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Junzhu and Her Brother
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
On the night of the Lantern Festival, the rows of lanterns were as bright as day.
Shen Lan Chi held the silly-looking rabbit lantern, stopping by the winding walkway over the lake. Because it was nighttime, the shimmering ripples on the lake surface reflected the lights, as if in the fairy realm, particularly serene and mysterious.
Her pace was quick. Lu Qi Yang chased after her for a few steps before calling out, “Lan Lan, wait a little.”
“What’s wrong, dear husband?”
Although just randomly calling out, this ‘dear husband’ was very much enjoyed by a certain someone. Lu Qi Yang unconsciously smiled and said, “Your birthday is coming up. I’ve discussed with mother and father, preparing to give you a great present.”
“Since it’s a great present, how can you let me know beforehand?” Shen Lan Chi softly said, “Naturally need to hide it nicely.”
“This husband also wants to hide it, but this matter can’t be hidden.” Lu Qi Yang’s voice sounded a bit distressed.
The night wind was gentle. Shen Lan Chi propped up her chin and slightly pondered, “No hurry, first let me take a guess. Why don’t you obediently fess up, did you get into trouble and got beaten up by your father again?”
Lu Qi Yang: ……
He was somewhat annoyed, shouting, “How old am I, how can I get beat every day……”
Shen Lan Chi snickered, “My lord, you precisely get beat every day.”
Lu Qi Yang: ……..
Pausing for a moment, he turned away, finally somewhat awkwardly saying: “I’ve discussed with my parents. The two of them said, now that they’re getting older, it’s better to have the noble title passed down to me, so that they can leave the capital to retire.”
Zhennan Wang has a straightforward personality, never liking the schemes and conspiracies in the capital. He has long had the intention of retiring, just Lu Qi Yang had never lived up to his expectations, indulging in cockfighting and horse racing, thus causing Zhennan Wang to stay in court.
When the previous emperor was still alive, he’d already gotten doubted before by the previous emperor because of the Lingshan prophecy, so his heart had already turned cold a little, making him want to retire even more. Now that Lu Qi Yang has suddenly become outstanding, Zhennan Wang decided to directly have the affairs of Zhennan Wang Manor all handed over to him.
When Shen Lan Chi heard, she revealed an astonished look, saying: “Wangye although is already over fifty, his blade is still sharp, why retire from court this early?”
Lu Qi Yang replied, “This is also my idea. At present, although his Majesty treats me with smiles, there’s no guarantee that he won’t change face in the future. If such a day were to come one day, my parents will become my weakness if they stay in the capital. That’s why, it’s better to let the two of them first find a safe place to enjoy their later years.”
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
After saying this, he leaned closer to Shen Lan Chi, saying in an extremely low voice, “My father has spent his whole life in the army, all for the sake of the country, fighting against the barbarians beyond the pass. If to ask him to fight against his own kin, he certainly won’t be able to bear it. Rather than this, it’s better…..to let me do it.”
Hearing this, Shen Lan Chi also felt that it was very reasonable, nodding her head and saying: “Husband can make the arrangements.”
As they were talking, that silly-looking rabbit lantern in Shen Lan Chi’s hand flickered. Turns out, the wick inside the paper lantern got disturbed by the wind, getting blown crooked. Less than a moment later, it suddenly extinguished.
Without this bit of light, the surrounding somewhat dimmed. Shen Lan Chi was just about to continue forward in the dark, when someone grabbed her hand. Afterwards, she got pulled into that person’s arms and a pair of lips pressed onto hers.
The night was dark. There seemed to be faint wandering lights in the distance. It was a few womenfolk holding various colored lanterns passing by the edge of the water. Glancing to the side, she could only see the hems of their clothes accompanied by the light being reflected upon the water’s surface.
A long while later, he finally let go of her. Shen Lan Chi leaned against the heir’s shoulder, her breathing a bit heavy.
“It’s currently somewhat cold at night, let’s go back home early.” The heir said.
“En.” She replied.
• • •
After the banquet in the palace, Lu Zhi Ning followed her mother Jiangxia Wangfei onto the horse carriage to leave the palace. She was originally a beautiful girl, but her face was continuously gloomy. Although dressed fancily in a brocade gown, it was unable to contain the melancholy on her face.
Seeing her be like this, Jiangxia Wangfei inwardly felt it was an embarrassment, thus scolding, “Who are you putting on such a face for?”
It’s not that Jiangxia Wangfei wasn’t benevolent, but rather, this daughter of hers truly was unruly. For many years, Jiangxia Wangfei has look over countless marriages for her. However, Lu Zhi Ning refused to marry every time. At the slightest disagreement, she would just threaten to hang herself or jump into the lake. No matter how disappointed the wangfei was, she still couldn’t watch her daughter go die, so could only give in.
Now that Lu Zhi Ning was getting older, yet still not married, it has also caused Jiangxia Wangfei to hear quite a few gossips when returning to the capital to celebrate the New Year.
What Lu Zhi Ning was thinking deep down, how could the wangfei not know? But, to harbor that kind of feelings towards one’s own older brother, that was punishable by the heavens. As such, Jiangxia Wangfei always did her best to separate the siblings. Now, having returned to the capital, it was also Lu Chang Si staying with Jiangxia Wang, while Lu Zhi Ning stayed with the wangfei in a residence under the Ji family, just saying to the outside that she wanted to spend more time with her maiden family.
Lu Zhi Ning followed her mother back to the Ji family’s villa in the capital, her complexion still not good. Once her mother went to sleep, she got up to change, disguising herself as a servant girl as she secretly snuck out of the residence.
She hired a sedan chair, traveling all the way to a teahouse in the west district. After paying the money, she walked into the teahouse.
Inside the private room, Lu Chang Si has already waited for a long time.
He was Jiangxi Wang’s eldest son, quiet and introverted by nature. His fourteen years of living as a hostage in the capital further made him not like to talk. Over the years, the times he has spoken with a women were countable on one hand. Only when meeting Lu Zhi Ning for the first time did he speak a bit more.
At the time, he’d just returned to Jiangxia, encountering Lu Zhi Ning who’d came out for an outing in a pavilion outside the manor. The two of them didn’t know each other’s name, but Lu Chang Si felt that this little miss strangely caught his attention. He just assumed that it was because this little miss was beautiful and wealthy-looking, thus more dazzling than ordinary people. Only when he returned to his home in Jiangxia did he learn that she was his younger sister.
At the time, Lu Zhi Ning was also just thirteen years old, having just grown up, so Lu Chang Si naturally won’t have any thoughts towards her.
But, this wasn’t the case for Lu Zhi Ning. At the tender age of fourteen, she already had her first awakening of love.
Although Lu Chang Si was her older brother, they’d never met before. She simply was unable to have this unfamiliar young man viewed as her older brother. After three to four years like this, she actually developed romantic feelings towards Lu Chang Si.
Seeing his younger sister come, Lu Chang Si softly said, “Younger sister, please listen to me, it’s better to get married soon.”
He has always known about his younger sister’s feelings, but he cannot reciprocate them.
Hearing Lu Chang Si call her ‘younger sister’, Lu Zhi Ning suddenly broke down. Her emotions were unpredictable. After finally calming down, she said, “Is it not good to call me Ah Ning? How come you’ve decided to change now?”
“You and I are siblings to begin with. Addressing one another as brother and sister, it is also normal.” Lu Chang Si lowered his head, softly saying, “Mother has settled on the Sun family’s young lady for me. I’m just coming to see you this one time. Once the first lunar month goes by, I will stay in the capital to get married.”
When Lu Zhi Ning heard, she was greatly shocked, angrily shouting, “Mother wants to let you be a hostage again?”
“This isn’t fully the case.” Lu Chang Si said.
Lu Zhi Ning understood the meaning in his words.
Her mother let her older brother stay in the capital, not only for the sake of leaving behind a political hostage, but further for the sake of separating the two of them. She was somewhat in despair, her face ashen, “I don’t care whether it’s some Miss Sun, or Miss Wang, you’re not allowed to marry anyone.”
After Lu Chang Si returned to Jiangxia, he has always doted on her. As such, in front of her older brother, Lu Zhi Ning was always somewhat unreasonable.
“…….Ah Ning.” Lu Chang Si was somewhat helpless, “You and I are not destined to be together, so it’s better to sever these feelings sooner.”
“I don’t want to!” Lu Zhi Ning was about to go mad, her eyes turning red, saying, “Are you willing to give up the wealth and riches at home to run away with me? Didn’t that Liu three precisely leave together with the Shen family’s young master……..”
“The Liu family has Liu Yu to uphold the household, while the Shen family has a heir’s consort to look after them. If you and I leave, our parents won’t have anyone left. In the future, who will take care of them?” Lu Chang Si lightly frowned and said, “It’s better to just part ways here.”
Lu Zhi Ning’s complexion grew increasingly withered. She lifted her eyes, seeing the man before her fall silent again. For a fleeing moment, she recalled when they first met outside the pavilion back then———–The young man was travel-worn, riding on horseback as he blankly stared at her and her friends.
She momentarily got worked up, acutally throwing herself into his arms, softly crying, “You know I just have you in my heart. You certainly must also have feelings for me, else why have you still not married?”
Lu Chang Si slightly lowered his eyes, unable to say anything for a while. After a long while, he finally squeezed out from his lips, “You thought wrong.”
Hearing this, Lu Zhi Ning loudly cried.
Right at this time, a shattering sound came from outside the private room. Turns out, it was the sound of a porcelain cup falling on the ground. Lu Zhi Ning looked over through her teary eyes, seeing that the door of the private room wasn’t closed, and through the gap of the door was the figure of a girl.
Getting seen by someone wasn’t a big deal. In any case, the people of the capital weren’t familiar with the two of them. Perhaps, they will just think that they were an ordinary couple. That is also good.
Just as Lu Zhi Ning was thinking this, she heard that girl say with a trembling voice, “……..Jiang, Jiang…..No!” After subconsciously saying the name, she realized something, immediately turning around and saying, “Seems I’ve made a mistake, not the Madam Jiang that I know, asking to please forgive.”
The word ‘Jiang’ was more than enough to make Lu Zhi Ning be on guard. But, the girl’s subsequent impromptu response made Lu Zhi Ning feel that she’d thought too much. Her heart slightly skipped a beat as she slowly approached the girl, asking, “Who are you?”
Before that girl could speak, Lu Zhi Ning already shouted, “I remember you, you’re Shen Ran.”
“Miss…..Miss, you’ve got the wrong person.” The girl said with her head down and immediately walked away.
Lu Zhi Ning naturally recognized Shen Ran.
Jiangxia Wangfei’s younger sister Ji Wen Xiu married the Shen family’s first master. This Shen Ran was the Shen family’s shu daughter. Lu Zhi Ning went to visit relatives every year, so naturally has seen this shu-born young miss who always had her head down before.
But, after the deposed crown prince’s case, the entire Shen family got sentenced. Aside from the deposed crown princess who died in the fire, all the womenfolk got sent to the jiaofang. So, why was this Shen Ran freely wandering around this teahouse?
Lu Zhi Ning’s eyes turned cold, with only one thought in mind————–Shen Ran knows her identity, absolutely can’t let Shen Ran have this matter said to anyone.
Only the dead can’t speak.
• • •
Shen Ran’s heart beat like a drum, quickly walking back to the private room on the other side. Wu Xiu Ding was resting on his arm, appearing somewhat sleepy. In front of him was a pile of books, all appearing to be half-opened.
As it neared the exam, he originally should be studying more, but his di older brother at home liked giving him trouble, letting him do things that should be for a servant boy or book boy all day, so he was simply unable to peacefully study. Therefore, he used the excuse of meeting with friends to come to this teahouse to study a little. He figured that Shen Ran hasn’t gone out in a long time either, so also brought her along.
Shen Ran closed the door, clutching her sleeves and saying in a low voice, “Young master, I accidentally dropped the tea cup……..”
Seeing her with a distressed look, Wu Xiu Ding said, “You’re normally an attentive person, so how come you’re somewhat distracted today?”
Shen Ran’s eyelid slightly twitched, saying, “Thanking young master for the concern, just I’m a bit tired during the day.”
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