Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Couple's Night Talk
Liang Fangfang's eyes changed instantly when she looked at Lin Ren and Su Guanzhang.
"You two, do you really want me to respond like this?" he asked, his eyes cold and his face no longer showing the good look it once had.
If he really replied like this, not to mention whether he would be hated by His Majesty, the humiliation that Xuan Jinyu brought to the current emperor would be enough to ruin the Su family, which was already on the edge of the cliff.
Lin Ren just smiled slightly and nodded.
Su Guanzhang tightened his grip on Xuan Jinyu's waist, but it didn't make her feel uncomfortable. "Lord Liang, just tell the truth."
Liang Fangfang took a deep breath.
Crazy, both of them are crazy.
He was not surprised that Lin Ren was crazy. After all, she was a girl who was pampered and loved by the emperor, but she was being pressed step by step by the current emperor, threatened and humiliated.
But Su Guanzhang, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, has always been famous in the court for his calmness and rationality. Logically, he would not go crazy.
But then he thought, the emperor was going to kill his unborn child and force his wife into the palace as a concubine, so his madness seemed understandable. Moreover, Su Guanzhang was also a major general who had fought on the battlefield and had only been an official in the court for three years, so his bloodiness had not been erased so quickly.
Liang Fangfang was still unwilling to give up, so he unlocked the door for Lin Ren and let him out of the prison. Then he looked at Duke Su and Old Madam Su.
"My Lord, Madam, I'm sure you both heard what the young mistress said just now." Liang Fangfang made a final effort, "I can pretend I didn't hear what you said just now."
He glanced at the children, and seeing that the oldest was only seven or eight years old, he felt a last glimmer of pity in his heart. "The children are still young. I hope you two will give it some thought."
Madam Su chuckled and looked at her eldest grandson's eldest son, Su Yuqi, through the two prison doors. Her eyes and words were full of love. "Brother Qi, you go ahead and speak."
The eldest grandson was already eight years old and understood most of what he was supposed to know. The Su family did not regard them as ignorant children. At his age, Su Guanzhang had already been to the battlefield and experienced the cruelty of war.
If Uncle Su had not had the accident this time, once the war in the front was stable, Qi Ge'er would have been sent to the front line and personally taken by his father to fight on the battlefield.
Su Yuqi, who was leaning against his grandfather, Duke Su Sheng, had naturally heard the conversation between his aunt and the minister. He spoke without hesitation, "Brother Qi supports my aunt."
He was still young and didn't know what entering the palace as a concubine meant to Su Guanzhang and Yu Xuan Jinyu. Just from the word "abortion", he could hear the emperor's ill intentions.
A Su family man, even if imprisoned, would never change his manly character. This was the first lesson his father taught him after he grew up.
The elder brothers had spoken, and the three little boys leaning against Su Yuqi, the grandsons of Su Ershu Su Yin, also spoke in agreement, "Big brother is right, we support our aunt." Their voices were childish, as obedient as when they were agreeing with the teacher in school.
Old Madam Su nodded approvingly and said, "Good children, you are all good children," and then she stopped talking.
Even Xu Yu Niang, Su's second aunt, and Su Guanzhang's three sisters-in-law did not show any signs of disapproval on their faces.
Nonsense.
Little kids, do you know what life and death are? Why do you support your little aunt? The little aunt you are talking about is sending you to death.
Liang Fangfang was so angry that she lost her mind and completely forgot that it was not Xuan Jinyu who sent the Su family to death, and the root cause of this disaster was not her.
He looked at Duke Su again.
Su Sheng said solemnly, "Minister Liang, please return to the palace and report."
"You, you, you...you guys..." Liang Fangfang was very angry and pointed at the family rudely, but couldn't say anything else.
He stormed out angrily.
Lin Ren took one last look at Xuan Jinyu and said, "Grandfather won't let you die. Don't be afraid."
Most of the civil officials in the court were his connections, and there was a golden belt bestowed by the late emperor in the palace. Old friends and close relatives of the Su family also accounted for most of the military officials' connections. He was indeed quite confident.
At worst...
Lin Ren's face darkened and he turned and walked towards the death row passage.
He still holds the leverage over the current emperor's ascension to the throne... If necessary, he doesn't mind going all out.
How could the two choices Sheng Yu offered Xuan Jinyu not be a slap in the face? By winning over the Minister of Justice and his associates, and then eliminating the Su family, the new emperor's power would be immense. He would likely not tolerate the Lin family either.
"Jinyu."
Liang Fangfang and Lin Ren both left. Su Guanzhang no longer had any scruples and hugged Xuan Jinyu tightly.
He was surprised that she would choose to die with him.
He always thought that he meant very little to her in her heart; but at this moment he felt that this was the best love word she could give him in return.
Xuan Jinyu let him hold her, but she said, "Don't think too much. I just don't like him. If he doesn't want me to have an abortion and enter the palace, I will divorce him and return home to raise the child alone. Or I will marry someone I like. Who cares whether you live or die?"
"Yeah." Su Guanzhang just responded and continued to hold her in his arms. It was unclear whether he heard what she said or not.
"Mother and sisters-in-law are all watching!" After a long moment, Xuan Jinyu pushed the man who was still hugging her tightly, "The children are looking over here too."
In front of the Su family, she was not as thick-skinned as he was; he still did not let go, and his expression was very natural, but her face was already beginning to heat up...
At night.
At Su Sheng's request, the jailer extinguished several torches in the passage, plunging the death row into pitch darkness.
It was still early, even before the children usually went to bed, and Tong Jie'er from next door, the two nieces across the street, and the four nephews diagonally opposite were playing a game of guessing game through the cell door.
They could only hear each other's voices but could not see anyone. For them, laughing and playing in such an environment was a very novel experience.
When one cannot see, one's senses, especially the ears, become more acute. Su Sheng is a military commander, and he trains his children in this way.
The children adapted well, but from time to time there were still bumping sounds in the darkness, accompanied by a child's exclamation or laughter.
If they play too much, adults will come forward to intervene. Old Madam Su, Su Sheng and Xu Yu Niang don't care. It is only the children's mothers who intervene - after all, they are still young and can't bear to see their children suffer.
This is what life is like on death row.
The grievance and anger in Xuan Jinyu's heart had dissipated unknowingly, and she only felt fresh and very warm.
It’s nice to have the whole family together.
If the Su family could survive this time... Xuan Jinyu thought slowly and asked herself, would she still divorce Su Guanzhang?
For the first time, the teacher's cries and the flames rising into the sky did not appear in her mind. She just quietly listened to the voice in her heart and noticed a sour and bitter feeling spreading.
Su Guanzhang tentatively pulled her into his arms. Seeing she showed no sign of pushing him away, he placed his arm around her waist and carefully touched her belly. There, their child was being nurtured, and it had been there for over two months.
"I'm sorry." Their bodies were pressed tightly together. Xuan Jinyu could sense the slight sob in his voice when he whispered these words, and his slightly rapid heartbeat.
How strange.
Can this man cry?
Xuan Jinyu turned around, stood face to face with him, and reached out to touch his face.
It was too dark, and she didn't know where she was touching. She only felt a warm pulse beneath her hand. She seemed to be touching the veins in his neck, so she continued to feel upwards.
After a while, her hand was held, and the familiar large palm firmly grasped her hand. Then, she felt her hand being placed on a warm, smooth and delicate place.
She moved her hand, and the hand withdrew, allowing her to move freely.
She touched his slightly cool lips, and then his cheek - it was dry.
She pulled her hand back in disappointment.
This man didn't cry!
He had made her cry so many times, but he had never cried in front of her once - even when she couldn't see anything now!
The more she thought about it, the more unwilling she became, and she bit his chest angrily.
Su Guanzhang, the rough and tumble warrior, seemed insensitive to pain, saying nothing and even chuckling softly in her ear. Without the obstruction of clothing, Xuan Jinyu bit directly into a familiar spot—his collarbone.
Because she was lying on her side and had just made some movements, Xuan Jinyu accidentally pulled Su Guanzhang's collar loose when she turned around, so she bit him there.
Thinking of when she had bitten this person in this place during the day, especially at night, Xuan Jinyu's face turned red and she couldn't help but relax.
Su Guanzhang put his hands over her and hugged her tightly, but Xuan Jinyu pinched him hard on the arm.
She just wasn't angry for the time being, but that didn't mean this person could do whatever he wanted to her as before.
In the darkness, the voice in her heart told her: In this cell, she could pretend that nothing had happened before and they were still husband and wife.
As for the fact that he had someone in his heart and secretly took contraceptive pills, she would still have to deal with it after she got out of the cell.
Xuan Jinyu remembered her grandfather's words "go to die" again, and loosened her grip on him. She leaned her head on his chest and smelled his slightly cool and light scent like the first snow with longing.
"It'll be okay." Su Guanzhang could always guess what she was thinking easily, even in this dark place where they were hugging each other tightly and couldn't see each other.
Xuan Jinyu didn't say anything.
"Time is tight and there's no time to make arrangements, but there are people outside the Su family, so nothing will happen." Su Guanzhang leaned close to her ear, lowered his voice very low, and spoke slowly.
This man had never lied to her before. Xuan Jinyu believed him and felt at ease immediately.
But she didn't know whether she had forgotten or never knew that this man had never lied to her, but he would never tell her everything - when he had to tell her or when she pressed him, he would only tell her half and hide the other half.
Su Guanzhang really only told half of the story.
It was true that the Su family had connections outside, but he wasn't sure that the Su family would be able to escape this time.
The minds of those in power are always changeable, and he is only sure of the thinking of a normal monarch.
Once the one sitting on the throne is reckless and determined to put the Su family to death, even at the cost of losing most of the power in the court, ignoring the threats from the border, and ignoring the possible unrest in the court and the country, then no matter how many plans he makes, it will be of no avail.
Given his understanding of his reputation, he is more likely to go mad. The only question is whether he goes mad calmly or madly.
"I'm telling you, I've only forgiven you temporarily." Xuan Jinyu finally couldn't help but reached out to hug him, burying her head in his neck. "After we get out of this cell, we're still going to get divorced." Her voice was muffled.
Su Guanzhang's expression changed.
"Jinyu, I..."
"Shut up, I don't want to listen to you." Thinking of what the two maids said during the day and the bottle of contraceptive medicine he placed on the desk in the study, Xuan Jinyu felt so angry that her teeth itched again.
"You bastard, you stinky man!"
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