The young heir lived up to his reputation as a spoiled young master. The carriage was decorated inside and out with pearls and jade, while the carriage walls were carved and painted with gold. One glance was enough to tell that he had inherited his father’s taste, as though members of the imperial family would somehow suffer a tremendous loss if they did not indulge in extravagance and lavishness.
A brazier filled with charcoal had been placed inside the carriage, making it as warm as early spring.
Ji Yi sat cross legged on a tiger skin rug and narrowed his eyes as he examined Chu Zhaohuai.
“You seem thinner than before?”
Chu Zhaohuai was currently staring at the golden candle stand on the little table. Seeing that Ji Yi was still suspicious of him, he inconspicuously drew his cloak more tightly around himself. Lowering his voice, he deliberately made it deep and solemn as he forced out his words.
“I suppose so. I haven’t been feeling well lately, so I haven’t been eating much…”
“Heh.” Ji Yi gave a cold laugh. “The fish in the Prince’s residence are practically going to grow legs and run away overnight because you’ve eaten so many of them and you still have the nerve to say you haven’t been eating much?”
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
Although Ji Yi had inherited his father’s talent for sarcastic remarks, he did not possess Ji Xun’s depth of calculation. The more he looked at the person before him, the more convinced he became that something was wrong.
Following his instincts, he leaned forward and reached out to remove Chu Zhaohuai’s eye veil.
“It’s been so many days and you’re still wearing this broken eye veil. Take it off and let me have a look.”
Chu Zhaohuai dodged backward. “The rash hasn’t completely healed yet.”
Ji Yi impatiently prepared to forcefully take it off. “Then I have even more reason to make fun of how ugly you look, take it off. Stop dodging!”
Seeing that he could not avoid it, Chu Zhaohuai simply asked, “Do you still want to copy books?”
Ji Yi’s hand stopped. “What do you mean?”
“Your father is returning to the residence tonight and I will definitely have to accompany him to bed.” Chu Zhaohuai said, “If you force me to take off my eye veil, I’ll whisper a few things into his ear when we’re in bed.”
Ji Yi: “……”
Ji Yi nearly spat blood on the spot. The tips of his ears turned bright red and he was both embarrassed and furious. “Do you have no shame at all?!”
Chu Zhaohuai did not know.
If a problem could be solved in just a few sentences, what use was there for dignity?
Ji Yi was genuinely afraid of Ji Xun. Even a threat that posed practically no actual danger was enough to make him retreat reluctantly.
He and Chu Zhaojiang had never gotten along particularly well but they only saw each other two or three times a year. They were nowhere near familiar enough to spend every day together.
Besides, whenever they happened to meet, it was either a battle of sarcastic insults or a deliberate attempt to dig a trap for the other person. Their understanding of each other was therefore limited to the superficial impressions of “spoiled young master” and “arrogant, overbearing brat.” There was not much substance beneath that.
Ji Yi darkly bit into a flaky pastry.
If he did not make this fellow lose so badly that he ended up crawling all over the floor tonight, then he would no longer deserve to be called Ji!
Chu Zhaohuai did not notice Ji Yi’s resentment at all. Seeing that he had finally settled down, he breathed a sigh of relief and lifted the carriage curtain to look outside.
The snow had not yet begun falling in earnest. Even so, on the Little New Year’s Eve, the streets of the capital were already packed with people coming and going, filled with noisy activity and flourishing prosperity. The dazzling sights were almost too much for the eyes to take in.
It was completely different from Lin’an.
Chu Zhaohuai watched everything along the way with great interest. After a while, the carriage rocked gently before finally coming to a stop.
…..
Night had already fallen.
Large flakes of snow drifted down through the darkness, white as goose feathers yet they did nothing to diminish everyone’s enthusiasm for enjoying the lake scenery aboard the pleasure boats.
Minghu’s surface rippled like silk, while the pleasure boats were adorned with carved beams and painted rafters.
Two gauze lanterns set in exquisitely carved lacquered frames hung from the bow, swaying gently as the boat came through the falling snow.
Most of the pleasure boats were places where the powerful and influential figures of the capital came to seek entertainment. Ji Yi was obviously a regular here. He led them aboard one of the boats flying the imperial flag with practiced familiarity.
Chu Zhaohuai followed silently.
The less he said, the fewer mistakes he could make.
Ji Yi and Chu Zhaojiang had never gotten along and he had even taken a punch from him last time. There was no way he had invited him here simply out of kindness to have fun.
Chu Zhaohuai’s gaze swept across the surroundings, his thoughts racing.
Last time, Ji Yi had said that they had “made an appointment several months ago to come to Minghu and have fun on the Little New Year’s Eve.”
If they were merely going to drink wine and admire the scenery, why had they arranged it so many months in advance?
Oh?
Even the tableware aboard the pleasure boat was made of gold and silver?
Truly extravagant.
The pleasure boat swayed gently as it began moving toward the center of Minghu.
Although Chu Zhaohuai had grown up in the water towns of Jiangnan, he had rarely ridden on boats, let alone pleasure boats.
He had been full of enthusiasm when he first boarded but after traveling for only a short while, he suddenly felt as though his stomach had been turned upside down. The nausea was unbearable.
Ji Yi led the way ahead, following the wooden stairs upward.
Chu Zhaohuai’s vision swam. He barely managed to climb several steps before his knees suddenly went weak and he pitched forward.
He almost pulled the little brat’s trousers down with him.
Ji Yi was a rather proper and rigid young man. He immediately let out an “Ah!” and jumped up while clutching his belt, his entire face turning red.
“You, you, you! What are you doing?!”
Chu Zhaohuai was barely holding himself together. “Seasick.”
Ji Yi saw that he could barely even stand and did not look as though he were pretending. After hesitating for quite some time, he could only reluctantly reach out to support him.
Half of Chu Zhaohuai’s body leaned against him. In a weak voice, he said, “Thank you, Shizi.”
Ji Yi froze for a moment, then awkwardly turned his gaze away. Surprisingly, he did not say anything.
Ji Yi was the sort of person who did not have many schemes in his head but loved to compete and fight. The most brilliant method of revenge he could think of was simply to set up a gambling match and win all this fellow’s money, making him lose everything until he was completely ruined.
Unfortunately, gambling was currently prohibited by the imperial court. It would only be permitted again after the Little New Year’s Eve, which was why he had been waiting bitterly for several months.
Now that his arrangement was finally about to be completed, the young heir’s fighting spirit burned brightly.
Lose, lose, lose!
Drop dead!
Soon, the two reached the entrance to the top floor.
Before they even entered, they could already hear a burst of noisy laughter and conversation coming from inside.
Ji Yi froze.
Tonight, the only person he had arranged to meet here was his childhood friend, Liang Fang. That man had always been mild tempered and spent his entire day doing nothing but sleeping. How could he possibly be speaking so loudly?
Ji Yi frowned and walked forward.
The carved wooden door did little to block sound. The laughter and playful voices from inside were carried toward them by the wind.
“The pleasure boat has already started moving. Why hasn’t Ji Yi arrived yet? Could he still be at home copying books as punishment? Hahahaha!”
“Nine times out of ten, that’s exactly it. With that stupid brain of his, if Prince Jing hadn’t stepped in personally, there’s no way he would ever have been allowed into the Imperial Academy. I’d be embarrassed just to be his classmate.”
“Do you want to die?! Be careful that the young heir doesn’t go home and cry to his father, then have you severely punished.”
A roar of laughter erupted from inside.
Chu Zhaohuai was already so seasick that his face had gone deathly pale. Hearing those words, he lowered his eyes slightly.
Under ordinary circumstances, the hot tempered young heir would have already been burning with rage and thrown himself at them, ready to fight for his life.
Yet for some reason, this time he merely stood there quietly with his eyes lowered, as though he had long since become accustomed to hearing such words.
At that moment, someone hurried over from nearby.
The newcomer was dressed entirely in white, almost seeming to blend into the goose feather snow. He quickly ran up to Ji Yi and spent a moment catching his breath before saying weakly, “Shizi, the third, cough… the Third Prince has arrived. He says he wants to take over our pavilion.”
Ji Yi made an indifferent “Mm” and tossed Chu Zhaohuai onto Liang Fang as casually as though he were throwing a sack.
“I heard.”
With that, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The entire room was decorated with gold and jade, almost as though it were glowing with golden light. Several young noblemen dressed in gold and adorned with jade were seated before low banquet tables. A half transparent screen stood between them, while musicians played the qin, filling the room with music.
Everyone had been laughing and chatting animatedly but the moment they saw Ji Yi enter, their voices abruptly stopped.
One after another, they rose and cupped their hands in greeting, smiles already appearing on their faces.
“Shizi has finally arrived.”
“Welcome, Shizi. It has been many days since we last saw you yet you look as spirited as ever.”
The flattering words cost nothing, as though the mocking remarks from moments ago had merely been an illusion.
Ji Yi had long since grown accustomed to exchanging pleasantries with people who looked down on him while simultaneously trying desperately to curry favor with him.
He casually exchanged a few polite words before turning toward the young man seated in the principal position, who was drinking wine and giving him a respectful nod.
“Why has His Highness the Third Prince deigned to come here?”
The young man at the head of the gathering wore an embroidered dragon patterned brocade robe, his hair secured beneath a golden crown. He turned toward Ji Yi and gave him a smile.
“A’Yi has arrived, there was snow on the Little New Year’s Eve and Father Emperor caught a bit of a chill, so the family banquet was canceled. I heard that my younger cousin had booked an entire level of the pleasure boat at Minghu… A’Yi wouldn’t blame me for coming uninvited, would you?”
How could Ji Yi possibly refuse? He could only say, “Of course not.”
Ji Xun held military power in his hands. The Emperor was not merely wary of him; he also wanted to clear away obstacles for the Eastern Palace.
Because of this, Ji Yi was usually not particularly close to the people in the palace. Although the Third Prince did not involve himself in factional struggles, he was, after all, much closer to the Eastern Palace.
Even if someone pointed at his nose and insulted him, Ji Yi could not do anything excessive in retaliation. He had to avoid causing a major disaster that might make Ji Xun’s situation in the capital even more difficult.
Ji Yi did not want to have too much contact with the Third Prince. He rose and prepared to take his leave. “Liang Fang and I won’t disturb Your Highness’s leisure any further. We’ll…”
Before he could finish his farewell, the Third Prince looked with a smiling expression toward Chu Zhaohuai, who had been standing silently at the entrance.
“This is Prince Jing’s Princess Consort?”
Ji Yi froze.
Even with the eye veil covering his face, he could tell that it was Chu Zhaojiang?
Chu Zhaohuai looked at him listlessly and forced himself to give a slight nod.
The Third Prince rose from his seat. “Now that the Young Marquis has married my Fifth Uncle, according to seniority, I should even address you as Fifth Aunt.”
Chu Zhaohuai still did not detect the sarcasm hidden in those words.
“That is indeed the case.”
The Third Prince: “……”
The entire room fell silent.
Everyone seemed stunned by the thickness of this person’s skin. It was thicker than the corner of a city wall.
Seeing that Chu Zhaohuai had finished speaking and was already reaching his paw toward his pocket, Ji Yi’s eyelid twitched. Afraid that this fellow was about to pull out another handful of dried fruit as a “meeting gift,” he discreetly kicked him in the lower leg.
“Since we’re all family, there’s no need to be so restrained.” The Third Prince smiled, looking as though he had an exceptionally good temper. “Come, sit.”
Ji Yi could not refuse, so he had no choice but to sit down together with Liang Fang and Chu Zhaohuai.
The Third Prince took the seat of honor. He picked up several copper coins from the table and weighed them casually in his hand.
“In previous years, A’Yi would invite his classmates to the Minghu pleasure boats to play guanpu and gamble. Why didn’t you call everyone together for some fun this year?”
Ji Yi glanced at Chu Zhaohuai.
Naturally, it was because he wanted to set a trap for Chu Zhaojiang.
…Tsk.
The princes hadn’t even picked up their chopsticks yet. How was this dog already eating?
In previous years, when Ji Yi organized gambling games, he could lose several hundred taels in a single night. He had never really cared about the money but after Liang Fang reminded him, he discovered that those people had secretly coordinated with one another and deliberately cheated him out of his money.
Ji Yi might not have been particularly calculating but he was not stupid enough to willingly hand money to others.
Naturally, he had stopped inviting them.
Ji Yi answered vaguely, “I’ve been too busy lately and didn’t have time to invite anyone.”
The Third Prince clapped his hands.
“Perfect. There are so many people here today. Let’s play a few rounds and bring ourselves some good luck.”
On the Little New Year’s Eve, people aboard pleasure boats usually enjoyed the lake scenery and listened to music. Another customary activity was guanpu gambling.
Chu Zhaohuai ate a few sour plums, finally feeling much better.
When he noticed the six copper coins on the table, his brows furrowed slightly.
Several years earlier, guanpu, gambling on objects, had been popular among the common people. Copper coins were tossed, with the results determined by whether they landed on one side or the other and the gambling culture had been extremely widespread.
Back then, whenever Chu Zhaohuai was hungry at home, he would grab several copper coins and happily run through the streets and alleys, gambling for whatever food he could get.
He had been blessed with extraordinary talent and exceptionally good luck. He could practically eat his way through an entire street.
Until one year, a gambling dispute resulted in a tragic case in which an entire household was retaliated against and killed.
Only then did the imperial court issue an order prohibiting gambling.
Only a few years had passed since then yet here, right beneath the Son of Heaven’s feet, the sons of noble and prestigious families were openly gambling.
Weren’t they afraid of incurring His Majesty’s displeasure?
The country bumpkin Chu Zhaohuai did not know that gambling was permitted in the capital for several days each year.
His brows drew tightly together and he suddenly felt like jumping into the lake and running away.
If the whole lot of them got swept up in a single punishment, they had better not drag him down with them.
A jade plate was placed in the center of the table.
The Third Prince said to Ji Yi, “A’Yi, you go first.”
In the past, the stakes Chu Zhaohuai had gambled with were usually nothing more than a few pieces of fruit or several pastries. As long as he could eat his fill, that was enough.
He had been completely bored until the Third Prince pulled a handful of glittering gold pieces from his sleeve.
Chu Zhaohuai was so shocked that he nearly swallowed the plum pit in his mouth.
The Third Prince said, “Let’s start with a small prize. Get four identical sides and you’ll receive ten pieces of gold.”
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
So this was the capital?
They were really that extravagant?
Chu Zhaohuai loved watching gambling games where large amounts of gold and silver were thrown around. Even though he was not the one winning the money, merely watching it was satisfying enough.
He put another plum into his mouth and looked expectantly at the little brat.
Four matching sides.
Easy.
Wasn’t this practically money being delivered straight to their door?
Ji Yi lightly weighed the copper coins in his hand, took a deep breath and tossed them into the jade plate on the table.
Clink, clatter, clink,
A series of crisp sounds rang out.
Soon, the copper coins stopped moving.
Three were the same.
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
Was his luck really that terrible?
Ji Yi frowned deeply. Under Chu Zhaohuai’s painfully distressed gaze, in which he was practically sucking air through his teeth, he took ten pieces of gold from his pocket and handed them to the Third Prince.
The Third Prince seemed to have expected Ji Yi’s poor gambling skills from the very beginning. With a smile still on his face, he calmly continued into the second round.
Ji Yi threw the coins.
Three identical sides.
Third round.
Ji Yi threw again.
Three again.
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
With a crunch, Chu Zhaohuai bit down and shattered the plum pit between his teeth.
He was completely dumbfounded.
At this rate of losing, wouldn’t they gamble themselves into utter ruin?
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
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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?