Chapter 34 He sculpted the clay figurine she had given him before...
Shen Yunzhi took advantage of the fact that her aunt and Cui Lizhu were being entangled by the noble ladies of the capital to leave the table under the pretext of changing clothes.
When she returned to her seat, Choi Yeo-joo was indeed angry that she had left alone.
After listening to Cui Lizhu's complaints for a while and coaxing her for a long time, Shen Yunzhi finally looked down to check her palm. She had fallen and lost control of her strength, scraping her palm when it hit the ground. It didn't hurt much, but there were still red and swollen marks.
Cui Lizhu glanced over and noticed that Shen Yunzhi had an injury on her hand. She quickly frowned and pulled her hand over.
Why were you injured?
Shen Yunzhi shook her head timidly, trying to pull her hand back, but Cui Lizhu tightened her grip, pressing her repeatedly for details. Only then did she explain the trouble she had been given, speaking softly, "It just so happened that Young Master Chen and His Highness the Crown Prince were passing by, and Young Master Chen kindly stood up for me."
Choi Yeo-joo's face turned ashen as she listened: "Do you still remember what those people looked like?"
"I haven't looked closely..." Shen Yunzhi advised her in return, "It's just a few words of gossip, it's not worth Lizhu's trouble."
Choi Yeo-joo felt that Shen Yunzhi was used to being bullied.
Since it was Cui Xuan's wedding banquet, she knew she couldn't act recklessly no matter how willful she was, so she had to swallow her anger.
As the seventh princess, Cui Xuan's wedding banquet was grand and solemn. Shen Yunzhi sat among the guests, watching Huo Ming, dressed in wedding attire, standing beside Cui Xuan. His face showed no joy of newlyweds; instead, a look of restraint could be seen in his eyes.
He even became distracted, trying to find her in the crowd.
Seeing Huo Ming's reaction, Shen Yunzhi was about to look away when his gaze locked onto her.
Seeing the sorrow and grief in his eyes, Shen Yunzhi couldn't bear it and hesitated for a few moments before looking away.
Fortunately, Huo Ming quickly looked away, and the wedding proceeded as planned.
Cui Lizhu, who was with Shen Yunzhi, noticed their subtle exchange and assumed that Shen Yunzhi still harbored feelings for Huo Ming. She reminded her, "Now he is Cui Xuan's consort, and no one else can covet him. If you are not resigned to your fate and insist on having any improper thoughts, once the wrath of heaven descends, no one can save you."
"That's why I destroyed everything so early on, so that I would have no future worries."
After thanking Cui Lizhu for her concern, Shen Yunzhi said, "Things that harm others and oneself should never be done."
Cui Lizhu said, "There are plenty of men who are better than him."
"When you find someone better in the future, you won't have to keep thinking about him anymore."
Shen Yunzhi seemed surprised: "Where did Lizhu hear that?"
Cui Lizhu sneered and picked up her teacup: "Isn't that how it's written in the storybooks? Is it wrong?"
Shen Yunzhi did not refute.
That's true, but it's possible that we won't find anything better; ultimately, it's a matter of opinion.
Shen Yunzhi did not leave the banquet afterwards, and with the care of Princess Chu and Cui Lizhu, no one dared to be disrespectful to her. However, Prince Chu also attended the banquet today, and when he saw her after the banquet, he did not give her a kind look, presumably because he knew about Cui Hong setting off fireworks for her.
This is how people have always viewed things.
She was a woman, and her status was inferior, so in these people's eyes she must be the one who had made a mistake.
Shen Yunzhi thought that the King of Chu might be angry.
But in the days that followed, no servants came to Yunxi Courtyard to invite her, and no one mentioned the incident at the library that day to her.
When I went to the main courtyard to pay my respects, my aunt showed no unusual behavior.
Shen Yunzhi knew that the matter was over for the time being.
The handkerchief that Chen Zhaoyu had given her remained with Shen Yunzhi. In her spare time, she embroidered several handkerchiefs using plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums as patterns. Once everything was ready, she went to find Cui Lizhu, saying she wanted to thank Chen Zhaoyu in person. Thus, Shen Yunzhi met with Chen Zhaoyu again.
The chill of winter creeps in day by day, and even the wind becomes noisy and fierce.
They agreed to meet at Jianchun Pavilion.
Shen Yunzhi stepped off the carriage into the cold wind.
Choi Yeo-joo was sensitive to the cold, so she simply sat in the carriage with a hand warmer in her arms and waited for her.
"Have I kept Young Master Chen waiting?" Shen Yunzhi wrapped her cloak tighter and stepped into the pavilion, speaking gently to Chen Zhaoyu.
Chen Zhaoyu looked at the delicate face framed by the fluffy hood, which added to her charm, and couldn't help but smile, saying that she had only just arrived.
“I have cleaned Young Master Chen’s handkerchief. It seems that it was incense with cedarwood before, but I didn’t have time to mix the fragrance, so I re-scented it with a Tibetan spring incense.” Shen Yunzhi handed over the handkerchief she had prepared in advance along with Chen Zhaoyu’s handkerchief. “I also thank Young Master Chen for speaking up for me last time. I really have no way to repay you, so I embroidered a few things. I hope you will not find them offensive.”
Chen Zhaoyu took it, raised his eyes, and saw Shen Yunzhi smiling gently. Her smile was so bright and radiant that it seemed to melt away the chill.
She seemed pleased that he was willing to accept her gift as a token of gratitude.
The handkerchief has a subtle and refreshing fragrance.
It's not overly sweet, nor does it have the coolness of cedarwood; it's just like a gentle spring breeze, just as its name suggests.
"Did Miss Shen mix this fragrance herself?" Chen Zhaoyu asked.
Shen Yunzhi smiled shyly: "I'm sorry for making a fool of myself."
"Such a fragrance, so refreshing and delightful, only a master perfumer could create such a product." Chen Zhaoyu praised Shen Yunzhi with admiration, then put away the handkerchief and said, "It was nothing, Miss Shen, you don't need to remember it so much. Anyone else would have helped that day."
“I don’t know who the ‘others’ you’re referring to are, Mr. Chen. I only know that it was Mr. Chen who stood up for me that day.”
Shen Yunzhi looked at him with her eyes full of tears, "I will remember Mr. Chen's kindness, and I will never forget it even after a long time."
Chen Zhaoyu recalled that Cui Huai was there that day, and she should have been closer to Cui Huai.
He shouldn't have asked so many questions, but the moment their eyes met, he blurted them out as if possessed.
"Young Master Cui will surely not ignore Miss Shen's matter."
He realized his rudeness as soon as he finished speaking.
Chen Zhaoyu tried to make amends, but Shen Yunzhi's smile froze, and she stiffly looked away.
"Perhaps Young Master Chen thinks too highly of me."
"Your Highness, actually... never mind. In relationships, many things cannot be forced."
Shen Yunzhi spoke vaguely.
Chen Zhaoyu frowned slightly: "What do you mean by that, Miss Chen?"
Shen Yunzhi turned to look at Chen Zhaoyu, forcing a smile that was no longer as bright and cheerful as before, but instead appeared desolate and sorrowful: "I am not a likable person, so it is only natural that His Highness does not like me. I have no complaints."
Chen Zhaoyu was surprised, and instinctively felt that there might be a misunderstanding.
Although he helped Shen Yunzhi up first that day, Cui Huai was by no means indifferent.
“Miss Shen has always been very kind; she shouldn’t be so self-deprecating.”
Chen Zhaoyu spoke gently, expressing his pity and comfort.
Shen Yunzhi lowered her eyes and said, "Now I'm afraid only Young Master Chen is willing to comfort me like this."
“This is just the truth, not a lie,” Chen Zhaoyu said. “If anyone thinks Miss Shen is bad, it’s just prejudice; it doesn’t necessarily mean Miss Shen is wrong.”
The young woman before him lowered her eyes and remained silent. Recalling the last time Shen Yunzhi was moved and delighted when he said she was good, Chen Zhaoyu asked her, "Does Miss Shen think I'm deceiving you? Trying to fool you with lies?"
Shen Yunzhi was taken aback and shook her head repeatedly, saying, "I had no such intention."
"I only have myself to blame for being stubborn." She sighed softly, then smiled seriously, "But I believe everything Young Master Chen says."
In just a few words, she went from happy to depressed, but in an instant, she regained her previous spirits. Chen Zhaoyu thought that Shen Yunzhi was just a girl with a soft heart, which was why she was so easily swayed by emotions. He spoke again in a gentler tone: "It's cold and windy today, Miss Shen, why don't you go back to the manor earlier?"
Shen Yunzhi said regretfully, "I specially invited Young Master Chen to come out..."
"Next time, on a nice day, let's brew tea and play music together again," Chen Zhaoyu promised without hesitation.
"Okay! It's a deal!"
As if afraid he would change his mind, Shen Yunzhi quickly agreed.
...
Chen Zhaoyu kept his word, and when the first heavy snow fell in the capital, he invited Shen Yunzhi to admire the plum blossoms as promised.
That plum grove belonged to the Chen family, so no one disturbed it.
The snow had not yet melted, and specks of white snow adorned the plum tree branches.
The plum blossoms, as red as rouge, bloom in the cold winter, creating a breathtaking scene.
Shen Yunzhi walked to the plum tree, looked up at it, then turned to look at Chen Zhaoyu, and said with a smile, "I am really just an ordinary person. When I see such a beautiful scene of red plum blossoms against the snow, I only wish I could possess it. It is a pity that any touch would ruin this scenery. It should belong to this world."
Chen Zhaoyu smiled and said, "Beautiful things have always been fascinating and endearing."
"If Miss Chen is considered a common person, then I am just as common."
Shen Yunzhi covered her mouth and smiled, "How could Young Master Chen be an ordinary person?"
She glanced at Chen Zhaoyu, and teased as she weaved among the plum trees, "I see that you are a handsome and elegant young master, unlike any ordinary person. Could you be a fox spirit in disguise, here to seduce the young ladies of the mortal world?"
Chen Zhaoyu followed Shen Yunzhi's footsteps, and upon hearing this, asked with a mixture of helplessness and astonishment, "A vixen?"
This was the first time he had ever heard a man praised as a fox spirit.
Shen Yunzhi turned to face her, took a few steps back, tilted her head and smiled: "I've heard that there are countless young ladies in the capital who are infatuated with Young Master Chen. I suppose only a vixen could have such an ability. I'm praising Young Master Chen, so Young Master Chen mustn't be angry."
She was clearly comparing him to a vixen, yet she arrogantly demanded that he not get angry.
Chen Zhaoyu was helpless. Looking at her charming smiling face, he really couldn't get angry. Seeing that she was about to bump into the drooping plum branch, he hurriedly said, "Be careful!"
The words had barely left his mouth when he was already in front of Shen Yunzhi.
He placed his arm behind her head, blocking the plum blossoms from his cloak, preventing them from touching her at all.
But their posture made them incredibly intimate as a result.
Chen Zhaoyu almost half-embraced Shen Yunzhi. He smelled her fragrance and looked down to see her soft, rosy lips.
My heart was beating very fast.
Chen Zhaoyu hurriedly looked away, stammered for a moment without being able to speak, and let go of her hand with a flushed face.
It was freezing cold, and Cui Lizhu was too lazy to go out, so she did not go to the appointment with Shen Yunzhi.
Shen Yunzhi did not stay in the Chen family's plum garden for too long that day.
Inside the pavilion, a teapot on a small stove was constantly bubbling with hot water.
As wisps of white mist rose, Chen Zhaoyu sat alone in the pavilion for half a day. Finally, the burning sensation on his cheeks subsided, and he got up and left.
Qiyun Residence, Study.
Lin Yue reported to Cui Huai about Shen Yunzhi and Chen Zhaoyu's meeting at the Chen Family Plum Garden.
After listening calmly, Cui Huai said, "Go and invite Miss Chen over."
Lin Yue responded and left, only to receive the reply that Shen Yunzhi was unwell and unable to come.
Shen Yunzhi was unwilling to come.
Cui Huai put down the ivory Eight Immortals wolf hair brush in his hand.
He looked at the clay figurine on the desk.
Recalling the last time, she arranged to meet Chen Zhaoyu at Jianchun Pavilion, and today they arranged to meet at Chen Family Plum Garden.
"Go and fetch the imperial physician."
A moment later, Cui Huai gave instructions to Lin Yue.
Whether she caught a chill in the plum garden or not, upon returning to the Prince's residence, Shen Yunzhi discovered that she had started her period and was experiencing severe abdominal pain. When Lin Yue came to deliver the message that Cui Huai invited her to Qiyun Residence, she was lying in bed in too much pain to get up.
Her physical discomfort was not unfounded, and because of this, she couldn't concentrate on why Cui Huai had invited her.
Despite the unbearable pain, I gradually drifted off to sleep, until I vaguely heard someone talking behind the screen.
When she woke up, the abdominal pain had not disappeared and was still tormenting her. Shen Yunzhi weakly called out to Qiuyue, and several figures came out from behind the screen one after another.
She looked up and saw Cui Huai, and was momentarily stunned. She could already hear Cui Huai ordering the imperial physician to come forward and take her pulse.
"His Highness the Crown Prince specially invited the imperial physician to examine the young lady."
Qiuyue walked to the bedside and explained in a low voice.
The imperial physician was already there, leaving no room for refusal, especially since she was feeling unwell and had no strength to refuse.
Shen Yunzhi thanked Cui Huai and then obediently cooperated with the imperial physician.
Cui Huai remained silent, watching Shen Yunzhi on the bed.
Her face was pale and weak, without any trace of pretense. Her claim of feeling unwell was not an excuse to avoid seeing him, but the truth.
But it is also true that she went to see Chen Zhaoyu today.
After taking her pulse, the imperial physician asked Shen Yunzhi a few more questions about her condition. Cui Huai listened attentively as she recounted her trip out that day, the physician's explanation that she was already weak and had been exposed to cold, causing her severe abdominal pain, and her promise to be more careful next time. Only after the physician had left to write the prescription did he ask, "What did Miss Shen go out for?"
"It's because I made an appointment with someone."
Who is it?
When Cui Huai inquired about the appointment, a hint of shyness appeared on Shen Yunzhi's pale face.
"It was Young Master Chen who invited me to admire the plum blossoms," she replied softly.
Cui Huai almost laughed.
Her joy at going to Chen Zhaoyu's appointment was palpable, and even though she suffered from severe abdominal pain after returning home, she showed no regret whatsoever.
So sweet.
She was just as happy when she returned to the manor with the crape myrtle flowers that Huo Ming had given her.
She said it on purpose so he could hear it.
Ever since that day when he offended her outside the library, she has repeatedly stated that she has no feelings for him.
Thinking of this, Cui Huai felt as if a fire was burning in his heart.
This fire burned from day to night, still haunting him in his dreams, causing her to fall into them once again.
"I know I was wrong, cousin." She wrapped herself around him from behind and chuckled in his ear. "Cousin, don't be angry with me anymore. From now on, I will..." She whispered in his ear, but he couldn't hear her words. He could only feel her warm breath and her soft lips brushing against his cheek.
In an instant, they turned their backs on him.
She coldly pushed him away, looking at him with disgust: "My heart already belongs to someone else, why must Your Highness force me to do something I don't want to do?"
Cui Huai finally understood that what had been lingering in his heart was a burning jealousy.
He grabbed her, pulled her back into his arms, and sealed her lips with a kiss, silencing her from uttering those venomous words.
Her shyness and her beauty finally came to life because of him.
It was no one else.
...
Shen Yunzhi was tormented by her period for two days and stayed in bed for two days. Once her period was over, she was lively and energetic again.
Cui Huai did not seek her out again. She still did not know why Cui Huai had wanted to invite her to Qiyun Residence. She asked Lin Yue, who said that she was fine and it did not seem like a serious matter, so she let it go. However, she learned that there would be a poetry gathering at the Chen Family Plum Garden in a few days, so she took the opportunity to buy pastries to thank Cui Huai for helping to invite the imperial physician to leave the residence.
After parting ways at Meiyuan, Chen Zhaoyu never made another move.
That's a potent medicine; it might scare him off, or it might lead to something more. We'll have to meet him in person to be sure.
Shen Yunzhi waited outside the plum garden until the poetry gathering ended.
She had the carriage stop some distance away, while she stood in the cold wind, her face mostly hidden by her cloak and hood.
Chen Zhaoyu had just emerged from the plum garden when he spotted a figure in fiery red. Upon closer inspection, he recognized Shen Yunzhi. Recalling the incident at the plum garden, his cheeks flushed slightly, and he hurried forward, asking, "Miss Shen, why are you here alone?"
"Young Master Chen..."
Shen Yunzhi turned around in surprise, took off her hood, revealing her face, which was red from the cold. "I heard there is a poetry gathering in the plum garden today."
"I thought that Young Master Chen would probably be there, so I waited a bit."
"Wouldn't that be too presumptuous?"
Shen Yunzhi's delicate and pitiful appearance caught Chen Zhaoyu's eye.
He was deeply moved and did not answer for a moment.
Seeing this, Shen Yunzhi didn't beat around the bush, looked directly at him, and lowered her voice.
"Actually, I came today to ask Young Master Chen if the plum blossom viewing we agreed on before still stands?"
Chen Zhaoyu understood the implied meaning.
He could see the stubbornness and nervousness in her eyes, but she wanted an answer from him.
The words were left unsaid, yet they both understood.
Most people might not have had the courage to ask, but she was different.
Beneath her delicate appearance lies unexpected courage.
Looking at Shen Yunzhi like this, for some inexplicable reason, Chen Zhaoyu felt his heart suddenly skip a beat.
"naturally……"
His face flushed even more. Chen Zhaoyu looked back at Shen Yunzhi and said, word by word, "It counts."
He then watched as she stood there, stunned, seemingly unable to react, looking somewhat foolish. But when she came to her senses, she was overjoyed, almost jumping for joy. Finally, she circled around him, grinning foolishly, and stuffed a bag of pastries into his arms: "Young Master Chen, this is for you."
As if his answer was enough, she turned to leave.
Chen Zhaoyu chuckled helplessly and called out to Shen Yunzhi, "Now that Miss Shen is here, won't you join me in admiring the plum blossoms?"
In the end, the two of them still couldn't go to admire the plum blossoms.
Shen Yunzhi had been standing outside for too long and was very cold, so Chen Zhaoyu took her outside to warm up.
After lingering for a while, it was getting dark.
Seeing the disappointment on Shen Yunzhi's face, Chen Zhaoyu tried to coax her, saying, "Although we can't make it today, we won't miss it again next time. Why don't you pick a few plum blossoms to take back and enjoy?" Shen Yunzhi did not refuse and happily followed behind him, letting Chen Zhaoyu pick plum blossoms for her himself.
Shen Yunzhi held a branch of plum blossoms in her arms.
The plum garden belonging to the Chen family has cinnabar plum, green calyx plum, palace pink plum, yellow fragrant plum, and a small patch of extremely rare imperial gold-sprinkled plum.
Shen Yunzhi walked to the plum tree and exclaimed in amazement, "How beautiful!"
Seeing the undisguised joy in her eyes, Chen Zhaoyu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and broke off a cluster of golden plum blossoms from a branch.
"Don't move."
He placed his hand on Shen Yunzhi's shoulder, bent down, and carefully and attentively tucked a flower into her hair.
Shen Yunzhi was surprised by Chen Zhaoyu's action.
They cooperated obediently and remained completely still.
Cui Huai and the eldest son of the Chen family stepped out of the pavilion. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a familiar figure under the plum tree. His gaze fixed on Shen Yunzhi, clearly seeing her obedient appearance, her brows and eyes filled with shyness and tenderness as she looked up at the person in front of her.
The soft, fragrant jade in my dream once belonged to Huo Ming, but now it belongs to Chen Zhaoyu.
But it never belonged to him.
The burning jealousy in his heart, which had never been extinguished since it first ignited, instantly engulfed his entire being.
Cui Huai's eyes darkened. The moment Shen Yunzhi leaned against Chen Zhaoyu, he could no longer bear it and crushed the clay figurine that she had given him before into pieces.
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Author's note: Sorry for the wait, here's a little red envelope for everyone [hugs]
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