Chapter 67
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“Your Majesty?” Chu Xie turned around but bumped into a pair of deep, mysterious eyes.
“I need to think more.”
With a flat tone, Chu Xie relaxed. He had an inexplicable sense of coldness, fearing he had said something wrong that provoked this brat’s suspicion.
“I heard that Xu Chunmu saved you in Puyang County. How did he save you?”
Jiang Yanchi took off his outer garment and had someone prepare a basin of water. He used a cloth to remove the makeup from Chu Xie’s face.
Light makeup or heavy, both suited him well.
Natural beauty, unadorned, was equally stunning.
Jiang Yanchi had already questioned Xu Chunmu.
Indeed, with the Northern Huns’ situation being so mysterious, how could Jiang Yanchi not summon Xu Chunmu to the palace for questioning? He just didn’t expect it to be so urgent.
“I was very nervous at that time.” Chu Xie speculated on how Xu Chunmu would respond and answered cautiously, “The pursuers sent by the Xu family intercepted me outside the city gate. Xu Chunmu arrived in time and took me westward to escape… but those pursuers took a shortcut, forcing us to the edge of a cliff.”
The hand wiping his face paused.
“Then what?” Jiang Yanchi saw that he wasn’t speaking and soaked the towel in water, wiping away the makeup on Chu Xie’s cheeks, revealing a pair of fresh red marks.
“Then, Xu Chunmu was injured. Wounded in the chest, he bled a lot. We accidentally fell off the cliff, fortunately survived by drifting down the swift river, ending up in Huaiqi County…”
Since Jiang Yanchi ascended to the throne, Chu Xie felt that he was becoming increasingly unable to figure out his likes and dislikes. After describing everything, seeing no reaction from him, Chu Xie was afraid he had said something wrong again, so he decided not to elaborate further.
He reached out and hooked his neck.
The young emperor seemed lost in thought, then lowered his head abruptly.
“I’m tired.” Every time he said this, he would immediately arrange for his comfort.
This time was no exception. The young emperor lifted him and gently covered him with a quilt. “Then sleep first, don’t tire yourself out.”
Chu Xie’s body was weak, especially with so much happening in the past year. He had been sleeping a lot in recent months, almost seven or eight hours a day.
But tonight, he suddenly couldn’t sleep.
He slowed down his breathing, hoping not to let the young emperor notice.
Yet, he felt that the person had been sitting in the room, and the sound of reviewing memorials occasionally came through.
Later, the frequency slowed down.
A crisp sound, the noise of putting down a red brush. Accompanied by a sigh that was barely audible.
Jiang Yanchi had spent the whole night without rest and only went to wash up when dawn was approaching.
Seeing the dim sky, Chu Xie realized that he had stayed up the whole night without realizing it. Birds outside chirped continuously, and he heard Jiang Yanchi’s footsteps gradually moving away. Fatigue overcame him.
As soon as he closed his eyes and opened them, the maidservant came to wake him, and the palace servants knelt in a line, holding trays above their heads with various clothing, hair ornaments, phoenix crowns, and hairpins.
“Niang Niang, it’s getting late. We can’t delay.” The maidservant spoke softly and, seeing how tired Chu Xie looked, she wondered if the Niang Niang was too weak to wake up.
She felt a bit regretful but showed a joyful expression on her face, she called again, “Niang Niang, there’s no need to move. We’ll help you get dressed.”
After saying that, Chu Xie yawned and allowed the servant and the maidservant to dress him. He changed into his attire and had his makeup done.
Tao Li carefully drew his eyebrows, while the maidservant held the golden phoenix crown and combed his hair.
Chu Xie looked at himself in the bronze mirror with sleep in his eyes.
Oh, right.
He hadn’t slept well last night and had only slept for an hour before being dragged up to wash and get ready.
Today was his wedding day.
He wore a dark-colored, auspicious robe with a trailing hem of about one meter. He was already tall and slender, like a pine or bamboo, but when helped to his feet, he appeared dignified and regal, making people dare not look directly at him.
Golden ornaments sparkled like fireflies behind him, enhancing his rosy and radiant complexion.
On his way to the palace, palace eunuchs and servants knelt on both sides, holding trays with various clothing and ornaments high above their heads.
It was the grand ceremony of his wedding, so it should be this way.
However, Chu Xie felt a strange heaviness due to this grandeur that should not have been there.
Jiang Yanchi had indeed been very dedicated in preparing for this grand wedding.
He saw Jiang Yanchi from afar in front of the altar. His clear, handsome face bore both youthful spirit and mature composure.
He stood at the top of the long steps, overlooking Chu Xie, his eyes filled with anticipation and hope. As Chu Xie was helped to approach, Jiang Yanchi reached out his hand.
“What’s the matter? You seem a bit reserved,” the little emperor said, lowering his voice. “And your hand is so cold.”
After the announcement by the Zong Zheng, Jiang Yanchi knelt before the altar with Chu Xie and kowtowed nine times, then they stood up and kowtowed three more times.
The golden and jade ornaments jingled in his ears, giving him a headache.
He hadn’t expected that the hurried wedding would include such meticulous rituals. It felt as if he were in a flourishing age, although he had an inexplicable sense of unease.
He’d rather have this wedding less ceremonial.
For some reason, the extravagant wedding left Chu Xie with a growing sense of unease.
His throat moved up and down, and Chu Xie immediately asked for a bowl of water as soon as he stepped down from the sacrificial platform. Jiang Yanchi didn’t bother about himself and first helped him take off the heavy auspicious robe. “What’s wrong? Are you very tired?”
“A little,” he replied nonchalantly.
“You rest for a while; later, we have to change into the wedding attire. Eat something first.” Seeing the deep fatigue in his eyes, Jiang Yanchi asked, “Did you not sleep well last night?”
For some reason, the meticulous care and concern from this person nowadays seemed to only make him more irritable.
“Yeah, a little bit.”
“You…”
Jiang Yanchi reached out, turned his face slightly, and looked into those peach blossom-like eyes. “You don’t seem very happy.”
“I’m just a bit tired.” Chu Xie turned his face away. Now, he didn’t even want to eat, just hoping that the ceremony would be over soon.
Hearing that he was tired, Jiang Yanchi immediately helped him lie down, telling him to rest for a while. Chu Xie, feeling the exhaustion, closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.
He had a dream, dreaming of many things from his past life.
He dreamt of the first time he stole someone’s wallet on a bus, being caught and running for his life, only to be knocked down by a bicycle. The person caught up, kicked him a few times, scolding him as a little b*stard. Rain started falling from the sky, wetting his face.
He dreamt of the teacher pushing up his glasses, asking him if he wanted to quit. He nodded, and a cold wind blew into his pants. There was even a hint of a smile on his lips. “Quit.” He heard the teacher advising him, saying how could a child who only finished middle school could make money. He replied, “I’ll find a way.”
He dreamt of a snowy day when Little Yin fainted in the house. He called 110, and an ambulance came. However, he couldn’t find 1,000 yuan for the transportation fee and had to beg a doctor, saying, “Go to the hospital first, save her first. I’ll figure out the money. Just give me some time.”
He dreamt of standing in front of his mother’s tombstone, saying, “Mom, this time, I really have no way.” Holding a consent form to give up treatment, his eyes looked very bleak, but he never cried, numb as if he didn’t know pain.
No way, this time, there really was no way.
I can’t make money.
I can’t save her.
The dream repeated, replaying the memories that had never been clear, slowly pressing on his chest like a heavy stone, making it difficult to breathe.
He knew it was a dream, but he couldn’t wake up.
Just when he thought he was about to drown, an anxious shout woke him up.
“Chu Xie, Chu Xie!”
He opened a pair of reddened eyes, and the blurry surroundings gradually became clear. He saw the Little Emperor with a somewhat panicked look, repeatedly calling him, “Chu Xie, what happened.”
What happened, what happened.
It seemed like I just had a dream, but what did I dream about? He seemed to be unable to recall the exact scenes.
He only vaguely remembered that suffocating pain, that choking sensation more intense than the brink of death.
Those memories seemed to become blurry again, pressing deep into the depths of his heart.
“Ah Xie.”
He found himself lying in Jiang Yanchi’s arms. He heard the man say, “You just had a nightmare, shaking uncontrollably.”
“What did you dream about?”
Chu Xie couldn’t articulate it. He opened his hands and saw deep imprints on his palms. After a while, he asked, “What time is it?”
“It’s already night. I saw you were sleeping deeply, and there were some formalities behind. I accepted them on your behalf. But the nighttime ceremony and the marriage bed ceremony require both of us.” Jiang Yanchi helped him up, his voice gentler. “Come, let’s change into the wedding attire first.”
Chu Xie changed into a bright red wedding dress, looking a bit dizzy. He covered himself with a red veil, and Jiang Yanchi assisted him in bowing to the heavens and earth. After the mutual bows, the noisy and bustling sounds around gradually disappeared.
The room became quiet.
The Little Emperor handed him a small bowl-like jade cup, filled with a hundred-year-old concoction of Chinese scholar tree flowers, symbolizing a hundred years of harmony.
Chu Xie obediently drank the concoction. The spiciness hit his throat, making him cough lightly.
But he forgot, in this life, his body couldn’t get drunk. Gradually, his head became heavy and sluggish. Having eaten almost nothing the whole day, his stomach felt like it was burning.
Jiang Yanchi quickly had someone feed him a few sips of white rice porridge and brought a plate of pastries Chu Xie usually loved. “Eat some, or you’ll be starving later.”
Chu Xie blushed on both cheeks, and his entire neck gradually turned pink.
Despite having only a little to drink, his whole body emitted a fragrant smell of wine.
The sweet scent of the Chinese scholar tree flowers mixed with the refreshing scent of cypress, enveloping them softly. Unable to resist the temptation, Jiang Yanchi, holding him, couldn’t help but be moved by desire. Pinching his chin, he kissed him.
Chu Xie, drunk, surprisingly didn’t resist.
Remembering his promise, Jiang Yanchi refrained from doing anything more. Instead, he helped him take off his boots, untied his hair, and assisted him in leaning back against the bed.
“Ah Xie, we have bowed to the heavens and earth; we are now husband and wife.”
“Husband and wife…” Chu Xie murmured.
He found Chu Xie’s current appearance somewhat amusing and echoed, “Yes, we are the closest people in this world.”
“I and… you.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“No… that’s not right…”
Jiang Yanchi held his hand, thinking he was just talking nonsense. He asked, “What’s not right?”
“Jiang Yanchi.” He managed to call his name, indicating that he wasn’t too drunk. “I regret it.”
The little emperor’s face froze. “Regret… what?”
Chu Xie’s gaze turned, appearing both intoxicated and clear.
“I shouldn’t… have married you.”
The smile in the Little Emperor’s eyes slowly faded. As if suppressing some emotion, he fell silent for a moment. After scanning Chu Xie’s body several times, his tone remained unchanged, even more gentle. He bent down and asked, “Why shouldn’t you marry me?”
“Recently, I… seem to have become a bit strange.” Chu Xie continued to speak to himself. He wasn’t going crazy from the alcohol; he looked like a well-behaved lamb, warm and gentle. “I hope you like me, but at the same time, I hope you… don’t like me too much.”
“Why?”
“Because, if you like me, then I can use you.”
Chu Xie spoke openly and frankly. His nasal tone was a bit heavy, and his voice, unusually soft and gentle, seemed to melt like just-eaten sweet cake in his throat.
“But if you like me too much, you’ll be very sad after I leave.”
“Where are you going?” Jiang Yanchi chuckled, leaning down to lightly touch his lips, savoring the fragrance of those vermilion lips. He whispered, “You married me, so you’re mine now.”
“You can’t go anywhere in this lifetime.”
“But I want to go home.”
Chu Xie seemed as if he was still in a dream.
“From now on, here is your home.” He helped the man lie down. Just as he covered the feet with a quilt, it felt cool. It turned out that Chu Xie had kicked off most of the blanket.
He got up to cover his feet, and then another large section was lifted.
Really not obedient.
It seemed this was how he behaved when he was drunk.
Chu Xie reached out to loosen his own collar, muttering to himself, “It’s so hot…”
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