Chapter 37 Chapter 37 The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind...
"Madam, the master is here to see you." Xiao Xing's excited voice came from outside the door, but Jiang Wu could hear the fear that made his hair stand on end.
"Is Wan Niang feeling better?" He Shiyan was wearing a moon-white round-necked long gown, which made him look as gentle as jade and as elegant as a willow under the moon.
"The young lady just drank a bowl of porridge earlier, so I think she's fine." Xiao Xing, who led a man into the house, didn't feel anything wrong. You know, the master is the young lady's father-in-law.
But after walking into the room and finding it empty, Xiao Xing couldn't hide her confusion and asked, "Hey, the young mistress was in the room just now, where is she?"
The house was empty except for the windows which were wide open, letting the wind blow in on both sides.
The moment he heard his voice, his brain forced Jiang Wu to quickly make the decision to rush out of the window.
Anywhere is better than staying in your room.
Unconsciously, Jiang Wu, wandering around like a headless fly, arrived at the mourning hall set up for her dream husband.
She used to be afraid of everything related to death, but now, this has become the best place for her to temporarily avoid danger.
White curtains were hung around the mourning hall, and the white candles flickered in the wind, bringing a creepy chill.
A black lacquered coffin was placed in the middle of the mourning hall, and lying inside was Jiang Wu's husband who had died early in her dream.
Now she only hoped that he would have some conscience and not do such a beastly act as to forcibly seize his daughter-in-law in front of his eldest son's coffin before the seventh day had passed.
Jiang Wu, who had just sat down in the corner after pulling up a mat and muttering to herself "Don't blame me", heard steady and powerful footsteps in the distance. As her hair stood on end, a slightly cool hand reached out from behind her and rested on her shoulder. The warm breath licked her cheek like a snake, leaving a layer of cold mucus.
"Is Wan Niang hiding from your father?" A low, punitive voice sounded behind her, suddenly making her break out in a cold sweat.
The originally lit candles were blown out by the wind, and half of the candlelight in the room suddenly went out. The white curtains moved without wind, and the cold air climbed up inch by inch like a maggot on the tarsus.
"No, I'm just a daughter-in-law who wants to keep vigil for my husband. I have no intention of hiding from my father-in-law." Even though Jiang Wu was so scared that her teeth were chattering and she desperately wanted to escape, she still chose to deal with him temporarily.
"Really?" The man's voice rose slightly, obviously unconvinced.
The man's slightly cool fingertips gradually moved upwards to her face, which was pale with fear. Finally, he pinched her chin and forcefully forced her to look up and look directly into his eyes, his dark pupils full of malicious amusement.
"If you're not hiding from me, why doesn't Wanniang dare look at me?" He Shiyan lowered his eyes and looked at the face that was colorless due to fear, but added a soft and desolate look. His fingertips caressed the delicate skin underneath, and suddenly he chuckled and approached her. "It's been so long, Wanniang, have you thought of an answer yet?"
It seemed that if Jiang Wu's answer failed to satisfy him, what would be waiting for her next would be the man's hand strangling her neck.
Jiang Wu felt a wave of nausea rising from his chest. He had not expected that he would be so shameless. He would start forcing his daughter-in-law before the seventh day after his son's death, and in front of his son's mourning hall.
Jiang Wu dug her nails into her palms and turned her face away, avoiding his determined and malicious eyes. Her eyelashes fluttered with fear and trembling. "Didn't father-in-law say that he would give his daughter-in-law some time to think about it? He hasn't made up his mind yet."
"Father did say he would give you time, but I can wait, but can your family members wait as long as you do?" He Shiyan was like a fox in a very good mood, slowly approaching the prey whose neck he was about to bite off.
But the prey is still too stupid to know anything at this moment.
Whenever he thought that he and his master's wife were having the same dream in a place unknown to his master, and that in the dream they were in the relationship of father-in-law and daughter-in-law, his blood would boil.
He Shiyan, who was stroking her cheek with his fingertips, suddenly sighed softly: "Wanniang, it's not that I, as a father, am urging you, but continuing to delay is not good for anyone."
"Otherwise, if it's delayed for too long, what will we do if the baby's period doesn't match?"
He said he was willing to negotiate, but in reality, what difference was there between him and that robber!
Jiang Wu wanted to avoid him in disgust, but her chin was pinched. She could only bite her lip to show weakness, "Can you give me some time to think about it?"
The man raised an eyebrow: "How long?"
"I don't need much time, one day is enough." Because he said too much, Jiang Wu guessed that he would definitely not agree.
For her, the most important thing now is to get through it. Maybe when the day breaks, she will wake up from this disgusting dream.
For He Shiyan, the difference between one or two days is not big. He just makes him wait one more day, so he has to charge some interest.
Jiang Wu, who had been waiting for a long time without receiving his answer, was so nervous that she even stopped breathing.
"Of course one day is enough, but..."
The second half of the man's unfinished sentence was like a boot thrown into the air, which took a long time to fall.
Jiang Wu was so nervous that his heart suddenly stopped. His mouth was so dry that he kept swallowing saliva. "Just what?"
As soon as Jiang Wu finished speaking, she felt a licking and biting sensation on her neck, accompanied by the man's punitive smile in her ear, "This is interest."
"Madam, why is there a bug bite on your neck?" In the morning, Juan'er, who was dressing the madam, pointed at a red mark on her neck and exclaimed.
Jiang Wu's eyebrows jumped violently, and she took the target mirror handed to her by Juan'er and looked at it. A red mark appeared on her neck.
This position happened to be the one He Shiyan bit in the dream.
In an instant, a chill rose from the soles of Jiang Wu's feet, and then spread throughout her limbs and bones. She was so cold that even her soul was trembling, and she almost dropped the target scope in her hand.
He only bit her in a dream, how could he bring it into reality? Maybe she was just bitten by a bug accidentally. She shouldn't scare herself.
Even so, Jiang Wu, still feeling the chill all over her body, said uneasily, "Use some rouge to cover it up."
Whether it is true or not, she has to find a Taoist priest to check her out.
When Jiang Wu went to the main hall to eat, he found that the whole house had become busy. He immediately grabbed the maid closest to him and asked, "Is there any happy event in the house today?"
The maid replied, "Madam forgot that today is the day when our cousin returns home from his exams."
"The master had previously promised to hold a crab feast for the young master, and now the mansion is preparing for the banquet."
The continuous dreams in the past few days almost made Jiang Wu forget such an important thing.
In the dream, the banquet prepared for Song Jinye will completely destroy her and is also the beginning of her divorce from the Xie family.
Jiang Wu's head was buzzing. When she thought about what would happen in her dream and the scene of her dying in the dilapidated temple with maggots all over her body, her abdomen spasmed and a hot, sour liquid rushed up her throat, forcing her to bend over and vomit.
It seems that I will only feel better if I vomit out everything I have eaten in my stomach.
Her sudden vomiting frightened Juan'er so much that she screamed, "Madam, what's wrong with you?"
"Someone, call the court doctor over!"
Xie Ji, who was waiting for her to come to the main hall for dinner, immediately rushed to Hengwu Garden after learning that she was not feeling well.
When the court doctor came over, Juan'er's face showed a moment of fear, because she was afraid of what to do if the court doctor found out that her wife was pregnant.
You have to know that as the lady's maid, she knew best that although the lady and the master slept in the same room, they did not share the same bed, and never called for water at night.
If the lady was really pregnant, the first person Juan'er thought of was the man who had hugged the lady in Yuanyin Temple.
"What's wrong with Madam? Is she seriously ill?" After entering the inner room, Xie Ji asked Doctor Li anxiously and worriedly, his eyes fixed on the weak and pale woman lying on the bed.
Doctor Li, who was withdrawing his hand, twisted his beard, frowned, and sighed. This also made Xie Ji's heart rise with uneasiness. His bony fingers clenched so tightly that they almost broke. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Whatever happened, just tell me."
Doctor Li, who sighed habitually, was puzzled and said, "Madam, there's nothing seriously wrong with your body. As for your vomiting, it's all due to your restlessness and excessive anxiety. However, the medicine I prescribed can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause."
Juan'er, who was standing by, couldn't help but feel relieved when she learned that the lady was not pregnant. However, when she heard Dr. Li say that it was due to the lady's stress and anxiety, her already uneasy heart became even more tense.
Because she suspected that the lady might be suffering from lovesickness, but how could she dare to say such a thing?
After learning that she was not seriously injured, Xie Ji felt relieved and asked them to leave. He sat on the edge of the bed, bent down, and reached out to tuck the corner of the quilt for her.
He stretched out his fingertips to touch her, but thinking that she seemed to resist his touch, he had to restrain himself and withdraw his hand.
His eyes moved across her pale face, which was so pale that not a trace of blood could be seen. Because her skin was so white, even the dark blue under her eyelids seemed particularly glaring.
It must be because she has been assigned too much homework recently, which makes her body unable to bear it.
As the gong sounded for collecting the papers, it also indicated that the imperial examinations during the 19th year of Yong'an had come to an end.
After Song Jin came out of the examination room, he felt so top-heavy that it seemed as if his feet could not even touch the ground. When he was about to slip and fall to the ground, a strong arm grabbed him.
"Master, my Lord asked me to come and take you back."
This voice instantly sobered up Song Jin, who was exhausted and had a muddled mind. He quickly avoided the call with a wary look in his eyes, "No need. I've already asked my servant to prepare a carriage for me."
"Young Master, why are you so polite? I've already persuaded your little boy to go back, and he's waiting for you at home."
Seeing that many people were looking at him, Song Jin had no choice but to get on the carriage first. Perhaps he was too tired, and even the drowsiness that was coming over him could not be stopped even if he pinched his thigh hard.
Song Jin, who was half asleep and half awake, also opened his eyes and was immediately horrified with a cold sweat: "This is not the way back to the Prime Minister's Mansion. Where are we going?"
"The master thought that since the young master's exams were over and it was not appropriate for him to continue living in the mansion, he moved his luggage to the south of the city." Gao Lang paused and continued, "Well, the master was worried that the young master would not know the way to his new home, so he sent his subordinates to escort him home so that he could get familiar with the way."
"Why so sudden?" Song Jin, whose lips were so dry that he had difficulty breathing, found it hard not to convince himself that he might have suspected something.
Otherwise, he wanted to take action against me, and moved me out of the Prime Minister's Mansion in advance because he was afraid that it would implicate him. You have to know that although he and I have a cousin relationship, he is not actually a member of the Xie family.
The first place Song Jin thought of where he would tamper with something was the imperial examination. Thinking of this, he took a breath and clenched his hands hanging by his sides into fists.
Gao Lang said with a forced smile, "How could it be so sudden? My Lord has had this idea for a long time, but it was delayed for many days because we didn't want to disturb the young master's exam."
If it weren't for the adults' kindness, he would have been packed up and thrown out the day he stepped into the backyard without permission.
Soon, Gao Lang, who was driving the carriage, tightened the reins and stopped the horse: "Young Master, we're here, please get off."
"By the way, the master previously mentioned that he would host a belated crab feast for the young master. Since the young master had just moved into a new house and might not be able to attend, he has set the date for three days from now. I hope the young master will not miss it."
Gao Lang said "please" with a smile, and to Song Jinye's ears, it was probably a Hongmen Banquet where Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at Pei Gong, not the sword dance itself.
Even though he knew it was a Hongmen Feast targeting him, Song Jin had to bite his teeth and accept it. He had already been kicked out of the Xie Mansion, which meant that his chances of contacting her would be very few and far between. This time, however, might be his only chance.
He wanted to use this so-called crab feast to get rid of me, so why couldn't I use the crab feast to gain advantage over him?
Remember, while the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.
The news of the crab feast being held at the Prime Minister's residence reached Ji Xiao, who had called back the Taoist priest and monk because she hadn't appeared in his dreams for a long time. He grinned and said, "Mr. Xie is holding a crab feast for a cousin who is staying at the residence. How can this prince miss such a grand event?"
Not only does he want to go, but he also wants to steal the show.
The invitation was naturally delivered to He Shiyan, who had just had a beautiful dream not long ago.
"Go, why shouldn't I go?" He Shiyan stood up from the Yuhua Pool, letting his long hair fall casually behind him. His face, which had lost its former gentle and dignified gentlemanly demeanor, was now filled with a look of malicious amusement.
After all, he was really looking forward to meeting his good daughter-in-law and good teacher's wife in real life.
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