Chapter 143:
The two words “wicked woman” were spoken lightly by her, yet in Lu Ziyan’s ears, they rang like thunder.
His face paled, stiffening for a few breaths before he murmured: “At that time, I was severely injured and not yet recovered. Qi Mingyu had already been demoted to a commoner and imprisoned, his remaining forces were still preparing a secret counterattack, and the Lu Family had his spies in it…”
As he spoke, his voice choked, and he could say no more.
What should he say?
Should he talk about those concerns he thought were so justified?
The enemy in the dark and I in the light, he chose to let her suffer a few more days of grievance, to catch those rats in the gutter one by one, then apologize to her.
What was he thinking at the time?
He thought that anyway, she was already his wife, she loved him so much, and once everything settled, as long as he told her the whole story and coaxed her well, she would certainly forgive him.
But life is not a battlefield; his mastery of warfare and devising strategies were of no use here, and he paid a heavy price for his arrogance.
By the time everything settled, the person he loved most could no longer wake up.
That day was too chaotic, and he had drunk some wine. Seeing her protecting Er Qing made him even more annoyed, leading him to say some harsh words.
For a long time afterward, he tried hard to recall what he had said then, but every time he thought of it, his heart ached, and the memory was blurred.
…So, he had actually cursed her like that.
His complexion looked truly awful, and Xie Wanning frowned upon seeing it.
At the age of eighteen or nineteen, a youth with unfathomably profound martial arts—shouldn’t his body be strong as an ox?
Why was his face always pale, spitting blood at the slightest provocation?
Though puzzled in her heart, she would absolutely never take the initiative to ask.
Lu Ziyan gave her a panicked smile. “Sorry.”
“If the harm I suffered makes you so guilty that you can’t sleep day or night… I can forgive you.”
Xie Wanning frowned and shook her head. “Having lived again, I only want to live a peaceful life steadily. I don’t want to be enemies with you, nor do I want to indulge in the past life’s love, hate, and obsession, living my days carelessly.”
“…Guilt,” Lu Ziyan repeated lowly, his lips curving into a subtle arc. “Where was it guilt?”
He wasn’t some virtuous person; he had personally taken many lives, and in his past life, the blood spilled because of him was enough to dye red an entire city.
He once thought that emotions like guilt and soft-heartedness were the only goodwill he had left.
Such goodwill rarely appeared in him.
The last time was for the Lu Family. Having been raised by them, upon learning he wasn’t truly a Lu Family member, he couldn’t bear for the loyal and valiant Lu clan to face extinction of lineage, so he legitimized Liu Manrou and made Lu Yunpei legitimate.
As for the others?
So many people had died by his hand, countless aggrieved souls, yet he had never felt any guilt.
Toward this young lady, it was even less likely to be guilt.
His sense of morality wasn’t that strong. If it were merely guilt, after her death, he wouldn’t have been in such agonizing madness, with heaven collapsing, earth sinking, and utter despair with no way out.
If it were merely guilt, he could have found ways to make amends to the Xie Family; he wouldn’t have tormented himself, nor after revenge on everyone, cleanly followed her in death.
He had always known she was important, that she was the young lady he held at the tip of his heart, but at the time, he simply couldn’t comprehend just how important she was.
Because he had too much; he had never tasted the flavor of the unobtainable or gain and lose.
He was spoiled, arrogantly certain to the extreme that as long as he turned back, she would surely be there.
If only he had been more perceptive, not so slow-witted, not so arrogant, able to realize earlier how much he loved her, how unbearable it was to lose her—they wouldn’t have ended up like that.
Now he had experienced that taste, so he couldn’t let go.
But he also understood that it was only right for her to harbor estrangement.
Everything in the past life, leading to that outcome, she had done nothing wrong to him; it was all his fault.
All his fault.
No matter how she punished him, it was justified; he was willing to endure it…
In the silence, a sudden sound came from outside, and Xie Wanning looked toward the window.
It was the sound of snow sliding off the roof, with the faint howl of the cold wind passing by.
…It seemed to be snowing again.
The sky had unknowingly darkened.
She felt a bit anxious in her heart and looked at the person opposite.
“Are you really going to keep me locked up here?”
Lu Ziyan kept his eyes slightly lowered, saying nothing and not looking at her.
“You don’t think the military camp can hide me, do you?”
“Pei Yuqing will find this place sooner or later, and so will my father and brothers…”
Seeing the person opposite still silent, Xie Wanning grew anxious. If people found out she had been abducted to the military camp by this man, who knew what shameful rumors would spread.
He wouldn’t care; it would just add a vivid stroke of romantic affair to his notorious domineering reputation.
But what about her?
She was already a married woman, abducted to the military camp by a man…
The more she thought, the more annoyed she became. Xie Wanning roared angrily: “Lu Ziyan, you have no shame, but I do!”
The somewhat calm atmosphere turned stagnant with these words.
However, Lu Ziyan finally moved. He lifted his gaze to her, and by the dim light from the window, Xie Wanning couldn’t see his gaze clearly.
She only heard him say: “How would being with me be shameful? I will make you the most envied young lady in the world.”
“…” Xie Wanning clenched her teeth, feeling like she was playing the qin to a cow.
Her hand was tightly gripped by him, her palm sweating slightly, but Lu Ziyan had no intention of letting go, holding it motionless.
After a long while, finally calming his turbulent emotions, he closed his eyes. “Wanwan…”
Before Xie Wanning could speak, he continued: “You say you’re ruthless to me because you truly loved me. Then what about Pei Yuqing? Because you don’t love him, you forgive his deception so easily?”
Hearing this abruptly, Xie Wanning’s first reaction was how rare it was—not to hear terms like “sickly person” or “old man” from his mouth.
Then her heart sank again.
Forgive him? Hell no; she hated being deceived the most.
On their wedding night, Pei Yuqing deliberately let someone in, which annoyed her greatly. Later, misunderstanding that he was impotent, she didn’t dwell on it.
This time, he deceived her into thinking she was drugged, coaxed her into taking the initiative for consummation, and deliberately let the bite marks be seen by Lu Ziyan…
The young lady opposite had a very bad complexion, which Lu Ziyan saw entirely. The corners of his lips couldn’t help curving up slowly. Afraid she would notice, he quickly released her hand, stood, and walked to the candlestick.
Bright flames ignited.
He turned, sat down opposite her again, and said: “Do you really have to go back?”
Strangely, his tone no longer gloomy and oppressive. Xie Wanning blinked and nodded without hesitation. “I must go back.”
She had a home and a family; what was it supposed to mean to be trapped in the military camp by him like this?
Lu Ziyan hummed and said: “Then let’s make a bet, how about it?”
That he would relent surprised Xie Wanning. She hurriedly asked: “What bet?”
Lu Ziyan said: “I just told you that today, that old man deliberately exposed that thing to provoke me. Do you believe it?”
Xie Wanning actually believed it in her heart. Pei Yuqing was low-key and valued privacy most, disliking people getting close; there were few servants in his courtyard. He would never inadvertently expose such a private couple matter.
But she still said nothing.
This defense made Lu Ziyan snort coldly, grinding his molars with a smile: “That sickly person truly has a belly full of schemes. In so short a time, he’s got you spinning around.”
“After seeing His Majesty, I went straight to Puxian Temple. When I left, that old man was in the hall. He must know I came for you.”
His smile gradually faded as he asked her: “Wanwan, do you think, when he used such a matter to provoke me, he considered what I might do to you when I came for you?”
Xie Wanning pursed her lips tightly, subconsciously recalling the scene in the back courtyard of Puxian Temple.
He said he really wanted to do it there…
“He sure could bring himself to…” Lu Ziyan stopped mid-sentence, looking at her. “If I had really touched you there, with your temperament, what would you have done?”
What would she have done?
Before this, she only wanted each to live in peace. If he dared to force her…
She would have wanted to perish together with him.
He would become her greatest enemy in this life.
All the affection from growing up together, the youth she truly loved—all turned to nothing.
She would never forgive him, not for all eternity!
No matter what he did, even if he died before her, she wouldn’t lower her head to glance.
Her face looked extremely bad, but Lu Ziyan sneered: “Seems like… not such a bad deal.”
He could somewhat understand why that sickly person did it.
Xie Wanning understood his meaning and looked up at him without blinking.
“Don’t look at me like that. Don’t pin that sickly person’s actions on me,” Lu Ziyan said. “Scheming for another man to touch you— I’d never do such a thing, even in death.”
Even if it could make her never turn back to that sickly person, so what?
No matter what, he could never let another man touch her even a little.
But that sickly person did it, which showed… he truly saw him as the number one enemy.
How lacking in confidence, how afraid of her changing her mind, to resort to such a scheme.
Thinking of this, Lu Ziyan’s mood truly improved.
Human joys and sorrows differ; he was delighted, but Xie Wanning’s heart sank into an icy abyss, chillingly cold.
Her own husband scheming against her like this—who could feel good about it?
She stared blankly for a good while, her face paling repeatedly, already starting to doubt if proactively begging him to marry her that day was a mistake.
To avoid Lu Ziyan, she hastily married, and to such a scheming, cunning man. From start to finish, she had been played spinning around by him.
The problem was, she hadn’t avoided Lu Ziyan either.
Moreover, his true identity was a prince, the future emperor.
If she had known Lu Ziyan’s true identity earlier, Xie Wanning would have been more cautious, at least not dodging him in such an offensive way, risking the Xie Family facing future reckoning.
…That person’s initial shyness, innocence, and willingness to let her bully him—was that all pretended too?
Her taking the initiative to kiss him, hug him, ask if he wanted to marry her…
All within his schemes.
In a daze, she lifted her eyes to look opposite, where Lu Ziyan’s lips slowly curved into an arc, giving her a reassuring smile.
Xie Wanning: “…”
This one wasn’t harmless either; his methods probably no fewer than Pei Yuqing’s, perhaps even more ruthless, with possessiveness toward her strong like a madman, a madman who wouldn’t let go even in death.
Her heart’s tip trembled; the path ahead felt pitch black.
Stuck between these two men, could she really have a peaceful life?
Probably no better than her past life…
She thought hazily of many things in her daze, but Lu Ziyan had no mind-reading ability and couldn’t fully grasp her thoughts.
But he knew this young lady now harbored estrangement toward that sickly person.
Thus, his long provocation wasn’t in vain.
His smile deepened as he said softly: “Wanwan, let’s make a bet to see if his schemes stop here. If you win, I’ll let you go back to him.”
Hearing “go back,” Xie Wanning barely rallied her spirits. “Tell me.”
“I brought you here without hiding my whereabouts. With that sickly person’s abilities, he should be arriving soon.”
Lu Ziyan’s fingers rhythmically tapped the table. As he spoke, he couldn’t help reaching to hold her hand again.
“I bet he’ll bring quite a few people…” Successfully holding her soft, boneless hand in his palm, he pinched it and added with a smile: “To catch in the act.”
These two words froze her struggle. Without thinking, she retorted: “Absolutely impossible!”
“Then do you bet?” Lu Ziyan grew serious. “If he brings anyone besides the Qing Tian Guard, you won’t go back to him.”
Today he had just restored his status as legitimate prince and been enfeoffed as King Zhenbei, his momentum at its peak, the position of Crown Prince just one step away.
Meanwhile, Qi Mingyu’s future father-in-law, Grand Secretary Chen, was in prison. Comparing the two, he didn’t believe that sickly person wouldn’t be anxious.
After all, if he truly ascended to the Crown Prince position and legitimately took the throne…
Such an opportunity was so rare now; that sickly person only needed to bring a few officials to witness him openly abducting a minister’s wife to the military camp.
Few ministers would support a prince who blatantly abducted a minister’s wife, bullied men and women, and had flawed private morality.
Though Xie Wanning didn’t know much about imperial court matters and was unaware that the man before her had restored his true identity and been made King Zhenbei, she wasn’t stupid. In just a few breaths, she figured out the twists and turns.
Once Lu Ziyan’s abduction of a minister’s wife spread, such arrogant and domineering behavior would surely result in stacks of impeachment memorials sent to the imperial desk. Even if His Majesty favored him, he would face reprimand.
After all, which family didn’t have a wife or daughter?
And as the other party involved, what good could she expect?
Xie Wanning kept shaking her head, unwilling to believe Pei Yuqing would do such a thing.
If he brought so many people, wasn’t he afraid she couldn’t bear the pointing fingers and gossip…
Wasn’t he afraid she’d be angry?
As if seeing through her thoughts, Lu Ziyan sneered: “If he dares bring people, he must have found a reason to keep you from getting angry.”
“Besides, if I truly did wrong by you, with that sickly person’s scheming mind, he could probably trick you into depending only on him from then on.”
After this incident, the Pei Family and Xie Family would surely be mired in rumors. Even if Duke Pei and the Princess Royal pinched their noses and tolerated this daughter-in-law, they wouldn’t give her a good face afterward.
In contrast, wouldn’t the still gentle and tolerant old man be worth depending on?
