Chapter 24 The Beautiful Sunset (2) Disputes and Breakups.
"Let go? Ali is so nice, how can I bear to let her go?"
Meng Xuanli fell downwards from his kiss. When she reached her lowest point, her voice became hoarse and she cried out, "Lu Guanque...you will regret doing this to me..."
"Regret? I never regret it." Lu Guanque showed no intention of stopping. He easily opened her and went straight in. "Even though A-Li is clinging to me so tightly, I won't regret it."
The two people's hot breaths overlapped, like willow branches rising up in the wind, yet entangled with each other.
Lu Guanque's scattered hair fell on her face. She bit her lips patiently, her face flushed white. Finally, she couldn't resist anymore, so she turned her head and stared at his arm.
"I can't be the only one in pain..."
Her teeth were sharp, and Lu Guanque couldn't help but shudder as they dug into his skin. He raised his hand, wanting to hold her neck and make her look at him, but no matter what, she refused to look up, let alone face him.
"Who... were you thinking about just now?" His eyes were bloodshot, with a few tears hanging in the corners of his eyes, and he was eagerly waiting for the answer.
Meng Xuanli's eyelashes trembled, and the corners of his lips were stained with blood and tears. He sobbed, "It's none of your business..."
"I'll ask again, who is it?" He suppressed the severe pain in his forehead.
Meng Xuanli bit his arm and refused to make a sound.
Lu Guanque laughed and hurriedly said, "In that case, I'll help you make the decision."
Meng Xuanli opened his eyes wide, and couldn't help but climb onto Lu Guanque's shoulders, trembling all over: "It's you...it's you..."
#
After bathing, Meng Xuanli had a dream. She dreamed that she turned into a bird, trapped in a cage, struggling all day long, but never able to fly out.
Lu Guanque was lying flat on his back, not asleep. He heard her mumbling and slowly turned around, only to see her thin, weak, and exhausted back.
He stretched out his hand, wanting to touch it, but then pulled it back. This feeling made him feel terrible.
In a moment, he pressed against her thin back, as if holding a docile bird. Her every word and action, every frown and smile, were all under his control.
But the next moment, he also understood that after the storm just now, he seemed to have lost her.
She who had feelings for him.
Lu Guanque's hand was suspended in the air. Through the blur, he could see the marks on his arm, which were obvious, mottled, and burst. They were the marks she had just left.
What came over him was not pain, but pleasure. Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and he felt an indescribable joy in his heart.
She wrapped herself around him and bit him, she became like him, and now, she belonged to him completely.
#
The next day, Lu Guanque opened his eyes and saw through the dim sunlight that there were red marks on her shoulders and neck, and her black hair moved slightly, as if she had not slept well.
He smiled and reached out to hold her in his arms, but just as he touched her shoulder, Meng Xuanli woke up with a bang, clutching the quilt, and muffled, "What else are you going to do?"
Lu Guanque was stunned for a moment, then said softly, "Hold me for a while."
Meng Xuanli neither agreed nor refused. A wave of sadness welled up in her heart, and she suddenly recalled the past, when he always followed her wishes, protected her, and made her worry-free.
Even if they occasionally argued, he was always the first to bow his head. At that time, she thought that they loved each other and would be able to grow old together and spend the rest of their lives together.
But after what happened last night, she had already married him, and she didn't know whether her resistance was hypocritical or just a pretense.
But... that violent feeling of suffocation left her with an indelible pain.
Should she forgive him?
Or, does he regret it?
Meng Xuanli ignored his warm breath and said calmly, "It's getting late, you should get up."
Lu Guanque didn't move, stroking her waist: "Wei Yuan has gone to Jiangnan and will never come back."
"You can rest assured about Jiahe's affairs."
"Already?" Meng Xuanli asked in a low voice, "What did you do to him yesterday?"
"Ali finally paid attention to me." Lu Guanque lowered his eyes and said with a smile, "He is a marquis, what can I do to him? I can only make him suffer a little and send someone to send him to where he wants to go."
"Yeah." Meng Xuanli's voice was calm and steady. "You did a good job."
Lu Guanque's hand suddenly stopped and he increased his strength: "You don't care about me, nor do you care about him. You care about Su He..."
"I've answered some of these questions many times. But no matter what I say, you just don't believe it." Meng Xuanli smiled bitterly. "If you don't believe it, why do you still ask me?"
"It seems to be true." Lu Guanque couldn't help but lower his voice.
Meng Xuanli laughed and closed his eyes: "You don't regret what you did, but you come to question me?"
Seeing her expression like dead water, Lu Guanque felt an inexplicable surge of anger in his heart and said coldly: "I said, I never regret it."
"Never regret... What a great never regret..." Meng Xuanli opened his eyes suddenly, his voice choked with sobs and turned into a trembling sound, "Who do you think I am?"
"A bird you can play with? Or an object you carry with you? Lu Guanque, you are too self-righteous."
Lu Guanque lifted her chin and forced her to look directly at him. "Self-righteous... Yes, I am self-righteous. I always thought that if I treated you well and indulged you in every way, you would eventually melt away. But now it seems that I was completely wrong."
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have..."
"What shouldn't you say?" Meng Xuanli was frightened and quickly pushed him away.
Lu Guanque realized that he was almost exposed, and smiled with narrowed eyes, and put his arm to her lips: "I shouldn't treat you like this and make you angry. If you have any complaints, just bite me."
The teeth marks on it were miserable and chaotic, like blood-stained eyeballs, staring blankly at her. Meng Xuanli trembled and said, "You...you've lost your mind..."
"How could I be crazy? I won't be crazy." Lu Guanque pinched her chin, making her show her fangs, "Be obedient, take a bite, like last night."
Meng Xuanli felt a lump in her throat and felt a strong wind blowing in front of her. The dust splashed on her face and blurred her eyes.
Why did Lu Guanque become like this? Why did he have to make her hate him?
She struggled frantically against his shackles, and Lu Guanque was completely enraged. He stood up, picked her up from the bed, dressed her, and then held her neck with his hand against her forehead.
Meng Xuanli trembled all over, closed his eyes, and gasped violently: "I... I won't listen to you... Are you going to kill me?"
In the silence, Lu Guanque relaxed his strength and said coldly, "Without my permission, you are not allowed to go out, wear your old clothes, and die."
The bamboo curtains on the porch rolled gently, and the wind quietly entered, but it couldn't blow away the coldness in her heart. Meng Xuanli leaned in his arms, motionless, like a puppet with its strings cut off. Seeing that he showed no remorse, she didn't need to forgive him.
Thinking of this, she smiled, laughing at herself for being too naive. She naively thought that she would not be like Meng Xiuyu, but she didn't expect that she would be even more miserable than her.
"good."
Meng Xuanli pressed his chest, feeling the pain coming from it: "Put me down, I will... obey you from now on."
Lu Guanque was stunned for a moment, then put her down and warned her, "In the future, I will replace the people around you."
...Sunk Bi
No wonder Chen Bi knows kung fu, no wonder Lu Guanque knows everything, it turns out he was the one who arranged it.
Meng Xuanli didn't cry, perhaps because she couldn't. She didn't show any expression, only saying calmly, "Okay."
#
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the soft afternoon sunlight streamed through the window onto Meng Xuanli as she dressed Jiahe.
She didn't know how to do anything at first, but with the maids' hands-on instruction, she gradually became proficient. After fastening the buttons, she gently picked up Jiahe and said softly, "Auntie will take you to the back garden to bask in the sun."
As she walked out of Chengju Gate, she caught a glimpse of Lu Guanque. She didn't stop and continued walking forward. Lu Guanque reached out to stop her and said calmly, "Let the servants do these things. Why bother with so much?"
"Hmm." Meng Xuanli stopped and asked, "Is there anything wrong, Prince? If not, I'll leave first."
"Go watch the lanterns tonight."
Meng Xuanli was slightly startled. Over a month had passed since that day's incident. During that time, they hadn't eaten from the same table or slept in the same room. Even the servants sweeping the garden knew that a rift had developed between them.
Meng Xuanli saw the dark circles under his eyes, and bloodshot in them. She lowered her eyes and said, "Hmm," "I understand."
When going out in the evening, Meng Xuanli felt a little hot on his forehead, but he didn't take it seriously and followed Lu Guanque into the carriage.
The two sat together without saying a word.
The carriage traveled along the banks of the Luo River. When the road became bumpy, Lu Guanque hurriedly grabbed her arm. Meng Xuanli glanced at him and brushed his hand away, "Thank you."
"Do you have to be so polite to me?"
Meng Xuanli didn't say anything. She just opened the curtain and let the cool wind blow against her face. She said calmly, "I haven't been out for a long time..."
Lu Guanque held her hand and placed it on his lap: "From now on, I will accompany you on Lantern Festival."
"No need." Meng Xuanli turned around and looked at his actions, wanting to laugh. "It's so noisy outside, there's nothing to see."
"Then let's go back." Lu Guanque looked into her eyes and knew that she still couldn't let go.
Meng Xuanli snorted coldly, then smiled: "Okay."
"Ali, you really make me angry."
"Really?" Meng Xuanli said nonchalantly, "I think so."
The banks of the Luo River were bustling with activity, and the shimmering waters were dazzling.
As soon as Lu Guanque got out of the car, he reached out his hand. Meng Xuanli paused for a moment, her eyes sweeping over the people around her, and then she let him pull her into his arms.
She pressed against his body and smelled a faint scent of medicine: "Are you still taking medicine?"
"Um."
Lu Guanque put her down steadily, took her hand and walked forward: "Are you worried about me?"
Meng Xuanli let him pull her, ignoring his gaze: "I'm worried that you won't die."
"You didn't say that before." Thinking of this, Lu Guanque chuckled and said lightly, "I remember you said you hoped I would live well."
The gentle night breeze ruffled Meng Xuanli's hair. She glanced at his profile and said, "Why would you take a lie seriously, my Lord?"
Lu Guanque's throat was choked, and he couldn't help but increase the strength of his hands and said, "Do you regret marrying me?"
regret……
Meng Xuanli's eyelashes trembled, and he turned his head to look at the bustling scene ahead: "I want to buy some lanterns so I can entertain Jiahe when I get home."
Lu Guanque suddenly stopped, and the attic clusters cast a hazy golden light on her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and held her in his arms.
The warm breath enveloped Meng Xuanli, and he could only hear his hoarse whisper in his ear: "You regret it, and I regret it too."
"I regret treating you like that." Lu Guanque's voice was choked with sobs, and each word was spoken slowly. "Forgive me, okay?"
"I'll never do that to you again."
The figures of the two hugging each other looked like a detailed painting, and the men and women passing by couldn't help but glance over here.
Meng Xuanli's ears were buzzing with sounds like babies crying, lovers whispering, and lantern vendors shouting... But at this moment, her heart was as quiet as the winter moon, without a single flaw.
After a moment, Meng Xuanli smiled and broke away from him: "Lu Guanque, I am not the kind of person who forgets the pain once the wound has healed. Neither are you." After saying that, she turned and walked towards the lantern stall.
Lu Guanque stood there, watching her gradually receding figure, with indescribable feelings surging in his heart.
Meng Xuanli stood before the lantern stall, watching the flickering lights, and thought of the glimmer that had frozen in his eyes that night. The difference was that those were tears brewing from pain, while the lanterns evoked the peace and joy that gathered.
Just as I was startled, I suddenly heard a kind greeting: "Miss, which one do you like? I will get it for you."
She suddenly came back to her senses, smiled, and said softly, "Mammy, I want that rabbit lantern, and... that lotus lantern."
"Two strings of cash."
Meng Xuanli reached for her waist, but found nothing. She realized she had left in such a hurry that she hadn't taken her purse with her. Just as she was about to look back, Lu Guanque's hand found her waist and handed the money to the old woman.
"You are so lucky, young lady, to marry such a handsome man." The old lady took the copper coin, her face wrinkled with smile, and she couldn't help but praise him repeatedly.
Meng Xuanli was slightly dazed, holding the lamp, and was about to leave him. Lu Guanque held her arm and stared at her: "You are not feeling well."
Meng Xuanli's eyes burned, he shook his head and turned around: "You think too much."
Lu Guanque walked up to her and touched her forehead with the back of his hand: "It's so hot, are you still being stubborn?"
"What happens to me is none of your business."
After that, Lu Guanque picked her up by the waist. Meng Xuanli exclaimed, subconsciously clenching the two lanterns tightly, and said in panic: "What do you want to do now?"
Lu Guanque's voice rolled over, and he said in a gentle voice, "Go home."
Figures flashed around her. If Meng Xuanli struggled at this moment, she would definitely attract attention. She bit her lip and said coldly, "Don't even think about making me forgive you."
"I know."
*
It was a day with a drizzle, and Meng Xuanli had nothing to do, so he ordered someone to place the zither in front of the window, intending to play a few tunes according to the music score.
Unfortunately, the music score was too long and the handwriting on it was unclear, so Meng Xuanli simply spread it out aside.
She shook her head, brushed away all distracting thoughts, knelt in front of the piano table, took a deep breath, and calmed her mind.
Outside the window, the sound of rain rustled, shrouding the courtyard flowers in a hazy mist. Meng Xuanli fine-tuned the pegs of the zither, confirming the pitch was accurate, before he began to play.
Her left finger pressed lightly, and her right finger was about to drop. Before long, she heard footsteps. She did not raise her eyes, but only murmured, "I have not failed Heaven, how can Heaven be worthy of me..."[1]
Lu Guanque took off his outer robe, walked to the zither table, and looked down at her: "Are you still blaming me?"
Meng Xuanli paused, gently stroking the music sheet, "Your Highness, you're overthinking it. I'm just thinking about Cai Wenji, who was trapped in the dust of the barbarians in her prime, and never achieved anything in her life..."
Before she finished speaking, Lu Guanque had already gracefully sat down beside her. He leaned forward slightly, the scent of agarwood brushing against her ears, and lowered his voice very low, "Change the song, I'll teach you."
"If you teach me, I won't play it anymore."
Lu Guanque smiled faintly and hugged her directly. Meng Xuanli met his eyes and said coldly, "You only know how to force me like this."
"No compulsion. I've always said I'd teach you, but then I delayed for a long time. I'll make up for it today." Lu Guanque naturally reached out and lifted her wrist with his fingertips, "Lift it up a little higher."
Meng Xuanli felt a slight itch on her temples, and she frowned and glanced at him: "Don't get too close to me."
"It's too far away to teach well." Lu Guanque glanced at the music sheet and said casually, "Where did you buy this?"
Meng Xuanli straightened his back and deliberately distanced himself from him: "Su He gave it to me."
"Hmm..." Lu Guanque rolled his throat, stunned for a moment, and then explained the fingering method, "Lightly use your fingertips, and you will leave if you want to stay."
Under his guidance, Meng Xuanli slowly plucked the strings of the zither. Lu Guanque stared at her fingertips and suddenly remembered that night.
He asked her who she was thinking about, but she hesitated and refused to say it. Finally, under his coercion and inducement, she said "It's you".
He didn't know who was calling "It's you", but he knew it was definitely not him.
He should have burned that music sheet long ago. However, Meng Xuanli hid it so well that he couldn't find it no matter how hard he searched. She treasured the music sheet so much, probably because of Su He.
Amid the sound of the falling rain, he suddenly had a bad thought: if she saw Su He's true face, would she like him more?
When the song ended, Meng Xuanli saw that he was in a trance, so she lowered her eyes, pushed his hand away, and wiped the body of the piano with silk.
Just as she was about to put the zither into her pocket, Lu Guanque suddenly hugged her, rubbing his chin against her neck, and said in a low voice, "Let me hold you for a while."
The silk fluttered down, and Meng Xuanli was dazed, but soon returned to normal: "If you want to hug, you can find someone else. I don't want you to hug me."
"Ali, you still can't speak properly." Lu Guanque increased the strength of his hands, almost embedding her into his body.
Meng Xuanli felt pain and struggled, saying, "Only the governor is allowed to set fires, but the people are not allowed to light lamps? I said, I don't want to."
"Let me go."
Hearing her resolute words, Lu Guanque caressed her cheek, his fingertips cool as ice. He smiled faintly, "Okay, I'll let you go."
Meng Xuanli shuddered at his voice and said calmly, "Prince, please go back."
Lu Guanque suddenly let go of her and stood up quickly. It was not until he reached the study that he realized that his outer robe had fallen on Chengju.
Just as he was about to turn back, he saw Uncle De rushing over: "Young Master? It's so cold and rainy, and you don't even wear a coat. Aren't you afraid of freezing yourself?"
Lu Guanque's expression suddenly turned gloomy, and he asked coldly, "What's the matter?"
"Su He..." Uncle De lowered his voice, "He's been brought back."
-----------------------
The author has something to say: [References]
[1] Quoted from “Eighteen Beats of the Hujia”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
