The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night-Chapter 36: Afraid of Letting Down My Cousin’s Deep Affection

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Afraid of Letting Down My Cousin’s Deep Affection

Zhi Wan froze.

She turned her head and saw Lu Zhan and Duan Ling standing behind her.

The two had clearly just arrived.

Zhi Wan peeked at Lu Zhan through her veiled hat.

The man’s expression was cold and indifferent, betraying no emotion.

Still, Zhi Wan felt a bit awkward.

But then there was Duan Ling, who, as if eager to stir up trouble, called out to Ouyang Lei, "Leizi, congratulations!"

Mortified, Zhi Wan was just about to explain when Ouyang Lei walked over, looking troubled. He cleared his throat and said tactfully, "Um... Cousin, I don’t really want to marry into your family."

Zhi Wan stared at him, stunned. "I didn’t..."

"Don’t be so quick to refuse, Leizi. You’re not getting any younger. Little Cousin is willing to have you marry into her family; you should cherish this opportunity." Duan Ling cut in before Zhi Wan could finish, his tone full of teasing.

Hearing this, Ouyang Lei couldn’t help but glance at Zhi Wan, the troubled look on his face deepening.

Seeing the misunderstanding spiral, Zhi Wan’s face flushed red with anxiety. She hurriedly explained, "That’s not it! I never meant for Junior Minister Ouyang to marry into my family. Zhenzhu must have misheard."

"Huh? I misheard?" Ouyang Zhenzhu froze.

Zhi Wan nodded frantically, as if that would make her words more believable. "I was just telling you that my aunt plans to find a husband to marry into our family, not that I wanted... wanted Junior Minister Ouyang to do it. I’m... I’m not that muddle-headed."

’She was just an orphan with no power or status, while Ouyang Lei was the Princely Heir of the Pingxi Marquis Mansion and a Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice. How could she be so fanciful as to think he would become her live-in husband?’

’She had never even considered it.’

Hearing this, Ouyang Zhenzhu felt very guilty. She took Zhi Wan’s hand and said, "I’m sorry, I misunderstood. Don’t talk about yourself like that. You’re wonderful, really. If my brother wasn’t the only male heir in our generation, I’d totally support him marrying into your family."

When Ouyang Lei heard this, he was so angry he wanted to give her a good smack.

’This brat, so generous with other people’s fortunes!’

’She’d support it?’

’Since when could she speak for him?’

"Ouyang Zhenzhu!" Ouyang Lei finally snapped, unable to take it anymore.

Ouyang Zhenzhu glared at him, annoyed. "Why are you shouting?"

Ouyang Lei was so mad he laughed. He glared at her and said, "And you think you’re in the right? If you hadn’t misunderstood Cousin Zhi Wan and started spouting nonsense, would we have this misunderstanding?" Then, he glared at Duan Ling. "And you! You just love to kick up a fuss, always trying to stir up trouble!"

’A moment ago, he’d thought Cousin Zhi Wan had actually taken a liking to him and wanted him to be her live-in husband.’

’He had been both delighted and terrified.’

’The main thing was, he’d never thought about being a live-in husband for anyone.’

’Besides, his family would never agree.’

’He was afraid of failing to live up to Cousin Zhi Wan’s high regard.’

Now that he knew it was a misunderstanding, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Duan Ling, too, felt he had gone a bit too far. For once, he didn’t argue back. His smile vanished, and he bowed to Zhi Wan. "Little Cousin, I misspoke just now. Please forgive me. I’m treating today, so please, order whatever you’d like."

"Oh, there’s no need." Seeing how sincere he was, Zhi Wan felt a little embarrassed herself. "It’s just a small matter."

Lu Zhan, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up. "He spoke out of turn. It’s only right that he apologizes to you. You don’t have to be polite with him!"

Zhi Wan blinked, looking at him with surprise.

Ouyang Zhenzhu shook her arm and whispered, "Don’t refuse! The food at the Hundred Flavors Building is delicious, but it’s so expensive. Now that someone’s paying, we can order a whole feast and eat our fill." As she spoke, she even swallowed hard.

Little did she know, Duan Ling had heard everything she said.

He glanced at Ouyang Zhenzhu with a smirk. "So, should I order two large tables for you?"

"No need, one table is..." Ouyang Zhenzhu stopped mid-sentence as she realized her mistake and quickly ducked behind Zhi Wan.

Duan Ling chuckled, then turned to Zhi Wan with a sincere expression. "Please don’t refuse, Little Cousin. It’s a rare opportunity for me to treat you all. I’d be honored. Let’s go in."

At this point, refusing any further would seem coy. Zhi Wan had no choice but to thank him. "Then, thank you, Junior Minister Duan."

Duan Ling waved his hand magnanimously. "Don’t mention it."

Because propriety demanded that men and women be separated, Duan Ling requested two private rooms.

Zhi Wan and Ouyang Zhenzhu were in one room, while the three men were in another.

Ouyang Zhenzhu did not hold back, ordering a large table full of fine dishes and good wine. She even had their maids join them at the table to eat.

The food at the Hundred Flavors Building was expensive, but it was truly delicious.

Zhi Wan had eaten here a few times with Lady Wei, so she knew the head chef was a retired old imperial chef from the palace.

"Wanwan, try this wine," Ouyang Zhenzhu said, picking up a small wine pot. "I heard it’s from the Western Regions. It’s called grape wine, and it’s worth a fortune. We’re only getting to drink it today thanks to Duan Ling." As she spoke, she poured the wine into a dark green cup.

Then she handed a cup to Zhi Wan.

Zhi Wan took it.

The vessel was a cup with a dark green body, adorned with natural patterns. Its walls were so thin that the liquid inside was visible.

Seeing her examining the cup, Ouyang Zhenzhu took a sip of wine and said, "This is a luminous cup. When it’s filled with wine and placed under the moonlight, it glows. It’s the perfect thing for drinking grape wine."

Zhi Wan found this fascinating.

The cup was indeed beautiful, and the red liquid poured into it looked exquisite.

She had heard of grape wine but had never tried it.

With this thought, she lowered her head and took a small sip.

It was slightly tart and astringent at first, but after a moment, a sweetness emerged, carrying a rich, fruity aroma.

The deep, rich aroma of the wine was captivating, and she couldn’t resist taking another sip.

She figured that since it was called grape wine, it must be a fruit wine and probably wouldn’t get her drunk. So she slowly finished the wine in her cup.

Seeing that she had finished, Ouyang Zhenzhu poured her another cup.

"There isn’t much left. Let’s the two of us finish it so it doesn’t go to waste."

Zhi Wan also found the grape wine delicious, so she didn’t refuse.

But not long after downing two cups, she started to feel dizzy.

She pressed a hand to her forehead, about to speak, when suddenly, the door to their private room was thrown open with a BANG, and a middle-aged man stumbled in.

"Help... help me..."

Zhi Wan was so startled that she instantly sobered up. Ouyang Zhenzhu and her maids were frightened as well.

Dongxiang remained relatively calm. She immediately stood up, shielding the two young women, and snapped, "Who are you? Get out of here right now!"

"Blood... so much blood..." Ouyang Zhenzhu suddenly shrieked.

A chill ran through Zhi Wan. She looked at the man and saw that he was indeed covered in blood.

For a moment, they were all in a panic.

Before they could react, another man burst in from outside, a dagger in his hand, advancing on the first man.

Seeing this, Zhi Wan cried out in alarm, "Look out!"

"PFFT!"

No sooner had the words left her lips than the dagger in the attacker’s hand plunged into the man’s body.