Jinting Han people

Chapter 32: Lord Anle Goes Crazy (5k)

Although it was already daybreak, Anle Gong's room was still dark. The door, windows, and bed curtains were all closed. The sunlight coming in from outside turned into a shabby gray in the blink of an eye.

The smell in the room was also very decadent. When Zhang Ximiao pushed open the door and came in, a strong stench of alcohol that seemed to be going bad suddenly overwhelmed her, making her cough slightly.

She took a few more steps forward, and the smell in the room became even more indescribable. The floor was littered with spoiled food scraps and various yellowed, warped men's and women's clothing. Next to the bed was a mat covered with a miscellaneous array of wine utensils. Beneath the mat, the charcoal in the brazier still burned quietly. The ash inside suggested that no one had replaced the brazier in two or three days.

This scene made Xi Miao frown even more, and then she looked at Anle Gong who was sleeping on the couch.

Sure enough, Liu Xun was lying naked on the couch, two of his three-layered quilt kicked over, while a dishevelled concubine, also naked, lay sprawled across his chest. Xi Miao looked over and noticed that the concubine, though silent, was trembling slightly, clearly awake. She was at a loss for what to do in front of her mistress, and fearing she might wake Prince Anle, she remained motionless, feigning sleep.

Zhang Ximiao sighed. At first, she would have been angry with Liu Xun about this, but now, she was numb. Zhang Ximiao didn't hide anything. She first picked up some relatively clean clothes, then straightened her back and slowly walked to the wooden window and lifted it up.

The daylight and the cold wind had been waiting for a long time. At this moment, they swept in from outside, and the room suddenly became bright. The bed curtains were lifted, and the coldness instantly spread all over Liu Xun's body, causing him to wake up suddenly.

"Who?" Anle Gong sat up without hesitation, leaving his concubine aside. He squinted his eyes and looked towards the light. When he saw it was his wife, he breathed a sigh of relief, and his whole body relaxed. He asked in a bad mood, "Why are you back? Didn't you say you were going to rest and take care of the baby?"

Zhang Ximiao came over with her belly bulging, threw her clothes on Liu Xun, and said, "I have something to discuss with you."

"what's up?"

"About warding off disease."

"I thought it was something serious." After hearing that it was about Liu Xian, Liu Xun simply lay back on the couch, squinting his eyes nonchalantly. "You've always made the decisions about his affairs. Why bother asking me? Just make the decision yourself."

Zhang Ximiao couldn't help but feel a little angry at Anle Gong's habitual indifference. She threw her clothes on the couch and said, "It's indeed a big deal."

"What's the big deal?"

"Bi Ji's marriage."

After Xi Miao finished speaking, he waited for Anle Gong's response, but Liu Xun remained silent. After a while, Xi Miao felt strange and looked carefully at Anle Gong. He found that his chest was slightly rising and falling, and there was a soft snoring sound coming from his nose. It turned out that he had fallen asleep directly after his head fell on the pillow.

Zhang Ximiao was stunned for a moment. She turned her head to look at the leafless willow branches dancing outside the window. Countless thoughts ran through her mind, and she felt extremely lonely in her heart.

When she got married, it was also the first month of the year. Outside her window, there was also a small pond and willow trees, but the spring breeze was gentle and the willow leaves were as soft as silk. She was only fourteen at the time, and she was both sad about leaving home and happy about marrying into the royal family. The night before her wedding, her mother talked with her all night and shed countless tears, both happy and sad. When they parted, her eyes were red and swollen.

At the time, Xinxing Prince Liu Xun was only sixteen years old, a youth with a fair complexion and a bright smile. He personally led his ink carriage to the front of Zhang's residence and distributed gifts to the children and elders who came to congratulate him. The surrounding area was filled with laughter and joy, and the atmosphere was extremely lively. When Xi Miao emerged in her wedding dress, the two young men and women shyly exchanged glances amid the crowd's blessings, and she immediately felt a premonition of a lasting happiness.

However, this happened a long, long time ago. Now, looking out the window and bathing in the desolate north wind of Luoyang City, Zhang Ximiao felt that he had never truly lived.

"Madam?" Anle Gong's concubine noticed that something was wrong with Ximiao and whispered, "You are pregnant. Don't be exposed to cold wind. Be careful not to disturb the fetus."

Zhang Ximiao turned around to look at her, thought for a while, and finally remembered her name. He smiled and said, "Your name is Xingnu, don't worry, I'm not that fragile. I have something to discuss with the adults. Since you are awake, put on your clothes and go out early."

"But if the Lord gets angry..."

"I'm here, don't worry."

The maid hurriedly and carefully stood up, afraid of disturbing Liu Xun and disobeying her mistress. After putting on her clothes, she bowed to Zhang Ximiao and hurried away.

After watching her go away, Zhang Ximiao turned her gaze back to her husband. She moved again, sat directly at the head of the bed, and touched his face with her cold right hand.

This startled Liu Xun again. When he saw his wife's face, he immediately pushed her hand away and complained, "Why are you still here? Didn't I tell you? You can decide for yourself whether to ward off the disease or not."

Zhang Ximiao remained unmoved. She held Liu Xun's hand and, with an unprecedented seriousness, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Liu Lang, this is no small matter! This is Bi Ji's marriage!"

"What?!" Liu Xun heard it clearly this time. He sat up and asked, "When did this happen? How come I didn't know about it?"

Zhang Ximiao let go of his hand, sighed inwardly, and slowly replied, "It's about what happened yesterday. Someone proposed marriage through Mr. Ruan, so I came to discuss it with you."

"What family? They're not from some poor family, are they?" Liu Xun threw a robe over himself and said casually, "If their family background is too low, we can just turn them down!"

Zhang Ximiao pretended not to hear. If Duke Juancheng hadn't taken the initiative to propose marriage, would he have had any choice? Wasn't it because Duke Anle was neither high nor low that Bi Ji hadn't gotten engaged yet? Her husband seemed to live in a vain world, completely unaware of what life was like. So she just said, "He's not from a poor family, but a good match for ours."

"Equally matched? What kind of family?"

"It's the Duke of Juancheng's Mansion."

"Duke Juancheng..."

"It's the Imperial College Doctor and Priest, Duke Cao Zhiyun Gong!"

Hearing this name, Liu Xun completely woke up. He looked at Zhang Ximiao suspiciously and asked word by word, "Is he the grandson of Cao Cao, the son of Cao Zhi, and Sima Yan's childhood friend?"

"Why would he come to propose marriage?"

"That's what it is."

Xi Miao briefly introduced to her husband the process of Liu Xian meeting Juancheng Gong at Xiao Ruan Gong's place and then winning Juancheng Gong's appreciation. She highlighted her child's excellence as much as possible and the impact of this engagement on Liu Xian's future, hoping that her husband could understand these as much as possible and not have any other ideas.

Finally, Xi Miao concluded, "Duke Juancheng has excellent upbringing. It's a great fortune for him to have chosen Bi Ji. When Duke Ruan arrives, even if his demands are excessive, you and I must accommodate them and make this marriage a success."

Duke Anle remained silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

Zhang Ximiao was afraid that he would lose his temper and say something like how Liu Bei's great-grandson could marry Cao Cao's great-granddaughter, saying it was a disgrace to the family and a betrayal of ancestors. But this did not happen, which made her feel a little relieved, and then she began to wait for his reply.

However, Anle Gong seemed to be lost in thought for a bit too long. He put on all his clothes in silence, then walked around the room twice, still not saying a word. This made Xi Miao a little puzzled, so she asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"Madam," Liu Xun said slowly, "I think there's something fishy going on."

This sentence was completely incoherent and made Zhang Ximiao even more confused: "Liu Lang, what are you talking about? Isn't this a marriage?"

"You don't understand." Liu Xun stroked his chin and said gloomily, "This looks like a marriage, but it's actually a trap, a strategy of Sima Yan!" "Strategy?"

"Our family has never had any dealings with the Juancheng Mansion. Decades ago, our ancestors were even at loggerheads. How could someone like this marry into our family for no apparent reason?"

"This isn't for no reason..."

Duke Anle waved his hand to interrupt his wife's words, looking out the window and said, "Don't be fooled by his words that he admires Bi Ji. But Cao Zhi is so old, what kind of young men has he not seen? And he fell in love with a brat like Bi Ji. This glance is just an excuse. He said he was marrying his daughter here, but he must have other intentions..."

How many children like Bi Ji are there in the world? Hearing her husband's prejudice against children, Zhang Ximiao really wanted to interrupt him loudly: As a father, why do you look down on your own son like this?
But she also understood that for Liu Xun, who never paid attention to his children, this would only stimulate his rebellious psychology.

She could only suppress her dissatisfaction and change the subject, asking, "What can our family plot against?"

"Good question!" Liu Xun couldn't see Xi Miao's expression, but instead became more and more excited as he spoke, and his words became more and more fluent. "What could Cao possibly intend when she saw Liu? Of course, she'd try to exterminate the whole family in revenge!"

"If Bi Ji marries that A'Luo, and she becomes a member of our household, wouldn't she be able to falsely accuse us of Bi Ji's wife after a while? Whether they're accusing us of disrespect, conspiracy to rebel, or spreading rumors, even if there's no evidence, with Cao Zhi's connections and network, wouldn't he be able to make a solid case?! Then, our entire family will be executed!"

What nonsense is this! Zhang Ximiao could no longer bear to listen. He kept talking about exterminating the whole family. Did he treat killing someone as killing a chicken? He also made a false accusation. Did he need to marry someone? He only needed to bribe a servant to solve the problem, but he wanted to sacrifice his daughter. He thought too highly of himself! But he couldn't say this directly, because it would pierce his husband's fragile self-esteem and drive him crazy. Ximiao could only continue to persuade him in a roundabout way:
"The Duke of Juancheng has been an official for decades and has no enemies. This shows that he has a gentle temperament. How could he do such a thing?"

Obviously, persuasion was futile. Liu Xun easily dismissed his wife's doubts: "You are right. I met Cao Zhi at the annual meeting. He was in a state of depression. Even if he had such thoughts, he wouldn't have the courage. But what if Sima Yan was behind this? He and Cao Zhi were childhood friends and had a good relationship. How could he not know that Cao Zhi was going to marry his daughter off? It's impossible!"

"And a while ago, Sima Yan even pretended to be so charitable, deliberately creating a factional dispute, dismissing Cao Zhi from his post, and then pretending to meet him by chance through Ruan Xian. Isn't this a self-torture tactic, designed to allay our concerns? I know him too well. Sima Yan seems kind and benevolent, but in fact he is as treacherous as his grandfather. One thing leads to another, and they are waiting for us here!"

After this deduction, Duke Anle came to an ironclad conclusion. His eyes were as firm as if he had witnessed the entire process of the emperor and Duke Juancheng's conspiracy. He kept muttering, "Everything makes sense, it makes sense..."

He finally said in a resounding voice, "Madam, we must not fall into this trap!"

Zhang Ximiao was desperate. Before coming, she had expected Liu Xun to refuse. After all, she knew her husband would never forget the hatred for his country and his family, and that was beyond reproach. She, too, felt the same way. So, she planned to use her wifely tenderness to dissolve the resentment in Anle Gong's heart. But Ximiao never imagined her husband's rejection would come in such a bizarre, almost fantastical, form.

Sima Yan was the current emperor. If he wanted to kill someone, why would he go to such lengths? Why did he even go to such lengths to plot against Duke Anle, even engaging in a life-and-death struggle with his own brothers?
Even if what her husband said was true, and it was indeed a murderous plot by the emperor, and he refused this time, what would happen next time? Would he be able to escape next time? Sima Zhao had Ji Kang executed on the charge of "harming the state and disrupting religion." Isn't her husband more worthy of the title than Ji Kang?
At this point, Xi Miao no longer knew how to take Liu Xun's feelings into consideration.

Anle Gong seemed to live in a completely different world. He could not see Biji's growth, could not see the kindness of others, and could not even see his own meanness and insignificance. It seemed that everyone and everything in the world existed to influence his thoughts and moods, and that otherwise there would be no meaning.

How could she obey him? She had already obeyed him for so long. If she reluctantly obeyed him this time, what would she do next time? And what would she do the next time? Lies only led to lies, and there was no end in sight for such days.

At the same time, Xi Miao sadly discovered that she no longer recognized her husband. All she could do now was to express her true thoughts and opinions to her husband and wake him up!

So Xi Miao said, "No."

She looked at her husband and repeated wearily but firmly, "No!"

Liu Xun turned around abruptly, his red, turbid eyes meeting a pair of clear eyes. Duke Anle asked in disbelief, "Are you crazy?"

"You're crazy." Zhang Ximiao stared at her husband and said calmly, "You just said a bunch of nonsense."

Liu Xun's eyes widened. In the sunlight, veins on his forehead throbbed, and his brows began to twitch unconsciously. "Don't you understand? This is Sima Yan's strategy, a strategy to kill us!"

"What evidence do you have?"

"Isn't this obvious? Why do we need any more evidence?"

"This is just your imagination," Zhang Ximiao said word by word. "Liu Lang, you look like this now. Why don't you look in the mirror? Do you really need someone to plot against you? You're already living a life worse than death."

"Hahaha, you're crazy! How could I..." Duke Anle wanted to continue scolding his wife, but after hearing her words, he subconsciously glanced at the bronze mirror beside him and was stunned for a moment. The person in the mirror was disheveled, with disheveled hair, a face so thin that his cheekbones bulged high, and a pale face, as empty as a ghost. Coupled with those red, cloudy eyes, he looked like a monster seeking death.

Is this him? Anle Gong couldn't recognize it, nor was he willing to admit it. He quickly turned his back and muttered, "Someone poisoned me, someone must have poisoned me..." Then he suddenly woke up from a dream and shouted, "There's a thief! Catch him quickly--"

With a "pop", Anle Gong's voice was interrupted.

He looked at his wife in disbelief. Zhang Ximiao raised his hand and did not retract it.

Zhang Ximiao looked at Anle Gong sadly, tears as big as pearls rolling down her cheeks. Although she tried her best to keep her voice calm, her body could not stop shaking. "Liu Lang, wake up... If you continue like this, will you be worthy of the ancestors of the Han Dynasty? Will you be worthy of your elder brother..."

Duke Anle seemed to understand a little. He stood up and responded to his wife with an equally sad look. He also recovered from his hysterical state. He said softly, "So, it was you who poisoned..."

Then he smiled dejectedly, took a few steps forward, and asked softly, "You can't stand it anymore and want to abandon me, right?"

He placed his hands on Xi Miao's shoulders, forcing her to take a few steps back like an iron clamp, and then continued to ask: "Back in Chengdu, it was actually all my fault, right?"

At this point, Xi Miao leaned against the wall, and Liu Xun finally lost his patience and almost roared, "Actually, I was the one who deserved to die that day, right?!"

When emotions erupted like an incredible fire, reason only became fuel to the flames. Unprecedented anger and violence dominated Anle Gong at this time, leaving him with only one thought: to rage and seek revenge.

During this process, he was unconscious, only feeling a sense of catharsis. It was like a prisoner on the execution ground, finally waiting for the clean and sharp cut of his head, and the years of pain and depression that had been suppressed in the world were swept away at that moment.

But when Duke Anle regained his senses and gradually woke up, the scene before him stunned him.

Zhang Ximiao fainted on the bed, her eyes closed and her lips pale. Her originally bulging abdomen had now become flat. Scarlet blood was dripping from her red dress, forming a small pool of blood on the ground, and there was a mass of unrecognizable flesh in the pool.

Liu Xun stared at everything in front of him motionlessly.

It was quiet at noon in the first month of the lunar year. Footsteps were heard in the distance. It was the girl who heard something was wrong and Liu Xian who followed her.

Liu Xun felt as if his entire body had collapsed, without a single ounce of strength. He didn't know how to face the crowd, much less how to explain himself. He couldn't believe he had made such a terrible mistake. Was this an illusion? Was this a nightmare? Duke Anle tried to summon the rage he'd felt during the violence, to stand here with a clear conscience, but the result was nothing, leaving him feeling even more terrified.

This panic was like a demon threatening to devour Liu Xun, enveloping him in every sphere. As the footsteps approached the door, Liu Xun could no longer bear it. He felt himself unprecedentedly ridiculous, yet he had to remain ridiculous. So he leaped out the window, escaping into the shadows of the woods, and then ran without stopping.

And behind his hurried back was Liu Xian's sorrowful cry.

　A new round of PK is about to begin. Please vote and read on. This is really important to me. Your support is my motivation to update. Thank you~
　　I would also like to thank Yangyu for pretending not to be there and Geshu for their donations.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)