Chapter 77: Frightened. How come the piece of clothing near his hips was stained...
"Miss Murong, you are wrong."
Wen Zheliu opened her thin lips and told the story.
"It's not that I think Miss Murong is unworthy of me, but I know I'm only average looking and frail, and I didn't want to delay her, so I declined. How did she interpret it as 'looking down on her'?"
He spoke slowly and steadily, like a winding mountain spring, clear and refreshing, yet unconstrained by others, possessing a unique freedom.
Murong Jin's words and deeds were arrogant, while Wen Zheliu was humble and polite, but he did not seem to be at a disadvantage.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he, sitting in this high position, was an unstoppable army.
Murong Jin's face flushed crimson, his lips trembled for a while, and then he stiffened his neck and said fiercely: "Oh, the men from Zhongyuan are just so sharp-tongued. I can't argue with you, but..."
"How dare you!" Murong Xuan, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly stood up and slapped her. "How can you comment on what the Crown Prince is like?"
There was a crisp clapping sound and the whole place was silent. Wen Zheliu lowered his brows and took a sip of tea.
Murong Xuan didn't take action earlier or later, but only tried to mediate when Murong Jin was at a disadvantage in the argument with him. What was his intention?
Maybe he is testing whether the new crown prince has the ability to make great achievements when he takes the field?
So, he couldn't let them down.
Murong Xuan slapped Murong Jin, stepped out of the table, and knelt down in the aisle where the ministers were walking, with her head bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty, I have failed to teach my daughter well and have offended the Crown Prince. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
"Murong Xuan, your daughter is undoubtedly a daughter of a royal family, but my son is also the apple of my eye. You have truly failed to discipline him properly. You actually allowed your daughter, who was only given a lowly official position, to speak so harshly to the Crown Prince. If I do not put a stop to this, won't this kind of behavior permeate the entire court?"
Before Situ Yun had even warmed up to the throne, he suddenly stood up, took three or two steps forward, and pulled out a golden hairpin from Murong Jin's head.
"Murong Jin, you have been raised in the palace for many years. I have watched you grow up. I always thought that you were the most sensible and polite. Who would have thought that you would slander the Crown Prince in public like this? I am so disappointed.
"Your words and actions are disgraceful, not only to yourself, but also to your mother. After the banquet, go home and reflect on your past. You don't need to wear this golden hairpin that I personally gave you."
The golden hairpin fell to the ground with a clang, and the ministers who were sitting quietly observing the situation all fell to their knees.
"Your Majesty, please calm down!" they said in unison.
"Whether I calm down or not is not a big deal." Situ Yun's face was filled with thunder. "Whether this matter can be resolved depends on you, Murong Jin, personally apologizing to the Crown Prince and asking for his forgiveness."
Wen Zheliu did not kneel down with the other ministers, but just sat upright in his original position and looked at the whole scene.
So he saw clearly that it was Murong Xuan who winked at Murong Jin, and Murong Jin then turned pale and saluted him.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry."
The sound is quieter than the buzzing of a mosquito, which shows how little sincerity there is.
Wen Zheliu sneered subconsciously.
This Murong Jin is still a clumsy girl who doesn't know what is important. In terms of scheming, she is definitely not his match.
Her mother, Murong Xuan, was a person who did not like to play the game herself and played chess in a high position. The advantage of this was that she could walk through a sea of flowers without getting hurt by a single leaf, and if anyone was held responsible, she would not be affected by the consequences. As for the disadvantages, they were also obvious.
If the general cowardly retreats and is unwilling to take action, how can the soldiers under his command risk their lives and shed their blood for the country and do their best on the battlefield where lives are at stake?
No wonder Murong Xuan was defeated time and time again when fighting against the wise and brave He Jiuyue. Nine out of ten times, she was defeated.
He accidentally used too much force and stretched his stomach, which was bound by the cloth belt and immediately twisted. He frowned almost inaudibly and protected his stomach with his palms.
It’s a pity that Murong Xuan was the subordinate he had to go through so much trouble to win back.
He Jiuyue, who rarely loses, is on the opposite side of him.
"I'm sorry, Miss Murong, your voice was too soft, and unfortunately, my hearing is not good, so I really couldn't hear what you said clearly. Could you please speak louder and repeat what you just said?"
Thinking of He Jiuyue who was going to be his enemy, Wen Zheliu's heart sank inch by inch.
But facing the reckless girl Murong Jin, whose whole heart was shown on her face, he was still somewhat interested.
"No, stop." Murong Jin squeezed out these three words from between his teeth, his eyes wide open with anger.
Wen Zheliu's voice was neither salty nor bland.
"Miss Murong, your apology is nameless and surnameless. Are you speaking to the air?"
Murong Jin's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. If looks could kill, she would have killed the calm and composed Wen Zheliu a thousand times.
"Your Highness, I was at fault this time. I will compensate you with ten thousand taels of gold and a hundred servants. What do you think?"
Hearing the willows being cut, he remained silent.
In front of He Jiuyue, his round eyes, which were always wide open to make him look cute, were now slightly narrowed.
Murong Xuan's scalp tingled under Wen Zheliu's faintly amused gaze. She kowtowed three times in a row, "Your Highness, if you have any other requests, please feel free to ask. I only ask that after I have satisfied your requirements, please do not embarrass me any further."
Is Murong Xuan playing a mother who dotes on her only daughter, or a general who protects his beloved daughter?
It seems that Murong Jin is indeed very important to Murong Xuan. It's a pity that Murong Jin has no interest in him, and it is unethical for Murong Xuan to marry him because of the huge age difference between them.
But by grasping Murong Jin's weakness, maybe he could really control Murong Xuan.
Murong Jin seemed to have mentioned that she liked strong men with scheming and tactics. She went into such detail, could it be that she had someone she loved? If he knew this person... he could use them to control Murong Xuan, who was dominating the court of Western Yue.
This strategy does not require him to sacrifice his innocence, but it is not easy to find Murong Jin's weakness.
Let Dugu Qiu and Xiaobai pay more attention.
Wen Zheliu was deliberately trying to warn Murong and her daughter, but he didn't rush to reply and was pondering in his heart.
He held Murong Xuan in his arms for a long time before speaking slowly.
"I will not offend others unless they offend me. It was Miss Murong who was rude first, and I am just retaliating. I live in the East Palace, and my mother doesn't worry about my food, clothing, and other expenses. I have nothing to ask for.
"But since General Murong has personally requested it, I, for the sake of his reputation, will spare Miss Murong this time. I hope Miss Murong will learn from this mistake and not make the same mistake again."
"Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Highness!" Murong Xuan tugged at Murong Jin's sleeve, "Xiao Jin, why don't you kowtow and express your gratitude?"
Murong Jin angrily followed him in thanking him, grinding her teeth and saying, "Your Highness, you truly are worthy of being a crown prince. Your figure and appearance are truly one in a million. I, your servant, am attracted to you!"
The smile on Wen Zheliu's face froze.
Murong Jin's words of liking someone are more offensive than his words of disliking them.
If she said she disliked him, he could have used the excuse, "I don't like other women for the time being, but Miss Murong is halfway decent, but she doesn't want to be with her." But she said she was pleased...
His mood was surging like a storm. Wen Zheliu was short of energy and blood, and his limbs were weak and cold. Black spots flashed before his eyes from time to time.
His head was dizzy and he wished he could lose consciousness immediately.
But doing so would be too inappropriate.
"As the saying goes, a lady's word is as good as gold. Miss Murong's words are as good as gold. She just said that she looked down on me, so why is she so happy now? Please respect yourself and don't tease me."
Wen Zheliu struggled to stand up, and as soon as he straightened his back, his knees began to ache again, as if someone was stabbing them with a sharp needle over and over again.
What’s wrong with my leg… Oh no, my stomach hurts too.
"Zheliu, what are you doing?" Situ Yun raised his hand slightly. "I have arranged a lot of singing, dancing and fine wine."
"Singing, dancing, fine wine"? He was afraid he wouldn't be able to enjoy it.
Wen Zheliu bowed, his body trembling slightly with pain.
"Mother Queen, it's not that I'm deliberately trying to spoil the fun, but I'm still taking medicine and can't drink. Now, it's time to take my medicine again, so I'll take my leave first."
He walked slowly out, swaying like a leaf in the wind, maintaining his last bit of decency in front of everyone.
Only he, Xiaobai and Dugu Qiu knew the pain.
"Princess, there's news!" Chen Jin swung his legs like a whirlwind and rushed in from outside the imperial study.
He Jiyue put down her red brush and said, "Speak."
"According to spies from the Xiyue Palace, Xiyue has welcomed back a new crown prince. He's a man, but he's incredibly bold. He even dared to show his displeasure to General Murong Xuan, who can rival you. He's definitely not someone you'll want to mess with!"
After hearing this, He Jiuyue chewed it over again. Without tasting the soul, it was tasteless to eat and it would be a pity to throw it away.
She picked up the red pen and asked, "What does it have to do with hearing about the willow-cutting?"
"...It has nothing to do with it." Chen Jin swallowed his saliva. "It's just that the childless Emperor Situ Yun of Xiyue suddenly has a successor. This is really strange. I dare not neglect it."
"So what? From now on, there's no need to spread news so hastily unless it's related to Wen Zheliu."
He Jiyue read the memorial he had just read halfway through again and lazily replied, "Now that I have secured the position of Regent, your status has also risen. You must behave in a manner worthy of your position and stop being so reckless."
Chen Jin entered the house happily, only to be met with a barrage of scolding. He bit his lower lip in anger.
She was frightened by the princess just now, and for a moment she really didn't remember that it was precisely because this man had similarities with Master Wen that she was so anxious to report it!
"Reporting to the princess, this matter is somewhat related to Master Wen." Chen Jin bowed.
"What do you mean?" He Jiuyue raised her eyes.
"The prince who was welcomed back is also in poor health, which is similar to the young master."
"There are many people in the world with poor health. If you go to the Imperial Hospital, you will see which imperial physician doesn't have men with poor health under his care."
He Jiuyue's face remained calm.
"Besides, Situ Yun himself is in poor health, and his son is also frail, so it can be said that this is a family tradition."
Chen Jin was about to say something else, but she stopped him with a raised hand.
"It's really strange that Xiyue has a male prince. Please pay more attention to the future. I was busy with official business just now and was a little anxious. I said something rash. Don't worry about it."
"Yes," Chen Jin nodded and accepted the task, then gave detailed instructions, "Your Highness, you have a lot of things to do every day, and it's really hard. It's inevitable that you will get angry. I understand, but the ministers in the court are counting on you, so I hope you take good care of yourself."
She said this, but she secretly thought.
How could the princess be "busy with official business"? She was clearly captivated by Master Wen and had her heart set on him.
He Jiuyue said "hmm".
"I understand your concerns. I'll go down first. If you hear any news about the willow-breaking incident, please report it immediately."
Xiyue, Donggong.
"Young Master, are you okay?" Xiaobai followed on the left side of Wen Zheliu's sedan chair, protecting him from the Imperial Garden to the Eastern Palace. Fearing that there might be eavesdroppers inside the palace, Xiaobai didn't dare to say a word along the way, and only asked Wen Zheliu when they arrived at the Eastern Palace.
When he heard about the willow being broken, he said nothing.
It wasn't that he didn't want to answer on purpose, but the bloody smell in his throat was so hot that it felt like he would vomit a mouthful of blood if he opened his mouth.
Xiaobai was his own man brought from the Central Plains, but the bearers of the sedan chair were all arranged by Situ Yun.
He had to be on guard.
Under the red light of the lantern, Wen Zheliu's face looked slightly pale, just like the snow on the ground.
He rested his elbows on the armrests of the sedan chair and placed his palms on his lower abdomen, trying to use the little warmth in his hands to warm his cold and aching abdomen.
As expected, the failure was complete.
Not only did the abdominal pain not get relieved, his hands became even colder. He lost both his husband and his army.
I felt dizzy from time to time and my stomach was upset. All the food I had eaten at the banquet seemed to be popping out of the ground like bamboo shoots after a rain. I felt nauseous and wanted to vomit when I smelled the willow branches. I was about to close my eyes to relieve my nausea.
I was distracted by a glaring red again.
Why is the piece of clothing near his hips stained with blood?
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