Chapter 286 A Messy Rag

Xia Qiaoru blushed a little embarrassedly, pinching the corner of her clothes with her right hand, and said vaguely, "It's just a family matter."

Chu Liuzheng tilted his head to look at her: "Is it his home or your home?"

Xia Qiaoru pursed her lips and whispered, "His family."

"Oh~" Chu Liuzheng deliberately dragged out the tone.

"You're laughing at me!" Xia Qiaoru slapped her and said angrily, "I won't talk to you again."

"No, I won't laugh." Chu Liuzheng took her arm and walked forward. "Go on, what's going on at his family?"

"Brother Zhang got married two years ago, and this year his sister-in-law gave birth to a chubby baby boy. He gave the silver locket I sent out of the palace to the child, saying that both his brother and his sister-in-law were very happy."

Xia Qiaoru had a faint smile on her face, as if she was talking about her own affairs.

"He said he had already discussed it with my parents and would get married as soon as I left the palace. He told me not to worry and take good care of myself, and that he would be waiting for me."

"The money and things I sent him, plus his own earnings, were used to build two new houses, so he won't have to worry about having no place to live after the wedding."

As she spoke, her face turned red again and her eyes were bright with anticipation.

Chu Liuzheng blinked: "Didn't you say you never gave him any money?"

"Not much." Xia Qiaoru avoided her gaze and didn't dare to look at her.

Love can indeed easily lead to dementia.

Chu Liuzheng sighed secretly and asked, "Since the marriage has been discussed, why didn't you mention it in the letter you received from home a few days ago?"

"Maybe it's to save money." Xia Qiaoru said, "No one in my family can read, so we pay people to write for us. Writing fewer words can save money."

When they ask you for money and cry poor, they write three whole pages of paper, writing as miserable as they can. But when it comes to negotiating a marriage, they can write it down in just two lines. How much more can it cost?

Chu Liuzheng wanted to blurt out these words several times, but swallowed them back.

Some people are really confused, while others pretend to be confused.

Living in this palace, there must be some hope.

"Now that the marriage is set and the new house is built, shouldn't you save up your dowry?" Chu Liuzheng joked with a smile, "You'll still have several years before leaving the palace. Save up your monthly salary and the gifts given by the nobles, so you can marry in style."

"Who's getting married?" Xia Qiaoru blushed with shame and pretended to slap her.

"I'm serious." Chu Liuzheng grabbed her wrist, his smile completely gone. He said seriously, "You know your family's situation better than I do. You can't just think about them. You have to think about yourself too."

"I know what's going on." Xia Qiaoru lowered her eyes and pursed her lips.

Chu Liuzheng was just about to persuade her a few more times to see if he could wake up this silly girl, when Xiao Anzi suddenly came with some people and said that the emperor had summoned her urgently.

The two of them hurriedly followed him to the Yangxin Palace.

"Only Miss Liuzheng can go in." At the door of the bedroom, Xiao Anzi stretched out his hand to stop Xia Qiaoru. Xia Qiaoru looked at Chu Liuzheng worriedly.

"You go back first." Chu Liuzheng reminded her and reached out to push the door and enter the hall.

The hall is brightly lit with candles.

Behind the screen, Doctor Wu was giving acupuncture to Xiao Jingfan. Zhou Yuande was waiting on the side. When he saw Chu Liuzheng coming, he waved to her and took her outside the screen.

Chu Liuzheng asked softly, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

"I have a headache and can't sleep." Zhou Yuande sighed and looked at her. "You massaged His Majesty last time and he slept well. You can do the same later. Do you have the ointment with you?"

Chu Liuzheng shook his head: "Just that one box."

Zhou Yuande was puzzled: "Your Majesty gave you so much, have you used it all up?"

Chu Liuzheng touched his nose. Hadn’t the others been given away?

"Forget it, let's go to the storehouse to get it." Zhou Yuande glanced at the bed and instructed, "Serve carefully and don't upset His Majesty."

Chu Liuzheng nodded again and again. Even if she had a hundred guts, she would not dare to make the emperor angry.

While Eunuch Zhou went to the storehouse to get the ointment, Doctor Wu had finished giving Xiao Jingfan acupuncture.

Xiao Jingfan's frown relaxed a little, but his eyelids drooped, and he was obviously still uncomfortable.

A little palace maid brought in some calming tea. Chu Liuzheng took it and handed it to Xiao Jingfan with both hands.

"No." Xiao Jingfan didn't like the taste of calming tea in the first place, and now that he was in a bad mood, he disliked it even more.

Chu Liuzheng didn't try to persuade her. He placed the teacup on the tray and whispered to the maid, "Bring me a cup of dendrobium tea."

The little palace maid bowed and went out with the tray.

As Imperial Physician Wu packed his medicine chest, he warned, "Your Majesty has been overworked lately. You must rest."

It was always these two sentences, Xiao Jingfan was tired of hearing them, and waved his hand to let him leave.

Chu Liuzheng escorted the person out of the door. After listening to Doctor Wu's instructions, he took the dendrobium dew brought by the little palace maid and turned to enter the hall.

Xiao Jingfan raised his hand to press his swollen temple and glanced at the teacup: "What is that?"

"Dendrobium dew nourishes the yin, nourishes the stomach, and calms the mind." Chu Liuzheng handed the teacup forward, "Your Majesty, please have one."

Xiao Jingfan drank half a cup reluctantly and asked, "Why don't you make Ganoderma lucidum tea?"

[Because it's hard, you're in such a bad mood, how dare I offend you?]

Chu Liuzheng said, "If Your Majesty wants to drink, I will have someone prepare it right away."

"No need." Xiao Jingfan didn't want to drink.

At this time, Zhou Yuande came back with the ointment and essential oil, handed them all to Chu Liuzheng, and then led his men out of the hall.

Chu Liuzheng: “…”

Just leave her to fight alone?

Xiao Jingfan lay down on the bed, staring at the top of the bed curtains, his temples throbbing.

Chu Liuzheng went over to cover him with a blanket. After carefully distinguishing the scent, he chose the same jasmine ointment as last time.

She blew out all the candles in the hall, leaving only the night pearl on the bedside emitting a bright light, illuminating the bed.

He reached out and closed the box containing the night pearl halfway, and the light immediately dimmed, so dark that Xiao Jingfan could not see the person sitting beside the bed.

The fingertips are slightly cool, and with the massaging action, the delicate jasmine fragrance slowly spreads.

Since the last time he gave the emperor a massage, Chu Liuzheng took the time to learn from Doctor Li, and his massage techniques have now reached a higher level.

I don’t know if it was because of the fragrance or something else, but the tense string in Xiao Jingfan’s head relaxed a little bit, the swelling and pain gradually disappeared, and traces of sleepiness came over him like a tide.

He closed his eyes unconsciously, and his breathing gradually became even as the fragrance lingered.

【Isn’t this a quick sleep?】

Chu Liuzheng listened to the even breathing of the person on the bed, hesitated for a moment, and then continued pressing.

After pressing for about a quarter of an hour, her waist and arms felt sore, so she slowly withdrew her hands, held her breath and waited for a while.

The breathing is still long and even.

He probably won't wake up.

She stood up very slowly, and before she could stand straight, she felt a faint pull.

Look down.

In the dim light, the hem of her skirt was grabbed by the person on the bed at some point and was held so tightly that she couldn't pull it out.

Chu Liuzheng leaned against the edge of the bed, reached up to pick up the scissors used to trim candle wicks on the bedside table, and snipped away, cutting the hem of the skirt around the big hand.

【嘤~ I've only worn it twice. 】

Xiao Jingfan frowned slightly and tilted his head inward.

Chu Liuzheng thought he had woken up and waited for a moment in fear. Seeing that he did not move, he gently put the hand outside the quilt back and left on tiptoe.

The next day, Xiao Jingfan took a day off and slept until the end of the morning hour.

There was no one walking around in the hall and it was very quiet.

He stared at the sachet on the bedside table and woke up for a while. He sat up and was about to call someone in to serve him when he suddenly felt something was wrong.

He stared at his hands.

Where did this piece of shredded rag come from?