What, Do You Dislike Your Husband?
On the day the Liu family were to be beheaded, Lu Ronghuai went by imperial command to supervise the execution.
Crowds of townspeople had gathered around the execution grounds. The Liu family members wore cangues around their necks and iron shackles at their ankles as they were escorted all the way to the grounds in prison carts.
Wherever the prison carts passed, the stones and rotten eggs in the people’s hands were hurled there. The Liu family members were beaten until their heads were broken and blood ran down. Duke Liu was disheveled and bedraggled, with none of his former bearing left.
More than ten of them were bound at the hands and brought up onto the execution platform. The heavily built executioners already stood nearby with blades in hand.
Low, muffled weeping rose from the execution grounds.
“Your Highness, something has gone wrong!” A prison guard came stumbling over, panic on his face as he dropped to his knees before Lu Ronghuai. “Liu Mingyue’s prison cart was intercepted halfway, and he was taken away!”
Seated above, Lu Ronghuai calmly rubbed his fingertips together. “Were they pursued?”
Cold sweat covered the guard’s brow. “N-no. Those people had their faces covered, and they moved very quickly.”
“Hmph.” Lu Ronghuai produced an elegant sound of contempt.
Though he said nothing, that single sound was like a curse calling them useless. The guard was both ashamed and afraid, trembling on the ground.
Losing a major criminal was a capital crime punishable by losing one’s head. This time, they were finished.
“Behead these first,” Lu Ronghuai said, tossing the execution order onto the table. He looked meaningfully at Duke Liu, who knelt upon the execution grounds. “This Prince is most fond of the game of cat catching mice. I only hope Young Master Liu can hide a little longer. Only then will the game be interesting.”
Duke Liu’s hair had turned completely white. Hearing Lu Ronghuai’s unrestrained voice, he raised his aged eyes. “Your Highness, this old man has a few words to say. Might Your Highness step closer?”
Lu Ronghuai did not wish to move. “Say them here.”
Duke Liu’s tone did not change. “It concerns Prince Consort. Is Prince Consort certain Your Highness wishes this old man to say it aloud?”
Lu Ronghuai narrowed his eyes. He withdrew the long leg he had been resting upon the table and crossed to the middle of the grounds in two or three strides. Half-crouching, he fixed Duke Liu with a cold, cutting gaze from his long narrow eyes.
“Old man, even at death’s door you still dare threaten this Prince.”
“Your Highness, where one may spare another, one should spare him. Spare Mingyue this once, and this old man guarantees that Prince Consort’s secret will be carried by this old man into the grave.” Duke Liu did not circle around the matter. Both men understood the meaning in his words.
Physician Li had died in the Liu residence, and when his body was brought back, it was covered in injuries. It was clear he had been subjected to severe interrogation before his death. Lu Ronghuai knew they must have pried the matter of Chu Yuan’s pregnancy from Physician Li’s mouth.
Lu Ronghuai said, “You are rather able to hold your ground. Knowing the Liu family was bound to face this calamity, you mean to exchange the secret of this Prince’s beloved consort for Liu Mingyue’s life.”
“Your Highness is even more able to hold your ground than this old man. Mingyue was taken away today, and I imagine that too was within Your Highness’s expectation.” Duke Liu’s voice was hoarse, yet every word fell with clarity.
Lu Ronghuai said, “I had a sense of it.”
“Did Your Highness conclude that this old man would not reveal Prince Consort’s secret?”
“Whether you spoke or not could not threaten this Prince in the least. This Prince was merely curious as to whom you would trade that secret with.”
“A pity. The person you chose in the end truly leaves this Prince feeling bored.”
Duke Liu’s eyelids trembled almost imperceptibly. In that moment, he suddenly understood that the Liu family had lost to Prince Li because none of them had ever truly understood Prince Li.
This man’s scheming ran too deep, and he had hidden it for too long, far beyond everyone’s understanding of him.
“Enough. In the time you have delayed here, Liu Mingyue has already left the city. It is time for you to be on your way.” Lu Ronghuai rose and stepped back. He casually pointed a finger, and the executioner understood, carrying his blade forward.
The executioner raised the blade and brought it down. Blood burst forth, and the heads of the Liu family rolled upon the ground.
Lu Ronghuai lifted his head to look at the clear sky.
The vault of heaven was a transparent blue, swept free of every impurity. The righteous breath between Heaven and Earth drifted on at ease. It was a rare stretch of good days, something he had scarcely known across two lifetimes.
“Throw those prison guards who failed in their watch into prison and await further judgment.” In excellent spirits, Lu Ronghuai lightly tossed out the command, then turned and left the execution grounds.
The Liu family, which had crouched in splendor at the capital for generations, withdrew from the stage in a grim and bloody ruin and became a thing of the past.
A few days later came the Qiqiao Festival, the yearly celebration most beloved by young men and women.
Chu Yuan was nearing three months of pregnancy. Ever since Physician Li was killed, the one taking his pulse had always been Jiang Ni. Because of this, he had been going to the Nie Residence very frequently these past days.
For that very reason, a certain prince’s jealousy flared greatly, and he pinned Chu Yuan upon the bed and making quite a nuisance of himself.
Chu Yuan slept until the sun was already high.
“Your Highness Prince Consort, I heard there will be dancing upon the water tonight for the Qiqiao Festival.” Le Shu took out a brand-new set of blue-green robes from the wardrobe. The garments were soft and light, comfortable and cool for summer wear.
Chu Yuan lifted a hand and gave a small yawn.
Le Shu watched and could not stop laughing. “Why is Your Highness Prince Consort still sleepy? Did you not sleep well last night?”
Chu Yuan’s movements halted.
He truly had not slept well last night. A certain prince was full of vigor, yet unable to find release, and had spent more than half the night rubbing against his legs, nearly chaffing the skin raw.
Later, through his blurred consciousness, it seemed some cool medicinal ointment had been applied along the inside of his thighs, easing the burning sting very effectively. He let out a comfortable sigh and tilted his head off into sleep.
“Where is Your Highness?” he asked, the skin behind his ears warming as he somewhat stiffly changed the subject.
“He has been at the practice grounds all morning. Guard Xian Shuang was called over as well. Xian Yu says the household guards are practically being beaten into the ground.” Le Shu tied his sash for him, covering his mouth as he laughed.
He truly was full of vigor. Chu Yuan shook his head helplessly.
The weather was too hot, and Chu Yuan did not want warm foods. He drank a bowl of mung bean soup and also ate three pieces of soybean pastry.
By the time Lu Ronghuai returned, his robes were soaked through.
“I am going to bathe first. Ah-Yuan, bring a set of clothes in for me.” As he spoke, he undid his wrist guards and strode into the bathing room without breaking pace.
Chu Yuan had Le Shu send in water, while he himself turned into the inner room to fetch clothing for him.
When he entered the bathing room carrying the clothes, Lu Ronghuai sat leaning back in the bath barrel with his head tilted up and his eyes closed. His arms rested along the sides, the muscles in them firm, the lines smooth and powerful, the very beauty of strength Chu Yuan had always quietly admired.
He walked over lightly, set the clothing aside, rolled up his sleeves, picked up the water ladle nearby, and poured water over that black hair. Once the hair was wet, he took up the soapberry and smoothed it over the ends before gently rubbing it in.
Lu Ronghuai did not open his eyes. A smile curved his lips as he accurately caught Chu Yuan’s wrist, his lazy voice low and magnetic. “How could such tiring work be allowed to trouble Ah-Yuan? I can do it myself.”
“Go sit on the chair to the side. The floor is wet and slippery. Do not wander about.”
Chu Yuan reached his hand into the bath barrel. After washing his own hand clean, he mischievously flicked the water droplets onto Lu Ronghuai’s face, then retreated with a bright smile and obediently sat on the chair.
Lu Ronghuai raised a hand to wipe the water from his face, his smile full of indulgence. “Little ancestor, if you keep playing, then come bathe with me. Your clothes will all be wet.”
“I do not want to bathe with you. You are covered in rank sweat.” Chu Yuan’s voice was soft and a little coquettish, bright and lovely.
Lu Ronghuai laughed. “What, do you dislike your husband?”
“Hmph.”
“Let me tell you something rather entertaining.” Lu Ronghuai washed his own hair, and the muscles of his back kept shifting with his movements. “A memorial has come from the western border. Min Chao drove the Xiqiang back to their old nest and retook the towns that had been lost before.”
“That is good news. Why does Your Highness call it entertaining?”
Lu Ronghuai said, “The amusing part is that Min Chao specifically emphasized in the memorial that the victory was won thanks to the righteous aid of the Kingdom of Yu, which sent troops to help them drive back the Xiqiang.”
Chu Yuan understood at once. “The Kingdom of Yu has another aim in mind?”
“Mm. The Kingdom of Yu wants a marriage alliance.”
“Will Father Emperor agree?”
Lu Ronghuai nodded without hesitation. “This time, the Kingdom of Yu’s only request is a marriage alliance. To Father Emperor, there is no bargain more worthwhile than this.”
Chu Yuan frowned slightly. “Then the choice for the marriage alliance... is Third Princess?”
“Exactly so. It is her.”
Lu Ronghuai rinsed the foam from his hair, coldness edging the corners of his eyes. “Leaving Lu Lingshuang in the capital would only make her a further scourge. She had previously tried to harm Ah-Yuan. Even if Father Emperor had no intention of sending her away, she still must go.”
What was more, now that the Liu family had been destroyed, the Empress confined, and the Crown Prince deposed, Lu Lingshuang had lost every pillar she had ever relied upon. She was no longer the princess once showered with endless favor. Before her, there remained only this single road of marriage alliance.
“There is one more matter.” Lu Ronghuai casually picked up the towel draped over the edge of the barrel. “At morning court today, Father Emperor wanted Su Ruhe to take the post of Minister of Revenue. Yet Su Ruhe refused. Not only that, he requested an external transfer to take office in the provinces, and Father Emperor agreed.”
“What?” Chu Yuan stared in shock, his watery eyes round with surprise.
Lu Ronghuai wiped at his neck and laughed with gleeful malice. “In my view, he was driven off by your brother. All day long, your brother knew only how to trouble Su Ruhe. Now look, he frightened the man away.”
“Had you seen it, when Father Emperor permitted his transfer to local office, that obvious sigh of relief on his face, truly, it was enough to make one die laughing. I dearly wish Nie Siran could go see it for himself.”
Having said this, Lu Ronghuai threw back his head and laughed several more times, delighted beyond measure.
Chu Yuan: “...”
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Lu dog: This lord is thoroughly amused.
Nie Siran: ...
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