Chapter 56
The light snow that fell in the evening has now turned into a flurry of goose feathers. Two men's footprints are imprinted in front of the study, extending from the carriage all the way into the house.
When Wei Luo entered the study, he saw that the room was full of blooming winter plum blossoms, and he immediately smiled. "See? This is proof that she loves Gu."
He beamed with joy, his brows, which had been furrowed all day, finally relaxed. Nourished by love, the man felt as sweet as if he had eaten honey.
As Liu Heng looked, Wei Luo was plucking a plum blossom and gently sniffing it. "A Yao knows I love plum blossoms, and now she even puts them in her study. It's clear she really adores me. Now you'd better not say anything unlucky."
Wei Luo was beaming with happiness, even down to his toes. Just as he was about to brag to Liu Heng, he suddenly heard a man's angry shout coming from upstairs.
*
When did you two start dating?
Shen Yao's pupils dilated.
Xu Xuan discovered it, discovered her secret with Wei Luo~
She felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, and her breathing almost stopped.
Xu Xuan was silent before, now it's Shen Yao's turn to be silent.
“I may not touch you, but you must remain chaste, otherwise I may, according to the law, tie you to stones and drown you.”
Despite his severe injuries, his voice remained steady and resolute when discussing female fidelity.
Xu Xuan was a typical ancient man, and his mindset reflected this; he absolutely could not tolerate his wife betraying him.
Shen Yao's face turned pale, and she stared at him without daring to utter a sound. In fact, she was very timid.
Coming from modern society, I know that the feudal ethics of this dynasty imposed extremely harsh moral standards on women, especially noblewomen, and many things that seem unbelievable are quite normal nowadays.
Even if she had the Crown Prince as her guarantor, the Crown Prince was still under the Emperor's control, and there were noisy civil officials in the court who would die for their cause. They would not allow the Crown Prince to be tainted with such a moral stain.
Just as he was pondering, Xu Xuan's voice came again, "Who is Duan Lang?"
"Huh?" Shen Yao looked up blankly, asking incredulously, "What?"
The situation took a dramatic turn; after a period of despair, a glimmer of hope appeared. Shen Yao picked up the note, opened it, and read:
Dear Sister Yao, it's like seeing you in person as I read this.
A day apart feels like three autumns.
With you by my side, the spring night is too short.
I think about it and long for it; I can't rest easy day or night.
I present this winter plum blossom as a special gift to ease my longing.
May you smile, and may Duan Lang stay.
Shen Yao's desire to kill Duan Kaizhi reached its peak at this moment. She gritted her teeth and said hatefully, "That bastard."
After racking my brains for a while, I realized it was Duan Kaizhi, but I was also relieved it was him. Because the two of them were like scallions mixed with tofu—completely innocent.
So Shen Yao straightened her chest and looked at Xu Xuan with more confidence, "This man is named Duan Kaizhi, the son of some marquis. He has harassed me many times, but I have ignored him. This letter and those winter plum blossoms downstairs were deliberately sent by him to disgust me."
Shen Yao threw the letter directly into the fire and burned it.
A faint smell of burnt paper lingered in the air.
"You're saying he's harassing you?"
"Yeah, he's just a spoiled brat. Don't worry about him. I'm not the kind of person who lacks self-control. Although we're not husband and wife, I'll try my best... ugh, I won't give you a green hat before we divorce."
In any case, as long as it doesn't go inside the body, according to the standards of this dynasty, it is considered chastity.
It's understandable that Shen Yao would say that.
She thought that this explanation would dispel Xu Xuan's suspicions, but she forgot that once the seed of doubt is planted, it will quietly sprout in the heart, and this applies to any man.
In the past, Shen Yao always clung to Xu Xuan, trying to please him in everything. Although Xu Xuan found it disgusting and annoying, there was still a hint of enjoyment in the dark corner of his heart, even though he refused to admit it.
Yes, that's what makes men so shameless.
They clearly enjoy it, but they always pretend to hate it in order to show their pure heart and loyalty to love.
Xu Xuan is no exception.
Shen Yao was a noblewoman, far superior to him in status, and her beauty was truly captivating. Facing her, he felt somewhat inferior… Lost in thought, Xu Xuan couldn't help but gaze at her fair face, his heart suddenly in turmoil.
After Shen Yao finished speaking, Xu Xuan remained silent for a long time. Instead, he looked at her with a strange expression. Shen Yao bit her lip, unsure of his thoughts, and said, "If you have nothing else, I'll go out first."
He turned and left without giving him time to react.
Just as he was about to step out the door, a thunderous statement came from above: "Wait until I'm better, then we'll consummate our marriage."
With a single sentence, Shen Yao inside the room, and Wei Luo and Liu Heng who were eavesdropping outside the door, were all killed.
"What did you say?"
"I said consummate the marriage, listen carefully. The date is set for New Year's Eve, so get ready."
Shen Yao was his wife, and with Liu Ru forcing him to consummate the marriage, it was perfectly legitimate. Xu Xuan told himself this: rather than be coveted by others, it was better to take advantage of her himself!
Shen Yao nearly fainted and rushed out the door.
*
On the first floor of the study, Wei Luo was furious. He pulled out all the winter plum blossoms, threw them all on the ground, and stomped on them, crushing the petals into mud.
When Shen Yao came down, the place was a complete mess.
"What are you doing?"
She walked in, stared wide-eyed at the crazed Wei Luo.
Wei Luo turned around, first dismissing Liu Heng, then slowly approached Shen Yao, coldly demanding, "Tell me, where is that Duan fellow?"
Wei Luo used "孤" (gu, meaning "I" or "I") instead of "我" (wo, meaning "I" or "I"). This one-word difference indicates that he was asking Shen Yao in his capacity as the crown prince.
Only the two of them remained in the room; the silence was so profound you could hear a pin drop. Shen Yao hesitated for a moment, then looked away and said softly, "I don't know."
"Is it that you don't know, or that you don't want to say?"
Sparks practically flew from Wei Luo's eyes.
Just moments before, he was showing off to Liu Heng, but after learning the truth in a quarter of an hour, a fire of jealousy and anger welled up from the bottom of his heart and burned uncontrollably.
The man surnamed Duan coveted her, and Xu Xuan wanted to consummate their marriage. Wei Luo almost went crazy instantly. How could so many men be circling around her?
"Calm down, I can explain things clearly. I..."
"Shut up."
Wei Luo stared coldly at her, almost uttering each word clearly: "Where is the one surnamed Duan?"
He didn't want to hear any explanations; all he wanted to do now was kill that person.
Shen Yao sighed deeply, inwardly cursing herself for not checking the almanac before going out today. One or two people she had met were not normal. Wei Luo in front of her was blinded by jealousy. If this continued, who knew what kind of trouble she would cause.
She changed the subject, "Your Highness, I'm hungry."
Shen Yao lifted her foot, wrapped her arms around the man's body, and kissed him on the lips, playfully saying, "My stomach's growling. Let's eat first and then go find someone, okay?"
"not good."
Wei Luo's eyes darkened, and he lowered his head to kiss her.
The temperature in the room rose sharply. Shen Yao was held in Wei Luo's arms. His hand passed through her clothes and touched her skin for the first time. It was as soft and silky as tender tofu. He could feel the woman tremble with just a gentle pinch.
Women are like water, and for the first time, he truly felt it; his whole body was burning like fire, and he wanted more.
"Your Highness, not here, Xu Xuan is still upstairs."
Taking advantage of his kiss landing elsewhere, Shen Yao said, catching her breath.
Wei Luo's face darkened, and he scooped up Shen Yao in his arms, kicked open the door of a storage room, and threw her onto the table.
"Is this alright now?"
Without a word, he pressed down on her, began to undo her belt, and tore at her clothes.
"That won't do either." Shen Yao reached out to stop him, gazing into his dark eyes, and reluctantly advised, "Your Highness, this is improper, and you are still in mourning."
Wei Luo hesitated for a moment, and Shen Yao immediately slipped out of his arms like an eel. She quickly tied her sash, straightened her clothes, and stood at a distance, watching him with her beautiful eyes full of wariness.
"You're lying to me?"
When have I ever lied to you?
"You were clearly trying to get close to me just now, but now you've tricked me into coming in and are just going to ignore me?"
"I don't care what you say..." Shen Yao feigned innocence, pointed upwards, and said, "Xu Xuan is still here."
Wei Luo was so angry he laughed.
Shen Yao continued, "Just stand there and don't come any closer. This is what happened..."
Shen Yao rattled off a long explanation, then wiped the sweat from her forehead and said aggrievedly, "Your Highness, I'm already like this, and instead of feeling sorry for me, you blame me. That's not fair at all."
Shen Yao squatted on the ground, lowered her small face, and looked at Wei Luo with her watery eyes, making Wei Luo feel guilty.
Wei Luo said, "So it was all Duan Kai's doing? He was harassing you, why didn't you tell me?"
"You're so busy, how could I trouble you? Besides, I think I can handle it myself."
Wei Luo stood still, silent for a long time, then sighed helplessly, "It's my fault, but what's going on between you and Xu Xuan?"
“He’s been through a bit of a shock lately.” Shen Yao stood up, patted her chest, and assured him, “But don’t worry, I can handle it. Your Highness, shall we go eat now?”
Wei Luo reached out and pinched Shen Yao's cheek, the force a bit too strong, turning her fair skin bright red. Shen Yao let out an "Ah!" and slapped his arm away, pouting slightly to express her dissatisfaction.
Wei Luo said, "What am I supposed to do with you?"
*
The snow fell heavily, and the sky grew increasingly gloomy.
In a pavilion of Hua Man Lou, Shen Yao was drinking with Wei Luo.
The reason for choosing this place was that Wei Luo kept pressing her for Duan Kaizhi's whereabouts, and Shen Yao couldn't resist him any longer, so she said she would try her luck here.
The door opened, and Liu Heng walked in. Without avoiding Shen Yao, he reported directly, "Your Highness, I have learned that Duan Kaizhi is indeed here, with Zhao Lian and a group of people."
Wei Luo paused in her chopsticks, looked up at him, and sneered, "You really have run into me."
He slammed his chopsticks on the table and said to Shen Yao, "You stay here and I'll be right back."
He walked very fast, and by the time Shen Yao looked up, the two of them had already walked out.
Liu Heng asked, "Your Highness, how will you get in?"
"Don't forget, I'm a member of the gang." He paused, then asked, "Did you find the tiger I asked you to investigate?"
Liu Heng was taken aback upon hearing this, his face instantly turning red. The people in the Eastern Palace were rather incompetent; they had searched for several days without finding a single trace. He hadn't dared to reply to Wei Luo, but now that Wei Luo had asked, he could only bite the bullet and answer, "We're still looking."
"A bunch of good-for-nothings."
Wei Luo gave this evaluation after hearing it.
As the two chatted, they arrived at the pavilion, and Liu Heng knocked on the door.
The door opened, and a face appeared. The person asked, "Who are you looking for, sir?"
Wei Luo took out his club sign and asked with a smile, "May I come in?"
"Yes, please come in."
There were ten people in the room, two of whom happened to be the ones who had entertained Wei Luo that day. Wei Luo was handsome and had an extraordinary demeanor, leaving a deep impression on the two men.
Therefore, as soon as he entered, the two men recognized him and immediately greeted him warmly, "Brother Wei, you've finally arrived."
A hand patted his right shoulder. Wei Luo glanced over, his brows furrowing. He resisted the urge to slap the hand away and smiled, "It's kind of you to remember me, brother."
"Absolutely, brother. You have such a distinguished presence that you are unforgettable."
He pulled Wei Luo along and began introducing the other people in the room. Wei Luo finally met Duan Kaizhi, whose handsome features, broad face, and temperament were somewhat similar to Xu Xuan's.
Duan Kaizhi was drinking, but upon hearing this, he gave face and stood up to bow.
Among this group of people, Zhao Lian and Duan Kai were the most distinguished, but when Wei Luo arrived, he simply stood there. Although he did not speak, his upright posture and demeanor inspired awe.
This group of people had to take him seriously, and they began to inquire about Wei Luo's family background.
Wei Luo had already prepared his story: he was now a relative of the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, and Master Shen happened to be in charge of salt, so Wei Luo was considered to be part of the Shen family faction. With their identities clear, the group drank several cups of wine together, and after a few rounds, they were essentially sworn brothers.
Before Wei Luo arrived, everyone in the room was discussing the sealing off of the shops in Dashilan. Someone suggested finding Xiao Yang, the commander of the military headquarters, to get the books back.
Immediately, many people echoed this sentiment, but Zhao Lian said leisurely, "The shop wasn't sealed by Xiao Yang, but by the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace."
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