Hearing Wen Zilong's amorous advances, a sudden chill filled her entire body.
Lan Jinqin's heart raced wildly. She stood there rigidly, not daring to turn her head.
Her slender, onion-root-like fingers tightly grasped the thin fabric of her clothes.
Wen Zilong.
How could he be so disgusting?
Touching her with a body that had touched other women, and making amorous advances so brazenly.
"Hubby, you're drunk," Lan Jinqin said, trying her best to stay calm. "I'll ask Liuli to prepare warm water and serve you to rest."
In the past, if Wen Zilong was rejected, he would just let Lan Jinqin do as she wished.
After all, he and Lan Jinqin had been in a cold war for four years. The meager affection between them as a couple had long since faded away in the years of wear and tear.
Occasionally, he would even recall the first two or three years after they got married.
Miss Lan's body was so soft!
When she was tenderly yielding beneath him, she was so obedient, not at all like the young lady from a military general's family.
So, occasionally, like tonight, when he was impulsive after drinking, Wen Zilong would embrace Lan Jinqin and make an advance.
But Lan Jinqin always had various reasons to reject him. If she really couldn't refuse, or because of the constraints of the Lan family, she would reluctantly submit and let him relieve his desires once.
But today, Wen Zilong didn't want to heed Lan Jinqin's rejection.
Because he wanted to reconcile with Lan Jinqin.
So he forcefully turned Lan Jinqin around, his big palm gripping the back of her head. He suddenly lowered his head and kissed those red lips that he hadn't touched for a long time.
Lan Jinqin's pupils shrank in shock. Wen Zilong's repulsive face filled her vision.
Lan Jinqin's delicate hands pushed hard against his chest, emitting muffled grunts of resistance. Her lips dodged left and right, and her chest felt as if it was stuffed with cotton, making it hard for her to catch her breath.
"Wen Zilong... get away from me!"
Wen Zilong was forced to pull back. He saw himself in Lan Jinqin's dark pupils.
The woman's cheeks were flushed, and there was a mist in her eyes. She looked in a sorry state.
Wen Zilong's Adam's apple rolled. He showed a wild smile and said, "Shy? Is it because I haven't touched you for a long time and you feel strange?"
Shy my ass!
Lan Jinqin cursed in her heart.
Was Wen Zilong blind? Couldn't he see that she was resisting?
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "What's wrong with you today, hubby? Did you get angry with Peilan, so you came here to seek comfort from me?"
She felt that Wen Zilong was different from usual tonight. There was something strange about him.
Wen Zilong's eyes flashed. He wanted to reveal the whereabouts of Caiyu, but the matter was of great importance. Without the prince's approval, he didn't dare to mention it.
He could only say, "Princess Nan'an attended the palace banquet tonight. The emperor and the empress intend to arrange a marriage alliance between the Xu family and Prince Yan... I remember that you used to be close friends with the eldest daughter of the Xu family. The princess will stay in the capital for some time to cultivate feelings with Prince Yan."
"You either embroider or go out to pray to the Buddha and seek medical treatment all day long. I see that you're very bored. Why don't you go and chat with the princess? Considering her eldest sister's sake, the princess will surely have a good conversation with you. It's better than staying at home alone all the time."
Lan Jinqin suddenly understood.
Both the Xu family and the Lan family were meritorious officials in founding the country, but the status of the Xu family was more prominent.
Xu Ying, the Duke of Founding the State, and her father, Lan Yuanyi, the Marquis of Yongchang, were also comrades-in-arms.
Later, however, the Duke of Founding the State led the Xu family's army to guard the southern prefecture in Yunnan, while they led the Lan family's army to the land of Jin.
"So hubby has taken a fancy to the power of the Xu family again..." Lan Jinqin couldn't help but sneer. "You're really a mean and calculating person. Isn't the Lan family enough for you to ruin?"
Lan Jinqin's words were straightforward enough, but Wen Zilong didn't feel ashamed at all.
"What are you saying, madam? Isn't all my hard work for our family..."
"The Xu family and the Lan family used to be on good terms. If something happened to the Lan family, and if madam went to rekindle the friendship between the two families, the Duke of Founding the State and his sons might say a few good words in the court. Maybe your father, mother, and elder brother could return to the court."
He even dared to mention the Lan family's return to the court!
Lan Jinqin wished she could scratch Wen Zilong's hypocritical face!
But since Wen Zilong needed her help, Lan Jinqin calmed down.
She softened her expression and nodded. "I see. It was I who was narrow-minded and wronged hubby. Don't be angry, hubby. I'll find an opportunity to visit Princess Nan'an."
Seeing her expression soften, with the water glistening in her almond eyes and the red lips that he had just kissed pouting, looking as beautiful as a fairy, Wen Zilong felt a rush of lust again.
He took a step forward and wanted to make another amorous advance.
The smell of alcohol assailed her. Lan Jinqin hurriedly grabbed his arm and said with a shallow smile, "I'm having my period today. I'm afraid I can't."
Wen Zilong stopped and looked at her suspiciously. "So coincidentally?"
"Don't you trust me, hubby?" Lan Jinqin's face turned cold. "Then you can check for yourself. However, a woman's dirty blood is inauspicious. If you touch or see it, it will be bad for your future."
Wen Zilong attached the most importance to his official position. Hearing this, he immediately lost interest. "Alright, alright, alright. How could I not trust you? Since that's the case, you rest."
He took a step to leave, but was grabbed by Lan Jinqin again.
Wen Zilong looked at her in confusion.
Lan Jinqin raised her face and asked with a smile, "Hubby, when I visit Princess Nan'an tomorrow, do you want me to visit the second and third masters of the Xu family on your behalf?"
The second master of the Xu family was the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and the third master was the Censor-in-Chief. They were colleagues with Wen Zilong in the same court.
They should have been colleagues who met often, but these two masters were close to Xiao Rencheng and always looked down on Wen Zilong.
Wen Zilong had racked his brains but couldn't establish a relationship with the Xu family.
Now that Lan Jinqin mentioned it, he couldn't be more pleased. "You're so thoughtful, madam. If you can help me with this, I'll be extremely grateful."
Lan Jinqin nodded. "It's easy for me to visit the princess, but as a woman, if I rashly talk to the two masters, it may not be proper... How about hubby writing a letter for me to take to the two masters, so that they know our Wen family's intention to make friends?"
Wen Zilong's alcohol hadn't worn off yet. Coupled with the unexpected events tonight, he didn't suspect anything. He immediately agreed:
"You're right, madam. I'll write a letter for you to take tomorrow."
After Wen Zilong wrote a letter in a flurry and gave it to Lan Jinqin, he left.
After seeing him leave, Lan Jinqin quickly unfolded the letter paper and studied it carefully for a long time. Then she looked up in confusion:
"The handwriting of the letter written after getting drunk is still different from that of father's treason letter. Why is that?"
Lan Jinqin fell into deep thought, and her beautiful face was covered with frost.
The conflict between her and Wen Zilong was, of course, not just a trivial matter between a husband and wife.
She came from a noble family. Although her parents had only each other in their lives, in this era when men were superior to women, even if her husband really fell in love with someone else, she wouldn't be so stupid as to quarrel with her husband to this extent... and even hate him so much that she wanted to cut off the Wen family's descendants.
The reason why she hated Wen Zilong so much was because of what happened four years ago.
Not long after the Lan family had an accident, she was eager to find someone everywhere to save the Lan family.
As the son-in-law of the Lan family and Lan Jinqin's husband, Wen Zilong was naturally the first person she thought of to ask for help.
However, Wen Zilong didn't return to the mansion for many days. He only sent someone to tell her that he was busy running around for the Lan family's affairs.
Two months passed in a flash, and the case of the Lan family had already been jointly tried by the three judicial departments and announced to the world.
That day, she heard that Wen Zilong had finally returned to the mansion. She rushed to the study in a hurry, but heard Wen Zilong conspiring with a stranger in the study.
"Please convey to His Highness the Crown Prince on behalf of me, Mr. Han, that the matter of the Lan family's treason is a foregone conclusion. Zilong has lived up to your trust. In the future, if His Highness has any instructions, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
Wen Zilong's gentle voice came from inside the room, making Lan Jinqin stop in her tracks.
She stood there blankly, her head buzzing. Her legs suddenly felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
What did Wen Zilong mean by what he said in the room?
Who was the Mr. Han in the room?
His Highness the Crown Prince...