The once beautiful woman had become emaciated and unrecognizable, looking exactly like a stray dog.
She looked exactly the same as when we first met, even darker than before.
Seeing him, her eyes were still filled with tears, and she called out twice.
Chen Yan: "...Give them both a wash first."
Soon, servants came up to fetch water, and the hot water was used to wash the two pigs again.
The beautiful girl lay comfortably in the water basin, without a trace of the alertness one would expect from a pig being forced into such a basin.
He squinted his eyes, completely enjoying himself.
The servant taking a bath: "..." Has the pig become a spirit?!
After taking a bath, Ruhua was placed in the fence in the backyard, fed some leftovers, and found a comfortable corner to lie down and sleep.
…
The two had dinner.
After Meng Qingluan finished bathing and drying her hair, she returned to her room and saw that Shen Yan was already lying on the bed, resting with his eyes closed.
—Shen Yan’s hair was still damp after his bath, with tiny water droplets dripping from the ends, wetting the pillow.
Meng Qingluan frowned as she looked at him, then moved closer and patted his shoulder.
Shen Yan opened her eyes groggily, her eyes already red-rimmed, whether from exhaustion or a bad mood, it was hard to tell.
"Luanluan?"
Shen Yan squinted, refocusing his gaze and trying to concentrate on the person in front of him.
“Okay,” Meng Qingluan responded, “Get up, dry your hair before you go to sleep.”
Chen Yan didn't want to, so she stayed in bed, saying, "I'm so sleepy and tired, I'll wipe it tomorrow."
"..."
Meng Qingluan was almost amused by his words, wondering if the water from her still-wet hair had gotten into his brain.
Do I need him to wipe it again tomorrow? It'll be too late.
"Alright, get up quickly," Meng Qingluan ignored his coquettishness, "How about I wipe it for you?"
Upon hearing this, a bright light flashed in Shen Yan's eyes, and he slowly straightened his upper body from under the covers.
Seeing that his pillow was so wet that he couldn't lie down, Meng Qingluan simply called for Meiyuan to come in and replace the pillow, and also brought a dry towel.
Shen Yan obediently sat in front of the dressing mirror with Meng Qingluan, her hands on the table and her chin resting comfortably on it.
Meng Qingluan's movements were not gentle; she was in a hurry to sleep, and even a little rough.
Shen Yan, however, thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of her fingers running through his hair, sending shivers of tingling pleasure through him.
Seeing that he was about to fall asleep again, Meng Qingluan did not wake him and consciously softened her movements.
Shen Yan seemed unusually tired today, which made her curious about what had happened while she was not around.
After all, the two of them have been through so much. Even if they had rebelled and seized power, he probably wouldn't be this exhausted.
While his mind was in a daze, Meng Qingluan gently rested her upper body on his face.
She asked softly, "Is it comfortable?"
"Comfortable……"
Meng Qingluan then coaxed, "Why do you look so listless today? Did some bad guy bully you?"
"Bad people?" Shen Yan thought for a moment, then quickly shook his head slightly in denial, "There are no bad people."
Meng Qingluan pressed further, "Then why are you looking so dejected?"
"mother……"
Meng Qingluan didn't hear clearly, only that he mumbled something indistinctly, which flashed by and disappeared very quickly.
"What?"
A jolt of electricity seemed to run down Shen Yan's spine as he recalled the events of the afternoon, instantly snapping him back to reality.
He looked up abruptly and almost bumped into Meng Qingluan, who was crouching behind him.
Seeing her hurriedly get up, Shen Yan thought he had bumped into her, and his eyes were full of guilt.
He pulled Meng Qingluan's hand apologetically and gently rubbed her chin with one hand.
"I'm sorry, Luanluan, did I hurt you?"
Meng Qingluan seized the opportunity to back down, even though she had just dodged the situation, upon hearing Chen Yan's question.
Two tears welled up in her eyes, and she nodded with teary eyes.
"It hurts, it hurts so much! I feel like my jaw is about to dislocate."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan felt even more guilty and helped Meng Qingluan sit back on the bed.
They should call someone in to fetch a doctor.
Meng Qingluan quickly stopped her, "No! Where would a doctor come to see you so late at night?"
Shen Yan didn't care about all that. "If ordinary doctors don't make house calls, then we'll go and invite the imperial physicians from the palace."
Meng Qingluan clicked her tongue. Is this the male lead's privilege?
"No, no! I just got my chin bumped, it's not like I was disemboweled, there's no need for such a big fuss."
Meng Qingluan didn't allow him to refute her, and reached out her finger to touch his lips.
"You still say you're not a corrupt official! The results of the imperial examinations haven't even come out yet, and you're already like this. If you ever get an official position, won't you be riding on the emperor's neck and throwing your weight around?"
Meng Qingluan cautiously lowered her voice when she spoke the second half of the sentence.
Chen Yan looked aggrieved. "But your chin hurts."
Meng Qingluan raised her hand, made a loose fist, and held it to her mouth, coughing twice in a very affected manner.
"It's alright, I can tolerate it, for the sake of your reputation."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan was so moved that she almost took out her handkerchief to wipe away her tears, looking at Meng Qingluan with tears in her eyes.
Meng Qingluan felt a little embarrassed by his piercing gaze, and quickly got to the point.
"I was drying your hair, and you bumped into me. Don't you feel guilty?"
Shen Yan nodded, "Yes."
Meng Qingluan: "I'm very angry right now. Do you want to make me happy?"
Chen Yan replied decisively, "I want to!"
"Alright!" Meng Qingluan moved closer to Chen Yan, holding up one finger. "Then answer me one question, and you must answer truthfully."
Chen Yan nodded.
"What happened this afternoon? I was fine when I went into the exam room, but when I came out I was like a wilted eggplant, completely listless."
Meng Qingluan thought it would be difficult to get Shen Yan to talk, since he hadn't taken the initiative to speak to her on the way back in the carriage that afternoon.
She had even started to think about it.
If Shen Yan doesn't want to talk about it, should I press him relentlessly, even resorting to pleading and coaxing him to reveal the truth? Or should I stop here and end the conversation?
Who would have thought that Shen Yan would only pause for a moment before quickly revealing the whole story?
"My mother, my dear mother, came to see me this afternoon."
"I don't like her, and seeing her makes me feel annoyed, which is why I'm unhappy."
Now it was Meng Qingluan's turn to freeze in place, unable to believe it, and she repeated Shen Yan's words.
"Your mother?"
"Isn't your mother dead? How come she suddenly appeared in the capital and even knew you were taking the imperial examination?"
Meng Qingluan had already conjured up a series of tragic and ethical dramas about human nature in her mind.
When Shen Yan spoke of these things, he became calm, as if he were describing someone else's affairs.
"She didn't die. She's living a good life in the palace. She's living better than anyone else."
"..." In the palace?
Meng Qingluan felt that all this information was too explosive, and for a moment her mind was unable to process it.
My thoughts drifted to the Imperial Concubine that the US dollar had mentioned that afternoon.
She eloped with a man, but returned to the palace a few years later and was showered with favor.
She suddenly remembered the sedan chair she had seen at the entrance after sending Shen Yan into the examination hall.
It wasn't her imagination; the woman's features were indeed identical to Shen Yan's.
She is Shen Yan's biological mother, so of course their eyes and eyebrows would be very similar.
Meng Qingluan asked in a hoarse voice, "Your mother is a concubine?"
Chen Yan nodded.
Meng Qingluan's mind went blank for a moment. She repeatedly processed this information, and her temples throbbed.
How could that be?
The identity of Shen Yan's biological mother is only mentioned briefly in the original text as "her whereabouts are unknown".
She had also wondered about it, but in the end, like most readers, she simply assumed that she died in childbirth while giving birth to Shen Yan.
Looking back now, her disappearance doesn't seem so noble.
Meng Qingluan lowered her hand from her temple. "You...how did you recognize her?"
In other words, how did she dare to come and acknowledge Shen Yan as her father?
In any case, she has now become a favored concubine in the imperial harem.
In the imperial harem, apart from the Empress, she was the woman with the most power and status.
Despite all this wealth and glory, she actually dared to personally go and find Shen Yan to acknowledge her as her husband.
If the emperor knew, even if he didn't take her life, it would definitely be a huge blow to her favor and status.
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