Chapter 521
Chapter 521
Inside the Crown Prince's residence.
The steward of the Crown Prince's residence said with a loud laugh.
“Shen Lang has caused a huge incident this time. Even if he isn't killed, he'll be skinned alive. No matter how much His Highness favors him, he must provide an explanation to Marquis Zhong Yao and the Great Yan Empire's Prince Wu, wouldn't you say?”
Zhuo Zhaoyan, with a pale face, sneered as soon as he heard him. Yan Wuqi, Zhu Rong's advisor, slowly began to speak.
“His Majesty will be nothing short of grateful to Shen Lang.”
The steward of the Crown Prince's residence asked in a surprised voice.
“How is that possible?”
Yan Wuqi replied.
“Shen Lang only needed to cheat to defeat Zhong Sisi. Why did he go further, kicking her in the abdomen, breaking her nose, and making the face of a peerless beauty look like a pig's?”
The steward said.
“Wasn't it because Zhong Sisi had injured Jin Mulan, and he was taking revenge for his wife?”
“That is one reason, but there is a more important one hidden here. By kicking Zhong Sisi in the lower abdomen, Shen Lang has sullied her chastity, so to speak. Furthermore, by beating her face to such a state, he has prevented her from meeting the son of the Empire's Prince Wu. He did it all for His Majesty.”
Hearing Yan Wuqi's words, the steward was aghast. Zhuo Zhaoyan continued.
“The Zhong Clan are subjects of the State of Yue, so His Majesty would not want to marry Zhong Sisi off to the son of the Empire's Prince Wu. However, the Prince's son was smitten at first sight with the uniquely peerless beauty, Zhong Sisi. His Majesty inwardly did not want the marriage, but he could not openly prevent it. By marring Zhong Sisi's appearance, Shen Lang has not only prevented this meeting but also ruined the marriage. Shen Lang's actions showed he understood the King's position and heart, doing what the King secretly wished for. Moreover, he has even taken the blame on His Majesty's behalf, so how could His Majesty not be inwardly grateful to him? Would he really punish him?”
At that moment, everyone present finally understood everything.
‘So that's how it is!’
Come to think of it, the matter was quite strange. Why would Zhong Sisi meet the son of the Great Yan Empire's Prince Wu in the capital of Yue, and not in Yanjing? This was Zhong Yao's declaration of his position.
‘Even if our Zhong Clan marries into the imperial royalty, we will still remain loyal to the State of Yue and His Majesty.’
However, King Ning Yuanxian would never want one of his subjects to become an in-law to the high echelons of the Empire. A Prince of the Great Yan Empire was formally on par with the monarch of a vassal state. That was why Ning Yan had been married to the son of Prince Yan. So, how could the daughter of the Zhong Clan be allowed to marry an Imperial Prince?
The steward asked.
“Then did His Majesty give Shen Lang a hint about this beforehand?”
Yan Wuqi replied.
“How could he? Shen Lang is astonishingly intelligent; he would have grasped the King's thoughts without a single word or even a glance. The King considers him a confidant, so how could their hearts not be in sync?”
The steward said.
“Shen Lang... that man is truly a monster.”
***
Yan Wuqi was extremely intelligent, revealing the entire truth with just a few words. Shen Lang dared to beat Zhong Sisi so brazenly because he naturally had something to rely on. He claimed to be taking revenge for his wife, Jin Mulan, but in truth, the greatest beneficiary of this incident was King Ning Yuanxian. Moreover, this was something only Shen Lang could do. Others would not dare, fearing they would offend the Zhong Clan or that it would affect their careers, but Shen Lang cared nothing for such things.
‘Your Zhong Clan is very powerful, and Zhong Yao commands a hundred thousand troops. But the base of our Jin Clan is on a remote island across the sea. If you're so capable, then bring your hundred thousand troops and swim hundreds of miles across the sea to attack Raging Tide City!’
Of course, this act also offended the Empire's Prince Wu. However, rumor had it that Prince Wu and Prince Yan were at odds with each other, so earning Prince Wu's ire was as good as currying favor with Prince Yan. He was probably thinking something like this.
‘Prince Yan, you are Princess Ning Yan's father-in-law. Why not just set her free so Ning Yan and I can continue our affair?’
***
Princess Ning Han's influence was indeed formidable. Yunmeng Ze had put in tremendous effort to resolve Ning Yan's situation but had not succeeded. Prince Yan had originally promised him he would have his son and Ning Yan separate, granting her freedom, but when Imperial Consort Ning stepped in, their separation was left unresolved. In that situation, Princess Ning Han did not even go to Yanjing, merely sending a single letter.
Upon receiving her letter, Prince Yan immediately and voluntarily dissolved the marital relationship between his son and Ning Yan. Moreover, not only did he send back the marriage contract and all the items Ning Yan had brought with her when she married, but he also sent a trove of precious gifts to Princess Ning Yan. Prince Yan clearly stated that the fault in this marriage lay with his son, that Ning Yan was pure and blameless, and that he wished to adopt Princess Ning Yan as his goddaughter, sending a dowry for her to use when she remarried.
After receiving the dowry, King Ning Yuanxian was inwardly pleased but also troubled. Ning Yan had regained her freedom, but could she marry again? It would be completely impossible. She had already carried on an affair with Shen Lang more than once, and they had even been caught in the act by others. But that scoundrel Shen Lang was enjoying his role as a live-in son-in-law so much that he had no intention of taking Ning Yan as his wife or becoming the State of Yue's Prince Consort. He even had the audacity to ask if he could be the son-in-law of both the royal family and the Jin Clan at the same time. At the time, Ning Yuanxian had nearly exploded with rage and killed him.
Now that Ning Yuanxian had set Ning Yan free, what would happen? In less than three days, those two scoundrels would be tumbling in bed together. Was he supposed to let his own daughter, a dignified princess of the state, tumble with that scoundrel Shen Lang without any official status? Thinking this far, the King genuinely considered having Shen Lang castrated and brought into the palace. That way, the world would be at peace.
“Sigh!”
The King sighed in frustration but still issued the royal edict to release Ning Yan.
‘If she wants to tumble with that brat Shen Lang, let her do as she pleases. I won't interfere, I won't interfere!’
***
Sure enough, after becoming a free woman, the first thing Ning Yan did was enter the palace to thank the King, and then she immediately went to find Shen Lang. After their emotional reunion, the two said nothing. Ning Yan had lost weight. Due to being confined for several months, her skin had become quite fair. Moreover, her thighs had slimmed down, but their shape was still perfect, appearing even more slender. The parts that should be slim were slim, and the parts that shouldn't be still jutted out fiercely. There was still no need to change her nickname.
“How did you do it?”
Princess Ning Yan replied to Shen Lang's question.
“Yunmeng Ze, that beast, gave me a book to practice. He said my figure would improve after practicing it, so I did it whenever I was extremely bored these past few months.”
“Wow...”
Shen Lang walked in a circle around Princess Ning Yan.
‘This is trouble, big trouble.’
Princess Ning Yan had even learned to wear makeup and make her whole body fragrant. She was already dazzlingly beautiful, but now she was even more incomparably so. After slimming down a bit, the curves of her body became even more stunning, stealing one's gaze. She had transformed from a warrior woman into a peerless great beauty. After being confined for several months, she seemed not to know what to say, even appearing at a loss.
“Give me wine. I want to drink.”
“Alright. Let's drink then!”
Then, the two clinked their cups and drank. Not long after they started drinking, Ning Yan gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, and in one swift motion, grabbed Shen Lang and walked to the bed. Shen Lang asked in surprise.
“Are you... drunk?”
“No.”
Then, she stripped Shen Lang, and the two tumbled together again.
***
Ning Yuanxian thought Ning Yan would sleep with Shen Lang in less than three days, but this was overestimating her. She had tumbled with Shen Lang less than two hours after getting out. An hour later, Shen Lang was exhausted to the point of death, his body covered in bruises. Shen Lang asked her.
“Didn't we agree to be like brothers?”
Ning Yan pressed her peerless beauty's face against Shen Lang's chest and shook her head.
“I don't want to be your brother, I want to be your woman! Shen Lang, I... I love you. Can't I be your woman?”
Shen Lang was stunned. In the past, Ning Yan would never have said such things. Did being confined for several months bring about such a great change in her heart?
“But I... I cannot take you as my wife.”
At Shen Lang's words, Ning Yan said with tears in her eyes.
“I know, but I don't care. The two of us just need to be together, without any official status.”
“Then how about we act like brothers during the day and tumble in bed at night?”
Ning Yan suddenly said excitedly.
“No, I don't want to... I don't want to be like a brother. I want to be your woman, be with you every day, and bear your children.”
Ning Yan suddenly sat up, straddling Shen Lang's waist, and looked at him with her large, beautiful eyes.
“I'm moving in here to live with you. I will never leave you for my entire life. That's it. It doesn't matter whether you agree or not, I've already decided. I love you. I love you to death, and I can't leave you. If you don't agree, I'll kill myself right in front of you. That's it. It's decided, so don't say anything and let's keep going!”
Shen Lang was shocked by her words.
‘Keep going? I... I don't think I can last...’
But before Shen Lang could open his mouth, Ning Yan grabbed the back of his neck and sealed his lips.
‘Help me! Somebody help me!’
***
Mulan, intending to give Shen Lang a pleasant surprise, bathed until she was fragrant and then entered the Marquis of Changping's estate in the capital. She had nearly gone mad with longing for Shen Lang over the past few months. But to prepare her body for pregnancy, she had endured her longing and yearning and had not come to the capital. After the great battle of Raging Tide City ended, she went to the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. The Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion had masters in various fields, including a master in treating infertility.
She had always had a weight on her heart. Qiu Yao'er had gotten pregnant, and even Bing'er had gotten pregnant, which meant there was no problem with her husband; the problem was with her. And she absolutely had to have a child. She and her husband loved each other, so she desperately wanted to bear the fruit of their love. For that goal, she sought out Zhang Yuyin, who introduced her to a master who specialized in the study of human reproduction. Naturally, this master was a woman, and a beautiful one at that, with rich experience and qualifications, who was fifty this year.
Thus, for several months, she took care of her body to prepare for pregnancy and honed the most important techniques for conception. The master told Mulan that her body was ready and she was now in a state where she could conceive and bear a child. And for some unknown reason, both the master and Zhang Yuyin told her she could leave. Not only her, but also the wife of Sword King Li Qianqiu and Wu Chi Tang Yan all had to leave the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. The relationship between the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion and the Jin Clan seemed to have cooled in an instant. Mulan couldn't understand the reason, but she was too happy and excited to care about anything else. She wanted to have a baby with her husband so badly that she wished she could fly all the way to the capital.
This time, not only she, but also the wife of Sword King Li Qianqiu and his disciple, Tang Yan, had come to the Marquis of Changping's estate. The wife of Sword King Li Qianqiu was still hunched over, afraid of light, her entire body covered in frightening, toad-like skin, and her mind was not clear. But Mulan knew that her husband had found a way to cure her. Her purpose in coming to the capital this time was not only to conceive a child but also to ask her husband to treat the Sword King's wife. Mulan had indeed timed her arrival perfectly. For the past three days, she had been in the ideal state for conception.