Neither of them spoke again, and they walked together toward the study.
Yesterday, Chen Ruojiang led his men to move most of the books from the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion to the Imperial Palace. Today, they have already efficiently inventoried all the books they brought.
When Wei Li entered the study, he saw a row of books neatly stacked on the spacious desk, almost as tall as a person.
Chen Ruojiang stepped forward and excitedly introduced, "My lord, these are some of the most useful books I selected yesterday when we were moving them. I'm sure you'll find them useful."
Wei Li's determination to improve himself meant that his job was gradually becoming more secure.
Wei Li glanced at the first few books and saw that they were none other than "The Thirty-Six Stratagems of War", "A Million Soldiers", "The Chronicle of All Nations", "The Thirty-Six Years of War", and "The Art of War of Emperor Huiwu", which recorded the military strategies used by Zhao Xiheng's father when he fought.
"Idiot!" He kicked Chen Ruojiang.
"Did we look for the wrong thing?" Chen Ruojiang asked, puzzled. He scratched his head. Wasn't this what we were looking for? "Whatever my lord needs, I will go and look for it again."
But what else can our lord read besides these books? He doesn't seem interested in anything else.
Can Wei Li say that he wants to see erotic pictures?
Of course not. Even if Chen Ruojiang were shameless enough to ask him for help, he still wouldn't be able to bring himself to ask.
He touched his earlobe, which had just cooled down, and felt a strange sense of shame welling up inside him. He kicked Chen Ruojiang a few more times and said, "Get lost. I don't need you anymore. I'll find someone myself."
Chen Ruojiang scratched his head, thinking that Wei Li might have been under too much pressure these past few days, which was why he had become irritable again.
He quietly withdrew.
Suddenly he remembered that he hadn't brought all the books from the Prince's mansion over exactly. Some useless miscellaneous books were left there, to be brought over when he had time.
In short, since the lord doesn't even want to read serious books, how can he have time to read those trivial books?
The study and the library were connected. After Chen Ruojiang left, Wei Li picked up the book register and went to the library to look for the books.
The first one didn't have it, and the second one didn't either...
Zhao Xiheng waited until mealtime but still didn't see Wei Li, so she sent someone to look for him. She was relieved to hear from Deputy General Chen that Wei Li was looking for books in the library.
His dedication to studying so intensely, even forgetting to eat and sleep, is truly remarkable.
"Don't disturb him, let's finish eating first."
They're studying hard, can we disturb them? No way!
Zhao Xiheng recalled how, when she was little, she would lie on the table writing the lessons her tutor had left her. Her father would call her to eat, but she was engrossed in the task and reluctant to put down her pen. However, her father would insist on taking her to eat. After she finished eating, she would collapse onto the small couch.
Forget schoolwork and calligraphy; nothing beats a good night's sleep!
By the time Zhao Xiheng finished her meal and lay down on the heated kang, snuggling warmly with the cat, Wei Li had already found the sixteenth room of the library.
He was certain that the book he was looking for was in this room, because the description of the sixteenth room in the brochure was only one line: Forbidden! Not to be spoken of, and not for the young.
Wei Li blushed. This indescribable and suggestive description was probably meant to conceal what he was looking for.
He gripped the register tightly in his hand and stepped inside.
The bookshelves on three sides of the room were densely packed with books, their spines adorned with colorful patterns. They were clearly not ordinary books, and there were quite a few of them, all of them old and worn, indicating that they had been frequently read.
"Tsk, I didn't expect the Prince of Zhenbei to have such a fetish." Wei Li scoffed in the empty room. "A beast in human clothing, a hypocrite."
He picked up a book at random and opened it; it was indeed a children's action book.
On the first page, a shirtless man stands on the ground. Wei Li's heart skips a beat. Is the opening scene this exciting?
On the second page, the shirtless man moved; he lowered himself into a horse stance.
Wei Li frowned. What a terrible position!
On the third page, the man retracts his left palm and throws a punch with his right.
Wei Li: ? ? ?
He flipped the book to the last page with a clatter, and saw tiny print at the end: This martial arts manual is only given to those who are destined to receive it. This technique strengthens the body, prolongs life, and must not be passed on to outsiders.
"Damn it!" Wei Li threw the book on the ground, tugged at his collar, and refused to believe that the whole room was full of martial arts manuals.
With the Prince of Zhenbei's pot-bellied, bloated appearance, how could he possibly practice this kind of thing?
He searched through all the books in the sixteenth room, and indeed, the room was filled with "martial arts manuals." As for the unspeakable one, it was truly unspeakable.
The martial arts moves were incredibly varied and bizarre. Wei Li even tried one of them, including the kind where you trip over your own feet and then squat down and roll into a ball – a kind of "martial arts secret manual".
The author says this teaches people how to escape correctly and quickly.
Wei Li angrily pushed the bookshelf to the ground and said that tomorrow he would ask Chen Ruojiang to take all these books away and throw them away. What a mess of junk.
Is it still unspeakable? Is it still kept secret?
He returned to the yard in this furious state, kicked the door open with a loud bang.
It was already late, and Zhao Xiheng had long since gone to bed. Seeing him return with a cold face, she thought to herself that she would deal with how much money she had spent today, and decided to wait until he was in a better mood tomorrow.
She quickly closed her eyes and turned over.
Who knows who offended him this time? Didn't he find joy in exploring the ocean of knowledge?
Seeing that she was sleeping restlessly, Wei Li turned around, closed the door, and then silently took off his clothes.
Wei Li seems to have been exceptionally busy these past few days; Zhao Xiheng hasn't seen him much.
Every time he returned, Zhao Xiheng was already asleep, and when he woke up, he was no longer there.
Counting the days, today is already Lunar New Year's Eve. In previous years, everywhere would be decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations at this time, but in Pingzhou, Wei Li does not allow the New Year to be celebrated, so everyone can only hold back and live a cold and quiet life.
Zhao Xiheng took it upon herself to give everyone in the household an extra month's salary, and only then did the courtyard regain some of its cheerful atmosphere.
She wasn't afraid of Wei Li getting angry. He had said he could spend the money however he wanted that day, so if he held a grudge, he would be in the wrong.
But Zhao Xiheng still had someone bring her a pretty little purse, filled it with a bunch of gold coins, making the purse bulge, and used it as New Year's money to coax people.
Ultimately, the money comes from Wei Li, so she doesn't feel bad about spending it.
She placed the purse under Wei Li's pillow, but found it was too big and bulging, making it easily visible. So, after thinking for a moment, she hid it inside one of Wei Li's usual clothes.
The maid secretly covered her mouth and smiled, "Is Madam preparing New Year's money for the master?"
"No way?" Zhao Xiheng smiled. Her parents said that no matter how old she got, she would still receive New Year's money.
At home, one receives blessings from one's parents; after marriage, one receives blessings not only from one's parents but also from one's parents-in-law and husband.
If she can accept that, then of course Wei Li can too.
"Of course, my lord will be so happy." Although my lord may seem unapproachable, he is very gentle with his wife. His wife always thinks of him, making sure to bring him along when she makes clothes and preparing a New Year's gift for him.
The New Year's money is clearly for children, but the lady really knows how to spoil people.
When Wei Li returned from his patrol, he passed through the streets and markets and saw that the darkness of the past was gone, and every household was brightly lit. He had lived without holidays since childhood, so he naturally did not remember what special day it was. He just felt strange. It was clearly the same as usual, without laughter and joy, but it was also inexplicably full of a warm atmosphere.
Zhao Xiheng sat by the fire, warming herself.
"You're back," she greeted.
"Why aren't you asleep yet tonight?" This question wasn't just directed at Zhao Xiheng, but also expressed confusion as to why the common people, who were not sleeping, were still keeping their lights on tonight.
"After dawn, it will be the new year. According to custom, you can't sleep, or you'll be carried away by the Nian beast. This is called 'keeping watch over the year'," Zhao Xiheng said to him, tilting her head. Didn't he know this custom that everyone in the Great Zhou knew?
"Oh." Wei Li seemed to have nothing in common with her on this kind of matter. He scoffed, "You all believe such childish claims? You're really brainless."
Zhao Xiheng snapped off a piece of kindling. The fire was lit during the New Year. Wei Li's mouth was asking for a beating. Everyone knew that this story was just for fooling children, but it had been a custom for many years, and everyone was used to telling it to the next generation in this way.
If Wei Li were in a family with parents, he would be severely beaten by his father for saying such outrageous things.
"Yes, who is as smart as you, my lord? The whole world combined is not as smart as you."
Zhao Xiheng spoke to him in a sarcastic tone, using an air of worship.
Wei Li curled the corner of his mouth, completely oblivious to the sarcasm in Zhao Xiheng's tone.
The cat pounced to play, but Zhao Xiheng, worried that the stove fire would burn it, quickly moved the cat away.
Seeing that the little creature was well-fed and glossy, Wei Li reached out and grabbed it.
Gou Dan'er was not familiar with Wei Li to begin with, and could even be said to be hostile, so he was unwilling to let him touch him and scratched Wei Li hard with his paw.
This was different from playing around with Zhao Xiheng and the others; it was real bloodshed. Wei Li threw it away in one go, and Gou Dan'er landed on the ground, baring its teeth and its fur standing on end.
Zhao Xiheng's face darkened, and she hurriedly went to check on the cat.
It was just a cat scratch. Although the skin and flesh were turned inside out, this kind of minor injury was nothing to Wei Li. It was even the kind of injury that didn't need any treatment.
However, Zhao Xiheng's eagerness to comfort the cat and neglect of him was particularly irritating to Wei Li.
Even wounds that didn't hurt before started to burn.
"Why did you throw it away?" Zhao Xiheng checked the kitten and found it was alright, her tone unusually tinged with complaint.
In her mind, Gou Dan'er was just a paper tiger, only good at scaring people but not at scratching them, so she didn't expect that Wei Li would actually bleed on the back of his hand.
Wei Li was already sensitive and narrow-minded, so this little complaint was magnified in his ears and became a huge problem.
Zhao Xiheng got angry with him again because of a little beast.
The cat scratched him until he bled, but in Zhao Xiheng's eyes, it was less important than him accidentally throwing that little beast to the ground.
He pulled his hand away, hiding the wound on the back of his hand.
Since Zhao Xiheng doesn't care about him at all, if he exposes his wound again, it will seem like he's deliberately trying to gain sympathy. Not only will he not get her sympathy, but he might even be ridiculed by her.
Indeed, it was he who unilaterally snatched her away; how high could Zhao Xiheng's heart hold for him? She might not say it, but who knows what she really thinks of him? Probably like everyone else, she'd wish him dead. How could he possibly have a place in her heart?
She had the chance to escape that day, but she turned back, not because she loved him, but because she had no money and didn't know where to go.
She had been treating him gently these past few days, but that was only because she had nowhere else to go, so she was trying to please him.
He left early and returned late every day, and she never asked him a single question.
The scorching embers in the stove burned Wei Li's eye sockets, making them dry and painful. His eye sockets turned red, and he felt a dry, painful urge to force out tears.
"Zhao Xiheng, have I been too good to you?" He stood up, his face grim.
It was the Lunar New Year, and Zhao Xiheng was getting angry. She started cursing in her mind, but she remained seated, turning her head away and ignoring him.
She didn't say anything harsh? Why is he angry again? Why has he been so irritable these past few days? Not only is he always giving her the cold shoulder, but now he's starting to pick fights for no reason.
People like Wei Li are like dogs. If you ignore him, he'll bark a few times and that'll be fine. But if you pay attention to him again, he'll never stop.
Zhao Xiheng remained silent, and Wei Li, unable to hit her, slammed the door and left.
The maids outside looked at each other, wondering why the lady and the master were arguing on New Year's Day.
The door slammed shut with a loud bang. Zhao Xiheng stood up, stomped her foot angrily, and said, "Good riddance, it's finally peaceful now that you're gone."
Wei Li went to the study.
He lay on the small kang bed in the study's partitioned room, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. The more he thought about Zhao Xiheng's indifferent scene before she left, the more distressed he felt, and the more his hand felt burning with pain from the cat's scratches.
Before Zhao Xiheng went to sleep with her cat, she would always wipe its paws.
The cat's paws are always dirty after walking on the ground all day.
She pinched Gou Dan'er's little paw pads, and Gou Dan'er showed his nails.
Zhao Xiheng noticed a bit of flesh caught on its claws. Startled, she patted Gou Dan'er's bottom and asked, "Who did you scratch?"
Dog Egg stared at her with innocent brown eyes, trying to soften her heart.
Although Zhao Xiheng asked this question, she already had a plan in mind. During the day, Gou Dan'er didn't go anywhere; she just held Gou Dan'er while bathing him. At night, the only person she had contact with was Wei Li.
She thought the cat was just trying to scare Wei Li by stretching out its claws, but she didn't expect it to scratch off human flesh. No wonder Wei Li threw it away.
That must hurt so much. I don't even know if they've applied any medicine yet.
She then thought about her reaction to the situation and felt both guilty and ashamed.
If she were scratched by a cat and the cat owner just looked at the cat as if nothing had happened, she would probably be furious on the spot, or at least feel a chill in her heart.
Wei Li's reaction last night was already extremely mild; in retrospect, Zhao Xiheng even felt it was abnormally mild.
"If you scratch someone again, I'll stew you and eat you." Zhao Xiheng slapped Gou Dan'er's butt hard as a scolding.
Dog Egg meowed and licked her hand affectionately, but Zhao Xiheng didn't soften her heart and slapped her twice more. If you do something wrong, you have to be taught a lesson, otherwise you will dare to do it again next time.
"Come on, I'll take you to apologize to your father now." Zhao Xiheng stopped gently holding it and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.
She felt a little scared when she stepped out of the bedroom. If she were in the courtyard, where it was her territory, she wouldn't be afraid to apologize. But once she got to the study, it was Wei Li's place, and she felt a little uneasy.
She mustered her courage, took two more steps outside, and decided to finish what needed to be done today and apologize tonight.
"Go and see if the lord has rested yet?" Zhao Xiheng began to dress and sent someone to the study to check.
The maid returned and reported, "The lights have been turned off; they must have gone to bed."
Zhao Xiheng felt a pang of sympathy and could only take off her clothes and lie down again. The cat came up to her and wanted to sleep, but this time Zhao Xiheng threw it down. A child who has made a mistake cannot sleep on the kang (a heated brick bed).
She sighed, figuring she wouldn't be able to sleep even if she lay down, so she sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Wei Li is the kind of person who's extremely proud; even if the cat scratches him, he won't say anything, he'll just sulk and be angry. Zhao Xiheng has to find a way to coax him.
You know, Wei Li is really something. He doesn't even bother to call out when he's in pain so she'll know.
Although Zhao Xiheng didn't care about Wei Li, she was now living under the same roof as him, her dowry was in his hands, her food and clothing were all his, and she also needed him to guarantee her safety, so she should try to appease him.
After all, I have hurt people's feelings.
The maid didn't notice that the study light came on again the instant she turned back.
Unable to sleep, Wei Li simply lit a lamp and walked around the study to vent his frustration.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Zhao Xiheng's box of family letters was still on his desk. Filled with resentment, he emptied out all the contents and examined them one by one, ignoring how bitter Zhao Xiheng's parents were.
The second letter home, three months after the first, was still Zhao Xinglie talking to his wife about trivial matters in their daily lives.
"My mother is overjoyed that my child is about to be born, and my parents are also nervous. They have prepared many things for the child. My mother's eyesight is not good, but she insisted on embroidering a pair of tiger-head shoes, saying that they would protect our child and ensure his safety. My brother also brought the little clothes made by my sister-in-law and mother, and my father even personally carved a small seal for the child. I said that these things were prepared too early, but they said it was already too late."
When are you coming back? The baby is due soon, and he says he misses you terribly.
Zhao Xinglie replied
"Soon, in about half a month, I can't sleep at night. I've thought of a few nicknames. If it's a daughter, her nickname will be A-Dan. I hope she will be happy and healthy..."
Wei Li couldn't finish reading the rest. The more he read, the more upset he became. His face ached, and his heart ached too. He quickly folded the letter and stuffed it back in.
Sifting through the remaining letters, there was an interval of nearly three months between the second and third letters. Presumably, Zhao Xiheng had already been born by then, so the sender's signature changed from the meaningless "er" to "Adan".
Zhao Xiheng's childhood name was Adan.
Her father hoped she would live a long and healthy life, so he named her A-Dan.
Even before she was born, she had already received countless loves from her parents, grandmother, maternal grandparents, and everyone was looking forward to her coming into the world and had made all the preparations to welcome her.
Zhao Xiheng had received the blatant favoritism of the most prestigious family in the world, so she no longer needed to be flattered by anyone's kindness. In fact, even the slightest bit of kindness was insignificant and minuscule compared to the favor she had once received. As for Wei Li, he had never had anything.
Wei Li didn't sit in the chair, but leaned against the wall, his thoughts drifting off somewhere.
He and Zhao Xiheng were never from the same world. Even though he had gone to great lengths to drag her into his own quagmire, she was ultimately different.
Do you think someone who is born into privilege needs to consider how someone they dislike would feel?
He sat by the wall all night, and got up the next morning as the red sun began to rise outside.
His clothes from yesterday were covered in a thick layer of dust and had become filthy. He finally went back to the courtyard to get a clean set of clothes.
As soon as Wei Li entered the room, Zhao Xiheng, who was lying down, jumped up and looked at him with bright eyes.
Their eyes met, but Wei Li looked away as if he hadn't seen her and went straight to find his clothes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com