As soon as Pei Zhan asked, Xu Yin’s voice ca from the courtyard:
"When I woke up in the big tent back then, the first ti I saw you, they told to call you by that na. You said you had a na, that you were called Liang Ning, the ’Ning’ in ’prosperous and peaceful.’ You also said you had a nickna, called Taiping, the ’Taiping’ in ’prosperous and peaceful...’ "
Pei Zhan hurried to the threshold, intending to cross the door, but midway he paused and stopped in his tracks.
Liang Zhi instructed the guards to send Brother Xuan back, then looked at Pei Zhan and handed him the water jug.
"Is everything in the palace taken care of?... "
In the courtyard, Xu Yin held the wound on his chest as he sat on the stone bench, continuing: "At that ti, you wore ordinary clothes, and your palms were calloused from handling weapons. You didn’t look delicate and beautiful like you do now, but I had never seen such a dazzling girl. You were like a little sun, warmly comforting everyone around you.
"Those days when I was in and out of consciousness on the bed, everything felt so unreal. I thought I was dreaming, but strangely, every dream had you in it. On the first day I could hold a pen after recovering, I secretly wrote your na on three full pages. But I was afraid you’d see it, afraid you’d mock , afraid your little companions would tease , so I wrote and then burned them, burning and writing again.
"You didn’t know all of this—"
Just as Xu Yin was speaking passionately, Fu Zhen raised her hand with a flick, his left sleeve was again cut down! The sword blade took a piece of skin and flesh, dropping before his toes.
Xu Yin was startled.
Fu Zhen thrust the blood-stained sword into the ground: "I ask, you answer."
Her face now showed no expression whatsoever: "First, even if I had given you the dagger back then, would you still have married Yongping?"
Xu Yin said nothing.
"You would," Fu Zhen continued, "If you didn’t marry Yongping, didn’t tie yourself with Prince Rong’s Mansion, didn’t join in their interests, how could Prince Rong ever tolerate you?
"All the changes in the situation are due to that bloody case, but its origins far preceded it.
"That Lian Rong by your side, shouldn’t he have appeared not long after you entered the capital?"
Xu Yin pursed his lips, his chest rising and falling slowly.
Fu Zhen slowly shuffled her steps, continuing: "Before that bloody case happened, you had already t. I don’t know if you had other plots at that ti, but when you actively sought out Prince Rong, saying you could bring back the dagger, from then on, you never planned to let live.
"You made your decision by the ti you learned of that bloody case. And the reason you did so was because that night, you saw through what Prince Rong and his people were up to, you knew who they killed.
"I don’t know if it was because Yang Zhan’s murder happened to catch the attention of you who lived not far away, but you indeed saw a new path from this.
"By holding this leverage over Prince Rong, you possessed a bargaining chip to manipulate them. So you chose to kill , marry Yongping, becoming the Prince Consort of Prince Rong’s Mansion.
"You used the identity of Prince Consort to cover your intentions. By becoming a Prince Consort, you could freely enter and exit Prince Rong’s Mansion, and grasp the movents of Prince Rong and his son at any ti. When you needed, you could raise this leverage at any ti, like this ti.
"This was your motive for marrying Yongping and choosing to be the Prince Consort of Prince Rong’s Mansion."
Xu Yin took a slow breath, his face showing discomfort of being exposed.
"Without this case, you indeed wouldn’t have had later plots." Fu Zhen paused slightly, then continued: "Even though Yongping kept approaching you at that ti, you felt the Liang Family had little future, yet you hadn’t resolved to exit.
"This is because although Prince Rong’s Mansion held prestige, they had no real power. For soone born and still struggling to survive in the midst of imperial power struggles, sacrificing for love affairs is just a joke, isn’t it?
"Being a Prince Consort, you’d be part of the imperial family, closer to palace relations, yet there was no way you could beco a trusted confidant within the palace.
"If you married , first, you gained a good reputation, then backed by the Liang Family, you beca a key minister of Great Zhou, with both civil and military support, and wouldn’t have to worry about power in court. Thus, living life peacefully was a good choice.
"After all, based on your few hundred followers, if you wanted to accomplish so earth-shattering feat and co out unscathed, it would be pure fantasy. Otherwise, wouldn’t you have already gone back to Dayue to secretly operate?
"Chen Er suddenly requested a mission to the northwest; you indeed had a bleak view of Liang Family’s future, but the family structure still stood, and it could hold for a few more years. Moreover, if sothing truly happened to Chen Er, Liang Zhi would certainly be given an exception to succeed the Great General’s title. Even with declining power, a lean cal is still bigger than a horse.
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