Chapter 77 What is his young lady secretly learning? ...
In the stillness of midnight, as the lights were about to go out, Jiang Yinyue crept into the small couch in the dark and pulled the quilt over herself.
I'm so ashamed.
When have I ever done such an absurd thing?
The palms, burned by the branding iron, were still trembling.
The boudoir was quiet, with the occasional sound of a wooden clapper, but it couldn't compare to the ear-splitting pounding of the heart inside the quilt.
The person hiding under the covers covered their face, rolling around and around, until they became a round, plump cicada pupa again.
Under a dark sky filled with dense, inky clouds, a group of weary travelers entered the city at dawn.
The officers and soldiers conducting the inspection looked up in surprise when they saw the girl's travel permit.
The girl leading the horse retrieved her travel permit, walked proudly through the city gate, and gazed at the bustling street, trying to calm her complex emotions. She was clearly excited, yet her youthful face remained cool; her nose was tingling, yet she acted nonchalantly as if she didn't care about anything.
She led her horse into the crowd, her petite figure quickly disappearing into the throng.
"Your Highness, you've gone the wrong way."
The girl snorted, "You all go back to the Cui residence first, I need to go to the Jiang residence."
"This isn't a good idea."
"Wordy."
The girl swaggered along, searching for familiar faces, but couldn't find any for a long time.
Where have all those people who mocked her as a puppet summoning spirits gone?
But it's just a drop in the ocean.
Their sarcasm and questioning became insignificant.
It shouldn't have mattered; it's just that I was young then, and my inexperienced mind and thick skin couldn't withstand unkind criticism.
The girl pouted, letting go of the past. She stretched lazily, looking relaxed and carefree. When she appeared in front of Jiang Yinyue, she still held her head high, like a young falcon that had broken free of its shackles.
"I'm back! So what if people doubt me? So what if they affirm me? I am still me, Cui Shengzhi's daughter, Cui Yinghan's sister, and Wei Yihe's aunt. My appetite hasn't changed, my drinking capacity hasn't changed, and my spirit hasn't changed!"
The girl muttered a lot of things, just like Jiang Song and Jiang Yinyue, father and daughter, had found a way to back down that night, to reconcile with their entanglements and let go of their conflicts.
Cui Shihan is still Cui Shihan, no proof needed. Those who understand and love her will naturally understand her pain and sorrow, and accept her imperfections.
The shackles of rumors and gossip cannot hold back those who understand.
Jiang Yinyue was about to rush towards her when the girl stopped in her tracks by a single sentence.
"I had no choice but to hide it from you, but it was not for any other reason. I'm sorry."
Jiang Yinyue put her hands behind her back and snorted proudly, "Then why don't you come over and give me a hug?"
Cui Shihan was taken aback, then immediately stepped forward and gave her kindred spirit a big hug.
Two girls embraced in the warm winter sun; one laughed, the other cried.
Jiang Yinyue wiped Cui Shihan's eyes for her. "Are you moved?"
"That brat got a good deal. With a wife like that, what more could a husband ask for!"
Jiang Yinyue put her hands in her pockets again, "Don't speak like an elder."
"They are your elders."
You are younger than me.
"She's your elder too, but who told you to be that brat's wife?"
Jiang Yinyue hooked her arm around Cui Shihan's neck and playfully stepped through the gate.
"He's fine. Don't cry when you see him later," Jiang Yingyue comforted him.
Cui Shihan spoke casually and nonchalantly, but her eyes still welled up with tears the moment she saw Wei Qin.
**
Jiang Yinyue, who accompanied Cui Shihan back to the Grand Tutor's mansion, deliberately avoided the scene of the father and daughter talking.
She stood patiently waiting under the locust tree in the second courtyard of the Grand Tutor's mansion.
Inside the main room, which was not closed, Cui Sheng held his daughter's hand, his voice hoarse and choked with sobs. The most impeccable old man said sharply, "I am ashamed. I used you to alleviate the pain of losing my eldest daughter for my own selfish reasons. I did not put myself in your shoes."
"If I had considered it, then I wouldn't be here."
Cui Shihan withdrew her hand, took a sip from the covered bowl to hide her awkwardness and embarrassment. Her correspondence with her father mostly concerned serious matters; they rarely shared their innermost thoughts. "People inevitably make mistakes; what matters is the sincerity of their attempts to make amends. Old man, where is your sincerity? I can feel it."
Cui Shengzhi didn't mind his daughter's lack of manners; as long as she was happy, what did manners matter?
"Shihan, I have never thought of you as Yinghan. You are you, not a substitute for anyone."
"Of course, I am who I am."
The girl stood up. "I'm tired. I want to rest."
"The rooms have already been prepared. Have the housekeeper lead you there."
Cui Shihan led Jiang Yinyue into her room. She looked around and saw that all the utensils were exactly as they had been before she left the capital. The room was bright and clean, without a speck of dust.
Would you like to stay with me tonight?
Jiang Yinyue pressed her brow bone. She wanted to, but what if someone not only wouldn't allow it, but would also come to her door with an injury?
"No, Wei Qin can't be without me at night."
"Tsk tsk tsk."
Jiang Yinyue didn't explain. She had experienced even more embarrassing situations before, so how could she not resist her aunt's teasing!
Aunt...
Jiang Yinyue smiled and pinched Cui Shihan's cheek, feeling that she had been dragged down by Wei Qin and had been demoted in seniority.
Upon returning to her residence, Jiang Yinyue was met with Wei Qin's meaningful gaze, and felt inexplicably guilty.
It was just past 5 PM.
"I'm back."
After being ignored for several hours, Wei Qin tried to get up, but the wound on his chest aggravated his muscles and bones, hindering his body's coordination.
Jiang Yingyue stepped forward to help him, supporting him against the bed railing and placing a pillow behind his back for support. "Has the dressing been changed?"
"Um."
Jiang Yinyue knew the exact time for changing the dressing, but she just wanted to confirm it to put her mind at ease. Seeing Wei Qin looking sullen, she shook her head with amusement, thinking that this jealousy must have been brewing for a long time.
She's even more attached to her than Qi Bao.
"That's your aunt. She just returned to Beijing, so it's only right that I spend more time with her."
Jiang Yinyue poked Wei Qin's face, not wanting to argue with the jealous guy. She went into the bath to wash her hands and took out a set of clothes from the cabinet to change.
"Does Miss treat me like an outsider?"
Jiang Yinyue turned her head in surprise, her pretty face instantly turning red. What she meant was, if she didn't treat him like an outsider, she would have to undress in front of him.
"Wei Yihe, don't take advantage of the chaos."
This person took advantage of his injury to make too many unreasonable demands, becoming increasingly greedy and insatiable.
Wei Qin lowered his eyes, the rustling of clothes coming from the bath, and when he smelled the scent of pears, he remained sitting there motionless.
Jiang Yinyue wondered if she had been too harsh. If she called him honest, there was a hint of cunning in his expression; if she called him cunning, his face was too cold and aloof, and when he was silent and his eyes were lowered, he exuded a sense of uprightness.
A unique charm is created by the interplay of elegance and allure on him, leaning more towards the former.
Jiang Yinyue sat down on the edge of the bed, placing one hand naturally on his leg and gently shaking it. "What would you like to eat for dinner? I'll tell the kitchen to prepare it."
A gentle tone, tinged with coaxing and flattery—who could resist that?
Knowing her young mistress's temper perfectly well, Wei Qin raised her eyes and said, "Anything is fine."
"Well then, let's prepare the medicinal meal according to the physician's prescription."
Just as Jiang Yinyue was about to get up to give instructions, Wei Qin tightly gripped one of her wrists.
"Stay with me."
The man, who had just been forgiven, perhaps lacked a sense of security. Ignoring his injuries, he pulled Jiang Yinyue into his arms, removed the hairpin from her hair, and ran his fingers through her silky strands.
"Your injury..."
Jiang Yinyue was a little angry and wanted to push him away, but she had to consider his wound. "If you keep doing this, I won't talk to you anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man tightened his grip on her arm.
Her anger turned to helplessness. Jiang Yinyue raised her hand and stroked his back gently, "Alright, I'll stay with you, okay?"
Wei Qin turned her around, held her in his arms like a baby, and leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose.
Jiang Yinyue chuckled helplessly, letting him act recklessly, but she was still afraid that the wound would reopen, so she dared not push him, lest Wei Qin do something even more outrageous.
"Mmm...don't kiss me anymore...mmm..."
Wei Qin held Jiang Yinyue's soft lips in his mouth, and with one hand he reached into her coat and rubbed her navel, causing Jiang Yinyue to curl up.
It's so itchy.
Jiang Yinyue's blouse was crumpled. She kicked her legs, and her embroidered shoes fell off one after the other. She straightened her insteps and rubbed them against the brocade quilt to counteract the strange reaction of her body, leaving scratches on the dragon and phoenix patterned quilt.
It's time to give it to him, but it's not the right time yet.
Seeing the blood seeping through the white cloth on the man's chest, Jiang Yinyue was both anxious and angry. She realized that this man had a cold and persistent streak, willing to pay any price to achieve his goal.
"Wei Qin, stop."
Wei Qin bit her lower lip hard, leaving his own teeth mark. He reached into her coat and took out a crumpled pocket, which he held tightly in his palm and pressed against his chest.
"Miss is mine."
"Stop talking."
Jiang Yinyue sat up, shrank to the foot of the bed, straightened her clothes, but felt ashamed because she was missing her pocket. If it weren't for his injury, she wouldn't have let him lead her by the nose.
She snatched the pocket and tucked it into her sleeve. She fanned her face with her hand, and when she saw him looking pitiful again, she realized she had been tricked.
Some people are cunning to the core.
She pointed at the person from afar, then slipped on her embroidered shoes and headed to the bath. When she opened her blouse, she discovered that it was stained with Wei Qin's blood.
She didn't seem to mind; she simply put the clothes back on and even touched the plum blossom brand.
In the stillness of the night, Jiang Yinyue sat in front of her dressing table, gathered a handful of her long hair and draped it over her shoulder, tidying it with a wooden comb.
But her mind wasn't on tidying up; she stole a glance at the person on the bed through the bronze mirror.
One glance after another.
Every time she stole a glance, that person was looking at her sideways.
Without any attempt to hide it.
Jiang Yinyue stared at the mirror, then poked a hole in the window paper. "What are you looking at?"
"Look at your wife."
Jiang Yinyue quickly combed her long hair, walked to the bedside, and confidently turned around. "Have you seen enough?"
Go to sleep quickly after you've had enough.
She wished the days would pass quickly so his wounds could heal completely.
Lying flat on the bed, Wei Qin turned his head and said directly, "I can't get enough of looking at you."
I can never get enough of it.
Jiang Yinyue covered his eyes, "Go to sleep, so you can recover soon."
"It will be alright."
"Hurry up."
"Um."
Jiang Yinyue smiled unconsciously and leaned down to kiss Wei Qin's forehead.
Dragonflies skimming the water.
The woman, who had returned to the small couch, glanced at the man who was asleep with his eyes closed. She took out the fire-avoidance diagram that she had once dared not look at for long from under her pillow, and with trembling hands, she turned to the folded page and continued to study it secretly.
His face grew hotter and hotter.
It's unbearable to look at.
She tucked the fire-avoidance diagram back under her pillow, then took out the storybook about the young lady and the scholar and immersed herself in it.
The ladies in the storybooks were far more absurd than her.
Jiang Yinyue felt uneasy. The descriptions of scholars in the storybooks were nothing like Wei Qin's pleasing appearance. She bit the quilt, completely flustered.
Wei Qin, who was "sound asleep," opened his eyes and looked at the storybook in the woman's hand through the dim light.
I wonder what his mistress is secretly learning.
**
This steady, gradual recovery lasted for several days, and under Jiang Yinyue's meticulous care, Wei Qin recovered to 90% of his former state.
The physician was amazed by the man's recovery ability.
Wei Qin pressed the scabbed-over wound, and after the physician left, he looked at Jiang Yinyue, who was showing relief, and asked, "Miss, have you made any progress in your studies these past few days?"
"What?"
The pointed question lingered in Jiang Yinyue's ears, but the young lady was still basking in her own sweetness, unaware of how shocking the echo of that question was.
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