Chapter 140 Extra Chapter 1 (2): What could be more tiring than your wedding day? It's when you have to arrange this marriage. ...

There's nothing more tiring than your wedding day, and that's when you have to arrange the marriage.

Shen Wanqing always felt that there were only two darkest moments in her two lifetimes combined: one was the moment she entered her home and saw her father's portrait, and the other was when she transmigrated to this world, woke up in a bridal sedan chair, and had to take over another person's body to continue living.

Having faced both life and death, Shen Wanqing felt that God had been too cruel to her. Now, having been exhausted to the point of exhaustion, Shen Wanqing suddenly felt that either life or death was not so bad, it was better than being half-dead from exhaustion.

From dawn till dusk, until the newlyweds were escorted to their bridal chamber and they left Yi'an's courtyard, Shen Wanqing cried out and collapsed onto Yu Lang without a second thought: "I'm so sorry to trouble you, Lord Yu, please help me back."

"Come on, get on." It's such a short distance, why bother helping each other? Yu Lang always says he's no longer a seventeen or eighteen-year-old kid, but when it comes to a real competition, he's no different from a seventeen or eighteen-year-old tiger boy.

The servants in the mansion had all dispersed by now. Those who needed to finish up went to finish up, and those who needed to prepare things for the next day went to prepare. At this moment, only Qiuwen was by their side.

A few years ago, Qiuwen had thought about getting married, and Shen Wanqing had also thought about finding her a good family to settle down with and have children. But no matter how they looked, none of them were suitable. After going back and forth several times, Qiuwen completely gave up on the idea of ​​getting married.

The girl who was always told by Chunqian that she was not steady or careful enough has now become one of Shen Wanqing's most capable assistants.

Everyone says that Qiuwen is unassuming and doesn't show off her talents, but no matter how big or small the matter is related to Grandma Shen, Qiuwen can handle it perfectly.

Just like now, when Qiuwen saw her son-in-law's expression, she quickly led her maid to walk ahead of the two. They went from the small courtyard around the garden to the east courtyard, and she quickly sent away the few people she encountered along the way, so as not to disturb the two who clearly had something to say.

"Did you see Yi'an getting his wife off the bridal sedan chair today?"

“He always boasted to us about how he could hit a target from a hundred paces away while riding and shooting, but I saw his hand was trembling when he drew the bow.”

Shen Wanqing is the mistress of the household and the wife of the Minister of Revenue. Today, she has been hearing congratulations all day long, and her ears are numb from it.

Even though the wine in the cup had been diluted with water, it still made people dizzy. When people are dizzy, they inexplicably become timid. Originally, she said she wanted to find out why Yulang was absent-minded for a moment that morning, but when the time came, she didn't want to ask anymore.

“I saw him. I was better than him back then. I didn’t see the great-grandmother. My hands were very steady back then.”

"Well, back then, Master Yu was such a proud and arrogant young man. How could he have married a girl like me from the Han Banner Army? He was even two years older than you. He must have been full of resentment, right? How could his hands not be steady?"

Shen Wanqing climbed onto Yu Lang's back, clinging to his shoulders. Yu Lang walked back along the moonlit stone path. Listening to his wife recount the events of that year, he couldn't help but chuckle softly. He thought of the morning after their wedding.

She was still hungover and secretly slept through the night, her wedding dress all wrinkled and messy. She thought she was clever and had gotten away with it perfectly, but in reality, everyone else saw right through her.

"If you had another chance, what would you do that night?"

I placed the cloth on Yulang's back and could clearly feel his body trembling from laughing. I hadn't intended to ask, but after only ten steps, I found myself asking again in a different form.

After asking the question, she felt she shouldn't have asked it. Grandma Shen, who was always decisive and had her word, went back and forth eight hundred times. Her heart was pounding like a rabbit's, and she was really worried sick.

"I……"

"I'll climb through the window and keep you company."

Having lived together for over twenty years, how could Yu Lang not see through Shen Wanqing's rebellious nature? He didn't know where her rebelliousness came from; clearly, no one in the Shen family was like her. Even Shen Wanlan, who was unconventional, was fundamentally different from Shen Wanqing.

He was attracted to her rebellious nature, a fact he had never mentioned to Shen Wanqing. He feared that if she knew, she would become even more arrogant in front of him, and his already meager monthly allowance and pocket money would likely dwindle even further.

"You even climbed over the wall to come in and keep me company. Lord Yu, you old bones, please don't fall. Have you prepared everything for Yi'an and his wife by tomorrow morning? Why don't you go and check again tomorrow morning, so that nothing goes wrong?"

Yu Lang's answer was both expected and unexpected by Shen Wanqing. Yu Lang was born into this world, and just as she could never truly and willingly kowtow to someone, he could never understand a world he had never seen or experienced, nor could he understand himself within that world.

So Shen Wanqing didn't dwell on the topic, but deliberately changed the subject to steer the conversation away from it.

To everyone's surprise, Yu Lang didn't buy it at all and pretended not to hear Shen Wanqing's words. He silently carried his wife back to the east courtyard. The door was closed from the outside by the maid. Yu Lang placed her on the warm couch in the side room. Before Shen Wanqing could react, he turned her around and pressed her backward.

"hand!"

Shen Wanqing wasn't worried about bumping into anything, because every time the two of them rolled around together, Yulang would put his hand under the back of her head.

This habit started one year when he was away on a mission for more than ten days. When he returned, he rushed over to her in a great hurry. He jumped on her with too much force, and Shen Wanqing's head hit the headboard with a dull thud. Before Shen Wanqing could say anything, Yu Lang was already frightened.

From then on, whenever the two of them did this, no matter what position they were in, there was always a large hand supporting the back of Shen Wanqing's neck and head. Shen Wanqing used to say one thing but meant another, complaining that he was being too fussy by always doing this, but actually she was quite happy about it.

"It's alright."

"What do you mean it's nothing? I haven't even taken off my hairpins and jewelry."

Shen Wanqing pushed Yu Lang's chest a few times, making him sit up. She first pulled his hand over and saw that his palm had several red spots from the jewelry on his head, and there was a scratch that ran right across his palm. There was no bleeding, but it looked quite painful.

"Serves you right."

Shen Wanqing said he deserved it, but she had already gotten up to go find medicine. Yu Lang usually liked to say things like "I'm not a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy," but in fact, he was the most competitive and boastful person in the whole mansion.

He had been in the Ministry of Revenue for quite some time. Managing the purse strings for the entire country was no easy task. There were a few years when he was particularly busy, so much so that he spent the whole year either in his own residence, the government office, or the palace, or at the residences of Prince Yong and Prince Chun. In short, the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of Works were the ones asking him for money every day.

When people are exhausted, they really do get overweight, and Yu Lang was no exception to this rule. When people are busy, they inevitably look haggard, so Shen Wanqing specifically instructed the kitchen to make more nourishing and warming dishes. As a result, Yu Lang ate countless bowls of pigeon stewed with codonopsis during that period, and his breath even carried a faint medicinal fragrance.

Medicinal cuisine can be really delicious when it's made well. Yulang only complained a few times at first, but then he quickly got used to it.

These medicinal dishes nourished both the spirit and the body. Yu Lang ate happily without realizing it, and his whole body visibly became plumper.

His colleagues thought it was quite normal; most of the people who sat in the yamen all the time were pot-bellied, so why should Yu Lang be an exception?

About half a year later, one day after a meeting in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yinreng suddenly kept Yulang behind. He went around in circles asking Yulang a lot of miscellaneous questions, and finally got to the point: had he gained weight?

Yu Lang's first reaction was that it was impossible. How could someone who was already exhausted gain weight? Even if you were the emperor, you couldn't treat people like this.

Immediately afterward, he wondered if Yinreng was going to assign him another task. It wasn't until he caught a glimpse of He Yuzhu, who was serving silently to the side, and saw his expression of wanting to laugh but not daring to, that Yulang realized he really had gained weight.

On his way home that day, Yu Lang, riding his horse, kept thinking about it and felt that something was wrong. No wonder his great-grandmother hadn't touched him for so long after she finished. Yu Lang had previously thought that she was being considerate of him because she was busy and tired and didn't want to disturb his sleep.

Looking back now, that's not the case at all. They just thought they were too fat, that the extra fat around their waist didn't feel as nice to touch, and that they were too lazy to touch themselves anymore!

Since then, no matter how busy Yulang is, he always makes sure to go to the martial arts training ground behind the garden every morning to pick up his skills again, which had become a little rusty.

Since then, Shen Wanqing has prepared all kinds of ointments and medicated oils for him. He is in his thirties now, which is not the same as when he was in his twenties. He can exercise, but he must not hurt himself again.

At this moment, there was only a slightly noticeable scratch on his hand. Yu Lang stood up and stood beside Shen Wanqing, patiently waiting for her to choose the most suitable ointment. Only then did he take the ointment from her hand and take the opportunity to block her between him and the cabinet.

"Grandma, don't go. You said this morning that you would ask me something after you finished your work today. You can ask me now."

"Who remembers what happened this morning? I don't even remember what I wanted to ask."

"If you don't ask, then I'm going to tell you."

"Say it if you want, no one's stopping Lord Yu from saying it."

Yu Lang had drunk quite a bit that day, and his breathing was more rapid and hot than usual. Shen Wanqing lowered her eyes, not daring to look into his eyes. The emotions in his eyes were too intense and unrestrained, and she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to bear it and would hurt him again.

"Grandma's heart is harder than mine."

Before speaking, Yu Lang had planned to take it slow, not to be too harsh right away, lest he frighten Shen Wanqing, or appear too submissive. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he completely lost his composure.

"I admire Jiyun. Does Jiyun know this?"

"Um."

Shen Wanqing knew this day would come sooner or later. She lowered her head and gave a soft "hmm" that sounded almost like a sigh. How could she not know? In this world, with his current status, Shen Wanqing was extremely, extremely, extremely satisfied with Yu Lang's achievements.

"But Jiyun always seems to be hiding something from me. I don't know what it is, but I know that in your heart, there is someone more important than me..."

Yu Lang sensed it, but he couldn't explain it. What was more important? People? No. Even if there were, he should have discovered them long ago and killed them. It was just a man, nothing more.

But if they weren't human, what could be more important than the person she loved and the bond she shared for almost half a lifetime, that made Shen Wanqing always feel like she was missing something?

The missing element was also quite mysterious, and Yu Lang had repeatedly told himself not to worry about it. Shen Wanqing had been good enough to him; his current status and achievements were inseparable from her. She was also wholeheartedly good to him, and that was enough.

But that was reason; only today did Yu Lang have to confront his own heart. It wasn't enough, simply not enough. He was terribly greedy towards Shen Wanqing; even with so much, he still wanted more.

Shen Wanqing sometimes felt that people really couldn't be too rational. Why couldn't she just act recklessly once?

But she just couldn't. She valued her life more than anything else. Even though Yulang had completely revealed herself to her, she still couldn't let her guard down and tell him her biggest secret.

All she could do was muster the courage to look Yu Lang directly in the eye, silently letting him probe the emotions and love in her eyes. This was the only thing she wouldn't lie to him about; the rest she truly couldn't and shouldn't say.

...

"Forget it, I won't ask anymore. It's so late, let's go to sleep early. We have a lot of things to do tomorrow. Why ask these questions? I won't ask anymore."

That's good; at least Shen Wanqing didn't just blurt things out like she does with others. Silence was an answer Yu Lang could accept, but it also couldn't hide his disappointment.

After sharing the same bed for so many years, it was rare to see Yu Lang sleeping with his back to Shen Wanqing. Shen Wanqing originally intended to say nothing tonight and let the matter pass.

But seeing Yu Lang's lonely and pitiful back, she couldn't help but turn to the side and poke his back with her finger.

"Are you still angry?"

"No, how could I dare to be angry with Grandma?"

"After tonight, I won't be the eldest mistress anymore; I'll have to be called the first wife."

Yu Lang tried to turn over toward Shen Wanqing, but she stopped him, reaching around his waist and hugging him tightly.

“Yulang, I don’t like calling you ‘Grandpa.’ I haven’t liked it since the first day we got married. Every time I call you ‘Grandpa,’ I feel like I’m your slave, your possession.”

"Perhaps this isn't just a feeling. Once I step out of this door and into this courtyard, everyone in the world will think the same way. I was originally your wife, your lady. All my glory and achievements are dependent on you."

"I don't……"

“I wasn’t talking about you, I was talking about the whole world.”

Shen Wanqing interrupted him. Of course, she knew that Yu Lang loved her terribly. But humans are not species that can live independently in this world. Since they are alive, they are inevitably affected. Her secret was too big. Yu Lang's love for her alone was not enough to support this secret.

"Then there's nothing I can do to change the world."

"I didn't ask you to change it."

Shen Wanqing rolled her eyes at the back of this person's head, "It's not that I don't love you enough, I just..."

"I just don't like this world. I have to love myself the most. I have to put myself first in everything so that I can be the Shen Wanqing I am today."

"Yulang, do you believe that if I give up on this last bit of persistence, you will soon find me boring and stop loving me?"

"So this is all the answer and reason I can give you. I can't say another word."

Some things cannot be said, once spoken, they cannot be taken back. Shen Wanqing never intended to test human nature. Just as if Bai Suzhen were given a chance, she would definitely try to keep it a secret from Xu Xian that she was a demon for life. Shen Wanqing could not and could not reveal her true nature to Yu Lang.

Yu Lang knew, of course, that Shen Wanqing had something else to say. He even had some vague guesses, but he felt that such guesses were too unfounded and absurd.

He was just a little angry. They had been together for decades, so why couldn't she tell him things? She hadn't even hidden how much money he had secretly saved, which showed that he loved Shen Jiyun more, and she didn't love him as much at all.

But no matter how angry he was, the person pressed tightly against his back was real. Ignoring the fact that Shen Wanqing was still holding his waist, Yu Lang twisted his body and turned around. He wanted to refute Shen Wanqing's words, but what he saw was Shen Jiyun with tears streaming down her face.

"Why are you crying? I didn't say anything, not even a harsh word, why are you crying like this? I didn't even cry..."

Yu Lang couldn't tell whether he was angry or amused. He was the one who asked Chen Wanqing for more love, but now he had made her cry instead. Was there no justice in this world?

Shen Wanqing couldn't care less about all that. She hugged her one and only love in the world tightly and cried out all her resentment, unwillingness, and helplessness for the first and only time.