Chapter 101 Pretended Love
When Cheng'an rushed over with the doctor, this was the scene he witnessed—his master was clinging tightly to Madam Xue in a state of disarray, while Madam Xue's eyes were vacant, staring into the void. Cheng'an felt an indescribable tightness in his heart as he saw this.
When Shanhe saw Cheng'an approaching, she smiled at him instead. She struggled to raise her hand and patted Liang Ye's back, whispering, "The doctor has arrived."
Liang Ye loosened his grip slightly, but still held Shanhe's shoulder tightly with one hand. He led Shanhe into the inner room, removed the gauze curtain, and then urgently called out, "Quick, take her pulse! Be careful, she ran in a hurry just now and said she felt unwell in her stomach."
The doctor dared not delay and hurriedly stepped forward to take the patient's pulse.
Shanhe obediently extended her wrist, letting the cool fingertips touch her through the gauze curtain. After a moment, the doctor's fingers twitched slightly. He raised his eyes, carefully choosing his words: "Sir, the lady's pulse is slightly rapid, caused by emotional agitation and running around. The pregnancy is slightly disturbed, but there is nothing to worry about. I will prescribe a calming medicine, and she will be fine after resting."
Upon hearing this, Shanhe looked up at Liang Ye and smiled gently, "The child is fine."
Liang Ye felt a surge of joy mixed with sorrow. He was happy that Shanhe had smiled at him, but saddened that the child was Liang Shao's. He forced a nonchalant expression and casually asked, "Sir, judging from the pregnancy, how many months along are you?"
The doctor laughed and said, "It's only been a little over two months."
As expected, it wasn't his. Liang Ye finally lost heart and could only instruct Cheng An to see the doctor off. He then called a young servant boy to take the prescription and quickly fetch the medicine. Once only the two of them were left in the room, he turned around, rubbed his hands nervously, and hesitantly asked, "Shanshan, what you said just now, was it true?"
Shanhe sat upright in her official's chair, gazing at him calmly. After a few moments, she smiled and extended her hand. Liang Ye immediately stepped forward and took Shanhe's hand. She intertwined her fingers with his, then held their clasped hands up to Liang Ye's face: "If you don't believe me, just let go of my hand." Her voice was soft, deliberately feigned submissiveness, "And Wu Tianqi and Mi Xiaoxiao..."
"Release them! Release them immediately. You don't need to worry about them. As for Wu Tianqi, I have already hired a female physician to take care of her."
"Cheng'an!" he shouted outside, his voice impassioned, "Release Wu Tianqi and Mi Xiaoxiao immediately. Destroy their files as well."
Cheng An outside the door responded and his footsteps hurried away.
Silence returned to the room, leaving only their clasped hands and the clearly audible sound of their breathing. Liang Ye sat on the armrest, placing his hands on his knees, his fingertips slowly stroking Shan He's hand.
Shanhe leaned on his arm and said with pursed lips, "I still have a few things on my mind."
Liang Ye's heart skipped a beat, and his voice unconsciously became heavy: "Tell me."
Shanhe looked up, her gaze sweeping over his face: "You must love me, and only me."
Liang Ye smiled and said, "That goes without saying."
"Will you marry me?"
Liang Ye patted Shanhe's hand, bowed his head solemnly, and said, "Shanshan, I've already made plans for you. I'll find a girl from a poor family in a remote area, and we'll have a fake marriage. When the time comes, I'll give her a sum of money, or some other compensation, and she can leave the capital on her own. At that time, you'll take her place..."
He had already planned it all out on his way to Jinling. The young lady came from a poor, remote area; she was timid and cowardly, of average appearance, and from a small family. Ideally, he would have leverage over her. He would feign interest in pursuing her, marry her, and then tell her that he already loved another and that his feelings would never change. If she was sensible and readily accepted the money, he would provide her with a dowry. If she wasn't, he had ways to make her disappear.
“But Liang Shao is willing to marry me,” Shanhe suddenly said.
Liang Ye was taken aback, then laughed again: "What kind of legitimate marriage is this, with the marriage certificate you wrote privately?"
“But he won’t marry anyone else.” Shanhe looked at Liang Ye stubbornly. “In that case, he will only marry me in the end.”
Liang Ye pursed his lips and looked at her as well. His eyes were indifferent, as if he had little emotion, but the hand he was holding with Shan He on his lap unconsciously tightened its grip slightly.
“So,” his Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice deepening, “that’s what you’re concerned about? That he gave you a title, while I… can only let you take someone else’s place?”
Shanhe didn't answer immediately. She looked down at their intertwined fingers; his knuckles were slightly white from the force of their grip. Shanhe gently tried to pull her wrist away, but instead of breaking free, he tightened his grip. Liang Ye's voice was tense: "Shanshan..."
“I am fussing,” she raised her eyes again, looking directly at him with a clear and cold gaze, “I am fussing that you keep saying you love me, but you won’t give me a proper title; I am fussing that you would rather go to great lengths to manipulate innocent women than seek a bright future for us.”
Shanhe's eyes reddened: "Aye, do you think I'm not worthy to stand by your side?"
The mere mention of "A-Ye" stirred a flood of tender emotions within Liang Ye. All thoughts of her lowly status, her pregnancy with another man's child, and her past as her brother's wife vanished in an instant.
Seeing him frowning and scrutinizing her, Shanhe continued, "Liang Ye, I have been seriously considering our—"
"I will marry you." He said abruptly, then repeated, "I will definitely marry you, Shanshan. I will give you status and position, more than Liang Shao has given me."
"I believe you." Shanhe looked at him, then tilted her head and smiled slightly. "This is the first thing."
"besides?"
“Yes,” Shanhe said, “I don’t want Qingyue to know about us.”
"good."
"I also want to help her get married. I want her husband to have a bright future and to be devoted to her; I want her parents-in-law to be kind and to have a harmonious family."
Liang Ye pondered for a moment: "That's not difficult. Use my calling card to secretly find her suitable men of marriageable age; you don't need to tell her." He paused, "Anything else?"
Shanhe nodded: "From now on, you are only allowed to love me, only allowed to cherish my child. You cannot force me, you cannot distrust me, you cannot have affairs with others, you cannot..."
"I can't not love you." Liang Ye finally smiled. "Shanshan, as long as you are truly with me, I have no reason to force you, and even less reason to distrust you."
"One last item!"
"Go ahead and speak."
"We shouldn't do anything before the baby is born..."
"do what?"
"It's about doing that."
"I've heard that as long as the date is chosen carefully and the pregnancy is going smoothly, it's okay to have sex occasionally."
"You just said you wouldn't force me."
Liang Ye let out a long sigh: "Okay, I promise you."
Shanhe lowered her eyes, rested her head on his lap, and said softly, "That's all."
Liang Ye looked down at Shan He on his lap. Only half of her face was visible, her eyebrows delicate and lips red, followed by her thick, black hair, softly tied up like inky clouds. He reached out his other hand and gently stroked her head. It had been so long, several months. He had finally embraced her again, possessed her again, and touched her again. The resentment that had lingered in his heart for months was finally dissipating at this moment. Liang Ye spoke, "However, I also have a request."
Shanhe stared blankly at the wooden table not far away. She said lazily, "What?"
“When Ah Shao comes back, you must make it clear to him that you are my wife and have nothing to do with him anymore. This child... is ours.”
“I have already written to him to tell him that I am pregnant.”
Liang Ye smiled faintly: "Don't worry, he didn't receive it."
Shanhe froze, gradually understanding his meaning. No wonder Liang Shao's letters were becoming less frequent; it turned out he was the one interfering. Shanhe felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet, instantly spreading to her lungs. Her body, resting on his lap, stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, but quickly relaxed. Shanhe didn't even look up; her muffled voice came from between his knees: "You...you've been blocking our letters?"
Liang Ye's hand, which was stroking her hair, did not stop. His tone was calm: "If it weren't for this, how would you know who protected you in times of danger? Who pulled you out of trouble? Shanshan, A Shao can't protect you. Only I, only I, am your only support."
Shanhe inwardly mocked: "I saved myself, I pulled myself out of the mire." But aloud she said, "From now on, don't block his letters anymore, okay?" She looked up at him with teary eyes, "I want to tell him myself that my heart has changed, that I don't want him anymore. Not let him think I've met with some misfortune, or that you forced me. That way, he might hate me, but he won't hate you, and he won't bother us anymore. Only then can we live a good life, okay?"
Liang Ye pondered for a moment, then casually curled a strand of her hair with his knuckles.
Seeing his hesitation, Shanhe gently shook his arm: "If you can't even give me this much trust, then what about what you said earlier about marrying me, loving me, and trusting me? Are you afraid that if I see him, I'll change my mind and run away with him?"
These words, spoken lightly, struck right at Liang Ye's most arrogant and sensitive spot. How could he be afraid of Ah Shao? And how could he believe that Shan He, after witnessing his methods and deep affection, would still choose Liang Shao, who only professed to love her but couldn't protect her?
So Liang Ye pretended to be relaxed and said, "Of course, I'll listen to you."
After the two finally talked things out, everything was resolved very easily.
Wu Tianqi and Mi Xiaoxiao were both released without charge. Even the imperial envoy from the capital specially invited the top gynecologist from Jinling to treat them. However, a sudden miscarriage takes a heavy toll on a woman's body, and no matter how much Wu Tianqi recuperated, he was never the same as before. After completing her postpartum confinement in Jinling, Mi Xiaoxiao hurriedly took Wu Tianqi back to Mizhou.
Everyone assumed that Shanhe's two hundred taels of bribe had worked wonders, especially since Liang Ye hadn't shown his face to anyone. The people of Jinling only knew that an imperial envoy had arrived, sealed off Lan Gu Bookstore, and arrested the Xu family, but they didn't know the envoy's name or identity.
With everything settled, Qingyue's marriage was also arranged. Zhang, a distant relative of the Prefect of Jinling, lived in Suzhou and had a young son who was studying and about to take the imperial examination. The son was handsome and about the same age as Qingyue, and was currently staying at the Prefect's house to study. Liang Ye secretly took Shanhe to meet him, and Shanhe thought he was suitable, so she asked a matchmaker to propose marriage.
At first, Qingyue refused, saying she didn't want to get married and only wanted to stay with Shanhe. Later, Shanhe led her over for a look, but she stopped saying she "didn't want to get married" and just blushed while clutching her handkerchief.
The wedding date was set hastily, and the marriage would be completed by the end of the month. On the day of the wedding, everyone in Shanhe Courtyard followed the bridal sedan chair to the governor's house. They sat at the bride's family's table, and even Liu Liu had her own small seat and bowl and chopsticks.
Because of his promise to Shanhe, Liang Ye did not show up. That night, the bride and groom entered the bridal chamber, Miao'er played drinking games and had a good time, and Cheng Bao also got drunk and started playing drinking games. Shanhe looked up and saw Liang Ye standing on the balcony, leaning on the railing and looking at her. Their eyes met, and he nodded to her.
Shanhe understood his meaning. She excused herself to change and left the banquet, heading straight for the side hall where he was. Her path was clear; no one stopped her. As soon as she reached the second floor, a powerful force pulled her into his arms. The unique fragrance of Liang Ye's large lotus blossoms wafted towards her. He held Shanhe tightly, the cool scent of wine brushing against her lips. Liang Ye was the only one entertaining in the side hall, with a large eight-immortal table and softly fluttering gauze curtains. He quickly lifted Shanhe, supporting her legs with his arms, and placed her on the eight-immortal table.
They kissed for a while, and when they parted, Liang Ye was only wearing his innermost undergarment, while Shan He's clothes were merely slightly disheveled. Liang Ye looked at the erection beneath him, frowned, and asked her, "Really not okay?"
Shanhe shook his head: "We made a promise, Lord Liang, you can't go back on your word."
Liang Ye chuckled sullenly, took her hand, and pressed it down beneath him.
Not long after Qingyue's marriage, Chengbao also returned to Mizhou. Only Shanhe, Miao'er, and Liuliu remained in the small courtyard. Shanhe saw Liang Ye every three days, always citing going out to have his portrait drawn as the reason. As the case of Lan Gu Bookshop came to an end, Liang Ye prepared to return to the capital, and Shanhe finally told Miao'er the whole story.
"Miao'er, I'm going to Kyoto with him."
Miao'er burst into tears: "I'll stay with you."
Shanhe smiled gently and wiped away her tears: "Don't cry, you're such a grown woman, you mustn't cry." She carefully instructed, "You stay here and run the painting studio well. When I come back in the future, you must welcome me."
"My wife, I can't let you go to that fiery pit alone!"
Shanhe simply smiled faintly at her. Once Miao'er stopped crying, Shanhe whispered a few words in her ear. Miao'er's expression gradually changed from distress to surprise, and finally to disbelief. She hurriedly asked, "Is this alright?"
Shanhe said gently, "He values his reputation most. If I want him to pay the price, I must start with what he cherishes most."
"But that would be too hard on you," Miao'er said, looking at Shanhe with heartache.
Shanhe said firmly, "If he doesn't die, I will suffer for the rest of my life."
"What about Liang Shao?"
Shanhe quickly replied, "He and I have nothing to do with each other anymore."
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