Shen Lansui had been paying attention to her reaction, and her actions that she thought were hidden were actually seen clearly by Shen Lansui.
The corners of her lips were slightly raised, and she seemed to have some thoughts.
"Master."
"Well, has Madam eaten?"
"We are eating. My cousin is here. Madam and my cousin are eating together."
"Miss Cousin?"
Zhou Mengli, who was called, immediately sat up straight and quickly looked away.
His face was slightly red.
She had never seen this third cousin before, but his voice was so low and gentle, so he must be a handsome man.
With such thoughts in mind, Zhou Mengli's face turned even redder.
Shen Lansui joked, "Cousin, if you lower your head any lower, your head will be submerged in the soup bowl."
Zhou Mengli was startled and quickly put down the bowl, "Cousin..."
Shen Lansui didn't look at her, but looked past her to the person who walked in.
"Sanlang is back."
"Um."
Hearing this voice at a close distance, Zhou Mengli immediately turned his head to look, but did not dare to look directly at the person. When he stood up and saluted, he whispered: "I have met my third cousin."
Lu Xingyue glanced across the table and saw that the two of them hadn't eaten much, so he said to Shang Xia on the side: "Go get another set of bowls and chopsticks."
"Yes." Shang Xia hurried away.
Shen Lansui gave Zhou Mengli a hand and said to Lu Xingyue, "I haven't spoken to my cousin yet."
Lu Xingyue then looked at Zhou Mengli, but with only a fleeting glance, he looked away and said in return, "Cousin."
Shen Lansui wanted to hold his hand, but he ducked away.
Shen Lansui was stunned, "What's wrong?"
Lu Xingyue said: "The blood smells heavy on me, so don't rush me."
Zhou Mengli's heart tightened, and her eyes fell on him. Sure enough, she saw a dried and solidified blood stain on the patch of her robe, and her face turned pale at that time.
All the throbs disappeared without a trace.
Both Lu Xingyue and Shen Lansui were completely unaware. Shen Lansui asked, "How did you do it? Were you going to interrogate the prisoner?"
Lu Xingyue nodded.
"I'll go to the bathroom to wash up first, and you guys eat first."
Shen Lansui nodded and summoned Guanchun, "Take the young master's official robe and have it washed, hang it in the heating pavilion, incense it well and iron it."
Guanchun followed Lu Xingyue.
Only then did Shen Lansui realize that Zhou Mengli had not spoken for a long time. When he looked back, he saw that her face was pale and her eyes were wandering.
"What's wrong with you?" Shen Lansui was startled by her, "But what's wrong with you?"
Zhou Mengli shivered as if waking up from a dream, and asked in a trembling voice: "What does third cousin do?"
"Didn't the eldest lady tell you?" Shen Lan smiled and said, "He is the envoy of Beizhen, in charge of the imperial edict and prison."
The governor of Beizhen, the person in charge of imperial edicts and prisons...
Zhou Mengli's whole body went cold.
Although she didn't grow up in Yangdu, she had always heard some legends. Naturally, she knew about the famous Jin Yiwei, who was said to be afraid of gods and ghosts because of his cruel methods.
Especially in the imperial prison, there are countless innocent souls buried in it, and no one can come out standing upright after entering.
How terrible must those in charge of prison be?
The charming thoughts that originally arose after being persuaded by the eldest lady were instantly dispersed.
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. She stood up and said, "Cousin, I... I'm a little uncomfortable. First, I'll go back and rest. Thank you for your hospitality. I'm sorry."
"Huh? That's all you eat? Don't you want to eat? Your cousin just came back. Let's have a meal together before we leave?"
Shen Lansui shouted from behind, but Zhou Mengli ran faster.
Shang Xia, who was at the door, came in with bowls and chopsticks and asked doubtfully: "What's wrong with Miss Cousin?"
It was like there was a ghost chasing her from behind.
Shen Lansui chuckled, "Maybe he was scared."
She had noticed that Zhou Mengli was timid before, but she didn't expect that at such a young age, she would be so frightened when she saw the blood stains on Lu Xingyue's clothes. Did the eldest lady still expect her to alienate their relationship?
What do you think?
She smiled and shook her head. Shang Xia looked on from the side and said hesitantly: "Madam, I have something to say and I don't know whether to say it or not."
Shen Lansui glanced at her and said, "You are someone close to me, what can't you say?"
Hearing the words, Shangyia became more at ease. She glanced in the direction of the bathroom and lowered her voice: "The eldest lady has always been dissatisfied with the madam. Suddenly she has such a good attitude. When something goes wrong, I can't think of anything wrong. She even asked the madam and cousin Get along well with the young lady, I suspect that she wants to send my cousin to our Pinglan Courtyard."
She said in a disgusted tone: "How long has it been since Madam came here, and she can't wait to stuff people into the young master's room? Madam is soft-hearted, so I just said one more thing. Madam should pay more attention to my cousin in the future, and don't let her take advantage of her."
Shen Lansui nodded, "You are right. I know it in my heart and will pay more attention. From now on, you can say whatever you think. I will naturally adopt it if it makes sense. Don't be too nervous."
Shang Xia nodded and smiled with relief.
She felt that she had changed a lot since she got married. She was no longer as silent and melancholy as before. Although she had a cheerful personality, she seemed to be less close to them. Sometimes she was afraid of not being able to speak properly and making her unhappy.
But Shen Lansui's words today were like a reassurance for her, and the knot in her heart was finally solved.
Shen Lansui watched her reaction from the corner of his eye and let out a long breath.
She naturally knows what Shang Xia is thinking. There is no such thing as a core change in her body. Two completely different people cannot have the same personality. She doesn't live her whole life with someone else's personality, so change is inevitable. Guan Chun is very nervous, so he may not think of so many things. He just wants her to be well.
As for Shang Xia, who is sensitive and prone to overthinking, she has never found a suitable opportunity to talk to her. Today, it would be good to use Zhou Mengli's matter to reassure her.
"What are you talking about?"
After taking a shower, Lu Xingyue came out wearing only his middle coat and a dark cloak.
"Is the person gone?"
He sat down next to Shen Lansui, with a faint fragrance on his body.
Shen Lansui filled the soup for him and put it at hand, "He was scared away by our Northern Governor."
Lu Xingyue raised his eyebrows, looking a little innocent, "Me?"
Shen Lansui raised her eyebrows, "What else?"
"It's okay to go." Lu Xingyue picked up the chopsticks and picked up the food for her, "Eat more."
Shen Lansui also helped him. They didn't talk about anything while eating. They only talked about today's events after they moved to the couch.
"What do you think of Zhou Mengli?" Shen Lansui asked, leaning on the cushions holding the hand warmer.
Lu Xingyue was sitting opposite Fang Ji, holding a book and reading. Hearing this, he raised his eyes in confusion, "Zhou Mengli?"
"That's my cousin."
Shen Lansui asked: "You have never seen her before? Don't you know?"
Lu Xingyue shook his head: "She is the cousin of the Lu brothers and has nothing to do with me. I have never seen her before today, and I have never heard anyone mention her. Where does she come from?"
Shen Lansui rubbed the plush cover on the stove and said, "The eldest lady said she is her concubine's only daughter, and her concubine has a sudden illness."
Lu Xingyue pondered for a moment, then his brows suddenly darkened, "She is very evil." (End of Chapter)
