Chapter 151 So-called joy is nothing more than this

Lian'er was the same; she lifted her skirt and was about to kneel down. If we were to say when the two of them started to have feelings for each other, it would probably be during the days when the madam was missing.

She was constantly worried and at a loss. If Chang Wu hadn't been there to comfort her, she didn't know what would have happened to her.

To her, the lady was more like a hand that suddenly reached in when she was stuck in the mud.

They not only helped her up, but also changed her into a brand new dress, allowing her to stand in the sunlight again.

Lian'er's eyes reddened: "Madam, I didn't mean to hide it from you, I just hadn't figured out how to tell you..."

Ji Shu shook her head. She didn't care about these things. After all, they had been mistress and servant. If she was doing well, it would be considered that she had finished what she started.

She sighed deeply: "If you two can continue to develop and expand this shop after you get married, then no matter where I go, Lian'er, you won't have learned this skill in vain."

Lian'er looked up abruptly. Always sensitive, she was startled by the words, "No matter where we go."

He hurriedly asked, "Madam, are you going on a long trip?"

Chunzhi said from the side, "There are no outsiders in the house now, Madam, you should tell Lian'er the truth so that she won't overthink things."

Ji Shu looked at Lian'er and Chang Wu with a gentle expression: "Chang Wu, you've been by my side for several years now. I've thought about it, and I don't think we need to name this shop 'Autumn's Intensity' anymore. I'll give it to you as a wedding gift."

"Lian'er already knows how to make the incense and perfume, so I feel at ease leaving it to you."

Lian'er asked, puzzled, "Madam, this...."

"I'm going to leave with Zhi'er."

"What?" Lian'er and Chang Wu exchanged a glance, both of them surprised.

Lian'er pressed on anxiously, "Madam, has something happened? The Marquis is treating you so well."

"Lian'er, I cannot go into the details of the matter. I have called you two here today for three reasons: first, to betroth you to Chang Wu; second, to give you the shop; and third, so that if he questions me after I leave, you will know how to respond."

Looking at the lady's stubborn profile, Lian'er gradually understood that once the lady made a decision, no one could persuade her in the slightest.

My nose suddenly stung with tears, and I didn't know where to begin with all the words I wanted to say.

But I always felt that something must have happened to cause this to happen.

In the afternoon, Ji Shu handed over all the trivial matters.

These things cannot be accomplished in a day; in fact, they can take anywhere from half a month to more than a month.

The thought of having to feign compliance with him for so long made her feel restless as she lay on the small couch, and she had been feeling depressed for the past few days.

I can't quite put my finger on the reason, but I'm just unusually prone to getting upset.

Chunzhi said that people are more prone to irritability now that autumn has arrived.

The storybook beside her lay on the table, and she stared blankly at the patterns on the screen. This was the scene when Pei Yanzhi came in.

When she first entered, there was no sound in the room, and even the two maids who had been by her side for a long time were nowhere to be seen.

He thought she had gone out, but he didn't expect her to be hiding inside taking a break.

Ji Shu had already heard the footsteps behind her. Her slender white fingers secretly pinched her palm. She had heard his footsteps the moment he came in.

She simply wasn't in the mood to deal with him right now.

Seeing that she ignored him, Pei Yanzhi shook his head with amusement, walked over and sat down next to her, took off his boots, and lay down next to her.

Ji Shu's body stiffened as the scorching breath brushed against her back, making it impossible for her to pretend to be asleep at this moment.

Pei Yanzhi saw her eyelashes tremble slightly, chuckled twice, pulled her into his arms, and asked in a low voice, "Have you not gone out these past few days?"

He knew her shop was about to open and she should be busy.

Ji Shu moved his hand away, and Pei Yanzhi merely raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. She said, "It's kind of you, Marquis, to still remember my past."

Hearing the sarcastic tone in her words, Pei Yanzhi turned her around and looked down at her.

"You should have heard these past few days that Emperor Xie has passed away, and Empress Dowager Song intends to hinder Yanzhou, which is why she has not returned to her residence these days."

He changed the subject, his voice lower: "But I've made good use of the food and bedding you sent over. You have no idea how envious the generals in the camp are of me."

Seeing that she was still frowning, he paused for a moment, just as he was about to kiss her.

Ji Shu pushed him away and asked, "Is the Marquis going to war?"

Pei Yanzhi sighed, smelling the fragrance on her body, and said, "Yes, I may have to break my promise."

Ji Shu propped herself up and looked at him, her heart sinking. She stared intently at him: "My lord, what is the meaning of this?"

Pei Yanzhi simply sat up, turned her body around, and said firmly and solemnly, "I regret the one-year deadline I mentioned before, Shu'er!"

"With war imminent, I don't know when I'll be able to return, whether it's a year or three years. I don't want you to be away from me."

She is resilient and cannot be confined by ordinary mansions. Now that we have finally been able to glimpse her feelings for me, it is the perfect time to speak up.

If Ji Shu hadn't overheard his words outside the study, she might have wavered a bit. After all, the world is in chaos, and you never know when you might lose your life.

But now, as she smiled mockingly, a chill ran through her heart. He would never know how terrifying those words she overheard outside the door were.

At this moment, his humble words and soft talk were merely a means to keep her by his side, in case she lost her life on the battlefield one day.

He would certainly not leave her in this world; she would likely lose her life before he even dies, just like Gu Shi.

She really had a brilliant plan. As for Pei Xingjian, without her, he could more firmly sit in that position. He had even calculated this step.

Her cunning is so profound that no one can help but admire her. But is her fate not a matter of fate?

Ji Shu buried her face in his chest, trying not to let him see her expression, and gently touched the jade thumb ring on his hand.

He said in a low voice, "You've always been like this. No matter what I told you back then, I took it seriously, but you could go back on your word. What kind of promise was the Marquis of Yan? It was nothing but a lie."

"Now it's even more so. If you want me to come to Yanzhou, I have to come. If you want me to live in your mansion, I have to live there. Then you want me to leave the mansion and marry you... One thing after another, you can do whatever you want."

She couldn't help but look up at him: "My thoughts really don't matter to you at all, do they?"

Pei Yanzhi raised his hand and gently stroked her hair, following the hair to her ear, stopping at her eyebrows and eyes, and then stepped forward to kiss her.

He then said, "How could I not care about your thoughts? If I didn't care, why would I have led you into my world step by step? It's just that I know you are no ordinary woman."

“Sometimes… I did use some extreme methods, but Shu’er, you have to believe me, it’s because I genuinely like you that I did those things.”