Chapter 78

Chapter 78: You Are My Wife, How Can You Marry Someone Else?

The Dongzhou Army ringed Song Manor in layer after layer, sealing every way out.

In an instant, the cheerful wedding feast turned into looming disaster.

The guests had never seen a scene like this. Faces went pale, and no one dared breathe loudly.

Red gauze fluttered on all sides as snow blew through it; red and white shone together, a beautiful yet chilling sight.

Huo Zheng walked through the wind and snow, step by step, until he stood before Chun Zhi, who wore a Phoenix Coronet.

The gold tassels hanging from the Phoenix Coronet could not hide her face; Huo Zheng recognized Chun Zhi at a glance.

He had searched for her for more than half a year. Now she wore a bridal robe, her belly slightly rounded, standing by another man, ready to marry him.

Startled, Chun Zhi let the red silk slip from her hand and took an involuntary step back.

Huo Zheng wanted to ask how she had survived, wanted to ask how she had lived these past months, but when he saw her panic and how she wished to avoid him, he could not say a single word.

Song An Lan stepped forward, holding a Red Embroidered Ball to shield her, and said: “Honored guest, we failed to greet you from afar. If you come to drink our wedding wine, I welcome you. If you came for something else, I cannot agree.”

Huo Zheng spoke in a low voice: “Move aside.”

His whole mind was on Chun Zhi; he had no wish to waste words on anyone else.

Song An Lan refused to move. He was usually gentle, but his backbone could not be bent. Still guarding Chun Zhi, he said: “Behind me stands my wife. Honored guest, what you are doing is not proper.”

Huo Zheng drew a guard’s sword and pointed it at Song An Lan’s chest, and said: “Move!”

Song An Lan still would not move. Seeing the sword tip about to pierce his chest, Song Wan’er cried out: “Elder brother!”

The sword flashed cold light, able to take a life in a blink. Afraid for her elder brother, Song Wan’er was nearly scared to death.

Chun Zhi grabbed Song An Lan, stepped forward to shield him, and said: “If you must kill, then kill me. Do not hurt my husband.”

Gritting his teeth, Huo Zheng forced out his words: “What did you call him?”

As Chun Zhi spoke, she pressed herself against the sword tip. Afraid of hurting her, Huo Zheng hurried to withdraw the blade.

Once, Chun Zhi had also called him “husband.”

At that time, she had been clear: their marriage was fake. She called him “husband” only to fool others.

Back then, he had not felt those two words were anything special.

Now, hearing Chun Zhi call another man that, felt like a knife cutting his heart.

Afraid but stubborn, Chun Zhi still said to Huo Zheng: “An Lan and I are married. Of course I call him husband.”

Huo Zheng said in a deep voice: “You have not yet Bowed to Heaven and Earth. It does not count as husband and wife.”

Chun Zhi answered: “What is Bowing to Heaven and Earth compared to this? I already have his child!”

She could not let Huo Zheng learn that the child in her belly was his.

To protect the baby and Young Master Song, she could only lie to Huo Zheng.

She felt very lucky that this wedding robe hid her shape, so that a woman about to give birth looked only slightly rounded, like someone newly pregnant.

Staring at her slightly raised belly, Huo Zheng said in disbelief: “You…”

Chun Zhi stood in front of Song An Lan. Fear made cold sweat prickle her back, but she kept her face hard so no one could see it, and said in a chill voice: “I should thank you. If you hadn’t cornered me until I had to jump into the river, An Lan would not have saved me, and I would not have become his wife.”

Huo Zheng looked at her, his eyes dark, and said: “Chun Zhi, you are my wife. How can you marry someone else?”

Chun Zhi answered coldly: “When was I ever your wife?”

She did not wait for him to speak and continued: “From the very start, I told you clearly: the marriage was fake. You helped me escape the Magistrate’s Office’s forced match. I let you stay to heal. When the time came, you would leave on your own.”

That had been the agreement from the beginning.

So Chun Zhi had never thought Huo Qi would stay for her.

She had only been too lonely, so during those days and nights together, she clung to the bit of warmth he gave. When she wanted a child, she felt having one with Huo Qi would be fine.

She had never imagined that Huo Zheng was Prince Chang’an, who was inspecting Nanzhou.

She had even less imagined that her true heart would be repaid by being treated as a plaything.

Chun Zhi had planned never to see Huo Zheng again, to forget the past as if it had never happened.

But he insisted on finding her.

She said to Huo Zheng: “You should not have come for me.”

Huo Zheng grabbed her wrist, pulled her into his arms, then lifted off her Phoenix Coronet.

The coronet crashed to the floor; jade broke on the spot, and pearls rolled across the ground.

Chun Zhi’s black hair fell, flying in the wind.

Song An Lan stepped forward and took her other hand, and said: “Prince Chang’an, you were ordered to remain in your residence and not leave the Capital. Yet you came to Dongzhou to seize a commoner’s wife. If I file an Imperial Petition in the Capital, what then?”

Huo Zheng said: “Report me if you like.” [At worst I will take another hundred lashes. I have taken them before.]

He had struggled through countless hardships to find Chun Zhi; he would not let go.

Chun Zhi could not stand being so close to him. She struggled in his arms, striking him with fists and palms, her brows knotted, and said: “Huo Zheng, let me go!”

Seeing her struggle so hard and that Huo Zheng still would not let go, Song An Lan released his hold first and warned: “Chun Zhi, be careful of the child.”

Chun Zhi was eight months pregnant, about to give birth. The physician had said she must not be hit by strong joy or sorrow and stir the fetus.

Song Wan’er rushed over to pry at Huo Zheng’s arm and shouted to him: “Let go of my sister-in-law!”

But Huo Zheng’s arm held Chun Zhi like iron. No matter how they pulled, they could not move him at all.

Chun Zhi lowered her head and bit the back of Huo Zheng’s hand, biting hard. Blood filled her mouth at once.

Though his hand was bitten bloody, Huo Zheng still would not loosen his grip, and said: “If this helps you vent your anger, then bite.”

Chun Zhi was not pretending. She wished she could bite him to death.

In the end her jaw ached from biting. Seeing that Huo Zheng had not even frowned, she finally let go in fury.

Huo Zheng raised his hand and wiped the blood from the corner of her lips, and said: “If you’ve bitten enough, then come with me.”

“I won’t go with you,” Chun Zhi said again, “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

“I don’t want to hear you say that again, Chun Zhi,” Huo Zheng said.

Chun Zhi was about to speak when Huo Zheng said: “If you don’t want Song An Lan to die, then behave.”

He sounded calm, but killing intent had risen already.

Chun Zhi did not dare gamble with Song An Lan’s life. She fell silent, and her struggling stopped.

Huo Zheng took the chance to lift her in his arms and strode out.