Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Li Zhi had never been to the Song family’s tung garden, so naturally, Shen Qingqing led him there.

Shen Qingqing seemed to sense Li Zhi’s intentions, which allowed her to regain her confident demeanour around him. Whether or not he was following her, she walked ahead with a light step, not glancing back even once.

It wasn’t until she reached the entrance of Tung Garden that she turned around. She noticed Li Zhi standing under a flowering tree, seemingly lost in admiration for the blossoms.

Shen Qingqing then focused on the closed gate of her grandmother’s yard and made her way over.

Mrs. Song had left Beijing with Shen Qushenge, likely never to return. There were two elderly maids in their fifties, who were responsible for cleaning the house and courtyard daily. Aside from Shen Tingwen’s occasional visits to honour his mother, the place was mostly deserted. At the moment, two maids were chatting and snacking on melon seeds.

When they heard a knock at the door, they exchanged glances, quickly stashing away the melon seeds before coming to the door.

Upon seeing Shen Qingqing, one of the maids was taken aback. She had only joined the Shen Mansion last year and had never encountered the seventh daughter of the Shen family, who was now the empress.

The other maid, Nanny Liu, an old servant, was overwhelmed with excitement. “Seventh Miss, no, Empress! This old servant pays her respects to Her Majesty!” she exclaimed, kneeling and pulling the stunned maid beside her.

How many people in the world could see the empress? Not only did Nanny Liu meet the empress, but she also served the empress when she was a child. Therefore, the old woman was very satisfied with her life.

Seeing the old people beside her grandmother, Shen Qingqing was also very happy and said with a smile, “Everyone get up, I’ll come over to take a look; you don’t have to be nervous.”
The two women stood up and looked up to see a man in a purple robe walking towards them with an expressionless face.

Nanny Liu had never seen Li Zhi before. She looked at him for a few seconds and asked Shen Qingqing in a low voice, “Your Majesty, did that man come with you?”

Shen Qingqing looked at Li Zhi.

Li Zhi also looked at her, as if he was too lazy to explain.

“I saw him when I came here. Maybe he is a guest in the front yard?” Shen Qingqing said as she was puzzled by an unexpected man’s arrival.

Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but Li Zhi heard it.

Shen Qingqing didn’t look at Li Zhi and said, “I’ll go inside and take a look. You guys can do what you need to do. You don’t have to accompany me.”

After saying that, Shen Qingqing went straight into the garden.

Li Zhi raised his foot and wanted to enter the garden as well.

Seeing the guest going after the empress, Nanny Liu glared at him and stopped him, saying, “I wonder which mansion you are from? This is the backyard of the Shen Mansion. Please go back to the front yard as soon as possible.”

Shen Qingqing walked very slowly. When she heard what Nanny Liu said, she smiled secretly and waited curiously for Li Zhi’s answer.

Of course, Li Zhi would not argue with an old maid from the Shen family. Facing Nanny Liu’s defensive eyes, Li Zhi raised his chin towards Shen Qingqing’s back and said with a faint smile, “My wife came to visit her grandmother’s former residence and has entered the courtyard. Please let me follow my wife.”

Shen Qingqing couldn’t help biting her lip when she heard that. It had been a while since she heard Li Zhi make such a witty remark.

Nanny Liu took several turns before she realised what was happening. After a closer look, she noticed that this young man in purple robes was so elegant and graceful that he really looked like an emperor! Moreover, who in this world would dare to pretend to be the emperor in front of the empress and her family? That would be a serious crime that would lead to the punishment of nine generations of the family!

“This old servant kowtows to His Majesty! This old servant is blind, please forgive me, Your Majesty!” Nanny Liu kowtowed while sweating profusely.

“Go away.” Li Zhi walked around the two old maids and walked inside as if he were taking a leisurely stroll in the garden.

The emperor and empress were elegant, and Nanny Liu and the other maid tactfully stood guard at the gate of Tong Garden to prevent outsiders from disturbing the most noble couple in the world.

Except for where the two maids lived, all other rooms in Tong Garden were locked.
Shen Qingqing stood in front of the main room, staring at the copper lock on the door.

“Let them get the keys?” Li Zhi stopped on her left side and whispered.

Shen Qingqing thought about it, shook her head and said, “Forget it, I’ll just go for a stroll.”

Li Zhi accompanied her silently.

The main scenery of the Tong Garden was in the backyard, with a circle of sycamore trees planted around three walls. Shen Qingqing heard her grandmother mention inadvertently that there was also a sycamore tree in the old Song family house, which her grandmother liked very much. These sycamore trees were planted by her grandfather especially when Emperor Qingde first gave him the house, and it was also the most extraordinary gift her grandfather had ever given her grandmother.

Shen Qingqing stopped under a paulownia tree.

The leaves of the paulownia tree were large and green, blocking the dazzling summer sun.

Shen Qingqing looked up at the tree, and Li Zhi looked at her from the side.

Some sun rays fell through the gaps between the leaves, casting bright and dark circles on her face. Her face was fair and tender as if she was still the 14-year-old girl when they first met. Her almond eyes were dark, bright and clear, but a little heavier than before.

‘Is it because she misses her grandparents who are thousands of miles away, or is it because of the various grievances she has suffered in the palace in the past year?’

He killed Empress Shen and her son, and Shen Qushenge would never come to Beijing to be an official again. The only thing Li Zhi could do was to keep his promise and never let Shen Qingqing suffer any grievances again.

Li Zhi moved behind her and held her small hand that was hanging by her side.
Feeling the familiar tenderness she hadn’t felt for so long, Shen Qingqing’s heart trembled slightly.

“You don’t even recognize your own husband, and you’re still blaming me?” Li Zhi lowered his head slightly and rested his forehead lightly on the top of her head.

Shen Qingqing felt like crying.
During this year, she resented Li Zhi, hated Li Zhi, and vowed to stop caring about him. Sometimes she could really keep her heart as calm as water, but in the dead of night, touching the empty bed beside her, Shen Qingqing realised that the calmness during the day was just self-deception. If Li Zhi really held a selection, she would probably be so angry that she couldn’t sleep. But if Li Zhi issued an edict to express his loyalty, Shen Qingqing immediately forgot all the previous resentment and began to wait sweetly for him to make peace.

When she couldn’t wait, she felt frustrated and annoyed. When she finally waited, even the sky became clear.

In fact, Shen Qingqing didn’t want to cry and didn’t want Li Zhi to be proud. Why could he easily control her mood?
“You are the emperor, how dare I blame you?” Because of his intimacy, she felt both sweet and sour in her heart, but what she said out loud was full of sarcasm.

Li Zhi knew his young wife’s temper very well. Her coldness meant that she was really angry, and her sarcastic remarks were full of thorns, which showed that although she was also angry, she wanted to be coaxed by him more.

“If you don’t blame me, why did you pretend not to know me when you came in?” Li Zhi grabbed his wife who was about to leave, and quickly turned her around. He put one hand around Shen Qingqing’s waist and held her chin with the other hand, forcing her to look directly at him.

Shen Qingqing’s eyes were still wet, and she quickly closed them for fear that he would see.

But Li Zhi had already seen the tears in her eyes. He didn’t want her to cry, so he quickly admitted his mistake. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been so absorbed in government affairs that you were tortured by my grandmother. I shouldn’t have just thought about saving myself the trouble and made a rash decision to select a concubine. And I shouldn’t have stayed in Qianyuan Palace waiting for you to come to me when I clearly wanted to see you…”

The more he talked, the more Shen Qingqing cried. Even her nose felt sore. Worried that she would cry hard, Shen Qingqing hit the man’s shoulder and buried her head in Li Zhi’s arms, sobbing and cursing. “You ignored me first. Why should I take the initiative to find you? You gave me a cold shoulder this morning!”

Li Zhi ignored her thumping fists. After Shen Qingqing finished scolding him, Li Zhi said helplessly, “When did I neglect you? After I knew I shouldn’t participate in the selection, I immediately promised you, but you didn’t believe me. If you didn’t believe me, I would have dealt with my grandmother’s favorite Jiang Yiyue. But you would rather plead for an outsider, and you don’t feel sorry for me when you see me coughing over simple meals…”

“You were just pretending, and you still have the nerve to say that!” Shen Qingqing hit him hard on the shoulder again.

Li Zhi grabbed her hand and said indignantly, “I was pretending, but even if I issued an edict to tell the world that I only want you in my life, you never came to Qianyuan Palace to give me a good face.”

She blamed him for not knowing what it meant to be hurt by love. Li Zhi didn’t understand what she meant by that, but he did so much and Shen Qingqing was indifferent. Li Zhi gradually panicked, afraid that she really cut off the love between husband and wife, afraid that she really didn’t want to be husband and wife anymore. After issuing the decree, Li Zhi didn’t want to see her, but wanted to see if Shen Qingqing would be happy about the decree, and see if Shen Qingqing would take the initiative to come to him. It would be good if she came, but if she didn’t come…

Therefore, he thought Shen Qingqing’s feelings for him were not that deep.

Li Zhi waited and waited for a whole month, but he realised that she was really heartless.

Li Zhi could not wait any longer, so he took his daughter out of the palace under the pretext of accompanying her to see his uncle get married. However, it was not clear whether she really did not understand his feelings, or even if she did, she did not appreciate it and continued to treat him with coldness and alienation.

“Since you ignored me, it has been boring.” Li Zhi said, gritting his teeth, and leaning against her forehead.

There was a fire in the man’s phoenix eyes.

Shen Qingqing turned her eyes away and snorted, “You talk as if you’ve eaten wax.”

Li Zhi turned her face stared into her clear almond eyes and said, “If I am willing to eat wax, will you forgive me?”

Shen Qingqing pursed her lips tightly.

Li Zhi paused, then suddenly pulled her to the front yard.

Shen Qingqing was anxious. “What are you doing?”

Li Zhi did not answer her.

Shen Qingqing tried to break free from his hand but failed. In order not to stumble and fall, Shen Qingqing had to trot after him. Shen Qingqing was used to being pampered, and she was even more honoured as the empress. She had never trotted like this before. When Li Zhi dragged her to the front door, Shen Qingqing was sweating from exhaustion, and her cheeks were as red as a crabapple.

Nanny Liu and the other two were still guarding here, and they were stunned when they saw the emperor and empress like this.

Shen Qingqing subconsciously hid behind Li Zhi’s large figure.

Li Zhi still held her hand tightly. After stopping, he coldly told Nanny Liu. “Go get a piece of white wax.”

Although Nanny Liu could not figure out the emperor’s intention, she still went out in a hurry to look for wax. Then, because Li Zhi mentioned a piece, Nanny Liu looked at the neatly arranged white wax sticks in the drawer, and took two whole ones, then cut one into three short pieces. Then she hurried back, knelt on the ground and picked up the two different types of wax.

“Step back.” Li Zhi picked up a short piece of candle and ordered.

Nanny Liu and the other person quickly retreated into the house.

Li Zhi turned around, holding Shen Qingqing in one hand and raising the wax with the other, and whispered, “If I eat it, you will forgive me.”

Shen Qingqing bit her lip and turned her head away.

Li Zhi suddenly raised his hand and threw a piece of white wax into his mouth.

Seeing that he actually ate that thing, she became frightened. Shen Qingqing didn’t know whether the wax was poisonous or not, so she rushed over and held his face with both hands, which was bulging from chewing. “Who told you to eat it? Throw it out!”

Li Zhi grasped her hands, looked into Shen Qingqing’s anxious almond eyes, and swallowed what was in his mouth with a roll of his throat.

Shen Qingqing: …

After reacting, it was Shen Qingqing who pulled him outside this time. “Hurry back to the palace to find the imperial physician!”

Li Zhi pulled Shen Qingqing back into his arms, hugged her slender waist and said, “If you are willing to forgive me, I will summon the imperial physician. If you continue to ignore me, I will not let you treat me.” He looked determined.

Shen Qingqing glared at him hatefully and continued to pull him forward.

Li Zhi grabbed her again and forced her to answer.

Shen Qingqing was in a hurry to return to the palace, and said perfunctorily, “Even if I forgive you this time, if there is a next time…”

“There won’t be a next time.” Li Zhi pulled her into his arms and bent down to kiss her.

Shen Qingqing was worried that he was not feeling well, so she had no mood for intimacy and turned her head away.

However, Li Zhi kept pursuing her and insisted on hugging Shen Qingqing and kissing her for a full quarter of an hour in front of the gate of Tong Garden under the scorching summer sun.

After the kiss, looking at Shen Qingqing’s misty eyes, Li Zhi smiled and slowly raised his hand.

Shen Qingqing moved her gaze over and saw a piece of white wax between Li Zhi’s index and middle fingers.

Shen Qingqing: …

She stared with her eyes wide open, but before she could curse, Li Zhi smiled at her and said softly, “I will never understand what it means to be hurt by love, because I won’t give you a chance to hurt me.”

Shen Qingqing frowned. ‘What is this? Showing off? ‘

As soon as the thought came to her mind, Li Zhi suddenly lowered his head, brushed his thin lips across her fair face, and whispered into her ear, “I have schemed against countless merchants, and I have schemed against emperor and ministers, but of all the women in the world, I, Li Zhi, have only schemed against you, and I will only scheme against you. If I am still hurt by you, then I am a failure as an emperor.”

End of Chapter 61

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