She Is Such A Jerk, And Yet She’s The One Crying! - Chapter 45

When the weather began to turn cold, Jiang Weilan’s beloved son, Zhang Lihan, passed away at the age of barely twenty.

The Commandery Governor wept bitterly by the coffin for many days, his grief unending.

On the seventh day of Zhang Lihan’s passing, his seldom-seen maternal uncle—the Great General of the State, Jiang Nianyang, who had been stationed at the borders—passed through Sanqi on his way back to the capital to bid him farewell.

Upon learning that the Eldest Princess was also in Sanqi Commandery, Jiang Nianyang followed protocol and came to pay his respects mid-journey.

“When the Imperial Preceptor resigned and returned to her hometown that year, I thought it was a lifelong reclusion. Who would have thought that after only three years, the Imperial Preceptor would begin to risk her life for Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess?” The military commander spoke with blunt candor. Jiang Nianyang raised his wine cup, his words not particularly polite. “Since the Imperial Preceptor has re-entered the world, why have you not entered the capital sooner?”

Lin Dongruan sat poised at the banquet, her expression unchanged. “The Emperor has held power for three years; he set out from Cangwu with ambitions reaching ten thousand miles. I have not betrayed the late Emperor’s dying command to act as his guardian. Now, I have hung up my hat and retired to the countryside. My life belongs to the humble fields; I seek neither power nor fame, so why should I enter the capital?”

“Following Her Highness the Princess is surely a pursuit of power in its own right. Is it not that the Imperial Preceptor has suffered through a few years of hardship and now feels regret?” Jiang Nianyang snorted, cupping his hands toward the sun in a gesture of indignation. “If that is the case, why not return to the capital with this General to serve the King’s affairs together?”

Amidst the clinking of cups, Qiang Ning set down her wine vessel and sneered, “Men, bestow a shoulder of pork upon the General.”

A half-raw leg of pork was thus brought before Jiang Nianyang’s desk. Jiang Nianyang did not carve it to eat; instead, he looked up at the Eldest Princess sitting in the seat of honor.

Qiang Ning looked down at him and said, “This Palace admires the Great General’s loyalty in ‘serving the King’s affairs from ten thousand miles away.’ I have specially prepared a grand feast to treat you, allowing you to dispense with empty etiquette and speak freely during the banquet. But—General, it is a bit excessive for you to openly attempt to sow discord between me and my beloved wife.”

Jiang Nianyang’s hand shook, and he failed to hold his cup steady. “Ah?”

Everyone presents fell into a dead silence, utterly astonished.

Jiang Nianyang thought he had drunk too much and was hallucinating; he asked in bewilderment, “Your Highness, you say the Imperial Preceptor is…”

“The Imperial Preceptor is not a subordinate of this Palace.” Qiang Ning told him bluntly, lest this somewhat brainless general continue trying to poach her people for the Emperor. “Dongruan is my wife.”

Everyone’s hands began to shake as they silently set down their wine vessels and straightened their posture, wishing they could prick up their ears to hear this royal secret.

Who in the world did not know that the Emperor held deep affection for the Imperial Preceptor? Back then, in order to marry the Imperial Preceptor as his Empress, he had caused such a stir that he forced her to resign and return home before he finally let go—he had even built a “Teacher-Longing Tower” in her honor.

Only a few years had passed, and the Emperor’s own elder sister, the current Eldest Princess, had directly taken the Imperial Preceptor as her wife. Was this not a direct slap to the Emperor’s face?

This time, Jiang Nianyang didn’t just hear it clearly—he was practically jolted sober by the shock. He had intended to mock the Imperial Preceptor for a few moments, but who could have guessed that she hadn’t just defied the Emperor, but had directly hooked up with the Eldest Princess!

Before the Eldest Princess spoke, Jiang Nianyang’s mind was filled with matters of state and court intrigue; seeing the Imperial Preceptor retire to her hometown in her prime made him angry no matter how he looked at it. But after the Princess spoke, his thoughts shifted instantly—he was, in fact, terrified.

Realizing he had just been trying to “dig a hole in the wall” (steal a partner) right in front of the Eldest Princess, Jiang Nianyang felt his head grow twice its size, and he dared not make another sound.

Jiang Nianyang raised his arm and downed a cup of wine, saying apologetically, “This General spoke rashly; I hope the Imperial Preceptor does not take offense.”

Lin Dongruan lowered her head and smiled faintly. “The General overstates it.”

She looked at the undercooked pork shoulder sitting on Jiang Nianyang’s desk and couldn’t help but feel amused. An entire leg of pork shouldn’t have been served like that, but Qiang Ning had “bestowed” it upon Jiang Nianyang anyway. The meaning was self-evident: The General is old; can he still eat?

Earlier at the banquet, Jiang Nianyang was dissatisfied with her wasting her prime years, using her “return to the countryside” as a pretext while actually seeking wealth with the Eldest Princess. He couldn’t stand her perceived duplicity and was just short of calling her a sycophant.

By serving the pork shoulder, Qiang Ning was venting her anger for her, questioning Jiang Nianyang instead.

If the atmosphere among the officials hadn’t been so solemn, Lin Dongruan could imagine the mocking words Qiang Ning would have used: “Jiang Nianyang, you have fought for many years, but aren’t you also trapped in a cold and remote place now, with no way to serve your country and no place for a general to use his skills? Now that you are old, can you still devour this pork shoulder like you did in your prime? If you cannot realize your own ambitions, why be so harsh on others? Are you scolding Lin Dongruan, or are you mourning and hating yourself for being in the same situation?”

The bitter wine went down the throat, burning in waves.

After the initial shock, the unvented indignation remained stifled in Jiang Nianyang’s heart. He gripped his wine cup, looking at the pork leg on the desk that was truly difficult to eat. His heart grew increasingly heavy and frustrated; he couldn’t let out that breath of air, so he could only slam his wine cup down with resentment.

The banquet dispersed, and the civil and military officials took their leave. Jiang Nianyang remained in his seat, emptying cup after cup.

“General, the night is late. Drowning one’s sorrows in wine only makes them deeper.” A chill rose in the night air. Seeing his brother-in-law in such distress, Jiang Weilan couldn’t help but come over to persuade him. “Back then, the Emperor insisted on a policy of appeasement; it was not something we officials could interfere with. So many officials sent in petitions, yet the Emperor refused to listen!”

Jiang Nianyang gritted his teeth, feeling the pain even more acutely. “At that time, our dynasty’s troops were abundant, and the eight camps of the Hongwu Army were in perfect harmony, guarding the four corners of our land. Yet we had to watch as those people invaded! We lost so many soldiers to those sinister villains, and without the Emperor’s command, we didn’t even have the chance to seek revenge.”

Jiang Weilan was also troubled. With a grim face, he couldn’t help but pour himself a cup. “My brother-in-law has suffered.”

“Even if he didn’t let us fight, he still compensated them with so much land, grain, and jewelry.” The more Jiang Nianyang thought about it, the angrier he got. “If he hadn’t forbidden the fight back then, why would the soldiers and civilians have to suffer this much?”

“Natural disasters have been constant this year, and the harvests are poor. Countless people have starved to death,” Jiang Weilan sighed. “Sanqi Commandery opened seven reserve granaries for disaster relief, yet the people still go hungry. We cannot make up for the bitter fruits of a disaster year.”

The two clinked their cups, each seeing a trace of desolation in the other’s eyes.

Jiang Weilan smiled bitterly, then spoke as if casually: “Fortunately, I am not very close to the Emperor. Being far away in Sanqi these years, I have been looked after more by Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess…”

Jiang Nianyang froze, saying in disbelief, “You actually…”

“At the banquet today, Her Highness only mentioned that the Imperial Preceptor is her wife. But General, if you think about it carefully, since the Imperial Preceptor is willing to devote herself to Her Highness, how could she only care about matters of love and ignore everything else?” Jiang Weilan stroked his long beard, shaking his head and sighing. “The Imperial Preceptor… she intends to plan for Her Highness.”

Jiang Nianyang frowned. “What?”

“General, do you still remember the celestial phenomenon observed by the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy back then?” Jiang Weilan dipped his finger in wine and wrote a few words on the table with an air of profound mystery.

— The Night Butterfly eclipses the sun; the Court shall change masters.

Jiang Nianyang wiped the words away with his palm, half-sobering up. He lowered his voice and asked, “Wasn’t it said back then that those words were fake?”

Jiang Weilan’s dark eyes stared deeply at Jiang Nianyang. He said in a low voice, “The Bureau of Astronomy spoke of that omen. But General, do not forget who it was that stood against all opinions, performed the divination, and testified that the omen was false.”

Lin Dongruan.

It was her.

Jiang Nianyang pressed his palm against his knee, suddenly realizing the unspeakable truth behind it. Years ago, the Imperial Preceptor had already committed such a massive deception against the world at great risk.

“And now the world is in chaos, and the people are displaced and suffering.” Jiang Weilan suddenly pointed to the sky, speaking almost through gritted teeth. “General, look closely at this world! How much blood did the generals of the previous era shed to stabilize this land, and what has it become now? Disasters are constant, General—this is Heaven’s wrath! Now the Emperor is devoid of virtue…”

Jiang Nianyang quickly covered his mouth, preventing him from saying more. “Jiang Weilan, are you going to follow the Eldest Princess in rebellion?!”