Chapter 294: Chapter 294: Lu Zhan: Cousin, Don’t Be Upset, I... Really Like It
"No," Lu Zhan said with an amused smile, caressing her face. "After daybreak, you’ll act as my page and accompany me to the hunting ground."
"Why?" Zhi Wan asked, confused.
’Why would Cousin suddenly make such a decision?’
’He hadn’t mentioned it before.’
"Crown Prince," Lu Zhan said, offering only two words.
Zhi Wan understood immediately, but said worriedly, "I’ve never pretended to be a man before. What if someone sees through the disguise?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhan’s gaze subconsciously fell upon her figure.
Zhi Wan followed his gaze, and her face instantly flushed. She said with feigned anger, "What—what are you looking at?"
Lu Zhan coughed lightly, averted his eyes, and said in a low voice, "Cousin is indeed... a bit voluptuous."
Zhi Wan’s face turned crimson. Biting her lip, she shot him a glare and turned her back to him, not wanting to speak to him anymore.
Lu Zhan hugged her from behind, his warm lips brushing against her ear as he murmured, "Don’t be upset, Cousin. I... really like it."
He spoke the last three words extremely quietly, but Zhi Wan still heard them.
Her face grew so red it looked as if it might bleed, and she buried her face in the blankets out of shyness.
Lu Zhan chuckled, stroked her hair, and said softly, "Change your clothes."
"Alright," Zhi Wan said softly after composing herself, and sat up.
Lu Zhan placed a set of men’s clothes he had prepared on the quilt, then lowered the bed curtains and stepped away.
Zhi Wan sat on the bed and changed into the men’s attire.
Once she was dressed, she lifted the bed curtains and got out of bed.
"Cousin, I’m ready. Do you think this will work?"
Lu Zhan turned around, his eyes falling upon her.
Seeing the serious look on his handsome face, Zhi Wan suddenly grew nervous. She looked down at herself. "D-Do I not look like a man?"
Lu Zhan didn’t speak. Instead, he led her to a mirror to see for herself.
The moment she looked, Zhi Wan immediately saw the problem.
Her face was fine; they could just smudge some ash on it to make it look darker. But her body...
Staring at her bulging chest, her face became searingly hot and red.
Even though the men’s clothes were quite loose, it was still obvious.
"What... do we do?" she asked in a low voice, too embarrassed to look at the man behind her.
’My body is shaped this way, there’s no way to hide it.’
"I have a way, but Cousin will have to endure some hardship," Lu Zhan said in a husky voice.
"What way?" Zhi Wan turned her head to look at him.
Lu Zhan whispered something in her ear.
A moment later, Zhi Wan rummaged through a cabinet, found a strip of white cloth, and handed it to him.
Then, at her cousin’s signal, she took off her outer robe.
Lu Zhan stood behind her and began to wrap the white cloth layer by layer around her chest.
"Brace yourself, Cousin," Lu Zhan said, then tightened his grip.
Zhi Wan cried out in pain instantly.
Startled, Lu Zhan immediately let go and pulled her into his arms. Seeing her face had turned pale from the pain, his heart ached for her. He coaxed softly, "Forget it, we won’t bind it."
Zhi Wan looked at him with teary eyes. "But people will see through the disguise."
As Lu Zhan unwrapped the cloth from her body, he soothed, "Don’t worry. I’ll just have someone take you to the town near the hunting ground first."
Hearing this, Zhi Wan bit her lip and nodded. "Alright."
"Does it still hurt?" Seeing her so weak she could barely stand, Lu Zhan couldn’t help but reach out and gently rub the sore spot.
Zhi Wan’s face flushed red again. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. "It’s... it’s much better."
Lu Zhan was still worried. He untied her sash. "Let me check."
Zhi Wan froze for a second. When she realized what he was doing, she hastily pulled her lapels closed. "There’s no need."
’That would be far too embarrassing.’
Lu Zhan paused, then held her and soothed, "Didn’t I already see it yesterday?"
Taking advantage of her moment of distraction, Lu Zhan pulled her hands away and opened her robes.
A moment later, he closed his cousin’s robes. A thin sheen of sweat had beaded on his smooth forehead, and his voice was low and hoarse. "It’s a little red from the binding. I’m afraid we’ll need to apply some ointment."
"It’s not necessary," Zhi Wan said, quickly pulling her robes tight and turning away.
Seeing her embarrassment, Lu Zhan didn’t insist. He said gently, "Go change back into your clothes. I’ll have someone escort you out of the city."
"Mm."
A short while later, Zhi Wan changed into a simple and neat dress and followed her cousin out of the Zhi Mansion.
A carriage was waiting in a dark alley. The driver was neither Jiang Shi nor Chen Jiu, but Zhi Wan still found him somewhat familiar.
Seeing Lu Zhan emerge with Zhi Wan, the driver asked nothing, simply standing respectfully to the side.
After lifting Zhi Wan into the carriage, Lu Zhan gave the driver a few quiet instructions.
The driver said respectfully, "Rest assured, Princely Heir. This subordinate will ensure the Miss’s safety."
"Mm, go," Lu Zhan said coolly.
The driver acknowledged the order, mounted the driver’s seat, cracked the whip, and drove the carriage out of the dark alley.
Zhi Wan felt the carriage start to move and quickly opened the window.
She had wanted to say goodbye to her cousin, but the carriage had already driven off.
She could only see her cousin standing in the distance in the alley. Perhaps because it was not yet light, he looked somewhat lonely and desolate.
Only when her cousin’s figure had vanished from sight did Zhi Wan sit back in the carriage. For some reason, her heart was in turmoil, and she felt a deep sense of unease. A sudden pang of regret hit her; she should have endured the pain. That way, she could have stayed by his side.
But she consoled herself. She was only going to the hunting ground a little ahead of him; she would see her cousin again soon.
By now, the sky was beginning to lighten. When they reached the city gate, many commoners were already lined up, waiting to leave the city.
Zhi Wan opened the window a crack, peeked outside, and then closed it.
Just then, the driver’s voice came from outside. "Miss, we’ll have to wait a little longer for the gates to open. You can take a short rest."
Zhi Wan paused, then suddenly remembered why this driver looked so familiar.
He was Tong Da.
She had seen him twice.
Once was when he pretended to be Aunt Wang’s lover and caused a scene at the Duke Mansion. The other time was when her aunt had summoned him for questioning outside Lan Courtyard, and she had run into him.
Realizing this, Zhi Wan felt much more at ease.
Bored of waiting in the carriage, she wrapped herself in a blanket and decided to get some sleep.
She ended up sleeping so soundly.
By the time she woke up, the carriage had already left the city.
She pulled open the window and looked out to see the carriage speeding along the main road.
At this sight, she closed the window, opened the door to the carriage cabin, and asked Tong Da in the front, "Are we on our way to the hunting ground?"
"Yes, Miss," Tong Da replied respectfully.
Zhi Wan nodded and asked, "How did we get out of the city just now?"
"This subordinate had the Princely Heir’s Token. The guards didn’t conduct a search and let us pass directly," Tong Da answered.
Zhi Wan came to a sudden realization. No wonder she had slept so soundly; the guards hadn’t searched the carriage at all.
"Miss, if you’re hungry, there are some snacks in the carriage’s hidden compartment. You can have some to tide you over," Tong Da said.
At his words, Zhi Wan sat back in the carriage, opened the hidden compartment, and sure enough, there were snacks inside.
She ate a little herself, then took some more and handed them to Tong Da. "You have some too."
Tong Da was taken aback for a moment but didn’t refuse. He grinned. "Thank you, Miss."
He had been guarding the back entrance of the Zhi Mansion since the middle of the night and hadn’t eaten anything yet. He was already starving.
In the afternoon, the two of them arrived at the town near the hunting ground.
What Zhi Wan didn’t know was that no sooner had Xuanyuan Hongjun seen the Emperor off at the palace gates than he sent an invitation to the Zhi Mansion in the Crown Princess Consort’s name.
Xuanyuan Hongjun was full of smug anticipation, imagining the beauty in his arms. But the person he sent returned with a crestfallen look. "Your Highness, the servants at the Zhi Mansion said that Miss Zhi left early this morning with her people to fulfill a vow at a temple. They said she might not be back for several days."
"What?" The smug look on Xuanyuan Hongjun’s face froze. When the words sank in, he flew into a rage and kicked the messenger to the ground. "Damn it!"
