Chapter 121 : Xuan You’s Fate
Trigger Warning: nonconsensual sexual relations, domestic violence.
Yesterday, the Jiang fu married off a daughter. Their Third Miss, a shu daughter, became Zuo Langzhong’s furen, giving rise to enthusiastic chatter from the people in the capital. That a shu daughter could achieve such high prospects made her a shining example for the entire Great Jin. They only knew that, the day before, the guests had thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the hosts had waited upon their guests attentively. What other hidden situations transpired could never be known to anyone.
For example, on the second day, when the sun was high in the sky, Langzhong fu’s maidservant and xipo[1] arrived to collect the blood-stained cloth that proved the bride had been a virgin. The maidservant had stood outside the door and called out several times without getting a response, so she assumed that Master was tired, and pushed open the door to enter the room.
[1] 喜婆 (xi po) – in ancient times, this refers to the woman who looks after the bride during a wedding; could also refer to a matchmaker.
Upon entering, her nose was immediately assaulted by a heady fragrance which she could not identify. The maidservant lowered her head and called softly, “Master, Furen.”
She waited for quite a while but received no response. The xipo also felt that something was strange, so she worked up the courage to look in the direction of the bed. The bed’s wide expanse of muslin curtains were billowing slightly, and one could see naked bodies intertwined. The old xipo’s face flushed and she cursed inwardly. She thought, as expected, this shu daughter had no sense of propriety. How could a new bride be so uncaring of propriety and comport herself like a prostitute?
The xipo smilingly called out, “Furen?”
Perhaps because they finally heard the xipo’s voice, the person on the bed cried out in a high voice, and then, after much tumbling about, a hand pushed aside the curtains, and a dazed voice asked, “Who is it?”
The xipo took one glance at the bed and was dumbfounded by what she saw. She let out a high-pitched shriek, which caused the maidservant by her side to raise her head and peer at the bed. With just one glance, she was transfixed. The two of them looked at each other, wordlessly took in the panic in each other’s eyes, and bolted from the room, screeching.
The sound was so piercing that almost all the Langzhong fu’s servants and subordinates were drawn to the room. The woman on the bed appeared to regain her senses somewhat and suddenly realised that something was not right. She looked down and immediately started to screech herself.
On that spacious bed lay two men without a stitch of clothing on!
Her piercing voice finally roused the two men on the bed, who slowly woke up.
Jiang Li was on the verge of collapse. At that moment, she was utterly naked, and her exposed skin was splotched with green and purple patches. The red lines marked on her fair skin clearly told the story of just how wild the previous night’s activities had been.
One of the men rubbed his eyes as he woke up, and said in an annoyed tone of voice, “What’s all this noise? If you continue with this ruckus, this prince will teach you a lesson you won’t forget.” It was Xuan You.
And the other man . . . Jiang Li shook all over. Zuo Jiang opened his eyes and was flabbergasted.
“Slut!” Zuo Jiang slapped her fiercely.
Jiang Li staggered after receiving the blow, but merely covered her face with her hand and remained silent. How could this happen, how did she come to sleep with two men? And one of them was even her new husband?
At the wedding banquet the previous night, she had seen, with her own eyes, Jiang Ruan drink the wine to which the drug had been added, and had felt relieved. However, after the toast, she became aware that something was wrong with her own body, as she felt unbearably hot. On thinking about it now, could it be that she had been tricked? Could Jiang Ruan have switched cups with her?
Of course, Jiang Li did not know that Xuan You had ensured that a full measure of chunfengdu had been added to both cups of wine, in order to guarantee the success of his plan. Whether or not Jiang Ruan switched the cups, she would ingest the drug!
But she had remained in the bridal room the whole time, as did Zuo Jiang. Therefore, why was Xuan You also there?
The crisp sound of the slap not only brought Jiang Li to her senses, it also caused Xuan You to understand what had transpired. The day before, he had captured Jiang Ruan, but when it seemed as if everything was going according to his foolproof plan, Xiao Shao had arrived with his men. At that time, Xiao Shao had looked totally formidable, and then . . . Then, he could not recall anything thereafter. When he awoke, he was already in Zuo Jiang’s bed.
Xuan You knew that this was Xiao Shao’s handiwork, but he heaved a sigh of relief that Xiao Shao had not insisted on taking his life. Although he was disgruntled that Jiang Ruan had escaped from his clutches, he did not have the guts to set himself against Xiao Shao.
Nonchalantly, he looked over at Zuo Jiang and Jiang Li and frowned. It looked as if last night’s wild activities had been with Jiang Li. Oh well, whatever; she was still a fresh beauty. Xuan You stretched lazily and said, “Miss Jiang – oh, I should address you as ‘Zuo Furen’ now – thank you for your hospitality last night. This prince is absolutely highly satisfied.”
Zuo Jiang clenched his fists tightly and his heart was full of fury. All that screeching from the xipo and that maidservant just now had attracted so many people who were now present to watch the show. Last night, some of the guests had enjoyed themselves so much that they were too drunk to go home, and thus had stayed the night at the Langzhong fu. Then, because of the shrieking, everyone had rushed over to see what on earth was going on, and they were all standing at the room door in a huddle. What a joke they had become!
On the night of their nuptials, his newly wedded wife had engaged in intimate relations with another man on their bed, while he was also present. If this got out, people would think that he, Zuo Jiang, had some unusual obsession. Both his reputation for having a good character, and his image, would be completely destroyed! Zuo Jiang could not for the life of him figure out how things had come to this. The person enjoying a happy night with Xuan You definitely ought to have been Jiang Ruan. Moreover, since Xuan You had been with them, this clearly meant that nothing had befallen Jiang Ruan. If the news reached the palace, Imperial Consort Chen would inevitably blame him for making a mess of the matter.
However, Zuo Jiang could not care less about Imperial Consort Chen at present; he was currently trapped in an impossible situation. If he let Xuan You go now, then he would surely drown in the spittle from the mouths of the capital’s citizens as they gossiped about him, and the Imperial Censor would have a field day writing a report on the situation. But, if he were to seize Xuan You . . . He had been acting upon Imperial Consort Chen’s command, so how could he deal with Xuan You now? Now that things had reached this point, Zuo Jiang was deeply regretful; why had he promised Imperial Consort Chen that he would help Xuan You get Jiang Ruan? And, even if he had promised, why had he chosen to act on his wedding day? Although he had no affection for Jiang Li, she had already become the furen of the Langzhong fu. In order to safeguard his own good reputation, he could not reject her now. However, this meant that their meticulously constructed image of being in love and interested in one another was now irreversibly ruined!
Zuo Jiang gritted his teeth as he watched Xuan You put on his clothes and sashay his way out of the room. Xuan You had never been afraid of what outsiders said, and so was totally at ease. It was Zuo Jiang who was left behind to face the music, on different fronts, alone. In his anger and anxiety, as he looked at Jiang Li’s flustered and panicked appearance, he could not stop himself from kicking her and yelling, “Slut!”
Jiang Li shrank back in alarm. Even though she was slow-witted, she understood at this moment that since she had lost her virginity in front of Zuo Jiang and was now considered to be the furen of Langzhong fu, she had no longer had any hope of ever gaining her husband’s respect and favour in this lifetime.
The crowd gathered outside the bridal room in the Langzhong fu to watch what was going on was swelling. Two people squeezed their way out of the crowd; one was dressed as a xipo, the other was in the garb of a maidservant. It was Jin San and Jin Si.
Jin San glanced at Jin Si and asked, “Did I screech loud enough just now?”
Jin Si nodded and said, “Not bad.”
The two of them looked at each other and smiled, but this was just the start. Their Master was enraged, and there was bound to be carnage in the capital as a result. At present, Langzhong fu had merely suffered embarrassment. Thereafter, anyone who was involved in this matter would find themselves in their sights and unable to extricate themselves. Those who would have to die, would die, and as for that person in the palace, there would be no escape for them.
When Xiao Shao smiled, even the King of Hell took a detour around him. The nobles in the capital of the Great Jin had lived a life of too much ease for the past few years and had pushed this saying to the back of their minds. Why not seize this opportunity to make it crystal clear to them whether or not this saying was actually true?
* * *
Xuan You sang loudly all the way back to the fu. Last night, he had exerted himself so much, and had left without taking his leave. Once home, he felt somewhat thirsty, and casually picked up a cup of tea from a table and drained it.
Chunfengdu indeed deserved to be called the best aphrodisiac. Even though he had engaged in wild activity the previous night, he still felt a certain restlessness within him at present. Thus Xuan You got up, intending to grab a concubine in order to douse the fire. He was about to exit the room when he paused. From the time he had entered the fu, not a single person had come forward to receive him. His manservant, his maidservants, his concubines – not one. The entire fu was sunk in a deathly silence, without any sign of vitality.
Fear gripped Xuan You’s heart, and he stopped moving forward. The fire within him was quenched in a flash and he felt a vague premonition. He called out several times, “Xiao Li, Xiao Li!”
His manservant did not respond. There was no response throughout the entire fu; it was as if no one was there. Xuan You did not dare to leave the room rashly, so he walked towards the window to peer out. And once he did so, he was met by a ghastly sight – a large swathe of red spreading below the window.
Xuan You took two steps backwards in fright and inadvertently bumped into the screen behind him. The screen fell over, as did a man who had been behind it. Xuan You cried out in alarm. The man fell onto the ground, his body stiff and covered in blood – it was his personal manservant, Xiao Li.
Xuan You’s scalp was numb. He immediately turned and bolted out of the door, intending to flee the fu, but it was already too late. The main door was kicked in from the outside, and two black-clad men stood in the doorway, eyeing him expressionlessly.
“Who are you? Where are my people? I am a prince, what are you doing?” Xuan You was filled with fear. The two men advanced on him and then, a blood-curdling scream was heard.
* * *
In the capital, on the second day of the wedding celebration of the Langzhong, Zuo Jiang, the entire city was buzzing with rumours. On the one hand, some were saying that Zuo Langzhong appeared to be a good man who placed great importance on human relationships and righteousness, but one should really never judge a book by its cover, as he secretly possessed some disgusting obsessions, such as being fond of enjoying his wife together with outsiders. In this world, there was nothing really wrong with men having secret obsessions, but this wife was his di wife, and to toy with her this way was immoral. On the other hand, it was also rumoured that Zuo Langzhong was willing to be cuckolded by his own wife, since he neither divorced his wife, nor made trouble for that lecherous prince.
Because of this situation, Jiang Li was unable to lift her head in the capital. Like a bird startled by the twang of the bow, she stayed in her room the whole day, not daring to go out. The Langzhong fu’s servants all looked at her with peculiar expressions, and there was no need to mention Zuo Jiang, who beat and scolded her at the slightest pretext. Her daily life was extremely difficult. Moreover, Jiang Quan had flown into a terrible rage due to this situation concerning Jiang Li. The imperial ministers all glared at him with contempt, and the Imperial Censors had even presented a petition to the Emperor accusing Langzhong fu of being a debauched place, while also conveniently accusing Jiang Quan of not having properly educated his children.
If it could be said that all of this was already shocking enough, then what came next caused an even larger uproar within the capital. This was due to Xuan You’s death.
Xuan You had died in his own fu, and in the entire place there was not one person left alive; all of them had died a violent death by a single stroke of a sword. Furthermore, Xuan You had suffered a more wretched death because his body had been chopped into pieces and his severed head had vanished without trace. If it had not been for the clothes and official seal on the body, no one would have guessed that it was Xuan You. Such a ruthless and brutal means of killing caused people to conjecture that it must have been Xuan You’s enemy coming to enact vengeance. The patrol station had already appointed people to investigate, but unfortunately, they had made no headway in the case.
Third Prince, Xuan You, had been a tyrant. He had used his status as a prince to oppress the citizens of the capital, and had ruined a considerable number of daughters and daughters-in-law. He had long since been the target of scorn, a passing rat who was yelled at by everyone. When the news of his demise reached the ears of the common people, everyone was full of praise and celebration, for it felt as if an evil aura had been expunged. However, because Xuan You had collected so many enemies, no one knew who had perpetrated this crime. Thus, in this way, Zuo Jiang, as the person whom Xuan You had greatly embarrassed just a few days before, became the biggest suspect.
Zuo Jiang was in a bind. With Xuan You dead, Imperial Consort Chen already suspected him of being behind it. Since she was a vicious person, when she publicly expressed her dissatisfaction, it was difficult not to become anxious about some unexpected retribution from her. Because he was the biggest suspect, his every movement was being monitored, and several pairs of eyes were always staring at him in secret. How could he dare to act rashly? Aggrieved, and without recourse, life was suffocating.
When Jiang Ruan finally heard about these matters in the capital, she was somewhat startled. She had stayed at the Jinying Wangfu overnight and so Xiao Shao sent a letter to the General fu to explain that Jiang Ruan had been tricked by someone and was now resting in his fu. To outsiders, he let it be known that Jiang Ruan had returned to the General fu to visit Zhao Guang and his wife. The Jinying Wangfu did exceptionally well at keeping secrets, and thus, no one discovered the truth.
Listening to Tian Zhu’s report, Jiang Ruan thought to herself that, in the capital, apart from the Jinyi Guard, no one else could have pulled off, or would have dared to pull off, such a grandly overt killing of a prince of the realm. This kind of violent method which made a clean sweep of everything was very much in keeping with Xiao Shao’s disposition. Naturally she had not intended to let off Langzhong fu or Xuan You, but Xiao Shao acted first, and it had to be said that his quickness of action saved her much inconvenience, and also enabled her to release her anger and frustration. But, would it bring him trouble?
Jin Yi and Jin Er, and Jin San and Jin Si, sat in a tree not far away observing Jiang Ruan. The situation at Langzhong fu had put Xiao Shao on high alert, and it was clear that Tian Zhu alone was not sufficient. Xiao Shao had given orders that Jiang Ruan was to be tightly protected for the next few days.
Jin Yi and Jin Er had been the ones to carry out the complete massacre[2] at Third Prince fu the day before. They were killers, and bloodlust ran deep in their bones. However, Xiao Shao had personally settled Xuan You. A hundred and eight sword cuts, each cut as deep as bone, and Xuan You was only allowed to die after the final cut. The Jinyi Guard had no lack of torture methods, but the coldness in Xiao Shao’s eyes the previous night had caused even his most hardened personal guards to shudder.
[2] 片甲不留 (pian jia bu liu) – lit. not even a single piece of armour remaining.
In recent years, Xiao Shao had mellowed considerably, and to see him display such a murderous intent was very rare. Before Xuan You had finally died, he had experienced the world’s most painful torture; it could be said that it was his honor to die by Xiao Shao’s hands.
Jin San fiddled with her hair as she said, “Master has recalled Ye Feng; does he want to use him again?”
Since that time three years ago when Ye Feng had been sent to Yi Bao Pavilion, Xiao Shao had ceased to use him, and everyone knew that it was because Ye Feng had committed a big blunder. He had almost caused the future Young Furen and Young Master to become estranged- as distant as fire and water- so for Young Master not to have cut him off completely in anger was already considered highly benevolent. In that case, for him to start using Ye Feng again was truly very baffling.
Jin Si frowned and said, “I think it’s better not to use him, Ye Feng is too stupid.” Although Jin San and Jin Si looked alike, their personalities were vastly different, so it was easy to tell them apart even when they wore the same clothes. Jin San was full of grace, while Jin Si abounded in heroic spirit. Jin Si and Ye Feng had never gotten along, and Jin Si did not want Ye Feng to carry out tasks for Xiao Shao again.
Propping up his head in his hands, Jin Er said, lazily, “This time, Ye Feng has been given a great assignment.”
“What assignment?”
Jin Er smiled and said, “To deliver a big gift to Imperial Consort Chen.”
* * *
Today the atmosphere in Si Meng Palace was very strange. It was not at all like it was in former days, where whispers of love and ecstasy intertwined like smoke tendrils of frivolity and watoness; now a sense of fretfulness seemed to hover in the air. This was because the usually dainty and sweet-tempered lady who occupied the main seat was currently impatiently tossing to one side the scroll which she held in her hand.
“Imperial Consort, the clothes made yesterday have arrived,” said a palace maid as she offered up a small box with both hands.
The Imperial Household Department was most diligent in sending clothes to the Si Meng Palace. Everyone knew that, within the palace, Imperial Consort Chen was practically sacred, the most favoured, and thus everyone was exceedingly attentive to her. Today was no different. The palace maid had spotted the box when returning to the main hall, and had assumed a subordinate had sent it over.
On seeing the box, Imperial Consort Chen’s expression took a turn for the better. She commanded the palace maid to bring it forward, then gently opened it. It was an ordinary action, but she abruptly exclaimed, “Ah!” The box in her hand fell to the ground with a clear sound. A round object rolled out, leaving a trail of glistening red behind.
Not understanding what was going on, the palace maids and eunuchs looked down and almost screamed when they caught sight of the object. The object in the box was nothing else but the severed head of the recently killed Xuan You!
Xuan You’s face was fixed in an expression of fear and fury; the mouth was open wide, as if he had suffered terribly before dying. The head had been severed neatly at the neck, which was all bloody, but the face was very clean – it seemed someone had painstakingly washed it. Xuan You’s eyes were glaringly large, gazing intently at Imperial Consort Chen. Imperial Consort Chen turned as white as a sheet and almost fainted.
“Imperial Consort, please spare my life!” The palace maid knew that she had committed a great crime and hastened to kneel down and kowtow. All the palace maids in the Si Meng Palace rushed to kneel down in a flurry of rustling skirts as Imperial Consort Chen called out sharply, “Lao[3] Chen, Lao Chen!”
[3] 老 (lǎo) – prefix used before the surname of a person to indicate affection or familiarity; lit. old (of people) / venerable (person).
Eunuch Chen hurried in and turned pale in fright when he saw the object on the ground. He quickly bent down to pick it up and put it back in the box, before glaring at the palace maids and barking, “Withdraw!”
The palace maids beat a hasty retreat. Imperial Consort Chen took a gasping breath, looked at Eunuch Chen and said, “Lao Chen, it’s him, it is definitely him.” There was a rare anxiety in her voice.
Eunuch Chen had been her maternal family’s servant whom she had brought to the palace. From the time she had entered the palace, he had risen in the ranks from a low level palace eunuch to his current status. He was Imperial Consort Chen’s most trusted aide and confidant. Eunuch Chen knew all about the situation with Jiang Ruan, and although he did not approve of his young lady’s thoughts about Xiao Shao, Eunuch Chen would leave no margin for error in helping Imperial Consort Chen make a clean sweep of the obstacles in her path.
That Jiang Ruan had escaped was a disaster, but Xiao Shao was no pushover, as was clearly seen from today’s incident. She had known for some time that Xuan You’s death was his doing, but she had not realised until now that Xiao Shao had reached this point of being without any scruples, that he dared to openly send the severed head of a prince of the realm to her. Was this a warning, or a sign?
Imperial Consort Chen stared fixedly at the box in Eunuch Chen’s hand. Out of the blue, she laughed heartily and said, “He actually wants to oppose me! He actually dares to risk the world’s condemnation to set himself up against me!” She ground her teeth, and the madness in her eyes gradually faded, until she was once again her ice-cold and beautiful self. However, if one looked closely, one could see the jealousy and scorching heat within. She whispered, “All right, since he wants to do things this way, don’t blame bengong for being merciless. Bengong wants to see how far he is willing to go for that woman!”
Eunuch Chen’s lips moved, but he did not say anything. Imperial Consort Chen glanced at him and said, coldly, “You know what to do with the palace maids who were present.”
Silence them before the news leaked out. Eunuch Chen bowed, and replied deferentially, “This servant will take care of it.”
