After the Alluring Beauty Was Forced into a Political Marriage - Chapter 33

Before the age of eighteen, Lu Jingce only saw Shen Lianzhi as a younger brother.

This brother was not particularly brilliant, but he was very endearing. He was so obedient that he treated Lu Jingce’s every word as a sacred commandment. He would often look up with that small face, smiling foolishly with willow leaf eyes curved like crescent moons. He followed a step behind Lu Jingce everywhere, calling out repeatedly, “Cousin, Cousin.”

“Brother Jingce, let Lianzhi play the pipa for you, alright?”

“Brother Jingce, spend more time with me, please?”

Shen Lianzhi clung to him tightly, like a piece of sweet candy, but Lu Jingce never found it tiresome. He enjoyed having Shen Lianzhi by his side. Lu Jingce often thought that the boy was truly like the snow fox that had died many years ago. He was happy to protect him and pamper this lovable cousin, until their trip to the summer palace during his eighteenth year. It was then that Lu Jingce began to harbor other feelings.

At the time, Lianzhi was sixteen. He had grown from a small, thin child into a tall youth with features as beautiful as a painting. Dressed in brocade, he was a sight from which one could not look away. Yet he remained as he had always been, nestling beside Lu Jingce in their shared carriage, full of excitement along the way. “Brother, look, it is so beautiful.”

The summer palace was not as magnificent or grand as the Zhou Palace, but it was filled with gardens and hidden by emerald bamboo, a place of refined elegance. It was Shen Lianzhi’s first time at the summer palace. Lu Jingce had pleaded with the Grand Empress Dowager, and only then did the Emperor grant permission for Lianzhi to join the retreat. Seeing such exquisite scenery for the first time, everything was fresh to him, and his mouth never stopped moving.

Lu Jingce let him lean against him, smiling faintly with half-lowered eyelids. He had long grown tired of the palace scenery; it was not nearly as beautiful as Shen Lianzhi’s sparkling eyes. Shen Lianzhi begged him to take him on a tour of the grounds. By the time they finished a full circle, the sky was pitch black. Lianzhi was exhausted; his feet stung the moment they touched the ground. His delicate brows knit together. “It hurts, Cousin, it hurts so much.”

Lu Jingce had Lianzhi sit on a stone while he knelt before him to remove his shoes and socks. As the silk socks slid over his sole, they brushed against a sore spot, causing Lianzhi to give a soft hiss. Lu Jingce paused, then lightened his movements. That foot was white and flawless, like fine warm jade. Lianzhi felt a bit shy under his gaze and tried to pull his foot back, but Lu Jingce gripped his ankle and straightened it.

“The soles are chafed,” Lu Jingce sighed helplessly. “They are bleeding, Lianzhi. I told you not to walk for so long.”

Lianzhi glanced at him timidly, knowing he had indeed overdone it that day. “Brother.”

Lu Jingce put his shoes back on for him and then turned his back. His deep voice seemed to carry a hint of a smile. “Not allowed next time. Come up; Brother will carry you back to your quarters.”

Shen Lianzhi’s eyes slowly lit up. He threw himself onto Lu Jingce’s back. Lu Jingce’s powerful arms steadily supported his legs. Lianzhi hugged his neck, feeling secure as he pressed his entire body against his brother’s back. Lianzhi said, “Brother, you are so good to me.”

The hazy moonlight filtered through the swaying shadows of the trees onto the bluestone path. Lu Jingce walked steadily, step by step, toward the living quarters. Lianzhi was utterly spent and actually fell into a daze atop his back. His warm face was buried in the crook of Lu Jingce’s neck, his warm breath fanning against his skin.

“Lianzhi?” Lu Jingce called out softly.

Shen Lianzhi had fallen asleep and did not hear the call. Lu Jingce looked down and smiled, choosing not to wake him. Lianzhi did not wake until they reached the chambers. Having slept for a while, he was more energetic than before. He hurried to the bathing hall to wash away the dust of the day, then sat on the couch dressed in moon colored, thin sleeping robes.

As soon as Lu Jingce pulled back the bed curtains, Lianzhi lunged and pounced on him. The sudden force caused Lu Jingce to crash onto the couch. The two youths were locked in an embrace. Shen Lianzhi’s boldness had grown; he actually dared to tickle his cousin. Lu Jingce was not angry; he laughed softly, letting the boy play for a long while before turning over to straddle Shen Lianzhi. “Enough.”

He suddenly froze in place, like an ice carving. Lianzhi had propped himself up halfway and looked up to kiss him on the chin. When the soft lips touched his skin, it felt as though molten lava was flowing through Lu Jingce’s limbs, rushing straight to his heart.

“Brother Jingce, thank you.” Lianzhi’s cheeks were tinged with a faint crimson. He kept his eyelashes half-lowered, casting a shadow like fanned-out ink beneath his eyes. “The summer palace is so beautiful and fun. If it were not for you, I would likely never have had the chance to see it in my lifetime.”

Lianzhi raised his hands to wrap them around Lu Jingce’s waist, lightly nuzzling his face against his abdomen. “Thank you.”

For the first time in his life, Lu Jingce was dazed. It was for that kiss as light as a breeze, for the Shen Lianzhi in his arms, and for those eyes, clear as lakes, looking up at him. In those eyes, there was only one person: Lu Jingce. At that moment, Lu Jingce understood. He did not want Shen Lianzhi to be just his brother; he wanted Shen Lianzhi to be his wedded wife. He wanted Shen Lianzhi to stay by his side for a lifetime, to always look at him this way, and to love him with such undivided devotion.

Shen Lianzhi could only belong to him. Only him.

“Aaaahhh!” Lu Jingce drew his sword and suddenly slashed at the woven bed curtains. The blade shredded the animal skins spread across the low couch. His eyes were bloodshot, and a low, beast-like rasping sound came from deep in his throat.

Lu Jingce swung his sword at the couch like a madman. The curtains were sliced into tatters, the Hu style bed was kicked over, and the entire tent was left in a shambles. Images of the scene he had caught a glimpse of in the Royal Tent kept flashing through his mind. Behind the screen of those curtains, he saw the silhouettes of two people. How could Lu Jingce not know what they were doing? How could he not know why Lianzhi was sobbing softly? How could he not know what Shiqin Bari’s intention was!

In the past, Shen Lianzhi had looked up to kiss him in his arms, silently saying he loved him. Yet today, he had seen with his own eyes the person he considered his wife entangled in the arms of another man. Why? Why? Why!

Lu Jingce’s hand trembled as he gripped the sword hilt, the veins on the back of his hand and forearm bulging. He set his jaw, tasting the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. Lu Jingce felt as though he had been split in half. A towering rage burned like a prairie fire, but after the fire, only gray ashes remained.

He stood there alone, feeling as if his flesh and blood had been gnawed away. The feeling reminded him of the day he knelt in the snow, begging the Emperor not to send Lianzhi away for a political marriage. Lu Jingce tilted his head back and let out a long sigh. He opened his eyes, his pupils as dark as ink and deep beyond measure. Shen Lianzhi was no longer the younger brother whose heart and eyes were full of him, who loved him with his whole soul. Today, his love had been stained by the filthy dust of the world.

“Slap!”

Shen Lianzhi used all his strength to strike Shiqin Bari across the face. His entire body was cold and his limbs were shaking, but the slap was fast, accurate, and fierce, ringing out clearly. The force of the blow snapped Shiqin Bari’s head to the side. The slap left his ears ringing, and the flesh on the inside of his cheek slammed into his teeth. A thick scent of blood rushed to his head.

Shiqin Bari spat out blood-tinged saliva. He turned his head back very slowly, his expression savage. “You hit me? You hit me for him?”

“Why did you have him come here? Why did you let him into the Royal Tent? Why did you let him see, see us doing such a thing!”

“Shiqin Bari!” Lianzhi cried, screaming at him. “Get out!”

Shiqin Bari trembled with rage. “He did not see anything! With the curtains in the way, what the hell could he see? I wanted him to come here! I wanted him to know that you are my Yanzhi! You are not someone he can covet!”

Shen Lianzhi panted heavily, nearly choking on his own breath. “I told you with my own mouth! There is only a bond of siblings between us! Why do you still not believe me?”

“You feel a sibling bond for him, but what about him?” Shiqin Bari leaned down and reached out to choke Lianzhi’s neck. He said through gritted teeth, “When that Lu Jingce looks at you, he is like a wolf seeing a meat bone. I had to give him a warning!”

Lianzhi closed his eyes, two lines of clear tears sliding down his face. His heart ached so much it felt as if it were being crushed alive. Lu Jingce, he knew that in this life he could no longer continue his past relationship with him. How could he not be in pain? But in all those years at the Zhou Palace, Lianzhi would never forget. That period of time was the treasure hidden in his heart, a piece of white and flawless jade. By doing this, Shiqin Bari had shattered that jade and stripped away the final shred of his dignity.

“Get out. Shiqin Bari, get out!” Lianzhi screamed in fury.

Those blood weeping eyes startled Shiqin Bari. This image of his world collapsing also unintentionally tugged at a string in Shiqin Bari’s heart, tearing a small crack in his soul. Shiqin Bari watched him silently with those wolf-like, emerald green eyes for a moment. Then he got up, dressed, and left the Royal Tent. He had not gone a few steps before he ran into the King of the Qiulin tribe, who had come to apologize.

“Great King!” The Qiulin King knelt before him. “Agula, my brother, committed a monstrous crime. It was my negligence. I am willing to accept punishment!”

Agula had boasted endlessly about the tiger when presenting it, but on the way, the whip had struck the tiger’s body, causing it to go mad. Shiqin Bari only remembered that Shen Lianzhi had been frightened that day; he could not recall much else. His mind was currently a mess, and he did not think deeply about it. He said somewhat impatiently, “This has nothing to do with you. Agula is dead; the matter is settled. Fine, you may return.”

The Qiulin King let out a long breath and knelt in thanks. “Thank you, Great King! Thank you, Great King!”

Shiqin Bari only gave a perfunctory nod and walked away. His mind was entirely occupied with the matter of Shen Lianzhi and Lu Jingce, and Lianzhi’s screams seemed to still ring in his ears. Thus, Shiqin Bari did not notice that after he walked away, the Qiulin King stared fixedly at his back for a long time. The man’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Seeing that there was indeed nothing unusual, he finally relaxed, turned, and left.

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