Chapter 47 Industry

As Cen Yan moved, Zhuang Dongqing stumbled back several steps.

They almost touched the edge of the curtain.

Cen Yan slowly raised an eyebrow.

Zhuang Dongqing: "..."

The word "lust" has a knife above its head; knife, knife, knife, knife...

Zhuang Dongqing tried to focus her gaze on Cen Yan's face and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Cen Yan paused for a moment, then smiled. "Good question."

Your smile is so beautiful...

Oh no, ptooey!

Trying to keep the knife firmly in mind, Zhuang Dongqing did her best to remain clear-headed.

Cen Yan slowly placed his left leg on his right leg, leaned back slightly, his long hair spread out, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"If I'm not here, then where should I be?"

With a relaxed posture and eyes gently closed, thick eyelashes covered her neck, which was long and graceful... Zhuang Dongqing's gaze then extended to her collarbone for a second before she tried to lift it up again.

"Young Master used me last night,"

"If you're no longer useful today, you're kicked out? Is that how it is?"

Zhuang Dongqing: "..."

Cen Yan lay down a little more, opening his robe slightly, and sighed, "All my thoughtfulness last night, the blanket I draped over you this evening, and the effort I put into staying here to wait for you despite my sleepiness—was it all for nothing?"

Zhuang Dongqing: "…………"

Zhuang Dongqing gritted her teeth, "Putting everything else aside, what about your thoughtfulness last night?"

He was a man whose entire body was covered in marks, but he was one of them!

Cen Yan's eyes, barely open, turned to Zhuang Dongqing: "We've already made a deal, so who's going to leave me hanging in the middle of the night again?"

Zhuang Dongqing: "..."

Zhuang Dongqing said in shame, "But I... I can't do it, I can't continue."

Cen Yan turned his head, lifted his eyelids, his eyes flashing, "Then have I made things difficult for you or forced you?"

"……No."

"Isn't this considered considerate?"

Zhuang Dongqing closed her eyes, her ear tips slowly warming up. "...Is everything alright?"

Cen Yan: "You'll know whether you have a blanket or not when you wake up. I told you to go to bed early and get up early, so I got ready early. You had to take a shower and wash your hair, and I had almost finished reading my book before I finally got to see you..."

"So, in the end, young master wants to use it and then discard it, turning his back on us?"

Zhuang Dongqing said awkwardly, "No."

Cen Yan turned to Zhuang Dongqing and asked him, "So you're kicking me out?"

Zhuang Dongqing's gaze followed the half-fallen hem of his shirt and landed on Cen Yan's muscular waist and abdomen.

He didn't listen to a word they said, and his mind was filled with all sorts of unpleasant images.

From the feel of the hands to the tactile sensation of the muscles, and then to the undulating force felt when being forcibly pressed down on it...

Zhuang Dongqing, her neck flushed, asked, "Wh-what?"

Cen Yan: "Where are you looking?"

"It's nowhere!" Caught off guard, Zhuang Dongqing abruptly turned her head and closed her eyes tightly.

A blush crept up Zhuang Dongqing's neck, and she said in a disheveled manner, "Speak to me properly!"

Cen Yan laughed.

Zhuang Dongqing had no desire to turn back.

How embarrassing, I'm sure I've been found out.

"I'm letting the wound air dry. I've been rinsing it before, but I can finally use the bath tub tonight. The scab inevitably got a little wet, so I'm leaving my clothes open to let it dry."

"..."

Oh, yes, that's true.

Thinking back to last night, he was in the bathtub, while Cen Yan was outside cleaning himself with hot water.

Zhuang Dongqing had just cleared the jumbled thoughts from her mind when she turned around and met Cen Yan's gaze. She heard him say, "Yesterday you said I was perfect in every way. I didn't expect it to be true."

Zhuang Dongqing blushed in front of Cen Yan.

He felt that the other party must have done it on purpose.

However, Cen Yan circled back to the same point in his next sentence, "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Lust is a knife above one's head"—who was the ancestor who said that? It's so true!

He was completely led by the other party.

Zhuang Dongqing felt like Sun Wukong in Cen Yan's palm; no matter how much she jumped around, she would only humiliate herself. She looked down at her toes, remained still for a moment, and gave up resisting.

He replied truthfully, "Your room is in the west wing."

"I'll be here when I'm useful, and then I'll be gone when I'm no longer needed?"

Zhuang Dongqing's voice was barely audible: "No, that's not what I meant."

"What is that?"

Wiping his face, Zhuang Dongqing, abandoning all shame, managed to say with difficulty, "Enough..."

Cen Yan was puzzled.

Raising her eyes slightly and noticing the doubt in the other person's eyes, Zhuang Dongqing had no choice but to go all out and say, "Tonight, no!"

"Yesterday was enough."

I want to sleep tonight.

The words that were meant to resonate in my heart, when they finally came out of my mouth, became less and less forceful with each utterance.

He rubbed his ears; his hands were burning hot.

Cen Yan was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Zhuang Dongqing's face burned even more from laughing, and she couldn't help but complain in a low voice, "Stop laughing."

Cen Yan replied with a smile, "You think I came here just for this?"

What else?

"Can't I just stay here and rest?"

Zhuang Dongqing was speechless.

Cen Yan's smile faded, and he suddenly said, "Come here."

Too smooth, and the tone too ordinary.

By the time Zhuang Dongqing realized what was happening, she was already standing in front of Cen Yan.

"..."

Cen Yan sat up, reached out and pinched Zhuang Dongqing's ear, and sighed, "How can you be so thin-skinned?"

Zhuang Dongqing remained silent, her eyes sparkling as if they held tiny stars within.

After a moment of eye contact, Zhuang Dongqing reached out and pulled open Cen Yan's clothes. Sure enough, she saw scabs with water stains on the edges. After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Dongqing simply pulled down the clothes on one of Cen Yan's shoulders, letting the scabs air dry.

"If you're going to leave it open, why cover it with clothes?"

Cen Yan let Zhuang Dongqing do as she pleased without resisting, and said gently, "You've already thought so much about just opening your collar. If you came in and saw me without a shirt on, wouldn't you be so scared that you'd leave immediately?"

"..."

Knowing that Cen Yan's prediction was correct, Zhuang Dongqing did not refute it.

After the conversation was over, Zhuang Dongqing breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her eyes again, saying, "I'm sleepy."

"Go to sleep." Cen Yan gazed at him and said gently, "I've been reading for so long just to wait for you."

Zhuang Dongqing was still a little uneasy. "I'm used to sleeping alone."

Cen Yan pulled her onto the bed and shoved her under the covers without a word, pushing her to the inside. "You said it yourself, it's just a habit. After a couple of times, you'll get used to having someone around you."

"..."

Okay, there's no escaping it now.

After a moment's thought, Zhuang Dongqing swallowed the rest of her words.

There's nothing else to it. He needed Cen Yan and also benefited from the situation. If he had to be so calculating about everything, that would be too harsh.

Besides, we've already done everything, so saying we shouldn't sleep together would be too coy.

He's not a girl.

As soon as her head hit the pillow, an overwhelming sense of drowsiness washed over her, and Zhuang Dongqing couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.

Zhuang Dongqing felt Cen Yan pulling the blanket up to cover her, and tried to shrink back in, but Cen Yan held her down.

"Why go so far in? The walls are cold."

Zhuang Dongqing mumbled, "I'm afraid of crowding you."

"Won't."

Cen Yan patted Zhuang Dongqing, and the half-conscious person came out a little more, very obediently.

So sleepy her voice was slurred, but she still reminded him, "You need to wait a little longer, it needs to dry, be careful not to get an infection..."

He didn't understand the last sentence, but he knew it was for his own good, so Cen Yan smiled slightly and said, "Okay."

"good evening."

"Go to sleep, don't talk."

Zhuang Dongqing shut his mouth, and after a few breaths his breathing became even.

Cen Yan remained seated, holding the book, and leisurely turned another page.

In the quiet night, with someone close beside him, breathing softly, Cen Yan felt that even the long night was warm just being in this scene.

My heart felt soothed and warmed.

*

Zhuang Dongqing was woken up by the heat in the morning.

Being held by Cen Yan made her feel hot.

He reached out to push her away, but in his dazed state, he was pulled along and kissed the next moment.

They were kissing so passionately that they were completely disoriented when suddenly their hands were pressed down.

"They said no, but then they actively tried to woo me."

Zhuang Dongqing belatedly realized that his hand had slipped unconsciously inside Cen Yan's nightgown.

Before he could react, a passionate kiss enveloped him again...

When Cen Yan let him go, he put his hand on Zhuang Dongqing's eyes to block out the light. Zhuang Dongqing felt dizzy and felt a sharp pain in his chest from being bitten.

But he was still sleepy, and as darkness fell before his eyes, accompanied by the male demon's voice, he fell asleep again.

I slept until the sun was high in the sky, and then I woke up naturally.

When she woke up, Cen Yan was no longer in bed.

Zhuang Dongqing rubbed her eyes and got up, pulled open her clothes to take a look, and sure enough, there were several fresh marks.

Zhuang Dongqing was numb.

When Liu Fu came in, she changed into her nightgown by herself on the bed. Don't ask, because she's just trying to save face.

Having lost all face in front of Cen Yan and with no intention of making amends, Zhuang Dongqing still needed to be salvaged in front of others.

Liu Qi did well in class, so Liu Fu didn't ask any questions and just listened to Zhuang Dongqing's orders.

I met Cen Yan while having breakfast.

Practicing boxing in the yard.

He stood tall and straight, and his punches were powerful.

Zhuang Dongqing finished her breakfast while watching the show.

"Did you sleep well?" Cen Yan asked Zhuang Dongqing as he stood beside him after his morning practice.

Zhuang Dongqing nodded obediently and said, "I've had enough sleep."

"Wait a minute, Master Zhao will come to take your pulse later."

Realizing something, Zhuang Dongqing said, "Oh."

After Cen Yan changed from his martial arts uniform to his everyday clothes, Master Zhao arrived as well.

Taking a pulse.

Switch from left hand to right hand.

After carefully taking his pulse, Master Zhao said, "It's much more stable now."

Cen Yan: "Poison?"

"Yes, the abnormal pulse has improved a lot, and the fetus is very stable."

Master Zhao thought for a moment, "It should be around the fifteenth of March now."

Zhuang Dongqing nodded, "More or less."

Cen Yan: "His stomach is still flat."

Master Zhao: "That's how it is. In their clan, when a man gets pregnant, the fetus isn't too big, but there are no health problems. After the baby is born and raised, it will be back to normal after a while, and they are all very healthy."

"It will probably take another month for the pregnancy to become fully visible."

Cen Yan indicated that he understood.

Then he asked, "Is his physical condition still weak?"

"Much better. The food and everything else are back to normal. Just continue with the current routine, and you'll gradually recover."

Cen Yan asked in confusion, "Then why is he still so thin? He's been recuperating for a while now."

He had actually gained some weight; Cen Yan could feel it, but it wasn't very noticeable.

But you can't really tell just by looking at it.

Mr. Zhao: "In the early stages, the fetus absorbs nutrients from the mother's body, replenishing while consuming, so it's balanced."

An Cenyan thought to herself, "It will get better slowly. You can't rush things like taking supplements."

Cen Yan nodded and let it go, then changed the subject back to their sex life.

Zhuang Dongqing wished she were under the table.

Fortunately, with Master Zhao around, the doctor was always able to make all the awkward things sound reasonable, and Zhuang Dongqing felt much more at ease listening to him.

Master Zhao: "This really requires a doctor from their Ren clan. I don't know the specifics, but in short, don't overdo it. As long as there are no adverse reactions, they should be fine."

"What do you mean by 'discomfort'?"

"Stomach ache, discomfort, and general feeling unwell all count."

Zhuang Dongqing said awkwardly, "I understand."

Seeing that he was really embarrassed, Cen Yan saw Master Zhao off, and then asked him some other questions in detail, which Master Zhao had instructed him to remember.

In the following days, Cen Yan stayed in the east wing.

The east wing has many rooms, but since Zhuang Dongqing moved in, he only stayed in the main house. So he focused on tidying up the main house and a few rooms next to it. When Cen Yan arrived, the layout of the mansion changed. Not only did he have more servants, but he also reorganized the previously vacant houses.

For example, several rooms were vacated to serve as a study for Cen Yan in the east wing.

The reception room, the living quarters for personal attendants, and so on, vary in size and other aspects.

Liu Qi and Liu Fu did all the work; Zhuang Dongqing didn't lift a finger, just listened to the reports, nodded or shook his head to give his opinion.

But it was during this change that Zhuang Dongqing made a new discovery: "Is the east wing a bit bigger than the west wing?"

Zhuang Dongqing asked uncertainly.

Liu Qi confirmed, "That's right."

"Huh? Then why..."

Knowing what Zhuang Dongqing wanted to ask, Liu Qi replied, "Before we left the capital for the first time, we all lived in the palace, and we didn't have this many people with us, so it was easy to settle them down."

"When the old prince passed away, the master returned to his fiefdom to inherit the title, and the coming-of-age ceremony was also held in the fiefdom."

"Returning to the capital will be to serve the emperor."

“By then he had already come of age, it would have been inappropriate for him to remain in the palace, so he was granted this mansion to live in again.”

"At that time, it happened to be close to the princess's wedding. The master and the princess had a good relationship, so the east wing was given to the eldest sister to stay temporarily, so that the princess could leave the palace directly at the auspicious time for her wedding... After living like this for a few months, the west wing was all sorted out. After the princess's wedding, the master did not change it back."

Therefore, the east wing is actually the main courtyard of the entire Prince's Mansion.

Liu Qi: "It's fine for the young master to stay here for now. There are too many things in the west wing, so let's move them around slowly."

Liu Qi felt that Cen Yan would spend less time in the west wing in the future, and the Prince's Mansion would gradually become centered around the east wing, but she didn't say it outright.

Zhuang Dongqing didn't recognize it either.

Instead, his thoughts drifted elsewhere. "I don't think I've seen the Prince go to see the Princess much."

Liu Qi: "If there's nothing else, I basically won't see her. It's also for the princess's own good."

After saying that, Liu Qi went to get busy. Zhuang Dongqing still couldn't figure out what was so good about not meeting, but he never dwelled on things he couldn't understand, and soon he put them out of his mind.

Once the east wing was mostly tidied up, the deposed crown prince had already been executed in the outer wing, and the purge of the crown prince's supporters began in the capital.

All the commotion had nothing to do with Zhuang Dongqing, so he stayed in the Prince's Mansion and lived a quiet life.

To the outside world, Cen Yan continued to recuperate from his injuries, staying at home to rest.

He would also make decisions regarding the size and modifications to the east wing.

Before the east wing was altered, Cen Yan had already asked Zhuang Dongqing about the gold and jade ornaments, and received the same answer as he had in mind.

Zhuang Dongqing disliked it, finding it cumbersome and heavy.

Cen Yan didn't press the issue, only saying that if there was anything he liked in the storeroom, he could take it.

If we go to Daci Temple in a few days, we can find him a pendant that has been blessed.

Zhuang Dongqing nodded.

When they were almost finished packing, Cen Yan asked Zhuang Dongqing if there was anything else she needed.

Cen Yan and Liu Qi have asked him this question countless times over the past few days.

Zhuang Dongqing shook her head first, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

Cen Yan noticed it.

When the two of them were alone, he asked again, with great patience, gently guiding and coaxing her.

Zhuang Dongqing finally spoke: "Um, it's not in the east wing. May I ask?"

"you say."

"Yes, I feel much better now, and I've been resting for quite a while, so..."

Zhuang Dongqing put on another layer of armor. "It's definitely not to rush you or anything."

Cen Yan: "Mm."

Zhuang Dongqing's Adam's apple bobbed before she said, "Well, now that you've decided to keep the child, could you... arrange things for the properties I asked for before?"

After saying that, he quickly added, "It's not that I want more."

"I didn't rush you."

"that is……"

“It will take me some time to learn from Liu Fu. Even if we can’t manage the shops and land, can you arrange for someone to teach us how to manage them?”

Fortunately, Cen Yan was refilling tea at the time, with his back to Zhuang Dongqing.

For a moment, Cen Yan's expression twisted, but he managed to suppress it.

Once his emotions had been calmed down and no flaws could be detected, Cen Yan finally spoke: "You... still want the business?"

Zhuang Dongqing truly didn't understand at all, nodding vigorously, "Definitely."

"Otherwise, how will Liufu and I survive after we leave the Prince's Mansion?"

Cen Yan's hands bulged with veins, he had grasped the key point—

Have they left the Prince's Palace?

leave? !