Chapter 127 The Truth: He Needs Her.

Xiao Qiyu's breath caught in his throat for a moment, and all the sounds of the world vanished from his ears.

He stared at Cui Ying in disbelief, his dark eyes filled with shock, and stubbornly asked her again, "What did you say? Say it again!"

Cui Ying could feel his once warm embrace stiffen, and she could even hear his heartbeat suddenly going out of control beneath his chest, each beat deafening.

I said—

Now that things had come to this, Cui Ying was no longer afraid. She met his trembling gaze without flinching, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable seriousness: "Your uncle, Wang Shanxiao, once colluded with the Turks to plot a rebellion."

"I don't know the circumstances under which your mother discovered Wang Shanxiao's ambition. In her correspondence, she advised him to be content with his lot, loyal to the emperor, and serve the country. But when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. She left suddenly, and the letters were left in the courtyard where she lived."

Xiao Qiyu's pupils trembled violently, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead as he listened to everything in disbelief.

Cui Ying looked into his eyes, feeling a pang of pity, but after thinking for a moment, she continued, "Last year, your grandmother was thinking of renovating the courtyard and accidentally found the letter of dissuasion that had never been delivered to Wang Shanxiao, and learned its contents."

Everything that followed was left to its own devices.

Although Wang destroyed the letter at the time and prevented a second person from knowing, secrets never stay hidden forever. Fearing that there might still be such evidence left behind, she simply burned down the entire courtyard just in case.

After he finished speaking, there was a long silence.

A gust of wind rushed into the window frame, and the remaining rain suddenly intensified, the raindrops haphazardly pattering against the black tiles on the eaves.

After listening to everything Cui Ying said, Xiao Qiyu remained completely still and showed no reaction whatsoever.

Cui Ying was startled by his silence and couldn't help but touch his face, calling his name with concern: "Xiao Qiyu?"

The warm floral scent emanating from the girl filled his nostrils. Xiao Qiyu finally let out a heavy breath, as if a drowning person had finally struggled to the shore. He pulled Cui Ying into his arms, buried his face in her neck, and breathed deeply into her scent, feeling as if he had been reborn.

Cui Ying didn't speak again, but quietly stroked his back with her hand.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Qiyu finally spoke, his voice even lower and hoarse than before, and softly asked Cui Ying, "So our marriage was not something the Empress Dowager suddenly decided on, but something my grandmother asked the Empress Dowager for, is that right?"

Cui Ying paused for a moment, carefully recalling her words, and made sure she hadn't let anything slip.

This guy's brain works way too fast, doesn't it?

Just as Cui Ying was racking her brains, trying to figure out how to answer, the boy's low, husky voice came again:

"So the reason we were able to get married was because my grandmother was worried that one day the truth would come out and the entire Wang family would be purged, and I would be implicated. So she wanted to use the power of the Duke of Wei's mansion and the relationship with the Eldest Princess to protect my life..."

The candlelight flickered again, casting an intermittent glow on Xiao Qiyu's pale face.

He closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing laboriously as if he were swallowing something extremely bitter. After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence from between his teeth: "...Is that so?"

Cui Ying remained silent and did not react.

It wasn't intentional on her part; she genuinely didn't know how to say it.

Is it possible that this marriage was calculated from the very beginning, and that it wasn't just about her, but about the entire Duke of Wei's mansion?

As the one being schemed against, whatever she said, regardless of her tone, was done with an air of superiority, and Xiao Qiyu would be forever shamed.

In the past, she would have been quite happy to see this, since she had never gotten along with him since childhood.

Nearly a year into their marriage, many things have changed without them even realizing it.

When did things start to change between her and Xiao Qiyu?

Was it after they had consummated their marriage, or even earlier?

Cui Ying's heart felt like it was entangled by vines, unable to sort out her thoughts. All she knew was that a bitter taste was spreading from her heart, making her extremely uncomfortable.

In the long silence, Xiao Qiyu released his arms from her, lifted the brocade quilt, and got up from the bed.

"Where are you going?" Cui Ying's voice unconsciously carried a hint of panic.

Xiao Qiyu had his back to her, his voice calm, even gentle: "I'm going out to calm down for a while, you go to sleep first."

Cui Ying thought to herself, "Sleep my ass! How could I possibly fall asleep!"

But she understood his feelings at that moment, so she suppressed the myriad thoughts in her heart and said softly, "Okay."

In the swaying lamplight, Cui Ying stared blankly at Xiao Qiyu's back.

Just as he reached out to push the door open, she involuntarily called out, "Xiao Qiyu."

The sound was clear, lingering in the quiet room.

Xiao Qiyu stopped and turned his head slightly. In the dim light, only half of his face could be seen, revealing its delicate outline, and his emotions were hard to discern.

"What's wrong?"

Cui Ying opened her mouth, but found that she had nothing to say.

"It's nothing," she said softly. "You can go now."

Cui Ying sat quietly on the couch, looking at him. Her amber eyes were clear and bright, but she sensibly refrained from saying anything to persuade him to stay.

Xiao Qiyu was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Go to sleep."

The door was pushed open and closed again. He opened the door and went out. His back was still as upright as a pine tree, as clear as the wind and moon, as if no hardship in the world could crush him.

Cui Ying watched as the door gradually closed, completely isolating Xiao Qiyu outside, before reluctantly turning her gaze away.

Outside the door, the lingering rain pattered, the night was cold and the wind was chilly; it was clearly summer, yet the courtyard was covered with fallen leaves, a desolate sight.

After the door slammed shut, Xiao Qiyu's upright back suddenly slumped.

He leaned against the door, his head bowed, one hand supporting his forehead.

On the web of his palm, there were still teeth marks left from when Cui Ying couldn't control herself during their passionate encounter at the ancient temple.

In just a few days, everything changed dramatically.

"If one day, Third Sister wants to leave you, what will you do?"

Xiao Heng's voice suddenly appeared in Xiao Qiyu's mind, posing a question that he had previously dismissed.

Because his parents died early, Xiao Qiyu had seen enough of the pitying looks people gave him since he was a child. The more they looked at him, the more he demanded the strictest rules of himself. He had to do his best in everything, from riding and archery to martial arts and writing essays, to prove to everyone that he did not need anyone's pity or sympathy.

He is a very proud person.

So if it were the old him, facing the old Cui Ying, after learning the truth, he would have generously let her go and shamelessly assured her that he didn't need a woman to save his own life.

He will tell her that he doesn't need her.

If this were in the past...

Separated by just a door, Cui Ying's presence enveloped Xiao Qiyu everywhere—her breath, her fragrance, the way she blinked when she spoke…

Xiao Qiyu closed his eyes, and images from the past year flooded back: Cui Ying's smiles, her tears, her journey from afar to southern Jiangxi to find him, her gaze at him under the fish-dragon lanterns, and the way she fell into a deep sleep in his arms after each encounter...

The hand supporting his forehead unconsciously tightened into a fist, the veins on the back of his hand bulging and throbbing.

Xiao Qiyu needed to exert all her willpower to stop herself from rushing back to Cui Ying, crying and making a scene, begging and pleading with her, just to have her stay.

He desperately wanted to tell her that he needed her.

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Author's Note: Then go in there, you bastard!