Chapter 5: My Wife 05 He Wants to Pull Him Down from the Altar
Amidst the dazzling fireworks, the Qionghua Banquet drew to a close, so fleeting that it seemed as if it had never even occurred. Yet, the stories of countless lovers had only just begun, thanks to the poetry and paintings that filled this banquet.
Lu Huai, a diligent scholar who used to devote himself to reading books of sages and never put them down until late at night, seemed to be under a spell since returning home. Not only did he lose his appetite, but even when he picked up the pen to practice calligraphy, the dense words written on the paper were all Chen Chen Sheng's name.
At night, he tossed and turned, thinking about his wife all the time. He was worried that the person he loved was also loved by his friend, and he was torn between love and friendship.
Lu Huai's rationality told him: A gentleman does not take away what others like. But he couldn't help but think that Pei Yu was already engaged to Shen Meng. The Great Qi Kingdom stipulated that sisters from the same house could not marry the same husband. Moreover, with Shen San's proud character, she would never be a concubine, so how could she be willing to marry her friend again?
Unless she also feels for Huaiyuan... A hint of sadness flashed across Lu Huai's eyes. If they were in love with each other, there was nothing he could do.
Something flashed through his mind, and he suddenly came to life, like a dead tree reborn. If Ah Sheng had feelings for Huai Yuan, how could they have spent the entire banquet without interacting with each other, not even exchanging glances?
And Huaiyuan shouldn't have been thinking about Chen Chensheng after getting married to Shen Meng. This is really not what a gentleman does.
Moreover, at the Qionghua Banquet, who knew what kind of storm would his Major General's painting of a beautiful woman put Shen San in? Even Lu Huai, the family and friends of the Hanlin Academy who were supposedly isolated from the news, knew the rumors that were spreading outside: Major General Pei still had feelings for his ex-fiancée and had written poems and paintings for Shen Chensheng regardless of Shen Meng.
If that's the case, why doesn't he take this step?
Lu Huai's first 20 years of life had been relatively smooth. He achieved fame at a young age and, just as he had hoped when he was little, he held a high position in government, contributing to the well-being of the country and its people. Now, the desire to strive for something again had arisen, surprisingly, for love.
Although in the eyes of others he is a gentleman like a green pine and a white pond in the quiet night that is untainted by the worldly affairs, he is not a completely simple person without any scheming or trickery.
On the contrary, Lu Huai was born with a keen mind, good at observing people's words and expressions, and able to keenly analyze the interests involved. Otherwise, he would not have been able to remain unmoved in the increasingly fierce officialdom in the later period and continue to be his calm and clear mind.
It's just that he was still too young at the moment and had not experienced such a heart-wrenching love-hate relationship, so he only slightly revealed a sharpness and selfishness that contrasted with his beautiful and non-aggressive appearance.
Worried that he would be hindered by his chaotic emotions again, Lu Huai did not accept Pei Yu's invitation to meet at Chunfeng Tower. Instead, he submitted a visiting card to the Duke's Mansion early, and asked his two personal maids Chunying and Xia Lu to help Manager Feng prepare generous gifts, making full preparations for visiting and inviting the beauty.
The Duke's Mansion was also bustling with activity. Ever since word of the affair between the two gentlemen and the same woman at the Qionghua Banquet spread, Miss Shen's fame had spread far and wide, her worth soaring, and she was flooded with invitations to visit.
However, those who wanted to come to visit were not the top young talents in the capital.
The reason was that the most promising prospects had all gone to the Princess Zhang Luo's Qionghua Banquet. Although there were some who were attracted to Shen Chensheng, they all politely backed off when they heard that Lu Huai was interested in going.
They thought long-term: first, they didn't want to offend this promising top scholar; second, they felt ashamed of themselves and thought they were not as good as Lu Huai.
On the other hand, he suspected that if this woman was just a beautiful woman, how could she possibly attract the attention of Pei and Lu, the dream lovers of two young ladies from the capital, one a martial artist and the other a scholar? He felt that she must have some powerful and unstoppable means. If such a woman were placed in his own backyard, she would cause a huge storm.
The former concubine Liu, or should be called the Duke's wife now, saw that this little troublemaker had quietly attracted so many good customers, as if she saw more wealth and jewelry falling from the sky. She was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. For the first time in her life, she felt that it was worth keeping this burden.
He even began to like Chen Chensheng a lot more. Not only did he torture the servants in his yard less, but in order to "sell" it for a good price, he even used part of a batch of high-quality gold brocade that Chen Mengyang's father had customized last month to make new clothes for him, which made Chen Mengyang so angry that he smashed a lot of things.
"Miss, my aunt sent me some more clothes and jewelry. I wonder what her intentions are." Ning Shuang, who rarely received a favorable response from Manager Liu, accepted the large amount of supplies but said sullenly. "When a weasel pays New Year's greetings to a chicken, it must have ulterior motives."
Ningshuang and Ningbi, the two personal maids brought by his mother's family and who had grown up with Chen Chensheng, were the only two people he could trust in the vast Duke's Mansion. They were also the only ones who knew Chen Chensheng's identity. However, to avoid being seen and prevent any trouble, they usually called him "Miss" instead of "Young Master".
Although there were many honest, simple, honest and capable people in the courtyard, Shen Chensheng no longer dared to believe them.
The world is bustling with people, all driven by profit. His mother, like a sheep who thought she had tamed kindness, never imagined she had provoked an ungrateful wolf who would threaten her life. He would never give his feelings and trust lightly, and would never follow in her footsteps...
This steward Liu was none other than Concubine Liu's cousin. He had secured a lucrative position at the Duke's Mansion and, naturally, followed Liu Jinglan's lead, with every move dictated by her. Consequently, he had previously created numerous obstacles for Shen Chensheng, both overtly and covertly, and had a sour face all day long. If Shen Chensheng hadn't been so furious that she nearly smashed Steward Liu's head, he would have been treated like a soft persimmon, leaving the courtyard short of food and clothing.
Chen Chensheng scoffed, "What else could it be for? If not, they could just marry me off to a random family and see who offers the highest price."
"But sir, you are not a maiden, how can you get married?" Ningshuang became anxious when she heard the voice and even forgot to change the title.
"Besides General Pei, which man can you be betrothed to and hide your identity? But he doesn't have that kind of feelings for you, and even the engagement is now invalid. If this gets out, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor! Miss, wouldn't we all be dead then?"
Ningbi had just brought in some food when she heard Chenchensheng and Ningshuang talking about marriage. She was so shocked that she almost knocked over the cakes.
"Don't be afraid." Facing her own people, Shen Shensheng's radiant face was no longer as white as the snow that never melts all year round. Instead, her expression softened and her tone was soothing and gentle.
But the next second, his eyes were surprisingly sharp. "I'll make her understand that not everything in this world can go her way."
Even if they keep saying they love him, if they are indifferent and ignore him for a moment, their enthusiasm will fade. If they meet a thick-skinned woman who likes this, she will do things that men don't like women to do, such as being too aggressive or making unreasonable demands to get the better of them.
After this, most men would have retreated far away. However, Shen Chensheng recalled a white figure like the Gushe Immortal. If it were him, he really didn't know how to persuade him to retreat...
This good-tempered handsome young man seemed to have a strong defense. However, the object of his young love was a beautiful woman. If he told Lu Huai that he was in a relationship with a man, he would probably turn around and run away.
"Lu Huai."
He whispered the name softly, grinding it against the tip of his tongue.
Chen Chensheng couldn't help but think of the day when he painted for him. Not only was the painting wonderful, but the poem he wrote also touched his heart.
What a beautiful line: "The breeze sweeps away the orchid snow."
He also hoped that he could be independent between heaven and earth, not worry about these bad things that were like mud that wanted to swallow him up, and be able to be free and easy on the clouds.
But he knew that he was just the weeds crushed in the mud, not the tall and pure lotus that Lu Huai imagined, which could emerge from the mud without being stained.
He, Shenchen Sheng, could only struggle in the suffocating reality, even though he was numb and not afraid of pain, even though he was not afraid of death.
But there was also his mother's hatred and injustice, his unspoken masculinity and everything he should have won, and the few friends and family he wanted to protect. These burdens were the chains that bound him, the thorny cage that imprisoned him, preventing him from freely considering his own life, expressing his own wishes, and even preventing him from easily choosing to end it all.
But he also thought that if he could be himself again, he would be willing to pay any price, even if it meant using any means necessary.
Just like, Lu Huai wrote poems and painted pictures for him, did he also have some affection for his bright and beautiful appearance in his heart? If he sacrificed himself, would the almighty gods have mercy on him?
Although, when he gets close enough to him and tears off the skin to reveal the rotten, festering interior, the pure god might cry out in fear.
But by then, he should have completely torn him off the pedestal, knocking him off the altar. The old god was imprisoned by him, and everything he plundered from him was the nourishment for his ascent to the new throne.
The author has something to say:
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Chen Chensheng's feelings towards Huai Huai are very complicated now, but it is far from love.
He would envy, feel jealous, want to destroy, and also want to possess, because Lu Huai was the kind of person he longed to be, but he was destined not to be.
So he would try to take advantage of this good impression in a despicable way, although he didn't know much about it.
But the sacrifices should be given away in their entirety. If you take them back...it's too late to take them back.
Oops, I found that there are too many bad dog elements while writing. I feel sorry for my baby Huai Huai who only darkened a little bit. QwQ
I originally wanted to post it on February 13th, but it was changed to the early morning. Oh, if my wife is reading this, I will try to post it twice today!
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