The once cold and desolate small courtyard of Shen Linyi was now filled with a touch of earthly warmth.
How to describe it?
The originally somewhat deserted yard was now decorated in many places. There were lights along the small path, wind chimes on the eaves, and incense burners on the small table in the yard.
Next to the incense burners were fresh fruits, and the tea on the small stove was giving off a fragrant smell, not the astringency of aged tea leaves.
Liu Yun was originally lying on a bamboo recliner in the yard, basking in the sun and chewing on a sweet fruit. When she caught sight of Wen Heyu walking in from the corner of her eye, she put the half - bitten fruit aside, got up, and perfunctorily bowed.
"Yo, isn't this Lord Wen? What brings you to this humble place?"
The surprise on Wen Heyu's face didn't have time to fade. He forced a change of expression and stiffly squeezed out a smile. He tentatively asked, "How have you been these days?"
Liu Yun pretended to be innocent and blinked her eyes. "As you can see, Young Master Wen, we've been doing quite well. Why do you ask?"
"Looking at your face, Young Master, it seems that you're quite dissatisfied, as if our young lady should have led a hard life, being tormented every day, eating leftovers, and living a life worse than a pig or a dog."
The strong irony in Liu Yun's tone made Wen Heyu's face freeze. It seemed that his secret schemes had been seen through by Shen Linyi.
But in the past few days, he had been constantly scheming in the officialdom and had learned to hide his emotions and true thoughts. After the stiffness on his face faded, his smile became more genuine.
He shook his head repeatedly and bowed to Liu Yun. "Miss Liu Yun seems to have a lot of misunderstandings about me. Is it because of the matter of taking a concubine? But I was really helpless. Please convey my message and let me see Miss Shen."
Liu Yun snorted. Just as she was about to say something more, she heard the sound of the door of the room being opened.
Creak --
The door opened, and Shen Linyi slowly walked out of the room.
Shen Linyi was wearing a sky - blue dress. The embroidered patterns were faintly hidden under the floating gauze. A light - pink shawl was draped over her arm. As she walked, she was as lively and elegant as a fairy in a painting.
Half of her hair was gently scattered on her shoulders, and the other half was coiled up. A green jade hairpin was obliquely inserted into her black hair bun.
With such simple decorations, Shen Linyi looked extremely stunning, and Wen Heyu couldn't take his eyes off her.
The admiration in Wen Heyu's eyes made him more determined in his thoughts. He was even more eager to take Shen Linyi as his concubine.
But to his disappointment, Shen Linyi still wore the veil that hid her true face. He couldn't catch a glimpse of her real appearance, which made him even more itchy with curiosity.
"Liu Yun, don't be rude. Go and warm up a pot of hot tea."
Shen Linyi was afraid that Liu Yun's cold words would scare Wen Heyu away, which would be unfavorable for her plan with Liu Jingxian later. So she quickly stopped Liu Yun.
But in Wen Heyu's eyes, it was an act of Shen Linyi protecting him.
He was extremely confident now. Although Shen Linyi's residence looked much better, he thought that the nuns here must have tormented her both openly and secretly. Otherwise, Shen Linyi wouldn't have shown such a good attitude towards him.
After all, the cold and heartless look on Shen Linyi's face when he left last time was still vivid in his memory.
"Please sit down, Young Master Wen," Shen Linyi stretched out her hand and made a gesture of invitation.
Wen Heyu shifted his gaze from Shen Linyi's face, and then was dazzled by the delicate and fair hand that Shen Linyi showed from her sleeve.
By now, he couldn't help but sigh that even though he had come to the capital and met some noble ladies, he had never seen a woman more beautiful than Shen Linyi.
As the saying goes, one should marry a virtuous woman as a wife and a beautiful one as a concubine. If a woman as beautiful as Shen Linyi could be hidden in his backyard, it would be a great blessing.
"How have you been these days, Miss Shen? In a few days, I will be appointed an official. These days, I've been busy attending banquets and socializing with various officials. Now I finally have time to visit you."
Wen Heyu's eyes and eyebrows were slightly raised, looking extremely proud.
And in his words, he was constantly showing off his success in the officialdom to Shen Linyi.
Shen Linyi knew what was going on in her heart. She sneered secretly but didn't expose him.
But because she was annoyed by Wen Heyu's behavior, she didn't respond. She just sat quietly on one side, her eyes fixed on the bamboo leaves not far away. The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
Seeing that Shen Linyi didn't intend to respond, Wen Heyu felt a bit embarrassed for a moment, but inexplicably, anger welled up in his heart.
Although Shen Linyi was the benefactor who had helped him, in his heart, he still looked down on her.
He knew that Shen Linyi had a humble background and was from a low - status family. So he thought that it was a great honor for him to help her get out of the low - status family and give her the status of a concubine.
Most women in the world just wanted a stable life.
But Shen Linyi shouldn't have tried to take advantage of her kindness to him and expected to be his main wife.
Now that he had lowered his pride to ease the atmosphere, but Shen Linyi was still so cold, which really made Wen Heyu unhappy.
"Miss Shen, I was in a hurry last time and caused some misunderstandings. It was my fault. Now seeing that you're doing well here, I'm relieved."
"In a few days, there will be a Forest of Gems Banquet at the Qin'an Tower by the Huai River. All the scholars attending the banquet can bring their family members. Miss Shen... would you like to go with me?"
This was Wen Heyu's test. If Shen Linyi agreed, it would be a sign of softening. Wen Heyu firmly believed that as long as Shen Linyi saw the prosperity of the capital, she would never refuse him again.
This was exactly what Shen Linyi had been waiting for. But on the surface, she still pretended to be hesitant. "Bring family members? But I have no relation with you, Young Master Wen. In what capacity should I go?"
Wen Heyu thought that Shen Linyi's question was asking for a title. His face, which had been gentle at first, turned cold. "Since you know my intention, Miss Shen, why do you keep asking? Although I'm willing to promote you, you can't take advantage of your kindness to me again and again."
Then his tone softened a bit. "Forget it. We'll discuss these things later. Miss Shen must be very bored in the nunnery. Why don't you go to the banquet with me? I'm doing this for your own good."
Giving a slap and then a sweet date, Wen Heyu thought that he had completely controlled Shen Linyi.
A sneer curled up on Shen Linyi's lips, but she pretended to be convinced and hesitantly nodded. "Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Wen. In that case... I'll go and have a look."
Wen Heyu was overjoyed, thinking that there was finally some progress in getting Shen Linyi to be his concubine.
He showed a happy smile. If Shen Linyi didn't know Wen Heyu's true nature, she might have been deceived by the gentle and innocent joy on his face.
"Great! Miss Shen, I... I'm so happy."
After saying that, a blush appeared on Wen Heyu's ears, as if he had received a promise from his beloved.
But then, his actions revealed his dirty mind.