Chapter 142 Extra 1
That day, Jiang Yuyan walked into Changle Palace by accident.
As the prince's tutor, she had no choice but to come to "work" frequently.
Of course, Emperor Jiawen knew that she tended to sleep in the morning, so he scheduled all her schoolwork for the afternoon.
In addition to teaching the prince arithmetic, Jiang Yuyan also taught him a political course. In fact, it was mainly to explain some modern theories of state governance and economic development to the prince in a simple and easy-to-understand way. How much he could understand depended on his comprehension.
When she came back, Jiang Yuyan was thinking about her hungry youngest daughter Mu Zhi, so she took a shortcut and headed straight for Shunchang Gate.
Passing through the long-abandoned alley, Jiang Yuyan saw the dusty gate of Changle Palace at a glance.
It’s been ten years. The last time I came here was ten years ago.
Not knowing what she was thinking of, Jiang Yuyan dismissed her attendants and pushed open the red door as if possessed by a spirit.
With a creaky sound, the old wood made a harsh sound.
When I looked up again, I saw a tall figure standing inside the door.
Jiang Yuyan blinked her eyes, almost suspecting that she had seen it wrong.
"Master Zheng?"
Zheng Shaopu, who is now the Chief Justice of Dali Temple, turned around and fixed his deep gaze on her.
"Why are you here?" Zheng Shaopu suddenly asked.
The tone did not sound like doubt or surprise, but carried a deep sense of memories and unspeakable emotions.
Ten years ago…same location, same opening.
Her head buzzed and her heart beat rapidly.
"You..." Jiang Yuyan wanted to say something but couldn't, "I... was passing by..."
Zheng Shaopu stared at her rapidly changing expression and lowered his eyes.
"Then please do as you please, Master Jiang..." Zheng Shaopu walked past her and went straight out.
Jiang Yuyan came back to her senses and grabbed his sleeve, "Wait, Master Zheng..."
Zheng Shaopu looked at his cuffs. The woman's fingers were white and round, just like they were more than ten years ago. He seemed to still remember how they had felt, soft and warm.
"Lord Zheng, this is my former bedroom. You shouldn't be here..." Jiang Yuyan stared at him.
She always felt guilty about the man she had a one-night stand with. She thought about it for a long time but still couldn't figure out who he was. But now it seemed that an answer was about to come out.
"So what?" Zheng Shaopu raised his eyes and chuckled.
"So, was that person on New Year's Eve ten years ago you?"
Zheng Shaopu pulled back his sleeves and sighed, "Master Jiang is so smart, hasn't he already guessed it?"
Jiang Yuyan's heart was filled with shock and fear. "Why, why?"
"You cried so hard at that time..." Zheng Shaopu said seriously, but his words were not so dignified.
Jiang Yuyan's face instantly turned red. She was over thirty years old and in a high position. It was really embarrassing to hear such words.
Helplessly turning his head, he asked, "So Lord Zheng is so easy to talk to and willing to offer himself?"
Zheng Shaopu looked at the beauty so close to him. Time seemed to have favored her, leaving no traces on her. She was still radiant and gorgeous. The suppressed emotions in his heart burst out again.
He smiled bitterly and said, "You want me to admit that I like you? Yes, maybe it started from that rainy night in the dilapidated temple, I have been thinking about you..."
Jiang Yuyan's palms were slightly wet. She had always thought that Zheng Shaopu treated her differently, but she had never thought it was like this. They actually had such a past! He actually...
The two looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
Jiang Yuyan's heart was in a mess. She had been worried before, wondering what kind of person would come to her house to ask for responsibility. Later, she felt guilty that she had no chance to take responsibility. Ten years had passed, and she had gradually forgotten about it, but the fragmented scene of that night came back to her mind clearly at dusk.
That night, their bodies were intertwined, and she was like a fish out of water, greedily absorbing his coolness...
If he hadn't said anything for ten years, and he had been alone with the memories of that night, watching her lovingly date other men and having children one after another, how lonely and miserable would he have been?
"Master Zheng, I..." Jiang Yuyan finally calmed down, "Although it's a little late, I will take responsibility for what happened back then. I am willing to marry you as your legal husband."
Zheng Shaopu looked at her with a flickering gaze, and then smiled after a long while.
"Master Jiang, do you know what my master told me before?"
Jiang Yuyan looked at him steadily.
"He said that I was born in a humble family and had to rely on myself for everything. If I wanted to be a close minister to the emperor, I couldn't get involved with the people in the court."
Jiang Yuyan opened her mouth slightly in shock. The family relationships in Dayue Kingdom were complicated. Zheng Shaopu relied on his own strength to gain the emperor's favor in two dynasties. This was because he never interacted too much with court officials, always remained neutral, and never took sides. The only time he made an exception was for her...
"Why do you have to torture yourself like this..." Jiang Yuyan felt bitter and guilty. After all, she was the one who let him down.
"From the first day I entered the Dali Temple, I was prepared to be alone. Master Jiang, there is no need to blame yourself." Zheng Shaopu said coldly.
After saying that, he walked closer to her, almost face to face, his breathing becoming increasingly disordered. "If you're really sorry, this is fine."
So, in Jiang Yuyan's shocked eyes, the man's hot thin lips covered hers.
This kiss was extremely long and tender, as if it expressed all the lovesickness of the past ten years.
Jiang Yuyan responded passively. When she smelled the incense on him, she realized that there were so many clues at the beginning, but she was so slow to notice them.
After an unknown amount of time, as the sky darkened, Zheng Shaopu finally let go of her, who was panting.
"In my heart, you had already married me that night. Now it's enough for me to be able to watch you from afar..." Zheng Shaopu stroked the back of her neck and whispered softly, his usually shrewd eyes now as soft as water.
After a moment, he lifted her wrist to his lips and kissed her just like he did ten years ago, and then left Changle Palace.
Jiang Yuyan touched her burning wrist, feeling full and melancholy in her heart. She stood there for a long time without saying a word.
More than twenty years passed since then.
Zheng Shaopu served three dynasties and never married. He was fair and strict throughout his life and was deeply favored by the emperor. However, he had a beloved apprentice, who was rumored to be Xiao Muheng, the son of the Protector of the Country Lady Jiang Taifu. Xiao started as an ordinary yamen runner in the Dali Temple and took over his job after he retired.
When Zheng Shaopu fell ill in his later years, it was Taifu Jiang who took him to the mansion and provided him with good medicine. It took another five or six years for him to die.
This friendship between colleagues has become a famous story in the history of Dayue.
Of course, there are rumors in unofficial history that Zheng Shaopu is the sixth prince that Jiang Taifu never made public. It was confusing for a while, and later generations had no way of knowing the truth.
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