In Wei Li's presence, they trembled with fear; behind his back, they all called him "Wei the Traitor." Their fear was mixed with hatred.
"I...I just cut one out as a keepsake." The maid who was cutting paper lowered her head, crying, her shoulders trembling.
Another maid snatched the red paper from her hand and threw it into the stove. "Are you crazy? He'd kill anyone who even smiles, and now you're doing this? Are you trying to die? Are you planning to take me with you?"
After being scolded, the two chatted for a while longer before turning off the lights and lying down.
The prefect and his wife originally thought that Wei Li's close relationship with Zhao Xiheng must mean that she was a favored concubine, since which overlord of a continent didn't have a few alluring women?
As the saying goes, it's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his underlings. The power of whispers in one's ear should never be underestimated. Therefore, whether the Prefect's wife was genuinely kind or not, she treated Zhao Xiheng with great courtesy and even brought her own fur coat to lend to her for warmth.
The news that Wei Li had intercepted the emperor's bride had not yet spread, so no one knew that this was Princess Jingcheng, who was originally to be married off to Goguryeo.
"What do you mean, my lord? Isn't that young lady his concubine?"
After all that commotion in the middle of the night, and with the weather getting cold, the prefect's wife couldn't sleep at all and started talking to the prefect. Because Wei Li said that Zhao Xiheng was not his concubine, the prefect's wife changed her address to "little lady".
"Why do you care what he means, or who that young lady is? Maybe he snatched someone's pampered daughter. It's not like he's incapable of burning, killing, and looting."
"Be vigilant these next few days. If we can fool him and get rid of him, everything will be fine. We both need to keep a close eye on things and not let him find any fault with us." The prefect turned over and put his hands into his sleeves.
"I was really scared to death tonight. If that young lady was kidnapped, she's such a pitiful thing." The prefect's wife grabbed the prefect's ear and made him lie on his side facing her so that it would be easier for her to talk to him.
She complained softly, "It's almost the end of the year, and he's taken Pingzhou. What bad luck! He won't even let us celebrate the New Year properly."
The prefect closed his eyes: "Don't even mention this year's New Year. As long as he lives, Pingzhou will be like a dead city, and we won't be able to celebrate the New Year in the future. Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about it, lest we bring trouble upon ourselves."
The two men spoke with varying intonations, quite different from when they were facing Zhao Xiheng and Wei Li.
The local dialect in Pingzhou is bold and straightforward, naturally carrying a hint of playfulness. Wei Li, on the other hand, mostly speaks Mandarin. They would never dare to speak in front of Wei Li, for fear of being disrespectful and displeasing him. Even the maids sent over speak Mandarin better and don't have much of a Pingzhou accent.
The prefect's wife had a very hard time holding back when she spoke to the two men today.
Fortunately, the Pingzhou dialect is 99% similar to Mandarin, so if you try to be too stiff, you won't hear much of the Pingzhou flavor.
The elderly couple talked for a long time before finally becoming sleepy. As dawn approached, one of them closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Wei Li still couldn't sleep.
He was alone in the bedroom, so he didn't need to worry about anything. He kicked off the blankets, tugged at his collar to expose a large expanse of skin, and finally caught his breath.
I don't know how people can sleep in such a hot house.
By the dim moonlight filtering in, one could vaguely make out his outline. He had long limbs and smooth muscle lines, neither ferocious nor lacking in strength. Overall, he was very handsome, a natural clothes hanger.
However, on the exposed skin of his neck and chest, there were winding, dark tattoos, most of which were covered by his clothes, so it was impossible to see what the designs were.
He lay on his back with his hands folded under his head, waiting for sleepiness to gradually creep in.
If you count the time, the previous emperor has been dead for several years; his bones must have rotted to dust by now.
The current emperor is Zhao Xiheng's uncle, not her biological father, so he probably doesn't treat her very well, otherwise her personality wouldn't have changed so much.
When Wei Li thought of this, he felt a surge of annoyance towards Emperor Shunhe, wishing he could shove his head into a slop bucket.
It's true that he wished Zhao Xiheng would suffer, but what he wanted to see was Zhao Xiheng's sharpness gradually worn down under his nose, rather than him pulling her to his side only to find her limp and lifeless.
Recalling the trembling appearance of the prefect and his wife, Wei Li chuckled softly.
These people were terrified of him, yet they also hated him so much that they wished he would die immediately.
Not only the Prefect of Ji'an and his wife, but everyone in Pingzhou was like them.
The most interesting thing in the world is that the person who hates you the most can only grovel at your feet, filled with resentment and unwillingness.
Or he could crush those who were once high above him and who had humiliated him into the dust.
Wei Li lay in bed until dawn, then got up to wash as usual, wearing the clothes prepared for him by the prefect.
The pure black round neck and narrow sleeves, embroidered with gold thread, were dignified and luxurious, revealing a snow-white lining collar underneath. Against the backdrop of the snow-covered ground, her pale face, red lips, and dark hair appeared even more eerie.
This outfit might be a bit too thin for the average person in winter, but Wei Li thought it was just right.
He wore a black cloak with gold flowers draped over his wrist. It was sleeveless and fastened at the collar with a gold chain about the thickness of a little finger, which rattled as he moved.
If all these things were piled on someone else, they would look like a brainless nouveau riche. Fortunately, Wei Li has a handsome appearance and a good complexion, which makes him even more attractive.
On the contrary, if he were to use some pale colors, it would look out of place; it only looks good when it is richly colored and magnificent.
Putting everything else aside, the prefect, by sheer luck, used the most gaudy color, which unexpectedly suited Wei Li.
Zhao Xiheng arranged for him to sleep in the room next to hers. He stood outside, looking at the snow-covered landscape. He hadn't seen her come out for a long time, and a gloomy feeling gathered in his eyes. He kicked the door next door.
The maids inside trembled with fear; some came out and knelt, while others hurriedly went to the inner room to call Zhao Xiheng.
Even if Wei Li is handsome, given his tyrannical personality and infamous reputation, no woman would dare to risk her life to get close to him. After all, you have to be alive to enjoy wealth and honor.
The girl who entered the inner room was a round-faced girl. The bun in her hair was swaying back and forth. She didn't know how to deal with Zhao Xiheng, who was huddled under the covers. She was afraid of disturbing her sweet dreams and offending her, but she was even more afraid of offending Wei Li outside.
He gritted his teeth and gently called out, "Young lady, get up. Your master is waiting outside."
She called out several times and pushed her a few times, but Zhao Xiheng still didn't react. She mustered up her courage and pulled back the blanket, and saw that her face was flushed with an abnormal redness that went all the way to the roots of her neck.
"Ah! Young lady! Something terrible has happened! Quickly, go and call the physician!" The woman's shrill voice rang out. Wei Li raised an eyebrow and stepped inside.
The round-faced girl, in her panic, ran straight at him. He had no habit of giving way to others, so he simply pushed her aside and went inside himself.
The maids hurriedly went to fetch the physician from the manor.
Zhao Xiheng had been traveling for days, and last night she was frightened and caught a chill. In addition, she was not used to the water and soil, which is why she developed a high fever last night.
This is what the doctor said after taking the pulse.
Wei Li sat to the side wiping his knife, which frightened the doctor so much that he trembled and almost fainted.
He glanced at Zhao Xiheng, whose face was flushed.
Not only is she gentle in personality, but she is also quite physically delicate.
Yesterday, Wei Li was still thinking that Zhao Xiheng's weakness might all be an act. Wei Li absolutely did not believe that someone who was arrogant and flamboyant in his youth could become weak and tolerant when he grew up.
As it turned out, her personality really did change drastically; she would burst into tears at the drop of a hat, and today she fell ill from fright.
"But it's nothing serious. Just take some medicine for a couple of days and rest in bed. The young lady has a good constitution." The doctor was good at reading people's expressions and quickly added when he saw that Wei Li's face was not well.
Wei Li clicked his tongue, sheathed his sword with a clatter, and said, "Just make sure no one dies."
"I will do my best to cure the young lady."
“I don’t like hearing the word ‘try your best’.” Wei Li tapped his head with the hilt of his sword.
The doctor quickly changed his tune, "Of course, I will definitely cure the young lady."
Wei Li certainly didn't feel much pity for Zhao Xiheng; he just felt that if she died so easily, all his years of resentment and bitterness would be a joke.
Although Zhao Xiheng's personality is like dough, it can be molded however you want and is somewhat boring, it's better than nothing.
Wei Li popped a sunflower seed kernel into his mouth and chuckled. The physician was terrified and prayed that Wei Li would die soon so that Pingzhou could have some peace.
Zhao Xiheng lay on the heated kang bed, a maid wiping her forehead. Her lips moved slightly, and she whispered a few words, "Wei Li..."
The maid thought to herself, "This young lady is really bold. She actually dares to like the master and even calls out his name when she's sick."
But then she thought again, even someone like her lord has a young lady who likes him, so why can't her brother find a wife? It's really unfair.
Before she could finish her exclamation, Zhao Xiheng spat out a few more words, "You just wait, I'll kill your whole family..."
"What did she say?" Wei Li heard Zhao Xiheng's soft murmur and raised his chin to ask the maid who was wiping Zhao Xiheng's body.
The maid swallowed hard, a bead of cold sweat dripping from her forehead. She felt that life was harder than her brother's, who couldn't find a wife.
To speak or not to speak, that is the question.
Deep down, she didn't want such a beautiful young woman to fall into Wei Li's hands, but what if he killed her in a fit of anger if she didn't speak up?
Wei Li's patience gave her far too little time to think.
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