Chapter 60 He coughed up blood. Lou Yanxu hated herself for caring about him so much. ...
Lou Yanxu knew best how much Xu Congjing disliked Lu Hengzhi. Normally, he would have been furious, but now he lay motionless on the bed, his chest barely rising and falling, as if he were about to die at any moment.
Only then did she truly realize that the man she had loved and hated for so long was now poisoned and on the verge of death.
In a daze, she felt a sense of unreality. The two had loved and hated each other, neither of them truly wanting the other to die. Now, he lay before her, his breath faint, sending chills down her spine. All the resentment and hatred she had felt vanished like smoke.
After a moment, she dismissed everyone, slowly frowned and closed her eyes. Frame after frame of her youth flashed before her eyes. She remembered being bitten by a poisonous snake while playing, and how he stayed by her bedside day and night to take care of her. Those memories came flooding back, making her expression gradually sorrowful. Then she suddenly opened her eyes, her vision clouded.
Finally, she spoke softly, "Do you still remember the two jars of wine you buried under the pear tree in Suzhou?"
Looking back, it's as if I've returned to that bright, sunny day, when the spirited young man buried two jars of wine under the pear tree, solemnly promising that the wine would be used as wedding wine when it was unearthed. Now, the two of us have missed each other; the wine is still wine, but it's not meant to be wedding wine.
Regardless of whether he could hear her or not, she continued, "If you don't wake up, I'm going to drink with someone else." Although she didn't know how he had been poisoned, she was convinced that he was unwilling to accept his fate.
Whether it was due to a genuine shock or something else, his body on the bed suddenly convulsed, and black blood gushed from his mouth, flowing down his chin onto the pillow.
Dozens of doctors filed in, each carrying a medical manual, and began to stop the bleeding and administer medicine, finally stabilizing the situation.
Lou Yanxu looked at the pale face from afar and asked Yun Lu beside her, "Why was he poisoned?"
"This subordinate dares not say more. My lady, please wait for the young master to wake up and ask him yourself." Yun Lu bowed his head respectfully. In fact, he did not know the reason either. He only knew that the young master was chased after going to Lingzhou and was inexplicably poisoned on the way. It seems that Chen Qian is hiding a secret.
Fortunately, Lady Lou did not pressure him, and the matter was thus resolved hastily. Turning his head, he heard her softly call out, "Madam Xu."
Madam Zhang must have been worried about her son; her complexion was no different from Xu Congjing's, with dark circles under her eyes and more pronounced wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes.
She said to the maid, "Quickly take Lady Lou to change into a clean set of clothes."
Lou Yanxu then noticed a dark red stain on her clothes, which was the blood Xu Congjing had vomited earlier. She did not refuse, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Madam."
"I should be thanking you. Given Jing's current state, I'm afraid only you can save him." Madam Zhang went over and took her hand, the warmth flowing from her palm straight into her heart. She looked into the inner room and couldn't help but sigh. She wasn't a god; how could she save him?
A maid brought her clean clothes, which she changed into before going out. She saw Madam Zhang waiting at the door. "The curfew is over. You can rest in the mansion today."
Yes, I was so busy that I didn't even realize the curfew had ended and I couldn't move around. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to go out.
"Then I will trouble you, Madam." She thanked her respectfully as usual, but unexpectedly, Madam Zhang suddenly shed two lines of tears. She was flustered and her hand hung in mid-air, not knowing what to do.
“Child, what a good child…” Zhang’s slightly withered hand stroked her cheek, her eyes filled with apology and sorrow. “He refused to tell me who the murderer was before, and I never thought that he would misunderstand you so deeply. I’m sorry, Congjing.”
Before Lou Yanxu could react, she knelt down with a thud, saying, "I am aware of the mistake he made, and I apologize to you on his behalf!"
How could she possibly accept such a grand gesture! Lou Yanxu placed her hands under Zhang's arms to help the frail body up.
“Madam, there’s no need for this.” She lowered her head and spoke softly, somewhat afraid to face Madam Zhang. “To be honest, his deafness in his left ear was because of me, and his demotion was also my doing. The love and hate between us is so complicated that it’s hard to say who is right and who is wrong.”
If it were anyone else, they would have wanted to kill the culprit for their son suffering such pain. But Zhang was righteous and awe-inspiring, and instead comforted her, saying, "You don't need to defend him. Wrong is wrong, and he should suffer whatever you do."
Lou Yanxu was stunned, finally realizing who Xu Congjing resembled. Both mother and son were decisive and uncompromising. Zhang Shi appeared gentle but was actually strong-willed and could distinguish right from wrong. Once she made up her mind, she would go all the way down a dark path, ruthless to herself and others.
Lou Yanxu felt truly relieved at once. "Let bygones be bygones." She had already taken her revenge. Instead of dwelling on it and tormenting each other, it was better to let go and move on.
“Madam Lou…” Madam Zhang wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, somewhat surprised that Lou Yanxu was so composed. Then she saw that Lou Yanxu just smiled and said, “If you don’t mind, you can call me Wanwan.”
“Then how about you call me Auntie?” Madam Zhang said softly, with a touch of affection. “No matter what happens between you and Congjing in the future, I will always treat you as my daughter.”
Knowing full well that their relationship could not be rekindled after what had happened, she did not force it, but simply took it as God's mercy in sending her another daughter.
Lou Yan agreed and smiled in response.
The two parted ways, and she followed the maid to the side room. In the unfamiliar environment, she was wide awake and tossed and turned, unable to sleep. When the rooster crowed, she became so flustered that she got up, quickly changed her clothes, and ran all the way to Xu Congjing's courtyard.
The sharp autumn wind whistled past her ears, making her throat feel dry and painful. She was panting heavily, and when she saw the basins of bloody water being poured out, she almost fainted.
"Zicheng!"
Her heart pounded like a drum, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She rushed inside without thinking, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the person was not covered by a white sheet. She then slowly slid down to the wall.
Xu Congjing was out of danger. She silently stared at her lifeless husband on the bed, and couldn't help but hate herself for caring about him so much. She had originally planned to remain just a nodding acquaintance in official circles, but when he faced danger and was in peril, she still felt uneasy and trembling with fear.
How can someone you've loved deeply be treated as a stranger? It's either love until the seas dry up and the rocks crumble, or hate until the end of time. She overestimated herself.
But she was tired of hating and tired of loving, and didn't want to choose either.
She leaned against the wall and walked out, hiding in a corner in front of the Xu residence. Fortunately, her honeymoon wasn't over yet, so she wasn't in a hurry to go to her duties. Occasionally, a few young men who had skipped school would pass by in front of the gate, gathering in groups of three or five to chat.
One of the young men said that the Duchess of England had been beaten up with a sack on her way home last night and wouldn't be able to get out of bed for months. After he finished speaking, the others huddled together and chuckled, their laughter growing increasingly hearty and cheerful, making the surroundings feel wonderful.
Lou Yanxu pondered for a moment, wondering who was behind this.
She could only think of one person.
Just then, a commotion drifted by, and a familiar voice rang in my ears.
"I'm not going in," the young woman repeated impatiently.
Lou Yanxu turned around and called out, "Qing'an."
"Yan Xu?" Wan Qing'an stared blankly, somewhat confused, and exchanged a glance with Wen Jie. "How could you..."
How could she have entered the Xu residence, and how could she have been by Xu Congjing's side when his life was in danger? Lou Yanxu knew what she was thinking, and seeing the interaction between the two, she knew what they were arguing about, so she pulled her into the residence.
“Xu Congjing and I have long since severed ties. You don’t need to do this for me and put Wen Langjun in a difficult position.” Wan Qing’an’s sincerity touched her, but how could she take it for granted? This matter should not involve others; it was her oversight that caused the problem.
Wan Qing'an, however, was still thinking of her, declaring, "If he dares to bully you again, I will beat him to a pulp."
She was amused and nodded.
The two walked inside together. After a moment of silence, Lou Yanxu leaned closer and whispered, "Was it you who did the matter concerning the Duchess of Yingguo?"
Seeing that Wan Qing'an remained silent, she felt reassured. "I have already avenged this, so don't get involved." She was eager for revenge but worried that Wan Qing'an would make another move, yet she still couldn't stop her.
She snorted angrily, "This matter is over with you, but it's not enough with me. I must get my revenge!" The person she personally escorted to her wedding had died halfway and almost lost her life. How could she let it go so easily? Not tearing that Du woman to pieces was already letting her off easy!
Her nature of repaying kindness with kindness and seeking revenge with revenge hasn't changed at all. Lou Yanxu didn't say anything more and let her go, assuming she knew what she was doing. Revenge is one thing, but if it really leads to someone's death, she'll be stained with blood.
Besides that, she thought of something else, her face fell, and she said softly, "Qing'an, I need you to do something for me."
Lately, a myriad of things have been keeping me busy and dizzy, and I haven't even had time to plan how to deal with Meng Lingshang. Thinking about it more carefully, it's really quite strange. Logically speaking, Xu Congjing could easily deal with Meng Lingshang, yet he's been hesitant to act; there must be a hidden reason. Right now, with his life hanging in the balance, he can't afford to worry about much else, and he can't afford to be careless. Someone must keep a close watch on him, and she has complete confidence in Qing'an handling this matter.
Wan Qing'an listened to her private words, nodded, and quickly left.
Lou Yanxu put aside her many thoughts and walked inside. As she passed through the vase-shaped door, she suddenly heard Yun Lu's childish voice, "My lord! You're awake!"
She paused for a moment, then rushed over in two strides, but slowed down and took her breath before stepping inside. Sure enough, she saw Xu Congjing leaning against the headboard, unharmed, his lips colorless but his eyes bright.
"Wanwan..." Upon seeing her, a smile immediately appeared on his pale face. Lou Yanxu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but her words remained firm, "I came to see you for a moment. It's good that you're awake."
He glanced at the fine beads of sweat rolling down her forehead and understood. Seeing her about to leave, he gave Yun Lu a wink. Yun Lu, disregarding any potential offense, quickly pushed her to the bedside and, before she could react, had already dashed out.
Xu Congjing clenched his four fingers tightly, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull them out. She had no choice but to let him pull her down to sit. She heard him say, "I heard everything you said."
He caressed his delicate fingertips, gazing greedily at her beautiful face, as if he had regained something he had lost. His heart blossomed with joy, and he blurted out, "When we buried wine under the pear tree, I said that when the wine was fragrant, we would be married. Our vows were solemn and unwavering, and they remain unchanged to this day."
On the verge of death, her emotions were genuine and open. Now that she has survived, he wants to fight for her one last time. Despite all they have been through, their love remains deep and unwavering, and they wish to never be apart.
He gazed at her tenderly, his intense affection as captivating as ever, yet his expression clearly indicated he was certain she wouldn't marry him. Lou Yanxu wasn't swayed. She frowned and asked, "Do you think you have everything under control? Are you smug, knowing all along that my marriage to Lu Hengzhi wouldn't happen?"
She peered into his heart and asked, "If I don't marry him, do I have to marry you?"
Xu Congjing's hand froze.
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