Chapter 318: Zhi Wan Complains Her Cousin Is Weak
Chapter 318: Chapter 318: Zhi Wan Complains Her Cousin Is Weak
"Of course, it’s true," Lu Zhan said, amused. He reached out and gently tapped her cute nose. "Whatever I have is yours."
"Good. Then you’re never allowed to go carousing again," Zhi Wan said, looking at him with a serious expression.
Lu Zhan froze for a moment, then said earnestly, "I never go carousing."
Zhi Wan shot him a sidelong glance. "Cousin, you’re telling a blatant lie. You haven’t just visited every Brothel in the Capital City, but every Brothel in Yangzhou City, too. I bet you’ve even gotten to know quite a few Oirans, haven’t you?"
Lu Zhan: "..."
"And what about those ’slender horses’? They eagerly followed you all the way to the Capital City, hoping to become your concubines." Zhi Wan couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed as she spoke.
’Cousin is normally so aloof and dismissive toward women, but that doesn’t stop them from falling for him.’
’Come to think of it, Cousin has left a trail of broken hearts.’
"Are you jealous?" Lu Zhan asked, lifting her chin.
"Of course not," Zhi Wan said, swatting his hand away.
Lu Zhan sighed and pulled her into his arms. "The only reason I was going to Brothels back then was because of you, wasn’t it?"
"Because of me?" Zhi Wan frowned. "What does you visiting Brothels have to do with me? Did I tell you to go?"
"Have you forgotten? Back in the dream, I guessed your origins, but you didn’t deny it then," Lu Zhan reminded her.
Hearing this, Zhi Wan immediately remembered.
’Back then, Cousin had guessed she was a Courtesan.’
’She hadn’t denied it, wanting to avoid trouble.’
Realizing this, her voice softened. "You were looking for me?"
"Mmm," Lu Zhan nodded.
Zhi Wan said sheepishly, "Alright, I can’t blame you then."
"It was never my idea to go in the first place," Lu Zhan said with a sense of helplessness.
"Even so, from now on, you have to report to me before you go drinking outside. Also, you should spend less time with Junior Minister Duan and Junior Minister Ouyang," Zhi Wan instructed.
Those two love to go carousing. Even though Duan Ling’s marriage to Ouyang Zhenzhu is already set, a leopard can’t change its spots. Some bad habits don’t just disappear because you’re getting married.
’Cousin is close with them. If this goes on, bad company is bound to corrupt him.’
"I don’t even like hanging out with them. From now on, I’ll refuse all their invitations," Lu Zhan promised.
"That’s more like it."
"Alright, my little nag. Hurry up and go pay your respects to Father and Mother. The two of them are about to wear their eyes out waiting for us," Lu Zhan said, amused.
"You’re the nag," Zhi Wan retorted, dissatisfied.
Lu Zhan: "..."
Meanwhile, at the Ministry of Justice, Duan Ling and Junior Minister Ouyang both suddenly sneezed several times.
’Could someone be talking badly about us behind our backs?’
As they spoke, Zhi Wan and Lu Zhan arrived at Lan Courtyard.
Lady Wei and Lu Zhenbei had been waiting for a long time.
However, neither of them showed any impatience. Seeing the couple finally arrive, they were both grinning from ear to ear.
Even a man as stern as Lu Zhenbei, who rarely smiled, had a rare smile on his face.
"Father, Mother, we’ve kept you waiting," Zhi Wan said, feeling a little apologetic.
"We’d wait for you no matter how long it took," Lady Wei said, not minding at all.
She gazed fondly at the girl she had raised with her own hands.
Seeing her standing next to her tall son, looking so well-matched and pleasing to the eye, filled her with such pride that her face was about to wrinkle from smiling so much.
’The girl I raised is truly one of a kind.’
’It’s a good thing we raised her, too. Otherwise, my son would still be a bachelor.’
’One was born from me, the other was raised by me.’
Now that the two of them were married, Lady Wei felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
"Heir’s wife, it is time to serve tea to the Duke and his wife." Just then, Nanny Fang brought over the tea, also grinning from ear to ear.
’The Miss and the Princely Heir are truly a perfect match.’
Lu Zhan took Zhi Wan’s hand and knelt beside her on the cushion.
Zhi Wan took the tea from Nanny Fang and offered it to Lu Zhenbei first. "Father, please drink this tea."
"Excellent, excellent, excellent." Lu Zhenbei repeated the word several times, took the cup, and drank a symbolic sip. Then he took out a prepared gift and placed it in Zhi Wan’s hands.
"Thank you, Father," Zhi Wan said after accepting it.
Lu Zhenbei shook his head. "Wan’er, there’s no need to be so polite." Then he looked at Lu Zhan. "You had better treat Wan’er well. If I find out you’ve bullied her, you’ll be dealt with by military law."
Lu Zhan’s eye twitched, but he agreed. "Rest assured, Father. Your son won’t give you the chance."
"See that you don’t," Lu Zhenbei snorted.
A warmth spread through Zhi Wan’s heart.
’At this moment, she felt like the luckiest and happiest person in the world.’
Next, it was time to serve tea to Lady Wei.
Lady Wei also gave Zhi Wan a gift, a Jade Bracelet, which she personally fastened onto Zhi Wan’s wrist. Then, she too began to lecture Lu Zhan.
"...You’re so much older than Wan’er, so you need to be more accommodating. Whatever Wan’er says, you must listen. You are not to make Wan’er angry. If Wan’er is unhappy, you must find a way to cheer her up. That is the responsibility a man should have."
Hearing this, Lu Zhan glanced at her. ’Mother always loves to poke at my sore spots, constantly bringing up my age. Thankfully, my cousin doesn’t dislike me for being older than her.’
"What’s wrong? You don’t agree?" Lady Wei asked, raising an eyebrow when he didn’t speak.
"No, I... completely agree," Lu Zhan said.
Seeing this, Zhi Wan lowered her head and smiled.
’In other families, the new bride would be given a hard time by her parents-in-law, but in the Lu Family, it was the opposite.’
’The one being given a hard time was Cousin.’
"It’s good that you agree. You should know, you’re getting on in years. If Wan’er hadn’t been willing to marry you despite that, you probably would have been a bachelor for life," Lady Wei added.
Lu Zhan: "..."
"Wan’er, quickly, get up." Lady Wei reached out to help Zhi Wan to her feet, completely ignoring her son who was still kneeling beside her. "By the way, Wan’er, do you like the decorations in the bridal chamber?"
"I like them very much," Zhi Wan nodded. "Thank you for all your trouble, Mother."
"As long as you like it. I was worried you wouldn’t," Lady Wei said, very pleased. "What about the swing? Have you tried it?"
"Not yet," Zhi Wan shook her head.
"Then you must try it when you go back. Have Ah Zhan push you, nice and high. Don’t worry, I had someone reinforce the swing, so you can play on it without a care in the world," Lady Wei instructed.
Zhi Wan was tempted by the thought and nodded in agreement. "Okay."
"You must be tired after all the commotion yesterday. Go back and get some rest. I won’t keep you for lunch, but come back for dinner tonight," Lady Wei said.
"Alright, Mother," Zhi Wan replied.
After bidding farewell to her parents-in-law, Zhi Wan returned to Qingyun Residence with her cousin.
Seeing the swing in the courtyard, Zhi Wan was eager to try it. "Cousin, I want to sit on it."
"Then go ahead," Lu Zhan said, taking her hand and leading her toward the swing.
When they reached the swing, Zhi Wan pulled her hand away from her cousin’s and sat down.
"Hold on tight, I’ll push you," Lu Zhan said.
"Mmm."
As soon as the word left Zhi Wan’s lips, the swing began to move with Lu Zhan’s push.
He didn’t push hard at first, waiting for Zhi Wan to get used to it before putting more force into it.
Zhi Wan felt herself swinging higher and higher with each push. She was a little scared at first, but then she remembered her mother-in-law saying the swing was very sturdy, and she slowly relaxed. She even started to think Lu Zhan wasn’t pushing hard enough.
"Cousin, you’re too weak. Can’t you push a little harder?"
Lu Zhan’s movements paused, and he pulled the swing back toward him.
He placed his hands on the ropes on either side of the swing and leaned down to look at her. "Now you think I’m weak? Who was it that was crying and begging for mercy last night? I take it your legs aren’t sore anymore, hmm?"