Chapter: 136.2 out of 171
Before she could finish her words, Wei Luo leaned over, grasped her chin, and harshly raised Li Xiang’s face. She mercilessly asked, “What right do you have to beg me? Why are you telling me this? Why would I care who Li Song is thinking about in his heart?”
Wei Luo's gaze hovered over Li Xiang’s lower lip. It seems that she hadn’t been living well during the past few days. Her lips were dried and cracked. She was no longer a strikingly lovely girl. Wei Luo lightly laughed and her lips curved into a beautiful smile. Her eyes were bright and glittering.
Her tone slightly softened into a sweet and moving voice, “Li Xiang, aren’t you too presumptuous? Even if Li Song wasn’t the one that injured Chang Hong, this matter is still related to House Li. Besides, the emperor was the one that personally supervised and examined this case. Do you really think the verdict can easily be changed?”
After Wei Luo thought something over, she straightened her body and lightly glanced at Li Xiang. “I wouldn’t be willing to help even if it was possible to change.”
In a few steps, she walked into Prince Jing’s residence. As she passed the guards at the entrance, she instructed, “If Miss Li wants to kneel here, then let her keep kneeling here. You don't need to pass on any messages or news.”
The servant sympathetically glanced at Li Xiang, then he turned his head and respectfully said, "Understood, Your Highness."
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Wei Luo was a hard-hearted person. She would never reconsider a decision after it was made or regret not changing her mind once she disliked someone.
She didn't tell Zhao Jie about this brief episode.
On the next day, a prison cart brought Prince Ru Yang to the south main street. He was beheaded at the southern east gate. Prince Ru Yang’s family that had once been famous started its downward spiral towards decline.
Because Zhao Zhang was implicated by Prince Ru Yang's actions, Emperor Chong Zhen wasn't happy with him. After Emperor Chong Zhen called him to his study and questioned him, he put Zhao Zhang under house arrest for three months. He wouldn’t be allowed to take a step out of his residence until the three months passed. Emperor Chong Zhen even took back the government affairs that he had recently given to him and handed the work over to Zhao Jie to deal with.
Gossip came from the imperial courts that Emperor Chong Zhen was going to declare who would be the heir apparent.
Zhao Jie would be overseeing the beheading. Around noontime, seeing that Zhao Jie hadn't returned, Wei Luo called Yang Hao to her side and asked, "Why hasn't His Highness returned yet?"
Yang Hao had been left behind by Zhao Jie to protect Wei Luo. With his head lowered, he said, “To respond to Your Highness, His Highness has to go to the palace to report to His Majesty after the beheading.”
After Wei Luo thought it over, it seemed reasonable, so she didn’t ask any more questions.
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Towards the evening, it suddenly started to rain. Raindrop after raindrop fell. The ground quickly became wet as the rain became heavier. Wei Luo was standing next to a window. She rested her chin in her hand as she admired the view of the rain falling on the osmanthus flowers in the courtyard.
A short while later, a servant girl came inside. She saluted Wei Luo and said, “Your Highness, there someone outside that wants to see you and hopes that you’ll come outside.”
Wei Luo turned her head, “Who wants to see me?”
The servant girl shook her head, “This servant doesn’t know. The person had an unfamiliar face.”
Wei Luo's expression didn't change. "Then, ask the person's identity and reason for wanting to see me. If the person doesn't answer, I won't see that person."
The servant girl withdrew from the room.
Wei Luo walked to a cabinet in the corner and took out a frame for embroidering from a basket. The frame held the tops of the shoes that Wei Luo was embroidering for Zhao Jie. However, her embroidery skills weren’t very good. After one month, she still hadn’t finished. It would probably take her two more months to finish sewing this into shoes. Wei Luo had Jin Lu light the candles, then Wei Luo embroidered for almost an hour underneath the candlelight.
Just as she raised her head to rest her eyes for a bit, the previous servant girl came inside again. Her tone was slightly distressed as she said, “Your Highness, that person has been staying in the rain for such a long time. No matter what I say, the person won’t leave…”
Wei Luo put down the embroidery frame. She had already guessed who that person was. She had Jin Lu bring an umbrella over, then she stood up and said, "Let's go out and look."
Outside Prince Jing's residence's entrance, Li Song was sitting on a tall black horse. He was wearing a woven rush coat. The rain had inevitably soaked his handsome face. His dark eyes were like unfathomably deep pools. Seeing Wei Luo coming out, Li Song’s gaze slightly moved. But, he didn’t move forward and only quietly stayed in place.
Wei Zheng had already been buried. Duke Ying and Wei Kun had gone to her funeral. Wei Kun felt very sad and thought that Wei Zheng had been too foolish. The person that had been the most upset was Du-shi. Du-shi embraces her coffin and cried for a long time. When she returned to Count Zhong Yi’s residence, her mind was unclear and she seemed slightly deranged.
Wei Luo already knew all about this.
Wei Luo stopped at the entrance’s eaves. She raised her eyes and looked at Li Song, who was in front of her. There wasn’t the slightest surprise in her eyes. “Why are you here in front of my home? It’s too late for you to learn to beg for pity.”
This young girl’s mouth was always so poisonous. From the very beginning, she made him hate her to the point that his teeth felt itchy from wanting to bite her. But still, he couldn’t stop longing for her.
Li Song looked at her, “Li Xiang came to look for you yesterday?”
Wei Luo curved the corners of her lips and didn't express an opinion.
Li Song asked, "What did she say to you?"
“She said many things. What do you want to know?” Wei Luo handed the oilpaper umbrella that was painted with orchids to Jin Lu. A raindrop coincidentally rolled down from the umbrella at this moment to drip down to the corner of her eye. The raindrop slipped down her cheek. Her eyes were clearer than the raindrop.
“She thought that I would stop disliking you if she told me that Chang Hong’s injury wasn’t caused by you. But, Li Song, I won’t feel bad that you decided to take responsibility for Li Xiang’s actions. You reap what you sow.”
Li Song moved the horse slightly closer to her. He didn’t say a word as he stared t her small face. He suddenly smiled and said, “Who wants your sympathy?”
Before Wei Luo returned to her senses, he untied something from his waist and threw it at Wei Luo. Wei Luo instinctively retreated a step back and the item fell onto the ground in front of her. When she moved closer, she saw that it was a knotted red waist accessory. There was a piece of jade tied to the accessory. The jade had been separated into two pieces after falling onto the ground. Wei Luo lowed her eyes to look. It was a circular jade piece that resembled a lotus root. She didn’t understand his action.
(T/N: Below are pictures of various knotted red waist accessories.)
Ch 136 - knotted red string.png
Ch 136 - knotting string 2.png
Li Song seemed as if he didn’t care that the jade had been broken. He turned his horse around and headed towards one of the capital’s gates.
He had already spoken with Elder Princess Gao Yang. He was going to leave the capital and travel around. Perhaps, he might never return.
That jade piece was something that was given to House Li’s heir’s wife. When Wei Zheng married into Prince Ru Yang’s household, he had never thought about giving this to her. It felt good to throw this at Wei Luo. At any rate, he wouldn’t be giving this to anyone else.
Before he had ridden far, he saw a parked carriage. The carriage’s curtain lifted and he saw a person sitting inside.
Zhao Jie was leaning against the carriage’s wall. He didn’t know how much of the previous scene Zhao Jie had seen.
Li Song tightened the reins and stopped the horse. He directly faced Zhao Jie.
Zhao Jie’s phoenix eyes were unfathomably deep. He took the umbrella that Zhu Geng handed to him, came down from the carriage, and said in an understated tone, “Cripple his martial arts ability.”