The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort (Chapters 1- 203)

Chapter 173 : A Gamble

Translated by : Shl

Edited by : Anks & Ely

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Xia Jun's eyes darkened, and his eyes betrayed his emotion for a split second. In the blink of an eye, though, he smiled coolly and asked, "Elder Cousin, what do you mean?"

"Cousin and I both have Xia family blood running through our veins, so we should deal with one another frankly, and there's no need to speak in riddles. Cousin, that you have fallen to such a dire state, unable to enter officialdom, and can only do Eighth Highness' work in secret without the possibility of ever achieving the official position and honour that is due to you- all of this is thanks to whom?" Jiang Chao laughed and said, "You and I are both well aware of what the answer is!"

Xia Jun observed Jiang Chao with a slight smile. He and Jiang Chao were not the same – although Jiang Chao was working for Xuan Li and his official career seemed to be on the upward trend now, at best, Xia Yan had protected him too well because he was not shrewd enough to handle officialdom. Moreover, Jiang Chao had also inherited Jiang Quan's cowardly and fickle temperament, and had on quite a few occasions thought himself pretty clever. For example, from what he had just said, Xia Jun knew without a doubt that Jiang Chao had deliberately spoken those words for him to hear. However, he remained silent.

"It is my honour to assist Eighth Highness, so I don't dare to complain. As for Elder Cousin's promotion, that is Elder Cousin's good fortune. My fortune is not good, and there's no one to blame," Xia Jun said.

Jiang Chao closely regarded Xia Jun when he heard these words. Xia Jun was an enigmatic and unfathomable person. While unable to become an official due to the imperial edict, he had unexpectedly become Xuan Li's helping hand on the outside. By now, Jiang Chao had clearly figured out some of Xuan Li's habits, and he never made use of someone who was incompetent. Xia Jun's position had already been special, but for Xuan Li to sit up and take notice of him, he must possess great capability. Jiang Chao was a naturally petty and narrow-minded person. Although he viewed interacting with Xia Jun as a taboo, the situation had changed, and he had no other option but to conspire with him.

"Truth be told, Cousin, this meeting is Eighth Highness' idea." Knowing that continuing to play taichi[1] would not be beneficial to him, Jiang Chao decided to speak frankly. He said, "Eighth Highness gave me a command, but I feel that we can take this matter further. However, I need Cousin's help."

[1] 打太极 (dǎtàijí) – to practice tai chi. fig. to avoid responsibility / to pass the buck.

Xia Jun leisurely stretched out his hand and poured himself a cup of wine. The wine swirled around lightly, emitting a faintly alluring, intoxicating fragrance. Xia Jun picked up the cup but was in no hurry to drink. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly, as if sniffing the light aroma of the wine. Taking his time, he said, "Oh?Then, Elder Cousin, what benefit do I gain from participating in this? How far can we take this?"

He was not anxious to ask what was to be done, or how it was to be done. The first thing he asked about was the end point. This made clear that Xia Jun was not the type to be concerned about methods. Whatever the situation, his only requirement was that it had a satisfactory outcome.

Jiang Chao lowered his voice, and his expression turned cold briefly. "The outcome? That would depend on how much Cousin dares to gamble."

"What if I dare to gamble the entire Xia family?" Xia Jun smiled slightly.

Astounded, Jiang Chao carefully scrutinised the person before him again. Xia Jun's face was handsome and bright, but there was something melancholic about his eyes. Those eyes gleamed all of a sudden, like a starving wolf on its last legs in the wilderness which had unexpectedly caught sight of prey; there was a kind of crazed excitement. Jiang Chao suppressed his shock with difficulty, for his instincts told him that his cousin was truly someone who had gone insane. Yet, on the surface, he solemnly continued, "Then, I promise Cousin, after this matter has been concluded, this world will no longer have the General fu, and neither will it have the Jinyi Guard. Even more so, it will not have . . . Jiang Ruan and Jiang Xin Zhi, that pair of siblings." He continued, "At that time, I will personally deliver Hong'an Junzhu into Cousin 's hands. Then, whatever Cousin wants to do, go ahead and do it."