Since the last time Xu Xian overheard Cheng Chu and Bai Lu's conversation, he has been thinking about it alone for a long time.
If Xu Xian truly loves me, then he should understand what I want to do and what kind of person I want to become, instead of simply and hastily inquiring about what I want to eat or what I want to do. If he wants me to be his concubine, to keep him company, I will refuse; if he wants me to be his principal wife, to manage his household, I will also refuse.
These are Bai Lu's original words.
Xu Xian didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said. Unlike other men, he never thought that women were just accessories. He knew that if you like someone, you should respect them.
But... Bai Lu's words still greatly shocked him.
Does Bailu know what kind of person she wants to become?
If he already understands, can he still fully and unconditionally support her?
Xu Xian wasn't quite sure, so he wanted to have a serious talk with Bai Lu, but several times he mustered up the courage to knock on the door only to put his hand down again.
Bai Lu, however, heard the commotion outside with her sharp ears. After a moment's thought, she guessed that Xu Xian had arrived.
She sighed silently and called out, "Don't stand outside, aren't you cold?"
Xu Xian remained silent for a moment, then raised his hand, pushed open the door, and walked into the study.
...
Nanchen refers to southern Yunnan.
Tao Yingshi stayed at home in the Medicine Valley every day, treating her illness and making plans for the orphanage. Li Langhuan, who had originally wanted to take her to see the military camp, could not even find her.
But this is even better—Li Langhuan originally thought it would take a lot of effort to get Tao Yingshi out of the shadows of the past.
At the same time, she also received a letter from Shang Shaoyan, saying that the Northwest was now under her control, and that she had been "forced" to rebel.
Li Langhuan knew that this matter was not as simple as Shang Shaoyan writing a few words; there would definitely be a lot of resistance involved. Li Langhuan also knew that Shang Shaoyan would face even more difficulties and obstacles in the future—but this was already a very good start.
As she burned the letters, a satisfied smile spread across her face.
Li Langhuan watched as the flames licked away the letter that contained the story of a young woman who had given her all to begin it, when he suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.
She paused for a moment, then calmly took out a box of paper money from under the table and began to tear and burn it.
When Zeng Wu came in, he saw Li Langhuan silently burning paper money.
He twitched his lips and asked, "A letter from the Princess of Heyang?"
Li Langhuan glanced at him, then tossed the paper money aside and breathed a sigh of relief: "It's you. I thought it was someone else. Isn't this just using burning paper money as a cover... After all, nobody burns fires in May, right?"
Zeng Wu felt a headache coming on. He pointed at Li Langhuan and said irritably, "You've been in the palace for over ten years. Did you forget your brain when you came out? You're the commander-in-chief now. Apart from me and your distant cousin, who dares to come in without your permission? Who are you guarding against?"
Li Langhuan: "..."
She slapped her forehead, somewhat annoyed, and said, "It's precisely because I've been in that cannibalistic place for so long that I'm so overly cautious... After all, you can't know whether the people who come in are truly loyal to you..."
Zeng Wu listened to this and remained silent for a while before sighing, "You haven't had it easy all these years. I didn't say the right thing... I came to tell you that your distant cousin has been locking herself in her room these past few days, asking for a lot of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. I don't know what she's up to. Do you want to go and see her?"
Li Langhuan smiled and raised an eyebrow, saying, "No need to disturb her, she's busy with important matters."
After a pause, Li Langhuan looked sharply at Zeng Wu: "You also mentioned this matter yesterday. You never lie. Speak, Doctor Zeng... what is it that you want to say, but dare not say?"
Zeng Wu: "..."
He wished he could turn back time half an hour and smack his own mouth that had said the stupid thing about "forgetting his brain in the palace"!
Li Langhuan has not simply forgotten her mind in the palace; she is even more insightful about people's hearts than she was ten years ago.
Zeng Wu sighed, then found a stool to sit down, stared at Li Langhuan, and after a long while said, "I know what you and Princess Heyang are plotting."
Li Langhuan casually tidied up the paper money, and upon hearing this, lazily raised her eyes: "So what if it is?"
Zeng Wu glanced cautiously at Li Langhuan, then mustered his courage and said, "I know you're plotting something very dangerous, probably something that could cost you your head. I'm not saying anything else, I just hope you can think about whether the people around you will be implicated..."
Li Langhuan raised her eyes, amused by his words: "Zeng Wu, of the Li family's direct line, only Jin Yu and I remain, and now there's A Ning. The rest have all been wiped out by the collateral branches of the Li family and that person... Jin Yu and A Ning support me and Princess Yang. Let me ask you, who else around me will be implicated?"
Zeng Wu didn't dare to look up at her, and only stammered, "I'm afraid of you... I'm afraid you'll die."
Li Langhuan glanced at Zeng Wu with a mocking look, as if she had discovered something extremely funny: "Me? Twelve years ago, I returned to the capital from Yunnan with my father's coffin and the scars on my face to marry into the royal family. My life was no longer my own! Zeng Wu, twelve years ago you were still a child, and you only knew that I had lost my parents, but you didn't know that I was carrying the lives of dozens of people from the Li family's direct line!"
As she spoke, she stood up, clapped her hands, looked at Zeng Wu, and said, word by word, "I know you are terrified and I know you are worried about me, but I want you to know that this is the path I chose myself, and even if I die along the way, I will accept it willingly."
She paused, then forced a smile. "Just focus on being a doctor and helping others. Don't get involved in these things. I don't want your hands to be stained with blood."
Zeng Wu looked up, and Li Langhuan then noticed that his eyes were already red, with tears glistening in them. Zeng Wu looked at Li Langhuan and said in a muffled voice, "Sister Zhaozhao."
Li Langhuan was stunned; she hadn't heard that title in many years.
Zeng Wu took a deep breath and said, "Sister Zhao Zhao, you saved my life. I know I owe you a debt I can never repay in this lifetime. I just want to tell you that no matter what, you must live, okay?"
Li Langhuan looked down at Zeng Wu, the little boy who almost starved to death in a rural farmhouse years ago, who has now become a doctor with excellent medical skills who saves lives.
She chuckled softly, a hint of helplessness in her voice: "You don't owe me anything, and I don't need you to repay me... But I promise you, no matter what, I will live."
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