Chu Zhaohuai had a headache.
Even after nearly being killed several times, Chu Zhaohuai still could not figure out what grudge that group of people had against him. Although he had studied quite a few poisons, he rarely used them. It was impossible that he had unknowingly harmed someone and caused them to lose their life.
Fortunately, Ji Xun had arrived in time. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly have been sent straight to the Western Paradise by this ambush.
But logically speaking, Ji Xun should already know his identity by now.
Shouldn’t he have simply thrown him back at the Marquis’s residence and demanded an explanation?
Chu Zhaohuai could not see through Ji Xun at all. He furrowed his brows and racked his brain, trying desperately to figure out what the man was thinking.
Ji Yi was dragging his feet and clearly had no intention of leaving. He sat there peeling loquats and eating them.
Chu Zhaohuai’s mouth tasted bitter, with a faint metallic trace of blood left behind after his attack. He had absolutely no appetite.
He wanted to sleep a little longer.
Whatever happened, he could deal with it after he woke up.
But after waiting and waiting, he still saw no sign of Ji Yi leaving. In the end, he had no choice but to politely hint that his guest should depart.
“Does the young prince have anything else to attend to?”
Ji Yi gave an “oh” and asked in a low voice, “Liang Fang has been taking the medicine for three days now, and his excessive sleepiness isn’t as severe as it was before. Ahem, I…I mean, he asked me to ask you…”
Chu Zhaohuai said, “I remember. After I take his pulse tomorrow, I can begin acupuncture treatment for him.”
Ji Yi froze. He lowered his eyes awkwardly and mumbled, “I…I didn’t mean that. You’re sick. There’s no need to hurry…”
Chu Zhaohuai did not hear him clearly.
“What did the young prince say?”
Ji Yi usually spoke like a string of firecrackers, exploding at the slightest provocation. Why was he speaking so softly today?
“N-Nothing.” Ji Yi cleared his throat and deliberately put on a casual expression. “I heard you have a heart condition. Your medical skills are so good, so why don’t you treat yourself?”
Chu Zhaohuai said, “I’m not an immortal. I can’t cure every illness.”
Ji Yi froze.
“Then is it serious?”
Chu Zhaohuai was even more puzzled.
Why was this little young prince behaving so strangely and suddenly asking so many questions?
His entire mind was occupied with wondering what Ji Xun’s attitude toward him was. He could only answer perfunctorily.
“I’ve lived until now without dying, so it probably isn’t serious.”
Ji Yi frowned.
“How can you answer so vaguely?”
“It’s not serious. It’s really not serious.” Chu Zhaohuai said, “Since the young prince is so curious, how about I have an attack right here and let you see for yourself?”
Ji Yi: “…”
This person’s way of speaking was just as suffocating as his father’s.
This time, the young prince did not become embarrassed and furious and storm out of the room. Instead, he rose properly and, for once, managed to say something resembling normal human speech.
“Then take good care of your illness. Tomorrow, Liang Fang and I will come find you.”
“Okay.”
Only then did Ji Yi leave.
Dusk was approaching, and the sunset painted the distant horizon in brilliant, variegated colors.
An imperial decree arrived from the palace.
Prince Jing had rendered meritorious service by suppressing the bandits. He had been showered with praise in court and was even rewarded with one hundred taels of gold. The two-year salary penalty imposed on him had also been reduced.
Ji Xun accepted the rewards and sent the messenger away with a smile that was not quite a smile.
A masked personal guard pushed the wheelchair back toward the rear courtyard. Only after confirming that no one else was nearby did he speak.
“You didn’t see it when we attended court this morning. His Majesty practically praised you to the heavens. You only suppressed a bunch of bandits. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you had pacified the entire northwest.”
Ji Xun said impatiently, “Why have you come again?”
Lu Wujing gave two chuckles. Being disliked was clearly something he had long since learned to ignore.
“When I returned to the palace with that fellow Lin to report on the mission, I heard him complain to His Majesty about you. He said you even wanted seven, eight, nine, ten Princess Consorts or something along those lines, all while making those sarcastic remarks. What? Could it be that you don’t think much of this Princess Consort after all?”
Ji Xun said, “There’s no difference.”
Lu Wujie knew all too well about his bad habit of never being able to recognize people, yet he was even more astonished. “If you don’t even think much of him, then why did you fly into such a rage for the sake of a beauty? Could it be that the Princess Consort has some extraordinary quality?”
Ji Xun crossed one leg over the other and said nothing.
“Then it must be that he’s exceptionally handsome?” Lu Wujie said. “That doesn’t seem right either. I heard he looks somewhat like Chu Zhaojiang. If that’s the case, he probably can’t be all that good-looking.”
He had merely tossed the remark out casually, but Ji Xun suddenly paused.
Normally, whenever the people closest to him were mentioned, such as Ji Yi or Yin Chongshan, all that surfaced in Ji Xun’s mind were one vague face after another, their features too indistinct to tell apart.
On his wedding night, when Chu Zhaohuai had transformed into that ghostly appearance, Ji Xun had merely assumed that there was something wrong with his own perception again, and promptly forgot about it the moment he turned his head away.
But upon hearing Lu Wujie’s words, something flashed before Ji Xun’s eyes.
What appeared this time was not a pair of brows and eyes blurred and hazy like they were shrouded in mist.
There was a mole on the cheek, an abrupt blot of ink against a sheet of white paper. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, it seemed to bleed outward, sketching the shape of his brows and eyes, his lips. His body trembled, his face pale with illness and streaked with tears. Between ragged breaths, he looked over with unfocused, bewildered eyes.
Then the image vanished in an instant.
“Prince?”
Ji Xun abruptly came back to himself. He gave an indifferent “Mm,” as though nothing had happened.
“An ordinary face, nothing particularly remarkable. I’m only keeping him around for amusement.”
Lu Wujie nodded. “As expected.”
He had known it. With that martial-looking face of Chu Jing, there was no way a sickly shell like him could produce a fine pearl.
“Although the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence is not what it used to be, its foundations are still quite solid. Chu Jing also holds a position in the Ministry of Personnel, making him one of the Crown Prince’s greatest sources of support. The provincial governor who has been investigating Jin Ling’s accounts is one of his men as well. It would be better to get rid of him sooner rather than later.”
Ji Xun glanced at him and finally could not hold himself back any longer.
“Is that mouth of yours rented? How much is the rent? I’ll pay double if you’ll return to the way you were when you first stabbed me—arrogant and fiercely unrestrained.”
Lu Wujie: “……”
Snow had fallen during the night, and the courtyard was buried beneath a thick layer of it, the frozen ground making every step difficult.
Lu Wujie pushed the wheelchair along the covered corridor toward the sleeping quarters in the rear courtyard. Despite having just been scolded, he was still worrying about Ji Xun and suggested, “The matter of the substitution at the wedding is a huge weakness you can exploit. Isn’t there a palace banquet tomorrow? Since you don’t like Chu Zhaohuai anyway, you might as well use him as leverage and take down the entire Marquis of Zhenyuan’s household at the same time. Then everything will be settled once and for all.”
Ji Xun stroked the dove-headed cane in his hand. His expression was cold and indifferent, and from the look in his eyes, it seemed as though he was considering swinging it at Lu Wujie.
But the moment Lu Wujie finished speaking, his gaze happened to drift elsewhere, and his footsteps abruptly came to a halt.
Ji Xun’s sleeping quarters usually did not require servants to attend him, so the place was empty.
The snowy dusk had already descended. The rosy clouds spilled down from the edge of the sky, casting even the murderous Prince Jing’s residence in a layer of honey-colored light.
Beneath the plum tree in the courtyard stood Chu Zhaohuai, draped in a dark-colored cloak. Snow-white fox fur framed his neck, and he was not wearing his eye covering. With his head tilted slightly upward, he seemed to be admiring the plum blossoms.
Hearing the movement, he turned sideways and lowered his eyes, revealing a face touched by the rosy afterglow of the setting sun, the warmth of the light concealing some of his usual pallor.
Lu Wujie was a martial man who had never read much, yet when he saw this scene, a line of poetry he had once been forced to memorize inexplicably surfaced in his mind:
Autumn waters for spirit, jade for bone.
A face like this was supposed to be… an ordinary face, with nothing particularly remarkable about it?!
Was this fiend’s madness becoming even worse?
Ji Xun leisurely withdrew his gaze. His fingertip slowly rubbed the dove’s eye carved into the head of his cane as he said indifferently, “Why are you standing there? Be careful not to catch a chill and fall ill again.”
Chu Zhaohuai froze.
The color drained from his face in an instant.
Over these past few years of practicing medicine, Divine Physician Bai Ji had grown accustomed to seeing people lingering on their deathbeds. He hated the decaying, rotten atmosphere of a sickbed, that scent of a body waiting helplessly for death. As long as he was physically capable of standing, he absolutely refused to lie down while ill.
He had only just taken his medicine when he struggled to get dressed and climb out of bed.
The clothes he had been wearing before had been thrown away by the assassins. The only thing left was the dark-colored cloak Ji Xun had left hanging beside the bed.
Absent-mindedly, Chu Zhaohuai put it on. After thinking for a long while, he finally decided to simply let the matter come to a head and speak frankly with Ji Xun.
But the moment he stepped out of the room, before he could even find Uncle Zhao, he ran straight into him.
All the courage Chu Zhaohuai had painstakingly gathered drained away in an instant.
His throat tightened. That faint metallic taste of blood seemed to rise once more from the back of his throat. Gathering the cloak around himself, he murmured awkwardly, “Prince.”
Ji Xun gave a quiet “Mm” and had Lu Wujie push him into the sleeping quarters.
Chu Zhaohuai stumbled slightly, then slowly followed them inside.
Lu Wujie was still looking at Ji Xun.
He had already thought the Prince Jing’s attitude toward this “false Princess Consort” was rather ambiguous. Clearly, the matter was an enormous weakness that could be used to stir up trouble. If Ji Xun had brought it to light, there was no way the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s household could have continued to swagger about for so long.
Yet he simply refused to do anything about it.
So that was the reason.
He had taken a fancy to the man’s beauty.
Ji Xun glanced at him. “Leave.”
Lu Wujie was furious but did not dare argue. He walked away, turning his head to glare at Ji Xun every few steps.
Chu Zhaohuai stood there with a pale face, his body swaying slightly.
Ji Xun said, “Sit.”
Chu Zhaohuai replied awkwardly, “I-I think I’ll just stand.”
Ji Xun lifted his eyes to look at him and said calmly, “Does your leg not hurt anymore?”
Chu Zhaohuai was immediately rendered speechless.
The cut on his lower leg from the mountain rocks had been wrapped in several layers of bandages. Because he had ignored his injury and forced himself to get up, it was now throbbing faintly with pain.
Even so, Chu Zhaohuai still did not dare sit down.
There was a strange sense of guilt within him, as though he had betrayed someone’s sincere feelings.
Ji Xun had treated him so well, yet from beginning to end, Chu Zhaohuai had concealed the truth from him.
Ji Xun propped his chin on one hand and looked at him. He wanted to tease him, but before the sharp words could leave his mouth, he remembered the physician’s instructions.
In the end, he could only speak properly and make a perfectly reasonable suggestion.
“Then shall I build a chair out of gold bricks for the Princess Consort to sit on?”
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
Caught off guard by the merciless sarcasm, Chu Zhaohuai stared blankly for a moment before finally sitting down obediently.
The Prince’s sharp tongue had clearly reached an entirely new level.
It seemed that he was genuinely angry.
After inviting him to sit, Ji Xun opened the conversation and asked, “Does the Princess Consort have something you wish to say?”
What was meant to come would eventually come.
Chu Zhaohuai drew a deep breath and began by laying the groundwork.
“Thank you, Prince, for saving my life last night.”
“You and I have already completed our wedding rites and become husband and wife. Naturally, I would not stand by and watch you die without offering help,” Ji Xun replied with a smile.
Seeing that Ji Xun still made no mention of his appearance or identity, Chu Zhaohuai tried probing indirectly.
“The assassins last night were enemies I made in Jiangnan. If Your Highness had not arrived in time to save me, I fear I would already have returned to the underworld by now. Such a great kindness is something I have no way of repaying.”
He had mentioned Jiangnan.
He had mentioned enemies.
Surely Ji Xun should understand by now.
Chu Zhaohuai waited with his heart in his throat, anxiously bracing himself for the response.
He heard Ji Xun give a quiet “Mm” before asking, “Empty words are of no use. How does the Princess Consort intend to repay me?”
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
Chu Zhaohuai nearly choked on his own breath.
That wasn’t right.
Wasn’t the Prince Jing supposed to be known for being exceptionally shrewd and calculating? He had practically spelled it out for him already. How could he still not have noticed that something was wrong with his identity?
Could it be……
Chu Zhaohuai’s heart gave another violent thump. Before he could think it through, the question slipped straight out of his mouth.
“Prince, you already know my identity?”
Ji Xun looked even more puzzled than he did. “Do you actually think you hid it very well?”
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
The heart he had been holding tightly seemed to drop heavily back into his chest. He could not tell whether the feeling was one of discomfort or relief, but cold sweat had already broken out across his forehead.
Since Ji Xun knew his true identity and had still chosen to keep him here, even continuing to address him as “Princess Consort,” then he presumably was not angry.
Chu Zhaohuai quietly breathed out, trying to ease the dull ache in his chest. He no longer bothered concealing his Jiangnan accent as he cautiously asked, “When did Your Highness find out?”
Ji Xun’s ears twitched slightly. He picked up the cold tea and took a small sip before answering, “Yesterday, when I rescued you.”
Chu Zhaohuai breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, thank goodness.
At least he had not known for very long.
He cleared his throat and finally voiced the speech he had spent half the day composing in his head.
“I-I did not willingly come to the Prince’s residence to deceive Your Highness. If you do not wish to continue this marriage, I will immediately pack my things and leave the Prince’s residence.”
This was a strategic retreat.
Surely Ji Xun would not want to keep a sickly invalid who looked so wretched and frightening whenever his illness acted up.
If Chu Zhaohuai willingly left the Prince’s residence, then afterward, the Prince could use his authority to forcefully bring Chu Zhaojiang here instead……
Just as he was thinking this, Ji Xun suddenly laughed.
Chu Zhaohuai looked up at him.
Ji Xun slowly rolled the few small copper coins in his hand between his fingers as he smiled. “Just now, the Princess Consort said that your gratitude was impossible to repay. Yet after only a few sentences, you’re already trying to draw a clean line between us?”
Chu Zhaohuai was stunned.
Ji Xun looked at him. “You still haven’t told me how you intend to repay me.”
Chu Zhaohuai had only just suffered an attack. His heart was still aching faintly, and his mind was hardly functioning properly. Before he knew it, Ji Xun was leading him along by the nose.
He desperately tried to think of what he had that he could offer.
“Treat Your Highness…… to a meal?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he inwardly cursed himself for being so stingy.
He was speaking to a prince of the imperial family, a man who had tasted every delicacy under heaven, delicacies as precious as dragon gall and phoenix marrow. Why would someone like him care about being treated to a meal?
Yet Ji Xun actually agreed.
“Good. There’s no better day than today. Let’s do it tonight, so the Princess Consort won’t say a few more words and then try to wriggle out of the debt.”
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
Chu Zhaohuai was somewhat dazed.
Wasn’t revealing his identity supposed to be accompanied by a storm of rage, just as he had imagined?
He had even hidden two pills for treating his heart condition beneath his tongue in preparation for the inevitable crisis.
So how had things somehow turned into this?
Instead of violent winds and torrential rain, the atmosphere was as gentle and mild as a spring breeze. Somehow, the two of them were even about to hold hands and peacefully go have dinner together.
Chu Zhaohuai hesitantly nodded.
As long as the Prince was not angry, that was enough.
“Then…… shall we go out?”
“No need.”
Ji Xun summoned Yin Chongshan and instructed him, “Find the chefs from Jiaofu Tower and have them come to the residence.”
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
Was this how members of the imperial family ate at restaurants?
Once again, he became painfully aware of just how poor he was.
The chefs from Jiaofu Tower arrived extremely quickly. They hurried over before the sun had even completely set. Six chefs knelt on the ground in trembling fear, kowtowed respectfully, and presented wooden menu plaques displaying the dishes available.
After Ji Xun’s calm and almost effortless reassurance, Chu Zhaohuai finally stopped being as nervous as he had been earlier and even had enough peace of mind to look through the menu.
He had heard of Jiaofu Tower even while he was in Jiangnan. It was famous for its extravagance and splendor, with guests coming and going throughout the year. Even its bowls and chopsticks were made of gold and silver. It was the sort of restaurant that only families of high status and wealth could afford.
Judging by Ji Xun’s appetite, four dishes and a soup should probably be enough to get by.
Chu Zhaohuai’s eyes curved slightly as he asked ingratiatingly, “What would Your Highness like to eat for dinner tonight?”
Ji Xun propped his cheek on his hand and looked at him. He seemed to be in an unusually good mood, answering lazily, “Anything is fine?”
Chu Zhaohuai nodded hurriedly.
Ji Xun casually swept his hand around the menu. “Have them prepare a table with everything Jiaofu Tower has that’s most expensive.”
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
Chu Zhaohuai’s miserly disposition erupted on the spot.
He nearly suffered another heart attack and died right there in front of him.
Seeing that familiar expression in Chu Zhaohuai’s eyes, the unmistakable look that was somewhere between cursing him and holding back a curse, Ji Xun knowingly asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Chu Zhaohuai hurriedly shook his head, comforting himself.
Forget it.
The Prince had saved his life, and he had nothing else he could give in return. The only thing he had was money.
The heir had given him four large chests of gambling winnings yesterday. There had to be twenty or thirty thousand taels in total.
Surely one meal could not possibly eat through all of that.
Ji Xun rested his head against his hand and quietly observed Chu Zhaohuai.
He had originally thought that Chu Zhaohuai wearing an eye covering and relying on the fact that no one could see his expression made his reactions amusing enough.
But now that he could openly glare at people and silently curse them with his eyes, he was somehow even more entertaining.
Chu Zhaohuai was busy calming himself down when he vaguely sensed that someone seemed to be watching him.
He opened his eyes in confusion and looked toward the Prince.
Ji Xun had lowered his eyes and was casually selecting some pastries. He was not looking at him at all.
Chu Zhaohuai withdrew his gaze and muttered inwardly that he was becoming overly suspicious, seeing threats everywhere.
He had spent a fortune merely to eat one extravagantly luxurious dinner, but Chu Zhaohuai was surprisingly able to take it in stride. The moment the enticing aroma of the dishes being prepared drifted over, the pain of spending so much money was temporarily smoothed over.
He obediently sat there and ate.
And he had to admit, food that cost a fortune really did taste different from the ordinary meals he was used to eating.
Ji Xun barely touched his chopsticks. He simply sat there and continued drinking his cold wine.
When Chu Zhaohuai noticed that he was not eating, he felt rather ashamed.
This meal was supposed to be his way of repaying Ji Xun for saving his life, yet instead, he was the one sitting there making happy little noises as he ate one dish after another.
He dragged his injured leg as he stood up and picked up the clean pair of chopsticks beside him, eager to please.
“I’ll serve Your Highness some food.”
Ji Xun smiled and did not refuse.
Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks and eat a few bites, Yin Chongshan entered from outside.
“Your Highness, Zhou Huan has returned to the residence.”
Ji Xun did not even raise his head. “Did he bring the person back as well?”
“Yes. He’s wearing an eye covering.”
Chu Zhaohuai looked over curiously.
Who?
Ji Xun leisurely ate several mouthfuls of the sweet-and-sour fish Chu Zhaohuai had placed in his bowl before setting down his chopsticks again.
Seeing the undisguised curiosity in Chu Zhaohuai’s eyes, Ji Xun smiled gently.
“Does the Princess Consort want to come along and have a look?”
Chu Zhaohuai hurriedly shook his head. Afraid that Ji Xun might think he was a spy, he immediately sat back down.
“No need.”
Ji Xun smiled. “Then you should eat first, Princess Consort. There’s no need to wait for me.”
Chu Zhaohuai did not dare disturb him while he was dealing with serious matters, so he obediently nodded.
Yin Chongshan stepped forward and pushed the wheelchair away.
It was already dark, and lanterns had been lit throughout the courtyard of the Prince Jing’s residence.
Halfway there, Ji Xun lazily asked, “What about the deer?”
“It has already been sent to the Prince’s residence.” Yin Chongshan’s face was solemn and grave. “It’s being kept in the rear courtyard. Tomorrow, it can be brought over for the Princess Consort to see.”
Ji Xun gave a quiet “Mm” and did not make things difficult for him any further.
Zhou Huan was one of Prince Jing’s most trusted aides. He had a tall, powerful build and seemed to have some Hu blood in him. There was even a scar across his face, making his already fierce appearance seem all the more intimidating.
At that moment, he was standing beneath the light in the study, waiting for Ji Xun’s arrival, as rigid and unmoving as a wooden pillar.
Hearing the sound of the wheelchair approaching, Zhou Huan immediately dropped to one knee.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“Mm. There’s no need for such formalities.”
Zhou Huan rose to his feet. The dust and grime from his journey had not yet been washed away, and he looked somewhat weary.
Yin Chongshan had been his colleague for many years, so there was little need for excessive formality between them in private. Seeing that Zhou Huan’s lips were dry, he poured him a cup of cold tea and handed it over, silently indicating that he should have some water before taking his time to report.
“Thank you.”
Zhou Huan accepted the tea. His gaze inadvertently swept over Yin Chongshan’s saber, and he let out an exclamation.
“I’m only gone for a month, and you’ve already started using a gold-wrapped saber. Did His Highness actually increase your salary by that much?”
Yin Chongshan: “……”
Yin Chongshan’s face turned green.
Zhou Huan drained the tea in one go before turning toward Ji Xun and flattering him, “When your subordinate came in just now, I happened to see a deer in the rear courtyard. His Highness truly is formidable. Even in winter, you can still hunt a deer, and there isn’t even the slightest wound on its body. Your archery is truly extraordinary. I am deeply impressed.”
Ji Xun: “……”
Seeing that Zhou Huan had a talent for bringing up precisely the things that should not be brought up, Yin Chongshan kicked him hard.
Zhou Huan frowned. “Why did you kick me?”
Yin Chongshan: “……”
Ji Xun had no patience left to listen to the two of them bantering back and forth. He simply asked, “Where is the person?”
“Oh.”
Zhou Huan was efficient when it came to handling business. He quickly went outside and brought a man dressed in white inside.
“This is the one.”
The man in white wore a pitch-black eye covering. It seemed to be a style of face covering that was quite popular in Jiangnan. Once he entered, his light and graceful figure slowly lowered into a kneel.
“Greetings, Prince Jing.”
Ji Xun’s eyes narrowed slightly. The two fingers holding his dove-headed cane gave the slightest tap.
Yin Chongshan stepped forward and roughly tore away the man’s eye covering, revealing a pale face beneath it.
“Bai Ji” had delicate and refined features. He respectfully lowered his head and kowtowed. A faint medicinal scent seemed to slowly permeate the air around him.
He did not get back up. Instead, he lowered his voice and said, “…This commoner is Bai Ji.”
Ji Xun smiled.
“You can cure poison?”
“Yes.”
“Bai Ji” replied, “Your Highness has been taking powerful medicines and Wushi Powder for many years. The fire poison accumulated within your body is difficult to dispel. This commoner has a prescription that can relieve you of its effects.”
Ji Xun lowered his eyes and stared at the man.
He stared so intently that the man gradually began trembling involuntarily from head to toe.
Only then did Ji Xun finally speak.
“Good. Then Divine Physician, please remain at the residence.”
There was a trace of a smile in Ji Xun’s voice, but his eyes were cold. He spoke each word slowly and distinctly.
“Treat him as an honored guest.”
“Yes.”
Chu Zhaohuai had only just suffered another bout of illness, and he had barely eaten anything from the table full of dishes before he listlessly returned to the canopy bed.
Everything was different from what he had expected.
Chu Zhaohuai was deeply troubled.
Ji Xun knew his true identity, yet he had not lost his temper.
If Ji Xun truly intended to play along with the false marriage and keep him in the Prince’s residence, wouldn’t that simply benefit the Marquis’s household?
After what had happened yesterday, Chu Jing must certainly have been stirring things up behind the scenes. Otherwise, Chu Zhaohuai would not have been kidnapped so easily.
Ah, his head hurt.
Chu Zhaohuai was simply not suited to fighting wits with other people.
After racking his brains for so long, the most ruthless scheme he had managed to come up with had merely been spreading rumors to force Chu Jing into compromising.
And that plan had failed.
Instead, he had nearly gotten himself dragged into the mess.
He lay in a daze on the bed, tossing the matter over and over in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became, until a frightening thought suddenly occurred to him.
“How about I just stay here and be Ji Xun’s Princess Consort?”
There was food.
There was a place to live.
There was someone to comfort him.
Ji Xun was a good person, too, and he had such a huge residence.
And he would not have to…… be alone anymore.
The moment that thought surfaced, Chu Zhaohuai shuddered violently and hurriedly shook his head, forcing the idea out of his mind.
He could not place all his hopes in someone else.
He had already learned that lesson long ago.
He tossed and turned on the bed for a long time, unable to fall asleep.
It was not until midnight, when the hour of Zi had arrived, that he heard the faint rolling sound of Ji Xun’s wheelchair coming from outside.
Chu Zhaohuai hurriedly sat up.
“Your Highness?”
Ji Xun had already washed up. He looked to be in an unusually pleasant mood.
“Mm. You’re still awake?”
“No.”
The canopy bed was separated from Ji Xun’s cold bed by a carved wooden door.
Ji Xun lifted his eyes and could vaguely see Chu Zhaohuai’s silhouette reflected against the translucent door in the flickering candlelight.
His eyelashes were long and delicate, his nose high and straight. His disheveled hair carried a hint of languid ease that seemed completely at odds with Chu Zhaohuai’s normally timid, rabbit-like nature.
Ji Xun watched the shadow without seeming to care very much.
“You waited until this late. Is there something you want?”
Chu Zhaohuai obediently nodded before asking, “Are you hungry?”
Ji Xun lifted his hand and lightly stroked the young man’s chin through the air, his movements casual and unhurried.
“I’m all right—was that all you wanted to ask?”
“Mm.”
Chu Zhaohuai seemed a little embarrassed. He lowered his head slightly, and the chin of his shadow seemed to bump lightly into Ji Xun’s palm, like a little bird willingly offering its wings to be touched.
“I didn’t let Your Highness enjoy yourself very much today. If you’re in the mood tomorrow, I’ll treat you to another meal.”
Ji Xun’s hand paused.
On the night of their wedding, when Chu Zhaohuai had been carried into the Prince Jing’s residence in the bridal sedan, he had been cautious at every turn. The first time he had seen Ji Xun, he had even been frightened unconscious, like a cat that would puff up and lash out at the slightest touch.
Yet only ten short days had passed, and he seemed to have effortlessly lowered every one of his defenses.
He had revealed the gentle, obedient nature beneath them, even voluntarily turning over his belly and inviting someone to stroke him.
Did he trust him this much?
Ji Xun’s fingers slowly moved over the phantom image of the shadow, and the corner of his lips lifted slightly.
His voice was gentle when he said, “Tomorrow, the Princess Consort will accompany me into the palace for the palace banquet. I’m afraid there won’t be any time.”
Chu Zhaohuai was curious.
“A palace banquet? Will the food be even better than at Jiaofu Tower?”
“The standards of a palace banquet are naturally extraordinary.”
Chu Zhaohuai lay back down, hiding the happiness in his heart. Yet his shadow betrayed him, revealing the way he was secretly curling up his toes in delight.
“All right. Tomorrow, I’ll accompany Your Highness.”
Ji Xun spoke gently.
“Go to sleep.”
“Mm-hm.”
Chu Zhaohuai obediently blew out the candle and settled himself properly in bed. Once the worries weighing on his mind were gone, exhaustion immediately swept over him, and he fell asleep with remarkable speed.
The sleeping quarters gradually sank into darkness, and the sound of breathing beside his ears slowly became even and steady.
Ji Xun sat at the edge of the couch with his long hair falling loosely over his shoulders, silently watching the pitch-black canopy bed.
An utterly defenseless little bird.
If one day it discovered that the person who had been raising and caring for it had only been doing so because he intended to gut it and stew it into soup, would it panic and flee without direction, frantically flapping and crashing about inside its cage, crying and screaming?
Chu Zhaohuai’s eyes, shimmering with a watery light, flashed through Ji Xun’s mind.
The fleeting image stirred an inexplicable emotion inside him.
Ji Xun could not distinguish what it was.
He only knew that it was unfamiliar, an uncontrollable sensation that made him feel disgusted. Thus, instinctively, he rejected it.
Ji Xun thought coldly.
If Chu Zhaohuai knew about his ruthless, vicious nature, the lengths he was willing to go to, and the cruelty hidden beneath his exterior, would he regret the trust he had placed in him today?
Would he, like everyone else, desperately try to escape from him, this fiend, this madman, even if it meant dying in the attempt?
Just imagining that beautiful face filled with fear, rejection, and disgust…..
Ji Xun’s heart gave a violent tremor.
A fierce, twisted desire for destruction surfaced in his mind.
After a long while, he unexpectedly began to smile.
Perhaps that would not be so bad.
✦ ✧ ✦
Cressilia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ COFFEE OFFERING
☕ 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?