Xie Lang stretched out his hand blankly. Shen Mingzhu ran her fingertips across the palm of the man in front of her and heard his inner voice again.
[??? It's impossible. I tasted them last time. They were extremely sour.]
[But Shen Mingzhu's expression just now was also strange. What's going on? Does she like sour food?]
[No way. Could Shen Mingzhu be pregnant!]
Hearing the last sentence, Shen Mingzhu suddenly withdrew her hand, suppressing the urge to stuff all the grapes in front of her into Xie Lang's mouth. She looked up into the distance and said, "Keep playing the music."
Xie Lang seemed shocked by his own speculation. He was moving blankly while peeling the grapes.
Several of Shen Mingzhu's subordinates around her stared at them in disbelief, looking somewhat similar to Xie Lang's expression.
They had only been away for a few months. Rumors had it that the son - in - law was good - for - nothing. But now seeing how Her Highness got along with him, there was somehow a touch of newly - wedded couple in it.
Did Her Highness like good - looking good - for - nothings? It seemed... it seemed reasonable. In this way, the son - in - law couldn't interfere with Her Highness's affairs, which could reduce a lot of trouble.
Silence spread. Seeing Xie Lang standing there blankly, looking a bit muddled, Shen Mingzhu waited for him to finish peeling those grapes. Then she took another plate and put it in front of him, and placed a small plate of unpeeled grapes in front of his face.
Unexpectedly, Xie Lang seemed not to have reacted yet. So he blankly continued to peel the grapes on the plate that Shen Mingzhu had pushed over one by one, then neatly arranged them on the plate.
The sound of silk and bamboo instruments gradually filled the room. Qing Zhu calmly kept playing the instrument. Only after seeing his expression and hearing Shen Mingzhu's order did the two people beside him pick up their bamboo flutes to accompany him.
After finishing peeling all the grapes, Xie Lang pushed the small plate in front of Shen Mingzhu. He looked at her a bit uneasily, with a touch of shyness in his eyes, and said, "Your Highness, these are the grapes I peeled for you."
Seeing that Xie Lang's attitude towards her was rarely normal, Shen Mingzhu subconsciously picked up a grape and was about to put it into her mouth. But the next moment, she suddenly remembered that the grapes in front of her were extremely sour.
She changed the movement of her hand and put the grape into Xie Lang's mouth. The man in front of her actually opened his mouth directly, and her fingertips accidentally touched his lower lip.
[Why did Shen Mingzhu feed me? Well, since that's the case, I'll reluctantly have a few mouthfuls.]
After taking a bite, Xie Lang's facial features were contorted by the sour taste.
Shen Mingzhu quietly withdrew her hand and smiled, saying, "Are they delicious? They're sour and refreshing when you eat them."
Xie Lang endured the distorted expression on his face and looked up at Shen Mingzhu. He saw that her face was calm and the look in her eyes was sincere.
Was he being played?
Just as Xie Lang was doubting, Shen Mingzhu, rarely in a mischievous mood, was reluctant to let go of this opportunity. So she said to Xiaofeng beside her, "Continue. Tell me why the son - in - law was framed on the wedding day. Have you found out?"
"Yes."
Xie Lang stood there stunned.
Seeing this, Shen Mingzhu continued to pick up the peeled grapes calmly and feed them to Xie Lang one by one. She fed him until he lost his expression and his eyes were a bit dull.
"Report to Your Highness, and... and to the son - in - law. On the day of your wedding, there were indeed people causing trouble behind the scenes, and there was more than one force involved."
"For example... when the son - in - law went outside, there were indeed people leading him. According to the subordinates' search a few days ago, many small shops suddenly appeared near the Xie Mansion a few days after the imperial bestowal of marriage several months ago, but they left after the wedding."
[Shen Mingzhu actually investigated? But doesn't she like Zhou Chengyu? Why...]
[Tsk, I'm inexplicably a bit delighted. Sure enough, it was all an act.]
While eating the teeth - achingly sour grapes, Xie Lang's face showed a touch of pleasure. So he ate the grapes more actively, as if he had no sense of taste at all.
Shen Mingzhu felt her teeth ache just watching. She subconsciously wiped her hands, picked up the tea beside her and took a sip. Then she saw Xie Lang looking at her, signaling her to continue feeding.
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
Although she was very unhappy about serving others, Xie Lang's behavior of jumping into the trap honestly without knowing it did bring her a bit of pleasure. So she could tolerate it for the time being.
"The subordinates are still searching. So far, it has been confirmed that it was Lady Liu of the Xie Mansion who led the son - in - law to... that place on the wedding day. The other forces are hiding too deeply."
After Xiaofeng finished speaking, Shen Mingzhu was about to finish feeding a large plate of grapes. She picked up the last one and said to Xie Lang, "Not bad. Mr. Xie has eaten the grapes and heard the story. Do you want to leave first?"
[Shen Mingzhu! You're actually kicking me out!]
[Wait! Is Shen Mingzhu really pregnant?]
Xie Lang looked at Shen Mingzhu in disbelief. He saw her put away her hand, take the handkerchief from Chuntao and wipe her hands, then look at him coldly.
Shen Mingzhu stood up, walked beside Xie Lang, glanced down at him haughtily, then slightly curled her lips, leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Mr. Xie needn't worry. I took the contraceptive decoction that day."
Seeing the look on Shen Mingzhu's face, Xie Lang was silent for a moment. Then he looked at her deeply and said with a smile, "That's good."
After saying that, Xie Lang stood up and passed by Shen Mingzhu.
[Shen Mingzhu!!! How could I be played by such a person!!!]
As soon as he went out, Xie Lang took a deep breath angrily. He felt the acid rising in his stomach, but heard the sound of the silk and bamboo instruments inside suddenly get louder, and the tune became cheerful.
Xie Lang gritted his teeth. Finally, he took a look inside and saw the man playing the instrument also look up and smile faintly at him.
Something was wrong. He couldn't just let it go like this!
Xie Lang went downstairs with an idea in mind.
...
After seeing Xie Lang leave, Shen Mingzhu inexplicably put away the smile on her face and said to Xiaofeng, "Have you found out anything else?"
"Report to Your Highness. All the other things have been written in a secret letter by Xiaoyue and sent to you. She said she might return to the capital next month."
After hearing this, Shen Mingzhu hesitated for a moment, then still said to Xiaofeng, "Investigate the Zhou family."
"Yes." Naturally, the people present knew about the entanglement between the Zhou family and Shen Mingzhu. They were surprised when they heard this, but didn't show it on their faces.
Coming back to her senses, Xiaofeng and the others had already left. The empty room was suddenly left with only Shen Mingzhu, a few waiting maids, and three young male entertainers.
After seeing everyone leave, the two young male entertainers beside Qing Zhu glanced at each other, stopped their movements, and planned to make a move before him.
"Madam."
The two of them knelt down together, their voices as charming as silk.
Hearing their voices, Shen Mingzhu subconsciously frowned. She looked forward and only then noticed that they were dressed scantily.
"Please give this servant a chance to serve you."
Qing Zhu kept playing without stopping, but a touch of ridicule flashed through his mind.
"Chuntao."
Shen Mingzhu's voice was calm. Hearing this, the two of them immediately looked up happily, but were sent to hell the next moment.
"Throw these two out."
Watching the two of them being thrown out, Qing Zhu still looked calm. He sat there and played the instrument seriously.
Shen Mingzhu sat there for a while longer. Feeling bored, she stood up and planned to leave.
Unexpectedly, Qing Zhu, who had been sitting there all the time, also stood up and followed her. He hurriedly walked in front of Shen Mingzhu, knelt down, and respectfully said, "This servant knows that Your Honor has an extraordinary status. I only hope that Your Honor can give this servant a chance to relieve your worries."
"Relieve my worries?" Shen Mingzhu laughed softly when she heard this. She looked at Qing Zhu with great interest and said, "What worries do I have?"