Chapter 94 I'm not an impenetrable fortress; I can break...

The surroundings returned to tranquility.

The matter of cursing the late emperor is like ripples that eventually return to the surface of a lake.

Xue Lanyi was still in shock.

How could anyone openly argue with the emperor?

He's gone mad; why is he dragging her along?

"I think you're really quite ill!"

Xue Lanyi tried to push away his hand that was protecting her waist, but she couldn't.

She grabbed his hand and bit his wrist hard.

A sudden pain shot through him. Wei Zhang looked down at the girl's fierce expression, but did not pull his hand away. He let her bite him with one hand while nonchalantly riding his horse forward with the other.

She hid inside his wide, large cloak, and no one saw her grimacing, nor did anyone see her biting his hand until it bled.

As she bit down, tears started falling again.

Perhaps it was because Wei Xuan wasn't there to comfort her, nor were there any sweet fruits to cheer her up.

It's also possible that Wei Zhang suddenly went mad, which frightened her, and she couldn't stop crying.

It turns out that a person's tears are indeed limited.

If you let it all flow out, it will eventually stop.

After all the emotions turned into tears and flowed from my eyes, it felt as if the pent-up emotions in my chest were finally released.

Recalling how he had cursed the late emperor to his face, a secret sense of pleasure arose in his heart.

Even though I was feeling really upset and angry, I also felt like laughing.

Is this what he calls the pleasure of being a scoundrel?

She wouldn't let him bewitch her; she wouldn't become a scoundrel!

She suddenly bit him again, this time very deeply.

Wei Zhang gasped, his breathing becoming slightly labored.

"Be gentle, I'm not made of steel, I'll break." He leaned down slightly and whispered hoarsely in her ear.

He was obviously referring to his hand being broken, because his usually cold and hard tone had suddenly softened, and even his ordinary words had taken on a hint of ambiguity.

The warm breath sprayed onto Xue Lanyi's earlobe.

Xue Lanyi felt very uncomfortable, as if there were ambiguous gazes pointing and whispering about them from behind.

She let go of his mouth and turned her head away in embarrassment.

Wei Zhang noticed her thoughts and glanced behind him.

As expected, all the ministers stared at them in astonishment.

Just a moment ago, they were still watching the Duke of Wei stand majestically on the steps of the imperial court, looking down on everyone.

At this moment, seeing him slightly bent over, awkwardly coaxing people, everyone couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, each incredulous, standing frozen in place.

After sensing a cold glint, everyone realized what was happening. The Vice Minister of Rites hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Perhaps Lord Wei should make arrangements first... make arrangements..."

"Settle the lady in!" The Vice Minister of Rites said with a fawning smile, "We will go ahead to the Imperial Study to wait for her. The lady's affairs are of great importance, and His Majesty will not be short of time."

"Wei Zhang has some nerve! He dares to bypass my authority and pardon this traitorous minister!"

"If I don't abdicate, what can he do to me? What can he do to me?"

At this moment, everyone had arrived outside the Imperial Study.

In the study, the young emperor smashed his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone repeatedly.

Clearly, the matter of exonerating the crown prince and passing the throne to him was done without the young emperor's consent.

The innocence of the Crown Prince's family remains uncertain.

Soon, another fierce battle broke out in the Imperial Study, far from the easy one the Vice Minister of Rites had described.

Xue Lanyi couldn't help but glance at the Imperial Study.

Wei Zhang would not take her with him to handle political affairs. He nodded to the others, turned his horse around, and headed towards the side hall.

Inside the side hall, the familiar scent of cold pine resin burned.

Wei Zhang often stayed in this side hall near the imperial study when he discussed political affairs with the young emperor late into the night.

Over time, the palace staff all tacitly accepted that this was Wei Zhang's residence.

Knowing that he disliked crowds, no one approached the side hall except for routine sweeping and cleaning, and there wasn't even a maid or servant to attend to him.

Wei Zhang had no choice but to carry Xue Lanyi onto the bed himself.

Her body was so light and soft that when she lay on the fluffy white cotton mattress, she sank in so deeply that she was almost invisible.

In addition, she had cried, cursed, and even bit people along the way. Her pale and delicate face was mottled with tears and blood, and her hair was messy, making her look like a stray cat in a dark alley.

Wei Zhang sighed silently, fetched water, and sat down by the bed to wash her.

Wei Zhang's hands were trembling violently.

That hand was caught in the door last night, and bitten by her today; even steel bones couldn't withstand that.

He focused his energy in his dantian and channeled his palm power to make his hand as steady as possible.

With one hand he pulled up his wide sleeve, and with the other he gently dabbed away the dirt from her face.

She was tired and hungry, so she didn't move much, only her bright eyes were wary of his every move.

His hand is not functioning properly, so the process is very long.

Xue Lanyi didn't dare close her eyes, and just stared at him without blinking.

Throughout the entire process, Wei Zhang did not look at her; his calm gaze remained solely focused on the dirt on her face.

Sunlight filtered through the white window paper, falling softly on his already fair face, revealing no sharp edges or ulterior motives.

He leaned down, standing only an arm's length away from Xue Lanyi.

Even at such close range, Xue Lanyi did not perceive any threat; instead, she saw his face more clearly.

She would never stare at him so closely normally; before, it was out of shyness, but later it was out of fear and disgust.

Only when I was forced to see him up close this time did I realize that there were bruises hidden under his high nose bridge and deep eyebrows, and that there were traces of blood in his pupils.

She looks very tired.

After all, from last night to the imperial court and then to the corridor, they had been busy for a whole day and night, and probably hadn't had a break.

In addition to gathering evidence to frame the crown prince and playing games with old foxes like Qi Sheng, every step was like walking on a cliff, and one wrong move could lead to complete defeat.

If an ordinary person were to work continuously under such high pressure, they would have died of exhaustion long ago...

He really doesn't seem like a normal person.

He's not even human!

"Don't think that I'll be grateful to tears if you do me a little favor."

Xue Lanyi turned her head to the inside of the bed, avoiding his wiping motion.

Wei Zhang's long fingers, which were holding a handkerchief, landed precisely at the corner of her right eye.

Her swollen eyes were stained with tears.

Wei Zhang took the opportunity to wipe the corner of her eye.

Xue Lanyi didn't want to look at him, but out of the corner of her eye, she could catch a glimpse of the deep, bone-piercing window sill scars and teeth marks on the back of his hand.

The torn flesh made his originally fair and slender fingers look ferocious.

If, by some chance, the serious injury sustained last night affects the exoneration of the Crown Prince today, wouldn't Xue Lanyi's crime be enormous?

It's not that she doesn't understand the bigger picture; if he had explained to her last night that they were going to do something so important today, she wouldn't have argued with him.

But then again, wasn't the reason she argued with him because he was too domineering and tore her wedding dress?

Don't expect me to be grateful to you!

Wei Zhang glanced up at her angry and fierce expression, chuckled, and shook his head. "What use is your gratitude to me?"

The man spoke calmly and steadily, neither arrogant nor humble, his voice cold as if he were conducting a transaction.

Many people wanted to trade with him, and the stakes were high, so Xue Lanyi's gratitude was of no use to him.

Xue Lanyi snorted coldly, "Then don't think that you can wipe the slate clean by showing a little kindness! You can never wash away the evil deeds you've committed!"

"A favor?" Wei Zhang looked surprised.

It took a long time for her to realize that what she called a favor was to exonerate the Crown Prince Party and allow Mu Qinghong to succeed to the throne.

This matter is indeed a great blessing for the Crown Prince's family.

However, this was not his intention, and he had no intention of taking credit.

"I'm doing this for myself, you don't need to worry about it."

"Who's agonizing over this?" Xue Lanyi brushed his hand away and rolled her eyes at him.

Like a hedgehog that has been touched, all its quills stand up.

Wei Zhang remained silent, and had no intention of arguing about merits and demerits over such a trivial matter.

For him, his only goal was to find a more obedient puppet.

As for who I happened to help in the process, it was all unintentional.

No one owes anyone anything, and no one should thank anyone.

Wei Zhang threw the handkerchief into the clear water and stood up.

"Alright, rest well here and don't overthink things. I'll come pick you up at noon."

That ignorant person in the Imperial Study should be dealt with as soon as possible; we can't let him cause trouble for too long.

He straightened his clothes, intending to leave and attend to official business first.

A hand suddenly grabbed the wide sleeve.

He turned to look at her. The girl was lying on the couch, her fingers tightly gripping the corner of her python robe. Her clear, watery eyes looked up at him, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling as if they could speak.

Suddenly, he remembered that two months ago, when she got up to go to court every day, she looked at him with the same captivating beauty.

If he doesn't respond, she will blush and gently shake his sleeve, uttering a muffled sentence through her tightly bitten lips, "Didn't you say you'd kiss me before going to court from now on?"

Before the words were even finished, the girl's face would turn as red as a boiled shrimp...

As memory and reality overlapped, Wei Zhang stared at her slightly parted lips, his Adam's apple bobbing.

The other woman's eyes, however, held a different kind of hazy affection than those of someone just waking up. Her gaze was clear and calculating. "If... if I didn't thank you, would you... still have made Mu Qinghong the crown prince?"

Xue Lanyi remains uncertain.

If, when he goes to the Imperial Study to negotiate, the young Emperor Mu Qingyun suddenly compromises and becomes his puppet again.

Will he change his mind again and reach a new agreement with the young emperor?

Regardless of Mu Qinghong's awkward situation at that time, the thousands of members of the Crown Prince's family who appeared in front of the Taihe Hall Square may also fall into ruin.

"If I don't thank you, will you really spare the Crown Prince's disciple?" Xue Lanyi became more and more nervous as she thought about it, and her hands unconsciously clenched tighter and tighter.

She almost pulled Wei Zhang's arm into her embrace.

He didn't like discussing court affairs in private, but feeling her chest rise and fall under the quilt with his fingertips, he still said, "They didn't bother me, so it doesn't matter whether I forgive them or not."

"So, will you definitely choose Ah Hong?"

"meeting."

Wei Zhang never looked back on his actions.

Xue Lanyi's tension subsided a little, and she couldn't help but blurt out, "Then you'll make Ah Hong..."

The words "personal rule" were on his lips.

Why would Wei Zhang allow Mu Qinghong to rule in his own right?

Xue Lanyi knew it was highly unlikely, so she rolled her tongue and asked, "Will we let Ahong discuss politics in the future?"

"Won't."

Wei Zhang uttered those two cold words without the slightest hesitation or room for negotiation.

The reason he abandoned Mu Qingyun and chose Mu Qinghong was because he knew that Mu Qinghong had been displaced for six years and her spirit had long since softened.

Moreover, all those currently loyal to Mu Qinghong combined are no match for the trouble caused by Shen Jinglan alone.

He wanted a perfect puppet, not someone to do charity for the Crown Prince's family.

He did not hide this from Xue Lanyi.

Xue Lanyi knew that even if she thanked him and was willing to stay by his side, she didn't have the power to change him.

All she could do was try to stop him from going insane and harming innocent people.

As for the princelings, things have come to a relatively good state as they are today.

There was nothing she could do about the rest.

Thinking this, he felt somewhat defeated, his eyes dimmed, and he loosened his grip on Wei Zhang's sleeve.

Her hands stopped clinging to him, and in that instant of weakness, Wei Zhang instinctively caught her drooping hand without thinking.

He held her hand in his palm and gently massaged her cold fingers.

Xue Lanyi remained silent and did not struggle.

He paused for a moment, then finally spoke: "As long as he doesn't act recklessly like Mu Qingyun, I guarantee he'll live a life of wealth and comfort, including that... Yue Niang by his side?"

Wei Zhang raised his eyes and asked her.

Xue Lanyi's face was droopy.

Wei Zhang tucked her hand back into the blanket and tucked her in.

He has planned for half his life; there's really no reason for him to do the work for someone else.

There's no reason to raise a wolf yourself, only to have it drink your blood and gnaw on your bones in the future.

He knew very well that if he gave power to Mu Qinghong, Mu Qinghong's first thought would be to take his life.

Wei Zhang wouldn't gamble on Mu Qinghong's conscience; he wanted real power. But Xue Lanyi remained silent throughout, her face unintentionally revealing a wronged expression.

He sighed silently.

He truly understood the meaning of the saying "It's hard to raise a young woman" today.

"Besides letting him take charge of the government, I will respond to any questions you may have about him in the future."

This was essentially giving Mu Qinghong a life-saving charm.

Moreover, the talisman was still in Xue Lanyi's hand.

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, then quickly drooped even lower.

She was clearly still unhappy, but Wei Zhang could tell that she had accepted his conditions.

He stood before her bed for a moment, his hand stiffly stroking her hair. "Alright, I'll have the imperial kitchen send over a bowl of congee and shrimp and tofu. What else would you like to eat?"

Xue Lanyi did not speak.

Wei Zhang had no time to waste. Seeing her lying there listlessly, he wanted to lean down and kiss her face as usual.

She pursed her lips and left quietly.

"Wei Zhang!"

As he reached the door, Xue Lanyi called out to him again.

Wei Zhang didn't turn around, but from her suddenly loud tone, he vaguely realized what she was going to say.

Xue Lanyi was silent for a moment, then, unsurprisingly, her voice was slightly hoarse, "What about him? Where is he? If... if I'm willing to go home with you, could you let him go?"

She didn't even call Wei Xuan's name, just the word "he," and Wei Zhang could feel the girl's tense breathing and surging emotions behind him.

The word "he" alone can instantly bring her to life.

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Author's Note: My darlings, the story is entering its later stages, but the "Hate the Sea, Love the Sky" saga isn't over yet! There will be one last major plot twist later on [covering face and peeking].