Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 329 Towards the Golden Palace (33)

“If you’re determined to get a divorce, it’s not difficult,” Yan Zhen said calmly. “Besides, wouldn’t it be a good thing for you if things got out of hand? To outsiders, you’re incredibly charming. Even a royal merchant appointed by the Emperor himself would become your concubine. Isn’t that a huge honor?”

Xie Zhao felt threatened by her sarcastic remarks. He narrowed his eyes and looked her up and down: "Luo Yun, to be honest, do you want to get back together with me? Or do you want to use the power of the Imperial Merchant and Xue Lin to rise above me and steal Zhao Lin and Wan Fang away?"

Yan Zhen adopted a tactical silence.

Xie Zhao was furious when he saw her acquiesce. He shouted, "Don't even think about it! Zhao Lin and Wan Fang are my children. There is no way they will go with you! If you want to take them away, I don't mind fighting you to the death. Concealing your identity is the same as deceiving the emperor. I want to see if you can still sit in your position as a royal merchant after this is exposed!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhen was not angry at all. Instead, he curled his lips into a cryptic smile and said, "Xie Zhao, you're getting impatient."

Xie Zhao was taken aback: "What?"

"You've finally met your match!" Yan Zhen sneered. "Back in Luo Family Village, young women and wives would come to your door every few days asking you to read family books and write couplets. You let them be so friendly but never explicitly refused. I was so anxious back then. Today, it's time for you to taste that feeling too."

Xie Zhao: "..."

So she did this to get revenge for the jealousy she felt back then?

Although Xie Zhao remained silent, he felt at ease.

If she didn't care about him, Luo Yun wouldn't have resorted to such childish tactics to provoke him.

"Why bring up old matters?" Xie Zhao softened his tone. "Don't worry, I will put the matter of taking a concubine on the agenda as soon as possible. In a few days, after I bring Meng Zhenyue back to the manor, I will let her handle it. You should also sever ties with Xue Lin as soon as possible."

As he spoke, Xie Zhao added, "When I mentioned you to Zhao Lin and Wan Fang, they were both very happy and looked forward to you returning to the manor with me soon."

When the child was mentioned, Yan Zhen's expression softened: "I understand."

Having finished discussing everything, Yan Zhen prepared to get out of the car.

But when they lifted the carriage curtain and saw Xue Lin with a gloomy face outside the carriage, both she and Xie Zhao were taken aback.

Xie Zhao, in particular, felt no different from a wife caught red-handed by her husband having an affair.

"You're back." Yan Zhen greeted Xue Lin casually, then braced himself on the carriage shaft, ready to jump down.

Xue Lin stepped forward to help her up, then said to Xie Zhao in the carriage, "You, get out."

Xie Zhao had a gut feeling that the visitor was up to no good: "Lord Xue, if you have something to say, then say it here... Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xue Lin suddenly reached into the carriage, grabbed Xie Zhao by the collar, and pulled him down.

Xie Zhao was roughly dragged out of the carriage and fell face-first to the ground. His injured arm hit the ground hard, and he let out a muffled groan in pain.

Before he could even get up, Xue Lin rained down punches and kicks on him, leaving him no choice but to run away with his head in his hands.

Yan Zhen watched from the sidelines, and if the timing hadn't been wrong, she would have applauded Xue Lin—he had done what she herself wanted to do but couldn't at this stage.

But as Xue Lin's blows became heavier and heavier, the sound of each punch landing hard made Yan Zhen's teeth ache.

Realizing that if things continued, Xue Lin might actually kill Xie Zhao, Yan Zhen stepped forward and pulled him away: "Xue Lin, that's enough."

Xue Lin ignored her, brushed her hand away, and turned back to continue beating Xie Zhao.

"Xue Lin!"

"stop!"

"I told you to stop, didn't you hear me?!"

Xue Lin remained unmoved, and the force of his blows did not lessen in the slightest.

Yan Zhen tried to pull him away twice, but he shook her off each time. She could only grab his waist and forcefully pull him away. She said to Xie Zhao, "I'll take him away first," and then forcefully dragged Xue Lin back to the Cao residence through the side gate.

Once inside Xue Lin's courtyard, Yan Zhen released him and said sternly, "Xue Lin, do you know what you're doing? You almost ruined my plans!"

Xue Lin had just returned from his shift. His official uniform, which was originally a low-ranking green, had turned into a crimson color befitting a fifth-rank official. Dressed in red, he looked even more handsome, but his face was frighteningly dark.

This time, after being scolded by Yan Zhen, he didn't apologize as usual. Instead, he stuck his neck out, as if he had "I did nothing wrong" and "I'm not convinced" written all over his face.

"What's with that expression?" Yan Zhen frowned. "You've only just been promoted, and you've already got too big for your britches. You don't even listen to me anymore, do you?"

Xue Lin remained silent, his face full of arrogance.

Yan Zhen almost laughed out of anger and turned to leave.

The moment she moved, Xue Lin immediately grabbed her wrist, his tone harsh: "Are you really going to become a concubine in the Xie family?"

Yan Zhen: "...Use your brain and think about it carefully, is this even possible?"

She wished Xie Zhao were dead; how could she possibly go back to be his concubine?

Upon hearing her words, Xue Lin immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then cautiously asked, "Then... then cutting ties with me was also a lie?"

Yan Zhen brushed his hand away: "If you keep getting jealous and throwing tantrums without even knowing the facts, then it's for real."

Xue Lin: "..."

He readily apologized, "Sister, I was wrong."

"You'd better actually know you're wrong, instead of saying one thing and doing another."

Xue Lin lowered his head, his expression full of regret: "I'm sorry."

Yan Zhen frowned: "Aren't you usually very smart? Why are you acting like you didn't bring your brain with you today?"

Xue Lin was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm not sure."

"Ok?"

"Xie Zhao... I'm the top scholar you raised, and so is he. You two even had a child. What if, what if my sister thinks he's easier to control than me, and after weighing the options, chooses him? Then I..."

Perhaps it was because of the contrast with the arrogant Xie Zhao, Yan Zhen couldn't help but find the anxious Xue Lin more agreeable.

She stepped forward and straightened the buttons on Xue Lin's round collar: "That's not true. I don't want Xie Zhao, nor do I want Xie Zhaolin or Xie Wanfang. There's nothing about him that I want. There's no possibility of us getting back together, and you're not in a competitive relationship with him either."

Xue Lin felt relieved, and a slight smile appeared on his face: "I understand."

"However," Yan Zhen changed the subject, and as she finished buttoning his clothes, she patted his cheek with a gesture full of warning, "If you dare to have any more crooked thoughts, I don't mind replacing you. Xie Zhao is not in competition with you because I find him disgusting, but that doesn't mean others aren't."

She could elevate Xue Lin to the position of a fifth-rank salt transport commissioner, and she could just as easily replace him.

Xue Lin stared at her intently for a while, then his smile slowly faded, and he said seriously, "Yes, elder sister."

-

Xie Zhao was beaten up and returned to the Xie residence. When Cheng Qingshuang saw him with a bruised and swollen face and covered in injuries, she was shocked.

"Zhao'er, what happened to you? Who beat you up like this?"