Du Heng was sitting in the carriage on his way back to the residence. By then, he had already left the palace. He propped one hand under his chin and lifted the curtain with the other, watching the pedestrians and street scenes passing by outside.
This trip to the palace had truly fallen into her trap.
As for the marriage alliance, Yun Shuyu had used an open scheme. She explained the whole matter to him clearly and mixed soft and hard tactics.
Compared with being deceived or threatened, Du Heng was actually more accepting of such an outcome, even if there was still some element of coercion involved.
Still, Du Heng was not as regretful as he had imagined.
Well…
That woman might have a terrible personality… spoiled, arrogant, vile, and domineering… but she truly had remarkable insight and learning, and she was also an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
If they really got married, Du Heng felt he would still be the one coming out ahead.
As his thoughts reached that point, Du Heng’s expression stiffened…
This was bad. Was he actually starting to accept his fate?
What Du Heng could not figure out was that Yun Shuyu’s claim that the marriage alliance and marriage were merely a shield, and that she was afraid rumors would damage her reputation, was also false.
But since she also said she did not like him, what exactly was she trying to do?
Was she deliberately trying to amuse herself at his expense?
Hmm. That did sound like the sort of thing she would do.
Du Heng’s mind was in complete disarray.
He narrowed his eyes and looked over the commoners gathered in small groups along the roadside, whispering to one another.
Was the rumor already fermenting?
He also did not know whether this trip into the palace would be noticed by someone with ulterior motives, who would then embellish the story.
Du Heng casually let the carriage curtain fall.
He sighed. It was too late to hide now. If it really would be noticed, then it was already set in stone.
Du Heng let his thoughts keep drifting.
Was this carriage the same one he had barged into that day?
If so, then the seat beneath him was where Yun Shuyu had been sitting that day.
Du Heng’s expression shifted strangely. He also remembered what Yun Shuyu had said when she called him junior brother.
That bargain-bin senior sister of his had also told him that she was all alone and helpless at court, begging for his help. Thinking about it carefully, that was probably false too, right?
Everyone knew that the Eldest Princess of the Great Luo Dynasty governed the realm exceptionally well. They practically wanted to place the throne on her head.
She had already intimidated the court for five years. How could she possibly be as miserable as she claimed?
She was just deliberately acting weak and playing up her suffering to get him to comply.
That bad woman’s mouth… who knew which sentence was true?
Du Heng touched the inner wall of the carriage. The dent he had left there from crashing into it was still there.
Could it be that her sound sleep inside the carriage that day had also been an act?
Du Heng could not figure out that meticulous bad woman at all.
He had probably cursed Yun Shuyu as “bad woman” countless times in his heart throughout the day.
Du Heng was also somewhat relieved that Yun Shuyu could not read minds; otherwise, he might be in an even worse state right now.
But even though he clearly knew she was merely being polite and evasive with him, and that when she asked for his help she was also deliberately teasing him, he still could not win against Yun Shuyu.
Although they had met only a handful of times, he understood very clearly.
At that thought, an image of Yun Shuyu appeared in Du Heng’s mind on its own: dressed in a plain, elegant ru-style outfit, her black hair hanging loose, her bright eyes full of charm, a gentle and lovely demeanor.
“Senior Brother? Why are you standing outside and not going in?”
Mingzhu looked at Du Heng standing outside the Marquis Zhenyuan residence, not knowing what he was thinking, and waved a hand in front of his eyes.
Only then did Du Heng come back to himself.
While Du Heng had been daydreaming about Yun Shuyu, he had somehow already arrived home. The carriage that had brought him here, along with the guards, had also left at some unknown point.
Before they left, the guard had even called out to him, but Du Heng was too dazed to remember it clearly.
“Mm… I’m going in now. How is my mother? She hasn’t been worried sick, has she?”
“Madam has been terribly worried. Senior Brother, hurry in and let her know you’re safe.”
“All right. By the way, junior brother, is there anything you want to do in the city? Senior Brother can help arrange it for you if I can.”
Mingzhu shook his head. “No. Junior Brother is here at Master’s request to keep watch over Senior Brother.”
“From now on, aside from places I can’t take you, such as the palace, you’d better still bring your junior brother with you, Senior Brother?”
“…You really don’t have much ambition, do you.”
Mingzhu sounded very sincere, and Du Heng felt the veins at his forehead twitch.
Fine. He had been touched this morning by how thoughtful Uncle Ye was, but hearing Mingzhu say that, it really did seem as if he had been sent here as a spy.
Watching over him this closely… anyone who did not know better would think they were tailing a thief.
Du Heng went in and reported his safe return to Du Haoqing and Zhao Ruan. Seeing that he was unharmed, the two of them finally relaxed.
Du Haoqing was especially delighted. He kept asking what Du Heng thought of the Eldest Princess, how they got along, whether they had settled the wedding date, and when they would be married.
Fortunately, Du Haoqing, who had charged across battlefields all his life, did not have the rough, dark appearance of a brutish man.
Otherwise, it would have been far too strange to hear the words of a proper household matriarch coming from the mouth of such a rugged guardian general.
By the end, Du Haoqing even asked when Du Heng planned to have children, how many, and whether one of them should take the royal family surname.
“All right, calm down. Heng’er already said it… he was sent in to ask about the recent situation at the Ruo Xian Pavilion of the immortal sect,” Zhao Ruan said unhappily.
She had never liked Yun Shuyu much to begin with. She always felt that her son would not be able to handle that woman and would end up being completely controlled by her.
Du Haoqing bristled. “Think about it carefully. They called Heng’er into the palace in the middle of the night, kept him there the whole night, and he only came back in the morning.
“What kind of proper matter would require talking all night?”
“But Heng’er already said he did not even see anyone when he went into the palace at night. He slept outside the hall,” Zhao Ruan argued.
Du Haoqing sighed.
“Only you would be fooled. When Heng’er came out, he looked radiant, and there was even a powdery fragrance on him. Don’t tell me you could not smell it?”
“Could someone who really slept outside the hall look that energetic?”
Du Heng’s heart lurched, but he really had slept outside the hall.
That part was not a lie.
After hearing that, Zhao Ruan actually turned around and sniffed the clothes on Du Heng’s body. There really was a faint, fragrant scent of powder and rouge. Her brow immediately furrowed.
This was bad. Her son had only been back for a short time, and now some woman from outside was already trying to lure him away?
Du Haoqing said again, “Heng’er, tell your father the truth. I promise not to tell anyone.”
“Huh? What is there to say?”
“Just tell me how far you and the Eldest Princess have gotten.”
“…Really, nothing,” Du Heng muttered helplessly.
Du Haoqing ignored that completely.
“I know you’re young and embarrassed to say it. Fine, I won’t pry any further.”
Du Haoqing put on the demeanor of someone who had been through it all.
“Young people these days are like this. Once they make up their minds, things move fast.
“Back then, when your father wanted to marry your mother, I even climbed over the high walls of her courtyard.
“If I had not climbed over there a few times and caught your maternal grandfather’s attention, how could your father, who had nothing to his name at the time, have made anything happen?”
His father had told him the story of how he had married his mother countless times while Du Heng was still young. The two of them had loved each other with great passion from the very beginning.
Later, after they were married, Du Haoqing rose through the ranks smoothly, yet he never forgot the promise he had made. He devoted his whole life to one person alone.
For more than twenty years, Du Haoqing had only ever had Zhao Ruan as his lawful wife. Taking concubines was not even a possibility.
“All right, don’t drift too far off track,” Zhao Ruan said, tugging at Du Haoqing’s sleeve.
Du Haoqing nodded and kept rambling.
“But young people still need to practice restraint. There are some things you must not do recklessly before marriage. The Eldest Princess is worth a fortune… don’t you dare ruin her…”
“Stop!”
Du Heng pressed a hand to his forehead and shouted. His voice was so loud it almost carried through the entire marquis residence.
Outsiders probably never would have guessed that the most talkative person in the marquis residence was not Zhao Ruan, but Marquis Zhenyuan himself.
Just as Du Haoqing and his wife thought Du Heng was about to explain himself,
Du Heng instead stepped deeper into the marquis residence.
“I did not sleep well yesterday. I’m going to make up for it.”
Du Haoqing and his wife looked at Du Heng’s back with strange expressions and discussed having the kitchen prepare some restorative medicine for him.
The marquis residence was large, and Mingzhu had also been arranged in a guest room in Du Heng’s small courtyard.
Because of Ye Mingshan’s instructions, Mingzhu was to stay by Du Heng’s side, so he followed Du Heng back to the courtyard as well.
Before long, Mingzhu, who was trailing behind Du Heng, spoke up to remind him.
“Senior Brother, the path turns ahead.”
“Senior Brother, there’s a lake ahead.”
“Senior Brother, there’s someone on the left.”
“Senior Brother…”
“Junior Brother, are you annoying or what?” Du Heng said impatiently.
Mingzhu said solemnly, “It’s Senior Brother who’s strange.”
“Senior Brother, ever since you came back from the palace… not counting the time in front of the residence… you’ve spaced out three times while Father was talking to you.
“And then you spaced out three more times while walking to your room.
“Did Her Highness the Eldest Princess do something terrible to Senior Brother while you were in the palace?”
When Du Heng heard Mingzhu mention Yun Shuyu, a strange look flashed across his face, and he started coughing.
But Mingzhu, still young and straightforward, did not catch that odd look. Instead, he was still standing up for Du Heng.
“It seems Senior Brother might have caught a chill from sleeping outside the hall last night.
“The Eldest Princess is really unreasonable, making Senior Brother…”
“Nothing happened. Stop talking.”
Du Heng shook his head and cut Mingzhu off, then pushed him away in irritation.
“All right, stop following me around all the time. You’re still young… go find some kids your age to play with!”
“Do you understand?”
Mingzhu looked troubled. “But Master told me to stay with you.”
“Your Master also told you to do whatever I say. Are you going to listen or not?”
“…I will!”
“Good. Since you do not want to play with kids your own age, go out to the street and buy me… buy some mochi.
“And while you’re out, keep an ear open. Listen for any rumors going around Luodu.”
“Okay, Senior Brother!”
Mingzhu held out his palm to him.
“Hm? What for?”
“Money…”
Du Heng generously tossed Mingzhu a silver note, then went back to his room and fell into bed to sleep.