allonlinenovel Chapter 159 What do you want to do?
Chapter 159 What do you want to do?
Tang Ling held her forehead with her hand and sighed softly. She carefully put away her father's letter, still not daring to open it. Her father must be very disappointed in him. He had only been in Chen for a few short months, and he was already caught up in his own lust. If it had been an ordinary woman, it would have been easy, but it had to be Qi Xiao... He even considered staying in Chen as a hostage for the rest of his life...
He was so unfilial that he really didn't have the face to go back and see his father.
Tang Ling sat alone for a long time. Gradually, she calmed down and walked out of the room, quietly heading towards Yangxizhai.
The yard next to Yangxizhai was temporarily vacant. Qi Xiao quietly changed the lock on the corner gate so that Tang Ling could come and go freely without anyone noticing.
Ye Huai sent Tang Ling to Yangxizhai. Tang Ling didn't want Ye Huai to follow her all the time, but the Marquis ordered that Ye Huai should never leave her side. So these days, Ye Huai waited in the courtyard next door so that he could take care of her if anything happened. Tang Ling couldn't resist, so she had no choice but to do so.
Zong Sheng was collecting arrows in the courtyard. When he saw Tang Ling coming, he bowed respectfully and said, "The master is in the house."
Tang Ling nodded, walked to Qi Xiao's house, and the door opened as soon as she raised her hand.
"Are you back?" Qi Xiao knew he was coming when he heard the footsteps. The moment he opened the door and saw the person, the corners of his mouth rose involuntarily, as if he didn't need any reason.
"Yeah." Tang Ling didn't know why her ears warmed up just by Qi Xiao's gaze.
Qi Xiao gently pulled Tang Ling into his arms and closed the door. "You're back a little late. Was it His Majesty or the fifteenth day that kept you here today?"
"...I received a letter from my father about the peace talks."
It turned out to be neither His Majesty nor the Fifteenth Princess, but Huang Zexian. Calculating the time, Tang Ling had indeed arrived much later today.
"Your father probably won't agree to the marriage, even if there are 100,000 black iron ores as a dowry for Fifteen." The 100,000 black iron ores were bait given to the Emperor of Zhou. In the eyes of Marquis Xun An, they should be a deadly poison that kills instantly upon contact with blood. Qi Xiao didn't believe that Marquis Xun An would agree to His Majesty's proposal.
"Yes, my father means it's impossible."
Qi Xiao smiled, lowered his head and kissed Tang Ling. He noticed that Tang Ling didn't seem to be paying attention, with a slight frown between his brows, so he asked again, "What's wrong? What else did your father say? Could it be that your father knows about us?"
Tang Ling hugged Qi Xiao tighter and said, "Sit down. I have something to tell you."
"What's wrong?" Qi Xiao pulled Tang Ling to sit down. His worried look made people feel uneasy.
Tang Ling had only mentioned peace talks once in front of Qi Xiao, and had only talked about marriage, without mentioning the coalition forces between the two countries. Now he had to say it.
"Remember when I told you last time that I had a way to convince His Majesty to give up the idea of marriage?"
"Yeah. I remember. What's the method?"
"Before I talk about this method, there are some things I hope you can tell me honestly."
"Me?" Qi Xiao frowned, then suddenly laughed, "When have I ever been less than honest with you?"
"Okay, first question, do you want the throne?"
Tang Ling was extremely serious at this moment, with no smile on her face or in her eyes, and even her usual gentleness was gone. He suddenly became like a needle, piercing the deepest part of Qi Xiao's heart.
"...I don't want to." Qi Xiao paused, and then said, "It doesn't matter. That position and that power have no appeal to me, unless it's for the love of my heart, I have to stand there to get it and to protect it." If sitting in that position means that he will be hostile to Tang Ling, Qi Xiao would be even more unwilling.
"Don't worry about me, just tell me whether you want it or not."
The struggle for imperial power always involves a life-or-death stake, not something Tang Ling could simply give up or take away simply by asking. The struggle for succession isn't like scaling a cliff to reach the highest point in the world; on the contrary, it's a bottomless abyss. From the moment you fall, there's no choice or possibility. Even if you're lucky enough to avoid shattering your body, you'll be plunged into darkness forever. It's precisely because of this understanding that Concubine Lin hopes Qi Xiao will return to Fuzhou, where a life of leisure can at least keep him alive.
Tang Ling lowered his head slightly. What choice should he hope Qi Xiao would make?
Concubine Lin's death was caused by Concubine Zhao's conspiracy. If Qi Xiao cannot become the one who can decide life and death, his mother's revenge will never be avenged...
"I don't want to." Qi Xiao raised his hand and rubbed Tang Ling's forehead. He didn't want to be driven crazy by power. There were already enough crazy people in that imperial city. He would rather live like Pei Hao. It didn't matter if he was a little stubborn, but at least he could live with a clear conscience.
Tang Ling looked up at Qi Xiao, a hint of hesitation between her brows. The complex emotions in her eyes were so complex that even he couldn't discern them clearly. After a long moment, she said, "Then the second question is, since you don't have the ambition to rule the world, what do you want? What is the aspiration you harbor in your heart?"
Qi Xiao looked deeply into Tang Ling's eyes. He thought that Tang Ling understood him, which was why she asked such a question. And because she knew him, she wanted to confirm it even more.
"When I was a child, I didn't understand. My mother told me to live. Later, my master taught me martial arts and military tactics. With Bai Xiqiao by my side, I heard stories about the life of General Bai Liu. I thought that since I was born into an imperial family, I should shoulder the responsibility of my country and the world. If there is a war, I will build an iron wall with my flesh and blood to defend the country and the borders. Only then will I be worthy of being a minister and a son, and worthy of being a man. If the Three Kingdoms is at peace, I should rectify the government, restore the country to a clear and bright state, and uphold the national law. At the very least, I should seek an explanation for General Bai Liu. You know everything about what happened to my master later. I can't just sit back and watch."
Tang Ling sighed silently and raised her hand to touch Qi Xiao's cheek: "Okay. I understand."
Qi Xiao leaned his head against Tang Ling's palm and asked softly, "Tang Ling, what happened?"
"Nothing's wrong, not yet. I'm asking you these two questions because my method will make you lose the chance to succeed the throne. I just hope that's not hurting you." Tang Ling lowered his head, unable to meet Qi Xiao's gaze. He thought he loved Qi Xiao, he'd said he'd help and support him no matter what he wanted to do, but why couldn't he seem to do it? Was he treating Qi Xiao as a pawn, too?
"Tang Ling, don't be so cautious with me." Qi Xiao held Tang Ling's hand and tilted his head to kiss his palm. "You are making me feel uneasy and even scared."
Tang Ling's hands trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but lean forward and kiss Qi Xiao. He was not a chess piece, he was the person he deeply loved.
"Tell me, what do you want to do?"
"Have you ever thought about why His Majesty would offer such tempting bait as 100,000 black iron ore to facilitate my marriage with the Fifteenth Princess?"
Qi Xiao chuckled. "It can't be just to separate us." He'd thought about it, but he hadn't fully grasped it. After Concubine Lin's accident, there had been too much to consider, including this one. Now that Tang Ling was asking, Qi Xiao had no answer. He didn't know what the peace talks between Chen and Zhou had discussed, or to what extent, and he didn't even know where to begin.
"Your Majesty is determined to attack Qi, but only the Chen-Zhou coalition can accomplish this."
Qi Xiao didn't seem surprised. This was what His Majesty had always wanted to do: unify the world. The Chen-Zhou peace talks were a perfect opportunity. Although peace talks between the three kingdoms had been sporadic in the past, broken up, then fought again, and then talked again, it seemed as if this was the ideal state of equilibrium between the three kingdoms. Did His Majesty feel the time was right this time?