An Da Khan spoke as a demand, not a request—he was determined to have his way.
Jin Ying could not refuse. In her panic, she could only bring up her marriage contract as a shield. “But… I have a marriage agreement, and I’m about to marry into the Ordos tribe.”
An Da Khan said, “I will cancel your marriage contract and find another woman of noble birth for your fiancé in the Ordos tribe. You will be my third khatun, becoming the most honored woman.”
Khatun meant legitimate wife—An Da Khan’s previous two khatun had both passed away.
He was a tribal leader, aging, yet unable to turn his gaze away from the youthful beauty of his nominal granddaughter.
Like his old rival Emperor Jiajing, the more he aged, the more he was drawn to youthful, vibrant souls—and bodies—as if this could compensate for his lost youth and vitality.
They were two men standing at the pinnacle of power. Power, territory, and the submission of countless subjects could no longer satisfy their desires.
They had stood at power’s peak for far too long. Only time could defeat them. The more they aged, the closer they drew to death, the more they favored young, beautiful maidens, as if they could absorb vitality from them and make themselves young again.
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang who stole his son’s wife Yang Yuhuan was thus; Emperor Jiajing who fell for Shang Qinglan, forty years his junior, was thus; An Da Khan who forcibly took his granddaughter Jin Ying, fifty years younger, was also thus.
Power was the ultimate aphrodisiac, making one’s desires infinitely vast.
One could defy all propriety to obtain women that ordinary men could never have. The more forbidden the woman’s identity—daughter-in-law, a maiden young enough to be a great-granddaughter, even an already-engaged granddaughter—the stronger this possessive obsession became. Using power to break through all rules and ethical constraints was itself a forbidden experience extremely similar to carnal desire.
So these old candles all lit their flames to illuminate their desired beauties. They cared nothing for the taboo nature of these women’s identities, nor for being whispered about behind their backs, because this was power’s greatest reward—they possessed unique privileges.
The moment she was pushed down onto the snow leopard fur by An Da Khan, Jin Ying felt her soul leave her body, as if she had lost all feeling for the outside world. Those touches and kisses didn’t exist.
She seemed to return to her days as a courtesan at the Hongxiu Zhao by Jishuitan, when she used her beauty to gather intelligence, believing she was doing something meaningful that made her feel she could do something other than just be a wife.
When her marriage contract could no longer be delayed and she had to return home to marry, to maintain her cover, Hongxiu Zhao pretended to sell her body to the highest bidder.
Though she knew it was fake—that she would ultimately leave the pleasure quarter by redeeming herself—she still felt sorrowful. She felt she wasn’t really a person but an object, an exquisite vase. Whoever paid the most money could have her.
Only one person saw her as human and was willing to borrow money to “help” redeem her, wanting her to control her own life thereafter. Wang Daxia, that wastrel known as one of the Four Scourges of the Northern City, who endured others’ mockery to rescue a fallen woman. Yet she was destined to betray him.
But Wang Daxia was too insignificant. He was just a pebble in the torrent—seeming to block the water but actually useless. The mighty Yangtze flows eastward and won’t change direction for a single reef. Her life remained “highest bidder wins”—only money had been replaced by power.
The man with the greatest power could possess her, even though she had just called him grandfather. She had escaped the highest bidder in the capital, yet was still arranged by the same rules.
Jin Ying stared at the tent’s dome like a pot lid, the precious snow leopard fur beneath her like a pot, and she was the lamb in the pot, firmly trapped inside by the lid, being cooked inch by inch.
Still… couldn’t escape the fate of “highest bidder wins.”
Jin Ying again felt herself become an object, just changed from “for sale” to “sold.”
Those legendary romances between old and young were merely transactions of youth for status.
Meanwhile, Wang Daxia and Lu Ying both sat in Lu Bing’s luxurious carriage that resembled a small house. Lu Bing looked at Wang Daxia’s torn robes exposing flesh everywhere—such an eyesore—and threw his own cloak at him. “Put it on! What kind of appearance is this!”
Wang Daxia crouched in the corner of the carriage, staying far from Lu Bing and Lu Ying—especially Lu Ying—wrapped the cloak tightly around himself and shivered. After being shocked for so long, he could finally calm down somewhat to speak:
“Commander Lu, I’ve always admired you and am grateful you risked your life to save me several times. The grace of recognition plus life-saving grace—whatever you want me to repay, I can do, but this matter of pledging my body, I cannot do. I’ve already—”
Wang Daxia had a three-year agreement with Wei Caiwei, but this must remain secret, so he changed his words: “I and Commander Lu are both men, and I like women—of course, Commander Lu is very good-looking, in the Embroidered Uniform Guard I can only claim second place, but I like women—”
“Shut up!” Lu Bing and Lu Ying shouted at Wang Daxia in unison.
Lu Bing secretly regretted that in his urgency at Guanghan Palace, he had misspoken, threatening that if they didn’t leave, Lu Ying would have to marry Wang Daxia.
He never expected that Lu Ying’s male disguise was so convincing that Wang Daxia still hadn’t figured it out, thinking Lu Ying had the cut-sleeve inclination and wanted to turn brotherhood into a contract relationship (ancient male-male marriage where they called each other contract brothers).
Wang Daxia crouched pitifully in the corner, small and unable to speak. At Guanghan Palace, when Lu Bing said “if you don’t leave you’ll have to marry on the spot,” it had truly terrified him.
Wang Daxia loved to overthink, and as a member of the gossip-loving Northern City residents, he excelled at self-imagination: Why would His Majesty want to pair me with Lu Ying? It must be Lu Ying’s request!
It couldn’t be Lu Bing—Lu Bing was a father, and all fathers wanted sons to continue the family line. Otherwise why have a son? Wasn’t it to hold grandsons? Marrying a man couldn’t produce grandsons.
So it could only be Lu Ying.
No wonder Lu Ying refused to marry at eighteen. Even his younger brother Lu Yi had just gotten engaged to Minister of Personnel Wu Peng’s daughter, yet Lu Ying still had no marriage news.
So Lu Ying liked men.
Well, liking men wasn’t wrong—the cut-sleeve fashion had always been popular in court—but you can’t like me! I already have a woman I like, and I even have a marriage certificate.
Lu Bing was stunned by Wang Daxia’s reaction: What strange creature did I recruit into the Embroidered Uniform Guard? This is too overconfident! Even if Lu Ying were a man, I wouldn’t agree to this marriage!
Seeing Wang Daxia had greatly misunderstood, Lu Ying realized she could no longer hide the truth.
Lu Ying said, “Come here, I have something to tell you.”
Wang Daxia shook his head and wrapped the cloak even tighter around himself.
I treat you as my superior, but you want to sleep with me.
Lu Ying said, “If you don’t come over, I’ll come to you.”
Wang Daxia could only shuffle step by step from the corner to Lu Bing’s side. “Lord Lu, you must control your son. How can he force himself on a good man?”
Lu Bing covered his ears, not wanting to hear him speak, fearing he’d be so angry he’d have a stroke.
Lu Bing sat between them, following the principle that to be a family patriarch, one must be neither deaf nor mute nor foolish.
Lu Ying said, “I’m actually a woman, the fourth miss of the Lu family, not the rumored illegitimate son. I’ve always dressed as a man while working in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I have no romantic feelings for you—I just treat you as a subordinate and hope to cultivate your talents.”
“Because I’m a woman, I don’t know how long I can work in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I work one day at a time, so I’m harsher on myself, working at the Guard office even on rest days and holidays. I’m also harsh on my subordinates. After morning roll call each day, I lead you in practicing Master Yu’s ‘Sword Manual,’ rain or shine, because after I leave, you will be the only trace I leave in the Guard office, proof that I was here.”
“I had high hopes for you, so I was strictest with you, often sparring with you and pushing you to improve. I saved you several times, so His Majesty misunderstood that I fancy you and had thoughts of arranging our marriage.”
“But don’t worry—marriage matters follow parental orders, and my father will suppress this matter. However, you cannot distance yourself from me afterward. You must remember to maintain the status quo. Otherwise, with the huge trouble you caused today—Consort Lu Jing disgraced and confined, Prince Jing demoted to his fiefdom—how could you emerge from the palace unharmed? If His Majesty didn’t think I ‘liked’ you, he would have silenced you long ago to cover up the imperial scandal.”
“Now, do you understand?”
Wang Daxia was stunned. Lu Ying’s words contained too much information—he felt like he’d just swallowed ten of Wei Caiwei’s homemade mooncakes that could punch holes in the ground, knock plaster off walls, and serve as throwing weapons.
And swallowing ten mooncakes at once, cramming them into his stomach—he really couldn’t digest them and was about to burst.
So Wang Daxia maintained a long silence again, his brain nearly shut down. Lu Bing and Lu Ying before him disappeared, even the carriage vanished, as if he sat in complete void.
How did I not think of this?
When I took her to the underground gambling den at Huaqing Pool, passing through the bathhouse full of naked men, she looked straight ahead. When I teased her saying “we’re all men, they have what you have, what are you nervous about,” she made excuses saying “they’re too ugly.”
She always wore high-collared clothes with buttons fastened to her throat, even in the hottest summer days.
When she fainted from heatstroke and was carried to Wei Caiwei for treatment, Wei Caiwei drove me out and locked the door. I was even jealous, but thinking back now, Wei Caiwei had discovered she was a woman, so she drove us all away!
And when Wei Caiwei nearly drowned and fainted at Jishuitan, it must have been her who changed Caiwei’s wet clothes…
Wang Daxia recalled the past—everything matched up. He cursed himself for being too slow and making a fool of himself. This was so embarrassing—how to save face now!
The carriage stopped. Lu Bing said, “Get out.”
Wang Daxia, wrapped in the cloak, moved his stiff legs and got out. After getting down, he realized something was wrong. Now knowing Lu Ying was a woman, he didn’t dare look directly at her. He asked Lu Bing, “Lord Lu, this isn’t the Guard office.”
Lu Bing said, “This is my home.”
Actually the Lu Mansion! Wang Daxia panicked. “I should go back to sleep in the duty room at the Guard office.”
Lu Bing said, “Do you want to die? You’ve caused such huge trouble—will Prince Jing let you go? Will the ministers behind him let you go? The only plan now is to make the best of it, letting the world misunderstand that Lu Ying and I both favor you, to barely preserve your dog life. Stay in my mansion these days to recover from injuries. You’re not allowed to go anywhere.”
Author’s Note: It’s the end of the month—requesting nutrient solutions. Also requesting author collection. Readers who like Lanzhou’s writing, please go collect from my column. Still need 100 to reach 10,000. Please support! Lanzhou never abandons stories—safe to follow.
Lanzhou saw trivia today saying that British hardtack made with only water and flour automatically walks. Because these biscuits are extremely hard—so hard that maggots growing inside can’t break through the stone-like crust and can only wriggle inside, making the biscuits appear to walk.
Wei Caiwei’s mooncakes have even thicker crusts than hardtack, so her mooncakes should also be able to walk after a few months.