Chapter 22
He suffered such a grievance, but he can actually chat with him with a straight face, this person, he really is interesting——is what Yan Jingyi thought in his mind.
Thus the two people with completely different brain waves, without rhyme or reason, actually came to a unanimous agreement.
The wine was good wine, and the meat was good meat, Chen Liguo had no interest in talking. The two drank in silence. Contrary to what one might expect, Yan Jingyi was the first to be unable to sit still. He said, "Lord Ji."
Chen Liguo gave a faint ’Mmm’.
"Lord Ji has not gone to court for some ten days. Two days ago, my Emperor father happened to ask about you..."
Chen Liguo gave an ’Oh’, as indifferent as before.
Yan Jingyi smiled, "Lord Ji doesn’t want to ask me what my Emperor father had asked about?"
Chen Liguo said coldly, “Thunder and dew, both are the emperor’s grace.”
Yan Jingyi raised a brow.
Chen Liguo added, "Third Prince’s purpose, hasn’t it already been achieved?"
Yan Jingyi said, “What purpose?”
Chen Liguo smiled grimly and stopped talking.
Yan Jingyi gazed at Chen Liguo’s face, then clapped his hands and laughed, “You are worthy of being called Lord Ji.”
Chen Liguo drooped his eyes, "It may be assumed that His Majesty has already chilled his heart towards the Second Prince."
Yan Jingyi smiled, twirled the wine glass on the table, and said lightly "My emperor father served in the army for forty years and hates trash that can’t even protect their subordinates."
Chen Liguo said indifferently, "The actions of Third Prince also let others feel disdain."
Yan Jingyi said lightly, "The ability to ruin the enemy, it’s a special kind of skill."
Chen Liguo became silent, reached for a piece of goose meat once more, puts it in his mouth, and chewed slowly. Yan Jingyi was in a good mood and he began to chat with Chen Liguo about some interesting things in the military.
Yan Jingyi was not very old but had already spent a long time in the military. The matters that he spoke of, even if Chen Liguo wanted to put on a cold and hard look, his eyes couldn’t help but soften.
Yan Jingyi watched Chen Liguo’s face and saw the faint smile in his eyes. He inexplicably thought of the night, and for a while, his mouth became parched.
Chen Liguo had a great time while listening, and thus unconsciously, more than half of the roast goose was actually eaten by him.
Yan Jingyi saw that the atmosphere had become good, and unexpectedly said, "Lord Ji really won’t consider coming over to my division?"
Chen Liguo was stunned, then heard Yan Jinyi continue, "If Lord Ji would follow me, I would treat you with due respect." The way he said ’treat with due respect’ was so frivolous that it didn’t seem like persuasion, but more like teasing.
Chen Liguo’s face suddenly became dreadfully pale.
Yan Jingyi said, "Lord Ji?"
Chen Liguo opened his mouth before he could speak, he felt a gush of fishy sweetness in his throat.
Yan Jingyi saw Chen Liguo’s reaction and said, “Lord Ji, is still going to reject me?”
Chen Liguo: "Blegh!"
Yan Jingyi couldn’t dodge and was sprayed with a mouthful of Chen Liguo’s blood. He was stunned for a moment before he finally reacted. He hurriedly stood up and held Chen Liguo, "Are you alright?"
Chen Liguo shook his head weakly——as expected, he really shouldn’t eat meat.
Yan Jingyi looked at his red-stained clothes, quickly called for Le Qi outside the door to get the doctor, and carried Chen Liguo to bed.
Because of this mouthful of blood, the previously peaceful and beautiful atmosphere was completely swept away.
Chen Liguo lay in bed gasping for breath and vomiting blood. Yan Jingyi stood beside him with tightly knitted brows.
The doctor was apparently a regular visitor of this house and came very quickly. Before he even took Chen Liguo’s pulse he took a quick glance and said, "Lord Ji is eating meat again?"
Chen Liguo: “...” Alas, He was found out.
The doctor said, “Didn’t I tell Milord before that with Milord’s current body condition, it’s not appropriate to eat meat now?”
Chen Liguo looked as though his death was sealed[1].
Yan Jingyi listened to the conversation between the two and frowned. “What’s going on?”
The doctor was not familiar with the Third Prince, so he gave a brief account of Chen Liguo’s physical condition.
When Yan Jingyi heard that Chen Liguo couldn’t eat meat[2], he was angry. "Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"
Chen Liguo: “...” Because I want to eat.
“Are you deliberately angering me? Or are afraid of what I will do to you?” Yan Jingyi’s voice was as cold as ice.
Chen Liguo continued to gasp for breath.
Yan Jingyi sneered and said, “You can’t be naive enough to think that if you vomit blood, I’ll let you go.”
Chen Liguo closed his eyes, his heart gloomy. He wanted to say to Yan Jingyi: "Brother, your technique is so good[3], how could I have the heart to let you......let go of me."
Yan Jingyi’s previous good mood was completely spayed away by Chen Liguo’s mouthful of blood. Without saying another word, he turned around and pushed the door, leaving Chen Liguo and a stunned doctor who looked at each other in dismay.
The doctor asked, "Lord Ji, this is...."
Chen Liguo: "Cough cough cough cough." My wife is angry, what to do?
Doctor: "......"
Because he vomited blood, Chen Liguo had to stay in bed for a few more days. It just so happened that the pawnshop that he had visited that one afternoon had received news. It was said that someone had taken the hairpin he had described and pawned it. The shopkeeper had captured the man and urged Chen Liguo to hasten over.
Chen Liguo called Le Qi and quickly rushed to the pawn shop.
“Lord Ji, you’re here.” The shop assistant saw Chen Liguo at the doorway and stepped forward then back, whispering, "That man is inside, he wanted to leave but is being detained by the shopkeeper."
Chen Liguo said, "Many thanks."
The shop assistant touched his head and laughed, "Lord Ji is too polite. A servant like this should be sent to the local authorities and be banished."
As they spoke, they entered the back room.
As soon as he entered the room, Chen Liguo saw a nervous middle-aged woman sitting on a chair and open seeing him come in, the tension on her face turned into panic.
She said: “This, what is going on here?”
Chen Liguo looked at her and didn’t bother answering and instead asked the Shopkeeper to give him the hairpin.
The shopkeeper handed the hairpin to Chen Liguo. Chen Liguo looked it over and confirmed that it was the memento left by Yan Zhiyao’s mother. He said lightly, “You have a lot of nerves.”
However, with this one short sentence, the servant instantly kneels on the ground and kowtowed, begging for mercy, "Your excellency spare this one’s life, Your excellency spare this one’s life——this slave[4], this slave was temporarily confused."
Shopkeeper originally had doubted about what Chen Liguo had said a little. But when he saw the servant’s reaction, he believed it more. He said, “Lord Ji, would you like me to report this to the authorities for you?”
Chen Liguo shook his head. “Many thanks, Shopkeeper. I don’t know if it’s possible for Shopkeeper to give me a moment, I want to talk to this lowly slave girl alone.”
The shopkeeper tactfully agreed and turned around to leave.
The servant with a lowered head continued to beg for mercy.
Chen Liguo said, "If the Emperor learns of this matter of you bullying the princess, say, would your entire clan be punished?"
The servant heard this and bust out crying, completely without the airs they put on in front of Yan Zhiyao.
Chen Liguo said, “I will give you a chance to atone for your sins.”
When the servant heard this, she quickly wiped away her tears, came forward to kneel at his side and knelt down to Chen Liguo and tugged the lower hem of his clothes. “Your Excellency is benevolent, Your Excellency is benevolent.”
"Remove your hand." Chen Liguo said coldly.
The servant quickly snapped back her hand.
Chen Liguo said, “This hairpin, leave it with me for the time being.”
The servant kowtowed and listened to Chen Liguo’s instructions. She knew that her life was now in Chen Liguo’s hands. Chen Liguo wanted her to live, she would live, if he wanted her to die, she would die.
Chen Liguo said, "How is the princess getting along in the palace?"
The servant was about to tell a few lies when she heard Chen Liguo say, “Tell the truth.”
The servant whispered with a mournful face, “Living, living...not too well”
A disfavoured young princess in a snobbish Palace, it was normal to have a bad time. For this servant before him to be able to snatch the princess’ hairpin, it may be assumed that their situation was even better than the princess’.
Chen Liguo said, “Then you take good care of the princess for me.”
The servant kowtowed and said yes.
Chen Liguo said, “If the next time I see the princess, and she’s gotten thinner, I think that this life of yours, I won’t need it anymore.”
The servant cried and said this is correct, this is correct.
Chen Liguo nodded, "Then go."
The servant was shocked and said, "Y-Your excellency is not going to punish me?"
Chen Liguo was expressionless, "Punish you? Your offense is a capital offense, how do you want me to punish you?"
The servant did not dare say more, but kowtowed toward Chen Liguo and ran out rolling and crawling.
The shopkeeper outside the door was somewhat surprised to see the scene: “Lord Ji is not going to punish this servant?”
Chen Liguo gave a knowing smile. “Since she knows of her wrongdoing, I will spare her this one time first.”
When the shopkeeper heard this, he sighed, “Your Excellency is so benevolent.”
Chen Liguo smiled and did not speak.
Translator Notes: