As night fell, the eldest brother was being pulled into drinking by his comrades in the army, while Shen Zhiyi accompanied her mother to the new house to bring some food to Wen Qing. Xu Yunyi comforted her a few more times, afraid that she would be frightened by today's events.
"Sister-in-law, you must be hungry. Hurry up and eat something." Shen Zhiyi said with a smile.
Despite being friends for many years, the way she addressed him as "sister-in-law" made Wen Qing blush.
“You should know that we don’t have that many rules in our family. If Jingchuan bullies you, you must tell me, and I will definitely teach that kid a lesson.”
As Xu Yunyi spoke, she took off the jade bracelet she was wearing and put it on her.
"Aunt Yun, this is too precious..." Wen Qing declined.
"Still calling me Aunt Yun?"
"Mother."
Xu Yunyi smiled and said that she was obedient, and put the bracelet on her wrist. "I only have one daughter. You are the daughter-in-law of the Duke's Mansion. I will love you as my own daughter."
“Jingchuan is being held back by those soldiers, so we’ll have a rare chance to get him drunk. He’ll probably be back in his room a little late. If you’re tired, you should rest early and don’t wait for him.”
Wen Qing nodded in a deep voice.
Seeing that she was still nervous, Shen Zhiyi deliberately called her sister-in-law, which made Wen Qing blush.
——
After leaving her elder brother's wedding room, her mother continued to entertain the guests, while Shen Zhiyi said she was tired and asked Hongrui and Lühe to prepare water so she could go back to her room to take a bath.
Soaking in warm water, she casually brushed aside a few petals floating on the surface.
My mind is still replaying the events of today...
Song Maozhang was not a fool; he would not dare to spread rumors and cause trouble in front of the emperor and numerous guests without absolute certainty.
Therefore, he must have placed this letter of treason in the Shen family's possession.
It was probably the night he brought Song Shaohuai to apologize with thorns on his back.
But I never noticed it myself.
After no letters of treason were found in the manor, the eldest brother suddenly insisted on searching the manor. Did he know something in advance?
What role did Zhou Xuance play in all of this today?
Lost in thought, she didn't notice Hongrui bringing over clean clothes. "Miss, the water's gotten cold. I'll go get you some hot water."
"Need not."
"Then I will help you change your clothes."
"You can go out now, I'll dress myself."
Shen Zhiyi hadn't figured out what had happened today and needed a quiet environment, so she didn't want to be disturbed. Hongrui helped her dry off and then left.
The guests had not yet all left, and the soldiers, who were all heavy drinkers, were still making a great commotion, which was giving me a headache. Just as Shen Zhiyi was about to close the window, she heard a rustling sound outside and a familiar figure appeared by the window.
Under the moonlight, the purple dress seemed to completely blend into the night.
"You're here again?"
Zhou Xuance ignored her and nimbly climbed through the window.
He acted as if he were entering and leaving his own home.
"You've taken a bath?" Zhou Xuance's gaze fell, and the eyes beneath the mask deepened in color.
Shen Zhiyi was startled to realize that she was dressed too lightly, so she turned around and put on an outer garment. Just as she turned around, Zhou Xuance was already close by. He had taken off his mask at some point, and the face under the black mask was cold, pale, and gentle.
"Today is my elder brother's wedding day, and there are many guests outside. Don't do anything reckless!" Shen Zhiyi saw him getting closer and closer and retreated step by step.
But he grabbed her forearm and stopped her in her tracks.
"Then let's keep our voices down." He lowered his eyes and chuckled softly.
"this……"
What kind of talk is that!
Shen Zhiyi was flustered by his words, while Zhou Xuance took a step forward, closed the distance between the two, and reached out to pull her wet hair out from under her coat.
She had just thrown on some clothes haphazardly and hadn't had time to fix her hair yet.
"Why didn't you wring your hair dry?" Zhou Xuance asked.
"Not yet."
Zhou Xuance pulled her down to sit, took a handkerchief and helped her dry her hair. The wet hair, which hadn't been wrung out, soaked through her thin clothes on her back, clinging to her back and outlining the clear butterfly bones on her back.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he focused on drying her hair.
“Your Highness, you are of noble status and should not do these things.” Shen Zhi tried to stop him, but he was too forceful and wouldn’t allow her to move.
"We've done even the most intimate things together, so drying our hair is nothing."
Shen Zhiyi had no choice but to say, "It's getting late, Your Highness should be returning to your residence."
"I was about to leave, but I wanted to stop by and see you one last time before I go."
Zhou Xuance had already dried her hair and sat down opposite her. "At the wedding banquet, many people will greet you."
"Those invited to the wedding banquet are naturally all familiar acquaintances of the Duke's mansion. It's normal for them to greet me since they know me." Shen Zhiyi had just finished her bath and was feeling thirsty when Zhou Xuance poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.
Her brain told her to keep her distance from Zhou Xuance.
But his body acted faster than his mind, and he had already reached out to take the tea.
Zhou Xuance poured himself another cup of tea, saying, "But some of them don't just want to say hello to you."
Shen Zhiyi sipped her tea. "So tell me, what do you think they want to do?"
I want you.
"Cough—" Shen Zhiyi was startled by his blunt words and choked on her tea as soon as it entered her mouth.
Zhou Xuance gently patted her back.
"Your Highness, you're overthinking it!"
"Because I share the same thoughts as them, I understand the way they look at you."
"..."
Shen Zhiyi was utterly helpless against him. "Your Highness, you should know that in the entire Daqian, I could be with any of them, but only with you..."
"Impossible!"
No monarch has ever allowed two powerful ministers who control a large army to become related by marriage.
A dark glint flashed in Zhou Xuance's eyes as he gripped his teacup tighter. "Why is it impossible?"
"His Majesty will not allow it, and besides, I have been divorced before, so I'm afraid the Empress Dowager will not allow you to marry me either." Looking across the country, there has never been a precedent of the royal family marrying a divorced woman.
“These are all other people, what about you?” Zhou Xuance stared intently at her.
"I?"
"I don't care about others, do you want to be with me?"
"His Majesty is the current emperor, he is no ordinary person..."
“Chen Zhiyi, I’m asking you!” Zhou Xuance interrupted her, his gaze burning.
As Xiao Zhongxuan, he was gentle and considerate; it would be a lie to say I wasn't moved.
If one has no feelings whatsoever, one will not accept his audacity.
But he is, after all, Zhou Xuance!
Shen Zhiyi adjusted her breathing. The candlelight danced in her eyes, the scalding light making it impossible to look directly at her. Just as she looked away, her chin was grabbed.
He used some force in his hand.
strong,
He forced her to look into his eyes.
"Your Highness!" Shen Zhiyi frowned in pain.
"Ignore everyone else, just tell me, do you want to?"
"There are so many good women in the world. I have been married before. Why is Your Highness so fixated on me?"
"But they are not you. No matter how good they are, what does it have to do with me?"
Shen Zhiyi was taken aback.
"Yiyi, when I said I liked you before, I meant it." Zhou Xuance loosened his grip on her chin, and his fingers gently stroked her face without her noticing.
His fingertips were burning hot, and wherever they touched, they stirred up a burst of fire.
Shen Zhiyi snapped out of her daze and tried to avoid his touch, but his fingers suddenly touched the back of her head, pressing her against him.
The moment their lips touched, her breath caught in her throat.
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