Chapter 12

Both of them were seriously injured, so they had no choice but to stay at the relay station to recover before continuing their journey.

Five days passed before an urgent message arrived from the capital, ordering Bu Nian to return immediately. They could no longer remain where they were and had to set off without delay.

Lian Ai shared a carriage with Bu Nian. During the day, the jolting made their faces look pale and drained. To distract himself from the pain in his wounds, Bu Nian bought a stack of light novels and told Lian Ai to read to him.

“I only recognize a few characters. If the words are too difficult, I won’t be able to read them.”

In the brothel, it had always been about the flesh trade. No matter how much you learned, it was only a way to increase your value. The madam taught him to read not out of kindness, but because someone literate could fetch a better price than someone who was completely illiterate.

Bu Nian picked one at random from the stack and tossed it to him. “Ask me if you don’t understand.”

Lian Ai picked up the book that landed in front of him, opened it, and began reading from the first page. He read slowly, pausing whenever he came across a character he didn’t recognize and asking Bu Nian for help. Even just the first chapter was filled with stumbles. Anyone else would have lost their patience, but Bu Nian rested his head against one hand, eyes half-closed, leaning on the small table, listening with surprising focus.

Unfortunately, whoever bought the book hadn’t paid attention. As Lian Ai read on, the plot suddenly took a turn, and the male and female leads started going at it. Lian Ai, completely focused on deciphering the words, didn’t process what the story was actually about. He kept reading through lines filled with phrases like “silver spear,” “slow grinding,” “flooded golden mountain,” and “Guanyin on the lotus.” Bu Nian’s brow gradually furrowed into a sharp crease.

Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore and opened his eyes. “Stop reading.”

Lian Ai thought he had read so poorly that Bu Nian finally couldn’t stand it. He answered quietly, closed the book, and shrank back slightly.

Bu Nian frowned and rummaged through the pile again and pulled out a poetry collection from a fallen scholar. He flipped through the pages to make sure it didn’t contain anything inappropriate, then handed it over.

“Read this one. That book wasn’t suitable.”

Lian Ai didn’t think too much of it and obediently started reading from the new book.

They continued their journey toward the capital. Lian Ai had assumed Bu Nian would send him back to the villa and lock him up again, but to his surprise, Bu Nian brought him straight to the capital.

It had been two years since Lian Ai last set foot there. Through the curtain, he looked at the crowded streets and busy traffic, feeling as if everything belonged to another life.

“You’ll stay at the General’s estate from now on. The capital isn’t like other places. You’ll need to be cautious about everything.”

Lian Ai turned to look at him, wide-eyed. “I’ll stay at the General’s estate?”

Even Concubine Yi and the others had tried everything and still failed to get in. And now he was just allowed to live there?

Bu Nian gave him a cool look. “You’re always trying to run away. It’s safer to keep you where I can see you.”

Lian Ai wanted to argue. He hadn’t run at all. The first time, it was Bu Nian’s trap. The second time, he had been forced. How was that “always trying to run”? But he knew Bu Nian was not the kind of man who liked to hear excuses, so he bit his tongue and said nothing.

The carriage came to a stop. Bu Nian got off first, and Lian Ai followed behind. As soon as he stepped out, he was stunned by the sheer grandeur of the General’s estate. Red gates, green tiles, high walls, and deep courtyards, this was truly the home of the powerful in the capital.

Just as he was about to step down, a maid in a lake-blue outfit approached, raising her arms to offer support.

“Careful, young master.” Her tone was gentle and respectful, and she had a delicate, pretty face.

Bu Nian had been summoned back to the capital urgently. After changing into his court robes at the estate, he left at once for the palace. Lian Ai was led to his own courtyard by the maid, where he rested briefly before she took him around to familiarize him with the estate.

The maid’s name was Fen Zi. She was born and raised in the General’s household, a status that set her apart from regular servants. Along the way, whenever they passed other maids or errand boys, all of them greeted her with deference and respect.

“This is the General’s study. You must not approach this place without a proper reason.”

“This is the storeroom. All the treasures, gold, silver, even the rewards from His Majesty are kept here. Only the General and the steward have the key.”

“This area is where the lower servants live.”

“And over here is the kitchen…”

Lian Ai followed her as she showed him around the General’s estate. As he walked, he couldn’t help but marvel at how massive the place was, while his legs gradually started to ache.

Noticing the discomfort on his face, Fen Zi suddenly remembered that he was still recovering from his injuries. She quickly led him back to rest, apologizing nonstop on the way. “It was careless of me. I forgot that your wounds haven’t healed yet.”

Lian Ai smiled and shook his head, not taking it to heart. But deep down, he knew these servants at the General’s estate only appeared polite on the surface. None of them truly regarded him as someone who mattered.

And so he began living at the estate. Bu Nian no longer poisoned him, nor did he restrict his movements. However, whenever he left the house, Fen Zi and several house guards accompanied him. That alone was enough to make it clear that it was just another form of surveillance.

At the time, the palace was holding a beauty selection. Young women from all over had gathered in the capital, and the streets were more crowded and lively than usual.

Lian Ai had spent years shut away in a brothel. After that, he was confined for another year in the private mansion. Now that he was free, it felt like a fish released into the sea. Every few days, he would find an excuse to go out.

He wasn’t out to buy anything. Simply walking through the packed, bustling streets made him feel happy.

That day, while walking alongside Fen Zi, he suddenly heard cries and curses coming from nearby.

As they got closer, he saw a burly man with a face full of flesh dragging a crying girl through the street. The man showed no concern for her struggles, and behind them, a middle-aged man followed, pleading desperately.

“A daughter paying off her father’s debts is perfectly justified. Your old man owes me money and can’t pay. Of course I’ll take you as payment.” The man was clearly irritated by the girl’s resistance. Without warning, he slapped her hard across the face.

“Stop crying, damn it.”

The girl’s cheek swelled instantly. “No, please no. Don’t sell me to a brothel. I can do hard labor, I can sew, I’ll repay the debt. Sir, I’m begging you. I don’t want to go to a brothel…”

The middle-aged man trailing behind didn’t dare get close, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave either. He pressed his hands together and begged with a trembling voice. “Just a few more days. Brother Hu, please give me a few more days. If I still can’t pay, take me instead. I’m begging you, don’t take my daughter.”

The man called Brother Hu spat on the ground. “Pah. Who wants an old sack of bones like you?” He reached out again to drag the girl.

The bystanders only watched. No one stepped in.

Lian Ai hadn’t intended to interfere either. But the slap had been so vicious that blood had trickled from the girl’s lips. For a moment, he saw his past self in her. Back when he was under the madam’s rule in the brothel, he had suffered through plenty of beatings himself.

A girl like her, born clean and decent, would be ruined the moment she was dragged into that world. Her name would be stained, her status stripped away, and any hope of rising again would be gone. He knew too well what kind of place that was. The thought of such a tender, blooming girl being crushed there made his chest tighten.

He hadn’t meant to play the hero. But by the time he realized what he was doing, his body had already moved on its own. Even Fen Zi standing beside him was caught off guard.

The burly man stumbled back in surprise as Lian Ai suddenly threw himself between them. When he looked closely and saw a delicate face and slim waist, he cursed on the spot. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Lian Ai was a little dazed too. He swallowed and said, “Let’s talk this out. There’s no need to use violence.”

The man let out a sharp laugh. “What, you want to play the hero now, little pretty boy?” He yanked the weeping girl closer. “If you want to save her, fine. Her father owes me ten taels of silver. You pay it, and I’ll hand her over to you.”

The middle-aged man sobbed loudly. “It was only five taels. How did it suddenly become ten?”

The man’s brow shot up, and he lifted his foot, ready to kick. “I said ten taels. That means ten taels.”

Seeing he was about to strike again, Lian Ai stepped in without thinking. During the scuffle, the man shoved him hard, and he staggered backward, falling straight into the middle of the road.

At that exact moment, a tall and luxurious carriage was approaching. Its body was lacquered black with golden trim, bells hung from each corner, and even the coachman was dressed in fine clothing. There was no doubt that the person inside was someone of wealth and power.

Just as Lian Ai fell into its path, the coachman gasped and yanked the reins. The horse reared and came to a stop, hooves landing just a breath away from Lian Ai’s face.

The blood drained from his face. Lying flat on the ground, he looked up and saw, through the swaying curtain, a face so beautiful it could bring down a kingdom.

The woman was none other than Zuo Lingxue.

Zuo Lingxue seemed startled to see him. The nobleman seated beside her noticed her sudden pause and asked gently, “What is it?” Then he looked past her, toward the road. “Who is that? Do you know him?”

She turned her gaze away and replied coolly, “Bu Nian’s bedslave.”

The man let out a chuckle. “Oh?”

—

“You must never act so recklessly again, young master.”

Lian Ai kept his head down and nodded obediently. “You’re right. I didn’t think things through today.”

Fen Zi looked at his meek expression. No matter what she said, he didn’t talk back, as if her fists were landing on cotton. There was nothing to push against.

She let out a sigh. The gates of the General’s estate were already in view, so she dropped the scolding and helped him in through the side entrance.

Lian Ai’s shoulder was still injured. The skin had closed and a scab had formed, but it hadn’t fully healed. That fall had been hard, and now a dull ache had returned to the wound.

The coachman, still shaken, gripped the whip and shouted at Lian Ai, asking if he was blind and whether he knew who was sitting inside the carriage.

Seeing that things were about to spiral, Fen Zi quickly stepped forward and reported the name of the General’s estate. The coachman looked like he wanted to say more, but the passenger inside, perhaps unwilling to make a scene, called out quietly. The coachman leaned in to listen, then shot one last glare at Lian Ai before driving off.

As for the debtor and his daughter, they had already vanished. By the time Lian Ai turned around to look for them again, they were nowhere to be found.

Fen Zi helped Lian Ai back to his residence. Just as she was unfastening his robe to check the injury on his shoulder, a young servant came rushing in from outside.

“Sister Fen Zi, the General has returned. He says he wants to see the young master right away.”

Fen Zi froze. Something felt off. “What was the General’s expression?”

The boy made a twisted face, pulling his brows and lips down low. “Like this.”

Even Lian Ai began to feel nervous.

He hurriedly dressed and followed the servant.

They stopped at the entrance to a courtyard guarded tightly by soldiers. The servant didn’t go in with him and told him to enter alone.

Lian Ai recognized this place. It was Bu Nian’s study. His heart began to pound.

As he approached, the guards at the door crossed their weapons in front of him, blocking his way.

He didn’t dare force his way through. “The General… the General asked to see me.”

The guards didn’t move, but a voice called from inside.

“Do you even know who was in the carriage you ran into today?”

Lian Ai froze for a moment. He wasn’t sure if that question was directed at him.

“General…”

Before he could finish, the voice grew colder.

“Kneel. In front of the door.”

Lian Ai bit his lip. Silently, he turned and walked to the courtyard’s center. Facing the study, he knelt down slowly on the stone tiles.

He stayed there from dusk until the sun dipped below the horizon. The moon had begun to rise, but Bu Nian never stepped out, nor did he say a word about letting him up.

Pain gradually returned to his shoulder, and his knees were beginning to go numb.

Suddenly, a pair of boots appeared in his line of sight. He looked up and saw it was one of the guards.

“The General asks if you know what you did wrong.”

In the past, Lian Ai would have admitted fault right away. But tonight, no matter how he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to nod.

He lowered his eyes again and said nothing. The guard gave him a glance, shook his head, and turned to report back inside.

Another hour passed.

Lian Ai had rarely shown resistance in his life. Any temper or pride he once had had been stripped away long ago under the madam’s training, until only obedience and submission remained.

There was only one time he ever fought back.

That day, madam tried to shove a donkey cock into him, saying it would help train his hole to take a real man. He refused, clenching up and kicking, no matter how hard she pressed him. In the end, she locked him in the firewood shed for three days without a single grain of food, letting him survive on nothing but a few sips of water.

“You’ve always been obedient. Why are you acting foolish now?” she asked.

He had always been her most obedient little thing. From the time he was a child, he never once talked back. She couldn’t understand why, now that it mattered most, he would rather die than submit.

But Lian Ai didn’t give in. Starving and trembling, he still went wild whenever someone approached him with that thick, black thing. He bruised easily, and his body was always covered in patches of purple and blue. Just looking at him made people flinch. In the end, the woman gave up, afraid that if she pushed any harder, he’d die, and all her years of effort would go to waste. She abandoned the idea of breaking him with something like that.

He would rather stretch himself with cold, lifeless jade than have some beast’s cock shoved inside him. Deep down, he felt that if it ever came to that, he wouldn’t even be human anymore.

He was born to be used, and his body was never his own. But that last shred of dignity, that one bit of self left, he would never give up.

His vision was going dark as he knelt there, barely able to stay upright. A pair of fine leather boots appeared before him. After a moment, the man wearing them crouched down until they were face to face.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

Bu Nian grabbed his chin. His fingers were cold, and his eyes locked onto him without a hint of warmth.

“I told you before. The capital isn’t like other places. You have to be careful in everything you do. Do you know whose carriage you ran into today?” His grip tightened, and Lian Ai collapsed to the ground. “That was Prince Yong’s carriage. Do you know who he is? He’s someone who could crush you with a single finger.”

Lian Ai lay on the floor. He was breathing fast, but there was still a trace of defiance in his eyes.

“I didn’t mean to offend His Highness. I only wanted to save that girl…”

Bu Nian didn’t respond right away. When he finally spoke, his voice was just as cold.

“You can barely protect yourself with your status. And you want to save someone else?”

“I know I’m lowborn. In a place like this, full of nobles, anyone could end my life for nothing. But just because my life is cheap, does that mean I should look away and do nothing? Should I care only about saving myself?” Lian Ai slowly lowered his head. His voice was low, but firm. “Maybe I was stupid. Maybe I overstepped. But if I didn’t do it… I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”