Marrying Wife and Concubine Together: After Rebirth, I Remarried the Scumbag's Father on the Sp

Ye Li's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and his throat tightened.

He murmured, "Ah Miao, I don't want to drag him down. I told you I want to leave!"

Zhan Miao looked at his reddened eyes and asked softly, "If you really leave, what will my brother face is more than just rumors? He will have to deal with the suspicion of the entire court and bear all the pressure alone. And you, are you willing to let him face all of this alone?"

She paused, her tone becoming increasingly earnest: "You think you're doing this for his own good, but your departure is what leaves him most helpless. Ye Li, ask yourself, do you really want to leave? If you leave, will you truly be at peace, or will you only worry about him day and night, wondering how you'll cope with all the open and hidden attacks in this deep palace?"

A breeze rustled through the flower branches under the eaves, causing a few petals to fall.

Ye Li's shoulders trembled slightly, and his eyes finally welled up with tears, blurring his vision. He had always thought that leaving was a relief, for Zhan Xuan's own good, but Zhan Miao's words were like a sharp blade, severing his heart. He couldn't bear to leave, he never could.

Zhan Miao gently patted his back: "My brother is not angry that you want to leave, but that you don't understand his feelings, and even more angry that you don't cherish your place in his heart. If you really care about him, you should stay and face those rumors with him, instead of thinking of running away alone. Your existence has never been a burden to him, but rather his only support in this cold court."

Ye Li gripped the teacup tightly, his knuckles turning white, completely unaware that scalding tea had splashed onto the back of his hand.

His Adam's apple bobbed several times, his hoarse voice choked with barely suppressed sobs: "But those rumors are like knives, stabbing him and stabbing my heart. I'm afraid, afraid that if I stay any longer, I'll drag him down with me to the point of no return."

Zhan Miao sighed, reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, her tone firm: "To implicate? Your brother and I have grown up together since childhood. When has he ever been afraid of gossip? The only thing he fears is you leaving without saying goodbye. Do you think he can abandon the life-and-death bond you have shared?"

These words struck Ye Li like a thunderbolt, leaving him trembling. He looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Really?"

Zhan Miao nodded, her gaze gentle yet resolute. "You always see yourself as a subject, but you forget that in your brother's heart, you are no longer an outsider. He is angry that you want to leave because you don't understand. What he wants has never been a harem, but someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with him, never leaving his side. Ye Li, stop deceiving yourself. Your heart has already been with him, hasn't it?"

Ye Li stared blankly at Zhan Miao, countless images flashing through his mind: Zhan Xuan tucking him in late at night, staying by his bedside all night when he was sick, and shielding him from open and hidden attacks in the court... All the tenderness he had deliberately ignored now surged into his heart, making it impossible for him to pretend to be strong anymore.

He suddenly lowered his head, tears splashing into the teacup, creating ripples: "I think I was wrong!"

Zhan Miao gently patted his back and said softly, "It's good that you know you were wrong. Your brother is probably still angry. Go and wait outside the Imperial Study until he calms down, then have a good talk with him about what's on your mind. Remember, true companionship is never about running away, but about facing things together."

Ye Li took a deep breath, wiped away his tears, and his eyes regained their resolve. He stood up and bowed deeply to Zhan Miao: "Thank you for your guidance, Princess. I understand now."

After saying that, he turned around and walked quickly toward the Imperial Study, his steps no longer unsteady, each step filled with unprecedented determination.

The door to the Imperial Study was tightly closed, and the palace lanterns under the eaves swayed gently in the evening breeze, casting a long shadow of Ye Li.

He stood at the foot of the steps, his back ramrod straight. The dejection he had just felt had vanished, leaving only a resolute look in his eyes and a hint of barely perceptible unease.

Inside the hall, Zhan Xuan stood with his back to the door in front of the window, his expression complex and unpleasant.

The night outside the window was thick, just like his chaotic thoughts at that moment.

His angry shout at Ye Li to get out was just a show of bravado born of desperation. How could he really bear to let that person leave? But when he thought of Ye Li's resolute departure, his heart ached as if it were being pricked by needles.

"Your Majesty, Lord Ye has been standing outside the hall for an hour," the eunuch reported quietly as he entered.

Zhan Xuan's fingers suddenly paused, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, but he stubbornly said, "Tell him to get lost!"

The eunuch hesitated for a moment, but eventually withdrew. As he passed Ye Li, he secretly gave him a look that said, "His Majesty is still angry, but please wait a little longer."

Ye Li understood, and remained standing quietly, letting the night dew soak his clothes.

He knew that Zhan Xuan was angry, both because of his dissatisfaction with his departure and because of the helplessness he felt towards the rumors that had entangled them. He had to wait, until Zhan Xuan was willing to listen to what was on his mind.

Another half hour passed before an impatient snort finally came from inside the hall: "Come in!"

Ye Li was overjoyed and quickly pushed open the door. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he knelt down with a thud, his voice hoarse: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."

Zhan Xuan slowly turned around, his gaze falling coldly on him, his tone mocking: "Didn't Minister Ye want to return to the Sheng Dynasty? Why aren't you leaving yet? Do you think you haven't had enough of my palace?"

Ye Li raised his head, his eyes still red, but his gaze was clear: "I will not leave. I was confused before, always thinking that I could quell the rumors for Your Majesty by running away, but I forgot that what Your Majesty wanted was never my concession, but the courage to face it side by side with me."

He paused, his voice growing more earnest: "No matter how harsh the rumors are, I can endure them. As long as I can stay by Your Majesty's side and help you deal with the suspicions of the court officials, I will do it willingly."

Zhan Xuan looked at the sincerity in his eyes, his fingers holding the jade pendant loosened slightly, but his expression remained tense: "You're good at talking. Who was it that was crying and shouting to leave just now? Do you think leaving will make the rumors disappear?"

"It was my foolishness." Ye Li crawled a few steps to Zhan Xuan's feet, gently tugged at his robe, and said with a hint of grievance in his voice, "I only realized later that if I left, Your Majesty would only face more pressure alone, and those with ulterior motives would become even more unscrupulous. I couldn't bear to let Your Majesty carry all of this alone."

Feeling the warmth on the hem of his clothes, Zhan Xuan's heart softened completely.

He bent down and pulled Ye Li up from the ground, his strength laced with a barely perceptible tenderness. Looking at the tear stains on Ye Li's face and his hair damp with the night dew, he finally couldn't help but frown, his tone reproachful: "Fool, couldn't you come inside and hide? What if you get frostbite?"

Ye Li felt a lump in her throat as he pulled her along, and her voice choked with emotion: "Your Majesty, I will never leave you again."

Zhan Xuan's body stiffened slightly. He then slowly raised his hand and gently patted his back, his voice low and hoarse: "If you had said this earlier, why would I have bothered to argue with you?"