Chapter 109:
The young lady seemed to have suffered a great grievance, burying her head in that sickly person’s arms and refusing to lift it up.
And the person who had caused her these grievances was himself.
Lu Ziyan’s heart, already numb from pain, was still stubbornly transmitting pain signals to his brain. His lips moved, but he said nothing.
The autumn night was chilly. The two men confronted each other from afar. Apart from the howling of the gale, none of the many guards and personal soldiers in the courtyard dared to speak, not even daring to breathe heavily.
After a long while, sensing the person in his arms trembling lightly, Pei Yuqing withdrew his gaze, loosened his arm around the young lady, removed his cloak, wrapped her in it, and then held her back in his arms.
This series of actions made Lu Ziyan’s face gradually darken, his finger bones creaking as he clenched them, gritting his teeth and watching.
Pei Yuqing held the young lady in his arms, his pale eyes slightly lifting as he looked toward the man standing on the steps, saying indifferently, “Old Marquis Lu has a lifetime of heroic fame, yet he has raised a scoundrel like you who bullies women.”
The wind blew Pei Yuqing’s robes. His back was straight as he stood in the gale, his facial expression piercing like frost.
“Lu Ziyan, no matter how unwilling you are, use whatever methods you have against me. As the Great General, intercepting a woman who has no power to truss a chicken halfway only invites contempt and ridicule.”
Even the most heinous killers know that their crimes do not extend to women and children.
No matter how fiercely they fought privately to the death, they should not frighten the young ladies of boudoirs or the women of the inner residences.
Lu Ziyan’s eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze fixed unmoving on that young lady. Seeing her still refusing to lift her head, he gritted his teeth and laughed.
This posture of complete dependence—he had already forgotten if he had ever possessed it. His heart ached and swelled unbearably, as if soaked in aged vinegar and pierced by thousands of needles at once.
The dense, fine pain made Lu Ziyan’s eyes bloodshot, and a fishy sweetness surged in his throat again.
But no matter what, he refused to show even a hint of weakness in front of his love rival, stubbornly swallowing it back down.
The suppressed emotions made a faint air of violence emanate from Lu Ziyan.
Ming Jian beside him sensed it first and imperceptibly retreated half a step.
The unbearable silence did not last too long. Lu Ziyan suppressed his surging jealousy and hatred, nodding slightly. “Young Lord Pei, your words are reasonable. This should indeed be a contest between you and me. Today’s matter was my lack of measure.”
As he spoke, the gaze that had always lingered on Xie Wanning’s back narrowed slightly, and he apologized warmly, “Wanwan, I definitely won’t be so abrupt in the future. Don’t be angry with me.”
Xie Wanning stiffened all over, subconsciously gripping the lapel of the man in front of her. “Take me home.”
She didn’t want to stay here for another moment.
These words hit Lu Ziyan right on. He appeared courteous and refined, not at all like the arrogant man who had abducted another’s wife, yet the crimson glint in his eyes grew thicker.
His voice was cold as ice, his eyes full of malice sweeping straight toward Pei Yuqing. “Just as you said, no involving young ladies of boudoirs. In a few days, Lu will send a challenge. I hope Young Lord Pei will graciously accept.”
Pei Yuqing gave him one last look and returned a smile. “I shall await your instruction.”
With that, he scooped the young lady in his arms up by the waist and turned to leave.
Although he had long told himself that his Wanwan was already married, that she and this sickly person were a legitimate couple, this was the first time Lu Ziyan had seen another man carrying her away with his own eyes.
Step by step, leaving his line of sight.
And he couldn’t even stop it.
Dare not.
Two lives as a person, a lifetime of military campaigns, iron bones unyielding—he feared most her threatening him with her life.
But he feared one other thing: that she would completely abandon him.
Between these two things, he couldn’t tell which was more terrifying.
“Young Lord,” Ming Jian stepped forward from behind him and asked, “Are we just letting them go like this?”
Lu Ziyan stood quietly, his gaze fixed on that departing figure. His eyesight was excellent; even in the night, he could see a pair of hands as tender as scallion whites emerging from the cloak, climbing onto the man’s neck.
He gritted his teeth watching, his face shifting through expressions. For a moment, he did want to change his mind and force her to stay, but in the end, he only gave a low hum.
Ming Jian’s body shook, and he slowly acknowledged, though his heart was full of confusion.
He knew best how much suffering his master endured.
His fiancée betrothed since childhood had hastily married someone else while he was away from the capital city. He had rushed thousands of miles back to salvage it, only to encounter their wedding night, with the other party being so heartless.
Poor Young Lord of his family had been in a coma for several days, calling this woman’s name for several days.
Several times when spitting blood, she was sweetly entangled with her new husband. Every time they thought of it, his several confidants found the Xie clan woman utterly hateful, let alone the person involved.
In Ming Jian’s view, since they had finally abducted her, and they were already enemies with the Pei and Xie families, they should go all the way and be even more ruthless, directly cooking the rice to maturity and making the matter a done deal.
With the new bride just brought through the door slept by his family’s Young Lord, no matter how much the Pei family lacked a wife, they couldn’t afford such a loss and would surely issue a divorce letter to cast her off.
By then, even if the Xie family woman begged to marry, his family’s Young Lord might not be willing to take such a broken flower and wilted willow.
He hadn’t expected them to let her go intact just like that.
Even though they had been alone in the side room for a long time, when the Xie clan woman came out, her clothes were neat and her behavior showed no difference—Ming Jian knew nothing had happened inside.
What a waste of their squatting in ambush to abduct her.
This was nowhere near the style of the cold-faced killer general.
Lu Ziyan couldn’t experience his subordinate’s inner thoughts. He stood without blinking until he could see nothing more, then finally stopped holding back, slightly bending at the waist and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Ming Jian rushed forward in shock to support him, but was stopped by his raised hand. With a deathly pale face, he said, “Young Lord, let this subordinate go fetch the imperial doctor.”
“No need,” Lu Ziyan wiped the blood from his lip himself, lowered his eyes for a few breaths, and said indifferently, “This is a heart condition, an old ailment.”
Heart condition?
Ming Jian was suddenly startled. “When did you develop a heart condition?”
Wasn’t that the illness of the Pei family’s sickly person?
His family’s Young Lord was strong and healthy, able to uproot mountains and rivers. When had he…
Lu Ziyan had no intention of resolving his subordinate’s confusion. He stepped down the stairs, his pace steady, not at all like someone who had spat blood repeatedly in half a day’s time.
After leaving this courtyard, he turned back for a glance. Before boarding the carriage, he tilted his head and instructed, “Keep an eye on news from Duke Pei’s Mansion. Report to me immediately of any stir.”
Ming Jian bowed and accepted the order.
…………
On the other side.
Xie Wanning was held by Pei Yuqing all the way out of the courtyard.
This stretch of road was actually not short, yet his arms steadily held her, without even his breath becoming disordered.
The carriage was parked at the main gate. Xie Wanning, like an ostrich, finally poked her head out from his arms and saw dozens of guards at once.
She was slightly stunned. Mobilizing so many people, the Princess and Duke Pei should know by now.
It’s past twelve, it’s the 27th now, dear ones, cast your red sleeve tickets to me, I’ll work hard to write and add updates, explode with extras~~~
