Shen Zaiye was taken aback and instinctively asked, “Do all women have such complex thoughts?”
“Not at all,” Lu Zhilan chuckled softly. “We only put in extra effort when it comes to someone we care about. I knew you wouldn’t take a love oracle, but the fortune teller said my love life would be rocky unless you carried the oracle with you. Now that I think about it, he was probably just a con artist.”
Squinting slightly, Shen Zaiye reflected on the gifts he had received from Jiang Taohua so far: a mediocre plate of peach blossom cakes, a pillow that had first been given to Prince Nan before being passed to him, and a handkerchief he had inadvertently taken from her.
That girl truly hadn’t put any thought into her gifts for him!
“Master,” Zhanlu returned, frowning as he whispered in Shen Zaiye’s ear, “We’ve searched the entire temple, but there’s no sign of Madam.”
Where could she have gone? Shen Zaiye’s face darkened as he turned to Lu Zhilan and said, “Jiang Shi is missing.”
“Does my lord wish to search for her?” Lu Zhilan raised an eyebrow. “As it happens, I need to go out to have my fortune interpreted. Shall we go together?”
Nodding, Shen Zaiye turned and headed outside.
He hadn’t noticed this issue before, but now that he had lost sight of her, Shen Zaiye realized just how short Jiang Taohua was. Such a tiny thing, her head disappeared in the crowd. Couldn’t she eat more and grow taller?
Irritably pushing through the crowd, Shen Zaiye looked around, refusing to admit he had failed to protect her. He resolved to scold her thoroughly once he found her.
Stepping out of the matchmaking temple’s main gate, the area became more spacious with fewer people. Shen Zaiye immediately spotted Jiang Taohua standing under the matchmaking tree. His heart eased, and he was about to approach when the crowd parted, revealing someone else besides her!
“Here, let me help you hang it up,” Li Jin extended his hand to her.
Taohua rolled her eyes, glancing at the high branch before reluctantly handing him the sachet. The sooner it was hung, the sooner she could leave.
The tree wasn’t adorned with sachets but with silver! The entire tree was covered in one-tale silver pieces! Foolish men and women were indeed easy to deceive! She felt a pang of regret, thinking that if times got tough in the future, she could come here to sell sachets.
Lost in her daydream, she suddenly noticed the light dim as someone approached. Taohua turned her head, unexpectedly meeting Shen Zaiye’s tense jawline.
“You two seem to be enjoying yourselves,” he said. “Even in this brief moment, you found time to hang a sachet?”
Li Jin started, glancing back at him with a frown. “Minister Shen.”
“Minister Li, Jiang Shi is still my primary wife,” Shen Zaiye stepped forward with a faint smile, taking the sachet from Li Jin’s hand. He continued coolly, “Minister Li should consider her reputation and avoid such improper behavior.”
Taohua’s heart skipped a beat as she rubbed her forehead.
Had she forgotten to check the almanac before leaving today? Why was she so unlucky? What was this scene? Caught in the act? Heaven knows she was just an innocent victim, she hadn’t done anything!
However, when Shen Zaiye looked back at her, his gaze was ice-cold, making her heart clench.
What was he doing? Suspecting her? In broad daylight, what kind of misconduct could she possibly engage in? He was the one who had left her outside, and what happened next wasn’t her willing choice. Why was he blaming her?
Pouting, Taohua suddenly felt a bit wronged. It was good to be a man, able to have multiple partners without criticism. But for a woman, even when she had done nothing, she would be scolded.
Angrily turning her back, Taohua bristled like a small angry cat, facing away from him. Let him stare all he wanted!
Did she dare to get angry? Shen Zaiye narrowed his eyes, shifting his gaze back to Li Jin. “If Minister Li has no other business, we’ll be taking our leave.”
“Minister Shen,” Li Jin frowned, looking at the sachet in his hand. “Forgive my frankness, but you’re quite domineering.”
He wouldn’t help Taohua get the antidote, yet he controlled her so tightly? It seemed like he cared for her, but in reality, he was just treating her as a plaything, wasn’t he?
Smiling coldly, Shen Zaiye glared at him and said in a frivolous tone, “What can I do? She likes me this way.”
Li Jin’s face turned slightly pale as he gritted his teeth, momentarily unable to speak. Shen Zaiye strode forward, grabbing Jiang Taohua and returning to Lu Zhilan’s side.
“Didn’t you want to have your fortune interpreted?” he said to Lu Zhilan with a grim face. “Go ahead, we’ll wait in the carriage.”
After studying him for a moment, Lu Zhilan snorted softly and left with her fortune slip. Shen Zaiye, without looking at the person in his hand, carried Jiang Taohua away from the matchmaking temple and back to the carriage.
As the curtain fell, his grip loosened, and Jiang Taohua curled into a ball, rolling into a corner and sulking.
“Are you still angry?” Shen Zaiye’s gaze was deep, his breathing heavy. “Shouldn’t I be the one who’s more upset about this?”
He had believed her previous words about not caring for Li Jin, yet in the blink of an eye, she was standing under the matchmaking tree with him. What for? Was she regretting their current relationship and trying to change her fate?
Clenching his fist tightly, Shen Zaiye stared at the curled-up figure. “Your silence means you admit it?”
“My lord can do as he pleases,” Taohua was extremely displeased, her hackles raised. “If you find me disagreeable, just tie me up and throw me in the lake!”
Hearing this attitude, Shen Zaiye was truly angered. He reached out and pulled her over, grasping her chin to make her look at him. “You’ve given up completely?”
Her eyes reddened, and Taohua opened her mouth, biting down on his hand. But as she bit, she realized something was wrong. Lifting his sleeve, she saw his wrist was bandaged.
“What’s this?” Taohua asked with a pout.
Shen Zaiye replied coldly, “Are all you women part dog? This is from Lu Zhilan’s bite.”
A surge of unpleasant feelings rushed through her heart. In a fit of anger, Jiang Taohua boldly swatted his hand away.
Damn it, even her bite wasn’t as strong as the other woman’s!
“Jiang Taohua,” Shen Zaiye was genuinely angry now. “Are you not afraid of death today?”
“Do as you wish, kill me or flay me!” Taohua responded furiously. “I’ve done nothing to wrong you, my conscience is clear!”
Standing with a former lover and still claiming a clear conscience? Shen Zaiye sneered, “So unless you’re caught in bed with someone, you’ll never admit it?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, his throat tightened. He immediately realized he had misspoken. However, the words had already reached her ears, and it was too late to take them back.
Taohua looked up at him, stunned. Her eyes reflected the pain his words had caused, making Shen Zaiye’s heartache in response. He quickly began, “I…”
“Are you two arguing?” Lu Zhilan lifted the carriage curtain, looking at the two in surprise. She stepped in and said, “What a strange way to argue, embracing while you quarrel?”
Taohua lowered her eyes, calmly removing Shen Zaiye’s hand and returning to her seat, saying nothing.
“What’s wrong?” Noticing a hint of panic on Shen Zaiye’s face, Lu Zhilan raised an eyebrow. “What are you anxious about, my lord?”
“Nothing,” Shen Zaiye frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Let’s head back to the manor.”
As the carriage started moving, Jiang Taohua continued to lean out, watching the scenery. This time, Shen Zaiye opened his mouth but didn’t reprimand her.
Something seemed off. Lu Zhilan narrowed her eyes, observing the two for a while before smiling and speaking, “My lord, can you guess what my fortune slip said?”
“Hmm?” Shen Zaiye responded absent-mindedly.
“The fortune teller said I’ve already obtained what I desired and should cherish it well,” she looked at him intently. “Should I cherish it?”
Without thinking, Shen Zaiye replied, “Fortune tellers are all frauds. If what he said was true, your matchmaking charm would have worked by now.”
Pouting, Lu Zhilan said, “You’re truly unromantic. When a man and woman visit a matchmaking temple together, who cares if it’s real or fake? We’re just seeking a connection of hearts.”
A connection of hearts between them? Shen Zaiye lowered his gaze, thinking that might be quite difficult.
Taohua stared expressionlessly at the receding scenery on both sides, completely ignoring the conversation inside. As soon as they arrived at the Minister’s residence, she jumped out of the carriage without a word and turned back to smile at the two people on the carriage step. “I’m not feeling well, so I’ll retire to rest. Please excuse me.”
With that, she headed straight for Zhengchun Pavilion without waiting for Shen Zaiye’s response.
Shen Zaiye frowned, watching her disappear, his hands behind his back clenched until they turned white.
“It seems she’s really angry,” Lu Zhilan wore an expression of anticipation, giggling softly. “Shouldn’t you hurry to comfort her, my lord?”
“You go inside,” Shen Zaiye said flatly. “I have some matters to attend to and need to go out for a while.”
Lu Zhilan raised an eyebrow, looked at him for a moment, and said seriously, “Let me warn you, women are easy to appease when they first get angry. But if you leave her alone to cool off, by the time she calms down, you might not matter to her anymore.”
“When have I ever mattered to her?” Scoffing, Shen Zaiye shook his sleeve and went to untie the horse from the front of the carriage. He mounted the saddle and rode off.
“Childish,” Lu Zhilan shook her head, muttering softly, “If it were Mingxuan, he’d know to comfort me immediately if I was angry. That’s what makes one feel cared for. You may be able to calculate all matters under heaven, but how can you not understand a woman’s heart?”
After her muttering, she remembered a certain name, and her expression darkened. Looking up at the “Minister’s Residence” sign on the entrance, she hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.
Back at Zhengchun Pavilion, Taohua angrily ate a bowl of beef noodles, drank some meat soup, and finished with a plate of desserts, finally calming her mood a bit.
“What’s wrong with the mistress?” Qing Tai asked curiously. “Did something happen?”
“It’s nothing,” Taohua narrowed her eyes. “I just got bitten by a dog while out, and I’m a bit angry thinking that I still have to wag my tail at the dog later.”
She was angry at Shen Zaiye for speaking that way, but she was even angrier that she relied on him for her livelihood and had to wait for him to ally with Zhao to attack Wu. No matter how unreasonable his words were, she could only treat him like an ancestor to be worshipped.
It was just too frustrating!
(End of Chapter)