Chapter 122: The Little Couple Makes Up

In April, the night breeze was warm, blending the fragrance of flowers and grass into an intoxicating mix.

Cheng Zhao walked out of Jiangyun Courtyard alongside Zhou Yuanshen and Zhou Yuanqi.

Zhou Yuanqi had stormed off first in a huff.

Cheng Zhao stopped, lifting her gaze to study Zhou Yuanshen. Moonlight bathed his profile like silver, adding an extra touch of handsomeness to his features.

"Lord Duke, I'll be heading back now," Cheng Zhao said.

Zhou Yuanshen hummed in acknowledgment.

He turned to stride toward Chenhui Courtyard.

Cheng Zhao didn't move, watching his broad-shouldered retreating figure with a slight frown.

She had already explained herself.

So, did he still...

Cheng Zhao thought it over and decided not to dwell on it for now. Mu Jiang had just caused a scene, and there was no telling what would happen next.

She needed to send someone to the Rare Treasures Pavilion to investigate what exactly had been mixed into that face powder.

Cheng Zhao mulled this over slowly as she turned to leave, only to suddenly hear footsteps.

Zhou Yuanshen had wheeled around and was striding back.

Cheng Zhao: "..."

What was the point of him leaving just now? Was he playing games?

Before she could react, he had taken her hand and pulled her a few steps forward.

Cheng Zhao stopped and refused to move. "Where are we going?"

This wasn't the way to Nonghua Courtyard.

Zhou Yuanshen said, "Chenhui Courtyard."

Cheng Zhao tried to shake off his hand. "It's too far. If you have something to say, say it here, or we can go to Nonghua Courtyard."

She didn't want to go.

Not only was it far, but it was also uncomfortable to stay there.

Chenhui Courtyard was essentially an inner study, with small rooms and incomplete furnishings. There was only one bed, simple and basic, with pillows and blankets that didn't suit Cheng Zhao's preferences at all.

There was also no one to wait on her.

Zhou Yuanshen tugged harder, causing Cheng Zhao to stumble a couple of steps. The couple now stood beneath the shadows of the trees.

The moonlight and the lights from Jiangyun Courtyard were both blocked from view, leaving them in a hazy, dim obscurity.

She could only make out Zhou Yuanshen's silhouette.

"Cheng Zhao, shouldn't you apologize to me?" he said.

He wasn't calling her "Duchess of Chen" anymore.

Nor was he being sarcastic.

Cheng Zhao, recalling his earlier behavior, felt a surge of anger.

"Apologize for what?" Cheng Zhao asked. "I thought that your being absent all these days was because you felt guilty and didn't dare face me."

"Guilty?" He lowered his head slightly, bringing his face close to hers. "Guilty about what, Cheng Zhao? Because that day I made you feel so pleased?"

Cheng Zhao, enraged, exclaimed, "You..."

The man, usually cold as ice, could spout such shameless words.

She hadn't expected this, caught off guard and furious, and could barely speak.

"Cheng Zhao, can you deny it?" His lips grazed her cheek, barely touching.

Cheng Zhao couldn't help but think of that day.

The carriage curtain swayed slightly, letting in a sliver of sunlight. She'd looked down to see the hand gripping her waist, the faintly bulging veins.

Her body seemed to tremble, just like the bumpy carriage ride that day.

In a flash, she was furious beyond measure. She turned to leave, but Zhou Yuanshen wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into a tight embrace. She crashed into his chest.

He lowered his head and kissed her.

A tiny pebble dropped into the lake of Cheng Zhao's heart, sending ripples spreading through her.

Only a moment later did she remember that this was the path outside Jiangyun Courtyard. Even in the shadow of the trees, if Second Madam's people were watching from the doorway, they would be able to see them.

She pushed against him. "Zhou Yuanshen, you lecher!"

She couldn't push him away. As she shoved him back a few steps, his arm around her waist pulled her forward, and she ended up pressed solidly against his chest.

They bumped into a tree trunk, leaves rustling. A faint breeze brushed her cheek, and she realized her face was burning hot, making the wind feel cool by contrast.

Cheng Zhao's breathing pattern was completely off.

"Cheng Zhao, I apologize. I shouldn't have fooled around like that in the carriage that day. Next time, we'll save some energy," Zhou Yuanshen said, his face seemingly expressionless, but his hand never let her go. "You should apologize to me too, and promise to recognize your husband next time, no matter where you encounter him."

Cheng Zhao shot back, "Don't even think about it!"

She hadn't done anything wrong; there were reasons for it.

Besides, what grave sin was it to not recognize one's own husband? No law dictated that.

"If you won't let me think about that, then I'll think about other things," Zhou Yuanshen said. His hand actually reached for the ties of her skirt.

Cheng Zhao's eyes went wide with disbelief.

Would he really dare?

No, he wouldn't. He was just threatening her.

They were at the entrance to Jiangyun Courtyard, with his parents just a wall away.

But then Cheng Zhao remembered the study in Chenhui Courtyard, the maid who had answered from behind the screen, and the carriage that had slowly crept through the crowded market...

Maybe he would dare!

Outwardly, the man seemed perfectly proper, but on the inside, he was simply appalling.

If he actually did it, he'd turn it around and claim Cheng Zhao had goaded him into it.

Maybe next time, he'd even say Cheng Zhao had enjoyed it and needed to thank him.

Cheng Zhao felt that her first real clash with Zhou Yuanshen had been in the study of Chenhui Courtyard. She should never have let her defenses down and forgiven him.

By reconciling with him instead of stopping his "misdeeds," she had only unleashed the beast within him, and he was becoming more and more audacious.

He had even learned to argue his way out of it.

"Zhou Yuanshen! Zhou Yuanshen!" she called out urgently.

Zhou Yuanshen let go. "Mm. Call me that again later."

He took her hand and strode toward Nonghua Courtyard.

The two places weren't far apart, but Cheng Zhao didn't have time to say anything, nor did she dare make a scene that might be heard by passing maids and servants.

She found herself half-jogging back to Nonghua Courtyard, pulled along by him.

When they arrived, she was out of breath.

Pinned down on the bed by him, Cheng Zhao felt like she couldn't breathe. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, a result of their mad dash.

She tried to turn her head and push him away, but he held both her hands above her head with one hand.

Cheng Zhao thought the bed would collapse. The hanging canopy came loose in one corner, nearly falling to envelop the two of them.

She bit down hard on his shoulder.

Only when her legs were trembling and weak from the exertion did she realize how much she was sweating.

The weather was getting warmer, and being this active at night left both of them drenched.

The warm water in the bathtub flowed over her body, along with his scorching hot hand.

Cheng Zhao was too tired, so she just leaned against him, too lazy to struggle.

He turned her face towards his and kissed her lips again. "How are your eyes feeling?"

Cheng Zhao: "..."

Right now, she was so sleepy and so exhausted she couldn't even speak.

She'd settle the score with him tomorrow morning, after she'd had her fill of sleep.

She gave a soft, vague hum.

"Maybe we should say you're ill, so you don't get dragged into the Lijing Courtyard matter," he said again.

Cheng Zhao thought, oh, the Lijing Courtyard business... well, she had no energy for that now either. She'd deal with it tomorrow morning, too.

She hummed vaguely again.

Zhou Yuanshen dried her off and helped her into her underclothes. She was aware of it, but she just stayed sprawled in his arms.

She had no memory of when she finally fell asleep the rest of the way.

When she woke the next morning, he wasn't in bed, as usual.

Suyue said he had gotten up early to go to the morning court session. Nanny Li brought her ginseng soup and bird's nest congee, telling her to take them both as a tonic.

"One supplement is enough. I can't drink this much," Cheng Zhao said.

She still preferred the sweet rock sugar bird's nest congee. The ginseng soup was good for energy, but it had a strange taste that Cheng Zhao didn't like.

She wasn't one to endure unnecessary hardship.

After the morning meal, Cheng Zhao didn't have time to go to Jiangyun Courtyard to pay her respects. She asked Nanny Li to inform them, while she rushed to Chengming Hall instead.

Second Madam was no longer surprised.

Every time Cheng Zhao missed the morning greetings, it was because Zhou Yuanshen had stayed overnight at Nonghua Courtyard.

Second Madam had been young once herself. In her youth, she and the Second Master had been devoted to each other as husband and wife, with a deep, extraordinary love that few could match—she understood such matters all too well.