Chapter 170: Chapter 171: Is Zhao Xiyan Confessing?

“`

What a mess!

Qi Yue’s lips twitched, unable to utter a word for quite some time.

This man… was he actually spreading rumors now?

She had agreed to set aside some time in the evening, but she never said anything about having dinner together.

“Yueyue.”

Accompanied by a soft and pleasant call, Zhao Xiyan had already approached her.

Seeing this, Nanny Zhang immediately reported that the banquet was ready and then cheerfully excused herself.

In the vast courtyard, suddenly only the two of them remained.

“Yueyue, it has been a long time since we sat together. You wouldn’t blame me for taking the initiative, would you?”

Zhao Xiyan’s beautiful eyes gazed at her, tinted with a hint of eager anticipation.

Qi Yue pursed her lips.

Given the circumstances, what could she say?

“No, this is fine. I also have many questions for you. Let’s eat first.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Good.”

Over the past few days, Qi Yue’s state of mind had changed time and again; now at last, it was serene.

The two of them ate, conversing in a laid-back manner.

Shen Yu, Zhao Yongzhe, and others were all back in the Capital City, residing in the Ducal Mansion as before, with everything as usual.

Cong Zhonglan, considered an adopted daughter of the Zhao Family, was also in the mansion.

Speaking of Zhang Zhao, Qi Yue heard a different story from Zhao Xiyan.

After his returning triumphant, he was conferred the title of Great General King, and he had also sought out Zhang Zhao. However, Zhang Zhao had decided to stay in Nanling to accomplish something before returning to the Capital City, entrusting Zhao Xiyan to look after Cong Zhonglan and her son.

Qi Yue actually agreed with this, given that he had been exiled for the crime of murder.

To clear his name completely, he would likely have to confront the ones who falsely accused him, and that meant dealing with another powerful force in the Capital City — a task Zhao Xiyan had no intention of meddling with.

And Zhang Zhao was probably very aware of this, so he settled on remaining peacefully in Nanling.

Soon they finished their meal, and the two moved to a tea set by the side.

Nanny Zhang came in to clear the table and brought over the tea-making utensils, then withdrew.

After brewing the first cup of tea, Zhao Xiyan finally broke the silence.

“Yueyue, had I known you were treating my leg for my sake, I would never have written the divorce papers.”

She believed him.

From beginning to end, he had never expressed any affection for her, but neither had he sought a divorce.

After all, she had saved him, she had saved Zhao Family members. A person like Zhao Xiyan would never bring up divorce simply because he held someone dear in his heart.

He would just keep that woman in his mind, silently reciting and thinking about her.

But she did not want such a man.

“I know. When I promised to cure you, I meant to see it through. But to obtain the White Rhino Horn, I could only leave to go to the Western Regions, so the only option was divorce.”

“I did all of this willingly, so you needn’t feel any burden. From now on, let’s not mention these past matters. Let’s talk about you instead. Why did you come to Longnan this time?”

Hearing the phrase ‘willingly,’ Zhao Xiyan couldn’t help but smile.

He thought Qi Yue was admitting to her feelings for him, not realizing that she was actually saying goodbye to the past.

“Yueyue is still so impatient. Let me clarify the matter with Princess Wei first, then we can talk more.”

Amidst the fragrance of tea and the clear moonlight breeze, the man’s storytelling, every gesture and action, was fatally attractive.

Qi Yue thought sadly to herself that he truly was the kind of man she would believe in no matter what he said.

Even now, even though she had decided to let him go, she couldn’t help but be mesmerized by him.

In Zhao Xiyan’s narrative, she heard a version of the story about Princess Wei that was entirely different from that of Qu Wei.

That day, when the Emperor decreed the marriage, Zhao Xiyan outright rejected the Emperor in front of all the officials, and also refused the title of Great General King that the Emperor bestowed.

But the next day, someone from the Imperial Palace came, saying the Emperor had agreed to revoke the marriage decree and that the matter of rejecting the Great General King title needed further consideration. They invited him to visit the Imperial Palace that evening.

Although an invitation from the Emperor left no room for refusal, Zhao Xiyan did not go.

“`

After all, the incident had occurred just the second day after he had returned to Capital City from the campaign, and he truly had no desire to be the Great General.

But the incident still happened.

The very next morning, just as he had woken up from home, he received the Emperor’s edict of marriage.

Furious, he stormed into the Imperial Palace, intending to find out what was going on, only to find that many people accused him of sharing a bed with the Eighth Princess the previous night.

Zhao Xiyan knew there must be something amiss, so he secretly went to the Princess Residence to investigate and found a man who both in stature and appearance, resembled him somewhat.

Taking advantage of the moment the Eighth Princess was with that man, Zhao Xiyan led his men to barge in and captured the man on the spot.

Upon searching, they found that the man was carrying a human skin mask and was actually a monk that the Eighth Princess had brought from outside.

With the truth revealed, the Emperor was thoroughly humiliated, agreeing to cancel the marriage arrangement and consenting to Zhao Xiyan’s resignation from his position as the Great General, allowing him to return to being the unoccupied Young Marquis as before.

However, to save the imperial face, the Emperor requested that this matter not be made public. At the same time, in order to deter the surrounding nations, the Emperor concealed the news of Zhao Xiyan’s demobilization.

“Yueyue, that’s what happened with the Eighth Princess. I haven’t even met that woman face to face; it’s clear that someone wanted to set me up.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Ye too was a bit startled.

She had not expected things to turn out this way.

Zhao Xiyan hadn’t done anything at all.

Suddenly she felt as though the bright moon in her heart had begun to rise again.

“Yueyue, when you said before that you believed in me, did you also think of this point?”

Zhao Xiyan gazed at her earnestly, his eyes flickering with flames.

Caught off guard, Qi Yue told a conscience-stricken lie.

“…Mhm, probably…”

Inwardly, though, she couldn’t help but scorn herself for having not seen him as quite so capable.

Hearing her words, Zhao Xiyan suddenly laughed.

“I knew it, Yueyue, you know me the best.”

By this time, the sky had dimmed, and lamps had been lit on distant towers, casting a faint glow, which threw shadows over everything in the hall.

“Yueyue…”

Suddenly, Zhao Xiyan called her tenderly, stretching his arm across the tea table and grasping her hand in one swift movement.

Qi Yue was so startled by this sudden move that she instantly dropped her teacup.

Zhao Xiyan still pinched her hand, showing no intention of letting go.

“Yueyue, I had two main reasons for choosing to return to Capital City. The first was to allow my father and mother to return to their former lives and free themselves from their status as criminals; the second was for you.”

“Yueyue, I want to stand up for you, to protect you…”

There was silence all around, but Qi Yue’s heart pounded violently.

Was Zhao Xiyan confessing his feelings?

Yet he hadn’t mentioned anything about Lady Bai Shao, and Qi Yue was just wondering whether she should ask him about it when she heard the flustered voice of Nanny Zhang coming from afar.

“Miss, Marquis, it’s not good, there are many soldiers outside…”

Qi Yue quickly withdrew her hand from Zhao Xiyan’s grip and began to fumble around to light the candles.

But Nanny Zhang had already arrived in the hall, holding a lantern in her hand.

“Miss, Marquis…”

Under the light of the lantern, Qi Yue quickly located the candlestick and lit the candles.

The hall brightened immediately.

Zhao Xiyan still carried his noble air, but he didn’t seem as aloof as usual, while Qi Yue was a bit flustered too.

Nanny Zhang looked at the two in surprise, belatedly realizing that before her arrival, the place had been in complete darkness…

So, the two of them…

Had she interrupted something?

She immediately bowed to Zhao Xiyan.

“Please forgive me, Marquis, in my haste I barged in without realizing that you and the Miss…”

From her words, it was clear she had thought too much, and Qi Yue, afraid that she would further complicate things, hastily interrupted, “What happened outside?”

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