Chapter 46 Chapter 46 "I do have a favor to ask."...
"Madam, is there something wrong?" Xie Zhiyan walked into the inner room, his eyes looking from top to bottom, his voice lowered a little.
At this time in the past, she should have gone to bed long ago, and would not have forced herself to wait for him.
Xie Zhiyan raised his hand and took off his cloak. The night dew was heavy and wet, and it was cold.
Sheng Puzhu stretched out his hand and was about to take it, but he saw him pause and move sideways.
"cold."
He stepped past her, raised his wrist, and hung the cloak on the hanger behind him.
Sheng Puzhu retracted his hand, which was suspended in mid-air, and his fingertips curled unconsciously. When he raised his head, a smile flashed in his eyes: "I do have a favor to ask of you."
She met Xie Zhiyan's penetrating gaze and said somewhat embarrassedly, "It's about my younger sister's marriage."
"Second Madam Sheng?" Xie Zhiyan paused as he was pouring tea, the tea swaying slightly, revealing a flash of suspicion in his eyes.
Sheng Puzhu nodded: "Yes, it is my second sister Mingshu."
Xie Zhiyan's mind moved, the tip of his tongue touched his teeth, the mist of tea almost blurred his eyebrows and eyes.
Sheng Puzhu didn't think much about it and told Qin everything about her proposal and the encounter between the two of them in the pavilion by the water after noon today.
"The elders in the family didn't object, and my aunt was very enthusiastic."
"Mingshu was so frightened by the incident with Marquis Changxing that she didn't dare meet the opposite sex alone. However, she wasn't so wary of Xie Jiyan, who had injured his leg."
With a "pop".
He placed the teacup on the table rather heavily, and Xie Zhiyan smiled: "Xie Jiyan?"
Sheng Puzhu was puzzled: "Hmm."
"No." Xie Zhiyan looked at her, his voice slightly deep.
"Why?" Sheng Puzhu frowned. Although she also felt that it was not a good idea at first, Xie Zhiyan was obviously angry. She was stunned and couldn't help asking.
Xie Zhiyan leaned over and looked at her quietly, his voice still gentle: "There's no reason, it's just simply inappropriate."
"But..." Sheng Puzhu met the man's calm eyes and wanted to say something.
Xie Zhiyan slowly narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed, making it hard to breathe. He suddenly raised his hand, pressing his fingertips hard against her plump, rosy lips, shutting out all the words she had said.
Sheng Puzhu's breathing stagnated, and she felt his eyes were as deep as ink. His fingertips were scratching her lower lip lightly, causing a slight shudder, and even her teeth were numb.
"Don't mention this matter again."
"Don't be embarrassed. I'll explain it to you personally when I pay my respects to Grandmother tomorrow."
Xie Zhiyan's voice was gentle, but his tone was firmer than ever before. He leaned down and placed one hand on her slender waist, as if he was going to lift her up and press her into his arms in the next moment.
In the end, he just controlled his emotions and placed a light kiss on her snow-white neck.
The hot breath brushed against my face. In the silence of the room, his voice was slightly hoarse, as if he was not paying attention: "In the future, don't mention him again."
Who to mention?
Sheng Puzhu was puzzled and subconsciously raised her head to look at him, but he covered his eyes with his hands.
Xie Zhiyan's throat throbbed, not wanting her to see the emotion on his face at the moment. When he spoke again, his voice had become clearer and smoother: "Madam, go to bed first. I'll go take a bath."
Sheng Puzhu was lying on the bed, in a daze.
"Squeak." There was a very soft sound of a door opening.
"My dear." Madam Du stood outside the corridor and saluted.
Xie Zhiyan nodded, turned around expressionlessly, and walked into the dark and boundless night.
In Yishou Hall, the lights are still on.
When Xie Zhiyan pushed the door open and walked in, the old lady was holding a scroll of scriptures and reading it carefully under the lamp.
"grandmother."
"What's the matter that requires you to come and pay your respects to me at this hour?"
"Is it an emergency at the border?"
"Or did you have a quarrel with that kid Puzhu?" The old lady slowly closed the scripture, her eyes paused, and fell on Xie Zhiyan.
Although Changsun spent most of his time in the palace and grew up under the care of the Empress Dowager, the old lady could still guess a little about the temperament of her son and husband.
"There's nothing happening at the border."
"I didn't quarrel with Puzhu either."
Xie Zhiyan walked up to the old lady. The candlelight outlined his high nose bridge, cold eyebrows and eyes, and his tall figure was like a pine or bamboo standing in the wind and snow.
"Please sit down. It's too high. My neck is tired from looking up." The old lady pointed to the armchair beside her.
Xie Zhiyan sat down as he was told, his dark eyes concealing unfathomable emotions.
"It's not a big deal."
"Today I heard Puzhu mention my fifth brother's marriage. Is my aunt interested in the second lady of the Sheng family?"
Since Xie Zhiyan asked, the old lady did not hide it and nodded with a smile: "Your aunt is indeed interested in Mingshu, and they met each other today in front of the elders."
"I don't know how the Sheng family will respond, but your aunt is very pleased with Mingshu."
"What is grandma thinking?" Xie Zhiyan looks gentle, but he makes people feel oppressed.
The old lady placed the scripture on the table and looked at her grandson kindly: "I didn't think it was appropriate at first."
"But if you say you like it and Mingshu is willing, then I naturally think it's a good idea."
"The Xie and Sheng families are already big names in Chang'an. Rather than arranging another marriage and involving new surnames, it's better to do it now."
Xie Zhiyan still had a gentle smile on his face, but there was a sharp edge hidden in his gentleness.
"My grandson thinks it's not possible."
The old lady wasn't surprised. She just raised her hand and tapped the table, thinking, "What's going on in Sanlang's mind?"
"My father was a military commander, and my uncle was a civil official."
"As for the Sheng family, except for the young master of the third branch of the Sheng family, all of them are civil officials who are highly valued by the emperor."
"If you are going to marry the second lady of the Sheng family, that is, the daughter of Sheng Yanzhang, Sheng Yanzhang is the chief academic officer of the Imperial College and is very famous among the students in Chang'an. And my uncle is the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and is also very important in the court."
"This move involves state affairs. If it is exploited by someone with ulterior motives, what will the Saint think?"
"And..." Xie Zhiyan's lips curled up slightly, and he said bluntly, "Since you are an introvert, I don't think you are a good match for the Second Lady of the Sheng Family."
"Xie Zhiyan, why can't it be okay just because you think they're not a good match?"
"Since he claims to treat you better than his own brother, ask yourself, have you ever treated him as a brother?"
Qin came in from outside, her eyes red as she stared at Xie Zhiyan.
She no longer cared about the rules, let alone the other person's noble status. She cried like a madman, covering her handkerchief with her hands.
Xie Zhiyan's expression did not change, he still looked as elegant as jade, only his knuckles tightened slightly, showing a bit of forbearance.
He raised his eyes, looked at Qin calmly, and said lightly: "Aunt, you are worrying too much. I have never done him any indebtedness."
"Never owed anything?"
Qin sneered and asked hysterically, "You are both descendants of the Xie family, so why should he give in just because you say no?"
"Why should he avoid marrying the person he likes just because you think it's inappropriate?"
Qin's voice trembled slightly: "Since his leg is broken, his life is over. What else do you want from him? Can't he even have the one he loves?"
Xie Zhiyan's eyes suddenly darkened.
After a long time, he finally raised his eyes, a cold glint in his eyes and sneered: "The one you love?"
In the flower hall of Yishou Hall, the candlelight flickered, illuminating Xie Zhiyan's lonely figure. He stood still for a long time, and finally closed his eyes, his voice low and cold.
"Xie Jiyan, are you not planning to come out?"
There was dead silence outside the door.
Then there was the sound of a wheelchair pressing on the ground, and a servant was putting boards under the steps.
Xie Jiyan sat in a wheelchair, the candlelight fell on his pale face. His hands were placed on both sides of the wheelchair, his fingertips trembling slightly, but he still forced himself to straighten his back and look at Xie Zhiyan.
"Brother." Xie Jiyan's voice was dry, as if there were thousands of words stuck in his throat.
Xie Zhiyan's eyes were deep, and he seemed to be smiling: "My beloved, the second lady of the Sheng family?"
"I..." Xie Jiyan's eyes were filled with embarrassment, and he was breathing heavily.
Then, whether he was mocking himself or expressing some other emotion, he said, "Although I am useless, my brother is too overbearing."
The air in the room suddenly froze.
Xie Zhiyan sneered and approached step by step: "If you are sincere, I have nothing to say."
"But if you have other thoughts, you deserve to die!"
Xie Jiyan clenched his fists, barely maintaining a bit of dignity: "I really deserve to die."
His straight shoulders suddenly slumped, and he smiled bleakly: "If you want to punish me, I will accept it."
"But my emotions...are not something I can control."
Xie Zhiyan glanced at him deeply, his eyes seemed to be frozen with ice, deep and unfathomable: "It's hard to control your emotions, you better take care of yourself."
After he finished speaking, he said no more and turned to leave Yishou Hall.
Xie Jiyan looked at the figure walking away, his fingertips tightly gripping the armrest of the wheelchair, and the candlelight flickered suddenly.
The shadow fell like a sharp blade, landing on Xie Jiyan's back. He covered his chest and coughed violently for a long time before he recovered.
Qin looked at her son and cried bitterly, "My poor child, he clearly just can't bear to see you doing well."
Xie Jiyan looked at his mother with red eyes, then raised his eyes to look at his grandmother.
He suddenly thought of Sheng Mingshu, a girl who smiled shyly, spoke softly, and stood far away from him when they met.
Is he worth liking?
It's not worth it.
As for sympathy, he didn't seem to need it much.
The three-point similarity of their faces moved him, but...
Xie Jiyan sighed in his heart. Now that he had lost his legs, did he lose even basic etiquette?
What's the difference between doing this and being an animal?
"Now, what do you think?"
"Your brother rarely acts like this. He's not a reckless person."
Xie Jiyan tried to smile at the old lady: "My grandson is wrong."
"My grandson doesn't actually like Mingshu."
"There's no need to mention marriage anymore."
Qin burst into tears, her vision went dark, and she almost fainted: "You are confused!"
"Why do you care about what he thinks? Why are you so confused? You have me and your father to make the decision. What are you afraid of?"
"Did Xie Zhiyan threaten you?"
Xie Jiyan looked at the worry in the eyes of the old lady and his mother. He suddenly felt relieved and smiled a little: "Brother is not threatening me. My son really doesn't like Mingshu."
"As for before, I'm afraid mother misunderstood."
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