After the Alluring Beauty Was Forced into a Political Marriage - Chapter 19

Ever since returning from the Library Pavilion, Shen Lianzhi had been restless and ill at ease. However, in this moment and within this setting, Lu Jingce’s tenderness enveloped him like the warm, flowing waters of a river.

Though gentle, it was impregnable.

In Lu Jingce’s presence, the Crown Prince’s threats and scoldings became nothing more than the bluster of a paper tiger.

Lianzhi was no longer afraid. Taking a deep breath, he recounted everything to Lu Jingce without reservation, even including the secret passage in the Library Pavilion where the Crown Prince held trysts with the palace candidate.

Listening to this, Lu Jingce was clearly surprised that the Crown Prince could be so audacious, yet he maintained his characteristic composure and stability.

It was only when Lianzhi described the part where the Crown Prince, upon being discovered, had used both hands and words to threaten him, that Lu Jingce’s expression shifted slightly. His eyes darkened to a depth that was almost chilling.

“I am aware of this matter now.” Lu Jingce had someone bring an ointment for bruising and personally applied it to the injury on Lianzhi’s neck. His fingertips were icy cold; even through the thin layer of ointment, the chill made Lianzhi shiver.

He was so meticulous that he had to lean in close to apply it. If Lianzhi were to merely lower his head, he would be able to kiss the crown of Lu Jingce’s head. This made Shen Lianzhi very uncomfortable, and he whispered, “Cousin, I should do it myself.”

“You?” Lu Jingce lazily lifted his eyelids to look at him, teasing softly, “Could you apply it properly? You would only slack off.”

Being so close, that deep, pleasant voice drifted inescapably into Lianzhi’s ear like a warm breeze, making half his body go weak.

Lu Jingce’s two beautiful, slender fingers were still rubbing near his Adam’s apple. Lu Jingce was a true gentleman, but Shen Lianzhi’s own thoughts were impure; the more he was touched, the more his heart wavered.

Lianzhi suffered in silence, never knowing that applying medicine could be such an ordeal.

After Lu Jingce finished speaking, he did not hear a reply for a long time. Feeling puzzled, he stopped his movements to look at him. “Lianzhi? Does it hurt?”

God knows what Shen Lianzhi was thinking, but his face flushed a deep red. He instinctively swatted away Lu Jingce’s hand which was suspended in the air. A sharp “slap” rang out clearly in the silent room.

“Do not touch me,” he said timidly, his ears turning crimson.

A flash of darkness crossed Lu Jingce’s eyes, but he quickly lowered his lashes, concealing the gloom.

Shen Lianzhi did not realize his words were ambiguous. He looked up and watched the other man cautiously. Seeing him remain silent for so long, staring only at the section of his arm that had been slapped red, Lianzhi thought he had hurt him. He said guiltily, “Cousin.”

“Hmm?” Lu Jingce looked up, his face still wearing a pleasant smile, no different from before. Only then did Shen Lianzhi feel somewhat relieved.

Seeing his anxious look, the smile at the corners of Lu Jingce’s lips deepened. He wiped his hands clean and reached up to stroke the top of Lianzhi’s head. “What are you afraid of? Your cousin will not do anything to you.”

As he spoke, he gripped a lock of fine hair and gave it a violent tug backward!

“Ah!” A sudden, piercing pain shot through his scalp, so sharp that tears nearly welled in the corners of Lianzhi’s eyes. “Cousin!”

“Lianzhi?” Lu Jingce let go as if startled, quickly cupping Shen Lianzhi’s face to lift it. His eyes were filled with concern and heartache. “What is wrong?”

Lianzhi pointed to the top of his head; the needle-like pain had not yet faded. “It hurts.”

Lu Jingce was full of regret. “It is your cousin’s fault. There was a knot in your hair, and I am afraid my finger accidentally got caught. Lianzhi will not be angry with me, will he?”

How could Shen Lianzhi ever be angry with his Brother Jingce? Once the pain passed, it was forgotten. Seeing Lu Jingce’s tormented and self-reproachful expression, Lianzhi felt only pity. Thus, he leaned submissively into Lu Jingce’s embrace. “It does not hurt anymore, Cousin.”

“Oh.” Lu Jingce held his well-behaved and likable younger brother as he always did, gently patting his back. “It was my carelessness. I will never let you feel pain again.”

Yet, from a height where Lianzhi could not see, the corners of his lips remained slightly curled, showing not a hint of genuine remorse.

“Regarding the Crown Prince, I know. Do not be afraid. These days, stay with me when I am here and do not wander off. When I am not, stay obediently in Chang’an Palace, alright?”

Shen Lianzhi nodded repeatedly.

Lu Jingce was satisfied. This was his dear brother who deserved pity, obedient and never knowing how to defy him.

So, he stroked Shen Lianzhi’s hair once more, his movements very careful this time.

“So good.”

Regarding what happened afterward, Lianzhi’s memory was somewhat blurred. He only remembered that the Crown Prince and that palace candidate were caught red-handed during their tryst in the secret passage of the Library Pavilion. At that time, the state of the two was no better than when Lianzhi had stumbled upon them.

The two were taken before the Emperor with their clothes disheveled. The Emperor was furious. If it had been any other candidate, it would not have mattered as much; at most, the Crown Prince would be charged with debauchery and confined for six months.

But it had to be this candidate. Exactly this one! The Emperor, blinded by lust, had heard of this woman’s world-toppling beauty and had secretly favored her before she could even be formally titled. After one night of passion, he could not stop thinking about her, waiting for the official selection day to welcome her into the palace.

The Crown Prince was also reckless. Seeing the matter exposed, he simply threw caution to the wind, claiming he and the woman were truly in love and begging the Emperor to bestow her upon him.

This undoubtedly added fuel to the Emperor’s already roaring fire. In a fit of rage, the Emperor issued a decree to depose the Crown Prince and imprisoned him in the Inner Prison.

The Emperor had few sons, and the Crown Prince was born of the Empress, backed by a powerful family. Everyone assumed the Emperor would rescind the order once his anger cooled. However, to everyone’s utter shock, the deposed Crown Prince reportedly hanged himself.

The man was dead. Even if the Emperor’s anger dissipated or he felt regret, it was useless. But after the incident, rumors circulated in the palace saying the deposed Crown Prince did not hang himself, but was strangled to death.

Not long after, the eunuch who first spread the rumor died mysteriously. Seeing this, the palace folk dared not mention it again. As the days passed, no matter how world-shaking the event, it was eventually forgotten.

However, Xiao Anzi had once mentioned it to Lianzhi with great concern. The deceased eunuch had claimed he personally witnessed the Young Duke Lu’s men entering and leaving the Inner Prison.

After that person left, the deposed Crown Prince “committed suicide by hanging.”

What had Lianzhi said back then?

He had told Xiao Anzi with absolute conviction, “A person like Brother Jingce could never do such a thing. The eldest brother is dead because he got his just deserts! He knew what he did was a betrayal of Father, so he took his own life. What does it have to do with Cousin? In short, I do not believe a single word of it.”

After saying that, he earnestly advised Xiao Anzi, “Just ignore those palace rumors; do not take them seriously. Brother Jingce is the best person in this world.”

Xiao Anzi was submissive. “Yes, of course.”

In Shen Lianzhi’s heart, Lu Jingce was a gentleman of noble character, as pure as the bright moon and the clear breeze. Lu Jingce’s position in his heart was like a towering, immovable mountain peak that no one was allowed to shake.

For many years, Lu Jingce’s gentle appearance in white robes remained deeply engraved in Shen Lianzhi’s heart. His love for his cousin cast a soft, beautiful moonlight glow over Lu Jingce.

Lu Jingce would always be elegant, always refined, and always wearing a gentle smile.

Lianzhi sat curled up for a long time before getting up from the bed to dress and find his shoes.

The night was deep. He could hear the cooing of birds on the grasslands. Siqin Bari had not returned. As expected, after Shen Lianzhi had so ungratefully ruined his mood, why would he come back to seek more frustration?

For Lianzhi, this was actually better. He ate some yellow flour buns as he had in previous days to fill his stomach, then climbed back onto the bed.

But his mind was in a mess. Lianzhi closed his eyes; his body was exhausted and he was incredibly sleepy, yet he could not truly fall asleep.

Just then, he heard the rustle of the woven curtain by the bed and Xiao Anzi’s suppressed voice, “Khatun, Khatun.”

Lianzhi turned over but kept his eyes closed, unwilling to open them. “What is it?”

“Look, what is this?” Xiao Anzi’s voice was light, carrying an irrepressible joy. Lianzhi was intrigued enough to open his eyes, seeing the object in Xiao Anzi’s hand by the faint candlelight. It was a letter!

Lianzhi’s sleepiness vanished instantly. His eyes widened, sparking with light. He scrambled up and pointed at the letter, still unable to believe it. “This is…”

He truly could not believe it. Was this real? Lianzhi did not even dare blink, fearing that if he closed his eyes, everything would disappear. “Is this real?”

Xiao Anzi gave him a sly smile and stuffed the letter into his hand. “The Khatun will know once he looks.”

Xiao Anzi had met a Great Xia merchant here. After much persuasion and many gifts of gold and silver, he convinced the merchant to go to Chang’an City to deliver a message for them. Before they left, Young Duke Lu had mentioned that he had left several contacts at the side gates of the Zhou Palace.

“If there is an opportunity, try your best,” Lu Jingce had said at the time. “If there truly is no chance, do not force it. I will only tell Lianzhi once the matter is settled to save him from grief.”

Following Xiao Anzi’s instructions, the merchant found the right palace gate and gave the password. Within days, someone delivered this letter to the inn where he was staying. The merchant then brought the letter back; it had gone surprisingly smoothly.

Shen Lianzhi took it from Xiao Anzi’s hands with trembling fingers. It was only a sheet of paper as thin as a cicada’s wing, yet it felt so heavy he could barely hold it.

He impatiently opened the letter, and inside were actually two! One was from his Imperial Aunt, and one was from his cousin, the only two people he missed and worried about in this distant, cloud-like grassland.

His Imperial Aunt asked if he was doing well in Great Xia, rambling on about many things and even mentioning the Emperor.

When the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies brought back the news that Lianzhi’s identity was exposed, the Emperor had been anxious. On the day Huining fled, he had been so frantic that he turned muddle-headed, daring to “substitute a son for a daughter” and thinking it was a flawless plan. Among that pack of useless officials in court, not a single one had offered a remonstrance!

The Emperor had forgotten that Lu Jingce had knelt in the snow for a full day back then just to inform him of how absurd this move was, but the Emperor refused to see him.

Several days later, the Emperor of Zhou realized the various flaws in the plan, but the person had already been sent, and there was no way back.

The Emperor could not help but lament that he was getting old; how could he have been so reckless? Where did he get the courage to bet the entire Great Zhou on Shen Lianzhi? If the matter was exposed, the Zhou court could certainly insist that Lianzhi was also a princess.

But if the Chanyu showed no mercy, what then?

If the Chanyu was enraged, tore up the truce, and sent troops again, what then!

The Emperor was filled with regret. Hearing just one sentence from the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, he felt such a tightness in his chest that he nearly passed away. But as soon as the Minister finished, he changed the subject.

“Chanyu Suhe has passed. His son, the Wise King of the Left, has ascended the throne and kept the Fourth Highness as his Khatun.”

The Emperor was stunned. “He kept him?”

“Replying to Your Majesty, yes.”

“Oh.” The Emperor had not expected that even with his absurdity, the Xia people would accept it all. He could not help but remark, “I suppose blessings and disasters come hand in hand.”

The massive stone that had weighed on the Emperor’s chest for many days was finally lifted; he no longer had to live in constant fear. Toward Shen Lianzhi, he even felt a spark of belated pity.

His Imperial Aunt said that occasionally at palace banquets, the Emperor would ask, “I wonder how the Fourth is doing over there.”

Lianzhi felt a surge of complex emotions reading this, but no comfort.

He set Imperial Aunt Huayang’s letter aside and opened Lu Jingce’s. Lianzhi’s heart pounded violently. It was just a thin sheet of paper, and compared to his aunt’s, this letter was much shorter.

“I wish my body could be like the graceful moon, accompanying you for a thousand miles.”

“Lianzhi, do not cry until you ruin your eyes.”

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