Big misunderstanding
Ji Heng wanted to first confirm if his brother is raising a man. Only after that will he take the next step.
Moreover, considering his younger brother"s appearance, Ji Heng was sceptical that Ah Zheng would keep a man…
The person sent to inquire has returned and reported that there was no shadow of any kept men in the palace, and no man was suspected to be in good relations with Ning w.a.n.g.
Another informant claimed that someone has seen Ning w.a.n.gYe and a young master (PPS: actually, the word used in the novel is Xiang Gong, which can also mean male prost.i.tute. But seeing they described harmless activities, I went with young master) stroll around the Capital, shopping and eating together.
Ji Heng touched his chin as he thought about it. It seemed that Ah Zheng was indeed seeing a man, but this man was not being kept in the palace. Was he being raised outside? So cautious. It could be seen that Ah Zheng was very concerned about that person.
Hence, Ji Heng decided to go and see for himself where that small precious young master was hiding.
After having lunch, Ji Zheng decided to go into the city for a stroll. Thinking that whenever Tian Qi goes out of the palace, the first place he went to was the bank, he followed in his footsteps. If he was out today, there was a chance they might meet. Sure enough, after waiting for a while, Ji Zheng spotted Tian Qi .
The two have become somewhat familiar with each other so they could care less for palace etiquette.
They chatted whilst Tian Qi deposited the money, and then left the bank together. Walking side by side on the street, they discussed where to go and play next.
They did not notice the pair of glaring eyes behind them.
As the two spoke, the person looked at them coldly, then, pus.h.i.+ng a wooden cart, started walking towards them with quick steps, intending to knock into Tian Qi. Ji Zheng reacted quickly and pulled Tian Qi"s hand. As he lost his footing, Tian Qi"s body b.u.mped into Ji Zheng and avoided the wooden cart.
“Thank you, w.a.n.gYe.” As Tian Qi expressed her thanks, she tried to withdraw her hand, but Ji Zheng"s hold only got tighter.
Ji Zheng pursed his lips “People drive carelessly, it is too dangerous.” As he said this, his hand was still tightly grasping Tian Qi"s hand.
Tian Qi also held his hand and they walked away from LongChang Street. After a while, they finally spotted the famous Si Xi Ban.
Si Xi Ban was hosting an opera play. It was a romantic drama about a man and a woman running away from home. It seemed to be a beautiful story, the lyrics slightly sweet. “And you loosen your collar, the clothes all messed up, the sleeves covered with teeth marks. You patiently endure it all and go to sleep.” something, “walk through the spring rain, sleep on a cloud in Wu Shan” something. Ji Zheng"s face flushed and he secretly took a peek at Tian Qi only to find him as calm as usual. Even more, tapping his fingers with the tempo of the song.
In fact, Tian Qi also heard the lyrics, but she didn"t understand the meaning of half of them. First, the song was Kunshan, not Mandarin. Secondly, as mentioned before, she has no education about the matters between men and women. The little things she knew were self-learned, and that was only that men and women slept together and then they had children. Therefore, however explicit the lyrics were, she might not understand them.
Ji Zheng was not aware of these details. Seeing Tian Qi listening with interest to the song, it inevitably made him think deeper. Needles to say that, once he let his imagination run free, all sorts of thoughts took root in his mind. Thinking about Tian Qi"s words and his actions, Ji Zheng came to realise: Tian Qi wouldn"t be against him… right?
This realisation made his heart beat like a drum. He blushed so hard his skin would bleed if you squeezed it, so he didn"t dare to look at Tian Qi anymore.
Tian Qi was completely ignorant to the thoughts running wild in her friend"s head. She was tapping her hand with a fan and shaking her head to the rhythm of the song, immersed in the beautiful singing voice. The interactions on the stage were also very interesting. She was sitting in the first row and could see everything clearly. Although there were some things she couldn"t understand, it did not hinder her enjoyment.
Suddenly, her sight was blocked. Less than two feet from her, between her and the stage, there was a man dressed in red. Tian Qi"s sight just happened to fall on his wide belt. There was a diamond-shaped pattern on the edge of the black silk belt, which rose and fell with the rhythm of the man"s breath, conveying his anger.
Tian Qi had a very bad feeling. She didn"t dare look up. Her eyes stared at the wide belt, pretending to be unaware of the other"s ident.i.ty.
Ji Ziheng looked up to see Ji Heng. He carefully exclaimed “Elder brother Emperor!”
Ji Heng crossed the small distance and violently grabbed Tian Qi from her seat, pulling her away from the scene. Ji Zheng wanted to follow them but, even before he had a chance to stand up, Ji Heng turned his head and gave him a look that stopped him in his track.
Tian Qi didn"t know what happened, but obviously, the emperor was angry again. She thought about it, the only wrong she did today was not listening to the story. She was normally to keep out for any stories. Of course, it was necessary for her to work hard in her official duties, how could she have gone to play whilst on duty?
Even so, the emperor didn"t have to supervise her himself, right?
… his mental illness must have been recurring.
Ji Heng dragged Tian Qi out of the opera and pulled her after him for a while until he found a quiet place. He suddenly threw his hand away and looked at her fiercely.
Tian Qi shrunk her neck into her shoulders and flattered “Your Majesty… Huang GongZi, how come you"re here?”
GongZi = Young Master (an official"s son)
Ji Heng stared at her face and asked “Am I not allowed to come here? I can"t see, can"t know?”
“No…” Tian Qi was too nervous to look at him. She unconsciously took two steps back and spoke weakly “I went to the theatre, but that was to listen to the folk tales circulating the Capital. That place is where the Three Religions and Nine Schools are found, fish and dragons are mixed together. It"s the best place to find out all the news.”
the Three Religions and Nine Schools – idiom = people from all trades
fish and dragons mixed together – idiom = crooks mixed in with honest people
Ji Heng took two steps forward. The two were closer now, so Tian Qi took a few steps back again. Ji Heng kept walking forward, keeping close to Tian Qi, his eyes staring straight at her, forcing her to retreat.
Tian Qi was feeling helpless as she had no place left to retreat; her back was against the wall. Ji Heng"s gaze was too oppressive, she was stared at until her scalp felt numb.
“Tian Qi” Ji Heng finally called. “Only two days ago you were in isolation because you were sick, now you are holding hands with Ah Zheng, listening to the opera.”
“Eh?” Tian Qi was confused. She couldn"t understand why the Emperor mentioned this.
eh – exclamation – interjection of surprise and/or doubt
“…” Ji Heng did not want to say this, but seeing her frightened and grieving expression, the anger in his heart did not diminish and he uttered such things without realising it. His face gloomy, he stated “I know you like men.”
“!!!” Tian Qi was left speechless. Did the Emperor find out she was a woman?! She was ruined!
Seeing his face going pale, Ji Heng felt it was obvious he was guilty. His anger only got worse. Using both his hands, he easily lifted him up, Tian Qi"s face at the same level as his and their noses almost touching. He gazed deep into his eyes.
Ji Heng endured the urge to kill him on the spot. “But I don"t care whom you seduce, as long as you stay away from Ning w.a.n.g.”
“???” Tian Qi felt the Emperor has only gotten more confusing. After exposing her ident.i.ty, shouldn"t the next step be torturing her or straight away killing her?
Seeing her innocent and confused face, Ji Heng was furious. “Are you so unhappy with my decision?”
“…” Being dissatisfied would be the same as being affected by the decision, being affected by the decision would mean that she is close to Ning w.a.n.g… Tian Qi"s mind was working fast. She thought back to the initial accusation and it finally dawned on her: the Emperor thought she was seducing Ning w.a.n.g!
Ah! What was the connection? How did he come to suspect that?…
Tian Qi knew there are men who are broken sleeves, and it seemed that now the Emperor thought she was one of them, rather than uncovering her ident.i.ty. No one could bear having a broken sleeve or an eunuch trying to approach his own brother. She could finally understand why the Emperor was angry with her.
Tian Qi thought that explaining that is not her intention might save her life. She tried to remove Ji Heng"s hands so she can get back down. She was too uncomfortable being picked up like that.
“Young Master, this is a misunderstanding. I can explain, just let me down first…” Tian Qi pleaded enthusiastically .
Tian Qi was not strong, but being touched by his soft hands, Ji Heng felt uncomfortable. He let go of him and stared at him coldly, waiting for his explanation.
Tian Qi patted her chest gently, thinking that her reaction earlier has already confirmed the Emperor"s suspicions. If she tried to deny it, she would only anger him further. The best course of action would be to simply admit to it.
“I am indeed fond of men, I am wrong. ” First I must admit my wrong.
“However, I did not try to lead anyone astray.”
Tian Qi smiled and moved to flattering him. “I really am not trying to seduce Ning w.a.n.g. We simply played together a few times. I can see the handsome man in front of me every day, why would I want to be apart from you and go after Ning w.a.n.g?”
These words were delivered very well. Ji Heng believed part of them. His look eased as he asked “There are rumours that you are Ning w.a.n.g‘s man. How do you explain this?”
“Three men talking becomes a tiger. The more I try to explain myself, the less likely it is anyone will believe me. In short, me and Ning w.a.n.g are just friends, a clear and innocent relations.h.i.+p. Today we just happened to meet. Wise people should not listen to gossip. The Emperor is a wise man, he wouldn"t believe such lowly gossip.”
Three men talking becomes a tiger – idiom = repeated rumours become facts
Another well delivered speech. Ji Heng looked Tian Qi from top to bottom. Since he was so open with him, his conscience must have been clear.
“So, the one you think about is me?” Ji Heng suddenly inquired.
“Cough cough … not…” Although Tian Qi was thick skinned, she was still a girl. Discussing the men she liked would have inevitably led to her lowering her lowering her head and her face becoming pink.
In Ji Heng"s eyes, this reaction was equivalent to admission. When he mentioned Ning w.a.n.g, the little pervert was not shy. Now, mentioning him, he suddenly blushed. The answer was obvious.
Somehow, Ji Heng didn"t feel as uncomfortable as he thought he would. There was even a smug feeling.
Tian Qi quickly tried to excuse herself “Young Master needs not be worried. You are the cloud in the sky, and i am the mud on the ground. I dare not have any thoughts on you!”
Ji Heng snorted. “Whatever, just go back to the palace.” When he turned around, his mouth tilted slightly.
Tian Qi was behind him and didn"t get to see this flash of a proud smile. Now that the danger was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief and started running to try to keep up with the Emperor. Ji Heng"s legs were long, his steps big, walking really fast. Compared to him, her two slender legs were nothing worthy, she had no other choice but to run after him.
After running part of the way, Tian Qi got tired and her pace slowed down.
Ji Heng stopped out of a sudden and glared at her. “How are you so slow? Even the palace"s tortoise is faster than you.”
Tian Qi felt awful for being told off. She tried running again to keep up. Ji Heng grabbed her hand.
This way, Tian Qi was dragged to the palace by the Emperor, and was released only when they reached XuanWu Gate. The Emperor"s face was expressionless. He didn"t say a word, but his footsteps were like flying. Being dragged so fast, her pace was unstable, b.u.mping into him several times.
Fortunately, the Emperor seemed to be in a good mood and didn"t bother with telling her off.