What was even more disastrous was that Ji Xun kept smiling the entire time.
Chu Zhaohuai was furious but did not dare say a word. Grunting and puffing, he pushed the wheelchair for quite some time before finally shoving the “Ji Sarcastic” back to the bedchamber.
After returning to the residence, Chu Zhaohuai had immediately told the steward that there was no need to put a brazier in the bedchamber. In the depths of winter, the moment he stepped inside, it was practically like entering an ice cavern. When the windows were opened and the cold wind blew through, he could not help but shiver discreetly.
If he slept here for an entire night, wouldn’t he freeze to death?
Ji Xun wandered around everywhere in winter wearing only thin clothes, clearly unable to tolerate heat.
Chu Zhaohuai was accustomed to living under someone else’s roof. Though he worried about it for quite some time, he did not say another word. After washing up, he awkwardly climbed onto the bed.
For now, he should worry about how he was going to deal with it if the Prince suddenly gave free rein to his animal instincts later and forced himself upon him.
After bathing in cold water, Ji Xun was pushed into the bedchamber by Yin Chongshan. He could not be bothered to dry his hair, leaving his wet black strands draped down his back. His eyes lowered as he casually examined the letter in his hands.
Chu Zhaohuai was lying on the bed, staring at a silk quilt that was barely any thicker than his cloak. The moment he heard the movement, he was so startled that his braid nearly stood on end. Like a frightened quail, he burrowed straight beneath the quilt.
Ji Xun’s voice came from outside, apparently speaking to Yin Chongshan. “Is this all?”
Yin Chongshan replied, “The journey to Jiangnan and back takes too much time. With the six hundred li urgent courier, these are all the details we can investigate for now. More specific information will probably have to wait another two days.”
Chu Zhaohuai listened from beneath the quilt.
When the words “six hundred li urgent courier” reached his ears, he could not help wondering inwardly, “Are they talking about some major matter at court?”
Ji Xun asked again, “What about the divine physician?”
“The divine physician’s whereabouts are difficult to trace. He has spent years traveling between the mountains and villages practicing medicine and he always covers his face, so no one knows what he truly looks like. Just now, we received a message carried by a homing pigeon from Zhou Huanfei. It seems they have found someone claiming to be him. He should be able to arrive in the capital secretly the day after tomorrow.”
Ji Xun gave a quiet “Mm.”
Just as Chu Zhaohuai was about to listen more carefully, the rolling sound of the wheelchair gradually drew closer to the bedside. He was so startled that he became like a rabbit hiding inside its burrow, his ears practically standing straight up.
Very soon, the bed gave a faint creak as someone sat down.
Chu Zhaohuai’s heart nearly leaped out of his throat. His long fingers clutched the brocade quilt tightly and he could not stop himself from trembling slightly, terrified that his own “calamity” was about to arrive.
Yet after waiting nervously for a long while, Ji Xun still made no move. He did not even say a word.
Mustering his courage, Chu Zhaohuai slowly lifted the brocade quilt, revealing his disheveled head. He cautiously peeked out and took a look.
Ji Xun was sitting there in his thin clothes. Beside the candlelight, he was calmly and unhurriedly studying several thin sheets of paper in his hands, seemingly with no intention of paying any attention to Chu Zhaohuai.
Chu Zhaohuai swallowed with difficulty. He did not want to keep anxiously waiting for something unknown, so he simply decided to face the situation head on. Reaching out, he lightly pinched Ji Xun’s wide sleeve between two fingers.
“Prince? What are you… looking at?”
Ji Xun lowered his eyes and handed the papers to him. “Would the Princess Consort like to take a look together?”
Chu Zhaohuai hurriedly shook his head.
Those six hundred li urgent reports were certainly concerning military affairs. How could he dare look at them?
Ji Xun did not force him. “If you’re tired, go to sleep first.”
Chu Zhaohuai froze for a moment and looked up at him.
Ji Xun tilted his head. “Or is it that the Princess Consort is eagerly looking forward to consummating…”
Before he could finish the word “marriage,” Chu Zhaohuai immediately pulled the quilt over himself and began snoring away.
Ji Xun: “……”
Ji Xun seemed to let out a brief laugh before once again lowering his gaze to the several thin sheets of paper.
The urgent report sent from Lin’an in Jiangnan by six hundred li courier had a single line written at the very top:
“Lin’an Bai Family, Chu Zhaohuai.”
It was easy enough to investigate Chu Zhaohuai’s affairs in the capital. Two lines were enough to summarize everything: his biological mother died when he was five, after which he suffered every kind of mistreatment. At seven, the State Preceptor had declared that his fate was inauspicious and he was sent to Jiangnan to recuperate from illness.
Yet the investigation into his eleven years in Jiangnan had yielded only another two and a half thin sheets of pale green paper.
It was just like Chu Zhaohuai himself. There were not many people who considered him important.
His maternal grandfather from the Bai family certainly cared quite a lot about him but in a Bai family with enormous wealth and influence, such favoritism was itself a knife that could cost him his life. Everyone feared that this outsider might take a share of the family’s property.
Chu Zhaohuai had endured countless years of neglect, until at last, stumbling and fumbling his way through life, he had learned to hide in corners like a mouse and live cautiously, always careful not to draw attention to himself.
Ji Xun swept through the report in a few quick glances before casually placing it on the small table beside the bed, his interest already fading.
He had originally thought that the Eastern Palace’s move of placing the “substitute marriage” chess piece into the Zhenyuan Marquis’s residence was exceptionally clever. He had never expected it to be so utterly foolish.
How boring.
Ji Xun lowered his eyes toward the person lying on the bed.
Chu Zhaohuai, who had been trembling in fear only moments ago, must have been utterly exhausted. In such a short span of time, he had already fallen asleep. Half of his head protruded from beneath the brocade quilt, while his eye covering had slipped crookedly to one side, faintly revealing one tightly closed eye.
A discarded chess piece of the Zhenyuan Marquis’s residence. Keeping him would be useless.
Ji Xun slowly reached out a hand toward Chu Zhaohuai’s slender neck.
Those long, straight fingers belonged to the “Killing God,” hands that had no idea how many lives they had taken. Set against the black eye covering, they appeared unnaturally pale, like the hand of a vengeful ghost come to claim a life.
Chu Zhaohuai knew nothing of what was happening. His hands and feet were curled up and he slept soundly with his eyes tightly closed.
Ji Xun’s cold hands, cold as ice itself, finally came to rest against Chu Zhaohuai’s neck. His thumb and two other fingers suddenly tightened, instantly closing around that pale, almost dazzlingly white throat.
With only the slightest application of force, he could easily snap that fragile neck, as effortlessly as breaking the tender stem of a green lotus.
The faint medicinal fragrance lingering on Chu Zhaohuai’s body drifted in and out of awareness. As though he had sensed something, his brows furrowed slightly and he suddenly reached out and caught hold of Ji Xun’s wrist.
Ji Xun’s eyes were cold and emotionless as he waited for him to wake.
But Chu Zhaohuai suddenly mumbled sleepily in his dream, “Mother.”
Ji Xun’s hand paused.
Clinging to Ji Xun’s wrist, Chu Zhaohuai instinctively rubbed his face against the palm of his hand. He was far too sleepy to wake properly. Ji Xun’s icy hand made him shudder violently from the cold yet he still refused to let go. He murmured, “Mother, Xiaoshui is cold.”
Ji Xun looked at him with indifferent eyes.
Begging warmth from the very person who had given him nothing but coldness.
People who were too foolish often did not live very long.
Just as Ji Xun was about to move again, Chu Zhaohuai seemed to have found a source of warmth. He turned over slightly and moved closer to Ji Xun’s side.
Even though he was trembling from the cold, desperately pleading for warmth, he still did not dare approach too closely. He merely stretched out his hand timidly and clutched at the sleeve of Ji Xun’s robe.
Pitiful yet obedient and sensible.
Like a fledgling struggling helplessly in the wind and rain, able to survive only by relying on another person.
Ji Xun lowered his eyes and stared for a long while at the person curled into such a tiny ball. Then, suddenly, he smiled.
In the dead of night, beneath the dim candlelight, he was like a ghost whose face had changed in an instant. His brows and eyes suddenly softened, becoming astonishingly gentle.
Through the thin veil covering Chu Zhaohuai’s eyes, he lightly stroked his face, as though he were gripping the damp, trembling wings of this little bird that no one wanted.
Ji Xun’s gaze remained cold yet his expression was filled with pleasure. His twisted desire for control had gained a satisfaction it had never experienced before.
“Good boy, go to sleep.”
Chu Zhaohuai’s consciousness had not awakened in the slightest. Lulled by those words, gentle to the extreme, he once again sank deeply into sleep.
In his dream, Madam Bai sat upright beneath the warm glow of the candlelight, her hand rhythmically patting his chest every now and then, just as she had when he was little, soothing him into sleep.
Gradually, Chu Zhaohuai seemed to be lifted into the air and carried for several steps. Then the bone deep cold was driven away and warmth surged toward him, tightly enveloping his entire body.
His whole being sank completely into the warm darkness.
……
When Chu Zhaohuai became conscious again, the sky was already bright.
Even though he had opened his eyes, his vision remained dim. After struggling to sit up and fumbling around for quite some time, he finally realized that the eye veil on his face had fallen down and was covering his eyes.
After putting the eye veil back in place, Chu Zhaohuai yawned and casually swept his gaze around the room. He froze slightly.
This was not the couch where he had fallen asleep last night.
The unfamiliar surroundings resembled an independent little chamber. The spacious room was entirely crafted from fine wood and it looked like the luxurious and exceedingly expensive four poster bed that was rarely seen outside. Beyond the bed was even a wooden platform.
Chu Zhaohuai’s battered little dowry cabinet had been placed beside it, looking completely out of place next to the exquisite carved screen.
A charcoal brazier had been placed inside the inner chamber. By now, it had burned down to pale gray ashes yet the remaining warmth had already heated the entire room until it felt as warm as spring.
Chu Zhaohuai blinked and stared for a while.
Then, all of a sudden, he flopped back onto the bed and closed his eyes.
He must be dreaming.
He would wake up one more time.
Very soon, Chu Zhaohuai took another nap and woke up again.
The surroundings had not changed in the slightest.
Chu Zhaohuai stared blankly for a long while before hurriedly putting on his robes and running outside with a series of rapid thuds.
This was still the sleeping quarters of the Jing Prince’s residence. Even after stepping out from the four poster bed, the outside remained as cold as an ice cellar. The windows were wide open and the couch where he had slept last night was empty. The Jing Prince was already gone.
What exactly had happened?
Chu Zhaohuai always felt that in these short eight days, he had already come to understand what it meant for the imperial family to possess limitless extravagance yet the deeper he ventured into it, the more he felt that this detestable, wealthy imperial clan truly knew how to find new ways to spend money.
In merely one night, such an expensive four poster bed had somehow been moved into the sleeping quarters of the Jing Prince’s residence without making the slightest sound.
Did they not even need to place an order and wait half a year for it to be delivered?!
Back in Jiangnan, even when Chu Zhaohuai wanted nothing more than a simple candied fruit, he had to queue for one or two hours before he could get one. Now that he had truly experienced the extravagance and power of the Jing Prince’s residence, he silently clutched his chest.
In his next life, he was determined to be reborn as a rich person.
Just as he was inwardly denouncing Ji Xun for being so wasteful, the steward’s voice came from the doorway.
“Wangfei.”
Chu Zhaohuai straightened his messy clothes and let him enter.
The old steward looked kind and amiable. After bowing respectfully upon entering, he had several household guards carry three large chests inside behind him.
Chu Zhaohuai looked at them in confusion.
“What is this?”
The steward answered with a broad smile, “Wangfei, these are the freshly delivered Fengxian oranges. Before dawn, the Prince specially ordered the servants of the residence to go to Minghu Port and select the freshest ones.”
Chu Zhaohuai let out an “Ah,” then hesitantly asked, “A.. are all of them for me?”
“Precisely.”
No one had ever paid this much attention to Chu Zhaohuai. Upon hearing the words “specially ordered,” his very first reaction was:
“Could the Prince have finally come down with that legendary madness?”
Otherwise, why would he suddenly treat him so well for no apparent reason?
Chu Zhaohuai cautiously asked, “Where is the Prince?”
“Last night, the heir beat up the son of the Duke of State’s household. The imperial decree came down from the palace this morning, so His Highness went to the palace to receive a deduction from his salary,” the steward said.
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
A deduction from his salary?
It seemed he had heard of that before.
The Jing Prince had always been accustomed to doing whatever he pleased. Even if he openly killed someone, His Majesty could do nothing to him and could only deduct some of his salary as a token punishment.
It was said that as time went by, the Jing Prince’s salary had already been deducted all the way up to ten years in advance.
Chu Zhaohuai frowned.
His salary had already been deducted from years in advance, so how could Ji Xun still spend money with such an extravagant, reckless hand?
These three chests of Fengxian oranges were practically enough to cover his expenses for an entire year.
What a wasteful man.
Worrying deeply about Ji Xun’s extravagance, Chu Zhaohuai peeled a Fengxian orange and took a bite. His eyes immediately lit up and he began eating one bite after another without stopping.
Three chests were not enough.
A few more would be nice.
Just as he was happily eating, a gentle voice came from the doorway.
“Wangfei.”
Chu Zhaohuai looked toward the sound and saw Liang Fang slowly making his way inside, supporting Ji Yi.
Ji Yi’s legs were trembling like sieves. Every step made them shake twice and he was baring his teeth in pain as though he had suffered a tremendous ordeal.
Having suddenly gone from poverty to unexpected wealth, Chu Zhaohuai was no longer as miserly and stingy as he had been before. He stuffed an entire peeled orange into his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a little mouse caught stealing food and asked indistinctly, “What happened? Did your father secretly beat you in the middle of the night?”
“If my father wanted to beat me, would he need to do it secretly?” Ji Yi rolled his eyes.
Liang Fang said gently, “The heir was made to stand in a horse stance by Commander Yin first thing this morning. He has exhausted himself.”
Chu Zhaohuai took another bite of the orange. “Oh.”
As expected, the heir was terribly weak.
These two really were a perfect pair of weaklings.
Ji Yi felt that there was something deeply meaningful behind that “Oh.” He laboriously took another step, attempting to explain himself. “Yin Chongshan definitely has it in for me. What kind of martial arts training requires someone to stand in a horse stance continuously for an entire hour?! The fact that I can still walk right now already proves that I have a strong and healthy body… Ah!”
The moment he finished speaking, the supposedly strong and healthy heir’s leg suddenly gave way. Liang Fang was frail himself and simply could not support him. With a loud “thump,” he fell directly to his knees on the ground and performed a formal kneeling bow toward Chu Zhaohuai.
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
Chu Zhaohuai did not pause in the slightest as he continued eating his orange. “I only said a few words on your behalf. Even if you wanted to thank me, there was no need to offer such a grand salute.”
Ji Yi: “……”
Ji Yi grimaced as he struggled back onto his feet. “Who said this heir was trying to thank you? I came here to look for my father… Hiss! Could you stop eating those lousy oranges already? If you like them so much, this heir will send you eight huge crates another day and turn your face yellow from eating them.”
“The Prince went to the palace to clean up the mess you made.” Chu Zhaohuai finally put the orange down. “What do you want?”
Ji Xun’s trip to the palace was something Ji Yi naturally knew about. Since he was using it as an excuse, there was an eighty percent chance that he had actually come looking for Chu Zhaohuai about something.
Ji Yi frowned. He had never been someone capable of keeping things bottled up inside. He had spent the entire night tossing and turning over this matter without sleeping. After hesitating for a long while, he finally got straight to the point.
“Who exactly are you?”
Chu Zhaohuai froze.
“I know Chu Zhaojiang well. His gambling skills are extraordinarily terrible. Every year, when the capital opens its gambling games on the Little New Year’s Eve, he loses the worst,” Ji Yi said. “Your gambling skills are astonishingly superb. There is absolutely no way you could be him.”
Chu Zhaohuai’s pupils contracted violently. His wrist fell limply and the Fengxian oranges hidden inside his sleeve tumbled out and rolled all over the floor.
Seeing how frightened he had become, Ji Yi’s heart gave a sudden jolt. In an awkward manner, he said, “Don’t worry. You… if you were forced into this, this heir will plead with my father on your behalf…”
Before he could finish, Chu Zhaohuai suddenly shot to his feet and asked incredulously, “The Little New Year’s Eve in the capital… actually allows gambling?!”
Liang Fang: “……”
Ji Yi: “……”
Was that really the point?!
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Their journey continues. Their coffee cup, however, does not.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
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?