Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 39.1

Chapter 39.1

The powerful and impressive leader of the imperial guards had been quite harsh on his young wife. So the following morning, Shen Qingqing slept in until dawn.

When she finally opened her eyes, she found Li Zhi sitting at the head of the bed.

As their gazes met, Shen Qingqing couldn’t shake off the whispers that had filled her ears the night before. She had resisted Li Zhi’s kisses, but his soft murmurs had felt even more intimate than any kiss could.

“Why aren’t you on duty?” she asked, pulling the quilt up to her shoulders. Although she was used to their closeness at night, during the day, she instinctively wanted to cover up around Li Zhi.

Li Zhi seemed to notice her little gesture and replied softly, “There’s a banquet at the palace today, and I’ll be going with you.”

Shen Qingqing understood what he meant.

Her eyes darted around the room to find out if her maid was there but found out only two of them were in the room. The man beside her remained seated, and she felt a bit anxious but managed to say quietly, “I need to shower and change. You go ahead; I’ll catch up with you after.”

Li Zhi noticed her flushed cheeks and nodded. “Alright.”

He agreed but didn’t move from his spot.

Shen Qingqing looked at him, puzzled.

Li Zhi flashed her a knowing smile before standing up and leaving.

Yu Chan walked in just as Shen Qingqing was trying to sort things out. 

Shen Qingqing decided to take a bath first, and she settled into the wooden tub. 

Yu Chan squeezed out a towel to help wipe her back. Stealing a glance at the water, she noticed her master had some blue and red marks on her legs, while her upper body was as pale as jade.

Yu Chan couldn’t help but think, ‘Does the Marquis have a thing for my master’s lovely legs?’

Once she was dressed, Shen Qingqing made her way to the front yard.

When Li Zhi saw her, he instructed his servants to get some food ready.

Shen Qingqing was taken aback and asked, “You haven’t eaten yet?” 

Yu Chan had mentioned that Li Zhi left early in the morning, so she assumed he had already had a meal.

Li Zhi smiled at her and replied, “I thought I’d share a meal with you and make sure you’re well-fed. Let’s drink at night.”

Suddenly, Shen Qingqing recalled the smell of alcohol on Li Zhi on their wedding night. He had a tendency to drink too much and get into trouble, so she cautioned him, “You should drink less.”

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at her as he said, “I appreciate your concern, Madam. But men from beyond the Great Wall enjoy their drinks. To avoid being looked down upon by those from the Central Plains, your husband has to keep up. If I happen to get drunk, I’ll count on you to take care of me tonight.”

Shen Qingqing wasn’t really bothered by him. After catching Li Zhi’s intentional misinterpretation, she just brushed him off and took a seat at the dinner table, looking completely unfazed.

Li Zhi enjoyed seeing her flustered, so he grinned and offered her a freshly washed cherry. “Madam, have a little something to get your appetite going.”

Shen Qingqing didn’t take it.

So, Li Zhi popped it in his mouth instead.

For breakfast, there was a plate of local braised beef that was super tender and delicious. Shen Qingqing loved it and couldn’t resist grabbing a few extra pieces.

Then Li Zhi chimed in, “The beef jerky here has a really unique flavour. You should take some with you for a snack on the road.”

His words were quite charming, and Shen Qingqing shot him a glance.

Li Zhi returned her look with a smile.

After they finished eating, the couple strolled over to Jingming Palace for the banquet.

As they approached the palace, they ran into Crown Prince Zhao Ji.

Seeing him made Shen Qingqing frown; she still remembered how he had shown interest in her. She figured that if Zhao Ji hadn’t taken a liking to her, Queen Shen would have let Zhao Ji take her as his concubine. Now that she was married to Li Zhi, regardless of their relationship, Shen Qingqing wanted nothing to do with Zhao Ji.

“Your Highness, your humble servant greets you.” As they got closer, Li Zhi bowed respectfully to Zhao Ji.

Shen Qingqing stood beside him and bowed as well.

Zhao Ji waved off his hand as a response and stared at Shen Qingqing.

It had been a long time since Zhao Ji last saw Shen Qingqing. After the initial sting of betrayal, he tried not to dwell on her, but every time he encountered Shen Jiarong, memories of his lost love would flood back. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and the more he realised how much he missed her, especially since she was now out of reach.

When they crossed paths again two years later, Zhao Ji was struck by the appearance of 

Shen Qingqing. She had become more beautiful, and even with her eyes cast down, the glow of being cherished by a man was undeniable. All of this transformation was thanks to Li Zhi!

Li Zhi stood tall, noticing the envy in Zhao Ji’s eyes directed at his wife.

As a man, Li Zhi could easily guess the thoughts running through Zhao Ji’s mind.

“Your Highness, please, go ahead,” Li Zhi said, subtly shifting to shield Shen Qingqing behind him while gesturing for Zhao Ji to move on.

Blocked from the beauty he had longed for, Zhao Ji felt irritation bubbling up and quipped. “What’s this? I haven’t seen my seventh cousin in over two years, and now I can’t even talk to her?”

Shen Qingqing frowned deeply at this. She and Zhao Ji had never had a brother-sister bond, to begin with. ‘Now that I’m married, he should address me as Madam Li out of respect for Li Zhi. But he kept calling me cousin. What if Li Zhi got the wrong idea?’ Even though Shen Qingqing never considered having a close relationship with Li Zhi, she definitely didn’t want him to think she had a past with the prince.

It was clear that Zhao Ji was smiling while harbouring ill intentions, but Li Zhi remained calm. He said, “The banquet is about to start. Your Highness holds a noble position, and the leaders of the tribes are eager to meet you. My wife and I won’t take up your time.”

Zhao Ji scoffed, “They’re just barbarians. What’s the harm in making them wait a bit longer?” He then stepped aside, making a point to look at Shen Qingqing.

Suddenly, Shen Qingqing pulled out her handkerchief and coughed lightly.

Zhao Ji feigned concern, asking, “Is Seventh Cousin feeling unwell?”

‘It’s because I just can’t stand you!’Shen Qingqing thought. “It’s nothing serious, Your Highness, really,” she replied coldly.

Zhao Ji was about to move closer, but Li Zhi suddenly reached out, locking eyes with Zhao Ji, and said, “This banquet is very important. If Your Highness is late, the emperor might not be pleased.”

Zhao Ji pressed his lips together. He feared no one but his father.

Zhao Ji shot a cold glance at Li Zhi and then turned to Shen Qingqing, saying in a soft tone, “Seventh cousin, make sure to take care of yourself. I’ve got some ginseng medicine that I’ll have someone bring to you later.”

He was clearly trying to stir up trouble for her. Shen Qingqing was fuming at him, so there was no way she wanted his ginseng medicine.

Have a nice day!