The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night-Chapter 93: Lu Zhan’s Suspicion

Duan Ling choked on his own saliva, staring at Ouyang Zhenzhu in astonishment. ’This girl really has no filter,’ he thought. ’She even brought up the topic of courtesans-in-training.’Lu Zhan also frowned. He glanced at his innocent cousin beside him and warned, "Ouyang Zhenzhu, you’re on my boat, so you’ll follow my rules. If I hear another foul word out of you, I’ll throw you off!"Ouyang Zhenzhu quickly covered her mouth. "I won’t say it again."Lu Zhan, however, was already starting to regret bringing her along.He was particularly worried about her spending all day with his cousin, afraid she’d be a bad influence.After a moment’s thought, he instructed Chen Jiu, "Arrange for my cousin’s cabin to be next to mine. Put Ouyang Zhenzhu in the cabin next to Junior Minister Duan’s. Duan Ling, you keep an eye on her!"Everyone froze.Ouyang Zhenzhu, recovering, quickly said, "There’s no need for the trouble. Wanwan and I can just share a cabin. We can keep each other company.""You talk too much. You’ll disturb my cousin’s peace. And as I just said, you’re on my boat, so you follow my rules. If you won’t listen, you can get off now," Lu Zhan said, his tone cold and heavy.Ouyang Zhenzhu: "..."’What does he mean?’’How do I talk too much?’Zhi Wan also looked at her cousin, confused.’It would be nice to have Zhenzhu around to talk to,’ she thought. ’I don’t find her noisy at all.’"Cousin, I...""Behave." Lu Zhan’s voice grew a fraction deeper.Zhi Wan obediently shut her mouth."But you don’t have to put me next to Duan Ling, do you? And I’m not a child. Why do I need him to watch over me?" Ouyang Zhenzhu couldn’t help but protest.Duan Ling chimed in, "The girl’s too noisy. I don’t want to live next to her.""You’re the noisy one!" Ouyang Zhenzhu glared at him, refusing to back down."Anyone with an objection can get off this boat right now!" Lu Zhan said coldly.Duan Ling: "..."Ouyang Zhenzhu: "..."Zhi Wan peeked at her cousin’s expression and noticed a hint of exhaustion in his brow. She asked with concern, "Cousin, did you not sleep well last night? You should go rest for a bit."Lu Zhan grunted a low "hmm" and said no more, turning to walk toward his cabin.Ouyang Zhenzhu grabbed Zhi Wan’s hand, reluctant to let it go. "Is there no room for negotiation?"Zhi Wan patted her hand reassuringly. "It’s fine. We just won’t be sleeping in the same room. We can still hang out together during the day."Ouyang Zhenzhu pouted. "That’s true. But your cousin is so unreasonable, tearing us apart like this."Duan Ling, who was standing nearby, overheard and couldn’t resist teasing, "Anyone who didn’t know better would think you two were a pair of star-crossed lovers, being so cruelly torn apart.""None of your damn business!" Ouyang Zhenzhu snapped.Duan Ling pointed a finger at her, incensed. "You brat, have you forgotten who just talked your brother down? Turning on me so quickly... aren’t you a little too ungrateful?""Even without you speaking up for me, Ouyang Lei couldn’t have done anything to me," Ouyang Zhenzhu said dismissively.Duan Ling laughed in exasperation. "Well, well, Ouyang Zhenzhu. You’ve already forgotten how you were acting all cute and helpless, begging for my help just a moment ago.""You’re the one who looks stupid! There isn’t a single part of you that isn’t stupid!" Ouyang Zhenzhu retorted, not to be outdone.Duan Ling gritted his teeth. "You brat, don’t you dare ask me for help next time!""If I ever ask you for help again, I’ll take your last name!" Ouyang Zhenzhu declared, crossing her arms with a vow.Duan Ling was amused. He said to Zhi Wan, "Cousin Zhi Wan, you be the witness. If this girl ever asks for my help again, she has to take my last name. Don’t let her back out of it!"Zhi Wan: "..."Fortunately, Chen Jiu quickly finished arranging everyone’s cabins, and both Duan Ling and Ouyang Zhenzhu ran off to see theirs.Zhi Wan breathed a sigh of relief.’Those two can never be in the same place without bickering.’She shook her head with an amused smile and followed Nanny Fang and Shuang’er into her cabin.The one she was assigned was spacious, and the interior was tidy and comfortable.Opening the window revealed a view of the river.She stood by the window for a while, watching the riverside scenery.In the meantime, Nanny Fang and Shuang’er had already put away all her luggage."Miss, it’s windy by the window. Be careful not to catch a cold. You woke up so early today, you should get some rest," Nanny Fang advised."Alright." Zhi Wan nodded, closed the window, and turned to the two of them. "You two should also go get some rest."The two of them then withdrew.Zhi Wan had intended to rest, but the thought of Manager Jin raising his offer spurred her on, and she decided to paint for a while.’Actually, with Ouyang Zhenzhu not sharing my cabin, it’ll be easier for me to paint.’’After all, each painting is worth fifty taels. One more painting means fifty more taels of silver.’Filled with motivation, Zhi Wan took out her paper and brushes and immersed herself in her painting....「The next day」Lu Zhan returned after discussing matters with Duan Ling. Seeing that Zhi Wan’s cabin door was tightly shut, he asked Nanny Fang, who was waiting nearby, "Is my cousin not awake yet?"Nanny Fang smiled. "The Miss is a very good sleeper. She’s still not up."Lu Zhan nodded. Just as he was about to enter his own cabin, he saw Ouyang Zhenzhu running over recklessly.Afraid she would disturb Zhi Wan’s rest, he frowned and stopped her. "My cousin isn’t awake yet. Come back later.""What time is it? She’s still not up?" Ouyang Zhenzhu was stunned.’I already woke up quite late,’ she thought. ’I can’t believe Wanwan is still asleep.’"Perhaps she’s not used to sleeping in a cabin and didn’t rest well last night," Lu Zhan said lightly."Fine, I’ll come find her later then," Ouyang Zhenzhu said, clutching the items in her arms tightly as she turned to leave.But just then, with a THUD, something fell out of her sleeve.Ouyang Zhenzhu hurriedly bent down to pick it up, but in doing so, she lost her grip on the other things she was holding, and they all fell out, too.CLATTER!Several books scattered across the deck.The wind blew open the covers, and frame after frame of risqué illustrations met the eyes of Nanny Fang and Lu Zhan."Oh my!" Nanny Fang exclaimed, her old face flushing red. "You little girl, how could you..." she chided, hurriedly squatting down to help her pick them up.Lu Zhan had been about to avert his gaze, but when he saw the drawings, he found them somewhat familiar.A thought struck him. His gaze hardened as he looked at Ouyang Zhenzhu.Even someone as thick-skinned as Ouyang Zhenzhu couldn’t handle having her "refined tastes" exposed like this. She snatched the illustrated book from Nanny Fang’s hand and, forgetting all about sharing it with Zhi Wan, ran away with a beet-red face.Nanny Fang stood up and said with an embarrassed expression, "Young girls can be so thoughtless."Lu Zhan gave a distracted reply and turned to enter his cabin.The images he had just seen flashed through his mind, and his handsome brows knitted together tightly.’That art... it’s very similar to the style of the girl from my dreams.’’And Ouyang Zhenzhu has always been bold and unrestrained in her speech, with a feisty and headstrong personality. Could it be...’Lu Zhan’s pupils constricted.