The invitations arrived just in time, ten days before Zhao Xiheng and Wei Li's wedding. He was so angry that he smashed a palace's worth of porcelain and stayed in bed for several days.
At that time, he had fought with Zhao Mingchen many times and had lost six counties in a row, but Zhao Mingchen was not faring much better.
Both sides suffered losses, but most of the gains went to the surrounding bandits.
Jiang Su had repeatedly urged him to send Zhao Xiheng over, but he couldn't provide the person. He could only send a message to Xie Qingyu, urging him to speed things up, but he never received a reply from Xie Qingyu. He had a feeling that Xie Qingyu was probably in grave danger.
Wei Li never stopped Xie Qingyu from receiving letters; it was Xie Qingyu herself who didn't want to reply.
The August sun shone brightly, making it even hotter than in June. Xie Qingyu had a reclining chair moved out and watched from outside the courtyard as the soldiers bustled about, turning the entire mansion into a lively scene, full of vitality.
The charity event lasted for a month, and each household was given a string of cash as a token of goodwill. It was quite a generous gesture.
In these difficult times, the common people, having received such unexpected wealth, couldn't wait for Wei Li to hold several more weddings.
Wei Li truly cared for Zhao Xiheng. Even at the belated wedding, he didn't treat her poorly, using only the best of everything.
Since there weren't enough people in the manor, Chen Ruojiang had people transferred from the Southern Camp.
He saw a figure in black robes hurrying in from outside, and he got up with the help of a recliner. It was indeed Wei Li.
Xie Qingyu's furrowed brows relaxed, and he cupped his hands and bowed slightly to him. Even though he was somewhat frail now, he was still as handsome as a painting, and every move he made was as pleasing to the eye as if measured with a ruler. His temperament was refined and otherworldly, making people feel ashamed of themselves.
"Young Master Wei," he greeted Wei Li.
Wei Li narrowed his eyes. He had to admit that Xie Qingyu was really good-looking. Even though he felt jealous, he had to admit that Xie Qingyu was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Her appearance was far more exquisite than his own. He couldn't find even the slightest flaw. She was also neither arrogant nor humble, and had a friendly temperament. She was the kind of son-in-law that elders would like the most.
Even he himself didn't want to admit it, but he always felt a vague sense of inferiority when facing Xie Qingyu. Crudeness paled in comparison to elegance, and anyone with a sense of shame would feel ashamed, especially someone as insecure and sensitive as Wei Li.
Every time he saw Xie Qingyu, he couldn't help but get all worked up.
Zhao Xiheng and Xie Qingyu don't look alike, nor do they have similar temperaments, but there's an unsettling feeling that they're from different worlds. It's as if they were raised in luxury from a young age, completely opposite to Wei Li's aloof and roguish air. They clearly come from worlds apart.
"Hmm, you seem to have a lot of free time." Wei Li tilted his chin up and nodded slightly.
"I only managed to steal half a day of leisure in this busy life. Once I return to Jinyang, there will be a whole bunch of messy things to deal with." Xie Qingyu smiled and gestured to him, "Young Master Wei, would you like to come in and have a cup of tea? I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
Wei Li ignored him and started to leave, but Xie Qingyu called out behind him, "It's about A-Dan when she was little. I think you'd like to know."
"Let's go." Wei Li paused, then turned around, gesturing for him to lead the way into the courtyard.
Xie Qingyu brewed tea and poured it for Wei Li, but Wei Li didn't touch it. Instead, he stared at him intently and said, "Didn't you have something to say? Go ahead and say it."
“Young Master Wei is very hostile towards me.” Xie Qingyu watched as the dark green tea petal slowly sank to the bottom of the teacup. He changed the subject, as if he really intended to talk about Zhao Xiheng’s childhood.
“I’ve known A-Dan for many years. The first time I saw her was when she was three years old. She was so cute and adorable from a young age. She was only a little tall, but she would run around the palace with a bunch of wet nurses following behind her, treating her like a little princess…”
Wei Li thought that Zhao Xiheng was acting like a little princess now, being incredibly spoiled.
"The second time I saw her, she was already six years old. With such a noble status, it was inevitable that she would be a bit arrogant and spoiled, but she had a very kind heart and was very likable."
Although A-Dan's mother had passed away by then, her father, the emperor, doted on her. Whatever she wanted in this world, she never failed to obtain. She didn't need to show excessive interest in anything, because all rare treasures were readily available to her.
"The last time I saw her was when she was nine years old, shortly after Emperor Huiwu passed away. I went to Jinyang with my father to pay my respects. She didn't cry, and her back was very straight, but she was different from before." Xie Qingyu's eyes welled up with tears as she said this.
“Young Master Wei, I’m telling you this not to boast, but to tell you that she used to be such a pampered person. What might not seem like a grievance to others is a huge grievance to her. I don’t know how many such grievances A-Dan has suffered over the past few years. Please take good care of her in the future.”
Xie Qingyu suddenly left the table, took a step back, and then bowed deeply to Wei Li.
He looked down on Wei Li's bandit-like behavior, yet he was even inferior to Wei Li despite his bandit-like ways. At least Wei Li was liked by A-Dan and could protect her. These past few days, watching how well Wei Li and A-Dan got along, he kept wondering, what if A-Dan went with him? Would she be better off?
The answer is definitely no. He doesn't have Wei Li's power, nor his unburdened background, and he's not decisive enough. Throughout the entire Great Zhou, there are very few people of similar age and ability, and Wei Li is the only one willing to treat Zhao Xiheng well.
Xie Qingyu continued bowing, "Over the years, I've tried to improve myself so that I could be worthy of her and take good care of her, but ultimately, I'm not capable enough. Perhaps the meeting between Young Master Wei and A-Dan is a destiny arranged by heaven. I naturally cannot interfere with a destiny bestowed by heaven. I once again beg Young Master Wei to treat her well."
Wei Li didn't say anything, but drank the tea in his cup in one gulp, got up and left.
Xie Qingyu looked at the empty teacup and breathed a sigh of relief; Wei Li had agreed to his request.
After leaving Xie Qingyu's place, Wei Li felt a tightness in his chest, a kind of inexplicable stuffiness.
The fiancé that Zhao Xiheng's father arranged for her is quite loyal.
I've heard that he's very talented, with beautiful handwriting and painting skills, and he has a great reputation.
He compared himself to Xie Qingyu and suddenly felt irritated.
If he hadn't told Zhao Xiheng that if she dared to run away, he would kill everyone along the way, she probably wouldn't have been forced to abandon such a loyal and excellent fiancé and choose to stay.
Her fiancé is now also compromising and only hopes that he will treat her well.
He was like the big stick that broke up a loving couple.
She was almost fooled by Zhao Xiheng's gentleness. Her heart must be bleeding right now, especially since the wedding is approaching and she is only separated from the person she loves by a courtyard, but the wedding dress is for another man.
After being tormented by the dog emperor for so long, she lost all her temper. At most, she would cry when she was scared, but she would never resist.
As the wedding date drew closer, Wei Lixin felt increasingly anxious.
Zhao Xiheng tried on her wedding dress one last time, and it fit perfectly. There was nothing more that needed to be altered, so she changed back into her original dress.
Wei Li suddenly lifted the pearl curtain and came in. He subconsciously thought of what Xie Qingyu had said to him, so much so that he felt that one of the pearls on the pearl curtain was not round enough.
"You yourself said that we can't meet before the wedding ceremony, so why are you here now?" Last month, Wei Li suddenly became pretentious, saying that even if it was a belated wedding, it had to be done according to the rules.
The rule is that newlyweds cannot see each other for a month before the wedding, otherwise it will be bad luck. He is now doing the opposite of what he says.
Wei Li's expression was as cold as if covered in frost, and her figure was reflected in his dark pupils.
Zhao Xiheng's smile froze. Well, judging by the days, it seems it's time again.
Wei Li would act strangely for a few days every month, and those days were even more regular than her period.
"Zhao Xiheng".
"Hmm?" Just go with the flow, what else can you do?
Do you want to leave?
Where are you going?
“Go with Xie Qingyu. If you want to leave, this is your last chance. I will never stop you, and I will never hurt any innocent person.” When he said this, his heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly, and even his breath felt like a cold wind was blowing into his nostrils, all the way to his internal organs, cutting him painfully.
His heart felt like it was about to break. He shouldn't have fallen in love with Zhao Xiheng. It must be because he had done too many bad things that he was being punished.
Zhao Xiheng, “???”
Is this month's biggest crazy one?
The invitations have been sent out, and the entire city of Busian is decorated. Now everyone knows that you, Wei Li, are going to have a wedding.
Now the groom is grabbing the bride by the neck and saying, "I'm giving you a chance to elope with someone else."
Are you sick in the head?
Even if Wei Li really went crazy, he should still grab her by the neck and say, "Zhao Xiheng, if you dare to run away with someone else, I'll break your legs." That's how it should be.
Zhao Xiheng thought in horror, "Has Wei Li fallen in love with someone else and taken a fancy to some young lady from another family, so he wants to get rid of her to make room?" But it didn't seem like it at all.
Could it be that he's had a change of heart and wants to spare the lovers' lives?
After weighing the two options, Zhao Xiheng felt more comfortable staying.
After all, Wei Li is genuinely wealthy and willing to spend money, and more importantly, being by his side is definitely safer than being by Xie Qingyu's. Besides, she's been in Pingzhou for so long and is quite comfortable there, with nothing to feel uncomfortable about.
Wei Li's eyes were bloodshot. Really, Zhao Xiheng, this is the last chance I'm giving you, a chance I'm forcing myself to accept. If you don't leave now, you really won't have another chance.
Zhao Xiheng hugged Wei Li's neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed the tip of his nose. "My lord is the best. I want to stay with my lord for the rest of my life and never go anywhere else. Doesn't my lord like me too?"
Wei Li's tense muscles suddenly relaxed, and tears welled up in his eyes. He pulled the person tightly into his arms, "Who likes you? Shameless! I'd rather like an old sow in a pigsty than you."
You said yourself you weren't leaving, so there's no chance now.
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