Love Lock

Chapter 193 Who is your beloved concubine?
His voice wasn't loud, but it was authoritative and domineering, leaving no room for doubt.

Sun Wenyuan was taken aback.

Zhao Zun did not rush to speak, but instead looked intently at the refugees once more.

The ragged people, with their families in tow, walked slowly through the city gate, their faces etched with exhaustion and despair.

Some of them used tree branches as canes, some carried dying children, and some elderly people were being helped along, making every step they took seem extremely difficult.

Zhao Zun sighed deeply and turned to look at Sun Wenyuan.

"Lord Sun, these people have traveled a long way to get here. Now that they've arrived at the city gate, how can we turn them away? Let them all come in."

Sun Wenyuan looked troubled and rubbed his hands, saying, "Your Highness, please understand... so many refugees entering the city are really difficult to manage. What if some trouble breaks out... besides..."

He paused, then lowered his voice, "As Your Highness knows, Cangzhou is inherently impoverished, and there is simply no surplus grain to aid them..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zun's lips curled up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Lord Sun, you are overthinking it. I hunt in the mountains and have a bountiful harvest every day. The game is piled up like mountains, and a lot of it has rotted in the mountains."

He paused, then glanced at the refugees outside the city. "How about this? Tomorrow I'll take them to Fufeng County. I can't guarantee anything else, but there are countless wild game and fruits in the mountains. We can make meat soup from the game to feed them and help them get through this difficult time. Let's distribute porridge in the city today to provide relief!"

Upon hearing Zhao Zun's words, Sun Wenyuan's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed.

He knew that Zhao Zun loved hunting, and Fufeng County was mountainous and densely forested, so there was indeed plenty of prey.

If these refugees could follow Zhao Zun, he wouldn't have to provide them with food relief, and he could also gain a reputation for loving the people like his own children—it would be the best of both worlds!

"Your Highness is so benevolent!" Sun Wenyuan immediately bowed and greeted him with a broad smile. "This humble official will immediately order people to help set up soup kitchens to provide relief to the disaster victims."

With that, he turned to the constables and shouted, "What are you all standing there for? Go help! Bring all the big pots out of the city!"

Zhao Zun nodded slightly to Luo Hai, but his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the refugee procession outside the city gate.

Luo Hai smiled knowingly and turned to get back to work.

Zhao Zun tied Jin Er Cong to a wooden stake before leading his personal guards out of the city.

Outside the city, thousands of refugees moved slowly forward in a line, while Zhao Zun walked along, looking up at the scene.

As he got closer, his heart pounded faster and faster—the figure he longed for must be among this group of people.

At the back of the refugee procession, Han Lei and Da San were helping two elderly people.

She looked tired, but still wore that neat tracksuit, which made her stand out among the refugees who were all dressed in ancient costumes.

But the people around her didn't point fingers at her; instead, they talked to her from time to time, their expressions filled with gratitude.

She did not ride in the carriage, but gave it to the patients who were unable to travel for long periods due to illness.

"Miss Han, please take a rest," an elderly woman said with concern. "We are so grateful for your care along the way; otherwise, we old bones probably wouldn't have made it to Cangzhou!"

Han Lei wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled, "Don't be so polite, Auntie. I'm young and strong; this little distance is nothing to me."

After saying that, she turned to the third-year student next to her and said, "Go and check on the patients in the carriage. Tell them we've arrived."

Just then, Han Lei suddenly noticed a burning gaze.

She subconsciously looked up and saw a tall man in a brocade robe walking towards her not far away.

Sunlight shone on his handsome face, and his deep eyes were filled with unspeakable longing.

“Zhao…Zhao Zun?” Han Lei was stunned, and the mineral water bottle in her hand fell to the ground with a “thud.”

Zhao Zun rushed to her, a thousand words welling up in his mouth, but he only managed to utter a soft call: "Girl!"

The surrounding refugees stared in astonishment. The third-year student, in particular, widened his eyes and stammered, "Your Highness? What brings you here?"

Han Lei's eyes instantly reddened. She opened her mouth, but found herself at a loss for words.

Throughout her journey, she had imagined their reunion countless times, but she never expected Zhao Zun to come all the way from Beiguan to pick her up. It's hundreds of miles from Beiguan to Qingshui County!
Unable to contain his longing, Zhao Zun pulled Han Lei into his arms. The familiar scent of jasmine filled his nostrils, and he tightened his embrace as if trying to meld her into his very bones.

"You're such a worry, why have you been gone for so long?" His voice choked with emotion. "Do you know how much I worry about you every day?"

Han Lei buried her face in his chest, her tears soaking his clothes.

"I'm sorry... I made you worry. I'm back safely, aren't I?" she said softly, gesturing towards the refugees entering the city. "Look, I brought many people back for you..."

The two embraced for a long time before Zhao Zun reluctantly let go. He carefully examined Han Lei's delicate and sweet face, and noticed with heartache that she had lost a lot of weight, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes.

"You must have had a tough journey."

"Yes! A little." Han Lei nodded, then gave a bright smile: "However, this trip was very worthwhile."

Zhao Zun smiled knowingly, then affectionately tapped Han Lei's forehead, his eyes full of tenderness.

"You! Remember, you're never allowed to leave my sight again. Let's go back to the city first, you get some rest. We can talk about it slowly."

"it is good!"

Han Lei smiled sweetly and naturally took Zhao Zun's arm.

The two walked hand in hand past the refugees, their arms linked.

Although the refugees were exhausted, they couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at the two of them being so intimate, their eyes filled with gossip.

They secretly wondered who this handsome man was to Han Lei.

Inside the city gates, there was a great deal of noise as disaster victims lined up to receive porridge.

Luo Hai was serving porridge to a thin old woman with his sleeves rolled up when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a beautiful couple walking towards the city gate.

"Miss Han?" Upon seeing Han Lei, Luo Hai immediately smiled.

Han Lei was still as charming and sweet as ever, and her light sportswear made her look energetic and capable.

Zhao Zun, standing beside her, was dressed in a black brocade robe and looked radiant.

Han Lei was holding Zhao Zun's arm, and the two looked very intimate. Luo Hai threw the wooden spoon in his hand into the porridge bucket with a "clatter," splashing a few drops of boiling rice soup.

Ignoring the porridge stains on his hands, he rushed forward to greet her. "Your Highness! Miss Han. Oh! Miss Han, you're finally back."

"Uncle Luo."

Han Lei released Zhao Zun's arm and gave a graceful bow. Sunlight filtered through the stray hairs around her ears, casting dappled shadows on her cheeks. A smile played on her lips, but her eyes were filled with weariness.

Luo Hai looked around and saw that the disaster victims were all queuing up attentively, with the nearest yamen runners at least three zhang away. He lowered his voice, his beard trembling.

"Miss Han, something terrible has happened in the capital! The Marquis of Champion's residence was bombed, and the evidence points directly to Prime Minister Wei's family. Wei Dabao's entire family has been summoned to the capital for questioning! Have you run into any trouble?"

"What?" Han Lei's pupils suddenly contracted. "You said Wei Dabao's whole family went to the capital? How long have they been gone?" Han Lei's voice was somewhat excited.

Luo Hai calculated with his fingers: "It's been almost twenty days. His Majesty has issued edicts to all the prefectures and counties, and the Wei family has also sent a letter."

Han Lei suddenly chuckled, a laugh that sent a chill down Luo Hai's spine. "Don't worry, he probably won't be coming back."

"Why?" Luo Hai and Zhao Zun asked in unison.

Zhao Zun frowned and unconsciously took half a step closer to her, as if to shield her from all danger.

Han Lei looked around and pointed to a quiet corner at the foot of the city wall: "Let's talk over there."

The three of them came to the foot of an old tree, where the dappled shadows fragmented their figures.

Han Lei took a deep breath and lowered her voice: "Because the explosion at the Marquis of Champion's mansion was done by me in disguise as Wei Dabao, he naturally never returned once he arrived in the capital."

"What? You did this?" Luo Hai almost bit his tongue.

Zhao Zun pursed his lips, trying hard to suppress the smile that was about to spill from his mouth. He had already heard about this from Xiao Zhengfei, and his reaction at the time was not much better than Luo Hai's now.

"Let me finish." Han Lei's eyes gleamed with cunning. "I used Wei Dabao's jade pendant to sneak into Princess Chang Le's birthday banquet and also gave them a few bottles of hand grenade wine."

Luo Hai gasped, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Zhao Zun stared intently at Han Lei's profile, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"I told the Marquis and his wife that this wine is extremely precious and very rare, and that they must keep it for themselves." Han Lei's lips curled into a cold smile. "Now it seems that they really didn't want to give it to anyone else."

Luo Hai's legs went weak, and he had to lean on the rough tree trunk for support: "Miss Han, what is this... what is this..."

“To plot against a member of the imperial family is a capital offense,” Zhao Zun said in a deep voice, but his eyes gleamed with a strange light. “But if Wei Dabao goes now, he will have no way to defend himself.”

Han Lei nodded, a stray strand of hair falling across her forehead. Zhao Zun subconsciously reached out to brush it away for her, but stopped mid-air, instead clenching his fist and pulling it back to his side.

“Uncle Luo,” Han Lei turned to Luo Hai, her voice light as if discussing the weather, “it seems you can take people to ransack Wei Dabao’s house now. The gold and silver are enough to support soup kitchens for another three months, and the farmland can also accommodate many disaster victims.”

Luo Hai wiped his face, completely unaware of the porridge stains on his beard: "This...this is a bit too much..."

"Too much what?" Zhao Zun suddenly laughed, a laugh that reminded Luo Hai of a drawn sword. "The evidence for treason is irrefutable, and the confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan are perfectly justified. Uncle Luo, are you perhaps being soft-hearted?"

Luo Hai waved his hands repeatedly: "It's not that I'm soft-hearted! I know very well what kind of person Wei Dabao is. The people of Qingshui County wish he, and even the entire Wei family, would be eliminated as soon as possible. I just didn't expect Miss Han to be like this... like this..."

He wanted to say that Han Lei was incredibly audacious, causing such a huge uproar in the capital after just one trip. But Han Lei misunderstood.

"You mean such methods?" Han Lei blinked, then suddenly leaned close to Luo Hai's ear, "Uncle Luo, don't worry! These methods are nothing. If I wasn't afraid of hurting innocent people, I wouldn't have gone to so much trouble. I would have stormed into the palace long ago."

Luo Hai's face turned ashen, and he nervously looked around, afraid that someone might have overheard his treasonous words.

Han Lei chuckled: "Just kidding. Let's go!"

After saying that, she turned and walked briskly forward. As she turned, she brought with her a faint fragrance of jasmine, which made Zhao Zun take a deep breath, as if he couldn't get enough of the scent.

Just as the palace was mentioned, Zhao Zun suddenly remembered something and grabbed Han Lei's sleeve: "Wait a minute. Uncle Liu wrote that there was also an explosion in the palace, and it happened to you..."

“It wasn’t me.” Han Lei shook her head, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. “Could it be that the Marquis of Champion presented a few bottles of wine to His Majesty?” She paused. “When I was in Jingzhou, I saw the King of Jingzhou receive a secret letter from the palace and then hurriedly enter the capital. I’m afraid…”

The three fell silent. If the outcome in the palace was the same as that of the Marquis of Champion's mansion, then it would truly be an unexpected and fortunate turn of events.

The cries of children from the disaster area echoed in the distance, making this small place seem even more silent.

"The world has turned upside down," Luo Hai murmured, suddenly feeling as if everything he was experiencing was a dream.

Just then, Sun Wenyuan, who was helping to distribute porridge over there, came over, beads of sweat on his forehead.

Sun Wenyuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Your Highness, so you've been here! I've been looking for you for a long time."

Upon seeing Sun Wenyuan approach, the group exchanged glances and ceased their previous conversation.

Zhao Zun smiled and pulled Han Lei in front of him, saying, "Lord Sun, you've come at the right time. Let me introduce you. This is the princess His Majesty has bestowed upon me. You should hurry up and build the palace; I'm waiting to marry her!"

Upon seeing the beautiful yet simply dressed woman before him, Sun Wenyuan was so shocked that he stumbled.

He quickly bowed and said, "This humble official greets Your Highness!"

He then stole a glance at Han Lei and saw that the girl was only sixteen years old, but she had an extraordinary demeanor. Her ears had turned red in the face of the prince's public declaration of love.

Han Lei did feel a little embarrassed, and she bit her lip slightly.

Seeing this, Zhao Zun deliberately took another half step closer: "Is my beloved concubine shy?"

"Who's your beloved concubine! How annoying!" Han Lei rolled her eyes at him, blushing, and then kicked him in the ankle.

Zhao Zun winced in pain, but laughed even more heartily.

The two men were showing off their skills in public, leaving Sun Wenyuan dumbfounded. It was Luo Hai who broke the awkward silence with a light cough: "What was Lord Sun trying to say just now?"

"Oh!" Sun Wenyuan came to his senses. "I will be hosting a banquet at Tongfu Restaurant tomorrow to thank the Prince for the wild game. I wonder if the Prince and Princess would be so kind as to join us? Lord Luo, please come along as well."

Zhao Zun looked at Han Lei, his eyes questioning. Han Lei smiled and nodded gently.

"Then it's settled." Zhao Zun was in a great mood. He suddenly reached out and brushed away a stray strand of hair from Han Lei's head. This time, he didn't hesitate. "My beloved concubine must be tired from your journey. Would you like to come back with me to rest?"

Han Lei blushed and glared at him, but obediently let him take her hand. Luo Hai and Sun Wenyuan raised their eyebrows and tactfully took two steps back...

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