Chapter 46: Shall Steward Zhou Serve Tonight?

Chapter 46: Does Steward Zhou Need to Serve You Tonight?

Late at night, in the Dabie Mountains.

Autumn's chill has always brought melancholy, and the mountain sunset deepens the solitude.

The mountain paths of the Dabie Mountains were shrouded in night, seemingly endless, with overlapping ridges and orderly-growing trees. Looking up, the canopies intertwined, allowing a few strands of moonlight to slip through the gaps, illuminating the leaf-covered ground below.

Amidst these boundless mountain trails, three forensic examiners were inspecting a corpse, while several Imperial Guards dug around with torches.

They had no idea why the Crown Prince had suddenly ordered them to dig up bodies in the Dabie Mountains. Digging was one thing, but the corpse had been hacked apart and scattered by wild beasts, making the task akin to scavenging for fragments—pulling out a piece here, another there, and finally piecing together a body that had been gnawed to near-unrecognizability. Missing arms or a half-eaten head were common, and the legs were nowhere to be found, likely devoured by some wild beasts, leaving only half a corpse behind.

Had they arrived any later, even the bones might have vanished.

Fortunately, the autumn chill had slowed the decay, and though maggots had infested it, it wasn’t too severe—they could still conduct an examination.

But what truly baffled them was the Crown Prince’s demand: they were to determine whether the corpse had been a "virgin."

The three forensic examiners stared at the beast-torn, female corpse for a long while before proceeding with their inspection.

After their examination, they pulled back empty-handed—the body had decomposed beyond recognition, the flesh and skin no longer discernible.

Not only was the flesh indistinguishable, but even the facial features were unrecognizable, marred by numerous cleaver marks—evidence of the Crown Prince’s hatred for her.

The three men maintained blank faces, yet their eyes repeatedly met, each glance carrying a trace of fear.

Examining a corpse in the dead of night, especially one in such a ghastly state, was a deeply unsettling task.

This was something that no longer human-shaped, yet they knew she had once been alive—perhaps even spoken to them. Now, all that remained were gaping, putrid eye sockets staring back. The horror of that realization was chilling enough, but even more terrifying was the fact that the murderer stood nearby, waiting for their report. They, too, were part of this butchery. When that truth sank in, and they were forced to continue their examination, the feeling was indescribable.

It was as if something foul, slithering cold had been stuffed into their chests, sending shivers down their spines and quickening their pulses. They couldn’t shake the sensation that the corpse was watching them.

Who wouldn’t be afraid? But fear or not, the work had to be done. The corpse might not rise to kill them, but the Crown Prince certainly could.

Faced with two evils, they chose the lesser one.

Taking a deep breath, the forensic examiners steeled themselves and pressed on.

Truthfully, more frightening than the corpse was the Crown Prince himself.

In recent years, perhaps due to the Emperor’s oppressive scrutiny, the Crown Prince had grown increasingly ruthless and volatile—a man of calm yet frenzied demeanor, rational in his madness, like a rabid wolf that might lash out at any moment. His rule was simple: submit or perish. Those who failed to meet his expectations risked becoming targets of his wrath.

If not for having their families hostage, none of them would have taken on this wretched task!

After a thorough inspection confirmed that tactile examination yielded no results, they opened a carefully packed wooden box.

Inside were several clay jars, meticulously bound with hemp rope. Before opening them, they had to painstakingly untie the cords, don protective gloves, and use specialized tongs to lift the lids.

The three forensic examiners stared nervously at the jars, while the Imperial Guards nearby instinctively backed away.

Under the moonlight, the jars seemed to emit an eerie glow, sending shivers down the spines of all who beheld them.

And for good reason—these jars contained *gu* insects.

*Gu* insects!

These creatures were like inescapable nightmares, deeply ingrained in the cultural psyche of Great Chen’s people. Merely hearing the term was enough to make one’s hair stand on end—enough to give elders fatal shocks and hush wailing infants at night—such was the terror they inspired.

But what could the people of Great Chen do when the Southern poisoners knew how to use venomous insects?

No matter how terrified they were, they had to grit their teeth and use them.

Learning the enemy's skills to counter them—this was an unchanging principle for thousands of years. Moreover, sometimes these poisonous worms were truly quite useful.

Don’t underestimate this tiny little worm. They possessed all sorts of strange and wondrous effects, capable of things humans simply couldn’t achieve.

It was said that the Poison Inspection Office kept many such insects, and the most popular one was called the "Truth Worm." If placed in a person’s mouth, they would only speak the truth.

Of course, once they finished speaking, they would die—and the worm had to be carefully dug out from their stomach. The person’s death was irrelevant—the worm had to be preserved—these things could be passed down for three generations.

And the worm they had in their hands was even more formidable, even rarer.

Using two tempered iron tongs, the coroner extracted a snow-white worm that resembled a maggot.

At first glance, the worm seemed unremarkable, but it had a fine name—"Snow Servant."

Snow symbolized purity—and by extension, a woman’s chastity.

Since ancient times, some women exhibited unusual traits—on their wedding night, they might not bleed, making it impossible to confirm their virginity. Great Chen placed great importance on female chastity, so such women usually didn’t live to see the next day. Without proof of bleeding, their only option was to hang themselves. Neither the husband’s family nor their own would speak up to stop them for the sake of propriety. The slightly merciful might send them to a temple to live out their days in solitude, but such a life was hardly bearable.

Later, the "Snow Servant" worm was introduced from Southern Miasma. Unlike traditional methods, the Snow Servant didn’t judge chastity by bleeding—it detected whether a woman carried the yang energy of a man. After its introduction, the Snow Servant was bred in large quantities within the imperial palace. Every woman entering the palace had to be tested by the Snow Servant. Once verified, even if she didn’t bleed on her wedding night, she need not fear—it spared these women from certain death.

According to Southern Miasma beliefs, women embodied pure yin, while men embodied pure yang. If a woman had been with a man, she would carry his yang energy. The Snow Servant, if exposed to the blood of a pure yin woman, would remain unchanged. But if it touched the blood of a woman who had been with a man, it would melt into a puddle.

The Snow Servant wasn’t originally called that. When it first arrived from Southern Miasma, it was known as the "Gourd Worm." Later, in Great Chen, it was renamed "Snow Servant."

Snow Servant, Snow Servant—melting upon contact with yang. A name that suited it perfectly.

By simply placing a drop of blood on it, one could determine whether the female corpse was a virgin—regardless of whether she had taken her own virginity or if the membrane was even present. What mattered was only the presence of male essence. When it came to gu worms, many things were this simple yet miraculous. However, this corpse had been dead for a long time, and the blood had long since coagulated. Fresh blood couldn’t be found immediately, so they had to cut open the corpse and place the Snow Slave inside.

There was still some blood inside, though dried up. Putting the Snow Slave in would work just as well.

After inserting the Snow Slave, the group waited a moment. Seeing that the insect did not dissolve into liquid, they carefully retrieved it. The three coroners moved on together toward another part of the mountain.

Passing through the maple-covered hollow and treading the uneven mountain path, they finally reached level ground and spotted the Crown Prince from afar.

Several bootlicking Imperial Guards had cleared a flat area and brought a chair. The Crown Prince sat upon it, his face unreadable, except for one hand fidgeting with his jade thumb ring.

The Crown Prince had not personally participated in the examination. He merely sat there waiting, but every second felt like pure torment. He was like a man awaiting judgment, each breath an agony.

His heart felt like it had been ripped out and tossed onto a sizzling griddle, slowly searing. The flesh roasted, sizzling, as he waited in torment. The flesh gradually charred, turning into something brittle like hardened coal, ready to crumble into dust at the slightest touch.

He himself was like a lump of coal about to harden completely, liquid fire burning through his veins, growing more urgent by the moment, ready to explode at any time.

With each twist of the jade thumb ring, the Crown Prince’s agitation grew, and the heads of the surrounding Imperial Guards bowed even lower.

Finally, as a mountain breeze swept through, figures emerged from the slope below. The head coroner dropped to his knees ten steps from the Crown Prince and raised a wooden box.

Inside lay the Snow Slave, unharmed.

"Your Highness, after examining the corpse, we confirm that she was a virgin," the coroner reported. Silence followed, broken only by the Crown Prince’s sharp, ragged breaths.

The coroner dared not lift his head, keeping his gaze fixed on the Crown Prince’s boots.

After a moment, the Crown Prince abruptly stood from his chair, paced twice across the clearing, then turned to them and said, "Bring me the corpse."

The coroners froze, then immediately understood—the Crown Prince did not believe them.

The Crown Prince was paranoid and sly, insisting on verifying every detail repeatedly.

The others immediately went to retrieve the corpse, and within moments, they carried it back on a stretcher, running the test again in front of the Crown Prince.

This time, the Crown Prince could hardly contain his excitement. His eyes slowly reddening, and his jade thumb ring nearly grinding sparks from the friction.

All his previous ailments, melancholy, and inexplicable irritability dissipated in that moment, leaving him clearer and more exhilarated than ever. After pacing for a while, even his expression seemed lighter.

"Bury the corpse," the Crown Prince said, no longer disgusted by it, merely waving his hand dismissively. "Let's return."

The Crown Prince's good mood put his men at ease, and the group retraced their steps. On their way back, they ran into the private soldiers sent by Qin Chanyue into the mountains.

The hunting banquet hosted by Madame Jiang was still ongoing, with many still hunting in the hills. Qin Chanyue had dispatched her men to investigate the happenings in the hills—just in time.

Qin's private soldiers and the Crown Prince had arrived in the mountains almost simultaneously, but the Crown Prince's party had come earlier, securing advantageous terrain and spotting the approaching marquisate soldiers from afar.

The Crown Prince stayed hidden, while the private soldiers were out in the open. Thus, Qin Chanyue's men failed to notice the Crown Prince, while he observed them first.

As the soldiers approached, the Crown Prince studied them thoughtfully, his mind racing through scenarios.

First, there was Liu Yandai, then Qin Chanyue, and finally, the already deceased Wu Wanqing.

First, Wu Wanqing was a virgin. Posing as the woman who had slept with the Crown Prince, she only wanted to marry him.

Next, Liu Yandai.

That night, the woman with him must have been Liu Yandai! She just hadn’t owned up to it at the time, and Wu Wanqing had later taken her place. His memory was right. Zhou Yuanting had been so certain Liu Yandai was a virgin, which meant the blood on him that night and the child Liu Yandai was now diagnosed with—

The Crown Prince suddenly began trembling.

A nearby imperial guard startled, quickly glancing at him, only to see the Crown Prince muttering to himself as he paced, his eyes bloodshot and lips curling repeatedly as if half-crazed. The guard, with sharp ears, caught snippets of his murmurs.

"That's right, it's mine."

"Just once was enough, just once!"

"I'm capable, I truly am."

The mighty Crown Prince was back on top!

Watching the Crown Prince's "Fan Jin passing the imperial exams" demeanor (a reference to the scholar Fan Jin losing his sanity upon learning of his success in the imperial exams), the guard slowly lowered his head, thinking, *Damn, I knew it—the Crown Prince will be driven mad by the Emperor sooner or later.*

Unfazed by the guard's gaze, the Crown Prince continued pondering.

Beyond Wu Wanqing and Liu Yandai, there remained only Qin Chanyue.

Qin Chanyue clearly knew nothing—otherwise, she wouldn’t have so casually invited the Crown Prince today. Had she known Liu Yandai had slept with him, her first reaction wouldn’t have been about aborting the child but to send Liu Yandai away immediately. She would never have allowed Liu Yandai to remain in Chang'an, especially with the royal lineage at stake—Qin Chanyue couldn’t protect her.

Yet now, Qin Chanyue had taken no action against Liu Yandai. Instead, she had sent men to search the mountains, indicating Liu Yandai must have kept the truth from her, letting Qin Chanyue dare to push back.

As for why Liu Yandai hadn’t spoken up, it was easy to deduce.

If she was still a virgin that night, it meant she had never touched those eight male consorts. She hadn’t been pregnant—the Zhous had been right.

But now, the unexpected appearance of this child had resolved Qin Chanyue and Liu Yandai's predicament. To Liu Yandai, this child was everything—she wanted to conceal it.

Thus, she dared not reveal the Crown Prince's involvement, seemingly hoping to sweep it under the rug.

Liu Yandai's scheme was simple. A quick guess told him she hadn’t realized the Crown Prince had already gone as far as exhuming graves to uncover the truth.

To this day, Liu Yandai still believed the Crown Prince would "believe" she had slept with someone else. She remained unaware that Wu Wanqing was already dead, and might even think Wu Wanqing had successfully climbed the ranks.

Most women unfamiliar with political machinations assume that one night of virtue or a child can secure their rise in status. This is a mindset drilled into them after years of seclusion within household walls—taught and reinforced by everyone around them.

If a man and woman sleep together, they must marry. If a child is born, the child must be acknowledged. Regardless of whether it was an accident or a scheme, once intimacy occurs, they are bound by these rules.

But in truth, the rule-makers themselves don’t play by them.

Such schemes of rising through false accusations do exist, and between two equally powerful families, they might even succeed. If this had happened to the former heir, Zhou Yuanting, he wouldn’t have dared to kill Wu Wanqing outright—because he lacked the power to crush the Wu family.

But for the Crown Prince, it was different. Destroying a disgraced woman was as easy as squashing an ant. Had Wu Wanqing’s father still been alive, the Crown Prince might have faced some trouble after killing her. But with her father dead, Wu Wanqing was nothing.

This was the gap between them—misunderstanding upon misunderstanding piling into towering mountains. The Crown Prince stood at the summit, looking down, while Liu Yandai hid among the peaks, believing herself well concealed.

All this time, he had been mistaken. His dear Yandai had never been touched by another. The child he thought was someone else’s—was his own!

That milky-skinned maiden, soft as jade, her delicate skin, rosy lips, and the tears that fell one by one—

All his!

The Crown Prince burned with exhilaration, his bones crackling like a roaring fire.

As these realizations flashed through his mind, his excitement grew uncontrollable. His boots scraped restlessly against the ground, nearly carving a small pit in the earth. It seemed he was ready to climb through the marquis’s window tonight to find Liu Yandai.

While the Crown Prince pawed the ground like a frenzied bull, the golden-armored guards behind him exchanged silent glances.

What’s gotten into the Crown Prince?

Then, abruptly, the Crown Prince turned.

Every guard instinctively straightened.

Taking a deep breath, the Crown Prince commanded, "Steer clear of the Qin family’s troops. Don’t let them spot us."

Liu Yandai wanted to hide, and for now, the Crown Prince wasn’t about to blow her cover. He was at a critical juncture—if she were taken into the palace now, she would become a bullseye for Noble Consort Wan and the Second Prince.

Better to leave her at the marquis’s estate for now. This colossal lie—he’d help sell it.

Once he dealt with the Second Prince, and once the Emperor breathed his last, he could bring Liu Yandai into the palace properly.

With this thought, the Crown Prince gazed at the surrounding woods and found the Dabie Mountains suddenly not so hateful. In fact, he had grown quite fond of this place.

Perhaps someday, he could bring Liu Yandai back here to relive the past.

Out of all those people that day, it was him and Liu Yandai. This was surely the heavens’ will. He cherished that memory so deeply; surely, she did too.

Losing her maidenhead—she must have been unable to forget him. Would she have ever left if not for Wu Wanqing’s interference?

Night after night, Liu Yandai must have dreamed of their tangled sheets.

The Crown Prince lifted his chin, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

He was the Crown Prince—the alpha of alphas!

As mad chuckles burst from him, the golden-armored guards behind him slowly closed their eyes.

The Crown Prince was terrifying when he wasn’t laughing.

But when he laughed—it was downright chilling.

At the same time, in the Marquis of Zhongyi's estate at Changping Lane, Chang'an City.

Qin Chanyue had just brought Liu Yandai back to rest in the house.

Liu Yandai's status in the marquis's household was already high, but now it was even higher. Since learning that she was truly pregnant, Qin Chanyue had rushed to summon a midwife specializing in prenatal care to the estate, ordered the kitchen to prepare extra meals for Liu Yandai, and reviewed her diet to ensure there was nothing unsuitable for a pregnant woman.

Caught up in all these tasks, Qin Chanyue temporarily forgot about those two wretched creatures in Jianming Courtyard. By the time she remembered, the sun had already set, and she could only send for someone to inquire about their recent activities.

The maid she called in carried a plate of fruits, smiling as she said, "Madam, these are fruits Steward Zhou brought back. He insisted they be sliced and sent to you."

Qin Chanyue barely glanced at the fruits and simply asked, "What has been happening in Jianming Courtyard lately?"

Though she had been away from the estate, she had secretly kept a close watch on the two of them. Every move they made was under Qin Chanyue's surveillance.

Now, the items in Qin Chanyue's cabinet felt like a brewing storm, pressing on her relentlessly, leaving her not a moment's peace.

To put it plainly—it was like having a wolf at her heels.

"Madam, these past two days, Miss Bai and the Second Young Master have not wandered about. The Second Young Master has been practicing swordsmanship in Jianming Courtyard, while Miss Bai has been stitching infant garments. They appear quite lovey-dovey."

The maid promptly answered Qin Chanyue's questions. From her account, the people in Jianming Courtyard had been behaving very properly these past two days.

After listening, Qin Chanyue thought to herself, *They sure know how to play their parts well.*

Bai Yuning most likely wasn't pregnant at all. Coincidences like that didn't just happen, yet she had the patience to sew clothes for a child that didn’t even exist. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was truly a "good mother."

Setting aside other matters, her composure alone surpassed that of someone like Zhou Yuanting, and her endurance far exceeded that of ordinary people.

Pity she wasn't born a man—she could have accomplished so much more.

Lost in thought, Qin Chanyue flicked her wrist in dismissal, calling for the maid to leave.

Tomorrow, she would have to meet with the Crown Prince again to discuss today’s affairs. She needed to save her strength now.

But as the maid bowed and prepared to leave, she hesitated, cautiously glancing up at Qin Chanyue.

The mistress sat on the low couch, having removed her shoes and socks, leaning wearily against the soft pillows. Her beautiful face was set in cold displeasure, her slender yet thick brows furrowing deeper, her red lips pressed tightly together. Just one look at her expression made it clear she was cursing someone in her head.

She seemed deeply troubled.

"Hmm?" Noticing the maid hadn’t left, Qin Chanyue lifted her gaze, questioning her with just a tone.

The maid, recalling the gift she had received earlier, gritted her teeth and knelt once more, forcing a smile as she said, "Madam, you’ve been away on outings these past few days and haven’t seen Steward Zhou in a while. Today, he even asked about you, clearly pining for you and wondering when he might have the chance to serve you again."

Earlier, the maid had mentioned "fruits, Steward Zhou," but Qin Chanyue hadn’t paid it any mind. Now, the maid had no choice but to bring it up again.

Hesitantly, she ventured, "Madam, would you like to summon Steward Zhou tonight?"