Chapter 42: Past (Edited)
Duan Wei, also known as Concubine Li, had never suffered such an insult before.
She slowly uttered a few words through gritted teeth. The hint of false friendship in her eyes vanished, leaving only a blazing rage: "Zhao Xuanxu, you really don't know what's good for you."
Duan Wei was the third child of the King of Dali. She was intelligent and outstanding in appearance. The King of Dali doted on her and brought her to Tianshui as a princess for marriage. Her dowry and palace maids were the most magnificent among all her sisters.
But Duan Wei was unwilling to give up.
She wasn't the kind of woman who could be fooled by a little favor. Duan Wei was incredibly clear-headed, so she harbored resentment. She was so beautiful and in her prime! She had come all the way from Dali, only to marry a man old enough to be her father. Even the child she gave birth to wouldn't qualify to compete for the throne. How could Duan Wei accept this?
This resentment grew stronger and stronger, and reached its peak when he and his concubines first saw Zhao Xuanxu, who had returned victorious and was named Prince of Yan by His Majesty.
Despite his temper, Zhao Xuanxu was a handsome man. Furthermore, he was incredibly powerful, and Duan Wei was deeply moved.
She came up with a brilliant idea.
The Tianshui Emperor was old and useless, and Duan Wei had yet to conceive. Without a child, she would eventually die of old age in the harem. She used to be anxious, but from that moment on, Duan Wei no longer was.
She no longer wanted the emperor's child, so she tried every means to get close to Zhao Xuanxu. She wanted Zhao Xuanxu to give her a child.
A child surnamed Zhao, with Dali blood flowing through her veins, supported and protected by her powerful biological father. She wanted her child to be emperor, and she, Duan Wei, to be empress dowager. The empty rule that those of foreign blood could not become emperor was absolutely no match for absolute power.
But after all these years, she hadn't even gotten past the first step of her plan. Zhao Xuanxu was a strange man, possessing no other hobbies besides murder, and he wasn't interested in women. No matter how Duan Wei tried to please or seduce him, he remained unresponsive. He looked at her as if she were seeing something funny, a look that at one point made Duan Wei extremely uncomfortable.
It would have been fine in the past, but people shouldn't compare. Compared to Zhao Xuanxu's current obsession with Wen Yao, Duan Wei felt like a joke.
She felt ashamed.
Is it possible that a princess of a country cannot be compared with a gangster?
In a fit of rage, Duan Wei blurted out her words and actually started threatening: "Zhao Xuanxu, don't forget that I contributed a lot to your having the Three Divisions and Twelve Guards. Is this how you repay me?"
Zhao Xuanxu burst into laughter as if he had just heard a ridiculous joke. He leaned on his elbows, his clothes drooping like water, and the corners of his eyes flushed slightly.
"You..." His chest vibrated, and his voice trembled slightly with laughter. "Why do you think that a powerless princess who married into a foreign alliance can help me with just a few words in bed? Do the Queen and Feng Shi think you are so stupid that they don't deal with you?"
This is really harsh and mean.
Duan Wei's hands, which were painted with scarlet cardamom, clenched tightly immediately, and the wound on her face felt like it was whipped and was burning with pain.
She couldn't stay any longer, so she turned away and left with her people.
As soon as Duan Wei left, the palace became quiet again.
Zhao Xuanxu was clearly in a much more cheerful mood after leaving the martial arts arena; otherwise, he wouldn't have been in the mood to see Duan Wei. He'd successfully driven her away, and his expression was euphoric. But when he poured Wen Yao some tea and got no response, his expression changed again.
He turned to look at Wen Yao, the sharp and poisonous look on his face disappeared, and he became cautious and careful.
"Ayao." Zhao Xuanxu stared at Wen Yan closely, his Adam's apple rolling up and down: "Why don't you say anything?"
"Hmm? Oh, nothing." Wen Yao touched his chin, thoughtfully.
So that's exactly what Concubine Li was thinking. No wonder she kept sending gifts to Prince Yan's mansion and glaring at her. She's so bold and daring, like a cat substituting a prince for a dragon, a phoenix for a woman, and even the sky for the sun.
Most princesses who were married off, no matter how reluctant they were, would only lament and lament, expressing their deepest hatred for the princess. Duan Wei was a rare individual who dared to think and act. Although they held different views and were not allies, Wen Yao could see Duan Wei's reluctance and the reasons behind it, and she had no active ill feelings towards Concubine Li.
Wen Yao was lost in thought when she suddenly felt a strong gaze staring at her from behind the curtain to her right. She raised her eyebrows, turned her eyes slightly to the side, and asked, "Who?"
It was a drooping palace curtain, separating the main hall from the side hall. As Wen Yao finished speaking, the curtain swayed twice, and a pale, haggard face peeked out from behind.
A woman in palace dress had appeared behind the curtain at some point, her hair disheveled, her dry and thin hands with protruding bones, tightly clutching the decorative beads on the curtain.
Her clothes were not properly dressed, her face was without makeup, her eye sockets were deep and sunken, and her eyeballs trembled nervously in her eye sockets. An expression of panic and fear lingered between her shrinking brows, lingering.
This is the palace of Zhao Xuanxu's mother, Concubine Ling. There can only be one master-like woman living here.
This is Concubine Ling.
This turned out to be Concubine Ling.
Wen Yao put down the teacup that Zhao Xuanxu had stuffed into her hand, and Duan Wei was forgotten about by her. She looked at the miserable Concubine Ling in surprise.
Wen Yao had been to the palace twice, and having met most of the princes, princesses, and high-ranking concubines, including the celebration of the Gods Festival, he had never met Concubine Ling. The consensus within and outside the palace was that Concubine Ling was ill and bedridden, preventing her from meeting outsiders.
But Lingpin's current appearance didn't seem like she was ill. Her expression was numb, her eyes were frozen like two black holes, and it seemed more like she was suffering from hysteria and mental disorder.
Two footsteps came quickly from behind Lingpin. The sound was light and the pace was steady. It was obvious that they were from a martial arts school.
Wen Yao saw two palace maids in gray clothes approaching Lingpin from behind like ghosts. They silently bowed to Zhao Xuanxu, who was sitting on the chair in front of them, and then grabbed Lingpin's shoulders, one on each side, and pulled her back roughly and without courtesy.
The previously quiet Concubine Ling was provoked into biting and thrashing, screaming sharply. Her eyes bulged as she stared at Zhao Xuanxu, as if the person sitting in front of her was not her son, but a demon that devoured human flesh and blood.
“Bastard! Bastard!” She pounced with all her might, looking as if she wanted to rush over and bite Zhao Xuanxu’s flesh and drink his blood. “I shouldn’t have given birth to you. I shouldn’t have given birth to you at all. You deserve to die!”
Zhao Xuanxu's expression remained impassive, as if he were accustomed to such foul language. He leisurely rose from his chair and walked towards Concubine Ling. As he approached, the woman, who had been threatening to attack, quieted down. The hatred in her eyes was replaced by fear. She broke free from the two maids' grasp and collapsed to the ground, cowering and holding her hand as she retreated.
"Mother looks much better," Zhao Xuanxu smiled softly. He pulled out a wooden box from his sleeve and pulled out a red string.
A faint fragrance first spread in the palace, followed by the irrepressible smell of blood.
Wen Yao looked closely and saw that the red string tied to the finger was a complete one. The bone cut surface was smooth and flat, wiped clean. She also saw red marks on Zhao Xuanxu's hand from being pressed. It was obvious that the red string was not a real red string, but was stained red with blood.
Zhao Xuanxu reached out and pinched Lingpin's face, then forcefully put the severed finger around her neck. Then he smiled, his brows relaxed, his expression filled with joy.
"Mother, you dress plainly. This necklace is from Liu Liancheng. It suits you very well."
The three words "Liu Liancheng" seemed to be a switch. When Lingpin heard these three words, she started to cover her ears tightly, screaming and crying loudly, and her body fell to one side, obviously on the verge of collapse.
Wen Yao stood up and walked a few steps to Zhao Xuanxu. He raised his hand and tapped Lingpin on the back of her head, causing her to faint.
Zhao Xuanxu didn't stop Wen Yao's movements, but simply reached out and grabbed Wen Yao's sleeve again. Then he paused, and his fingers slowly moved down, loosely encircling Wen Yao's wrist.
Two palace maids dragged Concubine Ling up and quietly retreated.
Wen Yao watched their movements and suddenly understood where the familiarity between the two palace maids came from. They looked a lot like the maids in Zhao Xuanxu's mansion, pale and quiet, like wandering souls.
Wen Yao: "Are these two your people?"
"Yeah." Zhao Xuanxu turned around, his eyes glued to Wen Yao's face: "I'll feel at ease if you leave two people behind."
Zhao Xuanxu was very close to Wen Yao, his hot breath spraying densely on Wen Yao's temples. She touched her forehead, grabbed Zhao Xuanxu's wrist with her backhand, and pulled this person who was in a strange state back to sit in the chair.
Wen Yao picked up the teacup, filled it with tea, and handed it to Zhao Xuanxu: "Drink."
Zhao Xuanxu blinked twice and drank the water obediently.
Wen Yao watched him breathe evenly and continued to ask, "Whose finger was that just now?"
Zhao Xuanxu smiled and said, "Have you ever heard of Jade-faced Willow?"
Wen Yao thought it sounded familiar. She frowned, then suddenly realized, "Oh, that flower thief, his name is Liu Liancheng?"
Jade-faced Liu Lang, this man was quite famous many years ago, but not a good reputation. He was a well-known flower thief in the world, and no one knew how many girls he had deceived and ruined.
However, he disappeared from the world a long time ago and there has been no news about him for a long time.
Most people would not care about such a thief who sneaked into a woman's bedroom at night. If they occasionally said a few words, they would just guess where he had accidentally committed suicide and was killed.
How could such a low-level thief be related to Zhao Xuanxu?
"He's my mother's lover." Zhao Xuanxu sat down, and Wen Yao stood. He held Wen Yao's hand and looked at her from bottom to top. "I captured him. Every time he came to the palace to see my mother, he would bring her a piece of Liu Liancheng's meat. He's dying now. Ah Yao, do you feel pity for them?"
After being with Zhao Xuanxu for so long, Wen Yao has indeed been troubled by one question, that is, whether Zhao Xuanxu is a pervert.
At this moment, she looked at Zhao Xuanxu's focused eyes, and after thinking about it, she still felt that he was not.
So she said, "They treat you badly?"
Zhao Xuanxu smiled, a dimple showing on his cheek. He held Wen Yao's hand and shook it gently: "Ayao, do you know why I was sick so often in the past?"
"My mother is like Duan Wei. She hates Tianshui, Dali, and Zhaojin. My mother has one more thing than Duan Wei. She also hates me."
Concubine Ling was cold to the emperor and had no intention of bearing children. However, during a drunken episode, the emperor forced himself on her, and she unfortunately became pregnant—naturally, Concubine Ling disliked the child. She transferred all her resentment towards the emperor and Dali to Zhao Xuanxu.
Over the years, the only thing Zhao Xuanxu had learned from his mother was hatred, intense hatred. He had no hot water or charcoal in the winter, no shade in the summer, and was forced to drink rice porridge when he fainted from hunger. He was usually abandoned in a side hall because, besides abusing him, Concubine Ling didn't want to see him.
He was wearing the clothes of a prince, but underneath the clothes were layers of scars.
Of course, it wasn't all Concubine Ling's fault. While the princes and princesses were being taught, the Fourth Prince, then not yet the King of Qin, was arrogant and domineering, often bullying his unsupported Third Brother. The First Prince, self-assured of being the eldest son, would usually feign dissuasion. But his persuasion had no effect, only making the Fourth Prince's attacks even more severe.
The obscure past was like a piece of thin paper, completely vanishing in the burning of time. Zhao Xuanxu looked indifferent, and could no longer recall his feelings at that time.
He only remembered a little.
"Actually, I didn't hate her at that time." Zhao Xuanxu said softly.
The old palace maid who accompanied Lingpin to Tianshui when she got married would provide him with clothes and food, apply medicine to him, and persuade him that Lingpin did not dislike him.
The old nanny's rough fingers brushed against little Xuanxu's head, only to be coldly pushed away with a frown. She didn't react, her cloudy eyes blank as she murmured softly, "The princess is simply heartbroken. She doesn't want to come to Tianshui; she's heartbroken."
When Xiao Xuanxu heard these words, he felt nothing in his heart. He just thought that since it was this woman called "Mother Concubine" who brought him into the world, if she wanted him to die, then he would die.
The palace was vast, and everyone's thoughts were too heavy and too complicated. He experienced torture and pain day after day, and looking at the numerous palace shadows, he felt only disgust and irritation.
If this is what life is like, then there is nothing good about living.
"At first I felt sorry for her." Zhao Xuanxu started laughing again, his eyes red. "She was so disgusting to Zhao Jin, and was even forced to bear a child for him. But then she met Liu Liancheng, and they made love in front of me, and I started to feel disgusted."
Liu Liancheng was so audacious that he even used disguise and bone-shrinking techniques to sneak into the palace and have an affair with a concubine. He loved having Zhao Xuanxu catch him and Concubine Ling in their affair, and he loved the thrill of having an affair with his mother under the watchful eyes of the prince.
As for Concubine Ling, she was reborn in the nourishment of love. As a concubine in the palace, she had no shortage of material things, and now even her spiritual emptiness was satisfied. Liu Liancheng even said that one day he would take her away to fake her own death, and from then on they would stay together forever, a pair for the rest of their lives.
She was filled with joy and couldn't wait - but Zhao Xuanxu seemed to be getting more and more displeased.
This child who doesn't cry, make a fuss or speak represents her weakness and incompetence, her humiliation, and her not being completely loyal to her lover.
"That year, I fell into the lotus pond. She was hanging out with Liu Liancheng through a window." Zhao Xuanxu explained calmly, his fingers tightening and loosening around Wen Yao's wrist. "Yan Cang pulled me up and asked if I wanted to be his apprentice."
He was soaked all over, his cheeks were pale, and his pupils were dark. The leader of the three divisions, who was dressed in black, patted him on the back and coughed up a few mouthfuls of water. The dull pain in his ears disappeared, and after hearing what Yan Cang said, he nodded and agreed without hesitation.
No reason.
I just suddenly felt annoyed with the smiles on the faces of that man and woman, and wished they would never smile again from now on.
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