Chapter 093

When Zhan Yue left the government office that day, he was delayed by official business, so he returned home a little later than the previous few days.

I thought Jiashan must have had his meal. But as soon as he entered the princess's mansion, he saw Suyu, Dancui, Jianlan, and Luyi all standing in line at the gate, as if something big had happened.

Guard Zhu, who was in charge of guarding the princess's residence, was also standing nearby, and he was sweating profusely from anxiety.

Seeing Zhan Yue coming back, some people showed some joy on their faces. Before they could say anything, Zhan Yue's eyes swept over them lightly.

He narrowed his eyes slightly: "What?"

The maids looked at each other for a moment, and then Jianlan, who was in charge of serving Zhan Yue, stepped out first and replied, "Master, the princess hasn't eaten yet."

"The reason." Zhan Yue's eyes dimmed, and although his tone was indifferent, it made several people shudder for no reason.

Jianlan was a former servant of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion. Although she was not a maid in Zhan Yue's Courtyard, she had heard about the temper of the Fourth Master.

She felt more careful and replied solemnly: "There was a fire in the mansion today..."

Zhan Yue raised his eyes and interrupted her: "Is the princess injured?"

"Don't worry, Fourth Master. The princess is not injured." Jianlan said, "But, the princess's wet nurse, Madam Zheng..."

She chose her words carefully and said slowly, "No more."

Zhan Yue's eyes flashed, his pupils were as black as ink, he looked at Jian Lan and asked: "What do you mean by gone?"

Jianlan gritted her teeth slightly, but Dancui answered for her: "This afternoon, I accompanied the princess to the nanny's yard. The princess ordered me to wait outside the yard. After about an incense stick of time, I saw smoke coming from the yard, so I hurried in to take a look."

"The fire had already broken out in the kitchen, but the princess probably didn't notice it because she was sitting alone in the room. I helped the princess out and called Guard Zhu and other sisters to put out the fire."

"Later, the fire was put out," Dan Cui said softly, "but Madam Zheng was found dead in the kitchen."

Dancui was the person who knew the whole thing best besides Jiashan. After all, Jiashan only brought her with him in the afternoon. After hearing what Dancui said, Zhan Yue roughly understood.

He hesitated for a moment and asked softly, "What time did this happen?"

"After lunch, around 3 p.m." Dan Cui replied.

Green Clothes said, "After this incident, the princess has not allowed servants to serve her, and she has not eaten yet."

Zhan Yue's brows furrowed deeply, and he said, "Su Yu."

Su Yu bowed her head and said, "I am here."

Zhan Yue said, "Have the kitchen prepare some side dishes that the princess will love right away, and I'll bring them in."

Su Yu didn't dare to be careless and said quickly: "Yes."

"Send someone to bury Madam Zheng with honor," Zhan Yue said gently, "after all, she was the princess's wet nurse."

Su Yu said, "Yes. The princess has already given instructions."

"You have to get married tomorrow," Zhan Yue did not forget this matter, he said with a smile, "After you finish this, go to bed early."

Su Yu stammered, "Princess, this is how I feel..."

"You don't have to worry about the affairs of the palace." Zhan Yue's tone was steady, but he did not allow anyone to argue. He said, "Getting married is the most important thing in a woman's life. The princess has been worrying about your marriage for so long. Don't let her work in vain."

Su Yu blushed slightly and could only say, "Yes."

Su Yu quickly took the order and told the kitchen staff, but Zhan Yue's eyes were still on the few people. He stood tall and said calmly, "Announce to the public that Madam Zheng died of illness."

"If anyone leaks the news, I will not be polite to him." His tone was gentle and elegant, without any harshness, but the smile on his face was a little cold.

Everyone in the mansion was used to seeing his gentle side when he was with Jiashan on weekdays, and had never seen him be so murderous.

Thinking that he was once the commander of the Jinwu Guards and now in charge of the nine gates of the capital, he was a real commander of troops. The girls didn't dare to breathe a word. Even Guard Zhu didn't dare to say anything. They just nodded in unison, "Yes."

Zhan Yue glanced at the faces of several people and saw that they were not very happy, so he smiled again. His face was as white as snow, and his smile could not help but shine brightly in the dusk.

He said, "You have worked hard today. Each of you should go to the cashier's office to collect your twenty taels of silver reward and go down to rest early."

Everyone hesitated for a while, no one dared to respond, Zhan Yue said: "Which word did I not make clear?"

"Yes, I understand. Thank you for your reward, Lord Master." Lu Yi reacted the fastest. She knew that Zhan Yue was trying to silence them by using both kindness and force, so she was the first to bow and express her gratitude.

The rest of the people also gradually understood and said yes.

Zhan Yue was still thinking about Jiashan in his heart. Seeing that his goal was achieved, he ignored them and strode into the yard.

Su Yu has always been efficient and has already delivered the side dishes to Jiashan's room.

When Zhan Yue entered the room, Jiashan was alone, half leaning on the imperial concubine's chair, with a thin blanket covering her knees. She was barefoot, wearing only a pair of silk stockings. She was staring out the window at the direction of the setting sun, lost in thought.

Hearing footsteps, she didn't even turn around, but just held her cheek with one hand and whispered, "You're back?"

Zhan Yue didn't say much. He just nodded and slowly walked to the chair. Seeing that she was barefoot, he naturally bent over to put on her shoes.

His palm was broad, strong and powerful, and he firmly grasped Jiashan's slender ankle in one go. The hot temperature of his palm quickly penetrated through the stockings and spread from the soles of his feet to Jiashan's whole body.

She shrank as if she had been struck by lightning and looked down unconsciously. She saw Zhan Yue half-kneeling on the ground, his movements focused, his black hair cascading down like a waterfall.

Jiashan's lips trembled slightly, and she wanted to retract her feet. She whispered, "I'll do it myself."

"Don't move." Zhan Yue held her ankle tightly.

He didn't look up at her, but said softly, "When you are pregnant, your belly will get heavier. Then, you won't be able to bend your waist, so you still need me, right?"

"I'll help you put it on." Zhan Yue raised his eyebrows and said in a tone that did not allow for argument.

Jiashan pursed her lips, lowered her head, and stared at Zhan Yue almost in a daze.

Zhan Yue was born with bright eyes and white teeth, and his profile was handsome and delicate, with curled eyelashes like the wings of a jackdaw. When his thin lips were pressed together, his skin looked even more fair, like a fairy in a mirror.

He is such a good man.

Jiashan didn't know what to say, so he just kept staring at him.

Zhan Yue seemed not to notice her gaze. After helping her put on her shoes, he raised his head and smiled nonchalantly: "Come and have a meal with me."

"I haven't eaten for a day and I'm really hungry," said Zhan Yue.

Jiashan looked at his handsome features and couldn't help but ask with concern, "Why didn't you eat for a day?"

"Yang Yushi from the Censorate was ambushed yesterday when he was leaving court, and his right arm was injured. People from the Censorate came to me today to ask for an explanation," Zhan Yue said slowly, "Fortunately, the thief has been caught, but it took some effort to interrogate him."

As he was talking, Zhan Yue smiled at Jia Shan, his smile as bright as a teenager's: "The people in the Censorate are really stingy. I worked hard for them all day, but they didn't even ask me to have a meal."

"However, Zuo Du Yushi married the granddaughter of Princess Changle, so he has to call you aunt," Zhan Yue said with a faint smile, "next time at the palace banquet, you have to follow his instructions and call me uncle."

Zhan Yue smiled lazily: "You can't deny me the advantage of words."

He was rarely so naughty. Jiashan looked at him and couldn't help but smile. She nodded and said, "I'll help you press your head when the time comes."

Zhan Yue narrowed his eyes and said, "Okay."

He helped Jiashan get up from the imperial concubine chair. Jiashan had been sitting on the chair for a long time. She didn't feel anything when she was leaning back, but when she stood up, she realized that she was numb from the waist down.

When he was pulled up suddenly, his legs suddenly went limp and he fell directly onto Zhan Yue's arms and was hugged by him.

Zhan Yue's arms were strong and powerful. One hand was tightly clasped around her waist. He leaned close to her ear and whispered in a somewhat nervous tone, "Why are you so eager to throw yourself into my arms?"

A burst of heat hit Jiashan's ears. He could only bite his cheeks uncomfortably and looked up at him: "Who threw himself into my arms?"

"Oh?" Zhan Yue looked at her meaningfully and poked her waist with one hand, "Isn't it?"

He made a gesture to loosen his grip. Jiashan's legs were still numb and he couldn't stand steadily, so he subconsciously grabbed Zhan Yue's wide sleeve.

Zhan Yue took the opportunity to hold her in his arms, a smile slowly appearing on his face again.

He gently scratched the tip of Jiashan's chin with his fingers, his eyes seemed to say - see, was I right?

Jiashan couldn't help feeling ashamed and angrily avoided looking at him.

He accompanied Jiashan to the table and sat down. After serving the dishes to the two of them, he picked up a piece of Jiashan's favorite cabbage heart with his chopsticks and fed it to her mouth himself.

Zhan Yue whispered, "It would be fine if he couldn't eat, but now he can't even stand steadily."

He laughed calmly: "About the same as a three-year-old child."

Jiashan hadn't eaten for several hours. Although she didn't want to refuse Zhan Yue's kindness, she was pregnant and her intestines were sensitive. She couldn't help but vomit several times when she suddenly got greasy.

His face quickly became haggard.

Seeing how uncomfortable she was, Zhan Yue was in no mood to joke anymore, his brows furrowed as if they were sinking into the abyss. He fed Jia Shan a sip of hot water and frowned, "Are you feeling very uncomfortable?"

Hearing the change in his tone, Jiashan held the table with one hand and said softly, "It's okay."

Zhan Yue's pupils were still deep, and he let out a long sigh.

He suddenly turned around, stretched out his long arms, locked Jiashan tightly in his arms, and almost forcibly pinched Jiashan's little face.

Although the action was domineering, the force was extremely gentle, probably because he was afraid of hurting her.

His sword-like eyebrows were raised, his eyes were like stars, and his expression seemed as calm and indifferent as usual. But only those who knew him well could see that at this moment, he was actually a little angry.

"Princess," Zhan Yue's eyes were filled with sadness. He said slowly, "What would you do if I wasn't with you, Princess?"

He repeatedly stroked Jiashan's chin with his slender index finger, his eyes shining like pearls: "Why can't you take good care of yourself?"

Jiashan was trapped between his arms, being held tightly by him. Hearing him say this, she couldn't help but blink her sharp eyes.

The two had been married for nearly half a year, and they often had a mutual understanding. Jiashan could certainly see that Zhan Yue was a little angry now.

Are you angry that she doesn't take care of her body?

Jiashan rested his head on his slightly hot chest, listening to his strong heartbeat coming clearly, as if he could touch it.

Her restless chest seemed to calm down suddenly, and she slowly lowered her eyelashes. Knowing that she was in the wrong, Jiashan whispered, "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Zhan Yue frowned slightly, still in a bad mood.

Jiashan's cheeks were dizzy, her eyes seemed to sparkle, and she said in a flattering tone: "How about this."

"If you go on a long journey in the future, I will sew a round cloth bag on your clothes so that you can carry me wherever you go. What do you think?"

A smile appeared on Jiashan's face.

Zhan Yue glanced at her from top to bottom and saw that Jiashan's beautiful face was bright and gentle.

Although his face was still stern, his tone had softened.

"Not much." Zhan Yue said, "The princess's needlework is so mediocre, how dare you brag?"

"Why are you making fun of me?" Now it was Jiashan's turn to be unhappy, and she pouted her red lips awkwardly.

The expression on his face suddenly became lively and his face looked vivid.

Zhan Yue's eyes were clear, and he tried to restrain himself a few times but couldn't help it.

He leaned over and lightly traced the shape of her lips with the tip of his snake, as if he was still not satisfied, and then he kissed Jiashan's pouting lips heavily.

As the lips entangled with each other, all the hostility was gone.

He held her soft waist and said, "Let's eat first."

"After you finish eating, if you are willing to tell me what happened today, I will listen patiently." Zhan Yue looked at her seriously and said.

The smile on Jiashan's face faded a little. She looked at him steadily, then bit her lip and said, "Okay."