Chapter 441: Acting

“A throne—want one?”

When she heard that question, the Princess of Great Chu felt her heart tremble.

Count Zheng’s words struck directly into the soul.

When Xiong Liqing had asked what would become of her future child, what she had really been asking was what would become of *her*, the mother.

Did she want power and status?

Did she want genuine authority?

She was a Princess.

Even if she did not marry into the Qu Clan, she would never have the chance to become mother of the realm.

But he could give it to her.

Whatever she wanted he could promise it.

After all a promise was still only a promise.

“The throne of Chu?” Xiong Liqing asked instinctively.

Zheng Fan smiled and shook his head.

“The throne of Yan?”

“What is Chu worth?

“What is Yan worth?

“What are the great states worth?

“What is even the entire East worth?

“One day, I will lead the iron cavalry beneath my command and carve out a vast dominion!”

Count Zheng’s words rang with force.

Each syllable landed like iron.

The truth was simple.

Now that matters had reached this point, this was no longer some game he could stop playing whenever he grew bored.

Nor could he simply treat it as a sightseeing trip and withdraw.

This gamble had to be won.

If he lost, he would not merely lose his investment.

There was a very real chance he would lose his life.

So he had to use strong medicine.

A heavy dose.

He had to force the scales inside this Princess’s heart to fall completely toward him.

He could not allow her room to waver anymore.

Because every time she wavered—

Zheng Fan himself was effectively swaying between the worlds of life and death.

“I regard the Marquis of Jingnan as an elder brother.

“The Marquis of Jingnan regards me as his successor.

“His son is being raised in my household.

“I am the boy’s godfather.

“Who knows?

“Perhaps one day, even the entire Jingnan Army will carry the surname Zheng.

“Right now, my territory consists only of Snow Sea Pass.

“But in the future, I may take over the Jingnan Army and directly control most of the lands of the Three Jin!

“I am no loyal and virtuous general.

“I am loyal only to myself.

“Right now, before certain people, I still have no choice but to bow my head and bend my back.

“But one day—

“I will drag every last one of them down.

“I want to sit in a place where, when I lift my head—there is no one left above me.

“On the day of the wedding—leave with me.

“I cannot promise you stable wealth and glory.

“I cannot give you some lifelong guarantee.

“Either—

“I lose.

“My household is confiscated.

“And you, my ‘principal wife,’ are exiled with me.

“Maybe you even follow me to the execution ground and take a blade across the neck.

“Or—

“I win.

“You put on the phoenix crown.

“You become mother of the realm.

“And the son you bear—will inherit... inherit my throne.”

Xiong Liqing opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.

Count Zheng spoke first.

“Maybe everything I just said sounds like bragging.

“Maybe it sounds like fantasy.

“Like the ravings of a madman.

“But you should remember that only a few years ago, I was nothing more than the owner of a tiny tavern in a small city of Beifeng Commandery.

“And now—

“I am holding the noble Princess of Great Chu in my arms and discussing the future with her.

“Three years from now.

“Five.

“Ten.

“Twenty.

“Who knows?

“Right now, you have the chance to send me charcoal in the snow.

“I will remember that favor.

“Believe me.

“Ten years from now.

“Twenty years.

“Or when you are already old—when you look back upon today, you will be glad you made the right choice.

“Who knows?

“Perhaps one day, when several of your sons are fighting over succession, you’ll even curse at them:

“‘What are you fighting for?

“‘You’re brothers!

“‘If I’d known this would happen, this Empress Dowager would never have followed your imperial father back then.

“‘Then let’s see what the lot of you would still have to fight over now!’”

“Pfft...”

The Princess laughed.

Zheng Fan tightened his arms around her and buried his face in her hair again.

He drew in several deep breaths.

Finally, he whispered:

“Give yourself a chance.

“Give me a chance.

“I spend a lot of time on battlefields.

“I get injured fairly often too.

“You—take proper care of yourself.

“Live a pampered, comfortable life.

“If nothing unexpected happens—you should eventually get at least one chance to rule from behind the curtain.”

“You’re getting more absurd with every word.”

“And after the Lantern Festival, once our wedding has been held—”

“Our wedding?”

“Qu Peiluo is a good man.

“He might as well see the Buddha all the way to the west.

“I imagine he’ll be willing.

“In any case, after the Lantern Festival, you’ll be my woman.

“Stop thinking about that elder brother of yours.

“I’ll get jealous.”

“So domineering?”

“Yes.

“I’m domineering.”

Zheng Fan paused.

Then continued:

“Besides—would becoming my woman truly wrong you?”

The Princess did not answer.

Zheng Fan raised one hand.

**Smack!**

He slapped her.

This time with a little force.

The sound was crisp and loud.

“What are you doing!”

**Smack!**

“Stop messing around!”

**Smack!**

“It hurts!”

“Say something pleasant.”

“Zheng Fan, don’t push your luck!”

“Heh.”

Zheng Fan directly swept the Princess into his arms and carried her toward the gauze-draped bed inside the sleeping hall.

So what if this was an imperial villa?

So what if Qu Peiluo had only just left?

So what if a crowd of Qu Clan experts stood outside, with more than ten thousand soldiers farther beyond them?

Count Zheng held her firmly.

His steps were equally firm.

He reached the bedside.

Xiong Liqing looked at the face of the man carrying her.

Her breathing quickened.

She placed both hands on his shoulders and said very seriously:

“Put me down.”

“Your body has already been inspected, right?” Zheng Fan asked.

Xiong Liqing struck his chest with her hand.

“You bastard!”

“In a moment, I’ll be even more of a bastard.”

“Zheng Fan.

“Give me a little more time, all right?”

“What do you think?”

“Count Pingye.

“Can we wait until after the Lantern Festival?”

“What do *you* think?”

“I’m not ready.”

“You’re never ready for this sort of thing.”

“Wait.

“Wait a little longer.

“Sooner or later, I’ll be yours.”

“Excellent.

“It’s almost evening now.

“I can keep going all the way until morning.”

“You damned man, stop it!”

Zheng Fan’s movements stopped.

The Princess’s brocade robes had already been loosened halfway.

Then, Zheng Fan personally helped dress her again.

He motioned for her to move inward on the bed.

Then he lay down beside her.

Seeing Zheng Fan calm down, the Princess took the initiative to curl into his embrace and rested her head on his arm.

“Angry?”

“No.”

Count Zheng shook his head.

Timing.

Timing.

Count Zheng had never truly intended to do anything here.

Especially not while the Princess resisted.

Reaching this point was enough.

He had shown her one side of his wildness.

Then stopped while there was still room to stop.

Anything taken too far became harmful.

Count Zheng suddenly felt a little sympathy for the protagonists of those erotic films he had watched in his previous life.

Under circumstances like these, they still had to keep their minds perfectly clear while acting.

It really was not easy.

The two lay there and chatted for a while.

Truthfully, they did not discuss anything important.

Perhaps the conversation existed merely so that two people lying together would not feel quite so lonely.

Eventually—

Count Zheng got out of bed and straightened his clothes.

The Princess lay on her side and asked:

“Will you remain here until the Lantern Festival?”

“Maybe.

“Maybe not.

“There are still many arrangements to make.

“I want both of us to return safely and smoothly.

“I don’t want any accidents.”

The Princess nodded.

There was a smile in her eyes.

“I’m leaving now.

“That eunuch will still lead me out, right?”

Zheng Fan turned and walked toward the sleeping hall doors.

If, at that moment, a camera had pulled back in front of Zheng Fan and, through the line of sight past his neck, captured the Princess’s face behind him one would have seen something interesting.

The gentle smiles on both Count Zheng’s face and the Princess’s face disappeared almost simultaneously.

In their place was a chilling calm.

After Zheng Fan walked out of the sleeping hall, the Princess slowly sat up on the bed.

She flicked one hand.

A green python slowly poked its head out from beneath the bed.

Its forked tongue flickered.

Chu possessed the Great Marsh.

And the Great Marsh contained demon beasts.

The Yan imperial clan had raised Pixiu generation after generation.

Chu’s imperial clan, because the Fire Phoenix inheritance had long since been severed, had instead devoted itself to studying and using the demon beasts of the Great Marsh.

This green python possessed intelligence.

It could recognize a master.

Originally, it had accompanied the Princess since childhood.

But when she had gone to Xiayong City’s night market last time, it had been inconvenient to bring along.

After she returned, the green python had spent most of its time beneath her bed.

Winter had arrived.

It was almost always hibernating.

Even the newly assigned palace maids and eunuchs did not know there was an enormous snake beneath their mistress’s bed.

The Princess reached out.

She gently stroked the green python’s body, soothing its somewhat agitated mood.

Slowly the python settled down.

It began withdrawing beneath the large bed again.

The Princess propped her chin on one hand.

Then murmured to herself:

“Indeed.

“I really cannot find a reason to refuse.”

...

“What took you so long?”

Eunuch Zhao asked Zheng Fan with a dark expression.

“Reporting to Eunuch Zhao, Her Highness was dissatisfied with the old design of the Eastern Pearl strand and wants to choose a new one.

“To avoid delaying Her Highness’s wedding, this lowly one discussed the details with her for a while.

“Some finished pearl strands may not be stocked in the main family shop at Xiayong.

“We might need to send people to branch shops in other commanderies to retrieve them.

“So everything had to be settled clearly.

“Also, General of Tiger Might was reciting a poem about snow in the courtyard earlier.

“Her Highness stood by the door listening the entire time and forbade this lowly one from speaking.

“So that delayed matters as well.”

“All right, all right.

“This eunuch understands.

“Oh, right.

“This eunuch has a younger sister.

“She has suffered quite a few hardships following me since childhood.

“Naturally, she has never owned much jewelry.

“How about this—come with me.

“This eunuch wants to order a few silver and white ornaments for my little sister.”

“Yes, Eunuch Zhao.”

The two spoke as they walked out of the inner courtyard.

The Qu Clan retainers around them saw the pair.

But since they had already passed inspection before, nobody stopped them again.

Zhao Cheng led Zheng Fan into the room where he lived after his duties ended.

His younger sister was there too.

But the moment Zhao Cheng entered, he sent her into the inner room.

Then, Zhao Cheng dropped to his knees before Zheng Fan.

“This servant pays respects to Master.

“May Master enjoy health and fortune.”

Count Zheng understood.

The boy was declaring loyalty to him.

It was difficult for Zhao Cheng too.

He now had no choice but to keep jumping back and forth between Zheng Fan and Xiong Liqing.

Zheng Fan sat down in a chair and looked at Zhao Cheng kneeling before him.

Only a short while ago a teenage boy.

Now a teenage eunuch.

“Do you hate me?”

Zheng Fan asked.

“This servant would not dare.

“This servant should thank Master for the grace of raising me up.”

“Heh.”

Zheng Fan did not believe that for an instant.

“You know what you’re supposed to do, right?”

“I ask Master to instruct me clearly.”

“No.

“I won’t instruct you.

“Use your own judgment.

“But once the matter succeeds—

“I’ll reward you heavily.”

“Serving Master is this servant’s duty.

“This servant would never dare speak of reward!”

“A reward is still necessary.”

Zheng Fan pointed toward Zhao Cheng.

“For example—one day, I can help return what you lost.”

“...”

Zhao Cheng.

————

[End of Chapter 441]