Love in Red Dust - Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Although the result was not entirely ideal, it was not as bad as it could have been. That the Noble Consort Dowager was willing to loosen her stance truly took Dingyi by surprise. "Was it because the Empress mentioned the Retired Emperor? Your mother must have been in a good mood, which is why she granted me such leniency."

Hongce toyed with his prayer beads, his expression distant. "She has lived a life of bitterness; I know this. It is just that, sometimes, she digs herself into a corner, making her own life miserable."

Who among those who feel deeply does not suffer such things? Dingyi said, "You cannot blame her. If I were in her shoes, I would also feel there was no joy left in living. A woman is different from a man; no matter how capable a woman is, in the end, she must rely on a man. Giving her food and shelter is not what matters most—what matters is that you care for her and keep her in your heart." She moved closer, hugging his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. She looked up at him and said, "Take us, for instance. We are getting along perfectly well, but if one day you suddenly liked someone else and cast me aside... the mere thought makes my heart turn cold."

They were on their way back as the lamps were being lit. With the end of the year approaching, the businesses remained open quite late. The street was lined with vendors, each carrying a lantern high upon their shoulder pole. Those lights, one after another, shone through the glass window of the carriage, illuminating his face. There was a warm, soft glow in his eyes, and as he smiled, his expression grew even more tender. He whispered, "There are millions upon millions of people in this world. Do you think it is so simple to find a suitable one among them? I am a Prince, a noble of high status. If I wanted a woman, I wouldn't even need to ask. When I was in Khalkha, the left and right wings sent me beauties—young girls of fifteen or sixteen, as lovely as flowers—but I didn't keep a single one. I just thought of returning to the Central Plains one day to find someone I could truly talk to, someone with whom I could live out my days in peace. Perhaps it is because I learned from a young age how difficult love can be; my mother gave me such a tragic demonstration that I became particularly uncompromising about these matters."

"Then I must thank your mother, otherwise I wouldn't be in the running, and you would have belonged to someone else long ago." She thought for a moment, then hesitated. "You said those girls were like flowers; compared to them, I suppose I fall short?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Indeed! The first time I saw you—so small, acting like a little lady's boy, standing under the scorching sun with your head tilted and eyes squinted—you looked like a complete dullard."

She let out a short laugh. "And after that?"

"After that..." He stroked his chin. "Stubborn, bad luck, prone to nagging..." Finally, he poked her chest. "And this part was too small."

Dingyi’s face turned bright red in an instant. This man was truly shameless; she had taken him for a gentleman, but who knew that as he spoke, he would reveal his true nature? She wouldn't have it and pinched the back of his hand. "It wasn't my choice! My situation back then was just terrible! I wanted to be... bigger, too, but I always had to wrap myself in cloth—how could I grow?"

"And now? It’s been a while since you stopped binding yourself; let me see later." He laughed in a way that was both rogue-like and strangely melancholic. Another year had passed, and this year, too, had been wasted in such a struggle.

She acted coyly. "Are your hands cold? Let me warm them for you." She opened her heavy cloak and pressed his hands against her chest.

Her straightforward, spirited temperament was truly impeccable. It was Hongce who felt a bit embarrassed now, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks, though he did not pull his hands away. He tried to divert the subject. "I will check the almanac later to see when the Start of Spring falls. I should do some more maneuvering before the edict is issued; there should still be time."

"There is no need to push yourself so hard," she said. "To me, a title is just like a travel pass; it merely makes my stay at the inn legitimate. If I don't have it, I will still find a place to land. I just won't be in your Prince of Chun’s residence, but in the Jiucuiju alley; it will be the same."

Hongce expressed his dissatisfaction with her attitude of indifference toward everything. "Do you not want us to be a pair, so that when people see us, they point and say, 'Look, there is a couple'?"

She thought about it and slowly smiled. "That would be wonderful. I would love for people to say that. But if I don't have that fortune, I won't mind, as long as you keep me alone in your heart."

He gave her chest a resentful squeeze. "Once you are a Side Princess Consort, you are branded. Even if you are elevated to the primary position later, you will always be a secondary wife raised in rank, and your status will always be a cut below others."

She cried out in protest, hunching her shoulders and shrinking back. "I don't even care, so why are you the one getting so worked up?"

"This woman is truly..." Typical of the eunuch to be anxious while the Emperor remains calm. He had no way to deal with her, so he gently rubbed her twice more. "Growing larger."

"Really?" She was very happy. "I think so too. I made a new undergarment a while ago, and when I took it out to wear yesterday, it was already too small..."

He hurriedly reached out to cover her mouth. There were two carriage drivers outside. Speaking in riddles was one thing, but revealing such explicit details would be a laughingstock.

Dingyi came to her senses; it was indeed improper for outsiders to hear such private talk. She quickly tucked her chin, hiding her face in her grey squirrel-fur collar.

The horse's hooves clattered, and she swayed with the movement of the carriage. She had a knack for riding; she kept her head balanced while her waist moved with the carriage's rhythm, which looked quite elegant and graceful. He watched her, propping his chin on his hand, his eyes fixed on her, but his mind on other things. "Tomorrow, I have to enter the palace to see the Emperor. I have finally caught the Duke of Zhengguo, Jilantai. He once colluded with horse bandits to assassinate the Censor of Salt Inspection in Zhejiang. Someone covered for him back then, allowing him to escape unscathed. A while ago, after much trouble, I found that Censor’s wife. She possesses the private account books her husband left behind, and the details on them are clear. Once the Emperor sees them, he will understand the truth of the matter. As long as we single one person out, the rest will be easy to handle. Hongzan is too slippery; I have checked into him several times, and he has always managed to clear his name. I am not in a hurry; I have a way to make him walk right into the trap."

The case regarding Dingyi’s father involved an old, complex web of connections; traced from the bottom up, the relationships were incredibly tangled. She didn't understand much of it and only asked, "Why didn't that Censor’s wife go to lodge a complaint? If she had the evidence, why hide it for so long and not seek justice for her husband?"

He turned his face away and gave a light, cynical laugh. "If they could kill a Censor, dealing with a lone woman would be even easier. That Censor’s wife is not a fool; she has children to raise and had no choice but to protect herself. Besides, one cannot simply lodge a complaint whenever one wishes. If the government office refuses to accept it and charges you with slandering an imperial official, you wouldn't even be able to get a meeting with the Censorate or the Ministry of Justice."

She frowned, leaning against the carriage rail, and nodded. "I know this. After all, I spent some years mixing in the offices, and I have seen many injustices where the victims had nowhere to turn."

He smiled slightly. "What you saw was nothing. You followed your master in charge of criminal law, but how much of what happens in the court can you really know? You don't need an executioner present to judge a case, so you only heard the superficial details. The officialdom is too dark. The Emperor sits high on the bright dais; he wants to cleanse the world of all injustice, but can he really do it? Information from below never reaches the top, and those who eat the imperial grain play their tricks in secret. The Emperor is both blind and deaf; do not count on him to discern every tiny detail. Now that I have fallen into your hands, who else would poke at that hornet's nest and offend such a large group of people?"

She smirked, shamelessly flattering him. "Your Highness has worked hard. Shall I give you a massage?"

He took her up on it, stretching his long legs out comfortably and pointing to his calves. "Right here... I will write a letter to Rujian later, telling him to return to Beijing. It won't be long before the true test arrives, and I fear there will be a hard battle to fight then!"

She moved his legs onto her lap and began to knead them slowly. Hearing him speak of a "hard battle" made her fearful. "Will my Third Brother get dragged into this?"

He was silent for a moment before saying, "I will do my best. It shouldn't turn out too badly."

Now she was even more terrified. "Why are you only saying half of what you mean? You are only trying to scare me. If there is a risk, then don't let my Third Brother come forward. Even if the case cannot be overturned, I will accept it."

He looked at her helplessly. "Do you know what it means to be riding a tiger and unable to get off?"

She let her head droop. "So it seems that being quiet and bowing often won't work anymore."

He gave a grunt. "Is that what you were doing in front of my mother earlier?"

"What else could I do? Should I have rambled on and on? If I had, she would have slapped my face! The girls raised in noble houses don't talk much; I have to learn from them, lest she look down on me even more." She looked at him mournfully. "Hongce, what about my Third Brother?"

He stroked her face with a bitter smile. "I said I would do my best. There will be many people judging the case; even if I try to show bias, I must do it discreetly. Even if he has to suffer a bit, his life, at the very least, will be secure."

Dingyi’s heart ached. Rujian might not be unaware of these risks, yet he still wanted to overturn their father’s case. The thought made her eyes well up with tears.

Her appearance left him at a loss for what to do, and he rushed to comfort her. "It will be alright. With me watching over him, things won't go so wrong. Since he doesn't want to live under a false name, he has to go through this sooner or later. Just grit your teeth and endure it; it will pass. Don't cry. Your crying makes me panic. Tell me what you have to say—what use are tears?"

She wiped her nose. "I just think Rujian is too pitiful. He bears such burdens in his heart and doesn't even tell me. I always thought he was just mining and doing business, living a comfortable life."

He sighed and stroked her hair. "Men and women are different. There are some things that one would rather risk one's life to defend—ideals, for instance, or dignity."

She understood what he meant by those words, yet she could not feel that state of mind. In the past, living among the commoners, as long as she had enough to eat and wear, there was nothing she wouldn't yield on. Now, she even thought that if they had been able to cross the border and reach foreign lands, perhaps Rujian would not have had to come back to face such danger.

But if they left the Great Qing, she could no longer continue the fate she shared with him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against the embroidered dragon on his shoulder. She believed in him, after all. With him by her side, no matter how great the difficulty, they would be able to overcome it.

The return trip was somewhat long, and she grew drowsy, dozing off in his arms. She felt him patting her back, over and over, as if he were soothing a child. She smiled, the expression lingering on her lips, and in her daze, she leaned up to kiss his Adam's apple. He trembled and held her even tighter.

When they arrived home, he carried her out of the carriage. She rubbed her eyes, intending to walk, but he wouldn't allow it, carrying her straight into the bedroom.

He moved with urgency, and his actions as he placed her on the kang were just as hasty. Her eyelids were heavy and would not open, and she listened to the rustling sound of him undressing. Before long, he climbed onto the kang and whispered to her, calling her his "darling meat." She giggled, not answering, and covered her eyes with her hand.

He undid the collar of her dress, his burning lips tracing a path downward. She felt no fear, only nervousness, her stiffened arms clinging to him. He was a robust man, and beneath his gentle exterior lay a powerful, wild strength; every movement threatened to shatter her heart.

The lamp on the side table was burning. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling partition, on the other side of the delicate, swaying tassels, stood a huge brass mirror. In the dim lamplight, the shadows of the two were reflected. She was too shy to look, yet she could not help but watch. In their hurried gasps, his tensed, straining waist and back were revealed—lines she had never imagined, like the elegant curve of a bowstring, coiled and ready, filled with power.

She felt a sharp pain and curled up her hands and feet. He lowered his head to kiss her, and a strand of sweat-dampened hair drifted down, brushing against her cheek, tickling her. In the haze, she looked at his face; it was like a fine piece of golden landscape painting—the contours of the mountains traced in color were his handsome brows and eyes, and the golden-hooked iron lines of the marvelous peaks were the corners of his affectionate lips. She seemed to have fallen into the deep sea, unable to reach the sky or the earth, just drifting, and in all her senses, there was only him. He swallowed her whimpers, leaving only clusters of goosebumps on her exposed skin. The storm swept through, and she trembled violently.

She could not remember how much time had passed, lost in a daze, her soul having flown beyond the world. When she woke, the candle had already gone out, and light from outside was cast against the window. She turned to look at the person beside her; he was sleeping deeply, his face in sleep showing a rare, childlike innocence, devoid of any sharpness—just a simple man.

She raised her hand to tuck the quilt around him. He slept very lightly and woke at the slightest touch, mumbling, "Is it dawn?"

Dingyi propped herself up to push the window open, opening a tiny crack. A fine mist drifted in; it turned out to be the reflection of light off the snow.

"It’s snowing again..." Before she could finish, he pulled her back into the quilt.

"You dare to go and push the window open without wearing any clothes?" he scolded. "There are people on watch in the corridor; aren't you afraid of being seen?"

She pouted. "You were the one who asked if it was dawn, so I was just looking."

"I was just saying it in passing." He pinched her nose. "You stubborn thing, I’ll get you a Western clock tomorrow and teach you how to tell the time."

Her warm body leaned in, pressing against his chest. Naturally, her body temperature was higher than his; she was like a little stove. He pulled her into his arms and sighed. "Why didn't I meet you when I was in Khalkha? I wouldn't have had to worry about my nights there."

She caught a hint of something more, struggling as she asked, "Serving in your bed every night?"

"What are you thinking!" He caught her. "Don't move around, are you planning to kill me again?"

Her face was burning red. "The edict hasn't been issued yet; you are going back on your word."

"I just lost control for a moment." He was quite honest and readily admitted it. "It was my fault... Do you think you will get pregnant?"

Could it be so easy to have a child? She said, "I doubt it. Nothing happened last time, right? Many women, after they marry, cannot conceive, and they pray to all the gods; we had better not end up like that."

He nodded. "Then I will be more diligent; I am sure we will succeed."

He couldn't go three sentences without returning to his favorite topic. She rolled her eyes at him in annoyance. "I heard that eating 'maiden fruits' can help you conceive a daughter."

He recalled the kind of lantern-shaped fruits he had seen on the road back from the court, those that had shed their husks and were golden yellow. "The kind that they display with a sign at the small stalls, the ones that say 'Maidens sold by the catty, one coin for twelve taels'?"

"Yes, that’s the one." She beamed. "The unripe ones are sour, but the ripe ones are sweet!"

She was still a child. Though she had suffered, her mind had not fully matured, and the world in her eyes always seemed a little more interesting than it did to others. He said, "Alright. When I return from the palace tomorrow, I will stop by the market and take a look. If there are any that have been opened from the cellar, I will buy two catties, and after we eat them, we will have a daughter."

It was embarrassing to talk about having children before they were even married, but since the Noble Consort Dowager had nodded in consent, there likely wouldn't be any more accidents. She let out a soft breath. Now, she just had to wait for Rujian to return, for her father’s case to be handled smoothly, and for Rujian and Hailan to marry; then, everyone would have their happy ending.