Chapter 37 Chapter 37 My dear, you are so handsome, there is no other like you in the world.
The ninth day of the twelfth lunar month coincides with the winter solstice.
The maids were sent to sweep away the accumulated snow in front of the Marquis Mingde's mansion early in the morning. The lanterns on the door lintel were replaced with colorful lanterns with the poem "Fu Lu" written in gold ink. The stone lions on the left and right sides of the steps had plum blossoms picked that morning specially tied around their necks with red silk.
Sheng Puzhu took Madam Du's hand and stepped off the carriage.
In front of the Marquis's mansion, a respected maid was already standing under the eaves waiting for him.
"Madam." Aunt Gui came forward with a smile.
He bowed first, then respectfully extended his hand to help the person: "The ladies in the mansion have been looking forward to your return since early morning."
Sheng Puzhu took Madam Gui's hand and smiled demurely, "Please come and pick her up in person."
Nanny Gui said affectionately, "Look at what you said, my lady. It is my great blessing to be able to come and pick you up."
Having said this, she glanced back and hesitated for a moment: "I wonder if my husband will come today?"
Sheng Puzhu had already taken two steps forward. Hearing this, she pursed her lips and said calmly, "Well, my dear, after you finish your shift, you and Lu Siqing will come together."
Aunt Du said nothing and followed behind with her hands hanging down.
She was a little worried, but she didn't know why.
It didn't look like a conflict between the couple. On the first night of her wife's taking charge of the household, the noise in the main house continued until dawn. The next day, her wife refused to let her husband return to Yunyu Hall for seven or eight days in a row, saying that she needed to check the account books and deal with household chores.
A few days ago, the husband would send people to ask about it, but in the past one or two days, not only did his wife not treat the husband well, but the husband also slept in the study every day and seemed to have given up all thoughts.
Seeing that Sheng Puju didn't take the matter seriously, Madam Du tried to persuade her both openly and secretly. Unfortunately, her wife was so stubborn that even ten oxen couldn't pull her back.
Nanny Du has been so worried for several days that she can neither eat nor sleep well.
The only thing that could make her feel a little relieved was that Sheng Puzhu still ate well and slept well every day, and could even find time to secretly read a storybook for a quarter of an hour. In just seven or eight days, his overall complexion became better and he even gained a few pounds.
After entering the flower hall, Sheng Puzhu took off her soft wool brocade cloak, revealing a smoky purple skirt embroidered with Baoxiang flowers. The hem of her skirt was adorned with pearls. The beads were not big, but each one was round and bright in color.
"I've been waiting for my sister to come." Sheng Puyao was wearing a brand new goose yellow skirt embroidered with broken branches and piled flowers, a snow-white fox fur coat draped over her shoulders, two buns with exquisite jade hairpins on both sides, and a necklace jingling around her neck.
She held the raccoon in her arms, and with a "woof" sound, she jumped into Sheng Puzhu's arms.
Aunt Gui smiled and coaxed, "The eldest lady is about to go to Shouchun Residence to pay her respects to the old lady. Does the fourth lady want to come with her?"
Sheng Puyao put the cat slave on the ground and nodded: "Alright, there are many people in the mansion today, and they are all distinguished guests. It is better for me to go with my sister, so as not to bump into others out of ignorance."
"Greetings to grandma." Sheng Puzhu bowed.
Madam Sheng waved her hand and said, "You all can go out and have fun. There's no need to stay in Shouchun Residence. Sister Mingshu and the other young ladies are picking plum blossoms in the garden out front."
Sheng Puzhu and Sheng Puyao bowed to the elders in the flower hall before leaving.
"You are so lucky."
"The young ladies in your mansion are all well-educated, unlike those in my mansion, who are all a bunch of naughty girls." The old lady of the Duke of Anguo's mansion sighed, looking at Sheng Puju's back with some envy as she left.
Old Madam Sheng just smiled without saying anything. How could she not know what this old sister from the Duke of Anguo's Mansion was planning?
When Sheng Puzhu came of age, the Anguo Mansion had already asked Princess Xuanlao to act as a matchmaker.
Princess Xuanlao was born into the Wang family of Taiyuan and was the cousin of the current Empress Dowager. Logically speaking, with Princess Xuanlao's status, there was no good marriage that she could not achieve as long as she stepped forward.
Unfortunately, on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, Princess Xuan had a stomachache and was unable to attend the banquet. Three days later, when the Duke of Anguo's Mansion asked a matchmaker to come, Sheng Puzhu had already arranged the marriage.
"Why is the monkey not okay?"
"The men of your Fu family are all good men with meritorious service on the battlefield, and the women are also well-raised. Why are you envious of me?" Old Lady Sheng said with narrowed eyes.
The old lady of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion spread her hands and said with a half-smile: "My eldest brother is almost twenty-five years old and still hasn't married."
"If you care about me, why not give me your second wife as your granddaughter-in-law?"
It seems like a joke, but it is said in a serious tone.
Qin was drinking tea at the side, and suddenly choked. She quickly said, "I remember that the Second Lady is only seventeen. Old Madam Sheng loves her so much that she can stay in the mansion for two more years. There's no need to rush."
The old lady of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion glanced at Qin meaningfully, and then thought that the Duke of Jingguo's Mansion had already married the eldest lady of the Sheng family, so they should not set their sights on the second lady of the Sheng family.
I immediately retorted: "When I was seventeen, my child was about to be born, so why wasn't I anxious?"
Madam Sheng sat still, as still as a mountain. "I can't decide on the Second Lady's marriage. First, Mingshu must like it, and second, her parents must agree."
Although I cannot make the decision, at least I don’t object.
Qin turned the cup in her hand, various thoughts flashing through her mind. She wondered if her second son could win the favor of the second lady in the Marquis Mingde's mansion when he came today.
The plum blossoms in the garden are in full bloom.
Sheng Mingshu stood on tiptoe to pick a red plum blossom. Her snow-white fingertips were slightly reddened by the ice on the branch. Sheng Mingya was holding a small wicker basket beside her, which already contained six or seven plum branches.
"Sister Mingshu, this one is good." Princess Changning's palm-sized face was blown red by the wind. She was pulling a kite string in her hand, doing two things at once.
"And broken branches." Song Zhuyi's cloak was blown up by the wind. She followed behind Sheng Mingya and spoke in a low voice.
Sheng Mingshu was about to call the maid to bring a ladder when she suddenly heard a soft "crunching, crunching" sound coming from the snow behind her.
"Let me do it." Sheng Puzhu stood on tiptoe and reached out to pick the most beautiful bunch of plum blossoms on the branch.
She is taller than Sheng Mingshu, and is a beautiful woman with bright and elegant features and a tall and slender figure.
"Elder sister." Surprise flashed in Sheng Mingshu's eyes, but she quickly suppressed her emotions.
"It's a birthday gift, don't despise it." Sheng Puzhu took out a palm-sized box from his sleeve and stuffed it into Sheng Mingshu's arms without saying a word.
"What is it? Let me see it too."
"Wow."
"What a big ruby." Sheng Puyao looked at the double-knotted Ruyi hairpin made of white jade and inlaid with rubies, which was almost bigger than a pigeon egg, and little stars almost appeared in her eyes.
Princess Changning came forward curiously, followed by her little tail Song Zhuyi. Unfortunately, she forgot the kite in her hand and accidentally tripped, and the kite got entangled in the plum branches above.
"what to do?"
"I seem to be in trouble. This kite is Mingshu's birthday gift." Princess Changning was so anxious that she was spinning around under the plum branches.
"It doesn't look like it's tied tightly. Ask someone to bring a ladder so I can go up and take it down." Sheng Puzhu walked around the plum tree.
Sheng Linyuan took his husband who was visiting him at home to appreciate the plum blossoms. From a distance, he saw a group of girls standing under a plum tree. The one leading them was his most favored sister.
He smiled helplessly: "My sisters at home are making trouble in the garden, so we should not disturb them."
Xie Zhiyan's ink-black eyes were as calm as water, and when his thin lips were slightly pursed, he revealed an inhuman aloofness.
Today he was wearing a round-necked moon-colored robe, the collar of which was meticulously pressed half an inch below his Adam's apple. A tight and powerful belt was tied around his waist. His black leather Liuhe boots stepped on the snow, as cold as jade, as if he wanted to blend into the snowy scene.
"Sanlang?" Sheng Linyuan saw that his brows were slightly frowned.
Xie Zhiyan bowed to everyone and said, "Sorry, I have to excuse myself for a moment."
After he finished speaking, he strode towards the plum garden. As he passed through the plum trees, the collar of his cloak was covered with snow, which made his face look even more serious.
Sheng Puzhu had just reached for the kite string tangled in the plum branch when he suddenly felt a bone-chilling chill on his back.
She seemed to sense something and looked down, only to meet Xie Zhiyan's cold eyes.
His brows were deeply furrowed, his lips were pressed into a straight line, and his expression was very cold.
"My dear." Sheng Puzhu smiled at him guiltily, but her hands did not stop moving.
"This is simply nonsense." Xie Zhiyan walked under her with a cold expression. It was hard to tell whether he was angry or feeling something else.
Sheng Puzhu loosened his grip and was about to feel happy when he found that the kite string tangled in the branches had been untangled.
"ah!"
She stepped on one spot for too long, and the thin layer of ice on the branches melted. She slipped and one of her embroidered shoes fell off.
The world was spinning, but the expected pain did not come.
Xie Zhiyan knelt on one knee on the ground, pressing his palm against her lower back with a force that could be considered fierce. He held her firmly in his arms, his hot breath against the side of her neck.
Sheng Puzhu was still in shock, her hands tightly around his neck, her eyes closed, not daring to look at him at all.
"Why are you so reckless?"
"The plum trees are not tall, and there is snow on the ground."
"It shouldn't hurt if you fall." Sheng Puju said stubbornly.
Xie Zhiyan sighed helplessly: "Aren't you afraid of scratching your face?"
Sheng Puzhu turned her head away and ignored him. After all, she was still angry.
Sheng Puyao and the others stared with their eyes wide open. Princess Changning covered her eyes with her hands, then peeked through her fingers.
Sheng Mingshu also slapped her chest in fear.
Xie Zhiyan didn't care at all what outsiders thought of him. Instead, he calmly reached out to pick up the embroidered shoes on the ground, patted them gently, and without thinking, put them on her personally in front of everyone.
Sheng Puzhu treaded her feet, and then her cheeks flushed. She huddled in his arms and struggled, "My dear, put me down."
Xie Zhiyan hummed and gently placed the person on the ground: "There won't be a next time."
Sheng Puzhu didn't dare to refute, and because of the girl's face, she pursed her red lips and said, "I will be more careful next time."
Xie Zhiyan said nothing, staring at her: "Madam, are you sure there will be a next time?"
Somehow, the way he looked at her made her think of the night seven days ago.
He didn't know what was wrong with him, he pressed her on the soft pillow, pinched her waist, and watched her soaked in lust, but his clothes were meticulously kept, not even the collar was messy.
In the end, she begged him with her brows furrowed, the corners of her eyes red as if she had been crying, her lower lip bitten by her teeth until it turned white, and her whole body trembled slightly under his palm.
The candlelight flickered, and she tilted her neck back to endure it. In her intense desire, he refused to give her any, and kept grinding her away bit by bit until dawn. In the end, she still couldn't understand what was driving him crazy.
Did she do anything seven days ago?
Sheng Puzhu couldn't remember at all. Apart from visiting the sick Qin, she spent most of her time in the meeting room doing housework.
She frowned, and at this moment, Xie Zhiyan looked at her with his eyes.
She didn't have to do anything, but when the gentle gaze came down on her, her body reacted instinctively.
It was clearly something she couldn't bear, but it became the fullness she was thinking about.
Sheng Puzhu thought she might be crazy. Her husband was so handsome, there was no one like him in the world. She was so attracted by him that she was almost blinded by lust.
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