Feeling his strong heartbeat, her voice was soft yet firm: "My body, my heart, are all yours. From now on, I want to be with you, and never be alone again."
Hearing this, Shen Mingzhao felt as if fireworks had exploded in his heart, warm and sweet. He hugged Su Lingwei tightly in return.
He nodded vigorously: "Okay! We'll never be apart again! I'll cherish you and protect you, so you'll never suffer any more injustice!"
The two embraced in silence for a long time, until the sunlight outside the window grew brighter and brighter.
Shen Mingzhao suddenly remembered something, and her cheeks instantly turned red.
She abruptly released Su Lingwei, pulled the blanket over her head, leaving only her two bright red ears exposed.
Su Lingwei was amused by his sudden action, and her previous grievances instantly vanished.
She looked at the bulging figure under the covers, and the ears that were exposed, red and almost bleeding, and couldn't help but reach out and poke them: "Why are you hiding?"
Shen Mingzhao, lying under the covers, said in a muffled voice, "I...I'm a little embarrassed..."
Seeing his innocent and shy appearance, Su Lingwei felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve upwards.
She gently lifted a corner of the blanket, looked at Shen Mingzhao's flushed cheeks and evasive eyes, and said with a smile, "What's there to be embarrassed about? We're going to be together from now on."
Shen Mingzhao looked up and met her smiling eyes. His heart started racing again, but he still mustered his courage, took her hand, and said earnestly, "Ling Wei, I will propose to you as soon as possible. I will marry you in a grand and glorious way, and make you my rightful wife."
Looking at his earnest expression, Su Lingwei's eyes were filled with a happy smile, and she nodded gently: "Okay, I'll wait for you."
The morning light was just right, and the air in the room was filled with a sweet fragrance.
Last night's tender moments have transformed into this deep affection.
Their feelings for each other were completely solidified in the warm morning light.
Shen Mingzhao held Su Lingwei's hand, her cheeks growing redder and redder as she spoke, even her ears turning pink.
But he still insisted on saying what was hidden in his heart, word by word: "Ling Wei, I know I used to be bad at talking and didn't know how to say nice things, but I really want to spend my life with you. During this time, I have been helping Qing Tang manage the business and I have built up a lot of connections. I also have a few loyal employees. I have opened two grain shops and a cloth shop in town. All of these will be yours in the future. I will do everything in my power to protect you and make sure you are safe and secure."
As he spoke, he even tried to take out his banknotes and land deeds.
But Su Lingwei gently pressed his hand down. Looking at his flushed cheeks and sincere eyes, Su Lingwei's eyes were full of smiles: "I know your feelings, there's no need for this. Actually, I also have my own businesses. Qingtang helped me find my family's assets back home, and she was afraid that I couldn't manage them by myself, so she has been keeping them for me. There are more than a dozen shops and several estates, which is enough for us to live a stable life."
She paused, grasped Shen Mingzhao's hand, and said with gratitude, "I have to thank Qingtang for all of this. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have been able to be together, and I wouldn't have been able to find what was mine."
Shen Mingzhao nodded repeatedly: "Yes! After we get married, we must thank Qingtang properly."
The two smiled at each other, their eyes filled with anticipation for the future.
Shen Mingzhao immediately decided to go home and tell her parents.
Choose an auspicious day and marry Su Lingwei in a grand and glorious ceremony.
Within a few days, the Shen family presented a generous betrothal gift. Silks, satins, gold and silver jewelry filled Su Lingwei's courtyard. The entire Luanshi Village knew that Shen Mingzhao was going to marry Su Lingwei, and everyone smiled and offered their blessings.
Meanwhile, Pei Yurou woke up in a dilapidated house in an alley with a splitting headache and body aches. She opened her eyes and saw a strange man lying next to her.
She instantly snapped back to reality, screaming and shoving the man away. The man was none other than Qiu Ergou, the servant boy from the Qiu family who had been lusting after her beauty.
After being woken up, he looked at Pei Yurou with a fascinated smile on his face: "Yurou, I've liked you for a long time. We did that yesterday, so please marry me!"
Pei Yurou looked at his ugly face and trembled with anger. She raised her hand and slapped him.
She yelled shrilly, "Look at yourself! You're a toad trying to eat swan meat! Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror!"
Qiu Ergou was stunned for a moment after being hit, then his face turned ugly: "Do you think you're still the Pei family's young lady you used to be? Now the whole village knows you're having an affair with me. Do you have any other choice but to marry me?"
These words struck a nerve with Pei Yurou. She rushed out the door and, sure enough, saw a crowd of villagers gathered at the village entrance, all pointing and whispering about her.
His eyes were full of disdain and mockery. "Look, that's the Pei family's young lady, actually with a servant..."
"How shameless!"
The unbearable gossip pierced Pei Yurou's heart like a knife, causing her to collapse instantly, feeling as if her dignity had been completely torn apart.
I'm too ashamed to face anyone anymore.
She rushed back to the dilapidated house like a madwoman, and saw Qiu Ergou still there smugly. A murderous intent instantly ignited in her eyes.
She grabbed a wood-chopping knife from the corner and lunged at Qiu Ergou, stabbing him in the chest.
"Ah!" Qiu Ergou screamed and fell to the ground, his blood instantly staining the ground red.
Pei Yurou stared blankly at the blood on her hands, then burst into maniacal laughter: "Who told you to ruin me! Who told you all to look down on me!"
Soon, someone discovered the body and immediately reported it to the authorities. When the constables arrived, Pei Yurou was still sitting on the ground, holding a bloodstained woodcutter's knife.
She was muttering to herself. She was caught on the spot and taken to the county government office.
During the trial, Pei Yurou confessed to the murder. With the villagers' testimonies, the magistrate immediately sentenced her to beheading, to be carried out three days later.
Pei Yurou, imprisoned in a death row cell, cried her heart out upon learning of her fate.
But it was all in vain.
Just when she was in despair, the jailer guarding her cell mentioned Shen Mingzhao and Su Lingwei's marriage during a casual conversation: "I heard that the second young master of the Shen family is going to marry Miss Su. The betrothal gifts have already been sent, and the wedding is going to be a grand affair. They'll be getting married in a few days..."
Pei Yurou suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with resentment and bitterness. She gripped the cell door tightly and roared, "Why! Why can Shen Mingzhao and Su Lingwei have such a grand wedding, while I have to be beheaded! Shen Qingtang! Su Lingwei! I will haunt you even as a ghost!"
But her screams were ultimately in vain.
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