Chà Chà Novel

As Shen Ci’an’s smile widened, the expressions on Lu Jiayan’s and Lu Sihe’s faces changed. Lu Sihe was the first to react. He shook his head in disbelief.

“That’s impossible. You took the Seven Losses Powder. I saw you.”

The powder robbed its victim of all strength and martial skill. Without an antidote within seven double-hours, blood would pour from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and they would die.

He had watched Shen Ci’an swallow it. There was no way he could have been mistaken…

Shen Ci’an tilted his head toward Lu Sihe, the smile still bright in his eyes. He stood tall, and the smile lent a startling beauty to his usually cool features. When he spoke, his words struck like needles.

“Did you really think those clumsy little tricks would fool me?”

Lu Yinghuai was still pale after hearing Lu Jiayan expose the love gu, but he showed no surprise at Shen Ci’an’s recovery. If Lu Jiayan and Lu Sihe still failed to see that they were the ones caught in a trap, they truly were fools.

He wasted no more words. At his clap, shadow guards rushed into the room.

The situation was clear now.

The dagger was knocked from Lu Sihe’s hand, but no one even bothered to restrain him. He was no longer considered capable of putting up a fight.

And he wasn’t. All he had was a unit of covert guards. His only real advantage had been Lu Yinghuai’s love for Shen Ci’an. But Shen Ci’an had never succumbed to the Seven Losses Powder. He and Lu Yinghuai had set a trap for them.

So he was the fool all along. Shen Ci’an had known from the start that Lu Sihe was deliberately getting close to him, yet he had watched the whole thing unfold as though it were a play. How ridiculous. How utterly ridiculous…

Lu Yinghuai drew Shen Ci’an into his arms.

After Shen Ci’an had promised not to speak to Lu Jiayan or Lu Sihe again, he’d told Lu Yinghuai that Lu Sihe was deliberately approaching him. He’d also explained why he had chatted with him. Once they knew what to look for, the rest was easy to uncover. Lu Yinghuai could have stopped the plot before it reached this point, but he’d let it happen. Catching the two princes in the act would make them much easier to deal with.

He could rid himself of Lu Sihe and Lu Jiayan in one stroke. Especially Lu Jiayan.

The knowledge that Shen Ci’an had once loved Lu Jiayan had long been a knot in Lu Yinghuai’s heart. He couldn’t untangle it or let it go. Only Lu Jiayan’s death would finally set his mind at ease.

For all his planning, though, he had never expected either man to learn about the love gu. If he’d known his secret was out, he would never have waited until today.

The sudden turn had sent his heart racing. At least Shen Ci’an didn’t seem particularly concerned about the gu.

He would deal with these two first. If Shen Ci’an asked about it afterward…

Shen Ci’an loved him so much now. Surely he could find some explanation that would satisfy him…

Lu Yinghuai tried to reassure himself, but unease still gripped him. Shen Ci’an was not easily deceived. His face hardened, and he gave the order.

“Lu Jiayan and Lu Sihe attempted to assassinate the emperor and abducted the empress. Their crimes are grave. Take them to prison. They will be executed in three days.”

The shadow guards moved at once. Lu Jiayan suddenly darted away from them and reached for Shen Ci’an, but Lu Yinghuai kicked him hard enough to send him sprawling.

The pain was so severe that Lu Jiayan could barely rise. Blood spilled from his mouth, his insides badly injured, yet he roared through it:

“Ci’an, I’m the one you love! You don’t love Lu Yinghuai! He put a love gu in you because he’d do anything to possess you. That’s the only reason you suddenly fell for him! You love me! Me!”

Lu Jiayan staggered to his feet and tried to reach Shen Ci’an, but the shadow guards seized him. He struggled with all his strength and could not break free. His eyes were bloodshot, his appearance both wretched and ferocious.

Shen Ci’an loved him. He was the one who should be standing beside Shen Ci’an, the one who should be holding him!

“Lu Jiayan has lost his mind. Don’t bother taking him to prison. Execute him now!”

“Wait.”

Shen Ci’an spoke just before the shadow guards could act. He looked at Lu Jiayan, wretched as a stray dog, and said slowly, “Let him speak.”

His expression was calm now, the earlier smile gone. Nothing in his face betrayed what he was feeling. His beautiful eyes remained fixed on Lu Jiayan, as though the accusation had caught his attention.

Lu Yinghuai’s heart went cold. For a moment, he could scarcely breathe. He seized Shen Ci’an’s hand, his voice hurried. “Ci’an, he’s talking nonsense…”

“Lu Yinghuai!”

Seeing Shen Ci’an’s reaction gave Lu Jiayan a sudden flicker of hope. He knew he was unlikely to survive, but if he could make Shen Ci’an hate Lu Yinghuai—or even leave a crack between them—it would be worth it. A cruel smile tugged at his lips.

“You’re afraid, aren’t you, Lu Yinghuai? Hahaha! You are afraid. You know perfectly well whether I’m telling the truth.”

Lu Yinghuai’s stricken face lifted Lu Jiayan’s spirits. He turned back to Shen Ci’an.

“Ci’an, I’m not lying. You know you used to love me. Haven’t you ever wondered how you could fall in love with Lu Yinghuai overnight? He put a love gu in you. Anyone carrying the child gu falls hopelessly in love with the host of the mother gu. The mother gu inside Lu Yinghuai stirred the child gu inside you. That’s why your feelings changed.”

Shen Ci’an regarded him without expression. His voice was cold and distant. “Why should I believe you?”

When Shen Ci’an showed no sign of believing him, Lu Jiayan rushed to explain. “A person carrying a love gu has a tiny red mark on their wrist. That’s where the gu lives. Roll up your sleeve and you’ll see.”

Shen Ci’an raised his hand to do just that. Lu Yinghuai immediately caught his wrist, panic plain on his face.

Shen Ci’an looked at him, then firmly pried his fingers away one by one. He pushed up his sleeve, revealing a slender stretch of smooth, unmarked skin.

Lu Sihe’s pupils contracted. “That’s impossible! I saw it that day!”

There was nothing on Shen Ci’an’s wrist. How could there be nothing?

When Shen Ci’an had taken his pulse, Lu Sihe had clearly seen a red mark there.

Lu Jiayan froze as well, his manic smile fixed on his face.

Lu Yinghuai went rigid. He was still reeling from his panic when he saw Shen Ci’an’s wrist: smooth, unmarked skin.

Wait. Shen Ci’an had never had a red mark there. Lu Yinghuai knew every inch of his body. He hurriedly pushed up his own sleeve. There was no red mark on his wrist either.

The Miao holy maiden who had made the love gu for him had never mentioned any such mark. He let out a sharp breath. At last, it felt as though the blood in his veins had begun to flow again.

He didn’t know whether Lu Jiayan had been misinformed about the love gu or whether something else was going on. Either way… thank goodness.

A smile slowly formed on Lu Yinghuai’s lips. He lifted Shen Ci’an’s hand to his mouth and said gently, “I told you he was lying. Your love for me is real.”

For an instant, Lu Yinghuai almost convinced himself. It was as though the love gu had never existed, as though Shen Ci’an loved him because he was Lu Yinghuai and for no other reason.

“Impossible! How can this be?” Lu Jiayan shouted. “Lu Yinghuai, this was you, wasn’t it? You did something to erase the evidence of the love gu! Ci’an, believe me! I’m the one you love! It’s me!”

He fought furiously against the shadow guards holding him.

Shen Ci’an drew his hand away from Lu Yinghuai’s lips and turned to Lu Jiayan. He looked at him as one might look at a fish he had tossed onto dry ground with his own hands.

“Lu Jiayan, my body is unusual. The sedative you used tonight wouldn’t affect me, and neither would any gu. Perhaps you’re right that someone carrying a love gu develops a red mark on their wrist. It would still have no effect on me.”

He paused. “There’s something else I meant to keep to myself for the rest of my life, but seeing you like this, I think I have to tell you. I have never loved you. I said those things in front of the Retired Emperor because it was the only way to save your life. Claiming I loved you gave you a chance to survive. When you came to see me afterward, I said what I did only to keep up that lie.”

“I saved you because you were engaged to Shen Qinghe. However cruel and foolish he is, his birth mother saved me and raised me. I owed her a debt I couldn’t ignore. I never imagined that one moment of mercy would lead you to believe all this…”

Shen Ci’an stood beside Lu Yinghuai. Seeing him frozen in place, he slowly took his hand in front of Lu Jiayan. His voice was gentle and steady.

“The one I’ve always loved is Lu Yinghuai.”

The night’s turmoil ended there.

Shen Ci’an quietly brought Lu Yinghuai back to the Yong’an estate. He had meant to send him back to the palace, but the man still looked so stunned that Shen Ci’an decided to let him stay the night. Unless they talked everything through, Lu Yinghuai probably wouldn’t sleep a wink before the wedding.

Once they had washed and changed, Shen Ci’an sat with him on the bed and patiently answered his questions.

“The Retired Emperor had decided to kill Lu Jiayan that day. Without a convincing reason to intervene, I couldn’t have saved him.”

“When I was little, I accidentally ate a medicinal herb and slept for a long time. After I woke up, poisons no longer affected me.”

“As for asking to leave the capital, I could see you liked me, but you never said anything. I was getting impatient, so I gave you a little push. And after you… did that with me, hadn’t we more or less admitted we loved each other?”

Lu Yinghuai sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at him. Shen Ci’an had explained it all carefully, yet he still seemed unable to take it in.

“So it’s always been me? You never loved Lu Jiayan?”

Shen Ci’an gave a soft scoff. “Do you think my taste is that bad?”

“Then why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Shen Ci’an laughed to himself. Why would he have? He loved seeing Lu Yinghuai jealous over him.

“I did tell you. I’ve told you I love you plenty of times.”

He tilted his head, pretending not to understand. Amusement filled his beautiful eyes.

“I mean, why didn’t you tell me you saved Lu Jiayan for a reason other than love?”

Lu Yinghuai had agonized over it for so long. He couldn’t bear the thought that Shen Ci’an had once loved someone else. Jealousy had nearly driven him mad.

“I said all that to the Retired Emperor. Lying to him was a serious crime. The fewer people who knew, the better. How was I supposed to know you’d be so petty?”

Lu Yinghuai could not accept Shen Ci’an calling him petty. He was about to protest when a thought flashed through his mind.

Wait. What had Shen Ci’an said? Poison didn’t affect him?

Then…

“Back at the Eastern Palace, did you know I came to your room every night?”

…

Oh, no. Shen Ci’an had been so focused on finding a way to explain why the love gu hadn’t affected him—and proving that his feelings were real—that he had forgotten all about this.

He sighed, his expression helpless. There was no point trying to hide it now. “Yes. I knew.”

Lu Yinghuai’s face turned scarlet. Even his ears went so red they looked ready to bleed. “Then you… But… Why did you…”

Shen Ci’an found his flustered expression rather funny. It was late, and he was growing sleepy. He placed a finger against Lu Yinghuai’s lips, bringing the broken questions to a halt.

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, the answer is that I love you.”

Unable to speak, Lu Yinghuai could only blink at him.

His long, upturned eyes usually made him look cool and distant. Right now, they made him look unbearably endearing. Shen Ci’an tried to resist, then gave in. He withdrew his finger and kissed one of Lu Yinghuai’s eyes. That wasn’t enough, so he brushed a second kiss across his lips. His voice was soft and enticing.

“Lu Yinghuai, I like you.”

“I love you.”

“I want to kiss you.”

“I liked it when you came to my room in secret at night.”

“I even liked it when you tied me up.”

“If it’s you, I like all of it.”

“Because I…”

“Like you.”

Shen Ci’an looped his arms around Lu Yinghuai’s neck, amusement filling his eyes. He looked almost maddeningly carefree, though every word he spoke was sweet enough to make Lu Yinghuai’s heart ache.

Lu Yinghuai gazed at him. Then, in one swift movement, he pulled a satin ribbon from the bed curtains, bound Shen Ci’an’s hands before he could react, and pressed him down beneath him. His eyes shone as he brushed his lips against Shen Ci’an’s. His voice was low and husky.

“You said you liked it. Don’t cry later.”

…

At last, Shen Ci’an understood what it meant to bring trouble on himself.

All their misunderstandings were cleared up before the wedding.

In this lifetime, Shen Ci’an and Lu Yinghuai spent sixty-five years together. They passed away naturally in their sleep on the same day.

They became a pair unlike any the dynasty had known. Emperor Lu Yinghuai did great good throughout his reign. He chose capable people for office, listened humbly to honest counsel, lived modestly, and cared for his people. No emperor who followed could compare with him.

The only regret recorded of his life was that he had no children. Shen Ci’an was his sole empress, and he never took anyone else. Five years after their wedding, the emperor and empress chose a boy from the imperial clan and raised him with great care. When the young man turned twenty, Lu Yinghuai abdicated. As Retired Emperor, he took Shen Ci’an—now the Empress Dowager—and set off to travel the world together.