Chapter 49: The unity of love and romance is boundless.
"You mean... Elder Mei wants to work for Prince Jing?"
"Not really."
Zhang Jin removed Zhou Xian's bun and returned the pearl hairpin to its box. The mirror shone brightly, and the two of them, reflecting each other, formed a pair. This should have been a time for sweet whispers, but instead, they were only discussing things that dampened the mood.
The black hair was smooth. Zhang Jinwei held his wife in his arms and smoothed her long hair with his fingers.
Zhou Xian leaned against his shoulder and said gloomily, "Sixth brother has no one in the court. He's surrounded by enemies. Those pedantic old officials think his mother was a palace maid, and since he's been traveling all year, they've always disliked him. Not to mention Chen Yi and his son's faction. It's still unclear which prince they support. Now the Qingliu... Sixth brother has made great military achievements and doesn't belong to any faction. What exactly does he need to do to make people appreciate him at court?"
"Don't worry." Zhang Jinwei raised his hand to smooth Zhou Xian's furrowed brow. "From what I've observed these past few days, Prince Rui isn't unappreciated. At least, Lord Jiang, the Minister of War, has actually praised Prince Rui to me. It's just that over the past few decades, there have been numerous factions within the court, and everyone is busy choosing sides. Most of the time, it's not necessarily about selecting the most virtuous, but more about their own interests, which forces them to rely on Prince Jing or Prince Xuan."
Didn’t Zhou Xian understand this?
The world is bustling with activity, all driven by profit; the world is bustling with activity, all driven by profit. Scholars spend their lives preaching the importance of cleansing their mouths, cultivating their moral character, managing their families, governing their country, and pacifying the world. But when it comes to the court, it's all about competing for profit. In the end, how many people can truly stick to their original aspirations?
"What about you?" Zhou Xian grabbed Zhang Jinwei's collar, his eyes reflecting the candlelight, flickering like rippling water.
Zhang Jinwei remained silent.
"Say something." Zhou Xian gently pushed his shoulder, her brows slightly furrowed, with worry lingering on her brows.
"Hanhan, there's something I must tell you." Zhang Jinwei stroked the head in his arms a few times.
Zhou Xian tilted his head: "You say."
"Even I can't completely side with Prince Rui." Zhang Jinwei looked into his wife's eyes and said word by word, "Who will be the crown prince and who will be the emperor? There are too many things involved. I am a lowly person with little influence and have only been in the court for a short time. If I easily get involved in the princes' fight for the throne, I am afraid that you will be implicated as well."
"But you're already involved." Zhou Xian reached out and cupped Zhang Jinwei's cheek. "Sixth Brother and I have a good relationship. You and Sixth Brother fought side by side on the battlefield. At least in the eyes of others, you're part of the Rui Wang Party. They're targeting Sixth Brother, and they'll target you too. Zhang Huaiyu, do you want to escape? Or rather, do you want to sever ties with Sixth Brother? But in my eyes, you've always been an open and honest person. You've never bothered to do these things."
Zhang Jinwei was slightly stunned.
The words coming out of Zhou Xian's mouth were different from those coming out of others.
The teacher had praised him before, saying he was honest and upright, a worthy gentleman. But he knew he was not a blameless person. He had ambitions and schemes, but he simply disdained to do anything that would harm others.
Even with Zhou Shan, while cherishing her, he was constantly plagued by anxiety. He didn't want to constrain Zhou Shan, to imprison her in a cage of brocade, as that would make him feel guilty. Yet, he also feared she would leave him, once again, far away, somewhere he couldn't see. This torment, hidden in ordinary times, only revealed in the most intimate moments.
...Does Zhou Xian also see himself in this way?
Sharing a bed, whispering in each other's ears, no matter how much you pretend, you can't escape the scrutiny of your loved one. If you act like a so-called gentleman outside, but treat your wife and children coldly at home, restrict them with etiquette and even suppress their family's nature, how can you be called a real man?
At least in Zhou Xian's eyes, he is an open-minded and good man.
"Although I can't fully support Prince Rui right now, I won't shirk what I have to do. I will do my best and won't embarrass Prince Rui, much less make you sad." Zhang Jinwei's voice was soft, but his tone was very serious. "I have worked with Prince Rui for three years, and we can be considered friends. I cannot betray a friend, and I absolutely cannot turn a blind eye to a friend in trouble, let alone that he is Xianxian's brother. In the future, in the court, I will do everything I can to help Prince Rui. You can rest assured."
"Really?" Zhou Xian blinked at him, the corners of her lips slowly rising. Suddenly, she leaned in close and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I knew it. You're the best!"
The soft lips touched his face and separated immediately. Zhang Jinwei actually felt a little uncomfortable. Emotions that had not been seen for a long time surfaced in his heart. He seemed to be back to the night of his wedding. The moment the veil was lifted, his heart suddenly softened like a pool of spring water.
"But what about you and Elder Mei?" Zhou Xian's joy only lasted a moment before he remembered what Zhang Jinwei had said and immediately became depressed. "You and your mentor had a quarrel. How are you going to get along with them from now on? Do you want me to go and apologize to him?"
Zhang Jinwei was amused by his droopy look, like a cat with its ears tucked back after doing something wrong. He looked so pitiful. So he soothed him, "How can I ask you to apologize? It's not your fault. He's a stubborn man, and once he's made up his mind, nothing can change it. I'll go to the yamen in a few days and visit him on the way. I'm sure he'll calm down."
"Okay." Zhou Xian nodded, but halfway through, his expression turned to confusion. "Come to think of it, why do all these old ministers like Prince Jing? Is it because he's the Empress's legitimate son? Or is it because they think he has good character? Alas, they don't understand. Prince Jing isn't exactly a gentleman."
"Maybe both. After all, you can only judge a person by his appearance but not his heart. Moreover, everyone in the court wears a mask, and no one can see what others are thinking." Zhang Jinwei said with a smile.
"But in private, like now, Zhang Huaiyu, what you said is the truth, right?" Zhou Xian still looked at Zhang Jinwei with those moist eyes. Although it was a question, he said it with great certainty.
"I'm not afraid of losing others' trust, I'm only afraid of seeing you cry. Over the past few years, I've always broken my promises and couldn't always be by your side. I already owe you too much. From now on, I'll discuss everything with you. Of course, Xianxian, you also have to promise me that you won't scare me again, okay?"
"Why would I want to scare you? It's obviously you who often scares yourself..." Zhou Xian hurriedly looked away, feeling quite guilty.
He felt like he seemed to have forgotten something, but before he could recall it, he was kissed until he was dizzy, and was pulled and tugged to lie on the bed.
At this moment, the two hearts are close together, and it seems that there is nothing else to do except doing this.
Zhou Xian had never been very good at kissing; he always subconsciously avoided it, needing someone to slowly and gently tease out his tongue. After just a few kisses, he was already breathing heavily, panting heavily. Zhang Jinwei relaxed and gently pressed her hand against his forehead, letting him rest.
The collar was also opened, but there was no rush to open it. He simply extended a hand, not with any intimacy, but more like a caress. It was already very soft there, warm and delicate, and the strength was just right, not enough to hurt Zhou Xian, but enough to make him panic.
Zhou Xian couldn't help biting his lower lip from being rubbed. He tried to pull the restless hand away, but it was no use, so he had to give up. He quietly opened one eye and caught a glimpse of Zhang Jinwei, who had his eyes downcast, kissing him seriously and intently.
"...Aren't you going to the morning court tomorrow?" Zhou Xian took the opportunity to ask while the person turned around to kiss his neck.
"Yes, what's wrong?"
"Nothing..." Zhou Xian stammered. He thought that this person had to get up early tomorrow, so forget about tonight. What if he couldn't get up for the morning court after tossing and turning until midnight?
It’s none of his business if he can’t get up!
It’s your own fault!
In a few words, the clothes were almost undressed. Zhang Jinwei's movements were gentle and soft. He was gentle most of the time. Even if he did something excessive, it was never rough, but more of a coaxing.
He turned Zhou Xian over, and he couldn't help but shudder when the soft flesh of her inner thigh touched something familiar. They had been on a busy journey a few days ago, and now they had to settle down in Beijing. They hadn't been intimate for half a month, but tonight, they just went with the flow, their hearts pressed together, their bodies embracing.
The romance is boundless.
…
It rained on the morning of the second day, and as soon as the rain started, the weather became much colder.
After Zhou Xian woke up, he felt a little dizzy. After eating lunch, he didn't want to continue embroidering his Chao Yuan Tu, so he had to lie on the beauty couch and watch the raindrops falling from the eaves.
Now that Wang Xiang was gone, he was further away from the court, unable to get to know many things immediately. Whenever he saw the rain, he thought of the autumn floods on the Yellow River and couldn't help but worry about Zhou Heng's situation.
By the afternoon, the rain not only did not stop, but it got heavier and the weather was getting colder. Zhou Xian called the servants and asked them to send a cloak and a straw raincoat to Zhang Jinwei, hoping that he would not catch a cold on the way back.
I never thought that on such a rainy afternoon in autumn, an uninvited guest would come to my house.
"Chen Ge Lao's family? Is it Chen Yi? Why did he send someone here? I haven't met him very often."
Qianshan was also puzzled. She said, "I'm also confused. I thought she was in contact with the Prince Consort, but the man said he was only looking for the princess. He said that in April three years ago, the princess disguised herself and went to the residence of Lord Chen to watch a performance of 'Resurrection'. I'm wondering, when has our princess ever disguised herself to watch a play?"
Zhou Xian suddenly felt a little guilty.
So that's what it was.
Speaking of this, we have to bring up Monk Yu. At the time, Zhou Xian was obsessed with escaping, so under the guise of cultivating Buddhism, he and Baldy went out to play secretly. One time, it happened to be Chen Yi's first wife's birthday, and they had invited the best opera troupe, so he went to join in the fun.
I didn't expect that I would be recognized.
"What did that man say?" Zhou Xian's hair was disheveled at the moment, and it was inconvenient for her to meet people, so she simply asked Qianshan and the others to act as messengers.
Qianshan said, "That person said that in three days, Chen Ge Lao's grandson will be one month old, and they have invited the same troupe from three years ago to perform. They will also be performing 'Resurrection', and they have specially invited the princess to listen... Princess, please take a look..."
"I understand." Zhou Xian frowned. "Go tell him I'll think about it for another day and send someone to the elder's residence to give him a reply tomorrow."
"good."
Strange, what play did Chen Yi invite him to watch?
Zhou Xian slowly stood up and stood under the eaves, gazing at the gray sky in the distance. Unfortunately, it was so hazy that he couldn't see anything clearly.
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