“Don’t… don’t do this. I’m the Ninth Prince. Stop tearing my clothes. This isn’t appropriate…”
“You can’t eat that!”
“Holy shit!”
…
Lu Yuan stared at the canopy above the bed, his mind racing.
He was a transmigrator, and he had already been in this world for ten years.
Lu Yuan was quite satisfied with his identity as the Ninth Prince. What was so great about being emperor? You had to wake earlier than a rooster and sleep later than a dog, all while guarding against your own sons plotting rebellion.
Wouldn’t it be far more comfortable to live as a carefree prince? Once he received his territory and left the capital, the emperor would be far away. He could keep a few beautiful concubines, play with birds, walk his dogs, and enjoy himself. Now that was what he called living.
So ever since transmigrating here, Lu Yuan had never intended to involve himself in the struggle for the throne. All he wanted was to receive his territory as soon as possible and go there to live however he pleased.
When the time came, if the new emperor knew how to behave, they could simply stay out of each other’s way. If the new emperor didn’t know how to behave, Lu Yuan could always raise an army to purge the corrupt officials around the throne and teach him how to conduct himself.
However, according to the Great Yong Empire’s royal regulations, a prince had to marry before he could leave for his territory.
That was why the Second Prince, Lu Cheng, had arranged for Su Yuling, the legitimate daughter of the Earl of Yongning Residence, to bring a young woman over for Lu Yuan to meet as a potential bride.
Yet somehow, while they were evaluating the prospective match, Su Yuling, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, suddenly seemed to lose all control. She dragged Lu Yuan straight into the room and tied him to the bed.
She tore at his clothes and bit at his lips.
And then…
“Don’t do this…” Lu Yuan’s throat was dry as he said, “Untie me first. We can talk this through properly…”
However, Su Yuling seemed unable to hear him at all. Tears streaked her face as she lowered her head and bit hard into Lu Yuan’s shoulder.
Pain shot through him.
‘She actually bit me.’
…
After everything was over, the room fell silent for a while.
Lu Yuan stared expressionlessly at the canopy above him. Pieces of his inner robe were scattered across the floor, the quilt was crumpled into a tangled mess, and an indescribable scent lingered in the air.
His hands had already been untied, but he felt as though every ounce of strength had been drained from his body.
Having lived two lives, he had imagined his first time might involve several beautiful women and a night of wild passion. Never, even in his dreams, had he imagined that a woman would force herself on him.
And that woman wasn’t even a stranger!
At that moment, Su Yuling had curled herself into the corner beneath the quilt with her back toward him. Her shoulders trembled continuously. She was trying to suppress her sobs, but in the quiet room, every sound was painfully clear.
The corner of Lu Yuan’s mouth twitched as he asked, “Why are you crying?”
Su Yuling’s shoulders trembled, but she said nothing.
“No, seriously… I wasn’t the one who forced you!” Lu Yuan turned his head slightly and looked at her back. “Why are you acting like you’re the one who was wronged?”
“Bastard!” Su Yuling abruptly turned around. Her eyes were swollen and red as she gritted her teeth and glared at him. “You still have the nerve to say that!”
“What did I do?” Lu Yuan looked completely innocent.
“You… you drugged me!”
Lu Yuan froze for a moment before letting out an incredulous laugh. “Sister, we drank the tea together. It came from the same pot and was poured from the same teapot into our cups. So why didn’t I lose control?”
Su Yuling opened her mouth, but no words came out.
They really had drunk tea from the same pot.
Lu Yuan had remained perfectly normal, so why had she become like that?
She bit her lip as tears streamed down her cheeks. Finally, she buried her face in the quilt and began crying in muffled sobs.
Looking at her like this, Lu Yuan felt his anger flare, but he quickly forced it back down. “Enough, stop crying. Is crying going to solve anything?”
Su Yuling’s sobs softened, but she still refused to raise her head.
Lu Yuan’s expression grew serious as he said, “Someone set us up.”
The movement beneath the quilt stopped.
After several seconds, Su Yuling slowly revealed half her face. Her reddened eyes stared at him as she asked, “What did you say?”
“I said someone set us up!” Lu Yuan replied solemnly. “Think about it. Whose idea was it for you to bring a woman here for me to meet today?”
Su Yuling hesitated before answering, “It was… His Highness the Second Prince. He told me that his Ninth Brother was no longer young and should start considering marriage, so he asked me to come and help evaluate a prospective bride.”
“And then?”
“And then I came here…”
Su Yuling’s voice grew quieter and quieter. Gradually, disbelief appeared on her face.
Lu Yuan continued in a grave tone, “You brought that woman here for me to meet, but after exchanging only a few words, she suddenly left. Soon afterward, the drug took effect on you. Think about who that woman is, and then think about who had the best opportunity to secretly put something into your tea.”
Su Yuling’s expression changed.
That woman was the daughter of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and the Vice Minister himself belonged to Second Prince Lu Cheng’s faction.
Moreover, the woman had been sitting right beside Su Yuling. It would have been incredibly easy for her to slip something into Su Yuling’s tea while she wasn’t paying attention.
“Lu Cheng…”
Once Su Yuling pieced everything together, her face flushed crimson with fury.
Lu Yuan explained carefully, “Second Royal Brother asking Father Emperor to arrange for me to meet a prospective bride was the overt move. Everything was done openly, giving him a perfectly legitimate reason for arranging this meeting.”
His expression became even more serious. “Preparing the tea and secretly drugging you was the underhanded move, specifically designed to prevent anyone from tracing it back to him afterward. He arranged for the drug, and you fell into the trap.”
Lu Yuan stared directly at her. “Think about it. If word of what happened today gets out, who will suffer the greatest humiliation?”
Su Yuling’s face turned deathly pale, and her fingers tightened around the edge of the quilt.
She was the Second Prince’s betrothed principal consort, yet she had been alone in a room with the Ninth Prince, with both of them barely dressed.
Even if nothing had actually happened, that image alone would be enough to destroy her reputation.
Unfortunately, something really had happened.
“Lu Cheng…”
Su Yuling forced those two words through clenched teeth, her lips trembling violently.
“How could he… What does he take me for? A chess piece?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve only now realized what kind of man your future husband really is.”
Lu Yuan said calmly, “Second Brother is exceptionally good at pretending. For all we know, he may have already gotten involved with the Vice Minister’s daughter.”
“And his entire purpose was to use this incident as an excuse to break off his engagement with you.”
Lu Yuan deliberately made his words as persuasive as possible.
‘No matter whether I was set up or not, I slept with my future sister-in-law. There’s no way I can avoid being held accountable.’
‘Right now, I have to bring Su Yuling over to my side.’
Su Yuling clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palms, hatred surging within her.
She was the legitimate daughter of the Earl of Yongning Residence, yet in the eyes of her own fiancé, she was apparently nothing more than an object that could be discarded whenever convenient.
“I must have been blind…” Su Yuling’s voice trembled.
Lu Yuan looked away and stared at the canopy above the bed, letting out a sigh. “All I wanted was to be a carefree prince. Why does it have to be so damn difficult?”
Su Yuling didn’t answer. She merely clenched her fists even tighter.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open.
“Holy shit, who is it?”
Lu Yuan instinctively flinched and looked toward the doorway.
Lu Cheng stepped across the threshold with a grim expression. Four guards followed behind him, all dressed in identical black armor.
He stopped at the entrance and swept his gaze across the room.
The bed curtains were half drawn, Lu Yuan and Su Yuling were both barely dressed, and it was obvious that more than one person was beneath the quilt.
Lu Cheng’s expression darkened until it looked as though water could drip from his face. However, an almost imperceptible trace of satisfaction flashed through his eyes.
“Lu Yuan!” Lu Cheng shouted sternly. “Yuling went out of her way to help arrange your marriage, yet you dared commit such a vile and unforgivable act! You’re worse than a beast!”
The four guards drew their sabers in unison.
Su Yuling glared at Lu Cheng with bloodshot eyes.
Lu Cheng mistakenly assumed she was furious because Lu Yuan had forced himself on her.
“Miss Su, I will report everything that happened today to Father Emperor and make sure you receive justice.”
“You…”
Su Yuling was just about to rise when Lu Yuan reached out and stopped her.
“I didn’t hear you clearly…” Lu Yuan said coldly. “Come closer and say that again.”
A trace of suspicion flashed through Lu Cheng’s eyes, but it disappeared almost immediately.
He stepped toward the bed and looked down at Lu Yuan from above.
Just as Lu Cheng was about to speak again, Lu Yuan’s eyes narrowed, and an intense murderous aura instantly erupted from his gaze.
“Fuck your justice!”
Lu Yuan suddenly roared and violently swung his right arm.
Straight at the left side of Lu Cheng’s face!
Lu Cheng’s pupils contracted sharply.
Before he could retreat, Lu Yuan had already sprung from the bed. Twisting his waist, he drove his right fist squarely into Lu Cheng’s cheekbone.
The next second, Lu Cheng was sent flying sideways. His back smashed into the tea table against the wall and overturned it, sending shattered teacups scattering across the floor.