wedding dress
Liu Xu was taken aback.
"you……"
He then realized how "unrestrained" his words had been.
He could say these things to others without feeling embarrassed, but when facing Xie Lingxi, he always felt a little ashamed, as if such thoughts should not be revealed to the light of day or to his lover.
The inexplicable feelings hadn't subsided when Xie Lingxi's heartfelt confession made his face flush and his heart itch with longing—
The word "love," spoken so openly by his wife, is more touching than peach blossoms brushing against his face or ice melting in the snow.
"I'm fine," Xie Lingxi propped herself up, her slender wrist grasping his sleeve as if to comfort him. "I acted hastily and accidentally frightened my husband."
Liu Xu was truly terrified.
His past experiences still left him with lingering fear, so the hand around the other person's shoulder unconsciously loosened, and his tone softened, "Are you really alright?"
"Um."
Seeing her husband's face turn from deathly pale to flushed, like the setting sun covering the river, Xie Lingxi looked up and offered her own face as well, "Ah Xu, take a look, is there even a trace of illness on my face?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xu looked closely and saw that his wife's face was fair and rosy, without the slightest hint of paleness. He finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then heard Xie Lingxi say, "But it's Xu who's turned pale with fright."
"Now that you've regained your color, what are you thinking about?"
His heart was pounding for a while, and then he looked up and saw a smiling face right in front of him. He closed his eyes and said helplessly, "Lingxi, stop making fun of me."
Xie Lingxi: "Where is this mockery? You care about me, yet you won't let me say anything?"
She suddenly remembered the hideous love potion that Yan Ji had given her before, and now that spring was in full bloom, it seemed to be about to take effect.
After months of planning, it's time to reel in the catch. Today, I've just managed to use Ah Luan's words to lure the fish onto the hook.
She then pretended to faint, and her hand, hidden under her wide sleeve, tugged at Liu Xu's robe. But the young man was so frightened that he didn't notice.
Liu Xu's gaze darkened, and he gripped Xie Lingxi's hand tightly. "There's going to be a tough battle ahead."
If this matter reaches Yan Ji's ears, I'm afraid tonight... there will be a lot of wind and rain.
...
The spring night was languid and beautiful.
In Chang'an, people would occasionally flee at night, disappearing beneath the high walls and red tiles. The moon was not bright, and the stars and clouds were dim, as if countless owls and storms were about to arrive.
Xie Lingxi lay on the bed, the curtains hanging down, vaguely covering the lower half of her face, revealing only a pair of calm and beautiful eyes. At this moment, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she was probably caught in some kind of nightmare, sleeping restlessly.
Outside the gate, the guards and maids lay sprawled on the ground.
A gust of wind swept in through the window and then swept away, leaving the room empty. The bedding was carelessly discarded on the floor, and the white magnolia above was soaked through by the night rain.
A quarter of an hour later, when Liu Xu brought Chu Liying into the mansion, this was the scene that greeted him.
——!
In a daze, countless images from her past life flashed before Xie Lingxi's eyes, including the red veil embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water and peonies in the golden garden when she married Yan Ji.
The rows of candles glowed strangely, a reddish light that encircled her body, their flickering light burning her face. Hot red wax dripped onto her hands, scalding them so much that she jerked them back!
He used brute force, but it remained motionless—
She looked up and finally escaped the suffocating feeling of drowning. Her hands and feet seemed to be bound by something. Following her gaze, her usually calm and composed face suddenly showed a hint of panic!
Yanji!
Yan Ji has gone mad to this extent!
Before her was a sea of crimson, with red gauze curtains covering the bedposts, the other end of which was tied to her limbs. The candles burned brightly, filling the entire room. The windows were decorated with the character "囍" (double happiness), a scene that was clearly auspicious, yet it was also shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.
Wedding night, a divine couple...
Xie Lingxi was tied to the bed and unable to move. A bright red brocade quilt was thoughtfully placed over her. She struggled desperately, pulling at the satin, her black hair disheveled.
Her neck was also covered with a thin layer of sweat, sticky enough to remind her of a fish stranded in a dry rut.
"Hehehe—"
Unable to break free, Xie Lingxi took a deep breath and closed her eyes to think. Just then, a man strode in from outside the door. Yan Ji, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, swayed as he walked, his expression somber. "Lingxi... I've come."
The night wind took the opportunity to sneak in from outside the door, making Xie Lingxi feel a chill all over her body and tremble involuntarily, "...Let me go."
"open?"
In just a few steps, Yan Ji walked up to her, sat down on the edge of the bed, lifted the covers, and picked up Xie Lingxi's wrist. There were red marks all over it, which must have been from her struggle.
"Oh……"
Yan Ji stared into her eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade, as if trying to see through her wedding dress. "Look at you, struggling so fiercely, hurting yourself. It will break my heart."
Then, he changed to a gentle and tender tone, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "I was dealing with some small chores just now, so I'm a little late and have delayed our wedding night. Lingxi won't be angry with me, will she?"
The man's breath on her neck felt like a sticky snake.
Xie Lingxi suppressed her nausea, "What kind of trash... is it worth Your Highness personally taking action against?"
"Ha ha ha ha--!"
Yan Ji then lay on top of her, his chest and throat shaking as he burst into laughter. After he had finished laughing, he straightened up and staggered to his feet. "Good question! It's time to let Lingxi see what kind of ant dares to imitate and talk about you."
Imitation? Discussion?
Xie Lingxi's heart sank upon hearing this. Outside the door, another masked man in black appeared, dragging a long, narrow cloth bag in one hand, which he casually tossed to the ground.
Seeing Yan Ji's signal, he pulled the cloth bag open from end to end, revealing the small corpse wrapped inside.
The young woman's face had been slashed by a sharp blade, and her clothes were as white as snow, yet they were soaked in blood. The extreme contrast of color, red and white, was like a broken flower petal, like a cold wind and ice, which chilled Xie Lingxi to the bone!
Those shoes... they're clearly Ah Luan's!
Just a few hours ago, Ah Luan was a mischievous and pretentious performer in her mansion, but now she is a cold corpse, her appearance even ruined.
She was so engrossed in the joyful times that she forgot that discarding a useful tool after it has served its purpose was indeed a common tactic of Yan Ji.
Yan Ji maintained a slight smile as he stared at Xie Lingxi's face. His pupils were extremely cold and thin, exuding a faint ghostly aura. Seeing the person on the bed catch their breath, he said with satisfaction, "Oh? It seems you've met?"
With a casual kick, the female corpse moved slightly towards the door, her mouth slightly open, empty inside, even her tongue was gone.
Xie Lingxi calmly asked, "Why?"
Yan Ji followed Xie Lingxi's gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said casually, "She's just a glib and despicable woman—only by pulling out her tongue can we have some peace and quiet."
He suddenly grabbed Xie Lingxi's chin, his expression chaotic and brutal. "This morning, this bitch's mouth upset you. I'm helping you get revenge, isn't that good?"
The force was so great that Xie Lingxi felt a sharp pain that blurred her vision. "Let...let go!"
Seeing the red marks on his wife's fair face from being pinched, and tears welling up in her eyes without her noticing, a scene of delicate beauty like a flower in the rain, he slowly released his grip and chuckled softly.
The laughter grew louder and louder, sounding especially chilling in the deep room, "Haha...hahahaha...!"
“She does look somewhat like Lingxi,” Yan Ji stroked Xie Lingxi’s eyes, nose, and even lips from top to bottom. “You think they look alike too, don’t you?”
Before Xie Lingxi could answer, he muttered to himself, "But a lie is still a lie. How could she dream of climbing the social ladder and becoming a phoenix... I ruined her face, pulled out her tongue, and killed her! From now on, I only have you, in this life and the last... the only one..."
He became increasingly frantic as he spoke, his eyes bloodshot, and he even took off his crown and began tearing at his own clothes!
Xie Lingxi felt a chill run down her spine. She closed her eyes briefly and said with difficulty, "Your Highness, my hand hurts."
Yan Ji paused, tilted his head to look at her, "Hmm?"
Xie Lingxi sighed, "Now that things have come to this, how can I run away? Let me go. On our wedding night, to have the bride tied up like this is truly unpleasant."
"And that body, please move it away."
Seeing that Yan Ji still didn't move, she urged, "Does Your Highness really want this insignificant person to watch our wedding night? Let go of me, and I will help Your Highness undress."
These words were pleasant to hear, but Yan Ji was indeed a cautious person. He stared at her as if he were investigating something, and said slowly and deliberately, "Lingxi, why have you changed your ways today?"
After returning from the northern frontier, he recuperated in his residence for several months. Only then did he realize that Xie Lingxi had tricked him. He was so angry that he vomited blood, and a surge of rage rose within him.
The more Xie Lingxi dodged and confronted him, the more it proved that he held a place in her heart. Regardless of hatred or malice, he was determined to keep her by his side for the rest of his life, to make her his bride and his queen.
Haven't I always been like this?
Xie Lingxi spoke softly, seemingly finding it difficult to say, "However, after tonight, I would like Your Highness to remove the Gu worm from my body, so as not to embarrass me further."
The Gu worm really did activate!
This poison can affect a person's mind. Day after day, it eventually taught Xie Lingxi to forget Liu Xu and only remember that he was the lover she cherished most in this life.
Yan Ji was overjoyed and no longer suspected anything. He untied the thick ropes binding Xie Lingxi's limbs and saw that her wrists and ankles had red marks from the ropes. He then rubbed them tenderly.
Xie Lingxi endured for a moment, then moved her body and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
As she spoke, she stroked his clothes and gently blew a breath on the back of his neck, like a fragrant orchid in a secluded valley, which made Yan Ji feel intoxicated. He closed his eyes and said, "What a wonderful connection."
Xie Lingxi remained unfazed: "Your Highness has only prepared this new house tonight?"
"What?"
Her thoughts were malicious: "It's rather simple."
"I remember in my previous life, when His Highness ascended the throne and granted me the position of Empress, that magnificent palace was the most beautiful I had ever seen in my life, and I would never forget it even if I were to live another life."
Yan Ji frowned, feeling a pair of delicate hands slowly roaming across his chest.
The warm, fragrant room and the beautiful couple made him forget the time for a moment, as if he were in the imperial palace.
He was the emperor, and Xie Lingxi was not Xie Lingxi, but Empress Xie.
Yan Ji's heart was burning with desire, and he seemed unable to find any relief. He suppressed this restlessness and said, "The matter of seizing the throne should be discussed in detail and cannot be rushed."
"Can't we rush it?" Xie Lingxi's calm voice lingered in his ear, calming him down a little. "Why can't we rush it? Your Highness has been of age for several years now. The Prince of Qin has been deposed, and His Majesty is seriously ill and will likely pass away soon. Isn't it enough to prepare for the future?"
"But...but I am still my father's son."
This person probably has a legitimate plan in mind: to gain fame and reputation, and this is especially true at crucial moments.
Xie Lingxi mimicked his tone, "But... Your Highness has several younger brothers still alive. What if His Majesty were to choose them as heirs..."
Yan Ji was also worried, and struggled internally: "No—"
Why not?
Xie Lingxi ruthlessly cut him off, "Your Highness, don't forget how badly you lost the battle against Dongli."
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