HMHSE - 87

As night fell, a soldier hurried into the official residence. Outside the guest room, he reported in a low voice, “Chief, the search is complete. The ambushers today were the last ones. There are no more fugitives left.”

Shan Zong walked out and took the prison records the soldier handed him. He flipped through them in the light of the corridor and saw that all the names had been crossed out. After closing it, he handed it back to him. “Good. Keep it. I’ll deal with them later.”

The soldier left.

Shan Zong turned and walked toward the main house.

At the door, Zirui had just closed the door and was leaving with Donglai in the corridor. She was holding her other arm, probably also having sustained some injuries that needed to be tended to.

Shan Zong walked over, pacing back and forth in front of the door. He remembered the urgent situation from earlier today, and his thin lips tightened, his eyes darkening.

He would also hold Sun Guozhe responsible for this.

He only exhaled when he remembered Shen Rong’s composed leap. He couldn’t help but smile silently, feeling that he had indeed found the right person.

He pushed the door open and went in. The room was lit, but no one was in sight.

Behind the screen, a graceful female figure was outlined by the candlelight, her chest and waist curvy and alluring, as if real and an illusion at the same time.

A wisp of a thin silk scarf extended from inside to outside, slowly slipping off her arm, followed by her outer garment.

Shan Zong’s eyes slightly narrowed when he saw this scene.

Shen Rong was applying ointment. She had taken off her outer garment and was only wearing a thin undergarment. She pulled down her collar, exposing half of her shoulder. She picked up a bit of the dark ointment from a small box with her fingers and dabbed it there.

Originally, Zirui wanted to apply it for her, but Shen Rong noticed that she had also been injured when she was thrown from the carriage, so she sent her to apply her own ointment.

She suddenly felt the candlelight dim a little. She looked up and saw the man’s figure approaching.

As soon as she saw Shan Zong’s face, his hand reached into the small box she was holding and pressed it directly onto her shoulder, rubbing it in.

The force was too heavy, and she let out a soft groan.

“Where else are you hurt?” Shan Zong asked in a low voice, looking at her fair, white shoulder.

There was a bruise on it from a fall, likely from when she jumped out of the carriage into the river. A faint scent of her fragrance wafted to his nose, which the smell of the ointment couldn’t cover.

Shen Rong frowned from the force of his rubbing, but after he rubbed it, she felt a little more comfortable. She looked at him. “Nowhere else.”

After he changed out of his wet Hu-style garment, he put on a soft, loose robe, which gave him a hint of his former aristocratic demeanor. The loose, slightly open collar revealed a glimpse of his firm chest.

Even though she had seen the real thing inside his clothes once, Shen Rong’s gaze still unconsciously shifted away.

“Really?” Shan Zong chuckled, afraid that she would even be stubborn about this.

Shen Rong raised her eyebrows. “Really. I just don’t want to go see my father with these minor injuries.”

Shan Zong stopped his hand. “Are you really going tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

“What about me?” He stared at her. “Shouldn’t I go?”

“Of course you should go, too.” Shen Rong thought to herself that since it had come to this, he had to go. There was no way around it!

She glanced at him and then whispered, “But not now. Besides, you can’t leave Youzhou.”

Shan Zong’s jet-black eyes moved, and the corners of his mouth turned up. “Are you worried about me?”

Shen Rong pulled her clothes up. “I’m reminding you.”

Her ear suddenly felt warm. He had lowered his head and was close to her ear. “I’m just waiting for you to say a soft word to me.”

The low voice went into her ear, and the man’s breath brushed against her. Shen Rong’s breathing couldn’t help but quicken again.

Before she could speak, he wrapped his arms around her.

On the soft couch, the cushions rolled to the floor.

Shen Rong was held in his lap. The clothes she had just pulled up were pulled down again.

He placed one hand on her waist, and his breathing by her ear became heavy.

“Then what do you plan to tell him about me?” His hand was already untying her belt.

“I’ll tell him you burned the divorce papers!” Shen Rong panted. Her hand was led by him under his clothes to untie his.

Shan Zong laughed. He was amused by her deliberate attempt to annoy him. “Is that so?”

He suddenly exerted force with his arm, lifted her waist, gritted his teeth, and pressed down.

Shen Rong was momentarily dazed, and then she couldn’t help but hold onto his shoulders.

She saw his tattooed arm again.

This time, she saw it very clearly in the candlelight. The dragon’s scales were sharp, its claws like knives. It coiled and soared, its head held high and its tail swaying. The terrifying, bold, and black-and-blue pattern was flaunting itself in front of her.

That arm was firmly holding her waist, and his two hands gripped the small of her back.

Shan Zong leaned in to kiss her.

Shen Rong’s lips were caught and held, then he let go, only to kiss her again and again, tirelessly.

Her breathing was rapid and chaotic. She couldn’t help but turn her face away. She saw one of his hands protecting her shoulder, and her heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she felt a trace of care. Then he grabbed her chin with one hand and kissed her hard, sucking her tongue.

The tip of her tongue was numb, and her body was also numb. The candlelight in her eyes was shattered into flecks of gold.

Shan Zong held her, his breathing hot. His firm shoulders and back tensed and relaxed in front of her. His body was a shade darker than hers, pressed against her snowy-white skin.

She couldn’t see what was below, but she could feel it. In the shadows, his steady and strong waist and abdomen were hidden.

Suddenly, she heard him say something low, and Shen Rong’s heart pounded violently.

He said, “I’ll be gentler this time.”

The next moment, Shan Zong gently turned her face with one hand. The corner of his mouth was hooked, and he glanced in that direction, making her look.

In her eyes, she saw the screen reflecting the candlelight, the light and shadow intertwined, revealing two figures sitting on top of each other. The graceful figure moved up and down, and a pair of arms rested on the broad shoulders in front.

The candle flickered, and the shadows moved, never stopping.

A loud roar echoed in her heart. The skin behind Shen Rong’s ears instantly grew hot, and her throat was dry. Her eyes became hazy from the explicit scene.

She buried her face in his neck, breathing in and out through her parted lips, smelling the unique scent of the man’s neck. She did it on purpose and gently bit his neck.

Shan Zong’s arm suddenly tightened. He laughed in a low voice by her ear. “It seems your strength has indeed been replenished.”

Shen Rong let out a sudden low cry. He grabbed her waist with force, turned her body, and pressed her onto the bed.

All her cries were swallowed by his lips and tongue.

________________________________________

When there was movement in the official residence, it was almost dawn.

Shan Zong opened his eyes and got up, glancing at the woman next to him.

Shen Rong was lying on her side, her slender body like a willow, and still sleeping.

He touched his mouth and silently quirked the corners of his lips.

He had actually broken his promise. He couldn’t be gentle in the end.

His wild and unrestrained nature seemed to be impossible to restrain in front of her. It only got worse when he was with her.

He could only hold back at the very last moment, pulling out of her with a sudden urgency.

With heavy, rough breaths, he held her tightly and whispered, “Just in case, since I haven’t received your parents’ approval yet, I can’t let you be embarrassed.”

He still couldn’t let her have his children, even though he really wanted to.

Shen Rong trembled in his arms at that moment, her whole body flushed. She held her neck up, her eyes glistening. “Who wants to have...”

He covered her mouth with his, laughing angrily. He extended his mottled right arm and scooped her up again. “If you’re stubborn again, I won’t let you off.”

And so, how could he possibly be gentle?

He gave a self-deprecating smile, pursed his lips, put on his clothes, glanced at her again, and tiptoed out the door.

Shen Rong was actually already awake. She just pretended not to be.

Listening to his footsteps as he left, the events of the previous night were still vivid in her mind. She gently bit her lip. Unlike the first time, her heart was now pounding just from thinking about it...

After some time, she was still lying there.

Zirui’s voice came from outside the door. “Young Mistress, the Messenger Shan is ready. You can leave anytime.”

Only then did Shen Rong come back to her senses. She sat up. “Got it.”

Outside the main gate of the official residence, Zhang Wei led a group of people over and saw Shan Zong standing at the door.

He was dressed as usual in a fierce black, round-collared Hu-style garment with tied arm guards, a tight waist guard, and riding boots.

“Chief, Hu Shi Yi has followed your orders and taken that group of people to the military camp,” Zhang Wei said, stepping forward.

That group of people was, of course, the prisoners from the dungeon, or “monsters” as Hu Shi Yi called them. They had mostly recovered from their injuries and were healing faster than Hu Shi Yi.

Shan Zong just nodded. “I asked you to come for two things. First, keep a close watch on the movements outside the pass.”

Zhang Wei immediately agreed and then asked, “What’s the other thing?”

“Make sure you get the person to Hedong safely.”

His tone was clearly personal. Zhang Wei looked inside and saw Donglai, Zirui, and a large group of Changsun family guards coming out.

He thought for a moment and said seriously, “I heard that the son of a bitch from outside the pass didn’t succeed with his hidden move yesterday. Are you worried about your family’s safety and want to send her away?”

Shan Zong quirked the corner of his mouth. “No. My father-in-law is here.”

With that, he turned and went back inside the door.

Shen Rong, who was ready, was holding a light veil hat and was about to head out the main gate. While still in the corridor, she saw Shan Zong walking toward her.

She stopped. The people around her had already gone out.

Shan Zong walked up to her. He saw her hair pinned up and her lips painted with a vibrant red lip rouge. He couldn’t tell if she was deliberately hiding her tempting lips. A smile flashed on his face and then disappeared. “You’re right. It’s better to get to him first. There is no reason for a father-in-law to come and see his son-in-law. It should be me going to see him, not the other way around.”

His voice was a little lower. “I will ask Zhao Jinkam to give me a reason to travel. You arrange the date.”

Shen Rong’s sharp eyes caught sight of a faint tooth mark on his neck, her doing from last night. Her gaze drifted away and then returned to his face. “You have to go, but you need to wait until my father is prepared.”

She paused, her fingers gripping the light veil of her hat, and thought for a moment. “By the end of the month, you can come then.”

Shan Zong stared at her and nodded. “Alright.”

He would follow her arrangements this time.

Outside, Donglai had confirmed with Zhang Wei that the fugitives were in the prison and the road was safe. He then returned to invite Shen Rong.

Shen Rong put on her veil hat and started to walk forward. After a few steps, she suddenly turned around. “Shan Zong.”

Shan Zong immediately looked up.

Shen Rong lifted the hanging veil of her hat with one hand, her eyes looking at him from the side. “So it’s settled. You have to come by the end of the month. Otherwise...”

Shan Zong walked closer, step by step, lowering his head until he was almost touching her face. A roguish smile appeared on his lips. “And what happens if I don’t?”

Shen Rong’s red lips pursed slightly. She raised her fair chin. “Then I’ll come back to Youzhou and hold you accountable!”

With that, she pulled her hand down. The veil of her hat fell, blocking his face.

Shan Zong’s face felt a tickle as her veil brushed past him. He raised his hand and touched his face, watching her turn and walk out.

________________________________________

Hedong Road was a vast region with many large and small cities.

The Duke of Zhao, who kept his ears open, had learned that the Shan army was stationed in this area. So he adjusted his route, hurrying for an extra leg, avoiding the city where they were stationed and stopping at Weizhou, which was closer to Youzhou.

Shen Rong received this news on the road and had Zhang Wei take a shortcut, bypassing the city where Shan Zhao was.

The people from the military camp were naturally good at navigating the roads.

This way, they arrived sooner than expected.

The Duke of Zhao was staying at the Weizhou post house.

Not many officials from the capital came to this small city, let alone someone as noble as a Duke.

The entire post house was almost empty because of his arrival, with only the Changsun family’s people remaining.

It was just past noon. In the guest room, the Duke of Zhao was sitting at a table, repeatedly looking over Shen Rong’s letter to her family. He got up and paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back.

After several rounds, a servant came to the door and reported excitedly, “Duke, the Young Mistress has arrived.”

Almost at the same time, Shen Rong entered the door, her light silk cloak carrying the dust from her journey of several days.

“What a coincidence, Father, you’re reading my letter,” Shen Rong said, taking off her veil hat and curtsying.

The Duke of Zhao, holding the papers, first looked her up and down. He nodded when he saw that she was indeed safe and sound, and then gestured for her to sit. “I’ve read it no less than a dozen times. I know how you act. Just like with books, you won’t write anything meaningless in a letter.”

He watched Shen Rong sit down in a Hu chair and brought the letter closer to his eyes again.

The letter said she was safe. He had seen her, and she was indeed well. Although he had not seen the mines in person, she had explained in the letter that they were safe, but that they would need a new group of people to mine them, which could be arranged by the Ministry of Works and was not a difficult task.

The only thing that bothered him was the two vague sentences at the end, which said that there were some changes in Youzhou and that she would explain them in detail when they met.

“What do you need to talk about in Youzhou?” he asked, putting the letter down.

Shen Rong didn’t expect him to bring it up as soon as they met. She had just picked up a cup of hot tea. She looked at her father and didn’t feel like drinking it. Her fingers traced the rim of the cup. “Father, do you remember when Shan Zong tried to visit us in Chang’an?”

“Of course I do. He wanted to ask for your hand in marriage,” the Duke of Zhao said, his face slightly stern. He had made an effort to forget about it, so his tone was not very serious. “I have refused him many times. There’s nothing to talk about.”

Shen Rong put down the teacup and even stood up. “That’s what it’s about. This time, I’d like to ask you to agree to see him.”