Chapter 88 Men are really hard to please, luckily she only…
Chapter 88
Xiangye prepared the hangover soup and knocked on the door a few times.
Shen Suining immediately stood up and fled as if escaping. She pretended to be calm and walked to the door, opened it, and took the hangover soup from Xiangye's hand.
A cold wind blew into the room, making her more awake. Shen Suining stood at the door for a while to cool off, and once the hangover soup was at a suitable temperature, she picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
Then she closed the door, turned around, and found He Hansheng still kneeling in the same position.
A nameless fire suddenly welled up in Shen Suining's heart. She strode forward, grabbed He Hansheng by the collar, pressed him down on the bamboo couch, and bit his lip hard.
The sweet, metallic taste of blood spread across her tongue. Shen Suining slightly raised her head, looked at the bright red bloodstains on He Hansheng's lips, and asked him, "Where did you learn this style of brothel? Aren't you ashamed to say such things with your status?"
He Hansheng laughed, "Anything is fine as long as you like it."
“He Hansheng,” Shen Suining called his name unhappily, her voice carrying a hint of warning: “I don’t like your humble and fawning manner, nor do I like your groveling and subservient attitude towards me. There are too many men like that; I could summon several with a wave of my hand. If I were to like you, it would only be the young Marquis He who fought me to a standstill and was evenly matched with me back then.”
“If you lose your martial arts skills, you can always practice again. I’m willing to start over with you. If you don’t want to see you at your lowest point, you can have Jiang Yuchu and Feng Yu be your sparring partners. I can wait until you’re willing to rely on me, no matter how long it takes. But if your character is also worn down, your past talents will slowly fade away, and you’ll give up on yourself. At that time, He Hansheng,” Shen Suining raised her hand and pinched his face hard, as if venting her anger, “you can’t expect me to maintain my affection for you based on your looks, can you?”
He Hansheng grasped her hand, his fingertips slipping between her fingers, their fingers intertwined tightly.
“I haven’t given up on myself, Ningning,” he said. He was used to suppressing his emotions, but now that she had spoken out, he faced for the first time the intense and terrifying possessiveness he felt for her. He looked into her eyes and said in a hoarse voice, “I just… want you to love me, to always love me, to love only me, to love me forever. But I don’t know what I am that makes me worthy of your love right now.”
Shen Suining laughed out loud. She sat up from him and raised her hand to tidy up her stray hairs. "Isn't this self-abandonment?"
“But Ningning, this is me, this is who I am,” He Hansheng closed his eyes and exhaled softly. “I am both weak and arrogant. Compared to your sincerity and generosity, I am selfish, narrow-minded, stubborn, and shallow. There is not a single thing about me that you would like. I want to stay by your side and be your only partner for life, but I am also afraid that such thoughts will bother you.”
“I’m not bothered, He Hansheng. If I were bothered, I wouldn’t have stayed in Huadu, much less come back to the Marquis’s mansion with you,” Shen Suining interrupted him. “But now you always feel that you’re not good enough, that I won’t like you, that your feelings for me will make me feel awkward. So you’ve become insecure, cautious, and even timid. That’s what really bothers me. I’m starting to doubt that I’ve misjudged you, and that even my parents have misjudged you. But I’m absolutely certain that the ‘you’ you’re talking about isn’t the real you.”
"If you were narrow-minded and shallow, you wouldn't have written that letter of divorce, nor would you have thought of leaving me a way out even in your lowest point; if you were stubborn and arrogant, you wouldn't have allowed me, your wife, to act so recklessly, wouldn't have trusted me, and wouldn't have tolerated me not returning home for half a month; if you were weak and selfish, you wouldn't have resolutely returned to Shuyu Manor with me, much less have rushed into the Seven Palaces Formation without any preparation, knowing the odds were against you. If this is considered weakness, then what about me, who almost died trapped in the Seven Palaces Formation and at Hundred-Foot Cliff? Am I a complete coward?"
"Yes, when I was forced to marry you before, I did prepare a way out for myself. But at that time, I had just arrived in Huadu and was inexplicably betrothed to you, becoming your wife and spending my whole life in this unfamiliar place. I was wronged, you know? To spend my life with someone I didn't know well, and if I was unlucky enough to meet a scumbag, I might be trapped in this mansion for the rest of my life, unable to live, unable to die, and unable to escape. That would be unacceptable for any woman, right? So, it's only natural for me to leave myself a way out."
"But after spending time with you, I realized that this marriage isn't so bad after all. You're a wonderful person. As my husband, you respect me, tolerate me, and love me. Even in the Sen Sen Marquis's mansion, I never felt constrained. Most importantly, no matter what happens, I feel at ease as long as you're here. I don't have to face everything alone with such immense responsibility and pressure as before. I know you will, and you can, support me. People's thoughts always change, and you can't keep bringing up my past behavior. Bringing up old grievances is the most annoying thing."
Fueled by alcohol, Shen Suining listlessly spoke her mind. She used to think that it was nauseating to talk to people about such heartfelt things, but after marrying He Hansheng, she found herself doing it all the time.
He cared about it, but he preferred to keep it to himself and not say anything. He felt insecure about it, even though she had mentioned it many times.
Shen Suining sighed. Men are so hard to please. Luckily, she only has one.
“So, what you mean, Madam,” He Hansheng paused for a moment, tentatively confirming, “is that you’re willing to try to stay with me for a long time?”
"..." Shen Suining held her breath, turned her head and snorted softly: "Anyway, I've decided to start over with you. We'll probably be spending a long time together, so why not give it a try?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the world spun around him, and Shen Suining was pinned down on the bamboo couch. Her hands were raised above her head, held by one of his hands, while He Hansheng gently lifted her chin with his other hand.
Shen Suining blinked, bracing herself for a storm. Just when she thought he was going to have a big fight with her, He Hansheng simply lowered his head and kissed the corner of her mouth, tenderly and gently, without any intention of attacking.
She looked at him blankly, but he smiled and kissed her forehead, replying, "We have to get up early to go to the palace tomorrow, so go to bed early tonight."
The following day was the winter solstice.
Although the palace banquet was in the evening, the eldest princess would always go to the palace early every year in order to spend more time with the Empress Dowager. This year, she couldn't go, and He Hansheng didn't want to go to the palace too early to exchange pleasantries with the people there, so he decided to go to the palace after lunch.
The princess's health was deteriorating rapidly, and she was almost unable to see anyone. Apart from Ming Le and Ming Xi who served her closely, she could not even exchange more than two words with He Hansheng when he came in. She was very happy to know that Shen Suining had returned, but she did not want to see her, fearing that the child would be saddened to see her in her current state.
Shen Suining was helpless; the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death has always been beyond human control and change, especially since mental illness is inherently difficult to cure.
After lunch, He Hansheng changed into his court robes early, took a book, and sat down to wait patiently for Shen Suining to get ready.
The ceremony for entering the palace was already complicated, and with the Winter Solstice Palace Banquet, all the royal relatives and nobles gathered together, making the clothes and makeup even more elaborate and elaborate. After changing into the palace attire, Shen Suining patiently sat in front of the bronze mirror for more than half an hour. Xiang Ye had just finished fixing her hair when she finally spoke impatiently: "This headdress is heavier than the phoenix crown I wore on my wedding day. It's giving me a headache."
Xiangye held Shen Suining's forehead with her hand, holding a gold hairpin inlaid with jade flowers, red and blue gemstones, and was about to put it on her mistress. Upon hearing this, she couldn't help but laugh awkwardly, "This servant has already tried her best to reduce the amount. This hairpin inlaid with jade flowers and double pearls was a gift from the Empress Dowager when the mistress and the Marquis got married. Today, when entering the palace, the mistress will naturally wear it."
Despite her complaints, Shen Suining couldn't just do as she pleased. After all, her trip to the palace concerned the reputation of the Princess, He Hansheng, and even the entire Yong'an Marquis's mansion. If she dressed too poorly, wouldn't people laugh at the He family?
Another half hour passed, and Shen Suining was already feeling extremely restless. Through the mirror, she saw He Hansheng sitting calmly not far away, waiting for her, and couldn't help but ask him, "Aren't you tired after waiting for so long?"
He Hansheng: "Not tired."
Shen Suining clicked her tongue, her tone slightly sarcastic, "You're quite patient."
After Xiangye finished drawing the floral patterns on Shen Suining's face, all that was left was to apply lip rouge.
Mingke brought a plate of different colored lipsticks for Shen Suining to choose from. Shen Suining glanced at them, then immediately waved her hand and said something to Mingke. Mingke then walked over to He Hansheng and half-squatted down, following Shen Suining's instructions, saying, "The Marquis knows the Madam best. It is up to you to decide which color of lipstick is most suitable for the Madam today."
He Hansheng put down his book and began to carefully select items.
The lip rouges were all personally selected by He Hansheng from the rouge shop. When he looked at them individually, he felt that each one complemented Shen Suining's complexion. But now that they were all placed together, He Hansheng stared at them, unable to discern any difference in color.
All three pairs of eyes were looking at him expectantly. He Hansheng couldn't show anything unusual, so he could only bite the bullet and pick one to give to Mingke.
Mingke didn't take it, but stepped aside to make way for He Hansheng, suppressing a laugh, "Please, Your Excellency, light it for Madam yourself."
He Hansheng: "..."
"What's with that expression? I'm bored waiting around, so I'm going to give you something to do, and you're not happy about it?" Shen Suining said unhappily.
He Hansheng recalled the scene in the carriage yesterday. She wasn't trying to give him anything to do; she was clearly just trying to amuse herself and see him make a fool of himself.
He sighed softly, stood up and walked to Shen Suining's side. Her makeup was finished, except for her lips.
He Hansheng stared at her for a while. In front of Xiangye and Mingke, he remained calm and composed. Just like yesterday, he used his fingertip to apply lip rouge to Shen Suining's lips.
When his fingertips touched her lips, she deliberately rubbed against them, as if kissing his fingertips. The warm, wet touch made He Hansheng's expression stiffen, making him even more certain that she was deliberately trying to see him lose his composure.
Xiangye and Mingke were quite sensible; they silently withdrew and closed the door behind them.
Once everyone else left, Shen Suining became even more outrageous. She grasped He Hansheng's hand, guiding his fingertips to her lips, her alluring eyes fixed on him. Suddenly, she opened her mouth, gently biting his finger, her tongue lightly brushing against his fingertip.
He Hansheng gasped and said in a hoarse voice, "Ningning, stop fooling around."
"What did I do wrong?" Shen Suining released his hand, shook it, and smiled brightly and flamboyantly, "I was clearly cooperating with you to apply lip rouge."
He Hansheng didn't speak. The red on her lips was only half-painted, making her even more alluring. He finally couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her lips fiercely.
Since they were about to enter the palace, He Hansheng didn't linger for long. He only bit her lip as punishment, then released her, his eyes showing a hint of helplessness. "Are you satisfied now?"
"satisfy."
Looking at the red mark on his lips and his slightly flustered expression, Shen Suining finally felt a sense of satisfaction at having avenged herself the night before. Her smile widened instantly. "Very satisfied."
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