Shen Yuan once heard people mention that the Qi Dynasty was now ruled by powerful ministers. In the past, the noble sons in the capital would treat Lu Zhiyun as if he were the emperor. Not only would they kneel down and kowtow to him nine times, they would also stand up and bow immediately.
The young emperor respected his uncle the most and tacitly agreed to this.
This matter was considered an act of usurpation, so Lu Zhiyun asked his subordinates to prohibit such behavior.
In fact, everyone was more nervous when they met Prime Minister Lu Zhiyun than when they met the emperor. They were all very cautious, fearing that something might go wrong.
The seats for the female members of the family were arranged in a lotus hall facing the water. The hall had a wide view and the extended corner eaves could also provide shade.
Half an incense stick of time ago, Shen Yu left his seat and disappeared.
After Shen Yuan whispered with Bi Wu for a while, they walked through the corridor and left the Lotus Hall.
Her expression was calm and indifferent, but she kept observing Lu Zhiyun who was walking towards the Duke's Mansion with her peripheral vision.
Even though Lu Zhiyun in his previous life often visited her grave and married her spirit tablet, Shen Yuan could not be sure when Lu Zhiyun in his previous life had developed the so-called affection for her.
She doesn't act rashly.
Today, she wanted to get closer to Lu Zhiyun, just to test the man's attitude towards her.
Thinking this way, Shen Yuan finally passed through the corridor.
At this time, Lu Zhiyun and his subordinates were about to pass by her.
Bi Wu looked at her young lady who was standing there, and thought that she wanted to wait for the powerful and intimidating Duke Zhenguo to leave first.
Shen Yuan held the handkerchief, but felt that Lu Zhiyun didn't seem to notice her. He just continued walking forward without looking at her.
But if she missed this opportunity, she wouldn't know when she would see him again.
When the breeze carrying the fragrance of lotus suddenly blew through the corridor, Shen Yuan also held his breath.
The direction the wind was blowing was just facing Lu Zhiyun.
Shen Yuan's heartbeat quickened again, but she chose the right moment and quietly released her slender white right hand when Lu Zhiyun was about to walk past her.
The handkerchief, which was soft and had a faint fragrance, was blown towards Lu Zhiyun in the gentle lotus breeze.
The women in the Lotus Hall also looked in the direction of Shen Yuan. They all saw it. The handkerchief flew in front of the Prime Minister like a butterfly.
——"Do you think she did it on purpose or unintentionally?"
——"Who knows? She just thinks she is pretty and wants to get close to the Duke of Zhenguo through such a clumsy means. Oh, wait and see her make a fool of herself."
The whispered conversations of the women were naturally heard by Shen Han, who was still sitting in her seat. She also looked at Shen Yuan with her fists clenched, but her eyes were filled with some inexplicable hatred.
On the other side, Shen Yuan naturally didn't notice his younger sister's strange look.
By coincidence, the handkerchief fell next to Lu Zhiyun's black boots.
The man also stopped suddenly because of the sudden appearance of the handkerchief.
Jiang Zhuo, who was standing behind Lu Zhiyun, couldn't help but turn his head to look at the beautiful woman standing gracefully in the corridor.
Jiang Zhuo shook his head repeatedly and sighed inwardly.
I don't know whether this girl is brave or rash.
"grown ups..."
Shen Yuan's timid voice trembled a little. She was hesitating whether to walk up to the man and admit her mistake to him.
Lu Zhiyun lowered his eyelashes slightly and still didn't look at her.
Shen Yuan was a little at a loss.
She felt that Lu Zhiyun should not have any feelings for her at this time.
Perhaps after she did something rash like this, he might even have a bad opinion of her.
At the banquet, some women covered their lips with handkerchiefs and made mocking expressions.
Jiang Zhuo saw that his master was still standing there silently, but his expression was not cold, and he was at a loss for a moment.
He thought, why not help the reckless beauty and pick up the handkerchief on the ground.
Jiang Zhuo was just about to walk over, but what happened next made his eyes widen several points.
He saw with his own eyes that Lu Zhiyun, a powerful official who did not even need to kneel before the emperor, actually bent down and helped the beauty pick up the handkerchief.
When the ladies in the Lotus Hall saw his action, their faces suddenly changed.
Just after noon, the sun was shining brightly, and the sunlight was still dazzling.
When Shen Yuan was dazzled by the scorching sunlight, Lu Zhiyun had already walked in front of her.
The man was tall and straight, and his shadow on the ground covered her thin and frail figure tightly.
The silhouette of his official uniform was upright and dignified, and the large and small kirin on the patch on the front of his clothes were clustered together, presenting a galloping posture.
Lu Zhiyun stretched out his hand, and his wide sleeves embroidered with river cliffs and sea water patterns suddenly spread out, and he took the initiative to hand the soft handkerchief back to her.
When Shen Yuan raised his eyes timidly, he met the pair of deep and cold eyes under his crown.
At the same time, she also smelled the distant and cold scent of pine wood on the man.
Lu Zhiyun always gives people a sense of oppression that comes from his intimidation without him getting angry. Faced with this situation, Shen Yuan also panicked.
"Here you go."
Lu Zhiyun's face was calm and no emotion could be seen.
Shen Yuan listened to his low and mellow voice, then took the handkerchief with her trembling porcelain-white hands.
"…Thank you, sir."
——
The play must always be comprehensive.
After Lu Zhiyun and his group left the Lotus Hall, Shen Yuan and Bi Wu went straight to the Begonia Spring Valley in Shao Garden.
Bi Wu was just about to tell Shen Yuan how frightened she was just now.
But before they could open their mouths, the master and servant heard a familiar woman crying through the lattice window with ring patterns.
"Chen Lang...do you really not want me anymore?"
"Yu'er...don't worry, I will never let you suffer any injustice."
The two people who were talking were Lu Chen and Shen Yu.
The two people found this secluded place for a tryst.
The woman was crying tenderly, while the man was comforting her in a gentle voice.
Bi Wu looked at Shen Yuan in disbelief and saw that her master's beautiful eyes were calm, yet seemed immersed in something.
Now that he had come to Haitangchunwu, Shen Yuan naturally recalled events from his previous life.
In her previous life, she and Lu Chen had also come here alone.
It was mid-spring, and the crabapple blossoms were in full bloom.
She had her back to the lattice window on the pink wall, and Lu Chen was standing opposite her.
Shen Yuan remembered that Lu Chen wore a moon-white straight dress. Since their marriage, except when they encountered internal affairs of the Earl's Mansion, they rarely communicated alone.
Lu Chen asked the servants to wait outside the pink wall. Shen Yuan stood under the swaying flower tree, and his mood suddenly became a little nervous.
"Uncle..."
Ever since he was alone in his empty room on his wedding day, Shen Yuan never called Lu Chen "Mr. Lu" again, but only addressed him by his title.
Lu Chen didn't know why, but he suddenly approached her.
Shen Yuan subconsciously took a step back, but Lu Chen suddenly pinched her chin with his slightly cold hands.
"Don't move yet."
After Lu Chen finished speaking, Shen Yuan followed his words and did not dare to act rashly again.
Shen Yuan originally thought that Lu Chen wanted to be close to her. Although she didn't have much expectation in her heart, she did not make any resistance.
Just as she was about to lower her eyelashes, she heard the voice of a maid outside the window:
"Auntie...Auntie, please wait for me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chen released her chin and replied calmly: "You can go back."
Shen Yuan turned around in surprise, then he suddenly realized.
Although she and Lu Chen did nothing just now, if you stood outside the window, it would be easy for people to think that Lu Chen kissed her.
During that period, Lu Chen and Shen Yu had a bad relationship and they were always quarreling.
Lu Chen staged this scene just to annoy Shen Yu who was standing outside the window.
In fact, even though Shen Yuan was married to Lu Chen, she never thought of interfering in the relationship between him and Shen Yu.
If she had to live as a widower for the rest of her life, Shen Yuan would accept it.
However, some of Lu Chen's actions intensified the conflict between her and Shen Yu.
Bi Wu noticed that Shen Yuan looked a little depressed and was about to say something to comfort him.
Shen Yuan's expression quickly returned to calm: "Let's go."
After leaving Haitangchunwu, Biwu asked in a low voice: "Miss, seeing Kangping Bo and the second young lady like this... you must feel very uncomfortable, right?"
Shen Yuan shook his head with a melancholy look.
The reason for his melancholy was not because of Lu Chen and Shen Yu, but because he remembered what had just happened in the Lotus Hall.
Lu Zhiyun treated her indifferently, but helped her pick up the handkerchief.
He was too unfathomable and she really couldn't guess what he was thinking.
Thinking of this, Shen Yuan lowered his eyes slightly.
But I don't know when I will have the chance to see Lu Zhiyun again.
——
Begonia Spring Valley.
Shen Yu was still crying sadly in Lu Chen's arms, and Lu Chen's heart suddenly began to throb with pain.
But he knew in his heart that the reason he suddenly had this feeling was not because of Shen Yu's crying.
Just now he saw Shen Yuan's figure through the lattice window.
Shen Yuan also looked at him.
Inevitably, their eyes met.
She looked at him calmly, without a trace of emotion.
But Shen Yuan had a gentle temperament. When she wasn't smiling, there always seemed to be a hint of sadness between her brows.
The way Shen Yuan looked at him gave Lu Chen an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
And it was this sense of familiarity that gave him this strange and painful feeling.
——
Qianmen Street in the capital was a bustling place with shops lined up one after another and goods in an endless variety.
Pedestrians rubbed shoulders with each other, and the scene was noisy and lively.
Shen Yuan and Bi Wu walked out of a clothing store called Qixiufang, but they were not there to buy ready-made clothes.
Stepmother Liu deducted all the dowry that Shen Yuan's uncle prepared for her, and the monthly allowance given to Shen Yuan by the Marquis's Mansion was just enough for Shen Yuan to maintain his daily life.
Shen Yuan did not ask Shen Hongliang for more monthly wages. Instead, he designed many floral patterns himself and sold them to clothing shops in exchange for some silver to supplement his income.
Bi Wu felt sorry for her master. As she walked along the road, she said indignantly, "If the Madam hadn't passed away, the girl could have married the young master when she was sixteen, and she wouldn't have to come to the capital to suffer all this!"
The lady that Biwu mentioned was Shen Yuan's aunt, Luo, and the young master was her cousin Tang Yulin.
Shen Yuan shook his head helplessly, remembering that Biwu's birthday was in a few days, he wanted to let Biwu pick out some things she liked in Qianmen Street.
——"Go away! If you don't want to buy anything, don't stand here and interfere with my business."
The peddler's voice interrupted the conversation between the master and the servant.
Bi Wu followed the line of sight and said to Shen Yuan, "Huh? Isn't that the young master of the Lu family?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Yuan walked to the side of the young master that Bi Wu mentioned.
Lu Liaoji was looking at the steaming buns reluctantly when he suddenly heard a gentle voice from a strange woman: "Brother Liao, do you want to eat?"
After Lu Liaoji nodded, he raised his eyes and looked at Shen Yuan.
He was a little curious, how did this strange beautiful sister know his name?
Bi Wu bought him two meat buns. After handing them to Lu Liaoji, Shen Yuan asked in a gentle voice, "Brother Liao, where is your fifth uncle?"
Lu Liaoji looked at Shen Yuan with his dark eyes, and shook his little head while chewing a bun.
In his previous life, Shen Yuan also lived with Lu Liaoji. Although Lu Zhiyun raised this nephew by his side, he did not have much time to discipline him.
Lu Liaoji always felt a little afraid of his serious and strong fifth uncle. In his previous life, he had once threatened to run away from home. However, every time he had such thoughts, he would be discovered in time by Lu Zhiyun's subordinates.
The child was not a bad-tempered person, but he always wanted to see his deceased mother.
Shen Yuan also lost his mother at a young age, so he paid more attention to Lu Liaoji in his previous life.
She gently touched the boy's head and ordered Bi Wu to hire a carriage, "We have to send him back to the Duke's Mansion."
Although she said this, Shen Yuan was thinking in her heart that she had finally found another opportunity to meet Lu Zhiyun.
——
The carriage that Shen Yuan was riding in was slowly heading towards the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion.
But the three people in the carriage did not know that there was also a carriage following them several dozen feet away.
The carriage was slightly bumpy.
Jiang Feng is Jiang Zhuo's twin brother and Lu Zhiyun's capable subordinate. Seeing his brother looking worried, he joked, "Miss Shen has gone to the Duke's Mansion, what are you worried about?"
Jiang Zhuo was so angry when he saw his brother's nonchalant look.
He patted Jiang Feng's head with his folding fan, shook his head and said, "Although Miss Shen has gone to the Duke's Mansion, the master is still in the palace teaching His Majesty. Before the master returns to the mansion, we must find a way to keep Miss Shen."