TSWRLM -Chapter 226 Your Highness, I Beg You

As Xiao Qinghe walked out of the main hall with Wei Lingze, she immediately heard his low, grim question: “Who did you drink with today?”

His tone was cold—not concern, but anger.

Xiao Qinghe knew very well that if she had only had a few drinks outside, Wei Lingze wouldn’t have been this furious. A large part of his anger was directed at Chun Xi.

But why?

Little Aunt returned safely—why was he so upset?

Xiao Qinghe couldn’t figure it out and replied calmly: “At the princess’s residence, with Yue’er and Little Aunt.”

“You knew Chun Xi had returned. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Wei Lingze raised his voice, giving the impression that he’d been kept in the dark and manipulated.

Xiao Qinghe wasn’t afraid; she looked at him incredulously: “Why should I tell you? Do you have some special relationship with Little Aunt that her whereabouts must be reported to you?”

Her gaze was icy as she asked in succession.

Gritting his teeth, Wei Lingze said, “Do you know how much effort I’ve put into receiving the envoy delegation these past days? And the moment Chun Xi returned, those old fools at the Censorate immediately petitioned for Shen Qingyuan to assist. Because I was unprepared, he snatched away the fruits of my labor these past few days!”

By the end, he was nearly beside himself with rage.

In truth, the fruits being taken by Shen Qingyuan were secondary; the main issue was that he didn’t know Chun Xi had returned to the capital. He assumed she was still under his control. When the Censorate pushed for Shen Qingyuan, he had been arguing using Chun Xi as leverage—looking back, it seemed utterly foolish.

If Xiao Qinghe had revealed this information earlier, he wouldn’t have nearly exposed himself in front of the emperor!

Xiao Qinghe could not sympathize with Wei Lingze’s anger. She replied calmly: “I don’t understand court affairs. If His Majesty wishes to favor Uncle Shen, there’s naturally his reason. Getting angry at me won’t change anything.”

Wei Lingze knew full well that his fury was powerless rage. He inhaled deeply twice and asked again: “How did Chun Xi escape back? Did only she and that child return, or did someone else accompany them?”

He had bought a residence in Yunzhou and arranged people to watch Chun Xi. Once the situation calmed and Shen Qingyuan stopped looking, he could quietly bring her back and exact revenge.

He had spent a fortune hiring two outlaws to escort Chun Xi; after meeting in Yunzhou, those two would be silenced. Apart from her wet nurse, no one in Yunzhou knew they were working for him—or of Chun Xi’s identity.

The entire plan was known only to him. Somehow, Chun Xi had returned to Hanjing.

Did she know his entire plan? Did she have witnesses? Had she spoken to Shen Qingyuan?

Countless questions flooded Wei Lingze’s mind on the way home. He barely considered whether Xiao Qinghe would notice anything; all he wanted was to extract more information from her.

After hearing his questions, Xiao Qinghe’s gaze grew even colder: “Why are you suddenly so concerned about Little Aunt?”

“Answer me!”

Wei Lingze roared suddenly, like a beast fully provoked.

Xiao Qinghe shuddered at his roar. The fear she had felt when he had grabbed her throat surged back. She cautiously stepped back, not daring to provoke him, and answered truthfully: “Little Aunt was rescued in Xuzhou by Prince Yu’ fiance. The kidnappers who captured her have all been killed. Once Prince Yu’ fiance learned Little Aunt’s identity, she brought her and her nephew back to the capital.”

Xuzhou?

No—his planned route didn’t even go through Xuzhou. How could they have encountered Prince Yu’ fiance?

Chun Xi was lying!

But Prince Yu’ fiance didn’t even know Chun Xi. How could she help her lie?

Wei Lingze couldn’t make sense of it and looked at Xiao Qinghe suspiciously. She said coldly: “I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, you can personally verify with Prince Yu’ fiance. The Empress and Empress Dowager also know about this.”

Something was clearly wrong; he had to investigate.

Anxious and burning with impatience, Wei Lingze left Xiao Qinghe behind in long strides.

Only after he was far away did Xiao Qinghe relax, slumping her shoulders with a sense of survival.

Fortunately, she no longer loved him.

Fortunately, she had long resolved to leave—she no longer had to live in constant fear for the rest of her life.

Night fell. Shen Qingyuan arrived by candlelight to fetch Chun Xi.

Princess Hengyang, still not fully satisfied, wanted to pull Shen Qingyuan into drinking, but he refused: “There are official duties tomorrow. To avoid delaying matters, I cannot drink.”

“Tch, getting old really is no fun.”

The princess expressed her disdain and tried to get Chun Xi to keep drinking. Shen Qingyuan intercepted her by lifting Chun Xi in his arms: “It’s late. I’ll take my wife home first.”

“No—”

The princess tried to keep them, but the prince consort intervened: “Madam Shen should go home. If the princess wants to drink, I can keep her company.”

Shen Qingyuan quickly left with Chun Xi. Princess Hengyang stared at the prince consort’s face for a while, then disdainfully said: “I’m tired of looking at this old face of yours. Boring.”

“You’ve spent ten years looking at others, princess. How could you be tired of me now?”

The prince consort sounded aggrieved, and it seemed he had a point. The princess examined his face more carefully.

“Wen Yanshu, your face is truly something. Over the years, I’ve seen countless men, yet none more handsome than you. If it weren’t for this face, I wouldn’t have wasted ten years of my life being gossiped about.”

Ten years.

Not a day or two, but over three thousand days and nights.

The prime years of a woman’s life.

Princess Hengyang was clearly drunk, the corners of her eyes reddening. Wen Yanshu half-kneeling, gently wiped the tears at her eyes.

“It’s my fault. I’ve wasted so many years of the princess. I will make it up to you properly from now on.”

“What can you offer to make up for it? Can you repay it all?”

As the princess tried to brush off his hand, Wen Yanshu held it firmly, interlacing their fingers: “I can use everything I own to compensate, this life won’t be enough. Next life, the life after that, I’ll keep repaying until the princess feels fully satisfied.”

The words sounded sweet.

Princess Hengyang curled her lips, then suddenly leaned forward, biting Wen Yanshu’s lips.

The bastard—after ten wasted years, he finally knew how to speak to make the princess happy.

She bit hard. Wen Yanshu groaned in pain, his breathing uneven, but he didn’t retreat. Instead, he cupped her head, pressing closer.

“Princess, last time the attempt didn’t work. Shall we try again?”

“Fine, but you have to beg me.”

Wen Yanshu lifted his head, a bead of blood forming on his bitten lip, almost seductively: “Your Highness, I beg you.”