Xie Rongyue paused slightly, lowered her eyes, and remained silent.
The atmosphere inside the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Wang Hezhan stared at her intently, his hand gripping the back of her neck so tightly it seemed as if he wanted to strangle her.
She gasped in pain.
"General"
Her voice was soft and sweet, and her eyes held a hint of ingratiation as she looked over.
Wang Hezhan scoffed and released her.
He leaned back and rested on the soft pillow.
Xie Rongyue didn't know what he meant. Being stared at by him made her feel the hairs on her body stand on end and a chill run down her spine.
She lowered her eyelids, lifted her skirt, and stood up.
The atmosphere between the two was silent and eerie.
Xie Rongyue swallowed hard, walked to the tea table next to her, and poured him a cup of hot tea.
Wang Hezhan looked at her but didn't take it, showing her no respect whatsoever.
She awkwardly withdrew the teacup from her hand.
Has the Xie family tried to find you a spouse?
Suddenly, he asked in a gentle voice.
Xie Rongyue didn't dare to meet his gaze and said softly, "No."
"Oh." Wang Hezhan gently stroked the sketchbook on the couch, then asked, "Does Yue'er have someone she likes?"
Xie Rongyue felt impatient with his question, but she didn't dare to show it.
"No, thank you for your concern, General."
"It's getting late, General. Aren't you going back to Yandu?"
Although her voice was sweet and delicate, it carried a strong sense of shooing people away.
Wang Hezhan felt resentful and said sarcastically, "The Xie family's daughter is quite the opportunist."
Xie Rongyue couldn't help but retort.
"A couple of days ago, there were rumors in the city that the general was going to marry the eldest daughter of the third branch of the Yan family. Now that you've returned to Yandu, instead of getting close to your fiancée, why are you here causing trouble for me?"
"presumptuous."
His face instantly darkened, and his gaze turned menacingly sharp.
Xie Rongyue was startled and tightened her grip on the handkerchief.
Wang Hezhan stood up, casually removed the hairpin from her hair, and lifted her face.
Her long, black hair cascaded down her back, and a cold, sharp hairpin pressed against her chin.
She frowned, cried out softly in pain, and her delicate, pale face trembled slightly.
He scoffed coldly, showing no pity, and leaned closer.
"You've gotten bolder, don't you want to live anymore?"
Xie Rongyue tensed up, her hands braced on the table behind her. A slight stinging pain came from her chin, forcing tears to well up in her eyes.
Hearing his words, she looked up at him and retorted sarcastically.
"A general can be a dissolute young master from a noble family, living a life of unbridled debauchery and carefree romance, treating women as playthings, but I can't do that, I can't afford to gamble."
"I needed your help back then, but you also took my body. From then on, we went our separate ways and pursued our own futures. Now that you're forcing me like this, what am I supposed to do?"
Wang Hezhan's face darkened after hearing her sharp words, and he stared at her intently.
Xie Rongyue simply gave up and spoke her mind.
"Please, General, do not force me again. From now on, you are the eldest son of the beautiful and talented Langya Wang family in Yandu, and I am marrying a noble lady from a high-ranking family. I am just a concubine's daughter from a collateral branch of the Xie family, seeking my good husband. Let's pretend we have never met."
The air remained silent for a long while before the sharp edge of the jaw fell.
He bent down and inserted the hairpin into her hair.
"Want to get married?"
He spoke with a smile, but there was no warmth in his eyes, as cold as the winter wind and snow.
Xie Rongyue had expected him to fly into a rage and storm off, but seeing him like this, she felt uneasy.
"If your future husband knew about your past, would he still want you?"
A sudden pang of pain shot through her heart, and she looked at him, her face deathly pale.
Their eyes met in mid-air, his eyes filled with arrogant mockery.
She clenched her fists and spoke softly.
"That's none of your concern, General."
Wang Hezhan chuckled, moved closer, and threatened in her ear, "Yue'er, those who have messed with me will not escape unless I let them go."
Xie Rongyue was slightly startled, "What are you going to do?"
He lazily brushed a stray hair from her ear, staring at her silently.
"You didn't want to serve me? I'll make you lie down and serve me willingly."
Xie Rongyue held onto the table with one hand, watching his unhurried departure, her nails digging into her flesh, but she felt no pain.
----
Kyoto.
When Chu Changle woke up, she saw the man dressed in a dragon robe standing by the bed. The white light from the window flowed across his face, and the dappled light and shadow made it impossible to discern any change in his emotions.
The imperial physician packed up his medicine box, stood up, and quietly led his men out.
A palace maid approached with a bottle of brewed medicine, lifted the gauze curtain, and helped her up.
"Princess."
Chu Chang Le tilted her head away, refusing to drink.
Shen Yan, with a stern face, snatched the medicine bowl from the maid's hand, covered her mouth, and forcefully fed it to her.
"Want to die?"
Chu Changle had just woken up, and his rough treatment aggravated her abdominal wound, causing her to turn pale with pain and tears to well up in her eyes.
With a thud, the medicine bowl fell to the ground.
The palace maids nearby were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, prostrating themselves and not daring to speak.
Shen Yan looked at her resentful eyes, his throat bobbing, his voice hoarse.
"Do you think that since Jinling's life is safe, you can die without any worries?"
The fear and worry that had been building up over the past few days made him unable to control the resentment and anger in his heart.
Chu Changle did not refute, but leaned against the bed and closed her eyes.
Seeing that she ignored him, Shen Yan said, "Let me remind you, she is in a political marriage with Yan Beimo, and it is unknown how long she will live."
Chu Chang Le weakly opened her eyes and looked at him.
The air inside the hall was filled with a terrifying stillness.
Siqin, with her keen eye, subtly gave a wink to the palace maids behind her. They understood and respectfully withdrew, closing the door behind them.
Seeing her eyes redden, Shen Yan knew she was always soft-hearted and spoke in a despicable manner.
“If you dare to lay a hand on me again, I will not only kill Chu Changning, but I will also kill everyone here. They will all die because of you.”
As he spoke, he leaned over and sat down on the edge of the couch, pulling her into his arms.
"Anning, live well. I will protect you, and I will protect her too."
Chu Changle blinked slightly, tears streaming down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and murmured an "Mmm."
Shen Yan noticed the dampness on his chest, his eyes darkened slightly, and he remained silent.
Chu Chang Le rested in bed for a few days, and Shen Yan took care of her for several days. Only when she was almost fully recovered did he move the memorials back to the Imperial Study.
Now that the King of Qi is in a coma and riots are breaking out in Taiyuan, Shen Yan wants to stabilize Taiyuan, so he specially sent his confidant to disguise himself as the King of Qi.
Dark room.
Looking at the emaciated Prince Qi, who had been tortured, Shen Yan took out a white ribbon and said calmly to the back of the room.
"Have you remembered everything clearly?"
His trusted confidants were secretly trained by Yinlouge; they were skilled in disguise and cunning.
“I have memorized the life and conduct of the King of Qi into my very bones; I will not make a mistake.”
The retainer behind him said, "Your Majesty, now that the other six princes have returned to their fiefdoms, they will surely take advantage of the chaos to head north to Youzhou. Should we withdraw our people?"
Shen Yan held a white ribbon in his hand and slowly wrapped it around the neck of the King of Qi.
"The kings may go, and so may I."
The moment the words were spoken, blood splattered all over the room, and the person on the torture device stared wide-eyed, no longer struggling.
"Go. In two days, I will release Prince An back to the Eastern Court. You know what to do."
His trusted aide wiped the blood from his face and said respectfully, "This servant obeys the decree."
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