Chapter 237 – The Foolish Prince Consort’s Farming Struggles – Loving Only One Person (20)
Prime Minister Li’s downfall implicated many others. Numerous officials who had risen through his influence were also dragged down. Those prefects and county magistrates who lacked real talent and learning and only knew how to exploit the common people were dismissed from their posts, much to the cheering of the people.
It was said that all of this was thanks to the efforts of the Seventh and Ninth Princes. Three years ago, the Seventh Prince had secretly gone to Jiangnan to investigate corruption and bribery. He was later persecuted for his efforts, while the Ninth Prince undertook a thousand-mile journey to find his brother. Heaven favored the determined, and in the end, he succeeded in locating the Seventh Prince.
Among the common folk, various versions of the love story between Bai Tang and Baili Luo circulated widely.
Version one said that when the Ninth Prince found the Seventh Prince, the latter had already been harmed to the point of mental impairment. At his side were only a guard and a young man caring for him. After the Seventh Prince recovered his sanity, he was so grateful to the young man’s care that he now intends to marry him as his official consort.
Version two claimed that Bai Tang had met the mentally impaired Seventh Prince by chance. Seeing the prince’s fine clothing, he took him in. When the Seventh Prince regained his senses, Bai Tang leveraged his kindness to demand marriage in return.
…
The royal family’s affairs weren’t something commoners could normally witness. But now that they had a juicy topic to talk about, rumors spread like wildfire. No one could tell what was true and what wasn’t, but the one consistent detail was the deeply romantic notion that Baili Luo and Bai Tang were devoted to each other with the vow: “In this life, only you.” This vow earned the admiration of countless young women in their boudoirs.
In this era of polygamy, most people—even those struggling to make ends meet—would still try their hardest to marry at least one wife. As for those with some means, just look at the wealthy households—was there a single one without concubines?
Of course, not all men could be painted with the same brush. Some truly loved only one person, committing to a lifetime of devotion to one partner, but such men were exceedingly rare. Even more so within the royal family.
Thus, Baili Luo’s actions—whether sincere or not—became a beautiful tale among the common people. Even more remarkably, he declared that he would never take a concubine or secondary consort, effectively giving up his right to inherit the throne for Bai Tang.
Faced with the choice between love and power, most would choose the latter—for once you have power, what beauties can’t you have?
Baili Luo was granted the title Prince Yu by the Emperor. He now had a mansion outside the palace, which was undergoing large-scale renovations.
The carpenters were thrilled. The Seventh Prince was generous—each day’s wages were three times what they usually earned. The same applied to all the other workers. His only two requirements were: fast and high quality.
Naturally, with such generous pay, the workers were eager and enthusiastic in their labor for Baili Luo.
To them, the Seventh Prince’s marriage to his royal consort was a joyous event. The construction would last at least a month, and upon completion, there would be generous rewards. In just one month, they could earn the equivalent of three months’ wages—and with the bonuses, who knew how much they might be able to save?
Time flew by, and three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Bai Tang had no family, but the Empress and Bai Tang’s mother had once been close friends—bosom companions. They had even promised to become each other’s child’s godmother. Who would’ve thought that both women would end up catching the Emperor’s eye? However, since Ziyin (the Empress) was already betrothed, the Emperor couldn’t just take another man’s wife by force, so she was married into the Bai family instead.
A prince’s godmother wasn’t a title to be granted casually, so that old promise was effectively nullified.
Now, the Empress wished for Bai Tang to marry from her maiden family’s household, as a way to make up for the regret of the past.
Inside the bridal sedan, Bai Tang sat quietly, holding a bright red apple in both hands.
Outside, the wedding procession was in full swing—lively music, drums, and gongs filled the air. Even through the silk curtains of the sedan and the joyful noise, Bai Tang could still hear the cheers of the crowd.
The Emperor had returned all the confiscated property of the Bai family, and the Empress had personally added several large chests of items to Bai Tang’s dowry. It was a dowry worthy of a princess of the realm.
Yet Baili Luo felt it still wasn’t enough. Every time he came across a rare treasure, he would immediately add it to Bai Tang’s dowry chests, as if he were determined to gather every rare and precious object in the world just to lay them at Bai Tang’s feet.
This absolutely delighted Qiu’er, who counted the contents of the chests every day, already planning to take it all with him when they eventually left this world. The little orb had turned into a full-blown money-grubber.
“Stop! We’ve arrived at the Prince’s Residence—” the wedding matron’s voice interrupted Bai Tang’s thoughts.
The curtain of the sedan was lifted, and under the red bridal veil, Bai Tang could see only a pair of large hands reaching out toward him.
“Ah, Your Highness, this isn’t proper,” the wedding matron quickly protested. According to custom, the bride was supposed to step over a brazier and be carried on the matron’s back into the residence. Why was Baili Luo acting on his own?
“My consort doesn’t need to follow the rules,” Baili Luo said firmly.
The Prince’s residence was massive, and the distance from the gate to the main hall was quite long. The matron was a woman, after all—what if she didn’t have the strength and accidentally dropped his Tang Tang? Wouldn’t that injure him?
“Tang Tang, I’ll carry you in myself.”
The matron prayed that the prince’s consort wouldn’t go along with this. Breaking custom on a wedding day was considered inauspicious!
Unfortunately, her prayers went unanswered. A soft “Okay” came from inside the sedan, and Bai Tang placed his hand in Baili Luo’s.
The matron nearly despaired. She had been a wedding matron for years, and never had she seen a couple so blatantly disregard tradition. What if something bad happened in the future? Pah! No, no, nothing would happen. The prince and his consort were as deeply bonded as gold—they wouldn’t tarnish her sterling reputation.
Bai Tang lay against Baili Luo’s broad back, smiling under his bridal veil.
To be with Ah Luo again… how wonderful.
Traditionally, the bridal veil was only worn by women. As a man, Bai Tang wasn’t expected to wear one. But after Bai Tang grew older, his looks became more and more striking. As more people started gazing at Bai Tang with infatuated eyes, Baili Luo became increasingly jealous. Even their nighttime intimacy grew more intense—often leaving Bai Tang too sore to get out of bed the next day, reduced to soft whimpers.
Whenever Bai Tang got upset, Baili Luo would immediately coax him. But once he had soothed Bai Tang’s anger, if anyone—especially a man—so much as exchanged a few extra words with Bai Tang, the young couple would end up tossing and turning all night again. Only when Bai Tang was safely tucked away in their room did outsiders have no chance to covet his Tang Tang.
Eventually, Bai Tang couldn’t stand it anymore. After some serious “interrogation,” Baili Luo finally admitted the reason—albeit very reluctantly.
Hugging Bai Tang tightly, he even started acting coy. “I was wrong… but I just don’t want them looking at you. You’re my wife~”
Bai Tang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. To appease this petty, jealous man, he had decided to wear a red bridal veil on their wedding day—just so he wouldn’t have to face that sulky face all day long.
It was a wedding, after all. It should feel festive.
Sure enough, Baili Luo was delighted. Bai Tang, rubbing his sore lower back, was finally able to get a few good nights of rest.
As Bai Tang lay on Baili Luo’s back, arms wrapped loosely around his neck, he whispered into his ear, “Are you hungry?”
The entire wedding had been arranged by Baili Luo himself. Bai Tang had the luxury of napping here and there, but Baili Luo had been up early and running around non-stop. By now, he must be starving.
Baili Luo gave a meaningful smile. “I am. I’ll start eating tonight.”
Bai Tang blushed and gave him a light punch. “I’m being serious~”
“I am being serious,” Baili Luo replied, playing dumb.
Soon, they arrived at the main hall.
The Emperor and Empress sat at the head of the room, smiling as they watched the newlyweds enter.
Baili Luo gently set Bai Tang down, and the wedding matron quickly handed them the red silk ribbon to hold.
“One bow to Heaven and Earth—”
“Second bow to the elders—”
“Third bow, to each other—”
“Ceremony complete!”
A breeze swept through the hall. Unlike a traditional bride, Bai Tang wasn’t wearing layers of elaborate headpieces, so the wind easily lifted his red bridal veil.
A stunning face was revealed to all.
The royal relatives and officials who had come to witness the ceremony were all momentarily dazed by Bai Tang’s beauty.
So this was why Baili Luo chose love over the throne—it all made sense now.
Bai Tang stood there at a loss, his eyes as clear as spring water.
His shoulders trembled slightly, and his beautiful eyes began to brim with tears.
Those gazes—they felt like he was being watched like some rare animal. He hated it.
Baili Luo’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the crowd.
Those caught staring felt a chill run down their spines and quickly looked away. Silence fell over the hall.
He pulled Bai Tang forcefully into his arms and pressed a gentle kiss to his eyes.
“The ceremony’s over. Let’s go home.”
“Mhm.”
Bai Tang was half-embraced as Baili Luo led him away. Only then did the hall start to stir with voices again.
Prince Qing broke the awkward silence with a smile on his face. He turned to the Emperor and Empress and said, “Congratulations, Royal Brother and Sister-in-law. Luo’er is now married—next, it should be Bin’er’s turn, right?”
“Fifth Royal Uncle…”
Baili Bin, still a bashful romantic at heart, smiled sheepishly.
“I leave everything to the will of Father and Mother.”
…
Inside the bridal chamber, Baili Luo held two cups of nuptial wine.
“Tang Tang, we’re finally married. From now on, I’ll be obedient.”
Bai Tang let out a soft laugh, the gloom from earlier in the wedding hall completely gone.
“You said it—you better remember that~”
The young man took the cup from Baili Luo’s hand.
The two gazed at each other with affection. With arms intertwined, they drank their nuptial wine in one graceful motion.
“Ugh, so spicy~”
Bai Tang stuck out his tongue. Why couldn’t the wine have been sweet instead?
Bai Tang was particularly sensitive to alcohol. Even though the nuptial wine was served in small cups, just a few sips brought a soft blush to his cheeks. Paired with his slightly misty eyes, he looked even more alluring and dazed.
“Really? Let me taste…”
The man leaned down and captured the boy’s lips, drinking in every trace of wine from his mouth.
“Not spicy at all—very sweet…”
He parted slightly from Bai Tang’s lips, giving the latter a chance to catch his breath.
Dizzy and dazed from the kiss, Bai Tang instinctively wrapped his arms around Baili Luo’s neck.
With his beauty offering himself so willingly, how could Baili Luo possibly hold back?
Behind the red wedding canopy, two figures slowly merged into one. Their soft, intimate breaths grew louder and more passionate, enough to make even the moon hide behind the clouds in embarrassment.
After the wedding, Baili Luo handed over most of his political power to Baili Bin. He then bid farewell to the Emperor and Empress, declaring his intent to travel the country—under the dignified pretense of a honeymoon.
As the predesignated future emperor, Baili Bin already had a mountain of things to learn. Now, with several new factions suddenly under his control, the weight of responsibility grew heavier. He looked to the sky and let out a long wail: “Royal Brother, you promised a gradual transition! This is not gradual!”
Meanwhile, Baili Luo and Bai Tang traveled leisurely, stopping now and then to enjoy the sights. When they returned to the small town where it all began, they happened to run into Lin Xiaoshuang—now a married woman.
Drunken Immortal Tower had become famous thanks to Baili Luo’s name, and the restaurant now bustled with customers.
Lin Xiaoshuang sat at the front counter, calculating earnings and taking payments. A long scar remained on her face, a mark from her time in captivity and abuse. She had matured a great deal—those foolish, delusional dreams from her past had gradually faded along with her ruined appearance.
Now she was married to the innkeeper’s son. During the restaurant’s busy hours, she helped out at the front. She never entered the kitchen again, but overall, her life was stable and fulfilling.
“Lin Xiaoshuang hasn’t turned as vicious as she did in the later part of the original plot. She’s learned her lesson—that’s a good thing,” Xiao A said with a sigh.
“You pity her, don’t you? Admit it—you like her,” Qiu’er said irritably. His impression of anything labeled “female lead” was getting worse by the day. And now Little A was even defending her—how could he not be angry?
Xiao A: “??? I was just stating a fact!”
Qiu’er: “I don’t care! You definitely like her…”
“I do not! Don’t talk nonsense.”
“You do, you do…”
Annoyed by their bickering, Bai Tang cut off contact with the two of them and went on to live a happy life with Baili Luo.
In this lifetime, the two of them closed their eyes for the last time almost simultaneously. Just before their final moments, they exchanged a smile.
“Tang Tang, in the next life, I’ll marry you again.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you.”
Author’s Note:
It’s Valentine’s Day today, and I originally planned to release an extra chapter. But then, ugh, Aunt Flo decided to visit out of nowhere—and the cramps are killing me. I could only lie in bed clutching my stomach. Still, I didn’t want to delay tonight’s update, so I crawled up and typed this out. That’s why there’s no bonus update today. Wuwuwu~
Tomorrow we’ll begin a brand new world! A surprise is just around the corner—hopefully it is a surprise (and not a shock)! 😅