Chapter 57 Mutual Desire Leads to a Pledge to Cross the Magpie Bridge
Riding through the secluded path, Shen Hegui led Lu Wensheng through the city gate and galloped towards the outside of the city.
At first, Lu Wensheng's heart sank lower and lower, because the bathing plan had completely fallen through, and the wilderness was empty and deserted, so the mission was definitely impossible to complete.
However, when the lush greenery and vibrant colors of the mountains and fields came into view, my mood became strangely bright.
The wild azaleas are fiery red, the mountain peach blossoms are vibrant, and the pink and white cherry blossoms are charming. Occasionally, egrets and mountain birds fly by, leaving behind their round or graceful figures in the distance.
Looking back, in the four years she had been in Yanjing, she seemed to have never ridden a horse and enjoyed the spring mountain scenery.
A warm breeze swept by, carrying the refreshing fragrance of flowers. Lu Wensheng couldn't help but close his eyes and take a deep breath of the air mixed with the floral scent.
"Your Highness, where are we going?"
"Wherever the horse runs, that's where it goes." Long ago, when he was unhappy and had nowhere to vent his frustrations, he would ride alone through the mountains, hoping that this method would also work for Lu Wensheng.
"Can I lean on you for a while?" Sitting upright for so long is tiring. Shen Hegui really cares about her. He could tell she was in a bad mood just by not eating a few bites of lunch, and then he took her out to cheer her up.
"Of course."
The horses' hooves trod on the grass and fallen flowers on the path, making a dull and soft sound.
Disregarding social etiquette, Lu Wensheng let herself lean against Shen Hegui's firm chest. The spring clothes were thinning, and the warmth of his body, not her own, accompanied by a strong heartbeat, instantly enveloped her.
"Your Highness, your heart seems to be beating a little fast. Did you stay up late?"
Shen Hegui's body tensed almost imperceptibly for a moment, then slowly relaxed, and he responded in a low voice, "Mm."
So this is what it feels like to be leaned on by Lu Wensheng. It's so fragrant and soft. He seems to like it a little. I wonder what it would feel like to be able to cling to him in the winter.
The thought had barely formed when a secret desire began to grow, spread, and strengthen. Shen Hegui suddenly felt he should say something to interrupt and prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.
"Could you tell me why you were in a bad mood during lunch?"
The horse slowed down little by little. Shen Hegui sat back a bit, gently pulled on the reins, and turned into a secluded path, letting the horse roam freely.
Lu Wensheng had no lofty ambitions as a scholar, nor did she rely entirely on being an official to support her family. She immediately began to complain: "Being the Vice Minister of Rites is so tiring. I feel like I need to keep an eye on everything and take care of everything. Moreover, I have to argue with the Minister of Rites every day. I really want to go back to being an editor."
Although being an editor is busy, it's still better than being a vice minister who's so busy he barely has time to breathe. She's almost forgotten what it's like to slack off.
Shen Hegui affectionately rubbed Lu Wensheng's head and comforted him, "It will be fine after the imperial examination. As for Minister Wang, I will summon him separately and give him a talking-to when we get back. The editing work is tedious and trivial, and the effort is not commensurate with the income. It is not worth wasting your youth on it."
The scalp felt itchy and numb from being rubbed, and Lu Wensheng mistakenly thought that Shen Hegui's chin was itchy, so she thoughtfully reached out and scratched it for him.
She added, "The Minister is under a lot of pressure too, Your Highness, please don't reprimand him." Why should a working-class person make things difficult for another working-class person? She just wanted someone to talk to, not to complain.
Shen Hegui looked straight ahead, a smile welling up in his eyes. He gently pressed his lips to her fingertips as a sign of intimacy. "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."
The soft sensation washed over her fingertips, and Lu Wensheng's hand froze in mid-air, her mind going blank for a moment.
Did I accidentally scratch Shen Hegui's mouth just now?
Feeling a little guilty, she turned slightly to the side, withdrew her hand, and secretly looked up. Seeing that Shen Hegui's face was calm and his lips were even slightly curved, she felt relieved.
Shen Hegui has no wife or children and holds a high position, so he must be quite lonely. Although it is unknown why he has not yet ascended the throne, it can be guessed that there must be some unresolved hidden dangers holding him back. Recently, she has been under a lot of work pressure, and Shen Hegui's work pressure must be even greater than hers.
It's true that true friendship is revealed in times of trouble. Shen Hegui is treating her like a younger brother. Since he wants to be her older brother, there are some things she has to say.
"Your Highness."
"Um."
"Could we have a smaller table for lunch? I don't want to eat rouge goose breast, stir-fried asparagus, ham and bamboo shoot soup, cherry meat, braised shark fin, or beef anymore. I also don't want to copy books in the evening; I want to read storybooks."
I also don't want to go to the morning court session!
She was too cowardly to say the last one.
Shen Hegui broke off a peach blossom that was blocking the way and placed it in Lu Wensheng's hand, asking gently, "Anything else?"
Lu Wensheng's mind raced, and he tentatively whispered, "I want to sleep in, even if it's just an extra 15 minutes each day!"
After much deliberation, she felt that it would be more worthwhile for Shen Hegui to reward her with a house near Fengtian Palace.
Their shoulders brushed against the flower branches, and thick pink petals fell all over them.
Shen Hegui chuckled softly, "How about this? After the Shangsi Festival, you will stay overnight with me in the Zhaowu Hall, and then accompany me to the Fengtian Hall for the morning court session. What do you say?"
Lu Wensheng was taken aback, somewhat tempted, but did not agree immediately. Instead, he hesitated and said, "Wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate? Your Highness is inseparable from me every day. What if the future Crown Princess gets jealous? Also, wouldn't it be too much of a disturbance to Your Highness to sleep in the same palace? I sometimes get quite excited when reading novels."
Thinking of the erotic novels Lu Wensheng had been reading, Shen Hegui's eyes darkened. Mistaking it for lust, and thinking that he would have to try it sooner or later, he immediately replied, "It's alright. There won't be a Crown Princess!"
He paused, then asked, "Do you... like snakes?"
Lu Wensheng was slightly surprised, unable to understand why the jump was so large. "What color is it? Is it poisonous?"
Lu Fugui has ruined all of Shen Hegui's dogs. Does he plan to keep snakes instead of dogs in the future? Reptiles are not easy to keep.
The horse stopped at some point. Shen Hegui dismounted and helped Lu Wensheng down, letting the horse graze on its own.
His scrutinizing gaze landed squarely on Lu Wensheng's face, not missing the slightest change in expression: "What color it is and whether it's poisonous are very important?"
"Of course it's important! The more brightly colored a snake is, the more venomous it is. As for wild snakes, I don't really like or dislike them unless they bite me, but as for domestic snakes..."
Lu Wensheng stopped and thought seriously for a few seconds.
Shen Hegui's heart skipped a beat, and he pressed, "What about the domestic snake?"
Lu Wensheng's eyes were bright: "House snakes, as long as they don't bite me, I should like them. There's a saying where I'm from that place that where house snakes live, the earth's energy is strong, and people living there will have good fortune and make a lot of money!"
She licked her lower lip, which was dry and chapped from the warm breeze, and added, "When I was little, I didn't understand life and death. I quite liked the bright green bamboo viper."
Shen Hegui's gaze was focused: "If it's pure white, is it even more poisonous than bamboo leaf green?"
Lu Wensheng rubbed the peach blossom branch in his hand.
She had never seen a pure white snake in her life. Could it be that Shen Hegui caught a white snake and found it rare, wanting to share it with her?
"As long as it doesn't poison me, I'd like it so-so." Actually, she was quite curious about what it felt like to touch a live snake, but unfortunately, all the snakes she encountered were venomous, and if she wanted to die, she couldn't touch them.
Thinking of this, Lu Wensheng sighed with regret and looked up to ask, "Your Highness, you're raising snakes? Can I touch one after we return to the palace?"
"It's not the right time yet." If you don't dislike it, that's fine; if it's just so-so, that's fine too.
He turned around and walked forward at a leisurely pace.
Lu Wensheng followed his figure and looked ahead, only to notice that a hundred meters ahead was actually the entrance to a peach blossom forest.
The vibrant peach blossoms stretched endlessly like a crimson mist, and when a gentle breeze passed by, the petals fell like snow.
"Your Highness!" Lu Wensheng jogged to catch up, "The peach trees are planted so densely, you'll get lost if you just wander in!"
"I'm here, I won't let you get lost."
Seeing that Shen Hegui kept walking forward, Lu Wensheng, thinking of his safety, had no choice but to follow him.
The two walked one after the other, winding around countless brightly colored peach trees, until suddenly the view opened up before them.
Lu Wensheng exclaimed in a low voice, "There's actually a stone house in this desolate mountain forest!"
Shen Hegui stepped forward with a faint smile, took out a bronze key from his pocket, and inserted it into the lock.
Lu Wensheng looked surprised: "This house was built by His Highness?"
The wooden door was pushed open, and a strong aroma of wine wafted out.
Shen Hegui: "I built this because I was bored while I was imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum."
Using a tinderbox to light the oil lamp on the table, Shen Hegui walked to the corner of the room, lifted the heavy hidden door on the ground, and revealed a dark, square cellar.
"I'll go get the wine; you wait here."
Seeing that the cellar was dark, Lu Wensheng handed the oil lamp to Shen Hegui, but Shen refused, saying, "No need, I'll light it for you."
Lu Wensheng didn't think too much about it, assuming that Shen Hegui was just skilled with practice and could find out where things were in the dark.
After a short while, the two sat under the lush flowering trees and drank together. She placed the peach blossom branch that Shen Hegui had given her next to the protruding tree root.
With the bright spring sunshine and the sweet peach wine as a companion, Lu Wensheng's suffocating unhappiness of the past few days completely dissipated.
She put down the wine jar, recalling Shen Hegui's earlier words, and couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined that the imperial mausoleum would be filled with His Highness's people as well."
The wine brewed by Shen Hegui is quite delicious, sweet and refreshing. It's a real pity that she was only given such a small jar, which is not enough to drink at all.
Lu Wensheng shook the small wine jar, then downed the remaining quarter of the peach wine in one go. He then put the jar aside, smacked his lips, and savored the taste.
Seeing that she liked it, Shen Hegui naturally handed the remaining half-jar of wine to Lu Wensheng. His gaze unconsciously fell on her radiant face, which was made even more beautiful by the sunlight, and he replied softly, "It wasn't at first, it was later."
Lu Wensheng paused for a moment as he took the wine jar, slightly shocked.
At the height of the dynasty, the imperial mausoleum guards, along with eunuchs and servants, numbered at least five to seven thousand. How did Shen Hegui manage to do this in just a few months?
Her expression was too obvious. Shen Hegui propped himself up, half-closed his eyes, and suppressed the desire that surged up again before speaking to answer her question.
"It's very simple. People's hearts are like water; they freeze when it's cold and melt when it's warm. The imperial mausoleum is bitterly cold, and Shen Rui has not inquired about it for a long time. But I can give them a future, gold and silver, and even dignity. Besides, people have desires and fears."
Of course, some underhanded methods were used, but it was inconvenient to tell Lu Wensheng about them.
He raised his phoenix eyes slightly and caught a glimpse of a beautiful double peach blossom on the side. He casually plucked it and tucked it into Lu Wensheng's hair, praising, "The color suits you very well. The day after tomorrow is the Shangsi Festival. Feng Gou told me that the night view on the flower boat is absolutely amazing. I wonder if you have time?"
Lu Wensheng was worried about not having any companions for the Shangsi Festival this year, so she immediately agreed happily: "Great! How about we meet at the restaurant by the Magpie Bridge the day after tomorrow?" Shen Hegui really was willing to tell her everything.
"good."
He remembered that the Magpie Bridge was a famous matchmaking bridge in Yanjing City. Legend has it that as long as you walk across it once each on the Shangsi Festival, Qixi Festival, and Lantern Festival, you will be able to stay together until old age without illness or disaster.
So Lu Wensheng was going to pledge his life to him and express his feelings on that day? Shouldn't he also show some kind of response?
Thinking about this, Shen Hegui couldn't help but lower his eyes and smile gently, his whole demeanor becoming even more gentle.
Lu Wensheng reluctantly shifted his gaze from Shen Hegui's handsome face, thinking the atmosphere was just right, and quickly said, "Your Highness, when we get back, could I go home first to shower and change? I haven't showered for almost ten days. I know it's against the rules..."
"Can."
Lu Wensheng's pre-prepared excuses were instantly crammed into a single sentence: "Your Highness, you're so kind." He's so easy to talk to; no wonder business deals are always discussed over drinks.
However, Shen Hegui is truly handsome, especially when he smiles. If only he were just an ordinary man. His smile is her type, but his social status makes her want to avoid him at all costs.
What a pity! I hate it!
Lu Wensheng took a big gulp of wine, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and his greedy eyes were uncontrollably glued to Shen Hegui's still smiling face.
Her gaze was so direct that Shen Hegui couldn't ignore it, so he simply lay down on Lu Wensheng's lap and let her look him over.
Her pink, thin lips parted slightly: "Quickly wipe your drool, don't let it drip onto my face."
Lu Wensheng, who was thin-skinned, blushed instantly: "Your Highness is so handsome, and even more so when you smile. When I marry in the future, I must marry someone like Your Highness."
After explaining in a low voice, she still felt embarrassed and took several sips of wine to cover it up.
With his gaze fixed on the mouth of the jar, Shen Hegui's eyes deepened, and he replied arrogantly, "Dream on!"
Lu Wensheng actually wants to marry him? Shouldn't he be the one marrying Lu Wensheng? What kind of logic is it for an emperor to marry someone else? But privately, it would be acceptable to let Lu Wensheng marry him once, to fulfill Lu Wensheng's wish to be a groom.
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Author's note: Horse: I'm an old horse that knows the way. Once I leave the city, I'll just head back to the old place on my own.
A large white snake in the peach blossom grove. From now on, instead of walking dogs, Lu Wensheng will be walking snakes, hahaha...
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