CHAPTER 40: MARRIAGE ARRANGEMENT

Jian Rui’s presence was unmistakable. He moved with the quiet dominance of someone accustomed to command, tall, broad-shouldered, his storm-gray coat lined with silver thread that shimmered with each stride.

His eyes, sharp and unyielding, swept the palace gates ahead, calculating, dissecting and anticipating his father’s next move.

Each step echoed like a drumbeat of authority.

But as he crossed the threshold into the imperial corridor, something shifted. His shoulders relaxed, his gaze softened. The predator became the prince.

Waiting just beyond the threshold stood Chancellor Regal. The older man bowed slightly, his robes flowing like ink, his face a mask of civility stretched over layers of cunning.

His eyes, narrow and gleaming, studied Jian Rui with the precision of a chess master. In his hand, he rolled a string of Celestial beads each carved from stardust crystal, each humming faintly with psychic resonance.

"Your Highness," Regal said, voice smooth as lacquered silk, the words laced with reverence and veiled intent.

Jian Rui inclined his head, the faintest smile touching his lips.

"Chancellor," Jian Rui replied with a nod, his tone polite but cool, the syllables clipped with restraint.

"His Majesty is in the ancestral hall," Regal said, his voice smooth, practiced. "Waiting for you."

"Thank you." Jian Rui stepped forward, but the Chancellor’s hand rose, halting him with a subtle gesture. The beads clicked softly between his fingers, each one humming faintly with psychic resonance.

"His Majesty misses his tenth prince," Regal murmured, voice dropping into something conspiratorial. "You should bring him by. Let His Majesty take a look at him."

Jian Rui’s jaw tightened. Beneath the calm exterior, rage surged like a hellstorm. What did he mean by take a look? It was as if Yu Xi were a relic or a possession to be appraised.

But his smile didn’t falter.

"I will make arrangements," he said evenly.

Regal’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Very well, Your Highness." He bowed again, the beads whispering as he turned and vanished into the corridor like smoke.

Jian Rui stood alone, the echo of the beads still ringing in his ears. Then he walked on.

The ancestral hall loomed ahead. It was a sanctum of silence and reverence. White marble walls stretched skyward, etched with the names of emperors past.

Gold reliquary boxes lined the chamber, each one cradling the ashes of rulers and honored officials. The air was thick with incense and memory, the scent of sandalwood and starroot lingering.

At the far end, before the offering altar, knelt the imperial lord.

He was draped in white ceremonial robes, the fabric flowing like mist around him, embroidered with the sigils of the imperial line. His back remained straight, unbowed by the weight of age or empire. In his hands, he lit sticks of incense each movement slow, deliberate and reverent. He placed them before a small arrangement of white hyacinths and moon orchids, their petals trembling in the rising heat.

Jian Rui froze at the threshold. The flowers were his mother’s favorite.

He knelt, silently, just inside the doorway. His head bowed low, fists pressed against the cold marble floor. The scent of the orchids clawed at his throat, dragging memories from the depths.

He recalled her laughter echoing in sunlit courtyards, lullabies sung in the hush of night, the gentle tug of her fingers braiding silver threads into his hair.

And then the body that was suspended in time, hoping and praying for a solution.

’You did this,’ Jian Rui thought. And now he was kneeling like a grieving husband when he was the source of her torment.

The rage inside him coiled tighter, a serpent in his chest. But he held it down. This was not the place, not yet.

He watched his father in silence, the incense smoke curling upward like a prayer. The Imperial Lord remained motionless, his face unreadable, as if carved from the same marble that surrounded them.

Jian Rui’s breath was steady, but his heart was beating violently.

The flames licked upward, silent and golden, consuming the white hyacinths and moon orchids in a divine blaze. No ash remained as if the offerings had been accepted by something beyond mortal comprehension.

Imperial Lord Thaurion rose slowly, his ceremonial robes cascading around him like storm clouds. His figure was imposing, carved from the weight of empire and legacy.

Jian Rui kowtowed, forehead pressed to the marble floor. "Greetings, Imperial Lord Thaurion."

He waited for the customary command to rise but it didn’t come.

Instead, he was met by the gleam of his father’s boots.

Thaurion looked down, his gaze suffocating. "Ever since your mother," he said, voice low and resonant, "I have never met a woman who could stir my heart as she did."

Jian Rui lowered himself further, counting silently, one, two, three, to keep the rage from spilling over.

"She was a treasure I held close to my heart," Thaurion continued, his tone almost wistful.

Jian Rui said nothing. His back trembled, not from fear, but from the fury he was burying deep.

"Get up," Thaurion commanded.

Jian Rui rose, spine straight, eyes unreadable.

Thaurion studied him for a moment, then asked, "How are your brothers?"

The question hung in the air, heavy with implication.

"They are well," Jian Rui said, voice steady. "They asked me to pass along their greetings."

The Imperial Lord nodded, expression cold. "Good. You will be part of the delegation welcoming the envoy from Elaris. Make sure to entertain them well, and don’t embarrass me."

Jian Rui bowed his head. He knew his father had recently taken a concubine from Elaris, but why he wanted Jian Rui at the forefront of this diplomatic reception was unclear. There was always a deeper motive.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will do my best."

Thaurion’s gaze lingered on him, sharp and calculating. "My new concubine has a brother. About your age. He is a guide. You should get along with him."

Jian Rui’s breath caught.

"I have chosen him to be your future partner."

A silence stretched between them. Jian Rui’s fist curled slightly at his side, the motion subtle but telling. "I appreciate your kindness, Father," he said carefully, "but I am not ready to be married."

The Imperial Lord chuckled, though the sound was hollow. The smile that followed didn’t reach his eyes. "I didn’t say to marry him now. Just get acquainted."

Jian Rui bowed again, lower this time, hiding the storm behind his eyes. "As you command."