Chapter 57 Xiao Mingzhang, I want you to die
Yunzhu still appeared in front of Xiao Mingzhang.
I vehemently denied it to my daughter early in the morning, but after a whole day of deep thought, she still showed up.
She lifted her eyelids to look at the man who had become incredibly excited because of her arrival.
Just now, Yunzhu witnessed it with her own eyes. Because of her arrival, Xiao Mingzhang immediately got up and ran to her.
Yunzhu then briefly recalled what it was like when Xiao Mingzhang ran in front of her last time.
But I can't remember.
Because the Xiao Mingzhang she remembered was always steady and upright. No matter when, the etiquette he had learned seemed to constrain him to be a virtuous gentleman. A gentleman has things he should do and things he should not do. Among them, running in front of others is a major taboo.
Did he really run in front of her before?
Yunzhu shook her head slightly; she really couldn't remember.
But she saw it clearly today.
She looked at Xiao Mingzhang under the moonlight. Compared to the morning, he had changed his clothes again. This outfit was lighter in color than the one he wore in the morning, making it more suitable for standing under the moonlight. Tea white was also a color Xiao Mingzhang usually wore, but the gold thread embroidery and the black gilded leather belt were not his usual attire.
He was a gentleman, and his clothing was mostly simple and elegant.
Today is quite unusual.
Yunzhu scrutinized Xiao Mingzhang from head to toe before replying, "Didn't you say we haven't had a proper conversation in a long time? Now that I'm here, just say what you want to say."
"No rush, let's have dinner first."
Yunzhu was still standing in the open courtyard when Xiao Mingzhang took her hand and was about to lead her inside.
Yunzhu frowned slightly, instinctively trying to shake off Xiao Mingzhang's touch once again. But this time, she couldn't easily break free from his hold as she had before.
He gripped her hand tightly, as firmly as a crab shell, impossible to pry open.
Yunzhu looked at him in surprise.
Perhaps because she had shaken him off so easily in the previous encounters, she had completely forgotten how strong Xiao Mingzhang truly was.
Helpless, she could only watch as Xiao Mingzhang, disregarding her wishes, led her to the flower hall of this mansion.
She saw that the flower hall was filled with food, all of which were her favorites, and there were also a few dishes that Mu Zhaozhi liked.
Yunzhu finally couldn't hold back any longer and turned to Xiao Mingzhang, asking, "How long exactly have you been having people spying on us?"
“Ever since I learned you were here, I have had people watching you.” Xiao Mingzhang made no attempt to hide it. When they arrived at the flower hall, he led Yunzhu to her seat and pressed her down to sit there.
Yunzhu was somewhat reluctant.
But she knew that no matter how unwilling she was, it wouldn't make a difference to Xiao Mingzhang today.
Just like tonight's dinner, she clearly didn't want to come at all, but as soon as she thought of Xiao Mingzhang's threats, she had no choice but to come, no matter how unwilling she was.
Xiao Mingzhang today is quite different from the one he was a few days ago.
He was no longer so submissive, no longer so submissive. He began to become tough again, as if everything was in his hands, not hers.
Watching Xiao Mingzhang sit down in front of her, Yunzhu calmed herself down and finally asked again, "Xiao Mingzhang, what exactly do you want to say to me today?"
"Try this crispy chicken. It's said to be made in Liangzhou, so it should be similar to the Western Regions."
Yunzhu believed that her tone was gentle enough, without speaking harshly or using abusive language, but Xiao Mingzhang acted as if he hadn't heard her at all, ignoring her words and continuing to serve her food.
Even with all her preparation and patience, Yunzhu couldn't afford to waste it like this.
"Xiao Mingzhang, you should know that I didn't really come here to have dinner with you today. Just say what you have to say, I need to go home, they're all waiting for me there!"
"Yunzhu..."
Xiao Mingzhang finally put down his chopsticks.
He tried his best to act normal in front of Yunzhu, but he knew he couldn't be normal anymore.
From the moment he saw Yunzhu's lively courtyard, and from the moment he realized that Yunzhu could live a good life without him, Xiao Mingzhang knew that he could never be as calm as before.
Yunzhu can live a good life without him, so what should he do to make her truly change her mind about him?
Impossible. Xiao Mingzhang knew in his heart that if that were the case, and he continued to slowly boil the frog in water as before, even after ten or twenty years, Yunzhu would never have the idea of wanting to go back to Yunzhou with him, or even to Jinling...
She has her own peaceful life now, but every day with him is nothing but torment.
"Yunzhu, what if I said I wanted you to bring the child and come back to Yunzhou with me?" Xiao Mingzhang asked, looking at Yunzhu without blinking.
"A fool's dream!"
As expected, Yunzhu's answer was just as straightforward.
Xiao Mingzhang then twitched the corner of his mouth.
This was the answer he expected. He quickly added, "But you also know that if I really wanted to take action, I could, couldn't I?"
"Xiao Mingzhang! How dare you!"
Xiao Mingzhang's short sentence angered Yunzhu so much that she stood up and smashed all the bowls and chopsticks in her hands on the ground.
Yunzhu had almost completely forgotten all the instructions she had given herself before coming here, such as to stay calm and speak properly. Her sharp tone followed the sound of bowls and chopsticks being smashed as she shouted at Xiao Mingzhang, "If you dare to force us to go back, do you believe me, I can disappear on the way back again!"
"Are you just going to watch your child and me spend the rest of our lives like this?"
Yunzhu stood up, and Xiao Mingzhang followed suit.
He walked step by step toward Yunzhu, letting the huge shadow under the candlelight gradually engulf her.
"Yunzhu, you can't bear to part with the child, can you?"
With his back to the candlelight, Xiao Mingzhang cupped Yunzhu's face in his hands, lowered his head with her, and whispered softly.
Yunzhu loathed Xiao Mingzhang's face.
Looking back a few years, Yunzhu could never have imagined that the face she had once been so attracted to would now be something she utterly loathed.
Looking at Xiao Mingzhang's features so close to hers, at his high nose, at his thick and deep eyebrows, everything that had once made her so attached to him now turned into that familiar chill of the morning, surging up again.
Yunzhu's body trembled slightly as she finally spoke to Xiao Mingzhang, each word distinct and deliberate: "Xiao Mingzhang, you're a madman..."
"Just consider me crazy."
If normal methods can't change your mind, then there's nothing wrong with going crazy.
Xiao Mingzhang gladly accepted the title Yunzhu gave him. It wasn't enough for him to stand face to face with Yunzhu; now he also wanted to hold Yunzhu's hand.
"Yunzhu, let's go home, okay?" Xiao Mingzhang asked again.
Yunzhu did not answer him again.
If this is what Xiao Mingzhang wanted to tell her today, then she has nothing to say.
Xiao Mingzhang then pressed her down to sit at the dining table.
He said, "At least eat something. It's all prepared for you and the child. It's just a pity the child isn't here..."
"Xiao Mingzhang, I've said it many times, Mu Zhaozhi is not your child!" Even though she was being suppressed, Yunzhu never forgot to emphasize this point.
"Is that so?" But Xiao Mingzhang didn't seem to care. "It's okay if she's not my child. As long as you come back to the Prince's Mansion with me, no matter whose child she is, I will make her the most honored young lady of the Prince Huan's Mansion."
"Xiao Mingzhang!"
Yunzhu had a bellyful of things she wanted to vent today, but now her punch had landed on cotton. Yunzhu felt that she could no longer bear it and there was no need to hold back.
Just as she suddenly stood up again, her face contorted with rage, Xiao Mingzhang suddenly asked her, "Yunzhu, if you could return to the Prince's Mansion, what would you most like to do?"
His tone was casual, as if her return to the palace was a foregone conclusion.
They want you to die.
Yunzhu had never felt so vicious before. In the past, no matter what happened, Yunzhu always felt that human life was the most important thing, and that nothing was insurmountable in the face of human life.
But now, faced with Xiao Mingzhang's question, Yunzhu made a decisive decision and had this idea without any hesitation.
Because it is now clear that only when Xiao Mingzhang disappears will her and her daughter's lives return to their original trajectory.
"So be it," Yunzhu thought, and in front of Xiao Mingzhang, she said it exactly as she was told.
Xiao Mingzhang was truly stunned for a long time this time.
Under the bright candlelight, after a long while, he murmured, "Is that so? That's a real pity, Yunzhu. Your wish will probably be in vain. I still have to take care of you and watch Azhi grow up. I can't just disappear like this."
Yunzhu took a deep breath, knowing that Xiao Mingzhang's answer would not be what she wanted.
She turned her head away from Xiao Mingzhang, focusing instead on the food on the table that had gradually grown cold as they talked.
Xiao Mingzhang's gaze followed Yunzhu's movements, and seeing that she was only staring at the food, he also kept his eyes glued to the food.
Seeing the fish soup covered with a thin layer of oil, Xiao Mingzhang said again, "Yunzhu, if I could go back three years, I would definitely protect you and not let you suffer the slightest injustice..."
For some reason, he brought up something that happened three years ago again. Yunzhu turned her head and looked at Xiao Mingzhang with a look of incomprehension and disdain.
Xiao Mingzhang understood her sarcasm. He said, "Yunzhu, three years ago, I was not able to protect you. But please trust me one more time. This time, I will never let you suffer any injustice again. And our child, I will make her the master of the Huan Prince's Mansion, and make her the most authoritative person in the Huan Prince's Mansion in the future!"
"The Prince Huan's Mansion..." Since Xiao Mingzhang suddenly started talking nonsense again, Yunzhu sneered and began to spout her own nonsense as well.
She said, "Xiao Mingzhang, are you trying to fob me off like a beggar? Doesn't your Huanwang Mansion dream of becoming the crown prince every day? What if I said I wanted my daughter to be the empress in the future?"
Xiao Mingzhang looked surprised for a moment, as if he really hadn't expected Yunzhu to be so outspoken.
But in an instant, he smiled and promised Yunzhu, "As long as you and the child come home with me, and as long as the throne is truly in my hands in the future, I will make her the emperor."
Yunzhu never expected that Xiao Mingzhang would actually agree to her offhand remarks.
The sneer on her face gradually faded, and then she turned her face away, no longer looking at Xiao Mingzhang.
Putting aside the fact that it is extremely difficult for a woman to become emperor, Yunzhu thought that compared to the throne, she cared more about her daughter's freedom and her health and happiness.
But even though she doesn't look at Xiao Mingzhang, he always looks at her.
Apart from the two of them, everyone else in the flower hall had already been sent away by Xiao Mingzhang.
Gradually, Xiao Mingzhang's large hand covered Yunzhu's hand again.
He asked, "Yunzhu, shall we stay here tonight?"
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Author's Note: Update! Yes, the prince is gradually becoming psychologically twisted, dark, and perverted...
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