Chapter 95 Chapter 95 It was a close call, Puzhu was frightened and fainted.
The flower hall of Prince An's Mansion was filled with elegant incense, but it was not as luxurious as one might imagine.
Princess An was very much like the rumors said, she was gentle and amiable. When she saw Sheng Puzhu, she smiled with a hint of apology before she spoke.
"My son has been spoiled by his father, the King. I should be the one to apologize. How could I trouble you to come here in person?"
Sheng Puzhu did not say anything, but just performed the junior's greeting.
Princess An personally stood up and helped Sheng Puzhu to her seat. "I didn't know Linlang Pavilion was Madam Sheng's shop. This is all my fault for not being able to discipline you properly and causing you trouble."
She lowered her posture and spoke sincerely, waving to the waiting maid, "Bring up the gift list."
"The items on this list are, firstly, to compensate Linlang Pavilion for its losses, and secondly, to calm that Pearl Servant."
"Zhu Shi" is a general term used by the nobles in Chang'an to refer to the gentlemen in Linlang Pavilion. They are responsible for wearing and displaying jewelry on a daily basis.
Sheng Puzhu sat upright on a carved sandalwood chair, carelessly smoothing her skirt above her knees. She met Princess An's warm smile with an impeccable attitude that left no room for fault.
She did not take the gift list, but instead lowered her eyes, picked up the teacup, and took a sip of tea calmly and elegantly.
"I will have someone calculate the compensation and send it to the palace. As for the rest." Sheng Puzhu shook her head, and her almond-shaped eyes even curved, bringing out a faint smile that was difficult to understand.
"I heard that the prince was angry this time because of a concubine in the mansion who was jealous."
"I wonder what kind of stunning beauty could make the prince so infatuated that he would even disregard his newlywed wife's dignity."
Princess An was not annoyed by this. Her gentle smile remained unchanged. She nodded slightly and said softly, "Since Madam Sheng is curious, then go and see what kind of beauty she is."
"Go, bring up the one from the bamboo pavilion."
After hearing this, Sheng Puzhu just frowned, gently put down the teacup, and raised the corners of his lips.
In a short while, two burly old women were seen escorting a struggling woman into the flower hall.
"Princess, please spare my life. I...I will never dare to do that again."
The old woman was quick-witted and quick-handed. She took out a dirty handkerchief from somewhere and stuffed it into the concubine's mouth without saying a word.
The woman's face was pale, her eyes were full of fear, and her body was shaking like a leaf in the cold wind.
Princess An didn't even glance at her, and said nonchalantly, "You vixen, since it's your face that's causing the trouble, start by slapping her face. When the Crown Prince's wife is satisfied, you can stop."
"Madam Sheng, do you think this is feasible?"
The old woman immediately obeyed the order, stepped forward, swung her palm as big as a palm fan, and slapped him hard.
The crisp sound of the slap, accompanied by the woman's suppressed sobs, was particularly harsh.
Sheng Puzhu was still sitting steadily, his eyes turned to Princess An who was still smiling gently.
Although he was mentally prepared, he still didn't expect that Princess An, who seemed soft and easy to talk to, would act so decisively and ruthlessly without any hesitation.
"I'm ashamed to say this." Princess An met her gaze and smiled, her tone even carrying a hint of helpless apology. "My wicked son, relying on being the only child in the palace, has become lawless and has done many absurd things over the years."
"This is also my responsibility. It made him so reckless."
Sheng Puju looked at Princess An quietly, waiting for her next words.
As expected, she rubbed her brows as if she had a headache and sighed, "If Madam Sheng still feels unsatisfied, why don't I have someone tie up the prince and beat him up for a while? He won't be killed anyway."
The seemingly helpless and humble words could not only calm Sheng Puzhu down but also give him a way out.
Even Sheng Puzhu couldn't help but sigh that Prince An was lucky to have married a virtuous wife because of such measured tactics.
The slapping continued, and the concubine's cheeks quickly became red and swollen, and even her crying became weak.
"Where is my Qingshu? Why can't I see her?" Sheng Puju didn't stop him, but asked about Xie Qingshu instead.
Princess An smiled deeply and said calmly, "Qingshu has a stubborn personality. Because of this concubine's matter, she has been making a fuss for a long time. She just drank the calming soup and went to bed half an hour ago."
Are you not letting her see it?
Sheng Puzhu raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes calm.
"Yeah?"
"It's really inconvenient to disturb you."
That day, Xie Qingshu insisted on getting married after meeting the man. She had reminded him tactfully that now that things had come to this point, whether they wanted to divorce or continue living together was the eldest son's business.
Xie Qingshu has her parents and brothers to take care of her, so she really doesn't have to worry too much.
"That's all."
Sheng Puzhu waved to the old woman.
The old woman who was carrying out the execution immediately stopped, lowered her head and stepped aside.
"Madam Sheng has a kind heart."
"I will report today's incident to the prince. I will personally bring that evil son to your house to make a formal apology." Princess An turned her head, as if she couldn't bear to look at the bloodstains on the ground.
Sheng Puzhu's eyes flickered slightly when she heard this. If Prince An's Mansion really brought the Crown Prince to apologize in a high-profile manner, then it would be difficult to conceal the fact that Linlang Pavilion was her property.
This was definitely not what she wanted.
"You are seriously ill."
"Now that the matter has been brought to light, there's no need to mobilize a large force to come to my house. I absolutely cannot accept this."
Sheng Puzhu declined bluntly.
"Madam Sheng, do you find it inconvenient?"
"If it's inconvenient, forget it."
Princess An raised her eyes. She did not insist, but just asked with a chuckle.
"Um."
"inconvenient."
Sheng Puzhu admitted frankly that there is no need to beat around the bush when talking to smart people.
"Okay." Princess An nodded, her tone filled with a strange feeling. "Come to think of it, I'm actually quite envious of Madam Sheng."
This was a bit abrupt. The two of them had never been friends, so how could there be any envy?
Princess An had no intention of explaining. She just smiled and put on her seemingly flawless and gentle smile again.
A storm seemed to have temporarily come to an end in this seemingly peaceful but actually turbulent conversation.
The concubine's cheeks were swollen from being beaten, the corners of her mouth were cracked and bleeding, and her originally charming face had now become disheveled.
She was crying and struggling to say something, but she was held down by the old woman behind her, and could only make vague sounds.
At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall, accompanied by the panicked voices of servants trying to stop them.
"Prince."
"The princess is very angry, please don't go in."
"Get out of here!"
The bead curtain was suddenly pulled open with a bang, and Xiao Xuan strode into the flower hall with obvious anger on his face.
"Prince." The favorite concubine wailed, as if she saw hope. She didn't know where she got the strength from, but she struggled to crawl to Xiao Xuan's feet.
"Mother." Xiao Xuan looked at his concubine's face which was swollen to the point of being almost unrecognizable. There was anger in his voice, but he didn't dare to really explode.
“What are you doing!”
"My son finally found a lovely girl, why would you treat her so badly?"
Princess An looked at her angry son calmly, a smile still on her face. Her tone did not fluctuate at all, as if she was talking about something insignificant.
"Um."
"I know you like it."
"If you like it, keep it. I didn't kill you."
Her tone could even be described as tolerant, and then she changed the subject and said nonchalantly, "Anyway, with your personality, you're used to getting tired of the old and liking the new."
"What if the color is bright? Your interest in her won't last for more than a few days."
"I've already told you that you should control your temper and stop believing everything you hear. Don't make trouble at Linlang Pavilion again. If you do, I'll have you locked up."
After she finished speaking, she even smiled at Sheng Puzhu who was sitting beside her.
Xiao Xuan'an was choked by Princess An's words and his face turned pale and blue. His anger, which had nowhere to vent, immediately fell on the unfamiliar Sheng Puju.
He lost all face, and a surge of evil anger rushed to his head.
Xiao Xuan raised his hand and pointed: "Who is she? How dare she laugh at this prince's joke!"
Princess An sighed, as if she hadn't noticed her son was about to go crazy. "The first wife of Xie Sanlang from the Jingguo Mansion, Linlang Pavilion is the shop under her name."
Xie Zhiyan's name was obviously very important, and Xiao Xuan's increasingly ferocious expression froze.
A hint of contemplation flashed across his eyes.
Xiao Xuan'an was not really stupid, he just wanted to appear to be a dandy and brainless person. It just so happened that Linlang Pavilion was doing the business of ceremonial crowns for the prince's wedding. His only purpose in using the excuse of a concubine crying and making trouble to target Linlang Pavilion was to make sure that the matter would definitely be reported to the palace.
How could the saint not be wary of the marriage between the Xiao and Xie families? The more stupid he acted, the more reassured the palace would be about him.
However, Xiao Xuan did not expect that Linlang Pavilion was actually an iron plate that could not be kicked at all.
The arrogance on his face suddenly froze, and he immediately laughed sarcastically, his tone filled with the frivolous nonchalance of a dandy: "Tsk, who do I think I am? I just accidentally smashed a shop, and you've made such a fuss, Madam Sheng."
Sheng Puzhu glanced at him deeply, then turned to look at Princess An nonchalantly: "How about we do as you say and give him a beating?"
She said lightly: "I can't kill him anyway."
"You dare!"
Xiao Xuan had never suffered such humiliation before. Even if he was pretending, he was really a little angry.
"Xu'an, shut up." Princess An's expression finally showed some changes.
Xiao Xuan raised his head suddenly, his face livid: "Are you really going to hit me?"
"What else?"
"You were rude first."
Princess An pressed the corners of her lips with a handkerchief and quickly regained her composure.
At this moment, a respectful voice of a nanny suddenly came from outside the flower hall: "Princess, Lu Siqing is here."
"Why is he here?" Xiao Xuan's face looked very ugly.
"Aunt." Lu Zhoudu bowed to Princess An.
His gaze lingered on Sheng Puzhu for a moment, without showing much surprise, as if he had long known she was in Prince An's residence: "Madam Sheng."
Lu Zhoudu, why is he here?
Sheng Puzhu was slightly startled, but he didn't show it on his face. He stood up calmly and returned the greeting: "Mr. Lu."
"I wonder why my aunt called me here?"
Princess An tapped the table with her finger and put her impeccable smile back on her face.
"Madam Sheng, I'm afraid you don't know that my family is the Lu family of Wuzhanghou Mansion."
Sheng Puzhu's heart moved slightly. She remembered that before the Saint ascended the throne, the Lu family of Wuzhanghou Mansion was exiled to the frontier for trumped-up crimes. Except for Lu Zhoudu who was protected by the whole family at the risk of their lives, all the other members of the Lu family died of hunger and cold.
Later, the saint ascended the throne and the Lu family was rehabilitated, but only Lu Zhoudu returned to Chang'an alive.
She didn't know that Princess An also came from the Wuzhang Marquis Mansion.
Seeing Sheng Puzhu lost in thought, Princess An raised the corners of her lips and said bluntly, "Madam Sheng, there's no need to pity me."
"Zhou Du, come here. Your aunt has something to tell you."
Lu Zhoudu didn't understand why.
Princess An pointed at Xiao Xuanna and said, "It's not a big deal to call you here today."
"Xuan is absurd and unruly, and it gives me a headache."
"Since you are in charge of the criminal justice system, why don't you take Xu'an away and lock him up in the Dali Temple for a few days? When he regains consciousness, you can release him."
As soon as these words were spoken, not only Xiao Xuan, but even Sheng Puzhu's eyes flashed with a strange look.
"Mother, are you crazy?"
"Lu Zhoudu wanted to kill me, and you let him take me away?"
Xiao Xuan suddenly looked up, his face full of disbelief.
Princess An didn't even look at him, her voice was flat, as if she really wanted to teach him a lesson.
"I can't let you go on like this."
"Since you have made a mistake and refuse to repent, then you should go to the Dali Temple's prison to learn some lessons."
Lu Zhoudu quickly concealed the surprise in his eyes and said expressionlessly, "Don't worry, aunt. I'll have him taken away right away."
Sheng Puzhu was a little confused about Princess An and Xiao Xuan'an, the mother and son.
Xiao Xuan doesn't seem really stupid, and Princess An herself can even be said to be very wise.
But it is obvious that Princess An does not want her son to be too smart, and Xiao Xuan has been pretending to be stupid.
As for Prince An, who was sick in bed and never showed his face from beginning to end.
Sheng Puzhu suppressed the strange emotions in his heart and stepped out of the vermilion lacquered door of Prince An's Mansion.
She was frowning in thought when she looked up and saw Qingke waiting beside the carriage. His face was pale as if he had been extremely frightened.
Sheng Puzhu walked forward quickly and asked in a low voice, "Why is your face so pale? What happened?"
The Qingke's lips trembled, and he glanced at the carriage behind him in horror, then quickly dropped his head.
Her fingers were tightly clenched around the corner of her clothes, as if she were being suppressed by an invisible force. She was so frightened that she couldn't make a sound.
Seeing her like this, Sheng Puzhu suddenly became suspicious and without caring about anything else, he reached out to lift the heavy curtain.
The moment the curtain was lifted, she couldn't help but gasp, as if she had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Xie Zhiyan, who was supposed to stay at the Duke Jingguo's Mansion to entertain guests, was now sitting leisurely in her carriage.
The man was dressed in a bamboo moon-colored round-necked, narrow-sleeved robe. His face was hidden in the dim light of the carriage, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry. Only his pair of phoenix eyes, slightly narrowed, were staring at her intently.
"What are you standing there for?"
"Aren't you coming yet?"
Xie Zhiyan spoke, his voice was not loud, but it revealed a fierce and impending storm.
Sheng Puzhu's heart was pounding, and he subconsciously turned his head to look at the Qingke who was almost fainting from fear beside him.
She finally experienced firsthand the kind of pressure that made it almost speechless.
Sheng Puzhu took a deep breath and forced himself to suppress the panic in his heart.
She walked forward with her head held high and gently placed her slightly cold fingertips on Xie Zhiyan's bony palm, which had been waiting for a long time.
He closed his palms and completely wrapped her soft little hand, and with a little force, he pulled her into the car.
When the curtains of the car fell, she could clearly smell the unique and refreshing cypress scent on the man with every breath.
In the small space, Xie Zhiyan didn't look at her, but asked casually, "Didn't you say that the fourth lady of the Sheng family suddenly had a toothache and was in severe pain, and you were in a hurry to go back to visit her?"
He paused, enunciating each word slowly: "Madam, how did you...find yourself at Prince An's Mansion?"
Sheng Puzhu was blatantly blocked in the corner of the carriage by him. His tall body was like a mountain, cold and intimidating.
"oh."
"If I had said that Princess An had a toothache, I would have come to visit her."
"Husband, do you believe it?"
When she feels guilty, she is used to using "you", and when she is angry, she even dares to call someone "bastard".
A dark look flashed across Xie Zhiyan's eyes, and the corners of his lips seemed to curl up, but the smile did not reach his eyes. Instead, a hint of danger was revealed: "Then, Madam, do you think I will believe it?"
Sheng Puzhu looked into his eyes and was finally defeated.
She sighed softly, her shoulders slumping slightly, "Okay."
"Then please listen to my explanation, okay?"
Knowing that he couldn't hide it, Sheng Puzhu could only speak in a low voice, half-truthfully and half-falsely.
She exaggerated the story and emphasized how Prince An favored his concubine over his wife, then deliberately blurred the existence of Linlang Pavilion, saying only that Xie Qingshu had obtained a set of precious head ornaments, which happened to be given by her.
As the one who delivered the gift, she was naturally angry and went to his house to question how dishonorable Prince An was in trying to snatch the headgear.
Finally, Sheng Puzhu's tone was filled with just the right amount of indignation.
"I personally picked that headgear and gave it to my fourth sister as a make-up gift. It means a lot."
"Prince An's actions not only slap Fourth Sister in the face, but also show that he doesn't take our Xie family seriously. Now that I know about this, how can I just sit back and watch?"
After Sheng Puzhu finished speaking, he raised his chin slightly and tried to act confident and righteous: "My dear, please don't say I'm reckless. This is my true nature."
Xie Zhiyan listened quietly, his face showing no emotion.
After a long while, he suddenly uttered a very light sneer: "I didn't realize when Madam became so warm-hearted."
Sheng Puzhu lowered her head and didn't dare to look into his eyes, her body tense with nervousness.
There was a suffocating silence in the carriage, with only the sound of the wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs.
I can't continue this topic any further. The more I talk, the more mistakes I make.
Sheng Puzhu took a deep breath and tried to change the subject: "How did my husband know I was in Prince An's Mansion?"
Xie Zhiyan didn't hide anything, staring at her, and said casually: "I asked Cang Tuan."
She sneaked out of the house today and did not bring Cang Tuan with her. How did Cang Tuan know that she was in Prince An's house?
At this time, Sheng Puzhu didn't dare to say or ask.
"By the way, where's my brother?"
Xie Zhiyan raised his eyebrows, his eyes slightly deep, as if he could see through everything.
He spoke in a low voice, the shadows at the corners of his lips deepening: "Shouldn't Madam know Shen Ce's whereabouts better than I do?"
With a "boom", Sheng Puzhu felt his mind go blank and his heart beat so fast that it seemed like it was going to jump out of his throat.
He knows!
He must have guessed something!
The huge panic made it almost impossible for her to maintain her composure. Her palms were cold and her teeth were tightly biting her lower lip. Not to mention looking at each other, even breathing seemed to have become difficult.
However, Xie Zhiyan did not intend to expose it ruthlessly.
Instead, he reached out his hand and, with irresistible strength, gently grasped her clenched, slightly trembling palm.
The rough fingertips with thin calluses gradually embedded into her fingers, tightly interlocking with her ten fingers.
His movements were extremely gentle, even with an erotic touch, as if he was playing with a precious treasure that had been lost and found again.
"Puzhu, what are you afraid of?"
Xie Zhiyan leaned over, held her earlobe with his thin lips, and bit hard with his canine teeth on the spot where her little red mole was, as if punishing her.
The hoarse tone, like a lover's whisper, is filled with an almost perverted desire for control.
"I'm not going to eat you."
"Even if I eat you, it's because you gave it to me willingly."
He emphasized the word "eat".
The warm breath, the hot tip of the tongue, and the heavy sucking action, but he only lingered on one place, as if he had forgotten her plump and rosy lips.
"If I want to know something, I can go and check it out."
"But..." Xie Zhiyan chuckled, "There are some things I want to hear from Madam herself."
"What kind of secret could have caused Madam to panic to such an extent?"
"Could it be..." He paused, "Madam, follow Duan Yang's example and raise a group of handsome young men?"
"I don't think Madam would dare."
Xie Zhiyan was so confident, but he didn't know that every word he said now made Sheng Puju's face turn paler and paler, and his whole body trembled.
"hehe."
Sheng Puzhu laughed dryly and felt dizzy.
"My dear, you are joking."
"Your words sound so scary."
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