Translator – Xiao He Lian
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This is relatively a small chapter so I won’t break this chapter into two parts.
Chapter 10
The silver moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, the bare sycamore trees in the yard were rustling, the bell above the eaves rang twice, and Shen Zhen’s hand was fixed on the door knocker.
She closed her eyes regretfully and irritably, then turned back as if nothing had happened and said softly: “Do you want anything else , My lord?”
“Come back.” He whispered.
Shen Zhen felt like she was about to cry and felt like a thousand kilograms of weight was beneath her feet, but she still had to walk back.
When Lu Yan saw her coming back, he patted the quilt and said, “Light the lamp and sit down.”
Shen Zhen lit the lamp, then sat down.
Lu Yan leaned forward and looked at her. His eyes were colder than the winter wind, as if he could see through her thoughts at a glance, “Go and prepare some water, I want to take a bath.”
Shen Zhen responded, and then she ran away. Looking back at his look just now, she felt like he didn’t tell her to prepare water, but he was clearly asking her – “Did I let you go?”
When Lu Yan came back from the cleaning room, Shen Zhen was still in the room, and she was much more docile than when he first entered the room. This is a typical example of poor training, Lu Yan thought.
Lu Yan lay down on his own.
In the Jin Dynasty, men and women slept together. Regardless of whether they were wives or concubines, the men sleep on the inside and the women sleep towards the outside. Therefore, as soon as Lu Yan got into bed, he lay down in Shen Zhen’s original position.
Seeing that he was really going to sleep this time, Shen Zhen whispered: “My Lord, can I please turn off the lights?”
Lu Yan hummed.
The room was plunged into darkness again.
Lu Yan glanced sideways at Shen Zhen, who was neatly dressed and sitting with her back straight, and couldn’t help but sarcastically said: “Did you sleep in your jacket when you were in the Marquis Mansion?”
Shen Zhen clenched her hands and said, “My Lord, I’m a little afraid of the cold.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Yan sneered.
Although he has not been here for the past two days, he has not even reduced any charcoal for her. He is not cold even in his middle coat, but she is cold.
Lu Yan didn’t have a strong preference and he didn’t bother to expose her, but when he still didn’t see her lying down, he felt unhappy again.
In his eyes, it was his business whether he wanted her or not, but it was really not her turn to guard against him, so he asked again, “Are you going to sit like this all night?” His voice was heavy, as if it contained a hint of warning.
Upon hearing these words, Shen Zhen felt like he was venting his anger.
Not daring to cry, she bit my lip and got into the quilt obediently.
The girl who had been in the Yunyang Marquis Mansion for sixteen years had a man lying next to her. The sleepiness she felt just now had long since disappeared without a trace.
Her whole body was stiff and she didn’t dare to let out a breath, for fear that if she moved, she would touch his body.
She didn’t want to hear him talk anymore.
Every word was like a knife, but she could not resist.
Let alone herself, even Shen Hong is in his hands.
When the breathing of the person beside her gradually became even, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Zhen tried to close her eyes, but she was not used to sleeping outside in the cold. As time passed by, she turned over almost every quarter of an hour.
Lu Yan was awakened by her and couldn’t help but frown slightly. Even if he was a heavy sleeper, he would still be woken up by her tossing and turning.
He stretched out his arm, placed it on top of her, and said hoarsely: “Don’t you toss and turn.”
To Shen Zhen, his actions were like a fisherman killing a fish. He raised his knife and struck her to death.
She remained in this position for the rest of the night, never moving again.
***
The sky turned white, and the soft morning light filtered in through the window. The warmth passed by, and Lu Yan slowly opened his eyes.
Not to mention, he didn’t have any strange dreams last night, and it was the most comfortable sleep he had in recent times.
On the other hand, Shen Zhen had a splitting headache, her legs were numb, and she sat up slowly with dark circles under her eyes.
The two of them stayed on the bed silently.
Lu Yan was thirsty, he picked up the kettle only to find that there was not a drop of water inside. There wasn’t even a warm handkerchief in the room, let alone breakfast.
He glanced at Shen Zhen, who was drowsy beside him.
Inexplicably frustrated.
He finally understood that he didn’t find himself a mistress, he clearly found himself a more prestigious master than himself.
He had to be on duty in a while, so he really didn’t have time to vent his anger. He got up and dressed, opened the door and called the two maids in the yard. One is named Mo Yue and the other is named Tang Yue.
These two were maids bought with the help of the housekeeper of the Zhenguo Mansion. Naturally, they knew Lu Yan’s identity. When they saw Lu Yan, they both called out, “Heir Apparent.”
Tang Yue took the lead and said: “This slave girl didn’t know that Master had woken up, so I’ll go prepare water.”
Mo Yue added: “The aunt in the kitchen is on leave today. This slave is not very good at cooking and can only make porridge and side dishes, which may not be to the Master’s liking.”
Lu Yan nodded and straightened his sleeves, “It doesn’t matter.”
“Is master dining in Lanyue Pavilion?” Mo Yue said.
Lu Yan said: “I’ll eat in the west courtyard.”
After washing up, breakfast was served.
On the table was clear porridge, pickled winter mustard, three fried fruits with soy sauce, a plate of steamed rolls, and a bowl of winter melon soup.
Shen Zhen finally learned to be smart this time. When she saw him sitting down to eat, she quickly followed him. She was still good at serving food. After all, when her grandmother was still alive, she often served her.
She picked up the wooden chopsticks, picked up a piece of walnut kernel, and put it in his bowl. After seeing him eating, she picked up another piece of almond, and then filled another bowl of soup and set it aside.
She originally thought she wouldn’t have to listen to him finding trouble this time, but she hadn’t slept or eaten all night and she was so hungry that her stomach actually growled twice at this moment.
He was sitting, she was standing, and depending on the difference in height, the growling rang in his ears.
He must have heard it.
As expected, Lu Yan stopped eating and looked up at her.
When their eyes met, Shen Zhen’s entire face turned completely red as if it had been colored, and her eyes darted around.
Her self-esteem as a lady had been severely damaged by him in the past two days. Seeing that he was about to speak again, she raised her hands and blocked her ears without thinking.
She really didn’t want to hear any more.
Lu Yan was dumbfounded by her sudden reaction.
This time, Lu Yan didn’t do what she thought he would do.
He just patted her back for fear and softly said, if you are hungry, sit down and eat together.
Shen Zhen sat down without wronging herself. She picked up the wooden chopsticks and picked up a piece of winter mustard with her remaining demureness. When she put it into her mouth, there was no sound at all.
But after taking a bite, her brows wrinkled.
This dish doesn’t even have any taste. Compared with the craftsmanship of momo and Qingxi, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.
She calmed down and took another bite of the steamed roll, and her face fell completely.
Even the steamed rolls are hard.
She frowned, forced herself to take two bites, and then put down the wooden chopsticks.
None of her actions were spared, and they all caught Lu Yan’s eyes.
He raised his eyes and said slowly: “Are you usually this picky about food?”
Hearing him speak, Shen Zhen felt like she was struck by lightning. She didn’t dare to tell the truth, so she could only quibble, “My Lord, I just… don’t have an appetite.”
Lu Yan glanced at her with a half-smile and stood up immediately.
In fact, he has been a picky eater since he was a child, and he can’t even stand the smell of any meat or fish. The chef of the Zhenguo Duke Mansionchanged his food every once or twice. However, when did he start to be able to eat both meat and vegetables?
He thought it was probably the year he took office as the magistrate of Yangshan County.
The imperial court appointed officials who were not a child’s play. When it came to handling cases, they would have to run around the entire day.
No matter how picky you are, you will eventually lose to hunger.
It was rare for him to understand her.
After sixteen years of being pampered, with clothes on his hands, food on his lips, and countless maids surrounding him, it would not happen overnight if he wanted to change.
He wiped his hands with a handkerchief, walked to her, patted her head, and said gently yet harshly: “Even if you don’t like eating it, eat it while it’s hot. Don’t wait until you feel dizzy before forcing yourself to eat cold food.”
When these words struck Shen Zhen’s ears, they sounded like a double entendre. At first glance, it sounded like he was just exposing her picky habit, but upon closer inspection, it turned out that he was talking about her as a person.
This cold rice and cold dish, just like her situation, the delicious food has long since ceased to exist.
Even if you avoid and don’t eat, how long can you hold on?
Sooner or later you have to bow your head, right?
Shen Zhen looked up at him, and she didn’t know how much she had figured it out. She reached out and grabbed the corner of his clothes, and said softly: “My Lord is teaching me to be more sensible, aren’t you?”
It is true that Lu Yan didn’t think much about it when he said this. He just couldn’t see her being so hungry and refusing to eat.
But after she interpreted it this way, he felt that it was also what he was thinking, so he nodded and said: “It’s best if you can figure it out.”
