Chapter 20 "Huai'an, are you disgusted with me?"

Yaqin spoke in detail, and Princess Ronghua would occasionally ask a question or two.

"You mean he agreed to be with Jun Zhao the moment she saw him?"

"If Jia really withheld her dowry, was Liu Rumei also entitled to a share?"

"When Miss Qin was in trouble, she asked Baozan to rescue her, and in doing so, she knocked out that scoundrel from the Wang family?"

"..."

However, when Yaqin said that Ye Mingzhu refused to bind her feet when she was young and had natural feet, Princess Ronghua did not feel sorry for her.

She even laughed out loud, which was quite rare for her.

Yaqin asked curiously, "Your Highness, aren't you worried that the Duke's dislike of Madam's unbound feet might affect your relationship?"

Princess Ronghua retorted, "What are you worried about? Putting aside Junzhao, with Mingzhu's temperament, she must have thought about the consequences before refusing foot binding, and she wouldn't easily regret it."

"Is that so?" Yaqin asked thoughtfully.

“Definitely.” Princess Ronghua smiled. “I have a good eye for people. If I had been like that back then… Well, let them worry about their own affairs. I won’t interfere.”

"You're right."

“Oh, right,” Princess Ronghua said, “go to my storeroom and get that box of Hepu South Sea pearls and send it to Madam.”

"Yes." Yaqin smiled and curtsied.

Princess Ronghua added, "By the way, tell Junzhao a couple of things, and tell him not to be a scoundrel in the future, lest his wife knock him unconscious with a stone."

As soon as she finished speaking, Princess Ronghua laughed again.

Yaqin smiled and replied, "Yes."

...

Linfeng Hall.

Ye Mingzhu sat on a low couch and wrote a letter home, informing them that the Duchess of Rongguo would be coming to seek medical treatment.

Otherwise, if the Duchess of Rongguo sent an invitation to her family, inviting her mother and sister-in-law to go to the Buddhist temple to burn incense together, they would definitely be uneasy, not knowing what was going on.

After finishing writing, Ye Mingzhu picked up the letter and blew on it to dry, feeling satisfied.

Sheng Yunche walked into the inner room and sat down on the low couch opposite her, his eyes filled with complex emotions, as if he were meeting her for the first time.

"Lord Duke, what's wrong?" Ye Mingzhu touched her face.

"You knocked Wang Jing unconscious?"

Ye Mingzhu: "..."

Sheng Yunche's gaze fell on her slender wrist, his tone doubtful: "You?"

She's not good enough?

"..." Ye Mingzhu snorted inwardly, but said softly, "Lord Duke, the acupuncture hasn't been performed yet tonight. Please go take a bath first, and I'll wait for you."

“…Okay.” Sheng Yunche gave her a deep look, a smile playing on his lips, and got up to walk towards the bathroom.

After he finished bathing, Ye Mingzhu watered the Bizhu flower and prepared the golden needles.

After a cup of tea's time.

The acupuncture is finished; it's time to rest.

Ye Mingzhu had just fallen asleep in bed when her slender waist was embraced by the person next to her.

A strong chest pressed against her back, and Sheng Yunche's cool, deep voice sounded above her head, calling out in a deep voice, "Ye Mingzhu."

"Hmm?" she turned her head and asked, "What?"

Sheng Yunche looked down at her and said bluntly, "I've noticed that you don't really want to have sex with me."

Why are you suddenly bringing this up?

Ye Mingzhu's mind went blank for a second, and she looked surprised: "...Huh?"

"The Jade Pearl Flower is about to bloom. When are you planning to use it on me?" Sheng Yunche sneered, his tone half-threatening. "What you said before wasn't just to coax me, was it?"

"……no."

"If I forced you to have sex with me, would you take advantage of me while I'm asleep? Of course, I wouldn't stoop to forcing you on this matter."

Is he worried about getting hit?

Ye Mingzhu found it amusing. After thinking for a moment, she turned around and hugged his strong waist, saying even more gently, "Of course not."

"Really not?"

"……Won't."

"So you're willing to have sex with me..."

Ye Mingzhu's face flushed, and she quickly covered his lips to prevent him from continuing to speak recklessly: "Lord Duke, go to sleep!"

After giving her a deep look, Sheng Yunche let out a soft hum and lay down.

Ye Mingzhu: "..."

She was a little sleepy, but Sheng Yunche's actions, with his hand firmly around her waist, made it impossible for her to fall asleep again.

She couldn't help but think about what happened during the day.

Even if she gets a reputation for being ruthless, she doesn't care and won't regret knocking Wang Jing unconscious.

Her only regret was Qin Xuefei.

If Qin Xuefei could also visit the storybook space like her and know the plot of the storybooks, that would be wonderful.

That way, if any twists or turns happen in the future, Qin Xuefei can avoid them on her own.

Lost in thought, Ye Mingzhu fell into a deep sleep.

Again, after she fell asleep, a large hand pinched her earlobe and gently rubbed it, and a low, dissatisfied snort rang out in the night.

...

West Prefecture.

The lights in Rongshou Hall were still on.

After returning from the lotus banquet, Madam Jia was so angry that she smashed several cups and bowls and didn't eat dinner. Upon hearing that Sheng Huai'an had returned to the mansion, she immediately summoned him and berated him for Ye Mingzhu's insensible behavior.

"At my age, to be bullied by a junior like me, I really don't want to live anymore!"

"I've never seen such a selfish, calculating, and vicious person as her! You must have been blind to have fallen for her and even wanted to marry her!"

"..."

After hurling a few curses, Madam Jia frowned and asked, "How come Ye Mingzhu said that the jade hairpin you gave me before was part of her dowry? I saw that there really is a 'Ye' character on the hairpin. Did you really take it from her makeup box?"

"And your sister-in-law's Hetian jade pendant... Logically speaking, since she's never been to your Tingsong Residence, could it have been given to her by you too?"

"Huai'an, Huai'an..." Madam Jia called out twice, "Did you hear me asking you a question?"

Sheng Huai'an heard it, but he was dumbfounded.

He also went to the lotus banquet, but men and women were seated separately, and he did not return with Jia Shi and Liu Rumei, which is why he found out about it.

When Madam Jia suddenly asked about the jade hairpin and the forbidden steps, and specifically mentioned Liu Rumei, he was terrified that his shameful secret would be exposed.

But besides fear, he was even angrier!

It was clearly Ye Mingzhu who betrayed him, how dare she embarrass Jia Shi in front of so many people? To embarrass Jia Shi is to embarrass him!

“Mother…” Sheng Huai’an’s mind raced, and he said dryly, “The jade hairpin… I took it from Ye Mingzhu’s dowry box. I thought, at the time I thought we would definitely get married, so it was only right that I give you her things as a token of respect, wasn’t it?”

"What about the restraints on your sister-in-law's body? What happened to them?"

"How would I know?" Sheng Huai'an said. "Why don't you just ask your sister-in-law about it?"

Mrs. Jia frowned: "I was so angry before that I forgot to ask. I'll ask her what happened later."

Sheng Huai'an nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Mother."

"Alright, alright, stop keeping me company and go study," Jia said. "You must do your best to become the top scholar and make me proud! Then, let's see who dares to look down on me. That little bitch Ye Mingzhu will definitely regret not marrying you and instead marrying a sickly man!"

Will Ye Mingzhu really regret it? A question flashed through Sheng Huai'an's mind.

But he didn't show it, and bowed to Madam Jia, replying, "Yes, Mother."

He was dizzy and disoriented when he finally managed to leave Rongshou Hall.

Back in the study.

Upon seeing the Duan inkstone on the desk, he picked it up and wanted to smash it on the ground in anger.

But after being raised high, it was gently lowered again.

Ye Mingzhu brought along all sorts of fine items as part of her dowry. This Duan inkstone is an antique from a previous dynasty, made by a famous craftsman, and is worth several hundred taels of silver…

Even if you don't want it anymore, selling it for money is still a good option.

Never mind, never mind.

Looking down, Sheng Huai'an noticed a soft willow twig on his desk.

After frowning and looking for a while, his eyes softened considerably. He gave Chengfu some instructions and opened the secret passage behind the multi-treasure cabinet.

He entered Qinghui Garden through a secret passage and walked familiarly to a window with a light on. He knocked on the window, and footsteps immediately echoed from inside.

As soon as Liu Rumei opened the window, he couldn't wait to step directly into the room through the window.

"I thought you weren't coming today," Liu Rumei said softly.

"You asked me to come, how could I not come?" Sheng Huai'an cautiously looked around. "Is the magpie asleep?"

"Hmm." Liu Rumei nodded. "She's the only one serving me, and she's had a hard time, so I told her to go and rest early. Besides... I'm looking forward to you coming over tonight."

"I missed you too." Sheng Huai'an sighed and pulled her into his arms. "I haven't seen you for several days. Did you miss me?"

"What do you think?" Liu Rumei rolled her eyes at him, then suddenly her eyes reddened.

"Why are you suddenly crying?" Sheng Huai'an asked quickly.

He became irritated as soon as he finished asking the question.

It must be because of the lotus banquet.

But he came here to relax, hoping that Liu Rumei could calm him down, and he didn't want to see her crying.

He finally got out of Rongshou Hall, and now he has to listen to another woman's nagging? Why are all women so troublesome? Can't they just let him have some peace and quiet?

Thinking of this, his voice became somewhat emotional as he frowned and asked, "Sister-in-law, you're not going to tell me some trivial things too, are you? I really don't want to hear it today."

Liu Rumei had always been treated gently by him, and she never expected him to be so impatient. She was stunned for a moment before asking incredulously, "Huai'an, are you complaining about me?"