SC Chapter3

The golden candles flicker in Jinling City as the mansion welcomes the new couple. Prince Wujing could not argue his son out of it, so he simply let the farce continue and did not take the marriage seriously at all. Naturally, he would not appear to sit in the high place of honor.

Xie Yunyi was ecstatic and invited three or five friends to observe the ceremony. Listening to his friends offer congratulations, the young heir Xie’s mind was full of the previous night’s intimacy. Having tasted the joys of physical love for the first time, he was full of anticipation and was unwilling to be separated from his beloved for even a moment.

“Why hasn’t he come yet?” Xie Yunyi asked as he accepted a drink from a friend while eagerly looking outside. They were only separated by a few courtyards, yet his Ah Yun was so slow.

His friend laughed and teased him: “Who’s as impatient as you? The new bride is shy; why don’t you wait patiently?”

Xie Yunyi’s handsome face flushed slightly, and he grinned foolishly at the remark.

At the peak of the drinking, as the red wedding candles wept, the hall doors were violently shoved open as a servant of the mansion tumbled in panicked and rushed onto the floor.

Xie Yunyi frowned but kept his composure. “What’s all the rush about?”

A servant knelt before the young heir while crying out, “Young Master, something terrible has happened in the front!”

Prince Wujing Mansion was surrounded by the twenty-sixth battalion of the Imperial Guard. Leading them was General Zhaowu of the Shenji Battalion, and the other was Jiang Lingxin, the head of the Tianyi Division. These two forces were the emperor’s trusted confidantes: one held the military authority over the Imperial Guard, while the other held the responsibility of supervision and inspection.

The head of the Tianyi Division carried the official scepter as well as the tiger tally; it was a position specially created by the emperor for handling secret cases. Successive leaders had always been known for their impartiality, answering only to the emperor. The current head, Jiang Lingxin, was especially famous for his icy demeanor and notorious for his ruthless conduct.

The arrival of the Shenji Battalion was both silent and swift; in just three quarters of an hour, the entire Prince Wujing Mansion was contained.

Prince Wujing stood in the courtyard, his face ashen as he roared, “I wonder what brings General Zhaowu and Lord Jiang to visit so suddenly?”

Jiang Lingxin’s expression was stern, yet he still curled his lips into a smile, “Prince Wujing has colluded with outside relatives and powerful eunuchs, amassed wealth through bribery, formed factions for selfish gain, deceived his superiors and intends to commit the crime of treason. We have been dispatched with His Majesty’s decree to apprehend Prince Wujing and all related parties. Surrender now, or you will be captured.”

Xie Yunyi heard Jiang Lingxin’s accusation as he rushed over. He froze in place and looked at his father blankly. Prince Wujing’s face grew even darker. He gritted his teeth and shouted, “Impudent! How dare you slander this prince!”

Jiang Lingxin raised the corner of his mouth into a smile but his eyes remained cold, “Whether it is slander or not, Your Highness knows clearly in your heart. All the secret correspondence and irrefutable evidence of your factionalism over the years are now in His Majesty’s hands.”

“Nonsense!!!” Prince Wujing’s eyes were bloodshot, and he was hysterical.

Jiang Lingxin sighed: “Your Highness, how can paper contain fire? Guan’er, say, am I not right?” As his words fell, a person slowly stepped out from behind him. He was tall and graceful, his expression was cool and remote just like cold spring water splashing on snow. His pristine white robes making the deep red wedding robes on Xie Yunyi look particularly glaring.

Shen Yunjie walked to the front of Jiang Lingxin, knelt down, and performed a deep bow by touching his head to the ground and said, “Shizun.”

Xie Yunyi stared at Shen Yunjie blankly: “Ah Yun? What are you saying…”

Jiang Lingxin helped his beloved disciple up as he pulled the emperor’s decree from his sleeve, then commanded coldly, “Escort Prince Wujing to the Imperial Prison! Everyone else is to be detained for questioning.”

The Imperial Guards then swarmed forward. Their cold spears tore through the crimson silk filling the air. In Xie Yunyi’s eyes, all that remained was the scattered deep red cloth being trampled underfoot by the soldiers and the icy white robes before him. Cold shackles were clamped onto the young heir’s snow-white wrists, they were so heavy that they seemed capable of crushing his bone. The jade hairpin that held his hair was lost somewhere during the commotion and his black hair fell loose and scattered, obscuring his innocent eyes.

Then a long, cold blade from an imperial guard was held against Xie Yunyi’s shoulder. He stumbled while dragging the shackles and brushed past Shen Yunjie. The cool fragrance on Shen Yunjie’s body was still a familiar scent to him, yet close as they were, they felt a million miles apart.

“Ah Yun…” Xie Yunyi turned his head. A thousand words choked in his throat and in the end, all that remained was a single, bewildered question. “Isn’t it supposed to be our wedding day today?”

Shen Yunjie’s figure trembled slightly. He closed his eyes and turned his back, refusing to spare him even a final glance.