Chapter 42
The faint scent of alcohol lingered in the air, mingling with the delicate fragrance of agarwood. In a hazy daze, County Princess Zhaoyun slowly regained consciousness.
She had slept deeply, yet upon waking, her entire body felt as though it had been ravaged.
A soft moan escaped her lips, startling the tall man sleeping beside her. He bolted upright but was nearly driven to draw his sword by the sudden shriek that followed.
When he saw the source of the scream, his brows furrowed instantly, and he exclaimed in shock, “Zhaoyun?”
County Princess Zhaoyun yanked the blanket up to cover herself, her face filled with unconcealed terror. In a sharp, trembling voice, she demanded, “You… what did you do? What did you do?!”
The man before her was none other than the Crown Prince. Lowering his gaze, he looked down at himself—just in time to catch sight of a faint trace of dried blood.
He had a rough idea of what had happened.
Men of the Yuwen family were all the same. It was a lineage notorious for failing to control their desires.
He pressed his fingers against his forehead, contemplating how best to handle the aftermath.
But it was already too late. Two elderly maids burst into the room, stomping their feet and beating their chests as they wailed in grief.
“Oh, my poor princess! My poor princess! How could this happen…”
“How will you ever find a husband now?!”
The Crown Prince’s notorious temper flared. He snapped, “What are you wailing for? Is this a funeral?!”
The maids immediately fell silent, shivering like cicadas in the cold.
County Princess Zhaoyun, now fully aware of what had transpired, began to sob. Through her tears, she stammered, “What… what is going on? What happened? I… I…”
Before she could finish her sentence, she broke down completely.
Not long after, Grand Princess Mingxi arrived. She wore a thick headband, her complexion ashen and waxy. At the sight before her, she nearly fainted.
The Crown Prince hurriedly dressed himself and rushed to support his aunt.
Knowing full well that he had committed a grave mistake, he adopted a posture of utmost sincerity.
Grand Princess Mingxi sat down on the couch, frowning deeply. “If the Crown Prince has feelings for Yun’er, you could have asked His Majesty for her hand in marriage. But now… why humiliate her like this?”
The Crown Prince had blacked out from drinking. The previous night, he had been invited to visit the Grand Princess, and someone had offered him a taste of the season’s new osmanthus wine, Autumn Rain.
The Grand Princess had noticed his interest in the liquor and had invited him to drink with her.
Indeed, men of the Yuwen family all shared a fondness for alcohol.
One cup turned into many, and he had enjoyed himself thoroughly. But what happened after? He had no memory of it.
Judging by County Princess Zhaoyun’s despair, however, it was clear that things had gone terribly wrong.
The Grand Princess, having spent the night in a drunken stupor herself, could only sigh and shake her head. “Crown Prince, I watched you grow up. And Yun’er—she grew up alongside you. Now that things have come to this, there must be an explanation.”
The Crown Prince, fully aware of his guilt, glanced at County Princess Zhaoyun, who sat quietly crying. Then, slowly, he knelt before the Grand Princess: “I am willing to seek an imperial decree from Father and take Yun’er as my wife… to make her the Crown Princess….”
Yet as soon as the words left his lips, an emptiness settled in his heart.
After all, Zhaoyun’s status was incredibly noble. She was no ordinary noble daughter—she was the only child of the most esteemed princess of the Great Zhao dynasty.
The current emperor had no daughters, and the late emperor had only ever had one—Grand Princess Mingxi.
The Empress Dowager had no children of her own and had adopted a son and a daughter.
One was the present emperor, the other was Grand Princess Mingxi. One had been born to Consort Xiao, the other to Concubine Jian.
Among all the emperor’s sons, he had only ever had a single daughter—his beloved Mingxi—proof of just how precious she was.
And Grand Princess Mingxi, in turn, had only one daughter. This made County Princess Zhaoyun the most treasured noblewoman in all of Great Zhao.
Bringing her into the Crown Prince’s household as his consort was a match of equal status. It was only natural for her to become the Crown Princess.
But… if Zhaoyun were to become his Crown Princess, then what about his Wan’er?
Wan’er… was just a common girl. Her father was merely a physician, her mother the daughter of a merchant family.
Even if she were to enter the Crown Prince’s household, she would, at most, be a concubine. Though she might be given an official title, with a Crown Princess above her, she would inevitably suffer.
Yet at this moment, he had no choice but to set those concerns aside.
How had things come to this?
How had he lost control and slept with County Princess Zhaoyun?
His household had concubines to tend to his needs. There had been no reason for him to act so recklessly.
But now, no amount of regret would change what had happened.
All that was left was to deal with the consequences.
The Grand Princess let out another heavy sigh and said, “There’s nothing I can do now. You’ve done this to Yun’er. If you don’t marry her, you will be signing her death sentence! You must handle this as soon as possible.”
By the time Yuwen Jun left the Crown Prince’s residence, he was in a daze.
His brows furrowed as he pondered how to explain this to Su Wan’ning.
Of course, he understood her well. No matter how many women he had, she always remained the same—gentle, understanding, always putting his needs first, never voicing her grievances.
But how could he bear to let her suffer?
Thinking of the mistake he had made in his drunken stupor, he sighed inwardly. I will make it up to my Wan’er in the future.
Meanwhile, at that very moment, in the impoverished district, Su Wan’ning was tending to the sick. Beside her, however, stood none other than Yuwen Mingji.
Dressed in an embroidered white robe with golden threads, Yuwen Mingji’s presence was strikingly out of place among the destitution of the slums.
Such a noble figure was crouching on the ground, using his sword to help Su Wan’ning carve bamboo skewers.
Seeing how clumsy he was, Su Wan’ning couldn’t help but sigh and said, “You! A sword is not a knife. How can you carve properly with it? Let me do it instead!”
Yuwen Mingjigave her a gentle smile and said, “Little girl, are you looking down on me?”
Su Wan’ning pouted playfully. “Of course not! Alright, alright! I was just worried about you tiring yourself out, Your Highness.”
Yuwen Mingji had no choice but to set his sword down and let out a sigh.
Hearing this, Su Wan’ning immediately paused what she was doing, sat beside him, and asked, “What is it? Something on your mind?”
Yuwen Mingji remained silent. Su Wan’ning smiled and said, “Ah, some people… They clearly have the entire nation in their heart, yet they pretend to be carefree and detached. They are full of strategy and military prowess, yet they must act as idle and unambitious princes. Who doesn’t wish to leave a legacy for generations to admire? Your Highness, if you truly want to do something, why not just go ahead and do it?”
Yuwen Mingji glanced at the bamboo skewer in his hand and said, “You little girl, can you read minds? How is it that you always guess exactly what I’m thinking?”
Su Wan’ning’s bright and innocent smile bloomed on her face. She pinched Yuwen Mingji’s cheek playfully and said, “A healer not only treats the body but also the heart!”
Hearing these words, Yuwen Mingji fell silent. After a long pause, he finally said, “Well said—healing the heart. Little girl, I’ll be counting on you to cure my heart’s affliction.”
Su Wan’ning let out a helpless giggle and said, “Then, Your Highness, I have a batch of medicinal herbs stored in a warehouse in the northern part of the city. Do you want them or not?”
Yuwen Mingji immediately stood up and grabbed Su Wan’ning just as she was about to turn away. “What? Wan’er, you—”
Her face remained bright and innocent, but there was also a hint of alarm as she scolded him, “Ah… You startled me! As the saying goes, ‘before soldiers march, provisions must come first.’ I have nothing else on hand, so all I can do is prepare some medicinal supplies for you. Your Highness, I hope the Great Zhao will become as you wish—peaceful and prosperous, with clear skies and tranquil waters.”
In response, Yuwen Mingji pulled Su Wan’ning into his embrace, pressing his chin against the curve of her shoulder. Her cheeks flushed pink, yet she couldn’t break free.
Yuwen Mingji chuckled and said, “Little girl! You must be the lucky star heaven sent to me. I lack nothing—except medicinal herbs! But unfortunately, the entire medicinal trade in the capital is monopolized by the Lu family. With your help, Wan’er, I will be like a tiger with wings, and my great ambitions will soon be realized.”
Su Wan’ning smiled on the surface, but inside, her heart bled.
Without Lu Siwei’s official decree, obtaining these medicinal herbs had been incredibly difficult for her.
Every checkpoint she passed required an expenditure of her mental energy, leaving her utterly drained.
For the next month, she wouldn’t even be able to launch another mental attack.
Fortunately, she had accumulated quite a bit of energy over time. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to maintain even her stunning appearance right now.
Her recent missions had become increasingly challenging. She originally wanted to cultivate another “Saintess” persona, but her recent achievements hadn’t been enough to exchange for any highly contagious viruses.
For now, she could only continue navigating forward while maintaining the basic course of her plans.
Luckily, she still had a few trump cards left. As long as nothing went terribly wrong, there was still room for maneuvering.
Thinking about it… Perhaps it was time to play the “County Princess Zhaoyun” card?
Honestly, whether County Princess Zhaoyun married the Eldest Prince or the Fourth Prince no longer mattered much to her.
But the Fourth Prince was incredibly difficult to win over. Moreover, he had been designated as a decisive variable—if he couldn’t be fully controlled, he would have to be destroyed step by step.
Zhaoyun was an excellent move. As long as he fell in love with Zhaoyun, then Lu Hanzhi’s fate would still be sealed—death.
That day, Su Wan’ning finished her work and happily returned to the Lu residence.
Surprisingly, the Crown Prince didn’t come looking for her, which caught her off guard.
But she didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, it wasn’t as if he sought her out every single day.
Instead, when she returned home, she received a secret letter from Yuwen Jing, pouring out his longing for her.
Su Wan’ning burned the Third Prince’s letter and, as she was contemplating her next step, Yuwen Min happened to enter the southern outskirts estate.
Meanwhile, Lu Hanzhi was busy overseeing the workers as they stuffed blood sausages, cured meats, and prepared marinated dishes.
His second-phase, second-stage mission was still to open three more branch stores and raise the gross revenue of each to 30 taels, with a total revenue goal of 1,500 taels.
As he had expected, the difficulty was increasing, forcing him to stay sharp and focused.
Early in the morning, he had sent Zai Yu to check out two other storefronts suitable for selling cooked foods. By the afternoon, he had processed all the pigs slaughtered the day before.
For a two-kilometer radius around the estate, the air was filled with the rich aroma of cooked pork dishes.
By the time Yuwen Min arrived at the estate, he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.
From a distance, he saw Lu Hanzhi with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his fair arms as he taught the workers how to cure meats.
A strange heat stirred in Yuwen Min’s chest as his mind flashed back to what Lu Hanzhi had said to him that night.
“Is it you doing me, or me doing you?”
Yuwen Min scoffed inwardly. You, a mere Xiao Langjun, think you can do anything to me?
But then, a chill ran down his spine. Wait, why am I even thinking about this?
Their marriage had only been a temporary measure.
He appreciated Lu Hanzhi’s intelligence and quick wit. And indeed, his strategies had proven useful.
Suppressing the turmoil in his chest, Yuwen Min reminded himself that he had come today to discuss the progress of their plans.
However, as he approached, he saw Lu Hanzhi holding something thick and long, showing it to the workers.
“See this? Do you see it? Do you know what this is? This is a pig’s whip! Isn’t it thick and long? If any of you have problems in the bedroom, take this home, stew it with oysters, and I guarantee you—seven times a night, standing firm till dawn!”
The teenage workers, all around sixteen or seventeen, turned bright red with embarrassment.
Yuwen Min nearly choked on his own blood and barely managed to suppress it before he gritted out, “Oh? You sound eager to try it yourself?”
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
Support Ciacia’s translation temple on Kofi—and if the cliffhanger demons are haunting you, join the Han’er Tier to purge them with advanced chapter access (up to 5!) before the masses even blink.
