Chapter 111 An He Talks About All the Suspicious Points
Anhe's lips twitched slightly, but she finally made up her mind: "Tell me, I'll tell you everything."
Anhe recalled the events of that day, still feeling somewhat distressed: "You had left the city before, and after court I had a dispute with Zhou Feng, which left me feeling quite upset. I also received some news from the palace that... that you might encounter Zhao Chengxin's men outside the city and that you might be in danger. It was this note that led me out of the city."
An He wondered if Zhao Liangxu could understand his hidden thoughts. By saying this, he portrayed himself as someone who cared deeply about Zhao Liangxu, hoping to subtly gain her attention and touch her heart.
"I arrived at the post station, but unfortunately I stumbled upon you meeting with...someone else, and overheard some things I shouldn't have heard."
Zhao Liangxu asked, "You said I met with someone else? How did we meet? And what did you hear?"
What's the deal with this "other person" who suddenly appeared out of nowhere?
Anhe's eyes trembled, but she still honestly answered Zhao Liangxu: "The people at the post station said that you had left, but then abandoned your maid and went back alone. I didn't believe it, so I went to your house to see, and then I heard..."
Anhe paused for a moment, then said, "That man asked you if I could satisfy you, and you admitted it." After saying this, his face turned even paler.
The thing that had troubled him for so long, which had become a scene of his nightmares, was now spoken aloud by him himself.
He still told Zhao Liangxu about it.
These few words were enough to make his heart feel like it was being torn apart.
Anhe stopped looking up and pressed his face against Zhao Liangxu's knee, wanting to feel her body temperature.
But Zhao Liangxu's fingertip suddenly poked An He's forehead, making him lean back. He asked incredulously, "Say it again? When did I ever do such a thing? You even heard it with your own ears. Do you think I would split myself in two and deliberately put on this show in front of you? Are you sure you were watching me?"
Her usually calm heart was in turmoil today, like being tossed around and caught by a mischievous child—exciting and unpredictable.
She did stay at an inn outside the city, but she knew absolutely nothing about what Anhe was talking about.
She wasn't involved at all!
"Could it be that someone else did it, and you've mistaken it for something I did?" Zhao Liangxu asked with a hint of danger.
Given Anhe's extremely jealous nature, it's quite possible.
Anhe replied, "No, I listened carefully, and it sounded exactly like your voice. I was waiting outside the post station until you came out and I saw your face..."
He added, "Don't think I'm dirty. You know I've always been like this." He tugged at Zhao Liangxu's sleeve.
Anhe's voice was low, and every word was spoken with great determination: "After learning about this, I was so angry that I didn't know how to face you, which is why I stayed in the palace and didn't come back."
Zhao Liangxu interrupted him: "Wait a minute, tell me, the person you saw was me?"
“The people at the post station also said that you went back again, I’m sure of it…” An He became somewhat uncertain because of Zhao Liangxu’s question.
"Then let me ask you, if it were me, and Xia Yi and the others weren't with me at the time, then I should have been the one to send them away. Did you ask Xia Yi and Chun Yi? They were with me almost all the time. Did you also confirm from them that I was separated from them for a period of time? Anhe."
She called her own name directly again.
But Zhao Liangxu's words reminded An He.
He seemed to... genuinely not ask those two people, because he didn't want to confirm this already undeniable fact again from someone else's mouth, especially since he was almost driven to despair and death by anger when he first learned of it. He didn't want to take a knife and cut out his own heart again.
So...could it be someone else entirely?
"So you didn't ask those two a single question all these days, yet you're so certain that I did those things? I left the post station early that day and never went back."
Anhe subconsciously said, "But I didn't see your carriage on my way to the post station."
Zhao Liangxu said, "That's because I took a different path."
Zhao Liangxu noticed that An He had mentioned Zhou Feng at the beginning, and asked astutely, "You said you had a dispute with Zhou Feng, what dispute, was it about me?"
"He was the one who said that after you've seen how good men are, you'll think our family is useless..."
Zhao Liangxu tilted her head and looked at An He.
"And then you heard 'me' say something similar at the post station? And you would be furious." Zhao Liangxu stated precisely.
Anhe also realized something was wrong at this point.
If what Zhao Liangxu said is true, then he was completely wrong, and he had wronged Zhao Liangxu.
However, as Zhao Liangxu pressed for answers, her face remained expressionless; she focused intently on raising questions and finding the details that An He had overlooked.
"What about news about Zhao Chengxin? What kind of news makes you think I'm in danger? Isn't he under your control? It's Lu Ming, isn't it?"
Anhe nodded.
He followed Zhao Liangxu's train of thought and said, "So you mean the person I saw was... Lu Ming? Zhao Chengxin's female bodyguard, she's good at disguising herself."
Yes, that's very reasonable, extremely reasonable.
Being able to impersonate someone else and leaving no trace, the "Zhao Liangxu" he met was very likely Lu Ming in disguise.
Logically speaking, he should be able to make contact.
However, he was so angry at the time that he couldn't think straight, and he was troubled by the matter ever since...
Anhe wanted to tell Zhao Liangxu that it was his fault.
He misunderstood Zhao Liangxu.
However, Zhao Liangxu did not want to listen to An He's words at this moment. Instead, she continued to ask, "The information you obtained was a note? Where did the note come from? You should thoroughly investigate how these things of unknown origin ended up in your hands, right?"
Anhe said, "Yes, I later investigated the eunuch who served the tea and only found his body, which had been disfigured."
When Zhao Liangxu brought up the matter, An He's mind flashed back to the moment he saw the little eunuch, whose arm bore burn marks.
scald......
If it wasn't due to his own carelessness, then he must have been scalded by hot water poured on him by his master.
This type of punishment was commonplace in the past, mostly done by those who were favored or had fallen out of favor to their servants.
However, Li Ying is still young and has no harem at all, and the palace is somewhat more relaxed than before.
But there was one person who had a notorious reputation for punishing others.
Anhe tentatively reached out to shake Zhao Liangxu's hand, and he grasped it easily.
His mood improved a little.
Zhao Liangxu told him so much, and the doubts she uncovered should have caused him a lot of pain, but Zhao Liangxu did not shake him off.
He couldn't help but feel a surge of secret joy.
He will have someone investigate Zhou Mingxi tomorrow.
Zhou Mingxi was ruthless in punishing people, and he especially liked to target the eunuchs in the palace.
Zhao Liangxu noticed An He's change in expression and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Anhe replied, "I will have Zhang Sheng investigate the Empress Dowager's side tomorrow."
Empress Dowager...
Zhao Liangxu seemed thoughtful, and then raised one last point of doubt: "Don't you think that what Zhou Feng said to you was a bit too deliberate? Even if he deliberately said something disgusting, his guess was a bit accurate, wasn't it? Also, since you mentioned the Empress Dowager, I remember that her surname is also Zhou. What is her relationship with Zhou Feng?"
Anhe did indeed feel that Zhou Feng's barking came at the perfect time.
It was as if they knew something in advance.
However, a large part of the reason why Zhou Feng became the Grand General of Southern Zhou was due to his contributions in the campaign against Northern Zhou.
Given his temperament, he should look down on those defeated generals of the Northern Zhou.
It's highly unlikely that the people of Northern Zhou would seek refuge with Zhou Feng, someone with whom they had a deep-seated hatred for the destruction of their state.
But since Zhao Liangxu brought it up, he would naturally pay more attention. An He nodded and said, "The surname Nan Zhou is very common. I checked before, and the two people should not be related. But it's just a side thing. I'll have Zhang Sheng and the others check again."
Seeing that Zhao Liangxu had no further questions, An He began to probe more and more.
Anhe pressed her cheek against Zhao Liangxu's leg, and Zhao Liangxu did not resist.
He reached out and shook Zhao Liangxu's hand, and Zhao Liangxu did not refuse.
He wanted to get closer to Zhao Liangxu first before apologizing for his misunderstanding; he wanted to hug Zhao Liangxu.
But as soon as Anhe made a move, Zhao Liangxu said quietly, "Anhe, now that we've finished talking about the important matters, it's time for you to explain yourself."
"Why did you believe such a ridiculous thing without clarifying everything? Or do you genuinely believe that I would seek pleasure with others, and that you distrust me that much? You've been angry for days, refusing to explain yourself to me, leaving me guessing for days. Why did you suddenly change your personality, becoming so unpredictable? Is this fun?"
Anhe's movements and voice were both halting.
Zhao Liangxu continued, "After you took your suspicions seriously, your first reaction was to avoid me? Even if you go back to the manor, your mouth won't do you any good if I stand in front of you, am I right?"
Anhe couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
"If I hadn't figured it out myself, were you planning to keep quiet for the rest of your life?" Zhao Liangxu suddenly realized something. "Given Eunuch An's personality, if he's sulking, he'll probably take some action, right? You wouldn't... have someone secretly spy on me again, would you, to find my 'adulterer'?"
Zhao Liangxu knew An He all too well. As soon as she saw An He's eyes widen slightly, she knew she had guessed correctly.
Anhe hurriedly said, "I... I won't let them monitor me anymore tomorrow. It was my fault, and you have every right to be angry."
He seemed to have tasted the sweetness of showing weakness, and then took Zhao Liangxu's hand and pressed it against his face.
Zhao Liangxu was too lazy to say anything more and directly ordered Anhe, "You can sleep on the couch or on the floor tonight, it's up to you. I'm still angry."
She wanted to lie back down on the bed, and Anhe didn't dare to stop her.
But when Zhao Liangxu turned around, she saw the tray she had picked up on the soft couch, and her forehead twitched involuntarily.
"...Take the tray away, it's in the way."
Seeing the items above, Zhao Liangxu didn't have time to laugh or cry.
Anhe prepared these things because he heard the words "unsatisfied" and wanted to make up for it.
An He was not discouraged when he heard Zhao Liangxu's resolute tone of refusal.
She didn't hate herself, nor did she despise her dark inner self; such a reaction was already a great favor to him.
Zhao Liangxu, such a compassionate person.
He will never let Zhao Liangxu go in his entire life.
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Author's Note: I'm still deciding whether to include some small interactions in the main text or in the side stories. I'll think about it for a few days.
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