Chapter 63 Chapter 63 "This is a cold handkerchief, Madam, wipe it. ...
The crimson palace walls cut the dark blue sky into sharp-edged blocks. A cold wind blew the white snow as it whistled past the end of the corridor.
Sheng Puzhu stood in the wind, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed by the wind, and she subconsciously raised her hand to cover them.
Xie Zhiyan suddenly took a step aside, and his tall body slightly turned sideways, half blocking her in front of him. Using the cover of his sleeves, he held one of her hands tightly.
"Stand closer."
His voice mixed with the wind and sounded a little deeper than usual.
Sheng Puzhu's heart beat fast and his face felt hot, but he was afraid that he would notice something, so he pretended to be calm and said "hmm" lightly.
The two were so close that they could smell each other's cold fragrance blown by the wind. In order to match her speed, he seemed to have been deliberately slowing down his pace.
Sheng Puzhu always behaves dignified, even cautious, when he is outside.
Xie Zhiyan's behavior really made her feel overwhelmed. In the deep palace, there were eyes everywhere. Even if the couple had a deep affection for each other, such intimacy would be suspected of being blatant.
Fortunately, they didn't meet any familiar elders along the way. After passing an inconspicuous goldfish pond, Xie Zhiyan took her to a palace that could be considered remote.
Open the door and take her in.
Before closing the door, Xie Zhiyan pointed forward and whispered, "Over there is the Purple Palace, where the Saint usually reviews documents."
Sheng Puzhu couldn't help but be secretly astonished. He didn't expect that this seemingly secluded side hall was actually located in the Daming Palace and adjacent to the Zichen Hall. This showed how much favor Xie Zhiyan enjoyed in the heart of the saint. Perhaps, apart from the prince, there was no one else like him.
The furnishings in the side hall were much simpler than she had imagined. A rosewood armchair was placed awkwardly by the window. Sheng Bozhu was a little curious about the view outside the window, but when she reached out to push it, the window seemed to be sealed tightly from the outside in.
Xie Zhiyan didn't explain, but took her hand and walked into the inner room.
There is a bed and a desk, but the four walls are covered with towering bookshelves. Layers of bamboo slips and thread-bound books fill every inch of the shelves. The rich scent of ink makes people feel like they are in an unimaginable spectacle.
"Are these the books that you have read, sir?" Sheng Puzhu asked each word softly, with a hint of curiosity at the end of her tone.
"Yeah." Xie Zhiyan did not deny it, but his voice was a little lower.
"Read a book? Or go lie down on the couch and take a nap?"
Sheng Puzhu got up before dawn today, washed and dressed, and then followed Princess Shoukang into the palace. It would be a lie to say that he was not tired, but when he thought about the narrow couch, where he had slept alone, the sheets and quilts were probably all filled with his scent.
She felt nervous just thinking about it, let alone sleeping on it.
"Let me read a book." Sheng Puzhu stopped and casually pulled a book from the bookshelf.
When she turned a page, she was stunned.
Although the two of them didn't communicate much, she had seen his handwriting, which was as elegant and noble as he was, with every stroke showing his unyielding character.
Xie Zhiyan stood there calmly and indifferently, not intending to explain.
Sheng Puzhu picked up another book, still with the same handwriting. After flipping through five or six books, she seemed to be certain: "Were all the books here copied by you personally?"
"yes."
Sheng Puzhu stared at him for a moment, feeling it was absurd, but also seemed to have glimpsed a hint of the deep emotions hidden in his heart.
"Because the palace is too boring?"
Xie Zhiyan suddenly reached out, as if to confirm something. His fingertips landed on her cheek, touching her earlobe and pinching the tiny red mole on her earlobe. "It wasn't boring. We were very busy every day back then."
"I have to study with my teacher, practice martial arts, and also ride and shoot. I also have to spare half an hour every day to go to Xingqing Palace to talk with my grandmother. Jiulang is not in good health. If he is sick, I have to accompany him."
"Then why do you need to copy so many books?" Sheng Puzhu walked towards him slowly and asked in a relaxed tone.
Xie Zhiyan smiled silently, slowly pulled out a book from the top of the bookshelf, opened it, and the paper was yellowed, and the handwriting had become blurred due to the passage of time.
In fact, he didn't know why he had to copy books. The first time he stayed overnight in the palace was when he was just about to start learning. He slept alone in the spacious hall and was afraid at night. He remembered his mother's advice in his heart: if he was afraid, he should read more and talk less.
But reading books was useless, so he could only copy them, because calligraphy can calm the mind, that's what his grandfather told him.
Whenever he felt upset, he would copy books seriously. Gradually, he spent more and more time in the palace. He would copy books when he felt lonely, when he was in a bad mood, and when he was wronged, day after day, year after year.
Even though he grew older and no longer needed to copy books and meditate, once a habit is formed, it is actually very difficult to completely change it.
Xie Zhiyan lowered his eyes and twitched his lips nonchalantly: "It's been too long, I've forgotten."
Did you really forget?
Sheng Puzhu took the yellowed book from his hand. He could see that the handwriting was still very childish, and some places were even stained with ink that had been accidentally smeared on them.
She pressed her white fingertips on the dirty mark, hesitated for a moment, reached out unnaturally, and leaned towards him.
Like a dragonfly skimming the water, it leaves in an instant.
Xie Zhiyan's eyes moved slightly. It was rare for him to lose control of his emotions.
Sheng Puzhu had already stepped away, her almond-shaped eyes smiling faintly like a crescent moon: "My dear, go and do your work. I'll just read."
"I have nothing to do today." Xie Zhiyan simply sat down on the chair next to the bookshelf. He spread his legs, rested one hand on his knee, and casually pulled out a Buddhist scripture with the other hand.
He actually didn't believe in Buddhism, but in the years after his grandfather passed away, he couldn't calm down at all, even copying books. It was his grandmother who asked his mother to send him a few volumes of Buddhist scriptures to the palace. He copied some of them every day, and slowly came out of the state of almost collapse.
Sheng Puzhu walked around the bookshelf. She was good at reading, but that didn't mean she liked reading obscure texts. Of course, she loved drawing books more than anything else.
Unfortunately, people like Xie Zhiyan probably won't waste time reading storybooks.
Just as he was about to turn around, he caught a glimpse of the bottom corner of the bookshelf.
A book so thin that it could be ignored was hidden among the piles of books as thick as bricks, standing out for no reason.
She squatted down, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Unfortunately, just as her fingertips touched the spine of the book, Xie Zhiyan leaned over and held her in his arms. His long arm passed over her shoulders and slowly held down her hand that was about to pull the book out.
"Madam." "Why don't you just ignore this book?" Xie Zhiyan looked at her, his voice low and helpless.
Not allowed to watch?
Could it really be a storybook?
Sheng Puzhu came back to her senses from her shock and looked up at him. Her rosy, plump lips seemed to be alluring. "Is it that I can't look, or does my husband not want me to look?"
Xie Zhiyan nodded in understanding, releasing the tender hand he had pressed against his palm. His eyes were filled with undisguised amusement, and he said honestly, "I'm afraid my wife will be angry after reading this."
How could I be angry?
Sheng Puzhu thought she was a very generous girl, kindhearted and reasonable in everything she did: "I promise, I won't get angry."
It's just a book, what's there to be angry about?
If you can get angry, that would be an exaggeration.
Since Xie Zhiyan let go, she naturally didn't have to be polite.
The thin book looks very new, as if it was written recently, and it has a strong scent of ink when it is opened.
There was a rustling sound of papers, and Sheng Puzhu turned a page with full of curiosity.
Well, it doesn’t look like a storybook.
"The heart of the flower is soft and filled with dew in spring."
"The flowers in the mountains are full of spring."
"Holding spring in your mouth..."
It’s a very elegant name, and it is accompanied by explanations of various postures. Although there are no pictures, it is useful for girls who have already had sex.
"What is this?" Sheng Puzhu felt the book in her hand was hot and her whole body felt like it was on fire. She asked in a lost voice.
"As Madam can see, this is what I have been learning recently." Xie Zhiyan looked at her and said calmly.
"But this...what is this?" Sheng Puzhu couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.
"It's a fire avoidance diagram. I copied some of the text."
"But don't worry, Madam. I have already remembered what to do when the time comes. Don't worry."
"That's not what I meant?" Sheng Puju's mind was in a mess and he didn't know how to explain.
Xie Zhiyan's calm eyes deepened slightly: "What does the madam mean?"
"Do you feel it's not enough, or are you dissatisfied with the posture?"
"I will naturally relearn and reflect."
Sheng Puzhu was shaking his head so hard that it almost turned into a rattle. Who asked him to learn to reflect on himself?
This kind of thing can be discussed openly. She whispered, "My dear, you are too reckless."
Xie Zhiyan smiled, slowly straightened up, and slowly pushed the thin booklet back into an inconspicuous place on the bookshelf. "I didn't want to let you know, but since Madam is curious, I naturally won't stop you."
"And it's agreed."
"Not angry."
Sheng Puzhu was stifled by her previous words. She licked her dry lips and said angrily, "This is the palace. How can my husband write such things?"
Xie Zhiyan said frankly: "Because the books I studied were found in the library in the palace."
Sheng Puzhu: "..."
That’s right. The world is so big that if a saint wants to have children, he must have enlightenment books.
But that’s not the point at all now!
She met Xie Zhiyan's half-smile and her heart beat faster. She swallowed and thought of the text she had accidentally seen.
"Hold spring in your mouth."
Could it be that's what she thought?
Crazy!
It's crazy!
How could he copy down such words?
She already felt that the previous few times were too much. If she really did what was written in this booklet, she thought she might die.
He was not killed by being hit by him, but by being drowned by the water.
"Madam, what are you thinking about?" Xie Zhiyan sighed, his voice a little hoarse.
Sheng Puzhu covered her burning face tightly with her hands, revealing only her eyes, and panted softly, "I'm not imagining things, please don't misunderstand me."
"Random thoughts?" Xie Zhiyan seemed to laugh, his tone was very slow, as if he wanted to pronounce these two words with deep meaning. His eyes swept across her exposed neck inch by inch, silent but louder than words, as if they had substance.
"This is a cold handkerchief, Madam, wipe it."
"In another quarter of an hour, we should set off to have dinner at Hanyuan Hall."
The way he looked at her was reflected in the candlelight, and she could even clearly see her own reflection in it.
But Sheng Puzhu knew that these were just appearances. Although it seemed calm, there were actually turbulent undercurrents.
Xie Zhiyan is like a wolf that is good at camouflage. Hidden deep in his eyes is not only a deceptive bait, but also a sharp hook that can drag her into the abyss at any time.
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