091. How Could a Eunuch Marry You?

By the first light of dawn, Yue Qianxue still had no idea where Zhan Lianjing intended to take her.

He had brought her on horseback to the side of a steep mountain slope, far too rugged to climb easily.

After they dismounted, Zhan Lianjing reached out his hand. “Come.”

Yue Qianxue frowned. “Are we really going up there? What is there at the summit?”

He gave a soft hum, turning his face away from her, though his hand had already closed around hers and, in the same motion, lifted her into his arms.

“Once we arrive, you will know.”

His voice was exceptionally gentle at this moment. He had once been all icy indifference, but now, when facing Yue Qianxue, he was tender beyond measure.

Yet men were often like this: if they truly liked you, they would show you only the best of themselves.

They would give you the best of everything, and even their hearts, without the slightest hesitation.

Simply because they liked you; more than that, because they loved you.

And because of that, Zhan Lianjing had trusted too completely, offered up his best self too readily, only to receive a lie in return.

But that was a matter for later. For now, he was happy. At the very least, in his brief life, with Yue Qianxue having appeared in it, he felt his whole existence had become complete.

Using his martial arts, he ascended the mountain with ease. The summit was covered in stones, so he set Yue Qianxue down there, letting her sit upon a rock.

She was still wearing her black night clothes, but her face was exquisite, her hair loose about her shoulders, making her look all the more pleasing to the eye.

Zhan Lianjing had already removed his mask and sat beside her on the rock.

The sun had not yet risen. Yue Qianxue was rather excited. “Prince Zhan, did you bring me here to watch the sunrise?”

This was indeed a surprise to her. So Zhan Lianjing understood romance after all...

His expression remained cold and unreadable as he said, “It is not that simple.”

The eastern sky was flushed with red. The sun was about to rise, while most of the heavens still held a dark green-blue tint, creating a striking contrast.

As the sun began to emerge, throwing out the first slant of light, she felt everything around her brighten at once. She narrowed her eyes, not quite sure what was happening.

Zhan Lianjing pointed down into the valley. “Look below.”

Yue Qianxue lowered her gaze and saw that something beneath the valley was glowing and glittering, beautiful in its shimmering brilliance.

It was the refraction of light that caused such an effect. The stones here seemed to possess a strange quality: once touched by sunlight, they would gleam. At the bottom of the valley, only scattered stones shone here and there, and from afar it looked like a star-filled night sky, a canopy of countless stars spread across the heavens, breathtakingly beautiful.

Yue Qianxue was stunned. “This place is truly strange.”

“I was surprised the first time I saw it too,” Zhan Lianjing said.

But after a while in the sun, the stones would return to their ordinary appearance, and those little points of light would slowly fade away.

So he had brought Yue Qianxue here precisely for this moment. And besides her, he had brought no one else here.

Yue Qianxue laughed softly. “Then how many times has Prince Zhan been here?”

“Three times,” Zhan Lianjing said. “The first time I left in haste. The second time I came specially to see it, and then I thought: if I ever have someone I like, I would bring her here as well.”

Yue Qianxue’s hand paused. She stared at Zhan Lianjing in a daze.

His gaze remained as usual, but the feeling hidden within his eyes was enough to draw her in.

She lowered her eyes, suddenly wanting to avoid his gaze.

This time, she understood. Zhan Lianjing’s feelings were not false.

And her own heart seemed to tremble. It was as though, so long as Zhan Lianjing was there, her heart could find perfect peace.

Back when she had been trapped in that maze, with her life hanging by a thread, the person that came to mind was Zhan Lianjing. And indeed, in that moment, she had faintly glimpsed him.

To see her own heart clearly, and yet still feel bewildered.

After hesitating for a moment, Yue Qianxue finally made up her mind, intending to tell Zhan Lianjing the truth.

“Prince Zhan, actually I—”

Zhan Lianjing thought she was about to say something cruel again, so he simply turned his head and cut her off. “No ‘actually.’ I already made myself perfectly clear. Yue Qianxue, let me tell you this: whether you accept it now or not, you have to accept it!”

Yue Qianxue frowned. He was domineering again.

She harrumphed. “You are far too overbearing.”

“And there is more where that came from,” Zhan Lianjing said.

He turned back at once, pinched her chin, and kissed her.

Sealing her words with a kiss, he kept her from speaking again, his tongue pressing against hers.

Yue Qianxue still stared at him with wide eyes, that gaze...

Zhan Lianjing could not bear it. He simply covered her eyes with his hand.

Unable to see, Yue Qianxue fell into an entirely new world.

Thrilling... yet she was willing to sink into it completely.

In the capital, Yu Zhiyang’s plan had failed, and with only Yuan Jiaojiao left of the Yuan family, he was consumed by both self-reproach and fury.

He had never imagined that Yue Qianxue had deceived him once more. Poisoned? Hanging by a thread? It had all been nothing but an excuse!

His eyes darkened slightly. Since Yuan Jiaojiao had already been sent back to the palace, he was certain Yue Qianxue had not returned to the general’s residence. Right then, he wanted to go to the general’s residence and expose her lies!

However, a steamed-bun stall up ahead was surrounded by a crowd. The commoners were all talking at once, apparently accusing someone of eating buns without paying.

At first Yu Zhiyang had no intention of interfering, but as he passed by, he glanced over and saw that the person being surrounded was a young woman, her eyes red as if she had been frightened.

He stopped in his tracks, hesitated, and then walked over.

He had not returned to the capital for many years, and many of the townspeople did not recognize him as the Third Prince.

He did not care, and simply stepped forward, telling them to make way.

The stall owner was still cursing. “Look at you, a little girl who’s not even bad-looking, and you actually ate my buns without money? Where did you learn such shameless behavior!”

The girl looked to be only fourteen or fifteen, her face pale, her eyes large, but her appearance was striking enough to catch the eye.

After thinking for a moment, she removed the hairpin from her coiffure and said, “Mister, may I use this to pay?”

The owner looked at her face several times, plainly smitten by her beauty. What a lovely young thing she was.

“No! You pay cash right now! Otherwise, you’ll stay here and learn how to make buns for me, and only when you’ve repaid your debt can you leave!” The owner was clearly trying to keep her.

Yu Zhiyang frowned upon hearing this.

Yet the young girl seemed naive and unworldly, her eyes lowered as though she were considering it.

The owner grew anxious. “If you won’t agree, then I’ll report you to the authorities and have you thrown in jail!”

The girl hurriedly waved her hands. “No, no, I agree. I—”

Yu Zhiyang stepped out at that moment, tossed a tael of silver at the owner, and said, “It’s only the cost of a few buns. Couldn’t this white jade hairpin cover it? Miss, I’ll pay for the buns.”

Seeing Yu Zhiyang meddling and ruining his scheme, the owner glared at him. “Why are you sticking your nose in? What is this girl to you? Why should you pay for her?”

Yu Zhiyang looked at the girl and gave a light smile. “Because I am her—”

“Betrothed!” The girl rushed over at once and clung to his arm.

Yu Zhiyang froze and looked at her.

The girl smiled sweetly and leaned closer against him. “Future husband, this man is being far too bullying.”

The corner of Yu Zhiyang’s mouth twitched. She truly was a gifted actress.

He tried to shake off her hand, but she clung so tightly she would not let go.

Looking up at him, the girl said softly, “If you’re going to help me, why not help me all the way?”

Yu Zhiyang was already in a rather poor mood. He had intended to flare up, but considering she was only a young girl, he let it pass.

He gave a hum. “I told you to bring silver when you went out, but you never listen.”

Seeing this, the owner had nothing more to say. The other onlookers, seeing that the two of them were a handsome and well-matched pair, all began to criticize the owner instead.

In the end, Yu Zhiyang naturally took the girl away with ease. She kept tugging at his sleeve, and when they turned down another street, Yu Zhiyang said in a low voice, “Are you going to let go yet?”

This girl was truly clingy. Compared with her, he preferred Yue Qianxue’s cool indifference.

The girl grinned. “Future husband, what is your name?”

Yu Zhiyang said, “It was only a small favor. There is no need to remember it.”

“That won’t do. That was a whole tael of silver. I need to know your name and where you live, so I can bring the money back tomorrow.”

The corner of Yu Zhiyang’s lips lifted. “Very well. My name is Little Eunuch Yu, and I live in the imperial palace.”

“Little Eunuch Yu?” The girl frowned. “That sounds a lot like a eunuch’s name...”

“That’s right. I am a eunuch.” Yu Zhiyang easily shook off her hand, because the girl had already gone rigid.

She clearly could not accept it at all.

The girl stammered, “No... no way...”

Yu Zhiyang said, “Little girl, why would I lie to you? If you want to marry a eunuch, I would be willing.”

The girl stumbled back several steps. If she married a eunuch, would she not be ruining her whole life’s happiness?

Seeing her reaction, Yu Zhiyang turned away.

The girl did not chase after him, only feeling that she had been especially unlucky lately.

But after thinking about it a moment longer, she felt it was not such a big deal. So what if he was a eunuch? Her brother was paralyzed, after all. A person should not discriminate against the disabled!

So the girl hurried after him again, but just a moment ago she had still been able to see his figure, and now there was nothing left in sight.

She circled around and searched for a long time, but still could not find him.

The girl let out a frustrated sigh.

But then her complexion grew paler and paler. She gasped for breath, clutching her chest and leaning against the side of an alley.

Damn it, she was having another attack.

Hurriedly, the girl fumbled for her medicine. Her hand was trembling so badly that the little medicine bottle slipped from her grasp, hit the ground, and rolled away.