As Qingxi had said that fatal ‘Your Lordship’, Shen Zhen had felt her blood run dry. She paled in an instant. The sudden change frightened Retainer An who softly called out to her. Regaining her wits, Shen Zhen leaned into Retainer An.
“I shall take my leave now. Nanny and I will discuss about this another time.”
She walked towards the door, nodding curtly at Qingxi before stepping out. Doing as if nothing had happened, she raised her eyes to meet those of the person standing in front of her. The candlelight that seeped from the room played shadow games on his face. Distorting it frighteningly. He was standing erect and uncompromising, nothing like the man who had brought her to this place. Arrogant, cold, indifferent. The Lu Yan she knew.
When she had stepped out, he had simply said, in a slow, monotonous voice:
“It’s time to go.”
Five words that were as cold as the water of a mountain stream. No emotion to be distinguished. Was he angry? Was he irritated? Was he content? Was he happy? No, he simply was an official of the Supreme Court. Unemotional and unyielding.
Shen Zhen took place by his side, subconsciously reaching for the pearl hairpin on her head. A movement of anxiety.
“When did Your Lordship arrive?”
Her hand in her hairdo, her eyes looking in front of herself, and the indifference of her own voice gave off a feeling of nonchalance very uncharacteristic to her. As soon as she had spoken, she wished she had bitten her tongue off! This was a catastrophe. A catastrophe.
Lu Yan looked down at her, an enigmatic smile hooking the corner of his mouth.
“Barely an instant ago.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhen breathed a silent sigh of relief, walking on with him. What a pity she had not turned her head to take a look once last time. She might have seen Qingxi shaking her head in horror, her eyes rolling around in their orbs from terror.
Lu Yan strode out from the residence, Shen Zhen following on his footsteps. However, as they arrived by his horse, he motioned with his head for her to get up by her own means. He obviously was not planning on lending her a hand. Shen Zhen attempted twice without success. She had no other choice but to look up at Lu Yan and beg him for his assistance.
“Could Your Lordship teach Shen Zhen one more time?”
Her eyes were filled with anxiety, presaging something frightening. Oh, he had. He had heard what she had said!
Lu Yan’s stare was as indifferent as ever. Grabbing onto her waist without warning, he simply threw her up. As she mounted the saddle, she grabbed onto the horse’s bridle in fear. He followed suite, hoisting himself up. The speed of the horse was nothing near what it had been when they had been coming. Shen Zhen who was encased in Lu Yan’s arms would, every now and then, look up at him, trying to gage his emotions. After the third time she had lifted her head, Lu Yan pulled at the reigns and made the horse halt in its race.
A bright crescent moon hung in the skies and the leaves of a deep forest rustled all around them. The silhouettes of a man and woman on horseback wallowing in one another’s simple presence stood in bleak contrast with the desolation of the landscape. If one were to look from afar, it would have been mistaken for a most sultry scene.
Shen Zhen leaned into his solid chest. Close. Closer. As if she wanted to melt into him and make nothing but one. Lu Yan knew her methods of trying to please him. This was a prime example of it. He could not help but scoff. Scoff at her. Scoff at himself.
Did she not wish to break it off?
Did she not wish it?!
Then why was she leaning into him so urgently?
Although he did not speak, Shen Zhen could hear his heartbeat picking up speed in what she knew to be rage. He had heard indeed. She had no say in this affair, she knew. He had made as much clear. Therefore, she assumed, knowing his temper, that he would have discarded her as soon as he had gotten married. He was not the type to humiliate a legitimate wife. No, this proper and clean man was the type to only humiliate the dirty, impure ones he picked up on the side of the road. Like herself, for example.
She had wanted to wait until the day Princess Royal Jing’an finally prevailed over her son to announce her departure. Her plans had been shattered by one wagging tongue. Her own. Now was not the time to displease this men when she relied on his good will to survive.
Therefore, her small, cold hand, with its fine fingers reached for his own. So soft and white. As if it had no bones. Such a hand was enough to make any woman lovable, let alone the most beautiful among them. She was an actress. A very talented one. Every look, every touch of hers bore the words “love and desire”, intermingled, merging into the night. She was able to ignite a fire in any man with nothing but a stroke of her fingers. And Lu Yan had been the one to teach her all this poison she was feeding him now.
Seeing as he was not avoiding her, Shen Zhen let her lips graze his Adam’s apple. Her lips were like moist silk. They had the effect of a strong wine, making people want to drop head-first into it. Lu Yan’s Adam’s apple rolled under her ministrations. He closed his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows. The hand on the reins, tightened, veins standing out. After a while, under the caress of her fingers against his and her lips against his flesh, the corner of Lu Yan’s lips shook.
“Shen Zhen, do not provoke me.”
His voice might have been cold, yet his serious eyes were burning with a frightening light, full of desire. He wanted to give off the impression of detachment, yet he looked more like a man barely able to reign in his yearning for her. Shen Zhen looked at him, her eyelids heavy and seductive. She parted her lips, about to speak, when her jaw was slowly His wanton stare seemed to warn her that he could not about the fact he was on horseback at the moment.
“Is Your Lordship angry?”
Her voice sounded so husky in the darkness. As proud as Lu Yan was, how could he ever admit something Shen Zhen had said or done could cause him to be angry?! Just as Shen Zhen was ready to explain what had occurred on that night, Lu Yan felt saw two shadows appearing in the dense forest. He frowned in rage, throwing an arm around Shen Zhen’s shoulders and pulling her into him.
“Someone is coming. Do not move. Do not make a noise”, he whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her neck.
Leaning down, he immediately covered her lips with his. Such a kiss … Light and heavy. Demanding, oppressive, seductive, erotic. A blush crept up Shen Zhen’s white cheeks. Who could withstand such mastery. Shen Zhen lay down all her defenses, burying deeper into his arms. She did not dare to refuse, letting him brand her with his lips and teeth. Raising his hand, Lu Yan removed a hairpin from her head, making the silken locks cascade down her back …
In another part of the forest.
The person kneeling on the ground was carrying a bundle on his back. Folding his hands he said:
“Manager Pang, please consider my former services. Find pity in your heart to let me go. I promise not to say anything and to burn that letter. It will never reach the Emperor!”
“I will take this Yangzhou affair with me to death.”
The person standing did not speak. He only menacingly brandished his unsheathed sword.
Lu Yan jumped down the horse, extending a hand to make Shen Zhen follow. The two of them approached slowly.
“Get closer to me”, Lu Yan ordered, having Shen Zhen nestle against his side obediently.
When they were only a few steps away, the man with the sword suddenly called out.
“Who is coming?!”
He brandished the sword some more, reflecting the moonlight against its blade. It came to point in their direction. Lu Yan produced a torch from his waist, as he lighted it, the darkness was dispelled at once. The dense, silent forest came alive with the light. Facing one another, the expression in Lu Yan’s eyes changed immediately as he slipped back into the role he was known for in Yangzhou. He frivolously bowed his said.
“Would this be Master Pang?”
The man’s name was Pang Shu and he was Zhao Chong’s right hand. When Pang Shu saw who he was facing, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“Why is Master Wei here at this time of the night?”
None of Zhao Chong’s men doubted Lu Yan. They had seen their master accept him and therefore considered him one of them. But wasn’t this too much of a coincidence, meeting in such a place at such a time? Pang Shu was thinking this through until he noticed a lite silhouette standing behind Lu Yan’s back.
Dishevelled clothes, messy hair, flushed cheeks … Pang Shu reacted immediately, a derisive smile appearing on his wide face.
“It seems we have been disturbing Master Wei’s pleasure.”
Since coming to Yangzhou, Lu Yan had done everything in his power to gain the reputation of being amorous at best, lecherous at worst. Lu Yan good-naturedly walked over.
“And what is Manager Pang doing here?”
Pang Shu spit on the ground, motioning to the kneeling figure by his side.
“This one sought out his own death and I am here to take care of it.”
Pang Shu handed a letter to Lu Yan, urging him to take a look. A memorandum. A memorandum to be presented to the Emperor, no less. That man kneeling on the ground, Lu Yan knew him. His name was Nie Yuan. The Deputy Governor working for Zhao Chong.
Lu Yan observed the scroll in his hand, pretending not to understand anything.
“And this would be ..?”
Pang Shu spat once more, kicking the kneeling man’s shoulder in his rage:
“Master Wei would not know, but this treacherous worm has been promoted from Deputy Governor to superintendent of the eighth rank!”
Indeed, being a superintendent made one only an eighth-ranked official. However, there was this saying that made every child the least bit related to the Imperial Household burst out in laughter.
‘Even a pheasant could become a phoenix if the Emperor so willed.’
A superintendent, as low as he might have been, should never be underestimated, especially if his words could reach the Emperor’s ears. As soon as the promotion was mentioned, the letter in Lu Yan’s hand became all the more interesting.
‘Earthenware overflows with nine brews. The eight treasures of land and see clutter our tables. We suck the juice of Dongting tangerines and feast upon the flesh of fish from Tianchi Lake.’
(Translator’s Note: From the poem “轻肥” by Bai Juyi, a Tang Dynasty poet. “轻肥” itself is an abbreviation of “肥马轻裘”, “ride stout horses and wear light fur coats”, an idiomatic expression that means to lead an extravagant life)
This metaphor was aptly chosen to convey just how the officials of Yangzhou had become corrupt and enjoyed the pleasures of the table night and day, not doing their duty.
‘The livelihood of the people has withered. Only desolation remains. Outside the great walls of Yangzhou, people eat people.‘
Yet another metaphor to denote just how dire the straits of the people of Yangzhou were. After Lu Yan read it, he sneered and kicked Nie Yuan himself.
“Are you trying to step over your brothers’ bones to walk on a road of prosperity?!”
As soon as those words were spoken, Pang Shu felt fury overtake him. He grabbed onto the kneeling man’s bun and dragged him on the ground.
“I have never seen such a perfidious traitor in my life!”
As he was about to stab him with a sword in his rage, Lu Yan extended his hand and simply called out to Pang Shu.
“Manager Pang.”
“What is it that Brother Wei suggests?!”
Lu Yan became solemn, shedding his frivolous act.
“This humble representative of the Wei household believes this person should be interrogated again. What if he were to have accomplices?”
Pang Shu’s face lost all of its rage.
“I can understand Brother Wei’s thinking. But how could this villainous, unrighteous, heartless swine sway anyone into following him. He has no care for the lives of his wife and children, leaving them behind to pursue promotion and riches!”
Lu Yan brought his fist to his lips, coughing lightly.
“Manager Pang should let me try at least.”
If there was one person who knew his criminals, it was Lu Yan. The sentiment and righteous ones rarely spoke, even if tortured to the extreme. However, the villainous, as long as they were offered the right incentives, would sing like canaries. Even telling you more than you wanted to hear.
“What are Brother Wei’s thoughts?”
Lu Yan pointed a finger in front of them.
“If we walk a few steps, we are going to find a teahouse. It should be empty at this time. So why not take ourselves there?”
Pang Shu nodded indifferently.
“That’s fine.”
Pang Shu hoisted Nie Yun up, pushing him in front while Lu Yan led Shen Zhen, the four of them finally reaching the teahouse and entering it. It was the dilapidated type, with only a little shopkeeper siting inside. The little shopkeeper jumped up at the sound of someone coming.
“How many masters are there to serve? And what will they drink?”
“West Lake Longjing”, Lu Yan snapped majestically.
At those words, the shopkeeper’s face blanched.
“Yes, Master, right this instant”
He scurried away, leaving the guests to their own devises. Pang Shu shook his head in doubt.
“Where will they find West Lake Longjing in this decrepit place?! This shopkeeper is full of nonsense.”
The little shopkeeper did come back with a pot of tea.
“This shop might not be big, but where tea is concerned, it doesn’t lack it!”
Offering a small cup to Pang Sh, he urged him to try.
“Would the Master have a taste?”
Pang Shu took a sip, frowning.
“How dare you call this West Lake Longjing?!”
Pang Shu’s outburst only made Lu Yan smile. He picked the teapot up and poured Shen Zhen a cup. He slowly brought it to her lips, slipping back into the role of the ardent lover.
“Have a taste, my love.”
With shaking hands, the blush that had receded crawling up to the roots of her hair, Shen Zhen took the cup from his hands and sipped the tea without hesitation. Lu Yan kissed her ear, a silky smile hiding in his eyes.
“I personally poured a cup for my darling, and she only takes one sip? I am deeply wounded.”
Shen Zhen was not used to public acts of intimacy. In fact, she was not used being called all these pet names and having Lu Yan serving her so conscientiously. She felt like she would faint from the heat that spread through her body. Pang Shu looked at Lu Yan’s little attentions towards the beauty, blushing himself. If it weren’t for them, one could not but wonder what those two would be doing at this moment in the forest.
“Brother Wei truly has a passion for beauties. Such voluptuousness”, he sighed in envy.
Then, he poured himself another cup.
“It is getting late. Brother Wei better carry out his interrogation so we can leave this place.”
Lu Yan observed Shen Zhen. His face might have been tender, but there was something cold as he took in every detail of her appearance. Then, he lifted his eyes on Pang Shu.
“Wait just a little longer.”
When he heard the word ‘wait’, Nie Yuan shivered.
“I will give you everything I have, how about it?”
Pang Shu shot him a disgusted glance, preparing to kick him some more. But as he tried to lift his foot, he realized it was incredibly heavy. In fact, he could not move it at all. At once a splitting headache attacked him out of nowhere. He immediately turned his eyes to stare at Lu Yan in horror. Brother Wei’s concubine had fallen into his arms, laying limply against his shoulder. Pang Shu was a big man, though he could not move his limbs, he remained awake, unlike the delicate and frail Shen Zhen. He shook his head vigorously, trying to reach for his temple frantically.
“What is happening?!”
The little shopkeeper reappeared, bowing to Lu Yan.
“Young Master, what do you wish us to do with the man?”
“Tie him up”, Lu Yan softly ordered.
“We shall be taking him back to the capital.”
He then stood up, slowly striding towards Nie Yuan.
“As imperial envoy and official of the Supreme Court, this official wishes to make a deal with the superintendent.”
