Chapter 68 Madman
Seeing that he didn't dodge or avoid, Wen Youqing was stunned.
In front of him was Cui Junji's face, which turned pale in an instant, but he was still trying hard to endure the pain. Looking at the blood that kept flowing, his crazy mind seemed to be suddenly burned by the blood.
Outside the window, heavy rain poured down. Thunder crackled in the pitch-black sky, and a flash of lightning illuminated Wen Youqing's pale face. As if finally awakening from a nightmare, Wen Youqing saw clearly what he had done.
"I...I..." Her hand loosened, and the silver hairpin fell to the ground with a jingling sound. All the strength in her body seemed to be drained away in an instant. She stumbled back, but before she fell, Cui Junji caught her. Her whole body began to tremble violently.
A huge fear and residual pain mixed together, and she clutched her head, sobbing uncontrollably. "Kill me, please, kill me... Ugh, kill me!"
Cui Junji clutched his bleeding chest, his brow furrowed in pain as a fine layer of sweat oozed from his forehead. But as he looked at Wen Youqing, curled up in a ball, trembling with tears, as fragile as a leaf in the wind, the pain in his heart far outweighed the injuries on his body.
Was he pushing her too far? Was he wrong to tell her about the disaster and just to irritate her?
Cui Junji took a deep breath and held it in, suppressing all his emotions, not even bothering to treat his own wounds first. He walked forward, slowly and carefully squatting in front of her, and gently placed his uninjured right hand on her cold, trembling back.
His movements were incredibly gentle, with a warmth and patience that could melt ice.
"I know, I know..." His voice was hoarse, but it had a strange, soothing power that penetrated her chaotic crying and the sound of heavy rain outside the window. "It's not your fault. It's just that the headache is too bad, isn't it?"
Wen Youqing snuggled into his arms, crying and nodding.
Cui Junji stopped talking, only patting her back gently and rhythmically, as if soothing a frightened baby. He let her cry, letting her tears soak the fabric of his shoulders, silently conveying his presence and tolerance.
After a long time, Wen Youqing's violent trembling gradually subsided, leaving only helpless sobbing, and the headache seemed to ease a little with the slow patting.
Cui Junji then used his fingertips to gently brush away the loose strands of hair that had become stained with sweat from her forehead. His voice was so gentle it could have dripped water: "Don't be afraid, Ah Qing, I'm here. The headache... we'll slowly treat it, and it will eventually be better. I'll take care of the Yellow River. Trust me, everything will be fine."
His voice was low and firm, and every word he said carried a reassuring power, gradually dispelling the huge fear and fog in her heart.
Wen Youqing slowly raised her head, and through her tearful eyes, she saw his pale yet extremely gentle eyebrows and his chest that was still bleeding. The huge sense of guilt and dependence overwhelmed her like a tide.
She stopped talking, but just held him with all her strength and applied medicine to him with trembling hands.
The thunder outside the window gradually faded away, and the rain gradually subsided. The sound of the rain hitting the cushions was almost inaudible, like a mournful elegy, or like soothing whispers.
Cui Junji did not refuse. He took off his outer robe with difficulty, took the blanket and gently wrapped himself and her thin and trembling body, letting her apply medicine to him.
He half-knelt in front of her, like a silent mountain, shielding her from all the wind, rain and panic.
After applying the medicine, she loosened her grip on his hand slightly, but she still lay in his arms like a kitten.
Slowly, my breathing became heavy and slow, and I fell into a chaos after extreme fatigue.
The flickering candlelight illuminated the broken medicine bowl and the coagulated blood on the ground, her still furrowed brow, and his deep, sea-like gaze that never moved away.
That embrace was so warm. After going crazy all night, Wen Youqing was exhausted: "Will you tell me the truth?"
"Every word I say to you is true." Cui Junji leaned on her head and lied almost devoutly, as if what he said was true.
"What medicine did you give me?"
A soft sigh came from above my head, followed by a tighter embrace: "When will you trust me?"
"My head really hurts..."
"Don't think about it. It's the Yellow River issue that's putting too much pressure on you. Don't think about the Yellow River. You'll go crazy if you keep thinking about it." Cui Junji held her and slowly lay down, humming a tune softly.
With his comfort, Wen Youqing finally fell asleep.
The rain falls silently outside the window, and the candlelight flickers inside the room.
From that day on, Wen Youqing was banned by Cui Junji, forbidding her from participating in court affairs and asking her to take care of her health first.
When he woke up in the morning, Cui Jun met La Wen and went for a run.
At noon, the maid would supervise Wen Youqing to take a short nap alone, and then read some storybooks.
At night, Cui Junji personally took care of Wen Youqing and even learned massage techniques to specifically clear Wen Youqing's meridians.
But the wound on his chest was too deep, so after a few massages, Wen Youqing began to serve him.
So Cui Junji was once again preoccupied with taking Wen Youqing back. One day after dinner, Cui Junji suddenly said, "The Cui Mansion has been arranged. When you have time, you can go take a look and see what needs to be changed."
The tea he was rinsing his mouth with paused in mid-air. Wen Youqing raised his eyes and looked directly at Cui Junji: "A wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a secret lover. We can both benefit from this, so why not?"
"My heart is all on you. I'm not just playing with you." Cui Junji frowned.
"Okay, I want a contract." Wen Youqing knew that this step was inevitable, so he talked about the interests that had been calculated long ago.
"Contract?" Cui Junji was puzzled. "You mean the document?"
"No, just like the shopkeeper and the waiter, we also want a contract. It should clearly state the conditions for taking me as a concubine and the clauses that protect the rights of me and my son." Wen Youqing said firmly, "It must be written in black and white, signed by both parties, and there is no going back on it."
Cui Junji's eyes flashed with surprise, and then he smiled: "With me here, what are you afraid of? Okay, I'll do as you say. What are your conditions?"
"It's because it's you that I need to write it clearly." Wen Youqing muttered to herself as she took a piece of paper from the cabinet and spread it on the table. The paper was clearly outlined, the ink still fresh, clearly prepared long ago.
Cui Junji looked carefully at her by the light of the oil lamp, and the more he looked, the more astonished he became. Even if he liked her and she had talent, this was not something an ordinary concubine would dare to ask for.
The first clause: Although she is a concubine, she must live in an outer residence at best, or at worst in Cui's mansion, with her own courtyard, and be provided with maids, servants, and other chores, all of which must be selected by her personally. She will receive a monthly salary of fifty taels.
Article 2: You do not need to visit the Cui family members every morning and evening, and you do not need to follow the Cui family rules.
Article 3: The daughter-in-law Shen Laixi will be raised by him and will not have children unless necessary in the future;
Article 4: If Cui Junji grows tired of him, he cannot be expelled at will. He must be guaranteed food and clothing for the rest of his life and can choose to return to live anywhere.
Article 5: All existing property may be retained, and the Cui family may not encroach upon it under any pretext...
There are a total of ten items, taking into account all the risks a concubine may face.
"Aqing, these conditions..." Cui Junji said with a wry smile, "are a bit too decisive. I will definitely not change my mind, and some of these terms are simply unnecessary. We will let fate take care of the child, and the courtyard will naturally be in the Cui Mansion. Since you don't like socializing, I'll let them..."
Wen Youqing looked at him calmly and interrupted, "If you feel this is excessive, you can continue as you are now, coming at night and leaving early in the morning. I don't seek fame, I only seek peace."
Silence spread in the greenhouse, and Wen Youqing added, "I'm not discussing this with you. You know, I didn't want to enter the Cui Mansion in the first place."
The oil lamp crackled, and outside the window, the rain deepened. He knew Wen Youqing's personality; she was simply her own person, unconcerned with the family's interests. It was impossible for him to ask her to return now without adequate guarantees. After all, she hadn't harbored any romantic feelings for him for so long.
Every time she went to bed, she could fall asleep without any hesitation, even after "helping" him.
However, these conditions really put him in a difficult position. He just wanted her to become a member of the Cui family and follow him wholeheartedly. Without having children and without seeing her family, how could he possibly influence her?
Seeing Wen Youqing getting impatient, he picked at the barb on his finger. "I agree," Cui Junji said immediately, "but the contract can make the Cui family elders, after all, they are old and stubborn."
Wen Youqing nodded: "Of course, deal?"
"Deal." Cui Junji sighed inwardly. This wasn't a marriage negotiation, but a business deal. He could only take his time. He immediately called a maid to bring him pen and ink, and signed and stamped the contract Wen Youqing had prepared.
Wen Youqing also signed the three characters "Zhang Zihan." As the brush and ink blended, she heard Cui Junji ask, "What's the new name you chose for yourself?"
"Aren't you Mr. Zhang? I'm your cousin, but I'm too lazy to think of other surnames. What, do you have other plans for me?"
"No, I was originally looking for the Zhang family. Your last name is Zhang, so it's best." Cui Junji put away the contract and looked at it carefully for a long time. "It would be even better if it was your real name."
"I changed it." Wen Youqing pretended to grab it.
Cui Junji hurriedly stopped her and stretched out his hand to pull the wound on his chest. He cried out in pain, covered his chest, and stuffed the contract into his arms. "If you change it, others might find out, which would be disadvantageous to you. It hurts. I just pulled the wound."
It was another trick of pretending to be weak to gain sympathy, but it always worked for Wen Youqing, and his victory was further strengthened.
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