Chapter 23: The Grand Wedding
Hearing these words, Emperor Chu Wen’s brow furrowed even tighter.
He turned his serious gaze to Chu Ziqian, “Is this true?”
“…I’m sorry, Father, I was momentarily confused.” What Princess Ping said was irrefutable fact; Chu Ziqian couldn’t deny it. “I’ll have that man leave the Crown Prince’s mansion first, and then…”
“But, Crown Prince,” Princess Ping interrupted, “I heard that the man is none other than the third son of the Jiang family, who was expelled from his family for his wrongdoing! He is a man of ill repute, what kind of status do you want to give him?”
“…” Chu Ziqian’s forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
Jiang Zhenxiong hadn’t clearly stated to the public what crime Jiang Yingnan had committed, only that he had been disrespectful to his elder brothers and was no longer a member of the Jiang family. But no matter what, Jiang Yingnan’s reputation was indeed very bad.
“Father, it’s all because I was confused!” Chu Ziqian knelt down and kowtowed, “Jiang Yingnan is indeed of ill repute, I couldn’t resist his seduction for a moment, and made a big mistake! I will drive him out and break off all ties with him…”
“Crown Prince!” Jiang Zhenxiong suddenly shouted, “You and my son have had a secret relationship for many years, you are both willing participants, how can you say that he seduced you?!”
“…!” Chu Ziqian didn’t expect Jiang Zhenxiong to speak up for his son, who had already been expelled from the family.
“Your Majesty,” Jiang Zhenxiong looked at Emperor Wen De, “There was a misunderstanding in my family’s affairs, now the misunderstanding has been clarified, I will send someone to pick Nan’er up from the Crown Prince’s mansion. As for whether the Crown Prince will marry him in the future, that’s up to them.”
Jiang Zhenxiong knew very well that Chu Ziqian had said those things to shift the blame onto Jiang Yingnan. He was preparing to abandon Jiang Yingnan.
Once Jiang Yingnan was driven out of the Crown Prince’s mansion, his fate would be dire.
Things had come to this point, if he truly had no status, not to mention the Crown Princess, even Emperor Chu Wen probably wouldn’t let him off. After all, his existence had tarnished the royal family’s reputation.
Jiang Zhenxiong had hoped that Jiang Yingnan would sever ties with Chu Ziqian and live a peaceful life. Alas, Jiang Yingnan insisted on continuing his entanglement with Chu Ziqian.
After all, he was the son he had cherished for more than twenty years, how could Jiang Zhenxiong bear to watch Jiang Yingnan fall into despair, even die without a proper burial?
“I’m sorry, it’s our Jiang family that has caused trouble for Your Majesty and the Crown Prince.”
“General Jiang, you’re exaggerating.” Hearing Jiang Zhenxiong say this, Emperor Chu Wen couldn’t blame him any further, “This is a matter between the children, we shouldn’t be blamed.”
Witnessing this change, Chu Ziqian quickly thought about how to end the matter—
Jiang Zhenxiong had already mentioned in front of Emperor Chu Wen that Jiang Yingnan had been entangled with him for many years. If he insisted on breaking off ties with him now, it would be abandonment after seduction.
Moreover, he was unwilling to give up the chance to be with Jiang Yingnan.
Thinking this, Chu Ziqian said to Jiang Zhenxiong, “General Jiang, since it was a misunderstanding, Anan is not a person with evil intentions, then I am willing to take responsibility for him. General Jiang, would you be willing to let Anan be my concubine?”
Jiang Zhenxiong sneered in his heart: You really change your face faster than you turn a book, you want everything.
He didn’t know whether Jiang Yingnan still wanted to marry him at this point.
Before Jiang Zhenxiong could figure out how to answer, Emperor Chu Wen spoke, “Crown Prince, since you’ve already taken someone’s body, you should have given him a status a long time ago, it’s wrong to keep someone in the mansion without a status. I’ll decide the marriage.”
“Thank you, Father.” Chu Ziqian kowtowed, feeling that this was exactly what he wanted.
“…Thank you, Your Majesty.” Jiang Zhenxiong felt quite helpless. He and Jiang Yingnan didn’t even have the chance to refuse.
After the court session that day, Jiang Zhenxiong sent someone to bring Jiang Yingnan home first, and then prepare for the wedding.
Chu Lianmo, who had silently observed this scene, discussed the matter with Qi Xiaojun after returning to the mansion:
“You said the Crown Prince is both smart and foolish, he only has one wife and one mistress, yet he caused such a big commotion because of a personal matter.”
“…” Qi Xiaojun understood; Chu Lianmo was showing off his ability to manage so many women.
Sure enough, Chu Lianmo continued, “Jun, you complained to me last time that the Rui Wangfu is in turmoil, but the troublemaker is always Yin Mei, right? Yin Mei was originally a male prostitute, even if I had him executed, no one would care. I spared him because he served me diligently for so long.”
“…” Qi Xiaojun didn’t want to comment on this topic.
Chu Lianmo continued, “Although Awan’s father is only a second-rank official, she is dignified and sensible, isn’t she better than marrying a spoiled daughter of a first-rank official?”
“Your Highness,” Qi Xiaojun finally couldn’t help but say, “Have you never yearned for ‘one wife, one husband for life’?”
“…” Chu Lianmo immediately fell silent.
Qi Xiaojun thought he would be angry, even furious, but his expression now was not so much anger as deep sadness.
After a long while, Chu Lianmo’s eyes were red, and his voice was hoarse, “I also want one wife, one husband for life, but unfortunately, I no longer have the chance.”
Qi Xiaojun looked at him in surprise, not understanding.
Was it because he had already married so many women that he said he no longer had a chance?
But why did he have to say it so sadly?
Even Qi Xiaojun was infected by this sadness, feeling as if a large stone was blocking his heart.
At this time, Jiang Yingnan, who had been taken back to the Jiang Mansion, although he had heard that Chu Ziqian intended to take him as a concubine, was also immersed in deep sorrow.
“Father, what you said… is it true…?”
He looked at his father, whom he hadn’t seen for several days, with teary eyes, wishing that the truth was that his father was lying to him out of hatred, intentionally driving a wedge between him and Chu Ziqian.
Jiang Zhenxiong sighed, “Every word the Crown Prince said in court, not only I, but also so many civil and military officials heard clearly. If you don’t believe me, you can ask others.”
“…He really said… it was because I seduced him… I’m of ill repute… and he wants to break off ties with me?”
Jiang Yingnan repeated these words word by word, and with each word, he felt his heart being stabbed by a needle, bleeding profusely.
“Alas, maybe I shouldn’t have told you this. I should have let you marry him happily.”
“Father!” Jiang Yingnan finally couldn’t help but let the tears in his eyes fall, throwing himself into his father’s arms and sobbing, “I don’t want to get married! Can I not get married! I only know now that you are the best person to me in this world, that Chu Ziqian is a bastard! Why should I hurt my family for him! I’m a bastard too!”
“Nan’er…” Jiang Zhenxiong gently stroked his son’s back, his eyes also reddened, “The Emperor has already decreed the marriage, you can’t not marry. The Crown Prince probably has some true feelings for you, take care of yourself in the future.”
“Father, I was wrong! I was really wrong! I regret it so much!”
Jiang Yingnan cried out heart-wrenchingly.
That night, he cried until his eyes were swollen and his voice hoarse. He cried even more despairingly than the night he was expelled from the Jiang family.
Even if he was expelled, he could return to the Jiang family because of Jiang Zhenxiong’s words; but a married son is like spilled water, there’s no turning back in this life.
In the end, Jiang Yingnan could only, on the auspicious day a few days later, let the servants help him put on the wedding robe and get on the bridal sedan chair like a puppet.
Like a puppet, he bowed to Heaven and Earth with Chu Ziqian and finally entered the bridal chamber.
Seeing his disheartened look, Chu Ziqian knew that he had heard everything, so after the bridesmaids had all left, he quickly hugged him and comforted him softly:
“Anan, I said those things that day because I had no choice, I said them to my father!”
“Yes, you had no choice but to distance yourself from me.” Jiang Yingnan looked at Chu Ziqian and smiled coldly, “If Father hadn’t stood up that day, your father might have directly ordered me, this vixen, to be executed. You also had no choice but not to interfere, right?”
“How could that be?” Chu Ziqian quickly shook his head vigorously, “I was thinking of sending you to another place to hide first, and then bringing you back after things calmed down. How could I let anyone harm you?”
Jiang Yingnan sneered, “Whatever you say. I won’t believe you anymore.”
“Anan, don’t be like this, okay?”
Chu Ziqian hugged Jiang Yingnan even tighter, his voice even choked with emotion, “I’ve waited so many years to finally be with you, how can you bear to do this to me?”
“…”
Jiang Yingnan had also been looking forward to the day he would marry Chu Ziqian in a grand ceremony, for many, many years?
The first time he lay exhausted in Chu Ziqian’s arms, Jiang Yingnan choked, “It hurts… it really hurts… I only know now that it takes so much, Ziqian, don’t betray me, okay?”
“Okay.” Chu Ziqian readily agreed, “One day, I will definitely marry you in a grand wedding procession.”
Later, he married his main wife in a grand wedding procession.
Even today, when he finally married Chu Ziqian, a concubine couldn’t have such a grand ceremony.
“Anan, please forgive me this once, okay?” Chu Ziqian’s tone was almost pleading, “We’ve suffered enough, I won’t let you be sad anymore.”
Suffered enough? Really?
Chu Ziqian said softly, “Let’s live a peaceful life from now on, okay?”
“Peaceful life?” Jiang Yingnan smiled wryly, “According to the rules of the Crown Prince’s mansion, I have to greet your Crown Princess every morning, right? I’m still injured, how many days do you think she’ll take to torment me to death?”
“…Anan, don’t worry, I’ll let you off from greeting her this month, you should just rest.”
Jiang Yingnan breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was a month of peace.
“Then don’t come to me every day this month, remember to be fair. Otherwise, the Crown Princess will hate me even more, and she’ll probably settle the score with me next month.”
Jiang Yingnan once just wanted to stay with Chu Ziqian every day and not care about anything else.
But now he understands that Chu Ziqian is not the person who can protect him, he has to protect himself. That’s the most important thing now.