The Young Heir certainly lived up to his reputation as a spoiled noble son. The carriage was decorated inside and out with pearls and jade, while the walls were carved and painted with gold.
At a glance, it was obvious that he took after his father. It was as though members of the imperial family would suffer a great loss if they did not live extravagantly.
A charcoal brazier warmed the carriage, making it as cozy as early spring.
Ji Yi sat cross-legged on a tiger-skin rug, narrowing his eyes as he studied Chu Zhaohuai.
“You seem thinner than before?”
Chu Zhaohuai was staring at the golden candlestick on the small table. Seeing that Ji Yi was still suspicious, he discreetly pulled his cloak tighter around himself and lowered his voice, speaking slowly and deeply.
“Perhaps. I haven’t been feeling well lately, so I haven’t been eating much…”
“Heh.”
Ji Yi sneered.
“The fish in the Prince’s residence are practically going to grow legs and run away in the middle of the night because you’ve eaten so many of them, and you still have the nerve to say you don’t eat much?”
Chu Zhaohuai:
“…”
Although Ji Yi had inherited his father’s talent for sarcastic remarks, he lacked Ji Xun’s depth and cunning.
The more Ji Yi looked at the person before him, the more suspicious he became.
He simply followed his instincts, leaned forward, and reached out to remove Chu Zhaohuai’s gauze veil.
“It’s been days. Why are you still wearing this ridiculous veil? Take it off and let me have a look.”
Chu Zhaohuai dodged backward.
“The rash hasn’t completely healed.”
Ji Yi impatiently prepared to forcibly remove it.
“Then I definitely have to see how ugly you look. Take it off! Stop dodging!”
Seeing that he could not avoid it, Chu Zhaohuai simply asked,
“Do you want to copy books again?”
Ji Yi’s hand froze.
“What do you mean?”
“Your father is returning to the residence tonight. I’ll definitely have to accompany him to bed.”
Chu Zhaohuai spoke calmly.
“If you force me to remove my veil, I’ll whisper a few words into his ear.”
Ji Yi:
“…”
He nearly spat blood.
His ears turned bright red from both embarrassment and anger.
“Do you have no shame?!”
Chu Zhaohuai did not know.
If a problem can be solved in just a few sentences, why should I care about having any shame?
Ji Yi was genuinely afraid of Ji Xun.
Even a threat with practically no power behind it was enough to make him unwillingly retreat.
He and Chu Zhaojiang had never gotten along particularly well, but they only saw each other two or three times a year. They were nowhere near familiar enough to spend every day together.
Besides, whenever they encountered each other, it was either a sarcastic war of insults or an elaborate attempt to set a trap for the other.
Their understanding of each other was limited to superficial labels like spoiled rich kid and arrogant bully. There was no real substance behind it.
Ji Yi lowered his face and bit into a flaky pastry.
Tonight, if I don’t make this bastard lose so badly that he has to crawl away, I won’t be worthy of the surname Ji!
Chu Zhaohuai had no idea about Ji Yi’s resentment.
Seeing him finally settle down, Chu Zhaohuai breathed a sigh of relief and lifted the curtain to look outside.
The snow had not yet fully started falling, but on Little New Year’s Eve, the streets of the capital were already packed with people.
The entire city was bustling and prosperous, with sights everywhere that dazzled the eyes.
It was completely different from Lin’an.
Chu Zhaohuai watched everything with great interest along the way.
After a while, the carriage finally came to a swaying stop.
Night had already fallen.
Large snowflakes drifted down through the sky, but the snow did nothing to diminish everyone’s enthusiasm for admiring the scenery from the pleasure boats on Minghu Lake.
The surface of Minghu Lake rippled like silk, while the pleasure boats were magnificently carved and decorated.
Two gauze lanterns in elaborately lacquered frames hung from the bow, swaying gently as the boat moved through the falling snow.
Most of the pleasure boats were places where the capital’s powerful nobles came to relax and entertain themselves.
Ji Yi was clearly a regular.
He led them aboard a pleasure boat flying the imperial flag with practiced ease.
Chu Zhaohuai followed silently.
The less I say, the fewer mistakes I make.
Ji Yi and Chu Zhaojiang did not get along, and Ji Yi had even taken a punch from him last time.
There was no way he had invited him here simply because he wanted to have fun together.
Chu Zhaohuai’s eyes swept across his surroundings as his thoughts raced.
Last time, Ji Yi had said, “We arranged months ago to come to Minghu Lake on Little New Year’s Eve.”
If they were merely coming to drink and admire the scenery, why had they made the appointment so far in advance?
Oh?
The tableware on the pleasure boat was actually made of gold and silver.
Truly extravagant.
The pleasure boat slowly began moving toward the center of Minghu Lake.
Although Chu Zhaohuai had grown up in the water towns of Jiangnan, he had rarely ridden on boats or pleasure boats.
At first, he had been extremely excited.
But after they had been moving for only a short while, he suddenly felt as though his stomach were being turned upside down.
He felt absolutely miserable.
Ji Yi led the way toward the upper floor, climbing the wooden stairs.
Chu Zhaohuai’s vision blurred.
He barely managed to climb several steps before his knees suddenly gave out.
He lurched forward and almost pulled the Young Heir’s trousers right off.
Ji Yi was a rather proper and old-fashioned young man.
He immediately let out a startled cry, grabbed his waistband, and jumped away with a completely red face.
“You—you—you! What are you doing?!”
Chu Zhaohuai looked half-dead.
“Seasick.”
Ji Yi saw that he could barely stand and did not seem to be pretending.
After hesitating for a long moment, he reluctantly reached out to support him.
Half of Chu Zhaohuai’s body leaned against him.
“Weakly,” Chu Zhaohuai said, “thank you, Young Heir.”
Ji Yi froze.
He awkwardly turned his gaze away and, for once, said nothing.
Ji Yi was the kind of person who was not particularly scheming but loved to fight.
The best revenge he could think of was to set up a gambling game, win all of this bastard’s money, and leave him completely bankrupt.
Unfortunately, the imperial court had prohibited gambling.
It could only officially resume after Little New Year’s Eve, which was why he had been waiting for several months.
Now that his plan was finally about to be completed, the Young Heir’s fighting spirit blazed.
Lose, lose, lose!
Drop dead!
Soon, the two of them reached the entrance to the top floor.
Before they even entered, they could hear a noisy commotion inside.
Ji Yi froze.
Tonight, the only person he had arranged to meet was Liang Fang, a childhood friend who had grown up playing with him.
That fellow had always been mild-tempered and spent most of his days sleeping.
Why was he speaking so loudly tonight?
Ji Yi frowned and stepped forward.
The carved wooden doors did little to block sound, and laughter and conversation poured out with the wind.
“The pleasure boat has already started moving. Why hasn’t Ji Yi arrived yet? Don’t tell me he’s still at home copying books as punishment! Hahahaha!”
“Most likely. With that stupid brain of his, if Prince Jing hadn’t stepped in, there would have been no way he could have entered the Imperial Academy. I’d be embarrassed just to sit in the same class as him.”
“You don’t want to live, do you? Be careful the Young Heir goes home and cries to his father, then has you severely punished.”
The room erupted in laughter.
Chu Zhaohuai was already seasick, his face deathly pale.
Hearing those words, he lowered his eyes slightly.
Normally, the hot-tempered Young Heir would have been furious upon hearing such insults and would have immediately charged inside to fight them to the death.
Yet for some reason, this time he merely stood there quietly with his eyes lowered, as though he had long since grown accustomed to hearing such things.
Just then, someone hurried over from nearby.
The newcomer was dressed entirely in white, almost blending into the falling snow.
He quickly ran up to Ji Yi and spent a moment catching his breath before speaking weakly.
“Young Heir, the Third Prince has arrived. He said he wants to take over our private room.”
Ji Yi merely hummed.
Then, as casually as if he were tossing a sack, he shoved Chu Zhaohuai toward Liang Fang.
“I heard.”
With that, he pushed open the door and walked inside.
The entire room glittered with gold and jade, almost as if it were glowing.
Several richly dressed young noblemen sat around low tables, adorned with gold and jade.
A half-transparent screen provided some privacy, while musicians played the qin.
Everyone had been chatting and laughing.
The moment Ji Yi entered, their voices abruptly stopped.
They all stood and greeted him with bright smiles.
“The Young Heir has finally arrived.”
“Welcome, Young Heir. It has been several days since we last saw you, yet you look as spirited as ever.”
The flattering words flowed freely, as though the mocking remarks from moments ago had never happened.
Ji Yi was already accustomed to exchanging pleasantries with people who looked down on him while simultaneously trying to curry favor with him.
He casually exchanged a few polite words before nodding toward the young man seated in the place of honor.
“Why has Your Highness the Third Prince come here personally?”
The young man at the head of the room wore a dragon-embroidered brocade robe and a golden crown.
He smiled at Ji Yi.
“A-Yi, you’re finally here. It snowed on Little New Year’s Eve, and Father caught a bit of a chill, so he canceled the family banquet. I heard my younger cousin had booked an entire floor of the pleasure boat at Minghu Lake. A-Yi, surely you won’t blame me for coming without an invitation?”
How could Ji Yi refuse?
“Of course not.”
Ji Xun held military power in his hands.
The Emperor was not only wary of him but also wanted to clear away obstacles for the Eastern Palace.
Because of this, Ji Yi was usually not very close to the people in the imperial palace.
Although the Third Prince did not openly participate in factional struggles, he was ultimately much closer to the Eastern Palace.
Even when someone pointed at Ji Yi’s nose and insulted him, he could not retaliate too openly.
Otherwise, he might cause a major disaster and make Ji Xun’s position in the capital even more difficult.
Ji Yi did not want to have too much contact with the Third Prince.
He stood and prepared to leave.
“Liang Fang and I won’t disturb Your Highness any longer. We’ll—”
Before he could finish his farewell, the Third Prince looked toward Chu Zhaohuai, who had remained silent by the doorway.
“Is this the Princess Consort of Prince Jing?”
Ji Yi froze.
He can tell it’s Chu Zhaojiang even with that gauze veil?
Chu Zhaohuai looked at him listlessly and forced himself to nod.
The Third Prince stood.
“Now that the Young Marquis has married my Fifth Uncle, according to our family hierarchy, I should call you Fifth Aunt.”
Chu Zhaohuai still failed to detect the sarcasm.
“That is correct.”
Third Prince:
“…”
The entire room fell silent.
Everyone seemed stunned by the thickness of this person’s skin—it could probably rival the corner of the city wall.
Just as Chu Zhaohuai finished speaking, he reached into his pocket.
Ji Yi’s eyelid twitched.
Afraid that this fellow was about to pull out another handful of dried fruit as a “meeting gift,” he discreetly kicked Chu Zhaohuai in the calf.
The Third Prince smiled.
“Since we’re family, there’s no need to be so formal. Come, sit.”
Ji Yi could not refuse.
He had no choice but to sit down with Liang Fang and Chu Zhaohuai.
The Third Prince sat at the head of the table.
He picked up several copper coins and weighed them in his hand.
“Usually, A-Yi invites his classmates to Minghu Lake every year to play guanpu. Why didn’t you invite everyone to join in the fun this year?”
Ji Yi glanced at Chu Zhaohuai.
Obviously, it was to set a trap for Chu Zhaojiang.
…Wait.
The prince hasn’t even picked up his chopsticks yet. How is this bastard already eating?
In previous years, whenever Ji Yi organized gambling games, he could lose several hundred taels in a single night.
He had never particularly cared about money, but Liang Fang eventually pointed out that all those people had secretly agreed to work together to cheat him out of his money.
Ji Yi might not have been particularly scheming, but he was not stupid enough to willingly hand people money.
Naturally, he stopped inviting them.
Ji Yi answered vaguely,
“I’ve been busy lately and didn’t have time to invite anyone.”
The Third Prince clapped his hands.
“Perfect. There are so many people here today. Let’s play a few rounds for good luck.”
On Little New Year’s Eve, people aboard pleasure boats usually admired the lake scenery and listened to music.
Another traditional activity was guanpu gambling.
Chu Zhaohuai ate a few sour plums, which finally eased his seasickness somewhat.
When he noticed the six copper coins on the table, his brows furrowed slightly.
A few years earlier, guanpu gambling had been popular among the common people.
Players would toss copper coins and determine victory or defeat based on whether they landed heads or tails.
Gambling had become extremely widespread.
Whenever Chu Zhaohuai was hungry in the past, he would grab a few copper coins and happily run through the streets and alleys, gambling for food.
He had an extraordinary talent for it, along with excellent luck.
He could gamble his way through an entire street’s worth of food.
Then, one year, a gambling incident resulted in an entire family being murdered in retaliation.
Only then did the imperial court issue an order banning gambling.
That incident had happened only a few years ago.
Yet here they were, the sons of powerful noble families under the Emperor’s very nose, openly gambling.
Were they not afraid of being punished by His Majesty?
Country bumpkin Chu Zhaohuai did not know that gambling was officially permitted for a few days each year in the capital.
His brows remained tightly furrowed.
He suddenly felt like jumping into the lake and running away.
Please don’t drag me down if all of you get arrested together.
A jade plate was placed in the center of the table.
The Third Prince said to Ji Yi,
“A-Yi, you go first.”
In the past, Chu Zhaohuai’s gambling stakes had usually been a few pieces of fruit or some pastries.
As long as he ended up with a full stomach, he was satisfied.
He had been bored out of his mind.
But then the Third Prince pulled a handful of glittering gold pieces from his sleeve.
Chu Zhaohuai was so shocked that he nearly swallowed the plum pit in his mouth.
The Third Prince said,
“Let’s start with a small prize. Four matching sides will win ten taels of gold.”
Chu Zhaohuai:
“…”
So this is the capital?
They sure know how to throw money around.
Chu Zhaohuai loved watching gambling games involving piles of gold and silver.
Even though he was not the one winning the money, simply watching was incredibly satisfying.
He popped another plum into his mouth and looked expectantly at the Young Heir.
Four matching sides. That’s easy.
Isn’t this basically money being handed to him?
Ji Yi lightly weighed the copper coins in his hand.
He took a deep breath and tossed them into the jade plate.
Clink, clatter, clink.
The crisp sounds rang out.
Soon, the copper coins stopped moving.
Three were the same.
Chu Zhaohuai:
“…”
Is his luck really this bad?
Ji Yi frowned deeply.
Under Chu Zhaohuai’s heartbroken gaze—and the sound of him clicking his tongue in distress—Ji Yi pulled ten taels of gold from his pocket and handed them to the Third Prince.
The Third Prince seemed to have expected Ji Yi’s poor gambling skills.
Smiling, he continued with the second round.
Ji Yi tossed the coins.
Three matched.
Third round.
Ji Yi tossed again.
Three matched again.
Chu Zhaohuai:
“…”
Crack.
He accidentally bit the plum pit in half.
He was completely stunned.
At this rate, won’t he gamble until he’s completely bankrupt?