Chapter 313 Someone Above Wants to Make a Move Against the Xiao Family
Inside, the room was brightly lit by candlelight.
The man sat shirtless on the edge of the bed, bathed in the warm glow of the candlelight.
With broad shoulders and a taut physique that tapers cleanly down to the waist and abdomen, and clearly defined abdominal muscles, his body, honed through years of martial arts training, exudes immense power in every inch.
Yun Zhaoxue felt heartbroken when she saw the marks on the man's shoulder. "Any deeper and it would have cut into his flesh. The sweat soaking into the wound is like salt water. It's not like you can't afford thirty taels. There's no need to push yourself so hard. Prince Xuan won't even get out of bed."
"It didn't hurt much, so I just treated it as a way to build up my strength. I thought I could take the opportunity to teach that guy surnamed Liu a lesson. I didn't expect Meng Dahu and his men to be so well prepared and take his life directly."
He remembered Yun Zhaoxue's words about wanting to grow something.
He worked hard to cultivate the land, and she could plant whatever she wanted.
Yun Zhaoxue wet a towel with cold water and placed it on his shoulder. After a while, she applied an anti-inflammatory and swelling-reducing ointment.
"That guy surnamed Liu is no good, he deserves it! They finally did something humane for once."
"Will the city defense battalion cause them trouble?"
"They didn't kill anyone directly, there's no evidence. At most, they'll be beaten up, but they won't be killed, will they?"
Yun Zhaoxue applied the ointment and had him sit and wait for it to absorb for a while. She also put a cloth on his pillow so that the ointment would get on the cloth and be easier to wash off when he slept at night.
The man was shirtless, and she shifted her body to snuggle into his arms.
Fingertips traced his body, counting his scars—honors and medals earned on the battlefield, not to be erased by a few imperial edicts.
One of the deepest scars runs diagonally from below the left chest to the left abdomen.
There are sixteen scars in total, large and small.
Her fingertips traced the wound. "This wound must hurt a lot, right?"
"It hurt! But my heart hurt even more at the time. The Hexi Army was surrounded, and my eldest and second eldest brothers and I were ordered to lead the Zhenbei Army to provide support. We made rapid progress and the situation was in our favor."
Unexpectedly, the reinforcements betrayed them and turned to attack the Zhenbei Army from both sides, joining forces with the enemy.
In that battle, my eldest and second eldest brothers died. I was fighting an enemy general when I saw them fall. I was momentarily distracted and was ambushed by the enemy, who slashed at me in front of me.
As my older brother fell, he looked at me and, with all his might, warned me, "Be careful..."
"I snapped out of it and stabbed him to death with one shot."
“I committed a cardinal sin in military strategy and nearly lost my life. I dared not relax and stop. I killed dozens more enemy soldiers and kept fighting until the enemy retreated. Only then did I find my eldest and second brothers in the pile of corpses. They had already died.”
"The rebels deserve to die, they are more hateful than the enemy. Did you kill those rebels later to avenge your elder brothers?"
"No! That rebel was a Han Chinese. He was ostracized in the Dajing army camp and never had the chance to be brought to the battlefield, so I never had the chance to kill him. When I see him in the future, I will definitely cut off his head with my own hands to pay tribute to the spirits of my elder brother and second brother in heaven."
"Yes, the opportunity will come soon. Let's avenge them together."
After explaining the origin of the scar, we talked about some recent national and family events.
They live in the south, so the north doesn't affect them much.
That incompetent emperor will soon pay the price for his actions, but it's pitiful that most of the innocent victims have been harmed by him.
Yun Zhaoxue's cool fingertips brushed across the tightest spot on her waist and abdomen.
His muscles contracted instantly, his breathing became heavy, his back taut like a fully drawn bow, and a suppressed gasp escaped his throat, "Mmm..."
He grasped the small hand that was causing trouble around his waist with his large hand. "Xue'er, it's time for us to go to sleep."
Sexual intercourse is not advisable during the last three months of pregnancy. These past few nights, he has simply held her as she fell asleep, remaining obedient and not daring to have any other thoughts.
"Hmm, it's rare that they're staying quiet in my belly and not bothering me. I need to go to sleep quickly."
Xiao Xuance looked at her sleeping face, placed a kiss on her fair forehead, and then held her as he fell into a deep sleep.
...
That night, Meng Dahu and the others were hung up and severely beaten. The soldiers interrogated them, asking if they had conspired with the other convicts to deliberately kill Lao Liu.
Everyone vehemently denied it, because it simply didn't happen.
They wanted to kill Lao Liu, but it was just their own plan.
Old Liu deserves to die!
They forced them to kill, using coercion and enticement to kill most of their brothers.
They endured all the torture but still couldn't get Xiao Xuance to confess.
When Jia Quan heard the report from his subordinate, he was so angry that he smashed his teacup.
"Beat them hard! Don't stop until they confess!"
"Sir, why do we have to wait for Meng Dahu to confess before we take action? Those criminals are under your jurisdiction; if you wanted to kill them, wouldn't it be as easy as turning your hand?"
"What do you know? The Xiao family has sided with the Third Prince without a valid reason. If I kill him, how am I supposed to explain it when people investigate?"
He has the power to kill, but he can't kill indiscriminately. If he finds a reasonable pretext, no one can find fault with him.
The subordinate smiled and flattered, "Your Excellency is wise!"
That night, Li Yuying and Yun Yanzhe had a fight because Yun Yanzhe didn't save her, and she angrily packed her things and went back to her parents' home.
When her brother and sister-in-law saw that she hadn't left by midnight, they started to kick her out. They were so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat. Li Yuying was a married woman with a child in her belly and was also having miscarriage. They wanted them to pay for a doctor.
She's only a burden to their family; they must send her back tonight.
“Go back to the Yun family immediately. We are in exile now. Why are you still throwing a tantrum like a spoiled young lady? Can’t you just live a normal life? Going back to your parents’ home over such a small matter. If I were your brother-in-law, I wouldn’t be able to stand you either.”
“I was pregnant with his child, and he just watched me die without helping. He watched me roll down into the field without even pulling me up. What kind of man is he? What kind of husband is he? He doesn’t deserve to be the father of my child.”
Xiao Xuance stood up to shield them from the arrows and even punished that corrupt official surnamed Liu. Only a man like that is worthy of Li Yuying.
With comparison comes disdain, and she complained about Yun Yanzhe a few times. Some of her words touched a nerve with him, and he actually told her to get lost.
“His sister is a princess, and the third prince still has power. If the third prince can return to the capital one day, he will take us with him because of our marriage ties.”
Li Changqing has already secretly pledged allegiance to the Third Prince, who is secretly plotting against him. This is his only chance, and considering the marriage ties between the Li and Yun families, the Third Prince will surely give him a more important position.
He wants to revive the Li family's reputation.
"Brother, our Li family was doing just fine before, it was because of them that we were exiled, and you still want me to curry favor with him? Are you out of your mind...?"
"Shut up! Go back to the Yun family right now, the Li family has nowhere for you to stay."
Li Changqing dragged her to the door, threw her bundle at her feet, and slammed the door shut.
"Mother, elder brother, open the door and let me in..." She pounded on the door and shook it so hard that the bamboo door was about to collapse.
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