Zhao Zhi turned her head and saw that the person was Shen Hanshan. She quickly took a step back, broke free, and kept her distance from him.
Zhao Zhi looked at the other person quietly, her gaze lingering on Shen Hanshan, drawn to his well-tailored mourning clothes.
The collar and cuffs are embroidered with delicate cloud patterns, while the hem is outlined with a landscape painting in silver thread, depicting undulating mountains and shimmering water.
In contrast, her own mourning clothes were relatively simple, with only a plain-colored belt tied around her waist, which looked simple and dignified.
To look stylish, dress stylishly.
Zhao Zhi scoffed inwardly. Even in mourning clothes, Shen Hanshan managed to make it look like a flower!
She turned and left.
Shen Hanshan quickened his pace, grabbed her arm, and questioned, "It's only been a few days, how come you've lost so much weight?"
He reached out and touched Zhao Zhi's face.
Zhao Zhi dodged it swiftly, saying, "Prince Rui, please have some self-respect."
Shen Hanshan looked at Zhao Zhi, his heart filled with mixed feelings.
She's lost so much weight in just a few days!
He recalled the rainy night a few days ago when he had gone mad and made Su Mu drive the car to run over Zhao Zhi. Afterwards, he was filled with lingering fear.
Although he knew Zhao Zhi knew kung fu, what if she was distracted and didn't dodge?
The more Shen Hanshan thought about it, the more frightened he became.
He finally seized this opportunity to apologize to Zhao Zhi.
But now, she's telling him to have some self-respect.
They've already done the most intimate things together, and she's only hooked up with a businessman, yet she wants to build a monument to her chastity and virtue!
Are you telling me to have some self-respect?
Shen Hanshan suddenly grabbed Zhao Zhi's waist and whispered in her ear, "In the cave, who begged me to take her? Hmm?"
Zhao Zhi's waist was tightly restrained by Shen Hanshan, and she could not move.
Not far away, palace maids and noblewomen would occasionally pass by, their gazes sweeping over this area, making Zhao Zhi feel both fearful and anxious.
"Prince Rui, please don't spread rumors without evidence." She tried to remain calm and continued to struggle.
"Then shall I tell you again how you enjoyed it, where you liked me to kiss you the most, and what that hairpin you threw away looked like?"
Shen Hanshan's voice suddenly became colder and more menacing.
Zhao Zhi angrily asked, "Shen Hanshan, what exactly do you want to do?"
"Once the Empress Dowager's mourning period is over, our marriage agreement will continue."
“She loved me the most, and I’m going to observe three years of mourning for her. Are you going to wait too?” Zhao Zhi said after a moment of thought.
“I will wait,” Shen Hanshan said firmly.
Faced with Shen Hanshan's pressing questioning, Zhao Zhi dared not agree directly, nor dared she refuse outright. She replied in a barely audible voice, "You were the one who broke off the engagement earlier... allow me... to consider it carefully..."
Shen Hanshan suddenly lifted her head and kissed her without saying a word, silencing her.
Zhao Zhi was both ashamed and angry, and afraid of being seen. She raised her leg and was about to kick Shen Hanshan in the groin.
Unexpectedly, the other person suddenly released her, gently caressing her lips with their fingers, and said with lingering desire, "Zhao Zhi, don't forget, you tricked me into canceling the marriage. Alright, I'll let you off the hook for now, you can go."
Zhao Zhi fled in panic.
Shen Hanshan watched Zhao Zhi's panicked retreating figure and said with a wry smile, "Am I that scary in your eyes? Why are you so eager to leave me?"
Zhao Zhi was in a daze, only focusing on walking with her head down. She accidentally bumped into someone, and she was both surprised and scared, thinking that the other person had seen her and Shen Hanshan arguing.
"Zhizhi, what's wrong? Why are you so panicked?"
It turned out to be the emperor's elder brother, Zhao Yi.
Seeing that Zhao Zhi hadn't returned for a long time after she left, he worried that she had gotten lost, so he went out to look for her.
"Brother, I..." Zhao Zhi hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
Zhao Yi looked behind her and vaguely saw Shen Hanshan's departing figure.
"Did Prince Rui bother you just now?"
Zhao Zhi nodded, tears welling in her eyes.
Zhao Yi sighed heavily, reassuring her not to be afraid, and that he, as her elder brother, would make all the decisions.
When the two returned to the mourning hall together, Shen Hanshan was already kneeling outside the hall.
Zhao Zhi's skirt brushed lightly against Shen Hanshan's hand, which he subtly grabbed. Seeing that she was anxious, Shen Hanshan quietly let go.
Seeing Zhao Zhi's sullen mood, Zhang Wan felt anxious, and at the same time, she was also worried about the affairs of the manor.
That bitch Liu Yun, I wonder what kind of crazy she's gone mad at home.
In the Zhao household, with the mistress away, the concubine has become the king.
Hui Zeng indeed found Liu Yun a new monk, whose Dharma name was Huiqian.
Huiqian is young and handsome, with delicate features.
Despite his young age, he has already gained a certain reputation within Qinglian Temple.
He was responsible for guiding pilgrims and answering their questions at the temple. He never engaged in any inappropriate behavior and never touched a woman's body.
This time, he was coaxed and tricked into coming.
A few days ago, Qinglian Temple suddenly attracted the attention of the prefect.
It turned out that the imperial court had sent down a high-ranking official to secretly investigate the interactions between the monks of Qinglian Temple and noblemen.
This news caused quite a stir in the temple, and many monks felt uneasy.
Hui-chien, though usually low-key, was inevitably affected by this incident.
He had heard that a family in Lingyang was going to perform a religious ceremony, so he followed him out of the temple to avoid trouble for the time being.
When Huiqian entered the Zhao residence, he found the entire place filled with a peaceful atmosphere, and realized that this was the home of Zhao Shouzhen, the Grand Secretary.
However, since neither the mistress nor the master were currently at home, and only a concubine was in charge of the household affairs, he didn't think much of it.
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