Chapter 131 Explanation

It had been too long; he hadn't remembered it for a moment.

Wei Li's memory from that time became clearer and clearer, exploding in his mind all at once. His face turned red and his heart started pounding.

He paced anxiously back and forth in the tent.

Back then, I knew nothing. I wanted to do it but was afraid of making a fool of myself and making Zhao Xiheng laugh at me, so I searched for erotic pictures wherever I could.

In the end, in order to compensate Zhao Xiheng for the broken lip rouge, he accidentally discovered the shop's prized possession—a gilded lip rouge jar with erotic pictures painted inside.

Then I bought it back.

After reading it, fearing discovery, he locked it in a box with multiple layers of security and threw it out the window, intending to destroy the evidence.

It's been two years already. Did Zhao Xiheng dig this up? Is she really that stingy, like a rat?

To be honest, this thing is completely useless. It's just two people hugging and kissing, and they haven't even finished taking off their clothes. What kind of proper erotic picture is that? He only found it exciting when he was young and naive. Now that he thinks about it, the pictures in her dowry were much more exciting.

Wei Li let out a long sigh, steadied himself, and stopped. He patted his flushed face, trying to calm himself down.

All he wants is an explanation, so give it to him. He's thousands of miles away, what's he afraid of? Just because he's far away doesn't mean he's the one blushing.

Zhao Xiheng asked him for an explanation. What explanation? Was there any need to explain? What was there to explain? It was just human nature. What's wrong with a young man being lustful?

He slammed his hand on the table, taking advantage of the distance so she couldn't chase after him to hit him, and arrogantly wrote, "As you can see, what's wrong with these erotic pictures?"

She gave him a piece of paper to explain, but he didn't use even half of it.

Wei Li was so enraged and humiliated that he lost all sense of decency and recklessly gave up.

The messenger entered the tent and took away the letter that Wei Li had written.

"Is there anything else you would like me to bring, my lord?"

"That's all, you can go now." Wei Li waved his hand, his head buzzing with confidence.

The messenger nodded and left.

As darkness fell, a cold wind whistled into the tent. The spring breeze was harsh, and Wei Li felt a chill on his temples.

I'm a little worried. Has the letter been sent? It should have been sent, right?

Was it inappropriate for him to write just that one sentence? Wasn't it a bit too arrogant? Wouldn't Zhao Xiheng be angry if she saw it?

Fine, let him be angry. She insisted he explain, and since they're far apart, Zhao Xiheng's anger will surely subside by the time she gets back.

He stood up, pulled the curtains down tightly to keep out the wind, and then went to bed.

In the dead of night, the person in bed turned over, their eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Then he suddenly sprang up, put on his boots, and asked, "Has the messenger left?"

The soldier guarding the tent replied in a muffled voice from outside, "Our lord left a long time ago; they should all have crossed the Yalu River by now."

Wei Li's heart pounded; she was a little scared and, for the first time, didn't want to go home.

Actually, it shouldn't be said that he didn't want to, but that he didn't dare. The tone and attitude in his letter meant he would definitely get scolded when he got back.

Several days passed without any response after the letter was sent. The longer there was no response, the more panicked Wei Li became, though he didn't know why he was so anxious.

He thought about it carefully and realized it was a small matter. It was just that two years ago, he had seen erotic pictures and tried to cover up the crime but failed and his wife caught him. When his wife asked him what happened, he gave her a cocky reply.

But I'm just... afraid...

When Zhao Xiheng received Wei Li's reply, she was amused by its contents and couldn't help but chuckle. She quickly covered her face with the envelope.

She could almost picture Wei Li's angry, embarrassed, and anxious expression as he wrote those words. Finally, having no other choice, he simply gave up and wrote that sentence for her.

Zhao Xiheng folded the letter and put it away. She didn't really want him to explain; she was just teasing him. He was easily amused.

Zhizhi sat on the floor covered with a deerskin rug, munching on a fluffy toy. Watching her mother laugh like that, she tilted her head in slight confusion, then held up the fluffy toy to Zhao Xiheng, "Ah!"

Here, you can play with it.

Zhao Xiheng picked her up and weighed her in his arms; she had gained quite a bit of weight.

For the first two days after Wei Li left, Zhi Zhi and Tu Tu would sit by the window every day, waiting for Wei Li to come back. But when he didn't return, they cried for two days and then stopped waiting.

Zhao Xiheng was afraid that she would forget Wei Li, yet she was also afraid that she would remember Wei Li.

Zhizhi is seven and a half months old and still can't say a word. Zhao Xiheng taught her, "Aye~"

Zhizhi glanced at her, ignored her, and continued munching on the fluffy thing.

Aside from the words "father" and "dad," Zhizhi would learn anything else that was taught to her. Zhao Xiheng thus knew that Zhizhi still had Wei Li in her heart, and therefore she was particularly resistant to learning those two words.

“Zhizhi…” Zhao Xiheng called out to her.

Zhizhi subconsciously looked up at Zhao Xiheng, waiting for her to speak.

Zhao Xiheng kissed her forehead. "Your father will be back soon, just wait two more days. He always calls you a little rascal, but he actually dotes on you."

On May 15th, a mutiny broke out in Qingzhou. On the 16th, Wei Li's original plan failed, forcing him to launch a full-scale attack on Qingzhou. After three days of fierce fighting, he finally captured Langya County and advanced deep into Qingzhou's territory. On the 29th, he captured Wang Zhiyao and his family alive.

Wei Li was seriously injured during the attack on Langya, but fortunately his recovery ability was amazing. In just three days, he was able to walk freely again and managed to capture the main city of Qingzhou.

Once Wang Zhiyao and his men were captured, the other prefects of various counties surrendered one after another, opening the city gates to welcome the Pingzhou army into the city.

Hua Shangle's Jizhou borders Qingzhou, and fearing that Wei Li might interfere, he immediately sent congratulatory gifts upon seeing Wei Li's recapture of Qingzhou, afraid that he would be too late to flatter him.

Liu Huan originally intended to recuperate and make a comeback, but Wei Li's momentum grew stronger and stronger. He saw that Wei Li had occupied the entire northeastern region north of the Yangtze River, and with the addition of Goguryeo, he seemed to have the power to rule. It was hopeless for him to take revenge in his lifetime. He fell ill from shock and anger and had no choice but to keep his head down.

Upon hearing this news, Zhao Mingchen immediately accelerated his efforts to seize control of Southern Zhou, hoping to further solidify his position. Southern Zhou was currently ruled by Zhao Mingxin and the Empress Dowager, with the emperor still a child, posing no real threat; it was the perfect time for him to consolidate his power.

He was determined to keep to himself and coexist peacefully with Wei Li, without interfering with each other's affairs.

After all, Wei Li is his cousin's husband. Surely they wouldn't fight among family members without any regard for face.

Zhao Mingchen sent a gift to Wei Li to express his congratulations and to show his friendly attitude, that he did not regard Wei Li as an enemy, and that he hoped Wei Li would not regard him as an enemy either.

Wei Li did what he was required to do, and after settling everything, he rode ahead on horseback to Pingzhou to return.

People were used to his actions, just like during the last campaign against Goguryeo.

That night, the good news spread to the main streets of Pingzhou with the gongs and drums of the messengers. The sleeping people were all awakened and listened carefully. Wei Li had indeed taken over Qingzhou.

They were both surprised and delighted. Five years ago, Qingzhou was on par with their Pingzhou, but five years later, it had become part of their territory.

People couldn't sleep, so they simply lit up their lamps, put on their clothes, and spread the word about the incident throughout the streets and alleys.

Wei Li spurred his horse and followed closely behind the messenger into Bu Xian.

Just like before, he led his horse to his doorstep late at night, and the guards still went to greet him and tied up his horse.

This time, however, the lights were on at home.

He stood outside the window and saw Zhao Xiheng's shadow. Zhizhi woke up in the middle of the night, drank her milk with whimpering sounds, and Zhao Xiheng was holding her daughter, pacing back and forth by the window, trying to lull her to sleep.

The orange-yellow candlelight cast the dark gray shadows of the mother and daughter, and Zhao Xiheng's soft, low voice could be faintly heard as she hummed a song to Zhizhi.

Wei Li's eyes reddened, and tears flowed down her face involuntarily. The wounds that hadn't hurt before now ached.

My heart aches and swells, it feels like it's about to burst.

He had always known that he had a family, a wife, and a daughter with whom he shared blood, but never before had he felt more heartbroken and wanted to cry than now.

Wei Li was not well-educated; he had seen the phrase "near home, I feel timid" before, but he never understood it, thinking it was just affectation from scholars. But now, as the time approached, he stood outside the window, able to see the shadows of the mother and daughter all night, yet dared not take a single step inside.

For a moment, it seemed as if those scholars from hundreds of years ago were standing with him, pouring their emotions into him.

Not seeing Zhao Xiheng is a longing, an intense yearning to see her etched into my very bones; I want to kiss her, to be with her forever, inseparable.

But when Zhao Xiheng and Zhizhi are together, it seems there's something more to it—longing, but not quite.

A short while later, Zhizhi had probably fallen asleep. Zhao Xiheng put her down, then blew out all the lights, plunging the room into complete darkness, and their shadows disappeared as well.

Wei Li's heart, which had been aching and swollen from being soaked in water, calmed down considerably. He paused for a moment, then quietly went inside.

Zhao Xiheng was still awake when she heard footsteps. Startled, she asked, "Who is it?"

Wei Li didn't reply to her. He stepped inside again, lit a lamp, and noticed her panicked expression. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he wanted to say something but couldn't. He just gave her a stiff smile.

Zhao Xiheng sat on the edge of the bed, stunned for a moment, then suddenly got up and, without even bothering to put on her shoes, threw herself into his arms.

Wei Li was startled and quickly picked her up, saying, "The ground is cold, you won't get cold!"

His body was slightly stiff. He had been traveling for days without washing up, and it was late spring, unlike the cold of winter. He already had a strange smell on his body.

Wei Li put her back, his cheeks flushed, and then took two steps back, hoping she hadn't smelled his scent.

But I really want to kiss her...

He stood in front of Zhao Xiheng, extremely conflicted. He thought it best to take a shower first, but he still really wanted to kiss her.

Zhao Xiheng seemed to see the struggle on his face, stepped on his shoes, and kissed his stubble-covered chin. "Are you done?"

Wei Li's eyes lit up, and he carried her to the bed, saying reluctantly, "Then I'll go take a shower..."

"Go ahead!" Zhao Xiheng rummaged through his toiletries.

Wei Li kept turning back to look at her, reluctant to leave her even for a moment, and then glanced at Zhi Zhi who was sleeping. "Then I'm really going."

"I really, really went to take a shower..."