“You…”
Ji Xun rested his elbow against the armrest, supporting the side of his face with five fingers. Several strands of ink black hair fell messily through the gaps between his fingers. He was too lazy even to part his lips properly, merely letting a few languid words drift out through the narrow gap between them.
“Marquis Chu, won’t you open it yourself and take a look?”
The covered walkway stood directly in the path of the wind. The northern wind howled fiercely through it and Chu Jing was so thoroughly shocked that a cold sweat broke out across his back.
Chu Zhaojiang had been killed?
Impossible.
Ji Xun had only awakened two days ago. Chu Zhaojiang was hiding in a private estate outside the capital. Where could Ji Xun possibly have found the time or energy to locate him and have him killed?
Besides, even if he had killed Chu Zhaojiang, what benefit could it possibly bring Prince Jing?
At such a critical moment, Chu Jing could still be considered clear headed yet after rapidly analyzing the advantages and disadvantages, another thought forcibly pushed its way into his mind.
What if…
Several years ago, Ji Xun had once encountered an extremely dangerous assassination attempt. An assassin had broken through the layers of guards surrounding him and thrust a sword toward him. The blade had come within barely half an inch of his heart, close enough to take that damned life of his.
Ji Xun, covered from head to toe in blood, had grasped the sword blade and laughed loudly.
Yet instead of punishing the assassin, he had praised him for his courage and fearlessness, saying that he had a promising future.
Then he had simply let the man leave completely unharmed.
That same autumn, during the imperial autumn hunt, the palace attendant responsible for lighting the lamps merely happened to sway the candle flame and let the light flash across Ji Xun’s eyes. Ji Xun directly disregarded even His Majesty’s dignity and had the man executed on the spot, hanging his corpse in front of the tent.
The entire court was once again shocked into loudly submitting impeachments against him and he was punished with the deduction of three months’ salary.
This man was an utterly and completely insane person. Whenever he acted, he only followed his mood. There had never been any pattern to his behavior and no one could ever predict what he would do.
Cold sweat slid down Chu Jing’s forehead. His throat was dry and hoarse. He tried several times to open his mouth and ask yet he could not produce even a single sound.
Ji Xun was very considerate.
“Zhongshan.”
Yin Zhongshan remained expressionless as he raised his hand and snapped the iron clasp open with a single movement.
Chu Jing’s pupils contracted and dilated violently.
Time seemed to stretch inch by inch. At last, the lid finally flipped open, revealing a bloodstained lock of hair inside.
The world spun violently before Chu Jing’s eyes and his pupils instantly filled with blood.
He could no longer maintain his composure. His eyes seemed ready to split apart as he roared furiously, “Ji Mingchen! Have you gone mad?!”
Ji Xun was accustomed to being cursed at by others and was not angry in the slightest. Instead, he smiled slowly and leisurely, asking in a gentle voice, “Marquis Chu, why would you say such a thing?”
Chu Jing’s entire body trembled. “This is a marriage bestowed by His Majesty! You have the audacity to defy the imperial edict… You hold the authority of Heaven in contempt! You… you are you planning to rebel?!”
Seeing that Chu Jing had already been frightened into incoherence and had begun throwing the accusation of rebellion at him, Ji Xun finally could not restrain himself and burst into loud laughter.
The plum blossoms on the branches were cold and crystalline, their delicate forms seeming to have been carved from ice. Ji Xun sat beneath clusters of plum trees that looked as though they were covered in snow, as if he were thoroughly enjoying an extraordinary spectacle.
His brows and eyes curved slightly as he laughed. His long, unbound hair fell messily over his shoulders, while his lips were an almost sinister crimson, making him look like a ghost come to claim a life.
The ghost smiled and said, “It seems Marquis Chu is even more satisfied with this gift.”
Chu Jing was both shocked and enraged. A faint taste of blood rose in his throat and he was almost on the verge of losing his reason entirely.
But after Ji Xun had laughed enough, he casually lifted his dove headed cane and gave it a slight sweep.
The small chest in Yin Zhongshan’s hands was knocked over, spilling the contents inside onto the ground.
It was only a lock of bloodstained hair.
Chu Jing froze.
The bloodstained hair was tied with a golden thread clasp. From its style, it was unmistakably the hair ornament Chu Zhaojiang had been wearing before leaving the Marquis’s Residence.
In an instant, the overwhelming fury that had surged through Chu Jing vanished.
What replaced it was a terror so great that it nearly drowned him.
Only now did he realize…
He had said the wrong thing.
The person who had completed the marriage with Ji Xun was already Chu Zhaohuai. Even if Chu Zhaojiang had truly died at Ji Xun’s hands, at most it could only be considered an instance of him losing his mind and killing someone. At worst, Ji Xun would merely be punished by having some of his salary deducted.
Other than the crime of rebellion, His Majesty would not move against him.
Ji Xun stroked his dove headed cane and smiled. “I merely found this golden thread clasp rather rare, so I specially brought it here as a gift. What is it? That remark Marquis Chu made just now about ‘defying the imperial edict’, where exactly did it come from?”
Chu Jing was still shaken to his core and had no idea how he should answer.
Unexpectedly, Ji Xun did not pursue his slip of the tongue. He seemed to have simply intended to deliver the return visit gifts.
“Since the gifts have already been delivered, I shall take my leave first.”
Yin Zhongshan pushed the wheelchair forward.
Chu Jing instinctively took half a step forward. “Wait…”
Ji Xun turned his eyes sideways to look at him. “Does Marquis Chu have anything else?”
After such a violent succession of emotional highs and lows, Chu Jing’s mind was still in a state of confusion yet he retained a sliver of clarity and knew that this was not the time to foolishly ask, “Is Chu Zhaojiang in your hands?”
After struggling internally for a long while, Chu Jing finally squeezed several words through his teeth.
“Take care, Your Highness.”
The wheelchair rolled over the hideous blood covering the ground and Ji Xun left with a smile.
There were still heads scattered across the ground and no one knew how this mess was supposed to be dealt with. Just as Chu Jing’s head throbbed violently with pain, he suddenly heard a scream.
“Ah!”
Following the sound, he saw Madam Zheng walking out from the covered walkway. The moment she saw the heads lying across the ground, their eyes still wide open in death, her legs went weak with fright. She grabbed hold of a pillar for support and nearly collapsed.
“Mar Marquis?”
Chu Jing closed his eyes briefly and said with difficulty, “Find people to clean this up.”
Madam Zheng guessed that this was something the evil spirit had done. Struggling to steady herself, she was just about to call for someone when she heard Chu Jing say weakly, “Send people to the private estate outside the capital as well and take a look.”
Madam Zheng froze. “The private estate?, Can Zhaojiang return to the residence now?”
Chu Jing’s face was pale as he gave a cold laugh.
Even the water jade that Chu Zhaojiang had worn close to his body had fallen into Ji Xun’s hands and it was stained with blood. He had clearly suffered terribly.
Whether they could even find him at the private estate was unknown.
His life was already in danger.
How could they possibly talk about returning to the residence?
……
The return visit banquet lasted less than half an hour before Prince Jing turned around and returned to his residence.
At the entrance of the Marquis’s Residence, the guards carried Chu Zhaohuai’s battered little low cabinet onto the carriage and carefully settled it inside.
Chu Zhaohuai looked at the empty carriage and silently pressed a hand against his chest.
Ji Xun really had sent those three enormous chests of return visit gifts into the Marquis’s Residence.
What an extravagant waste of money.
Before long, the sound of wheels rolling over the ground approached.
The extravagant and wasteful Ji Xun was pushed onto the carriage by Yin Zhongshan.
Chu Zhaohuai hurriedly went forward with an attentive smile and personally lifted the carriage curtain for the Prince. Unlike when they had come, when he had deliberately sat far away, this time he instead scampered closer and sat right beside him.
Yin Zhongshan hesitated, wanting to speak but ultimately saying nothing.
When two strangers sat too close to each other, it often made a person instinctively feel as though their personal territory had been invaded. This was even more true with someone like Ji Xun, whose personality was domineering and peculiar.
This time, there was an eighty percent chance the Prince would throw the man out of the carriage and make him chase after the horses on foot.
Thinking this, Yin Zhongshan did not leave. He simply waited for his Prince to give the order.
Once Ji Xun had settled into his seat, he was just about to speak when the corner of his eye caught sight of Yin Zhongshan standing beside them stiffly, as rigid as a wooden pillar.
His brows lifted slightly.
In his usual gentle manner of indiscriminately attacking everyone, he said, “The journey back is a long one. Shall I give Commander Yin a ride?”
Yin Zhongshan: “……”
He wasn’t going to throw him out?!
Yin Zhongshan suppressed the storm raging inside his heart and climbed down from the carriage with his arms and legs moving stiffly, almost as though they belonged to someone else.
After eating several plates of tea cakes, a faint fragrance of tea clung to Chu Zhaohuai’s robes. When he suddenly leaned close, it was almost as if a soft, fluffy cloud had drifted gently toward Ji Xun.
The Marquis’s Residence had still not sent over the water jade or the dowry inventory and they had even lost three entire chests of return visit gifts.
Chu Zhaohuai was somewhat unwilling to return in such complete defeat.
He did not really care about the water jade. What he primarily wanted was the dowry inventory. With it, he could borrow the Prince’s authority to cause a little trouble and see whether he could force Chu Jing to return the dowry he had swallowed up.
“Your Highness, are we returning to the residence now?”
Ji Xun asked, “Does the Princess Consort still have something left behind?”
“Not really.”
Chu Zhaohuai had barely finished speaking when the steward of the Marquis’s Residence called out from outside.
“Your Highness, Princess Consort.”
Chu Zhaohuai lifted the curtain and looked out.
The steward stood outside with a serving tray held respectfully in both hands. He raised it carefully to the carriage window. Resting on it were the water jade engraved with the character “Jiang” and a gold embossed inventory of the dowry.
Chu Zhaohuai’s eyes immediately lit up like two copper coins.
Chu Jing had actually kept his word this time instead of going back on it?
It seemed that borrowing the prestige of a powerful person and relying on the Prince’s authority… Bah, it seemed Prince Jing’s reputation really was useful after all.
Chu Zhaohuai took the inventory and placed it on his lap, then leisurely picked up that beautiful and exquisite piece of water jade.
Water jade, jade as clear and pure as water, was rare and precious and worth an exorbitant amount of money.
When he had been young, Chu Zhaohuai had dreamed of possessing this piece of water jade. It was as though, once he had it, he would also possess his father’s attention and affection along with it.
Now that it had finally fallen into his hands, however, he could no longer see anything particularly precious about it.
The water jade hung suspended in the air, slowly turning with the cord. Sunlight poured down upon it, making it beautiful as a piece of ice that would never melt.
Chu Zhaohuai loosened his fingers.
The water jade fell through the air.
With a crisp crack, it struck the bluestone path and broke cleanly into two pieces.
The character “Jiang” carved across the top was split neatly in half.
The steward froze.
Chu Zhaohuai gave an “Ah,” then smiled at him. “My hand slipped.”
Ji Xun watched him with an ambiguous smile.
The steward did not dare say anything more. He stammered, “The residence’s storeroom is already sorting out the dowry the Princess Consort forgot to bring. It can all be sent to the Prince’s residence this evening.”
Chu Zhaohuai had been flipping through the dowry inventory. His movements stopped when he heard this.
The dowry he had “forgotten” to bring?
Something was not right.
How had Chu Jing suddenly become so obedient and willingly decided to return the dowry he had swallowed up?
Before Chu Zhaohuai could say anything, Ji Xun spoke gently.
“Marquis Chu is truly a nobleman with a terrible memory. How could his memory be even worse than mine, to the point that he could actually forget an entire dowry? Since that is the case, Zhongshan, you stay here with the others. Once the Marquis’s Residence has finished sorting out the dowry, personally escort it back to the Prince’s residence.”
Yin Zhongshan: “Yes.”
Chu Zhaohuai looked at Ji Xun in surprise.
A prestigious noble family would never openly withhold a bride’s dowry. It was obvious that the Marquis of Zhenyuan had intended to quietly send the dowry to the Prince’s residence so that the matter could be handled discreetly and the dignity of the entire household preserved.
But Ji Xun had gone in the complete opposite direction.
He was leaving Yin Zhongshan behind with a large number of guards to escort the dowry. With such a conspicuous formation, word of it would probably spread throughout the capital in no time.
The frustration that had been weighing on Chu Zhaohuai’s chest all day finally eased somewhat and even the last trace of fear he had felt toward Ji Xun disappeared.
The Prince was so highly placed and wielded so much authority yet he could still be this considerate.
Were the people in the capital all blind?
They had actually cursed him all the way to Jiangnan.
Fortunately, Chu Zhaohuai had not believed the rumors completely.
At present, Chu Zhaohuai could not escape this situation completely unscathed. All he could do was continue concealing his identity for now and take things one step at a time.
Madam Bai’s belongings were merely objects. It did not matter how long they remained in the Marquis’s Residence. There would always be a day when Chu Zhaohuai would personally take them back.
Chu Zhaojiang, however, was a living person.
As long as Chu Zhaohuai did not expose himself, Chu Zhaojiang could only continue hiding in the shadows and as time dragged on, the one who should become increasingly anxious ought to be Chu Jing.
The mind that had been muddled with anger because of Chu Jing finally became clear again and Chu Zhaohuai successfully sorted out his thoughts.
For now, the most important thing was to conceal his identity properly in front of Ji Xun.
Once everything had been settled, the carriage began to move gently.
Chu Zhaohuai held the dowry inventory in his hands and flipped through it as he read. Looking at the treasures that had been lost and then recovered, the more he read, the more delighted he became. Even with the black veil covering his face, it was obvious that his eyes were practically shining like copper coins.
Ji Xun took a sip of cold wine and turned his head to watch him. As though something had suddenly occurred to him, he inexplicably asked, “Does the Princess Consort have a courtesy name?”
Chu Zhaohuai did not even raise his head. He answered casually, “Of course. Rongshui.”
His mouth had answered faster than his brain.
Only after the words left his lips did he suddenly realize what he had done.
His maternal grandfather was already advanced in years and had always felt that he might not live to see another day. He was afraid that he might not live long enough to see Chu Zhaohuai reach adulthood, so he had given him a courtesy name in advance, though it was rarely used.
Chu Zhaohuai did not know whether Chu Zhaojiang had been given a courtesy name in advance.
His heart jumped.
Yet it was already too late to change his answer, so he could only brace himself and remain silent.
Ji Xun smiled.
“Rongshui? Mm, that is quite a good name. Princess Consort, be careful to hide yourself well. Otherwise, some noble young lady might take a fancy to you and forcibly steal you away.”
Chu Zhaohuai: “……”
Rendered speechless by the sarcasm, Chu Zhaohuai silently clutched the dowry inventory and tried to persuade himself.
Forget it, forget it.
For the sake of all this dowry, putting up with a few sarcastic remarks was only fair.
As long as his identity had not been exposed, that was all that mattered.
✦ ✧ ✦
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?