Chapter 42 Jiang Ce knew this guy was wicked...

The next morning.

Xue Chan got up, and after washing up, she took out the "Spring Outing" painting to admire.

I had just reached the desk when I realized that the small drawing I had made yesterday was nowhere to be found.

"Chutao, have you seen the peony painting I drew yesterday?"

Chu Tao was tidying up Xue Chan's jewelry in front of the dressing table when she shook her head: "It was still there when I came in."

Xue Chan asked, "Where is Yun Sheng?"

Chu Tao: "She sent the jade pendant to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence by a messenger."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yun Sheng entered the room.

"What's wrong?"

Xue Chan asked her, "Did you see the peony painting I drew yesterday?"

Yun Sheng was a little confused: "The young lady put it next to the jade pendant box. I thought it was also something for Young Master Jiang, so I sealed it up and sent it away."

Xue Chan frowned slightly, and Yun Sheng immediately said, "I'll send someone to retrieve them right now!"

She immediately turned to leave, but Xue Chan stopped her, saying, "Never mind, it's done, it's not a big deal."

Yun Sheng: "Really?"

Xue Chan took out the "Spring Outing" painting, thought about it carefully, and sighed softly, saying, "It's really nothing important..."

I don't think there should be any problems...

Xue Chan lowered her head and thought about it for a while, and felt that it was indeed the case, so she looked at the painting with peace of mind again.

When the jade pendant and painting were delivered to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence, Jiang Ce was already on duty.

So the servants from the outer courtyard passed the items in one by one until they were delivered to his courtyard. Just then, Madam Yu was sitting in the courtyard of Xue Lu, playing with Xi Tuan and the rabbit named Niannian.

Lanxi and her men helped them change into summer mats, thin blankets, and new summer clothes for the two of them.

Youyu sat opposite Yu Niangzi reading, holding a rabbit while explaining things to him from time to time. Xituan was chasing butterflies in the yard.

"May you be well, Madam."

Lady Yu: "What is it?"

The servant said, "This was sent by Miss Xue from the Cheng residence to Erlang."

Lady Yu said calmly, "Put it down."

"yes"

The brocade box was placed on the stone table. Madam Yu did not open it, but instead lowered her head and slowly stroked Niannian's soft fur.

A moment later, a clear voice asked.

"Auntie, can I go out to play?"

Lady Yu said, "You can go out and play after you finish memorizing your books."

Yu sat up straight immediately. He memorized it very quickly, and in no time he had memorized it perfectly. He even memorized two more passages to extend the time and make it seem like he wasn't in such a hurry.

After listening to him recite it word for word, and inquiring about its meaning, Yu answered earnestly. Then she said, "Go."

Yu walked away quickly, as if flying.

As the sun rises and sets, Jiang Ce finishes his duties and goes home.

When the emperor was in a good mood, Jiang Ce was once again dragged out to accompany him to the martial arts training ground until the sun had set below the horizon.

Jiang Ce finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Your Majesty, I still need to go home and have dinner with my mother."

The emperor said, "You seem to be quite attached to your home."

Jiang Ce added, "The Imperial Concubine is also waiting for you to come back for dinner."

The emperor glanced at him and waved him away. Before leaving, the emperor told Jiang Ce that his third uncle, Jiang Shiyu, who was guarding the frontier, was on his way back to the capital.

The emperor shot an arrow, which hit the bullseye.

"I estimate that I'll be able to go to Beijing by the end of this month."

Jiang Ce was overjoyed and asked, "Really?"

The Emperor: "...What do you think?"

Despite saying that, he still let Jiang Ce go before dark.

Jiang Ce then rode home. When he rushed to the courtyard, the moon had just risen from the eaves.

Seeing Jiang Ce stride in, he stopped and asked someone to bring the dishes.

Lady Yu was not often at the mansion. When she was not there, the two of them usually ate together with Jiang Yao in Old Madam Qi's courtyard.

Because of her advanced age, Grandma Qi ate a lot of nourishing foods, so some dishes would not be served on the table, nor would they be allowed to eat them.

The two of them basically just focused on getting enough to eat. Sometimes when they were craving something sweet, they would call Zheng Shaoyu and go out, or they would go to Zheng's residence for a meal.

Madam Qin, Zheng Shaoyu's mother, was known in the capital for her warm and welcoming nature. When Jiang Ce and You Yu were young, they often ate at the Zheng residence. Madam Qin also loved to experiment with new ways of cooking for them. She had a private cookbook and frequently hired cooks from all over the country, so the banquets at the residence were always exquisite and unique.

Yu Niangzi often stayed in an ancient temple deep in the mountains, and every time she went there, she only had vegetarian food.

But Jiang Ce didn't care. He always looked forward to the days when he could eat with his mother, even if it was vegetarian food.

Lanxi has always been very concerned about the two of them's food and drink. Jiang Ce loves to eat fish, but recently he has been irritable and has even developed blisters on his lips.

To reduce internal heat, she deliberately had the kitchen prepare new dishes.

The pickled fish with pickled ginger uses freshly caught crucian carp, which is steamed and then served with sweet vinegar, salt, shredded ginger, and scallions. The river shrimp with water spinach is also simple and fresh, with a milky white broth containing slightly reddish shrimp and bright green water spinach.

Yu loves chicken, so I made Dongzi Chicken and Alfalfa Platter.

Spring is the season for eating bamboo shoots, and Madam Yu specially added a delicious dish of pickled bamboo shoots.

Jiang Ce picked up a piece of fish; the meat was fresh and tender. It was delicious, but he felt it was missing something.

However, seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys are in the prime of their growth, so even if the food is bland and doesn't contain their favorite dishes, they still eat with great relish.

Seeing that Jiang Ce was losing his appetite, Madam Yu sighed inwardly and signaled to the maid beside her to bring out new dishes.

The dishes were sweet and sour eggplant and osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice lotus root.

When the dishes were served, their eyes lit up noticeably. Jiang Ce, in particular, though he remained expressionless, ate two bowls of rice.

The eggplant, coated in sweet and sour sauce and infused with the flavors of ginger and perilla, was a delight to eat. The osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice lotus root was soft, sticky, and sweet. Jiang Ce ate with a smile on his face.

He picked up another piece of lotus root, chewing it as he suddenly thought: I wonder what Xue Chan's tastes are like, and whether she has any favorite dishes.

She was from Yuchuan, and had visited Yuchuan herself. Many Yuchuan dishes also use honey and maltose, followed by a spicy and numbing flavor.

Does she like sweets?

When she was at Xuefengzhai, she seemed to really like Wanshengxiang.

Does she also like to eat fish?

Last time at Fuguang Pond, I overheard her and her maid enthusiastically discussing making crispy fish.

He ate and thought about it absentmindedly, and Lady Yu took it all in.

After the meal, the bowls and plates were cleared away.

Jiang Ce and You Yu were about to return to their own courtyard when Madam Yu said, "This morning, Miss Xue from the Cheng family sent you some things, which I have already placed on your table."

Jiang Ce showed surprise, but still respectfully bowed before leaving.

He walked very fast, so fast that Youyu, who was following behind, felt as if he was about to fly away.

Perhaps Jiang Ce was annoyed that You Yu was walking too slowly, so he simply turned around, took the lantern from the servant, and walked forward, not forgetting to say, "You're walking too slowly."

Yu: "..."

Jiang Ce initially walked with long strides, but he still felt it was too slow, so he sped up. Still not satisfied, he finally climbed the wall and skimmed over the trees, quickly vaulting into the Snow Lodge.

He immediately closed the doors and windows, and when a few lamps were lit, the dim light shone on the small area of ​​the desk.

The box, decorated with gold and inlaid with jade, shimmered and glowed warmly in the candlelight.

Jiang Ce slowly opened it, revealing a jade and pearl fish pendant inside. The pendant was made of pink and blue thread, strung with jade and pearls, and the knots were exquisitely tied. In particular, there was a butterfly with auspicious clouds made of pink and blue thread.

"Did she do this on purpose? It looks pretty good."

Jiang Ce smiled and lifted the sash to look at it under the lamplight; the nimble butterfly seemed about to take flight.

He thought of something and immediately rummaged through the chests and corners. He found the bronze mirror and tied the sash around his waist.

Jiang Ce looked at himself in the bronze mirror, but the room was still somewhat dim.

He simply went outside and brought in the lamps hanging under the eaves and on the banana leaves, instantly brightening the room.

The warm, soft glow of the lamps cast a gentle light on her beautiful face, making her already affectionate eyes appear even more tender.

Jiang Ce looked at himself in the mirror from left to right, a gentle smile on his face. But after a while, he started to feel uncomfortable.

He was wearing a dark blue arrow-sleeved robe, a somber color, and a dark lacquered leather belt around his waist.

Although it is concise and efficient, it appears too cold and impersonal.

So he removed the sash, opened his wardrobe, and began rummaging through it.

Verdigris, duck egg blue, peacock blue, moon white, silver red, ultramarine, pale purple, persimmon...

Jiang Ce took off his robes, changed into a moon-white cross-collar shirt, then a light blue robe, and finally a lotus-pink wide-sleeved gauze robe, tying on a white jade belt. Then, standing in front of the mirror, he slowly tied the sash.

Like the serene and exquisite crimson flower shadows at dusk.

Next time I see her, I'll wear this outfit.

Thinking this, he smiled softly and walked back to the desk to look at the wooden box. There was something else inside. He had been so focused on the sash that he hadn't noticed it.

Jiang Ce took it out; it was a piece of paper, slightly shorter than the wooden box, rolled up. Vibrant colors shone through the back of the paper—it was a painting.

I just don't know what it depicts.

However, the fact that she gave him the sash suggests that the painting was specifically made for him.

Jiang Ce didn't rush to open it. While wondering what Xue Chan would paint, he slowly opened the painting.

He first saw the peony flowers, so graceful and beautiful, and his smile grew even brighter.

He then opened the window again and saw a white cat with its fur standing on end and its tail held high.

Jiang Ce frowned, somewhat puzzled, and decided to keep going.

The smile froze on his lips.

In the peony garden, a white cat faced several ferocious-looking dogs. Petals and broken branches littered the ground; the white cat's long fur was disheveled, its claws sharp, and the dogs bore bloody scratches.

In the upper right corner are two lines of small, elegant characters: "Peony Garden with Cats Fighting Dogs"

What she is doing is...

What does that mean?

Are they mocking him?

Jiang Ce frowned, stopped smiling, exhaled, closed the painting, and stuffed it back into the box.

He paced back and forth in the room, wondering what Xue Chan was after. But even after standing under the lamp for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. Then, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly remembered that on the Shangsi Festival, Xue Chan had argued with him about the flower-fried cakes.

Xue Chan is a ruthless and calculating person, but now it seems she still has patience.

To mock him, she even gave him a jade sash. She must have been thinking of pleasing him first, then laughing at him when he saw the painting.

It was as if everything made sense.

Jiang Ce looked at himself in the mirror, gritted his teeth, started to take off the sash, put it back, slammed the box shut, and then took off his outer robe and inner shirt and stuffed them all back into the wardrobe.

He knew it; he knew this guy had a bad temper, was petty, and had a wicked heart.

He was so happy for nothing. As expected, a dream is just a dream. Not only is it completely different from reality, it's worlds apart.

hateful!

Jiang Ce was furious and immediately extinguished all the lamps in the room, plunging it back into darkness.

He plopped down on the bed, pulled the blanket over himself, and closed his eyes.

I shouldn't have had any expectations of this person in the first place!

Jiang Ce was extremely agitated and turned over again. But he was really unhappy and couldn't fall asleep no matter how much he tossed and turned.

It was late spring, and the weather was getting hotter. Even with this thin blanket covering me, I couldn't shake off the restlessness.