She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 127 Keeping an Appointment

At the Duke of Zhao's residence, Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi were having dinner.

Shen Qingtan specifically instructed the kitchen not to prepare her portion, but to make an extra portion of the meal that was prepared for Zhao Yi.

Today is the first time that the couple is no longer using separate tables; four light vegetarian dishes are laid out on the table.

Perhaps because it was almost summer, the room was a bit stuffy, and Shen Qingtan hadn't had much of an appetite these past few days.

The meal I ate tonight was light, but I found it refreshing and ate about half a bowl of rice.

Seeing this, Zhao Yi frowned slightly and said gently, "I don't care much for food. I'm used to eating lightly, so I find it quite nice. You have your own eating habits, and you might not be used to changing your taste suddenly. You don't have to cater to my taste; just follow your own."

"I'm not trying to please your taste, it's just that I haven't had much of an appetite these days, and I'd like to eat something light to change things up." Shen Qingtan said with a smile, "I think it tastes pretty good to eat something light once in a while, and I've eaten a little more than I have the past few days."

Shen Qingtan did want to accommodate Zhao Yi's tastes, as the two had always eaten separately since they got married.

She hadn't thought much of it before, but after they opened up to each other, she became more and more attentive to him and unconsciously started thinking about him.

Especially when you see him eating only light vegetarian dishes or soups all day long, without touching any meat.

Before he got married, he ate alone in his room and didn't feel anything was wrong.

Now she's dining at the same table as him, and every dish is so delicious and visually appealing, it's really unfriendly to him.

Put yourself in her shoes. If she ate only bland vegetarian food every day, and then saw the people she ate with eating big fish and meat every day, she would definitely feel envious.

If he were just naturally inclined to eat vegetarian food, that would be fine.

However, he needs to abstain from certain foods and cannot eat meat.

Thinking of this, Shen Qingtan couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for Zhao Yi, so she decided that when he wasn't around at noon, she would have lunch as usual.

When he returned home at night, she ate the same food as him.

After trying it today, I realized that the cook's skills are quite good. Not only are the simple vegetarian dishes exquisitely prepared, but they also have the aroma of meat.

The more she tasted the vegetarian dishes prepared in a way that resembled meat, the more she felt sorry for him.

“It’s a bit stuffy in the room, which is affecting your appetite. Tomorrow, have Liuyue go to the ice cellar to get some ice and put it in the room.” Zhao Yi noticed that she hadn’t had a good appetite these past few days: “If the room is cooler, your appetite should improve.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingtan didn't respond for a moment.

She was afraid of the cold in winter and the heat in summer. If she were in the Marquis's mansion, she would indeed have put some ice in her room at this time of year.

But Zhao Yi is physically weak and sensitive to cold. If she puts ice in the room to keep it cool, he might not be able to withstand it and get sick.

Zhao Yi seemed to have thought of this issue as well. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "It doesn't bother me since I'm not at home during the day. When I come back at night, I can cover myself with a thicker blanket so I won't catch a cold."

"Let's talk about it when summer comes," Shen Qingtan said with a smile. "It's late spring and early summer now, and I'm easily susceptible to catching a cold if I'm not careful."

Zhao Yi smiled helplessly, put down his chopsticks and bowl, and brought up the matter of Guanzhou.

"All the officials in charge of grain transport in Guanzhou have been brought to the capital, and the case will be heard tomorrow. After this matter is settled, is there anywhere you would like to go?"

"No..." Shen Qingtan stopped speaking abruptly after realizing what Zhao Yi had said. She looked at him incredulously and asked tentatively, "You're asking this... does it mean you'll accompany me wherever I want to go?"

Zhao Yi nodded slightly: "The weather has been nice lately, perfect for going out for a spring outing."

Since getting married, she has been dealing with all sorts of things and has never had a proper chance to relax.

In addition, Zhao Yi also had some selfish motives.

They have never gone out together.

Seeing that he hadn't misunderstood, Shen Qingtan felt a quiet joy welling up inside him, because this was the first time he had invited her out for a trip.

“Last time, my fourth aunt invited me to the horse farm. There you can race horses, play ball games, and play cuju (ancient Chinese football)…” Shen Qingtan listed a bunch of games, then realized a problem: these were all games he couldn’t play.

We can't just let Zhao Yi sit there and watch her play, can we?

She was about to suggest staying at the villa for a few days when Zhao Yi spoke up.

“The scenery in the Western Hills is quite nice, and the climate is relatively cool. In previous years, if Fourth Uncle was in the capital, he would take Fourth Aunt there to escape the summer heat.” Zhao Yi looked at her bitter face and couldn’t help but chuckle: “Then let’s go to the Western Hills for a look?”

Shen Qingtan hesitated, fearing that he was deliberately trying to fool her.

Zhao Yi saw through her thoughts and deliberately said, "I have never been to Xishan. I have always wanted to go and see it, but I just haven't found the right time."

Hearing him say that, Shen Qingtan's heart softened, and all her worries were put to the back of her mind.

She agreed: "Then let's go to West Mountain."

Zhao Yi gave a soft "hmm," and said, "You can invite Miss Qin and Fourth Aunt to come along; it'll be more lively with more people."

Shen Qingtan's eyes flickered slightly: "We'll talk about it later."

At this moment, Liu Yue came in from outside, greeted the two of them, and then took out a letter and handed it to Shen Qingtan.

"Second Madam, this was sent by Boss Qin."

A hint of doubt flashed in Shen Qingtan's eyes, guessing that Boss Qin was reporting on matters concerning Guanzhou.

After all, all the prisoners were brought to the capital today.

She quickly opened the letter, and after reading the contents at a glance, she was surprised.

Gu Zongci wanted to see her.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Yi asked with concern when he saw Shen Qingtan's furrowed brows. "Is Boss Qin having any trouble?"

“No.” Shen Qingtan handed the letter to Zhao Yi: “Uncle Qin is handling all the business matters. I have only met Boss Gu once, and I don’t know why he asked Uncle Qin to contact me.”

Zhao Yi glanced at the letter and pondered, "Is Mr. Gu's ancestral home in Nanling Prefecture?"

"When I met Boss Gu last time, Uncle Qin introduced the Gu family as a wealthy family that had once been imperial merchants and had a very high reputation in Nanling Prefecture." Shen Qingtan suddenly realized something as she said this: "You mean Boss Gu came to see me because of my background?"

Then, she denied it in her heart.

If Gu Zongci's family had lost a child, given his relationship with Boss Qin, he would surely know.

She kept her search for her parents in Nanling Prefecture very secret, without revealing it to anyone, so Gu Zongci had no chance of getting the news.

Zhao Yi said in a low voice, "You'll know once you see it."

Shen Qingtan decided to meet Gu Zongci the next day and went to the desk to write a letter back to Boss Qin.