Chapter 207 Shall We Get Married? (Update 1)

Not long after, the carriage arrived at the gate of Pei's mansion, but the two men did not get out. Lixia wanted to step forward to remind them, but as soon as she got close, she was dragged away by Guard Lu.

"What are you doing?" Lixia was puzzled.

Guard Lu's cheeks flushed slightly. He had just been following outside on horseback, and with good hearing, he had heard everything along the way. Although he had never experienced what the two men were doing in the carriage, he had read comic books about it, so he naturally knew it.

Then he said to Lixia, "My Lord and Miss Zhuang are talking about something, so we can't disturb them."

Lixia was suspicious: "Really? Then why is there no sound?"

"...Should I speak such confidential information out loud?"

"That's right." Lixia nodded, and then stood at a distance with Guard Lu and waited.

In the carriage, Zhuang Wan looked up at the roof, her body hunched like a shrimp, her clothes already open, her skin feeling slightly cold when exposed to the air.

But the warm kiss made her feel like she was soaking in a hot spring, and her whole body was surrounded by warmth.

The air in the car was so ambiguous that she felt as if she was going to suffocate at any moment.

She was momentarily bewildered, not understanding how things had turned out this way. Thinking carefully back on the process, she had only intended to relieve her own impatience, but had unexpectedly provoked Pei Xingju to madness. His face was buried in his clothes, greedy and wanton.

This taste...is actually quite good!

But soon, he restrained himself and stopped, leaning against her neck to breathe slowly.

The slight panting breath fell into her ears, making her blush and her heart beat faster.

"Are you ready?" she asked aloud.

"Yeah." Pei Xingju responded softly.

"It seems we've arrived."

"Um."

His voice was still thick and hoarse. Zhuang Wan glanced down and saw that his ears were now red as blood. He must have come to his senses and felt embarrassed.

Zhuang Wan laughed and rubbed his ears: "Pei Xingju?"

"Um?"

"Did you like that just now?"

“…”

She continued to rub his ears gently: "But I like it?"

"Why?"

"No reason, I just like that you love me so much, making me feel happy and blessed, surrounded and cared for by you."

Hearing this, Pei Xingju slowly withdrew from her neck and looked at her steadily, his deep eyes still tinged with desire.

He said, "Zhuang Wan, after I finish this, how about we get married?"

Zhuang Wan was stunned.

"I actually like you too," he said, "but I feel uneasy. It's unfair to you that we're so close before we get married. But I can't help it. I have no resistance to you."

"I want to marry you soon, I really want to. Are you..." He asked cautiously, "Are you willing?"

Zhuang Wan looked at him for a while, then suddenly turned away.

Pei Xingju's eyes flashed with panic: "Don't you want to?"

"Of course!" Zhuang Wan curled her lips. "You want me to marry you without any indication. That's too easy."

Pei Xingju was stunned. He breathed a sigh of relief, but was still a little confused: "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean? Do you need me to tell you?" Zhuang Wan raised an eyebrow. "Can't you think for yourself?"

She poked his chest with a finger in disdain: "If you can't even think of this, it means you are not sincere."

"If you are not sincere, then I will not marry you."

Upon hearing this, Pei Xingju panicked again. The expression on his face, how could one describe it? For the first time, it revealed worry and trepidation.

"Wanwan, could you give me a hint or two?"

"Hmph!" Zhuang Wan straightened herself, straightened her slightly disheveled clothes and long hair, and stood up from his lap. "You don't even want to think about it, which shows you have no sincerity."

After saying that, she got off the carriage.

.

Duke Xin's Mansion.

"Now that the Empress Dowager has left the palace, it's a fact that she has lost her power. As long as we capture Duan Hongyuan, the Duke's guilt will be cleared."

"I don't think so," an aide said. "Don't forget, it was the Red Wind Battalion that attacked the city that night. The Red Wind Battalion is under the command of Duke Yu, yet they appeared on the border of the capital. Who knows, the Emperor might come back and take issue with the Duke."

"You Jing is right," Duke Xin said. "Although the Queen Mother has left, we still can't let our guard down. Don't forget the Hezhou incident. The Hezhou incident has become so serious. Although it was covered up by the Lantern Festival Rebellion, Pei Xingju may not let it go. If he frames me for the Lantern Festival Rebellion again, I'm afraid I won't be able to escape if Duan Hongyuan doesn't show up."

The aide nodded: "As a matter of fact, someone must take the blame to silence the ministers."

"Who can step forward? The Red Wind Army leaving the camp without permission is no small matter. Who else can take the blame for this?"

After a moment of silence, someone suggested, "Where is Marquis Xiayang?"

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other and felt that it was very feasible.

"Marquis Xiayang is suitable," Marquis Cheng'en said. "He's not innocent of this. He's been manipulating various positions and playing double-dealers in the court for years, trying to curry favor with both the Emperor and the Duke, even going so far as to try to please the Imperial Guards Commander Duan Hongyuan. Marquis Xiayang played a significant role in Duan Hongyuan's successful deception of the Red Wind Army to the border of the capital."

.

Xiayang Marquis Mansion.

The Jiang family was a long-established, prestigious family in the capital, a fact evident in the spaciousness of their residence. Beneath the towering walls were intricately decorated windows, adorned with carved images of flowers, birds, fish, and insects. Under the eaves were paintings of the Eight Immortals, though these had faded with age.

Time has covered this luxurious house with a layer of dust, but its majestic and exquisite architecture still shows that the owner once lived in glory many years ago.

A maid came up the corridor in the distance, carrying a tray. She walked slowly, turned into the small door, and then entered the courtyard from the side yard. When she reached the door of the main house, she heard the quarrel inside and stopped immediately.

In the room were Marquis Xiayang and his wife, Yu.

"My dear husband, why are you so confused? Who is that Duan Hongyuan? He's a rebel now. If anyone in the court reports you, your position as an official will probably be over."

Marquis Xiayang sat in a chair with his head down, his face full of anxiety.

"My concern now isn't whether I can still work as an official. I'm afraid... I'm afraid there are more serious things going on."

Upon hearing this, Yu turned around and asked, "What else?"

Marquis Xiayang sighed, "I'm involved in the Red Wind Camp incident."

Yu was startled and opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.

"It's my fault for being so naive," Marquis Xiayang said. "I only thought Duan Hongyuan would let his son enter the imperial city as a small commander of the imperial guards, but I didn't expect his true purpose was this."

"Husband, what on earth are you involved in?"

"I...I opened the Quzhou Armory for the Red Wind Battalion without authorization."

Upon hearing this, Yu's face changed drastically: "Duan Hongyuan asked you to open it? But isn't the Red Wind Camp owned by Duke Xin? You're simply... out of your mind!"

"Madam, you're not in the court, so you don't know. Duan Hongyuan has a close relationship with Duke Xin. At that time, Duan Hongyuan had a token from Duke Xin. He coaxed me into opening the armory just to train the Red Wind Battalion, but who knew he would actually train in the capital."

"My dear, if Duke Xin uses this incident to accuse you of colluding with Duan Hongyuan, I'm afraid our Jiang family will also be labeled as traitors."

Throughout history, what has been the fate of traitors? At the very least, their property will be confiscated, and at the worst, their entire clan will be exterminated.

Yu's face turned pale and she slumped in the chair, covered in cold sweat.

"Madam, this is exactly what I'm worried about." Marquis Xiayang was filled with regret.

However, before the couple could figure out how to deal with the situation, the servant came rushing in with a report: "It's bad! It's bad! Master and Madam, the government has come to confiscate your property!"

When the couple heard this, they were horrified.