Chapter 514 – Post-Wedding Extra Chapter: A Dance That Captivated the City and Spread Across the World – The Story You’ve Made Up in Your Head Is Quite Something (06)
Inside the imperial palace, Consort Li learned that her maternal cousin had died. Although she was annoyed that he had been using her name to cause trouble outside, he was still family. Now that someone had killed him, with her aunt and uncle joining her mother in bringing a complaint before her, she could not simply refuse to get involved.
“All right, all right. Stop crying. Your wailing is giving me a headache.”
Consort Li waved her hand impatiently. Her aunt and uncle immediately fell silent, afraid that Consort Li might refuse to stand up for them.
Consort Li tapped her fingers against the table. “I’m deeply saddened by my cousin’s death as well. But the most important thing now is to capture the murderer and bring him to justice. If that murderer was capable of killing one person, he could kill a second or even a third. If we don’t apprehend him, wouldn’t that leave the common people living in danger as well?”
“Exactly, exactly! That is absolutely true. Your Highness, Consort Li, is truly wise and righteous. His Majesty is indeed fortunate to have you by his side.”
Her aunt hurriedly flattered Consort Li.
Everyone liked hearing nice things about themselves, and Consort Li was no exception.
The impatience on her face faded somewhat. After comforting them with a few words, she sent them away. Then she summoned her trusted maidservant and had her bring some exquisite pastries to the emperor.
That evening, the emperor came to Consort Li’s palace. Consort Li sat there with a sorrowful expression, so lost in thought that she did not even notice when the emperor entered.
“Ah, this concubine greets Your Majesty.”
“What troubles my beloved Consort? How could you not even notice that I had arrived?”
The emperor still doted on Consort Li quite a bit. He took her hand and led her into the inner chamber.
Consort Li put on an ashamed expression. “It’s because of that little matter concerning my maternal family. It’s truly nothing worth bringing up, but my uncle came to me this morning asking for help, and I really don’t know what to do…”
There was no way the emperor could be unaware that the family members of an imperial consort had entered the palace. Consort Li was deliberately taking a step back so that the emperor would be the one to offer to stand up for her family.
Sure enough, after pondering for a moment, the emperor said, “Are you referring to the incident involving the death of a man at the WanHua Pavilion in the common districts?”
Consort Li looked utterly ashamed, with a hint of sorrow added to her expression. Tears slowly welled up in her eyes under the dim candlelight. Any man would find it difficult not to feel some sympathy for her.
“Indeed. My cousin was truly not someone worthy of being mentioned in polite company. He went to a place like that and ultimately lost his life. Although my cousin was a rascal, he never did anything truly heinous. That pleasure house was merely open for business, and my cousin wasn’t some tyrant who went around bullying people. At most, he simply went there to indulge himself. How could he… how could he…”
She wiped away her tears.
“I remember that my cousin wasn’t like this when he was young. Before I entered the palace, he treated me very well. Sigh… Yet now, his family has been left to suffer the pain of watching an elder mourn a younger generation.”
“I’m not trying to plead on my cousin’s behalf. I’m simply worried about something else. The murderer still hasn’t been caught. He could be hiding among the common people, while they have no idea that the person walking past them could be a murderer. Wouldn’t that put the people of our realm in danger…?”
Consort Li mixed truth with falsehood as she spoke, and she made it sound remarkably convincing.
Consort Li’s maternal family was not particularly distinguished, and no one in her family held an important position at court. That was precisely why the emperor felt comfortable favoring her to some extent. Now that she had finally come to him with a request—and one that would have no impact on the affairs of the state—the emperor did not mind granting Consort Li a favor.
He summoned the chief eunuch and ordered the guards to investigate. Consort Li did not even have time to wipe away her tears before she knelt down to thank him for his grace.
“A beautiful woman may look lovely when she cries, but I cannot bear to see my beauty saddened. Don’t cry, my beloved Consort. I will certainly see that justice is done for your maternal cousin.”
…
Outside the palace.
With the identity of the Third Prince behind him, changing the household registration was completed very quickly.
It seemed that someone was manipulating the Wanhua Pavilion incident from behind the scenes. Rumors were spreading everywhere among the common people—some said the Wanhua Pavilion was haunted, others said vengeful spirits were seeking repayment for their deaths, while still others claimed that the man had committed all sorts of evil deeds and that someone had come seeking revenge. There were all kinds of stories, mixed with truth and falsehood, making it impossible to tell what the real truth was.
When the Empress heard those rumors, she became worried that Jiang Liangwu might be harmed by some villain while he was outside the palace, so she sent someone to summon him back to the palace.
Bai Tang had enjoyed several blissful days and had gradually forgotten that Jiang Liangwu was the Third Prince. The two had been spending their days at the private residence whispering sweet nothings to each other and enjoying their intimacy. But when an oral order from the Empress arrived, he once again felt the difference that Jiang Liangwu’s identity brought with it.
“A Wu, you should go. I’ll wait for you here at the residence. You belong to the imperial palace, after all. These happy days we’ve had were something I stole from fate.”
The young man was dejected, but he forced himself to keep smiling so that Jiang Liangwu would not worry.
“Tang Tang.” The man let out a quiet sigh. The pleasant scent of dragon’s-blood incense filled the air, and in the blink of an eye, Bai Tang found himself wrapped in warm arms that made him feel completely safe.
“How could I bear to leave you behind?” Jiang Liangwu gently pinched Bai Tang’s little nose. “Come into the palace with me. Even an ugly bride has to meet her parents-in-law eventually. It’s time to let Mother see her daughter-in-law.”
Bai Tang was still unable to process what he had just heard, his mind seemingly turned to mush.
The more he listened, the less he understood. What did he mean by an ugly bride meeting her parents-in-law? And what daughter-in-law? After a long moment, Bai Tang looked up and saw the teasing amusement on Jiang Liangwu’s face. Only then did he finally realize that the “ugly bride” Jiang Liangwu was talking about was him.
He pounded his fists against the man’s chest and said in a soft, childish voice, “Am I ugly? Am I embarrassing you?”
Although Bai Tang was influenced by the original host after arriving in this world, Tang Tang was still Tang Tang. As time passed, his true personality gradually began to show. And now, the little squirrel had finally bared his claws—the kind that really hurt when they scratched someone.
“Not ugly, not ugly at all. Tang Tang is the most beautiful. I have to hurry and get Mother to agree to our relationship before someone else snatches you away.”
The two of them playfully tussled until Bai Tang was finally coaxed into a good mood. They sat on the swing in the courtyard, catching their breath as they rested. Then a new worry surfaced in Bai Tang’s heart.
“But what about my background? Her Majesty the Empress won’t agree to this, will she?”
A member of the imperial nobility should marry the daughter of a prominent family. Even if one preferred men over women, one should at least marry the son of an established clan. How could someone like him, who had come from the Wanhua Pavilion, possibly be a match for the Third Prince?
Jiang Liangwu had already taken care of this matter long ago. When he changed Bai Tang’s household registration, he registered Bai Tang under the name of a declining aristocratic family. The family held no official positions and possessed nothing more than a noble title, but Jiang Liangwu had already arranged for the relevant people to play their parts. Bai Tang was supposedly in poor health and had been sent to Yangzhou to recuperate. He had only recently been brought back.
As for how Jiang Liangwu had persuaded that family to agree to the arrangement, he did not tell Bai Tang, lest it give him unnecessary worries.
“I told you before. In this life, there will only ever be Bai Tang.”
Jiang Liangwu gazed at Bai Tang with deep affection. Bai Tang’s eyelashes trembled, fluttering softly as he blinked. Then, before the tears could spill from his eyes, he gently nodded.
“A Wu, you’re so good to me~”
The young man buried himself in Jiang Liangwu’s arms. No one would ever treat him as well as Awú did—always so considerate, always worrying that he might feel wronged or unhappy.
“Because you are my Imperial Consort, after all~”
The gentle voice seemed to come from somewhere in the heavens. Bai Tang’s soul trembled. It felt as though something had flashed through his mind, but he could not grasp it. When he looked up again, that drifting voice had already disappeared, as though it had merely been an illusion.
Jiang Liangwu did not immediately take Bai Tang into the palace. Instead, he first sent someone to inform the Empress that he would bring her daughter-in-law to meet her in a few days.
The Empress was absolutely delighted.
“I knew there had to be a reason the child left the palace as soon as he recovered and refused to come back. So it turns out he found someone outside!”
Her trusted mama silently grumbled to herself: Your Majesty, don’t you think this ‘found someone outside’ phrasing sounds a little strange?!
Regardless, the Empress was still extremely happy. Several years ago, she had tried to arrange a marriage for the Third Prince, but he had fallen seriously ill soon afterward and never recovered. As time passed, the ministers became afraid that marrying their daughters to him would leave them widows, so they all came up with excuses to refuse.
The Empress was no fool. Although she was furious that those people were cursing and looking down on her child, she also understood that if Jiang Liangwu truly could not recover, she would be ruining a young woman’s entire life. Thus, the Third Prince’s marriage had been put on hold for the time being.
Now that he had found someone he genuinely liked himself, that person had to be better than all those ministers’ daughters.
The Empress had already formed an impression before she had even met Bai Tang. She examined his family background through rose-colored glasses.
A declining aristocratic family—at least it was still an aristocratic family, so his status was acceptable.
No one in the family held an official position, which meant there was at least no need to worry about the emperor becoming wary of the Third Prince forming a faction and pursuing personal interests.
And he was a man. It was not unheard of in this dynasty for a man to become the principal spouse.
The Third Prince had just recovered from a serious illness and was also the legitimate son of the Empress. There were countless people keeping an eye on him. If the Third Prince’s consort were a man, it would conveniently lull the other princes into a false sense of security, making them believe that after his serious illness, the Third Prince had no interest in the throne.
The emperor was still in his prime. After years of showing little concern for her child, this could also conveniently stir up his guilt toward his son.
Well, as expected of her son. He lacked neither schemes nor cunning. Although her son had claimed that he liked the young master of the Bai family, she did not know whether he genuinely liked Bai Tang or was merely putting on an act with someone he had chosen for the purpose. Regardless, Bai Tang was now firmly tied to her son’s ship.
Once Bai Tang entered the palace, she would treat him a little better. Even if her son eventually ascended the throne, and Bai Tang grew old, remained childless, and lost his favor, with her backing him, no one else would dare look down on him.
After spending so many years in the imperial harem, the Empress understood better than anyone that a ruler’s love was the one thing a person could never safely depend on. Only status, power, and children could provide security.
As a man, Bai Tang was destined never to have biological children of his own. His family background was unimpressive, and he had suffered a serious illness as a child. He truly was a pitiful young man.
After several days of intensive training in court etiquette, combined with the etiquette deeply engraved in Bai Tang’s soul from his previous lives as a Junhou, he quickly regained his familiarity with palace rules. His progress was astonishingly fast, advancing by leaps and bounds. Even the mama who taught him was amazed and repeatedly praised him.
“Young Master Bai is exceptionally intelligent. He will surely make a virtuous and capable spouse for the Third Prince.”
The mama returned to the palace and reported everything to the Empress. After hearing this, the Empress’s impression of Bai Tang improved even further.
Who wouldn’t like a child who was humble, eager to learn, and intelligent?
“Reward him!”
Generous gifts soon flowed into the Bai residence. The Bai family was overjoyed. They had originally thought that their deal with the Third Prince would only earn them an official position, but they had never expected Bai Tang to catch the Empress’s attention as well.
The Empress had personally sent them gifts, accompanied by an oral decree praising the Bai family for their wholesome family values and upright, simple character. This not only brought honor to the family but also increased the value of the unmarried girls in the family.
After all, these were praises personally bestowed by the Empress. Once the girls married, their husbands’ families would certainly think more highly of them.
The Bai family’s impression of the Bai Tang they had never even met was exceptionally favorable.
He must be a good child. Otherwise, why would the Empress praise him?
His status might have been somewhat low before, but that was different now. This good child was about to marry the Third Prince, and he was going to become one of their own—the Bai family’s son-in-law. He would be leaving the Bai residence as one of the Bai family.
Excellent! Absolutely excellent!
As for Bai Tang’s origins in the Wanhua Pavilion and his previous identity, Jiang Liangwu had quietly erased all traces of them. No one could stop him from marrying his Tang Tang—not even the Empress knew the truth.
The Bai family had no idea where Bai Tang had actually come from. They simply assumed that he was someone the Third Prince had taken a liking to, but because his humble status made him an unsuitable match, the Third Prince had chosen their family as a stepping stone to give him a respectable identity.
The Bai family itself had fallen into decline and had long since had no one serving in the imperial court. Whether they gained or lost one more family member, no one would bother investigating too closely.
And so, Bai Tang suddenly became the youngest son of the Bai family, and before he had even made his appearance, he had already won the affection of both his natal and future families.