Ever since returning to the capital, Chu Zhaohuai had been feeling frustrated and stifled. Today, however, he had finally vented all the pent up anger in his heart. Much of the gloom between his brows had dispersed and even the dull ache in his chest caused by his anger had disappeared.
After returning to the Prince’s residence, the guards carried the little low cabinet down from the carriage. When they set it down, they lost their balance slightly and knocked it against the ground.
A chaotic series of clinks and bangs immediately came from inside, sounding as though some precious object had been broken.
Chu Zhaohuai winced in pain at the thought of it and whispered, “Slowly… a little more slowly.”
The guard acknowledged him and carefully carried it into the bedchamber.
Yin Zhongshan remained behind at the Marquis’s Residence, waiting to make a grand procession of the dowry once it was ready and escort it back.
After Ji Xun was pushed down from the carriage by the guards, he sat there with his legs crossed, seemingly waiting for something.
Ji Xun had helped him far too much today.
Chu Zhaohuai believed in repaying kindness, so he straightened his sable cloak and took the initiative to offer, “Let me push Your Highness.”
Ji Xun smiled. “Then I’ll trouble you.”
Pushing a wheelchair really was exhausting.
Chu Zhaohuai gathered all his strength, sinking his energy into his abdomen and using every ounce of strength he possessed to push the wheelchair forward at a painfully slow pace.
The wheels rolled and rolled for what seemed like an eternity before, with great difficulty, he finally pushed it all the way to the door of the bedchamber.
Ji Xun neither hurried him nor urged him on.
Perhaps he was accustomed to moving with the speed of wind and lightning in his daily life, so experiencing the leisurely pace of a snail carrying its shell seemed to have its own unique charm.
Seeing that they were finally about to reach the bedchamber, Chu Zhaohuai was overjoyed.
Then Ji Xun made a soft sound.
“Mm?”
There was just the right amount of confusion in his voice, as though his crippled legs had somehow extended all the way up to his eyes.
“Princess Consort, this isn’t the road to the study, is it?”
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
Chu Zhaohuai almost died on the spot.
If you weren’t going to the bedchamber, why didn’t you say so earlier?!
Sweat broke out across Chu Zhaohuai’s forehead. He took several difficult breaths before asking weakly, “May I ask Your Highness where the study is?”
Ji Xun raised a brow. “Are you tired, Princess Consort?”
Afraid that this man would once again bring up which General Zhao, Qian, Sun, or Li he had supposedly studied under, Chu Zhaohuai worked hard to steady his breathing.
“No. The food at the Marquis’s Residence was simply too terrible. This is hunger.”
Ji Xun laughed.
“What does the Princess Consort like to eat? I’ll have the people in the residence prepare something and send it over.”
Chu Zhaohuai froze.
This was the first time anyone had ever asked him what he liked to eat.
Feeling somewhat flattered by the unexpected question, Chu Zhaohuai completely forgot that he had just been teased. After thinking for a moment, he answered, “I like fish.”
Ji Xun looked at him.
He was actually quite easy to please.
The young masters of imperial and noble households often had tastes that were either rare and difficult to obtain, such as winter lychees or summer plum blossoms, or unusual and unconventional, such as fire roasted goose or live chewed ghost. The rarer and stranger the food, the more they liked it.
Someone like Chu Zhaohuai, who would happily eat whatever fish was placed before him, could already be considered exceptionally easy to raise.
“Good. Tonight, have the cooks prepare an entire fish feast,” Ji Xun said.
Chu Zhaohuai coughed and tried his best to keep his expression composed, refusing to let himself look too ignorant of the world. “Then I’ll trouble Your Highness.”
The thought of an entire fish feast gave Chu Zhaohuai a little more strength. He felt that he could probably push Ji Xun another eighty or a hundred thousand li if necessary.
Before he could display his great strength, Yin Zhongshan returned.
Chu Zhaohuai was startled, thinking something had gone wrong. “The Marquis’s Residence didn’t, didn’t, didn’t give us the dowry?”
Yin Zhongshan bowed first, then looked toward Ji Xun.
Ji Xun nodded.
Only then did Yin Zhongshan say, “Fortunately, I have fulfilled my duty. I have already had the dowry that the Marquis’s Residence failed to send carried back to the storeroom. The inventory is here. Does the Princess Consort wish to go and check it?”
The light in Chu Zhaohuai’s eyes was so bright that even the black veil could not conceal it. He was just about to go over when he belatedly realized something and turned back to ask Ji Xun.
“Your Highness, may I go take a look?”
Ji Xun nodded. “Go ahead.”
Chu Zhaohuai was delighted beyond words and immediately scampered off after the servants.
Yin Zhongshan watched him leave, looking as though he wanted to say something but could not quite bring himself to do so.
The midday sunlight was at its strongest. Ji Xun had Yin Zhongshan push his wheelchair to the edge of the lake in the courtyard. Lowering his eyes, he gazed at the fish that could be seen faintly beneath the frozen surface of the lake and asked indifferently, “What do you want to say?”
Yin Zhongshan could not hold himself back. “The Marquis of Zhenyuan has practically handed such an enormous weakness straight into your hands. Your Highness, aren’t you going to use him as a stepping stone?”
Ji Xun: “Mm? Who?”
“Chu Zhaohuai.”
Ji Xun remained absentmindedly focused on the fish in the lake.
“Zhongshan, every year when spring arrives, the city moat releases little fish fry. Take a net and go catch them. Catch them, catch them, until you wipe out all nine generations of their family and leave them without descendants.”
Yin Zhongshan: “……”
Yin Zhongshan had essentially grown up alongside Ji Xun and had long since become accustomed to this kind of gentle yet vicious sarcasm. After much difficulty, he managed to dig out the useful information hidden beneath that pile of soft thorns.
Only then did he realize.
Ji Xun probably had a very important reason for keeping Chu Zhaohuai around.
Yin Zhongshan’s mind settled.
Ji Xun was the sort of person who acted on whatever idea happened to strike him. Once the mood took him, he ordered the servants to break open the ice covering the lake.
The fish were startled by the enormous commotion and immediately disappeared into the depths of the lake. Not a single ripple remained.
Ji Xun raised a hand.
Yin Zhongshan’s sleeve seemed capable of containing a hundred rivers. He reached inside, rummaged around for a while and produced a large bag of fish food, which he respectfully presented.
Ji Xun lazily scattered a handful of fish food into the lake.
Before long, the previously still surface finally began to show the shadows of fish.
Only then did Ji Xun say淡淡, “What have you figured out?”
Yin Zhongshan looked at the school of fish scrambling over one another for the food. Suddenly enlightened, he answered solemnly, “This subordinate understands. Only by throwing out bait can one lure the large fish hiding deep beneath the lake. Your Highness deliberately refrained from acting today so that you could draw out the true mastermind behind the Marquis of Zhenyuan.”
As expected of His Highness.
He truly possessed such far reaching vision.
Ji Xun made an “Ah” sound. “No. I merely wanted to fish. Bring me a fishing rod.”
Yin Zhongshan: “……”
Yin Zhongshan fetched a purple bamboo fishing rod. Ji Xun did not even bother attaching bait to the hook. He simply cast the bare hook into the lake and began sitting there with the serene composure of an old fisherman, leisurely fishing.
Yin Zhongshan knew that his master’s illness had flared up again. He did not say anything more and simply held an umbrella over him to shield him from the sunlight.
With not even a scrap of bait on the hook, it would be difficult to catch a fish even if they sat there until the end of the world.
Ji Xun was extremely patient.
The hand holding the fishing rod remained perfectly steady and for a long while, it did not move even slightly.
As the sun gradually sank toward the west and evening approached, the steward hurried over to report, “Your Highness, Lord Qin of the Ministry of War requests an audience.”
Gulp.
A ripple suddenly spread across the tranquil surface of the lake after an entire afternoon of stillness. The tip of the fishing rod dipped downward.
A fish had taken the hook.
Ji Xun opened his eyes. With one steady lift of the fishing rod, he raised the fish from the water. It thrashed energetically on the thin fishing line, swinging in midair in a straight arc before dropping with a slap directly into Yin Zhongshan’s hands.
It was a small fish.
Yin Zhongshan removed the fish from the hook. Seeing that Ji Xun seemed to be thinking about who this “Lord Qin” was, he reminded him, “Qin Jian, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, is very close to the Crown Prince. At the beginning of the month, while Your Highness was unconscious, he recommended someone from the Crown Prince’s faction to take up a post in Jinling Prefecture.”
Jinling Prefecture was located on the frontier and was also Prince Jing’s fief.
The purpose of sending someone from the Crown Prince’s faction there was obvious.
Ji Xun did not seem particularly concerned. He held up the palm sized fish and seriously considered whether one fish would be enough to make an entire fish feast.
Yin Zhongshan tentatively asked, “Will Your Highness see this person?”
“It is already dark,” Ji Xun said. “Go call the Princess Consort for dinner.”
That meant he would not see him.
The steward understood immediately and turned around to leave.
Chu Zhaohuai had spent the entire afternoon counting his dowry and the corners of his ears were practically stretching toward the back of his head from how delighted he was.
Just as he had finally managed to calm himself down, he was summoned to eat the fish feast.
If it were not for the veil covering his eyes, people would probably have seen his utterly unsophisticated, dazzled expression long ago.
Chu Zhaohuai ate fish and drank fish soup. It was the first time he had been so busy eating that he did not even know which dish he should start with.
Ji Xun, by contrast, was the complete opposite.
He sat there and leisurely ate raw fish.
Naturally, the Prince’s residence used only the finest fish. The white flesh was carefully sliced until it was as thin as cicada wings, then soaked in wine before being eaten. The moment it entered the mouth, it melted away.
In front of Chu Zhaohuai was a plate of freshly prepared vinegar fish.
He liked sweet and sour flavors and he happily ate every last bit until the plate was completely clean.
Ji Xun took a bite and asked, “How does it taste?”
“It’s delicious.” Chu Zhaohuai used his chopsticks to poke at the fish head and answered honestly, “It’s just that this fish is a little small.”
Ji Xun’s hand paused.
He took a sip of cold wine, then put down his chopsticks and stopped eating.
Chu Zhaohuai looked at him in confusion.
Every day, Ji Xun seemed to eat even less than he did. All day long, he only drank cold wine.
Wouldn’t that make his illness worse?
Chu Zhaohuai, completely unconcerned, finished his meal and happily went back to count his dowry again.
Yin Zhongshan vaguely sensed that his master seemed to be sulking. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “This Princess Consort… seems to be somewhat lacking in proper etiquette. Should this subordinate find someone to teach him?”
When speaking normally, he showed no distinction between superior and inferior, casually saying “you” and “I” without the slightest trace of respect;
Just moments ago, he had shown no sense of propriety at all, questioning Yin Zhongshan before His Highness had even opened his mouth;
Most importantly, he seemed to have absolutely no idea what the duties of a Princess Consort actually were. He did whatever he pleased and only cared about making himself happy. He had even been able to leave the banquet early simply because the matter of the dowry had been brought up.
Even Yin Zhongshan could not tolerate it.
Yet Ji Xun had not shown the slightest displeasure.
If Yin Zhongshan had not personally investigated Chu Zhaohuai’s identity, he would almost have thought that this person had some sort of romantic history with His Highness.
Ji Xun held his cold wine as though he had not heard the remark at all.
“Push me into the courtyard.”
Yin Zhongshan’s eyelid twitched.
What was he going to the courtyard for?
A moment later, Yin Zhongshan found out.
Lanterns had been lit beside the lake. Ji Xun sat there beneath the howling northern wind, leisurely casting a fishing hook into the lake.
Fishing.
Yin Zhongshan: “……”
His Highness had finally gone completely mad.
Chu Zhaohuai counted through the dowry several times before finally giving up all hope.
As expected, Chu Jing was not stupid. Even under the pressure Ji Xun had placed on him, he had not actually sent over the letter Madam Bai had left for Chu Zhaohuai.
The unfinished words left behind by someone who had already died were the sort of thing most capable of arousing curiosity.
When Chu Zhaohuai had first heard that his mother had left him a letter, his heart had indeed begun pounding wildly. He had nearly lost all reason and desperately wanted to know at once what the only person in this world who had ever loved him had left behind for him.
But now, he had thought it through.
Madam Bai had loved him so deeply. Whatever she had written in that letter would certainly have been words of love and concern. It was something he already knew in his heart, so whether he read it or not would not change anything.
Mm. Next, he needed to think about how to ruin Chu Zhaojiang’s reputation.
Once he forced Chu Jing to be the first one unable to endure it any longer, he would be able to seize the initiative.
Ever since the return visit to his parents’ home, Ji Xun had become busy. He did not return to the residence for several days at a time yet he had left behind a considerable number of guards, saying that they were there to ensure the Princess Consort’s safety.
The matter of the dowry that had been deliberately withheld had caused the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Residence to lose a tremendous amount of face. The household had become an even greater laughingstock throughout the capital, something people talked about over tea and after meals.
Surrounded by all sorts of people, Chu Zhaohuai had considered taking advantage of this momentum to cause a little trouble but he was frustrated by the fact that he could not leave the residence and therefore had no opportunity to put any of his plans into action.
A few days later, it was the Little New Year’s Eve.
In the capital, the Little New Year fell on the twenty third day of the twelfth lunar month. Crimson clouds blanketed the sky, while the northern wind howled fiercely and mournfully. The biting cold seemed capable of stripping a layer of skin straight from a person’s body.
It seemed that snow was about to fall.
Wrapped tightly in his robes, Chu Zhaohuai sat in the courtyard and listened to the noisy fireworks and firecrackers outside the residence.
Before long, the steward returned.
“Reporting to the Princess Consort, His Highness has not yet returned to the residence.”
Chu Zhaohuai coughed and cautiously asked, “Then… on the Little New Year’s Eve, can I, I go out and play?”
The steward looked somewhat troubled.
“Please forgive this servant, Princess Consort.”
“Oh.”
Chu Zhaohuai did not insist.
After all, over all these years, no matter what festival it was, he had always spent it alone, hiding by himself in that little courtyard. This year was not particularly different.
No.
There was still a difference.
The fireworks in the capital were prettier than those in Lin’an.
They were beautiful and loud and it almost seemed as though the countless lights of every household had brought some of their liveliness into his otherwise empty courtyard as well.
The steward hesitated as he looked at him.
The young man’s figure was frail and slender. Even his layers upon layers of clothing could not conceal his excessively thin shoulders and waist. He raised his head toward the fireworks in the distant sky, turning to look toward whichever direction produced the next burst of sound.
Perhaps because it was the Little New Year, he was wearing a brand new piece of jade at his otherwise bare waist. Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be a style that had been popular several years ago.
For some inexplicable reason, the steward suddenly felt that he looked rather pitiful.
He was just thinking about what he could say when a burst of commotion suddenly came from the entrance of Changfeng Courtyard.
“Where is Chu Zhaojiang?! Chu Zhaojiang! Come out!”
“Shizi, Shizi, please calm down. Last time, you offended the Princess Consort and were punished by having to copy books for several days. I heard that His Highness will be returning to the residence tonight. You… you should restrain yourself.”
“……”
Chu Zhaohuai looked curiously toward the entrance.
Before long, Ji Yi stormed inside wearing a dark blue robe, a fur trimmed cloak fastened over his shoulders. He came charging in with an imposing and aggressive air.
Chu Zhaohuai narrowed his eyes and immediately became alert.
The last time the “little brat” had suffered a loss at his hands and today, with Ji Xun absent, he had probably come here to get his revenge.
The little brat stopped in front of Chu Zhaohuai with a completely expressionless face.
“You. Come with me. We’re going to Minghu.”
Chu Zhaohuai shrank backward slightly and asked warily, “Are you trying to trick me into going to the lake so you can drown me?”
Ji Yi glared at him, seemingly wanting to curse him out properly but with the steward standing nearby and watching, he could only lean closer and lower his voice.
“Don’t pretend to be stupid with me! We agreed several months ago that we would have a showdown at Minghu. Don’t tell me you’re scared and don’t dare go now?”
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
So Chu Zhaojiang really had made an appointment with him?
Another mess left behind by Chu Zhaojiang.
Chu Zhaohuai had no choice but to deal with it first.
Besides, this was actually a perfect opportunity to leave the residence for a while.
Chu Zhaohuai glanced at the steward beside him and deliberately put on a hesitant expression.
“But I’m already the Princess Consort. If I go out and mix around with you people again, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be proper.”
“Last time, I told my father that I wanted to go to Minghu with you and he didn’t object.” Ji Yi let out a cold snort. “We’ve already reserved the pleasure boat. Don’t tell me you’ve really chickened out? Fine. If you’re not going, then pay the five hundred taels of silver for the boat we reserved and we’ll consider the matter settled.”
Chu Zhaohuai rose solemnly to his feet.
“Where is Minghu? Let’s go there right now.”
世子 (shìzǐ): The eldest son of a feudal prince or noble lord in ancient China
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Substitute BrideChapter 2 · Chu ZhaojiangChapter 3 · Very safeChapter 4 · He is the prince’s manChapter 5 · It was really hard to refuse their kind invitation.Chapter 6 · Thankfully it was just poisoning.Chapter 7 · Haha, I spit on “golden and jade hall”!Chapter 8 · Are you not satisfied with the homecoming gift?Chapter 9 · You must keep your identity hidden.Chapter 10 · I like whole fish banquetChapter 11 · BankruptChapter 12 · Add some funChapter 13 · FightChapter 14 · Three taels of silverChapter 15 · Go back to restChapter 16 · They’re all spendthrifts.Chapter 17 · Enough for branches and leavesChapter 18 · Rumors can kill peopleChapter 19 · I want to get closer to the prince.Chapter 20 · Why not move in and share a room?Chapter 21 · Ha, I’m not stupid.Chapter 22 Part 1 · Liang Fang’s prescriptionChapter 22 Part 2 · Liang Fang’s prescriptionChapter 23 · Be more cautious and vigilantChapter 24 Part 1 · Don’t touch meChapter 24 Part 2 · Don’t touch meChapter 25 Part 1 · Golden NeedleChapter 25 Part 2 · Golden NeedleChapter 26 · To avoid suspicionChapter 27 · Committing numerous evil deedsChapter 28 Part 1 · May I receive the worst possible fortuneChapter 28 Part 2 · May I receive the worst possible fortuneChapter 29 · I really didn’t mean to kill youChapter 30 · Protect the prince!Chapter 31 · The bird that fell into the trapChapter 32 · Embracing someone on the couchChapter 33 · The miracle doctor is going home!Chapter 34 · I shouldn’t have wanted to hurt himChapter 35 · A bout of madnessChapter 36 · NightmareChapter 37 Part 1 · SpecialChapter 37 Part 2 · SpecialChapter 38 · Being hunted downChapter 39 · Cause and Bitter FruitChapter 40 · Is he honest and kind?Chapter 41 · I am flattered and overwhelmed.Chapter 42 · No, I want to buy.Chapter 43 Part 1 · When the city gate catches fireChapter 43 Part 2 · When the city gate catches fireChapter 44 · It’s the face of a notorious thiefChapter 45 · Are you trying to comfort me?Chapter 46 · Thank you, Your Highness!Chapter 47 · Thank you, Your Highness!Chapter 48 · It’s delicious!Chapter 49 · SeducingChapter 50 · By imperial decreeChapter 51 Part 1 · Potent MedicineChapter 51 Part 2 · Potent MedicineChapter 52 · Wasn’t it impotence?Chapter 53 · I’m not busy todayChapter 54 Part 1 · Break his legs directlyChapter 54 Part 2 · Break his legs directlyChapter 55 · I really didn’t mean to mess with youChapter 56 · Don’t play the victim when you’re having a medical episodeChapter 57 · Let’s do it one more time!Chapter 58 Part 1 · I’ve got you!Chapter 58 Part 2 · I’ve got you!Chapter 59 · A doctor’s dutyChapter 60 Part 1 · Are you at peace with yourself?Chapter 60 Part 2 · Are you at peace with yourself?