Chapter 41 Chapter 41 What if she got married? Just break up.

What would happen if she and Shen Jingzhan really performed the Zhougong Ceremony?

After Zhu Yinluan lay down, she couldn't help thinking about this matter for a long time.

No matter how much she thought about it, she still couldn't come to a conclusion, because she realized that this matter was completely beyond her control.

I turned my head and saw no light through the curtains, nor did I hear any footsteps. He should still be in the study, right?

Although Shen Jingzhan had a day off, he still seemed quite busy.

She lay there for a long time, but he still didn't come over.

If she could fall asleep before he came over, she probably wouldn't have to act today, right?

Thinking of this, Zhu Yinluan quickly closed her eyes, forcing herself to fall asleep and meet Zhou Gong.

In the study, Shen Jingzhan had just finished dealing with the imperial edicts that had piled up in the Secretariat during the past few days. The attendant next to him reported to him that Wei Ruzhuo had begun to secretly send people to investigate the previous events.

"Oh?" Shen Jingzhan paused while flipping through the imperial edicts and policy papers.

"Where did you find it?" he asked.

"Because our people are keeping an eye on him, he hasn't found anything yet." As soon as the people stationed at the Wei family noticed Wei Ruzhuo's actions, they immediately came over to report.

"What do you think...how about..." the subordinate suggested tentatively.

Shen Jingzhan curled his lips, "Since he wants to know so much, let him check it out. It's best to find out everything clearly."

“You mean…” The subordinate heard the implication in Shen Jingzhan’s words, but still wanted to confirm it again.

Shen Jingzhan didn't say anything else, but just looked up and said, "..."

The subordinate immediately understood and nodded in agreement.

Before leaving, he asked again, "What about the Zhu family..."

"The same." Shen Jingzhan said calmly.

Zhu Yinluan could hardly tell whether this was a dream or reality.

The man held her tightly, grabbing her waist.

The dense kisses were like a spring rain, falling all over her body.

The spring rain was drizzling and soon soaked her clothes. The clothes stuck to her body, making her feel hot and uncomfortable, so she couldn't help twisting her body.

No matter how she moved, she couldn't break free from the man's shackles. He was high above her, not only was his body broad, but he also possessed infinite strength. She had no way of breaking free by herself.

Tears were already rolling down the corners of her eyes, but he leaned over and kissed away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and tossed and turned at the corners of her eyes for a long time.

He seemed to be talking to her, but she couldn't hear clearly what he said.

All I know is that he exudes danger from head to toe.

The man's actions seemed to be as if he wanted to tear her apart and eat her.

And he is doing just that.

“…”

The dream changed.

Zhu Yinluan felt an extremely terrifying torrent rushing straight into the depths of Chunshan Mountain.

Under the impact of the torrent, the entire Chunshan Mountain was shaking terribly and was on the verge of collapse.

Tears and sweat beads rolled down the spring mountain like rocks, making a mess on the ground.

She cried and screamed in the midst of the earthquake. She wanted to stop, to save this uncontrollable, horrific thing that was happening.

But her strength was too limited to contend with the huge force, and she completely collapsed and crashed to pieces.

There was a loud thunder.

The spring mountains were shattered and turned into mud everywhere.

Zhu Yinluan also opened her eyes instantly, and at the same time, she saw clearly the appearance of the man on her body.

Shen Jingzhan!

She suddenly pushed the other person away, sat up in shock, and gasped.

The man who was pushed away stared at her thin back, which was slightly up and down due to her constant breathing and was covered by her black hair, as if thinking about something.

"Did Luan'er have a nightmare?" he asked after a long time, patting her back gently with his big hand.

Zhu Yinluan didn't respond to him for the time being.

That loud thunder was real, because not long after the thunder, as she gradually calmed down, she heard the sound of rain.

It's raining.

So the man in her dream was the face she saw clearly?

Is it Shen Jingzhan?

"I'll have someone make a bowl of calming soup for Luan'er." The man's tone was as gentle as water.

The palm that patted her back was so gentle, how could it be the irresistible, fierce and dangerous man in her dream?

It's not his, it's just a dream.

As for why she had such a dream, perhaps it was because she was thinking about her old mother who came to eavesdrop before going to bed, and was also worried about her intimacy with Shen Jingzhan, so she became like this.

Just when I was about to say that I didn’t need to make the calming soup, I didn’t expect Shen Jingzhan to have already given the order.

He even wrung out a handkerchief himself. Just as Zhu Yinluan was about to take it over to wipe it, the warm handkerchief had already fallen on her little face.

Her face, which was covered with cold sweat due to the nightmare, instantly tensed and relaxed the moment it touched the handkerchief.

The man moved gently, wiping the warm towel all over her face and also helping to wipe her neck.

After a while, the man got up and changed his handkerchief.

He wanted to help her wipe her hands and feet, but Zhu Yinluan quickly said she would do it herself.

When she opened her mouth, she found that her voice was a little hoarse.

"Luan'er, there's no need to be so distant with me. Since you're not feeling well, I should take care of you. If I ever feel unwell in the future, I'll have to trouble Luan'er."

He did not hand her the handkerchief. Instead, he gently pulled her wrist and wiped her delicate fingers, including the palms, backs of her hands, fingertips and spaces between her fingers.

Then she wrung the handkerchief again, and Zhu Yinluan tried to stop her again but still failed.

The moment the man's big hand lifted the quilt and grasped her ankle, her body trembled, and a strange sense of familiarity came to her. An inexplicable picture emerged in her mind. It was a man who was just like Shen Jingzhan at this moment, holding her ankle and dragging her backwards.

The feeling when the two of them were close was the same, yet also a little different.

The man's palm in his mind was hot and powerful, but at this moment, Shen Jingzhan's palm was warm and his strength was gentle.

He didn't restrain her, he just fixed her.

Zhu Yinluan felt that she was really haunted. How could such a strange scene appear in her mind?

She looked at Shen Jingzhan's handsome face and eyes. He was wiping her feet with his eyelashes drooping.

His long eyelashes were retracted, revealing a gentle and harmless look. He was a modest gentleman, not the person in her picture.

Zhu Yinluan sighed, she was really having a nightmare.

She was so distracted that she didn't notice how patiently the man was wiping her feet gently.

The girl's feet were soft and white, with small and round toes. She curled up from time to time, and the edges of her feet were lightly pink.

The man's eyes, hidden under his long eyelashes, were deep and dark, "..."

She was on the edge of the tiger's mouth and was trapped in the forbidden area by the tiger, but she was confused by his disguise and had not noticed it until now.

"alright."

When she raised her eyes, the darkness in the man's eyes disappeared completely, and Zhu Yinluan had no idea about it.

She retracted her foot, looked at the man, bit her lip slightly, and said, "Thank you, husband."

"Luan'er, you don't have to be polite." When he stood up, a faint fragrance wafted from his body, mixed with the cold wind, and blew under her nose.

Zhu Yinluan also felt that the fragrance was familiar, but she couldn't tell what it was.

I tried to smell it again, but it was gone.

Maybe it wasn't the smell on Shen Jingzhan's body, but the fragrance of the flowers and plants nearby.

She remembered that there were many of them placed on the corridor and under the windowsills outside the house. At this moment, the wind and rain were blowing, and the window sills were not closed tightly, so the fire naturally floated over.

After all, the Shen family had many potted plants that she didn't recognize. She guessed that it was very likely that she had smelled them when she followed Pang Shi to attend a banquet at Gaomen before, and that left an impression on her, so she felt familiar with them now.

Shen Jingzhan turned back and lay down again.

Zhu Yinluan couldn't sleep at this moment, and the man beside her didn't seem to sleep either.

There was silence between the two.

With the intimacy of yesterday, and what he had just done for her, Zhu Yinluan was not as nervous as yesterday.

She thought of the old mother who came to eavesdrop. Now that the wind and rain were sweeping in, she should have gone away, right?

But it was not easy to ask directly, so after thinking about it, she changed the subject and asked Shen Jingzhan when he finished his work.

The man seemed to recall something, and he said, "Ugly hour."

"When I came, Luan'er had already gone to bed."

"Then..." She hesitated and was about to speak.

"Luan'er wants to ask if the person who was eavesdropping at the door has left?" He accurately guessed her inner thoughts.

He did this every time, and after a few times, Zhu Yinluan started to get used to it.

"Yeah." She nodded, suppressing the unnaturalness in her heart.

"I'm leaving," the man said, "but I'm afraid I'll come back tomorrow."

Zhu Yinluan was silent, "..."

She couldn't help but ask, "When will these people leave?"

He pondered, "I'm afraid it will take some time."

"But we can move out early."

Zhu Yinluan hurriedly said that it was inappropriate.

"Luan'er doesn't want to move away?"

Why did she feel that Shen Jingzhan was teasing her by asking knowingly?

How could a newlywed bride move out without even returning to her parents' home right after getting married?

He had insight into people's hearts and knew everything, so how could he not know why something was wrong with her words?

But it was hard to tell from Shen Jingzhan's tone whether he was teasing her or not.

Zhu Yinluan could only swallow her doubts.

She didn't answer for a long time, but he turned and looked over.

Her sight fell on Zhu Yinluan's face. She subconsciously raised her eyes and unexpectedly met the man's gaze accurately in the darkness.

Zhu Yinluan was inexplicably startled.

His eyes were so dark that when he looked at her, she felt like she was being stared at by a hunter, "..."

She subconsciously avoided it, "No... No, but not now."

"If we move out now, I'm afraid my mother-in-law and grandmother will be angry, and people outside will also criticize us." Zhu Yinluan stated.

And judging from Mrs. Shen's attitude today, she doesn't want the two of them to leave.

"If Luan'er really doesn't want to stay in the Shen family, I will take you away after I return home."

After hearing this, Zhu Yinluan always felt that Shen Jingzhan was too partial to her.

Clearly, she was asked to come and help to prevaricate at home and deal with the elders, but if Shen Jingzhan really wanted to be so "partial" to her feelings and accommodate her in everything, I'm afraid there would be no peace in the Shen family.

"No." She shook her head.

"Let's just wait and see. We can't leave right now." So far, nothing seems difficult to handle.

"good."

The man once again used the strategy of retreating to advance and achieved his goal with a relaxed look on his face.

"I'm going to sleep today. Will the person who came here to listen pass on the message..."

Wait, before she finished her words, she suddenly realized something.

Shen Jingzhan said that he came back at Chou time.

Are there really so many official duties to be busy with?

He just got married yesterday. Even if he is in a high position and has a lot of official business to deal with every day, he shouldn't be so busy until the early hours of the next day, right?

Did he also realize the difficulty of acting, so he made up an excuse to delay coming back until the early hours of the morning?

It was late when she came back from the study. After the mothers who came to eavesdrop had left, it would not be her fault as a new bride if she went back to tell Mrs. Shen and Old Lady Shen about it.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yinluan felt complicated.

"Luan'er hasn't finished speaking yet, what are you thinking about?"

"I..." She paused and said truthfully, "I put you in a difficult position."

"Why do you say that?"

"You stayed until Chou time just to avoid playing tricks on me?" She didn't beat around the bush.

"That's not the case." Shen Jingzhan denied, "The Secretariat has a lot of things to deal with, and everything has to wait for my review before it can be presented to the emperor. After a day or two, the pile will become a small mountain."

Even though the man had explained that it was not the case, she still felt that it was what she thought.

Shen Jingzhan didn't say it, and she didn't reject his "good intentions".

Is he afraid that she will feel guilty?

The rain outside was getting heavier. Before returning to the courtyard, the weather was fine and there was not much wind. But there was thunder and heavy rain at night.

Zhu Yinluan had just taken a nap, and the two of them were silent for a long time, but she still didn't feel sleepy.

She didn't know why, but when she heard Yu's words, she asked why Shen Jingzhan didn't marry the girl he liked?

"The Shen family is a wealthy family, and the prince is handsome. Are you still afraid that your proposal will fail?"

Could it be that the girl doesn't like him?

But even if they don't like her, if the Marquis and his wife of the Shen family come to ask for marriage, the other party will certainly agree based on the power of the Shen family and Shen Jingzhan's character, right?

So, what is the reason?

Shen Jingzhan was silent for a long time, and Zhu Yinluan added that if it was inconvenient for him, he didn't have to say it.

The man chuckled, "It's not inconvenient at all. If Luan'er wants to know, I can tell you."

Zhu Yinluan waited for his next words.

She kept thinking that maybe the woman had passed away, or maybe the two families had a blood feud and it was inconvenient for them to get married...

Unexpectedly, Shen Jingzhan said, "I came a step late, and she is already married."

"What?" She's already married?

"That year... the court was in trouble both internally and externally. In order to stabilize the government, I asked for permission to lead the army to fight. When I came back, her family had already promised her a marriage."

Zhu Chentan wanted to marry Luo Xuan in order to climb up the social ladder, but she was afraid that her reputation would be bad outside. Madam Zhu loved her daughter so much that she arranged the marriage between the Wei and Zhu families first. Before the wedding invitations were even sent out, who knew that the person she was marrying would be her?

Thinking of this, the man's eyes suddenly became dark.

Zhu Yinluan didn't associate it with herself at all. Knowing the truth, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Shen Jingzhan. Then she thought of what he said about the internal and external troubles in the court, and asked him if it was the year when the Censorate was investigated?

"Yes." Shen Jingzhan responded to her.

That year he went to the Western Regions in search of medicine, and rushed back on the eve of the exam to take part in it.

Although she won the top spot in the imperial examination and was given a good official position, the Zhu family was of low status and she was a concubine's daughter.

He knew very well that if he wanted to overcome all objections and resist the elders in his family from obstructing his decision to marry her, he must hold great power in his hands, making people afraid to speak, and leading the troops to fight was the fastest way.

But who would have thought that after he finished dealing with the wars between the Northern Di and the Turks, he rushed back to Beijing and found out that she was already married.

As he wished, he was promoted to the position of Zhongshu, Yushitai, and his father, mother, and even grandmother did not dare to interfere in his marriage.

Unfortunately, fate plays tricks on us.

But it doesn't matter, what if she's married? Just break up and snatch her away.

That being said, we can't rob her by force, we have to rob her secretly to avoid scaring her.

"What a pity." Zhu Yinluan sighed.

Shen Jingzhan wanted to say it was not a pity, but after going around in circles, she was still lying beside him.

But he couldn't say it.

Zhu Yinluan didn't know what to say to comfort Shen Jingzhan. She was really not good at comforting people about matters between men and women. She wanted to persuade him to think more positively, but it seemed... inappropriate, so she simply didn't say anything.

I really don’t know which family this noble lady is from?

Naturally, it was not a good idea to ask Shen Jingzhan. Zhu Yinluan was calculating in her mind which families got married in the year when the court settled the "Imperial Palace Case".

After thinking about it, my mind went blank for a moment and I couldn't find the answer.

Because she lived a secluded life and seldom paid attention to matters of marriage, more importantly, her stepmother did not allow her to leave the house and rarely meet outsiders. In addition, she had caught Qiu Han and had a serious illness before, so she could not remember many things.

Just when Zhu Yinluan gave up trying to find out, she suddenly realized that she seemed to have gotten married in that year...

Her thoughts paused.

Yes, it was on the eve of that year that the eldest sister met Luo Xuan. Luo Xuan fell in love with her and pursued her relentlessly. The Wei family’s marriage fell on her, and she got married without thinking twice.

No matter what she thought, Zhu Yinluan didn't think that the person Shen Jingzhan liked was her.

Because she and Shen Jingzhan had never met and didn't know each other, how could she be the one he liked?

Besides, my eldest sister also got married in that year.

If I ask Mingya and Jiaohui tomorrow, I will definitely know which noble lady there is. But it would not be nice to ask them, so I just forget it.

She gradually put the matter behind her mind, not thinking about it anymore, listening to the sound of rain as she fell asleep.

There is a good thing about the rain today. At least we don't have to put on a show.

Unexpectedly, Shen Jingzhan would ask her, "Can I ask what nightmare Luan'er had just now?"

Zhu Yinluan’s thoughts about falling asleep were pulled back.

She was silent for a moment. How could she describe that dream that was so beautiful that it made her collapse and lose control?

She couldn't speak to Mingya and Jiaohui, let alone to Chen Jingzhan?

She was still deliberating, wondering whether to say something nonsense, but Shen Jingzhan told her that she could keep silent if she was embarrassed.

Zhu Yinluan thought for a moment and said, "It's not that it's hard to talk about, it's just that the dream was too mysterious, I don't know how to explain it to you."

"Hmm?" The man asked in confusion, seeming to be interested.

"I dreamed that a white tiger was chasing and biting me. I fled madly, but still fell into his hands. He bit me all over, so I woke up in fright." "I see." Shen Jingzhan heard her concealment, but did not expose it.

"I'll have someone make you some soothing soup tomorrow and see if you can try it?"

"It's okay, it's just a dream." Zhu Yinluan smiled.

"It's getting late, Luan'er, you should go to bed early." He tucked the quilt around her and, without telling her, he added some calming incense to the incense burner while twisting the handkerchief.

Zhu Yinluan hummed softly and fell asleep soon after.

Little did she know that the man beside her was awake the whole time.

“…”

The next day, Shen Jingzhan also accompanied Zhu Yinluan to visit the Shen family's yard.

The Shen's house was so huge that he took her to visit it slowly and carefully, and they still hadn't finished the visit after a whole day.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all eaten in the main hall with everyone in the long house, which was no different from yesterday.

But Zhu Yinluan has been very sharp-minded since she was young, especially when she is with her elders, she is always more attentive.

Therefore, she felt Mrs. Shen's frequent glances at her, as if she had something to say but couldn't find a way out, because Shen Jingzhan was always there and Mrs. Shen wanted to avoid him.

Although Zhu Yinluan was vaguely aware of it, he did not dare to act rashly.

She only guessed in her heart what Mrs. Shen wanted to talk to her about alone?

After thinking about it, I only thought of one possibility. Maybe it has something to do with what Shen Jingzhan said on the first day about moving out?

or……

Her hands paused as she was dressing in the mirror. Could it be that someone from the Zhu or Wei family came to visit?

These days she almost forgot about the affairs of the Zhu and Wei families.

Ever since those rogues were driven away, she moved away and disappeared, and she has never seen anyone from the Zhu family since. With Shen Jingzhan's help, a shop that had been closed before was reopened.

Later, at the Shi family, she had to sort out the dowry lists given to her by the two families. There were too many items and she could not take care of them at all. In addition, she was nervous about preparing for the wedding, and the people from the Shi family accompanied her all day long. Gradually, she put this matter out of her mind.

The Shen family is getting married.

Logically speaking, the Zhu family would most likely not receive the wedding invitation, but it was not certain about Wei Ruzhuo, after all, he had been promoted to an important position in the Ministry of Rites.

If he had come that day, he would definitely bring his eldest sister with him.

What would happen if Wei Ruzhuo and his elder sister saw that she married into a wealthy family?

He definitely doesn't sincerely wish her well, he is really furious.

If the Zhu family really knew about this, they would definitely come to the Shen family, considering the stepmother's unwillingness to do anything without profit...

So she came? Did she find Mrs. Shen? If her hunch was right, what would Mrs. Shen say to her?

Zhu Yinluan was thinking in a mess in her heart.

But she didn't realize that Shen Jingzhan had been standing behind her and watching her for a while.

Mingya, Jiaohui and the maids retreated tactfully.

When she came to her senses and met the man's eyes in the bronze mirror, she realized that she was so engrossed in her thoughts that she completely forgot that it was already time to rest.

“…”

The fire burned more fiercely today than the day before.

Zhu Yinluan put her arms around his neck, not knowing how she could become... aroused so quickly.

Is it because Shen Jingzhan leaned over to her ear and made a sound, and his breathing sounded particularly nice?

He was the Minister of the Central Secretariat, one of the three ministries, and was someone she could not reach.

But now he held her waist and kissed her cheek and ears.

His hands were placed somewhere again, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, stirring up the situation.

Is he also moved?

Otherwise his breathing should be steady, but at this moment it was fluctuating, and she could hear it all.

Shen Jingzhan's voice was pleasant to the ear, and now it was tinged with lust, making people's hearts tremble.

He kissed her again, loosened his hands, and paused between the kisses with his thin lips, as if looking for a while.

Zhu Yinluan didn't know what he was thinking at that moment, she only knew that Shen Jingzhan seemed to... like the spot above her heart very much.

He lingered for a while, kissing her big and small... the sound made people blush and their hearts beat fast.

She was almost kissed by him.

The sound came out intermittently, and I felt like crying, but not because of the pain, but because of the uncontrollable comfort, and my toes couldn't help but curl up.

Is it an illusion?

Compared to yesterday, he seemed to be a little better at kissing.

He has made progress.

As the man's kiss deepened, Zhu Yinluan couldn't help but sob softly.

He kissed her over and over above her heart, but before they even got intimate, she couldn't help crying.

Tears wet her eyelashes, and she subconsciously held the man's arms tightly.

He noticed her curling up in self-protection.

He stopped, looked up, and asked her softly in a hoarse voice, "Are you scared or in pain?"

But it’s none of them, how should I reply to him?