Chapter 22 I wish to be a mandarin duck fairy (2) The spring gushed out.
The sun was about to set, and the sky was as pale and yellow as old silk. A cold wind rustled through the dry branches in the yard, making a whistling sound.
After hearing this, Meng Xuanli casually put on some clothes and walked out of the inner room barefoot.
Seeing Lu Guanque sitting alone at the desk with his chin supported, she quietly walked around the screen, passed through a broken light and shadow, and stopped behind him.
She didn't care about his feelings before, nor did she need his feelings. Even if she was slightly touched, she thought she was decisive enough to deal with it.
But just now, when she heard him say "it's all sin", she felt some regret.
What crime has he committed?
His sins were all caused by her mood and determined by her mood.
She shouldn't have vented her resentment and confusion on him, and she shouldn't have treated someone who truly cared about her like that.
Meng Xuanli approached, slowly leaning over, and hugged him from behind. Lu Guanque felt a warmth build up inside him, and he opened his eyes half-consciously, saying in a hoarse voice, "Why are you up?"
He exuded a faint scent of medicine and blood. Meng Xuanli lowered her eyes and saw the red mark on his palm. She reached out and touched it, asking worriedly, "Does it hurt?"
Lu Guanque didn't answer, but just turned his face to her warm cheek.
Meng Xuanli released his hand and sat down beside him, leaning on his shoulder. She explained, "I saw her tragic death in prison, and thinking about her past, I couldn't help but think about my own future. Also, when you came, I was dreaming of a little fairy descending to earth to face trials. The Moon God warned her not to save the man named Lu, and also said..."
When he heard the name "Lu," Lu Guanque's hands trembled, and he asked in a cold voice, "What else?"
Meng Xuanli said truthfully, "He also said that if we rescued him, we would be doomed..."
Lu Guanque stroked her palm, the veins on his forehead bulging slightly, and his voice was low and hoarse: "You won't be like her, and I won't be like that man named Lu."
His voice was steady yet trembling. Meng Xuanli raised her eyes quietly and saw that he was frowning and closing his eyes, as if in some pain.
Her heart twitched, and she felt that she had hurt him again: "I didn't... I believed you."
"What you said after you woke up was all in anger. I have you in my heart."
"What did you say?"
Lu Guanque's throat was dry, as if he was trying hard to hold it in. Spending so long with Meng Xuanli had always been like looking at flowers through the mist, or catching the moon in the water—both near and far.
Before the moon's shadow arrived, he pushed aside the clouds like a madman, trying to let her see him. But when the moon's shadow really fell on him, he didn't dare to look up.
At this moment, he was afraid that all this was still her charity and compassion.
Seeing him lost in thought, Meng Xuanli suddenly hugged his arm and gave him genuine warmth: "I said, you are in my heart."
"Say it again..."
Meng Xuanli looked confused, thinking he hadn't heard clearly, so she repeated, "I have you in my heart..."
Lu Guanque put his arm around her waist and placed her on his lap, trying not to strain her. He nuzzled his chin against her hair, "But why can't I feel it?"
"Ali, what do you say? What should we do?"
His voice was cold and gloomy, like a white ghost that suddenly appeared from a mountain of graves. If you were not careful, you might be scared to death.
Meng Xuanli had never been afraid of ghosts, but at this moment her heartbeat quickened and her body felt cold. She pressed her chest and tried to calm herself: "You...what do you want me to do?"
Lu Guanque seemed heartbroken. He moved his face closer, tears glistening in his eyes, making her unable to understand.
Meng Xuanli paused, then, as she had guessed, raised her head and grasped his collar. Her long black hair fell and covered his palm.
The candlelight flickered, and she kissed him lightly on the lips.
Lu Guanque's throat rolled over, and he threw the books on the desk away with his backhand. He grabbed her by the back of the neck, slowly stood up, and placed her on the desk.
Her back touched the cold wooden table, and Meng Xuanli stared at Lu Guanque in a daze. His brows were cold, his jaw was tense, and he exuded a dangerous aura that she had never seen before.
Before she could react, Lu Guanque's kiss came crashing down like a collapsing rock.
Meng Xuanli's hands were tightly clasped by him, and her lips were numb from his kiss.
She thought she had already mastered this, but when she met him, she found that what she had seen before seemed to be just tricks.
Pressed against him, Meng Xuanli felt a burning sensation all over her body. Suddenly, Lu Guanque relaxed his grip. Saliva trickled from the corners of her lips. She gazed into those eyes in the yellowish light and panted, "I haven't eaten yet."
Lu Guanque's hot breath sprayed on her neck, and he said in a low voice: "Eat now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Xuanli was picked up by him. In order to avoid falling, she clung tightly to his shoulders and entrusted her whole body to him.
Lu Guanque put her on the bed, extinguished all the candles, and covered her with his clothes.
Meng Xuanli held his face and whispered, "That's not what I'm talking about. I'm really hungry..."
"No hurry, eat this first."
Lu Guanque stared into her eyes, his voice so low it was almost dusty: "Is it okay?"
Meng Xuanli's eyes were as bright as spring water. She bit her lip and said "hmm" softly.
Lu Guanque's heart was beating like rain. He kissed her lips hurriedly, buried his head in her neck, and gently took off her clothes.
Meng Xuanli bit her lip patiently. In a trance, she saw Lu Guanque with a gloomy brow and a faint blush on his face. He was full of contradictions, like a Qiongqi wearing an immortal robe.
Pious, sacred.
Chaos and violence.
…
The sudden rain had just stopped and it was already past five o'clock in the morning.
After everything was settled, Lu Guanque brought a bowl of porridge and said, "Come and eat something."
"I'm not hungry anymore. I can't eat right now." Meng Xuanli turned his back and didn't want to pay attention to him.
"Eat something, come." Lu Guanque sat on the edge of the couch and helped her up.
Meng Xuanli looked at him dimly and said unhappily, "Liar."
Lu Guanque put his arm around her, blew on the porridge, and then smiled and said, "Are you okay just now? Huh?"
"It's been too long..."
Meng Xuanli pursed his lips. Thinking back on it now, it seemed pretty good. Except for some discomfort at the beginning, it gradually got better.
Thinking of this, she stole a glance at him and saw that his brows were cold, but there was a smile on the corner of his lips. He seemed like a different person, not at all as fierce as he was just now.
Just as he was lost in thought, he heard Lu Guanque say, "Open your mouth."
Meng Xuanli was stunned for a moment, then reached out to take the bowl: "I'll do it myself."
Lu Guanque didn't stop her. He looked at her with indescribable joy in his heart.
After using it, Meng Xuanli lay on the couch, looked at him with lowered eyes, and asked, "Where did you find this dress? It doesn't look like it's mine..."
Lu Guanque was packing his things. When he heard her ask this, he paused and said casually, "It's hanging on the hanger. I thought it looked clean, so I brought it over for you to wear."
"Oh." Meng Xuanli raised his hand and took a closer look, quite satisfied. "When I was in Xuzhou before, I also wore clothes made of similar materials, but..."
Lu Guanque raised the corner of his eye and pretended to be casual: "Just what?"
Seeing that he cared so much about what he said, Meng Xuanli turned sideways and said carefully, "That clothing store was burned down a long time ago."
Lu Guanque wiped his hands, turned around and came forward, sitting on the edge of the bed: "Burned? What do you mean?"
"Two years ago, there was a big fire in Xuzhou, and many people died." Meng Xuanli remembers this incident very clearly.
"How did the fire start?" Lu Guanque seemed confused.
Meng Xuanli recalled: "It caught fire in the middle of the night. The next day I heard someone say that someone in the clothing store accidentally knocked over a candlestick while closing a window, and that's when the fire started."
"The fire was so big that it burned down an entire row of houses. Su He...died in that fire."
"I see..." Lu Guanque hugged Meng Xuanli tightly and said softly, "Ali was very sad at that time, right?"
"Yeah." Meng Xuanli hugged him back, unwilling to say more, "I'm a little sleepy."
"Go to sleep."
She closed her eyes, and Lu Guanque patted her back gently, again and again, and fell into deep thought.
After recovering from his illness, he ignored all attempts to stop him and secretly went to Xuzhou to look for Meng Xuanli. However, he searched in vain. When he was about to return to Dongdu, he heard a local man mention that he knew Meng Xuanli. He hurriedly followed him, but upon entering the main hall, he was knocked unconscious by the man.
When he woke up again, he was masked and tied to a pillar, unable to move. Soon, he smelled a strong smell of smoke and realized that the man who had tricked him into coming here during the day was going to burn him to death.
He struggled with all his might to break free from the ropes. He was about to jump out the window to escape, but the man spotted him and dragged him into the fire. Thinking of how he had been murdered, Lu Guanque faced the flames and, without a word, began to fight him.
"You know her and you know me. Who are you?" Lu Guanque has been in good health since he was a child. He tied him to the pillar with his backhand.
The man laughed, stared at him desperately, and said cruelly: "I am you!"
As he was speaking, a hanging beam fell down. Lu Guanque dodged and looked back. The man was dead in the fire.
After returning to the Eastern Capital, Lu Guanque discovered that the man was Su He, the nephew of the Xuzhou Su family. He even discovered his relationship with Meng Xuanli.
If Su He hadn't started the fire, if Su He hadn't been able to drag him back into it, perhaps they wouldn't have fought, and Su He wouldn't have died. Then Meng Xuanli would have married Su He as promised.
However, God still favored Lu Guanque. By some strange coincidence, he had successfully found her, married her, and even just now...
Lu Guanque looked down at the person in his arms, and seeing that she was sleeping soundly, he kissed her carefully, then got up and went to the study.
"Young Master, you haven't slept yet..." Uncle De just woke up and looked at him dazedly.
Lu Guanque stood by the window, the light and shadow casting a half-bright, half-dark shadow on his face. "Uncle De, tell me, Su He escaped death and disguised himself as Su Zixu. Is he trying to take her away from me?"
"How is this possible? Su He did those things, obviously targeting the prince."
Uncle De glanced at him secretly. He stayed up all night just thinking about this?
"But the first person he approached was her, not me... and at that time, he almost succeeded." Lu Guanque lowered his eyes and slowly turned around.
Uncle De saw him sighing with emotion, and withdrew his gaze. He was stunned for a moment: "The prince is overthinking during his illness. He certainly wouldn't dare to snatch the prince's wife."
Lu Guanque nodded, sighed, and asked, "How are Huo Yuan's funeral arrangements going?"
"I don't know what Su He said to Huo Yuan, but he teamed up with his people to send Su He away. Who knew that he would be poisoned by Su He's people not long after." Uncle De couldn't help but ramble on when he thought of Huo Yuan. "His funeral arrangements have been completed."
Lu Guanque was truly curious about what Su He had said to Huo Yuan that had caused him to switch sides overnight and even risk his life to such an extent...
Lu Guanque snorted coldly, shook his head, and ordered in a low voice: "Wait until Su He can walk, tie him up and bring him back. I have something to ask him in person."
"yes."
*
From that day on, Meng Xuanli and Lu Guanque grew closer. They each went about their own business during the day, but at night, she would rush to her bed to listen to Lu Guanque's anecdotes. The two would often chat about their stories until late at night before falling asleep.
That day, Lu Guanque went to the outskirts of Beijing early in the morning. Meng Xuanli was drinking tea at home when she saw Chen Bi hurriedly come to report: "Young Madam, Lu Yun said there is news about Miss Jiahe."
The teacup fell, splashing water. Meng Xuanli stood up hurriedly: "Where is Lu Yun?"
"She came all the way from the outskirts of Beijing, saying she was waiting for the young lady at Danqing Tower."
Meng Xuanli didn't think much about it and pulled Chen Bi out.
When they arrived at Danqing Tower, Meng Xuanli felt something strange and inexplicable: "Why is she waiting for me at Danqing Tower? Shouldn't she have come directly to the mansion?"
Chen Bi slapped his forehead. Before he could say anything, Wei Yuan, who was walking towards him, said with a smile, "The only one who can invite you out is your little niece..."
There were many people in Danqing Tower, and Meng Xuanli didn't want to have anything to do with him, so he turned around and was about to leave.
Wei Yuan stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Since you are here, and you have nothing to do today, why not listen to me? Maybe we can find your little niece tomorrow."
Meng Xuanli smiled and said calmly, "The Marquis and I have nothing to discuss."
"Wait a minute. Look what this is?" Wei Yuan showed a longevity lock.
Meng Xuanli was stunned for a moment, gritted his teeth, and said coldly: "Chen Bi, the weather is very good today, I will have a drink at Danqing Tower before going back."
"This..." Chen Bi hesitated for a moment as he saw the two of them were on edge. "Yes, then I'll wait for the young lady here."
Meng Xuanli followed Wei Yuan into the private room, slowly approached, and said calmly to the window, "How did you get Jiahe's longevity lock?"
Wei Yuan brushed his sleeves and sat down, leaning back lazily, deliberately changing the subject: "I heard that Lu Guanque has been in much better health recently. I also heard that you are going to Beishan to soak in the hot springs next month?"
Meng Xuanli frowned and turned to look at him: "Who told you? How do you know so much?"
"It seems that you didn't believe what I said to you last time." Wei Yuan smiled and said lightly, "Well, after all, he is young."
"If the Marquis is unwilling to tell me the origin of this longevity lock, I will leave first." Meng Xuanli said and was about to leave.
"What's the rush? I finally waited for you, and you can't even talk to me? Besides, your niece is still in her infancy. She eats and sleeps well, and she's living a very good life in my house."
"No wonder I couldn't find it no matter how hard I looked?" Meng Xuanli was surprised and said in disbelief, "Wei Yuan, are you sick?"
"The Pan family is in prison, and you actually went to steal their child?"
Wei Yuan curled his lips and snorted, "What do you mean by robbing? That was clearly entrusted to me by Pan Silang."
"It's just that I was a step too late and couldn't save your little nephew..."
Meng Xuanli's eyes dimmed slightly when he heard this, and he said earnestly, "Please return Jiahe to me."
"Give it to you? You've never raised a child. Besides, if Lu Guanque sees the child and gets upset, who knows, he might even kill her."
Meng Xuanli rolled his eyes at him and said, "Just tell me whether you will give it to me or not."
"No."
Wei Yuan knew that Meng Xuanli valued this child, so when the Pan family was avoiding him, he went directly to the house and fulfilled Pan Silang's dying wish.
"You won't give it to me? I will sue you in Kaifeng Prefecture." Meng Xuanli narrowed his eyes, sharp as a knife.
"Sue me?" Wei Yuan chuckled. "You won't. For the sake of this child's future, you will never sue me."
"Xuan Li, why don't you sit down and discuss the terms?"
"What kind of terms can I negotiate with someone like you?" Meng Xuanli glanced at him. "Besides, I haven't even seen my niece. Why should I believe your words?"
Wei Yuan nodded and immediately stood up: "I knew you would say that. Let's go to the Marquis' Mansion and take a look."
After saying that, Wei Yuan dragged Meng Xuanli out. Meng Xuanli struggled, gritting his teeth and saying coldly, "I'm going, just let me go."
"Oh yes, I forgot...you are not mine yet." Wei Yuan smiled casually.
When they arrived at the Marquis' Mansion, the moment Meng Xuanli saw Jiahe, he wanted to hug her.
Wei Yuan quickly stepped forward and stopped her: "Wait."
"Now that you've seen the child, you should finally negotiate terms with me, right?"
Meng Xuanli stopped abruptly, his mind in turmoil, as if punching cotton wool: "What on earth do you want to do?"
"Someone, come and help Miss Meng." Several maids pulled Meng Xuanli into the pavilion.
Seeing Wei Yuan approaching slowly, the maid was very tactful. She put down the tea and left.
"Xuan Li, you have also seen that I don't have a single concubine in my mansion now." Wei Yuan said in an earnest tone.
Meng Xuanli laughed dumbly: "So?"
"My feelings towards you were never a spur-of-the-moment thing from the beginning."
Wei Yuan took a sip of tea and said sincerely, "I told you not to trust Lu Guanque too much. He's a very cunning man. He may appear to be nothing on the surface, but in reality, when he gets ruthless, he'll kill people."
"He's not right for you. After you divorce, we'll raise your eldest sister's child together."
"how?"
"Are you talking about him or you?" Meng Xuanli rolled his eyes at him.
"I'll say it again, I didn't kill Minmin's parents. Their deaths did have something to do with me, but I definitely didn't kill them. Do you believe me?"
Meng Xuanli wanted to refute, but then he thought of something and threw out the bait: "I believe you."
"If I divorce Lu Guanque, will you welcome me into your family and raise Jiahe?"
Hearing her words, Wei Yuan stood up in shock, then smiled and said, "Really? You agreed?"
Meng Xuanli's eyes turned, and then he raised his face and looked at him with a smile.
"Really, I promise you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
