The Slender Waist-Chapter 375 - 267: Competing for a Man

Wen Xingsu looked at the woman standing at the pinnacle of power in Dajin, obstinate, cruel, and venomous, and said calmly,

"I am ashamed. If anything does come to light, I am willing to accept any punishment the Empress Dowager sees fit."

Li Sangruo laughed.

Couldn’t the Imperial Cavalry Division forge a fake letter if needed?

If she wanted him to have it, then he inevitably would.

"General Wen is an upright gentleman. I suppose you can’t imagine the methods the Imperial Cavalry Division uses in investigations."

She, half-drunk, lifted the corners of her mouth in a faint smile, almost not bothering to hide her emotions, looking as if she had more to say but chose not to.

"There’s nothing to be gained from opposing me. Why not just agree with me, General Wen?"

Wen Xingsu looked down, "I am a student of Mr. Yan, and students should not surpass their teachers, let alone contend with them. Why must the Empress Dowager make things difficult for me?"

Humph!

Pretending not to understand, are you?

Li Sangruo watched him with a smile, her eyes rippled with layers of interest.

"Dajin has strong soldiers and sturdy horses, and it wouldn’t be the end to lose Xinzhou. How we took it from the people of Qi in the past, we can take it back the same way in the future, if I so desire. Even if we lost it, it wouldn’t matter. My point earlier was... "

She trailed off, chuckling slowly.

"It would be a pity if General Wen, such an outstanding person, lost his life over such a trivial matter..."

At this point, she lowered her voice, as if with hooks, hinting to Wen Xingsu that her "agreement" could take other forms.

"General Wen, do you understand my intentions?"

Wen Xingsu’s lips were pressed tightly together in silence, his demeanor only increasing Li Sangruo’s curiosity.

She flicked her sleeve and slowly stood up, walking towards Wen Xingsu...

Wen Xingsu’s eyes were cast down, dark and unfathomable.

Inside his boots, there was a dagger.

In truth, he did not need a weapon to kill Li Sangruo; the blade was merely a more convenient tool for taking a hostage.

Wen Xingsu did not watch Li Sangruo, his mind rapidly calculating the various outcomes that each action could lead to...

The Phoenix-patterned Embroidered Shoes finally came into view.

Li Sangruo was completely oblivious to the danger, leaning in with interest...

"General Wen."

Wen Xingsu looked up, his gaze sharpening.

Just at that moment, a servant’s scream came from outside the door.

"Lord of Pingyuan County, you cannot go in."

"Get out of the way! I have urgent matters with my aunt; why can’t I go in?"

Puyang Yi was belligerent, charging in by herself with a domineering air. Any guard who didn’t know better and tried to stop her, she wouldn’t dodge but would bump right into them. The guards, frightened, would hastily retreat, fearing that touching or injuring her, they would have to answer for it later...

Using this shameless tactic, Puyang Yi managed to force her way through and burst straight into Li Sangruo’s room, violently pushing open the door.

"Aunt!"

A sharp rebuke interrupted Li Sangruo.

It also interrupted Wen Xingsu’s actions.

Wen Xingsu withdrew his hand, reverting to a seated posture, while Li Sangruo stood straight up, turning to look coldly at the intruding Puyang Yi, a fierce light in her eyes.

"How audacious, to barge into my bedchamber. Don’t you know any better?"

Puyang Yi glanced around in confusion.

"Bedchamber? What bedchamber is this? Isn’t this where my aunt had the Imperial Cavalry question General Wen?"

Li Sangruo was left speechless, unable to retort.

When power swells to a certain extent, when one can have whatever one wants and act as one pleases, no opposing voices can be tolerated. But Li Sangruo thought of her own mother, the Grand Princess, her aunt, and had to suppress her temper.

"Regardless of this place, Pingyuan, it’s not somewhere you should intrude upon."

Her face fell, as she assumed the posture of an elder.

Puyang Yi gave a faint smile, curling the corner of her lip, "I came to Xinzhou at my aunt’s invitation, my mother allowed it so that I could accompany my aunt, and naturally, I should stay by my aunt’s side..."

Since it was accompaniment, how could it be called intrusion?

She had been headstrong and disrespectful of rules since she was little, always having her own skewed logic. Li Sangruo gave a cold inward chuckle, calming her expression.

"Your aunt is engaged in official business, not personal matters; there’s no need for you to worry..."

"But I came to see my aunt on a personal matter."

Li Sangruo frowned, "Leave now, and we will discuss this later."

Puyang Yi glanced bashfully at Wen Xingsu, "Aunt, it’s very urgent."

Li Sangruo looked at her steadily, growing more impatient, "Speak, then. What’s it about?"

Puyang Yi’s gaze was shy, drifting down slowly to Wen Xingsu, biting her lower lip hesitantly; then, all of a sudden, in front of him, she knelt down before Li Sangruo.

"Please grant me this favor, Aunt."

Li Sangruo was startled, her face darkened as she looked down upon her.

"What is it, exactly? Speak clearly."

Puyang Yi looked up slightly, her voice clear and resolute:

"I have to confess, Pingyuan has long admired General Wen, and wishes to become husband and wife with him, to share our lives together..."

Li Sangruo was caught off guard, her pupils contracting slightly as she stared at Puyang Yi, speechless for a long while.

And Wen Xingsu, his usually impassive face, finally showed some emotion, looking at Puyang Yi with bewilderment.

Puyang Yi twisted the hem of her dress, continuing:

"It’s just that... before I had the chance to inform the elders at home, I heard that my aunt had summoned General Wen here, and I was so distraught, I rushed into the palace without regard... Please, Aunt, considering that Pingyuan has been a widow for many years, enduring hardship and loneliness, finally finding love, spare General Wen."

The implication is that since she took a fancy to him first, as an aunt, you shouldn’t compete with the younger generation for men.

Li Sangruo responded with a cold laugh.

Puyang Yi chose this particular time to arrive, neither earlier nor later. Could it be there was no trickery involved?

She said, "The thoughts of a young girl, please forgive her, aunt. This time, I won’t punish you. Go now. General Wen is suspected of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, and the Imperial Cavalry Division is conducting a thorough investigation..."

"Aunt," Puyang Yi gave a bow. "Lord of Pingyuan wouldn’t dare to trouble you with trivial romantic feelings, but right now, during the peace talks between Jin and Qi, Qi is not the enemy. Moreover, General Wen is originally from Qi. Every person has their family and kin; even if there were indeed letters exchanged, it could hardly be more than longing for family. How could that amount to collusion and treason?"

Li Sangruo was already impatient to listen to her nonsensical reasoning.

"Lord of Pingyuan, you should leave first and not get involved in state affairs."

When she couldn’t win the argument, she brought out the big accusations.

Normally, Puyang Yi would never meddle in these matters, nor would she dare to be so bold in front of Li Sangruo... 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

But at this moment, she was also a bit infuriated.

"Respected as the Empress Dowager, what kind of person do you not have access to? Why must you fight with Lord of Pingyuan? Isn’t it unsightly to say the least?"

"What did you say?" Li Sangruo didn’t expect her to be so bold as to speak outright and scoffed coldly.

"Do you realize that just for what you said just now, I can punish you for your crime."

"Then do so, aunt. Punish me and General Wen together. That way, it can also resolve a worry of Lord of Pingyuan."

"You..." Li Sangruo, of course, didn’t dare to punish her.

The Grand Princess is the authority figure among the imperial kin. As long as this world still bears the name Yuan and not Li, she will always be honored.

"Being so obstinate, aren’t you afraid I’ll complain to your mother?"

Puyang Yi slowly stood up, walked up to Li Sangruo, and gave a deep curtsy.

"Isn’t aunt worried about the current competition against Qi? What if Lord of Pingyuan has a way to help you win tomorrow’s game?"

Li Sangruo was startled, then scoffed, "You?"

Puyang Yi hesitated slightly, "Yes, me."

Compared to dealing with Wen Xingsu, winning the third round was obviously more important.

Li Sangruo lightly lifted her sleeves and asked indifferently, "What good strategy does Lord of Pingyuan have?"

Puyang Yi’s gaze flickered briefly, glancing at Wen Xingsu.

"I have a condition. If you want to win, aunt must also agree to my terms..."

-

The wind was cold, and the moon was chilling.

Wen Xingsu emerged from Cuiyu and immediately saw Feng Yun standing at the other end of the covered bridge. It was already early dawn, and under the quiet lamplight of the night, she was draped in a thick cloak, waiting under the eaves where snowflakes fluttered, her clothes billowing in the wind.

"Big brother."

When Feng Yun saw him, she strode outward, stepping into the swirling snow.

"Yaoyao..." Wen Xingsu’s voice caught in his throat, and he quickened his pace, sweeping her into his arms.

While in Cuiyu, he had considered many consequences.

The worst scenario was never seeing Ayun again.

When the warm woman fell into his arms, the impulse that came from surviving a disaster made him hold her tightly, unwilling to let her go even slightly.

"Yaoyao, after the negotiations, come away with me."

Feng Yun noticed how tense his body was, didn’t struggle, and allowed him to hold her, asking with a light laugh,

"Where to?"

Wen Xingsu said, "Away from the court, away from strife."

Feng Yun smiled slightly, her eyes lifting to look at Wen Xingsu’s deep and weary eyes.

"Big brother, there’s no such place in this world. Where there are people, there will be strife, and as long as we live, we’ll be subject to the court’s control..."

Wen Xingsu looked down at her.

Feng Yun continued with a smile,

"If you want not to be controlled by others, if you want no worries because of strife, then you must possess greater power of speech..."

Wen Xingsu’s brows furrowed lightly as he stared at the woman in the storm, her face pale from the cold, her expression smiling, so soft yet so resolute.

"It was big brother who was foolish."

Wen Xingsu said each word with pause, gently caressing her hair.

"To protect you, big brother can’t just be a big brother."

Merely having a loving heart wasn’t enough; he needed the strength to love, to fully protect her.

Feng Yun’s words struck like a hammer at Wen Xingsu’s heart, falling heavily and suddenly enlightening him. His eyes gleamed as he exchanged a glance with her, holding her hand.

"Let’s go, we’re heading home."

The two returned to Chunmeng Hall, dismissed everyone, and Wen Xingsu had Feng Yun sit by the fire to warm up. Only then did he gently inquire,

"Did you arrange for Lord of Pingyuan County to come?"

Feng Yun smiled, nodded, and then shook her head.

"Yes, I did find her. But she helped me, not out of old friendship, but because of her feelings for big brother."

"And what she said..."

Thinking of Puyang Yi’s sudden declaration, Wen Xingsu’s brows knit slightly, "Did Yaoyao teach her those words?"

Feng Yun had instructed Puyang Yi on how to handle Li Sangruo and told her that she should respond differently to different reactions. However, she didn’t actually discuss this matter, as she herself didn’t want to use emotions to manipulate Puyang Yi.

But Wen Xingsu didn’t specify, so she didn’t know he was referring to this.

"Yes, what does big brother think? Wasn’t Empress Dowager Li left speechless by the shock?"

Wen Xingsu stared at her face for a long time before a smile finally emerged.

"Indeed. Yaoyao is quite formidable, just a few words, and the Empress Dowager was left without a leg to stand on."