Chapter 439: The Dove Occupies the Magpie’s Nest

“Shh!”

Perhaps seeing this nightmare of a man suddenly appear before him had simply dealt Zhao Cheng too great a shock.

Perhaps that one syllable itself had set something off inside him.

Or perhaps Zhao Cheng had merely become far too sensitive.

In any case—

Zhao Cheng—

Little Cheng—

Eunuch Zhao suddenly felt his crotch grow wet.

He had pissed himself from fright.

That day the weather had been clear.

He had been drinking lamb soup with his little sister, savoring one of winter’s small pleasures.

Then, he met the man before him.

From that moment onward his life had been completely overturned.

These days, Zhao Cheng had tossed and turned night after night.

The man’s face repeatedly appeared inside his mind.

Each repetition deepened the psychological shadow the man had left behind.

And now, when that shadow stepped into reality—

Zhao Cheng discovered he simply could not withstand it.

The Princess after everything Zhao Cheng had learned over these days was terrifying.

She was noble.

Her will could decide the life and death of many people.

The fate of entire clans.

Yet even someone like her had still willingly delivered herself before this man.

Still pissing was pissing.

Fortunately, there had not been much.

His body had simply switched to the principle of small amounts, many times.

More importantly—

Zhao Cheng truly did not scream.

Did not shout.

His expression passed through countless changes in an extremely short time.

And somehow in the end he even managed to switch into a flattering smile.

This was clearly the imperial villa.

There were clearly more than ten thousand soldiers outside.

There were clearly numerous Qu Clan experts around the inner courtyard.

Yet Zhao Cheng did not dare call out.

Did not dare shout.

Because if he shouted the man before him might kill him.

The Princess might kill him.

The Qu Clan might kill him.

The Regent might kill him.

Because Zhao Cheng himself was insignificant.

And when you realized that the ending awaiting you for “faithfully performing your duty” was getting smothered to death together with everyone else it became rather difficult to summon much enthusiasm for the idea of duty.

He had come.

He had come.

What had he come here to do?

Zhao Cheng’s nearly crashed mind finally began working again.

Then, he thought of one possibility.

A possibility any idiot capable of basic arithmetic could reach.

He had come to see the Princess.

He was not Qu Peiluo.

Zhao Cheng had met Qu Peiluo.

This man was not the future Prince-Consort.

He was not the Princess’s husband.

Yet before the Princess’s wedding he had come to see her.

He really dared come.

He really had come!

Back when Zhao Cheng wandered among common folk, he had seen plenty of men climbing over walls to visit married women.

Widows secretly keeping lovers were especially common.

Married women inviting men inside was not rare either.

Unmarried girls being tricked into giving themselves to a man happened less often but it certainly happened.

But the Princess was about to be married.

And you still came!

As though possessed by some strange impulse—

Zhao Cheng called out:

“Come, a few of you!

“Carry these two jadeite cabbages inside for this eunuch!

“Move smartly.

“Take them straight to the inner courtyard!”

Zhao Cheng climbed down from the carriage.

A moment later he saw four men climb aboard.

Two men carried each jadeite cabbage.

Then all four came back down.

And that man was among them.

“Move.

“Follow me.”

Zhao Cheng flicked his horsetail whisk and issued the order.

And so Eunuch Zhao walked at the front.

Behind him four men carefully carried the jadeite cabbages.

When they reached the entrance to the outer courtyard, several Qu Clan retainers stepped forward to inspect them.

The people permitted to enter and leave the inner courtyard were all familiar faces.

The Princess had already suffered one incident.

So this time security details were being handled with truly exhaustive care.

“Eunuch Zhao.

“Have people from inside come take them from here.”

A sword-bearing Qu Clan retainer offered the suggestion.

Eunuch Zhao smiled faintly.

“Fine.”

Then Eunuch Zhao stood there and called four eunuchs from inside to come carry the cabbages.

Afterward, Eunuch Zhao pointed toward that man.

“Him.

“I need to bring him inside.

“He’s the second shopkeeper of the Fan Residence Eastern Pearl Shop.

“The Princess ordered the Eastern Pearl necklace for the wedding modified again, so this eunuch had him brought over to discuss the changes.

“Her Highness knows this man personally.

“I ask you gentlemen not to delay the Princess’s affairs.”

The Qu Clan retainers exchanged glances.

If the Princess knew him personally they had no convenient reason to inspect him too harshly.

After all the Princess’s status was noble.

And once she married, she would become their principal mistress.

None of them wanted to anger her.

Even so, the sword-bearing retainer still followed Zhao Cheng and the others into the inner courtyard.

Personal feelings were personal feelings.

Rules were rules.

The sword-bearing retainer stood to one side.

Waiting.

Zhao Cheng understood.

He stepped forward and called through the doors of the sleeping hall:

“Your Highness.

“This servant has brought over the two jadeite cabbages presented by the Fan Residence.

“And according to Your Highness’s instructions, I also brought the second shopkeeper of the Fan Residence Eastern Pearl Shop to discuss modifying the pearl strand.”

For a time there was no answer from inside the sleeping hall.

At that same moment the sword-bearing Qu Clan retainer silently placed one hand on his sword hilt.

The other retainers outside slowly gathered near the doorway as well.

Their auras linked together.

At times, people like them did not even need to speak to understand what the others meant.

Count Zheng who had only just switched careers into jewelry design stood there calmly.

At the end of the day he had already survived too many great storms.

Being nervous beforehand that was caution.

Once something actually happened he could still maintain absolute composure.

Finally the Princess’s voice came from inside the sleeping hall.

“Let him in.

“The pearl strand from last time was ugly.”

The sword-bearing retainer loosened the hand on his hilt.

He slowly withdrew from the inner courtyard.

The other Qu Clan retainers outside also relaxed their vigilance.

Zhao Cheng’s body swayed faintly.

Truthfully he had been the most nervous person just now.

Because no matter how any potential clash ended there was almost no version of events in which Zhao Cheng survived.

The two jadeite cabbages were carried inside.

Zhao Cheng immediately ordered:

“You.

“You.

“Go replace the charcoal brazier.

“This charcoal is burning wrong and might smoke the Princess.

“You.

“And you.

“Go change the incense.

“Her Highness doesn’t like this fragrance.”

“Yes, Eunuch Zhao.”

“Yes, Eunuch Zhao.”

Nobody needed to teach him.

Eunuch Zhao instantly transformed into the brothel madam arranging a meeting between Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian voluntarily clearing away every obstacle and creating the proper conditions.

One really had to pity Eunuch Zhao.

He had only just taken up this career and already he had to handle something this serious.

Everyone inside the sleeping hall was sent away by Eunuch Zhao.

Now only Zheng Fan, the Princess, and Eunuch Zhao remained inside.

Eunuch Zhao instinctively wanted to leave too.

But after hesitating he stayed.

No matter what he had to remain here.

Otherwise, leaving the Princess alone in a room with a strange man would be improper.

Besides what he should and should not have seen he had basically already seen anyway.

The Princess stood there.

Looking at the man.

Then, a scene appeared that made Eunuch Zhao’s heart twitch violently once again.

The man did not salute the Princess.

Instead he leisurely pulled out a stool.

Sat down.

Crossed one leg over the other.

And said:

“Thirsty.

“Pour tea.”

Those words were clearly directed at the Princess.

Zhao Cheng hesitated.

He did not dare step forward and pour the tea himself.

He certainly did not dare compete with the Princess over her man.

The Princess looked at the man with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Then slowly walked over.

She said:

“This Princess truly never imagined you would actually dare come here.

“Aren’t you afraid—”

The man suddenly reached out.

Grabbed the Princess by the wrist.

Dragged her entire body toward him.

And pulled her directly onto his lap.

Her body leaned against his chest.

Eunuch Zhao’s breathing caught instantly.

Then the man buried his face in the Princess’s hair.

Drew in one deep breath.

And said:

“‘This Princess,’ is it?

“Heh.

“Getting cheeky again.”

...

Truthfully—

Count Zheng was being wronged.

With Count Zheng’s personality, he genuinely would never have deliberately entered the imperial villa ahead of time for some secret tryst.

Come on.

This was not two middle-school students dating.

A boy showing up beneath a girl’s home with a guitar, playing love songs while carefully trying not to alert her parents.

Exciting?

Yes.

Sweet?

Yes.

Beautiful?

Certainly.

But if the girl’s parents would genuinely come running out with sabers and kill you then probably nobody would dare stage that scene, no matter how beautiful the girl was.

By the same logic—

Count Zheng truly had not planned to come here.

Nor had he intended to deliberately “enter the tiger’s den” just to apply some extra influence and play the role of a peerless hero charging alone into a dragon pool.

First—

Count Zheng did not actually possess much affection for this Princess of Great Chu.

Or rather when it came to romantic feelings—

Count Zheng had always been somewhat cold.

Second why create endless trouble and risk burying himself inside it?

What would be the point?

Unfortunately plans could never keep pace with changes.

Originally, Zheng Fan and his group had been traveling in Fan Clan carriages toward Zhou County.

They planned to stay there until the Lantern Festival.

Then they would try making their move.

At the same time, Xue San or other Fan Clan people would attempt to pass a message to the Princess.

After judging her response they would finally decide exactly what method of abducting the bride to use on the wedding day.

Who could have expected such absurd coincidence?

While Zheng Fan’s Fan Clan convoy was traveling, they encountered five thousand Azure Luan troops hurrying north.

That force was recruiting auxiliary soldiers and civilian laborers along the road.

Its commander simply conscripted more than half of the Fan Clan convoy on the spot.

Inside Chu this sort of thing was perfectly normal.

The Qu Clan was master of the Fan Clan.

Taking Fan Clan people for its own use was both ordinary and considered entirely proper.

And so before those five thousand Azure Luan troops only seventy or eighty people from the original Fan convoy were separated out and allowed to continue transporting valuable wedding objects toward the imperial villa under escort from one thousand Azure Luan soldiers.

Everyone else from the Fan Clan was ordered forward to help transport military grain.

While traveling, Count Zheng had been lazy.

He had crawled inside the carriage carrying the jadeite cabbages and taken a nap.

When the disturbance began, he leaned out to inspect what was happening.

As luck would have it the Azure Luan commander assigned him to the group continuing onward toward the imperial villa with the goods.

And that was how Zheng Fan became separated from A’Ming, He Chunlai, and Chen Daole.

A’Ming was probably hauling military grain up ahead with Brainless and Unhappy right now.

Barring an accident they should be able to slip away within the next two days.

As for Count Zheng just like that he entered the imperial villa.

Fortunately, the Fan Residence steward leading this convoy knew Zheng Fan.

He did not know Zheng Fan’s true identity.

But before Fan Zhengwen’s trusted people—

Zheng Fan possessed special privileges.

They had only just finished discussing a plan.

When another group of Fan Clan people came tomorrow to exchange personnel—

Zheng Fan could be quietly arranged among those leaving and continue to Zhou County.

After all more than half the preparation work for the entire wedding required Fan Clan staff constantly traveling back and forth.

There was tremendous room to manipulate the flow of people.

Count Zheng felt there was nothing especially dangerous about it.

At most he needed to wait one day.

At the same time—

Count Zheng had absolutely no plan to go look at the girl he intended to abduct on the Lantern Festival.

The reason was simple:

**He was scared.**

Do not be fooled by how the Princess, before leaving them, had behaved toward Siniang like a younger sister serving her elder sister and toward Zheng Fan almost like a concubine serving her man.

That had been because circumstances forced her to act that way.

She still needed Count Zheng to release her.

Now she was a Princess again.

Her status had changed.

Do not casually guess at a woman’s thoughts.

Especially when that particular woman could have your head removed right now.

So Count Zheng had planned to come quietly then leave quietly without disturbing a single cloud in Chu.

Who could have known he would run directly into Zhao Cheng!

Many times a great figure possessed no awareness whatsoever of one thing: a single sentence from him even one glance could completely alter an ordinary person’s entire world-line.

Take Zhao Cheng.

He had merely looked at Zheng Fan one extra time while drinking lamb soup.

And now, somehow he had become Eunuch Zhao.

What kind of inner journey had Eunuch Zhao experienced?

Had he blackened?

Did he feel hatred?

Joy?

Regret?

Did he now possess some burning hunger for power?

Count Zheng had no time to analyze any of that.

He knew only one thing.

This bastard in front of him recognized him!

That made matters awkward.

If Zhao Cheng recognized him then the fact Zheng Fan was inside the imperial villa would inevitably reach the Princess.

Because this eunuch possessed absolutely no reason to conceal it from her.

The Princess would certainly learn that Zheng Fan had come.

And if she learned he had come yet he did not bother seeing her then there was a very high chance she would become angry.

Forget what the Princess’s real thoughts were.

Forget whether she had changed her mind.

Forget whether she still intended to follow the script they had agreed upon.

Yes she had not ordered the Fan Clan exterminated.

But who knew what she truly wanted now?

Yet one thing almost certainly remained true.

There had to be at least one thought inside her:

**What, am I not tempting enough?**

Forget what I actually think of you.

Forget whether I truly intend to give you a chance.

Forget whether I genuinely plan to leave with you.

You actually dare think I am not worth seeing?

Mm.

That applied to both men and women.

Everyone possessed a degree of possessiveness.

And everyone carried some built-in tendency to think well of themselves.

Count Zheng had always liked unconventional approaches while campaigning.

Yes—

Liang Cheng devised the tactics.

But the broad plans and routes were still personally approved by Zheng Fan.

Count Zheng’s brain had always worked extremely well in emergencies.

He had to see her.

Absolutely had to.

He could not kill Eunuch Zhao right now.

Not before everyone’s eyes.

So the Princess would inevitably learn that Zheng Fan was inside the imperial villa.

A change in environment had reversed their respective positions.

Hide and refuse to see her lose favorability.

Take the initiative to see her put on the performance of:

*I came here specifically for you.*

*I missed you.*

*I risked my life just to see you.*

Put on a full domineering-CEO act and her favorability would certainly rise.

After all even a simp could build favorability if he simped skillfully enough.

Of course, Count Zheng was not doing this because he actually wanted to become a simp.

He was doing it for his life.

If he refused to see the Princess, then once Zhao Cheng discovered him, Zheng Fan could merely wave his hand.

Zhao Cheng probably would not say anything there.

He would climb down from the carriage.

Retreat.

But afterward he would absolutely tell the Princess.

So Count Zheng came.

...

The Princess’s expression continued undergoing tiny changes.

Zheng Fan could even sense that the woman sitting on his lap... seemed to be weighing something.

Hesitating.

Count Zheng had never imagined himself some reincarnated Pan An who could make women lose the ability to walk merely by showing his face.

In truth, ever since awakening in this world, other than Siniang treating him specially, none of the women who tried approaching him—Madam Ke and the others included—had done so because of his face or personality.

They had simply valued his wealth, title, and position.

Eunuch Zhao stood nearby.

Eyes closed.

Desperately wishing he could turn himself into a ball of empty air.

*I do not exist.*

*I do not exist.*

*I do not exist.*

Everything happening before him was simply too scorching for the eyes.

At that moment, a voice came from outside.

Because Eunuch Zhao was inside, another young eunuch had come to announce the visitor:

“Your Highness.

“General of Tiger Might has come requesting an audience.”

Privately, the eunuchs and palace maids serving the Princess inside and outside the courtyards had already begun affectionately calling Qu Peiluo “Prince-Consort” ahead of time.

But on formal occasions especially before the Princess they did not dare behave improperly.

Qu Peiluo had not yet inherited his father’s office of Pillar of State.

At present, the Regent had bestowed upon him the title **General of Tiger Might**.

Nominally he commanded the Qu Clan’s Azure Luan Army.

The instant Zheng Fan heard that Qu Peiluo had come requesting an audience he could clearly feel a reaction from the woman sitting on his lap.

And Eunuch Zhao was already beginning to panic.

What kind of damned situation was this?

The Princess was meeting a wild man in private and now the future Prince-Consort had come knocking at the door!

Count Zheng, however remained perfectly calm.

Before the Princess could even speak he turned toward Eunuch Zhao.

Pointed at the door.

And said:

“Tell him to get lost.”

[End of Chapter 439]