Chapter Thirty-Seven: Chastity

"How insolent!" Chun Chan shouted, stepping in front of Shen Tubai. "My mistress is an honored guest invited by the Commandant's mansion. Which lowly cur is this? Back away at once!"

The young man in the ornate robes did not move; instead, a glint of interest appeared in his eyes. "This maid is not bad either, quite spirited. Send her to my bed tonight as well."

"You!" Chun Chan's hands trembled with rage, but she found herself at a loss for words to throw at such a lecher.

Shen Tubai gently patted Chun Chan's shoulder. "Ignore him. Let us go."

Hearing Shen Tubai’s dismissal, the young man became even more adamant, blocking their path repeatedly.

Just then, Commandant Feng, having heard the news, finally arrived. "Master Zheng, the banquet is set in the front courtyard, and everyone is waiting for you to begin! Please, follow me. Today, I shall certainly drink a few cups with you!"

Commandant Feng reached out to pull Master Zheng away, but the young man’s gaze remained glued to Shen Tubai. He brushed off the Commandant’s hand and pointed at her. "I will join the banquet, but only if she comes to accompany me."

Commandant Feng cast a glance at Shen Tubai, his brow furrowing deeply.

Master Zheng urged impatiently, "What? Is that not possible?"

Commandant Feng said awkwardly, "To be honest, Master Zheng, this lady is a guest of my residence, not a concubine."

Master Zheng waved a hand. "I don’t care about that. Tonight, I want this beauty in my bed. If you cannot manage that, then find someone else to tutor your son."

With that, Master Zheng flicked his sleeves and walked away.

Commandant Feng looked Shen Tubai up and down, his face darker than it had ever been. "I hope you will stay inside your quarters from now on, miss. Do not wander about without cause."

Once both men had left, Shen Tubai breathed a sigh of relief. Chun Chan’s legs felt weak, but her resentment toward the Commandant grew. "How could he speak to you like that, My Lady?"

Shen Tubai waved her hand. "Forget it. We are leaving in a few days anyway; there is no need to get angry with him."

Ever since she had heard the Commandant’s title for that young man, she had understood the situation. Literati often fawned over the "Five Surnames and Seven Houses." Although Commandant Feng was a military man, he had been bullied by the scholars in Lingzhou and was desperate to forge a connection with one of those noble clans. Failing to marry a woman of the Zheng clan had been his life's greatest regret. Now that his long-awaited son had reached the age for schooling, the Commandant was doing everything in his power to get him into the Zheng family’s clan school.

Today was supposed to be the day Commandant Feng hosted the Zheng family. This water pavilion was, after all, still within the confines of the inner courtyard, and Shen Tubai had not expected to run into the Zheng family here.

"Commandant Feng has planned this for so long to get his son into the Zheng school. After today's incident, that is surely off the table. It is no wonder he is angry."

Chun Chan had noticed that the further along Shen Tubai’s pregnancy went, the more tolerant she became, to the point of overlooking even this. "I only hope the Commandant does not betray the kindness of our Master. If he dares to do anything untoward to you just to curry favor with the Zheng family, the Prince will surely not let him off."

Shen Tubai smiled and shook her head. "How could that be? I am the Prince’s..."

She stopped mid-sentence. Even though she did not have much interaction with the Commandant’s family, she could tell from the servants' daily chatter how obsessive he was about the Five Surnames and Seven Houses. When she had first been sent to the Commandant’s mansion, Li Tinghan had not revealed her true identity to avoid drawing attention. If the Commandant were harboring delusions...

Shen Tubai dared not gamble on that possibility. "Go to the Commandant’s wife's courtyard," she commanded.

She had only taken two steps when a hand reached out from behind the rockery, tightly covering her mouth. Shen Tubai struggled with all her might.

"Don't make a sound, it's me!" Upon hearing the familiar voice, Shen Tubai was hit by a thick, metallic scent of blood before she could even turn around.

By the time Shen Tubai and Chun Chan managed to pull Li Tinghan back to their quarters, they discovered his body was covered in saber wounds, with a broken arrow shaft embedded in his back.

The suffocating smell of blood made Shen Tubai’s chest tighten, but she did not stop. She deftly stripped off his clothes and pulled the arrow from his back. Fortunately, fearing prying eyes, she had not asked for many servants when moving into the mansion. Because she was pregnant, the room was stocked with common medicinal herbs, and she managed to apply the wound powder without attracting any attention.

After tightly bandaging his wounds, the tension that had been holding her up finally broke, and she slumped to the floor, unable to control herself.

Li Tinghan slowly regained consciousness. Shen Tubai reached out to hold his hand. "How did this happen?"

Li Tinghan shook his head, signaling her not to worry. "Commandant Feng has colluded with mountain bandits along the road. Before I arrived, I had already appealed to the Governor of Lingzhou for help. By tomorrow at the latest, troops will arrive to wipe out this nest of traitors."

Shen Tubai felt no comfort. If the Commandant had already betrayed the Prince, he would not hesitate to send her to Master Zheng’s bed tonight, regardless of her status. She could not wait until tomorrow. Her mind, having rested for too long, began to ache with unbearable intensity.

Seeing her distressed expression, Li Tinghan asked, "What is it? What happened?"

Shen Tubai shook her head, but Chun Chan, unable to keep secrets, blurted out everything that had happened that day.

Shen Tubai closed her eyes in despair. As expected, upon hearing the news, Li Tinghan’s first reaction was not anger, but suspicion toward her.

The room fell silent. Chun Chan realized too late that she had said the wrong thing, but... why? If the Prince knew his mistress had been wronged, shouldn't he be even more heartbroken? Why was he looking at her with such eyes?

Li Tinghan pulled a dagger from his robe and placed it firmly into her hand.

A glimmer of hope flickered in Shen Tubai's eyes. "My Prince..."

Li Tinghan looked away. "Try to hold out as long as you can. After dawn, when the Governor’s troops arrive, I will have a physician cut open your belly to extract the child."

"He will have a mother who defended her virtue with her life; no one will question his lineage. He will always be my favorite child."

Shen Tubai closed her eyes in utter despair. She took the dagger from Li Tinghan’s hand and, with Chun Chan’s help, moved him to the bed in the side room, warning him to remain hidden.

Li Tinghan’s stance was clear. In his current state, knowing she would be violated, the only solution he could conceive was for her to take her own life afterward.

He could not help her, but someone else could.

Shen Tubai stepped out of the room, her pace quickening.

Chun Chan followed close behind, tears streaming down her face. "Mistress, I am sorry... I am so sorry, it is all my fault."

Shen Tubai stopped and solemnly wiped the tears from her eyes. "Do not cry. Keep your spirits up. We have not yet reached the end of our rope."