Wei Li pinched her chin, staring into her eyes. Something about Zhao Xiheng's words just didn't feel right.
"If I take the initiative, will my lord refuse Zhao Mingjin?" Zhao Xiheng looked up at him pitifully.
Wei Li smiled and said, "Maybe, it depends on how you perform."
Zhao Xiheng wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against him, and the two of them rolled onto the bed together.
With tears in her eyes, she kissed Wei Li's chin.
Is this okay?
Wei Li's Adam's apple bobbed, and his ears turned red. "Continue."
He was on fire and couldn't remember anything about how strange Zhao Xiheng's words and actions were.
Zhao Xiheng's lips landed on his Adam's apple, gently biting it, and then lightly brushing it with the tip of her tongue, causing him to tremble all over.
She glanced up and saw that Wei Li was completely aroused. His originally dark and bright eyes were now slightly moist, and he was lightly biting his lower lip with his canine teeth. His body was burning hot, and his reaction was very strong.
Just as the indoor atmosphere was gradually becoming scorching hot.
Zhao Xiheng smiled and suddenly pushed the person aside. Then, with tears welling up in her eyes, she covered her head, wrapped the blanket around herself, and poked her head out. "My lord, I'm not feeling well."
This is clearly a case of flirting and then running away, leaving no chance whatsoever.
Wei Li felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water; his heart was cold, but his body was hot.
"Zhao Xiheng, are you sick?" What's wrong with her?
How come he didn't know when she started complaining of headaches?
Zhao Xiheng continued to sob and cry out, completely ignoring the fierce-looking Wei Li.
Wei Li still couldn't lie; he gave himself away in just a few words. Not a single word he uttered was true—nothing about respectfully inviting the envoy to stay, or agreeing to Zhao Mingjin's request for money and beauty.
Once Zhao Xiheng calmed down and thought about it, she realized it was fake. With his temper, who would he respect? If Zhao Mingjin offered him gold and silver treasures, Wei Li would probably think Zhao Mingjin was stingy.
Do you expect her to take the initiative?
Zhao Xiheng thought to herself, "Is this because he doesn't know how, so he wants her to take the initiative?"
As for why she thought Wei Li couldn't do it, it wasn't without reason.
Every time we kiss, he reacts so strongly, as if he wants to swallow her whole. If he could do that, I wouldn't be safe and sound now.
Wei Li didn't know how, but she had studied it. Before her marriage, the palace matrons had explained this to her in detail, and a box of booklets was even included in her dowry. Of course, theory is one thing, practice is another.
But she would never take the initiative; it would be too embarrassing. Is this the kind of thing a girl should take the initiative in? Besides, if she did, she wouldn't be able to live with herself afterward.
He's gotten used to kissing me every day, let alone doing *that* kind of thing.
After each time a concubine served the emperor, she would ask the empress for leave the next day to pay her respects. Aside from the intention of being pretentious and showing off, it was probably not an easy thing to do.
She glanced at Wei Li's furious face and felt a surge of satisfaction. Serves you right for lying!
Wei Li, like a mad dog whose bone had been stolen, paced around the room several times before pounced on the bed and began tearing at Zhao Xiheng's blanket. "Get up!"
"I can't get up, my head hurts." Zhao Xiheng huddled inside, leaving only her black hair showing, and said in a muffled voice.
Seeing that she wouldn't get up, Wei Li loosened his grip a bit and wasn't so impulsive anymore. He asked, "Does your head really hurt?"
"It hurts." Zhao Xiheng said, drawing out the word in a roundabout way.
He let go of her hand. "Aren't you going to stay indoors and let the wind blow on you? I've told you every day not to point your head against the window and let the wind blow on you, but you just won't listen."
The bed creaked as Wei Li got out of bed. "Shall I go find you a doctor?"
He started to walk out as he spoke.
Zhao Xiheng's heart softened a little after he did that.
She had originally wanted to see Wei Li get furious, but she didn't expect him to be so good-tempered.
"Okay, it doesn't hurt anymore." Zhao Xiheng stretched her hand out from under the blanket and grabbed Wei Li's wrist.
Wei Li paused for a moment, then sat on the couch and pulled her out of the mattress. "What's wrong with you?"
Zhao Xiheng said matter-of-factly, "It doesn't hurt anymore now."
"Not in pain anymore?" Wei Li chuckled sinisterly. "I think you should keep feeling the pain." With that, he flicked Zhao Xiheng's forehead hard.
This time it really hurt. Zhao Xiheng's eyes welled up with tears. She covered her head and said, "Who told you to fool me like that?"
"How did you figure it out?" Wei Li wondered. Had he performed so poorly just now that he could tell at a glance that it was a lie?
"We've known each other for almost half a year. If I still can't tell which of your words are true and which are false, then I must have something wrong with my head. Have you ever heard of anyone using coercion or bribery?"
Wei Li raised his hand, and Zhao Xiheng thought he was going to flick her forehead again, so she dodged back. Wei Li hooked his arm around her neck and pulled her back, then gently rubbed her forehead.
"If you bribe me, I might listen to you."
His palms were broad and warm, with just the right amount of pressure, and it felt very comfortable pressing on the top of his head. Zhao Xiheng squinted her eyes and said, "I'm not as rich as you, so what can I offer you as a bribe?"
Wei Li didn't speak, but his gaze swept over her from head to toe. "That's true, she doesn't have the looks to seduce you."
Zhao Xiheng looked at him, her eyes clearly saying, "Really? I don't believe it."
Who was breathing so heavily just now? It certainly wasn't her.
Wei Li was enraged by her gaze. He lowered his head and bit her lip, drawing a little blood. "You think you're so great just because I kissed you twice?"
Then he took her lips in his mouth and carefully licked the blood clean.
They're all talk and no action, but their actions speak louder than words.
When news of the envoy's brutal murder reached Jinyang, it sent shockwaves through the court and the public.
Some people were worried that if the envoy offended Wei Li, it would create a formidable enemy for the already crumbling Great Zhou. No matter how many troops were in Pingzhou, Zhao Mingjin could not afford to offend anyone now.
Some people felt that Wei Li was going too far. After all, he was the emperor's envoy. Even if the imperial family did not recognize him, he was still the emperor's cousin-in-law.
Upon receiving the news, Zhao Mingjin couldn't sleep for several nights, experiencing both anxieties and unease.
On one hand, he was worried that offending Wei Li would lead to a rebellion in Pingzhou, which would worsen the already limited territory of the Great Zhou. On the other hand, he felt that Wei Li was ungrateful.
After waiting for a long time without any news of a rebellion in Pingzhou, he finally felt a little relieved.
But before he could feel at ease, Zhao Mingchen gathered his troops again and provoked him.
The situation is critical and not optimistic. Since Wei Li refuses to work for him, he must find another way.
He sent someone overnight to seek help from Jiang Su in the west, but Jiang Su refused, saying that since they were not related, he could not help him.
The phrase "not related by blood or marriage" gave Zhao Mingjin a glimmer of hope.
Since he couldn't help those who weren't related to him, he figured he could at least help those who were related. So he sent a message saying he wanted to marry his sister off to him.
Jiang Su found it strange. There were only two princesses in this generation: Zhao Xiheng, the daughter of Emperor Huiwu, and Zhao Mingxin, the daughter of Emperor Daxing. Both of them were married off. What did Zhao Mingjin have to offer him for a marriage alliance? He would definitely not agree to marry just any daughter of a minister or a palace maid.
Zhao Mingjin had his own agenda. His sister was useful in Goguryeo, and now the Goguryeo king was completely infatuated with her, sending him a lot of money and supplies. He had to hold onto his brother-in-law in Goguryeo tightly.
Wei Li refused to send troops to help and even killed his envoy. Such disrespect towards him meant that rebellion was only a matter of time. Zhao Xiheng's position in Pingzhou was futile; he couldn't control Wei Li at all and was of no use to him.
Wei Li's lack of respect for him suggests he doesn't take Zhao Xiheng seriously either; he only kept her as his wife because of her exceptional beauty.
Men are all attracted to beautiful women. No matter how beautiful Zhao Xiheng is on her own, she can't resist the allure of a dozen or twenty beauties all together, a sight to behold.
This time, he sent envoys to exchange Zhao Xiheng from Wei Li with a group of beauties, and then married her to Jiang Su. Wouldn't that solve the problem?
Zhao Mingjin asked Jiang Su, "Zhao Xiheng is beautiful and young, and is also a legitimate member of the royal family. Is she acceptable?"
Jiang Su hesitated. He had heard of Zhao Xiheng's reputation for beauty, but since she was already married to Wei Li of Pingzhou, how could she marry him? Could he possibly marry one woman twice?
Zhao Mingjin comforted him, "Although Zhao Xiheng is currently in Pingzhou, Wei Li and she are not officially recognized by the royal family and are not considered a real couple. Zhao Xiheng's name card is still in the Southern Zhou royal ancestral temple, so I can marry her off to whomever I want. Arranging a marriage between the princess and you is to show goodwill."
Jiang Su reluctantly agreed that if Zhao Xiheng really married into the family, he would lend Zhao Mingjin 30,000 troops for emergency use.
Jiang Su agreed to the marriage alliance and the request for military assistance, not because Zhao Xiheng was particularly beautiful or because he particularly liked her; after all, he had never even seen her face before.
Although Jiang Su had gained power through his rebellion, it was ultimately illegitimate and he was seen as a traitor by the people. However, if he had a princess as his wife, his actions would be much more legitimate.
In particular, Zhao Xiheng is the daughter of Zhao Xinglie, who has the best reputation among the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Being his son-in-law would help win the hearts of the people.
As for borrowing 30,000 troops, whether or not that's done is up to him.
Upon seeing Jiang Suyi agree, Zhao Mingjin was overjoyed and immediately asked who in the court was willing to take a beauty to Pingzhou to exchange for Zhao Xiheng.
Having learned from the previous envoy's experience, the court officials looked at each other in dismay, none of them wanting to go to Pingzhou.
Not to mention that Pingzhou is remote and the journey is arduous, even if you were to exchange someone for Wei Li's wife, it would be fine if he agreed. But if he truly considers Princess Jingcheng his wife, and since it's traditionally only about exchanging concubines, not wives, Wei Li would probably be angry. If Wei Li gets angry, they would have to risk their lives there, which is not worth it.
Someone else said, "Jiang Su is already over forty years old. Although Your Majesty can decide on the princess's marriage, Pingzhou is separated by thousands of miles. If the princess is unwilling to come back and marry Jiang Su, that would be troublesome."
Compared to Jiang Su, Wei Li, though of humble origins, is still young. Considering both, Zhao Xiheng is unlikely to be willing to marry him.
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