Insufficient balance

  As he watched Lin Yun's red lips slightly open as she drank tea, Chen Jingyun also revealed a faint smile on his face. For some reason, every time he saw her, his mood would quickly improve, and the woman's every move was filled with a rich ancient charm that made Chen Jingyun feel intoxicated.

  As Chen Jingyun stared at her, Lin Yun felt a sweetness in her heart, but after a while, she started to feel a bit unnatural and her face slowly turned red. To break the awkwardness, Lin Yun took the initiative to speak: "What are you looking at? I don't have flowers on my face!"

  Chen Jingyun smiled and said: "Flowers are not as beautiful as you!"

  Women can't stand praise, Lin Yun is no exception. When Chen Jingyun said this, her face turned even redder, to the point where Chen Jingyun almost couldn't help but pinch her cheek.

  "Nonsense!" Lin Yun's denial of Chen Jingyun's words was accompanied by a hint of embarrassment, but after speaking, she looked up again and gazed into Chen Jingyun's eyes: "Do you really think I'm pretty?"

  When a woman asks if she looks beautiful, no matter what the reality is, a man's answer can only be one - that is, beautiful! Otherwise, it will be like the joke I heard on a rainy day: A couple sitting next to each other, the woman asked the man, "Have I got many pimples on my face again?" The man honestly replied, "Yes, a lot!" As a result, the man was beaten by a flurry of fists!

  Now Chen Jingyun faced this problem without having to lie, because Lin Yun's appearance was not bad. Although she wasn't as beautiful as Daji who was so beautiful that she brought disaster to the country, nor was she like Zhaojun who could captivate a nation with just one smile, she was still a beauty. Moreover, people's subjective views on appearances are too strong, some people think she looks ordinary, while others can't eat or sleep after seeing her, which is what "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" means. Whether it was the real situation or Chen Jingyun's subjective view, Chen Jingyun thought Lin Yun looked beautiful, otherwise he wouldn't have given up on the idea of divorce when he first saw her.

  "Beautiful!" So Chen Jingyun spoke out the answer in her heart.

  Perhaps it was because Chen Jingyun thought for half a day before saying the two beautiful words, which made Lin Yun unhappy: Did he still need to consider and repeatedly argue whether I am beautiful or not?

  The girl suddenly fell silent, and Chen Jingyun was not a romantic or a ladies' man, so he couldn't understand the girl's thoughts thoroughly. He just felt that her complexion had changed for the worse, and he thought to himself: I didn't say anything wrong, did I?

  "What have you been doing at home these past few days?" Chen Jingyun asked, trying to make conversation.

  Lin Yun, although a bit thoughtful, immediately said: "Nothing much, just reading and painting every day, or drawing pictures of clothes, and then making clothes with the maids!"

  At the end of the Qing dynasty, the life of girls from wealthy families was not much different from that of decades ago. Generally speaking, except for a few enlightened families, most girls were still confined to their homes and rarely went out. It wasn't until after the founding of the Republic that social norms gradually opened up and it became common for groups of female students to go on outings. It wasn't until then that girls began to leave their homes, attend school, and even study abroad.

  "That's not boring at all!" Chen Jingyun thought that a young and lively girl like her would go crazy if she stayed cooped up at home all day!

  Lin Yun also said with a sullen expression: "When I was studying in Beijing before, it was okay to go out and have fun. After arriving in Fuzhou, not only did I not attend school, but my mother also said that after the engagement, I couldn't just go out and play around casually... So..." At this point, she became a bit embarrassed because talking about marriage made her feel awkward, and she spoke hesitantly.

  "A few days ago I asked Lin Zhe to accompany me to watch a play, and as soon as we got home, my mother scolded me!" Lin Yun continued to lament her tragic life in the boudoir!

  It wasn't until she said that, that Chen Jingyun realized that this girl used to be the kind of lively and energetic girl who was always on the go. At least that's how it was before she came to Fuzhou. After arriving in Fuzhou, studying became impossible, and within two months, she had caught the eye of Chen Yushi and married Chen Jingyun at lightning speed, becoming his fiancée. Now as Chen Jingyun's fiancée, coupled with Chen Jingyun being the governor of Fujian, her status was very sensitive, so she had been going out even less recently.

  "It's still early now, otherwise I'll accompany you for a walk!" Chen Jingyun didn't want her to get bored.

  Lin Yun heard Chen Jingyun say that, and her eyes lit up immediately. Her big eyes sparkled with excitement: "Really?"

  Chen Jingyun nodded!

  Lin Yunli's smile suddenly opened up, and the little thought that Chen Jingyun was late in saying she was beautiful was instantly thrown to the back of her mind. She stood up and said, "Let's go now!"

  Chen Jingyun also stood up and smiled: "Don't worry, it's still early! I'll go talk to your mother first!"

  "Hmm!" Lin Yun herself didn't dare say anything more, afraid that her mother would scold her, and instead said: "I'll go get something first!"

  After saying that, she hurriedly took the little maid and rushed back to her room!

  Chen Jingyun first went to see Mrs. Lin and said he would take Lin Yun out for a walk. Although Mrs. Lin felt it was not quite proper, on the one hand, the two were already engaged and only needed to formally hold the wedding ceremony, so they wouldn't have too many problems walking together. On the other hand, Chen Jingyun's identity as the Fujian Governor-General, who dared to lead soldiers in rebellion, made Mrs. Lin feel somewhat constrained when she saw him, with a hint of fear in her heart. So she didn't say anything opposing it, but instead told Chen Jingyun to take good care of Lin Yun and come back early before it got late.

  When Chen Jingyun came out of the Buddhist hall and returned to the front hall, he found that Lin Yun was already waiting! At this time, Lin Yun's body was no longer wearing the Han costume she had worn earlier, but had changed into a skirt suit. The style seemed to be her own design, without too much waist gathering, and the hem was not wide either.

  The woman's dress is very much to Chen Jingyun's taste!

  After walking up, Chen Jingyun asked first: "Where do you want to go?"

  Lin Yun shook her head: "I'm not very familiar with Fuzhou!"

  Chen Jingyun didn't know where to go for a while after hearing this. In fact, he had been attached to Chen Jingyun's body for several months and hadn't really gone out to play specially. At most, he would occasionally accompany Luo Li on the streets near the Governor's Mansion, although they would pass by big and small alleys when going out, but basically didn't have a deep understanding of them. As for Chen Jingyun's memories in the past, it was found that the original Chen Jingyun didn't like to play much either, except for the military camp and home, occasionally going to restaurants with friends and colleagues to eat.

  Chen Jingyun didn't know where to go for a while, but he wasn't worried. He didn't know, it didn't mean others didn't know, so with a light wave of his hand, he called Chen Cai over.

  "Do you know if there's anything fun around here?" Chen Jingyun asked casually.

  This question stumped Chen Cai, and while there were indeed some ancient relics and famous sites within Fuzhou City, there weren't many near Huajie. Moreover, Chen Cai wasn't a scholar or a connoisseur of such things, so he didn't know much about them. As for other options, he did know of a nearby brothel that was quite decent, but this wouldn't be suitable to take Chen Jingyun and the young mistress to. With a troubled expression, he thought for a moment before saying: "Wait a bit, Your Excellency, I'll go ask around!"

  He then hastily went out to ask the other guards and secretaries who were following him, and soon came back running: "Not far from here is the Jiyin Temple, and in the backyard there is a large area of ancient plum trees!"

  Chen Jingyun looked at Lin Yun after listening: "Now is the flowering period of plum blossoms, or we can go to Ji Yin Temple to take a look?"

  Lin Yun nodded, as long as she could go out and have fun, it didn't matter where they went.

  After the two went out, Chen Cai followed far behind, being very considerate. Along the way, Lin Yun and Chen Jingyun walked not too fast, even a bit slow. The two occasionally said a few words, all about some ordinary life trivia. Lin Yun would also take the initiative to ask Chen Jingyun a few questions, particularly interested in Chen Jingyun's experience studying abroad in Japan. Chen Jingyun recounted each one according to her memories, and then asked about Lin Yun's experiences while studying in Beijing.

  Upon arriving at the Jingyin Temple, Chen Jingyun saw that several monks were already standing behind the door waiting. Chen Jingyun knew without guessing that Chen Cai had previously sent people to take care of things and clear out idle bystanders. However, he didn't blame Chen Cai, as there were many people in Fuzhou City who wanted Chen Jingyun dead. With safety being his top priority, Chen Jingyun always brought a guard with him when going out, and even had troops from the nearby garrison on standby for emergencies. This was necessary even if he just came to admire the flowers.

  Lin Yunming also saw it clearly, there was no one else in this temple except for these few monks!

  "Abbot, I've disturbed you!" Chen Jingyun took off his hat and tried to make his voice sound more sincere.

  The abbot was about sixty years old, and his face showed no signs of anxiety or fear. Upon hearing Chen Jingyun's words, he simply clasped his palms together: "Amitabha Buddha, the donor has come from afar and must be tired. The plum blossoms in our temple are in the backyard, you may go and admire them at your leisure. I will take my leave now!"

  He didn't wait for Chen Jingyun's response, and turned around to leave on his own. Chen Cai, who was standing beside him, furrowed her brow and thought to herself: "What an impudent bald donkey! How dare he be so rude!"

  Chen Jingyun's opponent, Zhang, was also slightly stunned. Since becoming the governor of Fujian, Chen Jingyun had met many people who treated him with reverence and awe. A few, like Zheng Zuyin, may have harbored resentment in their hearts but still maintained a respectful demeanor on the surface. However, there were those who dared to be impolite to Chen Jingyun, such as Peng Shousong in the past.

  Now looking at this square inch, it seems extremely noble and clean. In his heart, he estimated that he was dissatisfied with himself for loudly clearing the Qingyin Temple, but Chen Jingyun didn't get angry, nor did he have the thick skin to apologize and put down his dignity. Instead, he smiled and pulled Lin Yun's small hand, heading towards the backyard.

  Lin Yun's hand was suddenly grasped by Chen Jingyun, and for a moment, she was stunned. She lightly tried to struggle free, but Chen Jingyun's hand was too large and his grip was too tight, making it impossible for her to shake him off. Wanting to use more force, yet fearing that Chen Jingyun would get annoyed because of this.

  It was just a momentary decision, and Chen Jingyun had already started walking with her hand in his.

  One step, two steps, at first, she still felt a burning sensation on her face. But when she saw that Chen Cai and others hadn't caught up, not even her own little sister Xiaohua had followed, she thought to herself: since no one has seen us, let him hold my hand then. After all, I'm going to marry him anyway, so holding hands isn't a big deal either. Although she thought this way, her heart still skipped a beat with some nervousness, and at the same time felt a little sweet.