“Who did you say?” the Emperor asked.
“The Third Young Master of the Princess’s Estate, Xue You.” Xiao Yanshi’s gaze was steady, completely disregarding the numerous astonished stares around him.
Liang Yan, ignoring even the Emperor on the dragon throne, turned his head sharply to look at him.
“Everyone assumes I offended the Third Young Master, but they do not know that I had actually met him long ago. Among all the people in this vast world, only he has captured my heart.”
Xiao Yanshi hadn’t read many books, and reciting such syrupy words made him feel like retching inside. But he endured it, maintaining a look of pure devotion on his face. “I know I am unworthy of him, but the matter of the heart is truly hard to fathom. I hope Your Majesty will fulfill this deep, sincere wish of mine!”
Xiao Yanshi lifted his robes and knelt.
“He’s lost his mind…” Liang Yan whispered. “I fear I have lost my mind as well…”
“Father, Ashi is merely rambling,” Xue Shao suddenly interjected. “It must be because of the rumors running rampant in Jiangling these days that have clouded his judgment… I have always known him; he has never had an inclination for men, nor has he had a sweetheart in the Northern Frontier. It is likely because of the sudden incident that day and the idle gossip he has heard, that he is spouting nonsense today!”
After finishing, Xue Shao turned his head and glared at Xiao Yanshi. “How can a man marry another man? Do not forget your status.”
Xiao Yanshi remained unmoved and let out a light laugh. “I do not know what the Prince means… But I am quite clear-headed right now, and I know exactly what I am saying.”
“It is true that I have never had a sweetheart before, but as for whether I have an inclination for men, I suppose the Prince would not know.”
Xue Shao was stunned. “You like men? You never mentioned this before…”
“Prince, I cannot possibly tell you everything,” he said with a smile. “Actually, if I hadn’t met the Third Young Master, I probably wouldn’t have known that one could like someone this much.”
“You are lying! That bastard is unworthy of your affection!” In his anger, Xue Shao completely forgot where he was, blurting out the words “bastard” without a second thought.
Xiao Yanshi’s smile faded. “Prince, please watch your words.”
The Emperor’s complexion darkened as well. “Shao-er, what did you say?!”
Xue Shao jolted in realization. When he looked up, he saw the rage in the Emperor’s eyes and the bulging veins on his hands as he gripped the desk. For some reason, his heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously leaned down to kneel. “Father, I spoke too hastily…”
“Was it speaking hastily, or is that what you truly think in your heart!” The Emperor exploded in rage, grabbing the book of crimes against Liu Zhiru on the desk and throwing it down. It struck Xue Shao square in the forehead.
The sharp corner of the book cut his skin, and beads of blood surfaced instantly.
“Your Majesty, calm your anger!” A large crowd knelt down in a panic.
“Your Majesty, the Second Prince was also deceived by slanderous talk and lost his composure for a moment. The Third Young Master of the Princess’s Estate is the consort’s own son, of noble status, and is indeed a worthy match for the Heir Xiao.” The Secretariat Chancellor, seeing the Emperor’s complexion turn drastically, hurriedly tried to smooth things over for Xue Shao.
The Emperor remained silent, but the fury in his eyes had not dissipated.
“Father, I acknowledge my crime!” Xue Shao, receiving a signal from the Secretariat Chancellor, immediately bowed his head to admit his guilt.
Xiao Yanshi, for once, did not speak. The hall remained silent, save for the sound of Xue Shao’s panicked breathing. The Emperor looked down from his height, the weariness from earlier swept away, replaced by an astonishing, sharp glare. Xiao Yanshi kept his head lowered, appearing as if none of this had anything to do with him.
“Does the Heir truly wish to marry?”
After an unknown amount of time, just as Xue Shao’s knees were aching unbearably, the Emperor’s voice finally emerged.
Xiao Yanshi looked up, his expression unchanged. “I wish to marry; I must marry!”
“…Then I shall grant you both permission to marry in three months.” The Emperor’s voice was low, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for the decree.”
Xiao Yanshi bowed his head in gratitude.
Behind him, his clothes were tugged again, and a voice sounded, barely audible: “Heir Xiao, you are mad…”
When the imperial decree granting the marriage was delivered to the Princess’s Estate, Xue You was still in the ancestral hall. Since the incident at the flower house, Xue Shao had been itching to tear him apart. But just as he had him tied up, the Consort’s men arrived, taking Xue You away before Xue Shao could deal with him.
Thus, Xue You was thrown into the ancestral hall.
The hall in the Princess’s Estate was very spacious, and it was located far from the main quarters—just the quiet Xue Shao had been looking for. The young maid who served Xue You felt injustice for him, stating openly that the Princess was taking the opportunity to punish him. Xue You laughed upon hearing this and remarked that the Princess was quite generous; after all, she hadn’t ordered him to be beaten with dozens of blows.
Satisfied to have avoided physical agony, Xue You was quite content.
There were few shrines in the hall, only three. Xue You recognized one of them and even remembered her face, but she was dead remembering her meant nothing. Xue You sat on the prayer mat and closed his eyes.
Before long, a person’s face surfaced in his mind.
Xue You opened his eyes.
This is the fourth time.
He could not calm his heart, so he stood up and walked to the wooden desk. Before the shrine sat a string of prayer beads, entirely black with dense Sanskrit script etched onto them; in the center, a single sarira (relic) emitted a brownish glow. Xue You picked it up and gripped one of the beads, turning it.
“Knock, knock.”
Xue You walked over and opened the door. “What is it?”
“Master, the Emperor has granted a marriage… between you and that Heir Xiao.” The person outside had a strange expression; faced with Xue You, he had even forgotten his fear.
“Is that the only news?” Xue You appeared indifferent, as if he were not surprised.
The messenger was stunned by his attitude. “The wedding date is set for three months from now.”
“Hmm, a bit late,” Xue You said, as if engaging in idle chatter. “Did the Emperor say anything else?”
“No.” The messenger thought for a moment and added, “Vice Minister Guo accused Liu Zhiru of embezzling relief funds and harming innocent lives; Master Liang volunteered to go to Qujing River to investigate… The Emperor has promoted Master Liang.”
Xue You was slightly surprised, but his expression relaxed in an instant. “To investigate Qujing River, anyone below the fourth rank would have little credibility.”
“The Master guessed correctly; Master Liang is now wearing red robes—he is a fourth-rank official.”
“Fourth rank, huh,” Xue You turned the prayer beads in his hand. “Still not enough…”
“Does Master mean…”
Not long after Xiao Yanshi returned to the estate, Xiao Yanzhi barged in, Xiao Yanxun with him.
“Sister, look…” Xiao Yanshi dodged the kick Xiao Yanzhi aimed at him and hurriedly caught Xiao Yanxun’s arm. “Every time I return, Brother beats me up daily!”
He continued his playful banter, but Xiao Yanxun gripped his hand back. “Ashi, you did this for me, didn’t you?”
Xiao Yanxun had withered away quite a bit more; her cheeks were pale, and the clothes she wore were a bit thin. Xiao Yanshi frowned slightly and escorted her into the room.
“Ashi, be good and don’t lie to me.” As soon as she entered the room, Xiao Yanxun’s eyes filled with tears. “I was willing to marry into the Meng family; why did you have to…”
Xiao Yanshi stiffened and immediately broke into a smile. “Sister, what nonsense are you spouting? What did I do for you? And what does this have to do with you marrying into the Meng family?”
Xiao Yanxun gripped him tight. For someone so soft and weak, her tears landed on Xiao Yanshi’s hand with enough weight to make him ache. “Sister…”
“Ashi, you don’t like men. Why would you force yourself like this… And that Third Young Master Xue is not someone to be trifled with. Do you think he’s a simple person if he was able to enter the Princess’s Estate and stand tall? You won’t be able to handle him!”
Xiao Yanxun didn’t understand much, but hearing that Xiao Yanshi had asked the Emperor to grant the marriage felt absurd to her. Xiao Yanshi had always been unrestrained, never having to worry about anything. It was only because of her that her only brother had to sacrifice his happiness.
“Sister, I never intended to ‘handle’ him,” Xiao Yanshi said, half-truthfully. “I asked the Emperor for the marriage, and it wasn’t entirely for your sake.”
“What?” Xiao Yanxun paused, failing to understand his meaning.
“His background is indeed ill-suited, but Sister… I do like him a little. Whether it was attraction at first sight or the incident that day—if I truly didn’t want it, do you think he could have forced me?”
He didn’t need to speak of the drugging. Thinking of the mess of that day, Xiao Yanshi felt a chaotic mess inside. The intricacies went deeper than this; talking about it would only add to his brother and sister’s worries.
Xiao Yanshi looked at Xiao Yanxun. “Sister, you don’t have to feel burdened. I’ve thought about it a lot these past few days. This decision was made after careful consideration. I have checked Xue You’s background, and there are no issues. It’s just his awkward status. But since I am to marry him, then… once he leaves the Princess’s Estate, he will have nothing to do with them. The Princess’s Estate is practically dying to kick him out anyway; who knows, perhaps I’ve solved a major problem for them.”
Xiao Yanshi ended with a joke, drawing a fierce glare from Xiao Yanzhi. He touched the tip of his nose sheepishly.
“But…”
Xiao Yanxun wanted to say more.
“Sister, rest assured. It’s not as if we cannot divorce. If I ever feel there is no need to continue with him, I will propose a divorce. He won’t be able to trap me for a lifetime.” Xiao Yanshi patted Xiao Yanxun’s hand. “You rest easy and prepare for your wedding… look at your little brother, I’ve managed to marry before you.”
Xiao Yanshi burst into a laugh. “Nonsense.”
“Sister…” Xiao Yanshi coaxed Xiao Yanxun to leave.
When he returned, Xiao Yanzhi was still sitting in his room. “How do you plan to tell Father?”
“The truth, I suppose,” Xiao Yanshi poured himself a cup of water and finally set it in front of Xiao Yanzhi.
Xiao Yanzhi didn’t drink, staring at Xiao Yanshi. “Is there something you are hiding from us?”
“What?” Xiao Yanshi looked blank. “Brother, what are you saying? What could I possibly be hiding from you?”
“Good. Then let me ask another question: Have you truly checked Xue You?” Xiao Yanzhi’s expression was serious. “They only say he was brought back to the Princess’s Estate by the Consort; his birth date, his mother, the place of his birth nothing can be found. Don’t you find that suspicious?”
Xiao Yanshi seemed to have just realized it. “Brother, you have checked him?”
“If I hadn’t checked, how could I be at ease?!” Xiao Yanzhi was furious. “But I checked him once, and I couldn’t find anything useful, which makes me even less at ease! What exactly is his background?”
“Brother, you might be overthinking it. He is merely…” Before Xiao Yanshi could finish, Xiao Yanzhi interrupted sharply. “Ashi!”
“There are still three months. It is not too late for you to regret it.” Xiao Yanzhi was always steady, but the words he spoke this time made Xiao Yanshi wonder.
“This is an Imperial Decree of Marriage,” Xiao Yanshi reminded him.
“The Pingbei Marquis Estate has guarded the Northern Frontier for years, repelling barbarians hundreds of times; our ancestors have exhausted their strength for the country and the people. A single decree of marriage is nothing.” Xiao Yanzhi’s eyes were dark. “If you do not dare, your brother dares.”
Xiao Yanzhi flicked his sleeves and left.
Xiao Yanshi’s head felt as large as a bucket. What a mess!
To avoid Xiao Yanzhi doing anything “defiant of the imperial decree,” Xiao Yanshi ran to the main courtyard early the next morning to intercept him.
Unexpectedly, there was only a nursing babe there. It was Xiao Yanzhi’s eldest son, Xiao Yunqi.
“Heir, the Young Master went out early,” the nanny attending to the little one reported truthfully. “The Young Master did not say where he was going; he only told us to look after the little Young Master well.”
“And my sister-in-law?” Xiao Yanshi grabbed a rattle and shook it in front of the little fellow. The little fellow giggled, his pudgy hands working hard to grab the rattle.
“The Mistress said she was taking the Young Lady out to buy some lipstick and have some trendy dresses tailored; they should be back by the afternoon.” The nanny watched as Xiao Yanshi amused himself with his little nephew. “The little Young Master seems quite fond of the Heir…”
“Is that so…” Xiao Yanshi curled his lips.
The two played for a while, and since Xiao Yanzhi still hadn’t appeared, and Xiao Yanshi’s cold was only just improving, he couldn’t help but worry. He stuffed the rattle into the little fellow’s hands. “Your father is truly reckless; in this freezing weather, who knows where he’s run off to…”
“Who are you calling reckless?” Xiao Yanzhi lifted the curtain and walked in, shaking the snow off his body. He had thrown his cloak outside, fearful that his chill would freeze the little fellow in the room.
Xiao Yanshi was caught red-handed badmouthing someone, but he wasn’t flustered. “I was speaking of myself; Brother heard it wrong…”
Xiao Yanzhi couldn’t be bothered with him and took the little fellow from the nanny. “Oh, did you miss your father?”
“Ya ya ya…” The little fellow recognized his father and eagerly grabbed Xiao Yanzhi’s hand, shaking it. “Die—die—ah—ah…”
The little fellow covered Xiao Yanzhi with spit, speaking in baby talk and showing off a set of sharp little milk teeth.
Xiao Yanshi felt his heart melt at the sight. “Being a father is quite interesting…”
Xiao Yanzhi glanced at him. “Marry that Xue You, and you won’t have the blessing of being a father in this lifetime.”
Xiao Yanshi: “…”