When Shen Yunjiao saw that her brother's expression was not right, her heart jumped into her throat.
Then she heard Shen Qinghuai turn his head and say to her, "I'll go take a look. You stay where you are."
“I’ll go with my brother,” Shen Yunjiao replied without hesitation.
The sound came from behind the artificial hill not far away, and the two of them walked straight towards it.
Just as they reached the artificial hill, they heard a greasy male voice say, "Miss Ye, actually, I took a liking to you the last time you came to my embroidery shop to buy fabric. Since you're lame, you're destined to be unwanted. Why don't you come with my Li family? I'll give you the position of the head mistress of the Li family."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghuai's face turned ashen, and he strode around to the back of the artificial hill.
Shen Yunjiao followed closely behind and saw a fat man with big ears grabbing Ye Zhixuan's hand, leering at her and trying to pull her into his arms.
Ye Zhixuan was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she shook her head vigorously, saying no.
Seeing this, Shen Yunjiao was furious. She shouted, "Don't be so extravagant with Zhixuan!"
When Li Gongzi was caught off guard, Shen Qinghuai raised his foot and kicked him hard in the chest.
"ah!"
Young Master Li let out a short cry and was kicked directly onto the artificial rock, his back slammed hard, and the jade crown on his head was knocked askew.
"You, how dare you—" He was furious and about to confront the person who had come, but when he realized that the other party was Minister of Rites, Lord Shen, his arrogance instantly vanished.
Li Changping thought to himself that he had probably offended someone he shouldn't have, but he didn't know that Shen Qinghuai had any private relationship with the Ye family.
"Lord Shen, it's you who have graced us with your presence," Li Changping said tremblingly, and hurriedly knelt down to pay his respects.
Shen Qinghuai walked up to Ye Zhixuan and stood between her and Li Changping.
"If I see you doing this again, Young Master Li, I will definitely cripple your hands and feet. Now get out of here!" Shen Qinghuai said sternly.
Upon hearing this, Li Changping immediately scrambled to his feet and fled in a disheveled state.
Shen Yunjiao walked up to Ye Zhixuan and asked with concern, "Zhixuan, are you alright?"
Ye Zhixuan's frail body trembled uncontrollably, hot tears welled up in her eyes, and her face was ashen. "Yun Jiao, I'm so scared."
"It's alright." A hint of heartache flashed in Shen Yunjiao's eyes as she quickly put her arm around her shoulder and whispered, "Don't be afraid."
"Do you know this Young Master Li? Why did you leave as soon as he called you?" Shen Qinghuai's tone was somewhat cold and hard, hiding an anger that even he himself did not realize.
Now that he thinks about it, he feels a little scared. If Shen Yunjiao hadn't discovered that Ye Zhixuan had left, what would have happened to her now?
The Ye family has no power or influence, so it's not impossible for Young Master Li to take her away if he wanted to.
Shen Qinghuai became increasingly agitated as he thought about it, his lips taut and tightly pressed together.
"Brother, don't be so fierce to Zhixuan." Shen Yunjiao rolled her eyes at Shen Qinghuai, but she knew in her heart that Shen Qinghuai must have been furious to speak like that.
Ye Zhixuan lowered her head slightly, her delicate back hunched over, and her voice was as low as a mosquito's buzz, "He said he had something for me to give to my father."
Her long, fine eyelashes trembled slightly, and a gentle breeze carrying the drizzle lifted her long hair, making her look both broken and desolate.
Moreover, there were stains on her plain white silk skirt, so she must have fallen during the shoving.
Shen Qinghuai felt a chill run down his spine, and found himself unable to bear blaming her even a little bit more.
"It's raining, let's go back to the veranda," Shen Yunjiao quickly said.
Ye Zhixuan's face turned pale, and she whispered for help, "I...I don't think I can walk anymore."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yunjiao felt extremely distressed.
She was limping herself and couldn't help Ye Zhixuan, so she could only look to Shen Qinghuai for help.
Shen Qinghuai remained calm as he slowly walked to Ye Zhixuan's side, squatted down, and said, "Let me carry you to the pavilion to rest."
Ye Zhixuan was taken aback at first, then lowered her eyes and softly said "okay".
Her fingers nervously climbed up Shen Qinghuai's back, and she leaned over him.
Seeing this handsome man and beautiful woman, Shen Yunjiao couldn't help but smirk.
She trusted her judgment; the two of them definitely had feelings for each other.
Her brother's face didn't show it, but his ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.
"Brother, I have to go back first and see if Jiang Rong needs any help," Shen Yunjiao said hurriedly, then winked at Ye Zhixuan.
After a moment of confusion, Ye Zhixuan realized what Shen Yunjiao meant, and her face immediately flushed red.
The man carrying her on his back was the man she had secretly loved for so many years.
Ye Zhixuan recalled what Li Changping had just said, "A person with a limp is destined to be unwanted."
She is not good enough for Shen Qinghuai.
Ye Zhixuan advised herself not to covet Shen Qinghuai's gentleness, not to indulge in wishful thinking, because Shen Qinghuai did not like her.
But just as Shen Qinghuai gently placed her on the stone bench in the pavilion, Ye Zhixuan regretted it.
She couldn't bear to part with this tender care.
Just as Shen Qinghuai stood up, Ye Zhixuan reached out and grabbed his dark green sleeve embroidered with gold thread.
Shen Qinghuai froze, looking at the delicate beauty in front of him with confusion.
Ye Zhixuan met his calm gaze, and her heart pounded like thunder.
"Lord Shen."
Hearing that "Lord Shen" made Shen Qinghuai's heart melt.
Ye Zhixuan probably didn't realize that what she was showing Shen Qinghuai was unreserved submissiveness and dependence.
This kind of posture would make any ordinary man's heart flutter.
But he wasn't an ordinary man.
When Shen Qinghuai thought of this, his usually gentle and handsome face suddenly turned somewhat cold.
"Zhixuan, let go."
Shen Qinghuai said, trying his best to maintain his composure, "I have to go back."
The word "go back" pierced Ye Zhixuan's heart like a needle.
She felt a sense of unease.
But this is the only chance I have to show my true feelings.
She had heard Shen Yunjiao say that Shen Qinghuai no longer had any maids serving him personally.
If Shen Qinghuai could give her a chance, even without a formal title, she would be willing.
"Lord Shen, why don't you take me as your concubine?" Ye Zhixuan asked tremblingly. She tried to raise her head so that Shen Qinghuai could see the love in her eyes. "Zhixuan knows that I am not good enough for Lord Shen because of my leg injury, but I still want to stay by Lord Shen's side, whether as a concubine or a maid."
"Lord Shen, please give me a chance."
The more Ye Zhixuan spoke, the more her nose stung, and the more she wanted to cry. This was the second time she had suppressed her shame and confessed her love to Shen Qinghuai.
If Shen Qinghuai rejects her, she will no longer stay in the capital.
She would consciously keep her distance from Shen Qinghuai and never approach him again.
Ye Zhixuan could foresee that the next moment Shen Qinghuai would violently shake off her hand and tell her not to daydream like that.
But Shen Qinghuai did not.
He just stood there, stunned.
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