Chapter 40
What is love?
Lin Qiang didn't understand, nor had he ever experienced it.
If we were to explain it in textbook terms, love is roughly a triangle composed of intimacy, passion, and commitment.
If it's just intimacy, then it can only be considered liking.
If it's just passion, then it can only be considered infatuation.
If it's just a promise, then it can only be considered a responsibility.
So, what kind of feeling did he have for Yuan Qiong? Love? Infatuation? Responsibility? He didn't know how to define it, but he understood that it couldn't be summarized by just a few dry words.
Whether in his past life or this one, he is not the kind of person who is passive, nor is he bound by those so-called rules and regulations.
Yes, for various reasons, he missed his chance with the girl, resulting in her taking someone else's surname. But it doesn't matter; if he likes someone, he'll go for it; if he wants something, he'll take it—that's his principle.
Sneaking around has never been his style. Since he's going to walk this path with her, he has an obligation to shoulder the responsibility for her, to openly and honestly protect the little girl in his arms. If Yuwen Jing has the ability, he can certainly try to compete with him.
Lin Qiang chewed on a blade of grass, his gaze fixed intently on the direction of Weiyang Palace. He chewed it casually, then chuckled softly, spitting out the bitter juice from his mouth. He then passed through layers of guards and entered the main hall.
Staying steadfast in our steps, the future holds promise. This benefits both ourselves and others.
Imperial curtains and dragon tents, autumn wind rises and window light shines brightly.
Black boots slowly stepped forward without making a sound. Lin Qiang lifted the curtain and looked at the dragon bed. The sleeping emperor was pale, and it was clear at a glance that he was destined to die young.
"Yuwen Jing..."
Lin Qiang didn't want to comment too much on him. This young man was a victim of power from birth. The previous ruler of Yan used him to gamble with Yuan Su, and after losing, he was simply abandoned.
The old emperor had no expectations for his son, who had been neglected by Yuan Su, and secretly gave all his power to Yuwen Zhe.
The two were originally complete strangers. Lin Qiang never imagined he would have any connection with Yuwen Jing, yet he was inevitably drawn into it.
"Whether it's because of my mistake or because the plot was too powerful, you still managed to marry Yuan Yatou first. Today, I'll help you this once and give you a fair chance to compete. If you can't protect her, then she'll belong to me from now on."
If weakness is Yuwen Jing's shortcoming, then he will make up for it. Weakness is not an excuse for sympathy, much less a moral high ground. If Yuwen Jing has the courage to challenge him, he will never back down.
But if you try to use his weakness as an excuse, or use those ridiculous rules and etiquette to morally blackmail him into giving up the little girl, sorry, he can't do it!
Lin Qiang calmly walked to the side, flipped over all the overturned jade teacups on the dragon table, picked up a dagger, and without hesitation slashed his wrist, blood spurting out instantly.
He clenched his fist downwards, and crimson blood flowed down the side of the cup to the bottom of the bowl, filling the small teacup in no time. He immediately moved his wrist to another jade teacup.
The bright red blood, contained in the emerald green jade bowl, was quite beautiful. After three bowls were full of blood, Lin Qiang's lips turned slightly pale.
"Damn it, I should have brought a big bowl before I came! What a waste of my blood!"
He cursed under his breath, then, feeling that the amount was about right, he tore off a piece of his own undergarment and wrapped it around his wrist. He then roughly helped Yuwen Jing up, pinched his nose, and forced him to drink bowl after bowl of the liquid.
Afterwards, he used his internal energy to clear and regulate Yuwen Jing's extremely fragile meridians, and used a ball of internal force to stabilize his heart.
An hour later, Yuwen Jing's complexion had noticeably improved. As long as Yuwen Jing didn't cause any trouble, he wouldn't die anytime soon! Lin Qiang got up from the bed, tore off the gauze from his wrist, revealing a smooth wrist without a trace of scratch.
Just as the young emperor was about to wake up from his drowsy state, he vaguely heard someone say something to him.
"Yuwen Jing. Tomorrow night, at the end of Hai hour (9-11 PM), I will take Yuan Qiong away. If you cannot stop me, then she will belong to me and will no longer be your empress."
After saying this, Lin Qiang waved his hand and collected the tablecloth and jade bowl, which were covered in blood like a murder scene, and disappeared from the spot in an instant.
When Yuwen Jing awoke, he found the main hall empty. He was somewhat stunned, unsure whether what he had just heard was real or a hallucination from a dream.
"Zhao Chuan!" He propped himself up and called out, then was startled by his own loud and clear voice.
What... what's going on?! How long has it been since he's been this energetic?!
Leaving aside Yuwen Jing's ecstatic joy, on the other hand, after cleaning up the tablecloth and jade bowl, Lin Qiang casually strolled around the palace with his knife in hand, to prove that he had fulfilled his duties.
As a result, while strolling around, they happened to bump into Yuwen Zhe, who was bringing Yuan Liu Niang into the palace disguised as a servant.
"......."
Lin Qiang glanced at Yuan Liuniang with a half-smile. She reflexively stood at attention, almost putting herself in a horse stance as self-punishment.
"......"
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
"I had no idea that His Highness Prince Cheng and Sixth Sister had such a good relationship?"
Yuwen Zhe's eyes flickered with a subtle shift in emotion. Unable to discern whether the bearded man was asking the question on purpose, he instead inquired:
Why is Commander Lin not on duty at Zhaoyang Palace today?
"I was kicked out by the Empress; she thought I was annoying."
That's the truth.
After he tore up the twenty-sixth memorial, Yuan Qiong finally snapped, kicking and shoving the man out of the room, and even threatening to castrate him into a eunuch if he dared to go back today!
Hmm... Lin Qiang touched his nose, wanting to laugh.
Seeing his expression, Yuan Liuniang knew he was thinking about Yuan Qiong. Her heart felt like a spice jar had been overturned, a mixture of sour, spicy, bitter and sweet emotions.
She lowered her eyes, concealing all her emotions, and silently followed behind Yuwen Zhe's gurgling wheelchair, passing by Lin Qiang without uttering a word.
The golden light of the setting sun shone on the red palace bricks, creating a unique charm. Lin Qiang turned his head and looked at Yuan Liu Niang's slender and graceful back, a clear understanding forming in his mind.
Sixth Sister has changed.
He sighed, suppressing the inexplicable melancholy in his heart, and continued his stroll.
If it's going to rain, it's going to rain; if a mother wants to remarry, no one can stop it, right?
He has done all he could, and that's enough to be considered worthy of the original owner. The rest is up to Yuan Liu Niang to decide.
**
Popular uprisings continued, people were displaced, the national treasury was empty, and the feudal lords from all directions were in dire need of funds.
One by one, Yuan Su forcefully suppressed the matter, leaving only trivial matters on the imperial desk.
Yuwen Jing was weak-willed and knew nothing about court affairs. Although Yuan Qiong was a daughter of the Yuan family, she was unwilling to let her grandfather monopolize the court. After several summons of ministers and her overt and covert efforts to win them over, some useful memorials finally arrived at her desk.
And what was the result?
Lin Qiang immediately started tearing—"Rip—" That was Yuan Qiong's control over her patience breaking down.
"Sizzle—sizzle—"
Yuan Qiong's heart was bleeding. Tearing up one book wasn't enough; he tore up over twenty of her books in a row!! She wanted nothing more than to grab the bandit and bite him!
Finally, Yuan Qiong, who had just thrown the man out, managed to calm her anger and wanted to quietly review the memorials for a while. But as she reviewed them, she realized something was wrong...
The rest are all trivial matters!
What about the state of affairs and civil administration of this palace?!
Where are my battle reports?!
Where are the petitions from my people?!
"Ishi! Hei! Zi!"
The Empress, who was known for her aloofness, finally snapped!
"Someone, go! Bring me that guard surnamed Lin!"
"promise."
Xiao Jin and Xiao Yu immediately sent people to search, but after searching for almost an hour, they still couldn't find it...
(At that time, Lin Qiang was doing good deeds in Weiyang Palace, so of course they couldn't find him.)
Therefore, the aloof woman, dressed in an apricot-yellow phoenix robe and adorned with a emerald phoenix pendant, waved her wide sleeves, her slender fox-like eyes blazing with anger.
"I will go find them myself!"
As it turned out, the Empress's power was limitless. As soon as she stepped out of Zhaoyang Palace, someone came to report that they had seen Commander Lin and Prince Cheng not far from the East Main Gate.
Without saying a word, Yuan Qiong walked along the long palace corridor toward the main gate on the east side. Her dazzling figure and perfect palace steps, her head held high in the afterglow of the setting sun, made the young girl under the palace wall look as proud as a phoenix soaring through the sky.
Lin Qiang, who was strolling around, saw her in the distance. His eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight, and he was instantly captivated.
His suddenly racing heart gave him the best answer. This perpetually barren iron tree was destined to fall into the hands of a young girl...
Yuan Qiong had no idea what he was thinking. Seeing that the bandit neither ran away nor bowed when he saw her, but just stood there dumbly, she became even angrier!
"Guards! Seize him and drag him back to Zhaoyang Palace!"
"........Huh???"
Fork it back in?!
Didn't you say you'd turn me into a eunuch if I dared to go back today? Oh ho, you've changed your mind?
Besides, I'm a big guy, weighing over 100 pounds! It's not that I look down on these eunuchs, but do you think they could even lift me?!
Absolutely impossible to cross!!!
However, in order not to anger his young mistress, Lin Qiang obediently followed the little girl back to Zhaoyang Palace with his tail between his legs.
"Um..." As soon as Lin Qiang entered the hall, he started to say something, but Yuan Qiong glared at him and stopped him from saying anything more.
With a flick of her robes, she sat imposingly on her high phoenix throne and said angrily, "Drag this person out and beat him again..."
Um... I got stuck for a moment.
If I use force, it seems like I'm reluctant to use too much; if I don't use force, this question keeps coming up again...
Lin Qiang immediately understood, grinned, and suggested, "Then... a big slab?"
One sheet?! Dream on! You think you can just let it slide after tearing up so many of my memorials?!
"Drag him away and give him three lashes!"
"promise."
As a personal maid, Xiaozhi naturally knew the difference between three strokes of the cane and three more strokes.
So Lin Qiang followed her out, let out a couple of symbolic howls, and then deliberately limped into the hall.
"Your Majesty, your subordinate is here to express his gratitude and thanks Your Majesty for the punishment."
"......."
That bandit has a really thick skin!
Yuan Qiong stood up angrily, lifted her clothes and walked up to him, then kicked him twice more before her anger subsided.
Lin Qiang didn't take her tickling-like force to heart at all. Afraid that she would miss and fall, he knelt there without daring to move. After she finished kicking, he stood up with a grin and coaxed, "You've hit me and kicked me, don't be angry anymore, okay?"
"Don't touch my official documents again!"
"......."
Stay still? That's impossible!
He'll tear up every single one of those memorials he sees from now on!
Why should the Yuwen family not handle their own affairs and instead make their little maid do the work?! Are they even paid?!
Author's Note: Sorry, my darlings, I've been quite busy lately, and updates have been inconsistent. I might not be able to update daily anymore; I'll probably update every other day. Love you all, muah! I'll try my best to resume daily updates once I'm less busy.
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