Chapter 43 If you put Hua Lang in water, he'll definitely float...

Hua Lang didn't know how long Zhan Yunmei had been gone. She felt the goat milk in her mouth gradually getting cold, with only a little warmth remaining in her mouth.

He opened his eyes and sat up dejectedly.

He found a basket and spat out the goat milk he had been holding in his mouth for half an hour.

Hua Lang rubbed his sore cheeks, scooped up some water, and rinsed his mouth.

Although he didn't understand why Zhan Yunmei lied to him, he couldn't bring himself to be angry about it.

She must have her reasons for doing this... right?

Lying back on the bunk bed, Hua Lang curled up in the quilt. The charcoal fire was burning brightly in the room, and the heating was stifling, but he still felt it wasn't warm enough.

He turned over and hugged the soft pillow that Zhan Yunmei usually slept on.

In the familiar atmosphere, inside the stuffy four-poster bed, I closed my eyes.

The next morning, Yao Shuniang came to check the main house. Looking through the long window, she saw the curtains hanging loosely and she could vaguely see a person lying on the bed, who looked no different from when she had gone to bed the night before.

leave.

The figure outside the long window disappeared, and Hua Lang quietly turned over and continued to hug Zhan Yunmei's soft pillow.

I've always waited at the manor before, and this time is no different. So I'll just keep waiting; she'll eventually come back.

She liked him a lot, at least for the time being, so he guessed she had something important to take care of.

I still feel down.

Hua Lang regretted it. He should have disobeyed the imperial decree and refused to enter the palace. Now that he was under Zhan Yunmei's protection, how could the emperor have taken him away without first talking to Zhan Yunmei beforehand?

Besides, even if the decree is true, he shouldn't have hurt He'an. He's not a loner anymore. Now he not only has to pay the price for his actions, but he's also causing trouble for Zhan Yunmei.

If he had just endured it, pretended to be deaf and dumb, and waited for Zhan Yunmei to come and pick him up, there wouldn't have been so much trouble, and Zhan Yunmei wouldn't have needed to rush out overnight to help him with his funeral arrangements.

What if the emperor uses some excuse to make things difficult for her...?

What if An starts making things up...?

And that steward, he'll definitely try to harm her...

Hua Lang was filled with regret. He could no longer lie peacefully on the bed. How could he possibly stay still? Last night, he had stopped her and confessed his guilt.

He paced anxiously back and forth in the main house.

Because Yao Shuniang believed that Hualang had taken medicine and found nothing unusual when she checked him in the morning, she did not send food to the main house.

Hua Lang couldn't tell whether he was hungry or not.

Regret is useless; all that's left is to wait, to wait patiently until the moment she pushes open the mansion gate.

One day, two days...

One week.

Hua Lang felt he might really be hungry. He didn't have the strength to get out of bed, even though he could get out of bed and walk around a bit and drink some tea to moisten his lips just two days ago.

He sat there, stunned.

He suddenly noticed a plate of pastries on the table, which had been laid out several weeks ago. It was something she had brought into the room when he wanted to see the scars on Zhan Yunmei's body that day.

She said that keeping a few plates of snacks with him at all times, whether he's craving something or just hungry, will keep him occupied.

Anyway, it's just sitting there; he can eat it if he wants, and not eat it if he doesn't.

Pick up a piece and put it in your mouth.

I only took a small sip.

It's been sitting for too long and is no longer crispy. It's just soft and crumbly when you bite into it. I only took a small bite, so it won't upset my stomach.

At midday, he pushed open the door to go find Yao Shuniang.

"Where did the general go?"

Yao Shuniang did not expect that the first thing he asked about when he woke up was the general. There was no anger on his face, only an unconcealable haggardness.

However, it makes sense. The general had given too much medicine, and the father-in-law had been in a coma for a week without eating. It's normal for him to look haggard and thin.

Unfortunately, after the general had been recuperating for so long, the old man had lost all the flesh on his body, and now he looked like a withered tree trunk, tall and thin.

“The general is busy in the palace,” Yao Shuniang said. “Would you like something to eat? I’ll have the kitchen prepare it.”

She avoided mentioning the drugging.

Hua Lang looked deeply at Yao Shuniang, slowly shook his head, and thought for a moment that when Zhan Yunmei came back and saw that he had lost weight again, she would not like him.

So he said, "Make something light, I'm a little hungry."

"Yes, I'll go right away," Yao Shuniang hurried to the kitchen, worried that the person would get sick from hunger.

Zhan Yunmei still didn't come back that night.

Hua Lang went from being forced and ignored to being anxious and panicked at this moment.

With Zhan Yunmei gone, what kind of safety is there in the General's Mansion? The huge mansion is completely deserted.

He called out to Yao Shuniang, "I want to see the general."

"Sir, the general is really busy, please wait a few more days..."

"Wait? How much longer?"

"What if the general returns tonight?"

Yao Shuniang always said that.

On the morning of the first day of the third week, Yao Shuniang took breakfast to the main house, but no one answered.

A bad feeling welled up in my heart.

Take the key and open the door.

There was no one there.

.

"Report!"

The attendant shouted urgently, startling the people in the Beijing garrison's duty room.

“Well, there’s really only this much work. If you’re really unsure, just send it to His Majesty for his personal review,” Zhan Yunmei instructed Helan Wan before opening the door and asking the attendant, “What’s wrong with Hua Lang?”

"My father-in-law... he's gone!"

Zhan Yunmei frowned deeply.

“General, please go if you need to. I am already capable of handling most official duties on my own,” Helan Wan said.

Zhan Yunmei hesitated for a moment, then nodded and walked outside.

No one will hurt Hua Lang anymore, so his disappearance can only mean that he ran away again.

Could it be that Hua Lang is really angry with her this time?

It's just that I gave him some drugs and made him sleep a few more days. Even if he wakes up and doesn't see her, he can just wait for her obediently. She will come back eventually.

Unexpectedly, Hua Lang still had that bad temper.

She felt a little guilty for raising him for so long, but more than that, she was happy.

Hua Lang is still the same Hua Lang as before, a Hua Lang who can run away, be anxious, and get angry.

The capital city is too big; finding such a person would be very difficult.

We haven't found it during the day at least, so Zhan Yunmei has added more manpower.

There has been no news of them.

At five quarters past midnight, Zhan Yunmei personally searched around and dragged herself back to her residence, exhausted. Official duties and personal matters piled up, leaving her breathless.

But we need to find Hua Lang as quickly as possible, in case he runs far away and something happens to him.

After sleeping for half an hour, Zhan Yunmei was pulling her outer robe together and heading outside.

Suddenly he turned around and stared at the bathroom.

She seemed to hear a faint sound.

Take quiet steps and approach little by little.

Silently, it drew closer and closer.

Push open the door.

A muffled thud came from behind the door. Zhan Yunmei reacted quickly, pulling the person behind her back so he wouldn't fall to the ground.

"Where did you go? Why didn't you tell Shuniang again? Do you know how anxious I was looking for you? You have to get rid of this bad habit!" Zhan Yunmei was furious. She shook off his hand and forced him towards the door, squeezing him between the door and her.

The rapid, continuous questioning made Hua Lang dizzy for a moment. In a daze, he reached out to hug her.

He was slapped across the face.

Burning, painful, and swollen, her cheeks felt hot. Hua Lang choked back a sob and roared, "Where did you go? Why didn't you tell me again? Do you know how anxious I was waiting for you? Why are you always like this? If you don't want to see me, just say so! Why do you have to do this!"

In the past, Hua Lang's anger was not pure; it was often mixed with despair.

She could tell that he was truly angry this time, and it wasn't entirely genuine; it carried... worry, a very obvious concern.

Zhan Yunmei immediately calmed down.

But in her heart, she had already slapped Hua Lang several times.

He always underestimated her. What she wanted, she never failed to get; what she wanted to do, she never failed to do. It all depended on whether she wanted to or not.

"I was busy with official business, didn't Shuniang tell you?" she said, her voice low and still sounding angry.

That's the truth.

Going to see the emperor, apologizing for accidentally injuring her attendant, and then haggling with the emperor, implying that you want to run away—how can that not be considered official business?

Zhan Yunmei thought so.

The emperor was a shrewd man, and He'an was too ambitious, daring to challenge the imperial authority and the dignity of the founding generals. One of the things she could not tolerate most was the interference of eunuchs in politics. For them, wanting to show off their power was no less than saying, "I don't want to live anymore."

The emperor originally intended to execute He'an, and at the same time show how much he admired Zhan Qing, and then have Zhan Qing stay in the palace to serve him.

Unexpectedly, Zhan Yunmei approached her first, took the initiative to apologize, and asked her to take back half of her power and transfer it to Deputy General He. In this way, she would retreat to the Beiyuan area, guard the border, and only have control over a small part of the territory's military power. She would not be able to touch the foundation of the capital, so the emperor would be at ease, and she would also be comfortable.

The emperor wanted to persuade her to stay, but Zhan Yunmei indirectly refused.

So the emperor delayed for a week before approving the matter.

Only one week left...

Zhan Yunmei's gaze slowly returned to Hua Lang, who seemed to have just taken a bath, as his body was still damp.

No one boils water, and the main house can't boil water in large buckets, so he can't take hot showers.

...Washed with cold water?

I reached out to test Hua Lang's forehead temperature, and it was indeed warm after a cold shower.

"You told me, and then what? Just a vague statement, who can feel at ease with that!" Hua Lang pushed Zhan Yunmei weakly.

He was so soft and yielding, half-heartedly resisting. It wasn't that he didn't want her to come closer; it was clearly seduction, pure and simple seduction.

Raise your hand and slap him again.

Hua Lang froze in shock, his narrow eyes widening in disbelief on his haggard and dull face.

Zhan Yunmei couldn't help but laugh out loud. She grabbed Hua Lang's collar, bent his back, and gently lifted her head to kiss his dry lips.

Her free fingers traced the palm prints on his face, gently rubbing them while deepening the kiss and drawing moisture from his mouth.

I felt his lower back tremble, fine and rapid, each tremor short and sharp, carrying a sense of weakness and ingratiation, like his panting, his expression, and his reaction.

"Zhan Yunmei! It hurts, it really hurts..."

Zhan Yunmei snapped back to reality, her wet hands rubbing together behind her back.

She knew why she was distracted.

If you put Hua Lang in water, he will definitely float, because he is a piece of wood and he doesn't know that his every move is seducing people.

Unable to express resentment, subconsciously showing weakness, reacting ingratiatingly, actively clinging to someone—every action is an act of seduction.

She was never a restrained person to begin with.

I was momentarily bewitched and forgot to massage him for a while.

Zhan Yunmei wiped her hands clean, dragged over a small stool, sat down, and stared at Hua Lang kneeling on the ground.

He hadn't recovered yet, and he lay on the ground, enduring the pain and strange pleasure brought on by the spasms.

"Sorry, I didn't think that much about it."

Although she apologized, Hua Lang could tell that she wasn't sincere at all.

How can there be such a person? I don't understand.

“I’ve been busy for the past two weeks,” she briefly recounted the business she had been handling. After she finished, he gradually calmed down, propped himself up, and knelt down to approach her, bending over at her feet.

He seemed to still be thinking about how to scold her.

Just before he was about to launch into a tirade against her, she covered his lips as he was about to open them.

“The second week I went to your household registration office and asked my mother. She agreed to include you in the Zhan family genealogy,” she thought for a moment, then asked him in a tone that was not questioning at all, “Are you willing?”

Hua Lang looked up and froze, her eyes filled with confusion.

Confusion turned into joy.

He tried to speak, but she covered his mouth again.

"You pretended to run away on purpose to trick me into coming back, didn't you?" Zhan Yunmei saw the momentary guilty look on Hua Lang's face.

Where are you hiding?

He didn't speak, but he was thinking silently that the closet was dark, and next time he should find a brighter place. He should also take a quick cold shower next time so that he would get warm sooner and she wouldn't be angry, but would feel sorry for him.

Zhan Yunmei didn't care where he hid; anywhere was fine. Cats love to sneak away and then unexpectedly crawl out on their own.

She asked, "Does it still hurt?"

The conversation turned so quickly that Hua Lang's mind went blank for a moment. She nodded slowly, but fearing that she would stop there, she added, "It only hurts a little."

Having received her answer, she laughed and said, "Alright, go get the things and make it for me. This time you can't refuse, otherwise you won't be able to vent my anger."

She gently patted his face, drawing out her words, "Eunuch Hua Lang."