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

Chapter 50 So Wild at Heart
Zhiwan turned her head and saw a slender man standing next to the shelf.

Seeing her turn her head to look at him, the man immediately put down the calligraphy brush he was selecting, took two steps toward her, and said with delight, "Miss Zhi, it really is you!"

Zhi Wan blinked, somewhat surprised that even though she was wearing a veil, people could still recognize her.

However, upon seeing Shuang'er standing to the side, one will understand.

Shuang'er is not wearing a veil today.

It seems that seeing Shuang'er made her guess that it was her.

She said in a distant and polite tone, "Prince Fu."

The other party was Fu Hongyi.

He never expected to meet her here, and hearing her respond to him left him feeling somewhat dazed.

He did recognize Shuang'er, which is why he guessed that Zhi Wan was there.

Coming to his senses, he quickly bowed to Zhi Wan and said with shame, "Last time my mother visited your residence, she said something inappropriate and offended Miss Zhi. Today, on behalf of my mother, I apologize to you. I hope Miss Zhi will not take my mother's words to heart."

Zhiwan was somewhat confused.

What offensive thing did Lin say to her?

Lin did indeed visit the Duke of Dingguo's mansion last time, but she didn't get to see her; her aunt received her instead.

Did Mrs. Lin say something unpleasant that day?

Yes, she remembered. It was on the day Lin came that her aunt suddenly suggested that she should find a husband to live with her in the family.

It seems that Lin said something extremely unpleasant that time.

Although it is unknown what exactly Lin said, the fact that Fu Hongyi apologized to her in such shame suggests that Lin must have said something extremely offensive.

But her aunt kept it a secret from her and suddenly suggested that she find a husband to marry into the family.

Zhiwan felt a chill run down her spine.

Could it be that when Madam Lin visited the Duke of Dingguo's mansion that day, she wanted to ask her aunt to give her to Fu Hongyi as a concubine?

Realizing this possibility, Zhiwan clenched her fists tightly, both shocked and furious.

She never thought of currying favor with the Fu family, nor did she ever think of having any connection with Fu Hongyi, but Lin came to her door eagerly, wanting to take her as a concubine.

This is absolutely insulting.

Thinking of this, her tone became rather unpleasant, "What's said can't be taken back. Words spoken are like water spilled; they can't be retrieved. Even if Prince Fu apologizes to me now, it won't change anything and it's meaningless. I regret that I went to your Fu family's flower-viewing banquet that day!"

After saying that, she went straight out of the shop.

Seeing this, Chen Jiu and Shuang'er quickly followed.

Fu Hongyi was so ashamed he wanted to disappear.

Yes, what's the point of him apologizing when his mother insulted him like that?

The damage has been done.

He felt guilty and remorseful.

He had mistakenly trusted his mother, which is why he told her that he admired Miss Zhi.

His mother outwardly supported him, but secretly went to someone else's house to ask for a woman to be his concubine.

Seeing his beloved leave in anger, Fu Hongyi was completely distraught.

The image of the flower-viewing party that day flashed through my mind: under the peach tree, peach petals fell onto the girl's pretty nose, and she picked them off with her fingertips—a truly beautiful scene.

A sense of loss lingered in Fu Hongyi's heart.

"Miss, aren't you going to look at that shop anymore?" Shuang'er asked after catching up with Zhiwan.

Zhiwan composed herself and said, "That shop's location isn't as good as the others we looked at, and it's still in business, so it probably won't be able to clear it out so quickly."

Upon hearing this, Shuang'er stopped dwelling on the shop matter and instead brought up Fu Hongyi, "What did Young Master Fu mean just now? Why did he apologize to you on behalf of Madam Fu? What exactly did Madam Fu say when she came to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion last time?"

Zhiwan paused, then shook her head. "I don't know."

Why say it out loud and make Shuang'er upset and angry too? Chen Jiu, who was standing to the side, glanced at her and vaguely guessed what was going on.

The young lady must have guessed that when Madam Lin visited last time, she was asking the madam about becoming her concubine.

Thinking that his master had even gone to warn Fu Hongyi because of this matter, Chen Jiu paused, took two steps forward, and whispered to Zhiwan, "Miss, do you need me to put that Lin woman in a sack and beat her up to avenge you?"

Zhiwan looked at him in surprise.

His sudden offer to help her vent her anger confirmed her suspicions: when Lin came to the mansion last time, she did indeed ask her aunt to let her become Fu Hongyi's concubine.

Chen Jiu knew, and his cousin must have known too.

But they kept it a secret very well, not letting her know about this upsetting matter.

If she hadn't met Fu Hongyi today, she probably would never have known.

Zhiwan felt a warmth in her heart.

Chen Jiu noticed that she was looking at him but didn't say anything, and he felt a little uneasy.

Did I accidentally flatter the horse and offend it?

Just as he was starting to regret his decision, he suddenly heard the little girl ask in a similarly low voice, "Is it really okay? What if we get caught?"

Chen Jiu was taken aback, then grinned, showing his front teeth, and said, "Of course not. If you put a sack over her head, she won't know who did it."

Zhiwan was amused by his bold idea, "But Chen Jiu, aren't you afraid your master will blame you?"

My cousin is in charge of the law and is always strict with himself, so he can tolerate people around him breaking the law.
“Master…” Chen Jiu said a few words, then stopped. Last time, when his master warned Fu Hongyi, even the madam was not allowed to know. How could he tell Miss Biao?
He then said, "Just don't let the master know."

Zhiwan shook her head. "Let's forget about it." Although she really wanted to beat up Lin Shi to vent her anger, she only thought about it and didn't dare to actually have someone beat her up.

Lady Fu was no ordinary woman; she was the wife of the Marquis of Xuanping, a woman of noble birth. She was always accompanied by a group of maids and servants when she went out. Putting a sack over her head was no easy task, and if it alarmed the authorities, it would definitely cause trouble for her cousin.

"But thank you, Chen Jiu!" she said sincerely.

Chen Jiu scratched his head. "You're too kind, Miss. I wasn't much of a help."

Looking at his honest and simple appearance, Zhiwan found it somewhat amusing.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jiu, who seemed honest, was actually so wild at heart, and actually came up with such a bad idea as putting a sack over Lin's head to help her vent her anger.

Although she ultimately did not agree to his proposal, she was actually not so upset anymore.

"Which shop do you think is better, Miss?" Chen Jiu changed the subject.

After thinking for a moment, Zhiwan said, "Let's go with the first shop we looked at."

The shop wasn't big, but it was in a good location.

In fact, she could have rented another shop with the money she had.

However, considering that this was her first time opening a shop and she had little experience, she decided to play it safe and rent a shop first.

If business is good, we'll open a few more stores later.

"As Miss Biao suggests, let's go and rent that shop now," Chen Jiu said.

"it is good."

Because of Lu Zhan's connections, the shop was rented very easily, and the contract was signed on the same day.

The moment she received the shop key, Zhiwan felt a sense of relief.

She now has her own business.

After a busy day, it was already evening. Zhiwan wanted to treat Chen Jiu to a meal, but it was too late and inconvenient, so she bought some cooked food and wine and gave them to Chen Jiu.

On her way back, Zhiwan went to the Pen and Ink Shop and bought a ream of paper for painting, as well as a few pieces of ink.

Back at the mansion, she handed a box containing ink to Chen Jiu, saying, "This is Huizhou ink I bought for my cousin. Please give it to him for me."

Just as Chen Jiu was about to take it, he saw his master walk in from outside the door and immediately smiled and said, "Master is back. Miss, please give it to him yourself."

(End of this chapter)