Chapter 13

His hands hurt. His feet hurt too.

Lian Ai felt as if he was leaning against something warm and firm. He rubbed against it unconsciously, seeking comfort. The thing tensed instantly, then relaxed after a moment. In his haze, he heard a long sigh.

The next day, he woke up in his own room. Fen Zi sat on the footstool by the bed, resting her head as she dozed off.

The moment he moved, she woke up and smiled with relief. “Young Master, you’re finally awake.”

Lian Ai’s entire body ached like he had been crushed by a dozen carriages. His knees were the worst. Every movement felt like being pricked with needles.

He stared at the canopy above for a long time before speaking. “Did I cause trouble for the General?”

Fen Zi was stunned for a moment, but her expression soon softened. “The court is unpredictable, and the General holds a high position. He has his own difficulties. You are kind and harmless, but that doesn’t mean others won’t try to harm you. Like what happened yesterday. In the future, you don’t have to step in yourself. Just let me handle it.”

Lian Ai looked at her and nodded.
“I understand. I won’t give anyone the chance to talk behind our backs again.”

He knew very well that once he stepped outside the gates of the General’s residence, he was no longer just himself. Anything he did could affect the General.

Even though he didn’t feel he had done anything wrong yesterday, he had acted rashly.

Fen Zi saw that he understood and felt relieved. She got up and brought him his medicine.

“The General may be harsh sometimes, but it’s for your own good. Don’t hold it against him.”

Lian Ai thought to himself, how could he ever dare hold a grudge against the General? The General was the master, and he was just a bedslave. A bedslave had no right to resent his master.

There were five classes in society: nobles, officials, merchants, bondservants, and those baseborn, such as prostitutes and performers.

Bu Nian was born a noble. He stood at the top. Lian Ai, on the other hand, was baseborn. The gap between them was like heaven and earth. Even if Bu Nian punished him by forcing him to kneel, or killed him for no reason at all, it would be no different than slaughtering livestock.

Fen Zi’s words struck him as odd. He had never once thought about whether he had the right to resent anyone, just as he had never believed he was worthy of being loved by anyone. Because of that kneeling punishment, Lian Ai had been bedridden for ten full days. Only after making a full recovery was he allowed to get up.

“Your knees were terrifying, Young Master. The bruises were so dark and so deep, I almost thought your legs were ruined.” Fen Zi rolled up his pant leg and examined his knees. Only when she saw the pale skin, clear of any bruises, did she let out a breath of relief.

Lian Ai lowered his pant leg and asked cautiously, “Can I leave the residence now?” He was so stifled he felt like lying down any longer would cause bedsores.

Fen Zi smiled. “Young Master’s body is fine now. Of course you can go out.”

Lian Ai was thrilled. After lunch, he left the residence with Fen Zi. As before, two attendants followed behind them. In a city like the capital, where nobles were everywhere, there were many who traveled with even more display than they did. They didn’t draw much attention.

They strolled down Vermilion Bird Street, the most bustling road in the city. Lian Ai looked delighted at everything he saw, but didn’t buy anything. Seeing this, Fen Zi decided to take the lead and bought everything he paused at.

Lian Ai was startled and quickly waved his hands. “You don’t need to buy anything. I’m just looking.”

Fen Zi showed him the heavy pouch of silver. “This is all from the General. If he finds out you went out and didn’t spend a single coin, he’ll think you’re still upset. That won’t make him happy.”

Lian Ai parted his lips, wanting to say that the General wouldn’t care about something so trivial, but then remembered how unpredictable his moods could be. He just might get angry after all, so Lian Ai let Fen Zi go on her own.

They passed by a tavern, and Fen Zi pointed to the upper floor. She said the pastries there were quite famous and asked if Lian Ai wanted to bring some back.

Lian Ai had never been fond of soft, sticky, overly sweet things. He was about to refuse when Fen Zi added, with deliberate emphasis, “The General likes the pastries from this place too.”

Lian Ai paused. “…Then get a basket.”

While Fen Zi went inside to buy the pastries, Lian Ai waited outside.

He had just been drawn to a little trinket at a nearby stall when one of the attendants behind him suddenly shouted, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Lian Ai turned around and saw the girl who had almost been sold to a brothel by her creditor the other day.

She dropped to her knees in front of him and kowtowed. “Please, allow me to offer my thanks. I owe you and your kindness a debt I can never repay.”

Lian Ai was startled and hurried to help her up. “Miss, what are you doing? Please stand. I… I didn’t really do anything that day.”

Not only had he failed to help, he had nearly caused more trouble.

The girl simply assumed he was kind-hearted and unwilling to take credit. “That man, Wang Hu, was about to sell me to the brothel, but then a guard from the General’s residence showed up. He beat Wang Hu and paid off my father’s debt. I will never forget such a favor. I would give my life to repay it. He told me, if I wanted to thank someone, I should thank you and the General.” Her eyes shimmered with tears. “I’ve set up spirit tablets for both you and the General at home. I pray for your health and long life every day. I’ve been hoping to see you again and thank you in person. When I saw you on the street today, I couldn’t hold back. I must have startled you. Please forgive me.”

Lian Ai understood immediately. Bu Nian must have sent someone to do what he had failed to do that day. He stood still for a moment, feeling a bit dazed, then a wave of embarrassment crept in. He didn’t feel worthy of the girl’s kneeling.

“The credit belongs to the General. Just… just offer incense to him. Not to me.”

But the girl kept thanking him again and again. She treated him like a living bodhisattva, bowing until passersby began to stop and stare. Only then did she wipe her eyes, reluctant to part, and finally said goodbye.

A girl in pink saw everything from the upper floor. She was elegant and refined in both looks and dress, but the jealousy twisting her face ruined her beauty, leaving her expression sharp and vicious.

“So that’s the new bedslave General Bu took in?” She gripped the wooden railing, her red-painted nails digging into the wood. Her eyes were filled with bitter resentment.

Behind her, a young maid replied in a timid voice. “Yes… they say he used to belong to the old General. Somehow, he seduced the young General and ended up being brought into the estate. Princess, he’s nothing more than a lowly plaything. Please don’t let someone like that upset you.”

The princess’s expression flickered between hatred and sorrow. “Bu Nian will never look at me. He would rather keep that filthy thing than want me…”

The maid tried to comfort her. “Princess…”

Before she could finish, the girl in pink turned around and slapped her across the face. “Shut up.” She spun on her heel and stormed down the stairs.

Fen Zi had just picked up the pastries and was heading out when a familiar scent wafted past and a pink figure swept by in front of her. She turned toward the doorway in alarm.

Lian Ai was still standing there, unaware of what was happening.

This was bad. They had run into Princess Fuqu.

Fen Zi cursed silently. She dropped the pastries and rushed toward him.

Maybe it was the intensity of that stare that made Lian Ai turn around. The moment he did, his eyes met those of Princess Fuqu, who was walking toward him.

There was hostility in her eyes, something he couldn’t quite make sense of. After what happened with Prince Yong, he had no interest in provoking more conflict, so he stepped aside to let her pass.

But even after he gave way, Princess Fuqu refused to back down. She walked straight up to him and spat, “What a filthy little whore.”

Lian Ai saw the glittering jewels on her body, the ruby forehead ornament alone a rare treasure. It was obvious she came from nobility. He chose his words carefully. “Miss, perhaps you’ve mistaken me for someone else?”

She let out a cold laugh. “I’m talking about you.” She pointed straight at his face. “First it was that Zuo Lingxue, and now it’s some cheap little slut like you. You serve the father, then you serve the son. How shameless can you be?”

Her words dragged even the future Princess Yong through the mud, and the maid behind her was so frightened she kept tugging at her sleeve.

“Princess, please mind your words,” Fen Zi called out, arriving just in time to catch the last part. Her brows furrowed as she stepped in front of Lian Ai.

Princess Fuqu looked her up and down. “And what kind of thing are you supposed to be?”

Fen Zi didn’t flinch. “A senior maidservant of the General’s estate.”

Princess Fuqu sneered. “Just another filthy servant.”

Lian Ai hadn’t realized she was a princess. It felt like misfortune had dropped from the sky. He had only been walking down the street and somehow ended up being cursed out.

Lian Ai might be slow in many things, but he had always been sharp when it came to matters of affection. The hatred in her eyes was clearly because of Bu Nian.

He sighed silently. The General truly had his share of fortune with women. First the most beautiful woman in the capital, now even a princess of the royal family.

While Lian Ai was still caught in his thoughts, Fen Zi had already exchanged several sharp words with Princess Fuqu.

“Princess, you are still an unmarried young lady. If you curse my young master in public like this, are you not afraid of damaging your reputation?”

Princess Fuqu yanked her sleeve out of the maid’s grip and spoke through gritted teeth. “What do I have to be afraid of? Everyone in the capital knows who I care about. Why would I care what others say?”

Fen Zi kept a calm face, but inside she was groaning. This Princess Fuqu was truly shameless. Saying something like that in broad daylight with so many people watching, it was as if she had no sense of virtue at all.

More and more people gathered around. The situation was about to spiral out of control. Just then, the sound of hooves could be heard in the distance.

Lian Ai suddenly felt the light shift. He turned around and saw a white horse approaching. The rider was tall and imposing, dressed in black.

It was Bu Nian.

“What is going on?” Bu Nian asked him.

Lian Ai had not expected him to appear so suddenly and stood there blankly. “Buying pastries.”

Bu Nian looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Where are the pastries?”

Before Lian Ai could answer, Fen Zi dashed back into the tavern. She returned quickly with a box in hand.

“Here. Here they are.” She shoved the pastries into Lian Ai’s arms.

From the moment Bu Nian appeared, Princess Fuqu’s eyes never left him. Her gaze was full of longing and attachment, but Bu Nian did not even glance in her direction. He did not speak a single word to her and acted as if she did not exist.

“Bu Nian.” Her voice trembled, her eyes glistening with tears.

Bu Nian still did not look at her. He reached out his hand to Lian Ai.

“Get on.”

If looks could kill, Lian Ai felt Princess Fuqu would have already carved him into pieces.

Under that venomous glare, he placed his hand in Bu Nian’s.

Bu Nian gave a slight pull and brought him forward. Once Lian Ai was seated, he nudged the horse forward with a squeeze of his legs and rode off, leaving everyone else behind in a cloud of dust.

Princess Fuqu was so furious she nearly crushed her own teeth. Ever since she first laid eyes on Bu Nian, her heart had been set on him. But he had never once spoken to her with warmth.

What was so wrong with her? Why did he refuse to like her?

Fen Zi watched her master ride away, smiling. Then she turned back with a composed, polite expression. “It’s getting late. Princess, you should return to the manor as well. I’ll take my leave.” With a slight bow, she turned and left with the household attendants.