Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 37

The wind brushed against her clothes. Today, Jiang Wan was once again dressed in Central Plains attire. As the cold wind blew head-on, it sent her skirts fluttering and bumping against Zhou Yan’s body.

The delicate girl sat stiffly before Zhou Yan as he galloped on horseback, charging through the gardens straight toward the front of the tents.

After he had seen to the placement of Zuo Ma Sen, he had already entered the tent. He strode inside, intent on checking Jiang Wan’s emotional state. Killing a man right in front of her—he had likely terrified her again.

Sure enough, as he lifted the curtain and stepped inside, he saw Jiang Wan standing there, her fingers restlessly twisting a handkerchief, her mind clearly in turmoil.

He walked toward her with low steps, his expression complex—a mixture of guilt for scaring her and a lingering awkwardness over the decision he had made.

His voice was low as he met her eyes. “Were you frightened?”

Her fingers, which had been twisting the silk haphazardly, suddenly froze at his approach. She looked up, an unnatural flush rising to her cheeks. She shook her head, yet she seemed restless. The man’s sharp features were like a blade piercing her heart.

She thought desperately about whether she should ask the question. Seeing her silence, Zhou Yan assumed she truly was terrified. His expression darkened, and he offered a rare apology:

“Wan Wan, I was too impulsive just now. Rest assured, in the future, I will never let you see blood wherever you are.”

He was so devout and sincere that she couldn’t help but fix her gaze on him. Recalling the incident in the garden, Jiang Wan squeezed her eyes shut for three seconds before she finally couldn’t hold it back. “Zhou Yan, do you know who that person was?”

Having grown up in the palace, she understood deeply the convenience and protection a status provided. Although she couldn’t understand the man’s language, the luxury of his clothing suggested an exquisite rank. Even if Zhou Yan’s power on the grasslands was currently at its peak, crossing a true noble could still cause him significant trouble.

To her surprise, Zhou Yan didn’t take the man seriously at all. He raised a hand dismissively. “The First Prince.”

Jiang Wan’s eyes widened in shock, staring at him in disbelief.

What? The First Prince!

On these grasslands, only the son of the Khan could be addressed that way. Her brows knitted as she stared at him, her voice suddenly rising. “Do you realize that if the Khan finds out about this, you will be in deep trouble?”

“So what? Anyone who harms Wan Wan, regardless of who they are, I will kill without hesitation!” Zhou Yan’s voice grew agitated. Looking at the girl before him, he felt a wave of regret for not keeping her by his side at all times; otherwise, she would never have encountered such a thing.

Jiang Wan was momentarily stunned by his words. Her face showed her disbelief, but she forced herself to calm down. It was true—he had done it for her.

He had saved her when they first met. He had saved her from the people of the Insect-Vine Tribe during her first escape attempt. And today, he had saved her from the First Prince’s blatant harassment in the garden. Suddenly, she realized she had no grounds to blame him. Her voice softened. “Even so, you shouldn’t be so impulsive. You should at least think first.”

Seeing the girl’s attitude soften as he wished, and hearing the concern in her words, Zhou Yan placed his hand on her shoulder. “So, Wan Wan is actually worried about me.”

Weren’t those words an expression of care? Did it mean that the harsh words she had said to him a few days ago weren’t entirely true? Perhaps she wasn’t ready to accept him, but maybe she had started to treat him as someone truly accompanying her, even if she intended for that time to be brief.

With this comfort in his heart, Zhou Yan’s mood improved. The woman whose shoulder was still held by his long arm moved uncomfortably, nudging his arm upward. He cooperated, letting her slip out from his embrace.

Thinking back to the identity of the man he killed, she looked up at him again. “Then what will you do?”

“I have my own plans.” Zhou Yan didn’t want her to worry too much about men’s business. He knew that, regardless of the outcome, the blame would not fall on his head.

The night passed peacefully. But as the sun set and rose several more times, the news of the First Prince’s departure began to cause massive waves across the grasslands. After this rescue, Zhou Yan had hoped Jiang Wan would treat him better out of gratitude, but he still saw her heartlessly playing with a rabbit, which made him sigh several times.

As for her escape attempt, he had already made up his mind. Since she would eventually fall back into his hands anyway, he was no longer angry, merely waiting for the day to give her a sudden surprise.

However, the death of the First Prince began to tangibly affect him.

On the second day, before the man had even woken, he was hurriedly summoned from his sleep to the tent of the Third Prince.

The old Khan of the grasslands was lustful and had many wives; he had fathered over a dozen children. Among them, the one least like the old Khan in temperament was the Third Prince. Though he was the Khan’s son, his style was entirely different, forming a faction of his own.

Though roughly the same age as Zhou Yan, the Third Prince was far more composed. Even Zhou Yan’s sister, Ma’er, had been won over by his calculations. If it weren’t for the fact that his sister loved the Third Prince and had confessed her feelings, Zhou Yan would never have let her enter that tiger’s den.

Lost in these thoughts, Zhou Yan arrived at the tent. In the dim twilight, firelight still flickered inside. He stood respectfully before the tent, waiting for someone to announce him. It wasn’t until a female slave emerged to give the order that he lifted the curtain and stepped inside.

The tent, filled with exquisite and precious artifacts, had a breeze blowing through it, carrying away some unnamable scents. Zhou Yan walked straight ahead, but still did not see Ma’er. He stopped outside a screen that partitioned off a wooden bed.

From outside the screen, he could see the candlelight casting shadows upon the thin fabric—two silhouettes entwined, seemingly kissing. Zhou Yan frowned, took an uncomfortable step back, and cleared his throat.

The people inside stopped. Knowing what to do, Zhou Yan walked back toward the exit to wait for Ma’er to emerge.

After half a candle had burned down, Ma’er finally came out, draped in a thin outer robe. She carried the scent of a man, and red marks were visible on her exposed skin. Zhou Yan glanced at her and immediately lowered his head.

Ma’er felt a flicker of embarrassment at his reaction. She hadn’t wanted to see Zhou Yan in such a state, but the Third Prince had just clung to her, telling her everything. She knew the situation was urgent and could not be delayed.

She had been detained by the Third Prince’s persistence, wasting much time. Fortunately, one of the female slaves who had witnessed the truth was a member of the Third Prince’s household. Currently, she was following the Third Prince’s orders, keeping watch over the others who had been shivering in the carriage that day.

As for the First Prince’s death—they were not born of the same mother, so the Third Prince didn’t truly care. But he could not tolerate such a provocation to the prestige of the Royal Court. Because Zhou Yan was her brother, the Third Prince was giving him a chance to explain.

She looked at the man before her and steeled her heart. This time, she would have to act the part of a true elder sister. If a younger brother makes a mistake, he must be punished—especially when it was all for a Central Plains girl!

She pursed her lips and said sternly, “Kneel!”

Knowing he had brought trouble to Ma’er, Zhou Yan immediately bent his knees and knelt on the ground. Seeing this, Ma’er feigned anger. She took a deep breath, looking down at the man who had long since grown into a sturdy warrior, and her heart softened involuntarily.

Remembering that the man behind the screen was still watching, Ma’er suppressed her emotions. “Do you know what mistake you’ve made?”

In the past, Zhou Yan respected her most; he never argued with anything she said. But just this once, he was unwilling to yield. He rested his hands loosely at his sides and looked up to meet Ma’er’s gaze, his voice steady. “I am not in the wrong!”

Ma’er wasn’t truly angry, but his rebellious attitude sparked her displeasure. She knew the whole story. Previously, he would never have defied her like this. Now, for a woman, he was causing her to be treated this way.

Her voice turned sharp. “Then you know what I’m going to ask you?”

Zhou Yan remained kneeling. “Yes.”

“Why are you not in the wrong?” Ma’er’s palms curled slightly.

Zhou Yan raised his head. “What is wrong with protecting one’s own ajia (beloved)?”

At that moment, the wind blew into the tent, extinguishing a candle.

“Good, good, good…” Ma’er laughed in her anger. “In that case, why didn’t you kill the witnesses that day? Why leave those female slaves alive? Do you realize that if the Third Prince hadn’t intervened, the news of you taking the First Prince’s life would have been presented to the Khan tonight!”

“I am not afraid!” Aside from his official position as a judge of criminals, he also controlled one-third of the troops on the grasslands. He would not allow himself to fall into a desperate situation.

Ma’er was exasperated and didn’t know how to educate him. She sighed and was about to tell him that she and the Third Prince would handle it, intending to dismiss him. But in the next second, a well-dressed man silently appeared behind her.

The man was tall and handsome, bearing a resemblance to Zhou Yan. One was composed, the other young and impetuous—a contrast that made it hard to pick who was superior. The Third Prince stopped behind her, his long arm naturally resting on her shoulder. His gaze fell on the kneeling man, and his tone was calm.

“A fine ‘not afraid.’ A mere official casually taking the life of a Prince of the Royal Court—you truly are a man who doesn’t fear death.”

The Third Prince continued, “My eldest brother and I shared a deep bond. Now that I have a hold over you, aren’t you afraid I’ll report this to my father and charge you with the murder of a royal son?”

“You won’t, Third Prince,” Zhou Yan replied, still kneeling since Ma’er hadn’t told him to stand.

The Third Prince raised an eyebrow. “And why do you think I won’t?”

…

“I control the troops and have always been your trusted confidant. The Khan is old and plagued by illness. The Queen’s only biological son is gone. As the child of the Khan’s most favored consort, the position of the future Khan is practically within your grasp.”

Zhou Yan’s words stripped the man’s facade bare. The Third Prince looked him up and down and sighed, “But you don’t know that because of your sister, I have already lost my father’s heart.”

The Third Prince spoke these words in front of Ma’er without hesitation, because they both knew that in their hearts, power was always the most important thing; everything else could be discarded. Ma’er felt no dissatisfaction; on the contrary, she nodded. Theirs was a trade of power and beauty, not a deep romance. Her clumsy excuses could only fool her younger brother, who believed her unconditionally.

She looked down at Zhou Yan, her heart still aching for him. “Brother, you don’t need to kneel anymore.”

Only then did Zhou Yan stand up. Once standing, Zhou Yan had to look down to meet the Third Prince’s gaze, but even so, the Third Prince’s steady aura made it easy to overlook the height difference.

“If I take Ruo Qi’s life within the next few days, and the Third Prince takes the opportunity to install his own people to take over his Yun Army, then even if the Khan still doesn’t favor you, your strength at that time would surely give you a winning chance against him, wouldn’t it?”

Zhou Yan spoke these words smoothly, as if he had planned them long ago. Standing by, Ma’er was stunned by his ambition. Her brother certainly knew how to handle such matters. If he could truly take the Yun Army, then her ambition of becoming the Queen would be within reach.

The Third Prince was not shocked by Zhou Yan’s boldness; he was the person who understood him best—better even than his sister. He knew that while Zhou Yan appeared reckless, he was meticulous in major affairs, perhaps more so than anyone else around him. He was both brave and calculating, which was why the Third Prince had groomed him to be his right-hand man.

The Third Prince gave a symbolic clap of approval. “Then I shall wait for your good news, Cha’er.” He added, “Leave those female slaves to me. I will take care of them.”

Having received the Third Prince’s assurance, Zhou Yan exited the tent with quiet dignity.

However, on another morning where the light met the sweltering heat, the Third Prince sat on the edge of the bed, holding the now-soft body of the woman. Without a hint of pity, he whispered a few words to her:

“Once I ascend the throne of the Khan, I will not keep Zhuo Jing Cha’er (Zhou Yan) alive.”

Ma’er did not respond. Her heart stirred slightly, but she simply closed her eyes to rest.

Support