Chapter 540: 540: Chu Lan's Confession_1

It should be possible.

Now, the entire court is under his control. What difficulty would there be for him to marry someone?

But… after all, that’s just an assumption, there are no foregone conclusions in this world.

Chu Lan looked at the bride before him, a scene of him lifting the bridal veil flashed in his mind. The face underneath it was unmistakably that of Wei Qingruo.

She flashed a smile at him, merging with the face of Xu Heyou who was talking and laughing merrily with him at that moment.

Her eyes were still bright, shining with a light as if they could talk.

On the red bed, Zuo Lingyue sat, her face concealed under the red veil, only hearing footsteps.

She nervously awaited for King Jing to lift her veil.

After waiting for a while, she did not hear the veil being lifted.

On the contrary, that sound grew more and more distant until she heard the sound of the door opening again.

Chu Lan had left the room.

When he exited the room, he told the guard by the door that he had important matters to attend to and would stay in the study for the night.

###

At night, Wei Ruo was returning to the King Rui Residence from the East City Gate.

The weather these past few days had been incredibly cold. After seeking the court’s approval, she used her own money and resources to build a camp outside the city gate.

Due to the rush of time, she had been very busy these days.

Additionally, the places she needed to go were not very accessible by carriage, so Wei Ruo had been riding a horse instead.

It was cold at night, and Wei Ruo was wearing a big cloak. The collar was lined with pure white fox fur, and she wore a fur hat sewn by her wet nurse on her head, making her look all fluffy.

Wei Jinyi remained by her side, dressed as Wang Jin, with Xiumei and Lin Fang also accompanying them.

“Queen Rui, you’ve worked hard.”

The guard at the city gate greeted Wei Ruo when they entered.

Wei Ruo responded with a small nod.

Not long after they entered the city gate, a group of people appeared, surrounding them from all sides.

Next, a man stepped out from the darkness.

Clothed in a black brocade robe embroidered with gold fish patterns and draped in a thick cloak; The inside of the cloak was black, while the outside was embroidered with the same gold patterns on a dark blue background.

When she saw the man’s face, Wei Ruo looked puzzled.

Chu Lan? Why was he here?

This was supposed to be his wedding night; why wasn’t he consummating his marriage but here instead?

It was already past curfew, and aside from the occasional patrols from the Armed Forces Department, there was no one else on the street. Furthermore, all of the patrols were Chu Lan’s men.

“May I invite you for a cup of tea?” Chu Lan asked Wei Ruo.

“Prince Jing, are you drunk? I am Queen Rui, your sister-in-law. You want to have tea with me at this ungodly hour? Regardless of how you look at it, this is not appropriate. Not to mention, it’s your wedding night, you should go back to your queen.” Wei Ruo replied coldly.

“Or would you prefer that we take matters into our own hands?” Chu Lan said.

Chu Lan had brought several dozens of men with him, while Wei Ruo only had three in her company.

If a battle were to break out, there would be no advantage for Wei Ruo’s side.

“Prince Jing, do you realize what you’re doing?” Wei Ruo asked.

Even though he hadn’t ascended to the throne yet, how could he so brazen?

Had he gone mad?

“You can treat it as if I’m drunk,” Chu Lan said, “I just want to invite you for a cup of tea. I promise that as long as you obey me, I won’t harm you, and no one else will know about what happens tonight.”

Wei Ruo glanced at Wei Jinyi, whose hand was already on the hilt of his sword. She could feel his murderous intent.

She didn’t know how skilled her elder brother was and whether he would be able to handle these dozens of experts from the Armed Forces Department on his own. But she didn’t want him to act rashly.

“Fine, I’ll have tea with you. But only in the pavilion over there.” Wei Ruo said.

“Good.” Chu Lan agreed.

Then, Wei Ruo whispered to Wei Jinyi beside her: “Let’s see what he’s up to first.”

Wei Jinyi frowned, saying nothing.

Wei Ruo sensed that her brother was even more eager to act but chose to restrain himself because of her request.

When they reached the pavilion, Wei Ruo dismounted from her horse.

Chu Lan entered the pavilion first, waiting for her.

The winter nights were cold, and the stone table and bench in the pavilion were as cold as ice.

One of Chu Lan’s men stepped forward to lay a woollen blanket on the bench.

After casting it a glance, Wei Ruo sat on it.

After Chu Lan took the seat opposite her, his subordinates managed to procure a heater and teaware.

Then, they hung several lanterns around the pavilion, illuminating the pavilion brightly.

“Prince Jing, don’t bother with all these formalities, just get straight to the point.” said Wei Ruo.

With no haste, Chu Lan started to brew the tea, saying, “This is winter melon tea, you should try it.”

Chu Lan placed a cup of brewed winter melon tea in front of Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo didn’t look at the winter melon tea in front of her, nor did she reach out to take it.

“Prince Jing, what do you really want to talk about?” Wei Ruo asked coldly.

Chu Lan did not immediately respond; instead, he picked up his own cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Only after he had finished drinking did he say to Wei Ruo: “Don’t be in a hurry. Since you’ve agreed to accompany me for this cup of tea, let’s finish it first.”

Wei Ruo was already doing her best by sitting here to talk; she was in no mood for tea.

“Prince Jing, be rational. Given our positions, we shouldn’t even be seen together, much less sitting here! Whenever we see each other, we should avoid one another if possible!”

“You don’t need to remind me, I am painfully aware of this fact. I just want to confirm something.” said Chu Lan.

“Confirm what? Are you still suspecting that I am Doctor Xu?” asked Wei Ruo.

“It’s strange; even though I have not found any concrete evidence, in my heart, you and Xu Heyou are the same person. Especially after observing what you’ve done in the Capital City recently, I have become even more convinced of this,” said Chu Lan.

“Prince Jing, there are some things that can’t be decided by feelings alone, facts must be taken into account.”

“I was indeed like that before, but for some reason this time, I want to follow my heart.”

“But what significance does this have for you, Prince Jing? If you’re able to confirm my identity as Doctor Xu, then what? As far as I know, neither I nor Doctor Xu have done anything to offend you, right?” Wei Ruo said.

“That’s right, neither of you has done anything to offend me. In fact, both of you have been beneficial to me.”

“Then why are you acting like this?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Why?” Chu Lan echoed, “I don’t know why, but I know that I need to find the answer from you.”

Having said this, Chu Lan looked up at Wei Ruo.

Feeling the burning gaze, Wei Ruo also looked up, only to be surprised to find Chu Lan’s eyes filled with melancholy and sadness.

Staring at Wei Ruo, Chu Lan continued, “Wei Qingruo, you tell me, if it had been me who had asked the Emperor for permission to marry you, what would you have done?”

“Prince Jing, you must be drunk!” Wei Ruo said.

“Wei Qingruo, I certainly am drunk. That’s why on my wedding night, I can’t help but think about you. Even wishing that it was you who had become my queen.”