Chapter 94 Jiang Si Falls

“Jiang Si, don’t be smug. Sooner or later, I will kill you with my own hands,” Yue Guanyi said viciously.

Jiang Si sneered disdainfully, his bewitching eyes glancing contemptuously at Yue Guanyi’s furious appearance, and left smugly.

After Jiang Si left, Yue Guanyi sat down dejectedly.

Even though he knew that everything just now was an act, the mere thought of Jiang Si deliberately seducing Qiu Niang with his coquettish manner made him feel extremely anxious, fearing that she might really be lured away by that vixen Jiang Si.

He clutched the medicine powder in his hand tightly. At least he had obtained the antidote for now, which could temporarily alleviate Qiu Niang’s poison.

But he still didn’t know what the catalyst was, and his Qiu Niang would always be under someone else’s control.

The Shenjiying marched through the night, keeping it secret from the traitorous officials in the court, and even the Empress Dowager Qin Qing was unaware.

Having gained the support of the Empress Dowager’s faction, Yue Shen was busy purging Gu Zheng’s minions while frantically cultivating her own power. Mo An, the leader of the Five Cities Military Command, had already become her right-hand man with his extraordinary status. Under the purge, the court was shrouded in an invisible layer of gunpowder smoke.

Meanwhile, a major event occurred in the imperial harem. Lan Xuezhao, who had long been abandoned in the Cold Palace, regained the emperor’s favor.

This time, his glory surpassed his previous status. He was promoted from Noble Consort Rong to Noble Imperial Consort Rong Shun, becoming Emperor Zhengde’s first Noble Imperial Consort, a position second only to the Empress, showing clear favoritism.

Rumors gradually spread among the people that although Noble Consort Rong had been implicated in Qin Shu’s affair and thrown into the Cold Palace, he regained favor after just a few months. This showed that the emperor truly loved him, and it was only a matter of time before the emperor would exclusively favor him.

On the other side, Qiu Shuzhi led the troops on their journey. The Shenjiying traveled day and night, first by water, then trekking thousands of miles on foot, pushing heavy artillery along the winding mountain roads of Shu.

The road to Shu is difficult, harder than ascending to the blue sky.

Qiu Shuzhi sighed as she looked at the towering and rugged mountain path.

“My lady.” Zhang Xiao, the superintendent eunuch of Shenjiying, came to report to Qiu Shuzhi: “There’s a canyon ahead. The terrain is long and deep, with high sides. As it’s getting late, shall we reorganize before moving forward?”

Qiu Shuzhi looked at the dangerous terrain ahead as the sky grew darker, feeling a vague sense of unease.

“Set up camp here and reorganize. Send a few men to keep watch from high ground.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Zhang Xiao left with the order, and the troops began to set up camp.

“Family Head, the scenery here is really beautiful,” Jiang Si, dressed in plain clothes, came to her side and looked curiously at the magnificent scenery before him, as if seeing it for the first time.

In the female-dominated military camp, he didn’t dare to be too flamboyant. Not only were his clothes plain, but his hair ornaments were also very simple, fastened with a wooden hairpin. Yet, this simplicity only served to highlight his beauty, like a delicate and charming flower in the midst of light mist, captivating without any makeup.

Qiu Shuzhi secretly laughed at his acting skills.

“The scenery here is beautiful, but it’s also fraught with danger. You’re a man, don’t wander around in the military camp. Remember to stay by His Highness’s side, understand?”

Jiang Si pouted in disappointment: “This servant was worried about you and wanted to stay by your side, but you want me to stay with His Highness instead. It’s as if you’re afraid I might neglect His Highness.”

Qiu Shuzhi comforted him gently: “I’m not worried about you neglecting His Highness, I’m worried about you. His Highness is a prince, respected even in the military. But you’re just a servant, I can’t protect you all the time. Only by staying with His Highness can you be safe.”

Jiang Si raised his alluring eyes, bright and clear: “Really?”

Qiu Shuzhi smiled faintly: “Of course it’s true.”

Jiang Si’s eyes dimmed for a moment. His slender and delicate fingers, taking advantage of everyone being busy setting up camp, secretly tugged at her sleeve and said pitifully: “But you’ve hardly spoken to Lan’er on this journey. Do you not like Lan’er anymore?”

“How could I not like you?” Qiu Shuzhi’s eyes softened as she glanced at the soldiers around and pulled him to a place where no one was around.

The Shu region was full of towering mountains and precipitous terrain. She led Jiang Si to the edge of a low cliff, below which the rushing river flowed endlessly.

She coaxed him gently, her voice so intimate it made one blush: “This mission is very important, and I’ve been too busy to give you attention. Don’t be angry, alright?”

The lover-like tenderness in her words made Jiang Si’s ears turn red and soft. He looked into Qiu Shuzhi’s affectionate eyes, which were filled with his reflection, leaving no room for anyone else.

The Shu region was at a crucial moment. He deliberately sought Qiu Shuzhi’s favor at this time to win her over and make her more infatuated with him.

Logically, the plan should have stopped at this point. An overly coquettish man would only make a woman feel annoyed, and Qiu Shuzhi was already completely infatuated with him, even willing to be intimate with him behind Yue Guanyi’s back.

Reason told him that he should stop while he was ahead.

But for some reason, Jiang Si felt a sense of spoiled arrogance rising within him.

“The Family Head only cares for His Highness. How could a servant like me catch your eye?” He huffed coquettishly and turned his back, pretending to be angry, but anxiously hoping that Qiu Shuzhi would indulge his willfulness and comfort him with endless tenderness, like lovers in story books.

His back was tense, but his heart was racing nervously.

There was silence behind him, and Jiang Si’s heart was about to leap out of his chest, filled with regret and frustration.

Women are indeed fickle, he thought. When you go along with their wishes, they indulge and pamper you. But once you can’t meet their expectations, they’ll neglect and abandon you.

Just like his promiscuous mother.

Jiang Si’s heart was filled with indescribable feelings, bitter and sour. He had deliberately seduced Qiu Shuzhi, making her fall in love with someone else.

On one hand, he despised Qiu Shuzhi’s frivolity for having an affair with a servant despite being married to a prince. On the other hand, he secretly hoped that she would truly love him, abandon her husband at home, and be good only to him.

He hated such fickle women the most… so why?

The painful warning of his father’s miserable life was still vivid in his mind, and the bone-deep pain crawled all over his body. Physiological tears moistened his eyes.

Suddenly, a crystal-clear bubble floated gently in the air, drifting in front of him.

Then countless bubbles emerged from behind him. The crystal bubbles refracted the twilight glow, scattering iridescent light. At that moment, even the most beautiful scenery in the world couldn’t compare.

He turned back in surprise, meeting Qiu Shuzhi’s gentle smiling face. She held a leaf with a long stem in her hand. She gently blew on the broken stem’s sap, and bubbles appeared out of thin air. In an instant, everything around them became dreamlike.

“What is this?” he asked excitedly, turning in a circle like an innocent child as he watched the bubbles floating in the sky, his plain dress blooming like a flower.

“This is a leaf from the paulownia tree. Would you like to try?” Qiu Shuzhi smiled at him, her eyes full of indulgence.

She embraced him from behind, reaching her hands around to the front: “Come, try blowing.”

Jiang Si felt enveloped in boundless tenderness from behind, as if sinking into soft, pure cotton. A crimson blush spread from the back of his neck to his cheeks. He blushed and blew gently.

Crystal-clear little bubbles floated up lightly, flying higher and higher until they burst.

“It’s so beautiful,” Jiang Si sighed with admiration in his eyes.

Suddenly, a warm, moist sensation touched his cheek. Jiang Si’s whole body shuddered violently. Qiu Shuzhi had kissed him.

“I’m sorry, I overstepped,” Qiu Shuzhi’s hands slowly moved down, finally cradling his stiff hands in her palms. Her voice was calm and gentle: “Seeing you so innocent like a child, my mind went blank for a moment. Don’t be angry with me, alright?”

Jiang Si stood dumbfounded. He knew that Qiu Shuzhi had been completely conquered by him, and his goal of controlling Yue Guanyi through Qiu Shuzhi was within reach. But he still felt an infinite tenderness at Qiu Shuzhi’s gentleness in this moment. His heart felt like tea leaves floating up and down in water, sour and bitter, yet sinking into it.

Even though he had seduced her first, he couldn’t resist, couldn’t maintain his rationality.

He turned back dazedly, tears in his eyes, his voice hoarse: “Family Head, will you marry me? Will you only like me?”

He didn’t want to end up like his father, obsessed with a woman for life. He knew that once he fell, there would be no way back, but Jiang Si couldn’t turn back, he didn’t want to turn back.

He could no longer deceive himself. Qiu Shuzhi was the warmth he had longed for.

Qiu Shuzhi smiled gently, without any hesitation or evasion.

She held his hand and said with infinite affection: “I will. I married His Highness only for benefits, I have respect for him but no feelings at all. But for you, I truly like you. Not only will I marry you, but for this lifetime, I will only love you.”

Jiang Si’s body went soft, his blushing face turning even redder, his enchanting eyebrows and eyes full of unprecedented sincerity and passion.

He suddenly hugged her tightly. The once proudest Young Lady Jiang, who despised women and viewed them as vipers and scorpions, the Jiang Si who had unlimited contempt for love between men and women, finally fell completely into Qiu Shuzhi’s arms.

He no longer remembered exactly when he started to like Qiu Shuzhi. Perhaps it was that time on the flower boat when she defended Rui Zhu, or that night when he smelled her scent and looked at the sky, infinitely missing Young Lady Jiang.

He could have suppressed his feelings, but like a dam about to burst, it only needed a slight force. At this moment, those long-suppressed emotions that no one knew about finally exploded and succumbed.

In this life, Jiang Si had been confined from the Dian Prince’s mansion to the capital, wrapped and imprisoned in brocade and silk, but not a single day had he been truly free and happy. But at this moment, he felt an unprecedented happiness. By Qiu Shuzhi’s side, he didn’t have to worry about anything. She would always indulge him, comfort him, and cherish him like a treasure in her palm.

“Qiu Niang, you must never betray me.”