NOVEL WEB Chapter 534
At noon, the sun scorched the earth.0
The sixteen-year-old, coldly handsome youth named Luo Jingfeng knelt in the courtyard, enduring the stares and whispers of passing servants and maids. His upright back was a mess of bloody wounds, still oozing from the hundred lashes he had just received.0
A beautiful woman stood before him, smirking as she asked, "Second Young Master, why must you be so stubborn? This isn't even your own marriage affair. How could you anger His Highness like this? After all, we are mother and son in name. If you admit your mistake and show some humility, perhaps I could persuade the Prince of Southern Pacification to spare you this time."0
At her mention of being his mother, Luo Jingfeng glared at this presumptuous favorite concubine of the Prince and spat coldly, "You vile woman—how dare you? Get lost!"0
Concubine Pei's face darkened with malice. "Ungrateful wretch," she hissed. "Then kneel here until you rot!"0
With that, she turned to the servants and ordered, "Guards, keep watch over the Second Young Master. Until he admits his wrongdoing, he is not to return to his quarters, nor is he to be given food or water!"0
"Yes, madam."0
The sunlight grew harsher, and the pain from his wounds intensified, yet the young man refused to utter a single cry of pain, his stubbornness unshakable.0
Before long, a young girl rushed into the courtyard. At the sight of the gruesome scene, her eyes reddened with heartache. "Second Brother!" she cried out.0
Fifteen-year-old Luo Shu was breathtakingly beautiful, and her sorrow only made her more pitiable. Gentle by nature and without any powerful backing, she had become a target for various factions the moment she came of age—even Concubine Pei sought to meddle in her affairs.0
Luo Jingfeng frowned. "Third Sister, why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be practicing the zither with the tutor?"0
Luo Shu stood beside him, shielding him from the blazing sun as tears welled in her eyes. "Concubine Pei told me. She said you argued with Father over my marriage, that you were whipped a hundred times and forced to kneel under the sun… Second Brother, how could Father be so cruel? He won't even let you tend to your wounds."0
"Concubine Pei?" Luo Jingfeng's anger flared. "What else did that vile woman say to you? Did she try to convince you to marry her nephew?"0
Luo Shu shook her head, then nodded hesitantly. "She didn't say it outright, but she praised him endlessly—said his family was wealthy merchants, that life would be simple and comfortable if I married into their household…"0
"Nonsense!" Luo Jingfeng snapped. "I've met that nephew of hers—a good-for-nothing wastrel! That family is a den of wolves! Third Sister, don't listen to her lies. I won't allow this marriage!"0
Tears spilled down Luo Shu's cheeks. "But Second Brother, what choice do we have? Our mother died long ago, and the Prince's household has been under Concubine Pei's control for years. She decides all our marriages. We have no power… This is fate. This is just how it must be."0
She didn't want to resign herself to it.0
But if she didn't, her brothers would keep suffering for her. Today it was Second Brother being whipped; tomorrow it could be Eldest Brother. Concubine Pei would gladly use her as a pawn to eliminate both brothers, clearing the path for her own son to inherit the princedom.0
The three siblings had no one to rely on. They were no match for the influential Concubine Pei.0
Luo Jingfeng clenched his fists, resolve hardening in his eyes. "Next month, Father will travel to the capital for the Emperor's birthday celebration. Once we reach the capital, we'll seek out Uncle Wen. He's been in the court for years—he'll know which noble families have suitable sons. We'll ask him to arrange a proper marriage for you in the capital. Anything is better than letting that vile woman pair you with some unworthy fool."0
"Uncle Wen?" Luo Shu recalled the man.0
Wen Qi, the Minister of Agriculture—a high-ranking official of the third rank.0
The previous year, he had been dispatched to Yunnan on imperial business, accompanied by his eldest daughter, Wen Lingyu.0
Who also happened to be… Luo Jingfeng's beloved.0
Luo Shu hesitated. "Do you really think it's possible?"0
Luo Jingfeng wasn't certain either. "I'll write to Lingyu and ask for her help."0
"Alright." Luo Shu's face brightened with a fragile smile.0
The following month, the Prince of Southern Pacification departed his fiefdom for the capital.0
The bustling streets of the capital were a world apart from Yunnan. The Prince's procession of carriages entered the city gates, with Luo Jingfeng and his elder brother, Luo Jingyun, riding tall steeds beside Luo Shu's carriage.0
The seventeen-year-old Luo Jingyun, more outgoing by nature, gazed at the crowds in fascination. "Second Brother, look at all these people in the capital. Where do they even grow mushrooms around here?"0
Luo Jingfeng frowned. "Probably the outskirts. But Eldest Brother, the capital is in the north. Mushroom cultivation isn't common here."0
"Oh, right! I forgot." Luo Jingyun sighed wistfully. "Yunnan is still better. Once I take a wife and a couple of concubines, have seven or eight children, I'll spend my days picking mushrooms. What a life!"0
Luo Jingfeng: "…!"0
You're the legitimate heir to the Prince of Southern Pacification. Is that really your grand ambition?0
Luo Jingyun rambled on. "Ah, Second Brother, you once said you only plan to take a wife, no concubines. What's the reasoning? Don't tell me Concubine Pei scared you off? She's one bad apple—not all concubines are like her. If you don't take any, people will think you're… incapable."0
Luo Jingfeng's voice turned icy. "Then I'll cut out their tongues."0
Luo Jingyun: "…"0
Men in love are terrifying.0
Just then, the carriage ahead came to an abrupt halt.0
A maid from Concubine Pei's retinue hurried over. "Eldest Young Master, Second Young Master, the Fifth Young Miss was scolded by the concubine and is in tears. She wishes for the Third Young Miss to comfort her."0
Luo Jingfeng didn't bother hiding his contempt. "That vile woman dotes on her own daughter more than anyone. Scolded her? Tell me, how exactly did she 'scold' her?"0
The entire procession had stopped, drawing curious murmurs from the surrounding crowd.0
The maid feigned distress. "Second Young Master, we're on the main streets of the capital. Must you speak so harshly? Even if you refuse to acknowledge the concubine, the Fifth Young Miss is still your blood sister."0
Luo Jingfeng's voice was laced with fury. "A bastard born of a concubine—how is she worthy of being called my sister? Get out of my sight! If you dare disturb us again, don't blame me for striking you down in front of the entire city!"0
Normally, such a threat would send the maid fleeing. But today, emboldened for some reason, she burst into loud sobs. "Second Young Master! This servant was only relaying a message! If you resent the concubine and the Fifth Young Miss, why take it out on me? I've done nothing wrong!"0
Luo Jingfeng's hand flew to his sword.0
Behind him, Luo Shu hastily lifted the carriage curtain, pleading, "Second Brother, don't act rashly!"0
The moment the girl appeared, the crowd forgot all about the commotion.0
Gasps of awe rippled through the onlookers. "A… a fairy!"0
"Who is that? Who is she? She's divine!"0
"Her beauty outshines the capital's top talents by miles! Heavens, what luck to witness such a vision!"0
"That's the Prince of Southern Pacification's carriage—could she be his daughter?"0
"The Prince's daughter is stunning!"0
"To think such a peerless beauty exists in Yunnan!"0
Luo Jingfeng's eyes sharpened with realization. This had been Concubine Pei's scheme all along—she had deliberately arranged for Luo Shu's beauty to be unveiled before the capital's populace.0
The sixteen-year-old, fresh from Yunnan, didn't yet grasp the implications in this city teeming with nobility. But instinct made his chest tighten. He swiftly dismounted and yanked the carriage curtain shut, barking, "Move out—now!"0