Chapter 36 Wei Zhang was actually beaten by a woman...

Outside, thunder roared incessantly.

Xiaomei was utterly terrified, her whole body trembling uncontrollably, awaiting her sentence.

"Go kneel under the tree and think it over carefully," Wei Zhang said.

Xiao Mei felt as if she had been granted a pardon, at least she wouldn't become a victim of the blade, and she quickly agreed and withdrew.

Kneeling under the tree, Xiaomei suddenly turned pale, more afraid than death.

She used to serve the two young masters at Shuying Hall, and all she knew was that the soapberry tree was prone to attracting lightning.

But she had never knelt here and experienced the view from under the tree.

At this moment, beneath the towering, canopy-like tree, countless slender soapberry leaves hang down, their shadows elongated and crisscrossing, casting a net-like canopy over her.

The wind howled in the distance, rustling the soapberry leaves, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed, followed by a blue and white light.

Thousands of soapberries hung from the tree like thousands of corpses.

"Ah!" Xiaomei was so frightened that she fell to the ground, her back hitting a dry well.

A chill crept up from the ground, creeping up and enveloping Xiaomei's back.

Lightning, hanging corpses, ghosts.

The horrifying images overwhelmed Xiaomei, causing her to break down emotionally and scream and scream like a madwoman.

The cries for mercy echoed through the rainy night, reaching all the way to the side room.

"It's just kneeling as punishment, why are you wailing and howling like a banshee? You have no manners!" The old lady's face showed displeasure.

Wei Zhang glanced at the old lady.

The old lady, of course, had no idea what was under the tree.

But he knew.

Now, Xue Lanyi also knows.

I wonder how Xue Lanyi would react if she saw this scene all alone on a rainy night.

Wei Zhang didn't have many images in his mind.

He had never seen her look frightened; in his presence, she was always gentle, radiant, or stubborn.

He wasn't sure if she also had a vulnerable and fearful side.

This uncertainty made Wei Zhang inexplicably anxious, so he simply got up and went to the soapberry tree.

The rain intensified, obscuring visibility.

On rainy nights like these, birds, snakes, and rats often appear.

Every year, people drown, are bitten to death, or are never found. There are also criminals who take advantage of the chaos to rob and rape.

Where exactly did Xue Lanyi go?

Wei Zhang stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the hundreds of soapberry trees trembling violently overhead, their shadows indistinct.

A raindrop fell through the intertwined leaves, landing precisely on her neck, causing her prominent Adam's apple to bob slightly.

"Go and interrogate everyone in the stables, guardhouses, and storerooms. Don't let a single person escape," Wei Zhang instructed Qingyang.

Back then, the old Duke fought alongside the founding emperor to establish the empire, leaving behind many soldiers who had risked their lives alongside him.

Later, these survivors and their descendants were mostly taken in as guards and servants in the mansion.

Most of them still retained the habits of soldiers and bandits, and took advantage of their service to the emperor to bully the maids in the mansion.

There were even occasional cases of people forcibly taking their wives or concubines back to their homes.

The old lady, mindful of their past friendship, delayed taking action.

But now that Xue Lanyi has also suddenly disappeared, Wei Zhang can't help but think in that direction.

Upon hearing this, Qingyang turned pale with fright and immediately accepted the order.

The servants and maids around them dared not watch their masters' commotion and all retreated fifty paces away.

Wei Zhang stood alone under the soapberry tree, his face expressionless as he watched the lightning explode into sparks before his eyes time and time again.

Despite being surrounded by danger, he remained unmoved.

"Young Master, perhaps... we should light all the lamps in the manor first," a timid female voice tentatively suggested from behind.

Wei Zhang glanced at him suspiciously.

Su Yin curtsied to him.

She had come tonight to treat the old lady's illness, but she didn't expect to encounter Xue Lanyi's disappearance as soon as she entered the door.

"No matter where Auntie is right now, a brighter surrounding will always make her feel more at ease and prevent her from having frequent hysteria."

Wei Zhang looked slightly displeased. "How could a perfectly healthy person develop hysteria?"

"..."

Su Yin choked.

When she examined Xue Lanyi earlier, she noticed that Xue Lanyi was in poor spirits and specifically inquired about her symptoms.

She knew that Xue Lanyi often had nightmares during thunderstorms, and sometimes couldn't distinguish between reality and dreams, resulting in incoherent speech and actions.

How could the prince not know such obvious symptoms after sharing a bed with her for three years?

How is that possible?

Su Yin couldn't understand, but seeing that Wei Zhang's eyes were empty, she had no choice but to explain carefully: "When you were in the brothel, you once saw someone hanged in front of your bed on a stormy night. You burned the body yourself. Once bitten, twice shy, so it's normal to be afraid."

As soon as he finished speaking, another bolt of lightning ripped through the sky.

A flash of lightning illuminated the slight ripples in those calm eyes.

Immediately, their suspicion deepened.

"Where is the Liu family?"

"This servant is here!" Granny Liu hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd and walked up to Wei Zhang.

"Tell me about it."

Su Yin's words were utterly unbelievable.

They even burned the corpses?

Xue Lanyi looked so weak and frail, how could she have done something so audacious?

Wei Zhang did not believe this absurd statement and asked Granny Liu directly.

Granny Liu knelt down at Wei Zhang's feet with a thud, pleading, "This servant begs the young master to light the lamps first, just to appease the young lady!"

Grandma Liu was more agitated than Su Yin.

On such a stormy night, coupled with the "hundreds and thousands of hanging corpses" on the soapberry tree, even a normal person like Xiaomei would be terrified. How could the girl possibly be alright?

"The young lady was once dragged away in the middle of the night to marry an old master to bring him good luck. The old master died on the young lady, which is why the young lady is afraid of the dark."

"Four years ago, on a stormy night, the girl's best friend hanged herself by her bedside. The girl burned the body herself to protect her friend's innocence, so it's understandable that she was afraid of lightning."

“The girl has already survived two brushes with death. If she is further traumatized and loses her mind today, how can she cope without someone by her side to take care of her?”

"Has he gone insane again?" Wei Zhang laughed angrily.

"This servant would never slander you, young lady! This servant swears on my life that every word I have said is true!"

"When the girl has nightmares, she always grabs randomly in mid-air and mutters to herself. Isn't that... a sign of mental instability?"

Grandma Liu spoke with absolute certainty, describing every single detail clearly, which did not seem like she was just making things up.

Every word that pierced Wei Zhang's ears felt as if a huge chasm had split open in his chest.

Empty, illusory, nothing can be seen or grasped.

He always takes full control of his actions, and in the case of Xue Lanyi, he was indeed unaware of the whole picture. Is that why he felt such a sense of unease that he had never experienced before?

He composed himself: "Why didn't you say so sooner that my aunt had this ailment?"

"My aunt told the young master that she was afraid of thunder and lightning and wanted to sleep with him. The young master..." Granny Liu's voice trailed off, "If the young master makes my aunt feel unwell, he should go to the doctor."

Wei Zhang frowned, completely forgetting that he had said such a thing.

Granny Liu dared not lie, so she lowered her head even further. "In fact, in the past, the young master only needed to glance back once to know whether what I said was true or not."

Granny Liu would often enter the house at night to refill the incense and tea for her master.

On stormy nights, he would go into the house to check on the girl, worried about her.

She saw the girl curled up in a ball on the inside of the bed more than once, trembling and fearfully wriggling her body as close to the prince as possible, yet not daring to actually hug him.

The prince always liked to sleep with his back to her, so that even if he turned around just once, he could see the girl in fear.

For the past three years, he hasn't even given her a second glance.

"Young Master, all the young lady has asked for in the past three years is for you to hold her in your arms..."

"Mother-in-law!"

Su Yin interrupted Granny Liu.

Perhaps Xue Lanyi was once infatuated with Wei Zhang, but not anymore.

There's no need to bring up past grievances again.

Su Yin was also afraid that Granny Liu's careless words would offend Wei Zhang, so she secretly shook her head.

Grandma Liu then realized that she had acted impulsively, immediately fell silent, and kowtowed.

Wei Zhang ignored him and stood facing the wind.

The hem of her dark coat fluttered wildly in the wind, losing its direction.

The raindrops, scattered and erratic, pattered against that usually cold and austere face.

His handsome features were dampened, which softened his appearance and gave him a touch of ethereal beauty.

"Your Highness, I have checked everyone, and only these three drunkards remain to be checked!"

At this moment, Qingyang arrived in a grand procession with his troops.

The cold, hard sounds of heavy armor, boots, and a dagger broke the brief moment of gentleness.

The guards threw the three drunkards at Wei Zhang's feet. Qingyang cupped his hands and said, "These old geezers are drunk. We can't wake them up no matter how hard we try, and we can't get them to talk."

Qingyang was worried that the prince would have to wait too long, so he brought the person over first.

Wei Zhang lowered his eyes and immediately noticed the unusual flush on the faces of the three drunkards.

Wei Zhang's hand, hidden in his sleeve, curled slightly as he scanned the three people, his gaze settling on a pink corner inside one of their clothes.

Thunder rumbled across the horizon.

Qingyang sensed something was wrong and pulled a piece of brocade from the man's arms.

A silk handkerchief embroidered with lilies hung down, wrinkled and stained with a lot of unidentified turbid liquid.

It goes without saying what the dirty stuff is.

It goes without saying whose handkerchief it was.

"Who gave you the guts?"

Qingyang was so shocked he could hardly breathe. He grabbed the drunkard's ear and demanded, "You bastard, where is your mistress?"

"Aunt?"

The drunkard drooled and kept swallowing, saying, "Auntie smells so good, Auntie is so soft."

Wei Zhang's fingers suddenly tightened.

The black jade thumb ring, which he polished every day, developed tiny cracks.

The cracks spread rapidly, turning a flawless piece of jade into a body covered in fissures.

The surrounding atmosphere was like a thousand-mile-long glacier with cracks, beneath which undercurrents threatened to engulf everything.

Qingyang had not seen the Crown Prince show such obvious anger in a long time.

In the past, the imperial court and the mansions were always rife with bloodshed, yet the heir remained calm and composed.

Meanwhile, beneath the dust-covered mountains, an undercurrent seemed poised to erupt.

"Tell me quickly, where did he go?" Qingyang used a dagger to slit open the drunkard's festering mouth.

The tearing pain brought the drunkard back to his senses. He covered his bleeding mouth and screamed in agony.

In the slightly clearer vision, dark clouds appeared to be approaching, like a mountain collapsing.

"Your Highness!" The drunkard was dumbfounded, all the drunkenness instantly vanishing. He kowtowed and stammered, "I...I'm unconscious..."

"Unconscious? Where did you faint? How did you faint?" Qingyang asked.

The drunkard's tongue was tied, and he couldn't speak.

Another drunkard, still not sober, leered and grinned: "The mistress is soft and can't take it, the stable... ah!"

Halfway through his sentence, a jet of blood and his manhood splattered together.

Wei Zhang threw away the dagger he had taken from the guards. "Light all the lights in the mansion and welcome the concubine."

"Here you go!"

Qingyang gave Yingqi a wink, and the two headed towards the stables.

Wei Zhang, however, had already stepped into the rain.

The thunder and lightning illuminated his somewhat hurried figure.

Qingyang quickly followed.

Wei Zhang raised his hand to indicate that it was unnecessary, "Go and skin them, especially their filthy hands."

Those hands that touched Xue Lanyi's embroidered handkerchief should not have been left behind.

His voice, though still icy cold, had a barely perceptible fluctuation.

The image of Xue Lanyi, her temples glistening with sweat, lying on the couch, panting intermittently, flashed through my mind.

Then came the image of her eyes, brimming with tears, looking at him pleadingly.

Such a beautiful view should have been enjoyed by him alone.

She was his woman, and he used to be most wary of her having feelings for other men.

After this experience, he realized that what he found even more intolerable was that others had designs on her.

He is a person that others should not touch or even think about.

He was referring to anyone.

Wei Zhang's somber eyes seemed to hold a giant net, as if he wanted to bind her and possess her entirely.

"Young Master, at least bring two old women and maids to serve her and carry the concubine back."

Seeing that Wei Zhang's hair was covered with water droplets and his black clothes were soaked and clung to his strong shoulders, Qingyang was also worried about his master's health.

Qingyang held the umbrella over Wei Zhang's head, "If the young master doesn't use an umbrella, won't his aunt get soaked?"

Wei Zhang stopped in his tracks, paused for a moment as if deep in thought, and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the corner of the wall. "What did you just say?"

"Auntie, auntie, can't get wet in the rain?"

"Find...find a few people to carry Auntie back?"

Seeing Wei Zhang's solemn expression, Qingyang followed his gaze.

There were many muddy footprints under the crooked tree near the courtyard wall.

There were rough shoe prints and delicate imprints of a girl's embroidered shoes, suggesting that three drunkards had climbed over the wall and chased after the aunt.

Given how frail my aunt was, and how frightened she was by the thunderstorm, it was only natural that they would subdue her and take her away.

"Does Your Highness have any questions?"

"Are you sure Shuying Hall has been thoroughly searched?"

Qingyang understood that the prince suspected his concubine was still in the courtyard.

That's impossible!

Qingyang said confidently, "I personally led a search of the courtyard, including the storeroom and woodshed..."

"Search again."

Wei Zhang's gaze gradually calmed down.

If the drunkards really carried Xue Lanyi out of the courtyard, why were their footprints as faint as when they left and when they climbed over the wall?

Xue Lanyi was quite heavy, so it was impossible for the footprints of the people who carried her not to sink in.

Therefore, Xue Lanyi may still be hiding in some corner of Shuying Hall, and has not been kidnapped.

"Search chicken coops and dog holes; the more hidden and unlikely the place, the more you should search."

Xue Lanyi is seeking refuge and hiding, but she probably won't be hiding in an ordinary place.

Qingyang then led his men to search through all the chicken coops and dog holes in the yard.

The small, square courtyard was searched by twenty or thirty people, but they found nothing.

Thunder still rumbled in the sky, and blue-white light exploded before Wei Zhang's eyes.

Suddenly, he thought of something and turned to walk down to the soapberry tree.

This soapberry tree has been rooted for a hundred years, surrounded by weeds that grow up to knee-high, with many crisscrossing vines clinging to it.

Wei Zhang walked to the tree trunk and parted the branches.

Through the gaps in the overlapping leaves, a pair of wet eyes met his gaze.

Xue Lanyi was curled up with her arms wrapped around her knees, her small body just big enough to fit into the tree hole.

Her porcelain-white cheeks were covered in charcoal ash, her forehead and the tip of her nose were dirty, and a few stray hairs stood up on her messy hair, making her look like a tabby cat.

She was here...

The breath that had been stuck in Wei Zhang's throat dissipated instantly. He instinctively reached out to scrape the dust off her nose with his finger, but stopped just before he touched it.

Xue Lanyi had been hiding behind the tree, witnessing all the chaos and turmoil in the outside world. Why didn't she show herself?

Wei Zhang looked suspicious, his eyes darkening slightly.

Just then, a muffled clap of thunder sounded from the horizon.

Xue Lanyi trembled violently, burying her face between her knees, her eyes darting around furtively.

He muttered to himself, pressing his entire body against the tree trunk, as if he wanted to embed himself into it.

Hysteria.

The word popped into Wei Zhang's mind.

Seeing is believing, and he had no choice but to believe it. His expression froze for a moment, and he turned his head to give Su Yin a wink.

Su Yin stepped forward to take his pulse, her footsteps making a soft rustling sound on the grass.

Xue Lanyi immediately covered her head with her hands, saying, "No! No!"

This is clearly a posture of fear of being beaten.

Su Yin was troubled: "My aunt doesn't like strangers getting close. If I force her to take her pulse, it might backfire and upset her."

“Yes, the girl is probably thinking about the time she was beaten by her mother,” Granny Liu chimed in.

Wei Zhang was slightly surprised, but quickly understood.

Xue Lanyi had been in the Jiaofangsi for two years; how could she not have suffered?

Her personality is very different now compared to when she was Princess Zhaoyang; it's probably because of the beatings she endured.

Wei Zhang's eyes flickered slightly. Everyone at the cave entrance, watching the dazed girl, fell silent, unsure of what to do. They couldn't very well drag her away by force.

"How about... we ask the young master to give it a try?"

Granny Liu recalled that the young lady would often mutter the word "Wei" when she woke up from nightmares, which must be because she was longing for the young master.

"The young lady thinks of the young master day and night. If the young master doesn't have such a cold face, the young lady will definitely accept him."

The thunderstorms are still brewing, so it's really not a good place to stay for long.

Wei Zhang raised his hand to dismiss those around him, leaving only Qingyang holding the umbrella.

He reached out his hand to Xue Lanyi, "Alright, come back with me."

The tone was as gentle as possible, only slightly better than usual, at most a tone of concern for subordinates.

Qingyang glanced at him, and he looked back at Qingyang.

The two stared at each other for no apparent reason, and Qingyang immediately lowered his head.

"Young Master, how about trying a different nickname?"

Qingyang was married after all, which made him somewhat better than Wei Zhang in that respect.

The prince simply told the concubine to "come over" and "go back," which those who knew him would think was to appease her, but those who didn't would think he was reprimanding a subordinate.

My aunt is not thinking straight now. She listens to him ordering her around, so how could she possibly look at him properly?

Qingyang only dared to grumble inwardly, but said aloud, "Otherwise, does the young master have any personal little trinket to give him? At least we can coax him back first."

Wei Zhang glanced at the dagger tucked into his lower back for self-defense.

Qingyang remained silent.

However, aside from this dagger, all the other sachets and jade pendants that the prince carried with him were made by his concubine, and even the tassels were made by her.

He couldn't very well return the things his aunt had given him.

Wei Zhang looked up at the honeysuckle entwined at the top of the tree hole and casually picked a few leaves.

In a short while, the green leaf was folded into the shape of a rabbit in his hands.

Qingyang was astonished to learn that the Crown Prince possessed such skillful craftsmanship.

Wei Zhang then placed the rabbit in his palm and handed it into the tree hole.

In Xue Lanyi's dazed vision, a bright green rabbit appeared.

Its two ears stood up, looking exceptionally lively, as if showing her affection.

Her gaze finally settled, and she silently followed the long, jade-like hand.

The man crouched against the light at the cave entrance, his temples slightly damp. Several dim yellow halos swayed around him, indistinct and blurry.

"Yiyi, isn't my new rabbit pose cute?"

"Yiyi, doesn't this look like you?"

"Yiyi, Yiyi, Yiyi..."

Bright, radiant smiles rushed into her field of vision.

The clear, melodious sound, accompanied by the tinkling of silver bells at the end of her braid, reached Xue Lanyi's ears from all directions.

So close, so close that Xue Lanyi thought he would always be by her side, making a ruckus.

But he was so far away, suspended in mid-air, that I couldn't see his face clearly.

Xue Lanyi instinctively reached out to grab it.

This time, she caught a real little rabbit.

Xue Lanyi felt a lump in her throat and suddenly rushed into someone's arms.

Wei Zhang was momentarily stunned when the warm, soft body was suddenly thrown into his arms.

Immediately afterwards, a warm sensation flowed down my neck, dampening my clothes, and then trickled down to where my heart was beating.

Wei Zhang felt a warm current in his chest, and his stiff back instinctively leaned back to avoid it.

Xue Lanyi tightened her grip around his neck, her frail body trembling in his arms, so fragile, like honeysuckle clinging to a soapberry tree, completely dependent on him.

He glanced to the side and saw her tears, brimming with affection, streaming down her face like pearls falling from a broken string.

His fair and thin face was streaked with tears, and he kept choking back sobs.

The last time Wei Zhang saw her in such a disheveled state was three years ago, when he found her by the lake.

Later, in the small courtyard, she gradually calmed down and stopped crying.

Therefore, Wei Zhang almost forgot that she could be so out of control.

Strangely, this time Wei Zhang did not find it annoying or noisy.

Instead, the anxiety in my heart was soothed by the warmth of her body as we clung to each other.

He instinctively patted her back lightly.

Xue Lanyi felt the warmth of his palm, and her trembling gradually subsided, but she still held onto Wei Zhang tightly.

The torrential rain continues.

Wei Zhang picked the person up and carried them back to Chong'an Hall, while gesturing to Qingyang, "Please summon Physician Wu."

Wei Zhang could sense that Xue Lanyi's current state was indeed not like acting.

However, we cannot just listen to Su Yin's side of the story. We must find a familiar imperial physician to make a diagnosis. If we are sick, we should see a doctor. If we are not sick, we should at least check if we have performed "Tears of West Lake" again.

After a short while, Physician Wu arrived at Chong'an Hall with several of his most promising students.

At that time, Xue Lanyi endured three long hours of torment in the tree hole, and unable to hold on any longer, she fell into a daze and fell asleep.

Grandma Liu gave her a quick bath.

Wei Zhang sat on the edge of the bed, gazing thoughtfully at Xue Lanyi, who was muttering to herself.

Watch her laugh sometimes, cry sometimes, and grab at something haphazardly in mid-air.

"What are you doing?"

This problem has stumped Physician Wu.

Although Physician Wu was very experienced, he could basically tell from a distance that Xue Lanyi was having a hysterical episode.

But who can know what a mentally unstable person is thinking?

"This humble official must examine the young lady's pupils to check the condition of her five internal organs."

Wei Zhang grunted in acknowledgment, moved slightly further away, and gestured for the imperial physician to come forward.

Physician Wu then signaled to his other colleagues to follow.

Everyone in the capital knows that Lord Wei is twenty-five years old and still unmarried, with only a mistress by his side for many years.

Physician Wu naturally dared not be negligent and approached the person quietly.

Before they could even touch Xue Lanyi, the person who was in a deep sleep immediately opened her eyes. Seeing a group of men surrounding her, her pupils contracted instantly, and she grabbed a pillow and threw it at Madam Wu.

Doctor Wu retreated repeatedly, while Xue Lanyi sat up abruptly and grabbed whatever was at hand, throwing it relentlessly at the imperial physicians.

Her hair was loose and disheveled, hanging down her face, making her look like a madwoman.

"Don't make a scene." Wei Zhang's expression turned serious.

A medicine bottle was thrown at him.

Wei Zhang never expected to be beaten by a woman.

Caught off guard, he was suddenly hit on the face and bruised.

Who would have thought that Lord Wei, who was high above everyone else, would be publicly humiliated?

Everyone present gasped, holding their breath and lowering their heads.