Chapter 85
Lu Haozhi’s eyes widened suddenly, and he asked, “H-How is that possible?” Since his last miscarriage, the doctor had told him that his body was damaged, making it very difficult to conceive again.
Ever since then, he had lived cautiously in the Crown Prince’s residence, surviving day by day.
The Crown Prince rarely came to his room—only when his desires flared, and he sought the Prince’s help to relieve them.
The humiliation was unbearable, yet he could not resist his body’s cravings. Each time, he had to force himself to kneel outside Su Wan’ning’s room and beg.
Lu Hanzhi said, “Why would it be impossible? You’re a Xiao Langjun. You should know your own constitution.”
But instead of joy, Lu Haozhi’s face was filled with disappointment. “Even County Princess Zhaoyun couldn’t keep her child safe. What about me? This child… I fear it won’t survive. I already lost one child. Why must I conceive again, only to suffer more heartbreak?”
Lu Hanzhi asked him again, “Do you still want to leave the Crown Prince’s residence?”
Lu Haozhi fell silent. He truly didn’t know—where could he go in this vast world?
Lu Hanzhi said, “I can help you break free from your nightmares, but whether you can keep your child alive depends on your own ability.”
A spark flashed in Lu Haozhi’s eyes. He crawled forward and said, “Really? I…” He hesitated, knowing that, given all he had done in the past, he had no reason to expect Lu Hanzhi to help him. After a moment, he asked, “What do you want me to do, Third Brother?”
Lu Hanzhi replied, “Keep an eye on Su Wan’ning. Report her movements to me daily—the more detailed, the better.”
Lu Haozhi didn’t even hesitate. “Alright.” After all, his life was already hanging by a thread. Whether he lived or died depended on someone else’s whims.
Lu Hanzhi didn’t say anything more. He turned around and used twenty exchange points to redeem a talisman. Then, he casually pulled out the jade hairpin from his head and imbued it with the talisman’s power.
He needed someone who could monitor Su Wan’ning at all times. He had to uncover her true nature.
This talisman not only provided protection against spiritual attacks but also partially shielded the wearer from Su Wan’ning’s suspicions.
Lu Haozhi was a suitable candidate—he just hoped he wouldn’t disappoint him.
Turning back, Lu Hanzhi inserted the jade hairpin into Lu Haozhi’s hair and said, “I’ll have County Princess Zhaoyun plead for you to stay. Hide your pregnancy. However you manage it is up to you.”
With that, he left the woodshed.
County Princess Zhaoyun’s child was now safe, and security around her had tightened.
It would be much harder for Su Wan’ning to make a move again. Just imagining how furious she must be was satisfying.
Before leaving, Lu Hanzhi had even deliberately provoked her. That triumphant smile on his face ignited Su Wan’ning’s fighting spirit.
She realized she needed to accelerate her plans.
On the way back, Lu Hanzhi informed Prince Chu about Lu Haozhi’s situation.
Prince Chu was a kind person, and after hearing the story, he couldn’t help but feel sympathetic. “You did the right thing. He may have made mistakes before, but he was never someone who would deliberately take a life. Asking Zhaoyun to protect him is your duty as an elder brother. But whether he can actually fulfill your request depends on how clever he is.”
Lu Hanzhi said, “The path is his to choose. If he had insisted on leaving, I would have arranged for him to reunite with his mother and have the child in secret. If he wished, I could have given him money to marry a live-in husband. But wealth is often won through risk—it’s up to him.”
Prince Chu nodded slowly. Sometimes, wealth wasn’t just something one desired; it was something one had no choice but to pursue. After all, poverty didn’t only bring hardship—it brought despair.
When their carriage arrived back at Prince Chu’s residence, Lu Xuzhi and Yuwen Min had just returned as well.
The two had attended the court assembly earlier that day. On the sixth day of the first lunar month, the court hosted a grand banquet for the ministers, praying for a prosperous year ahead.
The Crown Prince had been absent from the residence for the same reason—he had also attended the court assembly.
After all, as the overseer of state affairs, he couldn’t afford to stay home over personal matters.
While still in the palace, Yuwen Min had already heard some news. Seeing the two return, he immediately stepped forward to ask about the situation.
Lu Hanzhi and Prince Chu explained what had happened and also revealed that Lu Haozhi was pregnant.
Yuwen Min nodded and asked Lu Hanzhi, “That cousin of yours—there’s something off about her, isn’t there?”
Previously, Lu Hanzhi had explained that his grudge against Su Wan’ning was because she had stolen his elders’ favor and taken away his arranged marriage.
That was why he constantly kept an eye on her and opposed her at every turn.
But now, Yuwen Min was starting to feel that his hostility toward her couldn’t be just that simple.
In fact, ever since Su Wan’ning had schemed against the Emperor, he had wanted to ask about it. But since Lu Hanzhi never mentioned it, he never pressed him for an answer.
Lu Hanzhi bit his lip and said, “How about I tell you tonight?”
Lu Xuzhi, as Lu Hanzhi’s second brother, had disliked Su Wan’ning for a long time.
Ever since she had entered the Lu family, things had changed—it no longer felt like the same home.
Fortunately, once she left, everything had returned to normal.
Looking back, it seemed that wherever she went, trouble followed. Yet, despite this, she always managed to gain protection, while those who got involved with her misfortunes never met a good end.
Once or twice could be dismissed as coincidence, but after so many times, it was impossible not to be suspicious.
Just as he thought Lu Hanzhi would keep his secrets until the evening, Yuwen Min suddenly grabbed Lu Hanzhi’s hand without a word and started pulling him outside.
Prince Chu and his husband only heard a voice drifting in from the courtyard: “Oh, then let’s discuss it back at the residence!”
Lu Hanzhi let out a string of “Hey, hey, hey, hey…” as they returned to the Prince An’s residence.
Once they arrived, Lu Hanzhi fidgeted and complained, “Hey, you hurt me! Ah Chan is going to fall!”
Yuwen Min had no choice but to let go of him and instead pulled Ah Chan into his own arms.
Ah Chan watched as his two fathers tugged at each other. The moment Yuwen Min took him, he clapped his little hands and laughed, “Hehehe, giggle giggle giggle…”
Lu Hanzhi frowned. “…Are you happy that your dads are fighting?”
Ah Chan immediately stopped laughing and looked at Lu Hanzhi sheepishly.
Lu Hanzhi pinched his chubby, fair cheeks and said, “You’ve learned to enjoy the drama, huh?”
Ah Chan giggled while burying his face into Yuwen Min’s neck. Yuwen Min, holding a heavy sword in one hand and the child in the other, smiled as well. He raised his arm to block Lu Hanzhi and said, “Alright, alright, don’t fuss with a child. What does he know about enjoying drama?”
But Lu Hanzhi refused to let it go. Leaning over Yuwen Min’s arm, he suddenly planted a loud kiss on Ah Chan’s chubby cheek.
Seeing that his father wasn’t angry anymore, Ah Chan grinned, revealing his eight tiny teeth. He stretched out his short, plump arms, hugged Lu Hanzhi’s neck, and smacked a kiss on his cheek in return.
Yuwen Min’s heart skipped a beat.
The father and son were very, very close to him.
So close that… on one side, he could smell the faint scent of milk from Ah Chan, and on the other, the light fragrance from Lu Hanzhi.
Xiao Langjun was naturally fragrant, and Lu Hanzhi bathed daily with fragrant soap, applied fragrant balm, brushed his teeth with aromatic paste, and washed his hair with fragrant oils.
His entire being carried a clean, refreshing scent—one that even Yuwen Min found pleasant.
He also had impeccable taste in clothing, making people like him at first sight.
But when he got closer, there was an inexplicable sensuality about him.
His attire was proper and neat, yet where did this inexplicable allure come from?
This guy, completely unaware, would always lean into his arms as if he truly saw him as a gentleman of virtue.
For some reason, Yuwen Min found himself staring at the fair, fragrant earlobe right in front of him.
As if possessed, he stepped forward, lowered his head, lowered it further… and kissed it.
Lu Hanzhi, who had been teasing Ah Chan on his chest, froze. His hand remained suspended in midair as Ah Chan reached for the small crossbow in his palm.
Yuwen Min also froze. He didn’t even know why he had done that.
Just as Lu Hanzhi turned his head to look at him, Yuwen Min suddenly shoved Ah Chan back into his arms and turned to leave.
Lu Hanzhi was stunned for a long moment. When he finally processed what had happened, he realized what Yuwen Min had just done.
The realization hit him like a jolt, and he suddenly snapped his head up, shouting toward the direction Yuwen Min had disappeared into, “Hey! Do something and not take responsibility? Are you even a man, Yuwen Min?”
The young servant sweeping the courtyard desperately stifled his laughter, keeping his eyes on the ground and pretending he hadn’t heard anything.
The little maid feeding the birds struggled to keep her lips from curling into a smile. The cook, holding a tray of freshly made pastries, hurried back to the kitchen, leaving behind a series of suppressed coughs.
Lu Hanzhi was speechless. If you’re going to kiss me, then kiss me—what are you running for?
I know I’m beautiful. It’s normal that you can’t control yourself!
With skin that thin, no wonder you became famous for your beauty in the original story yet never managed to marry a wife.
Judging by the direction he ran off to, he was definitely heading to the training grounds to practice swordsmanship.
Tsk, this man is beyond saving.
But since you didn’t even confess, that kiss was free. Consider it a bargain for you!
Lu Hanzhi carried Ah Chan back to his Hanyu Pavilion, placed him on the bed, and entered his mental space.
At the moment, he had less than fifty exchange points left, and the four treasure chests from last time were still unopened.
So, he decided to open all four in one go. The thrill of consecutive unboxings excited him.
The first chest gave him double points—not much of a surprise.
The second chest contained a half-price coupon—also a common reward.
The third chest revealed a free exchange voucher. Finally, something valuable! Lu Hanzhi happily put it away.
With one last chest remaining, and a free exchange voucher in hand, he no longer cared what the final prize would be.
He leisurely opened it, and suddenly, golden light flashed.
A notification rang in his ears: “Congratulations, Host! You have obtained an ultimate forging blueprint—Eight-Ox Ballista.”
Lu Hanzhi stared in shock at the blueprint in his hands. The Eight-Ox Ballista, also known as the Three-Bow Siege Crossbow, was a legendary siege weapon!
In the fictional era of the Great Zhao, the world was still in the early stages of cold weaponry.
There were some large-scale catapults, but no siege weapons as formidable as the Eight-Ox Ballista.
Lu Hanzhi was overjoyed. He immediately wanted to find Yuwen Min to share the excitement.
Just as he was about to get up, Yuwen Min walked in, looking fresh and clean—he had probably just finished sword training and taken a bath.
The moment he entered, he said, “…I came to talk to you about what just happened.”
Lu Hanzhi blinked. “Just now… You mean the part where you kissed me?”
Author’s Note:
Yuwen-Autumn: I was talking about your cousin!
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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