Chapter 24 May I meet Yunxi's sworn sister?
Shi Qingchen felt even more annoyed when he saw Liu's pretentious face. After all, having seen the ocean, one finds it hard to be impressed by a river. Having met the dazzling Yunxi, how could he possibly take this scheming noblewoman seriously?
However, when he thought about how, in recent days, when his political enemies in the court were targeting him and his son, Liu's father, Minister Liu, had repeatedly defended and refuted his son-in-law.
Shi Qingchen gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, reached out and pulled Liu Shi to sit on the couch, then embraced her.
Lady Liu, of course, was unaware that her true colors had already been revealed. Upon seeing Shi Qingchen's willingness to be intimate with him, she feigned shyness and initially resisted, then softly called out, "My husband~"
Shi Qingchen shuddered with disgust at her use of the word "husband." He immediately pressed Liu's head against his chest to prevent her from looking up and seeing his uncontrollable expression of disgust.
After swallowing hard and forcibly suppressing his nausea, Shi Qingchen gently comforted Liu Shi, "Go back and thank your father-in-law for me. These past few days, I've been very grateful to him for helping me defend myself in court."
Upon hearing this, Madam Liu's lips curled into a mocking smile. No wonder she was willing to approach her today; it turned out she had her father's help. Now she knows that she, the legitimate daughter of a noble family, is stronger than that orphan girl, right?
Although Liu thought this in her heart, she said very gently, "Why are you being so polite with me, my husband? The Liu and Shi families are united by marriage, so naturally we should help each other."
Now that I have married you, I will certainly dedicate myself to the well-being of the Shi family. I will send someone back to convey your gratitude to my father. But at this moment, my greatest concern is for your health.
Because of the worries at court these past few days, I've noticed that my husband has lost a lot of weight. I've ordered the kitchen to cook a few of his favorite dishes. How about we, husband and wife, share a few drinks?
Shi Qingchen had no appetite at all, but upon hearing about drinking, he, who was not good at drinking, wanted to try what it meant to drown one's sorrows in alcohol.
He thought he might as well indulge himself for the day, get completely drunk, and live for the moment, worrying about tomorrow later.
After Shi Qingchen nodded slightly, he was pulled by Liu Shi to sit down at the table. Liu Shi ordered the servants to bring out the wine and dishes that had been prepared in advance, and then served Shi Qingchen to start eating.
The two drank their wine with their own thoughts in mind. After a few cups, Shi Qingchen began to feel hot all over. Seeing that things were going smoothly, Liu continued to pour more wine as a precaution.
Shi Qingchen was not a good drinker, and at this moment he felt his vision was blurry. He saw that the person sitting opposite him was Yunxi!
Overjoyed, he grabbed the woman's hand and pulled her forcefully into his arms. If there was one thing he regretted most about being with Yunxi, it was not being able to truly make Yunxi his woman.
Yunxi always said she wanted to marry him properly, and he also wanted to give Yunxi a respectable status, but in the end, they were separated by death.
The thought of being separated by life and death brought Shi Qingchen back to his senses. He closed his eyes, unwilling to look, because he had already realized that the woman in his arms was no longer Yunxi.
When Liu saw that Shi Qingchen had started to embrace her, she felt that the medicine must be taking effect, and immediately suggested, "Husband, shall I help you to the bed to rest?"
Hearing Liu's voice, Shi Qingchen just wanted to play dumb and pretend that Yunxi had returned to his side. He responded softly and let Liu help him walk towards the bed.
The curtains were drawn, and after a rustling sound, a woman's cry of pain rang out. But a moment later, all the decadent sounds ended with a low growl from the man.
Lying beneath Shi Qingchen, Lady Liu stared in astonishment at the husband she had so painstakingly married, only to find him to be nothing more than a showy but useless figurehead.
In her previous life, she was married off to a crude military general due to an arranged marriage. Although the general was not good at sweet talk and had a rough appearance, he was physically strong.
She truly experienced what it meant to be intimate with her lover. In this life, she had foreseen everything, but she hadn't considered the difference between civil officials and military generals.
If Shi Qingchen still had the effects of the medicine today, wouldn't she be destined to live a life of widowhood?
Just as Lady Liu was feeling down about this, Shi Qingchen suddenly pounced on her again, but this time it didn't last long either, ending in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
If the first time was short, it would usually be shorter, but this second time is enough to prove that Shi Qingchen's ability is just like that.
Just moments ago, she thought there was a glimmer of hope, but now Liu's heart is filled with utter despair. Shi Qingchen is only just over twenty years old; if he waits another ten or twenty years, he might not even be able to maintain his current level.
If Lady Liu had not been reborn, she would probably think this was a normal phenomenon. However, although her body was that of a new bride, her soul had been a woman for two lifetimes.
The immense disappointment made Liu unwilling to waste any more time with Shi Qingchen. She pushed away the man who was calling out to Yunxi and swiftly left.
Liu is now unsure whether her choice was right or wrong. This man seems so terrible, both physically and mentally. If he fails to become the Grand Secretary in the future, then her life will be ruined because of him.
Liu didn't see the man who had been muttering in his sleep on the bed open his clear eyes after she left. Shi Qingchen stared blankly at the bed curtains, two streams of cloudy tears streaming down his face.
He felt his body was tainted, and if Yunxi's spirit in heaven knew this, she would probably never enter his dreams again.
In the following days, the Shi family father and son visited twice more with great sincerity. However, they failed to find a way to resolve the issue, indicating that Gu Nanxiao was determined to continue making things difficult for the Shi family.
Finally, the father and son gritted their teeth and decided to present the improved papermaking and woodblock printing techniques left by Yunxi in the bookstore, their third money-making business, to the emperor in the morning court session.
However, the emperor's attitude was completely different from when Gu Nanxiao presented the prescription. Not only did the emperor not praise the Shi family father and son, but he also implied in his words that they were keeping the prescription to themselves.
They said that they only cared about their own family interests and were not truly loyal to the emperor and the country. They also doubted whether the recipe came from the famous scholar Tokiyoshi, who was renowned throughout the capital.
This outcome was completely unexpected for the Shi family father and son, and it also plunged the Shi family's political career into an even greater crisis.
Unlike military generals, civil officials could not advance their careers based on military achievements. They could only earn the emperor's favor by working diligently and conscientiously for many years.
But once the emperor begins to suspect or even become disgusted with them, all their hard work will be in vain.
The world has never lacked people who are quick-witted and hardworking, so they were never irreplaceable from the start.
They had hoped that by reluctantly handing over the improved papermaking formula and woodblock printing technology, they could win back the emperor's favor. Unexpectedly, this backfired, provoking even greater displeasure from the emperor.
After the court session, Shi Qingchen asked his father to wait for him at the palace gate, while he stopped Gu Nanxiao and lured him to a secluded spot, where he asked him bluntly:
"May I ask if I may meet Yunxi's sworn sister?"
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