Arc 3: Chapter 12
The entire Taiji Hall fell into silence, like a pool of stagnant water.
Jiang Qian was so shocked that the sound of his quickened heartbeat was like drums to his ears.
Lin Yuan…… how did Lin Yuan have the guts to say such a thing? How could he say in front of the empress dowager that he wished to marry me?
It went against the order of the world, it risked the condemnation of all people, yet it made his heart flutter!
【Di! Congrats to the host, the villain’s blackening value has decreased to 93%.】
The empress dowager had long heard of the relationship between Jiang Qian and Lin Yuan. But male pets were not uncommon among the nobles, and the empress dowager thought that Lin Yuan was just playing around.
When Consort Chu entered the palace a few days ago to request for the empress dowager to choose a dignified and generous girl to marry Lin Yuan, the empress dowager agreed, thinking that Lin Yuan was at the age to get married. She also wanted to hold a chubby grandson soon.
The matter of having a male pet could be obscured in the grand scheme of things. Today, she called in both Lin Yuan and Jiang Qian to discuss Lin Yuan’s marriage and give Jiang Qian a warning.
The empress dowager had everything planned out, but she didn’t expect Lin Yuan to disregard societal customs and disturb everything.
“Nonsense!” The empress dowager’s expression darkened and she scolded: “Prince Chu! What messy things are you saying? Asking the emperor to grant you marriage to a man, you’ve really become muddle-headed and foolish! Servants, come! Drag this sinful slave out and beat him to death!”
Lin Yuan was startled to see the empress dowager, who was just talking nicely to him with a smile, turn around and order Jiang Qian’s death.
He instantly rushed over to Jiang Qian and protected the other in his arms from the bodyguards that were running over. “Go away! Don’t touch him! No one is allowed to touch him!”
The guards didn’t dare hurt Little Prince Chu, and stood aside.
The empress dowager was surprised to see Lin Yuan protect Jiang Qian to this extent. Seemed like the talk of marriage was not just a joke.
“What are you all standing around for? Quickly pull the two of them apart!” The empress dowager pointed at Lin Yuan and Jiang Qian who were wrapped around each other and said harshly: “Prince Chu is young and ignorant, with a simple heart. This sinister criminal slave bullied him and disregarded all status. Drag this slave out, grant him death by a thousand cuts!”
Lin Yuan felt more and more anxious, why was the punishment getting worse and worse?
The bodyguards no longer hesitated. Some held onto Lin Yuan, and some started dragging Jiang Qian away.
Lin Yuan tightly wrapped all of his hands and feet around Jiang Qian like an octopus and shouted: “Empress dowager! Jiang Qian and I are truly in love with each other. If you insist on accusing Jiang Qian and want his life, I… I will die with him! I don’t want to live without him!”
The empress dowager coldly sneered and thought that Lin Yuan was just throwing a tantrum. Who would believe that the little prince was willing to die for a male pet?
“All right. Aijia won’t condemn him.” The empress dowager said. But seeing how Lin Yuan cared so much about Jiang Qian, she was more sure that she had to kill him, and her eyes flashed with killing intent.
On the surface, the empress dowager recovered her gentle look. She smiled amiably and said: “Quickly get up, do you see what you look like now? Where is your princely demeanor?”
Lin Yuan quickly stopped shouting. His round, apricot eyes looked at the empress dowager tearily, and his expression was innocent: “Really? Empress dowager, you really won’t accuse Jiang Qian anymore?”
The empress dowager made a sound of agreement: “Prince Chu even claimed to die for him, how could aijia continue to condemn him?”
Lin Yuan didn’t completely understand why the empress dowager’s mood changed so quickly, so he didn’t dare let go of Jiang Qian. He hugged the other even tighter and said: “Empress dowager, since you won’t accuse him anymore, can Jiang Qian and I go back?”
He looked at the emperor pitifully and said: “Your Majesty, I was really scared just now. Even if there are other matters, I’m afraid I don't have the heart to listen. Will you allow me to return to the mansion? I can come to the palace another day to discuss.”
The palace was too scary. He only said two sentences and then they wanted to beat his husband to death, and when he said three sentences, they wanted to cut his husband into a thousand pieces. At the palace, he had no authority, so he couldn’t resist orders. His mansion was much better, there, he could do whatever he wanted to.
The emperor waved his hands at the bodyguards to let them step back and said: “Prince Chu, get up first. Look at yourself right now, how unsightly!”
Lin Yuan thought he was fine the way he was. But since the emperor said so, he helplessly let go of Jiang Qian and stood up.
The emperor glanced at Jiang Qian and said casually: “Prince Chu, calling you into the palace today was for your marriage. Ever since the day your mother visited the palace, the empress dowager and the empress have been busy with your wedding preparations.”
“Zhen knows that you don’t like women, but even so, you must marry a girl from a good family. Prince Chu’s mansion has hundreds of years of history, and it needs a lady to take care of household matters.” t/n Zhen is the version of "I/my/min" that the emperor uses
The emperor smiled lightly and said: “Prince Chu, you’re not a child anymore, you can’t act so temperamentally and selfishly. You have to consider the bloodline of Prince Chu’s manion. Marry a lady who deals with the mansion’s matters and gives you a son to inherit Prince Chu’s legacy. Once you do all of those things, you can do whatever you want.”
The meaning was that as long as Lin Yuan married a woman and did the deeds to have a child, he could do whatever he wanted with Jiang Qian.
Jiang Qian felt like a pair of invisible hands was strangling his throat. The heavy oppressive force made it difficult to breathe, and an indescribable sadness and despair spread through his heart.
Lin Yuan treated him sincerely, loved him, and cared for him. The other also protected him in front of the empress dowager.
But against the most powerful figure in the country, although Jiang Qian was unwilling, there was no other way. Lin Yuan had to marry a wife and have children in order for them…… for them to have a future together……
Lin Yuan did not say anything, he seemed to be thinking.
The queen also added: “Prince Chu, the empress dowager and I have chosen four possible girls for you. Choose one of them, and the emperor will bestow marriage upon you today.”
She ordered someone to bring the four portraits: “Look first. Consider the Lin family, Prince Chu, you must have a child.”
Lin Yuan was trying to think of a solution. Ever since he became human, he was always the wife. Now these people wanted him to take a wife and do intimate things with a woman that he and his husband had done.
Even just thinking about it, Lin Yuan wanted to explode.
But, the emperor, empress, and the empress dowager were all pressuring him. The ancients attached great importance to succession, he…… he had to agree.
No…… I can’t negotiate with them. Negotiation means losing.
That was what one of his previous hosts said.
Lin Yuan didn’t even glance at the portraits. He began to squeeze out tears and knelt down with a thud. He cried: “Your Majesty, you mean that, I… I, Lin Yuan, am not a person, just a baby-making tool. I was born into this world, as a human being, just to have a child. After the child is made, I have no more use and can be abandoned at any time.”
The emperor actually said no such thing and didn’t mean it in this way.
The queen and the empress dowager were also confused. What was Prince Chu saying? What baby-making tool?
Lin Yuan’s eyes were bloodshot and he sobbed: “I don’t want to be a tool. If the emperor forces me to marry, forces me to have a child, then I will die in this hall today. And it will be the same in the future. If anyone resorts to using medicine to force me to have sex with a woman, then it’s been shown that I can’t protect this body and I will die the next day.”
“Jiang Qian is the love of my life, and I treat him sincerely. If he dies for no reason, then there must be only one explanation: someone is insulting my feelings and treats me as a baby-making tool. I will die immediately to keep my innocence.”
Lin Yuan bowed to the emperor and said: “Your Majesty, my intentions are clear. I plead for the emperor to acknowledge them.”
The empress dowager took the lead to reprimand him angrily: “What kind of nonsense are you saying? Prince Chu! Today, aijia will treat it as if you were talking nonsense. Don’t say these things in the future, otherwise there will be severe punishment.”
The emperor played the red face and said: “Prince Chu, this matter involves the lineage of Prince Chu’s mansions, let’s discuss later.” t/n playing red face and white face references Beijing Opera masks, where actors wearing red masks represented good characters, and wearing white masks represented bad characters, similar to the American saying of "good cop, bad cop"
Lin Yuan was certain that there would be no ‘later’. If the emperor didn't agree today, then he would not agree in the future. He had to stick to his bottom line and not negotiate.
He kowtowed to the emperor and declared: “Your Majesty, I am not speaking nonsense. I genuinely fear that one day I will be forced to marry, then drugged to have sex with a woman, I would be no better than a beast. This minister… instead of waiting for that day, would rather die right now and leave cleanly.”
With that, Lin Yuan really stood up and ran toward a golden pillar in Taiji Hall.
Nobody expected Lin Yuan to be so unwavering.
Right before hitting the pillar, Lin Yuan panicked in his mind: “521, hold me back a little, don’t let me really die!”
521 patted its nonexistent chest with its small wings and said confidently: “Senior, don’t worry! 521 will do well!”
Lin Yuan hit his head on the pillar mightily and a sharp pain pierced his head. Everything turned dark in front of his eyes and he lost consciousness and fainted on the ground.
Jiang Qian dashed over and gathered Lin Yuan into his arms. Looking at Lin Yuan, his breaths shortened and his whole body shook. He had never felt so panicked. Despair overtook him like a tidal wave that crashed over him.
Half of Lin Yuan’s face was stained with blood and the wound on his forehead was like a door to the underworld, sapping the warm and soft teenager’s life bit by bit.
The emperor reacted quickly and roared: “Imperial physician! Quickly get the imperial physician!”
Among the panic, the empress dowager took a deep breath, stared at Jiang Qian and ordered: “Can’t leave him anymore! Prince Chu is harmed because of him, how can this continue? Quickly! Drag him out and execute him!”