While speaking, his hand on the neck of the Shilou gradually tightened. It was as if he would break her beautiful neck if she said anything that was unsatisfactory to him.
Feeling the hand continuously tightening around her neck, Shou Xi suppressed the frenzy in her eyes and looked up at him, "I never wanted to marry him."
Lu Zheng was very satisfied with her answer. The hand that was choking her neck loosened a bit, and his index finger gently rubbed the faint scar on her neck.
Bending slightly, a low, hoarse voice resonated in her ear: "Then who do you want to marry? Chao Wu? Or Xiao Reng?"
He sprayed his warm breath onto Shou Xi's ear, causing her to involuntarily tremble slightly, and a trace of excitement flashed in her eyes.
"Whoever you want to marry?" Shou Xi asked.
Lu Zheng's eyes narrowed dangerously, but his face still wore a gentle smile: "Of course, as long as you want, it can be anyone."
Hearing the restrained tone in his voice, Shou Xi's lips curved into a playful smile, but her voice was somewhat low:
"Why do I have to get married? Can't I just be my long princess forever? Or is it that you, Zheng Zheng, no longer want to take care of me?"
Lu Zheng had expected her to remain silent or choose to marry one of them, but he never thought she would answer like this. For a moment, he was stunned and could not react for a long time.
Waiting for a long time without a word from him, Shou Xi turned her head to look at him, her face expressionless but her voice colder by several degrees.
"Are you like them, hoping I die in the Western Border?"
"What nonsense are you talking about." Lu Zheng gently caressed her corner of the eye: "If you don't want to get married, then we won't."
At his words, Shou Xi's face also showed a smile, as if she had suddenly remembered something. She asked, "Zheng Zheng, do you have nothing you want to ask me about, like Lao Yao and Xiao…"
"If it makes you happy, it doesn't matter if I kill all of them." Lu Zheng played with her long fingers, and then touched the fearsome scar on her wrist.
His eyes darkened a bit, but his face still held a gentle smile as he casually said, "I heard you brought the Western Border's Crown Prince, Chu Yu, back with you too. Why didn't you turn him in? Could it be that you still have feelings for him, A Xi?"
When he said the four words "unresolved feelings", he unconsciously emphasized the tone. Although he doesn't know what experiences Shou Xi had in the Western Border, from the scars on her neck and wrist, he can guess a few things.
He also knew about the incident where Lao Yao actively provoked Chu Yu, and later designed to force Shou Xi to marry him for peace, as well.
Judging by these things alone, he could also imagine what Chu Yu would do to Shou Xi upon discovering that the person to be married for peace was not the one he wanted.
Therefore, for Shou Xi's hiding of Chu Yu, he had two thoughts: either she still had feelings for him, or she wanted to revenge on Chu Yu.
Of course, he was more inclined to the latter, but it didn't mean there wasn't a possibility of the first, so he wanted Shou Xi to hand over the person.
Shou Xi was not surprised that he knew about Chu Yu, after all; he was more deeply involved than she had imagined.
She looked up at Lu Zheng's dim eyes and smiled, "He treated me countless times, how could I have unresolved feelings for him?"
"If so, then hand him over." Lu Zheng used his finger to play with a lock of her hair, and his tone left no room for debate.
Shou Xi, however, did not comply as she had before. She simply said in a calm tone, "I want to handle it myself."
Lu Zheng did not seem surprised by her answer, and he looked at her for a while before saying, "Okay."
Shou Xi smiled and tried to pull her hand back, but instead of letting go, the grip was tightened even more.
"Do you fear me?" Lu Zheng stepped closer to her, his deep voice laced with a mix of tenderness and anger. "Why do you fear me?"
Shou Xi turned her head and hid her eyes, which were about to burst with excitement. She said, "No, it's just that it seems a bit improper."
Lu Zheng didn't think so and clasped her hand tightly with his, "We've been through this since we were young. How can it be improper?"
She thought to herself, "Truly a madman," but on her face, she looked a bit awkward. "But now it's different. You and I…"
Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of Zhao Xian's voice could be heard outside: "Your Majesty, Lord Xiang and several officials are requesting to see you."
Lu Zheng's eyes narrowed dangerously. He didn't need to think to know that they were in the palace to discuss the events of the past few days at the General's Mansion.
Shou Xi didn't want to continue the argument with him, showing understanding and kindness: "Zheng Zheng, let's deal with state affairs first."
Lu Zheng hid the coldness in his eyes and smiled gently at her: "Okay, you can leisurely explore the palace for now. I'll wait for you to finish dealing with things and then we can have dinner together."
Shou Xi agreed and withdrew her hand. She left the Palace of Inner Harmony with Chu Wu and Wanxiang.
Only after Shou Xi's figure disappeared did Lu Zheng look away, his tone cold as he said, "Let them come in."
-
Having been married to the Western Border for ten years, Shou Xi was no longer as familiar with the palace as she used to be. She wandered around the palace aimlessly with Chu Wu and a few others.
As she approached a pavilion, she intended to walk across the bridge to enjoy the scenery, but before she could step onto it, she heard the voices of two women conversing from inside the pavilion.
"Oh, Empress Dowager Rong, have you heard the news? The Long Princess has returned."
"I have heard, and I also heard that the emperor personally went to the city gate to meet her on the day she returned, and personally helped her down from the carriage."
"Mm, I really don't know what face she has to come back with, having married her son and seduced her father. If I were her, I would rather kill myself."
"Empress Xin, please don't say that. She is still the Long Princess of Liling."
"What difference does it make if she's the Long Princess? She's still just a shameless harlot. I've heard that she moved into the General's Mansion as soon as she returned."
After saying this, Empress Xin couldn't help but add, "I mean, she's truly shameless. A worn-out flower and withered branch trying to seduce her own brother-in-law. She's like..."
The rest of the sentence was not finished as Shou Xi dragged Chu Wu, who was about to draw his sword, out of the pavilion.
"Ladies chatting so happily, may I join you?" She wore a seemingly innocent smile on her face, but her voice was exceptionally cold.
Empress Dowager Rong and Empress Xin had been gossiping about someone's bad deeds, and the sudden interruption startled them both. They subconsciously looked toward the person who had just arrived.
As they saw Shou Xi, dressed in a fiery red gown, they both flashed a moment of surprise. When had there been such a beautiful woman in the palace?
Shou Xi ignored their gaze, walked straight to the opposite side and sat down, smiling exceptionally gently.
"Keep talking, why have you stopped?"
"Who are you? How dare you speak to me so disrespectfully?" Empress Xin didn't hesitate, assuming that Shou Xi was a new beauty in the palace and not worth paying attention to.
After all, she was the first woman to enter the palace after Lu Zheng ascended the throne. She relied on her family's status and didn't regard anyone other than Lu Zheng and Empress Wei with respect.
Empress Dowager Rong, on the other hand, was much more composed. She didn't rush to speak, but instead secretly gazed at Shou Xi. The more she looked, the harder her expression became. Could it be that…
Shou Xi supported her chin with one hand and tapped the table with the other from time to time, looking at them with a deliberate pause between each word, "I am the Long Princess that you call a worn-out flower, shameless, and someone who should commit suicide—Shou Xi!"
