C78. Yuan Li, You Should Be My Wife Instead.

C78. Yuan Li, You Should Be My Wife Instead.

This sentence successfully froze Chu Hechao's steps.

In an instant, Chu Hechao's almost thought he had misheard. Quickly turning his head, he looked at the young man, "What did you say?"

Half of Yuan Li's body fell into the shadows, moving his hands, and said again, "What if I didn't feel forced by you?"

Chu Hechao stood still, his breath catching.

His feet felt rooted to the ground, the surprise came too suddenly, Chu Hechao even momentarily couldn't quite understand the meaning of these words.

Are you serious?

Chu Hechao opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

The man stared at Yuan Li, his breath gradually becoming heavy. After a while, he suddenly walked up to Yuan Li, leaned down to look at Yuan Li still sitting in the chair, something deep and hot rising in his eyes, "Do you know what this sentence means?"

Yuan Li trembled, took a deep breath, "I know."

The man's breathing became more urgent.

To Chu Hechao, these three words sounded wonderful.

It felt like finding water in a drought, and like dry wood meeting a blazing fire, the unnamed fire in Chu Hechao's heart boiled and burned, reason struggling to contain the beast in his heart, veins popping on his forehead, he removed his gloves and cautiously touched Yuan Li's cheek.

His fingers were rough and strong, scratching and burning Yuan Li's skin, causing a painful, itchy sensation that reached into his bones and left him parched.

His fingers reached his earlobe and then his lips.

Yuan Li's heartbeat quickened as he was touched, and he spoke, murmuring softly, "Do you only regret indulging with me this one last time?"

When he spoke, he realized his voice sounded strange, low and hoarse, somewhat muffled.

The man's broad back leaned in closer to Yuan Li's face, his eyes slowly moving down to Yuan Li's reddish lips.

His Adam's apple bobbed, "Yes," and then he leaned in to kiss.

Yuan Li turned his face away, causing the man to think he regretted it.

The young man who had dodged the kiss now seemed flustered and blushing, and whispered, "Answer a few questions for me first."

Chu Hechao's temple throbbed at this time of playing question and answer. However, he held back the urge to speak and, with beads of sweat on his forehead, pressed, "Ask."

"If we cross this line, I can no longer pretend it didn't happen," Yuan Li said, "Can you truly handle the consequences of this unconventional relationship?"

Chu Hechao was direct, whispering, "Give me the chance for this unconventional relationship."

Yuan Li looked at the man's face, saw the passion in his eyes, and suddenly his hesitant heart became firm.

He was not someone who would fear anything, nor someone who would be irresponsible after being intimate with someone.

If they both liked each other, and were not afraid to be together, what else was there to hesitate about?

Since both were determined to continue, they would face and overcome any difficulties together. Even if one of them grew tired and regretted it later, Yuan Li could face this outcome with calmness, knowing they had at least tried.

The man understood the look in Yuan Li's eyes and lowered his head.

The stifling heat of May.

Outside, the cicadas chirped incessantly, mosquitoes flew everywhere, and a grasshopper perched in the bushes watching over the guards faithfully guarding the door.

Inside the room, Chu Hechao was kissing Yuan Li.

Their breaths were hot and heavy, their breathing becoming more disordered. The man's hand moved to the back of Yuan Li's head, cupping the back of his head, his fingers caressing it.

The scalp was itchy and numb, and Yuan Li wanted to move his hand away, but his words were swallowed by the man. The man wished he could crawl into Yuan Li's throat.

Yuan Li's lips were tingling from the kiss, his tongue numb, and his whole body was sweating profusely. The sweat wet his eyelashes, and the man's sweaty face blurred into a sensual vision.

This was a passionate and intense kiss.

Chu Hechao wanted to devour Yuan Li, the man's addictive and wild nature in this aspect made him ravage Yuan Li's mouth, even more passionately than before, as if with fire.

The pain of unfulfilled desires turned into longing, as the man's fingers slowly massaged Yuan Li's neck, pressing and kneading, making Yuan Li hear the man swallowing saliva, making Yuan Li startled by Chu Hechao's wild desires.

Yuan Li had to remind, "Be gentle, we can't be discovered."

The man chuckled softly, his voice tickling Yuan Li's ears. Yuan Li's breath quickened, and suddenly his lips were bitten.

His sister-in-law, with many rules, frowned and rebuked, "Don't bite me, what if you leave a mark?"

Who would leave a teeth mark on the lips while discussing family matters inside the house?

The man agreed, "Okay, no more biting."

Yuan Li wiped the sweat from his forehead on Chu Hechao's shoulder, and Chu Hechao, struggling to contain his desires, continued to caress Yuan Li's neck, with sweat streaming down.

After a while, the two inside the room stopped.

Chu Hechao closed his eyes, showing some restraint on his face, stood up, tidied Yuan Li's clothes and hair.

Yuan Li's face blushed, barely able to catch his breath, relying on his strong lung capacity to endure such a long kiss. His face was moist, and Chu Hechao's hands smoothed the sweaty strands of hair on his face.

The previous tension and pain had disappeared.

After Chuhe Chao fixed Yuan Li's hair, he looked at him for a moment.

Confused, Yuan Li asked, "What's wrong?"

Chu Hechao's ears turned red, took a deep breath, lowered his head, cupped Yuan Li's face again, and whispered, "Yuan Li, be my wife."

"I will treat you well," the man's palms were warm as he said these words, blushing and feeling nervous, "I'll give you everything. I'll stand up for you, fight for you when you're bullied, give you all the potatoes you like to eat, share my ice cubes with you in summer, hunt for you in winter, cut wood, and make sure the pond is full of water. Don't think about your dead husband, be with me, okay?"

Moved and touched, Yuan Li replied, "But you're so harsh to me."

Furrowing his brows, the man didn't understand where he had been harsh, patiently saying, "I'll try to change."

Yuan Li whispered again, "Will you be afraid if others find out about us being together?"

"I won't," Chu Hechao's thumb caressed Yuan Li's cheek, "I've been through so much, why would I be afraid of people pointing fingers at us?"

Knowing that the reputation of incestuous relationships between in-laws was not good, and with Yuanli having a good reputation, Chuhe Chao reassured, "Don't worry, I'll never let anyone have the chance to cause trouble for you. No one will know about this, and those who do will be silenced. Don't be afraid, I'll protect you."

Yuan Li was speechless for a moment.

Chu Hechao, thinking Yuan Li was scared, noticed his erratic breathing and lifted Yuan Li's chin, with a fierce look, "Yuan Li, tell me if you're scared now."

Yuan Li came to his senses and said, "I'm scared."

Chu Hechao breathed a sigh of relief, his previously anxious mind settled down, and he sternly said, "When we step out of this door, although we may appear as before, we are no longer just in-laws. You cannot regret this."

Sensing the man's unease, Yuan Li whispered softly, "I won't regret it."

Chu Hechao and Yuan Li locked eyes, and as they looked at each other, their foreheads touched, noses brushing against each other, lips clinging together.

Suddenly, a guard knocked on the door and said, "General, the county magistrate requests an audience."

Yuan Li composed himself, the heat between their breaths was distracting, and he pushed the man away, "Stop kissing, Cai Ji is here."

Chu Hechao heard and hesitated.

Yuanli emphasized, "Chu Hechao."

Chu Hechao remained motionless.

Yuan Li pulled out the big guns, "Older Brother."

The man paused, finally backing away, and touched Yuan Li's cheek again, wondering why he found this person so endearing.

Chu Hechao, who had lived for twenty-seven years, had never been as happy as he was now.

The two quickly got themselves together, with Yuan Li cooling his face with the back of his hand, asking Chu Hechao, "Do I look significantly different now?"

Chu Hechao lazily looked him up and down, teasingly said, "Yes. It's obvious you've been moisturized by a man."

He was starting to unscrupulous again.

Yuan Li rolled his eyes, opened the window for some fresh air, and gestured for Chu Hechao to open the door.

Cai Ji entered, having just heard about the spies disguised as dancers, and now he was too scared to approach Chu Hechao, standing near the door, seeking forgiveness.

Chu Hechao, in a good mood now and not wanting to make a fuss, instructed the magistrate to search the residence inside and out, handing over all dancers to the guards for a thorough inspection.

After completing these tasks, they left the magistrate's residence.

On the journey back, Yuan Li was silent, clearly pondering something.

Chu Hechao asked, "What are you thinking about?"

After a moment of contemplation, Yuan Li said, "While at the magistrate's residence, didn't I search the surroundings for any backup with the Hurens?"

Chu Hechao replied, "You said you found two people."

Yuan Li nodded, "But what bothered me was not those two people but when I mistakenly trespassed into Cai Ji's stable and saw servants cleaning several exhausted horses, repairing their hooves. I observed that the horses' hooves were worn out and muddy, clearly having traveled long distances."

Chu Hechao furrowed his brow, "Could it be that Cai Ji is truly connected to the Yishan Army?"

Yuan Li shook his head, "I found it strange too, so I had one of the servants relieved to ask. The servant told me that the owner of the horses came from Luoyang."

Chu Hechao narrowed his eyes, "The Cai family has a direct lineage in Luoyang, is it possible this was sent by the Prefect Cai Yi?"

Yuan Li said, "That's what I also thought."

Chu Hechao pondered.

After a pause, Yuan Li lowered his voice, "General, you..."

Chuhe Chao immediately looked askance, his body swaying with the horse's movement, his muscular arms holding the reins tight, "What did you call me?"

Seeing the well-defined muscles, Yuan Li felt envious and corrected himself, "Ciye."

Chu Hechao suddenly rode closer, lowering his voice and said, "I really want to kiss you right now."

Yuan Li, thinking of his upright reputation, furrowed his brow and said, "Listen to me carefully."

Chu Hechao instantly put on a serious expression, nodding and saying, "Go on."

Yuan Li continued, "Don't you find Cai Yi's apology a bit unexpected? His attitude towards the two of us was very pleasing at the banquet. Even suggesting that we should not act rashly could be seen as him looking out for us, wanting to advise and demonstrate his capabilities."

Che Kangbo was a mediocre man, if this were a normal situation, he could just offend him, and Yuan Li's reasoning left Che Kangbo powerless. Cai Ji was not a fool, he would understand this reasoning, but to come out and say that sending troops to suppress bandits could be misunderstood by the Yizhou soldiers... Strange.

What kind of situation would make Cai Ji exaggerate to this extent, and make him worry that Che Kangbo would misunderstand their intentions towards the Yizhou soldiers?

The Northern Zhou Dynasty is still in power, with Emperor Jianyuan at the helm, various forces are stirring, but there is no clear provocation. If we were to send troops to Yizhou to suppress bandits, it would simply be interfering where unnecessary.

However, no matter how you look at it, Cai Ji's words and actions today don't make much sense.

But Eight Large Boxes of gold!

Why did Cai Ji suddenly show such sincerity in apologizing to us?

Yuan Li voiced his suspicions to Chu Hechao, saying, "I can't shake the feeling that there's something we don't know about."

Chu Hechao tapped the reins with his fingers, saying, "It must be a message sent back from Luoyang by Cai Yi. Wait, I'll have someone investigate."

*

The Magistrate's Residence.

Cai Ji was helped to sit down by the steward. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, his chest heaved heavily. After catching his breath, Cai Ji's face slowly darkened.

After a moment, he slammed his armrest, gritting his teeth, "No! I'm leaving Youzhou!"

Yesterday, Cai Yi had sent a shocking message from Luoyang, which left Cai Ji almost in a state of shock. Immediately, he decided to make amends with Chu Hechao and Yuan Li, offering his entire wealth as compensation.

His mind was in turmoil.

In the letter, Cai Yi revealed that Emperor Jianyuan had fallen ill since the beginning of spring, with no signs of recovery. Instead, his condition worsened, now reaching a critical state.

The Imperial relatives and eunuchs were eyeing the throne, causing panic in Luoyang. Even the letters sent to Cai Ji were rushed in fear of Luoyang being sealed off.

Upon learning of Emperor Jianyuan's impending death, Cai Ji trembled.

Not young anymore, but even his slow brain could understand - with Emperor Jianyuan's passing, chaos would ensue.

What's more frightening is that Luoyang and Youzhou were miles apart. By the time the letter reached Cai Ji, Emperor Jianyuan may have already passed away!

How could Cai Ji not tremble?

Especially with Yuan Li recently conscripting soldiers, if Emperor Jianyuan dies, chaos will ensue. The various lords will rise up, and Chu Hechao and Yuanli will be one of those lords, firmly controlling Youzhou.

With Chu Hechao and Yuan Li's growing strength, could he, who had offended them and cheated them, still have a good end?

Cai Ji realized he needed to quickly make amends, return the ill-gotten gains, please them, to erase his past crimes.

This is exactly what Cai Ji did today, trying to suggest to Chu Hechao and Yuan Li not to meddle in the Yizhou bandits. In the future, when chaos breaks out, this would be the signal to raise an army, and with Emperor Jianyuan gone, Che Kangbo could use this as an excuse to incite war in both states, launching an attack on Youzhou.

Cai Ji certainly did not care about the chaos of war or the well-being of the common people, but he was afraid of death, fearing that he would be dragged into the turmoil of war, ultimately losing his wealth or even his life.

In his opinion, why bother to suppress bandits?

It was simply an unnecessary interference, wasting manpower and resources. What good would killing a few bandits do?

It was better to just stay safe in Youzhou, minding their own business and letting the chaos outside unfold without their involvement. If someone had their eye on Youzhou, it would be better to pay them off with money and supplies to maintain peace.

Why complicate things?

Cai Ji harbored a strong dislike for Yuan Li and Chu Hechao's actions.

But today's events showed that Yuan Li was firm in his stance and unwilling to give up on suppressing the bandits. Chu Hechao also showed a strong inclination towards violence and completely disregarded Cai Ji's suggestions.

What's more, Cai Ji was aware that there were spies among the dancers, and he even considered making a move against Yuan Li.

Having just made reparations for past mistakes, getting involved with these two again only stirred up new enmity, leaving Cai Ji in a state of panic. He feared that if Yuan Li and Chu Hechao found out about his plans, they would retaliate.

Cai Ji could not afford to wait for death nor stay in Youzhou any longer. Even if Yuan Li and Chu Hechao spared him, he believed that meddling in the affairs of others would eventually lead to disaster.

Seeing the increasing danger in Youzhou, Cai Ji's resolve to leave grew stronger. He trembled as he instructed his steward, "Quickly pack up our belongings in the residence, ensuring that no one outside notices. Transfer our assets discreetly out of the city each day. In ten days, under the cover of night, we will leave. We cannot stay in Youzhou any longer!"

The steward nodded hurriedly, then asked, "Where does the master plan to go?"

After much deliberation, Cai Ji made his decision, saying, "We will seek refuge with Wu Shanshi, the Governor of Yizhou. Tomorrow, send a letter to him on my behalf, informing him that I will be arriving with important news."

As he spoke, Cai Ji remembered the distant and indifferent manner in which Yuan Li and Chu Hechao had greeted each other at the banquet. He couldn't shake the feeling that their relationship was not as rumored, possibly harboring many hidden conflicts.

With a cold tone, he added, "Also inform him that I may have valuable information about Youzhou."

The steward replied, "Yes, sir."