Chapter 64 You're even throwing a tantrum at me for running away! ...
"Zhang Heye has served as an official for over thirty years, resulting in more than a hundred murders and accumulating nearly 700,000 taels of silver. Now, he has also colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, which is intolerable to Heaven and Earth. Your Majesty is already aware of this. Send him and his family to the Imperial Prison to await their fate."
Anhe had long known about Zhang Heye's sordid deeds. The evidence against him was irrefutable, and the punishment depended on Anhe's mood. If Zhang Heye hadn't provoked Anhe, he might have been able to leave with a complete corpse, and his family might have survived as slaves.
His reckless insults towards An He had already angered An He enough, and now this attack, with the wound on the back of his hand, had further fueled An He's bloodlust. It was only because he didn't kill Zhang Heye on the spot that he showed his good temper.
After explaining Zhang Heye's situation in a few words, An He squinted at the servant who was forced to open his mouth and was unable to commit suicide.
He still dared to attempt an assassination in public?
Zhao Chengxin and his men are utter scoundrels!
"As for him, put him in the imperial prison as well. Take good care of him and make sure he doesn't die."
The word "serve" was used with emphasis, and everyone knew it wasn't a compliment.
Anhe didn't bother to look at the indignant servant again; he'd have plenty of time to settle scores later.
An He's injured hand hung limply, blood still dripping down his palm and knuckles. After hastily arranging things for the two of them, he looked at Zhao Liangxu in his arms.
Very well, she was unharmed.
Zhao Liangxu was being held by An He's arm. She was about to look up and say something, but before she could speak, An He pushed her away.
"?"
Zhao Liangxu was confused by An He's contradictory behavior.
An He's expression was unreadable. He had only gone out for a walk to clear his head, but one unpleasant thing after another had happened. After bandaging his wounds, he really couldn't be bothered to stay in this place any longer.
Those who remained at the banquet were also taken away by the Imperial Guards for questioning.
"Eunuch An."
Zhao Liangxu called out to An He, "How long will they be interrogated?"
Anhe stopped, turned to look at her, remained silent for a moment, and simply uttered three words: "Depends on my mood."
It turns out they stopped him because of those people, not because of him.
He stood far away from Zhao Liangxu, and didn't look at her specifically. Occasionally, his eyes would fall on Zhao Liangxu, but it was like a dragonfly skimming the water, and his gaze never lingered on her like a vine.
“But some people shouldn’t be imprisoned.” She was referring to Hazard and Yu Yan, among others.
Anhe sneered inwardly upon hearing this.
Nowadays, Zhao Liangxu knows a wide variety of people, from all walks of life.
His act of shielding Zhao Liangxu from the dagger in his moment of panic was subconscious. He knew he liked Zhao Liangxu, but he never imagined that he would get hurt because of his feelings for her.
No, he should know, he just deliberately avoids it.
He felt that at most he would only give Zhao Liangxu some preferential treatment and favor. If it really involved important interests, how could he not consider and weigh the pros and cons?
But reality told him that he didn't want Zhao Liangxu to get hurt, and he was even willing to give up his own interests.
Money, power, and life are all in his interest.
Even though it was just a cut on the back of his hand, without injuring anything serious, he realized that he hadn't had time to think before he did it.
It was a behavior that even terrified him.
Zhao Liangxu said she liked him, would she do the same for him?
Will you see him in any danger and instinctively do something to take care of him?
Anhe was unaware that such a thing had never happened before.
But he dared not fantasize about any dreamlike possibilities, and could only imagine the worst scenarios, such as Zhao Liangxu running far away in a similar situation.
She cherishes her life very much; it's perfectly reasonable for her to do this.
They might even push him out to take the blow for them.
Anhe thought with extreme gloom.
If she dies, she will also find relief.
He wanted to stay far away from Zhao Liangxu, not wanting her to control his thoughts anymore, or even endanger his life.
This was terrible; he was hopelessly trapped in such a horrific situation.
Zhao Liangxu cherished his life, and so did he. He couldn't bear to give up the power and status he held; he wanted to live to enjoy it all.
The solution to this thorny problem is actually quite simple: the most direct method is to nip the problem in the bud.
Once he killed Zhao Liangxu, everything would be resolved.
An He glanced at Zhao Liangxu again. What a jerk she was, calling him over for someone else.
Zhao Liangxu is so annoying, he should be killed!
But... he couldn't bear to part with it.
Anhe could only say in a sinister tone, "Princess Zhao, at a time like this, you still care about others? Others probably wish they could spread your sordid situation to the whole capital. Shouldn't you pray that they all die in prison?"
Her sordid situation stemmed from being publicly exposed by a eunuch as being a eunuch's woman.
“Eunuch An knows that’s not what I think.”
Zhao Liangxu frowned and said, "She has made it so clear that she likes An He, so why is he now distancing himself from her even more?"
It has become so strange and unpredictable.
An He noticed that Zhao Liangxu's complexion was not as bright as before, and he sneered knowingly.
He thought Zhao Liangxu had run into a wall, and he felt very unhappy.
An He didn't want to get entangled with Zhao Liangxu any longer; the less contact he had with Zhao Liangxu, the more at ease he would be.
He had only taken a few steps out the door when Zhao Liangxu quickly caught up with him.
Hearing the hurried footsteps behind him, he knew it was Zhao Liangxu. He thought that Zhao Liangxu wanted to say a few more sweet words to him, even if they were a little hypocritical. He thought that if Zhao Liangxu said a few more slightly insincere sweet words, he would just have to swallow his pride and do as she wished.
He unconsciously slowed his pace.
However, Zhao Liangxu walked right past him without stopping, and went straight ahead.
No, it paused for a moment.
She glared at him, and it looked like she rolled her eyes.
Has she gone too far?!
Anhe almost choked on her breath. Not only did she not offer any explanation, she even got angry.
He was so angry that he didn't even have time to call out to Zhao Liangxu before she disappeared around the corner.
Am I spoiling her too much?
Anhe, seething with anger, left the courtyard gate, where his carriage was still parked.
As Anhe stepped out of the door, he saw Zhao Liangxu sitting in the carriage directly in front of him.
She sat on the edge of the carriage, looking down at him with her eyes slightly lowered.
"Oh, Princess Zhao is sitting here?" An He didn't care about avoiding Zhao Liangxu at this point; she actually dared to glare at him.
Zhao Liangxu crossed her arms and looked at him with an arrogant expression.
An He made a move to get into the carriage, but Zhao Liangxu didn't move. So he frowned and said, "Get out of the way! You're blocking our way."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Liangxu not only did not move aside, but also leaned one arm against the outer edge of the carriage, raising her eyebrows and looking at him with an air of composure.
Anhe now understood that Zhao Liangxu had done it on purpose.
Zhao Liangxu deliberately blocked him from getting into the carriage. Was she throwing a tantrum?
"You're throwing a tantrum now, Zhao Liangxu?" An He raised his voice, speaking to Zhao Liangxu incredulously.
"Yes, Eunuch An."
An He laughed angrily: "You actually admit it!"
"Get out of here!"
Zhao Liangxu didn't move, and simply said, "No."
"you!"
An He stared at Zhao Liangxu with wide eyes; he was utterly fed up with today!
After staring at each other for a long time, Anhe was the first to give in.
"Someone come here!" A plain-looking member of the Imperial Guard came over as soon as he heard the voice.
"Take those people from the banquet back and question them however you like. Don't bother with your little attempts to flatter me," An He ordered his men in a curt tone. He added, "As for the Persian caravan... give them a quick interrogation and release them. Get out of here!"
The subordinate, having received the order, bowed and scraped as he left.
Before leaving, he bowed repeatedly to Zhao Liangxu.
Anhe kicked him: "Get out of here!"
After hearing this, Zhao Liangxu acted as if nothing had happened, got into the carriage first, and then poked her head out to call out to An He: "Eunuch An, come on up, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
An He pointed at Zhao Liangxu with a grimace, unable to utter a single curse.
He flicked his sleeve and snorted heavily, his eyes sweeping over the Imperial Guard he had given the orders to.
The Imperial Guards were watching Zhao Liangxu's reckless behavior with wide eyes, but to their surprise, An He said nothing. Although he was furious, he did not say anything about punishing Princess Zhao.
Has Your Majesty changed your ways today?
Sensing An He's threatening gaze, he lowered his head like a quail.
“Look again, I’ll gouge out your dog eyes and keep looking,” Anhe said coldly.
The Imperial Guards lowered their heads even further.
Nothing has changed; the Ninth Prince remains the same.
An He entered the carriage and found Zhao Liangxu sitting in the corner, propping her face up and looking out the window. She smiled faintly and said, "Eunuch An," after he entered.
She became less enthusiastic and stopped getting close to him.
But just now, it was clearly her who angered him and made him grit his teeth.
Anhe gets angry whenever he sees Zhao Liangxu. She's heartless; she took the injury for her, and now she's taking it out on him.
He then sat on the other side without inviting Zhao Liangxu to come to his side.
The carriage was extremely quiet, filled with an atmosphere of silence.
The two didn't say much more along the way. After arriving at the An residence, Zhao Liangxu went back to her home located next to the An residence.
When Zhang Sheng was waiting for An He at the door, he saw Zhao Liangxu get off the carriage and his eyes were filled with surprise.
My godfather must have gone to handle some important business with the Embroidered Uniform Guard. How come he's back now with Zhao Liangxu on his back?
Zhang Sheng didn't dare to ask too many questions. An He's face when she got out of the car was just as striking as Mo Yan's, so anyone who saw it would know that speaking less was the best option at this moment.
Zhang Sheng went to greet her and noticed that An He's hands were wrapped in plain cloth, with blood slowly seeping from the center of the pale white cloth strips.
"Godfather, what's wrong with you!" Zhang Sheng exclaimed in surprise.
An He's eyes were still fixed on Zhao Liangxu, who had her back to him; she wouldn't even spare him a glance.
The quiet and stillness along the way allowed Anhe to gradually calm down after the initial chaos.
Thinking it over carefully, Zhao Liangxu hadn't done anything to wrong him. On the contrary, he had publicly humiliated Zhao Liangxu by declaring her his woman.
Any girl would feel ashamed after hearing this.
How should Zhao Liangxu conduct herself and interact with others in the future?
He could tell that Zhao Liangxu wasn't angry, but he really couldn't be sure what she was thinking.
Zhao Liangxu suppressed her inner bitterness and wanted to let go of her few friends, but he, because of his own dirty little thoughts, spoke coldly to Zhao Liangxu.
Is this why Zhao Liangxu has become distant?
Anhe felt a pang of anguish as he thought about it, yet he had also been insulted like that at the banquet!
The harsh words he uttered in a fit of anger now fill him with both regret and resentment.
He said in a muffled voice, "Go back to the study!"
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Author's Note: Guess if the next chapter will feature a slap or a kiss?
A lottery has been set up; everyone can participate as they see fit. The draw will take place on the 11th.
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