After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 41

That day, Lang Sa didn’t return until nightfall.

 

Xie Zhiqing wasn’t sleeping soundly and woke up as soon as he heard the door open.

 

“Lang Sa?” He rubbed his eyes and got up. “Why are you back so late?”

 

Lang Sa brushed the snowflakes off his coat, took two steps to the bedside, and sat down. “I went to see Lang Xiaoxiao for a bit. You’re not asleep yet?”

 

Xie Zhiqing lay back down under the blanket, squinted, and smiled. “Not really asleep.”

 

Lang Sa lowered his head, touched Xie Zhiqing’s nose tip, and said, “Go to sleep. I’ll be right here.”

 

Xie Zhiqing wasn’t very sleepy. He reached out from the blanket, grabbed Lang Sa, and asked, “What did you talk about with Xiaoxiao?”

 

“…” Lang Sa rolled his eyes unceremoniously.

 

Just the mention made him angry. Lang Sa said angrily, “I’m really fed up with her! She just got back and is already causing trouble everywhere! Lu Lingling said she stole a basket of cucumbers from the garden, and Lang Pengpeng said she pulled out a big tuft of his fur! As soon as I got back, everyone was complaining to me. It’s driving me crazy!”

 

“…” Xie Zhiqing showed a look of disbelief.

 

“But,” Lang Sa continued, “I met Xiao Qizhen.”

 

Xie Zhiqing quickly asked, “You met him? What do you think of him?”

 

Lang Sa thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, “I can’t say. He seems sincere and speaks openly, but I just feel… something’s off.”

 

According to Lang Sa, he found an excuse to send Lang Xiaoxiao away and talked to Xiao Qizhen alone.

 

He got straight to the point and asked about the three concubines who had died.

 

“Xiao Qizhen said the first one had poor health since childhood and died of illness shortly after marriage. The second one had a miscarriage and neither she nor the baby survived. The third one had an accident, slipped on heavy snow, and broke her head.” Lang Sa frowned and said, “What I heard matches his story, but…”

 

He shook his head and didn’t continue.

 

Xie Zhiqing understood what he meant.

 

No matter what, Xiao Qizhen was a prince of the Pianyang Kingdom. Even if there were some inside stories, they couldn’t be easily discovered.

 

“I also asked him why he wants to marry into the wolf tribe.” Lang Sa continued, “He was honest and said he needs a powerful foreign ally.”

 

Xie Zhiqing understood. “He wants to become the next emperor of Pianyang?”

 

Lang Sa nodded.

 

It was said that the crown prince of Pianyang wasn’t very good at handling state affairs. Pianyang chose capable leaders over eldest sons, and compared to his brothers, he wasn’t advantageous.

 

“So, he wants you to help him?” Xie Zhiqing thought for a moment and said, “Well, that’s a reasonable motive.”

 

Lang Sa scoffed and said, “I told him I don’t care. Whether he becomes emperor or not has nothing to do with the grasslands or me. Lang Xiaoxiao can marry whoever she wants; it has nothing to do with the wolf tribe.”

 

“What did he say to that?” Xie Zhiqing asked again.

 

“…” Lang Sa’s expression was complex. “He didn’t say much, just that it’s fine. He said he doesn’t necessarily have to be emperor, but he definitely wants to marry Lang Xiaoxiao.”

 

This surprised Xie Zhiqing a bit.

 

He leaned against the headboard, wrapped in his blanket, and exchanged a look with Lang Sa, his face puzzled. “… He’s quite straightforward. So, marrying Xiaoxiao is his main goal, and having the grasslands as backup is secondary?”

 

Lang Sa asked, “Do you believe him?”

 

Xie Zhiqing hesitated. “I can’t say, but… even though Xiaoxiao is simple-minded, her martial skills are excellent. Even if there’s something fishy about Xiao Qizhen’s concubines, Xiaoxiao should be able to protect herself. I just feel…”

 

That strange feeling came again.

 

Xiao Qizhen’s story seemed flawless, and his attitude was sincere, but… Xie Zhiqing felt something was odd.

 

Later, Lang Sa mentioned some details about how the two interacted. Xie Zhiqing listened carefully and started to think Xiao Qizhen might be reliable.

 

“In any case, from what you’ve described, he seems like…” Xie Zhiqing thought for a while, trying hard to find the right words. “He seems like a reformed scoundrel—Lang Sa, do you know what I mean?”

 

Lang Sa replied, “Indeed. He’s not perfect, but he seems to be trying to change whenever Lang Xiaoxiao mentions something.”

 

They were silent for a while. Then Lang Sa said, “Tomorrow, I’ll go talk to Lang Xiaoxiao about those three girls and see what she thinks. If she thinks Xiao Qizhen is acceptable, the marriage can go ahead. I have no objections.”

 

Since Lang Sa had made up his mind, Xie Zhiqing didn’t say anything more. He set aside his various strange thoughts about the prince, telling himself that maybe the prince was just bad at handling social situations, which explained his odd behavior.

 

“Let’s not talk about this anymore.” Lang Sa smiled, leaning in to kiss Xie Zhiqing’s cheek. “I heard you went to buy fabric for the baby? What kind? Let me see.”

 

Xie Zhiqing’s cheeks flushed, and he said softly, “I haven’t bought any yet… Xiao Chan said she didn’t see any she liked and plans to look farther away.”

 

Xiao Chan was the maid Xie Zhiqing brought with him when he married into the grasslands.

 

Lang Sa said, “I’ll send some people with her tomorrow to speed things up.”

 

Xie Zhiqing nodded. “Alright.”

 

Lang Sa returned after a brief wash to find that Xie Zhiqing had already fallen asleep.

 

He gently smoothed the little prince’s long hair, covered them both with the blanket, and lay down next to him.

 

The bed was warm, and Xie Zhiqing’s long hair carried a fresh scent of soap. Lang Sa secretly buried his face in his hair, feeling the silky, cool strands against his skin.

 

Despite the cozy atmosphere, Lang Sa couldn’t sleep.

 

Lang Xiaoxiao’s troubles were annoying, but what bothered him more were the thoughts that followed.

 

He wondered, in their wolf tribe, which didn’t value blood ties as much, if he was worried about Lang Xiaoxiao’s marriage, how worried must Xie Zhiqing’s family have been when he came to the grasslands?

 

Long-buried concerns surfaced again.

 

Xie Zhiqing, such a gentle person, wouldn’t show dissatisfaction even if he felt it. Especially now that they had a baby.

 

Lang Sa touched Xie Zhiqing’s eyes and hoped that he was truly happy being with him. Otherwise, he feared he would never be able to make up for Xiao Qing’s longing and regret for being far from his family.

 

The usually carefree wolf king found himself troubled. He smiled bitterly, thinking that he used to only want to keep Xie Zhiqing by his side. Now that he had him, he had other worries.

 

This is what people call love, Lang Sa thought.

 

Xie Zhiqing, who had been sleeping peacefully, suddenly murmured. He moved his hand, and his shoulder slipped out from under the blanket.

 

Lang Sa pulled the blanket back over him and checked his hands and feet to make sure he was warm, then felt reassured.

 

Eventually, Lang Sa also fell asleep.

 

The next day at noon, Lang Sa remembered to send some people to help Xiao Chan buy fabric. After lunch, he went out to arrange it.

 

Unexpectedly, he ran into Lang Xiaoxiao on the way.

 

“Just in time, I was looking for you,” Lang Sa said. “Go wait for me at my place. I have something to discuss with you.”

 

He meant his small office room.

 

Lang Xiaoxiao didn’t tease him and nodded seriously before leaving.

 

It wasn’t easy to get Lang Xiaoxiao to be serious. Seeing her like this, Lang Sa had a pretty good idea of what their conversation would be about.

 

After finishing his tasks, Lang Sa returned to find Lang Xiaoxiao playing with a small rabbit made of Fufu’s fur, crafted by Xie Zhiqing. During a visit from Xie Zhiqing’s siblings, Lang Sa had jokingly asked for one, and Xie Zhiqing had made one for him.

 

Lang Xiaoxiao held up the rabbit and laughed, “Sister-in-law is so playful.”

 

“Put it down. Don’t touch it,” Lang Sa said sternly.

 

Lang Xiaoxiao made a face at him and scolded, “So stingy, Wolf King!”

 

She quickly got to the point, saying, “Brother, I want to marry Brother Qi.”

 

Lang Sa slouched in his chair, looked her over, and said, “I know. Isn’t that why you came back this time?”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao grinned and said, “Then I’ll go with him?”

 

“Wait a moment.” Lang Sa signaled her to hold on. “Our wolf tribe’s customs are different from the humans. I don’t care about that. If you think it’s fine, it’s fine. But I need to ask you one question—how much do you know about Xiao Qizhen?”

 

Lang Sa got straight to the point, “Do you know about his past?”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao thought he was referring to Xiao Qizhen’s previous marriages and said, “I know. I’m not defending him, but—at his age and with his status, it’s impossible he never had women before. Brother, ask Xiao Qing. Men from Central Plains are like that.”

 

Lang Sa frowned and said coldly, “What else? Did he tell you anything else?”

 

“Other… things?” Lang Xiaoxiao looked puzzled, thought for a moment, and said, “There are others in his household, but he promised to dismiss them after we marry…”

 

Lang Sa interrupted her, “What about the three who died? What did he say about them?”

 

“What?” Lang Xiaoxiao seemed not to understand and asked, “What dead people?”

 

Lang Sa studied his sister carefully.

 

She genuinely seemed unaware, full of confusion and doubt. Because she didn’t know, her face showed only confusion, no shock or other emotions.

 

“Ask him why three of his women died. Ask him if what he explained to me last night is true. If it is, ask him why he didn’t tell you first.”

 

Lang Sa sat up straight, pressing his right hand on the armrest, his voice firm.

 

He watched as Lang Xiaoxiao’s expression shifted from surprise to shock, and finally to anger.

 

Her mouth opened and closed, but she couldn’t speak for a long time.

 

After what seemed like ages, Lang Xiaoxiao slowly stood up—the fearless girl who dared to beat up a prince in his own territory now had to support herself on the table to stay upright.

 

She looked at her brother in disbelief and asked, “What did you say?”

 

Author’s Note:

 

Double update today to finish this part of the story.