Chapter 208 This one strike settles everything
As soon as the person went out, the guard was startled by the lady who appeared in front of him.
It stood silently at the doorway, its duration unknown.
Seeing that he had been standing motionless at the door for a long time, Pei Yanzhi flipped through the memorial in his hand and asked, "Is there anything else?"
The masked guard slowly turned his face toward the inner room and whispered, "My lord, the lady has arrived."
Pei Yanzhi paused in his writing, looked up and saw Ji Shu standing at the door.
She didn't say anything, just looked at him calmly.
An inexplicable sense of oppression spread through the air.
The guards hurriedly retreated, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.
Looking up, he saw Wu Yang standing in the corridor, raising an eyebrow at him as if to say, "See? The lady remembers you. Who told you to report on official business while the lord is ill!"
"..."
This was the first time Pei Yanzhi had seen her since waking up. For some reason, he was captivated by her gaze and felt inexplicably uneasy.
He hesitated for a while, then tried to get up, but was pulled back by the still-healing arrow wound on his back.
Ji Shu stood not far away and watched as his brows suddenly furrowed in pain. She quickly stepped forward and placed the teapot on the table.
He retorted angrily, "Are you out of your mind? I saved you from the clutches of the King of Hell, not so you could be treated like this!"
"If you want to die, then die far away and don't get in my way."
Pei Yanzhi clutched his chest and looked at her. Seeing how angry she was, he knew that she cared about him even more.
Actually, it was just a little pain. I was afraid she would turn around and leave because I saw that she looked angry, so I pretended that my wound was in pain.
His face was pale, and he muttered to himself, "I don't know how many more years I can live with this body. The imperial physician said two years ago that my chronic illness has been lingering for too long and I'm afraid it will be difficult to cure completely."
"So, Shu'er, are you still angry?"
Seeing that she still didn't speak, and noticing that her eyes were red and swollen, it was clear that she had been crying.
Suddenly, I felt like I had eaten a sour apricot, my heart was filled with bitterness and astringency.
He continued, "Perhaps Heaven felt that I had committed too many sins and did not want everything to go as I wished. Now that I have saved you, I have no regrets."
After saying that, he sighed deeply and saw that her hands, which were hanging down in her sleeves, were clenched tightly. He reached out and gently covered them with his own.
"Now that you can accompany me on this final journey, I am already content."
Ji Shu recalled her dream and the image of his lonely passing, and her expression softened.
Looking down at him, she said softly, "You don't have to be discouraged. It's not entirely hopeless. As long as you take good care of yourself and take your medicine properly, there is a great chance that you can recover."
“Grandfather’s medical skills are excellent. In a few days, when you are feeling better, I will have him come to the mansion to take a look at you. I have examined your pulse before, and although it was difficult to understand, it was not entirely hopeless.”
Pei Yanzhi feigned sadness: "But, as you said, I know my body needs constant care. If I entrust the treatment to someone else, what if it doesn't heal properly..."
He didn't say anything more, his dark eyes fixed on her, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Ji Shu then came to her senses. What he meant was simply that he wanted someone to take care of him, but who that person was, did it need to be said?
He was both annoyed and resentful, but his tone gradually softened: "I believe that as long as Your Majesty speaks up, countless people in the Luoyang Palace will want to serve you personally."
"As long as you take your medicine properly every day and take good care of yourself, that will be fine."
Pei Yanzhi saw that she had seemed to be softening just a moment ago, but now she immediately reverted to her stubborn and unyielding self.
He pursed his thin lips and said, "Even if you recover, what good will it do? The person you want isn't by your side. Even if you recover, you'll still be all alone."
"If that's the case, it's better to just let it go..."
Ji Shu's heart tightened. For some reason, she could hear a hint of despair in his tone, as if it were all over.
"Should I really just let him die like this?" she asked herself.
Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, staring blankly at the memorials on the table, he simply got up; this was his last chance.
He has now woken up, and once he recovers, given her personality, she will absolutely not stay.
If we can't get them to agree now, it will be even more difficult later.
He stepped forward, his tall figure casting her into shadow. Ji Shu looked up in surprise.
"Shu'er, am I really that hateful? So hateful that even though you clearly care, you still refuse to come back with me? Qinghe needs you... and I need you too..."
He pulled a dagger from under the table, and Ji Shu looked at it closely; the dagger looked very familiar.
It turned out to be the same one he had given me back in Yanzhou.
Pei Yanzhi took out the scabbard, casually tossed it onto the desk, and handed the hilt to her.
Ji Shu was taken aback, wondering what he was going to do.
He pointed the blade at his chest, and Ji Shu exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing?"
A smile appeared on Pei Yanzhi's pale face. "I've thought about it. Your hatred for me is definitely related to the time I strangled you in Yang County and the things you overheard in the study. Since that's the case... how about you return the favor and we're even?"
Ji Shu's hands trembled violently as she tried to break free, but he held them firmly.
She watched helplessly as the gleaming tip of the knife in her hand sliced through the fabric, and for a moment, she could even feel the warmth on her skin.
"Are you crazy? Are you crazy?!"
She clenched her teeth, her eyes were red-rimmed, and her wrists were gripped so tightly they were red, she couldn't escape his control at all.
Pei Yanzhi's face was as white as paper. He held her hand and continued to push, and blood quickly seeped out, staining Ji Shu's eyes red.
"I've been insane for a long time, ever since you left!"
At this moment, the tip of the knife had already penetrated half an inch, and fresh blood dripped onto the back of Ji Shu's hand.
Her heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly, and tears finally streamed down her face uncontrollably.
"Stop pushing me..."
Pei Yanzhi's hand slowly stopped, he raised his eyes to look at her, and suddenly smiled: "Shu'er, are you satisfied now?"
Ji Shu suddenly closed her eyes, momentarily at a loss for words, and roared, "You're a madman, a complete and utter madman!"
"Are you only satisfied after driving me crazy?"
Pei Yanzhi coughed and chuckled, finally loosening his grip on his blood-stained fingers.
The dagger clattered down his clothes and fell to the ground, blood streaming uncontrollably from his chest.
But at this moment, he seemed to feel no pain, staring intently at Ji Shu with a deep gaze, as if he wanted to etch her into his very bones.
He remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "If you don't make a move, I'll take it as you not hating me..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he staggered back into his chair, his chest soaked with blood that was still seeping out.
He still held her hand tightly and said, "Since you are unwilling to stab me in the back, I assume you are willing to stay."
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