Humiliation

Under a covered walkway not far away, several young gentlemen in fine robes were gathered together.

"Brother Lu."

A man in an indigo robe pointed his fan at Zongzheng Heng in the distance:

"That's the man Second Miss Qiao seized and brought back to her manor, isn't it?"

Lu Wenzhou followed his gaze:

"Heh, he was following Qiao Second the whole way in, so I suppose it is. But... wearing a mask? Is his face too shameful to show?"

"Qiao Second has no shame. She seized a man and brought him back to her manor, and word has spread all over Jinzhou. What's left to hide?"

The men beside him exchanged glances, but none replied.

Lu Wenzhou, oblivious, kept talking:

"When I sought her hand, she had the nerve to mock my looks in front of everyone-"

He gritted his teeth. "So what if Qiao Shuyi is beautiful? So what if her family is powerful? With a temperament like hers, what respectable young gentleman would marry her?"

"In the end, she could only seize some lowborn wretch and drag him back to her manor, tarnishing the Prince of Jin'an's reputation for nothing."

The others nodded along as they listened, but inwardly, they could not help grumbling:

Would Young Master Lu dare say any of this in front of Second Miss Qiao?

He could only indulge his tongue in private.

Just then, a young gentleman in green spoke up, his tone teasing:

"Young Master Lu also comes from a distinguished Jinzhou family. That masked gentleman surely cannot compare with you. But-"

"Second Miss Qiao places such importance on looks that I can't help wondering what kind of face could make her seize him and bring him home, then treasure him so much she won't let anyone else see him."

Another chimed in, "Perhaps... he isn't all that handsome? Maybe he can't compare with Young Master Lu at all, and that's why she made him wear a mask to hide his ugly face."

"No, no. With Second Miss Qiao's temperament, she would never do such a thing. I'd wager he's most likely a heavenly being, which is why she won't let ordinary mortals like us lay eyes on him."

Hearing this, Lu Wenzhou felt a wicked fire flare up in his heart.

He, Lu Wenzhou, was one of Jinzhou's four great young masters.

As for his looks, he cut a dashing figure;

As for his family, the Lu family was one of Jinzhou's most prominent clans;

As for literary talent, he had passed the county examination at fifteen. Who didn't call him a "gifted scholar" when they met him?

Yet when he went to seek her hand, Qiao Shuyi had belittled him from head to toe in front of everyone.

She had said his eyes were too far apart, his nose too fleshy, and that he wasn't even worthy of her courtyard-

In all his nineteen years, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

He had swallowed that grievance for a whole year.

And now, Qiao Shuyi had seized some lowborn wretch who had crawled out of who knew what remote corner and brought him home, then hidden him away like a treasure, refusing to let anyone even see his face.

He would see just what kind of heavenly face lay beneath that mask!

"Is he a heavenly being-" Lu Wenzhou started forward. "Won't we know once we take a look?"

The young gentlemen behind him looked at one another, then hurried after him.

A spectacle like this was too good to miss.

Zongzheng Heng stood beneath the walkway with his hands behind his back. His gaze seemed idle, but in truth, he was taking in everything around him.

He had not heard what Lu Wenzhou and his companions were saying.

If he still had his martial arts, he could have focused his inner force at his ears and heard even whispers from ten zhang away with perfect clarity.

But now that he had been dosed with Power-Dissolving Powder, his inner force was as good as nonexistent.

Zongzheng Heng could only lean here in the sun for a while, then stand there admiring the flowers.

By approaching the guests in the garden without drawing attention, he could hear them more clearly when he got close.

So far, he had caught a few snippets-

One said his father was the prefect of Qingzhou, another that his elder brother was an official in Yanzhou. One came from Xuzhou, another from Yangzhou.

He committed them all to memory.

When he returned to the capital one day, when the Prince of Jin'an's Manor fell-

He would settle accounts with each of these people's fathers and brothers.

What good people could be so close to the Qiao family?

As he was thinking, he caught sight of several young gentlemen in fine robes heading his way.

Their steps were hurried, their expressions unfriendly.

Zongzheng Heng did not move, watching quietly to see what would happen.

The man in the lead came up to him and looked him over:

"You're the man Qiao Second seized and brought back to her manor?"

A cold glint flashed deep in Zongzheng Heng's ink-dark phoenix eyes.

Yet he still said nothing.

Seeing that he would not answer, someone laughed and spoke up in support:

"This is Young Master Lu of the Lu family of Jinzhou. We only wanted to have a little chat. What's the matter-your face is too shameful to show, and now you can't even speak?"

At that, the young gentlemen around him chuckled, their laughter full of mockery and disdain.

Another chimed in, "Young Master Lu, I heard that this fellow Second Miss Qiao seized was locked in the woodshed on his first day, then thrown into a water dungeon and whipped on the second-"

He paused, deliberately drawing out his words:

"I suppose Second Miss Qiao isn't very fond of this male favorite after all?"

Lu Wenzhou raised a brow. "Is that true?"

"Absolutely. I heard a few maids discussing it among themselves just now."

The contempt in Lu Wenzhou's eyes deepened.

In front of the Moon-Gathering Tower, Qiao Shuyi had stopped walking at some point.

She stood behind a massive vermilion pillar, her figure hidden in shadow, watching what was happening around Zongzheng Heng from afar.

Naturally, she had ordered people to spread that gossip among the maids.

Over the past two days, Zongzheng Heng really had learned to behave.

He knew not to make her angry, knew how to coax her into a good mood, and knew how to say pleasing things to win her favor.

But-

It was not enough.

A beauty saving a hero was a cliché, but as long as it worked, that was enough.

Lu Wenzhou stepped forward and stared Zongzheng Heng down, his tone growing more brazen:

"So you're a male favorite who's fallen out of favor."

He raised his hand and reached for Zongzheng Heng's mask:

"In that case, let me see whether that face of yours belongs to a heavenly being or a demon!"

His hand had barely made it halfway before a hand with well-defined knuckles caught it.

Lu Wenzhou froze.

Zongzheng Heng wore a mask, so all that could be seen was the calm, still water of his gaze.

But the hand gripping Lu Wenzhou's wrist was like an iron clamp, unmoving.

Lu Wenzhou tugged at his wrist, but could not break free.

Though Zongzheng Heng had lost all his inner force, the brute strength in his body was still more than enough to knock down a frail scholar.

Zongzheng Heng lowered his eyes to look at him, his gaze indifferent, yet commanding without anger:

"Young Master Lu, Miss told me to wear this mask. If you take it off and she gets angry-can you bear the consequences?"

Lu Wenzhou's expression changed, but he quickly sneered again.

"Qiao Second is the Prince of Jin'an's legitimate daughter. Naturally, I can't afford to cross her."

"But you-a lowborn wretch seized and brought home by a woman-what gives you the right to act tough in front of me?"

He gave a signal to someone behind him.

A young attendant who had been standing nearby came forward.

Though the attendant was short and wiry, his steps were steady-he was a trained fighter.

Zongzheng Heng's gaze darkened slightly.

The guard stepped forward and, without a word, struck at Zongzheng Heng's wrist with his palm.

Zongzheng Heng was forced to release Lu Wenzhou.

The next instant, the attendant kicked the back of his knee-

"Bang!"

Zongzheng Heng's knee struck the ground hard.

He lowered his eyes and did not struggle.

Nor did he look up.

Nearby, young ladies gathered in groups of three or five glanced over, then looked away and continued their conversations as though they had seen nothing.

The maids and servants kept their heads down and their eyes lowered, hurrying past as though they were merely passing by.

No one spoke.

No one intervened.

Lu Wenzhou looked down at him from above, smug and thoroughly satisfied.

Behind him, some of the young gentlemen stood with their arms folded, while others leaned against the pillars. All looked ready to enjoy the show, their eyes filled with undisguised contempt and amusement.

Kneeling there, Zongzheng Heng slowly raised his head.

His gaze swept over their faces, committing them to memory one by one.

How many years had it been?

No one had looked at him like that.

As though he were a dog, an ant, something they could trample at will.

He knew it all too well.

Back in the imperial palace, when he had still been an unfavored prince, that was how people had looked at him.

Favored consorts, powerful eunuchs, even palace maids of slightly better standing had all looked at him that way.

With contempt, scorn, and utter disregard.

Back then, he had sworn-

One day, he would hold power in his hands and trample everyone beneath his feet.

Later, he had truly done it.

He had climbed to that position one step at a time, treading over mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

On the day he ascended the throne, he stood at the highest point, looking down at the ministers prostrate beneath him, and thought:

Never again in this life would anyone dare look at me that way.

But now.

He was kneeling here, kneeling on the flagstones of the Prince of Jin'an's Manor, kneeling at the feet of a spoiled young master.

Zongzheng Heng lowered his eyes, concealing the dark currents surging in their depths.

His hand slowly clenched.