Chapter 19 Awakening... He buried his head in her collarbone and hummed heavily...
In the early morning, birds chirped incessantly in the golden wire cage. The engraved silver gilt cage hook was lifted up, and several willow warblers flapped their wings and flew out, landing on the horizontal bar under the eaves, snuggling together in a row. From a distance, they looked like a string of emerald green balls, which were very lovely.
After feeding the birds, Qing'er clapped her hands and walked into the inner study.
A small jade incense burner on the table was puffing out white mist, and a gentle breeze blew through it, spreading a cool, moist air. Qing'er felt as if she were in a pine and cypress forest, and couldn't help but praise it: "This summer-cooling incense made by the young lady, when dipped in ice flakes, is even more effective than an ice jar."
Not hearing any echo, Qing'er looked up and saw Lin Meiju staring at the gift list for a long time, as if she was lost in thought.
Qing'er noticed a red patch behind her ear and asked, "Is your stiff neck feeling better, young lady?"
Lin Meizhu came back to her senses, her face a little unnatural. She subconsciously covered the red mark and said, "Well, it's much better now." But her mind unconsciously recalled the touch of Shen Changfeng's hot lips rubbing against the back of her ear. Although that happened the day before yesterday, when she thought about it now, she still felt that the cool fragrance in the room could not suppress the heat in her ears.
When she realized what was in her hand, she quickly let go and tried to get up, but someone pulled her back.
He said, "It's still early, let's take a rest."
Then the phoenix tassels on the bunk bed began to sway slowly.
Considering that Lin Meizhu hadn't fully recovered yet, he restrained his strength and only kissed her earlobe gently, until the pink earlobe turned into a plump and juicy pomegranate seed. If you ignore the palm pressing on the back of her hand and the breast pressing against her to prevent her from retreating, his movements could almost be described as gentle and carefree.
Just listening to his intermittent mumbling, even without doing anything, she soon broke out in a hot sweat, first on her back, then all over her body.
Lin Meizhu's face was as rosy as spring, and she bit her lips and dared not move.
The sticky heat was about to melt her, but he still felt it was not enough.
It was scorching hot, so hot it was frightening.
Although I had touched it before, the white jade plate was smooth and free of impurities, and every texture was extremely smooth. Even through the clothes, it had a special impact.
She was afraid that the stalagmite would explode from the heat.
After resting for a while, Qingsong outside the door had to remind him: "Prince, it's time to go to the morning court."
Shen Changfeng buried his head in her collarbone and hummed heavily, not knowing who he was talking to.
Qingsong fell silent, pacing back and forth in front of the door, floating around with resentment like a wandering soul.
Finally, when he passed by for the thirty-sixth time, Shen Changfeng called out, "Fetch some water!"
Before going to court, he asked Lin Meiju how many days it would take for Yue Xin to leave. She told him a number, and he nodded. With his hands still warm, he gently massaged and squeezed her soft waist, and said, "Okay."
Of course she knew what this meant, but every time she thought about it, she still felt anxious and irritated.
Even when Qing'er spoke in her ear, she realized that she had been distracted for a long time.
Qing'er rolled up the two bamboo curtains on the east side. A ray of sunlight was still hanging on the window frame, and the room inside suddenly became much brighter. Lin Meiju's pink and fluffy face was clearly visible.
Qing'er cried out and walked quickly towards her: "Miss, are you still feeling hot? Do you want someone to bring in another ice jar?"
Lin Meizhu lowered her head and finally found the place she had just seen. "No need. Maybe it's because I was sitting by the window and the sun was hot just now." She didn't want Qing'er to continue asking questions, so she quickly changed the subject and asked, "Has Madam Sun sent a doctor?"
Qing Er said unhappily, "I've seen it. I heard he's now alive and kicking in the kitchen, giving orders."
Lin Meizhu smiled faintly and said, "Why bother getting angry with her?"
It was Nanny Sun who was most enthusiastic in burning Lin Meiju's medical books. Qing'er remembered it clearly.
Qing Er sighed helplessly, "Young lady, you are the easiest to bribe!"
Nanny Sun knew that Lin Meiju would go to the backyard every morning to listen to the servants' reply, so she waited for her halfway, crying and saying that she had no face to stay in the mansion, and said goodbye to Lin Meiju.
Lin Meizhu pretended not to notice the dew on her head and walked forward with a hardened heart. Nanny Sun tremblingly took out a half-worn snack bag from her bosom and said, "I know that my sister has loved snacks since she was a child, so I secretly kept this little snack bag for myself."
This bag was made for Lin Meizhu by her grandmother, and it always contained small snacks that Chen Huisheng or Chuqi would gather for her. But after arriving in Beijing, Aunt Chen felt that her daughter was not slim enough, so she confiscated the bag.
Nanny Sun tied the bag back around Lin Meizhu's waist and said, "When I sent you back to Lingnan and your grandfather carried you there, I refused to let go even if I died. I... I really couldn't bear to let you go!"
"These past two days I've been thinking, my sister has really grown up. She manages such a huge palace so well. I did something wrong and deserve to be punished. I don't have anything to worry about anymore. I just hope that my sister can get along well with the prince in the future. Nothing else matters. The most important thing is to take care of yourself, okay?"
After saying this, Nanny Sun kowtowed three times solemnly, then stood up with the help of a wooden crutch. Her back was staggering and hunched, looking inexplicably desolate.
Lin Meizhu felt the heat in her palm and said slowly, "Mammy, please stay."
Although Lin Meiju resented Nanny Sun in her heart, she always remembered her kindness.
She said to Qing'er, "Madame Sun was ordered to take me back to Lingnan. She caught a cold on the way and nearly died. She also developed rheumatism. I can't be ungrateful. The kitchen is in need of help, so it's a good idea for her to go there."
There were some things she hadn't said. When she first arrived at the Lin residence, she cried and wanted to go back to Lingnan and was punished by kneeling. It was Nanny Sun who secretly watched her in the middle of the night with a piece of bread in her arms. When she didn't learn the rules well and her palms were beaten and swollen, it was Nanny Sun who applied medicine and comforted her: "Just bear with it, everything will be fine." But before she could finish her words, Nanny Sun burst into tears.
Lin Meiju knew that Nanny Sun might be as gossipy as other women, or perhaps she was also greedy and vain, but she felt that Nanny Sun was truly doing this for her own good.
Qing'er thought about it and chuckled, "After all, her heart is still with you. It's a good opportunity for her to teach those opportunists in the kitchen a lesson!"
Speaking of the kitchen, Lin Meizhu thought of the honest and hardworking Aunt Zhang and asked, "Is no one giving Aunt Zhang and the others any trouble?"
Qing'er said, "I followed the young lady's instructions and praised Aunt Zhang in front of everyone, thinking no one would dare to be presumptuous. Aunt Zhang was so grateful that she insisted on giving me a few jars of chili sauce as a thank you. Oh, my mouth is so spicy that it's swollen! If you didn't know better, you would think she was taking revenge on me!"
Lin Meizhu's tongue was moist. "I remember Auntie is from Lingnan. How come she is also so spicy?"
Qing'er smiled and said, "She said her family brought it here. Her sisters used to run an inn at the border of Huguang."
Lin Meizhu's eyes lit up and she said, "Could it be dogwood and fermented black bean sauce?"
Qing'er said, "That's right, have you eaten it, young lady?"
Lin Meizhu said, "My grandfather is from Hubei. Although I live in Lingnan, I can also eat spicy food." But at the Lin Mansion, it was good enough to have enough food to eat. At the Wang Mansion, I had to accommodate Shen Changfeng's taste. After listening to Qing'er's talk today, Lin Meizhu couldn't help but feel nostalgic.
Qing'er felt a little sad, and forced a smile, saying, "What's the difficulty? Since the prince won't be back home for the next two days, I'll risk my life to accompany the young lady and have a delicious meal!"
Lin Meizhu instructed, "The mung bean and lily soup that we cooked earlier should be chilled. Tell them to send it over later."
Qing'er covered her mouth and smiled, "I also want to be a colleague of the prince, so that I can enjoy the soup and cakes made by the young lady every day!"
Lin Meizhu scratched her nose: "You're the only one who's always talking nonsense! Go now!"
It turned out that not long after Shen Changfeng went to court, news of a fire suddenly came from the palace. He sent someone to deliver a verbal message and stayed in the office for the past few days.
Most of the Jinwu Guards in the palace came from noble families. Rather than relying on these young men with zero combat experience to protect him, it would be more accurate to say that they were being kept under constant surveillance. If this was just a simple fire, why would Shen Changfeng choose to stay in the palace?
Lin Meiju had a hunch that things were not that simple, but she had few social contacts in the capital, so she had no way to find out any information. She could only order the servants to bring him some clean clothes, and to ask the kitchen to send him food according to his taste over the next few days.
Thinking of the overt and covert disputes in the court, Lin Meiju felt uneasy. In order to prevent herself from having wild thoughts, she simply put down her pen and went to the corridor to relax.
The flower bed in the corner of the courtyard is full of vitality. The green buds that just emerged last night have grown taller and are shaking their tender leaves towards the morning sun.
Lin Meiju was cheered up, changed direction and walked towards the small garden.
It is called a flower garden, but in fact, only she knows best that it is actually a medicinal garden.
The most eye-catching places are planted with lilies and peonies, and further in are honeysuckle and mugwort. On both sides are scattered plantain and Houttuynia cordata with broad leaves. People who don’t know will just think they are ordinary green plants.
The servants thought that Lin Meiju was tending to the flowers and plants to recall the good old days and did not become suspicious.
Lin Meiju bent down and picked up the cut wild grass roots in the soil turned over by the hoe, thinking that the place here was more hidden, so what should she plant next?
Suddenly, there was laughter outside the wall. Lin Meiju knew that it was the businessman who was resting at the side door in the back street, so she couldn't help but listen.
"The fire in the palace library was caused by the Eighth Prince accidentally knocking over a lamp while drunk, wasn't it?"
"How is that possible? I just heard that the Emperor gave the Eighth Prince several hu of pearls. Did you hear it wrong? The Three Wise Princes have been receiving a lot of memorials lately."
Someone scoffed, "Don't you know this? This is all because the Third Prince's aide, that guy called Ai Duoxing, took one too many glances at the Emperor's new concubine when he entered the palace with the Third Prince, and that's why he was impeached!"
Someone laughed at him: "You're talking nonsense! That's Wu the Dwarf, the Mastermind! You can't even remember his name and you're talking nonsense here! Besides, he's not afraid of death!"
Amidst the laughter, someone said, "What does this have to do with the library? Why did the Eighth Prince get a reward? It's completely unrelated!"
The person being laughed at explained, "I think the Eighth Prince discovered something..."
The voice at the back became lower. Lin Meiju couldn't hear it clearly, but she couldn't help but frown.
Chuqi had told her that the more outrageous something was, the more likely it was to be true. Furthermore, she remembered that Wu the Shorty was indeed notorious for his lust and had even been accused of raping a young girl.
Lin Meiju thought about it carefully and found that she could not remember the final outcome of the lawsuit. She guessed that there was no follow-up.
She was thinking of ordering her servants to drive away all these troublemakers to avoid getting involved in trouble, when she suddenly heard a commotion in the backyard.
Someone came running over: "Princess, something bad has happened! Miss Qing'er and Nanny Sun are fighting!"
Lin Meizhu hurried out of the garden and asked, "What's going on?"
The servant said, "Madame Sun claimed to have lost several gold hairpins and insisted that Madam Zhang had stolen them. She wanted to have them expelled from the palace. Miss Qing'er happened to be in the kitchen getting some food, so she intervened, saying she would report this to the Crown Prince's wife first. Madame Sun refused, saying that we had both the witnesses and the evidence, and that you...were too soft-hearted to believe Madam Zhang's excuses."
"Miss Qing'er still felt something was wrong, so Madam Sun started scolding her... She used some very unpleasant words, and Miss Qing'er couldn't get angry enough, so she slapped Madam Sun in the face, and then a fight broke out."
When Lin Meiju rushed to the back room, she saw two people tumbling on the ground, one yellow and one black, fighting fiercely.
"Separate them!"
When Nanny Sun heard someone coming, she stopped and was about to cry, but Qing'er took advantage of the opportunity and pulled her curly hair and hit her in the face with the sole of her shoe. Nanny Sun screamed and pounced on Qing'er with her fat body, trying to strangle her.
Seeing the scene about to become chaotic, Lin Meizhu shouted, "Enough!"
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