Chapter 99 Let's Break Up
She was truly full, and her grip was unusually strong.
Unfortunately, some people are thick-skinned; they neither loosen their grip nor look outside, and they don't even lift their eyelids.
It moved even closer, burying itself in Xue Lanyi's neck.
He used to cling to people like this late at night, but now he does it without restraint even in broad daylight.
Xue Lanyi's small body was trapped by his arm, unable to move, and his long breaths were on her neck.
In addition, he did not wear a crown to tie his hair up, and his long hair was draped in front of Xue Lanyi, which was fluffy and very itchy.
Are you a dog?
He kept sniffing her.
Unable to resist the tingling sensation, Xue Lanyi pushed his shoulder away while lowering her voice, "There are many palace servants outside, don't let anyone see us."
They spoke in a low voice, as if they had done something wrong.
Wei Zhang lazily opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the girl's flushed cheeks.
Her round eyes were misty with tears, she was wary and nervous, and a single hair stuck up on her head as she had just woken up.
He thought she must be the most adorable and lively girl in the world.
Coincidentally, she was also his wife.
Wei Zhang's heart skipped a beat. Instead of letting go of her, he braced his arm on the side of her head and leaned closer.
Xue Lanyi dodged his kiss, "I'm not afraid that someone will impeach you, Duke of Wei, as a dog at the morning court today!"
A man's low, husky laughter reached my ears.
These words had no effect on Wei Zhang, so he simply pulled Xue Lanyi's refusing hand around his neck and slowly brought his slightly parted lips close to hers.
Xue Lanyi nervously stared outside.
In the instant he turned his head, he was right next to her ear.
"Woof!" he barked softly.
Xue Lanyi turned around in disbelief to see the man grinning at her for no apparent reason.
ill!
Xue Lanyi quickly glanced outside again.
In the outer hall, the palace servants, perhaps having heard some commotion, quickly withdrew and thoughtfully closed the door.
Clearly, the palace maids were arranged by him.
Indeed, without his orders, who would dare enter this Yama's Palace? And who would take it upon themselves to clean and decorate the room?
"You're going to stay here?" Xue Lanyi had only caught a quick glance and clearly saw his usual writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk in the outer hall.
“It’s not me, it’s us,” Wei Zhang corrected her.
A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Now that the young emperor has died, Mu Qinghong must ascend the throne immediately.
Upon his ascension to the throne, he naturally had to issue an edict summoning the Duke of Wei to the palace to assist in governing.
In these turbulent times, Wei Zhang would not allow Mu Qinghong to run rampant in the palace alone.
He will inevitably find a reason to take control of the Forbidden City.
Xue Lanyi had expected this, so she wasn't particularly surprised.
But... she didn't expect him to live in Xi Cui Palace, the palace where her mother stayed during her postpartum period, and also the palace where her mother and the late emperor met.
Deep down, she felt a sense of resistance, and her long eyelashes trembled.
"If you wish to change palaces, it is quite simple."
Wei Zhang easily caught her emotions and lifted her chin, which had unconsciously drooped.
"I chose this place because we've already settled here, and moving around would be too much trouble, that's all."
He never told her what he was thinking.
The reason he spoke so clearly this time was simply to tell Xue Lanyi that his choice of this place had nothing to do with who had lived here before.
A palace is simply a house for people to live in; the primary consideration is convenience, and all other meanings are assigned by people.
He was always calm and stern.
But these simple words lessened Xue Lanyi's resistance considerably.
Xue Lanyi looked out through the curtain.
The palace was filled with the scent of cool pine resin, and food was laid out in the outer hall, steaming hot, just like any other ordinary house.
There was a patch of chrysanthemums planted outside the house; my mother planted them.
It is said that when Xue Lanyi was born, she often had internal heat and eye discharge, so her mother specially transplanted ten pots of autumn chrysanthemums to help her clear the heat.
It is also said that when her mother was planting chrysanthemums, she happened to meet the late emperor who was passing by outside the courtyard. The two of them both loved chrysanthemums, talked about flowers and poetry, and that's how their love story began.
All the past events were coincidences, and sometimes it's hard to tell whose responsibility it was.
However, it seems that whose responsibility it is no longer important.
The person is gone, and the meaning that people gave to the flower has naturally disappeared as well.
The flowers outside are just flowers.
Once Xue Lanyi accepted Wei Zhang's inhumane idea, she felt relieved.
So be it, a palace, a place to shelter from the wind and rain, it seems there's nothing to be ashamed of.
She pursed her lips. "No need to move. Just stay here."
Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, this place stands alone, far from the inner palace and the outer court. If one wanted to live in the palace, there was indeed no more suitable place than this.
There's no need to get bogged down in such trivial matters.
Xue Lanyi understood, the worry between her brows dissipated, and she asked Wei Zhang again, "Then are you...?"
After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Are we about to attend the morning court session?"
"Is this... a sign of concern for me?" Wei Zhang chuckled.
Xue Lanyi's eyes flickered, but she didn't speak.
Last night, Wei Zhang promised her that he would go to rescue Wei Xuan after the morning court session.
This matter was naturally on Xue Lanyi's mind.
Fearing that directly asking Wei Zhang would displease him, he changed the subject.
Even if she was being tactful, how could Wei Zhang not know what she was thinking?
Thinking of Wei Xuan, a complex look flashed in Wei Zhang's eyes.
He didn't say anything, but sat up.
Just then, the morning bell rang in the palace.
Last night, Wei Zhang left a group of ministers and Mu Qinghong at the Qianqing Palace and disappeared for five hours.
He couldn't delay any longer; he had to go to work.
The man sat silently by the couch, tying the ties, leaving Xue Lanyi with a cold and austere back view.
He seemed preoccupied and didn't respond to Ah Xuan's matter for a long time, which made Xue Lanyi even more nervous, staring at him intently.
Wei Zhang was a man who handled everything with composure and confidence, and Xue Lanyi rarely saw any hesitation in his presence.
Although Doctor Luo said that there was no cure for the poison in Ah Xuan's body.
But Xue Lanyi subconsciously believed that as long as Wei Zhang wanted to, there was no one he couldn't save.
Is his hesitation because he doesn't want to save Ah Xuan?
Did he deliberately lie to her just so he could have sex with her?
Are you going to make even more outrageous demands?
Xue Lanyi's thoughts became increasingly chaotic as she pondered the matter, and she had no other ideas.
She stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. "You'll save him, won't you?"
The girl's soft cheek pressed against Wei Zhang's back.
Wei Zhang stiffened, his eyes lowering slightly to look at the hands clasped together in his abdomen.
A moment later, his large hand covered the back of her hand, and he hummed in agreement.
"Give me half a day; I need to take care of some things."
Once he put the python robe back on, his voice regained its composure.
This composure put Xue Lanyi at ease.
Once she calmed down, she thought again: How could a high-ranking official like him use such despicable means to deceive and seduce women?
She misunderstood.
This time, she was judging a gentleman by her own petty standards.
She felt a little guilty and wanted to coax him. After hesitating for a moment, she parted her red lips slightly and looked up to reach for him.
She wanted to kiss his cheek, but the man suddenly turned his head away.
Her lips touched his.
"If it's an apology, it should be sincere." He smiled wickedly, clearly aware that Xue Lanyi had just cursed him in her heart as a ruthless swindler who cheated her out of money and sex.
Xue Lanyi's face stiffened, and she suddenly jumped back.
Wei Zhang seemed uninterested and didn't pursue her with kisses. He got up, ruffled the stray hairs on her head, and left.
Only after his figure disappeared did Xue Lanyi dare to show her joy.
I haven't seen Ah Xuan for half a month. I wonder if he has been tortured and how the poison in his body is doing.
He also didn't know if the food and drink in prison were palatable, or if anyone was making things difficult for him.
Xue Lanyi couldn't help but let her mind wander. Unable to calm down while sitting there, she got up and went to the small kitchen to get busy.
This busy period lasted for most of the day.
When Wei Zhang came to pick her up in a carriage in the evening, she regained her composure.
She had taken a bath and changed her clothes, and her whole body exuded a sweet fragrance, but the smell of cooking oil in her hair could not be concealed.
This was because she had been in the kitchen for so long that she didn't even smell the fresh bamboo shoot and mushroom soup on herself.
Fresh bamboo shoots were Wei Xuan's favorite.
Wei Zhang listened in silence the whole way.
The two went to the imperial prison together.
It turns out that Wei Xuan had been brazenly imprisoned in the imperial prison all along, without any outside word of it.
This also demonstrates Wei Zhang's control over the imperial prison and even Shengjing.
Xue Lanyi subconsciously glanced at the person walking beside her.
Wei Zhang was preoccupied and remained silent.
The two of them, each with their own thoughts, walked into the deepest part of the imperial prison.
The underground prison was pitch black and boundless, filled with the stench of blood, and the faint sound of whipping from the interrogation room could be heard in the distance.
Only a beam of dim, yellowish sunset shone through the skylight overhead.
Wei Xuan was sitting cross-legged in the halo of light, straightening his back and regulating his breathing.
The setting sun illuminated his pale face and parched lips, clearly indicating that he had lost too much blood in Peach Blossom Valley that day and had been left unattended in the damp environment of the imperial prison for several days, leaving him physically weak on the outside but weak on the inside.
The closer Xue Lanyi got, the more worry she couldn't hide in her eyes and brows.
Suddenly, the man in front coughed loudly.
Xue Lanyi instinctively tried to rush out.
A hand was extended in front of her, blocking her way, while the palm of the hand curled upwards.
The meaning is obvious.
Wei Zhang wanted Xue Lanyi to express her opinion to Wei Xuan.
She resisted in her heart, but ultimately hesitated before placing her hand in his palm.
The moment their hands clasped together, Wei Xuan barely opened his eyes and saw a pair of people in the distance.
Xue Lanyi and Wei Zhang were in the shadows, their expressions unclear, but against the light from the doorway, the outlines of a man and a woman holding hands were clearly visible.
Wei Xuan frowned, a metallic taste of blood rising in his throat.
Immediately, a sense of disorientation arose.
Deep within the imperial prison, where no daylight is seen, how could she possibly appear?
Wei Xuan's gaze was uncontrollably drawn to Xue Lanyi, watching her slowly approach without blinking.
Her pale yellow skirt fluttered in the breeze, and the clinking of pearls and jade ornaments in her hair created a crisp sound.
Just like every time he returned from his western expedition, she would stand in the vast crowd wearing the most eye-catching dress, so that he could see her at a glance.
He would dismount, leap over the crowd, and gallop towards her amidst the attention of thousands.
Even now, he hasn't changed. The moment he saw the girl in the yellow dress, he stood up and walked towards her.
He was still wearing the wedding clothes from his wedding day.
Today and the past overlap; those in red and yellow rush towards each other, and when their eyes meet, they can no longer see anything around them.
Xue Lanyi quickened her pace subconsciously, and just as she was about to reach Wei Xuan, her wrist was suddenly pulled by a force.
She crashed into the man's chest, and the red-clad general disappeared from her sight; only the strong, cold scent of pine resin quickly filled her nostrils.
Xue Lanyi seemed to wake from a dream, and looked up. The tears of reunion in her eyes had not yet faded, but her gaze was occupied by a cold and stern face.
"Hold me tight," Wei Zhang said calmly, yet his tone left no room for argument.
He could accommodate her in other matters, but when it came to Wei Xuan, he would not tolerate the slightest ambiguity.
She is his wife, a fact that Xue Lanyi must understand, and Wei Xuan must understand even more.
Wei Zhang put his arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her closer into his embrace.
"You're pressuring her again?"
At this moment, Wei Xuan also limped up to them.
Unfortunately, the cold bars of the prison bar blocked his way, and he could only watch helplessly as Xue Lanyi huddled in Wei Zhang's arms.
Her thin shoulders were hunched so tightly that her petite body seemed to be pressed down under a mountain, wanting to move but daring not to.
Wei Xuan felt uneasy.
Ultimately, he failed to see through Mu Qinghong's insidious intentions, causing her to fall into the tiger's den once again.
He sighed weakly and swallowed the blood in his throat.
"If you have any problems, come at me. I'll settle all the old scores with you. Don't make things difficult for her."
He stared at Wei Zhang through the prison bars.
The two were of similar height, but Wei Xuan was a martial artist after all, and even though he was poisoned, his physique was still more robust.
Even though he was in prison, his imposing manner was not weak.
However, Wei Zhang was outside the prison, upwind, backlit, with the golden python pattern on his shoulder gleaming.
They appeared calm and collected, yet they had already seized the high ground.
He didn't let go of Xue Lanyi's shoulder, a hint of mockery in his eyes, "What? Back then, when you relentlessly pursued Yiyi, it was called love, but now it's considered forcing and making things difficult for me?"
His ideals are like the moon in the sky and the stars on earth—unattainable and incomparably noble.
When it came to him, he became an inescapable mess.
Why exactly?
Isn't it a group of them who are shouting that all people are equal?
When it really comes down to their individual interests, they start to be divided into different classes.
Unfortunately, it's not their place to say anything now.
“What my brother can do, I can do too; what my brother cannot do…” Wei Zhang looked down at the person in his arms, “I can do it too.”
"Wei Zhang!"
Wei Xuan understood the deeper meaning behind those words.
He forced himself on her again.
She was terrified of the dark and night, and felt uneasy, but he wouldn't stop.
Wei Xuan gripped the bars. "What right do you have to talk about love? From the moment you lied to her, deceived her, and humiliated her, you lost that right!"
qualifications?
Upon hearing this, Wei Zhang smiled even more. "If I am not qualified, does my elder brother think he is?"
"What does your brother intend to offer her in return for his love? Is he going to drag her down with him, despite his own illness?"
"Or should we keep her by your side to serve your crippled, powerless body?"
"Wei Zhang!"
Xue Lanyi interrupted him.
For a general who has fought on the battlefield, losing all his martial skills and becoming physically weak is already fatal.
Wei Zhang deliberately used this incident to hurt Wei Xuan. Was he trying to save someone or to humiliate them?
Xue Lanyi could tell that Wei Xuan's composure at this moment was forced.
His body cannot withstand stimulation.
Xue Lanyi panicked and, following Wei Zhang's earlier request, hugged his waist, saying, "Don't say anything more, don't say anything more, I'll do whatever you say, okay?"
"Yiyi!" Wei Xuan looked at the girl who was kneeling obsequiously in Wei Zhang's arms and naturally knew who she was bowing her head for.
His eyes were fixed intently, and he spoke each word clearly, "Yiyi, have you forgotten our promise in Peach Blossom Valley?"
"What promise? A promise to stay with her until old age, to let him see how you'll be worse than a dog when the poison takes effect in your later years?"
Before Xue Lanyi could speak, Wei Zhang spoke first.
His voice drowned out Wei Xuan's, and even grew louder: "Let her see that you're middle-aged, poisoned to the core, and need someone to serve you when you eat, drink, or urinate. If you're not careful, you'll soil your bed, and then she'll have to serve you and clean up the mess?"
"Or should we let her watch you lie on the couch, unable to move, forced to beg like a dog, utterly devoid of dignity, even to turn over?"
"Or perhaps we'll see how your legs and feet are rotting, and how your whole body reeks, that everyone avoids you?"
"Alright! Wei Zhang! Stop talking!"
Xue Lanyi didn't know why he said those things.
Weren't they here to rescue Wei Xuan?
If Wei Xuan were cured of the poison, none of these things would have happened.
Why did he suddenly become emotional and say such irrelevant things?
Xue Lanyi could even see that he was panting and his eyes were bloodshot.
He is not an emotional person, nor is he someone who can empathize.
Xue Lanyi didn't understand what was wrong with him.
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