Chapter 119 Did those three years of married life shape his habits?
Minglu personally drove the carriage to take Zhou Zhining to Hengwu Villa.
On the way, Zhou Zhining had asked almost everything she needed to ask.
Oh, a beggar picked up on the street?
He was lucky to have climbed up to Zhan Xingzhuo's big tree.
Zhou Zhining had only met Hongying once, but she could already tell that this woman was no ordinary person.
Yao Qingling was disappointed in Zhan Xingzhuo and had no ulterior motives. On the contrary, Zhan Xingzhuo was using her, so Yao Qingling was not a threat to Zhou Zhining in the past, but rather her protective shield.
Hongying has ulterior motives; Zhan Xingzhuo is her future. Her ambition and possessiveness are obvious.
Zhou Zhining was all too clear about the meaning of this "future," and Zhan Xingzhuo was also her future.
This red cherry blossom became a threat to her.
However, Zhou Zhining was not afraid of her. No matter how cunning she was, she was still just a beggar.
Zhan Xingzhuo was born into the Duke's Mansion and was the son of the Grand Princess of Deyang, making him extremely noble.
Zhou Zhining and Zhan Xingzhuo both have privileged backgrounds and similar upbringing, so she understands Zhan Xingzhuo better than anyone else.
People like them are born noble, several levels above those of low birth, and naturally look down on them; Hongying is nothing more than a plaything.
What Zhan Xingzhuo was attracted to were her eyes.
"...Has Miss Hongying met Yao Qingling?" Zhou Zhining asked casually.
It was the height of summer, and the evening breeze felt warm, but Minglu felt a chill run down his back. He was on edge, carefully answering each of her questions.
This question is essentially asking whether the Second Master has met with the Young Madam.
A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead. Minglu wiped the sweat with his riding whip, but accidentally let the whip scratch his eye.
He replied with a smile, "The Second Master went straight to the palace after returning to the capital, and only then did he go to the Duke's mansion. What kind of status does Hongying have? How could she follow the Second Master around?"
Zhou Zhining slightly curled the corners of her lips.
See? She wasn't wrong. That Hongying doesn't understand etiquette or manners at all. It's one thing for her to stay indoors and play around, but she's not presentable enough to be even allowed in public. She doesn't even have the right to accompany anyone.
A lowly maid who only knows how to climb into bed is not as good as Zhiyun and Zhiyue by her side.
Zhan Xingzhuo did not rush to find Yao Qingling.
Thinking this way, Zhou Zhining felt a little relieved.
She said nothing more, closed her eyes, and gently waved her fan.
The collar scraped against my neck, causing a slight stinging sensation.
She touched the stinging spot—the one Zhan Xingzhuo had kissed.
He kissed more than just this one place.
Zhou Zhining's fingers slowly slid from her neck to her chest, probing inside... She tilted her head slightly, her closed eyelashes trembled slightly, and her breathing became a little rapid.
The feeling of the man kissing her floated into her mind.
She had experienced sexual intimacy before, but with Wang Xuan. After becoming pregnant with her second child, she refused to let him touch her again.
She found Wang Xuan disgusting.
However, she also had emotions and desires, and was not a fairy who did not eat the food of the mortal world.
She and Zhan Xingzhuo were in love, but over the years they kept their feelings within the bounds of propriety.
Later, she was divorced by Wang Xuan; he divorced Yao Qingling. But before they could confess their feelings to each other, he went to Luozhou, and she entered the Ministry of Agriculture.
The suppressed emotions came to an abrupt end.
She was overjoyed when she finally saw him achieve something and heard that he had returned to the capital. Despite being afraid of the Grand Princess's reprimand, she secretly hid at the door and waited for him.
Zhou Zhining was prepared to unite with him in body and soul when she met him tonight.
They've suppressed their feelings for so many years, why can't they?
During her time at the Sinong Temple, what she understood most clearly was the brevity of life. She and Zhan Xingzhuo had already wasted five years of their lives.
First, she loved him and was willing to give herself to him to enjoy true intimacy; second, Zhou Zhining hoped that the two would have a more substantial relationship and bind them more closely together.
Thus, even when he became a vice minister... and later a high-ranking official, a first-rank official, and had seen more of the world, he still thought of her and wished to share everything with her.
He also fulfilled his promise to relocate the Zhou family back from the northern border.
However, the sudden appearance of Hongying shattered Zhou Zhining's illusions.
She wasn't wary of Hongying, but of Yao Qingling.
Zhan Xingzhuo actually found a stand-in to keep by his side!
Zhou Zhining didn't know how Yao Qingling had entered Zhan Xingzhuo's heart, or when it started.
What is it about Yao Qingling that Zhan Xingzhuo can't forget?
Was she beautiful? No, there were countless beauties in the capital, and Yao Qingling was nameless and unknown.
Talented? No, there are countless talented women in the capital, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but Yao Qingling is not proficient in any of them.
Good-natured? Endearing? Neither. Yao Qingling was stubborn, and her tendency to escalate minor issues made her a target of avoidance by all the powerful and wealthy; she was like a shrew. Who would like a shrew?
Was it those three years of married life that shaped his habits?
Yes, he and Yao Qingling were husband and wife. He had no concubines or maids; she was the only woman he had ever been with.
Men often feel a deep sense of gratitude towards women they've been with, believing that "even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness."
Men have a stronger desire to conquer women who are no longer under their control.
Yao Qingling's escape from Zhan Xingzhuo's control caused him inner turmoil.
Zhou Zhining suddenly realized that what you can't have is what you'll always miss.
She figured it out, so she tried to arouse Zhan Xingzhuo's desire, but then stopped abruptly, not letting him satisfy it.
Only in this way could he yearn for her so intensely.
Therefore, she is more important than Yao Qingling; after all, he has a substitute for Yao Qingling by his side to satisfy his desires, while Zhou Zhining does not.
Thinking of this, Zhou Zhining let go of her hand and opened her eyes.
Her eyes no longer held lust; they were cold and ruthless.
Yao Qingling, she wasn't satisfied with hurting her like this, she even managed to steal Zhan Xingzhuo's heart.
She clenched her fingers tightly, tearing the fan to shreds.
When the carriage arrived at Hengwu Villa, Zhou Zhining got off, smiled and thanked Minglu, and slipped a gold leaf into his hand.
Minglu thanked him, put the gold leaf into his bosom, and said, "Miss Zhou, Hongying is vulgar, like mud on the ground, while you are like a cloud in the sky. She can't compare to you at all. You can trust Second Master."
"Luozhou is a tough place. After all, Second Master is a man. Taking her in is just to make his daily life more convenient..."
Minglu wanted to say something nicer, but Zhou Zhining interrupted him.
“I know. But Minglu, I don’t trust anyone else to take care of Second Master. I only trust you. You’ll be by his side, so please keep a close eye on him for me.”
"That's only right," Minglu said with a smile, readily agreeing.
He pulled on the reins and turned the carriage around. The curtain was lifted by the wind, and Minglu saw a torn round fan inside the carriage.
He was slightly startled and glanced at Zhou Zhining out of the corner of his eye.
I almost forgot, Miss Zhou was once a daughter of a wealthy and noble family, and her personality has never been solely gentle and kind. It's just that she has had a hard life these past years, and often presents herself as pitiful, which makes people think she is kind.
Zhou Zhining smiled slightly at the door, held a handkerchief, and waved to him: "Go on, be careful on the way."
Minglu smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Thank you, Miss Zhou."
They drove away in a horse-drawn carriage.
As Zhou Zhining watched the carriage disappear into the night, the smile on her face instantly turned cold.
It seems she can no longer place all her hopes on Zhan Xingzhuo.
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