Chapter 11

When Lin Que appeared, the tipsy ministers immediately sobered up and stood to greet him.

Even Gu Youxun, who had been fuming in the side hall earlier, looked in anticipation as if he had been waiting for Lin Que for a long time and urged him to sit and taste the plums offered from various regions.

“This year’s plums are much more abundant than last year’s. I thought of selecting the best among them to be designated as imperial plums. Now that you’re here, King Yan, I’d like to hear your opinion.”

The table was filled with a variety of plums—green, red, yellow, and purple—some as large as eggs, others as small as marbles.

Lin Que used the doctor’s advice as an excuse, claiming his health was poor and he couldn’t eat them. It sounded plausible, but then he took a sip of the golden wine the palace servants had poured for him. It was unclear which doctor would forbid a patient from eating plums but allow them to drink wine. If not for encountering a quack, he was clearly deliberately making things difficult for the emperor.

For a moment, the ministers didn’t dare to eat the plums on the table. Those who had already taken some quietly put them back.

Gu Youxun barely maintained his composure, forcing a smile: “Since the doctor said so, we must follow the doctor’s advice. Take care of your health so my sister Zhaoming and I can be at ease.”

Gu Youxun tried to uphold his dignity as the emperor and King Yan’s uncle. After speaking, he drank a few more cups of wine, and the hesitation and doubt in his heart were gradually worn away by the rising intoxication and the ministers’ greater fear of Lin Que.

The atmosphere at the banquet was so tense it was unbearable, but Lin Que remained unaffected, earnestly savoring the golden wine. After all, the emperor had sent four groups of people to urge him to come. If he left after causing a scene, wouldn’t that be a waste of the emperor’s efforts?

Moreover, in the past few months, Grand Princess Zhaoming and Gu Chi had been strict with him, not allowing him a drop of alcohol. Finally having the chance to drink a few cups, sitting and listening to some nonsense didn’t seem like a bad deal.

Lin Que’s mood gradually improved with the fine wine, and he responded to Gu Youxun’s questions with relatively amiable answers until…

“Speaking of which, you’re not young anymore. I’ve heard that you have a close relationship with the daughter of Assistant Minister of War Li Wendao. Why don’t I arrange a marriage between you two?”

The emperor’s speech quickened towards the end as if afraid of being interrupted. When the last word fell, the room fell silent, and the already stiff atmosphere froze completely. Li Wendao, realizing what the emperor had said, accidentally knocked over his wine cup.

The sound of the cup shattering on the floor was particularly noticeable in the silence. Li Wendao hurriedly stood up, ignoring the porcelain shards on the ground, and knelt with a thud: “Your Majesty, I have committed an offense in your presence. Please forgive me.” His hand landed on a sharp shard, and blood soaked his palm.

Even those who didn’t know Li Mu were shocked by the emperor’s sudden marriage decree. They couldn’t understand why the emperor would suddenly decide to marry off King Yan. Whether the marriage would happen was uncertain, but Li Wendao was definitely in trouble. Those who knew of Li Mu and her illness last year, which left her mentally impaired, wished they hadn’t come to the palace today.

The emperor marrying King Yan to a fool—what could be more humiliating?

The ice used to cool the fruit seemed to lose its effect at that moment, and many people broke out in a cold sweat. Among them were several of Lin Que’s people, fearing he didn’t know about Li Mu’s condition and might agree to the marriage.

On the other side, Gu Youxun regretted his words, not for his impulsiveness, but for seeking Lin Que’s opinion.

Why bother asking? When the late emperor chose a consort for him, he issued an edict directly. Now, choosing a consort for his nephew, King Yan, should be the same.

Gu Youxun ignored the kneeling Li Wendao, took another drink poured by Eunuch Duan, and, encouraged by the increasing intoxication, was about to issue the decree directly when Lin Que asked, “Does Your Majesty truly wish to bestow this marriage upon me?”

The emperor was so startled he hiccuped. Eunuch Duan quickly brought a bowl of hot sweet soup. The emperor drank a few sips to stop the hiccups and hurriedly said, “I, I am a man of my word. Since I said I would bestow the marriage, there is no reason to take it back!”

Thinking of something, Lin Que smiled and agreed, “In that case, I thank Your Majesty for the grace.”

“Haha, hahaha, good! Good! I will draft the decree immediately! Someone, bring pen and ink!” The emperor couldn’t wait a moment longer and wrote the marriage decree amidst the strange atmosphere.

This bizarre marriage quickly spread throughout the capital. From high-ranking officials to commoners, everyone was astonished that King Yan was to marry a fool.

With so many people watching, no one remembered the emperor’s earlier mention of King Yan’s close relationship with the Li family’s daughter. Since the marriage was set, even if their relationship had been unclear before, she was now the future consort of King Yan, and no one dared to gossip.

In the palace, the emperor was as happy issuing the decree as he was terrified the next day when he saw Eunuch Duan’s head presented on a tray. At that moment, he truly regretted his drunken impulsiveness in bestowing the marriage upon Lin Que and Li Mu, fearing that if Lin Que silently beheaded Eunuch Duan today, he might come for him tomorrow. But he had no one left. The Grand Tutor was dead, Eunuch Duan was dead, the ministers feared King Yan, and the eunuchs were afraid of becoming the next Eunuch Duan. Now, he had no one to advise him.

Gu Youxun sat in a daze for a moment, then hurriedly called for pen and ink. He thought that since Lin Que didn’t like the marriage, he would cancel it. He would find an excuse to execute the Li family’s daughter or, more mercifully, claim it was his oversight as the emperor, not knowing the Li family’s daughter’s character was flawed and unworthy of King Yan. Wouldn’t that solve the problem?

Gu Youxun quickly wrote the decree to annul the marriage, but the Six Ministries returned it.

The eunuch who returned the decree also brought a message from Lin Que: “King Yan intends that the Li family’s fifth daughter will soon become the consort of King Yan. Some words should be carefully considered before being spoken.”

At King Yan’s residence, Grand Princess Zhaoming arrived and coldly asked her son, “What happened? Why am I suddenly going to be a mother-in-law?”

The weather recently became increasingly hot, and Lin Que’s body couldn’t tolerate extreme cold or heat. He sat at a distance from the ice container, poured himself a cup of hot perilla drink, and poured Grand Princess Zhaoming a cup of cold lychee syrup from the ice container. “It’s my fault for making you a mother-in-law only now.”

Grand Princess Zhaoming: “Get lost!”

Lin Que sighed, “Your son rarely feels compassion for a girl. At least praise me a little instead of just scolding.”

Grand Princess Zhaoming stopped scolding him and stared at him intently.

Lin Que didn’t intend to hide anything. Seeing that Grand Princess Zhaoming insisted on knowing, he explained, “I’ve long wanted to deal with that Eunuch Duan, and the emperor needed a reminder. So, I did both. Besides, Yan’an hasn’t returned for a long time. If I get married, he should come back. And Ah Chi, as my brother, can only stay with me as long as I’m unmarried. If I die in a few years, he would have to mourn for me. Even if he finds someone he likes, they might not wait for him. I should marry early and save a girl. It’s a good thing.”

Grand Princess Zhaoming frowned, unsure if she was more upset by her son’s acceptance of death or his decision to achieve all his goals.

Lin Que smiled, “Don’t worry, Mother. I never like to wrong myself. As for Li Mu… since she is my wife, I will treat her well.”

…

At Mingtai Temple, Li Mu, who hadn’t gone out for a few days due to her sprained ankle, watched everyone packing and felt confused and reluctant.

Weren’t they supposed to stay longer? Why were they leaving so soon?

Also…

“These are jujube cakes and golden thread pastries from Baixiang Zhai. Take them to eat on the carriage. If you’re thirsty, drink this. I know you can’t have tea, so it’s sour plum juice.” Li Mu’s third brother, Li Tingwu, also came to take the old madam home. Before leaving, he handed Li Mu a package of pastries and a bamboo tube of drink.

Li Tingwu often brought things for Li Mu. She wasn’t used to always accepting others’ kindness, as it made her anxious. To ease her anxiety, she would give him some of her things in return, and sometimes even lend him money when he spent too quickly. This was a common occurrence and didn’t bother her much.

The problem was that it wasn’t just Li Tingwu. Her eldest brother, Li Xu, who she wasn’t very close to, also brought her small toys like the Nine Linked Rings to keep her entertained on the journey.

After returning to the residence, Madam Qian went even further, renewing everything in her room and dragging her over early in the morning to manage the household. She explained every detail to Li Mu as if trying to impart all her knowledge to her.

During this time, Li Mu also encountered her second aunt, who was usually blunt and often said unpleasant things without ill intent. However, these days, she remained silent whenever she saw Li Mu.

Even Li Zhi forced a smile around her. Li Mu realized something unfortunate must have happened to her, causing the Li family to act so unusually. But what exactly had happened? They didn’t say, not as if they were hiding it from her, but more like they were waiting for an auspicious day to explain it to her slowly.

They didn’t keep her waiting long.

One day, Li Zhi, who had returned to the second house, and Li Mu’s sister-in-law came to see the old madam. The old madam called Li Mu back from Madam Qian’s place.

Li Mu’s sister-in-law, surnamed Wu, had been childhood sweethearts with her eldest brother, Li Xu. They had been engaged early on, but due to bad luck, their wedding was delayed by national mourning six years ago and the death of Wu’s family elder. They finally married two years ago.

At the end of last year, Miss Wu was diagnosed with pregnancy and expected to give birth in September. Li Mu had read about this in the book, where Miss Wu hadn’t given birth yet and miscarried due to the Li family’s downfall in May, dying in prison.

Seeing her alive and well always made Li Mu happy, as it meant she still had a future.

Li Mu sat beside the old madam, happily listening to their conversation. Suddenly, the room fell silent, and everyone seemed uneasy, drinking tea or adjusting their sleeves.

Finally, after considering her words, Li Zhi spoke to Li Mu: “Little Five, there’s something we haven’t told you.”

Li Mu looked up. Finally, it’s coming.

“Don’t be afraid when you hear this…” Li Zhi almost couldn’t continue. She thought, how could she not be afraid? When their uncle was detained in the palace during the Dragon Boat Festival, the whole family gathered at the old madam’s place, discussing how terrifying King Yan’s methods were. Even her fifteen-year-old sixth brother had nightmares for several nights. But they couldn’t keep it from her any longer. They needed to give her time to prepare and learn the palace rules from the female officials, or her wedding day would be even more difficult.

Li Zhi felt reluctant, but the marriage was decreed by the emperor and couldn’t be annulled. She had no choice but to speak.

Taking a deep breath, Li Zhi said, “Recently, a decree came from the palace, betrothing you…”

“Betrothing you to His Highness King Yan.”

Li Mu: “…”

What?