In the height of summer, rain comes quickly and goes slowly. During the day, the sky is cloudless and clear as jade, but after dusk, dark clouds gather and a heavy rain washes away the heat.
Xu Yunci stood with his hands behind his back by the window, gazing at the torrential rain outside the corridor. His thoughts seemed to have already flown into the rain.
After court today, he stayed in Songyuan. Yesterday, he didn't have time to see off Madam Xu and his two younger sisters as they left the mansion. When he returned, they had already set off for Zhaode Temple.
Today he wore a dark purple silk robe with narrow sleeves and a floral pattern, and a jade crown on his head. A faint, almost imperceptible sorrow was visible between his brows, and his gaze was calm and deep, as if he shouldn't be standing here at this moment, but rather standing in the rain, looking as if he had suffered a great loss.
At least that's how Chang Shun sees it. Tao Lu and Xing Lu never serve closely, so Xu Yun Ci didn't give any instructions. In weather like this, they don't have much work to do, and they would have gone back to wait long ago.
Chang Shun stood at a distance, arms crossed, looking up at the dark, overcast sky. It was getting dark, and the heavy rain still hadn't stopped; it looked like it would rain all night.
"By this time, Grandmother should have already arrived at Zhaode Temple."
Xu Yunci's voice was very soft, especially soft in the torrential rain, so soft that when it reached Chang Shun's ears, Chang Shun mistakenly thought he had misheard.
Looking over, Xu Yunci slightly turned his head and glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. He knew he had been lost in thought, and that was why the young master was asking him a question.
Chang Shun straightened up: "We arrived yesterday according to the route. With Miss Biao and Miss Liu here, the old lady will definitely get a good rest."
After all, the old lady loves these two girls the most, and she would never let them suffer. They should be fine.
Inside, the incense that Xu Yunci always loved was burning. It seemed to blend lotus and plum blossoms, mixed with the sweetness of pears. The scent spread in the cool air after the rain, gradually dispelling the restlessness in his heart.
Another silence fell. Just as Chang Shun was about to relax, thinking that Xu Yunci would not speak again, he suddenly heard Xu Yunci's voice drift over with a wisp of incense smoke: "Call Tao Lu over."
"ah?"
Chang Shun didn't react for a moment. The young master called Tao Lu over? He must have heard correctly. Could it be that the young master had suddenly become interested in women?
Seeing that he did not move, Xu Yunci turned his head and looked at him with a hint of displeasure, as if asking Chang Shun if he had not understood what he said.
Chang Shun readily agreed and quickly strode out, not caring about anything else, he just wanted to find Tao Lu first.
Tao Lu, who had been hastily summoned, looked bewildered. Even Chang Shun, who had walked to the corridor, didn't come in—something that had never happened before. Remembering the original reason Yang had sent her here, she felt not anticipation or surprise, but an inexplicable nervousness.
She stood at the doorway, looking at Chang Shun with a troubled expression, but the latter avoided her gaze and stopped going inside, clearly indicating that he wanted her to go in by herself.
Looking at the young master's figure through the niche, she found herself unable to move. Could it be that she and Xinglu had guessed wrong, and that the young master did not like the young lady?
But if you don't like someone, why bother with everything they do? If you do like someone, shouldn't you remain chaste for your beloved? She and Xinglu have always done the work of ordinary maids and haven't done anything special.
Although she was sent here with the intention of becoming a concubine, the crown prince didn't have that intention at first.
Tao Lu's palms were damp. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. The scent of sandalwood in the room was faint, but a wisp of smoke drifted out from the bronze incense burner, gradually swirling and condensing before dissipating.
There was something eerie about it, and Tao Lu felt a little uneasy, not daring to look up: "I wonder what instructions Your Highness has?"
Xu Yunci didn't speak. He seemed to sigh, raised his hand and rubbed his temples. It didn't seem like displeasure at being disturbed, but rather more like a kind of confusion or difficulty in his heart that he couldn't express or resolve.
"It's alright, you can go now."
Tao Lu dared not show her joy, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and walked out with lighter steps than when she came in.
The heavy rain continued until late at night before finally showing signs of subsiding. Perhaps because Zhaode Temple is located on a mountaintop, the rumbling thunder was particularly piercing, and a bolt of lightning almost made one think that it was going to split open the door of the meditation room.
Li Shiyue's hair was loosely tied up in a bun, with a strand held in place by a jade hairpin, while the rest of her hair fell onto her moon-white inner robe.
She stood beside the desk, her pen stained with ink, intently copying the scriptures.
Chunling stood to the side grinding ink, followed by the younger Qiufan. She glanced at the candle and lit another one, then walked over, protecting the wick.
The scriptures on the desk were instantly illuminated even brighter. Li Shiyue stopped writing, pleased with Qiu Fan's cleverness. She used her left hand to hold her right wrist and moved it around, feeling a growing soreness.
Li Shiyue's brows furrowed slightly, as if she was feeling unwell. Suddenly, a muffled clap of thunder sounded outside the door, startling her so much that she almost dropped the pen in her hand.
"The rain has lessened a bit, but the thunder is still so loud."
Chunling stepped forward, took Li Shiyue's pen, put it away, and gently massaged Li Shiyue's wrists with both hands, gradually replacing the initial soreness with comfort.
"It's getting late, young lady. You can continue writing tomorrow. You need to have breakfast with the old lady tomorrow morning."
As soon as she finished speaking, a figure suddenly appeared outside the door from under the corridor, growing larger in size. Li Shiyue's pupils dilated for a moment.
"Is Miss Biao here?"
Chunling gestured to Qiufan, and seeing Qiufan walk in front of Li Shiyue in a protective stance, she walked towards the door and said, "It's so late, what's the matter?"
The person outside didn't intend to come in. He was sitting sideways in the doorway, his back slightly hunched. Judging from the voice, he seemed to be a servant of the Xu family.
“Miss Chunling, I am here on behalf of Fifth Master to deliver some things, including some ointment. These past two days, Miss Cousin and Miss Liu must have been writing scriptures and their hands must have been sore. Fifth Master instructed me to deliver this to Miss Chunling so that she can give it to Miss Cousin.”
Chunling opened the door a crack and saw that the person who came in was indeed dressed as a servant of the Xu family, and she breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, her eyes were still wary, and the crack in the door only revealed half of her body, so the person outside could not see the situation inside.
The servant lowered his head, glanced up to confirm it was Chunling, then looked down at his feet and handed over what he was holding.
"It's getting late, I'll head back now."
Chunling looked up at the servant, nodded in acknowledgment, and curtsied in return. She watched as the servant headed towards the corridor leading to the front before closing the door.
It was a porcelain bottle. When Chunling opened it, a medicinal fragrance wafted out, and a faint cool sensation reached her nose. She placed it on the table: "It was sent by Fifth Master."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com