Chapter 27.2
The status of the Yue people in the Western Regions was precarious. Although they were currently the most powerful nation in the region, their land was barren, and their agricultural practices were outdated. To truly become a desert hegemon, the Khan needed to establish connections with the Dongli.
By engaging in trade and establishing alliances with the Dongli, the Yue people could strengthen themselves.
So, last year, he brought lavish gifts to the capital to congratulate the Emperor on his birthday.
The Dongli, a new nation, faced threats from various forces in the north and was eager to ally with powerful allies like the Yue people.
Their interests aligned naturally.
Initially, he hadn't planned to bring back a Central Plains woman, but Wei Wanyu had flirted with him first. Passing by the inn gate multiple times, she winked at him and even threw a scented handkerchief into his lap.
As a young and passionate man, he was not ignorant of these gestures of affection and accepted her advances.
Initially, he thought the Central Plains woman was just playing around with him for fun, but then she proposed marriage to him.
Why not go along with it?
He wasn't a stubborn person, so he immediately sought the Emperor's permission to marry her.
The marriage process was somewhat complicated, but the outcome was satisfactory.
He had to go to great lengths to finalize everything. Then, he had to follow the customs of the Central Plains, asking for consent and bestowing gifts - it was all very troublesome.
Their steppe wedding was much simpler. After reaching a mutual understanding, they would feast, dance, and celebrate around a bonfire, concluding the ceremony.
For the sake of the two countries' diplomatic relations, he patiently fulfilled all the ceremonial requirements.
Just when all the formalities were completed, Wei Wanyu suddenly asked for a cancelation.
After inquiring around, he finally learned about her involvement with the Crown Prince of the Eastern Fence.
He had only met the Crown Prince of the Eastern Fence a few times. He was a handsome Central Plains man, but what made him so worthy of her leaving him?
Naturally, he disagreed.
Subsequently, this annoying woman tried every trick to persuade him to divorce her.
It was said that she even went to the Central Plains Emperor to plead her case, but perhaps out of embarrassment, he did not agree.
She had no sense of the bigger picture, crying and refusing to marry.
Initially, the tenderness and gentleness used to coax him were completely gone, replaced by hysteria akin to a madwoman.
He had a splitting headache, but for the greater good, he endured!
Wei Wanyu was full of lies, but at least she spoke one truth.
Ruo Zhen gazed longingly at the person by the water's edge in the distance, his eyes narrowed. "She is the Crown Prince's woman. You want me to rid you of her through my hands."
Wei Wanyu asked incredulously, "Do you want her?"
"I do!" Ruo Zhen licked his upper palate and gazed at Zhao Heng with the look of a desert lone wolf eyeing its prey.
He liked beautiful women, and a woman as exquisite and stunning as her was what he had pursued all his life.
Wei Wanyu glanced at his desirous and lecherous appearance, sneering lightly. "Let's help each other. I'll help you get her, but you must annul the marriage."
Ruo Zhen replied, "But she is the Crown Prince's woman."
Wei Wanyu coldly snorted, "So what? Just a Zhaoxun. She is equivalent to a lowly concubine for cattle and horses."
Ruo Zhen couldn't understand the convoluted Central Plains titles, but he knew about cattle and horses. Furthermore, the Crown Prince was a future heir to a nation and, like himself, should prioritize the bigger picture.
How could a woman compare to the affairs of the world?
*
Zhao Heng was completely unaware of the trouble he had attracted and the covetous eyes upon him.
In the afternoon, Li Wenjian didn't go fishing again and had someone deliver reports to his chambers. Still not fully recovered, the imperial physician advised against prolonged sitting.
He half-reclined on the bed, reading the reports. As someone accustomed to labor, it was impossible for him to stay idle for long.
While he read, Zhao Heng was writing at the desk in the outer chamber.
In the afternoon, Fei Yu came in to report.
"Mu Gui has returned from the Imperial Horse Stable. He will be back by your side tomorrow, His Highness."
Fei Yu sighed in relief, as Mu Gui had been by His Highness' side since he was seven years old and knew his habits like the back of his hand. During Mu Gui's absence, even Fei Yu found it hard to adjust.
Zhao Heng was always fair in his rewards and punishments, so no one dared to intercede on behalf of others.
He thought Mu Gui would be in the Southern Mountains tending to horses for a lifetime.
Luckily, Zhaoxun spoke on his behalf.
"Mmm," Li Wenjian responded.
Listening to the tone of his voice, Fei Yu cautiously observed his expression and hesitated before speaking again. "Your Highness, I heard..."
Li Wenjian raised his eyes leisurely and asked, "Who taught you to mumble and hesitate?"
Avoiding Li Wenjian's gaze, Fei Yu said, "I heard from Xiaoyuzi and the others that a few days ago, Zhao Xun ran into Wang Zhiyu and her group on the palace road... and they mocked her."
"Good, I understand." Li Wenjian glanced at the figure sitting at the desk in the outer chamber, handed him the reports he had read, and waved him away. Fei Yu nodded and exited.
Zhao Heng was focused on writing. In the twenty days since entering the palace, she had learned most of a book called "Shanweng Yun." Lin Mama praised her for being diligent and astute. With nothing else to do in the palace except visit the Qingliang Palace every few days to offer prayers for her grandmother, she rarely ventured outside.
Reading and writing were her best pastimes. She whiled away her time stroke by stroke, making the hours pass.
During her time in Chengming Hall caring for His Highness, she admired his diligence even more.
People said that the Crown Prince was knowledgeable and talented, like jade accumulated in Kunshan. But how many knew that even when he was severely injured and unhealed, he persevered in his studies?
His diligence inspired Zhao Heng, causing her to bury herself in books as well.
Zhao Heng sighed again, realizing that no one could truly gain without hard work, not even the talented and extraordinary crown prince. Thinking about this, Zhao Heng suddenly remembered the stack of papers she had been reading for a long time in the afternoon.
She thought she should remind herself to rest, but as she was about to get up, a large shadow was cast behind her. Li Wenjian stood behind her, glanced at the words on her desk, and said, "You've written a word wrong."
"Which one?" Zhao Heng turned her head to look at him.
Li Wenjian leaned over, his long arm reaching around her shoulder, pointing at a word on the paper. With his chest almost touching her soft back, Zhao Heng was momentarily stunned. She pressed her hand against her chest, trying to calm her breath, and attempted to rewrite the word with his guidance.
"This stroke should stand out." Finally done, Li Wenjian said.
Zhao Heng almost couldn't sit still, feeling as if the prince was embracing her from behind. The natural warmth emanating from the man, even though he was just standing behind her without touching, made her back feel warm. Uncomfortably, she moved forward a bit, leaning on the edge of the table, causing the pens hanging on the pen stand on the table to sway.
Li Wenjian let go of her hand, straightened up, and still stood by her side, saying, "Write it again, let me see."
Without turning her head, Zhao Heng could still feel his gaze on her. She took a deep breath, nodded absentmindedly, and slowly rewrote the word.
After finishing, she turned to Li Wenjian and said, "Your Highness, it's done."
Looking at the blush on her face, Li Wenjian suddenly chuckled.
Her eyelashes fluttered as she looked at him, about to ask why he was laughing, when Li Wenjian said, "You've written it well."
She knew there was a lot of flattery in Li Wenjian's words.
Her appreciation for calligraphy was limited, but having seen the crown prince's handwriting and then looking at her own, she found it hard to believe her writing was "well."
This was simply a kind compliment from the crown prince.
He was always so forgiving towards her.
She smiled, lowered her head, and rewrote that word several times.
Li Wenjian stood behind her with his hands behind his back, looking at her thin shoulders and small head. His voice, calm and composed, sounded, "The structure is written well, but lacks some spirit."
Looking up, she asked the question she had been wanting to ask for a long time, "Your Highness, after I accompany the eighth princess for five to seven days, can I go to the Academy of Arts?"
Pausing, she added, "I'll go in the name of accompanying the eighth princess."
The Academy of Arts was an official institution that taught various skills to court women, such as history, poetry, calligraphy, classics, law, arithmetic, and chess. The eighth princess and others were all studying there.
Li Wenjian looked down at her, "Going to the Academy of Arts is tough. Classes start at dawn and end at dusk, the internal scholars are strict, and regardless of status, mistakes are punished."
With a hopeful look in her eyes, Zhao Heng declared, "I can endure hardship."
"If you endure it, don't come back crying," Li Wenjian said.
Zhao Heng's eyes sparkled with the joy of a young girl, "No, not tough!"
Li Wenjian looked pleased, smiled, and nodded, "Go ahead."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Zhao Xing's lips curved with gratitude.
Li Wenjian added, "If you have any doubts in your studies, you can always come to me for help."
The joy in Zhao Heng's eyes increased even more.
The young crown prince was already famous for his literary talent, and with his guidance, Zhao Heng's academic progress would surely be swift.
"Zhao Heng," Li Wenjian suddenly spoke again.
Zhao Heng looked at him in confusion when he addressed her so formally, "Yes?"
"The East Palace is your home. You can go wherever you want, do whatever you want, without constantly seeking my approval or enduring grievances," Li Wenjian stated.
Zhao Heng pondered with lowered eyes, "Your Highness knows about this?"
"Why not tell me if you're upset?" Li Wenjian asked.
With lowered eyes and fingers curled at her side, Zhao Heng shook her head and said, "I wasn't upset; I just stomped my foot out of frustration."
Li Wenjian replied, "If there's a next time, just tell me, and I'll take care of it."
"No," Zhao Heng turned to face him, looking somewhat pleading, "Your Highness, please don't bother with these matters."
âWhy not?â Li Wenjian asked.
With a soft voice, Zhao Heng explained, "Your Highness is dignified and virtuous, highly admired by many. In the end, they are just jealous of me and lamenting for you. Their nature may not be as bad as it seems."
Li Wenjian gave Zhao Heng a meaningful look, "If their nature isn't bad, why would they embarrass you in front of the palace people?"
"Yes, they only dare to gossip about me behind your back," Zhao Heng said, "I don't bother with them, and you shouldn't either."
Li Wenjian frowned.
Zhao Heng continued, "You have a broad mind and vision, your authority shouldn't be limited to the harem. I've worked in the laundry department for many years, I have my own way of survival, dealing with people like Wang Ruoyu is not a problem."
After finishing, she smiled at Li Wenjian, "Besides, it may not even be me who was upset that day; I was the one who stomped my foot out of anger."
For Li Wenjian to intervene in women's conflicts was indeed not ideal. If Zhao Heng had been gentle and dependent on him like other women, he wouldn't have seen any problem, and he would still stand up for her.
Because that was his promise, and what he should do for her.
But she didn't, she chose to swallow the humiliation and grievances.
Li Wenjian furrowed his brows, placed a hand on her moving lips, indicating that he didn't want to hear another word from her.
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Author's note:
"Wei Wanyu's Insane Literature" - In the previous chapter, everyone was so caught up in criticizing me that they overlooked Zhao Heng giving the prince a spa treatment, and now they're saying I'm insane.
Listen, how can your 37-degree Celsius mouths utter such icy words?
Yes, I am crazy. If I don't turn Zhao Heng into a famous "Arabayi" man, then I'll have to marry myself. According to my informant, this guy doesn't even wash his feet or brush his teeth at night, who would want to marry him?
I know it's risky to involve Zhao Heng, but you cowards have no idea what it means to seek fortune amidst danger. This girl has skills and courage; she'll show you all.