How Does Your Highness Intend to Assert Husbandly Authority?

Nie Chouwen walked out of the palace gates on foot. His face was dark as ink, his lips pressed downward, and deep worry gathered in his eyes.

From afar, he saw Nie Xuxing standing beside the carriage and speaking with someone.

He gathered his expression and walked over. Hearing the footsteps, the other man slowly turned around.

“This commoner greets Prince Rui. May Your Highness be well.” After recognizing the man, Nie Chouwen lowered his head and bowed with clasped hands.

Lu Rongze reached out to help him up and said with gentle humor, “Prime Minister Nie truly shames me by doing this. You are an elder. There is no need for such ceremony.”

Nie Chouwen’s expression remained calm. He only said, “Your Highness, propriety must not be discarded.”

Lu Rongze suppressed a low fit of coughing then gave a faint laugh. “Whether this Prince bears the title or not makes little difference. I shall not disturb the two of you. I still have to go and pay my respects to Mother Consort.”

Lu Rongze walked toward the imperial palace.

Behind him, the two men watched his receding figure.

Nie Xuxing sighed with feeling. “In the blink of an eye, Prince Rui has grown so much as well.”

“Just now, your son spoke with Prince Rui for a while. His speech was composed, and he knew when to advance and when to withdraw. He is far more open than when I saw him in childhood.”

Nie Chouwen turned and climbed into the carriage with a heavy expression.

Seeing this, Nie Xuxing went over to support him and asked worriedly, “Father, is something troubling you?”

Leaning against the carriage wall, Nie Chouwen looked worn and weary. He said in a deep voice, “His Majesty is muddle-headed.”

Nie Xuxing was startled. “How so?”

Lowering his voice, Nie Chouwen repeated Emperor Hongjia’s words to him.

Nie Xuxing pondered them and murmured, “The Crown Prince may remain Crown Prince forever...”

“Is His Majesty telling Father that the Crown Prince will forever remain the one now in the Eastern Palace?”

Nie Chouwen shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. “The Crown Prince may remain Crown Prince forever. It matters not who holds the title, because... he himself will remain Emperor forever.”

Nie Xuxing’s expression changed slightly, and he said in shock, “Did His Majesty truly say such a thing?”

Nie Chouwen’s tone was filled with pain. “Ever since His Majesty entered his forties, he has become ever more consumed with seeking immortality through Daoist arts, delusionally wishing for endless life. First a Daoist priest came. Now the matter has only worsened. From somewhere he has found an immortal nun and listens to her in all things. Alas.”

Nie Xuxing had traveled far and wide for many years and had seen and heard no few strange matters. On this point, he still reserved judgment and only asked, “Is this immortal nun truly so formidable?”

“His Majesty says Prince Qi’s life was saved by the immortal nun. She also told His Majesty that the war in the western frontier was in grave peril and that a commanding general would soon perish. A few days later, General Fang indeed lost his life. His Majesty now believes her words without question.”

“How does Father intend to proceed?”

“Return home and let them toss things about as they please.”

After that day, Emperor Hongjia did something in court.

On the grounds of negligence, he stripped the eldest son of the Liu family’s third branch of his post in the Guard Office of the Capital. Although the office was not especially high, it was still a position of real authority beneath the Son of Heaven’s feet.

Duke Liu knelt in court and confessed that he had failed to discipline his family properly, asking Emperor Hongjia to punish the Liu family’s son according to the laws governing the Guard Office, with no indulgence and no leniency.

Emperor Hongjia did not object.

After that, the Liu family became even more low-key. The officials who had once been close to them were all alarmed and fearful, unable to understand why Emperor Hongjia had suddenly chosen to take a knife to the Liu family.

As for Zhang Ze and the others imprisoned in the cells, final judgment at last arrived. All their family property was confiscated, they were beheaded in public, and their clansmen were reduced in rank and entered into slavery.

When Chu Yuan was painting in the pavilion, Xian Yu and the others remained beside him. With nothing better to do, they treated the happenings outside as casual gossip and chatted about them.

“Master, this is the final guest list drafted for Your birthday banquet. Please look it over.” After Chu Yuan finished his painting, Xian Yu handed him the red packet in his hands.

After reading through it, Chu Yuan crossed out half the names.

Xian Yu took the red packet back and gave a light cough. “Master, if you cross out this many people, His Highness is sure to be displeased.”

Chu Yuan lifted his eyes. Laughter was already brewing within them, and his voice was clear and smooth. “It is my birthday banquet. Naturally, it shall follow my wishes.”

Le Shu propped his chin in his hands and smiled at him. “Ah, what a pity. His Highness wishes to make the Prince Consort’s coming-of-age ceremony[TN1] lively and grand. He has been preparing for it for quite some time. This servant has seen His Highness in the study several times, busy until midnight before returning.”

Chu Yuan was drying the ink on the painting. At those words, his fingers paused, and he blinked.

Seeing his hesitation, Xian Yu pressed further. “Master, in a person’s lifetime there is only this one coming-of-age ceremony. It absolutely must be held in grand fashion. Besides, you know His Highness’s temperament. He would dearly love to have the entire capital celebrate you.”

In Chu Yuan’s mind appeared Lu Ronghuai’s handsome, aloof face, wickedly unrestrained when he smiled. It did indeed seem like something he would do.

“Forget it. Let it be done as he wishes.” Chu Yuan slowly rolled up the scroll and did not persist further.

Xian Yu went off delightedly to busy himself.

Chu Yuan returned to Fuju Courtyard and had Le Shu put the scroll into the small study. Once the shop opened at the end of the month, it would be taken there for sale. He had painted quite a number of them at home these days and had already filled an entire box.

Le Shu went to the kitchen and brought over the warm soup tureen. After drinking the tonic soup, Chu Yuan felt weary and returned to the bedchamber to rest.

When he woke, the room was quiet and dim. Holding the blanket, he rolled over, closed his eyes, and lazily did not wish to rise.

Suddenly, a faint and elegant fragrance drifted into the inner chamber.

Chu Yuan opened his eyes, and his pretty nose twitched. Propping himself up on one arm, he sat up.

“Your Highness?”

Footsteps sounded from outside. Lu Ronghuai lifted the gauze curtain and bent down to look at him.

“The little lazy pig has finally awakened.” He raised his hand and lightly scraped Chu Yuan’s shapely nose bridge. Even in the dimness, the tenderness in his expression could still be seen.

Lu Ronghuai straightened up, took Chu Yuan’s robe from the stand, and dressed him piece by piece.

“When did Your Highness return?” Chu Yuan sat obediently on the bed and asked with his head tilted to one side.

Today Lu Ronghuai had attended General Fang’s funeral and burial. He could have returned a little earlier, but something had arisen along the way and delayed him.

“I only returned a short while ago. Seeing how soundly you slept, I sat outside for a while.” Lu Ronghuai carried him to the side of the bed, crouched down, and put on his shoes.

With his ankle held in Lu Ronghuai’s hand, the warmth of that palm passed through the silk stocking. Chu Yuan drew his foot back slightly.

“Your Highness, I can do it myself.”

Lu Ronghuai said, “You are carrying a child now. Later, when your belly grows larger, things will only become more inconvenient. I cannot bear the child in your place. The least I can do is handle these trifling matters for you.”

At those words, Chu Yuan could not help laughing. “Your Highness has adapted rather quickly.”

“Not quickly at all.” Lu Ronghuai put on his shoes, rose, opened the cover of the luminous pearl lamp, and then lifted a hand to point beneath his eyes. “For three nights in a row now, I have not slept well.”

Chu Yuan looked at the dark circles beneath his eyes. “?”

Lu Ronghuai spread his hands. “I cannot sleep. The moment I think of the child in your belly, I... I spend a long time staring at your stomach every night. One moment I am happy, the next I am afraid. Even when you merely turn over, I remain uneasy for quite some time.”

Chu Yuan: “...”

Chu Yuan said, “It has only been a little over a month. Your Highness need not be so anxious.”

“Today I went to the Nie residence again. Mister Jiang said that in the early months of pregnancy there may be vomiting, loss of appetite, and the like. If Ah-Yuan feels any discomfort, you must tell me at once.”

“Very well, I know. What did Your Highness bring back? It smells wonderful.”

Lu Ronghuai brought him into the outer room. “The jasmine in the palace has bloomed. It smells lovely, so I gathered a small handful and brought it back. Does Ah-Yuan like it?”

“...I do, but these are imperial flowers from the palace. If Your Highness picked so many, will there not be punishment?”

Looking at the table full of flowers, together with the seven or eight flower vases already arranged beside it, Chu Yuan strongly suspected that Lu Ronghuai had plucked the palace jasmine nearly bare.

“It is fine. The palace is in utter chaos now, and Father Emperor has no leisure to quarrel with me over it.” Lu Ronghuai smiled with distinctly bad intentions.

“What has happened in the palace?” Chu Yuan sat at the table and picked up the scissors, preparing to trim the stems.

Lu Ronghuai followed him to sit down and casually took the scissors from his hand. “You need only watch. Leave tasks that require the hands to me.”

Chu Yuan picked up a spray of jasmine and, in playful mischief, brushed the blossoms back and forth across his face. “Your Highness, quickly tell me.”

Lu Ronghuai allowed him his play. His thin lips curved in a leisurely smile. “After the burial today, we returned to the Fang residence. The old madam kept us there for tea. At some point, the Crown Prince ended up rolling onto the same bed with Miss Fang. The Eastern Palace is now in complete uproar.”

Chu Yuan’s little mouth fell open in shock. “The Crown Prince has always carried himself with caution and propriety in public. How could he commit something so absurd?”

The smile on Lu Ronghuai’s face grew all the more inscrutable.

Chu Yuan paused, then abruptly understood. “The Fang family put something into the tea the Crown Prince drank?”

“Prince Qi drinks himself senseless all day, and Fang Xinhai is dead. The Fang family has lost its footing. The Crown Prince now holds the greatest influence, so in their haste they wanted to use such a method to climb onto the Eastern Palace.”

Chu Yuan fell silent for a long moment.

“Leave them aside. Ten days from now will be your birthday banquet. Has Ah-Yuan any gift he wants?” As he placed the jasmine into the vase, Lu Ronghuai turned to look at him with a face full of indulgent fondness.

Chu Yuan lay across the table, the corners of his lips slightly lifted. “If I ask for something, will Your Highness truly give it to me?”

“Whatever Ah-Yuan desires, even if I must go to the heavens above or down into the earth below, I shall still fetch it for you. Speak. What do you want?” Lu Ronghuai lifted his chin and spoke with extreme arrogance.

“Your Highness is truly formidable.” Chu Yuan dragged out the words. His voice was soft and sweet, enough to make one’s heart go limp.

“Naturally.” Lu Ronghuai leaned over and kissed him once.

“Mm... then what I want is... for Your Highness to shave your head bald.”

“...?”

Chu Yuan buried his head in the crook of his arm and laughed quietly.

“Little mischief.”

Lu Ronghuai rubbed his head and called out toward the door. Very soon, Le Shu came in carrying a bowl of abalone and bird’s nest congee. He set it before Chu Yuan and silently withdrew.

Chu Yuan propped his head on one hand and stirred the congee with a silver spoon. He smiled so brightly that ripples seemed to shimmer in his eyes, like clear dew on an autumn morning. As Lu Ronghuai looked at him, he thought that people truly spoke rightly when they said beauty should be viewed by lamplight, for he was beautiful enough to seem unreal.

“Your Highness, open your mouth.” Chu Yuan called to him. Lu Ronghuai’s body reacted faster than his thoughts, and at once his mouth was filled with a spoonful of congee.

“You eat. I am not hungry yet.”

Chu Yuan took two bites. His lips were bright and moist. He licked them lightly and, holding the bowl, said, “Your Highness, give me my courtesy name.[TN2]”

Lu Ronghuai’s hand paused.

“Why have you suddenly thought of that?”

Chu Yuan smiled faintly. “A few days ago, I do not know who it was that quarreled with Elder Nie over the matter of my courtesy name. It looked rather pitiful.”

The moment the words left his mouth, a hand gripped his waist. In the blink of an eye he had landed upon someone’s lap.

Lu Ronghuai said, “The little mischief dares laugh at me. Today This Prince shall assert husbandly authority.[TN3]”

Chu Yuan wrapped his arms around his neck, smiling until his brows and eyes curved. “Very well. How does Your Highness intend to assert husbandly authority?”

“Hmph. Today This Prince shall show you some color!”

After the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn,[TN4] Chu Yuan stared at the wet black smear in his pale palm, too choked to speak.

“Are you frightened?” Lu Ronghuai looked exceedingly pleased with himself.

Chu Yuan’s voice trembled. “What is this?!”

“Color, of course. Ink. Look how frightened you are. Your little face has turned pale.” Lu Ronghuai reached out meanly to touch his face.

Chu Yuan stood in a fury and slapped his right cheek, smearing all the wet ink across it.

“What I asked was, what are these words Your Highness wrote?”

Lu Ronghuai innocently touched his face and ended up with a blackened hand. “What is wrong? They are the courtesy name I chose for you. Duofu.[TN5] Is it not pleasing?”

Chu Yuan: “...”

Chu Yuan’s face flushed red. “Is Your Highness naming a little dog!?”

Lu Ronghuai hurried to clear himself. “How could that be? If Ah-Yuan were a little dog, then would I not be a great dog? And the child in your belly a puppy?”

Smack.

His left cheek took another slap.

Though struck, Lu Ronghuai only laughed. He brought over warm water to wash Chu Yuan’s hands and took the chance to wash his own face clean as well. After he poured out the water and returned, he found Chu Yuan still fixing him with a dark look.

With a low laugh, he walked over and embraced Chu Yuan.

“Chu Duofu, the name sounds blessed the moment one hears it, does it not?”

Chu Yuan pressed his lips together and ignored him.

Lu Ronghuai kissed his earlobe and looked at him with deep affection. In his eyes gathered traces that seemed to cross the long river of years. “The text says, ‘Match yourself always to Heaven’s decree and seek abundant blessings for yourself.’[TN6] You are the blessing I sought, the treasure I wrested from Heaven for myself.”

✧ A Word from the Author ✧

Yuanyuan’s daily life while pregnant: eating, sleeping, chatting about gossip, and beating Lu dog.

Lu dog: At the time, I was delighted beyond measure.

Note: “Match yourself always to Heaven’s decree and seek abundant blessings for yourself” comes from the Mencius.[TN7]

Thank you to the little angels who threw overlord tickets or irrigated nutrient solution between 2022-11-24 22:31:18 and 2022-11-26 21:33:41.

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Bikini Bottom Socialite, Red Bean Fried Rice Cake (3 bottles); Want to Drink Milk Tea (1 bottle).

Thank you very much for everyone’s support. I will continue to work hard.