Chapter 61
Luo Yan had already sketched his shape and had been thoroughly examined by him, so she wasn't completely inexperienced. Thus, she instantly guessed the purpose of the two items in the wooden box.
No wonder he never mentioned taking the final step; he was preparing for this.
Zhu Yun followed her over, his hands resting on the table, his tall frame looming over her. He casually said, "The male contraceptive pills, and the ones you wear... cough, try them both later and see which one you prefer."
It was clearly a man's item, yet they wanted to ask about her experience. Luo Yan thought about it for a moment, and her cheeks burned.
When she was getting dressed just now, she noticed faint finger marks on her waist. Now, as he lifted her clothes, the wet, slippery sensation seemed to linger between her legs...
Zhu Yun flicked her reddened earlobe with his finger, asking with interest, "What are you thinking about?"
Luo Yan hunched her shoulders, itching, and closed the wooden box. She then took out a jewelry box to cover it up, trying to avoid seeing it.
But the more she tried to hide, the more she aroused people's desire to tease her.
Zhu Yun lifted her face with a finger, gently bit her lip a few times, and said in a serious tone, "The book says that women often feel uncomfortable the first time. We need to travel these two days, so it's not good to torment you. Just bear with it for now, and we'll do it when we get back to the valley."
"What do you mean I should just bear with it for now!" Luo Yan glared at him.
He raised an eyebrow, giving him a "I really can't do anything with you" look: "Fine, I can satisfy you with my mouth if you don't want to."
"You framed me," she said urgently. "I never even thought about that."
Zhu Yun let out a long "Oh": "Who was it that strangled my neck with their leg last night? And who was it that cried and begged me to continue?"
Luo Yan tossed her hair and said nonchalantly, "How can you take what's said in bed seriously?"
He was so angry that his temples twitched. He wanted to cup her face and squeeze it a couple of times to vent his anger, but seeing that Luo Yan had already applied her lipstick, he didn't dare to do anything rash. Instead, he gave her a squeeze of her voluptuous body.
He touched the bruise under his forehead ribbon, a slight ache rising up, which made the corners of his mouth turn up slightly.
Zhu Yun could be considered to know Qin Sizhao, this year's top scorer, and many people were eager to get to know him, but he didn't have any other impression of him.
There is no doubt that Luo Yan loves him.
He remembered that Luo Yan had only been in the palace for a short time, and he wanted to see her dance gracefully, so he hired a dancer to teach her.
Whether it was because Luo Yan was naturally strong or because the dancer was deliberately torturing her, the progress was not smooth, and her screams of pain from the muscle-strengthening process could always be heard.
To his surprise, even though he gave Luo Yan the authority to dispose of the dancer as she pleased, she didn't cause her any trouble. He, Na Yun, had always thought she was a submissive little rabbit.
Luo Yan practiced for more than a month, but her flexibility was still very poor, although she had gained a lot of strength in her legs.
Finally, with red eyes, she stormed over to him and kicked him hard in the knee, ending the matter.
This was the first time he had truly gotten to know Luo Yan.
He didn't know why he had let her rudeness go so easily and hadn't punished her at all.
The incompetent reality prevented him from realizing their existence, but Luo Yan could, and she always could.
That was the first time Zhu Yun felt connected to the world. All the lack, discomfort, and emptiness in reality vanished in an instant.
Everything will wither, but Luo Yan's love for him will not.
If she didn't love him, why would she keep reminding him how vividly she existed in this world? Why would she keep pulling him back from the brink of sensory imbalance?
Therefore, she must love him.
It was just that a girl who wasn't good at needlework gave Qin Sizhao a similar purse.
But her lukewarm attitude towards him made him suspicious. Behind everyone's back, he secretly took the sachet that Luo Yan had embroidered out of his sleeve and took a look at it.
But after looking at them, he felt the patterns were even more similar.
Suspicion clouded his vision like a dark cloud.
He pressed hard on the bruises Luo Yan had given him, trying to alleviate some of his anxiety.
Zhu Yun wanted to find an excuse to take another look at Qin Sizhao's purse, but then she thought it was a bit ridiculous.
He is a prince, and Qin Sizhao is the newly appointed top scholar. Why did he go to talk to him instead of discussing national affairs, and instead get hung up on a purse given to him by a young woman?
It's utterly shameful.
But if he didn't look at the purse, he felt that the two mandarin ducks had turned into crows, making a mournful cry in his mind, which made him restless.
After the court session, he smiled insincerely and invited Qin Sizhao to the tea room for tea, then chatted about many serious matters to cover up his true intentions.
After much deliberation, his anxiety finally made him speak.
"Young man, you are the newly appointed top scholar. I imagine many noble families are eager to find you a son-in-law. Do you have someone you're interested in?"
He said it casually, in the tone of a routine greeting, so there was probably nothing wrong with it.
Qin Sizhao nodded and smiled.
"I do have someone I like, but she's not from a noble family; she's just a childhood sweetheart of mine, Xiao Yunhou."
Zhu Yun breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt ridiculous.
Qin Sizhao and Luo Yan were two completely unrelated people, yet he used such absurd delusions to forcibly connect them; he was truly insane.
I was so restless over a trivial tattered purse that I was practically sitting on my hands for a while. If others found out, they would laugh at me to death.
He started to get irritable and began to hate himself for getting anxious and worried over trivial matters.
Even if that purse really was given by Luo Yan, so what? Let her go find whoever she wants. It's better to cut ties with her completely and have some peace and quiet.
If he continues to keep her by his side, he will only turn into a madman with no sense of reason.
He didn't want to be controlled by her hot-and-cold attitude for the rest of his life.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Zhu Yun made a few casual remarks with a forced smile before heading home.
To be honest, Zhu Yun's appearance showed no signs of madness. He was tall, broad-shouldered, long-legged, handsome, and dignified.
But even such an upright face could show signs of anxiety and vulnerability because of Luo Yan.
He hates it.
Because Luo Yan was the one who made him lose his mind, he also disliked Luo Yan.
He pushed open her door forcefully. Luo Yan looked inexplicably much more frugal. There were several dishes on the table, all the kinds of things that ordinary people would have on their tables, and a plate of dried sour apricots.
He casually ate one, and it was so sour it made his teeth ache.
Is this all you're going to eat?
"His Highness instructed me to cut back on expenses recently, so I shouldn't be too extravagant."
He felt that Luo Yan was being strangely sarcastic.
It's hard to go from extravagance to frugality. In order to control Luo Yan, he deliberately indulged her vain and extravagant habits, but so far it seems to have little effect.
"Why aren't you wearing makeup?"
Her face was slightly pale, with bruises and two shallow tear troughs under her eyes, which made her eyes look a bit sinister, diminishing their beauty and adding a cold and sharp expression.
"Why would I wear makeup if I don't have anyone important to see? Is indigo or rouge free?"
He looked at the woman in front of him with disgust, who had made him lose his mind, and thought to himself, why can't he get rid of her?
She was like a female ghost, her thick, dense hair tightly wrapped around his heart, causing his heartbeat to become erratic.
"Luo Yan, I don't have much dowry right now, so you should think about where you'll go in the future."
He intentionally humiliated her, wanting her to think that she wouldn't be able to get married without his money.
Luo Yan remained calm. She took another sip of soup, then asked Jinzhan to tidy up the mess on the table before replying to Zhu Yun.
"In my situation, wouldn't it be harming someone if I got married? Let's talk about it later."
"But you'll be twenty next month, and if you wait any longer, it might be harder for you to get married."
"No rush. If fate brings you together, nothing can stop it."
She lowered her head, a slight smile playing on her lips. She wanted to see Qin Sizhao on her birthday.
Luo Yan was wondering whether she should just tell Qin Sizhao about her pregnancy. She wanted to test whether he was worth her risking everything to love him.
If it were an ordinary man, it would be perfectly normal for him to be furious upon learning of this and unwilling to accept it. However, such an ordinary man only deserves an ordinary, unremarkable affection.
What she wanted to give was the kind of love that was all-consuming, a kind of love that ordinary men couldn't handle.
Mediocrity is human nature. If he is indeed just an ordinary man, then he is an ordinary man with a kind heart. She couldn't bear to criticize him. They would simply let it go and keep quiet about it.
She hoped Zhu Yun would leave quickly so she could see Qin Sizhao again.
Luo Yan not only didn't get angry, but instead lowered her head and smiled faintly. Zhu Yun felt a chill run down his spine and had a vague sense of foreboding.
He reached out to touch her face. She didn't dodge, nor did she try to get close to him. However, the smile on her face gradually cooled down.
"Who were you thinking of when you laughed like that just now?"
Zhu Yun tightened her grip a bit.
He wasn't jealous, and he couldn't possibly be jealous just because Luo Yan smiled at someone else; that would be far too foolish.
He simply couldn't accept the unknown aspects of her; he felt he should control everything about her. Luo Yan could even marry someone else, but only within his control.
"I wasn't thinking of anyone in particular, I was just thinking about the storybook I read today."
Luo Yan casually made up an excuse to brush it off.
"I've been very busy with official duties lately and have to travel around a lot, so I can't offer my congratulations on your marriage."
This is not an exaggeration; Zhu Yun has indeed been very busy with political affairs recently.
However, his words also implied a test of Luo Yan's reaction.
Luo Yan simply smiled faintly and said:
"It's alright, Your Highness, please attend to your business first. My marriage can wait. It's fine."
Although Zhu Yun felt somewhat disappointed, he couldn't really find any fault with Luo Yan.
He scrutinized her with a critical eye. She seemed calm and not in a hurry to get married. Did she think that as long as she dragged it out, he would eventually give in to her and become someone she could control?
Or does she think she will ascend the throne and have a large harem, so that she can easily take her into the palace as a concubine and let her enjoy a life of luxury? But she certainly wouldn't be satisfied with just a mere concubine position.
Zhu Yun shook his head inwardly. He couldn't imagine Luo Yan bowing to him respectfully like a mannequin. Just thinking about it made him feel physically uncomfortable.
Besides, he doesn't even know who his biological father is. It's already a great honor for the royal family that he can bear the surname Zhu. What need is there for him to have more children and expand his harem?
He looked closely into her eyes, trying to figure out what she was thinking.
"Your Highness, greetings! The general's servant has arrived. He says the general is waiting outside and wishes to see you."
Jinzhan thought this was an important matter, so she hurriedly came in to report it. Zhu Yun nodded, indicating that he understood.
He thought to himself that the general had only come for his large-scale purchase of grain and fodder, and now that the initiative was in his hands, he calmly went out to greet the guest.
If the supply lines are cut off, it would be tantamount to the death of an army of 100,000.
Even if the general dotes on Yang Ruoyun, one Yang Ruoyun cannot compare to the matter of supplies for an army of 100,000. Securing the supplies is more crucial than marrying the general's daughter.
Jinzhan reacted quickly and locked Luo Yan in the room to prevent her from going out and causing trouble.
Luo Yan smiled wryly. She knew Jinzhan's good intentions and was afraid that she would cause more trouble for the Prince's Mansion.
"Miss, please don't worry. I heard that Miss Ruoyun seems to have found someone she likes, and she may not marry the prince."
Jinzhan tried to comfort her, but Luo Yan could only smile bitterly. How could she not know who Ruoyun's sweetheart was?
"So be it. If it's mine, it'll still be mine no matter who tries to take it. If someone can take it away so easily, what use is it to me?"
Luo Yan said softly.
That's what they say, and that makes sense, but Luo Yan still couldn't help feeling uneasy, afraid that Qin Sizhao might change his mind.
The boy's voice was cool, but his words were warm: "If you want to eat more after dinner, I'll go to the market and buy it for you."
The intimate conversation between lovers struck like a bolt from the blue, freezing Leng Mingyue in place.
The marriage was actually true.
The idea of him coming back to life was still bizarre. Leng Mingyue wondered if he had fallen for another woman.
She suppressed the surging bitterness in her heart, stepped out of the alley, and looked straight at the girl. She had just caught a glimpse of pale yellow when Zhu Yun blocked her view. His gaze was sharp, filled with murderous intent as he looked over.
Leng Mingyue's heart pounded, and she dodged behind the signboard.
Although he couldn't see her face clearly, the girl's hair ornaments, sword sheath, and sleeves were exactly the same as his, making their relationship self-evident.
Leng Mingyue gritted her teeth and continued forward, catching the girl's slightly melancholy voice: "My little brother is leaving like this, will he cry?"
Zhu Yun seemed a little hesitant to speak, but upon closer inspection, her words were full of affection: "You're not the one who hates looking at other people's backs the most."
"It doesn't matter as long as I'm with you." The girl smiled at first, then playfully scolded, "The road is so wide, don't push me."
A soft laugh escaped the boy's throat: "I insist."
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