Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 62

He had originally thought that with Jiang Wanshu’s easily bashful nature, she would have mustered enough spirit to struggle out of his embrace the moment she realized he was picking her up, no matter how exhausted she was. He never expected her to be so quiet now.

Zhou Yan looked down at the girl who still had her eyes closed. With a light chuckle, he carried her toward the bathtub.

As for why Jiang Wanshu didn’t react as Zhou Yan expected, it all went back to how he had tormented her tonight. Because of the “absurdity” that had just transpired with Zhou Yan, she was still in a state of extreme drowsiness. She did not refuse his personal hands-on service as he washed her body in the water.

Within the warm bathtub, shrouded in misty steam, Jiang Wanshu leaned back against the rim with nothing on. Her long hair cascaded outward, and she kept her eyes shut in exhaustion, letting Zhou Yan bathe her as he pleased.

At first, things were fine—at least the man remained somewhat disciplined, using a cloth to wash her. But later on, Zhou Yan began to act improperly again.

He was never one for a settled temperament. When he tossed aside the cloth and used his bare hands to “accidentally” touch her slender waist once more, she reached her limit and snapped her eyes open.

Under the dim candlelight, the man’s handsome face bore a familiar expression. The moment Jiang Wanshu saw it, she wanted to push him away. Unfortunately, she had no strength left in her body. Just as Zhou Yan took the opportunity to climb his hand onto her fair, tender shoulder, she raised a hand and slapped it away. “Zhou Yan, if you don’t want to wash, then just carry me back!”

Caught off guard, Zhou Yan’s hand was knocked into the water by Jiang Wanshu, sending splashes everywhere. Her words were laced with anger, successfully daunting the man before her.

He stopped moving, staring fixedly at her charming, spirited face before letting out a boisterous laugh. “Your temper is certainly growing.”

Finally, he behaved himself and picked up the cloth floating on the surface to wipe her shoulders. Realizing he had settled down, Jiang Wanshu ignored him again and closed her eyes once more, leaving him to busy himself by her side alone.

The night was silent save for the wind. By the bathtub where the water swayed, the man—to avoid his next move upsetting the person in the water again—closed his own eyes, forcing himself not to look at the girl’s exquisite figure. Holding the cloth, he relied on memory to slowly finish washing her.

By the time the warm water in the tub was about to turn cold, Zhou Yan finally lifted her out. Worried about disturbing the girl sleeping in his arms, he walked toward the canopy bed with steady strides.

After carefully laying her on the bed, he looked up and saw the candles had been extinguished. He caught sight of Yulu’s shadow keeping watch outside the door before lowering his head to look at Jiang Wanshu’s sleeping face.

She was radiant, her cheeks as tender and pink as flowers.

At this moment, a rare tenderness appeared in Zhou Yan’s eyes. While she was fast asleep, his large palm moved gently over her face, his thumb lightly pinching the soft flesh of her cheek. “How about I keep watch for you every night?”

Given his habits, he would never follow the rules. If he “kept watch,” he would inevitably end up in her bed by midnight. To hold a beauty’s slender waist through the night—wasn’t that a wonderful thing?

Alas, the person on the bed was sleeping too deeply to answer. She only felt a slight itch on her face and turned away from Zhou Yan’s hand, her cheeks rubbing lightly against the jade pillow.

The girl’s sleeping expression was charmingly naive, bringing a smile to the corners of Zhou Yan’s lips. He gazed at her intently; to make her dreams come true, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to abandon all the military merits and fame he had fought for on the prairies.

As the night deepened, Zhou Yan took only ten minutes to clean himself up before climbing onto the bed. He pulled the girl into his arms and remained sleepless through the night. Conversely, perhaps because Zhou Yan had exhausted her for so long, Jiang Wanshu slept soundly until morning.

Even as the morning sunlight rose the next day, Jiang Wanshu remained motionless on the bed. Outside the bedroom, the snow fluttered through the window. Just as the sky was approaching the hour of noon, a sudden shout rang through the quiet room.

“Princess! Princess! Her Majesty the Empress has sent word that she and the Crown Prince will be arriving shortly. Please get up quickly!”

Empress Xi had always been strict in her upbringing of the two siblings.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanshu snapped her eyes open and sat up. In her panic, she grabbed the quilt and shoved it behind her, only to realize that the man had already departed. She felt a strange lack of habituation, yet also a sense of relief as she covered her chest with her hand.

It was lucky he left early; otherwise, if her mother discovered him, she wouldn’t know how to explain it.

She didn’t give herself much time to react. After Yulu quickly helped her wash and dress her tired body, her ink-black hair was styled into a high bun before the bronze mirror. Pale yellow tassels on both sides shimmered in the reflection. Her face, white as jade, looked exceptionally beautiful.

Just as Yulu finished tidying the messy clothes beneath the bed, Jiang Wanshu stood up from the mirror. At that same moment, the bedroom door was opened.

Jiang Wanshu turned her gaze toward the door to see a fair hand pushing it open, followed by a small figure. Since today was Jiang Yun’s once-a-month break, the boy—who hadn’t seen his elder sister in a long time—ran toward her the moment he entered.

Having not seen him for many days, Jiang Wanshu was surprised to find that her younger brother had grown thinner. Suppressing the soreness in her body, she crouched down and turned him around. “Why has my brother become so thin?”

Confused, Jiang Yun instead threw his small arms around her neck in a gesture of dependence. “Sister, did you miss me?”

Empress Xi walked forward, remarking, “Yun’er is five years old now; it’s time for him to lose that baby fat.”

The Empress walked up to Jiang Wanshu, her deer-like eyes filled with soul and tenderness. Jiang Wanshu nodded. It was true; she had heard her mother say that she too began to slim down around the age of five.

As the conversation ended, Empress Xi looked at her daughter. Seeing her lack of energy, she felt a pang of worry. “Did you not sleep well yesterday? Why do you look so drained?”

Looking at Empress Xi’s gentle features and recalling the events of last night, Jiang Wanshu couldn’t help but feel a flush of shame. “It’s nothing, Mother.”

“Did you hear the news from the Imperial Study yesterday?” Empress Xi spoke before Jiang Wanshu could say another word.

Jiang Wanshu looked at her mother, her eyes clear. “I heard it, Mother.”

Upon hearing this, Empress Xi suddenly cast aside her noble poise and pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.

At the same time, in a town thousands of miles from the capital, a man whipped his horse fiercely, riding toward the territory of the Western Rong with thunderous momentum.

Sacrifice and Return

The midwinter snow blanketed the town, pressing down so heavily that few dared to venture out. The winter days were short; in what felt like only a few moments, the setting sun had already dipped below the horizon. The man rested for a few fleeting minutes on the road before setting off once more, finally entering the grasslands several days later.

Upon entering the grand tent, he was covered in the dust of travel, with melting snowflakes still dampening the shoulders of his clothes. “Zhuo Jing Cha’er, pays his respects to the Third Prince.”

Within the vast tent, Ma’er and the Third Prince emerged from behind a screen.

The moment Zhou Yan saw Ma’er, he dropped directly to his knees. Ma’er’s eyes were ablaze with fury. Clutching the letter he had sent back to the grasslands in advance, she hardened her heart and delivered a sharp slap across his face. “I truly never imagined that after raising you all these years, I would turn you into this!”

Zhou Yan offered no resistance, allowing the force of Ma’er’s strike to turn his cheek a burning red. A sister is like a mother, and since she had protected him for so many years, this was a slap Ma’er had every right to give.

“I have failed you, Elder Sister.” Zhou Yan remained kneeling. Though his words admitted fault, his actions remained unyielding.

Ma’er cried out in anger, “Are you truly going to throw away the career you’ve spent years building on the plains for the sake of a sister-in-law?”

“Cha’er does not regret it!” Zhou Yan blurted out, the memory of Jiang Wanshu’s radiant, sun-drenched smile flashing through his mind.

Ma’er crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it forcefully at him. The paper fluttered and fell at his feet.

Silence fell between them. From the corner of his eye, Zhou Yan saw the Third Prince sitting alone on a hard chair by the tea table. The Prince picked up a cup of scalding hot water and poured it in a straight line across the ground. “Then let this first cup serve as a libation for the deceased Zhuo Teqin.”

The Prince’s sharp eyes locked onto Zhou Yan’s. When cold gloom met unreserved ruthlessness, for a moment, the two men seemed evenly matched.

The moon set and the sun rose once more. The bustling streets of the capital grew increasingly vibrant with the approaching New Year. High-spirited horses galloped along the roads lined with shops selling trinkets.

Currently, everyone in the streets was talking about the passing of the Western Rong Khan. The new ruler of the Western Rong was the Third Prince, born to the former Khan’s Second Consort.

Unlike the previous Khan, the Third Prince advocated for a “one person for a lifetime” system. Because of this, he had exchanged letters with Emperor Zhaoming to dissolve the future marriage alliance between the two lands. Instead, both sides would compromise by opening a mutual trading port to maintain diplomatic relations.

Emperor Zhaoming was naturally delighted by this news and agreed immediately. This information had already been circulating throughout the Central Plains for several days.

Zhou Yan was hurrying his horse toward the palace to see Jiang Wanshu. At that same moment, in the Moon-Embracing Pavilion, Jiang Wanshu set down the porcelain doll he had bought for her and headed toward a section of the Imperial Garden.

The winter garden carried the faint scent of snow. Since the news of the canceled marriage alliance reached the palace, Jiang Wanshu had finally begun to smile more often.

She walked with a light step to meet Zhou Shuan as planned. However, when Zhou Shuan ignored the boundaries between men and women and stepped closer to her, she took several steps back, deliberately maintaining her distance.

Yet, some people still refused to see reality. After exchanging pleasantries with a gentle demeanor, Zhou Shuan spoke directly: “Princess, now that the marriage alliance is over, His Majesty intends to bestow a marriage decree upon us once again.”

A weight had been lifted from Zhou Shuan’s heart; he watched her with a relaxed, joyful smile.

Unfortunately for him, Jiang Wanshu had already realized that in Zhou Shuan’s heart, his family’s career was the most important thing. He was a good man, but after the previous marriage alliance ordeal, there was no longer any possibility between them.

She looked at him and shook her head, her voice soft but firm. “Brother Zhou, I will petition my Father for a decree to let our engagement come to an end.”

Her words caused Zhou Shuan to knit his brows. In a fit of emotion, he grabbed her right wrist. “Why? The obstacles between us are gone.”

“There is no ‘why.’ We are simply not suited for one another.” Jiang Wanshu’s mind was filled with the image of Zhou Yan’s jealous face whenever he learned she had met Zhou Shuan. She struggled to break free from his grip.

In that second, beneath the falling osmanthus leaves and behind a thick tree trunk, Zhou Yan—for the first time—suppressed his jealousy. He stood hidden, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Although Jiang Wanshu had previously promised him she would have no more involvement with Zhou Shuan, back then she had been flustered because of the insurmountable chasm between them. Now that he had filled that chasm, he happened upon this scene and wanted to hear exactly how she would reject him.

However, it seemed she hadn’t said much yet.

In the next moment, Yulu approached from behind him in the garden. Suddenly spotting Zhou Yan, she gasped in surprise, “Guardsman Zhou!”

The moment the words left her mouth, she saw the Princess and the Young Marquis ahead and immediately clapped her hand over her mouth.

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