TIGR Chapter 87

The Imperial Guard’s Revenge

Chapter 87 Study Room

Wang Yanqing had originally suspected that Lu Heng was up to something again, but she didn’t expect to discover that there was a hidden truth behind it all. If Guo Xun was bribing people with the intent of influencing the emperor, only to be suspected by the emperor himself, then Guo Xun had brought it upon himself. Wang Yanqing’s expression softened as she said apologetically: “So it is like this.  I’m sorry, I misunderstood you.”

Lu Heng shook his head: “When you first woke up, you were like a wooden puppet, following whatever others arranged. Now that you can express your dissatisfaction, even if it’s directed at me, I’m relieved.”

Besides, Lu Heng felt that Wang Yanqing hadn’t truly misunderstood him.

His words were direct, causing Wang Yanqing to feel a bit embarrassed: “Let’s not talk about the past. Back then, when I had just awoken, I didn’t recognize anyone so I could only follow you.”

The smile on Lu Heng’s lips turned cold. Yes, to put it bluntly, the reason they were here today was because Wang Yanqing mistakenly thought he was Fu Tingzhou. If she had woken up that day to find Fu Tingzhou or another man, would she have been as close and trusting with them?

Was the one she was willing to marry, him or her imaginary “Second Brother”?

Lu Heng was silent for a moment and did not speak. For Wang Yanqing, it was just a passing remark, and she didn’t give it much thought. Although she had lost her memory, she later recovered under the care of Second Brother. Whether in the past or present, she and Second Brother remained unchanged.

However, when she thought about how she had clung to Lu Heng, unable to trust anyone and followed him every step of the way when she had first woken up, Wang Yanqing felt deeply embarrassed. She dared not dwell on her past foolishness and quickly changed the subject: “The emperor has asked you to investigate the Marquis of Wuding, Brother. How do you plan to start?”

Guo Xun was no ordinary person. If Lu Heng were to investigate him openly, Guo Xun would undoubtedly erase any traces long before they could be found. He might even turn the tables and retaliate against Lu Heng. This matter could only be handled secretly. It was not easy to find out what Guo Xun was thinking without alerting him.

Lu Heng set aside the rising trivial grievances. Regardless of who she had in her heart, she was going to marry him. Dwelling on the past was of no practical use and it would only distress him. Lu Heng stood up and walked toward the desk: “The spies have gathered some information. We’ve located the person who ghostwrote The Biography of Heroes for Guo Xun. The Biography of Heroes was printed by a bookstore under the Guo family name, and those printers would not dare make any changes. Therefore, the last person to have handled this book before it was printed must have been Guo Xun. If we can find the original manuscript of The Biographies of Heroes and compare it with the printed edition, we can uncover what Guo Xun was thinking.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yanqing suddenly understood it clearly, and she felt a deep sense of admiration. To unearth someone’s thoughts while keeping them in the dark was a paradox that seemed unsolvable, yet Lu Heng had managed to devise an ingenious solution to this seemingly impossible problem. Wang Yanqing was impressed. She followed Lu Heng to the desk and watched as he pulled a portrait from the drawer. Wang Yanqing glanced down and asked: “Is this the person who wrote the book?”

Lu Heng nodded: “That’s right. According to my informant, this person gave Guo Xun the manuscript.”

Lu Heng had already obtained the portrait, so it was likely that he had also gathered background information and details about the person’s identity.  Wang Yanqing asked: “Who is he?”

Lu Heng retrieved a thin booklet from the side but did not hand it to Wang Yanqing. Instead, he placed it on the desk. Wang Yanqing had no choice but to lean in close to examine the text on the booklet. Lu Heng casually placed his hand on Wang Yanqing’s waist, drawing her close to him. He said: “The text is a bit small so standing far away might strain your eyes.”

Lu Heng braced himself against the table with one hand, while his other arm wrapped around Wang Yanqing’s waist, trapping her between his body and the table. Wang Yanqing glanced down at his hand and said: “I can take it back to my room and look at it later.”

Lu Heng’s expression was serious as he said: “You can’t. It’s classified information and cannot leave the study room.”

Wang Yanqing needed both hands to turn the pages, so unable to free herself from Lu Heng’s grasp, she had no choice but to let him be for the moment. However, with her summer clothing being so light and Lu Heng’s intentions far from innocent, it wasn’t long before he grew dissatisfied with merely holding her waist.  As his hand began to stray, Wang Yanqing had to hold the book with one hand and grab his wandering hand with the other. She turned to face him with a warning in her eyes and said: “We are in the study room. Don’t get carried away.”

When Wang Yanqing turned around, she and Lu Heng were face-to-face, and the gap between them was instantly closed. Lu Heng raised his eyebrows in surprise, propped himself against the table with both hands, and leaned closer to Wang Yanqing with a smile: “Qing Qing, do you know what this posture is?”

As he leaned in, the tension between them grew palpable, making Wang Yanqing instinctively take a step back until she bumped into the edge of the table.  Confused, she furrowed her brows and asked: “What?”

Her hip rested on the edge of the table, causing one leg to naturally bend slightly and brush against Lu Heng’s. Lu Heng thought he really couldn’t be blamed for his actions. He took advantage of the situation to spread Wang Yanqing’s knees apart and instantly moved into the gap.

Even though Wang Yanqing didn’t fully understand what was happening, she instinctively sensed that something was amiss. She quickly tried to close her legs but ended up trapping Lu Heng’s legs instead. Lu Heng wrapped his arms around her waist and, with slight effort, lifted her onto the desk.

Unable to support her upper body, Wang Yanqing instinctively began to lean back, her elbows desperately bracing against the table. She wanted to sit up quickly, but Lu Heng didn’t give her the chance. He held her knees with one hand, easily spread her legs, and pressed his body against Wang Yanqing’.

Wang Yanqing’s body was half tilted, and she couldn’t find any footing so her legs instinctively came together, accidentally touching the blade at Lu Heng’s waist.

The embroidered spring blade was slender and cold. It was said that Lu Heng’s sword was specially made, cast from fine steel that could cut a strand of hair with a single blow and cut through iron without a sound. Wang Yanqing seemed to be able to sense the blade’s coldness and hardness through the scabbard. Lu Heng felt the knife was in the way, so he took it off and placed it casually on the table.

The jet-black embroidered spring blade lay quietly, the scabbard adorned with metallic patterns, silently emitting a unique metallic chill and cold brilliance, both hard and menacing. However, at the hilt of the blade draped a soft and delicate woman’s gauze. The contrast of iron and softness created an indescribable, enchanting allure.

Even if Wang Yanqing was completely clueless about such matters, she should have understood by now. Her face turned crimson in an instant, and even her neck was tinged with a faint pink: “This is the study room. What… what are you doing?”

Her neck was slender and long, like a swan. At this moment, a red glow was reflected on her snow-white skin, as if a swan had lowered its neck, or a lotus was touched by frost. She was beautiful and fragile, evoking a desire to both cherish and pluck her for oneself.

Lu Heng lifted Wang Yanqing’s scattered hair and leaned over to kiss her neck. Though it was called a kiss, it was more like a bite. He rubbed her blood vessels gently with his teeth, feeling the most fragile and vital veins in her body pulsing and beating beneath his lips and teeth. With just a little effort, the swan could fall into his arms with a whine.

Wang Yanqing’s body went completely stiff, her waist trembled, and her breathing was all over the place. Lu Heng sucked and bit along the blood vessels to her collarbone. Noticing that Wang Yanqing was trembling, he held her legs and laid her completely flat on the desk.

Wang Yanqing’s sleeves swept over pens, ink and books, knocking many things over with a crash. And when the pen fell, it made a clear thud, seeming to cut through the silent study room signaling a precarious peak.

Wang Yanqing used her elbows to support her on the table, her fingers tightly grasping onto Lu Heng’s sleeves, not sure if she was afraid or nervous: “Brother…”

Lu Heng looked at the beauty fully under him, powerless to resist, and letting him do what he wanted. He couldn’t help but sigh: “You are so obedient. I can see that you have never secretly read novels or illustrated books.”

The Ming Dynasty of today was no longer the same as when it was first founded. Business was flourishing, rituals were falling into disarray, and many industries were prospering like never before. For example, the narrative book industry. Printing books used to be expensive and most needed to be copied by hand. Only books from sages and philosophers were circulated on the market. But now the market was in strong demand and all kinds of popular narratives and romance books could be found everywhere. Although young ladies of noble families were bound by Confucian norms, there were still some bold and forward girls who secretly bought and read novels about talented scholars and beautiful women, or even risqué illustrations.

This was no secret, but so long as they didn’t cause any trouble, everyone turned a blind eye. However, Wang Yanqing was too naive in this regard. If she had known about these matters, she wouldn’t have allowed him to trap her in front of him just now, wouldn’t have turned around, and her actions wouldn’t have led her step by step into a trap.

Lu Heng was interrupted time and time again and he couldn’t endure it any longer. Now that the end of his filial piety was approaching, his patience was wearing thin. He pulled out Wang Yanqing’s hairpin from behind her head and let her long hair fall on the table. This should have been a sacred place for studying Confucius and Mencius, but now it had become such a decadent and dissipated place, which was seriously distressing.

Lu Heng lifted a strand of black hair and said with pity: “Qing Qing, if you are worried about being widowed, you could just marry me sooner.”

This was really an illogical statement, but in this situation, the meaning of his sentence was self-evident. Wang Yanqing felt with clarity that Lu Heng was serious this time. She couldn’t help but tremble slightly. She looked at Lu Heng with pleading eyes: “Brother, not here…”

Wang Yanqing had a beautiful pair of red phoenix eyes with pointed corners and upturned tails. Her pupils were black and round. When she looked at people with tears in her eyes, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Lu Heng couldn’t bear it anymore and covered her eyes. He leaned over and pecked her cheek gently, and spoke against her lips: “Don’t you want to?”

Wang Yanqing shook her head. She couldn’t see Lu Heng’s expression so she could only wait blankly in the darkness. In fact, she was not opposed to doing these things with him. Being the focus of Lu Heng’s strong intensity and long-term hints, Wang Yanqing had slowly accepted the fact that she was going to marry him. However, she had expected that this day would take place in the bridal chamber, after going through the tedious process of fetching the bride, partaking in the ritual worship together in the hall, and sharing a nuptial cup, everything would arrive at this point, step by step.

|| Some extended details on the marriage process: Fetching the bride refers to when the groom would send a Sedan chair to pick up the bride to bring to the groom’s home. The ritual worship is where the bride and groom kneel side by side praying to the heavens and earth in their wedding dresses. And on their wedding night in the bridal chamber, a newlywed couple will sip wine with their arms linked, each sip representing a vow.

It might seem a little boring, but Wang Yanqing had never been bold person.

In reality, Wang Yanqing didn’t hold much hope. Men were all impatient. Ordinary men would be annoyed if they were rejected all the time, what more a smart and strong man like Lu Heng? She closed her eyes silently and mentally prepared herself. Even though this wouldn’t be as she imagined, it was not unbearable.

After an unknown amount of time passed, Lu Heng seemed to sigh softly, then he slowly straightened with her in his arms. Wang Yanqing opened her eyes in surprise, but Lu Heng’s hand still covered her eyes. She wanted to pull his hand away, but Lu Heng stopped her: “Wait.”

Wang Yanqing’s body froze unnaturally, thinking that Lu Heng changed his mind again. Lu Heng was indeed very reluctant to let go of the body he held, but she was different from him. Lu Heng did not care about the nonsense of tradition, but Wang Yanqing was used to being well-behaved and obeying the rules. She would feel safe only if she could settle down, get married and have children as portrayed in the books.

She didn’t want to, and that alone was reason enough. Her first time should be in a place she liked. If her first time left a shadow, he would be the one facing trouble in the future.

However, Lu Heng’s willingness to concede didn’t mean that he would change his career and become a good person. Wang Yanqing was still on the table with her clothes disheveled and at his mercy, a perfect opportunity for him to raise the terms. Lu Heng put his arm around Wang Yanqing’s shoulders and slowly negotiated with her: “I can accept, but how are you going to repay me?”

Originally, it was Lu Heng who teased her, and when she stopped him, he even unexpectedly asked for compensation. But Wang Yanqing was used to being teased, and when she met this shameless tyrant, she knew she couldn’t fight back: “What do you want?”

Lu Heng took on the complete attitude of a villain who felt his thinking was justified. He thought to himself, how could he be expected to control himself when she asked, “What do you want” in such a sweet and gentle tone? Lu Heng said: “I can let you go, but in exchange, you have to marry me.”

Traditionally, a proposal should be the man humbling himself and the woman holding the upper hand, but when Lu Heng brought it up, it felt more like a command. So, Wang Yanqing could only nod: “Okay.”

“I will exit the mourning period in the eleventh month, so we can get married by the twelfth month. Why not take advantage of the year-end holiday and have it in the first month of the lunar year?”

Wang Yanqing raised her eyebrows and couldn’t help but say” It’s too rushed…”

Lu Heng didn’t finish his mourning until the eleventh month, so the preparations would start in the twelfth month at the earliest. That would leave only two months before the wedding, which was too hasty. Normally, it took a whole year just to perform the six rituals.

But Lu Heng had enough, if he had to wait another year for the wedding according to the usual procedures, he would go crazy. Lu Heng said: “Don’t worry about the wedding, everything will be taken care of, and we can go through the formalities as soon as I am out of mourning. You just say whether you are willing or not.”

Lu Heng said he would let her make her own choice, but his hand tightly gripped Wang Yanqing’s lower back, giving off an impression that if she refused, he would execute her on the spot. What else could Wang Yanqing do? She could only nod and say softly: “Okay.”

“Good.” Satisfied, Lu Heng let go of her hand and kissed her lightly on her eye. Lu Heng’s mind was already racing. He had originally considered whether he should request an imperial decree for marriage as a precaution, but now it seemed that she was agreeable, so they would be able to marry in the first month. If he still requested an imperial decree for marriage, the length of the Ministry of Rites procedures would only delay things.

Lu Heng quickly decided. He would not request a marriage decree and would instead proceed to get married as quickly as possible. When she became a member of the Lu family, even if she recovered her memory, it would be a personal matter in the Lu family.

Wang Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the crisis was finally over. If anything really happened today, she would never be able to enter the study again. She wanted to leave this dangerous table, but Lu Heng blocked her path and didn’t move.

Wang Yanqing’s legs were helplessly draped over the edge of the table and even the slightest movement would brush against Lu Heng’s clothing. She couldn’t spread them or keep them together, feeling extremely embarrassed and frustrated: “What more do you want?”

Lu Heng raised the bargain and refused to give up easily: “What do you call me?”

“Second Brother.”

Wang Yanqing was caught off guard when Lu Heng pinched her lower back. His fingers must have touched a sensitive spot, causing a jolt of electricity to race up her spine and set off a series of tingling sparks. Half of Wang Yanqing’s body was tingling, and she only managed to avoid falling by supporting herself with her arms. Her blushed, and she was afraid that Lu Heng would notice something was strange, so she quickly gave in: “Brother.”

In front of Lu Heng, Wang Yanqing’s acting skills were almost non-existent. He immediately noticed that her expression was off, and her voice, which sounded as if it was under water, soft and alluring with a hint of a suppressed tremor. Even if Lu Heng was just a block of wood, he would still be able to tell something was wrong.

Lu Heng recalled the position they were in just now and realized what had happened. Lu Heng would never understand stopping when something had gone far enough. He took advantage of the situation without hesitation and continued pushing further: “I’ll give you another chance. What should you call me?”

Wang Yanqing’s face flushed red, and she bit her lower lip tightly with her pearly teeth. Lu Heng calmly stared into her eyes. Wang Yanqing’s clothes were half-open, and her hair was scattered, while Lu Heng, apart from removing his embroidered spring knife, remained impeccably composed, as if only Wang Yanqing was disheveled. Wang Yanqing hesitated for a while, and finally said in a low voice: “Husband.”

Lu Heng lowered his head and asked: “What did you say?”

Wang Yanqing bit her lip, her cheeks puffed up with anger. He definitely heard it. He was really going too far!

Lu Heng waited for her with a smile, completely unconcerned about the possibility of her becoming desperate and retaliating. In fact, it would be better if she broke her promise, as he wouldn’t be the one suffering any loss regardless. Wang Yanqing was infuriated by his lack of principles, but what else could she do in the face of a rogue? She could only endure her embarrassment and whisper in his ear: “Husband.”

When Lu Heng heard the word he wanted to hear, his whole body relaxed, and even the hot blood that had been stuck somewhere seemed to flow freely. To hear her soft and tender “Husband”, it was worth the effort to hold himself back despite feeling like an arrow pulled taut on a bow string.

Lu Heng straightened up with satisfaction and slowly stepped back. Seeing her expression of relief, his former intentions resurfaced, and he suddenly stopped and said: “Just from saying husband? That seems rather insincere.”

Wang Yanqing simply couldn’t bear it anymore. She had already called him husband and let him enjoy the treatment of being her husband in advance. What else did he want? Seeing that she was embarrassed and angry, Lu Heng timely reminded her: “If you want to ask your husband to do something, shouldn’t you take the initiative?”

Seeing that Wang Yanqing didn’t move, Lu Heng approached her and instructed: “If you don’t know how, I will teach you.”

Wang Yanqing quickly held his shoulders and stopped him with a flushed face. If she really let him “teach” her, things might spiral out of control today, and all her previous compromises and efforts would have been in vain. Besides, Wang Yanqing thought, in another six months they would be husband and wife, and it would be quite normal for a husband to make such requests. He had already seen and touched everything he should have, so there didn’t seem to be any need to hesitate about this matter any longer.

Wang Yanqing persuaded herself, suppressed her shyness, and said in a muffled voice: “I know how.”

As she spoke, she loosened her grip on his shoulders, and took the initiative to wrap her arms around his neck. Then she leaned forward to kiss Lu Heng on the lips. She was not as thick-skinned as Lu Heng and she separated immediately at the first touch, but Lu Heng seemed to be irritated by something. He suddenly grabbed her waist tightly and kissed her fiercely and uncontrollably.

Wang Yanqing was forced back onto the table, and she pessimistically discovered that it made no difference in the end whether she took the initiative as he requested or not.

He still hadn’t come back into himself.

Lu Heng knew that he couldn’t get heated in his current situation, so he could only plunder the fragrance in her mouth as revenge and let her go as soon as he satisfied his craving. After Lu Heng’s ravage, Wang Yanqing’s clothes were disheveled to the last layer, the corners of her eyes were moist and red, and her neck seemed as delicate as snow, which was simply tempting to nip at. Lu Heng looked away painfully and said: “Go sleep first. Change your clothes tomorrow, I’ll take you to a somewhere in the afternoon.”

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