Fu Zhen closed her eyes, and the little bit of relief in her heart vanished without a trace, leaving only a heavy feeling that lingered in her heart.
It was related to her. Didn't that mean the matter between him and her had reached the ears of Uncle and Aunt?
She angrily clenched her handkerchief, her mood extremely complicated. She was annoyed at his self - assertion, yet at the same time, she couldn't help but be touched that Uncle and Aunt were willing to discipline their own son for her sake.
You know, in this day and age, the blame never falls on men. If it were another family, they would probably point at her, the cousin girl, and scold her for being shameless and seducing their son.
"How is he now?" she asked with a complicated expression.
Yuan Bao shook his head, clearly worried. "Not good. His Lordship has ordered that no one is allowed to go in and visit. Just now, it was quiet in the ancestral hall. I'm really afraid that His Highness might faint from excessive blood loss, which is why I rushed back to get some wound medicine to secretly send in."
Fu Zhen pursed her lips. "I've brought the wound medicine. You can take it to him."
But Yuan Bao lowered his head a bit more. "I have an impertinent request..."
Fu Zhen instantly guessed what he wanted to say. After a moment of silence, she sighed. "Forget it. I'll take it there myself."
After all, this matter was related to her. She might as well go and see what a sorry state the once - imposing Heir of Wu'an Marquis was in now.
Yuan Bao was overjoyed. "Yes, thank you, Second Miss!"
The ancestral hall enshrined the memorial tablets of the ancestors. Even if it was carefully cleaned on weekdays, it was still somewhat gloomy.
Fu Zhen stood at the door and looked up at the closed gate. "Biyu, wait outside."
After saying that, she took the wound medicine from her hand and pushed the door open to go in.
Qian Tong silently made way, blocking the howling wind and snow, and also quietly shielding them from prying eyes.
Inside the ancestral hall, Chen Tingfeng was kneeling on the ground. His once - straight back was now slightly bent.
Fu Zhen looked at his back by the dim candlelight and slowly approached him.
"...Cousin, why did you come for a stroll here?" He didn't turn around and still knelt there, but his voice was deep and hoarse, unlike his usual cold tone.
Even in this state, he still wouldn't talk properly.
Fu Zhen stood behind him, three steps away. The light from the candlestick cast a long shadow of her, as if it was intertwined with Chen Tingfeng's figure.
"To watch cousin make a fool of himself," she said indifferently.
Chen Tingfeng seemed to let out a laugh. He moved with some difficulty, and the wound on his body seemed to crack slightly, oozing a bit of blood. After enduring for a moment, he laughed softly again. "It's really an honor for me that you came to see me."
Seeing him being so stubborn in this state, an inexplicable anger welled up in Fu Zhen's heart. She sneered. "It seems that cousin's injuries are still too light. You still have the energy to joke with me."
Chen Tingfeng was silent for a moment. Just when Fu Zhen thought he might have fainted from kneeling, she heard him say, "It's not a joke."
He really didn't expect that she would come to see him.
He thought she would loathe him so much that she didn't even want to see him.
Fu Zhen was speechless.
Just like this, one kneeling and the other standing, the only sound they could hear was the howling wind outside.
Suddenly, Fu Zhen threw the box in her hand to his side. The box landed on the ground with a dull thud. "Wound medicine. Apply it yourself."
Chen Tingfeng's head moved slightly. He lowered it as if looking at the box, but he didn't reach out. He just shook his head slightly. "No need."
"Do you want to die?" Fu Zhen didn't expect him to react like this. She suddenly clenched her hands, and her eyes stared fixedly at his back, as if she wanted to stare a hole in him.
Chen Tingfeng suddenly laughed again. "If I die, I won't pester cousin anymore. Isn't that good?"
"Chen Tingfeng!" Fu Zhen could no longer suppress the anger in her chest. She suddenly stepped forward a few steps, stood in front of him, and grabbed his collar. Her eyes were full of anger. "What on earth are you thinking!"
"Thinking about you," Chen Tingfeng looked into her eyes. The anger lit up her eyes, like her vibrant life force, which had taken root and sprouted in his heart without him knowing. "Thinking about you."
"Thinking about whether you're going to look at other men again, thinking about why you just won't look at me, thinking about whether you have me in your heart when you bring me the medicine now!"
He looked at her bright eyes, and a slow smile appeared on his pale face. "It's all you, and only you."
A proud man like him might only be willing to confess his love so straightforwardly to his beloved at such a sorry low point in his life.
He reached out and gently held her slender wrist. She tried to withdraw her hand, but he gently and firmly held it in his.
Fu Zhen was in a complete mess. Her anger had long since disappeared.
Chen Tingfeng wouldn't let her dodge. His gaze was fixed on her, and his voice was hoarse but firm. "Zhenzhen, I fancy you."
Outside, the wind and snow quietly subsided. The strong wind blew away the clouds, and after the snow stopped, the bright sunlight shone through.
Fu Zhen fled in a hurry.
Chen Tingfeng watched her leave. He watched the door open and then close. The ancestral hall was still as cold as before, but he seemed to have seen the sun after the clouds had dispersed.
He lowered his head, looked at the medicine box lying quietly on the ground, and reached out to pick it up.
After a long while, he gently held the medicine box, and his low laughter slowly filled the ancestral hall.
Except for the people in the Marquis Mansion, no one else knew about the matter of Chen Tingfeng being disciplined by family law.
In the evening, Lady Bai came to the Bamboo - Clear Courtyard.
She held Fu Zhen's hand and sighed softly. She seemed hesitant to speak, as if she didn't know how to start. It was a long time before she said, "You've been wronged."
Chen Tingfeng wouldn't suddenly go to her so straightforwardly for no reason. She knew his character best. He was the most steady and calm person. He must have been stimulated and was eager to find an answer, which was why he directly went to her.
And the source of this stimulation could only be Fu Zhen.
Fu Zhen knew what she was referring to. She just shook her head slightly. "Aunt already knows?"
"I only know his feelings for you. I don't know what exactly happened between you two," Lady Bai said. She hesitated a bit but finally asked, "Zhenzhen, Aunt just wants to know what you think?"
Then, she quickly added, "You can just tell Aunt. If this is all his one - sided wish, Aunt will go back and put an end to his thoughts. I'll definitely discipline him well and never let him bother you again."
...What did she think?
Fu Zhen was silent. After a long while, she shook her head with a bitter smile. "I don't know."
She was very confused now. There were all kinds of thoughts in her mind. Sometimes it was the indifferent look he had in her previous life, and sometimes it was the look of him holding her hand firmly and saying he fancied her in this life.
Everything seemed to be in a complete mess all of a sudden. She was caught off guard and couldn't resist.
"Aunt, let me think it over carefully."
Let her think carefully about what she should do.