After Becoming the Cannon Fodder Live-in Spouse A (GL) - Chapter 40: The Fortieth Day

Chapter 40: The Fortieth Day

Noticing the change in Shen Jinglan’s gaze, Shen Jingming pondered for a moment and recalled that among the small stack of memorials on his desk, there was one where a minister took the opportunity to mention that the Xu family’s examinee was quite intimate with the little side consort he had recommended to Prince Qi, and the memorial listed many conversations between the two as recounted by the examinee.

One of those sentences was the little side consort praising the Xu family examinee, saying that she would definitely pass the exam with flying colors.

Or saying that she was the Star of Literature descended to earth and would absolutely take first place in this year’s imperial examination because she was so extraordinarily talented, a rarity in the world.

If these were just exaggerated private praises between classmates, that would be one thing, but in the context of Xu Leyao being reported for colluding with examiners and cheating, it became somewhat intriguing.

If not for the Imperial Guards reporting every move in Prince Qi’s mansion to Shen Jingming, he might even suspect if the Xu family had lost their minds, switching allegiance to Prince Qi’s camp after Shen Jinglan had the disgrace of defeat in Yancheng—

But after all, the one who had dealings with the Xu family’s young lady was that useless side consort, and no matter how conspiratorial Shen Jingming was, he could not connect that fool to anything like colluding with examiners or serving as a link between the Xu family and Shen Jinglan.

He also knew that Ye Fuguang was affectionate everywhere in the flower houses of Yong’an City, and even the Imperial Guards had reported to him the story of how Shen Jinglan, upon learning of this, moved back to Qingfrost Courtyard and ignored this little side consort for several days.

Pondering for a moment, he spoke, “That side consort of yours is truly somewhat outrageous.” Perhaps this act of praising the Xu family child was because she had been ignored by Shen Jinglan, so she went out wanting to make a splash among the scholars.

As a result, she blundered everywhere and now became a stepping stone for other ambitious aristocratic families to trample on the Xu family.

If not for Shen Jinglan’s illness not being apparent now, making him uncertain about whether this fierce beast still had the ability to struggle on the brink of death, he would have unhesitatingly pointed to a noble lady from one of the great clans of Yong’an at this moment, or perhaps those elegant young gentlemen, to be her wise inner helper.

But in any case, this Ye woman could not go unpunished.

Shen Jingming thought of this and wanted to open his golden mouth again, but he saw Shen Jinglan, who had received the files, directly lift her robe and kneel down. Although her expression was still so indifferent, her posture in pleading guilty was exemplary.

“The side consort’s words and deeds are improper; it is this minister’s failure in discipline. I earnestly beg Your Majesty to punish me.”

“What are you doing?” The Emperor personally reached out to help her up. “This marriage was still chosen by me for you, and it is my fault for only thinking back then of letting you recover sooner without scrutinizing that side consort’s family background or character. You have been recuperating in your own courtyard recently, and I know her wrongdoing has absolutely nothing to do with you.”

…

The monarch and minister faced each other for a while.

Shen Jingming rarely closed his eyes, and before him was his sister who was determined to plead guilty for the side consort and refused to get up. After a long time, not knowing out of what mindset, he suddenly said, “What kind of character that Ye woman has, do you not know in your heart? She is merely a concubine brought in for good luck; I elevated her status thinking of your prince’s reputation. Such people are everywhere in Yong’an, and you, as a prince, protecting such a role like this, what propriety is that!”

At this point.

He seemed to start feeling again that Ye Fuguang was unworthy of matching her.

Shen Jinglan lowered her eyes and recalled; was her second brother so ruthless in the past? Used chess pieces, once useless, were thrown aside and never touched again… After a long time, she recalled that Shen Jingming had not been in good health before and always liked reading books and composing essays with the old teacher invited back. Father was overjoyed because the Shen family was to produce a great talent and always had people painstakingly search for ancient books, chess endgame manuals, ancient qin, gold and jade chessboards, and the like for him.

And those things, no matter how precious, once in Shen Jingming’s room, could only make appearances for a few days when guests came and then were replaced by even more cherished ones, returning to that dark, sunless storeroom.

Among their three siblings, she, because she was Dikun, received the most pampering and love, while Shen Jingming, because of his frail body, was always given extra care by Father. Only the eldest brother Shen Chaohui, because he shouldered the responsibility of the firstborn, had to worry for Father above and take care of the two of them below, so even after the great dynasty was established, he did not enjoy any blessings and left early.

Clearly not yet at the age of thirty, but now when Shen Jinglan thought of past events, she had a sense of remoteness as if from another lifetime. The familiar faces that had been around her before—

Only Shen Jingming remained, sitting on the imperial throne.

And this second brother was so distant from her.

Shen Jinglan came back to her senses and, under the Emperor’s majestic questioning, remained silent for a long time before answering: “Even if she is a puddle of mud that cannot be helped up against the wall, since she has entered Prince Qi’s mansion as this minister’s side consort, she is this minister’s family.” If even she did not protect her, what should that little rabbit who always loved to cry do?

Thinking of how Ye Fuguang could not even kneel properly, got her little face pale from the jolts in a carriage, and was easily frightened to tears, Shen Jinglan did not think at all that she could withstand any punishment from the Son of Heaven.

Her words made the emperor in dragon robes before her silent for a long time.

Shen Jingming seemed to want to educate her not to casually regard such a waste as family, after all, with the Ye clan’s door lintel, she was truly unworthy of matching the Shen imperial clan, but in the end, he did not say this.

In the end, he could only put on an appearance of being bothered, waved his hand, “Enough, this matter will not be an example. Go back and have someone teach her rules properly.”

Shen Jinglan raised her hand to thank for the grace and, before getting up, seemingly casually added, “Since Imperial Brother worries that handling this matter by others might involve favoritism, then the capturing of related personnel and the interrogation should be handed over to the Horse and Step Army Division Prison.”

The Emperor, who had already returned behind the dragon throne and was closing his eyes to rest, did not think much and lightly nodded his head, which meant agreeing to her leading the Forbidden Army’s people to investigate this matter.

–

When walking out of Mingde Hall, Shen Jinglan actually felt somewhat dizzy. At first, she wanted to hold on, but later, not knowing what she thought of, when leaving the palace, she simply gracefully and generously held onto the maid who came to support her, stood in place for a good while, and then returned to the mansion’s carriage.

Regardless of how many pairs of eyes would stare at this state of “Prince Qi’s body still being unwell,” once she entered the carriage, the first thing she did was instruct someone to go catch that little rabbit who was likely still in the manor, feigning illness at home, and bring her back.

When she returned to Qingfrost Courtyard and carefully examined the files brought back from the palace in Yaoguang Pavilion, having read almost through that case which had no substantial evidence and seemed very much like an examinee being jealous and falsely accusing a scholar with great prospects, her little side consort had also already arrived outside Yaoguang Pavilion.

From afar, Shen Jinglan’s pheromone seemed to have sensed it first, drawing toward the refreshing coolness outside the door that could refresh one’s spirit, ahead of her master.

Under her thin eyelids, her phoenix eyes slightly lifted, sweeping over that garment with the ginkgo flower pattern, and she indifferently said, “Come in.”

That mass of flowing brilliant color hesitantly walked to her side, putting on her usual obedient act, lowering her brows and submissive eyes, her deer eyes secretly sizing her up. After a half moment, she chose the most pleasing form of address, “Wife master?”

“Has my beloved consort’s body recovered?” She closed the file in her hand and leaned back against the pear flower chair. Clearly young and beautiful, yet no matter what posture, she could display that aura of a ruler without reservation. At this moment, her half-smiling gaze fell on Ye Fuguang.

The little girl was extremely survival-oriented: “Originally, it was not yet better, but upon seeing the Prince, my heart rejoiced, and all ailments recovered.”

Shen Jinglan’s expression relaxed, as if pleased by her words.

Even the fingertips that had been casually tapping on the armrest of the chair stopped, and she smiled as she patted her own leg: “Sit here.”

Ye Fuguang timidly observed her for a half moment and did not dare to disobey her command, but when sitting down, she did not dare to sit fully, as if afraid that her own weight could crush the great dynasty’s number one general who could draw a three-stone bow, and even her pheromone became as uneasy as herself.

Snowflakes flew in disorder, here and there in the east and west.

Shen Jinglan casually wrapped an arm around her waist and could feel her obvious stiffening, as if on guard and pondering just how she was going to tease her this time.

But with that incident at the palace gate earlier, plus the task just assigned, Shen Jinglan did not have so much time to play with her now. She only pressed her head against her own shoulder, releasing her pheromone lazily at the same time, and gave a concise command:

“Bite.”

Ye Fuguang: “……?”

She quietly lifted her head from Shen Jinglan’s demonic grasp, her temple hair slightly messed up, like a little kitten whose fur had been stroked into a mess. After confirming she had not misheard the order, her nose tip unconsciously twitched, and she even began to lick her somewhat dry lips.

Thinking of the last time she had bitten too hard and made Shen Jinglan angry, this time before starting, she very sensibly asked, “Prince

This time, do you like it lighter or heavier?”

A smile appeared in Shen Jinglan’s narrow phoenix eyes, setting off that light pink mark.

Like a peach blossom贴 at the corner of her eye.

She did not answer this question, merely humming with a laugh and deliberately scaring the little rabbit as she reminded, “If you bite in a way that makes this prince uncomfortable, you are done for.”

The little princess consort once again “?”

…

In Yaoguang Pavilion, the scene of heavy snow flying once more played out, freezing the camellia branches and leaves into shivering.

Those flower leaves shrank back, completely changing from their earlier posture of wanting to welcome the snow color and rub against it. At this moment, the flower stamens closed up and the leaves folded, as if this way they could avoid the invasion of the snow color, but it was merely being wrapped inch by inch in the cold intent from head to tail.

Ye Fuguang this time left the dew marks hesitantly.

Afraid of biting Shen Jinglan to tears like last time, yet also afraid of being too light and not leaving a wound, so that her own pheromone could not be injected into the pheromone gland at the back of Prince Qi’s neck, like her teeth stumbling lightly against the other’s skin.

She even provoked Shen Jinglan to lose patience midway and spank her buttocks once.

The little princess consort subconsciously clenched her teeth and tasted that fishy-sweet flavor surging into her lips and tongue again. Glancing at how the area around the pheromone gland was about to bleed exaggeratedly like last time, she hurriedly rolled all that dazzling red into her mouth, as if soothing, her tongue tip sweeping over the tooth mark wound she had just bitten.

The icy snow color took advantage to贴 up.

What should have been extreme pain, yet because of the uniqueness of the pheromone, was like applying ice to the newly appeared wound, unexpectedly giving a thread of comfort.

The Prince Qi holding the little princess consort sitting on the chair slightly narrowed her eyes, once again feeling those surging restless intents being suppressed. When the little dog began to lick her wound, she very ruthlessly chased the person off her knee.

Ye Fuguang stood there at a loss, her gaze yet chasing her complexion and discovering that she did not cry this time, so like asking for credit, she eagerly asked, “……Is the Prince comfortable this time?”

Shen Jinglan lowered her eyelids and insincerely answered, “Uncomfortable.”

When the pain near the pheromone gland subsided a bit, not affecting her movements, she casually picked up the file on the table and walked outward, “So when this prince returns, you are done for.”

Ye Fuguang: “?”

The Shen Jinglan preparing to summon the Imperial Guards and go to the Xu family to arrest people seemed to remember something, turned back to look at the little rabbit she had scared, and once again hooked her lips, “Or you can consider using the answer to another question to avoid punishment.”

The little princess consort’s eyes brightened, and she instinctively asked, “What question?”

Shen Jinglan removed a waist tablet and handed it to Shen Si, who had faster foot speed, instructed something, and then absent-mindedly answered her, “As you see, this prince is about to go out on official business, which happens to be to arrest your recently friendly Xu sister—”

At this time, there was no one around. Walking out of the heavily mechanism-filled Yaoguang Pavilion, falling into the golden sunlight outside, Prince Qi in her official robes colorful like a phoenix spreading wings turned back with a meaningful look at her and dropped her final words.

“When this prince returns, beloved consort, you had best have already thought of an ‘excuse for hoping to send her into the Horse and Step Army Division Prison.'”

Ye Fuguang: “……”

Ye Fuguang: “!”