Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 36

Inside the lacquered red wooden box, powder spilled from the gemstone setting of a necklace. Beside it lay a sharp hairpin, pressed firmly against a man’s hand.

No wonder she was unwilling to even learn how to accept him; it turned out she had never been settled.

Zhou Yan stared silently at the mess before his eyes and laughed self-mockingly. How could someone who was constantly thinking of fleeing his side ever learn to accept him?

Since this was the case, he would break Jiang Wanshu’s final hope today. Yu Lu could no longer stay; that pair of master and servant could not remain together.

Thinking this, Zhou Yan neatly replaced the items in the box, intending to go to Jiang Wanshu and have a final confrontation.

Just as he stepped out of the administrative tent, he passed a thicket where a small rabbit caught his eye, hopping behind the withered trees. His sharp eyes immediately spotted a trap lying directly in the rabbit’s path.

Natural selection, survival of the fittest. Zhou Yan walked away indifferently.

After a few more steps, however, he saw a few young boys lurking suspiciously behind the trees. Following their gaze, he saw the same oblivious rabbit. It continued to hop forward; in a few more steps, it would fall into the crude pit.

Prompted by a sudden whim, he stopped to watch. Just as the rabbit was about to fall into the grass-covered hole, the impatient children rushed toward it. Startled, the rabbit dashed for its burrow, but just as it reached the entrance, a pair of youthful hands grabbed it by the ears.

In that instant, the rabbit let out a sound it had never made before. To be caught a second before reaching safety brings a far more profound sense of defeat than failing before the goal is even in sight.

Zhou Yan made a decision. He looked toward the “culprit” and realized it was one of his subordinates, a boy he had once saved named Agitai.

“Brother Cha’er, going back?” Agitai asked with a dark-complexioned, beaming face.

Zhou Yan nodded, hands behind his back. Soon, the other boys ran up, noisily demanding the rabbit back. Agitai refused to yield his prize, and the children, seeing the intimidating, muscular man standing beside him, scurried away in fear.

Agitai chuckled. “Brother Cha’er, you really don’t get along with kids; they run as soon as they see you.”

Zhou Yan ignored the comment, staring instead at the rabbit. “Give me this rabbit first. I’ll catch you a tiger cub next time.”

In the grasslands, wild beasts were plenty, and catching them was no great feat for a man like him. He patted Agitai’s head like an approving elder. Thrilled by the recognition, Agitai happily handed the rabbit over.

As Zhou Yan walked away, his inner rage began to dissipate. He looked down at the rabbit, which had stopped struggling once it realized it was in his hands. It was just like Jiang Wanshu—calculating and knowing when to submit to the strongest hand.

Remembering he had left his horse, Zuomasen, outside the tent, he hurried back, placed the rabbit in a cage, and galloped toward his quarters.

The Empty Tent and the Rescue

When he threw open the tent flap, it was empty.

The tension in Zhou Yan’s mind snapped. The rabbit fell to the ground as his fury reignited. He turned to leave—how dare she! It was nearly dusk; didn’t she fear the wild beasts at such an hour?

Just as he was about to remount, he saw Yu Lu’s figure in the distance. Knowing Jiang Wanshu’s character, she wouldn’t abandon her servant to flee alone.

His anger cooled slightly. He dismounted and strode toward Yu Lu. “Where is Wanshu?”

Yu Lu trembled at the sight of him. Zhou Yan frowned—was he really that terrifying? “Do you know where she went?”

“My mistress said this morning she wanted to make plum blossom cakes for Miss Mai,” Yu Lu stammered. “I don’t know where she is now.”

“Plum blossom cakes? Since this morning?” Zhou Yan’s eyes darkened. A man raised among wolves is more sensitive than most. Gathering blossoms shouldn’t take all day.

He remembered hearing that the Great Prince, a man who loved plum blossoms but was notorious for his laziness and lust, was taking a beauty to the winter plum grove today.

Sensing immediate danger, Zhou Yan grabbed a longsword and mounted his horse. He galloped into the grove just as night began to fall, shouting her name.

“Wanshu! Where are you?”

Silence. He turned his horse toward another part of the vast orchard.

Deep in the grove, Jiang Wanshu was panicking. Dressed in her Central Plains attire, she looked like a delicate bird. Behind her was the endless forest; before her was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

The Great Prince, feigning elegance, tried to lure her to his carriage. Jiang Wanshu couldn’t understand his words, but she understood his intent. When he grabbed her wrist, she realized that even Zhou Yan’s forcefulness had a shadow of tenderness compared to this man’s crude violence.

“Let me go! I am Zhou Yan’s woman! If you touch me, he will not forgive you!” she screamed.

The Prince didn’t understand her words, but her beauty fueled his lust. As he reached for her, a longsword suddenly whistled through the air, piercing his throat before he could react.

Blood sprayed across Jiang Wanshu’s face. She collapsed to the ground, shielding her head. When she looked up, she saw a man on a black horse, looking like a descending deity in the sunset.

Zhou Yan dismounted and pulled her into a warm, broad embrace. He spoke softly into her ear, “I’m late. I’m sorry, Wanshu.”

Unprepared for his gentleness, Jiang Wanshu wept in his arms. When she finally pulled away, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Zhou Yan, returning to his blunt self, grabbed her wrist to check for injuries. “Stop fussing. Let me see if you’re hurt first! Why didn’t you come back before dark?”

After confirming she was unharmed, Zhou Yan didn’t hesitate. He used a mixture of snow and fallen plum blossoms to bury the Prince’s body until it was completely hidden. He then approached the Prince’s carriage. A terrified voice from inside begged for mercy, claiming they had seen nothing.

Ignoring them, Zhou Yan picked Jiang Wanshu up by the waist, swung her onto his horse, and galloped away.

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