A Hundred of Beautiful Lives - Chapter 021

It turned out that this was yet another wave of refugees, even more pitiful than the previous one. Women and children were among them, with their clothes badly torn that they could not even cover their chests, exposing their dark, mud-stained br3asts. In such dire straits, who had time to worry about propriety and decency?

The man’s death from starvation caused the earlier commotion. He had once been a tall and sturdy man, but now he was as thin as a bamboo stalk. A woman with a face full of sorrow was holding two children and wailing loudly.

Strictly speaking, even ‘wailing’ might not be the right word, as they were too weak from hunger to cry.

The man had been struggling to walk, but when he caught the scent of food wafting from the temple, he swallowed hard and collapsed backwards. This could hardly be blamed on Ji Yang—it was clear the man had long reached the end of his strength.

Yu Sui’er couldn’t bear to watch and followed the woman in wiping away her tears, while Ji Yang had already stood at the temple door.

The old and young refugees naturally couldn’t walk any further, so Shen Du led Ji Yang out of the dilapidated temple and set up camp nearby, leaving the only place that offered shelter from wind and rain to the refugees. He also ordered his guards to give the starved man a proper burial.

Ji Yang looked at the pot of fish soup she had personally cooked with some regret. Now, of course, she couldn’t serve it to Shen Du. He was compassionate toward the weak and certainly wouldn’t drink it.

Just as Ji Yang instructed Yu Sui’er to carry the clay pot out of the tent, she saw Shen Du entering from the outside and hurriedly said, “I saw those infants crying pitifully. Their mother has no milk, and I wonder if this fish soup could help ease their hunger.”

Shen Du nodded and said, “Keep a bowl for yourself as well.”

Ji Yang’s heart warmed, thinking Shen Du was concerned for her. “No need. I can eat anything.”

That was true. Along the way, there had been times when they had to eat dry rations to keep moving, and Shen Du had thought that as a Princess, Ji Yang might not be used to it, but she hadn’t complained at all.

After dinner, Liu Xun came to invite Shen Du, and although Ji Yang was reluctant to let him go, she could do nothing about it, because Shen Du would never listen to her.

“My lord, these refugees are rather suspicious. I asked around, and among them are people from Liangzhou, all of whom came through the Central Plains. That region forbids the movement of commoners, and these folks are so weak they couldn’t even tie up a chicken. I can’t imagine how they slipped past the court’s surveillance,” Liu Xun said.

Shen Du nodded. 

“Then someone must be helping them behind the scenes. We’ve encountered two groups in a single day, and we’ll likely encounter more refugees in the coming days. Send someone ahead to investigate. If we run into more refugees, see if anyone is trailing them from behind.”

Liu Xun took his leave, and Shen Du returned to the camp, but he did not see Ji Yang. He turned around and searched the area, but could not find her. Suddenly, he heard a child’s laughter, “I found you! I found you!”

Shen Du walked around the tent and saw Ji Yang crouching down and crawling out from a pile of debris next to the tent.

“What are you doing?” Shen Du asked while looking down at her from above.

Ji Yang looked up and saw it was Shen Du, her smile immediately brightening. She bent down to pat the child’s head, pulled out a dry flatbread from her bosom, and gave it to him, telling him to play on his own.

The child’s hair was greasy, but Ji Yang didn’t seem to mind touching it. He seemed a little afraid of Shen Du and ran off with the dry flatbread.

“We’re playing hide and seek,” Ji Yang said. 

Children are always the most innocent. Even though the journey had been difficult and cold, they immediately perked up when they had something to eat tonight.

Shen Du said softly, “Let’s go back.”

Ji Yang nodded and cheerfully followed him back to the tent. After washing up, she approached Shen Du again. He was sitting with one leg bent against the headboard, and Ji Yang naturally lay her head on his outstretched thigh.

“Why were you playing with those children?” Shen Du hadn’t expected Ji Yang to play with the group of refugee children, and she didn’t seem to mind at all. 

“Aren’t you afraid of getting lice?” Shen Du wasn’t unsympathetic to the refugees, but he was quite particular about cleanliness, which is why he asked.

Lice were a terrifying thing, especially for women with long hair. Once infested, the itching was unbearable, and even combing daily couldn’t relieve it

“I won’t get lice,” Ji Yang pouted. 

She pulled a colourful string from her neck, with a pearl the size of a lychee seed tied in the middle. 

“This is a dust-repelling pearl from the Kingdom of Cheli. Wearing it keeps you free from dust. All you need to do is wash the pearl with clean water every day.”

“No wonder,” Shen Du raised his eyebrows. No wonder Ji Yang remained clean and smelled fresh despite the long journey.

“No wonder what?” Ji Yang lifted her head and leaned closer to Shen Du.

“No wonder you don’t like bathing,” Shen Du replied expressionlessly.

This made Ji Yang panic. Shen Du must have misunderstood her. Her face flushed red. 

“I don’t dislike bathing,” Ji Yang hurriedly defended herself. 

“I bathed every day at home. It’s just that when we’re travelling, I’m afraid you’ll find me troublesome, and I can’t bathe in the lake like you do.”

Shen Du couldn’t help but smile as he watched Ji Yang get so worked up. He thought to himself that she was rare in that she had no trace of arrogance about her. 

He reached out and gently stroked her cheek. 

“I was only teasing you. If the Princess wants to bathe, it’s no trouble at all. We can’t very well have the Princess go complain to the Empress, can we?”

Ji Yang was indeed quite naive at times, but she wasn’t stupid. Hearing Shen Du say this, she naturally pressed her cheek against his palm and rubbed it gently back and forth, saying softly, “I wouldn’t do that. I’ve married you, so I’m now a member of the Shen family. I wouldn’t do anything that would be bad for you.”

Suddenly, Shen Du’s expression turned cold. 

He withdrew his hand and said, “Go to sleep.”

Ji Yang didn’t understand why Shen Du had suddenly become so cold. She didn’t think she had said anything wrong. 

She quickly leaned in, rested her chin on Shen Du’s shoulder, and whispered, “Liu Lang, don’t you believe me? I meant every word. If there’s even half a lie—may I be struck—”

“Must you go on and on?” Shen Du snapped, his voice sharp and scolding, causing Ji Yang to swallow the last word ‘dead’ in fear.

Ji Yang blinked her wide eyes, filled with grievance, yet still looking confused.

In truth, Shen Du wasn’t angry at Ji Yang at all; he was furious at himself. Though she was a Princess, she had a straightforward nature. If he showed her even a hint of kindness, she’d be over the moon with joy. 

He just suddenly felt that he’d been using every trick in the book on her, which felt unfair, like a grown man bullying a child.

Ji Yang looked at Shen Du, who was lying on his side with his back to her, and reached out to scratch him playfully to vent her frustration. Then, for some reason, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Just as Shen Du was wondering how Ji Yang could still laugh, she suddenly hugged him and whispered in his ear, “I know why you’re angry with me, Liu Lang. You don’t like it when I say the word’ death,’ do you?” 

Ji Yang’s heart was as sweet as if soaked in honey at that moment.

‘Tch, she really knows how to imagine things.’ 

Shen Du thought, but he was too lazy to argue with Ji Yang.

Seeing that Shen Du wasn’t saying anything, Ji Yang took it as his tacit agreement and began to rub against him, occasionally blowing soft puffs of air into his ear. 

This was a method she had figured out on her own to tease Shen Du. She had gradually grown accustomed to and enjoyed doing intimate things with Shen Du that only married couples could do. Only at such times did Ji Yang feel that there was no barrier between her and Shen Du.

“Don’t grope randomly,” Shen Du said, moving her hand away.

But Ji Yang, having learned this by herself, could tell that although Shen Du said, “Don’t grope randomly,” he might be hoping for it. His tone lacked firmness. So Ji Yang continued to touch him mischievously.

Shen Du couldn’t take it anymore and turned around to pin Ji Yang down. “Are you that thirsty?”

Ji Yang stuck out her pink little tongue and licked her lips, her eyes twinkling mischievously. 

She giggled, “Hehe… I am quite thirsty.”

“You’re asking for trouble.” 

Shen Du muttered under his breath.

He leaned close to Ji Yang’s ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “You’re truly born to be a wanton little vixen.”

This was like poking a hornet’s nest. Even though Ji Yang had no temper, she kicked Shen Du with her leg. Her strength was so weak that it was more like tickling him.

“What? Am I wrong?” Shen Du added fuel to the fire.

What followed was a tussle worthy of immortals—except the bed bore the brunt of their divine war.

The more Ji Yang resisted, the more merciless Shen Du became. She scratched and cried, but he showed no mercy. It was like a delicate flower being teased by bees, or a slender stream riled by dragons—it was pitiful, mournful, exquisite.

Ji Yang felt that Shen Du was more intense than ever before—rising and falling, each peak higher, each fall more dizzying, leaving her nearly breathless.

In her daze, Ji Yang suddenly remembered something from her childhood. There were many concubines in the palace of Luoyang, but her father, the Emperor, favoured only her mother. 

The jealous concubines gossiped behind her mother’s back, and Ji Yang, who was playing hide-and-seek at the time, overheard them.

Those concubines all called her mother a wanton woman behind her back. Ji Yang, who was too young to understand, asked her mother, Empress Su, what that meant.

Many years had passed since that incident, and the gossiping concubines had long since passed away. Ji Yang should have forgotten her mother’s response by now, but at that moment, it came back to her with unusual clarity. 

Her mother had said with contempt, “Your father loves me just the way I am. They can’t even be wanton women if they wanted to.”

At the time, Ji Yang did not understand the meaning of these words, but now, in the privacy of the bedroom, she suddenly understood. 

It turned out that Shen Du also enjoyed this sort of thing. Though he cursed her with his mouth, joy must have filled his heart; otherwise, he would not have been so eager.

This was probably what was meant by the ‘spousal bond.’

Eventually, the storm quieted and the rain ceased. Shen Du did cherish Ji Yang—he would never truly ravage her. Seeing that she had stopped crying, he knew she couldn’t endure it anymore.

But Ji Yang, having just felt enlightened, threw herself into pleasing him with reckless abandon. However, being inexperienced, she didn’t know how to become a wanton seductress truly. 

She tried to offer herself entirely—twisting and writhing beneath him. Wasn’t this just asking for trouble?

Even if Shen Du had pity, he couldn’t resist her teasing.

The next morning, Ji Yang naturally couldn’t get out of bed, but since they had to continue their journey, Shen Du ruthlessly pulled her up. Ji Yang rubbed her eyes and complained, “Can’t I sleep a little longer? My whole body feels like it’s falling apart.”