Chapter 227 Be My Woman

Southwestern Shuzhou was once the site of the Chang Kingdom. Sixteen years prior, Chang was destroyed by Dazhao, who established a prefecture and county here. From then on, Chang became part of Dazhao's territory.

Now, more than ten years have passed, and the land here is fertile and rich in products, and it is known as the land of fish and rice.

Its business is also extremely prosperous. Shops can be seen everywhere on the quaint streets, including wine shops, restaurants, ink shops, cloth shops, iron shops, restaurants, etc.

The streets were lined with a variety of stalls, selling children's puppets, needlework and sachets, and even women's fans and rouge. Furthermore, there was the distinctive local face-changing performance. The jugglers raised their sleeves, turned their heads, and transformed into another face, expressing a variety of joys and sorrows, making the children in their arms laugh and cry.

Zhuang Wan should have been feeling comfortable sitting in the carriage, listening to the noise outside, but at this moment, facing an annoying person, she really couldn't feel comfortable.

Liang Jinxian sat opposite, gently waving a folding fan. He still had that peerless handsome face, his light-colored eyes slightly closed, his thin lips slightly curled, three parts evil and seven parts romantic.

"You don't look very happy." He folded his fan and asked casually.

Zhuang Wan said with a cold expression: "You kidnapped me here, should I be happy?"

"Your word is wrong. It's not 'capture', it's 'invite'." Liang Jinxian said, "Don't forget, I sent a lot of people and spent a lot of effort to invite you here."

"Then what?"

"And then... of course I have a surprise for you."

"What surprise?"

Liang Jinxian smiled mysteriously: "You will know in a few days."

"Deep well ice!"

"What is deep well ice?"

"It's a compliment," Zhuang Wan said with a fake smile and a wink. "I'm praising you!"

"Thank you!"

“…”

"Liang Jinxian," Zhuang Wan asked impatiently, "What exactly do you want to do by kidnapping me here?"

"What? Of course I missed you. Meeting old friends..." He also blinked: "Surprised?"

Surprise!

Zhuang Wan suppressed her temper and said, "Are you trying to use me to threaten Pei Xingju?"

"Tsk tsk..." Liang Jinxian said disapprovingly, "Don't say such harsh words. Why would I threaten him? He's in the capital, and I'm in Shuzhou. What can I threaten him with? I just want to give him a hard time."

"Oh, I heard that Pei Xingju is the son of a general who protects the country. This is even more interesting." Liang Jinxian's eyes showed some hostility: "He and I have an irreconcilable hatred. Now the woman he likes is by my side. Don't you think it's interesting?"

"madman!"

Liang Jinxian accepted all of Zhuang Wan's insults. Not only did he not get angry, but he also smiled happily.

"Where are you taking me?" Zhuang Wan asked after a moment.

Liang Jinxian said, "Since you're unhappy, I'll take you to see something cheerful. But before that, let's go to a restaurant for dinner."

He said happily to himself, "Shuzhou's cuisine is truly unique. Don't you like it? Eat as much as you want."

Zhuang Wan didn't want to pay any attention to him. People like Liang Jinxian don't care about being hit or scolded. The more angry you show, the more excited he becomes.

She simply turned her head and looked out the window, closing her eyes in silence.

Unexpectedly, Liang Jinxian tutted twice: "It's been a long time since we last met. You look even cuter when you're angry."

“…”

Zhuang Wan opened her eyes and looked at him carefully and seriously.

Liang Jinxian sat upright, fanning himself with his elegant demeanor, letting her examine him. "What's wrong? Are you finding me increasingly pleasing to the eye?"

"Liang Jinxian," Zhuang Wan asked, "are you aware that you're now a criminal? The imperial court is looking for you everywhere. How can you show up here so brazenly? Aren't you afraid of being discovered by the government?"

Hearing this, Liang Jinxian couldn't help laughing as if he heard something funny.

He smiled elegantly, with a fan against his forehead and his shoulders shaking, with a hint of morbid arrogance.

"The imperial court is arresting me? Hahaha..." After a long pause, he said, "I, Liang Jinxian, am right here, waiting for the imperial court to arrest me."

"Why aren't you afraid? Do you have connections in Shuzhou?"

"You want to know about me?" Liang Jinxian seemed to see through her intentions: "There are only two kinds of people in this world who can know about me. One is the dead. The other is... my woman."

"What kind of person do you want to be?" He threw me a wink.

Zhuang Wan choked and stopped talking.

He burst out laughing.

Soon, the carriage stopped. Liang Jinxian was the first to get out and shouted outside, "We're here, get off."

Zhuang Wan was depressed for a while, thinking that if she got angry with someone like Liang Jinxian, he wouldn't be hurt at all, but she would be angry to death first.

She simply took a deep breath and stood up to get off the carriage. Seeing Liang Jinxian reaching out to help her, she turned around and jumped to the other side.

Liang Jinxian didn't mind. He opened his folding fan and strode into the restaurant.

Looking at his unrestrained back, Zhuang Wan felt heavy in her heart.

This was Shuzhou, under the jurisdiction of Dazhao, and Liang Jinxian's undisguised presence here suggested this was his territory. Or perhaps...he controlled the entire Shuzhou.

Does Pei Xingju know about what's happening in Shu?

It seems that we have to find a way to tell Pei Xing the news of his residence in Shuzhou.

"What are you thinking about?" At this time, Liang Jinxian in the lobby turned his head, his pair of light-colored eyes seemed to be smiling.

Zhuang Wan tried hard to control her expression and followed him into the room.

.

In the capital, Pei Mansion’s study.

After Chen Yi came out of the government office, he hurried into Pei's residence. Before he even entered the study, he heard a cough inside.

"You're not well yet?" He looked at Pei Xingju, who was coughing uncomfortably, and then turned to Guard Lu and asked, "Didn't you call a doctor for him?"

"Please come in." Guard Lu said.

"Then why is it still like this?"

"My Lord refuses to take the medicine."

"......" Shen Yi was speechless.

A few days ago, Pei Xingju went out of the city to visit his parents' grave. After being caught in the rain for most of the day, he came back and learned that Zhuang Wan was missing. He searched for her for a whole day and night without even changing his clothes, and finally fell ill.

Being sick wasn't a big deal, but Pei Xingju refused to take medicine. He had thought Miss Zhuang had cured his fear of bitterness, but he'd returned to his old ways.

Pei Xingju coughed, trying to suppress the burning sensation in his throat. He took a sip of tea and asked, "What's the news?"

"Five days ago, a merchant ship indeed headed south, but it switched to a land route in Chang County and sped southwest." Chen Yi said, "That ship wasn't a merchant ship heading south to the Tang family in Suzhou, but a cargo ship from Furong Cloth Shop."

"Who is this Su Zhiyan? Why did she kidnap Miss Zhuang?" He was puzzled. "Regarding this Furong Cloth Shop, I've searched through all the merchant records, and all I know is that she's a young woman, about twenty-two years old, from Qingzhou. I don't know anything more than that."

Pei Xingju coughed again, then pulled out a letter from under a pile of official newspapers on the table. "Take a look at this."

Chen Yi took it, unfolded it, and was immediately surprised: "Could it be that this Su Zhiyan is related to Liang Jinxian?"

"I started investigating her last year," Pei Xingju said. "This woman's behavior was suspicious, but she hid it very well."

Chen Yi said to Xinzhi, "The daughter of Lord Su, the governor of Qingzhou, was raided seven years ago because the Su family was convicted and sold into a brothel. She met a mysterious man on the road who redeemed her. She disappeared for three years before reappearing in the capital."

"Zhizhou Su..." Chen Yi carefully recalled the records in the Ministry of Justice case file, and suddenly remembered: "Could it be the case of cheating in the imperial examination seven years ago?"

"That's not important, but the letter mentioned that Su Zhiyan met a mysterious man on the road and was redeemed by him..." Pei Xingju said, "This mysterious man is very likely Liang Jinxian."

"Why did you guess it was Liang Jinxian? What if it was someone else?"

"Who else?"

Shen Yi said, "It could be your enemy, or it could be the remnants of Duke Xin's faction."

Pei Xingju sneered, then took out a letter from the drawer and handed it over: "Take a look at this."

Chen Yi took it suspiciously and listened to him say, "This was sent by Xue Gang this morning via carrier pigeon. There have been unusual movements in Shu Province recently, and a large number of former Changguo troops have been discovered."

"Former members of Changguo?" Chen Yi was surprised. "Wasn't Changguo destroyed long ago?"

Suddenly, he thought of something and asked again: "Could this also be related to Liang Jinxian?"

"It's very likely!" Pei Xingju said, "Besides all this, I also found out that Liang Jinxian's influence in the capital has been completely withdrawn. Just like the Furong Cloth Shop, it disappeared almost overnight. Doesn't it seem suspicious?"

"Clearly evacuated?" Chen Yi frowned. "That makes sense. After Miss Zhuang was abducted, Liang Jinxian's men immediately disappeared, as if it had been planned all along."

"But I still don't understand," he asked perplexedly, "Why did Liang Jinxian kidnap Miss Zhuang? Did he want to take Miss Zhuang as a hostage?"

The Xin Guo Mansion had collapsed, and Liang Jinxian had become a wanted criminal. If he had kidnapped Miss Zhuang to hinder Pei Xingju, that was a rather foolish move. After all, it exposed his secret estate in the capital, which was the product of years of hard work.

Pei Xingju sat at the table, his face gloomy and silent.

"Why?" Chen Yi speculated: "Is there another reason? What is it?"

Pei Xingju sneered, a fierce look flashing in his eyes, as if he had a grudge against Liang Jinxian for stealing his wife: "No matter what his reason is, I will make him pay for it!"

"What do you want to do?" Shen Yi asked.

"We'll leave for Shuzhou tomorrow."

"Going tomorrow? You don't care about the things in the capital?" Chen Yi was surprised: "Besides, you are not well yet. Shuzhou is so far away. I am afraid that you will die before you even reach halfway..."

Facing Pei Xingju's look of dislike for his nagging, he curled his lips and said, "Forget it. If you want to go, go ahead. I'll bury you when you die."

"But you are still in confinement. What will the emperor say?" he asked again.

"Tell the truth." Pei Xingju said, "Besides looking for her, I have another matter, which is to investigate the situation in Shuzhou."

He frowned and said, "I'm afraid things are not as simple as we thought."

.

Shuzhou.

After lunch, Liang Jinxian took Zhuang Wan out.

"Where are you taking me now?" Zhuang Wan asked.

"Didn't I tell you?" Liang Jinxian said, "I'll take you to see something happy."

"What?"

"It would be pointless to reveal it in advance."

He smiled meaningfully and stepped into the carriage.

Zhuang Wan pursed her lips and had to follow.

Soon, they arrived at a tall building, about nine stories high. Fortunately, Zhuang Wan wasn't a delicate young lady, or else she would have been exhausted just climbing the stairs.

She followed Liang Jinxian up to the top floor, panting, and sat down.

Seeing her like this, Liang Jinxian curled his lips and suddenly ordered to the air: "Send some refreshments over."

Zhuang Wan was wondering who he was talking to when someone suddenly appeared in the room. He said "yes" and left immediately.

"Didn't you say you brought me here to have some fun? We're not here to have some tea and enjoy the scenery, are we?" Zhuang Wan said.

"Don't be impatient," Liang Jinxian said, "Wait, I'm going to show you something good."

After saying that, he walked to the east and opened a row of windows.

"Come here." He shouted, leaning against the window.

Zhuang Wan walked over suspiciously and looked down from the window. The view was quite spectacular. Nearby was the entire city of Shuzhou, rows of houses connected in a large and orderly manner. Just as he had seen before, the streets were well-organized and bustling.

Looking further out, you can see rolling hills, and below them stretches of lush green rice paddies. Because it had just rained, white mist lingered between the hills, making it look like a fairyland.

The scenery is beautiful, but...

Zhuang Wan turned around in confusion: "You want to show me the scenery?"

"What's so good about the scenery? Look over there..." Liang Jinxian pointed with his folding fan at a flat area in the north: "There are good things there."

It was quite far away, so Zhuang Wan didn't pay much attention at first. However, when he took a closer look, his face suddenly turned horrified.

On the flat ground not far away, many people were standing densely, and many tents were camped at the foot of the mountain. Listening carefully, I could vaguely hear the sound of soldiers training in an orderly manner.

Zhuang Wan was shocked: "That's... the army?"

Why are there so many soldiers and horses in Shuzhou?

Thinking of something, she turned her head suddenly.

Liang Jinxian, however, looked relaxed and contented: "What? Are you satisfied?"

"You want to rebel?" Zhuang Wan asked. "Don't forget that Duke Xin's rebellion failed before."

"Rebellion? Hahahaha..." Liang Jinxian laughed and said, "Have you forgotten where this place is?"

"What do you mean?"

Zhuang Wan had a bad feeling in her heart. The next moment, she heard him say, "This is Changguo, not your Dazhao's Shuzhou."

Hearing this, Zhuang Wan frowned and stared at him: "Liang Jinxian, who are you?"

"Want to know my secret?" Liang Jinxian said calmly, "Not impossible. Be my woman and I'll tell you everything."

"......" After a pause, Zhuang Wan asked what she had been speculating in her mind: "You are actually from Chang, right?"

Liang Jinxian raised his eyebrows: "That's quite clever."

Zhuang Wan tried to recall the book, but she couldn't recall Liang Jinxian's identity. Liang Jinxian wasn't mentioned much in the book, more like a hidden thread, seemingly intended to be continued in the second part. However, the original book never had a second part, so she didn't know the true story.

"Who are you from Changguo?" she asked.

"You're so smart, you guessed it, right?" Liang Jinxian stared at her with an evil smile on his lips.

Zhuang Wan's chest was pounding.

She did guess it, but she couldn't believe it.

After a long while, she finally asked, "Are you really the prince of Changguo?"

Liang Jinxian wasn't surprised at all, and nodded slowly: "As you thought."

"But aren't you the prince of Duke Xin's mansion?"

"You want to know about my past," he suddenly leaned over, his peach blossom eyes smiling seductively, "Do you really want to be my woman?"

"......" Zhuang Wan stiffened her neck: "You can also kill me."

Liang Jinxian laughed out loud.

"It's okay to tell you. Who told me not to kill you?" Liang Jinxian sat back lazily. "I'm not the son of Duke Xin. I'm afraid that old Duke Xin won't know about this until he dies."

"My mother is from Changguo. She was pregnant with me when she left for Dazhao. However, she was captured and Duke Xin took her for himself because of her beauty..."

He spoke calmly, as if he were telling someone else's story.

When the general led his troops to attack Chang State, he was trapped by a scheme. Later, Duke Xin came to the rescue and led to the fall of Chang State. A number of Chang State royal family members were captured, including Liang Jinxian's mother, Feng.

Feng Shi was a renowned beauty in Changguo, a daughter of an aristocratic family, possessing exceptional grace and talent. She was immediately taken into the care of Duke Xin on the day she was abducted. Later, upon Duke Xin's return to the capital, Feng Shi discovered she was pregnant, and was subsequently sent to the Duke Xin's mansion in the capital to serve as a concubine.

However, the child carried by Feng was not of the Liang family. Liang Jinxian was born with pale eyes and features not from the Central Plains, but rather from the Shu plateau. To confirm this, Duke Xin conducted a blood test, but unbeknownst to him, Feng had tampered with the water, combining the two bloods and concealing their connection.

Of course, this was also due to the fact that Feng Shi was favored but a lowly captive of a fallen nation, and her children were naturally lowly bastards. Such a different-looking child was unremarkable among the other bastards in the Xin Guo Mansion, dispensable, and could live or die, so the Xin Guo Mansion didn't bother to care.

If the Duke's wife had not had any children and Liang Jinxian was not so intelligent and talented, Duke Xin would have been forced to adopt this child as his prince.

The dignified Duke of Xin probably never imagined that God would give him the most brutal slap in the face. The prince he appointed was not his own son, but the royal blood of the enemy country.

Zhuang Wan asked, "I heard that your mother died when you were very young. How did you know all this?"

Liang Jinxian glanced at her ambiguously: "You are not my woman yet, so I can't say too much. Apart from this...you can ask anything else."

“.......”Zhuang Wan rolled her eyes.

"You want to restore your kingdom?" she said. "But Changguo has been lost for sixteen years. How easy is that? With just this small army, aren't you afraid that Dazhao's cavalry will march south and flatten Shuzhou?"

"Conquer Shuzhou? Hahaha..."

Liang Jinxian laughed again, with an arrogant and arrogance, laughing so hard that he fell backwards.

"I, Liang Jinxian, have been planning for years, waiting for this day! Dazhao's cavalry? Ha! Soon, Dazhao will be too busy to take care of herself, so how can she have the energy to care about my Changguo?"

"Just wait and see!" Liang Jinxian said, "It's still uncertain who will live and who will die by then!"

"You can't defeat Pei Xingju," Zhuang Wan said coldly, "He won't let you succeed. He will definitely come here."

"I'm waiting for him to come!" Liang Jinxian turned around with a murderous look on his face.

After a moment, his thin lips slowly raised again: "It's just right, invite him to have a glass of wedding wine."

"Wedding wine? What wedding wine?"

"Um...it's my Liang Jinxian's wedding."

He changed the subject so quickly that Zhuang Wan was a little confused: "You want to get married? Who are you marrying?"

Liang Jinxian smiled gently: "Of course I will marry you, my future queen."