Chapter 28 028 The Delicate Touch of Fingertips
The next day, as dawn broke, Lin Wan finally woke up.
The candle on one side of the room flickered and was about to burn out. The flickering candlelight shone through the bed curtains and reflected a pale yellow light above the bed. Lin Wan stared blankly at the ceiling, and a scene from her delirious illness flashed through her mind. She seemed to see Xie Huaiyuan.
When she tried to recall the dream more deeply, she couldn't remember it at all. Could it be that she was really having a dream because she was delirious from her illness?
The rustling sounds of someone getting up from the bed startled Shiliu, who was keeping watch: "Miss, you're awake?"
Shi Liu had been keeping watch for several days and was feeling a bit sleepy. But after seeing that Lin Wan hadn't had nightmares like before after taking her medicine yesterday, and had been sleeping well with her fever gone, Shi Liu finally relaxed a little and closed her eyes for a short while.
Hearing the movement inside the bed curtains, Shiliu hurried over, rolled up the curtains and hung them on both sides, then reached out to help her sit up, checked her body temperature, and said with a smile, "That's good, the fever has gone down, the medical skills of Hua Yisheng are truly amazing."
Lin Wan remained silent for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Hua Yisheng?"
Shi Liu thoughtfully draped a coat over her to prevent her from catching a cold again, and continued, "Miss, you developed a fever shortly after returning from the Prince of Ruyang's residence. Your whole body was burning hot, and you were completely delirious. Fortunately, Miss Su invited the renowned physician Hua to come and treat you."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan's expression changed. She threw off the blanket and muttered, "Isn't it very difficult to get Dr. Hua to come and treat patients?"
"It's all thanks to Miss Su's skill that the young master personally brought the renowned physician Hua here. I was stunned when I saw it, and it was hard to believe. But thankfully, it was Physician Hua who treated you. Look, it's only been a day, and you've already recovered a lot."
Upon hearing the words "Crown Prince," Lin Wan's heart skipped a beat. It turned out that she wasn't delirious from her illness and dreaming; he really had come!
Lin Wan, who had just recovered from her fever, got up and took a few steps, but her whole body was still tired and sore. She sat in front of the dressing table and looked at her hands reflected in the dressing mirror. She rubbed the delicate touch under her fingertips and vaguely remembered that someone had held her hand when she was sick. The cool and warm palm had repeatedly rubbed her fingertips.
Was it him?
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As the weather gets hotter, the sycamore trees in the yard are growing more and more lush.
Lin Wan, who had just recovered from her illness, did not go out. She stayed in the courtyard, looking at the swaying shadows of the trees with distress. She was unsure whether Xie Huaiyuan had really held her hand when he came over that day. At that time, Shiliu said she had gone to the kitchen to brew medicine, and only she and Xie Huaiyuan were left in the house. Only she and Xie Huaiyuan knew what exactly happened, but she was too confused to remember, and she did not want to ask Xie Huaiyuan about it.
Besides her maternal grandmother, her uncle and aunt also came to visit. However, Su Furong came almost every day without fail, and would stay in the courtyard for most of the day before leaving.
Unexpectedly, Xie Huaiyuan actually sent her a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) through a third party.
Lin Wan's eyes flickered slightly as she asked, "Why did the young master suddenly send a zither?"
The servant responsible for delivering it smiled and shook his head, saying, "This servant doesn't know. The young master only ordered us to deliver it to Miss Lin personally."
The zither was packaged in an exquisite long box. Upon opening it, it looked somewhat familiar; it was the same zither I had seen at Lishan Academy before.
As Lin Wan's eyes darted around, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her fingertips gently caressed the strings. She couldn't understand why someone would give her a zither. She didn't know how to play the zither, and he was unwilling to teach her. Giving her a zither would be a complete waste.
The servant who sent Xie Huaiyuan with the zither had just left when Aunt Meng's eldest son, Gu Qinghe, followed closely behind. He had somehow learned that she had fallen into the water and fallen ill, and came to visit her.
Lin Wan looked at Gu Qinghe, who was dressed in court attire, with great surprise.
Gu Qinghe smiled gently: "I met Young Master Su in court today. He mentioned that Miss Lin accidentally fell into the water and fell ill. I remembered that I had some medicine at home to dispel cold, and I thought it might be able to help Miss Lin, so I came uninvited. I hope that these medicines will help Miss Lin recover."
Behind him, a servant was carrying a large brocade box, which looked quite heavy, and the servant was carrying it with considerable effort.
Meng, standing to the side, smiled and said, "I didn't expect Young Master Gu to be so thoughtful. Lin Wan was quite ill a few days ago, but if she had your warming medicine, she would definitely be cured."
Left with no other choice, Lin Wan had Shi Liu accept the gift, secretly wondering what kind of gift she should give in return.
"So Miss Lin enjoys playing the zither in her spare time?"
Gu Qinghe's words drew everyone's attention to the guqin placed in the pavilion. She had opened it when she put it away and hadn't had time to put it away properly yet.
"……fine."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qinghe seemed to be smiling. He appeared to realize that Lin Wan was unwilling to talk about it further, so he changed the subject to something else.
Madam Meng smiled as she looked at the two people standing in the pavilion, and quietly tugged at Su Furong beside her, intentionally giving the two a chance to talk.
Su Furong looked at Lin Wan with a complicated expression. She recognized the guqin in the pavilion. It was a gift from her grandfather to Xie Huaiyuan when he was young. She had also taken a liking to it back then, but no matter how much she begged, her grandfather did not give it to her. Instead, he gave it to Xie Huaiyuan. Now the guqin had come into Lin Wan's hands.
However, the mother was unaware of this matter and naturally could not recognize the origin of the zither.
Before anyone knew it, Madam Meng and Su Furong had already left, leaving only Lin Wan and Gu Qinghe in the courtyard, creating an extremely awkward atmosphere.
Lin Wan suddenly thought of giving it to Gu Qinghe as a return gift for the medicine he had given her, so she asked someone to wait in the pavilion while she and Shiliu went inside to find the pre-rain Longjing tea they had bought last time.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves as Gu Qinghe waited patiently. Suddenly, he vaguely saw something moving in the wind beneath the guqin.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a piece of paper hidden under the guqin.
The wind blew the paper, making it sway, and the writing on the paper was faintly visible, giving it a familiar feel.
As if guided by some unseen force, Gu Qinghe carefully took out the paper, unfolded it, and saw a simple sentence written on it: "The day after tomorrow, the fifteenth, Lishan Academy, teaching the zither."
The paper was ordinary paper used for official documents, and there was no signature on it. But even without a signature, he would not mistake the handwriting. Since his promotion to the capital, he had been hearing about this person constantly, and had even become his subordinate.
Gu Qinghe was taken aback, then a smile suddenly appeared on his face, tinged with amusement. He thought of the rumors circulating in private, and realized that there was no smoke without fire. Since people were talking about it behind their backs, there must be some truth to it.
The other day, at the banquet held in the capital to celebrate the return of the young marquis of the Prince of Ruyang, some people secretly spread rumors that they were vying for the position of heir apparent, but little did they know that Lin Wan was involved.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, hearing footsteps approaching from not far behind him. He instantly clenched the paper in his hand, and in the instant he turned around, he quietly hid the crumpled paper in his sleeve. The look of surprise on his face disappeared, replaced by a gentle smile.
Lin Wan specially chose the finest tea to give him in return, as she couldn't find anything else of good quality. She said with a slightly embarrassed expression, "I hope Young Master Gu won't find it offensive."
"It just so happens that I enjoy drinking tea in my spare time. Thank you, Miss Lin." Gu Qinghe smiled, her eyes crinkling, and said, "I have a favor to ask of you, Miss Lin. Would that be convenient?"
Gu Qinghe mentioned that his younger sister was getting married soon, and as her older brother, he wanted to pick out a gift for her, but he couldn't decide for a while. He thought that Miss Lin was not far from his sister's age and should understand women's preferences, so he asked Lin Wan to help him choose a gift.
Lin Wan recalled her sister, whom she had met last month—a gentle and virtuous woman—and after a moment's thought, agreed: "When?"
"The day after tomorrow, the fifteenth, is a day off. I'll have some free time then. I wonder if Miss Lin has the time?"
"OK."
Gu Qinghe glanced at her slightly tired expression and said, "I will come to pick up Miss Lin again on the 15th of the day after tomorrow. I am sorry to have bothered you today. Miss Lin, please rest first. I will go now and talk to my aunt about this matter."
After watching Gu Qinghe leave, Lin Wan felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders, and her weary nerves finally relaxed.
Shiliu asked, "Miss, what should we do with this zither?"
"Put it away for now, and check back in a couple of days. If he doesn't give any specific instructions, then return the zither to him."
Shi Liu paused in surprise as she tidied up, and said, "This was a gift from the young master to you. Are you really willing to return it, young lady?"
Lin Wan slowly walked to the table, her fingertips gently stroking the strings, her eyes gradually clearing: "This is a rare and fine instrument, but I don't know how to play it. Wouldn't it be a waste to keep it here? Why bother?"
-
Before I knew it, the day I had agreed to meet Gu Qinghe arrived.
When Meng learned that Gu Qinghe was going to invite Lin Wan out on her day off, she couldn't hide her joy. She instructed the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous breakfast early in the morning. When it was time to eat breakfast, she smiled broadly and said a few words, "It's a rare opportunity to go out, so go and have fun without worrying too much."
Looking at the smile plastered on Meng's face, Lin Wan couldn't help but feel annoyed that she had agreed to help Gu Qinghe, causing Meng to misunderstand. Now she wanted to refuse but felt really bad.
Gu Qinghe arrived as promised. To her surprise, he invited her to the largest foreign market in the capital, which was only open on the fifteenth of each month. It brought together rare and interesting items from all over the world, which broadened her horizons.
Lin Wan didn't return home until dusk, still feeling quite unsatisfied. She had not only helped Gu Qinghe choose a good gift, but also bought quite a few for herself. In particular, she saw some rare rouge, which would be a good comparison for the new rouge being made in the shop.
Not long after nightfall, Lin Wan, who was too tired to move after a day of shopping, went to bed early.
On the other side of the capital, the Prince of Xiangyang's mansion was brightly lit.
A carriage traveled through the quiet streets under the moonlight, finally stopping outside the gate of the Prince of Xiangyang's mansion.
Hearing the noise, the gatekeeper hurried forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, the Princess has been waiting for you in the ancestral hall for a long time."
The driver quickly lifted the curtain and attentively served the driver.
Xie Huaiyuan remained silent, his thin lips pressed tightly together, his expression gloomy and uncertain as he stepped through the gate under the moonlight.
In the ancestral hall of the Prince of Xiangyang's Mansion, the lights were bright. A dignified and noble man quietly looked at the old wooden plaques and suddenly said, "Finally, you've decided to come back."
"Mother, is something the matter?" Xie Huaiyuan asked, his hands hanging down as he stopped behind the princess.
The princess sneered, "What, do I have to have something to talk about before I can summon you?"
The person behind him remained silent, and the princess did not intend to wait for his reply. She turned to face Xie Huaiyuan, her eyes turning colder, and stared at him with an oppressive gaze: "I really didn't expect that my son, as the heir of the royal family, would have a day when he would be waiting for someone. So, did she come to keep her appointment?"
"I bet you didn't see her until the moment you left," the princess said with a mocking look in her eyes. "She's just a woman with some beauty, but she's frivolous and has no manners whatsoever of a lady from a noble family. She was entangled with you here, while she was strolling through the market with someone else. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, I saw the person you were supposed to meet at the foreign market today. She was walking around the market intimately with another man. I would never agree to meet such a frivolous and fickle person."
Upon hearing this, Xie Huaiyuan's gaze darkened, and a terrifying ferocity was faintly revealed between his indifferent brows. His hand in his sleeve suddenly tightened, and blood seeped from between his fingers. Fortunately, his sleeve was wide and concealed it, so no one noticed.
The princess stood before him, and seeing that he offered no explanation, she was both angry and furious: "If you still can't understand, then stay here and think it over properly. Come out when you've figured it out!"
Originally, she thought this would allow him to reflect on his actions in the ancestral hall and avoid being seduced by beauty again. However, she did not expect that when the princess asked him again the next day, he was still exactly the same as the night before. Her anger intensified, and she said in a fit of rage, "If you can't figure it out in a day, then stay here until you do!"
The ancestral hall of the Prince's Mansion was located in a relatively remote area, and few people usually came here. Even Xie Huaiyuan was rarely punished here.
He has been staying in the ancestral hall as punishment for four or five days. Apart from the first two days when the princess came, she has not appeared since. I heard that the Noble Consort Shu of the palace invited the princess to stay in the palace for a few days.
After nightfall, there were not many candles lit in the ancestral hall, and it was even darker under the cover of night.
The ancestral hall was quite far from his courtyard. He walked in the dim light, illuminated only by a faint lantern. The surroundings were so quiet that only the sound of his footsteps could be heard.
Suddenly, he stopped, raised his slightly cool eyes, and looked at her standing at the corner of the veranda. The night breeze gently caressed him, carrying a familiar, sweet fragrance.
He slowly approached her, his dark eyes scrutinizing her, a half-smile playing on his lips.
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