“Who will drink this cup – you or your wife?” An Jin stepped forward to take the wine cup, but I rushed to stop him. “Your Majesty, must it be drunk?” The Emperor smiled kindly. “It must be drunk.” “Your Majesty,” I said, holding the cup with both hands, “I often hear people praise your benevolence, calling you an enlightened ruler. Why must you make things difficult for us?” The Emperor of Qi was momentarily stunned. “How is this making things difficult? This is a kind marriage arrangement. An Jin has defied the decree and must be punished.” “Isn’t it just remarrying? We’ll comply,” I gritted my teeth, feeling my eyes burn. “A Yao,” An Jin said, pulling me close, “I will never marry anyone else.” I was on the verge of tears. An Jin was usually clever; why couldn’t he see a way out? Agreeing first and then finding a solution would be better than death… He raised the wine cup again to drink. I quickly stopped him, saying in grief: “Fine! Your Majesty, since you won’t leave us a way out, we’ll die together in this hall! And what you’ve done today cannot silence public opinion…” I had prepared for the worst, writing a novel about the Emperor forcing his subject to remarry, even including illustrations, and had Que’er send it to Chen Hua Ou at Shai Yue Zhai.
If anything happened to us, he could add an ending and publish it under the name of the Thirteenth Young Master of the Three Kingdoms.
An Jin, the Emperor, and the Empress all had strange expressions, looking somewhat stiff. Suddenly, An Jin coughed and said, “A Yao, this is not poisoned wine.”
I stood there in a daze. Had I been dramatic for nothing? The Emperor finally came to his senses, stroking his beard, frowning as the kind smile disappeared from his face. “You two are truly devoted to each other. No wonder An Jin refuses to remarry. However, to gain something, one must lose something. I’m sure you understand my meaning.”
“This subject understands,” An Jin said, raising the wine cup and drinking it in one gulp. I couldn’t stop him and could only watch nervously. Except for looking slightly pale, he seemed fine. So it wasn’t poisoned wine after all?
