Chapter 3
Near noon, Gu Yanling strolled over as if she was familiar with the route, and excitedly called out "Brother Chang Feng" from a distance.
Chang Feng had just finished giving instructions to the patrolling guards when he heard the lively voice. He turned around and saw someone running over to him and asked, "How was yesterday's lotus leaf chicken?"
"Very good." Chang Feng thought about what he said yesterday and took out some change from his purse. "Next time you go out, if you want to eat something, just go buy it. It's my treat."
Gu Yanling didn't take it this time, and pushed his hand away. "No, I already said I'll treat you. This is my gift. If you want to treat me, wait until you're free and we can go together. The wine there is delicious too."
Chang Feng didn't say he was busy again: "Wait for the next opportunity."
Seeing that he had given in, Gu Yanling deliberately asked, "Where's the sachet I gave you? How is it? Is it very effective?"
Speaking of the sachet, Chang Feng was not sure if it had been taken away. After all, it would be shameful, so he said vaguely, "It works."
Seeing his awkward expression, Gu Yanling asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is it not working?"
No, he put one on his bed. There are really a lot of mosquitoes in summer, and you can't light incense in the servants' room, so you can only make a few sachets. Awang never takes off the sachets after he gets them. He likes them very much.
Chang Feng didn't want to continue this conversation: "It's useful, it's good."
Gu Yanling was not someone to be fooled: "You must be hiding something from me. Tell me the truth!"
Chang Feng was not a smooth-talking person and could not tell lies. After hesitating for a moment, he had to tell Gu Yanling that the sachet was taken away by Li Youfu and he would definitely get it back when he saw Li Youfu.
Gu Yanling could guess the general idea after a brief thought, and she took the opportunity to attack Chang Feng and make him feel guilty: "I was so kind and worried that you would be bitten by mosquitoes while on guard duty, so I bought some herbs and spices to make sachets to repel mosquitoes. I didn't expect you to still doubt me. It's really sad."
After saying that, he turned around and ran away without giving me a chance to explain.
Chang Feng wanted to say something, but he saw the other party running as fast as a rabbit and disappeared in a flash. Chang Feng had no choice but to go to Li Youfu to ask for the sachet. Eunuch Li was serving the Crown Prince his meal at that moment.
Chang Feng was embarrassed to speak in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. When he was about to leave, Xiao Xinghan swallowed the food in his mouth and asked, "What's the matter?"
Chang Feng didn't want to bother His Royal Highness with such a trivial matter, but since His Royal Highness had asked, he could only tell the truth: "Last night, Brother Yuanbao gave me a mosquito repellent sachet, but Eunuch Li took it. Yuanbao just came over and learned about it. He felt that his good intentions were being doubted, so he wanted to go to Eunuch Li to get the sachet back."
Xiao Xinghan glanced at Li Youfu.
Li Youfu could only smile awkwardly. Chang Feng had no idea that he had hung the sachet on the head of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's bed, otherwise he wouldn't have mentioned it in front of His Royal Highness. "Commander Chang, wait a moment. I forgot about it. I'll return it to you in a moment."
After Chang Feng left, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince continued to eat without mentioning the matter of the sachet. After Li Youfu served His Royal Highness the meal, he went into the side room and took down the sachet.
Chang Feng thought he had forgotten, so he took it and said, "I should have asked you for it last night."
Li Youfu couldn't say anything in front of His Highness, so he whispered to him, "Your Highness saw this sachet yesterday and rubbed it for a while. I then took the liberty of leaving the sachet and hung it on the hook of His Highness's bed curtain. His Highness saw it but didn't say anything, which shows he doesn't mind the smell of this sachet."
Chang Feng: “…”
Li Youfu knew that after what Chang Feng said, His Highness would never want this sachet again, so he took it and returned it to Chang Feng. However, His Highness slept well last night because of this sachet, and Li Youfu guessed that His Highness must like the smell of this sachet.
Chang Feng heard Li Youfu's hint: "I'll talk to Yuanbao about this later."
Li Youfu didn't want His Highness to think he was being nosy, so he added, "But these are just speculations."
Chang Feng nodded: "I understand."
-
Gu Yanling knew that Chang Feng would definitely come to see him, so he didn't go to eat. Instead, he sat in the room waiting, holding his chin and almost falling asleep, when Chang Feng came with a lunch box.
The food box has three layers. In addition to the lotus leaf chicken, there are also some other signature dishes, which he specially asked his men to buy for Gu Yanling at Zui Xiang Lou.
Seeing him approach, Gu Yanling pretended to be still angry: "What are you doing here? Aren't you suspicious of me?"
Chang Feng put the food box on the table, took out the steaming hot signature dishes, placed them on the table one by one, and apologized to him: "I know you mean well, but the sachet incident was indeed my fault. I apologize to you."
Gu Yanling stopped while she was ahead and didn't go too far. She snorted coldly, "Are you treating me to all this?"
Chang Feng: "I don't know what you like to eat, so I asked someone to buy some."
Gu Yanling had indeed not eaten yet. She picked up her chopsticks and was about to eat. Seeing him sitting next to her, she asked casually, "Have you eaten yet?"
Chang Feng also picked up the chopsticks: "Not yet, let's eat together."
Gu Yanling: "No wonder you bought so much. Why didn't you ask someone to buy some wine? It would be great if we could just have some food and wine together."
Chang Feng: "We are not allowed to drink alcohol while we are working, and you should do the same."
Gu Yanling: "Oh, I just said it casually."
Seeing Gu Yanling moving her chopsticks nonchalantly, Chang Feng asked, "Is it not to your liking?"
Yesterday, he heard him say that the food at Zui Xiang Lou was delicious, and he even said that he couldn't bear to eat it. That's why Chang Feng specially asked someone to buy it, thinking that Gu Yanling would enjoy the meal very much.
Gu Yanling sighed, hinting, "Maybe he was hurt, and his appetite has decreased for a while."
Actually, I had already eaten these last night and I didn’t have the appetite today.
Chang Feng: “…”
Chang Feng pulled a chicken leg for Gu Yanling and put it in his bowl. "You are too thin. Eat more to replenish your body."
Gu Yanling nodded: "You eat too."
Chang Feng ate in silence. Gu Yanling didn't eat properly and secretly observed him. She saw that he was very particular about eating. She wondered how high an official this big shot was. Chang Feng didn't look like an ordinary servant. He had high martial arts skills. Those patrolling the mansion were very disciplined.
Gu Yanling suddenly had an idea. This important person must be an imperial envoy who came here for inspection, and Chang Feng must be a guard specially assigned to protect this important person!
This makes sense. Gu Yanling secretly marveled at her own cleverness. Chang Feng saw that Gu Yanling didn't move his chopsticks, and had a happy look on his face, not knowing what he was thinking. He raised his hand and waved it in front of his eyes.
Gu Yanling came back to her senses: "Eat, eat, it's delicious. Thank you, Brother Chang Feng, for the treat."
Chang Feng choked for a moment, and felt that Gu Yanling's smile towards him was even more attentive, "..."
Gu Yanling thought that he had to establish a good relationship with him. After all, he was someone close to a big shot. Since the big shot was an imperial envoy, then he had come to the right place by accident. Once he had established a relationship with the big shot, he would find an opportunity to expose the crimes of the corrupt official.
He was so absent-minded while eating the meal.
Chang Feng thought he was still sad about his suspicion of him. After thinking it over, he said, "What happened yesterday was also my duty. It was not directed at you."
Gu Yanling wanted to say, "I know, I know," but changed her mind and said, "What kind of responsibility is that? It's just a sachet."
Chang Feng couldn't explain it too clearly, so he just said, "Anything we receive privately must be carefully inspected."
Gu Yanling propped her chin with both hands: "So strict?"
Chang Feng: “Yeah.”
Gu Yanling: "So, are you going to take the sachet back?"
Speaking of this, Chang Feng thought of Li Youfu's hint again, but as soon as he said it, this guy's mind would probably become active again.
"No, do you still have that sachet?" He said this with a guilty conscience.
Gu Yanling narrowed her eyes, raised her hand, and ripped off the purse hanging from the man's waist, opening it in front of him. "Brother Chang Feng, why are you lying? Isn't the sachet in this purse?"
Chang Feng looked a little embarrassed when he was exposed.
Gu Yanling was very smart and had guessed it based on his expression. "Young Master, is this what you want?"
Chang Feng: “No.”
Gu Yanling ignored his words, smiling, and said to herself: "If Master wants, I will do nothing in the afternoon and make a sachet for you. After all, I have never found a chance to thank you."
Chang Feng: “…”
Gu Yanling had already stood up and opened her bag while saying, "Young Master, why didn't you tell me that you like it earlier? What flavor do you like? I'm an expert at making sachets, and I'm not bragging."
Seeing how impatient he was, Chang Feng walked over. Gu Yanling was rummaging through bottles and jars in her bag, which also contained various small paper bags.
"What are these?"
Gu Yanling: "They're all for treating headaches and fevers. Do you want to get them tested too?"
Chang Feng understood the meaning of his words and said awkwardly, "That's not what I meant."
Gu Yanling casually took out a small paper bag and said, "Here, if you feel sleepy, open it and smell it, it will refresh you."
Chang Feng took it, and before he could say thank you, he heard: "Are you going to take it for inspection before using it this time?"
Chang Feng: “…No.”
Gu Yanling thought that there was no need to be afraid even if it was tested, because what he gave her was indeed refreshing. If it weren't for the fact that Chang Feng was quite nice to him, and based on his previous description of him as shifty, the medicine bag would have contained itching powder.
Chang Feng saw that Gu Yanling was determined to make sachets for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so he didn't stay long. He just reminded her, "Young Master doesn't like strong smells, so this flavor will do."
After hearing what he said, Gu Yanling nodded.
How could the gift for an important person be a small gray cloth bag? Gu Yanling took out her own purse, poured out the spices inside, threw it aside, and made a new sachet in the afternoon and put it in her purse.
The scent of the sachets he gave to Chang Feng and Awang can last for half a month, while the one he made for the young master can only last for three days at most.
Gu Yanling did it on purpose.
In the evening, Gu Yanling came over with a purse. Chang Feng took the purse embroidered with fish playing with lotus flowers and said, "..."
"Brother Chang Feng, please give this to the young master for me."
Chang Feng touched the forged purse and looked at the exquisite pattern on it, and was speechless for a moment.
“This purse is not cheap.”
Gu Yanling said frankly: "Of course! After all, it's something for the young master!"
Chang Feng had a headache: "Didn't they have other styles when you bought it?"
Gu Yanling thought to himself that this was not something he bought, but something his mother embroidered. He took it because he thought it looked nice, and said, "Isn't this pattern quite beautiful?"
Fortunately, his current appearance would not make people think too much, and Chang Feng just thought that Gu Yanling specially chose a beautiful style in order to please His Highness.
"Then I'll give it to the young master for you. If the young master doesn't accept it, I'll return it to you."
Gu Yanling: "I put a lot of effort into it."
Chang Feng: "Young Master's mind is not something we can change."
Gu Yanling: "I understand."
Chang Feng saw that Gu Yanling was not being unreasonable like before, "How much silver did you spend on the purse? I'll give it to you."
Gu Yanling waved her hand: "No, I'm waiting for the young master to reward me."
Chang Feng: "...You are quite confident."
Gu Yanling: "Then I'll go back first. I still have work to do. I'll be busy making these sachets in the afternoon."
Chang Feng nodded and took the purse to find Eunuch Li. Li Youfu was speechless when he saw the purse, "Why did you choose this style?"
Chang Feng: “I think it looks good.”
If Gu Yanling was a pretty girl, giving her this kind of purse would make people think that she had ulterior motives. However, Gu Yanling had an ordinary face and her skin color was only slightly lighter than that of Chang Feng, a martial artist who was exposed to the wind and sun, so no one took it seriously.
Li Youfu didn't say much.
Chang Feng: "This purse is not cheap for him. If His Highness doesn't like it——"
Li Youfu: "If Your Highness doesn't like it, just return it."
Chang Feng also meant this. He couldn't let Gu Yanling lose the money he had saved to get a wife.
At night, when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince went to bed, he saw at a glance the pomegranate-shaped brocade purse hanging from the bed curtains.
Li Youfu said hurriedly, "This is the sachet that Yuanbao made specially to please His Highness."
Xiao Xinghan retracted his gaze and said calmly, "Take it and throw it away."
Li Youfu took down his purse and knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, please calm down. It was I who acted on my own initiative. Your Highness, please calm down."
"This isn't Yuanbao's fault. I just thought this sachet was calming, so I mentioned it to Commander Chang. It tastes good. That guy also bought this purse to thank His Highness. Commander Chang said he said it was for the young master, so naturally I had to choose the best, so he picked this style."
Xiao Xinghan lifted the brocade quilt.
After the prince had rested, Li Youfu got up quietly, closed the bed curtains, and hung the purse back. Seeing that the prince did not say anything, he breathed a sigh of relief.
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