Mu Yunhe didn't trust Xiao Xizi because he trusted no one except his mother, but he also knew that Xiao Xizi was a good person and had truly devoted himself to him over the years. Therefore, he could rest assured that Xiao Xizi would handle this matter.
After some internal struggle about whether or not he should get involved in Luo Zhiheng's affairs, he realized that the foolish woman had brazenly gone out to meet a man. The Prince's mansion was full of eyes and ears; if someone saw her and accused her of adultery, wouldn't he lose face? Besides, this concerned their cooperation!
This idiot, who usually seems so shrewd, is completely brainless when it really matters. He didn't even notice such a huge flaw that gave others something to use against him. He should just die of stupidity.
Mu Yunhe's eyes showed deep contempt and disgust for Luo Zhiheng, but there was nothing he could do. He was now in the same boat as Luo Zhiheng, and he had been stuck with a teammate who was as useless as a pig. He could only clean up her mess from behind.
"Follow the young princess and keep an eye out for anyone following her. If anyone is, find a way to distract them so that no one can see what the young princess is doing," Mu Yunhe instructed.
Xiao Xizi was puzzled by his master's instructions, but he still hurriedly went to carry them out. However, when he caught up with Luo Zhiheng and saw what Luo Zhiheng was doing, the simple-minded Xiao Xizi, who was devoted to his master, became angry.
——
The wet nurse kept nagging anxiously along the way: "My little darling, you can't go to see him like this. How about this, tell me what you want to say to him, and I'll pass it on to him, okay? It's too dangerous for you to go like this now. This isn't our General's Mansion anymore; there could be people everywhere who want to harm us."
Luo Zhiheng said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, I'll just say a few words and be right back. Besides, what I'm going to say is a secret, and it wouldn't be good if others found out."
The wet nurse looked around nervously, and said in a trembling voice, "Miss, if the young prince finds out, he will be angry. What if you and your husband have a falling out?"
"Pfft!" Luo Zhiheng laughed: "Don't worry, Nanny, Mu Yunhe doesn't care about this. Two people who have no feelings for each other and even hate each other, who would care about whom? You're overthinking it."
The wet nurse was dumbfounded.
Upon reaching the backyard wall, a secluded spot with many dense trees, Luo Zhiheng quickly spotted a tall figure standing under one of the trees. He had actually climbed over the wall! Impressive!
"Cousin!" she called softly.
Xia Beisong froze for a moment, then quickly turned around. His gaze swept anxiously over Luo Zhiheng, and he hurried over, grabbing her wrist and asking, "Aheng! Are you alright?"
Luo Zhiheng smiled and said, "Great, wonderful. Cousin, you're not here to say goodbye, are you?"
Her words stunned Xia Beisong, who blurted out in surprise, "How did Aheng know I came to say goodbye?"
Luo Zhiheng tilted her head, her face bright with a newfound intelligence, no longer feigning. "Cousin is a soldier, a role model for the younger generation. Now that the Prince is about to lead troops into battle, I don't think the Emperor will let go of such a promising young general like you. Even if the Emperor forgets about you, I'm afraid you yourself will still volunteer to go to war without hesitation."
A deep smile appeared in Xia Beisong's eyes, a smile full of doting affection and warmth. In the end, only his Aheng truly understood him. Xia Beisong's heart softened, and he couldn't help but pinch her pert nose and laugh, "Yes, my Aheng is the smartest, she's like a little worm in my belly."
This intimate gesture made Luo Zhiheng feel quite uncomfortable, but since it was a farewell after all, and she was occupying her cousin's body, she couldn't resist too much. Her smile was a little stiff: "Cousin, you must be careful on this expedition and return victorious."
"Don't worry, for Xiao Aheng's sake, your cousin will definitely come back safe and sound. Aheng, I can't keep my promise to you right now, because the army is setting off tomorrow, and Luo Ningshuang's injuries haven't fully healed. I'm really worried about leaving you here, but I can't switch you back right now. Can you please be patient here for a while? I've already made arrangements. Once Luo Ningshuang recovers, even if I'm not around, someone will come to switch you back," Xia Beisong said apologetically.
Luo Zhiheng's eyes gleamed. Could she say that she had already foreseen this? That was why she made that deal with the prince.
She whispered a few words about this to Xia Beisong, and seeing his shocked expression, she laughed and said, "Shh! Don't tell anyone, or all your efforts will be in vain."
Xia Beisong was completely stunned. After a long while, he said, "Aheng, you...you're too bold! That's a prince! How dare you make demands?"
"Isn't this offer tempting?" Luo Zhiheng's eyes shone brightly, sparkling like fragile stars. Who would dare to easily provoke and shatter this beautiful brilliance?
Xia Beisong dared not, nor could he bear to. A faint worry lingered between his brows: "Is this really alright? I don't trust you to stay here; it's like a den of dragons and tigers. It's even more dangerous than bringing you back."
Luo Zhiheng, on the contrary, displayed her usual assertiveness: "There's nothing wrong with it, cousin, don't worry. Since I chose to do this, I have the courage to do it. Whether I succeed or fail, it's my choice, and I won't regret it. You should point it out to me."
Xia Beisong looked at her delicate features; she was no longer the obedient and adorable little girl she used to be. But that was fine too. If she could truly continue to live freely as Luo Zhiheng, he would be happy for her. Then he could openly and legitimately marry her.
So what if she's a divorced woman? His Ah Heng is the love of his life, and even in his unbearable circumstances, he will love her as he always has.
"Alright, since Ah Heng has made up his mind, then your cousin supports you. But you must also promise your cousin that no matter what you do, you must protect yourself first, don't let yourself get hurt, and don't let yourself be wronged. If there's anything you really have to endure, then endure it and come back to tell your cousin. Your cousin will stand up for you." Xia Beisong earnestly instructed.
Luo Zhiheng smiled and agreed. The two then exchanged some more words of advice, looking quite reluctant to part. To outsiders, they seemed to be enjoying each other's company and deep affection.
Xiao Xizi almost wanted to rush out immediately, grab Luo Zhiheng, and slap her twice across the face until she was dead! This shameless woman, how dare she cheat on the young prince! She's utterly shameless! No wonder there are rumors that Luo Zhiheng is a lovesick fool who can't resist handsome men; it turns out it's true! She dares to cuckold the young prince, and so blatantly at that—it's outrageous!
However, Xiao Xizi knew he couldn't act impulsively. He held his breath, and as a eunuch, he was bound to have some twisted thoughts. At this moment, his cheeks were flushed, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hand, resting on the artificial hill, was trembling violently with his delicate fingers raised. It was clear he was extremely angry.
Even though it was hard to part, there had to be a farewell. Xia Beisong's gaze seemed to want to wrap Luo Zhiheng up and take her away. His intense gaze made Luo Zhiheng, who had grown up among the men in the bandit's den, feel a little overwhelmed and shy.
"Aheng, you must wait for me to come back. The day the prince returns will be the day I return." Xia Beisong held her hand, his love in his eyes was impossible to hide, and his tender gaze was almost glued to Luo Zhiheng's delicate face.
Luo Zhiheng felt incredibly guilty. She wasn't the same Luo Zhiheng; she couldn't bear her cousin's burning gaze. Nodding haphazardly, her smile betrayed her true feelings: "Cousin, take care too. Hurry up and leave, or someone will find out."
Xia Beisong's expression was filled with reluctance. Going to the battlefield was tantamount to going to the execution ground; who knew if they would return alive? He was usually bold and strong, but at this moment, in front of the woman he loved, he tasted the bitterness of fear and hesitation. He couldn't bear to leave, not even a little bit. Just thinking about leaving his Aheng alone to face the perilous environment made him wish he could immediately eliminate any potential dangers.
But he can't! He damn well can't!
His brain could no longer resist the panic and reluctance in his heart, and he made the most impulsive and irrational move. His strong arms suddenly pulled the woman in front of him into his embrace, the force of wanting to push her into his body was almost suffocating.
It is said that heroes are short-lived and love can break their hearts. This carefree and upright man could actually have such a day when he was short-lived and heartbroken.
Ah Heng, Ah Heng, do you know that even before I've left, my heart is already yearning for you?!
"Uh!" Luo Zhiheng's eyes widened. In both her lives, this was the first time she had been embraced so passionately by a man. She couldn't quite describe the feeling, but her face flushed and her heart raced. In her panic, she forgot to resist.
When the wet nurse saw this hug, she nearly fainted!
When Xiao Xizi saw the hug, his delicate fingers trembled even more violently, and his mouth shook. He stomped his foot hard, turned around, and muttered to himself, "I can't look, I can't look! I'll get a sty! Shameless adulterers! I'll tell everyone when I get home..."
Xia Beisong wasn't one to linger or be sentimental. The hug was brief, but it used almost all his strength. His deep, mellow voice reached Luo Zhiheng's ears softly: "Wait for me to come back. I will definitely come back alive! Aheng, when I come back, when you are free, we..."
Let's get together, okay...?
Those last few words were spoken so softly that they were blown away by the wind and shattered into pieces. They were perhaps a restrained roar from Xia Beisong's throat, but they dissipated before they even reached Luo Zhiheng's ears. In the end, Luo Zhiheng did not hear his desperate, trapped-beast-like plea.
Xia Beisong didn't wait for Luo Zhiheng's reply. He released her decisively, took a deep look at her flushed face, and raised his hand to brush her brow. The hand hesitated and remained in the air, as if the wind carrying the fragrance of flowers had been stranded. It lightly and ethereally brushed her hair and then brushed past her ear, leaving no warmth or lingering feeling.
Xia Beisong left. In Luo Zhiheng's stunned gaze, he seemed like an eagle, his toes barely touching the ground as he swept away in a gust of wind, his robes billowing as he leaped over the wall with the lightness of a swallow. His departure was equally dashing and swift. It was as if the lingering gaze, the reluctant parting, the deep affection, and the yearning plea from just moments before had not come from Xia Beisong at all.
Luo Zhiheng's heart, however, did not calm down as it had after Xia Beisong left. She blinked, her heart pounding wildly, her face flushed; she knew she was shy. Being held so passionately by a man for the first time, his words, his fiery gaze, and that embrace that seemed to symbolize eternity—all of these made her heart race uncontrollably, and a wave of guilt washed over her just as intensely.
Because she knew very well that none of what had just happened belonged to her, this lonely ghost Luo Zhiheng! She couldn't justify taking what belonged to someone else.
He let out a hard sigh, but his arm was suddenly grabbed by the wet nurse, whose face turned pale: "You ancestor, how could you do this? Quick, let's get out of here! What if someone notices this?"
Xiao Xizi sneered repeatedly upon hearing this. Want to leave? Too late! I'll tell the Prince right now, and you three, master and servant, can expect a fate worse than death!
——
"He called her Aheng?" Mu Yunhe asked casually after listening to Xiao Xizi's indignant report.
Xiao Xizi was provoked by his master's unhurried attitude and said a little loudly, "Yes! That must be the little princess's maiden name. How can some cousin call her that? It's really improper!"
"Cousin? Childhood sweetheart?" Mu Yunhe seemed to be lost in thought.
Xiao Xizi twisted her body, raised her delicate fingers, and angrily said, "That's exactly right! The little princess isn't resisting at all. She should slap that lecherous man to death! My lady, you are truly brilliant! I was just following them and discovered such a disgraceful act. My lady, what should we do? Should I send someone to report to the prince right now?"
So she had a childhood sweetheart. After hearing Xiao Xizi's story, Mu Yunhe felt that Luo Zhiheng and Xia Beisong should have a very good relationship, so why would she go to such lengths to marry him? Mu Yunhe didn't care about Luo Zhiheng, so he wasn't angry; because he had no love, he didn't hate.
He remained calm, his only concern being whether Luo Zhiheng's actions might break their agreement. Although their rendezvous place was secluded and quiet, there was always a chance something might go wrong.
Xiao Xizi panicked when she saw Mu Yunhe's gloomy expression, and her voice trembled with tears: "Master, please don't do anything rash! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have told you about this! Please don't be angry! I'll go tell the Prince right away and have him drown that shameless hussy in a pig cage."
"Who are you going to drown in a pig cage?" A teasing voice drifted over, and light footsteps landed in the room. Luo Zhiheng stood gracefully behind Xiao Xizi, smiling as she watched Xiao Xizi's stiff body twist into a rather seductive eunuch-like posture.
Xiao Xizi's body made stiff, rusting sounds as he broke out in a cold sweat, regretting his earlier outburst of anger. Looking at the young prince's calm demeanor, it was truly a case of the emperor not being worried while the eunuch was dying of anxiety—even though he was a eunuch himself.
Luo Zhiheng sat down and poured herself a cup of tea, saying generously, "I just went to see my cousin. He's family. We hugged, but... it was just a hug between family members before parting. Don't think of such things between men and women as so sordid, okay? I, Luo Zhiheng, do everything openly and honestly. Maybe some things will cause trouble, but I can handle it if I can. I'm not afraid of causing trouble."
Xiao Xizi broke out in a cold sweat even more.
Mu Yunhe lifted his eyelids, coldly staring at the woman calmly sipping her tea. He felt a real urge to strangle her. What gave her the right to be so composed? Was it something to boast about for a woman to have a secret rendezvous with a man? How could she act so nonchalantly?
"Also, you had this guy follow me. Does that mean you don't trust me, or you want to find something on me?" Luo Zhiheng's words had a accusatory tone.
She was wholeheartedly committed to cooperation, so trust was crucial. The slightest distrust between them could create a rift and rift in their relationship. They could easily act irrationally due to mutual suspicion. Like Luo Zhiheng, a former bandit, she preferred directness and utterly despised those who played dirty tricks. Her secretly sending people to follow and monitor her clearly demonstrated Mu Yunhe's distrust of her. This was not a good sign.
Before Mu Yunhe could speak, Xiao Xizi knelt down with a thud, but said with great spirit, "Master did not allow me to follow you, he only allowed me to see if you had a tail following you. Master is doing this for your own good, but what about you? You actually abandoned your master in his sickbed to meet with other men."
A slave has no right to criticize his master like that, even if the master is not favored. But Xiao Xizi couldn't hold back, because his master was Mu Yunhe, and Mu Yunhe was so pitiful. He lived in darkness and illness for nineteen short years. He was in so much pain that no one could touch him, and no one could take his place.
Xiao Xizi was the one who had served the young prince the longest. Over the years, he had never left Mu Yunhe's side. When you see someone for a long time, you will subconsciously care about them and feel sorry for them. Different environments lead to different hearts. In Xiao Xizi's view, Mu Yunhe had never really cared about anyone or anything except the princess over the years.
But Luo Zhiheng was different. The young prince was actually paying attention to her and even asked him to clean up her messes—in Xiao Xizi's eyes, this was a form of protection and care. The young prince cared about his young princess; what a wonderful thing! They would surely be loving and supportive, a perfect couple. But little did Xiao Xizi know that Luo Zhiheng had ulterior motives. How could she be so unfair to the young prince? Wasn't she just pushing him into a fire pit again?
Xiao Xizi was truly enraged. The affection between master and servant isn't something only Luo Zhiheng and that strong girl have; even I, the father-in-law, have it!
Luo Zhiheng's lips twitched, and she finally looked at Xiao Xizi's face. What a resentful woman's face it was! No wonder he could describe her going to see her relatives as an unforgivable and heinous act of adultery, and no wonder he called her a heartless woman.
"What do you say?" Luo Zhiheng's eyes twitched towards Mu Yunhe. She really didn't want to make her feel disgusted to the point of vomiting. At most, she and Mu Yunhe had a cooperative relationship, and there was no affection between them whatsoever.
Mu Yunhe's expression was also extremely unpleasant. Xiao Xizi was his person, and her words carried a connotation of representing his feelings. Wasn't speaking like this practically telling Luo Zhiheng what he thought of her? How embarrassing! Mu Yunhe wanted to explode in anger, but he held back.
"Xiao Xizi, you can go now. Don't tell anyone about this. Just pretend it never happened." The voice was indifferent.
"Huh?" Xiao Xizi's mouth dropped open. Your wife is cheating on you, Master? You just accepted it so easily?
Amidst Luo Zhiheng's arrogant laughter, Xiao Xizi, dejected at not receiving his master's support, left.
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083 Luo Zhiheng unleashes her power!
Updated: 2013-06-06 20:15:24 Word Count: 10230
"Luo Zhiheng, you should thank me. Otherwise, if someone saw you having a secret rendezvous with a man behind a wall, you wouldn't have needed to work so hard to save your life. You could have just been drowned in a pig cage." Mu Yunhe's cool voice was full of schadenfreude.
Luo Zhiheng pouted her lips and gave a noncommittal hum.
"I don't care what secrets you and your childhood sweetheart have, but remember this: you must be careful in the palace. A slight misstep will be like stirring up a hornet's nest, leaving you battered and bruised, and you might even lose your life because of your carelessness." This was Mu Yunhe's most sincere warning.
Luo Zhiheng knew she couldn't be careless, so she nodded, but she absentmindedly stroked the box. Her mind was filled with Xia Beisong's handsome face and the heart-pounding feeling of his embrace.
She'd never experienced anything like this before. She'd dealt with men all the time, and she'd seen them shirtless all the time. So why did this time feel like something had been rammed into her heart? But those feelings didn't belong to her, because her soul wasn't actually Xia Beisong's cousin.
Mu Yunhe found it somewhat ironic that she was lost in thought, even after being forced into a substitute marriage, she was still thinking about her cousin? What was she doing before the substitute marriage? Was she now putting on a show of a painful love affair and a heartbreaking separation?
Mu Yunhe had no choice but to ask, "What did you and he talk about?"
"It's nothing, just some parting words," Luo Zhiheng said absentmindedly.
Mu Yunhe almost wanted to throw a pillow at her to death! He sneered, "Who asked about your childhood sweetheart? I'm asking what you and the prince talked about."
Luo Zhiheng perked up, but of course she couldn't tell Mu Yunhe about her deal with the prince or the letter about the divorce. She told him everything she could, only to find that Mu Yunhe's expression was quite unpleasant.
"Didn't he ever tell you to take care of my mother?" Mu Yunhe asked with some difficulty, his almost transparent fingers gripping the quilt tightly, as if he was trying his best to suppress something.
Zhiheng was not there. "No, but I will take good care of your mother, don't worry." After saying that, Luo Zhiheng went to look at the box, so she missed the intense hatred and murderous intent on Mu Yunhe's face!