Chapter 115: Portrait Revisited
This man! He ruined her good thing and touched her body. He deserves to die!
Xu Song felt the burning gaze, but he still kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, only he bent his body lower, with an extremely submissive posture.
After the princess left, Xu Song's eyes fell on Marquis Anyuan, who was standing aside with an indecipherable expression.
His mind was now clear as to why he had been pushed into the water just now.
He took a step forward, straightened his clothes and composed himself, then bowed solemnly to Xie Jinglan, "My Lord, please consider my father's kindness. I will always remember this."
Xie Jinglan accepted his greeting, his expression still stern. He simply said, "Mr. Xu, you are too kind. The Fifth Princess is a spoiled child. After such a disastrous ending today, she may not let it go. In the future... I'm afraid you will suffer."
He paused and looked at Xu Song. "What I did today was also out of selfish motives. I didn't want to get myself involved in unnecessary trouble. This way, we can be considered even."
…
The dinner was held in the old lady's courtyard. The dishes were exquisite and warm, all of which were the old lady's favorites.
There were two or three tables set up in the main hall outside, and several elderly relatives of seniority were sitting down with smiles on their faces, being warmly entertained by the mansion's respected steward and the hardworking old nanny.
There is only one table in the warm room, which is for the closest family members.
The old lady looked at her grandson, granddaughter and grandson-in-law with a smile on her face, and then thought about her sons and daughters-in-law who were unable to see the scene today. If those relatives who passed away early in the ancestral hall were still there, what a lively and complete family it would be at this moment.
Her heart suddenly ached, and tears welled up in her eyes.
The old lady hurriedly concealed it by lowering her head to drink tea. Her eyes swept across the open partition door of the warm room and happened to see her five-year-old great-granddaughter and two-year-old Xibao playing happily on the carpet outside. The old lady's sadness caused by missing her relatives just now seemed to be soothed a lot in an instant.
Wen Ningbu prepared the meal and was about to leave when the old lady smiled and beckoned, "Ning'er, come here."
She pointed to the seat next to her and said, "Today's birthday is all thanks to Ning'er, who has taken care of everything. She has worked so hard. Tonight, at our family banquet, she must take a seat. No one is allowed to restrain her."
Xie Wan smiled and agreed repeatedly, "Ning'er, come and sit down! I've really been taking it easy this year. I'm waiting for a ready-made meal when I get home! You don't know how exhausted I was in the past few years. This year, thanks to you, I can finally take a break."
Wen Ning blushed slightly as she declined, "Madam, this is against protocol. Besides... the Fifth Princess fell into the water today. I think it was because the lakeshore was slippery. Ning'er failed to take precautions in advance. She should reflect on herself and not tolerate such preferential treatment again."
Seeing this, Xie Jinglan took a step closer to her without leaving any trace, and gently pushed his palm forward almost imperceptibly.
He lowered his head and spoke softly, "The Fifth Princess fell into the water because of her own careless behavior. It has nothing to do with Ning'er. Since Grandmother asked you to sit down, it means she recognizes your contribution. Just sit down and relax."
Hearing this, Shen Lin, who was sitting opposite, almost felt his teeth ache. He had never heard the decisive and murderous Marquis An Yuan speak in such a gentle tone.
He couldn't help but tut his tongue twice, "Marquis Anyuan must have been so numbed by the warmth of the stove today. If those soldiers at the border heard this, they would surely be shocked."
Without even raising his eyelids, Xie Jinglan slowly and calmly picked up a piece of bamboo shoots with chopsticks and placed it in Wen Ning's bowl.
"Brother-in-law, have you forgotten how you waited outside my backyard wall for three days, embroidering a purse yourself, in order to see my sister? Even when it rained heavily, you refused to leave. You were soaked like a drowned rat, and finally you managed to trick my sister into speaking to you through the window."
He paused, the corners of his lips curling up slightly, "Compared to my brother-in-law back then, I'm afraid my soft words are not even a fraction of what they were, right?"
Thinking about Chen Lin, a grown man, who secretly learned embroidery in order to pursue his sweetheart, the old lady couldn't bear it anymore and pointed at Chen Lin and laughed so hard that she couldn't speak.
Chen Lin's face instantly turned red, and he almost choked on the tea he had just drunk. He could only turn to his wife for help, "Madam! You don't care about your brother! You only know how to expose people's shortcomings!"
Xie Wan's shoulders were already shaking with laughter. Hearing this, she raised her head and glanced at her husband, "Serves you right! Who told you to provoke him in the first place? When has he ever gotten the slightest advantage from you?"
Chen Lin was speechless. After he swallowed another mouthful of tea, his eyebrows suddenly raised, and his resentful gaze fell on Wen Ning, who was pursing her lips to hold back her laughter.
"Miss Ning'er, I'm afraid you don't know yet? Marquis Anyuan once closed down one of my favorite art studios because of a painting."
"Painting?" Wen Ning's curiosity was piqued, and she didn't notice the man beside her tense up instantly. She turned to look at Chen Lin, puzzled, "Wen Ning doesn't know. Please tell me, my lord."
Chen Lin smiled like a fox and was about to continue revealing the news when he suddenly received a warning look from Xie Jinglan, as if he would be dragged out and court-martialed the next moment if he said another word.
He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, scratched his temples sheepishly, and smiled at Wen Ning, "Well, forget it. If Miss Ning'er is curious, why not ask her yourself? He will definitely explain it more clearly than I can. As for me, if I continue, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave the gate of this mansion tomorrow. My brother-in-law will detain me and make me copy the military regulations!"
Xie Jinglan's knuckles gripping the teacup tightened slightly.
He was not worried that Chen Lin would bring up the old story of sealing up the painting studio and collecting her portraits.
What really made him panic was that hanging on the curtain at the end of his bed was a small private portrait of her that he had painted himself.
On those nights when she was not around, he would use the figure in the painting to...relieve himself.
She would be able to find it as long as she lifted the veil behind the curtain.
Wen Ning glanced sideways quietly and unexpectedly caught a glimpse of the faint blush on the Marquis's ears.
This rare embarrassment that appeared on the face of the usually cold and stern Marquis Anyuan was truly thrilling, and... inexplicably arousing.
Although she was even more curious, seeing that he clearly didn't want to talk much, she submissively said softly, "Well, if you have time, you can tell Ning'er about it later."
After dinner, everything was cleaned up.
Wen Ning and Xie Jinglan returned to the inner room. As soon as they sat down and accepted the hot tea he offered, they couldn't help but look up and ask, "My Lord, just now during the meal... what exactly is that portrait that Master Shen mentioned?"
Xie Jinglan looked at her clear and focused peach blossom eyes, and swallowed the evasive words that were on the tip of his tongue.
He first chuckled helplessly, then reached out and gently held her fingertips, as if asking for a life-saving amulet.
"If I tell you everything, Ning'er is not allowed to get angry."
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