The Cousin Is About to Marry，The Abstinent Young Lord Loses Control-Chapter 196: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

The people in the Duke Mansion each had their own thoughts.

But when Xie Yunzhen returned home, everyone waited at the entrance of the mansion.

Including Princess An He.

Even though she was unwell and couldn’t stand the wind, her son’s return was a joyous event. As long as she could stand, she must go to welcome him.

The elderly lady had prepared a fire basin.

She said that stepping over it would burn away bad luck. In time, her good grandson would surely return to the court.

As soon as Xie Yunzhen got off the carriage, the elderly lady urged him to step over the fire basin.

"You’ve stayed in that place for so long, you’ve surely picked up a lot of misfortune. Quickly step over the fire basin to drive it away."

Xie Yunzhen didn’t respond.

Though he hadn’t been in the mansion, the news that the elderly lady wanted to divorce his wife for him reached his ears that very night.

Fortunately, before anything happened, he and Mingzhu had already reached a mutual understanding.

Otherwise, he’d have to worry if Mingzhu would take the divorce letter and run away!

He turned to the carriage and extended his hand to help the person inside alight.

His indifferent attitude made the elderly lady feel stifled.

She gave Ji Mingzhu a withering look.

Not sick or aching, yet she needed Ah Zhen’s support. Anyone unaware might think she was a wealthy lady, and Ah Zhen her live-in son-in-law!

Xie Yunzhen saw it clearly.

"Wasn’t Grandmother going to a temple to cultivate? Why hasn’t she gone yet after so long?"

The elderly lady choked.

"You rascal, your grandmother was so worried about you, cried till her eyes were blurry, and you still say such heartless things!"

Xie Yunzhen looked understanding, "No wonder I found your eyes strange. I thought you didn’t want me back at the mansion, rolling your eyes at me on purpose. Turns out your eye condition flared up."

The elderly lady: "..."

Xie Yunzhen didn’t want to show a sharp side to his family.

Especially the elderly lady, who was already advanced in years, a perfect time to enjoy a peaceful life.

But as soon as he thought about how Mingzhu was almost divorced, it pained him deeply.

If he kept it bottled up, he might actually fall ill from anger!

Recently, the elderly lady competed a lot with Princess An He and even sent many things to Du Peifang.

Now seeing the humiliation, Princess An He felt extremely satisfied.

Though Ah Zhen was temporarily dismissed, with his abilities, it wouldn’t be long before he overcame the difficulties.

Stepping back, as long as Ah Zhen was fine, living a leisurely and prosperous life was also acceptable in this lifetime.

She no longer vied for those titles and honors.

Living was better than anything else!

She asked Ji Mingzhu, "Did you bring what I asked you to take?"

Ji Mingzhu nodded, "I did, and I scattered them too."

Seeing a piece of mugwort leaf still on Xie Yunzhen’s collar, Princess An He quickly asked, "She didn’t hurt you, did she? Had I known, Mother would have fetched you herself. Look at you, you’ve lost weight, who knows what kind of days you lived in there."

As she spoke, her eyes turned red.

Ah Zhen spent two whole months in those dark days.

He truly suffered!

With a group concerned about Xie Yunzhen, Ji Mingzhu wanted to return to the East Courtyard first.

She tried to withdraw her hand, but the man only held tighter.

"Mother, I’ll go bathe and change first."

He did not have any unpleasant smell, but the clothes he wore were still the same ones from before.

In Princess An He’s eyes, this indeed meant he had suffered.

She quickly dabbed her eyes to stop the tears.

She instructed Ji Mingzhu, "Take good care of Ah Zhen."

Then she told Xie Yunzhen, "Have a good meal when you return to the courtyard, then take a good nap. No hurry to pay respects. Come to the main courtyard when you’re well-rested."

Xie Yunzhen responded with an "Mm," "You should also go rest, don’t stand out here in the wind."

Just about to enter the mansion, he saw Xie Yunling.

"Is your knee all right?"

Xie Yunling shook her head like a rattle drum, "It’s long healed, but Sister Mingzhu knelt again yesterday."

Knowing that Ji Mingzhu went to the palace to plead, Xie Yunzhen had checked her leg in the carriage earlier.

Her skin was fair, so any bump or bruise would leave a mark.

Her knees were still a bit red.

Luckily, no bone was injured.

Xie Yunxuan hadn’t gone to the academy during this time, worrying over his elder brother’s matter.

If Xie Yunzhen didn’t return soon, he considered persuading his uncle to exchange his title and the Duke Mansion’s estate for his brother’s life.

Now seeing him return safely, the stone pressed on his heart finally settled.

He discreetly glanced at Ji Mingzhu.

With brother’s return, she wouldn’t have to worry about not eating or sleeping well.

This was good.

Without a word, he turned and entered the mansion first.

Though he had accepted reality, the sight of them holding hands still pricked his eyes.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Better to pack up and return to the academy.

Xie Yunzhen rubbed his fingers a bit but ultimately didn’t call him back.

He had promised to pave the way for Xie Yunxuan, and as long as he had not lost power, that promise would stand.

And as for Yun Ling, he would not use her to trade for benefits.

This time the incident happened suddenly. If not for the second household helping Mingzhu, she might have been even more anxious.

This favor, he remembered.

Mrs. Guan knew her son’s thoughts.

He used to always keep his eyes on Mingzhu, but now he didn’t dare to look at all.

She felt a bit saddened suddenly.

But she didn’t regret her decision.

Yun Xuan and Mingzhu were just not suitable. Even without Ah Zhen, they might not have ended up together.

Collecting her thoughts, Mrs. Guan smiled and said, "Your safe return puts all our hearts at ease. We’ll discuss future matters later. Go back, take a wash, have a hot meal, and sleep well."

Xie Yunzhen nodded, "Tomorrow I’ll accompany Mingzhu to pay my respects to you."

Mrs. Guan’s glance fell on Princess An He.

Sure enough, her expression turned unpleasant again.

With a hard face, she said, "By then, you’ll surely visit the main courtyard first. I won’t compete with my eldest sister-in-law for precedence. When the time is right, send a maid to the second household to announce it. I’ll have your favorite snacks prepared."

Princess An He was Ji Mingzhu’s mother-in-law, and Mrs. Guan sincerely hoped there would be no fallout between them.

Firstly, she didn’t want Ah Zhen to be caught in the middle, feeling awkward.

Secondly, with the Commandery Princess’s support, Mingzhu’s situation in the Duke Mansion would be much better.

Otherwise, with everyone in the main household as her enemy, life would be miserable every day!

Given her deep bond with Mrs. Guan, Ji Mingzhu naturally understood her kind intentions.

She didn’t want to embarrass her aunt, nor did she wish to be resented by Princess An He.

She nodded, "Then we’ll go to the main courtyard first, then to your side."

In Mrs. Guan’s sight, Princess An He’s expression visibly improved.

"Let’s all go back, no need to stand at the mansion entrance."

After lingering at the entrance for a bit, the maids in the East Courtyard had already prepared hot water.

Xie Yunzhen went for a bath and change of clothes.

Ji Mingzhu went to instruct the cook to prepare food for Xie Yunzhen.

No need for anything too complicated, just something warm for him to eat after a bath.

Thus, the cook prepared chicken noodle soup.

The chicken soup was ready-made, and the noodles were freshly hand-made that day.

Once in the pot, it would be ready to eat soon.

When Xie Yunzhen was young, he lived alone in this courtyard.

He used to see it as merely a place to rest.

But now, with Ji Mingzhu, everything felt different.

The air was filled with the fragrance of food, the sound of her and the maids chatting echoing around.

There were no indulgent romances, but everywhere brought joy.

After over two months, Xie Yunzhen truly missed Ji Mingzhu, and also missed these simple days.

With food comes sensual desires.

Brought back to the room, Ji Mingzhu sighed at his childishness, "Can’t you show a bit of ambition?"

His large hand climbed along her waistline.

Xie Yunzhen’s breath was already disordered, answering honestly, "No, I can’t."

The bed canopy was drawn.

Ambiguity spread wildly within this small space.

Thick desires swept through like a storm, unstoppable.

At some point, Ji Mingzhu suddenly said, "Why don’t we... have a child?"