Chapter 78 Zhou Zhaoyi
Yang Qing genuinely found the place unpleasant to smell; the stench of decay lingered and filled her nostrils.
She had barely stepped out of the prison gate when she heard Li Heyun's words. She froze, then turned back in disbelief, "Are you crazy? What nonsense are you spouting?"
Li Heyun feigned heartbreak with exaggerated emotion: "Why is Yangqing suddenly so heartless? Has she gotten close to the Crown Prince and now she's going to kick me aside? Those times in bed were truly the happiest moments of my life. Yangqing, you're much cuter when you're more gentle..."
Huo Lu initially wished he were a cage, but as the man's words became increasingly absurd, he silently thought, "You asked for this."
With a single thrust, the sword struck his heart. Li Heyun lay on the tangled pile of straw, a smile playing on his lips, his eyes still fixed on Yang Qing, as if he had a thousand words yet to be spoken.
Li Shangxuan's face was cold. The fresh blood that had just gushed out brought a vibrant color to the moldy and blackened dishes, which were probably the only things with life in the entire cell.
*****
This was the first time Yang Qing had ever witnessed murder. A snow-white sword pierced a person's chest, and when it was pulled out, it was still dripping with blood.
Having known him for a while, she got used to Huo Lu's cheerful demeanor and forgot that he was a military general, and the accessories hanging from his waist were not just decorations like those of her fifth cousin, but real strength that could be used to kill.
The night inside the palace seemed even darker than outside the city walls. The palace servants ahead carried lanterns, their clothes fluttering in the night wind, giving them a somewhat aloof and otherworldly air.
Li Shangxuan held her hand, his voice light and airy, almost carried away by the wind, like the thinnest silk brushing against her ear, a fleeting touch, "Are you scared?"
Yang Qing shook her head. Li Heyun died a quick death. The white knife went in and the red knife came out. One stab ended his life. He probably only suffered for a moment.
His death was not particularly gruesome, so Yang Qing had no reason to be afraid.
When she returned to her bedchamber, she thought about it again and again, and finally explained to Li Shangxuan, "He was just talking nonsense. I was with that old woman the whole time, and I didn't even see his shadow."
Although Li Heyun was of low character, she was good-looking and had a decent figure, so she didn't suffer too much of a loss.
But he was really too wicked. He gave Yang Qing the feeling of snake soup, which was said to be delicious, but just knowing what it was made her want to vomit and she couldn't eat it at all.
Putting herself in his shoes, if Li Shangxuan had another woman, she would hate her so much she wanted to strangle her. Even if he didn't ask, he would probably feel uncomfortable. It's better to just be upfront about it.
Li Shangxuan was slightly taken aback before nodding and saying, "I know."
After a moment, she lowered her voice and said, "I believe whatever you say."
Yang Qing immediately retorted, "You're just a little dog."
After speaking, she was extremely pleased with herself, "Believe it or not?"
Li Shangxuan: "..."
"Woof."
Yang Qing was truly stunned by her shamelessness. How could someone be so shameless?
Seeing her incredulous expression, the smile shifted to Li Shangxuan's face.
"The puppy is going to bite now."
*****
Huo Lu not only escaped punishment for killing the death row inmate with a single sword strike, but also received a reward.
Li Shangxuan originally wanted to promote him further, but he was already a fourth-rank official, and any further promotion would only make him a General of the Golden Guard.
But Huo Lu is only in his early twenties this year, and his superior has done nothing wrong, so the position simply cannot be left vacant.
Therefore, Huo Lu's reward became a mansion in the best location in the capital.
He was filled with gratitude, and now that he had a house, he no longer had to worry about getting married.
However, Li Shangxuan and Yang Qing have recently started having conflicts again.
Springtime, with its warm sunshine, is the perfect time for sightseeing and enjoying the scenery.
Li Shangxuan and Yang Qing were talking sweetly by the water, while he could only talk to the dim-witted, blond-haired girl, Xiaoman.
But Xiaoman kept babbling on and on, "Does the Crown Princess really know how to make water? I think she's just bragging and lying to me."
Huo Lu could vouch for it; he had seen it with his own eyes. Yang Qing was indeed skilled at swimming, but the way she climbed onto the boat wasn't very attractive. Her hair was disheveled and her face was pale, making her look like a female ghost. It startled him, and he really thought a water ghost had come looking for a substitute.
If Li Shangxuan hadn't reacted quickly, he would have stabbed the man with his sword.
But he dared not tell such things to anyone else, especially since that "other person" included the silly goose Xiaoman. If she spread the word far and wide, wouldn't he be implicated and lose his head as well?
So even though he knew perfectly well, he pretended not to know and just brushed it off. Luckily, Xiaoman wasn't very smart and changed the subject in a few words.
As the two were talking about their respective masters, a "plop" sound came from ahead. Looking closely, they saw that Li Shangxuan had fallen into the water.
Xiaoman was engrossed in chatting and jumping up in alarm when she saw this. She was about to shout for help when Huo Lu quickly covered her head and gestured for her to stop, before rushing to rescue her.
Li Shangxuan was skilled in swimming, and this was a royal garden. Although the pond was fed by fresh water from outside, the current was gentle.
Huo Lu could see it clearly; it was Yang Qing who kicked Li Shangxuan down. If Xiao Man had made a scene and called everyone over, things might have gotten out of control.
After stopping Xiaoman, before he could even reach the water's edge, Li Shangxuan climbed out on his own, soaking wet. Yang Qing had already left.
Huo Lu hurriedly took him back to change his clothes. Although it was springtime, it was still quite cold when a gust of wind blew onto the wet clothes. It would be a big problem if he caught a cold.
Li Shangxuan changed his wet clothes with a dark face, dried his hair with a handkerchief, and said coldly, "She's been going too far lately. She was fine one moment, and then suddenly she turned on me. Luckily, no one was watching. Don't I have any dignity?"
Huo Lu asked, "What did you say to the Crown Princess before this? Did you upset her again?"
Li Shangxuan pondered for a moment: "I didn't say anything. She said the letter from Xin Wanyou had arrived, and I casually remarked that the way she swam looked a lot like Xin Wanyou's chubby little dog. Then she suddenly kicked me. She really went too far. No, I need to go talk to my mother-in-law about this."
Huo Lu had also thought Yang Qing had gone too far. Although Li Shangxuan could swim, he was afraid of the worst-case scenario. What if something unexpected happened?
Now that I've heard the whole story, I suddenly understand Yang Qing.
Although he is not a woman, what woman would like her lover to say that she looks like a fat puppy?
Huo Lu muttered under his breath, "Then you really didn't suffer unjustly this time."
*****
Yang Qing was furious. This Li Shangxuan was truly a dog who couldn't say anything nice.
Although she really liked Xin Wanyou's little white dog, and the little white dog was indeed clever, it didn't really look clever at all. It was dull and clumsy, and its temperament was very similar to Xiaoman's.
If you said she looked like Xiao Huang, Yang Qing wouldn't be so angry, since Xiao Huang really does look very impressive.
She really didn't want to talk to Li Shangxuan anymore; he always had a way of making her angry.
It's so annoying. I was so blind back then. I should have just drowned in the river to save myself from being so angry with him.
In the case of the Ning Prince's rebellion, the imperial envoy was undoubtedly the one who made the greatest contribution, and the local prefect also played a crucial role in assisting the plot.
The imperial envoy, Lord Zhao, and Prefect Zhou were both graduates of the same imperial examination, and this time they joined forces to carry out their mission.
As it happened, Lord Zhao's eldest son was unmarried, and Prefect Zhou's only daughter was of marriageable age. The two hit it off immediately and decided to arrange a marriage between their children.
Prefect Zhou was promoted to a high-ranking official position in the capital for his meritorious service. Madam Xu and her daughter came to the Empress's palace to pay their respects, and Yang Qing also wanted to accompany them.
Upon seeing Miss Zhou Zhiyu, Yang Qing immediately stopped feeling bored.
She recognized Miss Zhou at a glance. Wasn't she the Zhaoyi that Li Shangxuan brought back in his previous life?
She couldn't help but sneer inwardly. What a deep connection! This time, they'd probably be like dry wood meeting a raging fire again, hooking up after just one meeting.
Yang Qing suppressed her anger, while Madam Zhou was terrified, thinking she had done something wrong and offended the Crown Princess, who was old enough to be her daughter. She was extremely apprehensive.
Yang Qing saw through it, but she was too angry to care about anyone else, and she didn't care about the Empress's signal. After it was over, she couldn't wait to find that scoundrel Li Shangxuan.
Ever since she said he looked like Xin Wanyou's little white dog when he swam, Yang Qing hadn't spoken to him for three whole days. Every time they met, she would just roll her eyes and treat him like he was invisible.
Li Shangxuan had encountered many setbacks and found it rather boring.
She was the one who pushed herself into the water, yet she still got angry. It's outrageous, absolutely outrageous.
Over the years, he often followed her around picking up storybooks to read.
It is said that a wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a stolen affair, and a stolen affair is not as good as seeking pleasure in brothels.
If this applies to men, it certainly applies to women as well.
He spoiled Yang Qing too much, which is why she didn't take him seriously.
Let it be a cold war. If she doesn't take the initiative to make peace, he won't back down this time.
Seeing Yang Qing rushing over, he was delighted. She still cared about him after all; it hadn't been long, and she couldn't wait any longer.
But when Yang Qing ran up to him, what she said was completely different from what he had in mind.
"Li Shangxuan, you fickle, heartless scoundrel, you beast who changes his mind easily! I knew it, not a word you uttered was true. I was truly blinded by greed to believe you would change. Now look what's happened, you've even brought your mistress to me. Divorce! I want a divorce!"
Li Shangxuan was bewildered by the barrage of insults directed at him.
A mistress? He doesn't have a mistress.
Upon hearing her mention divorce, his face darkened, and he coldly questioned, "What nonsense are you spouting? Divorce? Not a chance!"
Yang Qing said, "You still have the nerve to say I'm talking nonsense? You've forgotten about your Zhaoyi, haven't you? There's no need to wait so many more years. I'll abdicate now and let you two star-crossed lovers be together."
Li Shangxuan then grasped the key point: Zhaoyi? The prince's mother.
He remained silent for a moment. Apart from his memories of Yang Qing, he remembered nothing about his past life. Naturally, he didn't know who this Consort Zhao was, nor did he know whether he had actually had a child with her.
He couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
Yang Qing had known him for so many years, she knew his every expression and meaning perfectly.
Seeing his guilty conscience, her anger flared even more. "Have you already seen her? Or have you rekindled your old flame and started hooking up again?"
Li Shangxuan immediately retorted, "Don't overthink it. The matter of the past life is all a misunderstanding. I've told you this many times already. It didn't happen in the past life, and it certainly won't happen in this one."
He pressed Yang Qing down into a chair, looked at her puffed-up face, and sighed softly, "Who is she?"
Solving this problem isn't difficult. We can find this stranger a good family, preferably one far away. With the Crown Prince and Crown Princess acting as matchmakers, it wouldn't be too unfair to her.
Yang Qing immediately noticed the flaw and asked suspiciously, "Didn't you say you remembered everything from your past life? What was your concubine's name? How come you don't even know that?"
She concluded unequivocally, "I knew it, you were lying to me."
Li Shangxuan slipped up and was speechless for a moment, only stubbornly saying, "So what if I remember? So what if I don't? Anyway, I trust my heart and I would never do anything to betray you."
Yang Qing said, "You may believe me, but I don't."
She had never held that child, but she had seen him countless times.
It was so tiny, barely bigger than a cat at birth, with its eyebrows and eyes all scrunched up, making it hard to tell which animal it resembled more.
Aside from Li Shangxuan and Zhou Zhiyu, probably no one else knows who the child's biological father is.
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