Chapter 82
Chapter 82
County Princess Rongxian had married the Marquis of Anlu, who was stationed in Qi Prefecture. The Marquis of Anlu oversaw military training there, and County Princess Rongxian had followed her husband, rarely returning to the capital.
The Empress turned the matter over in her mind. Seeing His Majesty the Emperor in such high spirits today, asking her brother to stay while Sun Baoqiong waited behind the screen, it took her only a moment to understand what was going on.
Although His Majesty the Emperor trusted the Shen Family, trusted her father, and held her brother in high regard, he still wanted an added measure of reassurance. Perhaps placing someone from the Empress Dowager’s faction at her brother’s side would put him more at ease.
But the Empress had only this one brother. Though she fretted over his marriage day after day, how could she not wish to find him a match that truly pleased him, rather than a marriage bound up in political interests?
Even if the two of them married under such circumstances, the life they led would ultimately not be the one they wanted.
The Empress understood His Majesty the Emperor’s intentions. She silently looked toward her brother and saw Shen Si sitting quietly at the table, his forehead propped against one hand.
Just as she was about to look away, however, her brother glanced at her from beneath the hand supporting his forehead. His dark gaze was as steady as ever, without the slightest trace of drunkenness remaining.
The hall was noticeably dim, concealing much of the emotion in Shen Si’s eyes, but the Empress still understood the meaning behind that glance.
He was telling her not to interfere.
The Empress tactfully took her leave, reminding His Majesty the Emperor as usual to drink less for the sake of his health.
His Majesty the Emperor was clearly still in high spirits. After telling the Empress to retire, he ordered a palace attendant to pour more wine.
At their urging, Shen Si drank another cup. By then, he was slumped over the table, looking as though he might topple over at any moment.
His Majesty the Emperor nudged Shen Si. When even his reactions seemed sluggish, he smiled and beckoned Sun Baoqiong over.
Once Sun Baoqiong approached, His Majesty the Emperor rose and patted Shen Si, who was seated in a chair, on the shoulder. With a hint of drunkenness in his voice, he said, “Ah Si, it seems you can’t hold your liquor as well as I can.”
Shen Si hurriedly braced himself to stand and answer, but His Majesty the Emperor pressed a hand to his shoulder and pushed him back down.
His Majesty the Emperor smiled. “Since you’re drunk, just stay here and sleep tonight.”
He patted Shen Si’s shoulder again. “I’ve had someone bring you some sobering tea. Drink it, then get some rest.”
Though His Majesty the Emperor was nearly fifty, he was still tall and slender, with few signs of age. When a eunuch stepped forward to support him, he waved the man aside and left the room on his own.
Shen Si remained hunched over the table with his head propped in one hand. A faint fragrance soon drifted toward him, followed by a woman’s gentle voice. “Lord Shen, please have some tea.”
A pair of fair, delicate hands appeared before him. As her wide sleeve slipped down slightly, it revealed a pale wrist adorned with a vivid green jade bangle that made her skin look even fairer.
Shen Si’s gaze paused on her wrist before traveling upward to an exquisitely beautiful, gentle face.
A trace of shyness colored her expression. She bent before him, appearing meek, obedient, and sweet-tempered. Holding a jade bowl in one hand and a jade spoon in the other, she lifted a spoonful of sobering tea toward Shen Si’s lips. “Lord Shen, you’re drunk. Please have a sip.”
Shen Si lowered his eyes, then flicked his gaze sideways at the silhouette standing outside the window. Letting out a long breath heavy with the smell of wine, he told her to set the bowl down and move aside.
Sun Baoqiong was taken aback. Her beauty was considered second to none in Qi Prefecture, and even in the capital, she would be regarded as exceptionally beautiful.
Her Majesty the Empress Dowager had said that she was the loveliest and most proper of women, and that the Marquis would like her.
She had not known who that man was, but Her Majesty the Empress Dowager had assured her that the Marquis would like her.
She had never met Marquis Shen before today. Although her mother had told her that Marquis Shen was one of the most sought-after husbands in the capital, and that marrying him would ensure her a life of wealth and splendor, she had still felt apprehensive.
She had wondered: What if the man before her was a slave to beauty? What if he was crude and boorish? What if he was plain-faced and despicable in character? Even if he held a lofty position, even if he stood at the height of power, a part of her would still have been unwilling.
But she had never expected Marquis Shen to be this kind of man.
He was neither an elegant, flawless gentleman nor as warm and gentle as polished jade.
Instead, he possessed a cool, steady air of wisdom. He was like frigid jade and cold stone, like a green pine and a white crane amid the snow. One look at him was enough to sense his exalted bearing, making others feel inferior without even realizing it.
Sun Baoqiong herself came from an excellent family, yet in the presence of Marquis Shen, that sense of inferiority seemed to seep from her very bones. She could not help but tread carefully around him.
Perhaps it was because even in his drunken state, his bearing remained immaculate and elegant. His features were still noble and composed, without the slightest unseemly gesture. Only the faint haze in his eyes and the heavy scent of wine clinging to him revealed that he was indeed drunk.
Even when she had approached him just now, he had not so much as brushed the corner of her sleeve.
Perhaps that aloofness and nobility were the most intoxicating poison of all. They made people instinctively want to submit to him, to please him, to become the one and only person in his heart.
At least, that was how Sun Baoqiong felt at this moment.
She wanted him all the more. She wanted to become his wife.
Both Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and His Majesty the Emperor thought highly of this match. If she could make it happen, surely everyone would be pleased.
A trace of nervousness rose in Sun Baoqiong’s heart. This was the first time she had ever tried to approach and win the favor of a man. Her upbringing since childhood forbade her from doing anything forward or improper.
Her hand trembled faintly as she gently laid it over the long, slender hand Shen Si had propped against his forehead. “If Lord Shen is having difficulty, allow me to feed Lord Shen.”
Shen Si raised a brow and quietly lifted his eyes to the woman before him. She was demure and exceptionally beautiful, and though she was deliberately trying to draw closer, the awkwardness in her gaze betrayed her inexperience. It vaguely resembled the look Ji Hanyi had worn when she tried to speak to him in the past.
But Ji Hanyi gave up easily. After one timid attempt, she would never try again.
She had never taken the initiative to approach him either. Even when she did come near, she would never stand so close, much less touch his hand of her own accord.
The only time she had ever willingly shown him affection was when she tugged at his sleeve at the age of six or seven.
After she turned eight, she had never touched even the edge of his sleeve again.
Shen Si looked at the hand resting on the back of his. It was just as soft and delicate, yet it stirred none of the possessiveness or seething desire he felt toward Ji Hanyi.
Shen Si leaned back in his chair, tipped his head up, and closed his eyes. He sat there in silence as the alcohol coursing chaotically through his body left his head heavy and throbbing. A lingering heat smoldered within him, refusing to fade.
Sun Baoqiong froze as Shen Si withdrew his hand. The man had rejected her outright. He had not even considered her worth the effort of a single word.
The humiliation was silent yet penetrating as fine rain, unlike anything Sun Baoqiong had ever experienced.
Her face flushed crimson and her eyes burned. Shame reddened even the rims of her eyes.
Her gaze fell once more upon Shen Si’s Adam’s apple as it bobbed beneath his upturned chin, yet his robes remained perfectly neat. She wanted to move closer, but in the end, the last shred of her reason and the dignity of a noblewoman held her back. With reddened eyes, she retreated without a sound.
But just as she was about to leave, she heard a hoarse murmur slip from those cool, thin lips.