Chapter 101: How can I completely disable my legs by self-harm? Cut them off,...

"Princess?"

The candlelight flickered in the tent, and Wen Zheliu's affectionate round eyes were filled with warm yellow, a soft color that tightly wrapped around people and made them want to drown in it.

"……nothing."

Not wanting Wen Zheliu to ask any further questions, He Jiuyue raised his eyebrows and casually changed the topic.

"When I was feeding her before, you wanted to kick me out ten miles away. What happened today? You're not in a hurry to kick me out?"

Wen Zheliu's pale cheeks turned red.

"...A wife and husband should always be honest with each other."

Perhaps because she was dissatisfied with her parents' neglect of her, the two of them whispered to each other, and the little girl sucked even louder.

When the room was quiet, her voice was the echo.

After all, she had only taken one dose of medicine, and the blockage had not been completely cured. Every time the girl inhaled, the stone that was blocking her would move.

It was a tug-of-war, and the one who suffered was Wen Zheliu, who had to serve both ends.

"Hiss!" The dull pain is bearable, but the stinging pain is unbearable.

In front of He Jiuyue, Wen Zheliu didn't want to make her worry, so he gritted his teeth and endured it silently. However, if you walk by the river often, you will get your feet wet. In the end, he couldn't help it and let out a muffled groan from between his lips and teeth.

"What's wrong?" He Jiuyue subconsciously leaned her buttocks against the bed and supported Wen Zheliu's shoulders which were leaning against the headboard.

"The child..."

The unfinished words "bite me" were swallowed into his stomach, and Wen Zheliu's face became hotter and hotter.

What's wrong with him? He actually complained about a little girl who didn't even have teeth. It's inevitable that a girl so young doesn't know the seriousness of the matter. She is ignorant, so is he also ignorant?

"What's wrong with the child?" He Jiuyue asked doubtfully.

The sizzling sounds continued. The little girl was eating so happily that she didn't notice that she had become the focus of discussion.

"Nothing." Although the little girl was picky about food, fortunately, the Wenzheliu tea was juicy, so she could eat it without spitting it out. It was only a little over a month old, but its whole body was plump. As Wenzheliu looked at it, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise, "Child, you're quite strong."

After all, He Jiuyue had known Wen Zheliu for many years, so it was not difficult for him to hear the hidden meaning in his words.

"Did she hurt you?"

She was calm and composed, speaking clearly and slowly, as if this was not something difficult to talk about.

"...It hurts a little." Wen Zheliu pulled the corner of his mouth and smiled faintly, "It's okay, this is just the beginning. It was really hard when she was born."

He Jiuyue was stunned.

Yes, when she saw Wen Zheliu’s pale face, she felt sorry for him and for a moment, she forgot that Wen Zheliu had been born with congenital deficiencies since his father’s womb. He had been bedridden since childhood and had been to the gates of hell dozens of times. What kind of disease had he not suffered from?

It's just that he likes to keep everything in his heart. He has been ill for a long time and has few friends around him. He is afraid of being disliked, so he has always been able to endure pain.

But when he just mentioned giving birth...

She wasn't with him.

Just like when Wen Zheliu became blind and was imprisoned in Changle Palace, she was not by his side.

The moments when he felt the most pain were always when he was alone.

Feeling sad, He Jiuyue took the hand of Wen Zheliu Su, but felt only a coldness as cold jade.

"After taking the medicine to relieve the depression, do you feel better?"

"...I feel better now. Thank you for your concern, Princess." Wen Zheliu didn't know how long He Jiuyue's sudden concern would last. He didn't dare to take advantage of the favor and just nodded politely and replied with this sentence.

As soon as the words came out, both of them were stunned by the politeness and alienation contained in them.

How did they become like this?

"Why did you leave without saying goodbye?"

Her heart felt bitter and astringent, as if she were soaked in sour plum soup. He Jiyue's nose felt sore, and her iron heart rarely cracked. She said fragilely, "Even if you leave a letter..."

She stopped talking midway.

It is not that sadness comes from within, it cannot be stopped.

But she suddenly realized that the truth of the matter was so bloody that it took her more than half a year to accept it even if she had to deal with it now.

If Wen Zheliu had gambled everything on her at that time, placed all his hopes on her, and really wrote down his tragic and complicated life story in detail, would she have forgiven him if she had understood his suffering?

I'm afraid it's very difficult.

It would be better for the two of them to separate and calm down.

As the saying goes, "A scent from afar smells good, but a scent from near smells bad." When two people get along for a long time, it's inevitable that they'll get bored. Being apart for a few days can actually make the separation feel like a new marriage.

"……Feel sorry."

The two have been together day and night for more than ten years and have a deep understanding of each other's character. He Jiyue's unexpressed intentions were well known to Wen Zheliu.

He pursed his lips, and when he spoke again, there was a hint of bitterness in his words: "I didn't mean to leave without saying goodbye. It really happened suddenly... I'm afraid this is a long story. If you want an explanation, I'll just keep it short."

He Jiyue nodded: "You say."

"When you went south to suppress bandits, Emperor Jingming held me hostage in the palace. I thought you wouldn't come back, and I was so anxious and angry... I couldn't help but contact Xiyue, saying I wanted to return to inherit the throne and then return to you in style...

"I admit that I was still young at the time and didn't think too much about it. I just wanted to make a big noise so that you would come and see me, even if it was just for a moment. Who knew..."

When the conversation reached the crucial point, Wen Zheliu choked and couldn't continue.

He took two deep breaths, and there was a hint of tears in his voice.

"...He Wuhuan, it's me. I'm sorry."

Weren't we just having a good conversation? Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?

After a moment of confusion, He Jiuyue suddenly had an idea.

She spoke several times faster than usual: "So, at the banquet, you begged for my mercy, hoping to test my attitude one last time before leaving Central Plains?"

Wen Zheliu was stunned for a moment and nodded.

He Jiuyue leaned forward and said, "So when you came back to the Princess's Mansion with me, you didn't hold grudges and had no intention of settling the score for abandoning you in the capital. Was it because you were pregnant and really wanted to live with me?"

Wen Zheliu nodded repeatedly.

He Jiyue wrapped his fingertips tighter in her palm. "But the people in Xiyue aren't easy to deal with either. You originally just wanted to use Situ Yun's power to scare me, but you didn't know that Situ Yun also had ulterior motives and issued a death order to Dugu Qiu, insisting on taking you back to Xiyue?"

Wen Zheliu burst into tears, his thin shoulders shrugged, and he didn't even have the strength to nod.

"So," He Jiuyue said word by word, "even though you know your background is special, you've never thought of leaving. Were you forced to do so?"

Her eyes were so fiery, as if just one more nod from Wen Zheliu would clear all the suspicions in her heart.

"……No."

But Wen Zheliu denied it.

"He Wuhuan, I've thought about just walking away. Back then, when the Prime Minister's Mansion was accused of collaborating with the enemy, my biological mother, adoptive father, eldest brother, and I were all imprisoned. I've thought about it. They also arranged it this way."

He Jiyue was not annoyed. After a moment's thought, she came to her senses: "It's just that I showed up rashly and rescued you, so you took advantage of my trick and stayed in my princess's mansion?"

He Jiuyue finally revealed the things that she had been hiding in her heart.

No longer having to carry such a heavy responsibility on his thin shoulders, Wen Zheliu breathed a long sigh of relief and nodded heavily.

"Yes, I told you I was leaving the house to find the contact sent by Xiyue... But at that time, I just wanted to understand the solution that Xiyue had for the incident. I didn't want to go back with them. I really wanted to go back when I was in Changle Palace. You know what happened next."

The person in front of me made the matter sound so light.

As if it is not worth mentioning.

But his body was clearly shaking.

He Jiuyue put one arm around Wen Zheliu's shoulders and stared at his eyes which were slightly swollen from crying. This gesture seemed caring and protective, but more like a strong confinement.

"So is it true that your mother and father collaborated with the enemy?"

“…Personally, I don’t think so.”

It was a rare opportunity to speak openly and honestly to his mother about this matter, and he told her everything he knew, like spilling beans while hearing willow branches.

"My adoptive mother knew about my background and my biological father's correspondence with Situ Yun, but she didn't participate. My biological father only wrote to Situ Yun about my recent situation and our... friendship, that's all."

He Jiuyue didn't notice that Wen Zheliu swallowed the word "friendship" tremblingly.

She just frowned even tighter.

"You said your adoptive mother wasn't involved in this, so why is there a letter from Guan Ze in the Dali Temple reporting military intelligence to Xiyue, signed with the Prime Minister's private seal?"

"What?"

Wen Zheliu was so excited that his face flushed crimson, and the pent-up anger in his chest began to stir. "Absolutely impossible! The letters I exchanged with Situ Yun all used, cough, my father's, cough cough, private seal!"

“……!” If He Jiuyue had not seen it with his own eyes, he would have suspected that he had developed presbyopia at such a strong age.

But how could that be?

She had read through all the letters stored in the Dali Temple. Although the handwriting did not look familiar to her, the signature was clearly from Wen Xiang.

The content of the letter can be written by someone else, but the signature seal is difficult to forge.

What is going on here?

"Grand Marshal, someone from Xiyue has arrived and wants to see you."

Chen Jin's voice was heard outside. In the capital, where there were many nobles, she called He Jiuyue "Princess". Now that she was in the army, everyone addressed her by her military rank, so she naturally changed it to "Grand Marshal".

Sensitively noticing the stiffness of the person in his arms, He Jiuyue lowered his head, kissed Wen Zheliu's smooth forehead, which had just been wiped of sweat, and hugged him tighter.

"Who wants to see me?"

Chen Jin replied, "It was Murong Jin from Xiyue who said...the three-day deadline has expired and they need to redeem their Majesty."

Wen Zheliu struggled and said, "I should go now."

"Stay still." He Jiuyue pressed his shoulder. "She came here to discuss the stability of the two countries. I will talk to her. Zheliu, you should rest well."

"...Yeah." Wen Zheliu rubbed the top of his hair against her cheek twice before letting go, "You should take care of yourself too."

"good."

He Jiuyue answered briefly, threw his cloak over his shoulders, and left in a hurry.

No longer needing to support himself, Wen Zheliu let his upper body, which was so weak that it was shaking, slide down like a limp surface and collapsed into a ball on the bed.

My body is still because of weakness, but my mind is extremely restless.

He had to pinch his arms until they bled several times before he could finally calm down.

At that time, their family was imprisoned. He and his biological father were like frightened birds, not daring to argue - if you have done nothing wrong, you are not afraid of ghosts knocking on your door. However, they really did collude with Xiyue - thinking carefully, his adoptive mother heard about it...

He looked as if he was ready to die.

It's as if I knew this day would come.

We can talk about some trivial family matters, and at most, Wen Xiangding will be charged with the crime of harboring people from Xiyue. Is this crime really punishable by death?

Furthermore, He Jiuyue is now willing to believe him and thoroughly investigate the truth behind the Wen family's imprisonment, but is it because of his illness and his legs that are shrinking day by day and he can't move and can only lean on the bed?

Then... if his legs could walk, wouldn't He Jiuyue's careful care be like a flower in the mirror, a moon in the water, floating away as if riding the wind?

No way.

Wen Zheliu stared at his immobile legs, lost in thought.

How can I make it completely unable to move?

Cut it off, maybe.

Since he didn't even have legs, the tendons and veins in his legs naturally had no chance of recovery.

It happened that He Jiuyue went ahead to discuss with Murong Jin, and was not by his side. She was also in a state of confusion, so it would take at least three quarters of an hour for her to come back.

If we don’t act now, when will we act?

There is a faint bulge under the soft pillow.

Wen Zheliu reached out and took out a dagger with familiarity.

A sharp cold light flashed, and the blade reflected the haggard and desolate smile on the corner of his mouth.

This dagger was given to him by He Jiuyue for self-defense.

Who knew that he would use it in this place.

With the candlelight in the tent, Wen Zheliu could clearly see the location of the thigh root. He made up his mind, closed his eyes, and grasped the dagger tightly with both hands, pointing the tip downwards, and stabbed hard...