In the afternoon, Su Huajin’s personal maidservant, Cui Huan, arrived at the Chuntang Courtyard. With a dismissive demeanor, she informed Su Wantang to pack her things and accompany her eldest sister to the Prince Ding Residence.
The Madame of the Chengen Marquis Residence naturally knew about this matter. Helping her daughter keep the Marquis, Su Changping, in the dark, she maintained an amiable smile in front of others and told Su Wantang to be a good companion to her sister.
Zhao Xuanzhen was originally meant to return to the Prince Residence together with his wife, but he received a letter at the last minute requiring him to go out of the city to the military camp.
“You return to the Prince Residence first.”
During the brief interval of speaking, catching sight of Su Wantang sitting submissively by Su Huajin’s side with a lowered head, Zhao Xuanzhen averted his gaze expressionlessly. He gently patted Su Huajin’s hand: “I will return home at a later hour.”
Su Huajin felt somewhat uneasy: “Is there something amiss in the army?”
She knew that Zhao Xuanzhen’s subordinate lieutenant, Helian Rong, had caused trouble, and she worried he might be implicated.
Zhao Xuanzhen let out a cold laugh: “Helian Rong has returned to the capital and entered the camp. I am going to settle scores with him.”
Su Huajin understood instantly.
She had vaguely heard Zhao Xuanzhen mention that he had recommended Helian Rong to go to Linzhou to suppress bandits and encircle the cultists of the Red Lotus Sect. Consequently, Helian Rong himself had been bewitched by a temptress of the Red Lotus Sect, leaking military secrets and resulting in heavy casualties. For the past few months, he had been making amends for his crimes by frantically hunting down and killing the Red Lotus Sect members.
Now that Helian Rong had returned to the capital, Zhao Xuanzhen naturally had to settle accounts with him.
“Then come back a bit earlier.”
Su Huajin watched as Zhao Xuanzhen rode away with a tall, straight posture. Only after confirming that Zhao Xuanzhen had not cast a single glance at Su Wantang by her side did she breathe a sigh of relief in her heart.
Turning around to glance at Su Wantang, Su Huajin spoke in a cold tone: “You already know the Heir’s character. If you behave yourself, bear a child for me, and remain obedient and compliant, I will speak to the Heir in the future to keep you in the Prince Residence as a concubine. But if you dare harbor any death-seeking, wretched thoughts of a low-born woman trying to bewitch the Heir, then do not blame me for giving you a path to destruction.”
These words, of course, were merely meant to coax this low-born concubine-born younger sister.
Su Wantang was just like her low-born mother, who had been a foot-washing maidservant that climbed into bed. The moment she was tested with a casual, joke-like mention after her fiancé’s family suffered a massive upheaval, she had unhesitatingly expressed her willingness to kick that destitute fiancé aside to enter the Prince Residence as a concubine for her husband… choosing to degrade herself.
In his life, Zhao Xuanzhen detested shameless, frivolous concubines the most. Su Wantang’s thoughts of using her womb to become a concubine in the Prince Residence were a joke from the start… but her belly was useful.
For the sake of having a child under her knee in the future, she did not mind coaxing this low-born fool.
Seeing Su Huajin’s patronizing expression as she painted grand illusions, a flash of mockery crossed the depths of Su Wantang’s eyes, but her face remained entirely submissive and frightened: “Yes, Sister, rest assured. I will certainly behave myself.”
At this moment, a young boy ran out, filled with delight yet aggrieved: “Sister, why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?”
It was Su Wantang’s biological younger brother, the concubine-born young master of the Chengen Marquis Residence, Su Changling.
The fact that his birth mother had been a foot-washing maid who climbed into bed had made Su Changling harbor an inferiority complex since childhood. Grateful that his eldest legitimate sister did not disown him and showered him with much care and affection, he held Su Huajin in high respect and love.
Therefore, at this moment, he completely ignored Su Wantang—the biological older sister who had been driven out of the house along with their foot-washing mother since childhood—and instead clung to Su Huajin to act spoiled.
A flash of mockery crossed Su Huajin’s eyes, but her face remained gentle: “I thought you were deeply engrossed in playing with crickets, so I did not disturb you.”
Su Changling muttered: “No matter how fun crickets are, they aren’t as important as Sister.”
The corners of Su Huajin’s lips curved as she glanced at Su Wantang, who was being treated like thin air. She then drew a banknote from her sleeve and stuffed it into Su Changling’s hand: “Alright, Sister must return to the Prince Ding Residence. Take this allowance, lest you find yourself short on cash when you go out with friends later.”
What could be a more dignified revenge than intentionally raising someone to be useless?
Su Changling was joyful and full of attachment: “Thank you, Sister. When I am free, I will bring some snacks over for you.”
After saying this, meeting the ambiguous gaze of his biological sister, Su Wantang, Su Changling’s face turned cold. He let out a light sneer, turned around, and walked straight away, not bothering to acknowledge his own sister with a single word…
On the other side, inside the main tent of the Vermilion Bird Camp, Zhao Xuanzhen sat at the head, with Helian Rong sitting beside him. Helian Rong tilted his head back to down a cup of wine, his face somber: “…That is how the matter stands.”
Thinking of that enchantress of the Red Lotus Sect who had swindled his sincere heart only to discard it like a worn-out shoe, playing him in the palm of her hand, Helian Rong wished he could grind his teeth to pieces: “Once she falls into my hands…”
Zhao Xuanzhen thought he was about to hear some ruthless words along the lines of “making that enchantress die without a burial place,” but instead heard the latter half of Helian Rong’s sentence: “…she can forget about stepping a single foot out of my back courtyard ever again.”
Zhao Xuanzhen sneered: “Mm, how promising.”
Helian Rong was resentfully embarrassed, with even a few hints of melancholy mixed in: “Your Highness does not relish personal, romantic affairs, so you do not understand. I—I cannot forgive her, yet I also cannot let her go…”
Zhao Xuanzhen had already asked clearly about the situation in Linzhou, and he was disinclined to listen to Helian Rong’s unpromising, romantic talk that sapped a hero’s mettle. After mocking him with a few sentences, he set off to return to the city.
Today, the Heir’s Consort had just returned to the Prince Residence and had brought a guest…
Thinking of that vulgarly beautiful, low-born concubine daughter of the Marquis Residence, Zhao Xuanzhen’s Adam’s apple moved slightly. Afterward, he thought again that she was merely a womb-bearer brought to bear a child for him and Huajin; why should he have any scruples… she was nothing more than a tool.
Upon entering the Prince Residence, Zhao Xuanzhen’s pageboy, Ping’an, came forward to welcome him, whispering: “Heir, the Heir’s Consort has settled Second Young Lady Su in the Cuiwei Pavilion.”
The Cuiwei Pavilion and the Minghui Courtyard, where Zhao Xuanzhen and his wife resided, were distributed on the left and right sides of Zhao Xuanzhen’s study. This courtyard was also quite far from the main courtyard of Prince Ding… Su Huajin had done this to conceal it from others.
After all, it was not a glorious matter, so it naturally had to be shielded from view.
Zhao Xuanzhen gave an expressionless grunt of assent and walked straight into the study.
Su Huajin’s body had been uncomfortable ever since her miscarriage, and the imperial physicians from the palace were nursing her back to health. The couple had to practice abstinence, so Zhao Xuanzhen had been staying in the study.
Su Huajin understood this clearly in her heart. After the evening meal, she instructed Su Wantang with a darkened face to deliver a bowl of soothing soup to the study after nightfall.
Both understood the situation perfectly. Delivering the soup was merely a pretext; Su Huajin simply did not want Zhao Xuanzhen to go to the Cuiwei Pavilion where Su Wantang was currently staying.
She wanted Su Wantang to go to the study herself… making it appear all the more that Su Wantang was cheapening herself.
Su Wantang maintained a submissive appearance, respectfully agreeing.
Su Huajin warned in a heavy tone: “Scram back to your own courtyard afterward. You are not permitted to stay overnight in the Heir’s study.”
Su Wantang lowered her eyes, the corners of her lips curling imperceptibly: “Yes.”
Not long after, the night grew deep.
Su Wantang wrapped herself in a cloak, holding a tray to deliver a jar of soup into Zhao Xuanzhen’s study.
Upon entering the study, the pageboy outside, Ping’an, closed the study door and retreated far away. Su Wantang moved with lotus steps toward the writing desk, carefully putting down the tray. Turning around, she tested in a small voice: “Heir…”
Before her voice could fade, she saw Zhao Xuanzhen walking out from behind the screen of the inner chamber. His long robe hung loosely, tied casually at his waist, revealing a patch of his muscle-defined chest and abdomen… bearing the damp vapor of having just bathed.
There were still red scratches on his chest and abdomen from her clawing last night… He had an excellent physique.
Su Wantang bit her lip, looking bashful and panicked as she averted her gaze: “Heir, I—I came to deliver the soothing soup to you…”
Zhao Xuanzhen was not of a gentle and considerate nature. Since he had already accepted this arrangement, he was disinclined to beat around the bush. He walked unhurriedly before her, looking down at the red-faced Su Wantang from his height.
“Do you know what to do this time?”
As his voice fell, he saw the long eyelashes of the concubine daughter before him tremble violently. She gave a low grunt of assent, her face turning red as a beet as she unfastened her cloak.
After the cloak hit the floor, Su Wantang cast an uneasy glance up at him, her trembling hands reaching out to undo her sash…
She was clearly engaging in the most frivolous and explicit behavior, yet her expression was entirely filled with bashful unease… Her trembling hands failed to undo the sash after several attempts, causing Zhao Xuanzhen to frown silently.
How could she still be so clumsy!
Losing his patience, he reached out and yanked her into his embrace, his fingers pulling open the sash… The gauze dress instantly fell loose, and Su Wantang gave a low cry, subconsciously burrowing into his chest.
Zhao Xuanzhen instantly felt the soft, tender bounce pressing tightly against his chest… His Adam’s apple rolling, he picked her up and strode into the inner chamber, leaning down to press Su Wantang onto the bedding of the couch.
The slender waistline felt even more distinct than it had during the hazy confusion of last night, and continuing down along the waist was a startling fullness…
This concubine daughter clearly cheapened herself, yet she failed to recognize the situation, even daring to act coquettishly beneath him, as if she weren’t a womb-bearer receiving favor to act as a surrogate, but rather wanted to be served comfortably by him.
Zhao Xuanzhen felt disdain in his heart, yet he had to admit that seeing this exquisitely beautiful face turn all the more wanton because of him afforded him a fair amount of satisfaction. Ultimately, he himself derived pleasure from it, so he allowed her to make a mess…
By the time the clouds subsided and the rain stopped, yielding full satisfaction, an hour had already passed.
The night was deep. Zhao Xuanzhen’s well-defined back was covered in sweat. He lay on his back, closing his eyes to compose his breathing, only to have his arm gently pushed by Su Wantang at his side.
“Heir.”
Zhao Xuanzhen’s brow twitched slightly, and he chided her in a low voice: “Enough…”
In the next instant, however, he heard Su Wantang plead pitifully: “Could the Heir carry me to the adjacent room to bathe and wipe down?”
Zhao Xuanzhen opened his eyes, finding it somewhat unbelievable: “You really dare to say it.”
Carry her to bathe?
Should he serve her to wipe down as well?
This concubine daughter was truly laughable to the point of being pitiful…
But as his voice fell, he saw Su Wantang speak with a sobbing tone: “I know, but I—I cannot move anymore…”
Zhao Xuanzhen paused slightly. After a moment of silence, he closed his eyes: “Then do not wash.”
“But, how am I to go out if I don’t wash?”
Su Wantang said quietly and helplessly: “Sister said I am not allowed to stay overnight in the Heir’s study… If she finds out I stayed here, punishing me would be a small matter, but what if it affects the affection between the Heir and Sister…”
Only then did Zhao Xuanzhen remember that indeed, he should not let this concubine daughter stay overnight in the study.
Seeing that she was truly powerless to move, and recalling their previous intimacy, even though he held her in disdain, he still possessed a shred of upbringing. Zhao Xuanzhen casually pulled on a pair of long trousers, stood up bare-chested, and bent down to pick her up, walking toward the inner bathchamber with an expressionless face: “Not to be repeated.”
The concubine daughter in his arms bit her lip without a word, only murmuring a quiet sentence when she was placed into the bath barrel.
“Then the Heir must not bully people like that next time…”
Zhao Xuanzhen cast a warning glance at her, turned around, and strode out…