After the Alluring Beauty Was Forced into a Political Marriage - Chapter 2

The two people embracing were both startled. No one expected Eunuch Zhao to arrive at this critical moment, much less that he would come to deliver an imperial decree.

Lianzhi’s mind had already gone blank. Fortunately, Lu Jingce remained more clear-headed and pulled him down to kneel on the ground.

Eunuch Zhao’s sharp gaze swept over them. He cleared his throat and shook open the bright yellow imperial decree.

“By the Grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Fourth Imperial Son, Shen Lianzhi, is possessed of both talent and virtue. It happens that the Shanyu of the Great Xia has sent envoys to request a marriage alliance. Our dynasty rules the world with benevolence; therefore, the Fourth Highness is specially granted the title of Prince An and shall be wed to the Great Xia. All wedding arrangements are entrusted to the Ministry of Rites. May Great Xia and our Great Zhou maintain an everlasting bond of friendship between our two nations. Respect this.”

This news was like a bolt from the blue. Every word rolled down like a stone, striking the kneeling Shen Lianzhi until he saw stars.

While he was still reeling, Lu Jingce was the first to frown and shout, “Absurd! How could such a thing happen? The one previously designated for the marriage alliance was Princess Huining. Why was the person changed at the last minute?”

Eunuch Zhao flicked his fingernails and said airily, “Princess Huining contracted a sudden illness and unfortunately passed away last night. Heir Apparent, you had better”

“Passed away? How could she just pass away when she was perfectly fine?” Since it was so sudden, Lu Jingce did not believe a single word.

Indeed, how could she suddenly die? Shen Lianzhi also found it strange. Just two days ago, Huining had been full of life and teasing him.

Eunuch Zhao watched him with a half-smile. “Heir Apparent, in matters of life and death, how can a humble servant like me say for certain?”

Lu Jingce looked at his face, and his heart skipped a beat as he realized something. Because this was so sudden and his feelings for Shen Lianzhi were sincere, he nearly lost his composure.

He said firmly, “But Lianzhi is a man. How can a man enter a marriage alliance?”

Eunuch Zhao was accustomed to treating people according to their status. He originally thought the Fourth Highness was unfavored and weak, and that his job would be done once the decree was delivered. He had not expected the Lu Heir to be here.

The Lu Heir was the Empress Dowager’s precious darling, her own biological grandson!

This made things quite difficult. However, the Emperor was still waiting for his report, so he decided not to entangle himself further with Lu Jingce and spoke plainly: “The Heir Apparent truly has a short memory. Our Fourth Highness is, after all, somewhat different from ordinary men.”

Once those words were spoken, the room fell into a brief, heavy silence. Lu Jingce’s expression shifted drastically, and Shen Lianzhi collapsed halfway to the floor, his face as white as a corpse.

Lu Jingce slowly turned his head to look at Shen Lianzhi beside him. His dark pupils were like two bottomless lakes.

Lianzhi had a secret physical condition that was difficult to speak of. It was not exactly a secret within the palace, but Lu Jingce had never imagined, never imagined that this would be the reason Shen Lianzhi would be separated from him.

Shen Lianzhi grabbed Lu Jingce’s arm like a drowning man clutching a piece of driftwood. His tears could no longer be held back, falling like transparent beads. “Cousin, don’t”

“I don’t want to, I don’t want to go”

The Shanyu of Great Xia was over sixty years old, old enough to be his father. How could he marry such a person?

The white jade bracelet was still around Shen Lianzhi’s wrist. The scenes of him and his cousin embracing and whispering endearments were still fresh in his mind, yet in just a moment, everything had changed.

Lu Jingce reached out to hold his wrist and shook his head, his voice low and hoarse. “It is alright. It will not happen. I will not let you go. Lianzhi, do not be afraid.”

Beside them, Eunuch Zhao gave a disdainful cold snort. He looked down upon this pair of mandarin ducks being forcibly separated, then clapped his hands. A large group of armed imperial guards stepped forward.

Eunuch Zhao commanded in a shrill voice, “His Highness’s auspicious day is approaching. You must guard Chang’an Palace well. Not a single hair on His Highness’s head must go missing; otherwise, this Eunuch will have your heads!”

The guards responded in unison and proceeded to surround Yong’an Palace inside and out. With such a formation, it was likely that not even a fly could escape.

Was this not house arrest? Despair deepened in Shen Lianzhi’s heart, and he gripped Lu Jingce tightly, refusing to let go.

Eunuch Zhao’s gaze naturally fell upon their joined hands. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Heir Apparent, you should please return now.”

When Lu Jingce did not move, Eunuch Zhao raised his voice slightly. “Your Lordship, what is the meaning of this?”

“If you will not think of yourself, you must at least think of Princess Huayang,” he added ominously.

Lu Jingce’s face was terrifyingly dark, bearing none of the gentleness he showed toward Shen Lianzhi.

He looked up at Eunuch Zhao with eyes so cold they made the eunuch shiver.

Shen Lianzhi lowered his head, staring despondently at the ground. Trembling, he gradually released Lu Jingce’s hand. “Cousin”

As Lu Jingce felt that hand slip away from his palm, he felt as if a piece of his heart had been hollowed out. He closed his eyes, stood up slowly, and walked out with heavy steps.

His retreating figure appeared remarkably lonely.

Once he was gone, Eunuch Zhao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He showed a hint of a genuine smile and closed the door with a loud thud.

Shen Lianzhi stared blankly at the closed door, then turned to the bracelet on his wrist. This hand still held the residual warmth of his cousin’s palm.

In this situation, Shen Lianzhi could no longer restrain himself and began to wail, his face covered in tears and his dark hair disheveled.

Once that door closed, it remained shut for an entire day. Shen Lianzhi cried until he fainted, woke up and cried again, losing all track of time. It was not until a day later that someone finally entered.

It was Xiao Anzi.

Master and servant were cut from the same cloth. Upon meeting, they first held each other and wept. Only after they had cried their fill did they wipe away each other’s tears.

Xiao Anzi said indignantly, “Your Highness, I asked around yesterday. Princess Huining did not die of a sudden illness at all; she ran away with someone!”

Hearing this, Shen Lianzhi felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He was slightly older than Huining, yet he was always bullied by his younger sister. Whenever Huining caused trouble as a child, he was the one made to take the blame.

And now, even a blessing like a marriage alliance was pushed onto him as a substitute. She had flown off with her lover to live a good life outside the palace, while he was being sent to the grasslands to serve a barbarian, separated from his beloved cousin.

Villainous Huining, the more Shen Lianzhi thought about it, the more wronged and angry he felt.

Xiao Anzi knew Shen Lianzhi was suffering, so he tried to say something comforting. “Your Highness, do not be sad anymore. I also heard that the Emperor has posthumously titled Lady Li as the Noble Consort Xiaoli.”

Lady Li was Shen Lianzhi’s birth mother and had been very favored in her time. If Lianzhi were a normal boy, the Emperor might have even made her Empress, and he would be the Crown Prince. How could he have ended up suffering in the grasslands?

In the end, it was all because of that extra thing on his body. Shen Lianzhi hated it to his core. “What use is a posthumous title? She is already dead. Even if he titled her the Retired Emperor, it would be useless!”

After saying this, he turned his head away, ready to cry again.

After that, he spent another day in a daze inside the room.

At the hour of the Ox on the third day, just as he had fallen asleep, he was awakened by a stream of female officials entering the room. Following them was a large group of palace maids carrying a phoenix crown, a red bridal robe, and a collection of rouge and powder.

Shen Lianzhi let them fuss over him like a puppet. He allowed them to apply thick powder to his face, style his hair into a bride’s coiffure, and dress him in the intricate, fiery-red wedding robe.

By the time the grooming was finished, the sky was fully bright. A female official took his hand to lead him out, just as the door was pushed open from the outside. Shen Lianzhi looked up and locked eyes with the tall man standing at the threshold.

With that one look, Shen Lianzhi almost did not recognize him.

Lu Jingce looked as if he had not slept for days. His face was as pale as a ghost, his cheeks were sunken, and the clothes that once fit him perfectly now seemed much too large.

He had lost so much weight in just two short days. The world between them had completely changed.

Lu Jingce stared at him blankly for a long time before lowering his eyes with a bitter smile. He said softly, “Our Lianzhi is clearly a young man.”

Shen Lianzhi suddenly felt a surge of grievance. He had taken Huining’s place, and they wanted to dress him up as a woman, but how could he be willing? He only felt pain.

Lu Jingce dismissed the female officials and stepped over the threshold. The doors closed, leaving him and Shen Lianzhi standing face to face.

“Cousin.” Shen Lianzhi threw himself into his arms, his heart aching with a suffocating pain for both himself and Lu Jingce.

Lu Jingce rested his chin on Shen Lianzhi’s shoulder and held him tightly in his arms. This man, who was always so calm and composed, was now trembling uncontrollably because of him.

The pain in Shen Lianzhi’s heart grew even more intense. He choked out, “Brother Jingce”

“I don’t want to be apart from you.”

Lu Jingce remained silent, but the strength in his arms increased until Lianzhi felt his bones ache.

Shen Lianzhi knew what Lu Jingce had done for him; Xiao Anzi had told him everything. Lu Jingce had gone to kneel before his own mother, before the Empress Dowager, and before the Emperor.

The snow outside was so heavy, yet he had knelt there for a day and a night, nearly freezing to death.

But it was useless. When it came to the affairs of the Great Zhou and the Xia Kingdom, who cared about the small affection between them?

Lu Jingce raised his head, his cold lips brushing against Lianzhi’s forehead.

They embraced quietly for a moment, and then Lu Jingce took his hand, leading him step by step out the door toward the Jianfu Gate of the Imperial Palace.

Shen Lianzhi had been obscure and unknown in the palace for nineteen years, yet now that he was leaving, it was a grand and bustling occasion. Even the Emperor came personally to see him off.

The area outside Jianfu Gate was crowded with people, all watching from a distance as Lianzhi, his head covered by a bridal veil embroidered with dragon and phoenix patterns, boarded the wedding carriage. Beside the carriage stood a group of escorting guards and the Minister of Rites, who served as the envoy, mounted on a reddish-brown horse.

The Minister looked up at the sky and announced loudly: “The auspicious hour has arrived. Depart.”

The vermilion carriage was lifted, and the procession began to move forward grandly. Inside the carriage, Shen Lianzhi rubbed the bracelet on his other wrist with his thumb.

They had traveled a short distance when Shen Lianzhi suddenly heard a commotion from behind, mixed with Princess Huayang’s startled cry: “Jingce? What are you doing!”

“Heir Apparent! Heir Apparent!”

With the veil over his head, Shen Lianzhi did not know what was happening, but the carriage suddenly stopped. Then, the wedding carriage lurched as someone forced their way inside.

In the next moment, the bridal veil on his head was partially lifted. Before Lianzhi could see clearly, his lips were blocked.

It was a forceful, desperate kiss, filled with what seemed like resentment. The bitterness of the rouge spread between their tongues, along with the saltiness of tears.

The person kissing him held him tightly with one hand while stuffing something into his robes with the other. Only after they pulled apart could Shen Lianzhi see the person before him.

Lu Jingce held his hand against his own cold face. His thin lips seemed to curl into a slight smile, though his eyes were filled with sorrow and depth. “Lianzhi, your cousin will not be able to see you at your capping ceremony.”

Shen Lianzhi looked down and realized he was holding a magnificent gold crown in his arms. Lu Jingce said, “I had intended to place this on your head myself on the day you reached adulthood.”

“But there is not enough time.”

Shen Lianzhi found it hard to breathe from the pain. “Don’t say anymore”

Lu Jingce leaned down and kissed Lianzhi’s lips again, or rather, it was not a kiss, but a bite, nearly breaking the skin. Lu Jingce licked away the bead of blood that surfaced, but a mark remained on Lianzhi’s lip.

He touched the wound on Lianzhi’s lip with his finger, his dark eyes staring directly at him as he called his name: “Lianzhi.”

“Remember, you are meant to marry me.”

“Lianzhi, don’t be afraid.” Lu Jingce’s voice softened. “Cousin will definitely bring you home.”

He wanted to give Shen Lianzhi one last kiss on the cheek, but it was too late. Lianzhi saw several hands reach in and drag Lu Jingce away.

Shen Lianzhi grabbed Lu Jingce’s hand, but compared to the people outside, his strength was far too small. He could only watch as Lu Jingce’s hand slipped out of his palm.

“Cousin!” Shen Lianzhi could not stop the tears from flowing. “Jingce”

At the final moment of separation, Lu Jingce smiled at him. “Don’t cry.”

He was taken away, and the carriage was lifted once more. Shen Lianzhi covered himself with the bridal veil again, and his vision returned to darkness. It felt as if a knife had been plunged into his heart.

Snow continued to fall in the city of Chang’an. To the sound of festive gongs and drums, the wedding procession trudged through the snow, escorting a heartbroken person whose spirit had turned to ash.

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