Jiang He rested in the house for a while.
A cup of tea's time before the agreed time, he set off for Guangming Hall.
Only those of them who serve the king can wait for the princess to summon them, and they absolutely cannot and dare not let the princess wait for them.
If someone else came to Guangming Palace, they would definitely have to be informed, but Jiang He's coming was ordered in advance by Her Highness the Crown Princess, and he was in great favor at that time, so the servants in Guangming Palace let him in directly.
This is not Jiang He's first time to come to Guangming Palace.
But it was the first time he saw the deserted Guangming Hall.
The cabinet is a rosewood cabinet with carved dragon patterns, and the corner is an eight-fold screen made of black lacquer and inlaid with purple coral stone.
The table facing the southwest corner of the screen is made of Ling Shumo's favorite golden nanmu wood.
A small blue and white bowl with lotus pattern was placed in the middle of the table.
There were a few pieces of pastries vaguely placed in the bowl.
Jiang He walked over to the table and picked up the cake on top. A lifelike plum blossom was painted on it.
Jiang He found it quite curious and picked up another piece. This one had a pattern of plum branches covered in snow. He couldn't tell what the filling was, so he held it to his nose and sniffed carefully. Strangely, it didn't have the usual crispy sweet aroma, but instead had a subtle, balsamic fragrance.
Jiang He felt even more strange. He wanted to break the cake open, only to find that the crust of the cake in his hand was surprisingly hard. It didn't look like an edible dessert, but rather like a brick carved into the shape of a cake.
Moreover, the touch of his fingers on the pastries was strange, greasy and slippery. He held his fingers up to the candlelight and looked closely, only to see a layer of transparent film left on the fingertips where he had touched the pastries.
Jiang He suddenly remembered that he once put some pastries in the oven and baked them for too long. The pastries became as hard as bricks and could not be broken.
Just as he was wondering if the pastry was baked bad, he caught a glimpse of what appeared to be some white-green, stringy substance on another pastry in the bowl. He leaned over to take a closer look and saw that it was indeed moldy.
Jiang He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. The servants of Guangming Palace were so careless that they actually put spoiled food on the table. If Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess accidentally ate it, if anything happened to Her Royal Highness, those servants would be killed.
Jiang He threw the piece of cake in his hand back into the bowl. Thinking that it was moldy, he poured the cake and the porcelain bowl into the sieve.
After cleaning up, Jiang He felt his legs were a little sore from standing, so he sat down at the table.
This golden nanmu table is not used by Ling Shumo for office. It is filled with calligraphy and paintings. Jiang He couldn't stay idle, so he took out the things on the table one by one and rearranged them.
After finishing all this, Jiang He looked up at the sundial. His Majesty had told him to come at 5 p.m., but it was already the end of 5 p.m., almost past dinner time.
Jiang He sat in the room for a while, and his stomach started to rumble.
He raised his voice and called the servants waiting outside to bring him some food to fill his stomach.
The servant brought a plate of red bean cakes and a pot of fruit wine.
Jiang He pointed at the garbage bin on the ground and said, "When you go out, clean up the garbage in here."
The servant respectfully replied "yes" and placed a brand new slushie on the ground before taking out the slushie that contained the moldy cakes.
After the attendant left.
Jiang He was drowsy facing the empty room.
I don’t know how long I waited.
Finally, a voice came from the door, "Her Royal Highness has arrived."
Jiang He stood up suddenly.
He wanted to check if his makeup was smudged, so he looked around but couldn't find a mirror.
And at this time.
Ling Shumo had already walked in front of him. "I ran into something at the last minute and couldn't get away, so I'm late. I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting."
Jiang He's face showed no trace of disappointment; his eyes were filled with joy. "I didn't have to wait long," he said, as he began to straighten the wrinkles on his lilac dress. "Officer Maple Leaf taught me the dance 'Falling Plum Blossoms.' If Your Highness is willing, I will dance for you now."
Candles were now lit in the house.
The blue diamonds on Jiang He's belt were reflected by the firelight, emitting a dazzling brilliance.
Ling Shumo looked at Jiang He's soft and fair face, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
When she first came to favor Jiang He, she thought Jiang He looked somewhat like Pei Jiusheng, but the longer she was with him, the more clearly she understood that no matter how much Jiang He imitated Pei Jiusheng, he was not Pei Jiusheng.
Jiang He and Pei Jiusheng both possessed a lively nature rarely seen in aristocratic sons. Jiang He was genuinely innocent, like a beautiful girl from a small family. Pei Jiusheng's eyes, on the other hand, held a clear gaze.
Pei Jiusheng could clearly see through most things in this world. He understood that the pain he endured came from his mother, but he was powerless to resist. So, he could only endure it silently year after year.
After becoming the Princess Royal, Pei Jiusheng knew that he wanted to live in her heart forever rather than living for another three to five years, so he decisively and resolutely gave up his life.
Pei Jiusheng did get what he wanted.
Ling Shumo was almost crazy, wanting to find someone to replace Pei Jiusheng and fill the gap in her heart.
Compared to Pei Jiusheng's shrewdness, Jiang He was rather silly. But this did not offend Ling Shumo. On the contrary, Ling Shumo found Jiang He's silliness quite endearing. When Jiang He looked at her, his eyes were always sparkling. That kind of admiration without a trace of scheming could well satisfy a woman's vanity.
At this time, several servants carried in a guqin, and Fengye, who was responsible for accompanying Jiang He, also came in.
Jiang He checked again to make sure his accessories were all in order. He looked up and smiled at Ling Shumo, just as he was about to raise his sleeve to hide his face.
Ling Shumo, whose expression had been calm, suddenly had a sharp look in her eyes. She glanced at the golden nanmu table several times, her heart skipping a beat as a sinister thought suddenly flooded her mind. "Who touched the plate of plum blossom cakes on my table?"
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