Chapter 4 Walking on Thin Ice
"What are you standing around for? Aren't you going to help this Prince down?"
While Chu Baihan was lost in thought, Yan Lin's chilling voice came from beside her.
Help him?
Chu Baihan glanced at him, her brows furrowed deeply.
But in the end, she carefully extended her hand, "Prince, your consort will help you out now."
She had quickly adapted to her role, even referring to herself as "your consort." Yan Lin's expression darkened slightly, but he couldn't be bothered to correct her.
His palm was wide and slightly cool, the calluses on it scraped uncomfortably against her fingertips, but she dared not complain.
And so, she helped him down from the carriage.
"So this is the eighth brother's consort, their affection for each other does seem quite remarkable," that sarcastic voice sounded again.
Chu Baihan looked up only to see a man dressed in a fine robe, standing not far away, fanning himself.
His features bore a resemblance to Yan Lin's, but he lacked half of Yan Lin's charm, especially those murky eyes filled with schemes that were very unpleasant to look at.
"Prince Yan of the Fifth," Yan Lin didn't care to pay attention to the other, but Ziyi reluctantly performed a courtesy behind him.
Prince Yan of the Fifth?
That must be Crown Prince Yan Jin. It was said that he was indulgent in feminine charms and often frequented brothels, but with the Crown Prince as his good friend, and his mother being one of the four consorts, Han Consort, he was able to manage the Ministry of Personnel.
As Chu Baihan pondered this, she raised her head to find Yan Jin appraising her with a starkly naked gaze.
His look was so repulsive that it chilled her demeanor.
"Prince Yan, you have finally arrived. The Emperor is currently at Fuyang Palace waiting for you and the Princess Consort," Eunuch Zhang Hai from the Emperor's side came running over, wiping sweat from his forehead while discreetly reminding them.
"Oh dear, considering that the eighth Prince has not attended court since his eye injury and has seldom been summoned by the Emperor, you probably don't even know the way to Fuyang Palace. Would you need your royal brother to show you the way?"
Yan Jin spoke disdainfully, seizing the opportunity to humiliate Yan Lin.
"Prince Yan of the Fifth, you..." Ziyi was so angry she wanted to speak up to defend their Family Head.
But by that time, Chu Baihan had already stepped forward and said calmly to Yan Jin, "No need for Five to trouble himself, Eunuch Zhang will lead the way, and I will assist my Prince there."
After she spoke, her slender fingers actively grasped Yan Lin's broad palm again.
Feeling the softness in his palm, Prince Yan's thick eyelashes trembled slightly, but his pitch-black pupils remained vacant, leaving no one to know what he was thinking.
After a long while, he finally spoke expressionlessly, "Let's go."
Upon hearing this, Chu Baihan secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Yan Lin still gave her face in public; she had been truly afraid that he would unceremoniously shake off her hand.
As she turned towards the threshold of Fuyang Palace, Chu Baihan could still feel Yan Jin's scornful gaze behind her.
She couldn't help but cast a furtive glance at the man beside her.
He was very tall, and she had to look up to see his profile.
The sunlight made his handsome, flawless profile seem to be coated with a shimmering layer of light.
His eyes, had they been unharmed, would have been incredibly radiant.
Since losing his sight, the Crown Prince's faction and other princes had collectively attacked him.
Though the Emperor had not completely stripped him of his military power, he was told to recover at home and not to concern himself with military or court affairs.
From a favored son of the heavens to a Prince now looked down upon by everyone, his heart must not be at ease.
A flicker of pity arose in Chu Baihan's heart, but she quickly suppressed it.
She was in no position to pity someone who wanted her dead.
Steadying her mind, she stepped over the threshold of Fuyang Palace with Yan Lin.
She didn't know if she could get through this imperial test safely.
"Your Majesty, Prince Yan and the Prince Residence have arrived," a eunuch whispered to the Emperor within the Palace.
"This humble son pays his respects to Father Emperor." Yan Lin barely moved his lips, his voice clear and cold, without lifting his head.
"With your eyesight not being convenient, let us dispense with these formalities," the Emperor said indifferently, putting down the memorial in his hand.
Yan Lin need not be so meticulous with ceremony, but she had to be...
Chu Baihan lowered her head and quickly knelt down.
"This daughter-in-law pays her respects to Father Emperor." As she spoke, her heart was filled with uncertainty.
"Are you the daughter of Minister Chu? Rise, and lift your head," commanded the Emperor's voice from within the hall.
His tone was even, but the aura of the Son of Heaven commanded respect.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Baihan stood up and slowly raised her head.
The Emperor, seated upon the Dragon Throne, appeared to be close to fifty years of age, his temples fully gray—surely a testament to the toll of state affairs.
His eyes, imposing, stared at her.
Chu Baihan could not fathom his thoughts.
After what seemed a long while, he suddenly let out a light laugh.
"This little girl dares to meet my gaze directly; you have the demeanor of your mother, Lady Xu, from years past," he said, his voice filled with a sense of reminiscence as if recalling a memory from long ago.
Lady Xu? Indeed, her mother was of the Xu surname.
The Emperor... he...
"Your Majesty, your daughter is guilty," Chu Baihan realized that he must already know about her taking her sister's place in marriage, and she hurried to confess.
"Just now you called yourself 'Princess Consort,' but now 'common girl?' Do you feel that being part of the Royal Family has brought you disgrace?" The Emperor's face chilled, his tone laced with anger.
"Your humble daughter... the Princess Consort didn't mean that." Chu Baihan shook her head quickly.
"It is well if you did not mean it. Now that you have married into the Royal Family, you are the eighth Prince's Princess Consort, and you must be careful with how you address yourself in the future. As for Minister Chu, it seems he truly has grown old and muddled. How could the Royal Family's bride be arranged at his whim?"
The final words were as if he was talking to himself.
The grand hall was extremely quiet, with only his voice echoing.
Chu Baihan observed his expression—neither angry nor pleased—and his tone, which truly baffled her.
"Having entered the doors of the Royal Family, you must now guard your heart, eighth Prince's wife, don't you agree?" The Emperor said, looking at Chu Baihan with a meaningful tone.
What exactly was the Emperor implying with his words?
Chu Baihan could feel the chill of sweat on her back; the mind of the sovereign was inscrutable, and today she had come to a complete understanding of this.
Just as the standoffish atmosphere was set to continue, Yan Lin finally spoke again, "Father Emperor, the Empress Dowager misses me. If you have no further needs, I will take the Princess Consort to pay respects to her."
His tone was as cold as before, entirely devoid of respect.
Strangely enough, the Emperor was not angered.
He nodded, speaking gravely, "Indeed, your royal grandmother has always been concerned for you. It's truly not easy to have you come to the palace; go ahead."
The interaction between father and son was quite peculiar, thought Chu Baihan, furrowing her brows in thought.
Suddenly, she heard Yan Lin's displeased voice at her side, "Aren't you going?"
"Your concubine is leaving now." Coming back to her senses, Chu Baihan quickly reached out to support his arm, carefully helping him to leave.
She felt it, as if there was a fire raging within his body.
Why was he angry? Was he harboring resentment against the Emperor?
"If you don't want to die a gruesome death, restrain your curiosity," Yan Lin said with a cold sneer as they stepped outside.
Chu Baihan's expression stiffened, and after a long moment, she timidly responded, "This concubine understands."
No matter, once she rescued Nan Xing, they would flee this place at once.
The secrets of the Imperial Palace were not to be probed too deeply; the more one knew, the faster one died.
"When we arrive at the Empress Dowager's quarters, if you speak out of turn, I will kill you," Yan Lin spoke again, his cold tone issuing an unmistakable warning.