Chapter 319
Chapter 319
They say the moment you think it's too late is the perfect time to act. Shen Lang shot out barefoot, opened the door, grabbed his wife's hand, entered another room, and pounced. He then kissed her alluring lips before quickly stripping off his clothes. In times like these, excuses were useless; he could only prove his innocence through action.
‘My lady, see how starved I’ve been. Seeing how ferocious I am, you must know I haven’t been cheating, right? If I had been, where would I get the energy for this? Doesn't that make sense?’
* * *
Over an hour later.
Shen Lang argued his case with all his might, and Mulan was, reluctantly, convinced. Shen Lang even let out an exaggerated burp.
“My lady, all this time, day and night, not a single day passed when I didn't think of you. Missing someone is such a difficult thing. I missed your lips, your eyebrows, and your faint, lingering scent. It was so hard to resist the pleasure of loving you.”
Mulan, her face flushed, looked at Shen Lang without a word. Shen Lang said timidly.
“I… I could even sing of my feelings for you.”
Mulan pinched Shen Lang's cheek, then sniffed his body and said.
“Alright, you've been a good boy.”
“So you admit that I'm innocent, that I haven't been cheating?”
“Judging by how you're slightly ashamed but even more brazen, you probably didn't actually cheat. But you must have a guilty conscience about something. Perhaps it was because you still had me in your heart that you didn't take that final step.”
A cold sweat trickled down Shen Lang's neck.
‘Has my wife always been this amazing? To judge my past and present feelings without seeing a thing. She's truly mastered the art of mind-reading.’
“Haa!”
Mulan sighed, convincing herself.
‘My husband was only in bed with another woman; nothing actually happened, so I suppose you can't call it cheating.’
Shen Lang said in a quiet voice.
“She is Grandmaster Xue Yin. I was in a situation where I couldn't meet Ha Wanwan, so I had no choice but to crawl into the Grandmaster's covers…”
Having said that much, Shen Lang realized it would have been better not to make any excuses. The excuse only made it sound stranger. Who do you think you are, crawling into someone else's bed? And to act so impulsively—perhaps you're quite used to doing such things?
Mulan said tenderly.
“I missed you so much. So many rumors were flying around outside that you had died in the State of Jiang, I couldn't bear it and came to the capital to find you. But then I heard you were on your way back, so I rushed to meet you. I was so envious that Xiao Bing is pregnant.”
She didn't want to mention Xue Yin at all. Grandmaster Xue Yin was her martial aunt. Good heavens, her martial aunt. You scumbag, you'll sleep with anyone.
“Now that I know you're safe, I'm relieved. My parents must be worried, so I'll head home right away.”
Mulan stood up.
“Don't go. My love, at least let me hold you for one night.”
His voice was filled with longing. Mulan hesitated for a moment before returning to Shen Lang's embrace.
“My love, I think I've found a way to make you stronger.”
Mulan shook her head.
“I don't want to be stronger anymore. I want to have a couple of our children and enjoy a peaceful life. I wish you would stay home quietly and not cheat on me with women outside.”
“I… I…”
Mulan suddenly sat up, held Shen Lang’s face in her hands, and gazed at him for a long while.
“My husband truly is the most handsome man in the world.”
‘Huh? Why would she say that? Who’s the other man she’s seen?’
Shen Lang naturally cupped Mulan's face in his hands as well.
‘My beloved Mulan is truly beautiful. A beauty that is elegant, powerful, strong, and even seductive.’
To be honest, Mulan's looks were in no way inferior to Grandmaster Xue Yin's. It was just that Xue Yin's high status as a Grandmaster and the enchanting fragrance of her body made men's hearts flutter even more.
Just then, Ha Wanwan's voice came from outside.
“Young Master Shen, are you finished?”
Shen Lang was stunned.
‘This woman, she was still outside?’
“My love, why did you come with her?”
“I don't know her. She followed me when I came in.”
No wonder, so that's why Thirteen couldn't stop Ha Wanwan. Mulan was the mistress of the house; how could they dare stop her? Ha Wanwan must have slipped in during the confusion. Does that woman intend to linger here?
Shen Lang said.
“Mistress Ha, if you have something to say, please come back tomorrow.”
“Young Master Shen, I will leave after just a few words.”
Shen Lang frowned, threw on some clothes haphazardly, and went out of the room.
“Mistress Ha, if you have something to say, say it quickly.”
Ha Wanwan handed him a piece of paper. Shen Lang opened it and saw a poem written on it: . At the time, Shen Lang, intending to kill Li Wenzheng, had someone sell two poems to Ha Wanwan. One of them was this one. He had also designed a very sensual dress for her and even spent money to bribe a court painter. In the <painting of="" the="" queen="" dowager's="" birthday="" banquet="">, Ha Wanwan stood out exceptionally, possessing a charm that drew every eye.
It was because of the two poems Shen Lang sold her, the stunning attire, and the charm Ha Wanwan displayed during her performance at the Queen Dowager's birthday banquet—which far surpassed the other women—that she caught the King's eye. Of course, some might wonder why famous courtesans would perform at the Queen Dowager's birthday banquet. It was for the same reason that Empress Dowager Cixi often summoned opera troupes to perform in the imperial palace. Besides, she was a renowned courtesan who sold her talents like an artist, not a prostitute who sold her body.
Ha Wanwan asked.
“Young Master Shen, do you know of this poem, a masterpiece for the ages?”
“Of course I do. Isn't this the poem that made you, Mistress Ha, famous overnight at the Queen Dowager's birthday banquet? I'm quite fond of it myself, so naturally I would know it well.”
“I still don't know who sold me this poem. But since you, Young Master Shen, possess such outstanding literary talent, I have secretly thought it might be you.”
Shen Lang quickly went back into the room, took out a book, and handed it to Ha Wanwan.
“Since you say my talent is overflowing, Mistress Ha, I'll accept the compliment. This is a work I've poured my heart and soul into recently. I would be grateful for your critique.”
Ha Wanwan accepted the book, .
“Thank you. Since you've gifted it to me yourself, Young Master, I will be sure to read it thoroughly.”
With those final words, she left. Shen Lang immediately returned to the bed and embraced his fragrant wife.
“Husband, is that woman very dangerous?”
“Extremely dangerous. But not as dangerous as you. Help me! The white tiger is about to devour a man again!”
He and his big mouth. Mulan had originally intended to let Shen Lang go.
‘Since you're screaming like that, I, Jin Mulan, have no choice but to teach you how cruel the world can be. You, with your pathetic stamina, think you can cheat on me with other women?’
After that, Shen Lang truly howled in agony, like a man being mauled by a wild beast.
* * *
After the ‘great deed,’ Shen Lang was left with a lingering fear. In the past, whenever his wife punished him, she would use the Six Harmonies Play. Who knew she would now resort to the lovers' quarrels that are fought in bed? "The spring silkworm stops spinning silk only when it dies; the candle stops shedding tears only when it's burned to ash." Did she want me to be the spring silkworm, spinning silk until I die? No way!
“My love, I was wrong. I was truly wrong. I swear it. I'm really innocent. You have no idea how faithful I was in the capital. I didn't just not touch another woman, I never even looked at one.”
But just then, the sound of familiar footsteps came from outside, and the hair on Shen Lang's neck stood on end. The moment he thought things couldn't get any worse, he was certain they were about to. Suddenly, the voice of the she-tiger, Princess Ning Yan, rang out from outside.
“Shen Lang, were you that desperate to sleep with me? I made a promise, didn't I? That if you came back alive from the State of Jiang, I would sleep with you. I, Ning Yan, always keep my word. Shen Lang, I'm ready, so come on out. I'll just consider it being bitten by a dog. After we have a wild night, we'll go back to being brothers!”
‘Big Butt, you... I'm going to kill you. I'll make you suffer!!’
In that instant, utterly shocked, Shen Lang's vision went black, and he fainted right in his wife's arms.
* * *
When Shen Lang woke up again, more than two hours had passed. Princess Ning Yan patted her chest and said to Mulan.
“Mulan, this scumbag doesn't deserve you. But aside from touching my chest twice in the capital, this bastard hasn't done anything else wicked.”
‘D-damn that woman.’
Shen Lang ground his teeth and lifted his head.
“Brother, you're truly amazing. I've skipped the third stage and gone straight to the fourth stage of becoming a limp noodle.”
The Imperial Ambassador, Yun Mengze, patted Shen Lang's shoulder and said.
“Little brother, you've used up too much of your vitality. You need to conserve that thing a little. Use it once a day, not seven or eight times, or it'll dry up completely.”
Mulan's face turned red all the way to her ears. She began to feel a little regretful.
‘My husband hasn't truly harmed his body, has he?’
In truth, it was half punishment and half her own inability to control her feelings. They say a day apart feels like three autumns for a married couple, and they hadn't seen each other for two months. If Shen Lang was on the verge of starving to death, Mulan was already mad with hunger.
Shen Lang said.
“Brother, to think you came two hundred *li* just to meet me, your little brother is deeply moved.”
Yun Mengze shook his head and said.
“Ning Yan dragged me here. She said it would be inconvenient to fulfill her promise in the capital.”
‘If it's inconvenient in the capital, is it convenient here? And with my wife right beside me, do you think this is convenient?’
Yun Mengze's expression turned serious as he said.
“And I came to give you a heads-up about something.”
“Please, go on.”
“The King of Yue needed a victory to cover up the unfavorable war situation in the Southern Ou Kingdom and to bolster the nation's prestige. So, this diplomatic victory has been played up, and your reputation among the people and the court has soared, but in reality, this is a very disadvantageous situation for you.”
To rise so high without a solid foundation meant the risk of a hard fall was that much greater. Didn't Su Nan, despite his immense power, pay censors to curse him daily? He kept his head down like a dog every day. But once he decided to bite someone, he bit with unparalleled viciousness.
“Some are praising you as an envoy with immortal diplomatic skills, the likes of which appear only once in a century. They're saying that if you can handle the King of Jiang, you can survive among the Savage Tribes. Right now, someone at court is building momentum to have you sent to the Savage Tribes.”
Shen Lang sneered.
“The Savage Tribes? Do you think I'm crazy enough to go to such a godforsaken place!”