Suddenly, Dugu Luanyue withdrew her fierceness and smiled again.
"I'm not being excited. I just think it's a bit unreasonable. Prince Yuzhang, why don't you say something?" She turned her eyes and looked at Huo Wei.
Huo Wei half - lowered his eyelids and said calmly, "Your son obeys the decree. Thank you, Father Emperor, for bestowing the marriage."
Dugu Luanyue's heart tightened. She gritted her teeth and said, "Prince Yuzhang, this is to marry into the wife's family. Do you understand what that means?"
Huo Wei looked at her with a half - smile. "Your son understands. Although your son was born of humble origin, I can still read.
As long as I can marry Wei Zhiruo, whether it's marrying into the wife's family or the normal way of marriage, what's the difference? As long as we have a good relationship, you don't need to worry, Mother Queen."
Dugu Luanyue swallowed hard as her throat felt tight. Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared at him. Then she sat back in her seat and regained her composure.
Suddenly, Murong Min took her hand. "Alright, then leave the wedding arrangements to the Queen and Concubine Xian. Try to get it done before the New Year."
Wei Zhiruo was extremely happy. If Huo Wei married into her family, he would never have any concubines or maidservants in the future. She would be the only woman in his life.
She lowered her head, but her face was beaming with joy. She was eagerly waiting for the day to marry Huo Wei.
After everyone left, Huo Wei slowly got up from the ground with a poker face. Shen Guilan walked over and grabbed his arm. Before she could say anything, he shook her off.
Shen Guilan looked up at his side face. His jaw had become much sharper.
"The Emperor said for you to marry into the wife's family. Why did you agree so easily?
Huo Wei, he has humiliated you like this. Don't you really feel anything? The Queen is trying to stop it and even gave you a chance to speak up. Why do you have to go against it?"
Shen Guilan asked him excitedly.
Huo Wei cast a cold glance at her. "Shen Guilan, you and Dugu Luanyue are both satisfied, aren't you?"
Shen Guilan looked at him seriously. "What do you mean by we're both satisfied?
We're both working towards our plans and constantly finding ways. We're just sacrificing some personal interests. If I could take your place, I would never back down.
But this has nothing to do with the Queen. It's all my own scheme. You don't need to blame it on her."
Huo Wei kicked over the tea table in front of him. Rage churned in his cold, black eyes. Disappointment and pain were etched on his determined features.
"To achieve your goals, you can include me in your calculations.
You no longer care, and Dugu Luanyue cares even less. She doesn't care who sleeps in my bed. She only has her own goals."
Shen Guilan shouted, "Huo Wei, calm down!
Didn't you also scheme against the Queen for your own goals before? Weren't you even going to kill her?
Now, it's just a marriage. What are you being so stubborn about?"
Huo Wei curled his lips in a bleak smile. "I'm being stubborn? No, I'm not. Didn't I agree to marry into the wife's family?"
His eyes were full of disappointment. The Emperor wanted him to be sharp and obedient, his master wanted him to lead a cavalry rebellion, the past forced him to take revenge, and even Dugu Luanyue, the one who said she truly loved him, had also calculated against him.
Then who was he? Why did he have to live in other people's plans?
Shen Guilan said softly, "Do you know that besides you and me, and the Emperor, there's another force. A Jue's death..." He stopped and didn't continue.
Suddenly, Huo Wei raised his eyes. "What about A Jue's death? What do you actually know?"
Shen Guilan shook his head with a bitter smile. "I don't know anything. I'm just speculating that A Jue's death is not as simple as we thought."
A few days later, Murong Min and the Taoist priest Yanxu were going to hold a religious lecture in the hot - spring palace. They needed to practice in seclusion for a few days, and no outsiders were allowed to disturb them.
Sheng Yunqi, who was pretending to be Ci He, always followed Murong Min. He was from a prominent family.
He was outstanding in his family and extremely knowledgeable. When chatting with Murong Min, he was very persuasive, so Murong Min trusted him a bit more.
Sheng Yunqi learned that Murong Min sometimes beat Dugu Luanyue, so he secretly added more hallucinogenic drugs to his golden elixir, making him seem absent - minded all day.
Over the past few months, Murong Min's body had been deteriorating. He was all show and no substance.
Sheng Yunqi sent a message saying that Murong Min hadn't let any of his concubines serve him for several days.
Heavy snow was falling, covering the entire hot - spring palace. The glazed tiles were also covered with a thick layer of snow.
Layer upon layer of snow piled up on the tiles. Finally, the thick snow couldn't hold on anymore and fell heavily.
The figure in the bright red phoenix robe embroidered with gold thread was standing right outside the eaves. She didn't allow anyone to get close and just stood silently in the frost and snow, trying to cool her anxious and angry heart.
Just as the snow block was about to hit Dugu Luanyue's head, someone pulled her aside. The snow block hit Huo Wei's back.
His cold and angry eyes stared at Dugu Luanyue, who was covered in frost. "Are you crazy? Standing under the eaves in the snow. Are you afraid the snow blocks won't kill you?"
Dugu Luanyue steadied herself and came to her senses. Her hand was still holding onto Huo Wei's arm. Her jade - like eyes trembled. "You finally came to see me."
Huo Wei shook off her hand. Seeing her standing alone in the snow, he looked at her with a heavy expression.
He had already shaken off her hand, but seeing the goose - feather snow getting heavier, he grabbed her arm and dragged her into the palace.
"If you like the snow so much, you should take off your clothes and stand in the snow. Freezing into an ice block would be the best."
Dugu Luanyue listened to his harsh words one by one, but she wasn't angry with him because of these words. What bothered her was Huo Wei's marriage into the Wei family.
"Why did you agree to marry into the family so easily? It's too late to go back on it now. Do you know what it means to marry into the wife's family? It means..."
Huo Wei sat beside the stove, looking at the flickering fire. His black eyes were full of dancing flames. He interrupted her.
"I'll only ask you one question. Wei Zhiruo, did you deliberately calculate against me, right?"
Dugu Luanyue silently looked at his back. She no longer had the courage to say the words coldly as before.
Huo Wei got up from beside the stove and walked towards her step by step. His smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Didn't you also calculate against me before? It was you who wanted to be with me. Now that the plan has changed, you've calculated to put another woman with me.
Dugu Luanyue, where is your single bit of sincerity for me? You're the kind of person who will use others to the extreme if you can!"
The veins on Huo Wei's forehead bulged, and his blood - red eyes stared at her.
Dugu Luanyue looked up at the angry him. Her voice softened a bit.
"Huo Wei, allying with the Wei family is the fastest way I can think of to weaken Murong Min.
I've really been thinking of other ways, but none of them are as easy and safe as this one.
Besides completing our cooperation plan, I also need to consider your future in the Northern Yan. I don't want you to be isolated in the court in the future."
Huo Wei pinned her against the wall and punched the wall beside her ear.
"Don't talk about the future!
Dugu Luanyue, since you want me to do this so much, then I'll marry Wei Zhiruo, start a family and have children with other women, and follow your established plan. Will you be happy then?"
Dugu Luanyue lowered her jade - like eyes and frowned.
"I'm not happy. I even hate myself. I've hated myself every day since I came to the Northern Yan.
But besides love, there are more important things to do in the Northern Yan. I have no choice."
Huo Wei's cold voice came. "Listen up. There's nothing between you and me except cooperation.
I, Huo Wei, will never love a woman who is full of calculations and self - interest towards me. Dugu Luanyue, let's part ways from now on."