A Sinister Plan
It had been six days since Chen Luxian became the primary consort of Qi Wang Manor. Yet, he had not even caught a glimpse of his husband. Bored with the monotonous life of sitting and lying around, he had taken up reviewing the manor’s accounts. When he wasn’t poring over numbers, he wrote medical texts and half-forced, half-encouraged the young maids to study them.
Before his marriage, Luxian had already relocated two of his four maids to the Hall of Lu Yue to help manage the place. The other two entered Qi Wang Manor as his personal attendants.
Fortune seemed to smile on Chen Luxian, for even though he hadn’t been granted magical systems or spatial treasures like in novels, he did possess remarkable luck and opportunities. The four maids, whom he had personally trained, were literate and quick learners. They had become invaluable to him, and their bond was closer than that of blood siblings.
For Luxian, teaching these maids as if they were medical students wasn’t just a pastime—it was a necessity. Should he ever fall ill, who else would treat him? In a treacherous environment like the imperial palace or a prince’s manor, it was nearly impossible to find someone trustworthy. He couldn’t afford to entrust his life to people who might be bribed or coerced at any moment.
Luxian had read in novels about the myriad ways people in the harem used poison. Worse yet, if he were struck by an arrow or knocked unconscious and drowned, even with the martial arts he had practiced for five months and the skills from his past life, he wasn’t invincible. He was still human and prone to mistakes. Preparing for seven out of ten possible dangers was hardly a waste.
Lately, Luxian had been experiencing an inexplicable sense of foreboding. Nearly a week had passed since he entered Qi Wang Manor, and the eerie calm felt unnatural. He couldn’t shake the feeling that beneath the surface, a storm was brewing.
Today, Luxian had arranged to meet his friends at the Hall of Lu Yue. Aware that he was being watched, he decided to leave the manor openly and meet his friends later in the evening. He instructed the guards to inform Qi Wang of his outing, then sent a servant to summon the manor’s coachman.
...
"The consort went to the market?"
Zhao Qirong, dressed in the uniform of a manor guard, raised an eyebrow as he watered the potted flowers before him. Coincidentally, he had also planned to visit the Hall of Lu Yue today.
Zhao Qirong had no objection to his consort going to the market. After all, one couldn’t remain confined to the manor forever. This wasn’t the imperial palace, where countless rules and restrictions governed daily life. If Eldest Young Master Chen had business at the market, so be it. It was also an opportunity to send someone to gather more information.
Also, Qi Er had been out investigating Divine Doctor Xian for a week, and if there were still no results, Zhao Qirong, whose condition had improved significantly, intended to look into the matter himself.
...
That evening, Luxian arrived at the Hall of Lu Yue ahead of his friends. Only Rongqi, Shaochang, and Shaoqi came; Mu Wen had departed with the army led by General Chen Rizhong to aid disaster victims.
"Your recovery is going very well," Luxian said after examining their conditions. "It must be because of your martial arts training—your strong bodies heal faster than most people’s."
He spoke with genuine admiration. In a world where spiritual energy played a role, the Divines it brought always amazed Dr. Chen.
"It’s because Divine Doctor Xian is truly extraordinary. I’m in awe," Shaochang teased, clasping his hands together in mock respect.
"Please, I wouldn’t dare!" Luxian replied, laughing along.
"Alright, that’s enough playing around. Let’s talk about something else," Shaoqi interjected, steering the conversation away from jokes.
"In that case, let’s talk about you all. Rong Rong, how is married life treating you? Are you living comfortably?" Luxian, as expected, brought the conversation back to his friend’s new wife.
"It’s going fine. Who would dare trouble a sick man like me? As for my wife... she’s quite proper," Rongqi replied.
The three friends rolled their eyes at his self-deprecating comment about being a sick man. Over the past month, they had been the ones shouldering his military duties, working tirelessly without proper rest. Yet the doctor had just said his condition had improved significantly.
Was he just pretending to avoid work...?
"Father has dragged the two of us to countless matchmaking meetings," Shaoqi sighed, speaking of himself and his elder brother.
"And neither of you were interested in anyone?" Luxian asked. The two Yuan brothers shook their heads in unison.
"Enough about us. What about your wife? Has she stopped having people follow you?" Rongqi asked, his tone casual but carrying a hint of mystery, leaving Luxian unsure of his intent.
"She hasn’t let anyone see her—not even me. She doesn’t leave her quarters all day. At first, I even thought about climbing onto her roof to figure out what’s going on, but she has too many shadow guards. If I climbed up, I’d probably get shot full of arrows before I even got a look at her. So, I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of why she’s been having me followed," Luxian explained.
What he said was the truth. One night, Luxian had intended to sneak into the prince’s private quarters to uncover the face behind the tiger mask of Zhao Qirong. But with guards everywhere, visible and hidden, he hadn’t dared risk his life without achieving his goal.
"With your martial arts, dodging arrows shouldn’t be a problem," Shaoqi argued, unconvinced. From what he’d seen during their rescue, Luxian’s skills were on par with, if not better than, theirs.
"Is your wife Wangmu Niangniang[1]? You said your mother arranged the marriage, yet after moving in, she refuses to meet her own husband and has shadow guards guarding her room?" Shaochang quipped, his tone dripping with sarcasm. He seemed genuinely frustrated on his friend’s behalf. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
"Luxian, could it be that you’re actually the eldest young master of the Jiang family?" After pondering for a moment, Shaochang suddenly blurted this out, nearly making his older brother choke on his tea in surprise.
"The Jiang family... which Jiang family? There are so many people surnamed Jiang in the capital. And what about the eldest young master of the Jiang family?" Luxian shook his head in denial. While it was true he was the eldest young master, he was the eldest young master of the Chen family, not the Jiang family.
"Oh, so you’re not..." Shaochang muttered quietly. "I was just guessing. Never mind. I forgot I’ve seen Eldest Young Master Jiang from afar before. He’s not even half as handsome as you."
"Sigh... talking about your wife. Honestly, I figured out from the start that your wife isn’t someone from the martial world, no matter how much you tried to convince us. Someone like you, if not from a noble family, wouldn’t have such a deep interest in the intrigues of the capital. People from the martial world couldn’t care less about the royal court. As for a woman who can command enough shadow guards to keep even you from acting recklessly, only a princess could pull that off. And right now, the only princess recently married to a nobleman is the Fifth Princess, daughter of Consort Su, who wed the eldest young master of the Jiang family," Shaochang explained his reasoning in detail.
"Not bad, Shaochang," Rongqi replied with a smirk. "But I doubt Divine Doctor Xian’s background is as simple as being a mere son-in-law without even the right to hold an official position."
Although, if he were a consort.. that might be another story.
...
At the guardhouse within Qi Wang Manor, where all the guards had left for their shifts, the concubines of the manor’s true master stood suspiciously outside the door of the farthest room, hidden from view.
"Second Concubine, is this really a good idea? What if we’re caught..."
"If you’re too scared, then leave!"
"How dare Chen Lu flaunt his authority over me? He’s just an ugly, worthless man and I’m the cousin of Consort Zhong Guifei! Tonight, I’ll get rid of him and make him the first consort in Da Qi to be dismissed within seven days!" Second Concubine snapped, glaring at Fourth Concubine, who was trembling like a mouse before a cat.
Fifth Concubine, on the other hand, thought disdainfully to herself, Cousin of Consort Zhong Guifei? Aren’t you just the daughter of a servant in the back courtyard of Guifei’s father’s house? Outwardly, though, she smiled sweetly and asked, feigning curiosity, "What’s your plan?"
Seeing that someone was willing to support her scheme, Second Concubine smirked with satisfaction. She motioned for Fourth and Fifth Concubine to come closer, whispering her plan to them for quite some time.
...
After escorting Zhao Qirong back to Qi Wang Manor, Yuan Shaochang and Yuan Shaoqi returned to their estate. Earlier that day, before leaving the Hall of Lu Yue, Divine Doctor Xian had sternly warned the recovering patients to avoid using martial arts under any circumstances. The two brothers were uneasy, knowing the Eastern General’s habit of recklessly using his martial arts without regard for his condition. They were afraid he might reinjure himself.
The doctor’s warnings had been crystal clear: if Zhao Qirong caused his wounds to reopen and become inflamed, he wouldn’t hesitate to "teach him a lesson."
Upon returning to his temporary quarters, Zhao Qirong planned to change out of his clothes into the guard uniform before heading to his private chambers as if to officially visit Qi Wang, and switch places with Qi San. Tomorrow, he intended to meet his consort, the one assigned to him by imperial decree, for the first time.
As he entered the room, Zhao Qirong relied on the moonlight streaming through the window to find his flint stick. He lit the lamps in the room one by one until it was bright enough. As he loosened the sash at his waist and prepared to remove his outer robe, a cloying, floral fragrance suddenly wafted into his nose.
Zhao Qirong immediately frowned.
First, he despised all kinds of perfumes. For as long as he could remember, he had avoided women who painted themselves with heavy powders and rouge.
Second, this was a guard’s quarters. Why would there be any fragrance here?!
Turning his head, Zhao Qirong followed the scent to its source.
Incense.
He picked up the incense burner sitting on an old, rickety shelf and inspected it. Sniffing the air cautiously, it took him only a moment to recognize the scent.
"Aphrodisiac incense..."
Why would something like this—meant to be found only in brothels—be in Qi Wang Manor, where every item is inspected for the safety of the royal family?
And more importantly, why was it in a guard’s quarters at night?
Before Zhao Qirong could address the vile incense, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door. One voice belonged to a woman, while the other, a man, asked:
"Where is the guest you mentioned?"
The man’s voice was muffled, as if something was obstructing his speech, making it unclear and indistinct.
The person standing just a door away from Zhao Qirong was actually none other than his consort from the Chen family.
After returning from the Hall of Lu Yue, Chen Luxian had pretended to be exhausted from a day at the market and retired to his chambers, planning to rest. Who could have expected a palace maid to arrive, claiming to bring a summons from Chun Gong Gong, asking him to greet a guest of His Highness?
At first, Luxian had intended to refuse. But on second thought, this might be his chance to meet his husband for the first time since their wedding. So, he decided to follow the maid alone, while sending his loyal attendants, Qing Hai and Lu Lu, to verify whether the summons truly came from Chun Gong Gong. Though he agreed to go, he couldn’t ignore how suspicious the situation seemed.
Given his position as Primary Consort, it was reasonable for him to be called to represent his husband while Qi Wang was supposedly ill. However, as a consort, it should have been Chun Gong Gong himself delivering the message, not some low-ranking maid. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Though he had been in Qi Wang Manor for a week, Luxian hadn’t yet explored the premises. Even so, it was clear that the location where the maid led him wasn’t suitable for receiving guests.
The maid refused to answer any of Luxian’s questions. Instead, she stepped forward and pushed open the door to what appeared to be a guard’s quarters. A sudden night breeze rushed into the room, extinguishing the lamp Zhao Qirong had lit earlier. At the same time, it carried the cloying scent of incense into Luxian’s nose.
Even with the thin veil covering his face, some of the scent reached him. This was no ordinary incense—it was aphrodisiac incense. It dulled the senses and weakened the body, leaving its victims disoriented before triggering an uncontrollable sexual desire. Under its influence, people would succumb to their primal instincts, acting like animals in heat, oblivious to their partner’s identity, background, or status.
Of course, this incense wasn’t here by chance. It had been planted by Qi Wang’s concubines, meant to ensnare the "Lustful Demon Consort" and the "Lowly Guard" rumored to be wearing a green hat[2], thus shaming the bedridden master of the manor.
While Luxian was still reeling from the effects of the incense, the maid—having likely taken an antidote beforehand—seized the opportunity to shove him into the guard’s quarters and lock the door from the outside.
Inside, Zhao Qirong had been in the middle of changing clothes. He had already removed both his outer and inner garments when the night breeze carried the incense’s scent back into the room, along with a man who was suddenly flung into his chest.
Normally, no maid would have the strength to push someone like Luxian, who had been training in martial arts for months. However, the aphrodisiac incense prepared by the Second Concubine was frighteningly effective. Even the Eastern General, Zhao Qirong, lost his sharp reflexes, his movements slowed to the point where he couldn’t avoid the slim figure crashing into him.
In the dim light of the moon, the two men—who were actually husband and wife by title—found themselves caught in the incense’s spell. The primal instincts buried under years of duty and responsibility as an Eastern General and a former doctor were awakened.
Whether by careful planning or mere coincidence, the aphrodisiac incense used on the guard and the primary consort contained additional compounds designed to disrupt the circulation of their qi energy. Despite their martial arts training, Zhao Qirong and Chen Luxian were unable to break the locked door or windows to escape the room.
As the aphrodisiac incense took effect, the two were drawn to each other like opposite poles of a magnet. They devoured each other with fervent kisses, neither yielding to the other. Morality and propriety were abandoned outside the room, discarded like useless burdens.
In the darkness, where the features of one’s partner could not be clearly seen, only the soft moans that escaped their lips revealed their mutual desires. Zhao Qirong, already stripped down to just his trousers, seized the opportunity to take control. He scooped up the slender figure of the mysterious man and carried him to the bed, trapping him in his embrace for the rest of the night...
...
Next morning, the crow of a rooster and the sunlight streaming through the window announced the arrival of dawn. Chen Luxian opened his eyes, his head pounding from the effects of the night before. As he tried to sit up, he suddenly felt an arm draped across his waist. Groggy and exhausted, his half-lidded eyes widened in shock as he turned to see the face of the arm’s owner. His surprise deepened even more when he recognized him.
"Rong Rong..." he murmured.
As his senses returned, Luxian glanced at his own disheveled state, his friend’s equally compromising position, and the mess of the room. His mind raced to piece together what had happened. There were two possibilities: One, it wasn’t Chun Gong Gong who had summoned him last night and someone had impersonated the eunuch to stage this setup and frame Wang Fei. Two, Qi Wang himself had orchestrated the entire thing, likely displeased with the match and intending to use this as a reason to dismiss him.
These were the most plausible explanations he could deduce.
Luxian carefully pried his friend’s arm off his waist, sat up, and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
"Hmm..."
Before Luxian could figure out how to handle the situation, the man beside him stirred. Zhao Qirong woke up, looking surprisingly refreshed. But when his gaze landed on the person sharing his bed, his expression changed instantly. He bolted upright, raising his fist in preparation to strike, only to pause as the other man turned to face him.
"Rong Rong."
“...”
"Let me ask you one more time—are you truly not Zhao Qirong?" Luxian asked.
“...” Zhao Qirong, now fully awake and painfully aware of the situation—both of their naked bodies and the Divine doctor in his bed—processed the events with lightning speed.
"...So you’re not," Luxian muttered, sighing heavily. "The four of you kept saying you were soldiers under the Eastern Army banner, so it wouldn’t be strange for you to show up at Qi Wang Manor."
Zhao Qirong frowned, his brows furrowing tightly. He stood and began gathering the scattered clothes from the floor, quickly dressing himself in the only attire available—his guard uniform. Seeing this, Luxian became even more convinced that Rongqi was just one of Qi Wang’s guards.
"How did you end up here? If you answer my question, maybe I’ll give you the answer you’re looking for," Zhao Qirong said. Though his tone was calm, his concern for Luxian’s pale and distressed expression was evident. From the state of the room, it was clear that he was the cause of the mess. But the more pressing question was how Divine Doctor Xian had ended up in Qi Wang Manor—and in his bed, no less.
Chen Luxian, whose hope had been dashed countless times, felt utterly dejected. He had suspected Rongqi of being Zhao Qirong since their first meeting. At times, he dismissed the idea, thinking the Fourth Prince wouldn’t have such a humble demeanor. Other times, his suspicions returned—especially when Rongqi’s wedding coincided with the imperial marriage. Yet whenever he met Rongqi at the Hall of Lu Yue, Qi Wang would still be present at the manor.
And now, here they were. Rongqi was in a shabby room meant for servants, dressed in a guard’s uniform.
So, is he or isn’t he? Can someone give me an answer...
[1] "Wangmu Niangniang," or the Queen Mother of the West (Xi Wangmu), is a deity who oversees and governs all the celestial maidens in the heavens.
[2] "Wearing a green hat" refers to infidelity or being cheated on by one’s partner.