LF Chapter 63
by VolareChapter 63: Domineeringly Divorcing Her Husband
The third month brings perfect spring weather; soft catkins flutter, delicate petals fall, and the moonlight is soft. The night breeze is gentle and warm.
Jiang Yinghua re-enters the hall, the red silk is dazzling and unbearably irritating. Even the bed is covered with red dates and chestnuts…
She throws the brocade quilt on the ground in a near-manic state, scattering the embroidered silk and causing the grains to roll all over the floor with clattering sounds, startling the wedding matron. In her half-lifetime of handling wedding affairs in the palace, she had never seen a bride make such a scene in her own bridal chamber. These things were supposed to bring good luck, but they were being ruined by her.
After messing up the bed, Jiang Yinghua raises her hand to reach for the heavy phoenix coronet on her head, pulls out a long hairpin, and smashes the jewel-studded coronet fiercely on the ground. Her dark hair instantly falls down. The maids prostrate themselves on the ground, pleading in trembling voices for her to stop causing trouble.
Jiang Yinghua sneers, “Help me change, and throw all this rubbish out.”
“Your Highness, the Prince Consort has not yet returned. Changing clothes now is not in accordance with the rules,” a bolder eunuch responds tremulously.
The smile on Jiang Yinghua’s face is profound, but with an eerie air. She uses the long hairpin in her hand to lift the little eunuch’s chin and asks coldly, “What did you call that person just now?”
The little eunuch meets Jiang Yinghua’s gloomy gaze and can’t help but shudder. After thinking for a long time, he finally says, “It… it was His Highness, the Prince of Yun’an.”
“Remember this, I have no Prince Consort, and I never will,” Jiang Yinghua warns with a smile that is three parts amusement and seven parts danger. Then she orders again, “Change my clothes.”
No one dares to say more. The maids help her change out of her wedding dress, and the little eunuchs take down the red silk and dragon-phoenix candles in the room, but they dare not take them outside the hall without permission, hiding them in a corner of the outer room. In recent days, Jiang Yinghua has only stayed in the inner chamber, so she probably won’t step into the outer room.
After changing and bathing, Jiang Yinghua sits alone at the table. “Bring wine.” Hearing this, the people beside her exchange glances but dare not obey. Jiang Yinghua shakes her head helplessly. “You’re watching me, simply because you’re afraid I’ll die before the wedding. Now that the ceremony is complete, what are you afraid of? Just bring the wine.”
“Your Highness, today is a joyous occasion. Please don’t say such unlucky things,” hearing Jiang Yinghua talk about life and death without any restraint, the attendants hurriedly kneel down to stop her. Throughout the entire palace, everyone is being careful today, and no one dares to bring bad luck to Prince Zhao’s wedding, but she doesn’t seem to care at all.
“Get out, all of you. I want to get drunk tonight and won’t seek death. You don’t need to nag me, stay outside.” Jiang Yinghua points to the outer room and orders coldly.
The attendants look at each other. Tonight, for the sake of appearances, many of the guards in the courtyard have been dismissed. Now Prince Zhao is driving them out. What if something goes wrong?
“My weakness is in Your Majesty’s hands, how dare I act rashly? Go out.” Jiang Yinghua knows what they’re thinking, so she softens her tone. Hearing her say this, they feel relieved and retreat outside the hall to guard, listening intently to the movements inside, not daring to slack off for a moment.
Before long, someone brings back wine cups. Jiang Yinghua pours and drinks on her own. After half a pot of wine, someone comes to report that a close attendant of Your Majesty has come to deliver a message. Jiang Yinghua sends someone to call him in. The man hands Jiang Yinghua a letter and says:
“Your Majesty has already sent someone to the Imperial Prison to deliver the decree. After midnight tonight, Yan Wanzhi will be a free person. What is in Your Highness’s hands is Your Majesty’s promise to you. Please keep it safe.”
The messenger looks at Jiang Yinghua in a light blue gauze dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders, drinking alone, and a hint of suspicion arises in his eyes. Jiang Yinghua glares coldly at his impolite gaze and says coldly, “Leave.”
The attendant leaves. As the hall door opens and closes, a little maid enters, bringing in a box of pastries. Jiang Yinghua waves for her to leave, examines the ill-timed snacks, and quickly breaks them all open. Sure enough, she finds a small note in one of the pastries: “Qingyun.”
“Qingyun…” Jiang Yinghua mutters to herself, suddenly remembering that for the past half-month or so, one of the people serving her closely has indeed been called “Sister Qingyun” by others. She throws the note into her cup and drinks it down with the wine, feigning drunkenness and calling out, “Someone!”
A crowd of attendants rushes in. Jiang Yinghua scans them with unfocused eyes, relying on her memory to point to one of the maids, “You, yes, you, come over and drink with me.”
The person steps forward and is pulled onto the stool by Jiang Yinghua, who raises a cup and pours wine into her mouth. The others quickly retreat, as this kind of good fortune is best avoided. Seeing everyone leave, Jiang Yinghua abandons her drunken act and says in a deep voice, “You’re hiding deep enough.”
Qingyun suddenly kneels, “Master, please forgive me.”
“Can you get a message out?” Jiang Yinghua helps her up, her eyes full of eager anticipation.
“This servant has a way to send a message, but it has to be from outside Guangyuan Hall,” Qingyun responds respectfully.
“That’s easy. I’ll get you drunk and have people carry you to the Imperial Physician’s Office. After midnight, order everyone to mobilize and escort Yan Wanzhi, who is being released from the Imperial Prison, no matter where she goes. Protect her as if you were protecting me. This is a death order,” Jiang Yinghua orders quietly, raising her head and pouring herself a cup of wine.
“Master, the Shadow Guards are meant for you, they only exist to protect you. How can we abandon you in the palace?” Qingyun is very reluctant and refuses to obey.
“Since you obey me, just do as I say. What was promised to the late Emperor, not only you but also the current Emperor is aware. I am not in any immediate danger, don’t worry.” Jiang Yinghua holds the letter from the Emperor in her hand, her eyes full of melancholy.
Before long, Qingyun is filled with wine and has several bright red palm prints on her face. The people outside sympathize with her, pitying their sister, and order the guards to send her out.
With this matter settled, Jiang Yinghua finds paper and brush and writes a letter in a moment, biting her finger and pressing her fingerprint on it. When the ink is dry, she takes the paper to the bed and waits for Ying Feng to come.
As midnight approaches, a drunken Ying Feng is led into the room by the wedding matron. He is still wearing his wedding attire and looks very tired. Jiang Yinghua glances at him, walks straight to the goblet of nuptial wine held by a little maid, raises her hand, and drinks the wine in the pot. Then, in a soft voice, she says:
“Matron, leave. This is none of your business. I will teach the Prince of Yun’an the rules.”
Ying Feng has already experienced Jiang Yinghua’s outrageous act of stopping him on the road and refusing to marry him. Her behavior today is completely within his expectations, so he remains silent and watches the drama as Jiang Yinghua’s sharp eyes stare at the wedding matron, making her feel uneasy and retreat cautiously.
“You’re satisfied entering my Great Chu, aren’t you?” Jiang Yinghua’s voice is cold, and she is only a step away from him, but her cold gaze creates a distance between them, as if they are separated by a great distance.
“Thank you, Your Highness, for your accomplishment,” Ying Feng bows his hand in a neither humble nor arrogant manner. Then, he meets Jiang Yinghua’s scrutiny.
Jiang Yinghua sneers, “Remember this, my marriage with you is just a show. I’ll tell you plainly, the person I love is a woman. If you can tolerate it, then tolerate it. If you can’t, I’ll kill you. You have to tolerate it even as a ghost.”
After saying that, she grabs Ying Feng’s finger, takes the rim of the wine pot, and stabs it hard, piercing a huge gash in Ying Feng’s pale finger. She smiles in satisfaction, ignores Ying Feng’s pained groan, and presses his bloody fingerprint onto the paper.
Ying Feng retracts his hand and looks at the person in front of him in shock. She looks good, but inside she is crazy. Jiang Yinghua throws a letter in Ying Feng’s arms and says:
“Our ceremony is today, and I will divorce you today. Therefore, there is no marital status between you and me. If you want to stay in Great Chu and bear the title of Prince Consort of Great Chu, I will fulfill you. But you have to put yourself in the right position, otherwise, I don’t mind killing you.”
Ying Feng takes a look at the so-called letter of divorce. The wording is tyrannical and extremely rude. He asks in a cold voice, “Is Prince Zhao not afraid that I will complain to Your Majesty?”
Jiang Yinghua hears this and laughs sarcastically: “You can try? If you don’t think it’s enough, why not go now? I’ll take you there. It’s best to make a big fuss. I wonder if your father and mother can still save their faces?”
Ying Feng angrily crumples the letter of divorce, but he doesn’t dare to throw it away. The dull pain in his hand is still there, and he is a little afraid of this crazy woman.
“You stay here until midnight. Once the time passes, get out of here obediently and never appear in front of me again.” Jiang Yinghua slowly paces to the front of the hall door, glancing at the red silk at the edge of the door, and is filled with anger.
Ying Feng lowers his eyes and remains silent. Jiang Yinghua is right. He came here only to become a Chu country’s in-law and resolve the internal crisis of the East Sea in a logical way. Jiang Yinghua has no intention of being with him, which is beneficial for him to hide, saving him the anxiety and long-term thinking he had before. If they don’t bother each other, the secret will not be known. Only this woman’s actions make Ying Feng feel deeply shocked. In his twenty years of life, he has never heard of such a crazy and barbarous woman.
Seeing that it is almost midnight, Ying Feng clears his throat and asks suspiciously, “Your Highness, tomorrow we have to pay our respects to the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty. Even if we’re acting, you have to be there, right?”
“I’m not going.” Jiang Yinghua responds coldly without hesitation.
The words choke Ying Feng, and he doesn’t know how to respond. What is the status of this Prince Zhao in the Chu Palace? Does she dare to disregard even the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty? During the wedding, Prince Zhao’s clothes were far better than those of ordinary princes and princesses, which had already made Ying Feng suspicious. Now, this person’s domineering response is even more puzzling.
Most importantly, after the marriage, the two of them should have lived in Prince Zhao Manor, but tonight Your Majesty ordered someone to inform Ying Feng that a palace had been prepared in the palace and that this person would stay in the palace from now on. Ying Feng originally thought that Your Majesty was worried about him, a foreign son-in-law, but now he thinks that it was for this troublesome sister. He, Ying Feng, was just a scapegoat.
The midnight hour has passed, and Jiang Yinghua directly drives him away: “Get out.” After saying that, she walks towards the inner chamber without looking back and falls asleep.
Ying Feng sighs at his bitter fate, shakes his head, shrinks his injured finger into his sleeve, opens the door, and walks out.
*
At midnight in the Imperial Prison, Your Majesty comes again in person. Yan Wanzhi, who has been imprisoned for three months, once had a serious illness due to her injuries, and now her breath is weak and her cheeks are thin.
Your Majesty orders someone to open the lock and walks straight into the prison. Yan Wanzhi hears the sound and struggles to get up. Seeing the person, she bows down. Because of the swelling of her throat, she does not dare to speak.
“Hua’er got married today. Have you completely broken your thoughts?” Your Majesty stands beside her, and her voice does not reveal her emotions.
Yan Wanzhi’s brain spins rapidly, thinking about how to respond in order to satisfy Your Majesty. If her thoughts were broken, she would not have been able to hold on for three months, but she cannot tell the truth at this time. After a long time, she opens her mouth with difficulty in a hoarse voice:
“This subject never dared to have such thoughts. This subject was confused and almost harmed Your Highness. This subject should congratulate Your Majesty and Your Highness.”
Your Majesty lowers her eyes and glances at her. Under the thin prison clothes, the traces of the spine can be faintly seen. The suffering she has endured should be enough. “You said you couldn’t help yourself before, and today you say you were confused for a while. It’s a pity that Hua’er, for you, did not hesitate to put down her arrogance and ask me to grant amnesty to the world. I don’t think it’s worth it for Hua’er.”
Hearing this, Yan Wanzhi’s body trembles slightly, and her mouth moves, but she tries her best to restrain herself from speaking. She is afraid that the heavy nasal sound will betray her true heart. Your Majesty’s light sentence that Jiang Yinghua abandoned her arrogance falls into Yan Wanzhi’s ears, and she can guess how much unbearable hardship this person has suffered. She must have been so desperate that she softened her temper and asked for mercy and tried to please her.
“I’ll give you two choices. One is as Hua’er asked, to set you free, and you must never enter the capital for the rest of your life, and stay away from the court to be an ordinary person; two, to take up a secret decree to go to the Southern Border to succeed the Secret Division Inspector, hide your name and not contact the capital without authorization, and not return to the capital without a decree. Which one do you choose?” Your Majesty can hear her heavier and heavier breathing and does not delay any longer, directly stating her intentions.
After hearing this, Yan Wanzhi’s intuition, which has been with the Emperor for many years, tells her that Your Majesty is still testing her, and no matter what choice she makes, Jiang Yinghua, who is in Your Majesty’s palm, probably will not hear the true feedback. Therefore, she gets up without hesitation and says her decision very firmly.
After listening, Your Majesty only hands her the decree in her hand and leaves the Imperial Prison.
*
The next day, Ying Feng, who had become a live-in son-in-law, packed himself up very well and went to the Empress Dowager’s Palace. When he entered, his parents were also there. Seeing that their child came alone without seeing his new wife, they could not help but look sad and feel sorry for their child’s future situation.
Ying Feng was well-behaved and sensible and tried to cover up for Jiang Yinghua, saying that she had just recovered from a serious illness, was not feeling well, and should not be exposed to the wind, so he asked him to convey his respects to his elders.
The Empress Dowager naturally knew the truth and had no intention of exposing it. Anyway, the alliance between the two countries had been established. Even if Jiang Yinghua was unwilling to cooperate, Ying Feng was still the Empress Dowager’s nephew. Now that they were even closer, it was enough for him to be raised in the palace.
After paying her respects, the Queen of the East Sea made an excuse to leave and caught up with Ying Feng, pulling him to a remote place in a panic and asking, “Feng’er, did anyone find anything? If something goes wrong in the future, this will be a crime of deceiving the Emperor. How can your mother rest assured to leave you here?”
“Mother, please rest assured. Prince Zhao has no intention of being with me, which is a great thing for me. Now that I have successfully completed the marriage, my father’s throne has been passed on to me, and the East Sea has been spared from internal strife. I can be considered worthy of my heart and worthy of your hard work for many years.” Ying Feng holds the Queen’s hand tightly and tries to reassure her.
The Queen keenly notices the wound on Ying Feng’s hand and asks with concern, “How did you get hurt? Your hands are your second face, why are you so careless? Does it hurt?”
Ying Feng pulls his hand back in a panic, hides it in his sleeve, and says perfunctorily:
“I drank too much wine last night and accidentally scratched it. It’s nothing.”
“Is that Prince Zhao cousin easy to get along with? You should get closer to her. After all, she is the person beside you. If you can’t hide it one day, she may be able to say a word for you and ask for mercy.” The Queen asks persistently.
“Oh, Mother, don’t say any more. There are ears everywhere in this palace. If you ask any more, I really won’t be able to hide it.” Ying Feng tugs at the Queen’s sleeve and scolds in a low voice.
“Alright, I won’t say it anymore. After all, we are relatives, and the Chu Emperor has to take face into account. Your mother is overthinking it. Tomorrow, your father and I will go back. Take good care of yourself.” The Queen lowers her eyes, almost shedding tears as she speaks.
Ying Feng is also bitter in his heart. If it were not to protect his mother and to prevent the power of the East Sea from falling into the hands of that illegitimate useless brother, why would he have sent himself thousands of miles away to the Chu Palace to see Prince Zhao’s face?
“Don’t worry, just take care of your health and don’t worry too much. I have a sense of discretion, and if there are any difficulties, I will write to you.” Ying Feng gently comforts his mother, his eyes flickering as he avoids her gaze.
Inside Guangyuan Hall, Jiang Yinghua, who has not touched wine for a long time, sleeps soundly and wakes up slowly near noon. As soon as she gets up, she sees a glimpse of a dragon and phoenix skirt on the outside, and her eyebrows suddenly tighten.
Hearing the sound, Jiang Jingche slowly steps into the inner room, and the weariness between her eyebrows is difficult to hide. She says quietly: “Prince Zhao has forgotten yesterday’s promise?”
Jiang Yinghua does not understand, gets up and gets off the bed, and bows: “What does Your Majesty mean? This subject completed the marriage as ordered and did not act rashly.”
Your Majesty sneers: “You drove people out last night, and today you are ignoring the King and Queen of the East Sea. Can you be more presumptuous?”
“What does Your Majesty want this subject to do?” Jiang Yinghua asks coldly, her tone is distant, and she does not even have the minimum courtesy.
Your Majesty looks coldly at the person in front of her. She does not know when, she has found that she cannot see through this younger sister.
“Yan Wanzhi, I have released as ordered, and you should be crazy enough.” She angrily brushes her sleeves and sits down, her tone is very dissatisfied.