Chapter 20 I beg... Your Excellency's mercy. ...
Lou Xueying was stunned.
Why would Li Pan suddenly ask this question? Is he still bothered by what happened that day? How is she supposed to answer? If she says she really slipped and fell by accident, will he believe her?
Seeing her slightly panicked expression, Li Pan said, "You did this on purpose that day, didn't you? From your sister going missing to you falling into the water, it was all a setup specifically for me, wasn't it?"
Lou Xueying unconsciously gripped the brocade quilt beneath her.
She avoided his gaze, her eyes wandering to the hanging red curtains, her breathing growing more and more rapid.
He was so direct, how was she supposed to answer...?
Li Pan wasn't in a hurry, and just watched her with great interest. Her face grew redder and redder, her eyelashes trembled more and more violently, and finally she glanced at him quickly and whispered, "Since you already know, why do you ask?"
Huh, he actually admitted it.
Li Pan casually lifted one leg and placed it on the edge of the bed, resting his elbow on his knee, and sneered, "I just don't understand why you set up this scheme. Especially after learning that you are a young lady from the Lou family, I've thought about it for a long time and still can't figure it out. Why would the prestigious Lou family do something like this?"
"No...it wasn't the Lou family's doing." Lou Xueying mustered her courage to defend her family. "It has nothing to do with anyone else; it was my own...actual decision. My sister was acting on my orders. My parents and brothers knew nothing about this, and my maid only knew I was going to see the Marquis, not that I would fall into the water...I hope the Marquis will not misunderstand them..."
She felt very ashamed, but since Li Pan had brought it up, she really couldn't bear to let her family continue to take the blame for her. If Li Pan thought she was frivolous because of this... well, there was nothing she could do. She would just have to take it one step at a time. Anyway, she was already his wife, and he couldn't divorce her. There would always be a chance for him to change his mind.
To everyone's surprise, Li Pan replied, "Yes, I know."
Lou Xueying was stunned for a moment: "Does the Marquis know?"
"I just found out." Li Pan still had that sneer on his face as he looked at her and said, "I heard you chatting with your maid by the window when I came back from the banquet."
Lou Xueying felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her body, which was already feverish from nervousness, suddenly felt like it was burning up. She was speechless, feeling as if she was on fire from head to toe, and wished she could find a pond to jump into.
Li Pan, seemingly oblivious to her reaction, continued leisurely, "Your maid said you have good judgment, courage, and a keen eye for talent, managing to win me over in one fell swoop. You also said that if I didn't want to marry you, you would come to my house and take my mother away."
Lou Xueying's whole body stiffened.
The reason she was willing to be honest with Li Pan was because she had already prepared an explanation: she had long admired Marquis Wu'an and wanted to find an opportunity to talk to him alone to express her feelings. She had only slipped and fallen into the water in her haste, and had not intentionally tried to force him into marriage. Thus, although her actions were somewhat rash, they were still within the realm of girlish sentiment and could be understood.
Who would have thought, who would have thought that Li Pan would eavesdrop! What a terrible image she must have in his mind now!
She looked at him with a mixture of surprise, anxiety, shame, and anger, unable to utter a single word.
This was the first time Li Pan had ever seen such a rich array of expressions on her face, so colorful and interesting. He chuckled and said, "Miss Lou, you were so frank when you spoke, why are you reacting like this now? Could it be that I can't know what you're saying?"
Lou Xueying, hearing him still mocking her, lost her temper and angrily said, "Lord Marquis, eavesdropping is not the behavior of a gentleman!"
“I’m not a gentleman,” Li Pan shrugged. “Besides, Miss Lou should have known about the saying ‘walls have ears’ long ago. Since you dare to say it, why shouldn’t I dare to listen?”
"You, you..." Lou Xueying was furious, but dared not really argue with him, so she could only turn her face away and bite her lip.
So all Li Pan could see was the back of a head with smooth, black hair.
Li Pan coughed lightly and said seriously, "To be honest, Miss Lou, I never imagined that you planned this all by yourself. What are you after? Is it really just to marry me?"
Lou Xueying was thinking rapidly.
If she were Li Pan, overhearing the conversation between the newlywed wife and her maid, she would be surprised but would keep it to herself and then observe the truth of what she said through daily interactions.
Why would someone ask for clarification right after eavesdropping? Aren't they afraid of alerting the enemy?
However, Lou Xueying already knew that Li Pan had his own unique style of doing things and could not be treated in the usual way.
He introduced Cui Cui to her first, and then eavesdropped on her conversation with Cai Ling, which shows that even though he suspected that the marriage was a scheme by the Lou family, he still accepted her as his wife and completely handed over the power to manage the household to her.
What exactly was he thinking?
Lou Xueying composed herself before turning to ask, "May I ask you a question, Lord Marquis?"
"Go ahead and ask."
“I know that the Marquis was unwilling to marry me before because he suspected that he had been plotted against by the Lou family. He only married me later because of pressure from His Majesty,” she said. “But why does the Marquis seem not to dislike me? He even dared to discuss the management of the household with me tonight. Isn’t he afraid that the Lou family will do something underhanded?”
Li Pan stroked his chin and asked her in return, "What tricks can you possibly use?"
Lou Xueying was taken aback.
“My family isn’t some powerful, established noble household. Just to marry you, this huge undertaking has almost drained my savings and His Majesty’s rewards. If your Lou family is after money, there’s nothing to gain. If you’re after power, you should want me to keep my title, not deliberately frame your son-in-law,” Li Pan said. “I don’t consider myself to have any grudge against your Lou family, and your family doesn’t seem like the type to actively seek trouble. If you’re going to do something, then after thinking about it, it can only be because His Majesty ordered it. Even His Majesty wants to get rid of me, so what’s the point of whether you’re in charge of the family or not?”
As he spoke, he changed his posture, bringing his other leg up and sitting lazily cross-legged on the bed. He said, "I do not like being coerced, but after looking at it from all angles, I can't see any intention from your Lou family to harm me. So I can only assume that you are forcing me into a marriage alliance. Since the marriage alliance is a done deal, I can only go with the flow and think about how to make good use of your Lou family. Otherwise, why would I go against my in-laws every day? It's not like we have any deep-seated hatred."
Lou Xueying lowered her eyes: "Your Excellency has great magnanimity."
“I’ve answered your question. Now it’s your turn to answer mine,” Li Pan said. “You specifically planned to fall into the water to force me to marry you. What are you after?”
Lou Xueying took a deep breath, her expression returning to calm: "My plan to fall into the water was indeed only for the purpose of marrying the Marquis. If I had to say what I wanted, it would only be for the Marquis himself."
Li Pan: "Isn't there any other reason? For example, were you angry with someone and decided to marry me on a whim? Or did your family want to marry you off to someone else, but you didn't want to, so you simply chose me?"
“Neither.” Lou Xueying looked into his eyes and said, word by word, “If the Marquis did not exist in this world, I would not marry. If I were to marry, it would certainly be to the Marquis.”
Li Pan raised an eyebrow: "You really like me?"
Lou Xueying: "..."
What a blunt question! But since things had come to this, she could only grit her teeth and admit, "Yes! I do like you, Lord Marquis! Didn't you understand everything when you were eavesdropping earlier?"
Upon hearing her explicit declaration, Li Pan showed neither smugness nor embarrassment. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, rested his elbow on his knee, and tapped his chin with his knuckles, pondering, "Why? Didn't your maid say you don't like warriors?"
Lou Xueying's lips twitched slightly.
Does he really have to be so explicit? What kind of man is he? Hearing a woman's confession of love isn't enough; he has to keep asking about her feelings and emotional journey!
“How can those ordinary warriors be compared to the Marquis?” Lou Xueying said softly. “I have long admired the Marquis’s reputation. This… this is not surprising, is it? There are so many women in the capital who want to marry the Marquis. The Marquis must know this. But I heard that the Marquis is not even willing to marry a royal woman. I was afraid that I would never have another chance with the Marquis. That’s why I acted impulsively in a moment of panic.”
After saying that, she lowered her head, feigning shame.
Li Pan retorted, "So, on the day I entered the city, you deliberately made a commotion to attract my attention?"
Lou Xueying was taken aback.
Li Pan glanced at her sideways: "Isn't that right? I rode past the restaurant on horseback, and you dropped something that hit the common people below. If you didn't want to attract my attention, I don't believe you would be so careless."
Lou Xueying was genuinely surprised now. Although it was Yao Biyue who lost the item back then, that didn't matter anymore.
"Does the Marquis remember me?"
"It's hard not to remember, isn't it? You're so beautiful." Li Pan said casually, as if he were chatting about everyday things rather than praising her beauty. "I just didn't know you back then. I just saw you and that was it, I didn't think much of it."
At that time, he was leading his elite troops into the city when he suddenly heard a commotion among the people on the roadside. He glanced over and saw a woman standing at the window on the second floor.
He was a normal man, not blind, so of course he could distinguish between beauty and ugliness. Such ethereal beauty was something he had never seen in the harsh, cold northwest, so it was perfectly normal for him to be so deeply impressed.
But a glance at a beauty was enough; it had nothing to do with him, so he didn't take it seriously, only thinking that the capital city was truly a nurturing place. He never expected to see her again later at the Duke of Guangping's residence. Such a celestial being, yet she had descended to the mortal realm to do the most worldly things.
Lou Xueying said softly, "I did go there to see the Marquis. But I accidentally dropped the things. The Marquis was so dashing, I was so captivated that I forgot about him and..."
Sorry, Yue, I'm just using your story to cheer up Li Pan.
She glanced quickly at Li Pan, seeing his ambiguous smile, unsure whether he believed her or not. She quickly bit her lip, feigning embarrassment and annoyance, and said, "If Your Excellency doesn't believe me, then so be it. If Your Excellency thinks I'm frivolous and reckless because of this, I have nothing to say."
“It’s not that I don’t believe it, but I find Miss Lou really interesting. She’s quite different from the refined ladies of the capital I imagined,” Li Pan said with a smile. “I thought only in the Northwest could we have such bold women.”
Lou Xueying asked perceptively, "Does the Marquis think it's good or bad?"
"If I say yes, will you suspect that I've been having affairs in the Northwest and accepting all comers? If I say no, will you suspect that I look down on you?"
Lou Xueying remained silent.
Li Pan said, "To be honest, Miss Lou, in my opinion, these actions are neither good nor bad. I only look at the purpose and the result. Miss Lou wants to use the incident of falling into the water to marry me. If you have other motives, I will think you are scheming. But if you just like me and want to marry me, I can't do anything about it. Although Miss Lou's methods are somewhat dishonorable, you happen to be able to solve my Marquis's urgent problem and help me to rectify the rules of the Marquis's mansion. You are exactly the kind of person I need. Now that I have benefited, I don't want to bring up those old grievances. The reason I brought this up today is because I think that since we are husband and wife, we should act properly. Let's speak openly to avoid mutual suspicion and unnecessary trouble in the future."
Lou Xueying looked at him.
Li Pan also looked at her.
After a long silence, Lou Xueying finally said, "Lord Marquis... is a straightforward man. I didn't misjudge you. Marrying you is truly the greatest fortune of my life."
Li Pan smiled.
He said, "You spoke too soon."
Lou Xueying was puzzled.
Li Pan: "Although Miss Lou is quite different from the refined young lady I imagined, she is still young after all. She has heard some things about me from other people and seen what I look like, so she feels that she will marry no one but me. But marriage is not so simple. It is very possible that both of you are good people and have done nothing wrong, but you still can't make it work in the end. Has Miss Lou thought about this possibility?"
Lou Xueying was stunned and said, "I have only just married the Marquis, and the Marquis already feels that he can't live with me anymore?"
"I'm just saying there's a possibility, of course it's best if there isn't," Li Pan said. "Just a heads-up, so Miss Lou won't have any unrealistic expectations of me. I've heard you're skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but I'm just a vulgar person, like a cow chewing on a peony, I'm afraid I won't please you."
Lou Xueying breathed a sigh of relief. She thought it was something serious, but it was just this. She had expected it and didn't care.
“My lord has his own affairs to attend to, how could I force him to do something he doesn’t like?” Lou Xueying said. “I admire my lord, so naturally I put him first in everything. Those arts and crafts are just pastimes when I’m bored. Now that I have my lord, how could I be bored?”
Li Pan laughed and said, "Miss Lou speaks so eloquently. If you were a man, you would surely win the hearts of countless young women."
Lou Xueying awkwardly touched her nose.
She didn't know how she ended up saying it so slickly; she had never said anything like that in her past life. Maybe she had spent some time with Li Pan and been influenced by his unrestrained speech.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
Li Pan sat on the bed, his eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought. Lou Xueying glanced at the dragon and phoenix wedding candles on the opposite table, which were almost half-burned, then looked at Li Pan. After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke first: "It's getting late. Let me help the Marquis undress."
Li Pan glanced at her, and her raised hand froze in mid-air, unsure whether to extend it or retract it.
Li Pan: "Are you really sure you want to be my wife?"
What kind of talk is this! They've already gone through the wedding ceremony. Even if they haven't made up their minds, do you think they can just get a divorce right away?!
Lou Xueying pursed her lips and looked at him, whispering, "My lord... are you unwilling?"
Li Pan: "I'm just feeling a bit conflicted." He wiped his face and sighed. "I originally thought that our marriage would be amicable, with neither of us owing the other anything, and we'd each get what we needed. We'd just have our marital relations. But now you're telling me you're in love with me and won't marry anyone else... I..."
It felt like I was taking advantage of a naive young girl.
To some extent, Li Pan was a gentleman, and Lou Xueying admired his frankness. But at this moment, the drowsiness she had suppressed earlier was rising again. She wanted to finish quickly and rest, so she simply steeled herself and continued with her bold and reckless nature, leaning forward suddenly and giving him a light, fleeting kiss on the lips.
Li Pan was stunned.
He stared at her in astonishment, motionless.
Lou Xueying thought for a moment, then pecked his lips again.
Li Pan was even more visibly shaken.
Lou Xueying reached out her hand, trembling, to tug at his belt.
She had never before made such a coquettish gesture, and even she felt extremely ashamed.
But between men and women, this is the fastest way to develop feelings. She must make Li Pan fall in love with her as soon as possible and be willing to protect her for life. She can't just be a wife who comes from an arranged marriage and is mutually beneficial.
"Wait a minute!" Li Pan grabbed her hand, unusually embarrassed. He scratched his head, coughed twice, and looked around, saying, "Uh, are you really ready? I'm a rough guy, and you have such delicate skin, I'm afraid I'll hurt you..."
“But…the Marquis and I will eventually consummate our marriage, won’t we?” Lou Xueying raised her eyes, her dark pupils gleaming in the candlelight.
Li Pan tightened his lips and slowly released his grip.
She pulled open Li Pan's sash.
His strong, thick chest muscles and well-defined waist and abdomen made her face flush. She blinked quickly, took his hand, and placed it on her belt.
She said softly, "Please... Lord Marquis, have mercy on me."
Li Pan took a deep breath.
The fragrance emanating from her body after her bath was even more pronounced. Her thin silk nightgown was held together by only one sash. It had been quite modest before, but now that she was leaning forward and her body was slightly lowered, it was easy to see the delicate skin hidden beneath her long hair and the subtle curve of her collar.
His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and a lukewarm fire seemed to ignite in his chest.
“…Alright,” he said. “Tell me if you feel unwell.”
Lou Xueying nodded slightly, her feather-like hair brushing against the back of his hand.
Li Pan composed himself and loosened her sash.
...
The bright red nightgown, like a flower petal soaked by a sudden rain, was crumpled and huddled in the corner of the bed. Occasionally, a few short, uncontrollable gasps could be heard in the dimly lit room, but they were quickly drowned out by other sounds.
Fine beads of sweat seeped out, wetting their temples, and their skin, which was pressed together, became increasingly sticky and uncomfortable.
Lou Xueying hugged Li Pan tightly, a tear sliding down her cheek.
Li Pan heard her faint sobs, paused, suppressed his physical urges, stopped what he was doing, and asked her, "Does it hurt a lot?"
"No, no..." He should have asked, because as soon as he did, Lou Xueying's tears flowed like a burst dam.
Li Pan was startled and stepped back, asking her again, "Did I hurt you?"
"no……"
Lou Xueying couldn't explain to Li Pan why she was crying. She hadn't actually felt sad at all; it was just that when she was hugging him, she couldn't help but think of some old memories.
She recalled the resolute night she spent in her past life when she finally came to her senses and took the initiative to seek peace with the emperor; she also recalled her desperate pleas when the emperor's body was barely cold and the crown prince pressured her.
She had been possessed by these two men, but neither time was out of her own volition. Yet the man she was now willingly marrying was a marriage ordained by the emperor, and just a few hours earlier, the crown prince had personally witnessed their wedding.
She couldn't help but think about these things, and then she thought about her wedding night with her husband, when she had put aside her pride and taken the initiative to make love. And during the act of marriage, she had been thinking about more than one other man. Endless confusion and self-loathing welled up in her heart, and before she could even react, tears were already streaming down her face.
Li Pan asked her why she was crying, but she was too ashamed to answer and felt so embarrassed that she could only weep bitterly.
But she cried very restrainedly, afraid that the servants outside would hear her, so she just gritted her teeth, her shoulders shaking rapidly, and buried her face in Li Pan's shoulder as she wept.
Li Pan lost interest in continuing, frowned and remained silent, unsure of what to do, and could only stiffly and gently pat her back again and again.
After a while, Lou Xueying slowly stopped crying.
She sniffled, not daring to look Li Pan in the eye, and could only say timidly and hoarsely, "I'm sorry, I've disturbed... disturbed the Marquis's mood."
"That's not important," Li Pan said. "What are you crying about?"
His rough fingers brushed across her slender, smooth shoulder blades, arousing a ticklish sensation.
At first, he thought he had hurt her, but her crying came so suddenly. Even after he withdrew, she was still crying, and even more so. So it was obviously not his fault.
"I...I..." Lou Xueying couldn't find the words to say.
"Do you really have a former lover? Tell me the truth, and I won't be angry," Li Pan said, looking at her.
Aside from her former lover, he couldn't understand what could possibly make her cry like this on her wedding night. Especially since he had previously thought this Miss Lou was bold and interesting, unlike ordinary young ladies, but now that she was crying like this, she seemed to be behaving like a normal young girl.
"I didn't," Lou Xueying said in a muffled voice. "I just... I can't believe it when I think about how I really married the Marquis. I had a nightmare before, in which someone tried to separate me from the Marquis. I was so anxious that I couldn't sleep well for many days."
Li Pan lifted her face; her eyes were red and swollen, her wet eyelashes clumped together, and because her face had been buried in the crook of his neck, tear stains were everywhere.
She met his gaze, then quickly looked away.
The liar is lying.
But she looked so pitiful. Perhaps because they had just had the most intimate contact, he felt a rare tenderness and pity for her. Not wanting to pressure her any further, he said, "What's there to cry about? You've finally married me, you should be smiling."
Lou Xueying forced a smile.
Li Pan gently patted her head and said, "Alright, I'll go get some water so we can wash up and then rest."
Lou Xueying glanced subconsciously at his crotch, and said blankly, "But..."
"That's enough," Li Pan said. "We can rest now."
Based on Lou Xueying's understanding of men, this was hardly "almost"; they were clearly just getting into the swing of things and could go on for a while longer.
But she herself had no desire to continue, and in Li Pan's eyes, she was probably a virgin and it was inappropriate for her to continue to flatter him, so she silently got off him.
Li Pan put on his clothes, got up, and went out to fetch water.
Hot water had been prepared in advance. Li Pan carried in two full copper basins, one in each hand, and placed them by the bedside.
Lou Xueying stared at him with wide eyes.
Li Pan: "What are you looking at?"
Lou Xueying murmured, "The Marquis can actually lift it..."
She had never seen anyone lift two copper basins filled with hot water at the same time without spilling any.
"You're making a fuss over nothing." Li Pan snorted lightly, dampened a towel, and said, "Get up, let me wipe you down."
Lou Xueying blushed and said, "There's no need to trouble you, Lord Marquis. I can do it myself."
"Are you really planning to do it yourself?" Li Pan stood by the bed, looking down at her. "I'm fast, you're slow. After I finish cleaning myself, I'll have nothing to do but watch you clean me."
Once they became a real couple, he immediately started talking without any restraint, even when it came to bawdy food.
Lou Xueying turned pale and stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence. Li Pan then smirked, and without saying a word, quickly wiped her body clean and tossed her a clean nightgown.
Lou Xueying silently picked it up and put it on.
Li Pan finished wiping himself down, changed his clothes, and took the basin of water outside.
On his way back, he blew out the candles along the way, and by the time he lay down next to her, the room was completely dark.
His body seemed to be constantly warm; lying next to him was like lying next to a never-ending heat source.
In her past life, she was frail and sickly, always feeling cold. In this life, she especially loved warm things. She stole a glance at him in the darkness, wondering if she should move closer to him.
"You have something to say?" Li Pan suddenly asked.
Lou Xueying was startled: "Isn't the Marquis asleep?"
"How can I sleep with you watching me like this?" Li Pan opened his eyes and looked at her in the darkness.
Lou Xueying shrank further under the covers and said, "How did you know I was watching you, Lord Marquis?"
“I can feel it,” Li Pan said. “Sometimes, killing enemies on the battlefield relies on this kind of feeling.”
Lou Xueying responded with an "oh".
Li Pan: "Really nothing to say? If you have nothing to say, why are you looking at me? It's the middle of the night, you can't see anything."
Lou Xueying remained silent, but quietly moved a little closer to him.
Li Pan sensed her approach, fell silent, and closed his eyes.
It seems she doesn't have any ex-boyfriends; Miss Lou really likes him.
As for what she was crying about, well, let's go to sleep first and ask her when we have the chance later.
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