The Crown Prince Chases His Wife
Chapter 115 A Brutal Beating
Emperor Hui’s expression darkened as he locked eyes with Taizi Feng Zhan, both men exuding an imposing aura, neither willing to back down.
In the end, it was Emperor Hui who broke the gaze, sighing twice in defeat.
The two instances of “woman” in Taizi’s words carried very different weights. Qin Yan was Taizi’s legitimate wife, while Imperial Concubine Ning was merely a plaything. There was no comparison between the two.
Today, the Taizi had come to stand up for Qin Yan. If his intent was not met, this issue would not be easily dismissed.
So be it. Let this matter end here today; it would serve as a form of justice for Qin Yan.
“Imperial Concubine Ning, you go,” Emperor Hui commanded.
Hearing this, Imperial Concubine Ning’s heart sank.
“Your Majesty…”
Imperial Concubine Ning was just about to plead for herself, but the icy gaze from Emperor Hui froze her in place, forcing her to swallow her words.
Not daring to disobey, Imperial Concubine Ning slowly stood up and descended from the viewing platform.
“Li Fuquan, inform Xie Changyuan to make sure she’s protected,” Emperor Hui instructed the chief eunuch, Li Fuquan, with a few more words.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Li Fuquan acknowledged and left to carry out the orders.
Taizi Feng Zhan took Qin Yan’s hand, his deep eyes fixed on her delicate face, his voice deep and rich, “Are you cold?”
Qin Yan, in turn, grasped Feng Zhan’s dry, warm hand, feeling a surge of warmth in her heart.
It became clear to her now that Feng Zhan had brought her to the winter hunt in the western outskirts to set up today’s event.
The spectators on the sidelines, seeing Imperial Concubine Ning enter the arena to tame the horse, all understood what was happening.
Today, the Taizi was settling an old score for the Taizifei.
———–
The scene unfolding on the racetrack was difficult to watch.
Imperial Concubine Ning, a truly frail woman with no strength to tame a horse, was in no position to handle it. All she could do was scream while crawling and rolling across the filthy ground, desperately trying to avoid the trampling hooves of the wild horse.
Xie Changyuan, acting on the Emperor’s orders, did his best to shield her from the crazed horse’s blows, but both of them ended up in a pitiful state.
Emperor Hui frowned deeply and glanced at Feng Zhan, saying, “Taizi, that’s enough.”
Feng Zhan, who had been whispering with Qin Yan, turned his head at the Emperor’s words, both of them giving Emperor Hui a calm, indifferent look.
Frustration built up inside Emperor Hui, did these two have any sense of respect as the younger generation?
Seeing that neither Feng Zhan nor Qin Yan objected, Emperor Hui gestured for Li Fuquan, who immediately went down to instruct Xie Changyuan to bring Imperial Concubine Ning back.
The spectators on the platform felt a wave of fear sweep over them, each of them frantically trying to recall if they had ever offended the Taizifei in the past.
The Taizi had become a notorious wife protector, and those who feared they might have ever crossed the Taizifei were already planning to prepare generous gifts to beg for her forgiveness.
Emperor Hui, having lost interest in the event, prepared to stand and leave.
Just then, a palace servant hurried over.
“Your Majesty, Madam Han, the wife of the eldest son of the Left Prime Minister, has just had a miscarriage.”
Those nearby were shocked when they heard this, was it due to the horse race earlier?
The news quickly spread through the gathering, and many cast complex glances in the direction of the Taizifei, Qin Yan, who was preparing to leave.
After all, it was Han Shuangling herself who had approached the Taizifei first…
———-
In the western outskirts military camp, inside Han Shuangling’s tent.
Through the curtain, a sudden sharp “pop” sound echoed from outside.
Left Prime Minister Wang Xian had struck Wang Jingyan hard across the face.
Wang Jingyan clutched her cheek, her eyes brimming with tears, but she stubbornly bit her lip, refusing to make a sound.
“Who told you to push your sister-in-law into joining the horse race?” Wang Xian bellowed, his beard trembling with fury. Han Shuangling was the cherished daughter of the Marquis of Guannei. Even the slightest harm coming to her within the Left Prime Minister Mansion would be met with trouble, let alone the loss of a child.
“Kneel and apologize to your sister-in-law,” Wang Xian ordered coldly.
Wang Jingyan was full of grievances, how was she supposed to know her sister-in-law was pregnant? Even Han Shuangling herself didn’t know!
Still, Wang Jingyan knelt before the curtain separating them and softly said, “Sister-in-law, I’m sorry.”
“Louder,” Wang Xian barked at Wang Jingyan. Though an apology alone wouldn’t fix things, they needed to show the right attitude.
“I’m sorry, Sister-in-law,” Wang Jingyan repeated, her voice louder, this time tinged with a sob.
Inside the tent, Han Shuangling lay weakly on the bed, her hand held tightly by Wang Jingheng, whose eyes were filled with sorrow and pain.
“When I’ve rested enough, take me back to the mansion,” Han Shuangling said, a few silent tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.
Who could she blame?
It was her own stubbornness, her own doing.
————
As the crowd dispersed around the hunting grounds, people went their separate ways to enjoy the day.
In a nearby meadow, Qin Xi was stubbornly pulling Qin Lin, forcing her to learn how to ride a horse.
Qin Lin had fallen from a horse when she was younger, and ever since, she refused to get back in the saddle. Now, she resisted fiercely against Qin Xi’s attempts to drag her onto the horse.
From a distance, Feng Subei watched the two young girls chasing and playing around a black horse, a faint smile slowly appearing on his face. Mounting his own horse, he rode toward them.
Hearing the approaching sound of hooves, Qin Xi and Qin Lin paused and turned to see who it was.
When Qin Lin saw him, her brows furrowed slightly, while Qin Xi’s face lit up with amusement.
These two still claim nothing is going on?
Feng Subei dismounted and walked over to Qin Lin.
“I’d like to speak with you alone,” he said.
Qin Xi pouted from the side.
Couldn’t you just tell me to walk away?
With a mischievous grin, Qin Xi shot Qin Lin a knowing glance, then obediently led the horse away, casting sneaky glances back at them as she went.
Feng Subei wanted an answer.
A few days ago, the Taizifei had sent lavish gifts to the Duan Wang Mansion, accompanied by a clear message: her intention was to distance Qin Lin from any connection with Feng Subei.
But Feng Subei hadn’t heard Qin Lin’s rejection, and he wouldn’t accept things without hearing it from her.
After a moment of silence between them, Qin Lin finally looked up at him and spoke, “Shizi, I’m afraid I don’t have the fortune to accept.”
Feng Subei’s eyes grew cold. She had rejected him, just as he feared.
But he felt Qin Lin didn’t see this as any kind of “fortune.”
As Qin Lin turned to leave, the man behind her grabbed her delicate wrist.
She glanced back, her tone chilling, “I heard Shizi has admired Shizifei for many years.”
Feng Subei’s pupils constricted, struck speechless.
He knew this was something Qin Lin would care about. But…
He couldn’t explain why he had married An Yanxi in the first place.
Qin Lin seized the moment when Feng Subei was momentarily stunned, pulling free from his grip and quickly walking away.
Feng Subei hadn’t yet figured out how to explain things to her, but he wasn’t about to let her go so easily. He swiftly mounted his horse, spurred it with a squeeze of his legs, and galloped toward Qin Lin.
Hearing the thundering hooves, Qin Lin turned to avoid him, but Feng Subei, now on horseback, leaned down, scooped her up into his arms, and placed her in front of him. With a flick of the reins, he urged the horse into a full gallop.
“What are you doing? Let me down!” Qin Lin shouted angrily.
Feng Subei only tightened his arm around her slender waist, his other hand gripping the reins, saying nothing as the horse raced forward.
By the time Qin Xi realized something was wrong, Feng Subei and Qin Lin were already far in the distance.
“Qin Lin! Qin Lin!” Qin Xi shouted, mounting her own horse and trying to give chase, but she couldn’t hope to catch up.
Frustrated, she reined in her horse and turned back, heading towards the camp to seek help.
———-
Qin Yan and Feng Zhan had only been engaged, and the wedding ceremony hadn’t been completed yet, so they had separate tents set up next to each other. However, Feng Zhan had recently adopted the habit of following wherever Qin Yan went, never straying far.
After resting with Qin Yan for a while, Feng Zhan decided to head out for a ride. Just as he was about to get up, he stopped, his gaze lingering on Qin Yan’s abdomen.
Qin Yan immediately understood what he was thinking, recalling the news about Han Shuangling’s miscarriage.
With a soft smile, Qin Yan gently placed her hand on Feng Zhan’s handsome face, “I’m not pregnant,” she reassured him.
Feng Zhan narrowed his eyes slightly, though it was unclear whether he was relieved or disappointed by her words. Han Shuangling had likely been careless, but Qin Yan was constantly being watched over by Shen Ying and Ji Nanfeng, so there was no way she wouldn’t know if she were pregnant.
As Qin Yan and Feng Zhan were preparing to mount their horses outside the tent, they saw Qin Xi riding toward them in a panic, only to be stopped a short distance away.
Qin Xi immediately dismounted and rushed to Qin Yan, her voice filled with urgency, “Elder Sister, Qin Lin was taken by Shizi of the Duan Wang Mansion!”
“Qin Xi,” Qin Yan interrupted coldly, cutting off her words.
She signaled the guards to let Qin Xi come closer.
Qin Xi rushed over, ready to speak, but before she could, Qin Yan calmly said, “Do not make a scene about this.”
Qin Xi, though sometimes slow to catch on, wasn’t foolish. She realized belatedly that she shouldn’t have been shouting about this—after all, it concerned a young woman’s reputation.
“Shen Ying,” Qin Yan was about to instruct Shen Ying to send someone to find Qin Lin, but Feng Zhan stepped forward.
“Feng Subei isn’t someone who acts without a sense of propriety,” he said firmly.
———
At this moment, the “propriety” Feng Subei, as the Taizi had called him, was far from showing any restraint.
He had galloped with Qin Lin through the forest, only stopping when they reached a secluded hot spring in the woods. Dismounting, he grabbed Qin Lin by the waist and lifted her down from the horse.
Qin Lin no longer resisted. She couldn’t ride, and they were far from the camp. If she didn’t cooperate with Feng Subei, she would only suffer more.
Facing her, Feng Subei placed both hands on her shoulders, leaning slightly forward as his gaze locked onto hers with intense sincerity.
“Qin Lin, I admire you and I have feelings for you. I know you feel something for me too. So, don’t run away from this,” he said seriously.
Qin Lin’s expression remained calm, but her heart was pounding in her chest. It was the first time she’d ever heard such a direct confession.
Yet, her voice was steady, grounded in reason, “Shizi, do you still remember your Shizifei in your mansion at this moment?”
Feng Subei’s breath hitched. An Yanxi, his wife, was the insurmountable obstacle between him and Qin Lin. But what could he say?
Qin Lin gave a soft laugh, turning to leave.
Feng Subei’s pupils constricted as he quickly grabbed her, pulling her forcefully into his arms. Without warning, he leaned in, pressing a fierce kiss onto her lips.
Qin Lin’s eyes widened in shock, and she pushed against him with all her strength. But the difference in their physical strength was too vast and her struggles were futile, leaving her no choice but to endure.
Feng Subei, though initially clumsy, soon found his rhythm, and Qin Lin’s body began to gradually soften under his hold…
———–
Feng Zhan had stopped Qin Yan from sending someone to search for Qin Lin, but by a twist of fate, they ended up encountering her situation anyway.
Feng Zhan had planned to take Qin Yan to a secluded hot spring, but just as they were approaching, Song Zhi rode up to report, “Your Highness, Shizi of Duan Wang Mansion and Miss Qin Lin are over there.”
A slight flush crept up Song Zhi’s ears as there were things he had seen that he did not dare speak of.
Feng Zhan’s expression darkened.
“Shall we take a turn outside the hunting grounds?” Qin Yan suggested nonchalantly. She wasn’t sure why Feng Zhan had defended Feng Subei, but while she didn’t trust Feng Subei, she chose to trust Feng Zhan.
Together, they rode their horses out of the hunting grounds. Song Zhi and Shen Ying followed at a respectful distance, with several dozen secret guards in tow.
After half an hour of riding along the official road outside the hunting grounds, they came upon a small roadside eatery. Deciding to take a break, Qin Yan and Feng Zhan dismounted. Just as they were about to enter, a group of people hurriedly rushed out, looking flustered.
Meanwhile, the screams of women and the unbearable insults of men could be heard continuously coming from inside of an eatery.
A blue-dress woman, who had just been pulled out by a man, now struggled to run back inside, but the man held her tightly, “They outnumber us! Do you want to get yourself killed?” he said in a hushed voice, his expression tense.
The blue-dress woman with tears in her eyes, sobbed, “They’re going to beat them to death!”
The man holding her frowned deeply, but like the other men and women who had fled outside, he had no intention of going back in.
Meanwhile, the women’s cries from inside grew more agonizing.
Qin Yan and Feng Zhan, their expressions cold, stepped toward the entrance. The door to the eatery was wide open, revealing six or seven hulking men brutally beating several women who lay helpless on the ground.
Seeing Qin Yan and Feng Zhan appear ready to intervene, the blue-dress woman called out desperately, “Those men were harassing and humiliating the girls. When the girls refused, they started beating them!”
Without hesitation, Qin Yan and Feng Zhan advanced into the eatery.
The mocking voice of one of the men inside the eatery rang out, “So what if we harass them? It’s almost nightfall. What kind of ‘respectable’ women would be out here eating and drinking alone near the city outskirts?”
A woman’s desperate voice cut through the room, “We’re just merchants, grabbing a meal before the city gates close. What’s not respectable about that?”
Another woman cried, “Since when can’t women drink? Who says we can’t?”
The man burst into a cruel laugh, “Merchants? Looks more like you’re in the flesh trade. I was even planning to ‘patronize’ your business today, but it’s you who didn’t appreciate the offer.”
“You…!” One of the injured women tried to argue back. “Just because we’re women doesn’t mean we can’t run a business. We sell spices, and we do it honorably. You’re the ones taking advantage. Aren’t you afraid of us reporting you to the authorities?”
A man in a green robe laughed loudly, “And what if we are? Let me tell you something, my aunt happens to be the Madam of the Left Prime Minister Mansion, and I call the Left Prime Minister my uncle.”
“I’m a regular at the Jingzhao Prefecture, just going through the motions, hahaha, report to the officials? Go ahead and report!”
After the green-robe man finished speaking, he grabbed the long hair of a white-dress woman lying on the ground and forcefully dragged her toward the door.
Qin Yan squinted and stepped forward, kicking a long bench at the entrance, which immediately flew out.
“Ah!” A scream echoed as the green-robe man covered his head and stumbled back, falling to the ground, while the bench cracked, showcasing the force of the kick.
The several men inside immediately stopped, and their fierce gazes were directed at Qin Yan at the door.
As the green-robe man was helped up by his companions, he wiped his face and, seeing it covered in blood, cursed at Qin Yan with hatred, “Bitch, do you know who I am?”
Qin Yan and Feng Zhan squinted their eyes.
Feng Zhan raised his hand.
Dozens of hidden guards quickly appeared at the entrance.
The men inside were just about to rush over to fight, but upon seeing this situation, they were all taken aback.
Qin Yan spoke up, her voice cold, “Beat them hard.”
The hidden guards immediately charged in, bare-handed, and started to deliver heavy blows to the men.
Those individuals, with their flashy and ornate fighting skills, were no match for the Taizi and Qin Yan’s guards; they could only take the beating.
The inside of the eatery was soon filled with cries of pain.
Qin Yan walked step by step toward the green-robe man who had just insulted her and kicked his chin.
The man fell to the ground with a thud, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and several of his teeth shattered.
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out as if his jaw had dislocated.
Qin Yan stepped forward and stomped on the face of the green robe man, her tone icy, “If you can’t speak, then you don’t need to.”
“You should be grateful that this is the capital. If it were in the northwest, I would throw you to the wolves.”
Song Zhi, who had followed to the door…
Taizifei is so ruthless.
Shen Ying glanced at Song Zhi disdainfully, wondering what all the fuss was about.
In the northwest, their master was known as the “Living King of Hell.”
These men couldn’t withstand the secret guards’ brutal beating. Seeing them bloodied and on the verge of death, the Taizi raised his hand to signal them to stop.
“Left Prime Minister?”
“Leave their lives; control the scene. No one present today can leave.”
“Since going through the motions in Jingzhao Prefecture is just a formality, let the Prefecture Gao Jin personally take them to the Imperial Court of Judicial Review for strict interrogation.”
“Order the Imperial Censor to carry out their supervisory duties and see who is backing them from behind.”
———-
At that moment, everyone realized that a big shot had arrived.
However, even after Qin Yan and Feng Zhan rode away, they still didn’t know who these two were.
The blue-dressed woman stared in the direction in which Qin Yan and Feng Zhan had left for a long time.
Then she turned around and glared fiercely at her fiancé beside her, “Why are you so useless?”
The young man frowned and said, “I’m just a weak scholar; what can I do? I can’t even protect you.”
Although the blue-dress woman was infuriated, the reality was indeed as he said.
Fortunately, they had encountered two noble figures today; otherwise, those women might have been left to die in the wilderness.
The blue-dress woman turned to her fiancé, her tone serious, “Make an effort; you must pass the next imperial exam!”
The young man looked puzzled, wondering why she suddenly brought this up.
The woman glanced at the few pitiful girls inside, who were having their wounds bandaged, and sadly said, “For those without money or power, this is a brutal world, isn’t it?”