At Prince Yi’s manor, well-wishers continued arriving in a steady stream.

Gifts from His Majesty and Consort Xiao had been sent over early.

After Jing Yi made a round of toasts outside, he returned to his own courtyard, regardless of whatever chaos reigned outside.

Dou Quan came forward and asked, “Your Highness, aren’t you going to the bridal chamber?”

Like hell!

Jing Yi had already considered Ji Muqing a piece of filth. Now that he’d married her, it was like he’d already swallowed that filth. And now he was supposed to go to the bridal chamber?

Wouldn’t that be like swallowing back down the filth he’d just vomited up?

Disgusting!

“I’m not going.”

“What?” Dou Quan was shocked. “Your Highness, on your wedding night, you should at least make one visit.”

Jing Yi remained unmoved.

He summoned a young maid from Ji Muqing’s courtyard and instructed, “Go tell the princess consort that it’s already very late. She should rest early.”

Hm?

The young maid was astonished.

Rest?

On their wedding night, he wanted the princess consort to rest alone in her room?

This…

The maid was filled with doubt, but dared not ask. Lowering her head, she withdrew and relayed this message to Ji Muqing’s personal maid, Cailan.

Upon hearing this, Cailan quickly pressed for more information: “Why? The princess consort has been waiting inside for a long time.”

“I don’t know either. His Highness said so.”

After speaking, the young maid quickly ran off.

Cailan’s heart was uneasy. How was she supposed to say this? If her young miss heard this, she might very well flay her alive to vent her anger.

The injury on her face from being slapped before still hadn’t healed!

Finally mustering her courage, she went trembling to deliver the news.

At this moment, Ji Muqing was obediently sitting in the bridal chamber. She didn’t know exactly how long she’d been waiting, until that shy, nervous feeling had gradually been worn completely away.

Why hadn’t he come yet?

Had he drunk too much?

Perhaps because too many people had come to offer congratulations today, Prince Yi had to receive each one, so he was still busy.

She consoled herself.

Her mind kept thinking of all sorts of possibilities.

“Creak!”

The door was pushed open from outside.

At that moment, her mind jolted!

Her hands tightened, biting hard on her scarlet lips, even her slight breathing becoming rapid.

“Princess Consort?” It was Cailan’s voice.

Hm?

Ji Muqing was confused. “Where’s His Highness?”

“His Highness, he…”

Hesitant and halting.

Ji Muqing detected something wrong. Her heart tightened. She wanted to tear off the veil covering her head, but remembering that the matchmaker had said the red veil must wait for Prince Yi to remove it personally, she quickly restrained herself.

She pressed urgently: “Speak! Where’s His Highness?”

“His Highness… isn’t coming.” Cailan shrank back.

“What?”

Ji Muqing’s head went blank in an instant.

Cailan walked over, her hands tightly clasped together, her voice trembling: “His Highness just sent someone to notify us that he’s not coming over, and told the princess consort… to rest early.”

Ji Muqing thought she’d heard wrong. She asked again: “Say that once more. What do you mean His Highness isn’t coming?”

“This servant isn’t clear either. Perhaps… His Highness drank too much, so he can’t come over.” Cailan’s voice was very soft, afraid that saying something wrong would earn her a beating that wouldn’t be worth it.

But—

Ji Muqing said, “He’ll come. He’ll definitely come. Go out. I’m going to wait here for His Highness.”

“Princess Consort…”

“Get out!”

Cailan was shouted out.

The door was gently closed.

Beneath the red veil, Ji Muqing’s eyes reddened, her ten fingers clenched tightly together.

Her nails dug deep into her flesh, painfully sharp.

That night, she sat alone in the room waiting the entire night. By the time dawn broke, she still hadn’t managed to wait for him.

She spent the entire wedding night alone!

At dawn, Cailan brought in a basin of water and happened to see her reach up and slowly pull down the veil from her head. A piece of cloth slipped bit by bit from her fingertips to the floor.

Blown by the wind, it crumpled into a ball.

Those eyes of hers were weary and lifeless, filled with bloodshot veins.

“Princess Consort?”

Cailan was worried.

Ji Muqing laughed coldly, two streams of tears falling from her eyes.

“Why humiliate me like this?”

“Princess Consort, please don’t be sad.”

She bit her teeth, saying with difficulty, “On our wedding night, making me spend it alone—what did I do wrong to deserve such humiliation? It was Jing Yi who said he would marry me, so why did he leave me here alone?”

Her eyes grew redder and redder. She rose furiously, tearing the pearl hairpins from her head like a madwoman and throwing them violently to the ground.

Pearls fell, threads snapped, scattering one by one across the floor with a crackling sound.

Just like her heart at this moment—shattered to pieces.

Princess Yi! What a grand title, a position everyone envied beyond measure. She, Ji Muqing, had obtained it, but why give it to her only to humiliate her?

Cailan dropped to her knees with a thud, not daring to make a sound.

Ji Muqing rushed out of the room, wanting to find Jing Yi.

But before she could leave the courtyard, she was blocked by a woman.

This woman was called Chen Xiang, the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue. She was a secondary consort that Prince Yi had married years ago. She was extremely beautiful, sultry like a fox spirit, with some of the coquettish charm of a courtesan. Just those eyes alone—it seemed that if she closed them, water droplets could be squeezed out.

“Where is younger sister going?” Chen Xiang’s voice was as alluring and pleasant as her face.

Younger sister?

Ji Muqing had heard that Prince Yi’s manor indeed had several beauties.

“Who are you?”

“Younger sister just entered the manor—don’t tell me you don’t know that His Highness has a secondary consort?”

“You?”

She held her handkerchief and smiled, raising her eyes to look at her. “Younger sister just got married. Why are you rushing out still wearing your crimson wedding dress? Shouldn’t you be in your room grooming and washing? Where are you going? Prince Yi’s manor is quite large—you just arrived, so don’t get lost.”

Ji Muqing immediately became angry.

She glared fiercely: “Who are you calling younger sister?”

“Hm? What’s wrong with younger sister?”

Ji Muqing said, “You shameless wretched thing! I am the properly and legitimately married Princess Yi. You’re just a secondary consort—how dare you call me younger sister to my face?”

Chen Xiang had long heard that the princess consort entering the manor had quite a temper—not only that, but she looked down on everyone and thought highly of herself. But in her view, she was clearly just a clown.

She wasn’t annoyed, saying, “According to Prince Yi manor’s rules, since you entered the manor after me, you’re naturally younger sister.”

How infuriating!

Ji Muqing had first spent the wedding night alone, and now a woman had appeared calling her “younger sister” repeatedly—it was like pouring oil on fire, immediately igniting a raging flame in her heart.

“Get out of my way!”

She pushed aside the woman in front of her and rushed out to find Jing Yi.

At this moment, Jing Yi was looking at two rosters submitted by the Hanlin Academy.

These were the lists from this year’s imperial examination.

Dou Quan said from the side, “Your Highness, His Majesty has decided on the third-place candidate, but this year’s top scholar and second-place scholar haven’t been decided yet. His Majesty told the Hanlin Academy to form an opinion first.”

He looked at the names Shang Zhuo and Lin Shu above.

“What are these two men’s backgrounds?”

“Both are students from Mingshan Academy. That one called Shang Zhuo is from a poor family, his background is clean, and he has considerable talent for observing all things. He’s also very calm. As for that one called Lin Shu, he’s more impulsive. The night before the palace examination, he had a verbal dispute with someone at the tribute hall and nearly came to blows. However, his personality is quite straightforward, but if we bring him to our use, I’m afraid he might cause trouble.”

Jing Yi smiled and picked out Lin Shu’s roster. “Him then. Go bring him over—don’t attract attention.”

“Yes.”

In the current political situation, although Jing Yi held power, winning over officials newly entering the court was still very important.