grudge
Zhao Youyi was stunned and couldn't help but doubt Chu Chanyin's true purpose. Why did he come all this way? Why did he propose an engagement?
"What is Your Highness saying?" Zhao Youyi forced a polite smile and looked at the person in front of him, puzzled.
Chu Chan felt ashamed of his own idea. He lowered his eyes and pinched his fingers to try to calm himself down. He didn't notice her strange look and explained, "I have a marriage decree from the Holy Ancestor. My brother obtained it with his military merits. He originally wanted to marry your cousin. The decree did not specify the identities. It only stated that the son of the King of Chu and the daughter of the Zhao family."
Only after he reminded her did Zhao Youyi remember that the two families had almost been related by marriage, but her cousin died young, and the relationship ended there. Later, the eldest son of the King of Chu married a woman from the Sun family. After the eldest son of the King of Chu died in battle, the woman from the Sun family committed suicide for love.
"I see. I wonder if this will work?" Zhao Youyi couldn't help but think of the emperor's lecherous face. Perhaps his forced marriage to her was not just for her beauty. Wasn't it a kind of humiliation to marry her to the man who killed her brother?
Chu Chan frowned as he pondered this. The emperor wasn't stupid; how could he escape unscathed?
"I have a plan, but I don't know if it will work," Zhao Youyi thought. She had used rumors to keep the emperor and empress dowager waiting for her to marry. Why not use rumors this time to spread the news that the two of them were already engaged? Force her to take her future nephew's wife. She wondered if the emperor would have the face to accept it.
Zhao Youyi shared his idea, and Chu Chanyin pondered it for a moment and found it feasible. He couldn't help but praise, "I heard Brother Nianling praise your quick wit years ago, and seeing it today, it is indeed true."
When Zhao Youli was mentioned, both of them couldn't help but show sadness on their faces.
Zhao Youyi caught a glimpse of Chu Chanyin's damp temples out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but sigh inwardly at his rudeness. However, this King Chu had a very good personality and was not bothered by trivial matters.
Zhao Youyi composed himself first, "Then cousin, go to the side room to rest first, I'll go find someone to arrange this matter."
The Chu family had been away from the capital for many years, and Chu Chanyin was already unfamiliar with the capital. He was afraid he couldn't help in this regard, so he only said, "Alright, Cousin Zhao, please be careful in everything."
Zhao Youyi nodded, curtsied, and before leaving, summoned a guard to take Chu Chan to a private room to rest.
As night deepened, Zhao Youyi gripped his collar, took a deep breath, and called Xiao Qing to go with him to find Uncle Zhao to arrange the matter.
"Is what you say true, young lady?" Upon hearing the news that the King of Chu and his young lady were already engaged, Zhao Bo was overjoyed. Finally, there was some good news. The King of Chu not only held military power, but he was also rumored to be gentle and refined, a rare and handsome general. Moreover, the King of Chu and the general had a close personal relationship. Even if the King of Chu did not like the young lady, he would still give her protection and dignity.
Zhao Youyi nodded and had Xiao Qing hand the silver to Uncle Zhao, saying, "I'll trouble you with this matter, Uncle Zhao."
Uncle Zhao quickly said it was no trouble, and seeing that it was still early, he hurriedly left the mansion through the side gate to run errands.
Xiao Qing looked worried and couldn't help but ask, "Miss, is the King of Chu really a good man?"
Zhao Youyi looked up at the sky. Dark clouds covered the sun, and the capital hadn't seen the sun for a long time. Even at night, the moon was hard to see. "What does it matter if he is a good man or not? I'm not going to marry him."
The marriage agreement was just a formality. She didn't want to be bound by marriage, much less marry a complete stranger. Whether it was the King of Chu or someone else, she would use him if she could. Besides, her brother was now dead, and she was the only direct descendant of the Zhao family left. The King of Chu, who wanted to seize the throne, would naturally not marry someone who would not be of any help to him.
Xiao Qing pondered for a moment, then said nothing more and helped Zhao Youyi into the mourning hall.
In the middle of the night, Zhao Youyi, who was keeping vigil, heard footsteps. She looked sharply towards the door and saw the King of Chu appear at the door wearing a snow-white cloak. He smiled when he saw her looking over.
"Cousin Zhao." Chu Chanyin called out to her, and upon entering the mourning hall and seeing her weary face, he couldn't help but say, "It's late, cousin, why don't you go and rest? Let the servants watch over things."
Upon seeing that it was him, Zhao Youyi lowered his eyes and said only, "I want to stay with my brother a little longer."
Chu Chanyin stopped trying to persuade her, knowing the deep bond between the siblings. "I wonder if there's anything I can do to help my cousin?"
“I have a request,” Zhao Youyi said, glancing at Zhao Youli’s coffin. “I would like to find a coroner for my brother.”
On the first day after Zhao Youli's body was transported back to the capital, Zhao Youyi wanted to find a coroner to find out what kind of poison was in Zhao Youli's body, but he had no way to do so. Moreover, there was an imperial edict stating that Zhao Youli had committed treason, so he was afraid that no one would dare to come.
"Alright, I'll send my guards to intercept the coroner right away." Chu Chanyin readily agreed and turned to go out to send out a signal to find his guards.
"Huh?" Zhao Youyi was startled by the word "robbery" he mentioned. "Cousin, wait a minute!"
In a moment of panic, Zhao Youyi instinctively reached out and grabbed his clothes. Zhao Youyi had practiced martial arts for many years, and although she appeared weak, she was quite strong. Caught off guard, she managed to pull Chu Chanyin off balance.
Seeing that the man almost lost his balance, Zhao Youyi quickly let go of his hand. "Cousin, are you alright?"
Chu Chanyin waved his hand, "It's nothing."
After saying that, he couldn't help but secretly glance at his cousin Zhao's slender figure out of the corner of his eye. Brother Nianling was right after all; his sister was extraordinary and truly deserved to be called the daughter of a military family.
"Cousin just said he wanted to kidnap a coroner?" Zhao Youyi looked at him in disbelief. He hadn't expected that the King of Chu, who looked so refined, was actually quite wild inside.
Chu Chanyin didn't see anything wrong with it at first, but seeing her strange look, he thought for a moment and said, "Then tie one up?"
Zhao Youyi: ...
I was thinking of asking someone for help, but then I thought, no one would dare to come in this situation, and whose name would I use to ask? She's just an official's daughter, so of course I can't ask her for help, and the King of Chu is someone who shouldn't be here... I'd better just bring her here by kidnapping her.
Zhao Youyi nodded heavily, "Thank you for your trouble, cousin."
Chu Chan smiled and said it was no trouble. After walking outside, he awkwardly straightened the corner of his clothes, secretly glanced back at the person in the hall, and quickly left before she could react.
His cousin Zhao thought...very differently.
He had little contact with women since childhood. Although Florida was an open society, he was raised in the military camp and had little contact with the outside world. He only hired tutors to teach him poetry, literature and etiquette. Later, his father died and his brother died in battle. He raised his nephew at a young age and had even less time for romantic love.
He and Zhao Youli knew each other since childhood, and the three of them had lived and played together. The first time they met, Zhao's cousin's pony snatched the carrot he was giving to her pony. Zhao's cousin looked at him with her big, watery eyes, and he subconsciously gave her the rest of the carrot.
As far as I can remember, Zhao's cousin had been in poor health since childhood, so when he and Zhao Youli practiced martial arts at first, she could only watch from the sidelines. Zhao Youli cared a lot about his cousin, and whenever they rested, he would run over to ask her if she was thirsty or hungry. Usually, when Zhao Youli ran over to ask, he would follow and hand her his snacks. Zhao's cousin would then look away from Zhao Youli and turn to him, sweetly saying thank you to her cousin.
Chu Chanyin shook his head, trying to shake away these childhood memories. He took out his custom-made whistle and blew it three times. Not long after, a head appeared on the roof of the General's Mansion.
With her face covered, Ying Jiu leaped down from the eaves and landed steadily on the ground. She clasped her hands in a salute and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Chu Chanyin waved his hand to make him get up, "Go and tie up a coroner and bring him to the General's Mansion, and be quick."
Without hesitation, Ying Jiu jumped onto the roof and leaped away.
Chu Chanyin's gaze fell on the roof of the General's Mansion, wondering if the constant coming and going would damage it.
Not long after, Ying Jiu returned to the General's Mansion with the coroner who had just been tied up in bed. In the main hall, Zhao Youyi and Chu Chanyin were guarding the coffin.
"Your Highness, Miss Zhao." Ying Jiu tossed the person aside and bowed.
Zhao Youyi couldn't help but twitch her lips, her gaze shifting to Chu Chanyin. Not only was the King of Chu unconventional, but even the people around him were quite unconventional. "Thank you, young master."
Zhao Youyi was momentarily at a loss for words.
"He calls me Ying Jiu, you can call me whatever you like. He's used to being spontaneous, please forgive him, cousin." Chu Chanyin smiled apologetically and glared at Ying Jiu.
Ying Jiu was puzzled, but she didn't care. "Miss Zhao, you're too kind."
Zhao Youyi looked at the coroner on the ground, not expecting that Ying Jiu had actually tied the person up.
Zheng Zhishu was in a panic. The yamen had closed a few hours late today, and he went to bed as soon as he got home. He didn't expect that before he could even get warm in bed, a man in black had come to arrest him. Upon closer inspection, he wondered why the Prince of Chu, who was far away in Fuzhou, would appear in the capital.
He wanted to faint immediately!
Before he could even find a place to bang his head, a woman's voice rang out, "My lord, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have invited you here like this, but it was an emergency, so please forgive me."
Zheng Zhishu looked up and saw a young girl with a gentle smile and an apologetic expression. He then looked around at the surroundings, saw the coffin and the name on the memorial tablet in the hall, and understood everything.
He quickly got up and bowed, "Your subject greets Your Highness and Miss Zhao."
Zhao Youyi returned the greeting, while Chu Chanyin waved his hand, "You probably already understand why I invited you here tonight, right? I wonder what Lord Zheng thinks?"
Zheng Zhishu lowered his head and pondered. The situation was clear: the Zhao woman wanted him to examine General Zhao's body, but General Zhao was now accused of treason, and the Zhao clan had only one woman left with no chance of making a comeback. Helping him would not bring him any benefit. However, General Zhao's death was clearly a case of the emperor discarding him after he had served his purpose. General Zhao had fought for the country for many years and should not have died in such an unclear manner.
After some hesitation, Zheng Zhishu steeled himself and nodded, "I can help, but I hope Your Highness can guarantee my life."
He saw the King of Chu appear at the general's mansion. Since vassal kings were not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict, the King of Chu might very well kill him to silence him.
Chu Chan nodded indifferently. He could naturally guess what Zheng Zhishu was thinking. Anyway, he would be going to see the dog emperor in the next two days. Although it was risky for one more person to know, in the current situation... it was best to act expediently.
Seeing the King of Chu nod, Zheng Zhishu quickly assured him, "I can also guarantee that I will not reveal tonight's events to anyone."
Having reached an agreement, Zhao Youyi stepped back, revealing the coffin behind him, and said, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."
Zheng Zhishu shook his head. "I know General Zhao isn't that kind of person... Miss Zhao, take care."
After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Youyi kept twisting the handkerchief, feeling uneasy.
Zheng Zhishu took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands, his voice filled with sorrow: "It's thunder vine."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Youyi lost her balance and Chu Chanyin instinctively reached out to support her, but he didn't touch the hem of her clothes.
Zhao Youyi quickly steadied himself. Thunder vine... Tears welled up in his eyes involuntarily. The emperor was truly cruel. After eating thunder vine, one would experience muscle pain, numbness in the limbs, or convulsions, and it would torture a person for three whole days before death. The emperor wouldn't even give his brother a quick death.
“Cousin Zhao…” Chu Chanyin didn’t know how to comfort her. Even he felt saddened upon hearing about this situation, let alone her. Zhao Youli was her brother, whom she depended on for survival. The two had been together since childhood.
Xiao Qing stepped forward to support her, her voice trembling: "Miss..."
Zhao Youyi was filled with resentment. The emperor... was like a bird that has been used and then discarded, or a donkey that has been used and then discarded. With such an emperor, how long could the Jin Kingdom survive?
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