“What are you talking about…” Chang Yuncheng quickly came to his senses and said in a deep voice, but he didn’t drive him away again. He picked up the book on the table once more, though his gaze didn’t fall upon it.
Fan Yilin moved from his chair to one closer to the desk.
“Lord, having such a husband, the Young Madam is truly blessed,” he said with feeling.
Right, right, this damned woman really doesn’t know how good she has it!
Chang Yuncheng held the book without moving.
“To be honest with you, Lord, I’m not from around here. I only heard about the Young Madam’s background last night…”
“…With the Young Madam’s origins, for the Lord to still treat her this way is truly admirable and moving…”
Fan Yilin became more excited as he spoke, simply standing up and leaning against the desk.
Chang Yuncheng listened to him talk, actually ignoring his casual movements.
“…Though I’ve only had brief contact twice, I can tell that the Young Madam’s temperament isn’t very good…” Fan Yilin finally got to the point, looking at Chang Yuncheng with some caution, his gaze falling on the wound on his forehead. “This is… the Young Madam hit you?”
This time Chang Yuncheng neither sneered nor glared angrily.
“It was an accident, she didn’t mean it,” he said slowly, putting down the book in a muffled voice.
“What intentional or unintentional, hurting the Lord is just too much,” Fan Yilin said indignantly.
Chang Yuncheng glanced at him with warning.
Fan Yilin quickly made a shushing gesture.
“Well, Lord…” he thought for a moment and lowered his voice, “your relationship with the Young Madam… is somewhat troubled.”
Chang Yuncheng ignored him, flipping through the book on the table.
“I speak plainly, so if I say something wrong, Lord, please bear with me,” Fan Yilin continued, seeing Chang Yuncheng had no reaction, he relaxed. “Well, Lord, the reason the Young Madam is so volatile, I think it’s related to your not returning home for many years, right?”
Chang Yuncheng snorted inwardly. What, was his three years away and mistreating her also common knowledge?
Three years away – did he want that?
Of course, to say it was deliberate, there was some of that, but it wasn’t specifically aimed at her. It was because he didn’t want to come back, didn’t want to enter this household…
“With imperial orders, can I make my own decisions?” He slammed the book shut with a snap and said in a deep voice.
“Exactly.” Fan Yilin immediately agreed loudly. “This kind of thing isn’t something the Lord can decide. If one could return, who wouldn’t want to go home? Suffering alone in a distant, bitter cold place!”
Chang Yuncheng’s expression softened slightly. It seemed everyone was reasonable, only that woman was being unreasonable!
“How can you call it suffering? As a soldier, serving the emperor loyally is duty,” he said lightly, correcting this young master who had probably never known what a bitter cold place was, having been raised in luxury.
Fan Yilin nodded and agreed with a chuckle.
“But,” he said, his tone shifting after the laughter, “Lord, this woman is different from ordinary people.”
What’s different? Chang Yuncheng couldn’t help but look up at him.
“This woman’s mind,” Fan Yilin pointed to his own head, lowering his voice, “is completely different from us men.”
That’s right, that woman’s mind is indeed quite strange…
So it seems…
Could it be that all women in the world are like this?
Chang Yuncheng’s expression showed some curiosity.
Fan Yilin leaned back in his chair.
“Look, take your three years away. You, I, and even the common people all think this is duty, what a gentleman should do,” he said seriously, casually picking up a brush from the desk and playing with it. “But the Young Madam definitely wouldn’t think this way. She would certainly think you did it on purpose, that you don’t care about her, that you didn’t want to see her, that you deliberately neglected her…”
That’s right, this damned woman was essentially fixated on those three years!
“Absolutely ridiculous!” Chang Yuncheng said with a dark face.
Fan Yilin nodded. Beauty, for the sake of your future marital harmony and happiness, I’ve really put in effort. I hope the beauty will know my good intentions in the future, though even if she doesn’t, it’s fine. He, Fan Yilin, was just this kind of person who cherished beauty, willing to hide his achievements and fame.
“However, the word ‘woman’ is equivalent to the word ‘unreasonable,'” he said with a smile, coughing as if his throat was dry.
Chang Yuncheng glanced at him.
“Someone, serve tea,” he called out.
The young servant standing outside was very surprised. He hadn’t expected this son-in-law of the Wang family to not only avoid being driven away with a few words, but to actually be served tea. What was wrong with the Lord today? Wasn’t he in a very bad mood?
The servant didn’t dare delay and immediately came in to serve tea to both men.
Fan Yilin exchanged pleasantries and drained his cup in one gulp.
“Mm, mm, good tea,” he said with a face full of admiration.
Less nonsense, Chang Yuncheng glanced at him.
Fan Yilin quickly read the situation and put down his teacup.
“Where was I?” he said, then slapped his forehead. “Unreasonable, these women, you can’t reason with them. Their logic is ‘whatever I say is right,’ so if you try to reason with them, it’s absolutely impossible to get through.”
That’s right, this damned woman was never reasonable.
Chang Yuncheng nodded.