In her previous life, Song Jianing had been Guo Xiao’s favored concubine for seven years. However, during those seven years, she had always lived on an estate in the suburbs. Guo Xiao never explained the reason, and she never asked. In short, among all the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital, apart from Guo Xiao, she had only briefly crossed paths with Princess Duanhui and the new Emperor right before her death.
As for the man in black on the same boat…
Song Jianing could not help but associate him with Guo Xiao’s closest relatives, because the two looked far too similar — just like her and her mother, anyone could tell at a glance that they were mother and daughter. Calculating the age, Guo Xiao was sixteen this year. Song Jianing did not know the exact age of the Duke of Weiguo, but she guessed he should be around thirty-five or thirty-six.
Secretly, Song Jianing glanced at the man in black once again.
The spring sunlight was bright and beautiful. The boatman had rolled up the black-awning bamboo curtain. The man in black sat by the window, gazing at the scenery outside. The cool lake breeze blew in, brushing against his face. His side profile was cold and sharp, with clearly defined angles. In the middle of his long, slender neck, his Adam’s apple was prominent, and beside it was a thin, long scar. It was an old scar; one might not notice it unless looking carefully.
Song Jianing’s heart pounded wildly. The age matched, and there was that scar. The Duke of Weiguo was a military general — could it really be him?
But why would the dignified Duke of Weiguo leave the capital and come to Jiangnan?
Song Jianing racked her brains trying to recall her previous life, but unfortunately, before she married Liang Shao, she had only been an ordinary woman living in the inner courtyard. She had no interest in official matters and no way to learn about them. After she arrived in the capital, she spent her days living quietly on the secluded estate. The maids and nannies around her had all been warned by Guo Xiao and only chatted with her to amuse her. They never spoke about things they should not.
Perhaps the Duke of Weiguo had once been posted in Jiangnan?
Song Jianing was so lost in thought that she forgot to look away. On the other side, Guo Boyan had been through countless battles and possessed extremely sharp senses. Sensing that someone was watching him, he silently turned his gaze. He first looked at the woman wearing the veiled hat opposite him. After confirming that the staring was not coming from under the veil, he finally noticed the small, delicate little girl sitting dazedly beside the woman.
The little girl was about eight or nine years old, wearing a peach-pink jacket. Her cheeks were white with a touch of pink, and her almond-shaped eyes — clear black and white — were watery and beautiful. Guo Boyan had one daughter and two nieces. In his memory, all three girls had been very thin from childhood, slender and elegant. The children liked being thin, but Guo Boyan always felt it was not right. He wished his daughter would eat more and grow a little plump. Only then would he feel at ease; otherwise, he would always worry that the children were not eating enough.
Just like this little girl — her face was chubby and soft, but not overly fat. Looking at her made people feel reassured.
When he first boarded the boat, Guo Boyan had already noticed the little girl secretly peeking at him. Children were naturally curious about strangers, so he had not minded. But now this little girl was looking at him again, staring so intently with a silly, adorable expression. Guo Boyan could not help feeling curious. With a serious face, he asked, “Why are you looking at me?”
The inside of the boat had been very quiet, with only the sound of lake waves lapping. His sudden voice, dignified and cold, immediately startled Song Jianing awake. Why was she looking at him? Of course she could not tell the truth. But for a moment, Song Jianing could not find a suitable excuse. Deep down, she felt instinctive awe toward this man who might be the Duke of Weiguo. Out of instinct, she shrank her shoulders and hid behind her mother.
Lin-shi was also a little afraid of the man in black. She understood why her daughter was scared. While trying her best to shield her daughter, she spoke in a low voice to apologize, “My daughter is naughty and has been disrespectful. Please be magnanimous, sir.”
A beautiful woman did not always have a pleasant voice, but Lin-shi’s voice was clear, soft, and gentle. When it suddenly spread inside the open-sided boat on the lake, it sounded like the light call of an oriole in the beautiful Jiangnan spring scenery — indescribably graceful and ethereal. Just then, the black-awning boat reached the center of the lake, where the wind grew stronger. It lifted one corner of the veil in front of Lin-shi’s hat, revealing the woman’s fair, delicate chin, like the first petal of a blooming peony — alluring and captivating.
Guo Boyan’s throat rolled slightly. In fact, just from looking at the appearance of the little girl beside the woman, he already knew that this woman must be an exceptional beauty.
He gave a slight nod and continued admiring the scenery.
Lin-shi was worried that her daughter would look around again. She took Song Jianing’s hand and stood up. “Let’s go outside to watch the fish.”
Song Jianing nodded obediently.
The mother and daughter walked out together. Song Jianing was still small and did not show much of a figure yet. Lin-shi walked against the wind, her skirt fluttering. Her waist, so slender that it could not be spanned with one hand, was clearly visible. She looked so delicate and fragile that people could not help worrying she would be blown into the lake by the next gust of wind. Both men inside the boat were drawn to her graceful figure, especially Guo Boyan, whose chest felt as if a fire had been lit inside it.
He had stolen half a day of leisure during his busy life. As a provincial governor, he would return to the capital in another half a year. Today, he had suddenly felt like taking a walk, never expecting to encounter such a beauty. Born into a noble family, Guo Boyan had seen many beautiful women since his youth, but this was the first time a woman had made his heart itch unbearably with just a glimpse of her slender figure and a single word “sir.”
Unfortunately, she was already someone else’s wife.
No matter how moved Guo Boyan felt, he would never touch another man’s wife.
The boat finally reached the shore. Lin-shi stood at the stern, holding her daughter’s shoulders. She waited until Guo Boyan and his servant had gone ashore before slowly getting off the boat with her daughter. Before leaving, Qiu Yue quietly argued with the boatman in a low voice. The boatman bowed and smiled apologetically, “My dear lady, those two men clearly weren’t ordinary people. How could I dare to say anything?”
Qiu Yue snorted, “Then give us our money back.”
The boatman was reluctant and looked pleadingly at Lin-shi.
Lin-shi smiled faintly and called Qiu Yue back. They went to enjoy the flowers, deliberately choosing the opposite direction from Guo Boyan.
They had arrived early, so there were not many people on the island yet. Lin-shi held her daughter’s hand and walked along the main path, trying her best to avoid secluded areas.
“Mother, look at that one — half red and half white. It’s so beautiful,” Song Jianing said. She had tried every way to coax her mother out of the house, hoping she would see more beautiful scenery outside and think less about her father. Once they were on the island, Song Jianing focused on finding unique sights to show her mother.
“Mother will pick one for An’an.” The peach blossoms were as beautiful as rosy clouds, and Lin-shi truly felt delighted. She patted her daughter’s head and personally went to pick a flower. It was only about ten steps away. Song Jianing and Qiu Yue stood by the roadside waiting. Lin-shi stopped under the tree, turned back to look at her daughter’s peach-blossom-like little face, smiled gently, and reached up to pick the flower.
The branch was a bit high, so Lin-shi had to stand on tiptoe. Just as she was trying hard to break the branch, a sudden noise came from the roadside — as if a fierce tiger had jumped out! Lin-shi was shocked. She turned her head and saw a masked man holding a wooden stick. With lightning speed, he struck Qiu Yue and her daughter on the head one after another. When she saw her daughter’s small body falling down, Lin-shi’s heart shattered. She immediately rushed toward her daughter, crying out, “An’an…”
At that moment, she forgot about her own danger and only wanted to check if her daughter was safe.
The masked man threw away the long stick and pounced over. He grabbed Lin-shi’s slender waist with one arm and covered her mouth with the other, hurriedly dragging her deeper into the peach blossom grove. Lin-shi struggled desperately, but she was a young woman who had lived in seclusion for years. Even breaking a flower branch took effort — how could she break free from a man’s strong hands? Whether she hit with her hands or kicked with her feet, it was all useless.
The masked man was none other than Hu Zhuang, who had followed them after receiving news from his elder sister. He had been thinking about Lin-shi for more than three years. Now that he finally had the chance, the lust he had suppressed for three years instantly burned to its peak. It burned so fiercely that he only wanted to take Lin-shi first and cared about nothing else. He did not care whether the plan was thorough or what would happen if Song Jianing and the maid were discovered on the roadside. He only wanted to pin Lin-shi to the ground and have his way with her right then!
Time was tight. After walking only a short distance, Hu Zhuang covered Lin-shi’s mouth and pressed her to the ground. Lin-shi struggled with all her might, but her resistance only made Hu Zhuang’s desire burn even hotter. He grabbed the collar of her jacket and tore it violently. Half of Lin-shi’s snow-white shoulder was immediately exposed. Lin-shi was so frightened that she froze. Hu Zhuang stared greedily at the light blue bellyband inside her clothes, his eyes turning red with lust!
Lin-shi’s veiled hat had already fallen off along the way. Seeing the beastly desire in the man’s eyes, her face turned deathly pale. She shook her head and struggled while crying. In the chaos, she accidentally pulled off the black cloth covering Hu Zhuang’s face. Hu Zhuang often visited the Song family, so Lin-shi naturally recognized him. Amid her fear, anger surged up. She struggled even harder and made muffled sounds through her mouth.
“Good sister-in-law, just give yourself to me. My elder brother Song has been dead for three years. Don’t you really want it?” Hu Zhuang covered Lin-shi’s mouth with one hand while impatiently untying his belt with the other. His strong body pressed her down firmly so she could not move an inch. He even tried to kiss her neck. Lin-shi desperately dodged. Unexpectedly, when she turned her head, she caught a glimpse of a tall figure rushing toward them like a whirlwind!
Lin-shi cried even louder.
Hu Zhuang had already pulled his pants down halfway and was about to tear Lin-shi’s clothes when a powerful force suddenly hit his back. He looked back in horror. Guo Boyan punched him squarely in the face. The man who had once led thousands of troops across battlefields struck with full force — the punch even carried the roar of a tiger. Hu Zhuang was knocked unconscious on the spot and was casually thrown aside by Guo Boyan.
After dealing with the scoundrel, Guo Boyan looked down.
Lin-shi’s jacket was already torn to pieces. Her thin, snow-white shoulders were completely exposed, like two magnolia flowers blooming on green grass. She curled up into a ball, hugging her chest and burying her head. Her messy black hair covered her face. Only her despairing, terrified cries could be heard as she sobbed and tried to pull the torn clothes together to cover her shoulders.
A pitiful and charming beauty like this made people want to protect her, yet she could also most easily arouse a man’s desire.
Guo Boyan stood motionless. His deep, dark eyes slowly moved over Lin-shi’s body inch by inch — the tear-stained face under her hair, her beautiful shoulders that she tried in vain to cover, her body curled up like a lotus flower, and her sorrowful, helpless cries. Every part of her challenged his reason. He had heard clearly — her husband had been dead for three years. She was a widow.
Footsteps sounded behind him. It was his long-time servant, Wei Jin. Guo Boyan quickly took off his long robe and bent down to wrap it around Lin-shi.
This action showed that he had no lustful intentions — at least not right now.
Lin-shi saw a glimmer of hope. With her eyes closed, she sobbed and thanked him, “Sir, I will never forget your life-saving grace. I will definitely repay you heavily…”
“How will you repay me?” Guo Boyan helped her sit up. He squatted on one knee in front of her, his sharp black eyes staring into hers as his hands gripped her shoulders tightly.
The man’s palms were hot, clearly felt through the clothes. Feeling his unrestrained gaze, Lin-shi’s heart jumped in alarm. From the corner of her eye, she saw the man’s servant carrying her daughter in one arm and Qiu Yue in the other as he walked over. Lin-shi became anxious and cried as she begged her savior, “I have some modest property at home. As long as you ask, I will give it all to you. Please let me see my daughter first…”
Guo Boyan did not let go. He only glanced at Wei Jin.
Wei Jin put down the adult and the child and reported in a low voice, “They were knocked unconscious. They should be fine.”
Lin-shi breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her tears flowed even more — from lingering fear and from uncertainty about the future. In her panic, she suddenly heard her savior say, “Deal with that one. Leave no traces behind.”
Lin-shi’s heart skipped a beat. What did “deal with” mean? Who was he going to deal with?
She secretly looked over and saw Wei Jin walk over to Hu Zhuang in a few steps, pick him up with one hand, and quietly head deeper into the island.
Lin-shi trembled all over. She did not care about Hu Zhuang’s life or death, but this man could treat human life like grass. He must be a ruthless and cruel person…
“What are you thinking about?” Guo Boyan had seen all her emotions. He asked in a low voice, his deep tone carrying a hint of pleasure.
Lin-shi did not notice it. She was only afraid. The man’s hands were still gripping her shoulders, his intentions obvious. And the fact that he showed his ruthlessness right in front of her — wasn’t that another kind of threat?
After much internal struggle, Lin-shi lowered her eyes and said with a trembling voice, “I have five hundred taels of private savings. I am willing to offer it all to you, my savior.”
Guo Boyan smiled — a very subtle smile. He leaned closer, lifted her delicate little chin. She resisted, but Guo Boyan held her firmly and stared into her panicked, tear-filled eyes as he said, “This Duke does not lack money. What I lack is a concubine.”
Upon hearing this, Lin-shi felt as if she had fallen into an abyss.