Chapter 108 Do you like the tools?
An He did not let Zhao Liangxu stay in his study that night. Instead, he used the excuse that he was too busy to let Zhao Liangxu return to his own residence.
When Zhao Liangxu was half-pushed out of the study, she still looked bewildered.
He was sniffing her like a pervert just a moment ago, and now he's pushing her out again.
Zhao Liangxu wanted to find Zhang Sheng to get to the bottom of things, but as soon as Zhang Sheng saw Zhao Liangxu approaching, he avoided her as if she were the plague.
Anhe returned to the mansion every day for the next few days, but he was always nowhere to be seen.
For the first few days, he kept a close eye on her, holding her all night as if afraid she would run away. Occasionally, when Zhao Liangxu woke up in the middle of the night, she would see An He's eyes shining brightly in the darkness, just looking at him.
Then suddenly he distanced himself from her and resolutely avoided her.
What's wrong with him?
Zhao Liangxu caught Zhang Sheng once or twice, but all she heard Zhang Sheng say was that Anhe was busy with court affairs and it had nothing to do with her.
But Zhao Liangxu had a gut feeling that this matter was related to her, and An He was clearly avoiding her.
About ten days later, Zhao Liangxu finally saw Anhe again.
Upon hearing that Anhe had once again gone straight back to the study, she stormed to the study door. The servant in front of the door couldn't stop her in time, and she pushed the door open.
Even a clay figure has some temper. Anhe kept avoiding her without explaining anything, which made her feel a little annoyed.
At this moment, Zhang Sheng was reporting something to An He, but even in the study, he deliberately lowered his voice. Zhao Liangxu barely heard anything when she came in; instead, the two people in the room were startled by Zhao Liangxu.
"What are you doing barging in here?" Anhe was startled by Zhao Liangxu and took a step back, deliberately trying to block the view of the inner room. But the movement was slight. Anhe paused after realizing her movement and quickly concealed her emotions.
"When I entered Eunuch An's study, there was no question of me barging in; it was Eunuch An who gave me the order."
Zhao Liangxu walked up to the two of them, looked Zhang Sheng up and down a few times, and said, "Have you said everything you needed to say?"
Zhang Sheng went to seek An He's opinion.
An He frowned and said, "Zhao Liangxu, you're really something. He's finished speaking, so why are you asking these questions now?"
Without turning her head, Zhao Liangxu said to Zhang Sheng, "Now that you've finished talking, let's go out first. I also have something to discuss with Eunuch An, and it's not appropriate for others to be present."
An He glanced at Zhang Sheng and said, "You can go down now."
Zhang Shengjing quietly closed the door, leaving only the two of them in the study.
What do you want to say?
Anhe sat back down at the table, looking down at the letters on it instead of at Zhao Liangxu.
Zhao Liangxu snatched the letter from his hand without even glancing at it, placed it aside, rested her arm on the table, and slowly tapped the table with her slender fingers in front of An He's eyes.
"Eunuch An, if I have nothing else to do, can't I come?"
Anhe looked up and said, "You're just trying to make fun of us. One minute you say you have something to do, the next you say you have nothing to do."
But when Anhe looked up, the displeasure on her face suddenly stopped.
Zhao Liangxu's usual smile faded considerably, replaced by an inquisitive and even indifferent expression.
Zhao Liangxu spoke softly, "Eunuch An doesn't think I can't see that you've been avoiding me these past few days, does he? Why are you avoiding me? Why won't you see me?"
Her voice, along with the sound of her fingers tapping on the table, struck Anhe's ears like raindrops falling from the eaves in the dead of night—clear in the quiet, yet sometimes unsettling.
Anhe really didn't want to see Zhao Liangxu. He had only drunk that bitter porridge once, but Zhao Liangxu always forcefully served it to him and made him watch her eat it.
Wasn't he already being tolerant enough? Why did he have to go so far?
Or rather, the bitter porridge was a negligible reason.
In recent days, Zhao Liangxu has been reporting her every move to Anhe. Zhao Liangxu has been unusually honest and has not made any mistakes.
This only makes Anhe more upset.
This is enough to show how careful and cautious Zhao Liangxu was.
Yet she constantly oversteps her boundaries in front of me, taking advantage of my tolerance towards her... How can she act as if nothing's wrong and even fall asleep while holding me?
Every night, when Anhe looked at Zhao Liangxu's sleeping face, her unguarded appearance made Anhe feel uneasy.
Therefore, after several nights of sharing a bed, and after his nightly frustrations and discomforts stemmed from the heartless person in his arms, a wicked and cunning idea, perfectly befitting his status, took root in his mind.
"Eunuch An, you should at least explain yourself. Why is your attitude so hot and cold? Do you think I'm someone you can just summon and dismiss at will?" Zhao Liangxu questioned, her eyes meeting An He's.
"Why have you been acting so strangely these past few days? Does Eunuch An think I'm a person with no temper?"
From Zhao Liangxu's perspective, Anhe became very strange after she escorted Azhar back to his residence. Whether it was not returning from the palace for several days, the stiffer tone after returning to the residence, or the sudden disappearance after desperately needing her, Anhe's behavior in the past few days was very unusual.
Difficult to understand.
This left Zhao Liangxu puzzled for the past few days, and An He's attitude only added to her frustration.
Is there something you can't tell her, and instead do things that make people overthink?
Zhao Liangxu came today to question An He.
If there's anything, explain it to her first.
An Heben seemed somewhat evasive in the face of Zhao Liangxu's questioning and indifferent expression, but then he heard Zhao Liangxu recount her "bitterness".
If we're talking about having no temper, isn't it that he's more tolerant?
Anhe felt that Zhao Liangxu was going too far. What else did she want to ask for?
This kind of talk makes it seem like he's trying to take advantage of all the kindness and concessions he's shown, acting domineeringly and arrogantly, almost as if he's about to poke his face and call him a "useless eunuch."
"Zhao Liangxu, don't you think our family has been kind and benevolent enough to you?"
Anhe felt increasingly ashamed and angry. What else did she want from her?
An He had only been sitting down for a short while when he stood up again, grabbed Zhao Liangxu's arm, and asked, "What do you take us for? Haven't we been good enough to you?"
His voice was filled with suppressed anger.
Zhao Liangxu was puzzled, but An He's inexplicable low-voice question made her frown even more: "What do you mean by what Eunuch An said? Instead of answering my question, you're throwing one at me?"
She was also somewhat angry.
Anhe was indignant and used force in his hand.
Just before she could inflict pain, An He suddenly snapped out of her daze and released Zhao Liangxu.
His voice became calmer, but it still carried a chilling undertone: "You want to know?"
Zhao Liangxu said, "Of course I want to know."
An He let out a laugh, reverting to the same demeanor Zhao Liangxu had first seen him as a sinister eunuch with a playful tone.
The laughter was very soft, and the expression was fleeting, leaving Zhao Liangxu unsure whether she had misheard or misread.
The next moment, he composed himself and spoke softly, as if apologizing: "It's my fault. I lost my composure just now. These past few days have kept me so busy that I've neglected and distanced myself from you. It's my fault."
He lowered his head and took Zhao Liangxu's hand, gently rubbing her arm as if cherishing a precious piece of jade, and asked, "Does it hurt?"
Zhao Liangxu wrinkled her nose, not withdrawing her hand, but still said, "Eunuch An, please tell me first, what exactly is it that makes you so busy, and why are you avoiding me all the time?"
An He looked tender and affectionate, his head lowered as he looked at Zhao Liangxu's wrist, his movements very gentle and careful.
It also concealed the emotions in her eyes.
"It's nothing more than a couple of matters related to the court. We brought back the court's temper, and it's our fault," Anhe said slowly.
"What are these two or three things? Explain clearly."
Zhao Liangxu wouldn't let An He get away with it.
Anhe then said, "Zhou Feng has been very arrogant these past few days, constantly going against us, which is quite annoying." This was just a pretext; what really angered him was what he had told Anhe about Zhao Liangxu.
"That's it? What did he do to make you like this?" Zhao Liangxu was skeptical.
After a moment of silence, An He finally couldn't resist Zhao Liangxu and said, "...His words were full of insults, you should know that."
Zhao Liangxu stared at An He.
If that's the case, it's somewhat believable. Zhou Feng is the kind of person who loves to mock An He and is very good at using An He's identity to criticize him.
If Anhe were to apply the same composure he displayed when facing the late emperor in the palace, his facial expression would indeed be impeccable.
His half-truths convinced Zhao Liangxu to believe him to some extent.
Anhe said in a gentle tone, "Why don't you stay with us a little longer today, okay?"
Zhao Liangxu suppressed her doubts and put on a smile, saying, "Okay."
It was as if they completely believed what Anhe said.
An He smiled gently at Zhao Liangxu, and when he made a soft expression on his face, he looked just like a clean-cut scholar.
When night fell, Anhe did not return to his bedroom. He said, "There are too many things to do today. I'll rest in the study."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Liangxu went into the inner room first and said, "Then Eunuch An can come in later. I'm going to go to sleep first."
When Zhao Liangxu entered the inner room, even though An He harbored a hateful thought, he still moved slightly, trying to stop her.
But Anhe withdrew his hand, his expression turning inscrutable as he watched Zhao Liangxu's retreating figure.
After entering the inner room, Zhao Liangxu planned to rest for a while. She had been keeping an eye on An He's movements and hadn't slept well for the past few days, so she was already feeling sleepy.
Zhao Liangxu did not completely trust An He; she had seen An He's fleeting expression.
Anhe's current attitude gives the impression that a storm is brewing.
She wanted to see what Anhe was up to.
But before lying down on the soft couch, Zhao Liangxu first noticed the objects on the table.
It is a pear wood tray carved with lotus patterns.
The top layer was covered with a black silk cloth, which concealed the object it was supporting.
Since Anhe had asked her to go into the inner room first, he naturally knew that she would see this object. And given Zhao Liangxu's curiosity, she would naturally go closer to take a closer look at what was inside.
Zhao Liangxu lifted the black silk cloth.
Some utensils were neatly arranged on top.
Zhao Liangxu raised an eyebrow and flicked one of the items with her finger.
The jade utensils made a crisp sound as she moved.
At that moment, An He's voice rang out behind Zhao Liangxu: "Do you like it?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: I don't think "inch by inch" is about hatred.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com