Chapter 99 "The three of us can be together..."
Liang Ye's eyes were red as he stubbornly hurled out this whole string of words. He was like a child who wanted candy but couldn't get it, stubbornly reaching out his hand, knowing he wouldn't get it, yet still refusing to pull it back.
Shanhe was stunned. She had never seen Liang Ye like this before, stripped of all pretense, laying bare his true heart before her, even though that heart was stained with blood, even though it had been twisted beyond recognition by this terrifying obsession.
Shanhe's lips trembled, followed by a tremor throughout her body. Her hand, which had been pointing at Liang Ye, slowly fell to her sides. She saw the redness in his eyes, and his hands, clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. She suddenly remembered those two years at the Liang residence, when Liang Shao had argued with her, and with her grandfather. During those days when no one supported her, it was Liang Ye who secretly helped her, it was Liang Ye who spoke to her, and she was truly grateful to him. She remembered how Liang Ye used to study in his study, day and night, and how she, with the old master's permission, prepared an extra portion of soup for him. She remembered how every time she saw Liang Ye, he always had a gentle smile, his face like a spring breeze. He would ask her how she was doing, if she was happy, he would praise her cooking, he would thank her for taking care of the elders, and Shanhe would only lower her head and say, "That's what I should do." His study had a vast collection of books, which he never hesitated to lend to her, even allowing her to critique essays and freely express her opinions. He was such a good and considerate older brother... Why has he become so ferocious and terrifying now?
Why, why, why...
"Why!" Tears welled up in Shanhe's eyes. She was both anxious and angry. She stamped her feet and cried, "Big brother, why did you say such a thing! You are my big brother, you'll always be my big brother! I've treated you the same way I treated Grandfather!"
Shanhe wiped away her tears and cried out, "What did I do wrong? Why are you doing this to me? I told you I don't love you, why do you keep forcing me?!"
"Shan Shan!"
"Don't call me Shanshan!" she almost screamed. "Everything you've done is forcing me! You've forced me with Qingyue, you've forced me with Wu Tianqi, you've forced me with the government slaves! You know exactly what I care about, yet you still choose to force me with these methods!"
Liang Ye's expression changed drastically, and he stepped forward: "Shan He..."
"Don't come any closer!"
Shanhe sobbed, "Ah Shao would never do that. He only wants me to be well, as long as I'm happy, as long as things go smoothly for me. He cherishes the people I care about, and he never uses my weaknesses to force me!" Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls. Shanhe stamped her feet and cried like a child, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "Why can't you just be my older brother?!"
Liang Ye grabbed Shanhe's wrist, his voice stern: "I can't be your brother! Shanhe, I didn't mean to break you up! I didn't object to you wanting to be husband and wife with A-Shao!"
"So you want me to be a flirtatious, fickle slut, taking turns serving you brothers?"
"Shanhe, how could you think of yourself like that?" Liang Ye's Adam's apple bobbed. "Isn't it good that two people love you? Isn't it good that the two of us serve you? There are plenty of polygamous people in the world. You are the pioneer and the first person in history to practice polyandry. Isn't that good?"
He felt his own despicable, vile, and depraved actions, but he could no longer back down. Shanhe and Ashao had remarried; they truly loved each other. If he didn't back down, he would have no chance at all. He had no choice but to make these concessions, hoping to gradually win her heart in the future.
He wanted to possess her first, then monopolize her. He thought despicably.
Shanhe's sobs gradually subsided. She stared at him, her almond-shaped eyes, the ones that haunted his dreams, brimming with tears. Ah, since her "death," he had only seen those eyes in his dreams. Now, he could finally see them again; how could he bear to lose them once more?
Absolutely not!
Seeing that Shanhe was gradually calming down, Liang Ye quickly continued, "Shanhe, I know you love Ashao. When he returns from the war, you can be together. But while he is away fighting, someone of your status needs to be taken care of, right? I am now working at the Dali Temple, and I will only rise higher in the future. Only I can protect you. Besides, he will be gone for several months. How can you be without anyone to accompany you? Moreover, in the eyes of outsiders, I am still your elder brother. No one will care about these things."
He grasped Shanhe's shoulder and said earnestly, "Even if it's A-Shao, we can keep it a secret from him. When he returns from the war, you can be a perfect couple with him and not mention a word. After he leaves, we can be together again. I won't mind."
Shanhe was so shocked she couldn't speak. Her lips moved, and after a long while, she finally managed to utter two words: "Disgusting..."
Liang Ye was stunned.
Shanhe burst into tears: "Am I some kind of lewd and despicable person? Why are you humiliating me like this!" She slapped Liang Ye's hand away: "What do you take me for? A prostitute? Or a plaything you insist on having?"
Liang Ye was stung by her words and became truly angry: "Plaything? I've done so much for you, I've made so many concessions for you, and this is how you see my feelings?"
"Then how am I supposed to see this? Your intention is to force me, to make me a slut!"
"That's because Ah Shao couldn't protect you at all!" Liang Ye stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. "He's caused so much trouble since he was a child, and I've always been the one to clean up his messes! Have you ever thought about it? If he could protect you, how could your slave status be in my hands? If he could protect you, how could we be having this conversation? He should have protected you long ago, so I would never have been able to find you in this lifetime!"
Shanhe struggled desperately, tears streaming down her face: "Because he doesn't know! Because he always thought you were his best brother!"
"Isn't that what it is now?" He pursed his lips and said, "Do you think that in Beichuan, as long as you can fight, you can get fame and fortune? He was betrayed by Zhu Xian and angered Consort Zhu and the Crown Prince. It was me! I helped him secretly deal with the situation. It was me! I contacted Consort Xian and Shi Maotong to get him a title! Have you ever thought about it? His Majesty has never even met him, yet he so easily gave him the title of Protector of the State County Baron? If it weren't for me, the two of you..."
"I'd rather die!" Shanhe finally struggled free from his grasp, her wrist already red. Rubbing her wrist, Shanhe ran outside, crying out, "I'd rather die! I'd rather have never met you! I'd rather never have known you! At least then I'd have some dignity!"
Liang Ye's face turned deathly pale: "You'd rather die... than accept me?" He staggered back half a step, and seeing Shan He about to escape, Liang Ye quickly stepped forward and blocked her path. His face was as cold as ice: "Shan Shan, the more you act like this, the less I'll let go!"
"You want to die? Fine, I'll grant your wish! But remember, if you die, I will deal with Qingyue, Miao'er, and Wu Tianqi according to the laws of Great Yan."
"You've gone completely mad!" Shanhe exclaimed, her eyes wide with tears in her eyes.
“I’m insane! I’ve been insane since the moment I fell in love with my sister-in-law! Why can Ah Shao get your love so easily, and why can’t I? I look similar to him, I have the same blood as him, we even have almost the same name! When you look at me, do you ever think of him? When you look at him, do you ever think of me?”
Shanhe suddenly felt a throbbing pain in her lower abdomen, her body went limp, and she felt as if she were about to collapse. She bent over and slumped onto the blue velvet blanket. The abdominal pain gradually subsided, replaced by a heartache. She hugged her knees, rested her head on them, and sobbed slowly and softly.
Liang Ye also sat down. He didn't touch Shanhe anymore, and his tone gradually softened: "Shanshan, I really love you, and I really want to be with you."
"If you're willing, I guarantee Wu Tianqi will be released unharmed. She hasn't been tortured or even interrogated these past few days. She's not innocent at all, is she? She's a businesswoman. You know the contents of those books she and Mi Xiaoxiao printed; you've seen them—they're all illegal! Besides, she's not entirely clean either. Years ago, she ran a painting studio in Mizhou, and she and her husband hurt many people. Those things alone are enough to send her to jail and face legal trouble. Shanshan, with just one word from you, I can pretend I know nothing, and I can even be her protector in the future!"
Shanhe pursed her lips and said, "Do you think I'll accept you if you belittle her?"
“When have I ever belittled her? Every word I said is true.” He got up and walked to the box containing the documents, took out Wu Tianqi’s case files, and threw them one by one at Shanhe’s feet. “Take a look for yourself. See which sentence I made up and which sentence I wronged her. If you don’t believe me, I can take you to see it myself.”
Shanhe remained motionless, still kneeling and sobbing.
Liang Ye continued, "And this room, it was all arranged for you. That dress, it was also prepared for you. Don't you love wearing lotus root color the most? I know you live in that little courtyard now, where you have to do everything yourself, even cooking and dressing. In winter, you have to heat the water yourself to take a bath, and it gets cold quickly, so you have to clean it yourself. Here with me, you don't have to worry about anything. Not only you, but even Qingyue and Miao'er can be half-young ladies, what's wrong with that?"
Shanhe remained silent.
Liang Ye approached her and squatted down in front of her. He had calmed down, and his tone had become lighter, almost coaxing: "Let's talk about the three of us again—"
Shanhe suddenly lifted her eyes from her knees, staring at him with teary eyes.
He smiled. "I didn't ask you to reject Ah Shao. You and he are husband and wife, and I didn't want to break you up." He took Shan He's hand and held it to his face. "I'm just giving you a new suggestion. The three of us can..." He added, "Of course, not at the same time!"
“When he was fighting in Beichuan, he would be gone for months or even years at a time. He couldn’t be without someone to take care of you, and he couldn’t be without someone to accompany you, right?”
“Ah Shao promised me that he would resign from his post as General Pei when he went to Beichuan. Three months later, he would come back immediately to stay with me forever.”
Liang Ye's face turned cold: "Nonsense! How many people are appointed commanders at eighteen? How many are granted titles at eighteen? How can you be so confused! He almost died there, and he worked so hard to earn this honor. How can you just let him go? Not to mention his grudges with the Zhu family. When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he will be a commoner. If the new emperor wants to avenge his deceased uncle, who can protect him? Who can protect you? Even if I have extraordinary abilities, I cannot withstand the power of the new emperor!"
Shanhe's eyes trembled slightly; she wavered: "But, but..."
“Shanshan, ever since Ashao embarked on the path of joining the army in Beichuan, he has been caught in a political vortex, and there is no reason for him to retreat now.”
Two more tears fell, and Shanhe took a deep breath.
Seeing that she was wavering, Liang Ye felt somewhat relieved. Since His Majesty's purge of the Wuji Field, the court and the country had been in turmoil, and no one could be certain whether the Crown Prince would be able to ascend the throne smoothly. Moreover, now that he and Consort Xian were working together, it was still uncertain who would ascend the throne after His Majesty's death. However, Shanhe was just a woman confined to her chambers; how could she have the vision and understanding to perceive these profound political intricacies?
Shanhe said softly, "Liang Ye..."
He replied gently, "What's wrong, Shanshan?"
"After my child is born, should I call you Uncle or Father?"
Liang Ye's pupils trembled; he clearly hadn't expected her words.
Shanhe gave a sad smile: "Thanks to all the herbal medicine you forced me to drink these past six months, otherwise Ah Shao and I... wouldn't have gotten pregnant on our first night..." She lowered her head, looking at her lower abdomen, "Don't tell me any more of this. I'm just an ordinary woman. If there's a third person between Ah Shao and me, it will only be our child..."
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Author's note: I've reached 600 nutrient solutions, and there will still be an extra update in the next couple of days!
The next chapter will get off-track!! Don't worry, the wicked will be punished, and two people who truly love each other cannot tolerate a third party...
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