Lotus in a Bottle - Chapter 23

Section 38

One month later.

Before spring arrived, the emperor succumbed to an acute attack brought on by rage and passed away in the Buddhist prayer hall.

Before his death, he passed the throne to Tan Lian.

The Second Prince, Shen Jing’an, joined forces with the Prince Regent, Gu Nanzhou, intending to rebel. They led their private troops into the palace to seize the throne.

Tan Lian, however, had long been prepared. He turned the tables and captured their entire faction in one fell swoop, firmly securing his place on the throne.

Somehow, the Xie Family was credited with aiding his rise to the throne. Overnight, they went from mere merchants with nothing but money to the most prestigious imperial merchants in all of Dayan.

Shen Huaihuan received the wealthiest fiefdom as he had wished and was granted the title of Prince Fu.

And with that, the game was over. Everything had finally settled into place.

Section 39

Shen Huaihuan’s dream had come true, and he was beside himself with joy.

He invited me to accompany him to Jiangnan, saying that if we set out now, we would arrive just as spring was at its most glorious.

I thought it over. While the Xie Family’s reputation as imperial merchants was at its peak, expanding our business into a prosperous region like Jiangnan seemed like a fine idea.

So I gladly agreed.

But on the day we were supposed to depart, Shen Huaihuan, an idle prince with no official duties, was suddenly held up by some urgent matter.

One of his subordinates rushed to the riverbank in a panic.

“Please wait another half hour. You can rest at a nearby teahouse in the meantime. His Highness will finish dealing with the matter very soon.”

I had the vague sense that something was terribly wrong.

After everything that had happened with Tan Lian, I chose to trust my instincts.

Instead of going to the teahouse, I asked one of the young guards to pass a message to Shen Huaihuan.

“I’ll go on ahead. Tell him I’ll wait for him at the next ferry landing.”

With that, I boarded the boat at once.

To my surprise, a familiar figure was already waiting inside the cabin that should have been empty.

My face went pale. I spun around to flee, only for him to seize my wrist and yank me back.

The world whirled around me as Tan Lian pulled me onto his lap and pinned me there. Before I could scream for help, his lips descended upon mine, carrying that familiar fragrance.

To be precise, he bit and tore at my lips.

I was wrong. I was so terribly wrong. I had always called those supporting male characters in the original novel rabid dogs, never realizing that the real rabid dog was someone else entirely.

I couldn’t help crying out in pain, but Tan Lian swallowed every last whimper.

Only when white spots burst across my vision and I was on the verge of suffocating did Tan Lian finally release my mouth.

His expression remained as impassive as ever. As though nothing had happened, he wiped the corner of my mouth, brushing away the glistening moisture there.

He acted so utterly entitled that the embarrassment rising inside me vanished in an instant.

All that remained was fury.

Tan Lian proceeded to add fuel to the fire. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Pinned to his lap and unable to move, I flushed scarlet with rage and kicked him irritably.

“Don’t you already know? You’re lying in wait for me right here, so why bother pretending?!”

Tan Lian fell silent for a moment. Then, as though soothing an unruly child, he stroked my head.

“The sages once said that while one’s parents live, one should not travel far, and if one must travel, one should have a definite destination. It would be best if Baoping didn’t wander too far.”

I wasn’t particularly well-read, but even I had heard that saying before.

Yet coming from Tan Lian, that tired old maxim seemed to take on a different meaning.

Your parents and family are still in the capital. Where do you think you can run? No matter where you go, I can drag you back.

I used to adore that face no matter how I looked at it. Now, I only wanted to slap it twice.

Tan Lian was unbothered by my blatantly disrespectful glare. His voice remained calm.

“Stop sulking and come back with me.”

“Impossible,” I declared without hesitation.

Then I remembered the status of the man before me and prudently softened my tone a little.

“You’ve already gotten what you wanted. The Xie Family is of no further use to you now, so could you please…”

Let me go?

The sudden smile on Tan Lian’s face frightened the rest of the words out of me.

So that face was capable of more than those falsely warm smiles he always put on. He could also smile in a way that sent a chill straight down my spine.

“Don’t make me say it a third time. Come back with me.”

W-What was he acting so fierce for?!

How could someone like him possibly deserve to be called a White Lotus?!

I stiffened my neck and brought out my final trump card.

“Shen Huaihuan and I already made plans. You may look down on the Xie Family, but surely His Majesty wouldn’t steal someone from his own younger brother?”

Tan Lian stopped smiling.

The hand resting casually atop my head slid downward, caressing my face like a cold snake before pinching a handful of flesh hard.

“Steal someone? As if that fool is worthy.”

His words were vicious beyond measure, without the slightest attempt to play on Shen Huaihuan’s guilt.

He continued pinching and kneading my cheek.

Only after confirming that I had regained the flesh on my face did his tone ease slightly.

“We never divorced, so this talk of stealing you is utter nonsense. No matter what that fool told you before, none of it counts.”