Chapter 18 He pulled her directly into his arms.

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Ci'an hurriedly rebuked her, "Stop talking nonsense! What private matters? That's utterly absurd!"

His words were stern, but his voice changed tone, and his fair face turned bright red.

“I was just giving an example,” Jiang Zhi’s voice immediately softened, her eyelashes fluttering. “Teacher, please don’t be angry. I won’t say anything more.”

Shen Ci'an was at a loss when faced with Jiang Zhi, and could only sigh and say, "Miss, you should go back after you finish practicing your calligraphy today. You can have a maid come over in the future."

Jiang Zhi's eyes, which had been as bright as stars, suddenly dimmed.

She bit her lower lip and muttered sullenly, "The teacher clearly promised me, how could he go back on his word? I know I'm not likable, and Father wants to marry me off as soon as possible, but I don't like Yan Wenkang at all. I just want to practice my calligraphy to please Grandmother and Father. If Father is happy, maybe he won't disregard my wishes and force me to marry into the Zhongqin Earl's mansion. Is that not allowed?"

She became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, her voice trailing off, and she slumped into the shadows under the tree, looking like a little animal that had been abandoned.

"Since you are unwilling, I will not force you. I will pack my things and leave now."

Jiang Zhi wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes, walked to the desk under the eaves, and began to organize her manuscripts from the past few days.

He had just picked up a small stack when a pair of dry, slender hands pressed him down.

"Wait a minute."

Shen Ci'an frowned deeply.

Although I knew it was an arranged marriage, seeing the young lady's expression, I knew she disliked it. For some reason, knowing this made my own annoyance dissipate considerably.

As a man, he couldn't interfere in her marriage, but since the young lady sincerely wanted to practice calligraphy, he should at least grant her wish.

If one examines oneself and finds no guilt, what is there to fear or worry about?

How could he turn away the young lady just because he was afraid of what others thought?

"I was overthinking it. Miss is right. It would be ungentlemanly of me to promise you something and then break it halfway."

Shen Ci'an took the small stack of papers from Jiang Zhi and put them back. "Please leave them here, Miss."

"Really? The Master isn't sending me away anymore?" Jiang Zhi smiled brightly and turned around to confirm with him.

But just now, Shen Ci'an was in a hurry to stop her and stood behind her without keeping his distance. When Jiang Zhi turned around, she found that the two of them were only a fist's distance apart. In addition, his action of leaning over to put down the paper made it seem as if he was directly embracing her.

Faced with such a good opportunity, Jiang Zhi naturally pressed forward instead of backing down, grabbing his sleeves with both hands, her eyes shining like a pool of autumn water, "Master, you must keep your word!"

Shen Ci'an sensed something was amiss when Jiang Zhi turned around. He hadn't expected her to come closer. Her eager gaze was too intense to look directly at, and the faint fragrance emanating from her body was a powerful and unsettling presence.

A vein throbbed on his forehead, and he instinctively took a few steps back.

The corridor was already narrow, and his back quickly pressed against the pillar behind him, his originally calm and composed face showing a hint of panic.

He turned his face away, avoiding Jiang Zhi's expectant gaze, and simply nodded and said "Mm".

"That's wonderful, thank you, Master! I will definitely work harder in the future and strive not to embarrass you!"

Jiang Zhi beamed with joy and couldn't help but stretch out her arms and hug him.

Although the touch was brief, Jiang Zhi quickly let go, but it still left Shen Ci'an frozen in place, his body stiff as a stone. He remained dazed for several moments before sternly admonishing, "I have reminded Miss many times that there is a difference between men and women and one should be mindful of boundaries. You should not be so willful and impulsive. If other people in the manor see this, the rumors will be unkind to Miss."

Jiang Zhi was still savoring the feeling of Shen Ci'an's slender waist when she heard this, and obediently replied, "It was because I was too happy and overstepped my bounds. I will definitely pay attention next time."

But in reality, Zhizhixuan was located in a remote area, and no one else would come here except her. Even the maids and servants would avoid it because they thought it was unlucky and were afraid of being tainted by the poverty and shabby atmosphere of the place.

Shen Ci'an looked at her and saw that although she humbly admitted her mistake, there was little remorse on her face. He could only sigh helplessly and raised his hand to pinch his brow, feeling a headache coming on.

Having temporarily resolved her concerns, Jiang Zhi returned to her desk to continue practicing calligraphy.

However, although Shen Ci'an is old-fashioned and conservative, he seems to be a caring person.

If I can marry him in the future, we should be able to live in harmony and respect each other.

However, there was one thing she was never sure about.

Because of the cause of her death in her previous life, she is extremely resistant and fearful of having offspring.

He recalled the excruciating abdominal pain before his death, and how warm blood flowed down between his legs, quickly soaking the entire quilt and bed.

Alone, she slowly bled to death in pain and fear.

She doesn't want to experience that feeling again.

However, most men in the world cannot accept that they have no offspring, and it is unknown what Shen Ci'an thinks.

I will definitely try to gauge his attitude when I have the chance in the future.

She had thought it through. If Shen Ci'an insisted on having children, she would find him a willing concubine to bear him children and continue his lineage.

She will treat the children as her own, teach them carefully, and strive to be a good housewife.

＊

Half a month later, Xie Qi was finally summoned back to the capital.

With the old lady of the Marquis of Wuyi's birthday approaching and the war in the northern border temporarily quelled, Xie Qi returned to the capital with his personal guards to report on his duties.

On the day they entered the city, the main street was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, all eager to witness the distinguished bearing of General Xie, who had distinguished himself in battle.

Xie Qi rode high on his horse through the crowd, wearing black armor with gleaming plates, looking like a god descending to earth, his eyes sparkling with youthful spirit.

Many young women, disregarding their modesty, threw him sachets and handkerchiefs. Eventually, even women joined in, drawing laughter from the crowd. Xie Qi bowed to the people on both sides, a smile playing on his lips, and entered the palace to meet the emperor amidst cheers.

By the time they finally returned to the Marquis of Wuyi's residence, it was already past noon.

Although she had seen him just over a month ago, she was ill at the time and had come and gone in a hurry without telling anyone, so Lady Wuyi had not had a proper look at her son.

When her son came home this time, her originally pale face became much rosier, and it was clear that she was genuinely happy.

After Xie Qi washed up and paid his respects, Lady Wuyi pulled him aside and asked him a lot of questions about his time in the northern army camp. She also took a good look at the injuries he had sustained that night and was relieved to learn that there were no lasting effects.

Speaking of his injury, Xie Qi thought of Miss Jiang.

He came and went in a hurry at that time and didn't have time to properly learn about the situation of that Miss Jiang.

It is unknown whether the Embroidered Uniform Guard continued to harass her afterward, or what became of her marriage to Yan Wenkang.

Now that I'm back in Beijing, it's time to fulfill my promise to her.