Chapter 104 Deceiving Her into Attending the Banquet "Ah Zhi is truly heartless and cruel, willing to..."
"Madam didn't use anything again today? How exactly did you serve her?"
Pei Lang stared at the dinner that had been delivered untouched, his expression turning uncontrollably sinister, causing the servants to kneel down, too afraid to utter a sound.
"It's just two meals a day, how can you not even handle such a small thing!"
Pei Lang pinched his brow, feeling a headache coming on. These days, he was also caught up in the complicated affairs of the court, and he couldn't be by Lin Zhi's side all the time.
"My lord, we are truly at our wits' end. The food prepared in the kitchen is not to the lady's liking, and we have even brought back the dishes from restaurants that she usually enjoys, but... it still doesn't work."
Pei Lang waved his hand in annoyance: "Alright, all of you, get out."
It's getting late, and if Lin Zhi doesn't eat soon, she'll probably be starving.
Lin Zhi sat on the couch with her knees drawn up to her chest, as quiet as a lifeless porcelain doll, motionless and devoid of any emotion.
Even though Lin Zhi was reserved and shy in the past, she was still very lively, unlike now, when she is as deep and still as a pool of water.
"Azhi, you didn't eat properly for dinner, so I cooked you some noodles. Want to try some?"
Lin Zhi finally snapped out of her reverie, turned her head to look at the steaming bowl of soup noodles he was holding, but didn't move for a long time.
Pei Lang put the bowl of noodles aside, walked to the bedside, and leaned down to touch her smooth forehead.
"You don't have a cold or fever, so why aren't you eating?"
Lin Zhi coldly turned her head away from his hand: "You just want me to stay in the room obediently, why do you care whether I eat or not?"
"You won't die if you skip a few meals."
Pei Lang paused slightly in his intimate posture, a hint of displeasure flashing in his dark eyes.
"Ah Zhi, don't be stubborn."
"I've already consulted the imperial physician about your eye condition; it's just that you're overworked. A good rest will help..."
Pei Lang raised his hand to brush away her slightly disheveled hair, but it was slapped away forcefully. In the blink of an eye, Pei Lang saw a red mark quickly appear on the back of her hand.
"I don't need your fake kindness. You just want me to go blind and be trapped in this life!"
Lin Zhi turned around warily, moving further away from him into the tatami mat.
The veins on Pei Lang's hand, which was pressed against the brocade quilt, bulged slightly, but he wasn't angry. He simply put a hand warmer in her arms and left again.
Lin Zhi closed her eyes, feeling a sense of despair.
"Should I just boil these and give them to her to drink?"
Looking at the medicine packet brought by the imperial physician, Pei Lang glanced at it with some suspicion, as there didn't seem to be any particularly precious medicinal herbs here.
He wanted to give Lin Zhi the best.
"Of course, my ancestors were imperial physicians for generations, so please rest assured, Your Excellency."
"However, the family tradition also says that if you want faster and better results, there is another ingredient. But no one has tried it for a long time now, so it is probably just something left by the ancestor and not recorded in medical books."
The imperial physician casually said something and turned to leave, but Pei Lang stopped him: "Since you've already spoken, tell me what it is."
After looking at Pei Lang's strong physique, the imperial physician hesitated for a moment before speaking: "It is heart blood, but there is no way to verify it. Your Excellency should think twice."
Thinking of Lin Zhi's increasingly impatient temper these days, Pei Lang returned home without a second thought and personally prepared the medicine.
After coaxing and cajoling Lin Zhi for more than ten days, it seemed to have some immediate effect.
When Pei Lang returned from court, he saw Lin Zhi sitting in the courtyard with her head down, busy with something.
"Aren't you cold?"
Pei Lang touched the hand holding the embroidery needle, his brows furrowing slightly in displeasure. He looked at the maidservant serving him but was pulled to sit down by Lin Zhi.
"It's not cold today, what do you think of the embroidery?"
Lin Zhi showed him the little bib in her hand, "Mianmian is growing so fast now, her clothes are all too small. The embroiderers make them so well, but as her mother, I can't just not make any."
"Strangely enough, my eyes seem to have gotten much better these days."
Seeing the faint smile on Lin Zhi's lips, Pei Lang looked at her gently, but then took out a thin note from his sleeve.
"If it's really good, why do you still want to leave?"
Looking at the note she had written, Lin Zhi's smile gradually faded. After a moment of silence, she put down what she was holding, turned her back to Pei Lang, and refused to look at him.
"We've already come to this point, what is there left for you to insist on?"
Pei Lang lifted her chin and turned her around, carefully tracing Lin Zhi's features with his eyes.
“Ah Zhi is truly heartless and cruel, willing to treat me like this.”
"We are husband and wife, so naturally I cannot let you leave."
Lin Zhi bit her lower lip so hard that it bled, staining her full red lips.
Pei Lang simply raised his hand to wipe the blood from her lips, then gently leaned in and kissed her: "Alright, Azhi, stop fooling around."
"Only if you are well, can I be well."
Lin Zhijing leaned against Pei Lang, her eyes dim, as he held her close.
"Tomorrow is a banquet in the palace. Many people are still unaware of your identity. Come with me."
Looking at the newly made palace dress laid out before her, Lin Zhi, however, showed little interest and sarcastically remarked, "What are you going there for? To put on a good show with you?"
"Look at the surprised expressions on the faces of those who thought I was dead?"
"I'm not going."
Lin Zhi herself felt that her temper was becoming increasingly strange, but Pei Lang always greeted her with a smile.
"Of course not. I don't want to know what others think, but tomorrow's event is arranged by His Majesty for Princess Chaoya... Consort Yu."
"I heard that the Imperial Concubine is pregnant, and His Majesty even specially invited the Northern Rong envoys to a banquet. I'm afraid he's just trying to save face for the Northern Rong."
Lin Zhi became increasingly confused as she listened.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"Tomorrow's banquet is important; only the legal wife of the household can attend, so you should naturally go."
"You are unwilling to give me a title now, but you cannot let me lose face in front of my colleagues."
"More importantly, tomorrow's banquet will include your favorite milk snacks, which are a special tribute from the Northern Rong."
"Even the best chefs in the capital couldn't make it."
Hearing Pei Lang's perfectly natural words, Lin Zhi felt completely lost.
He was always like that, sometimes so sinister that it was impossible to fathom his thoughts, and sometimes so tender that it seemed he held her dear in his heart.
He would remember some of the things she mentioned casually, but he always held onto the things she wanted most.
Looking down at the palace attire in front of her, Lin Zhi couldn't say anything, so she got up and put the clothes away as a tacit agreement.
The next day, when she arrived at the palace gate, Lin Zhi couldn't help but recall the day she had braved the heavy rain to plead for Pei Lang. Overwhelming panic and despair surged back violently, and she uncontrollably broke free from Pei Lang's hand, cowering in a corner, trembling all over.
"Don't touch me!"
Pei Lang reached out to hug her, but Lin Zhi struggled to break free.
Even as he was slapped in the face and body amidst the chaos, Pei Lang still refused to let go, holding Lin Zhi tightly in his arms.
"Azhi! I'm here! Mianmian is still waiting for us at home!"
"It's all in the past! It's all in the past!"
With reddened eyes, Lin Zhi bit down hard on Pei Lang's long, slender hand, tasting the blood on her tongue. But she didn't let go, and Pei Lang didn't pull his hand away.
Only after Lin Zhi gradually calmed down did Pei Lang pick her up and carry her slowly along the palace path.
Lin Zhi pressed against Pei Lang's strong and muscular chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and unconsciously calmed down.
Her reaction wasn't just because she was thinking about the past; she also felt a sense of unease, as if a storm was brewing.
Having spent years with Pei Lang, how could she not see the faint worry between his brows?
Even now, she still can't help but think about Pei Lang, wondering if she would hold him back if she were there.
When they arrived at the main hall, Lin Zhi struggled to get down from his arms. Her heartbeat was unusually calm, but she remained expressionless.
"Madam, you and I can sit together at the banquet today. There's no need to be alarmed; I'm here."
Pei Lang's words seemed to have an underlying meaning, but Lin Zhi's questioning gaze remained unanswered.
"Your humble servant Pei Lang, accompanied by his wife Lin Zhi, pays respects to Your Majesty and congratulates you on the birth of another prince!"
Pei Lang, neither humble nor arrogant, led Lin Zhi in a proper bow, and the palace servants behind them handed over the congratulatory gifts prepared by the two to the eunuch beside Xiao Ting.
After Lin Zhi bowed, he clearly heard people around him gasping for breath, but he lowered his eyes and ignored them.
"This...isn't Lin Zhi the former concubine of Lord Pei?"
"Yes, wasn't it said she died during childbirth?"
"Could it really be true that souls can be resurrected through possession...?"
"Stop talking nonsense. The death of this concubine was quite suspicious in the past. Now, I'm afraid the Grand Secretary has extraordinary abilities. It's best not to cause trouble!"
Although Xiao Ting knew that Lin Zhi was still alive, he never imagined that she would still be so radiant and beautiful.
Even after giving birth, she remained pure and elegant, with an added touch of divine gentleness.
Meanwhile, Chao Ya, who was by her side, had become eccentric since she became pregnant, and would often beat and scold the servants.
But what he cared about more was whether the child in her womb was his Xiao family bloodline!
Just thinking about this woman's past promiscuity made Xiao Ting feel as if his face was turning green, and he had no words to express his suffering.
Everything was prepared for Pei Lang, yet the Empress, in league with her family, is blackmailing him...
Xiao Ting glanced at the Northern Rong envoys below him before he managed to calm himself down and regain his composure.
Right now, the banquet is still the most important thing. If it weren't for the Northern Rong, he wouldn't need to put on such a show.
Thinking of this, Xiao Ting smiled gently again and pulled Chao Ya's hand to have the palace servants present the rewards for the Northern Rong envoys.
"I am deeply grateful to the Khan of the Northern Rong for his kindness in sending his princess to the capital, and I hereby bestow upon her precious treasures as a token of my favor."
“From now on, the Northern Rong will be one family with my Xiao family.”
The Northern Rong envoys all knelt down to express their gratitude, but a hint of disdain and sneer flashed in Chao Ya's eyes.
Her father wouldn't care about such petty favors.
Only if the prince in her womb ascends the throne will it be true.
After expressing their gratitude, the guests drank and chatted for a while. After three rounds of drinks, the tall and slightly tipsy leader of the Imperial Guards stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards have prepared a small gift for Your Majesty and the Imperial Concubine today. We hope Your Majesty will not find it offensive!"
After receiving Xiao Ting's approval, the leader of the Imperial Guards clapped his hands, and a thin figure carrying a tray in both hands walked into the hall.
Pei Lang picked up a piece of fish cake and placed it on the plate in front of Lin Zhi, but his peripheral vision suddenly sharpened as he stared intently at the figure walking towards Xiao Ting in the main hall.
The figure was strangely familiar.
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Author's Note: There will be an update tomorrow. Thank you to all my besties for adding my upcoming novel, "The Restricted Henpecked Wife Crematorium," to your favorites! Love you all! [Rabbit Head with Upright Ears]
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