Chapter 58 She had never dared to be so presumptuous before...
The brazier was out of fuel, and the fire was about to go out.
Wei Zhang finally looked up, glanced at her calmly, then looked at the brazier and gestured for her to add more paper.
“My lord, I have never colluded with Prime Minister Xiao,” Xue Lanyi said, curtsying.
She guessed that since he was so meticulous, he must have noticed the warm jade at Xiao Cheng's waist, so before he could make a move, she said, "The warm jade in Xiao Cheng's hand is indeed my possession, but it was not given to him by me."
Wei Zhang grunted in response.
His rare soft response indicated that he appreciated Xue Lanyi's frankness.
Now that things have come to this, Xue Lanyi has been thrust into the eye of the storm.
She didn't think that hiding Nuanyu's origins from Wei Zhang, or concealing her unpleasant past with Xiao Cheng, would do her any good.
She continued, "The warm jade was a gift I gave to Miss Yin when I was young. It was she... I don't know why it ended up in Xiao Cheng's hands."
Ultimately, she cherished the bond she shared with Yin Qiuyue as they grew up together, and didn't fully express her feelings.
Her lowered gaze swept over Wei Zhang's profile.
His expression remained calm, showing no reaction to Xue Lanyi's words.
His slender, jade-like hands still held the brush and wrote, his vigorous Yan style calligraphy falling onto the paper.
Xue Lanyi was shocked to see that what he had written was a letter of annulment, announcing the annulment of the marriage between Yin Qiuyue, daughter of the Yin family, in the name of the Ministry of Works.
Beside his elbow, on a memorial still drying in the shade, was written in a horrifying manner: "Both sons of the Yin family's principal wife were involved in the imperial examination fraud case." The last sentence read: "The Yin family committed fraud and favoritism. According to the laws of Dayong, the entire clan shall be suspended from examinations for ten years. We hope Your Majesty will make a decision tonight."
The two documents Wei Zhang was writing severed Yin Qiuyue's marriage and ruined the ten-year career path of Yin's descendants.
In the blink of an eye, the decline of the Yin family was inevitable.
Clearly, even if Xue Lanyi did not confess, Wei Zhang had already investigated the whole story of the Nuanyu incident.
Xiao Cheng believed that he could use the warm jade to sow discord between Xue Lanyi and Wei Zhang.
However, Wei Zhang was a step ahead of him and quickly figured out the game.
Within an hour, he had already figured out that Madam Yin and Xiao Cheng had conspired to scheme against him, and swiftly executed Madam Yin on the spot.
Xue Lanyi cleared up the misunderstanding about Nuanyu without having to explain herself.
However, Xue Lanyi did not feel relieved. Instead, she gained a deeper understanding of Wei Zhang's powerful insight.
The Yin family was nothing but ants to him, Xiao Cheng was no match for him, and even the young emperor sitting high in the Mingtang Hall...
Xue Lanyi stared intently at the words "Hoping Your Majesty will make a decision tonight" on the memorial.
The young emperor, who sits high in the Mingtang Hall, is nothing more than a sparrow imprisoned in a gilded cage, completely controlled by him.
Xue Lanyi's pupils constricted, and her breathing became labored.
Wei Zhang handed the memorial to Ying Qi, his somber gaze sweeping over her. "Do you have anything else to say?"
Xue Lanyi's failure to present the warm jade does not mean that she and Xiao Cheng have no relationship whatsoever.
In order to protect Xue Lanyi's reputation, the Emperor completely silenced Xiao Cheng's intention to rape her.
There are no records or rumors.
Only the two parties involved and Wei Xuan know the whole story.
He couldn't find Wei Zhang.
But how could someone like Wei Zhang allow a blind piece on the chessboard?
He needed to know why Xue Lanyi's attitude towards Xiao Cheng was ambiguous, and why Xiao Cheng insisted on marrying her.
What exactly is their relationship?
Wei Zhang's probing gaze fell on Xue Lanyi.
Despite feeling light as a feather, Xue Lanyi's shoulders felt as if weighed down by lead, and her body trembled. "Actually, six years ago, I and Xiao Cheng..."
She originally intended to tell Wei Zhang how Xiao Cheng had abducted her and forced her into marriage, in order to dispel Wei Zhang's suspicions.
But when she got to the point of speaking, she hesitated.
After she confessed the truth to him, Wei Zhang no longer suspected that she was secretly colluding with Xiao Cheng.
Then what?
Should she continue to stay by his side, living in constant fear and groveling as his concubine?
Xue Lanyi knew that if she missed this opportunity for a marriage alliance, she would find it difficult to find another chance to leave the Duke's mansion.
Between Xiao Cheng and Wei Zhang, should she choose Wei Zhang?
Could she defeat Wei Zhang?
Xue Lanyi knew she was inferior, so... she had to gamble on another path.
If she wants to use a marriage alliance to escape, then she cannot accuse Xiao Cheng in front of Wei Zhang.
The memories of her past with Xiao Cheng were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back. She said, "I only met Xiao Cheng once, and we are not familiar with each other."
Wei Zhang's eyes narrowed slightly: "Say it again, say it properly."
"I truly only met Xiao Cheng once!" she declared firmly, kneeling deeply.
Wei Zhang didn't believe a word of it. His gaze grew increasingly intense, like silk ribbons wrapping around Xue Lanyi's neck, round and round.
Xue Lanyi felt short of breath, her chest heaving.
Under the immense pressure, she didn't utter another word.
They've only been behaving themselves for a few days?
She was trying to deceive him and disobey him again.
As someone else's wife, she shouldn't harbor secrets.
Besides, it's about a man's secret.
"Get in."
Wei Zhang tapped the table lightly with his finger bone.
The crisp sound of the tapping echoed in the cramped space, easily penetrating the heart.
He had warned her that if she were unfaithful, he would tattoo his mark on her body.
If she does not repent, then every inch of her skin will be covered with the three characters "Wei Yunjian".
Xue Lanyi was still shaken and instinctively took a half step back.
A strong hand wrapped around her waist.
In a dizzying moment, Xue Lanyi's slender body landed on the table.
My feet were dangling in the air, and my waist and hips were throbbing from the impact with the tabletop.
Before she could react, Wei Zhang placed his hands on either side of her waist and hips, separating her into a world of her own.
He was still wearing his magnificent official robes, with golden dragon patterns adorning both shoulders, and his majestic dragon eyes imprisoned Xue Lanyi.
The elaborate clothing made the man's already tall figure appear even more robust.
The silhouette projected onto the left wall resembled a wolf looking down, locking onto its prey, ready to bare its claws and tear Xue Lanyi apart at any moment.
His high nose bridge and deep-set eyes filled Xue Lanyi's entire field of vision, silently pressing her for information about Xiao Cheng.
Xue Lanyi's heart was pounding, her hands gripping the edge of the table tightly, but she still said, "If Prime Minister Xiao wants to take a concubine, that's his business. The Duke should ask Prime Minister Xiao. Why are you interrogating him about a concubine?"
She actually felt wronged.
Her clear almond-shaped eyes were brimming with tears, and her cheeks were flushed with nervousness, making her look innocent and pitiful.
However, such affected tricks never worked on Wei Zhang.
He wouldn't believe that she had no connection with Xiao Cheng whatsoever. His face was cold and stiff, while his soft fingers traced down her leg, finding the mark and gently kneading it.
The movements were neither hurried nor slow, yet full of ingenuity.
He knew her body too well and could easily break through her defenses, leaving her breathless.
His gaze was cold and rational. "You want to use him to leave the Duke's mansion?"
Wei Zhang's words hit the nail on the head, and Xue Lanyi's breath hitched. However, the subtle flow of emotions throughout her body made it difficult for her to think of a rebuttal.
"Still thinking about going back to being Li Zhaoyang?"
"Relying on Xiao Cheng? Or relying on that old man's secret letter?"
As the gloomy words fell, a wisp of blue spark suddenly burst forth from the gilded furnace, scorching Xue Lanyi's fingertips.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a severed finger, its white bones stark against the furnace, and on that finger was a yellow jade ring—the very ring the late emperor had used when sending the secret letter to Xiao Cheng.
It is self-evident whose finger was cut off.
Wei Zhang actually sent someone to the imperial tomb to chop off the late emperor's finger bone!
Xue Lanyi's pupils dilated. "Wei Zhang, you are simply... simply utterly rebellious!"
The alternating blue and white light shone on Wei Zhang's face. There was no panic or fear in front of him, only a sense of entitlement.
Shouldn't those who arbitrarily matchmake deserve to have their hands chopped off?
Wei Zhang had no interest in discussing that old, blind, and lifeless thing with her, and he increased the force of his blows.
In an instant, Xue Lanyi was pulled from the fear of the corpses into a deeper kind of fear.
She pushed him and punched his shoulder.
Wei Zhang suddenly grabbed the back of her head, his wet, soft tongue prying open her teeth, sweeping across her palate, and brushing against her tongue, the two forces teasing every soft spot of hers in unison.
Each time, it stirs up a slight itch.
A tingling sensation seeped into my bloodstream and spread to my limbs.
Her body gradually went limp, and her breathing became shallow.
The man's breathing grew heavier and heavier, and his body temperature became increasingly scorching.
Behind the screen, in a space of only a few feet, the sounds of two people breathing alternately and their kissing splashing water echoed clearly.
Xue Lanyi was already weak today, and eventually ran out of strength. Her hands, which were pushing away, became increasingly limp, while an undercurrent of energy gathered more and more in her abdomen, accumulating continuously.
Finally, it suddenly erupted at a certain moment.
She convulsed in his arms, no longer having the strength to resist, her head resting on his palm, and almost her entire body weight pressing down on his arm.
Wei Zhang slowly raised his eyes, calmly watching her convulse in his arms, her eyes moistening, her swollen, red lips opening and closing, yearning for him.
At times like these, she becomes honest, knowing who to be loyal to and who to rely on.
He turned her around so that her back was to him, and with a flick of his wide sleeve, the folded documents on the table scattered all over the floor.
On the black lacquered desk, there was only a stove and a woman slumped against his chest, convulsing.
Xue Lanyi was still basking in the afterglow of the moment and did not notice a pair of hands slipping under her armpits and taking hold of the ties of her short jacket.
They didn't even notice that five steps away in the dark space, the mirror that belonged to Wei Xuan was emitting a silvery light.
The mirror revealed her jade-like fingers as she gathered the ribbon at her chest, slowly and deliberately wrapping it around her fingertips, round and round.
The outer garment was loosened.
Next came the undergarments and the ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).
Wei Zhang peeled off the pale yellow ribbons layer by layer, and Xue Lanyi's clothes fell loosely to her sides.
Her radiant figure, nourished day by day, is like the full bloom of spring, so lovely it's hard not to adore her.
Unfortunately, he was born with a restless heart.
Wei Zhang rested his chin on her shoulder, his nose rubbing intimately against her earlobe. "Look how much you enjoy being Xue Lanyi."
His voice was low and magnetic, as if he were deliberately blowing his hot breath into Xue Lanyi's ear.
Xue Lanyi's shoulders twitched involuntarily, and she suddenly opened her eyes.
Not far away, in the mirror, her clothes were half off, her undergarment hanging loosely around her neck, barely covering her vital parts, and her dress had already been piled up.
She sat like a puppet, in the most shameful position.
Behind him, a man in brocade robes and a jade crown stood, his clothes neat and tidy.
In the darkness, the scarlet at the corner of his eyes added a touch of morbid possessiveness.
"Isn't it enough that I love you? Why do you have to provoke others?"
On the same rainy night, in the same dark room, those unbearable memories suddenly invaded Xue Lanyi's mind.
She hated it so much!
She hated him to death!
Xue Lanyi gritted her teeth, feeling that it wasn't worth shedding tears for him.
But a single tear, the size of a bean, still fell, blurring her vision and causing her emotions to overflow.
The thought of how many times she had slept with the person she hated most made her feel disgusted.
The thought of Wei Xuan's wedding tomorrow, and that he would be engaging in such intimate acts with someone else, broke her heart.
Then she thought of how much pain Ah Xuan, who loved her so much, must have felt when she did such things with Wei Zhang.
The dense, persistent pain felt like ants crawling in and out of Xue Lanyi's heart.
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
This time, she seemed unable to control herself.
All the wounds that had been building up in my heart burst forth at this moment, and tears streamed down my face like pearls from a broken string.
Her petite body trembled in the arms of the man who was as imposing as a mountain.
It was a tremor completely different from the tremor that occurs when one is moved by emotion.
Like a lily growing on a cliff edge, swaying in the wind, its petals trembling and falling one by one.
Wei Zhang glanced sideways at the face just a fist's width away.
The girl's face was streaked with tears, and her makeup was smudged.
The heavy rouge peeled off in clumps, revealing a pale and slightly sunken face beneath, with deep shadows and fine lines under her eyes.
She seemed to have lost even more weight and become more gaunt. Though not yet twenty, she appeared to have passed her prime, her radiance fading.
Wei Zhang's finger paused, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
For many years, she disliked using rouge and powder, and even when she went to the palace to meet the emperor, she often went without makeup.
I've been tinkering with these bottles and jars in my room almost every day lately.
Wei Zhang assumed she had simply changed her interest and didn't pay much attention.
Seeing her gaunt and haggard face, he finally understood why she didn't wear makeup and never went out.
A complex mix of emotions gradually overwhelmed the initial surprise.
He felt very annoyed, his mind a jumble of thoughts, while Xue Lanyi continued to cry.
Even more annoying.
"Stop crying." Wei Zhang frowned. "You know I don't like women crying."
Xue Lanyi could not hear what he was saying.
She felt like she was adrift in a sea of bitterness.
It was pitch black all around, and the vast expanse was boundless.
No matter how deep the sea of suffering was, there was always a light shining for her in the distance.
But this last light will be extinguished tomorrow.
She only had herself left.
She couldn't help but cry.
But not for the person tormenting her, but for Wei Xuan, and for herself.
If it weren't for the domineering person in front of her keeping her by her side, she could have ridden back to Ah Xuan right now, pointed her finger at his nose and yelled, "If you dare to marry someone else, I'll never speak to you again for the rest of my life!"
No!
She didn't need to travel thousands of miles to scold Wei Xuan.
Because if it weren't for Wei Zhang's sinister scheme to tamper with her memories, Ah Xuan wouldn't have gone blind and wouldn't have mistaken people for others.
He would take her traveling the world, instead of being separated by death like this.
The more I thought about it, the more tears flowed uncontrollably.
She was unwilling.
She could have had a better life, but the person in front of her ruined it!
The bitterness suppressed for five years, the grievances that had never been properly vented, turned into an endless stream of spring water.
Tears streamed down her cheeks and landed on Wei Zhang's hand, which was holding her chin.
Then the second drop, the third drop...
The scalding heat gathered in Wei Zhang's palm, then seeped into his sleeve, winding its way down his arm.
It was as if a light and soft rope had bound him.
The thin muscles of a martial artist's arms contain terrifying power, yet he can never break free from those supple threads.
Every inch of skin touched by her tears became stiff.
He could feel an uncontrollable force within him guiding his arms and pulling his body closer to her, embracing her.
He loathed this feeling of being bound and pulled, and he was even less likely to let go of her lies just because she showed weakness.
"Don't cry!"
This time, his voice was slightly harsher, revealing very little anger.
She seemed to have lost her mind and wouldn't listen at all.
He lifted her chin, his thumb and forefinger gradually tightening their grip.
She was like a vessel of water; the harder she tried, the more tears she shed.
Her chin was pinched open, revealing pink lips and white teeth.
The sobs that had been suppressed were forced to amplify.
The room was filled with the girl's sobs.
They have absolutely no manners.
And it's really noisy.
A rare flicker of panic crossed Wei Zhang's eyes. He then pulled out a dagger from the drawer and suddenly pointed it at her eyeballs.
He is not one to resort to force, yet he did so at this moment.
"Do you think I'll spare you a few more times?" The dagger moved even closer.
The cold glint was right in front of my pupils, just a hair's breadth away.
Xue Lanyi's almond-shaped eyes remained wide open, reflecting Wei Zhang's domineering expression in her eyes that were brimming with spring water.
The two looked at each other through the misty water vapor.
Looking up, her tears flowed even more freely, her entire face a mixture of snot, tears, and rouge, revealing none of the beauty that once made her the most beautiful woman in the capital.
She looked more like a lonely, resentful woman confined to her chambers, weary and haggard, as if someone had mistreated her.
An unnamed anger welled up in Wei Zhang's heart, unable to be vented or suppressed.
His fingers, gripping the dagger, curled slightly as he pulled her chin to look out the window. "I'm giving you one last chance. Either confess your relationship with Xiao Cheng and I'll forgive you, or you go outside and face the wall in silence."
Boom—
No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening clap of thunder sounded.
Outside, the raging wind and rain were breaking the gardenia tree, bending the old tree over and casting dappled shadows on the window paper.
The crisscrossing branches climbed all over the window, creating a bizarre and surreal scene.
By this time, it was already dark, and the corridor lights flickered like will-o'-the-wisps.
Suddenly, another burst of blue and white light and electricity appeared.
A dark shadow suddenly fell from above the window and hung outside.
The shadows were stretched and magnified on the window paper, swaying and flickering, like a hanging corpse.
Xue Lanyi felt a chill run through her body and was terrified.
She feared nothing more than stormy nights with a hundred ghosts roaming the earth; her fear overwhelmed her sorrow, and she unconsciously clung to Wei Zhang's sleeve.
Wei Zhang looked down at the pale, helpless little hand.
Wait in silence.
Wait for her to confess and admit her mistake.
The two remained locked in a stalemate.
After a long while, Xue Lanyi finally caught her breath and said, "I choose to be punished in the courtyard."
The last syllable trembled, but it had regained its usual suppleness.
Wei Zhang's expression hardened slightly, and the tall figure that had been holding her in place loosened for a moment.
Xue Lanyi gave him a gentle push, and he stiffly took half a step back.
She jumped off the table, haphazardly tied the ribbon, and went outside.
The surge of passion within him was still palpable; his legs felt weak, and his steps were unsteady and slow, but he did not hesitate.
The faint scent of sandalwood emanating from the girl gradually faded into the distance.
Wei Zhangcai suddenly came to his senses, but Xue Lanyi had already walked outside the screen.
"Xue Lanyi!" He turned his back to the screen, glanced at her back, and squeezed out each word through his teeth.
Xue Lanyi paused slightly through the plain white gauze. "I am willing to be punished outside not because I feel I have done anything wrong, but because I truly do not know what the Duke wants me to confess."
The implication was that she was still insisting that she had no connection with Xiao Cheng and had nothing to explain.
Wei Zhang has already shown her extraordinary leniency today, giving her many chances, but she remains stubbornly unrepentant.
"Xue Lanyi, don't push your luck..."
The door was opened.
A strong gust of wind suddenly rushed in.
Xue Lanyi was blown off balance by the wind.
A strong wind blew her hair loose and her clothes fluttered behind her, revealing her thin, bony figure beneath the light fabric, as if she were about to fall apart in the wind.
But she stepped out the door and into the storm.
She was exhausted, and rather than listen to his nagging, she preferred to stand outside in the rain.
She left.
The room suddenly fell silent, with only the wooden door creaking and swaying back and forth in the wind.
The stove went out.
Wei Zhang was plunged into darkness, standing alone.
In three years, she had never dared to be so presumptuous.
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