Chapter 96, five points from a surge of frenzied excitement...
"Cough..." A trickle of bloody foam flowed from the corner of Xiao Dingguan's lips, and his bloodshot eyes suddenly widened.
His gaze gradually lost focus, yet he stubbornly stared at Ji Chengnin.
The young general's expressionless face, though his eyes were trembling violently, was reflected in his lifeless eyeballs.
Then he smiled, as if he were discovering Ji Chen and Ji Lang's secret for the first time.
Her lips managed a strained upward curve, but before she could even form a smile, it froze in a slightly upturned arc.
Ji Chengnin's hands were ice-cold, but he still gripped Xiao Dingguan's neck, his five fingers digging into it tightly.
He could feel the skin under his fingers rapidly losing temperature.
But when her neck landed limply in his palm, he realized that the skin he touched was chilling to the bone.
Xiao Dingguan is undoubtedly dead.
But Ji Chengnin didn't move.
He looked more like a dead person than a dead person.
"General...?"
Li Bi slowly entered the dungeon, but instead of immediately going into a cell, he stood at the door and hesitated before asking a question.
Li Bi and the others outside could only hear bursts of noise, but the voices were muffled and they couldn't make out what was being said.
But soon, the inside became extremely quiet.
Although everyone knew that Xiao Dingguan couldn't cause any trouble at the moment, he was still cunning and ruthless. What if he hurt the general while they were away?
Li Bi then went inside to take a look.
Ji Chengnin turned around abruptly.
Li Bi subconsciously took a half step back.
But then a crimson hue appeared in Ji Chengnin's eyes, which, from a distance, looked as if they had been splattered with blood, deeply embedded in his sharp features.
“General,” Li Bi had never seen Ji Chengnin with such a terrifying expression before, and felt a chill instantly spread from his neck.
He saw Xiao Dingguan with his head down and his face pale and bluish, and suddenly realized something. He quickly took three steps forward and went to feel Xiao Dingguan's neck.
There was no pulsation under his fingers.
The intertwined blue and red finger marks on Xiao Dingguan's neck made the cause of his death seem obvious.
"Dead!" he exclaimed.
"So be it!" Ji Chengnin abruptly cut him off.
Li Bi immediately stopped talking.
Ji Chengning seemed to wake from a dream. "I," he said, his gaze fixed on Xiao Dingguan's face. After a long while, he turned to Li Bi with trembling hands. "Reporting to Ying, I didn't mean to..." His voice was unusually hoarse. He paused, "I'll go and apologize to His Majesty."
His face was pale and bloodless.
Even his fingers had turned bluish-white from the excessive force, as if he had been drained of all his blood.
Li Bi hurriedly said, "General, I have no intention of blaming you, but... but..." The general must have his reasons for doing this, but how should we entertain him with the court?!
He didn't know whether he should speak plainly, so he suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Perhaps, Xiao Dingguan, knowing that his crimes are heinous, should commit suicide to preserve his body intact."
Ji Chengning smiled at him, but his eyes were downcast, his gaze dim and defeated. For the first time, the smile of this once spirited young man revealed a hint of weariness.
He neither said yes nor no, but said softly, "Take the body out and cremate it."
Without another word, he turned and left.
Ji Chengning continued to manage, rebuild, and investigate officials—anyone who had an ambiguous relationship with Xiao Dingguan during the war was to be dismissed and punished. As for those who tried to please both sides, hoping to win Xiao Dingguan's favor, and also to preserve their wealth and status in Yanjun and Luanyang, they were to be dealt with according to the law. The lightest punishment was exile two thousand li away and forced into military service.
His swift and decisive actions, along with his ruthless and merciless methods, have instilled fear in many.
Some officials were still hoping for the best, thinking that what if this was just the young marquis using the opportunity to solicit bribes? At times like these, problems that could be solved with money were not a big deal.
They carefully sealed the gifts and delivered them to the general's mansion, but unexpectedly, they were detained along with the gifts!
The gifts were confiscated, and the person who gave them is still in jail, supposedly to be dealt with for bribery.
In just half a day, the officials in both places were in an uproar, all cursing Ji Chengning for being too harsh and intolerant. Although it was not a good thing to say that these officials were hedging their bets with both sides while the war situation was still uncertain, many people in history did the same thing.
But they only dared to mutter these words in secret, after all, this young general had just won a battle, and the smell of blood on his goose-feather saber had not yet dissipated!
Night falls.
The doors and windows creaked slightly.
There was no moon for miles around, and the world was completely black. Ji Chengning did not light any lamps, and the room was so dark that you could not see your hand in front of your face.
Ji Chengning's body tensed up subconsciously, then, as if he had thought of something, he slowly released the knife at his side.
"Whoosh—"
The fabric was rubbed together, from far to near.
Ji Chengnin did not move.
In just a few seconds, a hand gently pressed down on his hand that was resting on the side of the knife, five fingers gently but firmly inserting into it, slowly tightening, and drawing it into its own palm.
A faint, cool fragrance brushed past my nose.
Ji Chengning closed his eyes.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly.
But the newcomer had no intention of letting him off so easily. Knowing that Ji Chengnin was sensitive, he dragged out every action with astonishing length.
A blunt knife slowly cuts into the most sensitive veins.
Creak, creak, creak—
It was about to break.
The newcomer lifted his robe and knelt on the edge of the bed.
Despite being in a superior position, it obediently lowers its head.
Breathe slowly as you get closer.
Ji Chengnin did not resist.
On the contrary, the soul, which had been numbed by official duties, seemed to begin to tremble only at this moment.
Sensation gradually returned.
A fine, persistent pain and immense bewilderment weighed on Ji Chengning, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Only then did he have time to consider how credible Xiao Dingguan's words were.
If it's false, then the reason is obvious: Xiao Dingguan hates Ji Chengnin, who caused his utter defeat, and wants to see him break with the emperor, ultimately ending up with the infamy of betraying his sovereign and being a traitor. If it's true—
My stomach is convulsing violently.
Ji Chengning felt a burning, sour sensation mixed with sharp pain, raging in his lower abdomen.
He almost threw up.
But he hadn't eaten anything for the past two days; it was water that was burning his throat.
How could it be true?
How could his father have become his mother overnight? Even if it really was his mother, if his mother died at the hands of the enemy, then who was Consort Ji in the palace? His... Ji Chengning suddenly shivered, and the spasms in his stomach intensified. His uncle?
That's absolutely impossible!
Ji Chengning thought it through with absolute certainty.
However, since he could remember, Consort Ji had never shown her face. What kind of hidden illness could have kept Consort Ji from seeing the light of day, people, or the wind for more than a decade?
Furthermore, regarding him and his mother, if his father was indeed the Marquis of Yongning, who was his mother, and why had he never met his maternal family?
No, that's impossible.
It's all nonsense from Xiao Dingguan.
Do not seek out suffering for yourself.
The slight breathing simultaneously tickled the sensitive, soft flesh inside his fingers, making Ji Chengning's scalp tingle.
Then, along with the unspeakable pain, an itch surged and landed on Ji Chengning's fingertips.
One rises as the other falls.
Zhong Mei's movements were very light.
Even a butterfly landing on a flower branch is nothing special.
The cool, soft texture imprinted itself on my trembling fingertips, pressing and grinding against them.
It gnawed through the joints.
The pain lingers.
Ji Chengnin seemed to be stung by this intimate gesture, his body trembled violently, and then he suddenly stood up and leaned in close.
The pain surged wildly through my veins, coursing through my limbs and bones.
It hurts, it hurts so much. The young marquis, who couldn't stand suffering the most, thought that the pain made his eyes burn. How could it hurt like this?
Why is it that even though I tell myself that this bizarre thing is just a story Xiao Dingguan made up to harm me, my body is still trembling and the pain is still coming on, spreading throughout my body like my flesh is being cut off?
It hurts!
He lost his balance and suddenly fell forward.
The body of an adult male is not exactly light. Zhong Mei was caught off guard and was suddenly thrown into a full embrace, but his body remained rooted to the spot and did not move.
He paused for half a second, then placed one hand on Ji Chengnin's waist, pulled him into his arms, and held him tightly.
But Ji Chengnin had no intention of giving up.
As soon as she was embraced, her waist began to struggle like a live fish.
He was quite strong, but Zhong Meisheng was slender and tall, and his strength was no less than that of Ji Chengning. The more he struggled, the tighter his arms became!
Their bodies were pressed tightly together, and they could clearly feel each other's physical changes.
"throat……"
Someone let out a muffled groan first.
Their breaths met, all the air was swallowed, becoming increasingly sticky and rapid.
The tips of my ears are burning.
Furthermore, it fueled the pain.
Ji Chengning felt as if he were in the midst of raging flames, and the only person he could reach was Zhong Mei, who was as beautiful as a jade statue in front of him. In particular, Zhong Mei was also radiating a coldness that made him feel at ease.
So, he naturally wrapped his arms around Zhong Du's neck.
Use that kind of suffocating force.
Arms wrapped around the neck.
Despite his body being instinctively tense, Zhong Mei did not resist in the slightest.
His powerful arms tightened like a snake.
"Click".
A soft sound, like a thunderclap, rang in their ears!
It's unclear whether it was a protest from the arm straining too much or a cry of pain from the neck unable to bear it.
Zhong Mei remained motionless.
The force was applied methodically, yet with an obvious malice, increasing in intensity.
The suffocation brought dizziness, and the instinctive moisture clung to the pale eyeballs. At this moment, the meridians within them throbbed, like living marrow in jade, beautiful yet terrifying.
The buzzing incessantly in its ears was an urgent warning to its owner to resist.
Zhong Mei lowered his head.
Ji Chengnin's strength was undoubtedly intended to kill him, yet his posture was so affectionate, his body pressed tightly against his, as if he wished he could merge with him by blood.
Compared to the rare intimacy between Ji Chengnin and him, the pain that could kill him was nothing.
Moreover, how could there be such a good thing as being strangled to death by the young marquis himself?
Zhong Mei was so dizzy that the corners of his lips kept turning up.
He looked at Ji Chengnin.
Ji Chengning closed his eyes tightly, his eyelids so thin that you could see the delicate veins, and his eyelashes trembled slightly as if he couldn't bear it. Zhong Mei felt both happy and sorry for him.
A tiny tear lingered at the corner of her eye, threatening to fall but not quite.
She wanted to wipe away his tears and ask him softly what was wrong, why he was so sad. She also wanted to suddenly pull Ji Chengning's hand away, lean over and cover him, teasing him until he couldn't even cry out loud, and could only shed tears uncontrollably.
"call……"
He exhaled hot breath with difficulty, which scorched Zhong Mei's lips until they turned bright red.
Torn between two completely contradictory desires, Zhong Mei's eyes grew increasingly dark. Ignoring the suffocation, he grabbed Ji Chengning's chin with one hand.
His voice was hoarse, strained, and slow as he said, "What's wrong, Your Highness? You're so pitiful."
There was even a hint of a smile on his face.
His tone was tender and gentle, but his actions were ruthless; his fingers roughly wiped the corner of Ji Chengnin's eye.
Take away all the tears.
He stared at Ji Chengnin's face and licked his fingertip.
The feeling of suffocation intensified, five parts from Ji Chengnin's force and five parts from the surging excitement and tyranny.
After a great victory, the army has just gone through life and death, and has come back alive from the brink of death. The pressure during the war was extremely high. If they are relaxed, it will be like a machine that has been pressed to the bottom. As long as the pressure is relaxed even slightly, it will explode with a "bang!"
"clatter."
Ji Chengnin remained silent.
A single tear suddenly fell.
Zhong Mei's movements suddenly stopped.
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Author's note: I'm going out now, I'll update one chapter from the hotel.
Good night, a red envelope will be dropped in this chapter.
Also, thank you to 溏熟霖宝贝 for the 2400 Moonstones airdrop! I can start my image hosting service again! Hehehe [calico cat emoji][calico cat emoji][calico cat emoji]
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