Chapter 92:
Lu Ziyan had already pulled her into his arms, but upon hearing this, he stopped his movements, lowered his gaze to look at her, his voice low and hoarse.
“I leave the Capital City tomorrow morning.”
Xie Wanning was stunned upon hearing this, then became extremely annoyed.
In short, he wouldn’t be able to touch her for several months, which was enough time for her to rest.
——She had even offered up her sachet, yet he still wouldn’t let her go.
But clearly, before this, he wouldn’t indulge in lust day after day; even during the first two months of their marriage when he came to her courtyard, it wasn’t this frequent.
Now that Liu Manrou had already given birth, and Er Xia had been taken into the back courtyard by him, they waited for him night after night, so why did he have to come and entangle her!
While she was dazed, Lu Ziyan’s hand had already skillfully slipped into her lapel, and Xie Wanning instinctively struggled.
But the man’s arms were like iron clamps; her strength was practically like playing hard to get, instead making his abdomen tighten. He gripped her wrist and pinned her down on the couch.
Lu Ziyan’s gaze traced the eyebrows and eyes of the young lady beneath him bit by bit. Seeing her panicked expression, extremely nervous, a hint of helplessness flashed in his deep eyes, and he leaned down to plant a kiss between her brows.
“What are you afraid of?” He sighed, asking her in a low voice: “I don’t remember ever hurting you.”
This young lady had delicate skin and tender flesh; even a light grip from him would leave a fingerprint mark. When had he ever truly been harsh with her?
“I’m really uncomfortable,” Xie Wanning shrank her neck and burrowed into the soft pillow, struggling to find an excuse: “My monthly affairs are these couple of days, my abdomen feels a bit unwell.”
Lu Ziyan’s brows furrowed, not knowing what he was thinking.
After pondering for a few breaths, he brushed aside the long hair at her neck, his line of sight falling on her jade-like shoulder and neck.
Several red marks on the girl’s delicate collarbone were very conspicuous; his breathing hitched slightly, and he reached out to touch them.
His rough fingertip slid over her shoulder and neck; Xie Wanning stiffened all over, but the man on top of her silently withdrew his hand and got off her.
The oppressive presence he brought suddenly receded, and Xie Wanning finally breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear him low sigh, “So delicate.”
Wasn’t she delicate?
Couldn’t be gentle, couldn’t be rough, couldn’t be stern, couldn’t even be scolded.
Now she had even learned to ignore him.
Called delicate, Xie Wanning felt annoyed at heart; before she could react, her waist tightened, and their positions had switched.
Now she was on top of him, looking down at him.
She hurriedly propped herself at his sides, barely avoiding pressing into his arms.
“Since Wanwan is unwell, as your husband, I naturally should be considerate; I won’t touch you tonight,”
Lu Ziyan held her waist with one hand, making her sit on him, while his other hand casually played with her palm, saying with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile: “But your husband is about to set out on expedition; shouldn’t my good wife be considerate of her husband as well?”
Xie Wanning was stunned, not understanding what he meant.
Lu Ziyan’s eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze fixed straight on her.
The young lady on top of him had a graceful figure and snow-white skin; after the earlier tussle, the thin nightgown’s collar was loose and disheveled, faintly revealing the moon-white undergarment inside.
But Lu Ziyan knew that beneath the clothes, her delicate waist and abdomen still bore his fingerprints.
Her back bore the kiss marks he had left.
In the year and more since this young lady married him, she had long shed her girlish greenness; the unintentional charm in her eyebrows and eyes made it impossible to look away.
Yet clearly married for over a year, she was still like a girl who knew nothing of worldly affairs.
She completely didn’t understand his meaning.
Lu Ziyan felt somewhat helpless.
So it was still his fault; between bed and couch, he had never been willing to let her tire herself too much, and most of the time she just needed to lie there.
Thinking this, he simply held her waist and sat up straight, holding her face-to-face.
Their position became Xie Wanning straddling him directly.
Waist and abdomen pressed tightly downward.
Pressed together.
The thing she had tried hard to ignore earlier was pressing against her.
Xie Wanning trembled all over and hastily tried to get off, but the hand at her waist gripped tightly.
She abruptly raised her eyes to glare at him.
“Didn’t you say…”
“Mm, I won’t touch you,”
Lu Ziyan interrupted softly, chuckling lowly, “So think of a way to make it calm down, alright?”
Xie Wanning pursed her lips: “……”
She paused for a few breaths, then stiffly said: “I won’t.”
Lu Ziyan’s fingertip pinched her palm, chuckling lowly: “I’ll teach you.”
“I won’t learn these things,”
Xie Wanning lowered her eyes, her tone turning cold: “Lu Ziyan, I am your wife, not a concubine specially for serving on the bed.”
Wife means equal.
These methods on the bed to cater to men,
Aside from women in pleasure houses, only concubines who rely on looks would learn them.
She had been versed in poetry and books from childhood, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, practiced riding and archery, and knew household management; no one had ever made her learn how to please a man.
What did he take her for?
Using flirting methods with concubines on her?
Xie Wanning’s heart grew cold; she straightened up to get off him, but Lu Ziyan reacted faster, pressing her shoulders and pulling her into his arms.
“When will you stop having such a big temper?” He laughed in anger, “You and I as couple in conjugal affairs—what does it have to do with concubines?”
He pulled open her lapel, stroking those marks on her shoulder and neck, smiling as he asked: “So this is serving? Then when I serve you, are you taking me as a concubine?”
“……” Xie Wanning glared at him in disbelief.
Was this how he won battles—with such sophistry and twisting of facts!
Lu Ziyan lowered his gaze to stare fixedly at her, “Stop bringing up concubines all the time; I’ve said it before, no one will affect you.”
His expression was calm; mentioning the other two women in the back courtyard was like mentioning two insignificant things.
Xie Wanning had no desire to argue with him.
She had long understood that in a man’s eyes, one more woman or two more made no difference.
But Lu Ziyan continued; he gripped her jaw, looking into her clear eyes, asking: “So you mind that much?”
“You’re misunderstanding; I don’t mind,” Xie Wanning slowly shook her head, saying: “It’s just that I was raised strictly from childhood, always proper and reserved; I really can’t let go. If you want some novelty on the bed, why not teach your favored concubines; I would only ruin your mood.”
Why not teach your favored concubines; I would only ruin your mood……
Lu Ziyan’s heart suddenly ached; his fingertips subconsciously loosened.
Xie Wanning quickly got off him, but was gripped by the wrist and pulled back.
“Where did these favored concubines come from?” His voice turned cold and deep, word by word: “They are all from the Lu Family Second Wife; they won’t affect you and me in the slightest—why are you always hung up on it!”
“You’re right,” Xie Wanning didn’t want to quarrel with him and nodded along: “I’ve thought it through; I won’t mention them in the future.”
What it felt like to punch cotton—Lu Ziyan deeply experienced it at this moment.
The originally scorching hot desire, after this commotion, left only irritation.
He even felt some helplessness about what to do with her.
He should pin her beneath him, entwine with her to the death, pleasure her until she thought of nothing else, her heart and eyes filled only with him.
But in the end, he only lowered his gaze to look at the fingerprint on her wrist, his thumb slowly rubbing it for a moment.
When he spoke again, he had calmed all his emotions.
He said: “If you don’t like them, stay away from them; out of sight, out of mind. Wait until I return…”
“Alright, I understand.” Xie Wanning impatiently interrupted: “Don’t worry; as long as they don’t come to Shao Guang Courtyard on their own, I won’t go troubling them.”
Lu Ziyan’s brows furrowed slightly: “Who has come here to you?”
Xie Wanning lowered her head to tidy her clothes, casually mocking: “My sister-in-law.”
This form of address stunned Lu Ziyan for a breath, then he pursued: “And Er Xia?”
After Er Xia was promoted to concubine, she had restored her original surname; now everyone in the manor up and down called her Aunt Liu.
Suddenly hearing this familiar name, Xie Wanning’s hand tying her sash paused slightly before she hummed in acknowledgment.
“You met her?” Lu Ziyan’s tone sank.
Xie Wanning heard clearly; she slowly raised her head to meet his cold and stern face, and thinking of something, suddenly smiled.
She smiled beautifully, but Lu Ziyan’s expression was slightly stunned.
In her eyes, Er Xia was a maidservant who climbed into bed while the master was napping—already utterly disgusting.
Then he himself was…
Lu Ziyan’s lips nearly pressed into a straight line.
After a long while, he said: “Since you don’t like them, stay far away.”
Xie Wanning coldly curled her lip, too lazy to speak.
Lu Ziyan didn’t care about her attitude and continued: “This expedition of mine is extremely perilous; move to the family temple and live there for a few months to pray for blessings for me.”
There was no questioning tone in his words; he had already made the decision.
They were a couple; with the husband setting out, it was only right for the wife to practice vegetarianism and pray for blessings, but why notify her of such a thing in a commanding tone.
No room for discussion at all, as if she were a general and soldier under his command, needing only to obey orders.
Perhaps too many disappointments; her expression didn’t change much, only faintly saying: “The family temple is in the manor; even for praying for blessings, there’s no need for me to move in.”
“To show sincerity, endure moving in for a time,” Lu Ziyan lowered his gaze to her, saying: “When I return to the Capital City, I’ll personally come get you out.”
“What do you mean?” Xie Wanning raised her eyes: “Confining me?”
Lu Ziyan ignored her question, only saying: “Ming Jian will stay in the Capital City; copy one page of Buddhist scriptures for him by hand each day—no allowing others to write in your stead.”
As his words fell, the room fell into dead silence.
……Simply absurd.
Not just Xie Wanning—even the onlooker Lu Ziyan sighed that this was simply absurd.
He understood himself; the more absurd, the more it meant there was something hidden behind it.
It seemed the him in this world had truly met a formidable enemy?
But Xie Wanning couldn’t understand; she had never understood him—this man’s thoughts were deep and never revealed.
She had once been certain they were in mutual love, but after marrying in for so long, that confidence had long vanished.
Still, she didn’t understand why he treated her this way; even if he didn’t like her, there was no need to torment her like this, right?
Even when she was in her boudoir before marriage and made mistakes, her parents punished her but never confined her.
Her elder brother was stricter at most making her copy family rules; if she got lazy and had maidservants help write, he would turn a blind eye.
But what had she just heard?
From the moment he left the Capital City, she had to live in the family temple, one page of Buddhist scriptures each day.
He even left Ming Jian to check her handwriting.
One page of Buddhist scriptures a day—where would she have time to go out?
Her original plan to return to her maternal home for a few months after he left was completely foiled.
He couldn’t bear to see her relaxed, couldn’t bear to see her in a good mood; even if he wasn’t here, he had to find ways to mistreat her—or was he worried that without him, she would act against his Rou Niang?
So he left Ming Jian to watch her, making her devote herself to Buddha with no time to harm anyone?
Xie Wanning stared blankly at him, a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind.
What exactly did he think of her?
A vicious woman who would murder other women for him?
Lu Ziyan furrowed his brows slightly under her gaze, reaching out to hold her hand, but she instinctively avoided it.
But his movements were faster; his iron-clamp-like hand firmly gripped her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
“Your lively personality needs to learn some steadiness,” Lu Ziyan held her shoulder with one hand and tightened her waist with the other, saying: “Listen to me; stay obediently in the family temple these few months, curb arrogance and irritability, cultivate virtue and nurture nature—wait for me to come get you.”
He knew this young lady’s personality and was prepared for her sharp retort, but after waiting a long time, the person in his arms made no sound.
He couldn’t help lowering his gaze; from this angle, he could only see her dense, long eyelashes trembling slightly like butterfly wings.
Lu Ziyan reached out to touch them, feeling a handful of wetness.
Stunned for an instant, he then realized.
She was crying.
No sharp retort, no confrontation, no anger—just calm.
Even being held in his arms, she was calm, no longer struggling.
But she was crying.
Lu Ziyan’s pupils suddenly contracted; his fingertip slowly wiped the tears from her eyelashes, sliding down to her jaw.
Lifting her face up.
“Why are you crying?”
Xie Wanning didn’t speak, and no more tears fell from her eyes.
It seemed the wetness on her eyelashes just now was an illusion.
But Lu Ziyan knew it wasn’t.
He slowly lowered his head, resting his forehead against hers; they were very close, their breaths mingling together.
Her eyelashes trembled, but she didn’t open her eyes, even her breathing lightened.
“Making you pray for blessings for me a few months, and you’re this aggrieved?” Seeming somewhat helpless, he rubbed her nose tip, fearing she would hold her breath until faint; considerately distancing himself a bit, he then said: “If you don’t want to go to the family temple, that’s fine too—come with me to the battlefield.”
This time he was going to a real battlefield, the Northern Frontier border.
“Choose one yourself; once chosen, no being aggrieved.”
In the silence, Xie Wanning spoke: “I’ll go to the family temple.”
Her voice carried a hoarse quality of restrained endurance.
Lu Ziyan felt a slight pang in his heart; as he lowered his head to kiss her, he heard her add: “I’ll bring Er Qing in with me.”
His leaning motion paused, his eyes inexplicably turning cold: “What if I say no?”
“Er Qing has served at my side since childhood,” Xie Wanning raised her eyes, urgently saying: “I can’t do without her.”
Can’t do without her……
Their gazes met for a few breaths; the coldness in his eyes unmasked, Xie Wanning panicked at heart and turned her face away first.
“I mean, ……I can’t have no one serving at my side.”
Lu Ziyan lowly hummed, ambiguously saying: “Wanwan, you must understand—aside from me, you shouldn’t have anyone you can’t do without.”
Even a maidservant was worth her depending on this much?
Xie Wanning understood his meaning; a layer of faint coldness appeared in her eyes.
What kind of logic was this.
He could have wives and concubines in droves, yet she couldn’t even keep a confidant maidservant by her side.
Her entire world could only have him in it.
Two chapters combined~~~
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