ADENCPIFPM Chapter 5

“It is cold outside the hall. Hostage, please come in,” the Emperor said.

As soon as he spoke, two guards walked up to the hostage, their hands gripping the hilts of their swords. Though the blades remained sheathed, the threat was clear. The hostage, sensing the danger, stepped inside without protest.

Only then did Chu Chen see the hostage’s face clearly. He wore a half-mask that covered most of his features, leaving only his lower face visible. His thin lips were pressed together, devoid of colour. A light stubble dusted his sharply defined jawline, giving him a somewhat desolate appearance.

“Hostage, begin your performance,” the Emperor commanded.

The Emperor refused to use the hostage’s name, referring to him only by his title. He deliberately emphasised the word “performance,” a clear attempt to humiliate the young man in person. Yet, despite his youth, the hostage remained impassive. Hearing the command, he clenched his right fist over his heart, bowed slightly to the Emperor, and raised the jade flute to his lips.

The melody filled the hall, starting low and husky, tinged with a dark, brooding melancholy. Gradually, the tune grew more fervent, taking on a fierce, martial edge. Chu Chen looked at the hostage through the mask, but the young man’s gaze remained calm and detached, betraying none of the violence permeating the music.

With a final, piercingly high note, the flute’s melody came to an abrupt halt.

The hostage prince lowered the jade flute and bowed to the Emperor.

“Haha,” the Emperor chuckled, turning to his sons. “The hostage prince has finished his piece. Did any of you discern its meaning? Crown Prince, as the heir to the State of Dachu, you shall speak first.”

“Yes, Father.” The Crown Prince rose, bowed, and then spoke. “Your Majesty, I found the melody rather desolate and utterly unsuitable for the festive atmosphere of the Lantern Festival. To my ears, it was completely devoid of charm.”

The Emperor nodded, seemingly pleased with his son’s response.

“And what do the rest of you think?” he asked, his gaze sweeping over the other princes.

The First and Second Princes were clever men. One claimed ignorance of music, while the other simply agreed with the Crown Prince’s assessment.

“I believe the hostage prince should play another piece,” the Fourth Prince interjected.

“Fourth Brother is right,” the Fifth Prince added. “If this is meant to enliven the festivities, he should play something more joyous.”

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at the hostage prince. “Did you hear them, Your Highness?”

The hostage prince bowed to the Emperor, brought the jade flute to his lips, and began to play once more.

The music rose again—a mournful, wailing tune. Far from being joyous, it sounded more like a funeral dirge.

The atmosphere in the hall turned icy. The Emperor’s face hardened, and he swept the teacup off the table with a single gesture.

“How dare you!” the Emperor roared.

Seeing his fury, the officials and attendants scrambled to their feet and knelt in unison.

Chu Chen seized the moment to glance at the hostage. To his surprise, a faint smile had touched the young man’s pale lips.

The Emperor noticed Chu Chen’s gaze. His eyes locked onto his son, and he asked coldly, “My son, the hostage, has ruined the elegance of our banquet today. How do you think we should punish him?”

As the words fell, every eye in the hall turned to Chu Chen. Cold sweat broke out on his palms. ‘Why did this impossible task fall to me?’ he wondered. The Emperor was enraged; no matter what he said, he couldn’t guarantee his father’s satisfaction, nor could he avoid offending the hostage.

Yet, Chu Chen couldn’t help but admire the young man. Despite being raised in a foreign land, he retained a rare, unyielding spirit, showing no trace of humility or cowardice. Chu Chen couldn’t bear to see him suffer a severe punishment today. “What is it? You say nothing. Do you think we should not punish him?” the Emperor pressed.

Chu Chen hastily bowed. “Your Majesty, this son believes he must be punished— and punished severely.”

The Emperor’s expression softened slightly. “Then how do you propose we punish him severely?”

“Your Majesty,” Chu Chen began, “I believe… we should have the Ministry of Rites find some musicians to play celebratory tunes before the hostage day and night, without pause, until he has learned them all.”

As soon as Chu Chen finished, the Emperor burst into laughter, and everyone else in the hall followed suit.

The plan was childishly simple, yet truly malicious.

“We shall do as the Sixth Prince suggests,” the Emperor declared. “Let the hostage listen to the music for seven days and seven nights.”

The officials from the Ministry of Rites quickly complied, and guards led the hostage away.

Before leaving, the hostage glanced at Chu Chen. Though Chu Chen couldn’t see his expression, a sudden chill ran down the back of his neck. ‘I’m just trying to help you,’ he thought. ‘The method is a bit cruel, but it’s still better than a beating.

Don’t hold a grudge against me!’

Chu Chen’s intervention had thoroughly broken the tension. The Ministry of Rites arranged for song and dance performances, and the guests ate and drank merrily, as if the earlier incident had already been forgotten.

As the banquet drew to a close, the Noble Consort, seeing the Emperor in high spirits, brought up the Fifth Prince’s marriage. The Fifth Prince was half a year older than Chu Chen and had already reached the age of twenty, making it an appropriate time to discuss his nuptials.

But Chu Chen felt a sudden surge of anxiety. If the Fifth Prince got married, wouldn’t he become the only unmarried prince in the court? The Noble Consort might seem arrogant and impulsive, but her schemes were unexpectedly meticulous.

“Crown Prince, what do you think of the Noble Consort’s proposal?” the Emperor asked, turning to his eldest son.

The Crown Prince smiled. “Your Majesty, I married the Crown Princess when I was nineteen. By the time I was the Fifth Brother’s age, I already had a child.”

“The Crown Prince is absolutely right,” the Noble Consort chimed in.

“I believe the Fifth and Sixth Brothers are of similar age,” the Crown Prince continued. “It is indeed time to consider their marriages.”

Chu Chen, who had been worried that the Fifth Prince’s marriage would leave him as the sole candidate for a political alliance, felt a wave of gratitude. Although the Emperor had no intention of arranging such a marriage, the political landscape could shift in an instant. Chu Chen had to be prepared.

If he himself got married, he would no longer have to worry about being sent away for a political marriage.

“The Sixth Prince is still young, and his character is not yet fully formed,” the

Noble Consort objected. “Isn’t it a bit premature to discuss his marriage?”

“Your Highness is overthinking it,” Chu Chen quickly intervened. “Just yesterday, Fifth Brother said he felt lonely seeing me without anyone to attend to me. He even took me out to the pleasure boat for drinks. If I get married soon, Fifth Brother won’t have to worry about my loneliness every day.”

Seeing the matter brought up again, the Fifth Prince’s expression turned awkward. The Emperor’s gaze swept over the Noble Consort and the Fifth Prince before he spoke. “The marriage arrangements for Old Five and Old Six should indeed be considered. The Empress can also help relieve my burden by seeing if there are any suitable young men and women of marriageable age among the imperial nobility.”

“Yes, I have noted it,” the Empress replied.

Seeing that the matter had reached this point, the Noble Consort dared not say anything more, only glaring resentfully at Chu Chen.

Chu Chen remained indifferent, thinking to himself, ‘You are allowed to plan your son’s future, but am I not allowed to carve out a path for my own survival?’

The Noble Consort was furious after today’s events. After the banquet adjourned, she grabbed the Fifth Prince and scolded him mercilessly.

The Fifth Prince had always been weak and was accustomed to the Noble Consort’s abuse. He simply listened in silence, adopting the posture of a dead pig that does not fear boiling water.

“Look at you! No wonder your father the Emperor looks down on you,” the Noble Consort said, her voice filled with frustration. “I asked you to handle such a simple task, yet not only did you fail, you even drew the Crown Prince’s attention. Look at that Chu Chen—originally, your father wouldn’t even spare him a glance, but today at the palace banquet, he managed to make him beam with just a few words. He even gained a favor from the Yao State hostage. Why can’t you learn from him?”

The Fifth Prince muttered, “I’d like to learn, but I’m already trying to get on Sixth Brother’s good side. But you ‘insisted’ I drug him, and now look—he won’t even speak to me!”

“Drug him! You dare bring that up again?” The Noble Consort reached out and gave him a sharp pinch. The Fifth Prince yelped in pain. “I told you to drug ‘him’, but he ended up completely fine, while ‘you’ drank a bunch of it yourself, causing chaos for every single one of the concubines in your mansion!”

The Fifth Prince’s face flushed. “Imperial Mother, can you please stop planting spies in my mansion? Why do those people have to report every little thing that happens in my bedchamber to you?”

“It’s a good thing I have people watching you. I already had your Fourth Brother’s men take away those two male concubines you sneaked into the mansion the other day,” the Noble Consort said sharply. “With things so precarious right now, how dare you keep men? Aren’t you afraid your father will find out and send you to the Yao State barbarians for a marriage alliance?”

“Father already said the Yao State is a defeated foe of our Great Chu; they would never agree to a marriage alliance,” the Fifth Prince said, his face falling. “Besides, those two male favorites were so hard to find. They’re obedient and sensible. Imperial Mother, why did you…”

Slap!

The Noble Consort slapped the Fifth Prince across the face in a fury.

The Fifth Prince pursed his lips, too terrified to utter another word.

The Noble Consort seethed with frustration. She cursed herself for giving birth to such a brainless son—a prince of the imperial family, yet utterly devoid of any sense of crisis.

If the Yao State truly lacked confidence, why would they abruptly demand a marriage alliance?

If the Emperor had truly looked down upon the Yao State, why had he humiliated their hostage so brutally today?

Yet her foolish son, upon hearing he would not have to marry, immediately assumed he could rest easy.

He failed to see that Great Chu’s national fortune was in decline, and sooner or later, everyone would be in peril…

The Noble Consort’s information, though its source was unknown, was no fabrication.

A few days ago, Cangsui, which had been at war with Great Chu, had indeed suffered a defeat. However, Cangsui had only feigned defeat. A few days later, they launched a counterattack while Great Chu was basking in its own complacency. This time, Great Chu suffered a devastating blow.

The war report reached the Capital City five days after the palace banquet. Upon reading it, the Emperor nearly fainted with rage.

“The Yao State has actually allied with Cangsui?” the Emperor snarled.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the Minister of War replied. “The sole condition for their alliance was that Princess Ning’an be given to the Great General of the Yao State as his wife.”

Princess Ning’an had been married off to Cangsui seven years ago to seal a peace treaty. No one could have imagined that Cangsui would now trade her away, handing her over to the Yao State’s Great General as a wife. For the Yao State and Cangsui, whose customs were more open, such a remarriage—whether for a woman or a man—might have been commonplace. But for Great Chu, it was an intolerable humiliation, tearing open an old scar on the Emperor’s heart.

“How dare they!” the Emperor roared, sweeping the contents of his desk to the floor. “Guards! Drag out the Yao hostage, execute him in the street, and hang his body from the city gate!”

“Your Majesty, please reconsider!” the Minister of War pleaded. “Princess Ning’an is now in the Yao State. If Your Majesty kills the hostage, the Princess will surely be put to death.”

The Emperor took a deep breath, a chilling glint passing through his eyes.

He barely managed to suppress his fury. “If the Yao State wants my daughter to serve their Great General, then I shall have their son serve my son—and he will be the lowest of male concubines, a creature without even a name!”

“Chu Chen really said ‘I’m helping you’ and then sentenced the poor guy to seven days of nonstop music. 😂”

Honestly, I think I need a coffee after this chapter. ☕
If you enjoyed it, buy me one too. I promise I won’t use it to torture anyone for seven days. 😂