Chapter 1 The Queen's Demise

The Empress had passed away.

The Crown Prince's birth mother was gone.

Seventh Uncle returned his sword to its scabbard.

Anyone who wasn't an idiot could understand what the Empress's death meant: the Crown Prince's wedding would be postponed indefinitely.

"Again and again and again," Ji Chengjue said slowly. "First, the defeat at Wangjiang, the near-total annihilation of the Eastern Expeditionary Army's left flank, their corpses filling the Wangjiang River;

"Then, beneath Jade Plate City, Marquis Jingnan slaughtered forty thousand surrendered Chu soldiers, a brutal scene;

"Now, the Empress has died.

"The wedding was to be held thrice, yet thrice it has failed, each time accompanied by bloodshed.

"Seventh Uncle,

"Now,

"It's not just a matter of postponing the wedding again. Although the wedding will inevitably be delayed due to the Empress's passing, does anyone still dare to go through with it?

"Although we Yan people don't revere Daoism as much as the Qian people, preferring not to dabble in the supernatural, this has happened three times already.

"The Crown Prince is the foundation of the nation; his wedding concerns the fate of the country, the stability of the realm.

"If you say this isn't fate, then what is it?

"The Imperial Observatory,

"The Secret Intelligence Agency,

"The court ministers,

"The common people,

"They will all see it this way.

"This wedding cannot be."

The Yan people favored bravery and martial prowess, preferring to sharpen their sabers rather than worship ghosts and gods, but this matter was too difficult to dismiss as mere coincidence.

You might not believe it, but there was no way around it.

Because who could guarantee that the next time they tried to hold the wedding, some other disaster wouldn't occur?

And since the wedding couldn't happen, the Princess wouldn't marry the Crown Prince, and therefore wouldn't become the Crown Princess.

Thus, the Princess and the Sixth Prince would no longer be in a life-or-death situation.

The Princess was still the Princess,

The Sixth Prince was still the Sixth Prince,

With the fundamental conflict of interest gone,

They could still laugh and chat when they met again, like a pair of extremely close siblings.

Seventh Uncle clearly understood this, which was why he had sheathed his sword.

There was no need to kill anyone.

Because the person to be killed wasn't just anyone, but a prince of the dynasty.

Without an absolute, fundamental conflict of interest, paying such a heavy price to kill a prince wasn't just not worth it; it was utter foolishness.

"Sixth Prince..."

Ji Chengjue raised his hand, interrupting Seventh Uncle, and said:

"I won't speak of what happened today, because, in truth, I'm even more afraid than you that this will get out."

Someone comes to kill you,

You ask them to wait,

Wait until dawn,

And then, as the first rays of sunlight appear,

The eight farewell bells sound,

The Empress passes away.

If this got out, not only would the Princess be in trouble, but Ji Chengjue might be in even greater danger.

"Very well," Seventh Uncle agreed.

Ji Chengjue smiled, then reached out and rubbed his face.

"Sixth Prince, what exactly is going on with this matter..."

Ji Chengjue's gaze suddenly sharpened.

He said:

"Don't ask. It's better for both of us."

"Yes, I understand."

With the life-or-death crisis no longer hanging over his head, Ji Chengjue began to relax. He said bluntly:

"Go back and tell my good sister to not be so impulsive next time. Seventh Uncle, you and Big Brother Liang Shen need to advise her more."

Seventh Uncle said, "Actually, I feel a bit of regret."

"Regret not having landed that sword strike?"

"Your Highness, please forgive me, but I regret that, in retrospect, using that move on you wouldn't have been a regret at all."

"I'm different from my Third Brother," Ji Chengjue said.

"Your Highness?"

"I'm not the same as Third Brother!" Ji Chengjue slammed his hand on the table, almost roaring, "I'm far more useful than Third Brother."

"Your Highness is still dwelling on it."

"Seventh Uncle, you're standing there talking without a backache. If you had a sword held to your neck all night, could you not take it to heart at all?

"Besides, cough cough..."

Ji Chengjue coughed, then waved his hand and said:

"The palace should be sending someone to summon me soon. I need to make some preparations here. I'll have to enter the palace later, so I won't see Seventh Uncle out. Just tell the Imperial Guards outside that we drank too late last night and you slept here."

"Take care, Your Highness."

Seventh Uncle left.

The sword hanging over Ji Chengjue's head was gone.

Ji Chengjue felt as if all his strength had been drained. Having stayed up all night, his mind preoccupied with worry and contemplation, his spirit and energy had long been exhausted. He had been able to keep going because Seventh Uncle was still there, but now that Seventh Uncle had left, exhaustion, emptiness, and an indelible sense of grievance washed over him like a tide.

Just then,

The eunuch bearing the imperial decree hurriedly entered the prince's residence, informing the three princes residing there to immediately enter the palace.

Everyone had heard the sound of the farewell bells, so the household quickly prepared mourning clothes.

Fourth Prince was still quite burly and robust, but he was visibly unshaven, clearly having been depressed recently.

Fifth Prince wasn't tall. Among the brothers, he was considered the most portly, but at this moment, his eyes were somewhat red.

Fourth Prince walked over and whispered:

"Give me a piece."

"But it's very spicy," Fifth Prince reminded him.

"Just give it to me."

Fifth Prince nodded and handed a piece of ginger to Fourth Prince.

Fourth Prince waved his sleeve and rubbed his eyes with the peeled ginger. Soon, his eyes began to redden.

There was no other way. The deceased was the Empress, and although she was nominally their mother, there was no blood relation.

Based on the princes' cultivation, they could force out tears, but they were too lazy to put on such a show at this time. Using external objects was more direct and effective.

"Fourth Brother, I also have some sour plums here. Would you like some?"

"Do you think the ginger isn't enough?"

"I'm afraid that when we enter the palace later and see Crown Prince Brother, I won't be able to help but laugh, considering his wedding was unsuccessful again."

"Pfft..."

Fourth Prince, who had just applied the ginger, almost burst out laughing.

But there were servants around,

So Fourth Prince immediately continued:

"Mother Empress, why couldn't you wait for your son to see you one last time?"

Fifth Prince secretly tugged at Fourth Prince's sleeve and said:

"That's too much, Brother. That's too much."

Just then,

Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince stood at the entrance of the prince's residence,

Watching Sixth Prince being supported out by two eunuchs.

At this moment, Sixth Prince

Looked grief-stricken,

Listless,

His eyes weary,

With faint traces of tears on his face,

Truly the best interpretation of sorrow greater than death.

Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince almost simultaneously swallowed hard,

And said:

"This is too exaggerated."

...

With the Empress's passing, His Majesty cancelled the morning court session.

The imperial palace was draped in white mourning cloth. Even though they didn't have to attend court today, the court officials still came one by one. They were going to offer condolences.

All the female family members with imperial titles in the capital also entered through another palace gate, and the sounds of their weeping were the most obvious and distinct.

The princes had entered the inner hall early.

The Crown Prince had already been kneeling there, wailing loudly:

"Mother Empress, Mother Empress, why did you abandon your son like this? Mother Empress, Mother Empress, wake up, wake up!"

The other princes,

First Prince Ji Wujiang was leading troops outside, so he naturally couldn't return. Third Prince was at the Lakeside Pavilion.

Therefore, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, Sixth Prince, and Little Seventh were all kneeling behind the Crown Prince.

To Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince's surprise, Sixth Prince, who had previously seemed ready to "put on a big show," simply pressed his forehead to the floor tiles and hardly moved after kneeling on the futon.

Although this looked very sad, it was somewhat underwhelming compared to his earlier buildup.

In reality,

Ji Chengjue was too tired.

Having spent a night in agony, teetering on the brink of life and death, he was completely drained. Now, entering this place filled with incense and fire, he suddenly felt as if he were about to join the departed Empress.

The other three brothers simply knelt there silently.

It was said that the imperial family was ruthless, but the Crown Prince and the Empress truly had a deep bond of familial affection. Moreover, the Crown Prince had already lost his maternal clan, and now he had lost his mother. Under this series of blows, it was only natural for him to lose control of his emotions.

Ji Sixth Prince fell asleep in a daze, maintaining the "head-to-the-ground" posture.

Fortunately, there were many people coming and going, making a lot of noise, so his slight snoring didn't attract attention.

However, although the Empress had only given birth to one son, the Crown Prince, she was, after all, the mother of all the princes. Strictly speaking, the other princes were all her stepchildren.

The Crown Prince continued to wail there, filled with grief;

Little Seventh was confused and didn't know how to deal with such a scene.

Sixth Prince was just lying there like a corpse, not moving at all.

So, only Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince could play the role of "filial sons," returning courtesies to the court officials and titled ladies who entered in succession.

No one knew how much time had passed, what hour it was.

The eunuch announcing names called out:

"Princess of the Zhenbei Marquis arrives to offer condolences!"

The Princess had arrived.

Prepared three times for the wedding,

The Princess was still the Princess,

And stubbornly refused to step into the position of Crown Princess.

But as Ji Chengjue had said to Seventh Uncle that morning, when the Princess entered wearing white flowers in her hair, many people inside and outside the hall turned their gaze upon her.

How could there be any reason for a wedding to be accompanied by bloodshed?

Ji Sixth Prince, who was sleeping soundly,

His body trembled instinctively after hearing the eunuch's announcement.

No one knew if he had woken up or not, or if his already weakened spirit had suffered another shock.

In any case,

Ji Sixth Prince tilted his head,

And fell to the side, rolling onto the ground.

An eunuch nearby immediately shouted:

"Oh no, Sixth Prince has fainted from excessive grief! Quickly summon the imperial physician, quickly summon the imperial physician!"

...

By the time Ji Sixth Prince woke up, the sun was about to set in the west.

The attending medical officer who had been accompanying him immediately rose to inform the imperial physician.

"Your Highness, you are exhausted in spirit and overburdened with worry. You need to take good care of yourself. This humble servant has already written a prescription and given it to Eunuch Zhang outside."

"Thank you, Imperial Physician Zhao."

"This is within the scope of this servant's duty and is not worth thanking."

The place for resting was in a side hall. Having slept well, his spirit had indeed recovered a lot, but the thought of having to keep vigil with his brothers tonight made Ji Chengjue feel uneasy.

Ever since becoming a father, he couldn't wait to listen to his wife's belly every night. He had already missed one night yesterday, and he would have to miss another tonight.

However, as soon as he crossed the threshold, Ji Chengjue saw the Princess standing there, alone, facing a small pond, her face filled with sorrow.

Ji Chengjue didn't believe that the Princess would feel any genuine heartfelt grief because of the Empress's death.

Because she most likely wouldn't be marrying the Crown Prince anymore.

Even if she did marry in, her mother-in-law would be gone as soon as she entered the door, which could be considered a joyous occasion.

But this crazy woman, despite her crazy and stubborn actions, truly appeared dignified, generous, proper, and sensible on the outside.

The Princess reached out and took a hairpin from her hair, clutching it in her hand.

Ji Chengjue had already reacted defensively, subconsciously thinking that this crazy woman saw that Seventh Uncle hadn't killed him, so she had chased him all the way into the imperial palace to personally take his life.

But seeing the hairpin clenched in her hand, she didn't make any further moves. At the same time, a refreshing breeze filled the air, soothing the heart and spleen.

This should be a Daoist item, forming a small self-contained barrier, probably used to block external perception, lest there be someone like Eunuch Wei who had nothing better to do than eavesdrop on conversations.

Ji Chengjue took a deep breath, didn't retreat, and took two steps forward.

"The men of the Ji family are truly ruthless."

These were the Princess's words.

Seventh Uncle had already told him the whole story of last night, including the most important sentence: Please wait until dawn.

This sentence, coupled with the eight farewell bells, was simple enough.

Either this was Ji Chengjue's doing, his hand was long, and he could kill someone in the imperial palace, killing the Empress at that.

Or, Ji Chengjue guessed who would attack the Empress and felt that the Empress would likely die that night.

These were two possibilities. There were also two other possibilities that the Princess directly rejected: one was that Ji Chengjue had luck on his side, blessed by gods and Buddhas in the dark, which the Princess didn't believe; the other was that Ji Chengjue could foresee life and death and peek into the lifespan of others, which was even more absurd than the former.

"You speak as if the ladies of the Li family are very weak."

"Heh, in any case, you're lucky."

Hearing this, Ji Sixth Prince snorted and pointed towards the inner hall, saying:

"Look at the Crown Prince now. Do you feel sorry for him? I already experienced this ten years ago.

"There's also one thing I was too embarrassed to say to Seventh Uncle, but I want to say it to you."

"Speak. I'm listening."

"Do you think that since Marquis Jingnan crippled my Third Brother, your Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion can cripple me? The Northern and Southern Marquises are not so different. What you can do, why can't I? Is that it?"

The Princess didn't answer.

Ji Chengjue answered himself: "But have you thought about this: after Marquis Jingnan crippled my Third Brother, he returned home that night and exterminated his entire family. What did your Li family do?

"If it was the Zhenbei Marquis who did it, then there's nothing to say. But what are you?"

"Sixth Prince, you're becoming increasingly impolite when speaking to your older sister."

"If I don't lose my temper a bit, you'll really think I'm an easy target. If you go crazy again, do I have to wait another dawn?"

"I only know that Seventh Uncle said you were very frightened last night, uneasy all night, and that made me realize that I wasn't wrong."

"You won't have a second chance," Ji Chengjue said.

"I never wanted a second chance."

"Speaking from the heart, my imperial father, your father, and Marquis Jingnan, the three of them can sacrifice everything for Great Yan.

"Unfortunately, our generation doesn't have such high awareness, but don't think that there will always be someone to clean up your mess.

"The next time you act recklessly,

"You shouldn't worry about how my imperial father will be furious,

"You should worry about

"You personally forcing your father to the torment of executing his own daughter."

"Noisy."

"Sincere words. You're foolish and spoiled. Someone has to tell you."

"I'm just a woman. A man should be a great hero; I'm not such a thing. I only care about whether my life is comfortable. Why make myself suffer for the sake of the whole picture?"

"Heh, so what do you plan to do next? The gazes around you when you went to offer condolences earlier must have been uncomfortable, right?"

"You're gloating."

"You can't get married. Anyway, the wedding hasn't been held. Besides, my Great Yan isn't Great Qian, which places great emphasis on etiquette and female virtue.

"Don't get married. It will save you from further troubles.

"I think

"My Princess sister has that much courage and vision."

"I am tired. I never wanted to marry into your family in the first place. The men of the Ji family are all rotten to the core. I was forced here by my parents.

"Then I waited for so long, waiting and waiting, and never managed to marry myself out.

"I'm used to the endless desert, but I carelessly became stifled in this Yanjing City for so long. In a few days, I'll write a memorial to His Majesty, asking him to let me get some fresh air. I believe His Majesty will allow it."

That much face, she still had.

Moreover, this would allow the marriage to fade away.

"Go back to Beifeng County to continue fighting your barbarians?" Ji Chengjue asked.

"Heh."

The Princess reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face,

And said:

"I'm tired of looking at sand. I want to see snow."