After the Alluring Beauty Was Forced into a Political Marriage - Chapter 1

Twilight deepened as a light, salt-like snow began to fall over Chang’an, dusting the palace eaves in a thin, pale layer.

Inside the imperial palace, red lanterns were hung and scarlet silks tied, their brilliant fabric swaying in the wind. Yet, amidst the snow, the display did not appear auspicious or festive; instead, it carried a haunting, mournful beauty.

The long streets were nearly deserted, save for a young eunuch carrying a food box. He walked with his head bowed, treading unevenly through the drifts toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony. For some reason, the Emperor had not attended court at the Hall of Declaring Administration today.

The doors to the Hall of Supreme Harmony were tightly shut. The young eunuch came to a halt, gathered his courage, and knocked. After a brief wait, the door was opened by an old, white-haired eunuch with narrow eyes, holding a horsetail whisk.

The young eunuch immediately forced a fawning smile. “Manager Zhao.”

Manager Zhao squinted at him. “Why have you come?”

“Her Ladyship sent me to deliver some mung bean cakes to His Majesty,” the young eunuch said politely.

Manager Zhao’s narrow brows knit together, and he let out a cold snort. He replied quite ruthlessly, “The Noble Consort is most thoughtful. However, Princess Huining caused such a catastrophe last night; how could His Majesty possibly be in the mood for cakes? Go back.”

“Manager! Ancestor!” The young eunuch grew frantic, shoving the food box into the old man’s arms.

“Please, have mercy,” he pleaded, using his wide sleeve to conceal his hand as he pressed something into Manager Zhao’s palm.

Manager Zhao discreetly weighed the object, shot the young eunuch a glance, and said nothing more. He accepted the bribe and carried the food box into the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Inside the hall, the Emperor sat upon the dragon throne while several ministers stood before the imperial desk with their heads bowed. The Emperor’s face was ashen, and the ministers’ brows were furrowed in deep distress. The atmosphere was stifling, heavy with the tension of an approaching storm.

Hearing footsteps, the Emperor glanced up with extreme impatience. “Who is it?”

Manager Zhao put on a smile and gingerly placed the box beside him. “The Noble Consort sent someone with mung bean cakes. Her Ladyship knew Your Majesty had not eaten breakfast and was worried.”

Before he could finish, the Emperor swept his hand across the desk. The food box hit the floor with a loud thud. The Emperor roared, “She still has the mind for such things?!”

As the Son of Heaven vented his fury, everyone in the hall trembled, not daring to breathe. Under the heavy guard of the imperial palace, a weak, defenseless princess had somehow managed to escape.

The guards on night duty had been derelict. It was not until dawn that they realized how suspicious the carriage leaving at midnight had been. Only then did they realize disaster had struck and secretly reported it to the Emperor.

But a whole night had passed; the Princess had long since fled the city gates. Words were now useless.

“In three days, she was supposed to depart for the Great Xia Kingdom to be married for a peace alliance! What do we do now? How am I to give an account to the Chanyu of Great Xia? Where am I supposed to find her?!”

The Kingdom of Zhou and the Great Xia of the steppes had been enemies for generations, constantly at war. The steppe people were brave and skilled in combat, while the Emperor of Zhou was in his twilight years and lacked the strength to resist. A truce was the best possible outcome, but the Chanyu of Great Xia had one condition: he wanted to marry a Princess of Zhou.

Furthermore, she could not be a mere relative of the imperial house; she had to be the Emperor’s own biological daughter.

The poor Emperor, nearly sixty years old, had few children to begin with. He was forced to give away his only daughter, Princess Huining; but now that she had fled, where could he find another biological daughter?

Without a princess, there would be war. As the Emperor agonized over the situation, the Prime Minister, who had been standing with his head bowed, stepped forward holding his ivory tablet.

“Your Majesty, the situation is not yet hopeless. Though Princess Huining is gone, Your Majesty still has a Fourth Prince.”

“Or, a Fourth Princess,” he added cryptically.

This reminded the Emperor that he did have a youngest son, born as a hermaphrodite. He had considered the child an ill omen and, upon his birth, had cast him away into an unfinished, abandoned palace.

The Emperor felt a wave of irony. To think that in the end, the fate of the entire nation would rest upon this deformed son.

In truth, after Huining fled, the Emperor had considered simply finding a random woman to replace her. However, Huining’s portrait had already been sent to Great Xia. If he tried such a ruse, the secret would surely be exposed.

Furthermore, there were no women in the palace who resembled her. In a world so vast, searching for a lookalike would take months; that was time they did not have.

However, Shen Lianzhi and Shen Huining were biological siblings. If he wore makeup, he would not be identical to Huining, but he would look enough like her portrait to pass for the real thing.

No matter how much the Emperor disliked him, he was still of the legitimate royal bloodline. Moreover, since he was intersex, even if the truth came out one day, the court could insist he was the “Fourth Princess.” It would at least provide some room for maneuver.

Furthermore, he had heard that the Chanyu’s health was deteriorating daily; the man likely lacked the strength to be vigorous. Perhaps he would not even notice anything unusual about Shen Lianzhi’s body.

The more the Emperor thought about it, the more seamless and strategic the plan seemed. He waved over the Minister of Rites. “Very well. Let Shen Lianzhi take Huining’s place. If things go wrong, you will tell the Chanyu, say that he is our Zhou’s Fourth Princess.”

“As for Huining, announce that she fell ill and died suddenly last night. From this day forward, no one in the palace is permitted to mention her name.”

In a matter involving the survival of the nation, he settled the issue so carelessly. Yet, the high-ranking officials led by the Prime Minister all chimed in, praising his brilliance.

With just a few sentences, the Emperor had decided the fate of two people.

At that moment, Shen Lianzhi had no idea that his life was about to undergo a world-shaking change. He did not even know Huining had run away.

He was currently huddled in the Palace of Eternal Peace, watching the fish beneath the ice of the pond.

The Palace of Eternal Peace was a peculiar place. From the outside, it featured green tiles and red eaves, appearing magnificent. Inside, however, the walls were mottled and the structures were dilapidated.

Twenty years ago, the Emperor had intended to renovate the Palace of Eternal Peace for a favored consort.

But that consort was ill-fated. She gave birth to a deformed child and earned the Emperor’s loathing. Before her first month of recovery was even over, she and the child were thrown into this unfinished palace, where she soon passed away.

Shen Lianzhi watched the fish for a while, found it dull, and was about to go back for a nap when he saw his personal eunuch standing nearby with a smile, preparing to wrap a fur cloak around him.

“Xiao Anzi,” Shen Lianzhi blinked. “What are you smiling about?”

Xiao Anzi winked at him. “Your Highness, look who is here.”

Confused, Shen Lianzhi followed his gaze. Not far away stood a tall, elegant young man. His ink-black hair was held up by a silver crown, and he wore simple white robes that could not hide his innate noble aura.

Shen Lianzhi recognized him instantly. His chest felt warm, and his hands and feet no longer felt cold. Without waiting for Xiao Anzi to tie the cloak, he rushed toward the young man. “Brother Jingce!”

His cousin caught him steadily. Long-fingered hands touched his face. Shen Lianzhi looked up, his cheeks flushed and his heart pounding like a rabbit. “Why have you come?”

Lu Jingce did not answer immediately. Instead, he meticulously tied the cloak that was about to slip off Lianzhi’s shoulders. He then pulled out the loose hairpin from Lianzhi’s hair and used his fingers as a comb to smooth the strands.

Snow fell on their shoulders and hair, melting and wetting the locks that coiled around Jingce’s fingers, adding a touch of lingering tenderness to the scene.

Shen Lianzhi pressed close to him; he could feel that Lu Jingce’s heart was also beating faster.

“My mother came to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager,” Lu Jingce looked down, his ink-jade eyes filled with boundless affection as he gazed at Lianzhi. “I missed you, so I came along.”

Lu Jingce was the son of the Grand Princess Huayang. Princess Huayang was the Empress Dowager’s youngest daughter and the apple of her eye. As her only son, Lu Jingce was naturally of the highest nobility.

And yet, such a man was deeply and profoundly in love with Shen Lianzhi.

They had known each other since childhood, and just a few days ago, they had finally broken the silence and confessed their feelings.

Shen Lianzhi smiled and cupped Jingce’s face, standing on his tiptoes to kiss the corner of his mouth. “But we just saw each other the day before yesterday.”

Lu Jingce gave a faint smile and quietly took Shen Lianzhi’s freezing hand in his, leading him toward the house.

Though the Palace of Eternal Peace was dilapidated, Lianzhi’s bedchamber was cozy and warm. High-quality charcoal burned in the room, the furniture had been replaced, and thick silk quilts were piled on the carved mahogany bed.

All of this was Lu Jingce’s doing. No one in the palace cared for Lianzhi; only Lu Jingce treated him well, sending him every good thing he could find.

Shen Lianzhi sat on the edge of the bed, resting his chin on his hand as he watched his cousin kneel to remove his socks and wipe his feet with a warm, damp cloth.

Those jade-like, long-fingered hands held his feet, carefully and gently drying the droplets from his insteps.

Shen Lianzhi looked from Jingce’s hands to his face. His cousin’s hair was pitch black, making his skin appear incredibly fair, and his features were refined and elegant. The more Shen Lianzhi looked, the more he loved him, and his heart felt as if it were melting.

He pulled one foot back; the white sole still had some water on it, which splashed slightly. Lianzhi did not care; he lightly pressed his foot against Lu Jingce’s chest, then slid it down toward the young man’s waist. His pale toes curled slightly, hooking into Lu Jingce’s belt.

“Cousin,” Shen Lianzhi’s voice was as light as a breeze. “Stop wiping, it tickles.”

“You come up here.”

Lu Jingce looked up, his gaze intense. Their souls seemed to entwine in that look. Shen Lianzhi felt dizzy and a bit flustered under that stare.

Fortunately, Lu Jingce sat up. He leaned over, kissing Lianzhi from his forehead down to his neck. The kisses were full of tender affection. Shen Lianzhi felt light-headed and stirred by the passion. “Cousin.”

He grabbed his cousin’s beautiful hand, intending to have him unfasten his collar. His outer robe was cast aside, and he was halfway through removing his inner garment when Lu Jingce suddenly stopped.

Shen Lianzhi looked at him in confusion. He saw Lu Jingce smiling faintly as he slowly and deliberately pulled Lianzhi’s clothes back up, piece by piece. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Shen Lianzhi turned his back to him, sulking.

He thought he heard his cousin chuckle, which made him even angrier. Lu Jingce leaned in to kiss him. “Lianzhi? Lianzhi?”

Lianzhi ignored him. His cousin then reached into his robes and brought out a white jade bracelet, sliding it onto Lianzhi’s wrist.

The bracelet caught Shen Lianzhi’s attention. Although it was a simple design, the quality of the jade was exquisite. He lifted his wrist to examine it. “What is this?”

“This was given to my mother by the Empress Dowager herself when she married. My mother said that in the future, if I found someone I loved and wanted to marry as my consort, I should give this to them.”

“Lianzhi,” Lu Jingce said softly. “I like you. I love you. That is why I am not in a hurry for this moment. I have already petitioned the Empress Dowager and my mother to take you as my wife.”

Shen Lianzhi’s eyes widened in shock and immense joy. His hand began to tremble, so Lu Jingce leaned down and kissed the back of it soothingly. “Lianzhi, are you willing?”

“If you do not want to marry out, I do not mind marrying in to your house. I only want to be with you.”

Shen Lianzhi’s heart felt like it was on fire. He thought to himself, how could there be such a person? How could he love someone so much? He threw himself into Lu Jingce’s arms, burying his head in the crook of his neck. “I am willing.”

“Soon, you will have your capping ceremony to mark your adulthood. After that, we shall marry, alright?”

Lianzhi nodded frantically. He clung to Lu Jingce as if he were holding onto the rest of his life. His aunt already knew of their deep affection, and the Empress Dowager had granted the marriage. Lianzhi could not imagine anything that could tear them apart.

Lu Jingce loved him, and he loved Lu Jingce. In this world, what could be better than that?

They held each other tightly. Shen Lianzhi cherished this moment and closed his eyes. But just then, Xiao Anzi’s panicked voice rang out from outside: “Manager! Manager, you cannot go in! Ah!”

The two doors of the bedchamber were kicked open. The narrow-eyed Manager Zhao stood at the threshold, followed by a large group of imperial guards. He cleared his throat and announced in a shrill voice:

“By Imperial Decree!”

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