TBR CH152

Chapter 152: Leaping the Dragon Gate 

Chu Huaicun paused, weighing his attitude.

The summer banquet had dragged on for half the day. It was now evening, and the light indoors was dim and ambiguous. Ji Ying sat with his head slightly tilted, his hair bound by a plum blossom hairpin, exposing a pale stretch of neck, a posture that invited being slaughtered. He even intentionally kept his hands behind his back.

Prime Minister Chu already knew his identity. Saying such things now, even for Ji Ying, was a bit much. He knew his cheeks were flushed, his breath the same, yet he still pretended to be at ease. Chu Huaicun had said he liked him, liked him no matter what, so since he couldn’t return to being a self-disciplined gentleman, he might as well indulge completely.

He brazenly used these words as material.

Chu Huaicun’s fingertips pressed against Ji Ying’s neck, and he silently sighed. He leaned down, bringing his gaze to the same level as Ji Ying’s: “Are you okay with this?”

Imprisonment and interrogation—these words, spoken from his mouth now, carried a faint ambiguity, but any one of them, if inflicted upon the person before him, would leave scars difficult to heal even after decades. Even if Ji Ying himself didn’t mind at the moment, he couldn’t easily dig up those memories. He had to ask, no matter what.

Ji Ying froze for a moment, then quickly understood his meaning. He averted his gaze, but the smile in his eyes remained undiminished.

“Prime Minister Chu can do anything to me… didn’t I say? Everything you bring me is a good memory. This way, it can make me forget all those terrible things from the past, leaving only you.”

—So that in the future, when I recall the darkness, I will only remember your eyes looking at me, like burning ice and snow.

“Come and interrogate me,” Ji Ying said. “Extract all the secrets you want from me. Start from any topic; if I remain silent, pry open my mouth. Not only do I know many details about His Highness Prince Duan, but I also know the true reason behind today’s incident. With such a good opportunity, how can Prime Minister Chu not seize it well?”

His last syllable broke off oddly because Chu Huaicun’s long fingers had moved up his trembling throat, securing his chin. Ji Ying instinctively closed his eyes for a moment. He suddenly began to regret why he had put himself in such a predicament. When he opened his eyes again, his hands were truly bound. He tried to struggle a bit, only to sway unsteadily in place with the chair.

What bound his wrists was his own belt; the plum blossom hairpin had been pulled out by Chu Huaicun. The ice and snow in Prime Minister Chu’s eyes seemed to burn his skin. But soon he couldn’t see anything, as white cloth covered his eyes.

“Gently…” His voice was a little hoarse.

Chu Huaicun’s movements became slightly more restrained.

Ji Ying immediately noticed, and then started laughing again. “I meant, put the hairpin down gently.”

He was gradually surrendering his complete control to Chu Huaicun, leaving no room for himself, only caring to satisfy the other. He closed his eyes beneath the blindfold. Both of them were still relatively sober at this point, not yet lost in passion. He could hear his own heartbeat.

Ji Ying felt like an offering consecrated to a deity during a sacrifice, ready to be a butterfly nailed in place, trembling as every detail of its wings was carefully played with.

He knew how terrible he behaved when he was emotional.

But the more this was the case, the more he wanted to be completely shattered by the other, a complete version of himself.

Ji Ying waited with closed eyes, his heart almost leaping out of the thin skin. Chu Huaicun had arranged him in a helpless posture, listening to the suppressed whimpers in his throat, and so, here they were. The prey could no longer resist, at the mercy of others, and the hunter finally approached slowly. The sound of footsteps was like striking a taut string.

Then—

Ji Ying’s lips moved. He opened his eyes in momentary astonishment, yet saw nothing. He only knew that before everything he imagined arrived, Chu Huaicun first gave him a hug. A comforting, faint scent of incense enveloped him. For a moment, he forgot all the other chaotic things, knowing only that the young man he had liked since his youth was before him.

He had eyes like ice and snow, and a sword gleam sharper than anyone else’s.

“Yuan Ya, Yuan Ya,” Chu Huaicun said softly, as if merely calling his name. “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

Ji Ying clearly hadn’t expected this, but he helplessly pursed his lips. Shamefully, his ear tips reddened a step ahead just because of these few words devoid of intimacy. He wanted to say something, but his face suddenly felt too delicate because of “Yuan Ya,” and he couldn’t open his mouth, only allowing himself to be temporarily stranded in the other’s restrained tenderness.

Feeling Ji Ying gently rub against his clothes, Chu Huaicun curved his lips.

His movements suddenly became stern, and his words carried an undeniable sense of pressure.

Chu Huaicun possessed a very sharp temperament, which became even more pronounced after he entered the imperial court. People like him naturally preferred to hold the dominant hand, possessing an innate talent for making others submit and a well-suppressed brutality:

“Now, I should ask the first question,”

He leaned down, his pupils slightly dilating as they reflected the image before him. “I want to know, when did Yuan Ya start liking me?”

Chu Huaicun could detain Ji Ying because, no matter what, Ji Ying didn’t have a prominent background.

But as for Prince Duan, he couldn’t be held for too long. Prime Minister Chu simply wanted to curb his arrogance and, incidentally, leave some opportunities for others. Despite Prince Duan having just brought trouble upon himself, many people were already watching, hoping to kick him while he was down.

Crown Prince almost refused to leave the Prime Minister’s manor. Although the current situation was sudden, it was good news for him. To him, the most direct benefit was Prince Duan being in deep trouble, and he had always only regarded Prince Duan as an enemy, paying no mind to the Seventh Prince who had caused today’s incident.

Look at his cowering demeanor, how could he possibly bear any great responsibility?

It wasn’t until His Majesty personally issued an edict to demand his return that Prince Duan, full of resentment, finally got into the imperial carriage back to the palace. Few servants from the Prime Minister’s manor came to see him off, and Prime Minister Chu was nowhere to be seen. The surroundings were desolate. In this environment, there was an ominous feeling that the tide had turned. The carriage clattered down the long street, the sound of hooves echoing.

The night watchman was already preparing to perform his duties. Few pedestrians were on the street, only two or three ghostly lights.

Ghostly lights?

Prince Duan frowned, ordering the carriage to stop. He looked closely and realized that the faint blue flames by the roadside were braziers for offerings, surrounded by stacks of yellow paper and piles of paper ingots. Someone nearby was tossing these items into the fire, weeping sorrowfully. The crying was irritating and made one feel even more ominous.

Prince Duan leaned back exhaustedly in his seat, ordering his men to drive away the person burning paper on the road. After a while, he lifted the curtain again. By now, they had passed that spot, and from a distance, no sparks were visible.

The guard he had sent to do the task caught up on horseback a moment later, reporting that the people who had offended His Highness had all been driven away. Prince Duan hummed in acknowledgment and casually asked:

“Qingming has long passed, and Zhongyuan (Ghost Festival) is still far away. Why did these families all have people die on the same day and gather here today to burn paper offerings?”

This was clearly a simple question, but the guard who was asked seemed somewhat troubled:

“Your Highness, this…”

An ominous premonition once again flooded Prince Duan’s mind. He raised his eyes. He had always enjoyed associating with refined scholars and wore a friendly mask when interacting with people. What flowed from those eyes at this moment, however, was unconcealed resentment and anxiety:

“This Prince told you to speak, so speak.”

“Yes,” the guard steeled himself and explained softly, “Earlier today, something happened at the imperial prison. Prime Minister Chu then rushed there. The escaped prisoner was named Zhang Wu. The people on the road just now all had relatives who died at Zhang Wu’s hands. Upon learning that this person had finally been executed and their great revenge was exacted, they specifically burned incense to mourn the departed souls.”

“That Zhang Wu,” Prince Duan said grimly, “he’s the one my mother’s family protected back then?”

Indeed, that incident had caused a great stir back then. But at that time, Prince Duan was still the Crown Prince, commanding widespread support, and for him, the matter was not difficult to handle. Although Zhang Wu’s name was humble and his actions were truly excessive, he was, after all, related by blood, and his family had come to beg for help, so means were found to protect him, and public opinion in the capital was suppressed.

It seemed a Jianghu (martial arts world) figure had also intervened, and that person also received their due lesson.

He hadn’t expected that what happened back then would suddenly become a powder keg today. Thinking of this, Prince Duan felt no regret for his actions at the time, only an increasing sense of how changeable affairs were. Back then, as the Crown Prince in the capital, how glorious he was, commanding widespread support; his struggle with Chu Huaicun had made him leave the capital like a drowned dog. Returning again, his accumulated power was difficult to rebuild.

A while ago, the Crown Prince’s influence plummeted, and his situation had become much more open.

Now, these hard-won gains were once again in jeopardy, how could he not resent it? Prince Duan leaned back against the carriage, forcing a fake, unsmiling expression, and feigned magnanimity:

“What do those commoners know? This Prince naturally won’t get angry over them.”

He stared into the guard’s eyes, and the guard tried his best to remain calm. He had always thought his master was pleasant to interact with, but he never expected to see such an ugly face at this moment.

The guard flattered him a few times, then retreated with lingering fear.

On the way back to the mansion, he encountered such an inauspicious event, and Prince Duan was indeed in no good mood. His Majesty had issued an edict compelling Prime Minister Chu to release him. At this moment, he should go to the palace to see His Majesty, but someone from the palace had just informed him that His Majesty had already retired for the night and told him not to disturb him.

Indeed, the venerable supreme ruler in the palace was already nearing his twilight years.

Prince Duan clenched his fists in the sedan chair. Time was running out for him. Fortunately, his opponent had also been similarly unlucky recently. The Crown Prince was currently utterly bewildered, like a stray dog without a master. If nothing had happened today, he would definitely have laughed at his brother. His eagerness to seek help from Chu Huaicun showed no semblance of a Crown Prince.

He was truly not even one-tenth of what he was then.

Thinking thus all the way, Prince Duan was almost at his mansion.

He immediately summoned his strategists that very night. Prince Duan’s residence would likely be lit with candles all night. The topics and secrets circulated quietly among Prince Duan’s most trusted ears, and Prince Duan only told them the true events he had experienced that day.

Even Ji Ying had been deliberately sent away at the time.

He was now in danger himself and naturally had no time to consider Ji Ying’s situation. Fortunately, during this period, he had been trying little by little to undermine the old emperor, focusing mainly on persuading Lord Ji to help with some tricky tasks, but he had not revealed those crucial secrets to this infamous person. This was truly a blessing in misfortune.

And the last bit of concern finally vanished when he learned that Chu Huaicun had agreed to release him, and Lord Ji had temporarily taken refuge in his residence after leaving the Prime Minister’s manor.

Prince Duan suppressed a faint unease deep within him and concentrated on finding solutions to the difficult problem before him.

At this moment, the sedan chair carrying Ji Ying did not take him to the Ji residence but drove straight to the palace.

Late at night, all the decorations in the opulent palace rooms had dimmed, revealing only deep darkness and even darker, vast shadows. The prominent palaces of the day now resembled silent, lurking beasts, devoid of any vitality. Not all palaces in all dynasties were so lifeless, unless the owner of the palace itself had been swept away by the heavy aura of old age.

His Majesty certainly hadn’t gone to sleep.

He simply had no intention of seeing Prince Duan. At this moment, the old man stood in the northwest corner of the palace, carefully observing a few koi swimming in the pond. This newly acquired batch of koi seemed to be made of gold, swimming gracefully, their translucent tails sparkling.

The palace servants respectfully held lanterns by his side, not daring to make a sound.

The silent atmosphere was broken by Lord Ji’s arrival. Ji Ying allowed the rustling sound of his boots on the ground. His Majesty not only had poor eyesight but also increasingly poor hearing recently. A person like him hated nothing more than having his physical weaknesses exposed. At this moment, Ji Ying was as respectful as the palace servants beside him, kneeling behind His Majesty.

The old man heard his voice but did not turn his head, merely continued to watch the koi. After a long silence, he suddenly said:

“The more I look, the more annoyed I get. Tell someone to kill all these fish another day.”

These koi were worth a fortune, carefully nurtured from birth. They hadn’t even swum in the imperial palace pond for a few days before they would meet an unfortunate end. This, of course, had nothing to do with Ji Ying. Instead, the maid beside His Majesty seemed startled, answering in a faint voice. Only then did His Majesty turn around, his gaze terrifying, his eye covered by a white film making him appear exceptionally old.

“What, are the people in the imperial garden so stupid that they don’t even know this?”

His Majesty’s voice grew even more chilling. “Why not let Lord Ji tell you how long this group of koi can live… Deliberately placing such things before me, isn’t it an intentional mockery of my short lifespan? Even if I die, these koi might not.”

Koi were famous for their longevity, capable of living over a hundred years in natural conditions.

As for the old man before him, it would likely be a miracle if he lived another ten years.

At these words, not only would this pond of innocent koi die, but it would also likely involve the palace servants who had brought the koi. The slightly younger maid beside him grew even paler, while the other maid was more composed. She quietly tugged at the younger one, and only then did the lanterns in their hands not sway at all.

Ji Ying’s expression also remained unchanged, merely kneeling with his head slightly bowed.

Seeing this, the old man finally showed a slight hint of satisfaction. He sighed and said to Ji Ying, “His Highness Prince Duan left earlier than you. It seems Chu Huaicun knows better whom to release. However, I do not intend to see Prince Duan. After only half a day, I don’t think Lord Ji would be unable to wait, would he?”

Ji Ying’s expression didn’t change: “Your servant would go through fire and water for Your Majesty, and if I can’t find any leverage, Prime Minister Chu naturally has no choice.”

“Those sons of mine, they are truly a headache,”

His Majesty spoke indifferently again, as if merely talking about a few chairs. “The Crown Prince is a fool, and a fool known to all, yet I can only name him as the Eastern Palace; Prince Duan resembles me most, but he desires too much and is too rash, falling into others’ traps instead; most of the rest are rotten apples, not by my side at the moment, and when it comes to fighting Chu Huaicun, they lose their courage.”

Ji Ying remained silent for a moment: “Your servant dare not speak lightly of Your Highnesses.”

The old emperor let out two hoarse, indistinguishable laughs. Even the goldfish in the pond before him seemed startled, suddenly scattering.

“Sometimes I, too, become suspicious, wondering if it’s truly divine retribution. Fortunately, today’s Seventh Prince still has some potential. I’m somewhat curious how he managed it. Lord Ji, why don’t you enlighten me?”

Ji Ying already knew he would ask this.

He lowered his brows and said, “The Seventh Prince openly sought an alliance with Chu Huaicun. Although his actions today were a bit bold and some parts are unexplainable, Prime Minister Chu knows this is his ‘letter of surrender,’ so he won’t dwell on it. As for Prince Duan’s weaknesses, Your Majesty also knows that the Seventh Prince secretly had your servant reveal them to him. His Highness and Your Majesty are of one mind, so he is naturally deeply grateful to Your Majesty.”

“Chu Huaicun believed him?” His Majesty’s eyes widened. “This son of mine truly has some ability.”

“Yes,”

Ji Ying affirmed softly. “And though Prince Duan kept your servant by his side with much suspicion, I could still find his flaws, all thanks to Your Majesty’s cultivation. His Highness Prince Duan wanted me to side with him… He was also eager to accumulate his own power, so much so that when a small bait was thrown and a credible identity was fabricated, he fell for the Seventh Prince’s scheme, eagerly running out to reveal himself.”

“Truly childish.”

His Majesty said indifferently, “Prince Duan thought that by trying to sound me out indirectly during this time, I was truly too old to understand?”

When he said such things, it was not appropriate for Ji Ying to respond. Since he had already revealed most of the so-called intelligence, he closed his mouth, calmly feeling the bone-chilling cold of the palace floor in the deep night through his knees.

Seeing him so understanding and silent, His Majesty, with his peculiar temperament, was uncharacteristically pleased.

Therefore, this eccentric old man also rarely showed a hint of tolerance.

“You’ve worked hard these days,” His Majesty said, looking down at him from above. “Ji Ying, remaining this loyal is your duty. Since that is the case, I don’t mind allowing you to visit those rebellious traitors you care about.”

A thin layer of sweat seeped into Ji Ying’s palms.

His face was somewhat pale, but his voice remained steady. He bowed to His Majesty, solemnly expressing his gratitude, then, like a ghost appearing in the darkness, he supported himself to stand up, his palm scraped by the patterns of the floor tiles.

“Thank you…” he said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great grace.”

What was called a visit was in fact no closer than being at a distance. Moreover, Lord Ji had to be blindfolded before reaching the place where those people were supposedly confined, to prevent him from figuring out the route or remembering landmark features.

At first, His Majesty had been stingy, not allowing him to have any connection with that group of people from his past.

But as time passed, Ji Ying’s reputation grew worse and worse. His infamous deeds in the capital gradually became known to all, and His Majesty became increasingly at ease with him. This change, of course, had its traces, and the reason was actually very simple. One only needed to follow Ji Ying as he approached these former members of his clan to glimpse the truth.

Ji Ying had been almost sleepless all night; dawn was breaking now, but his complexion was even paler. When he got out of the sedan chair and untied the blindfold, he almost stumbled a few steps.

He saw their faces from afar.

The Lin family members from back then, except for those truly burned to death in that great fire, were actually divided into two groups for confinement. Before him now were the most familiar faces. The elders of the clan, those who had once looked at him with eager eyes, now had only gaunt eyes, and their eyes simultaneously reflected each other.

Then, both unexpected and undeniable, heavy words fell upon Ji Ying like knives.

Ji Ying could barely approach his former relatives, because their reactions were violent, showing him, the treacherous sycophant, no mercy. When the Lin family was still powerful, they were the purest of pure scholars. Even when confined and tormented, that spirit of dying for the nation remained; even when tortured to death, they gave His Majesty no pleasantries.

Ji Ying was the only traitor among them.

So he merely stumbled in place for a moment, then stood still. He listened to the accusations that he had betrayed his ancestral teachings and had no integrity. Outside, dawn was about to break, but he simply stood there, like a bamboo heavily pressed by weight, his back still desperately straight.

He offered no rebuttal.

After all, back then, it was indeed Ji Ying who had voluntarily offered to be the current emperor’s lackey, betraying his long-held principles.

He was merely coerced by the lives of the people he wished to protect, having to obey orders. And there was no one more dutiful than him.

Even his guards watched with a touch of pity.

However, they had seen this scene many times and found it tiresome. Sometimes they wished Ji Ying would retort a few words, but Ji Ying would only stand motionless. Over time, they, like His Majesty, cruelly regarded this meeting as a somewhat boring amusement, a means to control Ji Ying.

Just as their gazes shifted away, Ji Ying, as if inadvertently, moved his right hand, which had been by his side, to the front, quickly making a gesture. This was a perfectly normal action, as if he were just straightening his collar.

But he knew the people in the cages had seen it.

Their curses did not cease at all, only shifting from accusing him of betrayal to listing the cruel and vicious deeds he had committed after his downfall. Ji Ying softly sighed. Any language could become a signal, and they were all well aware of it. In the midst of fierce curses and sharp opposition, it was most suitable to intersperse some secrets.

His Majesty was most pleased to see this scene.

Before he left the cage, he had already discussed with his clan members that the goal was to show His Majesty what he wanted to see.

Despite this, Ji Ying still felt a bit tired. He subtly moved his fingers again, knowing that change would surge forth with a slight numb sensation in his fingertips, but he alone still couldn’t accomplish everything. Even though all of this didn’t require him to truly face such harsh condemnation, the moral pain had almost become habitual for him.

Where would change come from?

On his head, holding his hair, was the hairpin Chu Huaicun had given him. The plum blossom at the end of the hairpin was heavy. No one could imagine that inside such an openwork plum blossom, there was a sand table. With his movements, the almost invisible iron sand in the sand table would roll along the path of his movements, leaving winding traces in the sand table.

This was a tool that could record all the turns Ji Ying made from the palace gate to this place. If it truly succeeded, it would be like a miniature map, and by following the path, one could find this place again.

Such a thing was, of course, given by Mr. Fang.

After the commotion at the imperial prison, Mr. Fang was also naturally released.

The first moment he saw Ji Ying, he quickly gave him a few针 (needles, possibly referring to acupuncture), stabilizing the last remaining traces of the surging poison, and then revealed everything he had seen and heard in the imperial prison.

Anyway, judging by the atmosphere between these two after coming out of the imperial prison—

Clearly, there was no longer anything to hold back.