Chapter 98: Cheek against his palm
Lanxing winked at her playfully and stepped back, "Yes, girl."
Shi Jianli pretended not to see it and finished the bowl of deer antler soup. She rinsed her mouth and took a short nap, and didn't get up until about 3 p.m.
Xianyue came over to help her dress up, "Miss, do you want to change into new clothes or wear the same clothes you wore this morning?"
"Let's change into something." Shi Jianli thought for a moment, "That yellow and white long gown with a double-breasted front, and a long skirt with gold and silver threads."
"How about I give you a sweet-scented osmanthus hairpin?" Xianyue asked with a smile.
Dressing up their daughter is the daily pleasure of Xianyue and Lanxing. Their daughter is beautiful and looks good no matter how she is dressed.
"Um."
Xianyue went to get the fumigated clothes and when she served her, she saw Li put them on and then combed her hair, put on a sweet-scented osmanthus hairpin, braided the hair chain into her hair, and gently straightened the brown-red amber on both sides of the hair chain.
"Recently, the noble ladies in the capital like to wear hair chains in their hair. You have a few in your dressing box. Well, you are really beautiful, young lady."
Shi Jianli looked at herself in the mirror for a while and nodded, "The weather has been dry these days, let's make a pot of honeysuckle and lotus leaf tea."
"Okay." Xianyue left and quickly returned with a lunch box filled with brewed flower tea. "Miss, it's ready."
Shi Jianli went out with the box she had packed before taking a nap.
Seeing that Shi Jianli didn't call her, Xianyue didn't offer to help her get the box.
When they arrived at the pavilion, it was still early and Mingzhao had not come yet. Shi Jianli put down the box and lay on the fence beside the pavilion to look at the koi.
Today is October 1st. Half a year has passed. Although the koi in the pond have grown taller, they also look thinner. Perhaps it is because the masters of the mansion are all out and they are not feeding them as frequently as before.
The lotus leaves have all withered, and now the biggest attraction of this pond is the koi fish.
"Boom—"
A muffled thunder suddenly sounded, and Shi Jianli looked up at the sky.
The sky was a little gloomy when we arrived, and now it looks like it's going to rain.
Shi Jianli sat back on the stone bench, propped up her face with her elbows on the table, and traced the peach blossom relief pattern on the box with her fingertips.
The rain in late autumn fell softly, accompanied by two steady footsteps. Shi Jianli looked up.
The first to speak was Xianyue, who was standing on the covered trestle outside the pavilion: "Greetings, Prince."
"Hello, Miss Li." Tianyu also bowed respectfully to Shi Jianli and stayed outside the pavilion.
Mingzhao, dressed in a dark blue robe with closed sleeves and a cross collar, and a Qilin jade hanging from his waist, strode towards her, his voice full of smiles: "I heard Yaoyao asked me out."
Shi Jianli smiled and nodded, poured him a cup of cold tea, and raised her hand, her wide sleeves slipped down, revealing the icy jade bracelet and peace locket on her fair wrist.
"Want some? A cooling herbal tea."
"Okay." Mingzhao was still sitting next to her. Closer, he could smell the faint fragrance of osmanthus flowers on her body. It was as if she always smelled fragrant, with the scent of various seasonal flowers.
Shi Jianli picked up the box beside her and placed it in front of him. "This is a birthday present for you."
"Thank you Yaoyao, I like it very much." Mingzhao even touched the amber in her hair with his finger.
Shi Jianli tilted her head, "But you didn't even see what I gave you."
"I like everything you give me, and there's no reason to open a gift in front of me."
"I allow you to demolish it."
"Then Yaoyao, help me open it." He held her wrist through his sleeve and placed her hand on the box.
"Okay." Shi Jianli glanced at the bony hand that was holding her wrist, opened the box, took out the cuff and placed it in his hand. "When I first saw you alone after you came back, I remember you were wearing a deep blue robe, and this cuff would match it perfectly."
Mingzhao even rubbed the chaotic cloud patterns on it with his fingertips, a smile on his lips: "Yaoyao remembers it so clearly, has she been paying attention to me all along?"
That was February, eight months ago.
Shi Jianli felt a little embarrassed, pursed her lips, and said, "I only took a second look at you because you're pretty."
At that time, she simply thought he was good-looking and had never thought that she would have any other involvement with him. It was only because he smiled so beautifully and sincerely at her later that she thought of giving it a try.
Mingzhao chuckled, "Well, Yaoyao is pretty too."
Shi Jianli accepted his compliment naturally and took out the book. "It's a book on military formations of our sect, written in cursive script."
Mingzhao gently pulled the side of the ribbon and took out the book. After flipping through two pages, his face lit up with joy. "This is the battle formation map of the previous dynasty's General Piaoyong. I have the first volume, and this is the second volume. Where did Yaoyao find it?"
"I bought it from a vendor, mixed in with some old travelogues."
"Yaoyao is so lucky."
Shi Jianli nodded, and then took out a set of jade with both hands, "I matched them, they should be fine for daily wear."
"There are also sachets, but I won't take them out one by one. You can take a closer look at them when you get back."
"Okay." Mingzhao even reached out and gently pinched her face. "I like them all. Yaoyao, are you tired of doing so many things?"
"It's okay. It doesn't take one day to finish. It's not a big deal." Seeing him trying to restrain himself but wanting to get closer, Shi Jianli bent her lower lip and pressed her cheek against the palm of his hand.
In fact, she also liked this kind of intimacy. His touch and temperature were completely different from hers, which made her feel a comfortable tremor in her heart.
Mingzhao opened his palm and touched her delicate skin. He fixed his eyes on her and touched her eyebrows with his fingertips before withdrawing his hand.
Shi Jianli's eyebrows curved, and she put all the things she had taken out back into the box one by one, and then pushed it back in front of him.
"We're going to Fushoutang for dinner later. Did you bring an umbrella with you?"
She shook her head, her tone sounding both commanding and coquettish: "No, it hadn't rained when we got here. You can support me to go to Fushoutang later."
"Okay." Mingzhao agreed with a smile, "I'll take you back to your yard after dinner."
Shi Jianli nodded.
Seeing that the teacup in front of her hadn't been used, Mingzhao poured her a cup of cold tea. "This September was originally the Autumn Hunt, which takes place every four years. But because of Prince Jing's rebellion, the Autumn Hunt has been moved from September to October. Yaoyao, do you want to go?"
"I do." Shi Jianli nodded, picked up the tea in front of her and took a sip.
In the past, Mingyuelin always wanted to take her out to play and attend various banquets hosted by royal relatives, hoping to make her familiar to others so that others would give her more face when they saw her in the future. Shi Jianli had her considerations for not going out. She didn't want to cause trouble for her aunt.
She knew she was beautiful and that her face might catch the eye of a royal relative, especially a prince. Given her background, she couldn't be of much use to them and could only be a concubine, not a wife.
Even if she became the legal wife, it was not uncommon for the royal family to have many wives and concubines. By then, she would have no control over her own affairs. She did not want to live such a life.
Now that she was engaged to Ming Zhaohuan, she no longer had such concerns. No one with any sense would want to mess with Ming Zhaohuan, the prince of Anguo and a high-ranking official with a promising future.
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