Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 341 Substituting one thing for another?

"Quack, quack—"

A frog was standing on a lotus leaf on the lake and croaked a few times. Suddenly, it heard footsteps and sensed someone approaching. It dived into the lake quickly and looked around across the surface.

A figure in a green skirt suddenly appeared in the rain, holding an umbrella and walking slowly across the wooden bridge. Her steps were not fast, but she looked like a ghost, as if she was floating in front of the house, obviously using light skills.

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair little hands, and knocked on the door gently.

"Have you slept?"

Zhao Wumian sat up from the bed with a start. He recognized the voice as Aunt Leng Yue's and got up to open the door, puzzled.

crunch————

Xiao Lengyue was standing outside the door. Before Zhao Wumian could ask, she quickly slipped into the house, closed her oil-paper umbrella, and gently shook off the water.

Zhao Wumian only felt the fragrant wind passing by his eyes, and Xiao Lengyue was already behind him. This lightness skill made him secretly shocked, but he was more confused.

How come she is so skilled?

Looking back, Xiao Lengyue had her back to Zhao Wumian, and she raised the embroidered shoes under her green skirt and pressed them against the door to close it.

From this little action, it’s hard to tell whether she’s a little anxious in her heart, or if her nature is more... youthful and lively.

Xiao Lengyue leaned the oil-paper umbrella against the wall, sat down at the table, poured herself a glass of water, and said:

"Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come here, I have something to tell you."

"what's up?"

Zhao Wumian picked up the fire starter on the table and prepared to light the lamp.

Squirrel————

As soon as the dim firelight appeared in the house, Xiao Lengyue suddenly raised his hand and flicked it. A strong wind swept through and the lights suddenly went out.

"Hmm?" Zhao Wumian felt even more confused.

"It's not convenient for Yuan Mu to know this."

Zhao Wumian held the fire starter and paused, his expression suddenly strange, "Auntie...you are my aunt."

Xiao Lengyue was stunned for a moment, her calm face was dull for a moment, and then suddenly a look of annoyance appeared on her face. She bent down, took off her embroidered shoes, and slapped Zhao Wumian's thigh.

"What are you thinking about? Do you still know that I am your aunt?"

It was obvious that Xiao Lengyue had taught him a lesson many times in the past. Whenever she got angry, Zhao Wumian would instinctively feel frightened.

This is a truly strict mother.

"Then this is..."

"Kneel down."

"what?"

Zhao Wumian never kneeled before heaven or earth, and he had never knelt even when he met Luo Chaoyan. Apart from worshiping his ancestors and getting married, he didn't think he would ever kneel down, so he was stunned when he heard this.

"I just had some wrong thoughts. Auntie shouldn't punish me like this, right?"

Xiao Lengyue first put the embroidered shoes on the ground, then gently lifted up her green skirt with one hand, revealing her toes wearing white socks. She reached into the embroidered shoes, hooked her fingers on the heels and put them on. Then she let down the hem of her skirt, smoothed her dress, and then glanced at him without saying a word.

Zhao Wumian suddenly realized that Xiao Lengyue was not just being angry... she really had something important to say to him.

Zhao Wumian began to feel nervous... He was rarely nervous, and the last time he remembered being nervous was when he confessed his love to the Queen Mother in Qingcheng Mountain.

He was afraid that Xiao Lengyue would suddenly take out a small tablet from her sleeve and tell him that it was Jiu'er's tablet.

Zhao Wumian had never seen Jiuer, but he didn't want to hear any evidence that Jiuer was dead.

Just as he had never met Xiao Lengyue before, he still had the same respect and love for her as a mother.

Zhao Wumian thought of Aunt Zhu's words. Because of Xiao Lengyue's appearance and temperament, there were at least five hundred people who came to propose marriage every year.

She shut everyone out and, as a woman, openly worked on the winery business of Tinglan Manor, while secretly developing the Taixuan Palace Fanli Fuchen. She went to Lin'an from time to time to accompany Xiao Yuanmu, teach her martial arts, and finally raised Zhao Wumian for nearly twenty years and brought him up.

He didn't remember her, but the past twenty years were not fake.

Zhao Wumian lifted the hem of his robe and knelt down in front of Xiao Lengyue. He did not feel that he was humiliated in his heart.

"Aunt, please don't take out the wine tablet and make me kneel down."

Xiao Lengyue took a sip of water from the teacup and ignored the words. She just said, "Stretch out your hand."

Zhao Wumian did as he was told.

Xiao Lengyue bent down again, took off her embroidered shoes, patted Zhao Wumian's palm twice, and then said:
"This is what Auntie did for Yuan Mu. Even though you two have been fighting since you were little, she won't be willing to really teach you a lesson. And your sister dotes on you too much, so this kind of thing can only be done by Auntie."

With Zhao Wumian's current martial arts skills, the two hits from Xiao Lengyue were not as painful as the occasional bumps and bruises he suffered while practicing martial arts.

"You fought for Yuan Mu?"

Zhao Wumian secretly thought that Xiao Lengyue was venting his anger on behalf of Xiao Yuanmu because of Luo Chaoyan's matter.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

It was normal. He and Xiao Yuanmu were childhood sweethearts and had a great affection for each other. Xiao Lengyue saw it all. It was a perfect match, but now...

The most crucial point is that he had no choice but to have an affair with anyone else, but he had feelings for their enemies.

If it were another elder, the matter would not be over until they forced Zhao Wumian and Luo Chaoyan to sever their relationship.

If it is more serious, it would not be excessive to expel the person from the family.

Zhao Wumian estimated that even if Xiao Lengyue would not let him do this, she would probably have to persuade him... After all, he couldn't really be allowed to become the 'Queen Zhao', right?
After patting Zhao Wumian's hand twice, Xiao Lengyue threw the embroidered shoes on the ground, but did not put them on. She just stepped on them and said:
"Since I have already taught you a lesson on behalf of Yuan Mu, whether you want to marry the empress of the Luo family openly or have a love affair with her in private, I will not say anything more."

Zhao Wumian remained silent. It was certainly impossible for him to distance himself from Luo Chaoyan, but he did not want to quarrel with Xiao Lengyue and make his aunt sad. He was thinking about what to say to make Xiao Lengyue calm down.

After a few seconds, he was stunned and realized what Xiao Lengyue said. He looked up in surprise, "What?"

Xiao Lengyue picked up the teapot and poured herself a glass of water. She was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Unbelievable?"

"Shouldn't my aunt let me break off relations with her?"

Zhao Wumian indeed did not expect to hear these words from Xiao Lengyue.

Xiao Lengyue seemed helpless, laughed, drank a sip of water, and then slowly said:
"The great cause of rebellion against Li and Fu Chen is very important, but Auntie does not want you to sacrifice so much for it...

My sister and I have sacrificed most of our lives for the country of Chen. We can't bear to watch you being separated from the girl you love for the sake of this damn cause of restoring your country, right?"

Zhao Wumian was speechless. When he returned home, he was thinking about how to explain to Xiao Lengyue about his relationship with Luo Chaoyan.

What about Wei Ming Hou, Deputy Chief Inspector of the Detective Department... These identities are of no importance. He has a carefree nature and doesn't care much about fame and fortune.

But even if we don’t mention Luo Chaoyan, there is still Su Qingqi, the Queen Mother, Shen Xiangge... Zhao Wumian would never sever ties with the court.

If Xiao Lengyue was more aggressive and forceful, and forced Zhao Wumian to make a decision, the imperial court and Taixuan Palace would have to choose a side...

Zhao Wumian really couldn't make a choice, so he could only try to fool people first. Then he would not dare to see Xiao Lengyue again for a long time unless the situation between Taixuan Palace and the court eased.

But Xiao Lengyue not only did not force him, but also allowed him to be with Luo Chaoyan.

Xiao Lengyue is by no means a weak person. In the way of martial arts, she can connect the bridge between heaven and earth and become a top martial arts master. In terms of the overall situation, she can develop Taixuan Palace under the heavy pressure of the Hong Tian Dynasty. Even in the private affairs of her children, Xiao Yuanmu and Zhao Wumian were raised safely by her.

Whether as a warrior, a palace master, or even as a mother, she seems to be impeccable.

How could someone like her submit to the imperial court and give in to it?
The reason why she said this to Zhao Wumian was because in Xiao Lengyue's heart, she cared about Zhao Wumian more than Fanli Fuchen.

So if you like the empress in the court and want to be with her, then go ahead. Your aunt won't stop you.

It’s just that aunt cares about you and Yuanmu. Logically, you two should be together, but now you like another girl.

So auntie wants to vent Yuanmu's anger and teach you a lesson on his behalf.

If you kneel down obediently, I will hit you twice, and that will be considered justice for Yuanmu.

What else can you do to Xiao Lengyue? Hang Zhao Wumian up and beat him, or force him to kneel down and admit his fault to Xiao Yuanmu?

All of a sudden, it changed from a narrative about family and country to a love story between young men and women. The scale seemed to have become much smaller, but both Zhao Wumian and Xiao Yuanmu were people who valued feelings.

On the one hand, it's his nature, on the other hand, isn't it Xiao Lengyue's teaching by example?
Zhao Wumian understood that when he was caught in a dilemma because of the conflict between Taixuan Palace and the imperial court, Xiao Lengyue was actually in the same situation.

However, Xiao Lengyue was troubled about whether or not she should ask Zhao Wumian to sacrifice himself in order to fight against Li Fuchen.

Obviously, Xiao Lengyue didn't think that Zhao Wumian should break off his relationship with the girl he loved just to oppose Li Fuchen.

Because of Emperor Taizu Gao's pursuit, her biological parents were separated for decades and died of depression. Is Xiao Lengyue going to follow Emperor Taizu Gao's example now?

Thinking of this, Zhao Wumian suddenly remembered his first impression of Xiao Lengyue after talking with Xiao Yuanmu in the inn.

Xiao Lengyue was really kind to Zhao Wumian with all her heart.

Xiao Lengyue didn't know what Zhao Wumian was thinking. She stepped on the embroidered shoes with her toes, lifted them up, and shook them from time to time in annoyance. She sighed softly and said:

"As the saying goes, treat everyone equally. Auntie has thought so much about you, but it seems that she has neglected Yuan Mu...

In her heart, Auntie must help her to make you break off your relationship with Luo Chaoyan. Auntie is caught between the two of you, and she is actually in a difficult position...

So don't tell Yuan Mu what I said tonight, and don't mention it in the future, understand?"

Zhao Wumian recalled that Xiao Yuanmu had always been firm in his attitude on this matter, but it was basically just a lot of noise but little action, and he never said anything absolute, so he said:

"She also didn't say that I must cut off my relationship with Chaoyan."

"Heh, Chaoyan, you're calling me that in a rather intimate way..." Xiao Lengyue crossed her legs, picked up her embroidered shoes, sneered, and said:
"Yuanmu values ​​​​relationships. He knows that you are in trouble, so he won't force you. The reason why things have turned out like this and made us all uncomfortable is because of that damned Guiyi Zhenren and the Western Region Saint Church, right?"

Zhao Wumian was still kneeling in front of Xiao Lengyue. She picked up the embroidered shoes from time to time, and always felt that the shoes would be thrown at her face in the next second. She could not help but raise her hand to hold the embroidered shoes, and hooked her fingers on the heels to put them on for her.

"Just now, Auntie said that Yuanmu's posture was not dignified..."

"I'm talking to you about serious matters. Why are you so concerned about such trivial details? You are so disrespectful, or maybe your sister has spoiled you too much."

Xiao Lengyue rolled her eyes at Zhao Wumian, and then said:
"Stand up, you're grown up now, what's the point of kneeling all the time...Do your knees hurt?"

"It hurts a little." Zhao Wumian stood up and patted the hem of his robe, sat down opposite Xiao Lengyue, and poured himself a glass of water.

"You have to bear the pain. I dare not let Yuan Mu hear what I said tonight. I will only let you kneel for a while, which is already a bargain for you."

Xiao Lengyue put down her legs, raised her hands to adjust her skirt, and continued with her red lips slightly opened:

"Anyway, this is what Auntie meant. Now that you have already knelt and been beaten, I will not stop you in my heart. But on the surface, Auntie still has to consider Yuan Mu. If anyone brings up this topic, I will definitely stand on Yuan Mu's side...

You should also try your best. It's nothing for a man to have three wives and four concubines. If you are really capable, it wouldn't be too much to take Yuan Mu and the female emperor into your backyard. If the matter of fighting against Li Fuchen has not made any progress, we can just replace the former with the latter..."

"What do you mean by substitution?"

"Letting you and Yuan Mu's child be the crown prince is also considered stealing the country." Xiao Lengyue didn't know what she remembered, and suddenly a charming smile appeared on her face. She said with a smile:

"If that dog emperor Hong Tian knew in his afterlife that the empire he worked so hard to build was stolen by us in this way, he would probably crawl out of his mausoleum and spit out blood to the sky and die of anger."

As she spoke, Xiao Lengyue started laughing again.

Zhao Wumian thought about it carefully, and this seemed to be a solution, but it was not right.

"Wasn't Yuanmu adopted by my aunt? Neither of us is of the Xiao family bloodline. Even if we have a baby, the bloodline won't match."

"That's right." Xiao Lengyue's smile faded away and her brows were tightly furrowed. She treated Xiao Yuanmu as her own son and almost forgot about this.

On the eve of Emperor Taizu Gao's attack on the capital of Chen State, the last emperor, Xiao Lengyue's grandfather, had already killed all the royal family members, leaving only Xiao Lingyun's lineage.

Now Jiu'er is missing, and the only royal bloodline is Xiao Lengyue.

Logically speaking, with the great cause of overthrowing Li Fuchen on her shoulders, Xiao Lengyue should have given birth to more children over the years to continue the royal bloodline.

But Xiao Lengyue is a person who looks down on others and is arrogant.

She truly felt from the bottom of her heart that there was no man in this world who was worthy of her, and she was really busy at the beginning, so in all these years, let alone getting married, she had never met a man who made her heart beat.

She is the bridge between heaven and earth and has a long lifespan. As long as nothing unexpected happens, living to be 150 years old is not a problem, so she doesn't feel any sense of urgency.

Taixuan Palace quietly developed into the overlord of Jiangnan in her hands, and later became famous in Xiao Yuanmu's hands. Thinking about it carefully, the great cause of anti-Li Fuchen can only be regarded as having just passed the starting stage.

Therefore, Xiao Lengyue has never been very anxious in her heart, which can be regarded as a kind of escape to some extent.

Rather than having a baby just to vent her anger, she would definitely rather find a man she likes and let things take their own course.

But if Zhao Wumian is really going to marry Luo Chaoyan, then this plan of replacing one with another has to be done as soon as possible... that is, have a baby as soon as possible.

What she originally thought was far away from her suddenly became urgent.

Moreover, Luo Chaoyan might be able to accept Zhao Wumian's child to succeed to the throne, but she would definitely not accept a child who had no blood relationship with Zhao Wumian or her.

Doesn't that mean...

Xiao Lengyue was able to develop Taixuan Palace into a giant in the south of the Yangtze River. He was so smart that he quickly thought of this.

Her beautiful eyes suddenly widened and looked at Zhao Wumian.

Zhao Wumian held the teapot and poured himself some water. At this moment, he was still immersed in the joy that his aunt did not stop him from being with Luo Chaoyan. In addition, he felt that this scheme of replacing one thing with another was a bit childish, so he did not think too deeply about it.

He picked up the water cup and took a sip of water. He was in a good mood, so he stood up and took the Tinglan wine from Aunt Zhu from the counter. He shook the wine in it towards Xiao Lengyue who was sitting at the side of the table, and said with a smile:
"I should have drunk this wine often before, but now I have lost my memory and I don't know what it tastes like. Auntie, come and taste it with me..."

"Kneel down!" Xiao Lengyue suddenly spoke with a cold voice.

"Ah? Kneel again?" Zhao Wumian was holding the wine jug and was happy. Hearing this, he was confused and had no idea what Xiao Lengyue was doing.

"Don't you want to listen to your aunt?"

Zhao Wumian was confused in his heart, but he knew how good Xiao Lengyue was to him, so he did not doubt it. He put the Tinglan wine on the table and lifted the hem of his robe again and knelt in front of Xiao Lengyue.

"Aunt, Aunt..." Xiao Lengyue tried to keep calm, but she couldn't say the words for a long time. Finally, she said, "Aunt has changed her mind again. She doesn't want you to be with that female emperor..."

"Ah?" Zhao Wumian was really dizzy now, and felt that his usual clever little head was not enough.

Otherwise, why do they say that women's hearts are as changeable as the clear autumn sky?

Xiao Lengyue suddenly stood up, put her hands behind her back, and paced back and forth. Her mood was complex and changeable, which could be seen with the naked eye.

Zhao Wumian stared at her back and forth, wondering why Xiao Lengyue suddenly changed her mind.

But Xiao Lengyue seemed to have been arguing with herself in her heart for a long time, and finally gave up. She suddenly bent down and took off her embroidered shoes.

"My aunt is very upset right now. I'm not happy. Let me hit you a few times to vent my anger..."

"Ah? You have to give me a reason?" Zhao Wumian stood up and dodged, looking stunned.

For some reason, Xiao Lengyue's face turned red, and she didn't say anything. She just remembered something, gritted her teeth, and kept chasing Zhao Wumian to beat him.

Finally, there was a "click" sound, and the door was pushed open heavily, and raindrops blew into the house. Xiao Yuanmu stood outside the house, looking at the two of them with a frown.

"What are you two doing?"

Inside the house, Zhao Wumian clamped Xiao Lengyue's arms with both hands. Xiao Lengyue's hair was a little messy, and one of her small hands was holding her embroidered shoes. The two of them were wrestling like children.

Zhao Wumian's house was often cleaned and the floor was very clean, but the thin socks under Xiao Lengyue's skirt were still stained with a thin layer of dust.

As soon as she saw Xiao Yuanmu, Xiao Lengyue suddenly felt inexplicably guilty in her heart and glared at Zhao Wumian.

It's all your fault for not being obedient and letting your aunt beat you.

Zhao Wumian ignored Xiao Lengyue's gaze, glanced at Xiao Yuanmu, and remembered Xiao Lengyue's previous words, and said:

"Your master is inexplicably in a bad mood and wants to beat me up. Why didn't you come earlier?"

"Why did she hit you for no reason...did you say something wrong?"

"Maybe I'm venting my anger for you?" Zhao Wumian glanced at Xiao Lengyue and said, "Because I have a close relationship with Chao... Luo Chaoyan."

"Hmph." Xiao Lengyue snorted lightly, sat in front of the chair, bent down to put on her shoes, then saw that her socks were dirty, so she pulled down her spring socks, revealing her white and delicate feet.

After thinking for a while, she took off the other embroidered shoe, took off her socks, put on the embroidered shoe barefoot, then stood up calmly, crumpled her socks into a ball and threw them to Zhao Wumian.

Zhao Wumian subconsciously raised his hand to catch it, "What for?"

Xiao Lengyue picked up the oil-paper umbrella leaning against the wall, looked back at Zhao Wumian, and gave an inexplicable smile.

"Didn't Yuanmu tell you that my aunt never washes her hands? It's okay to wear a bellyband and thin pants, but on weekdays, my socks and outer clothes are washed by Grandma Yang in the farm. It's late at night now, and she has already gone to bed, so she punished you to wash my socks for me."

"Wash socks?"

"Don't you want to?" Xiao Lengyue pointed at him:

"Just as Auntie always thinks of you wholeheartedly, this is what Auntie should do. Similarly, washing clothes for Auntie, helping with housework, and taking on Auntie's bad mood when necessary are also what you should do."

"Whose rule is this?"

Xiao Lengyue gave him a smile that was so intense that even the incessant rain outside stopped falling.

"Our Xiao family's rules."

After saying that, Xiao Lengyue said no more, picked up the umbrella and left with Xiao Yuanmu.

Xiao Yuanmu looked at the two of them with a little confusion, then glanced at Zhao Wumian, meaning to ask him to give her an explanation tomorrow, and then followed Xiao Lengyue away.

crunch————

The door was closed and the sound of two women talking could be heard outside.

"You know he likes to say things that irritate people, so why would he resort to violence?"

"It's not like we're really fighting, I just slapped him twice..."

"It's not enough to pat him twice. He's already over 20 years old. If he's released into the outside world, he'll be the Marquis of Weiming in the imperial court, or the leader of the martial arts world. Why are you still treating him the same way you treated him when you were a kid? Doesn't he have any dignity?"

"In my aunt's eyes, as long as you two haven't started a family, you are all my children..."

Zhao Wumian could not hear the rest of the words. He could only hear the rustling sound of raindrops hitting the eaves and window paper.

He went to get a basin of water, put Xiao Lengyue's socks in it and rubbed them. The water was icy cold and he was too lazy to heat it up.

To be honest, this is the first time Zhao Wumian has done laundry in more than half a year.

When he was fleeing in Jin, he didn't care much about these things. When his clothes got dirty, he would throw them away and buy new ones. Later, he became the Marquis of Weiming and had to rely on others to serve him.

I never thought that the first thing I would do when I returned home would be to help my aunt wash her socks...

After washing, Zhao Wumian looked around but didn't see any place to hang clothes.

The Wuhen Sword was placed horizontally on the weapon rack on the cabinet, and he put his socks on the scabbard.

Then he thought about it and decided to wash his dirty clothes as well and hang them on the scabbard.

After sitting down for a while, Zhao Wumian rolled up his sleeves, put one hand on his waist, looked at the house again, and nodded with satisfaction.

“This time it feels like home.”

The next day, the weather was clear and sunny, a good day for tomb sweeping.

Zhao Wumian didn't sleep all night and got up very early.

He wanted to write a letter to tell Luo Chaoyan and the Queen Mother who were far away in the capital the good news that Xiao Lengyue would not stop him.

But later he felt that he was very sorry for Xiao Yuanmu for being so happy, so he felt ashamed again.

Soon the shame disappeared and turned into motivation.

What Xiao Lengyue said last night at least proved that it was possible for Taixuan Palace and the imperial court to live in harmony.

It is not appropriate to say that it is Taixuan Palace and the imperial court. It should be Xiao Yuanmu and Luo Chaoyan.

Xiao Yuanmu, Luo Chaoyan, and even the Queen Mother, Xiao Lengyue, were all kind to Zhao Wumian with all their hearts. If it weren't for him, this group of people would have killed each other to death.

But because they have feelings for Zhao Wumian, they seriously consider how to kill him to death before making Zhao Wumian feel comfortable... Zhao Wumian believes that there is still a way out.

But before that, let's focus on the things at hand.

(End of this chapter)