Chapter 25 Chapter 25 She looks so well behaved.
Listening to the pouring rain, Zhu Yinluan lost all desire to sleep.
She recalled the absurd and intermittent dream, thought about the attitude of Wei Ruzhuo, Pang Shi, her eldest sister... and other relatives towards her during these days, and then thought about many things in the past.
One thing after another flashed through her mind, as if she had always been alone, no one cared about her, and she got married in a daze.
She had finally mustered up all her energy, and after so many years, seeing the Wei family gradually getting better, she thought her life would get better as well, and she would finally be able to gain a foothold.
But in the end, she was still light and swaying in the wind, and she seemed to be the same as always, with nothing.
Zhu Yinluan must have done a lot of unforgivable wrong things in her previous life, otherwise why would no one love her?
Why exactly?
When she closed her eyes, she couldn't help but shed tears. She reached out to wipe them away, but the rain was falling too heavily, and her tears flowed down like a flood. The more she wiped, the more tears came.
Afraid of being discovered, she crawled into the quilt and buried herself, biting the back of her hand, and sobbed quietly under the sound of rain.
The next day, Zhu Yinluan's eyes were swollen.
You can tell at a glance that she cried yesterday.
Mingya couldn't help herself after seeing this and wanted to comfort her, but Jiaohui stopped her, "Since Miss doesn't want to talk about it, we should not ask her about it, so as not to make her feel upset."
“...Okay.” Mingya held back her tears and could only pretend nothing had happened.
Although makeup could cover up most of her haggardness, Zhu Yinluan still did not look well, and she did not eat much for breakfast.
When she went to pay her respects to Mrs. Pang, she heard the laughter of Zhu Chentan and Mrs. Pang from a distance at the door of Tingyu Pavilion.
I don’t know what Zhu Chentan said to Pang Shi, but Pang Shi was very happy. When Zhu Yinluan came in, she was laughing so hard that she could hardly close her mouth.
After seeing her, his expression returned to being superior.
Zhu Yinluan took out a rare and precious item from her own private room to apologize to Pang Shi, and said some nice words, saying that she already knew she was wrong.
Pang Shi held the teacup and sipped it. After Zhu Yinluan finished speaking for a long time, she finally looked at her directly. The look in her eyes was as if she was looking at a kitten or a puppy, with no respect at all.
Zhu Yinluan felt it, but her heart was already numb and she didn't show any emotion.
Her obedience finally made Pang Shi reluctantly satisfied.
He nodded as if giving a reward and let Zhu Yinluan get up.
Zhu Chentan stepped forward and said with a smile as if nothing had happened, "Sister, please sit down quickly. My wife and I were just talking about inviting guests to dinner in the near future."
Home? I don't know whose home it is.
Zhu Yinluan felt like she was wearing a mask. She was heartbroken, but she smiled humbly and gently. "What do you mean by treating me to a meal?"
"Sister, why are you so confused? If Ruzhuo gets promoted, he should invite the relatives and elders of the Wei family to dinner. That way, others won't gossip about him behind his back and say he's arrogant."
Zhu Yinluan would understand, but she said, "Sister is right. It's all my fault. I forgot it. Thank you for your guidance. I will definitely learn it well."
Pang Shi was surprised at her thoughtfulness, but on second thought, this was indeed the attitude that Zhu Yinluan should show.
After hearing these words, Zhu Chentan looked at the satisfied expressions of Pang Shi and Yun Mama and couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
Some time later, Wei Ruzhuo was too busy to return home. He heard that the previous Minister of Rites was old and unable to perform his duties. The Emperor sympathized with his meritorious official and allowed him to retire and return home early. This also meant that the next Minister of Rites would soon be selected from among the four ministers.
The Ministry of Rites has been busy recently because the emperor wants to examine four people.
Wei Ruzhuo was so busy that he hardly ever touched the ground, resting in the office every day. On the day when the relatives and elders of the Wei family came to visit, he barely made time to come and congratulate them. Although he tried to pay attention, he was still forced to drink a lot of wine, and he couldn't help but stagger when he walked.
When he was sober, Wei Ruzhuo still appeared very humble, but as he drank cup after cup of wine, he became drunk, and after hearing too many words of congratulations from everyone, he showed a wild attitude at many moments when he was not paying attention, and even spoke a little nonsense.
When others asked him if he could take the position of Shangshu and bring more glory to the Wei family, he actually said that it was just a piece of cake. When the relatives of the Wei family heard this, they immediately started to cheer and said that he was amazing, and even began to congratulate him in advance, saying that if they became rich and powerful, they should not forget each other.
When Zhu Yinluan, who was supporting him, heard this, she couldn't help but look at the relative who made the loudest noise. This relative was a gossiper and it would be a disaster if he told others about it.
If it was before, Zhu Yinluan would have whispered to remind him to be careful with his words and actions, but now even if she said it, it would not be welcome, let alone when Wei Ruzhuo was in a good mood? In addition, she also had a little selfish motive to make Wei Ruzhuo fall.
This way, he would not be so arrogant.
Zhu Yinluan knew that such thoughts were not good. After all, she was still the young lady of the Wei family, and she knew the principle that when one prospers, all prosper, and when one suffers, all suffer. But she just couldn't help the dark thoughts that continued to surge in her heart.
When he was halfway there supporting Wei Ruzhuo, his steps became heavier and slower. Gradually, he moved closer to her and his eyes met her profile.
She didn't look at Wei Ruzhuo, but he was looking at her.
Although he was dazed and drunk, Wei Ruzhuo could still recognize who was in front of him. It was Zhu Yinluan, the timid and obedient girl whom he had married for many years.
How come she has lost so much weight? She seems to be even thinner than when she first got married?
Her originally small face was probably not even as big as his palm at this moment. Her nose was straight, her eyelashes were drooping, and her thick and curly eyelashes were hanging down. She looked so cute.
It seemed that because the way he looked at her was too obvious, the person who was supporting him raised his eyes and looked over.
The pupils of the woman in front of him were moist and clear, as if one could see through them at a glance. Because they were so close, his appearance was reflected in her eyes.
At this moment, maybe it was because of the alcohol, but looking at the girl in front of him, Wei Ruzhuo felt his heart beating faster and he couldn't look away.
Is this still the timid but beautiful Zhu Yinluan? She is so attractive.
He was just about to reach out and touch her cheek, her beautiful eyes.
Suddenly there was a shout from behind, and Wei Ruzhuo had to look in the direction of the sound.
Before he could see, a strong scent of powder rolled in front of him, dispersing the faint smell of medicine. He couldn't help but frown, and closed his eyes because he felt so uncomfortable.
Zhu Yinluan took half a step back. It turned out to be Zhu Chentan.
"Elder sister." she called out.
"Sister, there are guests in front. As the young lady, you can't leave the table, lest someone finds fault with you and says that the Wei family is not hospitable. Let me help you here. You go to the main hall and keep an eye on it first."
She supported Wei Ruzhuo, completely disregarding the differences between men and women or their different social status.
Zhu Yinluan didn't speak for a long time. She looked at Zhu Chentan intently.
After a long while, she finally spoke, softly but pointedly, "Eldest sister, do you think what you did was appropriate and in accordance with the rules?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Chentan couldn't help but be surprised. She looked back at her half-sister in front of her.
The person in front of me looked frail and her voice was very soft, but it was this softness that made people feel her stubborn tenacity.
This was Zhu Chentan’s first feeling.
Soon, all that was left of her emotion was anger.
Who the hell was Zhu Yinluan? How dare she challenge her? Don't think that just because Wei Ruzhuo rose to prominence, she would rise with him? How dare she talk back to her?
"Are you blaming me, sister?" Zhu Chentan smiled with a threatening look in his eyes.
Zhu Yinluan was neither humble nor arrogant. She shook her head slightly and said, "Of course not. I just feel that there is a difference between my sister and my husband. My elder sister is the legitimate daughter of the family and now she is innocent. I should be more careful so as not to ruin my sister's reputation."
"There are many guests at the Wei family today, so it's inevitable that someone will see us and spread rumors everywhere."
Even though they were very close, Wei Ruzhuo didn't hear what the two people said.
I could only vaguely see their mouths moving and their voices were muffled.
Zhu Chentan didn't expect that Zhu Yinluan would actually say these to her.
Although Zhu Yinluan’s words are unpleasant, it has to be said that they do make sense.
Zhu Chentan didn't say anything and ignored her. He planned to let the maid beside him send Wei Ruzhuo back first, but who knew that Fang Zhongyue would come over.
Zhu Yinluan asked her to send Wei Ruzhuo back to the East Courtyard, and she went to the front hall to talk with relatives and guests.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Yaojin showed up halfway, and Zhu Chentan didn't want to break up with him at this juncture.
She gritted her teeth and handed Wei Ruzhuo over.
After Fang Zhongyue took his people away, in an instant, only Zhu Yinluan and she were left here.
They were speechless and stared at each other for a long time.
Zhu Chentan laughed. She didn't expect that her half-sister, who had always been submissive, would dare to meet her gaze.
Zhu Chentan had no idea what Zhu Yinluan was thinking. She just thought that she was relying on Wei Ruzhuo's power to act like a boss.
Thinking of this, Zhu Chentan sneered and approached Zhu Yinluan step by step with an arrogant attitude.
He got closer and closer, and then leaned close to her ear, "Sister, do you think you are really the young lady of the Wei family?"
She raised her hand to play with Zhu Yinluan's earrings and stroked the pearl hairpins on her hair. "If I hadn't let you do it, would you be where you are today?"
Zhu Yinluan looked at her elder sister. This was probably the first time she had a falling out with her.
"I can give it to you, and I can take it back at any time, because this originally belongs to me, do you understand?"
After saying that, she snorted coldly, pushed Zhu Yinluan, and then walked towards the inner courtyard.
"Miss..." Mingya supported Zhu Yinluan and helped her stare at Zhu Chentan's back.
"It's okay." She waved her hand and walked out.
“…”
At the Shen family that night, Shen Jingzhan, who had listened to the report from his men, sighed.
He smiled faintly and leaned back in his chair, "…It's time to close the net."
"Yes." The subordinate nodded.
There was a knock on the door. It was the maidservant beside the Marquis's wife, who asked Shen Jingzhan to come over, but didn't say why.
But Shen Jingzhan almost guessed it.
This was indeed the case. As soon as he sat down, Mrs. Shen called him by his courtesy name and asked him,
"Your grandmother said you were going to get married. Whose daughter is she?"
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