Chapter 69 If Wei Xuan were here, she would have suffered too…

This realization caused Wei Zhang to frown deeply and freeze in place.

Seeing that his master's expression was not right, Qingyang quickly stepped forward to support him.

Wei Zhang pressed his hand down.

There was no great ripple on his face, but the breathing in the cramped space was heavy and drawn out.

The sound of clear breathing echoed.

After a long silence, his voice was slightly hoarse. "Tell me in detail about the situation at Sishui Pass."

Wei Zhang would not listen to Xiao Cheng's one-sided story.

Qingyang knelt at Wei Zhang's feet, "Yingqi found Aunt's embroidered shoes and phoenix crown in a cave near Sishui Pass. There were signs of struggling on the straw mat in the cave, and also..."

There were some things Qingyang couldn't bear to say, but Wei Zhang's imposing presence forced him to bow and say, "According to the Shadow Guard: Prince Xiao, in the main hall of the post station, openly engaged in sexual intercourse in front of his concubine... using extremely vulgar language, all of which were acts of harassment towards his concubine."

Wei Zhang's pupils contracted slightly.

Now that things have come to this, there are no more doubts about Xiao Cheng's motives or the past between Xue Lanyi and Xiao Cheng.

The past that Xue Lanyi kept silent about turned out to be a painful one.

Wei Zhang suddenly recalled that rainy night in the study, when he was unbuttoning her clothes one by one in front of the mirror, and the girl's eyes filled with despair, grief, and endless tears.

Was that grief caused by childhood nightmares, or by his interrogation in front of the mirror?

Wei Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and he dared not think any further.

"Throw...throw Xiao Cheng into the dark alley." He tried his best to keep his voice down.

Dark Alley is an alley near the black market.

That place was a mixed bag, frequented by men with unusual fetishes.

There are indeed people who like big, wild men like Xiao Cheng.

But Xiao Cheng is a prince.

Qingyang opened his mouth, somewhat hesitant.

Hearing this, Xiao Cheng, who was half-conscious, suddenly woke up and glared at the person not far away.

"Wei Zhang, how dare you! I am a prince! I am the prince of Western Qi!"

The iron chains clanged together, making a sharp, resonant sound.

Wei Zhang had no desire to say anything more to him and turned to leave.

He always repays people with their own methods.

Since Xiao Cheng is so obsessed with matters of the bedchamber, then let him linger in bed every day and never find peace in his life.

From then on, there was no more Prince Xiao in the world, only male entertainers for people to defile.

"Don't let him die easily," Wei Zhang said, then turned away without looking back.

Xiao Cheng felt as if he had fallen into an abyss, and a chill ran through his body.

He knew he was completely finished.

Wei Zhang is an evil spirit in the underworld; he won't be released as easily as Wei Xuan.

He will haunt him relentlessly, tormenting him until he dies.

Xiao Chengyong lost all hope and fell silent.

After Wei Zhang's figure disappeared into the distance, he suddenly smiled again.

"It seems Xue Lanyi didn't tell you about my past with her?"

Wei Zhang's steps slowed slightly as he approached the barbed wire gate.

Xiao Cheng only realized this belatedly.

Wei Zhang arrested him in order to learn about Xue Lanyi's past.

A woman has shared a bed with a man for years, yet she refuses to confide in him about any grievances she has suffered.

Even when faced with a choice between Xiao Cheng and Wei Zhang, this woman chose to go with Xiao Cheng.

So, how badly did Wei Zhang fail?

"Wei Zhang, Wei Zhang, Xue Lanyi would rather be played by me than stay by your side. What kind of good person are you anyway?"

"Princess Zhaoyang is such a fine and flawless piece of jade, others would be afraid to break her if they held her in their hands, but you, Duke of Wei, have worn her down and made her dull and lifeless."

His entire body, even his most private parts, is covered in wounds and tattoos—all thanks to you, Duke of Wei, aren't they?

"No wonder she chose me over you! You're much more hated than me!"

"North wind!" Qingyang quickly gave a wink to the guards outside.

The guards rushed forward, covered Xiao Cheng's mouth, and dragged him away.

Only then did it finally quiet down in the private jail.

Wei Zhang glanced back at the long trail of blood on the execution platform, said nothing more, and walked away.

It was past noon, and a light drizzle began to fall again.

This year's rainy season has been exceptionally long.

A rainstorm lasted from spring to late summer, relentlessly pouring down.

A sticky, heavy fog stuck in my throat, with a faint, musty smell.

Wei Zhang walked into the rain with his hands behind his back, and only then did he feel a little better.

Qingyang, holding an umbrella, followed closely behind, glancing at Wei Zhang out of the corner of his eye.

The master showed no outward sign of anything amiss, but his official boots inadvertently sank into the mud.

The master was always very clean, and his official robes and boots were spotless.

Today, I was completely unaware that beneath my clothes was nothing but heavy mud.

Qingyang was filled with mixed feelings, worrying about his master and his aunt.

Xiao Cheng's last few words were about how his aunt was covered in injuries.

Has he really already made a move on his concubine?

If it's true, then the concubine was essentially sent into the tiger's den by her master.

How can the master let it go?

Qingyang wanted to comfort him, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

After all, the aunt's whereabouts are currently unknown, and no one knows what she has been through or what she is going through now.

"Master..."

"Order all fishing boats and merchant ships near Sishui Pass to go to the river to search for the lady. No idle boats are allowed to dock on the shore. Anyone who disobeys will be punished for refusing to serve. If the lady is found, a reward of a thousand gold pieces will be given."

Wei Zhang interrupted Qingyang.

After a moment's thought, he raised his finger again, indicating to Qingyang, "Also, go to the Grand Canal Transport Office and the Ministry of War, and order them to mobilize the Grand Canal Transport Office's fast boats and the Jiangyang Navy to block the downstream and stop the lady. I want to see her alive or dead."

Qingyang breathed a slight sigh of relief when he heard his master's calm and methodical voice.

Over the years, our master has encountered numerous crises, both large and small, and has always been able to handle them with composure.

This time, I'm sure our master has a plan.

Qingyang quickly bowed in response, "Your subordinate will send someone to handle it, please rest assured, sir!"

Having said that, he quickly left.

"Qingyang!"

Wei Zhang suddenly called out to him again.

Qingyang turned around, and Wei Zhang opened his mouth, but then remained silent.

"Go." His voice was weaker.

At this moment, the two were walking in a desolate and deserted abandoned house.

He stood alone at the corner, the dim light of the sky shining on him, his shadow split into three lines at his feet.

He stood in the shadow of the forked road, seemingly unsure of where to place his foot next.

When Qingyang was young, he went to the Prince Qi's mansion with his master. When no one arranged accommodations, the young master would stand there blankly, holding a food box, not knowing where to go.

At this moment, the young master gradually overlapped with the Duke who could turn the world upside down with a flick of his wrist.

Standing in the shadow of the eaves, facing the wind, he wondered whether he was asking himself or Qingyang, "If it were her, would she also remain silent?"

If Wei Xuan were to press her about her relationship with Xiao Cheng, would she suffer in silence and silently endure it?

Why didn't she talk to him?

Wei Zhang's dark eyes gazed towards the horizon.

The sky was overcast and gray.

The sun had been ravaged by torrential rain for too long, and the light was no longer visible.

The dark clouds continued to pile up, making daytime seem like night.

The damp wind howled, blowing into people's dreams.

Xue Lanyi's shoulders twitched.

In the pitch-black space, a pair of unfathomable eyes followed her relentlessly.

She ran desperately, ran desperately.

Then they ran headfirst into a ferocious beast.

Xiao Cheng's scarred eyes were inches away, and he lunged at her with his two paws outstretched.

"ah!"

Xue Lanyi turned and ran.

The man behind him was tall and elegant, dressed in brocade robes and a jade crown, his golden python robe exuding nobility.

A gentle smile played on his lips, but his eyes were like abysses, threatening to swallow you whole.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Xue Lanyi was caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

She was about to be torn apart by these two people. She couldn't hold on any longer. She hugged her thin body tightly with her arms, but she couldn't resist the chill that penetrated from all directions.

My body was trembling uncontrollably.

At this moment, a thick cloak was gently draped over Xue Lanyi.

"don't want!"

Xue Lanyi screamed in fright and suddenly lifted her robe.

As their vision gradually cleared, they saw a man in red.

The man squatted down beside her, shifting slightly to the right, his tall frame blocking the cold wind blowing into the cave entrance.

Xue Lanyi felt much warmer and stopped shivering.

"Yiyi." The man smiled at her.

She stared blankly at the face she had longed for day and night, a faint smile involuntarily forming on her lips, like a child learning to speak, stiffly opening their mouth, "Ah..."

The word "宣" was still on her lips when the angle of her smile froze.

She was dreaming again, wasn't she?

Just as she jumped into the Yellow River, she dreamed that a man in red on the bank whistled.

The horse leaped up from the rocks in the river.

She leaped back into the rainbow, her red dress fluttering, and plunged from mid-air into the man's strong embrace.

She was caught safely, and unlike before, she didn't fall to the ground and get injured all over.

That feeling was so dreamlike.

It can't be true.

Ah Xuan is in the Western Region.

Ah Xuan has already married someone else.

She's having that impossible dream again.

Her smile vanished, her expression immediately tightened, and she shook her head.

She can't have such a dream!

If Wei Zhang discovers that she is thinking about someone else again, he will definitely pin her down on the bed and torture her severely.

It hurts so much.

She doesn't want to do it anymore!

She can no longer dream of Wei Xuan!

She frantically pounded on the phantom in front of her, hitting its chest and its face, trying to dispel it.

"Girl, wake up."

Seeing that the girl seemed to be having another episode of hysteria, Granny Liu quickly stepped forward to try to wake her up.

Wei Xuan pressed his hand down, "Let her be."

Wei Xuan looked at Xue Lanyi, who was beating people so wildly, and felt no pain in his body, but his heart ached.

What could such a bright and cheerful girl have gone through to become so easily frightened?

Wei Xuan didn't dare to think too much, he just squatted closer and let her vent.

People who have been holding in their emotions for too long need to release them to feel better.

Besides, he deserved to be hit.

She suffered so much alone in Shengjing...

Wei Xuan's injuries hadn't fully healed, and he had a cough, but he forced himself to keep it from escaping.

Xue Lanyi hit and pushed with all her might for a long time, but this time the shadows just scattered.

Instead, her hand suddenly struck the man's belt.

"pain!"

It felt like the bones were about to shatter.

Xue Lanyi gasped and instinctively covered her hands.

The man's calloused hands grasped hers first.

Xue Lanyi stopped hitting the person and stared at the person in front of her with a stiff expression.

Wei Xuan's attention was entirely focused on her fingers at that moment.

His belt was inlaid with jade. The girl hit him too hard, and blood seeped from between his fingers.

Wei Xuan took out a handkerchief to wipe away the bloodstains on her fingertips, and blew on it gently. "I'll go get the medicine, wait a moment."

"Ah Xuan!" Xue Lanyi grabbed the man's wrist.

This time, she truly seized the opportunity.

The tactile sensation is so realistic; it's not a dream at all.

But her gaze became even more rigid, unblinking, staring incredulously into Wei Xuan's eyes.

Wei Xuan knew that leaving now was not a good choice.

He gave Granny Liu a look, then squatted down again by the stone bed, holding Xue Lanyi's hand tightly so she could feel his presence.

"Yiyi, I'm back."

Xue Lanyi's eyes suddenly stung as she saw the handprint on his face.

Her Ah Xuan came back to pick him up.

She slapped him twice, feeling both heartache and a sense of loss, like a madwoman.

Their reunion shouldn't be like this.

She hurriedly tidied her loose hair.

Wei Xuan didn't let go of her hand, but just laughed heartily, "It's my fault. I looked too strange and scared Yiyi."

Wei Xuan's hair has turned gray early, and the appearance of white hair mixed with black hair is no longer suitable for the red clothes that belong to a young man.

However, he wore a red outfit because he was afraid she wouldn't recognize him when he came to the capital to pick her up.

He knows he doesn't look good right now.

It might even damage her image of General Wei.

"When I have some free time another day, I'll have to trouble Yiyi to help me change my outfit?"

When she was young, Xue Lanyi jokingly said that he was ugly and insisted on doing his makeup, shaping his eyebrows, and dressing him up.

His words seemed to reverse everything back to a bright spring day, a time of marital bliss.

It felt so unreal, yet so intimate, that it instantly calmed Xue Lanyi's heart.

All external thoughts were instantly swept away.

All she knew was that her boy had come back to pick her up.

She is no longer alone.

She suddenly threw herself into Wei Xuan's arms and embraced the real Wei Xuan.

Xue Lanyi had never hugged Wei Xuan so proactively before.

Wei Xuan was stunned for a moment, then awkwardly stroked the girl's back. "It's all over now, we'll be in the Western Territory soon."

A gentle voice whispered in her ear, so softly, that it instantly severed the shackles binding her.

The grievances and heartache that had been suppressed for five years finally burst forth at this moment.

Crystalline tears streamed down Wei Xuan's neck, not with a sour taste, but with joy, and even a touch of girlish coquettishness.

Wei Xuan didn't say much, but quietly put the cloak over his trembling back.

A ray of sunlight shone into the cave, illuminating the embracing lovers.

Outside the cave, birds sing and flowers bloom, and streams murmur.

Xue Lanyi seemed to be having a very long nightmare.

From this moment on, the dream is over, and everything returns to its original course.

She and her boy are still together.

A warm current flowed continuously from Wei Xuan's chest to Xue Lanyi's chest, and her wandering soul finally settled down.

It took her a long, long time before she dared to be sure that this time he wouldn't be a mirage.

She leaned on Wei Xuan's strong shoulder, enjoying the long, unending tranquility.

Perhaps people are never satisfied; once they get something, they want more.

She buried her face in his neck and said in a muffled voice, "Don't you even care about what I've been wronged by?"

"Does Yiyi want to say something?" Wei Xuan leaned against her shoulder.

Those past events are not worth revisiting, nor are they important.

He would listen if she wanted to talk.

He wouldn't force her to recall those unpleasant memories if she didn't want to.

Why keep hurting her feelings?

What he needs to do now is to bring a smile back to her face.

Xue Lanyi always knew that Wei Xuan was a straightforward person.

He wouldn't beat around the bush with her.

She doesn't need to deliberately hide anything.

Being happy is being happy.

I'm unhappy, that's all.

You can say whatever you want, or you can choose not to say anything.

Xue Lanyi can do whatever she wants.

She really didn't want to mention Xiao Cheng anymore, and she didn't want to mention Wei Zhang either.

She pouted and brought up another matter, "Why aren't you with your wife? What are you doing here?"

She pushed him away.

She wasn't very strong, but because Wei Xuan hadn't dared to hug her too tightly, and because she had been half-squatting in front of the stone bed while they were embracing, her legs were a little sore.

He fell to the ground after being pushed by her.

Xue Lanyi was about to get angry, but seeing him fall down, she burst into laughter instead of tears.

It was a genuine, heartfelt smile.

She knew in her heart that Wei Xuan must not have married anyone else to come looking for her.

He is still hers.

Xue Lanyi was overjoyed, but on the surface she pouted and pretended to be angry.

Wei Xuan knew that she was just being childish and needed to be coaxed.

Of course, he also knew that after experiencing so many hardships, she was uneasy and needed reassurance.

"Yiyi, I have absolutely no relationship with any other girl! Absolutely not!" Wei Xuan said firmly, his eyes burning with determination.

That day, deep in the mountains of the western border, when the old lady arranged his marriage, his vision was blurry, but when the girl reached out to touch him, he sensed that the girl was not Xue Lanyi.

After all, he had held Xue Lanyi's hand when they first escaped on horseback.

That was the first time he held a woman's hand, and a subtle feeling was imprinted on his heart. Even now, the memory is still vivid, and his heart still flutters.

Therefore, he can sense when someone touches him.

But he was blind at the time and was afraid that if he exposed the old lady on the spot, she would find another way to make it a fait accompli.

So he pretended to agree to the marriage, but actually sent a letter to Xiqi, asking Xiqi to come and take Xue Lanyi away.

He made a three-point agreement with Xiao Cheng: if Xiao Cheng safely brought Xue Lanyi back to the Western Territory, he would be willing to serve under Xiao Cheng.

However, he knew Xiao Cheng's character and was worried that Xiao Cheng would not keep his promise as a gentleman.

So, once his eyesight was restored, he used the pretext of seclusion and recuperation to secretly return to Shengjing alone to meet Xue Lanyi.

Fortunately, he arrived in time, thus averting a tragedy.

"It was my oversight." Wei Xuan extended his hand to Xue Lanyi, gesturing for her to hit him a few more times to vent her anger.

"When I return to the Western Territory, I will make my mother apologize to you. I will tell her that I will marry no one but you in this life."

"Who...who wants to marry you?" Xue Lanyi blurted out, her face turning red.

Returning to his side, it seemed as if her former nature had returned.

She habitually rejected him, argued with him, and repeatedly turned him away.

But as soon as she finished speaking, Xue Lanyi regretted it.

They've finally gotten back together; they shouldn't keep being so hypocritical and wasting their precious time.

She needs to be more direct and braver with him.

Xue Lanyi reached out to him, but instead of hitting him, she took his hand and placed it next to her cheek.

"How can you be a bride with injuries like this?"

Wei Xuan's hand froze as he felt the burning heat from the corner of her mouth.

Those were the slaps from Xiao Cheng.

Wei Xuan's focus at this moment was not on the "bride," but purely on her wound.

His eyes darkened, and his fingertips traced the wound on the corner of her mouth.

"Apply the medicine to me!" Xue Lanyi puffed out her cheeks, her delicate features scrunched up, looking fierce.

She added softly, "I can only marry you if I become more beautiful."