Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Lucky Star Farmland Keeps Calm, Heirless Husband Busy Chasing Wife 40
Fu Huaichu’s words were very direct, and his eyes shone clearly with the desire to possess her.
“Ruanruan, after you returned to the Capital City, the day I saw you again was when Fu Huaizhong ntioned he wanted you to be the Third Prince’s Princess Consort,” Fu Huaichu recalled that snowy night and felt his blood surge with agitation. She was unmistakably his, and they even had children together, but this tenuous relationship, combined with the mory of Fu Huaizhong and her sharing an umbrella in the snow, laughing rrily, truly agitated him.
He was usually a man of stable emotions, able to face both assassination attempts and courtly issues with composure. However, when it ca to Su Zhiruan, he exhibited the wildness and predatory nature deep in his bones.
“During the ti in Su Village, I indeed intended to use you to conceal my identity and recuperate,” Fu Huaichu admitted as he saw her calm gaze watching him quietly and gently, not saying anything, yet he felt surrender, revealing his thoughts at that ti, “I thought, after my recovery, I would leave you so money as compensation, or if you had any other wishes, I would fulfill them if possible. But the only change was that we ended up marrying. It seed ordinary at the ti, but when I realized that you were truly gone, and that the Su Village had been burned to the ground, I thought there was no Su Zhiruan in this world anymore.”
At the ti, he only considered how he could heal quickly and return to the Capital City to investigate who had attacked him. Even though he assud Su Erniu’s identity, he didn’t see anything wrong with that. The Su Zhiruan of that ti was thinking about marriage, and he carelessly agreed, perhaps feeling so fondness for her. But Fu Huaichu’s emotions were far from reaching the level of “love” then, naturally disguising himself as another person in marriage, thinking himself the mantis catching the cicada, with everything entirely in his control.
But he had forgotten one thing—the heart.
The human heart is made of flesh; even if he was ruthless and heartless, Su Zhiruan’s gentleness, diligence, optimism, and dedication wholly to him, managing their little ho, inevitably made him fall deeply.
He did not understand at that mont, did not have an epiphany. And it wasn’t until he fully resud his identity as the Crown Prince that he suddenly realized his own feelings, but by the ti he went back for her, it was already too late.
Since then, Fu Huaichu had refused the marriages arranged by the Emperor and the Empress, refused countless court officials who recomnded their daughters, and also refused all palace maids who wanted to climb the social ladder. At twenty-four years old, he was still single.
Although the hope was slim, he knew, in his eyes, there was only room for one person, even if her life or death, her whereabouts, were unknown.
Su Zhiruan did not respond but instead reached out and picked up the wine jug from the table, filling the small, empty wine cup to the brim. Holding the cup, she said, “Your Highness, don’t worry, I am already the mother of two children. Perhaps what the Third Prince said was just a joke. He hasn’t sought out this past half-month.”
Fu Huaichu watched as she tilted her head back and drank down the cup of wine.
At this mont, it wasn’t too late in the day. The light dimd a bit in the fenced-off pavilion.
And as he half-embraced Su Zhiruan, at the mont she tilted her head back to drink, he distinctly saw the Jadescent Nectar trailing down the corner of her lips. Her lips, already beautiful, glossed with liquid from the wine, shimred over her red lips.
The rich aroma of the wine suddenly spread in the air, as if determined to intoxicate everyone.
Just by watching, Fu Huaichu, who hadn’t drunk any wine, seed to also feel the atmosphere of the wine intoxicating people without them drinking.
“Why suddenly drink?” Fu Huaichu didn’t let her go, but instead took the wine jug with one hand and filled her recently used wine cup, “No return without drunkenness.”
With that, he downed the wine in one gulp.
Su Zhiruan’s tolerance was average, and feeling a bit dizzy, she naturally leaned on the table, her voice becoming sowhat blurred, “Fu Huaichu.”
“Hmm?”
“What do you think it would have been like if we hadn’t parted ways back then?” Su Zhiruan rested her head on her own arms, peeking at him with one eye, and smiled lightly, her tone deliberately casual, “Perhaps, I would have followed your wish, entered the Eastern Palace, and then beco one of your nurous concubines, eventually forgotten by you, living bleakly in the deep palace until I died—”
“Ruanruan—” Fu Huaichu almost panicked as he interrupted her, shaking her shoulders as if to hastily prove himself, “It wouldn’t be like that, it couldn’t be.”
Su Zhiruan narrowed her eyes, but sat up straight under his shaking, “Why not, Your Highness? Of course you wanted to return to the palace with you. The words you said back then, if I recall, you wanted to beco a concubine.”
Fu Huaichu’s tone beca much more eager now, he could not have imagined that a casual remark he had made earlier would now be brought up again by her, turning into a major obstacle in his quest to win her back. He said in a rush, “Ruanruan, I have never taken a concubine, nor do I have concubines and a Crown Princess Consort. You are my first woman, as for that day…”
At this point, his mind was filled with turmoil. Back then, he believed that his feelings for Su Zhiruan were not that extensive, enough to offer her the position of concubine, and after his ascension, the concubine would be promoted to Noble Consort. However, he hadn’t foreseen that bringing up this topic now, Fu Huaichu simply couldn’t explain.
Feelings co unbidden. Those who are in it, find their emotions hard to command.
Su Zhiruan laughed, she swirled her wine glass and finally downed it in one gulp.
While Fu Huaichu was still in a state of panic, she turned towards him, her arm as white and smooth as lotus root suddenly wrapped around his neck, the scent of wine overwhelming, her eyes clear and bright, she seed both smiling and non-smiling, both drunk and sober.
Fu Huaichu felt the moisture at the corner of his lips, and only then did he co to his senses, lifting his head to et her eyes, bright as starlight.
Faced with such an action from the woman he loved, in the pri of his life, he simply could not suppress his own throbbing heart.
“Ruanruan… how are you…”
“Zhezhi and Zheye are very fond of Your Highness,” Su Zhiruan unexpectedly responded, originally intending to laugh and let go of him, but Fu Huaichu imdiately grasped her wrist and pulled her back into his arms, which were lightly scented with sandalwood. She continued leisurely, “It seems they were very eager about coming to see you.”
“What about you?” Fu Huaichu knew that she was aware of his private etings with the children, but from the beginning, he hadn’t kept it a secret, “Did Ruanruan co to see out of desperation or willingly? I sent word without a command or Crown Prince Token, even the eting place here, but, Ruanruan still ca.”
Upon careful thought, Su Zhiruan realized it was indeed as he had said. She settled herself, looked straight at Fu Huaichu, “I truly hadn’t noticed.”
“Hmm?” Fu Huaichu looked at her, their eyes eting each other.
“Forget it,” Su Zhiruan suddenly let out a deep sigh, looking back at Fu Huaichu, “All that doesn’t matter.”
“Here I am already, just after entering I heard that there’s a hot spring in the backyard of Your Highness’s residence. I’m curious, I wonder if I might have a look?”
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