Chapter 49: "The other men are sent by God to test us..."
The dagger in Pei Chanlian's hand gleamed coldly as it pierced straight towards Ling Zhenli's vital point.
At the critical moment, Ling Zhenli suddenly turned to the side, her right hand coiling around Pei Chanlian's wrist like a serpent, while her left hand slashed hard at Pei Chanlian's wrist.
"ah!"
Pei Chanlian cried out in pain, and the dagger clattered to the ground.
Ling Zhenli was utterly speechless, too lazy to even look at Pei Chanlian's current insane state. She snorted coldly and mocked, "With your unsteady gait, who can you kill?"
"Xue Yingyue, you bitch!"
Driven by murderous intent, Pei Chanlian, seeing that the dagger was gone, turned to pull out the gold hairpin from her hair, determined to stab Ling Zhenli to death today.
Ling Zhenli saw through her intentions and decided to strike first, pulling out her hairpin to kill Pei Chanlian.
Just when things were at their most critical, a shout came from the palace gate, stopping the two from killing each other.
"Enough! Stop it, all of you!"
Everyone turned around and saw Xie Daojian striding in, his face contorted with anger.
"Thank you, Your Excellency." The guards bowed in unison.
Xie Daojian disregarded everything else and strode between the two men who were on the verge of exchanging blows. He grabbed Pei Chanlian's wrist and pushed her away from Ling Zhenli.
“Princess Roujia, how can such disrespect be tolerated in the main hall?” His voice was authoritative even without anger.
Pei Chanlian was pushed to the ground, breathing rapidly, still not recovered from the tension she had just experienced.
Pei Shang'er, seated on the seat, narrowed her eyes, clearly disapproving of this action, but said nothing, only letting out a cold laugh: "Cousin, you've come at just the right time."
Xie Daojian bowed to Pei Shang'er, his eyes cold: "Your Highness, I just finished offering incense to the late Emperor and was thinking of coming to comfort you."
He glanced at Ling Zhenli's slightly disheveled clothes and resentful expression, his heart churning with turmoil. "I never expected to run into the deposed Crown Princess and Princess Roujia arguing here."
Pei Shang'er sneered, tapping her fingers lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne: "Cousin is right. Why did you suddenly start arguing? Deposed Crown Princess, you have too quick a temper."
The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly became tense.
Ling Zhenli rolled her eyes, a mocking smile curving her lips. Her eyes gleamed with a chilling light, and her chin was slightly raised, her face filled with barely suppressed disgust.
"Pei Le, you want to kill me but don't dare to, you must be feeling terrible. Hmph, a dagger in the hands of a useless person is no better than a brick."
Seeing that Ling Zhenli was too stubborn and easily taken advantage of, Xie Daojian spoke up for her. He knelt on one knee, straightened his back, and said, "The deposed Crown Princess was emotional and offended Your Highness with her words. I beg Your Highness to forgive her for my sake. She is still of some use to the General. Please allow me to take her to Zichen Palace and place her under house arrest."
A hint of annoyance flashed in Pei Chang'er's eyes, but she quickly regained her languid expression: "Fine, it's pointless. Since she's useful to Uncle, then you can take her away."
Just as Ling Zhenli was about to rebuke her for wanting to return to the Prime Minister's residence, Xie Daojian grabbed her wrist.
"Your subject obeys the decree and shall take his leave now."
*
Since Xie Daojian was the one who took her away, Ling Zhenli did not resist and quietly followed him into the carriage. The carriage left Taiji Palace and headed towards Daming Palace.
"I don't want to go to the Zichen Palace, Ayu, I want to go back to the Prime Minister's residence!"
Ling Zhenli looked anxious, and Xie Daojian sighed: "Would I harm you? Come with me to the Zichen Palace first, stay with me for a while, and then go back to the Prime Minister's residence. Now, the Xue family is more important to you than me."
Upon hearing this, Ling Zhenli did not refute it.
The incense burner in the Zichen Palace was filled with calming incense, its aroma soothing and mellow, yet it couldn't soothe Ling Zhenli's tense nerves.
After entering the hall, Xie Daojian locked the door behind him and pushed Ling Zhenli onto the bed.
Why don't you miss me at all?
His voice was very low, his warm breath brushing against her ear, "I don't want my place in your heart to keep getting lower and lower. You have to care about me."
Ling Zhenli broke free from his grip and casually straightened her disheveled clothes: "Ayu, what are you doing? This is not the time to do this kind of thing."
Xie Daojian stared at her movements and suddenly smiled: "I know, I just want you to pay more attention to me. Before, you had Pei Xuanlin by your side, so it was understandable that we rarely saw each other. Now that he's finally not around, am I not allowed to be more affectionate with you?"
Ling Zhenli turned her head away from his gaze, her expression slightly coquettish: "Nonsense, when did you become like this?"
Xie Daojian moved closer, almost touching her tightly: "As soon as Pei Xuanlin resolved that matter, he immediately took you back... I'm a man too, and I also want to be with the woman I love every moment."
Ling Zhenli hurriedly defended herself: "He is my husband. It doesn't matter how many times he takes me away, but we are different. So many people have seen us alone in a room together, a man and a woman, for too long..."
Xie Daojian relentlessly grabbed her chin: "So what, Ali? Stop pretending. My father has wholeheartedly supported Pei Le to become emperor, which means he has completely broken ties with Pei Xuanlin. When a coup occurs, there will inevitably be turmoil. He and I may only be able to survive. The key to victory or defeat will depend on who you choose. Are you going to choose him?"
After saying that, he lifted Ling Zhenli's chin, looking at her panicked and beautiful face, and at how she just opened her mouth but couldn't say anything for a long time.
"You two..."
Ling Zhenli hesitated for a long time, only wanting to ask Xie Daojian, couldn't he and Pei Xuanlin coexist peacefully?
Xie Daojian saw through her thoughts and replied with a smile, "What man in the world can tolerate his beloved woman being with other men? Between Pei Xuanlin and me, only one of us can stand by your side in the end."
“But he…” Ling Zhenli hesitated for a moment, but still said, “Ayu, he’s very good to me…”
Xie Daojian had long known that Ling Zhenli would soften her heart, and fortunately he was prepared. He coaxed her, "The night is long, and you are most afraid of sleeping alone, aren't you? In the future, Pei Xuan will be in the three palaces and six courtyards, and the deep palace will be lonely. How can you bear it? And our little princess, can you bear to let her sleep in Huaiming Temple forever? Remarry me and forget about him."
With a few words, she spoke eloquently, and Ling Zhenli looked at Xie Daojian with a confused gaze, probing, "What if I can't have children?"
Xie Daojian held her hand and kissed it gently: "All people under heaven are our children."
"Okay." Ling Zhenli smiled weakly and asked the question that concerned her most, "If I choose you, will Pei Xuanlin die?"
Xie Daojian gave a soft "hmm," which was taken as an affirmative answer.
Ling Zhenli regained some clarity: "Why would you say that all the people under heaven belong to us, and Pei Le belongs to us...?"
"The Daming Palace and the Taiji Palace stand side by side. As she promised, General Chen will reside in the Daming Palace, and from now on, I will be the master of the Zichen Hall in the Daming Palace."
Ling Zhenli's pupils contracted slightly.
She instantly understood the key point: Chen Rao wanted real power, while Pei Chang'er wanted the title of emperor.
The uncle and nephew appear to be cooperating, but in reality, they each have their own ulterior motives.
Ling Zhenli's hazy eyes shimmered as if she were drunk, yet the glint in her gaze remained clear and sharp as she silently scrutinized Xie Daojian, issuing an ultimatum.
"You want Pei Xuan to die, but I want him to live."
"He must die. Only when he dies will you be mine."
The more Ling Zhenli talked about wanting to protect Pei Xuanlin, the stronger Xie Daojian's rebellious mentality became.
He's not a saint; he can't be completely detached from worldly desires. He's practically dying of jealousy towards Pei Xuanlin.
So before Ling Zhenli could discuss letting Pei Xuanlin go again, Xie Daojian spoke first: "I understand you, Ali. You love whoever is by your side. Pei Xuanlin has only been in your life for half a year. As time goes by, you will forget him."
Ling Zhenli couldn't help but feel a little confused.
Is that really the case?
It seems so, but something also seems strange.
Ling Zhenli felt that Xiao Chongheng had only been playing with her at first, and only developed feelings for her later when he became addicted to it. She was afraid of being alone, and during their time at Zuixianlou, Xiao Chongheng tried his best to fulfill his responsibilities to her, spending most of his day with her, and even sticking to her during holidays. Therefore, she had loved him.
As for Xue Haoting… well, Ling Zhenli didn’t have any special feelings for him. Perhaps it was because the sex she received from him was only violent. She did quickly wake up from the pain brought by Xue Haoting and get rid of the shadow brought by Xiao Chongheng, but it also caused her great psychological trauma. Moreover, the number of nights Xue Haoting spent with her was very limited, so she never loved him.
Pei Xuanlin was different from the men she had experienced in the past. Ling Zhenli originally thought that Pei Xuanlin was only nice to her because of her apparent status, but later she found that Pei Xuanlin loved her as a person. As long as she stood there, even if she did nothing, Pei Xuanlin would still love her and take care of her in every way. So she loved Pei Xuanlin very much.
ah.
She loves Pei Xuanlin very much.
So she had always loved Pei Xuanlin; how could she only realize it now?
"Ayu, I love Pei Xuanlin." Ling Zhenli's eyes were vacant, and she hadn't yet come out of her reverie before she blurted out the words.
"What?" Xie Daojian asked, somewhat bewildered.
"So I've always loved Pei Xuanlin. Ayu, you're right. He's been with me day and night. I can only sleep peacefully when he's by my side. I go crazy if he's not with me for even a moment. How can that not be love?" Ling Zhenli smiled weakly.
Xie Daojian was in a state of confusion and heartache: "No, Ali, you misunderstand. This is a problem you've had since you were a child. You're just used to having someone by your side. If he can be with you, so can I. We'll be together every day from now on. You should get a divorce from Pei Xuanlin, and we'll get married."
Originally, I thought Ling Zhenli would agree without hesitation, but after a moment, she shook her head.
Before this, she had always thought that her true love was Xie Daojian, her childhood sweetheart whom she had reunited with after a long separation. But now things had changed. Pei Xuanlin occupied an important place in her heart, deeply rooted and impossible to eradicate.
Seeing that he was pushing Ling Zhenli further and further away, Xie Daojian hurriedly used his trump card. Thinking about his precarious relationship, tears welled up in his eyes.
"How could you do this to me... to start something and then abandon it?"
"Ayu... why are you crying? You're perfectly fine."
Seeing Xie Daojian suddenly burst into tears, Ling Zhenli panicked instantly and quickly took out the handkerchief she had prepared to wipe her nose when she cried for the late emperor, and wiped Xie Daojian's tears.
Now, all she could think about was Xie Daojian again.
“We’re childhood sweethearts, we’re engaged, we’re the only couple. All the other men are here to break us up. Maybe… they’re sent by God to test us. You can’t be fooled, Ah Li.”
“This…I…” Ling Zhenli hesitated again.
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