CHAPTER 236: CHAPTER 236: FIERCE KISS

At the palace banquet, Xie Zhang was drinking and exchanging toasts with several military generals, finishing nearly two jugs of liquor. Ningzhou’s bitter cold made strong spirits a favorite among the border soldiers. Among Marquis Zhenbei Mansion’s three sons, only Xie Xun had an insatiable love for alcohol, capable of drinking endlessly without getting drunk. Xie Jue would barely touch wine, one sip enough to make him tipsy, while Xie Zhang remained composed and had never been intoxicated.

When Feng Shu left the table, Xie Zhang’s thoughts were no longer with the banquet. After waiting for a quarter of an hour and not seeing Feng Shu return, he stepped outside to look for her. What he didn’t expect was to witness the Crown Prince entangling her. Back in Xiyanshan, he’d already harbored some vague suspicions. Though the Crown Prince hid it well, subtle clues had slipped through—such as the handkerchief embroidered with Qiangwei flowers, the focused gaze cast on Feng Shu, and the faint hostility directed toward him. Every detail revealed the Crown Prince’s affections for Feng Shu.

Casually and without clear intent, Xie Zhang had asked Feng Shu about her past with the Crown Prince. Feng Shu dismissed the details, brushing them off as mere childhood companionship and speaking in a tone reluctant to divulge more. Xie Zhang had once harbored doubts, wondering if perhaps Feng Shu and the Crown Prince had shared a childhood romance, only to sever their ties under the pressure of circumstances.

He was no saint. Feng Shu’s evasive attitude fanned the flames of his own suspicions, and doubt gave rise to paranoia. It was difficult for Xie Zhang to suppress the possessiveness and anger brewing in his heart. Yet, due to his upbringing and restraint, he never revealed the slightest trace of it.

Xie Zhang had been raised by Marquis Zhenbei from a young age, following him to Ningzhou at the age of nine. He spent his youth on the battlefield. Though adolescents were not taken to the front lines, Marquis Zhenbei would let him lead a cavalry unit to patrol the banks of Shaling River for training, preventing enemies from infiltrating the war zone.

This area was under Yanyang’s jurisdiction. The Beiman had attempted several incursions here but always left empty-handed. Xie Zhang and his cavalry rarely encountered Beiman forces.

It was during such patrols that he first met Feng Shu, and youthful affection awakened in him—one glance, and he was smitten.

At first sight of Feng Shu, a voice inside his heart told him: it’s her. At that time, Marquis Zhenbei happened to be discussing his marriage prospects. As the eldest son of the Marquis Mansion and likely to be named Princely Heir, his young wife could only come from a noble family lineage. The Marchioness favored Lin Yushu, but Xie Zhang had always regarded Lin Yushu as a younger sister, devoid of romantic feelings. That year, he didn’t yet understand the dynamics of love; all marriage matters were subject to parental arrangements.

But after meeting Feng Shu, a voice in his heart declared: it’s her; she will be your wife someday. Xie Zhang also knew the Marquis Mansion preferred an alliance with the Lin Family, but he still mustered his courage and confessed his wishes to Marquis Zhenbei that he wanted Feng Shu.

With courage, there came hope.

The world speculated that Marquis Zhenbei had chosen Feng Shu to marry Xie Zhang due to the Su Family wealth. Yet in reality, the Su Family had supported the Marquis Mansion with grain and supplies for two generations in return for protection, rendering an in-law alliance unnecessary. However, Marquis Zhenbei did ponder ways to solidify relations between the two families further.

He had initially considered a betrothal between Feng Shu and Xie Xun, given their similar ages, intending to bring it up within a few years. But when his eldest son expressed admiration for Feng Shu, Marquis Zhenbei was surprised yet quickly resolved. After careful thought, he wasted no time—sending word to the Feng Family before personally taking his son to propose.

If a son must marry for an alliance, at least let it be with someone he willingly chooses.

At the time, Ningzhou was at peace. Young Xie Zhang, caught in the bloom of first love, naturally longed to see the object of his affection. Watching his usually composed eldest son consumed with thoughts of love left Marquis Zhenbei with a toothache. Deciding to settle the matter quickly, he took him to propose engagement. With the match officially made, his son no longer needed to pine. Without battles looming, his son could nurture a romantic bond with his intended.

Marquis Zhenbei was not one for blind marriages and mute unions. His son liked the Feng Family’s daughter, and the Feng daughter had to like his son in return. Impatient by nature, he thundered into the Feng Mansion with a sudden proposal, leaving the Feng Family completely unprepared.

In the early days of Xie Zhang and Feng Shu’s engagement, the two were still unfamiliar. Although Xie Zhang adored Feng Shu, he was just a young lad then, clueless about how to interact with a maiden. It was the Marquis himself who guided him on how to court a woman. Every so often, Xie Zhang would arrange for Chen Lin to deliver gifts to the Feng Mansion, tailored to her preferences. He took her horse riding, taught her archery, and brought her out of the city to play—all under the Marquis’s personal instruction.

Feng Shu, straightforward by nature, was initially reserved around Xie Zhang. Because of her habits, interests, and subtle girlish thoughts, their first interactions were slightly strained, occasionally leading to spats.

It was, of course, Feng Shu doing the quarrelling—Xie Zhang was remarkably patient. The Marquis and Marchioness had instilled in him what constituted a good marital relationship. Xie Zhang always cherished and doted on Feng Shu, giving her whatever she wanted. Over time, their relationship grew deeper. Three years into their engagement, they had found harmony.

When Xie Zhang suspected the Crown Prince’s affections for Feng Shu, memories of their youthful, innocent days surged back. He couldn’t help but wonder: Had his love at first sight shattered her childhood attachment with the Crown Prince?

Returning from Xiyanshan, these thoughts troubled him more than ever.

He dared not ask her, fearing her evasiveness might hide genuine regret over that childhood romance. What would he do if that were the case? Yet Xie Zhang wasn’t one to dwell on the past for long—eventually, he came to terms with it.

The past no longer mattered.

Even if Feng Shu and the Crown Prince had shared youthful affection, what was important now was that she loved him deeply. It was he whom she would grow old with, and he whom she had chosen to be her partner for life. He would cherish her doubly, so she’d never regret her choice.

From the corridor, he saw from afar their tangled figures. Pain, anguish, and fury welled in him. He had planned to turn and leave, to grant them the time to sever lingering ties. He had even hoped no one else would witness such a scene and invite gossip.

But gradually, he discerned the Crown Prince’s obsession and Feng Shu’s resistance.

He loved Feng Shu too much. Even though he couldn’t see her face or hear her words, Xie Zhang could feel her rejection and fear.

"I’ve never had romantic feelings for him," Feng Shu blurted, clutching Xie Zhang’s hand desperately. She sensed his anger and was filled with panic. "I’ve only loved you, Brother."

"Loved?" Xie Zhang raised an eyebrow.

Feng Shu shook her head vehemently. "No, no, no. I have only loved you, Brother. From the moment we met until now, you are the moonlight in my heart, the most beautiful Qiangwei flower, the love I cannot give up. I will love you until my hair turns gray, until our descendants fill the house, and we die together on a warm, clean bed."

Xie Zhang was slightly startled. His beloved truly had a gift for words. Her sweet nothings, honed over years, grew more enchanting and heart-stirring each time.

"Brother is truly easy to please," Feng Shu teased, pressing closer. "As long as Shu’er offers sweet words, Brother surrenders unconditionally." Xie Zhang half-embraced her, pinning her against the wooden pillar of the corridor, and kissed her fiercely.

This kiss was unlike any before—brutal, primal, and entirely disclosing the wild beast lurking in his heart.

Feng Shu passively accepted his passionate conquest, only wishing to soothe his insecurity and wrath.

Hidden in the shadows, Xie Xun almost whistled. Clicking his tongue, he muttered, "So much for propriety. Aren’t those boundaries just lip service?"

"Oh, my noble and virtuous elder brother, you’re such a liar!"

He covered Fengyu’s eyes. "Don’t look!"

"Who... Who wants to look?" Fengyu’s face turned scarlet, and she tugged him along to run away. "We’re so unfortunate, always stumbling onto these things."

Xie Xun recalled a more scandalous night with Dugu Jing and Lady Thirteen, where they had overheard everything. Now, witnessing this moment of intimacy between his elder brother and Feng Shu, frustration flared within him. Hugging Fengyu close, a surge of possessiveness spurred him to lean in for a kiss, but Fengyu stomped on his foot, unwilling to make a scene in the palace.