Chapter 11          Two Zhi

The wind on winter night blowing in through the open wide window was freezing cold. Huo Du looked at Le Zhi’s pale cheeks. The two were very close that they could smell each other’s breaths. He could even hear her heart beating violently. And her cherry lips were slightly purple as he did not know if she was too nervous or was blown by the cold wind.

The cold wind blew the loose hair around Le Zhi’s ear a little messy. Huo Du leaned over and reached out to tuck her loose hair behind her ear. Then he said, “Since Third Imperial Brother invited you, it naturally depends on you to see him or not.”

Le Zhi was stunned. Was this throwing the question back to her again?

After a long time, she nodded and looked directly at Huo Du’s eyes, “Then can Your Highness wait for me to come back? I… have something to say to Your Highness.”

Huo Du just smiled and did not answer.

That being the case, Le Zhi took it as if he had agreed. She stood up and closed the window to prevent the cold wind from blowing in, “The cold wind will hurt your body. Your Highness should take care of your health.”

After Le Zhi left for a while, the study room gradually warmed up because the window was closed. Without the cold wind, his body gradually warmed up but this comfort made Huo Du extraordinarily irritable.

Over the years, he almost treated his body abusively, experiencing the feeling of living in pain.

The more pain, the deeper the memory.

It’s good if the pain can penetrate into the bone marrow.

He leaned on his cane and wanted to push the window open, but he seemed to like to remember something when he pushed the window halfway. His eyes moved slightly, and he finally gave up. He turned around and walked to the desk to sit down, pick up a pen and write a word on the rice paper.

Zhi

Huo Du set his eyes on this word for a long time, and the confusion he had not seen for a long time rose from the bottom of his heart.

There are many trees in the world, tough trees, and fragile shrubs, but it’s hard to escape the destruction once the strong wind and rain come. However, the most easily broken branch* can still struggle so far…

(branch* – in Chinese, branch is also called Zhi)

After a while, he crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the trash casually.

—

There was a hidden inn not far from the Taizi Mansion, and the carriage slowly stopped in front of the inn.

Just as Le Zhi got off the carriage, someone came up to greet her. She knew this man and knew him very well.

Qin Yu, a personal attendant who accompanied Huo Xu to country Li since he was a child.

“Princess… This servant will take you up.”

Le Zhi nodded, paused a while, and then said, “Qin Yu, the title is wrong.”

Qin Yu was gentle and neat. He was not tall and looked like only fifteen or sixteen even though he was in his early twenties. After listening to Le Zhi’s words, he realized that he had forgotten to change his way of addressing and hurriedly said, “This servant made a mistake. Thank you Taizifei for reminding me.”

Qin Yu had not seen her for a long time. He observed her expression from the corner of his eye, but he could not tell her mood. He sighed… After all, the smart little princess would never come back.

Qin Yu’s eyes turned red thinking about it.

Huo Xu waited anxiously on the second floor of the inn until the familiar and beautiful figure appeared. He was overjoyed and rushed forward a few steps, “Zhizhi!”

Seeing that Le Zhi’s cheeks were pale, he hurriedly ordered Qin Yu, “Add another heater!”

There were two heaters in the guest room, and incense was burning on the table.

It was Le Zhi’s favorite sandalwood.

“Stop being busy.” Le Zhi’s face was bright, and her countenance was soft. “Brother Ah Xu, we have to speak quickly so that Huo Du won’t be suspicious.”

Huo Xu looked slightly cold and nodded in agreement. Qin Yu walked out of the guest room consciously and closed the door.

Only the two of them were left in the room. Looking at the familiar and beautiful face, Huo Xu’s face was full of love. He approached Le Zhi, took her hand, and asked, “How are you?”

Enduring the disgust in her heart, Le Zhi said softly, “I’m fine.”

Hearing this, Huo Xu laughed heartily. He was happy because…

“Huo Du hasn’t touched you yet, has he?”

Le Zhi’s heart tightened.

In addition to the Taizi Mansion, it seemed that the Eastern Palace also had his spy.

Without thinking too much, she opened her mouth softly with a bit of embarrassment in her tone, “Yes…”

The snowy face gradually blushed, and her teeth bit her cherry lips lightly, outlining a delicate appearance. Falling into Huo Xu’s eyes made him even more excited.

He was puzzled that how could Huo Du endure such a charming look?

“Brother Ah Xu?”

As his thoughts returned, the smile on Huo Xu’s face gradually faded away. Huo Du did not touch her, which meant that it was difficult for her to get close to him.

So, when would his plan be fulfilled?

Huo Du was the only obstacle to his ascension to the Taizi position. Only when Huo Du died could he ascend justifiably. But Huo Du acted cunningly and pretended to be indifferent to the world. However, the dark guards and men of sacrifice that he sent out, and even the exotic poisonous beauties his mother pretended to send for his pleasure, all disappeared without a sound, and even the corpse could not be found.

And yet he could not get any information that could be used against him!

“Zhizhi.” Huo Xu hesitated for a moment, then took out a paper-wrapped medicine powder hidden in his sleeve. “This medicine is colorless and tasteless. You can mix it with meals, tea or wine. You can find a way to let Huo Du take the medicine ten times. It only takes ten days, and then even an immortal cannot save him!”

The more he talked, the more excited he became. After a pause, his eyes darkened again, “Zhizhi… If you have to, you will need to suffer some grievances. It’s doesn’t matter to give yourself to him. Don’t worry, I don’t mind…”

Huo Xu’s chest was even more suffocated. He knew very well that he had told a lie.

He cared, cared crazily! Which man could be willing to endure the woman he loved deeply being taken by others!

Seeing the struggle at the bottom of his heart, Le Zhi smiled weakly and took the medicine bag, but she was about to cry, “Alright… I’ll listen to Brother Ah Xu.”

Perhaps he was afraid that Huo Du would realize, Huo Xu did not hold her back for long. Soon afterward, he asked Qin Yu to escort her downstairs.

“Princess…”

Just as Le Zhi stepped on the carriage bench, she heard Qin Yu calling her softly, and she turned around with a frown.

Qin Yu with red eyes took out a packet of snacks from his chest and stuffed it into Le Zhi, then ran away immediately.

After sitting in the carriage, Le Zhi untied the paper bag, and it turned out to be the familiar plum blossom soft cake. When he took it out just now, she could smell the fragrance.

It was her favorite dessert before.

With a sour nose, she stared at the plum blossom soft cake until the carriage stopped.

The coachman outside asked her to get off of the carriage.

Le Zhi took one last look at the plum blossom soft cake and left it in the carriage without taking it away.

—

Huo Xu returned to the mansion in despair.

Counting the time, was Zhizhi having intimacy and expressing love with Huo Du as he said?

While he was absent-minded thinking of this, he tripped over the threshold when he stepped into the bedroom. When his body staggered, a pair of soft hands held his wrists lightly to support him.

A soft gentle voice sounded, “This servant pay respect to Your Highness.”

The candlelight in the bedroom was dim. It was specially ordered by Huo Xu.

The face in front of him was sixty or seventy percent similar to Le Zhi. In the dim light, it was enough to pass off as real.

Since he entered the country Li as a hostage in the past, he strictly abided by the etiquette and treat people with kindness. Even though Emperor Li gave them a marriage at Le Zhi’s hairpin ceremony, he still did not dare to violate the rules in the slightest.

Moreover, Emperor Li and Empress Li have a deep love for each other. There were no concubines in the harem of the country Li, only the Empress one person. Therefore, the children of the imperial family of Great Li were not like the imperial family of Great Qi. After a boy reached adulthood, he could take concubines and bedwarmers.

No one knew a child better than a mother.

Huo Xu’s depressed look could not escape Empress Qi’s eyes. She knew her son’s thoughts about Le Zhi, so she tried every means to find him a bedwarmer with a similar appearance to help him relieve his lust.

Huo Xu had sexual intercourse for the first time last night. He experienced it once and wanted it again. Looking at the white cheeks of the person in front of him, he could not help but feel restless.

He picked up the person and rudely threw them on the soft bed.

He raised his hand to pick up the apricot white silk prepared by the bedside, blindfolded the woman’s eyes, and tied a knot behind her head.

The most not alike to Le Zhi was her eyes.

Those fox eyes were beautiful and graceful. It was hard to find a second person in the world.

After being blindfolded, the face has eighty to ninety percent similar.

Huo Xu anxiously tore off the thin clothes on the woman’s body, stretched out his hand to hold her thin shoulder, and bent over to vent his lust unrestrainedly. As the bed curtain shook, a burst of woman’s painful low cry overflowed.

“Don’t, don’t make a sound.” Huo Xu raised his hand to cover her lips and block the gasping from her throat.

If she made a sound, it would be even less like her.

When he was in a state of ecstasy, Huo Xu murmured dejectedly, “Zhizhi…”

The woman’s body trembled, but Huo Xu did not care. He did not know her name, but it did not matter what he called her. Last night, he had given her a new name…

Little Zhi.