Chapter 208 Upon seeing Lin Shiyuan, the smile vanished from his face instantly.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhining had already received news that Zhan Xingzhuo would soon be entering the city.

She waited for him for a day, and then for a night.

However, he was told that Zhan Xingzhuo had changed course halfway and gone to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.

She was furious and swept all the food she had prepared onto the floor.

She moved out of Hengwu Villa and returned to this small new house because she wanted to reunite with him.

These days, she has been working hard to fill the new mansion that Yao Qingling has almost emptied little by little.

She swallowed her grievances and treated the red cherry blossoms as merely a toy for his loneliness.

But when he returned to Beijing, the first person he went to see was still Yao Qingling!

Why!

Just because she gave birth to his son?

After learning that Zhan Xingzhuo had gone to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence, Zhou Zhining went back to Hengwu Villa in tears.

When Zhan Xingzhu arrived at the new mansion in the middle of the night, he pushed open the door and saw food scattered all over the floor.

The servants were cleaning up the mess that Zhou Zhining had smashed. When they saw him return, they said tremblingly that Miss Zhou had been waiting for him for several days.

She also said that the food on the ground was all cooked and carefully prepared by Miss Zhou herself over the course of a day.

"...Miss Zhou waited for the master for a long time, but for some reason, she suddenly lost her temper and left overnight."

After listening, Zhan Xingzhu waved his hand and told the servants to leave.

He lowered his eyes, looking at the mess that hadn't been cleaned up yet, his brow furrowed, and he felt very guilty.

Minglu said, "Second Master, Miss Zhou is so considerate of you. The young mistress doesn't even look at you. You helped her so much, and she still chased you away without even giving you a cup of hot tea."

“Miss Zhou has been wronged, Second Master. You should think of a way to make Miss Zhou happy.”

Zhan Xingzhuo glanced at him but didn't say anything.

He sat down, rubbed his temples, and felt a terrible headache.

Minglu asked a servant, then turned to Zhan Xingzhuo and said, "Miss Zhou went to Hengwu Villa. It's so late, she's probably already asleep."

"Second Master, after court tomorrow, why don't you go to Hengwu Villa and try to coax her?"

"Miss Zhou loves the food at Yongfu Restaurant the most. I'll go and reserve a table there. You can explain to Miss Zhou properly then..."

Zhan Xingzhuo raised his hand to interrupt his rambling and got up to walk out.

Minglu was taken aback: "Second Master, you just came in, where are you going?"

"Hengwu Villa".

Minglu said nothing more and ordered his men to bring the horses out of the stable again.

Sigh, in the end, what Second Master cares about most is Miss Zhou. She's already so tired, so he still needs to explain things to her as soon as possible.

Zhan Xingzhuo mounted his horse and rode slowly under the moonlight.

The clatter of horses' hooves echoed through the empty streets.

Minglu looked up at him and guessed that the Second Master was probably thinking about how to make Miss Zhou happy, which was why he wasn't riding at full speed.

Meanwhile, Zhan Xingzhuo was thinking that he had forgotten to ask Yao Qingling what the child's name was.

However, she is his child, and whatever name she chooses doesn't matter!

He is the child's father, so he should be the one to name the child.

So, what should we call it?

He thought about it for a long time, sometimes wondering what name Yao Qingling would give the child, and sometimes thinking about what meaning his son's name should contain...

Before we knew it, we arrived at Hengwu Villa.

Zhan Xingzhuo composed himself.

Minglu went to knock on the door, and the gatekeeper came out shortly afterward.

The gatekeeper went in to announce their arrival and returned to say that Zhou Zhining had already retired for the night.

"Second Master, please come tomorrow," the gatekeeper said to Zhan Xingzhuo.

Minglu said unhappily, "Open your dog eyes and see clearly. This is Master Zhan. Move aside and let my Master Zhan in."

The gatekeeper said indifferently, "Please don't make things difficult for me, Second Master."

This is, after all, the Tao family's villa, and in terms of status, it is no less than the Zhan family's.

Minglu had no choice but to turn to Zhan Xingzhuo and say nicely, "Second Master, Miss Zhou is a woman after all. If word gets out that you entered the villa late at night, it will not be good for Miss Zhou's reputation."

But in reality, how much worse could Zhou Zhining's reputation be?

It was just that Zhou Zhining was throwing a tantrum and Minglu was coaxing Zhan Xingzhuo to give him a way out.

Zhan Xingzhuo had a sullen face, but he had no choice but to turn back and go home.

After a restless night with barely any sleep, he washed up and set off for the morning court session.

Because Zhou Zhining had also smashed up the kitchen, the servants didn't have time to prepare breakfast, so Zhan Xingzhuo left hungry.

He couldn't help but think that Yao Qingling used to manage the mansion so well that he had never gone hungry.

Minglu remembered the few sesame cakes he had bought at the post station on his way back to the city, and took them out at this moment.

"Second Master, please make do with this for now."

Thus, the following scene unfolded: On the road leading to the imperial city, Zhan Xingzhuo's carriage stopped by the roadside, and Minglu handed him a sesame seed cake through the window.

By sheer coincidence, Lin Shiyuan witnessed this scene.

Lin Shiyuan, riding his horse, glanced indifferently at the sesame seed cakes and the carriage, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

A tall, imposing horse passed by the carriage with an air of aloofness.

As Zhan Xingzhuo reached for the cake, he saw Zhan Xingzhuo walk by. His fingers paused, and a sense of resentment rose in his heart.

He pushed the sesame seed cake back: "I'm not eating it. Let's keep going."

Minglu glanced at the man sitting on a tall horse in front of him, recognized him, and snorted heavily, saying, "On such a cold day, riding a horse to court, I don't know if he can't afford a carriage or if he's just being ostentatious."

As the time for court session approached, many officials had already entered the imperial city, but Zhan Xingzhuo was the last to go in.

When he entered the main hall, all the officials had already arrived, and the emperor had already begun the court session. Upon seeing him, the emperor frowned and looked displeased.

This is extremely disrespectful.

Someone seized the opportunity to submit a memorial, saying that Vice Minister Zhan had become arrogant and domineering due to his merits, and scolded him.

Some people saw that Zhan Xingzhuo looked pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was so tired that he could barely stand, so they spoke up for him.

It is said that Vice Minister Zhan worked hard in Luozhou to control the floods, and he had just returned to the capital and hadn't even had a moment to rest before going to court. He should be shown sympathy.

The Grand Princess and the Duke of Zhan wielded considerable power in the court. Upon hearing this, many officials submitted memorials, arguing that Vice Minister Zhan had worked diligently and should not be criticized.

Most of the officials in the court spoke in favor of Zhan Xingzhuo.

Zhan Xingzhuo's listless and haggard appearance did indeed soften the emperor's heart. Not only did the emperor not blame him, but he also gave him many rewards.

Upon returning to the capital, Zhan Xingzhuo received the emperor's commendation and became an instant sensation.

After the court session, many officials congratulated Zhan Xingzhuo with clasped hands, and Zhan Xingzhuo forced a smile in response.

But upon seeing Lin Shiyuan, the smile vanished from his face instantly.

He stared coldly at Lin Shiyuan.

Lin Shiyuan was merely a physician and was not qualified to enter the palace. He stood outside the palace to listen to the court proceedings, just like other officials of lower rank.

You can't actually hear what's being said inside, but eunuchs run back and forth, relaying important matters discussed between the emperor and the ministers in the palace.

These low-ranking officials were not qualified to express their opinions directly in the imperial court; they simply stood there, exposed to the cold wind in winter and the sun in summer.

The weather in the capital was turning cold at this moment. A cold wind blowing for an hour or two was like torture for the elderly and weak officials, but for Lin Shiyuan, who came from the military, it was just a normal occurrence.

He had been exposed to the cold wind for two hours, yet he remained energetic, his eyes sharp, like a sturdy pine tree standing tall on a mountain.

Even after entering the inner hall, Zhan Xingzhuo, who was dizzy and almost couldn't stand, was extremely annoyed.

Lin Shiyuan knew that Zhan Xingzhuo had been watching him, so he took the initiative to walk up to him and said, "Minister Zhan, I have not yet congratulated you on your return to the capital."

He bowed respectfully, offering his congratulations, but his eyes remained indifferent, devoid of the obsequiousness of other officials.