Chapter 54: The Princess’s Marriage
Ying Xi’s expression grew increasingly dark. He frowned and let out a low hum, his thoughts unreadable.
The brilliant spring sunlight seemed to lose its color under the suppression of the Emperor’s aura.
Huachao didn’t know the full story. Last night, Prince Yong had caused a scene at Weiyang Palace and had just been drugged and thrown into the Zongzheng Temple. Today, she had come to join in the commotion.
One after another. Did they really think the Zongzheng Temple was some sort of pleasant resort? Or were they dead set on forcing him to become an Emperor heartless enough to harm his own siblings?
Ying Xi’s expression went from bad to worse.
Princess Jinxiang and her group were just about to secretly rejoice.
Seeing the mood turn sour, Yu Jing put on a placating smile and ushered the other princesses out. “My dear ancestors, it’s about time. Please go back and rest.”
“That Barbarian King is an impatient one. He requested an audience for tomorrow, but he might show up any moment. I hear the Barbarian King has six heads and is incredibly fierce. We wouldn’t want to frighten Your Highnesses.”
The princesses and commandery princesses looked at each other. Naturally, none of them wanted to encounter a foreign guest.
The audience was over, and having mocked Huachao in passing, the group bowed to Ying Xi and withdrew.
Ying Xi said, “Huachao stays.”
“Yes.”
As the flower-like girls departed, the “foxtail grass” looked more and more like a solitary weed.
Ying Jia maintained her bowing posture, but facing the prolonged silence, her confidence waned. She lowered her head and adjusted her wrinkled monk’s robe.
In the moment she lifted her head again, her nun’s cap slid askew to the corner of her eye.
Huachao clearly saw the Emperor’s face darken a few more shades. She didn’t dare reach up to straighten the hat, but her eyelid twitched violently!
She tried to use the momentum of a head flick to reset the hat. She shook her head hard.
Too hard.
The nun’s cap flew off, tracing a long grey arc through the air.
The arc ended right at the toe of the Emperor’s white boot embroidered with gold. Ying Xi’s face looked so gloomy it might drip water.
Dragon Might was truly Dragon Might.
With the aura honed through two lifetimes and countless crises, Ying Xi didn’t even need to interrogate her.
Huachao was so scared she shuddered several times in a row. “—Imp-Imperial Brother, I was wrong!!!”
She leaned forward, snatched up the nun’s cap, and hurriedly hid it behind her back. She blinked her apricot eyes, pretending nothing had happened.
Ying Xi lowered his gaze. “Where were you wrong?”
“I… I shouldn’t have made Imperial Brother angry!” Ying Jia said, hastily adding, “I also shouldn’t have dressed like this to worry Imperial Brother, and even more so, I shouldn’t have…”
“Have what?”
“Used a nun’s cap to cover the Dragon Foot! This hat of mine has been blessed; its origins are clean and innocent. It absolutely won’t suppress the Dragon Luck. I was wrong, I was wrong!”
Ying Jia begged for forgiveness repeatedly.
At this moment, she completely disregarded the fact that the eunuchs and maids of Yichun Palace, big and small, were all focusing their gaze on her, watching the younger sister play the fool in front of her Emperor brother.
Ying Jia clearly wasn’t like this before.
However, compared to the beautiful but wooden Princess Huachao of the past, the current Ying Jia was vivid and lively. She acted spoiled and pitiful, smoothly tugging at the corner of the Emperor’s robe.
She did it out of instinct, unaware that Ying Xi actually had a soft spot for this.
The Emperor’s anger had already dissipated by half, though he didn’t show it. He asked indifferently, “Why become a nun?”
“Your subject sister accidentally offended the Barbarian King in the city. The Barbarian King wants to marry me, and I don’t want to marry him.”
It turned out that while Princess Huachao was gathering material for her new serialized novel at Yunyong Tower, she saw a table of men in strange attire. It was quite a rarity.
So, she sat near that table, took out her notebook to capture information, and unexpectedly heard them gathered together discussing the imperial clan women.
Some said that although Princess Jinxiang was of the right age, her nose bridge was low and her eyes were small.
Others said the Commandery Princess of Yiyang was beautiful, but unfortunately only a commandery princess; her status couldn’t match the Great King.
Still others said Princess Renkang was the most noble woman in the palace after Grand Princess Huining, but unfortunately, her seniority was too high, and she was a widow.
The discussion was lively. Ying Jia realized these men had bad intentions. She noted their table number and went downstairs to report to the city patrol guards that someone dared to critique the daughters of the imperial clan.
The Barbarian King dared not reveal his identity and was given a sound lecture. He carefully asked who had turned him in.
The guard answered without concealing anything: “The young lady at the table next to you, that was Princess Huachao!”
Thus, the usually low-key Ying Jia was thoroughly exposed.
Before she could return to her manor, she was intercepted by the Barbarian King. The King looked at her and grinned.
Ying Jia broke out in goosebumps. Fearing this big brute would take revenge, she struck first, stomping hard on the Barbarian King’s foot, then turned and ran.
Ying Jia had sharp ears. While running, she heard it clearly—the Barbarian King told his subordinate: “Gu will ask the Great Qin Emperor for Princess Huachao.”
Wasn’t this blatant revenge?
Therefore, Huachao decided to preempt him by temporarily seeing through the vanity of the world, dressing as a nun in public, and perhaps even entering the Zongzheng Temple for refuge.
Huachao whispered, “Subject sister is a bit afraid of that Barbarian King. He is dark and strong, and very unfriendly. I wanted to win Imperial Brother’s pity, but I didn’t expect to make you angry.”
If the Barbarian King were here right now, he would know Huachao’s description was precise and appropriate.
The Barbarian King’s appearance was vastly different from the mainstream aesthetic of the capital.
Ying Xi smiled faintly, moved by his sister’s plea for pity. While Huachao muttered her complaints, he recalled her past life, silently boarding the wedding carriage. It felt like yesterday.
Once, Huachao did not rely on him.
Once, the court was weak and could not allow her to make a choice.
Contrasting the two, the corners of Ying Xi’s lips lifted. He reached out and helped Huachao up. The dusty princess looked like a bewildered rabbit in a field.
Ying Xi held the fate of many imperial clan women in his hands.
Because he had enough power, they could have better lives.
Ying Xi spoke with arrogance, “If you don’t like him, he couldn’t have you even if he married into our family. Zhen intends to arrange a satisfactory marriage for you in the future. Though, if you really want to become a nun, it would save Zhen some worry.”
Huachao hurriedly stopped him: “—Then I beg Imperial Brother to put in a bit more effort for your subject sister!”
She still wanted an ideal husband.
The stone in Huachao’s heart fell to the ground as she successfully made Ying Xi laugh.
She tilted her head to examine Ying Xi, feeling that the protagonist image in her romance novel was becoming more perfect. She needed to remember her Imperial Brother even more deeply: eyebrows and eyes like pale ink wash, eyelashes thick and long, the tails of his eyes slightly red and upturned…
The rarest thing was that Imperial Brother possessed both authority and beauty.
Ying Jia stared at Ying Xi in a trance.
The Emperor called her out: “Why the sudden daze?”
She couldn’t exactly say she was looking at him and thinking about how to write her novel.
Ying Jia shuddered and immediately spouted nonsense: “Subject sister was thinking, if I can’t hide this time, I can only beg Cousin and ask him to reluctantly marry me.”
“…”
Her cousin was none other than Xie Qianli.
The breeze in Yichun Palace was gentle, but the moment Ying Jia’s words fell, the air seemed to solidify, and instantly all was silent.
Ying Jia hurriedly lowered her head, inexplicably sensing that disaster had come from her mouth.
At this moment, she recalled that plate of sour grapes at Yunyong Tower—one fed casually, the other insisted it was sweet.
Art reflecting reality wasn’t impossible, but Ying Jia didn’t dare fully substitute real people into her thoughts. She took a deep, wary breath.
Ying Xi asked, “You want to marry Xie Qianli?”
“No, I don’t!”
In that instant, denial became an instinctive reaction.
Ying Jia shook her head frantically, her heart hanging in her throat.
Ying Xi, however, remained calm as usual, even speaking with a tone of curious lament: “You like him but dare not say it. Perhaps he holds you in his heart but refuses to speak, secretly worrying about you constantly, terrified of making you unhappy.”
Yu Jing’s eyes darted around rapidly.
Ying Jia stole a glance at Ying Xi. She couldn’t see any clues and thought she was overthinking things, yet her spine inexplicably tingled.
“Indeed, only Minister Xie matches your status,” she heard her Imperial Brother say clearly. “If the two of you have mutual affection, Zhen will bestow a marriage decree upon his return to the court.”
The promise of a marriage decree was no lie.
The Emperor’s words were gold.
But Ying Jia somehow heard a trace of loneliness beyond the words.
How could Ying Jia dare agree? “Imperial Brother, Cousin and I have no mutual affection, please don’t bestow a marriage. He is busy with military affairs; we have barely seen each other.”
Ying Xi fell silent. “A pity.”
Only then did Ying Jia heave a sigh of relief.
The frozen air in Yichun Palace slowly thawed.
Yu Jing suddenly smiled and smoothed things over, saying, “Your Majesty worries about the Princess’s marriage, but doesn’t the Princess also wish to accompany her brother for a few more years? Your Majesty should wait for the Princess to find her intended and request the decree herself. Why must the Duke of Ying be assigned to the Princess?”
Ying Xi said nothing. He shook his head slightly.
Whether he insisted on the arranged marriage remained unresolved. Neither Huachao nor Yu Jing dared to press further.
Huachao could only change the subject. They chatted about trivial matters and she accompanied her Imperial Brother for a stroll in Shanglin Park until the red sun dipped west. Only then did she leave, taking with her several cartloads of gifts bestowed by the Emperor.
Not long after, the Amnesty Mission began its return journey.
The Longwu Army returned to their garrison, and the envoy team entered the Imperial City. The mission would report for duty in the afternoon; in the morning, they returned to their respective residences to rest.
The early summer sunlight was dazzling. Xie Qianli was clad in silver armor, which glowed with a near-pure white brilliance in the sun.
He didn’t rush back to his manor. He rode through the West Market with the black falcon perched on his shoulder, forming an unapproachable circle around him. The gazes of the passing commoners were filled with awe.
People assumed Xie Qianli must be on official business. Even those who recognized the Duke of Ying dared not greet him.
In reality, Xie Qianli had come to the West Market for the smallest of matters.
During the return journey, while secretly buying many local specialties, he had picked up a stone on the road.
The stone was a translucent, crystalline red throughout, yet it was not any precious gem. Having been eroded by flowing water on the river beach, the rock had been ground into a perfectly rounded heart shape.
Xie Qianli wanted to have a hole bored into the stone and strung with a cord, adding a little decoration. It didn’t require much technical skill; plenty of craftsmen could do it.
However, Xie Qianli walked into the most famous jade workshop in the West Market.
Seeing the solemn armor, the old craftsman dared not slight him. He hurriedly rose to welcome him, asking what item the General wanted to make and what material to use.
Xie Qianli simply took out an ordinary stone and briefly stated his request.
This caused the old craftsman to pause slightly.
The old man examined it carefully. Although the stone was shaped by nature and indeed had a quaint and interesting form, it was, after all, just a stone.
The craftsman couldn’t help but remind him, “General’s request is not difficult to fulfill, but the General must know, this shop’s labor fee is five taels of silver, far exceeding the value of this stone material.”
The craftsman also recommended many types of jade.
The jade materials were a feast for the eyes. This shop had been open in Chang’an for a hundred years, catering to the needs of mid-to-high-level clients, and there was no shortage of rare jade.
Among them was a piece of ice jade, its texture fine and warm, looking like semi-flowing water under the sun.
But looking at these rare treasures, Ying Xi’s face appeared clearly before Xie Qianli’s eyes, touching a soft spot in his heart.
The Sovereign owned the four seas; what treasures had he not seen?
Xie Qianli shook his head and said briefly, “Start the work. I know.”
The old jade craftsman was secretly puzzled but could only comply. He examined it briefly, drilled the hole, threaded the cord, and then, pinching the small stone with his rough fingers, engraved the two words “Danxin” (Loyal Heart/Red Heart) on the slanted side with a carving knife. After gilding it with gold, he let Xie Qianli choose the cord.
As if guided by a ghost, Xie Qianli chose a bright imperial yellow.
In the Imperial Capital filled with noble scions, if this person dared to use it, he must be allowed to use it.
The old jade craftsman didn’t ask further questions. He matched it with tassels of the same color and handed the finished product back to Xie Qianli.
At this moment, reflected in the old man’s cloudy eyes was the General in cold, bright silver armor. Unexpectedly, the General bowed and raised his hands to receive the Danxin Stone Pendant. He took it solemnly, his handsome brows filled with devotion.
“Many thanks, elder.” He paid the money.
The old jade craftsman found it rare for a general full of cold, murderous aura to display the posture of a young lover. He smiled knowingly: “It is a gift for a sweetheart.”
Xie Qianli: “…”
In that instant, his heart was in chaos, emotions clogging his throat all at once.
Xie Qianli steadied himself and almost fled the jade shop.
The old craftsman’s certain “sweetheart” and Lian Qing’s “The General has a girl he likes” played on a loop in his mind. Finally, a faint light was lit in the spiritual platform of the man lost in the dream of sovereign and subject relations.
Xie Qianli vaguely realized something.
But he dared not confirm it; he stopped himself from thinking further.
He had a faint premonition that if a certain thought were discovered, it would be like opening the floodgates—impossible to end.
Xie Qianli was still deceiving himself in his consciousness. The Little Xi of the past, the Emperor of the present—the figure replicated infinitely in his mind. He was excited to the point of trembling, yet maddened by the taboo… The Danxin Stone in his hand was hard and hot; he was about to crush it!
Xie Qianli calmed down.
He drove away the distracting thoughts and reached a reconciliation with himself.
He only wanted to dedicate this red heart to the Emperor, representing his loyalty, his admiration for Ying Xi. Dedicated to the moon high above, the only Sovereign of Great Qin.
The Duke of Ying mounted his horse with the falcon, planning to bathe and change clothes before entering the palace, tucking the Danxin Stone Pendant into his bosom.
Riding past Yunyong Tower, Xie Qianli looked up at the building. He couldn’t help but tighten the reins and slow down, revealing a shallow smile. The young general’s eyes were like bright stars.
The sound of passing guests talking and laughing drifted into Xie Qianli’s ears, discussing the recent major events in the city: “The Southwest Barbarian King had an audience and asked His Majesty for Princess Huachao’s hand. Even after being rejected, he won’t give up and is lingering in Chang’an.”
“His Majesty values Huachao; how could he bear to let her marry far away?”
“Hah, I heard His Majesty has long since found an exquisite match for the Princess. He intends to grant a marriage between Princess Huachao and the Duke of Ying. Marrying his sister to his beloved general can keep Huachao here and also win over Xie Qianli. Didn’t the former Duke of Ying and Grand Princess Huining unite in marriage this way?”
“The Xie family marrying a princess is a custom. The Xie Manor is going to produce another Prince Consort!”
The light in Xie Qianli’s eyes dimmed, and the smile froze at the corner of his mouth.
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