Chapter 113.3
In that moment, Zhao Heng thought of Li Wenjian.
He had raised her since she was a child, nurturing and protecting her meticulously.
But there were no promises between them.
He was kind to everyone, even to the stray animals he picked up. He was like the sun, shining equally and selflessly upon everyone in the world.
He loved all of his subjects equally.
And she was one of his subjects.
She was not good at reading people's hearts, unable to discern whether his kindness towards her was admiration or pity.
She wanted to write him a letter to ask, but couldn't help but wonder why he had rejected her company and failed to return promptly. As her thoughts delved deeper, she even began to suspect that this autumn banquet was another one of his calculated schemes.
Seeing the future Crown Princess, she knew it was sensible and tactful to withdraw herself, even arranging for so many handsome young men for her to choose from.
He had always been considerate of her feelings.
She couldn't say she was angry and irritable because he was about to have a Crown Princess.
Nor could she say that the endless rumors kept her awake all night.
She envied that serene and beautiful girl, envied her beauty, her illustrious family background, envied her being a dazzling and prosperous flower.
Her jealousy clouded her judgment, leading her to impulsively bite his shoulder.
Li Wenjian winced in pain, making a muffled sound, but he didn't release her wrist, still holding onto it firmly, and asked, "After all these years of pampering you, is this how you repay me?"
Zhao Heng's wrist was slightly sore from his grip, and she discreetly pulled her hand back to ease the discomfort. In the next moment, Li Wenjian sensed her attempt to slip away and pulled her into an embrace by her shoulders.
Zhao Heng's heart raced strangely as she heard Li Wenjian ask, "Are you thinking of marrying Chen Ke again?"
Deep in thought, Zhao Heng pondered the significance of that "again." After a long moment, she finally remembered a childish remark she had made when she was young about wanting to marry a certain boy.
She couldn't understand why those innocent childhood words could now be used against her as a weapon.
"I don't need your interference," she retorted.
Li Wenjian pulled her into a seat on a rattan chair, and Zhao Heng found herself sitting sideways on his lap, reminiscent of their childhood days when he would hold her while they read together.
Now that they were older, their most intimate gestures were when Li Wenjian would affectionately twiddle her nose, or when Zhao Heng would tug at his sleeve playfully.
This closeness, however, felt new and uncomfortable to Zhao Heng. She pushed against Li Wenjian's chest forcefully, trying to create some distance between them. His chest felt rigid with anger, his muscles as tense as stone.
Like trying to move a boulder.
As he restrained her hands, she tried to push back, but her efforts were futile as he held her firmly in his embrace, rendering her motionless.
Deflated, Zhao Heng sat on his lap, turning her head away in frustration.
"You both went to Langhuan Pavilion together, practiced archery together, even went to eat wontons at Chen Ji's together. Did you purposely deceive Ying Que by staying out late with him, thinking you'd be happier with him?" Li Wenjian's words were measured and deliberate.
His breath tickled her ear, stirring a subtle itch that burrowed straight into her heart, causing her to squirm uncomfortably. "It has nothing to do with Chen Ke. Without him, wouldn't I still have gone to Langhuan Pavilion, practiced archery with Wan Yu, and eaten at Chen Ji's? And do I have to get married? Even if I don't, and I shave my head to become a nun at the Imperial Temple, you can't control me."
Li Wenjian chuckled in exasperation. "Planning to become a nun again?"
With a broad palm, he easily circled her in his embrace with one hand, while the other gripped her chin. Applying a bit of pressure, her tongue was loosened, and her crimson lips trembled gently with each breath.
Li Wenjian's finger caressed her cherry lips, molding the soft petals between his slender digits.
Their skin brushed against each other, and Zhao Heng could even feel his distinct pulse through his warm fingertips.
"I consider you my most precious treasure, yet you only smile at other men," Li Wenjian said, not looking at Zhao Heng, and she couldn't see his expression either, only discerning her emotions from the slight tremble of her hand in his grasp.
He cupped her face, giving it a gentle pat. "Come on, tell me, am I inferior to him?"
Zhao Heng found his anger unfathomable. How could she be forbidden to have other friends when he was busy scheming for a Crown Princess for himself secretly?
With a strong-willed nature, Zhao Heng decided to stoke the flames of his anger with her own defiance.
"Why should I compare the two of you? I have never compared you," she asserted.
"One is the person who raised me from childhood, and the other is a like-minded friend I chose as an adult," Zhao Heng said pointedly. "What's there to compare?"
In a lowered voice, she continued, "You questioned whether I'm happier with him. Well, I can tell you now that I am. Even though Chen Ke may be frail, he is so engaging..."
Li Wenjian's grip on her chin tightened, causing her joints to ache and numb. The words she wanted to say were choked back into her stomach.
Expressionless, Li Wenjian remarked, "I remember you being cute when you were little. Why are your words now as sharp as a knife?"
Releasing his grip on her jaw, Li Wenjian turned her around forcibly, making her face him.
Zhao Heng looked down at him, her gaze avoiding his but inevitably drawn to him.
The man exuded a powerful aura like a deity in a fit of rage.
For some reason, Zhao Heng seemed to find a different kind of twisted satisfaction in his anger. She enjoyed seeing the deity lose control, wanting to see him consumed by fury.
"I also remember you used to be gentle, never as harsh as you are now," Zhao Heng mused softly, her eyes meeting his snow-like gaze. "Chen Ke wouldn't be like this, he..."
Unable to tolerate anymore, Li Wenjian's fingers dug deep into Zhao Hong's damp hair, firmly holding the back of her head. He lifted her chin with his other hand, leaning in to silence her with a fierce kiss, preventing her from uttering any more vile words.
After suppressing his emotions for so long, Li Wenjian's tense body trembled uncontrollably beneath the aggressive kiss.
In a moment of blankness, Zhao Heng's body went limp, like melting snow, and she reached out, clutching Li Wenjian's collar tightly in her palm.
Li Wenjian kissed her with ferocity, pressing his fingers firmly on her chin, causing every bone in that area to tingle.
Struggling to breathe, Zhao Heng found herself breathless, unable to catch her breath. She tried to turn away from the restraint, but the hand pressing against the back of her head forced her to tilt her neck upward, accepting his firm and urgent kiss.
She seemed to catch a whiff of the scent of budding greenery.
In her hazy consciousness, she seemed to glimpse a decrepit palace chamber with brocade robes and fox fur scattered on the floor, two bodies entwined on the furs. The once pristine brocade garments now twisted and wrinkled, sweat and heavy breathing turning the snowy winter night into a steamy affair.
Moonlight spilled into the room, illuminating Li Wenjian's exiled immortal-like face.
The unexpected scene rushed into Zhao Heng's mind, leaving her disoriented. What was happening to her?
In that moment, she inexplicably wanted him, to completely and wholly possess him.
As she was on the brink of losing all rationality, Li Wenjian finally released her.
Gasping for air, Zhao Heng slumped in the rattan chair, the drowning sensation not alleviated, with only his blurred and fierce expression in her sight.
Li Wenjian leaned in, his warm breath tickling her ear.
The next instant, her soft earlobe was enveloped in warmth, brushing against firm teeth.
His controlled and restrained bite made her whimper in pain. Slowly regaining consciousness, Zhao Heng realized her hand had already slipped into his collar.
Li Wenjian leaned in, his chin resting on Zhao Heng's neck.
Amidst the gentle rustle of falling snow, there was nothing in the world but their rapid breaths.
Trembling, Zhao Heng whispered, "Li Wenjian."
His voice was dark and hoarse as he caressed her hair, murmuring, "Would you want him to kiss you like this?"
Pushing Li Wenjian's hand away, Zhao Heng took deep breaths.
Li Wenjian reached out, cradling her slender neck, his sweaty forearm pressed against her skin, feeling her fluctuating breath, instructing her not to move.
Quiet and composed, Zhao Heng lowered her head, smoothing out the wrinkles on her skirt, then gazed at him silently.
"I will not become your concubine," Zhao Heng stated firmly. "Even if you kiss me or have skin-to-skin contact, or even if I shave my head to become a nun."
Li Wenjian placed both hands on the rattan chair, gazing at the resolute and calm maiden, staring at her slightly swollen crimson lips.
After a long pause, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"No," Li Wenjian declared softly. "I will not make you my concubine, and there will never be a concubine."
*
The next morning, when Zhao Heng woke up, the snow had stopped falling outside. The courtyard was covered in a thick blanket of white snow.
After changing clothes, Zhao Heng went to Li Wenjian's room to ask him to return to the palace with her.
There was no response after knocking on the door.
"Brother Shulang," the girl's voice was charming and shy, "it's time to wake up."
Still, no one answered from inside the room.
Zhao Heng hesitated for a moment with her hand on the door handle before pushing the door open.
Inside, the charcoal fire had burnt out, leaving a chilling air lingering in the room.
The occupant of the room seemed to have left at some point, leaving only a pile of burnt charcoal.
She paused for a moment before turning and walking out of the room.
A maid entered with breakfast and informed her, "His Highness the Crown Prince left for the palace early this morning."
Standing in the room, Zhao Heng felt slightly lost.
She looked at the overturned rattan chair on the floor, the pitiful chair that had borne the weight of two people last night and had been callously overturned by Li Wenjian.
Left so forlornly on the ground. The instigator had left without a word.
After a simple breakfast, she freshened up and instructed the steward in the outer courtyard to prepare the horses for their return to the palace.
As she emerged from the veranda, she saw a figure approaching through the pine courtyard.
Seeing him come and go, Zhao Heng was slightly surprised.
She knew he wouldn't leave her behind, but she was unsure why he had returned to the palace early in the morning without her.
A faint smile gradually appeared on the girl's bright face as Li Wenjian's gaze fell on her slightly upturned lips, and he smiled in return.
"Aren't you supposed to be in the palace?" Zhao Heng stood in the corridor,
Blushing at his smile, she moved behind a pillar to hide half of her face.
Li Wenjian looked deeply into her eyes. "If you didn't leave, how could I? I just forgot the gift I brought for you. I went back to get it and then came to meet you."
He walked towards her and handed her the box he was carrying.
Zhao Hong took the box but didn't rush to open it. Instead, she lifted her chin slightly and looked at him. "Weren't we supposed to return to the palace immediately. Why are you so eager?"
Unable to contain his smile, Li Wenjian chuckled, "Well, I can't wait for a moment, let alone half a moment."
Zhao Heng gazed quietly at Li Wenjian. He was truly handsome, and his smile made him even more attractive.
After all these years of looking at him, she found no one else as captivating as him.
At the autumn banquet that day, where numerous noble sons and daughters gathered, none of them could compare to him. Each time she looked at someone, she would subconsciously compare them to himâthe noble sons of the Xie family lacked his heroism, the Liu family's sons were not as gentle as him, the Zhang family's lacked his literary talent...
He was like the sun high up in the sky, incomparable, unmatched by anyone.
Zhao Heng opened the lock on the box and found a royal edict in bright yellow inside.
She looked perplexed at Li Wenjian, who met her gaze and gestured for her to unroll the edict.
Taking the scroll in her hand, she saw the golden words leap out at her. From the first word to the final vermilion seal, Zhao Heng's expression shifted from joy to disbelief.
It was an imperial decree proclaiming her as the Crown Princess, bearing the emperor's vermilion seal, its words gleaming like gold on white paper.
Last night, Li Wenjian had detected her uneasiness from her tearful plea, "I won't be a concubine."
Early this morning, he rushed back to the palace and implored the emperor to issue a decree establishing her as the Crown Princess.
He knew that this decree would soothe her emotions more than any words could.
"There's no date?"
Li Wenjian looked up at her. "You've always said the world is vast; don't you want to travel far and wide? If you must go, then I'll accompany you. When you're ready to settle down, we'll add a date to this decree and you'll become my Crown Princess."
In her previous life, Ah Heng had two great regrets: one was that her parents and grandmother had died, and she had ascended to the throne without ever becoming Crown Princess; the other was that she had been confined to the palace at a young age, never seeing the snow of the North or the flowers of the South.
Fortunately, heaven had given him a chance to make up for her regrets.
Zhao Heng gazed into his eyes, and after a while, her eyes welled up with tears. "You're always so good to me."
Li Wenjian smiled and reached out to her. Without hesitation, she placed her hand in his palm.
He squeezed it tightly and led her into the snow.
"Ah Heng," Li Wenshan called her name, "you are the treasure I will cherish for the rest of my life. You have no idea how much I love and respect you."
From the past life to this one.
From this moment on, for the rest of our lives.
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TNote:
The End!