Chapter 10: Red and tender hands, even holding hands is not the most intimate thing they do...
The sunlight gradually turned golden, it was almost dusk, the clear lake water was gurgling, and the reflections of the man and woman on the shore in the water were blurry and ambiguous.
Beneath the high palace wall, the man stood with his back to the lake, his tall figure completely covering the petite woman in his arms. If it weren't for a pair of embroidered shoes stepping on the mud and a corner of the man's cloak that was exposed at the bottom of his robe, one would almost think there was only one person.
At this moment, he put one arm around her waist and covered her face with the other hand. The posture was even more intimate and ambiguous than the last time on the mountain road.
Jiang Yunjin quickly withdrew his hand, "Sorry."
Cui Yiluo said considerately, "It's an emergency. I know my cousin had to do it. If it's a last resort, it doesn't count as crossing the line between men and women."
She raised her head to look at his expression, the interest in his smile shining brightly in the sunlight, and Jiang Yunjin immediately looked away.
Not only that, he also leaned back slightly to avoid her black hair that gently rubbed against his chin when she raised her head. He didn't know whether he felt itchy or was too intimate.
Thinking of what had just happened in the room, Cui Yiluo stopped laughing and said, "Cousin, is the 'master' that Eunuch Xu is referring to Princess Hejia?"
Jiang Yunjin pursed his lips slightly, "I don't know, but it's not He Jia."
Cui Yiluo frowned slightly. It wasn't He Jia. There weren't many people who could place someone close to He Jia. That person had been attacking her repeatedly, with a hint of a relentless fight to the death. He had even thoroughly investigated her in advance.
Cui Yiluo glanced at Jiang Yunjin secretly. She could rely on him to protect her life, but he would probably not tell her the truth behind it. She could only rely on herself.
Jiang Yunjin spoke, interrupting her thoughts: "It's not advisable to stay here for long. I'll have someone take you back home."
Cui Yiluo rolled her eyes, "But my aunt asked me to wait for her to come back..."
"I'll tell my aunt."
Cui Yiluo frowned, looking distressed. "But if I do this, will others think that my cousin is worried about me and is so worried that he personally sent someone to take me back home?"
Jiang Yunjin glanced at her foot and said, "I was the one who injured your foot, so I will take full responsibility. I will tell Auntie in secret, so don't worry."
It's the so-called etiquette again. Cui Yiluo snorted inwardly.
"I was worried about ruining my cousin's reputation, but now that he has said so, I have no worries and will do whatever he says."
Her voice was sweet and gentle. As she spoke, her hand moved lightly along the back of his hand. Originally, only her thumb and index finger had touched the skin on his wrist, but now she held his entire palm.
Cui Yiluo's knuckles were wrapped around his fingers, and her fingertips were clasped on his palm. She could clearly feel her hand suddenly become stiff and hot.
"you……"
"How can I go back to the mansion if my cousin doesn't take me back to my room first?" She blinked innocently, "Cousin, please don't throw me down."
Jiang Yunjin stopped talking, his jaw tensed to create a sharp and smooth line.
She felt the hand holding her waist tightly, and he led her along the wall and climbed back out of the window.
As soon as he stood firm, he let go of her and stood three steps away from her.
Cui Yiluo's lips curled slightly: "Thank you, cousin."
Jiang Yunjin hummed softly, but then she added, "Don't worry, cousin. Yiluo remembers everything you said today. You were just acting out of brotherly love."
What he said was naturally referring to the fact that boys and girls should sit at different seats when they are seven years old.
It seemed strangely ironic now. He had just scolded her for crossing the line and told her to be polite because she wanted to hold his hand, but not long after, he let her hold his hand. In fact, holding hands wasn't even the most intimate thing they had done just now.
Jiang Yunjin placed his hot palms on the sides of his legs, his face sullen, trying his best to focus on the important matters at hand.
"Let's go. There's no guarantee they won't turn back."
Cui Yiluo stopped talking after that. She nodded and was about to follow, but suddenly remembered something: "Wait."
Jiang Yunjin turned around and saw her walking quickly to the mahogany low table, holding the folded black robe on her arm, then gathering her cloak and following him.
"Cousin, you can go now."
"Um."
Jiang Yunjin was obviously very familiar with the layout of the palace. He took her through secluded shortcuts, with high walls and dense trees on both sides. She didn't even see a single person along the way.
Cui Yiluo followed him half a step behind, with her head slightly lowered in thought.
I almost forgot about Yuan Ling.
She asked tentatively, "Cousin, I saw you up ahead. Did you come here with Commander Yuan?"
Jiang Yunjin glanced at her slightly when he heard this: "Do you know him?"
It seems that he doesn't know about Baoyue Pavilion.
Cui Yiluo remained noncommittal. "Commander Yuan is decisive and resourceful, earning the trust of His Majesty and a distinguished reputation."
Jiang Yunjin looked around and just nodded lightly, seemingly not caring about what Cui Yiluo said.
Moreover, he observes the etiquette of a gentleman and would never talk about others behind their backs, even if Cui Yiluo was praising them.
However, judging from his reaction, not only did Yuan Ling not tell him about Baoyue Pavilion, but they were not very familiar with each other.
Cui Yiluo breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Yunjin didn't say anything else. The two of them walked for a while and suddenly saw a towering palace gate not far away. Armored guards were patrolling in a line, and the security was very strict.
Jiang Yunjin was very meticulous in his work. He had already arranged the carriage and sent people to escort him.
On the way back home, Cui Yiluo went over what had just happened again. After ruling out Jiang Zhaoyue and Yang Jingling, she had a few suspects in mind.
-
The moon was as cool as water. The octagonal red sandalwood lanterns hanging from the eaves of the magnificent palace swayed gently in the breeze. The hall was silent, the air seemingly stagnant. Beside the bright candlelight, a woman of exquisite beauty and elegant attire leaned against the edge of a couch. A palace maid fanned her gently, but the woman frowned, her hand resting on her head as she rubbed her forehead.
The woman slowly opened her lips, her voice as deep as water: "How is Ying'er?"
"Your Majesty, don't you understand the princess's temper? Although the princess is making a big fuss now, she will understand your love for her daughter in a few days, and will come to you to apologize immediately, right?"
Concubine Qiong opened her eyes slightly and looked at the palace maid.
The palace servant's fanning hand trembled, and she quickly said, "Yingxue means that the princess will surely understand how good the queen is to her."
Concubine Qiong chuckled. "I just told her not to associate with that girl from the Cui family, and she got so angry. It seems I've been too indulgent with her. Yingxue, tomorrow morning, take the aunt from the Shangyi Bureau to the princess's palace. The princess is about to get engaged, so it's time for her to calm down."
Yingxue responded.
"Tomorrow, take some people to the storehouse and take the thousand-year-old ginseng that His Majesty gave me last time, along with some precious supplements, and send them to Xie's residence along with the emerald-green peony hairpin."
Yingxue agreed, "Have you, Madam, agreed to the eldest young master's request?"
Concubine Qiong sneered, "How can I not agree to his request? If I agree, there's still a chance I can keep it a secret. If I don't agree, the marriage between the Chu and Xie families will be ruined."
As she spoke, a hint of anger appeared between the woman's brows, and her tone unconsciously became heavier: "How could my Chu family raise such a useless person who doesn't know the importance of things!"
Yingxue comforted her, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Didn't the eldest son just promise you that he would definitely break up with that concubine?"
"Do you think it's possible? With his philandering nature, he even flirted with his fiancée's half-sister. How could he possibly listen to me? It seems I have to ask His Majesty to arrange the marriage as soon as possible. Once they do, I won't have to worry so much."
"What marriage?"
The deep male voice coming from the door frightened both the master and the servant.
Almost the next moment, Concubine Qiong put on a gentle smile and walked forward to pay her respects.
"Your Majesty."
The emperor was over forty years old, but he did not look old. He walked with a steady step and was full of strength. He stretched out his long arms and embraced the woman's slender waist.
Concubine Qiong secretly signaled Yingxue, who was unable to hide her guilty conscience, to step back, and she sat down on the couch with the emperor as usual.
The emperor gently rubbed Concubine Qiong's waist and asked casually, "What kind of marriage were you talking about just now? Was it Ke'er's?"
Concubine Qiong laughed sweetly and said, "Your Majesty, I really can't hide it, can I? Ke'er came to the palace just now and asked me to ask Your Majesty to set a date for their wedding. In my opinion, Miss Xie accidentally fell into the water today, and Ke'er was heartbroken. That's why he couldn't wait to marry her back home."
The emperor hummed, "How is your investigation going into the incident of Miss Xie falling into the water today?"
Concubine Qiong expressed some remorse, "It was my fault for not managing my servants well enough. One of the palace maids on the boat lost her balance and accidentally knocked Miss Xie into the water. Your Majesty, rest assured. I have dealt with her."
Seeing her blaming herself, the emperor coaxed her distressedly, "How can this be blamed on you? If you want to control everyone, won't it tire my Qiong'er?"
Concubine Qiong slapped the emperor's arm coquettishly, "Your Majesty is accustomed to pampering others. Now that I have been given the power to assist in the management of the six palaces, I should strictly restrain myself."
The emperor smiled and stroked her hair. "I know you've always been very competitive. By the way, I heard that the one who jumped into the water to save the people today was Madam Jiang's niece?"
Concubine Qiong looked at the emperor and met his usual gentle and doting gaze. He seemed to be asking just a casual question.
"Yes, Miss Cui is brave and resolute. I was just thinking about how to reward her. Does Your Majesty have any ideas?"
The emperor smiled helplessly, "How could I possibly understand a girl's preferences? But Miss Cui took the initiative to jump into the water to save someone, not fearing injury or a bad reputation. Such a courageous and kind-hearted girl deserves a reward."
"What does your Majesty mean?"
"Let her go with us during the summer hunt in a few days. I heard she's from Ningzhou, and I guess she's never been hunting on horseback before."
Concubine Qiong smiled as she leaned against the emperor's chest, her bright face adorned with admiration for the man. "Your Majesty is truly kind and intelligent. I hadn't considered that. To Miss Cui, gold, silver, and jewelry are certainly not as valuable as the experience of accompanying Your Majesty on the summer hunt. Tomorrow, I will send someone to convey Your Majesty's grace."
The emperor was very pleased with her admiration and gentleness, and his smile deepened. "No need. I will have Jiang Shenzhi deliver the message after the court tomorrow. There is no need to trouble my beloved concubine to send someone to make the trip."
Concubine Qiong's smile froze for a moment, then she immediately concealed it. She expressed her gratitude for the emperor's thoughtfulness in a soft voice, and her tender hands reached out to the emperor's jade belt.
The night deepens.
-
The mist at dawn slowly dissipated as the sun rose higher. The sunlight in the summer morning was not yet scorching hot, but rather had a suitable warmth.
Jiang Yunjin had just left the court, and before he even stepped into the fragrant courtyard, the conversation inside came into his ears on the wind.
The woman's voice was clear and icy: "Did you send someone to wash Yuan Ling's outer robe?"
"I have already given the young lady the instructions. Commander Yuan's outer robe is made of this year's newly produced Hun Luo satin woven in Jiangnan. It needs to be washed gently with warm water, otherwise the fabric will be damaged."
Cui Yiluo hummed in satisfaction. Her usually sweet voice was quiet, but it reached the ears of the man outside the door clearly:
"We can't delay in meeting him. Once the clothes are delivered, we'll immediately go to Yuan Mansion in a carriage."
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Cousin: [question mark]
Next chapter Thursday at 9am [Red Heart]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
