The golden staff struck the floor with a clear, ringing clang. Immediately, the guards dressed in black emerged noiselessly from the shadows like black crows taking flight, dropping down and kneeling on one knee in salute.
“Your Highness, we have startled you.”
Blood flowed freely across the floor. As the candle flames flickered, the scene resembled an endless sea of blood whose depths were impossible to discern, its surface shimmering beneath the wavering light.
Ji Xun gathered his robes and stepped down from the bed. Barefoot, he walked across the corpses strewn across the floor, his black robes trailing behind him and sweeping through the crimson pools of blood. The blood slowly crept up the hem of his garments as though it had drunk its fill, staining the fabric with an eerie, dark red.
One of his subordinates knelt on the floor. “Your Highness has been unconscious for half a month. There has been no movement from the Eastern Palace. This subordinate secretly sent people to Jiangnan to search for the renowned physician Bai Ji…”
Ji Xun slightly raised a hand.
The subordinate immediately fell silent.
Ji Xun stared at him for a long while before suddenly asking, “Which one are you?”
The man seemed accustomed to this and answered with practiced familiarity. “This subordinate is Yin Chongshan, one of the hidden guards of the residence. I have followed Your Highness for more than twenty years.”
Ji Xun gave an “oh,” seemingly recalling him. “What day is it today?”
“The sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.”
Ji Xun asked, “Have you found that renowned physician Bai Ji?”
Yin Chongshan lowered his head. “We have not.”
“Not found him?” Ji Xun smiled, his words carrying an unmistakable implication. “Then how did those assassins get here?”
Yin Chongshan froze.
Prince Jing held a special yet awkward position at court. He had offended far too many people and had long since become the infamous “Demon of Death” whom everyone wished to see executed.
There were rumors that Bai Ji, a renowned physician from Jiangnan, possessed extraordinary medical skills and was especially skilled at neutralizing strange and unusual poisons. Half the court was practically praying for Ji Xun to die as soon as possible. Naturally, they wanted to kill him before Bai Ji could reach the capital, lest leaving him alive create further complications.
This time, Ji Xun had been unconscious and no one even knew whether he would wake again. If they had not managed to find the miraculous physician Bai Ji, how could they have dared to risk an assassination on his wedding night?
Yin Chongshan held his breath and carefully considered his answer. “Today’s assassins concealed themselves within the wedding procession sent by the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence and infiltrated Prince Jing’s residence. Since His Majesty personally bestowed this marriage, everything was arranged by the Imperial Household Department. That was how the oversight occurred.”
Ji Xun tilted his head slightly. “Hm? Who is getting married?”
“You.”
Ji Xun seemed to notice only now that the sleeping quarters of his residence had been decorated in brilliant red for a wedding. Belatedly, he also remembered the person with the deathly pale, ghost like face who had been lying on the bed moments earlier.
He let out a soft “ah.”
That was the bride?
He had thought it was some little ghost come to claim his life.
Yin Chongshan cautiously studied his master’s expression, seemingly trying to determine his attitude toward this marriage.
Ji Xun, however, did not seem particularly resistant. Instead, he asked with some interest, “Not bad, whose daughter is she?”
“It is… the young master of the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence.”
…….
The eldest son of the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence, Chu Zhaohuai, had been so severely frightened that he fainted but after only a short period of unconsciousness, he woke again.
The scene of the Demon of Death killing a man had been far too horrifying. In his hazy state, Chu Zhaohuai felt as though he had merely suffered a terrible nightmare. He blankly pushed himself upright and sat motionless on the bed, still feeling as though his soul had not yet returned to his body.
Although he was far away in Jiangnan, he had still heard of the fearsome reputation of Prince Jing.
Prince Jing, Ji Xun, had led troops to conquer fourteen border cities at a young age. After guarding the frontier for several years, he had accomplished achievements that had never been seen before yet a year ago, he had suffered severe injuries on the battlefield, even losing the use of one leg.
After that, Prince Jing’s temperament underwent a drastic change. He had also developed a deranged condition after taking powerful medicines as fierce as wolves and tigers. Whenever an episode struck, he became an uncontrollable mad dog, wild, violent and utterly ruthless, killing people as casually as if their lives meant nothing.
Chu Zhaohuai had originally thought the rumors were probably exaggerated to some degree.
It was only today that he realized they had not contained even the slightest bit of exaggeration.
He really was that crazy.
Before Chu Zhaohuai could calm himself, he vaguely heard people talking outside the bed curtains.
The bed curtains floated in the cold wind like willow branches and the voice from his nightmare drifted faintly toward him.
“…Young Master?”
Someone answered, “Yes. The young master of the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence. His Majesty bestowed the marriage and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau selected today as an auspicious day, favorable for marriage.”
Chu Zhaohuai froze.
“Who?”
“Chu Zhaojiang.”
Ji Xun still could not remember.
Yin Chongshan was well trained. He immediately supplied several key details. “At the end of the eleventh lunar month, His Majesty bestowed the marriage. Chu Zhaojiang cried and shouted in the middle of the street, cursing you as a short lived ghost and a dead homosexual, saying that even if he died, he would never marry you.”
Ji Xun had been taking those powerful, dangerous medicines, leaving his mind lucid at times and muddled at others. At the beginning of the eleventh lunar month, he had suffered an episode in court and gotten into a confrontation with the Marquis of Zhenyuan. When His Majesty casually mentioned that it was time for him to start a family, Ji Xun had simply smiled and said:
“I think the young master of the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence is quite suitable. Imperial Brother, give him to me.”
His words had made the pampered and precious young marquis sound like an object he could casually request and play with.
Chu Jing had been so furious that he had nearly drawn his sword right there in court.
Everyone in the imperial court had assumed it was nothing more than a joke.
Who could have known that three days later, the imperial decree of marriage would arrive at the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence?
Ji Xun said, “Hm, I remember now.”
Chu Zhaohuai: “…”
He had cursed him publicly in the street?
Chu Zhaohuai nearly suffered another attack of his heart condition and fainted again. Clutching his chest, he struggled to get through another wave of palpitations.
At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, Chu Jing, who had not concerned himself with him for more than a decade, had urgently sent a letter to Lin’an, claiming that his grandmother was seriously ill and ordering him to return to the capital.
Chu Zhaohuai had traveled a thousand li back to the Marquis’s residence, only to be immediately stuffed into a bridal sedan and married off to Prince Jing’s residence.
Chu Zhaohuai had thought that he had simply been unlucky and somehow been caught up in the imperial marriage by mistake.
He had never expected that everyone throughout the capital knew that the “young marquis” named in the imperial marriage decree was actually Chu Zhaojiang.
Chu Zhaohuai’s stomach churned violently.
He had never had much affection for the Marquis’s residence. In fact, he had intended to remain in Jiangnan for the rest of his life and had never once considered returning to the capital to compete with these people for the title of Marquis.
Chu Zhaojiang had publicly gone mad and hurled insults at Prince Jing. While Ji Xun had remained unconscious, perhaps everything would have been fine.
But now that he was completely awake and considering the way he had just pierced a man’s body and created a bloody hole with a single blow, how could he possibly spare the “Chu Zhaojiang” who had cursed him?
Chu Jing had clearly decided to disregard whether he lived or died.
He had even intended to have him die inside Prince Jing’s residence.
Chu Zhaohuai’s vision went black in waves. A buzzing filled his ears and he nearly collapsed once again.
After he finally recovered from the dizziness, a cold, crisp fragrance, like snow melting, slowly reached his nose.
He looked up in a daze.
Beneath the candlelight, Ji Xun had appeared at some point without him noticing.
He wore a black robe with golden patterns embroidered along its hem. As a noble descendant of the imperial family, he possessed an elegant and dignified bearing. He sat casually at the edge of the bed and there was no sign of a limp, nor any indication of madness.
“Did I really frighten you?”
Ji Xun was very fond of smiling. The expression around his brows and eyes could even be described as gentle and there was a teasing quality to his tone. “The Young Marquis learned martial arts from General Huang when he was young and he even hunted snow wolves as a child. Someone as brave and fearless as you, how did merely seeing a little blood turn your face this pale?”
His tone was clearly as gentle as a spring breeze yet Chu Zhaohuai suddenly shuddered.
Ji Xun was still smiling but one only had to look into his eyes to realize that there was not the slightest trace of amusement in those peach blossom eyes. There was only bone deep coldness and an indifferent gaze that regarded a living person no differently from a corpse.
“I…”
Chu Zhaohuai’s throat was dry and tight. He swallowed with difficulty and the denial that had reached his lips was swallowed down with it.
Leaving aside whether the imperial decree had explicitly named anyone, even Prince Jing’s own guards still believed that the person who had been married into the residence was Chu Zhaojiang. It was obvious that Chu Jing had never told Prince Jing’s residence the truth about the substitution.
If Chu Zhaohuai openly denied being Chu Zhaojiang on his wedding night, Ji Xun, having been deceived and manipulated, would undoubtedly fly into a rage and when Ji Xun’s fury descended, Chu Zhaohuai would be the only one there to bear the brunt of it. Whether he would survive was completely unknown.
Even if Prince Jing’s residence and the imperial palace pursued the matter, Chu Jing could still brush it aside by claiming that “the Young Marquis named in the imperial decree was simply the legitimate eldest son of the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence.”
Chu Jing had used honeyed words to deceive him into getting into the bridal sedan while keeping Chu Zhaojiang hidden inside the Marquis’s residence. He had merely been waiting for Chu Zhaohuai’s identity to be exposed on the wedding night and for the matter of the “substitute marriage” to become known throughout the world.
Whether Chu Zhaohuai lived or died, Chu Zhaojiang would then regain his freedom and continue living without a care in the world as the legitimate and rightful “Young Marquis.”
One stone, two birds.
What an excellent scheme.
Chu Zhaohuai clutched his chest, his face deathly pale.
They certainly had planned it beautifully.
Perhaps he had simply been pushed beyond his limit by one shock after another. With the Demon of Death standing right before him, Chu Zhaohuai suddenly found himself no longer afraid.
Instead, an almost deranged thought quietly took root in his mind.
The matter of the “substitute marriage” would be discovered sooner or later. Rather than bearing the full wrath of the Demon of Death alone, Chu Zhaohuai might as well hold out until the day he returned to his natal family and drag the entire Chu family down with him.
Since the Marquis’s residence wanted him dead, then none of them should expect to live.
Chu Zhaohuai did not deny being the “Young Marquis.” He merely said calmly, “I wasn’t frightened. I’m hungry, I haven’t had so much as a drop of water all day because of all the complicated wedding rituals. My legs simply gave out just now.”
Ji Xun raised a brow slightly. “So it was my poor eyesight after all. The Young Marquis actually fainted from hunger just now.”
Chu Zhaohuai nodded. “Precisely.”
Ji Xun rubbed two fingers across Chu Zhaohuai’s face. Looking at the snow white powder that had rubbed onto his fingertips, he smiled and said, “But the Young Marquis has practically brought the entire Marquis’s residence’s grain stores along on his face. If I broke off a piece of that powder, there would be enough for you to eat for half a year. How could you possibly be hungry?”
Chu Zhaohuai: “…”
What a poisonous mouth.
Perhaps Ji Xun had noticed the look in Chu Zhaohuai’s eyes, a look that seemed halfway between a curse and an insult. For some reason, his mood suddenly improved tremendously. He clapped his hands and said, “Chongshan, prepare some food for the Young Marquis.”
Chu Zhaohuai was stunned.
For the past two days, Chu Jing had locked him inside a drafty side courtyard without giving him anything to eat. After being put through today’s entire ordeal as well, he was already so hungry that his stomach felt pressed against his back.
Hearing those words all of a sudden, he could hardly believe that the Demon of Death actually possessed such a kind heart.
Very soon, maids filed into the room one after another. Without so much as looking to either side, they calmly arranged the dishes on the table.
At some point, the corpse and pool of blood beside the bed had vanished without a trace. If there were not still a faint smell of blood lingering in the room, Chu Zhaohuai would have thought the entire thing had truly been nothing more than a dream.
Chu Zhaohuai cautiously lifted the bed curtain and climbed down.
There really was a table full of delicacies.
They were all cold, however.
But having food to eat was already good enough. Chu Zhaohuai was not picky. Forgetting all etiquette, he sat down and casually picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, immediately stuffing it into his mouth.
Before he could even swallow it, Ji Xun, who was sitting by the window watching the snow, spoke in an unhurried voice.
“Chu Jing sent you to my residence with the intention of having me killed. You had such a perfect opportunity just now, so why didn’t you make your move?”
Chu Zhaohuai: “…”
He nearly spat out the food he had not yet swallowed.
Kill, kill, kill someone?
Had Chu Jing actually assigned him such an outrageously difficult task?
Chu Zhaohuai forced himself to remain calm. “Your Highness is joking. Although my father and Your Highness hold different political views, we are both officials serving the same court. That is perfectly normal. How could he possibly commit the outrageous crime of harboring murderous intentions toward a noble descendant of the imperial family?”
Ji Xun seemed to particularly enjoy this righteous sounding answer. He nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing that Chu Zhaohuai was gripping his chopsticks without moving, he considerately asked, “Wasn’t the Young Marquis hungry? Why have you stopped eating?”
Seeing that Ji Xun had no intention of pressing the matter any further, Chu Zhaohuai let out half a breath of relief and continued using his chopsticks to pick up another bite of food.
The moment he put it into his mouth, Ji Xun spoke again.
“Among the assassins who attacked just now, half of them concealed themselves inside the bridal dowry chests carried here by the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence, infiltrating Prince Jing’s residence and waiting for an opportunity to assassinate me. Does the Young Marquis have any idea about this?”
Chu Zhaohuai: “…”
This time, Chu Zhaohuai truly coughed as though he were about to cough his soul out of his body. He stared at Ji Xun in utter astonishment.
The assassins had hidden inside the bridal dowry chests?
Then wouldn’t that mean…
As if he had suddenly understood something, Chu Zhaohuai’s face turned as pale as gold paper.
Prince Jing’s tone remained completely ordinary but Yin Chongshan, who stood waiting at his side, could hear the killing intent hidden within his master’s voice. His gaze discreetly shifted toward Chu Zhaohuai.
His Majesty had bestowed this marriage and Chu Zhaojiang’s status was noble. Normally, he absolutely could not be allowed to die on his wedding night.
But once Prince Jing’s madness flared up, even if His Majesty later punished him, he would still kill this person first to satisfy himself.
The bridal chamber fell into a profound silence.
Ji Xun wiped away the final drop of blood from the dove headed staff. His pale fingertip gently stroked its golden head, as though in the very next instant he might casually and unexpectedly drive it straight through Chu Zhaohuai’s chest.
Yin Chongshan’s breathing tightened.
At last, Chu Zhaohuai spoke.
He asked blankly, “Then what about the dowry?”
The assassins had hidden inside the chests.
Then didn’t that mean his damned dowry was short by more than a dozen chests?!
Yin Chongshan had experienced countless battles and remained utterly expressionless even when blades and axes struck his body yet a single lighthearted question from Chu Zhaohuai left him completely stunned.
The important thing was the dowry?!
Ji Xun’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
Then, all of a sudden, he smiled again and gently reassured him, “The dowry is only short by twenty or thirty chests. In any case, the other half were empty chests too, so the Princess Consort need not worry.”
Chu Zhaohuai clutched his chest and nearly keeled over.
Half of the one hundred and twenty chests of dowry Chu Jing had promised him were empty.
That blow was even more devastating than learning that Chu Jing had plotted against him. He was so furious that he nearly vomited blood.
With a sharp slap, Chu Zhaohuai put his chopsticks down.
Ji Xun asked, “The Princess Consort isn’t eating anymore?”
Chu Zhaohuai pressed a hand against his chest and answered weakly, “I’m full.”
He was full from anger, more than anything because he was also afraid that if he continued eating, Ji Xun would deliberately say something else to frighten him.
This man’s personality was truly awful.
He was the sort who quietly schemed and caused trouble with a perfectly innocent looking face.
Ji Xun smiled and beckoned him over. “Come here.”
Chu Zhaohuai had no idea that he had just made a round trip through the gates of hell. Supporting himself on his still weak legs, he walked back toward the bedside.
Ji Xun smiled as he looked at him. His expression was gentle as water yet there was a cold glint in his gaze, like the flash along the edge of a drawn blade. His voice was so soft that it was frightening and for no apparent reason, he suddenly asked, “I don’t have a very good memory. What is the Princess Consort’s name?”
Chu Zhaohuai’s breathing stopped.
Almost instinctively, he was about to confess.
He braced himself and answered, “Chu Zhaojiang.”
Ji Xun scrutinized him for a long while. No one could tell what exactly he had noticed but slowly, a smile spread across his face.
“Good, since this is our wedding night, then let us drink the nuptial wine and consummate the marriage.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ you know what to do
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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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?