Chapter 68: Throwing me into a suspenseful position (2) [End of the main text] ...
It was late at night, the only sound was the chirping of insects. Meng Xuanli lay in bed, his eyelids heavy and his consciousness hazy, almost falling asleep.
The door was gently pushed open, and Lu Guanque walked in quietly, saying in a low voice: "Why didn't you wait for me, Ali?" He walked to the bed and let her lean on him.
Meng Xuanli drowsily opened her eyes and looked up. Lu Guanque was smiling, his face etched in the dim light, creating a different image of him. She whimpered, "Why are you so late?"
Lu Guanque put one arm around her and opened the Huanghuali leather suitcase with the other: "I'm going to find something good for you."
Meng Xuanli regained consciousness and followed his gaze. "What is this?"
Lu Guanque raised his eyebrows, and Meng Xuanli approached curiously and found that on top was a roll of extremely well-preserved silk - their marriage certificate, and underneath were several thick stacks of land deeds, house deeds, and bills from major money houses.
Meng Xuanli was stunned and said in disbelief, "So many? So you've been hiding this marriage certificate all along. I thought... you burned it..."
Lu Guanque hugged her tightly, his chin resting lightly on the top of her head. He spoke slowly, "On my way to see you, I would open it from time to time. I thought as long as I had this marriage certificate, you would always understand me. But then I saw you and Tongtong... I don't know why, but I suddenly lost my confidence. I even didn't dare to face you."
Meng Xuanli shook his head, realizing the Zheng family's involvement, and asked, "So... Your Majesty didn't investigate the Zheng family further because..."
"That's right. Because I survived, and the Zheng family also made their position clear, His Majesty didn't investigate further."
He emphasized: "It's not because of anything else."
Lu Guanque could see the grudge in her heart and said solemnly, "I have never had any feelings for Zheng Wanruo from the beginning to the end. I never had any before and I never will in the future."
"In short, I love you the most. I love you to death."
Meng Xuanli stared at him, stretched out his arms, hugged him back, buried his face in the crook of his neck, and said in a muffled voice: "Really?"
"Of course it's true."
Lu Guanque's heart was as soft as water. He lowered his head, his noses kissing, and begged, "Ali baby, can I kiss you?"
Meng Xuanli pursed her lips and didn't answer. She tilted her head slightly and kissed him on the lips. Lu Guanque held her neck with a low breath, curling his tongue around hers.
Such a gentle kiss, without urgency, without plunder, only endless longing and entanglement.
It lasted for a long time, and Meng Xuanli's body became limp and a little sleepy from his kiss. Lu Guanque finally let her go, put her on the inside of the bed, and then lay down on it himself and pulled up the quilt.
Meng Xuanli nestled in his arms, unable to hold on, her consciousness gradually fading. Lu Guanque stroked her back and whispered, "By the way, I heard that the two from the He family might come to Lingnan for a while this winter."
Meng Xuanli unconsciously hummed "hmm", took a long breath, and fell into a deep sleep.
Lu Guanque was not sleepy. He lowered his brows and felt the warmth of Meng Xuanli. A warm current surged in his heart.
The years are peaceful and quiet, that's probably what it is like, he thought.
Lu Guanque carefully placed a kiss on her forehead, his eyes fixed on her face, as if he were painting, but without brush, ink, paper, or inkstone. He then maintained this posture until dawn.
#
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the weather was very good. Meng Xuanli was basking in the sun in the backyard. When Lu Guanque saw this, he felt a little moved and couldn't help but lean over.
Meng Xuanli opened her eyes, and Lu Guanque, standing against the light, was staring at her. She guessed his intentions, her cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't shy away.
Just as she was about to close her eyes, a familiar voice came from outside: "Madam Meng! I'm back!"
Both of them were stunned. Meng Xuanli looked up and saw Liu Lian standing outside the moon cave door with a food box in his hand, his face full of surprise and shock.
Lu Guanque hummed softly, narrowed his eyes slightly, and in the same posture as before, he put his arms around her, lowered his head, and sealed Meng Xuanli's lips.
“Hmm…”
Meng Xuanli had no time to react. She opened her eyes wide and raised her hand to pat him.
Lu Guanque seemed to have forgotten the occasion. He held the back of her neck and kissed her passionately, as if declaring his presence and asking for her love.
Through the shadows of the trees, Meng Xuanli saw Liu Lian turn away sadly, breaking away from Lu Guanque and angrily saying, "Everyone's gone, stop kissing me. You did it on purpose, deliberately letting him see it."
"Yes. I did it on purpose." Lu Guanque said confidently, "Why? I'm Ali's legitimate husband, and I can't even kiss him? Besides, who is he?"
"You were just kissing me? You're being jealous for no reason." Meng Xuanli wiped his lips with a handkerchief, feeling a little bothered. "If it weren't for what happened later, you might be celebrating Laba Festival with Miss Zheng right now."
Lu Guanque frowned: "Why mention her again? There is nothing between her and me."
"Why can't I bring it up? I've already said that there's nothing going on between Liu Lian and me, but you don't believe me." Meng Xuanli was picking at the words. "Aren't you the same?"
"If you don't believe me, don't expect me to believe you," she concluded.
Lu Guanque blurted out, a hint of anger: "What about Wei Yuan? I heard that you drank with him and held his hand tightly. What do you want me to do?"
Meng Xuanli was speechless. He opened his mouth and sneered, "What does this have to do with Wei Yuan? Why are you mentioning him?"
"Why can't I mention it?"
Lu Guanque's tone was a little aggrieved: "Do you know how jealous I am? First it was Su He, then it was Wei Yuan, and now there's Liu Lian. Ah Li, this is unfair to me. I wish it were only you and me in this world."
Meng Xuanli felt inexplicably upset. "Unfair? Then go find someone else." She quickly stood up and said coldly, "Don't follow me. I need to speak to Master Liu alone."
Lu Guanque looked at her angry back as he sat alone in the backyard. He couldn't help but curse the scholar in his heart. He had ruined everything that was going well.
Meng Xuanli walked to the courtyard gate and saw Liu Lian, who looked lost. She sighed inwardly. She made a gesture of invitation and said softly, "Young Master Liu, please come in and talk."
Liu Lian nodded silently and followed her into the main room.
Meng Xuanli took out an object wrapped in soft cloth from the side room and handed it to Liu Lian. He opened it and saw that it was the jade pendant he had once given her.
Liu Lian's eyes were filled with love and a hint of confusion. Meng Xuanli could understand both, but he couldn't give them back to him with the same value.
Meng Xuanli's expression softened, and his voice was filled with apology: "This jade pendant shall be returned to its original owner."
"What I said that day was inconsiderate. I saw that you were depressed because of your mother's matter, and I knew that you had great ambitions, so I thought of using this incident to encourage you to concentrate on your studies, which is also a good thing. But I..."
Meng Xuanli was about to continue when he caught sight of a faint robe in the corridor and lowered his voice, "But I've already fallen in love with him, and there's no room for anyone else. I've let you down in this matter, and I've betrayed your sincerity. I hope Master Liu will forgive me."
Liu Lian thought of them in Yanjing and the scene just now, and felt that the last bit of hope in his heart was completely extinguished. His face turned pale and his fingers trembled: "I understand..."
"Thank you, Madam Meng, for thinking of me. Before... I was delusional."
Liu Lian was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and bowed. "Liu Lian isn't the type to cling to someone. Now that his mind is clear, he'll slowly let it go... But, has Madam Meng truly forgiven him? If he does that again in the future, will Madam Meng regret it?"
These words weighed on Meng Xuanli's heart like an extra stone. She didn't know how to respond, so she sighed, "No matter what, this is the path I chose. Thank you, Master Liu, for thinking of me."
"Then... one day, I will devote myself to my studies and live up to my hard work and Madam Meng's kindness."
Meng Xuanli smiled and nodded sincerely, "Mr. Liu, if you are so determined, you will definitely be admitted. I...we will be waiting for your good news."
The word "we" draws a line and also gives blessings.
Liu Lian looked at her deeply and bowed again: "Today is Laba Festival, I rushed home to buy some winter clothes. Take care, madam. Liu Lian says goodbye." After that, he left the yard without staying.
Meng Xuanli slowly crossed the threshold and watched him leave, her heart filled with peace. Lu Guanque walked over to her side, standing shoulder to shoulder with her, and hummed softly, "He still has some integrity."
It would have been better if he hadn't said this. Once he said it, Meng Xuanli remembered what he had just said and said with a cold face: "He is a gentleman, not like you. His gentleness is fake. Who knows, maybe those words he said a few days ago were all lies to me." After that, she walked away.
Lu Guanque looked at her flowing hair, which was like her emotions, entwined around his wrist, getting tighter and tighter.
#
A few days later, He Ruheng and Xie Mingtan came all the way to Lingnan, under the pretext of experiencing the warm winter, but in fact they came to deliver the imperial edict.
In the evening, the courtyard was bathed in a golden glow. Lu Guanque was busy in the kitchen, while Meng Xuanli was relaxed, reading a book on a recliner. The two of them were silent, as if they hadn't reconciled yet.
Xie Mingtan knocked on the door. Meng Xuanli put down her book and hurried over to greet him. She smiled and said, "You guys came so quickly. I thought it would be after the New Year." She glanced at He Ruheng and said, "I heard that Mr. He was promoted recently. Congratulations."
"No, no, where is Guanque?" He Ruheng's eyes wandered around, but he couldn't see anyone else in the courtyard. Meng Xuanli didn't even turn around, but pointed casually, "Go find him."
After a long separation, He Ruheng put away the gifts he brought. Seeing the two chatting in the main room, he slowly walked to the kitchen. When he looked up, he saw Lu Guanque steaming fish.
He Ruheng opened his eyes wide and pretended to be surprised: "Who is this? Huh? Why were you sent here out of the blue?"
Lu Guanque raised his eyes and rolled his eyes at him: "You're here early." He sighed and said lightly: "I made her unhappy, and she hasn't spoken to me for seven or eight days."
"No wonder." He Ruheng leaned against the door frame and took a bite of an apple. "It's not a good thing for you two to break up and get back together like this. If you ask me, you just don't know how to talk."
Lu Guanque took down the steamer and asked coldly through the heat, "Talk? How do you talk?"
"Your attitude towards me right now is not good, let alone towards my sister-in-law." He Ruheng thought for a moment and turned to look at him, "How about this, wait until New Year's Eve, and I'll give you a suggestion."
"I guarantee it will work." He finished the apple and said, "As for the reward, I'll take care of the two meals these days, Duke."
Lu Guanque snorted, thinking that instead of waiting for a solution, it would be better to find one himself.
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve. Red lanterns were hung in the courtyard and peach charms were pasted on the wall.
The New Year's Eve dinner was sumptuous. Lu Guanque carefully picked up dishes for Meng Xuanli. Although Meng Xuanli accepted them one by one, he was still angry and did not speak to him.
Seeing this, Xie Mingtan tried to liven up the atmosphere: "Xuan Li, He Ruheng bought a lot of fireworks. Let's go and watch them later." After that, he touched He Ruheng with his arm and continued: "Yes, sister-in-law, hold Tongtong, and let's go together."
Meng Xuanli sipped the melted fish meat and said, "Tongtong didn't sleep much during the day, I have to coax her to sleep at night, you guys go ahead."
Lu Guanque served her a bowl of porridge and placed it in front of her: "You like it." Meng Xuanli didn't drink it or pay attention to him, and continued to eat fish.
Xie Mingtan glanced at He Ruheng and signaled to leave first. He Ruheng understood: "We are a little full. Mingtan and I will go out for a walk." Xie Mingtan took his arm and continued: "We will go out first."
The two nodded, and the room fell into silence. Meng Xuanli took a few more bites, put down his chopsticks, and said calmly, "I'm full too. Enjoy your meal, Duke."
Lu Guanque smiled faintly: "Are you still angry with me?"
"What are you angry about?" Meng Xuanli pretended not to care, "I don't want to talk to you."
After Meng Xuanli coaxed Tongtong to sleep, she took off her outer robe and sat by the bed to soak her feet. Her mind gradually became hazy with the lingering heat.
Fuyao was packing clothes when she accidentally knocked over a candle. She immediately picked it up and found a brocade box with calligraphy and painting in the corner. Curious, Fuyao reached out and took it out, wiping the dust off it: "Look, my lady, when did you get this?"
Meng Xuanli frowned, clearly not knowing what this thing was. He reached out to take it, carefully opening it. Inside was a painting. He unfolded the scroll, and the woman in the painting was herself playing in the snow...
Meng Xuanli was puzzled, and then she discovered a letter hidden in the painting. She carefully took it out and looked at it in the soft yellow light.
Ali baby:
By the time you read this letter, I will no longer be here. I have so much to say to you, but I don't know which one to start with. So let me start with the good things.
I remember it was snowing heavily on the day we met, the snowflakes drifting down on us, your hands cold, but my heart warm. Perhaps it was from that moment on, when I couldn't see you, my heart felt like a cat running around, with no home to return to.
Later, after I married you, I loved you terribly, but you always refused to love me back, which made me a little sad. But I couldn't tell you directly, because that would make you even less likely to love me. You know, I'm actually very selfish, so selfish that I want heaven and earth to be just you and me. That way, I love you, and you can only love me.
When I saw you crying yesterday, I knew I was going to cry too. I promised you to love you, protect you, take care of you, and make you happy. But I broke my promise. I feel ashamed for breaking it.
But I can't help it, because your life is more important than mine. I love your heartbeat, your eyes, your smile, your every move, every emotion you have. I love it all. As long as it's you, I love it all.
Ah Li, if you see this, don't cry. I'm not saying anything bad, I'm talking about my love for you. If you don't see it, that's a good thing too. At least you'll hate me, and if you hate me more and more, you'll forget me, right? Right? Oh, I forgot, you can't see it. Okay, then you can't see it.
I don't want to talk about the bad things. So let me tell you about the good things I left for you. I remember you liked places with water, but Lingnan, although there is plenty of water, is not suitable for long-term residence. So I bought you a few houses in Jinling. They have good feng shui and are close to the Qinhuai River.
In spring, you can go to Lanyuan to listen to opera. In summer, you can go boating and admire the lotus. In autumn, you can go to Qixia Temple to see the ginkgo trees. In winter, you can walk in the snow to find plum blossoms and have a light drink, but don't drink too much, you can't drink much.
I've said so much, but I still can't let you go. I wanted to hug you again, but in the end, you didn't give me the chance, not even a glance. I was a little sad, but soon I realized that you had shared a little love with me, and when I thought of that, I was no longer sad.
In short, I love you very much, I love you, good Ali, I hope you live well, don’t come here to find me too early, and don’t come to me too sadly, it’s best to come to me calmly. I don’t want to see your black hair, I want to see your white hair. Maybe only in this way can I be sure that you have lived a really good and happy life in this life.
Yours, belongs only to you, Lu Guanque said -
I love you, love you.
…
Meng Xuanli's hands trembled, tears streaming down her face. So this was exactly how he'd felt when he'd died. Why had she only just realized it now? Why was she still hesitant about his intentions? It was because she didn't love him enough.
Meng Xuanli sobbed and hurriedly stood up, not even bothering to put on her shoes and socks. She grabbed her outer robe and stumbled to the door. She pushed the door open and looked up. Lu Guanque was standing quietly outside, as if waiting for her to fall asleep, as if thinking about how to start.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Lu Guanque suddenly turned around. Meng Xuanli burst into tears and threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably: "Lu Guanque... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have doubted your love for me... and I shouldn't have been angry with you... If I had seen it earlier, would we not have missed each other for so long?"
Seeing the wet letter in her hand, Lu Guanque was overwhelmed with emotions and hugged her back tightly: "Don't blame you, blame me. Blame me for not discussing it with you at the beginning. I should be blamed. Ah Li, it's not you who's mad at me, it's me. I shouldn't have said that."
"Don't cry, it hurts me when I see you cry."
Meng Xuanli's tears soaked his clothes. He held her face and wiped it carefully: "It's snowing outside. It also snowed when we first met."
Meng Xuanli's eyes welled with tears as she gazed out the window, watching tiny snowflakes drift down. Her feet felt cold, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hold me. I'm not wearing socks."
Lu Guanque smiled faintly and picked her up by the waist: "Do you want to go out and play for a while? Like we did before?"
Meng Xuanli's eyes were red, like crabapple blossoms in spring, sprinkled with rain, a poignant beauty. She nodded, "Okay."
Lu Guanque washed her feet again and put a fox fur coat on her. When he saw that everything was ready, he took her hand and walked into the quiet snow.
Snowflakes fell on their hair. Meng Xuanli squatted down and lay in the snow. "Lu Guanque, it's your turn to save me this time, okay?"
"OK."
Fireworks in the distance soared into the sky, their brilliant light illuminating her face. She narrowed her eyes and spoke through the snowflakes, "Lu Guanque, can you repeat what you said in the letter to me again?"
"I love you, love you."
Lu Guanque laughed and picked up Meng Xuanli from the snow nest. She rubbed his nose and exhaled white air: "Since you saved me, I will cling to you."
Snow fluttered and landed on their faces, feeling icy cold. Lu Guanque lowered his head and kissed her lips: "Okay, for a lifetime."
"You're not right." Meng Xuanli raised his head and responded, "It's for generations to come."
-----------------------
Author's Note: 1. Congratulations on finishing the main story. I couldn't resist posting it all now; I didn't want to delay any longer. My second novel has reached over 300,000 words, a perfect attendance score, so I'm patting myself on the back. I'd also like to thank all the little angels who have read this far.
2. I will write some if stories next (if Ali rescues Lu Guanque, the princess successfully finds them and brings Ali back to the Duke's Mansion).
●Pseudo-orthopedic foster care stalk
●Damp financial sponsor brother vs. honest canary sister
3. The outline of the next book is ready. I will open it when I have enough collections. If you like it, please collect it [please]
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