What if Ji Xun brought up “consummating the marriage” again?
How was he supposed to deal with that?
Before Chu Zhaohuai could come up with an answer, a deafening roar suddenly rang out:
“Ji Yi! You beat him this badly! I’m going to report you to His Majesty! I’m not letting this go!”
Beat someone?
Chu Zhaohuai hurried over to see what was happening.
The pavilion where they had played guanpu earlier had already been reduced to ruins. Half the door had even collapsed. Broken porcelain and decorations were scattered all over the floor.
Young Master Qin, who had been shouting the loudest earlier, was lying among the debris with his eyes tightly shut, blood covering his head.
Chu Zhaohuai couldn’t help marveling.
People in the capital really do have the bearing of refined scholars. They can sleep anywhere.
A young nobleman with blood streaming down his forehead was trembling with rage as he complained to the Third Prince.
“Your Highness must stand up for us! Young Master Qin was beaten until he—”
Before he could finish, Liang Fang, who had been protected behind Ji Yi, suddenly collapsed forward.
He fainted.
Chu Zhaohuai was speechless.
Ji Yi was also badly injured. Blood trickled from the corner of his lips, and even his handsome face had been marred.
The moment he saw Liang Fang collapse, he immediately rushed forward to support him.
“Liang Fang! Liang Fang, what happened to you?! Hurry and have the pleasure boat dock! Young Master Liang is about to die!”
Everyone was speechless.
Before anyone else could react, Ji Yi immediately turned the tables and accused them first, looking utterly heartbroken.
“What kind of noble status does Young Master Liang Fang have?! He is the son of Prince Wuchang, a descendant of a meritorious family! And yet you people beat him until he was on the verge of death! I will report this to the imperial court! You will regret this!”
The others nearly vomited blood.
They turned toward the Third Prince.
“Your Highness! Those are exactly the things we were going to say!”
Liang Fang really was the son of Prince Wuchang.
Although he had little presence in the capital, his status could still be considered noble. Moreover, his health was extremely poor, so during the earlier chaos, no one had dared touch him.
Prince Wuchang was a hereditary prince from outside the imperial family. His fief was in Yuanchuan Prefecture, separated from Jinling by only the Wuling Mountains.
The entire Wuchang royal family had spent years stationed in their fief, guarding the territory. Only Liang Fang remained in the capital, essentially serving as a hostage.
If something happened to him, Prince Wuchang would have no way to answer for it.
During the fight just now, Ji Yi had practically been the one beating everyone else.
The person who had actually been beaten half to death was Young Master Qin!
But Ji Yi was already howling dramatically.
“Liang Fang! Liang Fang, you died such a tragic death! You murderers! Even as a ghost, don’t you dare let them off!”
Everyone was speechless.
Chu Zhaohuai was thoroughly impressed.
This dog son really has thick skin.
Liang Fang’s face was rosy, his breathing even, and he clearly wasn’t seriously injured.
How had he suddenly become someone on the verge of death who was about to turn into a ghost?
The Third Prince had watched the entire ridiculous farce and now had a splitting headache.
“A-Yi, just say a little less.”
Ji Yi helped Liang Fang up, having thoroughly put on his act, and turned around to leave.
The others, who had been beaten badly, naturally weren’t willing to let him go so easily.
“Stop! You caused trouble and beat people in public. Do you really think you can just walk away like this?!”
Ji Yi’s lips were bruised, and there was also a cut on his cheek.
Combined with the slight resemblance between his face and Ji Xun’s, his expression looked unusually fierce.
Hearing this, he couldn’t be bothered to pretend anymore.
He gave a cold laugh.
“I really did cause trouble today. If you have the guts, go home and cry your eyes out. After you’re done crying, beg your elders to go to Prince Jing’s residence and demand an explanation from my father.”
Since he had already caused trouble, he might as well go all the way.
Could his father really beat him to death?
“You!”
Ji Yi curled his lips into a smile.
“This Young Heir will be waiting.”
With that, he swept his sleeve and left under everyone’s furious gaze.
By then, the pleasure boat had already docked at the shore of Minghu Lake.
Chu Zhaohuai followed after them.
He had originally thought Liang Fang was merely pretending to faint along with Ji Yi’s act.
But unexpectedly, Liang Fang remained unconscious the entire way.
Ji Yi kept supporting him all the way to the carriage.
The moment they were inside the carriage and there was no one else around, the Young Heir, who had acted like a mighty wolf earlier, immediately grimaced in pain.
He hissed sharply, sucking in cold air like a snake.
“Those bastards! My face is practically ruined! I should have beaten every last one of them earlier. Not a single one should have escaped!”
Chu Zhaohuai was still staring at Liang Fang.
“Is he really dying?”
Ji Yi reached into a small drawer beside the table and pulled out a little bronze mirror.
He carefully examined his own face and casually replied, “He’s sleeping.”
Chu Zhaohuai blinked.
“He just fell asleep?”
“Mm.”
Ji Yi frowned as he touched the bruise on his face.
“He’s been in poor health since childhood. The imperial physicians diagnosed him with excessive sleepiness. It’s nothing serious. You’ll get used to it.”
Chu Zhaohuai became interested.
Seeing that the dog son was still busy worrying about his own face, he simply leaned forward and checked Liang Fang’s pulse.
He had once read about excessive sleepiness in medical books, but he had never actually encountered someone with it.
This was a rare opportunity…
After taking Liang Fang’s pulse, Chu Zhaohuai silently drooped.
What excessive sleepiness?
He’s simply been poisoned with a slow-acting toxin.
Ji Yi lowered the mirror.
When he saw the character “Jing” engraved on the back of the bronze mirror, he instinctively shuddered.
After the cold wind blew over him and his impulsiveness faded, his fear of Ji Xun slowly returned.
He looked at Chu Zhaohuai with a gloomy expression.
“Hey, don’t tell my father about what happened today.”
Chu Zhaohuai looked at him, hesitating to speak.
“I don’t think those people would have hundreds of lives to spare. They wouldn’t dare go to Prince Jing’s residence and demand an explanation from my father.”
Ji Yi thought about it.
“I’ll hide at Liang Fang’s place for a few days and recover. Once I’m completely healed, I’ll come back…”
Chu Zhaohuai coughed.
He couldn’t bear to keep it from him.
“Too late.”
Ji Yi stared at him.
“What do you mean, too late?”
Chu Zhaohuai said, “The rooms aren’t soundproof. Your father was sitting in the pavilion next door the whole time. He heard everything. Every single word.”
Ji Yi was speechless.
Ji Yi suddenly collapsed onto the carriage floor.
His father wasn’t even there, yet his knees instinctively went weak and he dropped to the ground, his face turning deathly pale.
“R-Really?”
“Yes.”
Ji Yi stared blankly as he sat kneeling on the floor.
Although he was still breathing, his soul had already turned into a wisp of white smoke and floated around in the air seven or eight times.
This is it. I’m finished.
Chu Zhaohuai didn’t think Ji Xun was particularly frightening.
Seeing Ji Yi acting as though he were facing his mortal enemy, he couldn’t understand it at all.
Even Chu Zhaohuai himself didn’t believe the rumors that Ji Xun was some terrifying God of Death or a mad dog.
How could Ji Yi, who had spent every day with his father, actually believe those rumors and be this terrified of him?
Ji Yi was now too frightened to even run away.
After returning to the residence and settling Liang Fang down, he took a rattan cane and, with the determination of someone marching toward his death, went to the study to wait for Ji Xun.
Chu Zhaohuai was rather curious to see whether Ji Xun would actually beat his son, so he followed along.
After leaving the pleasure boat, Ji Xun seemed to have been busy with other matters.
By the time he returned to the residence, it was already deep into the night.
The study was brightly lit.
Ji Yi knelt there with injuries covering his face, looking utterly devastated.
The moment he heard the sound of the wheelchair approaching, his entire body trembled.
With a loud thud, he pressed his forehead to the floor.
“Greetings, Father.”
Chu Zhaohuai, who had been waiting sleepily to one side, was suddenly startled awake.
He followed along sleepily.
“Greetings, Father.”
Ji Xun glanced at his two “sons.”
Then, in an unhurried tone, he asked, “What trouble have you gotten into this time?”
Ji Yi mumbled nervously.
“I-I hit someone.”
Ji Xun said calmly, “When did your father ever teach you this marvelous way of answering, like a mosquito buzzing?”
Ji Yi shuddered.
He immediately offered up the rattan cane with both hands and took a deep breath before speaking clearly.
“Father, I beat someone. The son of the Vice Minister of War and the Third Young Master of the Duke’s residence. The Third Prince happened to witness it.”
Chu Zhaohuai finally came fully awake after Ji Yi’s lion-like roar.
He yawned and watched from the side.
Ji Xun’s gaze fell on him.
“Princess Consort, are you tired?”
Chu Zhaohuai’s eyes were full of tears from yawning.
He obediently nodded.
“A little.”
Ji Xun slowly took the rattan cane from Ji Yi’s hands.
“Then Princess Consort, you should return to the bedchamber first.”
Chu Zhaohuai saw him actually take the cane as though he intended to beat Ji Yi.
After hesitating, he still spoke up for him.
“Your Highness, please calm down. The Young Heir probably didn’t do it intentionally.”
Ji Yi froze.
He stared at Chu Zhaohuai in astonishment.
Ji Xun smiled.
“I see. So the Young Heir was peacefully playing guanpu in a pavilion on the pleasure boat, when Young Master Qin and the Third Young Master happened to slip and fall onto his fists, knocking themselves unconscious and bloodying their heads.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll explain it to His Majesty exactly that way.”
Ji Yi’s face immediately went pale.
He quickly shot Chu Zhaohuai a look, silently telling him not to plead for him anymore.
If this keeps going, the two of them might both get beaten.
He placed both hands on the floor and lowered his head, making it easier for his father to strike him.
“Please punish me, Father.”
Chu Zhaohuai completely missed the warning look.
“The Young Heir wouldn’t attack them without a reason. They probably said something they shouldn’t have.”
When they had entered the pavilion earlier, those people had openly mocked Ji Yi.
Yet the supposedly arrogant and domineering Ji Yi had acted as though he hadn’t heard anything. He had continued chatting with them normally as if nothing had happened.
They had practically pointed at his nose and called him useless, yet Ji Yi hadn’t lost his temper.
With such restraint, there was no way he would suddenly attack them without reason and beat them so badly.
Ji Yi stared at the patterns in the blue-gray stone floor.
Hearing Chu Zhaohuai say this, he froze slightly.
Everyone in the capital said that Prince Jing’s Young Heir was arrogant and domineering, that he relied on Prince Jing’s reputation to swagger around the city, and that whenever he caused trouble, his father would immediately blame everything on him without asking a single question.
This was the first time anyone had spoken up for him.
A sudden sting rose in Ji Yi’s nose.
He gritted his teeth and forcibly held back his tears.
Ji Xun lowered his eyes.
“Then tell me. Why did you attack them?”
Ji Yi remained silent.
Ji Xun looked at his stubborn, stiff neck and seemed somewhat helpless.
He lightly tapped the rattan cane against Ji Yi’s head.
“Starting tomorrow, come find Chongshan at the Mao hour every day. Let him give you some guidance on your martial arts.”
Ji Yi looked up blankly.
“Huh?”
Ji Xun tossed the rattan cane back to him.
“Go back.”
Ji Yi stared at him stupidly, unable to react for a moment.
That’s it?
It’s really over just like that?
Ji Xun had raised the cane high only to lightly bring it down.
His long fingers casually rolled several copper coins between them, producing a clear jingling sound.
Seeing that Ji Yi was still standing there blankly, he raised an eyebrow.
“What? You didn’t get beaten and now feel disappointed?”
Ji Yi immediately came back to his senses.
“N-No, no, no! Your son will take his leave.”
He hadn’t expected to get off so easily.
He breathed a sigh of relief and awkwardly pushed himself up on his still-weak knees.
Before leaving, he hesitated and glanced at Chu Zhaohuai.
The two of them had parted on bad terms the last time they met.
Today, Ji Yi had even intended to embarrass him.
Yet this person had unexpectedly put aside their previous grudge and helped him again and again…
Ji Yi pressed his lips together.
This person had just spoken up for him.
If he told his father now that this man wasn’t actually “Chu Zhaojiang,” it would feel far too ungrateful.
Forget it for now.
I’ll tell Father about his identity tomorrow.
Ji Yi kept his mouth shut and obediently left.
Chu Zhaohuai breathed a sigh of relief.
Ji Xun continued rolling the copper coins between his fingers and looked at Chu Zhaohuai with a faint, unreadable smile.
“Since Princess Consort is tired, you should return and rest.”
The half breath Chu Zhaohuai had just released immediately got sucked back in.
His head was already spinning from exhaustion, and without thinking, he blurted out,
“I’m… I’m not tired anymore.”
Ji Xun was speechless.