It was hard to describe the feeling.
Like bracing for a torrential downpour, only to be showered with a heap of leaves instead.
Utterly unrelated, and utterly absurd.
Luo Jingfeng couldn’t fathom what was going through her mind. Was her big head filled with nothing but water?
Lu Zhu kept pressing herself against him, her voice hushed: "Husband... let’s go. It’s cold outside."
Luo Jingfeng’s face darkened as he scooped her up and carried her away.
Lu Zhu, having gotten her way, wrapped her arms around his neck and planted another kiss—ticklish and oddly unsettling.
Luo Jingfeng dodged while glaring at her. "Keep squirming, and I’ll drop you."
"I’m sorry!" Lu Zhu immediately went still.
Servants along the path averted their eyes and turned away discreetly.
Luo Jingfeng half-carried, half-dragged her back to their chambers, unceremoniously tossing her onto the bed. Maids brought in hot water for her bath, and Lu Zhu happily settled into the tub.
Luo Jingfeng felt irritation rising again.
He wondered if he was sick—afflicted with some condition that made him irrationally annoyed at the sight of Lu Zhu. It was like being gnawed at by ants: not painful, but unbearably uncomfortable.
He stood abruptly and strode toward the bathing chamber. The maids, sensing his mood, swiftly excused themselves.
Lu Zhu was splashing playfully in the water. When she saw him, her face lit up as she leaned over the edge of the tub. "Husband, do you want to join me?"
The invitation in her words was unmistakable.
Luo Jingfeng narrowed his eyes, gripping her chin and tilting it up. "You were just complaining about pain. What’s this now—trying to seduce me?"
Lu Zhu grinned. "The hot water helps! So, do you want to? I love being close to you!"
"Why?" Luo Jingfeng’s voice had gone rough.
Her eyes sparkled. "Because being intimate with you is the happiest thing in the world! And these days, I’m especially fertile. Who knows how long you’ll stay home this time? If I could have another child as adorable as Ji’er, one who looks just like you—I’d be overjoyed!"
Luo Jingfeng’s gaze turned icy.
So that was it.
She wanted heirs.
One child wasn’t enough—she needed many, many more to secure her position.
Suddenly, it all made sense.
His grip tightened, turning her chin red. Before she could yelp, he yanked her out of the tub. Water splashed everywhere as she was hauled upright.
"Husband—ah—!" Lu Zhu was pressed against the doorframe of the bathing chamber.
Every door stood wide open. Any maid fetching water could walk in and see everything.
Lu Zhu flushed in alarm. "Husband, we’ll be seen!"
Behind her, Luo Jingfeng’s voice was venomous. "Do you want heirs or dignity?"
Lu Zhu answered without hesitation: "I want you!"
"…!"
Luo Jingfeng nearly choked on his fury.
This two-faced woman—always spouting sweet nothings while scheming for children. Infuriating!
That night was wilder than usual. Lu Zhu thought her husband was even rougher than before—not just his usual brusqueness, but he kept biting her.
And not just anywhere—her face!
Lu Zhu panicked. "Husband! We have to attend the palace banquet tomorrow!"
Luo Jingfeng sank his teeth into her cheek again. "Then skip it. You’re the Great General’s wife whether you go or not."
"Ah?!"
Lu Zhu was on the verge of tears.
The next morning, Luo Jingfeng woke to find her inspecting herself in the mirror.
Lu Zhu beamed. "Husband, look! The bite marks are gone! I can go to the palace!"
Luo Jingfeng scowled. "Your skin’s too thick to hold an imprint."
Lu Zhu just giggled foolishly.
The Emperor had arranged a victory banquet for the Great General of Pacifying the West.
The palace buzzed with activity, the gathering of court and harem as lively as a New Year’s celebration.
Luo Jingfeng brought Lu Zhu and Little Luo Ji with him, heading straight to see Luo Shu upon arrival. After over two years apart, his younger sister had grown more composed, though a faint melancholy lingered in her expression.
Without preamble, Luo Jingfeng grabbed her arm and rolled up her sleeve, checking for signs of mistreatment. Luo Shu, who had been playing with the child, startled. "Second Brother, what are you—? Second Sister-in-Law and Ji’er are right here!"
Lu Zhu waved her hands. "It’s fine! Your brother’s just worried about you."
Luo Shu’s arms were unmarked, her skin free of bruises. She smiled awkwardly. "Second Brother, with your military achievements, your standing in the capital is unshakable. No one would dare harm me now."
Luo Jingfeng turned to Lu Zhu. "Take Ji’er outside."
"Got it!" Lu Zhu obeyed, scooping up the child and leaving at once.
A flicker of sadness crossed Luo Shu’s face, noticed immediately by her brother.
He spoke bluntly. "Third Sister, you should have a child soon. If it’s a prince, I’ll make sure he becomes Emperor."
Luo Shu froze. "Second Brother, what are you saying? The Emperor has made his intentions clear—Crown Prince Chu Heng is the heir. Even if I had a child, it would only be for companionship, not as a pawn in your power struggles with Eldest Brother."
Luo Jingfeng glowered. "If you don’t fight, you’ll die. Do you think staying neutral will save you? Once Chu Heng takes the throne, they’ll drag you—the favored concubine—to the grave as his burial companion!"
Luo Shu shook her head. "You’re being too extreme. Crown Prince Chu Heng is kind-hearted, and The Empress has always been gracious to me. Why must we involve ourselves in succession wars?"
"That’s exactly what infuriates me!" Luo Jingfeng snapped. "As the head of the harem, she never protected you. How do you know she wasn’t secretly allowing—or even ordering—the abuse? Third Sister, you’re too naive. There are no good people in the palace. Haven’t you suffered enough?"
Before Luo Shu could reply, maids announced from outside: "Consort Hui and Consort Shu have arrived."
Lu Zhu reentered with Little Luo Ji in her arms.
Two lavishly dressed women swept in, their eyes scanning the room—occupied only by the Luo siblings—before exchanging pointed remarks.
"My, meeting privately with a man in broad daylight—how improper."
"One might mistake this for a rendezvous, if not for the fact that it’s Concubine Shu’s own brother..."
As their words grew increasingly venomous, Luo Shu’s face paled.
Luo Jingfeng’s voice was ice. "Tear their mouths apart."
The maids in the room were not their own.
Seeing her husband lacked manpower, Lu Zhu plopped Little Luo Ji on the floor, seized the two consorts by their collars, and delivered a series of resounding slaps.
Smack—smack—smack—smack—
Luo Shu stared, dumbfounded.
Though these two had tormented her before, this was the palace—they were the Emperor’s consorts! And her sister-in-law had just... attacked them?
"Ah—! Stop!"
"How dare you strike Consort Hui!"
"Release Consort Shu at once—she’s the mother of the Tenth Imperial Prince!"
Chaos erupted as maids rushed to intervene, but against Lu Zhu’s martial prowess, they might as well have been chicks fluttering helplessly.
Little Luo Ji, sucking on his fingers, found the spectacle entertaining. He even started clapping. "Go… Mama… hit!"
The two consorts fled shrieking around the room. "We’re the Emperor’s consorts!"
Lu Zhu, relentless, chased after them. "And I’m still tearing your mouths apart!"
