Indulging in Carnal Desire
chapter-286-2

Marquis Weiyuan’s entire manor was completely surrounded by the officers and men of the Five Cities Military Corp¹A military force set up in the capital by the government during the Ming Dynasty.. The family members who were inside the manor were absolutely confused, their hearts full of panic.

“What’s going on? My father is the ever-victorious general, Marquis Weiyuan, appointed by the Emperor himself! My aunt is the Grand Consort Hui! On what grounds are you surrounding the Marquis’s Mansion!?” Yun Wan had seen plenty of interesting commotions happening in the palace, unlike the ignorant daughters of the rear court who didn’t know a single thing. As such, she firmly yelled at the barred doors, “Bring your master over! This lady is going to enter the palace to have an audience with the Emperor!”

After a long while, the doors finally opened with a loud creak. And, a handsome man with a jade-like face, wearing a brocade robe walked through the doors, followed by two eunuchs, one holding a wooden tray in his hand while the other holding a whisk, their expressions both arrogant.

“Sixth Prince!?” Yun Wan was a little surprised at the sudden appearance of her fiancé, who was supposed to be at the border. But, she felt even happier on the inside, thinking that he was here to save her, like a damsel in distress. She hurriedly ran forward and tried grabbing onto his sleeve, saying, “Sixth Prince, hurry up and take me to the Emperor. My father is still bravely fighting at the frontier, soaked in blood. What do these people think they’re doing, surrounding the Marquis’s Mansion?!”

“Fighting bravely and soaked in blood?” Jing Chen indifferently shook off the hands that were about to cling onto him and guiltily glanced at the side before continuing, “Your father was scheming to collude with the enemy and betray this country. We have attained concrete evidence. Now, he is being escorted back to the capital. If you have any grievances, wait for him to come back, and you can both complain in prison!”

“Th-That’s impossible!” Yun Wan shook her head in dismay, “You’re lying!”

Yun Wan was unwilling to believe this, nor did she want to believe this. She looked up at Jing Chen, “Sixth Prince, save my father. He wouldn’t do such a treacherous thing! He is your future father-in-law! Save him, and Ah Wan will properly attend to you in the future!”

Jing Chen looked at her with disdain as if he was gazing at an extremely disgusting bug.

“Father-in-law? Heh, on what grounds do you think you’re fit to be my wife?”

The young man slowly bent down, his eyes filled with resentment and loathing that he was too lazy to conceal, “If it weren’t for you, how could I have been separated from my beloved for so long?”

“I will only ever have one wife…” He lifted his body, turning his head back and casting a soft look, before shortly telling Yun Wan in a harsh voice, “And, that will never be you.”

Yun Wan could only blankly stare at the direction Jing Chen had cast his gaze at just now, and it was a little eunuch, who had been holding the tray and silently standing at the side with his face lowered.

All of a sudden, the eunuch raised his head slightly, giving her a smile.

That was clearly the eunuch who had stayed at the Sixth Prince’s side back then, Little Dumpling!

“Th- This is impossible! You- You’re already dead!” Yun Wan fearfully took a step back as if she had seen a ghost, shaking her head in disbelief.

“That’s enough. This woman has already gone mad, restrain her.”

Jing Chen quickly waved his hand to block Yun Wan’s sight, “Eunuch Zhang, I’ll be troubling you to announce the decree.”

The round-faced middle-aged eunuch, who was standing on the other side behind him, opened the bright yellow imperial edict sitting on top of the tray. He looked around at the people inside Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion, who appeared like bereaved concubines, in satisfaction, particularly staring long and hard at Marquis Weiyuan’s heir Yuncong, who didn’t even dare let out a fart, quivering in fear and standing behind Yun Wan, before speaking slowly.

“Receive this edict! The Emperor has made an imperial decree, the ever victorious general Marquis Weiyuan Yun Fei, for colluding with the enemy, has betrayed his country in order to seek glory. Today, he will be interrogated for the truth. The Emperor’s pain reaches deep into his bones, and his fury cannot be calmed…”

Because of the conclusive evidence provided by Jing Chen, as well as the correspondence letter provided by Chu Jiao, the Emperor was unable to restrain his anger and immediately issued a decree, imprisoning all the men of the Marquis Mansion, while the females were to serve as lowly prostitutes to be bestowed to court officials. Naturally, the engagement between Jing Chen and Yun Wan was also annulled due to this matter.

The little eunuch, who followed Jing Chen for the decree’s declaration, was none other than Chu Jiao. She acted as a eunuch again just to see her godfather Zhang Shun but had ended up giving Yun Wan a big fright instead.

Zhang Shun had now become the Palace Head Supervisor, a eunuch extremely favored by the Emperor. He had already long cleaned up the traces that Chu Jiao had left behind in the palace, and this time, he had specially taken up the task of declaring the decree, regarding it as avenging Chu Jiao’s parents.

Jing Chen, who had finally recovered his handsome appearance and had gained military merits on the battlefield, became a prince who received much attention from the court. His abilities were gradually recognized by courtiers and the common folk, quickly being able to stand on par with the Third and Fourth Prince, gradually moving the aging Emperor as well.

However, since ancient times, emperors had always harbored many unshared thoughts for the public to ponder on. Even though the old Emperor had set his sights on Jing Chen, he did not make him crown prince. Instead, he dragged the decision along and promoted the Third and Fourth princes to pit them against Jing Chen from time to time.

Jing Chen was not in a hurry at all. Now that he had gotten Chu Jiao back, he couldn’t careless about anything else. The only thing he asked the Emperor to grant him was to bestow a marriage between him and Chu Jiao.

Chu Jiao’s identity was a conferred title of princess and granddaughter of Imperial Tutor Jiang, but there was no one in her family who could give Jing Chen any political leverage. Everyone felt that Jing Chen must’ve been stimulated by the affairs of Marquis Mansion and believed that he had to prove his innocence to the Emperor by choosing such a worthless woman to be his partner.

However, only Jing Chen himself knew that this was the only person he had ever wanted.

The old Emperor was glad to see such a thing, and readily assented. Just like this, with the title of princess, Chu Jiao married the capital’s mighty Sixth Prince. Countless ladies ripped their handkerchiefs apart and lamented her good fortune, but no one ever thought that when the Sixth Prince was reviled by everyone back in the past, she was the only one who ever stood unwaveringly by his side.

After the Sixth Prince ascended the throne as emperor, he stood his ground and abolished the harem.

Throughout his life, he only ever held hands with the Empress Chu Jiao, and there was never any other concubine by his side.

When the two people stood, hand-in-hand, in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, about to take control over the world, Emperor Jing, who was hailed as ‘Wise Monarch Jing Ye’ by later generations, turned his head and asked the woman standing beside him.

“Ah Jiao, do you love me?”

The empress dressed in magnificent phoenix robes held his hand back, her eyes brimming with warmth and love.

“Yes, your Majesty. I love you.”

According to later historical records, after their reign, the two people loved each other for the remainder of their lives.

The Empress was delicate by nature, while the Emperor doted on her very much. She took delight in pretending to be an imperial censor later on, accompanying Emperor Jing everywhere, left and right, even attending court sessions while unrecognized. The Emperor would often ask her thoughts and observe her words, even going so far as to ‘start some things with her.’ It was only when he was repeatedly admonished by the imperial censor that he would finally stop.

[Completed]