Chapter 59 It's too late. Lu Yuan, let go. ...
Lu Yuan's body swayed violently, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer.
He managed to stay upright by supporting himself on the bedpost.
He looked down at the wound on his chest that was constantly bleeding, then looked up at her distant and indifferent face.
A strong sense of absurdity suddenly seized him.
He gave his all, meticulously planned every move, only to receive a heart-wrenching remark from her in return.
"I wish we had never met."
The beast imprisoned within him was now roaring madly, pounding against its cage, howling and urging him on:
Keep her by my side, even if it means breaking her wings and hating each other.
This thought burned fiercely, almost consuming his reason.
However, when his gaze fell upon hers.
The image involuntarily surfaced in her mind: not long ago, in the wedding hall, she had unhesitatingly placed a long sword against her own neck.
A sudden pang of pain shot through my heart.
The raging violence that had just been surging dissipated like a tide, leaving only boundless desolation that silently spread through my chest.
He sadly discovered that he couldn't do it.
He could be ruthless to everyone in the world, but he was powerless against her.
After a long while, he finally regained control of his body and straightened up very slowly and with great difficulty.
He began to stagger backward.
One step, two steps...
Every step felt as heavy as carrying a thousand pounds.
It was as if they were trying to peel her image away from their lives, bit by bit.
He looked at her one last time, his eyes terrifyingly empty. It was as if all the light in the world had been extinguished in that instant.
"good."
One word exhausted all his strength.
After saying that, he resolutely turned around.
His back was hunched, no longer as upright as before.
It's like a king who has lost all his cities, leaving only a desolate state of being withered and exhausted.
He walked toward the door, his steps slowing down until he finally stopped at the threshold.
After standing still for a moment, he finally turned around slowly.
As the candlelight flickered, Mingwu was seen supporting Song Yan, gently wiping the blood from his forehead.
Song Yan only suffered a superficial wound.
It's worth being so sentimental.
The wound on his chest continued to bleed, and the backlash from the mother gu was like ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart.
She, however, remained oblivious.
“Awu…”
He wanted her to see him; he wasn't always strong, he was vulnerable too, and he needed her care, he needed her...
Mingwu looked up at the sound, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, as if she didn't understand why he hadn't left yet.
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and a soft sneer escaped her lips.
"Hasn't Your Excellency heard the saying 'A moment of bliss on the night of love is worth a thousand pieces of gold'? Please leave quickly, lest you miss... our auspicious time."
"Auspicious time..."
Lu Yuan murmured those two words repeatedly, as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
He chuckled softly, the laughter growing louder and louder, carrying a bone-chilling sorrow and self-mockery.
As he laughed more intensely, another mouthful of blood gushed out, staining his pale jawline red.
He didn't care at all, his gaze still fixed on Mingwu's face.
"Awu...where is our auspicious time?"
"What I owe you... is it... something I can never make up for?"
The room was filled with the silent glow of burning red candles, their flickering light illuminating his pale, handsome face.
"Why does Your Excellency put on this act of deep affection and unwavering devotion? It's just disgusting."
Lu Yuan staggered back a step, his bloodied hand gripping the door frame, his knuckles turning white from the force.
He dug out his heart and eagerly presented it to her, but she disdainfully trampled on it.
She was just a woman.
With his status as the prime minister, what kind of beauty couldn't he have?
This time, he didn't look back.
He raised his hand and gently wiped away the blood and foam that kept overflowing from his lips with his fingertips, without stopping.
"Walk."
One word was the order given to the Xuanjia Guards outside the gate.
The Xuanjia Guards silently withdrew their stance and quickly cleared a path.
The matchmaker and her servants dared not utter a sound as they watched the man, who looked as if he had walked through hell, step by step, cross the porch and finally disappear into the distance.
The sun had already set.
The sky gradually darkened, as if a dark net was slowly closing in and pressing down, until it completely enveloped the entire world.
Lu Yuan stepped out of the room, one step at a time.
Xu Ming followed silently behind, not daring to utter a word.
He looked up at the osmanthus tree outside the courtyard wall, which was now just a dark shadow, gloomy and indifferent.
-
Inside the new house, until that terrifying figure could no longer be seen.
The stagnant air finally began to move.
Everyone seemed to have just been freed from the spell, letting out a long sigh of relief. Many people collapsed to the ground, realizing their lapse in composure, and hurriedly scrambled to their feet and stood up straight.
"Awu, how are you?" Song Yan asked.
"I'm fine."
Mingwu shook her head softly.
She instinctively raised her hand and touched her chin, where the lingering cold touch of his fingertips seemed to remain, and...
Looking at her distraught appearance, Song Yan felt as if something was blocking his heart.
"He's gone."
"Um."
Mingwu responded softly, and finally raised her eyes to look at Song Yan.
How is your injury?
Song Yan smiled gently: "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."
Mingwu pursed her lips and lowered her head.
"I'm sorry for making your wedding like this."
Song Yan shook his head, reached out, and carefully took her cold little hand in his.
"It's not your fault. As long as you are safe and happy, nothing else matters."
He felt the slight trembling in her fingertips and gripped her hand even tighter.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, this, this nuptial wine..."
A matchmaker spoke hesitantly, trying to steer the ceremony back on track.
Song Yan glanced at the mess on the ground and the glaring dark red bloodstain on the wedding carpet, and said in a deep voice.
"Everyone has been frightened today, so let's keep the ceremony simple. You may all leave now."
The servants, as if granted a pardon, quickly bowed and withdrew, carefully closing the door behind them.
Finally, only the two of them remained in the new house.
The red candles crackled, illuminating the room with a festive red hue, yet a lingering shadow seemed to hang over it.
Mingwu was completely exhausted and could barely stand.
Song Yan helped her sit on the edge of the bed and gently removed her heavy phoenix crown.
"If you feel bad, don't force yourself to be strong."
"I don't."
She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her face, concealing all her emotions within.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Your Highness, it's time to go to the front hall to offer a toast."
Song Yan frowned slightly but did not move.
The person outside urged them again.
"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has specifically instructed that there are several distinguished guests who require your personal hospitality. Please make sure you go."
Mingwu forced herself to sit up straight and gently nudged his arm.
"Important business is at hand, you should go quickly."
Song Yan still looked at her with concern: "Are you really alright?"
"It's alright, don't worry." She forced a smile.
After pondering for a moment, Song Yan figured that Lu Yuan would not return, so he summoned a maid and gave her instructions.
"Prepare some light meals and make sure to take good care of the princess."
He got up and walked out the door.
He paused at the threshold and looked back, seeing her sitting quietly eating her meal, before gently closing the door behind him.
After eating some food, Mingwu finally felt her empty stomach settle down.
After the servants cleared away the dishes, she slowly sipped a cup of hot tea, noticing that Song Yan still hadn't returned. She figured there were many guests in the front hall, and he couldn't leave for the time being.
Without giving it much thought, she dismissed the servants and went alone into the hot spring room next to the inner room.
In the rising steam, she slowly sank into the warm water, washing away the fear and exhaustion of the day.
When I got up, I felt completely relaxed.
She walked out of the hot spring room with her long, slightly damp hair hanging down; the red candles inside had already burned more than halfway.
She was about to walk towards the dressing table when she suddenly stopped—
After washing away my fatigue, I felt completely relaxed when I came out.
Lu Yuan sat at the table, now dressed in a bright red brocade robe, perfectly matching the festive atmosphere of the room. This attire was clearly intentional.
He rested his elbows casually on the table, his palms supporting his chin, his gaze fixed squarely on the door of the hot spring room, as if he had been waiting there for a long time.
He was a completely different person now compared to when he left in such a disheveled state.
Mingwu had no interest in investigating his changes, and simply frowned.
"Why are you here again?"
Today is her wedding night, how can he, an ex-husband, barge into the bridal chamber again and again?
Previously, Song Yan was present, but now he was alone in the room... Ming Wu looked uneasily at the closed door.
Lu Yuan seemed to see right through her thoughts.
"Is Awu waiting for Song Yan? There's no need to wait anymore, he won't be coming."
Mingwu's heart skipped a beat, and she glared at him angrily.
"What did you do? What did you do to him?"
"You care about him that much?"
Lu Yuan asked in a low voice, a crimson undercurrent surging in his eyes.
He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips.
"It's just asking him to handle some urgent military affairs. It's an urgent dispatch from the northern border, and as a prince, he should prioritize national affairs."
Mingwu clenched her sleeves: "You clearly sent him away on purpose!"
"So what if it is?"
Lu Yuan slowly rose, his crimson robes shimmering with a dark light under the candlelight.
"I'd like to ask you, why is my wife at someone else's wedding?"
He approached step by step, his voice low.
"Awu, our marriage certificate is still registered with the government. What crime should you be charged with for your current actions?"
Mingwu was forced to retreat, her back pressed against the cold wall. Her eyes flickered guiltily for a moment, then she raised her neck and looked directly at him defiantly.
"Your wife died long ago."
"Yeah?"
Lu Yuan suddenly reached out and braced himself against the wall beside her ear, trapping her between him and the wall.
"Aren't you Mingwu?"
"No, my surname is Yun..."
Before Mingwu could finish speaking, Lu Yuan grabbed her chin and frowned unhappily.
"Awu, in order to avoid me, you're even abandoning yourself?"
Mingwu slapped his hand away abruptly, her eyes burning with fury.
Seeing that she was angry, Lu Yuan readily let go of her hand, took a few steps back, and put some distance between them again.
Mingwu immediately retreated to the dressing table on the other side of the room, staring at him warily, her chest heaving slightly with emotion.
She casually picked up a gold hairpin from the dressing table and held it in her hand, the tip pointing directly at him.
"Don't come any closer!"
Lu Yuan stood still, his gaze fixed on her face, his voice extremely soft.
"Awu, shall we talk?"
"We have nothing left to say to each other."
Lu Yuan ignored Ming Wu's refusal and continued, "A-Wu, I know I've done many wrong things in the past..."
Before he could finish speaking, Mingwu interrupted him coldly.
"The Prime Minister is wrong."
"Do you mean you planted a curse on me? Or did you marry me simply to be a tool for Qi Lan's blood transfusion?"
She took a step forward, the red candle casting a long, slender shadow against the festive decorations of the room.
"No wonder you always had someone watch me drink that contraceptive soup after we had sex. Were you plotting to kill me from the very beginning?"
That day, she was tied to the bed and watched helplessly as her blood was slowly drained away.
That chilling, bone-chilling fear, that excruciating pain...
She will never forget it in her entire life.
Especially when she learned that the one who planted the poison in her was none other than her beloved husband.
Her heart felt as if it were being repeatedly cut by a thousand knives, causing her so much pain that she couldn't sleep at night.
"No..."
"No? Could it be that the Prime Minister didn't plant a curse on me?"
"Could it be that the Prime Minister married me not to be a medicinal ingredient for Miss Qi Lan?"
"Could it be that those contraceptive soups weren't personally ordered to be delivered by the Prime Minister?"
With each question she asked, she took a step forward; with each word she uttered, Lu Yuan's face grew paler.
Finally, he closed his eyes and admitted it in a hoarse voice.
"Yes. I married you for another purpose."
"The Gu poison in your body was planted by me personally."
"Those contraceptive soups... I also ordered Granny Qin to deliver them."
Mingwu suddenly sneered.
"roll!"
The sharp shout made the candlelight flicker, and sparks flew from her bloodshot eyes.
"Get out of here!"
Lu Yuan did not leave.
He watched Mingwu fall into hysteria quietly, and felt a slight sense of relief. Having emotions and reactions was better than indifference and aloofness.
Now that he has decided to resolve their issues, he must confront the mistakes he made in the past.
The wound can only be exposed once it's been opened.
Only then will a scab form.
"What I planted in you was not the Separation Gu, but the Kite Gu, also known as the Mother-Child Gu."
Mingwu quieted down.
She had heard the Zen master mention the kite poison.
"I married you because my mother wanted me to marry Qi Lan, but Qi Lan was my brother's fiancée. How could I marry her? But my brother died to save me."
"My brother's biggest worry before he died was Qi Lan. So in my heart, Qi Lan will always be my sister-in-law."
Mingwu scoffed inwardly, but said nothing.
“I’ve been withdrawn since I was little. I can’t cry or laugh, and everyone avoids me. Even my parents look at me with indifference and detachment. In their eyes, I’m a monster without feelings.”
"I never imagined that such an emotionless monster could one day fall in love with someone."
Lu Yuan looked at Ming Wu and gave a self-deprecating smile.
Mingwu lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze.
Lu Yuan lowered his eyes sadly, his expression filled with an unprecedented earnestness and sincerity.
"It was wrong of me to plant the Gu poison on you."
"At that time, I was attracted. But I didn't know how to love, or even that I had fallen in love with you."
Lu Yuan's deep phoenix eyes revealed a deep affection that he no longer concealed.
“I’m afraid of that feeling of being out of control. So, I put the kite gu on you. And I even planted the mother gu on myself.”
"I thought that way, you would love me forever and always belong to me."
"Awu, I'm learning... learning how to love someone. Don't completely deny me because of past mistakes. Give me a chance, okay?"
"Let me love you properly, let me make up for everything I owe you."
Mingwu's eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked into his pleading eyes.
My heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, aching and painful.
She remembered years ago, when the man who descended like a god saved her from the clutches of villains during her most desperate moment.
From that moment on, her heart was set on him.
She had so humbly hoped that he could spare her even a little bit of affection, even if only for a moment.
now……
She finally heard him say "I love you."
But it was all too late.
Some damage, once caused, can never be repaired.
A broken mirror is hard to mend, and spilled water is hard to gather up again.
She no longer hated or resented him.
That would be too tiring.
For the rest of our lives, let's just consider each other... strangers we've met.
"It's better to forget each other in the vast world than to cling together in hardship. Lu Yuan, let go."
"I am already someone else's wife."
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