Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 116
The footsteps came closer and closer. Shen Zhen took two steps back and retreated behind the sycamore tree. Two Hu girls hurriedly came forward and called out delicately, “My Lord.”
Lu Yan uttered a low “hmm”.
Sure enough, when Qiu Shaoqing saw the two Hu girls beside Lu Yan, his eyes suddenly lit up and he glanced uncontrollably at their slender waists in the cold wind.
At this moment, the Hu girls stood on tiptoe and Lu Yan leaned forward to cooperate. No one knew what they said. Anyway, Shen Zhen, who was far away, didn’t hear it, but the two men smiled at the same time.
Lu Yan’s eyes were always so charming when he smiled that they made Shen Zhen’s eyes hurt.
Qiu Shaoqing said faintly: “Lord Lu is really very lucky.”
Lu Yan said calmly: “I have prepared some good wine for Lord Qiu.”
Qiu Shaoqing laughed, “It’s my good fortune.”
Beautiful women and good wine can’t help but make people think of something else.
There was still snow on the treetops, but Tang Yue was sweating. “Miss, this is official business, not…” Tang Yue couldn’t say the words “keeping a mistress” in front of Shen Zhen.
“I know.” Shen Zhen paused, then changed the subject and asked, “Is there anyone living in Lanyue Pavilion?”
Tang Yue shook her head and said, “No, the heir apparent does not allow anyone to touch Lan Yue Pavilion.”
Shen Zhen nodded and said, “Go to the side door and tell my maid that I have something to do and ask her to wait for me for a while.”
Tang Yue said: “I will go right away.”
After Tang Yue left, Shen Zhen took a shortcut to Lan Yue Pavilion. When she opened the door of the inner room, a familiar feeling came over her.
A rosewood canopy bed, a red lacquered short couch, a four-drawer chest made of iron pear wood, a square table with Kuilong pattern, and a red lacquered wooden hollow round stool.
Here, nothing has changed, it was still the same as before.
Shen Zhen walked over and sat down, slowly taking out the jade pendant from her sleeve.
She stroked the lines on it, and suddenly raised it high, wanting to smash it on the ground, but finally put it down gently…
Her eyes turned red.
Her whole body was the same as this action.
After only being angry for a moment, she quickly calmed down.
It has to be said that the environment had a profound impact on people. If Shen Zhen knew about his romantic affairs in the Shen Mansion, maybe she would really lose her temper. But now, she was in Chengyuan. Every blade of grass, every flower and every stone here seemed to remind her that she, in the sixteenth year of Yuanqing, had reached the end of her rope. If it weren’t for that man, there would be no Shen family today.
Immediately afterwards, the little girl silently advised herself.
“The Emperor has granted you the marriage. You will be his wife for the rest of your life.”
“Women should not be jealous. He is in a high position and has numerous social contacts. It is possible that he has one or two singing girls in his garden to entertain his colleagues for official business.”
“Husband and wife should treat each other with respect and dignity, and should…”
But after persuading herself for a while, she thought of his smiling eyes towards the two Hu girls just now, and she couldn’t help but gnash her teeth and say, “Hateful, unfaithful man, playboy.”
She took a deep breath, took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes, placed the jade pendant beside the pillow, and stood up.
At the same time, on the other side, in the main courtyard.
Lu Yan and Qiu Shaoqing sat on the couch, and Hu girls knelt beside them to pour wine. The Hu girl beside Lu Yan said softly, “Let me dance for you two masters.”
Lu Yan tilted his head and said calmly: “Go ahead.”
The Hu girl nodded, stood up immediately, and said to Hu girl beside Qiu Shaoqing: “Sister, play the drum for me.”
As the drums started to beat, the Hu girl raised her slender hands high, swayed her waist, and squatted down, her eyes warm as she looked at Qiu Shaoqing.
After a moment, Qiu Shaoqing said quietly: “The singer in Lord Lu’s house is really ‘both talented and beautiful’.”
Lu Yan laughed and said, “That’s impossible. The court of state ceremonial has hosted countless banquets, both large and small. Qiu Shaoqing must have seen more actors and foreign girls than I have.”
Lu Yan still remembered that the arrow that hit him was shot by one of the sixty-six actors sent by the court of state ceremonial to entertain the audience.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Shaoqing said, “Well, Lord Lu, you’re right. Recently, sixty-six actors came to the court of state ceremonial. Their dancing is indeed good, but in terms of appearance, they are not even one-tenth or one-twelve of those in Lord Lu’s mansion.”
Lu Yan calmly took a sip of wine and said, “Sixty-six? Is it for the tribute from all nations at the end of the year?”
Qiu Shaoqing’s eyes dodged, he touched his lips subconsciously, and said casually: “I still don’t know if I’ll be able to choose from them.”
Seeing that he was trying to avoid the issue, Lu Yan did not continue to ask.
After the Hu girl finished dancing, she turned back to Qiu Shaoqing. The Hu girl and Qiu Shaoqing were very close, her hands almost clamped the man’s arms. Her sweet voice was particularly pleasant, “How about I feed you wine?”
Qiu Shaoqing glanced at Lu Yan and saw that his eyes were normal, without a trace of dissatisfaction. Qiu Shaoqing was not polite and put his hand on Hu girl’s waist and touched her.
Just as Lu Yan was raising his glass to take a sip, he began to feel a dull pain in his heart. He raised his hand to rub it, but it only made the pain worse.
This familiar pain made him frown.
Aren’t you doing well in the Shen Mansion?
What happened again?
Outside the main courtyard, Tang Yue hesitated back and forth. Guard Yang had warned her not to disturb them today, but given the current situation, she had to go over and tell them what was going on.
Tang Yue nodded and walked over. She left a trail of footprints on the snow and whispered, “Guard Yang.”
Yang Zong pulled her over and whispered, “Didn’t I tell you not to disturb us here?”
Tang Yue shook her head and said in a very low voice: “I really had to come.”
Yang Zong asked: “What happened?”
Tang Yue frowned and said, “Madam[mfn](Tang Yue addresses Madam as in for a married lady although she ain’t married yet)[/mfn] came over just now…”
Madam, who else can be called Madam?
Yang Zong looked panicked and asked, “Madam? Why would Madam come here today?”
“It seems to be to give a birthday present to the master.” Tang Yue pinched her palms and frowned, “Guard Yang, Madam just saw two Hu girls.”
Yang Zong understood what Tang Yue meant, and felt something was wrong, so he hurriedly said, “I’ll go in and report it.”
After saying that, Yang Zong turned around, took a few quick steps and knocked on the door, “Master, someone from the Duke’s Mansion is here. The princess wants to see you urgently.”
Lu Yan’s eyes paused.
He knew that if it wasn’t an urgent matter, Yang Zong wouldn’t speak at this moment.
Lu Yan smiled at Qiu Shaoqing, “Lord Qiu, please feel free to do as you please. I have to leave first.”
Qiu Shaoqing’s mind was seduced by Hu girls, laughed and said, “The Duke’s Mansion’s affairs are of course important.”
Lu Yan walked out, closed the door, rubbed his chest, and asked Yang Zong: “What’s going on?”
Yang Zong whispered something.
Lu Yan turned the ring on his hand, and after a moment, he said to Yang Zong: “Keep an eye on the inside.”
Then the man strode towards Lanyue Pavilion.
However, when he pushed open the door, the inner room was empty. Lu Yan walked forward and saw the jade pendant beside the pillow. He clenched it tightly and then chased after her through the side door.
When a person was unlucky, even drinking cold water would get stuck in their teeth, he thought.
Lu Yan finally stopped the slowly moving carriage. He opened the curtain, looked into Shen Zhen’s eyes, and whispered, “Come back with me. I have something to tell you.”
“Let’s do it another day.” She couldn’t lose her temper with him, but she could still give him a look right?
But how could Lu Yan let her go like this? With that wall in the Shen Mansion, would he be able to see her again?
An awkward atmosphere blew around, and Qingxi got off the carriage very tactfully.
Shen Zhen looked at him and said, “My Lord, the evening drum is about to sound. If I don’t go back, there will be curfew.”
Lu Yan knew that things were different now and he couldn’t just detain her, so he bent down, got into the carriage, and sat next to Shen Zhen.
The moment he chased out, he thought of the scene when she left Chang’an in her previous life.
He clenched his fist and put his arm around the girl’s waist. Shen Zhen didn’t dodge, but whispered, “Lord Lu, I really have to go.”
Look at this address, adding a surname making it more unfamiliar.
Lu Yan ignored it and whispered while holding the jade pendant in his hand: “Is this for me?”
Shen Zhen said coldly: “Well, today is your birthday.”
Lu Yan immediately took off his jade pendant and replaced it with the one she gave him. This action was full of flattery. As a matter of fact, the one he took off without hesitation was a gift from the emperor.
To be honest, this person’s personality cannot be changed overnight, neither Shen Zhen nor Lu Yan. If one ask him to hug Shen Zhen and say such corny words as “Darling, I was wrong”, “My heart is full of love, and there is no room for others”, “God knows my heart”, I guess he can’t say it even if you put a knife to his neck.
He touched the girl’s slender waist. The more Shen Zhen pushed him, the tighter he hugged her. After a long while of secretly tossing and turning, the man’s breath on the tip of his nose made Shen Zhen’s ears itch, and then he said, “Wife has misunderstood.”
