Chapter 430 The Deaths of Wanyan Zonglie and Zhao Furou
Zhao Furou said, "I heard that the Second Prince has sent people to Stone City and captured my father and brother and brought them to Shunzhou."
Wanyan Zonglie asked, "Who told you that?"
They had just discussed this matter that morning, and only the generals involved in the planning knew about it.
This is a secret; even the lowest-ranking soldiers don't know it. How did she find out?
"It doesn't matter who told me. I know you married me despite the pressure and have always protected me, not letting me get hurt in the slightest. Although you have hurt me before, if it were someone else, my fate might have been even worse. I have nothing to repay you with, I just want to cook you a meal, and this will be the last time."
Wanyan Zonglie looked at the steaming food she brought, all of which were his favorite dishes, along with wine.
Zhao Furou placed the food on the table one by one and poured wine.
Wanyan Zonglie did not move. He knew there was an old saying in the Central Plains: "Those who offer unsolicited kindness are either treacherous or thieves."
"If you don't eat it, do you suspect I poisoned it?" Zhao Furou took out a silver needle from her sleeve to test for poison, but the needle did not change color.
She handed him the silver needles. "See? There's no poison. If you still don't believe me, I can eat some first."
Wanyan Zonglie noticed the burn on the back of her hand, took her hand, and said with tenderness in his eyes, "Fu'er, I believe you. You are my wife, of noble status. From now on, let the servants do these rough jobs."
"There won't be a future. This is probably the first and last time I'll cook for you."
"Don't overthink it. The war between the two countries has nothing to do with you; you are just my wife. No one dares to touch you without my permission. Has Tu Danyao made things difficult for you again?"
"No. Ever since you warned her last time, she hasn't made things difficult for me. At most, she'll make a few sarcastic remarks, but I still make her very angry."
Zhao Furou withdrew her hand, forced a smile, and said nothing more. She silently served him a bowl of soup and then served herself one.
“You have your difficulties. It’s not worth it for you to stand against your second brother and your subordinates for my sake. I miss our child. Every night I dream that she calls me Mother and asks me why I abandoned her. She says she is so cold and wants to drink ginseng soup to warm herself up… So I made a pot of ginseng soup early this morning. Drink it while it’s hot.”
Although Tu Danyao had married Wanyan Zongqing, she still couldn't forget Wanyan Zonglie and often deliberately made things difficult for Zhao Furou.
Zhao Furou may seem weak, but she is not one to suffer in silence. She will fight back, and if she can't fight back, she will deliberately expose her wounds to Wanyan Zonglie so that he can vent his anger on her behalf.
The two brothers, Wanyan Zonglie and Wanyan Zonglie, had many disputes over their respective women.
One day, He Shilie, a fierce general under Wanyan Zonglie, got drunk and mistakenly entered Zhao Furou's courtyard, pinning her down. Wanyan Zonglie happened to be there when he returned.
Wanyan Zonglie was furious and wanted to kill him on the spot, but the other generals pleaded for Heshilie's life.
In the end, Wanyan Zonglie ordered him to be severely beaten with fifty strokes of the cane, and he still cannot get out of bed to this day.
He Shilie's subordinates were extremely dissatisfied with Wanyan Zonglie because she was just a female slave, yet they treated her like a precious treasure.
If it were the second prince, he would have already given that female slave to his subordinates to enjoy.
As a result, some people secretly defected to Wanyan Zongqin.
Although Wanyan Zonglie and Wanyan Zongqin were brothers born of the same mother, two tigers cannot share one mountain. Both of them were ambitious and wanted to take that position.
Wanyan Zonglie abandoned the marriage alliance with the Tudan tribe and lost the fierce general Heshilie, putting him at a disadvantage.
Zhao Furou scooped up a spoonful of soup and took a sip herself: "It's delicious, and it keeps me warm. No wonder our daughter keeps talking about it."
Wanyan Zonglie felt a pang of pain in his heart when he thought of his daughter, who was covered in bruises, and he also picked up the soup and took a big gulp.
“It really tastes good. After Da Jing conquers Dingzhou, brew another bowl, and we'll go to our daughter's grave to pay our respects.”
Zhao Furou didn't say anything, but silently served him rice and dishes.
After finishing the soup, Wanyan Zonglie felt a bit hungry and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.
He also served her a bowl of rice and picked out many of her favorite dishes: "Fu'er, you eat too."
At this moment, they were just like an ordinary couple, living in harmony and mutual respect.
Wanyan Zonglie looked at the gentle woman beside him and gently squeezed her small hand.
"Fu'er, with you by my side, and then having a few more children, this kind of life doesn't seem so bad."
At this moment, the ambition to conquer the world and unify the land seemed to become less important.
"If, and I mean if, our daughter were still alive, would you be willing to give up your identity as the Prince of Dajing and live an ordinary life with us, mother and daughter, under assumed names?"
Wanyan Zonglie was taken aback: "Fu'er, what did you say? My daughter is still alive? Where is she? Is she still in Da Zhou? I'll go and bring her back right now and make her a princess of Da Jing."
"You don't want to, right?"
“Born into the royal family and commanding hundreds of thousands of troops, I am chosen by Heaven to conquer the world. To me, living in anonymity is like surviving in dishonor. I, Wanyan Zonglie, am destined to be remembered in history, so why should I give up? Not only me, but any other man would not give up either. Fu’er, you are too naive.”
Zhao Furou's gaze was cold, and a hint of mockery appeared at the corner of her mouth: "I was naive."
She already knew his choice.
She didn't understand anything about destiny; all she knew was that his hands were stained with the blood of countless people from the Great Zhou Dynasty.
All this talk was just a way to buy time. Killing him would sever the direct connection between Da Jing and Prime Minister Qin, freeing Xiao Xuance from any worries and allowing him to reach Stone City sooner and welcome back his father.
Wanyan Zonglie held her hand: "Fu'er, tell me quickly, is our daughter really still alive? I'll send someone to bring her to our side immediately..."
Before he could finish speaking, a strong sense of discomfort suddenly surged up, his chest spasmed, his whole body convulsed, and the taste of blood rushed to his throat.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, "Pfft..."
Wanyan Zonglie reached out and grabbed her chin, his eyes filled with shock and pain. "It was you...you poisoned me..."
Blood seeped from the corner of Zhao Furou's lips.
The black ointment she had previously applied to her lips contained the poisons of aconite and prepared aconite root. She used very small amounts each time, and the symptoms were not obvious.
However, by adding just one ingredient, the previously suppressed toxicity of aconitine can be "brought out of its restraints," leading to arrhythmia and death from systemic convulsions.
Zhao Furou did not struggle; she closed her eyes and waited for him to strangle her to death.
Wanyan Zonglie's eyes were filled with heartache; he had given his heart to the woman before him.
She remained unmoved, never giving him a kind look, and the only time she showed him any kindness was by poisoning his food.
Wanyan Zonglie's knuckles trembled as he tightened his grip on her neck, then suddenly loosened when he saw her pained expression, his hot breath carrying the smell of rust.
Tell me...where is my daughter?
Zhao Furou coughed violently, and the blood she coughed up splattered on him. "Cough cough... You'll never find her in this lifetime."
Seeing the man's pained expression, she suddenly smiled. It turned out that even a cold-blooded and cruel man could suffer so much for his daughter.
More and more blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, her eyelids grew heavy and slowly closed, and her hands fell limply to her sides.
Wanyan Zonglie hurriedly pulled her into his arms, cupping her blood-stained chin in his hands and frantically wiping it with his sleeves, but the more he wiped, the more blood flowed, and he couldn't stop it: "Zhao Furou... Fu'er..."
He picked her up and staggered toward the door.
The intense emotions accelerated the poison's effects, and his steps grew heavier and heavier. Just a few steps from the door, he coughed up another mouthful of blood, his knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud!
When she fell, she used her last bit of strength to protect the person in her arms from getting hurt.
He collapsed beside Zhao Furou, blood soaking the fabric of her clothes. His unfocused gaze swept over her face, and his blood-stained fingers fell limply before touching her cheek, gently resting on her body as he embraced her and passed away.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com