Chapter 139:
He began to tidy his clothes.
Xie Wanning seized the opportunity to leave, but as soon as her footsteps turned, his gaze fixed her in place, not daring to move another step.
She was completely cornered against the wall by him, a delicate little young lady, her timid appearance only making one want to bully her more.
Seeing her like this, Lu Ziyan’s throat rolled, and his lips tugged into a smile. “What are you afraid of?”
He shifted his body, making some space for her, and looked at her. “When have I ever truly bullied you?”
Shameless!
Xie Wanning cursed inwardly, her footsteps not stopping as she quickly escaped from his side.
She walked to Er Qing’s side, who had passed out, to have someone with her and draw a bit of strength.
Lu Ziyan slowly tidied his attire, but his gaze remained tightly fixed on her, taking in her indignant expression. He paused, then said, “Do you want to know what it’s really like when I bully someone?”
Hearing this, Xie Wanning rejected it without thinking.
“Don’t be afraid,” he chuckled. “I’m not bullying you.”
His tone was gentle, even faintly coaxing, as if they were deeply affectionate lovers.
But they had just had a fierce argument, and the places he had rubbed still hurt; no matter what, she couldn’t let bygones be bygones.
She turned her head away, refusing to look at him. “You leave!”
“Not leaving,” he finished tidying his clothes and didn’t approach, just leaning crookedly against the wall, tilting his head to look at her with a rogue demeanor. “I’ll wait right here for that old man to come, fight him, and let you see with your own eyes how I bully people.”
Xie Wanning looked at him in disbelief. “Have you no shame!”
Coming to someone’s door to corner another man’s wife—telling this to anyone would earn him universal condemnation.
Not to mention he was just a prince abandoned outside; even if His Majesty came in person, there was no justification for openly seizing another’s wife!
Not sneaking away quickly was one thing, but actually waiting for Pei Yuqing to come and fight.
Lu Ziyan sneered. “For you, I’m already the laughingstock of the entire capital. Where would I have any face left?”
His wife had been snatched by someone; what face could he have left?
He had rushed back from thousands of miles away, broken into the wedding chamber at night, yet still failed to stop his beloved young lady from marrying. Half a year had passed; this news wasn’t just known in the capital—probably even the northern frontier tribes had heard.
Even if no one dared mention it to his face, Lu Ziyan knew that for a woman, making such a scene, he had long lost all face and reputation.
But he didn’t care.
Two lives as a person, he had long recognized what was most important in his heart; compared to her, what was face worth?
As long as she turned back, he could do anything.
Xie Wanning truly didn’t understand; the man who from his youth had a body full of pride, who said what he meant and never bowed his head—what had he gone through to become such a thug-like figure?
Good words or bad words were useless; he just shamelessly entangled her.
Lu Ziyan indeed had no intention of leaving. He looked around, walked to the tea table by the window and sat down, lifted his hand to pour a cup of tea, and as he was about to drink, suddenly paused and turned to ask her, “Want some?”
Xie Wanning turned her face away, ignoring him.
“You’ve shed so many tears; don’t you need to drink some water to replenish? What if you can’t cry later?” He chuckled. “Your tears are a weapon; maybe if you cry a couple times later, I won’t beat him.”
He was actually speaking sincerely, but his light tone made Xie Wanning hear only mockery, so infuriated by his shamelessness she was practically seeing stars.
She gritted her teeth. “Even if you beat him up, what does that solve? I’m still his wife!”
With that, she mimicked his mocking smile. “The Old Marquis Lu taught you to train soldiers and practice martial arts hoping you’d protect the nation, not to use martial power to seize another’s wife!”
Seize another’s wife…
Lu Ziyan’s drinking motion paused again, stiffening for a moment before he took the teacup and drained it.
“So what do you plan to do?” he said. “Wanwan, have you thought about how to handle the matter of the three of us?”
Xie Wanning already knew how rogue he was and knew words were useless, so she had no intention of wasting breath on him.
Lu Ziyan waited, and after a long silence with no response from her, he sighed lightly. “Evasion solves nothing; you should think seriously about what it would take for you to give me another opportunity.”
“If I could, I wouldn’t want to scare you at all.” He said, “But Wanwan, you can’t be so heartless to me, not giving me even a shred of hope.”
Even the most heinous criminal deserved a specific punishment.
Since she hadn’t taken his life, she couldn’t ignore his existence—at least…
At least give him a bit of hope.
Xie Wanning originally didn’t want to speak, but catching sight of him straightening up as if to come over, she had to open her mouth.
“I’m already married.”
She had said this countless times; Lu Ziyan no longer felt the initial anger. He said, “What’s that big a deal? There are plenty of women in our dynasty who divorce and remarry; even Empress Xiao Hui of Taizu was a widow remarrying into the palace.”
That was because her husband had died, and Taizu took a fancy to her, remarrying into the palace—not seizing a living minister’s wife!
But Xie Wanning only grumbled inwardly, daring to be angry but not to speak.
Lu Ziyan said, “You don’t need to worry about anything; just nod lightly, and I’ll handle everything.”
He said it as if they were mutually in love.
Xie Wanning sneered inwardly and said bluntly, “I’ve never thought of divorcing.”
“Is that so,” Lu Ziyan wasn’t angry at all. He nodded slightly and smiled. “Then widowhood works too.”
His tone was so casual, as if discussing something trivial.
“Lu Ziyan!” Xie Wanning was both shocked and furious, glaring at him. “I know you’re used to unscrupulous methods, but not everything goes your way.”
“Even if you kill him, I won’t marry you. Don’t force me!”
“Don’t force me!” Lu Ziyan suddenly stood up, gritting his teeth. “You like that old man so much? If he dies, you plan to stay chaste for him? Why can’t you be fair!”
“It has nothing to do with others; it’s my own hurdle I can’t get past. Maybe I’m not as smart as you or as scheming, but I’m not heartless enough to forget my tragic past life.”
Xie Wanning said, “In my eyes, no matter your hardships, no matter how much you regret harming me that way, a broken mirror can never be whole again; our couple fate ended in the past life.”
“Who says it can’t be whole again? I’ll repay everything I owe you; just give me an opportunity!” Lu Ziyan strode closer, bending down to look at her. “What did I owe you in the past life?”
He approached so suddenly that Xie Wanning hurriedly shrank back inside. “Don’t come over!”
“…” Lu Ziyan looked at her wordlessly and took half a step back. “I don’t eat people.”
“The past life was all my fault; vent however you want. Since we both get a second life, why can’t a broken mirror be whole again?”
Xie Wanning sneered; how stupid must she be to die once not enough, reborn only to jump back into his pit of fire.
Lu Ziyan gazed fixedly at her, as if knowing her thoughts. He said, “I know you harbor resentment; take revenge bit by bit.”
He had said such words many times; Xie Wanning’s ears were calloused, and she didn’t want to bother, but as she turned her head, her waist tightened.
Amid a dizzying spin, she realized she had been hoisted over his shoulder and was being carried out.
“Where are you taking me!” She panicked, struggling nonstop.
Lu Ziyan patted her rear. “Behave; taking you to vent first.”
The side room’s door was opened, and cold air swept in instantly. Lu Ziyan set the young lady on his shoulder onto the horse and mounted himself.
Xie Wanning wore a skirt, inconvenient for horse riding, so she sat sidesaddle. With the biting cold and the icy saddle, she shivered repeatedly upon sitting.
Panicked and afraid, she ignored everything, flailing to jump down, but the hand on her waist was like an iron clamp, holding her tight.
“I’m not selling you; what’s with the panic!” Lu Ziyan pinched her waist in warning. “If you don’t want to be acupoint-sealed, behave.”
He took the cloak Ming Jian handed over, wrapping her tightly, even putting on the hood, leaving only half her face exposed. Still not enough, he gripped her neck and pressed her face into his arms.
Ben Yun galloped down the mountain at full speed, the wind whistling past her ears. Even wrapped in the cloak, the young lady in his arms still shivered from the cold. Lu Ziyan frowned slightly, slipping his hand inside the cloak to rub her back.
Xie Wanning felt a stream of warmth pass from his palm, warming her limbs and torso.
Regaining some strength, she began struggling again, cursing every insult she could think of.
“In my arms, don’t move around,” Lu Ziyan listened indifferently, rubbing her forehead with his chin. “I’ll want you.”
As if to prove his words, the hand at her waist tightened.
Xie Wanning stiffened for a moment, unable to contain her hatred any longer, and bit down on his chest.
Repeatedly threatened by such methods, her rage surged to her head, even entertaining thoughts of perishing together.
She used all her strength, pouring all the anger and hatred from his repeated coercions into her teeth.
As if to bite off a chunk of flesh.
The moment pain hit, Lu Ziyan’s body instinctively tensed, but realizing, he relaxed his muscles, took a light breath, and tightened his grip on her lower back.
Until Ben Yun stopped, Xie Wanning’s mouth was full of the sweet metallic taste of blood, yet she still bit down refusing to let go.
Lu Ziyan lightly stroked her neck, then pinched her chin. Seeing she had no intention of releasing, he simply let her bite as he dismounted, cradling her horizontally.
“Greetings, General!”
The neat footsteps of the ranks brought Xie Wanning back to reason. She raised her face to see over a dozen armored soldiers.
Even in the snowy weather, training on the drill ground hadn’t stopped.
…This is the military camp.
Lu Ziyan had actually brought her to the Outskirts of the Capital Military Camp!
She thought he was taking her to some separate courtyard for an indecent act…
Realizing the place, Xie Wanning buried her face back in his arms, not daring to let anyone see her.
Lu Ziyan glanced down at her, footsteps unwavering as he headed to his camp quarters.
Ming Jian, following along, quickened his steps to push open the door for him.
The room was icy cold. He glanced sideways and ordered, “Light some braziers and bring them in.”
Ming Jian obeyed and left.
The moment the door closed, Xie Wanning was set down, and the cloak wrapped around her was casually tossed onto a chair by Lu Ziyan.
He reached out to lift her chin, his fingertip wiping the blood from her lip corner. “Feel better?”
Seeing the hatred in her eyes, he tugged open his lapel.
The wound was just above his left chest; she had indeed used great strength, and even through thick winter clothes, it was bleeding.
Lu Ziyan chuckled. “Want to bite more?”
“Bite here, leave a mark for him to see?” He pointed to his neck.
Xie Wanning’s pupils shrank slightly; she finally understood how he knew about last night.
So that’s how it was.
He had seen the bite mark on Pei Yuqing’s neck.
“That old man is sly,” seeing she still didn’t speak, Lu Ziyan said. “Maybe he deliberately let me see it. What scheme do you think he’s playing?”
Though she knew he was provoking discord, Xie Wanning couldn’t help thinking along his lines.
If Pei Yuqing really let Lu Ziyan see the mark she left, what was his purpose?
“Can’t figure it out? Let me guess.”
Lu Ziyan said, “He probably wants me to lose composure before the throne, disappointing the emperor and heavy ministers, ultimately stripping me of the chance to inherit the throne, so he can prop up my ‘elder imperial brother’ instead.”
One lapse before the throne might not shake his position, but repeated incidents would certainly have impact.
After all, whenever it came to this young lady, his usual devising strategies and immovability turned to ashes; he lost all reason.
Indeed, seeing that bite mark, his mind had blanked for a moment.
If not for thinking it might be that sickly person learning Liu Manrou’s tricks, faking a mark from who-knows-where to provoke him—and he couldn’t fall for such a low-level ploy—he’d probably have lost control before the emperor.
Even so, he was uneasy, unable to wait a moment to come seek confirmation from her.
“That’s his first aim; if it fails, there’s a second.” Lu Ziyan’s fingertip gently rubbed her tender chin, unable to resist leaning closer. “He’s certain that even without my lapse before the throne, I’d surely come to you afterward to investigate.”
“Caught in his calculation: if you’re at Puxian Temple today, I go to Puxian Temple; if at Duke Pei’s Mansion, I go to Duke Pei’s Mansion. I must see you. And after seeing you, confirming you’ve consummated, with jealousy and hatred surging, what I’d do…”
At this point, he paused slightly, chuckled, and said, “Wanwan, back there, I really did want you.”
As for why he stopped, perhaps affection prevailed.
She probably hadn’t realized yet that he couldn’t stand seeing her cry, not since childhood.
He just didn’t want anyone to see his true heart, his weakness.
Wait for me~~~
