SWHCBB 15

Chapter 15: Husband, You Kiss So Hard!

The scholar swayed his head dramatically, remaining silent on purpose. Once he had stirred everyone’s curiosity enough, he finally spoke slowly:

“Back then, when His Majesty went to offer prayers, he happened upon Consort Chen and was astonished, so much so that he immediately promoted her above rank. She was granted entry to the palace, and within three months, she was conferred the title of Consort Chen. The character ‘Chen’¹宸 (chen) originally refers to the imperial palace or the emperor’s residence. By extension, it symbolizes the emperor himself or imperial authority. alone shows the depth of the Emperor’s favor. In the years when she was favored, not just the concubines, even the Empress barely saw His Majesty!”

Jiang Chuang led Wen Jue to a nearby seat. Since Zhiyu wanted to listen, they might as well sit down and listen properly.

What Jiang Chuang knew about Consort Chen was mostly just hearsay—rumors about how stunningly beautiful she was, how her children were said to be exceptionally striking, and how she had suddenly fallen from grace.

Before, Jiang Chuang hadn’t cared much, but now it was different. This was Zhiyu’s mother. If she were still alive, he’d be calling her Consort Mother too.

And ever since she was mentioned, Zhiyu had gone silent. Jiang Chuang didn’t know what he was feeling and was a bit worried, so he kept holding his hand tightly.

“Have you had lunch? If not, I can have some dishes prepared. We can eat while we listen, it’ll be like entertainment,” Jiang Chuang whispered.

Wen Jue shook his head with a flat tone that made it impossible to guess his emotions. “No need.”

Jiang Chuang said, “If you’re upset, you have to tell me.”

After a long pause, Wen Jue finally nodded. Jiang Chuang coaxed him gently, “Zhiyu is such a good boy.”

Meanwhile, the scholar was still going on—

“You’re skipping the good parts! Consort Chen reigned supreme in the palace, her name spread far and wide. Even now, who hasn’t heard of her? Come on, don’t leave!”

The scholar quickly stopped them. “Hey! What’s the rush? I have to set the stage first! Do you all know why Consort Chen, once so adored she nearly became Empress, whose unborn son was already marked to be Crown Prince, whose smile could earn amnesties for the realm—fell so far that she died in melancholy?”

“Isn’t it the same old tale? Beauty fades, emperors are fickle, and royal favor vanishes like flowing water.”

The scholar shook his head. “That’s just the common version. You’ve all heard how Consort Chen was pregnant with the Crown Prince, but before he could be born, the fetus died in the womb.

At the time, a great master read her fortune and declared her fate strange—not quite human. However the stars were read, she didn’t seem alive at all. He even dared claim: if a living person’s fortune reads as one of the dead, they don’t belong in this world! So long as she lives, the kingdom will never know peace!

Sure enough, during her favor, His Majesty lost all reason over her. He did all kinds of outrageous things. Honestly, if Consort Chen family weren’t so politically weak, the whole empire might have changed its surname to Li!”

“Later, when Consort Chen was pregnant with the Fifth Prince, strange incidents began to occur throughout the palace. The Empress brought in a master to drive out evil spirits. Not long after that, Consort Chen completely lost favor. While still pregnant, she was scorned—and shortly after giving birth to the Fifth Prince, she passed away.”

“Tsk… The Emperor’s heart is unpredictable.”

The scholar continued, “Don’t you hear how strange all that sounds?”

A scholar nearby frowned thoughtfully. “Are you saying Consort Chen was… No, no, something that bizarre can’t be real.”

“Why not? Maybe some spirit or monster from the deep mountains stole a Li daughter’s body, bewitched the Emperor, and plunged the kingdom into chaos. Fortunately, after giving birth twice, her powers waned, only then could the Empress bring in the master to cleanse the palace and awaken His Majesty!”

When he mentioned “the Empress,” the scholar even gave a respectful salute, and others followed suit.

“That wicked spirit was truly vile! She nearly ruined Daling! Thank heavens for the Empress—none can challenge her as Mother of the Nation!”

“Then what about the Princess Royal and the Fifth Prince? Are they even… human?”

The scholar narrowed his eyes. “Rumor has it they’re both so beautiful it’s unnatural. Think about it—really think.”

“Ah… then if they really carry the blood of a monster… would they pose a threat to the empire?”

“Who knows? I heard His Majesty is thinking of granting the Fifth Prince a title! I always thought it odd—why would His Majesty agree to let the Fifth Prince marry General Jiang, even if the prince insisted? Now it all makes sense—there’s a bigger game afoot!”

“So maybe the Fifth Prince’s blindness is also…”

If Wen Jue hadn’t been holding him back, Jiang Chuang would’ve stormed over and beaten those bastards senseless, wrapping their heads in cloth and giving them a thorough thrashing. What nonsense! Did all their studies go straight to the dogs?

Wen Jue wasn’t angry, only melancholic when thinking of his mother. He could only imagine her through the words of others, never having any real memory of her.

But hearing the latter part, he understood clearly. That scholar—trying to serve two masters at once, really wasn’t afraid of choking on his own duplicity.

He hadn’t expected that simply releasing a bit of misleading gossip and nudging a few tongues would cause someone to take the bait so eagerly, so desperate to throw dirt on him.

If that’s how it was, Wen Jue thought, then he might as well give another push—send the one behind it straight into a pit of no return.

As for the rest, Wen Jue didn’t need to hear it to guess what would follow. He stood and tugged Jiang Chuang away.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Chuang was still asking, “Are you sure you don’t want me to send someone to rough them up? Or… ruin their future?”

Wen Jue had already taken off the veil, and Jiang Chuang was gently holding his face, massaging the spots where the veil’s rim had left red marks on his temples.

His face, pinched together like that, made his cheeks puff out adorably. Without thinking, Jiang Chuang leaned in and kissed him hard, squishing his lips flat.

Wen Jue managed to speak through smushed lips, “Husband, you kiss so hard… even your stubble’s stabbing me.”

Hearing that, Jiang Chuang instantly let go of his face and felt his chin. “Really? But I shaved before court this morning—how can my stubble grow so fast? I’m not like those scruffy army men!”

Wen Jue rubbed his lips and laughed, “Just kidding!”

Jiang Chuang sighed in relief and couldn’t resist pinching his cheeks again. “You little rascal—daring to trick me!”

Wait a second… doesn’t Zhiyu always trick him?

But… “As long as you’re smiling.” Jiang Chuang pulled him into his arms. “Zhiyu, keep smiling. Your smile melts my heart.”

Jiang Chuang’s body was always warm. Whenever he embraced him, Wen Jue felt as if the sun itself had wrapped around him, driving away all his lingering gloom.

But no matter how warm, it was only temporary. Pessimism still tugged at his thoughts.

Wen Jue said, “That scholar just now… he was sent by someone. They’re trying to drive a wedge between us, to make sure neither I nor my sister can ever rise. Even if I’m just a nominal prince, they don’t want me titled. I’ve thought it over—it can only be one of my two brothers.”

In the royal court, fratricidal rivalry was nothing new.

“The Sixth Prince… or the Third Prince?” Wen Jue lifted his face and asked Jiang Chuang, “Yunchuan, who do you think it is?”

Looking at those blank yet feigned-confused eyes, Jiang Chuang felt a wave of relief, Zhiyu was testing him.

Good. Let him test him as much as he liked, Jiang Chuang welcomed it. Anything to give him peace of mind.

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  宸 (chen) originally refers to the imperial palace or the emperor’s residence. By extension, it symbolizes the emperor himself or imperial authority.