Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Don't
"I haven't heard anything about him in many years."
It was like a drop of sour bitter juice dripping into the mouth.
Du Lingjing looked at Nian Jia's extremely calm eyes. After so many years, she never had a happy ending with the man who was once so close to her. All she had left was this: she hadn't heard any news about him for many years...
Du Lingjing didn't mention it again. She just gently pulled Nian Jia's hand and asked someone to bring some tea and snacks.
The people below brought up four large plates of snacks in one breath. There were all kinds of snacks, which were in no way inferior to the snacks in the palace.
Nian Jia regained some of her previous mood and looked at the four plates of exquisite and sweet dim sum, not knowing which one to choose. One of them was of Shaanxi style. She didn't take another look at it and saw a dish from another plate of Shandong style dim sum.
"Liaohuatang? It looks like the one you like at Longfusi."
Du Lingjing had just seen some Liaohuatang among them. It was from Longfu Temple and was still hot, as if someone had just asked someone to buy it.
She only took a glance and then looked away, Nian Jia said.
"Longfu Temple is much closer to my Prince Yu's Mansion than this Yongding Marquis' Mansion. If you go to my place, I guarantee you'll have hot Liaohua candy to eat, too."
She invited her again, but this time she didn't invite her by sending a message, but invited her in person.
But Du Lingjing just smiled when she heard that and didn't know what to say.
But Nian Jia looked at her carefully.
"Jingniang, your reaction is not right."
Du Lingjing didn't want to talk more about her and that man, and only said to Nian Jia, "If you have time, come to my place."
But when she said this, Nian Jia raised his eyebrows even more.
"What do you mean? Lu Shenru is so strict with you? Then can't I give you a proper invitation in the name of Prince Yu's Mansion?"
Du Lingjing didn't answer.
He locked her up in his mansion, so it was good enough that Nian Jia could come.
The wind blowing from the lake blew away the aroma of the snacks on the table.
Seeing that she didn't explain, Nian Jia just lowered his eyes and refilled her tea with a soft voice.
"I am especially happy that you have returned to Beijing, but..."
Nian Jia suddenly reacted.
"Lu Shenru locked you up in the Marquis' Mansion?!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Jingniang's hands pause slightly.
It’s true! Nian Jia was surprised.
The wind blew in, gently caressing her cheek and ruffling her hair. She sat sideways, half lowering her head, her slender white neck was exposed, and the hair slowly wrapped around her like a caress.
Even the wind was reluctant to blow on her coldly, and only caressed her gently.
How could Lu Shenru bear to bully her, lock her up and not let her go out?
From afar, two gazes passed through the glimmering light on the lake and fell on Mingqin Pavilion where they were.
Du Lingjing noticed the gaze and looked over. The man was standing under the pavilion by the lake, so she immediately turned her head away.
He locked her up, but he couldn't do anything to her.
But Nian Jia suddenly stood up.
"Lu Shenru is going too far. I'm going to go and argue with him!"
Upon hearing this, Du Lingjing tried to stop him, but she couldn't.
The lake was rippling with green waves and emerald light. Lu Shenru had just withdrawn his gaze from Mingqin Pavilion when he saw Nian Jia arriving angrily.
"Lord Lu is really capable, locking up his wife at home. You are really bullying her, thinking that her family is all alone?"
She said, "Let her go!"
The man pretended not to hear and continued to pour his tea.
Nian Jia said bluntly, "This princess asked you to let him go!"
Her words caused the man to snort and laugh, and then he looked up at her.
"The princess is so majestic. It seems that she got bored as soon as she arrived in the capital and wants to go back to Xi'an."
"you... ..."
He looked fearless. Nian Jia almost couldn't breathe.
But apart from the Jing'an Marquis' faction fighting against the Japanese pirates in the south, who else in the north would not obey Lu Shenru's orders?
He sent Wei Cong back to Shaanxi, and she had to return to Xi'an.
But Nian Jia didn't care about all this. If even she couldn't stand up for Jingniang, no one would dare to speak up.
She looked at the powerful official, Lord Lu, and suddenly snorted.
"It was fate that made you marry Jingniang. It's a pity that you married her and locked her up by your side. She couldn't get away, but the image of the husband she had in her mind was not like you."
She didn't say who it was, but just hummed, "The gentleman who is as gentle as jade and as modest as bamboo is the husband in Jingniang's heart."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the man fall silent and his eyes darkened.
Nian Jia was very happy in his heart——
The third brother of the Jiang family would never be like him.
But she saw Lu Shenru suddenly laughed and said "Okay".
"It seems that the princess doesn't want to stay in my house anymore."
He looked at Nian Jia and said, "I'm sorry I can't see you off."
Nian Jia naturally didn't want to leave, but the guard beside him came forward and gestured for him to come in.
In the past few years that Nian Jia has been in Xi'an, no one has dared to be so rude to her, and she was extremely angry.
Du Lingjing had already hurried over.
Nian Jia naturally didn't want her to beg this person, so he just said.
"Don't be afraid, Jingniang. I'll go back first and come back to see you in two days. There are many capable people in the capital. I don't believe that no one can cure him!"
Du Lingjing sighed and walked Nian Jia all the way to the gate of the Marquis' Mansion, but before she could take a step out, the guards at the gate stopped her.
"Ma'am, you can't go out."
She could only stop and Nian Jia was so angry that he muttered a few words before leaving.
Du Lingjing watched her walk away and stood in front of the door in a daze for a while, but when she turned around, she ran into someone's arms.
He squeezed her arm.
But Du Lingjing didn't want to say another word to him, so she shook off his hand and went straight back to the main courtyard.
... ...
Yuanxiu Pavilion in the outer courtyard.
Chongping originally thought that since the Marquis had invited Princess Nianjia here today, it was a gesture of goodwill to the Madam, and it might help to ease the tension between the two.
The lady was buried in her study in the main courtyard, not saying a word, while the marquis was in the Yuanxiu Pavilion, with such a cold face all day long that even birds didn't dare to fly in.
Who would have thought that after Princess Nian Jia's visit, the spring scenery she had just seen would now be frozen again.
Chongping didn't dare to say much, so he could only step forward and report that it was the 77th birthday celebration of the wife of Marquis Jing'an, and the invitations had been sent.
Marquis Jing'an was of the same generation as Lu Shenru's grandfather. The one who celebrated his birthday this time was Marquis Jing'an's wife. Marquis Jing'an was far away in Fujian and couldn't come back, so his wife stayed in the Marquis's mansion in the capital, and even the Emperor and his wife often took care of her.
The palace intended to have the Zhou family hold a grand birthday celebration this time to demonstrate the emperor's favor for the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion.
The relationship between the Zhou family and the Lu family was unusual. When Lu Shenru saw the invitation, he asked how Chongping's birthday gift was prepared.
Chongping replied with a few words about the birthday gift and took out another note.
"It's a letter from the Duke Zhongqing's Mansion."
Lu Shenru raised an eyebrow. Nian Jia had just left, and he had already sent another invitation to come to his house? It also depends on whether he is willing.
But Chongping said, "It wasn't the princess who sent it, it was the prince who wanted to see you."
Wei Cong, the eldest son of the Earl of Zhongqing and the husband of Nian Jia.
It was obvious that he had some other secret business to attend to when he returned to Beijing, so he came back under the pretext of recuperating from illness.
Lu Shenru nodded, gave Chongping a few instructions, and asked Wei Cong to come over in a few days.
After Chongping finished replying, a steward brought people over and said that a general from the army had come to the capital and brought some gifts for the Marquis.
Lu Shenru naturally had no time to look at it carefully, so he just glanced at the list, but saw on it, there was a pair of porcelain figurines that were blessed for praying for a child.
When Chongping saw the Marquis's eyes fall on the words "praying for a child" on the porcelain figurine, he thought to himself that the Marquis had not been married for a long time, and the generals in the army were a hundred times more anxious than the Marquis. They had tried many ways to find out what kind of girls the Marquis liked, in an attempt to force a few concubines into his house.
The entire Yongding Army relied on the Lu family's stable foundation and the Marquis's tight control of power to be able to work safely in the army and not be bullied by those capitulationist civil officials.
They were anxious because the Marquis had been reluctant to marry. Now that he had finally married the Marquis's wife, they began to worry about the Marquis's offspring.
But given the current situation of the Marquis and his wife... Chongping could only sigh.
But when Lu Shenru looked at the porcelain figurine for praying for a child on the gift list, he inexplicably thought of the few words that Nian Jia had deliberately said before he left -
"It was fate that made you marry Jingniang. It's a pity that you married her and locked her up by your side. She couldn't get away, but the image of the husband she had in her mind was not like you."
"The gentleman who is as gentle as jade and as modest as bamboo is the husband in Jingniang's heart..."
The man suddenly opened his mouth and gave orders.
"Ask Mammy to light incense in the main room tonight."
*
Du Lingjing read the students' letters for a while and wrote a few simple replies.
But she replied to the letter, then leaned on her arms and thought about what Manager Zhao had said.
Shopkeeper Zhao said that all the students in the Shilin Academy wanted to see her in Guilin Tower, but when they heard that she was in the Marquis' Mansion, no one was willing to come. They would rather write letters than set foot in Marquis Lu's mansion.
Du Lingjing didn't know how to comment.
Whether it was returning to Linlou or using the money she borrowed to publish the book, not to mention the manpower and connections among various booksellers, which one of them could be separated from Lu?
He contributed money, effort and manpower, and never gave up even though the scholars in the literati circle constantly scolded him as a corrupt official who abused his power.
Du Lingjing thought for a moment and instructed Ruan Gong, "Next time Manager Zhao comes, tell him that in the future, any book published under the name of Guilinlou must have the words Lu added to it."
Ruan Gong was stunned and couldn't help but ask.
“I’m afraid it won’t be sold.”
The reputation of the Marquis was enough to make those scholars who disliked him turn around and leave when they saw the word "Lu".
Du Lingjing knew it, but said, "If he did it, it's what he did. It's other people's business whether to buy it or not, but it's our business whether to print it or not."
As she spoke, she saw Ruan Gong looking at her and couldn't help but add another sentence.
"I don't want to use his achievements to make my own name."
Just now, Ruan Gong thought that the lady was willing to reconcile with the Marquis, but he was overthinking.
Ruan Gongling gave his orders and left, while Du Lingjing packed up the books on the desk and returned to the main room.
But as soon as she stepped into the main room, she smelled a fragrance that was different from usual.
The scent of the incense was changed by the nanny to a lighter one, but it had not been lit for many days.
At this moment, the fragrance has diffused throughout the room, like a butterfly, lightly resting on the corners of the table, the edge of the curtain, and the ground.
But Du Lingjing had no intention.
She turned around and was about to put out the incense in the incense burner.
But as soon as I turned around, the man had already lifted the curtain and walked in.
He changed into a dark-colored brocade robe with pavilions and towers embroidered with gold thread. The moment their eyes met, the fragrant butterflies that had just quietly rested all flapped their wings and flew up.
The fragrance lingered in the room.
Du Lingjing was afraid that he might misunderstand, so she couldn't help but explain, "Mammy made a mistake."
Unexpectedly, he said, "Mammy is not wrong."
Du Lingjing was startled, then looked at him again and heard him say in a low voice.
"Let's have a baby."
Du Lingjing's eyes widened, but she saw that the man did not explain too much and unbuttoned his collar.
In just a few breaths, he had taken off his clothes one by one. In the flickering candlelight in the room, he also took off his shirt and undershirt and threw them aside. Only his chest was left in the yellow light, as if it was soaked in oil and rose and fell.
Du Lingjing quickly looked away, wanting to ask him what he wanted to do, but he was only in his pants, turned off the extra lights, then walked towards her, put his arms around her legs, and lifted her up.
His arms were like coiled dragons, and holding her was effortless, as if he was holding a lightweight rag doll.
But he had never hugged her like this before. At this moment, she was like sitting on his arms. Her center of gravity was unstable, and she had to lean half of her body on his shoulders and arms.
But his body was extremely hot, and his shiny chest really looked as if it were soaked in hot oil. Even though he was pressed against her body through the clothes, the scorching heat made her whole body heat up along with him.
His breathing gradually became rapid. He looked up at her intently, as if he could feel her body getting hot along with his, and her breathing becoming rapid.
Du Lingjing became anxious.
"Put me down!"
He lowered his voice and said, "No."
He walked towards the bed curtains.
Du Lingjing became even more anxious and struggled to get off, but her strength was just child's play for him.
She struggled to get free, the firelight around her was trembling, and she couldn't stop hitting his shoulders and arms.
"Put me down!"
But her palm landed on his motionless bare shoulder and arm, and this time there was no clothing in between, and she actually felt her palm burned.
Maybe it was her consciousness, or maybe he was really that hot, Du Lingjing didn't know where to put her hands.
In just a moment, he carried her to the bed.
The aroma in the tent seemed even stronger.
Lu Shenru saw that her face flushed a little, and her wrists and ankles in his hands also became hotter.
He softened his voice and confirmed with her again.
"Quanquan, we want a child."
The gauze curtain fell, and Du Lingjing was really angry with him.
"I don't want it!"
But he didn't say anything, he just carried her to the corner of the bed and pressed her completely against the bed.
The fragrance made Du Lingjing's body get hotter and hotter, and sweat broke out. She kept turning sideways, but each time she turned slightly, she got closer to his hot arms.
Du Lingjing was shocked.
He simply followed her movements, put his arm around her waist, and let her lean against his chest.
The scent from his whole body entangled every strand of her hair, and that scent mixed with the fragrance here, carrying the familiar and charming smell of the past.
And they are too familiar with each other's bodies.
He moved only the slightest bit and her body couldn't help but tremble.
"Lu Shenru!" She was so angry that her eyes turned red.
The man paused, and the three words, including his name and surname, fell into his ears.
When she was at her best with him, although she still didn't say many sweet words to him, she would call him softly, "Weishi."
But at this moment... ...the man lowered his eyes and looked at her closely.
"Call me Lu Shenru?"
When the civil officials in the court scolded him, they called him Lu Shenru by his name.
Now even she called him these three words.
The man pursed his lips and was about to leave, but he saw her red eyes and a clear tear fell.
Lu Shenru was completely stunned.
He suddenly panicked and tried to find a handkerchief but couldn't find one, so he could only hold her face with his hands.
She tilted her head, and he didn't let go, rubbing his fingertips on the tear marks under her eyes.
But her tears fell even harder.
The man was completely at a loss. The more he wiped, the more she fell.
"Don't cry..." he said anxiously.
Du Lingjing glared at him with tears in her eyes.
The man had no choice but to turn around and call Qiu Lin.
Qiulin and Ai Ye were waiting outside the door. He asked Qiulin to find a handkerchief and called Ai Ye.
"Go put out the incense in the burner and open all the doors and windows!"
The night wind from outside the window blew in, and the room soon returned to peace.
But Du Lingjing no longer wanted to care about this person, so Lu Shenru could only call Qiu Lin, "You stay with the lady tonight."
Qiu Lin didn't respond either.
The man sighed and took one last look at his wife, but she still didn't want to pay any attention to him.
"... Then I'm leaving."
He turned around, and Du Lingjing looked up at him. His figure disappeared lonely in the night wind.
*
The next day in the court, Dou Ge Lao saw the look of someone who had sunk to the bottom of the East China Sea, and he couldn't help but stroke his beard and asked him with a smile.
"Why is Lord Lu in such a bad mood?"
"What does this have to do with Lord Dou?" Marquis Lu said with a cold face.
Dou Ge Lao was not angry either, "I have advised you, if you need to give up something, then give it up. If you can't give up the person, then giving up the relationship is the same."
After all, the wife is his and he can't marry anyone else.
But Marquis Lu flicked his sleeves, left the elder who was watching the fun, and stepped into the hall first.
There is nothing important happening in the court today. The joint examination is over and the marking of the papers will not begin until mid-February. After that, there will be the palace examination with the emperor in attendance.
An official reported that the number of candidates for this year's spring examination is 10% higher than in previous years, "The emperor will surely be able to get a large number of talented people."
The emperor loves talented people, especially young talents. At this moment, he nodded and ordered people to arrange the subsequent palace examination.
"I must examine it myself."
After hearing about the Spring Examination, Marquis Lu called Chongping out of the palace. He said that Jiang Fengchuan had played tricks before the exam, so he would definitely fail and should be expelled as soon as possible.
"If he doesn't leave, break his legs!"
Chongping: “…”
If he really broke Jiang Liulang's leg, the Marquis and his wife would never be able to reconcile.
But before Chongping could respond, a palace servant chased after him from behind.
"My Lord, the Imperial Concubine invites you."
*
Yuxing Palace.
When Lu Shenru arrived, no one was playing the flute in the corridor. The palace servants said that His Royal Highness Prince Hui had gone to study with his teacher.
The man nodded, but saw a string of seashell wind chimes hanging at the door of his nephew's bedroom.
His eyes couldn't help but freeze.
That was her favorite thing from her childhood. He was reluctant to let her give it away, but she still asked someone to get it from Qingzhou, wiped it clean bit by bit herself, and sent it to the palace.
"Your Highness likes it?" he asked.
The palace maid Lian Dao was very pleased, "Your Highness always said that the Marquis's wife brought the sea breeze from the east to the capital."
These words made the man's heart soften.
She did bring the clean and refreshing sea breeze to this filthy capital city, but...
His gaze stayed on the wind chimes for a long while until someone came to invite him and said that the queen was in the pavilion at the back.
Lu Shenru turned to the back and entered the pavilion.
"What's the matter, madam?"
Lu Huairu glanced at him and saw that his eyes were dark blue, and knew that he had not slept well for several nights.
Even Lord Dou couldn't make him come to this point.
It can be seen that the evil deeds you have done are the most unbearable.
She said straight away.
"Let Jingniang out."
However, before he could finish his words, the man turned and left.
Lu Huairu almost couldn't breathe.
She had seen through the matter of marriage. She would never find her own good match in this life, but she didn't want her brother to take away the person he loved after so much effort.
Her voice followed his back.
"With your rock-hard temper, no one wants to make peace with you."
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