Rong Xun fancied himself a man who had seen countless handsome men.
Yet, this was his first-time laying eyes on someone whose beauty was so ambiguous, defying easy categorization as either male or female.
Perhaps the sheer impact of the beauty was simply too overwhelming, so much so that Rong Xun momentarily forgot where he was, and blurted out, “Beauty, care to sign a contract? You’d definitely go viral as an idol!”
A brief silence fell over the room.
Hearing Rong Xun’s nonsensical remark, the corners of Tan Taisi’s lips curved upward.
“Has the Prince Consort grown drunk before even partaking in the wine?”
“Uh, me.”
Realizing the lapse in his composure just moments ago, Rong Xun hurriedly lowered his head to avoid meeting Tan Taisi’s eyes.
Sigh, beauty can truly lead one astray, and so can a weakness for it.
The rumors outside all claimed that Prince Chen was an infamous monster, hideous to behold across ten miles and eight townships.
Yet the person right before him was unequivocally an absolute stunner, and a truly peerless one at that!
Just which blind fool had started such a rumor anyway?
As expected, no matter what era one lived in, one should never blindly follow gossip.
“Why isn’t the Prince Consort speaking?”
“Forgive me, Your Highness!”
Rong Xun briskly raised his hands in a fist-and-palm salute.
“What I said just now was pure nonsense; offending Your Highness is a capital crime.”
As he spoke, he cautiously peeked at the man in front of him.
He didn’t seem angry, it seemed.
“No matter.”
Just as Rong Xun had anticipated, Tan Taisi’s voice betrayed neither joy nor displeasure.
He didn’t seem particularly particular about protocol either, picking up a mutton-fat white jade wine cup that had been prepared ahead of time from the table, and handing one of the cups to Rong Xun.
“Only after drinking this nuptial wine is the ceremony truly complete.”
“Yes, yes.”
Rong Xun was still reeling from the massive whiplash of the contrast and hadn’t fully recovered yet.
At that moment, he simply did whatever Tan Taisi told him to do.
When told to drink, he obediently drank.
Who could understand? Just one second before marrying in, Rong Xun had been secretly praying to Guanyin and the Buddha, begging them not to let him actually marry some hideous monster.
Now it appeared that Guanyin and the Buddha had indeed heard his prayers.
After finishing the nuptial wine, Tan Taisi set down his cup, and abruptly brought up an unrelated topic.
“Is the Prince Consort still thinking of running away from the wedding today?”
“What?”
Rong Xun looked somewhat bewildered.
“What does Your Highness mean by that?”
Tan Taisi smiled faintly. “This Prince had assumed the Prince Consort wouldn’t even wear this wedding robe and come to Prince Chen’s Manor today.”
At these words, Rong Xun furrowed his brow.
He always felt these words sounded awfully familiar.
Wait!
As realization struck, Rong Xun abruptly raised his head to lock eyes with Tan Taisi.
Those eyes, which looked as though they contained a galaxy of stars, were undeniably handsome, and just as undeniably familiar.
Rong Xun slowly raised a hand, using it to block out a portion of Tan Taisi’s face from a distance, leaving only his eyes visible.
Those were eyes that always carried a hint of cold detachment when looking at people, the kind of gaze one would never forget after seeing it just once.
“It’s you, you’re the one from that day!”
Rong Xun covered his mouth in shock and stumbled backward, pointing at Tan Taisi with trembling fingers, utterly speechless.
He could only repeat, “You, you.”
Damn it, Heavens, you can’t be playing a joke like this on me.
The man he had run into at Wenxiang Pavilion the other day turned out to be Prince Chen!
What had he said that day, again?
He had said he wanted to run away from his wedding, and he had also said Prince Chen was an abusive brute, and possibly even a hideous monster!
It was over. Word had it that Prince Chen was bloodthirsty by nature; he surely wouldn’t have his head separated from his neck on his wedding night, would he?
No way, even if he had to die, he didn’t want to die looking that hideous.
Besides, he didn’t want to die at all.
Tan Taisi set down the wine cup in his hand, and calmly remarked, “Why is the Prince Consort so shocked? Since we met before the wedding, I suppose it’s all part of our destined bond.”
Rong Xun: “Oh.”
The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
A destined bond, all right, a fateful entanglement of bad karma.
Ignoring the terror written across Rong Xun’s face, Tan Taisi continued, entirely unbothered.
“We’ve finished the nuptial wine, so shouldn’t we consummate the marriage next?”
Before the wedding, the palace had even specifically dispatched people to the Yong’an Marquis Residence to instruct Rong Xun on the rules of marital intimacy.
There were male favorites in the imperial palace as well; those people were crystal clear on how things were done and what medicines might be needed.
Although Rong Xun had taken lessons from those instructors, he had never broken his old habit of dozing off the moment a lecture started, even after being reborn.
He had only learned a vague outline of the rules for the wedding night.
He understood practically nothing.
Even though he had been a gay man before transmigrating, he was extremely pure-hearted, having never engaged in intimate physical actions with anyone else.
If it actually came down to practice, his heart was naturally filled with dread.
Asking him to consummate a marriage with a man he had only met twice, he simply couldn’t bring himself to do it, not even if the other party happened to be a major hunk.
Seeing that Rong Xun remained motionless, Tan Taisi raised an eyebrow in leisurely amusement.
He took a stride forward toward Rong Xun.
“Someone should have taught you what needs to be done. What, do you expect this Prince to wait on you instead?”
“No, no, no.”
Rong Xun waved his hands frantically, swallowing hard as he managed a stiff, forced smile.
“Your Highness, with today being so busy, don’t you feel tired? How about I help you rest early instead, and as for this matter of consummation, we can discuss it later, how about that?”
Rong Xun’s voice grew softer and softer. What if Tan Taisi decided to force him into consummating the marriage right here and now?
With his puny arms and legs, if he actually tried to resist, he was definitely no match for someone who had spent over a decade leading troops in battle.
Prince Chen could probably subdue him using just a single arm.
He couldn’t use force; he could only outsmart him.
Heavy curtains were draped throughout the room, the red sheer gauze fluttering slightly in the breeze.
The candlelight flickered, and the sea of red everywhere made one’s vision somewhat dizzy.
Tan Taisi stood up to shut the window tightly, his cold voice cutting through the quiet.
“This Prince has never heard of any newlywed couple whose wedding night was open to negotiation.”
Rong Xun’s throat tightened, and immediately afterward, Tan Taisi closed in on him, abruptly grabbing him by the forearm and dragging him toward the bed without a word of explanation.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”
Startled, Rong Xun struck out with his free arm, beating against Tan Taisi’s sleeve.
“I’m telling you, you’re a grown man and a prince of the realm! If I’m not willing, are you really planning to force me?”
Tan Taisi turned a deaf ear, dumping Rong Xun onto the bed before pressing his sturdy frame down over him.
“Oh, sweet mother of!”
Shrieking in alarm, Rong Xun wriggled out from under Tan Taisi and scrambled in a panic all the way to the deepest corner of the bed, pulling the bedding in a flurry of frantic movements to pile it high in front of himself, as though those blankets could serve as a secure shield for his safety.
“I’m warning you, don’t try anything funny! If you push me, I’ll…”
Do what?
Bash his head against the wall and die?
No, no, no, he cherished his life.
Sue him for sexual assault?
That wouldn’t do either, they were already married, wasn’t doing this kind of thing perfectly natural?
Rong Xun stammered for ages without being able to come up with a single valid threat.
Tan Taisi simply relaxed, half-lying on the bed while propping his head up with one hand, looking up and down at his Prince Consort.
“You’ll what?”
After thinking for quite a while, Rong Xun couldn’t seem to conjure up a single reason to threaten Tan Taisi.
If he threatened to report him, who could he even report him to?
Once word of this got out, everyone would probably just think he had lost his mind.
Realizing he truly couldn’t think of any leverage, Rong Xun very sensibly backed down and softened his tone.
“Forgive me, Your Highness, I haven’t even reached my capping ceremony yet. Could we perhaps wait a few more days?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Rong Xun wanted nothing more than to slap himself; there were plenty of people in the State of Jing who married before their capping ceremonies.
“You haven’t reached your capping ceremony yet?”
Tan Taisi actually looked somewhat surprised, pulling back to create some distance between them.
Rong Xun paused for a moment, thinking to himself that this prince was actually a gentleman after all.
He hurriedly replied, “Yeah, yeah! That’s why I’m a bit scared. If Your Highness could just take pity on me.”
Rong Xun’s singular focus was on getting himself out of this predicament, failing to notice the dark, gloomy expression that had settled over Tan Taisi’s face.
“His Highness Prince Chen is kind-hearted, well-versed in both arts and letters, universally respected, and a peerless great hero of the State of Jing. You surely wouldn’t make things difficult for me.”
Rong Xun piled every complimentary adjective he could possibly think of onto Tan Taisi, hoping only to put the man in a good mood; otherwise, his physical purity might genuinely not survive the night.
“I’d heard the Seventh Young Master of the Marquis Residence was gentle, refined, modest, and obedient. Seeing that the Prince Consort is so sharp-tongued, he doesn’t look much like the rumors suggest.”
Rong Xun offered an awkward laugh. “Your Highness jokes. Hearing is deceiving; people all over the capital were saying you were a hideous monster, yet upon meeting Your Highness today, your handsomeness is a rare sight in this world. Clearly, rumors aren’t to be trusted.”
After a brief silence, Tan Taisi slowly said, “What the Prince Consort says makes sense.”
He stood up, smoothed out his robes, and calmly stated, “There are numerous guests outside, it wouldn’t do for me to linger. Make yourself at home, Prince Consort.”
With that, he lifted his foot and walked toward the doorway.
As the door opened and then closed behind him, Rong Xun let out a thorough sigh of relief.
Only when his body finally relaxed did he realize his back was drenched in a layer of cold sweat.
Wait, he recalled what Tan Taisi had said right before leaving.
Numerous guests, inconvenient to linger.
That meant Tan Taisi hadn’t actually wanted to consummate the marriage with him just now.
He’d just been played like a fiddle.
Indignant, Rong Xun snatched the phoenix crown off his head and slammed it hard onto the table, his cheeks puffed out in anger, before suddenly remembering that the phoenix crown was made of solid gold, prompting him to pick it up again with a pang of heartache and gently stroke it in his hands.
Perhaps because he was a man, the phoenix crown crafted for him was much smaller than those for women; rather than a crown, it was essentially a hair clasp meant to tie up his hair, simply far more ornate than an ordinary hair clasp.
Inside Prince Chen’s Manor, lanterns blazed brightly this night, with hundreds of banquet tables spread out, flowing with fine nectar and jade wines, intoxicated by the moonlit flute music.
The halls were packed with distinguished guests, accompanied by the sounds of nomad flutes and stringed instruments, lively and extraordinary.
Passing through the long corridor into the study, Tang Jiu presented a gift box and placed it on the desk.
“Your Highness, is the Prince Consort perhaps…”
“He has no martial arts training.”
Tan Taisi raised his palm and looked at it. “Not even a trace of internal energy.”
Just now, he had used the excuse of consummating the marriage to test him out; his Prince Consort possessed not an ounce of martial prowess.
“This, how can that be?”
The Yong’an Marquis Residence had produced fierce generals for generations; how could Rong Huaizhou’s youngest son know no martial arts?
That made no sense.
“There’s no need to keep watch over Rong Xun for now; he poses no threat whatsoever.”
Thinking of Rong Xun’s various antics from moments before, Tan Taisi almost instantly concluded that his Prince Consort was an idiot.
An idiot was not enough to pose a threat to him.
“Your Highness, that hardly seems prudent.”
Seeing that Tan Taisi hadn’t given further orders, Tang Jiu continued, “With Your Highness’s return to the capital, many people are likely starting to grow restless. We cannot afford to let our guard down regarding Young Master Rong.”
Prompted by Tang Jiu’s reminder, Tan Taisi recalled something.
The intelligence reports returned by his investigators had clearly stated that the Seventh Young Master of the Yong’an Marquis had already reached his capping ceremony, yet tonight, Rong Xun had claimed he hadn’t yet reached it. His identity was deeply suspicious.
“Since that’s the case, give the orders. Make sure he doesn’t find out.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Once the topic regarding Prince Chen’s Consort came to an end, Tan Taisi gestured toward the gift box on the desk, “What is that?”
“Your Highness, this is a wedding gift sent by the Left Prime Minister, the Pearl of Pristine Clarity.”
Tang Jiu opened the box, revealing a fist-sized pearl inside that emitted a faint blue glow.
“Yan Zhuoyue.”
Tan Taisi lowered his gaze, fixing it on the pearl inside the box.
This Pearl of Pristine Clarity was an imperial bestowal. Back when the Left Prime Minister Yan Zhuoyue had followed Emperor Longxi in conquering the realm and establishing great merits, Emperor Longxi had specifically rewarded Yan Zhuoyue with the Pearl of Pristine Clarity, which had been tribute offered by a foreign state.
Now he had sent this Pearl of Pristine Clarity as a wedding gift.
It truly was a heavy present.
Tan Taisi had barely been back in the capital for a month and had scarcely set foot in the imperial court a handful of times, yet already, numerous people were starting to form cliques and factions, hoping to drag him into their respective camps.
“Your Highness, this pearl is a gift bestowed by Emperor Longxi; this subordinate felt uneasy, which is why I brought it to Your Highness.”
“Did the Left Prime Minister hand this to you personally?”
“Yes.”
Hearing this, a dark look flashed across Tan Taisi’s eyes.
He had been away from the capital for many years, and aside from a few veteran officials, he had virtually no interactions with the court officials.
Yan Zhuoyue was remarkably eager to win him over.
“Your Highness, what should we do with this pearl?”
Given that it was an imperial bestowal, the Left Prime Minister had dared to give it away so casually, showing just how flagrant and unbridled that man was.
Tan Taisi pondered for a few seconds before instructing, “Have someone deliver it to the Prince Consort. After all, it is a wedding gift.”
“This. As you command, Your Highness.”