In the third month of spring, the last snow had completely melted, and the weather was perfect.
The Great Luo Dynasty.
In Luodu, on Zhuque Street.
A grand and imposing procession of carriages and horses had stopped by the roadside. Ahead were two rows of neatly armored guards, and in the middle was a luxurious carriage drawn by four fine horses, about the size of a small house.
At the moment, the procession was in a noisy uproar. Soldiers with weapons surrounded the carriage, but none dared to act rashly. Beyond them was a crowd of ordinary onlookers watching the excitement.
Outside the carriage curtain, Mingzhu, a sword-attendant boy of about thirteen or fourteen, had one arm restraining a burly man in black, while his other hand formed a spell that kept the guards from getting close.
Inside the carriage, Du Heng was leaning awkwardly against the main seat.
One arm was wrapped around the woman’s slender waist, and the other was gripping her fair, soft little hand. He was slumped crookedly on the main seat inside the carriage.
Du Heng’s mind was completely blank from the impact. When he had fallen in, the two of them were about to collide, but the other side neither dodged nor avoided him. He had no choice but to instinctively reach out and shield the woman. Then the two of them spun around, and Du Heng slammed his back into the inner wall of the carriage.
Right then, he stared blankly at the delicate and noble woman in his arms.
This woman was so carefree that even after falling into his arms, she could still sleep soundly.
Her eyes were tightly closed, and her long lashes trembled slightly from time to time.
It was a sleeping face that Du Heng did not even know how to describe properly.
She wore no makeup, yet she was like flawless jade, with not a single blemish to be found. Her slender brows were gently relaxed, reminding one of willow branches beneath a fine spring drizzle. Below her delicate, slightly upturned nose were soft, moist, deep-red lips, and her skin was fair as frost and snow, smooth as congealed cream.
She wore a black chest-high ruqun dress, which faintly revealed her fair skin and two collarbones. Several elegant plum blossoms were embroidered at the cuffs and collar.
The loose dress could not hide her beautiful figure. Her proportions were perfect, every inch just right. On her head were golden step pendants, several phoenix hairpins, and pearl flowers. Even though she was still asleep, she still carried an undeniable air of noble dignity.
What kind of fairy-like beauty was this?
“Clouds long for her raiment, flowers long for her face; the spring breeze sweeps the balustrade, rich with dew.”
Such a description did not seem excessive at all.
Du Heng grew bolder and quietly inhaled the faint, natural fragrance from her body. He could not help but become even more intoxicated.
After a few breaths, he felt that this was far too presumptuous, so he bit his tongue hard before finally snapping back to his senses.
Du Heng lowered his gaze at the girl in his arms and silently cursed, What a temptress…
By his original schedule, he and his junior brother Mingzhu should already have returned to their home by now.
But today, just as they arrived in Luodu, they had run into a grand procession as soon as they entered the main street. There was also an arresting unit from the Criminal Investigation Department chasing a thief nearby.
The situation had become extremely chaotic. Just as the two of them were about to avoid it, they were ambushed by that thief.
While Du Heng was chatting with passersby to ask about the current situation in Great Luo, the black-clad thief suddenly changed direction, rushed toward him, and stuck a talisman seal onto his body.
He had been lazing around for years and had not fought anyone in a long time, so he had not paid much attention. Besides, although his cultivation looked low on the surface, the spiritual power protecting his body made him fearless of any techniques or spells below the fifth realm. That was why he had not cared about the talisman seal, which had shown no trace of spiritual power before activation.
But he had never expected it to be no attack talisman at all. It was a speed talisman. Du Heng’s body suddenly accelerated, as if he had been deliberately aimed at, and he crashed straight into the carriage.
The carriage was well made, clearly crafted from fine wood and spirit arrays. Even with Du Heng slamming into it while protected by spiritual power, it suffered no damage.
When he finally came to, dizzy and dazed, Du Heng had tumbled into the carriage and been shaken nearly senseless. Because he had tried to protect the noble woman who was sleeping soundly inside, he ended up with a soft, fragrant, and full-bodied figure in his arms.
The girl in the carriage was really carefree. Even with Du Heng’s head aching from the collision, she was still sound asleep.
Du Heng recalled what he had seen when he first noticed the carriage.
The carriage was hitched to four fine horses, and there were quite a few guards beside it. That meant this girl was at the very least someone from the imperial family?
In the Great Luo Dynasty, the Son of Heaven used six-horse carriages, while imperial relatives used four-horse carriages.
Whose commandery princess could this be?
It was impossible for it to be the Eldest Princess. With court affairs so busy, shouldn’t she have been managing state affairs in the palace?
When Du Heng finally came to his senses, cold sweat had already started to bead on his forehead.
Great Luo really was not peaceful at all.
News of Du Heng’s return to Luodu might have leaked.
The Eldest Princess had not yet announced Du Heng’s identity as her future consort.
Du Heng also did not know whether it was his father Marquis Zhenyuan’s political enemies, or whether the news of his betrothal to the Eldest Princess had already been discovered by someone else.
He had only just returned, yet he had already been set up.
If Her Highness the Eldest Princess found out that on his very first day back he had molested another woman, then wouldn’t that mean…
Du Heng’s furrowed brow suddenly relaxed.
Eh…
Wouldn’t that be perfect?
Joy flashed across Du Heng’s face. He had been thinking about how to reject that marriage agreement, and this was the perfect opportunity!
The Eldest Princess surely would not want a man who had had accidental contact with another girl, right?
He had not even entered his own home yet, and somehow he had already caused trouble outside. When he got back, he was probably going to get a combined beating from both of his parents.
But it was worth it!
Back to the present, Du Heng no longer dared to act rudely toward the beauty. Very carefully, he placed the girl in his arms onto the main seat.
He then got up, intending to go out and apologize. He did not know which imperial relative he had offended, but he only hoped it would be someone reasonable.
Fortunately, Du Heng had not done anything too excessive just now, and his hands had not touched any of the girl’s more shameful or private places.
Still, he did not know what had happened to that thief. Mingzhu should not have let him escape. After all, that man was the very culprit who could prove Du Heng’s innocence.
An accidental offense and a deliberate insult were two entirely different things.
Whether it was just his imagination or something else, Du Heng felt that when the woman slipped from his arms, she trembled slightly, and her pretty face seemed to flush a little?
He did not have time to think about it further. Turning around, he carefully pulled aside the carriage curtain and looked outside.
He saw a woman dressed as a maid rapidly flying in from outside the guards’ encirclement. She held a wooden box in one hand, while the flowing cloud-like sleeve of her other arm stretched out and engaged Mingzhu in combat.
“How bold! In broad daylight, where did thugs like you come from?”
“We…”
Before Mingzhu could argue, Du Heng hurriedly stepped in to mediate.
“Mingzhu, stop!”
“Yes, Senior Brother Du.”
Mingzhu stepped back, and the maid also stopped pressing forward.
Du Heng stepped out of the carriage, bowed with clasped fists, and said, “I am Du Heng. My father is Marquis Zhenyuan Du Haoqing. Because of an accident today, I collided with your carriage. Please forgive me. May I ask where you are from, so I can visit in person to apologize?”
When the maid heard Du Heng introducing himself, her worried and displeased expression relaxed into a look of understanding. Her gaze moved over him discreetly from top to bottom.
Inwardly, she sighed that his manner was truly impressive, calm, and neither servile nor overbearing.
As expected of the household of Marquis Zhenyuan!
“So it is Young Lord Du. This servant, Mingzhe, was rude. The Eldest…”
Just as she was about to reveal the identity of the noble girl inside, she froze for a moment and suddenly stopped, as if someone had interrupted her.
At that moment, a cool, lazy voice came from inside the carriage. It was very soft, and only Du Heng and the few people beside the carriage could hear it.
“Mingzhe?”
“This servant is here.” Mingzhe moved closer to the carriage.
“Mingzhe, why is the Lord Consort standing outside the carriage? Hurry and send a team of guards to escort the Lord Consort back to his residence.”
“Yes!”
After the noble girl finished her instructions, Du Heng’s expression stiffened, and he felt a little dazed.
The noble girl yawned slightly and then said again, “I’m sleepy too. Return to the palace.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As the carriage began to move forward,
“Lord Consort, what you did to me today does not seem very gentlemanly. I will be waiting for your explanation.”
Du Heng heard the Eldest Princess’s voice in his mind. It was gentle and soft, carrying a little more feeling than it had in front of everyone else, warm and charming, making Du Heng’s heart itch slightly.
Du Heng’s mind was still blank and he did not answer.
By then, the carriage had already set off again, and the thief had also been taken away by the maid Mingzhe.
Du Heng came back to his senses with a face full of frustration. He had planned to use this opportunity to reject the marriage, but he had never expected the noble girl to be the Eldest Princess herself.
They had not even formally met yet, and he had already molested his fiancée?
Shouldn’t the Eldest Princess be in the palace reviewing memorials and handling state affairs?
Why would she appear on Zhuque Avenue?
『PS: You can take a look at the warning notes from the author at the end of the chapter. If you do not like the character setup, stop here.』