Chapter 27 She was afraid that Xu Congjing would lean down and bury his head in her neck...
The city gates are closed.
The sound of horses' hooves was rapid and short as the carriage sped away. Lou Yanxu lifted the curtain to look.
The sky was overcast, and the night wind stung her face and body slightly, but she closed her eyes and peeked out, feeling a surge of joy despite the pain.
The wilderness, a vast expanse of land and sky.
She finally... escaped.
The carriage passed through a farmland and turned left at a fork in the road. After an unknown amount of time, it stopped in front of an inn. Wan Qing'an jumped off the carriage. "This place is quite a distance from Chang'an City. The city gates are closed. Let's rest here for now, try some fresh first-harvest vegetables, and set off early tomorrow."
Lou Yanxu nodded in agreement. The city gates were already closed, and even if Xu Congjing discovered her disappearance, he would have to wait for the drums to sound to open the gates. She finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The inn was not in very good condition. The old windows were blown open by the wind, and the stench of the stables seeped in with the slight chill, causing even the rough-and-tumble merchants to frown and cover their noses.
Lou Yanxu was overjoyed. No matter how foul the air outside the city was, it was still freedom. She raised her lips, dispelling much of the gloom, and finally revealed the first smile she had shown in days.
However, it didn't last long. Her parched lips twitched slowly, and she saw a tall figure in front of her. The man turned around, his face gloomy, and he looked angry.
Xu Congjing... what are you doing here?
In the end, she couldn't escape his grasp?
A tremendous sense of powerlessness overwhelmed her, making her tremble and suffocate. She instinctively tried to escape, and in her panic, she stepped on Wan Qing'an's foot. The latter turned around and choked as she saw Xu Congjing approaching step by step.
Xu Congjing never expected that while he was acting on the emperor's orders to apprehend a wanted criminal, he would happen to run into Lou Yanxu, who had escaped to this place. She shrank back, trembling, and glared at him fiercely, like the cat she had brought back from the Chenghua Marquis's residence, which would bite when cornered.
Wan Qing'an moved to block Xu Congjing's view, then steeled herself and struck first with her sword. She didn't see him move, but she couldn't hurt him no matter what she did.
It was Wen Jie who took Wan Qing'an's sword strike.
Lou Yan was filled with worry, but she didn't have time to think further. In an instant, her body was lifted into the air, and Xu Congjing had already carried her upstairs without saying a word. Qingrui chased after him but was stopped downstairs.
Wan Qing'an, bound by Wen Jie, struggled to break free and slapped him across the face, glaring angrily, "You accomplice!"
This was the first time she had confronted him directly.
He paused slightly, then stopped her from stepping forward and advised, "Congjing won't really hurt her."
"Isn't keeping her locked up harmful?" She was too lazy to argue anymore, and in her haste, she took three steps in one stride. But the men Xu Congjing brought were all highly skilled, and a large group of them blocked her way. She glared at them and leaped into the air to fight them off.
However, she was outnumbered and quickly suffered repeated defeats. Wen Jie, worried that she would be at a disadvantage, knocked her unconscious with a single blow and took her away.
Her raised hand suddenly fell, her eyelids drooped, and Lou Yanxu was taken into the room and lost consciousness.
Xu Congjing slammed the door shut, his face grim as he threw Lou Yanxu onto the bed. She bent over and retreated to a corner, her hair standing on end.
The flame of the oil lamp flickered, casting a shadow on his gentle face. His dark eyes looked over, "Wanwan, why can't you listen to me?"
The chilling words made Lou Yanxu feel as if her neck was being tightly strangled, unable to escape, and filled with despair as she faced death.
She tried her best to remain calm, but her hands were sweaty, making her skirt damp. Her ankles were enveloped by large palms, and with a cry of "Ah!" she was pulled away. Xu Congjing leaned down, burying his head in her neck, his cool lips pressing against her soft skin, causing her to tremble.
One hand roamed over her body, the other cupped her face, his hot breath hot against her ear, murmuring, "Wanwan, Wanwan." An overwhelming sense of terror overwhelmed Lou Yanxu; she kicked her leg, pounded her hands, and screamed in terror.
Her shawl slipped down, her wide-sleeved bedding hung loosely, only her underpants were tightly wrapped under her skirt.
"I've completely lost my mind!" Xu Congjing felt remorseful. He turned his head away, a hint of reluctance flashing across his face, then stopped and abruptly stood up.
Stroking her long hair, his malicious smile vanished, his face as cold as a winter's day. "Are you scared?"
The image of Rou'er's pale, lifeless face flashed before his eyes. He gripped his jaw and flung her face aside, gritting his teeth as he said, "She was just as afraid as you were back then."
Terrified, Lou Yanxu's mind went blank. She couldn't hear what he said, nor did she know who the "she" he was referring to was. When she came to her senses, he had already left, and she was once again imprisoned.
Humiliation, hatred, a sharp pain in my heart, and I couldn't help but let out a short sob.
Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision.
The weeping reached his ears. Xu Congjing stopped outside the door, closed his eyes, hardened his heart, and turned away.
Back in the room, Wen Jie was already waiting.
"What is it?" Xu Congjing asked in a cold voice, rubbing his temples wearily as he sat down.
"What exactly do you want from her? A grown man like you is so indecisive. You don't know what you're thinking. You think you're torturing her, but you're actually torturing yourself." Wen Jie glanced at him and said angrily, "I still advise you to say it clearly. At least be clear about your love and hate, rather than having both and living like a monster."
On countless cool, moonlit nights, he caught glimpses of Xu Congjing drunkenly murmuring "Wanwan," revealing his deepest feelings.
But the love hidden deep in his heart had long since taken root in his marrow along with his hatred, becoming intertwined with his flesh and blood. How could he so easily distinguish between love and hate? Xu Congjing scoffed.
“I asked her.” After a long silence, he looked up, his voice hoarse. “I wrote to her about it three years ago.”
He told no one about this. Three years ago, his sister and father died one after the other. He rushed to his mother's side, but didn't have time to see his beloved again. When Yunxi testified against Lou Yanxu, he couldn't sleep at night and was plagued by nightmares. Only that one night, under the pear blossoms in his dream, he promised to respect her, love her, believe in her, and marry her in a glorious way. So the next day, he hardened his heart and wrote to Suzhou to find out the truth.
His clear, unfathomable eyes betrayed his deep sorrow. He muttered, "She admitted it." It was all an act, a ploy to soften his heart.
She killed his loved ones.
Upon learning the truth, he wanted to escape. Although he had been prepared, he still couldn't bear to hear her admit how ruthless she was. He panicked and terrified, so he tried to convince himself to forget about it.
Finally, he clutched his heart tightly and couldn't help but bend over.
It hurts! It hurts so much.
Lovers unable to be together left Wen Jie speechless for a moment, a chill running down his spine. After a while, he asked, "The letter, is there a problem?"
It was her handwriting; the last stroke of both characters, "琬琬," did not have a hook. Even after repeated close inspection, nothing unusual was found. Xu Congjing smiled bitterly. What could he do? In the end, he could not disregard family ties.
He didn't speak, and Wen Jie understood. It seemed there was no room for negotiation on this matter. Wen Jie changed the subject, "I spread the news that Sheng Ling's father was someone else, just as you wanted, and sure enough, someone came to my door in secret. Guess who it was?"
Back then, Xu Jingzhi, the father of Xu, and a staff member of Qiao, the maternal grandfather of Sheng Ling, jointly investigated corruption. If this person hadn't implicated Xu Jingzhi, he wouldn't have been hunted down to death. However, there were dozens of staff members in the Qiao family, so it was impossible to find out which one it was. All that was known was that this person and Qiao's daughter were in love, but due to his low rank and lack of influence, he could only watch helplessly as his beloved was betrothed to another man.
Now that he is suspected to be Sheng Ling's biological father, that person indeed couldn't resist revealing his true colors.
"Cao Ying?" Xu Congjing lowered his eyelids and answered casually, only to see Wen Jie pointing at him with his index finger and nodding repeatedly, "How did you guess?"
Cao Yiyuan entered officialdom at a young age, working his way up to the position of Military Inspector. Last year, he was transferred back to Chang'an to serve as Privy Councilor. Cao Ying is his adopted daughter, known for her aloofness and ruthlessness. Cao Ying's appearance is naturally to serve Cao Yiyuan.
"You have the scent of eupatorium that Cao Yiyuan usually uses, and it lingers for a long time. You must have sneaked into his residence. Did you find anything?"
Wen Jie raised his sleeve and sniffed, but couldn't detect any scent. Only Xu Congjing had a keen sense of smell, so he didn't pay much attention. "This person is too cautious; he hasn't found even the slightest clue."
I had expected it. This person must have been extremely careful and cautious to have remained hidden all this time; otherwise, there would have been no need to resort to such underhanded tactics to catch him.
What high-ranking official was his father investigating back then? Even Cao Yiyuan, now a first-rank official, hadn't dared to touch him. This person must either hold the highest rank or be deeply favored by the emperor. Xu Congjing searched through his mind and suspected only a few people. It wouldn't be long before he found them.
His heart pounded with joy, a smile spreading across his face, but in a flash, his expression turned grim. He could easily eliminate his father's killer, but what should he do with the murderer who killed his sister?
Looking at Lou Yanxu's face, he couldn't bring himself to do it. But in the dead of night, Rou'er would whisper in his ear, asking him why he didn't take revenge. This would often torment him, causing him immense pain and heartache.
The room fell silent for a moment, then a series of hurried footsteps approached. Just now, he had sent someone to deliver a bowl of appetizer porridge to Lou Yanxu, and now this person rushed over to report, "My wife is very angry and overturned the porridge. I brought her a second bowl, but no matter how much I pleaded, she wouldn't take a single bite."
Already extremely annoyed, Xu Congjing's face turned frosty upon hearing this. He took a deep breath but could not suppress his anger, "If she won't starve, then let her be!"
The overwhelming aura terrified the servants, who hurriedly fled. Wen Jie glanced at him, but couldn't persuade them otherwise, so he stopped interfering. He got up; it was time to go check on Wan Qing'an.
Xu Congjing was the only one left in the room.
The dark clouds dispersed, the moon shone through the window, and shadowy figures swayed. He sat upright for a long time, then got up and went out blindly. Whether he was conscious or not, he eventually reached the end of the corridor, where a door separated them, and Lou Yanxu was inside.
He couldn't let her starve to death, he thought, placing his hand on the door frame before stepping inside.
The room was pitch black. The young woman had already gone to bed, and her soft, even breathing was reassuring.
He sighed and turned away.
But then a soft sob was heard, "Brother Zizheng..."
Xu Congjing's heart skipped a beat, then he was overjoyed. He kicked away the obstructing Yuan Dun and strode back to her side. He squatted down by the bed and took her hand in his; it was so small and so warm.
But he quickly realized something was wrong, and touched her forehead—it was frighteningly hot! He turned on the lamp, looked at her flushed face, and was filled with remorse. He shouted, "Wanwan! Wake up, Wanwan!"
She was in a daze and unconscious. The doctor rushed over that night to treat her and gave her acupuncture. Xu Congjing stayed by her bedside until her fever subsided in the middle of the night before he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Brother... Brother... Brother..."
The next day, Xu Congjing was awakened by intermittent whimpers. He held her hand with one hand and touched her forehead with the other. Fortunately, her fever had not returned. He gently coaxed her, "Brother is here, brother is here..."
Lou Yanxu felt like she was struggling in a deep swamp, the stench of mud covering her mouth and nose. Someone whispered gently in her ear, calling "Wanwan, Wanwan" repeatedly, pulling her out. Her eyelids parted slightly, and sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Xu Congjing's weary face.
She leaned on his shoulder as he brought a bowl of lukewarm medicine to her lips; the bitter, pungent smell made her frown instinctively.
Her head throbbed with a splitting pain, but her consciousness returned quickly. She abruptly slammed the medicine bowl over her shoulder, grabbed the blankets, and hid in the corner of the bed, glaring at him warily.
Xu Congjing was startled and looked up.
She was afraid of him.
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