Extra 2 Part 3

Bu Nian’s voice was not loud, but it was certainly not soft either. Everyone present heard it clearly.

Che Jie had not expected such a coincidence. The beauty he had just admired turned out to be the wife of Great Qi’s Grand General. Though he felt a pang of regret, he could not help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction. His taste was excellent, after all.

He was rough around the edges, but not a fool. Knowing the beauty already belonged to someone else, especially someone he could not afford to offend, he did not continue pressing his luck.

“So you’re the General’s wife. My mistake earlier. I hope you won’t take offense,” he said with a hearty laugh.

From the moment Lian Ai received the invitation from the Prime Minister’s estate, he had been bewildered. Now, hearing this man address him repeatedly as “wife,” he could only feel awkward and oddly uncomfortable. Judging by the man’s attire, accent, and the fact that he had entered alongside both the Prime Minister and the General, it wasn’t hard to deduce that he must be the envoy from Wuqiu.

The more Che Jie looked at Lian Ai’s face, the more he liked it. He had no intention of stealing another man’s spouse, but he still could not help trying his luck.

“Madam, do you have any unmarried sisters at home? Cousins or distant relatives are fine too, as long as they count as sisters.”

Lian Ai hesitated for a moment. “I only have one older brother.”

Che Jie was instantly disappointed. He sighed for a moment before suddenly perking up with hopeful anticipation. “Then, Madam, do you have a daughter?”

Lian Ai had no idea how to respond to that. As he hesitated, Bu Nian spoke up first, answering on his behalf.

“We do not. We have no children.” His gaze lingered on the person in his arms, carrying a hint of amusement and mischief, as he added in a low voice, “My wife cannot bear children.”

Che Jie looked appalled. “How could that be…” He had just begun to voice his disbelief when he suddenly noticed something was off.

Lian Ai hadn’t looked unusual while seated, but now that he stood, it was clear he was at least a head taller than any of the girls nearby. His clothing was also far more similar in style to what Bu Nian wore. Though Che Jie was unfamiliar with Great Qi’s customs, he wasn’t completely clueless. His eyes fell to Lian Ai’s slender neck, where the faint outline of an Adam’s apple was just barely visible.

Che Jie was visibly stunned. He tentatively asked, “The General wife… is a man?”

Bu Nian, who had no parents, wielded power and authority, and feared nothing in the world. If there was anyone under heaven he might take into consideration, it would be Lian Ai.

“Ah…” Bu Nian dragged out the sound, replying slowly and casually, “A man.” He was entirely unbothered.

In Wuqiu, there was no such custom. Men and men could only be brothers or friends. Only a man and a woman could be husband and wife. To hear two men refer to each other as such caused an immense shock. Che Jie’s understanding of the world was shaken in that instant.

The tall man stood there dumbfounded, a half-bloomed rose still in his hand, looking completely stunned.

Prime Minister Lu sucked in a quiet breath through his teeth, already imagining how the capital would erupt in rumors the next day.

“If the envoy isn’t sure who to give the flower to, then let’s end the flower-viewing here for today. A table has been prepared in the front hall. I invite the Grand General and the envoy to join us for a light meal.” With that, he gestured politely.

Che Jie slowly came back to his senses and nodded absentmindedly. “Ah… yes, alright.”

He turned to leave. Prime Minister Lu followed after him and, as he walked, cast a long-suffering glare in Bu Nian’s direction. It carried the helpless frustration of an elder and the weary blame of one minister to another.

Bu Nian paid him no mind. Only after the two were far enough away did he lower his head and pinch Lian Ai’s chin, his tone sharp and lacking in warmth. “Go home. Don’t wander around anymore.”

Lian Ai opened his mouth, wanting to explain that he came only because he had received an invitation. But before he could say a word, Bu Nian had already turned and left, hurrying to catch up with Prime Minister Lu and Che Jie.

The three of them had arrived without warning, and now they left just as quickly, leaving no time for anyone to react.

Once everyone had left, the courtyard of young girls burst into chaos. The uproar wasn’t because of Bu Nian or Lian Ai, but because someone had recognized the envoy from Chejie Wuqiu.

“What do we do… His Majesty won’t marry me off to Wuqiu, will he?”

“No, no, I don’t want to go to a place like that.”

“That man just looked at me twice. What if he picked me? What am I supposed to do… I’d rather marry one of those spoiled brats in the capital than be sent to Wuqiu.”

All at once, panic swept through the girls. Even Miss Liang, who had been chirping like a sparrow moments earlier, now looked unsettled and uneasy.

“Brother, I’m going to find my mother. We’ll talk later.” After Miss Liang said her piece, the remaining girls each bid Lian Ai farewell and left one by one.

The garden, which had been lively and blooming with spring color just moments before, suddenly fell silent and empty.

Lian Ai slowly removed the pear blossom from his hair and turned it over in his fingers, studying it closely. Everything that happened today really was absurd. The Prime Minister had sent the wrong invitation. The Wuqiu envoy had mistaken him for a woman. And the general had even called him his wife.

He brought the snowy blossom to his nose and gently inhaled. His lashes lowered, and the curve of his lips was sweeter than all the spring flowers in the garden.

That night, Bu Nian finally returned to the Grand General’s estate after a long absence.

Lian Ai had just finished bathing and was sitting in front of the mirror, tending to his long hair. Bu Nian approached from behind, carrying the faint scent of alcohol. He buried his face in Lian Ai’s damp hair and took a deep breath.

“This is the scent I like.”

Lian Ai froze for a moment before realizing Bu Nian must have disliked how the flowers earlier had masked his hair’s natural fragrance.

“Shall I help the general bathe?” He reached back and touched Bu Nian’s cheek. His palm met warmth. The General had clearly been drinking quite a bit.

“No need.” Bu Nian pressed down on his hand, as if reluctant to let go of the cooling touch. “I’ll have to wash again later anyway. No need to bother.”

Lian Ai didn’t understand what he meant, until, in the next second, his body was lifted off the ground.

He gasped and quickly wrapped his arms around Bu Nian’s neck to steady himself. When he saw that Bu Nian was carrying him toward the bed, how could he not understand what was happening? It had been a while since they last saw each other. Even today, they had only met briefly. Lian Ai had bottled up so much longing he wanted to pour out. To go straight to bed the moment they met again felt a bit too focused on lust and not enough on affection.

The moment his back touched the soft bedding, Lian Ai raised a hand and pressed it against Bu Nian’s chest, just as the man was about to lean down over him.

“What is it?” Bu Nian raised a brow, looking somewhat impatient.

He always got more irritable after drinking. Lian Ai had been with him long enough to know that.

“Don’t you have something to say to me?” Lian Ai didn’t fear him. He kept his hand against his chest and asked gently.

Bu Nian looked down at him. His brows twitched slightly, as though he really was giving it some thought.

After a moment, he said, “Prime Minister Lu sent the wrong invitation. He told me to pass on a message and invite you for tea next time.”

Lian Ai had already guessed as much. He nodded. “And what else?”

Bu Nian paused again. “His Majesty has issued a decree. Princess Fuqu, who had been cultivating with her hair down at Ziwei Temple, has been summoned back. She will be granted the title of princess and sent to Wuqiu in a marriage alliance.”

The name Fuqu had not appeared in his thoughts for a very long time. Hearing it suddenly now, Lian Ai was genuinely surprised.

It was said that after the late emperor’s passing, Prince Kangding had taken his entire family back to the countryside, leaving Fuqu alone under confinement at Ziwei Temple. Even after the new emperor ascended the throne, they never returned. Perhaps it had something to do with their fear of Bu Nian.

“Che Jie said if you were a woman, he’d challenge me to a duel for the right to own you.”

Before Lian Ai could ask, Bu Nian went on speaking.

He gave a cold snort and scoffed, “Foolish talk.”

It was hard to tell whether he meant Che Jie could never defeat him or that Lian Ai could never be a woman.

“Prime Minister Lu said I hold grudges too much…” Bu Nian’s breath was hot against Lian Ai’s cheek, soaked in that intoxicating scent of wine. “He says if someone injures me even a little, I return it tenfold. That it makes me seem cruel and violent.” He asked, “Do you think so?”

Lian Ai shook his head. Bu Nian had never slaughtered without cause. Compared to him, Gan Yan was the one who looked harmless on the outside but was truly ruthless and violent beneath the surface.

“As long as you don’t think so…” Bu Nian kissed Lian Ai’s temple. It was warm and tingling. “Other people’s opinions don’t matter to me.”

Prime Minister Lu wasn’t completely wrong. If someone hurt Bu Nian, he would retaliate tenfold. But if they laid a hand on someone he cared about, he would return it a hundredfold, a thousandfold.

So what if it was treason? So what if the world spat on him? He had never feared being branded a traitor. Why would he care what a few irrelevant people thought of him?

The lingering kisses trailed down to Lian Ai’s neck, but there, he was stopped.

Lian Ai held Bu Nian’s head in place, his breath unsteady. “Why did The General… call me your wife today?”

Bu Nian’s patience had nearly run dry. He yanked away that irritating barrier and pinned Lian Ai’s wrists down on the bed.

“I wouldn’t mind becoming Lady Helian, but I doubt your family could afford me.”

Lian Ai’s black hair spilled across the bedding. He lay there quietly, letting Bu Nian part his inner robes and cover his chest with kiss after kiss.

He wasn’t angry at all by the comment. In fact, there was a smile tugging at his lips. “Then tell me what kind of bride price you want. I’ll go home and discuss it with my parents and older brother.”

Bu Nian said, “Give me a child.”

The bride price he asked for was something that could never exist.

Lian Ai frowned. “Then we really can’t afford you.”

Bu Nian couldn’t help but laugh. He tilted Lian Ai’s chin and kissed him deeply.

“So just be The General’s wife and behave,” he murmured.