The Salted Fish’s Political Marriage - Chapter 2

Off I go, like the falling petals.

Song Mingzhi removed his bridal veil and stood up from the wedding bed.

“Alright, you should go get some rest.”

The young servant snapped back to reality, looking at Song Mingzhi with deep anxiety. “Young Master, what are we going to do about the wedding night?”

When he had stepped out earlier, he had observed carefully. Unlike the post house, the Qi Prince’s Mansion was heavily guarded. There was likely no chance for them to escape tonight.

“Do not worry,” Song Mingzhi said, sitting before the dressing mirror. He raised his hands to remove the phoenix coronet, his tone calm and unhurried. “When his mentor is in trouble, His Highness will surely intervene. Tonight, it is highly probable he will not return to the mansion. In that case, he and I might not even cross paths.”

The servant hurriedly stepped forward to assist him. “But what about the future?”

Song Mingzhi shook his head gently. “Furthermore.”

The original owner of this body had not known that the Prince of Qi was not actually homosexual, which was why he had taken such risks to escape the marriage. To avoid raising the servant’s suspicions, Song Mingzhi changed his angle. “Moreover, His Highness the Prince of Qi is suffering from a recurrence of an old illness and is currently recuperating. We need not worry for the time being.”

The servant questioned with a look of confusion. The servant appeared shocked.

Wait, wait, wait!

The servant’s movements came to a sudden halt. He widened his eyes, staring at Song Mingzhi in horror as if he had seen a ghost. “But, Young Master Zhi, didn’t you tell me just two days ago that the homosexual prince was merely faking his illness to slack off at home?”

Song Mingzhi looked puzzled.

Homosexual, faking illness, staying home, slacking off.

What is all this?

It was common knowledge that the Prince of Qi was diligent in government affairs, working from dawn till dusk. Where on earth did the original owner hear such absurd rumors?

The servant continued with growing fervor. “Besides, how could someone like him, a man who is all gold on the outside but rotten on the inside, ever enter the palace to do any real work?”

The Prince of Qi was infamous for spending his days playing with cats and dogs, lacking any ambition. His reputation as rotten wood had spread throughout the land. Even the servant, hailing from distant Shulan, had heard of it.

“And he…”

Seeing that the servant continued to disparage the Prince, Song Mingzhi finally could not help but interject, “You must not be disrespectful toward His Highness the Prince of Qi.”

His voice held no emotion, yet it was permeated with an intimidating chill.

The servant was startled. “Yes, yes, Young Master.” His fingers trembled violently, causing a gold hairpin to fall to the floor.

The servant froze, scrambling to pick it up. However, before he could bend down, Song Mingzhi had already leaned over and touched the hairpin. “No need.”

Everything in the bridal chamber was scented with aphrodisiac he huan incense. Surrounded by it, Song Mingzhi’s defenses subconsciously relaxed. He rose and handed the hairpin to the servant. At the same time, he silently retorted, “The rumor about the Prince of Qi being a homosexual is just that, a rumor. It may not be true.”

The servant asked in surprise.

“Furthermore, as a Prince of the blood, how could he be merely a hollow shell? His talent, and his…”

Before the red silk curtains, the candlelight was dim and flickering.

Before he could finish his sentence, Song Mingzhi caught a glimpse in his peripheral vision.

Someone reached out and took the hairpin.

The fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles and a faint mole on the wrist.

This is…

Song Mingzhi was stunned.

He instinctively looked up at the bronze mirror. When did someone enter the bridal chamber?

The evening breeze blew through the window lattice, causing the red silks in the room to flutter. Beneath the gold-embossed Double Happiness character, a figure stood in crimson robes, loosely veiling the moonlight. His phoenix eyes were long, narrow, and slightly upturned; his thin lips held a faint, light smile. Everything about him radiated a kind of dissolute, decadent charm, a man who lived without restraint.

At this moment, the man asked with curious amusement, “And what else?”

Tonight was the wedding night. The only person who could appear here so openly was…

“His Highness the Prince of Qi!”

Song Mingzhi quickly stood up and turned to look behind him. He then saw Mu Yanzhou place a finger against his lips. “Hush.”

Song Mingzhi instantly went silent.

At the same time, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

The person seeking help had arrived at the entrance. He called out to an attendant, saying urgently, “Go quickly and report to your Prince of Qi! Say that the Emperor was enraged by Magistrate Du, and has just declared that he will punish him severely!”

In his desperation, the visitor did not lower his voice. The words pierced through the wooden screen and into the room.

To smooth out regrets, it starts today!

Song Mingzhi’s heart hammered against his chest, threatening to burst. He pricked up his ears, impatient to witness history, but instead, he heard…

Mu Yanzhou lowered his voice and spoke to him, “Tell the people outside that I have had a recurrence of an old illness and am currently bedridden. I should not be able to wake up for some time.”

“Bedridden?”

He suddenly looked up, staring at Mu Yanzhou in disbelief. How could His Highness lie?

“Bedridden” Mu Yanzhou coughed repeatedly.

He cleared his throat, moving his gaze away with a hint of a guilty conscience.

Behind Mu Yanzhou, the servant’s eyes lit up: See? I told you!

Song Mingzhi looked confused.

Something seemed very wrong.

Before Song Mingzhi could recover, attendants outside had already stepped forward, using the excuse of excessive noise disturbing the Prince’s rest to persuade the visitor to leave.

No, wait a minute!

Secret guards were forbidden from discussing imperial court affairs. However, at this moment, Song Mingzhi could not hold back, his pupils trembling. “Is His Highness not entering the palace tonight?”

Mu Yanzhou rubbed his shoulder lightly. He set down the gold hairpin and said offhandedly, “What would I go to the palace for? Magistrate Du is outspoken and irritates the Emperor every day. Today should not be anything major.”

Magistrate Du was indeed upright and uncompromising, often displeasing the dull-witted Emperor. But, but…

Song Mingzhi forcibly suppressed his shock. Clutching onto a final shred of hope, he reminded Mu Yanzhou, “But Your Highness, the man outside just said that the Emperor intends to severely punish Magistrate Du this time. If something happens to him, the court will surely be thrown into chaos. Are you not worried?”

Mu Yanzhou blinked at him slowly. A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Song Mingzhi’s heart. He tentatively called out, “Your Highness?”

“Sss, my head hurts so much.”

The night wind snuck through the window, ringing the bead curtains by the bed. Mu Yanzhou sat on the bed, pressing his hand against his forehead. Finally, he said lazily, “The affairs of the imperial court are becoming increasingly complex. It is best that I do not get involved.”

The Prince of Qi and Magistrate Du were known as a mentor and student who would leave their legacy through the ages. Song Mingzhi was left stunned. “Then what about Magistrate Du?”

“Although I do not know what Magistrate Du did to offend him today, the Emperor’s anger certainly has not subsided yet,” Mu Yanzhou sighed, shaking his head slowly. “It is better to avoid adding more trouble; I had best not provoke him.”

He then turned around, looking earnestly into Song Mingzhi’s eyes. “So, let’s just let it be.”

Let it be?

Song Mingzhi felt completely bewildered.

The Emperor of Chu’s ability to turn the tide relied on his courage to do what others dared not. Even if the Prince did not save Magistrate Du, it should never be because he was afraid of upsetting the Emperor.

“Besides,” Mu Yanzhou leaned against the edge of the wedding bed, analyzing it carefully for Song Mingzhi, “The Emperor has his reasons for doing this. This was never a matter we should be worried about.”

The world knew the current Emperor was indulgent in sensory pleasures and muddle-headed, with the government controlled by corrupt officials. He was a tyrant who would go down in history as a laughingstock. What reasons could he possibly have?

Song Mingzhi’s mind went blank. A buzzing sound filled his ears. The original owner had not slept for a day due to the escape attempt, and the effects of the he huan incense were intensifying along with his emotional fluctuations. Fortunately, the original owner had practiced martial arts. Song Mingzhi immediately mobilized his internal energy, forcibly suppressing the discomfort. Before he could even catch his breath, he heard Mu Yanzhou say, “It is late, let’s sleep.”

As he spoke, attendants stepped forward, taking the servant away from the room. In the blink of an eye, the room became silent, save for the occasional soft crackle of burning red candles.

“…”

The rise and fall of the nation rested on the Prince of Qi. There was nothing more important than the Prince’s health. Song Mingzhi could only grit his teeth and say, “Yes, Your Highness.”

Under the mandarin duck quilt, the light was dim. Mu Yanzhou sat by the bed, slowly lowering his eyelids. The silk-covered lanterns leaked a sliver of light, which landed on Song Mingzhi’s cheeks like rouge. His features were exquisite, his long brows slightly furrowed.

At this moment, having suppressed the urgency in his eyes, he spoke, “It is indeed late. I will not disturb Your Highness’s rest.”

Mu Yanzhou closed his eyes and laughed softly. Finally, with great interest, he tapped his finger on the bed twice.

“Disturb?”

Song Mingzhi did not think much of it. “Your Highness’s old illness has recurred; rest is the priority. I will not disturb you further.” With that, he bowed and stepped forward to take the extra comforter from the bed, intending to make do on the chaise lounge for the night.

However, the moment Song Mingzhi leaned down, the person on the bed used a bit of strength and grabbed his wrist. “It is fine.”

Song Mingzhi asked in confusion.

A sense of unease suddenly flooded his heart. The candles flickered, shaking the night. The atmosphere in the room felt excessively intimate. Song Mingzhi realized something was wrong and tried to break free, but he found that not only could he not summon his internal energy, the he huan incense, which he had barely managed to suppress, exploded within him in an instant.

This is a disaster!

Before his fingertips could touch the quilt, he was lightly pulled by the other, falling onto the wedding bed.

Candle wax dripped like tears; the silk canopy darkened. Their breaths intertwined instantly. A tingling, numbing sensation crawled through his limbs, and a dangerous aura diffused like smoke.

“…”

What is His Highness trying to do?

Mu Yanzhou reached out and pinched the candle flame, extinguishing it. In the pitch blackness, Song Mingzhi, clinging to a final thread of hope, braced his hands against the bed edge, trying to rise.

But the next moment, Mu Yanzhou leaned down and gently blew on Song Mingzhi’s eyelashes.

He closed his eyes and whispered in his ear, “An inch of time in the spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold.”

His voice was clear yet slightly husky, like an autumn breeze brushing across water, instantly washing away Song Mingzhi’s grogginess.

Song Mingzhi was speechless.

Song Mingzhi’s world instantly collapsed halfway. His brain was completely blank; for a moment, he could not even understand what Mu Yanzhou was talking about.

…Spring, spring what?

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