Chapter 24: Quarrel
Chu Yi followed a servant from the Jiang residence to a place to wash his hands. Just as he finished drying them with a silk handkerchief, the servant stuffed a slip of paper into his hand.
Tonight, it was supposed to be just him and Sheng Qianheng strolling the streets. He had the intention to escape but no concrete plan.
Now, with Sheng Qianheng still in the main hall, Jiang Xinrui was going to help him escape again?
He opened the note to read it:
There is a secret passage behind the bookshelf in my bedchamber that leads directly outside the residence. Leave quickly.
Signed: Jiang Xinrui
Chu Yi folded the note neatly and burned it with a candlestick from the table. Why do both of these men have secret rooms and passages?
If he left now, where would he go? And how would he evade Sheng Qianheng’s pursuit? What was the use of Jiang Xinrui telling him to run without a proper escape plan?
After confirming that no trace of the note’s writing remained, he returned the way he came.
In the main hall, Sheng Qianheng was sipping tea while Jiang Xinrui knelt before him.
Chu Yi slowly approached and stood beside Sheng Qianheng. “What happened? Why is Vice Minister Jiang kneeling?”
Sheng Qianheng and Jiang Xinrui both looked up at Chu Yi, their eyes filled with the exact same surprise.
Sheng Qianheng had secretly sent his guards to follow Chu Yi. He had thought that he would take this opportunity to leave with Jiang Xinrui’s help, but he never expected Chu Yi to return in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
He stood up, helped Chu Yi sit down, and continued, “Zhen intends to bestow a marriage upon Vice Minister Jiang, and he is asking Zhen to retract the order.”
So that was it. Chu Yi looked at the kneeling Jiang Xinrui and asked, “How old is Vice Minister Jiang?”
Jiang Xinrui reined in his inappropriate emotions and replied, “I have already reached the age of thirty.”
Chu Yi nodded. Jiang Xinrui was already thirty and unmarried? In ancient times, wouldn’t he have long been criticized or suspected of having a hidden ailment?
“Since you have already reached the age of thirty, why refuse His Majesty’s bestowed marriage? Your esteemed father and mother must have worried a great deal about your marriage, right?”
Sheng Qianheng’s gaze had not left Chu Yi since he returned to the hall. He stared at Chu Yi’s profile, and all the unease in his heart gradually subsided. He knew that Chu Yi had harbored the desire to escape ever since the assassination at the sacrificial ceremony, and he had tested him both openly and secretly several times…
Jiang Xinrui looked at Chu Yi in confusion. Did he not know the reason?
“This subject has someone I love. I will marry no one but him…”
Seeing Sheng Qianheng standing there in a daze after helping him sit, Chu Yi took his hand and squeezed it gently, continuing to speak to Jiang Xinrui, “Have you ever asked that person you love for their thoughts? What if they have no feelings for you? Will you still wait foolishly?”
When Jiang Xinrui looked up at Chu Yi, he realized his gaze had never fallen on him. He couldn’t help but laugh at himself. “It was this subject’s one-sided wish…”
Sheng Qianheng didn’t understand why Chu Yi had changed from a year ago, but it seemed he had returned to his original self…
He squeezed Chu Yi’s hand back tightly, his gaze shifting to Jiang Xinrui. “Then, Zhen intends to betroth Minister He’s daughter to you. Are you willing?”
Before Chu Yi could respond to this sudden bestowed marriage on Jiang Xinrui’s behalf, Jiang Xinrui had already agreed. “This subject thanks Your Majesty for bestowing this marriage…”
He watched in confusion as Jiang Xinrui kowtowed, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of sorrow in his heart. In this era where imperial power was supreme, even if one was unwilling, there was nothing they could do.
Perhaps Jiang Xinrui had truly loved the former “him,” but the current him could not respond to Jiang Xinrui in the slightest. All he could do was refuse this loveless marriage for him.
He gently shook Sheng Qianheng’s hand. “Your Majesty, Minister He’s daughter has only just reached the age of hair-pinning. She is far too young for Vice Minister Jiang… It’s better not to delay Minister He’s daughter’s future…”
Sheng Qianheng immediately raised a hand and pinched Chu Yi’s chin. “Pleading for Jiang Xinrui?”
Chu Yi knew that doing so would surely anger this tyrant, but once the words were out, he couldn’t take them back. He wrapped his arms around Sheng Qianheng’s waist. “Your Majesty, this subject is only speaking up for Minister He’s daughter. Although it is a good match, she would have to marry a man she has never met and who does not love her… How would you have Miss He spend the rest of her life?”
In an instant, no one in the main hall of the Jiang residence spoke.
The moon had already risen. The light in the hall was not dim, but it was impossible to read the thoughts on the faces of the three people.
A gentle breeze blew through the half-open carved wooden window, bringing a hint of coolness. The occasional chirping of insects in the courtyard only served to accentuate the dead silence in the hall.
Seeing Chu Yi’s unyielding expression, as if he would fight him to the end, a raging fire ignited in Sheng Qianheng’s heart. Chu Yi was actually defying him for Jiang Xinrui. He spoke coldly, “Since Consort Hui has spoken, then Zhen will retract this bestowed marriage. Vice Minister Jiang, are you not going to thank Consort Hui?”
Jiang Xinrui shifted his body slightly and kowtowed to Chu Yi again. “This subject thanks Consort Hui.”
After resting for a moment at the Jiang residence, Chu Yi and Sheng Qianheng stood up and left.
Neither of them was in the mood to wander around anymore, so they went straight back to the inn.
Unable to bear the heavy and oppressive atmosphere between them, Chu Yi took the initiative to break the ice. “Sheng Qianheng, you’re unhappy because I refused your bestowed marriage for Jiang Xinrui, aren’t you?”
Sheng Qianheng had been flipping through a book on the inn’s desk. He glanced at Chu Yi, who was squatting on the bed, and replied, “Chu Yi, even Jiang Xinrui didn’t defy the edict, yet you pleaded for him…”
Chu Yi deliberately sighed heavily, got off the bed barefoot, and walked to the tyrant’s side. “I was speaking up for Miss He. How can she live married to someone who doesn’t love her?”
Sheng Qianheng tried his best to suppress his anger, keeping his tone as calm as possible. “Miss He was just a pretext. From beginning to end, wasn’t it all for Jiang Xinrui, hmm?”
“How many more times are you going to use Jiang Xinrui to test me?” For some reason, Chu Yi could no longer swallow his anger. He unconsciously clenched his fists.
Neither of them had expected the other to speak to them in such a way. In an instant, they stared into each other’s eyes, speechless.
Sheng Qianheng threw the book in his hand to the side and questioned Chu Yi, “Since you know that Jiang Xinrui loves you, why have you contacted him several times? Explain yourself.”
Chu Yi let out a cold laugh and wrapped the robe around himself tighter. “Sheng Qianheng, when have I ever taken the initiative to contact Jiang Xinrui? Before the wedding, when I returned to my residence for the nàzhēng, it was you who pretended to be Jiang Xinrui to test if I would run away. Today, when we ran into Jiang Xinrui, I didn’t have any contact with him either. May I ask, has Chu Yi overstepped in any way? Sheng Qianheng, if you don’t trust this subject, why go to such great lengths to test me? You could just imprison me in Jingyang Palace. Wouldn’t it be best if no one could visit?”
Hearing Chu Yi’s insubordinate words, Sheng Qianheng felt a surge of anger. He was the supreme ruler, the emperor of Da Mo. No one could defy him!
“You dare to blame me for Jiang Xinrui? Do you dare to swear to me that you have never had a private affair with Jiang Xinrui?”
For some reason, Chu Yi’s eyes began to sting. He slowly turned his head to the side. “Your Majesty naturally does not believe me. What difference does it make whether I say it or not?”
Sheng Qianheng reached out and pinched the back of Chu Yi’s neck, forcing him to look up at him. He said viciously, “Chu Yi, are you not afraid that I will kill you today?”
Chu Yi didn’t even notice when the tears fell from the corners of his eyes. He only knew that Sheng Qianheng was, after all, a tyrant. A single spark was enough to ignite him. He said helplessly, “Kill me or cut me up, it is all up to Your Majesty’s command. This subject has nothing more to say…”
Sheng Qianheng looked at Chu Yi’s expression of someone ready to face death and was reminded of the look in Jiang Xinrui’s eyes as he looked at Chu Yi in the Jiang residence.
He pushed Chu Yi’s shoulder and stared at him coldly. “Don’t think that Zhen doesn’t dare to kill you.”
Translator’s Notes
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Age of hair-pinning : This refers to the coming-of-age ceremony for girls in ancient China, typically held at the age of fifteen, when their hair would be put up in a bun with a hairpin. It signifies that they are of marriageable age.
