Chapter 230 I used to like it, but now I don’t like it anymore (Part 1)
"You're finally here."
This was the first sentence Zhuang Wan said after she threw herself into Pei Xingju's arms. Her eagerness was mixed with longing, and her longing was filled with fear.
Pei Xingju also hugged her tightly, and took her to a corner for fear of being seen by people outside.
"I knew you would come." Zhuang Wan clung to his neck, "Finally, I see you."
Time was running out, and Pei Xingju was filled with longing, so he could only hold her tightly and kiss her deeply.
After a moment, he stepped back and asked, "Did he give you any trouble?"
Zhuang Wan looked at him and asked, "Is it too much of a burden for me to marry him?"
"What about you?"
"Of course I don't want to marry."
"Okay, I'll take you away today."
"No." Zhuang Wan quickly stood up straight with a serious look on her face.
Seeing her like this, Pei Xingju's heart tightened, and there was a bit of hurt in his eyes: "You don't want to? Do you really want to marry him?"
"Silly!" Zhuang Wan laughed. "Why would I marry him? I've been waiting for you to save me all this time."
"Then why don't you want to leave? I have prepared people, tonight..."
"I know the secret between Prince Wenle and Liang Jinxian." Zhuang Wan interrupted him, "Listen to me..."
Zhuang Wan then briefly recounted to Pei Xingju what she had heard in the palace, concluding, "I can't go back with you just yet. Liang Jinxian has set up an ambush throughout Shu Province, waiting for you to fall into his trap. It's not certain you can leave Shu Province with me. Rather than risking both of us, it's better to hold our ground."
"Liang Jinxian has already prepared his troops and will probably go to war with Dazhao soon. Pei Xingju, when the time comes, defeat him and then take me away." Zhuang Wan looked at him: "Hmm?"
Pei Xingju hesitated. He knew that Zhuang Wan was right. Liang Jinxian had set up a tight net and was waiting for him. It would be very risky to take Zhuang Wan away at this time.
But......
He came here day and night because he was worried about her. Now that he saw her, how could he bear to let her stay in the tiger's den?
"Yuzhi," Zhuang Wan persuaded, "I know you're not here just to save me, you must have other things to do. If I stay with Liang Jinxian, I can numb his vigilance and make it easier for you to act. Besides, maybe I can get some other information..."
"No need!" Pei Xingju pressed his hand against her forehead. "It's fine for you to stay for now, but you only need to take care of your own safety. You don't have to take risks for me. I have other arrangements for gathering information. I do have other important matters to attend to in Shuzhou. It would be safest for you to stay in the Changguo Palace."
If Zhuang Wan is brought along, it will easily cause a lot of trouble.
"But there is one thing you have to remember," he instructed.
"What?"
"At all times, you only need to take care of yourself. Don't take risks, don't act willfully, and don't leave the palace to see me at will, so as not to arouse his suspicion."
"But what if I want to see you?" Zhuang Wan said, "I was worried you wouldn't be able to contact me, so I thought of opening a shop."
She laughed: "I knew you would understand my intention when you heard Zhuang's Shop."
"If you want to see me..." After a moment's hesitation, Pei Xingju said, "Put a red banner at the door, and I will come at 2:15 PM that day."
"Um."
"Time is running out. I need to get out quickly," Pei Xingju said. Liang Jinxian's guards were everywhere outside, and his presence was already risky. If he stayed too long, it would arouse suspicion.
When she heard that he was leaving, Zhuang Wan felt reluctant to let him go, so she climbed up and kissed him hard.
The moment she kissed him, Pei Xingju also responded deeply.
Just like that, the two of them kissed each other reluctantly for a while behind the door before Pei Xingju restrained himself and let her go.
"I'm leaving, remember what I said."
"Um."
"Wait..." Zhuang Wan pulled him back, raised her sleeve to wipe the lip balm from his lips, and said with a smile, "Let's go. Be careful."
"good."
.
After Pei Xingju left, Zhuang Wan deliberately stayed in the accounting office for a long time, then went shopping for a while and bought a lot of things. When he returned to the Changguo Palace, it was already after the evening.
She was about to go to her Mingluan Palace, but when she passed the courtyard, she saw Liang Jinxian coming out of the palace.
Liang Jinxian was wearing military uniform today and seemed to have just returned.
He stood on the steps with his hands behind his back: "Are you back?"
Zhuang Wan turned and walked towards him, looking him up and down. "Not bad, you look good in this outfit, very manly."
Liang Jinxian pulled the corner of his lips, and the light in his eyes seemed to be a smile.
His behavior always made Zhuang Wan feel uneasy. She couldn't figure out what he was thinking, or it was as if he could see through her.
Zhuang Wan forced herself to remain calm: "Could it be that I'm wrong?"
"Where did you go?" he asked in a deep voice.
Zhuang Wan's heart skipped a beat, wondering if he had discovered something. But then she thought it was impossible. If he had discovered Pei Xingju, he wouldn't be standing here talking to her.
After understanding this, Zhuang Wan said calmly, "Go shopping."
"Shopping? What did you buy?"
"Snacks, do you want some?" Zhuang Wan turned and instructed the maid: "Give the snacks to everyone, and leave a few packets for..."
"No need." Liang Jinxian stared into her eyes: "Are we really just going shopping?"
Zhuang Wan raised an eyebrow, put her hands on her hips and said, "What do you mean? Judging from your expression, you don't think I'm going out to have an affair, do you?"
“........”
Liang Jinxian's face darkened, and she lowered her voice to scold him, "You will soon be the Queen of Changguo. You must be careful when speaking in front of the servants."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Wan felt relieved.
It seems she passed.
She had been out for so long today, which must have aroused Liang Jinxian's suspicion. He might have been trying to scare her by pretending to be majestic just now.
Fortunately, she did not show her timidity and covered it up with a joke.
Zhuang Wan looked spoiled and snorted, "I am just like that. I am not cut out to be a queen. If you dislike me, you might as well marry someone else."
Liang Jinxian curled his lips: "I'm just worried about you."
"Why are you worried about me? Oh," Zhuang Wan said, understanding. "You thought I contacted Pei Xingju? Could it be that he has already come to Shuzhou?"
Liang Jinxian walked down the stairs casually: "Why, if he comes to Shuzhou, do you want to see him?"
"Am I stupid?" Zhuang Wan said, "I used to like him, but now you've made me queen, why would I go back?"
"What's so good about being the mistress of the General's Mansion? Wouldn't it be better to be the queen of a country?" Zhuang Wan poked at his military uniform. "By the way, you went to training today, didn't you? Then you have to work hard and let me be the queen for a while longer."
Liang Jinxian suddenly grabbed her fingers and looked at her carefully: "Did you really mean what you said just now?"
Zhuang Wan blinked: "Which sentence?"
"You used to like Pei Xingju, but now you don't like him anymore?" he asked.
Zhuang Wan nodded.
"So who do you like now?" Liang Jinxian asked casually.
"I don't like anyone," Zhuang Wan said half-seriously. "In my eyes, only money and status are important."
"You're so superficial!" Liang Jinxian laughed: "I like it!"
“........”
After a moment, Liang Jinxian calmed down and said, "The wedding is approaching, so try to stay out of the palace as little as possible."
"knew."
.
Capital city.
After finishing his work, Shen Yi came out of the office and was about to get on the carriage when he saw a familiar person running towards him. He stopped and waited.
Soon, the man came up on horseback and handed him a letter.
"Where did you send it from?" he asked.
"Southwest." The man lowered his voice: "Secret letter."
Chen Yi took the letter and turned it over to see that it was sealed with red and black wax, which was indeed the mark of the secret letter from Xuanzhao Pavilion.
For some unknown reason, his heart grew heavy.
Pei Xingju wrote a secret letter from the southwest, so there was only one possibility: something big had happened. And this big thing was probably related to the capital.
Sure enough, when he got on the carriage and opened the letter, his expression became more solemn.
"Go back to the princess's mansion." He ordered the coachman.
At 2:00 PM, Chen Yi arrived at the mansion, only to learn that Princess Wu Jing had gone out and had not yet returned. He nodded to himself, his mind in turmoil, and unconsciously walked to Wu Jing's main courtyard.
The door to the side hall was open, and inside were several camphorwood boxes stacked up. They were the luggage that Wu Jing had previously packed. After that day, she never mentioned returning to Lu State again, but she also didn't ask anyone to pack the boxes back.
He seemed to be waiting for something, yet also seemed to be hesitating.
After a moment of silence, Chen Yi turned and strode out. The servant asked him where he was going, and Chen Yi said, "If the princess comes back, tell her I'm out for something."
"yes."
.
Wu Jing returned home at dusk. She could have returned earlier, but for some reason, she didn't want to stay. Especially after Shen Yi was dismissed, she didn't want to run into him.
Ever since they became husband and wife, she felt increasingly uncomfortable with Chen Yi, and she hadn't decided how to face him.
Is she his wife? But they were engaged by agreement, and Chen Yi had someone else in his heart.
Is she his friend? But they had sex.
But they are not strangers. After all, they live under the same roof and know each other to some extent.
Princess Wu Jing was terrified of embarrassment, so to avoid it, she simply left home early and returned late every day, never returning until dark. After returning, she would have dinner and stroll in the courtyard, then light a lamp and read a passage for a while. When it was almost dark, she would go to sleep.
She felt that life was becoming more and more boring.
The July weather was unbearably hot, and even with a basin of ice in the room, she still couldn't cool down. She tossed and turned in bed for a long time, unable to fall asleep, thinking that perhaps the window was too small and didn't let in any air.
So he got up, and without calling the maid, he walked to the window and opened the other half.
When I was about to turn around and go back, I suddenly heard birds singing outside.
Late in the night, I don't know what kind of bird it is, but it's calling in a very strange and stealthy way.
“Chirp…Chirp….”
Wu Jing frowned. Something didn't sound right. The voice sounded like a human. She followed the sound and walked to the window again. The next moment, she saw Shen Yi looking out the window.
He smiled at her shamelessly: "Can't sleep?"
"Why are you here?"
"I have something good for you," he said.
"What has to be delivered at night?" Wu Jing was puzzled.
Because it was night, the light was completely dark, with only moonlight falling on the eaves and treetops. The darkness avoided any awkwardness, and Wu Jing stood in the window, looking at him, with a rare boldness and directness.
"This thing would look better if it were delivered at night." Chen Yi peeked in from outside and asked quietly, "Are you the only one in the room?"
"Yeah." Wu Jing was not used to having her maids sleep in the outer room, so she usually let her rest in the ear room.
"Okay," Shen Yi nodded, "I'm coming in."
Before Wu Jing could refuse, Shen Yi climbed in through the window.
But he was not good at climbing windows. Perhaps it was his first time doing this, so he was very clumsy and a piece of his robe got caught on the window and he couldn't get up or down.
Wu Jing couldn't help laughing at how silly he was.
Chen Yi also smiled awkwardly: "Um... help me move a stool."
Wu Jing turned around and helped him move a round stool. With support under his feet, Shen Yi finally had time to untie his robe that was caught.
After a while of hustling, she finally got in. Princess Wu Jing asked, "There's a door right next to you, why don't you go through it?"
"Right!" Shen Yi slapped his forehead, "I actually forgot."
Suddenly, Wu Jing couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The atmosphere became relaxed amid their laughter, and even the midsummer night seemed to become much gentler.
Chen Yi silently looked at Wu Jing's smiling face, a faint smile on his lips. After a while, when she finished laughing, he said, "Wu Jing, close your eyes."
"Why did you let me close my eyes?"
"Just keep your eyes closed. Open them when I tell you to."
"What on earth is it? It's so mysterious." Wu Jing curled her lips, but still closed her eyes as she was told.
She heard Chen Yi busying around in the room for a while, and then it was as if the candle was blown out, and the light suddenly dimmed.
"Chen Yi, what are you doing?" she asked with her eyes closed.
"It will be fine soon."
After a while, Chen Yi came over and pulled her.
Wu Jing's hand was grabbed by him without any warning, and she was stunned.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Don't open your eyes," Shen Yi said, "Follow me."
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