A Beauty In Troubled Times

Chapter 38: Return at dusk (2)

Views:

"Kneel down." Xu Kun stood in the hall with his hands behind his back and shouted, "I thought you would never come back."

Zhao Pei looked around; her second mother, eldest brother, and youngest sister were all looking at her helplessly. She knew that she had no excuse this time and could only kneel down obediently.

"How dare you come back? I thought you were planning to run away and never come back." Xu Kun glared at her, extremely angry.

Zhao Pei muttered to herself, this was her original plan, but if not, all the things that were holding her back… She lowered her head and said softly, “Zhao Pei knows she was wrong, please forgive me, Daddy.”

"Forgive? You should ask the emperor whether he forgives you. If the emperor forgives you, I have nothing to say. If the emperor blames you, I also have nothing to say." He stared at Zhao Pei with a look of disappointment, "It's because I doted on you too much on weekdays, and I always went along with you and turned a blind eye to your naughty deeds. You really don't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is. I don't know who borrowed the courage to run away from the marriage. If it weren't for the Sixth Prince and others supporting you, do you still have a chance to survive?"

"Zhao Pei knows her mistake." Her father was angry, and she knew it was better to say less at the moment.

"You admit your mistakes?" Xu Kun's brows were still furrowed. "You always say that, but when did you really admit your mistakes? It seems that only family rules can be used. Someone, come here."

As soon as the voice fell, the old lady stepped forward and comforted him: "Master, please calm down. Pei'er is young and does not understand the pros and cons of these things. Please let her go. You can't hit a girl casually."

Xu Kun took a breath and calmed down a little: "Let her learn a lesson. She can't let her temper rule over everything. She can't decide on marriage. She doesn't want such an honor, but we in the Xu family don't dare to. Xu Zhaopei, you kneel here and don't get up without my permission. No one is allowed to visit."

After saying that, she left with a flick of her sleeves. Er Niang looked at her helplessly and followed her out. Zhao Jie looked at her with a complicated expression for a while, shaking his head helplessly. And Zhao Li, I don’t know if it was Zhao Pei’s dazzle, that fleeting smile...

She was the only one left in the hall. It was quiet and lonely.

Zhao Pei had some doubts as to whether her choice was correct. She was always hesitant and always regretful.

》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》

Qinghong Pavilion.

It was already night, the warm clouds ignited the ambiguous colors, the sounds of warblers rang out, and the fragrance of pink filled the air.

Under the swaggering red sleeves, a person walked towards them from afar, his eyebrows were like ink paintings, eyes were like bright stars, and there was a smug smile on his lips. He walked calmly through the fragrant cloud.

When everyone saw the man in the purple robe with silver cloud patterns, they were even more excited. From a distance, they waved their sleeves and shouted, "Sixth Prince!"

Xiao Lun came over with a smile, and his mother had been waiting for a long time. She twisted her waist and squeezed over to greet him, smiling charmingly, "Sixth Master, you haven't been here for a while."

Xiao Lun smiled faintly and walked upstairs: "Is Miss Wanzhi here?"

"Of course, of course." Mom smiled, "She keeps talking about Sixth Master all day long. If you don't come again, Miss Su Bai will be heartbroken."

Xiao Lun still smiled faintly, pushed open the door, and said as he walked in: "No need for wine or food."

My mother smiled knowingly and said, "I understand. I will leave now and will not disturb you any more."

Xiao Lun closed the door, blocking out the noise outside.

Turning around, he saw Wan Zhi standing aside in a white dress, smiling and bowing, "Sixth Master."

Xiao Lun stared into her eyes and chuckled, "Mom said you'd go crazy if you couldn't see me again. I heard that and I had to come see you anyway."

Wan Zhi was stunned for a moment, then the blush on her face faded away: "Sixth Master, you are teasing me. I naturally think so and would not say so. Mom, she just said nonsense."

Xiao Lun found a soft couch and leaned comfortably, raised his eyebrows and looked at Wan Zhi: "So, you have never thought about me."

Wan Zhi was speechless for a moment, her face flushed and deepened: "I...but I have been looking forward to seeing Sixth Master."

Xiao Lun looked at her black-eyed eyes and felt something in his heart. Those eyes were really similar, 80% similar. If I didn't know better, I would have thought they were sisters.

Seeing him staring at her like this, Wan Zhi lowered her eyes slightly and said, "How about I play a song for you?"

Xiao Lun slowly closed his eyes, nodded and said, "Let's play Xizhou Qu."

Wan Zhi understood, straightened her skirt and sat down, her ten fingers resting on the strings of the zither, moving slightly. Just as she played a string of notes, the door was pushed open. Xiao Lun's eyebrows tightened slightly, and he opened his eyes and stared over. What he saw was Bai Yang, the personal attendant of the prince's mansion. He took a few steps forward and whispered a few words in Xiao Lun's ear.

Wan Zhi didn't know what was going on. She just looked at his slightly pale face and guessed what had happened.

Xiao Lun immediately stood up, without saying anything, and walked out of the room quickly, down the stairs, and disappeared in the laughter. Wan Zhi's hands froze in place, and after a long time, he seemed to pluck the strings of the zither casually, a string of clear and lonely music.

》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》

It began to drizzle at night, and the green carriage stopped at the gate of the Prince's Mansion. The servant lifted the curtain and the man in purple came out immediately. Before the servant could open the umbrella, he jumped out of the carriage briskly and hurriedly climbed the stairs into the Prince's Mansion.

"Big brother." Xiao Tong looked in the direction of the voice and saw the man, who was soaked all over, striding in, leaving behind a trail of wet footprints. There were also drops of water dripping down his black hair, and his handsome face was also slightly wet. Xiao Tong shook his head helplessly and looked at Qinglan who was holding a pen beside him.

Qinglan immediately understood, took a dry blanket and walked forward to wipe him.

Xiao Lun looked at her and wiped it herself, without interrupting his conversation: "Brother, do you think... there is news?"

Xiao Tong searched among the documents on the table for a while and handed him a letter. Xiao Lun immediately looked at it carefully, and his face turned pale as he read. After a long silence, he slowly raised his head and looked at Xiao Tong: "Brother, where is the Seven Talismans?"

There was a trace of doubt in Xiao Tong's eyes: "He has entered the palace, but it has been a day and he seems not to have returned home. I heard from my third brother that he is in the medical bureau. It seems that there is some problem with his eyes, and the situation is not optimistic."

"Eyes?" Xiao Lun repeated, looking a little puzzled. "How could that be? What's going on?"

"The details are not clear yet. Why don't we go and take a look tomorrow?"

Xiao Lun nodded: "Okay." After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Since that girl is back, I'll go see her first." Look at that silly girl, she actually followed him back obediently.

Xiao Tong looked at him with a complicated expression, and said slowly: "Liu Zhen, since she has chosen to come back, the future is a foregone conclusion. Let her go, otherwise, neither of you will be happy."

Xiao Lun turned around and ignored him, walking straight into the rain. Brother, no matter what, I will never let go. You know I have never given up anything. And she must not let go. You will let go freely, because you... have too many ties. But I will not, until I die...

He looked at the stubborn figure gradually disappearing in the rain and sighed helplessly. One day, Liu Zhen would understand, but he didn't know how many people would be hurt.

He casually picked up the ink-colored teacup on the table. The tea was cold, just like this rainy night, just like that person's heart. He decided to let it go and ignore it. He just stood aside and watched quietly, but later, he finally got himself involved and could never get out. (To be continued)