Saving My Life By Simping For My Empress - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: “Then how about pledging yourself to me in marriage?”

Qin Ji assigned Chen Xuanwen a mission: keep a death grip on the surveillance of Wei Wuxia. The Princess wasn’t particularly bright, but she certainly loved to stir up trouble. He couldn’t allow her to cause a scene under his nose, especially anything that could threaten Wei Yu.

Because Chen Xuanwen had failed to protect the Emperor before—leading to Qin Ji’s injury and Wei Yu’s kidnapping—Qin Ji hadn’t punished him for his dereliction of duty and was still willing to employ him. Eager to prove his worth, Chen Xuanwen devoted himself entirely to this new task.

Thus, Wei Wuxia was placed under house arrest. Not only was she forbidden from leaving the diplomatic hostel, but she was also prohibited from communicating with the envoys of other nations. She was confined to her courtyard, unable to go anywhere.

When Wei Wuxia learned of her house arrest, she flew into a rage and smashed several porcelain pieces in her room. Chen Xuanwen calmly had someone record every item, intending to bill the State of Wei for the damages. Smashing things in our Qin State? Truly lacks a sense of propriety. She seemed to forget that she represented a defeated nation whose shame was still hanging high for all to see.

Qin Ji had no time to deal with her. With envoys from various countries arriving for his birthday, he was busy to death, waking up earlier than a rooster and sleeping later than a dog.

Naturally, he secretly arranged Wei Yu’s Capping Ceremony. Qin Ji had seen through it: Wei Qiong and Wei Wuxia truly did not treat Wei Yu as one of their own.

…

On the ninth day of the third month, Qin Ji didn’t handle government affairs or see any envoys. Instead, he led Wei Yu to a recently cleaned palace.

“Wei Yu, you and I share the same birthday, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to hold your celebration tomorrow alongside mine. So, I’m holding a ceremony for you today. I hope you like it.” Qin Ji raised his hand, and the eunuchs behind him pushed open the palace doors.

Qin Ji led Wei Yu inside. People were already waiting, including someone Wei Yu recognized: the high-ranking female official from the Weaving Department. She stood respectfully to the side with several maids, holding intricate ceremonial robes.

“Wei Yu, these three gentlemen are Prime Minister Zhao Anhong, my teacher Xu Ziye, and the former Minister of Rites. They will perform your capping.” Qin Ji looked at Wei Yu nervously. Even though he had prepared everything, he found himself unable to articulate his plans smoothly.

“Normally, a Capping Ceremony shouldn’t be handled by an outsider like me. But since you are here with me and we can’t bring members of your Wei clan to cap you, will you… make do with this?” Qin Ji clenched his hands. These useless hands, why are they sweating?

Wei Yu remained silent for a long time. He looked at the three officials invited to cap him, then at the brand-new ceremonial robes. His eyes grew warm.

“Your Majesty,” Wei Yu asked softly, his voice light as if afraid to wake from a dream, “is all of this prepared for me?”

Qin Ji: “Yes. I was just afraid you’d refuse.”

The twenty-year-old Capping Ceremony is vital for any man. On the day Wei Yu left for Qin, he knew he might never have one. As a hostage, he couldn’t expect Qin to spend energy on such a ritual.

After the recent assassination attempt, Wei Yu also understood that unless Wei Qiong suddenly died, he would never be allowed to return safely to Wei. Without Qin Ji, he wouldn’t even have a birthday, let alone a Capping Ceremony.

Capping should be hosted by a father or elder brother. Since his father had passed and his brother was cruel, and he could not enter the Wei ancestral temple to sacrifice to the heavens, having Qin Ji prepare this for him was his greatest stroke of luck.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Wei Yu nearly wept in front of Zhao Anhong and the others.

“Go change into the robes,” Qin Ji said with a smile.

While changing, Wei Yu wiped his eyes and composed himself. He didn’t want to be weeping during his own ceremony; it wouldn’t be dignified.

Since they couldn’t move the Wei ancestral temple here, the sacrificial portion was simplified to just worshipping Heaven and Earth. Afterward, Zhao Anhong and the others proceeded with the capping.

The officials themselves were stunned. They hadn’t expected the Emperor to ask them for such a thing. The situation was absurd: the Emperor of Qin, worrying so much over a hostage, putting in such effort to host his coming-of-age ritual—holding him in his palm for fear of dropping him, keeping him in his mouth for fear of him melting. This wasn’t the attitude one should have toward a hostage; calling him his “heart and soul” wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

The ceremony involved three caps. The first was the Zibu cap, made of black linen, representing the right to participate in politics. As the Prime Minister and head of the officials, Zhao Anhong was the perfect choice to place this cap on Wei Yu.

Watching from the side, Qin Ji found himself amused. Wei Yu does more than participate in politics; he’s already handled a fair share of my workload. In a way, Wei Yu was his teacher, yet he hadn’t even paid him a tutor’s fee. I’ll make it up to him later; it can be part of the birthday.

The second cap was the Pibian, made of white deerskin, signifying a man’s duty to defend the state and territory. Xu Ziye performed this part. Qin Ji had originally wanted a highly respected, battle-hardened old general, but the one he had in mind had been sent to the border days ago. So, the task fell to Xu Ziye.

Seeing how much Qin Ji valued Wei Yu, and realizing this wasn’t some cruel joke, Xu Ziye agreed to help and even offered to choose a Zi (courtesy name) for Wei Yu. Given Xu Ziye’s legendary status among scholars, his involvement added immense weight to the ceremony.

The third was the Su cap, essentially a formal hat. Qin Ji had invited the retired former Minister of Rites to perform this final capping.

With the Prime Minister, the Imperial Tutor, and a former Minister, the prestige was incredibly high. The only thing missing was the Wei ancestral temple.

With three cappings, he had truly become an adult.

…

Usually, a banquet for guests follows, but due to Wei Yu’s special status, this was skipped. Only the three officials remained to dine in the palace. Qin Ji let them order whatever they liked.

“Wei Yu, today I give you the courtesy name: Liuguang (Flowing Light). What do you think?” Xu Ziye asked.

Wei Yu bowed deeply. “Thank you, Teacher.”

Wei Yu, Wei Liuguang. A bright smile instantly illuminated his face.

“Let those three go eat; I’ll take you to see your gift.”

Qin Ji led Wei Yu to the rear hall of Ziji Palace, which was used for storing his personal items. The normally empty hall was now filled with crates of various sizes. The craftsmanship clearly marked them as coming from the State of Wei.

“Didn’t I say I asked Wei Qiong for your things? The diplomatic mission brought them all. Take a look and see if anything is missing.”

Actually, these items had arrived the day Wei Wuxia entered the city. But fearing Wei Qiong might have hidden poison or secret weapons, Qin Ji had the secret guards and imperial physicians inspect everything twice before bringing Wei Yu here.

Standing among the crates, Wei Yu’s eyes grew sore again. He recognized items he used daily, and even a piece of fine ink he had only used halfway before his departure.

“Your Majesty, thank you.” Wei Yu didn’t know how else to express his gratitude; he could only keep saying “thank you.”

“Stop thanking me.” Qin Ji took a handkerchief and gently wiped Wei Yu’s eyes. “Don’t cry. If you cry, I won’t know how to comfort you.”

Gao De discreetly turned around, pretending to be deaf. He finally understood: his Majesty had those kinds of feelings for Prince Wei Yu. Gao De felt troubled for his Emperor. If only Prince Wei Yu were a woman… why must he be a man? If the court found out about two men, who knew what chaos would ensue?

“Qin Ji,” Wei Yu whispered, “how can I ever repay you?”

Qin Ji’s mouth moved faster than his brain: “Then how about pledging yourself to me in marriage?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Qin Ji wanted to slap himself. What am I blathering about? He quickly tried to walk it back: “I was just joking! You don’t have to take it seriously.” Can my mouth please sync up with my brain?

But how could Qin Ji know that his mouth was actually perfectly in sync with his subconscious?

“These things will stay here; you can look through them slowly when you have time. Come, let’s go eat.” Qin Ji hurriedly changed the subject.

Since it was an early birthday celebration, Qin Ji had the kitchen prepare a feast far more lavish than usual, consisting entirely of Wei Yu’s favorites.

“Come, birthday boy, you must be happy today.” Qin Ji raised a cup. Wei Yu smelled the sweet fragrance—it wasn’t strong liquor, but fruit wine.

“Is this the wine from that night?” Wei Yu’s heart was in disarray. He raised his cup and clinked it against Qin Ji’s. How can Qin Ji be so thoughtful toward me?

The wine was Peach Blossom Drunk. Since Wei Yu loved peach blossoms, it was perfectly fitting.

“I asked the physician; you shouldn’t drink too much. Just a taste of this is fine, but nothing else.” Even though Qin Ji knew Wei Yu wouldn’t overindulge, he couldn’t help but nag.

Wei Yu’s eyes curved into smiles, beautiful as peach blossoms. “I understand.”

…

After lunch, Qin Ji had to return to the study to work, and he urged Wei Yu to rest. The physician had said Wei Yu needed recuperation, so Qin Ji nagged him every day to sleep.

Wei Yu was amused; recuperating didn’t mean sleeping 24/7. Seeing Wei Yu lie down on the bed, Qin Ji continued to stare until Wei Yu felt self-conscious. “Your Majesty, I promise to sleep well, okay?”

Qin Ji: “…I was just looking at you.” I didn’t mean to supervise you.

“Oh, right. Your birthday gift.” Qin Ji had been hiding it all day. He pulled out a peach blossom jade pendant, stuffed it into Wei Yu’s hand, and immediately bolted.

He had forgotten all the lines he had prepared to say when giving the gift, and he felt that no words could express his best wishes for Wei Yu anyway. He had been procrastinating giving it out of embarrassment, so he took advantage of Wei Yu being horizontal to shove it at him and run. No one is more pathetic than me…

Wei Yu was stunned by the maneuver. He held the jade pendant, which still carried the warmth of Qin Ji’s body, for a long time. He sat up and held it against the light.

The jade was carved into a peach blossom. The craftsmanship was superb, and the stone was flawless, with a faint, translucent pink hue—as if the jade itself had bloomed from a flower.

Wei Yu cupped the pendant in both hands and fell back onto the bed.

Qin Ji…

If he were a peach blossom, Qin Ji would be a butterfly. Coming for the spring, never leaving with the wind.