Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Paper
After saying these words, Zhe Rou felt much more comfortable. She pursed her lips and looked at Lu Chen intently, waiting for his answer.
Lu Chen leaned against the head of the bed, glanced at her warmly for a while, then suddenly chuckled, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Zhe Rou suddenly felt embarrassed and annoyed, so she stretched out her foot and kicked him lightly, "What are you laughing at?"
Lu Chen sat up, grabbed her ankle, and gently pulled her into his arms, saying with a smile, "I'm laughing at you being silly and jealous."
"I went to the Xu residence today because of one of Xu Chong's students. He got into trouble, so I helped him out and went to Xu Chong to do him a favor."
After a pause, he continued, "As for Songchunyuan, I'll handle everything. Don't worry, okay?"
As Zhe Rou listened to Lu Chen's explanation, her heart gradually calmed down, and the anger she had felt earlier also dissipated.
She is a gentle and bright person. She never tortures herself and is full of anticipation for the future. If she has any doubts in her heart, she will talk them out and never worry about them again.
But there are some things that still need to be made clear to him.
After thinking for a while, Zhe Rou propped herself up and looked up at Lu Chen. Her eyes were clear and she spoke seriously, word for word: "Lu Bingyan, if you have something to do, don't lie to me."
After staring at each other for a moment, Lu Chen calmly turned his gaze away and pulled her into his arms again. He stroked her hair with his long fingers and chuckled softly, "Silly Meimei, when have I ever lied to you?"
The answer was so slick that Zhe Rou blushed. Just as she was about to laugh at him, Lu Chen had already lowered his head and kissed her. He gently rubbed her ear and then moved down to hold her soft lips.
Every breath I took was filled with his clean and warm breath, with a tingling sensation.
Before Zhe Rou could speak more clearly, he teased her to the point of being short of breath and feeling faintly dizzy.
Lingering downwards, Lu Chen released her lips and kissed her closely all the way, biting her slender white neck with his teeth and whispering vaguely.
"Miss, I want a child."
Zhe Rou's heart suddenly felt sore and soft. She gently put her arms around his waist, and her slightly cool hands reached into his shirt, stroking his smooth and strong back.
When they first got married, the two young people experienced love for the first time. Without the supervision of their elders, they had a lot of fun for a while and became very familiar with each other's bodies.
After lingering for a while, Lu Chen could no longer suppress his heat and suddenly picked her up and turned her over.
The world was spinning before her eyes. Zhe Rou wrapped her arms around his strong waist and abdomen, exclaimed softly, then chuckled softly, her eyes and eyebrows as bright as spring water.
As the night deepened, a few sweat-soaked white undergarments were piled haphazardly on the ground, and the panting sounds rose and fell in the bed curtains.
Zhe Rou was drenched in sweat, her cheek pressed against the soft quilt, her arms stretched out from the gauze curtain and rested weakly on the edge of the bed.
A strong hand came out, covered her from behind, and clasped her fingers tightly.
The curtains swayed endlessly like rippling water.
In the darkness, Lu Chen panted softly and bit the back of her neck, saying in a hoarse voice, "Jiaojiao, one day, I will make you my imperial consort."
…
There was a drizzle in the second half of the night, which continued until dawn. Birds were chirping outside the window. A little sparrow flew in from somewhere and startled the flower-guarding bells on the steps. A breeze blew by, making a series of clear clanging sounds.
Zhe Rou woke up hazily.
The curtains were tightly drawn, and the bed was dim. Lu Chen slept behind her, his warm chest pressed against her back, providing a warm and cozy feeling.
Noticing her movement, Lu Chen also moved and asked softly, "Awake?"
Zhe Rou turned over in a daze, nuzzled into his arms, listened to his heartbeat, and murmured, "Hmm."
"Lie down for a while, I'll go get some clothes." Lu Chen chuckled and kissed the top of her head, then lifted the quilt and stood up.
There was a warm atmosphere in the curtains. Zhe Rou lazily wrapped herself in the quilt and watched him busying around.
Lu Chen pulled on an outer robe and put it on, then got off the bed barefoot, picked up the messy inner clothes on the ground, and casually placed them on the fumigation cage beside him. He then walked to the wardrobe, rummaged through it for a while, and picked out the clothes that the two of them wanted to change into.
The room was dimly lit, and the oil lamp at the foot of the bed cast a warm yellow halo.
He was only wearing a very thin coat with the collar open. When he walked, the fabric fluttered, and his straight back and strong waist and abdomen could be vaguely seen. He was solemn and upright.
After putting on his clothes, Lu Chen came back and put the clean underwear and skirt on the bedside. Suddenly he bent down, grabbed her cheek, and kissed her hard as if he was doing something naughty.
He was like a child who had succeeded in his trick. Without waiting for Zhe Rou to come to his senses and fight back, he stood up and went outside with a loud laugh, calling for water to wash up.
The drizzle in the yard has not stopped yet, the sky is gray, the rain is rustling outside the window, and water droplets are dripping under the eaves.
Zhe Rou buried her face in the quilt, listening to the sound of him walking outside, and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
My body still felt a little sour, but my heart was indescribably warm and peaceful, as if I was soaking in a pool of warm water, very comfortable.
In a trance, I felt that life is just like this.
If I could spend my life with him like this for a long time, and then raise a sweet and lovely daughter, holding her chubby little hands, looking up and calling her "Daddy, Mommy" sweetly, what a wonderful thing that would be...
Zhe Rou closed her eyes and lay down for a while, then she put on her clothes and got off the bed, put on her embroidered shoes, walked to the washbasin rack, picked up a bamboo toothbrush, dipped it in some green salt and slowly brushed her teeth.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded on the corridor. Soon, Nan Heng's low voice could be heard faintly from outside the house: "Sir... the government sent someone... a letter, today..."
Zhe Rou looked over subconsciously, and through the half-open window, she saw Nan Heng lowering his head to report to Lu Chen. A corner of the invitation in his hand was exposed. From a distance, it looked like a piece of light pink embossed paper sprinkled with gold foil.
Lu Chen responded to Nan Heng indifferently, sent him away, stood alone in the corridor for a while, then turned and walked back into the house.
Seeing him come in, Zhe Rou brushed her teeth and asked incoherently, "Do you have any important social engagements today?"
Lu Chen only looked at her for a moment, then lowered his head to pick up the handkerchief and said with a faint smile, "Nothing, Mingqi has returned to the capital and is planning a banquet for some friends and colleagues at Liangyuan."
Mingqi is Xie Yunzhou's courtesy name.
Xie Yunzhou's grandmother, the late Empress Dowager Huici, and Lu Chen's grandmother were cousins, so their relationship was not too distant. They were of similar age and grew up together. Later, they became comrades in the battlefield, and their friendship was almost to the point of risking their lives for each other.
During the years when Lu Chen was exiled, Xie Yunzhou often went to Taozhou to visit him. Over time, Zhe Rou became familiar with him and followed Lu Chen in calling him "Mingqi".
Hearing that it was Xie Yunzhou's post, Zhe Rou was a little surprised, but then she thought about it and found it interesting. "Mingqi has a simple and unpretentious personality and has never been fond of extravagance. How could he use such fine paper?"
Lu Chen's expression paused for a moment, then he smiled nonchalantly and said, "Perhaps the eldest princess chose it."
Zhe Rou smiled and nodded without thinking too much.
After washing up, Xiaochan brought in breakfast from the kitchen: two bowls of steaming hot noodles with bamboo shoots and pork, a few side dishes, and freshly fried cardamom soup.
Zhe Rou picked up her chopsticks and asked him, "I remember Ming Qi got the job in Jingyuan Road just before the New Year. How come he suddenly returned to Beijing?"
Lu Chen said, "Last year, the Great Jin Dynasty negotiated peace with the Qingtang Qiang people. The western frontier is peaceful, so there is nothing important for him to do in the army. However, the emperor was unwell a few days ago, so he was summoned back to the capital to tend to his illness."
As he spoke, he seemed to think of something and raised the corner of his mouth, "But in my opinion, attending to the sick is just an excuse. The government summoned him most likely to arrange a marriage for him."
"No wonder." Zhe Rou took a mouthful of noodles and said with a smile, "He's already twenty-two this year, right? If he wastes another two years, his mother will probably be very worried."
Lu Chen lowered his eyes and smiled, his eyes hiding some unfathomable emotions, "If Mingqi doesn't get married soon, I'm afraid... the emperor will be more anxious than the princess."
After dinner, Zhe Rou held an umbrella and sent him out to work.
Before leaving the hospital, Lu Chen suddenly stopped, turned around and called her, "Miss."
Zhe Rou raised her face, "Hmm?"
The sky was hazy with rain and fog. She was holding a green bamboo umbrella, with her face slightly tilted up. Her eyebrows and eyes were clear and soft, like the surface of a lake bathed in spring sun, warm and clean, without a trace of impurities.
Lu Chen lowered his eyes and looked at her for a moment before instructing her, "The Qingtang Qiang envoys are about to arrive in the capital. The emperor has ordered a team of elite soldiers from the Three Yamen Imperial Guards to accompany them as guards. I have been ordered to preside over the martial arts competitions and battle formations of my squadrons, so I will probably be busy for some time. You should take care of yourself at home."
In the past, when Lu Chen was serving in the army, it was common for him to be separated from his family for long periods of time. If the Qiang people attacked, the garrison would go out of the city to fight the enemy, and there would be no news for months. Now it was just a few busy days, and Zhe Rou did not take it to heart. She looked at him with a smile and nodded in agreement.
"If you need anything, remember to send someone to the government office to look for me." Lu Chen raised his hand to push the loose hair behind her ears and continued, "If you're bored, just go out for a walk. You don't have to worry about mother, okay?"
"You're so long-winded." Zhe Rou smiled and gently pushed him, saying softly, "Don't worry, I've got it all down."
In the following days, Lu Chen was indeed very busy. He would either return home very late or simply stay overnight in the government office. He was rarely seen all day.
Zhe Rou also has her own things to do.
Although Lu Chen told her not to worry about Zheng Lanbi, she didn't want to make her mother-in-law even more unhappy, so she took Xiaochan to Ma Xing Street several times under the pretext of delivering food to Lu Chen.
Zhe Rou roughly looked at the locations of various medicine shops, carefully noted down the types and prices of the medicines in the shops, and found a broker to inquire about the rentals of different shops. After a few days, he had a rough idea of the market conditions of these medicine shops.
In a blink of an eye, it was the full moon banquet at the Changping Earl's Mansion.
After all, it was her first time attending a banquet after arriving in Beijing, so Zhe Rou couldn't help feeling a little nervous, yet she couldn't help feeling happy. Early in the morning, Xiao Chan dressed her up carefully, combing her hair into a single spiral tassel bun, tying her hair with silk ribbons, and applying lightly powdered rouge.
After changing her clothes, Xiaochan wanted to put a pearl and mica flower ornament on her head, but Zherou smiled and didn't use the flower ornament. She only wore two simple pearl flower hairpins.
The Duke of Changping had just held a birthday banquet not long ago, so this time he only sent invitations to two close relatives, as a small gathering of relatives and friends. If she dressed too formally, she would appear timid.
It was almost time, so they went out and got in the car. Zhe Rou brought the gifts she had prepared earlier and went to the government office to pick up Lu Chen. The two of them went to the Bo's house together for the banquet.
The Changping County Earl's Mansion is adjacent to Yanglou. Coming out of the Forbidden Army Yamen, walk north along the Old Caomen Street and you will arrive in half an hour.
After paying their respects at the gate of the mansion, Zhe Rou and Lu Chen were led by the welcoming maid to the inner courtyard to pay their respects to the wife of the county earl.
The Duke's Mansion is a noble family that has been passed down since the founding of the country. It has a very scholarly atmosphere. The interior is several times more luxurious than the Lu Mansion, with carved beams and painted buildings, and flower-tiled floors. The golden bamboo curtains on both sides of the corridor are half-rolled up, and you can vaguely see various exotic flowers and trees, scattered at different heights.
Because a banquet was being held to entertain guests, maids and servants in the mansion were constantly coming and going, holding all kinds of utensils in their hands, but there was no noise, and they moved through the corridors and halls in an orderly manner.
Although Zhe Rou had made many preparations, she had never really dealt with the nobles of Shangjing. Today was the first time.
The further she went, the more she felt the rich heritage of the aristocratic families, and Zhe Rou couldn't help but be secretly shocked. She used to think that as long as she worked hard and was willing to learn, perhaps integrating into this circle wouldn't be that difficult.
But when she actually saw this wealth and luxury, she found that it was much more difficult than she had imagined.
A century of family heritage and more than ten years of influence and nurturing are far beyond her ability to make up for or catch up with in a day or a night.
For some reason, she suddenly recalled the day she first arrived in Shangjing. She stood at the foot of the vast city gate, watching the bustling cargo ships on the Bian River, the throngs of people all around her, the hustle and bustle everywhere, and suddenly she felt an indescribable sense of loss and loneliness. It seemed that only by leaning on Lu Chen could she feel a little peace of mind.
Zhe Rou pursed her lips.
Walking through the corridor and heading towards the main house, Zhe Rou couldn't help but call out to him softly even though Lu Chen was right beside her and she only walked a little faster.
"Lu Bingyan."
"Wait for me."
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