Chapter 210.3
Chapter 210.3
Startled, Xiao Jirou stood up and exclaimed, “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
The person didn’t respond, instead trying to grab her and pull her outside. Xiao Jirou resisted, struggling against the person. Growing impatient, the person lifted her onto his shoulder and climbed out of the window.
The person’s pace was fast, and Xiao Jirou felt like the world was turning upside down as she was carried away. The stone path turned into muddy ground, then twigs and branches cluttered the way. She felt her stomach churning as she was jostled around, and it took her a while to recover after being set down.
Xiao Jirou had never been in such a sorry state before. She glared at the person in front of her and said in annoyance, “Zhao Youji, what exactly do you want to do!”
Qing Wang’s eye sockets were sunken, with a layer of darkness around them, which, against the backdrop of the quiet and deserted rear mountain, added a sense of gloom.
“I also want to ask you, what do you want to do!?”
“I haven’t done anything. It’s you who suddenly took me out. Hurry and send me back. If my second brother finds out I’m not there when he comes back, he’ll be anxious. And Qiong’er, she’ll definitely cry.”
“This time you came out just to offer incense, not to have a rendezvous with some wild man, right?”
Xiao Jirou didn’t know why she felt guilty, saying, “What are you talking about? Just bring me back quickly!”
Her guilty demeanour was evident, fueling Qing Wang’s jealousy and anger: “So you did come out to have a rendezvous with some wild man…”“Wild man or not, we are already divorced!”
The thing Qing Wang feared to hear the most was this sentence, so every time Xiao Jirou said it, he felt tortured and had no words to respond. He was in the wrong, and he was the one who hurt her. He had no face to argue. But at the same time, he recalled words someone had said to him —
“You and sixth sister-in-law have been a couple for many years. You must have a special bond. If she really wanted to leave, she could have done so when you were punished to guard the mausoleum. Why wait for you for so long? It’s because she’s attached to you, unwilling to part with you. Even if the person she’s attached to isn’t you, there’s still the two children. This is how women are: narrow-minded and prone to jealousy. If you don’t know how to coax a woman and expect to enjoy the benefits without putting in the effort, get ready for chaos in your backyard…”
“There are only a few ways for men to coax women: being thick-skinned, cunning, sweet-tongued. Say whatever she likes to hear. Of course, this isn’t based on my experience, but on those women in my brother’s back courtyard. When my brother shows a stern face, they’re all scared and obedient… But there’s a limit to everything. Just scaring them won’t do. You need to understand their hearts…”
“That matter, I don’t acknowledge it. I regret it.” He regretted it a long time ago.
The thing he regretted most at the Yanshan Mausoleum Garrison was writing that divorce letter. But deep down, he knew that if he wasn’t in the capital, she wouldn’t leave.
Look at him, how despicable he was. On the surface, he pretended to be magnanimous by giving her the divorce letter and setting her free. But in his heart, he had calculated that she wouldn’t actually leave. So when Xiao Jirou actually wanted to leave, Qing Wang was truly panicked. He wished he could abandon everything and return to the desolate Yanshan, just as long as she could continue to stay in the Qing Wang Manor and remain his Qing Wang Consort.
Xiao Jirou looked at Qing Wang in disbelief, too angry to speak coherently.
“Have you no shame? How can you say such things?”
“I regret it! I want to take it back!”
As Qing Wang spoke, he pulled Xiao Jirou into his embrace, holding her tightly. His voice was filled with pain and struggle, his breath was hurried, and it was full of pleading, “I regret it! I regret it! I’ve regretted it for a long time! Jirou, I won’t let you go. I was wrong, I know I was wrong! I can’t face you and admit my mistake, I know nothing can compensate for the harm I’ve caused, but I was truly wrong. Please don’t leave… Please…”
“Look, we still have Yan Ge’er and Zhuzhu. If you leave, what will happen to the two children? Are you willing to let them grow up without a mother? These days you haven’t been at the residence, every time Yan Ge’er and Zhuzhu ask me where you went, I don’t know how to answer. They’ve grown up, they’re sensible. They’ve only asked twice, but I know they think about you every day…”
Xiao Jirou was so angry that her lips trembled. She pushed him away forcefully, tears streaming down her face: “Zhao Youji, you’re shameless. You dare to involve the children…”
Seeing Xiao Jirou cry, Qing Wang panicked. He hurriedly wiped her tears and said, “I didn’t mean anything else. Besides, can you bear to part with Yan Ge’er and Zhuzhu?”
She was unwilling to part. It was because she couldn’t bear to part that she was tormented by pain and confusion.
Qing Wang looked at her cautiously, “Jirou, give me a chance to repent. I will treat you well and take care of the two children.”
Xiao Jirou took a deep breath, wiped her tears, and without looking at him, said, “Send me back first. I must go back.”
Pain immediately appeared on Qing Wang’s face. “Do you still refuse to forgive me? I won’t let you go. Don’t even think about leaving. I went to the Imperial Clan Court to check. The divorce letter hasn’t been received, and you haven’t been removed from the family registry. You’re still my consort. I won’t let you go…”
“Zhao Youji, what are you trying to do… mmm…”
Qing Wang pressed Xiao Jirou against a tree trunk, and he kissed her almost greedily. He had yearned for this for too long. When he was at Yanshan, he would ache all over every time he thought about it, and only by bathing in cold water could he temporarily alleviate this longing.
“Jirou, I miss you so much. Have you missed me?”
“I know you’ve missed me, and I’ve missed you too…”
Xiao Jirou finally caught her breath and scolded with a red face, “You have no shame, you’re despicable, you’re shameless… mmm…”
“I am despicable, I am shameless, I am vulgar, but I’m only vulgar to you…”