Chapter 343

"Auntie..."

"Go."

Without saying a word, Yunxi stuffed the silver note into Jixiang's hand: "Be careful. I'm sleepy, you should go back too."

"This servant thanks you, Madam..."

Jixiang carefully put away the silver notes, then turned and left.

A short while later, the lights in the room were turned off, and Yunxi fell asleep.

Soon, all the lights inside and outside the White House were turned off, plunging the place into darkness.

Yunxi didn't sleep well, probably because she had something on her mind. She tossed and turned for a long time, and it was probably late at night before she finally felt a little sleepy.

In her half-dreaming, half-awake state, that familiar, cool fragrance seemed to return, enveloping her and tossing her over.

——

When Yunxi woke up the next day, the area beside her was already ice-cold.

She sighed, forced herself to cheer up, and called Jixiang in to comb her hair.

Yunxi was still drowsy and didn't see Jixiang's hesitant gaze. After Jixiang finished combing her hair, she got up and left for the guest quarters of the Marquis's residence.

She sat down in the guest room and rubbed her temples: "Brother Huaichuan, the imperial examinations are about to begin."

"It'll be ready soon," Duan Huaichuan said, handing her a cup of tea.

When his gaze fell upon a red mark on her neck, Duan Huaichuan's hand tightened slightly.

The placement of that touch of red was ambiguous, half hidden inside the collar and half exposed, conveying a sense of asserting dominance.

Seeing Yunxi frowning, looking quite uncomfortable, Duan Huaichuan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his eyelashes drooped, covering the darkness in his eyes.

Yunxi took a sip of tea and asked, "Is there anything else to add to the list?"

“That should be all,” Duan Huaichuan said. “The rest will be up to you.”

"Don't worry," Yunxi said confidently.

Just tell her to buy according to the list, how could she not do it?

"I'll go right away."

Yunxi was about to get up when she suddenly felt a soreness in her lower back.

She paused, then sat back down somewhat stiffly: "...Let's do it tomorrow."

Duan Huaichuan shook his head helplessly: "Well, let's rest today."

——

After resting for a day, Yunxi got up early the next day, took a carriage to the street, and prepared to buy everything on the list one by one.

“Auntie, let’s go to the Ink Treasure Pavilion first,” Le’an said. “I remember that the young master bought his things for the imperial examinations from the Ink Treasure Pavilion. They provided a complete set, which saved him a lot of trouble.”

Yunxi nodded.

So they took a carriage to the Ink Treasure Pavilion.

As luck would have it, Shen Rang had some free time today and, thinking that he hadn't brought anything home for Yunxi in a long time, he went to the market as well.

From afar, he saw his own carriage stop in front of the Ink Treasure Pavilion. Yunxi got off the carriage and went into the shop.

Jing Yuan narrowed his eyes: "Young Master, isn't that your concubine?"

Shen Rang grunted in agreement and rode over.

Inside the Ink Treasure Pavilion, Yunxi was unaware that a gaze was fixed on her from behind, and she was carefully examining the items.

These are the things Duan Huaichuan will bring into the examination hall, so he naturally has to be careful when buying them. Otherwise, if there is any mistake, all of Duan Huaichuan's hard work over the years will be wasted.

Seeing that Yunxi wanted to examine everything carefully, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "Is this for your sweetheart? How thoughtful!"

The shopkeeper's loud voice drew the attention of everyone around him.

Yunxi looked up blankly, met the shopkeeper's gaze, and smiled helplessly: "It's not my sweetheart, it's my brother at home."

She turned her face to the side, and the curve of her lips was clearly seen by Shen Rang.

Shen Rang's pupils contracted, and he lost all interest in watching.