Chapter 107:
Jiang Nian had a dream.
In the dream, ministers prostrated on the ground amid sounds of welcome. Marquis Anping entered the resplendent hall and pulled Jiang Nian, who was standing beside him, closer. With a smile, he said, “This is my Empress.”
Jiang Nian and Marquis Anping ascended to a high vantage point, looking down at the prostrate ministers and the vast lands. Standing at the pinnacle of power, Jiang Nian felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
In his previous life, he had missed the position of Empress and had died in frustration.
This time, he had achieved everything he wanted.
Everything he desired was now within his grasp.
With a splash, a bucket of icy water was thrown onto Jiang Nian’s face, piercingly cold.
Jiang Nian opened his eyes, and the grandeur of the landscape and the kneeling ministers vanished in an instant. Now, he was bound with his hands and feet shackled. The prison guard shouted, “Get down!”
Before Jiang Nian could react, he was shoved forcefully, almost falling out of the carriage. With a thud, he crashed to the ground.
The fall was hard, and Jiang Nian clutched his ankle, nearly unable to speak from the pain. The prison guards, however, were indifferent and only urged, “Get up, you’re supposed to be on your way!”
Jiang Nian attempted to move but felt excruciating pain. He could barely stand. “I can’t move…”
“My ankle is twisted.”
With tears streaming down his face, Jiang Nian was in agony, his appearance betraying his genuine suffering. The prison guard glanced at him and pointed at Marquis Anping. “You—carry him.”
Both Jiang Nian’s and Marquis Anping’s hands and feet were shackled, making walking difficult for them. Hearing the order, Marquis Anping’s expression darkened.
“Bear with it.”
Marquis Anping frowned, barely controlling his impatience. His reluctance was apparent; he did not want to carry Jiang Nian.
Jiang Nian could clearly perceive this reluctance. The contrast between his dream and reality, coupled with the pain in his ankle, tortured him severely.
Jiang Nian demanded, “What does this mean?”
Marquis Anping replied in confusion, “What do you mean?”
Jiang Nian took a deep breath. “You’ve caused me all this suffering, and now you won’t even carry me?”
“Caused you suffering?”
Marquis Anping seemed to find this amusing. “I caused you suffering? How did I do that?”
Jiang Nian slowly sat up, his words deliberate and full of venom. “You brought me to the camp. Before that, I knew nothing of your rebellion, and now my father and I are implicated.”
“I was forced to marry you, and now I am being exiled to Youzhou with you!”
Jiang Nian’s words were slow and deliberate, each one dripping with hatred. His gaze was filled with resentment. Marquis Anping, who had felt a tinge of guilt before, now saw that any remnants of that guilt had vanished with Jiang Nian’s accusations.
“Forced to marry me?” Marquis Anping’s face turned ashen. “Back then, you urged me to enter the palace and request a marriage. When we learned we hadn’t been granted the marriage, you threw a tantrum. How is it suddenly forced now?”
“Yes, before I brought you to the camp, you were indeed unaware. But after I explained, what did you say? You said you would accompany me no matter what I did. Those were your own words.”
Marquis Anping’s anger flared. “You blame me? On what grounds do you blame me? This was your own choice!”
Jiang Nian sneered. “Back then, you were a Marquis. Whatever you did, I naturally accompanied you and was willing to marry you. But now? Now you’re a prisoner doomed to die in Youzhou. Am I to accompany you for a lifetime?”
“You ask me why? I should ask you, why drag me down? If it weren’t for you, I would have been the one to enter Prince Li Residence, and perhaps I would have been the—” “Slap!”
A sharp slap cut off Jiang Nian’s words, and Marquis Anping’s face was as dark as storm clouds.
With the slap, Jiang Nian was momentarily stunned. Now that Marquis Anping was no longer in a position of power, Jiang Nian no longer felt the need to appease him. He lunged at Marquis Anping, exclaiming, “You hit me? How dare you hit me?”
Jiang Nian’s strength was no match for Marquis Anping’s. In his frenzy, he clawed and scratched at Marquis Anping, leaving deep gashes on his flesh and pulling out handfuls of his hair.
Marquis Anping, enraged, did not tolerate Jiang Nian’s viciousness. He struck back with another slap and forcefully pushed Jiang Nian to the ground.
With a thud, Jiang Nian fell heavily, hitting his twisted ankle once more. The pain was excruciating, and he twisted his face in agony, unable to rise again.
Thus, this newlywed couple’s union was anything but affectionate; it was reduced to a chaotic mess.
The prison guard, impatient with their delay, lashed out at Marquis Anping with a whip. “Carry him, quickly! If you waste any more time, you’ll be in trouble!”
The whip cracked with a sharp sting, and despite Marquis Anping’s attempt to endure, he let out a cry of pain. His old wounds made the whipping particularly unbearable.
Reluctant as he was, Marquis Anping had no choice but to carry Jiang Nian.
The clanging of shackles was relentless, each step heavy and slow. Jiang Nian, on Marquis Anping’s back, let tears fall slowly down his cheeks.
Suddenly, Jiang Nian recalled something and looked back.
But the city gate was deserted; there was no sign of his father, Minister Jiang, coming to see him off.
This was perhaps the last time he would see his father.
A deep sadness filled Jiang Nian. All his efforts and ambitions seemed to have evaporated. Despite being given a second chance at life, he was worse off than before.
What about Minister Jiang?
At this very moment, Minister Jiang was kneeling at the gate of the Ministry of Rites, crying bitterly.
“Lord, I had no knowledge of Jiang Nian’s matters!”
“Lord, I have an elderly parent and young children. Please—have mercy!”
Minister Jiang kowtowed repeatedly, his entire family also kneeling in fear. Officials were bustling about, packing valuables into boxes and hauling them away.
Minister Jiang watched in agony, unable to do anything to stop it.
His beloved son, Jiang Nian, had secretly conspired with Marquis Anping. Now, with his own exile to Youzhou, his entire family was implicated and their estate was being seized!
Years of wealth were being stripped away today.
The family was becoming the laughingstock of the entire capital!
—He had two sons. He favored the second son, but in the end, it was the less favored son who climbed to a high position, becoming Empress and neglecting him entirely.
The thought of this made Minister Jiang’s pain and resentment towards Jiang Nian even deeper. He pounded his chest and cursed, “What a disaster! How did I end up with such a son!”
“Lord, I don’t know anything! Please—have mercy!”
While they were in despair, Jiang Juan was in a much better mood.
With everything settled and preparations for the enthronement complete, Jiang Juan finally had the chance to rest early, looking forward to lounging in bed and enjoying a lazy day.
However, his happiness did not last long.
As Jiang Juan was about to fall asleep in Xue Fangli’s embrace, someone pinched his chin and shook him awake. Irritated, Jiang Juan turned his head away, not wanting to deal with it. Xue Fangli simply lifted him and sat him up.
“What’s the matter now?”
Jiang Juan, snuggling into Xue Fangli’s arms and feeling quite annoyed, grumbled, “Is it a crime to sleep? Why can’t I just sleep peacefully?”
Xue Fangli replied calmly, “Try it.”
Jiang Juan, eyes still closed, asked, “Try what?”
Xue Fangli didn’t answer. After a moment of waiting, Jiang Juan, driven by curiosity and his own laziness, reluctantly opened his eyes.
Recently, the Imperial Tailors had been busy making dragon robes and phoenix robes. The phoenix robe had been delivered, and Jiang Juan saw it now.
The robe was a vibrant, well-chosen vermilion. It was neither too dark nor too light, and the intricate design featured golden phoenixes in flight, making it extremely ornate.
It looked beautiful, but Jiang Juan didn’t want to move. He clung to Xue Fangli and lazily said, “I’m so tired.”
Despite constantly complaining of fatigue, Jiang Juan didn’t actually do much. Xue Fangli gently pinched his cheek and remarked, “You really live up to your name.”
“Jiang Lazy.”
He pronounced each word clearly. Jiang Juan retorted indignantly, “So what if I’m lazy? I’m just lazy, not like some people who are always bullying others. That’s just a bad thing.”
Although he didn’t specify anyone, it was clear who he was referring to. Xue Fangli, who had been observing him, decided to pick him up and carry him off the bed. Jiang Juan was startled and clung tightly to Xue Fangli, almost hanging from him.
Xue Fangli’s voice remained flat. “What are you clinging to me for?”
“Why would I cling to a bad thing?”
Jiang Juan: “……..”
He could only respond with, “I was just holding on for a moment.”
Xue Fangli, with a half-smile, said, “Then let go. Unlike you, I’m not just lazy. If you keep clinging, someone might get bullied.”
Not hugging is not hugging, Jiang Juan let go.
But the moment Xue Fangli’s hand seemed to pull away from his waist, Jiang Juan panicked, fearing he would be dropped. He immediately grabbed on again.
Xue Fangli, his gaze soft, asked in a seemingly puzzled tone, “You’ve grabbed on again. Do you really like holding onto me?”
Jiang Juan: “……..”
What kind of bad thing was this?
“You’re so annoying.”
After struggling for a while, Jiang Juan finally managed to mutter those words with little conviction.
Xue Fangli chuckled, then carried Jiang Juan to the soft couch. Before setting him down, he teasingly asked, “Do you want me to hold you, or will you sit by yourself?”
Jiang Juan, preferring to be independent, reached for the armrest to climb up. But suddenly, he felt a strong wave of dizziness and stopped his movement.
Fortunately, the dizziness passed quickly, but the brief discomfort made Jiang Juan clench his fists unconsciously. Xue Fangli glanced at him and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Juan shrugged off the concern, saying, “It’s nothing.”
Xue Fangli scrutinized him for a moment, seeing that Jiang Juan seemed fine, then brought the phoenix robe and lifted his chin. “Put this on.”
Before, Jiang Juan had been lying lazily, but once he was pulled up, he stopped resisting. After donning the phoenix robe, he propped himself up with Xue Fangli’s support and asked, “Does it look good?”
The robe was grand, with its fire-red color trailing on the floor. Jiang Juan, with his delicate beauty, looked stunning in the vibrant attire, resembling a phoenix ablaze. The robe highlighted his ethereal grace, making him appear fiery yet refined.
After observing him for a while, Xue Fangli stated flatly, “Not good.”
Jiang Juan was displeased. Since it was Xue Fangli who had made him try on the robe, he expected some praise. He lunged at Xue Fangli, and perhaps due to the sudden movement, a wave of dizziness hit him again. He nearly lost his balance, but Xue Fangli caught him.
Ignoring the dizziness, Jiang Juan covered Xue Fangli’s eyes and said, “If it looks bad, you’re not allowed to look anymore.”
Xue Fangli pulled him into his arms and asked, “What do you want to hear?”
Jiang Juan, feeling aggrieved, complained, “Even if it doesn’t look good, you should still compliment me.”
Xue Fangl: “Compliment you.”
Jiang Juan shook his head, “No, that’s too perfunctory.”
Xue Fangli slowly said, “It looks good.”
Jiang Juan remained unsatisfied and almost exasperated, “What’s wrong with you? Is it illegal to give a proper compliment?”
“What would not be perfunctory?”
Xue Fangli held Jiang Juan’s hand and said casually, “You always cause trouble for me. People keep wanting to draw you, and even now that I’m not dead, people are still eyeing you. If I compliment you, you’ll become arrogant, not just from affection but also from beauty. I’d have no way to handle you.”
After a pause, Xue Fangli asked, “Do you want to know what I was thinking just now?”
Jiang Juan, curious, blinked and said, “Yes.”
Xue Fangli held Jiang Juan’s hand and kissed his fingertips, saying, “You’re so beautiful, how could I let others see you.”
“And…”
Suddenly, Xue Fangli pushed Jiang Juan down onto the soft couch. He lowered his gaze, which was filled with desire, and said, “I want to personally take this phoenix robe off you.”
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