“Li Huaisu, what makes you think we’d be fooled by one lock? When you’re performing the empty fortress strategy, could you not light fires to cook in the kitchen? The smoke from that chimney is pouring out like a flood!”

This supremely arrogant voice…

Suzhen paused, lowered her hands from rubbing her eyes, and counted one, two, three, four, five, six… twice as many people. On the left were her people, hanging their heads dejectedly. On the right… Lian Qin stood in the center of the hall with an expression that said “you idiot.”

Suzhen glanced at Uncle Fu, who was silently serving tea and water to the people on the right with two young servants from the household. “You… cooked?”

Uncle Fu sighed. “You… ordered it.”

“Little Zhou, entertain the guests.” Suzhen touched her nose and glanced at the man in the central position. He held a teacup, looking at her indifferently. Feeling stifled, she turned and walked away.

Lian Qin shouted loudly behind her.

When she entered the room, Lian Yu followed. She didn’t speak, just sat down at the table.

Lian Yu spoke behind her, “If you keep making trouble, pack up and get lost. Don’t bother with overturning cases either.”

His tone was as cold as these past two days. Just this one sentence forced tears from Suzhen’s eyes. She whirled around, “If I wanted to make trouble, would I have drunk all the medicine you gave me?”

Lian Yu looked at her, silent for a long time. After a while, he said, “Why didn’t you want the clothes and jewelry I bought you?”

Suzhen slammed the table and rose, glaring at him angrily, “Then why don’t you want me to bear your children?”

This time, Lian Yu paused even longer, his expression complex. “The matter of you bearing my children – I never thought about it in my heart.”

These words chilled half of Suzhen’s heart too.

“You still think I have ulterior motives, still think I love Li Zhaoting. But didn’t you once love A’luo too? That night when you told me to leave, I was the fool, thinking you wanted me. If you and I… would you be able to let go of past matters? Could we truly start fresh? In your heart, you must be thinking I’m just an immodest girl!”

She awkwardly wiped her eyes with her hand. “Let’s go out first. Your brothers finally came over. If I don’t go out, even if they don’t say anything, they’ll certainly blame me in their hearts. We’ll settle our matters later.”

She got up and walked to the door. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached from behind and pressed her into an embrace.

Her whole body stiffened.

“You didn’t understand what I meant just now. In my heart, I never thought you would want my children.”

His voice fell lightly on the top of her head, rich and low, his tone very calm, seemingly not carrying much emotion, with detached indifference overflowing on the surface.

He was clearly holding her, yet the two seemed separated by distance.

“Without children, if someday you regret it, you can still withdraw. You’re always able to withdraw from me. But with children, if you no longer love me, you’ll also hate that child. Li Huaisu, I can tolerate you hating me – hate me however you want – but I cannot tolerate you hating mine and your child.” he said.

Suzhen felt extremely hurt. She suddenly turned around, looking up at him intently, “Why would I regret it? You’re afraid you’ll regret it yourself, so you keep reminding me not to be replaced by others. Lian Yu, you once said you’d treat me very, very well. Your words don’t count!”

Like an accusation, her words struck his face sentence by sentence.

Lian Yu curved his lips somewhat mockingly, “You once loved Li Zhaoting, now you like me. Of course, your love for me may not be as much as for him, but you do like me somewhat now, don’t you? People change.”

“I don’t like Li Zhaoting more than you!” Suzhen angrily said, then suddenly realized she seemed unable to refute his latter statement.

People indeed change.

“Yes, I admit you’re right. But if everyone thinks like you, there would be nothing but resentful couples in this world. Who could still be sweet and loving? Since no one can predict future matters, shouldn’t we get along well now? When our feelings become unbreakable, apart from life and death, nothing else could separate us. I definitely won’t change then. I damn well won’t change – if anyone changes, it’ll be you!”

She roared at him in a low voice.

Lian Yu’s eyes darkened as he gripped her shoulders and pressed her against the wall. “No, one day, perhaps when you discover I’m not as good as you imagined, you’ll change your mind. Do you dare say you’ll love me forever?”

Suzhen blurted out, “Whether you’re good or bad, I dare say, I’ll forever—”

He looked at her coldly, listening to her angry shouts, then suddenly bent down to block all her words.

Suzhen was kissed breathless by him, desperately hitting him. He let her hit him, and finally, speaking the coldest words while his eyes grew dark and deep, he suddenly lifted her horizontally and placed her in the bed.

“Lian Yu, you bastard! You’re a damn bastard!”

Suzhen gritted her teeth and cursed, desperately dodging his kisses. He was clearly the one who didn’t care, yet he wore an expression like “actually you’re the one who’s wrong!” She was angry and furious with him, but when he suddenly took her hand and kissed her scar again, her heart softened.

Finally, somehow they ended up kissing together. He roughly tore open her clothing without tenderness, cupping her peaks and kissing them intensely, his large hand stroking down from her chest, probing into her skin, kneading forcefully!

Suzhen’s body, after yesterday’s intimacy, was already different. Being tormented like this by him, she couldn’t help trembling, crying out uncomfortably, yet not daring to truly cry out. She could only bite down hard on his shoulder. He stared at her intently, his gaze so dark it made her tremble. He grasped her hand, guiding it to his waistband and pulling it open.

He continuously moved up and down on her body as she gasped and moaned, her voice broken beyond recognition, “No more, they’re outside… How will I face people later…”

“Let them be outside!” he said in a low voice, then suddenly gripped her shoulders and thrust hard several times before abruptly withdrawing.

Something shot onto the outer robe he had just removed and placed beneath her. Suzhen looked hazily, her whole body weak and sore.

He quickly put on his undergarment and pants, turned and sat up, lifting her entire body and pressing her deeply into his embrace.

“Three years later, when your family’s case is settled and you’re no longer distracted, if you still haven’t changed then, bear me some children.”

His arms were like iron, making Suzhen’s bones creak as if he wanted to embed her into his own body, yet his voice remained light, carrying slight hoarseness as it breathed by her ear.

Perhaps, when you discover I’m not as good as you imagined…

Three years later, when your family’s case is settled…

Suzhen’s heart stirred for a moment, actually recalling Quan Feitong’s words.

As far as I know, the late emperor never issued such an edict.

Her whole body trembled, but then she cursed herself inwardly. If it were truly as Quan Feitong said, how could Lian Yu keep you by his side? Wouldn’t he fear you discovering the truth?

You’re right by his pillow. Even if his martial arts are a hundred times better than yours and he has skilled protectors around him, killing him wouldn’t be difficult!

He couldn’t possibly agree to let you retry this case in three years, to personally slay your enemy.

She suppressed this dark thought, feeling bittersweet. They seemed very close, yet he was no longer like before.

He only spoke of what would happen in three years, but never mentioned marrying her, though he’d had that thought before.

She still had to work hard. This time, let her chase him?!

And she had to constantly watch out for people like Shuangcheng and Miaoyin. She clenched her fists.

He had already released her, going familiarly to her wardrobe to look for clothes. He casually held up an outer robe against himself, “A bit small.”

Suzhen glanced at that mess on the bed, her face completely red, “Shut up! Wear it or don’t. If you don’t acknowledge me, don’t recognize me, don’t touch my bed again…”

This time Lian Yu actually raised his eyebrows appreciatively, saying, “Next time we’ll do it at the villa or in the palace. Your bed is too small and narrow, and the quality isn’t good – it squeaks and creaks. Indeed not very comfortable.”

Suzhen’s face burned hot enough to cook eggs. She pounded the bed hard, “That’s not what I meant!”

He didn’t care what she meant, putting on the outer robe and walking back to the bed, pulling her up and helping her dress. She still dressed as a man. Finally, he grasped her foot, crouching down to put on her shoes.

“Let’s go. We’ve already delayed some time. I know you’re disappointed. I won’t return to the palace tonight – let’s go to the villa.” He said lightly, taking her hand and walking out.

When he helped her put on shoes just now, Suzhen had felt somewhat shy, but hearing this, she wanted to slap him across the face.

The two walked hand in hand. He asked about the two matters he’d had her consider yesterday. Suzhen knew that in confronting him, this emotional issue was a prolonged battle that couldn’t be resolved quickly. Some things had to be conquered through subtle influence. Naturally, she wouldn’t entangle too much now, also caring about these two matters. “You reminded me about Wuyan’s situation. I always felt something was wrong, but I couldn’t grasp anything before, and I had many matters of my own, so I didn’t think deeply. Yesterday when you mentioned it, I discussed with everyone for a long time, but still had no clue.”

“But fortunately she didn’t drink the wine, so I feel somewhat relieved.”

Lian Yu pondered slightly, “Let’s set this matter aside for now. I’ll look into it further. What about your Feng family matter?”

“Last night I went to the Personnel Ministry’s Gao Chaoyi to retrieve materials from my father’s official service for study. The old man didn’t serve long, just three or four years,” Speaking of her father, Suzhen felt quite troubled, “Usually he was easy-going and cheerful, but when handling cases he was like Judge Bao possessed, managing to offend every official in court without exception. Being able to offend everyone is quite an achievement.”