Chapter 39 Crematorium (V) “I don’t have any other requests,…

A large hand took the lead before Lin Meizhu and pressed down on the inkstone. Shen Changfeng suppressed the burning sensation in his throat and said firmly, "Impossible!"

"No matter what you are going to say next, my answer is absolutely impossible!"

He took a deep breath, steadied his voice, and said, "Everything that happened before happened for a reason. Now I don't need to disguise myself, and the same thing will never happen again."

Lin Meizhu's expression remained the same, and she was not moved by his assurance.

His thoughts raced, wondering what she might be concerned about. Could it be Su Qinxue? He felt there was really no need to explain this matter. He was her husband, and she owed him basic trust. But he patiently added, "Don't believe the rumors out there. Su Qinxue and I are innocent. The Chen and Su families are old friends, and the Prince of Changping has done favors for the palace. Whether for the sake of the Qin family or Su Jia, I can't help but help. If it really bothers you... I can stop seeing her."

He gave a long explanation, his heart hanging in the air as he waited for her response.

In the silence, Lin Meizhu only replied: "I have signed and sealed it. Once your name is written down, we will go to the government office..."

Shen Changfeng felt the blood in his body rushing to his head. "If you are trying to provoke me, then you succeeded."

"If you have any further requests, you can just ask for them instead of forcing me to make a commitment by threatening a divorce. I don't think that's something an adult should do."

"I don't have any other requests, I just want to leave you."

"That's enough! I don't want to hear you say that again!"

Lin Meizhu sneered, "You're not happy when I actually ask for something."

Shen Changfeng almost crushed the inkstone in his hand. "Lin Meizhu, my tolerance has its limits."

Lin Meizhu's eyes were slightly red, and her chest was also heaving. She said hatefully, "Your tolerance has its limits. What about me? Should I just accept everything I'm given, keep my head down, and be submissive for the rest of my life? Shen Changfeng, after going through so much, why do you still think what I said today was a joke?"

You are always so selfish, always thinking that everything you do is right. You have your own difficulties and ambitions, but I should bear the consequences? How can you be so cruel!

Shen Changfeng's heart suddenly ached. Selfish? Cruel? In her eyes, his feelings and devotion for her were nothing more than selfish? Was his desire to live a good life with her cruel? He was so enraged that his head swelled, his ears buzzed, and his eyes instantly turned a violent crimson. While he could tolerate the anger, the ripping pain in his heart was hard to suppress.

But he also knew she had lost her mind, and he couldn't let the situation get any further out of control. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. When he spoke again, he was once again the proud, noble, and calm prince. He said in a deep voice, "I've already explained that what happened before was not my will, and I will do my best to make amends. But this is the only request I won't agree to."

Lin Meizhu seemed to be in great pain, growling softly, "If you don't like me, why don't you let me go?"

He subconsciously wanted to refute, but he felt that what she did today was too much. He compromised for her again and again, but she kept pushing him further, forcing him to give in again and again.

He said coldly, "You and I are a gift from heaven, matched by the imperial pen. You are my wife, formally married with three letters and six betrothal gifts. Your name has long been recorded alongside mine in the Shen family's Jade Book. You are destined to be my, Shen Changfeng's, wife, the Crown Prince's Consort of the Dingbei Palace. No one can change this fact."

He knew she was straining to hold back her tears, and he could clearly see her hands trembling as she clutched the back of the chair, as if she were about to collapse. He felt the urge to reach out and support her, but he steeled his heart and restrained himself. He regretted countless times later, regretting not immediately admitting his love for her, regretting not reaching out to hug her, wipe her tears, and tell her to stop. Back then, he was as arrogant as ever, naive enough to assume she was just sulking, that she was being too willful.

The divorce letter with only a name written on it was left there. Shen Changfeng didn't touch it at all, as if nothing had happened as long as he couldn't see or pay attention to it. He ignored its existence and lived his life as usual, deceiving himself.

Lin Meizhu, under the pretext of Wang's mourning and praying for blessings, moved to Pingxiangwu, the farthest place from Qinghui Hall, and refused to sleep with Shen Changfeng. Shen Changfeng didn't say anything, but stayed at Pingxiangwu every day without fail. One day, noticing that Lin Meizhu had locked the door early, Shen Changfeng stood outside and threatened, "Lin Meizhu, open the door quickly. I don't want to say it again!"

Lin Meiju ignored him.

Shen Changfeng is a real man, and his words are as good as his deeds, so of course he won’t say it a second time.

There was a rustling sound outside the door, and then the footsteps gradually subsided. Lin Meiju closed her eyes, thinking that she could finally have a good sleep today.

Shen Changfeng would hold her in his arms while she slept every day. The more she struggled, the tighter and more firmly he held her. She would wait until he fell asleep and then quietly move his hand away before she could fall asleep, even though every time she woke up, he was sleeping on her pillow and she was resting her head on his arm.

However, his aura was always there, gentle yet profound, seemingly non-aggressive yet extremely penetrating, just like him, with a strong presence that could not be ignored.

Who did he think he was? He thought that if he could just take her away from the Lin Mansion with such a majestic presence, she would forget how he had humiliated her? Did he think that if he scared the Lin family members so much that they had to plead guilty and beg for mercy, she would forget the past and be grateful to him?

No, it would only make her feel more embarrassed. Their relationship had been unequal from the beginning. Letting him witness the dirty work of the Lin Mansion, letting him see her vulnerable side, would only make her feel even more ashamed. Ultimately, in her eyes, he was just an outsider.

Lin Meizhu's eyes burned, and she clutched the quilt tightly in her hands. She exhaled, telling herself over and over again to be patient, saying that things would change once that person returned. But her hatred remained undiminished, and she even felt the embroidered pillow beside her was getting in the way, so she grabbed a corner and threw it violently.

Suddenly, a low, muffled groan came from behind, and Lin Meizhu was startled. Just as she was about to turn over, she was held up and pushed back inside. Shen Changfeng was already unhappy, and the sudden blow made his chest feel stuffy. His face was so gloomy that ice water could drip out of it. However, when he saw Lin Meizhu half-raised herself and looked at him with wide almond-shaped eyes, he knew that his appearance must have scared her.

Seeing an expression other than indifference on Lin Meizhu's face, Shen Changfeng swallowed all his words of blame, quickly changed his clothes, pulled her into his arms, and said, "Go to sleep."

The next day, Shen Changfeng arrived early and indeed found Lin Meiju bolted the windows. He gritted his teeth and simply moved all his official business to Pingxiangwu.

Most of the people who came to see Shen Changfeng were silent, secret guards like Chen Yue. It wasn't until she caught a glimpse of the ivory Xiezhi waist badges on their waists that she realized they were all Imperial Guards. Shen Changfeng's ambitions were far greater than she had imagined, and even the Imperial Guards, who obeyed the emperor's orders, had become his minions, demonstrating his immense influence within the court.

But she was not interested in these. Since Shen Changfeng did not mind her presence, she just listened indifferently. Once, she heard someone say that the Eighth Prince intended to recruit southern scholars as his staff. She heard Chuqi's name, and although she looked indifferent, she secretly pricked up her ears.

She heard Shen Changfeng say, "I've also heard a little about his essay. He dared to start the examination with the theme 'Rite cannot be subservient to peace,' implicitly satirizing the current compromise strategy against the Japanese pirates on the southeast coast. It can be said to be a radical move."

Chuqi's essay in the imperial examination caused a stir. The deputy examiner, finding it too outrageous, was furious and threatened to dismiss him. However, the chief examiner, Liang Bowen, who had just been released from prison, was determined to give him the top prize. The two argued furiously, nearly coming to blows, and the incident alarmed the emperor. Emperor Qinglong, who was enjoying a horse-riding tour of the garden with Princess Jiafu, was in high spirits. He smiled broadly and said, "What's wrong with a young man having a bit of a temper? The court needs fresh blood like this who dares to speak out."

In this way, Chuqi was designated as the champion, and became the second scholar after Song Jiusi to win the top three places in a row since the founding of the dynasty.

Shen Changfeng paused, his words expressing admiration but also some concern. "Anyone who can write such an article must be very proud, perhaps a bit arrogant due to his talent. Or maybe... he's deliberately trying to create hype. Let's send someone to keep an eye on him and see who he's been interacting with recently."

To this day, many forces want to recruit him, but Chuqi himself remains unmoved. Shen Changfeng has been in officialdom for a long time, and he can't help but wonder if the other party is waiting for a good price and is too ambitious.

Lin Meizhu rolled her eyes after hearing this, muttering to herself, "Hmph, deliberately trying to hype yourself up? Why don't you write an article to hype yourself up for me? You're clearly just jealous."

Even so, she was still very happy for Chuqi. She even managed to get two full hours of sleep each night during those few days.

Another time, she heard someone reporting something about the river. Shen Changfeng, not knowing what he had seen, suddenly became very excited and whispered, "Send someone to investigate and make sure to find out who sent it!"

Lin Meiju guessed that this might be related to the Qin family, but when she thought of Qin Yan, she couldn't help but think of Su Qinxue who was constantly involved in rumors with Shen Changfeng. She didn't want to care about these things and quickly walked away.

Shen Changfeng's conversation with her did not exceed five sentences a day, and calling her to open the door counted as two sentences. They spent more than half a month in this awkward manner until a sutra chanting meeting in early October.

"Your complexion doesn't look as good as before. Have you been working too hard these days?"

Inside the Huguo Temple, the smoke of sandalwood incense curled up, and the low murmurs of monks reciting scriptures were as long as ripples. Lin Meiju and Lu Feier had finished their worship and were strolling in the courtyard.

Lin Meizhu didn't want her friend to worry, so she shook her head and said, "It's just been raining a lot lately, so I haven't been sleeping well at night. It will be fine in a few days."

She glanced at the gloomy sky, then turned to the maid and told her, "Go and see where the two young masters have gone. Don't let them get too far away."

Lin Youan, who was walking behind, responded, "I'll go call them back to prevent them from bumping into anyone."

This chanting meeting was massive, and since most of the people visiting Huguo Temple were high-ranking officials and dignitaries, Lin Youan's words made sense. Lin Meizhu nodded and said, "Since he's finally out, it's good to let Chen Rang play with him. Bring them back around lunchtime."

Lu Fei'er sighed, "It's really hard for you, being both a sister and a mother."

Lin Meizhu didn't know what she was thinking about, and her smile was a bit bitter. Lu Fei'er had also vaguely heard about the Lin family's recent events and said soothingly, "You just keep swallowing all the bitterness. As a doctor, you should know better than me. If you keep doing this for a long time, it will definitely cause you to feel depressed. You need to learn to vent it."

As they were talking, they heard a murmur of voices coming from the lakeside. Looking up, they saw a dozen scholars in long robes standing on a pavilion, engaged in a conversation. One of them was a tall, handsome man with a face as beautiful as a crown. Seeing the two figures among the flowers, he bowed from a distance.

Lin Meiju had a faint smile on her face and nodded slightly as a response.

Shen Changfeng arrived at some point, looking at the two people with a gloomy expression as they responded silently.