lingering ghosts
In the afternoon, Zhao Fanghua tossed and turned in bed and couldn't fall asleep. She had been swinging the Bamboo Lady in her hand for several rounds.
She was a little annoyed and wanted to pull at her collar, but found that she was only wearing a main waist shirt and no other top.
She frowned and roughly lifted the gauze curtain. Shuyu, who was waiting outside, heard the sound and came over to ask with concern, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Zhao Fanghua fiddled with the bamboo lady in his hand, feeling hot and uneasy. He said in a dissatisfied tone, "The cicadas outside are too noisy. Why don't you get some eunuchs to stick them up!"
Shuyu nodded: "Your Highness, do you have any other instructions?"
Zhao Fanghua looked around the furnishings in the room. She didn't know why, even though she had lived there for a while, she just couldn't seem to like them. But she couldn't let anyone remove or replace them all. Finally, she pointed at the ice jar and said, "This! It's not cool enough anymore. Time to add some ice!"
Zhao Fanghua blushed as she finished speaking, feeling like she was just looking for trouble. It was so hot, why would she bother the workers with her bad mood?
She bit her lip and said as if to save the situation: "Um... give me more tips."
Shuyu, who was waiting on the side, responded respectfully "yes" and left.
Zhao Fanghua lay back down again. The image of Zhao Qinglan tilting his head slightly and taking the spoon she handed him into his mouth lingered in her mind.
Her heart had been pounding since she left Wanhe Hall.
Is it because of the heat that we're lacking oxygen? Or is it...
She touched her heart.
Zhao Fanghua was secretly shocked. Could it be that she fell in love with Zhao Qinglan?
Although "Zhao Fanghua" has changed his core, the "core" has nothing to do with Zhao Qinglan, but theoretically, Zhao Qinglan is "Zhao Fanghua's" half-brother.
impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
She doesn't have Goldsmore syndrome, so how could she fall for a sadist?
This is not true. To be honest, Zhao Qinglan didn't do anything to her. She has always thought that Zhao Qinglan is a scary person and has been secretly avoiding him.
Asking her to cook for him and feed him herself...this level doesn't seem like abuse, right?
Come to think of it, Zhao Qinglan is quite nice to her.
She wanted to break off the engagement with Shen Xiujin, and he agreed.
She said that he was caught saying bad things about her, but he didn't get angry.
She had lied to him before and said that she made the mung bean ice cream herself. He seemed angry, but he didn't get angry with her.
…
Zhao Fanghua thought to himself: Maybe Zhao Qinglan is not a bad person after all?
No, no. Zhao Fanghua quickly denied it. He must be so nice to her because of the original owner. After all, both Zhao Qinglan and Shuyu said that he and the original owner had a good relationship. It seemed that she was benefiting from the original owner.
For some reason, Zhao Fanghua felt inexplicably empty in his heart when he thought of this.
She turned over and wrapped her hands and feet tightly around Mrs. Zhu, as if trying to fill the void in her heart in this way.
But after a moment, Zhao Fanghua rolled over and got up. She shook her head vigorously and didn't want to think about this person. Didn't she have other people or other things to think about?
A flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in Zhao Fanghua's mind——
Little mute!
Zhao Fanghua snapped his fingers. Yes, there's also the little mute. Although he can't see his face clearly because of the mask and can't speak, he has a good figure and martial arts skills, and he saved me twice. No matter how I think about it, I think the little mute is better!
This is the one I personally chose as my number one lover.
Moreover, the little mute shouldn't have much power. She had inquired and learned that officials in this dynasty had to be able-bodied, without any physical disabilities or facial blemishes. So the little mute was destined to not be able to serve in the court. Wouldn't that make him easy for her to control?
Thinking of this, Zhao Fanghua touched his nose guiltily.
It’s wrong to use power to oppress others, but it feels good!
The most satisfying moment in her long time here was when she got the imperial edict to break off the engagement with Shen Xiujin and stomped the trio of bitches to the ground.
Imperial edict...
Zhao Qinglan's face suddenly popped up again.
"Ahhhhh!" Zhao Fanghua scratched his hair frantically, "I can't take it anymore!"
She rolled over and got out of bed, shouting outside, "Shuyu! Let's get out!"
She couldn't stay in Lirongyuan for a moment longer, she had to go out and find something to do.
"Unlucky thing." Not long after leaving Penglai Villa, Zhao Fanghua saw Shen Xiujin.
Her original intention was to go down the mountain and search for some small gadgets or delicacies at the market at the foot of the mountain. She couldn't cook for Zhao Qinglan every day, which would be exhausting.
But on the way to the market, he heard passing villagers chatting about some wonders on the top of the mountain, saying that they had seen immortals. Although Zhao Fanghua didn't understand what the wonders were, since they were all saying it was a wonder, he had to go and see it.
This appreciation shows what a bastard Shen Xiujin is.
It really is a haunting!
The Shen Xiu Jin I saw this time was even more distraught than the one I saw last time during the Rebirth Festival, with a look of dejection between his eyebrows and eyes.
Shen Xiujin himself never thought about it. It was just a broken engagement, so why did everything become different from before?
After being driven out of the Princess's Mansion, they went to live in the small courtyard that had been previously arranged for Ruan Jiaojiao. Obviously, this small courtyard was much better than the slum where they lived before, but both he and his mother Ruan disliked the room because it was shabby and small. Even the servants' quarters in the Princess's Mansion were better than this.
Ruan had long been accustomed to a life surrounded by maids and old women, with no matter how big or small her affairs were left to them to serve. Now that only Ruan Jiaojiao was by her side, she was too busy to take care of everything, which made her very resentful.
Not to mention food, clothing and other necessities, which were reduced to their original state overnight, and they returned to their previous life of simple meals and coarse linen clothes.
It is said that it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. How could Ruan accept this?
Ruan also felt resentful towards her beloved son, questioning how he, who had been the top student in high school, could have ended up in such a state.
Shen Xiujin could only smile apologetically, feeling bitter inside.
The position of editor in the Hanlin Academy is neither good nor bad.
Although it is not good, it is the fastest springboard for promotion. Most of the important officials in the court come from the Hanlin Academy.
It's good, but the salary is meager and there's no extra money to be made. If he wants to make extra money, he can only copy books for others. But he has copied books for so many years and finally got the third place in the imperial examination. Does he have to continue to rely on copying books to make a living?
But if I don't copy books now, I'm afraid I won't even be able to pay the rent for the small courtyard where I live alone, let alone hire a maid or servant to take care of my daily life.
Back then, when he was ranked third in the imperial examination, he was not only favored by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, but also by important officials and even the cabinet ministers. In the end, he was even granted marriage to the eldest princess, and his future was bright.
But all this came to an abrupt end after the imperial decree to cancel the engagement was issued.
His former good classmate and superior who once admired him cut ties with him almost overnight.
It was just a piece of paper breaking off the engagement, why did it come to this? Shen Xiujin was puzzled.
But the world thought that the emperor would rather risk a reputation of being unfilial than break off the engagement for his sister, so Shen Xiujin must have done something particularly excessive. Moreover, the eldest princess was considered a model of noble women in the capital, virtuous and filial. She couldn't bear to see her future mother-in-law suffer, so she was willing to jeopardize her reputation to bring her to live in her own palace. Everyone in the capital praised her.
Since the eldest princess is so magnanimous, the problem must be with Shen Xiujing.
Moreover, if he had too close contact with Shen Xiujin, he might even offend the emperor. It was the wisest choice to stay away from Shen Xiujin both emotionally and logically.
He saw Zhao Fanghua and saluted formally: "This humble official greets Her Royal Highness the Princess."
Zhao Fanghua rolled her eyes and cursed Shen Xiujin and his protagonist halo in her heart, and casually dragged Zhao Qinglan out to curse him too.
There are so many talented people in this world. Is there no one else besides Shen Xiujin? Why do you have to reuse such a scumbag? He keeps saying that he has a good relationship with me. Shouldn't he be severely beaten with a stick and then exiled to Lingnan?
Bah, what a bastard too.
But speaking of Lingnan, is there a place called Lingnan here? If so, can I go there and try some lychees?
There was no need to send someone to deliver it 800 miles in a hurry, which would be a waste of time and money. She could go herself! She was willing to make such a long trip just to have a bite of fresh lychees.
Shen Xiujin looked at Zhao Fanghua carefully for a moment, but did not see the expression he expected. Zhao Fanghua's expression was obviously wandering, thinking about something else.
A surge of inexplicable anger suddenly rose up.
It's like this again! It's like this again! She's always like this! She always ignores him!
She acted like she didn't care about anything he said and always looked superior!
She always looks at him like an ant, rewarding him with a grain of rice when he is happy, but at other times he lives in his own world. She won't even step on him to death because she is unhappy, because in her opinion, he is not even worth her lifting a finger.
Shen Xiujin's fists hidden in his sleeves were clenched so tightly that they made a creaking sound.
He forcibly pressed down the blue veins that were about to pop out and suppressed the anger in his heart.
Don't act on impulse, there is still a long way to go.
When he becomes successful in the future, there will be plenty of opportunities to torture her, make her regret what she did to him today, and make her completely bow down at his feet.
Shen Xiujin adjusted his mood, put on a smile, stepped forward, and put on his elegant demeanor again: "Princess, I sincerely want to reconcile with you. Although the people of Dasheng are open-minded and it is common for women to marry a second or third time, the princess has broken off an engagement, which would damage her reputation. Princess, I..."
Seeing Shen Xiujin getting closer and closer, Zhao Fanghua took a big step back and made a pause gesture with her hand: "Stop right there! Did I tell you to come up? Come up now. Haven't you really had enough of the beating?"
Shen Xiujin stopped, took a deep breath, and his tone gradually became stiff: "Princess, do you really have to make things difficult for me?"
Zhao Fanghua looked at him like he was crazy. "You're the one who wants to embarrass me, not me. We've been divorced for eight hundred years. Can you please just go your separate ways and never appear before me again?"
Zhao Fanghua is really annoyed with this person now.
Why did he think that as long as he opened his mouth, she would rush over to him with red love in her eyes and make up with him, and that she would forgive him for repeatedly indulging Ruan Jiaojiao and Ruan Shi in shitting on her head?
Please, that was the imperial decree for breaking off the engagement that she had finally obtained!
So annoying.
Zhao Fanghua no longer wanted to argue with him. She just wanted to return to the palace immediately and let Zhao Qinglan send him far away. Even if he was not exiled to Lingnan, he should be sent to a frontier fortress to be a local official.
All in all, she really didn't want to see this person again!
After Zhao Fanghua finished speaking, without even looking at Shen Xiujin's angry face, she turned around and was about to leave, but just as she turned around, her hand was pinched hard by someone.
Zhao Fanghua was shocked, it’s over!
She forgot to bring her guards again!
Zhao Fanghua turned around, and Shen Xiujin's face could no longer be described as angry and embarrassed, it could even be said to be almost distorted and terrifying!
Zhao Fanghua's body began to tremble constantly, and her body had already reacted before her.
Shen Xiujin's voice was like a snake: "It seems that the princess still hasn't learned her lesson. It seems that she didn't bring any guards this time."
"No..." Zhao Fanghua shook her head frantically. She didn't want to fall into Shen Xiujin's hands. She didn't want to suffer any harm or torture. She just wanted to live a good life.
"Your Highness!" Shuyu on the side was shocked and rushed over, trying to pry Shen Xiujing's hands open with both hands. But she was just a personal maid and didn't have to do any work on weekdays. How could her hand strength compare to that of an adult man?
Shen Xiujin grabbed Shuyu's hair with his other hand, threw her to the ground, and she instantly passed out.
Shen Xiujin chuckled, his eyes almost fanatically looking at Zhao Fanghua: "I heard villagers say on the road that there was an immortal on the mountain top. Although I didn't see the immortal, I met you. This place is sparsely populated, and no one saw what happened. It's really God's help!"
"No!"
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