Chapter 45 Chapter 45 When the candlelight was about to go out, Xie Zhiyan...
When the candlelight was about to go out, Xie Zhiyan pushed open the door of the main room of Yunyu Hall.
Sheng Puzhu was half curled up on the inside of the bed, hugging the brocade quilt. Her long black hair was spread on the soft Shu brocade pillow, still slightly moist.
She must have just taken a shower. There was a faint scent of soap in the air. The room was quiet, with only the dim candlelight swaying and falling on the ground.
Xie Zhiyan stood by the bed for a while, his crimson robe stained with the cold dew of the night, which quietly and silently blended into the warm fragrance of the tent.
He reached out and brushed away a strand of hair from Sheng Puzhu's cheek, his fingertips inadvertently touching the skin behind her ear, which felt more delicate than silk.
"Hmm..." Sheng Puzhu suddenly felt a slight chill on the side of her neck while she was sleeping. She hummed unconsciously, and her long eyelashes trembled as she opened her eyes. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were still filled with sleepiness. She subconsciously shrank into the quilt, revealing a section of her fair and slender neck.
"Did I wake you up?" Xie Zhiyan said in a low voice, slowly untied the belt around his waist and placed it on the small table beside the bed.
Sheng Puzhu shook her head and tried to stand up, but he pushed her back down easily.
"No need to get up, just lie down."
His fingertips lingered on her shoulder for a moment, carrying the coolness of the night dew. Sheng Puzhu was in a hazy sleep and could barely see his figure.
The candlelight outside the tent shone through the gauze curtain, casting a soft halo on the man's flawless outline.
"Change the incense?" Xie Zhiyan suddenly frowned, his brows still gentle, but his voice was darker than the night. Change the incense?
Which fragrance should I change to?
Sheng Puzhu was stunned at first, a little surprised.
Could it be that she went to Linlang Pavilion today and was contaminated by the incense on those young men and didn't wash it off?
Impossible!
She changed her clothes soon after returning to the room. After taking a bath, she was afraid that he would notice something unusual, so she specifically asked Madam Du to fumigate the room with frankincense.
Could it be possible that you can even smell this?
"I haven't changed it." Sheng Puzhu suddenly became more sober. She forced herself to remain calm and shook her head.
"Really?" Xie Zhiyan's tall figure stood outside the tent, his fingertips stroking her delicate jaw from time to time.
"Maybe I smelled it wrong."
Sheng Puzhu couldn't stand the itch, her neck turned red, and she shrank even deeper into the brocade quilt.
"The fragrance is too strong and not suitable for Madam." Xie Zhiyan leaned over, his tall nose brushed heavily against her cheek, and his thin lips touched her fair earlobe, neither lightly nor heavily. She was so frightened that her back straightened and her body trembled uncontrollably.
“There is no best.”
Their eyes met, and he looked at her, his pupils dark and dark.
Sheng Puzhu's breathing unconsciously became lighter, as if it was a little heavier. The man in front of her hid his emotions very well and appeared to be a gentleman.
He would expose her lies without hesitation in the next moment.
As dawn turned to dusk, Sheng Puzhu struggled to wake up from his dream.
She heard the sound of even breathing, turned around, and saw Xie Zhiyan lying on his back with his eyes closed.
It was a very standard sleeping position, with bright and clear eyes and long eyelashes casting shadows under her eyes. The scent of last night's bath was still there, mixed with the warmth in the tent, trapping her in this small space.
This was the first time Sheng Puzhu saw him sleeping, which was different from the sharp look when he was awake.
She quietly raised herself up and was about to get up.
"Madam." The deep voice sounded almost close to Sheng Puzhu's ear, startling her and making her fingertips tremble.
Xie Zhiyan had opened his eyes without knowing when, and there was no trace of sleepiness in his dark eyes.
"kindness."
"My dear, I should get up. There is a full moon banquet in the mansion today. There are many guests. I can't be late."
"If Madam feels that the housekeeper is too hard-working, I can go and talk to my grandmother." Xie Zhiyan suddenly spoke.
Sheng Puzhu was stunned for a moment, and just as she was about to nod, her rationality made her refuse calmly.
"Taking care of the inner house and serving the elders are my responsibilities as the eldest daughter-in-law."
"My aunt is still not well, and my grandmother is getting older, so she hates overwork."
Xie Zhiyan was not satisfied with Sheng Puju's unhesitating rejection, but he was always calm and restrained, so even if he was dissatisfied in his heart, he would not show it obviously.
The feeling that made him feel depressed was like the winter wind with icy chips. When he inhaled it into his lungs, a few breaths would be enough to silently press the coldness into his chest.
A ray of morning light penetrated the curtain and fell on his handsome eyebrows.
"Okay, I understand." Xie Zhiyan raised his eyes calmly, nodded slowly, and spoke in a very calm tone.
The room was silent. Sheng Puzhu didn't dare to look up at him. He reached out to lift the curtain and called for help from outside.
Nanny Du tiptoed into the inner room to help with washing and brushing her teeth. Neither the couple spoke again.
The Duke Jingguo's Mansion is bustling today, and all the female relatives from the Marquis Mingde's Mansion are here.
The happiest person among them was Sheng Puyao, the fourth lady of the Sheng family.
Because Qin was not well and could not stand the cold wind, Sheng Puzhu had to go and greet the guests on her behalf.
In front of the hanging flower gate, Sheng Puyao jumped up and down: "Big sister."
Like a bird out of its cage, she flew to Sheng Puzhu's house, then pulled out a candy from her purse and personally stuffed it into Sheng Puzhu's pocket like offering a treasure: "Sister, try this! Yesterday, my mother and I made pine nut candy together. Grandma and my sisters at home all said it was delicious."
Madam Sheng smiled lovingly, "Don't mess around with her. That bag of pine nut candies is for you."
"Your mother is worried that she might damage her teeth, so she has told everyone in the family not to give her candy secretly."
"I begged and pleaded until I agreed to only take one pill a day. If Puyao hadn't said she wanted to bring it to you to try, your mother wouldn't have allowed her to bring it to you."
"Grandma." Sheng Puyao was anxious.
Sheng Puzhu hooked the purse hanging on Sheng Puyao's waist and teased her deliberately: "Are these all for me?"
Sheng Puyao said pitifully: "Sis likes it, then take it all, it's not impossible."
"Big sister, please don't spoil Puyao, or she'll damage her teeth and start crying when her teeth ache."
Sheng Puzhu first took the elders and sisters in the family to Yishou Hall. Old Madam Sheng stayed to chat, and the younger sisters of the Sheng family were entertained by Xie Qingshu, Xie Lingyi and Xie Lingxi.
The mansion was bustling with activity, and naturally there were many guests. Sheng Puzhu was so busy that he didn't even have a sip of tea.
Fortunately, even though Qin was still weak, she managed to find the energy to entertain the guests in the flower hall.
When she saw Sheng Mingshu, she was naturally more enthusiastic than other girls. She pulled her closer and took a closer look. The more she looked, the more satisfied she felt.
Old Madam Xie also nodded secretly, but as if she didn't understand the anxiety in Qin's eyes, she only allowed Sheng Mingshu to go to the garden to appreciate the flowers.
Qin was a little anxious, but she didn't dare to act rashly because she was under pressure from her elders.
After all, a month had passed, her daughter-in-law had already left confinement, and her eldest son's injuries had not yet healed. At today's full-moon banquet, he only came out to entertain the guests for less than half an hour before being hurriedly escorted back by a servant.
As for the daughter-in-law, perhaps because she was hurt by the childbirth, her attitude towards the eldest son seemed much colder than before. Qin was worried and confused, and she couldn't think of a good excuse to ask the second son to come over.
When lunch was over and most of the guests had left, the old lady patted Madam Sheng's hand and whispered, "There were so many people around just now, and my grandson couldn't move around easily, so he didn't get to greet you."
"If you don't mind, I'll let Ji Yan come over."
Madam Sheng just smiled and nodded: "Mingshu is introverted, I'll ask her to go behind the screen first, do you think it's okay?"
Xie Jiyan bowed to Old Madam Sheng, while Sheng Puju and her sister hid behind the screen.
The wheelchair made a heavy sound as it pressed against the blue bricks. Xie Jiyan's eyes inadvertently swept across the two shadows behind the screen, who were equally tall and slender. He was stunned for a moment, then looked away as if nothing had happened.
"Do you want to meet him?" Sheng Puzhu asked in a low voice.
Sheng Mingshu bit her lower lip: "Sister, can you accompany me?"
"When I was strolling around the garden with the Xie sisters just now, I saw a waterside pavilion in the small garden. Is my sister waiting for me outside?"
"I've come here anyway. If I don't see you, I'll seem petty."
"Okay." Sheng Puzhu nodded. If you don't like it, I can just go and reject Qin.
"Um."
The bamboo curtains on all four sides of the water pavilion are half-drawn, and when the wind blows, they make a rustling sound.
Xie Jiyan had a thick velvet blanket covering his knees, with his hands casually placed on his knees. His deep and emotionless eyes suddenly lifted up and fell on the face that was somewhat familiar.
"Second Madam Sheng."
Sheng Mingshu trembled, then carefully took half a step back and stood far away from him.
"Yeah." She didn't dare look at him, and could only let her gaze fall on the water, on the shadows of the two people, one standing and one sitting.
"I'm a disabled person, how could Second Madam Sheng agree to see me?" Xie Jiyan spoke slowly, but he made his words clear and extremely straightforward.
Sheng Mingshu also didn't expect him to ask this question. She was so shocked that she couldn't help but tell the truth: "I..."
"I just feel that you are safer than other gentlemen."
"At least..." she said with some guilt, "I can run faster than you."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't think like that, but that's indeed the reason."
Xie Jiyan was not angry, he was even a little happy. At least she was the first person to tell the truth after he was injured.
At least she looked at the fact that he could no longer stand up from a normal person's perspective, instead of being like the relatives in the mansion, who were all cautious and did not dare to talk about his completely broken legs so bluntly.
Xie Jiyan's eyes revealed a faint smile: "You don't have to apologize, this is the fact."
The two were very far apart, and in just a cup of tea, a maid came over and asked Sheng Mingshu to leave.
"Sister." Sheng Mingshu smiled at Sheng Puju.
"Like it?" Sheng Puzhu asked.
Sheng Mingshu said honestly, "I don't know, but the young man from the Xie family seems to have a gentle temperament and doesn't seem like a bad person."
Sheng Puzhu was silent for a moment, then smiled helplessly and said, "Then who do you think looks like a bad guy?"
"If you don't like it, you don't have to force it, okay?"
Sheng Mingshu nodded: "I know, and my mother and father also said yesterday that it would be fine even if they had to support me for the rest of my life."
"That's right, sister."
Sheng Mingshu hesitated for a moment, then whispered in Sheng Puzhu's ear, "My grandmother called me yesterday and said that Lu Siqing had invited Princess An to propose marriage and asked for my opinion."
"I was shocked."
"I felt that Lu Siqing was cold and never smiled, and looked like a bad guy. I rejected him without a second thought."
Apart from my grandmother, only my mother and father knew about this. Princess An came here privately and did not alert anyone else.
Lu Siqing?
Sheng Puzhu inexplicably thought of that serious face.
She took a deep breath and said, "Just keep it to yourself. Don't tell your sisters at home. Since it was mentioned privately, just pretend it never happened."
"Um."
At night, Sheng Puzhu did not sleep. He held a book of poetry in his hand and did not turn a page for a long time.
Until Xie Zhiyan pushed the door open and walked in.
"My dear."
Sheng Puzhu stood up quickly, showing unprecedented enthusiasm.
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