The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 34 Zhiwan was dragged into the pool
When Zhiwan recognized Lu Zhan as the newcomer, she panicked. Then, seeing the sugar stains on his robes that she had stained, her heart sank even further.

"I'm sorry, cousin..."

She was filled with shame. She took out a handkerchief, wanting to wipe him, but hesitated because of the difference between men and women. She stood there, completely at a loss.

Lu Zhan pursed his thin lips, clearly displeased, but looking at the panicked girl, he finally said indifferently, "Never mind, it's alright, you didn't do it on purpose."

Zhiwan felt very ashamed and said while holding the sugar painting, "Then cousin, change your robes in a little while, and I'll have someone wash them for you."

She was thankful that her cousin wasn't wearing official robes today, otherwise it would have been troublesome.

"No need." Lu Zhan refused in a calm voice. Perhaps feeling that his voice was too harsh and afraid of frightening her, he softened his tone. "Chen Jiu will take care of it himself." After saying that, he turned and went back to his residence.

Zhiwan breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest lightly with her small hand.

When she and Dongxiang walked to the front yard, they ran into a group of people. They quickly stepped aside and lowered their heads.

Lu Jingsi and Lou Shi were the ones leading the charge.

The two men respectfully escorted the person to the door.

Watching the group of people walk out, Zhiwan seemed lost in thought.

Dongxiang whispered, "Miss, I heard yesterday that someone would come to the manor today to propose marriage to the Third Miss. It seems that the person who just walked by must be the one who came to propose marriage."

Zhiwan nodded without saying anything more.

Perhaps it was because she had gone out with her once, or perhaps it was because of the sugar painting she had bought for her, but Dongxiang, who was usually so composed, became quite talkative on the way back to Yaoguang Pavilion.

"I heard from the nanny in the manor that the person who came to propose marriage today is the son of the magistrate of Ji County. Ji County is adjacent to the capital, so the position of magistrate of Ji County is very lucrative. However, his son had previously married two wives, but neither of them lasted more than a year before they both died. I don't know what happened."

Zhiwan paused for a moment. He had married two wives before, but they had both died.
If he isn't a widower, then it means there's something wrong with the son of that county magistrate.

Judging from the respectful attitude of Lu Jingsi and Madam Lou towards those guests, the marriage has probably been settled.

Even though the magistrate's son had problems, the Second Master and Second Madam were still willing to marry Lu Xin off to him.

Lu Xin, who considers herself the only legitimate daughter of the Lu family, has always been arrogant and haughty in front of her.

Unexpectedly, in her parents' eyes, Lu Xin was nothing more than a pawn to be used for their own benefit.

I wonder if Lu Xin will be devastated when she finds out?
Zhiwan thought to herself silently.

……

After changing his clothes, Lu Zhan went to the Dali Temple.

Upon his arrival, Ouyang Lei eagerly handed over a case file, boasting, "Sir, I have finally fulfilled my mission. After lying in wait in Xuzhou for half a month, I have finally uncovered the true culprit in the soldier's murder case. This is the case file. Take a look. If there are no problems, I will begin my leave tomorrow."

Lu Zhan glanced at him, reached out and took the file, and began to look through it.

After a moment, he closed the file and remained silent for a long time.

Ouyang Lei sighed, "Actually, A Xiang and Zhong Shi are both very pitiful. If it weren't for the cruel twist of fate, the two could have married and lived a happy life together."

Lu Zhan didn't say much, only asking, "Has the soldier been released without charge?"

“Yes, I saw him released from prison, and the local magistrate even gave him some compensation,” Ouyang Lei said.

"Ah."

"In addition, I have also helped find a reliable family to take care of A Xiang and Zhong's son for a few months. After Zhong has served her three-month prison sentence, she will be able to reunite with her son." Ouyang Lei added, then paused and said, "The local government did not sentence A Xiang to death because he was forced to commit murder. However, he framed others, which was a heinous crime, so he was sentenced to beheading, tattooing, and hard labor."

According to the laws of Da Chen, the punishment of "beheading and tattooing on the face" meant that the toes would be cut off and the characters would be tattooed on the face. It was a life sentence, meaning that one would have to spend their entire life building cities for the country and would never be able to go home. It was the most severe punishment below the death penalty.

After Ouyang Lei finished speaking, he seemed a little heavy-hearted.

A single wrong decision by Ah Xiang cost him his entire life.

But as long as you don't die, there is always hope.

Thinking of this, he resumed his usual carefree grin. He said casually, "Boss, I successfully completed the task this time, is there a reward?"

"Didn't we give you a two-week leave?" Lu Zhan glanced at him indifferently.

“That’s something you promised before, it doesn’t count!” Ouyang Lei said, rubbing his hands together. “There’s nothing much to do at the yamen today, why don’t we leave early and go for a drink?”

"Okay." Lu Zhan nodded.

Ouyang Lei was taken aback and looked at him suspiciously.

what's the situation?
Normally, Lu Jinzhi would have already refused.

But today, surprisingly, they agreed.

"Why are you being so agreeable today?" he asked warily.

He hadn't forgotten that this guy had been exceptionally easy to talk to before he was sent to Xuzhou.

"You haven't set some kind of trap for me again, have you?" he couldn't help but wonder.

Lu Zhan lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, "Then I won't go."

"No, no, no! You've already agreed, you can't go back on your word," Ouyang Lei quickly said. "I'll go call Duan Ling, the three of us will drink until we drop tonight!"

Dingguo Gongfu.

Zhiwan wanted to paint more pictures to sell to bookstores, so after dinner, she sat down at her desk and painted until late at night.

Finally, she was so tired that she only intended to take a short nap, but as soon as she closed her eyes, she fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar room.

The house wasn't very big, but there was a pool in the middle.

Judging from the steam rising from it, this should be a hot spring pool.

Zhiwan hadn't bathed that evening, and seeing this pool, she couldn't help but feel a desire to go in and bathe.

She looked around and saw that no one was in the room and the door was locked. Just as she was about to take off her clothes, she suddenly saw a person sitting vaguely in the misty steam.

She was startled and instinctively wanted to turn and run, but then she heard the man's deep, slightly hoarse voice say, "Why are you running?"

Zhiwan paused, recognizing the voice.

"It's you!"

Seeing that it was an old acquaintance, Zhiwan was no longer afraid and boldly approached the man.

As you get closer, you can see the man's body, which is faintly visible in the water.

"Gudong!"

She swallowed hard, trying to get a better look with her beautiful eyes wide open.

That evening, she was still worrying about what to paint, but unexpectedly, she now had ready-made materials.

The man had fair skin, a strong chest, and a taut, powerful waistline that extended downwards...

So engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice the man's outstretched arm.

Until with a "splash," she was pulled into the pool.

She wiped the water off her face and glared at the man angrily, "Why did you pull me down?"

The man seemed to raise an eyebrow, his voice low and teasing, "Didn't you want to see? Wouldn't this make it clearer?"

(End of this chapter)