Chapter 23: The Tavern

By evening, Di Jiang was wading through knee-deep lake water, her hands continuously searching. Two hours later, her efforts finally paid off when she found a small pouch at the bottom of the lake. Inside lay a gold-threaded jade bracelet, personally carved and polished by Wu Rui’an, enhanced by his beauty and valor over three years.

Di Jiang took the bracelet and headed to Prince Wu’s mansion. However, upon arrival, she discovered that it was heavily guarded, with sentries stationed every few steps; not even a fly could get in.

Di Jiang thought for a moment, realizing that Wu Rui’an wouldn’t live under such conditions. Judging by his temperament, he was likely on Chang Le Street, known for its pleasure quarters.

When Di Jiang arrived at Chang Le Street, it was already nightfall. The street was brightly lit and bustling with activity. She searched through each tavern one by one and eventually found Wu Rui’an at a tavern on the third main street.

Surrounded by a group of beautiful women, each more enchanting than the last, their seductive eyes were fixed on Wu Rui’an. Their hands were busy pouring wine into his mouth cup after cup.

What a scene of debauchery and decadence.

“Haven’t you had enough?” With a loud “slap,” Di Jiang stepped forward and slammed her hand on the table, startling all the women present. Even Wu Rui’an, who was drinking, turned his head to look.

“Oh, it’s Doctor Di.” Seeing Di Jiang, Wu Rui’an immediately beamed and grinned at her as if to greet her.

He no longer tidied his attire or maintained a formal demeanor, clearly drunk.

Di Jiang frowned and said, “Stop drinking. I’ll take you home.”

“It’s still early. I haven’t had my fill yet. Why don’t you join me for a drink?” Wu Rui’an slurred his words, waving his hand carelessly before collapsing onto the table.

“What are you drinking for? Come with me!” After saying this, Di Jiang went to pull him up.

But Wu Rui’an seemed to have gone limp, slumped over the table, refusing to budge no matter how much Di Jiang tried to drag him.

“Excuse me, madam, who are you?” One of the beautiful women couldn’t stand it any longer and laughed, covering her mouth, “The prince has already said he won’t leave, why are you still trying to drag him away?”

Di Jiang glanced at the woman but chose not to argue, realizing her efforts were futile.

Di Jiang then sat down at the table, directly facing Wu Rui’an.

“Prince Wu, I know you can hear me talking.” Di Jiang panted.

Wu Rui’an trembled all over but still didn’t raise his head.

Di Jiang continued, “Even though you’ve been relieved of your duties, you’re still a prince, the Empress’s only legitimate son, with numerous military achievements. There’s no need to be so despondent.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Rui’an suddenly raised his head and sneered, “So what if I’m a prince? So what if I have numerous military achievements? I’ve still been overshadowed by a male concubine and humiliated in the palace!”

Seeing this, Di Jiang didn’t get angry but instead smiled inwardly, thinking, “It’s refreshing to see the uneducated Wu Rui’an finally realize he is inferior to even a male prostitute...”

Realizing his frustration, Di Jiang decided to engage in an argument, shouting, “That’s your own fault!”

Di Jiang’s words shocked Wu Rui’an and the group of concubines. They couldn’t believe someone dared to speak to the prince like that.

Di Jiang continued, “Who told you to be arrogant and idle all day? Being looked down upon by a humble scholar today is entirely your own doing!”

“Humble scholar?” Wu Rui’an sneered, “He’s clearly a male prostitute! How can he be called a humble scholar?”

“The fact that he was once a male prostitute is true, but he is also the top scholar personally selected by the Emperor, and he achieved this position through his genuine talent.”

“Genuine talent? That’s laughable! Everyone knows he got it by climbing the social ladder!” Wu Rui’an sneered.

“What others say isn’t reliable; most of it is out of jealousy. Whether Jiang Qionglin has talent or not was clear when he gained fame in Chang Le Street,” Di Jiang sighed. “Chang Le Street is full of talented individuals, whether they are romantic scholars or bookkeepers, everyone praises his brilliance. By denying his talent, you’re deceiving yourself and making excuses for your own lack of education. Moreover, you’re deliberately not giving face to the Empress.”

“What wrong have I done?” Wu Rui’an suddenly stood up, enraged, “Mother protecting Jiang Qionglin is one thing, but yesterday Princess Tianxiang followed me back to the mansion. I couldn’t get rid of her. What could I do? She died in my mansion in the middle of the night, and here I am, not even blaming her for the bad luck!”

“Now Mother actually believes the nonsense spread by others and thinks I killed someone! It’s utterly ridiculous! Tell me, where should I vent my anger?”

Wu Rui’an rolled up his sleeves, downed another bowl of wine, and then smashed the cup on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

“Under heaven, who believes me? Even Mother believes the rumors and thinks I killed her out of hatred for the Turks! But I have no reason to do such a thing! If I wanted revenge, I would have led troops out of Mo Mountain and straight to the Turkic capital!”

After Wu Rui’an finished speaking, everyone at the table stared at him as if looking at a monster.

Only Di Jiang remained calm and smiling.

Seeing this group of painted faces, Wu Rui’an suddenly became furious, “All of you, get out! Get out of my sight! Now! Immediately—!”

The group of beauties, frightened, scattered like birds and beasts.

After they left, Wu Rui’an let out a long sigh and sat back down on the bench.

“Your Highness, why get so angry?” After saying this, Di Jiang called over the waiter and ordered another jar of wine.

“How can I not be angry?” Wu Rui’an rolled his eyes and exclaimed, “I’ve spent three years on the battlefield, enduring countless hardships without a word of complaint. I thought returning to Taiping Prefecture would bring relief, but instead, I encounter such a situation. Not even my beloved...” He paused and coughed, “In short, few remember my good deeds. Mother is angry with me, and you don’t believe me either. After returning this time, I am still unrecognized, unasked, and distrusted.”

“I believe you.” As Di Jiang picked up the wine jar and poured, a shiny gold-threaded bracelet on her left hand caught Wu Rui’an’s attention.

“This is…” Wu Rui’an widened his eyes, disbelief written all over his face.

“This… I fished it out of the lake. Someone must have thrown it away. I thought it looked nice, so I wore it,” Di Jiang explained with a smile.

“You retrieved it from the lake?” Wu Rui’an, nervous, grabbed Di Jiang’s wrist.

Di Jiang gently pulled away, pointing at her wet socks and shoes, “Fortunately, the lake wasn’t too deep, otherwise I wouldn’t know how to swim.”

Wu Rui’an felt a warmth in his heart, wanting to hug her right away. But knowing Di Jiang disliked his touchy behavior, he suppressed the urge.

“Doctor Di... now you’re the only one who believes me.” Wu Rui’an’s tone softened, tinged with a hint of crying, whether from emotion or relief, his eyes began to redden.

Di Jiang quickly interrupted, “I just think Your Highness is inherently kind and incapable of such heinous acts. The Empress is your birth mother, naturally she believes in you. It’s just due to the Turkic delegation’s pressure that she temporarily relieved you of duty. Once the case is cleared, she will restore your position, won’t she?”

“Mother seems to have believed Jiang Qionglin’s slander and doesn’t trust me.” Wu Rui’an sounded deflated.

“I can tell that Mr. Jiang isn’t a bad person. Your Highness doesn’t need to think ill of him all the time.” After saying this, seeing Wu Rui’an’s displeased expression, Di Jiang fell silent, refraining from further speech.

After a long while, Wu Rui’an sighed deeply, “Let’s go. I’ll escort you home.”

“But didn’t you say it’s still early?” Di Jiang was surprised.

“Miss, your socks are wet. If I didn’t know about it, it would be one thing, but knowing and still staying here, letting you suffer, wouldn’t that make me worse than an animal?” Wu Rui’an placed the money for the drinks and stepped forward.

Di Jiang suddenly realized and quickly followed him.

The two walked silently, one ahead of the other. When Wu Rui’an didn’t speak, Di Jiang simply smiled behind him.

Perhaps this was the best way to interact. When he wanted to talk, she listened and let him vent.

When he wanted quiet, she stayed quietly by his side.

She was a good listener and genuinely regarded Wu Rui’an as a good friend.

“Shopkeeper Di, we’ve arrived.” Wu Rui’an stood in front of Jian Su Medical Hall.

“Ah, thank you, Your Highness.” Di Jiang smiled slightly and turned to enter the house.

Just as she was about to close the door, she saw Wu Rui’an stammering and fidgeting. After a moment, he said, “Shopkeeper Di, may I borrow the key to the coffin shop for a little longer? I don’t want to return to the mansion for now, you know...”

Wu Rui’an had prepared a lengthy explanation, but unexpectedly, Di Jiang, without a word, took a key from her pocket and tossed it into his arms, laughing, “I figured you wouldn’t tolerate those soldiers’ nonsense. I prepared this for you earlier. It’s late, go rest.” After saying this, she turned and closed the door.

That night, after Di Jiang finished washing up, she impulsively opened the window of her room. Wu Rui’an was still bathing. She waited for him for a moment before he appeared in the room with his hair hanging loose.

Drops of water from his hair dripped onto his collar and the floor.

Seeing Di Jiang, he was quite surprised.

He froze for a moment, even stopping the action of drying his hair.

“Your Highness is a bit late today. I’ve waited for you for a long time, so... goodnight.” Di Jiang waved her hand, closed the window, and extinguished the candle.

Wu Rui’an paused for a moment and then lay down fully clothed.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, lying on the hard wooden bed didn’t feel uncomfortable. Instead, he quickly fell asleep and enjoyed a rare night of deep, dreamless sleep.