Chapter 49: Coveting the Heir’s Consort’s Beauty

Chapter 49: Coveting the Heir's Consort's Beauty

Shang Rongyu glared sharply at Situ Feng.

Situ Feng’s purple-red face instantly turned ashen.

The dogs continued barking at the carriage.

Situ Feng had initially assumed there was an injured person inside, or some other clue...

After all, his dogs wouldn’t lie; if there wasn’t a scent of blood, those few dogs wouldn’t bark at a carriage simultaneously.

When he lifted the curtain, he realized just how monstrous and vile Shang Rongyu, this demon of the world, could be.

The interior was extravagantly luxurious, with all cushions made from imperial-gifted celestial silk. An incense burner in the corner emitted fragrance, and when he lifted the curtain, the pungent aroma hit him in the face.

Eight Sea Night Pearls were embedded on all four walls of the carriage, their faint glow illuminating the decadent scene within.

Shang Rongyu leaned against the cushions, his hair disheveled, eyes playful, hands resting on the Heir's Consort’s waist, which was so slender it could be encircled by one hand.

And the Heir's Consort sat on him, draped in a red robe that hung half off her body, about to fall but not quite, her long raven hair cascading down to her waist.

She faced away from him, arms around Shang Rongyu’s neck, head resting on his shoulder.

Situ Feng saw sweat on the Heir's Consort’s face and body, her hair messily stuck to her cheeks and neck, her red lips luscious and inviting...

On the exposed skin of the Heir's Consort, there were some small whip marks, those marks bloody, even her lips had been bitten until they bled by this vile Shang Rongyu. Even Shang Rongyu himself was covered in tiny bloodstains, the pungent incense mixed with a strange smell...

Inside the carriage, various props were scattered haphazardly.

There were beads, ropes, ball gags, small whips woven from silk ribbons, fine feather brushes...

He hadn’t expected Shang Rongyu to be so outrageous, actually...

So skilled in such play.

Wasn’t the Heir's Consort pregnant?

Could she withstand such rough treatment?

Ran Qinggu slightly tilted her head, her voice weak: "Heir, your concubine has been seen, how can I live now?"

Shang Rongyu kissed Ran Qinggu’s lips: "Good girl, don’t be afraid, the Heir will avenge you."

The dogs continued barking, Situ Feng flushed red as he lowered the curtain: "I apologize for disturbing the Heir, sorry, your subordinate was merely following orders, please do not blame me."

Dogs usually bark when they smell blood, or other strange odors.

Now, he didn’t know if it was the scent of blood that agitated the dogs, or the pungent fragrance.

Not knowing the cause, he could only lower the curtain. Only Shang Rongyu and the Heir's Consort were inside, he couldn’t go in to check.

"I’ve said it before," Shang Rongyu’s icy voice came from the carriage, "you frightened my Heir's Consort and saw her body, gouge out your eyes."

Situ Feng was terrified, becoming even more respectful: "Your subordinate was merely following orders, did not mean to offend the Heir and the Heir's Consort, please forgive me."

Shang Rongyu’s cold voice brooked no refusal: "Jia Chu."

Jia Chu immediately drew his sharp blade, lunging at Situ Feng.

Situ Feng swung his sword to block, the attack too fast, the defense equally swift, only the sparks from the clashing blades could be seen. In an instant, they had exchanged hundreds of moves.

Just as they were evenly matched, a figure shot out of the carriage like lightning.

"Retreat," Shang Rongyu commanded.

Jia Chu stepped back.

Shang Rongyu held a thin sword, pointing it at Situ Feng. It was a very thin, flexible sword, cold light radiating from it, capable of being straight or curved.

Situ Feng returned his sword to block, but didn’t expect to be entangled by the soft sword, a bloody gash appearing on his face and neck.

Shang Rongyu’s attacks were quick, his soft sword like a slithering snake, impossible to guard against. Situ Feng’s defenses became increasingly strained, forced into retreat by the soft sword.

With a swish, the thin, flexible sword flew, splattering blood.

Fine droplets of blood drew perfect arcs in the air...

Everyone held their breath, the barking of the dogs growing more urgent.

Situ Feng’s agonized scream suddenly exploded in the air.

Like a kite cut loose, he fell to his knees with a thud, barely supporting himself with his sword, left hand covering his left eye, blood seeping through his fingers, dripping onto the stone-paved street like a blood-crying cuckoo.

Shang Rongyu stood in front of Situ Feng, expressionless as he wiped his thin, flexible sword with silk.

Barefoot under the moonlight, his hair falling down, draped in a pale yellow sheer robe that hung open, revealing a muscular chest still bearing kiss marks, and a lean, strong physique. Apart from that, he wore nothing else.

He stood there, decadent and sensual, extraordinarily handsome.

He seemed less human, more like a spirit, every raised eyebrow and sideways glance captivating and bewitching.

Yet his methods were so cruel.

In one move, he had gouged out Situ Feng’s left eye.

Situ Feng gritted his teeth in unbearable pain: "Heir, your subordinate was merely following orders, why did you use such severe force against me?"

Shang Rongyu glanced at Situ Feng coldly, mocking: "Severe force? You saw my Heir's Consort’s body, I spared your life already as a great kindness, yet you repay it with ingratitude? What? Do you think I, Shang Rongyu, am easy to bully?"

Si Tu Feng struggled to prop himself up and barely stood up, enduring the intense pain: "Your subordinate is carrying out the Emperor's orders with a clear conscience. I dare ask the Heir, now that it's past midnight, why are you still on East Main Street with the Heir Consort at such a late hour? And how coincidental, right when we are apprehending Northern Yi spies."

Shang Rongyu raised his eyebrows: "Is this street built by your family?"

Si Tu Feng: "No."

Shang Rongyu: "Do you live by the seaside?"

Si Tu Feng honestly replied: "No."

Shang Rongyu: "Then you sure have a wide jurisdiction."

Si Tu Feng said coldly: "Heir, if today's matter isn't explained clearly, I'm afraid..."

Shang Rongyu raised his eyebrows and scoffed coldly: "This Heir and the Heir Consort were at Lu Manor for a feast tonight. Since we met kindred spirits in drinking, we had a few more cups. When we left Lu Manor, curfew had already passed. After getting into the carriage, this Heir saw that tonight was bright moon and sparse stars, so I thought there were still some things on the Spring Palace Diagrams that I haven't tasted. So I took the Heir Consort to indulge. It's you who just happened to be on East Main Street to capture Northern Yi spies while this Heir and the Heir Consort were traveling at night. Capturing spies would be fine, but you just happen to be on East Main Street. Have you ever seen a spy strolling on the streets for you to catch? Who exactly are you waiting here like a hare trap to frame?"

Si Tu Feng often heard the Second Prince say that Shang Rongyu was a mad dog, biting anyone he caught.

He didn't believe it, but now it seemed...

This wasn't just a mad dog, it was simply mentally deranged.

He was here capturing Northern Yi spies, yet Shang Rongyu twisted it into him wanting to deal with King Cheng's Manor, wanting to frame him, deliberately waiting on East Main Street for him and his Heir Consort.

Not only that, he also gouged out one of his eyes.

Shang Rongyu turned around and got into the carriage: "Go back and tell the Second Prince, if he has anything, come at me Shang Rongyu directly. Don't pull these tricks, framing someone is something everyone can do, don't think he's the only one who knows how to play games. Also, next time if you dare to peek at the Heir Consort's body again, it won't be as simple as gouging out an eye. I'll take your life."

After saying that, he got into the carriage.

Si Tu Feng stood there, unable to speak from the pain.

His subordinates tried to come over to support him, but he kicked them away.

The carriage slowly made its way towards King Cheng's Manor.

As the carriage passed, the imperial guards automatically stepped aside, not daring to block anymore.

Inside the carriage, Ran Qinggu had already fainted.

Shang Rongyu hurriedly lifted Ran Qinggu, lifting the red clothes, the wound underneath was shocking, staining the brown cushion on the bottom of the carriage a dark red.

This person had their eyes tightly shut, brows furrowed, face ashen like death, but their left hand was clenched tightly.

The incense inside the carriage was abnormally pungent, covering most of the smell of blood.

This incense also had a calming effect, but it was completely ineffective at the moment.

Shang Rongyu reached into the hidden compartment in the carriage wall and took out medicine for wounds and bandages.

He spread out the bandage, poured the medicine onto it, then carefully pressed it against Ran Qinggu's wound.

He saw Ran Qinggu's body involuntarily trembling from the pain, cold sweat pouring down in waves, teeth clenched tightly, but not making a single sound.

Why endure the pain without a sound?

After applying some medicine, he picked up the bamboo tube from the hidden compartment, lifted Ran Qinggu, letting Ran Qinggu lean against his chest, and fed the bamboo tube to Ran Qinggu's mouth, giving him a little water.

Severe blood loss required timely hydration, otherwise it was easy to catch a chill.

That was what his father taught him.

He fed for a long time, half of the water in the bamboo tube was spilled, only wetting Ran Qinggu's dry, pale lips.

Thinking about it, he took a sip of water, and just as he was about to feed it to Ran Qinggu's mouth, he hesitated.

Although they had kissed many times, it was all under the assumption that he was a woman.

Now that he knew this person's identity, he was still a bit uncomfortable.

He never disliked homosexuality, but not disliking homosexuality and being homosexual himself, falling in love with a man, and kissing him, were two different things.

Ran Qinggu coughed softly, Shang Rongyu no longer hesitated, holding a mouthful of water, he kissed over, feeding the water into his mouth.

Ran Qinggu couldn't swallow, so Shang Rongyu blocked his mouth, supporting the back of his neck, forcing the water to flow into his stomach.

He repeated this several times, although most of the water was still not swallowed and choked out, he did drink some.

Shang Rongyu hurriedly shouted at Jia Chu: "Faster."

Jia Chu had no choice but to whip the horses again, the carriage galloped, making faster and more urgent sounds on the bluestone road.

The carriage was too fast, jolting as if it was touching the wound, Ran Qinggu's brows were tightly furrowed.

Shang Rongyu had to shout: "Slower."

Jia Chu had no choice but to slow down a little.

The carriage continued to rush towards a villa in the capital.

It was a private residence bought by Shang Rongyu.

He bought this house just because it was beautiful.

Now that Ran Qinggu was injured, the manor was crowded and complicated, Liu Concubine and her group of troublemakers could stir up who knows what.

So it was safer to bring the person into the private residence.

The carriage entered the private residence through the back door, Shang Rongyu took a cloak and wrapped Ran Qinggu in it, carrying him down from the carriage.

After getting off the carriage, he hurriedly said, "Go, find my elder brother and have him summon Physician Yu. Tell him that the Heir's Consort's fetus is unstable with signs of miscarriage."

When he said this, Shang Rongque should understand what was going on.

Jia Chu's eyebrows twitched, but he had no choice but to accept the order. "Yes."

Carrying Ran Qinggu into the residence, he quickly took a dry cloth and helped wipe away the sweat from Ran Qinggu's forehead and the blood from his body. Before long, the basin of water had turned completely red with blood.

As he wiped, he noticed that Ran Qinggu's left hand was clenched tightly, and it seemed injured, with thick blood covering the palm and between the fingers, which had already dried.

He put down the cloth and carefully tried to pry open Ran Qinggu's left hand.

Although the left hand was tightly clenched, his hand had been injured before, with severed tendons, so it couldn't exert much force. After a while, he managed to pry open Ran Qinggu's left hand.

The palm of the opened left hand was scalded raw, with bloody flesh split open, a gruesome sight. The surrounding skin, less severely burned, was charred black.

In Ran Qinggu's palm lay a blood-red ring, covered in thick blood and still clinging to flesh...

That was the ring he had given him.

Judging by the injury on his palm, Ran Qinggu must have been scalded by the heated ring.

Since the ring was red-hot, why did he pick it up? And why did he hold it in his palm?

Was he stupid?

Shang Rongyu's throat was parched as he carefully removed the ring, cleaned it with a cloth, and placed it on the table.

This ring wasn't actually valuable; nearly every jewelry store had hundreds of them. The reason he chose such a ring to give to Ran Qinggu was mainly because it could hide a poisoned needle.

But he didn't know that Ran Qinggu would like this ring so much that even when it hurt so badly, burning his flesh, he still held it tightly in his palm.

He quietly looked at this person and realized that he was indeed very handsome.

He considered himself discerning, having seen all kinds of beauties, but one who was beautiful in such a tragic way was a first for him.

Before long, Physician Yu and Shang Rongque arrived.

Seeing this, Shang Rongque asked, "What exactly happened?"

Shang Rongyu replied, "I'm not sure. The Second Prince was chasing them. When I found him, he was already injured."

Physician Yu lifted the blanket, undid Ran Qinggu's clothes, revealing the wound on his waist. After examining it, he said in relief, "Fortunately, the arrowhead wasn't poisoned. Fetch a basin of hot water and bring over several dry cloths."

As Physician Yu undressed Ran Qinggu, Shang Rongque hastily turned around.

For these past days, he had always treated Ran Qinggu as the Heir's Consort.

By sentiment, he was Shang Rongyu's wife, his sister-in-law, and he should avoid any impropriety.

By reason, she was the wife of the legitimate son, the future mistress of the Wangfu, and in terms of status, she was higher than him, so he should be even more cautious.

Avoiding her became a conditioned response, so when Physician Yu lifted the blanket, he immediately turned away.

Even though his mind knew that this person was male and there was nothing inappropriate about seeing him.

Shang Rongyu nudged Shang Rongque. "Quickly, fetch a basin of hot water. I'll get the dry cloths."

Shang Rongque turned and walked outside. When he brought the hot water, due to the habit formed over the past year, he felt embarrassed to go behind the screen, so he called out, "Rongyu, the water is here. Come out and take it."

Shang Rongyu also had developed a habit.

He treated this person as his wife, and only the husband and the imperial physician were allowed to see a wife's body. Other men were not permitted to enter the inner chambers, and even if they did, they had to stand outside the screen.

After he took the basin of water, he suddenly remembered that this person was male, and there was nothing his brother couldn't see.

Given the urgency, Shang Rongyu hurriedly carried the water behind the screen.

Once Physician Yu finished bandaging the wound and laid Ran Qinggu back on the bed, Shang Rongyu stepped out from behind the screen.

Shang Rongque stood outside the screen, awkwardly asking, "Is the Heir's Consort alright?"

Shang Rongyu nodded. "She's fine."

Shang Rongque worriedly said, "Take good care of her."

Shang Rongyu's eyes sharpened. "..."

Shang Rongque made a gesture. "Alright then, consider me not saying anything."

The two looked at each other, both suffering from a kind of "Heir's Consort Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."

==

At the second watch of the morning, Taiji Hall was filled with civil and military officials.

Emperor Xianyuan opened the memorial, his expression unusually stern. "Rongyu, this is a memorial submitted by the Second Prince against you. It says that you disregarded the law and intervened in the arrest of a Northern Yi spy by his subordinate, Simu Feng, even gouging out one of his eyes. Is this true?"

Gouging out an eye? The civil officials were frightened, their legs trembling.

Such a precious thing as an eye, gouged out without hesitation. Was this Crown Prince of Cheng truly above the law?

Stepping forward, Shang Rongyu replied, "Uncle Emperor, last night, the Heir's Consort and I were drinking at Lu Yunshen's house. We drank late and missed curfew, so I thought..."

He hesitated, looking embarrassed. "I remembered a treasure I obtained when I ransacked Yin Zhong's home, a book on bedroom secrets. I wanted to try something. The book said that doing... that... in a carriage would be very comfortable..."

Before he could finish, the King of Cheng kicked him in the leg, angrily cursing, "Brat, you're becoming more and more indecent. Yu'er is pregnant, how dare you?"

Around them, the civil and military officials laughed, some awkwardly, others mockingly...

A myriad of expressions, colorful and varied.

Shang Qianxian said, "Old Sixth, let Rongyu finish what he has to say first."

Shang Qianzhen had no choice but to step back. "Yes."

Shang Rongyu continued, "So I was slightly jostling with the Heir's Consort in the carriage... That Sima Feng was investigating a case, yet he insisted on lifting the curtain to watch my live erotic scene with the Heir's Consort. It was already good of me not to take his life. It was just an eye after all."

The Second Prince sneered as he stepped forward, standing beside Shang Rongyu. "To you, Heir, is an eye so insignificant? You gouged it out without asking any reason?"

Shang Rongyu retorted coldly, "Of course, an underling's eye is unimportant to this Heir. As for the reason, ask Sima Feng when you return why he stared at my Heir's Consort's body for such a long time, his eyes fixated... Second Prince, don't you know if there's something wrong with your underling?"

The Second Prince rebuked, "Nonsense! Sima Feng is upright and doesn't approach women. How could he stare at the Heir's Consort for so long?"

Shang Rongyu glanced at him coldly. "You say he doesn't approach women, so he doesn't? I can also say that he's a womanizer!"

As he spoke, he knelt down. "Your Majesty, Sima Feng offended me and the Heir's Consort while handling a royal case. I can overlook it, but he didn't notice anything amiss in my carriage yet still stared at my Heir's Consort. This is unacceptable. Gouging out his eye was a punishment for him. I beg Your Majesty to investigate clearly."

Prince Shangzhi, the Second Prince: "You claim you were playing a live erotic scene with the Heir's Consort, but everyone knows she's pregnant. In the first three months of pregnancy, due to unstable fetal position, miscarriage is highly likely, so coitus is forbidden. As her husband, wouldn't you know that? Knowing this, why did you insist on taking the Heir's Consort out on the streets last night during the spy capture? Was this intentional or..."

Shang Rongyu interrupted Shangzhi, "Second Prince, do you think intercourse is simply about mounting and dismounting? Don't you know that there's something called a mouth in this world?"

After saying this, he scanned Shangzhi up and down, adding with disdain, "Huh, truly trashy."

Upon hearing this, the entire court turned red.

Daring to discuss intercourse in the imperial court and making it so stimulating and logical, perhaps only Shang Rongyu could do it.

This person was indeed a demon in the mortal world.

No matter how strong Shangzhi's mental fortitude and depth of scheming, he had never encountered such...

A shameless person.

Now, the entire court was either mocking him or ridiculing Shang Rongyu.

This impeachment would probably be the most regretful one in his career.

It was also the first time he was publicly mocked for his incompetence in bed.

The emperor coughed, his face red, and pretended to say, "But according to Sima Feng's testimony, he saw the Heir's Consort sitting on you, wearing a red undergarment."

Shang Rongyu boldly replied, "Because we had just completed the first round and were resting. Besides, this thing requires attention from both above and below."

At the end, he looked coldly at Shangzhi again. "Second Prince, you still dare to say Sima Feng wasn't staring at my Heir's Consort. He even saw clearly her posture and undergarment! Second Prince, you've really trained a good dog. Because of this incident, the Heir's Consort feels she's lost her maidenly reputation and is ashamed to face the King and Princess. Therefore, she dared not return home. She fainted twice yesterday from crying. This Heir had no choice but to take her to the Villa to settle her down properly. When I came to attend the morning court session today, she was still depressed and unable to get out of bed."

Shangzhi's expression became even more awkward.

Shang Rongyu was a person who could find a way out no matter how small the gap.

He said, "Rest assured, Heir, I will definitely go back and give him a good lesson. Also, please convey my greetings to the Heir's Consort on my behalf. Another day, I will certainly come to apologize in person."

He shouldn't have impeached today.

Shang Rongyu's ability to twist black into white was unparalleled.

Sima Feng, who clearly avoided women, became a lecher in his mouth.

He believed Sima Feng's words and felt there was something wrong with Shang Rongyu, so he impeached, planning to have the Emperor thoroughly investigate the matter. This way, he could also investigate whether there was anything wrong with the Heir's Consort. After all, a red undergarment concealed too much.

Never did he expect that because Sima Feng lifted the curtain, so many things would happen, causing him so much trouble.

Now, probably the entire court knew that Sima Feng was a lustful man lusting after the Heir's Consort's beauty, and he couldn't discipline him and was incompetent in bed.

Shang Rongyu sneered, "There's no need for a personal visit. The Heir's Consort is depressed and doesn't want to see anyone except this Heir."

The author has something to say: Heir: Huh, they're all lustful men, all coveting the beauty of my Heir's Consort.

I'm too sleepy. If there are typos, I'll correct them when I wake up!

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