But before Sima Han could explain, he understood what Sima Han meant.
"You mean I'm not human?"
Upon hearing this, Sima Han looked at Yue Zhong again, disbelief in his eyes. "I really didn't expect anyone would want to not be human."
"You..."
Yue Zhong was silenced by Sima Han's words.
"Then what did you mean just now?"
Sima Han shrugged. "I mean, you were never in my eyes. Why would I need to look down on someone?"
It had to be said that Sima Han was quite talented in this regard. With just a few words, he managed to make Yue Zhong stomp his feet in anger.
However, seeing the person ahead suddenly turn around and look back at them, asking why they weren't following quickly, Yue Zhong swallowed the words that had reached his lips.
"We're coming."
With that said, Yue Zhong reached out to grab Sima Han's arm, intending to walk forward together and make everyone believe that his relationship with Sima Han was still very good.
But Sima Han didn't give him the chance at all.
Sidestepping, Sima Han was already more than a meter away, looking at Yue Zhong with a hint of mockery. "Lord Yue, you have this much time, you might as well hurry up and eat, and then go home early."
"I want to see Xin Xin!"
Yue Zhong's reply was firm, as if he would absolutely not give up if Sima Han didn't agree.
Sima Han, as he expected, flatly refused. "Don't be foolish. Xin Xin isn't someone you can just see if you want."
Yue Zhong stiffened his neck. "I am her second uncle. If she doesn't come to see me, she's disrespecting an elder. If this gets out, she'll be gossiped about and cursed."
Sui Ming narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, a dangerous glint flashing deep within them. Yue Zhong felt a tremor of fear, but he still stood firm, not moving an inch.
"I am, after all, Xin Xin's second uncle. Everyone in the family misses Xin Xin. She's been away for years. Her parents miss her terribly. Alas, the hearts of parents are always with their children. You ask me to see her so I can confirm when she'll be back."
Seeing how reasonable he sounded, Sima Han's smile became even more calculating. He felt disgusted.
"Do I need to remind you of what your family did when we left the imperial capital? I'm still young and have an excellent memory. I haven't forgotten a single word you said when you severed ties with Xin Xin back then."
Hearing Sima Han bring up the past, Yue Zhong obviously froze.
This was a shameful past for the Yue family. How could Sima Han mention it so casually?
Sima Han, however, didn't care what he thought. After saying these words, he turned to leave.
Seeing this, Yue Zhong forgot about dwelling on it and quickly said, "Xin Xin, when will you let me see her?"
Sima Han was truly amused, almost to the point of laughter. Someone so reasonable, who automatically filtered out what he didn't want to hear, was truly bizarre.
Not only bizarre, but outrageously so.
"Doesn't Lord Yue know the difference between ruler and subject? Xin Xin is this prince's crown princess, your superior. What right do you have to demand she come see you? Do you think your status is more noble than this prince? Are you aiming to become emperor?"
Listening to Sima Han's words, Yue Zhong broke out in a cold sweat.
Don't ask him why. If these words were heard by the wrong people, it would be a capital offense.
He had just become a regent. He hadn't done anything yet, how could he die like this?
Yue Zhong felt both unwilling and fearful, coupled with hatred for Sima Han.
He just wanted to find a way to resolve their past differences. Who knew that Sima Han wouldn't agree, but would also use such words to harm him?
It seems his temper had worsened from staying in the countryside for too long.
Yue Zhong never considered that if he hadn't provoked Sima Han, would Sima Han have deliberately sought him out to settle scores?
Some people in this world are like this. No matter what happens, they always look for reasons in others. They blame everything on others.
As for their own mistakes, they simply forget them.
Seeing that Yue Zhong remained silent for a long time, Sima Han, too lazy to waste more time, simply turned and walked away.
By the time Yue Zhong recovered, he was the only one left in the room.
Seeing this, Yue Zhong became angry again.
His expression changed for a while before Yue Zhong finally managed to control his composure, putting on a smile that was uglier than crying, and then he walked out.
When he arrived at the dining hall, he saw that everyone had already taken their seats. Looking at the head of the table, he indeed saw Sima Han already seated there.
The courtiers thought Yue Zhong was just exchanging pleasantries with Sima Han, given their former relationship. But who knew that after a while, Sima Han returned by himself.
Yue Zhong followed behind, and although he tried his best to maintain a light smile, how could he possibly fool these old foxes present?
One only had to recall the words the Yue family announced when they severed ties with Yue Qingxin upon Sima Han's departure from the imperial capital, and they couldn't help but find it amusing.
The Yue family was indeed truly pure, only thinking of pleasing the current powers.
But they never thought that in this world, nothing is constant.
Sima Han was indeed leaving, but at that time, could they have been sure that Sima Han would never return in his lifetime?
Now Sima Han had returned, not only still favored by the Grand Empress Dowager, but also had a deep friendship with the Grand Tutor. What a great tree to cling to.
Even if there was nothing else in the future, holding onto this tree now could provide them with considerable help.
Unfortunately, Sima Han's face was cold, and his gaze was even colder.
After much deliberation, they still dared not approach him to speak.
When they saw Yue Zhong approaching, they felt a bit envious.
But looking now, there was really nothing to be envious of.
Was it to be envious of Yue Zhong's fate of being mocked and scorned by Sima Han, and being snubbed?
The courtiers thought happily, and to some extent, it showed on their faces and in their eyes.
Seeing everyone looking at him like this, Yue Zhong's face instantly felt hot.
Therefore, he made another mark against Sima Han in his heart.
If Sima Han knew that he had once again been unfairly blamed, he would probably just burst into laughter.
Yi Zhi Xie, however, acted as if he saw nothing of this. He smiled at Yue Zhong, who was standing there, and said, "Lord Yue, please take your seat quickly. The dishes are about to be served."
Yue Zhong felt as if he had been saved and walked to the seat reserved for him, plopping down.
After sitting down, he didn't forget to send a big glare at Sima Han.
Seeing this, Sima Han narrowed his eyes. "If you dare to look at me like that again, I'll gouge your eyes out."
Sima Han's voice was not loud, but because the room was very quiet, everyone heard this sentence clearly.
However, because Sima Han did not name names, many people, even if they heard it, could not be sure who Sima Han was speaking to.
Some reacted and instantly looked at Sima Han, wanting to see who he was talking to.
But at this moment, they discovered that Sima Han was actually looking down, staring intently at the table in front of him.
Even some clever ones, or those who had seen Yue Zhong's gaze at Sima Han just now, all guessed that Sima Han was probably referring to Lord Yue.
Since Sima Han did not say it explicitly, they naturally chose to pretend not to know.
Didn't Yue Zhong already get on Sima Han's bad side?
Unfortunately, this kind of attention was probably something no one wanted.
Just as the room was eerily silent, the Qu family finally brought the dishes.
The dishes this time were cooked by the Qu and Zhu families together, but they were made according to Yi Zhi Xie's specifications.
They were also prepared according to everyone's preferences, which made the courtiers feel even more appreciated of Yi Zhi Xie and Sima Han's thoughtfulness.
Yi Zhi Xie and Sima Han exchanged a knowing smile.
Doing these things didn't take much effort.
Yi Zhi Xie already knew all the preferences of every courtier when he left the imperial capital previously.
He had originally thought it was a waste of time, but he never expected that it would be so useful so soon after returning to the imperial capital.
After the meal, everyone was stuffed to the brim.
The reason was none other than the food being exceptionally delicious. Without realizing it, they had eaten every bit of the food prepared for them.
"Thank you, Fifth Prince, and Grand Tutor, for the feast. It was truly delicious."
"Yes, Grand Tutor, will we have another opportunity to dine here in the future?"
One led to another, and another.
Everyone turned to Sima Han, who was sitting there, and asked.
Although Sima Han really wanted to refuse directly, his expression was now a half-smile, and he slowly opened his thin lips, his voice flowing out.
"When the opportunity arises, the Grand Tutor and I will invite you all."
This statement was very vague, giving the impression that there was little hope.
Yet, these were Sima Han's words, and they didn't dare to refute them.
Even if they did, as long as Sima Han didn't want them to enter, it would all be in vain.
"Then we shall not disturb the Grand Tutor and the Fifth Prince's rest. We shall take our leave."
With the first person speaking, the rest, even if some didn't want to leave, knew that one person couldn't stay, so they also took their leave.
Seeing everyone disappear from sight, Sima Han and the other two breathed a sigh of relief.
But before they could fully exhale, it stopped abruptly.
It turned out that Zheng Xiang had not left.
Zheng Wei looked at Zheng Xiang, who was still sitting there steadily, and frowned. "Why aren't you leaving?"
Zheng Xiang instantly put on a hurt and忍耐 look, but unfortunately, all three people present pretended not to see it.
Zheng Wei even asked again, "Why aren't you leaving?"
Zheng Xiang was furious in his heart, but he still said, "I want to talk to A-Wei about something."
Zheng Wei frowned. "What is it?"
Zheng Xiang glanced at Sima Han and Yi Zhi Xie, pursed his lips, and then said, "About your mother."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Wei's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze towards Zheng Xiang held a hint of surprise.
Could it be that they already knew Kong Huangwei was here?
But that shouldn't be the case.
Zheng Wei found it strange, but Zheng Xiang attributed his expression to the excitement of suddenly hearing news of his mother.
After all, someone who had lived for over twenty years had never seen his mother, nor had anyone ever told him about her.
Now that a relative had suddenly brought up his mother, he would surely be surprised.
The moment Zheng Xiang saw Zheng Wei's expression, all his doubts disappeared.
Not to mention that Zheng Wei could not possibly know about the secret room, even Zheng Wei's expression at the moment indicated that he did not know about Kong Huangwei's affairs.
Therefore, Zheng Xiang was reassured, and his face was filled with relief.