It was clear she was angry, and Mo Lingxi felt a pang of discomfort. The more Tao Lengshuang resisted moving back to the royal manor, the more it showed she hadn't truly accepted him.
"Tao Lengshuang, no matter how much you try to escape, we are husband and wife. One day, you will appear before everyone as the Princess of Mingrui."
Tao Lengshuang knew this very well, but she also understood that day might never come. "Mo Lingxi, to put it bluntly, you want to use this title to trap me..."
"I never intended to trap you; you've trapped yourself," Mo Lingxi cut her off, his tone deepening. "It's you who doesn't want to be with me, always finding excuses."
Tao Lengshuang's temper flared. "Am I finding excuses? It's you who hasn't thought things through, who doesn't understand, yet insists I be with you."
Mo Lingxi grabbed her shoulders. "We are husband and wife; it's only natural we should be together. Why must you avoid this fact?"
Tao Lengshuang pushed him away and scoffed, "Avoid? I've never avoided this. It's you who is avoiding the fact that we are husband and wife."
"From the very beginning, you never saw me as your wife. You only saw me as a shield. Even now, you just want me to follow you, not to stand by your side with dignity as your principal wife."
"Mo Lingxi, you truly don't understand what I want. You only ever think of yourself. In your eyes, I should just conform to your wishes."
Mo Lingxi rubbed his temples, feeling a bit weary. "Tao Lengshuang, have you ever trusted me? Because you don't trust me, you have prejudices against me, thinking I'm not sincere with you."
Tao Lengshuang indeed hadn't fully trusted Mo Lingxi and always held back. "Are you insisting on arguing this with me?"
Mo Lingxi: "Yes, I want to settle this today."
Tao Lengshuang sat down, trying her best to calm herself. "If you want to settle it, then let's settle it."
"As I said that day, you asked me and Xiao Feng to move to the Mingrui Royal Manor, but you didn't consider the humiliation and trouble we mother and son would face."
"Furthermore, about you wanting me to follow you, in what capacity should I follow you? Why you married me back then, you and I both know. Can you guarantee you'll treat me well for a lifetime?"
"If, one day, you find a new love, what would become of me, a helpless village woman? Would I beg to be divorced, or would you keep me confined in the backyard for life, like a caged bird?"
"Perhaps, I might even be poisoned by the one you love, and by then, you wouldn't even spare me a glance, only regretting your blindness in making me your principal wife and taking something from your beloved."
She raised her hand to stop Mo Lingxi. "Don't say it's impossible. Look at Sheng Li. Who would have thought that she, who was doted upon by the Sheng family, would end up in such a state?"
"No one can predict the future. And you know how fickle and terrifying human hearts can be. The reason I want you to think clearly is to make you understand whether the person you want to marry is me, and the person you'll spend your life with is me."
After saying a great deal, she let out a slow breath, but the knot of frustration in her heart remained.
After listening, Mo Lingxi finally understood the intention behind Tao Lengshuang's request for him to think clearly. He looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper with you."
"You're right. I didn't consider these things; I was only thinking of myself."
He didn't know if he would change his mind in the future, but everything Tao Lengshuang said was a possibility.
Especially her identity. If it couldn't be verified whether she was the daughter of General Sheng and his wife, she would face much humiliation and hardship in the future.
He didn't want her to endure that.
Tao Lengshuang sighed. "Mo Lingxi, I'll say it again: think it through before you talk to me about this."
"It's like dispensing medicine. If I don't even know the cause of the illness, how can I prescribe the right treatment?"
Mo Lingxi pursed his lips, his hands slowly clenching. "Tao Lengshuang, do you know how terrifyingly calm you are? Sometimes I wonder if you've ever cared about me at all and have always been thinking of leaving me."
Tao Lengshuang gave a wry smile. "If I weren't calm, what else could I do? Throw a tantrum and make a scene with you? I can't do that, and you dislike seeing me like this."
"Besides, whether one cares or not is something that can be felt."
Mo Lingxi: "I can't feel it."
Tao Lengshuang: "...That's your problem."
"Tao Lengshuang, do you want to be with me?" Mo Lingxi gazed at her intently.
Tao Lengshuang wasn't sure. "Perhaps I do, perhaps I don't. I haven't figured it out myself, which is also one of the reasons I haven't agreed to you."
"Honestly, I'd rather live alone. Even families of moderate means have concubines, let alone someone of your status."
Her rationality and calmness displeased Mo Lingxi, yet he understood she was right.
"What if I promise not to have concubines?"
Tao Lengshuang pressed her forehead. "Do you think your promise is useful?"
Mo Lingxi wanted to say his promise was useful, but seeing Tao Lengshuang's clear, cold eyes, he couldn't.
Tao Lengshuang said very seriously, "Do you know that imagination is always beautiful, but reality is always cruel?"
Mo Lingxi strongly agreed with this statement. "Can you give me a chance?"
Tao Lengshuang: "I have given you a chance. By asking you to figure things out, I am giving you a chance."
"Mo Lingxi, you need to understand one thing: if I truly choose to be with you, you won't have to face those storms, but Xiao Feng and I will."
Mo Lingxi nodded heavily. "After hearing your words, I have understood everything."
"I will think it through, and please, you think it through too, alright?"
Tao Lengshuang indicated she would think it through. She leaned back against the chair, feeling exhausted, with no energy left to say more.
Mo Lingxi felt a pang of concern for her and stepped forward to massage her shoulders. "What did you do outside to get so tired?"
Tao Lengshuang didn't say what she had done. She half-closed her eyes. "Have you found any clues about the possible switch of daughters back then?"
Mo Lingxi: "No, most of the relevant personnel from that year have been dealt with. Even the midwife's family died out many years ago."
This was within Tao Lengshuang's expectations. She pondered. "You know, if Sheng Li learns she might not be General Sheng and his wife's daughter, will she do something?"
Mo Lingxi couldn't say for sure. "Not necessarily. Most likely, Sheng Li will conceal this matter."
Tao Lengshuang narrowed her eyes. "If we can't find clues, we'll have to create them. The best way is to start with Sheng Li."
Mo Lingxi also understood this. "What if General Sheng and his wife acknowledge you as their adopted daughter?"
Tao Lengshuang understood his intention upon hearing this, but she asked, "General Sheng is about to be reinstated, isn't he?"
Mo Lingxi understood her meaning. "Yes, within these two days, General Sheng will be reinstated and sent to various places to quell the uprisings."
"I know what you're worried about. If we want to quickly ascertain if the daughters were switched, it's best if you and General Sheng and his wife have some connection."