Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Inside the capital city, the streets and alleys were lit up with lanterns and decorations, bright as day.

The streets were especially lively that day.

They brought Rong Er along to see the lanterns.

The streets were crowded with people, and the lanterns were dazzling, accompanied by laughter and chatter.

Children held sugar figurines and dough figurines, jumping around joyfully. Ying Shi spotted a sugar figurine shop and, overjoyed, handed Rong Er to him to hold while she went to queue up to buy sugar figurines.

Liang Yun waited outside the shop, patiently holding Rong Er. Rong Er could already talk, calling him "Dad" and her "Mom."

The weather was cold, with a chilly wind blowing in their faces, yet everything felt so warm and full. But everything suddenly stopped at that moment.

Ying Shi came out with the sugar figurine but didn't head their way. She seemed to have seen something, even dropping the sugar figurine she had queued so long for, and ran off, lifting her skirt.

"Where are you going?" Liang Yun called after her.

Ying Shi turned back but didn't answer, just smiled at the father and son from afar.

She was truly beautiful.

With red lips, jade-like features, black hair, and snow-white skin, her eyes were as clear and bright as a baby's. Her hair was in a loose bun, and she wore a plain velvet embroidered jacket. Today, she looked happier than ever, her lips curled in a smile, but not for him.

She opened her arms and ran into another man's embrace.

Through the crowd, he desperately wanted to reach her, to grab her, but his feet felt like lead, too heavy to move.

The man stood against the light, broad-shouldered and long-legged, his figure tall and straight. When he turned around, Liang Yun recognized him immediately.

The man called him "brother" with a distant yet triumphant tone.

"Thanks, brother, for looking after my wife these past days. Now that I'm back, I won't need your help anymore."

It started to snow, icy drops falling on him, the cold spreading. Rong Er, in his arms, began to cry loudly from the cold.

Liang Yun's blood ran completely cold.

He asked her, "Do you really not want the child you carried for ten months?"

Ying Shi, hiding in Liang Ji's arms, still smiling, her voice soft, "Shun Gong is back. You can keep the child, brother. Raise him well."

Liang Yun's mouth was filled with a heavy metallic taste, his body cold as ice, yet his chest burned with rage, the fire and ice alternatingly scorching him.

He looked at her, his laughter cold and heartless, "If you don't want him, neither do I."

He threw Rong Er to the ground, letting the snow cover the child, who cried loudly.

But the woman seemed not to hear, the streetlights illuminating her face, bright and soft, yet she remained heartless, "It was just a mistake. If you don't want it, then let it be."

It was just a mistake.

If you don't want it, then let it be.

She and her husband walked away hand in hand, laughing and joking together.

In the silent room, the agarwood incense in the gilded burner slowly rose, the fragrant smoke swirling in circles, gradually dissipating in the warm air.

Liang Yun suddenly opened his eyes, a sheen of sweat dampening his dark hair.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze landing on the figure sleeping soundly on the inner side of the bed. He stared longingly at her back.

After a long pause, Liang Yun cautiously reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, gently turning the sleeping Ying Shi to face him.

Ying Shi was in a deep sleep, and the motion roused her slightly.

She felt a weight pressing down on her, and just as she began to mumble in her sleep, Liang Yun had already cupped her slender neck, his lips pressed against hers.

His lips were bitter yet fervent, roughly claiming her mouth.

He poured his emotions into the kiss, delving deep into her lips, savoring the sweetness of her moist lips.

"Mmm..."

It wasn’t enough. He kept peeling off her layers of clothing, revealing the soft, jade-like curves beneath.

Liang Yun's hot breath felt like a serpent, moving up and down her neck and chest, gently sniffing, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him, leaving Ying Shi both ticklish and numb.

Ying Shi gradually woke up, frowning and firmly refusing him, "Don't mess around, I don't want to get pregnant and have another child."

Almost instantly, a vivid image formed in Liang Yun's mind, his eyes darkening.

"The medical texts say it’s safe to resume intimacy after two months. Today, I just want to please you, don't worry about getting pregnant, okay?"

Liang Yun's face was stern, his eyes proper, but his hands deftly slipped beneath her undergarments, caressing the softness between her thighs, continuing to seduce the young woman with his voice.

Since her pregnancy had advanced, the two had not touched each other for nearly half a year, and when they did, it was only through clothing.

Now, counting the two months, every touch, every glance, was like a spark igniting dry grass.

Ying Shi's eyes glistened with tears, her body flushed with a tempting redness, biting her lip and saying no, but secretly already wetting his fingers, she was unbearably aroused.

After checking the wetness on his fingers, Ying Shi had already shyly closed her eyes tightly.

When the softness in her hand turned hot, a strong, musky scent filled the air.

Ying Shi withdrew her hand, looking at the mess around her, some even dripping through her fair fingers onto the sheets.

She was shocked and angry, but Liang Yun was already skillfully wiping her hands.

Their passionate encounter had lasted well into the night.

With his body and mind comforted, Liang Yun lay beside her, gently closing his eyes.

His heart was a mess, filled with insatiable desires and fears, tormenting him day and night, making it hard for him to distinguish reality from illusion.

He could only comfort himself with brief pleasures, filling the void in his chest, alleviating his fears.

But after the brief pleasure came extreme torment, tossing and turning.

Liang Yun knew very well that if Shun Gong returned, he would easily destroy everything he had worked so hard to obtain. After all, she and he had a youthful love.

Even if Shun Gong were dead, he still couldn't compare, couldn't surpass him. If she found out he was still alive...

Would she be as heartless and ruthless as in the dream, turning away without a second glance?

Liang Yun slowly curled a helpless smile. Rong Er, Rong Er, you seem utterly useless.

Even your mother's heart couldn't be held onto...

The more he thought, the more Liang Yun's eyes became bloodshot.

Countless insane thoughts flashed through his mind, burning fiercely, only to be violently suppressed each time they arose.

Shun Gong, looks like you've grown up.

Finally, you're not as reckless as you used to be in your youth. It seems you've learned some skills during this time.

...

...

The wind howled in his ears.

Mounting his horse, he mercilessly whipped it again and again, the horse's hooves lifting off the ground, almost riding the wind. The flowers, trees, pavilions, and towers by the roadside blurred together, the forests rapidly receding.

Day after day, A Niu kept moving, dodging one group of pursuers after another.

Only when galloping at full speed on horseback did he feel an indescribable sense of relief. It was as if all the previous depression, pain, and despair had been left far behind, never to catch up with him.

The scenery before his eyes blurred past like a carousel.

Penniless, he had to repeatedly fight with others and steal horses from post stations, attracting one group of pursuers after another. He dared not stop. At first, it was aimless wandering, just evading...

As his memories gradually awakened, more and more fragments came back to him as he moved and evaded.

Later, he gradually remembered many things. Brief fragments kept appearing in his mind.

He remembered being the youngest son in his family, with a mother who loved him dearly and treated him like a treasure, and an elder brother. He didn't need to inherit the title, and because he was young, the elders in the family particularly favored him.

He was raised carefree and unruly. In his youth, he was the little tyrant that everyone in the capital found a handful.

His father passed away early, and it was his elder brother who took care of him, teaching him to read and write, to understand things, and military strategy. But he always disliked those things, never wanting to learn them. Because he had more important things...

He often traveled between the capital and Chen County, a road he had traveled hundreds of times. The scenery, every tree, even with his eyes closed, he could remember.

The wind, the clouds, and the people here... the closer he got, the more he remembered.

He remembered, he seemed to have had a sweetheart early on, a fiancée, and this road led to her home.

Everything was fine originally; he was about to marry her.

The more he remembered, the more pain followed. His headaches became more severe, feeling like countless needles were stirring inside, pricking him.

He had only one thought in his mind: someone was waiting for him.

He had to go to Chen County and find her immediately.

Two years... He had been gone for two years... he had wasted two years.

He had been wandering and drifting, covered in dust, remembering more and more.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps heaven didn't want this pair of lovers to miss each other, but he heard news of her by chance.

Outside the capital, many people still remember that sensational wedding.

A wedding between the son of an aristocratic family and the legitimate daughter of a prestigious household.

"It's truly a story that brings tears to one's eyes. That lady is indeed a model of virtue and loyalty. Even after her fiancé's death, she remained steadfast to their prior engagement. It's said that on that day, the bride wore a phoenix coronet and ceremonial robes, her head covered with a red veil, adorned with dazzling golden ornaments, so splendid and luxurious, yet underneath, she was dressed in mourning clothes!"

That day, the wedding procession from the capital to Chen County proceeded as planned, with suona horns playing, and the streets and alleys were packed with onlookers, all drawn by the grand spectacle.

From Chen County, they took a boat, then switched to a carriage, and after a journey of twists and turns, they finally stopped in front of Duke Mu's mansion.

Before the mansion's gates, white silk covered the ground, and everyone was dressed in mourning attire. It was a unique wedding, without a groom, without the usual cheers or blessings. As soon as the bride stepped out of the sedan chair, she removed her wedding attire and, holding a spirit tablet, walked in.

"Yes, it's said that the lady fainted from crying while holding the spirit tablet... Alas..."

At this point, the women couldn't help but wipe away their tears.

A man resting nearby suddenly pushed his chair away and staggered to his feet. He moved so suddenly that the table shook, spilling the tea.