Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Like
The eyes follow the nose, the nose follows the heart. The only person who could alarm the Fourth Prince to come and ask about something personally was Lin Shu.
Su Peisheng pondered in silence, quickly recalling the list in his mind. He had a good memory, especially for names.
After a moment, Su Peisheng shook his head with a bitter face.
"Master, the list of slaves that came with Nara's dowry includes the maids and servants as well as the male servants and managers in the outer courtyard, a total of seventy-three people, but Lin Shu is not on it."
"The maids Sui Qing and Xian Rong are indeed among them, but I don't know which Sui Qing and Xian Rong they are."
Yinzhen inexplicably flashed a trace of anger and scoffed, "Find an excuse to send the list back."
"Ah?" Su Peisheng's eyes were full of surprise. At this moment, he clearly caught the gentle smile that was almost imperceptible at the corner of his grandfather's lips.
"Master, the list has been finalized..."
"If you reject it, just say that this person is incompatible with me and needs further review. There's no need to rush. You can reject it a month before the wedding."
Su Peisheng was shocked. No wonder his master issued an order to kill the two Lin Shus around Nara. It turned out that he wanted the Lin Shu he liked to be married off to Nara as a dowry.
"Master, I dare to ask you to tell me how to accommodate the concubine in the new mansion."
Su Peisheng changed his words and no longer called Nara disrespectfully as before.
The meaning of the Fourth Prince's words just now was that he had decided to accept Nara as his principal wife.
After the Fourth Prince's wedding, he will set up his own residence. Because the Fourth Prince has a cold attitude towards Nara, the servants will naturally not take Nara seriously.
The master never gave any instructions on how to tidy up the main courtyard where the concubine lived, and no one dared to mention it.
"Her? Haha, clean up the northwest corner away from the front yard. Nala can die there."
Su Peisheng felt a chill when he saw the Fourth Prince's sinister smile.
The northwest corner of the new mansion is the farthest from the front yard where the Fourth Prince lives.
If Nara wanted to go to the front yard to pay her respects to the Fourth Prince, she would have to go around most of the mansion.
This is against the rules. The legitimate wife is the only female owner of the harem. The couple should be of one mind, and the main courtyard where they live must be closest to the front courtyard where the Fourth Prince lives.
Su Peisheng was secretly sweating.
Fortunately, there was no time to send the layout of the new mansion's main courtyard to Nara for detailed review.
In the end, the master still decided to marry Nara as his principal wife, but he did not change his original intention of killing Nara.
Yinzhen changed his mind tonight and decided to go with the flow and accept this extremely humiliating marriage.
Although Nara is hopelessly evil, she still has some redeeming qualities - she is extremely stupid, so stupid that she is easy to control, and she is evil in a frank way, with her thoughts written on her face.
Instead of going through so much trouble to break off the engagement and being ridiculed and criticized, Khan Ama forced him to marry an unknown woman to be his legitimate wife.
It would be better to choose a stupid thing to temporarily take the position of the legitimate wife.
Waiting for the day...
Realizing his crazy and rebellious thoughts, Yinzhen frowned and pulled his wandering thoughts back.
It was ridiculous that just at that moment, he was actually thinking carefully about the name of his first child.
The name of his and Lin Shu's first child.
When Lin Shu gives birth to a child in the future and serves him wholeheartedly, it would not be impossible to give her the position of concubine.
He was not so incompetent and cowardly that he couldn't even decide which woman to favor.
Since you are going to fall in love for the first time, why not choose a woman you like?
No, it’s about choosing a woman he doesn’t dislike. To him, women are just so-so, and he doesn’t need to bother thinking about women.
Lin Shu was originally a maid sent by Nara to his bed to win his favor. Even if he wanted her body tonight, what was wrong with that?
Yinzhen leaned back in his chair, feeling really upset by Nara's viciousness tonight.
He has never spoken so harshly before.
Nara was obviously guilty, otherwise she would have been so frightened by his glare that she fell to the ground, totally unaware of what was going on.
He never bothered to humiliate her, he only wanted to kill her.
"Su Sheng, come and get the roasted sweet potatoes!" Sui Qing yelled so loudly that the window frames were shaking.
Su Peisheng covered his ears tightly and said cheerfully, "Here I come!"
In the kitchen, Su Sheng and Sui Qing were arguing over roasted sweet potatoes. Chu Xian leaned against a low cupboard at the head of the bed and casually opened a drawer from a pile of small mother-of-pearl drawers.
The drawer was full of books, and I searched for the book for a long time but couldn't find it.
I remembered that Sui Qing moved the books out to dry a few days ago, and must have put them back on the west wing bookshelf.
The West Wing was originally her study. In her spare time, she liked to lie lazily on the bench in the West Wing, put her feet on the window lattice and read.
Now that she is familiar with Chi Zheng, she doesn't need to be shy and it's okay for them to share a study.
Chu Xian changed into some neater plain clothes for her daily life. As soon as she stepped into the study in the west wing, she took out a book and lay down on the spring stool to read it.
She didn't dare to go barefoot, so she wore stockings and placed her feet comfortably on the window frame.
Seeing Chi Zheng walking out from behind the screen, Chu Xian sat up straight.
"Chi Zheng, from now on, this study will be shared by us half each."
"Okay." Yinzhen nodded and raised his leg to move the ice basin closer to the spring stool.
His eyes accidentally fell on the book in Lin Shu's hand, and he couldn't help being surprised.
Humph, you are so bold that you actually dare to peek at the banned book "Thousand-Year Eyes".
This banned book is extremely outrageous and completely different from traditional history books. It overturns the achievements of ancient sages.
However, according to secret reports, Khan Ama placed the book beside him and studied it without stopping by candlelight.
He wanted to see it, but because of his status, he had to avoid it.
Chu Xian was struggling to read the traditional Chinese characters when she suddenly felt Chi Zheng's gaze on her.
"What's wrong?" Chu Xian poked half of her face out from behind the book.
Seeing Chi Zheng standing in front of her with his head down and silent, Chu Xian was stunned for a moment, guessing that he might want to watch "Thousand Years of Eyes".
"This is a banned book. If you want to read it, go to the bookcase in the corner of the bookshelf and get it. I'll remove the lock and you can take it yourself."
"I'm reading the third volume. Volumes one and two are in the bookcase."
"Thank you." Yinzhen stepped back to get the banned book and subconsciously sat down on the spring stool. As soon as he sat down, he remembered that there was someone else on the spring stool.
When he was about to stand up, Lin Shu grabbed his sleeve.
"The spring bench is so spacious, it's no problem for Su Sheng and Sui Qing to lie down and read together."
Chu Xian said, moving halfway to the side and patting the spacious space beside her. "Would you mind reading this together? I can't read all the characters, so it's hard for me to read. Master Chi is so talented, could you give me some pointers?"
"We can start from the first chapter of Volume One."
As she gradually became familiar with Chi Zheng, Chu Xian was no longer reserved. Instead, she bit her lip and looked at Chi Zheng nervously: "It would be even better if Master Chi could give it to Nian Nian."
Chu Xian likes to listen to storytelling. Sui Qing regards these difficult and obscure banned books as a disaster. He shakes his head and nods around like chanting scriptures, which makes people drowsy.
Chi Zheng's voice is clear and deep, and it must be very pleasant to listen to when he reads.
She looked up at him shyly and timidly, her eyes filled with a sweet smile but also with cautious expectations.
It is very different from the weak woman who is helpless and worried all day long on a rainy night.
Yinzhen looked away and gazed at the swaying shadows of trees on the window frame. The words of refusal that were on the tip of his tongue could no longer be uttered.
"good."
Lin Shu was destined to serve him for the rest of her life and would be his woman sooner or later. He didn't need to worry about the taboos between men and women. He simply got on the bed and lay beside her.
"Those who have not been passed down to the world, it is because they were first judged in the primeval world, and there was no time to write on paper and ink. In the fierce flames of the dragon, only a thread remains..."
A blue-and-white porcelain Suan Ni incense burner emits wisps of vibrating string smoke.
The surroundings were so quiet that only the dense chirping of insects could be heard, and all else was silent.
The sound of deep, sleeping breathing was very close, spraying against my ears.
Yinzhen's heart moved slightly. He slowly closed the book, frowned, and reached out to brush away a strand of her black hair that was scattered on her cheek.
How could someone be filled with bitterness and hatred and frown in their dreams?
How much hatred and entanglement does Luo Chouqi have in the dream?
After hesitating for a moment, he took out a white handkerchief and wiped away the fine beads of sweat from her temples.
Subconsciously, he threw the used silk handkerchief into the spittoon. The moment the handkerchief fell, Yinzhen raised his hand to grab it and put it back to his hand.
She had a bad sleeping posture and didn't know what she was dreaming about. She was actually moaning in pain. In desperation, Yinzhen stretched out his hand and gently stroked her back to comfort her.
As he felt sleepy, he narrowed his eyes, tightened his arms, and held her tightly in his arms, resting his chin on her smooth forehead, and the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms.
Su Peisheng and Sui Qing finished chatting and joking about roasted sweet potatoes in the kitchen. Su Peisheng walked to the door with the sweet potatoes and tea. When he looked up and saw the situation in the house, he immediately turned around and avoided it.
His eyes lit up and he went to look for Suiqing who was hiding in the kitchen eating sweet potatoes with a smile.
She has a very loud voice, and we can’t let her shout out all the romantic moments of the night.
When Sui Qing heard Su Sheng say that the girl fell asleep on the stool in the study, a look of struggle appeared on her face.
How could she be unaware of the ambiguous feelings between the girl and Chi Zheng?
How can a man as violent and cruel as the Fourth Prince be worthy of the girl?
It is a blessing for a handsome young man like Chi Zheng to be favored by a girl.
The girl and Chi Zheng are both well-educated, self-disciplined and polite people, and will never do anything that goes beyond the rules.
If the girl marries a man like the Fourth Prince, there will be no hope in her life. How can she let the girl be unhappy again?
Sui Qing said nothing more, brought a bamboo stool, and sat directly under the study window. He silently used a screwdriver to poke the soles of the thousand-layer shoes, keeping watch for the girl.
Su Peisheng spread out a bamboo mat under the porch, wiped it with cool well water, and lay down with his bare chest to cool off.
The flat waning moon was shining through the dim night. In the chaotic dream, the star Canopus was slanting horizontally, and gradually a hazy crab-shell blue appeared.
Chu Xian was awakened by a nightmare, gasping for breath and holding her chest tightly.
Just now in her dream, she was chased by the Fourth Prince with a sword, and his heart was pierced through. The devil was even so cruel as to stick the sword tip into her flesh and spin it around. It was so painful.
Even if it was a dream, she could still feel the suffocating and desperate pain in her heart.
There was a gentle caress on her back, and Chu Xian's eyes widened as she saw Chi Zheng's handsome face.
His waist suddenly tightened, and her whole body was pressed into the solid and warm chest.
Boom boom boom...
She wanted to escape, but the sound of Chi Zheng's heartbeat soothed her fear and she gradually calmed down.
Chu Xian was at a loss as to what to do, her cheeks suddenly turned red, and she quietly arched her body to avoid the awkward touch.
Taking advantage of the moment when the force on her waist loosened, Chu Xian stood up and fled in panic.
After she left, Yinzhen turned sideways. It was a man's innate characteristic that he would naturally...
He is no exception. With beauty in his heart and happiness by his side, how can he remain indifferent and not be moved at all?
It's just that today I felt a bit tormented, and the pain didn't subside for a long time, and instead I could not bear it any more.
Yinzhen laughed in silence, and in frustration he pulled Bo Jin over to cover up his mistake, making it even more obvious.
It took half an hour for the energy to completely dissipate, and Yinzhen stood up calmly.
As I stepped out of the room, I saw her washing herself under the locust tree.
The flowers were in full bloom, and the falling petals fluttered and landed on her shoulders.
He walked towards her.
Chu Xian was struggling with the chaotic falling petals when the dazzling morning light was suddenly blocked by a tall and clear shadow.
"Starting today, practice horseback riding and archery for two hours every day at Chenshi, and practice calligraphy for one hour after Youshi."
She would have to serve him in the future. Instead of letting others teach her how to ride and shoot, it would be better for him to teach her himself so that she would know his preferences.
"Cough cough cough...ok." Chu Xian was suddenly choked by the light bamboo salt water she was using to rinse her mouth, and her face turned red from holding it in.
She felt a familiar gentle force on her back, caressing her again and again, and she couldn't help but shiver with pleasure.
She has a little habit, like a cat, she likes people to stroke her back.
"Lin Shu! Come and eat the pancake and meat porridge quickly!" Sui Qing shouted in the kitchen.
Su Peisheng, who was hiding in the corridor and peeking, was so angry that he jumped up and down. Suiqing, this rough girl, was really ruining the mood.
"Hey, here I come~" Chu Xian picked up the copper basin for washing and left gracefully.
After breakfast, Chu Xian took out the ring she had prepared.
Under the shade of the trees in the courtyard, Chi Zheng and his servant had already erected the boxwood target.
Chu Xian walked gracefully in front of Chi Zheng.
"for you."
"The bow is for you."
The two spoke at the same time and smiled warmly at each other.
Chu Xian took the lightweight bamboo and wooden bow given by Chi Zheng, opened her palm, and held the deer antler ring in front of him.
When he saw the ring, Yinzhen was stunned for a moment.
The ring is very special to the Manchus. It is a token of love. Since she gave him the ring, she must have been hinting that she wanted to be in love with him.
A smile appeared on the corner of her lips. Before he could raise his hand to take the ring, she carefully explained: "This ring is a token of love used by the Manchus. You are Han Chinese, so there is no need to be so particular."
The smile froze at the corner of his lips. Yinzhen pursed his lips, said "oh" lightly, and put the ring on his right thumb.
The ring was nice, plain and elegant, without any complicated or flashy embellishments. He smiled faintly and twisted the ring, watching Lin Shu draw the bow.
"This bamboo bow has a full string strength of four and a half, and you..." Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Lin Shu's bright laughter.
"What are you laughing at?"
"No...no...I remembered an old friend I didn't know well. His nickname was Siliban."
She recalled seeing the grape-flower face bow of four and a half strength used by Emperor Shizong Yinzhen in the Forbidden City.
Four and a half pounds of force means using about sixty kilograms of force to fully pull the string.
Just now, she easily pulled the bowstring with just a little effort. She couldn't imagine how weak the Fourth Prince Yinzhen was.
For warriors to take the military examination, the minimum requirement for archery and footwork is five strengths. No wonder that in history, Emperor Yongzheng participated in the Mulan Autumn Hunt zero times after he ascended the throne.
Humph! Turns out you're just a pretty face, no wonder you have so few children.
Chu Xian laughed so hard that she fell backwards, holding her stomach and secretly laughing at the delicate Fourth Prince for a long time before she stopped laughing and looked at Chi Zheng.
Just one glance and she was stunned.
This guy is really... graceful and elegant in every gesture, and standing next to him always feels like being bathed in spring breeze.
At this moment, he was wearing a hunting suit with narrow sleeves, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and he was as solemn as a crane under a pine tree, quite unique.
"Lin Shu, draw the bow!"
"Ah? Oh oh..." Chu Xian shifted her gaze away from Chi Zheng's strong waist, which was bound by the leather belt around his waist, and imitated Chi Zheng in pulling the bowstring.
The boxwood bow he used was extremely heavy, and it took at least twelve times the force to fully draw the string. However, Chi Zheng was calm and composed, drew the bow and released the arrow, easily hitting the bull's eye.
Chu Xian withdrew her gaze, concentrated on aiming at the bull's eye, and shot the arrow.
The arrow was weak and missed the target as expected.
"wrong."
Chu Xian was about to ask what was wrong when a warm palm covered the back of her bow-drawing hand.
"Your posture for drawing the bow is not right." Yinzhen focused on teaching her how to draw the bow carefully.
When teaching her archery, he had to get closer to her. At this moment, he even pressed his whole body against her back, with his hands covering the back of her hands.
"Control the string with your right hand, hold the bow with your left hand, hold the arrow shaft with your thumb ring, and release it."
With a whoosh, Chu Xian hit the target and grinned with joy.
"You're not far from the center of the target. Keep trying." Yinzhen took a feather arrow from the quiver and patiently taught her how to draw the bow and nock the arrow.
He subconsciously rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered almost close to her ear, "Lean a little to the left, aim at the target, and don't be distracted."
Chu Xian suppressed her smile awkwardly and let his slightly calloused fingertips wander over the back of her hand, teaching her how to aim at the head.
"Chi Zheng, how about going hunting in the mountains tomorrow?"
"Go next month. Your archery is terrible."
"You hunt, I fish. I'm good at casting nets to catch fish, and my nets are the biggest and roundest."
"Heh, are you sure you didn't knock the fish unconscious with a rock?"
"Tomorrow I'll show you the fishing ancestor's skills."
"Hmm." Yinzhen was a little distracted. He leaned close to her ear and found that her ears were very cute. The earlobes were pale pink and clean. He wanted to bite them.
If I think about it anymore... my face darkened, my heart was in turmoil, I couldn't think about it anymore.
With that arrow just now, he missed the target for the first time ever.
Sui Qing and Su Sheng sat side by side in the corridor shelling edamame.
"Su Sheng, is your young master so attentive and gentle to all girls?"
Su Peisheng threw the emerald green soybeans into the bamboo strips and heard Sui Qing's sarcastic tone.
"If my son had come to his senses earlier, he would have had a wife and children long ago. Why would he still be alone now?"
"It depends on who it's directed at. If it's directed at you, well..." Su Peisheng imitated Sui Qing's sarcastic tone.
"Bah! You're the one making lunch. Go wash the edamame and blanch the pork bones."
Sui Qing threw a handful of edamame at Su Sheng's face, then stood up angrily and went into the kitchen.
"Tsk, firecrackers have a bad temper. They explode without being lit."
The slaves and maids serving Nara were all violent warriors, as arrogant and domineering as their master.
Su Peisheng shook his head slightly, bent down and put the edamame into the bamboo strips.
On this side, Chu Xian was chatting with Chi Zheng, and gradually turned the topic to the girl's marriage in August next year.
"Lin Shu, what do you think of my future son-in-law?" Yinzhen wanted to know what Lin Shu really thought of him.
Chu Xian was sweating profusely and subconsciously gripped the bow and arrow tightly.
What else can I do?
If killing the prince was not against the law, and the Fourth Prince happened to be standing in front of her at this moment, she would definitely stab him through and beat him into a sieve on the spot.
After her fury subsided, Chu Xian raised her hand to wipe the sweat off her face and slowly said, "The prince and the grandson of the dragon are all good."
"It's just that the Fourth Prince is not good to the girl. At least he is not the girl's ideal man."
Chu Xian paused, and instead of simply denying the Fourth Prince, she praised him generously.
"The Fourth Prince may not be a good husband, but he is a wise man. He is talented and cares about the people of the world. He will be a good member of the royal family."
"If you are lucky enough to serve as an official in the future, and one day you are forced to stop being a loyal and independent minister, you must ally yourself with the Fourth Prince. Remember, he is the one who values talent the most."
"Lin Shu, let me ask you what you think of him?"
Unexpectedly, in her eyes, he was not a good man.
Although Yinzhen was disappointed, he was shocked by her words of mentor. He consciously kept a low profile and never tried to show off. How could she know that he cared about the world?
"He's a good person," Chu Xian blurted out, "but he's not someone I can entrust my life to."
"Oh, what's good about that? Everyone in the world knows that Emperor Kangxi dislikes the Fourth Prince and criticizes him for being moody and frivolous."
Yinzhen smiled bitterly and laughed at himself.
Chu Xian didn't think the Fourth Prince was so incompetent. If the final winner of the Kowloon Succession War was just an unstable, reckless and foolish person, how could he have broken through the siege and had the last laugh?
"The Fourth Prince is hiding his incompetence. If he were to be smooth-talking, calm, and shrewd, Emperor Kangxi would become worried and accuse him of having ulterior motives and coveting the throne. The Crown Prince would also become suspicious and alienate the Fourth Prince."
"The Fourth Prince is a quiet and patient person, but don't forget, within quietness lies conflict, and within patience lies a knife."
"Struggle hides in silence, and a knife hides in forbearance..."
Yinzhen was speechless and murmured, he never expected that the person who understood him best would be Lin Shu.
"It's just that he's also an extremely extreme person. If he loves you, he wants you to live; if he hates you, he wants you to die. You absolutely cannot offend him, otherwise you will not have a good end."
Chu Xian observed a moment of silence for herself. The Fourth Prince was polite to everyone except her.
Sooner or later she will die at the hands of the Fourth Prince.
Trembling with fear, Chu Xian's face showed bitterness: "I don't have any feelings towards the Fourth Prince..."
Chu Xian paused. She wanted the Fourth Prince to die the most, but she didn't dare say it out loud.
"If I were a man, I would definitely worship the Fourth Prince as a divine confidant, but I am just a woman, so I can only stay away from him."
"Lin Shu, you don't like the Fourth Prince." Yinzhen said in a firm tone. When Lin Shu mentioned the Fourth Prince, her tone was no longer as gentle and tender as usual.
Chu Xian was confused: "Why should I like the Fourth Prince? He really thinks he is a silver note, and everyone loves him."
Chu Xian hugged the bow and arrow indignantly.
Realizing that she had lost her composure, she hurriedly suppressed her anger and explained in a gentle voice, "The Fourth Prince is the young lady's husband. It has nothing to do with me."
After saying that, she turned around to look for the quiver, but was caught off guard when her wrist was grabbed tightly.
"Ridiculous! You are the maidservant who came with the girl as a dowry. You are destined to enter the Fourth Prince's harem and become one of his concubines. How can you be unrelated?"
"What kind of prestigious status is a maidservant? Why should I become the Fourth Prince's plaything? I don't care. I would rather be a lowly wife from a poor family than a concubine from a rich family. I swear I will never be a concubine."
Chu Xian's wrist was pinched so hard that it hurt.
Chi Zheng has always been gentle and humble, and has never spoken harshly to her. What happened today?
"It hurts..." Chu Xian screamed in pain and her wrist suddenly loosened.
Yinzhen's eyes were full of apology as he held up her red wrist and rubbed it gently.
For some reason, Lin Shu's words always broke his Qi-cultivation skills.
Seeing him looking aggrieved and with red eyes, Chu Xian's heart trembled slightly. She mustered up her courage. There were some questions she only had the courage to ask once.
She was sure that she could successfully break off the engagement, but she didn't know whether Chi Zheng would dare to marry her. She wanted to know his feelings.
"Chi Zheng, do you have someone you like?"
The phrase "I like someone" is already a restrained and implicit expression of love.
Chu Xian didn't dare to ask Chi Zheng directly whether he liked her. She was still cowardly and left herself a glimmer of hope.
Yinzhen's expression was indifferent, and he felt confused. The person he admired? What did he mean by admire?
He was well-read, and his teachers were all great scholars and famous figures, but no one had ever taught him how to like someone, so he didn't know.
He had extremely strange feelings towards this little maid. He wanted to see her, but also wanted to avoid her. When he saw her, he wanted to escape from her. It was extremely contradictory.
If Nara knew that he had taken a fancy to her servant, she would definitely ridicule him.
It is impossible for him to like Nara's servants, and he would not mention Lin Shu in front of Nara on his own initiative, giving Nara a handle.
"No." Yinzhen responded with a cold face and a firm tone.
Chu Xian was embarrassed and at a loss for words, her eyes wandering around in panic. She said awkwardly, "Chi Zheng, you like the braised radish with minced meat that I made, right? I see you really like it for breakfast."
How embarrassing! How could this happen? Eyes are the seed of love. She clearly saw Chi Zheng's eyes full of affection, but she actually misunderstood. He must have thought she was frivolous.
Chu Xian was so anxious that she lowered her head and held back her tears, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
She stiffly changed the subject: "The young lady did not choose me as a maid for her dowry. I have no connection with the Fourth Prince."
"Why? Is it that the girl can't tolerate you?" Yinzhen suppressed his anger and asked in a gentle voice.
"Well, I don't want to go either. I'll just wait for the master to find a kind servant to accompany me to the wedding. That's fine."
Chu Xian answered casually.
It was so embarrassing that she didn't even dare to look up and meet Chi Zheng's gaze.
Yinzhen was choked with anger. How could her fate be that of a lowly servant? Nara was worthy of death!
The two of them each had their own thoughts, and they practiced archery for another half an hour. As soon as Chu Xian returned to the east wing, her face instantly fell.
She had originally thought that after breaking off the engagement with the Fourth Prince, she would choose Chi Zheng as her husband, but now she no longer has this thought.
Chu Xian hid in the east wing for half a day and didn't dare to come out, thinking of finding a reason to escape from the manor tomorrow.
After dinner, Chu Xian called Sui Qing and asked her to prepare the car and leave tomorrow night.
"Sui Qing, go tell Chi Zheng that you and I have been assigned by the young lady to work at another manor. From now on, Chi Zheng will be in charge of this manor."
"Let's leave tomorrow night." Chu Xian clutched the handkerchief tightly and urged anxiously.
"Miss, Chi Zheng is too ignorant. If anyone wants to leave, let him go!" Sui Qing had already heard everything the girl said today.
The damn Chi Zheng actually rejected the girl outright. He really didn't know how to appreciate it.
"No, he's done nothing wrong. I was just being sentimental." Chu Xian covered her burning cheeks.
"Are we still going hunting in the mountains tomorrow?" Sui Qing asked nervously.
Chu Xian hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Let's go, just the two of us, I'll practice my aim."
Sui Qing turned around to look for Chi Zheng and his servant. When she entered the study, she saw Chi Zheng sitting upright in front of a spring stool. When he saw that it was her, he sat back in his original seat and put down the book.
Su Peisheng sensed Sui Qing's ill intentions and approached her with a smile. "It's time for study, why hasn't Lin Shu come yet?"
"No more training. The young lady has assigned the two of us to work at another manor. We'll be leaving tomorrow night. From now on, this manor will be managed under the unified account."
"Ah? Why so sudden?" Su Peisheng asked in a shrill voice.
"Which manor are we going to?" Yinzhen clenched the book tightly.
Lin Shu's temper is like a storm, and she is bound to suffer losses in the back house. She needs to cultivate her calmness.
"Chi Zheng, different manors are in charge of their own affairs. Don't ask about things you shouldn't ask."
"Lin Shu and I are going into the mountains to hunt tomorrow. You guys should arrange yourselves the meals." Sui Qing rolled his eyes, put his hands on his hips and turned to leave.
"Ah? Didn't we agree to go hunting in the mountains together tomorrow?"
Su Peisheng thought to himself that this was not good, and guessed that Lin Shu must have taken the initiative to transfer away from this place, as she wanted to avoid the Fourth Prince.
This girl has a bad temper and will suffer a great loss sooner or later.
"If you want to hunt, go by yourself. We each go our separate ways. I'm not stopping you."
As he was speaking, Sui Qing coldly saw the Saker Falcon fluttering on the treetops. He hurriedly called the Saker Falcon, took the secret letter, and went to the east wing to look for the girl.
Chu Xian read the letter carefully and breathed a sigh of relief. After much persuasion, she finally persuaded her father to return to Mulan Autumn Hunt.
It is only the end of August now, and her father will not be able to return to Beijing until the beginning of December. She can still avoid her father's eyes and ears and has enough time to cancel the engagement.
In the study, Su Peisheng didn't dare to breathe, and his master's face looked frighteningly gloomy.
"Sir...women all like to hear soft words. If you lower yourself and coax her with soft words, she will definitely be devoted to you."
"How about... Master, please improvise a love poem and I'll pass it on?"
"No need." Yinzhen casually opened the book, and the notes that were carefully annotated with easy-to-understand words last night fell to the ground.
He opened the book and read it intently, his mind wandering.
Lin Shu did not rest on the spring stool tonight, and Yinzhen always felt lost.
In the second half of the night, Su Peisheng found Mrs. Zhu, who had been soaked in cold water, and placed her on the mat behind him, which was mostly empty. He still could not fall asleep.
Yinzhen had never been so restless before. He tossed and turned all night and couldn't sleep. He got up and before he knew it, the sky was already turning light.
The voices of Su Peisheng and Sui Qing talking in low voices could be heard outside the window.
The footsteps gradually faded away. He sat in front of the window, silent for a long time, and suddenly smiled with relief.
Well, since she loves to hear sweet words, it won’t hurt for him to coax her.
.....
In the dense forest of Tanzhe Mountain, Chu Xian chased a colorful pheasant to a valley.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, the sound of several arrows breaking through the air passed by my ears.
Chu Xian was so frightened that she almost fell to the ground.
"Girl!" Sui Qing exclaimed in panic.
Chu Xian was about to speak when she saw Sui Qing's serious expression, gritting his teeth and bowing towards her.
"Lower your head!" Sui Qing shouted, then released the arrow.
The howling of wolves suddenly came from behind.
"Xian'er, long time no see." A handsome young man with a jade-like face rode out of the forest.
"Greetings to Master Nian. We are the servants on duty at the farm where the young lady came with her as a dowry."
Chu Xian bowed and greeted the young man who was walking towards her with the etiquette of a Han woman.
I really didn't expect to meet my brother Wu Ge's best friend Nian Gengyao here.
The young powerful official Zhilan Yushu Zong was elegant and free, but in history he had a miserable later life.
Nian Gengyao paused for a moment and saw clearly that the girl who turned her head sideways was not Chu Xian.
This unfamiliar servant girl bears some resemblance to Chu Xian; just looking at her back, one could mistake her for the real thing.
Nian Gengyao put away his smile and nodded politely, "I wonder how Miss Xian is doing these days?"
"The young lady just returned from Shengjing a few days ago. Thank you for your concern."
"There are wild beasts roaming around in the deep mountains and old forests. What do you want to hunt? I'm willing to do it for you." Since he was a servant beside Chu Xian, Nian Gengyao naturally had to help.
Before Chu Xian could refuse, Nian Gengyao placed the hunted sika deer in front of her.
"Follow me to hunt in the south."
Nian Gengyao grabbed Chu Xian's bow and arrow and dragged her into the dense forest.
Walking through the flowers and willows, when Chu Xian looked up again, Sui Qing had disappeared.
"Xian'er, what happened? Why are you dressed like this?"
Nian Gengyao stared at the girl's unfamiliar face with worry.
Chu Xian subconsciously touched her face. There was no way the beauty potion Wan Ning gave her could have any flaws. She had used it several times and there had never been any flaws.
How did Nian Gengyao recognize her at first sight?
"How did Brother Lianggong recognize me? It's so strange." Chu Xian looked at Nian Gengyao in confusion.
Nian Gengyao smiled without saying a word, and reached out to brush away the dead leaves on Xian'er's shoulders.
"Why are you here alone? Are your good brothers taking advantage of Wu Ge's absence to bully you again?"
"Xian'er, what's wrong with your face? Who is it? Your eldest brother or your second brother?" Nian Gengyao reached out in panic and gently stroked her bruised cheek.
The moment he was about to touch her skin, his fingertips stopped and curled up helplessly.
"It was Nara Fuchan. He wanted me to die early." Chu Xian became angrier and angrier as she thought about it, and she held back her tears out of grievance.
Nian Gengyao and her elder brother Wu Ge had known each other since childhood. In the two years that Wu Ge was away from Beijing, Nian Gengyao took care of her like an elder brother.
"Xian'er, I'm sorry. I just returned to Beijing from Xiangxi a few days ago. The gossip in the capital will be quelled in the next few days."
"Have you seen the gift I sent to your house two days ago? Do you like it?"
"I like it. Brother Lianggong spent a lot of money on it. I like it very much." Chu Xian's eyes were full of smiles. The gifts that Nian Gengyao sent her every year were what she liked best.
"Brother Lianggong, they all bullied me." Father and brother were not around, and when she saw Nian Gengyao, she couldn't stop crying.
"Don't cry, Xian'er. It's my fault for making you suffer. I will definitely disfigure Fu Chan."
"No need. I fought back on the spot. I won't wait until the next day to take revenge."
Suddenly, a crystal red fruit appeared in front of her. It turned out to be her favorite persimmon. Chu Xian burst into laughter and took a bite of the sweet persimmon.
"Eat slowly, I'll pick some more for you later." Nian Gengyao took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and carefully wiped the corners of Xian'er's mouth.
She has always had the best temper since she was a child. A persimmon can make her smile, and her smile is very beautiful.
"Wild persimmons are very sweet. Brother Lianggong, please try it." Chu Xian broke off half a persimmon and handed it to Nian Gengyao's lips.
Nian Gengyao stroked the silk handkerchief with his fingertips and put it back into his sleeve.
He slightly opened his lips, and before he could take the persimmon that Xian'er was twisting between her fingers into his mouth, a hidden arrow suddenly came from the other side of the wild lake.
"Be careful!" Nian Gengyao pulled Xian'er into his arms and protected her tightly. An arrow flew through the air, just brushing past his ear, and wedged into the trunk of the red maple tree with a buzzing sound.
Following the direction from which the arrow came, I vaguely saw the figure of a tall man standing on the opposite bank.
“Who is it?”
The man did not respond, but turned and walked away, extremely arrogant.
"Maybe it's the hunters nearby who are not very good at archery. Brother Lianggong, it's getting late. I should go back."
Chu Xian guiltily pulled the familiar arrow out of the tree trunk, broke it, and threw it into the wild lake.
"Xian'er, this place is not peaceful. I will take you down the mountain."
Nian Gengyao didn't say anything and helped Xian'er down the mountain through his sleeve.
Chu Xian was speechless and had to follow Nian Gengyao down the mountain obediently. Nian Gengyao only left after he sent her to the corner gate of the mansion.
Chu Xian hid behind the door for a while before asking Sui Qing to prepare the carriage. She had to go back to the manor to ask Chi Zheng what he was doing and why he dared to assassinate an imperial official.
Nian Gengyao had never met him before, so what grudge did they have?
"Miss, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has sent the elevation drawings of the new residence's main courtyard. Please take a closer look."
Without even raising her head, Chu Xian said impatiently, "Just ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to choose a courtyard that's farthest from the front yard, the most secluded, and closest to the back door of the mansion."
"No flowers or plants are allowed in the yard. Dig a big fish pond and cultivate vegetable plots in the corners of the walls to grow fruits and vegetables."
"Ah? Girl, it's not good to grow vegetables in the yard..." Sui Qing didn't dare to say any vulgar words.
"Just do it." Chu Xian was too lazy to be perfunctory. She had to go to the farm as soon as possible.
"The elevation drawing sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs really suits your needs. The main courtyard of the Concubine is located in the northwest corner."
"What?" Chu Xian was choked with anger. Making one's own choice and being excluded by others were two different things.
Although she was not in the Fourth Prince's eyes, he was so ruthless to her that it was really frightening.
After being annoyed, she was soon overjoyed.
The Fourth Prince and she disliked each other and deliberately sent her away, which was exactly what she wanted.
"Forget it, just ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ask the Fourth Prince to make the decision."
Anyway, her marriage with the Fourth Prince is bound to fail, so why should she bother with the affairs of the Fujin Zhengyuan? Let the future Fourth Fujin worry about it.
At this time, in the villa, Su Peisheng brought the reheated dinner back to the kitchen.
Lin Shu and Sui Qing left so suddenly that there was no chance to find out which farm they were going to.
Nara's dowry included seventeen manors, but no one knew how many more manors she had in private. How could she find Lin Shu?
Since returning to Zhuangzi, Yinzhen has never stepped out of his study. He is currently working at his desk, excerpting and annotating obscure banned books.
The night before, she complained that she didn't understand the meaning, so he annotated it in a simpler way to make it easier for her to read.
She would definitely come back, on her way home, he was sure of it.
As time goes by, the writing becomes more and more messy. Why hasn't she returned yet?
When Chu Xian walked into the study room in a rage, she saw Chi Zheng practicing calligraphy calmly. She was so angry that she swept the papers on the table to the ground.
"Chi Zheng, what on earth are you going to do? You..." She lowered her head and was shocked to find the floor covered with tiny handwritten comments.
There were many uncommon characters, and he was probably worried that she wouldn't understand them, so he used a fine goat-hair brush to outline homophones to remind her.
The harsh criticism that was on the tip of my tongue was blocked in my heart, it was so bitter, but also inexplicably a hint of sweetness emerged.
But Chi Zheng remained silent, just bent down and picked up the papers scattered on the ground.
"I have annotated up to the seventh chapter of Volume 2. What else do you want to see? I am willing to annotate it."
Chu Xian was dumbfounded. While she was moved, she also felt powerless, like punching cotton. It was like when they were arguing, and the other party suddenly asked her in a good mood if she was hungry or thirsty, making her completely unable to get angry.
"Chi Zheng, I'm asking you a question."
Chu Xian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She really couldn't quarrel with him. His stable temper made her feel like a violent and shrewish woman.
"Are you hungry? Have dinner with me. I picked some wild persimmons and kept them chilled for you when you come back." Yinzhen took the initiative to hold her hand.
“.....”
"He was so frivolous to you, damn him." Yinzhen gritted his teeth.
"Chi Zheng, what on earth do you want to do? It's none of your business to meddle in my private affairs."
Chu Xian shook off Chi Zheng's hand. Arguing with a gentle man like Chi Zheng was more tiring than fighting and swearing at each other. It seemed as if she was the only one who was going crazy.
Just as she was about to jump up and down in anger, someone gently tugged at her sleeve.
"I like it." The man's muffled voice came.
Chu Xian stared at Chi Zheng blankly. She knew she hadn't made a mistake. He clearly had feelings for her. A mist appeared in his eyes. She asked knowingly, "What do you like?"
"radish."
Feeling warm on his wrist, Chi Zheng held her wrist tightly.
Chu Xian was so angry that she laughed. She pushed him away in annoyance, but she couldn't push him away. Instead, he pulled her into his arms.
"What do you like... woo..."
He seemed to be embarrassed, and he forcefully pressed her into his solid chest, kissed her lips, and forbade her to ask any further questions.
Sui Qing, who was guarding outside the door, pursed her lips and tried to hold back her laughter. Chi Zheng and the girl were simply a perfect match made in heaven.
The girl is strong when facing a strong man and gentle when facing a weak one, and she was unexpectedly caught in the weak spot by the gentle Chi Zheng.
Under the dim candlelight, Chu Xian was picked up by Chi Zheng and carried horizontally towards the spring stool where they had slept together for several days.
He was not anxious, but his eyes were dark, and his rough fingertips rubbed her trembling lips. She was nervous and her lips were puckered, and the delicate kisses were instantly on the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.
Chu Xian's body softened, and she was confused and breathless in his kiss. His kiss was awkward, and when their lips touched, she felt a burst of pain on her lips.
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