The Crown Prince's Bodyguard

23 ♛ Women

- Li Xun -

As promised, Zhang Wei's situation was dealt with.

From what his men had informed him, his cousin's old flame was thrown out from the courtesan house she was working at because they had caught her pocketing the business's earnings. At the same time, she discovered herself pregnant with another man's child.

But he, unfortunately, didn't wish to take upon the responsibility of being a father.

Desperate for money and a good life, she resorted to pushing the blame on Zhang Wei instead – an attempt to leverage on his wealth. Considering his notorious reputation in the past, she was convinced that the public would believe her lie over his words, that she would earn sympathy as a soon-to-be mother. She wanted to let the rumours consume him whole, until he would eventually relent and accept her into his household, granting her unborn child a place on his family register.

But clearly, she thought wrong.

When her deceitful lies were exposed, she was apprehended by Ling Yao and the magistrate. As punishment, she was sent to a temple to repent and would be confined there for many months ahead, until her child was born.

Zhang Wei was, of course, elated to find his name cleared. After several bows of gratitude (and crushing hugs), he finally allowed Li Xun to leave his manor and head back to the palace.

"What a vicious woman, isn't she?" Li Xun told Long'Er, who was trailing beside the sedan that carried him home. "Sometimes I wonder if fame and wealth are what the women only care about."

The boy blinked once in surprise. "Not all of us—I mean," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "—not all women are like that."

Li Xun furrowed his brows, but carried on speaking. "What would you've done if you were Zhang Wei?"

"Report her to the magistrate right away."

"Even if she's a woman and is heavily pregnant?"

"They don't matter if she's lying. She was willing to harm others for her own gain," Long'Er said, before adding on quietly. "My mother never resorted to such underhanded ways and gave birth to me alone."

Li Xun grew silent over his words, feeling the sadness on his behalf.

Once they were back at the palace, he found his sister, Li Xue, awaiting him in his bedchamber. She glared at him as he took his seat across from her.

"What a surprise," he remarked. "Seeing that you're no longer confined to your room on Mother's order, I can only assume her anger has dissipated. Hence, dearest sister, do not go around causing trouble again."

"Stop berating me, Brother. I've already heard enough from our parents." She puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "And you! I hear from my maids that you've been interfering with my plans? For the past two weeks, I had asked for your little bodyguard to pay me a visit, but only to discover that you've prevented me from seeing him each time. Why is that so?"

He let out a small sigh and poured her a cup of tea. "Li Xue, what good would it do for you to mess around with a man? Much less a bodyguard?"

"But I'm not messing around," she retorted. "I know that most times, I behave like an immature girl. But this time, I'm not. I quite like this boy."

Her honest confession caught him by surprise. "You're serious?"

He was met with her steely resolve. "Absolutely," she said. "Of all the disgusting men I've encountered, he seems like the most decent person among them all."