Chapter 177 Is this a proper calligraphy practice?

No, it's still daylight outside!

Jiang Zhi was startled. "Master, I just came back from outside. Um... let me go wash up first... haha, I'll wash up when it gets dark..."

Her voice was broken and intermittent.

Shen Ci'an remained silent, skillfully untying her belt and smoothing out the already tattered hem.

She exuded an unpleasant aura, the aura of another man.

He just wanted to cover up all those auras.

Jiang Zhi was pressed down on the couch, covered in sticky, hot sweat, her face flushed beyond recognition.

She lay blankly in Shen Ci'an's arms, her eyes vacant afterward.

"How could this be... This is too much..." she complained breathlessly.

Shen Ci'an gently wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes, his nose brushing against hers to help soothe the lingering afterglow.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault," Shen Ci'an's expression softened. Looking at her now, who was aroused because of him, his coldness vanished without a trace, and he was satisfied. "Now you can go take a shower."

Jiang Zhi thought Shen Ci'an had finally let her go, but she didn't expect that under the pretense of helping her bathe, he would press her against the tub and have sex with her again.

Jiang Zhi had a sore back and aching waist; she felt like her whole body was about to fall apart.

Her hair was disheveled and her clothes were tangled, and she was soaking wet and looked utterly wretched. In contrast, Shen Ci'an was dressed neatly, and apart from his soaked sleeves and heavy breathing, he looked no different from usual.

Jiang Zhi finally understood that Shen Ci'an, who appeared aloof and elegant like a jade tree, was actually quite jealous and prone to nitpicking.

However, seeing her being manipulated like this while wearing Lu Yuan's cloak, I must never let the two of them face off again in the future.

Otherwise, you'll only suffer!

These past two days, Shen Ci'an has not had to attend court, and he is also injured on his back. Apart from accompanying Jiang Zhi back to her parents' home once, he has been staying at home.

The newlyweds were exhausted, leaving Jiang Zhi constantly complaining.

“Master, I haven’t practiced calligraphy in a long time,” she said, pressing down on Shen Ci’an’s restless hand. “Why don’t you practice with me for a while?”

That way he won't just spend all day fussing over himself.

Shen Ci'an slowly picked up a handkerchief and wiped away the water droplets that had trickled from her fingertips. "Alright, what would you like to write, Miss?"

"Buddhist scriptures." A tranquil mind and peaceful spirit are most suitable for Chen Ci'an.

Shen Ci naturally did not refuse. He carried her to the desk, held her in his arms, and guided her to write stroke by stroke.

Jiang Zhi protested slightly, "I can do it myself."

“Your hands aren’t strong enough,” Shen Ci’an’s soft voice came from behind his ear. “Let me guide you to feel it first.”

"Pick it lightly, twist it slowly, tighten it up and loosen it down. The fingers and wrists are like fish wagging their tails, and the hooks are like swallows plundering the spring water."

"Did you feel it?"

Jiang Zhi always felt that there was something hidden in his words.

Is this calligraphy practice... a serious form of calligraphy practice?

She silently recited the Buddhist scriptures several times before she could suppress the heat in her mind and her heart gradually calmed down.

After guiding her through the writing process once, Shen Ci'an let go of her hand, allowing her to practice on her own. He then got up, took a book from the bookshelf, and sat down beside her to read.

Jiang Zhi had been writing for most of the hour when, as she relaxed her wrist and looked up, she saw Shen Ci'an's handsome and refined profile.

His skin was very fair, his nose was straight like a towering green mountain, and his raven-feather-like eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes. He sat upright as if he were a figure from a painting.

The hand holding the book was slender and long, with distinct joints, like a green bamboo.

Just now, I realized that this hand was still there...

Her face suddenly flushed, and she lowered her head, unable to look any further.

These leisurely days lasted only a couple of days before the Imperial Guards came knocking, bringing Lu Yuan's message.

The thugs who bullied Granny Sun and Xianglian in Beilifang back then were indeed acting on someone else's orders.

And there's also news about the half-piece of Jianzhan porcelain that was found under the bed board.

"It concerns a confidential case. My eldest son said he wants Madam Shen to go to the imperial prison for a detailed discussion," Yu Jun, who came to deliver the message, said respectfully.

Jiang Zhi glanced at Shen Ci'an involuntarily, "Master, may I go?"

Shen Ci'an was naturally unwilling.

Anyone with eyes can see that Lu Yuan has ulterior motives towards the young lady.

But this was something the young lady agreed to with Lu Yuan in order to go south to find him. If he were to object, where would that leave the young lady?

He didn't want the young lady to bear the stigma of being untrustworthy.

So he smiled at her and said, "It's alright, I'll pick you up when it's over."

"Thank you, Master. I'll be leaving now." Jiang Zhi followed Yu Jun and prepared to depart.

Shen Ci'an called her back again, "It's been chilly these past few days, put on my cloak before you go."

He then went to fetch a dark blue fox fur cloak, wrapping her tightly inside, filling her with Shen Ci'an's aura while shutting out the coldness of others.

Yu Jun couldn't help but say, "Lord Shen, the lady is riding in a carriage specially made of ironwood by my eldest son. There is not a bit of cold wind blowing on her, so this cloak is really unnecessary."

Don't think he doesn't know; this Lord Shen just wants to show off his status in front of his boss.

She's acting like a courtesan, but with the mannerisms of a brothel owner!

Shen Ci'an gave him a cold look, showing little kindness to the fearsome deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the capital. "Lord Yu has never been married, so naturally he cannot understand the feeling of having someone to care about."

He tied the tie around Jiang Zhi's neckline. "Go on, I'll tell the kitchen to make your favorite cherry pork for dinner tonight."

"Mmm." Jiang Zhi smiled at him.

When they arrived at the imperial prison, Lu Yuan was already in Xiang Lian's cell.

It was probably after Lu Yuan told her the truth about how the local thugs had been instructed to bully her and her grandmother back then. Xianglian was filled with disbelief and kept muttering, "I don't believe it. You're all lying to me. I won't believe your lies!"

Lu Yuan, dressed in a flying fish robe and carrying a large sword, sat on a grand chair with his long legs crossed, idly playing with the tassel of his embroidered spring knife. "Since those thugs all have ulterior motives, have you ever considered that your grandmother didn't die of illness, but was murdered?"

Xianglian was stunned for a moment, then became agitated, "Impossible, impossible!"

“Since you don’t believe me, then I will take pity on you and investigate,” Lu Yuan said, his eyes narrowing. “Or is it that you actually had doubts in your heart, but you were blinded by love and chose to ignore the truth right in front of you rather than let your grandmother die in vain?”

His words were absolutely devastating.

As expected, Xianglian could not take it anymore and screamed in agony, clutching her head.

Jiang Zhi entered the cell and said softly, "Lord Lu, there's no need for you to go to such trouble."

Lu Yuan turned to look at her, noticing the dark cloak she was wearing, which belonged to a man, and his gaze turned slightly cold.

These are Shen Ci'an's clothes.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Jiang Zhi took off her cloak and handed it to the jailer beside her, then walked towards Xiang Lian with a smile, "Didn't Lord Lu find poison on her?"

"Since we haven't been able to find out the origin of this poison, why don't we just poison the Prince of Xiang directly? If he has the antidote, it will directly prove that he is related to this case; if he doesn't have the antidote, he will definitely go to find the person who made the poison—we just need to wait and see."