Three men make a drama
"You unruly commoner! Are you deaf? This prince wants you to speak!" Zhao Yong was furious and reached out to pinch Li Xiuman's chin, forcing him to raise his head.
Lee Soo-man stared at Zhao Yong's angry face for a few seconds, his eyes wide open. For a fleeting moment, a thought arose within him: if he were to push Zhao Yong down now, perhaps Zhao Yong could make Zhao Yong pay for Chun-tian's life. But this last thought vanished when he saw the guards behind Zhao Yong.
The courtyard was filled with kneeling maids. Zhang Chunfeng's own guards were all outside the gate, while Zhao Yong's guards were all tall and strong, with their hands on the knives at their waists, seemingly ready to draw their knives and cut off someone's head at any moment.
Zhao Yong noticed that Li Xiuman was trembling.
"As expected of a lowly commoner from a remote and impoverished place, trembling like this? It seems that Chunfeng only had a fleeting interest in you." Zhao Yong suddenly felt great. In the past, he disliked the status of the crown prince because he was foolish and everyone in the court could find fault with him. But now he loved his status as the crown prince to the extreme. Look how frightened Li Xiuman was.
Zhao Yong released Li Xiuman and sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard.
He was still sizing up Lee Soo-man.
Have you ever been to school?
Lee Soo-man shook his head.
"Can you ride a horse and shoot arrows?"
Lee Soo-man continued to shake his head.
"If you've never been to school, does that mean you can't compose poetry or prose?"
Lee Soo-man continued to shake his head.
Zhao Yong sneered, "Chunfeng is learned and talented, and loves to compose poems and write essays. She also enjoys riding horses and shooting arrows. She spends her days reading the classics, while you can't do anything! How could Chunfeng possibly be interested in you?"
Li Xiuman didn't answer, thinking to himself, "Zhang Chunfeng doesn't care about Confucian classics at all. Even after Li Shi is dead, she's still reading novels about romantic relationships."
"Did you get up this morning to cook for the spring breeze?"
Lee Soo-man hesitated. She had just married into the Zhang family and he had cooked every meal for her. But after this encounter, she was tormented at night and in the morning, and her daily routine was always exhausting.
Lee Soo-man could only continue shaking his head.
"You can't play the zither, chess, calligraphy, or painting, and you're useless at washing clothes and cooking! It seems you're just using your beauty to seduce men!" Zhao Yong slammed his hand on the table, defining Li Xiuman.
Lee Soo-man remained kneeling on the ground, his dark hair emitting a faint fragrance.
Zhao Yong took in every inch of Li Xiuman and compared him to himself.
Lee Soo-man is fair-skinned, but he's not exactly dark-skinned.
Lee Soo-man has thick, black hair, and so does he.
Lee Soo-man has a long, slender neck with a beautiful curve; his neck is also quite long.
As Zhao Yong watched, he noticed a strange allure about Lee Soo-man. He couldn't tell if it was his long eyelashes, a small mole on his nose, or his beautifully shaped, bright red lips. Lee Soo-man simply possessed a peculiar charm.
After observing closely for a while, Zhao Yong suddenly had an idea.
"Spring breeze, have you ever served me?"
Lee Soo-man was taken aback, seemingly not understanding.
"What are you pretending for? Look at your foxy face, I'm asking you if Chunfeng has ever used you!" Zhao Yong said angrily, staring at Li Xiuman's face, wishing he could slash her face in two.
So what if you have a pretty face? If you don't have that face anymore, how can you still seduce me?
Lee Soo-man remembered that Jang Chun-feng had said before he left that the two of them would sleep separately tonight.
He immediately shook his head.
"This humble subject and Chunfeng are not yet married." He spoke in a low voice, which only angered Zhao Yong more.
"I don't believe you! Take off your clothes, I want to see what kind of body you use to seduce the spring breeze!"
Lee Soo-man seemed not to understand, remaining kneeling without making any movement.
"Take it off!" Zhao Yong roared.
Only then did Lee Soo-man raise his head and face Zhao Yong.
Now, surrounded by people in the courtyard, was he supposed to take off his clothes himself? A wave of humiliation washed over Li Xiuman. Even in the woods and in the carriage with Zhang Chunfeng, he had felt this shame, and his clothes had been removed.
But that was Zhang Chunfeng.
Who is Zhao Yong? The executioner who killed her husband? A man who abuses his power just because he's the crown prince? He wants her...
Take off your clothes?
Lee Soo-man remains inactive.
Zhao Yong threw down the cup in his hand with a thud.
"He won't listen to reason, so he'll have to suffer the consequences! Men, take off his clothes!"
Two guards behind Zhao Yong immediately grabbed Li Xiuman's hands, while another went to remove Li Xiuman's clothes.
Qiu Xin, who was kneeling, hurriedly kowtowed to Zhao Yong.
“Your Highness, the lady was betrothed to the lord by His Majesty. Although the marriage has not yet taken place, the lady is already the lord’s wife. Your Highness’s humiliation will surely displease the lord. I beg Your Highness to reconsider.”
"Are you trying to intimidate me with your flattery?" Zhao Yong asked coldly.
"This servant dares not, but I beg Your Highness to reconsider. It is truly humiliating to undress in public. Perhaps we should wait until Your Highness returns before making a decision."
Zhao Yong gave a wink to the little eunuch beside him.
The young eunuch looked troubled and winked at Qiu Xin, signaling her not to say anything more.
Qiu Xin continued, "The lady was not only betrothed by His Majesty, but she was also the lord's sister-in-law before, and she has been kind to the lord's family. It is really inappropriate for Your Highness to insult her like this."
Snap—
The young eunuch slapped Qiu Xin across the face.
The slap was so loud that Qiu Xin was thrown backward. Li Xiuman was also startled. He was someone who didn't care about the punishment he received, but he disliked others suffering because of him. When he saw that Qiu Xin's mouth was bleeding, Li Xiuman felt guilty.
Li Xiuman didn't understand that Qiu Xin's mouth was actually bleeding, but she wasn't actually in pain. The maids and guards of the high-ranking officials in the capital were all shrewd and capable people.
Moreover, the eunuchs around Zhao Yong—there are many intricacies involved in a eunuch becoming the crown prince's personal servant. When a young eunuch slaps someone, the actual force is mostly directed at the corner of the lip; the teeth touch the mouth before drawing blood, but the face doesn't actually hurt much.
Qiu Xin understood what the eunuch meant, and quickly lowered her head, kowtowing even louder.
"I am the Crown Prince, how dare you, a lowly servant, interfere in my affairs!" Zhao Yong roared.
He glanced at Lee Soo-man's slightly pale face, then said smugly, "Hurry up and take it off!"
The young eunuch softened his tone, "Your Highness, if you really take off his clothes here, I'm afraid you'll never be able to win back Lord Zhang's heart."
Zhao Yong glanced at the little eunuch and said, "Are you going to cause trouble too?"
The young eunuch chuckled and said, "I've been following Your Highness since I was little, and my heart is always with Your Highness. I'm afraid that if Your Highness and Lord Zhang get together in the future, this matter will cause you some entanglement, and you won't be able to keep your heart together in the future."
These words, "being with Zhang Chunfeng" and "living together in the future," filled Zhao Yong with immense comfort at the thought of seeing Zhang Chunfeng every day, living with her, and embracing her.
Seeing that Zhao Yong's expression had softened, the young eunuch immediately beckoned to the guard, ordering him to release Li Xiuman.
Although Zhao Yong was pleased with himself, the thought of seeing Li Xiuman's body remained in his mind. He was convinced that the more Li Xiuman hid it, the more secrets she had. He was a despicable woman who had surely already slept with Zhang Chunfeng. If so, then Li Xiuman had lied to him. Although he wasn't yet the emperor and couldn't be fully convicted of deceiving him, he had given himself to Zhang Chunfeng before even marrying her—this was tantamount to incest between sisters-in-law, and might even ruin the marriage.
Even if Lee Soo-man wasn't lying, considering what exceptional qualities he possesses and the fact that he didn't do anything to him, it's not a big deal.
Zhao Yong stood up after thinking for a moment. "Come with me into the house," he said, pointing to Li Xiuman.
Qiu Xin wanted to go with the two, but Zhao Yong stopped her in her tracks with a look.
Zhao Yong did not bring any guards or eunuchs with him; he went into the house with Li Xiuman alone.
After entering the hall, Zhao Yong turned behind a small screen on the side and sat down on the side couch.
"Alright, now that no one's around, take your clothes off and let me see. This isn't an insult to you, is it?" Zhao Yong's words exuded an air of extreme magnanimity.
Lee Soo-man choked, his lips pressed into a thin line.
"This humble subject does not know what is so beautiful about my body, and I fear it would offend Your Highness's eyes."
"Your body is certainly an eyesore! But I, the Crown Prince, just think you're lying! Take it off! Turn around and show it to me!" Zhao Yong said angrily.
Lee Soo-man was truly at a loss. There was no one around, and Zhao Yong was so thin that he could easily shove him so hard that he would hit his head against the wall and pass out, saving Lee Soo-man the trouble of taking off his clothes. However, the dragon pattern on Zhao Yong's bright yellow robe carried an overwhelming power, causing Lee Soo-man's hands to tremble as he tentatively reached for his own belt.
He untied the drawstring and groped his way off his coat. Fortunately, it was cold in Kyoto, and he had three layers of clothing underneath.
"What are you dawdling for? I'm a man, and you're a man. I have everything you have. It's not like I'll eat you if I look at you!" Zhao Yong couldn't wait any longer and reached out to rip off Li Xiuman's clothes.
He undressed himself, a stark contrast to Zhao Yong tearing his clothes off. Zhao Yong's words were reasonable; they were both men, so there was nothing wrong with looking. But now, a man was trying to pull off his clothes!
Lee Soo-man suddenly felt awkward all over. Zhao Yongbi was a few centimeters shorter than him and was trying to pull his clothes off. Lee Soo-man was about to have his clothes torn open.
Unable to bear it any longer, Lee Soo-man shoved Jo Yong away.
He knelt on the ground in a panic, "Your Highness, if Chunfeng sees you like this, she will misunderstand!"
Zhao Yong staggered backward, "You unruly commoner, how dare you push me?"
Ignoring what Lee Soo-man said, he reached out and slapped him across the face. Five finger marks immediately appeared on Lee Soo-man's fair cheek. Zhao Yong, still enraged, continued to tear at Lee Soo-man's clothes.
He was furious when he heard hurried, vinegar-like footsteps.
Li Xiuman was overjoyed, thinking that Zhang Chunfeng had returned. But as the footsteps drew closer, he realized something was wrong; it wasn't Zhang Chunfeng.
"Stop!" Duan Qingshan, dressed in snow-white silk, strode to Li Xiuman's side. His hands, which were used to wielding swords and spears for many years, suddenly grabbed Zhao Yong's wrist and forcibly pulled him away.
Li Xiuman didn't know who Duan Qingshan was, but he felt that Duan Qingshan's age and attire were somewhat similar to Zhou Zhengdu, the son of Magistrate Zhou, whom he had met before.
Although Duan Qingshan came to help him, Li Xiuman was even more uneasy.
"How dare you! You surnamed Duan! I am the Crown Prince! Take your filthy hands off me!" Zhao Yong struggled, but found he couldn't break free from Duan Qingshan's wrist, and became furious.
Duan Qingshan, feeling annoyed, gave Zhao Yong his wrist.
"How dare I offend the Crown Prince? I am worried that the Crown Prince's position is not secure, so I have come to help His Highness keep his position."
Throughout history, the position of Crown Prince has been the most difficult to hold.
Although Zhao Yong disliked being the crown prince and only sought pleasure, he knew that if he really lost his position as crown prince, he would probably lose his head.
"Insolence! You surnamed Duan! Are you threatening this Crown Prince?" Zhao Yong sneered.
Duan Qingshan sneered, "I said I was doing this to help the Crown Prince. Don't you think about how Chunfeng will react if he finds out you're bullying him like this?"
"How could I bully him? I only glanced at his head; he won't lose a scratch!" Zhao Yong rolled his eyes at Duan Qingshan, then said sarcastically, "What are you talking about? Chunfeng went to court just a moment ago, and you're here right after. What's the reason for this?"
"I am not as well-informed as His Highness the Crown Prince, and I am still a step too late."
"Whether they come early or late, it's all the same old story. Look, this is Lee Soo-man, see?" Zhao Yong gestured with his chin. The two spoke as if they didn't treat Lee Soo-man as a person at all, as if he were an object. Zhao Yong wanted to see what this object looked like, so he came over. Duan Qingshan was also curious about what Lee Soo-man looked like, so he came over as well.
Duan Qingshan looked down at Li Xiuman kneeling on the ground. Li Xiuman's black hair was loose, and there were clear five finger marks on his cheek. His eyes were red and there was a wound at the corner of his mouth, making him look like a piece of fine porcelain that had been broken, evoking a heartbreaking and regrettable beauty.
Duan Qingshan's face remained expressionless, but he sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, "This person is truly good-looking."
He smiled and helped Li Xiuman up. "Hello, sister-in-law. My surname is Duan, and my given name is Qingshan. My father is General Duan Ming'an, who is in charge of stabilizing the country. Sister-in-law, you have just arrived in the capital, but you have been bullied like this. I will take you to the capital to see the capital in the future and apologize to you."
Zhao Yong clicked his tongue. "My mother has already arranged a marriage between him and Chunfeng, yet you still call her 'sister-in-law.' I think you should change your address..." Zhao Yong pondered for a moment, "What should the eldest wife and concubine call each other again, haha." He chuckled to himself.
Upon hearing the words "first wife" and "concubine," Li Xiuman immediately understood that Duan Qingshan also harbored the intention of marrying Zhang Chunfeng. Duan Qingshan? Li Xiuman suddenly recalled General Duan mentioned by Xiao Jiu in Lingnan, saying that General Duan personally came to Lingnan to hunt tigers, but only to obtain tiger skins to make scarves to give to Zhang Chunfeng.
Could he be General Duan?
Duan Qingshan sneered, "Your Highness, you are truly confused. I cannot save you. I fear that you and Chunfeng will be estranged from now on."
Zhao Yong sneered, "What are you pretending for? Back then, you saw Zhou Zhengdu getting close to Chunfeng, and even a military general copied Zhou Zhengdu by wearing white clothes and dressing like that. Now Zhou Zhengdu has long been driven to Longxi, and Li Xiuman is the real leader. Don't you want to learn from him too?"
This confirmed Lee Soo-man's guess.
Zhao Yong glanced at Li Xiuman and said bluntly, "He looks like a vixen. I think he's already slept with you. Why don't we take his clothes off and see what he's got going on? Or we can ask him what he likes most in bed. You can learn something from him."
Lee Soo-man was further humiliated by these words. There was something in Zhao Yong's words that made him extremely uncomfortable. Usually, when someone insulted him, they would at most say he looked like a prostitute, and that at least they treated him as a human being. The more Lee Soo-man listened to Zhao Yong's words, the more he felt like he wasn't even human. It was as if only he and Duan Qingshan were human in the entire room.
This gesture reminded Lee Soo-man of the way Jo Yong had looked at Zhang Chuntian back then.
Unlucky. Vulgar. Disgusting. Filthy. Unruly. Cheapskate. That's how Zhao Yong described him. In Zhao Yong's eyes, Li Xiuman was a combination of all these words.
He was already furious, but what terrified him even more was that Duan Qingshan didn't immediately refuse after Zhao Yong said those words. The room was quiet; Li Xiuman felt she could hear her own heartbeat.
One is the crown prince, and the other is a general. If it were only Zhao Yong, he could have put up a fight and held out for a while, but now that Duan Qingshan is involved, he is definitely no match for the general.
Both of them wanted to strip him bare and see him for who he was. Li Xiuman thought embarrassedly that although he had taken a bath as soon as he returned, he had indeed been in the carriage with Zhang Chunfeng a few hours ago.
He hadn't had time to examine his inner thighs closely, and didn't know if there were any marks left. Zhang Chunfeng had really hit him so hard; each time, the marks took several days to fade. If someone had truly seen him naked now, Zhao Yong would know he had lied, and then his marriage...
Lee Soo-man felt increasingly that he couldn't bear to be seen. He glanced at Duan Qingshan out of the corner of his eye and saw that Duan Qingshan still hadn't refused and seemed to be thinking.
Li Xiu understood perfectly; this man had only helped him to curry favor with Chunfeng. Why, then, did he really help him?
"How is it?" Zhao Yong urged.
Duan Qingshan raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't matter. The marriage is a done deal, and I don't want to offend Chunfeng."
Duan Qingshan grabbed Li Xiuman's wrist. "Sister-in-law, I'll take you away."
Li Xiuman was caught off guard when Duan Qingshan suddenly pulled him. He didn't realize how strong the other man was, and the pull made him stagger.
As soon as he stepped out of the screen, Zhao Yong wouldn't let him leave.
"Stop!" Zhao Yong shouted, reaching out to grab Li Xiuman's other arm.
Lee Soo-man was truly a mess, with one arm being pulled by Duan Qingshan and the other by Zhao Yong.
The two were pulling at each other, and Lee Soo-man's clothes were mostly torn off, revealing both of his shoulders.
Just then, there was a sudden noise outside the door.
The three looked closely and saw Zhang Chunfeng, dressed in a bright red official robe and wearing a dark blue hat, striding towards them.
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