Chapter 48 Centrifugal Knot
Her clear eyes stared at me without blinking.
A gust of wind blew in through the open doorway, lifting the wide blue robe.
I stared at him nervously, as if facing a formidable enemy. What if he tried to deny it? He was my only hope. Otherwise, by this time tomorrow, I'd probably be bathed and sent to that Cao man's bedroom. With that thought in mind, I reached out my hand, ready to throw a tantrum if he denied it.
I gripped his sleeves tightly with both hands, tilted my head back, and prepared to force out a few tears.
"A fortune teller..."
He looked at me, nodded happily, and replied, "Okay."
My mouth dropped open, and I stared at him dumbfounded. He agreed? It was that simple?
A smile appeared in his clear eyes. He slowly raised his hand, lifted my chin, and closed my mouth.
"Wait for my news tomorrow, get a good rest tonight."
I nodded obediently, looking at him with admiration.
He coughed lightly, just as he had come, and turned to leave, his slender figure gradually disappearing from my sight.
Despite being such a sickly and frail person, he possessed a strange power to calm people's hearts, making them unable to help but believe every word he said.
With the fortune teller's promise in mind, I turned around, yawned, climbed into bed, and slept soundly.
"Little sister, still sleeping? Today is your special day." A burst of impatient laughter suddenly came from beside her.
Don't they know that disturbing someone's sleep is immoral? I frowned, waved my hand, turned over, and went back to sleep.
"Sister, wake up! Get up quickly and get ready to dress up. We can't let the Prime Minister down." Madam Ding's voice carried a hint of suppressed impatience.
"I'm not getting up, I'm not getting up. Beauty comes from sleeping. Haven't you heard of Sleeping Beauty?" I mumbled sleepily and then fell into a deep sleep.
Since arriving at the Prime Minister's residence, I've become much lazier. Once I leave, I'll have to start working hard to support myself again. Hehe, I should seize the time to enjoy my retirement.
"Sleeping Beauty? Heh, that's a new term, I like it very much." A voice with a half-smile suddenly rang out.
I felt as if someone had poured cold water over my head, and I woke up instantly.
Sure enough, as soon as I opened my eyes, I was met with a pair of narrow eyes with a half-smile on their face.
I froze, then grinned foolishly. Oh no, I overslept! Did Guo Jia even come? Or did he come, and seeing me sleeping soundly and making a fool of myself, he decided to give up on me?
"Prime Minister, please go out first. Let me help my sister get dressed up," Madam Ding said with a smile.
Cao Cao nodded, smiled, and left.
I was pulled out of bed by a group of beauties, pressed down on a chair, and then allowed their delicate hands to trace patterns on my face.
A woman gradually appeared in the bronze mirror, dressed in ancient costume, with cloud-like hair and a beautiful face. She wore a bright red dress with wide sleeves and a narrow waist, which made her waist appear even more slender and delicate, as if it could be grasped with one hand.
For some reason, I've fallen in love with these vibrant colors, as red as the sunset, as fiery, as blood...
The woman reflected in the bronze mirror should have been a delicate beauty, but her stunning beauty was ruined by a pair of defiant, bright eyes.
This person is actually me?
“My sister should have dressed up properly. Look, our Prime Minister’s taste is indeed extraordinary. She’s a real beauty.” A beautiful woman said from the side.
"It's just that your eyes are too unrestrained. Now that you've entered the Prime Minister's residence, you should have some manners," Madam Ding said calmly.
I lowered my eyes and chuckled.
After a commotion, the beauties left one after another.
I was still staring at the woman in the bronze mirror, and the woman was staring back at me.
I stood up, admiring myself, and gestured around, finding the fiery color to my liking. Just as I was admiring myself, I suddenly saw a figure leaning against the doorway in the bronze mirror.
I turned around and saw a fleeting look of amazement in Cao Cao's eyes.
I took a step back warily and glared at him.
"With a little dressing up, you do look quite presentable," he said with a smile.
I gritted my teeth, "Let me out."
Looking at me, he smiled and stepped forward, gently lifting a strand of hair from my temple. “When the young emperor plotted to imprison me in the palace, I instructed Yan’er to send you out of the palace to keep you away from the war. But fate is unpredictable, and you were still captured by Liu Bei and brought back to the palace. Since fate has decreed this, I am not going to let you go.”
Looking at him, I was lost in thought. It was beyond Liu Bei's calculation that he would capture me and bring me to the palace. Thinking this, I felt a little better.
The man in front of me never hides his scheming nature.
"There's a banquet in the front hall; I'll go keep you company. Even though it's a concubine arrangement, I won't mistreat you." He suddenly leaned closer to me, chuckling softly, "Tuanzi will come and take you to the bridal chamber."
I suddenly awoke with a start: taking a concubine! It was taking a concubine! How could I be seduced by the man before me!
I glanced at the cheap jade pendant on his shiny, new-looking bright purple robe and pursed my lips slightly.
He suddenly raised his hand slowly and encircled me. With a "click" sound, like the sound of a spring being turned, I felt something cold and cool on my left wrist.
I was slightly startled. When I looked down, I saw that it was a bracelet. I couldn't tell what material it was. It had the color of jade, but it looked like metal. It was intricately carved with beautiful patterns, like ancient and mysterious symbols. What was even stranger was that the whole bracelet was perfectly formed without any joints. It was as if it had been naturally attached to my wrist and could never be taken off.
"What's this?"
"The Heart-Shaped Knot, a token of our love." He smiled and gently kissed my brow, the kiss fleeting like a dragonfly skimming the water.
A slight tremor ran through him as he suddenly remembered that he had done the same thing in the cave that day.
I've heard people say that a kiss on the forehead is the most tender kiss, a kiss without a trace of lust.
But... he was Cao Cao.
He turned and left. I stared blankly down at the exquisite bracelet on my wrist. After a long while, I subconsciously raised my hand and touched the silver hairpin in my hair.
I prefer the silver hairpin.
Coming to my senses, I tried hard to remove the bracelet, but I couldn't get it off no matter what I did.
Looking at the sky, I paced anxiously inside. Would Guo Jia go back on his word? After all, Cao Cao was his superior. He had no reason to offend his superior for a woman!
Staying here... my status is that of a concubine... and a concubine merely as a substitute... How utterly tragic...
Suddenly, the door creaked open again.
I squinted slightly, facing the sunlight, and couldn't see who it was.
"Pei'er, I've come to take you out of the manor." A clear and gentle voice said.
"A fortune teller!" I exclaimed with delight, rushing forward to give him a bear hug.
He took a step back, supporting my body as I lunged forward, and said with a wry smile, "Cough cough... be gentle."
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