Chapter 46
"It cannot be grasped by hand, nor measured by foot; its head is like a snail, its body like a peeled rabbit, its tendons like earthworms, and it hangs a bushel of millet without drooping."
"One dou (斗) of millet contains 10 sheng (升), which is about 15 jin (斤)..."
Wei Luo muttered to himself, then his eyes lit up as he looked at Shen Yao and asked, "Do you think there really are such magnificent creatures in the world?"
Shen Yao: "...Exaggeration? How could that be?"
I think so too.
Wei Luo nodded repeatedly, and after raising his questions, he lowered his head and continued flipping through the book.
Shen Yao: Why do I feel like something's not right?
"Fine, you won't let me sell banned books, but you're enjoying reading them yourself!"
Shen Yao frowned, snatched the book from his hands, and tucked it behind her back, a half-smile on her face: "Your Highness is the Crown Prince, the future emperor. How can you read vulgar books? Don't let your uncle say I'm corrupting you one day."
Caught off guard, Wei Luo's hand was suddenly empty. He looked up, grinning, and asked, "The Crown Prince is a man too. And besides, haven't you corrupted me?"
"Hmph, you're a bad person, do I need to teach you?"
Shen Yao hid the book under the counter and warned him not to read similar stories again, or he would be in big trouble.
Wei Luo didn't care that the books were taken away. He was just killing time anyway, so he simply changed his posture, leaned back comfortably in his chair, and watched as Shen Yao stuffed the stack of books she had brought into the cabinet one after another, and then locked it.
After they were done, Shen Yao blinked at him and asked, "It's getting late, why aren't you leaving yet?"
She's going home.
Wei Luo raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself: You want to get rid of me? Well, you won't get away with it.
"Why did you open a study?"
He had asked her before, but Shen Yao hadn't answered.
Shen Yao sighed and said, "Xu Xuan dotes on his cousin and thinks I'm in his way, so he kicked me out of the Xu family. Is Your Highness satisfied with this answer?"
He walked in, sat down on Wei Luo's lap, wrapped his arms around his neck, and gently inhaled the faint scent of plum blossoms emanating from him.
"I see."
Wei Luo smiled and playfully pinched her nose, teasing her, "Ayao, how did you end up like this? Your husband doesn't love you, and you've been kicked out of the house. It's really... pitiful."
Mocking him, Shen Yao immediately frowned, pulled her arm away, and snorted, "Yes, it's all my own fault, but you deliberately seduced me, so you must be that... uh, Ximen Qing."
That night in Licun, he told her the story of Pan Jinlian and warned her to be content with her lot. Little did she know that now, the crown prince of a country would become Ximen Qing!
"Master Ximen, how about the new name?"
Shen Yao smiled brightly, kissed Wei Luo on the lips, and tilted her head to look at him.
The fleeting warmth instantly captivated Wei Luo. He softly hummed in agreement, his eyes filled with affection, and smiled, "Very well, Madam Pan, may I stay the night...?"
With a flick of his finger, Wei Luo instantly ripped open the sash around her waist. Startled, Shen Yao quickly grabbed his restless hand and said fiercely, "You're not allowed to do anything reckless. Don't even think about anything below your neck."
Shen Yao immediately stood up, distanced herself from him, straightened her clothes, and fastened her belt.
"This is so unfair! You've seen me, why can't I see you?"
Wei Luo frowned, her tone aggrieved.
"No means no."
In this regard, Shen Yao firmly adhered to her bottom line.
She liked Wei Luo and wanted to be close to him, but Shen Yao valued chastity extremely highly. She wouldn't give Wei Luo everything he wanted without leaving herself any way out.
Shen Yao looked up and saw him staring blankly at her, his eyes filled with anger and his expression clearly suppressed. She knew he would overthink things, so she explained softly, "It's not that I dislike Your Highness, but..."
“I know.” Wei Luo stood up, interrupting her. “You don’t trust me, do you? You’re afraid I’ll break my promise and abandon you in the future.”
They looked at each other for a moment, then Wei Luo took her hand and smiled, "I will never let you down. But since you're worried, I won't touch you until we get married. But you have to give me something in return, okay?"
"What's good?"
"We'll share a room tonight."
Shen Yao's eyes widened slightly, and she asked in surprise, "Aren't you going back to the palace tonight?"
"I won't reply."
As the two were talking, a knock sounded on the door.
Shen Yao was startled and hurriedly ran to open the door. She saw Liu Heng, who looked at her with a strange gaze. Then he turned to Wei Luo and said, "Your Highness, the tiger is here."
Wei Luo immediately went out, and Shen Yao locked the door and followed him out onto the street.
As dusk falls, the government offices close, and people who have worked hard all day can finally relax for a moment. The wealthy call their friends and head to restaurants to eat, drink, and have fun; the poor, however, treat themselves to some good wine and meat at roadside stalls.
With a thriving economy and a prevalent hedonistic lifestyle, Beijing's major commercial streets are teeming with people every evening. Dashilan is no exception.
Wei Luo didn't shy away from Liu Heng. He took Shen Yao's hand and walked towards the commotion in the distance, where there was a great commotion, with drums and music playing and a large crowd of people packed together.
As they drew closer, they saw a group of strangely dressed people coming down the street. The group of elegantly dressed young men at the head rode on tall horses, with a tiger imprisoned in an iron cage behind them.
As they walked, people were throwing money around, causing the surrounding people to scramble to grab it.
"The tiger is getting married!"
The street was already crowded with onlookers. The tiger was draped in red silk and wore a flower crown. Perhaps it was the crowd that aroused it, because it stood up and assumed a defensive posture.
Shen Yao stared in disbelief.
"Isn't that Zhao Lian?"
As they got closer, Shen Yao finally saw Zhao Lian's figure. Wei Luo didn't recognize Zhao Lian, so Shen Yao said, "He is the heir of the Duke of Xin's mansion. My brother is about to marry his sister."
He was the one who hired people to kidnap you and me, something Shen Yao didn't mention.
Shen Yao knew Zhao Lian, and Zhao Lian knew Shen Yao. She suddenly looked at Wei Luo, pulled her hand away, and Wei Luo subconsciously clenched it. Only then did Shen Yao say, "He knows me."
Wei Luo then let go of her hand, but still kept his shoulder close to hers to feel at ease.
Behind him, Liu Heng's eyes darkened, and a look of doubt and worry flashed across his face.
The tiger wedding procession continued on its way, and the two followed, seeing them arrive directly at the Red Powder Beauty Society's residence.
The shop was decorated like a wedding, with red silk and lanterns already hung up. If someone didn't know better, they would really think someone was getting married.
Unlike the tiger cage, here was a handsome man holding a kitten dressed in red. The kitten seemed frightened and was restless in the man's arms, and the man kept trying to soothe it.
Several noblemen riding white horses dismounted in front of the shop. One of them bowed and said some words of blessing, and then the group burst into laughter.
A moment later, the man holding the tabby cat, wiping away tears, handed the kitten to the wedding party. They took it and forcibly placed the cat next to the tiger, locking them both in an iron cage.
The poor kitten, facing a behemoth dozens of times its own size, tried desperately to jump out as soon as it entered the cage, but the gaps were too small and it couldn't get out. In despair, it could only stay away from the tiger and cower in a corner, trembling.
The tiger saw the kitten come in and immediately put its head close to sniff it. Perhaps the kitten was too weak and the tiger did not feel threatened, so it chose to let the kitten go.
The cat escaped unharmed.
The young men who came to fetch the bride laughed heartily when they saw the animals living peacefully together. They then rode their white horses back home, beating drums and gongs and scattering money along the way.
"Calling these people beasts is an insult to beasts."
Shen Yao was filled with resentment. She looked at Wei Luo, frowned, and asked, "Your Highness, is no one going to take care of this? What if that tiger escapes and harms the people?"
"Tomorrow, I will send the military police to deal with them."
After Zhao Lian left, Wei Luo took her hand and the two walked to Master Shen's outer residence, entering through the back door as before.
The house was large, with the back door next to a rockery garden. It was also quite dark, so when Shen Yao brought Wei Luo in, she didn't notice anyone there.
Just then, a voice called out "A-Yao," and Miao Niang came out. Looking at the two holding hands, she smiled and said, "This must be the son-in-law. I've long heard that the master's son-in-law is a handsome man, and seeing him today, he truly is. No wonder A-Yao didn't like Song Zhao and insisted on marrying you."
Miao Niang looked Wei Luo up and down, nodding with satisfaction. Shen Yao hadn't recovered from her shock when Wei Luo stepped forward and asked, "Who is Song Zhao?"
“My nephew is eighteen years old and is studying at the Imperial Academy.”
Wei Luo looked at Shen Yao, raised an eyebrow, said "Oh," and teased, "My Yao is really lovable."
He took the opportunity to tickle her palm.
Shen Yao felt itchy and was about to tell him to behave when a servant suddenly ran over and said, "Master is here and wants you to have dinner in the front hall."
Shen Yao froze, and cold sweat immediately broke out on her body.
She regretted it; she shouldn't have been so soft-hearted as to let Wei Luo come here. She was terrified.
Sensing Shen Yao's fear, Wei Luo squeezed her hand and said to Miao Niang, "Let's go back to our room after we've eaten."
They all left.
Shen Yao settled Wei Luo in her boudoir and arranged rooms for Liu Heng and his several plainclothes guards. After things were almost settled, she thought that since her father had come, she should go and see him to put her mind at ease, so she secretly slipped into the front hall.
In the front hall, Master Shen was having dinner with Miao Niang. As she served him food, she said, "The son-in-law has arrived."
Mr. Shen was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What is he doing here?"
Miao Niang then moved Shen Yao here and told her everything about opening the study.
Mr. Shen was stunned. This was his private place, and now his family knew about it. His daughter and son-in-law had even moved in. He immediately got up and said he was going to find "Xu Xuan" for a drink.
"Dad~"
Shen Yao overheard this and quickly ran out to stop him, "Xu Xuan is drinking at a social event and is sleeping right now, don't wake him."
Shen Yao also gave Miao Niang a wink.
Miao Niang received the message, said a few words, and then pulled Master Shen to sit down, saying with a smile, "I'll drink with you, Master."
That's why Master Shen let Xu Xuan go.
*
Inside Shen Yao's boudoir, Wei Luo was curiously looking her up and down, while Liu Heng followed behind with a worried expression, constantly nagging, "Your Highness, how could you be with her? You are enemies, Your Highness, don't let her seduce you..."
Wei Luo's ears were getting tired of listening. Seeing Liu Heng's incessant chatter, which was really annoying, he said, "Can you be quiet for a while?"
While Liu Heng was still in a daze, Wei Luo had already lifted the bed curtains and lay down directly on the bed. The familiar fragrance emanating from her body made him feel much more at ease.
Ignoring Liu Heng's dark expression, Wei Luo instructed, "Go and find out who lives next door, and buy the house."
By buying the property next door, he could meet with Shen Yao anytime without worrying about being disturbed. Wei Luo thought to himself.
Liu Heng already had reservations about Shen Yao, and seeing that Wei Luo not only fell in love with Shen Yao but also wanted to continue meeting with her in secret, he could no longer tolerate it. He immediately knelt down and tried to dissuade her, saying, "Your Highness, she is a married woman. Do you really want to challenge the moral order and be with her?"
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