Lu Jinshu spat out the ginseng slice in his mouth and asked breathlessly, "Where's the child? I haven't met Xihe yet."
Jiufu said, "Her Highness the Princess is looking at our Grand Duke right now. I will go out and bring him in."
Soon, Jiufu came to Lu Jinshu with the child in his arms. The moment he saw the child, the look in Lu Jinshu's eyes became extremely gentle. All the suffering he had endured from pregnancy to childbirth was worth it to be able to give birth to a daughter for His Highness.
Fu Yijing's gaze also fell on Ling Xihe's face. What a lovely child! His hand unconsciously stroked his flat belly. He wondered when he would be able to conceive the Crown Princess's child. He really wanted to have a child with the woman he loved so much.
Fu Yijing stayed in Chenyou Hall until midnight before leaving. Although he made many sarcastic remarks, he still did what was required of him. He supervised the servants to take good care of Lu Jinshu. He provided him with everything from food, clothing, shelter and transportation. No one could find fault with him.
The next day.
Someone from the Anxiang Palace came to invite Ling Shumo over, and Jiang He said she had prepared a surprise for her. When Ling Shumo arrived, she found Xue Wu there too.
Jiang He and her partner were both wearing dance dresses with wide sleeves and narrow waists, and had matching makeup on their faces.
Jiang He looked at Ling Shumo and smiled, "I once asked Your Highness who danced better, me or Xue Liangjun. Your Highness praised me then, but now I realize that Your Highness was lying. Xue Liangjun's waist is so much softer than mine. When he danced with his long sleeves, even I, a man, was completely mesmerized."
Xue Wu smiled a little embarrassedly, covering his lips with his hands. "Jiang He, your basic skills are actually quite solid. You are so humble to praise me so much and belittle yourself." He said, turning his bright eyes to Ling Shumo, "This minister and Jiang He have choreographed a duet together. We have been practicing secretly for nearly three months. We have finally mastered it and wanted to show it to His Highness."
Ling Shumo had never seen the men in her backyard perform their talents together, so she immediately became interested. She found a chair and sat down, her eyes indicating that one or two of them were ready to start.
Jiang He turned around and smiled at Xue Wu, then the two of them stood back to back in tacit understanding.
The two of them had little in common at first, until last winter, when they both joined Fu Yijing's faction and spent much time together in Fuyao Palace, gradually becoming close friends. Xue Wu, once the most beautiful woman in Zhongdu, was proficient in all kinds of musical instruments and songs. Jiang He's dancing skills improved over time as they spent time together, and the two of them often practiced together, often staying together for entire days.
It was still daytime. The attendants of the Anxiang Hall had drawn all the curtains, extinguished the candles, and placed a pure white screen in the center of the room. Xue Wu, with her sleeves raised, danced gracefully in front of the screen, while Jiang He circled behind it and lit the oil lamp behind it. He cast a shadow with his body, matching Xue Wu's dance in front.
Xue Wu's dance moves were graceful, his twirling and leaping movements making his body feel as supple as a cloud, as if he could easily assume any pose. He clasped the fan in his hand, using it as a brush to paint in the air.
At this moment, the candles around lit up.
Ling Shumo was surprised to find that the pure white screen behind her was gradually blooming with plum blossoms as Xue Wu moved his folding fan. Looking closely, she saw that Jiang He was painting behind the screen.
Xue Wu stood on tiptoe and spun several times. The folding fan in his hand was like a wonderful brush and a silk string, and the flowing water and clouds were like dragons and phoenixes dancing. Wherever he went, he left brilliant colors on the screen behind him.
Ling Shumo stared at Xue Wu without blinking, and Xue Wu looked back at her. Her beautiful eyes seemed to be full of charm.
The song ends.
Xue Wu covered his face with a fan and stopped in front of Ling Shumo. Ling Shumo reached out and pushed the fan away from him, unable to resist praising him, "Every time I see you, I think you're more beautiful than the last time."
Xue Wu lowered her head shyly. Ling Shumo's feeling wasn't an illusion. He had been taking a lot of drugs to improve his appearance. Those drugs were all found for him by Fu Yijing. After taking them, he would never be able to have children. But since the miscarriage of his last child, he was already unable to have children, so he decided to give up.
Fu Yijing said that when the princess had more children, she would adopt one of them under his name, giving him a safe place to live for the rest of his life. Xue Wu had no other choice but to follow Fu Yijing, the princess, wholeheartedly.
When Jiang He walked out from behind the screen, Ling Shumo was gently holding Xue Wu's hand, and Xue casually placed the folding fan in his hand on the table, stood on tiptoe, and kissed Ling Shumo on the cheek.
As she moved, the faint sweet scent of osmanthus from Xue Wu drifted into Ling Shumo's nose. As Ling Shumo looked at the stunning face of the beauty so close to her, she instantly forgot everyone in the room and kissed Xue Wu's soft and sweet lips.
Jiang He's dress was a light orange. Because he'd been painting so extensively on the screen, his sleeves and hem were now stained with various colors, making it look particularly messy. The dance he'd just performed with Xue Wu wasn't so much a duet as it was a dance for Xue Wu. He'd put in a lot of effort, and his arms had become numb from rehearsals, but in the end, he was just Xue Wu's foil.
Ling Shumo lingered on the kiss for a long time. When she raised her head again, she met Jiang He's gaze. She didn't feel awkward at all and said with a smile, "I have something I want to talk to Xue Liangjun about alone. We'll be leaving now. I'll come see you another day."
Jiang He smiled, hoisting her skirt as she ran over. "Then I'll escort you two to the main entrance." And so, he watched as Ling Shumo and Xue Wu left the Anxiang Palace arm in arm. Though a pang of sadness lingered within him, his expression remained unchanged. This was what had been agreed upon from the beginning. This time, he would serve as Xue Wu's foil; the next time he appeared before His Highness, Xue Wu would give him the opportunity.
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