Chapter 28 The Flower Letter is Boring, Extremely Boring
The days in the Lin Mansion passed by like flowing water. There was nothing worth her attention, and no conspiracy or calculation that required her to think. Shen Zhiwei was happy with it.
Months passed, and the black cat had made this place its home. During the day, it would curl up at her feet and doze, its belly rising and falling with each breath. At night, it would slip away to who knows where. At dawn, it would return to her bed, covered in the cool dew, and rub its damp nose against her wrist.
It is now very picky about food. If the fish sashimi sent from the kitchen is not fresh enough or is a little overcooked, it will just sniff it, turn its head away in disgust, and wag its tail.
Shen Zhiwei found it funny and sometimes deliberately pushed food that was not to its liking in front of it, watching it twist its body and sulk with its butt facing her.
She was so idle until the afternoon of that day, when she heard footsteps outside the yard, which were different from those of ordinary servants. With a bit of willful sound, they came straight towards her small building.
The black cat first raised its head, its ears turned alertly, then it stood up, stretched, jumped off the couch, strolled to the door, squatted down, and stared at the door with the tip of its tail gently wagging.
Shen Zhiwei put down the book and looked up.
The door creaked open, and the first thing that came in was a folding fan, its ribs glistening and its surface flowing elegantly. Then, a young man in a crimson brocade robe sidled in, his hair tied with a golden crown and a jade belt around his waist. His features were almost flamboyantly beautiful, and the corners of his lips were naturally raised, a hint of a smile on his face before he spoke.
If it’s not Xie Mingxu, then who else could it be?
He swept his eyes across the room, passing by Shen Zhiwei, who was wearing plain clothes and had black hair, standing by the window, and then glanced at the black cat squatting by the door, staring at him hungrily, and then his smile deepened.
"Hey, where did this fairy come from? She's hiding in this quiet place, enjoying herself all by herself. It's so hard for me to find her."
Master Xie had the same clear voice and was very familiar as she remembered, but looking at his overly gorgeous face, he surprisingly did not look frivolous.
Shen Zhiwei looked at him, but didn't stand up. He just closed the book on his knees and put it on the small table beside him.
"Thank you, Prince," she smiled, "What brings you here?"
Xie Mingxu seemed not to notice the indifference in her words. He walked in on his own, gently waving his folding fan, and sat down on the embroidered cushion opposite Shen Zhiwei very naturally, without any awkwardness.
"Of course I'm thinking of you, Feng." The corners of his eyes quirked slightly upwards, revealing a natural charm. "A few days ago, I was forced by those old-fashioned people in the Ministry of War to sort out military newspapers and pamphlets. I was so bored that I started growing mushrooms. I finally got some free time, and when I heard you were here, I came to see you."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on her face, his eyes moving: "I said Shen Zhiwei, I haven't seen you for a few months, why do you seem like... a different person?"
The prince asked this casually, but Shen Zhiwei couldn't take it as a casual question.
She picked up the teacup and took a sip. The water was just the right temperature.
"People always change," Miss Shen said, her throat rolling. She put down her teacup and glanced at him, "Could it be that Prince Xie still expects me to always be the timid and cowardly little girl who follows you and His Highness around?"
Xie Mingxu paused fanning himself, then laughed. "What are you talking about? There wasn't anything wrong with the way things were before." He pointed his folding fan at the book he had just put down on her lap. "Now you're actually practicing. What are you reading? Strange Stories of Mountains and Rivers? Didn't you used to find those boring and only enjoy reading stories about talented scholars and beautiful women?"
"I'm just browsing the book since I'm free," Shen Zhiwei said casually, not wanting to pretend. "But my Lord, have you finished your work at the Ministry of War? You actually have the time to care what book I read."
"There's no reason to finish all the work. This is just a chance to steal a little time off," Xie Mingxu said, leaning closer. He lowered his voice, his tone sweet and drawn out. "Prince brother is the same. He's becoming more and more ruthless when ordering people around. He wants to use me like a mule with three heads and six arms."
He complained with genuine emotion, his brows drooping, revealing a hint of grievance. If it came to acting, there was probably no one in Beijing who could match him.
Shen Zhiwei looked at him with some amusement at his pretense. No matter when and where, His Royal Highness could always act like "I'm so pitiful, please feel sorry for me" naturally.
"Those who are capable should do more work." She slowly poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of him. "It's a good thing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince relies on you."
Xie Mingxu glanced at the cup of tea but didn't rush to drink it. He just nodded at her with his fan. "You talk so much these days, like those old pedants. It's really boring." He tilted his head slightly and asked, "Did you go to the palace banquet a few days ago? Did you see that person?"
Although he didn't say it explicitly, he was naturally referring to Xiao Wangqing.
"I took a few glances from a distance." Shen Zhiwei said.
"How do you feel?" Xie Mingxu raised an eyebrow and asked excitedly, "Is he gloomy, as if everyone owes him eight hundred taels of silver? In that bitter cold place of the Northern Frontier, I'm afraid even a little bit of vitality has been worn away."
Shen Zhiwei thought of the young man's solitary figure in the hall and his stunning pitching pot skills, and said lightly: "He seems okay, he talks less, but he doesn't seem to be completely ignorant of the ways of the world."
Xie Mingxu seemed to have heard something amusing. He covered his lips with his fan, his shoulders shaking with laughter. "Oh, our Zhiwei has become quite sharp-tongued now. But I heard that after the banquet, a few foolish people tried to get close to him, but they were so frightened by his gaze that they retreated from three steps away."
He shook his head as he spoke, and rubbed his chest as if he was still frightened.
Shen Zhiwei stroked the slightly cool wall of the teacup with her fingertips and smiled faintly upon hearing this: "You sycophantic people, it's good that the cold has subsided so you don't have to make so much noise."
"That's quite reasonable," Xie Shizi closed his folding fan and clapped his hands lightly. "Those fence-sitters only sway when the wind blows. They're so boring. Our Zhiwei is the more interesting one. After not seeing her for a few days, she's already speaking with a hook."
Shen Zhiwei thought about it, and simply followed his words, sighing half-seriously and half-jokingly: "As a person, you must always learn to make yourself live more comfortably."
"Comfortable?" Xie Mingxu raised his eyebrows and glanced around her simple yet relaxing little building.
"I think you're enjoying a peaceful life now. This place is nice and quiet, much better than the smoky and foul places outside. But..."
He paused and pointed around with his folding fan: "It's a little less popular, but it's a blessing that you can endure the loneliness." As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and looked around.
"Huh? Where's your pitch-black little ancestor? He was squatting at the door staring at me just now. How come he disappeared in the blink of an eye?"
After he reminded her, Shen Zhiwei realized that the black cat, which had been squatting by the door and wagging its tail, had slipped away. She felt strange. Although the cat was elusive, it rarely disappeared without a sound when outsiders like Xie Mingxu were present.
"Maybe it thinks you talk too much and bother its ears." She said teasingly with a calm expression.
Xie Mingxu was so choked by this that he forgot to fan himself. His eyes widened, and he rubbed his chest, pretending to be hurt. "Chen Zhiwei, oh Shen Zhiwei, you're really being unforgiving now. I came all the way here to see you, and I haven't even had a sip of water, but you, a heartless little fellow, are already making fun of me."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince complained, but his eyes were sparkling. It was obvious that he found her sharp-tongued nature amusing.
Shen Zhiwei felt a chill and leaned back slightly.
Then, the prince picked up the jade pot on the small table with a familiar manner, poured himself a cup of tea, tilted his head back and drank it, then curled his lips in disdain: "It's too bland, don't you have any good wine here?"
"Where can we get wine in such a quiet place?" She thought it was funny and didn't even bother to raise her eyelids. "If you want some, Prince, just go out and turn left. There are plenty of restaurants."
"Boring, utterly boring," Xie Mingxu sighed exaggeratedly, fanning himself loudly. "Before, when I came to your place, I could at least coax half a pot of osmanthus wine out of you. Now, you've just gone into seclusion. I say, are you really planning to spend the rest of your life in this little courtyard, staring at a black cat?"
"Why not?" Shen Zhiwei's ears were buzzing with his noise, and she reluctantly poured him more tea. "It's quiet, comfortable, and no one is making noise. Have another cup to calm down."
Xie Mingxu pursed his lips tightly and stared at her for a long moment before speaking, "Seriously, Zhiwei, have you...never thought about the future? You can't live under someone else's roof your whole life, at the mercy of that old fox Lin Wenyuan. Even though the Crown Prince is protecting you, this isn't a long-term solution."
Shen Zhiwei raised her eyes and met his rare serious gaze.
"The future?" She thought for a moment. "Who can predict the future? Maybe tomorrow I'll pack up and go to Jiangnan to open a pastry shop, making lotus cakes every day."
Xie Mingxu was stunned at first, then burst out laughing, nearly knocking his folding fan on the small table. "Okay, okay, Miss Shen has great ambitions. Remember to save me a private seat when the time comes, and make sure to give me plenty of their signature dim sum!"
Amidst the laughter and chatter, dusk quietly fell outside the window.
Xie Mingxu suddenly realized how late it was and stood up with a cry of "Ah!" "I was so busy talking to you that I forgot the Crown Prince asked me to go to the Ministry of Revenue to check the accounts. That old minister is much more terrifying when he nags."
He said he was afraid, but his movements were not hurried. He straightened his sleeves and winked at her.
"I'll come see you again when I have time. Next time, remember to prepare some good wine... or tea."
After saying that, without waiting for Shen Zhiwei's response, he walked away in a leisurely manner, waving his fan.
As soon as he disappeared at the gate of the courtyard, the black shadow emerged from somewhere, slipped back to Shen Zhiwei's feet, and rubbed the corner of her skirt with its head.
Shen Zhiwei bent down and picked it up, his fingertips sinking into the soft and warm fur, feeling the steady heartbeat coming from the little body.
"Where did you go hiding just now because you thought he was noisy?" she asked in a low voice.
The cat adjusted itself into a comfortable position in her arms and licked its paws.
Shen Zhiwei laughed and walked to the window holding it. The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the courtyard a warm golden color. The hustle and bustle of the city could be heard faintly in the distance, making the small courtyard as quiet as a paradise.
Xie Mingxu's words were not entirely without reason. Living in the Lin Residence was ultimately not a long-term solution. Lin Wenyuan was now intimidated by the evidence she held against him, and even more so by Xiao Lingjun's protection, so he dared not act rashly. However, he would never willingly accept being controlled forever.
She looked down at the black cat dozing in her arms. It seemed completely unconcerned with the worldly affairs, caring only about whether the fish was fresh and tender today and whether the sun was warm.
That's fine.
If the enemy comes, we will fight him; if the water comes, we will block it with earth. If you have the ability, kill her.
A few days later, there was indeed movement from Lin Wenyuan's side.
Instead of launching a direct attack, he sent a housekeeper over in a roundabout way.
The nanny said that the girl was getting older and it might not be a good idea to stay confined to the small courtyard all day. It would be better for her to go out more often and socialize with the ladies in the capital so that she could plan for the future. She also handed over a piece of flowery paper, which was an invitation to a flower-viewing banquet hosted by the daughter of the Anyang County Prince's Mansion.
Chen Zhiwei held the fragrant flower note in her hand, and listened with a half-smile as Nanny described with great enthusiasm how grand the banquet was, how distinguished the attendees were, and how rare the opportunity was.
The black cat squatted at her feet, swishing its tail and sneezing at the overly sweet aroma.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com