“Young Master, Young Master.”
Ji Lian slipped in through the window on tiptoe and hurriedly whispered, “I've already lured the guards away from the side gate. I'll find a way to keep the people outside occupied. You need to run now—as far as you can.” Better yet, never come back. Get far away from this man-eating ducal estate.
“I can't escape.” Ye Yunting sat upright in the inner room, his fingers brushing over the intricate embroidery on his red wedding robes as he raised his eyes to his anxious page.
“The guards you drew away are only the ones in plain sight.”
Ye Yunting stood, pushed open the tightly shut window, and slowly pointed from east to west at several old trees with thick trunks and luxuriant crowns. “Here, here, and here. Highly skilled covert guards are hidden in all of them. Before I could even step through the side gate, they'd seize me.”
His gaze remained calm. Deep in his black eyes lay a trace of helpless resignation. “When that happens, I'll still be forced to marry into the Prince of Eternal Peace's household, while you…” would have both legs broken and be confined in the ducal estate as a hostage, never to see daylight again.
Ye Yunting turned his gaze to Ji Lian, paused, and did not finish the thought. Instead, he smiled, pulled him over to sit beside him, grabbed a handful of wedding sweets from the table, and stuffed them into his arms. In a low voice, he said, “Since I can't get away anyway, why waste the effort and drag you into suffering as well?”
Ji Lian held the sweets and stared at him blankly. “Young Master, why do I feel like you're a little different from before?”
He looked at his young master, who seemed to have resigned himself to his fate, worry surfacing on his fair, round face.
Only three days ago, when they had learned that Ye Yunting was to be sent to the Prince of Eternal Peace's residence for an auspicious marriage meant to ward off misfortune, his young master had told him to secretly investigate the estate's guard deployments. He had said that on the wedding day, when security loosened, the two of them would escape together. From then on, the world would be wide and open before them, and they would be free of all restraint.
Why had he changed his mind now, at the very last moment?
“It's only right that I'm different…” Ye Yunting sat down beside him and casually lifted the stone-cold tea for a sip, his expression composed.
After all, anyone who had died once and come back to life would be different from before.
Three days earlier, his father had told him that the Astronomical Bureau had calculated that his birth characters complemented those of the Prince of Eternal Peace. Concerned about the prince's illness, His Majesty had made an unprecedented exception and personally conferred upon Ye Yunting the title of the Prince of Eternal Peace's consort, ordering him into the princely residence to marry the gravely ill prince and ward off his misfortune.
In Northern Radiance, there was no one who did not know the fearsome reputation of the Prince of Eternal Peace.
He had joined the army at thirteen and made his name at sixteen by slaying a great general of Western Brilliance. Over the next ten years, he fought in countless battles, large and small, and never once suffered defeat. Even the fiercest and most vengeful soldiers of Western Brilliance would feel their courage falter at the sight of the black banners of the prince's Black-Armored Army.
And yet, a month earlier, the Prince of Eternal Peace had been poisoned in a plot against him. His meridians were utterly ruined and his life hung by a thread. It was said that every physician in the Imperial Medical Office had taken a turn treating him, yet not one had been able to neutralize the strange poison in his body.
The present emperor and the Prince of Eternal Peace had grown up together and were said to be as close as true brothers. His Majesty had been so worried about the prince's condition that he could not sleep at night. Eventually, the Director of the Astronomical Bureau proposed finding a person of auspicious fate whose birth characters complemented the prince's, so that a marriage might turn his luck and resolve the crisis.
And Ye Yunting was the “auspicious person” the Astronomical Bureau had selected after searching high and low.
The teacup clicked sharply against the tabletop. Ye Yunting smoothed his sleeve, a trace of mockery curving his lips.
Back then, he had been young. He had simply believed that this was his fate. Only after entering the princely residence and seeing how treacherous the human heart could be did he finally understand—what did any of this have to do with fate?
He and the Prince of Eternal Peace had both simply stood in someone else's way.
Unfortunately, Ye Yunting's life had not been hard enough to endure it. He drifted through nearly a year in the princely residence before accidentally drinking poisoned soup and dying an early death. Yet the Prince of Eternal Peace, who had supposedly been bedridden and not long for this world, appeared at his bedside as Ye Yunting lay dying. He said Ye Yunting had been implicated because of him and asked whether he had any unfulfilled wishes, promising to do his best to grant them.
At the time, Ye Yunting had no one. His only concern was Ji Lian, who was being held hostage in the ducal estate, so he had asked the prince to look after Ji Lian for him…
Ye Yunting drew back his wandering thoughts and looked at the plump, fair Ji Lian before him, both legs still perfectly sound. His expression brightened somewhat.
Heaven had not treated him too badly after all. Although even after being reborn he could not escape the fate of marrying the Prince of Eternal Peace to ward off his misfortune, this time he could at least take Ji Lian with him when he left.
He reached out and pinched Ji Lian's cheek. “Eat a little more while you can. Once we get to the princely residence, there may not be anything to eat.”
Ji Lian had a wedding sweet in his mouth, puffing out his cheeks. He mumbled indistinctly, “Can the food at the princely residence really be worse than the food here?”
His plump face wrinkled with worry. Their meals at the ducal estate were already bad enough. If the princely residence was even worse, how were they supposed to survive?
Seeing him fret so seriously over their future livelihood, Ye Yunting curled a finger and tapped him lightly on the forehead, then let his smile fade. “I won't let you starve. It's time. Let's go out.”
*
Dawn had not yet fully broken, and the entire residence of the Prince of Eternal Peace was heavily guarded, its atmosphere solemn.
Only the southwestern side courtyard had been draped in red silk and colored ribbons. Festive red lanterns hung beneath the eaves and among the branches, forcing a little ill-timed cheer into the scene.
The wedding procession stood waiting silently in several rows inside the courtyard. A wedding matron in a bright red jacket stood at the front, her anxious gaze repeatedly sweeping over the tightly shut door. Against the oppressive silence of the courtyard, her heavy sighs sounded particularly conspicuous.
There was never going to be much joy in today's wedding.
The wedding matron was still worrying over what she would do if the eldest young master refused to cooperate when the door to the main room opened with a faint creak.
She looked toward the sound and saw a tall, slender figure step out. Layer upon layer of brilliant red robes swept over the high threshold like crimson clouds, seeming to illuminate the entire courtyard.
Lofty as rosy clouds rising at dawn, bright and graceful as willows beneath the spring moon.
No description could have suited him better.
She had only ever heard people say that the eldest young master of the Duke of Qi's household possessed an extraordinary bearing, like a jade tree in a jeweled grove. For some unknown reason, he almost never appeared in public, but whenever he did, the young ladies of noble families would flush pink and crane their necks to look.
With a face that handsome alone, matchmakers had nearly worn down the threshold of the Duke of Qi's estate. Yet even as the eldest young master approached the age of twenty, no marriage had ever been settled for him. No one could have expected that this delay would lead to him being chosen by the Astronomical Bureau and sent to the dying Prince of Eternal Peace for an auspicious marriage.
He might nominally be the consort personally bestowed upon the Prince of Eternal Peace by His Majesty, but across all the dynasties that had ever come and gone, when had there been a custom of men marrying out? And the Prince of Eternal Peace was afflicted by a bizarre poison. He likely had only days left to live.
The eldest young master's allotted years were probably coming to an end as well.
The wedding matron sighed. A great many thoughts passed through her mind before she quickly suppressed them. She pasted an unfamiliar, perfunctory smile onto her heavily powdered face and went forward. “Is Your Highness ready?”
As she spoke, she could not help giving Ye Yunting another look, amazement hidden in her eyes. Then, remembering something, she hurried back inside and rummaged around until she found the forgotten red bridal veil. “On such an auspicious day, we can't forget the veil.” Muttering as she went, she rose onto her toes to drape it over Ye Yunting's head.
Ye Yunting stepped back to avoid it and raised a hand to stop her wrist. His voice was gentle but carried an unmistakable firmness. “I'm a man. We can dispense with the veil.”
The wedding matron hesitated. “But according to custom…”
Ye Yunting smiled faintly. “Rules are dead; people are alive.” He paused, then added pointedly, “All of you are merely accompanying me through the motions today. Why delay the real business over such an insignificant detail?”
The wedding matron met his gaze and thought that the eldest young master's temperament was rather different from what she had imagined. She had already been afraid that Ye Yunting might cause trouble on the way to the wedding. Now that he was cooperating in everything except the veil, she did not dare press him too hard. She meekly put it away, dipped in a curtsey, and smiled. “Then we'll do as Your Highness wishes.”
With that, she spun around and called to the procession, “Make way—”
At once, wedding music rose and gongs and drums thundered.
Dressed in brilliant red wedding robes, Ye Yunting walked toward the gate with Ji Lian on one side and the wedding matron on the other.
As he crossed the courtyard gate, he looked back once at the place that still seemed bleak despite all its festive decorations. Emotion surged in his eyes, then quickly settled back into calm.
At the entrance to the ducal estate, Duke of Qi Ye Zhili and his wife, Yin Hongye, stood with the household servants to see the wedding party off.
Although Ye Yunting had been personally titled the Prince of Eternal Peace's consort by His Majesty, there had never before been a precedent for a man marrying out. And no one understood the various reasons behind this marriage better than Ye Zhili. What His Majesty wanted to see was not the process, but the result. As long as Ye Yunting entered the princely residence and became the prince's consort, no one would care how it had happened.
So Ye Zhili had not even bothered with appearances.
When Ye Yunting emerged, Ye Zhili came forward with a complicated look in his eyes and spoke earnestly. “The Prince of Eternal Peace is a great hero of Northern Radiance. You are going there to marry him and turn his fortune. You must be sincere and harbor no resentment.”
Ye Yunting lowered his eyes and nodded. “Yes.”
Perhaps his obedience was too convincing. Some dormant fatherly feeling was suddenly stirred in Ye Zhili, and he could not help stepping forward to pat his shoulder. His voice lowered. “All these years… your father has wronged you.”
As he spoke, he seemed almost to lose himself in the performance. He took Ye Yunting's hand and urged him with apparent concern, “If… if anything should happen in the future, the Duke of Qi's estate will still be your home.”
Even though everyone—including Ye Yunting—knew that once he went, his life would be tied to the Prince of Eternal Peace's.
If the prince died, so would he.
“Father misspoke.” Ye Yunting looked calmly at his father, neither sorrowful nor joyful. “Once I cross this threshold today, whether I live or die in the future will have nothing more to do with the Duke of Qi's household.”
He paused, withdrew his hand, and let it fall to his side. Quietly, he said, “Let today repay the debt of giving me life and raising me.”
All the complicated emotions on Ye Zhili's face froze. He stared at his son in disbelief, his tall body swaying slightly.
Yin Hongye, who had been standing silently to one side, made a show of supporting his arm. She cast Ye Yunting a contemptuous glance and scoffed. “They say a married daughter is like water thrown out of the house. Our eldest young master hasn't even married out yet, and already he can't wait to think of himself as spilled water?”
“It's getting late. Let's go.” As if he had not heard her mockery, Ye Yunting lifted the hem of his robes and climbed into the sedan chair by himself.
Yin Hongye's expression darkened as she looked at the stiff-faced Ye Zhili. “My lord, just look at him. You tossed and turned all night worrying about him, yet he seems positively eager to leave.”
Ye Zhili stared at the sedan chair, his eyes flickering. After a moment, he waved a hand. “Enough.”
Seated upright inside the sedan, Ye Yunting listened as the stalled gongs and drums outside began again. Tiredly, he closed his eyes.
The road ahead was uncertain, and he did not know whether life or death awaited him.
But he had to try. He had to carve out a path to survival.
*
After leaving the Duke of Qi's estate, the wedding procession headed toward the residence of the Prince of Eternal Peace.
By the marriage customs of Northern Radiance, a wedding procession had to circle the Upper Capital once in order to display the grandeur of the occasion.
The higher and more powerful the family, the larger the procession. The clamor of gongs and drums would begin before dawn, and once the auspicious hour arrived, the wedding party would set off noisily around the city. Special wedding matrons in the procession would hand out wedding coins and sweets to onlookers; any commoner who called out an auspicious blessing could receive a packet of coins or a few sweets.
That was why, whenever a great household took a wife or married off a daughter, the long streets of the Upper Capital would always be packed shoulder to shoulder. Even if one could not get any wedding coins or sweets, there was still pleasure in sharing a little of a wealthy household's good fortune.
Yet today's marriage between the residence of the Prince of Eternal Peace and the Duke of Qi's household had begun almost without a sound.
The sky had only just started to brighten. Vendors on both sides of the long street were only beginning to set up their stalls, bleary-eyed as they prepared for the day's business, when a wedding procession passed down the main road. The sedan carried by eight men was clearly the kind used when a daughter of a wealthy family married out. The gongs and drums were deafening, yet somehow there was not a trace of joy in the entire procession. Everyone looked solemn and hurried. It looked less as though they were celebrating a wedding than as though there were a scalding hot burden sitting in the sedan and everyone was desperate to deliver it to its destination.
Passersby stopped and whispered among themselves, wondering which family's young lady was getting married.
Someone who had heard the rumors lowered his voice to explain to those who had not. “What young lady? The person in that sedan is the eldest young master of the Duke of Qi's household—the one being sent to marry the Prince of Eternal Peace and turn his luck.”
The crowd gasped, then understood.
No wonder.
So it was the auspicious marriage for the Prince of Eternal Peace.
The prince had been poisoned in a plot against him and had been gravely ill for more than a month. Something that serious could not be kept hidden; the whole city had long since heard. The present emperor and the Prince of Eternal Peace were said to be as close as brothers. It was rumored that His Majesty had been so worried about the prince's condition that he had visited Cloudrise Temple outside the city many times, praying in his sacred person as the True Dragon for the gods and Buddhas to protect the prince through this calamity.
Later, the Astronomical Bureau studied the stars at night and declared that the prince's ruling star had dimmed. Only an auspicious person whose fate complemented his could help him safely survive this disaster.
Thus His Majesty issued an order, and after an exhaustive search, his people finally found someone whose fate matched that of the prince.
The eldest young master of the Duke of Qi's household.
This eldest young master had some reputation in the Upper Capital. Most young men of noble families his age either entered officialdom and began to make a name for themselves, or swaggered through the capital as notorious wastrels. Good or bad, people saw them. Yet this eldest young master almost never appeared in public; he was sheltered more carefully than a pampered daughter in the women's quarters. On the rare occasions when he did appear, however, his extraordinary beauty inspired such extravagant stories that countless young ladies and refined beauties pined for him, even sending matchmakers to his family's door.
Now that there was finally a rare chance to glimpse the legendary immortal-like beauty, the commoners along the road stretched their necks toward the sedan, hoping for one look. Unfortunately, the curtains were thick, revealing not so much as a sliver.
Unable to see him, the spectators shook their heads in disappointment and dispersed after a little sighing and gossip.
By then, Ye Yunting, seated inside the sedan, had already arrived at the Prince of Eternal Peace's residence.
The marriage had begun absurdly, and the proceedings themselves were perfunctory to the extreme.
After the Prince of Eternal Peace was poisoned, His Majesty had flown into a towering rage and harshly punished all the servants who attended him. Now, some servants of the princely residence were dead and others scattered. Those few who had escaped being implicated were all frightened out of their wits, as though danger lurked in every rustle of the grass; they practically walked on tiptoe.
So when Ye Yunting was brought inside, the only thing there to welcome him was an empty residence. There was not even a breathing soul in sight.
The wedding matron who had entered with him clearly had not expected such an enormous residence to be completely deserted. She looked around awkwardly before saying stiffly, “Your Highness, please wait a little longer. Perhaps the people of the residence don't know we've arrived. I'll have someone inform them.”
Ye Yunting was not surprised. He had already lived through this scene once in his previous life and knew what to expect.
He stood calmly where he was. “We'll wait.”
In his previous life, the emperor had sent the Chief Palace Eunuch, Cui Xi, to preside over the wedding. It should be the same this time.
Cui Xi was the emperor's trusted confidant and controlled the entire Palace Service Bureau. His authority reached the heavens; even the highest-ranking ministers at court respectfully addressed him as “Attendant Cui.” Today he was merely here under orders to go through the motions, so it was hardly surprising that he arrived late.
They waited for roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea before Cui Xi finally appeared with his people.
The wedding matron hurried forward with a smile. “Attendant Cui.”
Cui Xi glanced at her and raised his chin slightly. A young eunuch behind him immediately produced a bulging, heavy purse and handed it to the wedding matron. “You've worked hard today. Leave the rest to us.”
The wedding matron instantly understood. She weighed the purse in her hand, tucked it into her sleeve, and withdrew with a beaming smile.
The open gates of the princely residence closed again with a dull thud.
Ji Lian stood beside Ye Yunting. Master and servant faced Cui Xi and his attendants.
Unhurried, Ye Yunting turned his gaze toward Cui Xi. “Attendant Cui, are the wedding rites still to proceed as usual?”
Cui Xi studied him for a moment, then smiled. “The eldest young master is an intelligent man. There's no need for us to waste time. We'll take you directly to the main courtyard.”
He raised a hand in a courteous gesture of invitation, indicating that Ye Yunting should go first. He looked remarkably polite and respectful.
Even though Ye Yunting had experienced this once before, he was still surprised.
Cui Xi was infamous for being sinister and vicious. His beautiful face paired with his gloomy expression always made people think of a brightly patterned venomous snake. He was said to have an unpredictable temper and rarely showed even senior ministers a pleasant face.
Yet in both lives, whenever he dealt with Ye Yunting, his attitude could almost be called kind.
Ye Yunting concealed the doubt in his eyes and followed him to the main courtyard.
There were not many servants there either. Only two maids stood guard at the courtyard gate. When they saw the party approaching, they hurriedly rose and bowed.
Cui Xi ignored them. He merely turned to Ye Yunting and said, “This is as far as I'll escort you, Eldest Young Master. You'll have to walk the rest of the way yourself.”
“Thank you, Attendant Cui.” Ye Yunting nodded slightly. After thanking him, he turned without hesitation toward the main room where the Prince of Eternal Peace lay.
Cui Xi watched his retreating back, the corners of his upturned eyes lowering. Suddenly he called out, “Eldest Young Master, Heaven's decree may be impossible to defy, but as long as a person is alive, there is still a chance.”
Ye Yunting stopped and turned back. “Thank you for the guidance, Attendant Cui. I understand.”
Cui Xi smiled. “The eldest young master is indeed a man who understands.”
With that, he clasped his hands in farewell and led his people away.
The confusion in Ye Yunting's eyes deepened. He searched his memories but could not recall any connection between himself and Cui Xi that would justify such a warning. In the end, he stopped thinking about it, pushed open the door, and entered the main rooms.
The maid behind him immediately shut the door.
Once it closed, the room dimmed. Ye Yunting swept a casual glance around and continued toward the inner chamber. Ji Lian, however, wrinkled his nose and sneezed. “Why does it smell so bad? What is that? And why is it so dark in here? Why hasn't anyone lit a lamp?”
Ever since they had entered the princely residence, everything seemed strangely wrong.
Uneasy, Ji Lian could only follow close behind Ye Yunting. Because he was not watching his feet, he suddenly kicked something with a sharp clatter and frightened himself. “What was that?!”
Ye Yunting glanced down in the dim light. “Nothing. Just a broken bowl.”
Ji Lian found it even stranger. He picked up the broken bowl, set it on the table, and muttered under his breath, “How can the prince's own bedchamber not even have anyone to sweep and clean it?”
Ye Yunting shook his head. “Other than the two of us, there isn't anyone else here. Who would they be putting on a show for?”
Ji Lian stared at him blankly, only half understanding.
“Never mind. Wait in the outer room.” Ye Yunting did not explain further. He told Ji Lian to remain outside and entered the inner chamber alone.
Inside, the light was even dimmer and the foul smell even stronger.
Ye Yunting felt around until he found a candle and lit it. Holding the weakly glowing candlestick, he cautiously approached the bed in the center of the room.
Half the bed curtains had been gathered back; the other half hung down in disorder. The dark-purple, gold-woven fabric was covered in black stains of every size, like soup spills that had never been cleaned. Half the stench in the room seemed to be coming from those curtains.
Ye Yunting set the candle at the bedside. Frowning, he gathered the hanging curtains aside and finally saw the figure lying on the bed.
The proud and aloof God of War of Northern Radiance lay amid filthy, disordered bedding, his breathing already extremely faint. His ink-black hair lay scattered around him like withered grass. His complexion was waxen, his cheeks deeply sunken, and he had wasted away almost beyond recognition. His thin lips were bluish and dry. Apart from the increasingly sharp, gaunt outline of his features, there was scarcely any trace left of the God of War he had once been.