"I've told you — I'm wronged! I truly know nothing of any such thing. I truly have no woman on the outside, and it's even less possible I have any child!" Zhao Chen looked at the crowd of women before him, every eye upon him — and wronged was no word for it.
"Little brother, finding yourself a woman is no great matter in our Starlight Empire either, and you're a man of such standing besides. But… this business of casting off wife and child… our Zhao family's holdings are vast; can it be we have no room to take in a mother and her child?" Zhao Ruyue, wearing the very posture of a parent, lectured her younger brother.
Zhao Wan'er stood with her arms crossed at her chest, a look of "scorn" all over her.
Lilith, Charlotte, and the others were, on the contrary, quite unruffled; in their eyes, what sort of to-do was this?
At most they were curious what manner of personage this woman was — who could, of all things, take the Lord Commander, who never stirred a hair before a whole crowd of female soldiers, and lay him low beneath her skirts!
There were, of course, among them some whose gazes were rather eager as well.
The several succubi, for instance.
For all the world like famished wolves that had caught the scent of blood.
Turning it over in their hearts: since the Commander could go finding women on the outside, then didn't that mean these women of theirs might have their chance to steal a taste of his favor?
And the one carrying on most gleefully of all was Annie.
"Aha! So it turns out our Commander's a great scumbag! Now you're done for — she's come knocking at your very door, and brought a child besides. Aiya, Commander, oh Commander… what am I to make of you… hic… a man's got to stand accountable… how could you go casting off wife and child! It's not that I'm getting on your case…" Annie wore the very look of one cut to the heart with grief, pointing at Zhao Chen for all the world as though she were the one who'd done wrong.
And at the same time, the motion of her hands didn't cease for an instant — a grab here, a grab there, eating away at every manner of fine food, and letting out a satisfied belch now and again.
Beside Annie, Qin Xiaolei wore the look of one settling in to watch a show; in the eyes of royalty, this was even less of a matter.
What royal noble male didn't have wives and concubines by the flock?
Even the women her own imperial father had bestowed his favor upon were beyond all counting.
Every year some women or other would crop up, claiming to be carrying her imperial father's child.
She'd long since grown inured to it.
"Saying more to you all now is of no use. I've already had someone bring that fellow directly here; I'll not meet with her beforehand — the better to prevent your saying I colluded with her in advance!" Zhao Chen was fuming, positively beside himself.
Had he truly done the thing, he'd own it!
But the trouble was he hadn't done it.
To have a chamber-pot of filth clapped straight down over his head like this was too great a wrong.
And how was he to face anyone when he went out from now on?
At last, a dozen-odd minutes later.
A squad of on-duty female soldiers brought a woman to the grounds.
Seeing this person, Zhao Chen's face went black!
"Wow… so many people… a feast, is it?" The woman, catching sight of the scene before her, sniffed at the fragrance at the tip of her nose, her taste-buds stirring greatly.
At this moment, a dark shadow came, in the space of an instant, to the woman's back.
A hand was laid directly upon the woman's shoulder.
The woman's body stiffened; she had the feeling of someone with a grip on her very life — like a thorn pricking at her back!
She turned her head slowly, saw the familiar face before her, and at once mustered up a smile.
"Hi… long… long time no see…"
"That's right — long time no see. Xue~ Xiao~xiao!" Zhao Chen ground out this woman's name through his teeth, and then let show a smile that set one shivering to the bone.
"Someone was saying just now that she's got my child — that I led her on and cast her off, abandoned my wife and child."
Xue Xiaoxiao gulped, and said with a placating smile, "A misunderstanding… a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding… I was only afraid they wouldn't bring me to see you, that's all. I figured that if I put it that way, they'd surely bring me to see you at once."
"A misunderstanding, is it? Then let's simply make the fake drama real. Let's first get a child produced, and then, when the time comes, I'll lead you on and cast you off — do a bit of abandoning-the-wife… how does that suit you!" Zhao Chen wrapped a hand straight around Xue Xiaoxiao's waist and hoisted her up onto his shoulder, her two ponytails dangling down to Zhao Chen's waist.
"Wait… wait… it really is a misunderstanding." Now Xue Xiaoxiao was afraid; she struggled without pause — but with that little slip of a frame of hers, how could she possibly shake off Zhao Chen?
As Zhao Chen carried her a dozen-odd steps, truly about to put it into "practice"—
Xue Xiaoxiao was frightened.
"Classmate Zhao Chen, I was wrong!! Senior Zhao Chen, I'm sorry! I truly know my error!" Xue Xiaoxiao caught sight of a familiar figure among the crowd of onlookers, and at once cried out, "Wan'er, save me! Save me!"
Zhao Wan'er looked at this mischievous bosom-friend of hers, arms crossed at her chest, wearing the very look of one who'd never met her before.
"I had no choice — I have an urgent matter! I have an urgent matter! If I don't go save Senior Su Lan, Senior Su Lan may die!" Xue Xiaoxiao shouted.
Zhao Chen's step halted.
Zhao Wan'er's face changed abruptly; she walked briskly up before Xue Xiaoxiao, and looking at Xue Xiaoxiao, hoisted there upon Zhao Chen's shoulder, asked in urgent haste, "What's happened to Senior Su Lan?"
"You… first have your brother put me down; I can hardly catch my breath…" Xue Xiaoxiao said.
The words were scarcely out before Xue Xiaoxiao came down onto the ground — only, it was her backside that made an intimate contact with it.
Xue Xiaoxiao winced in pain, clutching at her own rear, and looked at Zhao Chen reproachfully.
Zhao Chen looked around at everyone, and said, "There now — the misunderstanding's cleared up. Everyone, carry on: eat what there is to eat, play what there is to play."
Seeing that it was only a misunderstanding, everyone went back to their own business.
There were, still, a few who seemed rather let down.
Zhao Chen took notice of a sneaking, furtive figure; he picked up a small nut from beside him and flung it over.
It landed square upon that little head.
Annie clutched her head, and looked at the Commander with a placating smile.
"Lord Commander, if you've important matters, you go on and talk them over first."
Zhao Chen looked at Annie with a wicked grin.
"Just now you were carrying on quite gleefully; you must be quite at leisure. As it happens, there's one segment of the build plan whose data needs re-verifying; you do it now. When it's done is when you go back to eating."
Annie's smile turned, all at once, into a glum face; she gave her own mouth a slap.
Had she known, she'd never have gone "taunting" the Lord Commander just now.
Why couldn't she have held it in?
Happily, she'd already eaten herself eight parts full a moment ago — happily, Annie did have a bit of self-knowledge!
"And, besides — if you haven't finished the verification process before the banquet ends, then don't go taking those two great bags of things back with you. And as for your year-end bonus from last year… I might just give some thought to putting it off a few months."
Annie's two eyes went wide with terror; she said at once, "I guarantee to complete the task the Commander has set."
And with that, Annie set to work right there at the edge of the banquet grounds.
As she worked, she watched, all envy, everyone else enjoying the fine fare.
Boo-hoo-hoo… bitterness filled Annie's heart…
Having handed Annie this small "chastisement," Zhao Chen looked toward the two women, Zhao Wan'er and the reunited bosom-friend.
"Just what's the situation? Tell it slowly," Zhao Chen said.
Xue Xiaoxiao said, tense, "You both know it — Senior Su Lan is a scion of the Su family of the Purple Perilla Star Region. A while back I happened to be a guest at Senior Su Lan's place; who'd have thought the Third Prince, Qin Hu, would send people to propose marriage? And then the Su family decided to marry Senior Su Lan off to the Third Prince, Qin Hu!"