Changing clothes
"No, that won't work."
The person in front of him showed no sign of stopping; on the contrary, he became increasingly ferocious.
In a daze, Xie Lingxi no longer knew what this person was doing to her. She only felt that there was no peace in her body. Liu Xu lifted her hands and feet countless times, and the rustling of the fabric of her clothes rubbed against each other, like the night whispering to the moon.
The moonlit night was clear and shallow, and a thick layer of snow quietly covered the courtyard. Her hair was disheveled and scattered on the ground.
Her hair was adorned with floral decorations, and she painted her eyebrows before the mirror.
Liu Xu had tied something to her body, emitting a faint fragrance, much like the flowers and trees planted in the courtyard. Still dazed, she reached out to grab it, but Liu Xu grabbed her wrist and held her still.
...That's it?
The room was quiet and warm, with only a wisp of icy air seeping through the window cracks, depicting the crystal world inside.
If one doesn't examine the current situation closely, it truly evokes a scene of tender and affectionate marital bliss.
Xie Lingxi finally broke free from those hands and slumped helplessly onto the table. She accidentally pressed down on something, and a sudden dampness startled her. She touched her face, which was covered in a fine layer of sweat.
It's so hot...
Is this Liu Xu's way of "torturing" people? Isn't that a bit too unconventional... Do scholars all play such elaborate games?
All her grievances and fears were completely dispelled by Liu Xu's kiss.
The surroundings were eerily quiet. Xie Lingxi's lips moved, breaking the silence like someone crushing a piece of jade in the snow, "A-Xu? Are you still there?"
No one answered.
"Ah Xu?"
In the silence, the candlelight in the room lit up one after another, like twinkling stars in the sky. Xie Lingxi opened her eyes slightly and saw Liu Xu sitting with his back to her in the warm light.
Xie Lingxi slowed her breathing, climbed up from the table, and noticed that her clothes and accessories were different from before. There were gold threads on her clothes, and several cranes flew into the depths of the lotus flowers.
Liu Xu... did he change her clothes?
Why make such a fuss over something so simple?
Xie Lingxi sensed something was amiss, and recalling the man's mumbling, she asked softly, "What's wrong with you?"
Seeing that he remained silent, his head bowed, his long, black hair cascading down his back, shimmering softly in the candlelight, she walked straight over and turned his face towards her.
Xie Lingxi's hand froze.
Liu Xu actually cried.
His face, as smooth as jade, was flushed and pale, his lips were tightly pressed together, and tears were streaming from his thin, beautiful eyes.
This is terrible... How did things turn out like this?
The room was too hot, making her mind muddled and causing her to flinch in mid-air. She tried her best to think:
She was the one who was clearly being bullied.
The snow suddenly intensified, swirling and rushing in all directions, pressing the roof tiles in the courtyard tightly shut. From inside the house, the view outside the window was completely obscured, with only the sound of snow falling to the ground filling the air.
The two remained locked in a stalemate.
The slender woman, wrapped tightly in heavy clothing, leaned slightly forward to peek at the elegant young man sitting beside her, creating a scene of perfect harmony between stillness and movement.
After a while, Xie Lingxi withdrew her hand and blinked: "It's late, I'm going to sleep."
After saying that, she grabbed the hem of her clothes, opened and closed the door in one swift motion, and quickly left the study, following the corridor into the bedroom.
Finally back on her familiar bed, Xie Lingxi's calm demeanor faded, and a mysterious glint appeared in her eyes.
This is absurd! This is bizarre! This is insane!
She closed her eyes, wishing it were all a dream, but when she opened them again, all she saw was a patchwork of black and pink fabric.
Golden peach blossoms are intricately embroidered with clusters of clouds and auspicious knots, just like Liu Xu's exceptionally delicate heart.
Before falling asleep, she silently wished that the snow would stop tomorrow.
Unbeknownst to her, half an incense stick later, Liu Xu walked in with measured steps, gently lifted the curtain, and saw that the person on the bed was sleeping soundly. He then picked up Xie Lingxi's hands and held them carefully, placing a few kisses on her palms.
Then, he quietly lay down on the bed and embraced his wife, who was facing away from him, their hearts nestled together.
Hopefully, the snow will clear and the clouds will part tomorrow.
...
The snow did not stop.
The previous dynasty was already in complete chaos, but with the border war approaching, the King of Dongli personally led the expedition and had already entered the south of the Ji River at some unknown time.
A fierce battle is about to break out.
Yan Ji stirred up the waters of Chang'an, and finally, with provisions and silver, prepared to march northeast.
As if intentionally trying to annoy Xie Lingxi, he actually took Xie Lingjun out of prison and taught him to put on armor and go into battle to fight the enemy.
Outside the palace gates.
Xie Lingxi frowned deeply, touching the deep, bone-chilling wound on her brother's arm, her eyes filled with worry. "They tortured you?"
Xie Lingjun shook his head weakly.
The two helped each other into the carriage, and only after they reached the bustling city did they speak: "Don't worry, it's just a ruse."
He gently unwrapped the blood-stained bandage from his forearm. Although the skin was cracked and bruised, at least the bone was not damaged.
"It must hurt a lot."
Lingxi started making jokes too, and Xie Lingjun chuckled.
When he was first imprisoned, he was indeed terrified, but as things escalated, he saw clearly Yan Ji's intentions—it was nothing more than to clear away the obstacles for him to enter the Eastern Palace and ascend the throne.
By then, having decisively defeated Dongli and achieved great merit, the die would have been cast. They could then find another pretext to release these key ministers, thus gaining a reputation for virtue and benevolence.
This makes people even more grateful to him.
This injury was deliberately inflicted to provoke Yan Ji.
"Compared to life and death, it's nothing."
Thinking of this, Xie Lingjun narrowed his eyes and suddenly grabbed Xie Lingxi with his well-defined knuckles. "Let's not talk about this matter yet. I'm worried that he has something on his mind about you."
Xie Lingxi scoffed, "Brother, you saw it too? Prince Jin's shrewdness is written all over his face; he's hardly a smart man."
Yan Ji wanted to repeat the fate of his previous life, and took advantage of the opportunity he had gained to act recklessly. Such haste will not lead to anything great.
Xie Lingjun's hands were clammy with cold sweat, whether from pain or shock, she didn't know. Xie Lingxi gripped the hands that had supported her since childhood, "He has ulterior motives towards me, but I refuse to be his pawn—"
She then changed the subject: "You absolutely must not go to this battle."
This is the same idea Xie Lingjun had.
He had been in prison for several days and was already dejected. His body was not as good as before, he did not practice martial arts often, and he was ashamed to go into battle.
He said, "Just say I'm sick."
...
"What?!"
"...Lingjun has fallen ill?"
A flock of birds scattered from the withered branches, and Yan Ji suddenly lowered his voice.
The woman before her was also deathly pale, looking as if she could be blown away by a gust of cold wind. Xie Lingxi said pitifully:
"His injuries were too severe and he did not receive timely treatment. The prison was damp and cold, and he accidentally contracted an infection that spread to his limbs. Now he is unable to move."
Did he beat the person that badly?
Yan Ji was excited all day long, but now, despite trying his best to recall, his mind felt like it was filled with paste and knives, and he couldn't remember anything, and it even ached faintly.
He didn't think about it. Seeing Xie Lingxi's sudden dejection, like a broken thread or a mountain collapsing and a flood, he was secretly pleased. "It will be alright, don't be sad."
Xie Lingxi followed up by saying, "I'm really worried."
"Since Your Highness says this was all a misunderstanding, and the traitor who framed my family has been caught, could you offer my brother some compensation?"
That's outrageous!
Yan Ji's brain seemed to have gone mad. Upon seeing the beauty shed tears, he uttered a string of incomprehensible words. Now, he could only go along with Xie Lingxi, saying, "Of course, of course."
"Then I wish Your Highness a smooth journey, a great defeat of Dongli, and peace and prosperity both inside and outside the country."
Yan Ji was overjoyed once again.
Xie Lingxi's words, though seemingly ordinary, actually held a deeper meaning—
"Smooth sailing" implies the hope that he will overcome all obstacles; "Great defeat of Dongli" implies the hope that he will quell the war and win back the hearts of the people; "Resisting external threats and pacifying the internal situation" is even more auspicious, implying that he will overcome all obstacles and ascend to the throne...
His tone softened: "Lingxi, when I return, you will be my Crown Princess."
The harmonious and tender daily life after their marriage in their previous life seemed like it happened just yesterday. Yan Ji felt that he was blessed by the heavens and that his lifelong wish was about to be fulfilled. He was completely unaware of Xie Lingxi's cold gaze.
She said, "I'll wait for you to come back."
These words were pronounced very heavily.
Will Yan Ji ever return after this journey? What awaits him is not a garden of flowers, but a den of dragons and tigers.
Thinking that she didn't want to get entangled with this person, she simply curtsied and said, "My brother is still ill and needs someone to take care of him, so I'll take my leave now."
...
Xie Lingjun tossed the ginseng roots in his hand, which had acquired a bitter medicinal smell. Unable to stand the smell, he tossed them aside.
"Giving away a thousand-year-old ginseng so readily, how could you be so generous? You must have some ulterior motive."
Xie Lingxi readily agreed: "Yes."
"ah?"
This fellow mixed Five-Stone Powder into the precious herbs he sent. Normally, no effects would be noticeable, but over time, it would cause mental confusion, drug addiction, and even lead to things like undressing in the street, calling a deer a horse, or dreaming of ascending to heaven... all of which are possible.
After hearing this, Xie Lingjun picked up the ginseng from the low cabinet and threw it out the door. "Five-Stone Powder? Isn't that the immortal powder that was popular in the previous dynasty, a forbidden item in our dynasty?"
"Forbidden items?" Xie Lingxi smiled gently, her eyebrows slightly arched. "He's already turned the world upside down, why would he worry about not finding forbidden items?"
Furthermore, the so-called forbidden items were usually "collected" by the royal family within the palace.
Yan Ji's plan failed. On the surface, he doted on her and indulged her every whim, but behind her back, he harbored such a wicked intention, plotting to use her brother's life to control her...
If she hadn't witnessed the Five-Stone Powder that made people arrogant and unrestrained, she would have made Xie Heng swallow it today.
Xie Lingjun was also terrified and said, "Such a vicious heart."
He looked at his sister with heartache, wondering what methods Lingxi had used to deal with the Prince of Jin and scheme for him.
He looked Xie Lingxi over and over, and seeing that her clothes were intact and her hair was neatly styled, and that she did not appear to have been harassed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, with concern, she asked, "What does the Prince of Jin think of you...?"
She's incredibly soft-hearted.
Xie Lingjun couldn't say these words aloud, but Xie Lingxi understood the meaning behind them. Then she heard her sister say, "That's not important. I am naturally loved by everyone, but these days I can't understand... I think the Prince of Jin... might really be crazy."
Since recalling his past life, Yan Ji has become increasingly erratic. Sometimes Xie Lingxi couldn't tell whether he was doing it intentionally or unintentionally, giving her the feeling of being trapped in his grasp.
But that's not the case.
From the moment Yan Ji began to treat her with a gentle, almost demonic tenderness, she vaguely sensed that he was the one trapped in the beautiful dream of imperial power, unable to escape.
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