Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.
After leaving the Prince of Qin's residence, Xie Qinglan kept her eyes down and didn't say much. She also sat very far from Xue Shaojun, almost touching the carriage wall.
Xue Shaojun, however, continued to gaze at her with deep affection, taking her hand to examine the bruises on her arm. He said remorsefully, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have acted impulsively that day and hit her so hard. Did Princess Qin see it? Won't she misunderstand something?"
Xie Qinglan withdrew her hand and said in a low voice, "I didn't see it."
At this moment, she was like a flower that had lost its moisture, and she was no longer the cheerful and lively person she used to be.
Xue Shaojun's eyes darkened, and he used a little force to pull her into his arms, coaxing her in an even softer voice, "Lan'er, I really know I was wrong. I will never force myself on you again next time. Please trust me one more time, okay?"
He gently patted Xie Qinglan's stiff back, sighed deeply, and his voice sounded somewhat painful: "I drank that day, and I remembered your feelings for the deposed crown prince... that's why I lost control for a moment. I really didn't mean to hurt you. Think about all the happy times we had together, and please forgive me?"
Xie Qinglan trembled, looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and choked out, "I have said many times that there is nothing between me and the Crown Prince, we have not even exchanged more than a few words."
Xue Shaojun frowned: "I know there's nothing between you two, but that day, when you were drunk, you called out to him alone..." He lowered his head to kiss Xie Qinglan's forehead, his voice gradually lowering: "I was just too jealous, jealous that I didn't meet you first, that you had someone else in your heart."
Xie Qinglan pressed against his chest and shook her head vigorously: "There's no one else. I've already forgotten him." She raised her face, tears streaming down her face: "I'm willing to marry you because I love you."
That day, upon hearing about the Crown Princess's accident and the Crown Prince's attack on the Chen Prince's residence, she couldn't help but feel sentimental, recalling her girlish feelings from back then. She drank a few more cups of wine. When Xue Shaojun came to find her, she was so drunk that she inexplicably called out "Your Highness the Crown Prince," which Xue Shaojun heard.
Xue Shaojun's expression was extremely frightening. She immediately realized she had said the wrong thing after she murmured it out, sobered up, and hurriedly explained to him, talking about the unresolved love between the young girls. She repeatedly assured him that she no longer had any thoughts about the Crown Prince and that she truly loved him and wanted to marry him, but Xue Shaojun did not believe her.
He was like a different person; the tenderness and affection of the past were gone, replaced by brutality and darkness.
That day, after attending the Crown Princess's funeral, Xue Shaojun remembered this incident and, disregarding her wishes, tried to have sex with her. Xie Qinglan struggled, and he actually hit her.
The cold that Shen Youying told her was fake; she was actually injured by Xue Shaojun's rough handling and couldn't get up at all, so she could only rest in bed.
Later, her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law probably heard the news and came to visit her one by one, trying to persuade her. Xue Shaojun kept apologizing and admitting his mistakes. She thought that the reason why Xue Shaojun had become like this was because she had mistakenly called him the Crown Prince while drunk, and she couldn't let go of the feelings between the two of them, so she endured it.
But Xue Shaojun's brutality that day still frightened her, and Xie Qinglan is now even a little afraid to be alone with him.
Seeing that she was crying, Xue Shaojun softened his voice even more to coax her: "I know, I know. It's because I like you too much that I wish you belonged to me alone. I like you so much that I can't control my temper and get stuck on things when I think of you calling other men with that expression. That's why I treat you so roughly."
He lifted Xie Qinglan's arm and kissed the bruises on her body, which hadn't completely faded, from bottom to top: "I made a mistake, and I will change." His voice was gentle and deep, with a slight sob. His eyes were red as he gazed at Xie Qinglan, his eyes full of affection: "Don't hide from me or be afraid of me. Let's be like before, okay?"
Xie Qinglan looked hesitant, unsure whether to believe him.
They used to be very close, but I don't know why things turned out this way.
Xie Qinglan nodded weakly, then threw herself into his arms and burst into tears.
Xue Shaojun smiled and hugged her, patting her back to comfort her: "Don't cry, or your eyes will be swollen and you won't be pretty."
*
Xie Qinglan burst into tears, releasing all the emotions she had suppressed for days. When the carriage stopped in front of the Prince of Huaiyang's residence, she realized her outburst, sniffled, and wiped her face with a handkerchief.
Xue Shaojun looked her over and said, "Your eyes are terribly swollen. If your mother and sisters-in-law see this, they'll probably think I'm bullying you again."
Xie Qinglan said softly, "I know what to say, and I won't let my mother and sisters-in-law worry."
Xue Shaojun gently stroked her hair and smiled, "I know, the Xie family has a good family tradition, and Lan'er has always been sensible."
Xie Qinglan hummed in agreement and got out of the car with him to return to the mansion.
Xue Shaojun still had errands to run, and knowing that she was going to the Prince of Qin's residence, he specially changed his day off to accompany her. Right now, he still had to go to his study to handle official business. Xie Qinglan then returned to Qingsong Courtyard alone.
On the way, we met the eldest and second sisters-in-law who were brewing tea around a stove.
The two men looked at her expression and asked with concern, "Did you quarrel with Liu Lang again?"
Xie Qinglan shook her head and said in a muffled voice, "No."
"Not yet, his eyes are swollen like walnuts." Second sister-in-law Liu said, "If you ask me, Liu Lang is indeed a bit of a scoundrel. How could he use such methods? It's fortunate that you have a good temper. If it were someone with a bad temper, they would have gone back to their parents' home and never spoken to him again."
Xie Qinglan listened, unsure of what expression to make, and could only remain silent.
Hearing this, her sister-in-law Zhang rolled her eyes at her and said, "You're just stirring up trouble with your temper. You know how good Liu Lang and his wife are. Young couples fight in bed and make up in bed. It's not a big deal." She then turned to Xie Qinglan and took her hand to comfort her, "Liu Lang was wrong, but think about it, no man could stand this. His impulsive act is understandable. Don't get stuck on this and ruin your relationship. Think more about how good Liu Lang is to you. Look at our family, which man doesn't have concubines or illegitimate children? But since Liu Lang married you, he hasn't even had a concubine. A man like that is hard to find even with a lantern in the whole of Tokyo."
"I understand." Xie Qinglan forced a smile and said, "My two sisters-in-law don't need to worry. Liu Lang and I have already talked it out."
Seeing this, the two men released her and left.
When Xie Qinglan returned to Qingsong Courtyard, her personal maid Lianqiao greeted her. Seeing her dazed expression, she said with some concern and heartache, "If you feel wronged or upset, Miss, why don't we talk to Master and Madam? They love you so much, they certainly wouldn't want you to suffer."
Even now, when she thinks of the horrific injuries on her daughter's body, she still feels heartache and resentment. Their daughter was pampered and spoiled, never even having a scratch, yet she was injured like that by her new son-in-law.
Xie Qinglan hesitated for a long time before shaking her head and saying, "With such a thing happening in the palace, Father must be exhausted. As his daughter, I can't add to his troubles with these trivial matters at this time."
Remembering Xue Shaojun's promise, she whispered, "Let's think about it some more."
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