After the Alluring Beauty Was Forced into a Political Marriage - Chapter 13

Shen Lianzhi was already aching all over, and after such a futile outburst, his composure returned only to leave him feeling as if his very bones had been removed. He no longer had an ounce of strength left to struggle.

He lay on the bed in his blood-stained undergarments, staring blankly at the dark canopy above. Had it not been for the faint breath from his nostrils, he would have been indistinguishable from a corpse.

Lianzhi was exhausted. Amidst the soft footsteps of servants entering and leaving, he closed his eyes and drifted into a heavy sleep, still fully clothed. By the time he woke, the sky had turned black once more.

Xiao Anzi helped him up. While Lianzhi massaged his aching thighs, he reached out with his foot to find his shoes.

Having just woken up, his mind was still hazy. As he sat with his head bowed, his gaze drifted casually toward a patch of white not far away.

Lianzhi squinted to focus, and then he recoiled in horror. He kicked off the shoe he had half-put on and pointed a trembling finger at the fox fur nearby. “How can this be? That thing, why is that thing still here?!”

Seeing this, Xiao Anzi said in a panic, “Khatun, that fox fur was picked up from outside the royal tent by a few servants. They thought it was a precious gift bestowed upon you by the Great King, so they…”

“Precious gift? What precious gift?!” Lianzhi pressed his hand to his forehead, his face pale with a mix of returning fear and loathing. He waved his left hand so frantically it left an afterimage. “Take it away! Take it away!”

He said resentfully, “These barbarians are truly bullies. Who gives someone such a filthy, gruesome thing? It is nothing more than a deliberate attempt to oppress me!”

Lianzhi could hardly be blamed for thinking this way. Had Siqin Bari gifted him a finished, cured fox skin, he would not have been so repulsed. Instead, this was a freshly flayed hide, still dripping with blood.

Lianzhi believed that while he might not be exceptionally bright, he was not so stupid as to be beyond hope. At the very least, he could read the room. First, he had caused a scene, and immediately afterward, Siqin Bari sent over a bloody fox fur. What else could it mean?

Lianzhi had already parsed the underlying message. The young Chanyu was warning him that if he dared to cause trouble again, he, Shen Lianzhi, would be the next one to be skinned. This was no gift; it was a cold, calculated warning.

He truly could not bear to have that thing in his sight, for fear of scaring himself to death.

Xiao Anzi pinched a corner of the fur and carried it out. He did not dare actually throw it away, so he tucked it into a far corner of the tent where the fur would not catch Lianzhi’s eye. He even added two spiteful kicks for good measure, shoving the hide behind a leather trunk.

The master and servant made do with some millet porridge for dinner. Lianzhi looked at the food in his bowl with a frown, missing the delicate delicacies of the Zhou palace more than ever. He felt he would rather starve than take another bite.

After the meal, Lianzhi gave himself a cursory wash and climbed back onto the bed, feeling quite depressed.

Just as he was closing his eyes to force himself to sleep, he heard the wind rise outside. A sudden draft of cold air swept into the tent, making him shiver. The chill chased away what little sleepiness he had left. A spark of anger rose in his chest, and he sat up abruptly, only to swallow his words the moment he saw the person standing in the tent.

The silence was so heavy a needle could be heard hitting the floor. Lianzhi and Xiao Anzi stared at the newcomer with unmistakable surprise. In Lianzhi’s eyes, there was even a trace of rejection. This was naturally captured by Siqin Bari, who raised an eyebrow in displeasure. “What, is the Khatun unhappy to see me?”

“This is my tent. Am I not allowed to come here?”

“Great King, the Great King misunderstood. How could I be unhappy?” Lianzhi cursed the little beast’s hawk-like eyes. Fearing he might notice something else, Lianzhi quickly lowered his head, choosing to look away entirely.

Lianzhi felt a surge of regret. He had forgotten that this tent was still the little barbarian’s territory. Nighttime encounters were inevitable. Given the scene he had caused during the day, and the fact that Siqin Bari was hardly a benevolent soul, he feared he was in for a rough time.

Siqin Bari still carried the chill of the outside air. As he approached step by step, Lianzhi shivered again. He bit his lower lip and dared not even breathe.

Siqin Bari looked him up and down. Seeing Lianzhi remain silent, he assumed the man had taken his previous words to heart and learned to be obedient. His expression softened slightly. “Is the Khatun resting so early?”

Siqin Bari felt that although he did not have much affection for Shen Lianzhi, the man was his Khatun now. Since they had become husband and wife through a twist of fate, they might as well live together properly. However, Shen Lianzhi was so afraid of him that it was like a mouse seeing a cat, which was quite boring. Siqin Bari felt this needed to change, so he softened his attitude, hoping to share some intimacy with Lianzhi.

But he was used to being domineering and was quite unaccustomed to such things. He stood there as stiffly as a post for a long time before finally finding a topic of conversation. “Shen Lianzhi, that fox fur I gave you.”

As Siqin Bari spoke, he glanced around the tent but could not find a single hair of the fox. He turned back, sounding confused. “Where did you put it?”

“Bring it out, that thing still.” Siqin Bari had intended to say that the fur had not been properly cleaned and that he would send it back after it was finished. However, as he turned his head, his gaze locked onto the space behind the newly stacked leather trunks.

There was the missing fox fur, squeezed into the corner in a pathetic heap.

Lianzhi took advantage of the moment to steal a glance at him. Seeing Siqin Bari’s face suddenly darken, Lianzhi’s own face wrinkled in extreme annoyance. To tell the truth, Lianzhi’s heart had skipped a beat the moment the fox fur was mentioned. He knew it! This was where the trap was!

He knew Siqin Bari would not let him off so easily! He was going to use this as an excuse to cause trouble. Lianzhi thought despairingly, wondering if he would be punished with a whip or something worse.

Alas! He only hated that he was not smooth enough or submissive enough. What use was caution? It was just a fox fur! If he had just swallowed his pride at the time, perhaps he would not have to suffer this undeserved disaster!

He waited in a state of restless anxiety, watching as Siqin Bari’s face became as dark as a thundercloud, as if a storm were about to break.

Lianzhi closed his eyes in fear. But after waiting for a long time, he did not hear Siqin Bari speak. Instead, he heard a series of muffled footsteps. Lianzhi cautiously opened one eye, and what he saw left him stunned.

The little barbarian walked slowly toward the stack of trunks. He knelt, braced himself against a trunk, and carefully pulled out the fox fur. He rested his palm on it and stroked it with a movement that could almost be called gentle. He kept his head bowed, and the tent was dim, so Lianzhi could not see his expression clearly. However, what Siqin Bari did next made him stop breathing.

Siqin Bari drew the dagger from his waist. The cold blade plunged into the fur with the force of splitting bamboo. The sudden tearing sound made Lianzhi’s heart leap with fright. With a cold face and tight lips, Siqin Bari used the knife to shred the fur into a mess. He used so much force that he nearly cut through the animal-skin carpet on the floor. Shen Lianzhi felt his hands and feet go cold as he watched the boy acting so frantically in the gloom.

Only after the fox fur was shredded beyond recognition did Siqin Bari stop. After such an outburst, he was not even out of breath. He wordlessly sheathed his dagger and then turned silently to look at Shen Lianzhi.

In the shadows, his eyes appeared even more eerily green. That deep gaze made the hair on Lianzhi’s spine stand on end. Siqin Bari stood up, his head slightly tilted. The seventeen-year-old youth looked like an arrogant wolf. Still clutching the mangled fur in one hand, Siqin Bari turned and left without saying a single word to Lianzhi.

Lianzhi thought he intended to take the fur away, but that was not the case. The tent flap was held open by the wind for a long moment. Lianzhi saw Siqin Bari toss the fox fur carelessly into a dirty snow pit before walking away without looking back.

For the next several days, Shen Lianzhi did not see him again.

There was a rule on the steppes that when a Chanyu married, all the tribes had to come to the court to offer their congratulations. The kings and queens of these tribes were expected to stay for ten to fifteen days before departing.

Lianzhi had been the Khatun for some time now. By his calculations, it was time for the tribal kings and their families to leave. This would normally not be an issue, except that the Chanyu’s elder sister, Surina, decided to host a banquet for the relatives before they departed.

The new Chanyu was brave but young, and he needed the support of the various tribes. Hosting a banquet to show hospitality and proper etiquette was perfectly reasonable.

The only victim was Lianzhi. Though he was a man, his status as the Khatun meant he was categorized as a female relative and was expected to attend. Lianzhi had a massive headache, and not just because he was shy and disliked banquets. More importantly, he had never wanted this marriage in the first place. Dealing with one Siqin Bari was difficult enough, let alone his sister.

Shen Lianzhi’s personality was not particularly likable, and he did not know how to say pretty things. He was very afraid of causing friction, so he avoided many things as much as possible.

Some days ago, Surina had come to see him. At that time, Shen Lianzhi had just gone through the two major incidents of his “attempted suicide” and “throwing away the fox fur.” After hearing Xiao Anzi’s report, he had been terrified, thinking Surina had come to settle scores. In a moment of confusion, he had lied and said he was unwell to send her away.

The excuse was full of holes. Unless Surina was a fool, she would not have believed it. However, she had shown no change in expression, simply saying, “Khatun, take good care of your health,” before leaving.

Although Lianzhi had escaped that ordeal, the stone in his heart remained.

“I cannot pretend to be sick forever.” Shen Lianzhi gave a deep sigh. He took the white Hu-style clothing from a servant and whispered to Xiao Anzi, “Whether I stretch my neck or shrink it, the blade will fall eventually. I might as well just go.”

Xiao Anzi agreed, “The Khatun is a person of great fortune. You were able to save your life at the hands of such a violent and tyrannical person as the Great King, so what are others compared to him? Besides, in front of so many people at the banquet, the Eldest Princess cannot truly do anything to you.”

Hearing Xiao Anzi call him a person of great fortune, Lianzhi could not help but feel ashamed. His lip twitched. He rejected the flashy silver hair ornaments offered by the servants, tied his hair himself, and put on a standard hair crown.

“I hope so!” Lianzhi sighed deeply once more.

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