This was the first time anyone had ever taken such verbal liberties with him.
Ji Yi was so furious that he laughed instead.
“The Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence must have earned its title through sheer shamelessness. When a person has no shame, they’re invincible. Someone my own age actually dares to set his sights on my father? Hah! Dream on!”
Chu Zhaohuai actually wanted to nod in agreement, but he was afraid that doing so would expose his identity. So he could only remain silent and endure the barrage of insults about his “delusions.”
After finishing his tirade, Ji Yi stood ready for a counterattack.
He waited.
And waited.
But after a long while, “Chu Zhaojiang” still didn’t fight back.
That face covered in rouge and powder even seemed to carry a hint of gentleness.
Gentleness?
That bastard attacked anyone he saw. When had he ever been gentle?
Ji Yi shuddered and couldn’t help becoming suspicious.
“What are you plotting now? Let me warn you, everyone in the capital knows about your arrogant and domineering behavior in the past. My father knows exactly what you’re like too. He won’t be fooled by that pitiful act of yours. If you kneel down and beg for mercy now, I might be able to save your life. Otherwise, just wait to die.”
Chu Zhaohuai fell into thought.
When they were young, Chu Zhaojiang had been taught by Madam Zheng to regard him as an enemy. Even as a child, Chu Zhaojiang had been skilled at pretending to be pitiful and setting traps for others, successfully convincing Chu Jing to cruelly send Chu Zhaohuai away to Lin’an.
After returning to the capital, Chu Zhaohuai had seen Chu Zhaojiang once. The little brat had been arrogantly throwing a tantrum and verbally abusing the servants. He really had been as domineering as the rumors claimed.
Chu Zhaohuai wasn’t sure whether Chu Zhaojiang behaved this way toward everyone, but since this young heir had come all the way to provoke him, remaining silent any longer would probably make him suspicious.
“Oh,” Chu Zhaohuai said. “Everyone outside says Prince Jing is cruel and bloodthirsty. I thought those stories were just exaggerated rumors. I didn’t expect that even the heir thinks your father is the kind of person who kills innocent people.”
Ji Yi snapped angrily, “What nonsense are you talking about?!”
“Well, I haven’t committed any crimes, and I didn’t poison or secretly plot against anyone. So why would your father have any reason to kill me?” Chu Zhaohuai asked.
Ji Yi froze.
Chu Zhaohuai had cleverly twisted the argument around, leaving Ji Yi speechless. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Ji Yi stared at him for a long time before suddenly asking, “What’s wrong with your voice? And why does your Mandarin sound so strange? It even sounds like you have a Jiangnan accent.”
This time, it was Chu Zhaohuai who stiffened.
Lowering his voice, he said solemnly, “I don’t have an accent.”
Ji Yi narrowed his eyes and stared at him as though trying to see through him.
Chu Zhaohuai’s heart rose into his throat.
Finally, Ji Yi looked away and snorted.
“I thought you were fearless. Yet after only one day in the prince’s residence, you’ve already become such a coward. Looks like the courage of the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence isn’t anything special after all.”
Chu Zhaohuai’s heart kept rising and falling with every twist of the conversation. His insides practically ached from the stress.
Lying takes too much effort.
He only wanted to deal with this and send the young heir away.
“You’re right,” Chu Zhaohuai said. “Is there anything else? I should be going with your father to the palace to give thanks.”
“Good! So it really is you!” Ji Yi sneered. “The palace gates had barely opened this morning when the Emperor, the Eastern Palace, and the Grand Princess’s residence all sent people to inquire about whether my father had awakened. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find the spy, and now you’ve conveniently exposed yourself.”
Chu Zhaohuai: “Huh?”
He had somehow been accused of being a spy, and he felt so wronged he could have died.
Ji Yi had been chattering nonstop since he arrived. Now he simply waved his hand grandly.
“Arrest him!”
Several attendants looked at one another.
Prince Jing had tremendous authority within the residence, and his temperament was notoriously unpredictable. Whenever his madness flared up, corpses would be carried out of Changfeng Court one after another. It was terrifying.
Although the newly married Princess Consort was a man, he was still someone they couldn’t casually lay hands on.
Ji Yi was so angry he nearly fell backward.
“Useless! I’ll do it myself!”
Ji Yi had trained in martial arts with Ji Xun for several days. Against a sickly man like Chu Zhaohuai, who barely had the strength to tie up a chicken, dealing with him would be effortless.
Just as Ji Yi was about to grab him like a chick, Chu Zhaohuai hurried backward.
“Last night, I stayed in the bridal chamber the entire time. I never even stepped outside. Your father… ah!”
While explaining himself, Chu Zhaohuai wasn’t watching where he was going. His heel slipped, and his waist slammed hard against the sharp corner of a table.
Pain immediately brought tears to his eyes.
Ji Yi was startled and instinctively reached out to help him.
Chu Zhaohuai had always had a low tolerance for pain. His voice tightened slightly as he struggled to hold onto the table and sucked in a breath.
“…The secret guards beside your father can testify to it. If you don’t believe me, go ask them now.”
Ji Yi frowned deeply.
He stared down at Chu Zhaohuai for a long time.
Then, in an extremely strange and casual tone, he asked,
“Are you really Chu Zhaojiang?”
Chu Zhaohuai: “…”
Zhaohuai, Zhaojiang… aren’t they basically the same?
Feeling guilty, Chu Zhaohuai said in a low voice,
“If I’m not, then are you?”
Ji Yi’s expression didn’t change.
He stared at Chu Zhaohuai’s face, still covered in layers of makeup, then casually waved his hand at the attendants.
“Bring me a basin of water. Throw it on his face.”
The attendant immediately went to fetch it.
Chu Zhaohuai’s hand curled into a fist.
“You…”
Ji Yi gave a mocking laugh.
“Everyone in the capital knows Chu Zhaojiang is arrogant and looks down on everyone. If you really were him, even with a broken leg, you’d crawl back up and beat me. There’s no way you’d obediently stand here explaining yourself.”
Chu Zhaohuai looked up at Ji Yi, his expression unreadable.
After a while, he suddenly nodded.
He straightened up, rolled back his wide sleeves, and calmly said,
“I understand.”
Ji Yi was still muttering,
“What do you understand? …Ah!”
The attendant hurried back with the basin of water.
The moment he stepped through the doorway, a heavy thud sounded.
The attendant was so startled that the basin slipped from his hands and crashed to the ground, water splashing everywhere.
Everyone in the bridal chamber stood there dumbfounded.
For a moment, no one could even process what had happened.
Until Ji Yi’s furious roar rang out.
“CHU—ZHAO—JIANG!”
Inside the enormous bridal chamber, Chu Zhaohuai stood calmly beside the table, supporting himself against it.
Meanwhile, the previously aggressive Ji Yi was somehow sprawled on the floor, clutching his waist and abdomen, cold sweat pouring down his face from the pain.
His lips trembled with fury.
He stared at Chu Zhaohuai in disbelief, apparently too shocked to form a coherent sentence.
“You dared to hit me… You actually dared to hit me?”
Chu Zhaohuai slowly lowered his sleeves.
Imitating Chu Zhaojiang’s arrogant manner, he spoke with his nose in the air.
“This young marquis studied under General Huang. When I was young, I even hunted snow wolves. I’m quite formidable, you know. Yesterday was my wedding to Prince Jing, and on such a joyous occasion, I had hoped to settle things peacefully. Unfortunately, the young heir insisted on forcing my hand. Forgive me.”
Ji Yi couldn’t hear a word of it.
After staring blankly for a moment, his anger exploded.
“Only my father is allowed to hit me! Guards! Hold him down! If I don’t make him kneel and beg for mercy today, I’ll change my surname to his!”
The attendants finally snapped out of their shock.
They immediately rushed forward to restrain Chu Zhaohuai.
Although Ji Yi was not Ji Xun’s biological son, he was the only surviving child of Ji Xun’s elder brother, Prince Ning. When Prince Ning died in battle, Ji Yi was still young. The imperial court was also in turmoil at the time, and the young heir suffered several assassination attempts.
Ji Xun had therefore simply adopted him as his own.
From a young age, Ji Yi had used the name of Prince Jing’s residence to run wild and bully others. Ji Xun had always indulged him, eventually raising him into an utterly spoiled and useless young nobleman.
Moreover, Prince Jing was famous for being fiercely protective of his own people.
If he found out that Ji Yi had been beaten, he probably wouldn’t let Chu Zhaohuai off easily.
Chu Zhaohuai: “…”
So I’m wrong whether I hit him or don’t hit him?
Chu Zhaohuai hadn’t relied on brute force when he struck Ji Yi earlier. He had simply taken advantage of the boy’s unpreparedness and hit a precise pressure point with a single blow.
It would only cause temporary soreness and couldn’t even really be considered an injury.
His mediocre martial arts were more than enough to deal with a spoiled young nobleman like Ji Yi.
But against several tall, strong attendants and guards?
That was a completely different story.
Seeing them charge toward him aggressively, Chu Zhaohuai pretended to remain calm and said in a deep voice,
“Let’s see who dares touch me. Last night, I married your prince, drank the nuptial wine, and completed the wedding rites. I am already your prince’s man. If this Princess Consort loses even a single strand of hair, none of you will get away with it.”
The attendants froze.
Ji Xun’s fearsome reputation was extremely useful.
Whether or not what Chu Zhaohuai said was true, none of them dared act recklessly.
Ji Yi, clutching his aching waist, struggled to his feet with the help of an attendant.
The moment he heard those words, he nearly collapsed again.
What… what did he just say?
The nuptial wine… consummated…
People in the capital placed great importance on propriety. Even romance had to be expressed through poetic references to moonlight and flowers.
And Ji Yi was only sixteen.
Without any warning, he had just been forced to hear about his father’s intimate affairs.
Ji Yi nearly went hysterical.
“You shameless pervert! Don’t you dare slander my father’s reputation!”
Seeing that things were about to go badly, Chu Zhaohuai immediately ran outside.
Ji Yi was so furious he nearly coughed up blood.
Seeing that the attendants were still hesitating because of Chu Zhaohuai’s claim that he was “the prince’s man,” Ji Yi completely abandoned his dignity.
He grabbed a nearby stool and chased after Chu Zhaohuai, throwing it at him.
“You bastard! If I don’t tear that mouth of yours apart today, I’ll take your surname!”
Chu Zhaohuai ran while clutching his robe, still determined to maintain his story.
“My surname is Chu.”
Ji Yi: “AAAAH! DIE!”
Chu Zhaohuai hurried out of the room.
He hadn’t gone far before his hungry, weak legs nearly gave out beneath him, and he almost fell to his knees.
Ji Yi was already burning with rage and determined to beat him.
Chu Zhaohuai was afraid of pain and had no desire to get beaten.
Now that he had acted arrogant enough to dispel suspicion that he wasn’t really Chu Zhaojiang, he immediately decided it was time to be flexible and surrender.
However, before he could do anything, the furious Ji Yi strode toward him.
And then, one step ahead of Chu Zhaohuai—
Plop.
Ji Yi suddenly dropped to the ground and performed a full kowtow.
Chu Zhaohuai: “?”
Chu Zhaohuai was startled.
“There is no need for such a grand gesture.”
The fury clouding Ji Yi’s eyes instantly vanished, leaving them clear and innocent.
He had completely forgotten about being angry with Chu Zhaohuai.
Trembling, he placed his hands on the ground and lowered his head respectfully.
“Father.”
Chu Zhaohuai froze.
He shuddered violently.
Father?
Then that means…
His entire body stiffened.
Slowly, inch by inch, he turned around.
The plum trees beneath the corridor were in full bloom.
At some point, Ji Xun had arrived.
He was sitting upright in a wooden wheelchair, his thin brocade robe outlining his tall figure. His head was tilted slightly to one side as he watched with a faint smile.
The scar around his neck gleamed coldly like the reflection of a blade, inexplicably carrying a murderous aura.
Everyone in Changfeng Court had already dropped to their knees in a chaotic wave.
Chu Zhaohuai’s heart nearly stopped.
How long has Prince Jing been here?
That wheelchair was heavy. It should have made quite a bit of noise.
Why didn’t I hear anything?
More importantly—
Did he hear what I just said?
Chu Zhaohuai cautiously studied Ji Xun’s expression.
He glanced at him.
To his horror, Ji Xun was actually smiling.
Chu Zhaohuai: “…”
I’m doomed.
For the first time in front of Ji Xun, embarrassment completely overwhelmed his fear.
His ears turned bright red, and he desperately wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl inside.
Ji Xun lazily played with the string of glazed beads around his wrist. His tone was calm and emotionless.
“At this hour, where should you be?”
Ji Yi straightened his back as he knelt, cold sweat pouring down his face. He looked nothing like the arrogant young man who had been throwing his weight around moments ago.
He took a deep breath.
His voice trembled.
“The Imperial Academy… closed for the holidays a few days ago. Classes won’t resume until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.”
Ji Xun thought for a moment.
Indeed, it was time for the New Year holiday.
“Then why are you here?”
Ji Yi trembled from head to toe.
Stammering, he answered,
“I… I came to see Zhaojiang.”
Ji Xun narrowed his eyes.
Ji Yi immediately understood what that look meant.
Cold sweat broke out all over him.
“It’s true! Really! We made plans a few months ago to go boating on Minghu Lake on Little New Year’s Eve. Liang Fang can testify!”
Ji Xun looked at Chu Zhaohuai with a faintly amused expression.
“Princess Consort, is that true?”
Chu Zhaohuai choked.
He had no idea whether such an agreement had ever existed.
But when he saw the young heir’s eyes already filled with tears, he hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding.
“Yes. There was such a plan.”
The terrified Ji Yi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Ji Xun withdrew his gaze and said indifferently,
“He is already the Princess Consort of Prince Jing…”
Ji Yi thought his father was about to say that the Princess Consort shouldn’t go out and show himself in public.
Instead, Ji Xun continued,
“…You should not be so disrespectful as to address him directly by name.”
Ji Yi: “…”
Ji Yi looked up in disbelief.
“Father?!”
Ji Xun glanced at him.
Ji Yi gritted his teeth.
He turned around and respectfully bowed toward Chu Zhaohuai.
“I offended the Princess Consort.”
Chu Zhaohuai said nothing.
Ji Xun said,
“Go back. Tomorrow, I’ll check your studies.”
The relief that had just appeared on Ji Yi’s face instantly disappeared.
His face turned pale as paper.
Both frightened and aggrieved, he bowed respectfully before retreating with tears in his eyes.
Before leaving, the young heir secretly shot Chu Zhaohuai a furious glare.
Just you wait.
On Little New Year’s Eve, I’ll make sure this bastard pays for everything!
Ji Yi left with his attendants.
The entire Changfeng Court was now left with only three people.
Ji Xun slowly raised his eyelids and looked toward Chu Zhaohuai.
Chu Zhaohuai had just beaten his son right in front of him.
He felt guilty and terrified at the same time.
He desperately tried to stop his trembling legs.
With an utterly calm expression, he bowed respectfully.
“Father.”
Ji Xun: “…”
Chu Zhaohuai: “…”
Maybe I should just let Ji Yi come back and tear my mouth apart.