Chapter 22. Ling Xun is sixteen now, just the age when he becomes a fan...
"Master, is something the matter? Perhaps we can talk about it another time?" Ling Xun asked.
The master and disciple were actually quite similar in some ways. Neither of them enjoyed life and had no interest in money or women. Whenever they had free time, they were either at home or training troops in the military camp.
Wei Yi was even more thorough in this regard. Ling Xun missed Bai Xue Rou and had to return to the manor every day. He was over thirty years old this year, but there wasn't a single woman in his manor. He had declined all marriage proposals and practically made the military camp his home.
Everyone says that Wei Yi is still thinking about the person he loves, but no one knows who that person is.
After lunch, once Ling Zheng left, the generals went about their own business, and the two returned to Wei Yi's room to continue strategizing the military formation.
Ling Xun had many ideas, but as he spoke, he noticed that Wei Yi was somewhat distracted. He looked up with some curiosity. His master had a rock-solid will and rarely saw him so absent-minded.
Wei Yi looked outside and saw that dark clouds had rolled in, plunging the world into darkness.
"It's going to rain," he said.
Ling Xun looked over instinctively.
He was so focused on simulating the military formation that he didn't notice anything outside.
"It's a bit dark in here, let's turn on the lights." Seeing that Wei Yi didn't seem to be stopping, Ling Xun said, but then he saw a smile on Wei Yi's lips and couldn't help but feel puzzled.
His words did not seem to be funny at all.
Meeting his disciple's gaze, Wei Yi made no attempt to hide his feelings and laughed, "You certainly listen to your sister-in-law."
It's important to light lamps when it gets dark, otherwise it's too bad for your eyes. This is something Bai Xuerou said, and Ling Xun has always remembered it.
Upon hearing this, Ling Xun couldn't help but smile, but then he lowered his eyes again—
That day, Bai Xuerou got drunk and lost control. After he returned home, whenever he had a little free time, he couldn't help but think of her, and what followed was a desire for more.
He wanted his sister-in-law to talk to him and touch him.
He thought...
I want more, more.
Ling Xun knew, of course, that he shouldn't have had this thought, and that it was utterly rebellious and contrary to morality.
Putting aside the difference between men and women, she was his sister-in-law.
He used to think he was just sick.
Only now do I realize that he does indeed have it, and it's a mental illness, and quite severe at that.
Ling Xun tried to restrain himself, but he couldn't wait to see his sister-in-law every day.
Day after day, until today.
He tried his best.
Ling Xun thought to himself, in a self-deceptive way.
"My sister-in-law is only doing this for my own good," Ling Xun said gently, his voice tinged with tenderness.
Wei Yi looked at him and frowned slightly.
He sensed something was wrong.
"Liu Lang," he interrupted, "you should go back first, it will be difficult to travel if it rains later."
"It's nothing, just some rain." Ling Xun didn't take it seriously. He rode a fast horse from the camp into the city, and the two quarters of an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Youth is often reckless and fearless of storms.
Wei Yi smiled, but also felt a little wistful. He had also been through such times, but those were things of the past. Now, he was no longer young.
He was twelve years older than Bai Xuerou.
The two continued to deduce the military formation. Just then, someone rode up on a fast horse and rushed into the room. He knelt on one knee and said, "Sixth Master, the Prince has been assassinated. The Princess Consort requests that you return to the manor immediately."
Ling Xun suddenly stood up, and without saying much, he bid farewell to Wei Yi and immediately returned home.
He never cared about people like Ling Zheng; he was only worried about Bai Xuerou.
As Wei Yi watched his retreating figure, he was thinking about the strange behavior Ling Xun had just displayed.
He might not be an expert on matters between men and women, but he knew what an ordinary uncle and sister-in-law were like.
Ling Xun's tone just now was inappropriate.
Ling Xun is sixteen now, the perfect age for young women to admire.
With this matter on my mind, I thought about it for a while before getting back to the main issue.
The fact that Ling Zheng was assassinated means that the attack was successful.
A storm is coming; now it's up to Ling Xun to decide what to do.
But thinking about this, things seemed to have come full circle again. Wei Yi thought of Ling Xun's strange behavior just now, and his thick, dark eyebrows furrowed, remaining there for a long time.
-
Although Ling Zheng had served in the military for several years, he was not a general and always stayed in the rear, never getting injured in those years.
This was his first injury, and such a serious one at that.
The intense pain from his wound instantly filled him with immense fear and panic. He hadn't yet vied for the throne, he hadn't yet ascended the throne; how could he die? He couldn't die.
Ling Zheng immediately grabbed the guard beside him and said, "Go back to the palace and find a doctor."
His bodyguards immediately responded and, without delay, led men to protect him as he retreated. At this moment, the assassins seemed to realize that things were not going well, or perhaps they felt that they had achieved part of their objective after seeing that he was injured, and they immediately withdrew.
When Ling Zheng was sent back to the Prince's Mansion, he was covered in blood, which terrified the servants so much that they almost screamed, but they were driven away by the guards and taken to Zhizhuo Courtyard.
This place, besides being the study, is also where Ling Zheng rests in the outer courtyard. If you were to ask where the most heavily guarded place in the entire Prince's Mansion is, it would naturally be this place.
Someone rushed to report to Bai Xue Rou, and by this time the news had already spread throughout the mansion, and unease was spreading. Bai Xue Rou first ordered people to guard all the gates of the inner courtyard, and then ordered people to reassure the servants not to wander around. She ordered someone to invite Ling Xun back, and while giving instructions, she arrived at Zhi Zhuo Courtyard.
Upon seeing that it was her, the guards hesitated slightly but did not stop her.
Upon entering Zhizhuo Courtyard, Anping, the chief steward of the Prince's Mansion, who was pacing in the courtyard, came to greet her. Bai Xuerou slightly raised her hand, indicating that there was no rush to speak, and asked Yingui to stay and talk to Steward An.
She herself stepped into the room without stopping, walking around the screen and the drawn curtains, the stench of blood hitting her face.
She remained expressionless, quickening her pace. When she reached the bedside, she saw the churning wound on Ling Zheng's chest. The doctor and the servants in the room seemed to be talking about something, but Bai Xuerou didn't hear a word.
She sat down in a daze, looking at the unconscious Ling Zheng.
"My wife, my wife,"
Bai Xue Rou finally came to her senses at Jin Tao's worried whispers. Hearing the maid's voice, which sounded like she was about to cry, she said softly, "I'm fine."
She seemed to muster a breath, looked at the doctor beside her who was prescribing medicine, and asked, "How is the prince's condition?"
Jin Tao immediately whispered the doctor's diagnosis: Ling Xun's injury seemed serious, but fortunately it was only a superficial wound, without damaging the bones or internal organs. He just needed to rest for a while.
Bai Xuerou finally breathed a sigh of relief, her tense expression relaxing slightly. She said, "That's good. Why did the prince faint? When will he wake up?"
Jin Tao couldn't answer. The doctor over there immediately said that Ling Zheng's coma was caused by excessive blood loss and that he would wake up in a while.
Bai Xuerou was finally relieved.
After the doctor wrote out the prescription, Bai Xuerou immediately sent someone to get the medicine. She also asked the doctor about some things to pay attention to regarding Ling Zheng's injuries. Finally, she asked someone to arrange a room for the doctor at Zhizhuo Courtyard so that Ling Zheng could stay there until he recovered.
The doctor respectfully agreed and was led away by a servant.
The guards remained inside. Bai Xuerou held Ling Zheng's hand, looked at him with concern, and then asked the guards what had happened.
The guards answered one by one, and Bai Xuerou's expression turned solemn. She then ordered someone to summon the strategists.
Before long, Hou Feng and the other strategists arrived. Bai Xuerou didn't delay and explained the general situation. When they learned that Ling Zheng's injuries were not life-threatening, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Bai Xuerou instructed them to speak with their guards and see how to proceed with the matter.
"The doctor said that the prince will wake up soon after he falls into a coma. Before he wakes up, I would like to trouble you all to come up with a plan." Bai Xuerou said gently, subtly indicating that she had no intention of interfering in the affairs of the prince's mansion.
The strategists were slightly relieved. Now that Ling Zheng was unconscious, Bai Xue Rou was the most powerful mistress in the mansion, and everyone naturally had to obey her orders.
It wouldn't have mattered before, but now that the marriage has been arranged, people are inevitably more wary of Bai Xue Rou.
With something this big happening, no one would believe that Bai Xuerou wouldn't harbor resentment; who knows what she might do?
Even when Ling Zheng was injured, Hou Feng suspected her, but quickly dismissed the suspicion. Without her, Bai Xue Rou wouldn't have had that kind of power. The Bai family was insignificant, and she was merely a woman confined to the inner quarters.
As they were talking, Ling Zheng was still asleep, but Ling Xun had already returned first.
Bai Xuerou could sense the guards' subtle wariness inside the room, but they couldn't stop Ling Xun, so he still came in.
"Sister-in-law, how are you?" Ling Xun's first question was to Bai Xuerou, making no attempt to hide his disdain for Ling Zheng—
Since the Prince of Zhenbei, the two brothers have maintained a facade of harmony, but that's just to appease outsiders. They both know how Ling Zheng has been targeting Ling Xun, and those around them are even more aware of it.
Ling Xun didn't bother with such pointless arguments, but he also couldn't be bothered to maintain any respect for him, especially after the news of the Lang family's affair broke.
Ling Zheng is a despicable person.
"I'm fine." Bai Xuerou shook her head, but Ling Xun looked at her face, which was no longer smiling and was pale, and he couldn't believe her.
Ling Xun said, "Sister-in-law, please take care of yourself too."
Bai Xuerou looked at him, and the young man's eyes were full of concern for her.
For some reason, she inexplicably recalled the past—
Once upon a time, there was a boy like that, and I saw him in the same way.
That was Ling Zheng at sixteen.
She lowered her eyes, then looked at Ling Zheng beside her, and softly hummed in agreement.
"You're such a hypocrite, Bai Xuerou," she said to herself.
It's obvious that Ling Zheng was injured at Wei Yi's request, and he's lying here because of her. Why is she still so upset? It's so hypocritical.
But Bai Xuerou was still sad.
“But if someone dares to attempt an assassination, we must not tolerate it,” Bai Xuerou added.
Ling Xun readily agreed that he would investigate thoroughly and find the person behind it all.
Fortunately, Ling Zheng woke up an hour later, and Bai Xuerou seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, withdrawing her hand from his.
Ling Zheng's fingers twitched slightly, trying to hold onto that softness, but he failed.
His eyes flickered slightly as he quickly recalled everything that had happened. His gaze fell on Bai Xuerou, and his expression softened.
"Chunniang," he said, his voice hoarse and weak.
"It's good that Your Highness is awake." Bai Xuerou said coldly, ordering a maid to bring tea and helping him sit up to drink it.
Ling Zheng looked at Bai Xue Rou, who was sitting motionless to the side, and wanted to ask her why she didn't feed him herself, but seeing the strategist waiting behind him, he had no choice but to put aside his personal feelings and drink the water.
After the servant helped him lie down, Bai Xuerou looked at the strategists and said, "Gentlemen, you have been waiting for you for a long time. Please have a chat first."
After saying that, she got up and left.
"Sister-in-law, let me see you off," Ling Xun said, having no intention of staying.
His offer of help was just empty words; if he actually helped, Ling Zheng would be even more wary.
Bai Xuerou looked up at him, disapprovingly.
“With Jin Tao and the others here, you don’t need to do anything. You’re already capable of handling things on your own, so as the younger brother, you should naturally take better care of your brother’s affairs.”
No matter how much the two brothers disagree in private, they can't show it on the surface.
Bai Xuerou was a little puzzled. Ling Xun was always smart and sensible, so he should know better. Why was he being so willful today?
Ling Xun agreed to stay, but he was somewhat unhappy.
Anyway, Ling Zheng isn't going to die, so he'd rather spend more time with his sister-in-law. Besides, does his sister-in-law still have feelings for Ling Zheng?
He frowned slightly.
Ling Xun patiently waited for Ling Zheng to finish speaking before heading to see Bai Xue Rou. Just before leaving, Ling Zheng stopped him, telling him to comfort his sister-in-law. Ling Xun suppressed his impatience, only revealing a hint of mockery on his face.
“I will naturally take good care of my sister-in-law,” he said.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
