Afternoon.
The sun had shifted westward. The study was no longer so hot, but cicadas outside the window were still chirping—loud and restless, irritating the mind.
Li Shimin sat at the desk with a memorial in his hands. He had been reading it for a long time, yet hadn’t turned a single page.
Someone knocked twice on the door.
“Come in.”
Cheng Yaojin pushed the door open, drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through. He dropped heavily into a chair beside the desk and grabbed the teapot, pouring it straight down his throat.
“I’m dying of thirst.”
Li Shimin put the memorial down and looked at him.
After finishing the tea, Cheng Yaojin wiped his mouth and finally looked up.
“You summoned me, Your Majesty?”
Li Shimin nodded.
Cheng Yaojin waited.
A silence stretched between them.
Then Li Shimin spoke.
“This morning, I went to the Zhou blacksmith shop.”
Cheng Yaojin froze slightly.
“Again?”
Li Shimin ignored the tone.
“I told him I wanted to arrange a marriage between Zhou Yi and Lichang.”
Cheng Yaojin’s mouth opened slightly, the teapot still suspended in mid-air.
He stared at Li Shimin for a full three breaths.
Then he slowly set the teapot down.
“What did you say?”
“I said I want Zhou Yi and Lichang to be betrothed.”
Cheng Yaojin went still.
Then, suddenly, he laughed.
Not a polite laugh. A real one. His shoulders shook, and he laughed so hard tears almost came out.
Li Shimin’s brows furrowed.
“What are you laughing at?”
Cheng Yaojin waved his hand, still laughing uncontrollably.
“Your Majesty… you… give me a moment…”
He clutched his stomach, laughing for quite a while before finally calming down.
Li Shimin watched him, his expression turning unpleasant.
“Finished laughing?”
Cheng Yaojin wiped his face and looked up.
“Your Majesty, do you know what Zhou Yong said?”
Li Shimin said, “He said it wouldn’t work.”
Cheng Yaojin nodded.
“And then?”
Li Shimin replied helplessly, “Then I left…”
Cheng Yaojin laughed again.
This time not as wildly—just a grin he couldn’t suppress.
Li Shimin stared at him.
“What exactly are you laughing at?”
Cheng Yaojin took a deep breath and forced himself to stop.
He looked at Li Shimin seriously.
“Your Majesty, who do you think he was talking about?”
Li Shimin paused.
“What?”
Cheng Yaojin said, “When he said ‘it won’t work,’ do you think he meant Zhou Yi and Lichang can’t work out?”
Li Shimin said nothing.
Cheng Yaojin shook his head.
“No, Your Majesty. That’s not what he meant.”
Li Shimin’s brows tightened further.
“Then what did he mean?”
Cheng Yaojin looked at him and said word by word:
“He meant Changsun Wuji.”
Li Shimin froze.
Cheng Yaojin continued:
“Think about it. Who is the princess? The legitimate daughter of the Empress. If you make a marriage alliance with Zhou Yong, what happens in the future? How do they address each other? How would Zhou Yong and Changsun Wuji deal with one another?”
Li Shimin opened his mouth slightly.
Cheng Yaojin pressed on.
“They already have bad blood between them. You don’t know? Last year, that guy said a few unpleasant things at his place—I even scolded him for it. You remember that, right?”
Li Shimin nodded slowly.
“So isn’t that it? You want him to become family with that man? That’s not marriage—that’s pushing him into a fire pit.”
Li Shimin sat there silently for a long time.
Then he recalled Zhou Yong’s expression that morning.
Disgust.
Clear and unhidden disgust.
Now he understood.
It wasn’t directed at him.
It was directed at his inability to see the situation clearly.
Li Shimin suddenly let out a soft laugh.
Very light.
Cheng Yaojin looked at him.
“Your Majesty?”
Li Shimin waved his hand.
“It’s nothing.”
He stood and walked to the window.
Outside, the cicadas were still screaming—harsh, endless, grating.
He stared out for a while.
Then he spoke.
“Forget this matter.”
Cheng Yaojin stood behind him without replying.
Li Shimin turned back, returned to the desk, and sat down.
He picked up the memorial, glanced at it, then set it down again.
“You’re right.”
Cheng Yaojin scratched his head.
“Your Majesty, you were just trying to be kind…”
Li Shimin shook his head.
“Good intentions that lead to bad outcomes are still bad outcomes.”
He paused.
“Let this matter be as if it never happened.”
Cheng Yaojin nodded.
The room fell quiet.
Outside, the cicadas were still calling.
Loud.
Relentless.
Never ending.
Discussion
Comments
0 comments so far.
Sign in to join the conversation and keep your activity tied to this account.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.