Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 84
“My Lord.” She called again.
Lu Yan didn’t feel like an outsider at all. He patted the bed and said, “Sit down.”
When she looked him in the eye, Shen Zhen discovered that there was a dark spot under his eyes. His usually arrogant and cold eyes now look tired and he has lost a lot of weight.
Even his voice is hoarse.
Shen Zhen knew that he was busy, but she didn’t realize he was that busy.
Shen Zhen reached out her hand and ran her thumb across his eyes, “My Lord, how many days have you not slept?”
Lu Yan pulled her little hand, pinched her fingertips and asked with a smile: “Where did you go?”
“I went to Baixiang Pavilion early in the morning.” Shen Zhen looked at him and swallowed the words she was about to say.
“And then?”
“And then I went to the Yusheng building in the West Market and bought some red bean cakes.”
A smile suddenly appeared on Lu Yan’s lips.
Look, it has only been a short time and she has learned to avoid the important and talk about the trivial. It’s not like she lied to him, she just left out some information.
Lu Yan leaned back, stared at her eyes and asked: “Is the red bean cake delicious?”
Shen Zhen nodded and asked, “Why are you here at this time, My Lord?”
Lu Yan didn’t know whether he was too tired physically or mentally. In an instant, he even gave up the thought of testing her.
He turned the ring on his hand, his eyes darkened and his voice was hoarse: “I just came to see you.”
For a moment, Shen Zhen couldn’t tell what was strange, but she felt that this person’s tone today was colder than before.
“Take care of yourself. I’m leaving first.” Lu Yan stood up.
Shen Zhen grabbed his hand and whispered, “Why are you leaving so soon?”
Lu Yan turned around and looked at her.
Shen Zhen looked at the stubble on his chin and couldn’t help but redden her eyes, “Can you stay a little longer?”
“Why did you miss me?” Lu Yan’s thin lips moved slightly but there was no smile in his eyes.
Shen Zhen nodded and held his hand tightly.
“Shen Zhen, I’m very busy. Even if I don’t eat or drink, there are still a lot of things waiting for me to do! I have been waiting for you here for nearly two hours…”
Before Lu Yan could finish his words, Shen Zhen stood up and hugged his narrow waist.
She bit her lip and stood on tiptoe to kiss him, but the man did not lower his head to cooperate, so she only kissed his Adam’s apple.
The man’s Adam’s apple slid up and down, he looked down at her and took a deep breath.
His heart sank again and again and it seemed like an eternity had passed before he pried open the little girl’s arms that were wrapped around him, “Let go.”
However, just as he took a step forward, his vision suddenly turned white and his whole body swayed forward.
Shen Zhen realized something was wrong and quickly supported him, calling him “My Lord”.
A breeze blew in through the window, the flowers and trees outside rustled, and the insects chirped faintly. In less than an hour, Lu Yan opened his eyes.
He reacted for a moment and realized that he was lying on her bed. He then looked around and saw Shen Zhen walking in with porridge. “Why did you wake up so quickly?” She asked.
“Help me up.”
Shen Zhen reached out to support him, put a cushion behind him, then picked up the porridge, scooped it twice with a spoon, blew it, and put it to his mouth.
Lu Yan took it, finished it in no time, and placed the bowl on the lacquered plate.
“Shall I get you another bowl?”
“No need.”
“You stay here tonight and don’t go anywhere. I will take care of you.” Shen Zhen pressed him to the bed without saying anything.
Lu Yan said nothing, letting Shen Zhen wipe his face with a towel. He then saw Shen Zhen take out a razor from the wooden box.
Lu Yan grabbed her wrist and asked, “What are you doing?”
“My Lord never liked growing a beard, so I am naturally prepared to help you trim your beard.”
“Where did you get the razor?”
“I asked for it from Guard Yang.”
Lu Yan frowned and looked at her and asked, “Can you?”
“I can thread a needle, so why can’t I trim my beards?”
Lu Yan let her hand go.
Seeing that he closed his eyes, Shen Zhen moved closer.
Her hands were particularly light and her fingertips were as soft as cotton wool. Although she was unskilled, she was careful. After shaving, she kissed his chin and said slowly, “I didn’t know you would suddenly come here today.”
Lu Yan opened his eyes and said coldly, “It turns out that it was my fault.”
“That’s not what I meant. There was something that happened today.” Shen Zhen clenched her fists and finally spoke, “When I was buying red bean cakes at Yusheng Building, I met the eldest son of the Xu family.”
When mentioning the eldest son of the Xu family, Lu Yan frowned slightly.
He suddenly remembered the testimony he had obtained when he interrogated Shen Lan. Young Master Xu, Prince Teng and Earl of Suning once had dirty thoughts about her.
“My Lord, the eldest son of the Xu family…” What she wanted to say was a little difficult to say to Lu Yan, so she couldn’t help but lower her voice, “The way he looked at me was very strange…”
When she said it like this, how could Lu Yan not understand.
“Did he touch you?”
Shen Zhen’s cheeks flushed and she shook her head gently, “I took Miao Li and Miao Qi with me wherever I went, so it didn’t happen.” Miao Li and Miao Qi were given to Shen Zhen by the Crown Prince. Although these two women are not masters of martial arts, they are more than capable of protecting Shen Zhen.
“What happened?”
Shen Zhen whispered into his ear about what happened.
The eldest son of the Xu family took out the invitation in public and “invited” Shen Zhen to visit the Xu Mansion on the grounds that the old lady of the Xu family had been missing Shen Zhen for a long time.
Shen Zhen found a reason to reject the invitation and Young Master Xu came up with another excuse and both his words and his intentions were to force Shen Zhen.
After all, Miao Li and Miao Qi were from the Eastern Palace. Seeing that Shen Zhen was unwilling, they even drew the scimitars at their waists. When the two sides were arguing, Marquis Changping took Shen Zhen away.
And he took her away to show her his cats.
Lu Yan’s face turned darker.
Shen Zhen looked at him nervously and tugged at his sleeve.
Lu Yan didn’t say anything. After a while, he looked up at Shen Zhen and said, “Send away the people in the bathroom. I want to take a bath.”
Shen Zhen nodded and did as he was told. After putting the water in, she came back to call him, only to find him sitting on the couch, leaning sideways with his eyes closed again.
No matter how she looked at it, it was pitiful.
Shen Zhen originally wanted to help him lie down, but he woke up as soon as she touched him.
Lu Yan asked, “Is the water ready?”
Shen Zhen nodded.
For someone like Lu Yan who has a severe mysophobia, bathing is obviously more important than sleeping and eating.
Half an hour later, Lu Yan returned to the room and Shen Zhen gave him a quilt.
After the candle was extinguished, there was silence again. After a while, Lu Yan heard a rustling sound, which was the sound of her turning over.
This was the first time they lay together since she left Chengyuan.
The bed was not wide and with a few casual movements he would touch either her waist or her buttocks.
When their skin touched, the man’s evil roots instantly became hot, his fatigue was instantly relieved and he became more excited.
His voice was even drier than before.
He turned over and pressed her under him, pinched her chin, covered her lips, and pecked her lightly, which soon turned into rubbing her ears.
The man’s breathing gradually became heavier and his hands became stronger, squeezing Shen Zhen so hard that she could not help but beg for mercy and called “My Lord” over and over again.
He bit her ear and said in a hoarse voice, “Are you my subordinate? Why do you keep calling me My Lord?”
Shen Zhen bit his lip and said, “Master, Heir Apparent.”
“Doesn’t that too sound very distant?” Lu Yan’s tone was unfriendly, his unhappiness filling every word.
Lu Yan pressed her knees to her shoulders and whispered, “Your personality is as soft as your body. You can call anyone brother?”
There was a rumbling sound in Shen Zhen’s head, her beautiful eyes widened and she suddenly realized….
Unfortunately, it was too late.
In the dim morning light, before the sky brightened, Lu Yan stood up and Shen Zhen leaned her head on his shoulder.
Lu Yan got down to the ground, took out a small jar from her dressing table, picked up some medicine, and put it on his middle finger.
When he crossed the door, he recalled her whispers yesterday. Among the many names she addressed him, he liked her calling him by his nickname, or “Sanlang(Darling third)” the most.
Just then Shen Zhen woke up.
“Are you leaving?”
He hummed softly.
——
When Lu Yan arrived at the yamen, the Jingzhao Prefecture was dead silent. Sun Xu stood by the desk for a long time without saying a word.
“Did those people who entered Chang’an yesterday have anything unusual?”
After a moment, Sun Xu nodded, turned around and whispered: “Everyone has the disease.”
“Who did they contact first after they settled down?”
“A broker.” After saying that, Sun Xu handed over a list of names of maids that officials in the capital were planning to buy, most of whom were from the Crown Prince’s faction.
As soon as he finished speaking, the office remained silent.
Lu Yan looked at Lieutenant Lu and several other officers suspiciously.
He had some understanding of his colleagues in Jingzhao Prefecture. After hearing about such things, they would have scolded him loudly, if not overturned the table.
But it was so quiet right now which means there must be something wrong.
Lu Yan asked solemnly, “Who does the broker belong to?”
Sun Xu turned around and said, “Minister Sun’s Mansion, the old housekeeper’s wife.”
