Chapter 96 Chapter 96 How can I remain calm?
"Did that scare you?"
Xie Zhiyan moved closer to her, closed his cool palm slightly, and gently pinched her soft fingertips.
The tone of voice that was clearly smiling made Sheng Puzhu feel creepy.
The way he was slowly playing with her fingers was more unbearable for her than a direct and fierce kiss.
Like scratching an itch through a shoe, every gentle touch of the calloused fingertips was like a silent interrogation. My heart beat uncontrollably and a layer of white light seemed to float in my head.
Sheng Puzhu tried to deny it, or to appear calmer, but the words came out of his mouth incoherently.
"How is that possible?"
"I'm very brave, I can't stand being scared..."
"What is a handsome young man? I've never even seen one."
“Heh…heh.”
Sheng Puzhu became more and more panicked as he spoke, his voice getting smaller and smaller. Finally, he swallowed hard, gave up struggling, and shut up.
Xie Zhiyan raised her hand and gently pressed the tip of her thumb on the plump and rosy lower lip. There was an obvious tooth mark there, which was something she would definitely do whenever she felt guilty.
The narrow and deep phoenix eyes seemed to have seen through her cautiousness long ago. He tested her little by little, raising her eyes high each time and then gently putting them down, more like a bait for testing.
Just wait for her to let her guard down and then strike.
Fortunately, the carriage finally stopped slowly in front of the Duke Jingguo's Mansion.
When the curtain of the carriage was lifted, Sheng Puzhu almost cheered out loud.
A breeze blew on her face, and she almost used her hands and feet to break free from Xie Zhiyan's hand, picked up her skirt and jumped out of the carriage in a panic.
"My dear."
Sheng Puzhu still had some will to live. She blinked her wet eyelashes, turned around and said to him with sufficient reason: "I will go back to Yishou Hall to see how Grandmother's medicine is working today."
Without waiting for Xie Zhiyan's reply, he grabbed the Qingke's hand and ran as fast as a dog could chase him. Xie Zhiyan stood on the shaft of the cart, his eyes deep as he watched Sheng Puzhu's almost desperate escape, a dark current surging in his eyes.
After returning to his own courtyard from Yishou Hall, Sheng Puzhu buried himself in the armchair as if exhausted as soon as he entered the inner room.
She was breathing heavily and patting her chest, saying, "I was really scared to death."
"My wife."
Seeing her lingering fear, Nanny Du quickly brought a cup of hot tea and asked worriedly, "Did you suffer any injustice in Prince An's Mansion?"
Sheng Puzhu shook his head: "Not Prince An."
After drinking a cup of hot tea, she finally recovered. Sheng Puzhu took out a handkerchief from her bosom and fanned her cheeks, complaining softly, "Mammy, my husband almost scared me to death. He actually knew I went to Prince An's mansion."
Madam Du was startled. "When I went to invite your brother, you were clearly in the inner room, talking to the old lady."
"Logically speaking, you shouldn't know."
Sheng Puzhu sighed, a hint of fear in her voice. "We agreed that if my husband leaves the palace, you must inform me. But... he blocked me right in front of Prince An's palace."
Madam Du frowned and thought for a long time, then suddenly asked in confusion, "Madam, haven't you seen Jinli?"
"This old servant has ordered Jinli to guard the second gate. If you want to leave the house, you must pass through it."
"Jinli?" Sheng Puzhu was stunned and thought to himself, "Oh no!"
What kind of person is Xie Zhiyan? He looks gentle and decent, but in fact he has been in a high position for a long time and is unfathomable.
Not to mention one golden chestnut, if he really used his tricks, ten golden chestnuts would not be enough for him to kill.
"Send someone to ask where Jinli is now." Sheng Puzhu quickly calmed down and waved to the old woman outside the house.
After a while, Li Shuang came forward with a pale face and said, "Madam, Sister Naidong asked someone to find out. Jin Li was called to the study by the master's servant and has not come out since."
Sheng Puju's heart sank suddenly. At this moment, she understood everything!
No wonder Xie Zhiyan let her go so easily in the carriage before. It turned out that he had a trick up his sleeve, waiting for her to fall into his trap so that he could settle the score with her later.
Jinli is her personal maid, she can't just ignore her.
Sheng Puzhu could no longer sit still, so he put down his teacup and stood up: "I'm going to the study, you don't have to follow me."
One Jinli is enough to control her. If another Naidong or Lishuang gets involved, Sheng Puju will make a quick decision. It would be a disaster if she sticks her head out, and it would be a disaster if she hides her head. It would be better to fight quickly and get the person out as soon as possible.
As dusk deepened, the afterglow of the setting sun cast a light golden hue on the courtyard in front of the study.
Jinli stood alone in the middle of the yard, her head bowed respectfully.
There was no one around and it was eerily quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze, which made the plants and trees around the study seem as if they were weighed down by an invisible chill.
Until the gate of the courtyard was pushed open by a pair of white and tender hands, Sheng Puzhu strode forward, with a thin layer of hot sweat on her forehead, obviously she had been running very fast all the way.
"Golden Chestnut."
"Did he punish you?"
Jinli shook his head, his little face pale, and he just stood there stiffly, not daring to move.
"lady."
Xie Zhiyan's voice rang out, and the golden twilight fell right into those smiling eyes.
He sat upright behind the desk, his figure broad and straight, his slender fingers casually turning the pages of the book. He had changed into a reed-colored casual suit, which made the lines of his profile look even colder, like a sculpture of fine white jade. His whole body exuded a calm, restrained and refreshing temperament.
Sheng Puzhu was so angry that she gritted her teeth. Her maid was almost scared to death and had a nightmare, yet he could still laugh.
"My dear, what does it mean that you made my maid stand in the yard as punishment?"
"Is there?" Xie Zhiyan slowly raised his eyes and looked outside. His unhurried tone frightened Jinli so much that he trembled again.
"Why not?" Sheng Puzhu was annoyed and prepared to take the initiative.
Upon hearing this, Xie Zhiyan slowly stood up. He was in a very good mood and curled his lips at her with a faint smile.
"She was trying to sneak out of the house, but she happened to be caught by Qingshi, so she had to be interrogated."
The young man, who didn't want to take the blame at all, froze in his smile and hurriedly bowed, "Madam, the Crown Prince."
"What did you ask her?" Sheng Puju looked at Qingshi coldly.
Qingshi opened his mouth, unable to express his grievances. After a long pause, he said, "I only wanted to know why Miss Jinli left the mansion, but she refused to answer even a single word."
Sheng Puzhu looked towards Jinli and asked, "Did he really not give you any trouble?"
Jin Li shook her head silently. She was so frightened that she almost lost her voice. The unfathomable fear and the murderous aura with a smell of blood were simply not something that ordinary people could bear.
She felt that Sanlang Xie, who looked as noble as jade not far away, could easily kill her with just one glance.
"You have nothing to do here, so you can leave first." Sheng Puju forced herself to suppress her emotions and tried to stay calm. She waved at Jinli.
Jin Li felt as if he had been pardoned. He moved his body and was about to kneel down to bow and leave.
Unexpectedly, the man standing quietly behind the desk just raised his eyelids slightly.
He didn't even look at anyone intentionally, just glanced at them casually.
Jinli felt as if he was nailed to the spot by an invisible nail. The little color left on his face disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning pale and shaky.
To her, the air around her seemed to be frozen, and she dared not even breathe.
"What does my dear husband want?" Sheng Puzhu took a deep breath and took a big step forward. She met Xie Zhiyan's gaze and asked coldly.
"Madam, why are you asking me this?" Xie Zhiyan closed the book and asked meaningfully.
Sheng Puzhu felt suffocated by his casual tone, like a fist hitting cotton, uncomfortable and stuck.
"If you want to know anything, just ask me directly."
"Jinli is just following orders and knows nothing." Sheng Puju held Jinli's cold and slightly trembling hand tightly and blocked her behind him.
Xie Zhiyan stared at her hand clasped with the servant's, a dark light flashing in his eyes.
He calmly ordered Qingshi: "You also leave. You don't need to serve me."
"Yes." Qingshi nodded obediently and walked to Jinli. "Miss Jinli, I will take you out."
Jinli seemed a little afraid of Qingshi, and she instinctively hid behind Sheng Puju.
"It's okay, don't be afraid."
"Go back first and go to the small kitchen. Let them make you a calming soup to calm your nerves. You don't have to serve me tonight."
Sheng Puzhu turned sideways, and gently stroked Jinli's pale cheek with his soft palm, trying to lower his voice.
Tears welled up in Jinli's eyes. She felt as if she had been pardoned. After kneeling and saluting, she almost staggered out of the study courtyard that suffocated her.
Until Jinli's figure completely disappeared outside the Chuihua Gate, the last bit of sunset glow was about to disappear.
As dusk fell, a dim candle was lit in the study. The hazy light and shadow made Xie Zhiyan's elegant and profound facial features even more unpredictable.
Sheng Puzhu knew that the Linlang Pavilion incident would eventually be exposed, but today she had to find a way to conceal it no matter what.
A meticulous person like Xie Zhiyan would detain Jin Li alone. He must have noticed some clues.
but!
Before he completely exposed her, she kept her most important "dowry".
The handsome men she carefully trained in Linlang Pavilion, who were responsible for receiving noble ladies, were all the living signs of her shop. Even if we take a step back, they were all her private property before marriage.
As the most protective girl in Chang'an City, she would not allow her "dowry" to be settled by Xie Zhiyan alone.
What if this man goes crazy and throws all her handsome young men to Yumen Pass?
She has wasted these years.
Therefore, we must quickly find a way to pass the message to Linlang Pavilion and ask them to leave Chang'an temporarily and go to the manor to avoid the limelight.
Various thoughts flashed through Sheng Puzhu's mind, but his expression remained calm.
The biggest trouble right now is that we must quickly coax Xie Zhiyan.
"My dear, whatever you want to know, I will tell you." Sheng Puzhu took the initiative to step forward, her eyelashes trembling slightly like butterfly wings, revealing a rare soft flattery.
It is extremely rare for her to take the initiative to lower her posture like this.
Xie Zhiyan supported himself with his long legs, leaned back slightly, and leisurely admired Sheng Puzhu's rare "well-behaved" look.
In the dim light, he tapped his fingertips on the rosewood desk a few times, neither lightly nor heavily, his eyes gleaming with mockery: "Madam, what you said is really embarrassing for me."
"Isn't it that Madam feels she should tell me something?"
"Strangle..."
Sheng Puzhu originally intended to test his bottom line, but she didn't expect Xie Zhiyan, this cunning man, to throw the question back to her lightly.
"I have a friend."
Xie Zhiyan hummed indifferently.
Sheng Puzhu pursed her dry lips and said tentatively, "I got a little hurt."
"So?" Xie Zhiyan raised his eyebrows.
Sheng Puzhu simply made up her mind and went all out: "That's why Jinli is so anxious. It just so happens that my brother Shen Ce is a good doctor. I sent someone back to the mansion quietly to ask my brother to help with the treatment."
"Is that it?" Xie Zhiyan suddenly smiled in a calm tone, and then asked a very fatal question.
"I wonder if this friend of yours is a man or a woman?"
Sheng Puzhu wanted to say it was a woman.
However, before she could say anything, Xie Zhiyan lightly touched her lips with his index finger and said calmly, "It's best to tell the truth."
"Otherwise, Madam's words might come true."
The implication was that if she lied, even if the person was a man, he could turn the other person into a woman!
This this this!!
Sheng Puzhu was so frightened that she didn't dare to speak. If she said it was a man, her intuition told her that she would be doomed.
But if it’s a woman, then Nian Yi is doomed.
"Can I not tell you?"
"My dear, just pretend you don't know." Sheng Puzhu walked around the desk, came in front of him, and negotiated with him in a flattering tone.
"No." Xie Zhiyan rejected it decisively.
"Sanlang, is it really not possible?" Sheng Puzhu didn't dare to look at his face, but her movements were extremely bold. She actually turned sideways and sat directly on those tight long legs.
The warmth and softness of the beautiful girl suddenly came into his arms, and Xie Zhiyan's breathing suddenly became heavy. He instinctively closed his palms and clasped her slender waist which was so thin that it could be held in one hand.
Xia Shang was thin and light, and he could clearly feel her smooth and hot skin, which trembled slightly with her breathing.
Sheng Puzhu had never acted like this to him before, and the word "Sanlang" alone almost cost him his life.
"Shout again." Xie Zhiyan said in a hoarse voice.
"Saburo."
Sheng Puzhu lowered her eyes and dared not look at him.
Xie Zhiyan's jaw was set hard and cold, and there was darkness in his eyes, as if he wanted to devour her completely.
"So I won't ask anymore, okay?"
"I just want to ask for your help with the diagnosis."
When Sheng Puzhu's soft palm climbed up to his shoulder, it accidentally brushed against a small piece of cold skin on the side of his neck.
Xie Zhiyan picked her up and walked into the inner room. The place where she had just touched felt like being brushed by a feather, soft and warm. A fine tingling sensation ran down his spine, making him almost unable to control his strength and almost hurting her.
"Master Sanlang is a magnanimous man. Please don't bother with me, okay?" Sheng Puzhu tilted her head slightly, and her rosy lips gently brushed against his stubbled chin like temptation.
He knew very well that she was trying to disturb his mind in this way, to make him indulge in the deliberately created warmth and softness, and give up interrogating her.
Who is the prey?
Xie Zhiyan raised one hand and slowly stroked the neck with his cool palm. He could break it with just a little force.
"I'm curious."
"Whose husband is it that my pearl is so precious to me?"
Xie Zhiyan suddenly chuckled softly, his tone calm, as if asking a question casually.
Sheng Puzhu's watery almond eyes trembled, and the next moment, the man's lips pressed against her red earlobe, his warm breath was almost imperceptible, and his voice was extremely low.
"I didn't say it was a man."
"You don't have to tell me, I can guess it myself." Xie Zhiyan's fingertips slowly slid down and reached into the edge of the thin collar.
His body clearly had reacted, but he remained calmer than ever: "Madam must have hidden something valuable outside, and you're going to such great lengths to conceal it."
He paused, then suddenly gnashed his teeth in dissatisfaction: "Even at the cost of... throwing yourself into my arms?"
His dark eyes were bottomless and his eyelids were red, clearly filled with strong desire, but every word he asked was still extremely calm.
Sheng Puzhu suddenly closed his eyes, his long eyelashes trembling violently, and the courage he had finally gathered was mostly gone in an instant.
It seemed like she was destined to lose this battle from the very beginning.
"I……"
Sheng Puzhu moved her lips and explained weakly, "We're just friends. Why would you be jealous, my dear?"
Xie Zhiyan sneered, took the initiative, slightly retracted his big hand, gently grasped her smooth and round shoulders, and gradually moved down along her exquisite curves until Sheng Puju's breathing became more and more uncontrollable.
"Since we are friends, there is nothing we can't talk about."
"I've always been a generous person. When have I ever been jealous of others?"
Sheng Puzhu bit her lip and could no longer speak. She was completely enveloped by Xie Zhiyan's unique aura, from inside to outside.
"Ma'am, speak."
"Wuwuwu..." Sheng Puzhu's neck tilted back, and his lower back, which was as taut as a crescent moon, collapsed inch by inch. In the end, only soft sobs could come out of his throat. How could he speak?
"No."
"Just...just friends, nothing else."
Sheng Puzhu shook his head and murmured a few words with difficulty. His rationality was almost shattered by him and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
Xie Zhiyan chuckled softly, then leaned over and sucked away the tears hanging from her eyelashes.
"Madam always bites her lip when she feels guilty."
“Tsk.”
Sheng Puzhu's body trembled, and he bit even tighter.
The snow-white teeth pressed tightly against the lower lip, leaving two red marks the size of rice grains.
Xie Zhiyan took a breath. Even without looking into her eyes, he knew how panicked she was inside. After all, her body reaction was honest and clear at the moment.
Tense and trembling.
Helpless crying, so hard - as if to break him there.
The remaining consciousness swung violently between confessing and resisting stubbornly.
Finally, Sheng Puzhu's voice softened to water, and she instinctively opened her mouth and gasped for breath.
"I……"
"I just opened a shop with someone else. We usually sell beautiful things. The injured person... is..."
Sheng Puzhu closed his eyes, hugged Xie Zhiyan's sweaty waist tightly, and said tremblingly, "He... is the shopkeeper of my shop."
"I've already told you, um... can you be gentler?"
"Xie Zhiyan, I really can't do it anymore."
"You...you swear."
"Don't be jealous."
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