Chapter 65: Forgiving Wen Zheliu...will result in death?
Outside the window, the sound of white snow falling covered up the low cough that escaped from Wenzheliu's throat.
"Any information related to the princess? Yes."
Xiaobai's eyes rolled, as if recalling a past scene. After a moment, he slapped his forehead with a cry and said, "I said earlier that the city gates were strictly checked. It was the people from the Princess's Mansion who were checking."
Princess Mansion? The people in Princess Mansion only obey He Jiyue's orders.
If they took any action, it must have been under her instruction.
Could this instruction be related to him?
The thoughts in his mind were like weeds growing wildly in his head. Wen Zheliu tried hard to keep his voice steady.
"What are they investigating?"
Are you checking me out?
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm not entirely sure." Xiaobai scratched his head. "At the time, I was hiding inside the carriage, so my view was obstructed. I only know that the group searched again and again, but when they couldn't find me, they let me go."
"Oh," Wen Zheliu replied lazily, "So they are looking for someone?"
"Perhaps. I can't really say."
Xiaobai lowered his voice and gently raised his hand, indicating the cup in Wenzheliu's hand, which was not holding the cat. The cup was obviously still half full of warm water. "Sir, water."
After being hungry for three consecutive days, even Wen Zheliu's stomach, which usually lacked the power to digest food, was aching with a dull pain, expressing dissatisfaction.
But no matter how dissatisfied they are, they are still sensitive to the food that enters their throats.
Even though Xiaobai only said the word "water", it was still disgusting.
Wen Zheliu slowly leaned forward and held his lower abdomen.
This happens when his stomach is upset. He feels uncomfortable if he doesn't eat. If he eats too much or eats something that doesn't suit him, he will feel nauseous and want to vomit. The pain becomes even worse when there is a fetus in his belly.
"Meow~" Xueyu, who was resting her head on Wen Zheliu's knees, was dissatisfied with the position being squeezed, and she grabbed the corner of his clothes and tried to jump down.
Xiaobai quickly grabbed hold of her neck, and Xueyu's meow became louder. Her furry tail swung back and forth, rubbing against Wenzheliu's sensitive belly several times.
Wen Zheliu was concentrating on fighting the churning in his stomach, how could he bear this?
His face immediately turned pale: "...Don't move."
Cats cannot understand human language, even if they are as smart as snow jade.
It scratched with its four paws and opened its mouth to gently bite Wen Zheliu's hand that was hugging it.
"Hiss!" A cat's claws and teeth are very sharp, especially a cat that can feed itself until it is smooth and shiny in the wild. Although Xueyu is fed by Xiaobai from time to time, she still relies on herself to hunt in the palace most of the time.
It bites very lightly, with the strength of just wanting to invite people to play with it. You can smell the delicate skin and flesh of the willow tree being broken, but you are not lucky enough to enjoy it.
He Jiuyue had tightened his thin white wrist with a hairband for a while, leaving not only red marks but also blood seeping out. His forehead was only lightly bumped, but it turned purple in just a few seconds.
"You beast! You even dare to bite your master! I won't let you go today!"
When Xiaobai saw that Zheliu's fingers were bleeding, he was terrified. He grabbed Xueyu's neck and pretended to throw the wild cat away.
"Wait a minute." Wen Zheliu raised his hand to stop him.
He gasped in pain, his brows furrowed slightly, and he spoke softly, "It just doesn't have a playmate, so it wants to play with me. It's not wrong. Don't scare it."
Xiaobai was still frightened, so he grabbed Xueyu's neck and forced her to apologize to Wen Zheliu.
"The master has forgiven you, why don't you apologize to him?"
How can a cat apologize?
"Ahem, it's just a cute pet that hasn't developed any intelligence yet. Let's just spare it."
Looking at Xueyu who was snoring softly and seemed to be admitting her mistake, Wen Zheliu smiled and said, "Xiaobai, let Xueyu go out to play for a while and get some wine."
"Wine? This subordinate didn't bring any from the palace. I'm afraid I'll have to ask Commander Dugu for it."
Xiaobai followed Wen Zheliu's instructions and carried the wine into the house. He then took a step back and expressed his doubts, "What do you want the wine for? You absolutely cannot drink in your current state!"
"Drinking? How come?"
Ever since he got drunk and behaved badly in front of He Jiuyue last time, Wen Zheliu hasn't touched alcohol anymore.
Hearing Xiaobai say this, he just smiled, then took the wine and sprinkled it on the place where Xueyu had bitten her like ink. With a "splash", Xiaobai was so scared that he closed his eyes, but Wen Zheliu didn't even frown.
"It's just a wound that's bleeding, so we have to treat it."
The tone of his voice was as steady as the endless prairie, only with a hint of hoarseness from coughing.
"Your subordinate, may I ask you a question?" Hearing Zheliu say "ask", Xiaobai uttered the first sentence shyly, "You seem to know a lot about cats, but have you ever raised one?"
"Yes, I have raised one before." Wen Zheliu did not hide it.
He and He Jiuyue did have a cat before.
The cat had patterns all over its body and was agile, like a majestic general, and its name was indeed General.
However, a general's success is built on the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers. The cat was just an ordinary cat and could not bear such a heavy reputation. They raised it for only three to five years before the general's internal organs were torn apart in a fight with wild dogs.
When he and He Jiuyue found the general, they saw a mess.
He squatted down and wanted to take a closer look, but He Jiuyue covered his eyes.
"Don't look at it, I'll take care of it," she said.
He closed his eyes obediently and waited for He Jiuyue to clean up everything. Then he carried him on his back, as his legs were numb from squatting for a long time, and brought him back to the prime minister's residence.
Although Xiaobai saw that Wen Zheliu was willing to answer, he was only willing to answer this one sentence. He tactfully stopped asking and just silently picked up the silver pot and added some warm water to the jade cup that Wen Zheliu was holding in his palm.
The sweet memories of the past are like moss growing in the dark. When I think of them now, all that remains is endless moisture.
There was a sour feeling in his throat, as if something was blocking it, and he couldn't get it up or down. Wen Zheliu picked up the jade cup and drank the warm water in one gulp.
This posture would be a bit too heroic for most people, and even more so for him.
"Cough, cough, cough!" He had not eaten for a long time and was unable to swallow. He was choked and coughed while holding his chest. He almost vomited out the warm water he had just swallowed.
Xiaobai stretched his hand in the air, wanting to pat Wen Zheliu's back, but then he remembered that Wen Zheliu didn't like contact with others, so don't touch him unless necessary. He opened his lips as if he wanted to say something, but fell silent again.
Wen Zheliu was used to sailing his broken ship back to the harbor safely amidst the storms and waves caused by illness.
Soon, calm was restored.
"I'm fine, you can go out."
The corners of his eyes were slightly red, with some traces of tears from coughing.
"...Yes." Xiaobai bowed and retreated respectfully, leaving Wen Zheliu alone in the carriage to breathe.
Ever since the curve of his abdomen became more prominent, he began to feel back pain and a bulging belly. Wen Zheliu didn't like other people's contact with him, so he always put his hands on his abdomen and gently rubbed circles.
Why is this belly so big?
What’s even more terrifying is that it will get even bigger afterwards.
On their way westward, they would inevitably be checked by the soldiers guarding the city. What would he do then with his conspicuous big belly?
He can't hide in the luggage all the way.
As for deliberately showing off her pregnant belly so that He Jiuyue's people would notice it and bring him to He Jiuyue, that was even more impossible.
Since he followed Dugu Qiu out of the city, he acknowledged his identity as the prince of Xiyue. He and the Central Plains Grand Marshal He Jiuyue were no longer childhood sweethearts. And in the capital of the Central Plains, the once famous and cold young man Wen Zheliu also died.
He couldn't even be himself again, let alone relive the sweet times he had with He Jiuyue?
She and he were like a flawless bronze mirror.
The first time they separated, they were torn to pieces. Then they became close again and stuck together for a long time. Then they separated again, but they were still connected. After a lot of effort, they stuck together again and they cherished each other deeply.
But a broken mirror cannot be mended; even if it is glued together, there will still be gaps.
They can't go back.
Sky Prison.
"Ancestor, please stop! If His Majesty investigates this unauthorized lynching, you will also be held accountable!"
Guan Ze watched from outside for five minutes, and saw that Wen Liuqing inside was beaten to a bloody mess by the furious He Jiuyue, with not a single piece of good flesh on his body. Finally, he couldn't bear it any longer, and rushed in and waved at He Jiuyue.
"Just tell your Majesty that I was the one who hit him, so punish him if you want."
He Jiuyue held the iron whip tightly in his hand, with no intention of stopping.
"My Lady, you've been questioning me for three days now, using every trick you can think of, including threats and inducements. Yet, Wen Liuqing would rather pass out in pain than reveal a single word. Clearly, something is amiss. I believe there are two possible scenarios."
Guan Ze was afraid that He Jiuyue would not be able to concentrate on listening to him, so he kept talking. What usually took him a while to talk was finished in just a few breaths.
"One possibility is that Wen Liuqing is deliberately concealing the truth. You know, in this world, assassins are not uncommon. The other possibility is that he really doesn't know. Even if you beat him to death, he won't be able to answer.
"But even if it's the former, he knows, he's obviously unwilling to say it. If that's the case, why bother asking?"
He Jiuyue raised half an eyebrow.
"He might not know about the Wenzhe Liu incident, but how could he not know who has been protecting him all this time?"
Guan Ze wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and motioned He Jiuyue to follow her.
"Don't worry, Princess. If you can't get anything out of him, you can always ask others. He's tight-lipped and stubborn, but others might not be. Perhaps he has information about Master Wen."
It was the Minister of Revenue An Rui.
As soon as he saw He Jiuyue, he bowed down and said, "My princess is innocent. I really don't know anything!"
After experiencing the local people being cheated and deceived in Southeast County, the whole county was filled with the atmosphere of getting something for nothing. Bandits who occupied the mountains and thieves who robbed people were everywhere. When He Jiuyue saw the culprit An Rui, he was furious.
"Unjust?"
He Jiuyue raised her leg to kick him, but hearing him crying and sneezing, she retracted her foot for fear of dirtying her boots.
"Shan Zhi confessed clearly that it was you who instigated rebellion among the innocent people in the southeast. For this reason alone, I can sentence you to exile to the southeast county. You said you had done such a thing, will the local people let you go?
"Furthermore, you signed at the very front of the memorial accusing the Wen family of collaborating with the enemy. I'm afraid you're also not innocent, aren't you?"
An Rui's lips were trembling, but he didn't say a word, and he insisted on acting like a stubborn bastard.
He Jiuyue raised the iron whip without saying a word.
"Princess, don't!" An Rui, who was fat and big-eared, obviously couldn't stand the torture and burst into tears again. "Your subordinate will tell me everything!"
"...Speak." He Jiuyue stopped.
An Rui chattered on and on about all sorts of nonsense, looking very excited. He kept glancing at He Jiuyue's face, thinking he could get away with it, but he was horrified to find that He Jiuyue's face was getting gloomier.
It has been a long time since I heard the sound of willow-breaking, and He Jiuyue's patience has run out.
"Stop talking nonsense. If you can tell me where Wen Zheliu is, I can spare your life. If you can't..."
"Wen Zheliu?"
An Rui was so frightened that he even dared to interrupt He Jiuyue's conversation, speaking frantically like a wit: "How would I know where he went? I only know that you brought him back to the Princess' Mansion at the last welcoming banquet...Ah!"
He Jiuyue held the whip in one hand and twisted An Rui's neck with the other, lifting him up from the ground.
In less than a moment, An Rui's face turned purple.
"Princess!"
Seeing that someone was about to die, Guan Ze was so frightened that he knelt down and begged: "After all, An Rui is an official of the imperial court. If he really needs to be killed, it must be ordered by His Majesty. You must not interfere in his affairs!"
"His Majesty"?
The anger that was surging like a flame subsided temporarily, and reason took over. He Jiuyue let go and let An Rui cover his neck and lie on the ground coughing violently.
Yes, she went to the palace to look for Zhong Zian. How could she know that Emperor Jingming would not go to the Princess's Mansion to look for Wen Zheliu?
Wen Zheliu is missing, I'm afraid she has hidden him!
But if Emperor Jingming did this, he would probably have to take it slow and steady.
After all, she left the palace in a hurry, and her father and younger brother were in the palace. If she rashly broke into the Yangxin Palace to demand an explanation, not to mention whether she could rescue Wen Zheliu and her family, turmoil in the court was inevitable.
Let’s get my father and younger brother out of the palace first.
"Take the portrait from my study and go to various places to look for people." He Jiuyue turned her head and instructed Chen Jin.
Chen Jin nodded: "Are you looking for death or life?"
"Dead"?
Wen Zheliu...will die?
Yes, it would not be surprising if he died of illness one day since he was bedridden.
But how could he just disappear without a trace like this?
But he had been missing for three days. If he was caught intentionally by someone who only wanted to admire He Jiuyue's embarrassing behavior of being crazy about a man, and hid in a dark corner to watch for three days, he should have seen enough and would have leisurely used Wen Zheliu to negotiate bargaining chips with her.
He can still remain so calm, he must be risking Wen Zheliu's life.
It is said that although Zheliu has lost all his relatives, he is still raised in the princess's mansion and has no contact with other people. She resented his beauty when she was young. Would she really do this?
If it is taken away by an unrelated person, it would be bad.
A flash of blood appeared on the white jade earrings, and He Jiuyue's eyes went dark, and she almost fell down.
"Princess!" Chen Jin hurriedly supported her.
“…alive.”
She hadn't slept for three days, and even though she was strong, she couldn't bear it. She was afraid that Chen Jin might not hear the instructions clearly and miss the time, so she gritted her teeth and repeated it again before she fainted.
"Looking for a living one."
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