Chapter 85: No Longer the Emperor’s Pawn

“What does my lady mean by this?

Are you helping me conceal it?”

Fan Chuan’s gaze fell on Shen Lingwei’s eyes, observing her expression.

 

Shen Lingwei smiled faintly and said, “Naturally.

We are one.

These are things I should do.

Also, I assume the Marshal has seen the previous letters as well?”

 

Fan Chuan pressed her lips together, looking at Shen Lingwei.

“Did you deliberately write those letters with no substantive content to help me?”

 

Shen Lingwei nodded.

“What?

Does the Marshal still not trust me?”

 

Fan Chuan’s lips pressed tighter together.

After a long moment, she asked, “Why are you helping me?”

 

Shen Lingwei stepped forward, reached out, and gently straightened the clothes on Fan Chuan’s chest.

“You are my wife.

Naturally, I want to help you.”

 

Her tone was soft and warm.

Fan Chuan’s heart felt as if it had been struck hard.

Did she truly regard herself as her wife?

 

Then, as if remembering something, Fan Chuan opened her mouth to speak, but still asked, “But if you help me, what about your father?”

“He only cares about his own face.

Since my mother died, I have no father.”

Shen Lingwei’s eyes met Fan Chuan’s, and she continued, “The Marshal can go and do her great deeds.

There’s no need to consider me.”

“Mm.”

Fan Chuan smiled at her and also breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Seeing Fan Chuan relax, Shen Lingwei asked again, “If I were truly loyal to the emperor, what would you do with me?

Would you kill me?”

 

Fan Chuan shook her head.

If that were truly the case, she probably wouldn’t be able to bear killing Shen Lingwei either.

She would just confine her to the small courtyard.

“No.

At most, I would lock you away under house arrest.”

 

The corners of Shen Lingwei’s mouth curved.

She knew Fan Chuan treated her differently.

“Then thank you, Marshal.”

 

Fan Chuan was also amused by her.

“The food should be almost ready.

I’ll have them bring it up.”

“Mm.”

Shen Lingwei nodded and sat down on a round stool by the table.

 

Soon, the maidservants were called in, and dish after dish was brought to the table.

 

Fan Chuan went out, gave a few instructions to the personal guards at the door, and then returned to the bedroom.

By then, the dishes on the round table were almost all there.

The maidservants had already cleaned up the pile of ashes from the floor, then withdrew one by one, closing the door behind them for Fan Chuan and Shen Lingwei.

 

Xiao Tao was waiting outside.

Taking advantage of the maidservants going in and out, she saw that her young lady was still safe and sound.

Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

It seemed the Marshal wouldn’t do anything to her young lady.

Only now did she finally relax a little.

 

Inside the room, Fan Chuan had already sat down.

After going through what had just happened, she felt an unprecedented sense of ease.

“Let’s eat.

We’ll rest early later.”

“Mm.”

Shen Lingwei nodded and sat upright at the table, beginning to eat.

 

The two still didn’t like to talk while eating.

But the smile at the corners of Fan Chuan’s lips couldn’t be suppressed.

Before, when she interacted with Shen Lingwei, even though it was comfortable, she would always subconsciously remind herself that the person before her might be the emperor’s man.

But from now on, she didn’t have to.

 

After the meal, Shen Lingwei’s earlobes were slightly flushed.

She looked at Fan Chuan.

“Marshal, I still need to bathe.

You can rest first.”

“Alright.”

Fan Chuan nodded.

 

She had just bathed, so she had the maidservants bring her some coarse salt, rinsed her mouth, and then lay down on the bed.

 

Soon, the maidservants carried in the bathwater.

Xiao Tao also sneaked in.

She secretly moved to Shen Lingwei’s side and lowered her voice.

“Young lady, are you okay?”

 

Shen Lingwei smiled faintly at her and shook her head.

“I’m fine.

You go back and rest early too.”

 

With that, Shen Lingwei walked behind the screen.

The maidservants had already adjusted the water temperature.

On a wooden rack beside the tub were the things needed for bathing.

 

Shen Lingwei dismissed the maidservants, took off her clothes, walked up a few wooden steps, and stepped into the tub.

 

The water in the wooden tub rippled.

Shen Lingwei sat down on the wooden stool inside the tub and soaked.

 

Fan Chuan, however, lay on her side, looking out.

The sound of water came from behind the screen from time to time.

Fan Chuan’s throat tightened slightly.

She and Shen Lingwei had cleared the air.

Since Shen Lingwei was on her side, she was truly her wife.

 

Fan Chuan’s fingertips clenched together slightly.

Did that mean she could consummate the marriage with Shen Lingwei?

 

But thinking of the scene when she had carried Shen Lingwei the other day, Fan Chuan dismissed the thought.

If she moved too quickly, she was afraid of scaring Shen Lingwei.

 

She should hold back and take it slowly.

 

While Fan Chuan was lost in thought, Shen Lingwei had already gotten out of the tub.

She dried herself with a cloth, changed into clean undergarments and middle garments, and then walked out from behind the screen, drying her wet hair.

 

Seeing that Fan Chuan wasn’t asleep yet, Shen Lingwei gave her a faint smile.

“Why aren’t you asleep?

Did I disturb you?”

“No.

I couldn’t sleep, so I waited for you.”

Fan Chuan looked at Shen Lingwei.

 

Shen Lingwei was only wearing her middle garments.

Her hair was still dripping.

Shen Lingwei took a cloth and carefully dried it with her fair, slender fingers.

 

Fan Chuan’s gaze traced from Shen Lingwei’s dripping hair downwards.

Shen Lingwei’s waist was slender, and her legs were long.

She watched for a moment, then suddenly closed her eyes.

 

No, she couldn’t look anymore.

If she kept looking, Fan Chuan was afraid she wouldn’t be able to control herself.

 

When Shen Lingwei switched to a second cloth to dry her hair, she saw Fan Chuan already lying flat with her eyes closed.

She thought Fan Chuan was tired, so she didn’t pay much attention and continued drying her hair unhurriedly.

 

When her hair was no longer dripping, Shen Lingwei walked to the bed and lowered the bed curtains.

 

Fan Chuan seemed to sense it.

She opened her eyes and saw Shen Lingwei lowering the curtains on both sides.

The light inside the bed suddenly dimmed.

 

Shen Lingwei was about to get into bed.

When her eyes met Fan Chuan’s, her heart pounded heavily, inexplicably flustered.

“Marshal, I’m going to the inside.”

Shen Lingwei’s tone was soft, like a gentle breeze brushing one’s face.

 

Fan Chuan took a deep breath, then gritted her teeth and said, “Mm.”

 

Shen Lingwei sat on the edge of the bed, took off her shoes, and carefully stepped to the inside of the bed.

 

Fan Chuan’s gaze fell on Shen Lingwei’s exposed ankle.

Even though the light inside was dim, she still knew that Shen Lingwei’s ankle was also porcelain-white and flawless.

Shen Lingwei’s skin looked very delicate.

If she held that jade-like ankle in her hand, she would surely leave a red mark around it.

 

Feeling that staring at someone’s ankle like this was very rude, Fan Chuan quickly shook her head.

When she had slept with Shen Lingwei before, she hadn’t had these thoughts.

Why had these rude thoughts suddenly arisen today?

 

She quickly turned over, her back to Shen Lingwei, not daring to look anymore.

 

Shen Lingwei had naturally noticed Fan Chuan’s gaze just now.

Her palms were sweating.

But now that Fan Chuan had turned over, Shen Lingwei breathed a small sigh of relief.

 

These days, her mind had also been tense.

She had also been constantly testing Fan Chuan.

But Fan Chuan’s kindness to her had not been fake.

On the road, she had always protected her.

After returning to the northern border, it was the same – her food, clothing, and daily needs were all taken care of, afraid she might suffer.

 

If Fan Chuan really wanted it, she would probably go along with her wishes.

But it was the first time, and she was still inevitably nervous.

And because she had been busy dealing with the old emperor’s guards these days, she hadn’t even had time to find out if Fan Chuan had any other Kunzes in the northern border.

 

Thinking this, Shen Lingwei pressed her lips together.

If before, she and Fan Chuan had been forced into marriage, whether Fan Chuan had other Kunzes was irrelevant to her.

But now the situation was different.

She was truly going to be the Marshal’s wife.

Naturally, she hoped Fan Chuan would be hers alone.

 

The two lay back-to-back and soon fell asleep.

 

Meanwhile, in the neighboring courtyard, twenty of Fan Chuan’s personal guards, along with ten shadow guards, surrounded the courtyard.

Inside lived the ten guards sent by the old emperor.

Now, keeping these people was useless.

 

Those ten shadow guards had also clearly heard the commotion in the courtyard.

The leader, Zhao Zhao, was the first to rush out with his sword.

He saw the courtyard already surrounded, even the rooftops occupied.

 

The nine guards behind him stood behind Zhao Zhao.

Zhao Zhao looked at the people opposite and demanded coldly, “We are all the lady’s guards.

What is the meaning of this?”

“The meaning is that we’re here to kill the lady’s guards.”

The leader waved his hand, and the Marshal’s residence guards immediately charged forward.

 

Although the old emperor was fatuous, the guards he had chosen were quite skilled.

But Fan Chuan’s people were no pushovers either.

The two sides fought back and forth, trading blows.

But Fan Chuan’s side had more people.

Soon, Zhao Zhao and his group were defeated.

 

By then, he had already been stabbed twice in the abdomen and could no longer care about anything else.

He shouted loudly, “We are His Majesty’s men!

Marshal Fan should know this well!

If you dare touch us, are you planning to rebel?”

 

Naturally, no one answered him.

The people around him only attacked him more fiercely.

Zhao Zhao watched helplessly as his men fell one by one.

Finally, he also lay in a pool of blood.

 

The Marshal’s residence guards were well-trained.

They carried the bodies onto wooden carts, and servant boys were responsible for transporting them away.

Of course, some people stayed behind to wash down the courtyard with water.

By early the next morning, it would be as if nothing had happened.

 

The commotion over there was indeed loud.

Shen Lingwei was woken up once in the night.

She naturally understood what the sound was.

She just lay there, eyes open, listening for a moment, then closed them again.

She knew very well that these people could not stay.

 

Early the next morning, Fan Chuan woke up early.

Shen Lingwei, however, seemed to have not slept well after hearing the sounds of fighting the night before.

She only fell back asleep around daybreak.

 

Afraid of waking Shen Lingwei, Fan Chuan carefully got up, dressed, and went to the study.

 

Xiao Tao had been waiting in the courtyard for a long time.

She pretended to be watering the flowers with the maidservants.

In reality, she was making eight hundred small, nervous movements a second, constantly looking towards Shen Lingwei’s bedroom.

 

She had heard the commotion last night and was so scared she couldn’t sleep, afraid that someone would kick down her door and dispatch her with a single sword stroke at any moment.

 

So, she had come out early to pretend to work.

Her real intention was to find her young lady to get the scoop.

She was nervous, but her young lady was different.

Her young lady was very smart!

 

But instead of seeing her young lady, she saw Fan Chuan come out of the bedroom first.

Then Fan Chuan went directly to the study and called several people in for questioning.

 

Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Xiao Tao cleared her throat and straightened up.

She planned to see what was happening in the bedroom.

Why hadn’t her young lady gotten up yet?

 

Xiao Tao’s status was special; she was Shen Lingwei’s personal maidservant.

Her rank in the household didn’t need to be mentioned.

The other maidservants, seeing her go to the bedroom, didn’t stop her.

They just assumed she was checking if the lady was awake.

 

Xiao Tao nervously pushed open the bedroom door and went inside.

She saw that her young lady’s clothes were still hanging on the rack, and there was no blood on the floor.

So her young lady should be fine, just not awake yet.

 

Xiao Tao was anxious but didn’t dare disturb Shen Lingwei, so she had to withdraw again.

 

In the study, Fan Chuan confirmed that the ten guards had all died last night.

Only then did she feel at ease.

She looked at the guards and said, “Good.

Well done.

You may leave.

I’ll call you if I need you.”

“Yes, Marshal.”

 

After the guards left, Fan Chuan simply pushed the study door open and had the maidservants prepare some food.

She ate in the study, afraid of disturbing Shen Lingwei’s rest.

 

Shen Lingwei slept until the sun was high in the sky.

When she woke up, Fan Chuan was no longer beside her.

She reached out and felt the bed beside her; it was cold, meaning Fan Chuan had gotten up long ago.

 

Shen Lingwei quickly sat up.

She lifted one side of the bed curtain and saw Fan Chuan sitting at the round table, a book in hand.

Outside, the sky was already bright.

“What time is it?”

Shen Lingwei quickly began to get out of bed and dress.

 

Fan Chuan saw she was awake and smiled at her.

“It’s the hour of the day.

No rush.

There’s nothing urgent to do.”

“How can I not rush?

It’s already the hour of the day.

Why didn’t you wake me?”

Shen Lingwei dressed as she spoke.

 

She was a young lady raised with good etiquette; she never slept this late.

Waking up now, washing and dressing would take her straight to lunch.

This was very rude.

And today, she hadn’t even helped Fan Chuan dress.

 

Fan Chuan knew she was a stickler for propriety, but she still said softly,

“This is at home, not outside.

There’s nothing rude about it.

You can sleep as long as you want.”

 

The hands tying her garment sashes paused.

Shen Lingwei’s earlobes reddened spontaneously.

She pressed her lips together and didn’t say much.

 

Since childhood, she had been taught by the matrons in the residence how to be a qualified mistress of the household.

In addition, her father had hired many teachers to teach her reading, the arts.

 

Of course, this wasn’t because Shen Fangzhou cared for her, but because she was the legitimate daughter of the Shen family, and she had to learn these things to bring honor to Shen Fangzhou.

 

And to make herself more valuable in the household, so she wouldn’t be easily discarded by her father, Shen Lingwei’s demands on herself were almost strict.

When to get up, when to read, when to practice the zither – all had fixed times.

For years, she had never truly relaxed.

And finally, she became the person people called the number one talented lady in the capital.

 

This was just her adding weight to herself.

She knew Shen Fangzhou too well.

With her mother gone, if she had no value to be used, Shen Fangzhou would have married her off long ago.

How could he have kept her until she was eighteen?

 

All these years, she had been very tense.

No one had said such things to her since her mother passed away.

 

Shen Lingwei felt a warmth in her chest.

She hadn’t expected that a mistaken political marriage might have found her the right person.

“Still, it’s not good.

I didn’t have time to help you dress today.”

Shen Lingwei said as she straightened her own clothes.

 

Fan Chuan smiled and said, “I can dress myself just fine.

I guessed you didn’t sleep well last night, so I wanted to let you sleep a little longer.”

“Those people… have they been dealt with?”

Shen Lingwei looked at Fan Chuan and asked.

“Mm.

There’s no use keeping them any longer.”

Fan Chuan didn’t avoid the question, admitting it directly.

She and Shen Lingwei had ended their mutual testing last night; she no longer needed to hide these things from her.

“If that’s the case, the court shouldn’t notice anything for two months.

But after two months, it’s hard to say.

The Marshal needs to take precautions early.”

Shen Lingwei reminded her.

“Mm.

I’ve already had people start preparing.

In another month, we’ll probably be very busy.”

Fan Chuan looked at Shen Lingwei, remembering that when she was in the capital, she had promised to take her to see the desert.

And today was the day of the monthly market at the border.

 

At this time each month, the border people and some of the barbarian people would set up markets to sell things.

Sometimes they used silver or gold, sometimes they bartered.

Fan Chuan thought about taking Shen Lingwei out for a walk.

“There’s a large market at the border today.

Would you like to go with me to take a look?

Last time, I promised to take you to see the desert.”

 

Shen Lingwei was just about to have the maidservants prepare her washing things.

Hearing Fan Chuan’s words, her heart suddenly tightened.

‘See the desert’ – that seemed to be what Fan Chuan had mentioned on the day of her return visit.

She had casually said she wanted to see it back then.

Had Fan Chuan remembered it all this time?

 

Shen Lingwei’s hands hanging at her sides slowly clenched.

Her lips pressed tightly together.

After a long moment, she looked down and asked, “Can I?”

 

After all, the matriarchs of wealthy, powerful households in the capital were all bound by strict propriety.

They usually only left the residence to admire flowers at other people’s houses, attend gatherings, or go to temples to worship Buddha.

They rarely had other chances to go out.

She hadn’t expected Fan Chuan to really take her out.

 

Fan Chuan saw her looking down, her thick eyelashes like little brushes, looking very cute.

She smiled at Shen Lingwei and said softly, “Of course.

From now on, whenever you want to do something, there’s nothing that can’t be done.”

 

Shen Lingwei’s earlobes turned red.

When she looked up at Fan Chuan, she saw her looking back with a smile.

 

When Fan Chuan was at home, she wore ordinary women’s clothes.

She was naturally bright-eyed and beautiful.

Now, looking at her and smiling like this, Shen Lingwei quickly averted her gaze.

Her heart was racing.

Was she trying to charm her?

“I’ll have them prepare water for washing.”

Shen Lingwei said, somewhat flustered, as she walked towards the door.

 

Fan Chuan watched her retreating figure, the corners of her mouth slightly lifting.

What she had just said shouldn’t be considered forward, should it?

It seemed she was shy?

 

When Shen Lingwei opened the door, she saw Xiao Tao outside, looking like she was about to cry.

 

She walked out a few steps and asked, “What’s wrong?”

 

Xiao Tao peered into the bedroom, saw Fan Chuan inside, and pulled Shen Lingwei a few steps away to where no one was around.

Then she whispered, “Young lady, are you okay?

I was so scared last night.

I was afraid someone would come in and kill me.”

 

Shen Lingwei was directly amused by her own maidservant.

The little romantic feelings that had just risen in her heart dissipated.

“Don’t overthink it.

As I said before, just live here peacefully.”

“But last night…”

Xiao Tao wanted to ask more, but Shen Lingwei cut her off.

“I’ll tell you when I have time.

I’m going back to wash up now.

You go back and catch up on your sleep.”

 

With that, Shen Lingwei instructed someone to prepare her washing things and returned to the bedroom.

“Xiao Tao didn’t sleep well last night, so I sent her back to rest.”

Shen Lingwei explained.

“Mm.

She was probably scared by the commotion last night.”

Fan Chuan already understood.

 

Soon, the maidservants brought the washing things.

Shen Lingwei used coarse salt to brush her teeth, then slowly wiped her face with a damp cloth.

 

Fan Chuan propped her hand on the table, her gaze fixed on Shen Lingwei.

 

Before, she hadn’t dared to stare at Shen Lingwei like this, afraid of developing inappropriate thoughts.

Now that she knew Shen Lingwei was on her side, Fan Chuan no longer needed to hold back.

Although they hadn’t consummated their marriage, she was still her wife.

Looking a few more times was nothing.

 

Shen Lingwei naturally noticed Fan Chuan’s gaze.

Her earlobes grew hot.

Unable to bring herself to say anything, she simply pretended not to notice and continued washing her face.

 

Fan Chuan’s gaze traveled from Shen Lingwei’s wrists upwards.

Shen Lingwei’s curved eyebrows, her straight, pointed nose, her pressed-together pink lips – all were beautiful.

At this moment, Fan Chuan was almost grateful to the old emperor.

If he hadn’t gone to such trouble to bestow the marriage, she and Shen Lingwei would never have married, or even crossed paths.

 

It wasn’t until Shen Lingwei had finished washing her face and saw Fan Chuan still looking at her that the redness on her earlobes spread.

She glared at Fan Chuan with feigned anger.

“Marshal!”

 

Only then did Fan Chuan smile and look away.

“Alright.

I’ll have them prepare the food.

It’s already this late; we might as well have lunch directly.

Is that okay?”

“Mm.”

Shen Lingwei sat down at the dressing table and acknowledged, breathing a small sigh of relief.

 

Before, when Fan Chuan looked at her, she would only glance a few times and then look away.

Why had she stared at her for so long today?

If she hadn’t said something, she probably would have kept looking.

 

Thinking this, Shen Lingwei’s cheeks grew even redder, but the corners of her mouth lifted.

 

Lunch was a few simple stir-fried dishes.

With military expenses tight, most of the silver Fan Chuan had left, and the income from her various businesses, had to go to the military.

After all, she was now supporting her own army.

Any expenses at the residence, the less, the better.

Of course, she could be frugal herself, but she didn’t want Shen Lingwei to be.

 

As a marshal commanding one side, if she couldn’t even support her own wife, that would be too embarrassing.

 

After lunch, a personal guard came to find Fan Chuan, so she went to the study to handle matters.

Even though she wasn’t at the military camp, if something required her decision, someone would be sent to the residence.

 

After Fan Chuan left, Shen Lingwei leaned sideways on the soft couch, drinking tea and resting.

She looked up at the young maidservant setting out pastries beside her and asked, “How long have you been at the Marshal’s residence?”

 

The young maidservant’s name was Ru Yun.

Hearing Shen Lingwei’s question, she quickly bowed and replied, “This servant is an orphan.

I was rescued by the old Marshal when I was five.

I’ve been at the residence for ten years.”

“So you’re a veteran of the residence?”

Shen Lingwei asked with a smile.

“This servant wouldn’t dare.”

The young maidservant quickly said.

 

Shen Lingwei smiled at her and soothed, “No need to be so formal.

Just think of it as casual conversation.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Ru Yun quickly said.

“Does the Marshal have any other Kunzes here in the northern border?”

Shen Lingwei asked.

 

Ru Yun thought it was something serious.

So the lady was asking about this.

She quickly replied, “No.

The Marshal has always been virtuous and self-disciplined since childhood.

The household rules are very strict.

Before marriage, she couldn’t take other Kunzes.”

 

Shen Lingwei nodded, the corners of her mouth curving.

She knew Fan Chuan shouldn’t have any other Kunzes.

Otherwise, why would she have looked at her like a hungry wolf this morning?

Remembering this morning’s events, Shen Lingwei blushed again.

“Alright, you may go.”

Shen Lingwei dismissed Ru Yun.

She took a sip of tea, feeling very pleased, and lay down to rest with her eyes closed.

 

Soon, Xiao Tao crept in and closed the bedroom door.

 

Seeing Shen Lingwei with her eyes closed, she asked tentatively, “Young lady, what really happened last night?”

 

Shen Lingwei opened her eyes and looked at her, explaining, “The Marshal dealt with all the people the emperor sent.

The neighboring courtyard is empty now.”

 

Xiao Tao covered her mouth to keep from crying out.

Good heavens.

Her young lady was so calm.

“Young lady, is the Marshal really going to rebel?

What should we do?

When do we run?”

Xiao Tao was almost frantic, wanting to go pack immediately.

 

Shen Lingwei smiled and shook her head.

“Just stay put.

She won’t hurt us.”

“But young lady, you sent letters to His Majesty before, tipping him off.

Will Marshal Fan let us go?”

Xiao Tao was still very scared.

“Those letters were all nonsense.

There wasn’t a single word that was disadvantageous to Fan Chuan.

From beginning to end, I chose Fan Chuan.”

Shen Lingwei said calmly.

 

Now it was Xiao Tao’s turn for her brain to short-circuit.

How did her young lady’s mind work?

“Alright, now that those people are gone, we’re completely safe.

You can relax and stay at the Marshal’s residence.”

Shen Lingwei smiled.

 

Xiao Tao wanted to ask why her young lady had chosen Fan Chuan, but she felt it would be a waste of breath.

She probably wouldn’t understand anyway.

Listening to her young lady was always right.

She would just stay put.

“Then I’m relieved.

I was so scared last night.”

Xiao Tao murmured.

“Alright.

Go back and catch up on your sleep.”

Shen Lingwei closed her eyes.

She wanted to rest a little too.

Fan Chuan had said she was taking her out this afternoon.

 

---