He didn't dare to look closely at Zhao Xiheng's expression, afraid of seeing something like joy on her face.

Wei Li naturally couldn't let anyone see that he was crying, as that would make him appear very vulnerable.

He didn't even dare to tell Zhao Xiheng that he liked her, let alone let her know that he had cried. He kept pressing her head down and kissing her until the tear stains at the corners of her eyes dried. Both of them were breathing rapidly.

Zhao Xiheng's mind was dizzy and blank; she almost forgot who she was.

Overwhelmed with grievance, she couldn't stop herself. Grabbing Wei Li's collar, she burst into tears, pounding his chest as she cried, "Wei Li, you bastard! All you do is bully me! You promised to be good to me, but you're always yelling at me and never apologize. If I'd known it would be like this, I wouldn't have married you. I wouldn't have gone to a political marriage with you."

She felt very wronged. Every time she did something wrong, she would sincerely apologize to him. Wei Li scolded her without even knowing the facts. Why shouldn't he apologize?

Wei Li lowered his eyes, the corners of his eyes slightly red. He pinched Zhao Xiheng's chin and was about to kiss her again. It didn't matter. Anyway, he never wanted to marry her in the first place. He was just taken away. As long as she was alive, that was enough.

Seeing that he remained silent, Zhao Xiheng became even angrier. She could swallow her pride and apologize, but how much pride did Wei Li have? Couldn't he let go of even a little bit?

Wei Li kissed her passionately, feeling as if his heart was being torn apart. He placed his hands on her waist and caressed it, then tore open her waist belt.

He desperately wanted to be skin-to-skin with her, to be intimately connected with her, only then could he feel certainty and security, assuring her that she was still by his side and had not left.

"Don't kiss me." Zhao Xiheng's eyes were filled with tears as she pushed him away. "What else are you thinking about besides doing that kind of thing with me right now? Don't kiss me."

She clearly had a proper wedding ceremony with heaven and earth, so why should he do whatever he wants and be mean to her whenever he wants?

Zhao Xiheng herself didn't realize that although Wei Li always verbally bullied her, he had also spoiled her so much that she dared to challenge him and demand equality.

When the two first met, Wei Li had a fierce and menacing look, and Zhao Xiheng almost thought that she was going to die soon or suffer a miserable fate. She tested Wei Li in every way, being cautious and trembling with fear, and was even afraid of implicating others, so she sent Xiao Tao away.

But as we spent more time together, I realized he was a paper tiger. I tested his limits little by little, and I became bolder and bolder. Sometimes I even dared to throw a tantrum at him.

She was just taking advantage of the fact that Wei Li couldn't do anything to her.

Even now, though she's suppressing her temper and not yelling, she can still be a little temperamental.

Zhao Xiheng was furious. Wei Li removed his hand from her waist and took her hand in his. She tried to break free, but she couldn't.

He wrapped his arms around Zhao Xiheng from behind, grabbed a handful of roasted melon seeds from the table—they smelled milky—and peeled them one by one, placing them in her palm. His voice was weary, with a faint tremor, “Eat them, while I’m still alive and haven’t strangled you.”

Zhao Xiheng wanted to casually toss the handful of sunflower seeds with their milky aroma, but she didn't. Instead, she clenched her fists, her eyes reddening, and lowered her head slightly. All she wanted was for him to say sorry; she didn't want anything else.

Wei Li is a dog, he's sick! He doesn't like me, and I don't like him either!

Wei Li's sharp chin rested on Zhao Xiheng's chin, and his arm tightened around her, as if he wanted to strangle her and make her a part of his blood. He breathed into Zhao Xiheng's ear, "Zhao Xiheng, I gave you a chance to leave last time, but you didn't. It's too late to say you regret marrying me now."

"We two will share the same bed in life and the same grave in death."

Zhao Xiheng was so angry that she lowered her head and bit his hand hard. She meant for him to apologize! Apologize! Not whether she regretted marrying him!

No wonder he's getting crazier and crazier; they're talking at cross purposes, and neither of them is paying attention to the same thing!

If the focus is not on the same thing, then there is no way to communicate, and if communication fails, reconciliation cannot be achieved.

Wei Li let her bite until she bled without frowning or saying a word. Zhao Xiheng became even angrier when she saw him like this. She felt so uncomfortable holding it in that she grabbed his arm and shook it, finally saying what was on her mind.

"My point is to apologize. You need to apologize to me. You yelled at me last time! It's been a month and you still haven't apologized!"

Wei Li's eyes were red. "Didn't you say you regretted marrying me, that marrying that old, aged Goguryeo king would be better than marrying me?"

Zhao Xiheng sighed again, realizing they were talking at cross purposes, and turned away, refusing to speak to him.

Perhaps she and Wei Li really weren't a good match. They'd only been married for less than six months. In most families, newlyweds are still in the honeymoon phase and wouldn't dare raise their voices. But she and Wei Li argued every day, and they couldn't even see eye to eye. Their relationship was bound to break up sooner or later.

Seeing Zhao Xiheng's reaction, Wei Li panicked a little. If Zhao Xiheng hadn't meant it that way, and she just wanted an apology, then he...

He hooked Zhao Xiheng's little finger and awkwardly asked, "Have you eaten candied hawthorns?" He was trying to remind Zhao Xiheng that he had bought her candied hawthorns.

He felt he hadn't misunderstood; Zhao Xiheng was saying that she would rather marry that old man than him, right?

"When I saw it, it was already melted. Who wants to eat a melted candied hawthorn? Do I need that one candied hawthorn?" Zhao Xiheng shook off his hand, went into the inner room, and closed the door behind her to prevent Wei Li from coming in.

If she pays any attention to Wei Li this month, she's a dog, completely unreasonable, and I don't know what she ate to grow up with such a stubborn and unruly personality.

In a relationship, a couple should either be evenly matched, or they should complement each other's strengths and weaknesses.

You are strong and I am weak; I am strong and you are weak. Only through this cycle can balance be maintained.

Between Zhao Xiheng and Wei Li, Wei Li appears to be the stronger party, but in reality, he is the weakest.

Zhao Mingjin had lost face because of Wei Li, and had also offended Jiang Su because of Wei Li, making his life extremely difficult. He had long wanted to find an opportunity to make amends. The successive loss of territory had turned the once spirited crown prince into a gloomy and depressed "middle-aged man".

They were so desperate that they wanted to throw caution to the wind and squander all their remaining resources, since things were getting worse every day and there was no way to turn things around. They figured they might as well indulge in a little recklessness before becoming a deposed monarch.

Just then, Wang Zhiyao also suffered a setback at Wei Li's hands, and a plan immediately came to his mind.

Two more envoys were dispatched, one to Qingzhou to see Wang Zhiyao, and the other to Youzhou to see Liu Huan.

He was willing to entrust the task of suppressing the rebels to two people in the name of the emperor, and to provide them with funds and provisions to help them attack Wei Li with a legitimate reason for the war. After taking Pingzhou, he would not take a single penny from Pingzhou.

Wang Zhiyao was not unhappy at all, but his only worry was that Liu Huan would stab him in the back.

Liu Huan had long coveted Pingzhou.

Pingzhou was originally Goguryeo territory, with fertile land and abundant natural resources. Most importantly, it was sparsely populated, and these resources remained undeveloped. However, when Zhao Xinglie established Pingzhou, due to its special location bordering three kingdoms, he stationed a large army there. He couldn't possibly conquer this rich territory on his own.

But with the support of Wang Zhiyao and Zhao Mingjin, things would be different.

The two people who used to not get along are now good friends.

Wang Zhiyao and Liu Huan signed a treaty at the border, agreeing that whoever raised a flag first in a certain area after entering Pingzhou would own that area.

The two swore a blood oath and listed five crimes committed by Wei Li, each of which seemed horrifying.

First, he was unfilial and unjust, and murdered his adoptive father.

Second, his cruelty and inhumanity caused widespread resentment among the people of Pingzhou.

Third, he disregarded the royal family, seized the princess, and murdered General Pingwei.

Fourth, disobeying orders and arbitrarily killing imperial envoys.

Fifth, they colluded with the enemy and betrayed their country, and conspired with Goguryeo.

Zhao Mingjin, Liu Huan, and Wang Zhiyao spread these accusations throughout the land, and everyone knew that the imperial court was going to punish the rebellious officials in Pingzhou.

Throughout history, ordinary people have always been the easiest to manage. Because of poverty, they were restricted from studying, their wisdom was limited, and they often simply echoed whatever others said. Everyone said that Wei Li was a traitor who colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, so he must have been that kind of person.

“My lord, Pingzhou is a place worth taking advantage of, and Princess Jingcheng is also in the hands of that traitor. Are we just going to let such benefits fall into their hands?” Li Qinglong couldn’t help but get excited when he heard that Wang Zhiyao and Liu Huan had gotten involved in the mess.

More than seizing Pingzhou's fertile land and resources, he was actually more concerned with taking advantage of the chaos to welcome Princess Jingcheng back and settle her properly.

Xie Qingyu frowned slightly. "Let's see."

Although Pingzhou is lacking in other aspects, its military strength is undeniable. Wei Li's ability to capture Pingzhou shows he's no pushover. If he rashly gets involved, he'll inevitably get himself into trouble. Wang Zhiyao and Liu Huan are not going to act without a clear objective; they're not going to let him get involved and benefit for nothing.

Pingzhou is far away, and if he rashly sends troops there, he may suffer heavy losses.

A-Dan has some feelings for Wei-Li, and since he hurt Wei-Li, A-Dan might resent him.

He should wait and see. If Wei Li can hold the line, then A-Dan will be safe; if Wei Li cannot hold the line and A-Dan is in danger, then he can go to her aid.

At the end of November, Pingzhou was filled with anxiety due to the gathering of troops from two sides outside the city. However, seeing that Wei Li was still acting as usual and not flustered at all, they were somewhat relieved.

Wei Li, carrying wine, pushed open Zhao Xiheng's door and looked at her. "Zhao Xiheng, you're not even planning to talk to me before you die? We're already at the gates of the city, facing imminent death."

He was just making conversation out of boredom; he really didn't know what to say to Zhao Xiheng, so he used the pretext of the enemy's approach to the city to find her.

Zhao Xiheng was surprised to see a tragic and solemn atmosphere emanating from Wei Li. Her heart skipped a beat, as she had heard about the two armies pressing on the border.

Given Wei Li's current state, does this mean Pingzhou is beyond defense?