Chapter 46 Even though she already had a fiancé, he still…
When Aunt Shen returned, Shen Guitang had already drunk half a jar of soup, bowl after bowl.
Aunt Shen was once his mother's personal maid, who was also the head of the Buming Pavilion. Therefore, she spoke to him with less respect and more of an elder's kindness.
"Gui Tang, which young lady rejected you? You've come here to drown your sorrows."
Shen Guitang finished the remaining half of the drink in one gulp: "Aunt Shen is joking. Can't Guitang just enjoy herself to the fullest?"
Aunt Shen wanted to say that his brow, which he hadn't relaxed even while drinking, was hardly the look of smugness, but considering his stubborn nature, she shook her head and smiled, not arguing with him. "But since you called me here, it must be something important. Tell me, what is it that warrants your personal visit, young master?"
Shen Guitang toyed with the porcelain bowl in his hand; the last drop of wine swirled along the rim of the bowl but did not fall.
"The Second Prince is about to fall. With his elder brother in trouble, the Third Prince, as his younger brother, shouldn't be too happy. What do you think, Aunt Shen?"
Aunt Shen was slightly surprised. She had not received any news that the Second Prince's faction was about to fall. However, she never questioned Shen Guitang. "Yes, since the two princes are of the same origin, they should share the same fate."
After explaining some plans to Aunt Shen, Shen Guitang was also a little tired.
Seeing how overworked he was, Aunt Shen felt a little sorry for him: "Why don't you stay in the pavilion tonight?"
Shen Guitang waved his hand, "It's alright, I'll go back." However, he staggered slightly when he stood up, and Aunt Shen thought to herself: How much did he drink?
Looking at the table again, no wonder, Qianqiuxue, which would make an ordinary person pass out after just one cup, had been forced to drink countless cups of it in a short time. It was just unexpected that their young master, who never cared about others, would one day be heartbroken for someone.
“By the way,” Aunt Chen called out to him, “you’ve already been rejected, are you still going to give the gift to that girl?”
Shen Guitang: ...
Walking along the road, Shen Guitang regretted not bringing Hei Feng along. He looked at the corner of the wall with a stack of jewelry that Aunt Shen had specially picked out. Since the little princess was no longer there, he might as well throw it away and let whoever wanted it pick it up.
After hesitating for a moment, he decided against it. Shen Guitang was not some benevolent person who did good deeds and helped the poor.
For some reason, he felt that the road tonight was unusually long. Could it be that he had really drunk too much?
Just as he was about to reach the Shen residence, Shen Guitang suddenly stopped. It seemed he had really drunk too much. How come he saw someone climbing over his wall?
He rubbed his eyes and looked again, and found that there really seemed to be someone who had climbed over the wall and was preparing to jump down.
Shen Guitang: ...What is Heifeng doing? He didn't even do anything about the thief breaking into his house?
He frowned and took two more steps forward. The person on the wall, perhaps hearing the noise behind him, paused and slowly turned around.
At this moment, their eyes met.
Hengbo exclaimed in dismay, unsure whether to jump forward or backward, feeling quite helpless.
Shen Guitang smiled and lowered his head. He took out the key from his sleeve and opened the gate of the Shen residence himself.
But as he put the key into the lock, he suddenly felt that as long as she was willing to come back, he would accept it even if she already had a fiancé.
Hengbo watched as Shen Guitang opened the door, went inside, and then locked it again. He scratched his head, unsure of what Shen Guitang meant. Just as he was wondering if Shen Guitang was going to turn a blind eye to him, he saw Shen Guitang walk to the wall where he was squatting.
He held out a hand to her: "Little Princess, would you like me to carry you down?"
Hengbo's face flushed red instantly, not from embarrassment, but from anger.
What a joke! She's been climbing over walls ever since she could run, who would want him to carry her? Yet, as if possessed, she still placed her hand in his palm.
With a gentle yet reassuring force, Hengbo lightly leaped and landed steadily in the courtyard, like a nimble cat.
Even so, Shen Guitang did not let go of Hengbo's hand. He led her step by step through the front yard, across the corridor, and past the main hall, finally arriving at Hengbo's room in the back yard.
Strange, it felt so long when I got back to the manor, but now that I'm back in my room, it feels so short.
Even the usually carefree Hengbo realized that Shen Guitang's state tonight was unusual. However, the strong yet refreshing smell of alcohol on him made her heart flutter slightly.
When it was time to part, the two remained silent.
Finally, Shen Guitang turned around and tidied her slightly messy hair in the night wind. "Go to sleep. Remember to change your dressing."
Hengbo nodded, but before returning to his room, he couldn't resist the temptation: What kind of wine did you drink?
Shen Guitang was taken aback, not expecting her to ask this, and subconsciously savored the taste in her mouth.
"Qianqiuxue, would you like some?"
Hengbo's eyes lit up, and she raised her chin with a slightly reserved air, her meaning self-evident.
Looking at her haughty appearance, Shen Guitang felt that even the brightest pearl in the East China Sea couldn't outshine her at this moment.
However, there is a type of person who, no matter how soft-hearted, has a sharp tongue: "You can't even think about it; we'll talk about it after your wounds have fully healed."
Hengbo:……
Perhaps it was because she looked so pitiful and adorable that Chen Guitang could no longer suppress the emotions that had been building up in his chest. He took a step forward. His nose was barely inches from the top of her furry forehead, and his voice was hoarse, full of restraint: "It's not impossible to try a bite first, would you like to try it?"
Hengbo was already intoxicated by the aroma of alcohol and didn't care about the dangerously close distance between them. He nodded without hesitation.
Before she could even make a sound, the tall, slender body of a grown man suddenly lunged forward. Hengbo instinctively tried to retreat but was blocked by a strong arm.
He shielded the back of her head with his hand, and the half-inch that had separated them completely disappeared between his lips.
Hengbo's eyes widened in shock, only to be obscured by a pair of cold, white, jade-like hands. In this world devoid of light, the hot breath brushing against her cheek, the rough touch on her skin near her ear, and the restrained yet delicate kisses on her lips all sent shivers down Hengbo's spine.
Shen Guitang thought he must be going crazy. He felt the struggle in his arms, but he couldn't help but hold her tighter and tighter. If he could just break her wings, that would be the best thing.
He will avenge her. He will reclaim her glory for her. He will do everything Wen Jie can and cannot do for her.
So stop being a lonely crane. What's wrong with being a caged canary and a cicada-carrying servant in your arms?
These dark thoughts, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain or waves of wheat in an autumn field, assaulted his mind wave after wave, giving him no chance to catch his breath or escape.
However, he still did his best to distance himself from her, knowing that his feelings for her went beyond mere affection.
He loved her dearly.
He didn't let go of her eyes, simply because he didn't want to see his own disheveled state reflected in her eyes.
Under the boundless night, his feelings were as pure and fragile as the moonlight.
"It's okay, I forced you."
Hengbo was stunned for a moment, then all sensation disappeared, and his figure, who never turned back, disappeared completely from his sight.
The faint fragrance of Qianqiuxue still lingered on her lips, but when she tasted it, it was a bittersweet flavor.
Does he love me?
She couldn't ask that question, and he didn't answer it either.
...
After that night, Hengbo didn't see Shen Guitang again for several days. It wasn't that he was deliberately avoiding her, but the officials of the three courts would call Shen Guitang in for tea every day.
Having finally dealt with the three old foxes, and with the manpower for repairing the imperial mausoleum rearranged, Shen Guitang hadn't even had a chance to eat a meal at home before being dragged off to the desolate mausoleum area.
During this time, Hengbo received two gifts and a painting from Heifeng. Although Hengbo could tell that the painting was by Shen Guitang, he couldn't guess its meaning.
On the drawing paper, on a tranquil lakeside in the afternoon, one duck anxiously turns around on the water, while another duck has been plucked and is placed on a grill, with a person leisurely controlling the heat next to it.
Hengbo:? ? ?
What exactly is this? Is it the death of a duck causing its own sorrow? Is it the loss of a duck causing its own loneliness? Or is it simply the ducks' own kind being hurt?
Hei Feng praised and affirmed Heng Bo's quick thinking, but then asked a clever question: "Miss Cuihua, have you ever considered that it might not be a duck?"
Hengbo:……
Hengbo decided not to pursue the matter any further, lest it reach Shen Guitang's ears and she end up having to eat a whole duck feast again.
Hei Feng felt that Heng Bo was not to blame. After all, who else but Shen Guitang would be so heartless as to roast and eat the other one after breaking up the couple?
While things were peaceful and tranquil at the Shen family's residence, things were far from peaceful in the palace.
"Useless! All of you are useless!" The second prince, dressed in his nightgown with his long hair loose, smashed the medicine bowl handed to him by a palace maid, simply because he saw his own reflection when he reached out to take the bowl.
Fortunately, the medicine had been cooled before being served. The medicine spilled on the palace maid's face and body, but she didn't dare to utter a sound, much less look up at the Second Prince's expression.
Looking at this sleeping quarters again, there wasn't a single bronze mirror in the huge room, nor even a single ornament that could occasionally reflect a person's image.
"Consort Hui has arrived." With a shout from outside the door, a woman in a blue palace dress, led by a palace attendant, quickly entered the inner hall.
Seeing the mess inside the hall, she immediately gave her personal maid a look, and the maid, upon receiving the signal, immediately chased away everyone except her trusted confidantes.
After the scene was cleared, Consort Hui sat on the couch and propped up the Second Prince's face with one hand. "It's just a face. I've already sent someone to invite the elders of Shenmu Valley. What's so difficult about changing my son's face?"
The second prince turned his face away: "Your subject cannot swallow this insult. I haven't even killed him yet, and he actually sent someone to assassinate me, as if he was afraid I would die and even poisoned me."
On the night the Second Prince was assassinated, Doctor Shao of Huichuntang cleaned and bandaged his wounds. However, a few days later, the wounds on his face not only failed to heal but began to fester.
Doctor Shao was summoned to the palace again, and after this examination, it was discovered that the assassin's knife was poisoned. It was only after much effort that it was confirmed that the poison was a forbidden drug in the palace that was infested with maggots. However, if too much time was wasted, even if the poison was removed, it would inevitably leave scars.
Therefore, at this moment, the second prince's face was even more ferocious and terrifying than when he was first injured.
A sinister glint flashed in Consort Hui's eyes: "How could he come up with such a thing as using the medicine used to punish those vixens in the harem on you? It must have been taught to do that by his disreputable mother."
"My son, don't worry. I won't let you suffer this injustice for nothing. Let that little slut be arrogant for a couple more days."
The second prince suddenly raised his head: "Mother, do you already have a plan?"
Consort Hui smiled and said, "My son, just watch and see how big a somersault your little brother is going to do."
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