Chapter 130
Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzhi, who had been drawing diagrams on the ground with tree branches, both looked up at Lu Hanzhi at the same time. After a moment of silence, Yuwen Min said, “It really is time for you to return. I’ll have people escort you all the way back to the capital. Don’t worry—the news will be delayed by a couple of days. It will only be sent back after you’ve entered the capital and made full preparations.”
Lu Hanzhi said, “No need. Delaying it by two days is enough. There’s no need to prepare anything—I know how to handle it.”
Yuwen Min suddenly felt a wave of sadness. He felt that his Hanzhi knew everything, understood everything, and could handle everything.
Then what use was he, as a man, to him?
Seeing the dazed look on his face, Lu Hanzhi stepped forward and wrapped an arm around him, whispering into his ear, “I know you don’t want to part with me, but the Empress Dowager is standing in the line of fire for me. I can’t let the old lady down. I promised her I’d return within half a month—and ten days have already passed. Ah Min, I’ll wait for you to come back, together with Ah Chan and Ah Shu.”
Yuwen Min held him tightly in his arms, yet he did not know what to say.
He was not someone good at expressing himself. He only tightened his embrace and said, “One day, I will surely return to you a world of clear seas and peaceful rivers.”
At that time, they would no longer need to part.
Lu Hanzhi smiled at him and said, “I believe you. You have that ability. I will wait.”
That single sentence made Yuwen Min’s heart settle slightly.
This separation was for the sake of being together better in the future.
He could not indulge in temporary comfort and ultimately bury what should have been a long-lasting happiness.
Thus, that very day, he arranged an elite squad of soldiers to escort him back to the capital in plain clothes, quietly and discreetly.
Shadow Guard No. 1, who had always been protecting him in the shadows, continued to stay by his side as a personal guard.
Lu Hanzhi found it strange and looked at Shadow Guard No. 1, asking, “Where were you hiding just now?”
Shadow Guard No. 1 held his sword and replied calmly, “Inside the inn.”
Lu Hanzhi asked, “Then how did you come out?”
Shadow Guard No. 1 answered, “I came out before the explosion.”
Lu Hanzhi asked again, “You weren’t discovered by them?”
Shadow Guard No. 1 replied, “Their target wasn’t me.”
Lu Hanzhi stopped asking. Shadow Guard No. 1’s martial skills were somewhat unfathomable, and Lu Hanzhi began to reserve his judgment of him.
He had previously always felt that Yuwen Min was superior to Shadow Guard No. 1, but now it seemed the two were evenly matched.
Lu Hanzhi had already set off for the capital. What was astonishing was that Zhangsun Mei returned with him as well, under the name of being held as a pledge in the capital.
At that moment, his carriage was piled full of gifts that the soldiers had given for their sister-in-law, saying they were snacks for the road.
In reality, food only made up a small portion of it. Quite a few items were actually little trinkets for children to play with.
The soldiers were truly thoughtful—simple and sincere.
Ah Chan would definitely love these little toys.
Lu Hanzhi looked at Zhangsun Mei, who had changed back into men’s clothing, and said, “Look at you—this is so normal. Why did you insist on turning yourself into some kind of freak before?”
Zhangsun Mei looked exceptionally refined in men’s attire. Though the heavy makeup-induced allure was gone, he appeared much more elegant.
Ropes were bound around his hands as he said, “Even if you tie me up and take me back to the capital, so what? I will definitely fulfill what I said. There was no need for you to do this.”
Lu Hanzhi clapped his hands, and He Ming outside the carriage handed him a small knife.
Lu Hanzhi cut the ropes off Zhangsun Mei and said, “Alright, this should make you more comfortable.”
Zhangsun Mei moved his wrists and said, “Why did you let me go again?”
Lu Hanzhi said, “Tying you up was Wang Ye’s idea. Letting you go was my idea. Wang Ye isn’t here, and he doesn’t know, so for now you listen to me.”
Zhangsun Mei: “……”
Zhangsun Mei said, “How did that Wang Ye even put up with you?”
Lu Hanzhi ate a bunch of plump, juicy grapes and sighed, “The Western Regions’ grapes were really delicious! What a pity—once we leave, we won’t get to eat them anymore. But why didn’t you make raisins?”
After swallowing another grape, Lu Hanzhi continued, “Sister Mei, if you bow your head too much before a man, he’ll actually lose interest in you. You should place yourself on equal footing with him, or even keep him at arm’s length. Don’t let him have his fill all at once—otherwise, wouldn’t he grow tired of you early?”
Zhangsun Mei’s face flushed red as he said, “Don’t talk nonsense… The Venerable Lord treated me with immeasurable kindness. I harbor absolutely no improper thoughts toward him!”
Lu Hanzhi ate his grapes and said, “Oh, alright then.”
Lu Hanzhi felt that if he kept eating like this, he would gain weight. Grapes contained too much glucose, and during pregnancy, it was actually not advisable to eat too many.
Seeing that Lu Hanzhi stopped talking, Zhangsun Mei spoke up, “The Western Regions are not as prosperous as Great Zhao, so very few people can afford to keep a Xiao Langjun. But the Western Regions also favor male relationships, and even have a kind of… pathological obsession with them. Therefore, men dressing as women became a distinctive feature of male relationships in the Western Regions.”
Lu Hanzhi became interested. He sat up straight and thought to himself that if they were going to talk about this, he would no longer feel sleepy.
Lu Hanzhi said, “Oh? Then what’s the difference from sleeping with women?”
Zhangsun Mei said, “It’s naturally different. Men have a kind of base desire deep down—to conquer their own kind. But they refuse to admit that they like men. If the other party dresses as a woman, then they can sleep with them without guilt.”
Lu Hanzhi’s face clearly showed an expression of so this is even possible. He clicked his tongue and said, “Is deceiving oneself really that interesting?”
Zhangsun Mei said, “That’s true. But after dressing as a woman for so many years, things really did become much more convenient for me.”
Lu Hanzhi said, “As for the customs of the Western Regions, I may not understand them, but I respect them. If you like women’s clothing, after returning to the capital, I can make a batch of women’s clothes for you.”
Zhangsun Mei said, “Many thanks.”
Lu Hanzhi waved his hand, indicating there was no need for courtesy.
After the bumpy journey, Lu Hanzhi began to vomit.
The sour plum slices given by Sacred-Handed Lin had been used up. He clutched his stomach and leaned against the carriage frame, nearly losing half his life.
Zhangsun Mei took care of him the entire way and felt that he, as a hostage, was truly unlucky—how had he ended up becoming Wang Fei’s personal maid?
In the end, Yuwen Min negotiated terms with Western Fan King after he regained consciousness.ZChangsun Mei would be held as a pledge in the capital, and the Western Fan Kingwould fulfill his promises to them.
At first, Lu Hanzhi had thought the Western Fan King would not care about Zhangsun Mei’s life or death. Unexpectedly, the king repeatedly requested that he himself could ingest the poison that Zack had taken and submit to control, asking whether Zhangsun Mei could be spared from being held in the capital.
Only then did Lu Hanzhi realize that the king likely did not care as little about Zhangsun Mei as he outwardly claimed.
In the end, it was Zhangsun Mei who volunteered himself and went back with Lu Hanzhi.
Had he known that he would need to take care of a delicate, frail Xiao Langjun who constantly got motion sickness and vomited on the road back to the capital, he probably would have given it more thought.
Zhangsun Mei said, “Your body is far too weak. If you can’t endure long journeys, you should stay in the capital. Why go through all this trouble to travel so far?”
Lu Hanzhi had just finished vomiting and barely had the strength to breathe in, let alone speak.
He lay there weakly and said, “If I didn’t go, wouldn’t our Wang Ye just be toyed with by all of you?”
Zhangsun Mei raised his delicate brows and said, “You really trusted Yuwen Min that little?”
Lu Hanzhi said, “I trusted him, but I did not trust you people. With those witchcraft techniques of yours—if you managed to knock him unconscious, that would be fine. What I feared was that you wouldn’t be able to knock him out. If he forced himself to endure it, it would consume his mental strength the most. Mental strength is a finite thing. Once it is exhausted, his hostility will grow heavier and heavier. The heavier the hostility, the more it erodes one’s reason. I didn’t want him to suffer. I wanted to… protect him.”
Zhangsun Mei probably did not understand why someone known as a hellish Asura would still need protection from a weak little shou like him.
However, seeing how miserable Lu Hanzhi looked, Zhangsun Mei could not bear to ignore him. He could only fetch another waterskin and let him drink more water.
After drinking, Lu Hanzhi felt a little better and began to gnaw on a sweet pear.
Zhangsun Mei asked, “If you can’t keep food down, then don’t eat. You’ve vomited like this—why are you still forcing yourself to eat?”
Lu Hanzhi replied casually, “If I don’t eat, how will my child grow?”
Zhangsun Mei: “…Pfft—”
Lu Hanzhi was startled and dodged the grape peel Zhangsun Mei spat out, asking, “What are you doing? That’s disgusting.”
Zhangsun Mei coughed while staring at Lu Hanzhi in shock and asked, “You… you…”
Lu Hanzhi said irritably, “What about me? Haven’t you ever seen a pregnant Xiao Langjun? Didn’t you already know about the special nature of Xiao Langjun?”
Zhangsun Mei looked at him with an expression that mixed admiration with confusion. “What I meant was—you… why would you still travel thousands of miles while pregnant, just to resolve dangers for that Wang Ye?”
A smile spread across Lu Hanzhi’s face. Leaning against the carriage, he said, “You wouldn’t understand. Because of love.”
Zhangsun Mei remained silent for a long time. Only after Lu Hanzhi had leaned against the carriage frame and fallen asleep did he say, “I understand.”
When they returned to the capital, Lu Hanzhi’s morning sickness still had not improved.
That very night, relying on the token given by Imperial Concubine Rong, he entered the city gates and went straight to Prince An’s residence.
Prince Chu had received a message via carrier pigeon in advance and had been waiting at the gate early on, holding a kerosene torch.
As soon as the carriage arrived, he immediately ordered a new carriage to be brought over, preparing to send Lu Hanzhi into the palace.
But upon seeing Lu Hanzhi’s deathly pale complexion, as if he had lost half his life, his heart instantly ached.
He stepped forward and asked, “What happened? …Hanzhi, how did you end up like this?”
Lu Hanzhi waved his hand to show that he was fine and said, “Send me into the palace quickly, to avoid any further complications.”
Prince Chu had already coordinated matters with the Empress Dowager and Imperial Concubine Rong. The carriage had been sent by Imperial Concubine Rong herself, and her senior palace maid, Er Ya, was inside.
Er Ya supported Lu Hanzhi into the carriage. Before getting in, Lu Hanzhi deliberately instructed, “Don’t tell Ah Chan that I’ll be back tomorrow. And also—please take care of Miss Zhangsun Mei for me.”
Midway through the journey, Zhangsun Mei had changed into plain-colored women’s clothing. Outwardly, he looked like nothing more than a graceful young woman.
Prince Chu acknowledged and said, “I understand. He Ming and Shadow Guard No. 1 will tell me what needs to be done. You should go with Aunt Er Ya!”
Lu Hanzhi disappeared into the vast night. Yuwen Jue put away the torch and said, “Arrange accommodations for Miss Zhangsun first. He Ming and Shadow Guard No. 1, follow me.”
Zhangsun Mei was arranged to stay in the rear courtyard and was not confined.
Under Er Ya’s arrangements, Lu Hanzhi smoothly returned to Cining Palace.
The moment the Empress Dowager saw him, she scolded angrily, “Nonsense! Absolutely outrageous! I never should have indulged your recklessness! If something had gone wrong, how would I have explained it to Fourth?”
Lu Hanzhi sat obediently on a chair in the Empress Dowager’s hall, listening to her reprimand with a weak expression.
The Empress Dowager continued angrily, “You’re pregnant, yet you put yourself through such torment—weren’t you afraid something would happen? You—”
Seeing his pitiful appearance, the Empress Dowager ultimately could not bring herself to continue scolding him. She waved her hand and said, “Quickly summon Chief Physician Lin to take a look at this troublesome child. The fetus must not be harmed!”
Author’s note:
Lu Hanzhi: Tsk, the old lady’s temper was really something else (obediently accepting the scolding)
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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