Truly, Great Wei was a dangerous place!
Jiang Taohua ran frantically, clutching the long train of her wedding dress. She frowned, inwardly roaring, “Since when do wild wolves appear on the streets of a great nation’s capital? I came here for a political marriage, not to feed wolves! Can’t the imperial guards do their job? They’re utterly useless!”
“Princess, please run ahead!” Qing Tai anxiously watched the wolf pack chasing them, her small face pale with fear. “This servant will stay behind with the guards. Find a safe place, preferably high ground, and hide. We’ll come for you later.”
“Alright!” Without hesitation, Taohua ran swiftly. The streets were in chaos, with citizens scattering and the sound of doors and windows slamming shut echoing everywhere. Exhausted, she tried knocking on doors for help, but no one answered.
“What a cold-hearted country!” she thought.
The golden crown on her head felt unbearably heavy, and her elaborate clothing hindered her escape. Taohua decisively stuffed them into a pile of bamboo baskets by the street. Now wearing only a white dress with red trim and a subtle peach blossom pattern, she continued running with newfound ease.
As the howling of wolves grew distant and the streets emptied, she finally stopped, leaning against the back door of a courtyard. Just as she caught her breath, the door unexpectedly opened. Losing her balance, Taohua tumbled unceremoniously into the yard.
Merely an hour ago, she had been a noble princess from Zhao, gracefully boarding her wedding carriage to marry the Prince Nan of Wei. Never could she have imagined that she would end up rolling in the dirt in some unknown place, seeing stars.
After a moment, she raised her head, but before she could assess her surroundings, she saw someone staring at her in shock. The person then shouted into the courtyard:
“Found her! The little hussy is here!”
The piercing yell quickly brought several people running. Without giving Taohua a chance to explain, someone slapped the back of her head.
It hurt, truly hurt! But the pain aside, wasn’t the location wrong? She didn’t feel dizzy at all!
Realizing escape was impossible, Taohua feigned unconsciousness to avoid further blows. She allowed them to carry her away to an unknown destination.
En route, she considered fleeing, but her captors gave her no opportunity. They entered a room, where someone forcibly poured a medicinal soup into her mouth.
Logically, she should have spat out the unknown concoction. However, it tasted unexpectedly sweet, like bird’s nest soup. Having not eaten all day, she instinctively swallowed.
Gulp.
“Oh no,” she thought.
Regretting her action, Taohua opened her eyes slightly. She saw maids removing their clothes while plump women bustled around, urgently calling, “Hurry, hurry! We’re running out of time!”
“What’s the rush? Reincarnation?” she wondered.
Taohua wanted to tell them they had the wrong person, but whether due to the soup or not, she couldn’t move or speak. They stripped her and dressed her in a gaudy red silk robe, then carried her to a large bed and covered her with a quilt.
The door creaked, and everyone filed out. Suddenly, the world fell silent.
Jiang Taohua, at eighteen, was of marriageable age. She once had a childhood sweetheart, but fate was unkind, and her elder sister had stolen him away. The aging Zhao Emperor, with his new Empress wielding power, sought to establish the eldest princess as the next ruler. This led to constant strife at court, a fearful populace, and declining national strength. Taohua and her younger brother were left without support. Her marriage to Great Wei was their only hope for survival.
However, even this glimmer of hope seemed to be extinguished today.
The room was filled with a fragrant haze. Taohua felt a sudden dryness spreading from her abdomen to her throat. She struggled to open her eyes, seeking water, but the first thing she saw was an erotic painting!
“Delicate flowers yield to passionate butterflies and bees, intertwining branches given to the groom.”
The image depicted explicit scenes of coupling. Only a brothel would display such artwork. Realizing her predicament, Taohua felt a wave of despair. While chastity wasn’t her utmost concern, losing it before even entering the Prince Nan’s palace would likely dash any hopes of doing so in the future.
Was this a misunderstanding, or was someone deliberately sabotaging her?
A slight movement outside the layered gauze curtains indicated someone’s arrival.
Taohua’s mind still fought for clarity, but her body reacted honestly, like a spirit yearning to absorb yang energy. She eagerly watched the hand that reached through the curtain, ready to pounce.
It was a remarkably beautiful hand – long, slender, and fair, with slight calluses on the fingertips that didn’t detract from its elegance. As it gently touched her bare shoulder, its coolness made her instinctively nuzzle against it.
“Truly a rare beauty,” a low, deep voice remarked, tinged with emotions she couldn’t decipher.
Taohua looked up hazily, barely making out the newcomer’s silhouette. He resembled a distant mountain after rain, shrouded in a cool mist.
“Who… are you?” she managed to ask.
The man sat on the bed’s edge, one hand allowing her to nuzzle while the other gracefully undid his robes. His face was backlit, obscuring his expression.
“Me?” He seemed to chuckle softly. “I suppose I’m a patron.”
Taohua was speechless.
His blunt answer crushed her last hope.
She, a princess of Zhao, defiled in a brothel? How could her brother, Long Jie, ever hold his head high if this news reached their homeland?
No, she had to refuse!
With this thought, Taohua summoned all her strength to push away the man leaning towards her. However, when her hand touched his chest, she found herself pulling him closer instead.
“This drug is shameless! How potent!” she thought.
Watching helplessly as the man slowly pressed down on her, Taohua’s inner voice screamed while her body stiffened. Feeling his breath on her neck, she instinctively furrowed her brow and turned away.
“Having drunk the Soul-Consuming Soup, resistance is futile. No woman can fight its effects,” the man said, slowly pulling back the brocade quilt and pressing against her. His breathing grew heavy, though his tone remained playful. “I’ve heard those skilled in the art of seduction become even more irresistible under its influence.”
Her pupils constricted as she felt his cool body completely cover her feverish one. Taohua gasped, struggling to stay lucid. “How do you know I can…”
“Shh, don’t speak,” he interrupted, his calloused hand roaming her skin. His voice softened, “A woman’s excessive words are unbecoming. Tonight, your only task is to please me.”
“Please your grandmother’s leg!” Taohua couldn’t help but shout, “You’re courting death! I am the Princess of Zhao—mmph!”
Before she could finish, he firmly covered her mouth. A breeze from the window extinguished the nearby lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Taohua frowned, able to see only the man’s faintly glowing eyes.
“You must behave,” he said. “Would you rather serve me alive, or have me take you as a corpse? Choose.”
The internal heat was now uncontrollable. While her mind still tried to think, her body pressed against him. As her burning skin touched his coolness, Taohua couldn’t suppress a moan.
The sound was soft and alluring like a cat’s paw scratching at one’s heart.
The man above her paused, then chuckled softly before beginning to explore her body freely.
In Zhao, women of all classes, from commoners to royalty, learned the art of seduction from the age of fifteen. Thus, Taohua was well-versed in pleasing men in the bedroom. Most women only learned the basics to satisfy their future husbands. But Taohua was different; she had studied deeply, aiming to control men for her purposes.
The man before her was to be her first prey.
However, the situation seemed to be unfolding differently than she had anticipated.
(End of Chapter)