Chapter 29 Ultimately, it was simply because she didn't...

Chapter 29

As a result, Shen Suining played in the Nine Heavens until it was completely dark before returning home.

The two had just arrived home, and before they even stepped into the mansion, Mingxi, who was by the Princess's side, came over and called He Hansheng away. By the time Shen Suining returned to her room, finished her bath, and lay down, he still hadn't come back.

Shen Suining felt a little uneasy, wondering if the princess had thrown a tantrum and made He Hansheng kneel in the ancestral hall in the middle of the night.

Just as he was thinking this, He Hansheng finally came in from outside.

Seeing that there was nothing unusual about his expression, Shen Suining breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you had been punished again, and I was just about to go find you."

“I can tell,” He Hansheng glanced at her and sneered, “You’re planning to go find me with the Duke of Zhou.”

The girl lay languidly on the pillow, her long hair hanging down, wearing only a thin, close-fitting silk undergarment, with a thin blanket covering her waist. She looked like she was about to fall asleep.

Shen Suining sensed his sarcasm, chuckled dryly, sat up properly on the bed, and asked him, "So, how did your mother-in-law scold you? Tell me."

"No, I'm afraid you'll be too excited to sleep," He Hansheng refused directly, then pulled out a jade flute from his sleeve. "Here you go."

"What is this?" The jade flute was completely translucent, without a single flaw, and of excellent quality; it was clearly a precious item.

"It was taken out of the warehouse and has been there for many years; it was just gathering dust."

Shen Suining was somewhat flattered, "You gave it to me?"

Seeing her happy expression, He Hansheng's eyes also lit up with a smile. "Do you like it?"

"Of course!" Shen Suining exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she looked at He Hansheng. "If we resold this, we could make a lot of money!"

"..." He Hansheng felt a lump in his throat and couldn't say anything for a moment. He just turned his back with a sullen face and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Shen Suining ignored him, played with the jade flute for a while, then brought it to her lips and began to play a tune.

Shen Suining had never truly studied music theory, but she was quite intelligent and had a good sense of music. She could play a piece almost exactly as she had heard it once.

She played a tune called "Crane Soaring to the Sky." Back in Yangzhou, she often heard other girls play it for her, and she had long since memorized the score.

Soft duckweed leaves, bright apricot blossoms, and a graceful painted boat. A pair of mandarin ducks emerge from the green islet, accompanied by the sound of oarsmen's songs.

Spring waters are calm and still. Springtime brings both rain and sunshine. Beautiful women accompany each other on the southern shore at dusk, their hearts filled with affection. (From "Crane Soaring to the Sky" in the *Donggao Qinpu*)

When He Hansheng came out of the shower, he saw this scene.

The young woman sat sideways on the edge of the bed, holding a jade flute in her hand. Her fingertips danced rhythmically on the flute, her slender waist swaying gently with the music, her black hair swaying freely. The candlelight filtered through the curtains, softening her face. With her eyes closed, she was completely absorbed in the music, like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world, singing and enjoying herself to the fullest, living a carefree life.

Perhaps afraid of spoiling her enjoyment, He Hansheng stood still for a long time without going forward.

As the song ended, Shen Suining opened her eyes, still wanting more, and was about to play another song when she saw He Hansheng standing in the corner.

She paused for a moment, then waved to him confidently and asked, "How was it? Did you like it?"

"It sounds nice."

Seeing Shen Suining beckon, He Hansheng chuckled softly and walked over to sit beside her on the bedside table. "What kind of music is this?"

"I don't know either, I think it's called 'Crane Soaring to the Sky'?" Shen Suining only remembered the tune, and was even a little unsure about the name. "Whatever, as long as it sounds good."

He Hansheng looked at Shen Suining, his eyes darkening. "Could you play it again?"

Shen Suining pondered for a moment, "Normally it shouldn't be possible, but considering your great sacrifice today and the fact that you gave me the flute, I'll reluctantly agree."

As she spoke, Shen Suining played the same tune again.

Perhaps it's because there are audience members around that the feeling of playing the same piece a second time is completely different.

Shen Suining's gaze met He Hansheng's, and she finally sensed the unusual emotions hidden deep in his eyes. Her heart throbbed, and her mind became a little turbulent.

She hurriedly looked away, closed her eyes to calm herself, and tried her best to finish playing the piece.

After the last note ended, Shen Suining slowly put down the jade flute. The moment she opened her eyes, He Hansheng's hand covered the back of her head, and then his soft lips pressed against hers, along with his breath, instantly taking over all her senses.

He Hansheng's movements were very gentle. After testing her, he withdrew. Their eyes met, and after confirming that she was not resistant, his restrained emotions finally burst forth like a flood, once again conquering her.

Gentle yet ruthless, tender and lingering.

Shen Suining looked up and accepted it, neither responding nor resisting, but only feeling somewhat confused.

She didn't dislike He Hansheng's closeness; in fact, she could derive some indescribable pleasure from his kisses and touches. But as she watched the curtains slowly fall and felt the man's breath mingling with her own, her body temperature almost merging with his, she became acutely aware of a dangerous signal.

She was someone who didn't want to stay in the capital for long, and she had already prepared an escape route for herself. Perhaps she shouldn't and couldn't have too much involvement with He Hansheng.

Then, a sudden dizziness washed over her, and reason instantly pulled her back to her senses.

Shen Suining reached out and pressed down on He Hansheng's hand that was pulling at her belt, turned her face away to avoid his kiss, and forced out a sentence: "I don't want to."

He Hansheng stopped moving.

He didn't ask why, nor did he continue. He simply rubbed her cheek gently with the back of his hand and said, "Okay."

After both of them calmed down for a moment, Shen Suining let out a soft breath and asked He Hansheng, who had his back to her, "Are you angry?"

"No." He Hansheng still had his back to her.

Shen Suining was silent for a moment, then propped herself up. "He Hansheng, I just want to take it slow, that's all."

"I understand, you don't need to worry about it." He Hansheng's voice was very soft, revealing no emotion.

After a moment of silence, He Hansheng stood up, seemingly about to leave.

"He Hansheng!" Shen Suining called out to him, but she didn't know why she wanted to stop him.

After another moment of silence, Shen Suining got out of bed and chased after him a few steps. "He Hansheng, you want to get along well with me, right?"

“Of course,” He Hansheng finally turned around, met her gaze, and said, word by word, “You are my wife.”

Shen Suining's thoughts were in disarray, and she was even somewhat at a loss. Her identity had changed too quickly, and she had not yet adapted. She had no idea what she needed to provide for He Hansheng as his wife, even if it was only temporarily.

“He Hansheng, you know that before I became your wife, I was the young master of Shuyu Manor. Shuyu Manor is in the business of buying and selling. Although I have come into contact with many people, I have always given whatever the buyer wants, one penny for one transaction,” Shen Suining took a deep breath and looked directly into He Hansheng’s eyes, “But you are different. You are neither my buyer nor did you grow up with me like Feng Yu and the others. You have never said what you want, so I don’t know how I should get along with you.”

He Hansheng stood there, and through Shen Suining's eyes, he could clearly see her confusion and helplessness regarding their relationship.

She was originally free and unfettered in the world, but she was bound here by an imperial decree. Becoming his wife was not her original intention, but during this time, she tried her best to treat him and his family well and provide him with the most convenient help she could.

She arranged for the person he trusted most to take care of his mother;

In order to find out the real culprit who poisoned her, she used her trump card to save her life;

After the marriage, she no longer hid her identity from him and told him almost everything...

In fact, she did everything to the extreme. As for the rest, it all boils down to the fact that she had no feelings for him.

Because she had no feelings for him, she wanted to provide whatever he needed, like a transaction, a give-and-take where neither owed the other anything.

After realizing this, He Hansheng chuckled to himself.

He stepped forward and took Shen Suining's hands in his. She did not resist and let him hold her hands in his palms.

“I have business to attend to in Jizhou early the day after tomorrow. It will take at least five days to go there and back. You…” He Hansheng didn’t dwell on what had just happened. He asked with a slight hesitation, “Do you want to stay at home and read storybooks, or do you want to come to Jizhou with me?”

“Of course we should go to Jizhou,” Shen Suining said without hesitation. After meeting He Hansheng’s gaze, she became a little embarrassed. “I can’t go anywhere in the capital. It’s like being in prison. Why don’t we go to Jizhou for a few days? You can do your job, and I can have some fun. It’s a win-win situation.”

"Then it's settled?"

"Okay!" Shen Suining cheered, instantly forgetting the embarrassment and awkwardness from just now. She hopped back to the bedside and jumped on. "Then let's get some rest early tonight. We'll spend the day with Grandma tomorrow and pack our bags tonight."

The thought of leaving this awful place, Huadu, filled Shen Suining with joy. Turning her head, she noticed He Hansheng was still standing there, so she waved to him, "Aren't you coming to sleep?"

"..." He Hansheng sighed softly, "You go to sleep first, I'll go take a shower."