Chapter 55 - Jealousy Rears (1)
Chapter 55 – Jealousy Rears (1)
Jealousy Rears (1)
Cui Wang lifted his sleeve and flicked; rays of brilliant light appeared in the centre of the crowd. A moment later, a turquoise green tree actually broke through the bluestone floor; as tall as a person, its stem was perfectly straight, as if carved from jade. There were no leaves or flowers; only a lone teardrop-shaped vermilion fruit hung at the top.
“If one’s actions and words are false, ink will drip from the vermilion fruit. If you ingest this ink, you will naturally obey your heart.”
Zheng Wan’s heart flew into a panic; she cried “Granny Jin” desperately, but Granny Jin ignored her, so she could only pretend that nothing was wrong and waited as the crown prince picked flowers in the garden.
Before long, the crown prince returned with a delicate crabapple blossom.
The fresh bloom had gorgeous red petals, and there was still a dewdrop lying undisturbed on it.
“Excellent.” Rong Qin clapped. “Brother Crown Prince has always had a good eye.”
Second Lady Liu looked up at him expectantly.
The crown prince handed the crabapple blossom to Second Lady Liu— but who knew, as soon as it landed in her hands, the vermilion fruit suddenly turned from red to black. In just a moment, it had turned into a black mass, dripping ink-like gelatinous dew.
With a flick of Cui Wang’s sleeve, the gelatinous dew was brought to the crown prince’s mouth.
Second Lady Liu’s smile froze on her face; even Rong Qin did not expect this. On the other hand, Huai Wang and Jin Wang looked at each other, revealing a smile that only the other understood.
“Crown Prince, please take it.”
The crown prince closed his lips tightly.
“The one I admire is not here——”
“Big Brother, you can’t back out at this critical moment,” said Huai Wang.
“Yes, yes, if you’re willing to bet, you have to be willing to bear the consequences! Since when have we refused to admit our losses when playing games? Take it, hurry, take it!” urged Jin Wang as he smacked his thigh.
The crown prince glanced at Cui Wang; for some reason, his heart shook. The threatening sword blade from the other day resurfaced impressively again. He closed his eyes, then raised his hand and brought the inky dew into his mouth. Before he could swallow it, he felt a warm current rush from his throat to his head.
Rong Qin stared wide-eyed, wanting to see who Brother Crown Prince truly liked. Anyway, it couldn’t be Zheng Wan. He had broken off their engagement without the slightest hesitation, so how could it be her?
Second Lady Liu was also watching.
When the crown prince withdrew the crabapple blossom, the twig had cut her hand, and also her heart. She watched as the crown prince walked straight to the weak and fragile beauty, then unhesitatingly delivered the blossom to her.
Zheng Wan, it turned out to be Zheng Wan!
Zheng Wan herself was also not expecting this. When she raised her head, her little mouth formed a circle, “Me1?”
The crown prince nodded. “It’s you.”
“I’ve admired you for a long time, so I’ve reported it to my father, and spared much effort to cement our engagement. I wrote every night, and poured out my feelings every day; no matter where I went, I would always remember to buy some novelties for you and send them to you. But who would have thought that when you came of age, Royal Father made me break off my engagement with you… What is a crown prince in the face of majestic imperial authority? Merely a plaything that could be pinched round or flattened as he pleased.”
Zheng Wan accepted the crabapple blossom without any expression. She was not moved; no matter how deep his affections were, they were of no help to her. When she received the flower, she unwittingly looked up and glanced at Cui Wang, only to find that his eyes were deep and dark, as if containing a ferocious beast.
“Alright, next round.”
Rong Qin helped the crown prince bring the situation to a close.
But the crown prince didn’t want to sit anymore. He clasped his fist and hurriedly bade farewell, saying that he was going to the garden to relax. The rest saw that he wasn’t looking quite right and naturally didn’t force him to stay.
After he left, the hydrangea went around for a few more rounds, but during the fifth round, it actually ended in the State Preceptor’s hands.
This time, everyone present looked helplessly at each other. No one dared to ask a question or make any request. Even Rong Qin shut up, quiet as a quail, and hid away to one side.
“No one’s asking anything? If so, let’s pass.”
Zheng Wan raised her hand tremblingly.
“I’ll ask.”
Cui Wang looked at her pale face and bloodless lips.
“Go ahead.”
“Has Mister Cui’s heart ever moved for Wan’niang, even for a moment? If so, can you say to Wan’niang——” Zheng Wan looked straight at him and said, word by word, “‘I miss you very much’.”
It was as if the words were not for him to say to her, but rather, she was saying them to him reverently.
Rather than wanting him to say those words to her, she seemed to be saying them reverently to him instead.
……It had only been a few days.
Footnotes:
1 : The original text uses the Chinese character for “me”, “我” or “wo”, which is why her lips are in a circle. (I tried, and really could not say “me” with my mouth in a circle.)