Chapter 32 The only thing left of the caring was the sound of each other's heartbeats.
Shen Xingwan stood in the courtyard, feeling a little guilty under his questioning gaze.
She couldn't say that she was sulking every night because she couldn't wait for him to come to bed. That would be so embarrassing, and she couldn't say it.
She choked for a long time as if there was something stuck in her throat, but in the end she couldn't utter a word. She glanced at him, turned around, and strode out of the palace.
The flowers on her skirt fluttered with her steps. She came to the carriage with a little haste. As soon as she stepped on the carriage, she sat down in a corner closest to the door and farthest from Yan Jinghuan.
She reached out to open the curtain, clasped her hands tightly against her chest, and turned her head to look out the window.
Yan Jinghuan looked at her back, frowned slightly, and glanced at Xing Zhou who was following beside him. Xing Zhou was also confused, with confusion in his eyes.
Yan Jinghuan pursed his lips and followed her into the carriage.
The carriage started slowly, and the wheels made a slight muffled sound as they rubbed against the ground, but the atmosphere inside the carriage was very subtle.
Yan Jinghuan sat aside, secretly glancing at Shen Xingwan from time to time, and saw that she was just looking out the window angrily and refused to look at him.
He took out a stack of letters and several yellowed parchment scrolls from his sleeve.
"Xingwan."
His voice was low and gentle, breaking the silence in the car.
"This is the evidence I found in the past few days. It is the correspondence between the Imperial Concubine and the Western Region forces through thangka."
Shen Xingwan, who was feeling angry, suddenly felt his back stiffen and he turned his head subconsciously.
Her eyes fell on the letters and parchments, and her eyelashes trembled slightly when she saw the dense handwriting and various mysterious seals on them.
She slowly shifted her gaze away from the evidence and looked at Yan Jinghuan, only to find that after just a few days of not seeing him, his eyes were dark and bloodshot, and he looked exhausted. It was obvious that he had not had a good rest in the past few days.
Shen Xingwan's heart suddenly tightened, as if it was being grasped tightly by an invisible hand, squeezing it so hard that it felt sore and painful. The previous grievance and anger disappeared in an instant, and was replaced by full of pity.
She opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but her throat seemed to be blocked and no sound came out.
Seeing her expression ease, Yan Jinghuan slowly came over, stretched out his hands and gently embraced her in his arms, and asked softly: "Have you been wronged in the past few days? Tell me, I will take care of it for you."
Shen Xingwan lay in his arms, feeling his strong heartbeat and the familiar scent of cold pine lingering around her. She couldn't help but misty her eyes, her eyes became sore, and tears fell.
Tears slid down her fair cheeks and hit the back of his hand warmly. Yan Jinghuan noticed it and raised his hand to hook her chin. She raised her head slightly and their eyes met. Yan Jinghuan frowned, "Why are you crying?"
His eyes were so gentle that they seemed to drip water, like a deep lake. He slowly lowered his head and gently kissed away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
He gradually moved down along the winding tear marks, as if waiting for her response.
Shen Xingwan's breathing gradually became rapid. She closed her eyes slightly, and Yan Jinghuan's lips gently pressed against hers, soft and warm.
This kiss, with deep attachment and love, melted away all misunderstandings and unhappiness like ice and snow, as if the whole world was left with only the sound of each other's heartbeats.
Only when the carriage stopped steadily in front of the palace gate did the insatiable Yan Jinghuan let her go.
Shen Xingwan gathered her clothes, regretting not wearing a silk scarf today. She could only pull her collar up further, trying to cover up the ambiguous red marks.
Seeing the young eunuch approaching, she became flustered and anxious. She caught a glimpse of him leaning there leisurely, looking at her with a smile, and glared at him in embarrassment.
Yan Jinghuan coughed lightly, then became serious. He reached out to grab his cloak, untwisted it, and draped it over her shoulders, then gently tied the straps for her.
His cloak was large and at least covered most of the area. Shen Xingwan felt relieved and his expression softened. She let him hold her hand and they got off the carriage together.
The two of them walked into the banquet hall hand in hand, and for a moment, everyone in the hall looked at them.
Tang Lin'er and Lu Yuzhi were already at the table. Tang Lin'er was dressed in a goose yellow palace dress, looking gentle and charming, but her slightly bulging belly showed that she was pregnant.
Lu Yuzhi was wearing a gorgeous red dress to show off her status as the queen. She wore a phoenix hairpin on her head, had gorgeous makeup on, and her eyes showed a bit of arrogance.
As the protagonist of today's banquet, the Imperial Concubine was dressed in a grand make-up, wearing a bright yellow robe bestowed by the emperor, with a purple and gold phoenix crown on her head, she looked like the mother of the country.
Her dress was obviously presumptuous, but the phoenix crown and gorgeous robe were all bestowed by the emperor. Now that the position of empress had been vacant for many years, she was in charge of the six palaces and was the biological mother of the prince. She was no different from a real empress. Everyone present only dared to criticize her in their hearts and flattered her on the surface.
There was an endless stream of compliments and congratulations coming in and out. The imperial concubine was at the peak of her popularity and she was in a very good mood, drinking up all the wine that was offered in congratulations and toasts.
Everyone raised their glasses to celebrate, clinked glasses, and the atmosphere was filled with singing, dancing, and music.
Wei Zilin was sitting at the table, but his eyes always fell on Shen Xingwan intentionally or unintentionally, his eyes full of obscure emotions.
Yan Jinghuan was keenly aware of this, and he pulled Shen Xingwan to his side unnoticeably, resting his arm naturally on the back of her chair, and leaned down to whisper in her ear, his words full of intimacy.
Shen Xingwan was embarrassed by his sudden action. Her face flushed and she whispered to him, "There are so many people watching us."
Yan Jinghuan raised the corners of his lips, "It seems that someone is coveting my beloved concubine, so I will naturally keep a closer eye on her."
As he spoke, he placed his hand on her shoulder and slightly pulled her towards him.
When Shen Xingwan was held in his arms, her face immediately turned red with shame and she lowered her head timidly.
When Wei Zilin saw this scene, he unconsciously tightened the wine glass in his hand, his knuckles turned white, and his eyes became more sinister.
Suddenly, there was a crisp "crack" sound, and the wine glass was crushed in his hand, and the wine and broken porcelain pieces splashed all over the floor.
The sudden sound instantly attracted everyone's attention. Lu Yuzhi was sitting next to him and took in the whole scene.
She followed Wei Zilin's gaze and it fell on Shen Xingwan, who was looking at her in surprise. She immediately understood about 70% of what he meant.
She lowered her eyes, gritted her teeth, and when she raised her eyes again, she was smiling. She was still the Crown Princess who was praised and envied by everyone in front of others.
Lu Yuzhi suppressed her unhappiness, and when everyone's attention returned to the banquet, she quietly got up and went to change her clothes.
Tang Lin'er was sitting aside, stroking her belly boredly, with a listless look on her face, as if it had nothing to do with her.
When Lu Yuzhi passed by Tang Lin'er, she deliberately bumped into her hard. Tang Lin'er was caught off guard and was knocked forward, with her pregnant belly almost hitting the sharp corner of the table.
In panic, she subconsciously protected her stomach and looked back in shock and anger: "What are you doing?"
Lu Yuzhi sneered, but her face looked innocent. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you here. But you're pregnant, it really takes up too much space. It's not good for you to hide in the house to take care of the baby. Why are you showing off here? You're having sex out of wedlock, aren't you afraid of losing face for the royal family?"
Tang Lin'er's face turned pale immediately. She already had a bad reputation and was pregnant. After being hit and scolded by Lu Yuzhi, her eyes instantly turned red: "You...the child is innocent."
"It's still unclear who this child belongs to. Two vixens in the same family are really disgusting. Humph." Lu Yuzhi rolled her eyes and walked away leisurely with her personal maid.
The guests around heard the noise and looked at him curiously, but none of them dared to step forward and say anything.
Tang Lin'er was tormented by this and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She covered her stomach, sweating profusely, and her face was pale.
Seeing this, the waiter beside her hurriedly supported her and said, "Miss, how are you?"
Beads of sweat rolled down Tang Lin'er's forehead. Her body trembled slightly as she curled up into a ball, tears welling up in her eyes. It was obvious that the situation was very bad.
Ruyi was extremely anxious. She turned around and cried to Wei Zilin without caring about etiquette, "Your Highness, please save the young lady!"
The cry instantly broke the harmony of the banquet. The originally lively scene suddenly became quiet and everyone's attention was focused on it.
Tang Lin'er endured the abdominal pain and turned to the Imperial Concubine with grievance, sobbing and complaining, "Please mother, please help Lin'er. The Crown Princess hit me on purpose. If anything happens to the fetus in my belly, how can I live?" As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes and her voice choked.
The Imperial Concubine frowned, looking displeased, but when she looked at Lu Yuzhi who was just coming back from changing her clothes, her eyes became a little subtle.
She waved her hands gently and said, "Okay, okay, it was just an accident. Yuzhi Bodhisattva is so kind that she wouldn't even want to step on an ant. How could she deliberately bump into you? You are pregnant and your body is heavy, so it's possible that you bumped into it yourself."
After that, he ordered the nanny beside him: "Go, call the imperial physician over."
The imperial physician came in a hurry, and after a careful examination, he said solemnly: "The concubine has a miscarriage, she needs to rest and recuperate immediately, otherwise the fetus may not be saved."
Shen Xingwan's mind raced when she heard that, and she made up her mind immediately. She looked at the Imperial Noble Consort, stood up and stepped forward to salute respectfully, her eyes filled with anxious pleading: "Imperial Noble Consort, my sister is in this condition, it is really not suitable for her to stay here any longer. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and allow me to accompany her to the side hall to rest."
The Imperial Concubine nodded slightly, still with no intention of punishing Lu Yuzhi, as if all this was just a trivial matter, and said lightly: "Go, take good care of her."
Tang Lin'er gritted her teeth, staring with her red eyes at the Imperial Concubine and Lu Yuzhi who were sitting high up. No matter how Ruyi supported her, she refused to move, as if she had to get an explanation for herself.
Shen Xingwan walked over and held her other arm, and whispered to her: "I know that the Imperial Concubine is biased towards Lu Yuzhi, but saving the baby in your belly is the most important thing at this moment. If you lose this child, what hope do you have?"
The tears in Tang Lin'er's eyes suddenly got out of control and slid down her face. She turned her head to look at Wei Zilin, but Wei Zilin just kept drinking without even looking at her.
It was as if the life or death of her and her unborn child had nothing to do with him.
Tang Lin'er closed her eyes in despair, as if she had lost all her strength, and her body collapsed.
Shen Xingwan and Ruyi lifted her up, supporting her on both sides as they walked out of the hall.
Before leaving, Shen Xingwan looked back quietly and exchanged glances quickly with Yan Jinghuan and Princess Guang'an. The three of them understood each other, and the action of stealing the account book officially began.
Wei Zilin, who was already a little drunk, looked up and saw Shen Xingwan's back. He threw away the cup in his hand, staggered to his feet, and stumbled out.
Before he could take a step, Yan Jinghuan stood up and blocked his way.
"Get out of the way."
Wei Zilin's eyes were slightly red and his gaze was a little dazed.
Yan Jinghuan lowered his eyes and smiled, then slowly raised his eyes and stared into his eyes.
"Why do you always pester...my princess?"
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