Chapter 100 From this day forward, he is no longer himself...
She was only worried that he would upset Wei Xuan, so she tugged at his sleeve and said, "Wei Zhang, please stop talking. Let me talk to him alone for a bit, okay?"
"No." Wei Zhang's emotions hadn't subsided, and his tone was slightly harsh.
Xue Lanyi didn't want to argue with him, so she turned to look at Wei Xuan, "Ah Xuan, listen to me..."
"Yiyi, you don't need to say anything!"
Wei Xuan wouldn't listen to her.
Wei Xuan knew perfectly well that she had given herself to someone in order to save him.
How could he accept such a kind offer?
Xie Qingyun is right. How can a group of grown men be a burden to a young girl forever?
The worst outcome is nothing more than that; how can we let her fall into the abyss again?
He gazed deeply into her eyes through the wooden fence, "Yiyi, I want you to live for yourself, even if it's for me in the future..."
"But I want you to live too!"
Xue Lanyi didn't want to hear that word from his mouth.
The blood of Xie Qingyun and Lu Lin is still vivid in my mind; nothing in this world is more important than living.
"I want you to live, and I want to live well myself."
A look of weariness, or perhaps resignation, crossed Xue Lanyi's eyes. "I don't want to be dragged around by you two brothers anymore. I'm tired. Can't I just live a quiet life?"
She asked Wei Xuan in a pleading tone.
From childhood to adulthood, Wei Xuan had never refused any of her requests.
Wei Xuan didn't want to answer "yes," but looking into her clear, watery eyes, it seemed that answering "no" wouldn't be right either.
He fell silent.
Xue Lanyi then turned to Wei Zhang and asked, "Is that alright?"
This statement sounds like she's expressing her loyalty to Wei Zhang, but it also sounds more like she's asking if she can speak to Wei Xuan.
Before parting, shouldn't we at least say a few words?
"Is it okay?" she asked him pitifully.
Wei Zhang's stern expression softened slightly. After a moment of silence, he finally raised his hand and signaled the jailer to unlock the iron lock on the cell door.
The jailers all withdrew, and Xue Lanyi took a deep breath to calm herself down before lifting her skirt and entering the cell.
“Ah Xuan.”
She walked to his side, forced a smile as polite as possible, and then handed a stack of documents to Wei Xuan.
Wei Xuan didn't know what was written in the document, but he knew it must be worded to persuade him to accept the status quo.
His gaze passed over the documents and landed on the girl so close to him, and he shook his head with such certainty.
He does not accept any wording.
Xue Lanyi didn't dare look into his eyes, afraid that she would fall into that tenderness and then hesitate and regret it.
Having finally made a decision, we shouldn't waver anymore and cause each other suffering.
She unfolded the document, deliberately blocking their gazes from meeting, and read it word by word: "On the fifth day of the tenth month, in the Battle of Yinmatan in the northern border, the commander surrendered to the enemy, and all the captured soldiers were buried alive at Yinmatan, totaling more than 27,000 people."
"On October 15th, a major epidemic broke out after the war. The plague spread extensively in the three cities of Shibao, Anling, and others, resulting in 90,000 casualties..."
This is a document that Xue Lanyi saw on Wei Zhang's desk at noon.
Right now, the northern border of Dayong is being attacked by a powerful enemy, a barbarian tribe that is even more ferocious and savage than the western border.
In just half a month since the start of the war, the northern border has been devastated.
Xue Lanyi knew that she couldn't persuade Wei Xuan about ordinary matters, but she could persuade the lives of millions of ordinary people.
He loved her, and he also loved the people of Dayong.
Xue Lanyi sniffed and continued speaking.
“Yiyi…” Wei Xuan pressed down on the folded document, “Stop reading it.”
He didn't want to hear it.
The reason I don't want to listen is because my heart is moved.
He was a general who fought on the battlefield for many years, and he should know what a terrible hell was behind those bloody and cold numbers.
Xue Lanyi simply stopped reading and handed the memorial to him, her voice gentle yet firm, "Ah Xuan, go to the Northern Border! The Northern Border needs you. The people of the Northern Border are eagerly awaiting their invincible General Crossing the Liao River, so we..."
Her throat tightened slightly, but she finally had to say those heart-wrenching words, "Let's break up."
"Yiyi!"
Wei Xuan's pupils dilated.
Everything that was happening before my eyes, every single word, felt like a nightmare.
Just half a month ago, they made a solemn vow in Peach Blossom Valley, promising to stay together until their hair turned white.
They had known and pledged their love to each other for ten years, waiting for one another year after another. How could it end like this?
How can I accept this?
His spine, which was as straight as a pine tree, was now wet with tears. He took a step forward, wanting to get closer to her.
Xue Lanyi took a step back and stood precisely in the circular halo of light cast by the skylight.
Everything around her was dark, except for the light emanating from her.
In front of her was the boy she had loved for ten years, and behind her... perhaps was the man she would spend the rest of her life with.
She was dressed in a yellow dress, radiating a golden glow, just like someone from a dream.
So close yet so far away, no one can grasp it.
You can capture her body but not her heart; you can capture her heart but not stay with her forever.
She stood where the eyes of the two men met.
Wei Zhang stood in a corner of the prison, his calm eyes fixed on her back.
Her gaze remained fixed on another person.
She looked up at Wei Xuan, her eyes filled with undisguised emotion. "Xuan, giving up isn't that hard, because... I'm not as good as you imagine. The real me isn't really anything worth being nostalgic for."
"Yiyi, don't say these things. You deserve it. You deserve the best of everything in this world. Don't give up on yourself, and don't give up on..."
"I'm not worth it!"
Xue Lanyi cut off Wei Xuan's "I" with such decisiveness.
Only Wei Zhang, standing behind her, could see her straight back, her hands clenched tightly behind her back, as if she had mustered immense courage.
She wanted to show Wei Xuan her most authentic self.
She sniffed, "When I was little, I actually resented my mother and my uncle-in-law. I always cursed them in my heart."
"I was originally the daughter of the Grand Secretary, and should have had the best family background like Ah Xuan and Zhou Yu, becoming the most dazzling jewel in Shengjing. Because of them, I will be criticized and secretly ridiculed. I refuse to accept this! Why should I?"
"I want to be as high up in the sky as you are, so that people will envy me. That's why I'm working so hard to climb up. I want to stand on the mountaintop and become the sun."
I climbed and climbed, and one day it felt like I met a real little sun. His light was pure and intense; he had a good background, a good temperament, and was young and promising—in short, there was nothing wrong with him, and everyone liked him.
When Xue Lanyi mentioned "him", her eyes lit up.
The eyes behind her, watching her retreating figure, darkened even further.
She couldn't perceive it; she only looked up at her sun and smiled sweetly. "I want to possess the sun. I want the sun's light to revolve only around me. I've gone to great lengths to pretend to be like him."
Later, I really did it. Taiyang said he liked me, and he waited for my response with such anticipation.
"But I just won't give him an answer, because I know that as long as I don't say anything, he will always revolve around me, and I will always be the center of his attention."
He repeatedly failed in his attempts to win my hand in marriage and was ridiculed by everyone. The brightest young man in Shengjing City was no longer so radiant because of me, but I only greedily enjoyed the light he brought me.
I am such a selfish, hypocritical, and greedy person…
“Yiyi, you’re not,” Wei Xuan told her with certainty.
He truly hadn't imagined she had such a complicated emotional journey.
But she was by no means a selfish, hypocritical, or greedy person.
She is optimistic, resilient, and indomitable; she is the best girl in the world.
She was also the only love of his life.
"Yiyi, you know, no matter what kind of person you are, in this life..."
"Ah Xuan, listen to me."
Wei Xuan took another step forward, and she took a half step back with her hands behind her back.
She tried her best to maintain a smile, her gold-trimmed skirt shimmering in the sunlight, just like that carefree girl she once was.
Wei Zhang noticed that her back was trembling uncontrollably.
It's actually very difficult to personally expose your ugliest side to the person you admire most.
She was no longer the flawless moon in Wei Xuan's heart.
Xue Lanyi struggled to suppress the bitterness rising in her throat and continued with a smile, "I used to think that my life was full of hardships and that I deserved to be the sole recipient of the sun's rays, but..."
In the six years since I stopped being Li Zhaoyang, I've seen so many more people who need sunshine. Rouge, who hanged herself in the night, couldn't even return to the earth in death, because she never knew where she was from or where her family was.
Princess Xiao died without a name, and Granny Liu spent her entire life searching for her missing daughter…
So many!
There are countless injustices in this world.
Compared to them, Xue Lanyi realized that her own hardships were nothing.
She used to emulate Wei Xuan and Xie Qingyun's concern for the country and its people, but deep down she didn't really feel much for them.
But in these six years, she witnessed the suffering of humanity and the jubilation of the crowds when the prince's disciples were brought back to light. She seemed to be able to truly understand the sorrows and joys of others.
She could empathize with them, and she was willing to give up the sun's light to those who needed it more.
“Ah Xuan is my great hero, my great sun. I want to... return you to the sky.”
Xue Lanyi tilted her head and smiled slightly, wanting to leave him with the most beautiful and radiant Xue Lanyi at the end of the story.
Her face was filled with relief.
Wei Xuan was afraid; he knew that this time she really didn't want him anymore.
His pupils contracted slightly as he took a step closer to Xue Lanyi. "I am not the sun, nor do I want to be the sun!"
His voice was clear and resonant.
He rarely raised his voice to Xue Lanyi, but at this moment, every word he uttered was firm and resounding: "I, Wei Xuan, only want to be Li Zhaoyang's..."
He was speaking when a powerful force, like a hurricane, struck the back of his head.
At the same time, Xue Lanyi was pulled into the arms of the person behind her, and everything in front of her turned black.
Behind him, Wei Xuan collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Wei Zhang inexplicably knocked the person unconscious!
"Wei Zhang, what are you doing? What are you doing?" Xue Lanyi hurriedly tried to push the man in front of her away.
The man's hand remained protectively on the back of her head, burying her face tightly against his chest.
The wide sleeves hanging down blocked Xue Lanyi's view, but his heart was pounding uncontrollably.
Just now, when Wei Xuan rushed towards Xue Lanyi, a hint of fierce competition flashed in his eyes.
Wei Xuan has always presented himself as upright and honest, never fighting or grabbing.
He's going to fight for it.
Wei Zhang felt a strange emptiness in his heart.
Almost without thinking, he held Xue Lanyi tightly in his arms, his eyes still wide with shock as he stared at the unconscious person on the ground.
His pupils constricted, his breathing became rapid, and he remained unconscious for a long time.
Xue Lanyi's gaze was drawn to his solid chest, and her nostrils were filled with the scent of cold pine resin.
She was being pressed so hard she could hardly breathe.
"Wei Zhang, let me go! What do you want? What do you want?"
Her voice choked with sobs as she pounded and hit his chest.
She just wanted to see Wei Xuan one last time. She had already decided to be with him, so what was he going to do to go crazy?
She pounded hard, and before she knew it, a wet patch spread across Wei Zhang's chest.
It's unclear whether it was his blood or her tears.
It hurts a little.
Wei Zhangcai regained his senses and looked down at the girl in his arms.
Her long eyelashes were wet, tears welled up in her eyes, and her pink cheeks trembled with sobs.
She had used up all her courage to reveal her true colors to Wei Xuan.
She tried her best to suppress her emotions, but Wei Zhang refused to listen.
Xue Lanyi was about to succumb to the pain of separation.
How could Wei Zhang be so heartless?
She continued to tap the unmoving body, her strength waning, and she grew increasingly dejected with each tap.
Wei Zhang opened his mouth, but didn't know how to comfort her.
He had no intention of returning her to Wei Xuan, but he also didn't want to hurt her feelings.
But he couldn't do it.
Since her tears weren't for him, what could he do with her?
He silently embraced her tightly, feeling her body tremble more and more violently.
Wei Zhang's lips parted and closed several times before he finally said, "Don't cry. I'll save him, I will save him..."
Besides that, he didn't know how to comfort her.
A low, husky voice gently landed on Xue Lanyi's head, and she stopped sobbing and looked up.
A tear, hanging at the corner of her eye, barely slid down her pale cheek, leaving a trail of tear stains.
His reflection shimmered in her clear, watery eyes, filled with expectation yet still tinged with doubt.
Wei Zhang cupped her face in his hands and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumb. "Don't cry, I will save him."
Only after the more resolute voice fell did the look of bewilderment on Xue Lanyi's face fade away.
Then she regretted that she shouldn't have any other emotions right now.
Now that Wei Xuan has fainted, this is the best time to save him.
She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand. "Save! How can I save you?"
"Do you need my help?"
"It's a mess here, it's not convenient to rescue people, I'll go tidy it up."
She was busy spinning around in his arms, bumping into things recklessly.
Tears streamed down her face, yet there was also a hint of joy.
Ultimately, only Wei Xuan could make her laugh and cry at the same time, making her act foolishly.
Wei Zhang's deep eyes remained fixed on her for a long time before his voice became hoarse, "Go out. I'll keep an eye on Physician Wu."
“But…” Xue Lanyi wanted to stay and take care of Wei Xuan.
She knew she shouldn't cause any more trouble and upset Wei Zhang, so she quietly changed the subject, "I'm right outside the door. If... if you need tea or water, you can call me."
These words were meant for Wei Zhang, but her peripheral vision kept getting drawn to the people on the ground.
I want to help, but I don't dare to.
Distracted, he curtsied to Wei Zhang before walking out.
He looked back every three steps, gazing at the dying man on the ground.
At that moment, Wei Xuan, who had fainted, was bleeding from his mouth. The dark blood that he had been forcibly suppressing in his chest was now flowing uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth, making his facial features appear gaunt.
Although it's a slow-acting poison, it's still far too potent.
Xue Lanyi wondered to herself if she could be cured, her eyes filled with worry.
Wei Zhang stood beside Wei Xuan, but was out of Xue Lanyi's sight.
He watched her from her blind spot for a long time, a hint of gloom creeping into his eyes.
When Qingyang led Physician Wu through the door, he saw two pairs of eyes that did not meet.
This light, once it passes the point of intersection, will only gradually drift further and further away.
Like the human heart, once it has strayed far away, how can it be brought back?
Qingyang sighed inwardly. Seeing Xue Lanyi disappear outside the barbed wire gate, he stepped forward, hesitating to speak, "Master..."
"As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. Sir, would you like to reconsider for a few more days? Once this heaven-defying technique is used, there will be no turning back."
Wei Zhang slowly withdrew his gaze from the doorway, and as he approached, his eyes regained their usual coldness.
He lifted his robe and sat down at the wooden table, folding his sleeves and extending his wrist. "Let's begin."
The man's demeanor was dignified, and his tone was as calm as ever.
Physician Wu and Qingyang looked at each other, neither daring to step forward.
The poison that the eldest son was afflicted with was indeed incurable. Wei Zhang gave a strict order to the Imperial Hospital, which then presented a forbidden blood-changing technique.
They exchanged blood for blood, transferring the poison to another person.
This method is dangerous, and not just anyone's blood will work.
The only safest solution is to exchange Wei Zhang's blood for Wei Xuan's blood, as he and Wei Xuan are blood brothers.
However, the blood transfusion method damages the body's foundation. If Wei Zhang were to proceed in this way, once the poisoned blood enters the body, there would be no way to transfer the poison out.
Once the poison has eroded his internal organs, he will become paralyzed and unable to take care of himself.
He is the Grand Secretary of the Dayong Dynasty, a position above all others, and he will surely become more than just the Grand Secretary in the future.
Qingyang watched as his grandfather went through countless hardships, climbing step by step from an unloved second son and stepson to his current position.
He said he wanted to no longer be bullied or bound.
Should such a proud person, after thirty years, be reduced to subservient to others?
Qingyang couldn't accept it. He shook his head. "My lord, please reconsider and wait for another day! The empire is within reach, you..."
In his panic, Qingyang blurted out Wei Zhang's deepest ambition.
If one is paralyzed in bed, wouldn't this empire within reach be used to benefit others?
Wei Zhang's long eyelashes trembled slightly as he lowered his eyes to gaze at the dragon pattern on his sleeve.
The robe was embroidered with dragon patterns inside the sleeves, which he knew was a work by the Vice Minister of Rites to curry favor.
It fits really well.
Wei Zhang twirled the pattern inside his sleeve with his fingertips, then folded up the edge of the dragon pattern, obscuring the golden dragon under the black fabric, forever losing its luster.
Without the dragon pattern to cover it, the thinnest veins on his wrist were exposed.
He raised his hand to take the dagger that Physician Wu handed him and placed it on his wrist.
The silver blade reflected his deep-set eyes and brows.
He said, "There is no need to inform the lady of this matter."
He knew very well that Xue Lanyi was willing to be with him because he was "omnipotent".
His omnipotence was the only virtue she admired about him.
If she finds out he's not as omnipotent as she thought, she won't want him.
She might let go of his hand at any moment.
If he can't even grasp the present, how can he talk about the future?
Wei Zhang's fingertips trembled slightly, the dagger swiftly slid across his wrist, and a drop of blood dripped from his wrist into the porcelain bowl.
Pingbang—
The sound was crisp and broken.
The blood droplets sloshed at the bottom of the bowl, their distorted reflection mirroring his image on the curved surface.
He stared blankly at his unrecognizable self, a faint chuckle escaping his throat.
From this day forward, he is no longer himself.
He carries the blood of her beloved; wouldn't she like that?
But……
He doesn't like being someone else anymore...
A long, drawn-out sigh echoed in the air, like the bleak autumn wind outside the window, swirling up withered leaves and blowing against my face.
A chilling cold seeped straight into one's bones...
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