The Crown Prince had come to propose marriage.
Upon hearing the news, the entire Weinan palace was thrown into a frenzy.
The Crown Prince! If their princess married him, she would become the Crown Princess and, in time, the Empress, holding the highest position of honor. Such a prestigious future!
Lady Weinan had no reason to refuse and quickly and joyfully invited the Crown Prince inside. Meanwhile, she discreetly sent someone to ask for Su Baiyue’s opinion.
Naturally, Su Baiyue had no objections, as the plot was meant to unfold this way. Only by being engaged to the Crown Prince could she send the male lead out for his trials.
“Yes,” Su Baiyue nodded expressionlessly.
The old maid who came to ask almost burst into tears of joy. Their fairy-like princess had agreed! Surely only the best man in the world could be worthy of her!
The old maid waddled off excitedly, but as she hurried out from under the eaves of the main hall, she bumped into someone.
“Who dares block my way, you filthy thing?” The old maid was one of Lady Weinan’s most trusted attendants, practically half in charge of the palace’s inner courtyard, and she was used to acting arrogantly.
Sitting on the ground in pain, she looked up to see a young man standing in front of her. He wore a dark indigo robe and had his hair tied back, his expression cold. Despite his handsome features, his eyes were dark and unsettling, sending a shiver down her spine, even though she had seen plenty in her time.
Lu An pressed his lips together and stepped aside silently.
The old maid quickly scrambled to her feet and hurried off.
That boy must be the stable hand the princess had brought back. So thin—could the rumors be true? Was he so well-endowed that even their cold, untouchable princess had been captivated by him?
Meanwhile, Lu An stood under the eaves, waiting for a full half-hour before quietly pushing open the door to the main hall.
There were no servants attending inside, only Su Baiyue, napping on the couch to stave off her hunger.
The boy removed his dirty boots and stepped onto the white silk-covered floor in his socks, walking step by step until he stood before Su Baiyue, looking down at her.
She slept peacefully, her eyes closed, and her cheeks slightly flushed. The heavy blankets were pushed aside, revealing a pale, slender arm that appeared so fragile it seemed it could break with a touch.
Lu An bent down slightly, and the hostility in his dark eyes gradually faded as he gazed at the snow-white, jade-like woman before him.
Her hair was long and smooth. Her lashes were long too, casting delicate shadows on her cheeks like tiny fans. Her skin was so pale, and she smelled so good.
Lu An crouched down, staring intently at Su Baiyue. His gaze was intense and persistent, like a starving wild dog eyeing a piece of tender meat that could save his life.
The cold air seemed to thicken, and that sweet fragrance seeped into every corner of Lu An’s being.
Her lips… they looked so soft. He wanted to taste them, just one bite…
Suppressing his ragged breathing, Lu An leaned closer and closer to the sleeping beauty on the couch.
The usually pure and aloof princess lay there defenseless, stripped of her cold demeanor, leaving only the soft, delicate fragrance that filled the room.
He wanted to make her cry… no, he wanted to torment her until she couldn’t even cry anymore.
“Ongzhu, Ongzhu?” (Princess? Princess?)
Su Baiyue woke up groggily, feeling light and floaty.
“Ongzhu, you mustn’t sleep any longer, or you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
Mumbling, Su Baiyue shifted deeper into the blankets. Suddenly, she felt a slight sting at the corner of her mouth. Touching her lips, she realized they were swollen.
Did she bite herself while dreaming about eating pork trotters?
Blushing furiously, Su Baiyue covered her face in shame.
Ah, but she was so hungry.
“Ongzhu, the Crown Prince had fresh fish sent over today. We took the liberty of making you a bowl of fish soup. Would you like to try it?”
Fish soup? Su Baiyue’s eyes brightened as she worked hard to maintain her dignified posture, pretending not to be overly pleased. “Bring it in.”
“Yes!” Jing Wen, overjoyed, quickly turned and left the room.
Taking advantage of the moment, Su Baiyue swiftly got up, dressed, and sat primly on her embroidered stool, waiting for the fish soup.
Her fish soup, her precious fish soup.
“Ongzhu,” Jing Wen returned, but this time it was Lu An who brought the fish soup.
Su Baiyue was slightly surprised and then frowned.
Her room was off-limits to anyone but Jing Wen unless something urgent required it. Even if someone did come in, Jing Wen would usually replace the white silk coverings before letting anyone in.
“Jing Wen had something to take care of.” As if sensing her confusion, Lu An lowered his head as he spoke, carefully placing the white jade bowl, wrapped in a plain cloth, in front of Su Baiyue.
Su Baiyue sat there with a cold expression, but her mind was already captured by the enticing aroma of the fish soup.
Who cares who brought it? As long as it was edible, that was what mattered.
As the small white jade lid was lifted, Su Baiyue saw the rich, creamy fish soup inside, its fragrance wafting out like fresh milk. She couldn’t stop herself from swallowing hard.
“You, leave.”
Resisting the urge to devour the soup immediately, Su Baiyue turned to glance at Lu An, only to notice his split lip, bloodstained and scabbed as if he’d been bitten hard.
Their eyes met, and Lu An stared at her soft pink lips, his own throbbing painfully. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he trembled unconsciously.
To Su Baiyue, this looked like guilt and nervousness.
Such an intimate mark—it was clear something indecent had happened! Male lead, you’re only eighteen, for goodness’ sake! Have some self-control! In the future, you’ll have a whole harem of women to wreak havoc on. For now, focus on your career!
Historically, the allure of romance has been the downfall of heroes. If Lu An lost himself to some woman here, how could he ever rise to greatness and conquer the world? He would probably want to spend every day wrapped up in bed with her instead!
The thought sent a chill down Su Baiyue’s spine.
She took a deep breath, inhaling the fragrant scent of fish soup.
Ah, well, she would deal with the mess later. First, she had to eat. After all, food comes first, and at this rate, she’d collapse from hunger before anything else happened.
On that note, there had been delicious pastries appearing in the small garden again recently, and Su Baiyue had been sneaking over there regardless of rain or wind.
As she ate the fish soup, Su Baiyue’s mind wandered to what kind of pastry would be waiting for her today—would it be rabbit-shaped buns with red bean filling or peach-flavored longevity buns?
Lu An knew that Princess Ling Yun disliked having anyone around while she ate, especially men. Reluctantly, he prepared to leave, but just as he turned, he heard Su Baiyue say, “Wait, stay.”
Startled, Lu An returned to his place, hands clasped in front of him, watching as her soft pink lips wrapped around the porcelain spoon, sucking the creamy white fish soup into her small mouth. The damp soup clung to her lips, revealing the faint, unmistakable bite mark.
Lu An swallowed hard, unable to tear his gaze away.
He had only meant to steal a touch earlier, but while she was sleeping, the beauty had bitten him hard. At first, Lu An had been startled, but the shock had quickly turned into uncontrollable joy. That taste… it was as sweet as the cherry blossom fruit hanging from the heavens.
If only he could taste it fully, devour it to the bone, savor every last drop of that sweet cherry juice…
With a sudden clatter, Su Baiyue set down the empty bowl and stood up, glaring at Lu An as she ordered, “Follow me.”
Hunched over, Lu An cleaned up the white jade bowl in silence, then trailed after her.
Su Baiyue called for Jing Wen to gather all the maids and servants in the courtyard. Before long, dozens of them were kneeling, heads lowered, trembling in fear, unsure of what had happened.
Su Baiyue raised her chin high, exposing her slender jaw, and jabbed the dusting whip at the man beside her. Her posture was haughty to the extreme. “This is my dog. Whoever dares touch him, I’ll kill them myself.” Her cold, beautiful eyes narrowed, transforming the fairy-like princess into something fiercer.
The kneeling maids and servants began trembling even more. Lu An tilted his head slightly as the dusting whip brushed his face, hiding his eyes behind it. But beneath his veil of dark hair, a deep, knowing smile emerged.
She had said he was hers.
The maids, who had entertained thoughts about Lu An, had never dared make a move. Now, hearing Princess Ling Yun’s words, none of them would dare step out of line again.
Meanwhile, when Lady Weinan heard that Su Baiyue had publicly declared her ownership of the stable boy, she was so furious she nearly fainted.
This was the critical moment for securing a marriage with the Crown Prince, and her beloved daughter had gone and created this mess!
“Lady Weinan,” the old maid at her side said, “In my opinion, that stable boy should not be kept around any longer. It’s best to get rid of him as soon as possible.”
“Ling’er treasures that stable boy more than anything right now. We can’t even get a glimpse of her,” Lady Weinan fretted.
The old maid thought for a moment before suggesting, “In a few days, our princess is scheduled to visit the royal temple for a period of seclusion and reflection. Lady Weinan could take that opportunity to send the stable boy away. The princess has always been a filial child. A mere stable boy wouldn’t cause her to hold a grudge for long. Lady Weinan and the princess share a deep mother-daughter bond. She’s still young and naive, but she’ll come to understand that this is for her own good.”
Moved by the old maid’s words, Lady Weinan nodded after a long pause.
…
Before Su Baiyue departed for the royal temple, Liu Zhen was supposed to accompany her. However, a sudden rebellion in Hejian caught the royal family off guard, and Liu Zhen was dispatched to lead troops to suppress the uprising.
Though Liu Zhen had to hurry off to the southeastern region to quash the rebellion, the trip to the royal temple had to proceed as planned.
Princess Ling Yun’s outings were always grand affairs. Su Baiyue set off with a large entourage of servants and guards, riding in a luxurious carriage, bringing Lu An along with her.
The royal temple visit marked a crucial turning point in the relationship between Princess Ling Yun and the male lead.
Out of jealousy over Princess Ling Yun’s engagement to the Crown Prince, Princess Yangshi seized the opportunity to send assassins while Su Baiyue was at the temple. Su Baiyue was only saved thanks to the male lead’s intervention. However, since the two were discovered alone in the wilderness, rumors inevitably spread, threatening Princess Ling Yun’s reputation.
To protect the engagement with the Crown Prince, Lady Weinan decided to silence Lu An by having him killed. Lu An fled, but he bore no resentment—he only wanted to see Liu Ling one last time, holding onto her promises. But that final meeting shattered his last bit of hope.
It was from this point, with his heart fully broken, that Lu An truly began his journey of ruthless ambition.