Forced
"Miss, did your uncle...his uncle beat you last night?"
The next morning, Xiaozhu waited outside the door for a long time. Even after Tan Linshuang opened the door and went out, Zhao Mingyan still didn't get up. When she came to the bed, she saw Zhao Mingyan's red and swollen eyes, messy hair, and red marks on her neck. Then she recalled the sobbing she heard in the middle of the night last night. She was shocked and guessed in a trembling voice.
"ah?"
Zhao Mingyan, who was still in a daze, heard this and looked into her tearful eyes, then shook her head and said, "No, I wasn't crying, but..."
She didn't know how to explain to this girl who was ignorant about sex that when she was overly passionate, she would uncontrollably make those whimpering moans.
She frowned, feeling shy and nostalgic about the three consecutive passionate lovemaking last night, and her toes curled up slightly unconsciously.
Isn't Tan Linshuang weak? She looked like a wild beast last night.
Could this be... a last gasp of youth? Am I going to be a widow so soon?
With this doubt in mind, after blowing out the candlelight at night, she rested her head on Tan Linshuang's shoulder and tentatively asked, "Husband, are you feeling well recently?"
"Body?"
Tan Linshuang narrowed her eyes slightly, and suddenly thought of Nie Sanlang's burly back. Jealousy surged in her heart, and she turned over and pressed Zhao Mingyan down, "My husband is in good health!"
"My lady, didn't I let you have fun last night?"
"I didn't… mmm…"
Just as Zhao Mingyan was about to speak, her mouth was blocked and she was tossed over and over again three times by the lustful Tan Linshuang.
"Husband...Husband, please go slower..."
"My wife, how is your husband's health?"
"Good...very good..."
Zhao Mingyan felt her voice was hoarse again, and her hands on Tan Linshuang's shoulders were already powerless. She just wanted to die.
Something is wrong with Tan Linshuang!
Two days later, Zhao Mingyan finally discovered that this was not a last gasp of Tan Linshuang, but... She couldn't explain it. It was clear that the two of them were like a pair of conjoined twins in bed these days, but once they got out of bed, Tan Linshuang treated her like air. He would only get close to her when paying his respects, and would avoid her as soon as they left the main courtyard.
Zhao Mingyan was displeased. That night, when Tan Linshuang pressed against her again, she reached out and pushed his shoulder, frowning and asking, "Husband, what's wrong with you?"
Tan Linshuang looked at her with eyes that were both hot and cold, making her hesitate.
But before she could investigate further, Tan Linshuang blocked her mouth, even more rudely than the previous nights.
“Hmm…”
Zhao Mingyan pushed hard and was surprised to find that Tan Linshuang didn't move at all.
In addition to the aggressive kiss, Tan Linshuang's hands were not gentle at all. He lifted her skirt and went straight in.
Snap——
Zhao Mingyan couldn't stand it any longer. She slapped him on the shoulder and took advantage of his moment of relaxation to push him away. "Tan Linshuang, what do you think I am? Your toy?"
"What about you? What do you think I am? Your tool for making babies?"
Tan Linshuang looked straight at her, the anger in her eyes difficult to conceal.
In addition to anger, there was also a hint of resentment.
Zhao Mingyan was stunned immediately.
"Oh!"
Seeing her silence, Tan Linshuang gave a short laugh and said self-deprecatingly, "Well, at least it's not completely useless."
"You want a son, I'll grant you that, we owe nothing to each other!"
"No one owes anyone anything? What do you mean?" Zhao Mingyan was confused.
Tan Linshuang no longer responded. He put his arms around her waist, flipped her over, and made her lie on the bed.
Zhao Mingyan was caught off guard. The movement just now was too fast. She only felt her body being lifted up by an invisible force, suddenly flying into the air, and then suddenly falling down.
By the time she reacted, her left leg had been straightened by Tan Linshuang and her right leg was bent. Her skirt was lifted, and a cool breeze blew in. Chizhu was hit hard by Yu Ruyi. She grabbed the pillow tightly and gasped.
After several deep and shallow movements, she gradually let go of the pillow and slowly raised her head.
Seeing her moved, Tan Linshuang sneered and said, "I won't give you the chance to find a son-in-law. I will definitely let you hold the sun and the moon in my arms."
Zhao Mingyan was stunned again.
Recruiting a son-in-law?
Her fingertips dug into the pillow, as if she understood something.
My heart was beating fast and my body was trembling.
She turned her head with difficulty and sneered back, "And then? You can retire with your achievements complete and be surrounded by beauties?"
"What?" Tan Linshuang frowned.
Zhao Mingyan's sneer widened. "You keep saying you're going to train two maids to serve me. That sounds good, but if they're specifically meant to serve me, why would you ask them to memorize your clothing sizes and the order in which the items in your study are placed?"
Tan Linshuang paused.
Zhao Mingyan's eyes flashed.
He bent his straightened left leg and kicked it again. With a "bang", Tan Linshuang was kicked to the end of the bed and hit the red gauze curtains heavily.
Hiss——
The red curtains could not withstand the heavy damage and collapsed, covering the two people on the bed...
The sun shines and the cicadas chirp.
Xiaozhu and Ayun stood at the head and tail of the bed, stretching the red gauze curtains and hanging them up again.
The two of them looked at each other from time to time, without any awkwardness.
Zhao Mingyan and Tan Linshuang, who stood back to back, were also inseparable.
After hanging the red gauze curtains, Ayun walked over to Tan Linshuang, lowered her head and whispered, "Master, I think the bedposts are a little loose. Do you want me to find someone to reinforce them?"
Hearing this, Xiaozhu glanced at Zhao Mingyan, whose face was gloomy, and thought to herself: Did the young lady and her husband have a fight in bed last night?
Tan Linshuang shook her head, "No need."
In the days that followed, he and Zhao Mingyan would probably not rock the bed anymore.
That night, the two fell asleep back to back, their relationship even colder than when they were under the bed.
Xiaozhu was puzzled, "Miss, what happened between you and your uncle?"
"Nothing." Zhao Mingyan said angrily.
Xiaozhu thought: There is clearly something.
"Let's go to the Chastity Hall today." Zhao Mingyan said suddenly.
After many days, Zhao Mingyan set out on the road to Chastity Hall again and saw through the window that the rape flowers in the fields were in full bloom.
The emerald green water, the golden rapeseed flowers, the singing birds, everything is full of vitality, even more vibrant than in spring.
Except for the rows of glaring chastity arches.
Fortunately, the ground where Zou Wuniang's archway originally stood is still empty, and no new archway has been built.
"Sister Mingyan!"
When the carriage was about to arrive at the Chastity Hall, Zhao Mingyan heard Madam Zhuang's excited shouts from afar. She looked up and saw Madam Zhuang coming out of the gate with the other chaste women, smiling and waving at her.
Suddenly, Zhao Mingyan understood.
Who says that not seeing each other for a long time will make us alienated?
"Sister Zhuang!"
She hurriedly got off the carriage and was surrounded by Aunt Zhuang and others, who asked her about her well-being.
"Sister Mingyan, is everything okay at home?"
"We've heard about your mother's family. Those relatives of yours are truly shameless. Their greed for wealth is obvious!"
"Fortunately, I won the lawsuit. Amitabha..."
"What does it have to do with the Buddha? It's our sister Mingyan who is doing good and getting rewarded."
"Yes, yes! You never know. Zou Wuniang's spirit in heaven is also blessing her."
Everyone was talking at once, like a flock of happy birds, completely dispelling the gloom in Zhao Mingyan's heart.
"It's a pity that we can't help." Aunt Zhuang blamed herself.
"As long as you have the intention." Zhao Mingyan smiled.
Looking at Aunt Zhuang's sincere expression, Zhao Mingyan was completely relieved.
The colors in this world are not black or white, and the same goes for human hearts.
"If I can't help with this, I can help with that." Hu Xiu Lian smiled and winked at everyone.
Before Zhao Mingyan could ask any questions, she and Xiaozhu were surrounded by everyone and brought to the main hall, where they saw paintings of various lanterns.
"What is this?" She was confused.
Aunt Zhuang explained with a smile, "I heard that as soon as autumn arrives, lantern makers from all over the country will come to the capital to prepare for the offering of lanterns to the palace. I heard that your shop has made many attempts to offer lanterns to the palace many years ago. Although it has been unsuccessful in recent years, perhaps you can succeed again!"
"Yes, yes! So we have painted a lot of lantern pictures recently, and we were thinking of waiting for you to come and take a look, so that we can brainstorm." Sun Erniang nodded and continued.
Zhao Mingyan's eyes flashed slightly, and when he looked at these paintings again, he felt deeply moved.
"Oh! They are all random drawings. We don't know anything about lanterns. We just thought that both the brocade and the lanterns should be beautiful, colorful, and have many patterns. So we used our experience in brocade weaving to draw so many fancy lanterns." Hu Xiu Lian said with a shy smile.
"It's a very good painting!" Zhao Mingyan said sincerely.
Aunt Zhuang went on to say, "Brocade weaving relies on a loom, and the patterns are fixed. There aren't many variations, no matter the pattern or color. It's not like making lanterns, where you can create anything you want, all with a deft hand."
"Next time I will bring some tools for making lamps and teach you how to make lamps." Zhao Mingyan sniffed and said with a smile.
After she resolved her problem, Zhao Mingyan came to the Chastity Hall every now and then to teach the chaste women how to make lanterns.
During this time, she said to everyone, "It is becoming increasingly difficult to offer lanterns to the palace now."
"Is it because there are more and more skilled lamp makers?" Aunt Zhuang asked curiously.
Zhao Mingyan nodded. "That's one reason. Another reason is that from the previous dynasty to the present, the types of lanterns have been constantly updated. Simply looking good is no longer enough to win the favor of the royal family. They also need to be unique."
"Unique? How can we be unique?" Aunt Zhuang asked again.
“Hmm…”
Zhao Mingyan tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Take the lanterns of the previous dynasty, for example. Their shapes were more varied, with square lanterns, round lanterns, fish lanterns, rabbit lanterns, and so on. The craftsmanship was also more complex. For example, the rolling lantern described by the poet Fan Chengda of the previous dynasty, in addition to the complex craftsmanship of breaking bamboo, splitting strips, and weaving them, also had to ensure that the light inside remained burning. The outer part was a bamboo sphere, so the light would not go out even if it moved."
"During my dynasty, the art of lantern making reached a new level, with the emergence of lanterns that were rotated by mechanical devices, which were even more magical than the revolving lanterns."
"It's rotated by a machine?" Aunt Zhuang was surprised and couldn't imagine it.
Hu Xiu Lian looked up and continued, "I've never seen any lanterns made of machinery, but I know there's a very skilled craftsman living in Yongnian Town. He makes a water-penetrating pestle that can pound grain using water, without relying on human labor."
"There is also a water mill, which is better than a donkey." Sun Erniang added.
"Aren't these all used for farming? Can't they be used to make lanterns?" Zhao Mingyan blinked.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
