Chapter 71 Shen Hegui was injured. Look, it's edible, sweet...
Facing the long needle that had penetrated deep into her flesh, Qian Yuechi hugged her son tightly in horror, repeatedly apologizing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Shen Hegui lowered his eyes, looked into the child's dark eyes, and gave a cold smile.
At that moment, the warmth in his eyes completely vanished. "Excellent! Absolutely excellent! I've even met my grandmother!"
His tone suddenly sharpened: "Guards! Brew a bowl of medicine to kill your offspring and force it down Lu Yunzhi's throat. I've changed my mind. I'm going to let your whole family live well in Yanjing."
He pulled the long needle from his leg and casually tossed it onto the mouse that was stealing food. Shen Hegui then loudly ordered, "Keep a close eye on it. If it can't finish eating in one day, eat it for two days. If it can't finish eating in two days, eat it for three days. Take good care of the child. Make sure it doesn't die!"
A child who is almost ten years old is pretty much set in their ways; they should taste the bitter fruit of their own making.
As the sun rose and set, time slowly drew to a close in April, and the Enco tournament came to a close.
In the imperial examination of the eighteenth year of Chengping, the top scholar was Luo Wenqing, a thirty-three-year-old from a prominent family in the north.
The second and third place winners came from a scholarly family in the southwest and a poor family in the south, respectively.
There's a saying that goes: "Once a person goes astray, the road will straighten out."
The air was filled with the fragrance of locust blossoms, and outside the Fengtian Hall, compliments rose and fell.
"Lord Lu, you've worked hard. The questions for this imperial examination were truly excellent!"
"Yes! Last month's imperial examination, I heard they collected a whole basketful of all sorts of bizarre cheat sheets, it was quite an eye-opener."
"The weather is getting hotter and hotter, Lord Lu, please take care of yourself! I happen to have some newly acquired spring tea from Xishan at home, which is perfect for calming the mind and relieving dryness. I will send someone to deliver it to your residence later to help you relax."
Just as Lu Wensheng was about to politely decline, Feng Gou cleared his throat from behind.
Feng Gou: "Lord Lu, His Highness requests your presence."
The previously lively atmosphere froze instantly. The officials quickly exchanged glances and then made way for each other.
Lu Wensheng straightened his sleeves, his humble smile unchanged. He simply nodded slightly to the crowd, said a few nice words, and then turned and left with Feng Gou.
Aside from the morning court session, she hadn't seen Shen Hegui in private for three days. Moreover, since that night, Shen Hegui had become noticeably busier; he was occasionally seen during the day, but at night, he was almost nowhere to be found.
In the middle of last month, Wen Ciming, who came to the capital from Huguang, was appointed as the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and concurrently served as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, ranking among the highest civil officials. He was originally Shen Hegui's mentor when he was young, and this promotion was met with no dissent from the court or the public.
Since assuming the position of Grand Secretary, Wen Ciming had a long-standing teacher-student relationship with Shen Hegui, and their bond was exceptional. Therefore, he wholeheartedly supported Shen Hegui's proposals without ever raising any objections. He would only offer slight suggestions and mediate at crucial moments.
In the current court, the two most influential figures are herself and Wen Ciming. It is said that two tigers cannot share one mountain, but she and this new prime minister get along surprisingly well.
As May approached and the weather grew warmer, she walked all the way to Zhaowu Hall, her body covered in a light sweat, and her face flushed from the sun.
Feng Gou, who was leading the way, stopped and bowed, saying softly, "His Highness is waiting for you inside, so we won't go in."
Lu Wensheng: "Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law."
Feng Gou: "Lord Lu, you're too kind."
The cool air inside the hall wafted towards me, instantly turning the sweat from the warmth into a refreshing coolness. It was damp and sticky, making it quite unbearable.
Lu Wensheng quietly tugged at his inner robe and walked straight toward the desk piled high with memorials, but he didn't see Shen Hegui.
That's strange. It's early in the morning. Did they go to sleep in the inner palace?
Oh no, her newly ordered storybook is still under her pillow!
Lu Wensheng hurriedly walked into the hall. As soon as she rounded the screen, she saw Shen Hegui standing with his back to the bed, looking at something.
"Your Highness?" Lu Wensheng called out softly.
Shen Hegui: "Mm."
Following his gaze, Lu Wensheng couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
Shen Hegui didn't come back for three nights in a row, and she was having a wonderful time. She could eat dinner whenever she wanted by her bedside, soak in the large hot spring in the palace whenever she wanted, have some dessert afterward, and then happily read a storybook.
She woke up very early today, craving spicy food, so she asked Feng Gou for a large portion of extra spicy and numbing chicken, sweet lotus root starch, and cheese, and then picked up a new storybook.
Unfortunately, it was the story of "The White Crane and the Deer" that she heard on the night of the Shangsi Festival. At first, she was engrossed in reading it. On an unnamed mountain, a deer demon unintentionally saved a seriously injured crane demon. The two demons lived happily together in the mountains. However, their happiness was short-lived. A demon-hunting monk passed by and killed the deer demon. The crane demon was heartbroken and used all her power to reincarnate the deer demon as a human, and she herself was also reincarnated.
At this point, she was still very immersed in the story, wishing she could step into the book and stomp on the stinky monk.
I remember back then, she was so spicy and her back was sore from sitting for so long, so she simply moved the sweet lotus root starch and cheese to the bed, comfortably leaning against the soft pillows, eating and turning the pages at the same time.
After finally getting through the transitional chapter, the two met again, and she was completely stunned.
The reincarnation of the deer was selected as the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination, and the reincarnation of the white crane became the crown prince. Moreover, the place names and era names were all homophones. It was almost as if the names of Lu Wensheng and Shen Hegui were written in the preface to make it clear!
Suddenly, I remembered what the bookseller had said: "This is the most popular storybook in Yanjing in March. Everyone who can read has read it! Even those who can't read have heard it told by storytellers. I heard it was written by a high-ranking official in the imperial court!"
What's the worst thing you can do when reading a novel? It's definitely projecting your own experiences onto the characters! Even if that character is yourself, it's still unacceptable. And according to the stall owner, everyone in Yanjing is shipping this couple in the book!
At that moment, she was both ashamed and annoyed, so embarrassed that she wished she could dig a three-bedroom apartment on the spot. She also felt that the old men in the court were all dishonest, as they all thought she was gay and that she and the crown prince were a couple. She herself was the last to know.
In her anger, she made a lot of noise and accidentally spilled the lotus root starch and cheese. It was close to the morning court session, and she didn't have time to clean it up. She thought she would come back after the session to change it, but who knew that Shen Hegui would come back.
Lu Wensheng's gaze slowly swept over the mess in the center of the bed, and he felt uneasy.
I never imagined that my wish to become a hermit would come true today.
Since he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, would he fly into a rage?
To relieve the spiciness and numbness, she diluted the sweet lotus root starch very thinly and mixed it with cheese, so it should have all seeped in.
They say time heals all wounds, and the two of them had kissed and hugged many times over the years. Apart from the final act, they had done almost everything they could.
She also touched the large dagger that Shen Hegui always carried with him a few times.
It was pink, a beautiful color, and very imposing, but when it was drawn, she instinctively felt a little scared, thinking it could stab her to death.
In addition, for some reason, whenever she was alone, she would inexplicably want to kiss and hug Shen Hegui. Of course, she always resisted, because as her clothes became less and less, and she was entangled with Shen Hegui, she would soon be left with only her undergarments.
Stopping his thoughts, Lu Wensheng cleared his throat, thinking it would be better to explain: "This morning I was so engrossed in reading that I accidentally knocked over the dessert. Your Highness has always disliked others touching your personal belongings without permission, so I planned to clean it up and replace it after the morning court session."
Shen Hegui’s eyes flickered slightly. He took Lu Wensheng’s hand and said with relief, “It seems that the tonic soup prepared by the Imperial Hospital is very effective. I have been neglecting you these days. You are young and full of vigor. It is normal to have needs. There is no need to hide it.”
It seems the time is almost right; we can reap the rewards once the Dragon Boat Festival is over.
As he spoke, Shen Hegui nuzzled Lu Wensheng's cheek and led him to the bed.
As his back touched the soft bed, Lu Wensheng immediately realized what was happening.
Shen Hegui had misunderstood; she thought the wet mixture was the product of her seeking pleasure that morning. She's just a girl, and she's been so wronged!
"Your Highness, that's not mine..." What did the ancients call this thing again?
"No need to explain. You helped me before, so I'm naturally willing to help you too."
Seeing Shen Hegui's hand gradually sliding towards her lower body, Lu Wensheng was so frightened that she pushed him away and jumped up, shouting, "I'll prove it to Your Highness!"
She quickly picked up a small strip of something mixed with lotus root starch and cheese and put it in her mouth, hurriedly explaining, "Look, it's edible, and it's sweet!"
“…You really don’t need to do this.” Shen Hegui was so shocked that he blurted out something he shouldn’t have, and he almost lost control of his expression.
Lu Wensheng: "..." Why does it feel like the more I explain, the worse it gets?
Yes, it should be fed to Shen Hegui, not to her!
With a determined heart, she pinched up another sticky strip of lotus root starch cheese, longer and thicker than the previous one.
"I really didn't lie. If you don't believe me, Your Highness, try it yourself. This is lotus root..."
Before she could finish speaking, a light blue silk handkerchief had already wrapped around her fingertips, wiping away the sticky residue.
A deep voice interrupted, "Alright, I know you're shy. Go wash your hands and have dinner with me. Let the servants handle things here."
Worried that Lu Wensheng might misunderstand, Shen Hegui added, "It's not that I dislike you. It's just that it's close to the Dragon Boat Festival, and my condition is rather special. I lose my sense of smell and taste, so even if I taste it, I won't remember what it tastes like. Besides, several hours have passed, so it's not fresh anymore."
Lu Wensheng was dumbfounded and deeply shocked. The words "not fresh" echoed repeatedly in his mind.
Does that mean he's willing to accept something fresh? Shen Hegui actually likes her that much?! I heard that stuff smells as bad as photinia flowers. When she was young and ignorant, she picked photinia flowers and couldn't help but vomit as soon as she brought them close to her nose.
Shen Hegui actually agreed to such a foul-smelling substance! Good heavens!
Lu Wensheng felt like a thousand groundhogs were screaming inside him, his eyes and face filled with complex emotions.
It wasn't until the fragrant food was served that Lu Wensheng came to his senses and belatedly said, "Why do we lose our sense of taste and smell as the Dragon Boat Festival approaches? Wouldn't this meal be rather uninteresting for Your Highness?"
Shen Hegui lifted his eyelids: "You want to know?"
Lu Wensheng nodded repeatedly.
Before she could figure out how Shen Hegui died in his previous life, a new setting came along that piqued her curiosity.
The jade chopsticks clattered against the silver bowl, and he said softly, "Go to the bed and make love to me, and I will tell you."
The topic jumped too far, directly from eating to eating her. Lu Wensheng flicked her wrist, and the quail egg she had just picked up flew directly to Shen Hegui's nose, then bounced away.
She chuckled twice to cover her embarrassment, handed over a handkerchief, and vaguely changed the subject: "This egg is so smooth. Your Highness already has one in your bowl, and I was just about to pick up another one to make a pair, but it seems it doesn't want to." She should have known better than to ask.
Having grown up amidst deceit and intrigue, Shen Hegui immediately saw through Lu Wensheng's attempt to change the subject, revealing his guilty conscience.
Since the bet was made, he observed that Lu Wensheng was not indifferent to him, and after being affected by the Gu poison several times, it was clear that she was also very eager to have him.
With a probing gaze fixed on Lu Wensheng's face, Shen Hegui frowned as he recalled the mess on the bed earlier. "If you want it so badly, why do you always resist at crucial moments? And why do you never let me touch your lower body, nor do you ever take off your clothes?"
His gaze shifted downwards, settling on Lu Wensheng's lower abdomen. "Even if you mind me using the back door, why are you unwilling every time I try to help you relieve yourself?"
Seeing his sudden serious expression, Lu Wensheng nervously swallowed twice, his mind racing as he frantically searched for a new reason.
Not ready, feeling unwell, or the occasion was inappropriate.
I have diarrhea, anal pain from eating too much spicy food, and I've also tried various remedies for constipation.
What else can we use?
Got it!
Lu Wensheng pinched her thigh hard, forcing out tears, and said aggrievedly, "I'm really ashamed to say this, but I got hemorrhoids a while ago, and they were about a quarter the size of a glutinous rice ball."
Worried that she wasn't quite presentable enough, she curled her index finger and pressed it against the base of her thumb to show her size: "Even the slightest touch hurts, let alone the friction. Besides, mine is rather thin and short. Compared to Your Highness's majestic figure, it's like a firefly compared to the bright moon. Whenever I think of it, I feel ashamed of myself. As for not wanting to take off my clothes, Your Highness has a broad chest and a well-defined belly, while I am soft and flabby, and I feel that I am unsightly."
Shen Hegui stared at her trembling, tearful eyes, instinctively feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
With his long fingers wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Shen Hegui beckoned to Lu Wensheng, "Come here and sit beside me."
Slowly putting down his chopsticks, Lu Wensheng hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and sitting down.
In broad daylight, nothing should happen, right?
A long, strong hand suddenly covered her waist, then gently squeezed it. Lu Wensheng was so startled that she hiccuped and almost jumped up.
The fat on her belly!
"But I really like touching the soft flesh on your waist. If you like someone, shouldn't you accept everything about them, whether it's their strengths or weaknesses, their advantages or disadvantages?"
His gaze drifted casually down, his sharp, long eyebrows rose, then suddenly stopped. Without making a sound, Shen Hegui lifted Lu Wensheng's hem.
Why is the fabric so wrinkled here? This mark looks like it was pinched out.
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