Chapter 153 Extra 3
Zhao Xiheng snuggled up to him and acted like a spoiled child: "I was wrong, I was really wrong, it's just that my memory hadn't fully returned back then."
Wei Li still ignored her. She grabbed Wei Li's hand, "I remember everything now. I love you the most. Please forgive me for talking nonsense during the day, okay?"
Wei Li snorted, his breath hot.
He symbolically tried to pull his hand away from Zhao Xiheng's, but failed, so he simply lay flat and let her hold it.
Zhao Xiheng shed two tears, which Wei Li called crocodile tears. She apologized to him while crying.
Wei Li is good at everything, except he lacks self-control and is easily tempted.
For example, his heart went numb the moment Zhao Xiheng shed a tear.
He was torn. Would it make him seem easy to coax if he forgave her so easily?
People don't cherish what they get too easily. He should be more assertive and let Zhao Xiheng know that he shouldn't be offended so easily.
Zhao Xiheng was close to him. She had just come in from outside, and the cold wind had chilled her to the bone. Her hands and feet were icy cold, and her cheeks were icy cold. She looked as if she had been pulled out of cold water.
Wei Li touched her hand, frowned, opened and closed his lips several times, feeling that he had to maintain his image as someone who was not easy to coax.
But his gossipy nature remained unchanged. He finally couldn't hold back and wrapped her in his own blanket. "Frozen to death, you little brat! You've made me angry! Coming here in this freezing weather dressed so thinly, have you forgotten that you just fell into the lake today?"
Do they only feel happy when they've gone through all that trouble and gotten a fever like me?
He seemed less angry now. Zhao Xiheng chuckled, peeking her feet out from under the covers, as if showing off: "I came here barefoot!"
Wei Li glared at her, so angry he was practically fuming.
Zhao Xiheng is indeed Zhao Xiheng; she always manages to hit Wei Li where it hurts.
He already had a fever and his head was buzzing; now he was so angry he couldn't even breathe properly.
I couldn't resist giving her a hard slap on the sole of her foot, then lay down, hugged my shoulders, ignored her, and closed my eyes to sleep.
He's so annoying.
He berated himself for being so weak-willed; Zhao Xiheng couldn't hold back after shedding just a couple of tears.
How can he possibly regain his husbandly authority in the future?!
He hates it!
Wei Li was indeed no longer angry. Zhao Xiheng unfolded the blanket and covered him with it. The two of them snuggled together in the blanket. "Okay, let's sleep!"
She hugged Wei Li from behind, around the waist.
Wei Li's face, already flushed from the fever, turned even redder. He ripped Zhao Xiheng's hand away, shoving her away, his voice hoarse and filled with utter disgust, "How can a young girl like you have no shame!"
"You sneak into a man's bed in the dead of night, aren't you afraid of your reputation getting out? If I were to start something and then abandon you, would you ever be able to get married?"
He hesitated awkwardly, and Zhao Xiheng chuckled, "You still have the guts to start something and then abandon it? I didn't realize."
Wei Li gritted his teeth. He didn't! He wasn't even allowed to say it!
He rolled over, pulled her into a tight hug, tucked her cold feet into his warm belly, and covered her hands. "Go to sleep!"
If you leave her to sleep alone, the bed won't get warm all night.
Zhao Xiheng made sarcastic remarks, stepping on his stomach with her feet. It was so warm, it made her feel warm too. "Hey, don't even mention me in your bed in the middle of the night. Even if I remarried twice or three times, there would be plenty of men lining up to marry me. Not only could I get married, I could also keep male concubines, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."
Even though she was the one who came to apologize tonight, Wei Li was so angry that her eyes turned red.
"You're a princess, marry whomever you want!"
Zhao Xiheng hugged his waist and snuggled against him. "Okay, don't be angry. You're the only one I want in this life."
"Hmph~" Wei Li let out a soft, nasal sound, then rubbed his chin against her neck.
The two of them had quite a bit of a commotion during the day. Although they were supposedly angry, they were actually more happy than angry, since neither of them could really get angry at the other.
Zhao Xinglie was somewhat worried when he heard early on that Wei Li was ill.
His eldest son hadn't been sick for five or six years and was very healthy, but yesterday he developed a fever because he was trying to save his daughter.
He was both worried and moved.
There was no court assembly today, so he brought tonics to visit Wei Li early in the morning.
Just as the guards were about to report, Zhao Xinglie waved his hand to stop them, saying, "I'll just take a look and leave. Don't make a fuss and disturb your master's rest."
What if my eldest son is still asleep and gets woken up?
He pushed open the door, trying to move as quietly as possible.
Upon entering the bedchamber, it was somewhat dimly lit, with the curtains and canopies drawn.
There was a faint medicinal smell.
Zhao Xinglie twitched his nose, feeling a familiar scent, but mixed in with the medicine, he couldn't recognize it at first.
The bed curtains were also in place, with not a single gap letting in, so Wei Li must be sleeping inside.
Zhao Xinglie sighed indulgently, muttering, "Oh dear, why are you covering the bed curtains so tightly when you're sick? What if you can't breathe?"
He muttered to himself as he lifted the curtain, "This child really doesn't know how to take care of himself at all."
We really need to find a wife for our eldest son as soon as possible.
A corner of the curtain was lifted, letting in a sliver of light. Wei Li squinted and shifted his body. Zhao Xiheng nestled in his arms and whimpered softly.
Zhao Xinglie: "!!!"
What?! There's a woman?!
He rubbed his hands together excitedly. His eldest son was really something, managing to find him a wife without making a sound!
Just as Zhao Xinglie was about to lift the curtain, he suddenly realized that it might not be a good idea.
If the young couple were dressed in disheveled clothes, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to see them like that.
After hesitating for a long time, he lowered the curtain.
No, I'm still not satisfied!
His eldest son was so sick, he must have been too weak to do anything last night, so he probably wouldn't have shown anything he shouldn't have.
He would peek at it quietly, and then lower the curtain!
Hehehe!
Thinking this through, Zhao Xinglie made up his mind and secretly took a look.
He lifted the curtain slightly.
Wei Li opened his sleepy eyes, and the first thing he saw was not his wife, but his father-in-law's shy and embarrassed face.
Startled, he covered Zhao Xiheng's face before Zhao Xinglie could see it.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty..." Wei Li's voice trembled with fear.
He knew he would have to tell Zhao Xinglie about being with Zhao Xiheng sooner or later. He didn't know why he had hidden Zhao Xiheng away; it was probably out of a survival instinct.
Zhao Xinglie, completely oblivious, chuckled, "Good boy, you've really grown up. When are you planning to get married?"
Wei Li stammered, unable to speak, "Really... really okay?"
"Silly boy, what nonsense are you talking about! Of course we should give that girl a name..." Zhao Xinglie's remaining words were stuck in his throat, almost choking him to death.
Zhao Xiheng pulled the blanket off her head, opened her eyes groggily, and stretched casually in front of the two of them, completely unaware of what had happened. She even greeted them, "Good morning, Dad!"
Zhao Xinglie couldn't catch his breath and passed out.
His eyes were bloodshot, his heart was breaking, and he couldn't believe his eyes.
No, no, no! It must be a dream!
He pinched his philtrum and could feel the pain.
Then he must not have woken up properly and his eyes are blurry!
Zhao Xinglie squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then opened them. Zhao Xiheng and Wei Li were sitting neatly on the bed like two pitiful little groundhogs.
He's gone!
Wei Li knelt down with a thud, kneeling so hard it sounded painful to anyone who heard it.
In the past, Zhao Xinglie would have called his eldest son "good boy" with heartache, but now that he has caught Wei Li cheating in bed, he would be a monster if he could even give Wei Li a kind look!
He touched his waist and then realized that this was not modern times and he didn't have a belt!
I'm so angry I've lost my mind.
He walked around the room, removed one leg from the stool, grabbed Wei Li by the collar, and started hitting and cursing him without caring whether he was feeling better or not!
"You little beast! I was blind to let a wolf into the house! You son of a bitch! Even rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows!"
Seeing Wei Li beaten to a bloody pulp, Zhao Xiheng's heart ached so much that it convulsed. She rushed over and cried out, "Father, stop hitting him! Stop hitting him!"
No matter who is at fault in this world, Zhao Xinglie's daughter cannot be at fault. He quickly pulled back the stool leg, afraid of hurting Zhao Xiheng: "Get out of the way, don't defend him. I knew it was this little brat who seduced you!"
Wei Li silently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, straightened his back, and touched Zhao Xiheng's cold hand: "The ground is cold, you go up first."
Zhao Xinglie was so angry he almost fell backward again.
This is a show of force against him!
He still thought Wei Li was a silly little dog, but actually, the silly dog was him!
He didn't even realize his daughter was snatched away right in front of him. Who wouldn't be stupid if he wasn't!
Zhao Xinglie grew angrier the more he thought about it, and started hitting Wei Li again, striking him repeatedly.
Wei Li's fever had just subsided this morning, leaving him unusually weak. He couldn't help but cough twice, his lips pale. Zhao Xinglie's back teeth were grinding together, and he stopped what he was doing. "Don't think you can make me feel sorry for you by pretending to be weak. Bah! You're dreaming!"
Wei Li raised his head and said sincerely, "I wouldn't dare. It's my fault, and it has nothing to do with A-Dan. If Father is angry, please hit me instead of taking it out on A-Dan."
He should have kept quiet, because the more he talked, the angrier Zhao Xinglie became. Look at the utter nonsense he was spouting!
"Father, bah!" He knew why Wei Li wouldn't call him "Dad" back then; it turns out he didn't want to be his son, but his son-in-law!
It looked like Zhao Xinglie was about to swing his stick again.
Zhao Xiheng thought to herself, "I'll just hit him a couple of times to vent my anger. If I keep hitting him, he'll be dead."
She refused to leave, clinging to Wei Li and weeping as she looked at Zhao Xinglie, "Father, please stop hitting him, or he'll die."
"I'm going to beat this little beast to death!" Zhao Xinglie was now like the stick that broke up the couple, wishing he could beat the male mandarin duck to death!
Zhao Xiheng cried as she spoke, "Father, my feelings for him are genuine. You can't hit him. If you kill him, my child will be fatherless..."
It's true, her daughter Zhizhi can't live without her father.
After Zhao Xinglie heard the bad news that his eldest son had seduced his daughter, he was so frightened that he couldn't even hold onto his stick.
It was too late for Wei Li to cover Zhao Xiheng's mouth.
This life is this life, and the previous life is the previous life. Where is he going to conjure up a grandson for Zhao Xinglie in this life?
"You...you...you..."
Wei Li slid his knee forward and caught the swaying Zhao Xinglie.
Zhao Xinglie didn't even have the energy to roll his eyes at him. He had lived three lifetimes, conquering battlefields and dominating the court, but he had never felt so heartbroken.
He held Zhao Xiheng's hand, his voice trembling as he asked, "Really..."
Feeling guilty, Zhao Xiheng blurted out something inappropriate, and the imperial physician immediately gave her away when he took her pulse.
"Really, really... she's already a year and a half old..." she nodded, forcing herself to speak.
Wei Li: "???"
Zhao Xinglie: "!!!"
Zhao Xiheng scratched her head: "The cat I raised last year is a year and a half old, it's like my child..."
Zhao Xinglie's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, suddenly settled down. He wanted to give his daughter a good beating, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He turned to Wei Li and thought about hitting him again, but seeing his weak and bloodied appearance, he ultimately didn't.
Even a dog develops attachment after six or seven years of raising it, let alone Wei Li, whom he truly treated like a son.
He gritted his teeth. "You two, get dressed! Come with me to see your mother!"
After saying that, he turned and left.
Zhao Xiheng beamed with joy, quietly nudged Wei Li's arm, and whispered, "Did you hear that? Your mother, my father has recognized you!"
She quickly helped the person up and first rummaged through drawers and cabinets looking for medicinal oil.
A smile couldn't help but appear on Wei Li's pale face.
Even if Zhao Xinglie crippled him, he would be happy.
In this lifetime, his marriage to Zhao Xiheng was also witnessed by his parents!
His father-in-law is still alive and can beat him up himself, just like other people's sons-in-law.
Wei Li limped away, helped out by Zhao Xiheng.
Zhao Xinglie rolled his eyes as he sipped his tea, while Shen Yining, her face full of heartache, glared at her husband. "You're so cruel! How could you beat the child like this?"
"He deserves it!"
Shen Yining pinched him and didn't say anything more.
She had previously felt that there was something wrong with the way A-Dan and Xiao-Wei were whispering to each other.
Actually, she thinks both Qingyu and Xiaowei are good. She's watched them grow up and knows them well. It just depends on which one A-Dan chooses.
She had originally thought that if Ah-Dan liked both of them, then...
It's not impossible.
Men can have multiple wives and concubines, so what's wrong with her daughter being a princess?
Hey, she's thinking too far ahead.
Shen Yining coughed lightly, pulling her thoughts back.
Judging from Ah-Dan's expression, she's going to choose Xiao-Wei.
Although Zhao Xinglie was very unhappy, he still knew that his daughter being with Wei Li was a very good outcome.
First, he knows the young man well and has raised her himself, so he doesn't have to worry about his daughter being bullied; second, his daughter likes him, and Wei Li treats her well; third, if Wei Li gets together with his daughter, it will be like marrying into the family, and any children they have will have to take the Zhao surname.
Reason told him there were many benefits, but emotion told him to break Wei Li's legs.
He raised his eyelids slightly. "If you want to come into our house, that's fine. I've been too lenient with you before. From now on, I'll have to set some rules for you."
That sounds like a wicked mother-in-law making things difficult for her new daughter-in-law.
The daughter-in-law who had been treated unfairly was overjoyed and nodded happily, "Father, I'll listen to whatever you say."
Wei Li agreed too readily, even to the point of being spineless. Zhao Xinglie twitched his lips. What a bastard! Is this how I taught him to be such a spineless coward?
"First, our Zhao family doesn't support idlers, so you'll have to work harder and eat less; second, we only have one daughter, so after she marries you, her life can only be better than before, not worse..."
Zhao Xinglie racked his brains and finally came up with a few points: "If you can't do them, then get out!"
Wei Li nodded hurriedly, and Zhao Xinglie felt relieved. "Although I agree, you two cannot get married now. You must wait until A-Dan turns eighteen."
Zhao Xiheng thought for a moment. In her previous life, she was eighteen years old, and Zhizhi was already running around.
Xie Qingyu was so busy that he had no time to spare. His father was in poor health, so most of the family's burdens fell on his shoulders.
When he finally had time to send a letter to the palace to visit Zhao Xiheng, he saw that his trusted good brother Wei Li and the girl he liked seemed to be acting strangely.
Wei Li pinned a flower in Zhao Xiheng's hair, and Zhao Xiheng also picked a flower and pinned it in his hair. Then they both laughed.
Xie Qingyu convinced himself that it was only right for a brother and sister to be close, and he shouldn't judge a gentleman by his own petty standards.
He walked over happily and quickly.
Wei Li lowered his head and quickly kissed Zhao Xiheng on the forehead before pulling away.
Zhao Xiheng seemed a little angry and chased after him, hitting him.
Even the slow-witted Xie Qingyu realized something was wrong, and the gift in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.
“You…” He could hear his own voice trembling.
The two straightened up and started playfully bickering. Wei Li walked over with a smile and a smug look on his face: "You're here?"
Xie Qingyu was speechless for a moment.
Suddenly, I recalled the scenes from before.
He asked Wei Li shyly, "Have you seen any men approach A-Dan?"
Wei Li confidently declared, "I've driven them all away."
He felt particularly gratified at the time, feeling that he had gained Wei Li's approval.
He's so stupid, really.
Xie Qingyu still retained the pride of a noble young master. After a moment of grief, he composed himself, not wanting to be laughed at. He stiffly forced a smile, a smile more painful than a grimace: "It's alright, you guys play first. I have something to discuss with His Majesty..."
After saying that, he ran away as if fleeing.
Zhao Xinglie couldn't quite explain his feelings for the two children.
He hoped the two of them would stay together for a long time, but he also hoped his daughter would get bored with the guy and dump him as soon as possible.
Time flies, and it also drags on; three years have passed by at a leisurely pace.
Zhao Xiheng was exactly eighteen years old, which was also exactly the age that Zhao Xinglie had said she could get married back then.
Wei Li knew full well that his father-in-law, with his shameless nature, would definitely pretend not to know what was going on.
Instead of kneeling before his father-in-law, he cleverly knelt before his mother-in-law.
There are always more solutions than problems.
Marriage requires the right timing, location, and people – all are essential.
When Wei Li arrived, the wife of the heir of the Duke of Chen was bringing red eggs to Shen Yining—her youngest son had just turned one month old.
Shen Yining looked at the red eggs, then at Wei Li, and suddenly tossed one of the eggs to Wei Li, saying, "Little Wei, give it your best..."
The Duchess of Chen was the same age as her, and her heir had already had two children.
Wei Li touched the tip of his nose and said affectionately but shamelessly, "Mother, I have to have a chance to try, right?"
Shen Yining understood: "Don't worry, leave it to me."
His Majesty has not attended court for seven consecutive days, and I heard that the bruises on his face have only recently faded.
Regardless of whether Shen Yining used gentle or violent methods, Wei Li's marriage was settled.
His father-in-law gritted his teeth and approved the imperial edict, announcing it to the world.
The wedding date was chosen perfectly, in March of the following year, when the weather was neither too hot nor too cold, so that wearing thick wedding clothes wouldn't make one sweat profusely and become disheveled.
On his wedding day, Zhao Xinglie dressed smartly and festively, but although he had a smile on his face, it was not much different from mourning.
Although all fathers in the world hope that their daughters can find their ideal husbands, finding one and being happy is one thing, and marrying one and being unhappy is another; they are not mutually exclusive.
The wedding ceremony began and ended at the palace. The wedding cars made a grand procession around the city before finally stopping at the main gate.
Zhao Xiheng was helped down from the carriage, and Zhao Xinglie, who was standing under the carriage, carried her on his back.
The road to Qinglu was not long, and the joyful blessings echoed in my ears, yet it felt as slow as passing through the four seasons.
Zhao Xiheng put her arms around Zhao Xinglie's neck and noticed that he was only thirty-nine years old, but had a gray hair at his temple.
She was overwhelmed with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.
In his previous life, Aye never even aged; he was forever frozen at the age of twenty-nine.
It's wonderful that she still has the chance to watch her father grow old, and she can still take her children to call him "Grandpa," "Grandma," "Grandpa," and "Grandma."
Zhao Xinglie felt a wet, cool liquid on his neck.
“It’s been so long since I carried you on my back.” He sighed. “You’ve grown into a young woman, and I never imagined what it would be like for you to get married.”
Zhao Xinglie had only ever seen her in her previous life when she was being stuffed into a wedding car.
"Don't cry on happy days." He sniffled too.
Zhao Xiheng leaned on his shoulder and, through the beaded curtain in front of her, saw Wei Li waiting for her in the distance.
This time at the wedding, she and Wei Li didn't pay homage to a cold, lifeless memorial tablet.
She wiped away her tears, smiled, and said to him, "Father, I'm fine. I was fine in my past life, and I'm even better in this one."
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