Chapter 232 Did we mess this up?
Zhou Zhining was so startled that her hand trembled, and she quickly pulled it back.
Tao Weixian was somewhat annoyed by Zhan Xingzhuo's sudden appearance. He frowned, but fortunately, although he had drunk too much, he was still rational.
He acted as if nothing was wrong, stood up and greeted Zhan Xingzhuo: "Brother Xingzhuo, you've arrived."
Zhan Xingzhu walked from the window with a gloomy face to the door, stepped over the threshold and came in.
He was backlit, his entire face hidden in shadow, making him look even more gloomy and terrifying.
He couldn't understand why one or two of them were interested in his woman.
First there was that shameless old man, the Tang King, who, despite his advanced age, disregarded the proper relationship between uncle and nephew and wanted to marry Yao Qingling as his second wife. Then there was Tao Weixian, a longtime friend, who privately had no regard for the proper boundaries between men and women with Zhou Zhining.
The man's thumb pressed hard against a section of the index finger bone, his jaw clenched.
Zhou Zhining was momentarily flustered and disoriented, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes, staring blankly as Zhan Xingzhuo approached her.
She did not intend for Tao Weixian to take advantage of her.
However, she was worried about the major incident in the palace. If it came to her, she would not only be a government slave, but Prince Xin would also not spare her.
She dared not let Zhan Xingzhuo know that she had used tributes stolen from the palace to bribe the Tang King and instigate him to marry Yao Qingling.
She dared not tell anyone; the only person who had the ability and could help her was Tao Weixian.
Unexpectedly, before the matter could be completed, Zhan Xingzhuo saw it.
Tears streamed down her face as she ran in terror to Zhan Xingzhuo's side, as if Tao Weixian had taken advantage of her while she was drunk.
"Xingzhuo, I didn't do anything with Young Master Tao. Young Master Tao said he drank some medicinal wine and his heart wasn't feeling well; I could see he was looking quite uncomfortable—"
"Do you think I'm stupid!" This time, Zhan Xingzhuo didn't let Zhou Zhining lean on him. He pushed Zhou Zhining away, his gaze burning as he moved from Zhou Zhining to Tao Weixian.
"I'm in Luozhou and can't take care of him, so I asked you to take care of him for me. Is this how you take care of him?"
He glared angrily.
Tao Weixian sobered up a bit and continued Zhou Zhining's words, "Brother Xingzhuo, it's really not what you think. I don't know what happened with the wine I drank, my heart was beating really fast. You can feel it if you don't believe me."
He reached out and grabbed Zhan Xingzhuo's hand, intending to press it against his chest.
Zhan Xingzhuo knew what kind of person Tao Weixian was in private.
As the fifth son of the Duke's mansion, he had many concubines at home and occasionally indulged in the pleasures of being a male actor playing female roles on the opera stage.
Many influential people seek out actors for a different kind of fun.
But Zhan Xingzhuo was disgusted and pushed Tao Weixian's hand away: "Don't touch it."
Tao Weixian looked embarrassed and plopped back into his chair.
He glanced at Zhou Zhining, then at Zhan Xingzhuo. Whether it was the alcohol taking effect or something else, he revealed a carefree smile, casually picking up a teacup and playing with it, his fingers tracing circles on the smooth white porcelain, as if touching a woman's delicate hand.
Zhan Xingzhuo's face darkened further, and he stared at him with a sinister look.
Tao Weixian said, "Brother Xingzhuo, I know you and Zhining have a deep relationship. But Yao Qingling gave birth to a son for you, aren't you still hung up on her?"
"Why not leave Zhi Ning in my care? My Hengwu Villa is still empty, and it holds countless rare treasures that I have collected for her."
He deliberately glanced at Zhou Zhining, "Ask her if I have ever mistreated her?"
Zhou Zhining sobbed incessantly, "Fifth Young Master Tao, how could you treat me so disrespectfully? What have I done to offend you? Those rare treasures were something you insisted on giving me. Since they were at Hengwu Villa, how can you say that I accepted them and that they are mine?"
She couldn't understand why Tao Weixian had suddenly changed and was trying to harm her like this.
Tao Weixian lifted his eyelids and lazily glanced at her: "Zhi Ning, I've put a lot of effort into you, haven't you ever been attracted to me?"
His gaze lingered on her shoulders, waist, and hands before finally returning to her face.
It sounds like this rhetorical question is helping her, letting Zhan Xingzhuo know that even though Zhou Zhining is surrounded by countless rare treasures, her heart is always with Zhan Xingzhuo.
But his eyes told Zhan Xingzhuo that he had touched the woman's waist, held her hand, put his arm around her shoulder, and kissed her face.
These past few days, Tao Weixian has been drinking and carousing with a group of young masters. During their conversation, they said that Tao Weixian's status was not low, so why did he act like Zhan Xingzhuo's lackey, even fawning over his women like dogs?
Tao Weixian didn't care about the ridicule. It wasn't his turn to inherit the Tao family business, and he didn't have Zhan Xingzhuo's abilities, having achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examinations at the age of twenty. He knew that Zhan Xingzhuo would one day rise to a high position and become friends with him and Prince Xin, so they wouldn't let him down in the future.
But Tao Weixian thought it over and over and still couldn't bear to give up this piece of swan meat that was about to be in his mouth.
Wang Xuan can sleep, Zhan Xingzhuo can sleep, but he can't.
Ha, if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. Zhan Xingzhuo is back. They're a couple. Zhan Xingzhuo doesn't care about being a stepfather, he doesn't even want his own son. Even if he becomes a high-ranking official, isn't he still raising someone else's son?
Someone else reminded Tao Weixian that his intimacy with Zhou Zhining in the capital would eventually reach Zhan Xingzhuo's ears. It was better for him to expose the affair himself than for Zhan Xingzhuo to discover he had been cuckolded after Zhou Zhining became the wife of a high-ranking official and then come back to retaliate.
Now, he is at least the young master of the Duke of Shen's mansion, and can withstand the wrath of Minister Zhan. But if this secret is kept hidden for too long, and the old master is no longer around, Zhan Xingzhuo will no longer give him face.
Zhou Zhining was so angry that her face turned green, then red and then pale. How much wine had Tao Weixian drunk to try to harm her like this!
Her tears flowed even faster as she screamed, "No! No! I've only ever loved Xing Zhuo in my life, how could I possibly like you!"
However, her hasty denial failed to gain Zhan Xingzhuo's trust.
With a "bang," Zhan Xingzhuo punched Tao Weixian, knocking him to the ground.
When Prince Xin heard from his servants that a commotion had broken out, he rushed over and saw Zhan Xingzhu beating someone.
One more look at Zhou Zhining, her face streaked with tears, and he understood.
It's a mistake.
He wasn't in a hurry; this day was bound to come sooner or later. He just needed to calm Zhan Xingzhuo down quickly, and the matter would be over.
To them, Zhou Zhining was just a woman, a woman who valued profit and life and craved wealth.
She could seduce Wang Xuan to avoid serving on the frontier, and she could seduce Tao Weixian to avoid hard labor at the Ministry of Agriculture. Such a woman was only good for Prince Xin to use.
Compared to Yao Qingling, Zhou Zhining was merely a tool that Prince Xin could use, as long as she didn't ruin his grand plans.
He came in, fanning himself with a folding fan, without saying a word, observing coldly.
Tao Weixian spat out a mouthful of blood after taking the punch. He wiped his lips and said to Zhan Xingzhuo, "Did you vent your anger?"
"Then I'll tell you this: after today, Zhou Zhining and I will have nothing to do with each other. You may regard her as a pearl, but in my eyes, she's nothing but a fish eye from now on."
"But Xingzhuo, think about it too, what kind of person is Zhou Zhining? Is she worth letting our brotherly relationship be affected?"
Tao Weixian is gone.
Zhan Xingzhuo was well aware of Zhou Zhining's desire for money because of her relatives who were serving hard labor on the frontier.
If Tao Weixian gives her what she needs, she will give in.
Zhan Xingzhuo has tried his best to satisfy her, even giving her the power to manage the new mansion. Doesn't she understand his good intentions?
He glanced at Zhou Zhining with disappointment, then flung his clothes aside and strode out.
No matter how much Zhou Zhining tugged at him or how much she cried, the man's steps remained firm, and he did not stop for her.
Zhou Zhining could only cry as she returned to her room.
Prince Xin glanced at her indifferently: "Did you mess this up?"
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