Chapter 53 In September, Xuanxun's deeds were inscribed on stone, to be worshipped forever.
Although this mountain ridge was not a royal villa, it was a place that only high-ranking officials and nobles could enter.
Fu Sui lifted her skirt and walked up the stone steps in the mountain, with Yue Ling following behind her like a servant.
The autumn breeze carries the fragrance of orchard fruits. Fu Sui's skirt is lifted high, revealing a pair of exquisite thick-soled embroidered shoes with upturned toes. The shoes are embroidered with dogwood flowers and adorned with tiny red gemstones as dogwood berries, perfectly matching the season.
Yue Shanling kept a close eye on Fu Sui's feet. The embroidered shoes were comfortable and exquisite, but the soft, slippery uppers and flat, thick soles were not suitable for climbing. The mountain path was steep and rocky, and Yue Shanling was worried that Fu Sui would fall.
Fu Sui was completely unaware, still freely wandering through the woods. There were several wild persimmon trees on this mountain, bearing persimmons that were red and sweet. Since he couldn't be made to climb a tree and pick a persimmon like in those romantic novels, it wouldn't be bad to let him do it.
Fu Sui led Yue Shanling, who knew the way well, toward the persimmon trees. Yue Shanling, not understanding why, could only follow along.
Fu Sui passed through the narrow path squeezed by thick trees and dense shrubs. A gnarled tree root lay across the ground, lifting up the paving stones. Unable to withstand the life's thirst for growth, the stones shattered into pieces, scattered in the soil on both sides of the root.
She stepped over the tree roots, landing on the withered leaves with a rustling sound.
With each step, a cracking sound spread beneath his feet. Fu Sui deliberately lightened his steps, tiptoeing to land among the fallen leaves.
Yue Shanling watched Fu Sui leap and dart through the woods like she was dancing, and a sense of unease arose in his heart. Only when he realized that each of her steps landed silently did he understand her playful nature. He stopped, carefully memorizing Fu Sui's gait, and then, when he took another step, he lightly and gracefully landed where Fu Sui had walked, just as silently.
The persimmon tree was just ahead. Fu Sui stepped over the pit formed by the missing half of a stone brick, parted the branches and leaves and looked over there.
The persimmons here are rarely picked; only distinguished tourists will pick a few as a pastime, so every year the trees are laden with red fruit, a vibrant bunch that looks like a handful from afar.
After just one glance, Fu Sui immediately hid behind a tree.
Seeing this, Yue Shanling thought something was wrong and went to investigate. As soon as he reached Fu Sui's side, she grabbed his clothes and made him stumble.
Fu Sui's strength was not enough to shake Yue Shanling, but she wouldn't allow him to look, so he complied with Fu Sui's wishes and was pushed behind a tree by her.
Having overcome the conspicuous obstacle of Yue Shanling, who was tall and strong, Fu Sui then peeked out from behind the tree, peering curiously in that direction.
Her hand was still gripping Yue Shanling's clothes, so Yue Shanling could only bend over behind Fu Sui, trying his best to lower his body so that she could grip more easily.
This position was uncomfortable; the muscles in his back were stretched, and a protruding spine emerged from his waist, supporting the taut fabric and sculpting mountains and rivers on his back.
The hand gripping his clothes pulled him forward, forcing him to bend over and move forward.
Fu Sui's cheek was right next to his face, so close that he could feel the slight tickle of Fu Sui's hair brushing against his face. Soon, that tickle turned into a burning heat. A sweet breath brushed against his ear, and Fu Sui was speaking to him almost right next to his ear.
"Look, isn't that Salt Mountain and the Seventh Prince?"
The wet sound licked his earlobe, and Yue Shanling swallowed his chaotic thoughts with a "gulp," then focused his attention on the direction Fu Sui pointed.
Under the persimmon trees stood a woman in a yellow dress, with a tall man beside her. The woman spoke to the man, and then the man bent down, picked up the hem of his dress, tied it around his waist, took a few steps back, and leaped up into the tree.
The branches and leaves of the persimmon tree trembled and shook violently as he shook them. Fortunately, the persimmon tree in the mountains had been growing for many years and had thick branches and trunks, otherwise it would have been broken by his trampling.
Those two were none other than the Princess of Yanshan County and the Seventh Prince.
Fu Sui pulled Yue Shanling and hid in the bushes again, only revealing a pair of eyes that were fixed on the other side.
The seventh prince was pulling and tugging at the tree, thoroughly damaging every branch and leaf. Salt Mountain watched from below on tiptoe, occasionally sending a few words of advice to the tree.
Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from the tree. Yanshan, unable to see clearly from below, hurriedly climbed up the trunk to look. A handful of leaves fell from the canopy, landing squarely on Yanshan. Then, a somewhat silly, hearty laugh echoed from the dense foliage.
Yanshan was a little annoyed, but the person in the tree couldn't do anything about it. Seeing that the person was still laughing to himself, she gently kicked the tree trunk.
This tree was two inches thicker than Salt Mountain. Let alone a light kick, even if Salt Mountain kicked with all his might, it would be difficult to budge it an inch. The Seventh Prince was anxious in the tree. He leaned down and asked Salt Mountain if he had hurt himself, as most of his body was about to fall out of the tree.
Yanshan ignored him and turned his back.
The seventh prince, disregarding everything else, grabbed his robes and jumped straight down from the tree. He jumped so fast that he landed with a thud, barely managing to stay upright. Yanshan was startled and, forgetting his anger, hurriedly asked if he was hurt.
The seventh prince shook his head to indicate that he was alright, and then spread out his robe to show Yanshan that there were several bright red persimmons inside, round and pleasing to the eye.
He picked out the prettiest persimmon, rolled up his robe and tucked it into his waistband, then used his free hand to wipe the persimmon on his clothes until the skin shone brightly before handing it to Yanshan. After handing it over, he felt it wasn't right, so he took another knife from his waistband, intending to peel it before giving it to Yanshan.
Seeing his flustered state, Yanshan smiled and took the knife and persimmon from his hand, peeling them herself. The Seventh Prince, now with nothing to do, stood aside, stealing glances at him again and again.
The leaves that fell on his clothes were easily brushed off, but one fell into Yanshan's hair, which he did not notice.
The Seventh Prince saw this and reached out to pick the leaf for Yanshan, secretly hiding it in his sleeve behind his back. Yanshan looked up at him with some confusion, only to see him with his hands behind his back, tilting his head and grinning, revealing two cute, white canine teeth.
"When did they become so close?" Fu Sui asked Yue Shanling, puzzled, as he was intently spying on them.
How could Yue Shanling know about the affair between the Seventh Prince and the Princess of Yanshan? He only knew that half of his body was covered by Fu Sui's back, and he could touch Fu Sui's cheek with just a slight tilt of his head.
Fu Sui clung to his clothes and bent down to hide behind a tree. To accommodate Fu Sui's height, he squatted down next to her in a horse-riding position, carefully maintaining a distance from her to avoid actually pressing his body against her. Yue Shanling's muscles were tense to the extreme, and he even tried to keep his breathing as light as possible.
Fu Sui watched for a while longer, then quietly backed away, trying to leave. She had barely retreated when she pressed herself against a hard body. Startled, she realized she had been gripping Yue Shanling's clothes the whole time, and her face flushed.
He was so close, yet he didn't remind her at all.
She hurriedly let go, turned to the side and took a few steps back, trying to escape from the man's hot embrace.
The mountain path had been in disrepair for years. Fu Sui, in his attempt to peek, stepped into the mud outside the path. He stepped back and landed on the edge of a stone slab, immediately twisting his ankle to the side.
Yue Shanling reacted quickly, immediately reaching out to catch her. He was still in a half-squatting position, stretching his body to catch Fu Sui, causing her to lose her balance. In order to prevent Fu Sui from falling to the ground, he had no choice but to pull her towards himself.
"Bang".
Fu Sui covered his mouth and collapsed onto Yue Shanling's shoulder. There were no screams to disturb Yanshan and the Seventh Prince, only the dull thud of Yue Shanling's left knee striking the stone slab.
The two men from Yanshan were clearly unaware of what was happening here, and continued to share the sweet and soft persimmons.
"Is the princess alright?" A voice so low it was almost inaudible came from beside her. Fu Sui propped herself up on Yue Shanling's shoulders, her gaze sweeping over his knees.
The soft cloth rubbed against the dusty stone, leaving file marks. Where he knelt, a small, broken stone slab stood upright, its sharp edges pointing straight up to the sky.
He didn't check the dust on his clothes, but squatted down in front of Fu Sui and asked softly if she was hurt. The tattered fabric was draped over his legs, as if he hadn't just bumped into the ground.
Fu Sui looked away, gently moved her ankle, and said with a hint of grievance, "I sprained my ankle."
A sprained ankle isn't a big deal; it would be easy to treat at home. However, there's no medicine or ice to apply in the mountains, and you can't rub it right after it's sprained. Since it's inconvenient to remove Fu Sui's shoes and socks to check the injury while crossing the mountains, I could only discuss it with her: "In that case, shall we go down the mountain first?"
Fu Sui nodded.
Now that things are not going to be this way, Fu Sui cannot walk down the mountain by herself. After thinking for a moment, Yue Shanling turned his back to Fu Sui and said, "If the princess does not mind, may I carry the princess down the mountain?"
Fu Sui didn't answer, but stepped forward and gently placed herself on his back.
His strong muscles and bones gradually emerged beneath her, just as she had seen, in a way she had never imagined. She could clearly feel the muscles on his back taut, his bones shifting, steadily lifting her up and carrying her step by step down the mountain along the path they had come from.
Doesn't his knee hurt? Fu Sui wondered. She reached out and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. They had walked so fast up the mountain, but on the way down, she wished he would slow down, much slower.
Fu Sui turned his head to the side, revealing faint veins on his neck that ran from his shoulder to behind his ear. The slight undulations of these veins highlighted the powerful and unique masculine charm he exuded.
They used to be quite eloquent when they met, but today even Stone was more talkative than him. Fu Sui suddenly had a bold idea. She leaned closer to Yue Shanling and gently placed a kiss on his neck.
He stopped walking, the soft touch lingering on his skin. Yue Shanling felt his breath was hot, as if the blood in his neck, heart, and even his entire body was boiling.
He wanted to say something, to ask her something. But the arms in front of him tightened their embrace, and the person on his back buried her face in his shoulder.
He ultimately said nothing, and started walking again, the two of them walking silently through the mountains and forests.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Cheng Liwu and Kouyun were there. Fu Sui was a little puzzled; she hadn't brought Cheng Liwu with her today, so what was he doing here?
"Princess."
Before Fu Sui could ask any questions, Cheng Liwu had already stepped forward anxiously.
When Kouyun and Dailing saw that Fu Sui was being carried down the mountain, they were startled and quickly went forward to help Fu Sui down and carefully check if he was injured.
Fu Sui helped Dai Ling to her feet and asked, "What is it?"
Cheng Liwu glanced at Yue Shanling, pondering that General Yue should be considered the princess's "wife," and that there were some things he didn't need to avoid saying. He then replied, "The Prefect of the Capital was leading people to repair the Bai Canal when a whirlpool suddenly appeared in the canal, from which a stone tablet emerged..."
The illustrious Prince of Jin, with his virtuous lineage.
All affairs were properly managed, and rites and music were restored to their former glory.
The Jin River flows with sorrow, its spirits yet to be revealed.
His merits will be inscribed on stone and enshrined forever.
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