Chapter 11 011 Not only is he shameless, he also knows how to make empty promises.
No matter how angry Qingli was, they were already in the same boat, and complaining wouldn't help. She lowered her eyes and sat on the round stool to calm her flustered and uneasy emotions. But the more she thought about it, the more her resentment intensified. Finally, she raised her eyelashes and glared at him hatefully.
Her eyes, freshly washed by tears, were like clear, moist springs in the mountains. Her glare, filled with anger and resentment, made Meng Qingshan's usually sharp face, as if carved by a knife, feel slightly warm. He knew this had caused her trouble, so he explained, "The Crown Prince and his entourage will arrive at Yanmen City in three days."
If the Prince of Dingxi continues to maintain such tight control, it might arouse suspicion. He thinks so, and the Prince of Dingxi will think so too, so we cannot relax our vigilance for the next three days.
She could only react to whatever came her way and take it one step at a time. Qingli blew out the candlesticks in the room, and the luminous pearl on the wall emitted a cold, shimmering light, which made her already jade-like face appear as if covered with a layer of autumn frost. She took a piece of charcoal-black cloth in her hand, stood on a round stool, and covered the luminous pearl with it.
A hand reached out from behind her, brushing across her delicate hand, and easily took the handkerchief to cover her hand. The room was instantly plunged into darkness, with the bright moonlight seeping in like a veil through the mist. She peered at his meticulous manner, smelling the blood filling her nostrils. After getting off the chair, she went to the back of the bed and pulled out a square pear wood box. Inside, a shallow layer contained her underwear. She reached the bottom and pushed, and a box popped out, containing various porcelain bottles and jars.
This box was prepared for her by Song Zhang, and it contained various pills and powders. She placed the box on the table, then turned and got into bed without lowering the bed curtains. She turned to the inside, listening to the rustling sounds of clothes being undressed outside. His breathing was steady and long, like gusts of wind brushing against her ears.
She tried to sleep for a long time but couldn't fall asleep, so she turned over. A broad, large chest was right in front of her. She turned back abruptly, disgusted by the rude and uncouth man, and closed her eyes to count to calm herself down.
Hearing the even, soft breathing coming from inside the bed, Meng Qingshan raised his eyes and stared blankly. She was facing inward, her body hunched over, a corner of the brocade quilt covering her body, her snow-white feet exposed. The redness and swelling were gone, and the delicate feeling from the massage still lingered in his palms. Her sleeping posture was still so bad.
He placed his gaze on the celadon vase on the table. It was a Longquan celadon vase with an official seal on the bottom, a piece of porcelain intended for the imperial court. How did it end up in her hands, thousands of miles from the capital? Five years had passed between them, and she no longer bore any trace of the care he had given her day and night. The mystery was shrouded in mist, and she even seemed to be subtly rejecting him. This feeling was truly unpleasant.
Qingli had been trapped inside the walls of hard chests all night. When she opened her eyes, she felt exhausted, as if she had been ground down by a stone mill. She smelled the aroma of hot tea and couldn't help but look in the direction of the aroma. The morning light shone into the room, and the rising steam softened the coldness on his face.
He wore a light blue brocade robe with crane patterns. His tall and imposing figure made the brocade robe look very elegant. His back was straight, and a jade belt around his waist made him look tall and slender. He was not a weak scholar, but a general with a resolute and tough demeanor and an indescribable noble air. This outfit was prepared in the mansion for all the concubines' quarters, just in case the Prince of Dingxi was unprepared. The Prince of Dingxi was also a general who led thousands of troops, but he had long been involved in the world of wealth and power and had long lost his spirit. On the contrary, he was full of vigor and had an indescribable air about him.
Meng Qingshan noticed that her eyes were dreamy, her face flushed with charm, and her soft, languid appearance made sleeping in bed extremely tempting. His wounds had been throbbing slightly last night, though not as agonizing as when he was injured on the battlefield. But the room was filled with her subtle fragrance, and he stayed awake from the time when the stars and moon shone until the first light of dawn.
She was a terrible sleeper, constantly struggling to break free of the quilt, her brows furrowed all night, seemingly troubled by something. She only settled down when the sky turned gray. Qingli had just woken up from her sleep, but her frustration made her reaction a little slow. When she saw him holding her favorite Hetian white jade teacup, she felt unusually annoyed.
"Jiang Yue!"
Soon, the door opened a crack, and Jiang Yue stepped in and closed it tightly again. With her head down, she deliberately walked around the round table and stood close to the wall to stand in front of her. Her timid appearance made her frown. Was Jiang Yue really that afraid of him? She stared at Meng Qingshan's face, suspecting that he had threatened Jiang Yue behind her back.
Besides disgust and hatred, she now had doubts growing. Meng Qingshan's fingers twitched, the warmth of the teacup slowly transferring to his fingers, and he finally regained his composure, ordering in a flat tone, "Have your mistress wash her face and serve her meal."
Jiang Yue trembled and respectfully curtsied, saying, "Yes."
Qingli watched as Jiang Yue obediently did as if under a spell. She could no longer bear it, so she stepped barefoot onto the carpet and looked Jiang Yue up and down. "What leverage do you have over Jiang Yue?"
A ray of sunlight shone on her snow-white feet, revealing the veins beneath her thin, soft skin. Her toes were round and pink, sometimes twitching up and down, revealing the fluctuations in her emotions. When she met his gaze, her ten fingers suddenly curled up, and then she stomped her feet in annoyance and returned to the bed. Through the light gauze curtains, she put on a pale yellow top and skirt, bent over to put on her shoes and socks, and her thick hair all slid to one side and hung low on the carpet.
Meng Qingshan suddenly had a thought: two maids were still too few.
Qingli usually has a small appetite, so she couldn't mention the meal too much and arouse suspicion. She only ate a couple of bites of the three dishes, one soup, two staple foods, and two pastries before her stomach was full. Meng Qingshan saw her put down her chopsticks and cleaned up the rest of the food, almost devouring it in a whirlwind. In the end, she also drank two large pots of tea.
Qingli was used to it. Although she grew up in a poor alley, she had never suffered since childhood. When Meng Qingshan got a little older and started earning money, he lived a more comfortable life than daughters from ordinary families. Her adoptive mother had suffered too much and always kept her son's wages to herself, planning to find him a good wife. However, after paying his mother's share, Meng Qingshan would still have some cash on hand every day to buy her some pastries and snacks. Fearing that his adoptive mother would find out, he would happily clean up the leftovers when she stopped eating them.
Just then, Jiang Zhao returned from gathering information. She suppressed her slightly turbulent thoughts, and the usually bold Jiang Zhao became more serious in front of him. "Rongde ordered everyone to stay in the courtyard and not leave. Anyone who wanders around will be beaten to death. I went around the kitchen, and the maids thought I was catching a thief who stole the treasure. Before I came back, I saw Lord Shen and Rongde leading people to search the backyard."
A blind cat stumbled upon a dead mouse; he was none other than the thief. But this thief had no interest in treasures; he was going to tear a hole in the roof of the Prince of Dingxi's mansion.
The worst fear is that before the hole is even opened, a bolt of lightning strikes and the victim dies, while innocent bystanders are also caught in the crossfire.
She looked at him intently, waiting to see what he would do next. Her blatant helplessness, rather than her refusal to do anything, made Meng Qingshan pause. He assumed she was just hoping he would take the opportunity to escape. He remained calm and said indifferently, "Thank you for your trouble."
Where did he get the nerve to spout such nonsense? What did she deserve? Why should she deserve any help? Two blushes flew onto Qingli's fair cheeks, which were flushed from the atmosphere. Her breathing was uneven, causing her body to bounce up and down. She hadn't gotten any benefits at all!
"If we can overcome this dangerous hurdle, we can exchange it for one more condition."
Qing Li's bright red lips trembled with excitement. How could he be so shameless? He was just making empty promises. The old promises hadn't even been fulfilled yet, and a new one was already being arranged. But she was already in her room. She said indignantly, "You'd better remember what you said."
After saying that, she ignored her and instructed Jiang Zhao that no one was allowed to come up without her permission. Jiang Zhao bowed and retreated. His tall figure made him very noticeable in the room. Taoyuan Pavilion was high up and easy to be spied on, so the window was only slightly opened for ventilation. However, the bright morning sun turned into dark clouds by noon, which blocked out the sun and made the room gloomy. Even with the window open, there was no wind at all.
One of them sat on the edge of the bed reading, while the other sat at the round table reading. With nothing else to do, she searched through a great many miscellaneous books, including astronomy, geography, medicine, anecdotes, and even unofficial histories. She had some of her own imaginative annotations on them, but she knew he wasn't very well-read and probably wouldn't understand them anyway. With that in mind, she just read along with him, without feeling ashamed.
As evening fell, the oppressive, thick air almost stagnated, creating an eerie silence as if a storm was brewing. Then, a streak of silver light flashed across the sky, and Rongde's shrill voice came from afar, followed by Madam Ling's sweet voice complaining about the guards' rudeness and how they had ransacked the house.
A clap of thunder struck, and Qingli's heart skipped a beat. With unease, she subconsciously looked at him, only to find him unmoved, calm and collected. His sharp and superior features appeared even more profound under the lightning. His composure also infected her. "An impregnable defense is not as good as taking the initiative."
She didn't know what he would do after she took the initiative, but he was indeed bold. She had to admit that no matter how she tried to deny it, her subtle resistance did come from his influence, and she had resorted to unconventional methods in a crisis.
She got up and walked towards the door. The tacit understanding that the two had formed since childhood turned into mutual trust at this moment. Qingli nodded to Jiang Yue and Jiang Zhao and walked down the stairs. Yingshui and Yingyue saw the lady come down and came up to her, but they did not expect that the lady would walk straight to the door.
The door opened, and a light drizzle pattered against her dress. Qingli instinctively lowered her head. A silver light flashed across the sky like an arrow illuminating the night, also illuminating the raindrops that had formed beads on her porcelain-white face. Like a flower branch being swept up in a downpour, her soft and delicate beauty was being ravaged. Those outside the door instinctively felt more pity for her. Rongde, in particular, looked on with unbearable sorrow, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart that the Lady Consort was indeed incomparably beautiful.
Qingli was surprised to find a large group of people standing outside the door when she opened it. She took two steps back in fear, trying her best to remain calm, but her voice trembled, "Lord Shen, Steward Rongde, what brings you to Taoyuan Pavilion?"
Rongde smiled gently and explained, "Madam, it was that little thief again yesterday. He came to the manor to steal again, but was surrounded by the guards. Fearing that he might offend the women in the inner courtyard, he had no choice but to search the courtyard by courtyard."
Qingli's face paled upon hearing this, her breath caught in her throat, and she asked worriedly, "Have you found it?"
Rongde's smile faltered, a little embarrassed. He had been searching all day, but the person seemed to have vanished into thin air. He chuckled and said, "Just started looking, just started looking."
She stepped aside and said very considerately, "Then we still need to look carefully."
Rongde waved his hand, and dozens of guards rushed into the narrow Peach Blossom Pavilion. Their wet footprints were everywhere, even leading up the stairs. Jiang Zhao echoed, "Don't touch the madam's things."
Rongde instructed from below, "Be careful, everyone."
She paid no heed to the commotion behind her or the guards inside, but anxiously peered out the door. Just as she hesitated for a moment and took a step out, her wrist was grabbed by a cold hand, and half of her arm instantly felt like it had fallen into an ice cellar. She instinctively struggled and glared at Shen Yongning standing under the eaves. His priceless gold-plated robe, which remained dry even in rain and snow, exuded a chilling aura.
She curtsied, "Lord Shen."
Seeing her frequently looking outside, Shen Yongning handed her a handkerchief embroidered with her name. The lake-blue silk was embroidered with a pear branch, and a green pear appeared in the shape of the white pear blossoms. He looked up at the wide-open window and saw butterflies fluttering towards his face, carrying a light and lingering fragrance.
She was overjoyed at the sight of it, and hurriedly accepted it, saying with a touch of sincerity, "Thank you, Lord Shen."
A row of fine eyelashes obscured her clear, bright eyes. Shen Yongning wanted to make her look up, but she was already the favorite concubine of the Prince of Dingxi. He shouldn't do that. He was meticulous, but there was one thing he still regretted.
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