ITVCFITB CHAPTER 29

 Chapter 29: Taking the Initiative

It was rare for them to spend a whole day out, so they hit everything there was to see, eats, drinks, games. By the time they returned home, Luo Shuyu didn’t feel the least bit hungry; maybe it was the grilled meat he’d shared with Li Mingjin, the spice-laden aroma still clung to his clothes.

Since they’d snacked so much and so mixed in the afternoon, Luo Shuyu had the kitchens prepare a lighter supper, mostly vegetarian.

Li Mingjin didn’t mind the absence of rich dishes at all. They’d eaten plenty earlier; a few small plates and a mild broth were more than enough for the evening.

After supper, Li Mingjin went to the newly arranged southwest study, while Luo Shuyu received the household accounts and ledgers from Steward Sun.

In his past life, because he and Li Mingjin were only lukewarm, he’d never managed the Third Prince’s household finances. With only one consort in residence, the matter had simply never come up, and he hadn’t learned the ropes at the Luo estate either. Things had muddled along.

This time, everything was different. Three days into the marriage, Li Mingjin clearly trusted him, instructing the steward to hand over the keys to the household. In a great house, controlling the purse strings is recognition of the mistress’s authority; it looks glorious, but it means managing every daily detail and not easy work. A greedy type like Madam Liu could skim plenty under the cover of “management.”

With the ledgers in hand, Luo Shuyu could see the number of servants, daily expenses, no small sum when tallied up.

Reading further, he found Li Mingjin’s private properties included as well: shops, fields, and some ventures he’d never have imagined. Even the storeroom keys, everything was being given to him. Did Li Mingjin trust him that much?

Staring at the accounts, he felt a twist. In his last life, how deeply had he misunderstood Li Mingjin? If he’d shown even a little less coldness, he could have had this trust. Earning it was so simple and he’d been blind.

Fortunately, Heaven had given him a second chance to know Li Mingjin anew.

Night wasn’t ideal for reading; he didn’t want to strain his eyes. He told Qingwang to lock the ledgers of Li Mingjin’s private holdings in the bottom drawer of the chest, mainly against the four new maids doing rough work in the main courtyard.

With the homecoming done, his daily life would revolve around the prince’s residence, while he continued to keep tabs on Shen Mingyun.

He checked the hour. It was late; Li Mingjin still hadn’t returned to their room.

From this angle, he could see the study’s candles burning bright. Worried he might sit up too long, Luo Shuyu headed over.

The guards at the door were about to announce him when Dark-Three stepped out. “His Highness instructed that if the Prince Consort comes, he may enter without announcement.”

The guards assented.

Luo Shuyu nodded to Shadow Three and went in with him.

Li Mingjin crooked a finger. “Shuyu, come.”

He wasn’t a fool; there must be something to discuss, likely tied to Shen Mingyun or the Luo estate.

Li Mingjin sat on the couch, the cushions newly replaced. Luo Shuyu sat across. “What is it?”

“It’s about Shen Mingyun,” said Li Mingjin. “Interested?”

“Of course.” The moment Shen Mingyun’s name came up, Luo Shuyu’s drowsiness lifted. “Did he come up with some new ‘idea’?”

Li Mingjin shook his head. “No. When you lived at the Luo estate, did you ever notice him behaving oddly, different from ordinary folk? Did he study any strange arts with some wandering Daoist?”

Shen Mingyun would have snorted: no “strange arts,” just a system from who-knows-where.

But that wasn’t something Luo Shuyu could say. He chose his words. “Shen Mingyun came to the Luo family from the border a year ago. His parents died, so he came to the capital to seek my father’s help. There are many ‘eccentrics’ out beyond the passes, Your Highness, you’ve heard?”

“There are plenty of odd talents,” Li Mingjin said. “In the capital too. But I’ve never seen anyone like him, someone who can disappear in front of people.”

Luo Shuyu widened his eyes at the proper moment. “He truly vanished into thin air?”

“Shadow Nine tailed him back to the Luo estate today,” Li Mingjin said. “He did vanish for the span of half a quarter hour, avoided the chaos we witnessed and shortly after reappeared at the Luo estate. I trust Shadow Nine. He says he saw it with his own eyes.”

So he’d used an invisibility item, Luo Shuyu thought. To people of this era, it could only look like sorcery, thus a “borderland eccentric.”

“And Your Highness thinks…?” Luo Shuyu prompted.

“I wanted to ask if you knew anything.”

“I’d long felt he was off, but I never imagined he might have learned such ‘arts.’” Luo Shuyu couldn’t claim total ignorance; too many of his words would be harder to explain later.

“That why you first asked me to set watchers on him?” Li Mingjin asked.

Luo Shuyu nodded. “When he first arrived he had only one boy, dressed in rags, rough-spoken, but that’s superficial. Living at the Luo estate, he did well enough. Then he suddenly had shops and secret formulas. A bit showy in the Luo household, but according to what I know, the shops and formulas didn’t come from my father or elder brother. I worried he’d bring calamity on us, so I asked you for men.”

Reasonable and neat.

The more Li Mingjin listened, the more uneasy he felt about the man’s origins. “He could be an enemy agent in disguise. If he suddenly gained those abilities because someone stands behind him, that would explain much. Has anyone in your family seen his parents? Any resemblance?”

Explain? It more than explained; it saved Luo Shuyu the trouble of spinning more. In the book, Shen did collude with a foreign royal family and had history with one of them, who would trade with Fourth Prince on his behalf, a fair exchange for a throne.

In the book, Shen Mingyun’s peach-blossom luck was real and of the highest caliber, from many states.

“My grandmother is likely the only one who saw his mother,” Luo Shuyu said. “She first met him in Fushou Residence and said he closely resembled his mother like stamped from the same mold. I doubt his identity is fake. Whether he’s an agent is another matter. I’ve heard there are arts of disguise in the jianghu.”

He also knew Shen had “beauty-enhancing” items in the system mall: tools to subtly align his looks with a target’s taste for a time, boosting affinity. On those he disdained, he wouldn’t waste them, so some people like Luo Shuyu and Li Mingjin remained unaffected.

“If so,” Li Mingjin mused, “he might have been turned while still living on the frontier. Otherwise, when his city fell, how is it only he survived?”

Luo Shuyu admired the line of thought and reinforced it. “Your Highness makes sense. I’ve never seen him mourn his parents or observe rites. On Qingming he happily made us sweet green dumplings even said it was local custom.”

The further they went, the more they firmed up a plausible case. Later, removing Shen would come with “just cause.” Shen would inevitably cross paths with foreign royals in the capital; let him try to explain.

He just hoped nothing went wrong on the way. So far, Shen hadn’t lost much; the system still propped him up.

Though Luo Shuyu had read the book, his rebirth meant events might drift. He wasn’t omniscient; he could only infer Shen’s moves and then target his goals.

They sat discussing some time. Initially indifferent, Li Mingjin’s suspicion grew by the word. He assigned more men to watch Shen, not only to please Luo Shuyu, but to find a crack leading back to whoever had ordered his earlier assassination.

It was late. After a little idle talk, they returned to their room.

In bed, they let go of Shen Mingyun entirely. They didn’t want that man in their marital space.

The candle went out. Li Mingjin slipped under the covers and nuzzled up, pressing a kiss to Luo Shuyu’s cheek.

“Shuyu, I want to kiss you.”

He knew the spark in Li Mingjin would catch at a touch. He hadn’t been sleeping right next to him anyway, and now that Li Mingjin edged closer, he turned his face and got bitten.

Catching a breath, Luo Shuyu murmured, “Don’t bite so hard. You left my mouth swollen last night. I still have to see people tomorrow.”

Li Mingjin pecked him again. “Mn.” He shifted; the ache below was back.

Of course Luo Shuyu understood why the bites were so fierce: young, vigorous, full of fire, and lying in the same bed every night. How could he not be uncomfortable? Blushing, he offered, “Why don’t I…use my hand? It won’t be so hard on you.”

“May I?” Li Mingjin switched to nibbling his earlobe. “Shuyu, don’t force yourself.”

Luo Shuyu had already committed to him. They’d been married for years in their past life; this was his long-time husband. He’d never done this, but there was nothing he couldn’t do. “It’s not forcing. We’re married; I should meet your needs.”

Li Mingjin’s hand was already at his waist; his voice dropped to a rough whisper as he turned and grazed Luo Shuyu’s neck. Hearing the promise, he was overjoyed.

Luo Shuyu wrapped his arms around him.

They slept later that night than the two previous.

Li Mingjin, satisfied, held Luo Shuyu as they rested; Luo Shuyu’s face still burned before he drifted off. He hadn’t expected to go so far tonight, his hand was sore.

The next morning, Luo Shuyu woke to find the bed empty. A servant reported that His Highness had gone to early court without letting anyone disturb him.

Qingwang grinned. “Master, His Highness truly dotes on you. He said if you wake too early, you won’t rest enough.”

Remembering last night’s abandon, Luo Shuyu pressed a cloth to his face. A bit mortifying, how far he’d gone.

Not long after court began, a message arrived: His Highness would dine in the palace at noon.

Likely as he’d guessed, His Majesty had heard of the Eldest Prince’s bruised, swollen face. Thinking of that once-lofty prince getting pummeled, Luo Shuyu found it…oddly satisfying.

---

In fact, it was exactly as he’d thought. With his injured leg, Li Mingjin still went to court; afterward, the Emperor summoned him to the imperial study, along with the Crown Prince, the Eldest Prince, and the Fourth.

Li Mingjin wasn’t beaming, but after last night, he did seem different.

Waiting outside for summons, the Eldest Prince kept a hand to his mouth, avoiding his gaze.

Feigning surprise, the Crown Prince asked, “Eldest Brother, what happened to your face?”

The Eldest Prince glared. “Li Mingze, was that your doing yesterday?” Surely word had spread, the Crown Prince couldn’t be ignorant.

The Crown Prince didn’t rise to the bait. He clucked. “Brother, that’s not fair. We’re kin, you can’t slander me. Who knows whom you offended? Instead of idling at courtesan contests, perhaps serve Father more. Staring at beauties all day, no flowers will bloom from that.”

The Eldest Prince snorted hard. “I’m not like some who only peek at others’ things and don’t fear they’ll leak!”

In good humor, the Crown Prince turned to Li Mingjin. “Third Brother, you look well. Satisfied with the consort Father chose?”

“Of course,” Li Mingjin said frankly. “Following Father’s word won’t steer me wrong.”

The Fourth Prince stood silent, taking in his three elder brothers.

Before the Eldest could tug at his bruised mouth to retort, Chief Eunuch Liang opened the study doors and ushered them in.

They filed by rank. Before his father, the Eldest Prince behaved, he hadn’t yet grown too arrogant.

No seats were granted today, not even for Li Mingjin with his unhealed leg. The Emperor’s mood was foul.

A stack of memorials sailed across the desk at the four princes. Li Mingjin threw up a hand to block.

“You blocked it?” the Emperor snapped.

“Your son just married,” Li Mingjin said. “I have to save face in front of my spouse.”

“Save face, is it?” The Emperor huffed a laugh. “Get over there and sit down.”

Which was, in effect, permission to sit. Li Mingjin plopped into a chair.

The Emperor turned his ire on the Crown Prince and Eldest Prince, flinging more memorials that they dared not dodge.

“Father, please, calm yourself!” the Eldest yelped, face throbbing.

Listening to his father berate the Eldest for ogling courtesans and getting himself battered and scold the Crown Prince for not being able to balance accounts, Li Mingjin’s mood rose until he glanced over and caught the Fourth Prince’s almost invisible curl of the lip.

He remembered: the Fourth had long hovered by the Eldest. If those “not-quite-dead” brigands had been spared by him, then that mild, harmless air was a mask.

If true, Li Mingjin would have to reassess Li Mingchun.

A proper pig-in-tiger’s-clothing.

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Author’s Note:
Third Prince: Wife, everyone knows I can go seven times a night, an hour each!
Luo Shuyu: …

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