Wei Huaixu stared at her distressed expression, a bloodthirsty smile creeping onto his face. His icy voice seemed to come from hell: "Don't try to use this to threaten me. You should know that if you weren't still of use, I would have sent you down to meet him long ago, just for daring to speak to me in this tone."
"You... let... go..." Liu Shushu managed to utter a few indistinct words from her throat, her eyes rolling back slightly as she struggled to breathe.
"If you dare to threaten me again, I won't hesitate to pull out your tongue first. After all, I only promised you the position of Empress, but I never guaranteed that you would sit on it intact."
After saying that, he slowly released his grip.
Freed from her restraints, Liu Shushu collapsed to the ground with a thud. Fresh air rushed into her nostrils, and she breathed greedily, but her heart was gradually filled with fear.
At this moment, she didn't even dare to look up at the man in front of her. She just covered her sore throat and gasped for breath. Physiological tears welled up in her eyes, making her still flushed face look even more disheveled.
Wei Huaixu took out a clean handkerchief and slowly wiped her fingers. She snorted contemptuously and said, "Just stay at home and wait to be married. Don't try to challenge my bottom line anymore. What you want, I will give you."
Only after he left did Liu Shushu raise her head with difficulty and look towards the door, her eyes growing increasingly deep.
...
It had been a long time since I had seen Wei Dongchen; a month had passed since we last met.
When he arrived at the General's Mansion to meet Qingying, he was much thinner, his face was haggard, his beard was unshaven, and his eyes were dark-rimmed.
Qingying had not expected that after several days apart, she would meet him in such a state. Surprised, she already knew what was going on.
"Yu Yue, bring over the almond blossom dew that's been warming over the fire."
Yu Yue withdrew, and Qingying invited him into the hall to sit down, personally pouring him tea.
"What has Donglang been busy with lately?"
He lowered his eyelashes, not daring to look at Ying clearly. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down, seemingly at a loss. "I... I really didn't know before that my mother had a prejudice against you..."
"It's alright, it's not your fault. It's all my fault for not having a respectable background and not being able to bring honor to your Prince Yu's mansion."
"No, I never thought so."
Qingying looked at him and smiled, "I know in my heart that you really care about me, so I'm willing to wait for you."
He paused for a moment, then looked up in astonishment, meeting her clear eyes. His heart fluttered, and his voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement: "Really?"
"Um."
"I have obtained my father's permission to marry you in exchange for military merits."
Qingying paused, then asked in surprise, "Is there going to be another war?"
He nodded. "My father has received news that the vassal states of the Western Regions have invaded. In three days, he will send me and the general with 80,000 troops to the west to provide support."
"Isn't my father in Qingzhou right now?"
"His Majesty has issued a decree recalling him today, and he should be on his way back at top speed by now."
Qingying felt that something was amiss, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
She decided to put her thoughts aside for a while, went into the inner room and found a bracelet, saying, "This is a Buddhist bead bracelet that I got from Master Huiming at Chongfu Temple. Wearing it can ward off disasters. Although it's a bit superstitious, it's good to seek comfort."
He took it and put it on his wrist without hesitation. Then he gently held Qingying's hand and promised, "My mother has agreed to let me choose an auspicious day to personally visit and ask for the wedding date. We will set the wedding date first, and then we will get married when I return in triumph."
"good."
Yu Yue brought over almond blossom dew, and Qing Ying personally presented it to him, saying, "Try it, Yu Yue's cooking is excellent."
Wei Dongchen picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth. He smiled and praised, "It's really good. This girl's cooking skills are almost comparable to those of the imperial chefs in the palace."
"Don't praise her like that, let her be proud for a while."
“Of course, you should be praised for doing a good job.”
"Okay, I'll reward her later."
Qingying watched him finish a bowl of almond blossom dew with a smile before seeing him off at the mansion.
Before leaving, she gently hooked her finger around Wei Dongchen's and instructed him, "Be sure to stay safe."
"I'm still hoping to return victorious soon and marry you. I must save my life."
"Mmm." She nodded, her eyes crinkling.
As he left, the smile in Qingying's eyes was gradually replaced by coldness.
In fact, she had learned from Jin Heng a few days ago that Wei Dongchen's recent absence was due to a quarrel with Princess Yu, who had punished him by making him kneel in the ancestral hall. Although the reason for the incident was not revealed at all, Qingying could guess seven or eight parts of it.
Moreover, during this period, Princess Yu had privately arranged to meet with her for a talk, which naturally ended unhappily.
Ultimately, a mother can't win against her son, and Wei Dongchen eventually forced Princess Yu to relent by threatening to go on a hunger strike.
In truth, Qingying knew very well that Princess Yu's willingness to compromise stemmed from her love for her son, not from her acceptance of her. Now, before even marrying into the royal household, she had already incurred the wrath of her mother-in-law; who knew what hardships she would face upon entering the household in the future?
She couldn't imagine it...
Seeing her worried expression, Yu Yue sighed as she left the house, saying, "Our young lady's marriage prospects are truly fraught with hardship."
Tong Xia sighed as well, "Sigh~ That's right, we thought it was a glimmer of hope, but it turned out to be another dead end."
"You're exaggerating. At least Prince Yu's son genuinely cares for the girl; it's not like he's driven to the brink of despair."
"Who knows? Last time, His Highness the Crown Prince seemed to be sincere towards the young lady before he went to war, but in the end, he still forced her to break off the engagement. Now the young master is going to war again, and his return date is uncertain. Who knows what kind of changes will happen?"
Hearing this, Yu Yue suddenly felt less worried. "You're right. Who knows what other changes might happen? If you can think of this, you should be able to as well."
In her heart, her daughter was easily moved by emotions, but not someone who would act on impulse.
At this moment, Qingying was painting with a brush in her hand in the room.
On the surface, she appeared calm, but her mind was racing.
Jin Heng had said that the Emperor's condition had worsened and he was now bedridden. The court was in turmoil; ostensibly, the Crown Prince controlled the government, but in reality, it was a three-way power struggle. The faction led by Jin Heng remained loyal to His Majesty; the faction led by the Yan family secretly supported Prince An; and the weakest faction was actually the Crown Prince.
No wonder he was so eager to marry Liu Shushu. With the support of the Liu family, Wei Huaixu was able to stand up to the Yan family.
Having met Wei Dongchen today, she still had one thing she couldn't understand—the imperial edict for the western expedition might not have been issued by the emperor himself. The most likely person to issue this edict was the crown prince. Why would he send a large number of troops out of the capital when his own power was already weak? What exactly was he planning?
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