Chu Zhaohuai was not sure whether he had simply grown too accustomed to living a hard life to be comfortable with such delicacies, or whether he had gotten used to the light flavors of Jiangnan and could not handle the heavy, rich, strongly seasoned dishes of the capital.
He had very little appetite.
The only thing he could really stomach was the tea cakes in front of him.
Chu Zhaohuai absentmindedly nibbled on them. With his face covered by the gauze veil, he openly looked toward Chu Jing.
For ordinary families, a bride’s return-home visit was a matter concerning the women of the household. But Chu Zhaohuai was different.
Only Chu Jing was present at the return-home banquet. Madam Zheng had deliberately stayed away from the front hall to avoid suspicion.
Chu Zhaohuai had always thought his father was a clever man.
Regardless of whether the imperial marriage decree had explicitly named anyone, after the scene Chu Zhaojiang had caused in public, it was obvious that the person who would become Princess Consort of Prince Jing had to be him.
Yet Chu Jing had gone to such lengths to arrange a substitute marriage.
Not only had he risked being charged with disobeying the imperial decree, but he had also offended Prince Jing.
There was absolutely nothing to gain from it.
Even if Chu Zhaojiang had married Ji Xun himself, given Ji Xun’s temperament, it was not as though he would necessarily have died.
What exactly was Chu Jing trying to accomplish?
Hah.
In just this short while, his father had already glared at him two or three times.
Stare, stare…
Still staring!
Chu Zhaohuai ate a few more tea cakes.
He decided that once he was full, he would confront his father directly.
The tea cakes at the Marquis’s residence were clearly made with high-quality tea leaves. Their fragrance was rich and enticing, yet even after eating several pieces, Chu Zhaohuai did not find them greasy.
He had originally intended to finish the two small pieces in front of him and stop.
But he kept nibbling away for quite some time.
Why did the plate never seem to become empty?
He was just wondering about this when he noticed that Chu Jing across from him had finally stopped glaring.
Instead, an astonished expression appeared on his face.
Confused, Chu Zhaohuai followed his gaze downward.
A pair of jade chopsticks lightly tapped against the edge of his bowl.
Ji Xun had placed another piece of tea cake into it.
“Do you like this?” Ji Xun asked with a smile.
Chu Zhaohuai nodded.
He had never eaten such delicious tea cakes before.
So the capital did have good food after all.
It was just that the Marquis’s residence was too stingy. Only a few tea cakes had been prepared for each table.
Ji Xun withdrew his chopsticks and said gently,
“Marquis Chu, the Princess Consort likes tea cakes. Please have a few more plates brought out.”
Chu Zhaohuai froze.
You could actually ask for more food at a banquet?
For some reason, Chu Jing’s expression became terribly unpleasant.
But he had not shown a pleasant expression since Ji Xun arrived, so Chu Zhaohuai did not pay much attention to it.
The food served in the residences of princes and marquises in the capital was naturally far more abundant and refined than what ordinary households could afford.
Those small, unassuming tea cakes were made with tea leaves picked from the peaks of Baiyun Mountain.
They were extraordinarily expensive.
If Chu Zhaohuai had known just how valuable what he was eating was, his teeth probably would have fallen out from shock.
But Chu Jing was not distressed over the money.
What truly frightened him was the special treatment Ji Xun was showing Chu Zhaohuai.
Before arranging the substitute marriage, Chu Jing had imagined countless possible outcomes.
He had never considered what would happen if Ji Xun really were a man who valued beauty above everything else.
What if, because of Chu Zhaohuai’s face, Ji Xun were willing to swallow the humiliation and accept this marriage anyway?
Chu Zhaohuai had left home when he was young and was not close to the Chu family.
If he truly used Ji Xun’s influence to rise to prominence overnight…
Chu Jing gripped his chopsticks tightly, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
Chu Zhaohuai had no idea what his father was thinking.
He was still obediently waiting for his tea cakes.
Before long, the Marquis’s kitchen respectfully brought out freshly prepared tea cakes.
Six plates were neatly arranged in front of Chu Zhaohuai, filling the air with an intense fragrance.
Chu Zhaohuai did not have much money.
Even when he had lived in Jiangnan, the tea he drank was usually made from cheap, inferior leaves.
Thanks to Ji Xun, he was now chewing on tea worth hundreds of gold pieces as though it were an ordinary snack.
He thoroughly enjoyed himself.
Seeing Chu Zhaohuai continue eating without a care in the world, Chu Jing could not hold back any longer.
Taking advantage of the moment when Ji Xun was not paying attention, he gave Chu Zhaohuai a meaningful look.
Chu Zhaohuai swallowed his tea cake and asked,
“Father, do you have something to say to me?”
Chu Jing: “…”
Ji Xun looked over with a faintly amused smile.
Chu Jing forced a smile.
“No…”
Before he could finish smoothing things over, Chu Zhaohuai said,
“Oh. So it’s something you need to say privately, away from His Highness.”
He turned to Ji Xun.
“Your Highness, my father and I will step outside for a moment.”
Ji Xun narrowed his eyes slightly, and his smile deepened.
“Go quickly and come back soon, Princess Consort. The tea cakes won’t taste as good once they’re cold.”
Chu Zhaohuai nodded.
He gathered the sable-fur coat around himself and stood up.
Chu Jing: “…”
Chu Zhaohuai had effortlessly backed his father into a corner with just two sentences.
Now that Chu Jing had no way out, he could only go along with it and stand.
No matter how beautiful the polite words sounded, everyone already understood what was really going on.
It was better not to bother pretending.
Outside the front hall, the sunlight was bright.
Beside a plum tree near the ornamental gate, Chu Zhaohuai walked out first and stood there alone, waiting for Chu Jing.
All the clothes Chu Zhaohuai wore had been prepared by Prince Jing’s residence.
Because of the severe winter, they had dressed him in layer upon layer of clothing to keep him warm.
Even wrapped in a golden sable-fur coat, his excessively slender figure was still obvious.
The moment they reached a place where no one else was around, Chu Jing’s expression changed.
He lowered his voice and snapped,
“Chu Zhaohuai, are you trying to drag the entire Marquis’s residence down with you?!”
Chu Zhaohuai had deliberately acted foolish to lure Chu Jing out.
He had not even had the chance to question him about his dowry before being bombarded with accusations.
He was so stunned that he stood there blankly for a while.
Then he said awkwardly,
“Father is right. Zhaohuai knows he was wrong.”
Chu Jing’s anger suddenly faltered.
He had not expected Chu Zhaohuai to admit fault so readily.
Chu Zhaohuai murmured,
“Thanks to Father, Zhaohuai managed to marry Prince Jing and obtain the wonderful marriage that everyone envies. I should be grateful for such a miracle that turned a sparrow into a phoenix, yet I was still dissatisfied. I even dared to disobey Father, conceal my identity, and shamelessly seduce Prince Jing by crying, making a scene, threatening suicide, and insisting on getting into the bridal sedan instead of my younger brother.”
He sighed sincerely.
“I really do deserve to be scolded. Father, you were right to scold me. Please, scold me a few more times and knock some sense into me.”
Chu Jing: “…”
The words sounded sincere.
But why did they sound more and more like something Ji Xun would say?
Chu Zhaohuai continued while he had the momentum.
“Father, why have you stopped talking?”
Chu Jing took a deep breath and finally got straight to the point.
“After today’s return-home visit, when you return to Prince Jing’s residence, tell Ji Xun your true identity.”
The smile slowly disappeared from Chu Zhaohuai’s face.
Through the black gauze, he stared at Chu Jing for a long time before calmly asking,
“Mm. And then?”
“What do you mean, ‘and then’?” Chu Jing frowned. “I can see that Ji Xun treats you quite well. Surely he won’t take his anger out on you over such a minor matter.”
Chu Zhaohuai nodded.
“Very well. Then later I’ll tell him that I coveted His Highness’s beauty and his crippled leg, and when I saw that the imperial decree was marrying my younger brother to him, I threw myself onto the bridal sedan by crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide, all to defy the imperial decree.”
Chu Jing: “…”
Chu Jing said irritably,
“Don’t imitate Ji Xun. Speak properly.”
“You were the one who stopped speaking properly first,” Chu Zhaohuai replied.
“To protect Chu Zhaojiang, when have you ever cared whether I lived or died? Fine, marrying a man and becoming the laughingstock of the capital was one thing. But afterward, you pushed all the blame for disobeying the imperial decree onto me…”
He looked straight at Chu Jing.
“Ask yourself honestly, Father. Did you leave me any way to survive?”
His thoughts had been exposed so bluntly that a trace of embarrassment flashed across Chu Jing’s face.
He could only use his authority as a father to suppress Chu Zhaohuai.
“You unfilial son! Is this how you speak to your father?!”
Chu Zhaohuai raised his voice even louder.
“Then did you ever treat me like your son?!”
After shouting with all his strength, his throat became unbearably itchy and sore.
He nearly coughed.
But he forcibly held it back, refusing to lose the momentum of the argument.
Chu Jing was wary of Ji Xun, so he lowered his voice and said grimly,
“The imperial decree never explicitly named anyone. Even if Ji Xun and the palace discover your identity, you will not be charged with anything. Ji Xun does not have long to live. Once he dies, I will find a way to bring you back home. When I am gone, the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s residence will belong to you.”
Chu Zhaohuai almost laughed from sheer anger.
“Father, do you take me for a fool?”
“I left home when I was seven and spent ten years being treated for illness at the Bai family residence in Lin’an. When I returned to the capital at the beginning of this month, every servant in the residence called Chu Zhaojiang ‘Young Marquis.’ After you die, how exactly would the title ever fall to me?”
Seeing that Chu Zhaohuai refused to accept anything he said, Chu Jing rarely showed a trace of impatience.
Chu Zhaohuai was tired of pretending to be polite with him.
He completely tore away the last layer of civility.
“I don’t care about any title. I only want to leave the capital and return to Jiangnan. You should hurry and bring Chu Zhaojiang back, then use this return-home visit to explain the truth to Prince Jing and switch the ‘Princess Consort’ back to him.”
His voice turned cold.
“Otherwise, if you push me too far, I can’t guarantee what I might do.”
Chu Jing whispered angrily,
“If the Marquis’s residence is convicted, the Bai family won’t escape either!”
“I already said this before.”
Chu Zhaohuai remained surprisingly calm, as though he had seen through the ways of the world.
“There’s plenty of company on the road to the Yellow Springs. We can all reincarnate as animals together. In our next lives, we can simply eat and wait to die. Think how many worries that would save us.”
Chu Jing’s chest heaved with anger.
“You!”
Chu Zhaohuai only wanted to leave with his dowry intact.
—Apart from the tea cakes, he disliked everything about the capital.
The people here were full of schemes and hidden motives.
He had no interest in getting involved.
If he could successfully exchange identities today, perhaps he could find an opportunity to examine Ji Xun’s pulse.
He wanted to know what kind of serious illness the man who had been called a “mad dog” actually had.
That would at least count as repaying Ji Xun for taking care of him these past few days.
Chu Zhaohuai was already happily imagining his future life far away from the capital.
Then Chu Jing suddenly said coldly,
“Do you still want your mother’s belongings?”
Chu Zhaohuai abruptly looked up.
Several thin red veins instantly appeared in his eyes beneath the black gauze.
“What… do you mean?”
Hearing the change in his voice, Chu Jing knew he could use this to control his unruly son.
The anger on his face disappeared.
His usual calm returned.
“Besides the Bai family’s dowry, your mother left quite a few things for you before she passed away. She also left a letter and instructed me to give it to you once you married.”
The sarcastic tone Chu Zhaohuai had learned from Ji Xun disappeared completely.
His mind went blank.
Following his instincts, he involuntarily took two steps forward.
“Give them to me now!”
Chu Jing said calmly,
“Listen to your father. Go back and continue being the Princess Consort. I will personally have your mother’s belongings delivered to Prince Jing’s residence.”
Chu Zhaohuai stared blankly at Chu Jing as though he were looking at a complete stranger.
All these years, his maternal grandfather had always told him that he was connected to the Marquis’s residence by blood.
He had said that Chu Jing had only sent him to Jiangnan to recover from his illness because of the Imperial Preceptor’s prophecy.
He had said that although Chu Jing remained in the capital, he still thought about him.
He had said so many things that Chu Zhaohuai had almost truly believed that his father still cared about him, at least a little.
But now, looking into Chu Jing’s eyes, Chu Zhaohuai saw no reluctance whatsoever to threaten his own biological son.
There was only calculation and weighing of advantages.
In that instant, the tiny bit of expectation and longing for a father’s affection that Chu Zhaohuai had not even realized he still carried finally disappeared completely.
“All right.”
Chu Zhaohuai took a light breath and gave a short laugh.
“Being the incomparably noble Princess Consort of Prince Jing isn’t so bad after all.”
The laugh sounded as though he had been angered to the extreme.
Or perhaps he had simply been completely disappointed.
He admitted defeat.
He willingly accepted the scheme his own father had laid against him.
Wasn’t this why Chu Jing had gone to such lengths?
He wanted Chu Zhaojiang to escape the humiliation of being ordered to “marry a man” and preserve his reputation as the respectable and honorable Young Marquis.
Chu Zhaohuai nodded.
He understood now.
You want a good reputation, don’t you?
Fine.
I’ll give Chu Zhaojiang a “good” reputation.
It seemed he would have to keep wearing this gauze veil for a while longer.
Chu Zhaohuai no longer wanted to exchange another word with Chu Jing.
He gathered his golden sable-fur coat around himself and turned to leave.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
“Princess Consort, are you not finished talking yet?”
Chu Zhaohuai turned toward the voice.
Ji Xun had appeared like a ghost.
No one knew when he had arrived.
He was sitting beside the covered corridor inside the ornamental gate, holding a branch of plum blossoms and smiling at Chu Zhaohuai from his wheelchair.
—And somehow that bulky wheelchair had rolled over without making the slightest sound.
Could he have carried the wheelchair over here?
Chu Zhaohuai could not tell whether Ji Xun had heard what they had just said.
He cautiously walked over, pretending nothing had happened.
“Sorry to have kept Your Highness waiting. We just finished talking.”
Ji Xun looked up at him.
As though he had noticed something, he took the small wooden box of tea cakes resting on his lap and held it out.
“I saw that you liked them, so I brought some for you.”
Chu Zhaohuai quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn’t hear.
“Are we leaving?”
“Mm. There are still things to take care of at the residence.”
Ji Xun looked at him.
His eyes suddenly narrowed slightly.
Chu Zhaohuai took a bite of the tea cake.
The black gauze concealed his rash-covered face, leaving only his pale chin and neck faintly visible.
Warm sunlight filtered through the branches of the plum tree.
A bead of moisture seemed to form on the exposed tip of his chin.
It trembled twice, hanging precariously there, before suddenly falling.
Ji Xun’s hand tightened slightly around his dove-headed staff.
Chu Zhaohuai hastily wiped it away.
Still chewing his tea cake, he spoke in his usual voice.
“That’s right. But I still have a few things I didn’t bring with me. Could I borrow two people from Your Highness to help me move a small cabinet?”
He still had a small low cabinet left behind at the Marquis’s residence.
Since he could no longer return to Jiangnan for the time being, he might as well take it with him.
Ji Xun replied,
“Of course.”
Yin Chongshan selected two guards and followed Chu Zhaohuai to move the cabinet.
Once they had left, Ji Xun lazily pinched the delicate tea cake in his fingers.
He seemed to be wondering just what was so delicious about this thing that it could make Chu Zhaohuai cry while eating it.
Having persuaded Chu Zhaohuai, Chu Jing no longer looked as frightened and nervous as he had during the banquet.
He walked over and asked calmly,
“Your Highness, won’t you stay a little longer?”
“No.”
Ji Xun was still examining the tea cake that Chu Zhaohuai had bitten into.
He answered absentmindedly,
“It has already been the time it takes to finish a meal, yet the jade and dowry list the Princess Consort asked for still haven’t been delivered.”
He smiled faintly.
“It seems the Marquis’s residence is very busy. This afternoon, perhaps you’ll be welcoming His Majesty—or maybe the Jade Emperor himself. The Princess Consort and I wouldn’t want to disturb you.”
Chu Jing: “…”
Chu Jing forcibly suppressed his anger.
“Your Highness is joking.”
“I never joke.”
Ji Xun took a bite of the tea cake.
He tasted it carefully and discovered that it was unexpectedly delicious.
His mood improved considerably.
Only then did he finally raise his head and look at Chu Jing.
Although his smile remained gentle, his words were sharp.
“Although I am a noble imperial prince, precious beyond compare, and becoming relatives by marriage with the Marquis’s residence is admittedly somewhat beneath me, we have already performed the wedding rites. What is done cannot be undone.”
He smiled.
“So naturally, the return-home gifts cannot be lacking.”
“Chongshan.”
Yin Chongshan immediately acknowledged the order.
He led the guards over and had the three large chests of return-home gifts brought forward.
Chu Jing’s eyelid twitched violently.
He suddenly had a very bad feeling.
The six guards were all strong men who had followed Ji Xun through countless battles.
Even standing still, they carried an intimidating, murderous aura.
Their expressions were cold and emotionless, as though they were marching onto a battlefield.
They carried the chests forward step by step.
Just as they were about to reach Chu Jing, the guards suddenly stumbled in perfect unison.
“Crash!”
The chests abruptly tilted and slammed onto the ground.
The wooden lids slid open.
Their contents rolled out.
Chu Jing lowered his eyes.
His face instantly turned deathly pale.
The three large chests were made of golden-thread nanmu wood.
But instead of gold and silver treasures, they were filled with dozens of severed assassin heads.
Their dead eyes remained wide open as the heads rolled across the ground.
In an instant, the air was filled with the stench of blood.
The warm sunlight was still shining.
Yet this place had suddenly become an inferno.
Ji Xun sat lazily in his wheelchair.
The nauseating smell of blood did not seem to affect his appetite at all.
His slender, jade-like fingers held a delicate tea cake as he slowly and leisurely ate it.
Chu Jing’s stomach twisted violently.
The hand hidden inside his sleeve began trembling uncontrollably.
This madman!
One of the heads rolled directly to the side of Ji Xun’s wheelchair.
Ji Xun lightly nudged it away with his foot.
He was smiling, but his eyes were filled with icy coldness.
“Marquis Chu, don’t you like the generous gifts I prepared especially for you?”
“These were carefully selected from the dowry your residence sent over.”
Chu Jing clenched his teeth.
If Ji Xun had provoked him this recklessly under normal circumstances, he would already have drawn his sword.
But now he could only swallow his anger along with his blood.
He forcibly suppressed both his rage and fear and squeezed out a sentence through clenched teeth.
“Perhaps the wedding preparations were hectic, and the wrong dowry chests were accidentally carried away. Once we find them this afternoon, I will certainly have the missing dowry delivered to Prince Jing’s residence.”
“That would be excellent.”
Ji Xun smiled.
“Since Marquis Chu is so sincere, I will also prepare another return-home gift.”
Chu Jing froze.
His eyelid twitched again.
Yin Chongshan somehow produced another small box.
He carried it over to Chu Jing and gestured for him to open it.
Judging by its size, it seemed just large enough to hold a single human head.
Although Chu Jing held the title of Marquis of Zhenyuan, he had never actually been on a battlefield.
Facing the severed heads scattered across the ground had already nearly made him vomit.
When he saw the small box, he instinctively stepped backward.
But then his gaze landed on it.
His pupils suddenly contracted.
Even his breathing stopped.
A red cord was hanging from the iron clasp of the box.
Something bloodstained dangled from it, swaying gently in the wind.
It was a delicate, beautiful piece of jade.
Fresh blood still stained its surface.
And faintly visible through the blood was a familiar character.
—Jiang.