Part 3
“Actually, Song Yilou truly wants to marry me. He doesn’t care about the State of Songxuan either; he really did give it to me.”
“How can the words of that Song scoundrel be trusted?” Lin Yue, having heard sighs all the way, didn’t believe a word of it.
“I must stay to bring Songxuan under my control.”
Lin Yue advised, “This move is too risky.”
“I promised Song Yilou I wouldn’t leave him.”
Lin Yue was heartbroken, looking like a fresh, elegant white crane had run off with a notorious demon lord. “The Prince is muddled! What part of that Song scoundrel is even worth a glance?”
“I know! That Song scoundrel must have drugged you! Otherwise, how could you make such a decision? I must take you back!”
How are you becoming more and more resolute? Yun Wuxiang once again missed his cultivation. In the past, if anyone was dissatisfied, he could just give them a sword strike. Now, he had to talk for ages, and he still couldn’t convince them.
Growing a bit annoyed, Yun Wuxiang followed Lin Yue’s line of thought and started making things up: “Song Yilou has poisoned me.”
Lin Yue suppressed his breath again and again before finally cursing out loud, “Shameless scoundrel!”
Yun Wuxiang: “You actually believed that line. Unfortunately, it’s fake.”
“Who said it’s fake?” A light laugh came from above their heads. They had only half-completed the motion of looking up when a dark shadow dropped down from above.
Song Yilou hugged Yun Wuxiang from behind, leaning his weight against him like a clingy dog. “A-Yun guessed correctly. I have poisoned you. If you aren’t there on the wedding day, Iāll go looking for your corpse so we can be buried together.”
Yun Wuxiang patted the “dog’s” head. “Your reputation is already notorious enough. No need to keep blackening it.”
A muffled chuckle came from the head buried in his shoulder. “A-Yun actually trusts me that much?”
“I don’t. It doesn’t matter. Iām not leaving.” Yun Wuxiang turned to Lin Yue, who had turned gray with shock. “Tell A-jie that once I have Songxuan completely under my control, I will go see her. During this time, Iāll trouble her to look after Yu’an for me.”
Lin Yue nodded silently, left silently, returned to his team silently, and wrote a letter to Yun Tianqing with a distorted expression, only to tear it up.
He looked out the window at the moon and let out a heavy sigh.
“My poor Prince…”
The Day of the Grand Wedding
The officials of Songxuan all wore fake expressions of celebration, whispering to one another. It looked very festive.
If one leaned in to listen, their conversation went like this:
“Lord Yu, how many layers are you wearing?”
“Three layers of soft armor and a heart-protecting mirror. Those military officials have the advantage; they can even wear helmets!”
“I even brought some heart-saving pills, just in case. I hope I won’t need them.”
“If weāre talking about safety, it has to be Lord Zhang. He retired and went back to his hometown a month ago. Now that is a smart man.”
“Censor Song is the lucky one. He happened to break a leg a few days ago and is now at home on sick leave.”
As the officials spoke, two soldiers carried a middle-aged man in official robes to his seat. One of the manās legs was wrapped in white cloth.
Once the officials recognized him: “Censor Song?!”
Censor Song forced a smile. “Greetings, Lords. I am in some discomfort, so I won’t be able to exchange formal greetings with you.”
The officials looked at his leg. “No need, no need.”
“The auspicious hour has arrived!”
The officials fell silent instantly. The entire hall was as quiet as a graveāso quiet that one could hear the nervous breathing of the person beside them.
Footsteps slowly approached. The officials kept their heads down, seeing only a figure in wedding robes walking past the middle of the hall.
Only one person?
“Emperor Songxuan! Where is our Prince? What is that youāre holding in your hand?!”
The officials peeked up, looking for the “brave soul” who had spoken.
“What I hold in my hand is, of course, A-Yunās hair.” Song Yilou held a small lock of white hair, lifting it to his lips. “Has the master of ceremonies gone mute? Why haven’t you continued?”
The master of ceremonies shuddered and struggled to continue presiding over the wedding.
Lin Yue immediately left the scene. Only the officials remained in the hall to accompany Song Yilou through a wedding that had only one person.
“Prince! Prince! Prince, you… youāre still alive.” The moment Lin Yue entered the courtyard, he saw someone lazily reclining on a chaise lounge, basking in the sun.
Yun Wuxiang gave a hum. “The Songxuan wedding process is too tedious. If I went through it all, Iād likely lose half my life. I just cut a bit of hair and let Song Yilou take it with him.”
Lin Yue: “So thatās how it was.”
Yun Wuxiang sat up, picked up a grape from the table, and offered it to Lin Yue. “Mm. Want a grape? To calm your nerves.”
“Eat?! Why would I eat! Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier? Do you know how terrified I was when I saw the Songxuan Emperor appear alone with your hair? I spent the whole way telling myself not to panic even if I saw your corpseāthat I had to bring you home. And here you are eating grapes!”
Lin Yue slammed his hands on the table, roaring with a distorted expression.
“I know. Iāll tell you next time. Want a grape? My hand is getting a bit tired from holding it up.” As Yun Wuxiang spoke, he prepared to put the grape down.
Lin Yue snatched the grape from his hand and said fiercely, “Iāll eat! Iām going to eat the Songxuan Emperor into poverty!”
Yun Wuxiang elegantly wiped his fingers with a handkerchief. “Iāve said it before: Songxuan will be mine, Song Yilou is mine, and the grape in your hand is also mine. Go back and tell A-jie: don’t bring her soldiers to fight my soldiers.”
Lin Yue nearly choked on the grape when he heard this. His face turned red as he coughed, hitting his chest twice before he could catch his breath.
“Have you really been given some soul-bewitching medicine by that Songxuan Emperor?”
“Lin Yue.” Yun Wuxiangās voice grew deeper, his eyes clear. In those eyes, Lin Yue couldn’t see any emotion; they were rational to the point of being cold-blooded.
Upon seeing those eyes, Lin Yue dismissed the possibility of Yun Wuxiang being irrational or blinded by love.
“Why can’t it be that Song Yilou has lost his heart to me? He is quite willing to give everything for me…” Yun Wuxiangās white hair only made him appear more ethereal and distant. He possessed a level of indifference that surpassed ordinary people.
Lin Yue suddenly remembered something. The Songxuan Emperor was the most willful and arrogant of Emperors. He toyed with the world but had never entered into an intimate relationship with anyone. Rumor had it that it was because he felt ordinary mortals were unworthy of him.
Yet now, he was rushing to marry his Prince’s Heir… Lin Yue looked at Yun Wuxiangās face and suddenly believed it another fifty percent.
Could the Songxuan Emperor actually be serious this time?
Translatorās Note
Wow, things are really escalating in the “Small World”! Here are some notes to help you navigate this week’s chapters:
- Map Shape (Scorpion vs. Flower): Did you catch that? Song Yilou sees a scorpion (predatory/aggressive), while Yun Wuxiang sees the missing piece to complete the Floating Life Flower. This perfectly reflects their differing perspectives on power and purpose.
- Dowry (å«å¦ – JiĆ zhuÄng): Traditionally, a dowry is given by the bride’s family to the groom’s. By giving the State of Songxuan as a “dowry,” Song Yilou is basically saying he’s the one “marrying in” to Yun Wuxiang’s family, which is a hilarious power move for a tyrant.
- Incapable Both Top and Bottom: This is a bit of cheeky wordplay about sexual roles (Top/Bottom) but also literally about Yun Wuxiang’s physical frailty. Song Yilou’s humor is… something else.
- Hair Wedding (ēµé«® – JiĆ©fĒ): The “Hair Wedding” is a beautiful but melancholy tradition. “Jiefa” refers to the first husband and wife. Usually, a couple would tie a lock of their hair together to symbolize eternal union. Since Yun Wuxiang is too frail for the ceremony, Song Yilou takes a lock of his white hair as a substitute.
- Banquet at Hongmen (é“»é宓): Lin Yue mentions this earlier. Itās a famous historical idiom referring to a banquet that is actually a trap intended to assassinate a guest.
See you in the next chapter!
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