Inside the Diligent Governance Hall, the sandalwood smoke curled gently in the air.
The Emperor sat upright behind the dragon desk. Although he was past fifty and his temples were touched with frost, his brows still radiated the dignity and profound authority of a monarch.
He gazed at Lou Jin in his wheelchair below, alongside Ye Xunyang dressed in his formal Consort robes, with a complex look in his eyes.
“Your children pay respects to Your Majesty, Father,” Lou Jin said with a slight bow. Ye Xunyang followed suit, kneeling in accordance with etiquette and calling him Father with practiced ease.
The Emperor’s voice betrayed neither joy nor anger: “Rise.”
“Jin’er, your health is poor, so there is no need for such grand bows. And you, Xunyang, get up as well.”
“Thank you, Father.”
An attendant brought over a round embroidered stool. Lou Jin remained seated in his wheelchair, while Ye Xunyang sat slightly behind and to his side, trying his best to look restrained.
The Emperor briefly inquired about Lou Jin’s physical condition, then routinely asked a few questions about the grand wedding and the return home visit. Lou Jin answered each one respectfully, his phrasing appropriate and polished.
Listening from the side, Ye Xunyang inwardly admired Lou Jin’s calm composure, as if it had not been him fiercely confronting the Prince of Entropy in the palace passageway just moments ago.
Sure enough, the Emperor changed the subject, asking with apparent casualness: “I heard that on your way here just now, you ran into Entropy? It seemed you even had some sort of dispute?”
Oh my, this Emperor is truly sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, Ye Xunyang thought with a tightening in his chest, instinctively glancing at Lou Jin.
Lou Jin’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied: “Replying to Father, we indeed encountered the Fourth Imperial Younger Brother. The Fourth Brother was concerned about this son’s health and asked a few extra questions. Perhaps due to my chronic illness, my speech was sluggish, and I failed to grasp the Fourth Brother’s kind intentions, leading to some minor misunderstandings in our words.”
“Xunyang is young and hot-tempered. Seeing that the Fourth Brother’s tone was urgent, he mistakenly thought it was disrespectful toward this son, so he spoke up to defend me a few times, which resulted in a slight argument. It is this son’s failure in discipline, causing a disturbance within the palace grounds. Please forgive me, Father.”
Ye Xunyang was dumbfounded as he listened, thinking to himself: Can he really spin it like this? This prince’s ability to talk nonsense with his eyes open has reached an absolute masterclass level!
Yet why is he taking all the blame upon himself?
The Emperor’s deep gaze swept over Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang, falling silent for a moment.
How could he not know about the open and covert struggles among his own sons? As for what happened in the palace passageway, someone had likely reported every single detail to him long ago.
He might not entirely believe Lou Jin’s explanation, but at the very least, it saved face for everyone and offered him a convenient step down.
“So that is how it was.”
The Emperor spoke slowly, his tone revealing neither belief nor disbelief.
“Entropy’s temperament is indeed a bit impetuous. However, Xunyang, since you have married into the imperial family, you are now a member of royalty. Your words and actions must maintain proper decorum, and you must not be as reckless as you used to be in the military. This time we will let it pass, but bear it in mind for the future.”
This reprimand appeared severe toward Ye Xunyang on the surface, but it was raised high only to land softly.
Ye Xunyang quickly stood up and answered submissively: “This son knows his mistake and will strictly obey Your Majesty’s teachings.”
Inwardly, however, he breathed a sigh of relief. This hurdle had finally been cleared.
The Emperor turned his gaze back to Lou Jin, his tone softening slightly: “Jin’er, now that you have a household and someone to look after you, I feel somewhat more at ease. Take good care of your health, and if you lack any medicinal ingredients, simply make a request to the Imperial Hospital.”
“This son thanks Father for his care.”
After exchanging a few more casual remarks, the Emperor showed signs of fatigue and signaled that they could withdraw.
Before leaving, the Emperor instructed that the Empress Dowager was currently ill, and they could offer their greetings once she recovered.
This suited Ye Xunyang perfectly, as it meant he did not have to linger in this imperial palace for a few more hours.
Stepping out of the Diligent Governance Hall, Ye Xunyang pushed Lou Jin along the long palace walkway, only letting out a long breath and feeling his back slick with sweat once they were far away from the buildings.
This imperial palace was truly not a place meant for humans; every single sentence spoken required turning three times over in one’s brain.
“Just now, thank you, Your Highness,” Ye Xunyang said in a low voice.
If not for Lou Jin’s clever handling, the Emperor probably wouldn’t have let them off so easily.
Looking ahead at the vermillion palace walls, Lou Jin replied indifferently: “This Prince was merely stating facts.”
“However, you must remember Father’s words. Lou Entropy will not let this rest. In the future outside the estate, and especially within the palace, you must exercise absolute caution.”
“Got it,” Ye Xunyang replied, his tone much more serious this time.
By the time they returned to the Prince of Jin’s estate, it was already afternoon.
After sending Lou Jin back to the main courtyard to settle in, Ye Xunyang returned to his own bridal chamber, impatiently stripping off the heavy, complex formal robes and changing back into light, casual attire, instantly feeling light all over.
He had just taken a sip of tea when the steward came to report that all the estate’s managers were waiting in the front hall to pay their respects to the Princess Consort.
Remembering what Lou Jin had said the previous day, Ye Xunyang knew this meant the administrative authority was officially being handed over to him.
Gathering his spirits, he stood up and walked toward the front hall.
Inside the front hall stood two or three dozen people in a dense crowd, all of them managers from various departments within the estate. Seeing Ye Xunyang walk in, they collectively bowed and saluted in unison: “Greetings, Your Highness the Princess Consort!”
Their voices were loud, and their attitudes respectful.
Ye Xunyang walked over to the principal seat, sat down, and swept his gaze across the crowd.
With varying expressions, these people were all secretly whispering to themselves about this unprecedented male Princess Consort in history.
Clearing his throat, Ye Xunyang recited a few polite remarks previously discussed with the steward, and then instructed the managers to step forward one by one to briefly report on the affairs under their charge.
Although he wasn’t entirely familiar with the details, whenever something was unclear he simply asked directly, and the managers did not dare to be perfunctory.
After listening through the entire round, Ye Xunyang gained a general understanding of how the estate operated and preliminarily picked out a few individuals of interest in his mind.
“Alright, that will be all for today. After returning, each of you shall draft a summary of this month’s affairs along with arrangements for the next month, and hand them over to the steward by tomorrow.”
“From now on, reports will be held here once every ten days. You are all dismissed.”
“Understood, Your Highness!” The crowd acknowledged the command and withdrew.
Having dealt with all of that, Ye Xunyang felt even more exhausted than after a whole day of practicing martial arts.
He rubbed his temples as he walked back to his courtyard. Looking at the sunset’s afterglow, he suddenly felt an intense longing for the military camp’s training grounds.
“Your Highness, a message came from the Prince’s quarters asking whether Your Highness wishes to have dinner together over there or have it sent to your courtyard,” a maidservant asked for instructions.
Thinking it over, since he had entered the palace and met the managers today, there were indeed a few things he could discuss with Lou Jin. Ye Xunyang said: “I will go over to the Prince’s quarters to dine.”
During dinner, Ye Xunyang roughly recounted the situation regarding his meeting with the managers to Lou Jin, also mentioning a few places where he suspected potential problems.
Lou Jin listened quietly, occasionally interjecting with a remark or two that pinpointed the crucial issues, making everything instantly click for Ye Xunyang.
“Your Highness, are you really confident enough to let me handle things like this? Aren’t you afraid I will squander all your family fortune?” Ye Xunyang asked half-jokingly and half-seriously.
Lou Jin leisurely picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, raised his eyes to look at him, and replied: “This Prince trusts young General Ye’s ability. Besides, even if it is all squandered, I presume Your Father and Mother-in-law would not stand by and watch their son go hungry.”
Ye Xunyang was choked slightly by those words. Seeing the flash of playful banter in Lou Jin’s eyes, he suddenly felt that this prince could occasionally be quite dark-humored.
After dinner, Lou Jin looked even more exhausted than during the day, and his coughing grew more frequent.
Seeing this, Ye Xunyang stood up to take his leave: “Since Your Highness has been busy all day, please rest early.”
Leaning against the soft pillows, Lou Jin gave a slight nod.
Just as Ye Xunyang reached the doorway, Lou Jin suddenly spoke up, his voice a bit low and hoarse: “Tonight, if you have nothing else, rest here.”
Ye Xunyang paused in his steps and turned back in astonishment.
Avoiding his gaze, Lou Jin stared at the flickering flame on the candleholder and spoke in a flat tone: “The Grand Preceptor said that the red-blessing ritual requires both name and reality to match. After separating last night, my old illness seemed to relapse somewhat.”
Ye Xunyang opened his mouth. Looking at Lou Jin’s pale profile and furrowed brows, he thought about suggesting he sleep on a floor mat instead, but after turning the thought over on his tongue, he swallowed it back down.
Since the other person claimed it was for the sake of his illness, continuing to push back and forth would make him look entirely devoid of human warmth.
Anyway, the bed was big enough.
“Fine then,” Ye Xunyang heard himself reply in a dry voice.
Thus, on the third night of their marriage, Ye Xunyang once again shared a bed with this nominal husband.
This time, he still lay stiffly on the outer edge of the bed, keeping as far away as possible.
Yet perhaps because he was too exhausted from the day, listening to the steady and light breathing of the person beside him, he drifted off into dreamland even faster than the night before.
After he fell asleep, Lou Jin, who had previously been facing away from him, slowly turned around. In the darkness, he gazed at Ye Xunyang’s blurred silhouette, feeling the pain within his body quietly subside once more due to his proximity. The emotions rolling in his eyes ultimately dissolved into an inaudible sigh.
Why on earth did this happen?