The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

When He Dongchen had to deliver Essence-Nourishing Pills to the Emperor, he frequently visited the palace, encountering Jiang Yueming about three times out of ten visits.

Jiang Yueming, a seventh-rank official, had become quite a favorite in the court due to “his” frequent summons by the Emperor. Many people, envious, whispered behind his back.

Of course, many people sought to win him over. Jiang Yueming, still unmarried, had numerous matchmakers visiting his home. Even the Emperor had heard of it and jokingly offered to arrange a marriage for Jiang Yueming.

Jiang Yueming was terrified and tried his best to decline. As he left the palace, his steps became heavy.

He Dongchen happened to witness the Emperor urging Jiang Yueming to marry and even helped smooth things over for him.

The two left the palace together. He Dongchen, fanning himself, looked at the clouds on the horizon and casually asked, “Tomorrow is Official Jiang’s day off. How about visiting Ling Mountain Temple and asking about your marriage prospects?”

Jiang Yueming’s eyes flickered. After a moment, he shook his head and said, “My mother asked about it many years ago and was told that I shouldn’t marry too early.”

Although he shouldn’t marry early, it was still possible to get engaged. Despite the Jiang family being small in number, they had some background. Jiang Yueming himself was distinguished in appearance and position, and with his status as a court favorite, he was naturally very sought after.

He Dongchen said no more, leaving him to his own worries.

***

The next day, He Dongchen received invitations from a few of his friends to go to Liuli Garden to compose poetry.

Liuli Garden, located within the city, was the residence of a regent from the previous dynasty. Built mainly of glazed tiles, it was extremely luxurious. Due to its many excesses and poor symbolism, it was not suitable to be given to anyone. It had now become an imperial attraction open to the public with an entrance fee. As a high-end venue in the capital, many dignitaries and scholars enjoyed visiting it.

With nothing else to do, He Dongchen accepted the invitation and went to see the magnificent Liuli Garden.

As he alighted from his carriage, he saw a crowd gathered outside Liuli Garden. In the center, a woman’s crying could be heard, her tone melodious and sorrowful, like a theatrical performance.

He Dongchen also saw Jiang Yueming, dressed in white, standing at the edge of the crowd.

Jiang Yueming was shorter in stature, slightly on tiptoe, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

He Dongchen raised an eyebrow and, fanning himself, walked over.

“Sir Jiang.”

Startled by the call, Jiang Yueming turned his head to see He Dongchen in white. He relaxed his brow and smiled, “Duke Fufeng, what a coincidence.”

The two stood side by side, began to observe, and unknowingly squeezed their way to the front row.

In the center lay a bulging, tattered straw mat, with a pair of feet exposed. Next to it, a woman in plain clothes knelt on the ground, her head lowered in tears. Her coarse cloth-wrapped body was graceful, and when she bowed her head, a long, slender neck was revealed. Her skin was as white as snow, and several strands of black hair hung down, making one wish to reach out and push them aside.

The woman, with tears streaming down her face, spoke with a voice that was both melodic and sorrowful, “My father passed away far from home. I only seek a coffin for him. I have nothing to offer in return but my own life. I’m willing to sell myself into servitude to repay your kindness.”

He Dongchen understood immediately; it was a case of selling oneself to bury a father.

Such scenes were common in the capital and weren’t particularly surprising.

Most of the men watching were merely there for the spectacle. Some, with ulterior motives, might offer a bit of silver to take her away.

However, most people weren’t interested in bringing an unknown woman into their homes.

He Dongchen watched the scene leisurely.

Jiang Yueming frowned and suddenly stepped forward, saying, “Why not come back to my residence?”

He Dongchen paused momentarily with his fan: “…”

The onlookers immediately turned their attention to Jiang Yueming, their gazes drawn to his handsome appearance. Some recognized him as last year’s top scholar, the editor from the Hanlin Academy, Sir Jiang.

Unexpectedly, even Sir Jiang had such a side to him. Engaging with outside flowers and plants. Maintaining his own purity…? what a joke.

The crowd whispered among themselves, casting mocking glances at Jiang Yueming.

The woman selling herself lifted her gaze slightly to look at Jiang Yueming. Seeing his distinguished appearance and fine attire, she felt pleased. With a modest nod, she was about to agree.

***

At that moment, a clear and discordant voice rang out.

“Miss, let me bury your father. Please stand up.”

As the voice fell, everyone saw a woman in red walking gracefully towards them. She had a striking appearance and a composed demeanor that seemed incongruous with her age. Behind her were two maids in green.

The crowd exchanged puzzled looks. A woman intervening in the matter of selling oneself to bury a father, what’s the point?

The woman selling herself cast a hint of dismay in her eyes. On the surface, she gratefully declined, “I’m too lowly to burden this noble lady.”

Song Qile smiled slightly, “I admire your filial piety. It is truly a pity to sell yourself into servitude just to bury your father. Why not come to my residence? I will help you find a livelihood in the future, and you can focus on supporting your family and raising children.”

The woman selling herself changed her expression to one of displeasure upon hearing that. Leaving behind a decent life to become a servant seemed too deliberate.

Reluctant, she continued to decline, “But I have already promised this gentleman. Thank you for your kind offer.”

She cast a shy glance at the tall and elegant Jiang Yueming, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Song Qile frowned slightly, looked at Jiang Yueming, and then noticed He Dongchen beside him. She was pleasantly surprised, “Duke Fufeng, you’re here too.”

He Dongchen asked leisurely, “And you are?”

Song Qile’s smile faltered. “I’m Song Qile, the legitimate daughter of the second branch of the Pingyang Marquis’s family. We have met before; Princess Xiangyang even gifted me a qin.”

At her words, the onlookers suddenly remembered. Wasn’t the daughter of the second branch of the Pingyang Marquis’s family the one who had been driven out of Ling Mountain Temple for mingling with outside men?

Was she the legitimate daughter or the stepdaughter?

People began to scrutinize Song Qile openly and whispered among themselves.

“I don’t recall,” He Dongchen shook his head, his tone indifferent.

Song Qile gritted her teeth and turned her attention back to Jiang Yueming, saying, “This young master, I am willing to help this young lady. Please make it convenient for me.”

Jiang Yueming sighed inwardly and was about to speak when He Dongchen spoke up first, “Let her help then. Besides, she isn’t as good looking as you.”

At those words, the crowd was momentarily stunned. They looked from the woman selling herself to Jiang Yueming. Indeed, who was more interested at whom was still uncertain.

The woman selling herself: “…” She felt like she had been struck by an arrow to the heart.

Seeing that Song Qile was resolute and not wanting to engage further, Jiang Yueming stepped back and said flatly, “Please, go ahead.”

He Dongchen shook his fan and said, “Let’s go. My friends are waiting.”

He Dongchen pulled Jiang Yueming away from the crowd, moving swiftly, and soon they had disappeared from view.

Song Qile frowned, puzzled. Princess Xiangyang had clearly held me in high regard, so why had no one come to propose marriage yet?

Now, seeing Duke Fufeng’s indifferent attitude towards her, Song Qile’s firm resolve began to waver. Perhaps she had been deluding herself in her past life; even if her purity hadn’t been ruined by her stepsister, Princess Xiangyang might still have found her unacceptable.

That realization was difficult for Song Qile to accept.

She stood there, lost in thought.

As the crowd dispersed, having lost interest, Song Qile came to her senses. By the time she looked around, the woman selling herself and her father had already disappeared without a trace.

***

Song Qile sneered and suddenly remembered something. She turned to her maid and asked, “Who is the man next to Duke Fufeng?”

“That is the top scholar from last year, Sir Jiang, the editor,” the maid replied, her face reddening. “Miss, you must remember; last year we saw the scholars parading, and we even threw a handkerchief to Sir Jiang. Unfortunately, Sir Jiang refused all marriage proposals as he isn’t ready to marry, so he remains a bachelor.”

Chapter 102.2 The Treasured Son in Family Strife (3)

Song Qile abruptly turned to look in the direction where He Dongchen and Jiang Yueming had left.

Jiang Yueming! What top scholar! He was a woman!

In her past life, Song Qile had been trapped in the inner quarters and had once heard Wang Wu curse Jiang Yueming, saying he deceived the world by pretending to be a man while being a woman and mingling in court affairs.

Song Qile hadn’t expected to run into Jiang Yueming here. Her heart raced, and she prepared to return home with her maid.

Just a few steps away, they were suddenly stopped by a guard with a sword and were invited into a nearby tavern.

It turned out that the Crown Prince had been observing the entire scene from the second floor, noticing Song Qile’s deliberate attempt to present herself in front of Duke Fufeng and her disheartened demeanor after being ignored.

Last time, this woman had caused his spy to be exposed, resulting in severe scolding from his father. The Heir, feeling resentful, called her over and straightforwardly asked, “Do you want to enter Princess Xiangyang’s residence?”

Song Qile’s heart skipped a beat, and she stood by the door warily. “Who are you?”

The guard answered on behalf of the Heir, “My master is the Heir of Prince Cheng’s residence.”

The Heir! Song Qile was stunned. Before her death in her past life, she had heard that the Heir of Prince Cheng’s residence had been appointed as the Crown Prince!

The future Crown Prince!

Song Qile’s breathing grew rapid, and her hands were sweaty.

The Heir was somewhat pleased by her reaction. His expression softened slightly as he continued, “If you want to enter Princess Xiangyang’s residence, I can help you.”

Song Qile came back to her senses, and after a moment, shook her head with a bitter smile. “I wanted to before, but not now. Although Princess Xiangyang gave me a gift at the flower banquet, she has been silent ever since. You must have seen Duke Fufeng’s attitude towards me. I’ll have neither the satisfaction of my mother-in-law nor the affection of my husband. There’s no need to force it. Even if I were to somehow enter the residence, I wouldn’t be happy.”

Her words made the Heir see her in a new light.

He had initially thought that Song Qile was just a scheming woman eager to marry into a prestigious family. Now, it appeared that she was rare in her ability to weigh the pros and cons and to know when to retreat. Unfortunately, her background was lacking; otherwise…

The Heir shook his head, dismissing the absurd thought. He had lost interest in causing trouble and spoke to the guard, “Escort the young lady downstairs.”

“Yes, Young Master.” The guard responded and said to Song Qile, “Please.”

Song Qile bowed slightly and turned to leave. Just as she reached the door, she stopped abruptly.

If she left like this, she would never reach a higher status. In this new life, Song Qile only wanted to secure a brilliant future for herself. She would rather let the world owe her than owing the world!

Taking a deep breath, Song Qile turned back into the room. “I know a secret and wish to make a deal with Prince Cheng’s Heir.”

***

Meanwhile, He Dongchen had introduced Jiang Yueming to several young gentlemen. They enjoyed some food and drinks and composed a few poems, and the morning had passed quickly.

On the way back, He Dongchen escorted Jiang Yueming all the way. The Jiang residence and the Princess’s residence were only two streets apart.

The carriage was spacious, but Jiang Yueming felt a bit uncomfortable and lifted the curtain to get some fresh air.

Upon reaching her destination, Jiang Yueming hurriedly got out of the carriage without delay. After watching the carriage drive away, she turned and went back to the residence.

The Jiang family had once been illustrious, and the house was very large, but it felt cold and empty, with hardly any people around.

When Jiang’s father died in battle, Mother Jiang, to protect the family estate, falsely claimed that Jiang Yueming was a boy. Thanks to the protection of Father Jiang’s former colleagues, they hadn’t been swallowed by their relatives.

One mistake led to another, and Jiang Yueming was pushed step by step towards the imperial examination and the court. The situation continued to escalate, and one day, it might all come crashing down.

“Mother, I’m back,” Jiang Yueming said, her steps heavy as she entered the main courtyard.

The woman who was embroidering immediately set aside her work upon hearing her daughter’s voice. With a worried look in her eyes, she said, “Today, another matchmaker came to discuss your marriage. I’m so worried; even though I’ve stopped going out, they still come to the residence.”

If Jiang Yueming had been a son, her mother would have felt honored. But she had given birth to a daughter! How could a woman marry and father children? It was simply a waste of another family’s daughter.

“Why don’t you resign from your official post, and we can go back to our hometown? There aren’t so many influential figures there who we can’t offend…” Mother Jiang chattered, grasping her daughter’s sleeve.

Jiang Yueming shook her head. “To preserve the residence back then, I entered the imperial examination. After 10 years of hard study, I’ve reached this point today. I can’t resign now. I’m not willing to give up.”

After 10 years of diligent study, did she not have any ambitions left?

Today on the street, when Jiang Yueming saw the woman selling herself to bury her father, she suddenly had an idea. She initially planned to redeem the woman and create a romantic persona to discourage families from marrying their daughters to her.

As for the woman selling herself fraudulently, it would be easy to deal with her, either by paying her off or handling her otherwise.

Unfortunately, the matter was disrupted by people from Marquis Pingyang’s residence.

Jiang Yueming felt disheartened but not disappointed. She still had a plan. If one woman selling herself had escaped, another woman selling herself to bury her father might appear.

Jiang Yueming began going out frequently, even taking strolls around the streets after finishing work.

He Dongchen encountered her twice and felt as if Jiang Yueming was wearing a sign that read, ‘I’m a sucker! Come and scam me!’

Unfortunately, the capital had been calm for the past few days, with no cases of selling oneself to bury a father or villains oppressing women.

He Dongchen watched the scene with interest, but one day, he suddenly met Jiang Yueming in the palace and noticed a change in her demeanor. Although she still appeared to be in good spirits, there was a hint of gloom in her eyes.

He Dongchen frowned. After observing for a while, he discovered that Jiang Yueming was secretly in contact with people from Prince Cheng’s residence!

Jiang Yueming was a prominent figure at court who had always been cautious. How could she be involved with Prince Cheng’s residence? If the Emperor found out, it would be disastrous.

“Find out what Song Qile is doing,” He Dongchen said, tapping on the table.

A person emerged from the shadows, clasped his hands in salute, and quickly departed.

After some time, He Dongchen received a report; Song Qile had been frantically attending banquets recently, gaining much acclaim. In addition, she had secretly opened a beauty shop, which was thriving. Moreover, her younger brother had entered the imperial education courtyard.

There was no doubt that the invitations and quotas were arranged with the help of the Prince Cheng’s residence, and the staff for the shop were also under Prince Cheng’s Heir’s control.

Connecting the dots, He Dongchen sneered. It seemed that Song Qile had sold Jiang Yueming to Prince Cheng’s Heir, securing substantial benefits for herself.

***

He Dongchen could track Jiang Yueming’s movements, and of course, the Emperor, with his numerous informants, could as well.

Recently, the Emperor’s gaze towards Jiang Yueming had grown more profound.

“Official Jiang, recently someone has reported to me that you are conspiring with Prince Cheng’s residence.”

With a thud, Jiang Yueming fell to his knees, sweating profusely. He hurriedly took out a stack of banknotes from his sleeve and presented them with both hands. “Your Majesty, please look. These are the bribes from Prince Cheng’s residence.”

The Emperor was taken aback, not expecting Jiang Yueming to admit it directly and voluntarily hand over the evidence!

He Dongchen raised his eyebrows and interjected, “What is the meaning of this, Sir Jiang?”

Jiang Yueming quickly explained, “The Prince Cheng’s residence has leveraged a compromising situation against me and bribed me heavily, threatening and enticing me to act on their behalf. However, I’m loyal to Your Majesty and dared not deceive you. I’ve come to the palace today to present the truth and submit myself to Your Majesty’s judgment.”

The Emperor squinted and asked in a deep voice, “What compromising situation?”

He had already imagined various scenarios, including Jiang Yueming making mistakes in his duties, colluding with others, or even cheating in the imperial examinations, and perhaps there were hidden circumstances surrounding Father Jiang’s death in battle.

Instead, Jiang Yueming, blushing and stammering, said, “I… I can’t… Raise that…”

Cough, cough!

He Dongchen almost choked.

The Emperor was momentarily stunned.

Is that all?

No, no, no, this concerns a man’s honor; it is indeed a serious matter!

The Emperor, who had no children of his own, felt deeply about that issue, and his anger flared up. He slammed the table, “Prince Cheng’s residence is truly insidious! They sent spies into Grand Princess Xiangyang residence before, and I gave them a warning. Now they even dare to extend their reach to my people; it is utterly audacious!”

Jiang Yueming remained on the ground, looking indignant.

It really seemed like the case.

“I implore Your Majesty to keep this secret for me.”

The Emperor spoke kindly, “Rest assured, Official Jiang.” No wonder this young man didn’t take a wife.

He Dongchen struggled to keep a straight face. After the Emperor finished his reprimand, he prepared to deal with Prince Cheng’s residence and He Dongchen left the palace with Jiang Yueming.

***

On the way, He Dongchen saw Jiang Yueming looking dejected and made a pointed remark, “Do you know what the crime of deceiving the Emperor is?”

Jiang Yueming perked up and replied, “Can I lie about such matters?”

Being a woman, she indeed couldn’t lift that thing.

Jiang Yueming knew that, exposed as a woman, she could use that promise to save her life, but once she was on Prince Cheng’s residence’s ship, it would be a path to ruin, with no turning back.

Now, she could only take things one step at a time. Even if exposed, she would have to continue with Prince Cheng’s residence.