Chapter 55 Please, Duke, part with Concubine Xue...
Xue Lanyi felt a rough texture on her cheekbone, and with a start, she immediately crawled out from under his arm.
"The Duke and His Majesty are waiting for the Crown Prince in the front hall. If the Crown Prince gets lost, I am willing to guide him!"
At present, the Emperor, Wei Zhang, and the important ministers of Dayong are all waiting for the envoy in the front hall.
The envoy took advantage of the chaos to enter the Duke's mansion through the back gate. Was this a sign of disrespect for the Duke of Wei, or for Dayong?
Although Xue Lanyi was breathing heavily, her voice was stubborn and assertive.
It tastes just as good as it did six years ago.
Xiao Cheng rubbed the soft flesh that his fingertips slid over, his breathing slightly rough.
"Why are you in such a panic, Princess? I am simply overjoyed to reunite with an old friend."
Xiao Cheng gave a wink to the elegantly dressed woman beside him.
The woman handed a brocade box to Xue Lanyi with both hands.
"I have prepared a small gift for the princess, and I hope she will accept it with a smile."
Xiao Cheng's eyes were as sharp as a cheetah lurking on the grassland.
The sword wound on his left eye has not healed for years; it was inflicted by Wei Xuan with a single sword strike.
Xue Lanyi felt a chill run down her spine from his gaze.
She didn't understand why Xiao Cheng would bring a gift for her when he came to the Duke's mansion to discuss important court matters.
Why did they bypass the people in the front hall and come to the backyard first?
Xue Lanyi did not need his gift, nor did she wish to continue dealing with him, so she refused.
Xiao Cheng suddenly shoved the woman beside him.
The woman stumbled forward and nearly crashed into Xue Lanyi's arms.
"If my gift cannot be delivered today, it will be because you, my lowly concubine, have acted improperly and damaged diplomatic relations, do you understand?"
He roared fiercely, his voice tinged with the wildness of years spent fighting in the grassland tribes, like a wolf or a tiger.
The woman's shoulders trembled violently, and she quickly tried to kneel down before Xue Lanyi.
Xue Lanyi quickly helped her up, hesitated for a moment, and then took the brocade box.
Firstly, this woman suffered an undeserved calamity, which is truly pitiful.
Secondly, she could tell that Xiao Cheng's words were a veiled insult.
She is now just an ant, and she refuses the prince's offer.
To put it mildly, it shows a lack of respect for hierarchy; to put it more seriously, it damages diplomatic relations between the two countries.
At a crucial time for peace talks between the two countries, Xue Lanyi needlessly stepped forward to become a target.
"Your Highness, I thank you for your gift." Xue Lanyi curtsied, but did not look at the gift. She simply gestured for him to enter. "His Majesty and the Duke are in the main hall, which is only fifty paces away. If Your Highness does not need me to lead the way, I will go and attend to the ladies of the inner quarters. Therefore, I will not accompany Your Highness."
These words were also a reminder to Xiao Cheng that the officials of Dayong were not far away.
There's no reason for Xiao Cheng to provoke the women of various noble families in his backyard as soon as he enters Dayong territory.
In that case, where is the sincerity in making peace?
Xiao Cheng wasn't a fool. He slowly withdrew his sinister gaze from Xue Lanyi and took two steps back.
The gloom over Xue Lanyi dissipated. Not wanting to deal with him any longer, she curtsied and left in haste.
"We'll meet again soon." A low, enigmatic laugh brushed past her ear.
Xue Lanyi felt a chill run down her spine, and without looking at him again, she walked straight away.
But a dark gaze followed closely behind, like a persistent ghost.
Xue Lanyi walked through the winding corridor, turning several corners, before the chill on her back dissipated slightly. She leaned against a stone pillar, panting heavily.
At this moment, the composure he had shown earlier was gone, replaced by deep fear.
If she had to say what she saw in Xiao Cheng last time, she would have seen lust on his face.
This time, it seems to have taken on a different hue—a distorted, dark, and resentful one.
After all, he was rendered impotent because he intended to humiliate Xue Lanyi.
Will he hold a grudge?
Will he seek revenge on her upon entering the capital?
How will he retaliate against her?
Xue Lanyi became increasingly confused as she thought about it, and absentmindedly walked along the lake.
Unknowingly, they arrived at a remote and desolate place.
In a daze, I sensed a pleading gaze from across the lake.
Xue Lanyi looked up in surprise and saw that it was the noblewoman.
She was being dragged towards the abandoned woodshed by Xiao Cheng, who was holding her by the back of the neck with one hand.
The moment Xue Lanyi met her gaze, the woman's intense pleading emotions surged into her eyes, threatening to overwhelm her.
Xue Lanyi could sense her helplessness even across the lake.
Instinctively, Xue Lanyi took a step forward.
The woman saw the brocade box in her hand and quickly shook her head at Xue Lanyi.
Out of gratitude for Xue Lanyi's earlier help, she secretly signaled to Xue Lanyi not to get close and not to get involved in any trouble.
"What are you looking at?" Xiao Cheng noticed the woman's wandering gaze and shouted sharply.
The woman trembled all over and shook her head repeatedly.
At the same time, Xue Lanyi nimbly crouched down and hid in the lily bushes.
Just then, a servant boy walked by from outside the flower bushes. Xiao Cheng didn't see Xue Lanyi, but he saw the servant boy walk by swaggeringly.
His anger intensified, and he gripped the woman's neck tighter: "You're thinking about other men behind my back again?"
"I didn't!" The woman was so frightened that her legs went weak and she was about to fall to her knees.
"You still dare to say you didn't, you shameless slut!" Xiao Cheng's eyes were bloodshot. He snapped off a branch about the thickness of his wrist from the roadside, held it in his hand, and dragged the woman into the woodshed.
The woman's face turned pale as she struggled desperately to break free, but all she left behind were long drag marks.
"I'll make you so thirsty! I'll make you cheat on your husband! I'll make you lose your soul at the sight of a man!"
The man's rough curses were accompanied by the woman's screams.
On the yellowed window paper, a woman's body trembled, the sound of whipping mingling with the rustling of leaves.
Xue Lanyi stood dumbfounded amidst the flowers.
She vaguely knew what the woman in the woodshed was going through, but she was powerless to save her, and staggered away from the woman's cries of pain and sobs.
When Granny Liu found Xue Lanyi by the lake, she saw her trembling like a leaf, constantly scooping up water to wash her face.
"Young lady, are you alright?"
"Go! Go..."
Xue Lanyi supported Liu Mama's arm and took a breath, "Go... report to the Duke that the First Prince has arrived and is in the backyard."
Seeing that she seemed to be in a daze, Granny Liu was really worried. "This servant will escort the young lady back to her room first..."
"Go now!" Xue Lanyi shouted at Granny Liu, her voice unusually loud.
She knew she shouldn't take her anger out on Granny Liu.
She truly hated herself.
I hate that I am so weak and powerless to shake this giant tree.
I hate myself even more for becoming the same kind of cold-hearted bystander, the cowardly and timid person I used to despise the most.
She gripped Granny Liu's arm tightly, like a drowning person clutching a straw.
"Please, Mother-in-law, go quickly!"
That was all Xue Lanyi could do.
Seeing that she was emotional, Granny Liu didn't want to delay any longer, so she nodded repeatedly and went to the front hall.
The woman's painful cries for help lingered in Xue Lanyi's mind like a curse.
She sat by the lake, hugging her knees, looking at her frail reflection in the water. Suddenly, she felt a sense of impending doom, thinking, "If I don't kill Bo Ren, he will die because of me."
Hearing that Xiao Cheng had escaped from Wei Xuan and returned to the country, he kept taking concubines to the royal palace.
A sedan chair in blue robes entered the Prince's mansion, followed by a white cloth-covered carriage; there were at least twenty or thirty attendants.
These beautiful but tragically fated girls were all tortured and killed by him.
If he would humiliate even unrelated women like this, what would happen if Xue Lanyi fell into his hands...? Xue Lanyi was filled with lingering fear, a chill creeping up her spine.
"girl!"
A hand rested on her shoulder.
Xue Lanyi shuddered and turned around alertly.
Granny Liu draped a cloak over her shoulders, squatted down beside her, and gently patted the girl's trembling back. "Don't worry, Miss. I have already informed the Duke. He is sending people to welcome the First Prince."
On the opposite bank of the lake, the woman's crying grew softer and softer, as if it had stopped.
Xue Lanyi breathed a slight sigh of relief, forcing a smile onto her pale face. "I'm sorry, Mother-in-law."
Grandma Liu was taken aback.
Now, the news has spread like wildfire throughout the capital, and she naturally knows the true identity of the girl in front of her.
But she never imagined that such a high and mighty person would one day kneel and serve his master like they did.
Granny Liu felt awkward at the apology and forced a dry laugh, saying, "Miss, you should quickly change your clothes and go to the front hall. The Duke wants you to accompany the ladies in the front hall."
"I?"
Xue Lanyi was very surprised.
Why should she appear before the emperor and his ministers? Why should she be the one to entertain guests?
Besides, Xiao Cheng was also in the front hall. Was it Xiao Cheng's idea or Wei Zhang's idea to have her accompany the guests?
One of them was a jackal, the other a venomous snake; Xue Lanyi would never have wanted either of them.
But ultimately, everything is beyond our control.
If others are kept waiting, Wei Zhang will inevitably reprimand them again.
Xue Lanyi breathed a sigh of relief and dragged her stiff steps toward the main hall.
Even before entering the main hall, a solemn atmosphere immediately greets you.
From afar, one could see the Emperor sitting high in the Mingtang Hall, with Wei Zhang, dressed in black, on his right and Xiao Cheng on his left.
Below him are the four ministers, Shen Jinglan, and others.
It resembled a small imperial court.
Xue Lanyi paused, feeling a sense of awe and fear.
Those in the high hall saw her and their smiles froze, their wine cups trembling.
Pingbang—
The golden cup rolled down the steps and tumbled in the center of the hall.
The hall fell silent. The eyes of the newly rich, veteran officials, military generals and civil ministers all turned to look out the window as the emperor appeared.
In front of the vermilion gate, Xue Lanyi stood backlit, right in the center of attention.
Everyone knew that the person sitting in the main hall was the disgraced Princess Zhaoyang.
Divergent gazes began to shift, filled with apprehension and hidden thoughts.
The young emperor, as if seeing a ghost, nearly tumbled off his dragon throne. "Li... Li Zhao..."
“Xue Shi, Lan Yi.” Wei Zhang interrupted the young emperor.
A steady voice echoed in the spacious hall, soft yet penetrating everyone's ears in layers.
Wei Zhang clearly wanted to use this opportunity to tell the world who she was.
A single, casual remark completely stripped Xue Lanyi of her other identities.
Her heart sank, but she dared not contradict him. She stepped forward to the center of the hall and curtsied, saying, "This humble woman, Xue Lanyi, greets Your Majesty."
She had changed into a crimson palace dress with a front opening, which the embroiderer had brought to her residence that morning.
This palace dress is dignified, which is not in line with her usual attire.
Whether it was because she still retained the dignity of a princess in her bones, or because the color and style of her palace dress matched Wei Zhang perfectly, she exuded an air of nobility.
This made the young emperor even more wary; his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.
Wei Zhang had no patience to wait for him to calm down, so he tapped the table beside him with his fingertips, gesturing for Xue Lanyi to sit down.
Xue Lanyi hesitated for a moment, then bowed deeply to the young emperor and sat down next to Wei Zhang.
The young emperor opened his mouth, wanting to ask the person to leave several times, but in the end he didn't dare to speak, and just looked at Shen Jinglan for help.
In the second seat, Shen Jinglan gripped his sword tightly, but he only shook his head inwardly, signaling the young emperor to calm down.
Wei Zhang's five-day break was quite effective.
The young emperor clearly had even less say in front of Wei Zhang.
The ministers dared not say a word, and the entire hall of civil and military officials remained silent.
Having observed this from the sidelines, Xiao Cheng had naturally grasped the intricacies of the Dayong court.
Ignoring the young emperor above, he casually peeled longans for the woman beside him, while nodding respectfully to Wei Zhang opposite him.
"My newly acquired concubine is also from Dayong. She is indeed well-behaved and charming. Compared to the wild and unruly women of our dynasty, I still prefer the gentle and virtuous women of the South. Therefore, I trouble the Duke of Wei to arrange for a gentle and proper noble lady to be my principal wife."
As he spoke, his gaze seemed to glance unintentionally at Xue Lanyi.
Xue Lanyi felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively shrank back, half of her body being covered by Wei Zhang's wide sleeves.
With a soft, warm body pressed against his arm, Wei Zhang glanced almost imperceptibly at his side.
He summoned her to the front hall this time, intending to reveal her identity to prevent anyone from making trouble out of thin air.
But with a beauty by his side, Wei Zhang felt a strange mix of emotions.
He used to not understand why people like Xiao Cheng would go to the trouble of having a woman by their side to serve them when discussing important national affairs.
Now that he has experienced it firsthand, he realizes that the harmony of yin and yang is indeed a kind of enjoyment.
He was lost in thought for a moment, watching the soft strands of hair of the woman beside him gently brush against the golden dragon pattern on her arm.
After a moment, he nodded to Xiao Cheng in return, "As long as Your Highness has someone you love, no matter who it is, I, Wei, will do my utmost to bring about a happy marriage."
As he spoke, his long fingers unconsciously picked up a longan and began peeling it slowly and deliberately.
Xue Lanyi's gaze was also fixed on the longan in Xiao Cheng's hand, not because she wanted to eat it, but because...
When Xue Lanyi happened to witness Xiao Cheng and his concubine engaging in intimate acts in the woodshed, she heard the concubine pleading for Xiao Cheng to urinate several times, but Xiao Cheng refused.
Not only did he forbid it, he even fed the woman plump and juicy longans one by one.
To outsiders, it seemed that Xiao Cheng was showing great favor to his concubine.
Only Xue Lanyi could vaguely see how violently the woman's body was convulsing beneath her wide, gorgeous robes, as if she had reached her limit.
Xiao Cheng is simply a monster!
Xue Lanyi tried her best to suppress her anger.
Fear of Xiao Cheng's methods kept her gaze warily fixed on him.
"To be honest, Duke of Wei, I do have a suitable candidate in mind."
Xiao Chengsheng's scarred fingers fiddled with the longan.
People who grow up on horseback have exceptionally strong hands; they may not seem to be using much force, but the fruit pulp in their hands can be easily crushed.
The cloudy white juice dripped through my fingers, leaving only the shriveled fruit drooping listlessly in my hand, having lost the freshness that longan should have.
He didn't feed the fruit to his concubine. Instead, in full view of everyone, he tilted his head back slightly, stuck out his tongue, and rolled the wrinkled fruit into his mouth, the cloudy white juice hanging at the corner of his lips.
People from the Western Qi Dynasty were born unconventional, which did not seem strange to others.
But Xue Lanyi always felt that he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye when he made that gesture.
The movements were slow and naked.
Xue Lanyi felt a chill run down her spine, looked away, and swallowed the nausea inwardly.
A crystal-clear longan was simultaneously presented to her eyes.
Xue Lanyi looked towards the hand that was handing out the longan.
Wei Zhang was exchanging pleasantries with the person opposite him without looking to the side, when suddenly a small pile of longan peels appeared in front of him.
His fingers were fair and slender, with well-proportioned knuckles, holding a crystal-clear longan as if it were a priceless luminous pearl.
The longan was peeled perfectly and looked beautiful.
But Xue Lanyi had no appetite and no interest in why he would peel longans for her himself.
Her heart was pounding, and she felt completely stiff.
Wei Zhang held the longan in his hand for a long time without receiving a response, before glancing at her sideways.
Xue Lanyi's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly took the longan.
She couldn't afford to offend Xiao Cheng, and she couldn't afford to offend Wei Zhang even more.
If Xue Lanyi were to embarrass Wei Zhang in public, she didn't know what the consequences would be.
She suppressed the urge in her throat and forced herself to swallow the longan.
Wei Zhang watched as she puffed out her fair cheeks and swallowed with small mouthfuls, looking just like a rabbit eating grass.
A slight smile flashed across his eyes.
He then turned his gaze back to Xiao Cheng, his eyes regaining their composure and calmness, and asked, "I wonder which family's daughter is so fortunate as to have won the prince's favor? Your Highness, please speak freely, and I, Wei, will be willing to act as the matchmaker."
"With the Duke of Wei's golden promise, this matter will not be difficult."
Xiao Cheng's words gave Xue Lanyi a bad feeling.
A thought popped into my head.
Across from him, Xiao Cheng glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, then looked at the assembled officials.
"Six years ago, when I was on a mission to Dayong, I fell in love at first sight with a noble lady from Shengjing. Unfortunately, fate was not on my side, and I was unable to marry my beloved."
"Thinking about it day and night for years, I still can't let it go. Even though I've brought many beautiful women into my mansion, none of them can compare to that one stunning glimpse back then."
"Therefore, I have come here for a marriage alliance, solely to fulfill the friendship of the past."
Xiao Cheng spoke with deep sorrow and emotion amidst the crowd.
Every word and phrase struck Xue Lanyi's heart like an icicle.
At this moment, she could no longer harbor any illusions.
Xiao Cheng wants to marry her!
He wanted to throw her into the backyard of the Prince's mansion and take his revenge!
Xue Lanyi was completely out of her mind, her breathing rising and falling.
At that time, Wei Zhang had no interest in listening to Xiao Cheng's rambling and insincere words.
While the other court officials flattered Xiao Cheng, he himself rarely retreated behind the scenes, calmly peeling longans with his eyes lowered.
He was meticulous in his actions, even when peeling longans, he strived to ensure there were no impurities.
Each one was peeled until it was round and plump, and then handed to Xue Lanyi.
Xue Lanyi's mind wasn't on that; she ate as much as he peeled.
Gradually, she stopped using her hands to take it and started eating it directly from his palm.
Wei Zhang felt the soft, yielding touch in his palm, as if the hand was gently pecking at him repeatedly, as if it couldn't get enough.
She really loves eating longan.
Wei Zhang shook his head helplessly, and quickened his pace slightly as he peeled the longan.
When I fed the sixth longan, I suddenly felt that the breath sprayed on my fingertips was a little strong.
He frowned slightly, his gaze falling on her.
Xue Lanyi stared intently at Xiao Cheng, not glancing at Guiyuan once in a row.
She just mechanically opened her mouth, chewed, opened her mouth, chewed.
She was just giving him the runaround.
Wei Zhang's eyes darkened slightly, and he moved the longan he was about to offer her away from her mouth.
Xue Lanyi opened her mouth again, but her lips didn't taste anything.
My mouth felt empty, and so did my heart.
She turned around, her somber gaze enveloping her like an impenetrable net binding her.
Wei Zhang must have noticed that Xue Lanyi was distracted earlier.
Xue Lanyi's head buzzed, and she quickly lowered her head to pick up the longan that Wei Zhang had been holding between his fingers for a long time.
Her lips lightly touched the longan placed in the ice.
A chill spread.
My thoughts became even more chaotic.
She was only slightly distracted, and Wei Zhang became displeased.
If Wei Zhang knew that Xiao Cheng was going to marry her, how would he react?
Will he take his anger out on her?
Suddenly, Xue Lanyi recalled how, in Wei Xuan's room, he had taken off his black robes and caressed her inch by inch, forcing her to repeat over and over again, "Xue Lanyi belongs to Wei Yunjian, Xue Lanyi belongs to Wei Yunjian!"
Beneath his fine clothes lies a beast with an absolute possessiveness.
If someone tries to invade his territory, will the venomous snake or the tiger and leopard suffer the most severe losses in the end?
Neither; it was prey that was utterly defenseless.
A deeper fear welled up from the depths of Xue Lanyi's heart, completely different from the coldness that Xiao Cheng exuded from the outside.
She swallowed hard, her breath coming in short gasps, and bit into the longan.
Suddenly, Xiao Cheng's voice came from above, "Duke of Wei, the person I want is both far away and right before my eyes."
Xue Lanyi's teeth trembled, and juice splattered out. The longan she hadn't quite held in her mouth fell from Wei Zhang's palm and crashed to the ground.
It was shattered into a complete mess.
At the same time, Xiao Cheng stood up, raised his glass to toast, and said, "I beg the Duke to part with Consort Xue and give her to me."
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