Chapter 31 Chapter 31 What is Your Highness hiding from?
The rain intensified, engulfing the distant mountains and forests in a vast mist. Before the afternoon, the sky was already as dark as ink. Suddenly, several loud thunderclaps were heard, and several ferocious flashes of lightning flashed, momentarily illuminating the sycamore trees below the corridor before returning to darkness in an instant.
Judging from the current momentum, the rain will probably continue for more than seven days.
Jiangzhu quickly closed the window.
Ji Lian leaned against a mica screen, chin resting on one hand, flipping through a collection of poems. The candlelight cast his figure, dressed in calamus purple, against the screen, like a hazy ink painting.
Jiangzhu poured a cup of tea and handed it to Ji Lian.
Ji Lian lowered his eyes, his gaze glued to the flowery note clipped between the pages of the book. The word "Your Highness" seemed to have a hook, catching his gaze and he couldn't move it away for a long time.
Last night she called him "Lian Lang," and today she called him "Your Highness," and even now she hasn't returned to this room to meet him. What did Xie Tingyu want to tell him?
Ji Lian bit her lower lip and happened to see the sentence "When a woman is infatuated, it can still be explained. When a man is infatuated, it cannot be explained." Her fingers trembled and she tore a corner of the page.
So what was last night? Was it because he had a parasite attack and she, Xie Tingyu, personally treated him, right?
Ji Lian stood up and held the flowered paper close to the candlelight. The flames licked the corner of the paper, and he let it fall, watching it curl up on the ground, charred, and finally reduced to a pile of ash.
A respectful voice came from outside the door, "Master Lian, our young master has instructed that it's raining heavily right now. Forcing your way back to the temple might result in falling rocks and landslides." The guard paused, "You may freely use the rooms and study in the manor. The young master has instructed you to treat it as your own home."
"Thank you." Ji Lian said lightly.
Cen Xiu was about to leave when she heard a voice from the other side of the screen asking, "Where is Xie Tingyu now?"
"My lord, the young master is with Madam Cui." Cen Xiu bowed and replied, "The young master specifically instructed that you do not have to wait for her for dinner."
When Ji Lian heard this, he felt a sudden pang of anxiety. Who wants to wait? Who wants to wait? Who is willing to wait? He hadn't seen her at lunch today. He didn't really want to eat with her.
After he got up, he did not see Xie Tingyu from the hour of Mao to the hour of Chen, then to the hour of Si, and even to the hour of Wu.
Besides, which lady from the Cui family? In Jiankang City, only the Qinghe Cui family can talk to the Chenjun Xie family, so it must be Cui Yuanying?
Thinking of Cui Yuanying's reputation in the city for being a prostitute, a drunkard, and a total idiot, Ji Lian frowned. Why would Xie Tingyu hang out with someone like that? Wasn't he afraid...wasn't he afraid of being led astray?
Ji Lian paced back and forth in the room, listening to the sound of rain outside the window, every drop seemed to hit his heart.
Jiangzhu looked at Ji Lian's expression and said tentatively, "If Your Highness wants to go find Master Xie, why don't you..."
"I'm not." Ji Lian leaned against the table, lowered his head and smoothed the front of his clothes, then rolled up his sleeves. "I just felt a little stuffy. Maybe I ate too much at lunch, so I took a few steps to help digest it."
At noon, I drank a few mouthfuls of porridge and stopped eating. Your Highness, are you really full? Jiangzhu thought to herself.
"I'm going to go outside and take a look around the farm." Ji Lian turned and walked out. "You can go to the small kitchen and see what we have for dinner. You don't have to follow me."
Jiangzhu looked at the strong wind and heavy rain outside, and wanted to say something but swallowed it back.
Ji Lian, wearing a veil on her head, had just turned a few corridors when she ran into Cui Yuanying.
Because of the heavy rain, Cui Yuanying was unable to practice archery and was strolling around to kill time. He saw a slender figure from afar.
"Look, my lady!" the attendant behind her whispered, "It's the young man from last night."
As the two sides drew closer, Cui Yuanying became increasingly convinced that this young man was something special. His back was as straight as a pine tree, and his robes fluttered with grace as he walked. How could he possibly look like a frivolous male concubine? He looked like the perfect match for a noblewoman's husband!
Unfortunately, she was wearing a veil, so her face wasn't clearly visible. Under normal circumstances, Cui Yuanying would have approached her and flirted, but unfortunately, she was Xie Tingyu's woman. As the saying goes, sisters are like siblings, and men are like clothes. Ruining a relationship for a boy isn't worth it.
However, we can go with the flow.
Cui Yuanying stopped and saluted, "Sir, where are you going?"
Ji Lian didn't even give him a glance, exuding a cold and unapproachable aura as he walked straight forward.
Cui Yuanying's face froze, and she rubbed her hands awkwardly, consoling herself by saying, "This must be a young man's self-cultivation. He shouldn't talk to women other than Xie Tingyu." She shouted at Ji Lian's back, "Sir, if you're looking for Xie Er, you'll see she went to the study!"
Ji Lian paused, then stopped a passing servant. After asking where the study was, he walked straight there, and his originally sluggish steps unconsciously became lighter.
According to the rules, the master's study was not allowed to be entered by outsiders. But Xie Tingyu had already given instructions, and the people guarding the study silently made way when they saw a young man wearing a veil approaching.
After they entered, they did not dare to talk to each other, because Xie Tingyu had already made it known: Anyone who dares to talk about this young master in the manor will be beaten with thirty sticks without mercy.
Ji Lian lifted the bamboo curtain, and the study was empty, with only the open window flapping in the strong wind.
Slanting rain poured into the room, soaking large areas of the soft couch beneath the window. Water droplets trickled down the corners of the small table. A gust of wind lifted the open book on the couch, and the pages rustled.
Ji Lian closed the window, picked up the book casually, and planned to put it on the bookshelf at the back.
He flipped through the pages as he walked, and found that there was no words on the cover. Confused, he turned back to the first page without intending to, and stopped abruptly.
The page read, "Pink, tender, hairless, medium-length, thick, and slightly curved are the best. Dark, hairy, thin, and short are the worst."
Flipping through the pages, you'll see vivid illustrations. One depicts a woman sitting on a lotus, accompanied by a poem: "The fragrance of the bridal chamber blends with the dusky flowers, the moon turns around the railing, and the crows cry. Tonight, I'll keep you drunk with wine; I don't believe a prostitute is better than a gentleman."
The painting is so delicate and bold that even the emotions of interaction are depicted with every stroke. It is no exaggeration to praise the artist as a master painter.
The following pages are even more exciting, with various scenes, such as on the desk in the study, behind the rockery, and in the garden pavilion...
In short, it should be a fine and unique copy.
This is exactly one of the boxes of secret play picture albums that Cui Yuanying gave to Xie Tingyu.
Ji Lian felt dizzy and his vision went black. His chest heaved violently, and he couldn't tell whether it was shame or anger. He slammed the book shut and threw it to the ground, revealing the bold handwriting on the last page: "Collection of Cui Yuanying."
Ji Lian stomped hard on the three words "Cui Yuanying" with an expressionless face. Suddenly, she heard a man's soft voice coming from outside the door: "Madam, Xu Qing personally made a bowl of snow pear soup for you. Would you like to try it?"
When he came to his senses, Ji Lian had already grabbed the secret play picture and had somehow hidden in the gap between the bookshelf and the wall. This corner was dark and cramped, but it was a perfect place to hide.
He couldn't explain why he was hiding—he had clearly done nothing wrong, but this Xu Qing… who was Xu Qing? He shoved the album into the bookshelf and peeked through the crack. He saw a man in a bamboo-green robe, holding a lacquered wooden food box, following Xie Tingyu closely.
Xu Qing was one of the five beauties sent by Yuan Wangshu. She had skin as white as snow, eyebrows and eyes as picturesque as a painting, and, as her name suggested, exuded the elegance of a bamboo. Since arriving at the manor, she had been assigned by the housekeeper to do light chores in the backyard, such as watering flowers and sweeping leaves.
Xie Tingyu had just finished archery practice and a bath, and had changed into a wide-sleeved, sky-blue dress. The collar was slightly turned up, and a jade-white palace sash cinched her waist. Her half-wet black hair was casually tied into a loose bun, and she exuded a clean, refreshing aura.
She spread out her skirt and leaned lazily against the wet floor of the soft couch, resting her elbows on the small table and supporting her chin with the back of her hands.
Xu Qing picked up the celadon bowl and said, "Madam, try it." He leaned over, scooped a spoonful with a spoon, and considerately handed it to Xie Tingyu's mouth.
Xie Tingyu was so perceptive that she could sense the scorching gaze in the dark without even turning around, as if it was burning a hole through the back of her head and the silver spoon. She could almost imagine the man gnashing his teeth and saying, "Don't you have hands? Do you want me to feed you directly with my mouth?"
...It’s not impossible to feed it by mouth.
Xu Qing looked at Xie Tingyu's indifference and asked speculatively, "Why don't you open your mouth?"
Xie Tingyu's expression was pleasant. "Feed me with your mouth." She placed her hand on the back of Xu Qing's hand. "I've never enjoyed such service from a beautiful woman before."
Xu Qing's heart was pounding, and two blushes appeared on his cheeks. He took a mouthful of snow pear soup and leaned in expectantly, his mind wandering, "I've been in the manor for five or six days now, and now I finally have a chance to be alone with her. If I don't get on the bed now, when will I?"
He got closer and closer, still thinking: "Madam Yuan asked us to serve her well. If we can find out some of the Xie family's secrets..."
His foot slipped on the wet edge of the couch and he fell forward. Xu Qing fell hard on Xie Tingyu, his chin hitting her shoulder, choking on the soup, and hitting the pear soup on the table with his hand.
There was a large wet spot on the sleeve of his shirt.
"My wife..." Xu Qing's eyes were filled with grievance, "My clothes are wet."
"Why are you so careless?" Xie Tingyu asked.
Xu Qing slowly opened the collar of her clothes with the tips of her fingertips, leaned forward slightly, and revealed her seductive collarbone, "Madam, Qing's clothes are wet, it will be inappropriate to put them on again."
The more she didn't want to see, the more she was drawn to it. Ji Lian's eyes were like knives as she stared at Xu Qing as she took off her long shirt. She was only wearing a green gauze dress underneath. Every part of her was clearly visible.
Ji Lian placed her hands on the bookshelf, her knuckles tightened, and she watched the scene on the couch with cold eyes.
Women are all pigs.
A very hidden groaning sound came from the bookshelf, as if someone kicked something hard.
Xu Qing stopped leaning forward. Outside the window, there was a storm and the candlelight in the study was dim, so he couldn't tell the source of the sound.
"My wife..." Xu Qing leaned over.
"It's so windy outside, you'd better put on some clothes." Xie Tingyu pushed him away and walked straight towards the bookshelf.
Xu Qing was shocked, his lips trembling: "No, why did you leave? You've seen everything, and you can still resist? No...you...?"
Ji Lian was inwardly annoyed at how he hadn't noticed the box at his feet. The sound of approaching footsteps made his breath catch. He turned and fled inside. He circled several shelves, the faint footsteps following closely. At a corner, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.
Her back suddenly hit the cold wall, and Ji Lian's heart was pounding. The moment the veil was removed, Xie Tingyu's scent hit her face.
"What are you hiding from, Your Highness?"
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