Translator – Xiao He Lian
This is a translation hosted on KnoxT, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized. Please support the translator by reading it at KnoxT.
Chapter 45
The next day. Lu Yan took a rest and went to Jia’an Hall to pay his respects to the old lady Lu early in the morning.
The descendants of the third branch of the Zhenguo Duke Mansion were gathered together and the old lady was teasing her great-grandson in her hand, but ignored Lu Yan.
Everyone knew that the old lady was blaming Lu Yan for not returning home for a long time.
At this juncture, Lu Heng was adding fuel to the fire, “Not seeing each other for a day is like three autumns apart. It feels like I haven’t seen my third brother for many years.”
The corner of Lu Jin’s mouth twitched and she felt that Lu Heng was really seeking death by trying to pull the tiger’s whiskers.
Lu Yan pursed his thin lips slightly and gave Lu Heng a knife life gaze, which was tantamount to saying: Just you wait.
Lu Heng, who was stabbed silently, quickly moved his eyes to the tea cup, picked it up and took a sip.
After a while, Yang Zong brought in two boxes, which contained gifts that Lu Yan had brought back from Yangzhou and distributed to each branch. Upon seeing it, Lu Heng’s eyes couldn’t help but brighten.
What Lu Yan gave to his eldest brother Lu Ye and second brother Lu Ting were Master Chu Xun’s paintings, while what he gave to Lu Jin was a fine guqin, which came to Lu Heng there was none.
“Grandma, this is the forehead band1(“Mofa”, also known as forehead band, headband, hair band, eyebrow tie, and brain bag, is a popular Chinese clothing in the Ming Dynasty. With the evolution of history, women gradually began to wear hair dryers, and a variety of colorful styles and materials emerged.)
that I bought for you,” Lu Yan said.
“Third brother, where’s mine?” Lu Heng interjected.
Lu Yan curled his lips and smiled, “Your time passes differently than others. You should wait for another three autumns.” Lu Jin covered her mouth at the side.
Lu Heng was scolded by him and hurriedly walked over and hugged the old lady’s arm, “Grandma, please help me, eh? I really can’t talk to my third brother, grandma, eh?”
The old lady was really amused by Lu Heng’s mischievous behavior and pushed Lu Yan and said, “You know she is like this, so stop bullying her.”
Lu Yan went along with her words and gave Lu Heng a guqin.
——
The eldest princess had been staring at Lu Yan fiercely these days. Although he didn’t have to go to the polo match, there were inexplicably a few more guests at the Duke’s mansion who came to enjoy the flowers.
Without exception, they were all girls who were turning sixteen this year.
In the evening, Lu Yan and the eldest princess had dinner together.
After several sunny days in a row, the awaited cloudy days were finally at the door.
There was a layer of haze outside the window and dark clouds rolled in, stacking heavily in the air.
After a while, a strong wind suddenly rose and with a loud bang, a window was pushed open. The new grass in the yard rustled, followed by a loud roar.
The wooden chopsticks in Lu Yan’s hand froze.
He recalled Shen Zhen sitting pitifully on the corner of the bed on a rainy day a few days ago.
At first, he thought she was just a little girl who was afraid of thunder, so he ignored her. It wasn’t until she cried out at night that he realized it wasn’t the case. Yunyang Marquis, her mother, passed away on such a rainy night.
The thunderstorms in March and the rainy days in October were not good memories for her.
Lu Yan put down his wooden chopsticks and looked out the window thoughtfully.
The eldest princess put down the spoon and raised her eyes, “Why, are you going out again?”
Lu Yan said without changing his expression: “Suddenly, I have official business today.”
The eldest princess snorted coldly, “Aren’t you on leave today? Where did the official business come from?”
Lu Yan took a long breath and said helplessly: “Someone just came to report that there was a tragedy in Anshan lane of the south of the city. A family of six was killed. The heads of the old man and the child were cut off. I need to go with the coroner to do an autopsy later. The autopsy cannot be delayed.”
Yang Zong’s face was full of doubts.
Look, this is a Magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture, a fourth-rank official in the court.
The case happened a few days ago, and the bodies were already examined as well. He just blurred the timeline and threw his original motive into the deep sea, where no one could see.
The eldest princess frowned and said, “Who doesn’t even spare the elderly and children?”
Lu Yan said calmly: “We don’t know yet.”
This is a translation hosted on KnoxT, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized. Please support the translator by reading it at KnoxT.
The more indifferent he looked, the more anxious the eldest princess became, “Okay, then I won’t keep you anymore. If you have anything to do, go quickly. It’s better to catch such a vicious person as soon as possible.”
Lu Yan put his fist to his lips and coughed lightly, “If I get busy tonight and encounter the curfew, I would have to stay out overnight.”
When she heard that he was staying out, the eldest princess was indeed a little reluctant, but he had important things to do, so she couldn’t interfere. She only told him softly: “Your injury hasn’t healed yet, so remember to pay more attention to it.”
Lu Yan solemnly said: “Don’t worry, mother, I will stay in the private residence tonight.”
“Which residence?” The eldest princess was a little moved thinking that her son was not beyond hopeless.
Lu Yan twirled the ring in his fingers and said, “Chengyuan.”
The eldest princess nodded happily, but Yang Zong on the side froze in place as if struck by lightning.
My master’s life is really winding and rugged, several times more difficult than the sliding block game2(Huarongdao (English: Klotski , from Polish klocki , meaning wooden block ) is a sliding block game , which is composed of 10 square pieces placed on a square plate. The goal is to only slide the squares without moving from the board . With the center removed, move the largest piece to the bottom outlet.)…
——
In the evening, Lu Yan left the Duke’s Mansion openly and got on the carriage.
When he walked into Chengyuan, Shen Zhen happened to have finished taking a shower.
Her skin was like jade, her nose was reddish and her voice was filled with innate squeamishness, “Why are you here, My Lord?”
He sat on the edge of the couch, stretched out his hand and patted the other side of the couch, “Come here.”
Shen Zhen sat down obediently but said nothing, only lowering her head to wipe her hair.
Lu Yan pinched her chin slightly, as if he was dissatisfied with Shen Zhen’s lack of enthusiasm.
The little girl’s hair was not dry yet, and the water droplets from the ends of her hair dripped onto her cheeks drop by drop.
He held her waist, took the towel from her hand, and dried her hair.
If Lu Heng saw Lu Yan like this, Lu Heng would definitely pluck out her eyeballs, wipe them and then push them back.
“My Lord, I’ll do it myself.” Shen Zhen turned her back to him and frowned, hesitating again and again and finally snatched the towel back from his hand.
It hurt so much when he twisted her hair, but she didn’t dare to say…
Suddenly, a heavy thunderstorm struck outside and her body trembled with fear as she threw herself into his arms.
Lu Yan couldn’t help but laugh. Her throwing herself into his arms was the most fatal.
He endured it, but in the end he couldn’t.
After a few moments, he lowered his head to nibble on her white neck. The man’s hot breath spread all over her. His hand slowly moved up and finally, he grasped her vital part and his slender fingers skillfully twisting and gently pulling it slowly.
Shen Zhen’s heart skipped a beat and she quickly controlled her breathing.
The man kissed her ear slightly and said, “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”
It has to be said that Lu Yan prefers all her sensitive areas, such as her earlobes and neck. When he saw that she didn’t respond, he mischievously imprinted a crisp red mark on her snow-white neck.
“I didn’t mean to.” The look in Shen Zhen’s eyes looked innocent and pitiful.
However, Lu Yan had never been very sympathetic, not to mention that the body of the girl in his arms was far more honest than her eyes.
For example, every time she begs for mercy, in fact, it will be mixed with a hint of joy. She refuse to admit it, but he could hear it.
He turned her over, propped up his arms, and looked down at her.
When their eyes met, Shen Zhen never imagined that such a pair of cold and aloof eyes,once aroused by desire, would also change their appearance.
A little more ferocious, a little more forbearing, a little more tender.
Thunder sounded outside again, heavy rain poured down and the two were in their own heaven.
——
The next morning, the two of them opened their eyes almost at the same time.
The tip of Shen Zhen’s nose itched and she sneezed, then she sneezed again…
“Are you cold?” Lu Yan reached out and pulled the quilt aside, covered her shoulders, and touched her forehead, “I’ll ask Tangyue to make you a bowl of ginger soup later. It’s been cold lately. Don’t remove the charcoal basin from the room.”
“My Lord.” Shen Zhen called him.
“Um?”
Shen Zhen took one of his fingers and put it on her right eyelid, “My Lord, my right eyelid is twitching a bit3(Apparently when your right eye twitches it means something bad is going to happen).”
Lu Yan raised his eyebrows, not understanding what she meant.
Immediately, she put his palm on her chest again, “My heart is also very anxious.”
Lu Yan resisted the urge to laugh at her and teased her, “Don’t tell me you are going to have bad luck.”
Shen Zhen hurriedly covered his mouth with her hand, “You can’t say this casually.”
The man’s eyes were full of smiles and just as he was about to kiss her, he heard a rapid knock on the door.
The two looked at each other and frowned. Tang Yue and Mo Yue had always followed the rules, and if something hadn’t happened, they wouldn’t have knocked on the door like this.
“What’s going on?” Lu Yan asked.
“Master, something happened. Someone outside is trying to break in.” Tang Yue said anxiously.
“Who is it?” Lu Yan sat up and turned to hold her little hand, comforting her, “It’s okay.”
If someone dares to break into a private house owned by the Zhenguo Duke, they may risk their life.
At this moment, he is Lord Lu, who was not at all flustered,
Tang Yue said: “She said she is the wife of Li Di, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry and the sister of Miss Shen.”
The moment the words fell, the hair on Shen Zhen’s forehead stood up visibly.
One strand, another and another..
