Chapter 30 Chapter 30 "Isn't he tall enough? Not handsome enough...

At dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun shines into the house through the window lattice, spreading a hazy warm color on the ground.

Sheng Puzhu opened her eyes. The light in the tent was dim and she couldn't tell whether it was morning or dusk.

Her thick, long eyelashes were still drowsy and damp. She moved slightly, and the brocade quilt slipped off, revealing her snow-white shoulders and neck. A strong arm was across her waist, and it suddenly tightened.

"Awake?" Xie Zhiyan's slightly hoarse voice almost slid into her earlobe, with the same laziness of having just woken up.

"My dear?"

Why is he still here?

Sheng Puzhu raised her eyes in surprise, and her gaze met the man's dark pupils. His deep phoenix eyes were as thick as insoluble ink, dark and heavy, and they locked onto her.

Xie Zhiyan raised his eyebrows slightly, with a hint of emotion in his eyes: "Are you surprised to see me?"

Sheng Puzhu instinctively wanted to deny it, but somehow he told the truth: "Some."

"My dear, you usually get up early, so you're out when I wake up. That's why I was a little surprised to see you suddenly just now."

"The rooster has just passed."

"We can have dinner later. Do you want to sleep a little longer?" Xie Zhiyan rubbed his palm across the corners of her eyes, which were red from sleep. It was a bit rough, and the thin calluses on his fingertips pressed against the wetness at the end of her eyelashes, causing a shudder for no reason.

Sheng Puzhu wanted to nod, but paused. She blinked her still sleepy eyes, her mind still not quite clear. Her dark hair spread on the soft pillow, and as she shook her head, it made a subtle sound. "No, I can't sleep any more. I won't be able to sleep tonight."

She supported herself with her arms and tried to get up, but Xie Zhiyan had already reached out to hold her waist.

His palms were broad and strong. When he leaned over, her hair fell on her chest. With one hand, he held up her waist steadily, as if he was fiddling with a delicate orchid, light, delicate and gorgeous.

The warmth of his palm penetrated through her thin undershirt, and it was just the right amount of hot, making her feel weak all over.

"Are you hungry?" Xie Zhiyan lowered his gaze and looked at her calmly.

Sheng Puzhu thought of the previous times when he had always said something with hidden meaning. His heart trembled, and he bit his lip and said, "I'm not really hungry."

"Well, there's no rush. Let's sleep a little longer." Xie Zhiyan raised his chin, the collar of his plain white clothes was wide open. When the shadow fell, Sheng Puju hurriedly tried to hide, but he easily grabbed her wrist and pushed her back into the brocade quilt.

"Why are you panicking?" He bent his knees and effortlessly suppressed her struggling legs, but his voice was full of helplessness.

Sheng Puzhu's breathing became disordered and her cheeks flushed. She knew that she might have misinterpreted his meaning.

"No panic."

"I wasn't hungry just now, but now I suddenly feel very hungry, the kind that I can swallow a cow." Feeling guilty, she lowered her eyes and dared not look at him.

"A cow?"

"It's too big, Madam can't swallow it." Xie Zhiyan's gaze slowly pressed on her rosy lips, his expression inexplicably gloomy.

Sheng Puzhu pursed her lips nervously, and her clear eyes blinked in confusion.

Xie Zhiyan stretched out his hand and rubbed his fingertips across her rosy lips: "Next time, Madam, don't say that."

His voice suddenly paused, and the ending tone was lowered and meaningful. His thin lips were hooked, and he said slowly: "I can't help but think too much."

Overthinking?

What are you thinking about?

Sheng Puzhu was still confused and wanted to ask, but didn't dare!

After all, her few experiences had taught her that once she asked out of curiosity, Xie Zhiyan would start to take action.

He had been back in Chang'an for just over a month, but the damage she had suffered at his hands was so severe that she probably couldn't count it with one pair of hands.

This time, Sheng Puzhu was unable to fall asleep.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I was awakened by the noise outside Yunyu Hall.

"What's going on?"

"It sounds like my aunt's voice."

Xie Zhiyan frowned. He did not answer Sheng Puzhu's question, but instead ordered Aunt Du who was guarding outside the house: "Keep the person outside and don't let him in."

Sheng Puzhu rubbed his eyes, but he couldn't sleep anymore.

"It's not a big deal. I have already found out about Xie Mingzong's drunkenness." Xie Zhiyan looked at her and said calmly.

"Going to Chunxiao Pavilion to drink privately is not a way to cleanse oneself and reflect on oneself."

"Returning home drunk at night and neglecting your pregnant wife is like neglecting your wife."

"Xue Qinghui was pushed down and injured by him. This is a disregard for life."

"According to the family rules, anyone who violates any of the three rules will be punished with twenty lashes. I have already reported this to the clan elders."

Sheng Puzhu was stunned, so she was surprised to find him sleeping beside her when she woke up just now. In fact, this man had not just woken up, but had just come back from dealing with Xie Mingzong and was just about to go to bed.

Is his body made of iron?

He hadn't slept all night and rode to Tianchang Temple on a windy and snowy night. As a result, he was able to stay awake for the whole day to investigate the matter of Xie Mingzong.

"Are you really not tired, my dear?" Sheng Puzhu asked.

Xie Zhiyan tilted his head, looked at her, and asked, "Am I tired? Madam, haven't you experienced it yourself?"

Sheng Puzhu choked and his face turned red.

Xie Zhiyan stood up and leisurely poured her a cup of hot tea. "It seems that Madam has never paid attention to my physical strength."

"Once the trivial matters at home are settled, I will definitely help Madam to solve her doubts."

*

The Xie family ancestral hall is brightly lit.

Xie Mingzong knelt in front of the tablets of his ancestors. His robe on the back was torn and strings of blood rolled down, dyeing almost half of his body red.

Qin's face was pale as she looked at her son's bloody back. Her voice was sharp and tearful, "Mother, you have to make the decision for your daughter-in-law."

"Although Mingzong is not the crown prince, he is the eldest son of Juyuan, your legitimate grandson. Even if he did something wrong, there is no reason for him to be beaten like this."

Several maids tried to stop Qin. She turned and stared at Xie Zhiyan intently, her voice as if she were crying blood: "Even if Sanlang is the eldest princess's biological son, and his status has been higher than Mingzong's since birth, you are all descendants of the Xie family. I know Mingzong and you have been at odds since childhood, but Sanlang, you can't be so eager to take Mingzong's life over such a trivial matter."

"No matter what, you are a descendant of the Xie family and the elder brother of Emperor Mingzong. Isn't this fratricide?"

Xie Zhiyan looked towards Qin. His facial features looked sharper and deeper under the light. Although his face had no expression, it gave people the illusion of looking down on him.

"It is precisely because I am the older brother that I have to discipline him more strictly."

"Xie Mingzong, as a descendant of the Xie family, is greedy for wine and lustful, does not reflect on himself, does not keep himself clean, and does not respect his wife. If he fails to take responsibility for his mistakes, he is being indulgent."

"He broke the rules set by our ancestors, so he deserves to be punished."

"Bullshit!" Qin was so angry that she tore the handkerchief in her hand. "It's just a banquet among colleagues. Why can't you be chaste and indulge in drinking and lust?"

"Do you know what Chunxiao Pavilion is?" Xie Zhiyan asked coldly, his eyes cold and sharp.

Qin was stunned, and a look of confusion flashed across her red and swollen eyes. She was a woman in the inner house, so how could she know what Chunxiao Pavilion was.

Xie Zhiyan walked up to Xie Mingzong and said, "You speak for yourself."

Xie Mingzong's lips were pale, he lowered his head in embarrassment, his mouth opened, and his voice trembled.

"Chunxiao Pavilion is a brothel." He didn't dare to look up, and his hands hanging by his sides were clenched into fists.

"A brothel?" Qin gasped, her face pale with shock, but she still tried to defend her son's reputation. "Even if it was a brothel, he was a first-time offender and shouldn't be punished like this."

"Twenty lashes! Not a single piece of good flesh remains on his back. From childhood to adulthood, Emperor Mingzong has lived up to his father's expectations. How could he, with his frail body, endure such severe injuries?"

"Qin."

"You kneel down too." The old lady sighed and stood up with the help of Nanny Jiang's hand. She seemed to have aged a lot in an instant.

Qin was puzzled and trembled: "Mother, your daughter-in-law doesn't understand."

"Don't understand?" The old lady sneered.

"Emperor Mingzong was wrong, but are you not wrong?"

"Parents who love their children will make long-term plans for them. I can understand your love for Mingzong, but!"

"Tell me the truth from your conscience. How did Qinghui fall down at night when Mingzong was drunk? How many lies did you tell to cover this up? Now that things have come to this, are you still planning to hide it for Mingzong?"

Qin's face suddenly changed and her body shook violently. The lights in the ancestral hall flickered, just like her constantly changing expressions.

"Mother."

"My daughter-in-law knows she was wrong. She was frightened by Qinghui's appearance at the time, so she did something foolish."

"Please consider that this is Mingzong's first offense and he is also your own grandson. Please forgive him this time. Twenty lashes have already made him suffer enough. You cannot punish him by making him kneel again."

Disappointment does not happen overnight. Not knowing that you are wrong is more disheartening than making the mistake yourself.

The old lady was silent for a moment, with a deep sense of despair in her eyes: "Emperor Mingzong, are you worthy of Qinghui?"

"Are you worthy of the child she almost risked her life to bear for you?"

The ancestral hall was dead silent.

Xie Mingzong's body swayed, his breathing quickened: "My grandson knows his fault, and any punishment he receives is what he deserves."

"Mother, he can't take it anymore." Qin screamed.

The old lady shouted coldly: "Shut up."

"Qin, if you weren't so confused, you wouldn't have ended up like this."

Qin's heart was beating fast, and she used all her strength to rush forward to protect the people. The maids almost couldn't hold her back.

The old lady looked deeply at Qin and said, "Mingzong was punished. Sanlang has shown mercy and reduced the punishment by half because Qinghui had just given birth."

"Since you feel it's unfair and want to make things so embarrassing, as Mingzong's mother, you are also wrong."

The old lady couldn't bear to look at Xie Mingzong's expression. Her old lips trembled as she said, "Make up for the twenty lashes you were exempted from before, and take ten more lashes for your mother."

"Do you have any comments?"

"I..." Xie Mingzong gritted his teeth, feeling as if shame and regret were killing him. "Grandson dare not object."

"Okay." The old lady nodded and looked at her grandson kneeling on the ground. "You are a son of the Xie family. You must remember that if you can't even withstand this little punishment, then you are not worthy of the surname Xie."

Outside the ancestral hall, there was a sudden thunderclap and snowflakes fell.

The whistling sound of the whip was mixed with the whistling wind and Qin's heart-wrenching cry.

Until the last whip fell, Xie Mingzong finally could not bear it any longer, his body swayed, and he fainted on the ground.

"Send the young man to apply the medicine." The old lady waved to the servant who was waiting outside the ancestral hall.

"Mother, my daughter-in-law refuses to accept." Qin knelt on the ground, as if all the strength in her body had been drained away.

The old lady shook her head, not even looking at her: "Since you are not convinced, then you can kneel in the ancestral hall. When you have thought it through, you can go back."

Qin dug her fingertips into her palms, covered her heart, and suddenly coughed violently, spurting out a mouthful of blood.

There was chaos in the ancestral hall again. After Qin was carried away, the palace called in the imperial physician and restrained the servants. By the time everything was done, it was already past midnight.

Sheng Puzhu did not return to Yunyu Hall, but stayed in the old lady's Yishou Hall on purpose. She opened her beautiful eyes, which were clear and transparent, and smiled, looking very lovable.

"If you feel bad, let me tell you about the ridiculous things I did when I was a child."

The old lady patted her and said helplessly, "Why are you accompanying me for no reason? I'm still strong enough to not be easily angered to death."

Sheng Puzhu didn't think so. She softened her voice and said, "Grandmother knows that Grandmother is in good health, but you must be furious about what happened today."

"In your heart, Mingzong is also a descendant with high hopes. It's a pity that your aunt-in-law can't understand your good intentions and has made foolish mistakes time and time again, hurting your heart."

The old lady smiled and said, "Good boy, you don't have to tell me about your childhood to make me happy."

"Why don't we talk about Saburo?"

"What do you think of Saburo in your heart?"

Is this Xie Zhiyan?

Sheng Puzhu took the old lady's arm and acted coquettishly, trying to get away with it: "Well, my granddaughter-in-law thinks my husband is an excellent man in Dayan."

"Is that all?" asked the old lady.

Sheng Puzhu asked tentatively, "Are you of good character?"

The old lady sighed and said, "Isn't he tall enough? Not handsome enough? Not mighty enough?"

Powerful?

What's so powerful?

Do husband and wife have a harmonious relationship?

This is hard to talk about.

Sheng Puzhu's heart was beating fast and her cheeks were red.