Utterly exhilarating!
The moment Zhao Xuanzhen fell into a deep slumber, these two words were all that remained in his subconscious…
When he was suddenly awakened by a movement in his arms,彼は his arm registered the exceptionally slender and supple waist. The image of his own hands gripping this very waist flashed abruptly before his eyes.
Snapping his eyes open, he met a pair of eyes that were still somewhat red and swollen.
Su Wantang’s expression was shy and panicked… Seeing him open his eyes, she froze instantly. Her long eyelashes trembled as she spoke in a small voice: “Brother-in-law.”
This title caused Zhao Xuanzhen’s brow to twitch. Retracting his arm, he averted his gaze and spoke in a cold voice: “Whose idea was this?”
Su Wantang bit the corner of her lip lightly and whispered: “It was Sister.”
Zhao Xuanzhen naturally knew. He took a silent breath and then said: “Get out.”
Su Wantang gave a trembling response. Then, Zhao Xuanzhen watched as she shakily picked up her scattered clothes, holding them against her chest to barely conceal that stunning spring radiance. Afterward… she actually clambered right over his body to climb off the bed.
Zhao Xuanzhen’s breath caught, his gaze involuntarily falling upon that exquisite silhouette from behind.
Residual finger marks still lingered between that haphazardly covered slender waist and upturned hips…
Zhao Xuanzhen abruptly averted his gaze, only to happen upon the piercingly bright red stain on the bed couch.
The room was filled with a fragrance mingled with an embarrassing, raw muskiness. Zhao Xuanzhen could not help but think, somewhat uncontrollably, how many times it had actually been before he fell asleep… It was all Huajin’s reckless doing, using some potent aphrodisiac drug sourced from lord knew where.
When had he ever been so absurdly debauched!
Closing his eyes heavily… even though Zhao Xuanzhen ought to be exhausted, it was difficult to deceive himself as he noticed his body’s lingering desire.
It must be that Huajin had suppressed him too severely after her miscarriage…
After lying quietly for a good while, he suddenly sat up and called for servants to attend to him. Lowering his head, he saw several red scratches drawn by fingernails across his chest.
Those had been scratched out by Su Wantang earlier when he was on the brink of losing control… Recalling the concubine-born daughter’s clumsy yet naturally seductive manner, Zhao Xuanzhen’s Adam’s apple rolled as he grabbed his clothes and quickly threw them onto his body.
On the other side, Su Wantang returned to her own courtyard. Her personal maidservant, Xiao Tao, hurriedly came forward to support her, her rims reddening the moment she saw Su Wantang: “Miss has suffered.”
Su Wantang: …
With Zhao Xuanzhen’s firm, broad chest and distinct washboard abs, coupled with his strength and endurance… even if it went against her conscience, it was hard for Su Wantang to say she had suffered.
But this kind of thing could not be explained to a young slip of a girl. She cleared her throat slightly and tried her best to maintain a calm expression: “Mm, it is fine. Your Miss… can bear this kind of suffering.”
Xiao Tao felt even worse in her heart…
Not long after, the sky grew fully bright. In the Changle Courtyard of the Chengen Marquis Residence, the young lady of the Marquis Residence, Su Huajin, sat before the dressing mirror in the boudoir she had occupied before her marriage, her face unsightly.
Even though all of this was her own arrangement, when she learned that her husband, Zhao Xuanzhen, had actually truly slept with that wretched thing… Su Huajin still could not help but feel her heart twist with agony.
The nanny beside her coaxed her in a low voice: “She is merely a womb-bearer to give birth to the bloodline of the Marquis Residence and the Prince Ding Residence for you. The Heir also genuinely treasures you and is unwilling to marry a side consort… Once she is pregnant, just lock her away.”
Su Huajin gave a low grunt of assent.
At this moment, her personal maidservant, Cui Huan, came in to report in a low voice: “The Heir has come over.”
Su Huajin bit her lip, turning half her body away as Zhao Xuanzhen walked in.
Even though she was the one who sent the person over and poured the wine, the moment she thought about what Zhao Xuanzhen had done with that wretched thing last night… her heart still felt extremely miserable, and she was filled with hatred for that low-born wretch, Su Wantang.
In the next instant, Zhao Xuanzhen sat in the chair beside her, not uttering a word.
It was still Su Huajin who could not help but turn her head, her tone tinged with sourness: “Did the Heir sleep well last night?”
However, her half-smiling expression gradually turned into a somewhat resentful one when she saw Zhao Xuanzhen’s tense, darkened face. She then curled her lips: “The Heir has enjoyed a night of spring breeze, yet here you are pulling a face at this concubine.”
Zhao Xuanzhen sighed: “You… should not have drugged me.”
This single sentence, though an accusation, caused Su Huajin’s gloomy mood from the entire morning to instantly improve a great deal.
That was right. If he hadn’t been under the influence of the aphrodisiac, how could someone with Zhao Xuanzhen’s character ever touch that wretched thing?
Her resentment toward Zhao Xuanzhen dissipating, Su Huajin’s eyes reddened, and she threw herself directly into his embrace, speaking in a muffled voice: “I know your character… I had no choice either. Could it be that the Heir wants me to watch you marry a side consort?”
Zhao Xuanzhen patted her. After a moment of silence, he finally asked: “How do you plan to settle your concubine-born younger sister?”
A low-born concubine daughter sounded like an inconsequential plaything in the mouths of the two.
Su Huajin leaned against him: “Taking advantage of the pretext that she is accompanying me, we will bring her back to the Prince Residence. We only need to wait until she is pregnant, and she can bear a child for us…”
Zhao Xuanzhen’s brow furrowed slightly: “And then?”
Su Huajin glanced at Zhao Xuanzhen, retracted her gaze, and said: “When the time comes, we will keep the child, give her some benefits, and send her far away.”
Hearing this, Zhao Xuanzhen found it strange: “Is she willing?”
Su Huajin gave him a reproachful look: “If she were unwilling, who could possibly force her? A few days ago, the family of the fiancé to whom Wantang was betrothed suddenly suffered a massive upheaval. The head of the house was exiled, and that fiancé became a destitute commoner… My younger sister was unwilling to fulfill the marriage contract and go there to suffer. That is why she took a fancy to the Prince Ding Residence, saying she wanted to find a place to settle down. Perhaps she even harbors the intention of using the child to rise in status and become the Heir’s concubine in the future; who can say for sure.”
Hearing this, Zhao Xuanzhen sneered: “She dares to dream!”
He then added: “Are you not worried that by getting involved with this kind of woman who flatters the high while trampling the low, and breaks her promises, you won’t be able to shake her off in the future?”
Su Huajin’s eyes reddened at that: “Does the Heir think I am willing? Do you know that the moment I think of you and her, my—my heart twists like a knife… I simply do not want anyone else between you and me in the future, so I have no choice but to endure for the time being.”
Su Huajin looked at Zhao Xuanzhen with red eyes: “Besides, I believe in the Heir’s heart for me. Could it be that the Heir would actually keep her around in the future just because she gives birth to a child?”
Zhao Xuanzhen did not hesitate: “How could that be possible?”
Seeing his wife’s face full of helplessness and misery, even shedding tears, Zhao Xuanzhen did not say anything more. He stroked the crown of Su Huajin’s head: “You arrange it… She is just a concubine-born daughter, don’t anger your own body over it. You need to nurse yourself properly right now.”
As for that concubine-born daughter, since she was someone who could abandon her own fiancé without hesitation just to climb higher, there was no need to consider too much. In the future, once she gave birth to the child, they would just give her some benefits and send her away.
In the Chuntang Courtyard, Su Wantang leaned against the imperial daybed, listening to Xiao Tao quietly repeating the words of Su Huajin and Zhao Xuanzhen beside her, the corners of her lips curving upward.
Tsk, does she still need to praise those two for having a love stronger than gold?
Regrettably, if she hadn’t personally experienced Zhao Xuanzhen’s dark-faced yet fundamentally malicious and indulgent manner during their night of spring breeze last night, she might have almost believed in that loyalty.
At this moment, a servant came in to report, their posture dismissive: “Second Young Lady, Young Master Xu requests an audience at the west side gate.”
The servants also knew that this Xu Jinnian was the fiancé to whom the concubine-born Second Young Lady was betrothed. It was only a pity that neither of them had a life of wealth. The Xu family had just collapsed not long ago; Lord Xu, who was originally only a minor seventh-grade official, had been demoted and reassigned.
The only son of the Xu family, Xu Jinnian, could previously barely be considered the son of an official, but now he was reduced to a mere commoner.
Su Wantang slowly sat up, let out a silent sigh, and then rose to walk outside.
During the six months since she entered the capital, her interactions with that young master could be considered sweet. It was only a pity… she absolutely had to enter the Prince Ding Residence.
Xu Jinnian possessed talent and learning; it wasn’t guaranteed that he wouldn’t achieve great things in the future. Why should she involve and ruin him?
Outside the side gate, a handsome scholar standing tall and straight in a green robe looked entirely uneasy. The moment he saw the radiantly beautiful, pure, and charming Su Wantang walking over, his eyes suddenly lit up.
He took a few steps forward, his eyes full of affection: “Wantang, let’s leave together. Let’s leave this place.”
Xu Jinnian said: “I have already entrusted someone to make arrangements. We will leave the city at nightfall, take my mother, and return to our old home together. In the future, I will be a schoolteacher, and you and Mother will be at home. We will work at sunrise and rest at sunset; it may not be any less peaceful than this place…”
He added: “I have already prepared the betrothal gifts. Once we arrive at our old home, I will definitely marry you properly through a grand wedding, and I won’t let you suffer any grievances…”
As he spoke on and on, seeing the expression on the young girl’s face before him, Xu Jinnian’s tone gradually faltered. He forced the corners of his mouth to twitch: “Wanwan, why aren’t you speaking?”
Su Wantang looked at him and shook her head: “You should leave.”
Although Xu Jinnian had already thought of this possibility, when he actually heard it, his heart still tightened. Yet he was still unwilling to give up: “Wantang, are you afraid of suffering by following me? Rest assured, although we are no longer in the capital, I will still strive for progress. In the future, I definitely won’t let you suffer…”
Su Wantang looked at him: “But, I don’t want to travel thousands of miles just to gamble with you.”
The blood drained entirely from Xu Jinnian’s face, and agony appeared in the depths of his eyes: “Just because the Xu family is no longer what it used to be… do all those sweet words between us in the past no longer count?”
When his family met with disaster, there was still a shred of hope left in his heart because there was a girl who was perfectly attuned to him waiting for him.
Although Su Wantang had only returned to the capital for half a year, she possessed an open-minded and delightful personality. Xu Jinnian had kept telling himself that she would not change her mind.
But now…
“Was it all my wishful thinking?”
The corners of his mouth twitched: “You wanted the Young Master Xu who had a bright future, but for Xu Jinnian who is a mere commoner, you want to discard him like a worn-out shoe?”
Su Wantang looked at the pure and clean young gentleman, whose mind was heavily stricken and whose face was filled with desolation, and felt helpless in her heart.
Sighing silently, she thought that for the sake of the past half-year during which he accompanied her, coaxed her, and kept her in a good mood, she might as well give him a push.
Men; the cold ones sever their emotions and renounce love, while the pure ones have their minds entirely filled with love, hatred, and passion…
Meeting Xu Jinnian’s unwilling and accusatory gaze, Su Wantang spoke slowly: “Jinnian, I have had enough of hard days. Now, I no longer want to accompany anyone to suffer.”
Xu Jinnian gritted his teeth: “You clearly know the Marquis Residence treats you with disdain. Even if you stay, how do you know you can have a better way out in the future?”
Su Wantang pursed her lips and smiled: “My eldest legitimate sister wants to take me to the Prince Ding Residence to accompany her… in any case, there ought to be some good opportunities, right?”
On the other side, seeing her appearance of being entirely bent on climbing onto high branches, the last shred of hope in the depths of Xu Jinnian’s eyes froze instantly, turning in the blink of an eye into intense self-mockery.
The corners of his mouth twitched, his eyes full of self-derision: “It turns out I was blind in the past, actually thinking you weren’t the type of vulgar woman who attaches herself to the powerful and wealthy… You would rather be disdained by others to attach yourself to a noble gate than want a sincere heart.”
Su Wantang did not refute him. Instead, she looked at him and asked: “How much is a sincere heart worth?”
Xu Jinnian ultimately could not utter a single word. Stumbling back two steps, his hands trembled as he took out from his bundle the small clay figurines they bought when they first exchanged tokens of affection. He held them up before Su Wantang: “Then, what about this?”
The small clay figurines of a man and a woman were pressed close together, their brows and eyes curved in smiles.
Recalling how Xu Jinnian had held up the clay figurines, pursed his lips, and smiled at her back then, Su Wantang lowered her eyes and smiled: “Merely fifteen copper coins… it is also worthless.”
“Snap!”
Xu Jinnian just quietly looked at her, loosening his hand. The clay figurines crashed to the ground, snapping cleanly into two halves.
“It was this person who presumed too much and disturbed Second Young Lady Su.”
With a pale face, the corners of Xu Jinnian’s mouth twitched. He turned… and had just taken a step when he crashed resoundingly to the ground.
Suddenly experiencing a massive upheaval, his mind and body were utterly exhausted. He had also caught a cold, and he had only been forcing himself to endure to come here. Yet, receiving this blow, his sudden fury and anxiety rushed to his heart, causing him to unexpectedly faint just like that…
Xiao Tao poked her head out from behind the door and asked in a small voice: “Miss, do you need a servant to help?”
Su Wantang waved her hand, walked over, and slowly crouched before Xu Jinnian, looking at the handsome scholar whose face was devoid of blood.
Reaching out, her fair and slender fingers brushed over his brows and eyes.
She really did quite like Xu Jinnian. Elegant, pure, clean, and passionate…
At this moment, the sound of a carriage approached.
It was Xu Jinnian’s teaching master, Xue Hongli.
Seeing Xu Jinnian who had fainted on the ground, Xue Hongli let out a sigh and directed the student driving the carriage to move Xu Jinnian onto it.
“Many thanks to the Second Young Lady for sending someone to deliver the message.”
Xue Hongli sighed helplessly: “This child is too pure and stubborn… Saying he is disappointed in the imperial court, he refused to continue his studies. Alas, he is full of talent…”
Su Wantang smiled and said that was true: “His family line has declined, yet he doesn’t think about supporting the household, only thinking about romantic affairs. I don’t want him to become a cowardly, mediocre person.”
She bowed slightly to Xue Hongli: “Everyone has their own ambitions. I am unwilling to suffer with him, but I also do not want to see him abandon himself to degradation. The Master does not need to tell him these words… It doesn’t matter if he hates me, as long as it can spur him to make progress.”
Xue Hongli hesitated to speak, but in the end, he only let out a heavy sigh, cupping his hands toward Su Wantang: “The Second Young Lady’s mindset is open and magnanimous. It is Jinnian who is not steady enough. You both… are pitiful people.”
Su Wantang smiled and bid a polite farewell. Just as she was about to turn around, she looked back at the clay figurines that had broken into two halves on the ground… Pausing for a brief moment, she picked up those clay figurines, and stepped through the courtyard gate…