Chapter 34 "I've lost my patience. Xue Mingyao..."
Xue Mingyao was still sleeping in the swing.
The sky wasn't as blue anymore, the apricot blossoms weren't as fragrant, and the little prince who had been waiting for Xie Zhuo for so long finally left.
Another noise came from behind. Xue Mingyao thought it was the green branches that she had chased to the flower pavilion that had returned. With her eyes closed, she said impatiently, "Didn't I tell you to go and rest? Why are you standing here again?"
The visitor responded with silence.
Xue Mingyao sensed something was wrong and lifted her eyelids to look.
Xie Zhuo stood beside the swing set, bathed in the warm spring sunshine, like a jade orchid in a courtyard. Especially from the angle from which she lay on her back, his features appeared even more profound and handsome than usual.
Xue Mingyao gave him a cold look, then turned around with difficulty, facing away from Xie Zhuoshui.
Xie Zhuo remained silent, then reached out and pushed the swing, nearly causing it to tip over, which startled Xue Mingyao into letting out a scream.
Forced to lie back down, she simply closed her eyes again and muttered a curt "Get out of here!"
Xie Zhuo not only didn't leave, but instead spread out his robe, sat down next to the swing, and casually reached into the boat-shaped hammock.
Xue Mingyao felt a few fingers brush across her face, casually playing with the stray hairs on her forehead, as if someone were scratching a cat or dog. Unable to figure out what he wanted, Xue Mingyao turned her face away.
The hand wouldn't let go, poking her cheek again. Xue Mingyao couldn't take it anymore and was about to retaliate when she suddenly heard Xie Zhuo say, "Xue Mingyao, you do have one good point."
Xue Mingyao was taken aback, forgetting to dodge his hand, and asked, "What's so good about it?"
"You're wicked in a very direct way."
Ha, they're mocking her again.
It's as if they're saying she's brainless.
Xue Mingyao spat at him, "You've become quite the villain! You used to be a gentleman, but now you're a treacherous scoundrel."
Xie Zhuo calmly slid his hand down and grabbed a handful of her ample breasts.
"Xie Zhuo, you bastard!" Xue Mingyao said angrily.
Xie Zhuo was taken aback. "You're willing to call me that now?"
"Otherwise what? You're completely different from before, why would I still call you Xie Qinglang?" Xue Mingyao glared at him. "You think I've tarnished you, tarnished the name Xie Qinglang, don't you?"
Xie Zhuo didn't answer. Xue Mingyao felt awkward and was unwilling to shut up like that. After a while, she said again, "Do you know how long the young prince has been waiting for you? Don't try to fool him with me. Don't say things like you helped him find me or brought me food. Aren't you ashamed to say such things? I feel guilty for you."
"I was indeed coming to see you," Xie Zhuo said, "but I got held up by something along the way."
"What's holding you back?"
Xie Zhuo didn't really want to say it.
After making a scene for most of the afternoon, he hadn't even had a proper meal. He was so annoyed by Chen Zhelan's crying that he knew there was no point in lingering. As Chen Zhelan was twisting the truth, he quietly jumped out of the window and left, leaving behind a mess he didn't know what kind of situation he would be in.
An incredibly awkward situation.
Chen Zhelan never expected that, in her eagerness to get Xie Zhuo's answer, Xie Zhuo would refuse to do the question she had given him. He fled, so cleanly and swiftly, leaving the empty bedroom as if it were a slap across her face.
She pointed frantically to the unlocked window, "General Xie must have heard people coming and escaped through the window!"
The princess and her husband exchanged a glance. Zhao Ying took Chen Zhelan's hand and sat her down on the couch, comforting her, "Zhelan, don't worry. General Xie doesn't seem like the type to act recklessly when drunk. Is there some misunderstanding?"
"Yes, Madam Chen, you say General Xie humiliated you, but your clothes are intact and your hair is perfectly styled. What exactly did he do to you?"
It was Feng Wan who spoke. She vaguely understood something, and with the help of a maid, she sat down gracefully, a smile playing on her lips.
"Yes, what has General Xie been doing?" Chen Liangzheng asked, also filled with doubt.
On the one hand, he didn't believe Xie Zhuo would take liberties with women; on the other hand, he felt that if Xie Zhuo really did something wrong to his younger sister, given her affection for him, she wouldn't have reacted this way.
Chen Zhelan was on the verge of collapse. Xie Zhuoren had disappeared, leaving her alone trapped in this shameful lie. And she had to keep making up the lie!
She could only lean against Zhao Ying's shoulder, pursing her lips and feigning shyness, "I...I don't want to say..."
“The young lady is shy; I was being too forward in asking,” Feng Wan said understandingly.
Chen Zhelan breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking that after Consort Feng left, she could send her brother away and admit the truth to her sister-in-law. Anyway, her sister-in-law was kind-hearted and there was a distance between them, so she was not really family. If she begged her a little more, she would probably be willing to keep it a secret for her.
She was just about to find an excuse to confide in her sister-in-law alone when Feng Wan spoke up again.
"This room isn't far from the main hall, and your maid is guarding it nearby. There are also servants passing by outside from time to time. Why do you only cry when you've been bullied, instead of calling for help?"
Chen Zhelan looked at her in surprise, opened her mouth, and said, "I don't want this kind of dirty business to become public knowledge."
"It was just a matter of calling a maid, how did it become so widely known? Third Miss has too many concerns."
Chen Zhelan sobbed and lowered her head in silence.
Feng Wan continued, “There’s not much smell of alcohol in the room, so General Xie probably didn’t drink much. Although I don’t know him very well, I’ve heard of his good reputation. Even the young prince is particularly fond of General Xie. The accusations that Third Lady made against General Xie really make me very suspicious.”
Chen Zhelan whispered, "You can know a person's face but not their heart. I never expected General Xie to do something so lewd."
Zhao Ying had a feeling something was off. Chen Zhelan wasn't telling the truth, and Feng Wan's tone was strange. She made a quick decision and patted Chen Zhelan on the back. "Little sister, you've been frightened. If you don't want to talk about some things, rest for a bit and calm down."
After saying that, he looked up at Consort Shu and said, "It's just a family matter, Your Highness. Please forgive my rudeness. Let's go back to our seats together."
“Princess, wait a moment,” Feng Wan said with a smile. “I have a guess in my mind that I want to share.”
She looked at Chen Zhelan's pale face and said, "Third Sister Chen's words and actions are quite strange, which makes me suspect that you are making up stories to amuse us. General Xie has never come. You are just a young girl with a naive mind, and you said a bunch of nonsense about him making fun of you."
“No, he’s been here. He’s been here for a long time. I’m not making this up!” Chen Zhelan blurted out without thinking.
"So he really took liberties with you?" Feng Wan's voice turned sharp.
"right!"
Chen Zhelan had no way out; she couldn't change her story. It was alright, she thought. Even if they brought Xie Zhuo in for a confrontation, Xie Zhuo might not have the heart to expose her lie. The worst-case scenario was that both sides would stick to their own versions of events; she just needed to maintain her story...
However, there was something in Feng Wan's gaze that she didn't understand, like contempt, which sent a chill down her spine.
"I originally wanted to give you some face, but you don't appreciate it and insist on smearing General Xie, so don't blame me for being impolite," Feng Wan said coldly.
"Just now, my people told me something interesting, and I think the princess and her husband would be happy to hear it."
Zhao Ying frowned deeply.
The palace maid following Feng Wan spoke slowly, "At noon, I went to your kitchen to warm the Empress's medicine and happened to see a maid pouring something into a bowl of tea porridge. I assumed she was just adding spices to flavor the porridge and didn't think much of it. Later, His Highness the young prince sent me to deliver a message to General Xie, and I discovered that this bowl of tea porridge was on General Xie's table. And now I realize that the maid was none other than the one beside Lady Chen..."
Her explanation was clever; she altered some of the facts and extricated Feng Wan from the blame.
Feng Wan stared at Chen Zhelan with a calm expression. When she saw large beads of sweat gradually forming on Chen Zhelan's forehead and her slender shoulders trembling uncontrollably, she knew in her heart that Chen Zhelan had guessed correctly.
It wasn't that someone poisoned Xie Zhuo; it was just a despicable act by a young woman.
She had noticed Chen's wife's fondness for Xie Zhuo during the spring hunt, but hadn't taken it seriously. Now it seemed she had some courage, but her methods were incredibly clumsy, and her boldness was far inferior to Xue Mingyao's. How could someone like that be worthy of even thinking about Xie Qinglang?
Feng Wan particularly loathed this woman's vicious mind; regardless of whether things succeeded or failed, she was always aiming to ruin people's reputations.
It's ridiculous. Xie Qinglang was a very refined and courteous scholar in Xichuan back then. To think he would be so frivolous with women? Even if he were completely out of his mind, he wouldn't do such a thing.
You don't need to know.
In the apricot grove, Xie Zhuo casually brushed off Xue Mingyao, then reached out and grabbed another lump, kneading it even more vigorously.
Xue Mingyao angrily slapped his hand away.
It's just Feng Wan, he knows she's not someone to be seen in public.
Seeing Xue Mingyao puff out her cheeks in anger, Xie Zhuo felt his irritation vanish instantly, and the corners of his lips unconsciously curved into a smile. Xue Mingyao, however, became even angrier, rolled over, and was about to get down to settle the score with him.
Xie Zhuo's sarcasm deepened. She still couldn't resist wanting to fight him? Did she still think they were in Xichuan, where he was powerless and at her mercy?
Before she could get down, he lifted her legs with both arms and half-carried, half-pushed her back into the hammock.
Xue Mingyao was furious, but the hammock was unusually deep, and she was stuck inside and couldn't get out. Xie Zhuo seemed to think that wasn't enough, so he grabbed the rope and pushed, and Xue Mingyao instantly rose two feet higher.
Hearing Xue Mingyao's furious cursing, Xie Zhuo was overjoyed and swung her around several times before letting go.
Once the hammock had come to a stop, Xue Mingyao sat up angrily, her eyes glaring at him with murderous intent.
Xie Zhuo said, "I do have something to say to you."
"What are you saying? Hurry up and say it." Xue Mingyao's voice was gloomy.
Xie Zhuo looked at her, opened his mouth and then closed it again, instead taking out a handkerchief wrapped with something from his body.
"His Highness said I brought you food, and that's not a lie."
Xue Mingyao looked at the two golden fried cakes on the white cloth in front of her with a wary expression. Wasn't this like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken, with ill intentions?
No, she wouldn't admit she was a prostitute, and she wasn't afraid of him.
Xue Mingyao hadn't eaten much at noon and was quite hungry. The fried cakes looked delicious, and since he had tricked her so many times, she figured she might as well give in this time.
So Xue Mingyao picked up a piece and slowly began to eat it. Zhao Ying's cook was highly skilled; although the cake was cold, it was still soft and delicious.
Xie Zhuo watched as she finished one piece and then stared longingly at the remaining piece in his hand, remaining silent.
So he handed over the other piece as well.
Xue Mingyao finished eating quietly, took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, and looked at him lazily.
Xie Zhuo smiled at her and said calmly, "I've lost my patience. If His Majesty doesn't issue the decree for the marriage by tomorrow, I'll strip Xue Xingtai of his post and make him return home crying. Xue Mingyao, you decide what to do."
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