The Slender Waist-Chapter 342 - 240: Ashamed of My Inferiority

In the neighboring courtyard.

Idle handmaids in Chinese jackets and long dresses played hide-and-seek amidst the courtyard’s flowers and trees. With trembling hairpins, each charming and graceful, they would occasionally exchange a laugh or two, chasing and frolicking in a scene of tranquil peace.

Which young nobleman, possessing such beauties, wouldn’t consider it a blessing? I fear he might spend his days lost in a floral labyrinth...

Yet it was their master who had sent them out.

Chunyu Yan sat quietly in the inner room, his eyes barely closed, eyelashes quivering, struggling to suppress his disordered breathing. In the midst of overwhelmingly bewitching noise, he could not repress the numbness creeping over his scalp, and gradually, he got lost in it.

He thought he must be going mad.

Mad with despair.

An extinguished, dark life without a sliver of hope, nothing was more terrifying than this...

Alone in the dim light and shadows, his disheveled robes cast his resplendent features in an allure akin to blooming flowers in the warm sun, the height of romantic grace. However, with such a face, not nestled against warmth and affection but rather seated by the night lamp, desolate and without hope, there was only lingering sorrow.

The bronze mirror reflected the young lord’s unmatched elegance, his fierceness subdued, face flushed, eyes as if steeped in ice.

His dignity and decorum torn to shreds, devoid of any masks or pretense.

He was like a ghost, poisoned to the core.

"Feng Twelve."

Chunyu Yan bit his teeth, engulfed in chaotic delusions and frenzy.

His dark and silent eyes closed tighter, curtaining the ripples inside, as he gritted his teeth amidst ceaseless pleasures.

"I so want to kill you."

His voice hoarse with a sticky thickness.

His body sweated as if he had just been fished out of water...

His disheveled voice, wielding a terrible influence, made him experience a bizarre confusion in his struggle and descent. That maiden threw herself into his arms, entwining around him, biting him, calling out his name. He hugged her tightly, pressing her to her limit...

"To kill you!"

Huh!

After a desperate gasp and shudder, he calmed down, his mind clearer than ever.

He saw himself in the mirror, seated on a cold wooden bed.

Empty arms, she was not there.

The wind outside grew louder, and from next door, the sobbing sounds had ceased, silent as though what he had heard was all an illusion...

Chunyu Yan curled his fingers, gently touching his heart.

It was still beating fiercely, not yet recovered from the aftermath.

A sudden sense of shame arose, instilling immense fear in him.

Was he truly so sinful in his past life that the heavens punished him so?

He sat quietly for a moment before speaking softly.

"Sang You."

Sang You’s figure appeared outside the screen, faintly visible through the candlelight.

"What does the Princely Heir summon this servant for?"

Chunyu Yan said, "Prepare water."

Sang You complied.

He heard the crack in his master’s voice.

But he dared not ask, and quickly disappeared behind the screen.

Chunyu Yan, with a calm demeanor, stood by the table, just as hurried footsteps approached from outside.

Quding’s voice arrived before he did.

"Princely Heir, are you there?"

These strategists hold quite the esteem in the presence of nobility.

Yin You did not stop him, following behind to assist with the knocking, smiling as he asked, "Strategist Quding, is there good news?"

Quding’s voice carried irrepressible joy.

"Certainly. I shall discuss it with the Princely Heir first..."

Chunyu Yan’s brows furrowed slightly, glancing sideways at the mask before putting it on and adjusting his robe, sitting upright with a grave voice.

"Come in."

The door creaked open, the bronze lamp flickering in the wind.

Quding approached, looking at the expressionless mask in the candlelight, and gave a brief bow.

"Princely Heir, your servant has uncovered some news."

Chunyu Yan lifted a tea cup that had already gone cold, "Speak."

Quding moved next to him, then lowered his head to whisper in his ear.

Chunyu Yan’s eyes widened visibly with shock. He slowly turned to look at Quding, and upon seeing him nod again, he stiffened, his back sweat chilled by the cold wind, shivering all over.

It took a while before he let out a cool chuckle.

"Truly a madwoman!"

He had pondered many truths behind Feng Yun’s poisoning...

But he never imagined that the perpetrator would be herself.

"Daring to administer such potent drugs to oneself, without fear of ending one’s lineage, that’s ruthlessly vicious, truly malicious..."

Quding sighed, "Your servant can only uncover so much for now. The drug was indeed prepared by Lady Yun, no doubt about that, but the source of the prescription is unknown. I’ve had familiar doctors look at it; it’s quite ingeniously crafted and extremely fierce, a Tiger and Wolf Medicine indeed..."

He glanced at Chunyu Yan with empathy.

"Lady Yun indeed left no path for retreat for herself."

Chunyu Yan scoffed coldly.

That strange chill just penetrated his bones unguarded.

It was as if carrying the residual warmth from the delusions just moments ago.

He gritted his teeth, "A vicious woman."

To frame someone else, she could be so cruel to herself.

Feng Twelve called him twisted?

Compared to her, Chunyu Yan considered himself lacking.

Quding asked, "What should we do now?"

Chunyu Yan stared him down, unmoved, "The reward I promised you will not be diminished."

Quding chuckled awkwardly, "This servant isn’t after that, just worried for the Princely Heir..."

"Spare me the pleasantries." Chunyu Yan fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed softly, as if in a good mood, "I wonder if Pei Wangzhi would die of anger after learning of this?"

Quding was unable to decipher the thoughts of his master; however, when he heard him speak, he felt a pang of panic, a gut feeling that it was not a sign of anything good...

Quding touched his nose and then thought of another matter.

"I have also uncovered the truth about Jiang Ji," he said.

Chunyu Yan looked up, "Is it her?"

Quding bowed and said, "May I ask the Princely Heir, if Jiang Ji is indeed Lian Ji, what would you do?"

The matter was extremely delicate.

Despite Chunyu Yan’s apparent eagerness to clarify Jiang Yin’s identity, relentlessly investigating time and again, Quding felt that the Princely Heir had not thought clearly about what to do, how to do it, hence the continuous delays...

Otherwise, why hadn’t he, with his tenacious nature as he had shown with Feng Shi Er Niang, already brought Jiang Yin back to his estate by now?

Indeed.

Chunyu Yan’s slender phoenix eyes shifted slightly, and after a long while, he said:

"With both her parents gone, she has no one to rely on; naturally, I cannot stand idly by."

Quding: ...

Is that it?

All this searching, just to look after her welfare and repay a past kindness?

-

Pei Jue’s stamina far surpassed that of an ordinary man.

Even with restraint, he left Feng Yun somewhat dizzy.

As one walks the path of greed and degeneration, it’s like stepping down one stair at a time, descending without end...

The wind ceased, and the rain stopped.

Pei Jue ripped off the cloth strips and looked at Feng Yun while catching his breath, his eyes a deep red.

Having had her, yet not fully so, this woman always had a way to torment his heart. The inability to possess her completely was like a cat’s claw scratching intermittently inside his heart, threatening his very life.

Yet, he couldn’t blame her...

His gaze lowered to see his unsatisfied desire post-release and then he touched the bite marks covering his neck, his voice hoarse as he asked:

"Are you satisfied now, Lady Yun?"

"General, you should go quickly. Don’t be late!" Feng Yun’s face bore the marks of being pressed down; her lashes fluttered slightly, the rims of her eyes and the tip of her nose red, her lower abdomen heavy. She breathed heavily, her cheeks and the tips of her ears burning hot as if they’d catch fire.

Pei Jue disentangled himself to find the flint.

The light from the blue-and-white lamp brightened the room. The firelight made the porcelain glow warmly, and Feng Yun’s pretty face looked as fresh as a hillside after the rain, beguiling and enchanting. Her wet hair slightly disheveled, she lay there limply, curled up as if unable to bear the cold...

Pei Jue came back and embraced her waist, nuzzling against her with complicated feelings, "I’m very pleased..."

"..." Feng Yun leaned back slightly, catching a glimpse of his robust body. She pulled her clothes to cover herself, her voice weak but cursing faintly.

"Go quickly, I can’t bear to look at you."

Pei Jue: ...

Heartless — that was her.

Discarded after use.

As if they were but dewy lovers.

Delighted during the affair but strangers once it’s done.

Pei Jue’s gaze was icy cold.

"Wait for my return..."

Feng Yun stroked her swollen belly, too fatigued to show any more resistance.

"Don’t come back tonight."

Pei Jue’s face hardened, and with a swift movement, he grasped her foot that was hidden under her skirt. Feng Yun shuddered, curling her toes in fright and squinting as a warning, "General, don’t start anything now!"

Start anything?

Taking advantage and yet acting coy.

Pei Jue tightened his grip on her ankle, pulling her closer. He leaned down to circle her, eye to eye, kissed her sweaty cheek without a word, and then went to clean himself.

Feng Yun heard the sound of water, knowing he was preparing to meet Li Sangruo, but she no longer had the energy to utter sarcastic remarks.

Of course, she wasn’t really that embittered.

She even felt like laughing...

So she truly laughed out loud.

-

When Pei Jue emerged, Zuo Zhong and Jiu You had their heads bowed.

His voice was a bit hoarse as he said, "Let’s go."

But his expression was as usual, as if nothing had happened.

Zuo Zhong glanced up at him.

"Does the General wish to go back and change clothes?"

It was indeed laughable that Chunmeng Hall held no clothing for the Great General, and the lady of the house never even considered preparing anything for him, let alone sincerely inviting him to stay the night.

Pei Jue looked down at himself and adjusted the cloak he wore.

"No need."

Jiu You expressed sympathy for the General, "Tomorrow I will tidy up a bit and bring some clothes over for the General, shall I?"

This time Pei Jue did not refuse, striding ahead.

Jiu You exchanged a glance with Zuo Zhong. They scrutinized the General’s upright back, unable to discern his emotions, and felt that something was odd, though they couldn’t pinpoint what exactly.

He whispered to Zuo Zhong, "Is the General really not going to change clothes?"

A cloak concealed the front, but once removed in the main hall, wouldn’t the disheveled robes be obvious?

Would that not be disrespectful for attending the Empress Dowager’s evening banquet?

Zuo Zhong also thought it inappropriate.

But...

He glanced back at the courtyard in the dark night.

"If the lady finds it fitting, then it must be fitting for the General," he said.

Jiu You seemed to half understand but then laughed softly, making playful gestures.

"You have to admit, our lady has quite the skill, doesn’t she?"

Zuo Zhong stayed silent.

If someone had told him last June that the Great General would be detained by a woman eager for love before an urgent journey, he wouldn’t have believed it.

Passion clouds the mind—truly, the ancient saying never lies.