Blame it on Yin Wuzhi for not living long enough.
In his nearly twenty years of life, he had never encountered someone this shameless and outrageous.
This was plainly visible humiliation, but since the one doing the humiliating was too lazy to move, he was making the humiliated party guide his hand to perform the act.
Yin Wuzhi felt the impulse to write down this absurdity and see if anyone else would believe it.
If this wasn’t the epitome of absurdity, he’d resign and become a farmer.
“You wish.”
“Take my hand.”
“I said no.”
“I want it.”
“…”
Yin Wuzhi, his face stormy, turned his back on Jiang Wu.
He could accept taking care of Jiang Wu and helping him recover, but he absolutely couldn’t accept letting Jiang Wu treat him this way.
If it were a girl, she would have already slapped this emperor across the face.
In his heart, such things should only be done between people who genuinely cared for each other. He could never allow himself to do such things with someone like Jiang Wu, who still didn’t understand how to cherish someone—at least, not yet.
“Yin Wuzhi, I command you.”
Yin Wuzhi ignored him.
“I’ll punish you.”
Yin Wuzhi still ignored him.
“…”
Jiang Wu, tired of speaking, decided to rest for a moment.
When the silence stretched on, Yin Wuzhi began replaying the recent events in his mind, wondering if Jiang Wu thought he hated him.
Had he hurt his feelings?
After a long pause, Yin Wuzhi quietly explained, “This minister doesn’t like that.”
Jiang Wu had been debating whether or not to give up on this, wondering if it was worth the effort for what it might do to advance his goal of self-destruction.
But those words made him look up again. “Yin Wuzhi.”
Yin Wuzhi said nothing.
“Turn around.”
A few moments later, Yin Wuzhi turned around, his resistance still clear.
The more he resisted, the more Jiang Wu refused to let him go. “Hand.”
Jiang Wu surprisingly backed down from his earlier demand to touch him and instead asked for his hand. It seemed the emperor wasn’t entirely beyond redemption and was at least willing to respect others.
Yin Wuzhi grabbed his hand, still irritated.
Jiang Wu’s hand was clearly one that had held both pens and weapons, but after two years of luxury, the calluses had softened, and his palm now felt gentle.
Yin Wuzhi held his hand in his own, suddenly remembering Jiang Wu’s earlier ridiculous request.
If this hand had really…
He snapped back to reality. “What did you say?”
“Touch.”
“…”
He hadn’t given up yet!
Yin Wuzhi’s face turned green. “I told you, you can forget about it.”
“Want.”
Yin Wuzhi was so furious that his lower lip began to tremble.
“Want,” Jiang Wu insisted, exhausting every possible means in his quest for self-destruction. “If you won’t, I’ll summon Chen Ziyan to the palace and make him endure it in your place.”
Yin Wuzhi’s chest heaved, and a murderous intent began leaking from him like sand from an hourglass.
Jiang Wu understood then that Chen Ziyan was someone extremely important to him. Every time he mentioned Chen Ziyan, Yin Wuzhi seemed ready to cut him down.
What if he really summoned Chen Ziyan to the palace and humiliated him in front of Yin Wuzhi? Wouldn’t his goal be quickly achieved?
Fearlessly, Jiang Wu pressed on. “Hurry.”
Yin Wuzhi gripped his wrist tightly, and Jiang Wu said, “Don’t hurt me.”
Yin Wuzhi’s fingers tightened like steel, and a familiar redness began to appear around his beautiful eyes.
Whether from embarrassment, shame, anger, or frustration, Jiang Wu wasn’t sure.
His gaze focused on the corner of Yin Wuzhi’s left eye, and for a moment, he thought he saw something—a deep red mark. But he quickly realized it was just because Yin Wuzhi had started crying again. When he cried, his eyes always turned red, and tears would gather at the edges, making that redness sparkle like crystals.
Jiang Wu’s hand was finally pressed against Yin Wuzhi’s chest.
The other person gritted his teeth, “So, are you satisfied now?”
Naturally, he was not satisfied.
Jiang Wu said, “Move.”
Yin Wuzhi’s skin was excellent—elastic and firm. Though as a military general he had some scars, they didn’t diminish his body’s appeal at all. On the contrary, they added a sense of rugged strength.
Jiang Wu’s peripheral vision once again caught sight of a deep crimson, as vivid as a bloodstain, glaringly red. Lazily, he glanced at the corner of Yin Wuzhi’s eye, but the bloodstain had vanished without a trace, as if it had been a mere illusion.
“Are you satisfied now?” Yin Wuzhi’s voice came, laced with thunderous anger, eerie as a ghost. Jiang Wu looked directly at him and said, “Not enough. Do it again.”
Yin Wuzhi, like wiping a cloth, quickly rubbed his chest.
Jiang Wu commanded, “Lower.”
“…”
Yin Wuzhi made up his mind. He would never show this foolish emperor any more mercy. Whether this emperor liked him, loved him, or whether he was the only one who could save him, Yin Wuzhi no longer cared. Let him fend for himself!
“Lower.”
Yin Wuzhi: “…”
No, he had to kill him, personally twist his head off, and hang it on the city gate!
Jiang Wu’s hand was roughly thrown aside.
He never exerted any force on this body, but now, his hand hit the wall behind him, causing the fingers to contract in pain.
Yin Wuzhi’s gaze was as if he was staring at a dead man. Despite the tears in his eyes, he said coldly, “You can get lost now.”
Jiang Wu truly felt the hatred in him. Unhappy, he said, “How dare you tell me to get lost.”
“If you don’t leave, I will.”
Yin Wuzhi turned and got out of bed, hastily pulling on his clothes. As he lowered his head, tears swiftly slid down the bridge of his nose.
Jiang Wu was an evil man. If he didn’t kill him, there would be no way to erase today’s shame.
What angered Yin Wuzhi the most was his own body. It seemed to be uncontrollably drawn to him, uncontrollably reacting to him.
“Yin Wuzhi.”
His back still ached from the injuries, and as he stood up, he held his shoulder, grabbing his outer robe from the screen without a word.
“You hurt me.”
Yin Wuzhi wiped his eyes, silently pulling on his clothes.
“Come here and massage me.”
Expressionless, Yin Wuzhi opened the door.
“Or would you prefer I call Chen Ziyan instead?”
The door slammed shut heavily. Yin Wuzhi turned back, grabbed Jiang Wu’s hand, and pressed hard… though in the end, fearing his family would be executed, he didn’t press down.
Jiang Wu kept observing him. “You’re already able to move freely?”
Suppressing his gloom, Yin Wuzhi massaged his hand.
Enduring the pain, Jiang Wu said, “If so, go to the Imperial Study later and handle the memorials.”
“What does Your Majesty think I’m for?”
“To make use of.”
Yin Wuzhi swallowed his frustration, picked Jiang Wu up, and placed him back in his wheelchair. Then Jiang Wu was promptly pushed out the door, which closed behind him once more.
“Your subject’s body is unwell, please feel free to proceed on your own.”
Jiang Wu never did things on his own. He summoned Qi Hanmiao to push him back to the Taiji Palace.
For the next few days, Yin Wuzhi didn’t step out of the recovery chamber, and the memorials in the Imperial Study silently piled up again.
Jiang Wu was pleased, though. Without Yin Wuzhi around, he had an excuse to skip two more morning court sessions, as no one in the Taiji Palace dared disobey him.
After two days of mild weather, a sudden cold snap struck at night. The next afternoon, Jiang Wu was moved to the veranda, where he belatedly realized that his soft robe was no longer enough to keep out the cold, so he called for a blanket to be brought.
Qi Hanmiao walked in from outside, carrying a soft cotton coat. Smiling, he said, “Your Majesty, Lady Qiu has sent a robe she made by hand. Please try it on.”
Jiang Wu showed no interest, not even sparing it a glance.
Qi Hanmiao had no choice but to say, “It’s from the eldest daughter of the Qiu family.”
Who? Jiang Wu had no memory of her.
“Your Majesty,” Qi Hanmiao said again, gently, “It’s from Qiu Wuchen, Qiu family’s eldest daughter.”
Jiang Wu remembered. He tilted his head slightly and said, “Sister-in-law?”
Qi Hanmiao paused briefly, sighed, and replied, “Only Your Majesty still acknowledges her as such.”
Jiang Wu naturally recognized her as his sister-in-law. Not only did he acknowledge her, but he also intended to marry her in the future.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Wu asked, “If I were to take a wife, would it be troublesome?”
Qi Hanmiao’s eyes lit up instantly, “Your Majesty intends to marry?”
“Is it troublesome?”
“No, no, not at all. You just need to inform the ancestors at the imperial mausoleum, then hold a ceremony with the Empress to worship the heavens. Finally, the Empress’s name would be entered into the family register. That’s all.”
…It already sounded troublesome.
Jiang Wu’s expression grew dejected. Qi Hanmiao, unable to contain his excitement, asked, “Your Majesty, which family’s daughter have you taken a liking to? Could it be Qiu family’s youngest sister?”
Jiang Wu wasn’t ready to make a decision yet. If marrying was too much trouble, he’d just give up.
After all, the only reason to marry Qiu Wuchen was to provoke King Xiang into madness, so he could have a reason to eliminate him. But if he could just skip that step and find an excuse to kill King Xiang when he arrived in the capital, wouldn’t that be easier?
After all, as an incapable emperor, did he really need to bother with logic?
“Your Majesty? Your Majesty?” Qi Hanmiao was eager, “Your Majesty, which young lady has caught your eye? I’ll report it to the Great Empress Dowager, and we’ll begin the marriage arrangements right away. There’s so much to prepare!”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
Qi Hanmiao had to suppress his excitement for the time being. He tucked in the blanket for Jiang Wu and said gently, “Very well, Your Majesty, take your time to think about it. I’ll hang up this robe for now.”
But in his mind, Qi Hanmiao already had it figured out. Since the emperor had asked about this, he must have someone in mind already.
The robe had been sent by Qiu family’s eldest daughter, and the only young lady from the Qiu family who had caught the emperor’s eye was surely none other than the younger Lady Qiu.
He was overjoyed, unable to hide the happiness on his face. When he brought food to Yin Shizi, the other man immediately noticed: “Why are you so happy? Did something good happen in your household?”
“Oh, no such luck for a humble servant like me.”
“Then it must be something at the Taiji Palace?” Yin Wuzhi hadn’t left his room for several days and had no idea what was going on. As he picked up his chopsticks, he sarcastically sneered, “Did the emperor finally rub his own eyes, walk by himself, or perhaps even go to the study?”
“No, no.” Qi Hanmiao didn’t hide it from him, saying, “Just now, the emperor asked me what preparations were needed to take an empress.”
Yin Wuzhi’s hand paused. “Marry an empress?”
“Exactly,” Qi Hanmiao replied. “But the emperor hasn’t decided on which family to choose from yet. I ask that the shizi keeps this confidential for now—don’t let a rumor spread and give someone false hopes.”
Yin Wuzhi slowly put down his chopsticks. “Surely, you already have someone in mind.”
“……” Having been unexpectedly seen through, Qi Hanmiao could only say, “It should be, Young Miss Qiu.”
“The sister of the former crown prince consort?”
“The former crown prince consort…” Qi Hanmiao hesitated for a moment, then said, “You could say that.”
“What do you mean ‘could say that’?” Seeing Qi Hanmiao’s hesitation, Yin Wuzhi said, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Qi Hanmiao sighed. “The former crown prince died all alone and never married.”
Yin Wuzhi really didn’t know about this matter. By the time he returned, Jiang Wu had already taken advantage of the situation and become the Crown Prince. The former Crown Prince Jiang Yuan had passed away, and King Qi had long since become disabled.
He frequently moved within the military and had little interaction with the idle nobles of the capital. Moreover, there was no one around him who loved to gossip. He only learned about Qiu Wuchen’s situation from Qiu Wuxia during the Osmanthus Banquet.
“But the emperor said that Qiu Wuchen—”
“Indeed, the emperor promised that after his ascension, he would officiate a posthumous marriage between Qiu Wuchen and the late crown prince’s memorial tablet.”
Yin Wuzhi was confused. “Why?”
After a moment of reflection, Qi Hanmiao cautiously revealed, “Qiu Wuchen was once betrothed to the former crown prince. They had a deep affection for each other, but before they could marry, the crown prince was killed for treason at the ancestral temple. Thus, she was never officially the crown prince consort. After his death, she fell into madness. As an unmarried woman, she could have found another match, but she often proclaimed herself as the crown prince consort. Her father, Minister Qiu, found it shameful and cast her out of the family. As it stands, only the emperor acknowledges her as the former crown prince consort.”
“I see.” Yin Wuzhi understood. “The emperor visits her because she was cherished by the former crown prince, as a token of brotherly affection?”
“Exactly. The emperor has been taking care of her for the crown prince. But between the affairs of the state after his ascension and his recent personality changes, he hasn’t yet fulfilled that promise.”
Yin Wuzhi’s opinion of Jiang Wu shifted slightly. He had assumed Jiang Wu to be cold and heartless, but perhaps there was more depth to his emotions.
However…
“The matter of Qiu Wuchen is insignificant,” Qi Hanmiao brightened up again. “What matters is that the emperor finally has feelings for someone! Qiu Wuxia is truly remarkable; with just one encounter, she has captured the emperor’s heart.”
Yin Wuzhi doubted Qiu Wuxia’s ability to win over the emperor. “That’s not certain.”
Qi Hanmiao quickly agreed, “You’re right, Your Highness. The emperor has visited the Qiu family’s eldest daughter frequently, so he likely already harbored feelings for the younger sister. The banquet merely helped him confirm his affections.”
Yin Wuzhi indifferently tapped his boiled egg.
“Your Highness, Your Highness?”
“Hmm?”
“The shell is inedible, you know. Be careful not to hurt your stomach.”
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