The wooden door opened with a crisp sound.
Zhong Li was shoved into the room, pinned down. Before she could resist, the other party seemed to have anticipated her moves. Just as she twisted her hand to retrieve her scalpel—
With a "clang," a silver glint flashed in the moonlight, and the scalpel was knocked to the ground.
She frowned, a hint of anger in her eyes. As she opened her mouth to roar in fury, her lips were met with a searing heat, scented with dragon's saliva, that completely engulfed them.
"Mmm..." Zhong Li's eyes widened in disbelief. In the moonlight, Lu Wuxie's handsome and refined face was clearly visible.
He was kissing her forcefully? They were over, how dare he?
Thinking this, Zhong Li raised her hand to resist. With this one movement, her hands were completely locked, held high above her head.
The quiet separate courtyard buzzed with the chirping of cicadas. A gentle breeze occasionally rustled the treetops, causing them to tremble slightly. Curtains lifted, releasing the fragrance of flowers, filling the entire room with an intoxicating aroma.
Zhong Li had never experienced such a passionate kiss. Lu Wuxie was like a warrior hacking through thorns, conquering and leaving no room to breathe wherever he went.
Having had a little wine, her body reacted sluggishly. Her stamina was no match for the man's. Passively, she could only endure, unable to resist. She was even led into a daze of infatuation.
"Dong! The weather is dry, beware of fire!"
A clear gong sound rang out, snapping Zhong Li back to all her senses.
She opened her eyes, forcefully pushed away the man pinning her against the wall, and slapped him.
Lu Wuxie had come to see Zhong Li while drunk. He had been drinking from the moment he left the banquet until he arrived at her separate courtyard—one pot, two pots, three pots...
Countless wine jars were tossed in the carriage. It wasn't until he saw the figure he longed for disembark from another man's carriage that he could no longer control his emotions. An unprecedented surge of jealousy and possessiveness eroded his last vestiges of reason.
Now, a slap had completely awakened him.
Lu Wuxie, bathed in moonlight, looked at the woman opposite him, her face full of wariness. He closed his eyes, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
After a long moment, his voice, slightly hoarse, asked, "Why?"
Zhong Li's delicate eyebrows furrowed. She didn't understand what he was asking.
"Why, why did you push me into someone else's embrace?" Lu Wuxie asked again.
Zhong Li finally understood. Lu Wuxie was referring to Shen Ning.
Her eyes darkened. Suppressing the pain in her heart, she said, "My Lord, I only wish you would answer me honestly. Shen Ning's appearance was also within your expectations, wasn't it? Or rather, you knew the Emperor would bestow a marriage upon you and Shen Ning, yes or no?"
Lu Wuxie's Adam's apple bobbed. His thin lips trembled for a long time, but he couldn't utter a word. He didn't want to lie to her anymore. As she had said, their relationship should not be tainted by schemes and mistrust.
Zhong Li waited for him for a while. Seeing his silence, she asked again, "So, where do you plan to place me?"
Lu Wuxie said, "Li'er, I can absolutely..."
"My Lord, your wish is to protect the hundred lives of the entire Xian Prince's household. Tell me, if you had refused the marriage on the spot, would your plan still have proceeded?" Zhong Li asked.
Lu Wuxie shook his head. He didn't know how to answer. Ever since his rebirth, he considered himself a rational person. But when he encountered her, all his rationality vanished.
"Even if what happened in Qingliang Hall hadn't occurred, we still wouldn't be able to be together," Zhong Li murmured after a long pause, finally speaking the words she had long suppressed.
Lu Wuxie's body trembled.
"The kind of affection I want, you cannot give. You can never give me a promise, nor can you be absolutely honest with me. Therefore..." Zhong Li took a deep breath and said, "I don't blame you. You have your destined path of rebirth, and I am merely an accident. My Lord... all I can do is make the right choice in the marriage bestowed by Empress Shen."
"Li'er..." Lu Wuxie whispered. He carried the fate of the entire Xian Prince's household on his shoulders. He couldn't be pure, especially regarding his mother. He had watched her die before his eyes. He had to thoroughly investigate everything and bring the darkness behind it into the light.
"My Lord... please leave," Zhong Li lowered her eyes, softly comforting him, "You were just drunk. When you sober up, we will still be colleagues, friends."
"Friends?" Lu Wuxie's eyebrows twitched. He muttered the word twice, then let out a cold laugh.
Zhong Li remained silent, her head bowed, her expression unreadable.
Lu Wuxie wanted to tidy her slightly disheveled hair, but as his hand touched her soft strands, he quietly withdrew it. It seemed he no longer had the right to do so.
"Fine, I'm leaving!" His voice was deep, his emotions no longer as volatile as before.
Zhong Li thought his slap must have sobered him up.
Lu Wuxie released his hold on her and stumbled out of the separate courtyard.
Just as his figure was about to disappear into the darkness, a faint voice from his direction made Zhong Li alert.
"Li'er, whether it's Shen Ning, Tian Lianxue, or even your close confidantes, please do not trust anyone but me."
At this moment, within the imperial palace.
Shen Nong lay on a couch, wearing a simple white inner garment, eating a piece of pastry.
Zipei knelt beside her, holding a tray and carefully collecting the pastry crumbs.
"What you said, is it true?" Shen Nong asked the young eunuch standing opposite her.
The young eunuch nodded his head. "Replying to Empress, what this servant says is absolutely true. The scout kept watch outside Young Minister Zhong's separate courtyard for half the night and confirmed that Young Minister Zhong has fallen out with the Young Lord."
"Hoo!" Shen Nong blew away the powder from her fingertips. With Zipei's help, she sat up and said, "I had originally thought that the scene they created at the banquet was for my benefit, to put me in a difficult position. I didn't expect it to be true after all."
Zipei nodded. "This servant also cannot figure it out. They say the Young Lord dotes on Young Minister Zhong dearly, so why would they separate so easily?"
"Hmph, who knows," Shen Nong snorted coldly. "However, this is exactly what I had hoped for. It's easier to break them one by one than to capture them when they are united. Am I right, Zipei?"
"Your Highness speaks most wisely!" Zipei nodded.
Shen Nong smiled, turned, and walked into the beaded curtain, drawing the bed curtains. "Today is another beautiful night."
-------------------------------------
"Master, where are we going?" Lin Jin drove the carriage along Wenchang Street.
Late at night, there were small vendors selling the last of their noodles along the street.
Lu Wuxie called out, "Stop!"
The moment the carriage stopped, he jumped out and walked to the stall, asking the owner for a bowl of noodles.
Lin Jin had been following him the entire way, from entering the palace, leaving the palace, going to Zhong Li's separate courtyard, and now to eat. He had witnessed everything and couldn't help but feel heartache for his master, not knowing how he could help.
Lu Wuxie stared blankly at the warm noodles before him. He recalled that during the Rong Fei case, Zhong Li had sat opposite him, holding his hand, offering him encouragement and trust. Now...
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the rise and fall of his chest tear him apart.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the opposite side.
Lu Wuxie's heart fluttered. Suppressing his excitement and anticipation, he opened his eyes. But when he saw a face that he didn't long for at all at this moment, his expression turned stern. "That's my noodles. Who allowed you to eat them?"