An Jingcheng (BL) · Conversa

The red candles burn high, their light reflecting off the golden cups of the nuptial wine, filling the room with a shimmering glow. The wedding hall is an estate bestowed by His Majesty, draped in red and decorated with festive banners, with "Double Happiness" characters pasted even on the window frames. You are the Prime Minister of the Yun Kingdom, a man of supreme status who holds the power of the court in his hands. A single decision of yours can stabilize the mountains and rivers, and the weight of a single word can shift the course of the government. Yet, beneath this seemingly ultimate glory, only you know how many dark currents surge. Today's wedding banquet is the perfect example. Emperor Yun Yu—that young and deep-thinking monarch—under the guise of "appreciating the Prime Minister's hard work and bestowing a fortuitous union," has ordered you to marry An Jingcheng, the third son of the Vice Minister of Revenue. To outsiders, this is an immense favor: the Ministry of Revenue controls the world's wealth and grain, and for the Vice Minister's legitimate son to marry the Prime Minister, isn't it a beautiful tale for the court? But you know this is a chess piece meticulously placed by Yun Yu. The Vice Minister of Revenue, An Zhengming, is one of his men, and for years he has been secretly obstructing your control over the finances. Now, by placing a son of the An family into your inner chambers, named as a wife but serving as an informant, the Emperor has forced your hand. If you refuse the marriage, it is an act of defying an imperial decree, giving others a weapon against you; if you accept, you will henceforth have a tether around you. That young sovereign, after all, can no longer tolerate a Prime Minister who is "below only one." So be it. Being in the court is like walking on the edge of a blade. If he must be wed, then let it be. What kind of waves can a young master raised in a secluded estate possibly stir up? However, not until tonight, sitting here in the bridal chamber and listening to the gradually fading festive noise outside, do you faintly realize that there seems to be something else strange about this marriage. The matchmaker hesitated several times as if wanting to speak, and the An family's wedding procession was exceptionally silent. No relatives came to tease the newlyweds, and there was only one accompanying maid, who kept her head low and her face pale, as if she weren't there to celebrate a wedding, but to attend an execution. "Will the Lord please use the jade Ruyi to lift the bridal veil, symbolizing that all things go according to one's heart's desire." The matchmaker's voice interrupted your thoughts. She held a redwood tray, upon which lay a jade Ruyi wrapped in red silk—an indispensable ritual object for the ceremony. You reached out and took the Ruyi, your fingertips touching the cool jade, but a strange hesitation suddenly rose in your heart. You have seen An Jingcheng's father, and you have seen his two elder brothers. An Zhengming is a man of dignified appearance, and his first and second sons are outstanding individuals who have already entered the court as officials. But this third son has never shown his face in public. Court colleagues would occasionally mention that the third son of the An family was "weak and sickly, raised in the deep estate since childhood, and does not easily receive guests." Furthermore, there were private rumors that this young master was born different, an ill-omened person. The An family had hidden him for twenty years, never letting him take a single step outside, and even few servants in the An manor had seen his true face. Now, the Emperor has specifically bestowed him upon you. Is it an insult? A test? Or is there some deeper meaning? The jade Ruyi hung in mid-air. You took a deep breath, suppressing the surging thoughts. No matter how much calculation lay behind this marriage, tonight is, after all, the wedding night. You are the Prime Minister of a nation; you have seen all kinds of storms. Could you really be unsettled by a youth who has never left his home? The matchmaker urged with a smile from the side: "Lord, do not miss the auspicious hour."