Chapter 65 Bathing

He truly was a master of light fingers, Suspending Pride thought to himself as he toyed with the two silk handkerchiefs in his hand. With these handkerchiefs, he now had an excuse to visit his beloved. Hmm, but he ought not be so frivolous—she was his dear Chuchu, his little sister in all but name. With these handkerchiefs, he could go and see his Chuchu again.

He walked along the winding path, making sure to avoid Xue Huaijin and the others, his mind wandering back to the memories of childhood. Indeed, fate brought people together across any distance; a single thread drawing together two destined souls, their bond forged by heaven for three lifetimes, a match of gold and jade, a union decreed by the stars.

In short, they were fated—but fate alone was not enough. One needed fortune as well, and that was up to him. Suspending Pride absently stroked his chin—ah, stubble. He would have to tidy himself up before going to see her, lest she drive him away at first sight.

Yet as he walked, his thoughts returned again and again to that old kidnapping case; the more he pondered, the stranger it seemed. They said he was the target, but why drag Liu Chuyan into it as well? If it weren’t for him, she might have perished in those mountains long ago, though in the end, it was she who had saved him.

Sadly, all those who knew the truth were gone. Even Liu Chuyan’s parents had been tight-lipped about the affair, settling the case hastily. When he went to Hangzhou to inquire about the kidnapping a decade ago, no one knew a thing.

He had always known her childhood nickname, but not her real name, and with nowhere to inquire, he searched in vain and missed out on all those years. And when they finally met again, it was under such circumstances. Now as he thought of it, regret gnawed at him. Had he treated her with more gentleness, with more kindness, how different things might have been. But regret was useless; all he could do now was strive to make amends, hoping that he still had a place in her heart, hoping she still remembered the promises of youth.

She had always kept his jade pendant; of that, he was certain. But how should he broach the subject? The last time at the Marquis of Wukang’s, he had just managed to find a chance to speak with her when Xue Tan interrupted.

Xue Tan appeared carefree and upright, but in truth, his intentions were far from pure—he delighted in tripping him up. At least Yi Si was better, giving him some face before outsiders. But ever since meeting Liu Chuyan, Xue Tan had grown ever more willful, repeatedly causing him to make a fool of himself. Even when Liu Chuyan first visited the Xue residence, Xue Tan had sided with her, not him. Of course, he wasn’t calling Liu Chuyan an outsider—he merely meant that in Xue Tan’s heart, her status had already surpassed his own.

And then there was that incident in the palace, which he did not even wish to mention. In the future, he would have to guard against Xue Tan stealing his beloved away and do so with utmost vigilance.

And that wretched Zhao Panyu—at first sight of Liu Chuyan, he had been utterly bewitched, his lecherous eyes all but glued to her. Later, his family had gone and tried to bribe the Grand Eunuch, causing him to lose precious time in reuniting and deepening his bond with Liu Chuyan. Nothing would appease the fury in his heart short of Zhao Panyu being drawn and quartered.

But the Zhao family’s case was already settled. Not only did the Grand Eunuch refuse to help, he even fanned the flames, allowing him to uncover further evidence. It turned out Zhao Panyu was not only corrupt, but the Zhao family had also offended the Emperor, slandering his name and showing signs of treason. That was a crime punishable by the extermination of the entire clan. The Grand Eunuch would never allow such a threat to exist and would handle it himself. All Suspending Pride needed to do was conduct the investigation with integrity and report the matter of the screen to the Emperor.

In this light, Zhao Panyu was truly unlucky. All for the sake of a screen, he lost everything—his life, his family, and even implicated Sun Fucheng, the lackey of the Censorate.

As for the Emperor—he was little more than a child, immature in mind. Such a person was not inherently bad, indeed, his nature was purer and simpler than most. But alas, he was not a carpenter, but an Emperor; such a disposition was entirely unsuited to the throne.

All under heaven hoped the power of the eunuchs might be toppled, that the Emperor would be replaced, and a suitable heir take the throne. But things were never so simple. The eunuch faction was vast, their network in the court deeply entrenched—removing them quickly was all but impossible. Moreover, His Majesty relied so heavily on Wei Wuliang, who held great power; countless loyal ministers had perished by his hand, for better or for worse, and anyone suspected, however slightly, would be ruthlessly eliminated—truly a reign of terror.

Luckily, after a few bloody lessons, everyone learned to bide their time, hide their strengths, and wait for the day when a force strong enough to challenge the regime could arise in a single, decisive blow. But for now, most still watched from the sidelines—should it be Prince Xin or Prince Hui who was more fit for the throne?

As for himself, once he uncovered the truth behind his kidnapping, he could no longer see Prince Xin in the same light. The prince’s reliance and respect for him were only surface-deep. Born of the royal family, he should not have been so naïvely unguarded, yet even so, he did not trust even him, instead choosing such a method to test him. The disappointment cut deep. He had poured his heart and soul into teaching him, only to be repaid thus.

Had he been a petty man, Prince Xin would long ago have lost his seat at the princely residence.

Since Prince Xin dared take such action, there was no point in confronting him. He had watched him grow up, and his affection for him was as deep as for his own kin. How was he to handle such a situation?

These matters, after all, had little to do with Liu Chuyan and were not urgent. For now, he might as well focus on marrying his dear Chuchu and leave the rest for later consideration.

At last, Suspending Pride drew his wandering thoughts back to the present, nimbly scaled the wall, and headed straight for the Pavilion of Remembrance. He had intended to knock at the door, for entering openly was far preferable to dropping from the rafters. Yet after some thought, he decided it was better to observe first, to plan his words and prepare fully before making his presence known—after all, to know both oneself and the other was to be victorious in every battle. He lifted his robe, vaulted onto the rooftop, and with a swift movement, slipped through a small window in the attic. Halfway down the stairs, he found a sturdy beam and crouched on it, light as a feather.

He was truly grateful to his father for teaching him martial arts—it allowed him to spy on a beauty without being discovered.

This Han residence had originally been prepared by Madam Xue for him to live in after marriage and had long ago been transferred to his name, for him to arrange as he pleased. He had established the Pavilion of Remembrance early on and would often come to imagine what it would be like with her living here. He had pictured countless scenarios, but never one such as this.

A delicate face was lowered, the skin flushed with healthy color; in private, she exuded an intoxicating allure. Now and then, those gem-like eyes would lift and gaze forward, soft as mist and water, reflecting the orange-red candlelight. The twin flames flickered and danced, making his heart beat wildly.

A beauty amid water, bathed in fragrant steam, flower petals rising and falling with her movements, a few resting upon her snowy shoulders—temptation itself. Unfortunately, her body was hidden beneath the water, the gentle swell of her chest only faintly visible beneath the ripples.

She sat there so casually, yet her feminine grace and charm manifested effortlessly—so fragile and winsome, she stirred all his tenderest feelings.

“Miss, it’s been long enough. You should get out now. Any longer and your skin will wrinkle,” Song Ling said, bringing in fresh clothes as she rounded the screen, her tone gently admonishing.

The warm water was slippery as silk, perfumed with scented oil—a true delight. Liu Chuyan truly did not wish to leave. But as Song Ling said, it was time to get out, or she would lose more than she gained.

Succeeding Pride watched as Song Ling lifted her glossy hair and pinned it with a single jade hairpin. Liu Chuyan leaned on her arm, and his heart nearly stopped—she was about to rise. He was no gentleman, but to see her unclothed before marriage—was he not crossing a line? If she ever found out, she would surely tear him limb from limb.

No, he couldn’t look. Ah, but he couldn’t help himself.

Such torment—what should he do? To look was no act of a gentleman; to look away, not the act of a man!

But Heaven played him false. Just as he was locked in fierce internal struggle and had made his choice, Liu Chuyan gave a startled gasp and had barely risen halfway before she toppled back down.

“Miss, what’s the matter?”

“I sat too long, my legs are numb. And then I stubbed my toe on the edge of the tub—I’ve got a cramp,” Liu Chuyan whimpered, brows tightly knit, lip trembling, tears shimmering in her eyes—she was clearly in great pain.

This girl was as careless as ever, unable to look after herself. Yet Succeeding Pride, stuck on the beam, could do nothing but fume in frustration.

“Don’t worry, Miss, I’ll help you out slowly.”

“No, it hurts too much.” Liu Chuyan reached into the water and clutched her toes, trying to ease the pain, but only made it worse.

“Staying in the water is no solution. I’m afraid I can’t manage alone; I’ll go call Qing He to help,” Song Ling said, closing the door behind her as she left to fetch the already sleeping maid.

Left alone, Liu Chuyan began to cry in earnest—the pain was excruciating. People said fingers were connected to the heart, but who knew toes could hurt like this? She had never heard or seen such a thing. To make matters worse, with no one to add hot water, the bath was growing cold.

So cold.

“Achoo!” Luckily no one saw her sneeze, or she would have wished to bury herself in the water from embarrassment.

Succeeding Pride clenched his fists—why was Song Ling so slow? If Liu Chuyan caught a chill, it would be disastrous.

“Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!” Three sneezes in a row, like a string of firecrackers.

Heaven must be tormenting him on purpose, or perhaps it was fate?

“Achoo! Achoo!”

Succeeding Pride could stand it no longer. With a leap, he dropped down and scooped her into his arms.

Liu Chuyan was so shocked she could not even cry out. Him? Succeeding Pride? How could he possibly be here?

Ah! He had seen her—seen her entire body! She had lost all her innocence; even if no one else knew, she could not deceive herself.

She either had to marry him, or die to atone for her shame.

But Succeeding Pride—what kind of man was he? It would be better to die.

Hardly had Succeeding Pride found a towel to wrap her in, than he turned to see her flinging herself toward the bedpost, intent on ending it all.

Author’s note: My uncle has passed away, I am back in my hometown today. I wrote these words in haste, so there may be many flaws. I’ll leave it for now and revise tomorrow. As for comments, I’ll reply to them all tomorrow as well.

Thank you, kiki, for the landmine—mwah~

Kikiathena threw a landmine at 2014-02-23 23:59:18