Chapter 791: A Broken Mirror Reunited? It's Melted! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land is usually a joyous occasion, but only if this old friend isn't a former confidant—or perhaps a more fitting term would be "ex-boyfriend." His naive expression visibly darkened, before he quickly forced a polite smile.
"Why is Li Lang here too?"
The term "ex-boyfriend" was coined by the lord.
For men and women who have had a relationship but are not married, just use "ex-boyfriend/girlfriend" to refer to the relationship. Don't use the term "close friend" for every relationship between men and women, it really insults the word.
The man addressed as Li Lang hesitated for a moment before carrying his food tray and sitting down at the table with Shen Zhi. Although it was a corner table, it wasn't small, and his two friends sat down at Shen Zhi's invitation.
The atmosphere became incredibly awkward for a moment.
The two of them made an excuse to sit at the next table.
As Li Lang's good friends, they had known him for many years and were aware of his past romantic experiences. When he explained that it was "a girl from the Shen family," they remembered that their friend had indeed been close to a woman surnamed Shen in the past.
I heard that this young lady was born to a maid in the Shen household. She was not loved by her biological father from a young age, and the mistress of the house only treated her with superficial respect. In addition, her biological father did not hold a high official position, so it would be difficult for her to find a suitable match in the future. Somehow, she met a friend during a Buddhist pilgrimage and outing. The two were young people in the prime of their youth, and they had no prejudice against social status. They fell in love after a while.
However, this young lady was unlucky, having a power-hungry father. When Zheng Qiao needed a princess for a political marriage, her father submitted the name of this little-known illegitimate daughter. Once chosen, she had no choice but to marry into the royal family!
Initially, the friend wanted to arrange the engagement before the imperial decree was issued.
As long as a woman is engaged, she can be exempted from being forced into a marriage alliance.
However, rumors then spread within the palace that Miss Shen had apparently been chosen. At this critical juncture, proposing marriage now, given the tyrannical ruler Zheng Qiao's temper, would likely result in disastrous consequences for both families. Left with no other option, the friend was confined to his home by his parents, feigning illness, and within half a month, he hastily arranged a marriage with another woman, completing the wedding ceremony in a rush. Miss Shen, too, was forced to go and marry into a foreign power.
Alas, it's all just the cruel twist of fate.
The two friends lamented that a perfect couple had missed their chance.
Li Lang said softly, "I'm lucky to have survived. I was saved by Lord Shen's troops. Ah Zhi, what are you doing here?"
Chen Zhi said, "It's important business."
His expression was distant, showing no trace of joy.
Her coldness made the atmosphere seem even stranger.
The three felt awkward, but Chen Zhi remained calm.
Li Lang: "A-Zhi, how have you been these past years?"
Shen Zhi quickly recalled his experiences over the past few years: "It's been good. But how have things been with you and your wife all these years? How many children have you had? Boys or girls?"
Although she had long since forgotten about this man—and she probably wouldn't have thought of him more than a few times in her life if he hadn't suddenly reappeared—it didn't mean she wasn't resentful. Being abandoned and forced into a political marriage while pregnant with an unmanageable child, she could almost imagine a future worse than death.
What kind of kind-hearted people could the Shiwu Royal Court be?
When she told him she was pregnant, he promised to propose marriage as soon as possible and bring her into his family. Although being pregnant out of wedlock is not a good thing, as long as things are done quickly, they can easily cover it up by falsely reporting the child as premature by a month or two.
result--
The other party actually claimed to be ill and happily went to marry his new bride!
Even now, Chen Zhi still remembers the despair and helplessness she felt back then!
Forget about those high-sounding excuses about involving both families. He's a man of steel; surely he has the courage to face this with her? If he doesn't want to implicate either family, it's simple: if they can't elope, they'll commit suicide together! Stop with the "helpless" act, and stop saying he's the only one of his kind in the Li family. He may say he's helpless, but his actions tell a different story!
The wedding night wasn't delayed at all! This man, who wrote the story with the five elements of wickedness, truly understands the essence of separating man from machine!
Li Lang's face darkened slightly as he said, "She's gone."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhi's expression shifted: "Gone?"
Li Lang said in a somber voice, "My wife suffered a difficult labor and postpartum hemorrhage last year, and neither she nor the child survived."
Chen Zhi said in a daze, "He's pitiful."
She recalled the scene when she gave birth to her daughter. At that time, she had already begun cultivating. Although she was still far from condensing her dantian, the refined spiritual energy she had extracted circulated through her meridians, constantly tempering her physical body. Therefore, the delivery process was much easier than the midwife had described, and the baby was born in just one hour. She recovered to 90% of her prenatal level immediately after the postpartum period and did not suffer from urinary incontinence or hemorrhoids.
Li Lang asked her, "You and your husband..."
Shen Zhi sneered, "Where would I get a husband?"
Li Lang asked again, "That child..."
Shen Zhi said, "If I were to miscarry, would Li Lang really think that a princess of a royal family, pregnant with a child, could possibly survive?"
Li Lang was speechless at her question, seemingly lost in thought.
He stammered, "Ah Zhi, I'm sorry."
Shen Zhi calmly replied, "That's all in the past."
Upon hearing that Chen Zhi had forgiven him, Li Lang's expression visibly relaxed, and his tense back loosened up a bit.
Gradually, he brought up some things from the past.
Chen Zhi responded with a few disjointed words.
From Li Lang's words, Shen Zhi also learned that he hadn't been doing well these past few years. Her usually cold expression softened slightly, and she felt a surge of warmth towards her ex-boyfriend—ah, she loved to hear more, so she decided to say a few more words.
This Mr. Li's father was a high-ranking official and a renowned scholar in the court. He and his wife had only a few daughters and no sons. To prevent the family fortune from being squandered, his wife decided to have one of her maids perform facial rejuvenation surgery and then give her to her husband. Several years later, she finally gave birth to a son.
Although he was born out of wedlock, he was the only male heir.
As the apple of his family's eye, he was raised to be very simple-minded and timid. Shen Zhi chose to target him because he was easy to manipulate, came from a wealthy family, had a small household, and his parents-in-law were getting old. She thought she could take charge of the household in a few years.
The script was pretty much what Shen Zhi had planned.
Not many years after Li Lang's marriage, his father was implicated by a colleague and imprisoned. He died in prison less than six months later. Upon hearing the tragic news, his stepmother also passed away, leaving Li Lang and his birth mother to depend on each other. This birth mother and her daughter-in-law, who came from a prestigious family, were not on good terms.
To avoid a life of leisure, Li Lang often spent time playing with his friends.
He neglected the inner quarters and failed to care about his wife's emotions during her pregnancy, causing her to go into labor half a month early, resulting in the deaths of both mother and child.
Then he was arrested, and his birth mother's whereabouts became unknown.
Even the married sisters each have their own misfortunes.
Even after hearing the whole story, Shen Zhi couldn't feel any relief. After all, it was someone close to him who lost their life, not himself. Regardless, he was still alive, which was better than many others.
She was lost in thought when she felt a warm sensation on the back of her hand.
Shen Zhi recoiled as if electrocuted, staring sharply at the other man, making him look embarrassed. He lowered his eyes and said softly, "A-Zhi, can a broken mirror be mended?"
Having encountered so many setbacks, the fact that he still has an old friend by his side is perhaps a small compensation from God for his bumpy life.
Shen Zhi revealed a mockery he had never seen before, and his red lips uttered harsh words: "If a mirror is broken, don't think about making it whole again. If you smash it completely, it's easier to throw it into the furnace and remelt it."
Li Lang looked as if he had been struck by lightning: "A-Zhi?"
Shen Zhi picked up a piece of meat and vegetables with her chopsticks and calmly said, "The suffering I've endured over the years has also been partly due to your help. Why does Li Lang think that as long as we mend our broken relationship, it can all be wiped clean? Am I, Shen Yaohe, a worthless person who only remembers the good times and never learns the bad times?"
If it weren't for the need to avoid wasting food, I'd love to dump a bowl of it on his head! Why doesn't he look in the mirror? He's so skinny now, like a black monkey perched on a tree. How can he compare to the fair-skinned, plump young man he used to be? And he still dares to dream about her, who is as beautiful as a flower?
Does he really think he's some kind of romantic hero from a love story?
The more Shen Zhi thought about it, the angrier she became. However, she didn't show her anger. Li Lang assumed that Shen Zhi still harbored resentment towards his actions back then, and said sadly, "Ah Zhi, it's not that I'm heartless or cold-hearted. Given the situation at the time, I couldn't abandon my father and the others. My father wouldn't dare gamble with the lives of the entire family, numbering over a hundred!"
Shen Zhi coldly asked the other party a poignant question: "Oh? Then are the hundred or so lives of your entire household still alive? Li Lang, back then, I didn't care about the Shen family at all in order to stay with you... Such deep affection, are you even a fraction as devoted as I was?"
The idea of unwavering love is all a lie.
She nearly lost her life in the Shen family back then. From a young age, she was neglected, bullied by her sisters, and openly and secretly mistreated by the maids and servants. No one stood up for her. Her biological father even put her on a marriage alliance list for his own future; she wished the family's ashes would be scattered to the winds!
It's perfect for putting down the unfaithful man in front of you.
Li Lang instantly lost his color: "You, you—how could you be so vicious, Chen Zhi? Don't you know that the dead should be respected?"
Chen Zhi frowned: "What does your family's deceased have to do with me?"
Li Lang looked at Chen Zhi with eyes full of unfamiliarity.
Shen Zhi said impatiently, "If you hadn't disgusted me with your talk of reconciliation, I would have just thought you were a friend catching up. Do you really think that by blaming your parents, you're not a heartless man who abandoned his wife and children? You can fool unsuspecting outsiders, but don't fool yourself. If your parents hadn't stopped you, would you really have come looking for me back then?"
Li Lang felt a little embarrassed and annoyed: "I can!"
Shen Zhi sneered: "Under the power of words, there are no lies! Li, think carefully before you answer. Are you really sure you can do it?"
She slammed her floral pendant onto the table with a loud thud.
A crowd of onlookers had gathered around, seemingly out of nowhere. Whether it's true or not, the gossip itself is quite entertaining!
Shen Tang leaned against the wooden fence, holding a rice bucket.
A true lord never misses a single piece of gossip.
Qian Yong said, "The girl under your command is no good."
The protective Shen Tang objected: "Why not?"
Qian Yong, chopsticks in hand, pointed at the black monkey in the middle of the crowd and said, "This man is dwarf-like in stature, with dark skin that can hardly be called handsome. He has narrow shoulders and a thin waist, and from a distance, he looks like a bamboo pole with a ball on its head. How can he be called a real man? A real man should be found among warriors..."
That head, those muscles, the overwhelming masculinity!
Qian Yong continued, “Men with such yin deficiency become less useful after the age of thirty. Their yang energy is insufficient, and their strength is lacking.”
Shen Tang: "...Indeed, your judgment isn't very good."
"Fortunately, it's not too late; we can have a good meal at the second wedding."
"...Can you stop making lewd jokes all the time?" Shen Tang really wanted to shove the idiot Qian's head. "Also, Yao He is still unmarried, how could she be a divorcee?"
Qian Yong looked at Shen Tang carefully, then remained silent.
That look clearly said—
Aren't we evenly matched?
Shen Tang: "..."
At the same time, Li Lang was stunned by the Wenxin monogram, and even his two friends who wanted to take sides naturally fell silent.
Shen Zhi is actually a literary scholar!
When did this happen?
Chen Zhi pressed closer, a hint of mockery in her beautiful eyes: "Do you still dare to say 'yes' now?"
Li Lang was slightly hunched over and remained silent.
Her soft, gentle whispers slithered into his ears like venomous snakes.
"If you say you can, then a broken mirror can certainly be mended!"
The question is, does he have that courage?
He's just an ordinary person with mediocre talent, completely unable to withstand the interrogation of the power of words, and will definitely reveal his truest thoughts! At that time, he will be a complete joke.
Li Lang's face alternated between red, black, and blue, and the veins on his forehead throbbed wildly. An unprecedented sense of embarrassment and humiliation overwhelmed him.
After a long silence, he gritted his teeth and forced out a whisper.
"Ah Zhi, do you really have to do this?"
Shen Zhi sneered, "It's not that I have to do it this way, and I have no intention of humiliating you. You're the one who humiliated me first. What are you now? Do you think I'm some shameless wretch? You actually want to get back together with me? You treat me with such contempt, and you won't even let me get angry? You surnamed Li, what makes you worthy of being my subject?"
I was initially thinking about my daughter's sake and tried to remain calm.
But the other party had such an inflated sense of self-importance!
Shen Zhi felt offended, as if a toad was crawling on her foot! She was a scholar, a deputy head of the household administration under Shen Jun, and a supplier to dozens of shops. She had power, wealth, and status…
How dare they even have such a thought?
perhaps--
If what General Qian said is true, she should eat something better.
Li Lang was deeply shocked, his body swaying slightly, incredulous: "I never imagined that you could also have such a smug and petty face."
Chen Zhi smiled and said, "It's always better to be successful than to be unsuccessful."
In the end, a fight didn't break out.
Even the man surnamed Li wouldn't dare.
Shen Zhi, being a woman, possesses the Wenxin Hua monogram, which clearly indicates her connection to Shen Tang. If a conflict arises, he will definitely suffer the consequences.
The only thing I'm glad about is that I didn't take up an official post.
Otherwise, if he sees Shen Zhi every day and forms such a grudge, he might be suppressed in the future.
Originally, he had hoped to rely on Shen Tang's powerful connections and wait for the situation to stabilize before making a decision on whether to take up an official post or find relatives to return to his hometown... Now, there's no need to think about it anymore; he can only choose the latter.
The other two friends also frowned in unison.
Chen Zhi picked up his plate and scanned the onlookers.
He said calmly, "Disperse!"
The soldiers scattered like birds and beasts.
Although Shen Zhi wasn't their direct superior, she was from the Household Affairs Department, which had close ties with the logistics department responsible for allocating grain and provisions. Offending her could lead to trouble later on.
Qian Yong said, "It has presence!"
Shen Tang rolled her eyes at him: "Don't even think about it."
Qian Yong patted his chest and said, "Don't overthink it. I just want to introduce her to someone, to act as matchmaker..."
Men know each other best.
Eat something good.
Shen Tang: "..."
_(:з」∠)_
The area on my wrist where I applied the ointment has become so rough and red after an allergic reaction; it looks awful.
(End of this chapter)
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