Chapter 31: The Lecher

Once a marriage contract is signed, documents such as one’s household registration and travel permits—things that must be filed with the authorities—naturally have to be laid out on the table.

Yan Bei knew the background of Wang Huan’s family quite well.

That year, just before he received the imperial decree summoning him back to the capital to assist in governance, he had killed the tutor who had taught him for three years. The man had once sought to exploit Yan Bei’s youth, showing his true colors by secretly drafting letters regarding the Prince’s estate and sending them out. Although the traitor was cautious and left behind no identifying information, it was an undeniable fact that someone had set their sights on the Prince’s estate. Shortly thereafter, when the imperial decree arrived from the palace, Yan Bei turned his gaze toward the late Emperor.

The Prince’s estate had for generations regarded loyalty to the sovereign and protection of the state as its primary family motto. But if the imperial house would not tolerate him, was Yan Bei still expected to preach morality to them? He ordered the true cause of the tutor’s death to be concealed and then slipped secretly into the capital.

During that trip, he encountered two unexpected events. The first was witnessing the true nature of his relatives, the Du family. The second was being swept up by Ah Li’s mother and taken home as her husband.

It began without warning. He had squeezed into a crowd at a guild hall, competing with a group of failed scholars for odd jobs, when a conflict broke out. A man named Zhang Wei stood up to help him resolve the matter. The two joined forces to handle the trouble, and later, as they escaped into the woods outside the city gate, Zhang Wei pulled out a wine gourd to share with him. He explained that he was from a farmstead on the outskirts of the capital, managing several hundred acres of land left behind by his cousin.

Zhang Wei asked about his background. As the esteemed Prince Jingyang, it was easy for Yan Bei to fabricate a flawless identity. He claimed his surname was Cheng, the seventh in his family, and that his father had died young. His mother had named him Cheng Qi, a scholar who had failed the imperial examinations. He explained his presence at the guild hall by saying he had no money left for the journey home. He then took out a travel permit and asked for Zhang Wei’s help.

Zhang Wei mentioned that his employer—a distant cousin whose parents had both passed away—left all household affairs to him. He offered that if Yan Bei were willing to come back with him, finding a position would be no trouble at all.

Yan Bei’s movements in the capital were strictly clandestine; any leak would bring a host of complications. He was struggling to find a stable place to stay, so he readily agreed to Zhang Wei’s proposal. The village Zhang Wei spoke of was only twenty miles from the city gate, making travel convenient. The village was spacious, tucked against hills and forests, making it easy for his men to contact him and for him to stay hidden.

The moment he arrived at the employer’s home with Zhang Wei, he saw the orphaned heiress. She was lounging on a bamboo couch inside the window, intently reading a book. Only half of her jade-like profile was visible, yet as she reclined in the shade of the green gauze, she appeared as ethereal as a celestial being.

In the North, Yan Bei had seen many spirited women—like his second sister, who was like a firecracker, ready to draw her blade at the slightest disagreement. Such women were dazzling, but one could only see their sharp edges. The young ladies of the capital, by contrast, seemed far too soft.

But this Wang Huan—perhaps because she had supported her family alone since childhood—possessed both qualities! At first glance, she was supple and yielding; look closer, and her spirit was tempered steel. The hand holding the scroll was fair and slender, her fingernails trimmed short, a touch of pink and translucent pearl. Yet, the way she turned the pages was so crisp and efficient that it was easy to imagine her strangling a wolf the moment she closed the book.

Yan Bei had always prided himself on being a man of iron integrity, but from that day on, his perception of himself was shattered. He had always thought he was as incorruptible as Liuxia Hui, that no beauty could sway him. Instead, he discovered he wasn't so upright after all—he was just a lecher!

In short, Yan Bei stayed. With a cover, the actions of his shadow guards became much easier. The heiress’s household was small, consisting of only five or six people including Zhang Wei, so there was no risk of his identity being exposed. To hide his lecherous nature, he remained taciturn and avoided Wang Huan as much as possible.

Yet, to his surprise, she took the initiative to propose!

That day, he was bathing in the woodshed and noticed movement through a gap in the door. By the time he chased after her, Wang Huan was standing in the courtyard with a smile, her hands behind her back, openly eyeing the body wrapped in his coarse cloth garments. It was a breach of decorum, yet her bright almond eyes were filled with such gentle candor that Yan Bei felt petty for even wanting to cover himself.

She said, "Master Cheng, do you have a wife? If not, I intend to take you as my husband. I hope you will consider it seriously."

It was early summer, and the weather was fine. Perhaps Yan Bei was muddled by the heat, for his legs went weak and he stumbled on the spot! His father had died young, and he had assumed his position early. Almost everything in his life had revolved around becoming a capable Prince Jingyang. His mother had constantly suggested marriages, hoping he would find a virtuous wife to bear heirs, but he had never had the time to dwell on it. And he had certainly never imagined that a young maiden would propose to him after peeking at him in his bath!

He ran away without saying a word. Although he was a lecher, he wasn't about to take the bait the moment it was offered, was he? He wasn't a fool! He could see that her gaze clearly hungered for his body! What did she take him for? A concubine? If it weren't for the need to find a place to stay, he would have...

The next day, she came again. This time, she brought the deed to her three hundred acres of land and a box of silver ingots of various sizes. It was clear she had scraped it all together—it must have been her entire fortune. She said it was all for his dowry.

Yan Bei felt his blood rush to his head! He was a man of seven feet, full of vigor—was he the type of person to covet this dowry? He was so angry he ran off again.

He spent two days in town, tossing and turning, unable to close his eyes. Meanwhile, the frequent arrivals of his shadow guards had already drawn the attention of the innkeeper. For the sake of safety, he had to return to the Wang household. Actually, marriage wasn't impossible, right? A man marries and a woman takes a husband—it was only natural, and he had to take a princess consort eventually. Since he was a lecher and she hungered for him, why not?

Just as he was struggling with whether to swallow his pride and return, a shadow guard arrived to report progress and told him not to worry, as Miss Wang was already scouting for other candidates.

Yan Bei raced all the way back to the Wang estate. He clung to his last shred of reason and set a condition: he needed time to properly prepare for the wedding. But the woman didn't follow the rules of marriage either!

She agreed readily on the surface, but the very next night, she drugged him with a cup of wine and, in his dazed state, impatiently dragged him through the wedding rites.

When he woke up, the room was filled with the atmosphere of a bridal chamber, decorated in festive red. He was clean, his body pressing heavily against hers, his mouth biting down on her earlobe! On the pillows lay their tangled hair, and his hand was firmly wrapped around her waist! At that moment, the sound of crashing waves roared in Yan Bei’s mind!

He ran away a third time! And this time, he fled completely. On the road back to the Prince’s estate, he slapped himself over twenty times.

Wang Huan was two years his junior—a landlord's daughter who had never traveled far. She was supposed to be innocent and naive. If she didn't know any better, was he supposed to be just as foolish? A marriage had just happened like that?

For the first three months after returning to the estate, he forced himself to forget the marriage. By the next three months, he began to feel he was no man at all. Regardless of the circumstances, he and Wang Huan had consummated the marriage. Leaving without a word was an act of injustice.

There was still over a month until the scheduled date for his return to the capital, but for some reason, the days grew harder to endure. Finally, one day, while riding toward the southern mountains and watching the sunset, which resembled a festive red candle, he could no longer hold back and rushed back to the capital ahead of schedule.

On the way, he had prepared his plea for forgiveness, but when he saw her, he was shocked once again. She was pregnant. And she was nearing her time! He calculated the dates—it was almost certainly his!

Damn it all. He had been tricked into the wedding and the bridal chamber. Before he had even savored the experience, she had made him a father! No one took his authority as a husband seriously! He would divorce her! He didn't want this wife!

But a pregnant woman could not be subjected to stress. He decided to wait until she gave birth to settle the score. And yet, he never, ever expected that this time, she would give him another shock. A final shock—one that left them separated by life and death, leaving him no chance to ever mention a divorce again.