CHAPTER 496: CHAPTER 496 : I CAN CHANGE

Calmly, Xie Jianyu approached his distraught husband and picked up the royal edict from the ground. A soft sigh escaped him as he looked down at Zhang Fengxi with an unknown expression on his face.

"So you read and took it away without permission."

Zhang Fengxi was close to tears.

He was still the Supreme General, so he had to maintain his dignity, but he didn’t know how to be strong when he was facing his beloved wife, whose resolution to divorce him seemed to grow stronger with every passing second.

"Jianbao..."

Zhang Fengxi wrapped his arms around Xie Jianyu’s legs.

"Jianbao, please. Think about our two boys," he begged, all the while trying hard to forget Jiang Muchen’s last words to him just now.

Xie Jianyu clicked with his tongue in displeasure.

"I wanted to talk to you about it, but not now."

Zhang Fengxi tightened his grip around Xie Jianyu’s body.

"Jianbao, no," he pleaded. "Please. I can change. I have changed. I am no longer that scum you knew from the past."

"Oh?"

A smirk tugged at Xie Jianyu’s lips, unseen by the desperate man before him. The Crown Prince had to suppress his urge to pat Zhang Fengxi on his head.

"Tell me all about it."

Zhang Fengxi whipped up his head and shot Xie Jianyu a look brimming with determination.

"I, Zhang Fengxi, the Supreme General of the Heavenly Empire, heir of the Longjing Palace Master’s seat, and also the Crown Prince Consort, swore in the name of all my ancestors that I am a changed man.

I regret everything that I have done to harm my wife and children in both lives.

In my repentance, I shall devote my life to love and take care of my wife and my children.

I will listen to my wife’s sacred words and never again stubbornly go against my wife’s will and orders.

My wife will be my one and only, the only god I will worship across the three realms."

Hearing Zhang Fengxi’s sincere words, Xie Jianyu had to press a hand against his lips to prevent himself from laughing out loud. Although no sound escaped him, his entire body still shook from suppressing laughter.

Zhang Fengxi, the poor alpha, thought that he made Xie Jianyu cry again. He did not dare to look at Xie Jianyu’s face, so he could only helplessly continue to convince his wife.

"Jianbao, I swear," he said, his tone deep with remorse. "If ever I do anything that displeases you again, I am willing to be struck by lightning again..."

"Oh, ssshhh..."

Xie Jianyu pulled Zhang Fengxi to his feet by his lapels and pressed their lips together in a loving kiss.

"Mmmn..."

The sudden kiss caught Zhang Fengxi off guard. A flicker of resistance stiffened his shoulders, a physical manifestation of the remorse that gnawed at him. Yet, beneath Xie Jianyu’s bold touch, the tension melted like winter frost in the sun. His arms instinctively encircled Xie Jianyu’s waist, the hesitant kiss deepening into a surge of desperate yearning.

"I don’t want to hear you talk about any lightning punishment, ever again," Xie Jianyu said after he broke the kiss. Cupped Zhang Fengxi’s face in his hands, he gave him a smile brighter than the sun.

"Stupid Fengxi. I have been in love with you ever since I was sixteen years old. I have been trying to stop loving you for years, but I still couldn’t do it. What makes you think that I will stop now that we are married with two children?"

Zhang Fengxi’s lips quivered, disbelief and joy wrestling for dominance within him, their echoes visible in the turbulent depths of his eyes.

"I... I..."

"I love you," Xie Jianyu softly spoke as he looked deep into Zhang Fengxi’s eyes, his hand tracing the strong line of the alpha’s jaw gently. "Now and always."

A choked sob escaped Zhang Fengxi, swallowed back with a shuddering breath. Tears welled in his eyes, a salty sting he forced down into the depths of his being.

"Jianbao, I love you," he sobbed. "I really love you. I love you to death."

Grinning, Xie Jianyu pressed a hand against Zhang Fengxi’s lips to prevent him from speaking further.

"Can you stop talking about death?" he grinned. "I have died too many times. I am pretty sick of dying."

Zhang Fengxi wanted to articulate his love in a more romantic way, but unfortunately, right at this moment, no love poems came to his mind. He was simply too overwhelmed by the unexpected divorce edict, and then stunned by Xie Jianyu’s passionate love declaration.

In the end, all he could say was "I love you" again and again, hoping that his clumsy words were enough to convince Xie Jianyu, at least for now.

Lunch was forgotten as the couple moved into the bedroom together. Once the door fell shut, it did not open for a long time.

As the night deepened, only Zhang Mingrui and Xie Junjie were present for dinner.

Having experienced the absence of both parents at the same time recently, the boys naturally grew so anxious that they could barely take a bite.

To placate the little masters, Head Servant Zhou decided to get his masters out of the bed chamber for dinner.

"Masters," he called out in front of their bed chamber. "It is dinner time."

He was greeted with utter silence.

Clearing his throat, Head Servant Zhou then called out again.

"Masters..."

This time, he heard a distinctive moaning sound from Xie Jianyu, dripping with a raw, primal desire.

Head Servant Zhou immediate snapped his head upright and marched back to the dining hall with stiff movements.

By the time he arrived, he was all red in the face.

"Mas... The masters are... Cough... Resting."

Xie Junjie and Zhang Mingrui exchanged confused looks.

"Resting? Without dinner?"

Head Servant Zhou threw furtive glances at Mingyu and Qingyun, silently requesting some help.

"Oh, um, both of them just woke up from a long, long slumber," Mingyu quickly reminded the boys.

"Besides, your esteemed father had just recovered from some very serious injuries," Qingyun added with a series of fervent nods.

Xie Junjie and Zhang Mingrui stared at the three adults.

"In that case, we should eat," Xie Junjie said, to the three adults’ greatest relief.

He picked a piece of braised sea cucumber and put it into Zhang Mingrui’s plate.

"Eat a lot, Mingrui."

Mingrui stared at the braised sea cucumber for a while before he suddenly uttered an "Oh" and punched into his palm.

"What is it?" Xie Junjie asked.

"I know what Mommy and Daddy are doing!" He exclaimed full of excitement.

"Yu Weimin told me that parents usually do dual cultivation to heal each other from serious injuries!"

At that point, the three adults in the room almost choked on their own spits. It was by the grace of the gods that they survived dinner that night.