"Are you going to tell me or not? If you don't, I won't be polite." I wanted to tickle him, and Xie Yuancheng let me, laughing like a little child.
"Little Chengcheng~ You're bullying me. I think it must be because you were peeping at me. I was just showing you the view openly, but you insisted on peeping and then disturbed my sleep."
"I just lift it up and look, why would I need to peek?" This little rascal, he's not that old but he likes to tease me with his old-fashioned words. I was sleeping with my head on Xie Yuancheng's face, and I deliberately tried to pull on the strap he had tied.
It's snowing heavily outside again. I just went out to check, but Xie Yuancheng stopped me from getting up. A little wind blew in and blew the long lamp upstairs.
The bed curtains also fluttered down. It's a good thing he liked this light green color, with some pale yellow added. But if he had added golden yellow bed curtains, he'd probably be in jail by now.
I woke up in the middle of the night. I checked the time and realized it was all because I went to bed too early last night; I wasn't sleepy at all. Xie Yuancheng was still half-embracing me. With the outside light on, I pulled back the bed curtains a little, and the light shone in so I could see his face.
"Sigh~ This face is still the same as before, so handsome it could ruin a country. Just by showing it, it can make me lose my mind."
I spoke very softly, and Xie Yuancheng even deliberately pulled the blanket back a little so I could praise him again. When did he wake up? I was really afraid he would catch a cold, so I closed the bed curtains and covered him with the blanket.
"Why aren't you talking?" Xie Yuancheng didn't even open his eyes, yet he still knew to talk to me.
"You woke up too early. Go back to sleep. I don't go out. You have to go out to run errands."
"There will be a banquet in the palace tonight, and you will be attending with me. It's good to get up early and prepare."
"A banquet? Then you need to sleep even more. I don't want to see you with panda eyes. Come to my arms and let me pamper you."
I reached in and grabbed a small coat, quickly put it on, and then let Xie Yuancheng lean against me. He usually holds me and lulls me to sleep, so I wanted to put his mind at ease.
"Ying'er~ I weigh more than you~ Even if I lose weight, I can't always rely on you."
"Hmph~ It's a bit late to say that now. Just lean on me to sleep. I'm not a porcelain doll, I can't just sleep like that and break."
I lay there with him in my arms. The night was exceptionally quiet, and snow was falling outside. This time, we weren't doing anything wrong or offending anyone, so we were able to sleep peacefully.
I looked down and saw that Xie Yuancheng was sleeping very restlessly. I tried to use the tricks my mother used to use to lull me to sleep: I rubbed his back and whispered in his ear.
Xie Yuancheng is usually a light sleeper, and he even said that sleeping next to me would put pressure on me, but now he's sleeping soundly. I closed my eyes to listen to the snow; it was a very soft sound, but it made me feel at peace.
None of the kingfishers have returned, so I suspect the shopkeeper has gone to the palace. But he's elusive; Xie Yuancheng said he's in the capital. Although he'd love to take my abilities, it's good for me to keep them.
He has limited energy; if he's always on edge, something bad will definitely happen. He needs to relax a bit. I'm willing to work behind the scenes for Xie Yuancheng. It's slower for one person to go alone, but together we can go much more steadily.
I don't know how I fell asleep afterwards. When I woke up, my left shoulder was really sore. Xie Yuancheng was still asleep. I felt that I could endure any more tiredness.
"Ying'er~ What time is it now?" I was smiling at him when Xie Yuancheng woke up. I lifted the bed curtains and looked out; it was already bright.
"It shouldn't be past Chen Shi (7-9 AM) yet." I touched his face, and Xie Yuancheng smiled, finally opening his eyes.
"I've never gotten up this late before. You just know how to sweet-talk me!"
"I just want you to sleep more. If you're busy with things, then forget it. So many people have been helping you in the capital these past few days. Relax a bit, or you'll get old before you know it."
"Is that all you're going to do?" I brought up a topic with him, and seeing how anxious he was, I quickly tried to calm him down.
"I'll take care of you in your old age, what else can I do?"
"Haha~ You're so good at talking. I don't want you to support me. If I were to support you, I would take you with me to hell. We'll never be apart no matter where we go."
"That's for sure. If you break your promise, I'll set you on fire. Even crying your eyes out won't help!"
"Yes~ I will remember~" Xie Yuancheng, this young marquis, is the best at sweet talk. I feel that anything he says can turn dirt into gold.
Xie Yuancheng is such a smug person. Knowing that I'm completely devoted to him, he made me wash and dress him first thing in the morning. As for combing my hair, forget it. I'm not as skillful as him; a grown man like him can't even do my hair into a bun.
"You look so good~" I leaned against his shoulder from behind. The person in the mirror looked so energetic. "Tell me, do you want to sleep next to me? I want you to be energetic in the morning."
"My wife just loves to take credit~ Next time I'll give you a cushion to lean on. I always lean on it, and your shoulder will hurt."
"I don't care, I'm willing to do anything for you."
I put the jade pendant and purse on his wrist before seeing him out. "Are you going to see the shopkeeper?"
"You know again. I'll come to find you this afternoon to go to the palace to pay your respects to Consort Ji at Chang Le Palace."
"Then," I wanted to say, "I wonder if I could see my parents. It would be so wonderful if the whole family could meet at Chang Le Palace."
"We won't see you for a while, Ying'er~ When we leave, we'll grant your wish, please listen to me this once."
"I'll listen to you. I'm just asking around. Like, I said I wanted to eat ice cream, but it's too cold right now. I don't really want to eat it. I just said it. You can't take it seriously!"
"Is your little tummy hungry again? It's a pity I have to meet with Master this morning. He has something to say to me, so I can't eat with you."
"Good to know. I was just giving you an example. Let's go, or the shopkeeper will scold us if we stay too late."
It was all white outside. These servants were incredibly dedicated, standing there without moving. Perhaps it was because they were under the emperor's nose; if they weren't upright, they might not achieve anything and could even lose their jobs.
I sent a maid to inform them that it would be within the next few days, and to provide them with hot soup and meals. Standing guard in this freezing weather is hard work. This isn't Linyang, and there's nowhere to shelter from the wind and rain. They have to stand here even when it's snowing; they're practically turning into snowmen.
It's still not as carefree as Linyang. On the day I left, Xizhi smiled and showed his little teeth, and I liked to pinch his little face.
Xie Yuancheng always says he looks like me when I was a child. I'm really afraid he looks exactly like me. I don't know if he'll have good luck in love or bad luck in the future.
"Madam, this is what the Marquis arranged." A maidservant brought in the soup and dishes. I glanced at them and realized they weren't my favorites. They were probably what young ladies from wealthy families in the capital would like to eat.
What's your name?
"Reporting to Madam, my name is Yan Yan." Yan Yan's features were different from those of ordinary women; she was probably doing something for someone else, so I didn't press her further.
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