Chapter 63 "What if you had been pregnant back then?"...
Incense wafted through the hall, while outside the window came the gentle patter of rain in the Jiangnan region during March.
Ling Zhenli leaned against the chaise lounge covered with soft satin, idly stroking the snow-white Persian cat in her arms.
Baiyun nestled obediently in her lap, purring contentedly.
Xue Haoting sat on the rosewood chair opposite her, his gaze falling on Ling Zhenli's slender fingers as she idly stroked the cat's fur.
"You're having a pretty good time here, aren't you? You spend your days either walking the cats and playing with the dogs with the emperor, or having the emperor drink and make merry with you. You don't care about anything in the palace. How can you be an empress like this?"
After being scolded by Xue Haoting, Ling Zhenli was naturally displeased. She continued to stroke the cat in her arms, as if she was determined to defy him.
“I did not delay His Majesty’s southern tour. His Majesty met with the Admiral of the Jiangnan Navy yesterday and inspected the water conservancy. I was just a little more relaxed. His Majesty did not say anything to me, but you criticized me.”
“Those old ministers are just looking for something to impeach you for. My father sent me here to tell you to behave as a virtuous woman.”
“I bet my mother wouldn’t say that.”
Xue Haoting ate the cut fruit on the table and said casually, "Mother may not say anything, but that doesn't mean Father agrees to what you're doing."
"Why do you always come back to me and only eat fruit, instead of doing anything productive?"
Ling Zhenli quietly changed the subject, put the cat on the ground, frowned slightly, and looked at Xue Haoting.
Xue Haoting chuckled: "Don't try to avoid what I just said. Besides, the things you, the Empress, eat are things I usually can't get my hands on."
Ling Zhenli rolled her eyes at him and leaned against the couch.
"You're just talking nonsense. What's the difference between this and the fruit at home? I've never seen you even glance at the fruit on the plate when we're at home. Fine, fine, stop glaring at me. I understand. I'll be on the inspection tour with His Majesty tomorrow."
Ling Zhenli sensed something was wrong. This was such a small matter; a letter would have been enough to resolve it. Why did Xue Wenmian need Xue Haoting to come and lecture her personally?
“You must have come for something else, otherwise Father would never have risked us sleeping together by sending you here.”
"They've run out of options with our fathers. He sent me here to tell His Majesty personally that Princess Wuyang is making moves in the capital and that His Majesty should take precautions in Jiangnan."
Upon hearing the name Wuyang, Ling Zhenli immediately became interested.
"Why does Wuyang have so many problems? After returning to the capital, she found out that her husband, eldest son, and second daughter-in-law were all dead. Instead of being busy with the funerals, she has time to make trouble. Is there anyone more suitable to be emperor than Pei Xuanlin?"
"Don't forget that Emperor You had a son."
Xue Haoting's voice was calm and even, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
Ling Zhenli couldn't sit still any longer and became agitated.
I almost forgot that Pei Shang'er's son is still alive.
"Didn't someone run away with Pei Shang'er's son? Pei Xuanlin has already sent people to kill him. Could it be that this bitch Wu Yang found him first? Ugh, so annoying. Tell Father to kill Wu Yang already..."
Xue Haoting ignored Ling Zhenli's complaints and kept his gaze fixed on her hand, where a gold ring inlaid with tourmaline stood out.
"Why have you been wearing rings so much lately?"
Xue Haoting interrupted Ling Zhenli's incessant complaints and suddenly asked a question, which caught Ling Zhenli off guard, leaving her speechless.
"I like it, so what?"
"Was it a gift from Fang Wenzhou?" Xue Haoting asked again.
"What does it have to do with him? This is a gift from the Fang family to me."
Ling Zhenli finally understood what he was trying to say. Of course, she didn't want to admit that it was Fang Wenzhou who gave it to her, but Xue Haoting wasn't stupid. How could he possibly believe her nonsense?
"That's just something he gave to you under the Fang family's name. You're just making excuses."
"..."
Ling Zhenli was speechless. She was in a bad mood and took off the ring on her hand, throwing it at Xue Haoting.
Xue Haoting stared blankly at the ring that had fallen onto his body: "What does this mean?"
"Alright, Fang Wenzhou gave it to you."
Xue Haoting suddenly stopped. He looked up at Ling Zhenli, who turned her head away to admire her own delicate hands.
"Where were we? Is Princess Wuyang going to rebel?"
"Princess Wuyang played an indispensable role in Emperor Xuan's ascension to the throne. When Emperor Xuan was alive, Wuyang had the power to appoint and dismiss officials of the third rank and above, as well as the power to make decisions on major military and political affairs. In order to eliminate the power in Wuyang's hands, Emperor You directly confiscated her residence as the eldest princess. But now that Emperor Ming has ascended the throne, this conflict has intensified again."
"And what about Xiao Chongheng?"
"Why are you concerned about Xiao Chongheng?" His voice carried a hint of coldness that was barely perceptible. "You wouldn't still have feelings for him, would you?"
Ling Zhenli's lips curled into a smile that wasn't quite a smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"How could that be? I'm just concerned about whether he's dead or not."
"That's a pity,"
Xue Haoting's voice turned colder, "Not only is he not dead, but Princess Wuyang is also planning to have him marry the granddaughter of Prince Geng, the Princess of Xiangcheng County."
Ling Zhenli raised an eyebrow, a subtle movement that brought her face to life. She smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes, seemingly casually.
"Oh, old Prince Geng, I know him. His son is the Prince of Changping, right? Speaking of which, this Princess Xiangcheng is Pei Xuanlin's distant cousin... He married her?"
Xue Haoting smiled. All that talk was just to ask him the last question: whether he had married that woman or not.
It seems she can't forget Xiao Chongheng after all.
"No."
Upon hearing this answer, Ling Zhenli's expression seemed to relax for a moment.
Although it was fleeting, it did not escape Xue Haoting's sharp eyes.
Ling Zhenli subconsciously raised her hand to tidy her sideburns, a gesture that betrayed her inner turmoil.
"Why do you look like you've finally gotten your wish?" Xue Haoting's voice suddenly turned cold, and he leaned forward slightly. "You still like Xiao Chongheng?"
Ling Zhenli immediately replied seriously, "No."
Her fingers unconsciously caressed the jade bracelet on her wrist, the mutton-fat jade bracelet that Pei Xuanlin had given her before.
My heart belongs only to Pei Xuanlin.
She subtly changed the subject again, deliberately lightening her tone, "Isn't your father very worried about your marriage? Have you chosen someone yet? Right now, all the women in the capital want to marry you."
Upon hearing this, Xue Haoting let out a cold laugh.
He stood up, walked up to her, and cast a shadow over her.
"The person I like is you."
His voice was low and clear, “My father would never dare to choose a wife for me. He was afraid that outsiders would find out about the incestuous relationship between the Xue siblings and delay his enshrinement in the Imperial Ancestral Temple after his death.”
Upon hearing this, Ling Zhenli's expression changed drastically. She abruptly stood up from the couch, her sleeve knocking over the teacups on the coffee table.
The delicate porcelain cup shattered on the ground with a crisp cracking sound.
"This is the imperial palace, don't talk nonsense!"
After speaking, Ling Zhenli glanced back at the broken teacup on the ground, looking slightly nervous.
Xue Haoting shrugged indifferently, took a step forward, lowered his voice, and carried a dangerous aura.
"So what if you heard it? Didn't you just say you liked His Majesty?"
Ling Zhenli was speechless for a moment. Her lips trembled slightly but she couldn't say anything. She stepped back until her waist touched the cold table.
Looking at her flustered appearance, Xue Haoting asked coldly, "We've been intimate. If I marry another woman, are you really okay with it?"
Seeing Xue Haoting pressing closer and closer, Ling Zhenli nervously clenched her sleeves until her knuckles turned white.
Her gaze wandered aimlessly before finally settling on the view outside the window.
"What does this have to do with me?"
Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, “You’re my brother, and I’ll be happy for you to get married and start a family.”
It rains a lot in Jiangnan, and the sound of rain gradually rose outside the window, tapping on the windowpane and making a crisp sound.
The incense in the hall seemed to grow even stronger, lingering between the two of them like an invisible barrier.
Ling Zhenli looked away, gazing at the misty rain outside the window, while Xue Haoting's gaze remained fixed on her, as if trying to see through her thoughts.
Xue Haoting's cold laughter sounded particularly jarring in the quiet hall.
"Happy for me?"
He took another step closer, pressing himself completely against Ling Zhenli's soft body, and thoughtfully stroked her waist to prevent her from falling backward.
Ling Zhenli subconsciously wanted to back away, but there was nowhere to retreat, so she was forced to get close to him.
Xue Haoting's voice lowered: "What are you so happy about? We slept together so many times last winter, aren't you afraid of getting pregnant with my child?"
Ling Zhenli's brows furrowed tightly, and although her voice trembled, she still stubbornly raised her head to look into his eyes.
“One thing at a time. Last winter, I went to bed to test whether the medicine my mother prepared for me could make me pregnant.”
As she spoke, Ling Zhenli unconsciously twisted her sleeves. She felt a little guilty, as Cui Yuerong hadn't found the medicine for her the previous times.
Xue Haoting laughed when he saw her like this, but there was no warmth in his laughter.
"What if you had been pregnant back then?" His gaze fell squarely on her flat stomach. "Would the child call me uncle or father?"
Ling Zhenli's face turned pale instantly.
She turned her face away, her fingertips digging deeply into her palm, and said evasively, "Don't talk nonsense. It's not necessarily yours. I also had something with Fang Wenzhou during that time."
These words were like a sharp blade, instantly piercing through Xue Haoting's last bit of restraint.
He suddenly reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing Ling Zhenli to lift her head. The force was so great that Ling Zhenli gasped in pain.
"Then why do you still say you love Pei Xuanlin?" Xue Haoting's voice was extremely cold, his breathing slightly rapid with anger. "You love Pei Xuanlin, but can you still sleep with other men?"
Ling Zhenli was forced to meet his angry gaze, but she still refused to admit defeat: "So many people in the world want both, why can't I? I am a human being first and foremost, and a woman second. Isn't it normal for people to have desires? Men can keep mistresses outside too."
Xue Haoting was amused by her reasoning.
He gazed into her stubborn eyes, and Ling Zhenli stared at him intently. Finally, Xue Haoting leaned down and kissed her lips fiercely.
The kiss carried a punitive undertone, rough and leaving no room for refusal.
Ling Zhenli initially struggled to resist, but quickly softened under his strong offensive.
After the kiss ended, Xue Haoting looked at her swollen lips and dazed eyes with satisfaction, reached out and rubbed her head, his tone becoming gentle.
"This is fine too, at least I can still touch you."
Upon hearing this, Ling Zhenli suddenly came to her senses, pushed him away in shame and anger, and said angrily, "I will never have any intimate relationship with you again!"
Xue Haoting shrugged indifferently, took a step back, and maintained a proper distance from her.
"Alright, alright, I respect your choice." His tone was unusually calm. "Pei Xuanlin is a good person. He loves you dearly, so cherish him."
After saying that, he turned around and made a move to leave.
Ling Zhenli asked instinctively, "Where are you going?"
Xue Haoting turned around, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Go tell your husband about you."
Before Ling Zhenli could react, Xue Haoting had already left, thoughtfully closing the palace door behind him.
Silence returned to the hall, with only Ling Zhenli's rapid breathing remaining.
No, what did he just say? Go complain to her husband? Go complain to Pei Xuanlin?
He really knew what she was afraid of.
"Hey! Xue Haoting! Xue Che! Damn it! Xue Haoting, don't go there, don't go looking for him..."
Just as Ling Zhenli was about to call Xue Haoting back, she quickly realized that he was just trying to scare her. How could he possibly expose her to Pei Xuanlin? She and he were bound together.
After thinking it over, she slid weakly onto the couch, her fingers lightly touching her lips that had just been kissed, where Xue Haoting's scent still lingered.
The rain outside the window had stopped sometime earlier, and a ray of setting sun shone through the window into the hall, casting dappled light and shadow on the floor.
Ling Zhenli's thoughts were in complete disarray.
Xue Haoting most likely really is going to find Pei Xuanlin, but only to discuss how to deal with Pei Shenai.
And then there's Xiao Chongheng. It's rare that a divorced widower like him still has someone wanting him, and the woman is a county princess of noble status. Why isn't he hurrying to marry her? Isn't his wife's status the most important thing to him?
To be both right and wrong.
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