"This...this isn't appropriate, is it?" Zu An was a little embarrassed. Although the two had once had the closest relationship, it was all because Chu Youzhao had tricked them.
She was, after all, nominally a daughter-in-law of the Chu family; how could she be allowed to hug and cuddle like that?
"I know this request is a bit strange, but I really want to hug you." Murong Qinghe was already ashamed to say this, and now that he had said it, it was as if he had used up all his courage.
Zu An's heart skipped a beat: "Did you and You Zhao have a falling out?"
He sensed that something might have happened at Fenglao Pass. He left the capital in a hurry and didn't have time to visit the Chu family, so he didn't meet with Chu Youzhao and didn't know how their relationship had been over the years.
"Brother-in-law should know best why we had a falling out." After all, Murong Qinghe came from a military background, and after the extreme shame, a strange courage rose within him.
“We haven’t seen each other for years, how would I know?” Zu An had a vague guess in his heart, but without communicating with Chu Youzhao beforehand, he couldn’t say anything.
"Is that so?" Murong Qinghe had barely finished speaking when she suddenly pounced into his arms like a rabbit and hugged him tightly.
The incident happened suddenly, and Zu An, being a master, instinctively activated his protective inner energy, sending her flying.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and withdrew his strength, but even so, that force was not something a little girl could withstand.
With a loud "whoosh," Murong Qinghe coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, severely injured.
Zu An was both angry and anxious. He rushed over to help her up, and while circulating his qi to heal her wounds, he scolded her, "What are you doing? If I hadn't reacted quickly, you might already be dead."
Murong Qinghe didn't say anything. Instead, she hugged him as he approached, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably: "It really was you that night..."
Zuan: "..."
He couldn't help but admire her; a woman's intuition is truly terrifying—she can sense something just from a hug.
"I'm sorry, what happened that night was all a series of unfortunate events..." He wanted to explain, but he didn't know how.
"I know, it was all arranged by Brother Chu... no, it should be Sister Chu." Murong Qinghe smiled sadly.
"You already knew?" Zuan was somewhat surprised, not expecting that she even knew this.
"How could I not know? She could hide it from me before, so how could she hide it from me after we got married? Besides, that night was so special. I was too shy at the time to think much about it, but after I came to my senses, it was clearly not Brother Chu's body type," Murong Qinghe wiped away her tears.
"What's more, after that, Brother Chu never shared a room with me again. I originally thought that someone had bullied me and that he disliked me. I was heartbroken during that time. Fortunately, Brother Chu was afraid that I would do something rash, so he vaguely revealed some things to me, and that's how I found out what really happened on our wedding night."
"If that's the case, then why did you test me just now?" Zuan asked curiously.
Whether it was from the healing of her injuries or from shyness, Murong Qinghe's cheeks were much rosier than before: "Because Youzhao didn't tell me the identity of the man that night, and every time she spoke of it, she was vague. But actually, it's not hard to find out what happened that night. After all, I believe that after so many years of getting along with Youzhao, she would never just find someone to bully me."
"And you are the man closest to her, and on your wedding night, you were arranged to stay in the courtyard next to ours."
“I asked Youzhao before if it was you that night, but she didn’t give a definite answer, so I need to confirm it myself.”
Zuan looked at him strangely: "You're sure just from a hug?"
Murong Qinghe blushed and turned her face away, saying, "You're not a woman, you don't understand."
There was something she was too embarrassed to say: that night was just too special, and it was impossible for her to forget that feeling.
"I'm sorry, I drank too much that night, and I didn't know Youzhao would act so recklessly," Zu'an said apologetically.
“I know you were kept in the dark about what happened that night, after all, you were also a victim.” Murong Qinghe had already figured out the Chu family’s plan over the past few years, so he naturally knew that he couldn’t be blamed.
Zuan felt something was off about the word "victim." If he were to say it himself, it would sound like he was the one who had gotten the better deal and was now acting innocent.
"You are the one who is hurt the most. Do you hate Youzhao in your heart?"
“How could I not hate him? I hate that he wasn’t a man, but a woman instead,” Murong Qinghe bit her red lips. “Actually, I should have thought of it a long time ago. After all, Brother Chu is sometimes a bit weak and doesn’t seem like a man. But at the time, I liked her weak and scholarly air the most.”
Zuan had to admit that the Chu family's genes were indeed excellent; all three sisters were very beautiful. Chu Youzhao, disguised as a man, was indeed a handsome young man, and during her years of studying in the capital, she wasn't the only woman who liked her, except for Murong Qinghe.
Of course, perhaps Murong Qinghe had been in the military camp for too long and had seen too many rough men, making him more susceptible to the charm of a refined and elegant young man like Chu Youzhao.
"Looking back over the years, there are actually clues to this matter. Brother Chu asked me about it several times..." At this point, Murong Qinghe suddenly stopped talking.
"What do you want to ask you?" Noticing the other party's strange reaction, Zu'an couldn't help but feel curious.
"nothing."
Murong Qinghe's mind began to recall the time when Chu Youzhao asked her if she would have fallen in love with Brother Zu if she hadn't met him first. At that time, she hesitated for a moment, but still firmly chose Brother Chu.
It turns out that back then, Brother Chu was already confirming my feelings and preparing for that night.
Thinking of how considerate Brother Chu was and how much he cared for her, Murong Qinghe's heart ached even more.
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