BLHO Chapter 18
by VolareRoyal Palace.
Princess Meng Ning’s bedroom was a mess, with her cursing and smashing things on the ground.
That day, she had exhausted herself to subdue Shen Tan, thinking that once she withdrew from the engagement, she would finally be obedient. Who knew this person was made of stone? Using the excuse of urgent official duties, she turned around and slipped away again.
The servants knelt on the ground, knowing that Her Highness the Princess was always tyrannical and domineering, and none dared to step forward to dissuade her.
“Someone! Go to the Northern Garrison again! Just ask her, is Princess about to die, will she come to save me!”
Another emerald glazed cup was smashed out, landing at the entrance of the bedroom and shattering into pieces, hitting right beside the feet of the person who had arrived.
“What nonsense are you making?”
The servants on the ground turned their heads and saw that the person entering was actually the Empress Dowager. They were all shocked and quickly turned around to welcome her.
The current Empress Dowager, the Emperor’s stepmother, the long princess of the Qi Kingdom who had married far away, Duan ZhiQiu.
Gu Meng Ning’s originally arrogant face instantly softened when she saw her mother.
“Meng Ning, be careful with your words,” the Empress Dowager chided.
Gu Meng Ning signaled to the servants, and the crowd quickly bent over to clean up the broken shards on the ground.
“Mother, aren’t you attending court today? Is there something you need from me?”
The Empress Dowager sat down, took a sip of tea, and looked closely at her daughter.
“I’ve heard some rumors recently,” she said.
“What rumors?” Gu Meng Ning asked.
“This palace has heard that General He Yuncheng of the Pacifying State has improper personal conduct in private and even has a penchant for male dalliances. Let’s discuss your marriage again.”
Gu Meng Ning laughed as soon as she heard this, “It’s truly flattering that Mother would even care about my marriage.”
The sarcasm was obvious.
The Empress Dowager was displeased and said, “What are you saying? You are this palace’s own flesh and blood.”
“Oh, if Mother didn’t mention it, I would have forgotten… I thought Gu Huan was your own son.”
“You…”
Every time she came here, she would be angered by this girl. The Empress Dowager felt a lump in her throat but was truly powerless to argue.
The Emperor Gu Huan had lost his mother at a young age and was adopted by her as her heir. If not, she would only have one daughter, and even with the added status of the Qi Dynasty’s long princess, she would not have the opportunity to sit in her current high position.
She gained status through her son. Her stepson Gu Huan was a conscientious person. After ascending the throne, he was obedient and compliant to her as his mother. However, over the years, their mother-son relationship had deepened, but it had been hard on Gu Meng Ning, her own daughter. Just because she was not born a son, she had to endure her mother’s biased attitude, giving all her love to outsiders.
She held resentment in her heart, and how could the Empress Dowager not know?
“If you don’t want to marry into the He family, this marriage can be postponed for now,” the Empress Dowager conceded.
“When Mother and the old general arranged the marriage, did you ever consider whether your daughter was willing? Now that the wedding date is approaching, is it too late to say these words?”
“Ning’er! Do you have to have this attitude towards your mother?”
Gu Meng Ning smiled, “Mother doesn’t need to worry about me. After all, this marriage is not for my own sake. Since I agreed to stabilize the imperial power for the Emperor, even if the other party is a lecherous man, or even a crippled, blind invalid, I would still marry him. But…” She walked to the Empress Dowager’s side, looking obedient, but her smile was full of rebelliousness.
“Mother has put in so much effort, even sacrificing her own daughter. I just hope that the Emperor will not let you down in the future.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It doesn’t mean anything. I’ve just always wondered why you wanted to be the Empress Dowager so much. Why didn’t you give birth to a son yourself, instead of raising someone else’s? What if in the future…”
Slap!
A slap landed on Gu Meng Ning’s face without warning.
The Empress Dowager trembled, “I’ve really spoiled you too much!”
Gu Meng Ning was stunned by the blow, touching her swollen cheek, not understanding why she was so angry.
“What did I say?”
From childhood to adulthood, she was used to talking back. Her mother would scold her, but she was never willing to hit her.
“Since you’ve thought it through, I won’t say anything more. Get married according to the set date.”
–
General’s Manor.
The wedding attire was tailored, and the servants presented it to Lin Shuangxu for inspection. The garment had been altered no less than ten times before the young master was finally satisfied, personally taking it to the General’s Room.
Lin Shuangxu felt uneasy as he knocked on the door. These past few days, He Yuncheng had returned to the manor from time to time, but the two had not seen each other much, as if deliberately avoiding each other.
They had clearly said that day that it was over, even, and that they wouldn’t be like this again.
Avoiding each other only made it seem ambiguously unclear.
Lin Shuangxu waited for a moment, holding the wedding attire, and the door opened from the inside.
He Yuncheng was more open-minded than him. He raised an eyebrow at him with a smile and leaned lazily against the door frame, “What’s wrong? Do you need something?”
“The clothes have been altered. Try them on.”
He Yuncheng looked at him, then at the things in his hand, and stepped aside to invite him in.
Looking at his restrained figure, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
Lin Shuangxu unfolded the wedding attire and held it up in front of him, “Try it on.”
He Yuncheng nodded, “Okay.”
He didn’t shy away, and in front of Lin Shuangxu, he roughly took off his clothes, baring his upper body, revealing his firm chest and the many shallow and deep scars.
Lin Shuangxu’s expression didn’t change, appearing very indifferent, and then patiently, layer by layer, he helped him put on the complicated formal attire.
He Yuncheng was several inches taller than him, lowering his eyes to look at him. His slender fingers were as white as jade, the ropes wrapped around his fingertips, and in the blink of an eye, he tied them into neat knots.
It really wasn’t lust at first sight. He Yuncheng completely subconsciously grasped that hand in his palm.
“What are you doing!” Lin Shuangxu immediately withdrew his hand, taking a step back.
Was such a big reaction necessary?
He Yuncheng cleared his throat and asked him, “Is it very cold outside? Why are your hands so cold?”
Lin Shuangxu was a little embarrassed. It was just touching a hand, and his reaction… seemed too exaggerated.
He returned to his previous position and continued to help He Yuncheng straighten his collar.
“It’s almost the winter solstice, and the temperature has dropped again.”
“Oh.” He Yuncheng nodded and asked, “How many days until I get married?”
It was truly laughable that he had to ask someone else about his own wedding date.
“Three days,” Lin Shuangxu said, “The courtyard of the new room has been prepared. After the princess enters the manor, you will move to the new courtyard to live. The old things here, replace whatever you don’t need with new things, to bring good luck.”
“Whatever you say.”
Lin Shuangxu helped him put on the formal attire, took two steps back, and nodded at him, “It fits well. Take it off. Don’t wrinkle it.”
“Oh.”
He Yuncheng changed back into his own clothes. Just like before, when he was bare-chested, Lin Shuangxu imperceptibly averted his eyes.
“Keep the wedding attire safe. I’ll go back first.”
Seeing that he was about to leave, He Yuncheng stepped forward and blocked his way.
“Wait a moment.”
Lin Shuangxu’s heart thumped.
“You…” He Yuncheng tilted his head and looked at him, “Don’t you have anything else to say to me?”
“Say what?”
He Yuncheng blinked his eyes, “I’m going to marry someone else, Lin Shuangxu.”
“I know.”
“I know you know, so what?”
“So what?”
“Don’t you have any feelings at all?”
“Yes, I’m happy for you, and I’m also happy for our teacher’s spirit in heaven.”
He Yuncheng rubbed his head in distress.
He perked up and said to Lin Shuangxu, “I asked wrong. I’ll ask again.”
“Ask what?”
“Lin Shuangxu.” He took a deep breath. Although he had said many frivolous things before, he was still nervous at this moment, “Do you like me?”
Without beating around the bush or implying anything, Lin Shuangxu gave him a straightforward and quick answer –
“I don’t like you.”
The air solidified, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became oppressive.
He Yuncheng opened his mouth several times, finally sighing, “How boring.”
“Yeah, I’ve always been boring. It’s not like you just met me.”
He Yuncheng suddenly felt very angry.
He had never been this angry before.
He stepped aside, no longer blocking him.
Lin Shuangxu, with a coldness that didn’t seem like acting, said to He Yuncheng, “If you still want me to stay in the General’s Manor, don’t say things you shouldn’t say in the future, and don’t do things you shouldn’t do.”
What does that mean?
If he dared to harass him again, he would run away from home?
Wasn’t this the first time he had used this kind of thing as a threat?
He Yuncheng chuckled, “Are you scaring me?”
Lin Shuangxu didn’t speak, tacitly agreeing.
“Okay, you’re making demands of me. What about yourself?”
“What about me?”
He Yuncheng leaned against the table, and said playfully: “If you count on your fingers, how many times have you and I crossed the line, who has taken the initiative more times?”
Lin Shuangxu took a deep breath, his cheeks bulging, full of guilt.
He Yuncheng said: “Soon I will be someone else’s husband. You have to drink the wedding wine on the wedding night, right? When you get drunk again, you must restrain yourself. If you act impulsively again, that’s moral corruption, interfering in other people’s marital affairs.”
Lin Shuangxu gritted his teeth, not arguing with him.
“Okay, don’t worry.”