Let Him Be the Moon - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As the saying goes:

A person can spend a lifetime trapped by the thing they could not have in their youth.

Many years later,

I returned to the capital in triumph, crowned with success and glory.

The first thing I did was ask after Shen Changhuai.

After abandoning me, he had immediately married that noble young lady and had two children with her.

For reasons unknown, however, they divorced a year later.

The noblewoman remarried, while Shen Changhuai never took another wife and raised the two children on his own.

At the banquet held to welcome me back, some wretch slipped something into my drink.

My entire body burned so badly I could hardly stand it.

I stumbled down the palace path.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure dressed in pale blue.

The young man caught my hand, his expression worried. “Uncle, are you all right?”

All right?

I was in very serious trouble.

I grabbed his sleeve and frowned. “I feel awful…”

“Can you help me?”

The young man’s gaze fell on my flushed face.

He frowned, but still helped me into an empty side room.

The moment the door closed,

I hooked my arms around his neck and kissed him.

His eyes flew wide open, faint anger filling them as he struggled to push me away.

In the scuffle, my hair spilled loose over my shoulders.

Freshly washed black silk, fragrant, smooth, and soft.

My chest binding fell to the floor as well.

“You… You’re a woman?”

The person in my arms went rigid, shock filling his eyes.

With lightning speed, I kissed him again and beamed. “Surprise.”

“Lucky you, kid.”

The young man said nothing, his face bright red as he dodged my kisses.

A night of passion followed.

When dawn broke, I had sobered up.

The young man’s clothes had already been torn to shreds.

His fair body was mottled with bruises.

He sat curled up in the corner of the bed, arms wrapped around his legs, the tip of his nose red and his eyes red-rimmed too.

Enduring my headache, I asked who he was.

He stared at me coldly. “My father is the illustrious Marquis of Dingyuan, a first-rank noble and a trusted minister of the Son of Heaven.”

“Scared now? Hmph. I’d like to see how you explain this to my father.”

Scared. Very scared.

What was I supposed to do about sleeping with my ex-husband’s son?

Chapter Four

Shen Chao was only eighteen this year.

His elder brother had taken the martial path, while he pursued scholarship.

He had just passed the imperial examinations this year and been personally named Tanhua by the emperor, his brilliance the talk of the capital.

Feeling guilty, I took the initiative to clean his wounds.

He dodged me, his expression full of disgust. “My father and brother have always kept a strict watch on me. I’ve never had a woman before.”

“And my first time was actually given to you, an old woman who disguises herself as a man and is clearly sick in the head…”

“Get out. I never want to see you again.”

Excellent.

I happily pulled up my trousers and prepared to make my escape.

Just as my hand touched the door, he abruptly stood, bristling like an angry kitten. “You dare leave!?”

“Who was it last night who lay by my ear and said she’d cherish me like her very heart?”

Damn it. I’d gotten involved with a decent young man.

Fine.

It wasn’t as if I was some heartless cad.

A dignified grown woman had to take responsibility after taking advantage of a young gentleman.

I immediately promised that I would be with him openly and honorably.

Shen Chao sneered. “How is that possible? Everyone thinks you’re a man.”

“My father and brother have always been conservative. They would never agree.”

This child was still far too naive.

He did not understand that in the face of absolute power, worldly opinion, propriety, and reputation were all nothing but passing clouds.

I smiled faintly. “True love can overcome all hardships.”

“Since I’ve chosen you, having you in this life is enough for me.”

Shen Chao lowered his eyes slightly.

He said, “My brother told me old women are good at sweet-talking people. I won’t fall for it.”

I said, “Oh.”

Shen Chao quickly glanced at me again.

“But if you dare lie to me, you’re dead.”