The banquet hall had been set with individual tables, so there was plenty of space. Since Huo Wujiu was in a wheelchair, there was no need for another chair; an extra set of tableware sufficed.
As soon as Jiang Suizhou sat down, he turned his head and gave the general what appeared to be a cold, disdainful look.
The eunuch who had led them to their table quickly retreated.
He didn’t notice that when the Prince of Jing looked at his companion, he’d whispered something only the two of them could hear: “My apologies.”
Jiang Suizhou had been so nervous during the show he put on that he was now drenched in cold sweat beneath his robes. It was nerve-racking enough trying to make it through his first face-to-face encounter with Pang Shao without slipping up, but that wasn’t even the worst of it.
The things he’d just done to Huo Wujiu!
He felt like he’d pulled a tiger’s whiskers, and it terrified him greatly. Therefore, he took the first available opportunity to quickly amend matters with Huo Wujiu.
Jiang Suizhou hadn’t expected a response from Huo Wujiu, necessarily, and in fact he was still thinking about what further explanations he could offer on the way back.
But then Huo Wujiu looked at him and very slowly blinked.
An acknowledgment, perhaps?
Jiang Suizhou was so startled that his cold facade almost crumbled right then and there.
He quickly looked away, picked up the tea on the table, and took a sip to calm his nerves.
That look just now… It meant “I understand” and not “I’ll kill you in your sleep,” surely?
Jiang Suizhou’s fingers trembled slightly.
Huo Wujiu watched him thoughtfully. Buried deep within his eyes was an inscrutable emotion, almost imperceptible.
The Prince of Jing had been so composed before the crowd just moments ago, but sharing one look with Huo Wujiu had made him panic so badly he nearly fell apart. Why?
Then again, this was the first time he had seen with his own eyes how Jiang Suizhou behaved in public.
The man was a masterful actor; he’d successfully deceived even Pang Shao. The facade he’d crafted was a truly detestable and sadistic one. No wonder it made Ji Hongcheng furious enough to fill his letters with curses.
However…Huo Wujiu found it strangely endearing.
When Jiang Suizhou looked at him with those menacing, seemingly sinister eyes, Huo Wujiu instantly recognized the anxiety and helplessness the prince kept hidden behind them. It made something in his chest ache and stir in response.
Huo Wujiu involuntarily raised his hand and lightly brushed his knuckles along his chin.
A cool, soft sensation seemed to linger there.
Jiang Suizhou’s hand had been trembling slightly, as if he were trying his utmost to suppress it. In attempting this gesture of humiliation and aggression, he revealed his own vulnerability. He was like a paper tiger, roaring boldly as it quivered and sought reassurance.
This incident had sorely tested Huo Wujiu’s personal willpower.
Suppressing the urge to seize that hand asked more of him than any torture he’d previously endured.
✦ ✦ ✦
Outside the hall, the rain continued to pour throughout the evening. Inside, the blazing lamplight overpowered the gloom.
Numerous high-ranking officials milled around amid the splendor of gold and jade. To an outsider, it might have appeared to be the very picture of harmony and prosperity. Surely, the court was flourishing and destined to remain so for years to come.
But Jiang Suizhou knew that this was only a facade: an illusion of opulence built on empty coffers and the plunder from surrounding regions.
Beneath it, the long unstable foundation was beginning to crumble.
Finally, as night fell, a eunuch announced the emperor’s arrival. The hall immediately fell silent as everyone stood to show their respect and wait for the emperor to take his seat on the throne. Jiang Suizhou followed their example.
Then, cued by the eunuch’s call, he joined the others in kneeling thrice and prostrating himself nine times, paying homage to the emperor.
After the final bow, the officials remained kneeling, waiting for the emperor to grant them permission to rise.
The eunuch waited for a moment, horsetail whisk in hand, but heard no word from the emperor.
Well… Now what was he to do?
The eunuch seemed uneasy, his eyes darting sideways to cautiously glimpse the emperor, who lounged on the throne casually. Dressed in resplendent robes, he rested his chin on his hand and gazed thoughtfully at the crowd below.
The eunuch followed the emperor’s gaze and saw, amid the sea of kneeling officials, one person sitting upright, quietly facing the emperor.
His gaze was calm and confident, directly meeting the emperor’s without a trace of fear.
Huo Wujiu.
The eunuch knew this man. When he was first brought to Lin’an, the eunuch had accompanied the emperor to the dungeon. That was the first time the emperor had met him, but the man refused to kneel. Several guards tried and failed to force him, and that was when the emperor ordered his tendons severed.
There was no way this man could kneel anymore, even if he wanted to. And yet the emperor’s expression suggested he was about to kick up a fuss about it regardless.
Before the eunuch could become entirely consumed with dread, he heard the emperor’s languid voice.
“Rise, my beloved subjects.”
Having received the emperor’s orders, the officials stood and returned to their seats.
The eunuch breathed a sigh of relief.
The current emperor’s behavior was utterly preposterous at this point. During his father’s reign, he had been under more pressure to curb his more outrageous impulses. But now, with the throne beneath him and the Grand Chancellor indulging him, he had become unpredictable, regardless of setting, and often caused his servants to feel on edge around him.
As long as the emperor didn’t fly into a rage, the celebration should go relatively smoothly… And, well, that was the best any of them could hope for.
Just as the eunuch relaxed, the emperor spoke again.
“Hmm… Wudi,” Jiang Shunheng said, resting his chin on his hand.
The banquet had not even properly begun, but he casually picked up a shrimp ball from his table and popped it into his mouth.
“All the officials knelt just now…so why didn’t your companion?”