The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 236

I am Lu Zhan.

When I was four years old, Zhao Xiang rescued me from human traffickers.

Since then, I followed Zhao Xiang.

He had people teach me martial arts, he had people teach me to read and write. We were of similar age, and I did whatever he did.

I was his personal servant.

Zhao Xiang was a Prince.

But he didn’t have any of the respect that a Prince should have.

That year, a mother and her son came to the palace of Zhao Kingdom.

The son was the same age as Zhao Xiang and was named Shen Yue.

His mother was a Princess, but due to a great battle between Zhao Kingdom and the Great Yan Dynasty, Zhao Kingdom suffered a devastating defeat. In order to gain a period of recuperation, the Emperor of Zhao Kingdom personally sent his sister to the Great Yan Dynasty.

However, the Emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty didn’t seem very interested in matters between men and women.

He labored every day in the Imperial Study, exhausting himself with state affairs, always thinking about expanding his territory.

The Emperor of Zhao Kingdom sent his sister for a political marriage, hoping she would gain the favor of the Great Yan Emperor and thus secure some benefits for Zhao Kingdom.

But aside from the wedding night, the Emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty never visited her again.

Fortunately, despite the single instance of favor, the Princess was fortunate enough to become pregnant.

As soon as she was pregnant, the Emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty declared war on Zhao Kingdom. It seemed like the Emperor was out of his mind, declaring war and then sending the pregnant Princess back to Zhao Kingdom to carry the baby.

This bizarre behavior directly infuriated everyone in Zhao Kingdom.

The soldiers of Zhao Kingdom, filled with shame and anger, went to the battlefield.

In that battle, the Great Yan Dynasty suffered a crushing defeat, and Zhao Kingdom emerged victorious.

Although victorious, the death toll was too high, and the military expenditure was severe.

The country could no longer afford any turmoil.

Thus, Zhao Kingdom and the Great Yan Dynasty agreed to a three-year ceasefire.

After the war, the Princess, who had returned to Zhao Kingdom to give birth, had already given birth to a baby boy. The child was already four years old.

Yes, Shen Yue and Zhao Xiang were the same age.

What I mentioned earlier about the Princess was told to me by the palace maids.

Because Zhao Xiang told me that he planned to impersonate Shen Yue and return to the Great Yan Dynasty.

He wanted to escape Zhao Kingdom.

And I, as his personal servant, naturally had to do the same.

As two young children, there was no way we could plan everything on our own. Zhao Xiang’s grandfather was behind the scenes.

His grandfather, who was once a prominent official in the court, had been framed and exiled.

Later, when the Emperor pardoned the world, he was allowed to return to the capital.

Although he no longer held an official position, he still had old friends and connections.

This man somehow got acquainted with a merchant from the Great Yan Dynasty.

The merchant’s name was Song Dingzhong.

He was a wealthy businessman in Yuzhou.

Song Dingzhong was willing to help Zhao Xiang. He said he had old connections in the palace and could ensure that Zhao Xiang, impersonating Shen Yue, could grow up safely in the Great Yan Dynasty.

As for everything else, they would have to plan themselves.

That was enough for us.

Not only did Zhao Xiang want to escape, but as his servant, I also wanted to escape.

Other princes’ servants enjoyed good food and drinks, flaunting their power.

But not me.

Following Zhao Xiang, I was often bullied by other princes’ servants.

Sometimes, they would lock us in a dark palace, rumored to be haunted by ghosts.

Other times, they would kick us into the lotus pond. Even though I was forced to learn how to swim, every time I was kicked into the pond, I felt I might drown.

Those were minor matters.

What I couldn’t bear the most was the beatings.

For no reason, someone would suddenly grab my head or shoulders and beat me up.

Every time, they seemed intent on beating me to death.

So, when Zhao Xiang told me we were planning to escape, I was thrilled.

I followed his instructions to gather information about the Princess and Shen Yue.

Maybe it was really destined.

The Princess had given birth to Shen Yue but didn’t care about him.

Shen Yue was raised by two palace maids. The Princess never looked at him once.

She didn’t even know who her son was.

We planned for a long time.

Finally, when I was seven, we made our move.

In the days leading up to our departure, I was so excited I couldn’t sleep.

I fantasized about my new life in the Great Yan Dynasty.

I imagined myself as a powerful and respected servant.

With Zhao Xiang… no, from now on, there would be no Zhao Xiang, only Shen Yue.

I was Shen Yue’s servant, my name was Lu Zhan.

With Shen Yue’s grandfather and the wealthy Song Dingzhong in Yuzhou, maybe Shen Yue could one day become the Emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Then, I would surely be appointed as the Commander of the Imperial Guards.

I had already inquired and found out that the Emperor’s most trusted servants often became the Commander of the Imperial Guards.

I imagined countless times how majestic I would look as the Commander of the Imperial Guards.

Zhao Xiang’s grandfather set a fire that killed Shen Yue, his two palace maids, and everyone who had seen Shen Yue.

At the relay station where Shen Yue and the Princess were returning to the Great Yan Dynasty.

At the same time, Zhao Xiang’s sleeping quarters also caught fire, and a boy disguised as Zhao Xiang was burned to death.

Zhao Xiang’s grandfather used this to deceive everyone.

Everyone thought Zhao Xiang was dead.

And Zhao Xiang, disguised as Shen Yue, was rescued from the fire at the relay station.

The Princess had no love for Shen Yue.

When Shen Yue was rescued, covered in ashes, the Princess didn’t even look at him. She just said, “It would have been cleaner if he had burned to death!”

Her words scared both Shen Yue and me.

We were terrified that if the Princess became displeased, she might kill Shen Yue.

Throughout the journey, we were cautious, avoiding the Princess’s attention and trying to minimize our presence.

Fortunately, the journey back to the Great Yan Dynasty went smoothly.

I didn’t know what agreement the Great Yan Dynasty and Zhao Kingdom had reached, but the Emperor, who was said to care only about state affairs and not matters of the heart, personally came out of the city to welcome us.

Shen Yue and I were ecstatic.

Shen Yue eagerly called the Emperor “Father Emperor.”

The Emperor kindly patted Shen Yue’s head.

The Princess, however, remained cold and showed no joy at the Emperor’s personal welcome.

I didn’t understand why she was so unhappy.

The Emperor personally coming out to welcome us was such a great honor.

If she had handled it well, we would have had a good life in the palace.

But alas…

I could only mutter to myself; I didn’t even have the courage to look at the Princess.

We were grandly welcomed back to the palace.

The Emperor announced to the world that the Princess had rendered meritorious service to the Great Yan Dynasty.

He specifically held a banquet in the palace to welcome us.

Shen Yue and I excitedly explored our new palace.

Everything here was brand new.

The new palace was splendid, the new maids were gentle and caring, and even the palace’s peanut brittle was incredibly delicious.

But we didn’t get to attend the banquet held for us.

The Princess hanged herself in the new palace.

She wore Zhao Kingdom’s princess attire, with delicate makeup and a beautiful hairstyle, hanging from a white silk ribbon.

When Shen Yue and I rushed over upon hearing the news, she was being taken down with a ghastly expression.

Her tongue stuck out, not matching her delicate makeup.

Shen Yue and I were so scared that we cried out loud.

How could this happen!

We went through so much to reach the Great Yan Dynasty, only for the Princess to commit suicide on the first day we arrived!

We couldn’t understand why the Princess would kill herself.

People came and went in the new palace, making a mess.

I overheard the palace maids saying that the Princess had another man in Zhao Kingdom. Some said it was because the Empress couldn’t tolerate the Princess, while others said the Emperor couldn’t tolerate the Princess or Zhao Kingdom, and the Princess’s suicide was the Emperor’s way of warning Zhao Kingdom.

There were all kinds of rumors.

Shen Yue and I were terrified and didn’t know what to do.

The palace didn’t hold a grand funeral for her.

It was as if she wasn’t a princess but just an ordinary maid.

At first, people comforted us, but soon, a new rumor spread.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau calculated that Shen Yue’s destiny clashed with the Emperor’s.

This was…

How could their destinies clash!

How could anyone believe that?

But everyone did.

The Emperor, who had previously been kind to Shen Yue, now looked at him as if he were a mortal enemy.

He ordered us to move out of the palace and live outside.

There were residences for princes outside the palace.

But those were for adult princes.

A young prince like Shen Yue had no reason to move out.

But the Emperor feared Shen Yue would bring him bad luck, so he forced us out of the palace.

A prince whose destiny clashed with the Emperor’s was doomed.

But even so, some wouldn’t leave us alone.

The Second Prince and Third Prince in the palace always tried to humiliate us.

The eccentric Crown Prince didn’t humiliate us, but he wanted to kill us!

He had made several attempts on our lives.

With no other choice, Shen Yue had to contact his grandfather.

From that moment, Shen Yue’s grandfather began to accelerate our training.

He taught us martial arts that could kill.

He taught us strategies and tactics.

We studied diligently while constantly being humiliated by the Second and Third Princes and fending off assassination attempts from the Crown Prince.

Strangely enough, we grew very quickly!

Soon, Shen Yue was capable of handling things on his own.

He created a persona for himself.

To the public, he was a pitiful figure, bullied and helpless.

But secretly, he raised private soldiers and gathered supporters among the officials.

Day by day, Shen Yue and I believed that as soon as the Emperor fell seriously ill, we could take control.

But fate didn’t go as we wished.

We went to Yuzhou.

In Yuzhou, Shen Yue swapped bodies with a cross-dressing woman!

It was infuriating!

What kind of nonsense is this!

Even a storyteller wouldn’t dare to make this up!

But it actually happened.

This person was Song Dingzhong’s daughter.

Song Dingzhong had always secretly supported us as an ally, but we had always thought he had a son.

Shen Yue and Song Jin swapped bodies. For me, it was more surprising and frustrating than anything else.

On the contrary, because Song Jin was wealthy, my living standards improved significantly.

Song Jin had a maid named Wan Xi.

At first, I thought this maid was foolish and silly.

But as we spent time together, I started to like her.

This was a big deal for me.

I was destined to be the Commander of the Imperial Guards, and my wife should be the daughter of a high-ranking official.

But instead, I found myself attracted to a wild, food-loving girl like Wan Xi.

Despite my determination, I couldn’t help but blush and feel my heart race whenever I was around Wan Xi.

After a while, I made up my mind.

Instead of being awkward and uncomfortable, I decided to be honest with Wan Xi.

What if she liked me too?

After all, I wasn’t yet the Commander of the Imperial Guards, so having a little maid to warm my bed wasn’t a bad thing.

As for the future, I would deal with it later.

I resolved to confess to Wan Xi.

But I couldn’t find the right opportunity.

During that time, I was always busy accompanying Song Jin.

Until that day!

The Crown Prince poisoned Shen Yue’s body.

The physician who came with us to the Great Yan Dynasty, wanting to ensure Song Jin’s loyalty to Shen Yue, also poisoned Song Jin.

Unfortunately, Song Jin found out.

At that moment, I was terrified.

I feared that Song Jin, in her anger, would kill me too.

Without thinking, I wanted to show my loyalty, so I killed the physician.

Afterwards, I realized I couldn’t explain myself to Shen Yue.

I didn’t know what to do.

My life might have been ruined by this impulsive act.

I was scared.

I fled the residence.

But once outside, I found that the entire capital was full of danger.

The Second and Third Princes might want to kill me, the Crown Prince might want to kill me, and Shen Yue and the physician’s hidden forces might want to kill me.

I had no choice.

I hired some people from the martial world to pretend to be the Second Prince’s men and kidnap me.

I disappeared in the capital.

With the money I had saved over the years, I secretly returned to Zhao Kingdom.

Changing my name and identity, I just wanted to live a peaceful life.

Maybe I was too selfish.

But I was afraid of death.

Everyone fears death. It’s not my fault, and no one can blame me.