40 Reconciliation
◎Did I hurt you?◎
Qiu Luo felt that there was something strange about his young lady, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
When her son-in-law came back in the evening, the depressed young lady's eyes suddenly lit up and she followed her son-in-law to the study. Qiu Luo smiled and nodded as if she understood something.
How could she know that Wei Ziyan was worried about Liu Yuer, and as soon as she heard that Yan Qi had returned from the Ministry of Justice prison, she immediately chased him to the study.
"How is Sister Liu?"
"Don't worry, no one will torture her."
Seeing her rushing in alone, Yan Qizhen had no choice but to put down what he was holding, walked forward to help her sit down, and told her in detail what had happened during the interrogation today.
Yu Sugong took Wu Guanyi and Liu Yuer back and locked them up in the Ministry of Justice prison as ordered.
Minister Wu angrily pointed at his son and scolded him. If Yu Sugong had not persuaded him, he would have beaten the stubborn devil.
Furious with his son, Wu Shangshu was not in a good mood towards Liu Yu'er. However, Liu Yu'er remained unmoved by his cold questioning and insisted on seeing the Crown Prince.
His Highness is a noble and precious person, how can she see him whenever she wants?
Seeing that she refused to speak, Minister Wu threatened to torture her. However, Liu Yu'er remained undeterred by the threat and insisted, "I won't say a single word unless I see the Crown Prince."
Yan Qi arrived just in time to break the deadlock. He informed Minister Wu that Liu's two brothers had been ambushed by bandits and that Liu Yu'er had come to Liangjing incognito to avenge her brothers.
Combining the information he learned from Wei Ziyan, he has guessed part of the truth.
As the only survivor of the ambush, Zhang Chao must have seen or heard something, and therefore was certain that the bandits were actually soldiers in disguise, and the one who wanted to kill the Liu brothers was the powerful Crown Prince of Liangjing.
The officers and soldiers disguised as bandits just proved that those chasing them with County Magistrate Luo were also fake bandits. In addition, Yu Sugong got a clue at Guanyun Villa - the man named Wu Ge had a Chenmen tattoo on his neck.
Therefore, the mastermind behind the pursuit at Guanyun Villa must be the same person who assassinated the prince in Yinglin.
This person was afraid that Liu Yuer would reveal his secret, so he was anxious to kill her to silence her.
"What secret does Sister Liu know?" Wei Ziyan was very surprised to hear this.
"Only she knows this." Yan Qizhen replied.
Just like how Zhang Chao could mistakenly think that the murderer was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, only Liu Yuer could explain it.
Since she had dared to seek revenge on the Crown Prince, she had already disregarded her own life, and even torture would not have been able to force the truth out of her. Minister Wu understood this, and suppressing his anger, he personally went to report the situation to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince wanted to uncover the truth as soon as possible, so he went to the prison to interrogate Liu Yu'er. At the outset, the Crown Prince told her, "I did not send anyone to kill your brother. I am not the murderer."
Even if Liu Yu'er didn't believe the prince, she still believed what Yan Qizhen and Yu Sugong said.
When all the evidence pointed to one conclusion: the person who killed her brother was the same person who assassinated the prince, Liu Yuer revealed the inside story.
When the caravan led by her brother was ambushed, Zhang Chao heard with his own ears what one of the bandits said to her brother.
"If you want to blame someone, blame your bad luck for hearing things you shouldn't have heard. That person is a ruthless person who followed him to become the emperor. How could he allow you to live in this world?"
Who else would be the emperor if not the crown prince?
Zhang Chao escaped the disaster by holding his breath and pretending to be dead. He waited for the group to leave and tried to save his boss. Unfortunately, one of them had already died, and the other one, with his last breath, left behind eight words.
"Tell Yu'er to go away. Keep her identity secret."
Zhang Chao secretly returned to the Liu family, found Miss Liu, and told her everything. Therefore, the body in the cemetery was not Zhang Chao, and Miss Liu also died of depression after the funeral.
Miss Liu faked her death and came to Liangjing, changing her name to Liu Yuer, looking for an opportunity to take revenge.
By chance, Zhang Chao got in touch with people from the Shen family and volunteered to join the operation to assassinate the prince.
"I did meet Zhang Chao in the capital." Liu Yuer confessed.
"At the time, he told me he would find a chance to avenge his brother, but he didn't reveal his specific plans. It was only after I saw the reward notice posted by the government that I realized he was also in the cherry forest that day."
"He died to avenge the Liu family. I can't do anything for him except light a perpetual lamp for him in the Taoist temple."
"Did the prince believe what Sister Liu said?" After a moment of silence, Wei Ziyan asked again.
"I believe it about 80% of the time." Yan Qizheng said truthfully, "After all, it still doesn't explain why the murderer wanted to silence her."
Wei Ziyan said anxiously, "Of course Zhang Chao is not dead and has even met Sister Liu. The murderer is afraid that Sister Liu has also heard 'things she shouldn't hear'."
"It is indeed very likely, but the prince still has doubts at the moment."
Wei Ziyan's heart tightened: "Then how will the prince deal with Sister Liu?"
"Don't worry, I won't embarrass her."
The prince said that Zhang Chao's joining the Shen Clan was a surprise to the murderer. If Zhang Chao hadn't been exposed, they wouldn't have been able to pursue him to Northern Frontier. In this respect alone, Zhang Chao actually helped them.
Therefore, the prince did not intend to pursue Zhang Chao and the Liu family.
More importantly, the "ruthless man who follows to become the emperor" mentioned by the bandits must be the fourth prince, King Liao.
Since the King of Liao is determined to seize the crown prince's throne, he will definitely continue to act. The real culprit behind this is definitely his right-hand man, and it is very likely that he is in the court. The most urgent task now is to find this person.
The prince kept Liu Yu'er with the intention of using her to lure the snake out of its hole.
"Can I visit him in prison?" Wei Ziyan couldn't help but worry when she heard that Liu Yu'er was going to be used as bait in the end.
"Your sister Liu told you to rest and recuperate first, and we'll talk about it later." Yan Qizheng looked at her softly, "Master Yu has already sent more people, so there won't be any mistakes."
Seeing that she still had a worried look in her eyes, Yan Qizheng said again: "If you are worried, I will visit her every day for you."
Wei Ziyan turned to look at him unexpectedly, feeling guilty.
I used to scold him and regard him as a cold-hearted and cowardly person, but he not only saved me, but was also willing to help me.
"I'm sorry... I misunderstood you before."
Yan Qizheng curled his lips, thinking that her cautious admission of fault was really cute, and couldn't help but teasing her: "Will you scold me again in the future?"
Wei Ziyan quickly shook her head.
Who knew that this movement would inexplicably bring out the empty rumbling in her stomach? Wei Ziyan's face was embarrassed. Yan Qizheng smiled slightly, stood up and held out his hand to her: "Let's go, it's time to eat."
Dinner had been served in the house early. The eldest son and the young mistress came in together, both of them with relaxed looks on their faces. Xing'er and Qiu Luo saw it and were delighted.
It had been a long time since Fuxi Hall had seen such a harmonious scene between its masters. The eldest son and the young mistress sat next to each other, one serving soup for the other and the other serving dishes for the other.
Qiu Luo pulled Xing'er to stand far away to avoid disturbing them.
Bai'er was also sensible. He curled up quietly under the table without making any sound.
After the meal, Yan Qi went back to the study to deal with some things. Wei Ziyan played with Bai Er for a while and went to the bathroom to wash up.
Qiu Luo opened two boxes, looking for the silk pajamas that the young lady liked. Just as she took them out, a deep voice came from behind her: "Why don't you put them back in the closet?"
Seeing that it was the eldest son, Qiu Luo hurriedly replied, "The young lady said to leave it like this for now to get rid of the bad luck."
Yan Qizhen frowned slightly.
Somehow, he didn't look like he was going to bring bad luck, but more like he was going to leave at any time.
no.
It was an eyesore to him when it was left like that.
"Put it away. It looks ugly lying on the ground."
Qiu Luo was eager: "Okay, young master."
She was very nimble and in no time she had emptied several boxes. Yan Qizheng called Xu Ji in and asked him to move all the boxes back to the warehouse and lock them up.
Wei Ziyan didn't notice the changes in the room. She came out of the bathroom, went straight to the bed and lowered the bed curtains.
"Miss," Qiu Luo came over to apply ointment on her back and reported in a low voice, "Everything in the box has been put back in place."
Wei Ziyan was slightly startled: "Didn't I tell you not to move yet?"
"It was the eldest master's order." Qiu Luo said with confidence, "The eldest master said it would be a mess if left alone."
“…”
Well, she had nothing to say.
Wei Ziyan shut up, muttering a little dissatisfiedly: "You listen to his words very quickly."
Qiu Luo continued to rub her back with a smile: "I will listen to anything you say for the young lady's good."
After applying the medicine, Qiu Luo left. Wei Ziyan put on her pajamas and sat on the bed, looking at the two pillows with her heart beating slightly.
She had already asked Yan Qizheng to sleep on the bed, so he should... come, right? Thinking of this, she unconsciously raised her arm and sniffed.
Just when she felt that the smell of the ointment was not too bad, she suddenly realized that she had gone outside the Five Fingers Mountain. Wei Ziyan buried her face in embarrassment, her ears started to burn, and she quickly crawled into the quilt inside and wrapped herself tightly.
Soon, Yan Qizheng's footsteps were heard, approaching the bedside. Wei Ziyan squinted her eyes and saw a figure in white pajamas sitting on the edge of the bed, slowly rolling up his sleeves.
She continued to peek with half-closed eyes and saw him loosen the bandage on his arm and pick up a small bottle to pour it.
Wei Ziyan remembered this bottle, which contained golden healing medicine.
When she injured her arm, she relied on it to heal the wound. Every time Qiu Luo applied medicine to her, she would first pour a little, then spread it carefully with gauze, and finally bandage it, which required both hands.
Can Yan Qizhen change the bandage on himself?
"Do you need my help?" As she thought about it, the words came out of her mouth.
Yan Qizheng paused in his medicine bottle grabbing the sound, turning his head only slightly to the side without looking back at her. Wei Ziyan quickly grabbed the smock from the pillow, put it on, and moved to his right.
It’s a good opportunity to see if it’s true as he said, that it’s just a minor injury?
A scarlet wound pierced his muscular arm. It wasn't as deep as hers, but it wasn't just a superficial wound; it had penetrated deep into the flesh, and the wound was slightly longer than hers.
He didn't rest at home that day, and the wound was still bleeding a little, which looked creepy.
Wei Ziyan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she applied the medicine to him very gently, fearing that the slightest force would hurt him.
Don’t you know that the softer the touch, the more itchy it makes you feel? Yan Qi was trying hard to hold it back, but the strange feeling seemed to reach his heart, causing him to clench his fist unconsciously.
"Did I hurt you?" Wei Ziyan was suddenly startled when she felt the stiffness around the wound.
"No..." Yan Qizheng exhaled and unclenched his fist. "I'm used to it. You don't have to be so careful."
The pair of beautiful eyes in front of me slowly raised up.
"Are you used to it? Do you get hurt often?"
"Not really." He was agile and ordinary people couldn't hurt him. "Anyway, it's not the first time."
Wei Ziyan believed this.
The sight of him slaughtering everyone in the cherry forest is still vivid in my mind.
When he rushed to rescue her last night, he had also swiftly killed Fifth Brother's men. But not getting hurt once or twice was just luck; no matter how skilled one was in martial arts, one couldn't guarantee a safe escape every time.
Then... Wei Ziyan suddenly thought of a question, who hurt him last night?
"How did you get hurt?"
Yan Qi was looking at her with his eyes downcast.
At that time, he and Wu Guanyi rushed to the villa, but only saw Liu Yu'er and not her. During the fight, he heard her tumbling down the valley, and was distracted, and was stabbed in the arm.
"Swords have no eyes," he said lightly, "there's no guarantee that there won't be times when you fail."
Wei Ziyan was about to say something, but Yan Qizheng handed her a clean gauze and said, "It's time to wrap it."
"oh……"
With this interruption, Wei Ziyan's attention turned to bandaging his wound.
"Tighten it."
"good."
"Two more wraps."
"oh."
Yan Qizhen couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips. He had never seen her so well-behaved.
"Is this okay?" Wei Ziyan raised her eyes.
"Well," Yan Qizheng pressed down the corner of his mouth, "tie it tighter."
Hearing this, Wei Ziyan pulled the knot hard.
"Okay."
Hearing this, Wei Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief.
Although it’s not as neatly wrapped as Qiu Luo’s, it’s still passable.
Yan Qizheng put down his sleeves and said to her, "You go to sleep first."
Wei Ziyan nodded, waited for him to leave, took off her coat, and crawled back into bed. But... another question came to her mind: Yan Qi's right arm was injured. Would she touch his wound at night?
She'd been used to sleeping alone since she was little, so her sleeping posture wasn't particularly good. Of course, it wasn't too bad either. Besides, they each slept in their own bed, so she wouldn't be able to flip over two layers of quilts, would she?
Still lost in thought, Yan Qi was tiptoeing back to his bedroom when the light in the room suddenly dimmed, and Wei Ziyan's eyelids twitched.
In the darkness, someone sat on the bed and then lay down beside her.
Wei Ziyan closed her eyes, her heart pounding. The sound seemed inaudible, yet audible. She quietly moved a hand up, as if to suppress it.
The surroundings were so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and Wei Ziyan's breathing began to become tense.
Suddenly, a voice came out——
"Asleep?"
"Um..." Wei Ziyan said softly, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing." Yan Qizheng's voice fell into his ears again, "I asked Qiu Luo to put the things in the box away, and I forgot to tell you."
"Oh, I know."
"When you feel better, I'll go with you to Xuanyi Temple to get rid of the bad luck."
“…”
Didn’t she say this to Qiu Luo?
Wei Ziyan was extremely embarrassed, but fortunately he couldn't see it at that time.
"……good."
"Go to sleep."
"Um."
Afterwards, Yan Qizheng turned sideways with his back to her, and there was no more movement...
"Master, I always feel something is wrong."
In the Wei Mansion, Mrs. Wei and Mr. Wei were about to go to bed.
"Do you think the conflict between Yan'er and Qi Zheng's horoscopes hasn't been resolved yet?" Madam Wei worried. "They've only been married for a short time, and she's already run away from home, and even encountered an assassin!"
After hearing this, Master Wei remained silent.
"Luckily, Yan'er was smart and only got a big bump. If she had been more unlucky, who knows..." Madam Wei became more and more alarmed as she spoke. "If she continues to be unlucky like this, what will we do?"
"Don't be too suspicious."
Mr. Wei had the same idea in his mind, but he still had to comfort his wife.
"Didn't Qi Zheng save Yan'er? This means that the conflict has been resolved! It means that the two of them can turn danger into safety when they are together."
Madam Wei was skeptical when she heard this, so Master Wei said, "Why don't you go to Xuanyi Temple tomorrow and ask for a protective amulet for your daughter to bless her."
Following her master's advice, Madam Wei went to Xuanyi Temple early the next morning and asked the abbot to personally perform a ritual to consecrate the temple. After leaving the temple, she drove to the Yan Mansion.
When Mrs. Wei arrived, Wei Ziyan had just finished breakfast and was enthusiastically playing with Bai Er with a cat ball.
After a night passed, Wei Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief when she woke up in the morning and saw herself wrapped safely in the quilt.
Because she slept well last night, her complexion improved significantly, and the swelling on her forehead had mostly disappeared. Wei Ziyan was in a good mood.
Qiu Luo saw it all, pursed her lips and smiled without saying anything. Wei Ziyan looked up and glanced at her: "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing." Qiu Luo said cleverly, "If the young lady is happy, then I'm happy too."
Wei Ziyan gave her another sidelong glance.
The last time Yan Qi was sleeping in the same bed with her, the maids had the same expression. Just as she was about to tell her not to let her thoughts run wild, her mother suddenly arrived.
"Mom, why... are you here?"
Wei Ziyan welcomed her mother into the house, and she swallowed the "again" that was coming again in time.
"I just went to get a peace amulet." Madam Wei looked at the bump on her daughter's forehead with concern. "The abbot told me to wear it close to my body to turn misfortune into good fortune."
"Why are you asking for talismans so early in the morning?" Wei Ziyan was surprised.
Mrs. Wei ignored her daughter's question, took out a small sachet, and hung it around her waist with her own hands, saying, "The talisman is in the sachet. Remember to wear it every day."
Seeing her mother's serious look, Wei Ziyan thought it was out of worry about her being in danger. Feeling guilty but not wanting her mother to worry too much, she smiled and hugged Madam Wei: "Daughter, I understand. Mother is so kind!"
Madam Wei sighed and pushed her away.
"You should also be more careful. Don't be so careless. Don't forget your eight... Don't forget the pain after the scar has healed. It's dangerous outside. It's better to stay at home!"
Wei Ziyan nodded honestly: "Well, my daughter knows she was wrong."
"Oh..." Mrs. Wei sighed again.
Her daughter is always quick to admit her mistakes verbally, but she never really learns any lesson.
This trip was solely to give her a peace charm, and she had no intention of mentioning the conflicting horoscopes, lest her daughter develop the same wild suspicions. Madam Wei sat and drank tea for a moment, spoke a few words of concern, and then left.
Before leaving, he reminded his daughter: "In a few days, you should go to the temple to worship yourself."
Wei Ziyan forced a smile and said, "I will definitely go."
Qiu Luo escorted Madam Wei out on behalf of the young lady, and was quietly pulled aside by the lady to ask, "Have the son-in-law and the young lady reconciled?"
"Let's make peace."
Qiu Luo reported to his wife that the two of them had dinner together and slept in the same bed yesterday.
"This morning, the eldest master told me not to disturb the young lady and let her rest more."
"Oh, the eldest master even helped the young lady put her hands and feet into the quilt and tucked in the corners."
"Also, the eldest master came to rescue the young lady, but he was injured and didn't care about it. He was only concerned about whether the young lady was injured. I can see that the eldest master is sincere to the young lady."
Qiu Luo couldn't possibly make up a story to deceive her, so Madam Wei felt much more relieved.
It was inevitable for a couple to quarrel. Her daughter was used to being willful, and Yan Qizheng had a stubborn temper, so it was normal for them to quarrel over a few words. As long as the two of them treated each other sincerely, they could move on from the past.
So, Madam Wei instructed Qiu Luo: "You better be careful. If they quarrel again, try to persuade them."
"If the quarrel gets serious, send someone to inform me immediately. Under no circumstances will your young lady be allowed to run away from home again."
"Yes, I will keep it in mind."
As soon as Madam Wei left, Madam Yan arrived. She didn't take the amulet with her, but instead had someone bring a huge Taishan stone to bear and place it at the gate.
According to legend, this stone can drive away evil and keep people safe.
Madam Yan said, "With this to protect our home, we will surely live in peace and safety."
"Thank you, mother." Wei Ziyan welcomed Madam Yan into the house and served her tea.
Like Madam Wei, Madam Yan first expressed concern for the wound on her forehead. Finally, she inquired about the recent situation of Leng Xiang and the other maids.
"I was so angry at the time," Mrs. Yan sighed regretfully, "it's a pity that they suffered so much."
Seriously speaking, it was actually her fault. Wei Ziyan said hurriedly, "Mother should punish me."
"Why fine us? We all had a close call, it's over, don't take it to heart."
Madam Yan paused and continued, "Besides, if that brat Qi Zheng hadn't pissed you off and left, how could what happened later have happened? If you think about it in detail, it was he who caused the trouble."
this……
Wei Ziyan didn't expect that the blame would eventually be placed on Yan Qizhen.
"Zi Yan," Madam Yan patted the back of her hand and said kindly, "I know you're feeling aggrieved. We've been together so little since we got married. I finally waited for Qi Zheng to come back, and he quarreled with you again."
"Qi Zheng didn't like you before, but he was serious about marrying you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have insisted on getting married even if you had run away."
At this point, Madam Yan spoke more earnestly: "Qi Zheng is planning to live a good life with you. If you give him some time, he will slowly fall in love with you."
Wei Ziyan held the sachet that her mother had asked for in her hand, and when she thought about the stone tablet that had just been erected at the gate of the courtyard, her mood suddenly became complicated.
If she hadn't run away from home and quietly fled to the mountains, how could she have encountered an assassin? But neither her mother nor Madam Yan pursued the matter or scolded her.
Their partiality stems from the natural maternal love of one and the inner guilt of the other.
Her mother still believed that her horoscope was incompatible with Yan Qizheng's, while Madam Yan felt that she had been wronged by Yan Qizheng and had been disliked by him. Thus, they desperately sought a talisman for her and a sacred stone from Mount Tai.
They believed the lies she made up and tried their best to prevent her from suffering any injustice.
But, didn't Yan Qizheng feel wronged? He had already written a divorce letter, but he still had to sleep in the same bed with her just for show.
"Mother, it's not what you think. I and—"
"Mother."
A sudden voice interrupted Wei Ziyan's words. Madam Yan turned her head and saw her son coming in. Her face lit up with joy: "You're back."
"Yes, there's nothing important, so I went back early."
"You should come back earlier and spend more time with Ziyan." Mrs. Yan turned back with satisfaction and asked her daughter-in-law, "What were you going to say just now?"
"I--"
"Zi Yan wanted to say," Wei Zi Yan opened her mouth, but was interrupted by Yan Qi Zheng again.
"We have reconciled, mother don't have to worry."
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