Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Make a red wedding dress for her.
The day after tomorrow is the winter sacrifice. Zhang Jingxuan has been discussing matters with other ministers from the prince's party every day recently. After lunch, he went to the front hall.
The Prince's Guardian came to discuss the detailed rules for the Prince to compete for the position of the Chief of Sacrifices. To ensure that the Prince could get the position of the Chief of Sacrifices, some thought would be required.
After the discussion, Zhang Taibao said, "I've heard that Master Zhang is an exceptional painter. Why not paint a picture for His Majesty and present it at the ceremony? If His Majesty is pleased, it's possible that he'll directly appoint Your Highness as the Chief of Sacrificial Offerings. Even if His Majesty doesn't make the appointment, Your Highness will have a better chance of securing the position."
Zhang Jingxuan said calmly, "I don't want to touch Danqing anymore these days. Let's try another method."
Zhang Taibao was surprised and asked, "Why? You used to..."
Zhang Jingxuan pressed down slightly on the tabletop, a bit hard, and said with a slightly cold expression, "Master Zhang, I'll say it again, I don't want to touch Danqing."
It was rare to see Zhang Jingxuan with such a cold expression. Zhang Taibao stopped talking with a look of understanding and said with a smile:
"If that's the case, then painting isn't a must. I was mistaken."
Zhang Jingxuan nodded slightly. Zhang Taibao did not stay any longer and stood up to say goodbye. The steward sent him out.
After Zhang Taibao left, the steward returned from the main gate and saw the eldest son, who had just finished his meeting, walking out. The steward stepped forward, bowed his head, and said,
"Young Master, you just rejected Grand Guardian Zhang so sternly. After all, Grand Guardian is several years your senior. We'll have to find a reason to send a small gift to Grand Guardian Zhang as a token of apology. But... I wonder why you're unwilling to be a painter anymore?"
The eldest young master had spoken quite loudly just now, and he could even hear it from outside the door. Fortunately, Zhang Taibao had a good temper and didn't bother with a junior.
Zhang Jingxuan rubbed his fingertips, his mind flashing back to a figure pestering him to teach Danqing, as well as her absurd idea of painting... He collected his complicated thoughts and restored a gentle expression:
"There have been so many trivial matters in the East Palace lately that I'm a little tired of painting, so I want to take a break for a while."
The manager said nothing upon hearing this and retreated silently. He just turned around and sighed softly.
The same thing happened in the mansion this morning. I met the younger generation of the in-laws who came to visit. I saw them playing with bamboo dragonflies and immediately stopped them. Although I softened my tone later, the children were still scared and quickly said goodbye and left.
This afternoon, he used clumsy words to reject Zhang Taibao again.
The eldest son was usually gentle and polite, with great wisdom, but recently he had been losing his composure. This time he was even more careless, giving such a crude excuse.
Who can be fooled?
…
As the sun set in the west, Zhang Jingxuan finally checked all the details of tomorrow's winter sacrifice ceremony.
Huaizhou brought a bowl of pear porridge. Zhang Jingxuan put down the documents, rubbed his forehead, drank a few mouthfuls of pear porridge to moisten his throat a little, and then he was able to take a break.
He glanced at the darkening sky. After a day of work, his mind had calmed down. He calmly closed the document and said, "Prepare some water."
Huaizhou responded.
In the clean room, warm water filled the bathtub and mist rose.
Here, Zhang Jingxuan didn't need to maintain his gentle, calm and relaxed appearance. He leaned against the wall of the barrel and closed his eyes tiredly.
He went over the rules and details of the Winter Sacrifice Ceremony in his mind to make sure nothing was missed. He also recalled the tasks the Crown Prince had assigned him, and after realizing they had all been completed, he put his thoughts aside and slowly opened his eyes.
The mist from the hot water made his vision a little blurry. The water ripples spread over his body, exposing his chest muscles and his abdominal muscles immersed in the water. He looked down and slowly stopped moving.
Some memories that I tried my best to restrain and avoid thinking about during the day came to my mind.
A girl once hid with him in a place where no one could see her. She clung to him and pecked at his thin flesh like a little bird, looking very fond of him.
Whenever I see her, her calm demeanor always unconsciously falls aside, and she pretends to be reserved, which is very cute.
Zhang Jingxuan's eyes slowly swept over his body.
There were traces of her saliva on it. Those unspoken beauties seemed to have happened just yesterday, instantly disturbing the calm emotions in people's hearts.
She was such a hateful person. It was clear that they were on different paths and should be strangers, but she still came to provoke him and left traces everywhere.
He suddenly felt something and looked down.
In the clear, warm water, the thing that should have been lying quietly between his legs suddenly began to move because he thought of that person in his mind...
Zhang Jingxuan clutched the edge of the bathtub.
He remembered that the young master in the mansion was just learning to walk and loved to show off to him. He stood up tremblingly, raised his head slightly, and looked up, as if he was eagerly expecting something.
Zhang Jingxuan closed his eyes and silently recited the meditation technique.
The fire in his lower abdomen kept lingering, and even tended to get stronger.
I tried my best to restrain myself for a long time, but it had little effect.
Zhang Jingxuan's eyes snapped open, his Adam's apple rolling. Without the sleeves to hide it, the veins on his arms were clearly visible and bulging.
He suddenly felt a little hateful.
He had once been calm and composed, restraining his desires, sitting on a high pedestal, unmoved. But after she came, this body had remembered the touch of her fingertips caressing and lips kissing, giving rise to longing and hope.
Just thinking about it in private will cause an irresistible reaction, breeding desire like a burning fire.
However, how can a powerful official who is assisting the emperor in his eternal cause and ascending to the throne tolerate those who have inner karma that is difficult to eliminate?
A vein throbbed faintly on Zhang Jingxuan's forehead as he held onto the tub, gasping for breath. After a moment, he suddenly stood up, sending up a shower of water.
He stepped out of the bathtub, wiped his body clean, put on his pajamas, and walked out of the bathroom.
It was already dark outside, the moon was hanging over the treetops, and the stars were hidden behind the cold clouds.
The courtyard was silent, the grass and trees were dim, and the only sound was the noise of the night guards changing shifts.
It was a cold winter night. Zhang Jingxuan put on a mink fur coat and walked slowly to the study along the path illuminated by the gauze lanterns hanging under the eaves.
The study was dim, cold and silent at night.
Zhang Jingxuan held the lamp by himself, and a fire-like halo illuminated a corner. He took out the scroll, slowly unfolded it, and spread it on the desk.
The gorgeous crowns and beautiful clothes are quietly spread out on the scroll, with only a few blank spaces waiting to be filled.
He lifted his clothes and sat down, then picked up the pen and slowly sketched the pattern on the hem of his wedding dress and the piping on the collar and cuffs of his clothes.
Vermilion and green, mandarin ducks play in the water. Red silk and gauze are woven into phoenix coronet and bridal robe, flowers, birds, insects and fish are all lifelike.
He was an expert in painting, and his aesthetic taste was cultivated by his noble family. The wedding dress he painted was a unique model in the capital, which would not clash with any other woman's and was most suitable for her.
An hour later, Zhang Jingxuan completed his wedding dress.
There was only a short piece of wick left, covered with lamp shards. He looked at the clepsydra and saw that it was already midnight, past his usual bedtime.
He put down his pen, washed his hands, walked out of the study, and asked the night servant to call Huaizhou.
Huaizhou hurriedly put on his clothes and came in the night. He saw the young man standing on the steps, wearing only a snow-white lining under his cloak, and said hurriedly:
"What do you want, sir?"
Zhang Jingxuan was thinking about something, and after a while he heard Huaizhou's question, turned to look at him and said:
"Tomorrow morning, take my jade token and go find the owner of Caiyi Tower. Bring my paintings and ask her to help embroider a wedding dress. Remember to tell her that I only want the best embroiderer they have. And the reward..."
After a brief pause, he said calmly, "Let her name her price."
Caiyilou was a royal business and the finest embroidery studio in the capital. The owner was once a court lady in the Imperial Clothing Bureau, embroidering dragon robes for the emperor. A few years ago, when her retirement came to an end, she left the palace and opened her own embroidery studio.
There are embroiderers with outstanding talents here, but their number is small. The value lies in their quality and their scarcity. Even if you are a princess, a favorite concubine or a lady from a high-ranking family, you have to use a jade token to queue up for an appointment when you want to ask the embroiderers of Caiyi Tower to help you embroider clothes. It is not easy to ask the owner of the tower to help you.
Therefore, he needed to take out the jade token of the eldest son of the Zhang family in order to have the confidence to invite him.
Huaizhou looked up in surprise.
The Zhang family is a noble family with a strict and frugal family tradition. The old man has always hated extravagance and waste. If the head of the family gets wind of this...
Zhang Jingxuan seemed to see through Huaizhou's thoughts and said calmly:
"The owner of Caiyi Tower is a person of her word and will not reveal it easily."
Huaizhou realized that this was a request for him to keep a low profile. He did not dare to ask who the wedding dress was embroidered for, but simply bowed and silently withdrew.
Zhang Jingxuan turned around and went back to the study, looking at the carefully painted painting. He placed his fingertips on the edge of the painting and traced it lightly, as if imagining what it would look like on a person.
He wanted to do a sex business with her, but he couldn't tell who was gaining and who was losing.
After all, he has more or less taken advantage of the identity of a half-brother and has gained an advantage, so he should not have more greed and delusions.
Then make a red wedding dress for her and help her get into the bridal sedan.
Zhang Jingxuan suppressed the emotions surging in his heart, forced himself to calm down, and slowly put away the painting.
He would not be influenced by Ning Chu's bewitching words.
He will definitely be calm and make the most correct decision.
-
At dinner time today, just as the offices were finishing their shifts, a faint noise could be heard coming from the gatehouse of the Xue Mansion.
Xue Yuanyin rushed to the gatehouse regardless of the consequences, but was stopped. During the argument, she watched the Ministry of Rites leave with the list, but her name was not written on it.
She had just learned that her name was not on the list of names submitted by the Xue Mansion to the Ministry of Rites for the Winter Sacrifice. She had thought Xue Chang was only going to keep her locked up until the eve of the Winter Sacrifice, but she hadn't expected him to let her attend the grand ceremony either!
The commotion here finally alarmed Xue Chang. He hurried over from the front yard and said angrily:
"Xue Ling, what are you doing again?!"
Seeing that Xue Chang didn't realize anything was wrong, Xue Yuanyin's anger surged up, almost swallowing up her reason.
Xue Chang did not allow her to meet Zhang Jingxuan privately, and she accepted it. Their positions were contradictory, and there was really nothing to refute.
But why wasn't she allowed to attend the Winter Sacrifice Ceremony the day after tomorrow? She had wanted to use the ceremony as an opportunity to meet Zhang Jingxuan, even if it was just to say goodbye politely, but Xue Chang still wanted to lock her up in the house until she died!
Xue Yuanyin yelled at him in a state of collapse:
"You don't let me go out, I accept it. You asked me to communicate more with Liu Minyan, and I did it, but why don't you let me participate in the winter sacrifice? Don't be so arbitrary!"
Xue Chang suppressed his anger and said, "Why did I let you go to the Winter Sacrifice? To give you a chance to have an affair with that kid from the Zhang family?!"
"I didn't mean to do that!"
Xue Yuanyin's body trembled slightly, her throat was blocked and dry, and even her chest was not breathing well. She suppressed her anger, looked at Xue Chang with a cold face, and said in a trembling voice:
"We are enemies, yes, but we were also good friends once. The capital is about to change, so I'm taking this opportunity to say goodbye to him openly. What's wrong with that? Does my father think I must be ruthless and a loner to be a qualified heir to the Xue Mansion?"
"Don't bother messing around with me!"
Xue Chang was furious, and his voice was icy. "He's the only one you consider your good friend? The Gao family, the Su family, the housekeeper, and even Princess Ning Yan came looking for you. Did I ever stop them from handing me a letter?"
"Then why did father only stop me from meeting Zhang Jingxuan?"
Xue Yuanyin sneered, "Could it be that Father also thinks that His Royal Highness the Prince of Yu has little chance of becoming the Crown Prince, and is worried that the eldest grandson of the Zhang family, who accompanies His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, will cause trouble for the Prince of Yu's faction, and that your plan will be defeated by him, so..."
"you!"
Xue Chang interrupted her angrily and raised his hand to slap her hard. Xue Yuanyin fell to the ground due to his force. Stars appeared before her eyes and her ears were buzzing. It was not until the pain of her shoulder hitting the ground came that she felt the burning pain on her cheek.
She propped herself up in a daze, covered her face that was slapped, and felt a sweet and fishy taste rising in her throat.
The air suddenly became quiet.
The servants around him all retreated to the side, silent as a mouse, and no one dared to step forward to help.
After a short pause, Xue Yuanyin, with trembling arms, slowly supported himself and sat up straight. He wanted to stand up, but he felt the bruises and scars on his back from being whipped a few days ago began to ache again.
She lost her strength and could not stand up. She sat back on the ground in embarrassment, covering the cheek that was hit. She raised her head and looked at Xue Chang who was standing tall in front of her with a dazed, incredible and somewhat fearful look.
Xue Yuanyin moved her lips, wanting to ask him something, but when she looked into Xue Chang's cold and angry eyes, she didn't dare to say anything.
She had always known that to her father, she was merely his brother's shadow. He despised her for being inferior to Xue Yi in every way, for not being a man. But Xue Yuanyin didn't take it to heart. She felt that she was his biological daughter after all, and no matter how strict he was, there was always some father-daughter affection between them.
But now he knows that she is really a shadow and she is not worthy of being his daughter.
Xue Chang clenched his fist slightly, calmed down his anger, and said coldly:
"The Winter Sacrifice Ceremony will begin at dusk the day after tomorrow. I have set your engagement with Young Master Liu for tomorrow at noon. Before the Winter Sacrifice, the Xue Mansion will deliver the engagement gifts to Young Master Liu, exchange engagement letters, and sign the marriage documents. The Xue Mansion has no clan elders, so I have asked a matchmaker and a reputable elder from my clan to come to my house tomorrow to serve as witnesses."
Xue Yuanyin moved her lips, but in the end no word came out.
When her brother was still alive, she was the eldest daughter of the Xue family, whom Xue Chang didn't control much. When her brother was gone, she was no longer Xue Yuanyin.
She struggled to get up from the ground, lowered her head, and responded quietly:
"Father, I understand."
Xue Chang said nothing more and glanced sideways at the guards on duty around the courtyard.
The guard understood what was going on and came over to escort Xue Yuanyin back, or rather, to carry her and ensure that she returned to her own yard.
…
Xue Yuanyin lay on the side of the table, and Fuzhu helped her reapply medicine, gently rubbing the purple bruises on her back, and then took a cold, wet handkerchief to cool her slightly swollen face.
Seeing that Fuzhu was about to cry from time to time, Xue Yuanyin took a mirror and looked at herself. She saw that her cheeks were slightly red, and she was afraid that they would be completely swollen tomorrow.
She thought to herself with a smile, "With this ugly appearance, why would she need Xue Chang to stop her? She herself despised her ugliness and would never go out at all."
Xue Yuanyin put down the mirror, not wanting to see this forced smile again.
After Fuzhu finished applying the cold compress, she brought her a midnight snack. Xue Yuanyin had no appetite, so she sent her away.
When she was the only one left in the room, the night was falling outside and the courtyard was silent except for the crackling sound of the candlelight on the table. Xue Yuanyin silently took out a box and gently placed the green jade pendant with longevity tortoise pattern that had been in her sleeve pocket inside, pressing down a written letter underneath.
That was a letter she wrote secretly without telling Fuzhu after burning that letter. Unfortunately, she was unable to deliver it and had kept it hidden in here.
Xue Yuanyin grasped the keyhole of the wooden box, and only then did she feel the long-suppressed emotions rushing back like roaring waves, surging and silent, gradually drowning her.
A sharp pain spread across my heart, and a tear slid silently down from the corner of my eye, soaking the newly written letter.
In fact, there was no need to talk anymore.
The Winter Sacrifice was just around the corner, and the Crown Prince and Prince Yu had already been embroiled in a bloody battle. The appearance of the Sacrifice Master would determine the outcome. There was no chance for her and him to be together; if either side lost, they would end up in disastrous defeat and death.
If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he will certainly not tolerate Prince Yu's right-hand men, and if Prince Yu ascends the throne, he will definitely kill all of the Crown Prince's confidants. And whether it is Zhang Jingxuan or her, neither of them will become a traitor to their own party.
There is no possibility between her and him.
Xue Yuanyin thought that she should actually feel lucky, at least she had him briefly, in her best years.
But... it's time to stop here.
-
In Zhanyun Courtyard.
Zhang Jingxuan thought that he should be calm enough to consider the overall situation and make plans, and not allow him to worry about the affairs of men and women.
With this thought in mind, he fell asleep peacefully.
The next day was the winter solstice, and the weather was bitterly cold, but the atmosphere in the capital became even more lively.
Zhang Jingxuan got up in an orderly manner, put on his clothes, boots, forehead band, and crane cloak, and began to prepare for tomorrow's winter sacrifice ceremony.
The emperor announced at the morning court meeting that the curfew for the winter solstice tomorrow would be lifted.
The Winter Sacrifice Ceremony always began at the hour of You, choosing dusk as an auspicious time. He rose early to make arrangements, then went to the Ministry of Rites to obtain the list of participants submitted by various prefectures for the Winter Sacrifice Ceremony.
Zhang Jingxuan thought that he could face Xue Yuanyin calmly, and wait until tomorrow's winter sacrifice, he could greet her calmly. He was not used to actively catering to others, but this time, when he went to see her, she should give him an explanation, or a peaceful farewell.
Until he got the list in his hand, he looked through it, his eyes gradually paused, and then he slowly read it again from beginning to end.
Zhang Jingxuan did not find her name on the list of participants in the winter sacrifice ceremony given to him by the Ministry of Rites.
She did not appear on the list of the winter sacrifice.
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