Chapter 126: Wedding Consummation: Does Ah Wan Love Me?
"What's going on?" Gongsun Xue looked confused, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Hearing everyone's discussion, Lu Tingwan stepped forward to explain. Cheng Xianzhi pulled her wrist back, half hiding her body behind him, and said protectively, "I'm here to pick up my wife. What's wrong with that?"
He acted as if it was a matter of course, his aura was terrifying. Most of the fathers, brothers or husbands of those officials' families were under Cheng Xianzhi's command, so how could they dare to say anything?
He was afraid of saying something inappropriate and losing his job and title.
The man who had entered Lu Tingwan's warm pool was nowhere to be seen. Even though everyone had suspicions about the two, they didn't dare speak up. Gongsun Xue had hoped to use these family members as pawns, but her plan failed. She could only feign ignorance and ask, "The maid on duty in the other courtyard said that Minister Cheng didn't come this morning."
Gongsun Xue saw the red marks on Lu Tingwan's neck. The medicine from last night must have taken effect. However, the drunk man was gone, but Cheng Xianzhi appeared instead.
"Who said I came here this morning?" Cheng Xianzi looked at them coldly. Not wanting to waste words with everyone, he took his people away.
Gongsun Xue glanced at the maidservant beside her. They bowed their heads and explained, "Minister Cheng came in at midnight last night, asked about the greenhouse of Palace Master Lu, and hasn't come out since."
"What about the others?" asked Dew.
Maid: "Others?"
"Apart from the Minister, has no other man ever entered the women's courtyard?"
The maid hesitated. There were other female relatives in the front courtyard. Gongsun Xue winked at Luzhu, and Luzhu took the person away to ask some questions.
It was learned later that the guy was discovered shortly after he entered the hospital last night. In order not to trouble the female relatives and avoid gossip, the person in charge did not want to get involved. After all, the people inside were all officials' wives, and no one could be offended. If the reputation was tarnished, the first person to be held accountable would be the guards of the villa for dereliction of duty. The man had already been sent down the mountain quietly.
The figure that Luzhu saw entering the greenhouse was Cheng Xianzhi.
The objects in the side room were scattered all over the place. Gongsun Yan was so scared that he huddled in a corner and cried, "Yan'er is scared..."
"Yan'er doesn't want mother, he wants father..."
"I want daddy..."
The child's words were like a needle, piercing her heart. Gongsun Xue roared, "Why are you crying? You don't have a father. Your father died a long time ago. Dead. Do you understand?"
She was frantic and worried about Gongsun Yan's small body. He didn't understand anything, but he knew that he was born different from others. He didn't have a father to love him, and his mother was moody. She loved him most of the time, but she never knew when she would take her anger out on him. The two-year-old Gongsun Yan didn't know what he had done wrong to make his mother so angry.
Gongsun Yan screamed with all his might, nearly fainting from the beating. Gongsun Xue calmly lowered his waist and hugged him in her arms, whispering softly, "Mother was wrong. I shouldn't have been so mean to you. Mother was wrong..."
"I want you to remember that your father is Cheng Xianzhi. One day, he will ask you to return to your roots. I want him to acknowledge your identity in front of the whole world." Gongsun Xue raised the corners of her lips with a mixture of kindness and viciousness.
***
The two walked for a while as they went down the mountain. However, after the fight last night, her body was sore, especially when she was walking. The two avoided talking about romantic matters and were recalling the joy in their hearts.
It is human nature to have desires, and there is nothing wrong with it.
She casually broke off a dead branch from the mountain path and twirled it between her fingers. "When I first came to Tiger Back Mountain, how come I didn't realize the scenery was so beautiful?"
Cheng Xianzhi noticed that she was in a good mood and was not depressed by what happened last night. "Aren't you curious about who gave you that drug last night?"
"I've already suffered this once in the mansion. I haven't offended anyone, so who else could it be?" Lu Tingwan looked up at him. Beneath the cloak covering her clothes, there were faintly visible bite marks. They were left by her last night.
Suddenly she felt her cheeks getting hot, and she turned her head to look at the foot of the mountain.
"This method is really despicable."
Cheng Xianzhi pondered for a moment, "Do you still remember when you came to my study and saw me taking an ice bath?"
Tracing his memory, Lu Tingwan remembered that he was covered in sweat, his cheeks and eyes were red, and he looked extremely uncomfortable.
At that time, I just thought that he had a hidden illness and even suspected that he could not have sex. But then I thought again, although he didn't look like a seasoned man last night, he was not bad either. Every step was just right and I was quite satisfied with him.
"Don't you remember?" Seeing that she didn't respond for a long time, Cheng Xianzhi asked again, calling the person back from her reverie.
"Oh," Lu Tingwan said, trying to hide the truth, "I remember. What happened?"
"That was Gongsun Xue using the same method to force me to submit." Cheng Xianzhi said lightly.
Lu Tingwan was surprised, "Did Gongsun Xue drug you?"
So that's how it is. Lu Tingwan secretly sighed that his willpower was truly amazing, but he was also cruel enough. Basins full of ice cubes brought bone-chilling cold.
But after she figured it out, she smiled. Cheng Xianzhi tilted his head to look at her, "What are you laughing at?"
Gongsun Xue hated her and wanted to ruin her reputation, but she never expected that the person who came was Cheng Xianzhi, which created an obstacle that had separated the two of them for a long time. She was happy in her heart because she had always thought about having a deeper relationship with him.
"Nothing." She stared at the trail, tired from walking. "Let's ride down the mountain."
"Okay." This time, Cheng Xianzhi carried her onto the horse's back and held her in his arms very naturally. Those intimate actions were still filled with excitement. After hugging her, he wanted to get closer. His distracting thoughts were blown away by the mountain breeze. When his figure appeared again, he had already arrived at the tent at the foot of the mountain.
The sun shone over Tiger Back Mountain. The little emperor woke up and looked for the Grand Tutor and Aunt Lu. The eunuch told him that they had gone to the warm pool in the villa last night and had not come down since.
He asked someone to prepare pen, ink, paper and inkstone for him to practice calligraphy, and said that he would ask the tutor to teach him archery after the two of them came back.
He couldn't pull the bow steadily because he was too weak.
In the deep forest of the hunting ground, the crows' calls echo around the forest.
Jiang Haiyi's voice was muddy. "Nowadays, the government seems to be a balance of power among three factions, but in reality, it is controlled by Cheng Xian alone. The late emperor was able to plan to get to this point. The Zhongshu Ling has been a veteran of three dynasties. The new wave pushes the old wave. These two little brats have played you and the Queen Mother in their hands."
"Your Majesty the Duke may seem glorious and honored, but the wind and snow in Shanhaiguan must be hard to bear." The dark sleeves appeared behind the branches, and it was Gongsun Yin.
"Cheng Xianzhi is a man with wicked ambitions. How could he be content to be just a student of the Minister of the Central Secretariat? The relationship between the Gongsun and Cheng families has ended, but does the teacher-student bond still exist?"
Gongsun Yin did not answer, "What a pity for your son."
Jiang Haiyi clenched his fists, hatred overflowing from his face.
"The Second Young Master lost his wife very recently and has been insane ever since. If the child had been kept, the Duke would have been able to enjoy the child's company and wouldn't have had to endure the harsh weather of Shanhaiguan, where even a penny of military pay would have to be approved by the six ministries."
"Perhaps God took pity on the Duke's hard work and great achievements, and after beheading the eldest son, he still left a son alive."
Jiang Haiyi knew that Gongsun Yin was not a good person and was very cunning. "What does the Minister of the Central Secretariat mean?"
"If your young master hadn't brought up my daughter Xue'er, why would Cheng Xianzhi have sent her back home with a divorce letter?" Gongsun Yin gazed into the darkness of the deep mountains. "Everyone in Kyoto is speculating about who this child belongs to. If it's Cheng Xianzhi's, why wouldn't he want to keep her?"
"What does this have to do with my Qingsheng?"
"Yan'er's father is none other than your eldest son."
"What?" Jiang Haiyi was incredulous, his eyes flashing with warning. "I'm used to seeing killings, but I won't recognize just any bastard."
Gongsun Yin was patient and composed, "Whether it's true or not, wouldn't you know once you've seen it, Your Majesty?"
"The current emperor is only two years old. How could he understand the affairs of state? Everything is decided by Cheng Xian's words. How can he tell who is the emperor and who is the minister?"
"The Duke commanded a large army and weathered decades of hardship for Da Lan, yet in the end, his own grandson turned out to be a bastard that Cheng Xianzhi didn't want to acknowledge."
Her footsteps creaked on the dry branches, and her skirt swayed into a half fan. "My Lord, I have long admired you. I, Gongsun Xue, am here to greet you."
Jiang Haiyi looked back and saw her holding a two-year-old child and holding a windmill in her hand. At first glance, her features resembled Jiang Qingsheng's.
"This is Qingsheng's son?"
Gongsun Xue didn't want to talk about that ridiculous past. "The Duke must have known the answer the first time he saw it."
"What do you want?"
Gongsun Yin invited them to go, and the two of them walked deeper into the forest. "The little boy is the emperor, and the Duke is recruiting soldiers at Shanhaiguan. Is it really just to guard the border?"
"What does the Minister of the Central Secretariat mean?" Jiang Haiyi did not respond.
"Could it be that the Duke still wants to call himself the emperor?" Gongsun Yin smiled narrowly. "Will Queen Mother Jiang agree?"
"If there is no Queen Mother's assistance from the palace, it would be a pipe dream to enter Kyoto and force the emperor to abdicate."
"Oh?" Jiang Haiyi stopped and said, "What do you think?"
"Fu Yan'er ascends to the throne, he is still the blood of the Jiang family."
"The Minister of the Central Secretariat also wants the position of Shangshu?"
The previous emperor wanted to divide the power of the prime minister into three parts, but now Cheng Xianzhi controls the imperial guards, is in charge of the six ministries, and serves as the emperor's teacher. He is not only a prime minister better than the prime minister, but also second to the emperor and above ten thousand people. The disciple is better than the master. Gongsun Yin, the predecessor, is not satisfied with this.
The winter hunt lasted for half a month, and Lu Tingwan returned to the palace with the team.
Occasionally, after leaving Hanzhang Palace after court, the two would look at each other. Just seeing each other was enough. They said nothing to each other, yet it seemed as if they had said everything.
Lu Tingwan began to feel worried. As she leaned her head against the windowsill and watched the wind and snow, a figure appeared in her mind.
Cheng Xianzhi sent a letter to Jinhua Palace, asking him to arrange when to return home.
Lu Tingwan received the letter. The twelfth lunar month was approaching and heavy snow was falling in Kyoto. The carriage that came to pick her up waited for a while. Cheng Xianzhi was wearing an official robe and stood with his hands behind his back. Snow flakes fell all over his clothes, staining his red clothes against the white scene.
She walked lightly from a distance, and as she got closer, she ran two more steps, and the tip of her nose turned red from the cold.
"Have you been waiting for a long time?" she asked in a slightly hoarse voice.
"We just came out of Guangling Palace. It wasn't long ago," Cheng Xianzhi raised his hand to help her get into the car. "It's snowing hard outside. Let's go back first."
Lu Tingwan was feeling cold, so he carefully prepared a heater and said, "Warm yourself up."
"Thank you very much."
There was silence for a long time. Cheng Xianzhi looked at her and she was looking at the street view again.
"How many days will I take off?"
Lu Tingwan smiled and looked back, "Three days."
"Yeah." Cheng Xianzhi's smile was like the bright moon in his arms.
Lu Tingwan's gaze returned to the window. Her hands were hidden by the heater. Cheng Xianzhi grasped the half-exposed fingers, feeling warm. She looked outside with a slight smile on her face, but soon returned to normal without looking back.
He just gently held her fingertips, and seeing that she didn't react, as if she had tacitly agreed, he moved his palm closer and held the fingers warmed by the stove in his palm. Lu Tingwan was looking at the street scene, and Cheng Xianzhi was also looking at his scene, with a smile on his lips.
The snow began to fall heavily. The servants in the mansion brought umbrellas. Cheng Xianzhi took it and tilted the oil-paper umbrella in her direction. The snow flakes fell on his shoulders, staining his official robes white.
It has been snowing non-stop since the twelfth lunar month in Kyoto.
The wind blew in from under the eaves, making her gasp. Lu Tingwan moved to his side, staying close to avoid the wind.
Cheng Xianzhi pulled up his cloak and hugged her in his arms, wrapping her whole body in it. "But it's too cold?"
"It's not cold now." Lu Tingwan replied with her head raised while hiding in her cloak.
"The weather in Kyoto is much colder. It snows heavily in the twelfth lunar month. Ask the mansion to send more charcoal so that we can burn enough." Cheng Xianzhi hugged her tightly, knowing that she was afraid of the cold.
It was the first time for the servant to see his master and his wife being so affectionate. For a moment, he thought he was seeing things. He looked away and then looked back. He couldn't help but take a few more glances to confirm that he was not seeing things before whispering to them after they had gone far away.
After Cheng Xianzhi finished his lunch with others, he stayed for half an hour before going to the six ministries to handle military affairs. He left a message before leaving and came back before dinner. Lu Tingwan began to count the hours, and the smile on his face lingered for a long time.
Feng Xin saw something was wrong and asked, "Madam, why are you so happy?"
"Is there?" Lu Tingwan had a smile on his lips when he spoke.
"Yes," Feng Xin said firmly, "the way you look at adults is different too."
"Feng Xin, what do you think of Cheng Xianzhi?"
"Sir?" Feng Xin thought seriously. "Although my lady and you were at odds at first when you first came into the mansion, I haven't given you much trouble. I've done everything my lady wanted."
"After divorcing Gongsun Xue, he immediately made her his wife. He didn't stop you from entering the palace, and he allowed you to return home. What do you think, Madam?"
"I think it's okay." She held the teacup, her mind full of his appearance.
"What time is it?" Lu Tingwan wanted dinner to be here as soon as possible.
"It's the twilight hour."
The house was warm. She had been thinking about going home last night and hadn't slept well. She leaned against the wooden table, swaying precariously. Finally, she couldn't hold on any longer and climbed onto the couch. When she woke up, night had fallen and the snow hadn't stopped yet. Cheng Xianzhi came back and woke her up, and they had dinner together.
After nightfall, each of them held a book, one at the desk and the other on the couch. It was very late and their waists were tired from sitting, but no one mentioned going to bed. Cheng Xianzhi glanced at her, and seeing that she was indifferent, he finally got up and blew out the candle on the desk.
"It's late, why aren't you sleeping?" He walked to the clothes rack and took off his outer robe.
Upon hearing this, Lu Tingwan put down his book and said nonchalantly, "I forgot the time."
She climbed up from the couch and crawled back into the quilt, throwing the previous rules out of her mind. Cheng Xianzhi smelled the movement and saw the quilt being lifted up and then falling down.
He stood at the head of the bed, his singlet clasped behind his waist, "Where's my bedding?"
Lu Tingwan wrapped herself up and said, "Feng Xin has taken it, it's too late. I'll give you half of mine."
He was not stupid, so he was naturally happy to do so. He took off his boots, got on the couch, and moved closer to her.
The two of them lay straight, the candlelight was still on. Lu Tingwan stared at the curtain. He had slept for a long time during the day and now he couldn't fall asleep.
A voice came from the side of my ear: "Why aren't you sleeping?"
"Why don't you sleep?" She turned sideways to face him, her beautiful eyes shining brightly, revealing her thoughts nakedly, waiting for him to speak.
Cheng Xianzhi's smile faded from his lips, "Do you regret it?"
"What are you regretting?"
"If you can't sleep, then don't sleep." He suddenly leaned forward and pressed on her. "If you don't regret it, then I don't have to worry."
Before Lu Tingwan could say anything, she was already covered by his breath. As she turned around, his fingertips lifted up her inner clothes and pinched it.
"Hmm..." Crispy flesh spread all over his body.
"I regret it." She suddenly pushed him away.
It would be very uncomfortable for a person who is in the midst of passion to stop at this moment, and he doesn't want to do that.
Lu Tingwan was extremely charming and seductive, "I regret not agreeing to your request earlier..."
He smiled, "Then I'll allow you a little longer."
"Longer?"
"How about three days?"
She hid in the quilt, her eyes hazy with tears. He was playing tricks on her. "Three days?"
Would three days be too long?
"Well, three days." As the words fell, his ten fingers clasped under the pillow.
"Ah Wan," he called her with such deep affection for the first time when she was awake, "Do you love me?"
Lu Tingwan wholeheartedly welcomed it, wanting to take her last breath. She still remembered the joy in the greenhouse, and the heat waves when she turned over that wrapped around her light body. She swayed up and down inside, neither up nor down, wanting to land more and more temptingly, but also wanting to climb higher.
The person who was using force touched her again and again. When he didn't hear the answer, he asked again, "Awan?"
"Cheng Xianzhi." She also called him.
"I am here."
"Does Wan love me?"
Lu Tingwan was almost there when Cheng Xianzhi suddenly stopped, unwilling to give up and pursue the answer. However, she wanted to reach the freedom of the clouds, and seemed unsatisfied. She rolled up and leaned into his strong arms, responding in her own way.
"Asking such a question at this moment," she gasped, "If I say I don't love you, wouldn't that make me a heartless person?"
Cheng Xianzhi held her waist and wrists, fulfilling everything she wanted.
After dawn, the house was filled with dead silence after the chaos.
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