Chapter 210

The grand wedding of Marquis of Investigating Things Wang Che and Princess of Yongning Zhao Jing was solemnly held in Yangzhou.

The wedding's specifications were entirely according to the rank of a prince. The emperor's gifts poured in like a stream into the Wang Family fortress. Minister of Rites Pei Zheng personally acted as the officiant, and all the prominent gentry and wealthy clans of Jiangnan were present.

For a time, the Wang Family's glory was unmatched.

Every detail of the wedding exuded luxury and nobility, yet the two main figures, standing amidst it, were like two meticulously dressed dolls, wearing perfect smiles on their faces.

Wang Che wore a bright red wedding robe, with a large red flower on his chest, constantly toasting the guests. He behaved like a high-spirited youth whose mind had been addled by happiness.

Zhao Jing, wearing a phoenix crown and rosy robes, sat upright in the bridal chamber, waiting quietly.

Night grew deep, and the guests had all dispersed.

Wang Che, reeking of alcohol, pushed open the door of the bridal chamber.

The red candles burned high, lighting the whole room brightly. Zhao Jing sat on the bedside, her red veil still not lifted.

According to custom, Wang Che should step forward, lift the veil with a balance beam, and then share the joined cup wine.

He did not.

He merely walked to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, and then let out a long sigh.

"All of you, retreat." He said to the maidservants in the room.

The maidservants glanced at each other, but still bowed and withdrew, closing the door behind them.

In the room, only the two of them remained.

A profound silence prevailed, save for the "crackle" of the burning red candles.

"Won't you lift my veil?" Zhao Jing's voice came from beneath the red veil, very cold, without a trace of a bride's shyness.

"The veil is just a piece of cloth; whether lifted or not, you are still the Princess of Yongning, aren't you?" Wang Che's voice also lost its alcohol, becoming equally calm.

Zhao Jing remained silent for a moment, then raised her hand and lifted her own red veil.

A flawlessly beautiful face appeared in the candlelight. Her makeup was exquisite, and her phoenix eyes rippled like an autumn lake.

She looked at Wang Che, and Wang Che looked at her.

Their four eyes met, devoid of any warmth, only scrutiny and probing.

"I know why I am here." Zhao Jing spoke first, "I am the emperor's eyes and also his ears."

Her words were so direct that the air seemed to freeze.

Wang Che smiled. He pulled over a chair, sat down facing Zhao Jing, and poured himself another cup of tea.

"It seems the princess is a smart person. Talking to smart people saves effort."

"Then, Marquis of Investigating Things, how do you intend to treat these eyes and ears of mine?" Zhao Jing's gaze was aggressive, "Are you going to gouge them out? Or cover them up?"

"Neither." Wang Che shook his head, "From today on, you are my wife, the mistress of this Wang Family fortress. As long as you do not touch certain bottom lines of my Wang Family, I can guarantee your safety and nobility.

"As long you behave properly as a marchioness, no one will wrong you."

"As for the eyes and ears you mentioned..." Wang Che lifted his teacup, gently blowing away the steam, "You may go see whatever you wish to see, and hear whatever you wish to hear. In this fortress, aside from a few places marked with 'forbidden area' signs, the rest is freely accessible to you."

"And then, you may say whatever you wish to the emperor; I will not stop you."

Zhao Jing was stunned.

She had imagined countless possibilities. Wang Che might place her under soft confinement, might threaten her, might try to buy her with sweet words.

But she never imagined he would adopt such an utterly indifferent attitude.

"Aren't you afraid I will tell the emperor all of your Wang Family's secrets?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Secrets?" Wang Che laughed, that smile carrying a hint she could not fathom, "Your Highness Princess of Yongning, have you not already seen the greatest secret of my Wang Family?"

In Zhao Jing's mind, a flash appeared of that day outside the city, when the giant cannon roared and the warship shattered. Her heart gave a violent jolt.

"That was merely a ceremony to welcome you." Wang Che set down his teacup, rose to his feet, and walked to stand before her.

His height towered over her seated figure by a considerable margin; the candlelight cast his shadow long upon her, imparting an intangible sense of pressure.

"I let you see and hear because I know that what you see and hear are only what I want you to see and hear."

"And even if you relay everything you have seen, unchanged, to the emperor, aside from making him now more wary of me and more helpless, what else could he do?"

"My Wang Family harbors no ambition to seize the throne; otherwise, do you think the Zhao clan of the Capital would ever get a turn? The throne you regard as supremely important is merely something dispensable to my Wang Family."

Each of his words was like a small hammer, lightly shattering the last vestige of pride she held as a "royal pawn."

In his eyes, she was merely a display, a display used to show the world that his Wang Family and the imperial court were "on good terms."

Her presence could not threaten him.

A tremendous sense of helplessness surged upon Zhao Jing's heart.

She gazed at the youth before her, who was a few years younger than herself, and for the first time felt how pale and feeble the so-called imperial authority and scheming appeared in the face of absolute confidence and strength.

"I am tired." She lowered her eyelids, her voice full of fatigue.

"Then rest early." Wang Che nodded, turned, and walked toward the outer study.

"You... won't stay here?" Zhao Jing asked instinctively.

Wang Che's steps paused, but he did not turn back.

"We are husband and wife, but not traveling the same road. Princess, rest easy. This room will henceforth be yours. Without my permission, no one will come to disturb you."

Having said that, he pulled open the study's door and entered.

The door, behind him, closed softly.

In the bridal chamber, only Zhao Jing remained, along with the pair of dragon-and-phoenix wedding candles still burning fiercely.

She gazed at the dancing flames for a long time, and a line of clear tears silently slid down her flawless face.

……

The next day, Zhao Jing awoke in her new bedroom.

She discovered that an extra item had appeared on her bedside.

It was not jewelry, but a book with an exquisitely crafted binding. Its cover was deep blue, adorned with silver-thread embroidered glittering stars.

She opened the book.

Inside were many exquisite Star Maps she had never seen before. The position of each star, its orbital trajectory, were marked clearly.

On the flyleaf of the book, there was a line written in neat small regular script.

"The stars in the heavens and we on earth follow the same principle. To understand it is to understand the world."

The signature consisted of two characters.

Wang Che.

Zhao Jing stroked those characters, gazing at that deep expanse of starry sky, remaining silent for a long time.

She knew, this was a choice given to her by that man.

To continue being a pawn, helplessly revolving around the turning of imperial authority.

Or, to try to lift her head and behold a new world she had never understood before.