Even in February, it gets dark very quickly in Pingzhou. By the time the two of them came out of the side hall, it was already completely dark.
Zhao Xiheng cried and muttered to herself in front of the memorial tablet. When she stopped, her eyes were swollen like small walnuts. Wei Li put the back of his hand on her eye sockets to cool her down.
"Why haven't you changed your clothes yet?" Zhao Xiheng hugged his arm and pressed the back of his slightly cool hand against her eyelids.
Wei Li felt a pang of bitterness in his heart; he had only made a fool of himself by imitating others.
Zhao Xiheng snuggled against him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and said sweetly, "You looked better before. I wouldn't even recognize you like this."
Her sweet, coquettish words suddenly made Wei Li feel inexplicably relieved. He lowered his head, touched her cheek, pursed his lips, and remained silent.
Zhao Xiheng sighed inwardly, then looked up and kissed his lips. "Come on, let's change our clothes and eat together. I'm hungry, aren't you hungry too?"
Wei Li then got up and left. Zhao Xiheng sighed and sat up with a worried expression. Xiao Tao also frowned and asked, "Your Highness, what are you sighing about?"
"I'm thinking about how to make an idiot smart." Zhao Xiheng pouted. "Go ask the kitchen for a basket of salted walnuts."
Xiao Tao went happily, saying, "Eating walnuts is good for the brain; the little prince we have in the future will definitely be smart."
Zhao Xiheng felt that it was necessary to supplement the child's brain, in case the child's brain was as inflexible as Wei Li's in the future, that would be terrible.
I wonder if eating walnuts at Wei Li's age is still effective? Could it help improve his brain function?
Walnuts are not eaten as a meal; they are placed on a small table as a snack after meals.
Wei Li changed his clothes, now a maroon one, which looked much brighter and more pleasing to the eye.
Zhao Xiheng took his hand with satisfaction. "What's so attractive about white clothes? They're so bland. How can they compare to red?"
Wei Li's lips unconsciously curled into a smile, but he still said, "Do you think I'd believe your nonsense?"
Zhao Xiheng shouted loudly, and the sound could be heard outside. Xie Qingyu, who came in from outside, looked at her white clothes expressionlessly, turned around and left, feeling resentful.
He originally came to say goodbye. He always stayed in Pingzhou, but he couldn't bear to leave Yongzhou. Staying here was really not pleasant for him.
"There was shrimp for breakfast, shrimp for lunch, why is there shrimp for dinner too?" Zhao Xiheng glanced at the boiled shrimp on the table, somewhat puzzled.
Although the cooking methods were different each time, she was getting a little tired of eating shrimp every meal.
"You said it yourself, eating more shrimp is good for the baby." This time, Wei Li didn't even care about the trouble of peeling shrimp. He piled some shrimp meat into her bowl and gestured for her to eat quickly.
Upon hearing Wei Li's words, Zhao Xiheng understood that Wei Li must have instructed the kitchen to make it; no wonder it was served for all three meals a day.
"Then I don't want to eat it tomorrow, I want to eat..."
"You're asking for quite a lot?" Wei Li interrupted, tapping her forehead. "Would you eat dragon meat if I got it for you?"
Zhao Xiheng smirked and mocked him.
After dinner and washing up, the two snuggled up on the warm daybed. The small table had been moved to the other end. Zhao Xiheng felt uncomfortable on the daybed, so she insisted on snuggling in Wei Li's arms, her head resting perfectly on his chest.
A human cushion, warm and comfortable.
With a warm and soft body in his arms, Wei Li naturally wouldn't refuse; in fact, he was quite happy to do so, even casually rubbing her soft hands and face.
The two had only been talking for a short while when a battle report was brought in from outside.
Zhao Xiheng fiddled with two walnuts in her hands, then turned her gaze to the piece of paper.
News of Wei Li's capture of Liu Huan and Wang Zhiyao spread extremely quickly. The Goguryeo king and the Goguryeo crown prince who had established his own kingdom naturally received the news. Fearing that Wei Li would turn back and give Goguryeo another warning, they hurriedly withdrew their troops. Pingzhou was once again victorious, and Chen Ruojiang and Yang Zeli would be able to return to the city soon.
"So what are you planning to do now?" Zhao Xiheng asked Wei Li as she nestled in his arms, playing with walnuts.
“He’s messed with me, so of course I’ll squeeze him dry,” Wei Li said.
She didn't want to use pliers to crack the walnut shells herself, as it was too much work, so she handed the walnuts to Wei Li.
Wei Li's gaze hadn't yet left the battle report when he casually took it, cracked it open, picked out the meat and placed it in her palm, tossing the shell into the spittoon.
"Will Youzhou and Qingzhou also be taken advantage of?" she continued to ask.
The walnut kernels that Wei Li cracked open were perfectly intact, without the slightest damage. Zhao Xiheng felt a sense of satisfaction because of these two complete halves of walnut kernels.
She put the small bamboo basket containing the walnuts into her bosom, then handed them to Wei Li one by one, asking him to crack them open.
“Hmm.” Wei Li nodded. “I plan to have Youzhou and Qingzhou cede territory to ransom Liu Huan. Youzhou will definitely agree to my request. Liu Huan’s eldest son is only eight years old this year and can’t hold his own. They will definitely want Liu Huan back. Qingzhou is a different story. Wang Zhiyao’s heir is already twenty years old. He might not be willing to give up Qingzhou’s territory and leave his father to me directly.”
With a soft, fragrant body in his arms, and his mind preoccupied with other things, he didn't even realize he'd become a walnut-cracking machine. Zhao Xiheng would give him one, and he'd crush it, seemingly tireless.
Zhao Xiheng crunched the dry walnut kernels, snuggled closer to him to find a comfortable position, and then, in return, fed him a walnut kernel, which was just right for nourishing the brain.
"I think Wang Zhiyao will definitely be redeemed by his son. After all, he is his own father and he wouldn't be so heartless. Moreover, if the person isn't returned, the son will probably be criticized behind his back."
"I don't think so. With Wang Zhiyao dead, the heir to Qingzhou will be the king. He might not be willing to let his father go back." Wei Li didn't like the strange taste of walnuts, but he still frowned and ate them. Then he hooked his little finger around her finger. "How about we make a bet?"
Zhao Xiheng was not in high spirits. She had eaten enough walnuts and was feeling a little sleepy. "I won't gamble." Anyway, Wei Li's entire fortune was in her hands, so there was no fun in winning.
The strands of hair at her temples fell across her cheeks, and she was too lazy to brush them aside, letting them hang there, her eyes half-closed.
Wei Li casually brushed the strands of hair from her cheek and tucked them behind her ear. His rough fingers scratched Zhao Xiheng's face slightly, causing her to shift slightly, but she didn't say anything.
"Let's bet. If you win, I'll give you your box of letters," Wei Li coaxed her, bowing his head.
Zhao Xiheng finally perked up a bit. Right, her parents' letters were still with Wei Li. She grabbed Wei Li's hand and stared straight at him. "Have you read those letters?"
Wei Li blushed. He wasn't good at lying, and his lies would be quickly exposed, so he nodded.
Zhao Xiheng became interested and asked him in a low voice, "Have you finished reading it?"
"No, I only read a few." He lowered his voice as well.
"Don't you also think my parents have a particularly good relationship? Their letters are all so sweet and sentimental?"
Wei Li nodded slowly. It was indeed a bit sour, but looking at Zhao Xiheng's shining eyes, he felt a pang of unease. "You also want a husband like your father?"
"I didn't really want it," Zhao Xiheng said softly. Her parents' story was enviable, and she just wanted others to envy her too.
Wei Li pondered for a moment, recalling the letter Zhao Xiheng had written to him when he was in Dongying. Should he have written her a reply then to fulfill her wish?
But it's way too sour!
Zhao Xiheng really likes this kind of sweet and sour way of getting along as a couple. Why doesn't he give it a try?
"What if I win? What if you win?" Zhao Xiheng retorted, bringing Wei Li back to his senses.
Wei Li blushed, and Zhao Xiheng had a vague feeling that something was wrong. He slowly lowered his head and whispered a few words in Zhao Xiheng's ear.
Zhao Xiheng's face instantly turned bright red. She felt like she was about to be fully cooked, and she was no longer sleepy. She turned around and bit his neck.
"You beast!"
"What beast?" She bit with restraint; it hurt, but didn't break the skin or draw blood. Wei Li hugged her, carefully avoiding her abdomen, and breathed into her ear, "Isn't this normal?"
"It's not good for the child to hear you calling him that."
"It's okay, you can't hear me yet." Wei Li shamelessly hugged her.
"Beast, animal, old dog!" Zhao Xiheng cursed him as she bit him.
The next day, Wei Li, with bite marks all over his neck and face, went to the dungeon and interrogated Liu Huan and Wang Zhiyao.
The two of them naturally launched into a tirade, calling him treacherous and cunning, and worse than a beast.
Wei Li pinched their chins, threatening them coldly, "Since you don't want a perfectly good tongue, I don't need to pity you two. I originally thought you had some ambition and backbone, but didn't you just take the bait with a little encouragement?"
"You're all foolish, and you're blaming me for it?"
"I have already sent messages to Youzhou and Qingzhou. Let's see if your subordinates are willing to send you back."
Wei Li made an outrageous demand this time, asking Qingzhou and Youzhou for one-third of their cities and land.
As expected, Youzhou had no successor and the heir was not yet grown up. They couldn't bear to part with Liu Huan, and after repeated discussions, they finally used six cities bordering Pingzhou to bring Liu Huan back.
As for Wang Zhiyao, there was still no news from Qingzhou. After Wei Li sent Liu Huan away, Wang Zhiyao was left all alone in the dungeon, and Wei Li would provoke him from time to time.
"You've raised a son who's nothing special; he doesn't even have the intention of sending you back."
Wang Zhiyao's eyes were bloodshot; he naturally couldn't believe that his son would disregard his life.
But after waiting and waiting for more than half a month, there was still no news from Qingzhou.
Wei Li was impatient and sent a message urging him to agree, saying that if he did not agree within a day, he would cut off one of Wang Zhiyao's limbs.
A few days later, Qingzhou held a coronation ceremony, electing Wang Zhiyao's son, Wang Fengjiang, as the King of Qingzhou. This meant that Wang Zhiyao was to be abandoned and his fate was left to Wei Li.
Wei Li naturally couldn't let Qingzhou get away with it, so he cut off Wang Zhiyao's limbs, pulled out his tongue, packed him up as a gift, and sent him to Qingzhou as a succession present for the new King of Qingzhou.
Whatever chaos ensues in Qingzhou is no longer Wei Li's concern; Wang Fengjiang will likely be the target of much criticism from the people of Qingzhou.
Goguryeo displayed its usual shamelessness, sending only envoys to apologize without mentioning the cession of territory, since they had no hostages left in Wei Li's hands anyway.
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