Jiang Mengzhen's attitude was extremely serious, even though what he said sounded like some childish lines from a storybook to Hao Cheng, so much so that she burst out laughing at the beginning.
But under Jiang Mengzhen's gaze, she soon stopped laughing. But his eyes and tone told Hao Cheng that he was serious.
But a man was alone outside and had not been found yet. If he used his real name, Jiang Mengzhen could definitely not be the emperor's minister.
The only widower who is more noble than the Emperor is the Emperor's biological father, the current Empress Dowager. But the Empress Dowager is now in her early fifties and is not worthy of Jiang Mengzhen.
Even if she was the current queen, it would be impossible for her to do what Jiang Mengzhen promised her. Isn't there still the most honorable emperor in the world
But after all, it is a sincere love. Lovers also make vows to pick stars and moons, and to go through mountains of swords and seas of fire. How can the one to whom the vow is made really let the other person do such things
Because of this seriousness, Hao Cheng's heart softened a little. The words he was about to retort circled in his throat three times before he swallowed them back.
But she still had to say the rejection, so she looked up and gave him a good guy card sincerely: "I know you are a good person with good intentions. We just met by chance, and we will go our separate ways in the end. Why do you have to work so hard? Get well soon and return to your family as soon as possible. That will be the best reward for me."
In her opinion, she and Jiang Mengzhen only met by chance. She, the rescuer, did not take him seriously and did not expect him to repay her.
The clichéd plot of giving oneself in return for a favor must be felt by the person repaying the favor. Otherwise, it would be like repaying kindness with enmity. She has said many times that the best way to repay her is for the other party to stay away from her and not cause her any trouble.
Now that she had expressed it so clearly, it was impossible for Jiang Mengzhen, who was so perceptive, not to understand her refusal.
Jiang Mengzhen certainly understood what Hao Cheng meant. However, if he gave up just because Hao Cheng said a few words that were not very destructive, then he would not be himself anymore.
He got closer and closer, and Hao Cheng could almost feel the breath he was breathing. His dark eyes stared into her pupils, and his eyes, as deep as the sea, seemed to easily make people fall for him.
He stared at Hao Cheng, his voice still a little hoarse because he had not yet fully recovered. But because of this, his voice was even more persuasive: "I should repay you for saving my life with my body. Or do you think I am not beautiful enough and do not suit your taste?"
Hao Cheng stared in a daze at the face in front of him that had been magnified several times.
In the past few days, Jiang Mengzhen seemed to be getting more and more handsome. Today was the first time she looked at his face so closely and carefully.
The more I looked at him, the more I felt that he was very beautiful. It was not the feminine beauty that was difficult to tell whether he was male or female, but it had a bit of heroic spirit, a kind of beauty that transcended gender.
His facial features are actually very deep and three-dimensional, and each one is as exquisite as a marble sculpture.
The other person's eyes were like obsidian soaked in clear stream water, and his eyelashes were long and thick, like two small fans, a living eyelash spirit.
His nose was also tall and straight, and after being groomed, his lips also regained their luster, like delicate rose petals.
Needless to say, her skin was extremely delicate. If the scholar wasn't young and had a decent appearance, she would definitely feel inferior in front of such a man. This world requires talent rather than looks from women, and she would definitely feel inferior in front of such a man.
Facing such a face, it was difficult for Hao Cheng to go against his own will and say that he was not beautiful, so he turned his head away: "What does beauty have to do with me?"
"Since you don't hate me, why can't you accept my gratitude?"
He said this in an extremely gentle and affectionate manner. It was obviously a common sentence, but he made it sound extremely ambiguous.
Hao Cheng even wanted to pry open his mouth to see if there was any hook in his mouth.
Jiang Mengzhen was so close to her, showing a very aggressive attitude, which made her feel really unhappy. She felt that she couldn't stay so weak, so she looked at him straight: "What if I just don't accept it? What do you want to do to me if I don't accept it?"
She had used a tactful tone before because she was afraid of hurting the other person's self-esteem. After all, in this era, men are more likely to have fragile hearts, but Jiang Mengzhen obviously could not be classified as a fragile person. If she wanted to get rid of him, she had to say a few harsh words.
"Even if I don't like you, what can you do? Giving my life to you is a way of repaying a favor. If you were a woman, would I have to marry you regardless of the world's face?"
She paused, and a hint of gloom appeared in her clear eyes: "No matter how beautiful you are, if I don't like you, I won't be with you. If your way of repaying a favor is to force others to like you, then I would rather save a cat or a dog."
Her tone was aggressive, totally different from the gentleness just now. Although Jiang Mengzhen was bold and reckless, he dared to do many things that others dared not do.
But he had no experience in love. Perhaps the most powerful man in the world would always be helpless against the woman he truly loved.
Besides, she was still so young, and he was just an old married man. At that moment, Jiang Mengzhen actually felt a little inferior, biting his lower lip with his pearly teeth, and his hand that was resting on the wall to imprison Hao Cheng also dropped unconsciously.
Seeing this, Hao Cheng took the opportunity to push him and successfully escaped from the corner.
Jiang Mengzhen seemed to be really hurt. Even though he had the advantage in posture, he was still easily freed from her.
Moreover, when she pushed just now, she only used a slight force, and the opponent took two steps back and almost fell to the ground.
The alley was very narrow, so narrow that Jiang Mengzhen's back was pressed against the other wall after he took two steps back. Hao Cheng did not take the opportunity to run away as Jiang Mengzhen thought, but changed his position and placed his hands on both sides of the other's waist, firmly fixing him to the wall.
She was taller than Jiang Mengzhen, and it didn't feel out of place for her to hold him in such a condescending manner.
It really feels good to push someone against the wall. No wonder the male protagonists in those melodramatic TV dramas she has watched like to do this.
Hao Cheng was secretly happy, but his face looked serious.
Seeing Jiang Mengzhen's dazed look, her heart softened a little.
Jiang Mengzhen obviously still hadn't recovered from the shock. She continued to ask: "Look into my eyes and tell me, what is your name?"
The man's eyes lit up a little, and he responded: "Jiang Mengzhen, this is really my name, I didn't lie to you."
"Have you ever been married? Don't lie to me."
Jiang Mengzhen answered obediently: "I had one before, but she died a few years ago. I have been alone for the past few years."
There is no woman in this world who would not mind these things. He pursed his lips tightly and originally wanted to roll up his sleeves to let the other party see the swallowtail butterfly on his right shoulder, which symbolized a man's chastity.
But she couldn't figure out Hao Cheng's current attitude, and she was worried that she would be humiliated if she saw it, so she pursed her lips tighter and finally said nothing.
Jiang Mengzhen was only 28 years old, still very young. Although the scholar's body was only 18, she was about the same age as Jiang Mengzhen in her previous life, so how could she dislike him for being old
She was only worried that Jiang Mengzhen was cheating on her and was still someone else's husband in name.
The Jin Dynasty had a small population and still encouraged widows to remarry. It didn't matter whether Jiang Mengzhen had a wife before. What mattered was that he didn't have one now, and that was enough for Hao Cheng.
She didn't really hate Jiang Mengzhen, but the marriage relationships in this world were different from those in modern times. If they were in a relationship and couldn't get along, it couldn't be ended easily. As a woman, she had to take responsibility for the other person's life.
She needed to be cautious and didn't like others pushing her. But Jiang Mengzhen pushed her step by step, and his dominance really made her unhappy.
"If you're with me, can you guarantee that your identity and your former wife's family won't cause me any trouble?"
Jiang Mengzhen's eyes brightened and he looked at her steadily: "I promise!"
Hao Cheng said gently: "Do you know how men and women who like each other get along with each other?"
Jiang Mengzhen shook his head subconsciously: "I don't know." His previous wife only brought him humiliation. He had never been moved before Hao Cheng. Most of the wives and husbands he met were political marriages, and there were only interests between those people.
How could he know how men and women get along with each other? He could only test it based on his own personality and move forward step by step!
Really, Hao Cheng's anger subsided at this moment: "Since you don't know how, you have to learn. You always force me like this, so I am naturally unhappy." If she really hated Jiang Mengzhen, she would not have indulged him in many things. It's just that Jiang Mengzhen was too impatient and concealed many things from her. Even though she had a little more favor for him, she was also forced back by his tough attitude.
If he backed off a little, she would be willing to go further. Jiang Mengzhen's innocent look was really cute. She lifted up a strand of the man's hair and gently put it behind his white jade-like ear.
Jiang Mengzhen's body was so tense that it stiffened. Hao Cheng's heart moved slightly, and then he gently lifted the other's chin and pressed his lips against his.
When those soft and warm lips touched, Jiang Mengzhen's smart brain, which he was so proud of, went blank in an instant.