Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 72

“What reward?”

Jiang Wanshu said with a hint of chagrin, “However, you have to go ask Guard Zhou. Only if he agrees can you come out of the palace with us.”

“Who is Guard Zhou? And why must he agree?” Do not be fooled by Jiang Yun’s young age; his ability to “catch the details” was quite sharp.

“Uh.” Jiang Wanshu was momentarily stunned, but she reacted immediately. “Did Yun’er forget? Guard Zhou is the person who escorted me back to the palace that day. He is under Father Emperor’s orders to ensure my safety today. For Guard Zhou, having one more person means an extra protective duty. Don’t you think you should ask him first if you want to come along?”

After hearing this, Jiang Yun nodded with great earnestness. “Alright, I’ll ask him in a moment.”

“Good boy.” As she spoke, Jiang Wanshu stood up and took Jiang Yun’s hand, leading him toward the inner chambers of Lanyue Hall.

Stopping before her bedroom door, Jiang Wanshu paused and looked down, her voice soft and gentle. “Wait outside for a moment, alright? Sister just needs to grab a cloak and I’ll be right out.”

Jiang Yun gave a small, obedient nod. Before Jiang Wanshu could open the door and enter, he called out, “Hurry up, Sister! It’ll get cold if I stay out here too long.”

Jiang Wanshu glanced back at her younger brother before stepping inside.

Only a single candle flickered in the bedroom, which wasn’t enough to brighten the inner chamber. Jiang Wanshu scanned the room but saw no sign of Zhou Yan.

“That man… how can he not keep his word?” He had clearly promised her he would wait here tonight.

Jiang Wanshu pressed a hand to her forehead. It seemed all men shared a common ailment: once they were certain a girl had feelings for them, they would slowly begin to reveal their true, difficult nature.

Jiang Wanshu didn’t approve of this behavior. Fearing that Jiang Yun would catch a cold outside, she turned to leave. Suddenly, her wrist—hanging at her side—was snatched. Startled, she tried to pull back, but a dominant force pinned her arm, rendering her unable to move.

In the silent, dimly lit room, the person who had seized her wrist spoke. His voice was dangerously seductive. “Didn’t we agree it would be just the two of us? Wanwan, why did you bring a child back?”

Zhou Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he waited expectantly for her explanation.

Coming to her senses, Jiang Wanshu placed a hand over her racing heart and glanced up at him. “Zhou Yan, my brother said he wants to come out of the palace with us too.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Zhou Yan’s attitude hardened. His expression turned cold and stern. “No. This is our private date. What would it be like to bring a child along?”

“But Yun’er really wants to go.” Jiang Wanshu truly couldn’t find a better reason to explain it to him.

Zhou Yan remained righteously firm. “I said no, and I mean no. If you don’t have the heart to tell him, I’ll go send him away myself.” With that, Zhou Yan moved toward the door.

Jiang Wanshu held onto his muscular arm, refusing to let go. Zhou Yan looked down to see her eyes shimmering. She puffed out her cheeks and said softly, “He’s very pitiful. He’s already this old, yet he has never seen the world outside the palace.”

Zhou Yan remained unmoved. He pulled his hand away and started for the door again. Watching him anxiously, Jiang Wanshu hesitated for a moment, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she took a sudden step closer to him. Tipping up on her toes, she wrapped both arms around his neck.

In the dark bedroom, Jiang Wanshu’s face flushed crimson. Bracing herself through her embarrassment, she began to press soft, lingering kisses against Zhou Yan’s lips, over and over like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Zhou Yan stopped in his tracks instantly. Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Wanshu whispered, “Zhou Yan, please promise me, okay?”

A cold breeze blew in through the window, but Zhou Yan was completely entranced by her actions.

He wrapped his arm around her slender waist, pulling her flush against his body. He was utterly bewitched. “What is my reward?”

Jiang Wanshu knew exactly what his “flowery heart” was after. “Whatever you like.”

In truth, she had to admit that having tasted the sweetness of their intimacy, she no longer felt any resistance to it. She thought that as long as Zhou Yan was gentle, it would be very pleasant.

However, just the thought of such things was enough to stain her fair cheeks a deep scarlet. Seeing this, Zhou Yan knew she was “validating his skills,” and he couldn’t have been more delighted. He spoke up immediately, his face beaming, “Fine. Wanwan, you must remember your promise.”

Jiang Wanshu nodded shyly. For Jiang Yun’s sake, she was making a massive sacrifice.

Zhou Yan paused. “You want me to jump out the window again?”

He felt as though ever since he started staying in this palace, jumping out of windows had become an inescapable destiny.

Jiang Wanshu grabbed the man’s arm and nudged him toward the window. “Zhou Yan, just humor me this once.”

Unable to resist her, Zhou Yan began walking toward the window.

At that same moment, Jiang Yun, standing outside, began to feel the chill. He stared at the closed door, wondering if his sister was really just grabbing a cloak or if something she couldn’t show him was happening.

Another gust of cold wind blew past, mussing his hair. Finally, Jiang Yun couldn’t take the cold any longer. Stopping his ruminations, he trotted toward where Jiang Wanshu was.

The bedroom door opened easily. Jiang Yun was running fast—so fast that by the time he burst in, Jiang Wanshu had only taken a few steps toward the window with Zhou Yan. The light from the hallway spilled in, only to be blocked by the tall, sturdy silhouette of the man in front of him.

Jiang Yun looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.

Why was there someone else in his sister’s bedroom? Moreover, this man was incredibly well-built; one didn’t even need to see his face to know he was a man.

But his sister was a lady. A man in a lady’s room?

Jiang Yun suddenly remembered his teacher’s lessons in the study hall. In an instant, he clapped both hands over his mouth in shock. “Si… Sister!”

Jiang Wanshu had been dazed by this sudden intrusion. Snapping out of it at Jiang Yun’s cry, she quickly knelt down and placed her hands on his shoulders. “Yun’er, Yun’er, don’t be afraid. This is Guard Zhou.”

She thought he was scared she was being kidnapped. Little did she know that Jiang Yun had already formed his own judgment. The room was peaceful; the “storm” only started when he entered. He didn’t believe for a second that his sister was being coerced.

Naturally, Jiang Yun didn’t explain this to her. He just looked at her in disbelief. “He is Guard Zhou?”

By now, to make it easier for Jiang Yun to recognize him, Zhou Yan had knelt down just like Jiang Wanshu.

Jiang Yun glanced sideways at the man’s powerful presence and finally remembered who he was—the man who had escorted his sister back to the palace that day.

He was truly very tall, and because of his sturdy frame, the sense of pressure he exuded was immense even while kneeling.

Seeing a man in his sister’s room, Jiang Yun instinctively straightened his back and asked with a huff of indignation, “Why are you in my sister’s bedroom?”

The moment the question was asked, Jiang Wanshu’s gaze shifted to Zhou Yan.

Hearing this, Zhou Yan turned to look at Jiang Wanshu. Their eyes met, and he could clearly see the plea in her expression.

Zhou Yan turned back to Jiang Yun with a sigh, showing a rare display of patience for someone close to Jiang Wanshu. “The Little Prince wants to know why I’m here?”

Jiang Yun nodded.

“Then how about the Little Prince answers one of my questions first? If you do, I’ll tell you why I’m here. Deal?”

Being a curious child, Jiang Yun agreed. “Deal.”

“When the Little Prince is alone in the study room practicing his lessons, does a nanny occasionally bring in snacks?” Zhou Yan asked, leading him on step by step.

Jiang Yun thought about it for a moment. “True. The nanny is worried I might be hungry, so she brings snacks to ask me. She does it because she cares for me.”

As soon as those words were uttered, Zhou Yan knew he had him. Using extremely persuasive language and a clever bit of logical sleight-of-hand, he countered:

“I am exactly like that nanny. I saw that the candles in here were dim and feared the Princess would be frightened upon her return. That is why I thought to come in and light a few more for her—I was caring for the Princess. I had no idea you and the Princess would walk in midway through, leading to your misunderstanding, Little Prince.”

Setting Jiang Yun aside, even Jiang Wanshu was nearly stunned by this claim. She hadn’t realized that Zhou Yan had such a knack for tricking children.

However, her own reaction didn’t matter now; the most important person was the younger brother standing before her. She shot a glance at Zhou Yan before fixing all her attention on Jiang Yun.

She prayed fervently that her brother would believe Zhou Yan’s words; she had no desire to set a poor example for such a young child. Jiang Wanshu prayed with all her might for Jiang Yun’s innocence to prevail.

Fortunately, the heavens heard her. A moment later, Jiang Yun nodded with a look of half-understanding, his mind shifting to the excitement of leaving the palace.

Recalling what Jiang Wanshu had said earlier, he looked up at the man who loomed large even while squatting and opened his mouth. “Guard Brother, may I go out of the palace with Sister? I promise I’ll be very good.”

The young boy’s eyes were filled with such hope that Zhou Yan couldn’t help but look away for a second. This little boy truly elicited a sense of pity; it was no wonder Jiang Wanshu treated him so well.

Having already received Jiang Wanshu’s “command”—and having already accepted her “favor”—Zhou Yan didn’t dare refuse.

He reached out, his large palm resting on Jiang Yun’s hair. “Of course you may.”

He paused for a beat, then added a caveat. “But…”

Jiang Yun became as tense as someone walking on thin ice, terrified the man would regret the decision and leave him behind.

“But you must be obedient. It will be crowded and lively outside the palace tonight. You are not allowed to run off anywhere beyond our sight, do you understand?”

Zhou Yan spoke with stern conviction. Jokes aside, if he took the boy out only for him to get lost, Jiang Wanshu would never stop being angry with him. He wasn’t about to lose the big picture for such a small oversight.

Jiang Yun had no objections and nodded immediately.

With that settled, the group soon arrived at the palace gates. Outside the red walls of the Forbidden City, amidst the perfunctory distractions provided by Zhou Yan and the guards, Jiang Wanshu found the right moment to usher Jiang Yun into the carriage. Once a muffled thud echoed from inside the carriage—a signal they were settled—Zhou Yan returned to his temporary post as the coachman.

Driven by the man’s expert hand, the fast-moving horse soon brought them to their destination for the night.

There was no need to even step down; simply sitting in the carriage and lifting the gauze curtain revealed the bustling, prosperous marketplace outside.

Seeing the world outside the palace for the first time, Jiang Yun followed Jiang Wanshu’s lead and lifted the curtain, instantly struck with wonder. He had never imagined the world outside was like this.

The night was as bright as day with countless lanterns, a grand spectacle of brilliant wares displayed everywhere. Seeing the shimmering lights, Jiang Yun’s excitement got the better of him, and he moved to rush out.

To his surprise, he ran straight into Zhou Yan’s arms as he moved to exit the carriage. “Prince, you promised me you wouldn’t run off wildly.”

Jiang Yun snapped back to reality. He looked into the man’s eyes with a shimmering gaze and nodded with the obedience of a well-behaved child. “Mm.”

Jiang Wanshu was naturally delighted. Seeing Jiang Yun so happy, she didn’t scold him. Instead, she pushed aside the curtain and stepped out of the carriage.

As she descended, she reminded Zhou Yan, “Mind your titles out here. Don’t call my brother ‘Prince’.”

“Very well,” Zhou Yan nodded, then asked, “Then what should I call him?”

“Call me A-Yun! Call me A-Yun!” Jiang Yun interjected like a little adult, patting his chest. “Sister says that in certain situations, this name sounds incredibly reassuring!”

It was as if he were trying to tell them that he would be the one protecting them.

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