Chapter 11: Entering the Palace Part 2

He carefully finished his question. “Sorry to trouble you—have you seen the North-Guarding Prince anywhere? I think I’m lost.”

The man’s face darkened. “So the rumors are true. You really have been whoring around with the North-Guarding Prince.”

Well, that settled it—not a good person.

Jiang Sheng didn’t bother replying and moved to walk past him, but the man grabbed his sleeve directly. “Jiang Sheng, wake up. The North-Guarding Prince is violent by nature, has killed countless people over the years—do you know? The Jiang Family didn’t ‘return to their hometown.’ He executed every last one of them. A devil like that, and you—”

Jiang Sheng flung his hand off.

“What gives you the right to talk about my Husband?”

The man didn’t understand what he’d just heard, and froze for a beat.

Jiang Sheng looked at him coldly. “You people only ever curse him behind his back, slander him, send assassins after him—you can’t wait for him to die.”

“But when foreign invaders came, who went out to bleed and die? Lu Yan’s body is covered in scars. Do you know how many wounds he’s taken? You people live safe and comfortable in your little nests, and you still have the gall to condemn him!”

“Are you all just bullying Lu Yan because he doesn’t have a Wife?!”

Jiang Sheng unleashed a full barrage, dressing the man down from head to toe. The man’s face flashed green, then white. “He’s clearly fed you some love potion. Mark my words—one day Lu Yan will reap what he’s sown and die a miserable death. You’d best leave him while you can.”

You dare curse my Husband?!

Anger flared in Jiang Sheng’s chest. His arm shot out in a hard shove—behind the man was the pond, and Jiang Sheng shoved him straight in.

SPLASH!

Arms crossed, standing on the bridge, Jiang Sheng looked down at the man thrashing in the water and enunciated, word by word.

“Then let’s see whether it’s you who dies—or my Husband who lives!”

While Jiang Sheng was busy flexing his might, on the other end Lu Yan was going out of his mind searching.

How did my Wife disappear AGAIN?!!

Goddammit!!

Who stole my Wife this time?!!!

The Imperial Guards turned the palace inside out looking—mostly because their Commander was currently kneeling before the North-Guarding Prince with a sword pointed at him.

The Commander was on the verge of tears. “There can’t be assassins! Every corner is manned by Imperial Guards—even the dog holes are watched. No assassin could possibly get in!”

Lu Yan’s face was iron. “Then where has my consort gone?!”

The Commander had no tears left to cry.

Chaos reigned in the great hall. The Little Emperor didn’t dare make a sound. Beside him, the Empress Dowager’s face was ugly, and she couldn’t help saying, “North-Guarding Prince, this is the Imperial Palace—”

Before she could finish, Lu Yan’s cold gaze flicked over. The Empress Dowager faltered, her voice dropping. “…He can’t have been lost. Don’t be hasty.”

Lu Yan’s temples throbbed. The long-absent headache came crashing back, and his irritation swelled until he wanted to kill everyone in sight.

Suddenly, someone shouted, “Found him!”

The Commander’s tears fell instantly, laughing and crying at once. “Found him, found him!”

Lu Yan dropped the sword immediately and strode in that direction.

Jiang Sheng, for his part, was having a wonderful time.

He’d gathered a pile of pebbles, and whenever the man’s head surfaced, he’d pelt him—and the man had to say something praising the North-Guarding Prince first.

The man hated the North-Guarding Prince to his core, but to stay alive, he swallowed his disgust and choked out, “The North-Guarding Prince… dashing and valiant… glub glub.”

“A genius heaven-sent…”

“Peerlessly brave… glub glub.”

Suddenly he heard noisy footsteps nearby. Jiang Sheng looked up and saw his Husband striding over, face black as thunder.

Oh no. Oh no!

Only now did Jiang Sheng remember what he’d forgotten!

He’d been having too much fun and forgot his Husband.

Was he about to get beaten again?

Jiang Sheng hastily threw away his pebbles, bit his lip, and his eyes went red on the spot. Sniffling, he flung himself at Lu Yan. “Husband, you’re finally here! Someone was bullying me!”

Jiang Sheng crashed into Lu Yan’s arms, and only then did he feel it—the arms circling him were trembling faintly. The man crushed him close and rasped, “Where did you RUN off to?!”

Heavens! That voice said a single beating wouldn’t cover it. Maybe beat first, then bed, then beat again, then bed again, over and over, until he was pounded into a thoroughly tempered little kitty dumpling.

Jiang Sheng shut his eyes and pointed accusingly behind him. “It was him! He dragged me over here and tried to push me into the pond!”

Behind him, several eunuchs had just fished the man out, and someone muttered, “Wait—isn’t that Liu Sheng, the new Top Scholar?”

Liu Sheng clutched his chest, coughing violently. At Jiang Sheng’s words, his face flushed crimson. “Jiang Sheng! Have you no shame? You pushed me! I’m the one who was in the water!”

Jiang Sheng put his hands on his hips and turned around. “YOU pushed ME, I dodged, and you fell in yourself!”

Liu Sheng trembled. Truly, a scholar arguing with a soldier—reason stood no chance.

“And my clothes have gold dust in them—it shimmers when it touches water! Look at your own hands!”

At Jiang Sheng’s clear, bright voice, every gaze swung over—and sure enough, mottled glints of light shimmered faintly on Liu Sheng’s hands.

Liu Sheng was about to die of rage.

That was from when he’d grabbed Jiang Sheng’s sleeve!

How had Jiang Sheng become like this?!

Liu Sheng looked at him, heartbroken. “You know I could never push you into the water. We have a betrothal!”

A thunderclap out of a clear sky.

Jiang Sheng could practically feel the cold radiating off Lu Yan behind him.

The surrounding crowd fell into a tacit, collective silence, heads bowing.

The next instant, the North-Guarding Prince kicked the man back into the pond.

SPLASH!

Jiang Sheng quietly looked away.

He sidled over and took Lu Yan’s hand. “Husband, let’s go. Don’t stay around people like this. I don’t know him at all!”

Lu Yan glanced down at him, thin lips pressed flat, and let himself be led away.

In the great hall, song and dance resumed.

But everyone’s expressions were sour—especially the Empress Dowager, who wore a strained smile. After that scene, the North-Guarding Prince had grown truly insolent—wielding blades in the great hall itself, paying the imperial family no respect at all. Let him run wild like this, and wouldn’t the Dragon Throne be next on his list?

Utterly lawless.

At that thought, the Empress Dowager’s face grew uglier still, but she didn’t want to show it before the crowd, so her expression twisted faintly despite herself.

Jiang Sheng glanced over curiously and nearly choked on his meat.

The Kitty has been scarred by ugliness.

And Lu Yan seemed a little angry. He said nothing—his voice toward Jiang Sheng stayed as gentle as ever, serving him food, peeling shrimp for him—but Jiang Sheng could just feel that Lu Yan wasn’t pleased.

Instinct told him it was that damned betrothed of his who’d caused it.

Under the table, he gave Lu Yan’s leg a gentle poke.

The man lifted his eyelids and looked at him. “What is it?”

Jiang Sheng beckoned with a crooked finger. “Husband, come closer. I have to tell you who I just ran into.”

Little rascal. So he ran off on his own after all. And to think he’d wondered how anyone could drag a person away in broad daylight.

Jiang Sheng had no idea he’d sold himself out completely in three sentences.

He just stared up at his Husband with big round eyes.

Lu Yan gave a helpless little smile and leaned in as asked. “Who—”

Before the second word left his mouth, Jiang Sheng darted forward and stamped a kiss on the corner of the man’s lips—mwah—loud and clear.

Not only did Lu Yan freeze; everyone in the hall who had been sneaking glances in their direction stiffened too.

The North-Guarding Prince’s consort… was actually this bold.

Jiang Sheng himself saw nothing wrong with it, blinking at Lu Yan. “I kissed you already. Isn’t that enough?”

Lu Yan gave a low huff of laughter. “You think I’m that easily bought off?”

He reached up and pinched Jiang Sheng’s cheek, saying evenly, “Wait until we get home. We’ll settle accounts.”

Jiang Sheng wilted.

The two of them carried on with their affection without the slightest regard for onlookers—even the Empress Dowager could see it all clearly. Her eyes narrowed, and she said acidly, “It seems this Dowager made a rather fine matchmaker.”

Sending the Jiang Family’s son over had originally been meant to stick a thorn in the North-Guarding Prince’s side. Who’d have thought Lu Yan would cut through the mess with a swift blade, dispose of the Jiang Family so quickly—and dote so thoroughly on this Jiang Sheng instead.

No one could read the North-Guarding Prince’s heart.

If Jiang Sheng were truly favored, the Prince shouldn’t have moved against the Jiang Family. If he weren’t favored, then the Prince’s frantic searching just now hadn’t looked like an act.

At the Empress Dowager’s words, Lu Yan’s lips curved. He rose and cupped his hands. “In that case, I beg the Empress Dowager to issue an edict. I will take Jiang Sheng with full matchmakers and betrothal rites in a grand wedding. From this day forward, Jiang Sheng is the North-Guarding Princess Consort.”

The moment the words landed, the entire hall went dead silent.

The Empress Dowager’s skull buzzed. She wanted to travel back in time and slap herself twice for speaking up.

Her lips moved for a long while, and not a single word came out.

Privately, of course, she opposed this marriage. First, Jiang Sheng no longer had a shred of use—nothing she could leverage. Second… she simply refused to let Lu Yan have his way!

But Lu Yan gave her no room to deliberate. He bowed slightly and said evenly, “Your subject, Lu Yan, requests the edict.”

The Empress Dowager drew a deep breath and raced through her options. No—no, she couldn’t afford to break with the North-Guarding Prince yet.

She forced a smile. “It is a happy occasion. Naturally this Dowager will grant it. Later, the State Preceptor will divine a propitious date and decree the North-Guarding Prince’s marriage.”

Lu Yan smiled. “My thanks to the Empress Dowager.”

He turned and looked at Jiang Sheng. He said nothing at all, but Jiang Sheng understood perfectly, trotting over obediently to take his Husband’s hand and stand beside him.

The ministers on both sides rose one after another, saluting the pair. “Congratulations to the North-Guarding Prince. Congratulations to Young Master Jiang.”

Amid the hall full of congratulations, Jiang Sheng beamed like a lucky cat. “Same joy to you! Same joy to all!”

Lu Yan had watched him too closely today for him to sneak a single drop of wine, but perhaps the endless stream of congratulations had gone to his head—by the time they walked out, he was dizzy and floating, nuzzling against Lu Yan and demanding a piggyback ride.

It was only a few steps to the carriage. How spoiled could he get, Lu Yan thought—and then, with his body entirely honest, hoisted the man onto his back.

Spoiled, then. He’d spoiled him himself, after all.

Jiang Sheng wasn’t content to ride quietly. He kissed Lu Yan’s left ear, then blew air into the right one.

Lu Yan’s large hand cupped his bottom and gave it a squeeze in passing, tone flat. “Behave.”

Jiang Sheng remembered he was still a “criminal awaiting judgment” and went good as gold in one second.

On the ride home, he seized the chance to “signal for rescue,” blinking at Cheng Jing. Cheng Jing blinked right back—Little Master had taught him this yesterday, said it was called a “wink.”

He was so clever, learned it in one go, and eagerly demonstrated.

Jiang Sheng: “…”

He turned and mouthed something at Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu thought hard, scratched his head, and announced at full volume, “Master, I didn’t hear anything.”

Lu Yan’s flat glance slid over, and Jiang Sheng yanked his head back in.

This Kitty is FURIOUS.

Where did Lu Yan even find all these prodigies!

Back at the manor, Jiang Sheng was herded back to his room like a droopy little tail.

Lu Yan! You phony little rice cake!

The door shut, and before Lu Yan could even speak, Jiang Sheng confessed everything, prompt and proper. “I really don’t know that man! All that talk about a betrothal—I swear I know nothing about it!”

“So he says there’s a betrothal and there’s one? Maybe he’s deliberately sowing discord.” Jiang Sheng looked utterly wronged. “It’s none of my tushie’s business.”

Lu Yan didn’t know whether to laugh or scold. “I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about you running off. How many times have I told you—stay right beside me. I can’t take my eyes off you for half a minute. Do I need to tie you up with a rope before you’ll behave?”

Lu Yan was genuinely angry today. It wasn’t about being overprotective—it was that this place was nothing like the modern world, crawling with danger, with an assassination attempt every few days. Last time had frightened Jiang Sheng badly enough to ache Lu Yan’s heart. He never wanted to go through that again.

“There were circumstances!” Jiang Sheng muttered—then his eyes lit up. “You will NEVER guess who I saw.”

“I think I saw my brother!”

Lu Yan froze for an instant. He knew Jiang Sheng wouldn’t joke about this. Jiang Feng…

He frowned. “He transmigrated over too?”

But Jiang Sheng vetoed it instantly, full of conviction. “Impossible!”

When he’d seen that figure, Jiang Sheng had been stunned for a moment, which was why he’d chased after on instinct. Thinking it over afterward—his brother absolutely could not have transmigrated.

Lu Yan’s eyes narrowed, his tone deceptively casual. “So certain?”

Jiang Sheng had no defenses against his Husband. He nodded, then hesitated. “But he really did look so much like him. I couldn’t have mistaken it. Could it be someone from this era who…”

Before he could finish, Lu Yan’s hand caught his cheek, squeezing his mouth into a little pucker.

The man simply looked at him, silent.

“Jiang Sheng. You’re hiding something from me.”