She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 228 Second Master, they want to marry the princess to you?

Gu Changsheng removed the thin veil covering his eyes. His long eyelashes trembled slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. His light brown pupils seemed to be covered with a dark veil, losing their clear luster.

He rarely stayed indoors, and basically only took off the veil at night to rest.

Gu Changsheng's eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. He looked down at a scroll on the small table. His vision was blurry, but he could vaguely make out the words written on the scroll.

The page he opened to in this copy of "Zeng Guang Xian Wen" was the very page he had read back then.

Beside him was one of his jade pendants, and below that was a slightly disheveled thin blanket, one corner of which was draped over a half-finished chess set. Everywhere revealed traces of life, as if the owner of the house had only left for a moment and would return at any time.

Gu Changsheng slowly closed his eyes, and a hand with well-proportioned joints covered his eyes.

-

When Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi returned to Lanxue Garden, they saw the Master and Madam waiting for them in the house.

They bowed and said, "May Father be well and Mother be blessed."

The First Madam held Shen Qingtan's arm, looking at her haggard face: "Child, you've suffered so much."

Shen Qingtan shook her head: "Mother, I am happy that Second Master's illness can be cured and my cousin has come home."

The First Madam smiled; upon hearing the good news, she was naturally delighted.

However, Zhao Yi's condition did not improve, and he could not find peace of mind for even a day.

The bitterness in one's heart is the most agonizing.

“I’m usually good at judging people. I wasn’t wrong before, was I? Tan’er is a blessed person. She has brought good fortune to our family.” The First Madam looked at Zhao Yi with kind eyes. Seeing that his complexion had improved a lot, a smile appeared in her eyes: “We’ve finally overcome our hardships.”

They searched for years without any news of Zhong Yuan. Shen Qingtan found Zhong Yuan a few months after marrying into the family, but after many twists and turns, it turned out that the one who could cure Zhao Yi was her own cousin.

The First Madam was very grateful to Shen Qingtan. If it weren't for her, Zhao Yi might not have had the opportunity he had today.

"Hey, we're family, why are you being so formal?" The master looked at the smile on the first wife's face, a smile that inexplicably made him feel uncomfortable, and couldn't help but joke, "Madam, don't just talk the talk, give your daughter-in-law something real, that will show how sincere we are."

The First Madam's emotions were suddenly disrupted by the Master, and she gritted her teeth, glancing at him.

The old man interpreted the look in her eyes as: You dare to undermine me? You just wait.

He felt deeply wronged, but had no way to seek justice for himself.

You can't exactly say I can't stand seeing you laugh like that, can you?

If he dares to say that, his wife will make him a sacrifice.

The First Madam took out a key from her sleeve and placed it in Shen Qingtan's hand: "Tan'er, I heard that you like the scenery of West Mountain, so I bought a courtyard there, right next to your fourth uncle and aunt's Forget-Worry Pavilion. You can go there to relax on weekdays."

Shen Qingtan: "..."

Thanks to the Fourth Madam's careful arrangements, she no longer wanted to go to West Mountain.

However, one cannot refuse the elders' good intentions.

Shen Qingtan accepted the key: "Thank you, Mother. Now that my husband's poison has been cured, we will go there to recuperate."

"That's a good idea," the First Madam casually remarked. "Your fourth uncle is staying in the capital these days. You and your husband can invite them to come along when you go to the Western Hills. It'll make it more lively."

Shen Qingtan forced a smile but did not respond.

If she invites the Fourth Madam to go along, something is bound to happen. As for what it will be, she can't predict, but it will definitely not be peaceful.

The First Madam had come specifically to check on Zhao Yi's condition. Seeing that his condition had improved, she felt relieved and decided to take her leave so as not to disturb their rest.

Before leaving, the First Madam remembered something and reminded her, "On the day the Second Branch moved out, the palace arranged for people to monitor the Duke's Mansion. Be careful."

Shen Qingtan asked, "Mother, whose person is it?"

The First Madam glanced at Zhao Yi: "A member of the Imperial Family."

Ever since the second branch of the family made a move against Yi'er, Emperor Jing'an has sent people to keep an eye on the Duke's mansion to prevent the second branch from having any more malicious intentions.

She said to Shen Qingtan earnestly, "Although the Emperor is on your side, there are some things you still need to do in a more discreet manner."

Shen Qingtan understood the meaning behind the First Madam's words; she was secretly making small moves to keep it from Emperor Jing'an's eyes and ears.

She nodded.

The First Madam and the First Master left Lanxue Garden.

Shen Qingtan looked at the key in her hand, took Zhao Yi's hand, and placed the key in his palm: "You keep it."

Zhao Yi held the key, not revealing her thoughts, and deliberately teased, "In a few days, my cousin will be helping me detoxify. After the detoxification, it will be the hottest time of the year, perfect for escaping the heat in Xishan. I'll arrange for someone to go to Xishan to make preparations later, and when that day comes, we can move in directly."

Shen Qingtan naturally couldn't back down, and gave him a bright smile: "If you want to make things easier, we can stay in the same courtyard again, since it's for your recovery anyway."

Shen Qingtan emphasized the last two words.

Zhao Yi: "..."

Shen Qingtan raised her hand and pulled out the hairpin from her hair, her long, black hair cascading down to her slender waist. She called out to Liu Yue, who was waiting at the door, "Yue'er, come in and help me with my bath."

Zhao Yi: "..."

Shen Qingtan walked to the screen, as if suddenly remembering that Zhao Yi was still standing outside, and turned to smile at him: "Second Master, you must be exhausted from the journey. You are very weak. You should lie down and rest first."

The allure of her glance captivated Zhao Yi, who strode toward the inner room. There she saw that she had put down her hairpin, her collar slightly loosened, and the Xiangfei-colored fabric accentuated her snow-white skin.

He swallowed slightly and continued walking toward her without stopping.

With a creak, the tightly closed door was pushed open.

Zhao Yi was as if waking from a dream when he saw her looking at him with a smile, as if asking: What are you doing here?

"Second Master, Second...Second Madam..."

Liu Yue stood blankly at the door, unsure whether to go in or go out.

Shen Qingtan stopped teasing him and walked lightly into the bathroom: "Come in."

Zhao Yi did not move.

Liu Yue didn't dare to move.

Zhao Yi calmly instructed, "Go and serve Second Mistress."

"Yes." Liu Yue lowered her head and hurriedly entered the bathroom.

Zhao Yi raised his hand to rub his brow bone, and smiled helplessly, as if thinking of something.

She has always been a strong-willed person; if he makes a joke, she will definitely have him under her thumb and then retaliate.

Zhao Yi coughed a few times and came out of the house, where he saw Jiang Chao striding towards him.

"Second Master," Jiang Chao said cryptically, glancing at Chun Jiao and Ting Xue who were guarding the door, "there's been some progress on the matter you sent your subordinates to investigate."

Zhao Yi nodded slightly and strolled towards the room.

As soon as the two entered the room, Jiang Chao hurriedly said, "The King of Qi from Northern Qi has come to the capital and brought a princess with him for a marriage alliance."

At this point, he said with a strange expression, "The people of Northern Qi are secretly investigating you. Could it be that they want to marry the princess to you?"

In Jiang Chao's view, the Second Prince was merely a subject and not worth the Northern Qi's large-scale investigation.

The Northern Qi should investigate the princes of the Great Zhou, and marry their princess to the most outstanding one.

“You are neither a prince nor a great general. The first thing they did upon arriving in the Great Zhou was to arrange for someone to investigate you. If they didn’t have this intention, why would they go to such lengths?”

Jiang Chao, with a sour face, said, "You're married now, they wouldn't actually do such a despicable thing, would they?"