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Truly Fickle (2)
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!
If a moment ago, he was still somewhat aggrieved, then now, that ‘grievance’ has already turned into anger. He no longer blabbered about the ‘Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion’ or some ‘head courtesan’. Gritting his teeth, he charged before the bed and lifted the bed curtains.
The girl leaning against the bed had a calm and composed look, pulling the quilt, already ready lie down and go to sleep.
Seeing the heir practically about to charge onto the bed, Ah Luo didn’t dare to disturb, immediately retreating out obediently, having the room left to the two of them.
“What?” Shen Lan Chi lifted her head and asked, “I’m not Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion’s head courtesan.”
“You……” Lu Qi Yang deeply inhaled a breath. In the next moment, he held her two arms and had her pressed under him, blurting out, “You….how…how can you….obtain me and not cherish anymore?”
When Shen Lan Chi heard, she was dumbstruck.
A while later, she hooked the corner of her lip, saying with a smile, “Aiyoo, master, who wanted who?”
Lu Qi Yang shut his mouth.
That’s right, it was him that sought after her, having sought for two lifetimes.
Shen Lan Chi thought for a moment, knowing that because she’d been ignoring him all day today, he was unhappy. Thus, she reached out and lightly caressed the heir’s forehead, gently saying, “My bad, my bad, between the heaven and earth, you’re the most important, alright?”
After saying this, she propped up her body and lightly kissed Lu Qi Yang’s lips.
This light touch, however, made the man above her suddenly change in expression. A moment ago, he still had a vexed look, yet now his face just changed, like having dark cloud looming over him.
In the next moment, he kissed her back, as if wanting to have her eaten into his stomach, aggressive and fierce, not the least bit gentle, also like a starved beast, currently waiting to go wild on her.
“Lighter…..” Her soft voice was coquettishly feigning anger, even more alluring. Her slender fingers had already reached the knot of his clothes.
When the kiss ended, Lu Qi Yang opened his eyes, just happening to meet with her slightly lit eyes. In her eyes, there seemingly was a pool of spring water.
“Why don’t you stay? Don’t go tonight.” She said, her smiling eyes slightly curved, the seduction in those eyes even more prominent.
“……” Lu Qi Yang fell silent for a while and said, “Even if you don’t ask, I will still stay. In a few days, I will be going to the northern pass. If I don’t take this time now to have my fill, afraid I won’t be able to see you for half a year.”
Shen Lan Chi softly chuckled, her palm already pressing onto his bare chest.
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
His body was lean and straight, his waistline tight and narrow, making one addicted to touching. She used her fingers to lightly tap his shoulder and neck. And as if not satisfied, she actually opened her mouth and lightly bit him, saying with a laugh, “Then, in these next few nights, all stay here at my place……..just afraid the wangfei will disdain me for not being reserved.”
“How can that be?” He lowered his body, answering in a low voice, “She won’t disdain you, she’ll only blame me for being rash.”
“That’s great…..” She smiled even more gently as she muttered, “How long will you be gone? When will you come back to marry me? If you’re not in the capital, and I get targeted by someone, then what……”
Between her words, there was always a bit of reluctance to part.
“In at most half a year, I will return.” Lu Qi Yang answered, “If I don’t have military power in hand, it’ll be very easy for Lu Qi Yang to do something to me. In the past, my reputation was bad. If I can’t win over the soldiers, then this military power still won’t be mine………”
After saying this, he inwardly sighed.
Half a year, he just gave himself half a year. Even if exhausting all means, he still needs to let those hundreds of thousands of soldiers obey his command. He knows this is very difficult to achieve, but he must do it.
Like as if taking revenge for that light bite of hers, he possessed her body and mind, stirring up a storm that made one shudder.
The cicadas were chirping outside, long and annoying, yet no one listened.
• • •
After the new emperor and empress ascended the throne, all the dust and clouds settled. The deposed crown prince Lu Zhao Ye got reduced to a commoner and imprisoned. The illustrious noble families that helped the second prince in the past increasingly rose with the tides. The Ji, Liu, and Song, three families, all became the most prominent families in the capital.
Lu Zi Xiang ordered the head of the Liu and Song family to respectively take the post of the Right and Left Director of Archery and Master of the Horses[1], also ordering the Ji family to take control of the capital’s city patrol, taking the power from the Song family.
He had the intention of letting the three families restrain and balance each other. However, for these three families to be able to reach this position, how could they be ordinary? His Majesty wanted them to fight one another, yet they refused to do so. Instead, they mutually formed marriage ties, improving the relationship between them.
This time, it was Lu Zi Xiang’s turn to be troubled.
The outer kins have always been the most annoying since ancient times. With the lesson from the Shen family’s tyranny previously, how could he sit and watch the Liu family and Ji family become a second Shen family? Naturally, it was suppressing them as soon as possible, the quicker the better.
But, these three families were all unwilling to sit around. Now, they’ve already come together, mutually supporting one another, becoming a large faction in court.
Aside from these three families, who else can contend against them?
Lu Zi Xiang thought of the Zhennan Wang Manor.
• • •
In the midst of early summer, the sun was scorching hot. Lu Qi Yang was bare to the waist, carrying a straw in his mouth. Together with a bunch of low-ranking soldiers, he propped up a large pot to cook by the river bank. The firewood was burning hot, the heat hitting the face. Therefore, he directly went to the riverside, scooping up a handful of water to wash his face.
Because of the deposed crown prince’s coup previously, many guards of the capital were lost. Now, some new faces have been added in. They don’t know that this man before them was precisely that renowned heir that shot down the deposed crown prince with three arrows, just thinking that he was a minor general, thus repeatedly called him ‘little general’.
“Little general not going to go sit in the barracks?”
“Those bigshots all returning home early, isn’t it precisely because they’re scared of their wife getting angry from waiting too long? Oh right, does little general have a wife?”
There were seven mouths and eight tongues, a word here and there, very lively.
Very soon, as the soldiers chatted, they started talking about their wives at home. One said that a woman’s heart was like a needle in the ocean. Another said that a woman’s face was like the sky in the sixth month, changing in the blink of an eye. These words aroused strong resonance. Many of the men all sighed as they started talking about their own matters at home.
“Did you know? Last time, I asked my wife, what to eat at night. She said, ‘whatever you want’. I said, let’s make some wontons; she felt it was too little. I said, then buy some meat buns; she felt it was a waste of money. I said, then let’s have noodles; she disdained that the noodles will get soggy fast, unable to leave for two nights! I asked, ‘what exactly do you want to eat then’. My wife got angry and said ‘whatever you want’!”
The complaining soldier had a dejected look, shaking his head and sighing, “I really can’t guess what she’s thinking!”
Another soldier also mentioned his own wife: “Last time, she said she wanted to take my son back to her maiden home, asking if I’m going or not. I figured I needed to go to Old Zhao’s place to play cards, so didn’t plan on going. My wife was immediately unhappy, saying ‘why don’t you go then!’ Once these words came out, how could I dare go?”
This matter drew in another round of ‘right, right’ echoing in response.
Precisely at this time, they heard another person gently say, “Right! I asked that one of mine, ‘what’s the matter’? He just answered with ‘nothing’. I asked three times, yet he was unwilling to spit out half a word, even saying that ‘he wasn’t angry’. In reality, he was already pent up to death inside, immediately throwing a tantrum at me that very night. Really difficult to deal with.”
Although this story was very sympathetic, none of the soldiers dared to respond——because this voice that spoke belonged to a woman.
Everyone lifted their heads and saw a stunning beauty, accompanied by a well-behaved little servant girl, currently standing not far away with a troubled look on her face. She was dressed wealthily, so one could tell at a glance that she certainly must be the wife of a certain general.
A low-ranking soldier boldly went forward and asked, “This madam, which general are you looking for?”
“No need to address me as ‘madam’.” The beautiful woman smiled and said, “I still haven’t married, merely following wangfei’s orders, coming to the army camp to see that future heir-husband of mine.”
Lu Qi Yang’s complexion turned red and white, saying, “You come inside with me to talk.”
After saying this, he dragged along Shen Lan Chi and headed towards the barracks.
The soldiers watched the two of them leave, turning pale from shock———The heir in this army camp, which heir can it be? Naturally, it was the Zhennan Wang Manor’s Lu Qi Yang!
The reason why they were this shocked, one, it was because this little general was actually that renowned heir of the Zhennan Wang Manor, and two, it was because of this young lass’s words———the ‘that one of mine’ that she spoke of, who else can it be? Of course, it was the heir, Lu Qi Yang.
Don’t look at how the heir was rough and crude just now, chopping wood and catching fish, able to do anything, his heart was nevertheless this delicate and pitiful…….really can’t judge a person by his appearance.
A sigh broke out among the soldiers.
• • •
Shen Lan Chi and Lu Qi Yang had just entered the barracks, barely saying a few words, when a eunuch with an imperial decree arrived.
This eunuch was also used to seeing all kinds of storms. Seeing the heir dressed like a low-ranking soldier, he was neither surprised not contempt, instead squeezing out a deferential look and saying with a flattering smile, “Heir, his Majesty’s imperial decree has arrived, why don’t you fix your attire first?”
When Lu Qi Yang heard, he randomly straightened his outer garment, and then kneeled down in front.
The eunuch shook open the imperial decree, raising his voice, slowly reading, saying that Lu Zi Xiang, considering Lu Qi Yang’s meritorious service, has appointed him as the General of the Left Guard, hoping that Lu Qi Yang can guard the capital and protect the people.
Lu Qi Yang knelt on the ground, but didn’t accept the decree, saying: “This decree, Qi Yang doesn’t dare to accept.”
“What does heir mean by this?” The eunuch smiled, “Please don’t give this humble servant a hard time.”
“Truth be told, I will soon be heading to the northern pass.” Lu Qi Yang said with a serious look, “This was the late emperor’s decree, written by the imperial brush, still sitting in my study at home. The late emperor had passed too suddenly, so for his Majesty to not know, it is also normal. However, if his Majesty wants to see, Qi Yang can bring it out at any time.”
The eunuch blanked, somewhat awkward. Thinking for a moment, the eunuch said, “This matter, this servant is unable to make the decision. It’s better for this one to return to the palace and report to his Majesty, then come inform the heir in detail.”
The eunuch went back, but he won’t be able to see Lu Qi Yang again.
That very night, Lu Qi Yang just packed his bags, taking a few attendants with him as he left the capital, directly heading to the northern pass.
Lu Zi Xiang only learned of this matter the next morning, instantly filling with regret.
With Lu Qi Yang gone, who else can he find to contend against those three families that have banded together? The imperial court from top to bottom, who didn’t follow their lead and diligently fawn over them?
The news of Lu Qi Yang leaving the capital and heading to the northern pass passed on to the commoners. After going around in the mouths’ of the gossiping commoners, it became something else———
That young heir of the Zhennan Wang Manor, who would spend his days wandering among the flower bushes, cock-fighting, and horse-racing in the past, was unable to change his ways, finally becoming fed up with that impoverished Shen family girl that his parents shoved over, so slipped out of the capital to carefreely play around!!
Truly fickle!
[1] For context sake, because this position is a very old official post with very little material and explanation, just know that it’s a high ranking post in charge of military training and managing the horses. Although it has archery in its name, it’s not limited to just archery. Archery symbolizes the military, because ancient people highly valued archery skills.
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