Chapter 47 Peeping – This is getting too big for its britches.
"you......"
An He was momentarily flustered; Zhao Liangxu's hand was so sudden that he instinctively brushed it away.
Zhao Liangxu lowered her head and coughed for a long time, unable to stop. Due to the sudden cough, all of Zhao Liangxu's strength was concentrated in her chest and throat.
She looked up for a moment, and the tears that had been welling up in her eyes involuntarily flowed down her cheeks.
Zhao Liangxu was also taken aback. The coughing pressed on her tear ducts, and she did not want to, and rarely did, shed tears so easily.
Two tears slid easily from Zhao Liangxu's eyes, lightly brushed across her cheeks, and landed on Anhe's hand.
Warm tears slapped onto Anhe's hand, startling him.
Why are you crying?
Did you hurt yourself?
An He gripped Zhao Liangxu's wrist, feeling both nervous and regretful.
Did he actually make Zhao Liangxu shed tears? Was he being too aggressive?
Zhao Liangxu shook her head: "No, it's just that I cough involuntarily and it's hard to control."
An He pulled Zhao Liangxu's wrist towards him and carefully observed her. Her calm expression didn't seem like that of someone who was both anxious and angry.
"Princess Zhao suddenly put her hand on my neck just now; it was really unexpected," Anhe explained.
"I just wanted to hug Grandpa An and thank him for being angry for me."
Anhe almost laughed; who thanks someone for being angry on their behalf?
But upon hearing this, he lost all his previous emotions. He pulled Zhao Liangxu to his side, and Zhao Liangxu readily sat on his lap.
Anhe no longer speculated or doubted; he simply believed Zhao Liangxu's "not disliking" her.
But he still asked, "You're so unguarded and intimate with me, have you really forgotten that I'm a eunuch?"
“This is not intimacy. I trust Eunuch An.”
Zhao Liangxu blinked slowly; her eyes were a little itchy from coughing earlier.
An He chuckled softly, realizing that this was hardly an intimate gesture towards Zhao Liangxu.
Indeed, Zhao Liangxu has always been an extraordinary person.
But he admitted that he was pleased.
So be it, he's a thousand years old, what can't he get?
How can you become nervous and flustered because of a small hug?
What's wrong with him hugging Zhao Liangxu?
An He straightened his expression and prepared to explain why he had called Zhao Liangxu. He explained that Zhang Sheng had come to report earlier, which was when he suddenly had the idea to bring up this cold-blooded topic.
"You were right about one thing. I called you to the study to give you some materials about the caravan. Seeing that you haven't left the house these past few days, I know you've been idly spending your days at home, probably reading some miscellaneous books."
Anhe pointed to two booklets on the table, and Zhao Liangxu reached out, grabbed them, and handed them to Anhe.
"Now I'm giving you these two books. One contains some etiquette and customs from previous caravan visits, and the other contains some strange and interesting stories written by idle people. They are quite true and more serious than the unofficial histories you read. You can take them and learn from them to pass the time."
An He flipped through it casually a few times and then returned it to Zhao Liangxu.
"Then thank you, Eunuch An."
He sat relaxed, leaning back in his chair. Although Zhao Liangxu was sitting on him, she wasn't completely clinging to him. One of her hands was still on the protrusion of the chair back, as if she were loosely hugging An He's neck.
An He looked at Zhao Liangxu with a slight tilt of her head, as if admiring a painting.
Then, he gently wiped away the tiny, lingering tears that Zhao Liangxu couldn't quite shed from the corners of her eyes.
Zhao Liangxu neither dodged nor flinched, but her slightly damp eyelashes brushed against An He's fingers rather quickly.
Anhe wiped away the dampness and then released his arms from Zhao Liangxu, saying in a cold and aloof manner, "Go, sit down over there. This hugging and cuddling makes it seem like Princess Zhao is begging me for something without any regard for her own body. What kind of behavior is this?"
Zhao Liangxu didn't say much. She wasn't very comfortable sitting like that, and it would be more comfortable for her to sit in Zhang Zhengjing's chair.
Anhe held his index finger, which had just become damp, in his palm and gently rubbed it.
The two were speechless for a moment.
Remembering An He's rare kindness, Zhao Liangxu spoke first: "Eunuch An often walked through the archway these days?"
"Hmm, what's wrong?" Anhe replied casually, still focused on his fingertips.
"Does Eunuch An still think my archway is good? Just now, as I expected, the distance is even more convenient than before."
"Oh? Just as you expected?" Anhe focused his attention on the person in front of him again.
At first, he thought Zhao Liangxu was deliberately trying to tear down his wall. She said it was just to build an archway, which was probably just to curry favor with him, but in reality, it was just to vent her anger.
However, since the archway was only roughly built in the end, and it was convenient enough, he didn't say much more about it.
Now, Zhao Liangxu couldn't say what she had expected.
Anhe pondered further: "Does Princess Zhao mean that this archway was originally designed to make it closer to the study?"
"Yes, it's much more convenient, much closer than the previous courtyard."
"Isn't that so, Eunuch An?"
Her words pleased Anhe again, as if she had done it especially for him.
"You've handled this matter quite well, so we won't pursue it further."
I've never seen you investigate this matter.
"Tell me about it?"
"If there are any books I'd like to read, may I come to Eunuch An's study to get them in the future?"
Upon hearing this, An He leaned forward and said with amusement, "Princess Zhao seems to be somewhat unaware of the purpose of a study?"
"You mean you're asking me to allow you to enter the study like the master of the house and take books for me, even when I'm not here?"
Zhao Liangxu did not reply, but her expression proved that this was indeed what she thought.
"Do you know that for most people, a study is considered a second bedroom, given its privacy? Do you think we would let you come to the study so freely?"
Following An He's words, Zhao Liangxu looked around the study. The study was quite large, with a desk and bookshelves for work. The bookshelves stood silently, exuding a strong scholarly atmosphere. There was also a luxurious and comfortable daybed, and tea and other beverages were provided for enjoyment. Further inside, there was a screen separating an inner room, and Zhao Liangxu could even glimpse a corner of a soft couch. It was truly no exaggeration to call it a bedroom.
An He caught Zhao Liangxu scanning the study again, seemingly unconcerned about the danger implied in his words. He slammed his hand on the table: "Zhao Liangxu! You've got some nerve!"
Zhao Liangxu withdrew her gaze, lowered her head and pouted, soothing Anhe with her words: "Why is Your Highness angry? I was just asking. Or perhaps when Your Highness is in the study, I should ask you for a few more books?"
She called him "Nine Thousand Years Old" again. Now, when she needs something, she softens her tone and calls him "Nine Thousand Years Old" to make her request.
Before Anhe could say anything more indignantly, Zhao Liangxu continued, "Your Majesty, you see, when I said I was moving out, at most I just became your neighbor. His Majesty has bestowed so many things upon me. If I wanted to move, I could have carefully chosen a better house to live in. Besides, I chose this house in the north and even built an archway, isn't it just so that I could be closer to Your Majesty?"
Zhao Liangxu kept saying "Your Majesty" to her, but she probably didn't mention that it was for Anhe's study, otherwise it would sound like she had ulterior motives.
"Why are you so close to me?" Anhe asked in a surprised, high-pitched voice, but a mix of indescribable emotions welled up inside her.
When she mentioned the archway earlier, he felt that Zhao Liangxu's actions were for him. These three words, "for him," seemed to make him a little happier, regardless of the purpose.
Now she bluntly says it's to get closer to him, which touches him even more and makes him even more eager.
Can......
Anhe deliberately kept a low voice and said, "I'm afraid you're not after our family, but rather our study. What are you trying to spy on in the study?"
He had long known that Zhao Liangxu was a cunning person and also a very curious person. He knew from the beginning that Zhao Liangxu always did some ambiguous things, which in the end always led to someone wanting to spy on him.
Such thoughts are too easy to misunderstand. Anhe has thought countless times that Zhao Liangxu is a spy from Zhao Chengxin or Zhou Feng.
But he also felt that these two were even more despicable people, and given Zhao Liangxu's personality, she shouldn't be willing to do things for them.
Zhao Liangxu replied with annoyance at being wronged: "Your Highness, you asked me to come to this study today. I just mentioned it casually. If Your Highness disagrees, you can simply refuse. How can you think of me like this?" As she spoke, she coughed a few times as if she was in pain, but this time she was not really coughing, and there were no tears in her eyes.
In truth, she did have a desire to spy on him. She now believed that her so-called liking for Anhe was superficial. However, she was pleasing to the eye and had no objection to holding hands or hugging him.
Such affection cannot last. One day, she might suddenly notice something truly repulsive about Anhe, and then that affection would vanish.
She moved to the new house to be Anhe's neighbor so that she could be closer to Anhe's study and bedroom. After all, as she had thought before, as long as she was in the capital, how could she possibly escape Anhe's notice?
Rather than retreating, I should take advantage of my current youthful exuberance and superficiality to learn more about Anhe. Perhaps she will discover something, which will make it easier for me to deal with Anhe in the future.
An He's heart tightened again at Zhao Liangxu's cough. He couldn't let someone he cared about be so weak all the time, as if she was about to fall ill again at any moment.
He was furious, though, because he hadn't shown any particular pity, and Zhao Liangxu was taking advantage of him like this.
And to say it was just to fit the occasion, it was clearly said on purpose, just to test him!
Anhe gritted her teeth in anger, but considering that Zhao Liangxu was a patient, she decided to let her off the hook for now: "Alright! Don't pretend that I don't know anything. If you enter the study when I'm not here, you won't have an easy time; but if I'm here, I will naturally allow you to take the books."
He felt so angry he was sweating. He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Hurry up and take your things and go back. Don't get in the way. You look like you're about to die here. If word gets out, it'll be difficult for our family to even have a sick person!"
Zhao Liangxu silently commented in her heart, "With Anhe's current reputation, why would he worry about a few minor slanders?"
He's so feared by the people of the capital, he must be tainted with infamy for a long time.
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Author's Note: Eunuch An is so domineering now, but this study won't just be a place where Zhao Liangxu can come and go as she pleases in the future; who knows, it might even...
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