Chapter 052

Zhan Yue was a man of few words, but his observation was extremely meticulous. Jiashan believed that he had come into contact with Zhan Shaoying since she first barged into Changchun Temple.

Zhan Yue began to feel curious.

It turned out that due to his status, he was not qualified to ask this question even though he was curious. Now that they were married, he naturally didn't need to hide it anymore.

Jiashan's brows twitched slightly. Thinking of this, the perfunctory words she had prepared circled on the tip of her tongue for a few times before being swallowed back into her stomach intact.

Jiashan no longer concealed her dislike for Zhan Shaoying. Her eyes were cold and indifferent. She raised her lips and said, "He has feelings for me, which makes me feel disgusted."

"He doesn't deserve it." Jiashan took a sip of hot tea.

There was a gleam of pride in the corners of her slightly upturned eyes - that was the disdain that came from her bones.

In the past ten years or so, Jiashan and Zhan Yue seemed to live at two extremes. Zhan Yue's life was always like a stagnant pool of water, even if there were sometimes ripples in the stagnant water, but the mighty force behind the ripples was always hidden under the calm surface.

You can rarely see intense emotions on his face. Zhan Yue, who was unable to see his mother's last moments and therefore pushed Zhang hard, will forever remain at the age of four.

He lived his life as a shadow. After growing up, the shadow and the tall body gradually became distant.

Jiashan is different.

She has always been a passionate and intense person, whether she loves or hates.

But what kind of emotion could make her hate Zhan Shaoying so much? Even thinking about her would make her feel insulted?

Zhan Yuewensi stared at her motionlessly, looking straight into her eyes, and asked softly, "Before Changchun Temple, have you ever met?"

Jiashan's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected Zhan Yue to dig so deep into the matter.

She smiled and said, "The court is very strict. How can he go to see me?"

"It's just him and his mother. I'm fed up with their temperament." Jiashan paused, winked at him, and said meaningfully, "Besides, they bullied you."

Zhan Yue raised his eyebrows slightly.

"I feel sorry for myself, and I feel sorry for you, too." Jiashan played with his palm and saw that his eyes were still on her, with no intention of turning away.

Jiashan then said leisurely, "I heard that after Lord Zhan was promoted to the fifth military judge, he became the president of the prison. Could it be that he brought the trick of interrogating prisoners back home?"

The casual word "home" finally gave Zhan Yue a warm and homely air. Zhan Yue's eyebrows moved slightly, and the frown that could have piled up like a small mountain just now slowly retracted.

He pinched Jiashan's fingers punitively, in response to her teasing.

Then, he said calmly: "Zhan Shaoying and Miss Qi's wedding will be held next month. This is also a happy event personally bestowed by Lord Yu. Such an inappropriate scene today will not appear again in the future."

Today in the main hall, Zhan Shaoying hesitated to call her "Fourth Aunt". This always made people subconsciously think that this was a sign that the Zhan family was unwilling to accept Jiashan.

This was also the reason why Lady Wen had to force him to express his opinion. No matter what he thought, he was standing there, representing the eldest grandson of the Duke of Anguo, not just himself.

Jiashan shook her head and suddenly laughed cheerfully. She looked at Zhan Yue who was close at hand, tilted her head, and asked lazily, "I think you are very strange."

Zhan Yue's Adam's apple moved, and he looked at her calmly, motioning her to finish her words.

Jiashan said in a low voice: "In the past, a letter from my cousin would make our Master Zhan very jealous. How come he is so reserved now? This is not like you at all."

Jiashan's words were originally a joke. She was not well prepared last night, and unfortunately, she suffered an accident. Therefore, she also wanted to see Zhan Yue embarrassed.

I didn't expect that after last night's battle, Lord Zhan seemed to have become a veteran.

He first grabbed Jiashan's wrist and rubbed it carefully. The thin thread on his fingertips soon made Jiashan feel uncomfortable. Then, Zhan Yue used his index finger to wrap around her black hair and scratched her rosy palm intentionally or unintentionally.

The palms of people are not very fleshy, and the skin there is thin and soft, which can be considered a sensitive area. Jiashan's hair roots are thin and soft, and when Zhan Yue deliberately touched her hair like this, she immediately felt a tingling sensation, and then she shuddered, and a strange cloud appeared on Jiashan's fair cheeks.

She raised her head and glared at Zhan Yue with gritted teeth.

Zhan Yue stopped at this point, acting like a gentleman. He said slowly, "I didn't respect myself before and caused trouble for the princess."

"Now that you and I are husband and wife, of course we won't be so formal anymore." Zhan Yue deliberately emphasized the word "formal", and his innocently drawn-out tone seemed to be reminding Jiashan of something.

As expected, Jiashan was aroused by his words and even the red stain on the corners of her eyes was exactly the same as when he pressed her on the bed and kissed her last night.

Zhan Yue's eyes flickered slightly.

Jiashan timidly stepped on his foot under the table and told him, "Don't even think about doing anything stupid in public."

In order to prevent some of his fantasies from spreading further, Jiashan changed the subject and said, "After visiting mother tomorrow, do you want to go to the Fu family instead?"

Thinking of the "self-ringing bell" sent by Fu Xiao and Song, Jiashan said with a smile: "I see that your uncle and aunt are very fond of you. To show their appreciation, why don't we go to visit them tomorrow?"

"And there is Aunt Ruyang," Jiashan said, "she is our matchmaker. I promised her that I would go to Changchun Temple and have a drink with her."

The Fu family is Zhan Yue's maternal family, and they are so close to him. In Jiashan's view, the Anguo Mansion will sooner or later be handed over to Zhan Tai and Zhang. Compared with the Anguo Mansion, the Fu family is naturally more worthy of friendship, so he also deliberately wants to build a closer relationship with the Fu family.

Zhan Yue was silent for a while, then said softly, "Maybe in a few days."

"In recent years, the northwest has been in turmoil, with many wars breaking out." Zhan Yue pursed his lips, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Under Jiashan's gentle, inquiring gaze, he resumed his conversation and said, "After my grandfather passed away, the Northwest was handed over to Marquis Anding. At the end of last year, Marquis Anding returned to Beijing to report on his work, and asked the Vice Governor of the Metropolitan Government to meet with my uncle. Now Marquis Anding is still in Beijing, and my uncle told me that he is interested in going to the Northwest with Marquis Anding."

"Marquis Anding and the Fu family had a friendship in the past." Zhan Yue turned his gaze slightly to look at Jiashan, and said, "Since Marquis Anding has extended an olive branch, my uncle has made an appointment with him to meet tomorrow."

"The emperor is not harsh on the Fu family now, and has granted the Fu family's male members the right to join the army. My grandfather was awarded the title of nobility for his military achievements, and now he wants to win back his title, so he naturally has to fight on the battlefield." Zhan Yue said, "I'm married, and Ting'er has grown up. My uncle has nothing to worry about."

"Once this matter is finalized, it won't be too late for us to go visit my uncle." Zhan Yue said.

Ting Ge'er is the son of Fu Xiao and Song, and he is already twelve years old. Jiashan felt relieved when he heard Zhan Yue say that Fu Xiao planned to go to the northwest with Marquis Anding.

Although the Fu family had suffered a lot, fortunately, the last member of the Fu family did not become angry with the world or fall into despair.

In this world, some people experience hardships and will be trapped by them all their lives, while others spend their entire lives overcoming setbacks.

Jiashan's mouth curled up, and she was very happy for Fu Xiao and the family tradition of the Fu family, but she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she looked at Zhan Yue and said loudly: "Who is Your Majesty calling now?"

"I called you 'Grandma' this morning for nothing," Jiashan poked his shoulder and said seriously, "Shouldn't you also change your name to Father, like me?"

Zhan Yue was stunned.

After Fu Shiyu's death, he never mentioned the name "father" again. In his growing up life, his mother, grandmother, uncles, aunts, and even his late grandfather all had a place in his life, but his father was the only one who was vague.

But the Jiashan in front of him was in high spirits, with puffy cheeks and a hint of anger, probably because she felt that he treated her differently, and she would not stop until he changed his words.

Zhan Yue leaned back slowly on the mahogany chair. He clenched his fists and unclenched them again, saying softly, "Yes, father."

Jiashan was satisfied, and a gentle smile appeared on her face. Then, as if she had thought of something, she moved closer to Zhan Yue.

She cleared her throat, put her hand next to Zhan Yue's ear, and whispered unnaturally: "And that matter, I need to explain it to my uncle."

"Which one?" Zhan Yue's narrow eyes narrowed slowly and he asked with interest.

Jiashan's chest rose and fell fiercely. Knowing that Zhan Yue was pretending to understand, she secretly pulled Zhan Yue's sleeve tightly and said, "You know it in your heart."

Zhan Yue responded casually, knowing that she was talking about the white silk wedding veil from last night.

He said, "My uncle was also worried when he was helping me. He told me that this might be considered half a crime of deceiving the emperor. If he knew that I didn't deceive the emperor, he would probably feel at ease."

"But," Zhan Yue looked at her with a frivolous look in his brows and asked, "If you didn't mean that, why did you say... that?"

The words "I can't give birth to a child for you in the short term" eventually caused ripples in Zhan Yue's heart.

Jiashan's back stiffened for a moment, thinking of the past. A hint of sadness flashed across her eyes, and she said without changing her expression, "The imperial physician once told me that I need to take good care of my body before I can have a child."

"So, I am somewhat afraid." Jia Shan smiled at him, but the smile was very light and one could tell at a glance that she didn't take it to heart. She said, "Since you are proposing to me, I must explain it to you clearly so as not to implicate you."

Jiashan's expression was warm. She looked up at Zhan Yue and after a long silence, she whispered, "If I really can't give birth to children for you."

She paused for a moment and asked hesitantly, "Will you regret becoming the Lord?"

After saying this, Jiashan's courage seemed to be exhausted. She lowered her head, her eyelids drooped slightly, and her eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly. She did not look at Zhan Yue.

For the next two lifetimes, that unborn child will probably be an indelible regret in her heart.

Jiashan pursed his lips.

The next moment, her chin was suddenly lifted up by a pair of hands.

After lifting her chin slightly, he changed his hands to half-holding her face - the temperature of his five fingers was very high, like the warmth of someone's heart that she touched last night.

"No." Zhan Yue's black eyes were calm, and there was a hidden power in them that could pull Jiashan out of those embarrassing memories.

He paused and said, "If there is a problem, treat it."

"If you can't have a baby, forget it." Zhan Yue paused. His hand carefully touched Jia Shan's lips and he said, "Actually, I don't know how to be a father."

Zhan Yue was silent for a while, "I once thought that I would never have children in my lifetime."

He grew up in an imperfect family. He had a father, but his father never taught him what responsibility was.

Seeing Jiashan still in a daze, Zhan Yue awkwardly comforted him, "Don't be sad about this."

Jiashan suddenly laughed.

She placed Zhan Yue's fingertips gently on her lips and kissed him: "We will heal it."

"You will be a good father." Jiashan smiled and said, "It can be seen that A-Li likes you very much. It proves that you are a good uncle in daily life."

"Yuankang likes me too." When Jiashan mentioned her brother, her tone became more relaxed. She said, "In the future, I will also be a good mother."

"Yuankang," Zhan Yue asked carefully, "how are his eyes?"

When Zhan Yue went to the palace to pick up the bride, Zhao Youze was led by a palace maid and watched Jia Shan get on the sedan chair. There were many people talking at the time, so Zhan Yue just gave the brother-in-law some generous gifts as usual and did not ask him "how do you feel about your eyes?"

Since Jiashan mentioned it himself, Zhan Yue asked.

It was common knowledge that Zhao Youze's eyes were currently being treated. If his eyes were healed, it would be legitimate for him to interfere in government affairs, considering his birth as a legitimate son. He could just get his eyes treated.

Jiashan said with a cheerful face, "It's getting better gradually."

Thinking of Zhao Youze, she couldn't help but think of the prescription again. She held back and said bluntly: "Yuan Kang is the smartest one."

Zhan Yue turned his head to look at her: "Hmm?"