Chapter 40 Elopement with A-Ning, from now on you'll follow my lead for the rest of your life...
She let Song Zhaohan's kiss, filled with anger and despair, fall upon her, even deliberately relaxing her body to feign submission. Only when Song Zhaohan relaxed slightly did she turn her head away, catching her breath rapidly.
"A Zhao."
Zhu Xuanning had just been startled awake by him, and her voice was a little hoarse. She placed her hand on Song Zhaohan's back and patted it gently.
The boy, who had been tense, trembled slightly, then gradually loosened his grip on Zhu Xuanning's chin.
Zhu Xuanning didn't answer him, but continued to soothe him, "I smell medicine. Relax, don't reopen the wound. How is your injury healing now? Is it still painful?"
"You're always like this, thinking you can soften my heart with just a few words," Song Zhaohan murmured, a sense of helplessness welling up in her aching heart.
But he just falls for that.
Seeing that Song Zhaohan's sharp emotions were softening, Zhu Xuanning decided to press on and coax her back to her residence.
But before she could speak, Song Zhaohan slumped her shoulders and buried her face in the crook of the girl's neck.
"Zhu Xuanning, do you care about me or not? Do you like me?" The boy, his sharp edges softened, asked this question with trembling lips, his suppressed emotions slowly escaping.
Sweet words of coaxing were something Zhu Xuanning could easily come up with: "Ah Zhao, you know, my heart is like yours."
Song Zhaohan remained silent for a long time, only hugging her even tighter.
Zhu Xuanning was only thinking about coaxing the person back, so she endured the discomfort of being strangled. Only when Song Zhaohan finally let go of her did Zhu Xuanning take a few breaths and reorganize her thoughts.
"Ah Ning, let's elope." Song Zhaohan untied the silk cloth covering the girl's eyes and spoke out abruptly, staring straight at Zhu Xuanning. Her serious tone was tinged with a touch of obsessive madness as she spoke each word.
Zhu Xuanning was about to speak when she lost her voice. Her heart sank. Even though she was already somewhat flustered, she couldn't show it on her face.
“Ah Zhao, don’t talk nonsense. You are the heir of a duke, with a bright future ahead of you and your parents still alive. How can you abandon your family like me, an orphan?” Zhu Xuanning said with difficulty, her voice steady.
Song Zhaohan stared at her, even her eyes changed.
Zhu Xuanning felt a little scared by the gaze, looked away, gave a bitter smile, and spoke again: "How I wish I could leave with you without caring about anything, but you and I, an orphan, are ultimately different."
Song Zhaohan suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with self-mockery and sorrow: "You just don't want to."
"I don't want the status of a prince, I don't want wealth and glory, I just want to ask you for something."
"But you don't want to at all."
"Why? Zhu Xuanning, am I not good enough to you?"
Song Zhaohan leaned forward little by little, reaching out her icy fingertips to touch the girl's face. When she felt the girl flinch slightly, her uncontrollable temper surged up.
"Or is it that I've been too lenient with you, and you've been playing me from the beginning, only getting close to me for someone else?"
He questioned Zhu Xuanning, grabbing the girl's shoulder as she tried to turn away, the force so strong that she winced in pain.
Zhu Xuanning's eyes reddened, and she lowered her head in grievance, but this expression, which usually softened Song Zhaohan's attitude, did not move him.
Zhu Xuanning could only sob weakly, "No, why do you think of me like this again? If you don't believe me, why didn't you just ask me to cut out my heart and prove my loyalty to you back then? Why do you have to use such words to ruin my feelings?"
"I'm advising you like this because I want to protect you, to discuss things with you in a long-term way, and to give you my blessings openly and honestly, so as not to damage your reputation or worry your parents. I don't want our relationship to be so shady and hidden away."
Song Zhaohan was in love with her and had always been susceptible to her charms, but now that he was overwhelmed with emotion, he couldn't listen to anything.
All he knew was that the person in front of him, no matter what he said, didn't want to agree to his request.
"Ah Ning, if Mei Jiashan asked you, would you have agreed?" Song Zhaohan suddenly asked her.
Zhu Xuanning was sobbing and about to shake her head, but Song Zhaohan wouldn't give her a chance to answer and continued to ask, "What if Pei Yu asked you? Would you agree?"
Zhu Xuanning's hand, which was clenched in her sleeve, suddenly trembled. No matter how calm she was, she couldn't resist her body's instinctive reaction.
The girl's breathing quickened instantly.
Pei Yu?! When did he find out about this?!
Song Zhaohan pulled one hand away and placed it under her chin, her thumb rubbing heavily against her lips, her eyes churning with emotion: "I don't want to hear any of your excuses."
"I no longer care about your identity or what your purpose is in obeying me."
“But Aning, since you’ve obeyed me from the very beginning, you should obey me for the rest of your life.”
Song Zhaohan's voice turned cold, but the emotions in her eyes surged even more fiercely, stretching into a dark and thick sea of ink.
Zhu Xuanning opened her eyes wide in horror. She clearly saw Song Zhaohan's hand, which was pressing against her chin, move backward, and she instinctively tried to struggle.
But a dull pain struck instantly, her vision went dark, and she lost consciousness.
The girl collapsed weakly into Song Zhaohan's arms.
Song Zhaohan embraced her slender waist, and with his other hand, gently cradled her head against his shoulder and neck. Their dark hair intertwined, their sleeves clasped, like the most intimate and inseparable lovers in the world.
"Let's go." Song Zhaohan picked Zhu Xuanning up in her arms, gently brushed the stray hairs on her forehead with the tip of her nose, and called out softly.
Then, a figure flashed past the window, carrying a maid-like person, and followed Song Zhaohan.
When Zhu Xuanning regained consciousness, the first thing she felt was a series of jolts.
This bumping was different from the swaying of a horse-drawn carriage; it was a continuous undulation with a slight sense of weightlessness.
Then, she heard the sound of rushing water.
Zhu Xuanning reached out and covered her aching neck, then opened her eyes with difficulty. Dim light gradually flooded her dark vision, and when her vision cleared, she found herself in a small and simple cabin.
Beneath her was a hard wooden plank, covered only by a rough, thin mattress. Besides the bed, the cabin contained only a fixed low stool, a simple wooden shelf holding a kettle, and a small wooden table with teacups and chopsticks.
The distinctive fishy smell of the river water, along with the hazy sky, seeped in through the windows covered with mulberry paper.
What is this? A complete failure, a consequence of all the evil deeds?
Zhu Xuanning suddenly found it somewhat ridiculous that she had swallowed her pride and tried so hard to negotiate, only to end up with this result.
Ha! How interesting, this is what it means to be a high-ranking, powerful person.
Relying on his illustrious family background and unparalleled connections, he managed to escape from the capital with someone, full of courage and naively believing that this was what love looked like.
But what will the world say? The world will only think she's a vixen, shameless, and manipulative, bewitching this young master and making him lose his mind, even if he was once a sleazy womanizer. But! It's that woman's fault that she led him to disobey his parents and elope with another!
People can only sigh that this playboy has finally reformed and become devoted to his relationship.
And what about her?
Even if she were a noblewoman from a high-ranking family, once this matter got out, she would not only be condemned by everyone, but the best outcome would probably be that she would be sent to the family temple to live a life of quiet contemplation and Buddhism. More likely, she would be quietly "died of illness" to save face for both families.
But what terrible thing did she do wrong? What did she do wrong? Why did she have to end up like this?
Zhu Xuanning gritted her teeth, hugged herself tightly, and for the first time, tears silently streamed down her face.
When Song Zhaohan pushed open the door, she was wearing a slightly worn dark-colored robe, with only an ordinary belt around her waist. She had even taken off the jade and sword that she usually wore.
He was looking down, watching the path beneath his feet, while holding a bowl of congee in his hand.
Hearing the slight noises coming from the room, Song Zhaohan's slightly tired brows were tinged with a cautious anticipation.
But all the thoughts he had pondered froze the moment he saw the tear tracks on Zhu Xuanning's face.
Song Zhaohan stopped in her tracks, watching Zhu Xuanning curl up in the corner of the bed, hugging herself tightly, her shoulders trembling slightly from silent sobs. Those dark almond-shaped eyes, which always held affection, were now filled with tears, showing only broken emotions.
Song Zhaohan's heart suddenly ached.
He had anticipated her anger, her rebuke, or her insincere flattery and calculation, but he never expected to see her cry like this.
Song Zhaohan's Adam's apple bobbed, her voice was a little dry, and she tried to make her tone sound gentle: "A-Ning."
He didn't even dare to take a step forward immediately, and even the last syllable of his voice carried a hint of flattery and pleading.
Zhu Xuanning raised her head, her eyes blurry with tears, and looked at him without saying a word for a long time.
Seeing this, Song Zhaohan, who was holding a bowl of porridge, took a small step forward.
Zhu Xuanning did not stop him, letting him humbly move closer. However, when Song Zhaohan put down the porridge, poured a cup of warm water, and brought it to her lips, Zhu Xuanning suddenly raised her hand and overturned the cup in his hand.
Tea spilled, and the broken cup shattered.
Song Zhaohan lowered her head in a flustered manner, pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the tea off her face, and didn't show any anger.
"A-Ning, lick your lips and eat some porridge." Song Zhaohan lowered her eyes and silently poured a glass of warm water. Afraid that she would not eat, she pleaded in a low voice, "If you don't eat something, how will you have the strength to get angry at me?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Xuanning suddenly twitched the corners of her mouth and let out a very soft sneer.
She overturned the cup of warm water in front of her again, as if only by hearing the sound of the cup shattering and seeing Song Zhaohan standing in front of her in a disheveled state, groveling and trying to please her, could she vent the resentment in her heart.
Song Zhaohan silently endured her anger, wiped the tea that had been spilled on him again, poured another cup, and handed it to her.
This time, he didn't dare say anything flattering.
Zhu Xuanning raised her hand again, but saw Song Zhaohan, who had been holding the teacup still, pull her hand back.
As soon as Zhu Xuanning frowned, Song Zhaohan explained in a low voice, "There are only two drinking cups left on the boat. If you don't drink and then smash them, you'll have to share one with me for the rest of the time."
Actually, this was exactly what Song Zhaohan wanted, but he was afraid that Zhu Xuanning would smash all the cups and chopsticks and refuse to eat anything, so he could only say this.
Zhu Xuanning lowered her raised hand slightly and then took the drink: "Okay, I'll drink it."
The girl's voice was hoarse from not speaking for a long time. She drank a few sips of tea and then asked Song Zhaohan to bring over the rice porridge.
Song Zhaohan felt a mix of bittersweet joy and surprise, but she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After venting, Zhu Xuanning calmed down a lot, but her emotions were still showing on her face.
She forced herself to eat some fish porridge to fill her stomach, then put down her spoon and calmly said, "Song Ming, now that I've eaten this meal, I'm sure I'll have something to eat next."
"What nonsense are you talking about? I asked you to come with me, how could I let you go hungry?" Seeing that Zhu Xuanning was willing to talk to him properly, Song Zhaohan didn't mind her calling him that, and simply gently wiped her lips clean.
"Then tell me where we are going, how much money we have, where we will stay after we get ashore, what kind of business we will do, and what we should do if those people in the capital find us."
Every question Zhu Xuanning asked seemed to shatter his beautiful dream.
Song Zhaohan lowered her eyes and did not speak immediately.
Seeing this, Zhu Xuanning gave a rather mocking smile.
The two were so close that Song Zhaohan could hear her even when she spoke softly.
"You acted on a whim, without any planning. You keep saying you love me, but you don't care about my life at all."
"Indeed, a young master like you would only think that such a story of eloping is full of romance and rebellion. You never thought about what it means to me."
"What am I even expecting?"
That chilling, self-deprecating voice was jarring, and Song Zhaohan felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart.
“Ah Ning, I’ll take you to a small county in Jiangnan. There’s a small courtyard I’ve bought there, and my people are there. I can read and write, and I can make a living as a teacher. I won’t let you suffer.”
"The emperor is far away, they won't find us."
The so-called elopement was not a spur-of-the-moment decision; Song Zhaohan had already planned it while investigating a case in Jiangnan.
His voice was so certain that Zhu Xuanning suspected he had some kind of backing. As a result, she became even more vigilant. If what Song Zhaohan said was true, then she should not go to Jiangnan. Otherwise, how would she be any different from a broken-winged bird locked in a cage?
Zhu Xuanning's dark eyelashes were wet. After patiently listening to him finish speaking, she became even more depressed. She forced a smile and said, "It's easy for you to say. The disappearance of the Duke's son is a very serious matter. They only need to go and beg His Majesty, and soon someone will escort us back to the capital."
Song Zhaohan's lips twitched slightly. He really wanted to explain himself to Zhu Xuanning, but in the end he held back.
Song Zhaohan didn't respond, and Zhu Xuanning couldn't figure out what was going on, so she could only shed tears to make her emotions seem more genuine.
Song Zhaohan reached out to wipe away the tears on her face, but Zhu Xuanning turned her head away, avoiding his touch.
"Why did you stop explaining?" Zhu Xuanning's voice choked with emotion.
"Stop thinking about things that can't happen." Song Zhaohan didn't answer directly. Seeing that Zhu Xuanning resisted his approach, Song Zhaohan could only suppress the negative emotions welling up in his heart.
It doesn't matter if Aning resists him now; after this trip, Aning will only be able to rely on him.
"Get a good night's sleep, and then we'll go home."
Song Zhaohan leaned forward, and as she whispered, a fragrant breeze wafted over.
Zhu Xuanning didn't even have time to resist before she slowly fell into a deep sleep again.
Song Zhaohan held the person in his arms and stayed quietly for a while. When he left the room, he poured the fish porridge that Zhu Xuanning had not finished into the vast river.
After discovering that Song Zhaohan was no longer in the mansion, the Princess entered the palace in tears.
Zhu Yuli was summoned to the palace alone once again. He was somewhat stunned when he saw the crying princess, the sullen-faced Duke of Sheng, and the emperor sitting at the head of the table, pressing his temples in pain.
The room was full of imperial relatives and nobles; why was he summoned here?
Zhu Yuli had some guesses, and these guesses were confirmed when the eldest princess pounced on him and slapped him twice.
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