Li Cheng'an, who was blocking the way, was stunned.

This... wasn't this where court officials kept their concubines? How did it become the residence of Princess Huining?

Princess Huining's outer room ??

He looked back at Fang Linyuan on horseback, his mind racing with confusion. He even started considering the possibility of the Fifth Princess raising a concubine's child for the general.

But the general only returned to the capital last year! The child in that woman's arms would have been calling him "father" by then!

Fang Linyuan on horseback was also stunned.

Zhao Chu's... private residence?

Fang Linyuan knew very well that no matter how audacious that woman was, she wouldn't dare use a member of the royal family to deceive the officials and soldiers. If this matter reached the higher authorities and was found to be false, her entire family would suffer.

If she dared to say it, it must be true.

How could this be possible?

Fang Linyuan felt as if his head was about to explode.

If this were really Zhao Chu's concubine, how old was Zhao Chu now? Moreover, he was currently a princess, treading carefully. He wouldn't take such a risky step to raise a child, would he?

It didn’t seem like something Zhao Chu would do.

Li Cheng'an, who was off his horse, was completely flabbergasted, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

What is the general hesitating about? Doesn’t he recognize his own wife’s concubine in his own household?

He urgently pulled on Fang Linyuan’s reins.

Li Cheng'an pulled so hard that the horse, Liuhuo, jerked and snorted in displeasure. Li Cheng'an quickly patted the horse’s head while glaring at Fang Linyuan.

Order us! Should we investigate your wife’s residence or not?

Fang Linyuan raised his hand to his forehead.

But he truly couldn’t assert who this person was, caught in a dilemma, and didn’t dare act rashly.

After a moment of silence, he told Li Cheng'an, “The truth is not yet known. Send someone to the Anping Marquis’ residence first and inform the princess.”

“Yes!” Li Cheng'an immediately turned around and sent two guards from the Sixteenth Guard to the Anping Marquis’ residence.

Meanwhile, Fang Linyuan remained at the door, unable to stop himself from glancing over to the courtyard.

The woman hiding in the room was still eavesdropping by the window. The window wasn’t fully closed, and through the gap, the back of the child’s head was just visible.

How strange.

If this was really Zhao Chu’s child, what should he be called?

*

15 Chunlai Lane, Zhao Chu remembered very clearly.

It was during his time in the Cold Palace, in the midst of a deathly silence, with only the flames before him crackling as they licked at the documents.

His mother’s documents recorded Dou Huairen’s movements. He would always visit 15 Chunlai Lane two to three times a month.

He sold a gold hairpin and exchanged it for an Eastern Depot officer, who led him to Chunlai Lane, where he saw Dou Huairen’s concubine, Shen Yingniang, who was pregnant.

This became Zhao Chu’s trump card for turning the situation around.

At that time, Emperor Hongyou was preoccupied with celebrating the Ninth Prince’s birthday and had just issued an edict for him to observe three years of mourning. This undoubtedly meant he had been abandoned. Within days, even the few eunuchs and palace maids serving him in the palace had left.

On that day, he disguised himself as a palace maid and sneaked out of the Imperial City.

Dou Huairen saw him outside the back alley of his residence and was so startled he seemed to have seen a ghost, pushing him staggeringly: “What are you doing here? Hurry back to the palace!”

“I have seen Shen Yingniang,” Zhao Chu said expressionlessly at the time.

Dou Huairen was so frightened he shivered, his features contorted.

Zhao Chu knew how much Dou Huairen feared his wife.

He had married the Emperor's half-sister, Princess Hejia, while his father was in power and influential.

But he was of mediocre talent. While his father was alive, he could flaunt his position as the Prime Minister’s son, but after his father’s death, he was left obscure, relying solely on his father’s old connections.

Princess Hejia had long been dissatisfied with him.

“What do you want to do? Huining, don’t think that because your mother is gone, you can be reckless and presumptuous!” Dou Huairen said anxiously, lowering his voice.

The vast back alley was silent and deserted, yet he seemed afraid of being overheard.

Zhao Chu’s face showed a mocking smile.

“When you conspired with my mother for the throne, didn’t you know what recklessness and audacity were?” he asked.

Dou Huairen was nearly scared into fainting.

He stared at Zhao Chu for a long time, trembling all over: “What do you want? You don’t have any evidence.”

“I have evidence,” Zhao Chu said.

“You…”

“But that’s not why I’m here today.”

“What do you want?”

He gritted his teeth, his face twisted with fear. Unaware, he looked just like Dou Huairen did years ago when he received a secret letter from the Empress Dou.

Time had come full circle.

“I know that my mother promised to make Yong Qian the new Emperor,” Zhao Chu said.

Yong Qian was Dou Huairen’s eldest son, born of Princess Hejia. Over the years, apart from the secretly kept concubine, he had no other concubines or illegitimate children.

“What do you intend to do?” Dou Huairen asked.

“However, as Yong Qian grows older and with Princess Hejia above, it’s likely that when the day comes for him to ascend the throne, you may not be able to wield significant power,” Zhao Chu said, watching him quietly.

Dou Huairen stared at him, waiting for more.

Zhao Chu’s expression remained calm, but his next words made Dou Huairen's eyes widen in shock.

“So, if it were the child in Shen Yingniang’s womb who ascended the throne, Uncle, would you be willing to make another deal with me?”

To some extent, Dou Huairen was similar to Emperor Hongyou.

Both naively believed that a woman with support from her maternal family could not be easily trusted, but that a weak and obedient commoner woman could be manipulated at will.

Thus, under threats and temptations, Dou Huairen’s dream of becoming a regent was rekindled by Zhao Chu.

He thought he had gained a tremendous advantage, believing that his sister’s daughter inherited her ambitions but was a woman incapable of action. No matter how grand her ambitions, she could only push her maternal relatives to the throne.

As a countermeasure, Zhao Chu also transferred Dou Huairen’s property into his own name.

Dou Huairen, that fool, still naively thought Zhao Chu was helping him deceive Princess Hejia, and so the scheduled meetings, initially three times a month, increased to five.

Zhao Chu showed no interest in Dou Huairen’s romantic entanglements with his concubine, visiting Chunlai Lane only once to retrieve the land deed and then not returning.

This time was the second.

Inside the carriage, Zhao Chu’s expression was grim. He was clutching a handkerchief on his lap, the soft fabric creased from his grip.

Dou Huairen’s foolishness had caused chaos in the court these days. Despite Zhao Chu’s warnings, Dou Huairen chose to wade through the muddied waters, getting himself into trouble.

That was bad enough, but Zhao Chu hadn’t anticipated that the concubine would be so bold as to openly use Zhao Chu’s name.

In reality, this no longer affected Zhao Chu much.

Even if the matter was exposed, it could be attributed to a moment of confusion where he had concealed his relatives’ affair, causing no significant harm. As for Dou Huairen’s imperial dreams, his influence had long been drained by Zhao Chu, with plenty of incriminating evidence in Zhao Chu’s hands—he had nowhere to run.

But…

Why was it Fang Linyuan who was sent to investigate?

Such sordid affairs were nothing to Zhao Chu, but knowing that Fang Linyuan was present on-site, he felt inexplicably agitated.

The sound of the carriage wheels clattering over the brick road filled his ears, and his mind was overwhelmed with possibilities of what Fang Linyuan might infer.

What would Fang Linyuan think about Shen Yingniang’s relationship with him?

Thinking of Fang Linyuan’s sparkling eyes during their conversation, Zhao Chu decisively pulled up the carriage curtain and told the driver, “Hurry up.”

It was the first time he made such a request. The driver, startled, quickly cracked the whip and urged the horses to run faster.

The brick roads of the capital were uneven, causing the carriage to jostle. Zhao Chu gripped the headrest with one hand, and the curtain fluttered in the wind, revealing his breathtaking yet cold eyes.

He knew that pure light was always fragile.

A clean soul is like that, and so is a person’s pure and fervent gaze.

It can be easily tainted, dimmed, and after misunderstandings, it may never shine with the same brilliance again.

Zhao Chu's hand on the headrest tightened unconsciously.

He feared seeing Fang Linyuan’s suspicious gaze; he didn’t want to be scrutinized or receive that “So, you’re this kind of person” look from Fang Linyuan.

Even a demon born of lowly origins must face punishment after committing a fault.

The carriage sped past Rongchang Street.

Days had passed since the turmoil of the Huazhao Night, and Rongchang Street had returned to its bustling state. The lanterns were just beginning to light up, and the street was filled with people. Several members of the Sixteenth Guard rode by, and vendors selling sugar figures eagerly called out for customers to buy some.

The carriage slowed down and turned into Chunlai Lane.

At this time, the area around Chunlai Lane was already under strict surveillance by the Sixteenth Guard. The surrounding residents had closed their gates, leaving only a few tall horses in front of No. 15.

The carriage came to a gradual stop.

As the carriage curtain was lifted, the surrounding guards saluted with their swords when they saw who it was.

Fang Linyuan, still on horseback, was momentarily stunned. He immediately dismounted and hurried to the front of the carriage.

Zhao Chu paid no attention to anyone else, focusing solely on Fang Linyuan.

“The people here…”

He was unusually flustered, and before he could get out of the carriage, he quickly spoke up.

But as Fang Linyuan looked up, he extended a hand to help Zhao Chu out of the carriage.

“Why did you come in person?” Fang Linyuan asked. “What’s the situation? You could have sent Jian Su and the others.”

Zhao Chu paused slightly.

He looked at Fang Linyuan, and as Fang Linyuan looked up, Zhao Chu had an unobstructed view into his eyes.

Those still dark, deer-like eyes contained a concern that shared in both honour and disgrace, yet they remained bright and unblemished.

There was no scrutiny, no examination, no suspicion or questioning.

At that moment, Zhao Chu clearly realized something.

All his anxious and troubled speculations had not come to pass.

Because...

Fang Linyuan didn’t seem to care who the people in the courtyard were to him.

The sun high in the sky remained radiant and bright.

It was neither tainted by the dust blown in the air nor disturbed by the shadows curled up in corners.

He should have been pleased, but he found that he himself was that bit of dirt—insignificant and tainted.

*

The property deeds taken from the courtyard bore only Zhao Chu’s name, not Dou Huairen’s from the records. The woman was from Yangzhou, originally a courtesan, but had been redeemed and removed from her lowly status in recent years, now registered as a respectable citizen.

The house and the person had nothing to do with Dou Huairen, so the case was dismissed.

As for the child in the courtyard, no one cared.

After all, it was not unusual for a princess to take in an orphaned mother and child. Seeing Princess Huining personally handling the matter and with Anping Hou present, no one raised any further objections to the mother and child.

Fang Linyuan also detailed the case and handed it over to Li Cheng'an.

“Take this to the garrison office. I’ll come by to collect it early tomorrow morning,” Fang Linyuan said.

Since the carriage had arrived and it was time to disband, it was better to head back to the residence today rather than make another trip to the garrison office.

Li Cheng'an, understanding the situation, immediately took the case file and, along with the Sixteenth Guard, saw Fang Linyuan and Zhao Chu's carriage out of the lane.

Fang Linyuan stretched out in the carriage, feeling the release of tension.

The entire day of mundane family matters and trivialities had truly drained his energy. He needed to go back home, have a proper meal, take a steaming hot bath, and then sleep soundly.

He didn’t notice that Zhao Chu, sitting beside him, had been staring at him with those fox-like, peach blossom eyes, without shifting his gaze for a long time.

When Fang Linyuan finished stretching and suddenly met Zhao Chu’s gaze, he was taken aback.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quickly.

“Do you know who lives in that courtyard?” Zhao Chu asked him.

Fang Linyuan was momentarily stunned by the question.

Who else could it be? Given Zhao Chu’s deep thoughts, there was an eighty percent chance it was some important informant, and a ten percent chance it was someone’s family being kept under watch. As for the remaining ten percent...

It could be a romantic affair Zhao Chu once had, a moment of tenderness that led him to hide this mother and child in a golden house.

Recalling Zhao Chu’s cold, almost demonic nature, Fang Linyuan nearly laughed.

How could that be? In the depths of the palace, if Zhao Chu had such lecherous thoughts at fourteen or fifteen, he wouldn’t have become the aloof, heartless fox he was now.

Clearing his throat, Fang Linyuan teasingly joked with Zhao Chu, “What, could it really be your mistress?”

Zhao Chu’s brow furrowed deeply, and he just stared at Fang Linyuan in silence.

After a moment, Zhao Chu asked, “What if it is?”

His voice gave no hint of emotion, and Fang Linyuan didn’t notice anything unusual.

“If that’s the case, then you’d better support them yourself and not use the Duke’s public funds,” Fang Linyuan replied with a smile.

However, Zhao Chu’s already complex gaze grew even colder: “You’re not concerned?”

Fang Linyuan was puzzled. “Concerned about what?”

Zhao Chu didn’t answer.

Was he concerned about Zhao Chu having a child outside?

Fang Linyuan chuckled softly.

“What are you worried about?” he said. “I’m not that petty. Besides, you’re a grown man and not actually my wife.”

He prided himself on being very open-minded and easy-going, but Zhao Chu turned his gaze away, looking out the window, and ignored him.

All that was left was Zhao Chu’s slender, white neck and his hair adorned with jewels and ornaments.

“Why did you ask my father to marry me at the time?” After a while, Zhao Chu asked.

Fang Linyuan was taken aback, blinking repeatedly.

... Huh? Why bring this up all of a sudden?

Zhao Chu’s question caught him off guard.

Discussing why two grown men were marrying each other felt quite awkward.

But Zhao Chu didn’t seem to have any intention of changing the subject, as if he was determined to press this issue today.

After a moment, Fang Linyuan awkwardly smiled and relented, “Can’t you let this go? I’m not joking.”

Zhao Chu fell silent again.

“That’s not my mistress,” Fang Linyuan eventually heard Zhao Chu say.

“Mm, mm.” He nodded repeatedly, eagerly awaiting more information.

He assumed Zhao Chu was about to reveal some court secrets and was ready to listen attentively.

However, after Zhao Chu’s comment, there was a prolonged silence, and no further explanation came.

So, were those two really mistresses? Whose mistresses were they?

Fang Linyuan felt anxious, as if a cat was scratching at his heart, but when he looked at Zhao Chu, he saw only his silent back and expressionless face.

... Forget it, he thought. He would ask when Zhao Chu was in a better mood.

*

Zhao Chu had known from a very young age that the emotional bond between spouses could be discerned from many subtle signs.

For example, the favoured Consort Su, who had been deeply cherished by Emperor Hongyou, could not sleep all night when he stayed elsewhere. On the other hand, his mother would only light a perpetual lamp at night and read military strategies all night, forgetting to eat or sleep.

She did not care about Emperor Hongyou, so she naturally didn’t care where he stayed or who he conceived children with.

After Zhao Chu returned to Huaiyu Pavilion, he quietly sat in front of the dressing table. Juansu brought in a pot of tea, and seeing his indifferent expression, she did not dare to disturb him and quietly left after closing the door.

The last bit of twilight outside the window filtered through the peach branches, casting dappled light on the mirror, clearly reflecting his face.

His long, delicate eyebrows and charming lips softened his sharp brow bone and high nose bridge into a bright, beautiful appearance. His long eyelashes covered a pair of cold eyes, which had to be adorned with rouge every day to hide their last bit of sharpness.

The jewels in his hair reflected the warm yellow sunlight, and the hairpins at his temples trembled slightly with the breeze coming in through the window.

Two strands of hair falling at his temples also fluttered gently.

It was truly a feminine appearance, a carefully crafted disguise he had maintained for many years.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror, unsure of what he cared about.

Fang Linyuan did not suspect him, which was a good thing. It was good that he could interact with him as a man.

But for some reason, he seemed to subconsciously hope that Fang Linyuan would be unhappy.

How could he be unhappy? Was it because of possessiveness, as if he were his property, leading to displeasure?

But that was precisely what he despised.

He had always disliked the covetous gazes of men, yet now he found himself wondering why Fang Linyuan didn’t look at him that way. He had always hated being seen as a woman to be casually picked, but now, when Fang Linyuan saw him as a normal man...

He didn’t know why, but he felt a bit wronged.

After all, he wasn’t truly his wife.

Zhao Chu kept mulling over Fang Linyuan’s words, as if he had wandered into a narrow alley. At this moment, he sat down and was still haunted by Fang Linyuan’s earlier smile.

The other was indifferent because he was a man.

Zhao Chu looked at the mirror, raised his hand, and slowly wiped away the bright red from his lips.

The lipstick left smudged traces on his face, revealing his naturally thin and sharp lips.

This was his true appearance, not the princess that Fang Linyuan eagerly wanted to marry.

So what if he was a man? He was now indeed Fang Linyuan’s wife. Why didn’t Fang Linyuan care?

Just because he was a man?

But the human heart shouldn’t change so easily. If someone loved him deeply when they thought he was a woman, they shouldn’t disregard their marriage just because they found out he wasn’t.

Unless, Fang Linyuan only wanted the shell he imagined.

Zhao Chu looked at the mirror, where the person’s lips were smeared with chaotic red, like a demon that had just drunk blood.

After a moment, he picked up the lipstick from the table and, facing the mirror, reapplied it to his lips.

If he only loved this shell, so be it.

But as the deep red colour touched the corner of Zhao Chu’s lips, before he could fully colour his lips, his hand stopped.

The lipstick fell heavily back onto the table, and the ornate little box tumbled, rolling to Zhao Chu’s feet.

He was indeed a man.

Moreover, it seemed Fang Linyuan didn’t love this shell either.

--

The author has something to say:

Fang Linyuan: The heartless old fox, never leaving any future troubles for himself! (Gives himself a perfect score for meticulous analysis in his heart.)

Zhao Chu: He really doesn’t love me QAQ

(PS! Zhao Chu’s self-objectification and delusions are a struggle before he recognizes his true self, so don’t ship this pairing, please~)

 

Translator : DarNan