Chapter 106 Cause and Effect (Part 4) He's the princess's husband...
He held her hand, stroking it in his palm, his expression grave. "Liyang, no one should be absolutely trusted. I am still of sound mind now, so I won't do anything to you or doubt you. But as I get older..."
Speaking of this, Yan Ning's eyelids drooped. He said, "I am four or five years older than you. In the past, I was in my prime, like a flower in full bloom, and no difference was noticeable. However, it is always there. I am older than you and will age before you. You are still as beautiful and vibrant as a peony in spring, while I already have fine lines around my eyes. This is just the beginning, and it will become more and more obvious in the future. As people get older, their consciousness becomes blurred and unclear, and they will do many foolish things. Even the saints in those historical records and classics were like this, let alone me. This is the law of all things in this world, and no one can escape it. I dare not guarantee you that I will treat you as I do today in the future and will not do anything foolish. So you should think more about yourself. It is not wrong for you to think of these things in the details of other people's affairs."
Li Yunru felt much more enlightened after hearing this, and she was even happier to hear that he meant what she said. She put down the bowl of bird's nest soup, pinched his cheek, and teased, "Oh, why is our little Yan Langjun feeling sorry for himself?"
Yan Ning gripped her waist, pulling her into his arms, and looked up at her face.
Time is cruel.
When they married, she was in the prime of her youth, and he had just turned twenty. They were both in the best of their lives. He dared not say that they were a perfect match, but at least standing together, they were a beautiful couple. But now... she was dressed simply and still looked beautiful, while he, after three years of wasted time, had not only changed drastically in temperament, no longer as gentle and kind as before, but even his appearance had become flawed...
"It's not about feeling sorry for yourself."
He's definitely not the same as he used to be!
Li Yunru had intended to lighten the mood and make it less heavy, but when she met his deep eyes, she felt as if her heart had been struck.
She seems a bit mean; how could she say something like that at a time like this?
It hurt people's feelings for no reason.
She cupped his face, lowered her head and pecked his lips, feigning seriousness as she warned, "Don't think about such things. In my eyes, you are still the same as before, no different from when I saw you under the Imperial Flower Garden. No, there are some changes. You are more charming than before, and you know how to please a lady even better. I like him very much!"
Li Yunru liked him.
But she rarely admits it.
Because she always thought, given their relationship back then, if he had known this, wouldn't he have done whatever he wanted, taking advantage of her affection and riding roughshod over her!
She didn't like reading, but she had heard many stories. The gentlemen in those stories were mostly like this: before they had won a woman's heart, they were incredibly kind and obedient, but once they had won her heart, they changed completely. Not only did they use the name of morality and ethics to suppress her in every way, but they would also bring many younger sisters into the family for her, demanding that they live in harmony and not be jealous, and so on...
Many people in aristocratic families are like this, with countless beautiful wives and concubines, and even more women outside the family. It is because their wives at home are too tolerant and magnanimous, and too accommodating, that they dare to be so outrageous!
Yan Ning was different from them, but she was used to thinking that way...
"Hehehe."
Hearing her words, Yan Ning felt much relieved. Following her actions, he pecked at her and kissed her again. When she was dazed, he loosened his grip a little, looked at her with his red eyes, and said pitifully, "Then how about liking me a little more? Just like forever."
Li Yunru was dazed and confused from the kisses, but she still remembered her bottom line. She hugged his neck and shook her head, saying, "That's hard to say. It depends on his performance. If he doesn't perform well, I won't like him anymore!"
"Hehehe."
Yan Ning was amused. What a difficult girl to deal with, but also quite interesting.
He bit her earlobe and deliberately asked, "What makes me behave well?"
Her ears were a sensitive spot, and the wet touch sent a shiver down Li Yunru's spine; her heart seemed to tremble for a moment.
"you……"
She glared at him, but it had no effect whatsoever. Her beautiful, deer-like eyes, glistening with moisture, looked at him, and to him, it was more like a silent seduction.
Yan Ning nuzzled her ear again, let out a long sigh, and said, "Princess, will you teach me?"
"Go back to the house."
Unable to withstand the pressure, she finally managed to utter this sentence in a moment of clarity.
...
The daytime debauchery, seemingly absurd yet exciting, was especially so for the two who hadn't seen each other in a long time; it was like a thunderbolt igniting a fire in the earth...
Li Yunru didn't know how it ended. When she regained consciousness, it was already completely dark. The room was lit by candlelight, and Yan Ning was lying beside her.
The man had woken up a little earlier than her and was looking at her; the dim light illuminated his sharply defined features.
She has changed a bit, but she is now more mature, composed, and has a certain charm.
Li Yunru reached out and stroked his face, tracing his features inch by inch, and said in a hoarse, tender voice, "Whose husband is he? So handsome and charming."
Yan Ning grabbed the hand that was rubbing her face, kissed the back of the hand, and followed up on her words, saying, "He is the princess's husband."
"Princess, you'll have to take responsibility for me."
Hahahahahaha.
Seeing his serious expression, Li Yunru couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Yan Changjun, if you looked like this, I'm afraid your ancestors wouldn't recognize you!"
Their family precepts have always emphasized self-discipline and propriety, stressing the importance of being dignified and respectable.
Yan Ning said, "Perhaps our ancestors were like that back then."
"puff!"
Li Yunru couldn't help but burst into laughter again. She sat up and questioned seriously, "Well, you audacious Yan San, how dare you make fun of our ancestors!"
Yan Ning just laughed at her antics, then reached out and pulled her into his arms, saying, "How can this be made up? It might be true, otherwise how could the Yan family have flourished to this day?"
From the ancestors of the Yan family to Yan Ning's generation, each ancestor had five or six children. However, in the direct line, by the time of Yan Ning's father, only he and Yan Sheng remained.
"Yan Changjun, have you ever regretted it?"
Li Yunru wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her head in his chest, and listened to his strong heartbeat. She couldn't help but think of many things, and her playful mood subsided, and her smile faded.
"If it weren't for me, perhaps you wouldn't have had to go through all this. You could still be the stunningly handsome and universally praised Jiangzuo Gentleman. You would have smoothly inherited the position of head of the Yan family, entered the court, and risen to prominence. With your talent, even under such turbulent circumstances, you would have achieved something great. Perhaps you would have become the prime minister, or at the very least, one of the Three Dukes, leaving your name in history, instead of being like this now..."
He was abandoned by everyone.
Except for a handful of families who still associated with him, almost all the prominent families despised him!
The only descendant of the direct line!
His parents and family have sacrificed so much to elevate him to this level, yet he abandons them so easily for a girl, showing no regard whatsoever!
snort!
This is absolutely outrageous!
You have failed your parents and family in raising you!
You're so disappointing!
Yan Ning lowered his head, kissed her hair, and said gently, "Liyang, as I told you, everything I've ever done, every decision I've made, was not a whim, but a well-thought-out decision. Whether it was right or wrong, I will never regret it. You don't need to take any responsibility for it. This is my own decision."
Li Yunru couldn't quite describe her feelings, but she felt a tightness in her chest. She didn't speak, but nestled in his arms, her hands fidgeting, feeling uneven marks on his shoulders and back.
She knew where they all came from.
One was for her, and the other was tattooed on her by her own hand.
Yan Ning looked down and saw her staring at the scar on her chest. She instinctively shrank back, trying to hide it, but there was nowhere to hide when they were so exposed to each other.
His voice softened slightly as he asked uncertainly, "Is it ugly?"
Li Yunru was lost in thought and did not respond.
Yan Ning held her close, his voice heavy, and said, "I originally wanted to find something to remove these traces. You said you liked perfect things and perfect people. These traces have made this body flawed, but... if they're gone, I don't know what else I can use to prove that you ever existed. I don't know how I can remember you..."
His new and old injuries, coupled with the severe shock, barely saved his life. He was in a daze for a while. During this time, his parents, in an effort to make him completely forget his past with her, ordered everyone in the house to burn everything related to her, including the paintings in Beijing and a letter he had sent him with a lipstick mark. Everything was reduced to ashes, and nothing was left.
Everything related to her turned to ashes with that fire. He couldn't find anything to remember her or cherish her memory. Even the cenotaph was empty.
Three years, a long three years. Only the scabbed-over, long-healed wounds on his body occasionally itched, reminding him of the memories of her existence. He relied on them to wait day after day, searching...
Li Yunru felt a lump in her throat as she listened, and tightened her grip on his waist.
“What a fool!” she murmured.
Yan Ning felt a dampness on his chest. He looked down and saw a person with teary eyes, tears streaming down their beautiful face like a flood.
"Why are you crying?"
He gently wiped away the tears on her face and said, "It's all in the past, it's all in the past."
Li Yunru remained silent, only weeping uncontrollably. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally stopped, having cried until her tears had dried up. She grasped the hand that was wiping away her tears, her shoulders trembling, and looked at him, saying, "Yan Changjun, you've remembered so many of the things I've said. Now, please remember one more thing, okay?"
"What?"
Li Yunru said, "No matter when, no matter whether I am here or not, live well."
“Okay,” Yan Ning agreed.
Since their fates are now intertwined, it doesn't matter what happens.
Li Yunru also thought of this, and she said again, "After we go back from here, we will go to find Ah Sheng's master and find Doctor Sun to remove this symbiotic gu."
Yan Ning: "..."
Li Yunru ignored his reaction and remained resolute.
“I don’t need you to bear my fate, and likewise, I don’t want you to experience these pains. Let’s just be an ordinary couple, we’ll argue, we’ll have conflicts, we’ll experience joy and sorrow, but we’ll be one, we’ll be together when things are good, and we’ll separate when things are bad. Neither of us will be responsible for the other’s life.”
Yan Ning remained silent, and no one knew what he was thinking.
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