Chapter 28028 Your thanks to me are just words...
The court was closed the next day, so Xie Zhan didn't have to get up early and rush out of the city.
When Yun Sheng was dressing up, she heard Ah Xi say that the four beautiful maids in the courtyard had been driven out by Xie Zhan early in the morning.
She stared at the bronze mirror in a daze for a moment, then went back to her work as if nothing had happened.
Ah Xi covered his face and smiled, "My Lord, this is all for Madam Yun. If Madam also pays more attention to it, my Lord will be happy, and your life will be more comfortable, right?"
The women in the backyard, no matter whether they are wives or concubines, have to live according to their husband's mood.
But after a few days, she noticed that their Lady Yun was neither cold nor warm towards the Marquis. Now that she was the only one in the Marquis's room, and she wanted something new, he naturally doted on her, but he was afraid that she would fall out of favor in the future and be left without a child.
Ah Xi is now serving her, and naturally hopes that her master will be well.
Yun Sheng pursed her lips. She knew that Hua and Ah Xi were both thinking about her, but she couldn't be so shameless as to pester Xie Zhan.
She sighed softly and said, "The undergarment for the Marquis is ready. I didn't mention it last night. I'll take it to him after breakfast."
Ah Xi quickly agreed happily.
But before delivering the clothes to Xie Zhan, Yun Sheng went to see Zhao Yaoyao who had suffered last night.
The other person's lips were pale, and he looked exhausted. Seeing her coming, he quickly sat up and said, "Sister Sheng, you're here. Thank you for coming to see me."
Yun Sheng helped her back onto the couch and said distressedly, "Sister, you're being distant with me by saying this. The most important thing now is that you recover quickly."
Zhao Yaoyao smiled bitterly. She found out the whole story of last night as soon as she woke up in the morning. She was so incredulous that she was stunned for half an hour and didn't even have an appetite for breakfast.
She had not expected that her own mother would be so crazy that she would even plot against her own daughter, under the pretext of doing it for her own good.
Zhao Yaoyao didn't understand why her mother refused to listen to her true feelings and insisted on marrying her up. She thought her mother's words about her becoming the Marquis' wife were just talk, but she was so bold as to drug Marquis Xie.
Thinking of this, Zhao Yaoyao took Yun Sheng's hand and said guiltily, "Sister Sheng, please believe me. I have no bad intentions towards the Marquis, and I was completely unaware of what happened yesterday."
Yun Sheng smiled and said, "Sister, there's no need to explain. I trust you."
Zhao Yaoyao stopped talking: "That's good, that's good. I was just worried that Sister Sheng would become estranged from me because of this."
The two were chatting inside when the maid guarding the gate suddenly called out, "Madam Zhao, Madam Zhao is about to return to Shu. Would you like to go out and see her off?"
Old Madam Xie gave Zhao face and did not reveal what happened last night. She just said that she was busy at home and it was inconvenient for her, the mistress, to stay longer, so she just asked Zhao Yaoyao to continue living in the mansion.
Zhao Yaoyao had a quarrel with Zhao Shi in the morning. She wanted to go back to Shu with them, but Zhao Shi threatened her with death, so she could only compromise with tears.
She gritted her teeth and rushed out the door, "I'm not feeling well, so I won't go."
She was afraid that if she looked at her mother for one more moment, she would feel more resentment towards her.
Perhaps Zhao was too embarrassed to see her daughter, so she didn't send anyone to tell her before leaving.
Zhao Yaoyao, however, had been estimating the time the entire time. Yun Sheng noticed her absent-mindedness and advised, "After all, they are biological mother and daughter. How could there be any grudge left overnight? Sister, you should go and see them again."
After she finished speaking, she heard Zhao Yaoyao say "excuse me" and chased after her in disheveled clothes.
Yun Sheng looked at her departing figure, feeling melancholy and envious. Although Madam Zhao had evil intentions and disregarded Zhao Yaoyao's wishes, she had a truly good heart towards her daughter.
After sighing, Yun Sheng looked over the undershirt she had made for Xie Zhan over and over again. Ah Xi jokingly said, "Madam Yun has seen it so many times. Your craftsmanship is excellent, and the stitches are so fine. The Marquis will definitely like it and won't find any fault with it."
"The Marquis is in the study?"
Ah Xi nodded.
Yun Sheng began to retreat again: "Forget it, it would be bad if I disturbed the Marquis's work. It would be safer if I gave it to him in the evening."
Ah Xi advised, "There's usually a guard there during the day. Tell him to tell the marquis that if he doesn't want to see you, you can come back later."
Yun Sheng was placed on the fire, and Hua Wu was staring at her.
She gritted her teeth and spoke to the guard at the door. Xie Zhan inside said, "Send her in."
"My Lord, this is your undergarment. I forgot to tell you last night that I had made it for you." Yun Sheng closed the door and went in, gently placing the tray on the table.
Xie Zhan looked over at him intently, and said with a half-smile, "You're giving this to me in broad daylight? Do you want me to take off my robe and try on some clothes right now?"
Yun Sheng looked embarrassed. She had told herself to be more cautious at night and shouldn't have listened to Ah Xi and Hua Ai so carelessly.
She refuted quietly, "My measurements are very accurate. The dress will definitely fit you. Your Majesty, there's no need to try it on."
"Well... since the Marquis has seen it, I'll have someone bring it back to your room."
"No rush, come here and grind it for me." Xie Zhan waved his hand.
Yun Sheng walked forward slowly and said uncomfortably, "I don't know how to do it. My Lord, why don't you send in a different maid?"
"If you don't know, I will teach you. Just study hard. Why do you always think of blaming others for my mistakes?"
Xie Zhan's face was calm, and he glanced at Yun Sheng lightly.
He first instructed Yun Sheng to drop a few drops of clean water into the inkstone pool. The surface of the rosin ink stick was smooth and shiny.
Xie Zhan gestured to Yun Sheng: "Hold the ink stick."
Yun Sheng hurriedly followed his orders, her heart secretly leaping with joy. She had seen this before in Xie Qingyuan's study, but hadn't dared to ask to try it.
Mrs. Qian had told her since she was a child that it was useless for a girl to study at home. A good wife who could take care of the family and take care of her husband and children would be praised by everyone.
It was not until she came to Chang'an that she realized that the noble ladies were all literate, and could write poetry and paint.
Yun Sheng had secretly envied people who were well-educated and well-mannered for a long time.
Xie Zhan's voice was hoarse. He was teaching her one by one, but Yun Sheng's palms were full of sweat. The more nervous she was, the worse she did.
Her face flushed red, and when she wanted to give up, Xie Zhan had embraced her from behind without her knowing when. His big hands held hers, correcting her grip.
"No rush, just take your time." Xie Zhan whispered in Yun Sheng's ear.
As he led her, she finally understood the hand gesture of holding the ink stick.
"Keep this posture and start grinding."
Xie Zhan held Yun Sheng's hand and taught her how to move her wrist.
Yun Sheng watched carefully, puzzled, and asked, "My Lord, do you have to grind it at an angle?"
"Of course, remember this angle. If you force it vertically, the ink might splash."
The man was tall. Yun Sheng raised his eyes and saw Xie Zhan's sharp jaw, which was as sharp as a knife. His lips were very thin, and below that was a huge Adam's apple that slid slightly as he spoke.
Yun Sheng's eyelashes fluttered, and she quickly averted her gaze. She nodded, then listened to Xie Zhan say, "Besides the angle, the grinding force is also very important. Start with a little more force to make the ink thicker, then gradually reduce the force as the ink thickens to avoid crushing the ink particles."
The ink in the inkstone pool gradually became thicker, and Yun Sheng stared at it without blinking.
She curved her eyebrows and said, "Is this it?"
Xie Zhan nodded: "After the ink is ready, you can dip the brush in it to test the color."
After he finished speaking, he asked Yun Sheng to pull over the Chengxintang paper beside him. Yun Sheng touched the smooth and delicate paper and sighed that the paper used by the nobles was indeed the best paper.
Xie Zhan's chest pressed against Yun Sheng again. Yun Sheng was at a loss when his clear voice rang in his ears: "Hold the pen."
"Ah?" Yun Sheng looked dazed and blurted out words of doubt.
Xie Zhan seemed to be laughing: "You've ground the ink yourself, don't you want to try it yourself?"
Yun Sheng's hand was wrapped by him, and the posture of his five fingers holding the pen was also adjusted by him. Xie Zhan said slowly: "When writing, you must collect the ink first."
To collect ink, lightly touch the tip of the pen to the ink. When you lift it up, the ink hangs down like a drop of dew but does not fall off. This is the best.
Yun Sheng looked around and felt that everything was new and eye-opening.
The Boshan Hulu on the rosewood table exhaled a wisp of sandalwood, which mixed with the fragrance of pine ink and entangled between the sleeves of the two people.
Outside the half-open window, bamboo shadows danced, and the breeze blew through, casting their shadows on the Xue Tao paper on the desk.
Xie Zhan placed his right hand on Yun Sheng's wrist, and gently touched her base with his left hand. He whispered, "When writing, don't let go of this area, otherwise the characters will be like crawling shrimps, soft and boneless, without any shape. Remember this?"
"I remember." Yun Sheng humbly accepted the advice.
Xie Zhan took her and started writing from the opposite direction.
He held the pen like a sword or bow, and every stroke of his pen was like a sharp sword being unsheathed. Each horizontal stroke was vigorous and powerful, and the ink color gradually became darker. When he finished writing, he lifted the pen tip sharply and made a slight outline.
The handwriting reflects the person, and it really doesn't lie to me. Yun Sheng looked at the paper that was so strong that it could be seen through the back of the paper. The two words on it were sharp and exposed, and there was a sense of sharpness and hardness everywhere, just like when she first met Xie Zhan.
Her clear eyes sparkled as she looked at her hand, then at the two well-written characters. Her plump lips couldn't help but curl up slightly as she hastily tilted her head and said, "I, I actually wrote them. Lord, how do you pronounce these two characters?"
She turned her face too quickly, and Xie Zhan leaned forward slightly. Yun Sheng turned sideways, and her rosy lips lightly touched his jaw.
The man frowned and glanced at her lightly, his long black eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyelids.
Yun Sheng took two steps back, licked her lips, and gradually closed the hand that was supporting the table. Her earlobe was red as if dripping blood.
Xie Zhan saw the happy smile in her eyes that had not yet disappeared. When she asked him just now, her tone was light and cheerful, soft, as if she was acting coquettishly.
So this is what she looks like when she really smiles.
His lips moved slightly, and he looked over intently: "It's your name, Yun Sheng."
Yun Sheng, Yun Sheng, is her name. It turns out that her name looks so beautiful when written on paper.
When Mrs. Qian bought Yun Sheng back from the human trafficker, these two words were written on the indenture. However, there were few educated people in the village at that time and no one could read. Yun Sheng started calling his son "Sheng" by this word after hearing the human trafficker call him "Sheng". Over the years, Yun Sheng didn't know what the word actually was.
Yun Sheng's breathing paused slightly, the scent of agarwood filled her nose, and she stood there quietly.
She then seemed to muster up her courage and looked up at Xie Zhan: "I want to try it again on my own, is that okay, Lord?"
Xie Zhan raised his eyebrows slightly: "You want to learn to read and write?"
Yun Sheng clenched her palms a little tighter, feeling a little nervous, and finally nodded twice. She was actually a little afraid that Xie Zhan would say that she was wishful thinking and daydreaming.
Unexpectedly, he said, "If you are willing to study hard, you will be good."
Xie Zhan raised his chin and pulled out another piece of paper: "I'll be watching from the side, you try it yourself."
Yun Sheng closed her eyes, remembering the posture and strength just now. She looked at the pen and ink that Xie Zhan had written with her, and began to imitate him.
She held the pen, the tip of the pen trembled, and Xie Zhan suddenly said: "Yun Sheng, what did I teach you just now?"
The man's hoarse voice was like ink dripping into a pool of clear water, and the spread of the voices made Yun Sheng's ears numb.
When she came to her senses, she saw a pool of ink on the paper.
Yun Sheng felt a little distressed. Her lips parted as she looked at Xie Zhan helplessly, like a child who had done something wrong: "Am I too stupid? Let's just forget it, Lord Marquis."
Xie Zhan looked uneasy and said calmly, "You're just a beginner, how can you give up so easily? If you give up halfway through, how can you achieve success? Go on, finish writing."
Yun Sheng lowered her eyes. She didn’t want to give up halfway, she was just afraid that Xie Zhan would be impatient.
Hearing him say that, she gritted her teeth and continued writing. After a moment, Yun Sheng stared at the two words that looked like dog crawling, and turned her head away, unable to bear to look at them.
Xie Zhan's figure loomed over his head, and he seemed to laugh out loud.
Being teased by him, Yun Sheng blushed and was embarrassed.
"Even if you can only write like this as a beginner, you are not hopeless." Xie Zhan stood behind Yun Sheng, holding her in his arms and holding her hand to pick up the pen.
"Remember this well. I'll teach you again. I'll find the calligraphy you used to write when you were little, and you can copy a few of them every day when you have nothing to do. As long as you work hard, you'll make great progress in a month or so."
Yun Sheng opened his mouth, then reacted and responded happily.
She looked at the inner garment on the couch at the side and felt that it was a very good gift. In the end, she got a good deal.
Yun Sheng thought, could it be that teaching her to read and write was the reward Xie Zhan mentioned?
She liked this reward more than the gold, silver, jewelry, silk and satin he gave her.
"What are you thinking about? Pay attention." Xie Zhan placed his free hand on Yun Sheng's slender waist.
He was unhappy with her distraction and rubbed her gently.
"I'm thinking about the reward from the Marquis." Yun Sheng blurted out.
Xie Zhan followed Yun Sheng's gaze and saw the middle garment. He said unhappily, "I was wondering why you came to give me the garment in broad daylight. It turns out you're still thinking about what I said before and are here to ask for a reward."
"My Lord, you misunderstood me. That's not what I meant." Yun Sheng said awkwardly, "I, I just thought of it. My Lord, you taught me how to read. I like this reward."
"Can I still ask you to call me stingy? Let's put things one way and then ask Bai Yuanbao to take you to the warehouse to choose something." Xie Zhan snorted and chuckled.
Yun Sheng is his now, so of course she has to have the best food, clothing, and other necessities.
"Then... thank you very much, my Lord."
Yun Sheng had no reason to be unhappy about getting money for free.
The two were practicing calligraphy inside when Bai Yuanbao suddenly knocked on the door and Xie Zhan asked him to come in.
Bai Yuanbao served tea, secretly glanced at his masters, and his face was full of wrinkles with a smile.
He saw that Madam Yun was much more cordial towards the Marquis, and thought that she had completely figured it out. If this continued, he might be able to have a little master next year.
Bai Yuanbao coughed and said, "My Lord, the autumn weather outside is beautiful. Reading for so long is hurting my eyes. Why don't you take Madam Yun for a walk in the garden?"
As for the relationship between a man and a woman, it developed as they walked around. He thought that it was not a good idea to stay indoors all the time.
Xie Zhan put down his pen and said, "Alright." He then instructed Bai Yuanbao, "It's getting late. Tell the kitchen staff to prepare lunch early."
Bai Yuanbao nodded repeatedly and retreated quietly.
Xie Zhan took Yun Sheng with him, and the two of them walked on the bluestone path. The weather today was just as Bai Yuanbao said, with clear and crisp autumn air and a blue sky.
The young lady beside me lowered her eyes and was quiet. She seemed to have no time to look at the road, let alone appreciate the autumn chrysanthemums in full bloom in the garden.
Xie Zhan noticed her preoccupied thoughts and thought for a moment before speaking firmly, "Are you still thinking about learning to read? You should learn everything step by step and never rush things. Especially when writing, being impatient is a big taboo."
He really didn't expect that Yun Sheng was so studious and had such a character.
If she can really persevere and succeed, Xie Zhan will look upon her with a higher regard, and see if she is just trying to get something new.
Yun Sheng stopped and looked up at Xie Zhan: "My Lord, you are right. I have taken note of everything. But since it's my first time learning Chinese characters, I can't help but feel a little worried."
She paused, then said seriously, "I've never learned this before, and I'm afraid it would be a bit difficult to truly learn. Asking the Marquis to teach me would be a waste of my talent. I'm afraid I'll delay the Marquis's important work. Why don't you hire a female tutor for me?"
Yun Sheng spoke softly, tentatively asking what Xie Zhan meant.
Xie Zhan frowned. When he glanced at Yun Sheng inadvertently, she suddenly felt pressured.
Yun Sheng pursed her lips. Could it be that she was asking too much?
"The only introductory texts for reading are 'Jijiupian' and 'Qian Zi Wen'. If you can read and memorize these two texts, it will be much easier later on. I can spare an hour or two every day or at night to teach you. I still have that much time."
Yun Sheng quickly swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth. Xie Zhan had said that he would teach her personally, so she still knew what was right and wrong.
But the matter of the female teacher had completely disappeared. Xie Zhan did not mention it, and Yun Sheng tactfully did not dare to ask again.
She was content, and raised the corner of her lips slightly and said, "Thank you for the study, my Lord."
A breeze blew in the garden, and a whirling orange-yellow autumn chrysanthemum petal landed on Yun Sheng's hair. She smiled, and the whole world lost its color.
When Xie Zhan's eyes fell on the inappropriate thin figure in the distance, his face became a little colder.
He raised his hand and Yun Sheng looked at him in surprise.
"Petals have fallen on my hair." Xie Zhan's Adam's apple rolled, and he twisted two fingers into his palm.
Yun Sheng pinched the hem of her skirt and whispered, "Thank you, my Lord."
"Besides thanking me, what else can you say to me with this mouth?" Xie Zhan's hand caressed Yun Sheng's face, then moved to the corner of her lips: "Or is it that your thanks to me are just words?"
Yun Sheng's face turned red when he stared at her. Xie Zhan's meaning was very clear.
It was broad daylight and they were outside, so she couldn't help feeling shy.
Yun Sheng made up her mind. She closed her eyes, tiptoed over, and gently kissed Xie Zhan on the lips. Then she buried her blushing face in his chest.
Xie Zhan took the opportunity to put his arm around Yun Sheng's waist. He looked at Xie Qingyuan's fleeing back with a sarcastic smile on his face.
Xie Qingyuan walked on the path back to Qingtongyuan in a daze. When he recalled the scene just now, his heart ached again.
He also didn't know how things had come to this point step by step. Sheng Niang, who relied on him and loved him with all her heart, would never come back.
Xie Qingyuan always felt like there was a net that covered him invisibly, making it hard for him to breathe.
He just went to look for Xie Yulan.
Ever since Xie Yulan was punished by Xie Zhan to slap herself thirty times, she has been staying indoors and even stopped writing letters to him.
Xie Qingyuan was in a panic for a few days and neglected his studies. Today, he finally couldn't help but come to find Xie Yulan in person, but he didn't even see her. Instead, he was beaten out by her personal maid.
His mother was right. Xie Yulan was now the only life-saving straw he could grasp.
Xie Qingyuan sneered repeatedly. He had wasted such a long time with her, praising her and coaxing her against his will, and now she wanted to break up with him completely. How could such a good thing happen in the world?
He has decided to be the son-in-law of the Xie family.
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