Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Geng Shuning understood the machinations of her former idol, Fourth Master, and to some extent, men as well.

Knowing that the enemy was strong and she was weak, she still restrained herself and adopted a meek and endearing demeanor.

"You can ask anything, and I’ll tell you everything," she said.

Yinzhen took a moment to steady himself. He had been suppressing his emotions for too long these days, frustrated by Geng Shuning's lack of tact, and he wasn't planning to indulge her anymore.

He had never been so indulgent with a woman, nor had he ever plotted so carefully, but she didn’t seem to notice.

He didn’t trust her words and asked bluntly, "When did you first start loving me?"

Geng Shuning, drenched by the rain and feeling a bit cold from the autumn wind, instinctively took a few steps back toward the warmth of the hot spring and pondered the question seriously.

She didn’t become a fan of Fourth Master because of his dedication at first.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, she turned her head away. "I heard someone mention that you cut Ninth Prince’s braid for the sake of Zaohua and Baifu, and I admired you for it."

Yinzhen: "Admired what? My temper isn’t exactly stable."

"I..." She wasn’t quite sure how to describe her feelings and took another step back toward the hot spring.

"Others thought it wasn’t worth it for just two dogs, but you believed it was. When you care about something, you protect it wholeheartedly. That’s what I admire."

She had never experienced such earnest and preferential love.

Her memories of her parents were faint. They worked far away, hoping to have a son and save up for his future dowry.

Her grandmother was kind to her, but she favored her own son and envied other families’ grandsons.

Whenever Geng Shuning got into fights with boys, her grandmother ignored her injuries and forced her to apologize, no matter who was at fault.

Her grandmother would say that they had no one to rely on and couldn’t afford to offend everyone.

But Geng Shuning knew her grandmother believed boys were more important and shouldn’t be challenged.

Hearing stories about Fourth Master, she admired how he stood up for his dogs, unafraid of offending others, and openly admitted to being a man of principle.

She envied those dogs and admired this man’s attitude, dreaming of meeting someone who would protect her like that.

Unfortunately, such a person didn’t exist in reality, so she became that person herself.

Yinzhen’s heart swelled with emotion. No one had ever agreed with him on this, even though everyone knew Ninth Prince was the bully. Yet, they still thought Yinzhen had overreacted.

Yinzhen’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he took a few steps forward, his voice much softer. "So why don’t you love me now?"

Geng Shuning quickly lifted her head, her eyes filled with surprise, and then quickly lowered them, stepping back.

"I, I didn’t..."

Yinzhen impatiently cut her off. "Whether you love me or not, your eyes can’t hide it. I don’t want to hear your nonsense today!"

Geng Shuning choked on her words, feeling a little irritated. One moment it’s ‘I,’ the next it’s ‘I, the Emperor.’ Does he even realize who he’s talking to?

She bit her tongue to suppress her anger, pondered for a moment, and decided to be straightforward.

"I never dared to dream of becoming your consort. It was only after I discovered that my dear cousin and my half-sister were conspiring together, plotting to harm us, that I fell seriously ill and had that dream."

"Having seen different scenery and remembered too many extraordinarily talented women, I just wanted to live for myself, not be confined to the inner court or the palace."

Yinzhen sneered, "So, you want to be a widow who enjoys freedom, pushing Lady Niohuru in front of me to manipulate me, and even scheming against the Tong family."

"Oh, there's more," he continued to close in, "You also planned to sell a favor to Mother and the Niohuru family, making arrangements for yourself to leave the palace."

"You’ve planned everything, but you didn’t consider whether I would be willing!"

Geng Shuning bit her lip, stepping back as she argued, "You already have many concubines, what's one more? Aren't heirs important to you?"

"If you're unwilling, no one can force you, right?" If anyone could force me, I wouldn't have enjoyed peace for over a year after ascending the throne.

Yinzhen scoffed, "No one is forcing me, but can you say you weren't trying to provoke me and stir my interest, making me willingly favor the women you pushed forward?"

Geng Shuning, growing impatient, suppressed her anger again, trying to stay calm and speak rationally.

"Then if it's my fault, I’ll spend my entire life making amends..."

Yinzhen suddenly strode forward, grabbing her chin, his anger flaring more than hers. "I said, I don't want to hear your nonsense, you know what I'm talking about!"

Geng Shuning, startled by him, stepped back to the edge of the hot spring, nearly losing her balance and falling in.

Yinzhen caught her waist, his lazy eyes sharpening, filled with anger, and finally, reluctance.

"You've been betraying the emperor all along! Did you think I would also fall for you?"

His face flushed with anger, Yinzhen held her chin forcefully, gripping her waist even tighter, forcing her to look up.

"You can atone for betraying the emperor, but how will you atone for my feelings? Hmm?"

Geng Shuning, feeling pain in her waist and chin, dared not provoke him further, softening her tone to placate him.

"I will stay by your side, using my abilities to help you maintain peace, isn't that good?"

"You said yourself, the empire is what matters most to you..."

Yinzhen's chest heaved with anger, leaning down to cut off her placating words, his anger mingling in their kiss.

"Does the empire conflict with you?"

He bit her lip, "To this day, you still twist the truth, not a single honest word!"

Geng Shuning, unable to breathe from the kiss, unable to turn her head, whimpered trying to explain, when suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her tongue, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth.

She widened her eyes, tears falling from the pain, pushing him forcefully, he actually bit me!

Then, another pain in her lip, Yinzhen's grip not weakening in the slightest.

He stared angrily at Geng Shuning's watery eyes, thinking of his rejected feelings, a mix of frustration and anger, making his whole body ache.

"Even when given the chance, you don't speak, then your tongue can go as well!"

Geng Shuning: ???

"Without a tongue, you can still serve loyally!" Finishing his words, Yinzhen again captured her tongue with an overwhelming force, kissing her so fiercely that her mouth filled with blood.

Geng Shuning's lips were in excruciating pain, inside and out, and tears kept flowing uncontrollably, leaving her unable to utter a word as she sobbed.

"Today, I shall teach you a lesson!" Yinzhen bit not only her lip but also didn't spare her ear, speaking through gritted teeth as he bit her earlobe.

"If you want to play games with people's hearts, and I agree, then you have to see it through to the end. If you want to leave the stage, you'd better ask if I agree or not!"

"There are plenty of capable people under heaven; we don't lack you!"

"If you don't give me an explanation, I might as well break your legs. I don’t trust your lies. Without legs, I’ll believe you won’t run again!"

Geng Shuning was shocked by his sudden outpouring of emotions and violence, her scalp tingling as her anger became uncontainable.

She couldn't break free from his grip, and in her pain, she mustered all her strength, twisting her body and pulling him down into the hot spring with her.

With a loud 'splash,' Su Peisheng, who was waiting outside, was so startled he could barely stand still and instinctively started to walk in.

"Your Majesty? Miss?"

Yinzhen and Geng Shuning's voices rang out simultaneously—

"Get out!"

Su Peisheng: "..." Alright, whatever you say.

He quickly retreated further away, thought for a moment, and waved at Zhao Song. "Take some men to the hot spring palace and bring the Imperial Physician Chang. Don't disturb the Empress Dowager."

The Emperor had used the Empress Dowager's poor health as an excuse, claiming filial duty, to bring her to the hot spring palace for treatment.

He had better not cause any trouble, or it will be impossible to clean up the mess.

*

Inside the hot spring pool, Geng Shuning, relying on her good swimming skills and the buoyancy of the water, struggled free. Unable to hold back any longer, she kicked Yinzhen hard in the stomach.

Yinzhen staggered from the kick, falling clumsily into the hot spring, glaring up at her. "Geng Shuning, are you really courting death?"

Geng Shuning used the momentum to retreat, leaning against the edge of the pool, her gaze even fiercer than his. "I'm done with this!"

She had initially sensed that his anger was off and had planned to pacify him gently.

But now, hearing his complaints and rage, all she wanted to do was lash out.

"You want to hear the truth, right? Fine, I'll tell you!" Geng Shuning's smile carried a chill, even the mist of the hot spring unable to conceal it.

She splashed water with each word, throwing them at him like daggers—

"It takes two to tango, and you can't blame me for what you started. Do you really not understand?"

"Or is it that, relying on your power, you act like an official who can light fires but the common people can’t even light lamps? Even your affections are high and mighty. Do I owe you something?!"

"I wanted to be a merry widow. Didn’t you know from the start?"

"Did I ever ask to leave the palace? Did I ever say I didn’t want to be a consort? Did I ever initiate anything?"

"It was you who kept making advances, stirring up my frivolous thoughts, but then you couldn’t control your own desires and went to favor others. Why shouldn’t I waver?"

As she unleashed her temper, Yinzhen's previous violence gradually subsided. He merely stared at Geng Shuning with a dark expression.

"I have already agreed to give you exclusive favor..."

"Pah! Who cares!" Geng Shuning spat out a mouthful of blood, completely lost in her anger. When it came to being sharp-tongued, the two of them were always on the same level.

"I'm asking you, if you suddenly became a woman, would you be willing to be locked in the inner court, unable to use your knowledge, only relying on your body and belly to gain a little favor?"

"If you had the ability to be a proper wife, or even have a harem of your own, would you be willing to kneel at someone else's feet, begging for mercy?"

Was he the only one who felt resentful? She also felt resentful, and all her struggles burst out in her shouts.

Yinzhen's eyes showed a flash of confusion; he couldn't imagine himself becoming a woman.

But he had also knelt before his second brother and his father, struggling and resigning himself to fate.

Oddly, he began to understand Geng Shuning's wavering, his heart throbbing painfully.

He wanted to hold this frustrated little fox in his arms and tell her, "I will not let you beg for mercy. If you don't want to kneel, you don't have to."

He was the emperor; the world was his. With the right methods, protecting a woman and making her stand above ten thousand people was possible...

"Don't tell me that useless stuff!" Geng Shuning pushed him away, cutting off his gentleness, her eyes full of sarcasm.

"Can you make me empress, dissolve the harem, or get the Grand Empress Dowager, the Retired Emperor, and the Empress Dowager to just watch as I become a femme fatale?"

"You always ask me why I don't want to serve you, thinking I'm disgusted by you." Geng Shuning didn't know why, but as she got angrier, she felt wronged, and her tears flowed even more fiercely.

"What's the big deal about sleeping together? We can do it right now!"

She tore open her collar, rushed at Yinzhen, and pushed him down, temporarily overpowering the man who was stunned for a moment, just like she had been suppressed before.

She leaned down and viciously kissed him, trying to tear his clothes, her well-manicured nails splitting and staining his dark gold robe with blossoms of blood.

"I've always known you have many concubines; if I disgusted you, I wouldn't have wavered!"

"We like each other, so why should I serve you? Why should I bow my head?"

She bit Yinzhen's lip with all her strength but was soon overpowered by the man.

"Ning'er, calm down, I didn't ask you to bow your head..." He just wanted to hear her speak the truth.

Yinzhen turned his head to avoid Geng Shuning's kiss, or rather, her bite, his head pounding.

Perhaps their personalities were too similar; every time they bared their hearts, they ended up hurting each other.

"Ning'er..." He tried to soothe her with utmost gentleness, regretting his earlier demands, "Let's talk things through..."

The string that had been tightly wound in Geng Shuning's mind snapped, and being unable to move, she could only cry out loud.

"Don't call me Ning'er! Is it that I don't want to talk nicely with you?!"

"You always force me! This kind of liking, like toying with a cat or dog, is only precious to cats and dogs..."

"You say you indulge me, but have you only indulged me? Wahhh... I just don't want it!"

"You keep coming after me, but you keep telling me it doesn't have to be me, so why come to me?"

Why can't I be the one you can't live without? Why do I work so hard but still can't get what I want...

She wailed like a little girl who had learned of her parents' death, hiding in a deserted cave, knowing tears were useless but still crying.

Her father had died to protect her pregnant mother, killed by a falling object.

Her mother had also miscarried, losing a baby boy, and unable to bear it, had passed away too. Neither of them had ever thought of her.

Geng Shuning's grandma always cried while holding photos of her parents, and whenever she saw other people’s children, she would always feel regret when she looked at Geng Shuning.

When she passed away in the hospital, Grandma was worried that Geng Shuning would have a hard life on her own, but more than that, she was looking forward to reuniting with her son, daughter-in-law, and the grandson who had never been born.

Geng Shuning knew she was being difficult, just to confirm that no one was irreplaceable to her.

She had always felt unimportant, so couldn’t she love herself the most?

In her previous life, she had worked so hard to climb up and finally lived like a human, only to be reincarnated in this world, where everything became empty again, and she was unimportant once more.

Why did it have to be like this...

Yinzhen felt a bit of panic in his heart and kept stroking her cheek, gently coaxing her.

"I was wrong... I shouldn't have pushed you." He wanted to hold her up, afraid that she might faint after crying too hard in the hot spring pool.

Geng Shuning no longer had the strength to struggle. She closed her eyes, but tears still flowed, and her vision was fading.

She murmured, "I don’t want anything anymore, I won’t struggle, even playing dead is exhausting..."

The heavens wouldn’t let her live a normal life.

"Don’t you just want me to know that nothing I do matters?" She ignored the pain in her body, gave up struggling, and let herself sink into darkness.

"You can do whatever you want..." isn’t that enough? She was done playing.

When Geng Shuning’s head suddenly fell limp, and with the blood on both of them being blown by the autumn wind, Yinzhen felt like a knife had pierced through his heart.

The panic, combined with the cold wind, made him stagger and nearly lose his balance.

"Shu Ning? Shu Ning?" He was so panicked that he felt weak all over, but he clenched his teeth and strode out, calling out loudly—

"Su Peisheng! Call the imperial physician!!!"

*

Su Peisheng saw the blood all over the two of them and the bleeding wounds, and his soul almost flew away in fright.

Zhao Song hadn’t returned yet, and Qiao He was trembling too much to run.

It was Lin Fu, the head of the Imperial Guard, who remained calm and quickly ran out, leading the guards to rush and meet Zhao Song.

After the chaos, Imperial Physician Chang felt like he had just lived through a nightmare that had been chewed up by a dog.

For a while, the curses in his heart wouldn’t subside, and after calming down again and again, he knelt before Yinzhen to report.

"Your Majesty, Miss Geng was just overwhelmed by anger and couldn’t handle the heat of the hot spring, so she fainted. It’s nothing serious."

"As for the wound on her lip... applying some wound medicine and white jade ointment will form a scab by tomorrow, also nothing serious."

Geng Shuning, in the imperial presence, ate the nourishing imperial meals alongside Yinzhen and was given many soups by him to nourish her. Her health had improved significantly compared to before.

Imperial Physician Chang cautiously glanced at Yinzhen’s thin lips, feeling an even more complex mix of emotions and inwardly cursing.

"Your Majesty, you need to be careful with your wound and give it time to heal properly."

Su Peisheng carefully recalled and couldn’t help but secretly smack his lips.

When the master got angry, it was just for show, barely breaking the skin.

But when the lady inside got serious, she didn’t hold back at all.

He began to worry again. This woman had almost bitten his lips into three pieces; how could they return to the hot spring palace now?

Yinzhen didn't care about his lip injury; he could later use a dagger to conceal how it happened, and he wouldn't let anyone discover that it was Geng Shuning who did it.

He coldly glared at Imperial Physician Chang, "What about the injury on her hand?"

Imperial Physician Chang hurriedly replied, "I have examined it. Two nails were split, and the fingers were injured, but medicine has been applied, and there is no major issue."

Yinzhen didn't want to hear the words 'no major issue' anymore. He pinched the bridge of his nose and asked through gritted teeth, "When will she wake up?"

Imperial Physician Chang said, "This... Geng Shuning is exhausted. She will wake up after resting."

"Then you will wait here. I entrust her well-being to you. Make sure she recovers quickly. If anything goes wrong, you’ll answer to me with your life!"

Imperial Physician Chang felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly bowed, "I will obey!"

Yinzhen didn't say anything more. He stood up and walked a few steps into the room but stopped and turned to go outside.

Su Peisheng quickly followed, "Your Majesty, what should we do now..."

"Go to the main hall. You and Lin Fu take people back to guard the main hall."

"If the Empress Dowager asks, tell her I'm unwell and have retired early."

Yinzhen spoke in a deep voice, "Bring a dagger. Also, send Zhao Song to the Thirteenth Prince's mansion to deliver my order, calling him to the hot spring palace immediately."

Su Peisheng didn't understand but didn't dare to ask at this moment. He carefully picked up an excellent dagger and entered the room.

Yinzhen took a candle stand and sat in front of the copper mirror. He heated the dagger over the flame to disinfect it, then without hesitation, smoothly sliced the wound with tooth marks.

Su Peisheng knelt down with a thud, "Your Majesty! What... what are you doing..."

Yinzhen calmly covered the wound with a handkerchief, letting the blood soak his palm, his expression unchanged.

The pain on his lips was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

Geng Shuning's earlier words would have been enough to condemn nine familial exterminations in the eyes of conventional moralists.

He never imagined he would hear such words, and he was both glad to hear her true feelings and regretful that he had forced her to say them in such a manner.

Those words felt like slaps across his face.

Yes, he had known from the start that the clever and spirited little fox wanted to leave the palace, to soar freely like a sea eagle.

He didn't want to admit that he was attracted to her vitality and resilience, which were entirely different from other women. Unable to stand the itch in his heart, he had made the first move to seduce her several times.

Knowing she liked to look at his hands, liked to watch his Adam's apple when he swallowed, liked the strength with which he held her... If he hadn't been aware of his attraction to her, he wouldn't have been led by the nose and deceived.

He was unwilling that his first attempt at using his charm to entice someone had failed to keep her from leaving.

He was unwilling that with such a compatible little fox, he had done so much like an inexperienced youth but still couldn't make her submit to him.

Now thinking back, what he liked was her uniqueness. And this blessing Heaven had sent him, why should she have to submit to him?

The matter of affection, unlike the court, couldn't determine who was superior or inferior.

He suddenly thought, if he were Geng Shuning, he would have caused chaos in the palace long ago, making others submit under his feet.

That little thing just wanted to leave; her heart was too kind.

He took the hemostatic ointment from the pale-faced Su Peisheng and carelessly applied it to his own lip.

The pain brought him slightly back to his senses, and he covered his lip with a cloth stained with the ointment.

In a muffled voice, he instructed, "Tell the Thirteenth Prince that we were sparring, and I accidentally hit my lip on his sword."

"To apologize, he has volunteered to pray in the small Buddhist chapel at the hot spring palace until my lip heals."

Su Peisheng was speechless.

*

Braving the storm and the night, Yunxiang, who had finally managed to reach the hot spring palace, was even more dumbfounded than Su Peisheng.

"Did I cut Fourth Brother with a sword?" Yunxiang pointed at himself, unable to hold back, he turned and slapped his personal attendant on the back of the head.

He asked, "Does it hurt?"

The personal attendant, who had just been hit, replied, "...It hurts."

Yunxiang nodded, looking bewildered. "So it’s not a dream. I really should go kneel in the chapel."

Otherwise, he feared he was seeing a ghost and was trapped in a nightmare.

When meeting the emperor, one must disarm, and even during sparring, we use wooden weapons.

In any normal dream, he wouldn’t believe he could injure the emperor with a wooden sword.

Su Peisheng explained with a forced smile, 'His Majesty accidentally injured himself, and it’s hard to explain, so we’re asking you to take responsibility.'

"I’ve already set up a bed for you in the chapel to prevent any further injury."

No matter how much Yunxiang thought about it, he couldn’t figure out how Fourth Brother had injured his lip. Did he bite it in frustration?

The thought of his Fourth Brother biting his lip in anger made Yunxiang shudder.

He quickly shook his head and asked, "Is Fourth Brother asleep? May I ask Chief Su to report and allow me to check Fourth Brother's injury?"

Su Peisheng smiled awkwardly. "His Majesty doesn’t want the Empress Dowager to worry, so he’s resting at the imperial estate. We’ll need you to explain this to the ministers during tomorrow’s court session."

"The memorials at the imperial court will also need to be delivered to the estate, as His Majesty has some matters he wishes to discuss with you."

On his way back, Su Peisheng had figured it out. Calling the Thirteenth Prince over was probably not just to take the blame.

This was to keep the emperor happy and ensure the Thirteenth Prince could assist and protect him.

So he hadn’t thought too much about a watertight excuse. Once the Thirteenth Prince met the emperor and Geng Shuning, nothing could be hidden.

Yunxiang was left speechless by Su Peisheng's response. What could he say?

Say that he was so bold as to cut the emperor and send him to the hot spring manor? The censors would eat him alive!

If the emperor’s father found out, he wouldn’t let him off easily either.

His vision also darkened a little, feeling that this blame was more ominous than the earthquake a few years ago.

But Yunxiang wasn’t a fool. Seeing Su Peisheng’s embarrassed expression, his mind raced.

He couldn't believe the emperor would hurt his own mouth, probably from being bitten by someone... But Fourth Brother hadn’t brought any consorts with him to the hot spring palace.

As he headed to the small Buddhist chapel, Yunxiang suddenly had a thought and recalled the recent rumors from the palace about the Geng family’s eldest daughter being sent to the imperial estate to take the veil.

He touched his head and wore a meaningful smile. Forcing her to become a nun, only to send her right back into someone’s arms... it seemed Fourth Brother was giving in to his desires.

His relationship with his wives and concubines was much better than Fourth Brother’s. When it came to matters between men and women, he wasn’t an expert, but he knew enough.

Was he being called over to give advice on such matters?

Tsk, tsk—Fourth Brother was in for a fall.

Unbeknownst to him, the Fourth Brother he was gossiping about had just taken a fever-reducing potion and collapsed into the bed in the east wing courtyard, dazed and disoriented.

Yinzhen clung to the still-sleeping figure, his expression grim.

Though both had been caught in the rain, Geng Shuning hadn’t developed a fever, while Yinzhen had. It seemed even the heavens had decided who the victor was.