Chapter 62 The Star-crossed Couple "Ah Lang, our fates have long been intertwined..."
Lin Zhi was surprisingly unmoved by these words, which surprised her.
He slowly turned his head to look at He Luochen and smiled gently: "I was originally wary of Miss He Er."
"But you don't seem to be worth my time and effort."
"I will return these words to you verbatim: you may be able to obtain the imperial decree for marriage, but you will not be able to obtain anything else."
He Luochen's expression visibly darkened, and Lin Zhi then raised her chin slightly, straightened her back, and left.
Seeing the mansion gates slam shut, Lin Zhi's heart seemed to leap into her throat, and she retreated to the embroidery workshop to escape.
Seeing that she had pricked her own fingers and still wouldn't stop, Chun Tao knelt down with a thud, her voice filled with sorrow: "Madam! If you want to cry, then cry!"
"Please don't be like this, I'm worried about you!"
But Lin Zhi put down her needlework with a numb expression and sighed softly, "Chun Tao, I'm fine."
"There are some things that you can't stop no matter how hard you try, and I don't want to make things difficult for myself."
Chun Tao sensed something was off about her words: "Does Madam mean... that you agree to let the master marry his principal wife?"
Lin Zhi smiled bitterly: "This is not up to me, nor is it up to Pei Lang."
"Now all I want is to give birth to my child peacefully. With him, I will have hope."
Chun Tao could tell she was downcast and disheartened, and she struggled to speak, unsure how to comfort her: "...Madam, please don't say that. The master is so resolute today; he only has you in his heart."
Thinking of Pei Lang being confined to his quarters, Lin Zhi lowered her eyes and suddenly felt a little regretful: if she hadn't gotten entangled with Pei Lang, the two of them would probably have had fewer troubles.
Even if the happiness you experienced was real, the pain and troubles you suffered were not fake either.
Now she feels that she is hindering Pei Lang's career. Lin Zhi never wants to cause trouble for others, but she is always unable to control her own destiny.
"Husband? Why are you still here?"
Lin Zhi gently knocked on the study door and stepped inside, only to see Pei Lang close the memorial in his hand and put it down. "It's nothing. I haven't had to attend court these days, so I'm too lazy to let these official duties bother me. I'll just put them all away."
Watching Pei Lang carefully collect the memorials on the table and put them away in a box, Lin Zhi pursed her lips and slowly stepped forward: "Why do you have to do this? If you really anger the Emperor today, won't your life be in danger?"
Pei Lang closed the box, sighed, leaned back on the table, spread his long legs, and pulled her hand close to him: "A-Zhi, are you stupid?"
“If I don’t react, then He Xiang will step on my head.”
"Do you really think he wants He Luochen to marry me? We've never gotten along. He's clearly trying to use the Emperor, the Imperial Concubine, and the Princess to pressure me."
"He Luochen is the one who's watching me closely; he'll definitely find a pretext to frame me."
Seeing Lin Zhi stunned by his words, Pei Lang didn't want to look into her clear eyes. He gently pulled her into his arms and whispered to comfort her, "Don't worry. I used to be greedy, wanting to be made a marquis and a high-ranking official, second only to the emperor."
"But now I've come to understand. As long as I have you and our child, that's enough."
Pei Lang blurted out half-truths, no longer knowing what he was really thinking.
Lin Zhi nestled in his broad, warm embrace, using the pleasant scent of cedar on his body to numb herself, but the unease in the hidden corner of her heart grew wildly.
Pei Lang could resist the temptation once, but what about next time?
Life is too long...
Although Pei Lang had been by Lin Zhi's side since she became pregnant, this was the first time he had been by her side every day like this. While Lin Zhi felt relieved, she also became worried.
Although Pei Lang treated her with utmost care, she knew that Pei Lang was preoccupied with politics. She entered the palace before she even reached adulthood to serve the Crown Prince, and for several dynasties, she could not find anyone else besides him.
Although Lin Zhi never brought it up, she had seen Pei Lang frowning at the memorials more than once, all of which were matters that had been weighing on his mind and had not yet been resolved.
As spring deepened, Lin Zhi often took walks in the courtyard, only to be rushed forward by a servant who reported, "Madam, someone from the side gate has come to visit you, sir. He says he is a colleague from the court."
Lin Zhi was taken aback. Now that the Pei residence was guarded by the Imperial Guards, who would dare to take such a great risk to come here?
After frowning slightly, she quickly instructed the servant not to disturb anyone else and to bring the person in first.
When Pei Lang saw the top scholar he had promoted, his expression suddenly turned cold: "You've come here now, aren't you throwing away your future!" "I went to great lengths to promote you from He Xiang's staff, what are you doing here?"
When Lin Zhi brought in the tea and snacks, she sensed that something was wrong, but Pei Lang still stood up with a gloomy face, helped her out, and said a few words of comfort: "No one knows that he came here today, right?"
Lin Zhi shook her head: "Husband, don't worry, only the servants at home know, no outsiders saw it."
"Okay, then be careful on your way back, and walk slowly."
After the study door was closed again, Lin Zhi broke free from Chun Tao's hand and quietly walked to the study window, listening intently.
All that could be heard was a suppressed argument erupting from inside.
"If you don't give in, my lord, then all your plans in the court over the years will be undone step by step by Prime Minister He. That's all your hard work!"
"She's just a wife in name only, why be so resistant? It's hard to go against the Emperor's will. Do you really think the Emperor only talks about killing you?"
"In the past, the Pei family was renowned for both its civil and military prowess, which made the Crown Prince wary of them at all times. Now, only you remain in the Pei family, yet the new Emperor still fears you. If it weren't for the intervention of the entire court and the concubines that day, I'm afraid His Majesty's sword would have truly fallen upon you!"
Lin Zhi's heart tightened upon hearing this, and she gripped the handkerchief in her hand tightly. Firstly, she hadn't expected this person to come and persuade Pei Lang, and secondly, she hadn't expected Pei Lang to have cultivated his own network of connections in the court.
She always felt that she didn't know enough about Pei Lang, but she never imagined that there were many more things she didn't know.
"Wen Zhao, stop talking. Since I could refuse the marriage in front of the Emperor, I won't back down."
“My wife is currently six months pregnant, risking her life to carry my child. I have also said that she is the only one for me in this life. If I were to agree to marry my wife, what kind of person would I, Pei Lang, become?”
"That's a despicable person who breaks his word and betrays his promise!"
Lin Zhi had never heard Pei Lang speak such helpless and sorrowful words before. Even though her heart was bleeding, she couldn't help but feel pain for him.
Wen Zhao seemed to ramble on and on, but Lin Zhi didn't want to listen anymore. She hurriedly left and locked herself in her room.
Later, when Chun Tao told her that Wen Zhao's eyes were bruised when he came out of the study, as if he had been beaten and kicked out by Pei Lang, Lin Zhi wanted to smile, but the smile on her porcelain-white face gradually faded away.
"Where is Pei Lang? He hasn't even had dinner; he's still in the study?"
Xingyun, who was standing guard at the door of the study, nodded solemnly: "Please forgive me, Madam. After seeing off Lord Wen who came to visit, he only asked for a pot of wine and has not come out since."
Since she became pregnant, Pei Lang has almost never touched a drop of alcohol. Lin Zhi frowned slightly and dismissed the two of them before slowly pushing open the door and going in herself.
Only a few candles, almost burned out, were lit in the study. Pei Lang leaned against the small couch, his clothes disheveled, by the window.
Hearing the noise, he closed his eyes and told Xingyun to get out in a hoarse voice.
Lin Zhi squatted down with difficulty, picked up the document that was written all over the ground: "It's not Xingyun, it can't roll."
Upon hearing Lin Zhi's voice, Pei Lang quickly opened his eyes and pushed open the window to let the smell of alcohol dissipate.
"Why are you here? Didn't you feel like throwing up at the smell of alcohol? Get out of here..."
But Lin Zhi placed the official documents on the table, leaned close to him, and rested her face against his slightly cool chest, listening to the steady heartbeat beneath his full muscles.
"No need. The child has been very well-behaved these days and hasn't bothered me anymore."
“Pei Lang, this child is so well-behaved. Before, when I didn’t want him, I was vomiting so badly that I felt terrible, but suddenly I stopped and I didn’t feel bad at all.”
"Do you think your child knows that things are difficult for you and your parents right now, so he's being obedient and doesn't want to cause us any trouble?"
Hearing Lin Zhi's soft voice, Pei Lang's hands trembled slightly as he embraced her, closed his eyes, and pressed his head against hers: "...A-Zhi, it's all my fault for making you worry about me."
But Lin Zhi shook her head very slightly: "...Pei Lang, agree, go and receive the imperial decree."
The soft, fragrant young woman spoke as naturally as if uttering a love confession, yet it made Pei Lang stiffen. In disbelief, he slightly increased the distance between them that had previously been so intimate. "...What did you say?"
Lin Zhi's heart was breaking, her almond-shaped eyes filled with tears, yet she still smiled and looked up at him: "I want you to say yes to marry my legal wife."
"As long as you have me in your heart, I don't care whether I'm officially recognized as your wife or not..."
But before she could finish speaking, Pei Lang kissed her deeply.
Lin Zhi felt the tingling sensation on her red lips, her long eyelashes trembled slightly as she closed her eyes, but crystal tears rolled down her cheeks in an instant.
Having tasted the bitterness of tears, Pei Lang suppressed his anger with a taut face: "Lin Zhi, do you love me or not? Or are you really so magnanimous that you can tolerate sharing your husband with someone else?"
Pei Lang's hands were like iron claws, gripping Lin Zhi's shoulders so tightly they hurt. She frowned slightly, and only spoke softly after she sensed Pei Lang gradually loosening his grip.
"If I didn't love you, I would have left long ago."
“I know you love me too, but now you have no choice, and neither do I.”
Lin Zhi's tears fell in a stream, and before Pei Lang could react, he realized that his hand had already been raised to wipe away her tears.
“If you insist on making me your official wife, not only will my background be criticized, but the things that happened in the Pei and Lin families in the past will also be dug up and examined by the world.”
“You respect your father, and I love my aunt, but neither of us can do that.”
Lin Zhi cried until her nose was red, but she still spoke clearly: "If you refuse the marriage, the Emperor will become even more suspicious of you, and we may not even be able to save our lives in the future."
"What choice do I have? What choice do you have? It was all predetermined..."
Looking into Pei Lang's trembling and dazed eyes, Lin Zhi touched his cheek with trembling hands, her jade-like fingertips tracing his brow bone and nose: "A Lang, you and I are already intertwined by blood, and worldly affairs cannot separate us."
"The position of a principal wife is nothing."
Pei Lang's gaze lingered on Lin Zhi's slender figure, even though she was pregnant. He embraced her tightly, holding every part of her body close to his, feeling each other's warmth.
“...A-Zhi”.
When he spoke again, his voice was incredibly hoarse.
"Do you truly love me so deeply? His Majesty has long been wary of this, and I fear that if you remain by my side, you will inevitably be implicated."
"If in the future... you become disappointed and heartbroken in me, then leave the capital as soon as possible, shall we?"
Lin Zhi thought he was referring to the arranged marriage, so she gently patted his back to comfort him: "No, it's not true. We are destined to be together."
"Since I, Lin Zhi, have chosen you, I will be with you through thick and thin, and we will never be apart."
Feeling the arms around her tighten even more, Lin Zhi gently pushed him away, pulled open Pei Lang's slightly open collar, and branded a red mark on his heart like a feather.
Lin Zhi smeared her lipstick into a fingerprint, then smiled bitterly with tears in her eyes: "In this way, the person is mine, and the heart is mine too."
Pei Lang's suppressed gaze was incredibly complex, filled with an impending storm. He silently picked the person up and carried them carefully back to the bedroom.
Exhausted and drowsy, Lin Zhi was placed on the bed when she felt a cold drop of water fall on her neck.
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Author's Note: I made a small change to the ending of the last chapter. If you've already read it, please go back and refresh the page.
The young couple is starting to suffer, so Songsong Chef is speeding up his pursuit of his wife!
I want to emphasize again that you must be clean in both body and mind. Don't worry!
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