Chapter 149:
“What kind of madness are you playing at again!” Xie Wanning retreated several steps in a row, on guard as she said: “This is the Imperial Palace, His Majesty is inside, along with the civil and military officials, you…”
Before she could finish speaking, her waist was suddenly pulled tight, and by the time she reacted, the two of them had already arrived behind the rockery.
“Quite the charmer,” Lu Ziyan said in an icy voice: “One Pei Yuqing isn’t enough, when did you get involved with Ji Chengfeng?”
As he spoke, he directly snatched the plum branch from her hand, intending to toss it aside, but Xie Wanning hurriedly tugged at his sleeve to stop him, “Don’t!”
“He gave it to you?” Lu Ziyan sneered: “Sealing affection with plum?”
“No!” Xie Wanning grabbed his sleeve, standing on tiptoe to snatch back the plum flower, “I picked it myself!”
In the pitch-black night, Xie Wanning couldn’t see the expression of the person in front of her clearly, but she could feel that upon hearing this, his aura around him obviously softened a bit.
Immediately after, that bunch of plum branch was returned to her hand.
“In the future, have less chit-chat and laughter with other men.”
There was some displeasure in his words, and Xie Wanning truly laughed, if it weren’t for the wrong place, she would definitely mock him a few times, but now, she just sneered, “You should have fewer fits of madness too.”
As she spoke, she lifted her foot to leave, but soon her wrist was gripped.
“What do you want to do? Let go!” She struggled a bit, and after the other party paused slightly, he actually let go.
“Wanwan,” he said with difficulty, “Do you like that pretty boy again?”
“…” Xie Wanning was silent for a moment, and after understanding who the ‘pretty boy’ referred to, she was speechless at how he could give others such a derogatory nickname, not knowing what to say.
But since she didn’t speak, Lu Ziyan took it as her acquiescence, his voice growing even colder: “Is that so?”
“No!”
Afraid he would act crazy again, Xie Wanning, who originally didn’t want to pay him any attention, endured her temper and mocked, “In your eyes, am I so desperate for men that I fall for every one I meet?”
“Don’t talk nonsense, I never thought of you that way,” Lu Ziyan’s eyebrows and eyes relaxed, and he said seriously: “I’m just worried others will have designs on you.”
She didn’t even know from what standpoint he could pry like this.
But this person had no reason to speak of, perhaps in his heart, they were still a couple.
Xie Wanning also gave up on reasoning with him and said: “I should go back.”
As if reminded by her words, Lu Ziyan said: “Just now on the main hall, what did you think I was going to say? In front of so many people, asking that old man for you?”
Before Xie Wanning could speak, he continued: “I wouldn’t do that.”
He had never belittled her, so how could he treat her like a dancer and directly demand her in the main hall.
“I wanted to ask him for something else.”
As he spoke, his hand directly reached toward her waist, ignoring her resistance as he untied her sachet, pinched it, and said: “The sachet he wears, you embroidered it.”
It had been a long time since he received a sachet from her.
Xie Wanning was wearing a water-blue skirt today, so the sachet she wore naturally matched the color of her clothes.
In the pitch-black night, Lu Ziyan could still see a lifelike lily-of-the-valley flower embroidered on it; he glanced at it, then without hesitation put the thing into his bosom and stored it safely.
That series of actions was smooth as flowing water, leaving Xie Wanning’s eyes wide round, “I didn’t say I was giving it to you!”
She jumped desperately to snatch it back, but she wasn’t as tall as him, and didn’t dare have other physical contact with him, so she could only watch helplessly as he pocketed the item, fuming: “Didn’t you disdain these flowery things as effeminate!”
“…I don’t disdain,” Lu Ziyan gripped her wrist and said: “How could I disdain, it’s just that the flower and grass sachets you embroidered have fresh tender colors, very easily soiled.”
So he hadn’t been willing to wear them.
Later, the animal ones she embroidered, whether the sachet fabric or the embroidery thread colors, were darker, and only then did he wear them out.
But such thoughts, the previous him could not easily tell others, so only today did he learn that she actually thought he disdained those flowery things as effeminate.
The previous him, with a cold face, not good with words, stingy with expression, led to all her various misunderstandings of him.
Many small misunderstandings piled up, always making her feel more aggrieved.
Xie Wanning hadn’t expected this reason either, she was stunned for a moment, then quickly came back to herself, “Give me back the sachet!”
Lu Ziyan pursed his lips looking at her and said: “I can give it back to you, but then I’ll go rob his one.”
Xie Wanning was furious, “Have you no shame?”
She had said such insults countless times, and Lu Ziyan listened without it bothering him at all.
A dead pig unafraid of boiling water attitude.
It directly infuriated Xie Wanning to the point of almost smoking from all seven orifices.
She realized that she, who was usually even-tempered, upon encountering this person, would have anger surging up from nowhere, burning even her reason.
Her heart ached from anger, constantly telling herself that this was the Imperial Palace, she couldn’t make a big scene, couldn’t cause trouble!
After a long time, she finally suppressed her anger, took a deep breath, and said with a fake smile: “Since Your Highness likes it, take it and use it. Can you let me go now?”
This fresh form of address stunned Lu Ziyan for a moment, then he said: “Don’t call me that.”
Xie Wanning didn’t want to tangle with him anymore and shook her wrist again, “Let go!”
“I have something for you,” Lu Ziyan indeed let go of her hand, took out a delicate little porcelain bottle from his sleeve, uncorked it, poured out a round pill from inside, handed it to her, and said: “Eat it.”
He held it straight to her lips, the strong medicinal scent assaulting her nose, and Xie Wanning hurriedly turned her head away, “What is this?”
Lu Ziyan didn’t answer, only saying: “I won’t harm you, just eat it.”
“My body is perfectly fine, why are you giving me medicine for no reason?” Xie Wanning frowned in refusal, “If you don’t explain clearly what this is, I won’t eat it.”
“…Fine, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me that once you know, you will eat it.”
The way he said it made Xie Wanning immediately wary, “Forget it, I don’t want to know.”
He was addicted to playing the romantic sage, but he wasn’t a real romantic sage, who knows what drug he got from where to scheme against her again.
Something like Warm Affection Wine, wasn’t that what he found to force Pei Yuqing to drink?
Lu Ziyan was so perceptive that from her expression he could guess her thoughts almost exactly, somewhat helplessly saying: “I won’t harm you.”
Xie Wanning sneered, “If you won’t harm me, you shouldn’t have dragged me here!”
Lu Ziyan was even more helpless, he withdrew his hand and silently looked at her.
Famous from a young age, he was cold and aloof, terse, always showing a cold face to people; when it came to eloquent debates, it truly wasn’t his strength, even in front of the Emperor he rarely spoke at length.
Of course, having lived this long, few dared to bandy words with him; whoever dared displease him, he certainly wouldn’t let them off easy.
But this was Xie Wanning; he couldn’t outtalk her, couldn’t bear to hit her, didn’t even dare to glare at her.
Silent for a few breaths, he put the pill back into the porcelain bottle and said: “If you won’t eat it, forget it.”
His simple abandonment instead piqued Xie Wanning’s curiosity.
But she didn’t ask, just glanced one more time at the porcelain bottle in his hand.
At that one glance, Lu Ziyan took the initiative: “Wanwan, I can’t accept you bearing another man’s offspring.”
“…!” Xie Wanning’s pupils gradually widened, her gaze shifting back to the porcelain bottle, “This is… that kind of medicine?”
Lu Ziyan didn’t speak, but his silence said everything.
Xie Wanning was truly stunned; she pinched her own palm hard, and only after feeling the pain did she confirm this wasn’t a dream.
It really wasn’t a dream!
Lu Ziyan had really prepared this for her…
Too shocked, it took her a good while to close her slightly gaping chin.
Lu Ziyan felt even worse, his knuckles gripping the porcelain bottle creaking, deeply despising himself for such unmanly behavior.
“This medicine won’t affect your body, just… for one year you can’t…”
“Stop!” His halting words were cut off by one word from Xie Wanning.
“You…” She raised her arm and pointed at her head, her expression odd as she said: “Do you want to get this treated?”
Which normal person prepares this for someone else’s wife…
Did he even know what a marriage certificate was, what the three letters and six rites were, what worshiping heaven and earth was, what becoming a couple was!
Mocked for having a brain problem like this, Lu Ziyan surprisingly didn’t get angry, just looked deeply at her, “Have you reconciled with him?”
That sickly person had turned Xuan Hua Courtyard into an iron bucket, his spies couldn’t get news, not knowing if these two were sharing a bed or still living separately as before.
He had also told himself that since he let her go back, he shouldn’t care what they did this year; after one year, she would return to his arms.
But every time night fell, he still couldn’t help thinking, under the same moonlight, what they were doing.
Xie Wanning had no intention of clearing his doubts; his laborious provocation was just to make her resent Pei Yuqing, wasn’t it?
He succeeded, but even if she truly disliked Pei Yuqing’s repeated scheming, it didn’t mean she was willing to make this person happy.
Lu Ziyan waited a moment, saw she didn’t speak, and offered the porcelain bottle again, “Will you eat it?”
Xie Wanning glanced down at it, irritably saying: “Keep it and eat it yourself.”
Lu Ziyan pursed his lips, suddenly clenching his finger bones, and the porcelain bottle in his hand instantly turned to powder, along with the pill which also became medicinal powder, scattered by the cold wind.
“Let’s go, it’s dark here, watch your step.” He stepped aside to make way.
This was the first time after recovering past life memories that this person didn’t threaten or lure, directly giving up on forcing her.
For some reason, her heart suddenly tightened, she stiffened for a few breaths before lifting her leg to leave.
Coming out from behind the dark rockery, she saw Er Qing holding a cloak and looking around.
Xie Wanning composed her emotions, walked over and said: “Why did it take so long, I was about to go back.”
Er Qing smiled guiltily: “This servant is unfamiliar with the way, couldn’t find the room to change clothes, fortunately Granny Liu showed the way.”
Granny Liu was the granny Imperial Consort Shu had just assigned to serve.
Xie Wanning nodded lightly, asking no more.
The mistress and servant returned to the main hall.
“Why were you gone so long?” Just as she sat down, the man beside her took her hand, “Where did you go, I just went out to look for you and didn’t see you.”
Having been outside so long, her hand was ice-cold; Pei Yuqing’s brows furrowed slightly, and he gripped it tighter.
“Changed clothes, and happened to see a corridor lined with palace lanterns, went for a walk there, even picked a few red plum branches.” Xie Wanning pointed to the red plum in Er Qing’s hand, then asked him: “Where did you go to look for me?”
“Exactly the opposite of you, went to the water pavilion lily pond on the other side,” Pei Yuqing said: “Granny Liu said she saw you heading that way, but you weren’t?”
Hearing this, Xie Wanning’s heartbeat skipped half a beat.
She subconsciously looked not far away at her aunt, sitting gracefully at the Emperor’s lower seat.
Sensing her gaze, Imperial Consort Shu also turned her eyes, giving her a gentle smile.
That smile carried a hint of reproach.
As if saying, you have a secret meeting without checking the occasion, and even make your aunt clean up after you.
…She knows!
Xie Wanning’s breathing hitched, her heart pounding from nervousness.
Her aunt knew all her whereabouts tonight.
Meeting Ji Chengfeng was coincidental, nothing to fault; Xie Wanning herself didn’t think there was anything wrong.
But meeting Lu Ziyan certainly wasn’t coincidental.
And her aunt knew she met Lu Ziyan, even deliberately giving wrong directions for their meeting, making Pei Yuqing search the wrong place.
She also knew that even though she had been married for half a year, Lu Ziyan was still entangling her, not giving up on her.
…Did her aunt know what she and Lu Ziyan said?
No, she wouldn’t know.
With Lu Ziyan’s martial power, no one could eavesdrop nearby without him noticing.
But people might imagine more about what they don’t know.
She was taken by Lu Ziyan behind the rockery for so long…
Xie Wanning thought and thought, her nervous heart suddenly cooling by more than half.
Why did she die in her past life?
Wasn’t it because Cousin couldn’t outfight Lu Ziyan, but saw Lu Ziyan’s true weakness was her, so poisoned her, wanting to use her life to control Lu Ziyan?
Just unsure if it was her body failing, suffocation from anger accelerating the poison’s effect, dying spitting blood, or Lu Xiyao arbitrarily increasing the dose…
After all, that one-plus month, she never took off the jade bracelet.
And this life, she had remarried, but Lu Ziyan’s obsession with her had been glimpsed by her aunt as the tip of the iceberg.
A woman who entered the palace over twenty years ago and was conferred First Rank Imperial Consort Shu was absolutely not soft-hearted.
What did she want to use this for?
With his young lady so lost in thought beside him, how could Pei Yuqing not notice; following her line of sight, he happened to see Imperial Consort Shu’s warm and loving smile.
His fingertip stiffened imperceptibly for a moment; with his intelligence, he almost instantly understood something.
This suspicion was confirmed when he saw Lu Ziyan across from them reseat himself.
So coincidental, one returns, the other also returns.
With Lu Ziyan’s perceptiveness, the instant the gaze from across came, he noticed, suddenly lifting his eyes to return it; seeing it was Pei Yuqing, he paused a moment, then his lips slowly curved into a mocking arc.
Arrogant and untamed.
Extremely cocky.
But this cocky smile stiffened on his face when he saw the two holding hands.
