Chapter 51 Her Marriage The thought of her child having to call someone else "Father" made him…
"Whom will you marry?" Xu Congjing's eyes gradually reddened, filled with resentment and pain. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out each word, "Lu Hengzhi?"
"Yes." Meeting the faint sadness in his eyes, Lou Yanxu felt a sharp chill in her heart. Neither his tenderness nor his sharp words could stir a ripple in her heart. She was so calm that it seemed as if he was being unreasonable.
“Wanwan, you can hit me, scold me, or set me up to be demoted, whatever you do is what I deserve, but…” His face turned pale instantly, his hands flailing in the air, and he lowered his head and pleaded in a low voice, “But please don’t leave me… please don’t degrade yourself like this.”
What does it mean to demean oneself? Is marrying someone else demeaning oneself? She insisted on defying him, insisted on pursuing happiness without him. Thus, she uttered words that pierced the heart: "I am willing, I want to marry Lu Hengzhi, and I will bear him children in the future."
Yes, she would call Lu Hengzhi her husband in the future, share intimate moments with him, and bear his children. Just the thought of her children calling another man "Father" made her heart bleed.
He took a step forward, gently cupping her face in his hands. His cool lips pressed against her delicate brows and almond-shaped eyes, his trembling kiss filled with deep fear and regret. In his panic, he didn't know whether to tell her or himself, "It's not like that, Wanwan, you still have me in your heart, you can't marry him."
Lou Yanxu felt a pang of bitterness rise in her heart and turned her head away to avoid his kiss. The bright moonlight shone through the eaves, casting a halo around the bruise on her forehead. Xu Congjing gently turned her face back, his expression cold and stern as he stared intently at the bruise, his voice filled with anger, "Did he force you? Did he hit you?"
She had just said she would spend the night with Lu Hengzhi when she suddenly developed bruises. No wonder he misunderstood. However, she didn't want to bring up the matter of being tied up again, so she slapped his hand away and protested, "I hurt myself by accident."
The terror of last night was still vivid in her mind. Meng Lingwei wanted to run her over and kill her, and then gouge out the mole at the corner of her eye with a knife. The cold blade pierced her heart, an experience she would never forget. But then, with the chirping of an insect, a thought flashed through her mind. She remembered that her sister Rou also had a mole at the corner of her eye. The two of them, one black and one red, used to jokingly call each other "sister flowers."
Meng Lingwei hated that mole so much that a terrifying thought welled up in her mind...
When she came to her senses, Xu Congjing was no longer beside her. He was walking along the veranda into the house. She chased after him, asking, "What are you doing in my house!"
He lifted the curtain and entered, walking straight to the drawer where he took out the medicinal oil. Lou Yanxu stared in disbelief, pressing down on the medicine with one hand, her brows furrowed in suspicion. "How did you know where I kept my medicine?"
“Your habits won’t change, I’ve always known that.” He sighed and pressed her down onto the crescent-shaped stool without giving her a chance to resist. He pulled out the stopper and poured out the bottle, leaving a small puddle of red oil in her palm. She realized what he wanted, turned her head away, and refused to comply.
Xu Congjing insisted on this, applying medicated oil with his other hand and rubbing his palm against her forehead. As the pain subsided, she instinctively flinched back, her low, pleading voice reaching her ears, "Wanwan, is there no room for negotiation?"
She closed her eyes and stiffened, letting the pain control her body, even her heart was not spared. Holding her breath, she said, "My mind is made up. Xu Situ, find another good man."
Xu Congjing's hands didn't stop; he continued to rub and press, and the bruises quickly faded. Seeing that it was almost done, he put the stopper back in, washed his hands, and then bent down from behind to hug her neck. A tear rolled down her earlobe. "Didn't you say you'd marry no one but me in this life? Don't marry him, don't marry him..."
"Wasn't it you who broke your promise first?" Lou Yanxu was stunned for a moment, then calmly pried his hand away and gave him an order to leave, "Go away, and don't come back again."
Yes, he was the one who broke his promise first; he was the one who lost her.
A single sentence sent a jolt through him, causing him excruciating pain. Yet, his love for her was so deep that he was unwilling to give up. He forced back his heartache and reminded her, while also comforting himself, "The Duchess of England has already chosen someone else. She won't let you into the house."
She had heard a little about the Duchess of England's character before, but now that she wasn't begging to marry Lu Hengzhi, these obstacles shouldn't be her worries.
After a while, she got up and asked the guests to leave, saying, "Hengzhi will handle this; why should outsiders meddle?"
An outsider? When did he become an outsider?
A bitter smile appeared on Xu Congjing's lips. He turned around, lifted the curtain, and his lonely figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.
Upon leaving the mansion, he immediately instructed Yunlu, "Go and find out where Lady Lou went last night."
Looking up at the Milky Way, the vast starry sky illuminated the tall buildings. The autumn wind rustled against his face, raising goosebumps. He stood there, letting the cool breeze penetrate to his bones, his heart stirred with emotion.
Lou Yan sat quietly inside, a deep sorrow lingering in her heart. Finally, she sighed and buried her head in her arms, just as she heard hurried footsteps approaching. Qingrui cried out in surprise.
"Second Mistress!"
"Madam Wan drew her sword to kill that beast! This servant couldn't stop her!"
Lou Yanxu raised her hand high, immediately got up and ran out, taking the passageway all the way, and finally stopped Wan Qing'an in front of the hanging flower gate.
"Qing'an!" She gripped the sword hilt with one hand and tightened her grip on Wan Qing'an's arm with the other, saying in a deep voice, "Qing'an, don't be impulsive!"
Just now, Qingrui came to report that she was safe and sound. Wan Qing'an only heard half of it before her neck turned red with anger. She bit her cheek and growled, "Don't stop me, I'm going to kill him!" Can the powerful do whatever they want and treat human life like dirt? She refused to believe it and was determined to take the risk.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I won't let him get away with this, but let's not get ourselves involved." Lou Yanxu tried her best to calm her down. "You're going to take the martial arts exam soon, so don't give anyone something to talk about and cause all our efforts to be in vain."
Hearing this, she indeed stopped. Lou Yanxu had done her best to persuade Emperor Xiaokang to establish a martial arts examination for both men and women. Just a few days ago, her father was sent to the frontier to defend against the enemy, which allowed her to concentrate on preparations. Because she knew that everything they had achieved was hard-won, the two of them were always cautious, fearing that one wrong step would lead to another.
Who would have thought that Meng Lingwei, that rotten apple, would ruin such a perfectly good pot of porridge!
She covered her hand with her own, her eyes filled with resentment and pity, and said softly, "I feel sorry for you."
Lou Yanxu shook hands, a cold glint in her eyes. "Am I some fish on a chopping block, to be slaughtered at will?"
As the saying goes, "He who walks by the river is bound to get his shoes wet." Meng Lingwei is a person who should be thoroughly investigated.
...
It was late at night at the Xu residence.
In the dark and damp dungeon, dim torches flickered on the walls, casting shadows on Sheng Jin's face. Her hair was dirty and tangled, and her eyes were lifeless as she leaned against the cold iron bars.
The cell door creaked open, and someone was brought in.
The man had already fainted, his hands bound behind his back, and the distinctive scent of perfume emanating from the brothel wafted past as he passed. She lifted her heavy eyelids and glanced at him sideways.
With just one glance, an overwhelming sense of fear washed over her. Her eyes widened, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and she unconsciously wrapped them tightly around herself, her nails digging into her flesh. Then she buried her head low, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
Xu Congjing followed behind, glancing coldly at her as he passed by, before turning his gaze to Meng Lingwei, who was being dragged along by Yun Lu. His eyes darkened, and his expression suddenly became more serious.
However, he didn't say anything more and walked straight ahead.
Meng Lingwei, who was originally in a brocade quilt, is now tied to a cross. Only after a bucket of water was poured over him did he regain some of his senses.
Xu Congjing remained silent, but Yun Lu coldly kicked him and patted his face in an extremely insulting manner, saying, "I'm looking for you. You know very well who you tied up last night."
Speaking of this, Meng Lingwei was not remorseful but angry. "You still dare to bring this up with me? She's the one who hit me with this wound, and I haven't settled the score with her yet!" His father had repeatedly warned him that these were troublesome times, and if he weren't afraid of the Duke of Ying's mansion, he would have already stormed into the Lou mansion and tied that person up to the bed.
"You still dare to look for her?"
Xu Congjing was already furious just hearing Yun Lu's report on last night's events. Now that this man was so arrogant, he had no reason left. He immediately drew his knife and plunged it into Yun Lu's shoulder. The hilt spun around, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.
A piercing scream echoed throughout the dungeon. Sheng Jin, several cells away, trembled violently, covering her ears as snot and tears streamed down her face. She heard Meng Lingwei roar angrily, "If you dare touch me, my father will not let you get away with this!"
"Afraid of him?" Xu Congjing sneered. He had been fighting against Grand Tutor Meng since he entered officialdom, and had fallen for his schemes countless times, yet he was still standing here alive, climbing the ranks step by step.
Moonlight streamed through the iron bars of the small window at the top, illuminating Xu Congjing's cold face. He looked up and nodded, signaling Yunlu to bring Sheng Jin over.
She seemed startled, curling up into a ball with her eyes darting around. But Xu Congjing wasn't so kind; he grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her close to Meng Lingwei, coldly asking, "Is it him?"
"Suzhou, is that him?" he repeated. Seeing that she didn't dare to look, and without saying a word covered her ears and shook her head, he was already somewhat certain.
The moment Meng Lingwei entered, she turned deathly pale and was drenched in cold sweat. Now, when asked to identify him, she didn't even dare to look at him. The ulterior motives behind this are obvious. He suspected that Sheng Jin had lied before, and even boldly guessed that she had also been forced to submit to him, but ultimately chose to aid and abet the evildoer.
If Meng Lingwei is the real culprit in Rou'er's murder, then Sheng Jin's statement that "the crime was committed by siblings from Chang'an" makes sense. Meng Lingwei and Meng Lingchang, one hunting and the other carrying out the act—what a fitting description of the Grand Tutor's mansion!
At the time of the incident, Grand Tutor Meng's position was precarious, and he would certainly not tolerate his son causing trouble. In order to distance themselves from the matter, the brother and sister would definitely try to quell it. Therefore, they took the opportunity to shift the blame to Yunli and forged letters to point the finger at Wanwan... In this way, everything makes sense.
However, these are all just speculations, and the specifics still need to be confirmed.
Xu Congjing pulled the knife from his shoulder, the blood from the blade splattering onto her face, causing her to shudder. He asked again, "Was it him?"
Sheng Jin was terrified, tears streaming down her face. She shrank her neck and nodded repeatedly, her lips bitten until they bled.
The knife fell, and blood splattered.
Sheng Jin's screams and Meng Lingwei's cries mingled together, becoming the most unbearable sound to Xu Congjing's ears. Yet he was still not satisfied. The knife was pulled out and plunged in, leaving bloody holes before his eyes. The hatred of the past surged to its peak at this moment. Even cutting his enemy into a thousand pieces would not be enough to quell the hatred in his heart.
That night was tragic and heartbreaking.
The next day, while Lou Yan was having breakfast, Wan Qing'an rushed over.
She looked at the breakfast on the table, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, "Today, Meng Lingwei's body was dumped in front of the Grand Tutor's mansion. His body was stabbed with hundreds of holes, and his genitals were cut off. His death was extremely bizarre."
Lou Yanxu stared blankly for a long while, her mouth slightly agape. She put down her chopsticks and murmured, "Why did Hengzhi attack? Is he alright?"
The death of Meng Lingwei will inevitably cause a huge uproar. Grand Tutor Meng holds a high position and wields great power, so investigating the cause of death would be easy for him. However, if this matter implicates the Duke of England's mansion, it would be a loss that outweighs the gains.
She clenched her fists tightly, but then Wan Qing'an sat down, staring into her eyes and asking, "You don't actually think that Prince Lu did this, do you?"
"Who else could it be?" Only Lu Hengzhi knew about this matter. If it wasn't him, then who else could it be?
Lou Yanxu's thoughts turned back, and when she met the gaze of the other person, her heart pounded.
There is one more person.
But is it really him?
Her eyes were vacant as she stared fixedly ahead. After a long while, she spontaneously denied it, "It shouldn't be him. It wasn't easy for him to climb up the ranks. Why would he risk offending Grand Tutor Meng for me?" She had witnessed his grand ambitions and could imagine how difficult it was for him to climb to the Crown Prince's side without any support. She dared not imagine that he would stand against the imperial tutors of three generations for her.
“Young Master Lu comes from a wealthy family, but there are many things to consider. Without a foolproof plan, it’s difficult to move forward.” Wan Qing’an hadn’t considered what she was thinking, but which commoner could have a clean official career? So she said, “But Xu Congjing came up by stepping on mountains of corpses and seas of blood. His actions are ruthless and cruel. I think he is the one who does it.”
That makes sense. With three generations living under one roof in the Duke of Ying's mansion, Lu Hengzhi inevitably has to consider all aspects to avoid dragging his entire family down with him. As for Xu Congjing, his only close relative is Madam Zhang, making it easier to protect his future.
But would he really go to such lengths for her?
When she was feeling anxious, Wan Qing'an patted her shoulder and said, "If you want to know, just ask Prince Lu yourself. If you don't want to know, then let it be."
Lou Yanxu nodded and pondered for a moment.
She decided to ask Lu Hengzhi about it tomorrow.
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