Chapter 56 Chapter 56 House Arrest
"... ...without the Marquis's permission, Madam is not allowed to leave the Marquis' Mansion."
It was still dark before daybreak, and the remnants of the night still shrouded the sky in darkness, seamlessly connecting with the walls of the vast Yongding Marquis Mansion.
The night fell downwards and the courtyard wall extended upwards.
Du Lingjing looked up and seemed to see a huge black prison that imprisoned her.
She slowly turned around and looked around the vast and deep mansion. Qiu Lin hurried forward, "Miss..."
What should I do?
Du Lingjing and she slowly shook their heads.
Perhaps as early as when she brought the decree he had requested, put on the wedding dress he had made for her, and stepped into this mansion, she was destined to never go out again.
He could be away from the mansion, away from the capital, or even thousands of miles away, but as long as he didn't let her go, she would never be able to leave.
The man was inexplicably far away from her, so far that even his face became blurry and the mist dispersed. Only his pair of inky black eyes, under his furrowed brows, slowly looked at her.
But he wasn't like this before.
Although they had been married for less than half a year, they had also had moments of moonlit banquets, dusk horse racing, and boating on the lake. He and she worshiped Sanlang together, and he went forward to worship and dropped three sticks of incense. He also talked to her about his longing to live in the south of the Yangtze River. Perhaps this was the wish of all northerners. She persuaded him that the south of the Yangtze River was all in poetry and prose, and he had already seen it... ...
But now, he had imprisoned her. She could not resist, she could only rely on him to control everything about her.
Du Lingjing was in a daze, and her feet were a little shaky.
Which one is he?
Is this Marquis Lu now the real Marquis of Yongding, Lu Shenru?
"Girl?!" Qiu Lin called her again.
If the master were still alive, if the girl's father, mother and brothers were still alive, if the Du family had not declined, would the Marquis still dare to bully people like this?
How could someone lock up his wife?
Qiu Lin was so angry that he started to cry, but the girl just turned around and walked back in silence.
... ...
The Marquis was ordered by the Emperor to go to Kaiping Guard to deal with the mutiny and has not returned.
But the next day someone sent flowers.
Du Lingjing sat in a daze under the window. The banana tree outside the window had frozen to death in the spring snow. The gardener of the mansion had removed it and was now reporting back from the window.
"Madam, the Marquis has sent a cart of flowers over. Which ones do you like? Where should they be placed?"
When Du Lingjing heard this, she vaguely remembered what he said to her at night when he left home a few days ago.
"I will be returning to Beijing in two days. Would you mind bringing back a few pots of flowers along the way?"
The gardener selected a few pots of expensive and blooming flowers and asked the maid to bring them into the room for her to see.
Last year, his uncle bought 28 pots of such precious flowers at one time in order to arrange his second sister's "marriage". But for Marquis Lu, it was just a matter of words to have someone send a cart of flowers.
Even before the weather warms up, these flowers are already blooming in all their splendor, as if spring has arrived.
As long as he wants, even flowers can bloom early.
Du Lingjing did not order any of the flowers, and she did not make any comments on the flowers he had sent.
The gardener didn't know what she meant. "Then I'll take care of it and help you arrange the flowers that the Marquis sent you in the main courtyard, okay?"
But under the window, Du Lingjing spoke in a low voice.
"I don't want his flowers."
She said, "Don't take any pots, move them all out."
The voice was heard from the window into the courtyard, which instantly became silent, even the birds on the branches stopped singing.
But the gardener did not leave. Instead, he said something in embarrassment.
The Marquis had long anticipated that his wife might not want it, but he left a message.
"... ...These flowers are what the Marquis promised you. They must be placed in your courtyard."
Qiu Lin and Ai Ye both took a deep breath.
If the Marquis wants to give it to the Madam, the Madam must accept it even if she doesn't want it.
Du Lingjing paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled again.
She opened the window, and the chilly spring breeze, carrying the scent of pollen from the yard, blew towards her, hitting her face and neck, and even into her collar, as if it was holding her shoulders.
He is truly a powerful nobleman who can get whatever he wants within his power.
The entire Yongding Marquis Mansion belongs to him, including her.
He gets what he wants.
Qiulin and Aiye didn't dare to speak, but saw the lady sitting under the window, not saying a word.
*
The northern border is Kaiping Wei.
Lord Lu had not yet finished dealing with all the matters. In fact, the war had been suppressed, the generals had been replaced, and some Tartar spies had been captured. There was nothing serious anymore.
He had not returned to the capital yet, but news from his family in the capital continued to come in according to his orders.
At this moment, the people below reported the matter of the flowers.
"Madam didn't want to put those flowers, but according to the Marquis's instructions, they were all placed in the room in the courtyard and under the window where Madam likes to sit and read."
After the person who was answering finished speaking, he looked up and saw the Marquis asking in a low voice.
"What did she say?"
The people below shook their heads, "Madam said nothing."
As soon as he finished speaking, the people below saw that the Marquis closed his eyes.
He didn't speak for a while, and then he said something after a while.
"knew."
The person who reported the news left. Chongping sighed, refilled his tea, and left.
He couldn't bear to read any of the letters sent from the court and the army. He supported his forehead, but the scene of her resolutely leaving the Marquis' Mansion appeared in front of his eyes.
She left in the name of Dou's carriage without even looking back.
She expected that he could find her where she was staying, so she not only left early, but also left the key to Guilin Tower behind.
The key was the betrothal gift he gave her for her wedding.
She doesn't want it anymore.
The man closed his eyes, and when he thought about what happened that day, he felt an unbearable tightness in his chest.
He held her wrist then.
"The wind is too strong. Your body can't handle it. Don't go there."
She did not turn around. "I don't think this road is windy. As long as I'm not traveling with the Marquis, this little wind is nothing."
At this point, she looked at him and said, "If the Marquis is willing to let me leave alone, I will be very grateful."
Thank you very much...
"Are you coming back then?"
"Since I've left, I won't come back."
"But what if you already have our child?"
He looked her in the eyes.
She only gave him four words, "Nothing is possible."
In the room where Kaiping Wei was staying, Lu Shenru closed his eyes and remained silent.
She was so sure because of the contraceptive pills, right?
She really had never thought about having a child with him...
The sandstorm from the north made the window frames rattle.
The man laughed.
She said she believed him and would no longer doubt him, but then she turned around and listened to what Jiang Fengchuan said.
If it was Jiang Zhuxiu who had hidden the secret from her this time, could she have the heart to abandon Jiang Zhuxiu and never see him again?
The room was silent.
The generals of Kaiping Guard have not understood the Marquis's intentions in the past few days.
The military chaos has been almost settled, and the Marquis will not leave until he has made arrangements for what to do next.
These generals knew how busy the Marquis was just by looking at how many people came to deliver letters from the capital every day.
But why doesn’t the Marquis leave?
As long as the Marquis didn't leave, they didn't dare to chase him away.
... ...
The next day, Chongping watched from afar as the person sent by Chong'an from the mansion appeared to report the news, and he sighed.
I don’t know what the letter is today.
The person sent by Chong'an reported it.
"My Lord, Princess Nianjia has returned to the capital with the son of the Marquis Zhongqing. The princess has sent wedding gifts to the Marquis and his wife, and also sent an invitation to his wife to the Marquis' mansion."
Princess Nianjia.
Of course Lu Shenru knew about her relationship with Princess Jia.
When she was young and followed her father to Beijing, the late emperor's Empress Xiaorong loved her and often summoned her to the palace. However, Prince Yu died early, leaving only Princess Nianjia, a posthumous daughter, so the late emperor raised this poor granddaughter in the palace.
They were of similar age and personality, and had known each other in the palace a long time ago.
At this moment, Chongping said, "Madam and the princess have known each other for many years. The princess just returned to Beijing and immediately sent a letter to Madam."
Lu Shenru paused slightly, he knew what Chongping meant.
She couldn't leave the house without his order.
The man was silent for a moment, and his voice softened.
"Does she want to go?"
He could let her go.
But the people below responded.
"Madam didn't say anything and didn't respond to the princess's post."
No response...
These three words are like hot oil on a flame, frying in people's hearts.
Tossing and turning is not the right way. Neither lying nor turning is the right way.
The man pursed his lips and remained silent, then suddenly stood up.
He asked Chongping to call all the generals of Kaiping Guard over, briefly explained the subsequent arrangements, then mounted his horse and left.
In an instant, the figure disappeared into the wind and sand.
Everyone looked at each other again.
*
Capital city.
Du Lingjing looked at Nian Jia's post again.
Nian Jia did not invite her to the residence of the Earl of Zhongqing, but to the residence of Prince Yu, where there would be no one else to disturb them. In the past, when they met outside the capital, they would meet in the residence of Prince Yu.
Prince Yu was the son of Concubine Jiang who died young. Unfortunately, he died of an epidemic before Nian Jia was born.
Nian Jia has been without a father since childhood. The late emperor is her grandfather, so how could he possibly take care of her?
She spent most of her time in the palace with Concubine Jiang. The person who was closest to her at that time was not herself who only went to the palace occasionally, but Wei Jue, who was now the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and served as a tutor in the palace.
Nian Jia and Wei Jue are childhood sweethearts and grew up together in the palace. Nian Jia was originally going to marry Wei Jue and even learned to make clothes for Wei Jue, but in the end she married Wei Jue's cousin, Wei Cong, the son of Zhongqing Earl and a member of the same Wei family.
Du Lingjing had no idea what had happened. She inexplicably thought of herself. She was supposed to marry Sanlang, but ended up marrying into Lu Weishi's mansion.
Lu Weishi... ...
He hadn't been home for several days, but he had trapped her and she couldn't take a single step out.
There was a glimmer of tears in the corner of the eye.
At this moment, the footsteps outside suddenly became chaotic. Before she turned around, she heard someone saying outside.
"The Lord is back."
The moment these words came through the window, the man lifted the door curtain and walked in.
Du Lingjing just looked towards the door.
The moment their eyes met, the air in the room stood still.
Lu Shenru saw the tears in the corners of her eyes at a glance.
The tear didn't fall, but it seemed to hit his heart, and his heart trembled.
But she immediately wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and turned her head away with a cold face.
She didn't talk to him, nor did she look at him for long, as if he had not been away for many days and had just returned home with great difficulty.
The man felt uncomfortable in his heart and pursed his lips in silence. Only the fragrance of flowers in the yard quietly drifted into the room.
He saw the note from Princess Nian Jia in her hand.
Nian Jia is the granddaughter of Concubine Dowager Jiang and is considered a member of the Jiang family.
There were tears in the corners of her eyes because she thought of Jiang Zhuxiu again...
"Why don't you turn on the floor heating? Aren't you cold?" he asked her.
Du Lingjing did not respond. She saw him pursing his lips and changing his clothes alone, and heard him say again.
"Do you have any favorites in the yard? Why don't you bring a couple of pots into the room?"
His tone was quite gentle, and if you didn't know him, you would think that this marquis had a very good temper towards him.
Du Lingjing stood up, walked past him and turned to go out the door.
But before he could take a step, someone suddenly grabbed his waist, pulled him over, and held him in his arms.
He still had the dusty air of having just returned from a ride on a horse in the strong wind.
Du Lingjing was held tightly in his arms, her whole body pressed against him. He lowered his head and looked closer at her.
"Where are you going, madam?" he asked with his lips against her forehead.
Du Lingjing's breathing quickened for a moment, and she snorted when she thought of the ban he had placed on her.
"My Lord has imprisoned me in the mansion, and now he won't even let me leave this room, right?"
He held her by the waist and held her in his arms, but his tone was like a spear thrown by the wind, piercing the weakest part of the body.
She always spoke softly to Jiang Zhuxiu, and had never been sarcastic or aggressive.
For two days, everyone asked questions, but no one answered each other.
The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and the fragrance of flowers outside the door dared not come in.
Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore.
Lu Shenru no longer held her tightly and loosened his grip slightly to make her feel more comfortable, but he did not let go.
The scent of her hair gently touched his nose.
But as soon as he loosened his grip, she immediately pushed him away and turned back to the window.
My arms felt empty, and it felt like a piece of my heart was dug out.
His eyes followed her back to the table under the window, where he picked up Nian Jia's invitation and put it away.
He couldn't help but speak.
"Nian Jia has posted a message for you. If you want to go..."
"I'm not going anywhere."
Du Lingjing took the post back directly.
He didn't let her go out, and even when Nian Jia invited her, she still needed to get his consent.
Then she might as well not go anywhere.
She said, looking at him steadily.
Lu Shenru smiled.
Since he didn't let her go out, she simply stopped going anywhere.
She just wanted to see to what extent he could imprison her.
But if he lifted the ban on her, she would leave far away. Next time, next time, next time, will he be able to find her every time?
He said yes, and the room became completely silent.
The night watchman's drum sounded far away in the alley.
The servants came to help the two of them wash up, and Du Lingjing asked Ai Ye to take a quilt and put it on the small couch.
Lu Shenru caught a glimpse of it from the corner of his eye and thought it was for him to sleep with.
She rushed him to the couch, okay.
Not wanting everyone to leave, she sat on the small couch herself.
This is his mansion, she sleeps on the couch and he sleeps on the bed...
This time, the man's breathing became unstable. He took a deep breath, took a step forward and picked her up.
Before she knew it, Du Lingjing had been pushed down on the bed by him.
He lowered his eyes and held them in hers, his lips pressed into a straight line, their breathing intertwined, even their heartbeats became entangled and clear.
The humid and hot atmosphere of the past gradually rose in the tent.
The man's eyes softened. Even though he was the one who imprisoned others, his eyes were filled with pleading.
He used his fingertips to tuck the loose hair around her ears.
The atmosphere in the tent became increasingly warmer, but Du Lingjing raised her hand and pushed him away.
The man was pushed away by him, and was silent for a moment, but he glanced under the window.
Originally, under the window next to their bed, there was a pair of adorable dolls that she had obtained for praying for a child.
They were going to have a child.
But because of Jiang Fengchuan, she didn't even put the dolls on display...
The man directly called the two maids Yingbi and Xiangyi.
"Take out the Madam's fertility doll tomorrow and place it under the window."
He turned his eyes from the window to her face.
"The fertility doll you prayed for must be used, otherwise it would be disrespectful to the gods."
He slowed down his speech for the latter part, and spoke every word into Du Lingjing's ears.
Du Lingjing turned around directly.
He didn't mention today or tonight. He just wrapped her body in a brocade quilt and asked someone to light the floor heating.
He looked into her eyes.
"We are in no hurry."
She no longer looked at him. It had been only a short time since he returned home and blew out the candles. She turned her head away several times with coldness and determination.
Lu Shenru inexplicably thought of what happened in Mianlou that year.
This moment is just like that moment.
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