Extra 2 Part 2

“You’re really funny, Brother,” Miss Liang giggled, clearly not taking Lian Ai’s words seriously.

Great Qi’s customs had always leaned liberal. The boundaries between men and women were not strictly drawn. Besides, in her mind, Lian Ai was merely a bedslave. Though a man, he was no different from a woman in essence. Otherwise, why would the Prime Minister invite him to a ladies’ flower-viewing banquet?

She tugged on Lian Ai’s hand and led him toward a group of noble young ladies, introducing him warmly.

“This is Young Master Helian from the Grand General’s estate. Everyone, come say hello.”

The girls familiar with Miss Liang were all about her age, youthful, innocent, and light-hearted. They were not at all fazed by a man appearing in the garden and continued speaking excitedly, delighted and curious.

However, nearby, several slightly older ladies turned pale upon hearing the name.

“It’s really him?”

“There’s no mistaking it. That is definitely him.”

“What is he doing here? Does he think he’s really the General’s wife now?”

“Who knows. If I had known he would show up, I wouldn’t have come. How degrading.”

Lian Ai and Miss Liang were too far to hear these whispered complaints. Surrounded by the younger girls, Miss Liang and her companions chatted with him gleefully. Lian Ai, having recently traveled to many places with Bu Nian, and coming from Zhongzhou where customs differed greatly from the capital, shared just a few casual anecdotes. That alone was enough to captivate the girls completely. They listened intently and begged him to tell more.

As she listened, Miss Liang suddenly became fixated on Lian Ai’s hair. She reached out to touch it and sighed, “Your hair is so beautiful, Brother. Is it because the water in Zhongzhou is especially good for it? I wash mine every three days with dew, but it’s never this smooth and shiny.”

The other girls, hearing her, also took notice of Lian Ai’s hair. One after another, they reached out to feel it.

“Wow, it’s really smooth.”

“It feels just like satin…”

No one knew which young lady was being so playful, but someone went so far as to pull out Lian Ai’s hairpin, letting his long black hair fall like a cascading waterfall.

Lian Ai could only smile helplessly as he gathered his hair and swept it to the front of his chest. In a gentle voice, he said to the girl, “Give me back my hairpin. It’s not proper to go around with my hair all loose like this.”

Miss Liang clapped her hands in delight. “I think you look especially handsome this way.” She leaned in for a sniff. “And your hair smells so nice too. What do you use on it?”

Back when he was still in the brothel, Lian Ai had always taken meticulous care of his hair using the madam’s secret formula. Every night before bed, he would apply osmanthus oil to keep it from frizzing. Over the years, the scent had become embedded in his hair, giving it a natural fragrance.

“It’s osmanthus,” Lian Ai said. Seeing that the girls were genuinely curious, he didn’t keep it to himself and shared the methods he used to care for his hair.

A girl in a green dress stood behind him and helped him tie his hair back into a bun. But unfamiliar with how men’s hair should be styled, she ended up with something more feminine. The half-up, half-down look left a few strands dangling beside his cheeks, softening his features and giving him a graceful, radiant charm.

At first glance, Miss Liang hadn’t thought he was particularly eye-catching, but now the more she looked at him, the more pleasing he became. Every movement and every still moment carried a certain allure. No wonder the Grand General was so fond of him.

She was beginning to understand why the Grand General would spoil this person alone. Even she found herself liking such a gentle and lovely beauty to keep by her side.

Someone picked a fully bloomed pear blossom and tucked it into Lian Ai’s hair.

“Wow,” Miss Liang gasped.

The pear blossom was placed just right. Any more and it would have been too garish, any less and it would have been too plain. With it, Lian Ai looked like a deity of spring come down to earth, and the entire garden seemed to lose its luster in comparison.

The young girls around him were all talking at once, thrilled with excitement. “Brother, let us paint you with a begonia blush. It’s so popular right now.”

Spring belonged to young girls. Everything carried a sweet and intoxicating floral scent, and even the air felt tinged with soft pink.

They made scented balm from fresh flowers, crafted rouge, and shaped delicate floral decorations. All of it was in hopes of capturing and preserving a piece of spring.

Lian Ai didn’t have the heart to scold them. He couldn’t bring himself to look stern in front of these bright, cheerful girls. Seeing how happy they were, he didn’t want to spoil their mood. So he simply sat there without moving, letting them decorate him as they pleased.

“Look at that, the Liang girl is actually mingling with someone like him. Is she trying to curry favor so she can marry into the Grand General’s household and be his ‘sister’?” scoffed a few noble daughters standing not far away, fanning themselves with their round fans, their tones full of disdain.

“Wasn’t it just two years ago that Grand General Bu favored another bedslave?” one of the young noblewomen recalled thoughtfully. “I heard he was someone from the late general’s harem. He even sent Princess Fuqu to a temple for his sake. And what happened in the end? Out with the old, in with the new. Grand General Bu might seem deeply devoted when he favors someone, but once that favor is gone, so is all sentiment.”

Another girl beside her curled her red lips into a sneer. “Exactly. What man doesn’t eventually marry and have heirs? I’ll be watching to see just how long this one lasts…”

She had barely finished speaking when her gaze shifted toward the arched gate at the entrance to the garden. A group of tall figures had just stepped inside. When she looked closely, one among them stood out. He was handsome and imposing, his bearing commanding immediate attention.
Who else could it be but the Grand General Bu Nian?

Che Jie, the cousin of the King of Wuqiu, had come to Great Qi on a diplomatic mission. It was a task of great importance, and he dared not be careless.

He had come to request a marriage alliance, asking for a princess of Great Qi. But he understood well that the young emperor would never truly give up a royal-born princess. At best, they would choose a noble daughter and confer a title upon her to make her seem fitting for the role.

Not that Che Jie particularly cared who the woman was. To him, she was a token, a necessary pawn in the alliance between Wuqiu and Great Qi. The King of Wuqiu already had a Right Consort, a noblewoman of their own country who had borne him three sons. The princess from Great Qi would be made the Left Consort, but any child she bore would never sit the throne, nor would she ever truly receive the king’s affection.

So when he was told to help his cousin choose a suitable candidate for Left Consort, he had little real interest. He just wanted to pick someone quickly and get it over with. Rather than wasting time selecting a “prop,” he would rather spend it visiting more places with Bu Nian and learning about the remarkable agriculture and commerce of Great Qi.

“You all can choose. Why drag me into it?” Che Jie was a straightforward brute. Though he and Bu Nian were around the same age, his thick beard and heavy brows made him look like an entire generation older when they walked side by side.

Bu Nian stood with his hands behind his back and said mildly, “She will be your Left Consort. Naturally, you should be the one to choose.”

The Young Emperor was still too soft-hearted and hadn’t thought it through. So he passed the headache on to Prime Minister Lu, leaving him to play the villain. Bu Nian was glad he hadn’t been around at the time. Otherwise, this troublesome task might have fallen to him, and that would have been far more complicated.

After all, what he disliked most was seeing those ministers sniveling and pleading.

Prime Minister Lu walked on Che Jie’s other side, stroking his beard as he said, “If the envoy finds a suitable young lady, you may present her with this rose. That way, this old man will understand your choice.”

Che Jie twirled the flower in his hand. “Tch. Such a hassle.”

Though he said that, his expression had shifted the moment he stepped through the archway. He had grown solemn, carefully inspecting every girl he passed, as though weighing whether she was worthy of his cousin.

The young ladies offered their greetings as the three men approached. A few bolder ones even lifted their eyes and flirted subtly with Bu Nian. But it was like casting charms before the blind. Bu Nian remained indifferent, not even sparing them a glance.

As the three of them walked onto a winding stone bridge, Che Jie was initially engrossed in watching the koi fish swimming below. They had no such creatures in Wuqiu, and their golden scales glittered brilliantly in the sun, striking him as beautiful and novel.

He was still watching them with interest when a burst of laughter like silver bells drew his attention. He looked up and in that instant, saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.

That person was surrounded by a group of young girls, smiling with helpless indulgence. Like the moon surrounded by stars, radiant and flawless. Like a goddess among flower spirits, dazzling and divine.

Che Jie was instantly drawn in by that captivating smile. Before he realized it, he was striding quickly in that direction.

Bu Nian had poor eyesight. Distant figures often appeared blurred and doubled before him. But even if that person turned to ash, he could still distinguish which part was an arm and which was a leg. So with just a squint, he recognized who it was.

Seeing Che Jie head over with quickened steps, Bu Nian furrowed his brows and forced himself to follow.

Even with all his foresight and calculated planning, Prime Minister Lu had never imagined such a situation. His heart sank. It was always the things one most wished to avoid that came to pass.

Lian Ai had fresh spring blossoms, pink fading to peach, tucked into his hair. A begonia petal sat between his brows. Even the corners of his eyes had been decorated with tiny petals. His lips were painted with fresh balsam flower dye, giving them a vivid red hue.

Miss Liang straightened up, pleased with her handiwork. “You look so pretty, brother!”

Lian Ai had grown tired from maintaining the same posture for so long. At her words, he reached up to touch the flower stems in his hair and said gently, “Brother’s a bit tired. Will you help me take them down?”

The girls refused, pouting and protesting one after another.

“No, it looks too nice. Why take it off?”

“We spent so long dressing you up. Don’t take it off. You should go back and show the Grand General!”

“Yes, yes! The Grand General will definitely love it too!”

Lian Ai was at a loss, somewhere between laughter and tears. Not to mention that he hadn’t seen Bu Nian for several days now, even if Bu Nian did see him in this state, he would probably assume he had been possessed and was causing mischief.

He was dressed in a robe of lake-blue brocade, embroidered with a few egrets in mid-flight. With the surrounding flowers in full bloom, it looked as though the birds might lift off from the fabric at any moment.

As they chatted, Lian Ai noticed a man walking toward them, holding a rose in his hand. His expression was somewhat odd, and the way he stared at Lian Ai burned with intensity. Before Lian Ai could figure out what that meant, his attention was completely drawn away by the man behind him.

After only a few days apart, it felt like they had been separated for years.

He stood up instinctively. The pear blossoms in his hair loosened and fell in a flurry of white, like snow in the spring wind.

Che Jie couldn’t tell whether it was the flowers that bewitched the heart, or the heart that bewitched the flowers. His heart was pounding like a drum. He was completely entranced. His mind went blank. He forgot where he was, forgot that he was here to choose a wife for his cousin, not for himself. He simply thought the person before him was beautiful, that he liked them very much, and that he wanted to give them the flower and take them back to Wuqiu.

He stopped two steps in front of Lian Ai and, somewhat sheepishly, extended the flower toward him.

Lian Ai stared blankly at the rose before him, unsure whether to accept it. At that moment, Bu Nian caught up from behind Che Jie, placed his hand firmly over Lian Ai’s, and pressed the rose down hard into his palm.

“General…” Lian Ai smiled, lips curved softly, his gaze brimming with affection too obvious to ignore.

Che Jie was startled the moment he heard Lian Ai’s voice. It was unmistakably that of a man. The illusion he had been so captivated by shattered, and his muddled thoughts cleared somewhat.

He looked at the beautiful figure before him, then glanced at Bu Nian’s hand still pressing down on his own. A sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

“This is…?” he asked Bu Nian.

“This is…” Before Bu Nian could respond, Prime Minister Lu came hurrying over, panting slightly. He had intended to smooth things over and quietly cover up the situation, but Bu Nian clearly had no such intention.

His face was dark as he cast a glance in Lian Ai’s direction. Seeing him smiling brightly like a spring blossom, surrounded by several girls who peeked out from behind him and clung to his sleeve with familiarity, Bu Nian’s anger only burned hotter. It felt like a blaze roaring in his chest.

“This is my wife,” he said coldly, stretching his hand toward Lian Ai.

Lian Ai could tell he was angry, though he didn’t know why. As he was still trying to figure it out, the heavily stressed words “my wife” landed like a hammer, leaving him stunned.

Eyes wide, he hesitantly extended his hand. Bu Nian pulled him close and wrapped an arm possessively around his waist.

Lian Ai kept his eyes on Bu Nian’s face, full of uncertainty and confusion. But to everyone else watching, it was the unmistakable display of a deeply devoted couple, so absorbed in one another that the rest of the world faded away.