“Seventh Brother, you’re not joking, are you?” Prince Xiang asked incredulously.
Yu Jin raised an eyebrow. “What? Does Eighth Brother think there’s a couple more affectionate than me and my wife among our brothers?”
Prince Xiang shook his head instinctively.
Of course not. Forget about Fourth Brother, who was busy sleeping with his concubines to quickly produce an heir. Fifth Brother was chased by his wife with a kitchen knife every other day. Considering Sixth Sister-in-law’s cold demeanor, her relationship with her Sixth Brother couldn’t be much better.
The third Brother and his wife, who were sent to guard the imperial tomb, did have a good relationship. But someone as thick-skinned as Seventh Brother was rare indeed – he practically wanted to tie his wife to his waistband even in public.
Saying that Seventh Brother and his wife were affectionate – that, he believed.
“See? You’re not so young anymore, Eighth Brother, yet you’re still all alone. Father Emperor summoned us both to the palace just to let you understand that there are many affectionate couples in this world. It’s not like they’re all like Miss Cui, who not only cuckolded her fiancé in advance but also killed the man she had been intimate with on her wedding night and ran away-“
As soon as Yu Jin mentioned Cui Mingyue, Prince Xiang’s face turned green.
Cuckolding her fiancé in advance – was that fiancé supposed to be him?
Before his anger could rise, it was scared away by the words that followed: Seventh Brother was saying that Zhu Ziyu was killed by Cui Mingyue.
When Cui Mingyue escaped from the wedding, the foolish servant he had sent to monitor her brought her back to the Xiang Prince Mansion. He had no choice but to silence him and dispose of the body. Thinking about it afterward, Cui Mingyue managed to escape, and Zhu Ziyu ended up dead – if it wasn’t Cui Mingyue who did it, who else could it have been?
Women are truly the most poisonous!
What shocked Prince Xiang was how Yu Jin knew about all this.
“Eighth Brother, why do you look so unwell?” Yu Jin asked with a concerned expression.
Prince Xiang’s lips were dry as he said, “Seventh Brother, don’t speak nonsense.”
Yu Jin gave a derisive laugh. “Nonsense? Eighth Brother, you’re truly naive. You haven’t heard those rumors?”
“What rumors?” Prince Xiang couldn’t help but ask, ignoring the other’s comment about his naivety.
He was happy for others to think him naive; it would keep them from associating Cui Mingyue’s disappearance with him.
Yu Jin’s inadvertent revelation of his view of Prince Xiang reassured the latter, unconsciously making him more interested in continuing the conversation.
“Everyone’s saying that Zhu Ziyu was killed by Miss Cui. They’re also saying Eighth Brother is lucky, that you escaped a calamity…”
Prince Xiang’s face turned even greener.
To be honest, he was indeed quite lucky. If the wedding had proceeded smoothly that day, who knows, he might have been the one killed someday.
But what kind of damned luck was this? He had inexplicably become associated with such a venomous and shrewish woman. Where could he go to seek justice?
Yu Jin’s voice rose again in contemplation: “Thinking about it now, the old saying is right: it’s easy to paint a person’s skin, but hard to paint their bones; you may know a person’s face, but not their heart. Who would have thought that Miss Cui, who always appeared so dignified and virtuous, would do such shocking things? Don’t you agree, Eighth Brother?”
Prince Xiang’s face had turned from green to ashen, looking extremely unwell.
Yu Jin patted Prince Xiang’s shoulder sympathetically and consoled him: “Eighth Brother, you should look forward. There’s no need to be afraid of the rope for ten years after being bitten by a snake once. Who knows, maybe Father Emperor will choose a gentle and kind lady for you, one who wouldn’t even bear to step on an ant.”
After offering his consolation, Yu Jin strode away, leaving Prince Xiang in a daze.
A lady? Who could guarantee such pure luck? What if the Father Emperor chose another Cui Mingyue for him?
Thinking this way, Prince Xiang’s vision darkened, and in his despair, he cursed Yu Jin silently: How was this consolation? It was pure showing off!
Hmph, did he think he hadn’t heard? The Seventh Brother had feelings for his wife early on, knowing her inside and out. That’s why they have such affection and beauty now.
Knowing inside and out – Prince Xiang suddenly thought of something and clenched his fist tightly.
No, he couldn’t sit idly by and wait for Father Emperor to arrange a marriage for him haphazardly.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get married, but he couldn’t go in blind. Only by knowing the woman thoroughly could he be secure!
Prince Xiang hesitated for a moment before finally making up his mind. He turned and walked back towards the palace gate.
It wasn’t until Prince Xiang’s figure disappeared at the palace gate that half of a young man’s body emerged from a distance.
Yu Jin let out a soft laugh.
He had pushed the Empress to this point, yet Father Emperor still had two candidates. Did they think he was a fool who would toil for others?
Although he was ninety percent certain he would win after today, he didn’t want to risk even that remaining ten percent. That’s why he had that conversation with Prince Xiang earlier.
Otherwise, given Yu Jin’s personality, he wouldn’t have wasted so many words on Prince Xiang.
Yu Jin casually withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.
The Eighth Brother was truly “innocent,” rushing back to the palace to find the Emperor after hearing just a few words from him. Heh, Father Emperor was considered such a fool who couldn’t tell north from south after a bit of persuasion. Was he blind?
Once again, Yu Jin expressed his dissatisfaction with Emperor Jingming’s lack of discernment in his heart as he returned to his mansion to accompany his wife.
Emperor Jingming was still agonizing over his decision when a eunuch reported that Prince Xiang was seeking an audience.
Why had the Eighth Prince returned?
At such a sensitive time, Emperor Jingming hesitated for a moment before ordering the eunuch to bring Prince Xiang in.
“Your son pays respects to Father Emperor,” Prince Xiang said as soon as he entered, performing a grand gesture of respect.
Emperor Jingming frowned. “What are you doing?”
Though it might be inappropriate to apply the saying “No one is so generous without a reason” to his son, why had the Eighth Prince left and then returned, only to perform such a grand gesture?
Hiss – Could it be that this boy had heard some rumors?
Thinking of this possibility, Emperor Jingming’s face immediately darkened.
Prince Xiang stood up, glanced at Emperor Jingming’s expression, and immediately felt his earlier impulse fade significantly.
Father Emperor didn’t seem to be in a good mood. Was it too hasty of him to rush back at this time?
Thinking this way, Prince Xiang began to hesitate.
“Eighth son, what exactly is the matter?” Although Emperor Jingming’s face had returned to calm, his eyes held a probing look.
Prince Xiang’s heart tightened, and he began to stammer: “Your son… your son had a dream-“
Emperor Jingming’s eyes widened. “What?”
Has dreaming become a trend recently?
He believed the first one, then he believed the second one, could he still believe the third one?
The Eighth Prince’s return indeed seemed suspicious.
“What did you dream about?” Emperor Jingming asked in a heavy tone.
Yu Jin’s earlier words rekindled the enormous shadow that Cui Mingyue had cast over Prince Xiang. Steeling himself, he said, “I dreamed that the God of Marriage said your son shouldn’t marry for three years-“
“And so?”
Under Emperor Jingming’s deep gaze, Prince Xiang struggled to control his nervousness and said, “Your son also thinks this dream is a bit absurd, but considering it’s better to believe it exists than not, I came to report to Father Emperor.”
Emperor Jingming remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding. “Very well, I understand.”
Prince Xiang was stunned.
Father Emperor agreed so easily? Why did he feel a bit uneasy…
Even after Prince Xiang returned to his mansion in a daze, he still had a sense of unease, yet he couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
He had achieved his goal, after all. He should be happy.
Shortly after Prince Xiang left, Emperor Jingming set his teacup down on the table with a thud, finally having made up his mind.
Let it be the Seventh Prince.