“The Crown Prince’s chances of turning things around are slim, aren’t they?”
“Mm.”
Upon hearing this, Cui Yunchu knitted her brows tightly. “Given Prince An’s attitude toward you today, I’m afraid that if he ascends the throne one day, he’ll make things difficult for you.”
“We’ll deal with that when he takes the throne.” Shen Xiabai bent over her. “Stop talking. Mentioning them ruins the mood.”
Cui Yunchu gathered her thoughts and devoted herself entirely to the man before her.
“A Chu.”
“My lord.”
“I’ve missed you so much.”
“So have I. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”
One lowered his head, the other lifted hers, and their red lips met in a fierce kiss.
Shen Xiabai’s palms were rough. When he slipped open Cui Yunchu’s robes and touched her skin, her body trembled repeatedly, sending the heat rushing through him. He eagerly nipped and lingered along her slender, porcelain-white neck.
Bang, bang, bang—
“Uncle, Uncle!”
The sudden pounding on the door startled Cui Yunchu. She immediately shoved Shen Xiabai away and burrowed beneath the covers, and the sudden disappearance of the soft, fragrant warmth nearly sent him tumbling off the bed.
The abrupt interruption left him silent for quite some time, unable to recover. It was as though someone had poured a basin of cold water over his head in the middle of a passionate moment, instantly extinguishing everything.
The pounding outside continued.
“Uncle, Uncle, it’s Zilan. I need to speak with you.”
“Get lost.” Shen Xiabai’s voice was low, as cold as an icicle in the dead of winter.
There was a brief silence outside before the knocking resumed. “Uncle, I really do have something important to discuss with you. It won’t take long. Please come out.”
“Go see what he wants,” Cui Yunchu urged him, giving him a push.
Shen Xiabai rose with a dark expression, picked up the sash from the floor, and slowly tied it around his waist again.
Hidden beneath the covers, Cui Yunchu suddenly began to laugh. “Lord Shen, you took it all off for nothing.”
“…”
Shen Xiabai cast her an unhappy glance. After fastening his sash, he suddenly leaned over and slipped a hand beneath the quilt, circling the spot there. “Wait for me to come back and deal with you.”
Cui Yunchu sat halfway up, exposing that area without the slightest cover. Shen Xiabai’s gaze instantly deepened.
“They say a baby feeds whoever has milk. Call me ‘Mother,’ and I’ll feed you.”
“…”
Shen Xiabai’s face turned green. “Cui Yunchu, you really have no shame.” He pinched her cheek and shook it firmly, though his gaze was focused nowhere near her face.
When they were in bed, there were some things even a grown man like him didn’t dare respond to.
“You tell me—was that exciting or not?” Cui Yunchu asked.
Shen Xiabai stared at her, his eyes practically frozen in place, then nodded.
Her stream of outrageous remarks really did make one’s blood run hot. “Being with you is always exciting.”
After all, being hurled from such a high cliff—how could that not be exciting? It had been so thrilling that he had nearly died.
“Uncle, come out! Hurry up and come out!” Shen Zilan’s howling never stopped.
Shen Xiabai took a deep breath and calmed himself down before opening the door and stepping out, looking every inch the composed gentleman.
He came face-to-face with Shen Zilan’s raised arm, which was clearly about to pound on the door again. Their eyes met, and the atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
Beside them, Yu Feng muttered under his breath, “I’m afraid the time he’s wasting may be even more serious than the time he’s taken from his master’s life.”
“U-Uncle…” Shen Zilan swallowed and instinctively took a step back.
Years of experience with his uncle had taught him that Shen Xiabai was in a bad mood at that very moment—a very bad mood.
“If you’re really busy, I can come back later.”
He had just turned around when Shen Xiabai grabbed him by the back of his collar and yanked him back. “To my study.”
Shen Zilan followed behind him with his head bowed. Once they entered the study, Yu Feng closed the door from outside, startling him. Shen Zilan hurried over and tugged at it, but it would not open.
Shen Xiabai’s ominous gaze remained fixed on him.
“Uncle, actually, I’m not in that much of a hurry. If you have something urgent to do, go ahead. I can come back after you’re finished.”
Shen Xiabai curved his lips into a smile, which only made Shen Zilan shiver harder.
Outside, Yu Feng listened to Shen Zilan’s words and shook his head. The boy was still too young. With this sort of thing, could one simply start when one wanted, stop when one wanted, and then begin again whenever one pleased?
“When you were pounding on the door just now, weren’t you in a hurry?” Shen Xiabai asked slowly.
He looked as though an old house had caught fire.
Shen Zilan fell silent for a moment, then slowly summoned his courage. “I came to ask you why you arranged a marriage between Chen Miaohe and someone else, and even forced the Chens to agree.”
“What does it have to do with you?”
“How does it not have anything to do with me? Chen Miaohe and I… we…”
Shen Xiabai turned his head and looked at him, his gaze deep. “That day, didn’t you say yourself that you didn’t like Miss Chen? Since you don’t like her, whom she marries is none of your concern.”
“I’m talking about you forcing the Chens to marry off their daughter. What does whether I like Chen Miaohe have to do with that?” Shen Zilan retorted.
Shen Xiabai replied coolly, “When have I ever needed your opinion before acting?”
His voice was heavy, and Shen Zilan was immediately rendered speechless.
The Shen family was governed by his uncle.
“On what grounds are you questioning me?” Shen Xiabai leaned forward slightly.
“I… We’re family.”
Shen Xiabai gazed at him indifferently, making Shen Zilan feel so guilty that he dared not raise his head.
“Because we’re family, I asked your opinion beforehand. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even have the right to stand here and question me.”
Shen Zilan’s face went pale. “When it comes to matters between men and women, it should ultimately be a matter of mutual consent, not coercion.”
“How do you know I forced her?” Shen Xiabai raised a brow. “The official from the Ministry of War is considered one of my men. If Miss Chen marries him, the Chen family will gain nothing but advantages.”
“Zilan, do you understand the current political situation? Do you know how difficult it is for a family like the Chens to survive under circumstances such as these?”
“When Miss Chen was originally betrothed to you, the Chens were seeking your protection. You inexplicably wanted to break off the engagement, yet the Chens still turned a blind eye and allowed their daughter to keep seeing you. She’s a sheltered young lady from a respectable family. Have you ever considered why they did that?”
Shen Zilan stood there in a daze, speechless.
Shen Xiabai continued, “They have their dignity to consider as well. You kept stringing the young lady along without ever giving her a proper answer. Isn’t it only natural for her family to let her marry someone else?”
“But… but they should have asked Chen Miaohe what she wanted. She’s the one getting married. Marriage isn’t child’s play, nor is it a bargaining chip to be exchanged for benefits.”
“Go ask Miss Chen yourself whether she’s willing,” Shen Xiabai said indifferently.
“She won’t be.”
Shen Zilan was utterly certain. Shen Xiabai said nothing. He simply crossed his legs and rested them on a small stool, watching him.
“I’ll go ask her right now if you don’t believe me.”
Shen Zilan turned around and was just about to step through the door when Shen Xiabai’s voice came from behind him once more.
“Minister Chen was the one who came to me and asked me to arrange this marriage.”
Shen Zilan’s entire body stiffened. He stood frozen in place.
He turned back and stared at Shen Xiabai in disbelief.
“You didn’t want to marry her. What else could she do but find another way out? She couldn’t possibly waste her entire life waiting for you.”
All the Chen family wanted was protection. To remain untouched by the current turmoil was already a blessing from heaven.
Shen Xiabai was right. Otherwise, why would they have allowed their unmarried daughter to run around after Shen Zilan all day? But as time passed, the Shen family still gave no response. The Chens had their dignity, after all; they could not keep letting their daughter follow him about, nameless and without any legitimate standing.
In the end, what they sought was Shen Xiabai’s protection. Marrying her to an official under his patronage was one possible solution, and Shen Xiabai might, for that reason, show the Chen family a measure of leniency.
