Disappointment flickered in her dim eyes. She pushed back the covers, struggled to sit up, and, fighting off the dizziness, tried her best to keep her voice steady as she said, "I understand. I'll grant your wish!"
Holding onto the edge of the bed, she went to the screen next to her and took down the cloak hanging there. Without saying a word, she walked towards the door, but when she passed by Huo Jingsha, he grabbed her arm.
He pulled her close, his eyes blazing with barely suppressed anger, and asked through gritted teeth, "Where are you going?"
"Go where I need to go," Shu Yao said calmly. She tried to break free from his hand, but he held on tightly.
In short, Huo Jingsha was terrified! He appeared strong on the surface, but he was extremely panicked inside.
She said she was going to where she was supposed to go, and he knew that meant leaving. He wasn't in that place, but perhaps Qi would be there! He cursed that man a thousand times in his heart. He had successfully made Shu Yao feel distant from him, and now even her expression when she said she was leaving was so resolute.
Huo Jingsha was anxious. She originally wanted to talk to her properly, but because she was so angry, she started to say things without thinking, "She's just a concubine. There are a dozen or twenty in the harem. Why can't you tolerate her?"
“Yes, there’s no room for it.” She answered without hesitation and with unwavering certainty. But there was no hysterical outburst; she simply replied calmly.
The more she acted like this, the more frightened Huo Jingsha became. He would rather she cry, make a scene, or even bite or hit him a few times, so that he could have a chance to coax her and perhaps things wouldn't fall apart.
But she didn't. Her pretty face showed only calm and determination, as if even her sorrow had faded. This was not a good sign. He was terrified of this expression. Staring into her eyes, he found that her once bright and clear eyes had become lifeless...
Has she... given up on him? Because he broke his promise to her. But he really has no other choice but to temporarily wrong her, because now he has a responsibility not only to her, but also to Luo Wenpei.
Huo Jingsha knew that Shu Yao was a woman who appeared gentle on the surface, but was actually incredibly strong-willed and stubborn inside. Perhaps all the love she had poured into him had come to an end at this moment. But no matter what, even if she no longer loved him, he wouldn't allow her to leave!
Fine! Since she won't make a scene, then let him make a scene.
Huo Jingsha gripped her shoulders, then cupped her face, forcing her gaze to his own, and said angrily, "You Shuyao, from the day you married me, you knew that I didn't only have you as my woman. As the wife of a second-rank official, you should follow the virtues of womanhood. Didn't those things teach you tolerance?"
Shu Yao shook her head and answered indifferently, "I don't know, because I've been an orphan since I was little. I learned how to use my beauty to seduce people and how to kill them, so what are the virtues and precepts for women? I don't know. Can you eat that? When I married you, I knew you had more than just me, but you swore and promised me that you would never change your mind and would only love me. Because of that... I believed you, believed that I could be with you for life. But what about you? You deceived me, betrayed me, kept a mistress outside, and now you openly bring her into the mansion. Huo Jingsha, you keep asking me to be tolerant, but have you ever been tolerant of me?"
Shu Yao spoke with words stained with blood and tears, her eyes welling up with tears, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall. Now, she truly regretted it. Why did she have to go through the tenth ordeal? She thought that if her choices were different, the final outcome would be different, but she never expected that the torment in this life would be even more painful than dying tragically at his hands in her previous lives. At least back then, she hadn't given him her heart, nor loved him; all her emotions were simply hatred and resentment.
There's a saying that goes, "Debts of love are hard to repay and are the most heart-wrenching." If she had known this would happen, she would have rather killed herself with a sword or risked her life to leave him, crawling away if necessary, rather than ending up being heartlessly abandoned by him today.
He was sorry to her, sorry for the two times she risked her life to save him, and even more sorry for her wholehearted and sincere love.
"Shu Yao, you can't do this. Wen Pei won't bother you at all. Even if she becomes my concubine, she'll be just like the other women in the backyard, staying quietly in her own courtyard and won't bother you in the slightest."
Hearing this, she wanted to laugh. How could someone as clever and ruthless as him become so naive in this situation?
Has he forgotten about Consort Shao? There were also the other concubines who spoke ill of her, secretly slandering her, wishing she would be divorced immediately. If it weren't for him suppressing their anger, she might have already died a horrible death. But that was when he was willing to wholeheartedly believe in her, to choose to stand by her side without hesitation, to protect her, to cherish her, and to not let her suffer any injustice. But what about later? Given his current attitude towards that woman, it's hard to say whether he will continue to protect her in the long run.
Moreover, it's impossible for two women to be together without interfering with each other. Can she and Luo Wenpei get along peacefully and without any problems? Even she herself doesn't believe it, so how can he? This is just burying his head in the sand!
After a long silence, Shu Yao said softly, "I've fallen for Qi, but you don't need to worry. I only like him silently in my heart and won't do anything substantial with him. I'll still be your wife and Xiao Bao's mother at the Huo residence every day. But, can I see him occasionally? I promise he will never interfere with you in any way."
Her words instantly turned Huo Jingsha's face ashen.
Shu Yao felt a surge of satisfaction upon seeing his expression and chuckled, "Don't be angry. I only secretly like him in my heart. I'm not actually with him, nor do I plan to marry him or be a loving couple in front of you every day. Why are you angry? Oh... I understand now. It turns out that the rules of this world can only be used to control women, while men have the right to indulge themselves. They can like whomever they want and abandon whomever they want."
She successfully shut him up and hurt him deeply. He knew she was deliberately using this example to make him understand her feelings, but he couldn't let her continue to win like this. Her victory meant his defeat, and things would lead to an outcome he didn't want to see.
"Shu Yao, stop being unreasonable. Before we came back, Wen Pei swore to me that she would never compete with you for your affections, and was even willing to suffer herself, just asking that you could give her a place to live. Isn't that enough? My feelings for you will never change. We've already gone to such lengths, so why can't you give in just once? Why can't you be more understanding of her, a weak woman, and show her some kindness? Aren't you the kindest person, the one who can't stand seeing others suffer?"
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