A Moonlit Encounter at the Jade Terrace - Chapter 2

The spring banquet had only just ended when I rose to leave.

A lady official approached. “Miss Jiang, Miss Wang, the Crown Princess invites you both to stay and admire the flowers with her.”

So while everyone else filed out, Wang Yingrong and I sat back down.

Soon the grounds were empty.

Wang Yingrong finally gathered her courage. “Jiang Yi, I’m sorry.”

Seeing my confusion, she lowered her voice further.

“I didn’t know the Crown Princess had already chosen you. His Highness never told me, either. I thought you were forcing him into the marriage, so I stepped forward…”

The admission only made her more ashamed.

I curled my fingers around my cup and asked with genuine interest, “Now that you know His Highness concealed your relationship from me as well, what do you think of him?”

Wang Yingrong removed the peach blossom from her hair. She looked heartsick, yet still forced herself to give me a friendly smile.

“He deceived me, and he deceived you. After what happened today, I will harbor no more hopes about him.”

“You needn’t worry. I won’t fight you for him.”

I shook my head.

“I won’t marry him either.”

Wang Yingrong’s eyes widened.

Before she could question me, hurried footsteps sounded outside.

The lady official returned. “Young ladies, the Crown Princess will see you now.”

Wang Yingrong and I followed her through the garden. A tiny flying insect settled on my shoulder.

Its voice was no louder than the breeze, inaudible to anyone but me.

“Refuse him. Refuse the marriage!”

With that single warning, it flew away.

I considered its words.

When we reached the hall, the lady official withdrew. The Crown Princess sat at the head of the room with Liang Huai beside her.

At the sight of Wang Yingrong, the Crown Princess shot Liang Huai a furious, disappointed glare.

Then she studied Wang Yingrong curiously. “Miss Wang, lift your head.”

Wang Yingrong trembled and obeyed.

The Crown Princess smiled, her tone mild. “What a fine young lady. I find you most agreeable. As it happens, I have a jade hairpin just suited to a girl your age. You may have it.”

At her instruction, a lady official went behind the screen to fetch it.

Wang Yingrong accepted the gift with lowered eyes. Liang Huai had offered her no explanation, and tears already shone in her eyes. Still, she held her back straight, swallowed them, and thanked the Crown Princess with a smile before returning the peach blossom.

When the Crown Princess turned to me, her smile grew much warmer. She did not blame me for giving the flower away.

“Jiang Yi, you are the young lady I want. Today’s selection may have failed, but I shall personally request an imperial decree. His Majesty can bestow the marriage upon you.”

Her words were also meant for Wang Yingrong: the position of Imperial Grandson’s Consort had already been decided.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Liang Huai seething. Yet from beginning to end he said nothing, simply watching the woman he loved suffer.

The most he did was glare at me with naked hatred.

As if I had torn them apart. Or the Crown Princess had. Or everyone else in this room.

As if he alone were helpless—the only person here humiliated and wronged.

I did not refuse outright. Instead, I said tactfully, “Your Highness, my maternal grandmother and you were born of the same clan. It would naturally be a joy to bind our families more closely. But if His Highness has no wish for the marriage, the two families may quarrel and become enemies in the future.”

He had to marry someone. Losing the support of two families over a single match would create a far more difficult situation.

The Crown Princess’s smile stiffened. She looked instinctively at Liang Huai.

Sure enough, resentment was written all over his face. He was plainly furious, though he had not dared voice it.

Her expression darkened. “Liang Huai, are you unwilling to accept this marriage?”

He had never said so before.

Now that the matter had become such a spectacle, Liang Huai could hold himself back no longer.

Without a word, he stood and dropped heavily to his knees in the middle of the hall, glaring at the Crown Princess.

“Mother, must I marry a descendant of the Lu family simply because you were born into it? You elevate your maternal clan at every turn. Is that not favoritism? Or are the rumors true—do you really intend to let your relatives seize power one day?”

My eyelid twitched.

The next instant, the Crown Princess hurled her teacup at his feet without the slightest expression.

Liang Huai nearly sprang up in fright, but stubbornly held his ground.

“I will not marry Jiang Yi! Even if you beat me to death—even if I must surrender the position of Imperial Grandson—I will never marry her!”

This was no brave rebellion. He was simply acting without restraint because he knew the Crown Princess had no other son.

Clutching her chest, she slammed a hand onto the table, shaking with rage.

“You wretched, unfilial son!”