Chapter 41: Do as you please. The commotion in the bathroom lasted most of the night...
The noise from the bathroom lasted for most of the night. Shen Yunrong didn't know how she got back to bed. She was exhausted and felt like her whole body had been devoured by a hungry wolf.
The hungry wolf, still not full, gripped her slender waist and said, "Don't sleep. Look again. Who am I? What should you call me? Do you still dare to abandon me?"
She had said it countless times, but the man on top of her was not satisfied. He forced her to say it again: "You are my husband, I will never... Ah... Husband, be gentle, go slower, I will never leave you again!"
Zhao Linzhang, however, was as if in a nightmare. The fear and panic of almost losing her kept him awake, and he would get up from time to time to check if the woman in his arms was still there.
Shen Yunrong was fast asleep. When she opened her eyes, it was still dark outside, and she couldn't tell if it was morning or evening. She tried to turn over, but the man who was holding her tightly woke up with a start and immediately sat up nervously: "Where are you going?"
"My legs are numb!" It must be half of her body that's numb; who can hold her so tightly while sleeping?
Upon hearing this, Zhao Linzhang stepped back and began massaging her thighs: "Let me massage them for you!"
"What time is it now?"
"It must be getting late!"
"What? We've slept for so long, almost a day and a night!" No wonder I have no strength at all and feel weak from hunger.
"Are you hungry? Someone come here!" Zhao Linzhang got up with her, and the maids who were waiting at the door filed in, bringing hot water for washing.
It was the first time Shen Yunrong had washed up in front of so many maids. Feeling embarrassed, she wanted to do it herself, but Zhao Linzhang grabbed her outstretched hand and said, "I'll do it!"
She barely dared to order around the maids, let alone Zhao Linzhang, even though they had done the most intimate things together.
"No need, I can do it myself!"
"You can all leave now!" Zhao Linzhang waved away the maids and awkwardly helped her comb her hair from behind. "Weren't your hands and feet numb?"
"Who was that big guy who was pressing down on me just now!"
Zhao Linzhang recalled pressing himself against her last night, his eyes swirling with dark emotions. Coming back to his senses, he cursed himself inwardly. He had always been so chaste and disciplined, but when he met her, he completely collapsed, wanting nothing more than to be with her in bed day and night.
"Tonight it's your turn to pin me down!" After he finished combing her hair, Shen Yunrong, afraid she would starve to death there, turned around and snatched the wooden comb from his hand. Hearing his words, she glared at him and said, "That's all you ever think about!"
Fearing she would get hungry, Zhao Linzhang stopped teasing her. After she washed up and ate dinner, Zhao Linzhang pulled her aside and said, "I have something to tell you!"
Seeing his stammering, Shen Yunrong knew that he had gone to the palace yesterday and hadn't said anything to her when he returned, and her heart sank.
"Speak!" She was mentally prepared for anything. Zhao Linzhang was just a prince; how could he disobey the Empress Dowager's decree?
"I'm afraid you'll have to suffer with me!" Zhao Linzhang felt somewhat guilty towards her.
"The Empress Dowager punished you?" Shen Yunrong could only think of this. Could it be that he was stripped of his title as a prince? That couldn't be that serious, could it? Wouldn't that be the same as her harming him?
"Not really!" But it was still a demotion.
"How can I feel at ease when you're like this!" Shen Yunrong's eyes were brimming with tears, which dripped onto the back of the man's hand.
"You are absolutely forbidden from ever thinking of leaving me again!" Zhao Linzhang was terrified of losing her. He would do anything, even play the victim, as long as he could keep her by his side.
"Wherever you are in this life, I will be there!" Shen Yunrong felt a pang of sadness. Zhao Linzhang didn't need to suffer such punishment for her sake. Even if he changed his mind in the future, with his heart today, she vowed to stay by his side and never leave him.
“Alright, let the bright moon in the sky be my witness, I, Zhao Linzhang, and Shen Yunrong will never be separated in this life or death!” Zhao Linzhang pulled Shen Yunrong to kneel under the window, where a bright moon shone high.
"By the Moon Goddess, may my beloved and I never be apart!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Linzhang helped her to her feet: "The imperial edict should be issued in the next few days. You must come with me to my fiefdom. You cannot return to the capital without being summoned!"
"A fiefdom?" Shen Yunrong raised her eyes in surprise, her eyes reddened from tears, and glistening with moisture.
Zhao Linzhang couldn't help but kiss the corner of her eye: "From now on, there will be no more Prince Zhuang, only Prince Pingnan."
Out of consideration for their childhood friendship, the emperor granted him the prosperous Jiangnan region as his fief.
The huge palace needed to be packed up to move to the fiefdom. Steward Tan wished he could split himself in two. Although Shen Yunrong had not yet been married, the servants in the palace all treated her as the mistress of the house.
She naturally raised the issue of whether the women in the household should stay or leave. Many of the maids' families were in the capital, and if they left, they might never return. She couldn't bear to see them separated from their families.
Those maids and servants who were unwilling to go to Jiangnan were released with their indentures and ten taels of silver each.
These were all servants; what troubled Shen Yunrong were the women in Wanfeng Courtyard.
Zhao Linzhang was released from confinement and has been busy traveling around these past few days. Sometimes she would go to bed and still not see him return.
In the middle of the night, she groggily rolled over into a warm embrace. The man tentatively kissed her, and after receiving a response, he couldn't stop. If there was no response, he restrained himself and held her close as they slept.
Shen Yunrong adjusted the candle wick twice, but Zhao Linzhang still hadn't returned. She was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open, and she couldn't help but lean on the table, supporting her cheek with her hand.
When Zhao Lin returned to his room, he was puzzled by the bright candlelight. Could it be that the maid had forgotten to extinguish the lamp?
As soon as he entered, he saw a small figure lying on the table. He tiptoed closer, picked her up tenderly, and the person in his arms snuggled against his chest. She found a comfortable position and was about to sleep again when she suddenly remembered something and opened her eyes.
"Why are you so late today? I have something to discuss with you!"
Zhao Linzhang was afraid of waking her up, but also afraid that she would fall into a deep sleep. He hadn't touched her for several days, and the fragrance emanating from her almost made him lose control.
"What is it?" His voice was low and husky, like a feather gently brushing against her ear in the quiet night.
Shen Yunrong, now fully awake, reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck: "Even if it's Wanfeng Courtyard, she's still considered a woman of the Prince, so what should we do..."
Before she could finish speaking, the rest of her words were swallowed by her warm, moist lips and tongue.
"Let me finish speaking!" Shen Yunrong finally broke free from the man's deep kiss, panting heavily.
"No need to say anything, you can do whatever you want with the backyard, just send them all away!" Zhao Linzhang said, his hands not stopping, peeling her out of her clothes like peeling onions.
Under the bright candlelight, her body, sculpted like a masterpiece of nature, resembled beautiful jade, her fair and delicate pink skin trembling slightly under Zhao Linzhang's focused and ardent gaze: "You haven't turned off the lights yet!"
Shen Yunrong, embarrassed, hugged her chest, but the man pulled her hands over and raised them above her head: "Let me take a good look at you!"
"No!" The light was as bright as day, and Shen Yunrong blushed deeply, her body turning red like a ripe peach, making one want to bite into it and taste its sweet juice.
"Don't move!" Zhao Linzhang began kissing her hair reverently, his heart screaming that this woman was his, and he wanted to taste every inch of her skin, every tear, from head to toe.
I never knew loving someone could be so profound, wishing I could become one with her, wishing I could repeatedly knead her into my very bones.
The candlelight in the room burned all night. When Shen Yunrong woke up feeling weak, Zhao Linzhang had already left. She thought about what they had discussed with him last night, but it seemed that there hadn't been any discussion at all; he didn't care at all.
Shen Yunrong wanted to ask them whether they should go to Jiangnan with them or ask Zhao Linzhang to help them find a good place. She dared not say anything about the future. Right now, Zhao Linzhang only had eyes for her and in his heart. They were all by his side, and she didn't know how long they would have to wait.
She wasn't kind-hearted enough to give up her man.
After having breakfast, Shen Yunrong and Steward Tan went to Wanfeng Courtyard together.
The relocation of this mansion to Jiangnan is such a big commotion that the women of Wanfeng Courtyard have also heard the news, and they haven't been able to practice their zithers or dances these past few days.
Shen Yunrong gathered them together: "You should have heard recently that the Prince is going to his fiefdom. Most of you are from the capital and your families are here. If you don't want to go with him, the Prince said he can let you go home!"
The others were overjoyed, but the twin beauties were so frightened that their beautiful faces turned pale. They knelt down with a thud: "We don't want to go back. We'll follow you like cattle or horses. Please don't send us away."
They knew that Shen Yunrong was an easy person to get along with. If she became the mistress of the house in the future, and they served her carefully, they might still have the opportunity to serve the prince. If they were sent back now, they didn't know where they would be sold next time. There was no mistress in the world as easy to get along with as Shen Yunrong.
They cried and recounted their misery. Shen Yunrong had originally intended to dismiss them all, but their crying made her feel bad too. She was a woman herself and knew their suffering.
"Alright, get up. Since you don't want to leave, I'll talk to the Prince when he returns, and we'll take you all back to Jiangnan together." Shen Yunrong instructed Steward Tan to send silver to the other women and contact their families. Those without families were to take the silver and make their own way.
"However, you should think it over carefully. Once you leave the capital, you may never have the chance to come back!" Shen Yunrong changed the subject, not wanting you to come back crying and begging for help.
"Wherever the young lady goes, we will go!" They are playthings wherever they go; the capital is nothing more than a more luxurious cage for them.
"It's good that you understand!"
With the women in the backyard all settled, she slowly walked to Wangyue Tower. Xiao Siliang and Xiao Ruoyu, who were already running around, saw her coming from afar and, like two little firecrackers, rushed over headlong.
He mumbled, "Mother!"
"Slow down, slow down, you two little devils!" Shen Yun hugged them both tightly, one in each arm.
"Mother, eat!" Xiao Siliang took out some pastries that he had hidden away at some point. They were so rotten that it was impossible to tell what they were, and he tried to stuff them into her mouth.
Seeing this, her daughter gave her a quick kiss on the cheek: "Mommy, kiss me!"
These two children were truly melting her heart. Fortunately, Zhao Linzhang found her and she returned. With these two precious children by her side, what more could she ask for?
After spending the day with them, and with the wet nurse lulling them to sleep, Shen Yunrong returned to Qingfeng Courtyard. Zhao Linzhang, however, was unusual today; he had already returned earlier.
The first thing he said to her froze her in place: "Siliang might have to be sent back to the Zhang family!"
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