
It could be said that the two of them were kicked out by the old woman. It seemed the Empress Dowager was irritated by what Yu Ming had said to her, and even if she didn't say it verbally, how she frowned at the two men before finally saying that she needed to rest was enough to show that the woman was quite offended by how Yu Ming answered her words.
Yu Ming and Wu Jingguo were chased away by the old woman, and the two of them were now walking side by side as they left the woman's residence.
"I didn't mean to defend you, but I was just telling the truth to Empress Dowager," finally, Yu Ming acted more seriously as he spoke again when the Second Prince didn't reply to his careless question. "People really need to stop thinking about how two individuals can commit crimes together simply because they are related by blood. These are the two individuals we're talking about. They have different brains and hearts, and how they decide to live their lives might as well be different."
Once again, the two of them walked side by side at a leisurely pace after leaving the Empress Dowager's residence. Wu Jingguo said that he had something to do after visiting the old woman, and Yu Ming also said that he should leave the palace soon so he didn't wait for Wu Jinhai to visit the Empress Dowager, but it seemed that the two men weren't tight on time as they could calmly walk side by side rather than rushing into what they had to do.
"I can see that you've learned from your mistakes," Wu Jingguo replied calmly, and Yu Ming frowned at the taller man before grabbing the man's sleeve and forcing the man to stop walking.
"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Gritting his teeth, Yu Ming asked the taller man. "Are you going to say that I am also a bad person for judging you badly just because you are Concubine Zhu's son? Ah… now I can see that you are the type who would hold a grudge, Your Highness."
Yu Ming maintained his politeness in front of the younger man, but the words that left his lips were full of sarcasm, and Wu Jingguo sneered at him after hearing it.
"Yes, that's the real me. I'm like everyone else who will hold grudges for a long time when someone wrongs me," Wu Jingguo replied before taking his foot off to walk again, leaving Yu Ming speechless after hearing what he just said.
Yu Ming shook his head helplessly before trying to chase after the Prince. "So, you also hold a grudge against your brother because he also misunderstood you all along?" He asked as he finally walked beside the younger man again.
This time, Wu Jingguo didn't stop walking, and he only glanced at the older man walking next to him as he replied, "You and my brother have different positions in my heart. You should know that."
Wu Jingguo looked very relaxed at this time. He walked leisurely while holding his hands behind his back, and he chose to look ahead as he answered Yu Ming's question. But then he could hear Yu Ming snort after hearing his answer.
"Now I would like to know what position I have in your heart, Your Highness. Is that just the position of being your servant? Am I that lowly in your eyes, Your Highness?" Yu Ming asked, and his words were once again filled with mockery.
Hearing the question, Wu Jingguo glanced at the shorter man again, and he would have opened his mouth to answer the question if he had not seen someone walking towards him. He was quite taken aback, and he reflexively stopped holding his hands behind his back as he also stopped in his tracks.
Wu Jingguo stopped walking, and Yu Ming was forced to do the same before he too noticed the person walking towards them. After that person stopped walking in front of them, Yu Ming could see how Wu Jingguo politely bowed his head to that person, and he couldn't help but snort at how the Prince could change his attitude so quickly.
"Have the two of you visited the Empress Dowager yet?" That person asked a question, ignoring how Yu Ming was being impolite in front of him.
After all, Wu Jinhai had long known that someone like Yu Ming would not want to respect him even after he rose to the position of Crown Prince. Yu Ming still remembered how Emperor Wu Shun revealed to him that Wu Jinhai secretly recognized him as his master, and that was why the man in the pink robe felt very proud of it and did not want to bow humbly in front of Wu Jinhai if there was no anyone else with them.
Oh, Wu Jingguo probably didn't fall under the "anyone else" criteria because Yu Ming didn't want to pretend to be polite when the Second Prince was with them.
"Yes, I have, Your Highness," Wu Jingguo replied. "I originally wanted to visit the Empress Dowager with you, but I knew you might be busy, and that's why I decided to visit her alone."
"Alone?" This time, Yu Ming directly voiced his surprise. "I purposely went to visit the Empress Dowager with you so she couldn't bully you offhandedly, but you dare say that you visited her alone just now? Aiyah! You really are an ungrateful brat, Prince Wu Jingguo!"