Chapter 15. For a fleeting moment, he regretted not agreeing to her request…
By early May, the weather gradually became drier and hotter.
There was hardly anyone in the mansion who cared about the flower hall, because Hua Lang often stayed there and the servants didn't want to disturb her. It wasn't until one day when a newly formed peach fell and hit Hua Lang that they realized the fruit had ripened, but it was an early-ripening variety, soft and not very sweet.
When Zhan Yunmei returned from the Beijing garrison at night, she saw a small peach on the table. It was smaller than a fist, but it had been washed, peeled, and had no fuzz.
"Who did this?" Zhan Yunmei already knew the answer, but she still asked Yao Shuniang one more question.
Yao Shuniang smiled and said, "Hua Lang, the eunuch, peeled it. After peeling it, he said he didn't want to eat it, so he just left it here."
"Oh, are you leaving me the leftovers?" Zhan Yunmei took a bite; it was soft and juicy, and quite sweet.
Yao Shuniang shook her head, "This servant doesn't know either."
Where is Hua Lang?
"From the main house."
The main house was filled with a strong, comforting incense-like fragrance, similar to borneol.
The shadow of the person inside was cast onto the folding pear wood screen, the shadow appearing jagged. He sat there, as if flipping through something.
Zhan Yunmei took off her work robe and hung it on the hanger. She tiptoed in, reached behind the chair, and gently turned Hua Lang's face toward her. "What are you looking at?"
As he asked the question, his gaze shifted to her book, a book about the previous dynasty.
“These pages are incredibly dry, the work of a bunch of pedantic scholars,” Zhan Yunmei said, lowering her head to kiss Hua Lang’s lips, prying open his pursed lips and forcefully taking away his breathing space.
Only when Hua Lang's face turned red and he was breathing heavily through his nose did Zhan Yunmei part her lips.
She had eaten that small peach, her mouth filled with the sweet taste of peach flesh. Hua Lang lowered her eyes, her thick eyelashes concealing the slight pleasure in them.
But she quickly returned to normal, letting out a sarcastic snort, deliberately provoking her: "It's so boring, General, are you still reading?"
Zhan Yunmei placed her hand on Hua Lang's hand and led him to turn the page, "Let's look at the next page."
What kind of position is this? Hua Lang couldn't understand it. All he could see was her thin undergarment, the soft fabric rubbing against his face, making him feel embarrassed.
So he subtly shifted his position, trying to make it invisible, to minimize the feeling of Zhan Yunmei leaning over him.
She knew everything he did, but she only glanced at him briefly, said nothing, and pointed to the words on the book.
What else could it be? It's nothing more than information about Hua Lang's time in the previous dynasty. The book was compiled by Confucian scholars, so it inevitably included a lot of fabricated stories about him, both true and false, ordinary and extraordinary.
The most bizarre part records that Hua Lang had to kill eight men and sleep with ten women a day just to satisfy his inner cowardice.
"Fake!" Hua Lang slammed the book shut, his ears burning, furious at the utter nonsense.
“Hmm, it’s fake,” Zhan Yunmei pulled him into her arms and stroked his warm cheeks repeatedly. “I would only look at these if I cared about you. If I didn’t care, why would I leave these books behind?”
Hua Lang wasn't appeased by her words. What did she mean by that? It was as if she were writing about a true story. She muttered to herself, "Can't we read something positive...?"
“What’s the point of just looking? I want to hear you talk,” Zhan Yunmei released Hua Lang, gave him a final kiss on the red and hot area below his ear, and then went to take a bath.
The summer clothes are all ready today. The material is delicate and feels cool and smooth against the skin. This comfortable touch brings away the fatigue of a whole day of military work.
Zhan Yunmei yawned, fanned out the candlelight, turned around and groped around on the couch. When she found Hua Lang, she pulled him over and hugged him, speaking to him in a soft, gentle tone, saying that it was time for a good night's sleep.
Buried behind Hua Lang's neck, there was an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
It was truly a heartwarming scene, but Hua Lang felt a little strange.
A restless, anxious feeling settled in his heart. Zhan Yunmei was usually quite unrestrained on the bed, to the point of being uncontrollable. So why was she like this today?
Hua Lang was a little puzzled, but then he thought about it and realized it was just a matter of habit; he was simply not used to stopping suddenly.
The fact that she hugged him so tightly proves that she didn't have any complaints about him.
Thinking this, Hua Lang closed his eyes.
He opened his eyes, not knowing how long he had been asleep. He couldn't fall asleep and inexplicably thought of the days he had been locked in the side room, those long, desolate days.
Hua Lang's heart suddenly pounded with alarm, and she instinctively turned around, accidentally bumping into Zhan Yunmei's forehead.
She opened her eyes groggily, forcing a smile, "What's wrong?"
The voice, half-asleep and half-awake, was hoarse and ambiguous. Hua Lang was stunned when she heard it. When she came to her senses, she covered it up and said, "It's nothing. I accidentally bumped into something while turning over."
What a calm expression, what a gentle tone! If Zhan Yunmei hadn't been so perceptive, she wouldn't have noticed the unusual quality in Hua Lang's voice.
When a person falls asleep and then wakes up, their voice will naturally be different from usual, but his voice hasn't changed.
"Can't sleep?" Zhan Yunmei tried to pull Hua Lang into her arms, just as she would every night to comfort him and soothe his pain and fear.
Hua Lang wasn't used to being hugged by her at this time, so he pushed her away and said fiercely, "It's so hot."
"Oh..." Zhan Yunmei didn't hear clearly and drifted off to sleep again.
Hua Lang looked up in surprise. She was asleep like that? She was so cold and indifferent, completely different from her usual self.
He pursed his lips helplessly, afraid to move lest he wake her.
Zhan Yunmei was not a deep sleeper; her mind was hazy, and she vaguely heard Hua Lang's voice before waking up.
Looking down, I could vaguely see a glimmer of light in Hua Lang's eyes in the darkness.
She didn't press him for details, but simply kissed his forehead. He looked up in surprise, "Why are you awake?"
"I'm worried because you can't sleep," Zhan Yunmei lied without batting an eye, making herself laugh. Of course, he could tell she was being sarcastic and mocking; he figured she was probably insulting him.
She realized something was off when she noticed him staring at her repeatedly. She touched her face, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. So what was wrong with him?
After a long silence, Hua Lang finally asked in a low voice, "Is something bothering you?"
The voice was too soft, and it took Zhan Yunmei a long time to understand it. When it reached Hua Lang, it became that she was indeed troubled.
He thought about it and realized that it didn't matter whether she had something on her mind or not. She only liked his body, and it was normal for her to stop when she got tired of him.
Before she could say anything more, he shut his mouth on his own.
Zhan Yunmei blinked. Although she didn't quite understand what was going on with Hua Lang, she still kissed him gently for a while. When he was dazed from the kiss, he gripped her wrist tightly.
She squinted to try and read his expression, but it was too dark. She could feel his face getting hot when she pressed her face against his.
Perhaps beauty is in the eye of the beholder; no matter how she looked at him, she felt he was seducing her. It was getting late, so it was best not to make a fuss.
The moment she let go, he suddenly grabbed her hand with such force that it hurt her bones.
Hua Lang belatedly realized his rudeness and immediately let go, retreating to the innermost part of the bed.
Zhan Yunmei slowly sat up, inching closer to Hua Lang, her scrutinizing expression pressing down on him. She asked, "What exactly happened today?"
She already had a guess, just like when she ate the peach during the day, she was just waiting for an answer. Unfortunately, Hua Lang was not Shuniang, and she was never straightforward.
She pretended to sigh, and he immediately became alert, one moment afraid of angering her, the next terrified that his strange thoughts would be exposed.
“Hualang,” Zhan Yunmei said seriously.
Hua Lang frowned. "Go on."
"I'm really tired today, and that short nap I took won't help," Zhan Yunmei said, pulling Hua Lang over. "Why don't you do it yourself?"
"..." Hua Lang's narrow eyes widened, making him look comical.
"No! Get out! Get out!"
.
It's cute when someone gets angry out of embarrassment; Zhan Yunmei still wants to laugh.
"General?" Princess Rongning waved back and forth in front of Zhan Yunmei.
Zhan Yunmei gradually came to her senses and smiled, "Princess, is there something you need?"
“I can never get the gun working properly,” Princess Rongning gestured, “can you teach me?”
"good."
Princess Rongning had a solid foundation in basic skills, so practicing with a spear was easy for her. If you taught her the key points in detail, she would learn quickly and effortlessly.
They practiced until the afternoon. In another half hour, it would be time for Zhan Yunmei to finish her shift. Princess Rongning held onto her and wouldn't let go, so she stayed with her a little longer.
Even after dark, Princess Rongning still refused to let Zhan Yunmei leave.
Even if she were foolish, she should have understood what Princess Rongning meant. Zhan Yunmei washed her hands and asked, "Princess, is there something you're reluctant to say?"
“General,” Princess Rongning eagerly approached, hugging Zhan Yunmei’s arm and pulling her close, shaking her a few times, “It’s so hot today, don’t you feel it?”
Zhan Yunmei's forehead was covered in sweat, and she nodded, "I think so."
"How can I sleep at night without adding some ice?"
"If the princess wants to release it, then release it. Does the manor lack ice?"
“It’s lacking!” Princess Rongning suddenly realized that Zhan Yunmei had hit the nail on the head. “My aunt is so heartless for not supplying ice to my household!”
Zhan Yunmei said, "Why aren't you providing supplies? Did you cause trouble?"
"Well... I can't say I caused trouble," Princess Rongning said, her voice lowering as she felt guilty. "Isn't Vice General He in a new position? I don't really want to deal with her. My aunt found out and punished Duan Bing."
Why don't you want to pay attention to her?
Princess Rongning was anxious and worried that others would overhear, so she whispered, "Because she has connections, her aunt's connections!"
“Vice General He has merits, but it wasn’t through connections; it was just His Majesty’s recommendation,” Zhan Yunmei patted Princess Rongning’s head. “So what do you want from me? Do you want to come to my place for some ice cream?”
Princess Rongning was a little embarrassed and grinned.
Princess Rongning came to the manor and originally wanted to sleep next to Zhan Yunmei. It was normal for her to be dependent on Zhan Yunmei since she was young.
Zhan Yunmei hesitated, but in the end, she wronged Hua Lang and let him rest in the side room for the night.
Princess Rongning was unaware that Hua Lang existed in the manor, and therefore did not know the impact of her arrival.
However, in the side room, Hua Lang was not at peace, filled with waves of self-doubt and fear.
Why? Why did Zhan Yunmei send him to the side room again? Is she going to lock him up like before?
Why? Is it because I didn't agree to her request yesterday?
Hua Lang felt anxious and helpless, unsure whether this helplessness and fear stemmed from the oppressive atmosphere of the concubine's quarters or from Zhan Yunmei's lack of attention towards him; perhaps it was both.
It's inevitable that I'll once again laugh at myself for being so conceited and thinking I was so well-liked.
Hua Lang recalled the scene of Zhan Yunmei frowning before. Perhaps she wasn't worried about anything related to him, but simply dissatisfied with him.
Sometimes people are just pathetic; even in moments of humiliation, they can't resist the servile urge to please. For a moment, he regretted not agreeing to her request.
If I agree, will I get more attention and be liked for a longer period of time?
A note from the author:
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