Chapter 90

  Zhan Zhao has been quite troubled lately.

  Although Xiao Feng has returned to the capital city, he is still visibly upset with him. For so many days since his return, their interactions have been limited to formal greetings, and sometimes they even choose to ignore each other.

  He had never coaxed a girl before and didn't know how to coax a girl, let alone a girl like Xiaofeng.

  "Expand protection."

  "Mr. Gong Sun."

  Gongsun Ce walked from the corridor into the courtyard, looked at him and smiled, asking: "What's wrong recently? You seem to have something on your mind."

  Zhan Zhao shook his head, he really didn't know how to bring this up with others.

  "It's because of Miss Lu."

  Zhan Zhao by default.

  Gongsun Ce stroked his chin whiskers and smiled slightly, saying: "Girls are like that, just coax them a bit."

  Zhan Zhao forced a smile, so how should he coax her?

  Looking at this proud and chivalrous cat so worried, Gong Sun Ce couldn't help but laugh, "No matter if you know how to coax her or not, first you have to let her see that it's really you, right?"

  Zhan Zhao's eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face, "Thank you, Mr. Gong Sun."

  Gongsun Ce could only watch his back as he walked away, shaking his head and smiling.

  Zhan Zhao arrived at the small shop when Little Phoenix was playing Go with Xiao He under the corridor, both master and servant were very serious and engaged.

  It wasn't until Xiao He inadvertently raised his head that he saw him, hastily getting up and saying: "Zhan sir."

  Lu Xiaofeng slowly put down the chess piece in his hand, turned his head and took a glance, but didn't say anything.

  "Xiao Feng." Zhan Zhao sat down in Xiao He's former position.

  "Zhān hù wèi jīn rì zhōng yú dé xián le a, zhēn nán dé."

  Translation: "The guardian finally has some free time today, it's really rare."

  Zhan Zhao felt quite wronged, she had been busy with various things since returning to Beijing, and it wasn't him. However, at this moment, he didn't dare to argue, his original intention was to coax her into a good mood, so whatever she said was right.

  Lu Xiaofeng saw that he didn't make any excuses, but just had a look of complete acceptance. He couldn't help but hum a sound, and threw the few chess pieces in his hand at him, "Really a stupid cat."

  Zhan Zhao's heart was put at ease, and he instinctively caught the few chess pieces, a smile spreading across his face. "Finally not angry?"

  "I must be a masochist to get angry with you, stupid cat. I'm done being mad."

  "He always had a bad attitude..."

  "You're just stupid." Little Phoenix Maiden said that this was really a hopeless foolish cat, and it was impossible to have fun playing with him.

  Zhan Zhao saw her sweep away the chess pieces and get up to return to her room, so he also followed her.

  Xiao He had already gone to the front yard to talk to Xiao Bao, the young shop assistant.

  Zhan Zhao followed in and something flew towards him. He stretched out his hand to catch it, and it turned out to be a ripe loquat. He couldn't help but smile.

  "In a few days, it will be the Empress Dowager's birthday, are you also going to enter the palace to pay your respects?"

  "Are you asking knowingly?" Little Phoenix's tone was slightly unpleasant, "If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration, I would have left the capital already." She is now, after all, bearing the title of "Imperial Sister", and has to put on a bit of a show.

  Xuan Zhaohad a gloomy feeling in his heart, but he still had to leave.

  "The capital city is too complicated, I don't like it."

  Zhan Zhaixin said: In this complex capital city, you still play so freely and easily?

  "Is there nothing else you can say except for telling me these things?"

  Zhan Zhao was at a loss for words for a moment, he just hoped that he could see her from time to time.

  Little Phoenix didn't know what to say about this cat anymore. She put the half-eaten pear on the table and was about to walk out.

  "Want to go out?"

  "Are you going out with me or staying home staring at each other like a silly cat?"

  Zhan Zhao reached out and grabbed her hand.

  The little phoenix girl turned back with a displeased expression and raised an eyebrow, saying: "What are you doing?"

  "I can't guess what's on your daughter's mind, and getting angry with me about it is pointless. It would be better if you just spoke directly to me."

  Lu Xiaofeng was amused by his honest words and couldn't help but poke him in the chest, saying with a hint of annoyance: "You actually told the truth for once, I'm wasting my breath being angry at you."

  Zhan Zhao Shun took the person into his arms and said with a hint of resentment, "These days, whether it's at the Taishi Mansion, or going to the palace, or even at the Jing Shan Wang Mansion, why didn't you think of me?"

  Little Phoenix Maiden hummed, "Your royal cat's name is called Good Looking, huh." If you really put your mind to it, the imperial palace would be as easy to navigate as flat ground, let alone the humble residence of the Grand Tutor.

  Zhan Zhao's ears turned slightly red behind her ears, and she couldn't help but cough, "Xiao Feng——" A young girl like her encouraging a man to go out and find romance, isn't that not quite right?

  The little phoenix girl maliciously teased him twice, then with an innocent face said: "Now that the gentleman has shown his chivalry, can you let me go?"

  Zhan Zhao shook his head, stretched out his hand to pull her into his arms, and turned around to walk towards the inner room. If he were willing to let her go now, that would be truly foolish.

  Lu Xiaofeng hooked his neck and smiled lightly, "A gentleman does not deceive in a dark room."

  "This is Ming's room."

  Lu Xiaofeng was laughed at by him and fell onto the soft, fragrant bed.

  Zhan Zhao finally got his revenge for the hardships of longing.

  The deep affection between them is self-evident and needs no further elaboration.

  When Little Phoenix was re-dressing and sitting in front of the dresser to comb her hair, Zhan Zhao walked over and inserted a hairpin into her neatly coiled bun.

  "I never had the chance to return it to you, now is just right."

  That hairpin was exactly what she had left in the sedan chair to send a message to him that day.

  Lu Xiaofeng reached out and touched the hairpin, smiling: "How can it be returned to me? You're its original owner, aren't you?"

  Zhan Zhao didn't engage in such pointless arguments with her, but instead gently placed his hand on her shoulder and gazed at the person in the mirror, who was smiling sweetly. However, he couldn't help but feel a little sentimental, wondering when they could openly and properly do these intimate things together.

  "Xiao Feng, you now have the title of 'Royal Sister'..."

  "Are you worried I'll climb higher than you?" She turned her head and looked at him with a playful expression.

  "You."

  "What's there to worry about?" Lu Xiaofeng stretched out his hand and wrapped it around his waist, burying his head in front of him, saying: "My marriage is now completely my own decision, the Emperor has given his consent."

  Zhan Zhao's eyes lit up.

  "In other words, when this girl wants to get married and whom she marries is entirely up to her own decision, even if she doesn't want to get married, no one will gossip about it."

  "Really won't get married?"

  "Wait until I'm not scared anymore."

  Zhan Zhao's sword eyebrows slightly frowned.

  "What's wrong? Don't be unhappy?"

  Zhan Zhao couldn't help but smile wryly, "Xiao Feng, I really don't know what you're afraid of? After we get married, will it be much different from now? It's just a change in status, why are you so scared?"

  Having children is really scary.

  Zhan Zhao: "......" Alright, the fear of marriage hasn't gone away, and now there's even a fear of giving birth. What is going on here?

  However, Zhan Zhao." Lu Xiaofeng's expression turned serious as he stood up from the stool and faced him.

  Zhan Zhao felt that what she was about to say next was very important.

  As expected, Lu Xiao Feng said seriously to him: "No matter whether I understand it or not in the end, I will definitely marry you when I am 25 years old."

  Zhan Zhao stretched out his hand and wrapped it around her, full of joy, "I've been waiting for you."

  "Alas, you're so eager, but even if I were to marry you, it would have to be with a formal agreement of three conditions."

  "You said."

  "You have to guarantee that after I get married, my life won't be any different from now. I'm not going to follow the three obediences and four virtues to be a virtuous wife."

  "This is natural."

  "It's better this way, otherwise I would regret it." Little Phoenix gave him a warning.

  "I won't give you a chance to regret it."

  "That's best."

  "This is for you."

  Lu Xiaofeng looked at the book in his hand suspiciously, "What is this?"

  Zhan Zhao pulled her to one side and sat down, "You have no inner strength, when you encounter a master, you can't help but suffer losses. This is a book of internal skill secrets, you can try practicing it."

  Lu Xiaofeng looked at him.

  Zhan Zhao smiled and said, "This is also for your own good."

  Lu Xiaofeng said: "I don't think so."

  "Oh?"

  "You see, I don't have internal energy, so I won't be detected as unusual, making it easier to catch the opponent off guard." People in later generations rarely had internal energy, and they relied on physical strength.

  She was expected to be a person of great talent in her family, so she had been through all kinds of trials and tribulations since childhood. Therefore, the burden she carried from an early age was heavier than others, which is also the reason why she wanted to live freely for herself after coming to this time and space.

  "But..." Zhan Zhao hesitated.

  "Zhan Zhao, teach me some acupoints, this skill is very useful for me."

  "How can you seal someone's blood vessels without inner power?"

  "You can try it." Before she had even finished speaking, she suddenly attacked him.

  Zhan Zhao was caught off guard and could only passively respond to the attack.

  This was his first time seeing her reveal her skills, and the way she used her fists and palms was something he had never seen or heard of before, but in actual combat it proved to be very effective.

  The more Yue Zhan showed off, the more astonished he was; she really surprised him.

  "Hey, stinky cat......" Lu Xiaofeng stopped and wiped the sweat from his face, pinched his waist and pointed at a certain cat with an angry expression, "Do you want to exhaust me to death?"

  Zhan Zhao timely reined in his strength, not really hurting her. His face was still smiling, "You're right, whether or not you have internal energy doesn't make a big difference to you." With insufficient martial arts skills, she would make up for it with intelligence.

  "I'm exhausted. You stinky cat." Little Phoenix felt like she had overexerted herself, it had been a long time since she'd last sparred with someone to warm up.

  Zhan Zhao considerately helped her massage her shoulders, using his internal energy to relieve her fatigue. He had been doing this non-stop because he wanted to see how much physical strength she actually possessed, and now it seemed that in this regard, she was able to put him at ease.

  "But you'd better take a look at this booklet anyway."

  "Xiao Mao, are you going to lower your IQ to be like Bai Xiao Wu?"

  Zhan Zhao: "......" How come I'm suddenly being disliked again?

  "Rather than letting me teach myself, can't you just instruct me yourself? I'm a complete outsider to this sort of thing, and your guidance would definitely be more effective than my own self-study."

  Zhan Zhao couldn't help but laugh, "That's also true."

  "It's always been like that."

  Zhan Zhao pulled her over to sit down beside the bed, had her sit cross-legged on the bed, and then taught her how to try circulating her breath through the acupoints.

  Because there was no reserve between the two of them, it was much easier for Zhan Zhao to guide him, and unknowingly, he had learned a lot.

  "Cultivating inner strength is not a one-day or one-night achievement, you don't need to be impatient."

  "I'm in no hurry." Lu Xiaofeng smiled at him, this was something she had originally done just for fun, whether it succeeded or not didn't matter to her.

  "Miss, miss..." Xiao He's voice came from outside, sounding a bit urgent.

  Zhan Zhao supported Lu Xiao Feng as he got down from the bed and walked out of the inner chamber.

  "What's wrong, Xiaohe?"

  Xiao He heard Miss's voice and felt relieved, pushing open the door and coming in, "Someone from Kaifeng Prefecture has come to see Master Zhan."

  Zhan Zhao glanced at the people around him and said, "I'll go back first."

  "Uh-huh."

  Zhan Zhao left, Lu Xiao Feng asked Xiao He, "Do you know what's going on?"

  Xiaohe shook his head, "I don't know, the person who came only said that Xian should hurry back, it seems like something big has happened."

  What's the big deal?

  "Miss, what's wrong with you? Why are you sweating so much?"

  "It's still that stinky cat, insisting on testing my strength. I haven't exercised like this in a long time, it's exhausting me to death."

  Xiaohe is a pure and good kid, not even thinking about anything bad, of course what the young lady in her family said was also very normal content.

  "I'll go and help Miss take a bath first."

  "I think so too, all sweaty."

  "The slave went to boil water."

  "Good."