Chapter 20.2

Just then, His Majesty finally seemed to have woken up, and he sat upright on the throne.

“I heard two days ago that Fifth Brother moved General Huo to your courtyard.” Seeing that no one was presenting memorials anymore, His Majesty slumped back into the throne and asked slowly.

…Here we go again.

Jiang Suizhou stepped out among the courtiers and took out his prepared statement.

“Truth is, that man is restless in my harem and has injured the rest of my concubines. After thinking it over, I decided to put him by my side and keep an eye on him,” he said.

His Majesty propped up himself the throne and leaned forward. “But I also heard that since General Huo entered your harem, he has never left your bedroom?”

Jiang Suizhou raised his eyes and saw that the emperor’s eyes were shining, seemingly filled with the words “forbidden-domain.”

Jiang Suizhou was a little speechless, but still obliged and lowered his head. He held a fist against the front of his mouth with some embarrassment and cleared his throat.

His Majesty took it as a tacit admission of his speculation.

For a time, His Majesty roared with delight.

“It seems that I’ve decreed the right match, didn’t I?” He said, “Fifth Brother is very satisfied with General Huo!”

Jiang Suizhou held back his nausea and hurriedly explained along with his words, “That’s not quite the case…his wild nature is difficult to tame, so I can only use some tactics. Brother Emperor, please don’t mention it again.”

His Majesty discerned the relish in his tone and laughed heartily.

“Good, good, I won’t mention anything in Fifth Brother’s room anymore,” he said.

“However, in another half month, it will be my birthday banquet. Fifth Brother, there is no royal consort in your house, so why not let Madam Huo accompany you to the banquet?”

Jiang Suizhou gritted his teeth.

Here we go again.

The last time he asked Huo Wujiu to enter the palace to “return to maternal home,” he rejected it for Huo Wujiu, but he didn’t expect that His Majesty would continue to persist on the matter. It seemed that he had to bring Huo Wujiu into the palace once before he would stop.

Jiang Suizhou was busy thinking of countermeasures, pondering for a moment, and did not reply for a while.

The look of distress on his face made His Majesty think that he was embarrassed again. In an instant, he became more spirited and smilingly said, “Fifth Brother, although I married him off to you, you shouldn’t keep your concubine in your love nest like this, you know? When everyone comes with their families by then, what will you look like alone?”

Before Jiang Suizhou could say anything, he saw His Majesty grin and ask, “Uncle, don’t you agree?”

Pang Shao echoed, “Your Majesty is right. I heard that His Highness’s two concubines, one from a brother and the other a commoner, are not worthy to grace your table, so how can they be brought before Your Majesty?”

The two echoed each other, making His Majesty all the more elated.

Jiang Suizhou pursed his lips. He knew that this time, he could not avoid it.

He paused and answered in a low voice, “This minister will comply with your decree.”

His Majesty beamed in response: “That’s more like it —— Alas, Fifth Brother, I don’t know what is so wonderful about men that makes you reluctant to part with them so much!”

He sighed with emotion and did not expect a reply from Jiang Suizhou.

But Jiang Suizhou felt suffocated this time. Upon hearing his sigh, he raised his eyes to him and breezily said, “As for the mystery, Brother Emperor will know once you try it.”

Hearing his words, the emperor subconsciously looked at him, and his gaze swept over the court of men.

They were all middle-aged and old men, with wrinkles all over their faces. Among them were a few particularly ugly, such as that big man, Ji Hongcheng. He was dark and tall, and was quite conspicuous in the crowd. From a distance, he was as ugly as a ghost.

His Majesty was rendered speechless for a moment and felt his stomach churn a bit.

——

Ever since His Majesty ascended to the throne, his annual birthday has become the most important banquet of the year for the Jing Dynasty. Not only should the banquet be held extravagantly, but the ceremonies before the banquet should also be held with the grandest pomp; so half a month in advance, the Ministry of Rites became busy.

After Jiang Suizhou left the court, he rushed to the Ministry of Rites and did not return until nightfall.

The lights flickered, and an invitation was placed on the table in front of Huo Wujiu.

It was sent by a court official named Chen Ti. Huo Wujiu had no impression of this person, but he was probably young and with a low official post.

Chen Ti invited Huo Wujiu to his residence in a month’s time for a flower appreciation banquet hosted by his wife.

The handwriting on the letter was pretty regular script in lower case  calligraphy. There was a layer of fragrance floating on it, which was undoubtedly used by the ladies for socializing.

Without having to think about it, Huo Wujiu knew that this person was trying to please others and had invited him there specifically to humiliate him.

These people, however, had always been proficient at packaging such ugly thoughts magnificently —— They pretended to be ignorant of Huo Wujiu’s original identity and who he was. Instead, they regarded him as the beloved lady in King Jing’s mansion and wrote a letter to him, as if they really wanted to invite him to enjoy the flowers together.

Huo Wujiu knew that as a prisoner, he should be able to endure any humiliation. But the incense on the letterhead drifted to his nose and still made him irritable.

Just then, Sun Yuan came in from outside. He saw that Meng Qianshan was not beside him, and hurriedly stuffed a thin object into Huo Wujiu’s hand.

It was another letter.

The envelope was not signed and was discreetly folded tightly, resembling the letter sent by Ji Hongcheng a few days ago.

It had only been a few days. What kind of secret news was there to send him?

Huo Wujiu withdrew his gaze and opened the letter.

Then a line of extremely scrawled, angry words jumped to his eyes.

[King Jing is shameless and really inhumane!]

Huo Wujiu gave a start, and the irritation that was suppressed in his heart dissipated somehow. Even an untraceable arc rose in the corners of his lips.

He moved his hand and turned the letter to the next page.

He was a little expectant. He wanted to see what inhumane words His Highness Jing had said during the court today.

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