The carriage moved forward with the sound of wheels rolling on gravel. Shen Zhen held onto the edge of the window with a pale, shaking hand, her eyes lost in a daze. She did not speak. She did not look at Lu Yan. A breeze blew the curtain of the window aside. Lu Yan’s hand grabbed it before it fell back down, looking out the window from behind Shen Zhen.
“We will not be reaching the next post before night. Are you hungry?”
Shen Zhen simply shook her head.
“I am not hungry.”
The hand on the curtain squeezed into a fist before relaxing and reaching for Shen Zhen’s pale, almost transparent, little ear.
“Tell me when you get hungry, hmm?”
Shen Zhen softly moved her ear out of his touch, reaching for it and rubbing it distractedly, rejecting Lu Yan’s touch tacitly.
“Your Lordship is kind.”
Lu Yan raised both his eyebrows in surprise. He was not oblivious enough not to understand that she was depressed. However, he had no energy to think it through deeply. He had been seated for a long time, his wound pained him and he was drowsy. Therefore, he rubbed at his temple in frustration and closed his eyes.
They moved quickly, trying to reach the next post as early as possible, therefore there was little time to enjoy the scenery. They galloped on restlessly on the bumpy road, making the two people in the carriage jump up and down, until finally reached the post between seven and nine at night. Shen Zhen, silent as ever, was not negligent of her duty towards Lu Yan, supporting him off the carriage. They took a break, distributing food and water among men and horses. Fu Man chose that moment to walk over with a bottle of medicine, offering it respectfully to Shen Zhen.
“Miss Shen, your feet are not yet healed. Please take this blood invigorating, hematoma-resolving medicine. Be sure to apply morning and evening.”
Shen Zhen hesitated to take it, but in the end, extended her hand, her fine fingers touching Fu Man’s.
“Miss Bai is very kind.”
Fu Man was taken aback for an instant. She had noticed the change in name.
“Miss Shen needs not be polite”, she slowly replied.
Hearing this polite ‘Miss Bai’, Lu Yan finally remembered what he had said … Could it be … Could it be she was sad because of his mentioning ‘boudoir reputation’?! Lu Yan shot her a long, suspicious glance. The more he looked at her, the more he was convinced by it. But Lu Yan, as faulty as he might have been, knowing he had hit a painful spot, and very aware that an apology and explanation would have gone a long way to alleviate Shen Zhen’s worries, preferred to let her soft temperament do the job for him. She would reason herself out of it. That’s what he thought at that moment. And at first glance, he had been right. It did not take long for Shen Zhen to adjust her emotions in the way she always did, swallow all the grief, the anger, the rancour deep into her belly and let it rot. Let her rot inside out.
The sky darkened at once and the mountain breeze rose all around their caravan. Shen Zhen out down the kettle she had been holding, speaking in the cold, emotionless voice that was her characteristic.
“Your Lordship, it is not early. Let me help you enter the post to rest.”
Being as badly injured as he was and exhausted from all the pain, Lu Yan could but not. He needed rest. Therefore, he placed his hand on Shen Zhen’s shoulder, letting her lead him into the inn nearby. At the same time, Fu Man, who had been eating porridge, let the spoon in her hand slide into the bowl, her eyes following the shadow of two lovers entwined. How wrong she was, thinking that there must have been great affection between Shen Zhen and Lu Yan at the moment. How could she know that in their closeness, they were further away from one another than they might ever have been? Bai Daonian, following his sister’s dazed gaze, flicked her forehead mercilessly.
“Aya, what are you looking at?”
Fu Man, returning to her senses, stuttered sadly, shaking her head.
“No– Nothing.”
Bai Daonian was not blind. Looking back, he sighed, his complexion paling a bit.
“Aya, you admire Lord Lu …”, he spoke solemnly, between affirmation and question.
As as her brother spoke, Fu Man felt a tremor shaking her whole body. Uncovered. Bao Daonian sighed. Trained into a Flower Girl by that Zhao Chong for more than a year, it was no wonder she considered this Lord Lu who had appeared from thin air to pull them out of their precarious situation as a savior. And for a young and impressionable girl, how easy was it to mistake admiration for love? However, there was a young man in the Western Regions who was desperately awaiting her to return so he could marry her.
Fu Man stared at her brother with the saddest eyes, knowing full well that an awkwardness that would be hard to dissipate had settled between them. She knew that to soothe her brother, she just had to lie about her liking of Lord Lu. It should have been an easy task, taking into account that she was very aware Lord Lu viewed her as a nuisance.
He had made it a habit, back in Yangzhou, to take her out and about, especially when he wanted to show off in front of the Governor’s Mansion. Inevitably, she had touched him a few times. At some point, serving him wine in front of Zhao Chong, she had tenderly held onto his wrist. Lu Yan had been most gracious at the time. The affection in his eyes had easily convinced Zhao Chong. However, as soon as he had the Governor’s Mansion, she had seen Lu Yan’s entire mask distort into a mask of pure disgust. He had at once gone from a loving husband to a cold and distant official of the Imperial Court. In a movement if repugnance, he had taken out a silk handkerchief and wiped the wrist Fu Man had touched, shattering all of her pride, her self-esteem, her dignity … From that moment, whenever Fu Man would address him, he would respond in the most indifferent voice, never speaking two words when he could be understood with one.
Shen Zhen carefully walked Lu Yan into the guest room of the post station.
“I will help Your Lordship change clothes”, she whispered in a dull voice.
Facing her, Lu Yan spread his arms in a slow, deliberate movement, wincing at the pain on his back. Wrapping her hands around his waist, she skillfully unbuckled his belt, careful to avoid his wound and slowly slid his outerwear down his shoulders. Looking down at her, Lu Yan remembered when she had just become his mistress. She was unable to as much as unbuckle his belt for him. The first time, she had looked up at him like a frightened doe, hidden from hunters by nothing but the fine leaves of a fern, unable to escape.
Lu Yan finally understood the interest of hunting. Catching such a delicate little doe greatly satisfied one’s desire for conquest. He softly caressed Shen Zhen’s jaw with a playful finger, observing her beautiful eyebrows twitching with a smile. He was in one of his rare flirtatious moods. Who was Shen Zhen to dampen it? Clenching her fists, she did not move an inch. Rather, she lowered her eyes, waiting for Lu Yan’s bout of passion to pass.
Oh, this expression of hers! At the mercy of others, awaiting both tenderness and punishment with the same trepidation. What man in this wide world could withstand the temptation?! Ignoring both fatigue and pain, Lu Yan grabbed onto Shen Zhen’s fine, narrow waist with reckless abandon, bent his head and kissed her passionately. How could he not know what she was thinking, having huddled in a corner like a wilted flower for most of the day.
Shen Zhen’s body froze in surprise. She had assumed him to be playful, yes, but not reckless and ignorant of his own wounds. She pressed her small hands against Lu Yan’s chest, too fearful to push hard.
“Your Lordship, be wary of your wounds”, she whispered sadly.
There were truly no two natures more different than his and Shen Zhen’s! He demanded arrogantly, she refused delicately. He was as hard-hearted as demanding and was very aware of all the methods he could use to induce the world to give in to him. Those who thought they could disobey him had to be prepared to shed many a tear, to the point of running dry. And even if they ran dry, he would not feel any pity. But Shen Zhen was different. He could confront her at will, and she would leave him at the loss. She did not let her temper flare, she did not dare to make any trouble.
That is what he had enjoyed the most with her in the beginning. There never were any problems. She swallowed her grievances silently, never disturbing Lu Yan’s peace of mind. And what he had appreciated most about her, that never-ending silence, her existence as a box no one could open but that contained all the suffering of the world, was what he hated most right now. He could not bear to look at those red eyes, empty and broken. They made him feel distressed.
Lu Yan sighed, stretching out a hand to rub at her head.
“Did my words hurt you?”
Shen Zhen looked up at him, perplexed. His eyes were soft. Too soft. Of a frightening softness she had never seen in him. She did understand after a while what he was referring to. And as soon as she did, her eyes reddened with tears. Women were most fearful of cajoling when most fragile. Because they knew that their pain made them easy victims to cheap, shallow feelings expressed by the same unscrupulous men who took pleasure in hurting.
The wounds on Lu Yan’s back had yet to heal and to top it off, here he was, suffering from severe heartache. However, there was no one he could blame but himself. This was a self-inflicted situation.
Wrapping Shen Zhen into his arms, bringing her as close as he physically could and regretting he could not fuse with her to make one, Lu Yan tenderly stroked her back, something in the put of his stomach coiling like a snake. He tried to swallow it down. Yet, it exploded out of his throat when he least wished it.
“Forgive me …”
These two words had been bitten out through clenched teeth. A little part of Lu Yan just died at that instant. Two short words felt more excruciating than getting his back slashed. Having lived through both ordeals, he could confirm! As the night grew darker, Lu Yan pushed the soft tendrils of hair behind her ear, lowering his head and nibbling at a neck as white as jadeite. Every inch of skin his teeth scraped became numb and sent tingles down Shen Zhen’s spine, making her gasp. Her breath slithered into his ear, burning him to the bone. He could not control it. He could truly not control it. His Adam’s apple slipped up and down. He stared at her with fire. All the pressure he had experienced in the past few weeks, guarding and plotting against Zhao Chong, was asking for a release. One that only Shen Zhen could give him. How could Shen Zhen realize the extent of the storm that brewed under his dark pupils?
“Do not move”, a raspy voice whispered against the flesh of her neck.
There was a magnetism to it that made Shen Zhen’s wounded heart tremble.
Shackling her little wrists between her back, Lu Yan used his mouth to untie the ribbon that held her Shen Zhen’s dresses together, observing her between his thick eyelashes like a predator following its prey. The lake-blue jacket, the plain white dress and the silky corset underneath, all fell to the floor, one after the other, discarded by Lu Yan’s insistent hand. Under his efforts, she was left standing in the clouds of her gauze, naked and helpless, a muse to all of Lu Yan’s darkest thoughts. The blush that stained Shen Zhen’s cheeks was more beautiful than twilight itself. The way she bit her trembling lip was the most potent potion of desire. But all her attractiveness, all her beauty, truly resided in the eyes, such cold eyes that could be rendered so expressive with the right caress, the right kiss. Facing this scenery of ebony hair and alabaster skin, how could Lu Yan continue feeling the pain in his body? He was willing to take another sword slash just for a taste of this beauty.
Pushing Shen Zhen back to the bed, Lu Yan leaned over, pressing himself into her, parting her thighs with trembling fingers. He was sure to bleed with such a posture. Shen Zhen grabbed onto his recalcitrant wrist, trying to pry it from her flesh.
“Do not lean over”, she murmured into the night.
Lu Yan licked her ear playfully.
“What other position does Miss Shen suggest? This humble one is most willing to oblige the beauty.”
She could not stand her ground in front of a man as shameless as Lu Yan. The fingers between her legs almost brought her to tears, but she still struggled a little longer, for good form. Unexpectedly, Lu Yan decided to coax her in a pleading, albeit rough, tone.
“Zhenzhen, be good if you don’t want me to bleed … Be good.”
No matter how good she was, he still ended up bleeding, his wound splitting open under his own physical efforts. At the first rays of sun, Yang Zong had no other choice but to call Doctor Bai at Lu Yan’s bedside.
They finally reached the capital by early March.
Spring of the 16th Year of Yuangqing, Second Day of March.
Unlike in his dream, Lu Yan personally presented all evidence to the Emperor. The mala beads in Emperor Cheng Yuan’s hands were clattering softly in the silent Hall of the Imperial Court. A message to the world that the Emperor was angry enough to hunt and eat himself some raw tiger flesh. Nie Yuan was kneeling by Zhou Shuan’s side, hitting his forehead repeatedly against the extravagant marble flooring. Suddenly, Emperor Cheng Yuan tore the mala beads from his wrist and threw them on the small table by his side.
“We congratulate Our Third Imperial Son on his courage and boldness! It is unfortunate We have not seem him so eager and committed to his official duties as he was in causing mischief!”
Based on the evidence brought back by Lu Yan, half of Zhao Chong’s possession have been donated to the Mu family, the Third Prince’s maternal clan. Though unexpected, it was not illogical in any way. The Mu family might have held military power, however the cost of raising soldiers was too great to absorb for court, let alone for a mere military family. Soldiers ate and drank. Zhao Chong had been the golden mountain that had supported the wiles of thousands of men.
What a grandiose way to enrage the Emperor! His Majesty was right to admire it! Arming private soldiers, smelting iron into weapons, embezzling imperial taxes and bribing officials! The Mu Household was as valiant in crime as it was in battle.
Although Emperor Cheng Yuan had never liked the Crown Prince, he was not prepared to have any of his others sons snatch his rank from him. There was a reason he had kept that eyesore in rank this long.
The hearts of the officials in the Hall of the Imperial Court fluttered in a panic. They could not help but wonder who would profit from the Mu family’s downfall. And whether they would be among the triumphant. Emperor Cheng Yuan coughed twice, making a eunuch hurry forward.
“Does Your Majesty wish for this slave to call a doctor?”
His Majesty waved a careless hand.
“Leave”, he spat at his officials.
“You stay, Sanlang”, he added quickly.
In the blink of an eye, only Emperor Cheng Yuan and Lu Yan were left in the all.
“We heard you met a genius doctor in Yangzhou.”
Lu Yan stiffened. Sure enough, whether in the previous or in the present life, the Emperor was planning on upholding the Crown Prince. Kneeling down at once, Lu Yan explained everything in an unwavering voice.
“This lowly servant has always been preoccupied with Your Majesty’s health. After confirming the man to have an extraordinary mastery of the medical skills, this lowly servant took him back to Chang’an so he could serve Your Majesty.”
His perfect acting skills were most put at use when facing the Emperor. And they had yet to fail Lu Yan. The Emperor was, in fact, very easy to read. There was no Emperor who had not yearned for a long life. A power-loving emperor such as Cheng Yuan was definitely no exception. Just that he wanted more. He wanted an elixir of immortality. Listening to Lu Yan’s sweet words, Emperor Cheng Yuan could not help but sigh, a soft light shining in his eyes.
This was indeed his beloved Jing’an’s son. The whole court has been plotting against him ever since he had ascended to the throne. Only his sister and this nephew she gave him had him in their heart. His own Imperial Sons could not match this nephew. Emperor Cheng Yuan rose from his throne, slowly walking down silky streets and approaching his nephew. A white, slightly shaking hand appeared in front of Lu Yan’s eyes. The Emperor had come to help him up personally.
“Sanlang, We have heard that you have been seriously injured on your mission. Tell Imperial Uncle that you are better now.”
“This lowly servants thanks Your Majesty. This lowly servant has come to no harm”, Lu Yan responded, as coldly polite as always.
Squinting his shrewd eyes, Emperor Cheng Yuan smiled, flashing his trenchant canines.
“That is good. Your mother would never forgive Us if you were to come to harm.”
After a moment of pensive silence, the Emperor spoke for the last time.
“Take that Doctor Bai into the palace tomorrow. Let him assess the Crown Prince’s health.”
