Chapter 6 — Nine Times Rejected

By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Xiao Zhu, heir apparent to the Duke of Xiao estate, is unmatched in martial prowess and loyalty, blessed with wisdom surpassing ordinary men. In years past, he guarded his sovereign and rescued the throne, ever charging at the vanguard of his soldiers. In recent days, he swept away treacherous factions, rendering distinguished service to the nation. He is hereby specially elevated to the title of Marquis of Jing'an, a hereditary peerage passed down through generations. Let him be bestowed with the imperial iron certificate of pardon and the golden medallion of immunity from death!

Princess Consort of Ancheng, Pei Yuanzhu, is benevolent, virtuous, and deeply understands the profound principles of righteousness. She is specially granted the highest-grade noble mandate and conferred the title of Lady of Jing'an. The two are a match made in heaven, and We are immensely rejoiced, granting them wedding ceremonies and imperial honors equivalent to those of a true princess. Respect this!

A sudden wave of murmuring swept through the assembled crowd. They little knew that had the Duke of Xiao not still been among the living, Xiao Zhu’s rewards would have far surpassed these grand accolades. The whispers steadily grew louder, with the iron certificate of pardon and the golden medallion of immunity being endlessly repeated. The gazes fixed upon Xiao Zhu shifted again and again, transforming with each passing second. Even the look the Duke of Xiao cast upon his son softened considerably. After all, such boundless glory was something few men could hope to witness in a single lifetime. Yet Xiao Zhu remained as calm and composed as if this overwhelming imperial favor were nothing more than an ordinary occurrence.

Before long, news of this grand event spread swiftly across every major avenue and narrow alley of the capital. Even Xiao Trixuan, who had spent the night kneeling outside the gates of the princess consort’s estate, caught wind of the rumors. He tightened his grip into a fist before slowly relaxing his fingers. Even though he was loath to admit it, deep down in his heart, he understood the reality all too well. The lofty position Xiao Zhu now occupied was likely something he could never hope to attain, no matter how hard he struggled for the rest of his days. He had remained upon his knees for the entire night, until the first light of dawn broke, before stumbling back toward his own manor in a wretched state.

By this time, both Xiao Zhu and I had already risen. Just as we had finished seeing Mother Kong off from the estate, we happened to cross paths with Xiao Trixuan. Leaning heavily upon his legs, he walked with a severe limp, cut a thoroughly pathetic and disheveled figure. When he caught sight of our tightly interlocked hands, the expression in his eyes grew even darker and more unfathomable. A faint, mocking curve touched the corner of Xiao Zhu's lips.

"I almost forgot. We have yet to offer a cup of tea to our eldest brother."

He had just started to instruct the servants to prepare the tea when Xiao Trixuan coldly interrupted him.

"There is no need."

Xiao Zhu did not press the matter further; instead, he gently shielded me, preparing to depart. However, the fabric of my sleeve was suddenly caught by a desperate grip. I turned my head sharply.

"What is the meaning of this, Eldest Brother?"

Hearing me address him as Eldest Brother, Xiao Trixuan was seized by a violent fit of coughing, his face flushing a deep, mottled red.

"You... what did you just call me?"

Without repeating myself, I gave a sharp tug and wrenched my sleeve free from his grasp. At that exact moment, a commotion erupted from the woodshed not far from the main gates. A disheveled Ruan San San burst out in a panic. The instant she laid eyes on Xiao Trixuan, she looked as though she had found her ultimate savior.

"A-Xuan! A-Xuan, save me! They want to drag me off to the magistrate's court. I haven't done anything wrong at all, yet they are trying to frame me! You must save me!"

Instinctively, Xiao Trixuan stepped forward to shield her behind his back before turning a questioning glare toward me.

"San San has done nothing wrong. By what right are you arresting her?"

Without answering him directly, I cast a meaningful glance at Xiao Zhu. He gave a slight wave of his hand, and immediately a guard stepped forward, escorting a trembling man into our midst. The fellow collapsed onto his knees, his entire body shivering violently. When he raised his head and caught sight of Ruan San San, he thrust a trembling finger directly at her.

"Yes, yes! It was her! She is the one who hired me to brew a batch of the elixir known as Scarlet Ruin!"

"This poison is extremely peculiar, capable of preventing wounds from ever healing properly. Yet if the dosage is precisely controlled, it leaves behind no visible scars whatsoever."

"She even gave me a hair ornament of exceptionally fine craftsmanship as payment. I hadn't even had the chance to exchange it for silver yet... look, this is the very hairpin!"

He held the ornament high above his head so that everyone present could examine it clearly. The color drained entirely from Xiao Trixuan's face. He recognized that hairpin at a glance. Just a few days prior, after taking back the betrothal gifts intended for me, he had stored them away in a private courtyard that Ruan San San had purchased for herself. Inside one of the chests of jewelry rested seven exquisitely crafted hairpins. Because Ruan San San had taken a particular fancy to them, he had gifted them all to her. The very object before his eyes was undoubtedly one of those pieces. He instinctively reached out to snatch it, but Ruan San San intercepted him, her eyes reddening as she shook her head frantically.

"He is framing me! He's intentionally framing me, A-Xuan!"

Before Xiao Trixuan could respond, Xiao Zhu snatched the hairpin away first.

"The design of this ornament was personally sketched by my own hand, after which I commissioned a master artisan who spent half a year forging a set of seven. I never imagined it would end up in your possession."

"Attempting to frame the crown princess for poisoning herself, while illicitly hoarding the betrothal gifts I delivered—do you still dare to claim you are innocent?"

Ruan San San trembled violently from head to toe, opening her mouth as if to offer another defense, but the apothecary cut her off without hesitation.

"The wounds upon her face have not yet fully healed. We only need to summon a physician to examine her, and we will instantly discover that traces of the Scarlet Ruin I brewed are still lingering there!"

"Shut your mouth! You are spouting nonsense! You are shifting the blame and framing an innocent person!"

Ruan San San shrieked in a state of absolute hysteria. Xiao Trixuan stared down at her, and the faint light of lingering affection in his eyes flickered and died out piece by piece.

"Someone... fetch a physician."

"No! A-Xuan, do you not believe me?"

Xiao Trixuan offered no reply. With a stiff, robotic motion, he pulled his hand away from her grip. He uttered each word as if it were a heavy stone:

"If not for you, I would never have fallen to such a wretched state today."

He had realized the truth far too late. Had he not blindly heeded Ruan San San's words and broken off his engagements eight separate times, would he have ever been reduced to this pathetic, ruined condition? No, absolutely not.