Chapter 10: Angry and scheming at night

Zhu Xuanning was on edge from nightfall, fearing that Song Zhaohan would come, yet also fearing that Song Zhaohan wouldn't come.

The slight anxiety subsided when I heard a soft rustling at the window.

The maids on night watch were all knocked unconscious by Song Zhaohan's secret guards.

Song Zhaohan personally turned on the light in Zhu Xuanning's room, turned the lamp dial to dim the light, and looked at her in the dim light.

"Your cousin certainly hired a good doctor." Song Zhaohan touched Zhu Xuanning's forehead with the back of her hand and, finding that her temperature had dropped slightly, added a touch of sarcasm to her words.

Perhaps sensing someone's arrival, Zhu Xuanning's eyelashes began to tremble slightly.

Song Zhaohan didn't order the guards to blow incense into Zhu Xuanning's room, so when she saw signs that Zhu Xuanning was waking up, she pulled up a sandalwood stool, sat down, propped one hand up, and looked at her from the side.

Zhu Xuanning did not wake up; after her eyelashes fluttered, she calmed down again.

Song Zhaohan lowered her eyelashes, her fingertips twirling and playing with her hair.

The lamplight illuminated the beauty's face, making it flushed, even down to her eyelids, as if she had been crying.

Song Zhaohan was stunned. He inexplicably felt that the red marks on Zhu Xuanning's eyes were from crying because the medicine was bitter.

He thought about many things, and his hand lost its strength. It seemed that he had pulled Zhu Xuanning's hair. The person on the bed let out a soft moan, her long eyelashes trembled, and then she woke up.

"Awake?" Song Zhaohan propped her head up and smiled at her.

Zhu Xuanning stared blankly at him, then closed her eyes again.

Song Zhaohan's smile faded slightly, but when he heard Zhu Xuanning's murmur, his smile vanished completely.

"I must be dreaming."

"And it was a nightmare."

Zhu Xuanning turned around, murmuring to herself, revealing her slender shoulders, which trembled slightly.

The girl's avoidance and fear caused Song Zhaohan's displeasure to erupt suddenly.

He stood up, and the shadow cast by the lamplight fell on the girl, making her look fierce and oppressive.

Song Zhaohan clearly saw Zhu Xuanning flinch.

He sneered, bent down, pressed down on Zhu Xuanning's slender shoulders, and turned her back.

But what I saw was Zhu Xuanning biting her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.

Song Zhaohan's movements became lighter subconsciously, but his tone was still fierce. He controlled his strength, grabbed Zhu Xuanning's wrist, and pulled her and the blanket into his arms: "I haven't been able to eat all day. I was worried that you would be frightened, so I secretly brought you the palace's secret medicine. And you said I was having a nightmare?"

Zhu Xuanning bit her lip, trying to push him away, but he held her down.

The person in his arms looked up, their tearful eyes reflecting his angry face.

Seeing this, Song Zhaohan's anger inexplicably subsided. She lowered her head to kiss her as she had done before, but this time Zhu Xuanning turned her face away.

The young master's kiss landed on the side of her cheek.

The girl's expression of disgust and her resistance angered him.

Song Zhaohan simply let go of her, coldly watching Zhu Xuanning fall to the ground from his arms, showing no pity whatsoever.

The sudden pain made Zhu Xuanning clench her hands tightly. She could only lower her eyes to hide the fierce look in them.

"This is a secret medicine from the palace, of which only four pills exist in the world. Now we're even." Song Zhaohan suddenly took out a porcelain bottle, threw it at Zhu Xuanning, and left without looking back.

She possessed unparalleled beauty, but he also had principles. One or two instances of resistance were merely a matter of playfulness, but now that he could see how much she loathed him, he felt he had to debase himself to even entertain the thought of possessing her.

"You think I'm not a good person, but your cousin isn't any better."

“I always wear my heart on my sleeve. Even if I'm two-timing, I'll let the other person know I exist. Your cousin is flattering you while getting along really well with people from the Zhenguo Mansion.”

Song Zhaohan looked down at the girl who had fallen to the ground and was now trapped in the brocade quilt.

Her jet-black hair and snow-white skin somehow stirred up the desires hidden deep in people's hearts.

Song Zhaohan swallowed hard, looking at the increasingly pale and almost shattered glass doll, a faint sense of pity welled up in him, and this uncontrollable emotion made him irritable.

"That General Zhenguo is a first-rank general, commanding 300,000 troops. He's a figure who can make even the highest-ranking officials tremble at the slightest stomp of his foot. His pampered young lady is going to be your cousin's wife. What do you have? That fourth-rank scholar cousin who's beyond the fifth degree of kinship?"

"Ha, you're only good enough to be a concubine at best."

Concubines were divided into noble, good, and lowly; she couldn't even become a noble concubine.

Tears welled up in Zhu Xuanning's eyes, and her whole body trembled.

But Song Zhaohan said something even crueler: "No, given the General's doting nature, you probably won't even be able to be a concubine. Your cousin can only give you a house and keep you outside, making you a nameless mistress."

"Only after his first wife passes away and he observes mourning for several years will he dare to move you to the Mei residence."

Zhu Xuanning couldn't bear such cruel words. She kept shaking her head, tears streaming down her face: "Shut up, shut up."

She scolded him, but there was no fierceness in her eyes. Instead, she seemed even more delicate and pitiful.

Song Zhaohan lowered his eyes, the coldness in them lessening considerably, as he couldn't ignore the faint heartache welling up inside him.

He watched Zhu Xuanning cry, and for a long time he didn't say anything to upset her.

After a long while, Song Zhaohan finally humbled herself and squatted down: "Zhu Xuanning, why don't you give up your cousin and come with me? I won't make you a mistress with no status."

Zhu Xuanning raised her teary eyes and looked at Song Zhaohan.

Song Zhaohan's eyes were moved, and she moved closer to her. Just when Song Zhaohan thought the other party would agree, she was pushed away by the girl.

Fortunately, Zhu Xuanning was weak and had little strength because she was sick.

"I will not be a concubine." Zhu Xuanning's voice was nasal, her eyes were red, but her tone was unusually heavy.

"Even if I were to marry a poor man, I would never be a concubine."

"Please leave my boudoir, young master."

This was the first time Zhu Xuanning had confronted Song Zhaohan with a firm attitude and refuted him.

Song Zhaohan didn't see disgust in Zhu Xuanning's eyes, only despair and heartbreak. He suddenly smiled and began to move closer to Zhu Xuanning.

Zhu Xuanning was instinctively afraid, but she tried her best to maintain her morale and not back down.

Such persistence only made Song Zhaohan want to break her.

Fortunately, just as Zhu Xuanning was about to give up and escape, Song Zhaohan stopped.

He didn't force a kiss or restrain her again, but instead leaned close to Zhu Xuanning's ear and said the most hurtful words in a seemingly ambiguous tone: "But Zhu Xuanning, those poor people can't protect you."

With your looks, if you can't be protected by a powerful person, you'll become a plaything for many high-ranking people; and this high-ranking person doesn't need to be too high, just a little bit higher than your future poor husband.

"Rather than that, you'd better come with me. I love you so much, I can't bear to trade you for someone else."

Zhu Xuanning's body suddenly went limp, and Song Zhaohan supported her. He saw the light in the girl's eyes, which had been so firm, shatter, and crystal tears welled up.

Song Zhaohan was extremely satisfied, and even when she held him in her arms, he no longer resisted or moved.

Song Zhaohan loved Zhu Xuanning's obedient appearance. She wiped away her tears, and her voice softened with pleasure: "So, you're going to come with me?"

Zhu Xuanning just bit her lip and cried silently, without answering.

Song Zhaohan was patient, wiping away her tears while kissing her.

But as they kissed, his gaze darkened.

He longed to possess this pitiful little prey, but he also knew it would require patience.

It was easy to possess her body, but he preferred to provoke the person he loved, so that her body and soul bore his mark.

However, the girl no longer disliked him, and he shattered her pitiful hopes, so the day he could possess her was not far off.

"I won't force you, after all, you're my favorite, Aning." Even with these thoughts in mind, Song Zhaohan still restrained herself and kissed her, then carried her to the bed.

Song Zhaohan's gentle gaze darkened slightly, but her beautiful face showed an even greater smile.

He gently stroked the girl's pale back, desire swirling in his eyes, yet he coaxed her, saying, "It's alright, Aning, you don't need to rush to answer me. What Mei Si can give you, I can give you too; what he can't give you, I can still give you."

You can try spending time with me; you'll be happy. You'll gradually forget him and come to like me.

"I will wait for you until you like me." Song Zhaohan cupped her face, gazed at her intently, and then kissed her lips.

Song Zhaohan, mindful that Zhu Xuanning was still ill, restrained herself, only daring to kiss her lips and not daring to tease her.

When Song Zhaohan left satisfied, Zhu Xuanning got out of bed, soaked a piece of satin cloth, and vigorously wiped every place that Song Zhaohan had touched.

"Waiting for me all this time? You should be waiting for me all this time." Zhu Xuanning lowered her head, the light and shadow casting shadows on her stunning face, seemingly dividing her into two extremes: good and evil, the evil side of which looked as if it wanted to devour people.

"Song Zhaohan, you're not the only powerful person in the world." Zhu Xuanning suddenly laughed, and the satin cloth was thrown into the basin with a "smack." The splashed water clung to Zhu Xuanning's face, meandering down and dripping onto the ground, blooming into evil flowers.

The powerful and influential don't need to be higher than you; as long as their power is equal to yours, that's enough.

For five consecutive days, Zhu Xuanning was recuperating, but during this time Mei Jiashan seemed to be held back by something and did not even set foot in the Zhu residence, only sending people over to deliver things every day.

Zhu Baoyue waited for Mei Jiashan to come every day for Zhu Xuanning, but he never came. Seeing Zhu Xuanning often staring blankly out the door, Zhu Baoyue felt sorry for her.

She couldn't help but go to the academy to find Zhu Xiyue.

When Zhu Xuanning's health improved, Madam Zhu sent Zhu Xiyue back to the academy to study. Hearing that her sister was urgently looking for her, Zhu Xiyue asked her teacher for leave and left.

Zhu Xiyue stopped Zhu Baoyue from speaking, telling her not to mention this matter outside, lest it damage Zhu Xuanning's reputation.

Regarding Cousin Mei's feelings, his sister had already subtly mentioned them to him in private. Although he told his sister not to say anything more, his thoughts actually coincided with hers.

Zhu Xiyue remained silent for a while, recalling the rumors he had overheard about the "Zhenguo Mansion's prospective husband" when he secretly visited his elder sister at the temple.

"What are you thinking about?" Zhu Baoyue called him several times before pulling Zhu Xiyue out of her thoughts.

"It's nothing, sister." Zhu Xiyue smiled sweetly, then comforted Zhu Xiyue: "Maybe we're just overthinking it. Didn't the doctor say that you have a knot in your heart? Maybe you're just spacing out because of this knot in your heart, or maybe there are many other possibilities."

Who says a young woman's melancholy can only stem from romantic love? Those are just our speculations about my sister and him.

Instead of rushing to me for answers, why don't you spend some more time with your sister and try to comfort her?

Zhu Baoyue was persuaded. She really liked this cousin, but she hadn't dared to get close to Zhu Xuanning these past few days because of her awkwardness, and could only watch from afar.

Now that Zhu Xiyue had given her such advice, the little knot in Zhu Baoyue's heart was finally buried.

Zhu Baoyue's smile returned, and her radiant expression lifted Zhu Xiyue's spirits considerably.

"Brother, you really are my good brother! I knew that if I had any problems, I could just ask you for help!" Zhu Baoyue was overjoyed. In her happiness, she stuffed all the pocket money in her pocket into Zhu Xiyue's hands, and then took Yanzhu to the carriage.

Zhu Xiyue smiled helplessly. After Zhu Baoyue left, he gathered the silver in his hand and put it into his purse.

He went back to the academy and secretly asked his master for a day off, then left the academy with his page.

"Young master, where are we going?" the page asked.

The gentle expression that Zhu Xiyue had shown when facing her sister vanished, replaced by a cold and stern look: "Go and verify the truth of the rumors."

There was a classmate in the academy who didn't live in the dormitory. This classmate had a slight marriage connection with the Zhenguo Mansion, but he was a gossip and usually looked down on the sons of scholars and officials. Before the morning class this morning, Zhu Xiyue overheard him mentioning that the young masters of the Zhenguo Mansion had invited a wealthy merchant from Jiangnan to go on a spring outing at Jinghua Temple.

Zhu Xiyue found it strange that the generals, who were usually reluctant to leave the barracks, would invite wealthy merchants from Jiangnan to a temple to worship Buddha.

It wasn't until Zhu Baoyue came and said those words that Zhu Xiyue connected these events.

There were only two paths leading to Jinghua Temple. He didn't go into the temple, but instead had his page sit in the pavilion halfway up the mountain to watch people, while Zhu Xiyue herself hid at the entrance of the path.

When important officials travel, especially when the young lady from the Zhenguo Mansion travels, the area is always cleared out. And as Zhu Xiyue predicted, Jinghua Temple was indeed cleared out.

But that alone is not enough.

Zhu Xiyue waited quietly. He saw a small sedan chair with the national emblem hanging on it descend from the side road, with a group of servants clearing the way and protecting the emperor in front and behind.

Zhu Xiyue lowered his eyes, and only after the crowd had descended the mountain for a long time did he throw off the bushes piled on him and emerge from the pile.

His face was calm, but the anger in his heart was raging.

Zhu Xiyue returned to the place where the pageboy was, in the pavilion, where Mei Jiashan had been sitting and waiting for a long time.

The servants bowed, and Mei Jiashan stood up: "Cousin."

Zhu Xiyue didn't answer. She stepped forward, looked up at him, and slapped Mei Jiashan hard.

The sharp "snap" startled the servants on both sides.

A note from the author:

[Poor thing][Poor thing] Actually, I really like Bao Yue and Xi Yue.