Chapter 49 Yao Qingling slapped him, shouldn't he be angry?
Zhan Xingzhuo stared at her red, tear-filled eyes and questioned her hoarsely. His pupils contracted slightly, and a wave of guilt washed over him.
However, this guilt was quickly replaced by anger.
He shouted angrily, "Are you treating this matter of life and death as a game?"
"You faked your death to test whether I would be heartbroken for you? Yao Qingling, you're utterly reckless and clueless, how can you keep spouting nonsense like this—"
With a "snap".
Yao Qingling raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
Tears welled up in that instant and shattered on the ground.
Caught off guard, Zhan Xingzhuo's head was knocked to the side and he took a step back.
"Brother Xingzhuo!" Zhou Zhining cried out, rushing forward to support Zhan Xingzhuo. She turned to glare at Qing Ling, shouting angrily, "You, how could you hit him? He is your husband!"
"What did Brother Xingzhuo say wrong? You're not dead, yet you refuse to return to the manor and hold a grudge against him. Do you know how Brother Xingzhuo has been getting through these past few days?"
"You actually hit him over a piece of clothing... But that piece of clothing... Brother Xingzhuo said that you wore that piece of clothing many times, it was your favorite, and it had the most of your scent on it, so he used this piece of clothing to replace you..."
“The refugees stormed Mao’er Lane, and Brother Xingzhuo came to protect me because he was worried about my safety… But he had no idea that the bandits would massacre Yongning Temple. He regretted it countless times, saying he shouldn’t have left you… If you want to vent your anger, come at me!”
Zhou Zhining's voice cracked as she screamed. She felt sorry for Zhan Xingzhuo after being slapped, and she placed her small hand on the man's face with heartache.
A red swelling appeared on his handsome face.
She seemed to project her own pain from being beaten by Wang Xuan, hugging Zhan Xingzhuo and shielding him, while harboring hatred towards Qing Ling.
Tears streamed down her face, her body trembling slightly, as if Yao Qingling were the most heinous villain, bullying them.
“Zhi Ning…” Zhan Xingzhuo was deeply moved.
Only Zhou Zhining truly understands him and cares about him.
She was so delicate, yet she still protected him.
And what did Yao Qingling do?
She didn't appreciate his kindness and even blamed him!
The man shielded Zhou Zhining behind him, but Zhou Zhining refused to move an inch. She insisted on standing in front of him, her face filled with courage and fearlessness, and further stated:
"Yao Qingling, if you hadn't disliked me living in the new mansion, Brother Xingzhuo wouldn't have settled me in Mao'er Lane, and I wouldn't have encountered such danger. Brother Xingzhuo said he had a responsibility to me, which is why he came to protect me... In the end, you brought this trouble upon yourself. Don't you ever ask yourself what you did right?!"
Yao Qingling's hand trembled slightly, and her palm was in pain.
But compared to the pain in her hands, her heart was numb with pain, devoid of feeling.
So, in the end, the calamity she encountered was actually something she brought upon herself?
Was it her fault?
She looked at Zhou Zhining with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, her fingers clenched tightly, her bloodshot eyes filled with ruthless malice.
Seeing the murderous look on her face, Zhan Xingzhuo immediately pulled Zhou Zhining behind him to protect her.
“Yao Qingling, if you have any complaints, we can settle them later once you've calmed down. But you can't lay a hand on Zhi Ning.”
“It wasn’t just you who was in danger; Zhi Ning also escaped death. She did nothing wrong.”
nausea.
It's absolutely disgusting...
That slap used up all of Yao Qingling's strength; their shamelessness had exhausted all her emotions.
All that's left is the word "disgusting".
She was really afraid she would throw up.
She didn't want to see those two anymore.
"Taoye, help me back to my room..."
She clutched her chest, her body slightly hunched, having reached her limit.
Tao Ye supported her, her eyes red with anger as she glared resentfully at the two men, cursing them countless times in her heart.
These people are so shameless in bullying others!
Utterly shameless!
Back in the inner bedroom, Taoye carefully and gently helped Qingling lie down. Turning around to pour water, she found the teapot was empty.
Taoye hurriedly wiped away her tears and said, suppressing her sadness, "Miss, I'll go to the kitchen to get some water. Please wait a moment."
She ran out to pour hot water, but tears kept flowing.
If even a maid is so upset, how wronged must the young lady be...?
Yao Qingling sat or lay quietly for a long time before the suffocating feeling of being overwhelmed by anger subsided, and tears rolled down her cheeks silently.
She gripped the blanket tightly, her fingernails almost breaking off, her face icy cold.
Taoye poured water: "Miss, please don't be angry. Take care of yourself; you're not fully recovered yet."
"Miss, when can we leave here... They're bullying us so much..."
She couldn't hold back her tears and choked up, only hoping to leave as soon as possible.
Yao Qingling took a sip of hot water, took a deep breath, and said, "It'll be soon."
She touched Taoye's hair, forcing an awkward smile, and glanced at the white lanterns swaying in the courtyard: "We don't even know if the person is dead or not, yet we're already holding a funeral... Taoye, the whole city is watching."
Is this what deep love between husband and wife is like?
Who would believe that?
Who wouldn't support her getting a divorce?
A tear slid down her cheek.
Qingling wiped away her tears, still smiling, but the tears continued to flow in broken streams.
...
West Courtyard.
Zhou Zhining scooped out a dollop of ointment and gently applied it to Zhan Xingzhuo, asking with red eyes, "Brother Xingzhuo, does it still hurt?"
Zhan Xingzhu shook his head, his face grim.
He's a grown man; a slap wouldn't hurt him much, but this was from Yao Qingling, which shocked him greatly.
He couldn't help but think of Yao Qingling holding a long whip, looking at him warily.
At this moment, he couldn't help but wonder if Yao Qingling really loved him as much as he thought.
That resolute figure, back turned away, once again surfaced in my mind.
Perhaps, he really hurt her feelings.
She fought so fiercely for his love and attention, but he didn't give her the response she wanted.
So she didn't want him anymore?
No, Yao Qingling has no other relatives. She said herself that he would be her only relative from now on.
She also said she wanted to have a boy and a girl with him; when the children grew up and they had grandchildren, she would be surrounded by people who loved her.
Ultimately, she was still throwing a tantrum, only this time she went too far.
At this moment, Zhan Xingzhuo still believed that Yao Qingling had conspired with the Imperial Censor's wife to test him by feigning death. She was extremely disappointed when she saw that he had set up a mourning hall, which is why she took action.
Oh, she must be really angry, her eyes are so red...
He should have gone to Yongning Temple himself. He was the one who sent her to the mountain and then ignored her...
He felt a sense of relief that Yao Qingling hadn't died...
Seeing his silence and gloomy expression, Zhou Zhining noticed that he did not appear to be furious.
Yao Qingling slapped him, shouldn't he be angry?
Judging from his pensive look, could it be that he's thinking about Yao Qingling and feeling sorry for her?
This won't do!
Zhou Zhining's eyes flickered slightly as she put away the ointment, and asked casually, "Brother Xingzhuo, why do you think Qingling refuses to come back?"
“If she had come back sooner, there wouldn’t be this mourning hall. People from the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion came to offer their condolences, and the Duke’s mansion was also notified. Everyone knows she is ‘dead,’ but she has returned. How will this be handled?”
“Qingling is really…” Zhou Zhining glanced at Zhan Xingzhuo, “She really doesn’t know what’s important. Luckily she’s not a Lady of Imperial Decree, otherwise she would have to be charged with deceiving the emperor, and Brother Xingzhuo would be implicated because of her.”
Zhan Xingzhuo's response was lukewarm.
To be honest, if we're talking about who was implicated, Zhou Zhining had a greater impact on him.
He said calmly, "She's testing my reaction, seeing how far I can go with her."
"What she wanted to see was me frantically searching for her at Yongning Temple, holding an unknown corpse in my arms, filled with anguish and remorse, saying I would never abandon her again. When she reappeared in front of me, I felt as if I had regained what I had lost, and from then on I cherished her even more."
The man poured himself a cup of tea.
Thinking to herself, Yao Qingling was right to want to compete for the emperor's favor, but she shouldn't have competed with Zhi Ning.
He has already given her the title of his legal wife; she is his only wife, and he hasn't even taken a maidservant. Yet she is still not satisfied.
This was her biggest mistake.
"...but I set up a mourning hall, which disappointed her greatly."
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