Chapter 45 Interrogation (Part 5)
Caught off guard, Ling Wei staggered backward from the sudden weight and embrace, her knees hitting the stool, and she sat down with a thud.
Shen Zhilan then fell onto her lap, but still didn't let go. Instead, like an octopus, he used his hands and feet to wrap himself around her even tighter, burying his head and closing his eyes tightly, as if he would never let go no matter what.
Aoto: "!!!"
She stood there dumbfounded, unsure whether to move forward or backward, completely unsure how to handle this situation that was beyond her comprehension.
Is this... is this an attack on His Highness, or just the concubine acting coquettishly?
Ling Wei was also stunned by the sudden attack. She instinctively wanted to tear the man away and reached out to pry his arms off, but found that he was holding on very tightly.
She pulled his hair again, dragging his head back, and sure enough, she heard him gasp in pain. But instead of loosening her embrace, she tightened it even more.
Ling Wei struggled a few times but failed to break free, which only made her breathing more erratic.
She stared at the head so close to hers, then looked up at the roof beam, and finally couldn't hold back any longer, blurting out a vulgar phrase from the Northern Army: "Are you fucking crazy?!"
"Are you the Amazing Young Master or the Startled Monkey Young Master?!"
Unbelievable! Even a monkey couldn't hug a tree as tightly as him!
Shen Zhilan's body trembled slightly, and this time even her neck began to turn red, all the way down to her ears.
A burning sense of shame almost overwhelmed him, but he still didn't open his eyes. This behavior was contrary to the etiquette he had always upheld and was almost shameless.
But he had an instinctive feeling that he couldn't just leave like that.
Although His Highness was angry and furious, he inexplicably felt that beneath those layers of anger, something was shattering, something was crying silently.
Therefore, he did not let go, but instead buried his face deeper into the crook of her neck, his hot breath spraying onto her skin.
Ling Wei stopped struggling. She glared at his red ears. The raging anger she had just felt was like being doused with warm water, replaced by a more complex and indescribable emotion.
She was panting, and turned her gaze to Qing Shu, who was standing next to her, not knowing where to look. She squeezed out a voice through gritted teeth: "You can go out first."
Qing Shu felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and fled the room as if escaping, gently closing the door behind him.
She looked up at the dark night sky outside the corridor and sighed softly, hoping that Minister Shen could really make His Highness feel better.
Inside the door.
Ling Wei continued to stare at the roof beam, the figure on her body seemingly fused to her form, showing no sign of coming down.
"Shen Zhilan, what exactly are you trying to do?"
The person on top of her remained completely still, only the warm breath brushing against the skin of her neck, bringing a slight itch.
Ling Wei waited for a while, but seeing that he didn't respond, she was too lazy to waste any more time with him. She simply treated him like a heavy human pendant, reached out with difficulty to the wine jar on the table, poured herself a bowl, and drank it down in this awkward posture.
When strong liquor goes down your throat, it ignites more than just heat.
The alcohol, combined with the tension of the past few days, the impact of Sun Man's words, the uncertainty about the future, and the longing for the deceased Ling Hua... all these emotions, like a burst dam, overwhelmed the dam she had forcibly built.
"My eldest sister and I agreed that she would be responsible for making my Great Chen like the one described in history books, a place of peace and prosperity. My job is... to silence all the claws that try to reach out from the shadows. She just needs to move forward, without looking back..."
"My eldest sister is gone, so you chose me."
"You've chosen the wrong person," she murmured, as if speaking to Shen Zhilan, as well as to the unresponsive system and the mysterious forces of fate.
"Do you think I can outmaneuver those cunning old foxes who've become seasoned shrewd in officialdom? Do you think I can figure out how many shady undercurrents lie beneath this pool?"
"Aren't you... overestimating me?"
The alcohol amplified the overwhelming feeling of isolation and helplessness. Just as Ling Wei's emotions hit rock bottom, she suddenly felt a warm hand gently land on the top of her head and pat it soothingly.
Ling Wei's body stiffened.
Shen Zhilan had already straightened up slightly, no longer completely nestled in her arms, but still very close. He gently pressed Ling Wei's head on his shoulder, and then continued to pat her hair with his hand, the movements clumsy but full of tenderness and heartache.
There was no sound, only steady and warm taps, one after another.
Under this silent reassurance, Ling Wei gradually relaxed. The clean scent of his body lingered around her nose, her ears were filled with his steady heartbeat, and the warmth from his palms above her head smoothed away her rough edges.
She closed her eyes, buried her face in his shoulder, and her tense nerves relaxed for once.
The room fell completely silent, save for the occasional crackling of the candlelight and the gradually synchronized breathing of the two people.
After an unknown amount of time, Ling Wei stirred.
She reached out and found the scattered calligraphy brushes on the table, then grabbed a blank piece of official paper and, in this awkward posture, began to write.
He wrote very quickly, and some of the handwriting was a little messy because of his posture, but the meaning was clear.
After she finished writing, she patted Shen Zhilan, who was still gently stroking her back.
Shen Zhilan stopped what he was doing, took the paper, and by the dim candlelight, he could see the words on it.
Then, his eyes widened suddenly, and his fingers tightened around the paper. It was a... divorce agreement.
The words were concise, stating that since their relationship had ended, they should each go their own way. The Fifth Princess Ling Wei and Consort Shen Zhilan divorced, and from then on, they would marry and have no further contact with each other.
At the end, Ling Wei's name was already signed.
Ling Wei didn't look at his suddenly pale face and the shock and pain surging in his eyes. Her voice was hoarse from drinking, as if she were giving an account of something utterly mundane:
"The matter of Xishan has been roughly revealed, and I will take over the rest. You have fulfilled your promise to your eldest sister, so here is this divorce agreement for you. From now on, you are free. If you don't want to go back to the Shen family, I can find you another stable residence and allocate some reliable people. Xuan Ying and the others, if they are willing to come with you, you can take them with you. As for those who are not willing, I will make other arrangements for them."
“Once this gets out, all eyes and attacks, both overt and covert, will be directed at me. You… staying away from me will actually be safer.”
She spoke clearly and even thoughtfully, as if paving all the way out for him, and then gently pushing him away from the center of the impending storm.
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a soft "hissing" sound.
Shen Zhilan lowered his head and tore the divorce agreement in half without hesitation. Then, with a few more rips, he tore it into pieces. The scraps of paper fluttered from his fingers and landed on the ground between the two of them.
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