"Ma'am, it's time to get up and have breakfast."
Song Jiaren was awakened by the maid assigned by the city lord to take care of her. She opened her eyes in a daze, but the Crown Prince was no longer beside her. She didn't know when he went out.
"Where is His Highness?"
The maid brought her some tea for rinsing her mouth and a coat, helping her put it on. "Your Highness and the City Lord are in the study. Do you want to go over?"
Song Jiaren was not used to being served with the instructions of dressing, washing, and combing her hair. Although she was not a woman who traveled through time to ancient times and believed in equality for all, she still could not enjoy the respectful service of strangers.
"Don't go there yet. Let's go after breakfast."
The luxury of this breakfast was a bit shocking to her. There were five or six kinds of cakes and snacks, seven or eight plates of exquisite side dishes, and the eight-treasure porridge was made with real ingredients. It was so delicious that she wanted to swallow her tongue.
It would be inappropriate for the Lord of Tonghe City to live such a luxurious and high-profile life. Even the maids are dressed in fine silk fabrics, with pearl and jade rings and hairpins in their hair, and their fur cloaks are fluffy and soft and draped on the hanger at the door.
Song Jiaren couldn't help but think that City Lord Luo was trying every possible way to hide his wealth for fear of being targeted, and was labeled as extravagant, while City Lord Lin was showing off his talents and enjoying life.
The two of them are such a stark contrast, and their styles of doing things must also be different.
Led by her maid, she went to the study and met the city lord's two wives, Cui and Lin, on the way. Two maids followed behind them with food boxes in their hands. When they saw Song Jiaren coming, they stopped and greeted her.
"Madam, are you used to living here? Is there anything you need to buy?" The voice was as sweet as the chirping of an oriole.
Song Jiaren unconsciously restrained her carefree nature and said softly, "Everything is fine. I was just about to go find His Highness. Where are you two going?"
Lin was the woman who had just spoken. She added, "We were just about to go over there to bring some cakes for the City Lord and His Highness. Since Madam is going too, why don't we go together?"
Song Jiaren smiled and nodded, then walked towards the study with them. She noticed with her sharp eyes that Cui, who had been silent the whole time, lagged behind Lin by half a step. Her humble appearance was comparable to that of a maid, but she was dressed in silk and satin, making her unmistakable.
Gu Zhen and Lin Chuang were perfecting their plan to catch the turtle in the jar when they heard someone moving at the door and fell silent.
"Who is it?" Lin Chuang asked, holding a fan.
"My husband, Cui and I made some cakes for you and His Highness to try. His Highness's wife is here with you." Lin responded standing at the door.
"Come in."
There was a row of bookshelves against the wall in the study, with ink scrolls and paintings hanging next to them. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and City Lord Lin were sitting on chairs drinking tea. Song Jiaren walked over and sat on the chair next to him.
Lin Chuang looked at the plates of cakes on the table and smiled unabashedly, "Thank you."
Lin covered her lips and glanced at him, saying coquettishly, "...these are all your favorite foods."
Lin Chuang smiled and clasped his fists towards His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. "Ms. Lin was originally my cousin. She has been spoiled since she was a child. Please forgive me for making His Royal Highness and Madam laugh at her."
It turns out they are cousins. No wonder they both have the surname Lin, and they look like a loving couple. If that’s the case, why is there a Cui family?
Even if a man in ancient times married someone he loved, he would inevitably have three wives and four concubines?
Song Jiaren couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. She picked up the tea, skimmed off the foam and took a sip. She accidentally saw Cui lowering her head, pursing her lips, and her fingertips gripping the quilt so hard that they turned white.
"It's okay. I heard that the pleasure boats in Tonghe City are very famous. I wonder if the city lord can take me to see them?" Gu Zhen interrupted her thoughts.
Song Jiaren came back to her senses and looked up to meet the Crown Prince's gaze. After a long silence, she said dryly, "...Are you going to the pleasure boat?"
Lin smiled and said, "The painted boat is a beautifully decorated pleasure boat. Inside, there are singing and dancing performances, and you can also enjoy the night view of the shore and have a banquet. It has been a popular tourist destination in Tonghe City for decades."
"Is that so? That sounds interesting." Song Jiaren smiled at Lin and said, "I wonder if the city lord is available?"
Lin Chuang waved his fan twice, looking like a talented and elegant man, and said, "I will definitely entertain you well."
The riverbank was brightly lit at night, and the pleasure boats next to each other were lit with transparent candles. They boarded a two-story mahogany pleasure boat. The waves were calm and the boat was stable, so they didn't feel any swaying.
There were several plates of fish, shrimps and crabs on the table, the cups in front of people were filled with rice wine, and singing and dancing performances were performed one after another on the stage.
Lin praised the dancing girl waving her skirt and chuckled, "She's as graceful as a startled swan. She looks every bit as graceful as Cui was back then~"
“…” Cui frowned and opened her mouth, but she didn’t say anything. She lowered her head again, but her face was a little pale.
Lin Chuang clearly saw it but continued to watch the performance on the stage, allowing Lin to compare Cui with the dancer. He didn't even glance at Cui and was playing with the folding fan in his hand.
Seeing her timid look, Lin sighed softly, "Boring." Then she smiled sweetly and drank and had fun with Lin Chuang.
Song Jiaren watched a good show and was slightly drunk. Gu Zhen frowned and stopped her, saying, "Drink less and eat more."
Song Jiaren looked at him dully, slowly put down the cup she had picked up, and looked at him for a long time, a slightly confused expression on her face. "Eat less and drink more?"
Gu Zhen looked at her with some helplessness and amusement, "How much did you drink?" He hadn't looked at her for a while, and she had drunk so much.
Song Jiaren thought about it obediently and said, "Five or six cups or seven or eight cups, I forgot."
Lin stared at her for a long time and asked hesitantly, "Are you drunk?"
"Maybe I'm a little dizzy." Song Jiaren supported her head with one hand and muttered.
Lin Chuang also withdrew his gaze from the performance on the stage and picked up the colorful glass cup to take a look. There was something special inside the cup. It looked ordinary, but in fact it had a considerable capacity. One cup was three times the capacity of an ordinary teacup. That was why His Highness's wife got drunk.
He was familiar with the owner of the pleasure boat and saw through the situation but did not say anything.
"Madam is drunk, why don't you go back first."
Perhaps because she was very dizzy, Song Jiaren was about to fall to the side uncontrollably. Gu Zhen held her arm, fearing that she would stagger and lose her balance. "Can you walk?"
“…Well, why are you leaving?” Song Jiaren was no longer fully awake. She squinted her eyes and staggered, sometimes smiling foolishly and sometimes with a blank expression.
Gu Zhen lowered his head and looked at her. She seemed to be even drunker than the last few times and not very well behaved.
He lifted her up and carried her horizontally. She buried her head in his arms unconsciously, her fingers hooked on his clothes, her face flushed.
She calmed down in the carriage, leaning comfortably on his shoulder, burying her face in the fluff on his cloak, and fell asleep in the soft and comfortable air.
Song Jiaren was awakened by the heat, and she pulled at her clothes to take them off, but she was so drunk that she could only murmur, "It's so hot~"
She was depressed and uncomfortable, and just kept flapping her legs. Suddenly, she felt something cool next to her, and she instinctively moved towards it.
Gu Zhen was woken up from his sound sleep. He looked down and saw Song Jiaren climbing on top of him, clinging to him tightly, her face flushed.
He patted her cheek. "...What's wrong with you?"
A whisper came out from her cherry lips, "It's so hot."
hot?
Gu Zhen reached out and touched her forehead. "You have a fever."
The skin under his hands was burning hot, his cheeks were warm, and even sweat was soaking his forehead. He stood up and put on a robe, opened the door and looked around. There was no one around. He didn't know when it started snowing.
Song Jiaren felt like she was being roasted on a fire and wouldn't turn over, so she just twisted and turned until she finally hit a cold wall. She pressed herself against it and sighed comfortably. Then the wall seemed to grow legs and ran away. She wanted to chase it, but she couldn't. It wasn't until she heard someone calling her that she opened her eyes in a daze.
Her thoughts were still stuck in the dream just now. Even a wall could bully her. Her eyes suddenly turned red with grievance.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable? I found some warm water and I'll wipe it off for you so you won't feel so hot anymore."
Gu Zhen wrung out the wet handkerchief and gently wiped her hot forehead and cheeks, then her fair neck. He looked at the loose collar for a while, slowly untied the ties of her white nightgown, and wiped the beautiful little dress bit by bit with the wet handkerchief.
“…What are you doing?” Song Jiaren was so hot that she lay on the couch with her eyes blurred, feeling powerless.
Gu Zhen kept looking at her, his eyes filled with a hint of tenderness. "You're drunk and have a fever. It's snowing heavily outside and there's no one around. I'll wipe you with warm water to cool you down. I'll call a doctor when daybreak."
Is she drunk and feverish?
I only remember that they were eating and drinking while watching the performance in the pleasure boat. The wine there had a unique taste, with a fruity and sweet aroma that went into the throat. Coupled with the good show at the city lord's house, they drank one glass after another unconsciously.
Her fever had subsided a little at this moment, and she felt the warm handkerchief slowly wiping her body. She felt extremely embarrassed, and the blush on her face just subsided and rose again, and her heart beat like a motor accelerating.
I couldn't help but stretch out my hand to hold my clothes, but was stopped by his big wet hand. I heard him say calmly, "Don't move. Only by wiping yourself can you get better as soon as possible."
Song Jiaren's hand, which was clutching her collar, trembled for a moment, and she said, "...but, I'm a little embarrassed..."
Although she was covered with a small bellyband-like garment, it could not block the sharp gaze in his narrow eyes, as if she was not wearing anything.
Gu Zhen calmly put the handkerchief, which was stained with her body temperature, into warm water to wash it, wrung it half dry, and then wiped it. "You'll get used to it."
"How can I get used to this kind of thing..." Song Jiaren couldn't believe that he actually said that. It was completely unlike what the cold and arrogant Crown Prince would say, so she vaguely retorted, "You're taking advantage of me again."
Gu Zhen hummed, with a nasal sound at the end, and the strength of his hands became gentler. After wiping her whole body and the temperature dropped, he put away the handkerchief and basin and covered her tightly.
"It's almost dawn. I'm going to find a doctor. You should get some sleep."
Just as I stood up, I was grabbed by a tender white hand. "You should get some sleep too. I'm fine."
Gu Zhen looked into her gentle face and bright eyes. His heart skipped a beat. He forced a smile and reached out to ruffle her messy hair. "Go to sleep first. I'll ask City Lord Lin to find a doctor and then come back to accompany you."
Song Jiaren let go of her hand and looked at him for a while before closing her eyes. She was indeed still a little sleepy.
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