Chapter 31 Triumphant Return to the Capital: The Crown Prince reached out and took a blood-stained sash...
When Lin Zhi woke up with a sharp pain in her lower abdomen, she belatedly realized that she had forgotten about her period. She was weak and cold-sensitive, and she always suffered terribly during this time.
The sudden warmth on her lower abdomen almost made Lin Zhi shudder. She turned her head and realized that Pei Lang was still there.
He didn't leave.
His warm palm gently rested on the girl's soft belly. Feeling the slight coolness beneath his hand, Pei Lang couldn't help but frown. It was still summer, and even the grass and trees outside felt warmer.
But Lin Zhi's body was unusually cold.
In the past, Pei Lang would have sighed that she was such a beauty with fair skin and delicate bones, but now he only wanted to warm her up.
Seeing that she turned her head away from him, Pei Lang vaguely understood why she was acting this way: "I didn't look at those portraits."
“I have already spoken to my mother. I am too busy with official duties in the palace to start a family.”
All that could be seen was Lin Zhixiu's profile with her prominent features. Seeing her long eyelashes tremble slightly, Pei Lang patiently continued to gently massage her lower abdomen: "You're not feeling well today, no wonder you said those things."
"Although you are young and ignorant, your words are piercingly painful."
Pei Lang's tone softened for the first time, even carrying a hint of genuine sorrow, which made Lin Zhi's heart ache and regret surge through her body.
Pei Lang felt the warmth gradually rising in his palm, but suddenly his hand went empty. Lin Zhi struggled to sit up and looked over with tears in her eyes.
“Cousin is right, it’s A-Zhi who is wrong.”
"My cousin deserves the best woman in the world. Let's end things here and wish each other well in the future."
As soon as Lin Zhi said those words, she regretted it.
Pei Lang was like the bright moon in the sky to her; being able to get close to him was already a blessing, but she was unwilling to drink poison to quench her thirst. Before, she only longed for a glance from Pei Lang, but having tasted the sweetness, she was afraid that if she fell into it, she would never be able to go back.
She thought Pei Lang would be furious, but his indifference made her even more uneasy.
"Broken? How did it break?"
Pei Lang glanced at her, withdrew his hand, and leaned closer, forcing Lin Zhi to the edge of the bed with nowhere to retreat.
How to end a kiss? How to end a relationship?
How can I sever the scars from the wounds I sustained for my cousin that will never heal?
"Do you want me to cut it off with a knife?"
Pei Lang knelt on one knee on the couch, his arms braced against Lin Zhi's sides, forming an invisible, oppressive cage that trapped her. His dark, deep eyes were even more profound and unfathomable, his tone gentle yet extremely dangerous.
Lin Zhi bit her lower lip, feeling somewhat helpless, but someone reached out and gently squeezed her lips, freeing them from the bite marks.
"Hmm? How do I cut it off? Cousin, please teach me."
Seeing the tears welling up in her clear eyes, Pei Lang showed no pity whatsoever: "Say it again, what do you want?"
"I want to break..." Even a clay figure has some temper. After being teased like this, Lin Zhi was also filled with emotions and deliberately provoked him.
But someone suddenly leaned in and kissed her.
Pei Lang was a noble and aloof person, appearing to outsiders as a cold and ethereal immortal. However, his kisses were quite different, displaying a domineering nature. Pei Lang's kisses never knew the meaning of a light touch.
They licked and bit Lin Zhi until she could vaguely taste the blood on the tip of her tongue before they let her go.
"...We'll see."
Lin Zhi's eyes were red and moist, her gaze shimmering as she stared at his thin lips stained with her lipstick. She frowned and began to speak, "I don't..."
After several deep kisses, Lin Zhi's tongue was numb. Finally, she couldn't bear it and raised her hand to push Pei Lang away, but unexpectedly, a light, crisp sound made them both freeze in shock.
Pei Lang felt a tingling sensation on his cheek, but no pain. Lin Zhi, on the other hand, stared wide-eyed, looking rather pitiful: "Your face..."
Pei Lang was too thin-skinned; the slap from her made his face turn red.
But Pei Lang took Lin Zhi's trembling hand and gently bit it: "Don't worry, I've remembered everything. You won't escape me."
The aggressive and oppressive gaze made Lin Zhi's breath catch in her throat, and her heart pounded wildly.
"Miss, the brown sugar ginger soup is here."
Just then, Chun Tao knocked on the door. Lin Zhi quickly turned around and straightened her collar, which had fallen over her shoulders. Pei Lang, however, calmly got up to open the door.
"I'll do it."
Chun Tao stared dumbfounded at the tall and handsome young master who appeared in the young lady's room. Upon closer inspection, she could even see that the young master's lips were stained with the young lady's favorite light red lipstick!
Her hand, which was holding the soup bowl, suddenly went empty. Before Chun Tao could react, the door closed again.
"...This is terrible, this is terrible..."
Staring at Lin Zhi's peaceful sleeping face, Pei Lang got up to look at the wedding dress she had mostly finished embroidering and put away. The bright red wedding dress was embroidered with phoenixes and peonies, with delicate and exquisite tail feathers and petals, which showed that Lin Zhi was a master of needlework.
Even Pei Lang had only seen such craftsmanship in the palace. He raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, and a hint of regret flashed in his eyes: the principal wife was already in power, and she was destined never to wear it.
After a few rhythmic knocks on the window, Pei Lang snapped out of his daze, put down what he was holding, and left Lin Zhi's boudoir.
"What's up?"
Seeing Jifeng's pale and unsightly face, Pei Lang frowned and looked at him, a vague sense of unease creeping into his heart.
"Young Master, the Second Young Master... he was chased by Marquis Lu's men on the road and fell off a cliff. His fate is currently unknown..."
Before Jifeng could finish speaking, his collar was grabbed so hard that he almost couldn't catch his breath.
Pei Lang stared at him with a dark look in his eyes: "What do you mean by 'his fate is unknown'? Pei Mingli, a young general who led troops into battle, would just die like this?"
"I don't care, I need to find him alive or dead, I have to find him no matter what!"
Jifeng was suddenly flung away, staggering several steps before finally regaining his footing: "Young Master, the Crown Prince knew about this before you did, and someone has already gone to the bottom of the cliff to look for the Second Young Master."
"The second young master is surely destined for good fortune!"
Jifeng gasped for breath, then cautiously looked up, only to see the young master staring in the direction of Miss Biao's room.
Pei Lang's brows were swirling with the urge to unleash a storm; he loathed the feeling of things slipping out of his control.
"Judging by the dates, tomorrow is the day Mingli returns to the capital. I wonder if the servants have finished tidying up the house yet!"
Lin Zhi followed behind her aunt, who was walking hurriedly, but a faint sorrow lingered in her eyes. For the past half month, Pei Lang had frequently entered the palace, and each time he returned home late at night.
But he never forgot to tease her, and their relationship gradually deepened.
She was also worried about her second cousin. Now that Pei Mingli was returning to the capital, the marriage was impossible. Although she felt guilty, she didn't regret it. She only hoped that her second cousin could forgive her and not sever their sibling bond...
"Azhi, how about you go with your aunt and uncle to greet them outside the city tomorrow?"
"I haven't seen Mingli for almost half a year, I wonder if he's lost weight."
Looking at her aunt's concerned profile, Lin Zhi suppressed her unease and nodded in agreement.
The next day at noon, after waiting in the carriage for almost two hours, my second cousin still hadn't returned to the capital.
Lin Zhi got off the carriage to get some fresh air, but in the distance she saw Pei Lang following someone out of the city.
After careful examination, Lin Zhi recognized the Crown Prince Xiao Ting, whom she had seen in the palace that day.
It's good news that my second cousin is returning to the capital today, but is it really necessary to alarm the Crown Prince to come out of the city to welcome him?
Lin Zhi was full of doubts when she suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves in the distance.
"Xiao Yuanjun has fulfilled the Emperor's mission and returned in triumph after repelling the enemy!"
Lin Zhi, supporting her aunt, watched from afar as a person clasped his hands in a salute to the Crown Prince, but that person did not look like Pei Mingli at all.
Lin Shaowan squinted slightly to examine him closely: "Who is this person? How dare he overstep his bounds and steal Mingli's credit?"
But when the Crown Prince reached out and took a blood-stained belt and walked towards the Pei family, Lin Zhi felt as if the blood in her body had frozen.
"Lord Pei, Madam Pei, please accept our condolences."
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