Chapter 78 (Bonus Chapter for Nutrient Solution) He held her...

Liang Ye was reclining on the daybed, propping his forehead with one hand, engrossed in reading a letter. Hearing a knock at the door, he lazily answered, recognizing Shan He's voice. He was about to put the letter away, but stopped abruptly, unfolded it, and casually placed it on the painted, curved-legged kang table. By then, Shan He was already sitting opposite him.

The letter was clearly signed: Baron of Huguo County, Rank Six Zhaowu Colonel, Commander of the Vanguard Battalion of the Beichuan Army.

But there was no specific name.

Shanhe glanced at them indifferently, then ordered Qingyue and Miao'er to arrange all the gift boxes on the octagonal table beside him before saying, "These are all gifts from the ladies. I dare not make decisions on my own. Please take a look, sir."

After Qingyue and Miao'er curtsied and took their leave, closing the door behind them, Liang Ye extended his hand to her: "Shanshan, come here."

Shanhe had no choice but to go over and sit down with her back to him. Liang Ye also leaned back against her, resting his forehead on his hand and casually placing his free hand on Shanhe's waist. He looked up and smiled, "The gift I gave you is yours to keep. You don't need to tell me. If they ask for something, you can tell me then."

"Isn't this bribery?"

Liang Ye laughed even harder: "The gifts exchanged between wives are all trivial matters, nothing to worry about. Those who work in officialdom know what can be given and what cannot." He paused, "However, land deeds, cash, and the like must never be accepted."

“I know that.” Shanhe turned her gaze, looking beyond the openwork balustrade, at Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Yang drinking together from a large goblet on the viewing platform. Shanhe sighed softly, “It’s time for ‘The Shocking Change’ again…”

"Don't you like 'The Shocking Change'?" Liang Ye propped himself up, rested his chin on Shan He's shoulder, and tilted his head slightly so that the tip of his nose brushed against Shan He's cheek.

Shanhe gazed at the beautiful couple on the platform, dodged his touch, and said calmly with a furrowed brow, "I don't like it. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang is so old, what's so pleasing about him forcing his daughter to marry?"

Liang Ye watched as her two pink lips parted and opened, revealing glimpses of her pearly teeth, and he was captivated, longing to kiss her freely. As for Shan He's words, they were naturally ignored. Only after Shan He stopped speaking and slightly pursed her lips did Liang Ye suddenly come to his senses, smiling as he asked, "Hmm? What did Shan Shan just say?"

Shanhe was a little annoyed. She pushed him aside and frowned, "You won't listen to me. I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Liang Ye quickly braced himself with his elbow, now placing some distance between himself and Shan He. He saw her fair, oval face, her eyebrows naturally dark, her lips naturally red, truly a graceful and lovely sight. Liang Ye smiled, his starry eyes crinkling, and took her hand, rubbing it against his heart: "How could I not hear you? You said Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was too old and forced his son to marry, right?"

The moment the words left his mouth, his heartstrings tightened inexplicably.

Forced marriage to a daughter-in-law, forced marriage to a daughter-in-law...

Was she subtly criticizing him? But he's not that old...

Seeing his expression, Shanhe ignored him and turned away in a huff.

Seeing that she was genuinely angry, Liang Ye smiled and pulled her hand to his face, stroking it: "Then why did it have to be 'The Shocking Change'? Why not 'The Crying Portrait'? Why not 'The Small Banquet'? Why not 'The Ballad'?"

Seeing his action, Shanhe gritted her teeth and pinched his cheek hard with her fingertips: "You'll know when you hear it yourself!"

"Hey!" Liang Ye was taken aback when she suddenly pinched his face.

Shanhe burst out laughing.

Liang Ye was a little annoyed, but seeing Shanhe smiling with her eyes crinkled, he knew that her anger had dissipated. His furrowed brows gradually relaxed: "Alright, alright, Xue Shanhe, you're getting more and more capable! You even dare to pinch my face, is that it!" After saying that, he reached out and pinched Shanhe's cheek, gently pulling it until she looked like a little kitten.

Shanhe slapped him away: "A girl's face is extremely precious. What if you ruin her face?"

"It would be better if you were ruined. I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving such a beautiful person like you out in public. If you're ruined, no one will want to see you, so I can enjoy you all by myself." As he said this, his hand reached down to Shanhe's ribs.

Shanhe couldn't resist the tickling and couldn't help but laugh, her eyebrows and eyes curving like crescent moons.

Seeing her smile, Liang Ye also grinned broadly, revealing his pearly white teeth: "That's more like it! Always wearing that face, it's like someone owes you ten thousand taels of silver."

Shanhe laughed as she dodged him, backing away as she went. When she had nowhere left to retreat, her waist hit the armrest of the daybed, and she nearly fell backward. Liang Ye quickly caught her waist, and the two embraced tightly, nose to nose. Shanhe's face loomed large before him, and Liang Ye was momentarily stunned, forgetting to help her up: "Shanshan..."

Shanhe felt very uncomfortable and turned his face away.

"What are you hiding from?" Liang Ye grabbed Shanhe's chin, forcibly turned her around, and forced her eyes to meet his.

Shanhe frowned: "I didn't—um." Before she could finish speaking, Liang Ye had already covered her mouth.

He cradled Shanhe's head, closed his eyes, and kissed her.

After a while, he reluctantly let go. Shanhe quickly broke free from him, sat down to the side, and straightened her clothes.

"There are people outside..."

Nobody can see it.

"What if?"

"I'll shield you." With that, Liang Ye slipped off his shoes and pulled the soft curtains on both sides of the railing, instantly darkening the private room and isolating it from the world, with only the faint sound of singing from the stage drifting in.

Shanhe asked urgently, "What are you doing?"

Liang Ye turned around and walked steadily toward her: "A man asking a woman to do something."

Shanhe stepped back slightly: "We're outside."

"Hmm," he supported Shanhe under her armpits, lifted her up, and weighed her in his hands, "It's more fun outside, isn't it?"

Seeing Shanhe's panicked look, Liang Ye smiled and said, "Don't worry, the neighboring rooms are all empty, and the curtains are drawn. No one can see or hear you."

Shanhe turned her face away: "But I... don't want to."

Liang Ye then leaned in and bit her lip: "What's wrong? Did I not serve you well?"

Shanhe thought for a moment and knew it was time. She dodged Liang Ye's kiss and was about to say what she had already thought of when Liang Ye picked her up and placed her on the railing, and began to take off her silk stockings.

Shanhe was so frightened that she tried to hide.

"No...no..."

"Don't move," Liang Ye whispered. "There's only this one piece of wood under you. If you fall, all those ladies will know what you've been doing."

Shanhe immediately turned pale and hurriedly wrapped her arms around his neck. Looking down, she saw that he had put a gold chain on each of her ankles, and the tinkling sound echoed between her feet.

These are anklets with tiny bells on them.

It even has a lock.

Liang Ye held the exquisite golden key in his palm: "I wonder what kind of sound it will make when it's shaken." His slender fingers brushed against the bell, and the bell rang softly like flowing water.

Shanhe was stunned, but when he saw the key, he quickly said, "Give me the key."

Liang Ye closed his hands: "That's impossible."

Shanhe calmed herself down and secretly pondered how to deal with the situation next.

Seeing her staring blankly, lost in thought, Liang Ye chuckled and asked, "What's wrong? It's just a key, and you're already upset?"

Shanhe raised her eyes inch by inch: "It's not because of one key, it's because of many keys."

Liang Ye frowned: "Where did all these keys come from?"

Shanhe said solemnly, “My lord has many keys, but he is always wary of me and suspicious of me. None of them are mine. Now he has locked me up with these chains, so the keys are not mine either.” She looked up into Liang Ye’s eyes, “I understand now. My lord’s things will always belong to him. My things belong to him first, and then to me. My body also belongs to him first, and then to me.”

Liang Ye pinched her cheek: "You're overthinking it again. It was just a joke. Don't you like these gold chains?"

Shanhe pointed to the bent-legged kang table: "Whether I'm overthinking it or not, that's the best proof. Sir, what's on the table?"

Liang Ye was suddenly startled.

"It's just a letter."

"Whose letter?"

He fell silent.

Shanhe sneered: "I know, didn't the master use the same tactic last time, putting the letter in front of me to lure me into reading it? Once I read it, the master immediately lashed out and scolded me. How does he plan to hurt me this time?"

Liang Ye's expression had turned cold.

Shanhe, fearing he might truly be angry, tightened her grip on his neck. Shanhe continued, "I understand now. The adults have always kept their affairs from me. Their world is one I cannot enter. They come to see me every day, to talk to me, but they only treat me like a plaything. After all, I'm just a maid, while heart-to-heart talks and discussions are things only husband and wife do." She buried her face in Liang Ye's shoulder, "I've been a maid all my life, and the adults have always been wary of me and suspicious of me, yet I've given them everything."

Liang Ye's heart was in turmoil. Shan He's words displeased him, and he wanted to scold her, but then she leaned on his shoulder so tenderly and gently. When he turned his head slightly, he saw her two red lips slightly pursed, which made him feel an urge to eat all the rouge off her lips.

“Who said you’ll be a maid your whole life?” His voice was hoarse. “Besides, didn’t you willingly choose to be a maid? I originally wanted to take you as a concubine, but you refused.”

Shanhe raised her head, her nose touching his chin: "Then what am I in the eyes of adults?"

Liang Ye said curtly, "Oh, so she's just a maid."

Shanhe immediately tried to get off him, but he held her tightly. Seeing that she couldn't break free, Shanhe simply straightened up, cupped his face in her hands, and forced him to look her in the eye: "Liang Ye, tell me again, tell me carefully, tell me seriously, answer me with your heart. What am I to you? A maid? A concubine? Or just a toy, an object? Liang Ye, tell me now, what am I to you? I'll believe whatever you say, I'm only asking you this once, I only need one sentence from you."

They were so close that he could almost see the tiny pores on Shanhe's face, and even see his own reflection in her pupils. He didn't need Shanhe to force him; he had long wanted to gaze at her like this, to gaze at her for a long, long time, as if the two of them were the only ones in the world. His starry eyes welled with a tender, watery affection, his heart pounded wildly, and his voice became erratic: "Shanshan, after the anniversary of my grandfather's death, I..." He paused, pursing his lips, "...I will marry you...we will be together for all eternity..."

Shanhe was taken aback. She thought he would talk about his sweetheart instead of promising to "marry" or "wife." Her hands trembled slightly, and her voice shook as she forced a smile: "Sir, you can't even say sweet words to coax people. How can you marry someone of my status? In the end, you'll still have to marry a daughter of an official family who is your equal. I can't do that."

Liang Ye blurted out in his heart: "Then I'll kill her and make you my second wife." But he knew he couldn't say such a thing; Shan He wouldn't listen. In that instant, Liang Ye suddenly realized he was very different from before. He had never thought of killing anyone before. But now, everything had happened so naturally. When did it begin? Perhaps it was that night at Wuyou Garden, when he and Shan He were locked in a life-or-death struggle, and the old man forcibly took Shan He and then tried to kill him to silence him. Or perhaps it was the day he killed the old man, when he saw the old man prostrate on the ground, begging for mercy, and as his knife rose and fell, a vibrant life flowed into the yellow dust in his palm. Or perhaps it was during his time at the Dali Temple, when those once-glorious figures were now imprisoned, pitifully begging him for mercy.

It turns out that once he possesses power, not only will he revitalize the Liang family, and not only will those who once looked down on him now fawn over him and his close associates, but he will also hold the power of life and death over others. He can effortlessly elevate the lowly to high positions and condemn the powerful to the depths of hell with a single word—all in the blink of an eye. Once he has complete power, will he be able to marry whomever he desires? Will he be able to have whomever he wants?

Liang Ye unconsciously clenched his fists.

Shanhe felt his buttocks being squeezed tightly: "Hey! Be gentle!"

He came to his senses and slowly smiled, "Shanshan, I'll always find a way." His tone became more and more determined, "I will marry you, you will be my wife, and we will be together for the rest of our lives. We will be together in life and in death."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shanhe leaned down and kissed him.

Liang Ye lifted Shanhe up, held her up, and pulled the curtain open a crack, just enough to catch a glimpse of the scene on the stage. Then, he stepped back slightly.

He had wanted to do this for a long time.

Outside. High up.

He held her, and she embraced him.

They can see others, but others cannot see them. They look down upon humanity, where all living beings are like ants.

When their emotions reached their peak, Liang Ye turned Shanhe around, making her face away from him.

Shanhe was half-suspended in mid-air and couldn't help but slip down. She hurriedly murmured, "Hey, you, don't..."

Liang Ye laughed lewdly: "Call me 'Good Dada,' and I'll let you go."

He carried Shanhe to the railing, where the soft curtains swayed gently, letting in a sliver of warm light. The melodious singing of Consort Yang from the opera stage flowed in, along with the laughter and applause of the ladies below. He had Shanhe lean against the railing, and whispered behind her, "Shanshan, look up, look at the other side..."

Shanhe did as she was told and raised her confused eyes.

Through the narrow gap, she could see a young woman dressed in red walking into the private room opposite.

"Do you remember her?" he asked breathlessly.

Shanhe shook his head.

He smiled and said, "Meng Chiying, the second young lady of the Wenyang Marquis's Mansion, Meng Chiying."

She was taken aback. She saw another young man walk in and stand beside Meng Chiying; it was just the two of them in the room.

Shanhe asked breathlessly, "Miss Meng...Miss Meng is engaged?"

He chuckled softly behind her back: "No, it isn't."

The young girl was in love, and her cousin managed to win her over.

Shanhe trembled as she pulled the soft curtain closed.

Liang Ye understood her meaning and wanted to cover for Meng Chiying. He faced her and smiled, "Don't you want to see?" He had come here specifically to catch this young couple in the act.

Shanhe only breathed softly beneath him, without saying a word.

Liang Ye held her waist: "That young man is named Zhang Fengliang. He passed the imperial examinations twice this year and is currently serving as the supervisor of the Ministry of Works. He and Meng Chiying hit it off on the day the results were announced."

Shanhe thought to herself, "No wonder Meng Chiying wasn't very enthusiastic about Liang Ye after the results were announced, while Shi Mingrui's feelings for him became more and more obvious."

“He’s from Tianhang. His great-grandfather was the Minister of Works during his lifetime. The Zhang family has a long tradition of supervising construction and building.” Liang Ye suddenly stopped. “Shanshan, shall I give you a key?”

Shanhe turned her face, her eyes glistening with tears: "What?"

"You just said I have many keys, none of which are yours. Now I'll give you one, one that concerns Shi Mingrui, one that concerns the Ministry of Works, and one that concerns the Ministry of Works' next royal project. Shanshan, do you want it?"

This was the first time he had ever talked to her about things outside.

Shanhe nodded.

He pushed hard with his narrow waist: "Then come up here."

Liang Ye slowly retreated, splashing a few drops of water on the ground. He took Shanhe's hand and walked back, leaning back on the daybed, his head held high, his bright eyes gazing at her with a smile.

Shanhe was stunned for a moment, then sighed with regret and sat down on his lap.

When it was over, the two lay on their sides on the Luohan bed, one in front of the other. Liang Ye embraced Shanhe from behind, their bodies still intimately intertwined.

Shanhe was exhausted. A gust of wind blew in front of her, quietly lifting the soft curtain a crack. She saw Zhang Fengliang's lips moving as he spoke, and Meng Chiying covered her face and laughed.

A perfectly matched couple, deeply in love. A perfectly matched couple, full of youthful vigor and spirit. A perfectly matched couple, elegant and natural.

Liang Ye, standing behind him, had already begun to ramble on about his "key".

He said he wanted to help the couple. He said His Majesty planned to build a summer palace in the eastern suburbs of the capital, and several people in the Ministry of Works were envious of this position. He said he was envious too, so he would help Zhang Fengliang marry Meng Chiying. And the first thing he would do to help Zhang Fengliang get the job of supervising the construction of the palace was to help him secure it.

Shanhe frowned: "Since Zhang Fengliang's ancestor was once the Minister of Works, he can go directly to the Wenyang Marquis's residence to propose marriage. Why do you need to help him?"

Liang Ye said, "It is quite common for families that were once illustrious and glorious to fall into decline. The Zhang family is not what it used to be, while the Meng family is now a count, and the eldest sister Meng is now a second-rank virtuous consort, pregnant with the emperor's child. Meng Chiying could marry a prince or a nobleman, so why would Lord Meng look at him?"

"Perhaps this Zhang Fengliang is like you, sir, young and capable, with the potential to become a prime minister."

Liang Ye sneered, "If he were capable and shrewd, I wouldn't need to plan the palace for him; he would have started making arrangements himself long ago."

Shanhe lowered her eyes and asked, "Then how will you help him?"

"Now that I've caught them red-handed, I'll use this as leverage to make them submit to me. Half a month later, when Consort Xian visits her family, I'll use that opportunity to facilitate their tryst. Then, I'll have everyone witness it, forcing the Empress and Earl Wenyang to cover for them. With Earl Wenyang intervening, my secret assistance, and Consort Xian, who is six months pregnant, whispering sweet nothings in His Majesty's ear, plus Zhang Fengliang's family's scholarly background, the job is practically guaranteed."

Listening to his meticulously planned steps, Shanhe couldn't help but ask, "Is His Majesty really going to give such an important position to a newcomer like him who is just starting out in officialdom?"

Liang Ye smiled and said, "Since the Wuji Field incident, all the ministers in the court are in danger. Even the Crown Prince was caught in the crossfire. Now is the time for Your Majesty to appoint new ministers. If anyone wants to compete with him, the Court of Judicial Review can simply give that person a presumption of guilt pending investigation, and that will be the end of it."

Shanhe stared blankly for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Once the conversation started, Liang Ye suddenly realized that telling Shan He these things might not be so bad. These days, Shan He often talked to him late at night, mostly about mundane things, but he loved listening. Now he was telling her too; surely she loved listening too? Liang Ye recalled his childhood, when he and Liang Shao attended the academy. Every day after school, Liang Shao would pester his grandfather, telling the old man what he had learned that day, whose son sat next to him, who he had fought with, and what funny things the teacher had done during the lesson. He had always felt it was unnecessary; these were such mundane things, meaningless and worthless, so there was no need to talk about them. Only now, at his age, listening to Shan He's gossip every night, did he realize that gossip was necessary, that it could soothe the soul.

So Liang Ye began to tell Shan He some trivial matters from the Dali Temple. These were commonplace things, which he used to find uninteresting, but now, telling them to Shan He, they had a sense of peaceful tranquility.

As the play "The Shocking Change" came to an end, they put on their clothes. Shanhe went back to the carriage to wait for him, while Liang Ye went to catch the young couple in their "affair." When he returned, he looked great, indicating that everything had gone very smoothly. Liang Ye leaned back and smiled at Shanhe: "Shanshan, you'll be in charge of the family banquet at the end of the month."

This was the first time he had taught her to do something like this.

Shanhe thought to herself: I might not even be by your side by the end of the month. But she said aloud, "Okay."

He gazed at Shanhe's face for a long while, then said with a fixed look, "Ah Shao is coming back, and I want him to see you."

Shanhe couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Liang Ye smiled quietly: "You two will meet sooner or later. He's back with military merits now," he said, tilting his head back, closing his eyes, and stretching his legs comfortably, "I'm going to arrange a prestigious marriage for him. Shanshan, what do you say?"

Shanhe quickly lowered her head and mumbled, "Okay."

After returning home that day, Liang Ye treated Shan He with even greater tenderness. Sometimes, even Shan He felt a sense of disbelief, as if he were the same gentle, upright, and considerate elder brother Liang Ye she had known before. Three days later, Meng Chiying personally visited Cangfeng Courtyard, ostensibly to chat with Shan He, but actually to probe their intentions. Shan He turned her away each time.

Changes were quietly taking place within the Shi household. Shi Minghua gave birth to her second child, and Madam Zhou was busy taking care of her eldest daughter during her postpartum period. Consort Meng was about to visit her family, and Shi Mingrui was summoned by her aunt, Madam Shi, to help out. Suddenly, the Shi household began to descend into chaos. Five days before the visit, a young servant boy named "Deng'er" arrived at the second gate of the Shi household.

Wen Deng changed his name and infiltrated the Shi family mansion, because Shan He and Wu Fangzhu had agreed that the escape would take place on the night of the family visit.

Three days before the visit to his family, a cart piled high with firewood appeared at the back gate of the Shi residence. No one thought it was strange, assuming it had simply been there all along.

The day before the visit home, everything was in a flurry of activity. Liang Ye had been busy with matters concerning the Dali Temple for days. Shi Maotong, Madam Zhou, and Shi Mingrui all went to the Meng residence to help. Shanhe put the forged slave register into Liang Ye's document box.

That night, Liang Ye held Shanhe in his arms, thinking about how to ask the Consort Xian for a favor and save face for Shanhe.

That night, Shanhe rested her head on Liang Ye's narrow waist and abdomen, thinking to herself, "Finally, I'll be free!"

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Author's note: I might not be able to update tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the department's postgraduate entrance exam interview, and my phone will be confiscated from me starting at 8 AM [crying emoji][crying emoji][crying emoji]. Also, Shanshan is going to leave, so I need to seriously think about how to write this.