Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 59
Lu Yan’s heart tightened and he woke up completely. He grabbed Shen Zhen’s wrist and said, “Shen Zhen, listen to my explanation. It’s not what you think.”
There was silence all around, as if time had stopped.
Shen Zhen’s eyes were red and she didn’t know where she got the strength from, but she pushed his hand away.
Not what she thought?
Lu Yan frowned, his expression slightly gloomy and his eyes, which were usually as deep as the ocean, finally revealed layer after layer of panic.
The two of them were in a stalemate. After an unknown amount of time, Shen Zhen slowly raised her eyes and said, “My Lord, don’t you have to go on duty tomorrow? Go to bed early.”
The cold moonlight poured in. As if it had returned to winter, there seemed to be a cold wind howling all around her, making her feel cold and painful.
Although she was sad, there was one good thing about it, which was that she suddenly became much more sober.
Lu Yan’s adams apple rolled and he stood up and lit the lamp. The flickering candlelight flickered in front of them. He pinched his temples with his hands and took a deep breath.
When his hand moved away, his expression returned to calm.
“This is a misunderstanding.”
“Two days ago, the Empress Dowager had an accident in the palace and is still unconscious. Xu Seventh Young Lady was there at the time.” Lu Yan held her hand again. “The reason why I muttered her name in my sleep was because I suspected that she was related to this matter. It’s not what you think.”
The man’s gaze scorched, without half a hint of evasion.
This was the only plausible reason that Lu Yan had thought of after much thought.
After all, the Empress Dowager was indeed in a coma, and Xu Seventh Young Lady’s recent appearance in the palace was indeed suspicious…
Shen Zhen stared at his brows and eyes, carefully looking at the man in front of her.
She knew that without the identity of the third young lady of Yunyang Marquis’s Mansion, she and him would never be equal. Just like now, what he said was what it was. If he said the Empress Dowager was ill, then she was ill.
If he says that the sky outside had fallen, then the sky outside had fallen.
She couldn’t question him.
Shen Zhen had seen how he handled cases in Yangzhou. He used the identity of a merchant’s son and spoke authentic Jingzhou dialect to mediate among the officials in Yangzhou.
She has also witnessed his false affection for Fuman, all of which was fake but looked so real.
If he wanted to deceive her, then it is really easy.
True and false, false and true, there was no point in her dwelling on it.
Shen Zhen’s eyelashes trembled. After a while, she raised her head and shook his hand again, “I know. I was overthinking.”
Her tone was calm and there was no sign of anger at all.
Lu Yan looked back into her eyes and only hated that he couldn’t get into her heart and find out what she was thinking.
Their eyes met, Lu Yan tidied her hair and said softly, “Then don’t cry, en?”
“Uh-huh.” She nodded.
Lu Yan turned off the lights again, held her in his arms, and kissed her forehead gently, but the hand that was locked around her waist was a little tighter than usual…
——
The next day, in Jingzhao Prefecture.
Lu Yan stared at the case file in his hand in a daze, and he paused while writing the petition. Naturally, everyone around him noticed his obvious absent-mindedness.
Sun Xu stretched his neck to peek at the case file in Lu Yan’s hand. After seeing it clearly, he couldn’t help but frown. How could such a clear and straightforward theft case make Lord Lu absent-minded for a whole morning…
Sun Xu’s gaze slowly moved upwards, and he actually discovered that there were bruises under his eyes.
Sun Xu asked, “Did Lord Lu not get enough rest yesterday?”
Lu Yan was still in a daze and all he could think of was Shen Zhen’s appearance this morning.
Eating, changing clothes, and the tone of her voice were all the same as usual, but something was wrong.
Lu Yan took a deep breath.
This time, he felt that he was really wronged. Not only did he have the dream one after another, but he even had the problem of talking in his sleep.
Thinking of this, Lu Yan threw down the brush in his hand in annoyance.
At this moment, Sun Xu asked, “Lord Lu?”
The voice finally reached his ears, and Lu Yan turned his head to look at him, “What’s wrong?”
Sun Xu smiled and joked, “Lord Lu looks a bit like he is being troubled by love today.”
The corners of Lu Yan’s mouth slowly relaxed and he fell into silence.
Many times, Lu Yan wanted to plug his mouth.
“Could it be…” Sun Xu raised his eyebrows, “Miss Yunzhi is angry with you?”
Lu Yan’s adams apple moved slightly, but he said nothing, chewing on the word “angry” over and over again.
Sun Xu could no longer conceal the mockery in his eyes. He didn’t believe that Lu Yan would not be seduced by the wind and moon.
We are all mortal beings, why is he the exception?
He hadn’t asked about Lu Yan yet, when he heard fellow Officer Lu sighing.
Yep….another sigh with a story behind it.
“Lord Lu just got married, what happened?”
Officer Lu is over thirty years old and has just married to a beautiful wife. A few days ago, Lu Yan and Sun Xu went to Officer Lu’s house to attend the wedding banquet.
Officer Lu sighed again, “My wife has gone back to her parents’ home. When I get off duty, I have to go to my father-in-law’s house to pick her up.”
“That serious?” Sun Xu said.
Lu Yan listened to their conversation and suddenly felt that the scene before him was inexplicably familiar.
He knocked on the tea tray with his right with the frequency gradually increasing, and a hint of unease and impatience appeared in his eyes.
Speaking of his own wife, Officer Lu, a burly man, frowned making his forehead wrinkle into a “川” character 1(chuan).
“There are only three of us here, how about Officer Lu tell us about it?”
Officer Lu was upset, but he had no one to talk to. When Sun Xu spoke, he said, “I have a maid who has been serving me since she was a child. She has been with me for many years. This morning I called her by her nickname and my wife heard it.”
Sun Xu understood and advised: “Your wife is still young and you are already over 30, so you should coax her a little bit.”
Officer Lu nodded and said, “I know that, but this matter…”
Sun Xu patted his shoulder and said, “You’re not bad. At least you didn’t call her by her nickname in your dream.”2(LOL)
Officer Lu frowned and said, “Lord Sun! That would be a bit too traumatizing! I don’t even dare to think about it!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yan’s face darkened.
He has always not believed in heresy and felt that Jingzhao Prefecture was not a good match for him.
Lu Yan suddenly stood up.
“Lord Sun.” Lu Yan weighed the file in his hand and said, “I have to go to the Ministry of Justice for something. You guys continue.”
Sun Xu blinked.
——
In the evening, Lu Yan came back from the Ministry of Justice and went straight to work.
He didn’t return to Duke Zhenguo’s Mansion.
Before entering the gate of Chengyuan, Lu Yan paused and turned back to Yang Zong and said, “By the way, how is the house search going?”
“There is a house with three entrances and three exits in Baoning Lane, which looks suitable. In addition… There is also a house in Yong’an Lane, but it is a little smaller than what master requested. There is another one on the other side of Qujiang.”
Lu Yan paused, thinking that Shen Hong would also return to the capital in a few months, so he said, “Then go with the house in Baoning Lane.”
“Yes” Yang Zong said.
——
The days were getting longer and after dinner it was still bright outside.
Putting down the chopsticks, Lu Yan coughed lightly and asked her, “Do you know how to play chess?”
Shen Zhen nodded, “I know a little.”
“Then play a game with me?” Lu Yan asked.
Shen Zhen looked embarrassed and said to him, “My Lord… I was painting the Night Banquet Picture today, but I haven’t finished it yet.”
“Night Banquet Picture?” Lu Yan coughed again, “Can you show it to me?”
Shen Zhen nodded, “It is in the study.”
The two of them entered the study together and Shen Zhen showed him the painting.
It just so happened that only half of it was drawn.
“Then continue painting.” Lu Yan said.
Shen Zhen had no distractions and was painting seriously. Lu Yan sat not far away, holding a book in his hand and glancing at her from time to time.
As the sun was setting, Lu Yan stood up and lit the lamp, then walked over to her side. Just as he was about to place two more candlesticks next to her, he noticed that her face looked a little pale. She was covering her lower abdomen with her left hand.
Lu Yan whispered, “Has your period come early?”
Shen Zhen nodded and said “hmm”.
“Why are you still standing here?” Lu Yan pulled her up and carried her back to the inner room.
Shen Zhen clearly didn’t eat anything cold this month, but for some reason, the pain was more severe than last month, and beads of sweat were appearing on her face.
Lu Yan was not familiar with this kind of conditions, so before the curfew, he said to Yang Zong: “Go to the apothecary and pick up Miss Bai.”
The apothecary was not far from Chengyuan. After about half an hour, Fuman walked in quickly.
Fuman said, “Greetings, My Lord.”
Lu Yan left from Shen Zhen’s side and said in a deep voice, “Take her pulse.”
Fuman nodded and placed her hand on Shen Zhen’s wrist. After a moment, she touched her belly and asked, “Miss Shen, does it hurt so much every time?”
Shen Zhen shook his head. “It’s just that it is particularly painful today. Is it because it came early?”
Fuman thought carefully and asked, “How many days in advance?”
“Ten days.”
Fuman said softly, “Although Miss Shen has some coldness in her body, it is not serious. The sudden pain may be caused by overwork or depression.”
Caused by depression.
When it fell into Lu Yan’s ears, it meant that she was angry that her period came ahead of schedule ……
Fuman couldn’t understand Lu Yan’s expression, and continued to say to Shen Zhen: “Don’t worry, Miss Shen, you will be fine after taking medicine for half a month.” After that, Fuman wrote a prescription and gave it to Lu Yan.
“Thank you.” Lu Yan said.
“It’s just a small favor. I really don’t deserve it.” Fuman said.
After Fuman left, Lu Yan put a cushion behind Shen Zhen, looked at her little face and suddenly curled the corners of his mouth in resignation.
He scooped the medicine with a spoon, blew on it, and put it to her lips.
Shen Zhen stretched out her hand, “My Lord, I can do it myself.”
Lu Yan pressed the edge of the bowl with his thumb and handed it to her, “Then drink slowly.”
After all the trouble, it was already midnight
After turning off the lights, Lu Yan lay on the bed, looked at her hunched back, and sighed softly.
He thought that after explaining what happened yesterday, she would feel better. But it was in vain and the only person he had ever loved didn’t believe him at all.
He curled the ends of her hair with his index finger.
They say people with soft hair have soft hearts. Why are you so obtuse?
In his dream, he only lived for twenty-seven years. Whether it was the “Yao” poison or the arrow wound in his chest, if nothing unexpected happened, they would all reappear one by one in the seventeenth year of Qingyuan, which is this year.
Whether it can be avoided is still unknown.
He lay down close to her, holding her waist, his adams apple moving back and forth several times. Before he spoke, his scalp went numb and his vision went white, as if he was seriously ill.
“Zhen zhen.”
The man kissed her neck and said in a hoarse voice: “Don’t you know who I have in my heart?”
As soon as these words came out, Lu Yan, who hadn’t blushed in nearly twenty years, not only blushed, but also got goosebumps.
In order to coax the little girl, he really gave it his all today.
But people are like this. Everything is difficult at the beginning, but as long as one takes the first step, the rest will become much easier.
Shen Zhen jumped in shock.
She never thought that he would actually say such a thing.
The man’s tall nose embedded into her neck as he said in a deep voice, “I thought that I had made it obvious enough.”
