The silence of the night was oppressive.
Lu Yan pressed Shen Zhen’s body into the bed, staring at her not unlike a predator preparing to pounce on his prey. This posture of his signaled that he would not let her rest until she spoke. Seeing Shen Zhen remaining silent, the man’s hand on her waist relaxed its death grip, rubbing slowly at it, alternating between light and heavy strokes. Did he wish to caress her? Or to persecute her?
Do you feel wronged?
How could she dare to feel mistreated after having placed herself into Lu Yan’s hands? Even if she had escaped Chang’an on that fateful day, she would have been condemned to wander around with a sick Hong’er, unable to even find a corner of peace to huddle in. What a foolish dream she had had.
There was a price to pay for every favor granted. She understood this rule that governed the world. And yet, she could not bring herself to say five simple words: ‘I do not feel wronged.’
She had lived for sixteen years as the legitimate child of a man and woman. It was unimportant that they were nobles. She knew that had they been beggars, they would still have wanted the best for their daughter. How could she ever fathom she would become a man’s mistress, without status, without rights, only to be used and discarded at will …
Shen Zhen’s full lips parted. But no voice came from her mouth. Noticing this seemingly small action, Lu Yan’s heart could not help but sink. Was it so hard for her to utter five simple words?
How ironic. The eldest son of Grand Duke Zhen, the heir to the Grand Duchy, the proud, triumphant, prosperous Lu Yan had been accustomed to having people pander to him. How many women would have willingly thrown away family, honor, dignity to follow him namelessly?! But here he was, being led by the nose like this!
He looked down into Shen Zhen’s watery eyes. Anger took a hold of him. Anger and … panic. A panic he would not, could not, admit. A feeling so new to him that he did not know how to alleviate it. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. Lu Yan peeled himself away from Shen Zhen.
“Sleep”, he spat in feigned irritation, trying to conceal the turmoil within him.
He promised himself one thing. From this moment onward, since she did not wish to speak, he would not ask again.
Shen Zhen observed his back with a complicated gaze. She had annoyed him once more, she knew. Thinking about how to soothe him without perjuring her own soul, she whispered:
“Shen Zhen promises never to forget Your Lordship’s life-saving grace.”
Her voice might have been as cold as a mountain creek, devoid of the deep emotions he wished to elicit in her, but it did succeed in making his limbs go numb. Indeed, did she feel nothing but gratitude for this life-saving grace?
As the night proceeded, Shen Zhen’s breathing eventually evened out. Lu Yan turned around carefully, observing her to his heart’s content. Then, his eyes shifted to the sachet by the side of the bed. He could not help but sigh, before slowly drifting to sleep himself …
Behind his closed eyelids, time flickered back to the ninth day of October.
That was the night before the Shen family had to pay off that debt.
There had been a difficult case to solve at the Supreme Court. Lu Yan had remained in his office to write a submission late into the evening. At an inopportune moment, a few guards who were about to leave had rushed in.
“Lord Lu, there is a fire in Zhaoxing Lane!”
A small clerk appeared at the office door at the same time.
“The shopkeeper of Jin’s moneylending business has come to beat the drums! He says that the Third Miss of the Shen family has not repaid her debt and has fled the city!”
Lu Yan raised a lazy eyebrow at this congregation. The Third Miss of the Shen household? Her again? A true calamity. He continued to write, more irritated than anything.
“Have the people of the Jin family come in.”
As soon as shopkeeper stepped through Lu Yan’s door, he started harping unbearably.
“Your Lordship, the Shen family owes us a total of eight thousand copper coins. Who will pay us, if she has run away?!”
Seeing as Lu Yan observed him silently, his chin placed in a leisurely hand, his dark eyes gleaming indifferently under the light of a candle, the shopkeeper hurriedly continued:
“There is more! That Third Shen girl must have falsified household registrations and counterfeited legal documents to be able to leave the city like that! The government cannot ignore the matter, can it, now?!”
Yang Zong, who had never left his master’s side, leaned in.
“Your Lordship, what should this subordinate do?”
Lu Yan intently examined the elegant, wolf-fur brush in his hand, sighing in annoyance.
“Have some guards leave the city and look for that Miss Shen.”
Lu Yan, for his part, departed from the Supreme Court with a group of people, torch in hand. Dispatching them to the north and south of the city, it took him quite some time to capture the fugitive Shen Zhen and Shen Hong. Since they were caught fleeing, they could not deny any implication in any criminal acts they were accused of.
Lu Yan jumped down his horse, tall and stalwart, reaching Shen Zhen in two big steps.
“Who falsified your household registration for you?”
His voice was colder than ice. He had little time to lose on boudoir misses who thought they could play the role of highway brigands. Shen Zhen lowered her head, biting her lower lip, but observing the frightening man stubbornly from between her dark lashes. She would not speak. Or at least, so she thought.
Shen Zhen hair was tangled, there was blood on her white cheek, result from having fallen before caught, she was as pale as a ghost. When Lu Yan shoved the torch he was holding into her face, almost burning her, he was certain that she would break sooner rather than later. They always did, these boudoir misses.
“Answer this official’s questions”, Lu Yan spat, straightening up and showing his domination as the good prosecutor that he was.
Shen Zhen’s fingers trembled. She the spoiled daughter of a marquis. How could she bear to be interrogated? The question was rather, how could she have gotten the idea to flee into her head?! Since it was her eldest sister who was implicated, Shen Zhen would adamantly not speak.
Lu Yan truly had no time to waste. One night in prison could do wonders. Looking back at Yang Zong, he motioned toward Shen Zhen with his head.
“Take her away.”
Lu Yan let her cool in the Supreme Court’s prison for two days, confident that by that time, she would have become more reasonable. He had Shen Zhen, Shen Hong and the bribed city gate guard locked in different cells. When he had reappeared at the end of the two days, the first thing he had down was to bark:
“Separate trial for the three!”
Shen Zhen, who had been huddled in a dark corner of her cell had haphazardly gotten to her feet, stumbling forward and taking support on iron bars separating her from Lu Yan.
“Your Lordship, my brother is but five years old. He has nothing to do with this case.”
Her voice was hoarse. She had obviously tasted the best of prison regimen. Water had been withheld. Lu Yan leaned in, staring at her from behind the bars.
“Take out the counterfeit documents.”
Shen Zhen’s hand rose to her chest, pressing it in anguish. Tears filled her eyes. Her first, innocent, stupid impulse had been to beg this man to let Hong’er and herself go. But there were limits even to her naivety. She knew it would be useless. The Shen family and the Zhen Grand Duchy had a very shallow relationship, if it could be called that. And even if it had been much deeper than it truly was, she was standing in front of a court official. This man would not make a show of favoritism. His whole demeanor spoke of his intransigence.
Seeing as she had not spoken or made a move to obey him, Lu Yan indifferently reminded her of the alternative solution.
“If you do not wish to hand the documents over by your own volition, we can have a guard search your body and recuperate them by our own means.”
How could a girl like Shen Zhen who had lived the past sixteen years behind the delicate screens of her boudoir withstand Lu Yan’s threat?! He was speaking of a very exquisite form of torture … After a long while and many a deep breath taken, she finally produced the paperwork and passed it through the prison bars.
“Your Lordship must know that everything is my own doing. I have falsified these documents. I have tampered with our household registration. I have committed arson. I … I admit it all.”
After having choked these words out, her twinkling eyes lowered to the dirty prison ground, big pearls of tears falling onto the top of her foot. Lu Yan was not moved. Leafing through the documents, he confirmed that indeed he had his evidence, raised his eyes and spat in disgust:
“Do you even realize how serious of a crime this is? You alone?! How did you get the right paper to produce this household registration? And the ink?!”
How could Shen Zhen answer such questions?! She did not even know there were particular inks and sorts of papers to produce legal documents.
Lu Yan peeled his annoyed glare from her.
“The Supreme Court prides itself in its impartiality. And lying about a is perjury in the eyes of the law. Therefore, let this official ask you once more. Who is behind this whole setup?”
Shen Zhen clenched her teeth and fisted her hands.
“It is no one but me”, she ground out.
The corner of Lu Yan’s mouth quivered in displeasure.
“This official advices Miss Shen to speak the truth in court tomorrow, lest she might regret once the final verdict is rendered.”
As Lu Yan left, he was met by Yang Zong.
“Will the Young Master be going back to the mansion today?”
Said Young Master rubbed at his eyes.
“I will be presiding tomorrow. I better spend the night in the office.”
The next day.
Lu Yan spent the night seated at his desk. When the first rays of dawn hit his windows, he got up, moving his stiff shoulder blades and arms. The day would be a long one. His duties were as tedious as they were irritating. He could not help but massage his temple.
Glancing at the sun that was rising dazzlingly, he called his subordinate in.
“The city gate guard, did he finally plead guilty? Who bribed him in the end?”
Yang Zong shook his head in disappointment.
“He did not speak. He has received over forty blows with the board but has not said a word.”
Forgery, bribery. They were going for the death sentence.
“Interrogate Shen Zhen”, Lu Yan lightly said.
But since she was a woman, he would witness the interrogation himself. So he made his way to the Supreme Court’s prison once more. The most famous beauty of Chang’an, a sixteen-year old girl. How could she bear to find herself beaten by two prison guards? At the thought of it, her legs gave in as she was dragged to the execution room.
“Miss Shen should know that the board is not something that many a man, let alone a woman, can endure. She would be well advised to tell this official once and for all who gave her the falsified documents.”
Shen Zhen did as if she had not heard, only pulling her exhausted body forth. She stumbled, her bust falling onto the stool in front of her.
“Your Lordship may ask a thousand times. The answer will never change.”
The Supreme Court was not some county magistrate. It had greater rights and was not subjected to appeals like the courts under the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, as long as there was conclusive evidence, the death penalty could be easily bestowed upon anyone without a possibility of appeal.
Lu Yan tapped at the table in front of him with his forefinger.
“You cannot stand the interrogation process.”
Lu Yan was categorical. She was nothing but a boudoir miss. She will not be able to withstand one blow of the board. Shen Zhen did not respond. She only fisted her hands in her shift, terrified, her lower lip shaking. She knew she would not survive. However, her eldest sister would. And that was all that mattered. The only thing that made Shen Zhen reluctant to face death serenely was Shen Hong … Who would take care of her Hong’er?
Lu Yan observed her every expression, trying to calculate how long she would last. But as she seemed to be adamant about tasting the board, she could be his guest. He raised three fingers.
“Give her three blows.”
After one, he was sure, she would be singing like a pretty canary.
Since he had taken over as official of the Supreme Court, he had seen thousand such cases. The only difference being that the prisoners who had been tortured and beaten had been thieves, rapists, murderers, arsonists. It was the first time he was faced with a case like the Shen family’s.
And the three blows fell on Shen Zhen’s back. Yet, not one word, not one cry escaped her lips. Only her teeth bit into them with violence, stifling her as suffering ensued. Lu Yan started turning the jadeite ring on his finger.
“Three more”, he bit out through clenched teeth.
The lacquered wood of the board shone under the sun.
Lu Yan had looked on for long enough. She could barely hold her head. But in a movement of rebellion, so uncharacteristic to such a young girl, she lifted her face and stared right at him. Her hair was plastered on her sweaty forehead and there was blood seeping down her chin. She had obviously bitten her lip to the point of blood. As another blow fell on her lower back, Shen Zhen slid forward on the stool, her mouth opening and making Lu Yan witness the horrifying spectacle of blood-drenched teeth. He closed his eyes with furrowed brows, turned his head to the side and spoke in a dull voice:
“Admit everything and this official swears he will take your surrender into account and punish you lightly.”
According to the laws of Jin, one who admits one’s crime clearly and in detail will escape the capital punishment and one who surrenders by one’s own will see one’s offense reduced to the second class. Shen Zhen’s acts could be judged under many different statutes. Lu Yan would find a way to let her off if only she bowed her damned, wretched head instead of making the Supreme Court look like a torture room for the innocent and the oppressed!
Before she could speak, Yang Zong rushed to Lu Yan, whispering into his ear:
“Young Master, the heir to the Xuanping Marquisate has come to discuss an urgent matter with you. He is waiting outside the Supreme Court?”
Lu Yan’s eyebrows shot up.
“Sui Yu?!”
“Yes.”
He did not have many friends. In fact, if he were to ask himself how many there were, the number would be a measly two. Sui Yu being one of them. They were the same age. They had grown up together. In fact, he could be said to be closer to Lu Yan than his own cousins. After thinking the situation through, he ordered the guard to stop with Shen Zhen’s examination.
Sui Yu was led into a hall and Lu Yan appeared an instant later.
“Why have you come at such a time?”
Sui Yu was disheveled. There were dark circles under his eyes that shone with a frightening, sickly light. And that is when Lu Yan remembered. The Xuanping and the Yunyang Marquisates were like two fingers of one same hand. Had it not been for the Emperor sending the second Shen girl, Shen Yao, to marry three years ago, Sui Yu would have been Marquis Yunyang’s son-in-law by now.
Remembering such a deep relationship, Lu Yan’s heart sank.
“Is my third sister Shen here?”, Sui Yu asked, barely coherent.
Lu Yan could but slowly nod his head, refusing to meet his friend’s eyes.
“Yes.”
“Shiyan, listen to me. I did it all. I was the one who handed the falsified documents to Shen Ran.”
Lu Yan frowned slightly, not as surprised as one would have expected, and in a low voice filled with sadness, he prodded:
“Do you even realize what you are saying?”
Of course. Sui Yu worked for the Ministry of Household Affairs.
“Shiyan, understand me. She is everything I have left of Shen Yao. I used to carry her on my back and taught her to climb trees. She is a sister to me. I cannot let her go to hell while I saw myself …”
Lu Yan lowered his eyes. Then, they hardened as he lifted them.
“You are getting married to the Grand Imperial Preceptor’s daughter in a few days. What would the Marquise Xuanping and the Grand Imperial Preceptor say if they were to hear that you maintained contact with the Shen family?”
Why should these wretched Shen drag the world down with them? They had fallen. No one could save them. Pushing them down a bit lower would make no difference. If, in the name of Sui Yu, Lu Yan had to step on their corpses, he would do it.
Sui Yu’s eyes reddened and one, lone tear slid down his pale cheeks.
“I owe Yao’er.”
Lu Yan did not know what to say to that. He had never been in love. And hoped never to know such feelings that could make a groveling worm out of a man.
“The fact you and that second Shen girl might have had feelings for one another is one thing. But she was given in marriage by the Emperor. Are you questioning His word?!”
Sui Yu lowered his head, thoroughly beaten by the lack of sympathy in his friend. He smiled bitterly, full of hatred. How could Lu Yan ever understand, son of Princess Royal Jing’an, nephew of the Great Above. He raised his head and stared right into his dearest friend’s cold eyes, enunciating every following word:
“I was the one who counterfeited each and every document. It has nothing to do with Shen Ran. Make sure that you are clear on that, Lu Shiyan.”
Lu Yan threateningly furrowed his brows.
“Sui You’an! Are you trying to force my hand in the name of our friendship?!”, he hissed, irate.
“Sui Yu dares not”, he snickered back in spite.
Sui Yu placed his hands in front of himself, giving Lu Yan a ceremonious salute, aggressively charging forward.
“If Shen Zhen were to sign that sales contract, where do you think she would be sold off to? Jiao Alley? Or maybe Pingkang Alley? Or even better, would she fall into the hands of Marquis Yunyang’s opponents?!”
“Watch your words!”, Lu Yan roared, knowing Sui Yu was approaching a subject that should never be spoken about.
Sui Yu lifted his head, still in his low position.
“At this moment, the court is plunged into a grotesque play of treachery and greed. The Crown Prince is seriously ill and the Third and Sixth Princes are flying around his head like vultures. And the Crown Prince’s one and only support, his one confident and friend, the Marquis Yunyang, has been imprisoned because of the collapse of the West Canal?! Shiyan, do not tell me this whole situation is not a setup! You know the innocent daughter of the Shen family is being dragged into it and yet, now that you could save her, you refuse her a helping hand?! How can you sleep at night?! Had it been Lu Heng or Lu Yu who were in her situation, would you not have wanted someone, anyone, to offer them a helping hand?!”
“How did he dare take part in any party struggles, knowing that it is the greatest, vilest crime in the eyes of the Imperial Household?!”, Lu Yan screamed, overcome with the fact Sui Yu had dared compare that criminal’s daughter, that wretch, to his two female cousins.
Lu Yan’s implication was simple. Marquis Yunyang had been an official for decades. The moment he had chosen his side, he should have made preparations in the prospect of a fall. What?! He wanted to gamble, win every time and never lose?! How comical! Lu Yan would have laughed if he had not been so full of disgust and anger. Sui Yu straightened his back, glaring at Lu Yan. His cry was so violent, so heartrending that Lu Yan was shaken to his foundations.
“Lu Shiyan! The Yunyang Marquisate is not the Zhen Grand Duchy! Shen Zhen’s mother is not Princess Royale Jing’an! Do you think they ever had the chance to choose whether they would take part in Palace struggles?! Not everyone has your right to remain neutral or choose sides! Not everyone has your chance to set the law as one pleases! Not everyone leads your beautiful, carefree life! Not everyone is the great, rich, powerful Lu Shiyan!”
Lu Yan was left expressionless. He did not say a word. The two friends fell into a long, unforgiving silence. After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yan suddenly spoke.
“You go.”
Sui Yu raised his moist eyes, startled. He regretted his outburst. No one better than he knew that Lu Yan was not as cruel as he had painted him. The truth was that the Zhen Grand Duchy had no true relation with the Shen family. Lu Yan had no reason to be sympathetic to their plight. He enforced the law impartially as would be expected from an official of the Supreme Court. So, what was wrong? Sui Yu was wrong, obviously … He bowed his head, exhausted and broken.
“Shiyan, this is not what I meant …”
“Today, you have not come here. Do you understand?”
Lu Yan picked up the official’s hat he had put aside and turned on his heels. Before leaving, the last words Lu Yan had for Sui Yu were:
“I will protect her.”
As he walked back, Lu Yan told Yang Zong to withdraw eight thousand copper coins from his private account.
“If it is not enough, sell a property to the Wen’s pawnshop. Have the money sent to Jin’s moneylending business.”
Yang Zong immediately understood. He would have wished to dissuade his master, but he knew his temper. Once he had decided upon something, he would not be swayed. No one could talk Lu Yan out of what he wanted to achieve.
After a while, he returned to the Supreme Court’s prison. Shen Zhen had not been given the right to stand up, not that she could do it without assistance. Therefore, her bust was still resting against the stool, her breathing erratic. He crouched in front of her, softly asking:
“Can you get up?”
Shen Zhen raised her small face smeared in blood, looking at him with glazed eyes.
“Your Lordship?”
Lu Yan made a move to grab onto her arm. As soon as he tried to move her, Shen Zhen whimpered in pain.
“It hurts”, she sobbed.
He frowned.
“Be patient.”
That night, Shen Zhen was taken to Chengyuan by Lu Yan. At that time, only the two of them had been in Chengyuan.
Six blows of the board might not have sounded like much, however the guards were never soft with criminals. A tender girl like Shen Zhen should not have been able to withstand one blow, let alone six. Lu Yan produced a medicine flask from his sleeve, handing it to her.
“Make sure to use medicine on your wounds.”
Shen Zhen took it with trembling fingers, looking into Lu Yan’s eyes. She called him ‘Your Lordship’ in the smallest of voices, as if she wanted to say something before he left. Lu Yan growled lowly to acknowledge her. Her body was trembling and tears were streaming down her dirty cheeks.
“Shen Zhen promises never to forget Your Lordship’s life-saving grace”, she choked out.
As soon as he heard those words, a horrible pain pierced through Lu Yan’s heart and his head started pounding heavily. His eyes fluttered open. His eyesight was blurry. He tried to focus on anything, looking around. Then, he glanced to the side. Shen Zhen was sleeping by him. He stared at her arched eyebrows, wondering how they could be of such perfect shape. And for a moment he could not tell … what was dream and what, reality.
He slithered a long arm across Shen Zhen’s waist, pulling her into his embrace. Shen Zhen had been fast asleep, but with how easy it was to disturb her, she had gotten woken up as soon as Lu Yan’s eyes had opened. Her eyelashes were so long they got tangled up. When she kept her eyes half-open, she inevitably had a look of charming confusion.
“Your Lordship?”, she muttered in a slightly irritated voice.
She had slept so sweetly. The man was unstable, so much she had already concluded. But he was just as lecherous. When he had reached out for her, his warm hand had slid into her clothes, coming to rest against the small of her back.
“Does it hurt?”
Shen Zhen was left even more confused. What hurt? He repeated himself, thinking she had not heard him. Seeing as she had no choice but to humor this insane man, she softly shook her head.
“It does not hurt.”
When he finally heard her soft voice, those reassuring words, Lu Yan buried his face into the crook of her neck, letting the bridge of his nose revel in the softness of the flesh. His lips made contact with her fine skin, covering that palpitating spot at the base of her throat. It was a gentle caress, something between affection and apology. Shen Zhen, not accustomed to such tenderness and certainly not privy to Lu Yan’s thoughts, assumed he was trying to engage intercourse.
“Your Lordship … I am menstruating”, she stammered, her face set aflame by shame.
Lu Yan retrieved his hand from her back after having stroked it with great care. He moved it to her cheek, his thumb sliding across her lips. He was acting like a man bewitched.
“I know.”
He was at loss at his own actions and his thoughts were in a turmoil. His past and current lives seemed to be like the pieces of a broken mirror. Each shard was desperately trying to regain its lawful position so that the whole could reflect something alike a new reality …
