The dough in Chu Yan's hand dropped to the ground with a "splat", breaking the silence in the courtyard.
Steadying his nerves, Chu Yan bent down to pick up the dough and said softly, "Brother, don't jest."
Chu Jinli's tone wasn't pleasant. "Who's jesting with you? Anyway, she didn't notice that you took my place during the wedding ceremony last time. You can do it one more time this time."
After making sure he wasn't being tested, Chu Yan asked, "Why?"
Chu Jinli frowned. He thought Chu Yan had no right to ask the reason, but was afraid he'd slip up in front of Shang Yunruo. Although reluctant, he still told the truth. "Grandmother hopes I'll stay in her room tonight."
Chu Yan lowered his eyes slightly and carefully picked out the gravel from the dough bit by bit. His thick, long eyelashes concealed the cold glint in his eyes as he said, "I dare not."
Chu Jinli gave him a contemptuous look. A bastard would never amount to anything. He was as timid as a mouse.
He persuaded him. "I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong. What are you afraid of?"
Seeing that he was still hesitating, Chu Jinli said, "Alright, I'll give you a hundred taels of silver. That's enough for your monthly allowance for half a year, isn't it?"
He thought that for this "huge temptation" of a hundred taels, Chu Yan would surely agree.
The corner of Chu Yan's mouth twitched. Pretending to be cowardly, he said, "But if the matter is exposed, I'll offend the Prime Minister's Mansion. What future will I have?"
Chu Jinli said, "There will be another imperial examination in a year. If you pass, you'll have a future."
Although he said so, Chu Jinli didn't believe that Chu Yan would excel in the imperial examination.
Chu Yan's hand paused for a moment. His voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum. "But I can't wait for a year."
Chu Jinli asked curiously, "Why can't you wait?"
Chu Yan looked up at him. Instead of answering his question, he said directly, "If brother can arrange a job for me in the Patrol Battalion, I'll have the courage to take the risk."
This wasn't difficult, but Chu Jinli stared at him suspiciously, as if trying to find a flaw. Why did he always feel that he'd fallen into Chu Yan's trap?
"If it's not possible, forget it, brother. I don't want to take this risk either."
Chu Yan refused softly again, but Chu Jinli felt coerced. He took a deep breath, but could only suppress his anger and agree.
After they made an agreement, Chu Jinli walked to the courtyard gate and then stopped. After a moment's pause, he turned around and instructed, "Just muddle through. Don't touch her. Don't get too close to her."
Chu Yan lowered his eyelids again, not saying yes or no.
After Chu Jinli left, Yin Shan quietly returned to the roof. Like someone watching a show, he said, "Your brother really trusts you. I've never seen someone put a cuckold on himself."
Chu Yan ignored him and continued the previous topic. "Was anyone discovered?"
Yin Shan said cheerfully, "You do care about her. Your first question wasn't what they were going to do, but whether Shang Yunruo's whereabouts were exposed."
Chu Yan shot him a cold look. Yin Shan was afraid he'd throw the dough at him and kept begging for mercy. "Don't hit me, don't hit me. Can't I stop talking? No one was discovered. I've been following that maid. She disguised herself very carefully. She changed her clothes on the way and I almost lost track of her."
After saying that, seeing that Chu Yan had picked up another piece of dough and started kneading it, Yin Shan asked curiously, "Aren't you curious about what she's going to do?"
Chu Yan concentrated on kneading the dough patiently according to the steps taught by Shang Yunruo and said calmly, "Not curious."
Because he knew.
Originally, he was still wondering if that dream was just a dream and had no meaning at all. But now the development of things was gradually confirming the progress in the dream.
Just like in the dream, she sent someone to find the courtesan and should have bought the aphrodisiac powder.
But what puzzled him was that in the dream, the medicine was used on the day of his coming-of-age ceremony. Why did she go to buy it now? It was a month earlier than in the dream.
She bought the aphrodisiac powder today, and grandmother forced Chu Jinli to stay in her room. Logically, she should want to use the medicine today.
Chu Yan tightly pursed his lips. If Chu Jinli hadn't asked him to take his place today, if Yin Shan hadn't discovered their whereabouts, would today have been the day?
An indescribable sinister emotion was spreading. It was like a ferocious beast devouring reason was gradually destroying his calm appearance and exposing his sinister and wanton side.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. Fortunately, nothing had happened yet.
He wouldn't let this happen.
---
Suddenly, an unexpected rain came, relieving the sweltering heat at the end of spring and approaching summer. But it was chilly at night.
Shang Yunruo stood under the eaves. The rain fell like strings of beads from the tiles onto the bluestone bricks. The cool fragrance of grass and trees wafted into her heart. She asked, "What time is it?"
Chu Yao brought a brocade cloak and put it on her. She replied, "It's three quarters past the Xu hour. Miss, please go into the house first. I'll send someone to find out where the Marquis is."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Yao suddenly saw a tall figure appear in the courtyard.
The man was wearing a dark raincoat with a hood that covered most of his face. He was holding a black umbrella and didn't carry a lantern in his hand. Chu Yao looked left and right but couldn't see his face clearly.
However, at this time, the only person who could appear openly in the inner courtyard must be the Marquis.
Shang Yunruo also heard the footsteps. She nervously grabbed Chu Yao's hand and asked, "Is it my husband?"
Chu Yao asked loudly and cautiously, "Is it the Marquis?"
The man walked closer from afar, with his head slightly lowered. His deep voice mixed with the sound of the rain. "Yes, go down."
This was the Marquis's voice.
Chu Yao took another look by the dim light of the bamboo lantern that was flickering in the wind. The dark blue satin pattern on his body was indeed what the Marquis usually wore.
Shang Yunruo instructed, "Chu Yao, you don't need to serve here anymore."
Chu Yao responded and left. Shang Yunruo stretched out her slender hand in front of him and said softly, "Husband, I can't see the way. Please help me into the house."
He stood under the corridor, put away the umbrella, and took off the hood. A flash of lightning illuminated his exquisitely carved face pale. The red marks under his eyes added a touch of charm and evil to his proud and cold temperament.
Seeing that he didn't say a word for a long time, a trace of nervousness crept into Shang Yunruo's soft voice. "I've prepared some fine wine. I'd like to drink with my husband."
Fine wine? Was it the wine with the aphrodisiac powder in it?
Chu Yan slightly lowered his eyelashes and stared at her outstretched soft hand. After a moment's silence, he placed the back of his hand under her palm and let her rely on his strength to enter the house.
In the Changchun Courtyard just one courtyard away, Chu Jinli was leaning against the comfortable couch but didn't feel the slightest bit of leisure.
Xue Ning'an was in high spirits today and was dancing the newly learned Green Waist Dance for him, but his eyes kept wandering outside the window and he seemed absent-minded.
Chu Yan should have arrived by now, right? What were they doing? She didn't recognize him on their wedding night, but after getting along for so long, she should be able to recognize him, right?
What if she didn't recognize him? And she was eager to consummate the marriage with him.
Chu Yan wouldn't dare to touch her... right?
Shang Yunruo's charming and graceful figure even made his heart flutter. Chu Yan was a young and vigorous man. The two of them were alone in a room at night...
Chu Jinli clenched his fists and suddenly stood up, knocking over the wine cup.
He ignored the spilled wine on the ground and Xue Ning'an's inquiring voice. He just left a sentence "I'll go back and have a look" and then quickly walked into the rain with an umbrella in his hand.
When Chu Jinli arrived at the Muchenxuan, there was no one serving in the courtyard. He quickly walked to the door of the house, paused for a moment but didn't go in.
He slipped to the side window and through the slightly ajar gap, he saw Shang Yunruo tightly holding Chu Yan's hand and gently stroking it!
His slender fingers had excellent bone structure, but the calluses on his fingertips suddenly made Shang Yunruo recall a familiar tactile sensation.
Just like the day when the thief stole the ledger. She was inside the window and he was outside. The tactile sensation when his warm fingertips wrapped around her cold wrist was exactly the same as this moment.
She blurted out, "A Yan?"