Chapter 52: Private conversation between quarreling couples.
The court officials argued for three days about disaster relief, until Prince Rui 5, whose leg disease had temporarily healed, volunteered to help.
Zhou Heng left in a hurry, disguising himself with a Ministry of Revenue official and several Imperial Guards, and quietly journeyed to Southern Zhili. Zhou Xian didn't learn the news from Mu Guang until a day and a night later.
"He just left like that!" Zhou Xian leaned against the porch, twisting her fingers, a look of loss on her face. "Without even telling me..."
Mu Guang consoled her, "Princess, don't be sad. His Highness is traveling incognito this time, so it's best not to make a big fuss. Many people in the capital are watching, so he had no choice but to leave quietly."
"Is his leg okay?" Zhou Xian grabbed a handful of fish food from the side and threw it into the pond intermittently.
The koi in the pond had been eating well these days. Zhou Xian came to feed them whenever he could. When he was in a good mood, he'd sprinkle a handful of food; when he was in a bad mood, he'd sprinkle a handful of food again. The koi were all plump and full. One day, the cats and birds in their yard would be fat, and the fish would be close to starving!
"His Highness is walking without any problems. Don't worry, Princess. He has brought all the necessary medicine. He knows some medical skills and has someone to accompany him on the journey, so nothing will happen to him."
Zhou Xian was still unhappy. He thought for a moment and asked, "Master Mu, could you please take a letter to my sixth brother for me?"
"Of course." Mu Guang agreed.
"Okay, thank you for your help, Master Mu. I'll start writing it now. When I'm done, I'll send it to your residence."
Mu Guang clasped his fists towards him and turned to leave.
With his brother away, Zhou Xian wanted to complain but had nowhere to go. He paced by the pond for a long time. Finally, the maids couldn't stand it anymore and said that if the princess continued to feed the fish, they would be stuffed to death. Only then did he put down the fish food and go to the study.
The study was silent, with the occasional rustling of writing coming from within. Zhou Xian gently pushed the door open and poked his head out, only to see the man holding a pen, writing something. He felt annoyed by the sight of that guy, and after a moment's hesitation at the door, he pushed it open and entered.
Zhang Jinwei raised his head, a look of slight surprise on his face: "Xianxian?"
"I'm going to write a letter to Sixth Brother." Zhou Xian pointed to the door in a domineering manner, "You get out."
Zhang Jinwei put down his pen helplessly: "Why are you still angry?"
"Can't I be angry?" Zhou Xian swaggered to the table, his eyes drifting elsewhere, not wanting to even glance at the person in front of him. He felt that he had been very magnanimous, not sending this person to the west wing before going to bed that night, which was very considerate.
He glanced at the bamboo forest outside the window: "You are the one who didn't keep your word, and it's not my fault. Why can't I be angry?"
Zhang Jinwei sighed and changed the subject: "Xianxian wants to use the study, right?"
Zhou Xian said "hmm".
"Then come and sit down." Zhang Jinwei stood up and made room for her. "I was wondering if we should clear out a room specifically for Xianxian to use as a study."
Zhou Xian's words resonated deeply with him. He finally showed some mercy and glanced at Zhang Jinwei: "Do you mean what you said?"
"Of course this counts." Zhang Jinwei smiled.
"Then everything else may not count, right?" Zhou Xian said alertly.
"What?" Zhang Jinwei asked knowing the answer.
"You!" Zhou Xian's face flushed with anger. She reached out and pushed him out with all her strength. "You're going to piss me off to death! Get out! I don't want to talk to you!"
Unexpectedly, as soon as his hand touched the other person's sleeve, Zhang Jinwei grabbed his arm and pulled him into his arms.
Zhang Jinwei hugged him, sat back in the armchair, and whispered in his ear, "Don't be angry, okay?"
"Not good." Zhou Xian turned his head away, looking indignant.
It's not a big deal.
In the past few years, they had been living in the border areas, rarely together, and seeing each other was already a rare opportunity, let alone discussing other matters. Back then, a single night of love was worth a thousand gold, and Zhou Xian could still handle it. But once they returned to the capital, the two of them spent every day together, and many problems emerged at once.
The private affairs of the bedroom were not to be discussed with outsiders, and could only be slowly worked out between the couple. Zhou Xian was not a big fan of lust; he just wanted Zhang Jinwei to spend more time with him, but the other party seemed...
From the outside, he looks handsome and simple, but in fact, it is not the case.
It's like "a while" in the mouths of two people.
Zhou Xian was angry about this matter.
The "a while" he mentioned really meant just a short while; after a few moments, he would start to cry out for sleep. The "a while" Zhang Jinwei mentioned was so vague and elusive that it would take up most of the night, from head to toe, leaving no place untouched.
It was okay for one night.
How many days in a row?
He admitted that Zhang Jin was a man of his word in normal times, and told Zhou Shan everything openly, but when it came to bed, he suddenly changed his attitude and tried to coax her in every possible way, not letting her get tired enough to pass out.
The more Zhou Shan thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He struggled a few times, trying to break free from the man's arms, but Zhang Jinwei held him tighter and tighter, even lowering his head and kissing Zhou Shan on the lips.
"I'm sorry..." Zhang Jinwei sighed, "It's my fault. If you don't like it, we can take it slow next time, okay?"
Zhou Xian picked up the pen from the table and answered the question irrelevantly: "I want to write a letter. Can you help me grind the ink?"
He had regained his composure, only slightly frowning, his little face pale and shrouded in a faint sadness.
Zhang Jinwei had no choice but to let go and stood up to grind the ink.
Zhou Xian lowered his eyes, picked up his pen, and wrote fluently for several pages. At the end, he paused, suddenly looked up and said, "I want to complain to Sixth Brother."
"...Are you going to report me?" Zhang Jinwei asked with a smile.
Zhou Xian said seriously, "I'm going to tell him that you bullied me."
"good."
The two of them couldn't argue at all. Zhou Xian could get angry, but he could calm down with a little coaxing. Just go along with him, spend more time with him, and say some nice things, and he'd calm down on his own. As for Zhang Jinwei, he'd never lost his temper in the officialdom, and it was even more impossible for him to do so at home.
Zhou Xian said he was going to file a complaint, but in reality, he hadn't written anything into the letter. However, he issued a final ultimatum to Zhang Jinwei: "If you do it again... you will sleep in the west wing from now on!"
The West Wing failed to open for the following month.
Zhang Jinwei had his study redesigned, connecting it to the room behind it and separating it with a screen, turning his study, which he used alone, into one he and his wife shared. He had originally wanted to extend the table so his wife could sit with him, but Zhou Xian protested strongly, and the plan was abandoned.
With the Wanshou Festival fast approaching, Zhou Xian and Yu Xi hurried along, finally completing the "Chao Yuan Tu." A total of 286 immortals were arranged in sequence on the brocade, each one vivid and lifelike, their expressions vividly visible.
"Our princess is so thoughtful, the Emperor will definitely be very happy!" Qianshan said with a smile.
Zhou Xian was untying a scroll from the embroidery frame when she heard this. She smiled and said, "Whether I like it or not is not up to me to decide. As for birthday gifts, it depends on my brothers. I don't know what they have prepared this year."
"Master is back." Yu Xi bowed to the person outside the door.
Zhou Xian also looked in the direction of the voice and saw Zhang Jinwei, still in his official robes. He stepped into the room, took one look at the embroidery in his hands, and praised it, "It's truly exquisite."
"Am I very powerful?" Zhou Xian was quite complacent.
"Yes, Tiansun Yunjin is no more than that." Zhang Jinwei walked up to him, held up his hand, untied the bandages, revealing the fingers underneath.
No matter how skilled an embroiderer is, she cannot guarantee that she will not be pricked by the needle. When Zhou Xian was in the palace, she figured out a way to avoid getting hurt easily, but she was a little rusty at it, and there were many blood spots on her fingers.
"I've applied medicine." Zhou Shan said in a low voice.
The girls put down what they were holding and quietly walked out the door.
"Oh, you should look at my hand every day when you come back. It's just like a bug bite, it doesn't hurt much." Zhou Shan tried to pull his hand back.
Zhang Jinwei lowered his head and kissed his hand before turning and walking into the inner room to change out of his official robes.
"By the way, did Mu Guang tell you any news about Sixth Brother?" Zhou Xian followed him into the house, and the two of them stood in front of the bronze mirror.
"He said he would come back before the Wanshou Festival."
Zhou Xian untied the jade pendant from the man's waist and placed it in a box beside him. He frowned and said worriedly, "Sixth Brother has been gone for over a month. I'm afraid he's run into trouble."
"Don't worry, Xianxian. The disaster relief work is going on in an orderly manner. The victims in the lower reaches of the Yellow River have been well settled. It's just that..." Zhang Jinwei took off his blue official robe and put on a stone-blue robe.
"Just what?" Zhou Xian asked hurriedly.
Zhang Jinwei pondered for a moment and said, "Several high-ranking officials in Nanzhili seem to support Prince Jing. Someone in the court has impeached Prince Jing for forming a clique for personal gain. This will probably drag on for quite some time."
After Zhang Jinwei changed his clothes, he realized Zhou Shan was also wearing a dark blue dress. He remembered that when Zhou Shan first married, she always loved wearing brightly colored dresses, aquamarine, tender green... wherever she stood, it was a vibrant spring scene. But now, like other noble ladies in the capital, she had gradually changed into more solemn colors and styles.
"Why did my aunt get you clothes of this color?" Zhou Xian also noticed it and smiled.
Zhang Jinwei raised his hand and gently touched his wife's cheek.
…
"The Emperor is not feeling well, and he has issued an edict that everything should be kept simple for this year's birthday celebration. Your Highnesses, please hand over the birthday gifts you have prepared to me, and I will take them to the Emperor for his review." Liu Renfu stood in front of the hall, smiling slyly.
Zhou Xian thought that after sending birthday gifts and having a family dinner, the matter would be over. However, Emperor Yongchang did not show up at the dinner. Everyone at the table was filled with doubts, but due to the pressure from Empress Guo and Prince Jing and his mother, no one dared to question them.
I didn't see Zhou Heng either.
He became increasingly uneasy and kept twisting his handkerchief until Zhang Jinwei held his hand, and he felt a little better.
"It's so weird." Zhou Xian whispered.
Zhang Jinwei was about to comfort them when Liu Renfu in front of the hall suddenly turned his gaze and looked at the two of them.
At this time, a eunuch hurried out from the hall and whispered something in Liu Renfu's ear. The fat eunuch, who looked like a mountain of flesh, immediately changed his expression.
"Princess Jiayi." Liu Renfu nodded towards Zhou Xian, an inexplicable smile on his face. "Your Majesty invites you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
