Chapter 33 "I didn't lie to you, back then I..."

Petals of apricot blossoms floated in the warm sunlight, swaying gently, sometimes near, sometimes far.

Xue Mingyao and the young prince each occupied one end of the hammock. Although they were curled up and bent over, they still looked quite dashing.

The one who wasn't graceful was Green Branch; she arched her back, spread her legs wide, and pushed the swing while grimacing.

The rope moved slowly, causing the crescent-shaped couch to swing gently and rhythmically, producing a barely audible sound.

"Push it higher, faster, faster... Have you not eaten?" the little prince complained.

“I’ve already eaten,” Green Branch said, feeling wronged.

Lying on her side, Xue Mingyao bent her leg and kicked him, "Don't yell at my maid. You're so heavy, who can push you?"

“You’re the heavy one. Look at you—” the little prince gestured with her prominent breasts and pert buttocks, “You take up so much space!”

Green Branch chuckled, and Xue Mingyao said lazily, "Your Highness is right."

"If General Xie came, he could definitely make things move." The little prince pouted, his face falling. "Why isn't General Xie here yet? Where is he?"

In the embroidery room, Xie Zhuo and Chen Zhelan faced each other.

Chen Zhelan showed no surprise. Her beautiful, affectionate eyes gazed tenderly at Xie Zhuo, and she softly addressed him as General Xie.

Upon seeing this, Xie Zhuo understood most of the situation and felt a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

"Mrs. Chen, what are you doing here?"

"I'm resting here. Perhaps the maid is being inconsiderate and brought the general along," she replied softly.

Xie Zhuo said, "I'll leave now."

The door was locked from the outside and couldn't be opened.

“That maid is so inconsiderate, locking the door like that. She probably doesn’t know you’re inside. Madam Chen, go and knock on the door and ask her to open it,” Xie Zhuo said.

Chen Zhelan twisted her handkerchief, hesitating as if she wanted to say something, and after a long while said in a soft voice, "General, don't you think it's fate that we're both locked in this room?"

"So-called fate is often not determined by heaven, but by human effort. Besides, it would be bad for your reputation if we lived in the same room. It's better to give up this kind of fate. Madam Chen, I'll go knock on the door and call for help."

However, as soon as Xie Zhuo turned around, Chen Zhelan grabbed his sleeve, her sweet voice rising up the sleeve, "General Xie, what if I don't care about my reputation?"

Chen Zhelan's soft hand rested on Xie Zhuo's upper arm, gently stroking it.

"I do care." Xie Zhuo turned away helplessly. "I care about my reputation."

Embarrassment and disappointment welled up in Chen Zhelan's watery eyes, but instead of letting go, she gripped even tighter. She moved closer to him, the fragrance of her hair wafting to his nose. He looked down and saw her dark eyelashes and the flush on her cheeks.

Xie Zhuo wanted to sigh again.

He had no choice but to say it tactfully, "Madam Chen, I did not eat that bowl of tea porridge."

Chen Zhelan's face immediately turned pale.

Xie Zhuo took the opportunity to pull his hand away from her stiff hand and walked to the table to sit down.

"How did you know there was something in the tea porridge?" Chen Zhelan murmured.

"I noticed something was off about the taste, so I kept an eye on it," Xie Zhuo said without changing his expression.

Chen Zhelan looked like she was about to cry.

Xie Zhuo stared at the patterns on the table and suggested again, "Madam Chen, go and ask your maid to open the door."

Chen Zhelan seemed not to hear, and said in a trembling voice, "I was so stupid to think that drugging you would make things work. General Xie, you must be laughing at me in your heart right now."

She slowly moved to sit opposite him, keeping her head down and not daring to look at him.

"No, I wasn't laughing at you," Xie Zhuo said.

"Are you angry with me? I broke my vows and dared to seduce you in this way."

"No, not at all. I am deeply grateful for your kindness, but I am unworthy of it."

To be fair, Xie Zhuo wasn't angry at all; he did find it somewhat amusing, though. This familiar tactic reminded him of Xue Mingyao.

Chen Zhelan seemed very moved. She raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and stared at him intently. She said without a care in the world, "You're so kind. I really wish you had eaten that tea porridge."

Xie Zhuo frowned. "Madam Chen, even if I am really drugged, I will not let you have your way."

Chen Zhelan's face, which had just regained some color, turned pale again.

“Among men, it is indeed rare to find one who can remain unmoved by a woman in his lap, but that does not mean that a person will indulge in lust under the influence of drugs. Madam Chen, your wishful thinking not only belittles me but also yourself,” Xie Zhuo said.

Chen Zhelan's tears finally fell.

Having said all that, Xie Zhuo decided to be frank with her, "Madam Chen, you are outstanding in every way. You could have any perfect husband you wanted, so why are you fixated on me? I am a poor and lowly person, and I am not worthy of you."

"How could I not be worthy?" Chen Zhelan asked, her eyes brimming with tears. "Is it because of Princess Yongning?"

Xie Zhuo fell silent.

"I know, I know it's her." Chen Zhelan wiped away her tears and said sadly, "Princess Yongning even likes my second brother. How can such a frivolous woman who is not content with her home be worthy of being your wife!"

Xie Zhuo's face darkened, but he did not refute.

Tears streamed down Chen Zhelan's face, her voice filled with grievance, "I was the one who met you first. You don't know, I've liked you for more than two years. When you went to fight in the southern frontier, I even secretly followed my brother to see you off."

She choked up, like a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood, and asked urgently, "I know we are destined to be together. If I had let you meet me two years earlier, would everything have changed?"

Xie Zhuo shook his head.

In terms of timing, it couldn't have been earlier than Xue Mingyao.

"If I had known your feelings back then, I would have made it clear to you sooner."

Chen Zhelan was stunned. Because of her embarrassment, her tears flowed even more freely. She tried to stop them, but to no avail.

The handkerchief was soaked through, so she had to use her sleeve to wipe it.

“Even if you had told me earlier, I still wouldn’t have given up. General Xie, am I pathetic? I’m just asking for trouble. I’m beyond saving.”

Her voice was full of sobs, making it difficult to understand. Xie Zhuo got up and took a clean handkerchief from the washstand for her. "It's not like that. You can let me go and find someone else."

Chen Zhelan just kept crying.

Xie Zhuo was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "If I were a womanizer and a heartless philanderer, would you still be fond of me?"

Chen Zhelan hesitated and shook her head.

"Then just think of me as that kind of person."

Xie Zhuo finished speaking calmly, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips. "You just said that Princess Yongning is restless and frivolous. Yes, that's exactly what she is, yet I still want to marry her. Let me tell you, that's truly hopeless."

......

Xue Mingyao lay in the swaying hammock and said, "Your Highness, stop with the general talk. Have you forgotten that he hates me? If he comes, I'll have to leave."

“He might not dislike you.” The little prince said seriously, “Father said that if a man wants to bully a woman, it’s because he likes her.”

What kind of fallacious reasoning is Zhao Jingyun spouting?

Xue Mingyao scoffed, "Listen to this, does that make any sense?"

“That doesn’t make sense.” The little prince dragged out his words, “I like Hongxiang, so I’ll prepare delicious food for her. I like Aunt Yongning, so I’ll come and play on the swing with her. I like my father, mother, grandfather, and grandmother, so I’ll hug them.”

Xue Mingyao was somewhat touched and decided to ignore the little grandson's previous gloating towards her, asking, "Are you putting Aunt Yongning before your father, mother, grandfather, and grandmother?"

The young prince nodded, "Because they always make me read and write, but Aunt Yongning never does."

That's because she wasn't a good aunt...

Xue Mingyao touched her nose. "Who is Hongxiang?"

She guessed it was a maid or eunuch who took care of the young prince.

“It’s my cricket,” the young prince said with a grin.

Xue Mingyao: "......"

The young prince added, "But Father also said that General Xie wants Aunt Yongning to be his wife, so he must like her."

Xue Mingyao didn't know what to say, and muttered, "Your father is actually talking to you about these things."

"Because Father wanted General Xie to be Fifth Aunt's husband, but General Xie was unwilling, so he was a little unhappy. But when he heard that General Xie wanted to marry you, he was happy and even helped persuade Fifth Aunt."

"Then I must thank you, Father," Xue Mingyao said dryly.

The young prince blinked and suddenly said, "Aunt Yongning, I heard that Father used to like you."

Xue Mingyao raised an eyebrow. "Your Highness, you should spend more time studying."

He's always thinking about something.

"Is it true?" The little prince struggled to get up from the swing, but after spinning around a few times, he gave up and finally hooked Xue Mingyao's leg with his foot, urging her to answer.

Xue Mingyao casually replied, "That's fake. According to your father's logic, it's not true liking, because your father has never bullied me."

"Besides General Xie, who else has bullied you?"

"Nobody's here, nobody dares to bully me." Xue Mingyao braced herself with her legs. "And let me tell you, back then, I was the one who bullied General Xie, I bullied him terribly!"

"Aunt Yongning has lied to us again!"

"I'm not lying to you. If you don't believe me, go ask your General Xie."

Xue Mingyao looked up at the sky, thinking, "A hero doesn't dwell on past glories."

Inside the room, Chen Zhelan finally stopped crying, her eyes still red.

"General Xie, thank you for not blaming me and for telling me so much."

"Well, I'll pretend today's events never happened. Madam Chen, please try to let it go." After Xie Zhuo finished speaking, he paused and asked if she could go and call a maid to open the door.

Chen Zhelan whispered, "My maid isn't nearby; she should be calling someone over by now. I... I was going to arrange for someone to watch us..."

Xie Zhuo was taken aback, but then he understood.

Chen Zhelan wanted to force him to marry her after they had physical intimacy. To prevent him from denying it, she even planned to have someone witness their affair, so he wouldn't be able to shirk responsibility. From high society to ordinary people, many had used this trick to secure marriages.

Chen Zhelan, confined to her chambers, was quite adept at this method. Xie Zhuo was displeased, but too lazy to say anything; he couldn't bear to make her cry again.

“That’s simple. When the people arrive, I’ll step in. You can hide in—” He stood up and looked behind the screen, pointing to a spot, “in this trunk. After I and the people come out, you can leave. That way, we can clear our names and avoid any gossip.”

Chen Zhelan hesitated for a moment, "This is probably not appropriate. My maid brought someone to see me. If she opens the door and sees you, she might be at a loss. Perhaps I should handle it myself, and please ask the general to hide."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a series of footsteps were heard coming from the corridor outside the door, approaching from a distance, and it seemed that there were more than one or two people walking towards them.

Chen Zhelan cried out in a panic, "They're here! What do we do? General, General Xie..."

She called out to him plaintively, her tear-streaked face filled with longing and pleading.

Xie Zhuo said, "Let's do it your way."

He flashed behind the screen, lifted the lid of the trunk, and jumped inside. The trunk lid closed, concealing him completely.

Chen Zhelan stared blankly at the camphor wood chest, her mind a jumble of emotions, feeling as if her time with her beloved had just been a dream.

Even though she was overwhelmed with grief, she still didn't want to escape from this dream.

Along the long corridor, a round-faced maid respectfully led the way, followed by the princess and her husband, as well as Consort Feng. Her mistress first instructed her to make sure Princess Yi'an was brought here, and then said it would be best to bring Chen Liangzheng as well.

Chen Zhelan was worried that Zhao Ying would side with Xie Zhuo because of Xue Mingyao, and if her brother, who was always respectful of etiquette and loved his younger sister, were also there, then there would be no one to uphold justice.

Somewhat strangely, when Consort Feng saw her talking to the princess and her husband, she also came over.

She thought that her master meant that the more witnesses there were, the more certainty there would be, so she did not send Consort Feng away.

"What exactly does my little sister want to tell us? Why are you being so mysterious?" Zhao Ying asked with a smile.

"This servant doesn't know either, that's what Master ordered." The maid answered softly, rushed to the door a few steps ahead, knocked on the door and called out to her mistress, and quietly unlatched the door.

After a while, the door slowly opened from the inside, and Chen Zhelan's wet and beautiful face appeared before everyone.

Zhao Ying was startled. "Ze Lan, what's wrong? You look like you've been crying."

Chen Zhelan looked at the newcomer uneasily, somewhat surprised to see Consort Feng there as well. She first bowed to Consort Feng, then forced herself to compose herself. "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry. I was going to wish you a happy birthday, but... something just happened... I was upset and lost my composure. May I apologize to you tomorrow?"

Her eyelids were red, making her look very pitiful. Zhao Ying, of course, didn't blame her and asked worriedly, "Little sister, what happened to make you so sad?"

Chen Zhelan stammered, "It's nothing."

“Little sister, if you’ve been wronged, don’t keep it to yourself. Your brother and sister-in-law will stand up for you,” Chen Liangzheng said.

Tears welled up in Chen Zhelan's eyes again. "I, I..."

A strange impulse burned within her, and today she recklessly did the most outrageous thing she had ever done. She failed, but her beloved didn't turn a blind eye. He listened to her heartfelt words and comforted her. She knew she hadn't misjudged him; his gentle nature surpassed that of countless other men in the world.

Chen Zhelan didn't want to let go at all.

Even if there's no future for them, it would be good if their story could continue a little longer...

"Little sister, just say it!" Zhao Ying said anxiously.

Feng Wan, having been recognized by her palace servants as the round-faced maid who had drugged Chen Zhelan, suspected she was up to no good again and had followed to investigate. She discovered it was merely Chen Zhelan's third daughter throwing a tantrum. Seeing Chen Zhelan's evasive answers, she considerately said, "Third daughter is perhaps hesitant to speak because of my presence, an outsider. I will now leave..."

"I was just with General Xie!" Chen Zhelan suddenly said.

Zhao Ying and his wife were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other in bewilderment. Feng Wan, who was about to leave, stopped in her tracks and pricked up her ears.

“I was waiting for my sister-in-law here when General Xie suddenly barged in. He had been drinking and after only a few words with me, he tried to humiliate me. I was shocked and scared, and I couldn’t resist him, so I started to cry.”

All Chen Zhelan could hear was the thunderous pounding of her own heart, and words seemed to have legs, rushing out of her mouth one after another.

"Ze Lan, do you know what you're saying?" Chen Liangzheng couldn't believe it.

“I’m not lying, that’s exactly what happened. He only calmed down when he heard someone coming. He threatened me not to tell anyone and then hid in the wooden box behind the screen. Brother and sister-in-law, you must stand up for me!”

Chen Zhelan's voice trembled with tears again, her mind a jumbled mess of thoughts. She wondered if, once her brother and sister-in-law opened the wooden box, Xie Zhuo would have nowhere to hide and might simply accept the stigma. After all, he was such a good person; he couldn't bear to be angry with her, so would he really have the heart to expose her past?

Will it? Or won't it?

Chen Zhelan eagerly awaited the answer.

She also eagerly anticipated the expressions of her brother and sister-in-law, including the enthusiastic Consort Feng, when they met Xie Zhuo, wanting her reputation to be firmly tied to Xie Zhuo.

Chen Zhelan led the astonished crowd around the screen and opened the wooden box with trembling hands.

There were only a few pieces of clothing in the box.

Xie Zhuo was not among them.