Chapter 79 An Gonggong's Hairdressing Skills Were Barely Good
The sound reached the duty room, and An He subconsciously glanced at Zhao Liangxu, only to realize that Zhao Liangxu had also woken up at some point.
Zhao Liangxu actually woke up when she heard Zhang Sheng's voice. Since she had just woken up, she needed to rest for a while, so she just kept her eyes open without speaking or moving.
Noticing An He looking at her, Zhao Liangxu hummed in response, then said, "Oh, I didn't hear what Zhang Sheng said just now."
Even after waking up, Zhao Liangxu still had one arm around Anhe's waist and didn't let go, speaking to Anhe without any sign of discomfort.
Anhe got up, and Zhao Liangxu loosened her grip on her arm; this time, she didn't keep Anhe on the bed.
An He felt a pang of disappointment when he sensed Zhao Liangxu letting go of him. He quickly dismissed the thought and said with a "heh," "Isn't it all because of you? His Majesty must be angry in the palace."
Even when Anhe wasn't attending to Li Ying, she always clearly informed Li Ying. How could it be like today, so suddenly? Anhe was clearly in the palace, yet she remained completely silent, not letting Li Ying know a thing or two.
Zhao Liangxu recalled how she looked when she first met Li Ying and felt a pang of self-mockery.
Li Ying's image in front of others was always unpredictable and bad-tempered. He was an emperor who was quite crazy even at a young age. At that time, Li Ying went from being happy and obedient to the Empress Dowager to going crazy and hitting people in a very smooth way.
Presented to the palace servants, he flew into a rage because he was momentarily unaware of Anhe's whereabouts, which was very much in line with Li Ying's style.
Anhe said to Zhang Sheng outside the door, "I'm here. Have someone tell His Majesty that I'll be there shortly."
He didn't send Zhang Sheng to inform Li Ying, but instead kept him behind: "As for you, wait outside for a while."
An Hechao, still lying in bed, said to Zhao Liangxu, "You've really been sleeping soundly. It's already past noon. Get up quickly."
A few steps away from Zhao Liangxu, An He spoke with a firmer tone, his words carrying a hint of urging.
Zhao Liangxu said, "Eunuch An really doesn't recognize me once he gets out of bed. Didn't he like to hold me when we were sleeping? I didn't see him trying to leave this morning, but now he's blaming me for sleeping too much."
She first refuted Anhe, then got out of bed and instructed him: "Eunuch An, please bring me my clothes."
Anhe, with a stiff face, threw the clothes at her.
As he listened to Zhao Liangxu recount the facts, unsure of what expression to make, he could only put on a cold face once again.
Zhao Liangxu, however, was not buying it. After putting on her coat, she took Anping's usual wooden comb and casually combed her hair, trying to come up with the simplest hairstyle.
If it weren't for ancient times, Zhao Liangxu would have preferred to simply comb her hair into a ponytail—it would have been simpler and more convenient.
As someone who had transmigrated from another world, she naturally styled her hair casually when not going out. When she planned to go out, either Zhu Mu would braid a slightly more complicated hairstyle for her, or Zhao Liangxu would try it herself. Zhao Liangxu only knew two or three styles, but doing them well was still a skill. She slowly fiddled with her hair, making An He's eyebrows twitch.
“You’re too slow.” Anhe walked up behind Zhao Liangxu, snatched the wooden comb that belonged to him, slapped Zhao Liangxu’s hand away and said, “I don’t know when you’ll finish your makeup. Behave yourself, and I’ll condescend to help you this once.”
Zhao Liangxu was somewhat surprised: "Eunuch An can actually do people's makeup? Are you going to learn this too?"
Anhe scoffed, "I've seen these things many times, what's so difficult about doing them?" He had served by the side of the empress in the palace before, and when reporting matters, he often encountered the concubines tying their hair up. Even without deliberately learning, he had seen the general outline.
Zhao Liangxu left the task to An He with some skepticism. At worst, she could just wear a high ponytail and let people ask if she was just changing her style occasionally, showing off her boldness and heroism.
Zhao Liangxu silently looked at Anhe's reflection in the bronze mirror. He had already put on his gold-embroidered python robe and was now acting like a grand eunuch, bowing his head to tie her hair.
She felt Anhe's fingertips pass through her hair, his fingertips brushing her forehead.
Zhao Liangxu thought to herself that he really liked wearing the jade thumb ring; the cold jade felt silky smooth and cool to the touch, which was quite nice.
She hadn't expected that Anhe would stand so quietly behind her, fiddling with her hair.
Anhe originally wanted to style her hair into the most fashionable bun, but after trying it, she found that it was also a very challenging task.
Anhe only remembered the steps of combing hair, but had never actually done it before, so he was clumsy and Zhao Liangxu looked at him in the mirror several times.
To avoid making things difficult for herself and to prevent Zhao Liangxu from going out with a "shoddy" hairstyle, Anhe ultimately opted for the most common hairstyle in the palace, just to be on the safe side.
He gently brushed a few strands of hair behind Zhao Liangxu's ear, let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief, and said, "All done."
Zhao Liangxu looked at herself in the mirror from left to right, thought for a moment, and nodded, saying, "Eunuch An is really capable; he can comb my hair faster than I can do myself."
But like this, it's almost the same as if she combed it herself.
An He could easily understand the underlying meaning in Zhao Liangxu's tone. Being annoyed by Zhao Liangxu's implied meaning was a minor matter; he was even more regretful that he had taken on this task.
I don't know why I was so blinded by greed and insisted on doing these things for Zhao Liangxu.
Perhaps it was because of the scene just now that Anhe felt that she had secretly found some good time, just like the ordinary time that a man and a woman spend together in their home.
He also finds secret joy in these everyday things.
If Zhao Liangxu hadn't seemingly praised him after he finished, but actually showed no gratitude, he might have been even happier.
Zhao Liangxu stood up and saw An He's displeased expression, so she knew that what she had just said had made An He think about it again.
She quickly pecked Anhe's lips and said, "Actually, Eunuch An combs his hair very well, which makes me very happy."
Anhe's displeasure turned into surprise as she tried to dodge, then she wiped her lips from where she had just been kissed, and snorted, "You have no manners."
That means you've been appeased.
The two did not linger in the house for long before leaving.
Zhang Sheng was waiting outside the duty room for An He's instructions when he heard the door creak open and went to greet An He.
However, An He was not the only one who came out of the duty room. Zhang Sheng saw that after An He's robe, the hem of the woman's skirt was also following.
"Greetings to my godfather...Greetings to my godfather and godmother."
Zhang Sheng was very quick-witted. He could tell who was following An He even before he could see the woman's face by looking at the hem of her skirt.
Zhang Sheng had not anticipated that An He would actually let Zhao Liangxu sleep in his duty room.
so......
Before Zhang Sheng could even get his thoughts flowing, An He interrupted him: "Zhang Sheng, where is His Majesty now?"
Zhang Sheng composed himself and replied, "Father, His Majesty just finished court and then flew into a rage in the Qianqing Palace. After that, he went to the Empress Dowager's palace. His Majesty sent me to find you, saying that once I find you, I will tell you where you are."
When An He faced Zhang Sheng, or rather, when faced with anyone other than Zhao Liangxu, he looked down on everyone, and his words always carried a sinister and amused tone.
He asked with a hint of curiosity, "Oh? How was Your Majesty's court session? Those ministers must have been trying to seduce Your Majesty while I was away. Has Your Majesty made any progress?"
“Godfather is wise. As always, the court officials are taking advantage of these times to slander you. His Majesty is no different. He just seems a little more impatient because you did not inform him yesterday that you would not attend court.”
The word "slander" was used cleverly, which pleased Anhe greatly.
Anhe raised her chin and said ambiguously, "Alright, then I'll go to the Empress Dowager's palace and give His Majesty a proper explanation."
Anhe then said to Zhao Liangxu, "What about you? Go back to the Empress Dowager's palace. Don't bother us. Zhang Sheng, you go back with Zhao Liangxu."
After speaking, Anhe gestured to Zhang Sheng to follow Zhao Liangxu, while he went to the Empress Dowager's palace.
Zhao Liangxu and Zhang Sheng walked along the path in front of the duty room and onto the slightly wider palace road.
This place is close to the Qianqing Palace, so there's always a chance to see the palace servants working there.
The emperor's bedroom was naturally more heavily guarded, with more patrolling guards, which was one of the reasons why Anhe didn't forcefully drive Zhao Liangxu away last night.
Walking from the shade of the trees along the path to the palace road, it's easy to bump into people. Zhao Liangxu had only been on the palace road for a short while when she encountered someone who looked somewhat familiar.
Wang Laide greeted them with great enthusiasm, speaking in a high-pitched voice.
"Princess Zhao, what brings you here today? It's truly my good fortune to be out here today. Your hairstyle is indeed the style from the palace, but I didn't recognize it at first glance. I suppose it's Your Highness's ethereal beauty and noble bearing that makes this hairstyle stand out." Wang Laide had learned it perfectly from his earlier teacher, Wang Fu. His affected manner reminded Zhao Liangxu of Wang Fu, who used to always be by Li Ying's side, serving her.
But this obsequious attitude made Zhao Liangxu feel puzzled; the more he fawned over her, the more suspicious he seemed.
"Eunuch Wang would better speak properly, otherwise I'll tell Eunuch An in a bit."
"Oh, Your Highness, please don't. It's my fault for being clumsy with words. I just happened to run into Princess Zhao and wanted to ask Eunuch An where he was this morning. I thought that Princess Zhao and Eunuch An had a close relationship, so she must know something. I could then report back to Your Majesty."
Zhao Liangxu raised an eyebrow: "Oh? You're quite thoughtful? But... Zhang Sheng went to find Eunuch An, when did you become so popular with His Majesty?"
Zhang Sheng stepped forward and said, "Eunuch Wang, you should be careful with your words and actions. As a servant, you should be careful. If your godfather finds out that you are so self-righteous, you may end up like your master."
Wang Laide did not go to the Empress Dowager's palace with Li Ying. Li Ying was in a bad mood today, but since he was on duty that night, he simply stayed at the Qianqing Palace.
Meeting Zhao Liangxu and Zhang Sheng was also accidental, but he suddenly thought of his partner Fang Shi. He knew perfectly well that Fang Shi's plan for becoming his partner was to keep an eye on An He and others.
Thinking that Zhang Sheng had always been amiable, he eagerly said a few more words.
Now that the two of them have seen through his intentions at a glance, he realized that anyone who could associate with An He, whether it was Zhang Sheng or Zhao Liangxu, was inevitably a bit shrewd.
Wang Laide chuckled awkwardly twice: "Your Highness and Eunuch Zhang are right. I won't bother you any longer and will be leaving now."
Zhao Liangxu watched Wang Laide walk away, bowing and scraping, lost in thought. Curious, she asked, "Zhang Sheng?"
"Yes, what are your orders, Godmother?"
"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask, he... do you know that Wang Laide and Fang Shi are a couple?"
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Author's Note: An Gonggong: Angry, but I must learn.
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