82 Kiss
◎ Yuan Le in his arms did not reject his transgression at all.◎
The day was long and quiet, and the door of the side hall was closed behind him.
Gu Ningxi's impression of Ruihe Palace still remains from when she entered the palace to play as a child.
They often sit together at the table in the main room, playing chess, painting, playing backgammon, or solving Luban locks, always finding interesting pastimes.
But at this moment, she wore a brocade skirt in front of him for the first time and was held in his arms.
The gorgeous skirt was spread out, and the two of them were very close, with a faint fragrance lingering between them.
Lu Jing recalled the time when Yuan Le fell into his arms in a carriage.
It turned out that it was not his illusion.
"Um?"
Seeing that he was not sure what he was thinking, Gu Ningxi's eyes were filled with confusion and curiosity, and when she lowered her eyes, her face unconsciously moved closer to him.
The peony on her forehead was in full bloom, and her bright red lips were three times more beautiful than the flower.
There were only the two of them in such a huge palace. Lu Jingqing couldn't help but lean over and kiss her on the lips.
At first it was a light and restrained kiss, but soon he felt that Yuan Le in his arms did not reject his crossing the line at all.
This discovery brought an indescribable joy to his heart, making him crave more.
As if he had learned it by himself, Lu Jing grasped the waist of the person in his arms and lifted her up to face him.
As their eyes met, he leaned in and kissed her again. His palm clasped the back of his beloved's neck, with a passion that brooked no refusal.
The delicate golden tassels on Gu Ningxi's temples rustled, her pearly teeth were pried open, and her hands unconsciously clenched his robe.
The gold and silver thread embroidery on the black dragon-patterned uniform is exquisitely crafted, with distinct layers of detail when touched by fingertips.
Their breaths intertwined, their lips and teeth intertwined, the seven-treasure necklace around their necks was askew, and the hanging glass beads made a soft sound.
Outside the window, a tree in bloom swayed. After a long while, the scorching heat in the hall dissipated somewhat, but the ambiguous atmosphere remained.
Lu Jing still held her, watching her breathe softly and calmly, a smile in his eyes. He saw Yuan Le with her eyes downcast, her hands still clutching his shirt, and thought she was just shy.
Gu Ningxi said softly, "Put me down."
She felt much calmer in her heart. After all, there were countless situations in her dreams that were even more extreme than this one.
But the intimacy of being alone together just now still made her feel happy.
Lu Jing was reluctant to let go, but Gu Ningxi pushed him and asked, "What's the political matter today?"
She had to change her clothes. She couldn't go to the imperial study dressed like this.
There was red behind her ears, her lips were moist, and her jade-like face was tinged with a layer of pink. Lu Jing really loved her like this.
He carried her to the dressing table and kissed her on the lips. Then he went to the outer room to summon Sun Jing and ordered him to move all the memorials from the imperial study to the Ruihe Hall for processing.
This way, Gu Ningxi would be spared the trouble of changing clothes.
"How?" he asked with a smile.
Gu Ningxi looked at herself in the bronze mirror and took off a crooked hairpin.
The makeup is still visible, but the lip balm is gone.
She was curious and wanted to ask him what lip balm tasted like.
She rarely applied it, so she let him eat it all.
All memorials were sent to the main hall, and it was not until the middle of the Si hour that Lu Jingfang began to handle government affairs.
He had a new set of desks and cases added to the hall, specifically for Gu Ningxi's use, and placed them closer to him.
The memorials submitted by the six ministries today have been reviewed and classified by the on-duty Secretariat, and ranked according to importance and urgency for Your Majesty to review.
Gu Ningxi calmed down. While the emperor was reviewing memorials, she first looked at the structure of the memorials and learned some of the techniques involved.
From time to time, she would pick out a few memorials that interested her and read the imperial comments on them.
The two of them had nothing to do, and Gu Ningxi was concentrating and enjoying himself.
Although there have been some tricky government affairs recently, Lu Jing is in a really good mood and doesn't think they are troublesome at all.
Outside the palace, Nanny Sun smiled and asked Sun Jing, who had a moment's leisure: "That girl is truly a true beauty. I wonder which family she is from?"
Judging from her graceful and calm demeanor and her good manners, she must be a noble lady from a prominent family.
Sun Jing laughed and said, "Isn't it? Your Majesty has guarded it for over ten years, fearing that someone else would snatch it away."
Nanny Sun smiled and said, "It seems that a happy event is coming soon in the palace."
That day, Gu Ningxi had lunch and dinner in Ruihe Hall. Because she was concerned about her hair style, she did not take a nap.
It was not until dusk that Lu Jing sent the person back.
As the carriage drove out of the palace, Sun Jing looked again and again. It was not enough for His Majesty to send Lord Gu to the gate of the mansion, he almost sent him to Xuan Gui.
He smiled and shook his head, then told the driver to wait a moment longer.
As the sky gradually darkened, Lu Jing boarded the carriage back to the palace alone. Then he remembered something and ordered people to find all the tribute satin in the warehouse.
Ever since the retired emperor and his concubines moved to Renzhi Palace, the embroidery room, which had been idle for several months, finally received the long-awaited attention of His Majesty.
…
The summer heat seems to have come especially early this year. It's only May, but it's already making people feel restless.
All the approved memorials were returned at 3:00 PM. Lu Jing fiddled with his little wooden sculpture and replaced the sword in its hand with a small bow.
Yuan Le has been on duty at the Ministry of Works these days and is unable to spare time. He only saw her from afar at the court meeting yesterday.
Lu Jing couldn't quit Yuan Le's job at the Ministry of Works, even though he couldn't see him all the time. He stared at the lonely little wooden sculpture, pondered for a moment, plucked the bowstring, and suddenly laughed.
The inner court began to prepare on the second day, and an imperial decree was issued from the palace that the emperor would stay in Cuiwei Palace for two months.
Cuiwei Palace was specially used by the emperor to escape the summer heat, and was only forty or fifty miles away from the imperial palace.
The Ruihe Hall was originally going to be renovated, so this would give the Ministry of Works more room to maneuver.
There were not many officials accompanying the imperial carriage to the Cuiwei Palace. Gu Ningxi had just been promoted to the position of Zhongshu Sheren, and happened to be on the list of accompanying officials.
In Leyou Courtyard, Mrs. Meng saw that her daughter's luggage had been packed.
Summer clothes are light, but since we were away for a long time, there was quite a lot to pack.
Madam Meng was aware of the busy lives of the so-called close ministers of the emperor. "Other secretaries have families and are not suitable for long journeys. But since you are not married yet, the court should send you first."
"Mother can't bear to leave me?" Gu Ningxi smiled and blinked.
Mrs. Meng pinched her cheeks, seeing that she seemed to be looking forward to this long journey. "Never mind, this trip is fine."
The weather was hot this year, and Xi'er was used to being afraid of the heat. Cuiwei Palace was the royal summer retreat, so it would be great for Xi'er to be able to go to a more comfortable place to do her work.
"Will you come back halfway?" Mrs. Meng asked.
Gu Ningxi nodded: "May 27th is His Majesty's birthday. The palace will host a banquet for all the ministers, so naturally I have to return to the capital."
Madam Meng noted the date and began to patiently instruct, "Cuiwei Palace is built in the mountains, so the summer breeze is cool. You may need to put on more clothes at night. Remember to use less ice in the duty room. Also, don't eat too many iced drinks or iced fruits. For a girl, eating too much cold food is harmful to your health..."
Gu Ningxi agreed obediently, and the words passed through her left ear and flew out of her right ear.
There are fixed regulations for the supply of ice to officials. Madam Meng thought that since they were already in the palace, there was no need to worry about Xier sneaking out to the street to buy the iced drink.
She felt relieved and put the newly sewn bras into the bottom of the box.
Change clothes frequently in summer, so bring more with you just in case.
"About when are we going to leave?"
"The second day of the fifth day." Gu Ningxi replied.
In order to make her journey more convenient, she packed her bags and moved back to the small courtyard in Xingningfang on the night of May 1st.
…
At dawn the next day, a carriage was waiting outside the courtyard to take Gu Ningxi into the palace.
The emperor's carriage went ahead without much ceremony, but the imperial guards led the way, and the majesty of the royal family could not be offended.
This was Gu Ningxi's first visit to Cuiwei Palace. This imperial palace had been built when the retired emperor first established himself as the Prince of Jin during his hunting trips in the Gangu region. He felt that the area, surrounded by mountains and water, was a place where the winds and energy gathered, a sign of good fortune.
So he ordered people to survey the feng shui, and built Cuiwei Palace at the top of Taihe Valley, with its back against Cuiping Mountain. Later, it was expanded again. Gu Ningxi heard that Cuiwei Palace's pavilions and terraces stretched for miles, which was a magnificent sight.
Lu Jing got up very early and everything in the palace was ready.
"Let's go."
He waited for the person and took Gu Ningxi into his carriage.
The palace gates were opened heavily, and it would take about half a day to get from the imperial city to Cuiwei Palace in the west.
Apart from the day he passed the imperial examination, this was the second time that Gu Ningxi left from the Danfeng main gate.
She looked at the gilded plaque on the towering city gate under the clear sky, and felt inexplicably intimate and familiar.
When she looked away, Lu Jing closed the carriage window.
The noise outside was completely blocked out, and Gu Ningxi looked at the people around him.
It was clearly a spacious six-horse carriage, and she had no idea why the two of them were sitting next to each other.
Lu Jing took advantage of the situation and took the person into his arms.
"What have you been busy with these days?"
Gu Ningxi had gradually taken over the tasks assigned to her, and the six secretaries had their own responsibilities. She was about to leave the capital for a while, and her duties at the Ministry of Works also needed to be handed over.
She explained everything to him one by one, and it was obvious that he was busier than herself and didn't have enough time to meet her.
Besides, this time when she went to Cuiwei Palace, she was also tasked with renovating the palace gardens, so she had to make more preparations.
Seeing that he was dissatisfied, Gu Ningxi raised her face and kissed him, blocking Lu Jing from saying anything else.
…
No one knew what was happening inside the carriage. When the emperor drove out of the city gate and onto the official road, both sides became quiet.
The carriage was spacious. Gu Ningxi hadn't slept much in recent days, so she yawned. She rested her head next to Lu Jing and fell asleep peacefully.
She had already made up her mind that since the crime of deceiving the emperor had been resolved, she could stay in Kyoto without any worries of being transferred out of town.
Then, can she compete for the position of the crown prince of the Marquis' Mansion?
If that idiot Gu Ningzheng can do it, why can't she?
She is the "eldest son" of the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion.
Anyway, as long as His Majesty doesn't mind, her family will never reveal her identity.
After all, Gu Ningzheng is useless except for being the eldest son of the family.
He was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and no matter how many famous teachers he hired, it was of no use. All the money was spent on him.
Even so, his family still treats him like a treasure, hoping that he will achieve great success later in life.
Gu Ningxi shared the same sentiments as her elder sister and had no hope in him. With the Marquis's mansion down, if she rose high enough in the court, there would always be a chance.
But the world is so unfair that women often have to do everything perfectly just to have a chance to be on par with men.
Just like Miss Luo from the Nan'an Marquis's mansion, she was clearly the manor's biological daughter and had inherited the Marquis's true teachings. However, because of her status as a girl, she could not legitimately inherit the family business and had to give it to her cousin.
Gu Ningxi slowly fell asleep. Even though the road ahead would be difficult, she still had some expectations for the future.
The imperial carriage became increasingly quiet, and Lu Jing took a thin blanket from the cabinet and covered her with it.
He lowered his eyes to look at her sleeping face, and occasionally placed a kiss on her fair cheek.
…
The sun shifted, the road was lined with green trees, and the wind was filled with green.
When Gu Ningxi woke up, he had already reached the foot of Cuiping Mountain. The emperor's carriage entered from the north gate, rolled through the smooth alley, and finally stopped at the dividing line between the imperial palace and the sleeping palace.
Lu Jing got off the carriage first and naturally went to hold Gu Ningxi's hand.
This was outside, and Gu Ningxi subconsciously looked around.
"No problem."
Lu Jing smiled, picked up her knees and held her horizontally in his arms.
The entire palace is his territory, so there is no need to worry about any rumors spreading.
After all, if you don’t even have the ability to control your subordinates, what kind of monarch are you?
Lu Jing steadily carried the person in his arms as he walked towards the palace. Sun Jing signaled for the attendants to follow from a distance. Gu Ningxi put her arm around the back of his neck, slowly becoming more comfortable, even somewhat familiar with it.
She thought of the scene in her own mansion and thought that she could learn from him how to control people.
"What are you planning?"
“Just remembering the way.”
Lu Jing smiled and carried her across the threshold: "Then I'll take you to see the bedroom."
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