After the Alluring Beauty Was Forced into a Political Marriage - Chapter 20

“Khatun,” Xiao Anzi called to him in a low voice, holding the candlestick closer to Lianzhi. “Now that you have finished reading it, let us burn it.”

Shen Lianzhi stroked the thin sheet of letter paper. Though it contained only two short sentences, he felt, for some inexplicable reason, that Lu Jingce missed him dearly. He did not know how long he had been staring at it, but his chest felt heavy with a dull ache.

Seeing him lost in thought again, and unsure if Shiqin Bari might suddenly return, Xiao Anzi urged anxiously, “Khatun, if we keep it, I fear it will bring trouble upon us. We will not be able to explain ourselves then.”

Shen Lianzhi remained silent for a moment before folding the letter and holding it to the flame. He watched the dancing orange tongues of fire consume the paper until nothing remained but a pile of ash.

Once the letter was gone, Xiao Anzi moved the candlestick away. He looked at Shen Lianzhi sitting by the couch; Lianzhi was hunched over, appearing more frail and thin than ever. He gripped the edge of his robe, staring blankly at the fur rug with a look of utter desolation. After a long silence, Xiao Anzi heard him whisper, “Will there be more?”

“Khatun, more of what?”

“Letters. From my brother, and from my Imperial Aunt.”

Xiao Anzi froze for a moment, then broke into a bright smile. “And here I thought the Khatun was grieving over something else. It turns out to be this. You need not worry; there will be letters, always.”

That Xia merchant traveled to Chang’an frequently for trade. As long as they provided enough gold and silver, delivering a letter was no difficult task.

Xiao Anzi watched as Shen Lianzhi’s eyes shifted from dull and lifeless to sparkling with light. His slender back straightened, much like a weeping willow finding its strength to grow anew.

That night, Lianzhi was too excited to sleep. This was perhaps his most joyful night in many days. Long before dawn, he climbed out of bed, personally brought out his paper, ink, and brushes, and ordered Xiao Anzi to grind the ink for him.

With a heart full of yearning, he spent nearly the entire day writing two letters, even forgetting to eat. He made sure to mention in the letters that the Xia people were crude and barbaric, and that the food was worse than what was fed to livestock.

His hand grew sore from writing before he carefully folded the letters and handed them to Xiao Anzi. Still uneasy, he gave a thousand warnings, “Make sure that Xia merchant keeps them safe. Do not let them be lost on the road.”

Xiao Anzi tucked the letters into his tunic, nodding incessantly, and hurried off to find the merchant.

Lianzhi was worried at first, but to his surprise, the Xia merchant was so fast that the letters returned in less than half a month. Along with them came a cloth bundle, its contents unknown.

During this half-month, Lianzhi had suffered countless grievances; it was truly this hope that had pulled him through.

Once the letters were in hand, he tore them open with the same frantic urgency as before. His Imperial Aunt had read his previous reply. Seeing that he “could not eat or dress well, and was wasting away with grief,” she was heartbroken. Yet, with the grasslands being worlds away, she could do nothing to help except send some gold, silver, and fine trinkets.

As soon as Lianzhi opened the bundle, the room seemed to glow. It was filled with magnificent gold and jade jewelry. Although they were of little practical use on the grasslands, the gesture warmed his heart.

Princess Huayang also asked in her letter how the Great Xia Chanyu was treating him.

Had she not mentioned Shiqin Bari, it would have been fine, but the mere mention made Lianzhi angry. Since the day they had parted on bad terms again, Shiqin Bari had been avoiding him for several days. Lianzhi still held a grudge over the man’s previous insults, calling him neither man nor woman, so he was actually quite happy that Shiqin Bari had not returned.

Unfortunately, the peace was short-lived. A rebellion broke out in one of the grassland tribes, and Shiqin Bari had to personally go to suppress it. Before leaving, he returned to the Royal Tent and forced Lianzhi into that act.

He did it, yet he kept a dark, sullen face the entire time, as if he were the one being forced. When it was over, Shiqin Bari began his annoying, petty chatter again. “This body of yours is truly loathsome.”

Since nothing good ever came out of that mouth, Shen Lianzhi simply pretended to be deaf and turned his back on him.

Shiqin Bari, oblivious, continued to himself, “You are so thin you are nothing but a bag of bones. Holding you is like holding a skeleton. It is terrifying!”

Lianzhi inwardly rolled his eyes, thinking, “You little beast, who asked you to hold me?”

Seeing that Shen Lianzhi was ignoring him, Shiqin Bari felt he had lost face. He lunged at Lianzhi, grabbing his face to turn it toward him. “This campaign may take a month or two. While I am away, you had better behave yourself! Otherwise, this King will make sure you suffer the consequences!”

Lianzhi thought to himself, “Am I not behaved enough?” He was practically crawling on the ground in Great Xia already. These people were rotten to the core; even if he truly crawled, they would never be satisfied.

His stubborn streak surfaced. He kept his eyelids half-dropped and his lips pressed tight, refusing to answer. Shiqin Bari pinched his cheeks, which were still flushed and damp from their intimacy. “Speak! Were you not quite vocal just now?”

“You foul-mouthed bastard!”

Lianzhi’s face turned even redder. He feigned obedience, closing his eyes tightly and nodding, though in his heart, he was cursing Shiqin Bari to a miserable death. They said swords had no eyes on the battlefield; who knew if he would even return alive?

Shiqin Bari was completely unaware of this. He even used four fingers to pry Lianzhi’s eyelids open. “Do not close your eyes! And do not just nod! Look at me and speak!”

Lianzhi did not know what kind of madness had gripped him now. He was already exhausted and lightheaded, but to appease the young barbarian, he forced himself to stay conscious. He looked into Shiqin Bari’s eyes and said in a reluctant, faint voice, “I understand.”

Only then was Shiqin Bari satisfied, though he still would not let go. His emerald-green eyes stared intently at him. “And what else!”

Lianzhi was beyond frustrated. “What else?”

“I am leaving before dawn!”

“Great.”

“I am your husband!”

“Perhaps.”

“Your husband is going on a distant campaign, with life and death uncertain, and this is how you treat me!”

“What more do you want!”

Lianzhi was fuming inside. This little barbarian had burst in without a word, pressed him down, and ravaged him until he could not even close his legs, and his entire body felt as if it had been crushed by a boulder.

Lianzhi no longer had the strength to deal with him and drifted into sleep with trembling eyelids. As for whatever else Shiqin Bari said, he did not hear a single word.

However, in the haze between dreams and wakefulness, he felt a sensation of dampness on his cheek; it was warm and gone in an instant.

It felt as though someone had kissed his cheek.

Shiqin Bari had prattled on for half the night, but Lianzhi had fallen fast asleep and missed it all. Shen Lianzhi thought he had escaped, but fate had other plans.

He and Shiqin Bari were likely born under clashing stars. Seeing him sleeping so soundly, the little beast grew angry and actually had the heart to shake Lianzhi awake. He pinched Shen Lianzhi’s soft cheek, repeating his warnings once more, “Remember to behave!”

Lianzhi was so annoyed he wished he could sew the man’s lips shut, but he only dared to think it. Shiqin Bari continued, “While I am away, be obedient. Stay away from my Eldest Sister. When you see her, take the long way around. Do not go looking for trouble. If you end up suffering at her hands, that will be your own fault!”

Shen Lianzhi was awake for barely a moment before nodding off again. Seeing his squinted eyes, Shiqin Bari could not tell if he had processed a single word and could only let out a cold, frustrated snort.

Despite not sleeping all night, Shiqin Bari was full of energy and set off on his journey before dawn. Poor Lianzhi, having been both tormented and repeatedly woken up, was as wilted as a frost-bitten eggplant.

He rested for two full days before finally regaining some energy.

In his reply to his Imperial Aunt, Lianzhi wrote, “The Great Xia Chanyu is savage and crude; he is utterly loathsome to behold.”

Princess Huayang seemed startled by the deep resentment in his writing, as she stopped mentioning Shiqin Bari from then on, speaking only of domestic matters.

Lu Jingce liked to write about interesting anecdotes in his letters, both from within and outside the palace. Reading them, Lianzhi would giggle incessantly, often reading them four or five times before he could bring himself to burn them.

In Great Xia, Shen Lianzhi was lonely and helpless. He had to be constantly on guard to keep his head on his shoulders. Living in constant fear, every day felt like a year. He could only find solace in writing letters.

After exchanging letters with the two in Chang’an several times, Lianzhi became increasingly familiar with the process. He lived for these thoughts of his brother and his Imperial Aunt. He even dreamed of the Xia merchant bringing him letters, and of his cousin’s gentle, jade-like smile.

Occasionally, he had erotic dreams. He would feel uncomfortably hot at night and wake up drenched in sweat, looking like a fish just pulled from the water.

Lianzhi would bite his knuckles, his face flushing as he recalled Lu Jingce’s raspy breathing and broad shoulders in the dream; but a dream was just a dream, always like the moon’s reflection in water, never quite clear.

His heart felt as if it were being lightly scratched by a kitten’s claws, an itch like crawling ants. Every time he was a step away from the peak, he could never quite reach it, falling straight back down in agonizing frustration.

Once desire is stirred, if it is not resolved, it feels like a breath caught in the chest; it is unsettling and torturous. Lianzhi would recall his cousin’s face and every kiss they had shared.

Before coming for the peace marriage, he had only recently confessed his feelings to his brother. Brother Jingce was a true gentleman; even when passion flared during their embraces, he never did anything to Lianzhi, only restraining himself while stroking Lianzhi’s back with his large palms.

Shen Lianzhi still remembered Lu Jingce’s words; he said he loved him, he liked him, so there was no need to rush.

But sometimes, while thinking of Lu Jingce, his cousin’s face would shift in his clouded mind, turning into another face, sharp and handsome, like now.

“Ah!” Lianzhi cried out in terror, sitting up on the furs and clutching his head in frustration. He bit his lower lip hard, feeling ashamed.

He clearly hated Shiqin Bari so much, yet his body remembered all the pleasures the little barbarian had brought him.

Lianzhi could not help but recall that damp kiss pressed against his cheek, and he suddenly realized that Shiqin Bari had already been gone for over a month.

Agitated and confused, he threw on a robe and got up. He had intended to go outside to catch a breeze, but he bumped right into Xiao Anzi, who was rushing in from outside.

Xiao Anzi had come at a dead run, huffing and puffing. With a grin, he tucked a letter into Lianzhi’s arms as usual. Lianzhi’s eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly took it. “So fast this time!”

The envelope was opened to reveal the customary two sheets of paper. After reading Lu Jingce’s letter, Shen Lianzhi tossed it into the candle flame as usual. Only after seeing it burn to ash did he unfold the other letter from his Imperial Aunt.

But before he could even make out the first word, a sudden commotion erupted outside the Royal Tent. For some reason, Lianzhi’s eyelid began to twitch violently, and his heart pounded with dread.

His intuition screamed that something was wrong. Before he could even hide the letter in his hand, the tent flap was rudely thrown open. Lianzhi looked up in panic, only to see a grim-faced Surina standing at the front in a rage, followed by a large group of Xia people.

Beside her, they seemed to be holding someone. Lianzhi caught a glimpse of the person’s face, and his eyes flew open in shock as his heart sank.

The person pinned to the ground was none other than the Xia merchant who delivered his letters!

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